"President Covers Her Head with Pallu" Is That A PFI Conspiracy?” Karnataka Leader's Hijab Argument
New Age Islam News Bureau
21 September 2022
Janata Dal (Secular)'s
Karnataka chief CM Ibrahim rubbished allegations that Islamic outfit PFI was
behind the Hijab ban protests.
-----
• Shariat Court to Take Up Petitions Challenging
Transgender Law in Pakistan
• Saudi Arabia, EU, Arab League to Convene To Revive
Arab Peace Initiative, In Support Of the Palestinian Cause
• Don’t Let Afghan Girls Become Victims of Global
Politics: Afghan Girls Robotics Team at UNGA
• Leicester Riots: Muslim Council of Britain Calls For
Action against 'Hindutva Extremism'
India
• RSS Chief, Muslim Intellectuals Discuss Religious
Harmony in Country
• Women in Islamic Countries Protesting against Hijab,
It’s Not Essential: Karnataka Govt to SC
• An Ardent Muslim Devotee Donates Rs 1.2 Crore to
Tirumala Temple
• Bhajan singing in Kashmir Schools: MMU objects says,
Protection of Islamic identity our fundamental responsibility
• Arif Mohammed Khan ends up showcasing reach of RSS
--------
Pakistan
• Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif Faces Treason Charges For
Consulting 'Fugitive' Brother Nawaz On Appointment Of Next Army Chief
• Peshawar police book two federal ministers for
terrorism
• Gain in stature before criticizing Imran, Gandapur
hits back at JUI chief
• Peaceful Afghanistan, ‘Priority’ for Pakistan, Says
Pakistani Foreign Minister
• Pakistan flood-borne diseases could get 'out of
control' as deaths rise
• Imran no longer relevant in politics, claims Fazl
• Soldier martyred repulsing terror attack from
Afghanistan
--------
Arab
World
• Shia pilgrimage shows Iran’s clout in Iraq
• Climate change, conflict ruining Syria’s grain crop:
UN
• Europe’s energy crisis plans are only a short-term
solution: Aramco CEO
• US military tankers continue to smuggle Syrian crude
oil from Hasakah to bases in northern Iraq
--------
South
Asia
• White House Confirms Release of Taliban Member and
American Navy Veteran in Swap
• On Taliban vs Pak over Masood Azhar, some officials
advocate cautious approach
• US Seeks to Exchange Afghan Aircraft for Assistance
in Countering Terrorism
--------
Europe
• Ukraine glorified, Palestine vilified at UK schools
• Israel must end its occupation of Palestine, Qatari
emir tells UN General Assembly
• Leicester Hindus, Muslim leaders release joint
statement: 'No place for ideology of division'
• Islamic preacher Khandaker Rahman discharged from
mosque rape trial
• French and Iranian presidents meet amid nuclear
talks stalemate
• Türkiye saves 283 migrants after Mediterranean
mayday call
• Lawsuit filed against member of PKK terror group in
Germany
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Philippine Activists Vow To ‘Never Forget’ Former
Dictator Marcos-Era Human Rights Abuses
• Ignorant to say Dr M resigned as govt ‘not Malay
enough’, says lawyer
• Malaysia must move towards renewable resources, says
Perak sultan
• Better to push for other safeguards, analyst tells
Sabah, Sarawak
--------
Mideast
• Iran MP Criticizes ‘Morality Police’ After Protests
Over Death of Mahsa Amini
• British-Palestinian investigation concludes Abu
Akleh's killing 'deliberate'
• Iran says investigating woman’s death, rebuffs US
calls for accountability
• Nuclear Chief: IAEA Intending to Close Anti-Iran
Cases
• Four Iranian police officers wounded, one assistant
killed after protests: Report
• Israel to seal off occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip
for Jewish holidays
• Iran says it arrested foreign nationals during
Tehran protests
• Palestinian Authority operation to arrest Hamas
member sparks clashes in West Bank
--------
Africa
• Voting Across Ethno-Religious Lines Will Further
Divide Nigeria – Miyetti Allah
• Dogara warns Christians against ‘wasting votes’ on
Muslim-Muslim ticket
• Ethiopia says nearly 3,600 people killed by Tigray
rebels in Amhara, Afar
• Why Somalia’s drought and looming food crisis
require an innovative response
--------
North
America
• American Muslims As Likely As General Population to
Serve In US Military, Poll Finds
• US Treasury says some satellite internet equipment
can be exported to Iran
• Iran, West at odds, US sees no breakthrough on
nuclear deal at UN
• Turkish President Erdogan holds talks with leaders
in New York
• President Erdogan of Türkiye meets UN chief in New
York
• US court overturns Adnan Syed's prison sentence
after 2 decades
• Turkish president receives members of American
Jewish community in New York
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/president-covers-pallu-hijab-sc-niqab/d/127996
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"President Covers Her Head with Pallu" Is
That A PFI Conspiracy?” Karnataka Leader's Hijab Argument
Janata Dal (Secular)'s
Karnataka chief CM Ibrahim rubbished allegations that Islamic outfit PFI was
behind the Hijab ban protests.
-----
September 20, 2022
New Delhi: Even as the hearing in the Karnataka hijab
ban case continues in the Supreme Court, Janata Dal (Secular)'s Karnataka chief
CM Ibrahim today compared the Islamic headscarves to the Pallu -- a piece of
loose Saree covering the head and shoulders.
"President Droupadi Murmu also covers her head
with a Pallu, is that a PFI conspiracy?" he said, responding to
allegations that Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) was behind the
huge protests against the hijab ban in the state.
"Indira Gandhi covered her head with a Pallu.
President covers her head with a Pallu, so those who cover their faces with
Ghoonghat are they all backed by PFI? Covering the head with a Pallu is a
history of India. It's a Sanskar (virtue) of India," he added.
The Karnataka government today told the court that PFI
was behind the Hijab protests. No hijab was being worn in schools till 2021, it
claimed.
A Karnataka government order of February 5, 2022, had
banned wearing "clothes that disturb equality, integrity, and public
order" in schools and colleges.
Mr Ibrahim pointed to traditional attire in Rajasthan,
saying women there cover their heads and faces with a Pallu. "No Rajput
woman in Rajasthan bares her face, they have a long Ghoonghat. Can you ban it,
saying it's a Muslim practice?" the JD(S) leader said, adding that the
difference between a hijab and a Pallu is just a difference of language, but
the function remains the same.
In the Supreme Court, the petitioners, who have
challenged the hijab ban, have argued that the hijab is the
"identity" of Muslims. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave told the court
on Monday that various acts of omission and commission of the Karnataka state
authorities showed a "pattern to marginalise the minority community".
Mr Dave said religious practice is what the community
practises as part of its religious belief.
The bench observed that traditionally, whenever a
person used to go to a respected place, he or she would cover their heads.
"In my respectful submission, school is the most
respected place. It is a place of worship," Mr Dave responded, adding even
the Prime Minister wears a headgear on August 15.
The row over hijab in educational institutions began
in January when Government PU College in Udupi barred six female students
wearing the hijab from entering the campus. It cited a uniform code. The young
women held a sit-in at the college gate.
Source: ND TV
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Shariat Court to Take Up Petitions Challenging
Transgender Law in Pakistan
Photo: Reuters
---
Nasir Iqbal
September 21, 2022
ISLAMABAD: The fate of the transgender law, enacted in
2018, has become uncertain after the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) allowed a
number of individuals to become party in a set of petitions that challenged the
legislation on grounds that it was “repugnant to Islamic injunctions”.
Farhatullah Babar, a former PPP senator, Senator
Mushtaq Ahmed of the Jamaat-i-Islami, and Almaas Boby, a transgender, had
appealed to the court to let them offer their arguments during hearings on the
petitions.
The court also allowed TV anchor Orya Maqbool Jan,
Ayesha Mughal and Bubbly Malik to become a party to these petitions.
A two-judge bench, headed by Acting Shariat Court
Chief Justice Dr Syed Mohammad Anwer, accepted their appeals.
The National Assembly had enacted the Transgender
Persons (Protection of Right) Act to provide legal recognition to transgender
persons and ensure that discrimination against transgender persons in various
walks of life shall be punishable.
The law was made after the Supreme Court held on Sept
25, 2012 that eunuchs were entitled to all the rights guaranteed by the
Constitution and enjoyed by other members of society.
The verdict came after a three-judge bench comprising
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and Justice
Khilji Arif Hussain disposed of a petition moved by an Islamic jurist, Dr
Mohammad Aslam Khaki, seeking emancipation of “hermaphrodite children” so that
they could earn a living by “honourable means” instead of begging, dancing and
prostitution.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the ACJ observed that the
real purpose of the case was to provide “real protection and rights” to the
transgender community, adding that rights should be given to those who deserve
it.
Orya Maqbool Jan contended that the transgender law
was flawed since in the “garb of the transgender rights, an attempt was being
made to encourage advocates of LGBT (lesbian, gays, bisexual and transgender)”.
Bubbli Malik, a transgender person, tried to explain
before the court the difference between a transgender and an LGBT, suggesting
the court seek expert opinion before arriving at a conclusion.
Nayab Ali, another transgender person, requested the
court to restrain social media from debating the issue since three transgender
persons had lost their lives in Peshawar recently in consequence of a heated
discussion.
Aisha Mughal, a transgender representative and
lecturer, pleaded before the FSC that the law violated neither the injunctions
of Islam nor did it encourage gay or lesbian activities.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1711205/shariat-court-to-take-up-petitions-challenging-transgender-law
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Saudi Arabia, EU, Arab League to Convene To Revive
Arab Peace Initiative, In Support Of the Palestinian Cause
Saudi Foreign Minister
Prince Faisal bin Farhan will speak at the closed ministerial meeting.
(Supplied)
-----
20 September, 2022
Saudi Arabia, the EU, and the Arab League will hold a
closed ministerial meeting on Tuesday night to discuss the Arab Peace
Initiative, according to diplomatic sources and a document obtained by Al
Arabiya English.
“The absence of the prospects for a political
resolution of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the alarming
deterioration of the humanitarian situation, the growing threats on the
two-state solution, with the rapid growth of illegal Israeli settlements in the
occupied Palestinian territories point to an explosive situation that may erupt
at any time and spiral into a new wave of violence or even war threatening the
people of Palestine and the wider region,” the document read.
The Arab Peace Initiative, which Saudi Arabia drew up
in 2002, is a proposal to end the Arab–Israeli conflict. The Arab League
endorsed the peace plan at the Beirut Summit that same year, and Arab nations
said they would normalize ties with Israel in return for complete Israeli
withdrawal from Palestinian lands captured in 1967 and creating a Palestinian
state.
“Twenty years later, it is apparent that relaunching
the Arab Peace Initiative, in support of the Palestinian cause and regional
security, is an important step towards paving the way to overcome the hurdles
standing in the way of realizing a fair and lasting peace,” the document read.
The objective of the meeting will be to look at the
prospects of concrete action plans to revive the peace process based on the
Arab Peace Initiative and UN Resolutions.
The gathering was initiated and led by Saudi Arabia,
while it was co-sponsored by the Arab League and hosted by the European Union,
Al Arabiya English understands.
It will bring together officials from over 25
countries and organizations, including the UN, Arab League, and the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Representatives from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, France,
the GCC, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Norway, Oman, Palestine,
Qatar, Spain, Sweden, Sudan, Tunisia, UAE, UK, US, and Yemen will also be
present.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell is set to provide
opening remarks before Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat, Prince Faisal bin Farhan,
and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit speak.
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
Barbara Leaf will represent the US.
The US unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as its
capital under the Trump administration in 2017.
In recent years, a handful of Arab and North African
states struck peace deals with Israel recognizing the Jewish state. But those
countries have voiced their support for a two-state solution to the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict with East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital.
The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Israel
signed what have become known as the Abraham Accords in 2020 in a deal brokered
by the Trump administration.
Egypt and Jordan had previously made peace with Israel
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Don’t Let Afghan Girls Become Victims of Global
Politics: Afghan Girls Robotics Team at UNGA
Photo: Pak Observer
----
By Saqalain Eqbal
20 Sep 2022
At the UN General Assembly, Somaya Farouqi, the
captain of the Afghan girls’ robotics team, pleaded with the authorities and
global leaders to not allow Afghan girls to become the “casualties of global
politics.”
Addressing the UN General Assembly at the UN
headquarters on Monday night, September 19, Farouqi called on the world leaders
to not allow Afghanistan to become a “cemetery of our dreams and goals.”
According to the captain of the Afghan girls’ robotics
team, the Taliban closed schools to millions of girls in Afghanistan after
assuming control, and there are currently no signs that the group will reopen,
allowing access to education to Afghan girls.
Somaya Farouqi told the UN General Assembly that while
Afghan boys sit in class, millions of Afghan girls are forced to stay at home,
living in uncertainty, and feeling abandoned.
Due to the Taliban’s absence of international
recognition, they were not invited to the UN General Assembly’s annual meeting.
Naseer Ahmad Faiq, Chargé d’Affaires of Afghanistan’s Permanent Mission in the
UN, will speak on behalf of Afghanistan.
In addition to the Taliban’s draconian measures
against women, it has been over a year that girls have been denied education as
school doors have remained closed for girls, which has sparked public outrage.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Leicester Riots: Muslim Council of Britain Calls For
Action against 'Hindutva Extremism'
Representational Photo
----
20 September 2022
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) on Monday
condemned what it described as "the targeting of Muslim communities in
Leicester by far-right Hindutva groups".
Hindutva refers to the Hindu nationalist ideology
promoted by India's ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been accused
of stoking violence and hate crimes against Muslims and other minorities.
The statement comes after police were deployed onto
the streets of the English city following weekend confrontations between crowds
of young men primarily from Hindu and Muslim communities.
Witnesses, supported by videos circulating on social
media, have said they saw hundreds of men wearing masks and balaclavas chanting
“Jai Shri Ram”, which translates from Hindi to “hail Lord Ram” or “victory to
Lord Ram”, words that have increasingly been appropriated by perpetrators of
anti-Muslim violence in India.
"This follows a series of provocations,
including: chanting outside mosques, targeted mob attacks on Muslims, and
vandalism to homes and businesses over recent months," the MCB said.
"Groups of young people from both communities
have subsequently come out on the streets to protest, resulting in physical
altercations and running battles."
Various Sikh groups and community figures in the UK
have also raised concerns about growing Hindutva violence in the country.
Scores of arrests
On Monday, Leicester police said that so far a total
of 47 arrests had been made in relation to the unrest.
"Some of those arrested were from outside of the
city, including some people from Birmingham," it said.
The weekend's unrest was the latest in a series of
street disturbances in the area.
Leicester is one of the most diverse cities in the UK,
with people who identify as British Indians, both Hindu and Muslim, making up
more than a quarter of the total population of 329,000, according to figures
from the 2011 UK census.
"There is now a concern of this toxic brand of
extremism, imported from India, spreading to other cities," the MCB said,
citing what it said was "criticism locally of the perceived inaction of
law enforcement officers, who failed to disperse the mobs, despite
long-standing concerns being raised."
On Tuesday, the Pakistan High Commission in London
also voiced concerns over the violence, saying it "strongly condemned the
systematic campaign of violence and intimidation that has been unleashed
against the Muslims of the area".
In a statement on Monday, the High Commission of India
in London said: "We strongly condemn the violence perpetrated against the
Indian community in Leicester and vandalisation of premises and symbols of Hindu
religion.
"We have strongly taken up the matter with the UK
authorities and have sought immediate action against those involved in the
attacks."
MCB Secretary-General Zara Mohammed said:
"Communities have expressed their deep concerns to me around the
propaganda perpetuated by far-right groups in India and their Hindutva agenda,
which we are now seeing expressed on British streets.
"We do not believe these people represent the
views of wider Hindu communities, with whom Muslims and Sikhs, among others,
enjoy good relations in the UK, of which Leicester, historically, is a prime
example.
"We condemn attacks against any place of worship
or symbols of religion - hatred of any kind has no place in our society."
Source: Middle East Eye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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India
RSS Chief, Muslim Intellectuals Discuss Religious
Harmony in Country
September 21, 2022
New Delhi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief
Mohan Bhagwat met with many Muslim intellectuals and discussed recent controversies
and ways to strengthen religious inclusivity in the country.
As per the sources close to RSS, the meeting was held
for propagating the ideas of Sangh and for promoting the theme of religious
inclusivity. Recent incidents like the Gyanvapi controversy, the Hijab
controversy, and population control were discussed in the meeting.
The meeting was attended by many intellectuals like
Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S Y Qureshi, Former Delhi Lieutenant
Governor (LG) Najeeb Jung, Former Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)
Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, Former MP Shahid Siddiqui and businessman
Saeed Shervani.
Former MP Shahid Siddiqui while talking to ANI, said
that discussions were held to strengthen peace and brotherhood among people in
the country.
"We are concerned that whatever is happening in
the country is weakening the religious unity in the country. So, we all had
discussions on how to sustain and strengthen peace and brotherhood in the
country," Mr Siddiqui said.
The former MP also said that Mohan Bhagwat belongs to
an institution which is followed by many.
Source: ND TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Women in Islamic Countries Protesting Against Hijab,
It’s Not Essential: Karnataka Govt to SC
SEPTEMBER 20, 2022
Hijab is not an essential practice and women in
Constitutionally Islamic counties protesting against it, Karnataka government
on Tuesday told the Supreme Court while defending the judgment passed by the
Karnataka High Court banning religious attires inside educational institutions.
“There are countries which are Constitutionally
Islamic in nature, even there, women are protesting against Hijab," said
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Karnataka government.
The court then questioned which country is he
referring to. Mehta Responded, “Iran. So it is not an essential religious
practice. A mere mention in Quran will not make it essential, it may be a
permissible or ideal practice."
The Solicitor General also cited international
judgment from European courts to support his arguments. He also stated that the
Government Order (GO) passed by the state government was for the institutions
and was “religion neutral".
“The order does not direct the students; it directs
the institutions. The goverment never said that the girls shall not wear this…
The government’s order is completely gender neutral. It is not that one
community will be refrained from wearing one particular apparel… All students
must wear the uniform prescribed,” he added.
He also highlighted the role of the Popular Front of
India (PFI) behind the Hijab agitations in Karnataka.
Mehta said, “Since 2004 no one was wearing Hijab and
suddenly in December 2021 it started. In 2022, a movement was started by
Popular Front of India (PFI) on social media to start wearing Hijab. It’s not a
spontaneous act of some students, the students were a part of a larger
conspiracy, the students were acting on instructions."
Source: News18
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of the original story:
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An Ardent Muslim Devotee Donates Rs 1.2 Crore To
Tirumala Temple
21st September 2022
TIRUMALA: A Muslim man from Chennai, an ardent devotee
of Lord Venkateswara, donated Rs 1.2 Crore to the Tirumala Tirupati
Devasthanams (TTD) on Tuesday. Abdul Ghani and his wife Subeena Bhanu handed
over the donation to the Executive Officer AV Dharma Reddy in Ranganayakula
mandapam. The couple along with his children later visited the hill shrine.
He had donated 108 golden flowers to the temple
decades back and the TTD introduced the golden flowers in ‘Astadala Pada Padma
Radhana’ seva. The seva performs in Tirumala temple every Tuesday. He had conducted pooja to a ‘lakshmi tree’ in
SMC area in Tirumala in a traditional way when he was in debts, TTD sources
said.
Source: New Indian Express
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of the original story:
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Bhajan singing in Kashmir Schools: MMU objects says,
Protection of Islamic identity our fundamental responsibility
Sep 21, 2022
Srinagar: After a viral video of south Kashmir’s
Kulgam came to the fore wherein kids were seen singing a bhajan in a school, a
prominent amalgam of religious organisations in Kashmir Muttahida
Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) on Tuesday objected to it alleging that it was aimed at
speeding up ‘the so-called integration of younger generation with the Hindutva
idea of India’.
MMU, a representative body of some 30 Islamic
religious and educational organisations in Kashmir headed by the chief cleric
of Jamia Masjid and Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said that the
enforcement of singing Hindu hymns in schools in Kashmir is a cause of concern
and an attempt to “undermine our religious identity.”
The body said that protection of “our religion and
Islamic identity is, as Muslims, our fundamental religious responsibility”.
“Deliberate interference in this by the government,
education department or any other agency will neither be accepted nor
tolerated,” it said in a statement.
“It is becoming clear that there seems to be a
deliberate plan to push our young generation through state-run educational
institutions towards apostasy, to wean them away from Islamic beliefs and
identity, to speed their so-called ‘integration’, with the Hindutva idea of
India. This is a very serious matter,” the MMU said.
Yesterday, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president
and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti launched a scathing attack on the
administration and Central government accusing the BJP of pushing its “Hindutva
agenda in J&K”.
National Conference spokesman Imran Nabi Dar also
shared a part of the video questioning whether “our educational institutions have
been turned into a political tool?
The MMU also said that efforts to ‘browbeat Muslim
Ulemas and scholars and weaken their influence’ in J&K were being carried
out as the recent spate of arrests of respected scholars and religious heads
and invoking of the public safety act (PSA).
Source: Hindustan Times
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Arif Mohammed Khan ends up showcasing reach of RSS
K.M. Rakesh
| Bangalore
20.09.22
A much-hyped news conference by Kerala governor Arif
Mohammed Khan where he was to present “evidence” of an alleged attempt on his
life by eminent historian Irfan Habib and others in 2019 ended up as a damp
squib on Monday.
However, in the process, the governor unwittingly or otherwise
confirmed the spread of the Sangh’s influence in the higher echelons of the
republic.
When reporters asked about Khan’s meeting with RSS
chief Mohan Bhagwat in Thrissur in Kerala on Saturday evening, the governor
retorted: “Will a newspaper question it if I come to have tea at your place?”
Khan, who had called on the Sarsanghachalak, asked:
“Is RSS a banned organisation?”
Khan said there were people in various Raj Bhavans in
the country who were openly and officially associated with the RSS. He said
former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had declared that he was first a
Swayamsevak, and that Jawaharlal Nehru had invited the organisation to the
Republic Day parade.
The governor added that he had addressed “at least”
six RSS events and maintained a close relationship with the organisation since
1986 when it had supported him over the Shah Bano controversy.
Asked if he was speaking for the RSS, he said: “You
can have that opinion. But remember, my association (with the RSS) started in
1986. They supported me on Shah Bano.”
Khan had resigned as minister of state from the Rajiv
Gandhi government in 1986 after it enacted a law to reverse a Supreme Court
judgment that upheld the divorced Shah Bano’s right to alimony.
Khan claimed that along with the RSS, the late CPM
ideologue E.M.S. Namboodiripad too had supported him.
Khan said: “But after Namboodiripad, the Left changed
its stance. They became supporters of the (Muslim) personal law board.”
“The RSS, however, consistently supported me. The Left
supported me only till 1991. So, if they (the Left) change, I cannot be held
responsible for that.”
On the purpose of the meeting with Bhagwat, which had
triggered speculation about the RSS using the governor to undermine the state
government, Khan said: “To wish him well. He had come to an area, which is part
of the state which I head. I was in that area. I did not travel from
Thiruvananthapuram.”
He added: "If he is there again, I will go and
meet him."
CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan later said: "We
respect the governor when he functions according to constitutional and legal
provisions. But we don't have anything to comment when he says he has always
been an RSS supporter and has been speaking for the RSS," he said.
CPI Rajya Sabha member Binoy Viswam tweeted:
"Governor Arif Khan has entered in to a pact to mortgage the Raj Bhavan to
work as the camp office of the RSS. The meeting with the sarsanghachalak gave
him the courage to become 'holier than thou'. For him best option would be to
resign the constitutional post and work as a swayamsevak."
The visuals Khan played before the media at the
Thiruvananthapuram Raj Bhavan contained nothing to implicate either the
nonagenarian Habib or anyone else.
Khan, who has crossed swords with the Left Democratic
Front government on a range of issues including alleged nepotism in university
appointments, has repeatedly claimed that an attempt on his life was made at
the Indian History Congress at Kannur University in December 2019.
He had called the news conference to present
"evidence" to buttress his allegation, directed principally at the
91-year-old Habib, then aged 88.
Khan had in the past called the eminent historian a
"goonda" and Kannur University vice-chancellor Gopinath Ravindran a
"criminal" over the alleged attempt on his life.
The governor had also accused chief minister Pinarayi
Vijayan's personal secretary and former Rajya Sabha member K.K. Ragesh of
preventing the police from stopping the protesters at the venue.
But the visuals, which Khan says were sourced from the
Kerala public relations department and independent news channels, did not
establish his allegations.
They only showed Habib and Ravindran standing up and
moving behind Khan while the governor was trying to counter protests by
teachers and students against his pro-CAA stand, and Ragesh rushing to the
audience in an apparent attempt to calm them.
Hundreds of delegates had risen in protest and waved
anti-CAA placards made from sheets of white paper when Khan alluded to Pakistan
pacer Shoaib Akhtar's statement that spinner Danish Kaneria had faced
harassment at the hands of a few teammates because he is a Hindu.
An unidentified delegate was heard shouting,
"This is not Pakistan, but India," while Habib said: "If this is
the kind of talk you are giving, please quote Godse and not Gandhiji."
The governor appeared to have changed his stand on the
vice-chancellor, whom he had called a "criminal". On Monday, Khan
said that Ravindran had stood between him and Habib when the historian tried to
approach him.
"The vice-chancellor himself was there, standing
between him (Habib) and me," he said.
When reporters asked a barrage of questions about the
lack of evidence to prove his allegations, Khan merely said: "You are not
right, because in (the) video you cannot see the whole thing."
Asked what had led him to accuse Ragesh of preventing
the police from stopping the protesters, Khan shot back: "Where was the
need for him (to step down from the dais and approach the audience)? Who is
he?"
Source: Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/arif-mohammed-khan-ends-up-showcasing-reach-of-rss/cid/1887694
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Pakistan
Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif faces treason charges for
consulting 'fugitive' brother Nawaz on appointment of next Army chief
Sep 20, 2022
LAHORE: Pakistan's Punjab Assembly has passed a
resolution with a majority vote against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, seeking
his trial under treason charges for consulting his 'fugitive' elder brother
Nawaz Sharif in London on the appointment of the new army chief.
Punjab Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Basharat
Raja presented the resolution in the House seeking action against Prime
Minister Shehbaz under Article 6 (treason) of the Constitution. Punjab is ruled
by ousted prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and
its ally party PMLQ.
The resolution says the premier consulted a fugitive
-- Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister of Pakistan -- in London a couple
of days ago on the appointment of the new army chief, which not only amounts to
the prime minister's oath preventing him from sharing sensitive matters with
unrelated persons but also an insult to the institution of the Army.
Prime Minister Shehbaz was in London to attend the
state funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who also met Nawaz Sharif during
his stay in the city and discussed the appointment of the next Army chief with
him.
Nawaz has been living in London since November 2019
after Lahore High Court granted him bail for eight weeks on medical grounds.
Before leaving for London Nawaz was serving a
seven-year sentence in Al-Azizia corruption case at the Lot Lakhpat Jail here.
Incumbent Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed
Bajwa is due to retire in late November this year. The coalition government led
by Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (N) has said it would consult its allied
parties and the army top brass to appoint the new army chief.
The PTI which is in opposition in the centre has also
demanded action under treason against Prime Minister Shehbaz after federal
Minister Khurram said that the premier had met self-exiled PML-N supreme leader
Nawaz Sharif in London to consult the appointment of the new army chief and
other matters.
Source: Times Of India
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Peshawar police book two federal ministers for
terrorism
September 21, 2022
PESHAWAR: A local police station has registered an FIR
against federal ministers Marriyum Aurangzeb and Mian Javed Latif and two
others on a complaint of a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf worker, who has accused
them of terrorism and other offences.
The case was registered with the Rehman Baba police
station on Sept 19 (Monday) on the complaint of Rehmanullah, a resident of
Achar village, against federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Mian Javed Latif, also a federal minister, chairperson of
Pakistan Television Corporation Ms Shahera Shahid and acting managing director
Sohail Ali.
The complainant alleged that a press conference
addressed by Javed Latif was telecast on PTV on Sept 14 at the behest of
Marriyum Aurangzeb with the connivance of the PTV management.
At the presser, he alleged that Javed Latif misquoted
the speeches of Imran Khan, which were edited and blown out of context, to try
to malign the PTI chief and distort his religious beliefs, which he said was an
offence under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The complainant stated that former prime minister
Imran Khan had been engaged in political activities across the country and
people in large numbers were supporting him in his political struggle.
He stated that one of the major reasons of supporting
Imran Khan was his ‘commitment’ to establishing a state on the pattern of
Madina and his ‘true’ love for Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1711170/peshawar-police-book-two-federal-ministers-for-terrorism
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Gain in stature before criticizing Imran, Gandapur
hits back at JUI chief
September 20, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) senior
leader Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday fired a broadside at JUI-F chief over
criticism of the PTI chairman, saying “fake and discarded Molvi” should mind
before talking negativity against leaders of caliber like Imran Khan.
In a statement issued from PTI Central Media
Department (CMD) on Tuesday, Mr Gandapur mocked at Fazlur Rehman, saying he
could not become councilor, because people of Pakistan in general and people of
Dera Ismail Khan in particular disliked him to the core for using religion for
his vested political motives.
He alleged that the self-centered Molvi missed no
opportunity to create chaotic situation in the country for political mileage.
Gandapur stated that Imran Khan stressed the need for
ensure meritocracy in the appointment of new Army Chief, as Fazal Rehman and
others rejected self-proclaimed leaders like him had no right to make such
important decision.
“A person, who sold his conscious for diesel permits,
ridiculed the forces and other institutions in the past, is now criticizing the
PTI chairman”, he regretted.
Gandapur claimed that Fazl’s anti-nationalism was
evident from the fact that he became an instrument of foreign conspiracy,
adding that he cannot face the public because he became the most detested
political figure of the country.
He went on to say that Imran Khan made Pakistan proud
around the world and increased the honour of national flags globally while the
imported rulers imposed through foreign conspiracy became a constant source of
embarrassment for Pakistan and Pakistanis across the globe.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Peaceful Afghanistan, ‘Priority’ for Pakistan, Says
Pakistani Foreign Minister
By Saqalain Eqbal
20 Sep 2022
Pakistani Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,
said that a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan is a “priority” for
Pakistan while meeting the US special representative for Afghanistan, Thomas
West, in New York.
Zardari reportedly stressed the importance of
sustaining international engagement with the caretaker Taliban government for
long-term stability and peace in Afghanistan in his conversation with Thomas
West, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan, who visited him in New
York.
The Pakistani Foreign Minister outlined a variety of
measures Pakistan had taken to enhance bilateral relations with Afghanistan as
well as substantial facilitation of international humanitarian aid.
The potential for a large-scale refugee exodus and the
opportunity for terrorists and extremists to benefit from it, according to
Bilawal, has both regional and global repercussions.
The US Special Representative applauded Pakistan for
its efforts to promote security and peace in Afghanistan and to facilitate
evacuations.
The two sides agreed that their shared goals of
ongoing international involvement and efforts to lessen Afghan people’s
suffering and advance regional peace and stability required continued
cooperation.
Source: Khaama Press
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Pakistan flood-borne diseases could get 'out of
control' as deaths rise
Sep 21, 2022
KARACHI: At least nine more people have died from
water-borne diseases in flood-hit areas of Pakistan, officials said on Tuesday,
as actress Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to the South Asian nation to
meet people affected by the crisis.
An intense and long monsoon dumped around three times
as much rain on Pakistan than on average in recent weeks, causing major
flooding that killed 1,559 people, including 551 children and 318 women,
according to the disaster management agency.
Officials are warning they now risk losing control of
the spread of infections in a dire situation that UNICEF described as
"beyond bleak".
Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the
floods are living in the open and as flood waters spread over hundreds of
kilometres (miles) start to recede - which officials say may take two to six
months - stagnant waters have led to diseases like malaria, dengue fever, skin
and eye infections and acute diarrhoea.
Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, arrived in Pakistan
and visited communities affected by flooding in Dadu district, one of the
worst-hit areas in southern Pakistan.
She met with several women who were now living in
tents, according to international aid organization IRC, which is facilitating
the visit. They described their struggles and told her they needed food, water
and medical attention.
Jolie, who has dedicated herself to international
humanitarian causes for more than a decade, also visited Pakistan after deadly
flooding in 2010.
"SECOND DISASTER"
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the surge
in diseases has the potential for a "second disaster".
"There is already the diseases outbreak,"
said Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan's planning minister, who is also the head of a
national flood response centre jointly run by the government and the military.
"We fear it may get out of control," he told
a news conference in Islamabad.
In Sindh, the region worst hit by the floods, the provincial
government said nine people had died of gastroenteritis, acute diarrhoea and
suspected malaria on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths from diseases
to 318 since July 1.
Over 2.7 million people have been treated for
water-borne diseases at makeshift or mobile hospitals set up in flood-hit
regions since July 1, it said, with 72,000 people treated at these facilities
on Monday alone.
Three other provinces have also reported thousands of
disease cases.
The influx has overwhelmed Pakistan's already weak
health system. Sindh provincial government has said that over 1,200 medical
facilities were still marooned in flood water.
Malaria and diarrhoea are spreading fast, said
Moinuddin Siddique, director at the Abdullah Shah Institute of Health Sciences
at Sehwan city, which is surrounded by the flood waters. "We're
overwhelmed," he told Reuters.
At the news conference, planning minister Iqbal
appealed to the affluent members of society to come forward to help the flood
relief efforts, and asked medical volunteers to join hands with the government.
He appealed for two million nutrition packs for
mothers who are expecting and new born babies, saying the government was
setting up more mobile hospitals and clinics in affected areas.
Record monsoon rains and glacial melt in northern
Pakistan triggered the flooding that has impacted nearly 33 million people in
the South Asian nation of 220 million, sweeping away homes, crops, bridges,
roads and livestock in damages estimated at $30 billion. Scientists say the
disaster was exacerbated by climate change.
The government says GDP growth will likely drop to 3%
from a previous estimate of 5% for the 2022-23 financial year.
In what UNICEF described as a situation "beyond
bleak," it said an estimated 16 million children have been impacted by the
floods, and at least 3.4 million girls and boys remain in need of immediate,
lifesaving support.
Gerida Birukila, the UNICEF Pakistan Chief Field
Officer in southwestern Balochistan province, described the situation
"utterly heartbreaking."
The children are surrounded by pools of stagnant water
poisoned with fertilizers and faeces and swarming with diseases and viruses,
sometimes meters (feet) away from where they sleep, she told a news briefing in
Geneva on Tuesday, according to a statement.
Source: Times Of India
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Imran no longer relevant in politics, claims Fazl
September 21, 2022
LARKANA: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, asserted on Tuesday that former prime minister Imran Khan’s
politics had hit the dead end and he was no longer part of Pakistani politics.
The Maulana, who is also the chairman of Pakistan
Democratic Movement (PDM), said at a press conference in Madressah Ishaatul
Quran here that Imran Khan was making the appointment of chief of army staff
controversial despite the fact that it was clearly laid down in the
Constitution that who would appoint the COAS.
He wondered why the federal government was soft on
Imran who had attacked all state institutions including army, judiciary,
parliament and Election Commission of Pakistan. He was pleased only if they
favoured him, otherwise, he branded them as traitors, the Maulana said.
He said that Imran Khan had developed a habit of
calling everyone thief though it had been proved that he himself was an
‘international’ and ‘imported’ thief.
He had raised a new slogan of ‘true independence’ and
was trying to influence people with his deceptive narrative, said the Maulana
and reiterated that Imran was an agent. The man who did not tire of talking
about independence went to IMF and mortgaged the state bank, he said, adding
that Punjab government was ‘weak’ and vulnerable to upsets.
The Maulana said that Sindh had been the worst-hit by
unprecedented rains and flood. There was water all around and no one knew when
the calamity-hit people would return to their homes. “It is a national tragedy
and national disaster which demands national level of assistance,” he said.
He called the situation challenging and said that he
would talk to the government after completing his tour of Sindh on how best to
tackle the situation.
About the transgender bill, he said categorically that
it was against Islamic injunctions. His party’s team and experts had studied
the bill’s contents and found the amendments incomplete. “Our team is busy
preparing a draft which will be tabled in the assembly soon. No law that is
against the spirit of Quran and Sunnah will be allowed to be passed as the
parliament has no right to pass any bill that runs counter to the Quran and
Sunnah,” he said.
He said in his answer to a question about his party’s
negotiations with Balochistan Awami Party leadership over the possibility of
joining Balochistan government that the talks were in progress but it was
premature to comment on their result.
Asked if his party would agree to be the part of the
government minus Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf he replied in the affirmative.
Earlier, the Maulana distributed relief goods and cash
among rain and flood victims and assured them of more assistance in the days
ahead.
Later, the Maulana took an aerial view of the rain-hit
areas in Larkana, Dadu, Mehar, Nasirabad, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Qubo Saeed Khan,
Garhi Khairo, Jacobabad, Thull, Shikarpur and Sukkur. He was accompanied by
Sindh Minister Jam Ikramullah Dharejo, Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro, Tarique
Khan Baloch and Maulana Nasir Mehmood Soomro.
‘Even IMF supports Imran’
The Maulana said that international agencies like
International Monetary Fund (IMF) were also supporting Imran Khan whose
government had weakened national economy beyond repair, our Sukkur
correspondent adds.
He told media persons at Madani Madressah in Shikarpur
a day before that IMF had squeezed Pakistan with tough conditions and dictated
the government on the issues of madressahs, education, governance, bureaucracy
and establishment.
He said that at a time when flood had devastated most
part of the country a party was busy holding processions almost daily and
slinging mud at others. Its leader was promising his listeners of ‘true
independence’, nobody comprehended what he wanted to say and the people those
who danced and jumped before him were foolish, he said.
The ground in Islamabad had become hot and ‘Youthias’
would come to their senses when their feet touched it, he warned.
He said that when the present government was in the
process of strengthening the economy, the calamity of rain and flood hit the
country.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1711122/imran-no-longer-relevant-in-politics-claims-fazl
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Soldier martyred repulsing terror attack from
Afghanistan
September 20, 2022
RAWALPINDI: A Pakistan Army soldier embraced martyrdom
while thwarting a terrorist attack from Afghanistan in bordering Dwatoi area of
North Waziristan district.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR),
the terrorists from inside Afghanistan opened fire on the Pakistani troops in
general area Dwatoi, which was responded in a befitting manner.
As per credible intelligence reports, the terrorists suffered
heavy casualties.
Sepoy Nazar Muhammad (34), a resident of Jaffarabad,
fought gallantly and embraced Shahadat during the exchange of fire.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by
terrorists for activities against it and expects that the Interim Afghan
Government will not allow conduct of such activities, in future,” the ISPR
said.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Arab
World
Shia pilgrimage shows Iran’s clout in Iraq
Salah Nasrawi
20 Sep 2022
Spiritually and politically, the Arbaeen festival in
Iraq is one of the world’s largest annual gatherings of Shia Muslims.
During the festival held in the Iraqi city of Karbala,
millions of pilgrims travel to the holy city to commemorate the killing of the
Prophet Mohamed’s grandson during a 7th-century battle with rival Muslims.
The ceremony, which concluded on Saturday, marks the
end of the 40-day mourning period following Ashura, the religious ritual for
the commemoration of Imam Hussein, one of the most revered saints in Shiism.
The sacred time is a combination of religious rituals,
worship, prayer, processions, politics, identity manifestations, and
celebrations. It attracts millions of pilgrims, many of them walking from
Shia-dominated areas in Iraq as they head to Karbala.
Many Shia pilgrims also drive or fly in from
neighbouring countries and places as far afield as Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Iraqi government said on Sunday that at least 21
million devotees had participated in the grand religious events despite
political tensions over a deadlock in forming a new government and fears of
another wave of Covid-19.
Since the fall of the Sunni-led regime of former Iraqi
dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq’s Shias have expanded this massive
ritual, flocking to Karbala in the tens of thousands, crowding the highways on
foot, and walking from the country’s Shia-populated cities.
The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 that ended
Saddam’s three-decade rule accelerated the empowerment of the country’s Shia
community and encouraged them to resume mass rituals banned or restricted under
Saddam.
The Imam Hussein, who rebelled against the then
Umayyad Caliphate, was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE along with his
family members and close aides. Those who survived were taken to Damascus in
Syria and held captive.
Muslim Shias consider Hussein’s martyrdom as a
defining moment for their faith, and for centuries they have continued to
observe the traditional mourning of his death, though mostly discreetly.
Today, along the way to Karbala, the pilgrims, men,
women, and children all dressed in black and united in grief, march in
procession and carry large flags of mourning. Some stop to sing in praise of
Hussein’s heroic martyrdom and to pray.
On the road to the city that sits on the verge of
Iraq’s western desert, the pilgrims stop to rest on the highway or to sip water
and eat snacks at makeshift stands set up along the route.
Upon their arrival in Karbala, they go straight to the
gold-domed shrine of Imam Hussein to kiss the gilding while neighbourhood
committees set up kitchens to dispense free food, fruit, sweets, and soft
drinks to the pilgrims.
Pilgrims who cannot find places in local mosques or
schools mostly sleep shoulder to shoulder on the pavements and in the large
squares around Hussein’s shrine and the adjacent tomb of his half-brother
Abbas.
Some are allowed by locals into their houses out of
hospitality, allowing them to take a shower or even a nap.
Despite its religious meaning, the ceremony has started
to become a political platform charged with symbolism and defiance. What makes
the event more significant is that the crowds also represent the concrete
embodiment of the Shia community’s identity.
But while Iraqi Shias view the Arbaeen as a canvas on
which they can project the intensity of their religious emotion and identity,
their Iranian co-religionists have a high level of investment in the rituals,
including geopolitical interests.
In the eyes of the Islamic Republic, which champions
its claim over Shiism, it is not just the outpouring of energy and the
commemoration of the past that is important in the Arbaeen, but also the crowds
who are unified in present fealty.
To a regime that believes in exporting the teachings
of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, its strategy remains bringing about similar
examples in other Islamic countries, in particular those with substantive Shia
populations.
Since the US withdrawal from Iraq in 2011, Iran has
been extending its influence in the country, using multiple political,
economic, and cultural tools to do so in addition to its local proxies.
One of the massive apparatuses that Iran’s Supreme
leader Ali Khamenei has established in his office is that overseeing activities
during visits to Shia holy shrines abroad, primarily in Iraq.
Similar to the one set up for the Hajj, the annual
Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, it is an essential tool in Tehran’s efforts to
export the Islamic Revolution and disseminate Shia sentiment.
The body usually entrusts “Heyats Husseini Processions,”
state-sponsored local associations with links to the Iranian Revolutionary
Guards, with organising the annual rituals.
About five million Iranian pilgrims entered Iraq to
attend the Arbaeen pilgrimage this year, according to Iranian Interior Minister
Ahmed Vehidi, mostly through crossing points along the 1,200 km border of the
two countries and a few via Iraqi airports.
The influx forced the Baghdad government to remove
limits on pilgrim numbers to avoid disturbances similar to those that have
happened in previous years when Iranian pilgrims made their way into the
country without visas or official papers.
Iran’s opposition media have reported that the
government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars and made available huge
resources to sponsor the pilgrimage, including free transportation, loans,
cheap dollars, and free Internet on the road and inside Iraq.
The Iranian authorities, state-affiliated charities,
and municipalities have deployed security personnel, religious guides,
paramedic teams, garbage collectors, and other service providers to assist and
help organise the crowds.
Khamenei on Saturday described this year’s Arbaeen as
the most “glorious in history.” He urged Iranians to “follow the path… and to
try to guide others to do so in every place.”
“The miraculous Arbaeen procession is a sign of God’s
will to hoist Ahl Al-Bayt’s banner of Islam,” said Khamenei, referring to the
Prophet Mohamed’s household, members of whom Shias hold as designated
successors to the Prophet.
Yet, while Iran has wanted to present the huge
gathering as a show of “soft power” and unity among Shias in the region, the
rituals have also reportedly been marred by hiccups, including anti-Iranian
sentiments.
Complaints over Iranian participation in the
pilgrimage this year have erupted as the influx has begun to put more pressure
on worn-out infrastructure and public services that have been depleted by
decades of mismanagement, corruption, and instability.
Some Iranian pilgrims have deliberately and arrogantly
disregarded rules made by the Iraqi authorities and local sentiments. Videos on
the Internet show Iranians crossing lines on Iraq’s sovereignty.
In one video, a local mayor in Karbala is seen arguing
with the head of an Iranian group over the demolition of the fence of a school
building by pilgrims to bring in their power generator.
In another clip, an Iraqi soldier at a checkpoint
stops an Iranian driver to ask him to take down an Iranian flag posted atop his
truck while on his way to Karbala.
Multiple videos have emerged showing Esmail Qaani,
commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Al-Quds Force and Iran’s
point man in Iraq, touring Karbala to check on their well-being.
As the city struggles with the crowds amid scorching
heat, pollution caused by congestion, a severe water and electricity crisis,
and disruptions caused by the Iranian pilgrims’ extravagant behaviour,
frictions have been almost inevitable between visitors and locals.
Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of the mass
Sadrist Movement, singled out the Iranians in a call for the more rigid
regulation of the festival, but he also condemned any “assault” on “Iranian
brethren.”
Many Iraqis have been complaining about Iran’s
increasing outreach in their country, but the Arbaeen ceremony has underscored
the Islamic Republic’s far-reaching ambitions in Iraq.
“Iran and Iraq are inseparable forever,” said Mohamed
Hassan Abu Turabi, imam of the Friday Prayer in Tehran, in his sermon last
Friday, repeating a slogan often used by Iranian officials.
The rhetoric was echoed by Iran’s Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Such goals set by Iranian spokesmen create issues with
many Iraqis and even raise the political ire of Al-Sadr, who recently rebelled
against Tehran’s influence in Iraq.
Source: Ahram
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Climate change, conflict ruining Syria’s grain crop:
UN
20 September, 2022
Climate change, a faltering economy and residual
security issues have decimated Syria’s 2022 grain crop, leaving the majority of
its farmers in a precarious position, the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) said.
Syria’s 2022 wheat harvest amounted to around 1
million tonnes, down some 75% from pre-crisis volumes, while barley was almost
non-existent, Mike Robson, FAO’s Syria Representative told Reuters.
Erratic rainfall patterns in the past two seasons have
shrunk Syria’s wheat crop from around 4 million tonnes annually pre-war, enough
to feed itself and export to neighboring countries in a good year.
Now after more than a decade of conflict many farmers
are struggling with harsh economic conditions and security issues in some areas
while having to adapt to the new realities of changing weather conditions.
The meagre harvest adds strain on Syria’s
sanctions-hit government as it struggles to source wheat from the international
market. Food is not restricted by Western sanctions but banking restrictions
and asset freezes have made it difficult for most trading houses to do business
with Damascus.
International import tenders conducted by the state’s
main grain buyer, Hoboob, have repeatedly failed in previous years with most
wheat sourced from ally Russia.
Global wheat prices have also surged since February,
after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine halted grain exports from the Black Sea for
months.
“Climate change isn’t easy anyway but it is doubly not
easy in a place like Syria with high inflation, no power, no good quality
inputs and some residual security issues that are still playing up in parts of
the country,” Robson said.
The bulk of Syria’s wheat crop, or around 70%, relies
on rainfall with irrigation underdeveloped due to war.
Compared to planted areas, the harvest was around 15%
of what farmers expected of the rainfed wheat areas.
“When the rain fell it was concentrated and it didn’t
follow traditional patters,” Robson said.
“A late start to the rainfall meant that farmers were
delayed in planting and they couldn’t prepare their land in time and then the
rains finished early by March,” he said.
Farmers in Syria typically plant their wheat crop
around November-December and harvest in May-June.
Syria’s economy is also faltering under the weight of
its complex, multi-sided conflict, now in its twelfth year.
The collapse of the Syrian pound has driven up the
price of good quality fertilizers, seeds and fuel needed to power water pumps.
On Monday, Syria further weakened its official exchange rate to the U.S. dollar
by roughly seven percent.
The productivity of one hectare of wheat planted in
irrigated lands should be around three to four tonnes but is currently at only
around two as farmers struggle with agricultural inputs.
Precarious existence
The one million tonne production figure is far lower
than government estimates of around 1.7 million tonnes.
The government did not immediately respond to a
request for comment on the figures.
The FAO estimate translates into a need to import
around 2 million tonnes from abroad to feed government-controlled areas.
A drop in global wheat prices in August, partly on the
back of grain exports resuming from Ukraine under a July deal between Kyiv and
Moscow makes the situation less dire than a couple of months ago but there are
still concerns over the government’s ability to provide funding for purchases.
“The (international) market is slowly getting back to
functioning but I’m still concerned as obviously there’s a need for foreign
exchange to buy the wheat,” Robson said.
With the barley crop also failing, some sheep herders
are choosing to de-stock, selling most of their animals as they are unable to
feed them.
Syria used to be able to produce around 4-5 million
tonnes of feed barley a year to feed its livestock but this year many are
struggling to keep their livelihood.
“When they needed to buy feed, sheep farmers used to
sell one animal to buy a tonne of barley for instance and they can feed 20 with
that,” Robson said.
“This year they would need to sell 10 animals.”
The effects are already being felt in the food market
where poultry meat is now selling for more than lamb as financially struggling
farmers continue to sell their sheep.
“The price will go way down but then it will become in
short supply and it will be a real problem,” Robson said.
Areas that are relatively lush in winter and could be
used for grazing animals are plagued with lingering security issues and so
livestock keepers prefer not to venture there.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Europe’s energy crisis plans are only a short-term
solution: Aramco CEO
20 September, 2022
The head of Saudi state oil giant Aramco said on
Tuesday Europe’s plans to cap energy bills for consumers and tax energy
companies were not long-term or helpful solutions for the global energy crisis.
“Freezing or capping energy bills might help consumers
in the short term, but it does not address the real causes and is not the
long-term solution,” Chief Executive Amin Nasser told a forum in Switzerland.
“And taxing companies when you want them to increase
production is clearly not helpful.”
Governments across Europe have plowed hundreds of
billions of euros into tax cuts, handouts, and subsidies to tackle an energy
crisis that is driving up inflation, forcing industries to shut production and
hiking bills ahead of winter.
Under EU plans announced last week, excessive profits
from energy companies would be skimmed off and redistributed to ease the burden
on consumers.
On Tuesday, Nasser, who heads the world’s largest
exporter of oil, said continuing underinvestment in the hydrocarbons sector at
a time when alternatives to fossil fuels were still not readily available was
among the root causes of the problem.
“The conflict in Ukraine has certainly intensified the
effects of the energy crisis, but it is not the root cause,” he said.
“Sadly, even if the conflict stopped today as we all
wish, the crisis would not end,” he said.
Aramco has been investing to raise the kingdom’s oil
capacity to 13 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2027, but Nasser warned that
globally investments in hydrocarbons were still, “too little, too late, too
short term.”
The underinvestment comes at a time when spare
capacity is thin and demand is “fairly healthy” despite strong economic
headwinds.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US military tankers continue to smuggle Syrian crude
oil from Hasakah to bases in northern Iraq
21 September 2022
Amid Washington’s ferocious attempts to further
plunder natural resources in war-ravaged Syria, the US military has used dozens
of tanker trucks to smuggle crude oil from the country’s energy-rich
northeastern province of Hasakah to bases in neighboring Iraq, where American
forces and trainers are stationed.
Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing local
sources in al-Ya'rubiyah town, reported that a convoy of 60 tankers left Syria
through the illegal Mahmoudiya border crossing on Tuesday, and headed towards
Iraqi territories.
The development comes nearly a fortnight after the
United States smuggled a batch of stolen Syrian oil into Iraq.
“A convoy of the US occupation forces, consisting of
88 tankers loaded with stolen Syrian oil, left from the illegitimate Mahmoudiya
crossing and entered Iraqi territory,” SANA cited local sources from Ya'rubiyah
town as saying on September 9.
The sources noted that US forces transferred the
convoy to their bases in northern Iraq.
According to data released by the Syrian Ministry of
Oil and Mineral Resources, Syria produced a total of 14.5 million barrels of
oil in the first half of the current year, and the daily oil production stood
at about 80,300 barrels.
American occupation forces and their allied Takfiris
plundered 66,000 barrels of crude oil during the mentioned period.
The data further showed that just about 14,200 barrels
were available for the Syrian domestic oil refineries.
The US military has stationed forces and equipment in
northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at
preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus, however, maintains the deployment is meant
to plunder the country's rich mineral resources.
Former US president Donald Trump admitted on more than
one occasion that American forces were in the Arab country for its oil.
Last month, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman
denounced the illegal presence of US military forces in Syria, saying
Washington’s continued looting of the war-torn country’s energy and mineral
resources has only exacerbated the suffering of the Syrian people.
Source: Press TV
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South
Asia
White House Confirms Release of Taliban Member and
American Navy Veteran in Swap
By Saqalain Eqbal
20 Sep 2022
A statement from the White House confirmed the swap
release of the US navy veteran, Mark Frerichs, who was held hostage by the
Taliban, and the Taliban member, Bashar Noorzai, who spent almost 17 years in a
US jail for heroin smuggling.
US President Biden was quoted by the White House in a
statement on Monday, September 19, stating that Frerichs had been taken hostage
in Afghanistan for 31 months after being abducted in January 2020.
According to the White House statement, the Taliban
hostage was released as a result of the “years of tireless work” of the US
public servants and other partner governments, and he is returning home.
The US president also stated that during the talks
that led to Frerichs release, “difficult decisions” had to be made and that
Washington now prioritizes securing his safe return to the country.
“Bringing the negotiations that led to Mark’s freedom
to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take
lightly,” the White House statement said.
In a statement, Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of
State, stated that the former US Navy serviceman was safe and traveling from
Afghanistan to the US.
The American official also expressed gratitude to the
US partners in Qatar for their efforts in securing Frerichs’s release and said
it was the culmination of “intense engagement” with the Taliban.
Source: Khaama Press
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On Taliban vs Pak over Masood Azhar, some officials
advocate cautious approach
Sep 20, 2022
By Rezaul H Laskar
NEW DELHI: Reports have emerged of Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JeM) chief Masood Azhar’s presence in Afghanistan amid pressure on Pakistan to
act against the UN-designated terrorist ahead of a crucial meeting of the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in October.
The Pakistan government and the Taliban setup have
engaged in a war of words in recent days over the whereabouts of Azhar, who
formed JeM after being freed along with two other terrorists in exchange for
the passengers of an Indian airliner hijacked to Kandahar in 1999.
People familiar with the matter said it is believed
that Masood Azhar was in Kabul in the recent past and travelled to Kunar and
Khost provinces, located in eastern Afghanistan and bordering Pakistan. The JeM
has for long had a sizeable presence in this region. A UN report earlier this
year said the group has eight training camps in Nangarhar province, which is
situated between Kunar and Khost.
One of the key demands made by Western powers ahead of
the FATF’s plenary meeting in Paris during October 18-21 is action against
Masood Azhar. The Pakistani side contacted the Taliban setup in Kabul twice
this year – once in January and again earlier this month – and asked for Azhar
to be traced and detained.
Following the latest request from Pakistan’s Foreign
Office, the Taliban rejected reports about Azhar seeking refuge in Afghanistan
and said it would not allow any “armed opposition” groups to operate from
Afghan soil. Despite this assertion by the Taliban, Pakistan’s foreign minister
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari told the reporters on the margins of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Uzbekistan last week that Azhar was
“in Afghanistan”.
Azhar has not been seen in public in recent years and
the people cited above, who closely track developments in Afghanistan on behalf
of their governments, said the reports of the JeM chief’s presence in
Afghanistan could not be ruled out.
“Except for al-Qaeda, no other group is as close to
the Taliban as the JeM, not even Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), East Turkestan Islamic
Movement (ETIM) or Jundullah,” said one of the people cited above.
The UN sanctions monitoring team too noted in its
report in May this year that the JeM is a “Deobandi group that is ideologically
closer to the Taliban”, while the people said between 1,500 and 2,000 JeM
fighters had fought alongside the Taliban over the past 20 years. The JeM runs
its own training camps and controls territory where it does not face any
challenge from the Taliban, the people added.
“In such circumstances, it would be easy for a top JeM
leader to take shelter in Afghanistan,” a second person said.
Though Pakistan is widely expected to get out of
FATF’s “grey list”, or the list of countries facing enhanced monitoring over
money laundering and terror financing, during the multilateral watchdog’s
upcoming plenary meeting, Islamabad is still facing pressure to investigate and
prosecute UN-designated terrorists such as Azhar.
Source: Hindustan Times
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US Seeks to Exchange Afghan Aircraft for Assistance in
Countering Terrorism
By Saqalain Eqbal
20 Sep 2022
As the Afghan government crumbled last year, the US
began talks with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to exchange roughly 50 military
aircraft that had been moved across the border in exchange for assistance in
countering terrorists in Afghanistan.
The US wants to trade US-donated Afghan aircraft for
Central Asian countries’ support in battling terrorism in Afghanistan,
according to reports in the international media citing sources with knowledge
of the negotiations.
In exchange for an unofficial agreement to “deepen
security relationships” regarding border security and counterterrorism, it is
intended to provide a number of aircraft to the governments of Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan, Politico reported.
After Afghan air force pilots transported the donated
U.S. aircraft to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan last year to flee Taliban capture,
the future of the aircraft has been in uncertainty for over a year.
While the helicopters and light attack planes, which
the Taliban claim belong to Afghanistan, according to Uzbek authorities, they
are American property and will not be given back.
Politico reported citing the US official that the US
intends to first asses the aircraft to see whether they are capable of flight
and then may be handed to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Source: Khaama Press
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Europe
Ukraine glorified, Palestine vilified at UK schools
21 September 2022
Schools in Britain have been clamping down on protest
in relation to Palestine, yet they have been actively encouraging support and
solidarity for Ukraine, even fundraising to purchase weapons for Ukraine.
In a blow to free speech, a high court judge, Dame
Beverly Lang, recently allowed the Department of Education to continue its
clamp down on Palestine Solidarity in British schools after denying permission
for a judicial review brought by human rights group, CAGE.
The legal challenge was in relation to a
discriminatory letter sent to schools by the then Education Minister, Gavin
Williamson, which gave instructions to schools on how to present the occupation
of Palestine and recommended schools work with three specific organizations to
deliver a "balanced presentation" of the issue.
As this program pointed out some months ago, none of
the three organizations provide balanced or truthful accounts of the occupation
of Palestine. In fact, every one of them has a covert Zionist agenda.
"Solutions Not Sides", which is a project of
"One Voice", a group set up by prominent Zionists. Our research shows
that multiple staff members have previously worked for the Israeli regime,
including for the occupation forces. Some worked in Zionist intelligence,
others worked for Israel at the same time as working for "One Voice".
The Forum for Discussion of Israel and Palestine is a
group pushing a Zionist narrative, set up by an organization called "the
Council of Christians and Jews". This is a long standing pro Israel
grouping, which has overlapping personnel with FODIP, though they claim to be
independent.
"Community Security Trust", a group that
claims to combat anti semitism in the UK, but which purposely blurs together
anti semitism and anti Zionism in pursuit of Israel's foreign policy
objectives. Its charitable objectives include combating extremism; however, its
founder the convicted fraudster, Gerald Monson, has a record of funding extremist
Zionist groups, such as Chabad, through his family foundation.
It seems that bias in favor of the racist ideology of
Zionism is regarded as acceptable in schools, whereas standing up for
Palestinian rights is not.
CAGE found multiple cases where school kids have been
punished, disciplined, or prohibited, even from the mildest display of
solidarity with Palestine.
These include a school that banned the colors of the
Palestinian flag, or any clothing resembling Middle Eastern clothes.
The student who was referred to PREVENT after emailing
videos of Islamic lectures to his school to express his unhappiness at a one
sided presentation on ISRAEL PALESTINE.
The students who were suspended for wearing a
Palestine badge to school, or for discussing Palestine.
In response to the judge's decision on the letter from
the Education Secretary CAGE released a summary of responses to a survey on the
Ukraine. This shows that, just like the support for Zionism, most schools have
been supporting the NATO proxy war in Ukraine.
With schools bedecked with Ukraine flags, and
fundraisers openly supported by schools. Of course, the idea of raising money
for Palestine is regarded as controversial and students are disciplined for
raising the issue.
As always, we are joined by our resident expert David
Miller. David is an academic and former professor at Bristol University and a
leading British scholarly critic of Israel. He's also a co founder and co
director of a lobbying watchdog '"Spin Watch".
We're also joined today by Fahad Ansari, who is a
consultant in the immigration and public law departments at Duncan Lewis
Solicitors. He has extensive experience in all aspects of asylum, immigration,
and nationality law, as well as on terrorism and national security. He
regularly writes about current affairs and frequently provides expert
commentary on legal developments for numerous broadcast outlets, including the
BBC, Sky News, CNN and Al-Jazeera.
What were the legal grounds upon which CAGE took this
case to judicial review?
Three primary grounds that we argue that the letter
that the then Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson sent to schools was
unlawful.
The fact was that he had breached the Education Act by
asking students to take a politically partisan view on a subject matter, namely
the ISRAEL PALESTINE conflict. And specifically, he had asked schools or
directed schools, not to work with, or use materials by, any external
organizations that publicly rejected Israel's right to exist.
Now the right to exist, not a legal one, it's a political
one that is used to justify Israel's creation and its current policies and
practices. As such, there are two legitimate opinions on whether it does have a
right to exist or whether it doesn't have the right to exist.
And while the government had its view on the matter,
kids prohibited from, compelling schools to adopt that view, and teach that
view, and what Gavin Williamson sought to do with his instruction for schools
was to completely sideline one of those views as unacceptable.
So that breached the principle of political
indoctrination in schools in each of the education acts. So that would be the
first challenge.
The second ground was that it did not accept the views
of Muslim students, and the Islamophobia that they have been subjected to, in
the wake of the conflict, focusing only on the situation Jewish pupils who may
have been subjected to anti semitism, and in doing so a discriminated against
Muslim students.
And finally, we argue that while there was no duty on
the education secretary to consult stakeholders, once he had done so with a
stakeholder, he was under duty to conduct that exercise fairly, and involve
other stakeholders and what seemed to have happened is he conducted a
consultation with one specific group and nobody else.
Fahad Ansari
Do the organizations that Gavin Williamson recommended
should go into schools have a covert Zionist agenda, particularly
"Solutions, Not Sides"?
Yes, it does. "Solutions, Not Sides" is a
project which was set up by another organization called "One Voice",
which is mentioned in the film, but which we've done quite a lot of research
on.
It was set up a guy who's boasted that his activities
were anti BDS before anyone even heard of BDS. So, this is a Zionist
Organization aiming to pursue the state interests of Israel and using as cover
the idea that we should have solutions in the conflict that there are not just
sides that we should really try to focus on solutions, but what they mean by
solutions is not having a solution to this.
This is pushing down the road, the idea of a two state
solution, and all kinds of things are definitely not supporting the
Palestinians and their just struggle for their full rights.
David Miller
You obtained evidence of numerous inappropriate
interventions in schools, like banning symbols and clothing to interfering in
charitable fundraising, could you expound on that, please?
CAGE was approached by dozens of Muslim pupils, who
had been reprimanded and sanctioned in a variety of ways by their schools and
academies for engaging in Palestinian Solidarity; this ranged from verbal
warnings to physical intervention such as seizing the flag or seizing their
banners, taking their badges or serious sanctions, such as suspensions and
expulsions, [sic] referred to Prevent and calling in the police to speak with
the child in question.
Obviously, this is ludicrous where you have groups of
children organically showing empathy towards people who are oppressed, on the
other side of the world in full view of the international community and rather
than schools welcoming this act of empathy, this act of solidarity.
The fact that students will need to be aware, they
crack down on them with the intention that they would they would suppress that
natural inclination to side with the oppressed against injustice.
Fahad Ansari
The government's leveling up department is promoting,
and seems to be funding, the forum for the discussion of Israel and Palestine;
is that an issue?
Well, it's not just the question of this one
organization, "Community Security Trust", but it's also the question
of the other organizations we've been talking about, "One Voice" and
"Solutions Not Sides", all three of these organizations.
"Solutions Not Sides"s was a project of
"One Voice" and became notionally independent, it's still part of the
same organization, and all of them have been funded to the tune of many
thousands of pounds by the "Leveling Up Department" which used to be
called the "Department of Communities" in the local government.
These are funded as part and parcel of their sort of
counter extremism agenda. So you can see what's going on here is that there's
an attempt to support pro Israel narratives, as if that is somehow against
extremism and what they mean by extremism, of course, is those people who are
opposed to UK Foreign Policy, not those who support aspects of it, including
the illegal parts of it, including supporting, of course, Israel, and it's
illegal activities in the occupied territories as detailed on numerous
occasions by the United Nations.
So there's a push towards a particular kind of
extremism, which is not thought of as extremism, which, of course, is Zionism.
And there's an attempt to suggest that anyone who stands up for perfectly
legitimate rights under international law for the Palestinians is somehow an
extremist or is somehow supporting terrorism, which is, of course, ridiculous.
David Miller
A peculiar state of affairs, with Israel in breach of international law, and somehow
that's sort of beyond the pale, it seems to be an odd state of affairs, to say
the least.
"Community Security Trust" was one of the
three organizations promoted by Gavin Williamson; can you explain how this
group appears to be involved in extremism?
Well, the "Community Security Trust" does
not get money from the same pot as these other two organizations, but it does
get money from the government, and way more money than the other two
organizations put together, something like 14 million a year for its
activities.
Now of course, it's an organization which deliberately
blurs together anti-semitism, anti-Zionism, so that you can target the left,
and indeed, Muslims in this country, with spying activities, passing
information on to the security services, etc. But it’s engaged in extremism.
You saw a clip in the film there of Gerald Ronson, you
probably couldn't have told from the clip but he's giving an address at a
meeting, a national meeting, UK national meeting of Chabad-Lubavitch, which is
an extremist Jewish sect, which is involved in, according to the Israeli
intelligence agency, multiple revenge attacks on Palestinians in the
territories, but yet has been supported by Joe Bronson, the fraudster,
committed fraudster for, it says in the press, for more than four decades he's
been supporting this extremist organization.
His organization, The CST, has in its charitable
objectives that it will challenge, educate, about extremism. Well, it's not
challenging and educating about it. It's in fact supporting that extremism.
So there we have a clear indication of the way in
which it breaches its own charitable objectives by supporting an extremist
organization, Ya'abad, which is involved in all sorts of appalling activities
in Palestine.
David Miller
Schools have been hypocritically banning Palestine as
a topic on the grounds that it's too political, yet they're allowing support
for the conflict in Ukraine. What is the justification for this?
And this is the double standard that is so blatant
that every single child who was sanctioned for showing solidarity with
Palestine raised the issue with their schools and is on the back of that CAGE
actually began compiling information and data from these students as to how
their schools operated visa vie the Ukraine situation, and then contrast that
with how they behaved last year.
I think what's really interesting is the Solidarity
with Palestine is very organic. It was not dictated to them by schools of
anybody's interest and was a natural reaction that schools did not tolerate,
and the government did not want to hear.
Yet when it came to the Ukraine, while [the]
situations have parallels, schools and the government felt they needed to
dictate to the pupils how to actually behave in the situation and that they
should show solidarity, so students are encouraged to bring in Ukrainian flags,
pupils were fundraising for Ukraine.
I remember one of the case studies that I came across
where students were fundraising for Palestine; they were reprimanded because
they were told you should be fundraising for both sides; for victims in Israel
and Palestine. And I can imagine a student raised the fact that … we should be
fundraising for Russia as well as Ukraine it would probably receive a sanction
for that.
Fahad Ansari
Well, let's pause there for a moment while we look at
this report about schools staging events and activities in support of the
conflict in Ukraine.
A survey by CAGE shows that 96% of British schools
have proactively engaged with the calls to support for Ukraine. The figures are
in stark contrast to the treatment of Palestine last year, where pupils and
staff were treated punitively for attempting to express solidarity.
Eighty survey respondents mentioned schools promoting
motifs of the Ukraine flag, such as encouraging children to wear blue and
yellow for non uniform days, or hoisting the Ukraine flag on school grounds.
The openness with [which] schools have expressed forceful solidarity with
Ukraine belies the excuses that pupils, and parents, largely Muslim, were
subjected to by schools last year to justify ignoring the war on Gaza.
Indeed, some respondents spoke of this disparity in
explicit terms: "The school organized the collection for Ukraine, but we
were unable to do the same for Palestine, as it was, "political" as
it was due to religion. We asked to do an assembly or put posters up and
fundraise for Palestine. And they said no, but they're doing it all for
Ukraine".
But the CAGE research also uncovered two further
worrying findings. The first is that the government has been encouraging
teachers to use resources on disinformation via the website "Educate
Against Hate".
One resource was titled "Be Internet
Citizens", developed as collaboration between YouTube and the Institute
for Strategic Dialogue, ISD. The ISD is a strongly Zionist Organization, which
has been heavily involved in counter extremism work and is funded by major NATO
states and by "Regime Change" foundations.
The second finding is that some schools may have been
directly encouraging support for armed violence in Ukraine, and actively
involved in supporting Nazi-adjacent Ukrainian groups. A key instance has been
support for the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, the AUGB, the
largest representative group for Ukrainians in the country.
But the AUGB has direct and explicit links to the
Ukrainian far right, stretching back to its inception. These include the ultra
nationalist fascist organization, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists,
the OUN, and its paramilitary organization, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the
UPA, as well as regularly celebrating a notorious leader of the OUN Stepan
Bandera.
These developments are a direct encouragement of far
right, indeed, Nazi, ideology in British schools, encouraging a hostile
environment for Muslim Palestinians and other people of colour.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue sounds innocuous
enough, doesn't it, can you explain what it is up to here?
Well, the ISD is really quite a large organization for
a think tank. It was funded by founded by Lord Weidenfeld, who of course
famously served in the first Israeli government back in the day and then came
to Britain and has funded a huge number of Zionist think tanks and lobby groups
over the years.
… The group
continues to be strongly Zionist and the people in charge of it remain strongly
Zionist and fund other key Zionist organizations. But it's also involved in
doing work on disinformation. And what it means by disinformation is
information which is critical of Western foreign policies.
And you can see the kind of strict connection there is
between that and its work on Ukraine, or Russia. And its funders; It's funded
by something like six or seven different NATO states, as well as by a whole
range of regime change fundraisers, including the Soros foundations, and it's
engaged [sic] has been pretty straightforwardly in propaganda whereby anyone
who tells the truth about what's happening in Ukraine is actually just
regurgitating Russian propaganda.
So it's itself a propaganda (mouthpiece) and it should
have nothing to do with the Department for Education issues, It’s actually an
active propaganda organization.
David Miller
How do you view schools allowing support for Ukraine
but vetoing kids mentioning Palestine?
There is definitely a double standard at play here
between ISRAEL PALESTINE and Russia Ukraine conflict. Any child can see that,
children stayed away with reports of children questioning their schools as to
why they want a double standard.
When they were asked to bring in Ukrainian flags, they
remembered what happened when they brought in Palestinian flags and they raised
that with the schools, parents went to the schools as well.
Fahad Ansari
David, tell us about this far right Ukrainian group
that seems to be infiltrating some British schools.
Well, I mean, this was one of the extraordinary
findings, I thought, of the CAGE researchers that some schools are actually
going directly to this association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, in existence
since 1946, seeming to have a very, very long history with the Ukrainian far
right, you know, back to the time of Stepan Bandera, the hero of the Azov
Battalians of today.
And so it's extraordinary to see that and see that
there seems to be no due diligence that schools that have engaged in this new
due diligence that actually actively engaging with Nazi and Nazi adjacent
organizations and ideas in British schools, which must be against the law.
Secondly, also engaged as a result of that in building
support for sending money to support the armed conflict directly, to support
military equipment, which cannot be right. I mean, we certainly, imagine if
people were doing the same thing, we should be raising money to buy military
equipment for Hamas.
Of course, that that would be a completely different
matter, actually, in terms of resistance to the Israeli occupation.
But we see this with Ukraine that there's literally no
criticism of the idea that we might support, directly support, armed violence
for schools, including primary schools, extraordinary.
David Miller
Could you remind us very briefly about the atrocities
that Stepan Bandera perpetrated?
Bandera was the leader of the Ukrainian nationalists,
proto Nazis, who collaborated with the Germans when they occupied part of what was then Ukraine and
was involved in pogroms against Jews and indeed, against Poles and travelers,
gypsy travelers, as well.
At the time hundreds of thousands of people died. And
these people were pursued by the Soviets until 1959. It wasn't until 1959 that
they were eventually eliminated, and to use the phrase of today, denazified.
Source: Press TV
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Israel must end its occupation of Palestine, Qatari
emir tells UN General Assembly
September 20, 2022
LONDON: Qatar’s emir on Tuesday called on the
international community to put pressure on Israel to bring to an end its
occupation of the Palestinian territories,
Speaking during the General Debate of the 77th Session
of the UN General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said: “The Security
Council must shoulder its responsibility and must compel Israel to end the
occupation of Palestinian territories and to establish a Palestinian state
along the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“Failure to implement international resolutions, and
in light of the continuous change of the situation on the ground, the
occupation and its settlement activities, is pursuing a policy of fait
accompli.
“This will change the rules of the conflict and will
change the format of solidarity in the future. At this juncture, I stress that
we stand in full solidarity with the brotherly Palestinian people in their
aspiration to achieve justice.”
The emir then highlighted the plight of Syrians,
millions of whom have been forced from their homes during the decade-long
conflict in the country.
“We must pay attention to the roots of the issues
before their impacts knock on the doors of our countries,” he said.
Sheikh Tamim also noted that the ongoing war in Yemen
is of concern to Qatar.
“In Yemen, we see a glimmer of hope in the parties’
consensus on a temporary truce and we are looking forward to a comprehensive
and permanent ceasefire in preparation for negotiations between the Yemeni
parties,” he said.
He also talked about other issues affecting the
region, including sectarianism in Iraq, the crises affecting Lebanon, and the
situations in Libya and Sudan.
The emir said a consensus on the issue of the Iranian
regime’s nuclear ambitions would help bring stability to the Middle East.
“No one has an alternative to such an agreement and
reaching it would be in the interest of the security and stability of the
region and will open the door to a broader dialogue at the regional security
level,” he told the General Assembly.
Turning to the global energy crisis, Sheikh Tamim said
that efforts to alleviate its effects can only take place alongside protection
of the environment.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2166451/world
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Leicester Hindus, Muslim leaders release joint
statement: 'No place for ideology of division'
September 21, 2022
In a joint statement, community leaders among Hindus
and Muslims urged for an end to the tension and violence in Leicester. The
statement called for Hindus and Muslims to stand together as brother and
sister, and that there was "no place for any foreign extremist ideology
that causes division".
Part of the statement, as reported by NDTV: "Our
two faiths have lived harmoniously in this wonderful city for over half a
century. We arrived in this city together. We faced the same challenges
together. We fought off racist haters together, and collectively made this city
a beacon of diversity and community cohesion. What we have seen is not what we
are about. We ask all to respect the sanctity of religious places, both mosques
and temples alike," he added, urging people not to give in to
"provocation with loud music, flag-bearing, derogatory chants or physical
attacks against the fabric of worship".
The police had appealed for calm. "Community
leaders from East Leicester are on the ground with officers. All are calling
for calm and encouraging people to go home. Please avoid the area while our
police operation continues," the Leicestershire Police tweeted.
The law enforcement denied viral social media claims
that a mosque was attacked, and urged users to curb misinformation. "We
have seen reports on social media that a mosque is being attacked. Officers on
the ground have confirmed this is not true. Please only share information on
social media you know to be true," the police claimed.
The incidents had first sparked following clashes
between fans following an India-Pakistan Asia Cup cricket match at the end of
last month, and it had spilled over into “serious disorder”. The police said in a statement:
"Officers became aware of groups of young men gathering on Sunday
afternoon in the North Evington area of the city. Officers spoke to them and
took steps, including putting in place a temporary police cordon, to minimise
harm and disturbance to communities."
15 people have been reportedly detained.
Source: The Week
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Islamic preacher Khandaker Rahman discharged from
mosque rape trial
September 21, 2022
An imam who raped a schoolgirl in a mosque has been
unconditionally discharged.
Khandaker Rahman, 67, from Cwmdu, Swansea, was found
to have committed the crimes by a jury at Swansea Crown Court in June, after a
trial of facts, as he was too ill to stand trial.
The absolute discharge sentence means Rahman committed
the offence but will not face any punishment or order.
At Swansea Crown Court, judge Huw Rees said it was the
only suitable option.
The judge stressed it was not because of the
"seriousness" of the offences.
Rahman raped the young girl in 2005 at a mosque in
south Wales where he was an Islamic preacher.
The court previously heard he asked her to help him
move some books in a quiet part of the mosque, pushing her into a washroom on
the way before raping her.
The court heard she returned to the mosque and Mr
Rahman indecently assaulted her on two separate occasions before she stopped
going.
The girl kept the attacks secret for more than 10
years before confiding in her husband in 2018.
Rahman's case was heard as a trial of the facts, which
happens when the court determines that a person is unfit to stand trial because
of medical evidence.
The jury was therefore asked to determine whether
Rahman did the acts alleged, instead of determining whether he was innocent or
guilty.
The jury found Rahman did the acts alleged. They were
one count of rape of a child under 13 and two counts of sexual assault.
Judge Huw Rees described Rahman, who was not present
for the sentencing, as "elderly, frail with significant cognitive
impairment" and dementia.
The judge said Rahman's "current presentation is
not of a nature or degree that would meet the criteria for detention",
leaving limited options as a result.
He explained that, under the Criminal Procedure
(Insanity) Act of 1964, the court had three choices: a hospital order, a
supervision order, or an order for absolute discharge.
Two psychiatrists concluded that neither a hospital
order nor a supervision order would be appropriate in Rahman's case.
Judge Huw Rees therefore made the order of absolute
discharge but said this disposal "is peculiar to the insanity act"
and did not reflect "the seriousness of the experience" of the
victim.
Source: BBC
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-62971626
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French and Iranian presidents meet amid nuclear talks
stalemate
20 September, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron held face-to-face
talks with his Iranian counterpart President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday with the
French leader saying he hoped to be able to “discuss all subjects”.
The meeting is Raisi's first head-to-head with a major
Western leader since he was elected last year.
It comes amid a complete stalemate to revive the 2015
nuclear talks and as protests grow in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, 22,
who fell into a coma and died after her arrest in Tehran last week by the
morality police for “unsuitable attire”.
France said on Monday that there would not be a better
offer for Iran to revive a nuclear deal with world powers and it was up to
Tehran to make a decision now. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who
coordinates the talks, said he saw little chance of progress at the United Nations
General Assembly.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Türkiye saves 283 migrants after Mediterranean mayday
call
Deniz Cicek Palabiyik
20.09.2022
Türkiye’s Coast Guard saved the lives of 283 irregular
migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, authorities said on Tuesday.
The migrants were rescued on Monday night after an
emergency call was received from a location some 100 miles south of Kas, a
coastal town in southwestern Türkiye, according to the Turkish Interior
Ministry.
After the mayday call, all nearby commercial ships
were contacted and told to reach the location as soon as possible, while four
Turkish Coast Guard boats were simultaneously dispatched.
The Turkish Navy also sent a frigate and corvette to
assist in the rescue mission. It also used a drone to track down the migrants’
boat.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkiye-saves-283-migrants-after-mediterranean-mayday-call/2690204
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Lawsuit filed against member of PKK terror group in
Germany
Cuneyt Karadag
20.09.2022
BERLIN
A lawsuit was filed Monday in Germany against a man on
the grounds that he is both a member and administrator of the PKK terrorist
organization.
The suit against Ozgur A. was filed in the city of
Koblenz, according to a statement from the federal prosecutor's office in the
city of Karlsruhe.
According to the statement, Ozgur A. has been a member
of the PKK since May 2018 and has held numerous positions, including that of a
regional officer in Hamburg, Berlin, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate.
He was primarily responsible for the organization's
collection of donation money, particularly in Berlin, where he collected money
from donors, it said.
The suspect was also responsible for the coordination
of the organization, personnel and propaganda efforts. As the regional manager,
he also gave instructions to his subordinates and received updates from them on
developments.
The statement said Ozgur A was apprehended in Bremen
on April 29 and held there while awaiting trial.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/lawsuit-filed-against-member-of-pkk-terror-group-in-germany/2689237
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Southeast
Asia
Philippine Activists Vow To ‘Never Forget’ Former
Dictator Marcos-Era Human Rights Abuses
September 21, 2022
MANILA: Philippine activists vowed today to “never
forget” the human rights abuses under former dictator Ferdinand Marcos as they
marked 50 years since his imposition of martial law.
Amnesty International estimates thousands of people
were killed and tens of thousands tortured and imprisoned after Marcos imposed
martial law on Sept 21, 1972, unleashing security forces on rivals, critics and
dissidents.
Marcos’ son is now the president of the Philippines,
and campaigners have urged him to recognise the violence.
“The Marcoses need to at least acknowledge their role
in those dark days,” said Carlos Conde, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, as
activists and victims marked the 50th anniversary of the start of martial law.
“Without truth-telling, without the space for
Filipinos to understand and accept what happened during martial law, we can
never find closure, we can never move forward.”
Half a century after the martial law began, 11,103
people have been officially recognised as victims of torture, killings,
enforced disappearances and other abuses.
They have been compensated with some of the wealth,
estimated to be in the billions of dollars, stolen by Marcos and his wife
Imelda.
But human rights groups say there has never been a
true reckoning of the abuses – or those responsible held to account.
Marcos was toppled from power by a bloodless “people
power” revolt in 1986 and the family was chased into exile.
After the patriarch’s death in 1989, they returned to
the Philippines and began a remarkable political comeback that culminated with
Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s victory in the May 9 presidential election.
‘One of the darkest periods’
His landslide win was helped by a massive online
misinformation campaign that portrayed the Marcos clan in a positive light and
whitewashed abuses and corruption during the dictatorship.
Martial law victims and activists have described the
Marcos regime as “one of the darkest periods” in the country’s history.
They accuse Marcos Jr and his supporters of distorting
the facts about martial law and falsely portraying it as a “golden age” for the
Philippines.
“There are young Filipinos who are interested in
learning what really happened in spite of many others who were really blinded,”
said former political prisoner Bonnie Ilagan, who spent two years in jail where
he was repeatedly tortured.
“The fight continues. We must never forget.”
Ilagan and others accused Marcos’ allies in Congress
of slashing budgets and weakening the government agencies responsible for
preserving the nation’s past.
Marcos Jr, who has repeatedly praised his father’s
rule, last week defended martial law as “necessary” to protect the country
against communist and Muslim insurgencies.
“We do recognise the problems that happened, the
abuses that occurred like in any war,” Marcos Jr said.
But he said critics were “wrong” to call his father a
“dictator”.
“There’s no reason to revise history,” he said, while
suggesting school textbooks need to be rewritten “only if they’re wrong”.
Cristina Palabay of the Karapatan human rights
alliance accused Marcos Jr and his administration of peddling “one lie after
another”.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Ignorant to say Dr M resigned as govt ‘not Malay
enough’, says lawyer
September 20, 2022
PETALING JAYA: Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla has
criticised former attorney-general (AG) Tommy Thomas for claiming that Dr
Mahathir Mohamad had resigned as the seventh prime minister because of the
impression that his government was not “Malay enough”.
Haniff, who has acted as counsel for Mahathir in the
past, said Thomas was ignorant of the Federal Constitution as the then Bersatu
chairman had lost the majority support of MPs in February 2020 and had to
resign.
“(The Sheraton Move) made it a ‘must’, not a need or
want, for the prime minister to relinquish his position, as Mahathir did on Feb
24. It is because he lost the confidence of the majority (of MPs) as the prime
minister,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.
Haniff reminded Thomas that Article 43(4) of the
Federal Constitution stated that if a prime minister lost the confidence of the
majority of MPs, he or she must resign.
“He cannot put politics or anything else above the
constitution, he must seek an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to
resign. That is what Mahathir did, after several Bersatu (and PKR) MPs left
Pakatan Harapan,” he said, urging Thomas to apologise for his remarks.
Haniff also accused his fellow lawyer of being
“racist” when he was the AG, saying this could be seen in his memoirs, “My
Story: Justice in the Wilderness.”
“We can see how he sought opinions from non-Malay
lawyers (from the private sector), while sidelining the senior lawyers in the
AG’s office.
“I leave it to Thomas to state the facts and apologise
for his outdated thinking that any Muslim administration will fail”.
At a forum on Saturday, Thomas urged the opposition to
get voters to ask themselves whether a “Malay government” had made the country
better and more efficient.
He claimed that Mahathir had resigned as prime
minister because of the impression that his government was not “Malay enough”.
However, two-and-a-half years after Mahathir’s resignation, the Cabinet was
dominated by Malays and non-Malays had been sidelined, he was reported as
saying.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Malaysia must move towards renewable resources, says
Perak sultan
September 20, 2022
PETALING JAYA: Perak’s Sultan Nazrin Shah has called
on Malaysia to shift from unsustainable and damaging fossil fuels towards far
greater use of renewable resources.
He said if such resources were effectively harnessed,
energy consumption would not need to be rationed.
“Similarly, current methods of food production,
whether of crops, livestock or fish, can be adapted so that they become
sustainable and regenerative rather than damaging,” he said at the Cooler Earth
Sustainability Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Bernama reported.
“Technological advances will help us greatly in this
quest, such as with the use of drones to make fertiliser delivery more precise,
or the increase of battery capacity to facilitate energy storage.
“Economic growth thus can and must continue, but it
must be decoupled from its current overuse of limited natural resources and
over-reliance on fragile ecosystems.”
Sultan Nazrin said this transition does not require
Malaysia to abandon economic growth altogether nor must there be a trade-off
between growth and sustainability as such trade-off would unfairly preclude
further development for many.
He said working towards sustainability required
greatly improved environmental governance. Therefore, much better regulatory
and administrative coordination must be developed among the agencies that
manage environmental matters.
“We need to put into place an ecosystem-based approach
that includes all stakeholders and always place broad-based social and economic
inclusion at the centre of our sustainability strategies.
“Inclusive development, by definition, must embrace
the needs of both current and future generations. Choices made now will leave
an indelible mark on the country’s future,” he said.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Better to push for other safeguards, analyst tells
Sabah, Sarawak
September 20, 2022
PETALING JAYA: A political scientist said it will be
better for Sabah and Sarawak to pursue two other safeguards to better protect
and advance their regional interests, instead of pushing for a 35% quota of
Dewan Rakyat seats.
Wong Chin Huat of Sunway University said one safeguard
was the devolution of power in areas such as education, medicine and health,
which was enjoyed by Singapore but denied to the two Bornean states.
The other was for a fully elected and empowered Dewan
Negara, with a 17% representation from each state, giving senators the right to
reject bills from the Dewan Rakyat.
“I believe a holistic and well-planned
decentralisation is good for not just Sabah and Sarawak, but also for the
territorial integrity of Malaysia and welfare of the Malayan states,” he said
in a Facebook post.
Wong was responding to statements by Bersih chairman
Thomas Fann and Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg on the matter.
While Fann said the country’s democracy would be
weakened by 35% of the Dewan Rakyat seats given to the two states, Abang Johari
said Sarawak agreed in principle on the restoration of the quota, although he
was in no hurry to do so.
The decision to restore the quota was reached by a
special council on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Wong noted that the current combined share of Sabah
and Sarawak’s parliamentary seats came to nearly 25%.
However, he cautioned that the decision to restore the
quota could be a pre-election promise that was likely to be forgotten after the
polls, similar to the promise to return 50% of all tax revenue collected from
Sabah and Sarawak made before the 2018 general election.
He said the 25% parliamentary representation allocated
for East Malaysia was not based on equal representation but
over-representation.
The population of both Sabah and Sarawak combined was
smaller than that of Singapore, but the Bornean states were given a total of 40
seats compared to Singapore’s 15, he said.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
Mideast
Iran MP criticizes ‘morality police’ after protests
over death of Mahsa Amini
20 September, 2022
An Iranian lawmaker made a rare stand Tuesday to
criticize the controversial “morality police,” following protests over the
death of a young woman they had arrested, local media reported.
Public anger has grown since authorities on Friday
announced the death of Mahsa Amini, following her arrest by the police unit
responsible for enforcing Iran’s strict dress code for women, including the
wearing of the headscarf in public.
The 22-year-old died in hospital after three days in a
coma.
Her death comes amid growing controversy both inside
and outside Iran over the conduct of the morality police, known formally as the
Gasht-e Ershad, or “Guidance Patrol.”
Jalal Rashidi Koochi, a member of parliament, told the
ISNA news agency that “Gasht-e Ershad is wrong because it has had no result
except loss and damage for the country,” adding that “the main problem is that
some people resist accepting the truth.”
Koochi questioned if the current policy of enforcing
those breaking dress regulations was effective.
“Do the people who are taken to these explanatory
classes by the Guidance Patrol become conscious and repent when they come out?”
Koochi said, ISNA reported.
On Sunday, police made arrests and fired tear gas in
the dead woman’s home province of Kurdistan, where some 500 people had
protested, some smashing car windows and torching rubbish bins, reports said.
On Monday, demonstrations were held in Tehran,
including in several universities, and the second city Mashhad, according to
the Fars and Tasnim news agencies.
Protesters in Tehran were dispersed by “police using
batons and tear gas,” according to Fars news agency.
“Several hundred people chanted slogans against the
authorities, some of them took off their hijab (headscarves),” Fars added.
Tehran Governor Mohsen Mansouri on Tuesday said the
protests in the capital were “fully organized with the agenda to create
unrest,” in a post on Twitter.
“Burning the flag, pouring fuel on the roads, throwing
stones, attacking the police, setting fire to motorcycles and garbage cans,
destroying public property... is not the work of ordinary people,” he said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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British-Palestinian investigation concludes Abu
Akleh's killing 'deliberate'
Awad al-Rujoub
20.09.2022
RAMALLAH, Palestine
A new investigation conducted by British and
Palestinian groups concluded that Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was
deliberately killed by Israeli forces.
The London-based Forensic Architecture and Palestinian
Al-Haq rights group said the findings of their joint investigation were
submitted on Tuesday to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by Abu Akleh's
family.
“The investigation was a scientific and documented
study that concluded that the killing was deliberate by the Israeli army,’
Shawn Jabarin, the director of Al-Haq rights group, told Anadolu Agency.
He said the forensic engineering unit of the Forensic
Architecture group has reviewed the field where Abu Akleh was killed and
gathered all related documents, photos and videos, adding that the probe lasted
for several days.
The investigation also examined the Israeli sniper’s
precise angle of fire, and concluded that the sniper was able to clearly tell
that there were journalists in the area.
The complaint to ICC by Abu Akleh's family was
supported by the Palestinian Press Syndicate and the International Federation
of Journalists.
Abu Akleh, 51, a Palestinian-American journalist, was
killed on May 11, and the Palestinian Health Ministry said she was shot in the
head while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Several leading media agencies, including Al Jazeera,
CNN, Associated Press, Washington Post, and the New York Times, conducted their
own investigations, which all came to an end that Abu Akleh was killed by an
Israeli bullet.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Iran says investigating woman’s death, rebuffs US
calls for accountability
Syed Zafar Mehdi
20.09.2022
TEHRAN, Iran
Iranian authorities have launched an investigation
into the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody, the country’s foreign
minister said, rebuffing US calls for accountability.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian termed
Mahsa Amini's death as "tragic" and said she was "just like our
own daughters".
The top Iranian diplomat took strong umbrage to a
statement issued by the White House, asserting that human rights are of
"inherent value" to Iran "unlike those who use it as a tool
against adversaries".
"Instead of shedding crocodile tears, US must end
#EconomicTerrorism," he wrote.
Amini was on Friday taken to a police station in
Tehran by members of the morality police for alleged violation of the Islamic
dress code.
Inside the police station, the 22-year-old woman
fainted in mysterious circumstances and was later pronounced dead at a Tehran
hospital, according to a CCTV footage released by the police.
In a statement on Monday, the White House National
Security Council termed the Iranian woman's death as an "appalling and
egregious affront to human rights.”
"Women in Iran should have the right to wear what
they want, free from violence or harassment. Iran must end its use of violence
against women for exercising their fundamental freedoms," said the Council’s
spokesman, calling for "accountability" into her death.
On Friday, soon after the news broke out, US special
envoy on Iran, Robert Malley, described the incident as "appalling".
"Iran must end its violence against women for
exercising their fundamental rights. Those responsible for her death should be
held accountable," he tweeted.
At a weekly presser in Tehran on Monday, Iran's
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani dismissed remarks by US officials on
the young woman's death, calling it "intervention" in Iran's domestic
affairs.
"If the US government is concerned about the
Iranian nation, it should lift its decades-old oppressive, unilateral, illegal
siege against it," Kanaani said.
The capital Tehran and other major Iranian cities have
been rocked by angry protests in the past few days over Amini's death, with
protesters calling for justice and accountability.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has asked the interior
ministry to investigate the incident as protests continue to grow louder.
Police say the young woman died of cardiac arrest but
her family alleges that Amini had no medical history and was in good health.
Iran's top judiciary official, Mohseni Ejei, in a
statement on Monday said he has ordered the country's judicial bodies of
conducting a "thorough investigation" into the case.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Nuclear Chief: IAEA Intending to Close Anti-Iran Cases
2022-September-20
"Messages delivered by the United Nations nuclear
agency to us show that they intend to close the case of alleged
locations," Eslami stated on Monday.
He expressed hope that the IAEA would be
"honest" in this case and would not "waste its time"
anymore, adding that they should not think that in such cases they can exert
"maximum pressure".
Referring to the agreement with the IAEA Director
General Rafael Grossi, Eslami noted that "Iran will answer the questions
on the condition that IAEA closes the case".
The AEOI head highlighted that the Zionists are
looking to make changes to the NPT [for becoming a member], but they have not
yet reached a consensus with other members.
The official said that according to the signs the
Europeans have been willing to make a deal, but their main intention is to
isolate Iran and somehow with the nuclear deal they want to buy time to
“undermine us”.
Eslami added that they disagreed with Iran's fuel
cycle even before the Islamic Revolution.
Iran has always had full cooperation with the IAEA and
allowed it to visit the country’s nuclear sites, but calls the nuclear agency's
approach unconstructive and destructive.
Back in mid-September, AEOI Spokesman Behrouz
Kamalvandi said Tehran has fully cooperated with the IAEA about three sites in
question inside the country, adding that detection of nuclear traces at Iranian
sites does not mean Tehran has undeclared nuclear material.
Kamalvandi stressed that remarks by Grossi regarding
potentially undeclared sites in Iran were unwarranted.
"Iran has been fully cooperative regarding the
three alleged sites brought up by the nuclear watchdog and has sent information
and answers to the nuclear agency's questions and has also held meetings to
resolve the ambiguity," the AEOI spokeperson asserted.
“Since the nuclear agency has accounted for all of
Iran’s declared nuclear material and there is no discrepancy, the mere
detection of contamination in some sites cannot be taken to mean undeclared
nuclear material,” he noted.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010629000169/Nclear-Chief-IAEA-Inending-Clse-Ani-Iran-Cases
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Four Iranian police officers wounded, one assistant
killed after protests: Report
21 September, 2022
Four Iranian police officers were injured and one
“police assistant” died from injuries on Tuesday in the southern city of Shiraz
following violent protests, the official IRNA news agency reported on
Wednesday.
“On Tuesday evening, some people clashed with police
officers and as a result one of the police assistants was killed. In this
incident, four other police officers were injured in Shiraz,” IRNA said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Israel to seal off occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip for
Jewish holidays
20 September, 2022
Israel will seal off the occupied West Bank and Gaza
Strip ahead of three Jewish holidays marking nearly a month of religious
commemorations, the military said on Tuesday.
Palestinians will not be allowed to leave the West
Bank or Gaza Strip to enter Israel during the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashana,
later this month, as well as the Yom Kippur and Sukkot holidays in October.
“During the closure, passage will be allowed only in
humanitarian, medical and exceptional cases,” said the army, which regularly
imposes these measures during the holidays.
The closures come against a backdrop of soaring
tensions after a series of deadly attacks on Israelis since March.
Since then, the Israeli army has stepped up raids in
the West Bank, notably in the regions of Nablus and Jenin where Palestinian
armed groups are active.
The operations, which according to the army are aimed
at arresting people suspected of “terrorism,” are frequently punctuated by
clashes with fighters or residents.
Dozens of Palestinians, including members of armed
groups, have been killed.
On Tuesday, a Palestinian was killed in clashes in the
city of Nablus in a rare operation by Palestinian Authority security forces to
arrest members of the Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s secular Fatah has
been at loggerheads with Hamas since 2007, when the Islamist movement took
control of Gaza after a near civil war.
Since then, reconciliation efforts have failed.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/09/20/Israel-to-seal-off-occupied-West-Bank-Gaza-Strip-for-Jewish-holidays
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Iran says it arrested foreign nationals during Tehran
protests
20 September, 2022
Iran arrested several foreign nationals during
anti-government protests in Tehran, the capital’s governor said on Tuesday,
accusing foreign intelligence services of involvement in the country’s ongoing
unrest.
“Some citizens from three foreign countries” were
among those detained during protests in Tehran on Monday, the semi-official
Tasnim news agency quoted Mohsen Mansouri as saying.
Mansouri did not specify how many foreigners were
arrested.
He accused some foreign embassies and intelligence
services of being involved in the unrest in Tehran. “The traces of the
intervention by some foreign embassies and [intelligence] services are clearly
visible.”
Anti-government protests have erupted across Iran
since Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, was pronounced dead on
Friday. Amini fell into a coma shortly after she was detained by the morality
police for not complying with the regime’s strict hijab rules in Tehran on
September 13.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Palestinian Authority operation to arrest Hamas member
sparks clashes in West Bank
20 September, 2022
A rare operation by the Palestinian Authority security
forces to arrest a Hamas member sparked clashes in the West Bank city of Nablus
on Tuesday, killing one.
A statement from the security forces confirmed the
death of Firas Yaish and said they were “waiting for a medical report,” on the
circumstances of his killing.
He was killed “in a place where no security personnel
were present,” forces spokesman Talal Dweikat said in a statement.
Unrest persisted through the morning, with hundreds of
youths hurling rocks at PA armored vehicles and the sound of gunfire ringing
out across the city center, AFP correspondents reported.
Hamas, historic rivals of the secular Fatah movement
that controls the PA, condemned the arrest of 30-year-old Musaab Shtayyeh,
calling it a “kidnapping... a national crime” and a “stain” on the PA’s image.
It demanded the immediate release of Shtayyeh and
Ameed Tbaileh, who was arrested with him, and blasted the PA for keeping up
security coordination with Israel.
“The authority has positioned itself as an exclusive
agent of the occupation (Israel) in the face of our Palestinian people,” the
statement said.
While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s forces
maintain security ties with Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since
1967, PA raids targeting Hamas members are not common.
Fatah and Hamas have made various reconciliation
attempts in recent years, but relations remain tense. Hamas has controlled Gaza
since 2007, when it ousted PA forces from the coastal enclave in deadly street
battles.
The northern West Bank has suffered near daily
violence in recent months.
Israel has conducted dozens of night-time raids in the
area, particularly in Jenin, pursuing wanted individuals.
Dozens of Palestinians, including fighters, have been
killed in the raids that began after a series of deadly attacks against Israeli
targets in March.
Israel has put mounting pressure on the PA to crack
down on alleged militants in the West Bank.
Last week, after two Palestinians and an Israeli
soldier were killed in clashes near Jenin, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid
said he would “not hesitate to act in any place that the Palestinian Authority
does not maintain order.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Africa
Voting across ethno-religious lines will further
divide Nigeria – Miyetti Allah
September 20, 2022
By Joe Chukindi
The leadership of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders
Association (MACBAN) in the South-East has said voting along ethno-religious
lines in the forthcoming 2023 general election will further divide Nigeria.
The group urged Nigerians to vote for the most
credible presidential candidate instead, saying Nigerians should shun
primordial sentiments.
Chairman of the group in the South East, Gidado
Sidikki, who spoke during a press conference on Tuesday said, “I advice
Nigerians to vote for the most credible presidential candidate that will make
Nigeria safe for every citizen, irrespective of tribe or religion.”
Siidikki called on members of the group in the country
to restrict their movement during the campaigns and also tell their parents or
masters where they are going out for grazing.
He hailed the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma
Soludo on his achievement within the six months he has been in office, saying
he has shown dedication within the period.
Source: Daily Post Nigeria
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Dogara warns Christians against ‘wasting votes’ on
Muslim-Muslim ticket
By Rauf Oyewole, Bauchi
21 September 2022
Former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu
Dogara, has urged Christians not to “waste” their votes in 2023, saying the
Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is “antithetical”
to nation building.
Dogara spoke in Abuja, yesterday, at a summit, tagged:
‘Meet the Church’, organised by the Nigerian National Christian Coalition
(NNCC), with the theme, ‘The role of the Church in nation building.’
Dogara and former Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Babachir Lawal, and other Christian politicians from the north have
publicly expressed opposition to the party’s same-faith ticket.
Dogara, citing Matthew 25:14-30, said, according to
one of Jesus’ most significant parables, Christians must “invest everything God
gives us, not waste it. ”
He argued that APC ignored warnings by the Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN), Catholic Secretariat, ECWA Church and many other
church bodies, and adopted the ticket in a manner that negated the fundamentals
of nation building, such as shared identity, values and vision.
He said: “The APC adopted a same-faith ticket in a
country that has never attained nationhood. These warnings were not only
ignored but also dismissed in one fell swoop by the APC presidential candidate,
who strangely believes that he can build a strong, secure and viable
nation-state without first forging a shared identity, vision and value for our
people, thereby enabling us transit from citizens of a country into a nation of
people with strong shared identity and values
“In their convoluted posturing, they have placed state
building ahead of nation building; a task never before achieved in history. And
we need no seer to tell us that such endeavour is guaranteed to end in
spectacular failure. No divided people have ever built any civilization.
Dogara added: “To demonstrate that the Church is
right, it is not alone in condemning the same faith ticket. Other prominent
Islamic clerics and Muslim leaders have also spoken in the same light. It is a
good omen that both Christian and Muslim elites are not complacent over this
matter.
“To this end, it will be easy to generate the needed
elite consensus that is key to nation building. All nations are built by elite
consensus, while all countries that failed at nation-building were destroyed by
elite complacency.
“Granted that the Christians and Muslims will always
disagree on some issues, there are, however, many things over which we are
agreeable.
Source: Guardian Nigeria
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://guardian.ng/news/dogara-warns-christians-against-wasting-votes-on-muslim-muslim-ticket/
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Ethiopia says nearly 3,600 people killed by Tigray
rebels in Amhara, Afar
Addis Getachew
20.09.2022
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Ethiopia said on Tuesday that nearly 3,600 people were
killed extrajudicially in northern states by Tigray rebels between September
2021 and January 2022.
A ministerial committee that published the report was
formed last year after the UN high commissioner for human rights, and the
Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in a joint investigation blamed both warring
parties for rights abuses.
War resumed in northern Ethiopia between government
forces and Tigray rebels on Aug. 24, extending an almost two-year-long conflict
that has already killed thousands and displaced millions of others.
Hopes for peace talks between the Tigray People’s
Liberation Front (TPLF) and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government were handed
a welcome boost earlier this month after the rebels said they were willing to
halt fighting and take part in a dialogue led by the African Union.
According to the report, the TPLF killed 3,598
civilians in Amhara and Afar regional states.
Another 1,315 people sustained injuries, while 2,212
females including girls and minors were raped by the TPLF fighters, it added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Why Somalia’s drought and looming food crisis require
an innovative response
September 20, 2022
NEW YORK CITY: Just a few months ago, Somalia was
promised a new era. After a peaceful vote and an equally peaceful transfer of
power, many had hoped that a line had been drawn under decades of clan
divisions, factious politics, heightened tensions between Mogadishu and the
regions, and a persistent extremist presence.
In recent years, Somalia recorded encouraging economic
growth as well, lifting the hopes of the international community further. Until
a perfect storm, consisting of the coronavirus pandemic, a locust infestation
and floods, struck the country, rolling back the gains.
A new president, whose election had crowned a period
of hope that saw the drafting of a new provisional constitution, the
establishment of a federal government, and the subsequent formation of five new
federal member states, had promised to focus on national reconciliation and on
further political and financial reforms.
James Swan, the UN special representative to Somalia,
had told the Security Council that Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s presidency offered a
“long-awaited opportunity to advance urgent national priorities.”
Yet it is not because of this progress that Somalia is
set to be a major focus of this year’s 77th session of the UN General Assembly.
Once again, the country finds itself facing a state of alarming emergency
resulting from multiple, overlapping crises.
The UN’s World Meteorological Organization has
predicted that the Horn of Africa is likely to face a fifth consecutive failed
rainy season over the months of October to December. Somalia is one of the most
vulnerable countries to climate change and is ill-equipped to cope with this
drought, the worst it has experienced in 40 years.
There is no end in sight, many say. Five years of
drought have depleted the country’s water levels, leading to crop failure, with
agricultural production falling 70 percent below average. More than 3 million
livestock have perished. The animals that remained are now emaciated.
And getting aid to those in need remains a tremendous
challenge. Some areas are hard to reach owing to poor road infrastructure.
Others are under the control of Al-Shabab, an uncompromising, unpopular group
with links to Al-Qaeda.
A deadly insurgency by Al-Shabab against the federal
government has resulted in humanitarian aid convoys being attacked. In a
vicious cycle, the scarcity that Al-Shabab is exacerbating is in turn leading
to more young Somalis being vulnerable to recruitment.
Then came the war in Ukraine, the reverberations from
which have been deeply felt in the Horn of Africa. The resultant spike in global
grain prices has pushed millions of Somalis to leave their homes and look for
food, carrying starving and malnourished children on the way.
Only those who are physically capable of leaving have
left, however. As for the most vulnerable, the children, Somalia’s newest
generation, they are perishing.
“Food insecurity is a global problem,” Abdirahman
Abdishakur, Somalia’s special presidential envoy for drought response, told
Arab News.
“The whole world has been affected by disruptions to
global supply chains of grain, fertilizer and fuel arising from the conflict in
Ukraine. Much like the rest of the world, Somalia has also been affected.
“The difference for Somalia is that this crisis is
coming on top of many others that the country has been reeling from for
decades.”
UN reports indicate that some communities,
particularly agro-pastoral populations in Baidoa and Burhakaba districts and
displaced people in the Baidoa town of the Bay region, will experience famine
starting in October if aid is not immediately scaled up.
Abdishakur is in New York City to lobby and urge
donors, the international community, and the Somali diaspora to support the
drought response “before it is too late.”
Various UN bodies, including children’s fund UNICEF,
the World Food Program, and the Food and Agriculture Organization, have
repeatedly warned that the emergency shows no signs of letting up.
In a statement, the FAO said that “without action,
famine will occur within the next few weeks,” adding that drought-related
deaths had already been occurring and the toll could be much higher in
hard-to-reach rural areas, compared with the number recorded in camps for
displaced families.
During the famine of 2011, 340,000 Somali children
required treatment for severe acute malnutrition, James Elder, UNICEF
spokesperson, said in Geneva, Switzerland. “Today it’s 513,000. It’s a pending
nightmare we have not seen this century.”
According to the FAO, approximately 6.7 million people
in Somalia will likely endure high levels of acute food insecurity between
October and December this year, including more than 300,000 who have been left
“empty-handed” by the country’s triple emergency and who are expected to fall
into famine.
Abdishakur said: “Needs have escalated, and funds
remain below what is required. The window for the international community is
literally now. If the world doesn’t scale up assistance, famine could be here
as soon as October.”
Although such dire predictions have thrown Somalia
into the limelight, famine projections were actually made back in March.
“Many governments have increased their funding over
the course of the drought, and we are very grateful. However, the need for
adequate levels of funding to contain the initial emergency was not met,
allowing the situation to spiral into the crisis we are experiencing today,” he
added.
Now, Abdishakur is leading a call for a more
aggressive humanitarian response to the crisis to save as many lives as
possible.
“The sheer severity of the situation demands a more
aggressive, innovative, and tangible reaction from the international
community,” he said. And he called on the international community to “rally in
the spirit of humanitarian diplomacy” and increase their contributions “before
it’s too late.”
“No one should be dying from starvation in 2022. In
this world of staggering wealth, skills and knowledge, there should be enough
support to go around,” he added.
It is not the first or even 10th time that an
emergency appeal has been made for Somalia to donor countries, and Abdishakur
noted that it would not be the last if the same approach continued to be taken
each year by Somalia’s government or the international community.
He said: “I do not want to be knocking on doors again
in five years’ time or ever. Around 1 billion dollars is spent on aid to our
country annually yet needs continue to increase. Humanitarian support is vital
during a crisis, but it cannot be a permanent solution.”
Somalis are aware of the progress they had begun to
get a taste for, but now fear that their country’s full potential will not be
achieved.
According to experts, had that potential been
utilized, Somalia could have contributed to food security and sustainable
energy production in the Horn of Africa and the world.
As the presidential envoy for drought response, Abdishakur
is advocating a new way of working aimed at ultimately ending the cycle of
hunger and suffering that focuses on long-term adaptation to, and mitigation
of, climate change.
Along with the urgent funds needed to save lives, he
has called for investments that focus on fighting food insecurity, help foster
livelihoods, and build infrastructure, especially roads.
He said that between 20 and 40 percent of agricultural
produce in Somalia was lost in transportation because of poor roads.
“Somalia needs partnerships that make its people
thrive by continuing to live their traditional way of life with some added
climate-adaptive and mitigation practices,” Abdishakur said
“Somalia has resources. We have minerals, rivers,
wind, and natural gas. We have the longest coastline in Africa. We have a large
agro-pastoral population, who live off ample pasture and export livestock to
global markets when drought is not scorching their land.
“To break away from recurrent crises, we need the
international community to understand the importance of building the resilience
of our people to climate, economic, and security shocks.
“Along with urgently saving lives, international
engagement in Somalia must contribute to livelihoods, develop vital modern
infrastructure like roads and irrigation channels, and help families adapt to a
new climate reality.”
Looking to the future, Abdishakur said: “We know that
our government has a long way to go but we are committed to ending this crisis
and stopping the cycle, including through improvements to the way we function,
our transparency, and accountability.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2166446/world
--------
North
America
American Muslims as likely as general population to
serve in US military, poll finds
20 September 2022
American Muslims are just as likely as any other faith
group to serve in the US military, a new poll by the Institute for Social
Policy and Understanding (Ispu) has found.
More specifically, white Muslims are more likely than
white non-Muslims among the general American public to serve in the military.
The numbers in the poll came down to 17 percent versus 11 percent.
The findings were listed in Ispu’s American Muslim
Poll 2022: A Politics and Pandemic Status Report.
According to the poll, roughly four in five Muslims in
America hold US citizenship. However, Muslims are still just as likely to serve
in the military as the general American public.
The poll found that 11 percent of Muslims, 10 percent
of Catholics and Protestants, 13 percent of white Evangelicals, and nine
percent of the nonaffiliated and the general public served in the armed forces.
"What the findings tell us is that American
Muslims are part and parcel of American society, so it's not necessarily a
surprise that we would find representation in the US military,” Ispu research
project manager and American Muslim Poll 2022 co-author Erum Ikramullah told
Middle East Eye.
The poll also specifies that white Muslims (17
percent) are more likely than Asian (4 percent) and Arab Muslims (less than 1
percent) to serve in the military. When it comes to Black Muslims, they are
just as likely as Black non-Muslims to serve the US.
Those numbers seem to be unaffected by US
interventions in the largely Muslim Middle East. In August, a major study
entitled Introducing the Military Intervention Project: A New Dataset on US
Military Interventions, 1776–2019, concluded that US military interventions
"increasingly" target the Middle East and Africa, making up more than
a quarter of the country's campaigns throughout its history.
From its founding in 1776 to 2019, the US has
undertaken almost 400 military interventions, with more than a quarter
occurring in the post-Cold War period, the report found.
Source: Middle East Eye
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/american-muslims-us-military-likely-serve-poll-shows
--------
US Treasury says some satellite internet equipment can
be exported to Iran
21 September, 2022
US Treasury Department said on Tuesday some satellite
internet equipment can be exported to Iran, suggesting that SpaceX CEO Elon
Musk may not need a license to provide the firm's Starlink satellite broadband
service in the country.
Musk said on Monday the company will ask for an
exemption from sanctions against Iran. “Starlink will ask for an exemption to
Iranian sanctions in this regard,” Musk wrote on Twitter in reply to a tweet.
Musk's tweet did not give more details on his plans
but it came at a time of widespread protests in Iran over the death of a woman
in police custody. The Treasury did not specify whether the license would apply
to Musk's plans.
Some people on Twitter had asked Musk to provide the
satellite-based internet stations. Access to social media and some content is
tightly restricted in Iran.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets
Control (OFAC) has a longstanding license that “authorizes certain exports to
Iran of hardware, software, and services related to communications over the
internet, including certain consumer-grade Internet connectivity services and
residential consumer satellite terminals authorized under General License D-1,”
a department spokesperson said in a statement.
“For any exports not covered by existing
authorizations, OFAC welcomes applications for specific licenses to authorize
activities supporting internet freedom in Iran,” the statement added.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran, West at odds, US sees no breakthrough on nuclear
deal at UN
20 September, 2022
Iran and the West remained at loggerheads on Tuesday
over UN probes of uranium traces at three Iranian sites as the US said it did
not expect a breakthrough on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal at this week's
UN General Assembly.
Tehran has pushed Washington to commit to closing
investigations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into uranium
traces found at three undeclared sites before it will fully implement a
proposed deal to revive the nuclear pact.
The US and its partners, however, reject that stance,
arguing the investigations can only conclude when Iran has given satisfactory
answers to the Vienna-based UN agency.
Resolution of the investigations is critical to the
IAEA, which seeks to ensure parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are
not secretly diverting nuclear material which they could use to make a weapon.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Iranian President
Ebrahim Raisi each laid out familiar positions on the uranium traces issue
after their talks during the annual gathering of global leaders in New York.
“The ball is now in Iran's court which has to say
whether it accepts the conditions that have been set formally by the Americans
and Europeans,” Macron told reporters after meeting Raisi, saying the West
would not pressure the IAEA to close the probes.
Speaking in Washington, White House national security
adviser Jake Sullivan said he did not expect any breakthrough during this
week's UN meetings but reiterated the US willingness to revive the deal, under
which Iran limited its nuclear program in return for economic sanctions relief.
However, Raisi said Tehran continues to demand the
IAEA close its investigations and the US, which abandoned the nuclear deal in
2018 under then-President Donald Trump, provide guarantees to limit the effects
of its reneging again.
“Iran's demand to receive guarantees is a completely
reasonable and logical demand,” Raisi told Macron, according to the Iranian
leader's office. “We believe that it is not possible to reach an agreement
without the IAEA closing its probes.”
The Macron-Raisi meeting is the Iranian president's
first head-to-head with a major Western leader since he was elected last year.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Turkish
President Erdogan holds talks with leaders in New York
Servet
Gunerigok
20.09.2022
WASHINGTON
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks Tuesday with several state and
government leaders during the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
Erdogan
met separately with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Kyrgyz President Sadir
Caparov and later received Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at UN
headquarters.
Among
other leaders Erdogan had conversations with were Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Al
Thani, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, South Korean President Yoon Suk
Yeol and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
President
Erdogan of Türkiye meets UN chief in New York
Servet
Gunerigok
20.09.2022
NEW
YORK
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Tuesday with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at
UN headquarters after the Turkish president addressed the General Assembly.
No
details were provided about the meeting which came almost two months after
Türkiye and the UN brokered a grain deal with Russia and Ukraine.
Türkiye,
the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 in Istanbul to
restart grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused
after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February.
A
Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN
was set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/president-erdogan-of-turkiye-meets-un-chief-in-new-york/2690242
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US
court overturns Adnan Syed's prison sentence after 2 decades
Seda
Sevencan
20.09.2022
A
US judge on Monday overturned the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, who was
convicted for the 1999 killing of his former girlfriend.
Baltimore
Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn vacated the conviction of Syed, granted a new
trial, and ordered his immediate release after 22 years in prison.
Syed,
now 41, was found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and
sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years. He had always maintained his
innocence.
The
judge acknowledged that the state had failed to share exculpatory evidence --
known as a Brady violation -- that could have helped his defense at trial.
“Judge
Phinn's motion acknowledges that the State has proven that there was a Brady
violation in Mr. Syed's case and that new evidence has come to light,” Office
of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City said in a statement, adding that
Phinn placed Syed on home detention with GPS monitoring.
The
state's attorney, Marilyn Mosby, added: “Justice has prevailed with the outcome
of today's hearing.
“After
a nearly year-long investigation reviewing the facts of this case, my team
successfully argued that Mr. Syed deserves a new trial where he can be
adequately represented and the latest evidence can be presented.”
Prosecutors
have 30 days to schedule a new trial or drop the murder charge.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
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Turkish
president receives members of American Jewish community in New York
Servet
Gunerigok
20.09.2022
NEW
YORK
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received members of the American Jewish
community Monday in New York.
The
meeting with Jewish leaders took place at the Turkevi Center in Manhattan. It
was closed to the media.
Among
the leaders were Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chair of the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Gideon Taylor, president of
the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, Rabbi Marc Schneier,
president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Jack Rosen, president of
the American Jewish Congress, Abraham Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation
League, William Daroff, Chief Executive Officer of the Conference of Presidents
of Major American Jewish Organizations, and Turkish Jewish Community Co-chairs
Ishak Ibrahimzadeh and Erol Kohen.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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