New
Age Islam News Bureau
29
December 2020
•
Tablighi Jamaat Case: Patna High Court Quashes FIR against 18 Foreign Nationals
•
‘They Polished Ziaul Haq’s Boots’, Rasheed Rebukes Opp’s Claims of Army
Interference in Politics
•
Alleged Nashville Bomber Not Muslim: Western Media Disappointed
•
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture Issues First Two Licenses for Music
Institutes
•
It Is Impossible For Indonesia To Normalize Ties With Israel: Senior Lawmaker
•
North American Imams: Bangladesh Must Halt Rohingya Relocation
•
Three Dead after Terror Attack on Police in Russia’s Chechnyan Capital Grozny
India
•
Pork Gelatin in Covid-19 Vaccine: Muslim Cleric Mahmood Madni Says, ‘Vaccine’
Would Have To Be Used If It Was Necessary
•
Tablighi Jamaat Case: Patna High Court Quashes FIR against 18 Foreign Nationals
•
One Month of 'Love Jihad' Law In UP: 51 Arrests Made, 14 Cases Lodged, Only 2
Complaints from Victims
•
MP cabinet approves Freedom to Religion Bill 2020 as ordinance
--------
Pakistan
•
‘They Polished Ziaul Haq’s Boots’, Rasheed Rebukes Opp’s Claims of Army
Interference in Politics
•
Pakistan using Taliban as ‘tool’ for dominance in Afghanistan, says Former
senator
•
Afghanistan regrets Taliban leaders meeting their followers in Pakistan
•
Sattar urges MQM-P to quit ministries, launch protest drive over census results
•
PTI urges parties to accept census results, strive for early fresh headcount
•
Prayer leader jailed for 25 years in JuD fund-collection case
•
Parliament abusers formally begged parliament for NRO today: Marriyum
--------
North
America
•
Alleged Nashville Bomber Not Muslim: Western Media Disappointed
•
US engaged in intentional provocations against Iran to provoke war: Analyst
•
Internal NYPD memo warns of cops being targets of IED, vehicle attacks
--------
Arab
World
•
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture Issues First Two Licenses for Music
Institutes
•
Saudi rights activist goes on open-ended hunger strike to protest prison
conditions
•
Lebanon Secures Coronavirus Vaccines for 20 Pct of Its Citizens, Says Minister
•
Saudi Arabian Military Industries acquires AEC in Kingdom’s biggest military
deal
•
Iraq to issue court orders for suspects in assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani,
PMU's al-Muhandis
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
It Is Impossible For Indonesia To Normalize Ties With Israel: Senior Lawmaker
•
Chinese Citizen Journalist Jailed For Wuhan Virus Reporting
•
Happiness is in our hands, not politicians
•
A message of hope in Muslim-majority Indonesia
--------
South
Asia
•
North American Imams: Bangladesh Must Halt Rohingya Relocation
•
Afghanistan, ‘Deadliest Place to Be A Civilian’
•
Afghan military airstrikes kill 11 Al-Qaeda, 2 Taliban terrorists
•
Bangladesh moves more Rohingya Muslims to controversial island
•
Bangladesh moves second group of Rohingya refugees to remote island
•
Heads roll over Afghan’s stripping, torture in police custody in Peshawar
--------
Europe
•
Three Dead after Terror Attack on Police in Russia’s Chechnyan Capital Grozny
•
Azerbaijan says soldier killed during clash with Armenian separatists
•
Russian agents foil 'Islamic State' terror attack
•
'Turkey fully supports Serbia-Kosovo dialogue'
•
Austria: Victims fight problems over ‘terror operation’
--------
Mideast
•
Iran Identifies, Prosecutes 48 Suspects Involved in Assassination of General
Soleimani
•
Iraqi Leader Reveals Involvement of British Company in Assassination of General
Soleimani
•
Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Develops System to Identify Masked Faces
•
Hamas received $22m from slain Iranian commander Soleimani in 2006: Top Hamas
leader
•
Palestinian PM urges international community to stop Israel’s settlement
construction plans
•
Yemenis condemn Israeli moves in region
•
Palestinians in Gaza pay tribute to Martyr Qassem Soleimani
•
Scholars, activists from around world commemorate General Soleimani in Qom
--------
Africa
•
Moroccan Lawyers Demand Cancelation of Normalization Agreement With Israel
•
Boko Haram kidnaps 40 loggers and kills three in north-east Nigeria
•
Egyptian officials make 1st visit to Libya in years to 'support' truce deal
•
Sudan scraps immunity for RSF soldiers over killing
•
Sudanese Army retakes border area with Ethiopia
•
Moroccan team in Israel to set up liaison office: source
•
Sudan deploys ‘large numbers’ of troops to South Darfur after violence erupts
•
Reuters cameraman arrested in conflict-ridden Ethiopia
•
Roadside Bomb Kills Three French Soldiers in Mali
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pork-gelatin-covid-19-vaccine/d/123916
--------
Pork
Gelatin In Covid-19 Vaccine: Muslim Cleric Mahmood Madni Says, ‘Vaccine’ Would
Have To Be Used If It Was Necessary
December
25, 2020
The
debate over the use of pork in the corona vaccine continues among Islamic
religious leaders around the world. Muslim cleric Mahmood Madni said in a
special conversation with India TV about pork in the corona vaccine that there
should be a right to know what is in the vaccine. He said we should have a right
to know what is there in the vaccine and it will be good if scientists are able
to assure that there is pork in the vaccine.
Madani
further said that the vaccine would have to be used if it was necessary and if
there was no alternative. Madani appealed to the Muslims about the confusion
being spread about the corona vaccine and said that instead of rumours, pay
attention to realty... vaccines such as Pfizer or Oxford...
Debate
on Haram-Halal issue
Let
me tell you, Islamic fundamentalists have started a debate on the issue of the
vaccine being unsafe. Fatwa has been issued by Mumbai's Raza Academy regarding
the corona vaccine. Raising the front against Raza Academy founder Maulana Syed
Noori Corona Vaccine, it is alleged that the gelatin of pig fat is being used
in the vaccine. The controversy is about the use of Pork gelatin in the
vaccine. Which is used to make vaccines, but spokesmen for Pfizer, Moderna, and
AstraZeneca have stated that their COVID-19 vaccines do not use products made
from pork.
The
debate over the issue comes at a time when the world is grappling with new
deadly variants of coronavirus by clamping travel restrictions, a section of
Indian Muslims led by some clerics is raising the bogey of the Covid-19
vaccines being 'anti-Islamic' because of reported use of pork gelatin.
On
Wednesday, leaders of 9 Muslim organisations including All India Jamiatul
Ulema, Jamaat Ulema Ahle Sunnat, Anjuman Barkate Raza, All India Masjid
Council, Darul Uloom Hanafia Rajvia and Raza Academy, met in Mumbai and decided
that they would seek the opinion of experts whether the Covid vaccines are
‘halaal’ (Islamic) or ‘haraam’(un-Islamic) because of reports that pork gelatin
has been issued while preparing these vaccines. The Islamic clerics said they
would then decide whether to ask members of the Muslim community in India to
accept Covid vaccines or not.
The
Muslim scholars said that any vaccine containing pork was not permissible for
Muslims under Islamic laws. The ulemas said that any vaccine made from pork
gelatin must not be administered to Muslims. They were reacting to news reports
that the Chinese Covid vaccine named Sinovac is derived from pig gelatin and
was not acceptable to Muslims.
The
secretary-general of Raza Academy Saeed Noorie said there are reports of the
Chinese Covid vaccine containing parts of a pig’s body. “As pig is haram for
Muslims, a vaccine containing pig gelatin cannot be allowed”, he added.
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/pork-gelatin-in-covid-vaccines-what-muslim-cleric-mahmood-madni-has-to-say-673979
--------
Tablighi
Jamaat Case: Patna High Court Quashes FIR against 18 Foreign Nationals
Umesh
Kumar Ray
27/DEC/2020
Patna:
The Patna high court has quashed the first information report (FIR) filed
against 18 Bangladeshi and Malaysian nationals arrested from Araria district of
Bihar for violating visa rules during the nationwide lockdown triggered by the
outbreak of COVID-19.
The
court has found no basis to prosecute the foreign nationals under Section 14
and 14C of the Foreigners Act, 1946, and directed the government to take
necessary steps to deport the foreign nationals to their respective countries
if they are not wanted in any other case.
“In
light of the discussions made herein above, this Court comes to a conclusion
that so far as the foreign nationals are concerned, their prosecution for the
offences alleged under Section 14 and 14C of the Act of 1946 has no basis to
proceed. Accordingly, the order taking cognizance and issuance of summons as
also the entire criminal prosecution against them are hereby quashed,” Justice
Rajeev Ranjan Prasad wrote in his 68-page order on December 22.
Soon
after the court order, the foreign nationals welcomed the verdict and said that
their faith in the Indian judiciary had been strengthened.
“We
are happy that the Indian judiciary has quashed all the allegations against us.
We respect the court verdict,” Bangladesh national Mehboob-ur-Rahman said.
Saiful Bin Baheri, a Malaysian national, termed the verdict as “bold judgment”.
Two
FIRs were lodged by the local police in Araria Sadar and Narparganj police
stations in mid-April against them for staying in Araria in violation of visa
rules. On the basis of FIRs, nine Malaysian nationals were arrested from local
Jama Masjid, and another nine Bangladeshi nationals were arrested from Rewahi
Markaz. Three local persons were also arrested for not informing the local
administration about their stay.
The
foreign nationals in question had come to Araria on March 11 and March 23
before the first lockdown was imposed. They had also visited Nizamuddin Markaz
but before the Tablighi Jamaat gathering.
Meanwhile,
the ministry of home affairs had asked states to “screen, quarantine and
deport” the foreign nationals who had participated in the religious gathering
organised by the Nizamuddin Markaz between March 12 and March 14, 2020. Despite
the fact that there has been no link between the foreign nationals in question
and the religious gatherings in Nizamuddin Markaz, police jumped into action
and lodged FIRs against them. After the arrest, they were tested for COVID-19,
and test results turned negative.
District’s
session court on June 9 granted bail to them but restricted their movement till
the disposal of the case. Since the grant of bail, they have been staying in a
hotel in Araria.
“Because
of the frequent lockdowns, the hearings in the court were going on at a slow
pace. So, we felt that this would prolong the case and filed a criminal writ
jurisdiction in the Patna high court,” Z.A. Mujahid, one of the lawyers who fought
the case on behalf of foreign nationals, told The Wire.
The
main charge against the foreign nationals had been that they had not disclosed
information to authorities about the propagation of religion by them and
staying in mosques and Markaz allegedly violating visa rules.
The
application submitted to register an FIR in Narpatganj police station on April
12 said, “Not informing about the arrival of the above persons to the police
station and involving in religious activities by a foreign citizen on a tourist
visa is a cognisable offence under the Section 14 and 14C of the Foreigners
Act.”
However,
the police could not produce evidence to prove their allegations in court.
Therefore,
the court in its said, “Foreign nationals were staying in the ‘Markaz’ and the
‘Mosque’ respectively with effect from a date before the imposition of the
Lock-down 1.0. Before the imposition of the Lockdown at no point of time, the
‘BOI’ /local Police Station identified these foreign nationals as those
involved in religious/Tabligh work.”
“They
have not been seen addressing any congregation or preaching religious
ideologies. In the course of investigation also police have not collected any
material in any form to take a prima-facie view that these foreign nationals
who are before this Court had indulged in religious/Tabligh work,” it further
added.
Muslim
community targeted
It
may be noted that a section of media at that time had defamed the Muslim
community pointing to Tablighi Jamaat’s alleged role in spreading COVID-19.
These media houses had reported that foreigners who came to join Markaz were
moving within the country and spreading Coronavirus.
Due
to this hate propaganda, Muslims have been targeted at many places. In one
instance, Bajrang Dal activists had flung saffron flags outside Hindu shops in
Nalanda district’s Bihar Sharif to enable ‘Hindu buyers’ to shop only from
Hindu shops, while propagating that Muslims were spreading Coronavirus.
In
Begusarai, a Muslim quack, Afaq Alam was harrassed by local people alleging
that he was treating COVID-19 patients and could spread Coronavirus. He was
even forced by the police to get tested for COVID-19. Although his test result
came out negative, he alleged that local vegetable vendors and water suppliers
still hesitated to sell vegetables and water to him.
He
had told this correspondent in April, “The Hindus were boycotting around 45-50
Muslim families in my locality along with me.”
In
August, the Aurangabad bench of Bombay high court had acquitted 29 people of
foreign origin and said that they were merely made scapegoats.
“A
political government tries to find a scapegoat when there is pandemic or
calamity and the circumstances show that there is a probability that these
foreigners were chosen to make them scapegoats,” the Aurangabad bench of the
Bombay high court had observed while quashing FIRs registered in Maharashtra
against foreign nationals.
The
Bombay high court had questioned the role of the media too.
“There
was big propaganda in print media and electronic media against the foreigners
who had come to Markaz Delhi and an attempt was made to create a picture that
these foreigners were responsible for spreading COVID-19 in India. There was
virtually persecution against these foreigners,” The Hindu had reported quoting
court order.
Meanwhile,
Mujahid, one of the lawyers who represented 18 foreign nationals in Patna high
court said, “We have met district officials and requested to arrange for their
deportation. The administration has assured us that they will soon make necessary
arrangements for their deportation.”
https://thewire.in/law/tablighi-jamaat-case-patna-high-court-fir-quashed
--------
‘They
Polished Ziaul Haq’s Boots’, Rasheed Rebukes Opp’s Claims Of Army Interference
In Politics
December
29, 2020
Pak Interior Minister Shiekh Rasheed Ahmed
-----
Replying
to the claims the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders made during the
Larkana rally, Interior Minister Shiekh Rasheed Ahmed said that the opposition
leaders are “a product of General Headquarters gate number four” and that “they
polished Ziaul Haq’s boots”.
The
above was said during a press conference in the federal capital, wherein the
interior minister rebuked the opposition’s claims of the Pakistan Army
interfering in local politics. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal
Bhutto-Zardari during his speech had said that the PDM would put an end to the
business of selection and selectors.
Similarly,
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz had said:
“When political parties started completing their terms, some forces to whom
‘divide and rule’ suited started getting restless. Then we saw [former ISI
chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja] Pasha set up a party by collecting political trash
named the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and that party was then used in dharnas and
conspiracies against your elected government.”
Rasheed
pointed out that the PDM leaders did not take the name of General Ziaul Haq
during their rally.
Regarding
PDM’s proposed long march, Rasheed jibed that it needs to be a long march, and
not a “lone march”. The interior minister further said that the opposition’s
true battle was not with Prime Minister Imran Khan but with the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB), and that their only goal was to escape the
corruption cases.
He
said that the opposition had been silent for two years in the hope that they
would get an NRO, but now they had “suddenly remembered everything”. “Yesterday
they said [Member of the National Assembly] Murtaza Javed Abbasi will give his
resignation. You will see [him say] ‘I did not send this.'” Rashid said in
response to a question about the en masse resignations. He further said
computerised and typed resignations were “illegal” and they should instead be
handwritten.
Yesterday,
Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, while talking to a private news channel,
had said that the incumbent government will complete its five years
constitutional tenure due to timely decisions and positive political approach
of PM Imran. He had added that the opposition parties are divided on the issue
of resignations, but they are pretending as united in order to pressurise the
government.
Rasheed
had said that the opposition wants to destabilise the country for protecting
its personal interests, but the state would never allow them to do so at any
cost. He had also expressed his optimism that the opposition would take part in
the Senate elections and would not tender resignations.
The
minister had said that the opposition alliance is using the issue of the
resignation as a political stunt. Replying to a question, he said that the
politics of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is
based on a personal vendetta.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/12/28/they-polished-ziaul-haqs-boots-rasheed-rebukes-opps-claims-of-army-interference-in-politics/
--------
Alleged
Nashville bomber not Muslim: Western media disappointed
28
December 2020
by
Ramin Mazaheri
The
entire world breathed a sigh of relief when it turned out that the alleged
Nashville, Tennessee, bomber was not a Muslim - now nobody can get dragooned into
supporting yet another war on a Muslim-majority country.
Isn’t
it spectacular how after 9/11 the US impressed almost the entire West into
never-ending military service? Western piracy in Afghanistan continues today;
Iraq was reduced to shambles; France used the ruse to invade Mali, the Central
African Republic and to create a roving “anti-terrorist” force across the
entire Sahel; Libya is no longer really a nation; Syria stands despite all the
money, guns, terrorists and concrete fortifications the West could muster. I am
probably missing some others.
It
was true that in the years after 9/11 Muslims silently held their breath when
they heard about a terrorist attack, but after 20 years and so many bombs,
drones and assassinations it’s abundantly clear that Muslims are not the
aggressor nor the transgressor: The pointed finger alleging cultural failure
was clearly a false accusation.
The
question Muslims now often feel confident enough to ask non-Muslims in public
is, “What did Islam ever have to do with terrorism, anyway?” The answer is the
same as it was on 9/12/01: “Nothing”.
The
Nashville bombing occurred on Christmas day - maybe this was an act of
“Christian terrorism”?
The
sad irony is that many Christians will flinch at such a term because they view “Christianity”
and “terrorism” as being total opposites. Do such persons realise that Muslims
view joining “Islam” to “terrorism” also creates an oxymoron? Muslims and
Christians should permanently unite around this concept: the sadness of feeling
totally misunderstood when the word “terrorism” is affixed to either religion.
The only barrier to this is the Islamophobic nonsense which pours out of the
West’s chattering classes.
Terrorism
is always defined as violence which has a political motive. Was the Nashville
bombing, allegedly caused by Anthony Warner, terrorism? We don’t know at this
point, so it’s wrong to call it terrorism.
Some
report that Warner was paranoid about the effects of the new 5G technology -
that seems rather more social than political.
There
are unproven accusations that Warner was bombing storage facilities used by the
voting machine company Dominion, which is being sued for allegations of vote
tampering - if proven to be true then it’s possible this was a political act.
It’s looking like Joe Biden will prevail in the still-disputed US presidential
election, but is Warner the advance scout of a battalion of right-wing,
pro-Trump terrorists which the US media warned about so hysterically in 2020?
Considering how insistently they promoted anti-Trumpism and the fear of
right-wing violence, it’s surprising that US media hasn’t immediately called
Warner a “post-Trumpian terrorist”?
Maybe
they will get there, but what this unfortunate episode can teach us is that the
West rushes to demonise Muslim citizens and the teachings of Islam whenever
they think they have an opportunity to do so. If Warner had been a Muslim there
would have been an unjournalistic rush to judgment by Western media that
Nashville was undoubtedly an act of - ugh - “Islamic terrorism”.
It’s
unfortunate that Islam is so easily slandered in the West, but the problem to
discuss here is not religious misunderstanding but reactionary political
thought: Islam is slandered so easily precisely in order to create false
justifications for the West’s endless imperialist wars in the oil-rich,
Israel-surrounding Muslim World.
In
the Western world talking of “imperialism” is (incredibly, to me) denigrated as
anachronistic, eccentric and unrealistic. It’s not even taken seriously - if I
was writing about transgender bathrooms I would be taken infinitely more
seriously, and that is no exaggeration. And yet, doesn’t using the lens of
imperialism explain the very different US media treatment for Anthony Warner as
opposed to “Omar” Warner?
After
all, who can the US media suggest we invade as a result of Warner’s alleged
act? Which culture can be insulted and ordered to change at the point of a
spear? How can Americans feel a misguided sense of superiority - which helps
deflect from their ever-increasing inequality, poverty and socioeconomic
instability - when Warner’s culture is their own?
And
thus Warner is getting treated far more sympathetically than any Muslim menace
to society, even though Warner is no more human.
I
do not begrudge sympathy for Warner: The unpredictable actions of severely
mentally ill people often have devastating consequences on people, and this is
an unfortunate part of life and must be discussed.
What
I do point out is that, for example, in the majority of France’s terror attacks
following Charlie Hebdo’s publication of pornographic pictures of Prophet
Mohammad the attacker was also just another mentally-ill person, and not some
political mastermind and zealot. I covered these attacks year after year and
the perpetrators always fell into one of two categories: the largest was mental
illness, while the smaller grouping were political (not religious) terrorists
who - without fail - expressly said their attacks were retribution for France’s
many imperialist attacks on Muslim countries.
The
problem in the world today is not religious - as the West and Israel asserts -
but political, as the developing world asserts.
But
- as the four-year “daily cultural insanity” of the Trump era proves - the US
is incapable of discussing political nuance intelligently and without resorting
to hyperbolic slander or wild-eyed absurdities. This explains why if Anthony
Warner had been a Muslim the violence would have undoubtedly been declared
“terrorism”, immediately - I am referring to endemic American political
hysteria of the “other”.
I
am not here to complain - as a professional wordsmith often pedantically does -
about the misuse of words and the confusion caused by refusing to abide by
established definitions. Instead, I am suggesting that non-Muslims in the West
should wake up to just how easily they are intellectually manipulated when it
comes to any violence which employs something more brutal than a handgun: Had
Warner been a Muslim Americans and Westerners would have shouted at to maintain
their awful, destructive and immoral two-decade long war posture towards
Muslims and Islam.
When
there are acts of political terrorism, the West needs to examine the politics
behind it and make sure their politics are just. When there are acts of
violence, just because a Muslim was the perpetrator doesn’t make it political.
However, in the identity politics-obsessed West, it seems one is always defined
solely by his or her tribe and is never just another son or daughter of Adam.
“Anthony”
or “Omar” shouldn’t make a difference to you but it certainly does, depending
on where you live: manipulative Islamophobia may have sent your children off to
die in hopeless wars, gutted your individual political rights and caused you to
see anyone with a different political view as your lifelong enemy.
Ramin
Mazaheri (@RaminMazaheri2) is currently covering the US elections. He is the
chief correspondent in Paris for Press TV and has lived in France since 2009.
He has been a daily newspaper reporter in the US, and has reported from Iran,
Cuba, Egypt, Tunisia, South Korea and elsewhere. He is the author of
‘Socialism’s Ignored Success: Iranian Islamic Socialism’ as well as ‘I’ll Ruin
Everything You Are: Ending Western Propaganda on Red China’, which is also
available in simplified and traditional Chinese.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/28/641746/Alleged-Nashville-bomber-not-Muslim-Western-media-disappointed
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Saudi
Arabia’s Minister of Culture issues first two licenses for music institutes
Ismaeel
Naar
28
December 2020
Saudi
Arabia has announced it has issued the first license for two music institutes
to operate in the Kingdom, according to Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture
Prince Badr bin Farhan.
In
a tweet on Monday, Prince Badr called for those interested in the private and
non-profit sectors to apply for licenses to operate businesses in the cultural
field.
“I
invite all those interested in the private and non-profit sectors to submit
applications for licenses for institutes in various cultural fields on a specialized
platform that will start its work after 90 days,” the Kingdom’s culture
minister said.
According
to the Saudi Gazette newspaper, the list of licenses available for training
centers and institutes includes those to establish institutes in the sectors of
music, visual arts, theater, performing arts, fashion, culinary arts, museums,
heritage, film, design, architecture, literature, translation, archeology, and
handicrafts.
“This
comes within the experimental launch of a project to establish specialized
training institutes in the fields of culture and arts to support Saudi talents
and develop cultural and artistic capabilities, in addition to developing the
artistic industry by creating educational and training opportunities,” read a
statement on the news published by the Saudi Press Agency.
Last
November, Saudi Arabia confirmed that music, theater, and the arts will now be
included in the curriculum of public and private schools in the Kingdom.
In
addition to incorporating the new subjects into school curriculums, the
Ministry of Culture now also has the authority to grant permits and licenses
for cultural and artistic activities to public and private schools,
institutions, and universities.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/12/28/Saudi-Vision-2030-Saudi-Arabia-s-Minister-of-Culture-issues-first-two-licenses-for-music-institutes
--------
It
is impossible for Indonesia to normalize ties with Israel: Senior lawmaker
28
December 2020
A
senior Indonesian lawmaker says it is impossible for his country to recognize
Israel and normalize diplomatic ties with the occupying regime, after reports
said Washington has offered a further aid of up to $2 billion to Jakarta if it
forges ties with Tel Aviv.
“The
situation of the Palestinian issue is getting worse due to the blind bias of
the United States towards Israel, and its disregard for the rights of
Palestinian people. [The US President] Donald Trump administration is placing
Arab and Muslim countries under pressure to conclude normalization agreements [with
Israel],” Palestinian Arabic-language Shehab news agency quoted Fadli Zon,
speaker of the Indonesian People's Representative Council and vice president of
the World Parliament League for al-Quds, as saying at a webinar entitled “Why
does not Indonesia normalize relations with Israel?”
He
roundly dismissed the idea of Indonesia’s normalization with Israel, noting
that such a move would only serve the interests of the regime.
The
legislator said it is impossible for Jakarta to normalize relations with the
occupying Tel Aviv regime, stressing that Israel is a colonial entity that has
occupied the Palestinian territories, and normalization with it would be
contrary to the Indonesian Constitution.
Zon
noted that recent normalization agreements between Israel and certain Arab
countries have emboldened the Tel Aviv regime to continue its violations
against Palestinian people and enhance its settlement construction activities
in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem al-Quds, calling on the international
community to confront settlements expansion that undermines international
resolutions as well as the so-called two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He
expressed hope that the incoming administration of US President-elect Joe Biden
would correct the wrong decisions made by Trump regarding the Palestinian
cause, asking Washington not to impede the rights of Palestinian people
guaranteed by the international law.
Zon
called on the international community to recognize the Palestinian state and
support it in international forums, and to build up a boycott of the Israeli
regime politically and economically through their parliaments and civil society
organizations.
The
Indonesian lawmaker said that normalization of ties with the Israeli regime
poses a great danger to Palestinian rights.
On
December 15, Indonesia dismissed Israeli media allegations that the world’s
most populous Muslim-majority country was seeking to establish diplomatic ties
with the Tel Aviv regime, a few days after Israel and Morocco agreed earlier
this month to normalize relations in a deal brokered by the United States.
Foreign
Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said in a statement that there was not
such a possibility, and that the ministry has never been in contact with
Israel.
“In
exercising Indonesian foreign policy with regard to the Palestinian issue, the
Foreign Ministry has consistently worked in accordance with the mandate of the
Constitution,” Faizasyah said.
The
remarks came after Israeli English-language daily newspaper The Jerusalem Post,
citing an unnamed diplomatic source, reported earlier that Oman and Indonesia
could be next in line to establish diplomatic relations with Israel in the
coming weeks.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/28/641716/It-is-impossible-for-Indonesia-to-normalize-ties-with-Israel-Lawmaker
--------
North
American imams: Bangladesh must halt Rohingya relocation
December
24th, 2020
Recently,
Sesame Street announced two Rohingya puppet characters, demonstrating how the
world is embracing these Muslim genocide survivors
North
American imams and Muslim leaders have demanded Bangladesh government to halt
the relocation of Rohingyas.
A
diverse group of 120 imams, chaplains, scholars and other leaders in the USA
and Canada has signed onto a letter to the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.
In
the letter, they wrote the government should halt relocation of Rohingya
Muslims to Bhashan Char, an island built atop an unstable sandbar far from the
mainland, and that access be given to UN investigators to determine if the
relocation is non-coercive and safe.
Participating
imams noted that more than a dozen families were placed on the relocation list
without their consultation.
“Rohingya
are frightened and in hiding,” stated Imam Taha Ghayyur of Justice for All Canada.
“Therefore,
it is not surprising that Canadian imams and leadership are requesting a more
compassionate response. We have witnessed previous attempts to relocate
Rohingya families to Burma as well as Bangladesh, and this creates a climate of
fear,” he added.
“The
current pandemic is not an excuse to disrupt Rohingya refugee lives further.
Though Bangladesh has been very generous in welcoming so many Rohingya fleeing
for their lives, recent policies of relocations, without UN's assessment of the
island, appear counterproductive and distract from the ultimate goal:
restoration of Rohingya rights and homes in Myanmar,” added Shwe Maung,
Rohingya leader and former MP in the Parliament of Myanmar.
“This
week Sesame Street announced two Rohingya puppet characters, demonstrating how
the world is embracing these Muslim genocide survivors. Does Bangladesh really
wish to take this moment to add trauma on top of trauma?” asked Imam Malik
Mujahid, founder of Justice for All, which since 2012 has sustained the Burma
Task Force, a well-known human rights advocacy program.
“While
the government has been placing long-term restrictions on cell phone and
internet services, the pandemic has further impacted education. What future
will Rohingya children have in these prison-like camps? The puppets may be
treated better than the actual refugee children,” he added.
The
North American imams have demanded a stop to relocation, an independent
assessment, due process standards to be clarified to avoid coercion, and a role
for Bangladesh based civil society to assess Rohingya needs and preferences.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/rohingya-crisis/2020/12/24/north-american-imams-bangladesh-must-halt-rohingya-relocation
--------
Three
dead after terror attack on police in Russia’s Chechnyan capital Grozny
28
December 2020
Two
people were killed by law enforcement in the capital of Russia’s volatile
republic of Chechnya on Monday in an attack that left one policeman dead and
another injured.
The
authoritarian head of the restive region, Ramzan Kadyrov, said two “terrorists”
armed with knives tried to pry weapons from police officers in the center of
Grozny and were shot dead.
He
said the assailants had killed one officer while a second was in stable
condition.
The
two assailants were brothers from the neighboring republic of Ingushetia who
arrived in Chechnya in 2012.
The
North Caucasus region, where Russian forces fought two wars against separatists
in the 1990s and early 2000s, is under Kadyrov’s tight control.
His
regime has been condemned internationally for persecuting rights activists and
for the reported torture and imprisonment of opponents.
Kadyrov
has sometimes given orders at the scene during counter-terrorism operations,
which often end with the killing of the suspects rather than arrests.
Although
attacks on police have decreased in recent years in Chechnya, they still
regularly occur in the predominantly Muslim region.
At
least six people were killed in a shooting in October -- including two members
of the security forces -- during a counter-terrorism operation in Grozny.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/12/28/Three-dead-after-terror-attack-on-police-in-Russia-s-Chechnyan-capital-Grozny
--------
India
One
month of 'love jihad' law in UP: 51 arrests made, 14 cases lodged, only 2
complaints from victims
Abhishek
Mishra
December
29, 2020
Amonth
has passed since the law made against 'Love Jihad' in Uttar Pradesh has come
into effect. Within 30 days, the UP Police has registered 14 cases under this
law, which came into force from 28 November. A total of 51 arrests have been
made, out of which 49 accused are in jail.
According
to the reports, 13 of these 14 cases are related to Hindu girls. In these
cases, there have been attempts to forcefully convert them to Islam. Out of
these 14 cases, only two complaints have come from the alleged victim girls, in
other cases, the complaint has been lodged in the police by relatives.
The
anti-conversion ordinance was approved by the UP Governor Anandiben Patel on
November 27. As per data, three cases have been registered in Bijnor, two cases
in Shahjahanpur. Apart from this, cases have been registered in Bareilly,
Muzaffarnagar, Mau, Sitapur, Hardoi, Etah, Kannauj, Azamgarh and Moradabad
districts. There is also a case in which the victim woman has not been traced
yet.
On
the other hand, out of the total cases, there are eight cases in which the
couple described themselves as friends of each other or said to be in a
relationship. A couple also claimed to be married. One case is also about
forceful conversion to Christianity. In this, a case has been registered
against three people in Azamgarh.
Just
one day after the ordinance came into force, the first case was registered at
Deoranian Police Station in Bareilly in which the girl's father Tikaram Rathore
had complained that Awais Ahmed (22) tried forced his daughter to convert her
religion. The Deoranian police of Bareilly arrested Ahmed on December 3 after
registering the case.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/month-of-love-jihad-law-up-arrests-complaints-1754073-2020-12-29
--------
MP
cabinet approves Freedom to Religion Bill 2020 as ordinance
by
Iram Siddique
December
29, 2020
The
Madhya Pradesh government Tuesday approved the Freedom to Religion Bill 2020 as
an ordinance in a special cabinet session, after which it was sent to the
Governor for her nod.
The
state government has taken the ordinance route much like the Uttar Pradesh
government to clear its stringent law prohibiting forced religious conversion under
its Freedom to Religion Bill 2020. This comes after the three-day session of
the assembly was cancelled owing to high cases of COVID-19 being reported.
The
three-day assembly session was cancelled by a joint committee of all leaders on
Sunday night after about 60 people including officials, employees and five MLAs
had tested positive for COVID-19.
Claiming
to curb religious conversions using misrepresentation, allurement, force,
threat, undue influence, coercion, marriage or any other “fraudulent means”,
the MP Bill stipulates jail terms of one to five years, with a fine of Rs
25,000, in such cases. The penalty in case of a person using
“misrepresentation” or “impersonation” for religious conversion will be higher,
including a jail term of 3-10 years and a fine of Rs 50,000.
In
contrast, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion
Ordinance, 2020, passed last month, says religious conversion using any of the
above means, including misrepresentation and impersonation, would entail a jail
term of one to five years and a fine of Rs 15,000.
In
a significant departure from the UP ordinance though on registration of FIRs in
such cases, the MP Bill says these can be dealt with only by police personnel
not less than the rank of a sub-inspector, and that solely parents and siblings
of the affected individual can file a complaint directly. In case a guardian or
a custodian wants to register an offence, they must approach a Sessions Court
authorised to deal in these matters and get a court order.
The
other big departure between the MP Bill and UP law is the provision for
maintenance to women and rights to the property to children in the marriage
under question in the legislation planned by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan
government. The matter of maintenance will be dealt with as per Section 125 of
the CrPC.
In
both states, marriages proved to have been undertaken for the sole purpose of a
religious conversion or conducted without appropriate notice to the district
administration can be declared null and void by family courts.
Return
to one’s original religion — as in the religion one is born into or that
practiced by one’s father — will not be counted as a conversion.
While
both UP law and MP Bill envisage a jail term of two to ten years in case a
person being converted is a minor, or belongs to the Scheduled Caste or
Scheduled Tribe, the MP legislation talks of a penalty of Rs 50,000 against Rs
25,000 in UP.
Both
the legislations talk of three to five years of prison terms for religious
organisations or individuals seen as carrying out mass conversions, but again
the penalty in MP is higher (Rs 1 lakh) than UP (Rs 50,000).
In
both states, organisations or priests carrying out conversions have to inform
the district administration about 60 days before the date of conversion,
failing which the organisation can have its registration cancelled and the
priest or facilitator face a jail term. But the MP Bill stipulates a higher
penalty again (of Rs 50,000, and 3-5 years’ jail term) in such cases, compared
to one year extended up to five years and Rs 25,000 in UP.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/mp-freedom-to-religion-bill-2020-love-jihad-shivraj-singh-chouhan-7124154/
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan
using Taliban as ‘tool’ for dominance in Afghanistan, says Former senator
Dec
26, 2020
Posted
by Deepali Sharma
Pakistan
is using Taliban as a “tool” for its dominance in Afghanistan under the pretext
of strategic depth, said former Pakistan senator Afrasiab Khattak, adding that
the terror group’s approach towards the peace process has remained unchanged as
it favours violence in the country.
“They
[Pakistan] want dominance in Afghanistan under the pretext of strategic depth
and they have pursued this policy. They see the Taliban as a tool for
themselves,” Khattak said in an interview with TOLOnews this week.
“We
can say that their (the Taliban’s) approach has changed if they stop violence
and say that they will feel the people’s pain,” Khattak said.
Khattak
remarks come on the heels of Taliban deputy political leader Abdul Ghani
Baradar’s visit to Pakistan last week.
A
video released on social media showed Baradar among a group of people,
apparently the Taliban members, in Karachi, Pakistan, where he said that all
decisions about the peace process are being finalized in consultation with the
Taliban’s leadership and the Taliban’s cleric council in Pakistan.
Baradar
said the Taliban’s leadership exists in Pakistan.
The
Taliban have so far not commented about the place of Baradar’s meeting with
wounded members of the group.
The
Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday reacted to Baradar’s video in
Pakistan and said the presence of the Taliban leaders and their fighters in
Pakistan is a “clear violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.”
The
ministry called on Pakistan to prevent terrorists from using its territory
against Afghanistan, adding that closing the safe havens of insurgents and
terrorists is pivotal for a peaceful end to the crisis in Afghanistan.
Pakistan
has been long blamed for providing support to Taliban terrorists in
Afghanistan.
The
UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team to the 1988 Sanctions
Committee, which oversees sanctions on the Taliban, in its 2019 report had
acknowledged that nearly 5,000 terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which
is based in Pakistan, were active in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces of
Afghanistan alone.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan-using-taliban-as-tool-for-dominance-in-afghanistan-says-former-senator/story-D5YFTyohViyvI0b3L9OzfO.html
--------
Afghanistan
regrets Taliban leaders meeting their followers in Pakistan
29th
December 2020
By
Hamza Ameer
ISslamabad,
Dec 28 : Afghanistans foreign ministry has expressed serious concerns and deep
regrets over some videos, showing senior Taliban leaders meeting their
supporters and followers and fighters in Pakistan.
“It
is with deepest regret and concern that some Taliban leaders were seen in the
videos visiting training camps,” the Afghan statement read.
“We
urge the Pakistani government not to allow its territory to be used by
insurgents and elements who insist on continuing the war and bloodshed,” the
statement added.
Kabul’s
statement came after a mobile made video, showed the head of the Taliban’s
political office, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, briefing a Taliban cadre on the
ongoing peace negotiations in Doha and acknowledging the presence of Taliban’s
top leadership in Pakistan.
The
Taliban delegation has earlier arrived in Pakistan last week to meet Prime
Minister Imran Khan, foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to discuss the
Afghan peace process in Doha through the Intra-Afghan dialogue, going on in
Doha between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
“The
visit was to facilitate the Afghan peace process to achieve a peaceful, stable,
united, independent, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan”, maintained a
statement from the Pakistan Foreign Office.
However,
in the video, Mullah Baradar was seen briefing his followers about the Taliban
negotiations, stating that it was being done as per orders of its top
leadership in Pakistan.
“Whatever
we discuss in Doha, we share it with our leadership and the Ulema Council here.
They have their own consultation and give us their feedback,” Mullah Baradar
was heard saying in the video.
Talking
about his conversation with US president Donald Trump, Baradar said.
“I
cut the phone. He didn’t cut the phone. He doesn’t speak with anyone for more
than 10 minutes, but he talked to us for a long time”, he said.
It
is pertinent to mention that President Trump has called Baradar in March 2020,
days after US signed the peace deal agreement with the Taliban in Doha, putting
down a timeline of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
Direct
negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government started in September
in Doha. The two teams are taking a three-week break in December for internal
deliberations and are expected to begin again on January 5, 2021.
https://www.siasat.com/afghanistan-regrets-taliban-leaders-meeting-their-followers-in-pakistan-2055583/
--------
Sattar
urges MQM-P to quit ministries, launch protest drive over census results
Azfar-ul-Ashfaque
29
Dec 2020
KARACHI:
Senior politician and disgruntled Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Dr
Farooq Sattar on Monday alleged that the MQM-P chose federal ministries over
the people of Karachi and became part of a cabinet decision that approved
controversial National Census-2017.
Speaking
at a press conference, Dr Sattar urged MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool
Siddiqui to quit the ministries and take to the streets against the
controversial decision and he, as well as Pak Sarzameen Party chairman Mustafa
Kamal, would support him.
“Khalid
bhai, do not commit this injustice with the people of Karachi for the sake of a
few people. Save Karachi instead of your ministries,” he said, adding that the
MQM-P feared that some of its people would get arrested as soon as they left
the ruling coalition.
He
said that the population of Karachi was around 30 million, but it was shown as
just 14m in the 2017 census.
‘Khalid
bhai, do not commit this injustice with the people of Karachi’
Dr
Sattar, who is the self-styled head of the organisation restoration committee
of the MQM-P, said that Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed had himself said
that the population of Karachi was 30m and former Karachi Corps Commander
Naveed Mukhtar had said the same. He said even in 2013 the National Database
and Registration Authority had said in a report that Karachi’s population was
22m.
He
said that the undercounting of people in the census would result in less
representation of the people of Karachi in the national and provincial
assemblies, allocation of insufficient and meagre funds for development, etc.
“It’s a grave injustice to the people of Karachi and it would affect not only
Mohajirs but the people of all ethnic origins who live in this city.”
Rejecting
the cabinet decision to approve the census, he said that he would launch a
movement and approach the judiciary if the government would not reverse its
decision on the unfair census.
He
said that youths had celebrated the Mohajir Culture Day on the streets of
Karachi and one day one of the same youths would become the mayor of the
business capital of the country.
Dr
Sattar said that the present government was doing injustice with the thousands
of employees of Pakistan Steel Mills. First it sacked over 4,500 workers and
now it gave them notices to vacate their houses, he said.
He
said the government should tell the people as to who was eyeing the prized
17,000 acres of the PSM.
He
said that mainstream parties such as the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan
Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had offered him to join their
ranks but he was not going anywhere.
He
demanded justice for the slain MQM leader Ali Raza Abidi, who was assassinated
two years ago in front of his DHA residence.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1598459/sattar-urges-mqm-p-to-quit-ministries-launch-protest-drive-over-census-results
--------
PTI
urges parties to accept census results, strive for early fresh headcount
Imran
Ayub
29
Dec 2020
KARACHI:
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Monday raised its serious objections
over the results of the population census in Karachi, sharing concerns of
different political parties in the province, including its ally Muttahida Qaumi
Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), but asked political stakeholders of Sindh to accept
the National Census 2017 and put in every possible effort for a fresh headcount
at the earliest.
The
suggestion came from the top leadership of the party as Leader of the
Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi said parties were trying
to make the census controversial which could not be reversed but it could only
be fixed with a new census across the country. He justified the PTI government
move to approve the census saying the party had no option amidst other serious
challenges being faced by the country.
“When
we came into power [in the centre] there were several other challenges which
were more serious and needed immediate attention,” he said while speaking at a
press conference at the party head office Insaf House. “Then came Covid-19
which further complicated the issues. Now this approval for the National Census
2017 has emerged as a serious challenge for the parties in Sindh. But the
parties are actually, which include our allies and opponents, playing politics
and scoring points. No one is giving suggestions for a solution.”
He
said it was not possible to separately launch a fresh census in certain blocks
as this was not possible both administratively and legally. The PTI said it did
not agree with the number of Karachi’s population registered in National Census
2017 but it would not demand its reversal, but ask for a fresh one at the
earliest.
‘The
parties are actually playing politics and scoring points. No one is giving
suggestions for a solution’
“The
census results no doubt carry so much importance for the residents of any
city,” said Mr Naqvi. “On the basis of numbers of census, the resources are
allocated and the cities get their share in overall national development. This
city, unfortunately, is home to many [of] those people who count themselves as
residents of other cities but use every resource of this metropolis. They even
register their votes in their native towns.”
He
said the political parties needed to understand that any controversy on the
basis of census 2017 could lead to a delay in local bodies elections which were
badly needed for the development of Karachi and other parts of Sindh.
“The
2018 general elections were also held as per the 2017 census and the
constituencies were also formed as per the 2017 census,” he said. “If 10 more
problems are raised to solve one problem, it would not solve the problem. We
have come up with the best solution to recognise the current census and conduct
the next census as soon as possible but not to delay the local body elections.
Local body elections are mandatory under Article 140-A of the Constitution. The
status of local body representatives is more than an MPA for the general public
as all the basic issues of the streets are solved by the councillors, UC
chairman and vice chairman.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1598462/pti-urges-parties-to-accept-census-results-strive-for-early-fresh-headcount
--------
Prayer
leader jailed for 25 years in JuD fund-collection case
Naeem
Sahoutara
29
Dec 2020
KARACHI:
An antiterrorism court on Monday sentenced the prayer leader of a mosque
located on Superhighway to over 25 years in prison for raising funds for the
outlawed Jamaatud Dawa (JuD).
The
court also ordered the provincial education department to take over and forfeit
the mosque/seminary in Malir used by JuD for generating money to fund terrorist
activities across the country.
On
Monday, the ATC-XII judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex
inside the central prison, pronounced the verdict against prayer leader Ghulam
Rasool Rabbani and imposed a fine of Rs2.2 million on him.
The
judge ruled: “I also forfeit the Masjid/Madressah Baab-ul-Harmain Shareefain
under the Section 11-Q(4) with directions to Administrator, Education Assets
(Madaris and Schools), belonging to proscribed organization, Education &
Literacy, Department, Government of Sindh, to takeover and complete forfeiture
process in accordance with law.”
ATC
asks education dept to take control of the mosque and seminary
The
judge sent the accused Ghulam Rasool, who was produced in custody, to prison to
serve out the sentence.
According
to the prosecution, the Counter-Terrorism Department on Nov 11 initiated
investigation against Rabbani, who belonged to the JuD and was involved in
collecting funds for Madressah/Masjid Harmain Shareefain located in Jamali Goth
along the Superhighway in Malir.
The
prosecution alleged that such money was used for terrorist activities all over
the country, financial assistance was provided to terrorists and such act fell
within the ambit of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
In
his statement recorded under Section 342 of the criminal procedure code,
accused Rabbani denied the allegations levelled against him by the police, saying
the case against him was a managed one and nothing was recovered from his
possession.
He
deposed that the mosque/seminary was not involved in any past or present
activities related to any proscribed organisation, adding that he was unaware
of the genuineness of the land’s documents, but he was the owner of the said
plot, he was occupant and having possession of the said masjid/madressah since
2003.
The
accused further deposed that prosecution witness Dr Ubaid-ur-Rehman did not
want him to continue to serve the mosque and this case was the result of his
opposition since he had already hurled threats to shut down the
mosque/seminary.
The
accused testified that he was residing in the mosque/seminary since 2003 and
spent an unblemished life, adding that many of the area people offer prayer
there five times, but no one had complained about any activity.
The
accused said that Dr Rehman wanted to usurp the land in question. He denied
having any no relation with the JuD or any proscribed organisation, adding that
he had not arranged any programme for any proscribed group and never raised
funds for them.
He
asked the court to acquit him of the false allegations.
State
prosecutors Tahir Hussain Mangi and Kamran contended that during investigation
the wife of the accused told the investigating officer that the 1,700-square
yards land of the mosque/seminary was the property of her husband Rabbani.
They
added that on spy information the police had arrested the accused red-handed
while collecting funds for the proscribed outfit with cash of Rs1,570 along
with chanda receipts.
Man
jailed for raising funds for Al Qaeda
In
the meanwhile, the same court awarded a collective sentence of over 20 years in
prison to Mohammad Shakirullah alias Mufti Shakir in a case pertaining to
raising fund for Al Qaeda.
The
judge also awarded a collective fine of Rs1.1m to the convict. On default, he
would have to undergo an additional collective imprisonment of one year.
According
to the prosecution, Shakirullah was an Al Qaeda member and had already been
declared as a proclaimed offender by the court.
During
investigation, an eyewitness, M. Kashif, disclosed that Shakirullah used to
frequently travel from Karachi to Afghanistan and collected funds.
The
state prosecutors argued that he was on the watch list of terrorism suspects in
connection with three cases. He had reportedly gone underground due to fear of
being arrested.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1598454/prayer-leader-jailed-for-25-years-in-jud-fund-collection-case
--------
Parliament
abusers formally begged parliament for NRO today: Marriyum
December
29, 2020
Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb has termed
the federal ministers’ press conference the last shrieks of the petrified and
dying corrupt government that had lost at all fronts.
In
a statement, Marriyum said that the defeated rented mouthpieces had once again
stooped even lower than their previously set records of foul language,
indecency, misconduct and crass talk to set new world records.
The
former information minister said that the government spokespersons had gathered
to push for an NRO for the corrupt Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). She said
that those who ranted against and cussed at the parliament from the container
were begging the parliament for an NRO to bury their terrible crimes against
the country and its people. But she said that no matter what the incompetent,
unqualified, indecent and inept PTI hoard does, they will not be given an NRO.
These
uncultured hooligans had been trained to be this way by their ringleader Imran
Khan, she said.
Marriyum
said that the “selected” PTI regime is in a state of paranoia because of their
insecurity and fear of PDM and its leaders. She stressed that the PDM will not
negotiate with those who robbed public mandate, public sugar, flour,
electricity, gas and medicine.
She
added that God Almighty had shown the egomaniacs their true worth. Those who
looted Rs400 billion in sugar, Rs200 billion in flour, Rs122 billion in LNG and
over Rs500 billion in medicine are pleading for an NRO, she maintained.
She
rejected all possibilities of any negotiated settlement and told the government
not to bother sharing any proposals in this regard. These proposals are
actually a formal request for an NRO for Imran Khan, she said.
Marriyum
said the PTI used to beg for an NRO behind closed doors but they had started
doing publicly at press conferences now.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/12/28/parliament-abusers-formally-begged-parliament-for-nro-today-marriyum/
--------
North
America
US
engaged in intentional provocations against Iran to provoke war: Analyst
28
December 2020
The
United States is engaged in intentional provocations against Iran to draw it
into a military conflict but the Islamic Republic has successfully frustrated
Washington’s designs, according to an American author and foreign affairs
analyst.
Iran
has said it will not let those behind the assassination of the country’s
legendary anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani evade punishment.
“We
will not allow the martyr’s blood to go to waste and those who did it escape
punishment," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a virtual
news conference in Tehran Monday.
The
Islamic Republic has ceaselessly pursued this matter and will keep doing so
through the international channels, he said.
“This
is not something that the Iranian government and the establishment could let go
by. The US administration is accountable in this regard,” the diplomat added.
Khatibzadeh
said the United States committed a monumental strategic mistake by perpetrating
the terrorist act.
Last
month, Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in a small
city east of the capital Tehran in an ambush attack on his vehicle involving an
explosion and machine gun.
Fakhrizadeh’s
death came two years after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during an
erroneous presentation about Iran's nuclear activities, warned the world to
“remember that name.”
“Well
of course this is not a new tactic. The CIA in particular has engaged in
targeted assassinations, really from its very beginnings, though it does seem
like with Iran there is an acceleration of this tactic right now with the
killing of Soleimani and of course, the nuclear scientist a few weeks ago. And
that's in addition to a number of nuclear scientists, who've been killed over
the years,” said Daniel Kovalik, an academic at the University of Pittsburgh.
“So
I do think you will continue to see this and to me, it's very clear that it's
really not about eliminating these particular people but it's about trying to
provoke Iran into doing something that might in the minds of the West justify a
war. And that's really the scariest part about it,” he told Press TV.
“I
think Iran is in a difficult spot. I mean they can't allow these things to
happen to them, to be done to them with impunity, without reacting. At the same
time, they don't want to overreact because again they know that these are
intentional provocations to draw them into a greater conflict which Iran, of
course, does not want,” he said.
“I
mean they probably would survive such a conflict but they certainly would come
out greatly damaged with a lot of casualties. So Iran wants to walk a very fine
line, show some sort of measured response but not do something again that would
create a war, and so far Iran has done a pretty great job of that truthfully,
but they have to give this great thought,” the analyst concluded.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/28/641732/US-engaged-in-intentional-provocations-against-Iran-to-provoke-war
--------
Internal
NYPD memo warns of cops being targets of IED, vehicle attacks
By
Joe Marino and Tamar Lapin
December
25, 2020
The
NYPD has been on the alert for weeks for possible attacks similar to Friday’s
deliberate RV explosion in Nashville, The Post has learned.
An
internal NYPD memo issued earlier this month warned that law enforcement were
the “priority targets” for terror attacks involving homemade bombs and vehicle
arson.
The
Dec. 14 memo, obtained by The Post, said violent extremists and “malicious
criminal actors” might go after cops to exacerbate tensions, “exploit civil
unrest” and incite further violence.
The
document referenced Al-Qaeda propaganda released on Nov. 26 that urged radical jihadists to exploit the COVID-19
pandemic to attack “priority targets.”
Those
targets included retired officers, business leaders, intelligence personnel and
“soldiers and police of every brand.”
Suggested
attack methods were “stones, weights, edged weapons” — as well as improvised
explosive devices and the arson of commercial buildings and vehicles.
Authorities
haven’t yet released a motive for the attack in Nashville and no suspects have
been identified, but retired NYPD detective Bill Ryan told Fox News he wouldn’t
rule out first responders and police officers as the intended targets.
“You
have to really wonder what the motivation of the bombers are — I don’t think
this was one person; it was probably an organized group of people,” Ryan said.
Nashville
cops responding to reports of “shots fired” in the city’s downtown area were
drawn instead to the RV — which played a recording that said a bomb would go
off within 15 minutes.
Officers
were banging on doors and helping get residents to safety when the vehicle
exploded, injuring three people.
“I
kind of think it was probably an idea to get first responders to come in,” said
Ryan, who was part of an arson and explosions task force.
“[They]
give them a 15-minute warning and all the first responders, the police and the
firemen come in,” possibly making them prime targets of the bomb.
The
NYPD memo said that a review of terrorism acts in the US this year highlighted
the use of homemade bombs and incendiary devices, as well as vehicles, to
strike law enforcement.
It
included a graphic illustration of “recent neo-Nazi propaganda” showing a
uniformed cop getting his throat sliced by a masked “ISIS-style executioner.”
The
doc also referenced the knife and gun attack on two NYPD officers near a June
Black Lives Matter rally — allegedly by an ISIS-supporting Bosnian radical — to
underscore the “real world threat” from online propaganda.
The
department assessed that those intent on attacking on and off-duty cops could
take advantage of officers performing their regular duties and large-scale events
to make a statement and quickly inflict damage.
https://nypost.com/2020/12/25/internal-nypd-memo-warns-of-cops-being-targets-of-ied-vehicle-attacks/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1856903_
--------
Arab
World
Saudi
rights activist goes on open-ended hunger strike to protest prison conditions
29
December 2020
Prominent
Saudi human rights campaigner Mohammed Fahad al-Qahtani has launched an
open-ended hunger strike in protest against his harsh conditions at a notorious
maximum-security detention center south of the capital, Riyadh.
Maha
al-Qahtani, the wife of the activist, wrote in a post published on her Twitter
page on Monday that her husband had entered the ninth day of the strike due to
the stress placed on him by authorities at al-Ha’ir Prison.
She
said Qahtani, the co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights
Association (ACPRA), took the action in protest at being denied “the most basic
rights,” adding that her husband held Mohammed bin Ali al-Asmari, director-general
of prisons in Saudi Arabia, “fully responsible” for threats to his health and
life.
Qahtani
was formerly an economics professor at the Institute of Diplomatic Affairs in
the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
He
was arrested in June 2012 as part of a wide crackdown on human rights advocates
in the kingdom.
In
March 2013, Qahtani was sentenced to 10 years in prison on several charges
related to his human rights work, including “using the internet to disseminate
opinions, petitions, and statements against the government.” He was also given
a 10-year travel ban to take effect upon his release.
Abdullah
al-Hamid, his friend and fellow co-founder of ACPRA, was sentenced to 11 years
in prison during the same trial.
Hamid
died on April 24 after suffering a stroke and falling into a coma. His death
was described by activists as having been a result of “deliberate medical
neglect” from Saudi prison authorities.
The
London-based group ALQST, which is an independent non-governmental organization
advocating human rights in Saudi Arabia, wrote in a post published on its
official Twitter page in late July that journalist Aqel al-Bahili, writer
Abdulaziz al-Dakhil and activist Sultan al-Ajami had all been detained after
they offered condolences following Hamid’s death.
Similarly,
distinguished Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul has reportedly
been subjected to torture at al-Ha’ir prison since being taken there in 2018.
She was sentenced to five years and eight months in jail on Monday.
Renowned
Saudi dissident Sheikh Salman al-Ouda is also being held behind bars in
al-Ha’ir prison, which is housing an estimated 5,000 prisoners. He has
routinely been denied medical treatment, according to his son.
The
Arabic-language Saudi newspaper Okaz reported on September 4, 2018 that Saudi
public prosecutors had charged Ouda on 37 counts, and even demanded his
execution.
Saudi
authorities detained the prominent Muslim scholar on September 7, 2018 and have
been holding him in solitary confinement without charge or trial ever since.
Officials have imposed travel bans on members of his family as well.
A
family member told Human Rights Watch that the distinguished cleric was being
held over his refusal to comply with an order by Saudi authorities to tweet a
specific text to support the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar.
Saudi
authorities have arrested dozens of activists, bloggers, intellectuals and
others perceived as political opponents ever since Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman became the kingdom’s de facto leader in 2017, showing almost zero
tolerance for dissent even in the face of international condemnations.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/29/641757/Top-Saudi-human-rights-activist-goes-on-open-ended-hunger-strike-to-protest-prison-conditions
--------
Lebanon
secures coronavirus vaccines for 20 pct of its citizens, says minister
28
December 2020
Lebanon
has secured about 2 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, which
will cover 20 percent of the country’s nationals, the health minister said on
Monday
Hamad
Hassan told Reuters two weeks ago the country was about to sign a deal for
supplies and that the first batch would arrive eight weeks later.
“We
have reserved about 2 million doses of the vaccine and that will be enough for
20 percent of Lebanese living in the country,” he said at the presidential
palace on Monday.
Lebanon’s
hospitals are under pressure as infections surge. Doctors warn ICU beds are
filling up fast.
The
medical system has also been battered by the country’s financial crisis, which
caused supply shortages, and August’s port explosion, which damaged major
Beirut hospitals.
The
COVID-19 outbreak has killed nearly 1,400 people in Lebanon, which has an
estimated population of 6 million including more than 1 million Syrian
refugees.
Lebanon
had also detected its first case of a new more transmissible variant of the
coronavirus on a flight arriving from London, Hassan said last week.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2020/12/28/Coronavirus-Lebanon-secures-COVID-19-vaccines-for-20-pct-of-its-citizens-minister
--------
Saudi
Arabian Military Industries acquires AEC in Kingdom’s biggest military deal
Ismaeel
Naar
28
December 2020
Saudi
Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) has announced it has acquired Advanced
Electronics Company (AEC) as part of the largest military industries deal ever
concluded in Saudi Arabia.
SAMI,
a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), confirmed the
purchase is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021 following
regulatory approvals.
“This
deal strengthens SAMI’s presence in the strategically important defense
industries market and supports its plans to transfer and localize the military
industries. The acquisition will also enhance AEC’s opportunities to expand and
compete in its field,” said Ahmed al-Khateeb, Chairman of SAMI.
Since
1988, AEC has played a significant role in the fields of modern electronics,
manufacturing, system integration, and repair and maintenance services.
Commenting
on the deal, AEC’s CEO Abdulaziz al-Duailej said the acquisition of will help
them reach their goals and strategic plans for the next five years.
“It
also places us under the umbrella of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the
KSA’s sovereign wealth fund, which constitutes a milestone for the company and
fills us with pride as directors and employees,” he said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/12/28/Saudi-Arabian-Military-Industries-acquires-AEC-in-Kingdom-s-biggest-military-deal
--------
Iraq
to issue court orders for suspects in assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani,
PMU's al-Muhandis
28
December 2020
A
senior Iraqi judicial official says appropriate court orders will be issued in
the coming days regarding the suspects in the January 3 assassination of
Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis outside Baghdad
International Airport.
Haider
Ali Nouri, a supervising member of the Information Center of the Iraqi Supreme
Judicial Council, made the announcement in a statement on Monday as he was
explaining the latest developments related to the case of the assassination of
General Soleimani, the then commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and al-Muhandis, the former deputy commander of
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).
The
assassination operation went ahead on a direct order from President Donald
Trump, the outgoing White House occupant.
“The
Iraqi Judiciary has made good progress
in the investigation of this incident and intends to put a definite end to it,”
the senior judicial official said.
The
Iraqi official added that the Special Court of Inquiry has completed the case
and collected all the evidence by gathering the statements and testimony of
witnesses to the incident, such as the staff of the Baghdad International
Airport and the security forces present there.
Nouri
said that the results obtained through the work of the investigation committee,
review of relevant footages and official statements issued by the Trump
administration are being finalized.
“As
soon as the investigation is completed, appropriate court orders will be issued
in the coming days for suspects involved in the assassination operation,” he
said.
Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian, who advises Iran’s Parliament speaker on international
affairs, also announced on Sunday that Iran has drawn up a list of 48
individuals against whom legal action will be taken in relation to the
assassination.
Both
martyred commanders were viewed by the world's freedom-seeking people as heroes
who risked their lives taking on Daesh, the world’s most notorious terrorist
group, on the battlefield. They played a key part in defeating the terror
outfit.
Several
million people attended the funeral processions held for the commanders in the
Iraqi cities of Kadhimiya, Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf as well as the Iranian
cities of Ahvaz, Mashhad, Tehran, Qom and Kerman.
In
response, the IRGC fired volleys of ballistic missiles at two US bases in Iraq
on January 8. According to the US Defense Department, more than 100 American
forces suffered “traumatic brain injuries” during the counterstrikes. The
Corps, however, says Washington uses the term to mask the number of the
Americans who perished during the retaliation.
Iran
has also issued an arrest warrant and asked Interpol for help in detaining
Trump, who ordered the assassination, and several other US military and
political leaders behind the strike.
Anti-American
sentiments have been running high in Iraq after the two senior commanders were
assassinated in Baghdad, with Iraqi lawmakers unanimously passing a bill on January
5 that mandated the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq.
Iraqi
resistance groups have pledged to take up arms against US forces if Washington
fails to comply with the parliamentary order.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/28/641712/Iraqi-Judicial-Council-Nouri-assassination
--------
Southeast
Asia
Chinese
citizen journalist jailed for Wuhan virus reporting
29
Dec 2020
SHANGHAI:
A Chinese citizen journalist was jailed for four years on Monday for her
reporting from Wuhan as the Covid-19 outbreak began, her lawyer said, almost a
year after details of an “unknown viral pneumonia” surfaced in the central
China city.
Zhang
Zhan, a former lawyer who arrived at court in a wheelchair, was sentenced at a
brief hearing in a Shanghai court for allegedly “picking quarrels and provoking
trouble” during her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak.
Her
live reports and essays were shared on social media platforms in February,
grabbing the attention of authorities, who have punished eight virus
whistleblowers so far as they curb criticism of the government’s response to
the outbreak.
Beijing
has congratulated itself for “extraordinary” success in controlling the virus
inside its borders, with an economy on the rebound while much of the rest of
the world stutters through painful lockdowns and surging caseloads a year on
from the start of the pandemic in Wuhan.
Controlling
the information flow during an unprecedented global health crisis has been
pivotal in allowing China’s communist authorities to reframe the narrative in
their favour, with President Xi Jinping being garlanded for his leadership by
the country’s ruling party.
But
that has come at a serious cost to anyone who has picked holes in the official
storyline.
The
court said Zhang Zhan had spread “false remarks” online, according to one of
her lawyers Zhang Keke, but the prosecution did not fully divulge its evidence
in court.
“We
had no way of understanding what exactly Zhang Zhan was accused of doing,” he
added, describing it as “a speedy, rushed hearing.” In return the defendant
“didn’t respond [to questions]... She refused to answer when the judge asked
her to confirm her identity.” The defendant’s mother sobbed loudly as the verdict
was read out, Ren Quanniu, another member of Zhang’s defence team, told
reporters who were barred from entering the court.
Concerns
are mounting over the health of 37-year-old Zhang, who began a hunger strike in
June and has been force-fed via a nasal tube.
Her
legal team said her health was in decline and she suffered from headaches,
dizziness and stomach pain, and that she had appeared in court in a wheelchair.
“She
said when I visited her (last week): ‘If they give me a heavy sentence then I
will refuse food until the very end.’... She thinks she will die in prison,”
Ren said before the trial.
“It’s
an extreme method of protesting against this society and this environment.”
China’s communist authorities have a history of putting dissidents on trial in
opaque courts between Christmas and New Year in an effort to minimise Western
scrutiny. The sentencing comes just weeks before an international team of World
Health Organisation experts is expected to arrive in China to investigate the
origins of Covid-19.
Zhang
was critical of the early response in Wuhan, writing in a February essay that
the government “didn’t give people enough information, then simply locked down
the city”. “This is a great violation of human rights,” she wrote.
Rights
groups and embassies have also drawn attention to her case, although diplomats
from several countries were denied requests to monitor the hearing.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1598479/chinese-citizen-journalist-jailed-for-wuhan-virus-reporting
--------
Happiness
is in our hands, not politicians
K.
Parkaran
December
29, 2020
Christmas
has just passed under a new normal for the first time. No one is sure what’s in
store for us next year, given the uncertainties. But it is everyone’s hope that
we will be happier with Covid-19 under control, a stable government in place
and unity at a better level.
Prime
Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in his message has asked us to make diversity our
strength. He even reminded us that history states that mutual respect between
races and religions led to the advancement of civilisations like the Andalusian
Muslims and Christians in the past.
This
is exactly how Malaysians lived and breathed in the 60s when we celebrated
plurality in schools, our kampungs and homes. We commemorated all religious and
cultural festivals as if it was ours. And a week after Christmas, we held each
other’s hands and sang Auld Lang Syne to bid the year adieu and welcome the
next.
Today,
a single intermarriage or harmless cake bearing the word “Merry Christmas” in a
halal outlet becomes a national debate. One can pass these off as isolated
incidents but unfortunately, they seem to be happening a little too often
lately.
I
am not sure how many of us were energised by the prime minister’s call, which
has been the thrust of every message delivered during festivals by our
political leaders. If only our politicians put this into practice, we will be a
happy nation today.
Many
moderate and right-minded Malaysians have asked for the legislation of a race
relation act or an interfaith council to stem the growing tide of racism and
religious bigotry in the past. But for reasons that we can only guess, they
were always shot down by whoever was in power.
I
can only guess that the dominant Malay parties fear being accused of
downgrading Islam and the Malay race to that of the rest. This does not make
any sense at all as the constitution safeguards Islam as the religion of the
nation with the special rights of Malays guaranteed.
I
am impressed by Bhutan which actually has a Gross National Happiness Commission
composing the prime minister as the chairman with representatives of people
from all walks of life. It even has a five-year plan to make a happy Bhutan
even happier. Little wonder then that it is among the happiest countries in the
world.
A
zoom session on most weekends with my classmates from 40 years ago, all from
different parts of the world, and coming from all racial and religious
backgrounds, is something we look forward to. Most of the time, the subject
veers to the good old days when we used to sleep in each other’s homes, eating
the same food despite our varied religious backgrounds.
It
used to be sheer joy with non-Muslim parents making sure they bought chicken
slaughtered in a halal stall, in anticipation of the friends of their children
coming over for meals. Boy, do we really miss those days.
As
race and religious intolerance seem to affect our daily lives of late, I can’t
help writing this piece with an extremely pessimistic feeling. I know many,
especially the motivational gurus, preach that pessimism is disastrous, and
insist that it can be overcome with much positive mental energy.
These
eternally optimistic people keep harping that this gloomy feeling will ruin
hope and possibilities. For those in despair, though, the hurdles along the way
seem unsurmountable. For the latter, the gross happiness index must be at a
pretty low level.
Under
such circumstances, we are often reminded of an extremely common and overused
phrase of a glass half-full or half-empty.
We
have to look at the positives around us but the way things are, it takes a lot
to do so.
The
situation has not been easy for many Malaysians, who can only watch helplessly
as the politicians lead the nation in a direction that does not appear to boost
their confidence.
Nearly
all the people I have spoken to, irrespective of their political affiliation
feel that a serious rerouting is needed.
Yes,
I would love to be optimistic and I am sure many of us want the gross national
happiness index to be super high. Like many other Malaysians, I want to live in
a nation which respects the plurality of its people.
If
everyone is treated with respect and a fair amount of equality, led by
politicians who are honest, I bet you will see a happier Malaysia.
Unfortunately,
we live in a society bombarded by pessimism, often because of inconsiderate
lawmakers. The reputation and respect for politicians is at its lowest ebb
currently, and they do not seem to be making any attempt to change their ways.
Overcoming
pessimism is sometimes easier said than done. It takes commitment and
unwavering faith to change your perception. No matter what your personal
circumstances may be, it’s not unusual to feel as if some people are conspiring
against you all the time.
As
for the “glass half-empty or half-full” expression, I feel this test does not
hold any water.
In
the current scenario, the top echelon of Malaysian society especially
politicians are people with full glasses. The majority of the Malaysians,
especially those from the B40 and M40 groups, have almost empty glasses.
With
the current onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, most of us are facing financial
struggles, family issues, job uncertainty, societal turmoil and more. These can
leave even the most optimistic person battling pessimism.
These
are the times of the Covid-19 virus. Strange times, indeed – when being
positive is bad and being negative is good.
What
we need is not a change of politicians as espoused by some. Instead, we must
embark on a movement to change the politics of our nation. From one which is
obsessed with race, religion and corruption to one with basic human values –
truth, equality, honesty and modesty.
I
am positive that will make us a happier nation.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2020/12/29/happiness-is-in-our-hands-not-politicians/
--------
A
message of hope in Muslim-majority Indonesia
Justin
Wejak
December
29, 2020
Just
before Christmas, on Dec. 23, Indonesia’s President Joko (Jokowi) Widodo
appointed six new cabinet ministers. What attracted the most attention from
this event was the brief post-inauguration speech by the new minister of
religion, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. In his speech, Gus Yaqut, as he is commonly
known, outlined his mission possible.
He
stated that the first step in his mission is to make sure that religion is
positioned as an inspiration, not an aspiration. Religion must no longer be
used as a political tool in attempts to oppose the government or to seize
power, nor for other purposes. Essentially, religion must promote the values of
goodness and peace.
In
support of this reconstruction of religion as a system of values, Gus Yaqut
seeks to improve ukhuwah Islamiyah, a notion that stresses the importance of
unity of all Muslims in carrying out their crucial task of peace building in
the Muslim-majority nation.
More
than that, Gus Yaqut is also determined to establish ukhuwah wathoniyah, — that
is, unity of all Indonesians regardless of religious and ethnic differences. He
explained why this is so important. Indonesia’s independence was achieved
because of a collaborative struggle by all religions, not just the work of one
single religion such as Islam.
Historically,
there was no single fighter, and therefore there should be no single claim of
one religion being more meritorious than other religions in the history of
Indonesia’s independence from colonialism.
The
reclaiming of ukhuwah wathoniyah is essential not just for acknowledging the
role of other minority religions in the independence struggle but also for
creating a sense of ownership of Indonesia. The country belongs to all.
Also
strategic to Gus Yaqut is the idea of ukhuwah basyariyah, which refers to the
cruciality of unity between all human beings. No other religion is more
important than our universal humanity. We all belong to one humanity, an idea
that is strongly advocated by the Dalai Lama, as discussed in the book Beyond
Religion: Ethics for a Whole World (2012).
Gus
Yaqut’s brief speech outlining his ideas and commitment was timely and a relief
to many in Indonesia, particularly Christians who were then preparing for
Christmas. The minister’s speech gave a kind of assurance that the state would
make sure that Christians should feel safe celebrating the commemoration of the
birth of Jesus.
Peaceful
Christmas
This
year there were no reports of threats to churches during Christmas
celebrations. Maybe it was because big gatherings were still not allowed due to
the Covid-19 pandemic. Some churches and cathedrals were empty or at least
half-full. Christians who gathered to celebrate Christmas this time seemed to
feel relatively at ease and secure.
This
public sense of security was perhaps partly due to the post-inauguration speech
by Gus Yaqut, who emphasized the imperative of peace in the country and the
world. Indeed, where there is mutual respect and inclusiveness there is peace,
and where there is peace there is cooperation in the development of the
country. These aspects — respect, inclusiveness, peace and cooperation — are
all vital in the process of transforming Indonesia to become a prosperous
nation economically and socially.
I
have spent Christmas in several places in Indonesia throughout my life
including and mostly in non-Muslim-majority regions such as Bali and the
eastern province of Nusa Tenggara Timur. Unlike in times past, I noted,
particularly over the last two or so decades, public safety during times of
religious celebration such as Christmas is no longer being taken for granted.
All
attendees were thoroughly checked before entering churches in case any
dangerous objects were carried inside. Sometimes I wonder if the same level of
inspection of one’s body and belongings was carried out on those entering other
houses of worship.
There
are always police or even the armed forces guarding churches during significant
Christian holy days. While people may feel safe celebrating Christmas in the
presence of armed police and the army, their very presence reflects the
possibility and threat of violence.
At
Christmas this year, it seemed the show of force by police and the armed forces
was not needed precisely because the churches were half-full, if not empty, due
to Covid-19, but also because the state had sent a strong message to anyone who
may contemplate plans to disturb the security of worship.
The
state is not alone in sending clear messages of respect and peace. There were
also individuals who recorded messages of religious tolerance and spread them
on social media.
Gus
Miftah, for example, states that all religions are good. No religion should
feel superior to others. He even used the analogy of Indonesia as a big home
with six rooms — for Muslims, Protestants, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists and
Confucianists. All have their own rooms and must respect each other’s privacy.
Where there is mutual respect, it can be guaranteed that no one is feeling
threatened.
Further,
Gus Miftah recited a story of his own experience witnessing Muslims and
Christians helping and supporting each other in certain religious events such
as Christmas and Eid al-Fitr. There was no sense of suspicion and threat
amongst them.
Maybe
they understand what it means to be religious without losing their humanity.
What unites people of different faiths is universal humanity. To be religious
is to be human, not the other way around.
To
promote inclusiveness, respect and peace during Christmas, it may be necessary
to consider placing more emphasis on the secular Jesus. The philosopher Julian
Baggini, in his book The Godless Gospel, seeks to retrieve Jesus for the
secular age. What really matters is Jesus’ teaching. Baggini tries to eliminate
all miracles and the God-talk to arrive at the essence of Jesus’ message of
morality, peace and justice.
This
appeal to secular human values is important to keep Jesus (and Christmas)
relevant for a world that is weary of dogma, as well as a way to create
connectedness in societies that are increasingly becoming heterogenized.
Christmas
is a message of peace, and all must feel safe celebrating it.
Justin
Wejak studied philosophy in Indonesia, theology and anthropology in Australia,
and currently teaches at the University of Melbourne. The views expressed in
this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
official editorial position of UCA News.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/a-message-of-hope-in-muslim-majority-indonesia/90831#
--------
South
Asia
Afghanistan,
‘Deadliest Place to Be A Civilian’
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
29
Dec 2020
ICRC,
International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday said in a tweet, that
Afghanistan remains one of the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian.
“Afghanistan
is one of the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian,” ICRC tweeted.
Adding
to it, the committee said 17 million people in the country is highly affected
by the armed conflicts.
According
to ICRC, almost 50% of the population in Afghanistan is influenced by the war.
Previously
in the month of November, ICRC said that Afghanistan remains the deadliest
place for civilians, children, and women, Robert Mardini, Director General of
the ICRC during his visit to Afghanistan called on all warring parties to do
their best to protect and safeguard civilians from harm.
ICRC
also added, that civilians make up to half of the war casualties.
In
a statement issued by Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission on
Monday, it is said that the Afghan government and Taliban urgently need to
respond to the Afghan media demands for support, safety, protection, access to
information, and timely investigations.
AIHRC
stated, targeting journalists in the past few months delivered a negative
impact on media across Afghanistan, and many female journalists have left their
job.
Meanwhile,
US Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction reported quoting Resolute
Support that at least 876 civilians were killed and total of 1,685 were wounded
from July1 to Sept 2020.
SIGAR
reported that there was a 43% increase in the casualties compared to previous
quarter (April-June).
This
quarter’s high figures are notable because they occurred amidst the ongoing
peace process.
https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-deadliest-place-to-be-a-civilian-556655/
--------
Afghan
military airstrikes kill 11 Al-Qaeda, 2 Taliban terrorists
December
28, 2020
Afghan
Air Force (AAF) strikes launched in Helmand province's Nawa district have left
11 members of Al-Qaeda and two Taliban terrorists dead, the Afghan Ministry of
Defence said on Sunday.
"AAF
strikes killed 11 Al-Qaeda and 2 Taliban's senior members, and wounded 2 more
TB in Nawa district, Helmand," the Afghan Ministry of Defence tweeted.
The
Al-Qaeda terrorists were believed to be training Taliban terrorists to make and
use explosive devices, the ministry said, adding that a high-profile
facilitator of Al-Qaeda was killed in the strikes.
Last
week, Afghan military airstrikes killed dozens of terrorists in Helmand and
Kandahar provinces.
In
September, the peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban
began in the Qatari capital Doha amid continuing occurrence of bomb blasts in
Afghanistan, Sputnik reported.
The
peace talks are set to resume on January 5 next year.
https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/afghan-military-airstrikes-kill-11-al-qaeda-2-taliban-terrorists-120122800055_1.html
--------
Bangladesh
moves more Rohingya Muslims to controversial island
December
29, 2020
COX’S
BAZAR, Bangladesh: Bangladesh on Monday started moving a second group of
Rohingya refugees to a controversial flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal
despite opposition from rights activists.
More
than 1,600 of the Muslim minority from Myanmar were taken to Bhashan Char
earlier this month, and Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen said just under 1,000
were in the latest batch heading for what he called a "beautiful
resort".
Buses
took the Rohingya from camps in Cox’s Bazar, where nearly one million refugees
are packed, to Chittagong port where they will be taken to the barren island.
"They
are going voluntarily. They are very eager to go Bhashan Char because they have
heard from their relatives, those who have gone to Bhashan Char, that (it) is
an excellent place," Momen told AFP.
He
claimed the island was "100 times better" than the camps, and that
the refugees had "appealed" to be taken there. Two Rohingya men in
the latest group told AFP they were going to the island willingly.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/765967-bangladesh-moves-more-rohingya-muslims-to-controversial-island
--------
Bangladesh
moves second group of Rohingya refugees to remote island
29
December 2020
Bangladesh
started moving a second group of Rohingya Muslim refugees to a low-lying island
in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, despite opposition from rights groups worried
about the new site’s vulnerability to floods.
The
United Nations says it has not been involved in the relocation but urged the
government to ensure no refugee is forced to move to Bhasan Char island, which
only emerged from the sea 20 years ago.
“We
are ready to receive the new arrivals,” Navy Commodore Abdullah Al Mamun
Chowdhury said from the island of the 1,804 Rohingya being moved in seven
ships.
A
first group of more than 1,600 Rohingya, members of a minority group who have
fled from Myanmar, were relocated from their rickety camps near the Myanmar
border to Bhasan Char earlier in the month.
Storms
regularly hit the Bangladesh coast. In 1991, nearly 143,000 people were killed
when a cyclone whipped up a 4.5-meter (15-foot) tidal surge.
The
government has built a 12-kilometer (7.5 mile) embankment to protect the island
along with housing for 100,000 people. It dismisses the risks.
“The
island is completely safe,” Foreign Minister Abdul Momen told Reuters.
The
government also says the relocation is voluntary but some refugees from the
first group have spoken about being coerced to go.
“The
Rohingya people who have shifted there are very happy with the arrangement.
Some evil groups are spreading negative propaganda,” he said.
Two
Rohingya men on board one of the ships heading to the island from the port of
Chittagong told Reuters they were moving to their new home voluntarily. One
said he was joining relatives already there while the other was moving with his
wife and six children.
“There
is so much suffering and conflict in the camp,” said one of the men. “We are
going there in the hope of a better life.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/12/29/Bangladesh-moves-second-group-of-Rohingya-refugees-to-remote-island
--------
Heads
roll over Afghan’s stripping, torture in police custody in Peshawar
Manzoor
Ali
29
Dec 2020
PESHAWAR:
The police department has terminated the services of its four officials,
including two station house officers, on the recommendation of a judicial
commission’s probe into the stripping and torture of an Afghan national in
custody.
A
video showing the stripping of Radiullah alias Amir Tehkalay on the Tehkal
police station premises in Peshawar had caused a social media uproar in June
this year.
The
provincial government had formed a one-member judicial commission to
investigate the incident.
Peshawar
High Court Justice Lal Jan Khattak, who was appointed to the probe body by the
chief justice after the government requested him for the appointment, completed
its report in Sept.
Two
SHOs among four sacked on advice of judicial probe body
On
Monday, Peshawar SSP (operations) Mansoor Aman issued a notification declaring
that the police officers, who were nominated in FIR No 710 on June 24, 2020 at
the Tehkal police station have been dismissed from service after proper
departmental proceedings under the KP Police (Efficiency and Disciplinary)
Rules, 1975.
Among
the sacked officials were sub-inspector and former SHO of the Yakatoot police
station Imranuddin, SI and former SHO of the Tehkal police station Shahriyar
Ahmad, and constables Tauseef Alam and Naeem Khan of the Tehkal police station.
They
were charged under sections 355, 342, 116, 118, 119 and 337-A(i)F(i) of the
Pakistan Penal Code and sections 20 and 21 of the Prevention Electronic Crimes
Act, 2016, with using criminal force to dishonour the victim, his wrongful
confinement, and concealing design to commit the offence.
Radiullah
was taken into custody on the charge of possessing drugs after a video went
viral on social media showing him curse officials of the city police under the
influence of an intoxicant.
A
couple of days later, another video was shared on social media in which
Radiullah was seen apologise for his remarks against the police.
There
followed another video, which showed the police officers strip him inside a
police station.
The
stripping caused widespread outrage, including protests, in parts of the
province forcing the provincial government to form a one-member judicial
commission to investigate the incident and fix responsibility.
In
its probe report available with Dawn, the commission noted that the main role
in the incident had been played by inspector Imranuddin and inspector Shahriyar
Khan, who were then heading Tehkal and Yakatoot police stations, respectively.
It
added that both police officials had been charged by the torture victim with
his ordeal.
“The
victim told the commission that not only he was beaten up by both officials
after his arrest but he was also stripped right on the spot and was taken in
naked condition to the police station Tehkal.”
The
commission said that the torture victim told it that he was subjected to
torture at the police station, while his videos were also made.
It
added that the medical examination of the victim confirmed multiple signs of
torture and bruises on his body.
Justice
Khattak noted that the inquiry commission was of the view that both police
officers were responsible for the torture, stripping and filming of the
accused.
The
commission also established the role of police constables Tauseef Alam and
Naeem Khan in the torture and stripping of the accused. It, however, exonerated
another policeman, Zahirullah, in the case.
The
commission said the records showed that neither the police high-ups nor the
relevant SHOs ever tried to handle the issue, which was a result of the first
video of Radiullah, in accordance with the law.
“So
much so, that no report was ever lodged by any of the police personnel under
the PECA Act 2016 regarding the victim nonsense in the first video,” it said,
adding that the omission and inaction could be termed as the worst kind of
delinquency on part of the police.
“Had
action, under the law prescribed for, been taken by the police under the law
against the wrongdoers of Video 1, [the] situation could have different from
the one emerged and faced by the government in the aftermath of the incident,”
it said.
The
commission said it could safely be held that the inaction and failure on part
of the police to go by the book against the police’s vilifiers was the root
cause of the incident.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1598363/heads-roll-over-afghans-stripping-torture-in-police-custody-in-peshawar
--------
Europe
Azerbaijan
says soldier killed during clash with Armenian separatists
28
December 2020
Azerbaijan
said Monday that one of its soldiers was killed during a skirmish with Armenian
separatists, in an apparent escalation of hostilities undermining a recent
Russian-brokered ceasefire.
The
defense ministry said in a statement that an illegal group of Armenian fighters
in territory adjacent to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region carried out the
ambush on Sunday.
“As
a result of the attack, a soldier of the Azerbaijan army... was killed,” it
said, noting another serviceman was wounded but in a stable condition.
A
peace deal mediated by Russia ended in early November six weeks of fighting
between Azerbaijan and separatists backed by Armenia for control of the
disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
More
than 6,000 people were killed in the conflict before the peace agreement that
saw Armenia cede swathes of territory it had controlled for decades to its
longstanding rival.
Azerbaijan
said on Monday that six Armenian fighters died in the attack near the village
of Agdam, which was captured by Baku’s army in November.
The
defense ministry vowed to take “decisive measures” if repeat attacks were
carried out by Armenian troops.
A
Russian peacekeeping force of around 2,000 soldiers deployed to Karabakh as
part of the terms of the November accord.
The
mission reported earlier this month that one Russian soldier died during a
mine-clearing operation but says the peace deal is largely holding.
Azerbaijan
revealed earlier in December that at least six servicemen had died since the
November 10 peace accord was agreed.
Separatists
in Nagorno-Karabakh broke from Azerbaijan’s control in a war in the 1990s that
killed some 30,000 people.
Its
declaration of autonomy has not been recognized by any country, including
Armenia.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/12/28/Azerbaijan-says-soldier-killed-during-clash-with-Armenian-separatists
--------
Russian
agents foil 'Islamic State' terror attack
John
Silk
26.12.2020
Russia's
Federal Security Service (FSB) said Saturday it had prevented an attack by a
terrorist group with links to the Islamic State (IS) armed group.
The
FSB said it had arrested four people who were set to carry out the offensive in
the troubled southern republic of Dagestan.
"Members
of the group planned to detonate an explosive close to an administrative
building belonging to security services, followed by an armed attack against
interior ministry employees in the city of Makhachkala," the FSB said in a
statement.
Weapons
cache
As
well as arresting four "members of the international IS terrorist
group", investigators found "firearms and bladed weapons, a large
amount of ammunition and an explosive device", the FSB statement
continued.
The
security service also uncovered mobile phones containing "exchanges with
organizers located abroad."
Earlier
this month, police killed two attackers targeting security forces in the
republic of Chechnya, which borders Dagestan.
Six
people were also killed during an October "counterterrorism" operation
in Chechen capital Grozny, including two security force members.
Long-held
grievances
Russia's
territories in the region between the Black and Caspian Seas have been disputed
for centuries.
The
most recent conflict in Chechnya occurred over two wars in the 1990s and 2000s.
With
the Soviet Union disintegrating, Chechen separatists declared independence. War
broke out in 1994 and after two years of fighting Russian forces withdrew from
the region.
Fighting
resumed less than three years later resulting in a large number of casualties
on both sides. Grozny was largely destroyed and the Russian military
established control over the city in the spring of 2000, officially ending the
war, with insurgency and hostilities continuing to varying degrees ever since.
The
region has become increasingly Islamist in character in recent years. Though
its influence remains limited, IS does carry out sporadic attacks against the
authorities in Chechnya, Dagestan and neighboring Ingushetia.
https://www.dw.com/en/russian-agents-foil-islamic-state-terror-attack/a-56062314?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1856903_
--------
'Turkey
fully supports Serbia-Kosovo dialogue'
Dilara
Hamit
28.12.2020
Turkey
supports the Balkan neighbors of Serbia and Kosovo pursuing dialogue to reach
agreements as soon as possible, for the benefit of both countries, Turkey’s
foreign minister said Monday.
Turkey
and Kosovo will take steps to coordinate their foreign ministries, including on
matters such as naming new ambassadors and the training of diplomats, Mevlut
Cavusoglu told a press conference in the capital Ankara alongside Meliza
Haradinaj-Stublla, Kosovo’s visiting foreign and diaspora minister.
Cavusoglu
said they dealt with bilateral relations in every area during their meeting,
adding that economic ties are growing but still have room for improvement.
He
said a free trade agreement signed last year is a great advantage for both
countries.
Stating
that Turkish companies provide jobs to 10,000 people in Kosovo, Cavusoglu said
that they aim to boost this number in the future.
Cavusoglu
also said they discussed ways to encourage companies to increase Turkish
investments in Kosovo and to strengthen the defense industry and military
cooperation.
He
stated that since Kosovo gained independence in 2008, Turkey promoted its
recognition, adding that the efforts will continue to push its membership in
international organizations.
Kosovo's
integration to Euro-Atlantic institutions would contribute to stability in the
region, he said.
'Turkey
always stands with Kosovo'
Haradinaj-Stublla
expressed her gratitude to Turkey for showing unparalleled solidarity during
this year of the coronavirus pandemic.
She
also stated that the country is relying on Turkey’s support to access coronavirus
vaccines, just rolling out now in some Western countries.
Turkey
and Kosovo have long had friendly relations, and Turkey has always stood by
Kosovo, Haradinaj-Stubll added.
As
for dialogue with Serbia, Haradinaj-Stublla stressed that Kosovo continues to
be determined to continue the dialogue and to resolve all unresolved problems
with Serbia through peaceful means.
Stating
that Kosovo has proven to be a constructive, reliable partner that keeps pacts,
Haradinaj-Stublla added that Serbia has not been a partner that abides by these
agreements, principles, and the spirit of good neighborliness.
Underlining
that Serbia, which wants to become a member of the EU, has taken some
non-constructive actions such as supplying Armenia with weapons,
Haradinaj-Stublla stated that Belgrade also continues to receive offensive
weapon systems.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-fully-supports-serbia-kosovo-dialogue/2091280
--------
Austria:
Victims fight problems over ‘terror operation’
Askin
Kiyagan
28.12.2020
After
being subjected to police violence in a raid targeting his home under the
pretext of a “terror operation”, 12-year-old Mustafa A. has started therapy for
sleep disorder.
Vienna
police on Nov. 9 raided 60 addresses and detained 30 Muslim activists and academics
in an operation called “Operation Luxor” on charges of "establishing a
terrorist organization, financial support for terrorism, organized crime
formation, and money laundering."
The
police using disproportionate force against people well-known to the public and
treating them as terrorists led to reactions from various segments of the
society. Many NGOs, journalists, and writers called for the issue to be
urgently clarified.
Excessive
use of power by the police caused serious mental disturbances among some family
members who were subjected to the violence.
More
than 10 children started receiving mental health treatment after the
operations. Those 30 people who were detained and their families have also been
facing financial difficulties for the last two months because their bank
accounts were blocked.
12-year-old
also target of police
Austria
resident H.A.'s son Mustafa A., 12, spoke to Anadolu Agency of his experience
during and after the operation.
Mustafa
said he was sleeping next to his mother on the night of the raid when heard
loud noises and someone shouting in an aggressive voice saying: "Nobody
move, hands up!".
He
thought he was having a nightmare at first but noticed it was not one when he
opened his eyes, and her mother jumped out of the bed and went to the other
room.
Mustafa
said he saw a man dressed in black and armed with long barreled gun while he
was still trying to wake up.
He
could not figure out that the man was a commando, Mustafa added, and that he
thought that terrorists were trying to harm them after a terrorist attack left
four dead and 22 others wounded in early November.
“The
police said 'the target was seen' out of the walkie talkie in his hand, and
then I said to myself 'Am I the target?’ I still did not fully grasp the
situation. Police was looking and searching around the room. I thought this
time there was a terrorist hiding in our house, there was a terrorist under the
bed, and I was even more scared,” said Mustafa, recalling the night.
“We
stayed in the room for a few more minutes with the police pointing his gun at
me. Then he noticed that I was scared and 12 years old. Although was terrified
at that moment, I tried not to, and was silently saying ‘Bismillah’.”
“Then
a female officer entered my room and told me not to be scared and that
everything was fine. She said the commando is in the room for security
purposes,” Mustafa added.
Mustafa
said his mother went to check on his older brother who had asthma, as she was
afraid he might get an asthma attack.
“My
brother was shouting ‘Don’t shoot my mom’ and my mom was shouting ‘Don’t shoot
my son’ and I was thinking what we could have possibly done to be subjected to
this,” Mustafa said, recalling the moments he was standing with a fully armed
officer in his room.
He
said there was about 20 police officers in their home. While he and his mother
were staying in the same room, his brothers were in a different one.
“In
the meantime, I saw my father moving toward the wardrobe with two or three
policemen pointing their guns to him, with his hands up and then he changed his
clothes there,” he said.
After
his father left with the police, his brothers reunited with them in the same
room, said Mustafa, adding they were not allowed to speak Arabic and if they
spoke they were threatened to be separated again.
Mustafa
said the police searched every corner of their home, examined the phones of all
family members, and confiscated all electronic devices belonging to his father.
The
door of their home was broken and left open, so their neighbors witnessed all
that happened, he also said.
“After
the operation, I suffered from sleep disorder. All that happened is still
before my eyes, and I can still hear the shouting and the voices. They were
scattered all over our home. It wasn't possible to get rid of the dirt and mess
in the house even in two or three days.
"We
didn't know why all this happened, what the cause was. This was getting on our
nerves. Why did they not ring the bell? It was nonsense,” added Mustafa.
I
was biting my lip out of fear
Mustafa
said he had to talk to a psychologist because of all he experienced.
“I
had to go to a psychologist three times. The psychologist taught me some
methods to help me forget or overcome what I went through. Even if these
methods are useful and the best methods, I still cannot forget what I
experienced,” he said.
He
added that he could not go back to normal for a long while.
“When
our upstairs neighbors walk a bit louder, I instantly go back to those moments.
When I hear the alarm clock, I suddenly remember the same moments and bite my
lips out of fear.”
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/austria-victims-fight-problems-over-terror-operation-/2091083
--------
Mideast
Iran
Identifies, Prosecutes 48 Suspects Involved in Assassination of General
Soleimani
2020-December-28
“48
suspects have been identified in connection with the case of martyred General
Qassem Soleimani and necessary measures have been adopted to prosecute them,”
Baqeri said.
He
added that Iran has asked for information and documents with regard to this
attack from all the countries which have been one way or another connected to
this terrorist crime.
“The
latest country was Germany; and we have received reports and information that
the Americans’ base (Ramstein) in Germany has been involved in exchange of
information between the US drones used in the assassination of martyr
Soleimani,” Baqeri said.
Lieutenant
General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad
International Airport in Iraq on January 3, 2020.
The
airstrike also martyred deputy commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were martyred in an American airstrike that
targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.
Five
Iranian and five Iraqi military men were martyred by the missiles fired by the
US drone at Baghdad International Airport.
On
January 8 and after the funeral ceremony of General Soleimani, the IRGC
Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on US Ein Al-Assad
airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a US operated
airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of General Soleimani.
Ein
Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels,
which is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the
radar systems and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and
intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army's central
radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare.
The
second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in
Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of "Martyr Soleimani"
reprisal operation.
Iraq
said the attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these
two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone,
including the Iraqi army.
The
IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been intercepted.
Meantime,
Iran announced in late June that it had issued arrest warrants for 36 officials
of the US and other countries who have been involved in the assassination of
the martyred General Soleimani.
"36
individuals who have been involved or ordered the assassination of Hajj Qassem,
including the political and military officials of the US and other governments,
have been identified and arrest warrants have been issued for them by the
judiciary officials and red alerts have also been issued for them via the
Interpol," Prosecutor-General of Tehran Ali Alqasi Mehr said.
He
said that the prosecuted individuals are accused of murder and terrorist
action, adding that US President Donald Trump stands at the top of the list and
will be prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency after his term ends.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991008000810/Iran-Idenifies-Prseces-4-Sspecs-Invlved-in-Assassinain-f-General
--------
Iraqi
Leader Reveals Involvement of British Company in Assassination of General
Soleimani
2020-December-28
The
British company G4S, which is in charge of security at Baghdad airport, was
involved in the assassinations of General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi
al-Muhandis (the deputy commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces),
Khazali said in a documentary released by the Arabic-language al-Ahd news
channel.
"The
British company, which has a contract with Baghdad airport regarding security
issues, participated in a part of the mission to confirm the target (General
Soleimani and al-Muhandis) to carry out the assassination operation," he
added.
Khazali
said that usually, when any plane lands at Baghdad airport, a G4S car is
present near the landing site but the day that General Soleimani was
assassinated, it was the only time the company's car had stopped exactly in
front of the passengers’ pathway which means that it had a mission.
Lieutenant
General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad
International Airport in Iraq on January 3, 2020.
The
airstrike also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were martyred in an
American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.
Five
Iranian and five Iraqi military men were martyred by the missiles fired by the
US drone at Baghdad International Airport.
On
January 8 and after the funeral ceremony of General Soleimani, the IRGC
Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on US Ein Al-Assad
airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a US operated
airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of General Soleimani.
Ein
Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels,
which is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the
radar systems and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and
intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army's central
radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare.
The
second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in
Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of "Martyr Soleimani"
reprisal operation.
Iraq
said the attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these
two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone,
including the Iraqi army.
The
IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been intercepted.
Meantime,
Iran announced in late June that it had issued arrest warrants for 36 officials
of the US and other countries who have been involved in the assassination of
the martyred General Soleimani.
"36
individuals who have been involved or ordered the assassination of Hajj Qassem,
including the political and military officials of the US and other governments,
have been identified and arrest warrants have been issued for them by the
judiciary officials and red alerts have also been issued for them via the
Interpol," Prosecutor-General of Tehran Ali Alqasi Mehr said.
He
said that the prosecuted individuals are accused of murder and terrorist
action, adding that US President Donald Trump stands at the top of the list and
will be prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency after his term ends.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991008000884/Irai-Leader-Reveals-Invlvemen-f-Briish-Cmpany-in-Assassinain-f-General
--------
Iranian
Knowledge-Based Company Develops System to Identify Masked Faces
2020-December-28
“Maskino
has been developed through the application of artificial intelligence and
machine learning and deep learning algorithms. Maskino is the second product of
our company in the field of identification,” Nima Shamsapour, the CEO of Binesh
Houshmand Nasl-e Pishro company, said.
He
added that Maskino’s smart camera is able to identify a person using artificial
intelligence algorithms, including face detection, face recognition and face
matching.
“Once
a person's face is introduced to the Maskino system, as soon as he/she appears
in front of the camera, even when wearing a mask, his/her face is recognized
and an alarm is sent to the security agents and relevant officials,” Shamsapour
said.
With
more people wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, facial
recognition developers are adapting, building datasets of images featuring
masked faces to develop and train facial identification and recognition
algorithms and upgrading existing solutions.
Based
on the masked face dataset, developers will be able to build face detection and
recognition algorithms to help identify people wearing masks traveling in and
out of communities or facilities that require identity verification. Additionally, they said, facial security
checks at train stations and other checkpoints can be upgraded to detect
pedestrians wearing masks.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991008000842/Iranian-Knwledge-Based-Cmpany-Develps-Sysem-Idenify-Masked-Faces
--------
Hamas
received $22m from slain Iranian commander Soleimani in 2006: Top Hamas leader
Yaghoub
Fazeli
28
December 2020
A
delegation from the Palestinian militant group Hamas received $22 million in
cash from slain Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Qassem
Soleimani during a visit to Tehran in 2006, according to a senior Hamas
official.
In
an interview with Iran’s Arabic-language television network al-Alam on Sunday,
Mahmoud al-Zahar, former foreign minister and senior Hamas leader, said he
outlined some of the financial problems the Palestinian group faced during a
meeting with Soleimani.
“The
following day, I found $22 million in bags at the airport” as the delegation
was about to leave Tehran, al-Zahar said.
“We
had agreed on a higher amount, but we were only nine people, and we could not
carry any more cash due to baggage allowance,” he added.
Over
the past decade, Iranian demonstrators have voiced their opposition to Tehran’s
foreign policies and outside funding, accusing the regime of squandering the
country’s resources on proxy groups.
Soleimani,
who headed the Quds Force, the overseas arms of the IRGC, was killed in a US
airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport on January 3. There is increased
concern about what Iran or its militias might do ahead of the first anniversary
of Soleimani’s death.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/28/Israel-Palestine-Hamas-received-22m-from-slain-Iranian-commander-Soleimani-in-2006-Top-Hamas-leader
--------
Palestinian
PM urges international community to stop Israel’s settlement construction plans
28
December 2020
Palestinian
Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has urged the international community to halt
Israel's illegal settlement expansion activities in the occupied Palestinian
territories, as the Tel Aviv regime gets ready to hold its fourth general
elections within less than two years.
The
Palestinian premier made the remarks during the weekly cabinet meeting in
Ramallah on Monday, stressing that as Israel is on an almost certain course for
snap general elections, the campaigns will focus on increasing settlement
activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, just as in all previous
ones.
“The
international community should oblige the Israeli occupying regime to stop its
colonial projects in the Palestinian territory, and to activate United Nations
Security Council resolution 2334 since it reflects the international will
against settlements,” Palestine’s official Wafa news agency quoted Shtayyeh as
saying.
The
remarks came a day after an Israeli media report said the Tel Aviv regime is
planning to build thousands of new settler units in the occupied West Bank and
East Jerusalem al-Quds before US President-elect Joe Biden takes office as he
is not expected to support such moves when he's president..
The
Israeli Kan public broadcaster announced the plan on Sunday, saying Israeli
authorities seek to get a construction permit before Biden’s inauguration in
January and that Israel's so-called High Council of Planning and Building,
which supervises illegal settlement construction, is set to convene in the
coming two weeks to approve the construction of the new settler units.
Shtayyeh
said Israel’s latest plan to approve the construction of thousands of new
settler unites in the occupied territories is a “flagrant disregard” for
international law, which considers all Israeli settlement activity
illegal.
He
also called on the United Nations to act against Israeli settler violence in
the occupied West Bank and organize teams with a mission to protect
Palestinians living there.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem
al-Quds.
After
US President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, Tel Aviv stepped up its
settlement construction activities in defiance of United Nations Security
Council Resolution 2334, which pronounced settlements in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem al-Quds “a flagrant violation under international law.”
All
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law as they are built on
occupied land.
Under
the so-called Middle East peace plan unveiled by Trump earlier this year,
Israel will have sovereignty over all of Jerusalem al-Quds as well as
settlements in the occupied territories.
Palestinians
have rejected the plan as a conspiracy since they demand East Jerusalem al-Quds
as the capital of their future state, and many believe the settlement expansion
is aimed at surrounding the Palestinian capital.
To
Palestinians, expansion of illegal Israeli settlements makes a future state
unviable.
Palestinians
say all indications prove that Israel is racing against time to build new
settlements before the outgoing US administration leaves office.
The
Palestinian Authority has also warned that settlement activity has grave
consequences in the occupied West Bank, and will definitely lead to more
Palestinian land grab by the Israeli regime to facilitate the annexation of the
occupied territories.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/28/641707/Palestine-Israel-settler-units-construction-Mohammad-Shtayyeh-snap-elections
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Yemenis
condemn Israeli moves in region
28
December 2020
Abdullatif
Al-washali
The
Israeli regime has been intensifying its moves in the region as media
revelations suggest it is intending to build a military base on the Yemeni
island of Socotra. Yemen’s Supreme Political Council has condemned these suspicious
moves, promising Israel a decisive response in case it commits any stupidity
against the Yemenis.
The
Israeli media have boasted the arrival of the submarine to the Bab al-Mandab
Strait after crossing the Suez Canal.
An
Israeli military spokesman also confirmed the move, claiming the step was taken
to counter smart drones Iran could potentially launch from Yemen or Iraq.
It
seems that the Yemeni army's possession of missile systems capable of reaching
as far as Eilat has become a nightmare for Israel and its cronies. Tel Aviv
knows that it will not be immune to the Yemeni retaliation. However, sending
one of its submarines is yet another provocative move by Israel to set the
region on fire.
Israel
is still using Iran as a pretext for its interventions in the region. That
despite the exposure of its agenda especially in Yemen, which is suffering from
a war led by Saudi Arabia but was actually jointly hatched by some Arab regimes
and their backers in Washington and Tel Aviv.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/28/641725/Yemenis-condemn-Israeli-moves-in-region
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Palestinians
in Gaza pay tribute to Martyr Qassem Soleimani
28
December 2020
Ashraf
Shannon
Palestinians
in the Gaza Strip have expressed gratitude to Lieutenant General Qassem
Soleimani one year after his assassination by US forces in the Iraqi capital
Baghdad.
Lieutenant
General Qassem Soleimani played a major role in strengthening Palestinian
resistance movements against the Israeli regime.
Following
the assassination of General Soleimani Palestinians held several events to pay
tribute to the late Iranian commander.
They
consider him as a hero for Palestine and Jerusalem al-Quds.
The
assassination of General Soleimani on Donald Trump’s orders has sent shockwaves
across the West Asia.
Soleimani’s
memory continues to live in the hearts and minds of Palestinians in the
blockaded Gaza Strip.
Palestinians
say Martyr Qassem Soleimani has sacrificed his life for the sake of Palestine
and Jerusalem al-Quds and has always supported Palestinian resistance against
the Zionist regime.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/28/641743/Palestinians-in-Gaza-pay-tribute-to-Martyr-Qassem-Soleimani
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Scholars,
activists from around world commemorate General Soleimani in Qom
28
December 2020
Hooman
Abedi
Ahead
of the first anniversary of the assassination of the former commander of the
Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps General Qassem Soleimani,
people are now holding commemoration ceremonies to pay respect to this late
Iranian icon.
We
went to the city of Qom where a movement called Resistance Youth Front is
formed to support the cause of General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi
al-Muhandis who defeated the ominous phenomenon of Daesh.
Scholars,
youths, activists, and resistance movement supporters from countries like Iraq,
Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India attended the ceremony
to tell the world that General Soleimani’s cause will not be forgotten.
General
Qassem Soleimani was assassinated by a US strike on January 3 last year when he
was on an official visit to the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Hitting his convoy, the
assault also led to the death of many others, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis,
deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units or Hashd al-Sha’abi.
Apart
from this ceremony within the coming days a number of other events will be held
under health protocols across Iran to pay tribute to General Qassem Soleimani.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/28/641744/Scholars,-activists-from-around-world-commemorate-General-Soleimani-in-Qom
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Africa
Moroccan
lawyers demand cancelation of normalization agreement with Israel
29
December 2020
A
group of lawyers in Morocco have severely censured the Rabat government over
its recent agreement to normalize relations with Israel, demanding a reversal
of the decision.
On
Monday, the lawyers filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court and requested the
annulment of all decisions that envisage the promotion of relations between the
North African country and the Tel Aviv regime in political, diplomatic,
economic and tourism spheres.
They
added that the decisions are against the general regime of Morocco as well as
against the Constitution, the United Nations Convention, the principle of
international legitimacy and the Vienna conventions.
Israel
and Morocco agreed on December 10 to normalize relations in a deal brokered
with the help of the outgoing administration of US President Donald Trump,
making the North African country the fourth Arab state this year to strike a
normalization deal with the regime. The others were the United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain and Sudan.
Trump
sealed the agreement in a phone call with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. As part
of the agreement, the US president agreed to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty
over the Western Sahara region, which has been at the center of a dispute with
neighboring Algeria.
The
Algerian Foreign Ministry later rejected Trump’s stance, saying the US decision
“has no legal effect because it contradicts UN resolutions, especially UN
Security Council resolutions on Western Sahara.”
The
Algeria-backed and pro-independence Polisario Front has also rejected “in the
strongest terms” Trump’s stance on the disputed Western Sahara Desert region,
stating that the outgoing US president attempted to give to Morocco “that which
does not belong to it.”
The
agreement with Israel also drew condemnation from the Palestinians.
Moroccan
delegation arrives in Israel
On
Sunday night, a three-person Moroccan delegation landed in Israel for the first
time to handle logistics ahead of reopening the country’s liaison office in Tel
Aviv.
The
delegates are also expected to prepare for a high-level delegation to come to
Israel at a later date, which is still not determined.
The
Moroccan diplomats have meetings scheduled in the Israeli foreign ministry, but
their low-key visit does not include any public events or statements.
Also
on Monday, Israeli Economy Minister Amir Peretz spoke with his Moroccan
counterpart, Minister of Industry, Trade and New Technologies Moulay Hafid
Elalamy, to discuss economic cooperation.
Moroccan
news site Le360, citing unnamed sources, reported that the country’s national
carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) will begin direct flights to the Israeli-occupied
territories in January.
The
report added that RAM will fly between Casablanca and Tel Aviv four times a
week. Tickets for the five-and-a-half-hour flight will cost a bit more than
$400.
El
Al, Israel’s major carrier, is expected to announce flights to Casablanca soon
as well.
During
a “warm and friendly” telephone conversation last week, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu extended an invitation for Morocco’s king to visit Israel and the two
agreed to continue contacts in order to advance the normalization agreement in
the weeks ahead, a statement from the Israeli premier’s office said.
Western
Sahara map in Netanyahu’s office sparks fury in Morocco
Meanwhile,
Moroccans were angered by a famous map hanging in Netanyahu’s office and seen
in the background of a video clip recently released by the Israeli prime
minister, which excluded the Sahara Desert.
The
Israeli Kan public broadcaster, citing an unnamed Israeli foreign ministry
spokesperson, reported on Monday that the map was “old” and would be replaced.
“It
will be corrected in the new maps that appear,” the spokesperson told a
Moroccan media outlet.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/29/641765/Moroccan-lawmakers-demand-cancellation-of-normalization-agreement-with-Israel
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Boko
Haram kidnaps 40 loggers and kills three in north-east Nigeria
26
Dec 2020
Boko
Haram jihadists have seized about 40 loggers and killed three others in
north-east Nigeria near the border with Cameroon, militia sources and residents
have said.
The
hostages were rounded up by the insurgents on Thursday in Wulgo forest near the
town of Gamboru, where they went to collect firewood, the sources said.
The
jihadists have increasingly targeted loggers and farmers in the north-east,
accusing them of passing information to the military and local militias.
“A
group of more than 40 loggers left Shehuri on the outskirts of Gamboru on
Thursday and never returned by evening as usual,” said militia leader Umar
Kachalla, who was involved in the search. “On Friday we mobilised men and went
deep into the forest where we recovered three bodies identified to be among the
loggers, without a trace of their colleagues.”
The
missing loggers were presumed kidnapped by the jihadists, who are known to
maintain camps in the forest, said Kachalla, a view widely shared in the area.
“We
believe the men were taken by Boko Haram who have been attacking loggers in the
forest,” said another militia member, Shehu Mada. “From all indication the
three dead loggers were shot when they tried to escape as they all were shot
from behind.”
The
area has been without telephone services for years after the destruction of
masts in Boko Haram attacks, forcing people to rely on Cameroon mobile phone
networks.
Gamboru
loggers have suffered repeated Boko Haram attacks and abductions, especially
around Wulgo forest which was a known Boko Haram hideout.
In
November 2018, Boko Haram seized about 50 loggers on their way to collect
firewood in the forest, after killing 49 in two previous attacks.
Military
authorities had warned loggers not to venture deep into the forest to avoid the
insurgents, resident Babandi Abdullahi said. People are compelled to risk going
deep into the forest because nearby vegetation has been depleted by constant
logging, he said.
Boko
Haram and a splinter group known as ISWAP have killed 36,000 people in the
north-east and forced roughly 2 million to flee since 2009, according to the
United Nations.
Most
recently, the group claimed responsibility for the kidnap of more than 300
schoolboys in Katsina in northern Nigeria. The boys were returned to their
homes in mid-December.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/26/boko-haram-kidnaps-40-loggers-and-kills-three-in-north-east-nigeria?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1856903_
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Egyptian
officials make 1st visit to Libya in years to 'support' truce deal
28
December 2020
Egypt’s
senior security officials have paid their first visit in years to Libya and
held talks with top authorities of the internationally-recognized Government of
National Accord (GNA) despite their support for the rival administration in the
east that is led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
The
visit on Sunday, announced by the Libyan Interior Ministry, marked the first
time senior Egyptian authorities officially visited the country since a civil
war erupted in the oil-rich North African nation in 2014 between the
Tripoli-based GNA forces and Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) that backs a
governing body in the eastern city of Tobruk.
While
GNA is backed by Turkey, the renegade warlord Haftar is sponsored by Egypt, the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan, as well as France.
During
Sunday’s talks, GNA’s Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha and Intelligence Service
Director Emad Trabelsi discussed “ways to support the ceasefire agreement and
discuss the outputs of the 5+5 committee” with the Egyptian delegation, which
included Cairo’s deputy director of intelligence and top officials from its
foreign and defense ministries, according to a statement released by the Libyan
ministry.
The
truce was agreed on in late October between the Libyan warring parties and the
so-called 5+5 meetings, involving five senior officers designated by each side.
The
Tripoli visit came just more than a week after Egypt’s Intelligence Chief Abbas
Kamel met in the eastern city of Benghazi with Haftar and the speaker of the
Benghazi-based parliament, Aguila Saleh.
Meanwhile,
reports suggest the visit by the Egyptian delegation has raised anger among
many in Libya who believe Egypt has been supporting Haftar's military
adventurism for years and cannot therefore be expected to contribute to peace.
Bashagha
-- who visited Cairo last month and seeks to lead an interim government in
Tripoli until elections set for next December -- described the talks as
“fruitful and constructive” in a Twitter post and referred to Tripoli’s
relations with Cairo as “very important.”
Following
his November visit to the Egyptian capital, Bashagha depicted it as part of
efforts by both countries to “fight the threat of terrorism and organized
crime.”
The
Egyptian delegation also met GNA Foreign Minister Mohamed Taher Siala and
pledged to reopen the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli “at the earliest time,”
according to a Twitter statement posted by GNA’s Foreign Ministry spokesman
Mohamed Elgeblawi.
The
Egyptian delegation’s visit came a day after Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi
Akar -- along with the military’s Chief of Staff Yasar Guler and other
commanders – visited Tripoli and held talks with GNA officials.
During
the visit Akar threatened to target Haftar’s forces in case he waged an attack
against Turkish forces in Libya, describing the renegade commander and his
backers as the “main problem” in Libya, in an apparent reference to the UAE and
Egypt.
Akar’s
remarks seemed to be in response to last week's remarks by Haftar, who
threatened to target Turkish troops in Libya if Ankara extended its presence
there, insisting that Turkey could “leave peacefully or to be driven out by
force.”
Last
week, Turkey’s parliament extended a law that allows the deployment of Turkish
troops to Libya for 18 months.
The
already divided Libya, which sits atop the largest oil reserves in Africa,
descended into another major chaos last year after Haftar’s LNA militants moved
toward Tripoli to seize the city, but were repelled by GNA forces, who pushed
them as far back as Sirte, on the Mediterranean coastline, with crucial help
from Turkey.
The
still ongoing conflict has escalated into a regional proxy war fueled by
foreign powers pouring weapons and mercenaries into the country.
In
late November, representatives of the warring sides in Libya concluded their
latest round of peace talks in Morocco and agreed to “end the division” that
undermines the sovereignty of the North African country.
Libya
first plunged into turmoil in 2011, when a massive military intervention by the
US-led NATO alliance amid a popular uprising across the country led to the
ouster of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi but plunged the country into a
turf war between rival groups sponsored by foreign governments.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/28/641677/Libya-Tripoli-Egyptian-official-visit-truce-deal
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Sudan
scraps immunity for RSF soldiers over killing
29.12.2020
KHARTOUM
Sudan
said Tuesday immunity was removed from members of the Rapid Support Forces
(RSF) suspected of killing a civilian.
Bahaa
el-Din Nouri, in his 40s, was allegedly taken by members of the RSF on Dec. 17
from the Kalakla neighborhood south of Khartoum and his body was found at a
morgue in Omdurman city four days after his disappearance, local media
reported.
Nouri’s
death has sparked an outcry in the country with political parties demanding a
swift investigation into the issue.
In
a statement, RSF spokesman Jamal Juma said immunity was removed for the
suspected soldiers “and were hand over to the Public Prosecution to complete
the investigation procedures”.
On
Monday, the Public Prosecution charged members of the RSF with premeditated
murder after a re-autopsy report revealed Nouri had suffered multiple injuries
that led to his death.
Meanwhile,
the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which spearheaded protests that
led to former President Omar al-Bashir’s ouster, vowed mass protests if demands
for investigation and the disclosure of secret detention centers were not
answered by authorities.
The
RSF faces accusations of committing violations against civilians, the most
prominent of which was the killing of dozens of protesters during the dispersal
of a sit-in outside the army headquarters in Khartoum, on June 3, 2019.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/sudan-scraps-immunity-for-rsf-soldiers-over-killing/2091996
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Sudanese
Army retakes border area with Ethiopia
Talal
Ismail
29.12.2020
The
Sudanese army has retaken control of an area in the al-Fashqa border region
with Ethiopia, a senior Sudanese military officer said Monday.
"All
we have done is restore our land, which is known to all [as part of Sudanese
territory]," said the army’s deputy chief of staff, Lieutenant General
Khaled Abdin al-Shami, speaking to Anadolu Agency in eastern Al-Qadarif state.
According
to Sudanese authorities, some Ethiopian gangs seize Sudanese farmers’ lands in
al-Fashqa after expelling them by force. Sudan accuses the Ethiopian army of
supporting these gangs, which Addis Ababa denies.
On
Dec. 19, Sudan announced the dispatching of a large number of military
reinforcements to the border with Ethiopia to "regain its usurped lands
from an Ethiopian militia" in al-Fashqa, according to the Sudanese News
Agency.
The
military commander pointed out that there are remaining areas to be taken.
"We
can take back what is left of our land. We reached the borders [with Ethiopia].
The land that we lost 20 years ago is under complete control, and we can take
the others in other ways," Al-Shami said, without elaborating.
He
stressed that "the other side [Ethiopia] knows where the international
borders are. We have not gone beyond those borders, nor will we go beyond them,
and we do not call for war with neighboring countries."
It
was not immediately possible to obtain comment from Ethiopian authorities.
Last
week, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok discussed border demarcation with
his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed during a summit of the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (IGAD), a grouping of seven East African countries, in
Djibouti.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/sudanese-army-retakes-border-area-with-ethiopia/2091586
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Moroccan
team in Israel to set up liaison office: source
28
December 2020
Moroccan
officials are in Israel laying the groundwork for the opening of a liaison
office in the Jewish state, a source familiar with the topic told AFP on
Monday.
The
Moroccan “technical” team landed on Sunday, days after the North African
kingdom and Israel signed a US-sponsored normalization agreement in Rabat, the
source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The
team was expected to remain in the country for a few days and would be followed
at a later date by a larger delegation, the source added, without providing
further details.
Morocco
is the third Arab nation this year to normalize ties with the Jewish state
under US-brokered deals, while Sudan has pledged to follow suit.
Four
bilateral deals were signed Tuesday between Israel and Morocco, centring on
direct air links, water management, connecting financial systems and a visa
waiver arrangement for diplomats.
The
countries are also due to reopen diplomatic offices.
On
Friday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had
invited Morocco’s King Mohammed VI for a visit during a phone call.
Morocco
closed its liaison office in Tel Aviv in 2000, at the start of the second
Palestinian intifada, or uprising.
The
kingdom has North Africa’s largest Jewish community of about 3,000 people, and
Israel is home to 700,000 Jews of Moroccan origin.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/28/Moroccan-team-in-Israel-to-set-up-liaison-office-source-
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Sudan
deploys ‘large numbers’ of troops to South Darfur after violence erupts
28
December 2020
Sudan
will deploy “large numbers” of troops to South Darfur state after the killing
of 15 people in tribal violence recently, the state news agency cited the state
governor as saying on Sunday.
The
state is part of the restive Darfur region, in the west of Sudan, which suffered
a bitter conflict that erupted in 2003.
A
dispute over a water source between members of the tribes of Masalit and
Fallata in Gereida city ended with the killing of two people from the Fallata
tribe, SUNA news agency said, citing two local leaders.
One
of the leaders said Fallata members responded by killing 13 people from Masalit
and wounding 34 others.
Gereida
is located 97 kilometers south of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state.
The
area witnessed several bloody clashes between the tribes over the last two
years, SUNA said. The latest violence is the first since they reached a
reconciliation in October, it added.
A
meeting of the state security committee with military and local community
leaders in Gereida decided to deploy troops “in large numbers” to pursue the
perpetrators and collect arms, Mousa Mahdi, the governor of South Darfur told
the agency.
They
agreed also on forming an investigation committee, he added.
Conflict
spread in Sudan’s western Darfur region from 2003 after mostly non-Arab rebels
rose up against Khartoum.
Government
forces and mainly Arab militia that moved to repress the revolt were accused of
widespread atrocities. An estimated 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million
displaced.
In
October, Sudan’s transitional authorities finalized a peace deal with some
rebel groups from Darfur. But the agreement excluded the group that has been
most active on the ground.
Last
week, the UN Security Council decided to end the mission of a joint United
Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID, on
Dec.31, more than 13 years after it established the operation.
Many
Darfuri residents say UNAMID has not effectively protected them, but they fear
its withdrawal will leave them more vulnerable and have staged protests in
recent weeks.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/28/Sudan-deploys-large-numbers-of-troops-to-South-Darfur-after-violence-erupts
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Reuters
cameraman arrested in conflict-ridden Ethiopia
28
December 2020
A
Reuters cameraman, Kumerra Gemechu, was arrested in the Ethiopian capital Addis
Ababa on Thursday and will be kept in custody for at least two weeks, his
family said. He has not been charged.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
No
reason was provided to the family for Thursday’s arrest, and police did not
respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Kumerra,
38, has worked for Reuters as a freelance cameraman for a decade.
At
a brief court hearing on Friday, where no lawyer was present, a judge ordered
Kumerra’s detention for a further 14 days to give police time to investigate,
the family said.
In
a statement on Monday, Reuters news agency strongly condemned Kumerra’s
detention. The arrest followed the beating of a Reuters photographer, Tiksa
Negeri, by two Ethiopian federal police officers on December 16.
“Kumerra
is part of a Reuters team that reports from Ethiopia in a fair, independent and
unbiased way. Kumerra’s work demonstrates his professionalism and impartiality,
and we are aware of no basis for his detention,” Editor-in-Chief Stephen J.
Adler said in the statement.
“Journalists
must be allowed to report the news in the public interest without fear of
harassment or harm, wherever they are. We will not rest until Kumerra is
freed,” Adler said.
Around
10 armed federal police officers arrived at Kumerra’s home in Addis Ababa on
Thursday evening and took him away in handcuffs in front of his wife and three
children, his wife Hawi Desalegn said. She added that his eldest daughter, who
is 10, clung to him screaming as he was led away.
Police
also confiscated Kumerra’s phone, a computer, flash drives and papers,
according to the family.
Journalists
arrested
Kumerra’s
arrest follows government pressure on journalists for some international news
outlets which have been covering the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray
region, where government forces have been battling the former ruling party, the
Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Kumerra
covered the Tigray conflict, but Reuters was unable to determine whether his
arrest was connected to his work. Government officials did not respond to
questions from Reuters about whether his coverage was at issue.
Ethiopia’s
media authority, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, accused Reuters and
other international media outlets in a November 23 statement on its Facebook
page of “false” and “unbalanced” coverage of the fighting in Tigray.
“We
stand by our reporting on the conflict in the Tigray region and will continue
to report on Ethiopia with integrity, independence, and freedom from bias, as
we do all around the world,” Reuters said in a separate statement.
The
New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Kumerra’s detention
was “the latest example of how press freedom is fast eroding under Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed after a short-lived hope of reform.”
When
CPJ carried out its annual census of jailed journalists on December 1, there
were at least seven journalists in custody in Ethiopia for their work, CPJ said
in a statement on Monday.
Five
of those arrests took place after the Tigray fighting broke out on November 4,
according to CPJ.
Thousands
of people are believed to have been killed and around 950,000 displaced in the
month-long conflict. The government says it is now in control of the restive
region, but it tightly controls access, and some areas still do not have cell
phone coverage.
Ethiopia’s
government, which the TPLF dominated for nearly three decades, frequently
jailed critics, including politicians and journalists.
When
Abiy came to power in 2018, he speeded up democratic reforms and oversaw the
release of tens of thousands of political prisoners.
However,
local and international rights groups have expressed concern about the arrests
of thousands of other people following outbreaks of deadly violence around the
country.
The
government has said those arrested were suspected of fomenting the bloodshed.
“One
of the government’s primary roles and responsibilities is ensuring security and
stability and that the rule of law prevails,” Billene Seyoum, a spokeswoman for
the prime minister, told Reuters in August after more than 9,000 people were
arrested following deadly clashes in the capital and surrounding Oromiya
region.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/12/28/Reuters-cameraman-arrested-in-conflict-ridden-Ethiopia
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Roadside
Bomb Kills Three French Soldiers in Mali
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
29
Dec 2020
At
least three French soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb incident on Monday
in the Hombori region in Mali, according to French media their armored vehicle
struck an explosive device.
The
killed soldiers belong to France’s Operation Barkhane mission, an operation to
fight extremist insurgency in the Sahel region of Africa.
As
part of 5000 troops, they were working in an area “where terrorist groups are
attacking civilians and threatening the regional stability”, Florence Parly,
French Defense Minister was quoted by VOA.
These
soldiers were identified as 28-year-old Brig. Chief Tanerii Mauri, Fighters 1st
Class Dorian Issakhanian23 and Quentin Pauchet, 21.
French
President, Emmanuel Macron stated, that “France’s determination to continue the
fight against terrorism” and praised the efforts of French soldiers in the
troubled region.
VOA
reported that earlier in September in a similar incident in northern mali, two
French soldiers were killed and one was wounded with their armed vehicle hit an
explosive device.
Since
January 2013, 44 soldiers have died in the Sahel.
https://www.khaama.com/ied-kills-three-french-soldiers-in-mali-445566/
--------
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