Rajya Sabha Secretariat Reminded MPs Not To Use Slogans Like 'Vande Mataram' And 'Jai Hind' In Parliament To Maintain Decorum

New Age Islam News Bureau

28 November 2025

A view of the Parliament building, in New Delhi.(FILE Photo | ANI)

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·         Rajya Sabha Secretariat Reminded MPs Not To Use Slogans Like 'Vande Mataram' And 'Jai Hind' In Parliament To Maintain Decorum

·         Assam Assembly Passes Assam Prohibition Of Polygamy Bill, 2025 Criminalising Polygamy

·         Imam’s Deportation Highlights Italian Crackdown On Gaza Protests

·         Muslim Students Concerned As Quebec Government Tables Sweeping New Secularism Rules

·         Turkiye Not ‘Hostile’ To Christians, Constantinople Patriarch Says

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India

·         Dozens Of Raids Across Kashmir Target Banned Jamaat-E-Islami Links Amid Crackdown On Militancy

·         Srinagar Police Conducts Searches At Mosques, Madrasas In Crackdown On ‘Terror-Linked Networks’

·         Delhi car blast: Al-Falah chancellor forged papers to grab land of deceased Hindu owners; new details surface

·         Delhi blast probe finds terror suspect operated multiple Faridabad hideouts near university

·         Supreme Court Seeks Rajasthan Govt's Response On Plea Challenging Validity Of Anti-Conversion Law

·         As J&K Police say will search ‘till every hospital locker is accounted for’, dismay among doctors grows

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Europe

·         Seventh Met Police Officer Filmed In TV Exposé Sacked For Appalling Anti-Muslim Slurs

·         Russian courts freed two seriously ill Crimean Muslims. Months later, both are back in prison.

·         Accused tells terror trial he didn't know video of him contained Islamic State song

·         Sally Rooney books may be withdrawn from UK sale over Palestine Action ban, court told

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North America

·         Beyond Zohran Mamdani: Social Media Amplifies The Politics Of Feelings

·         Zohran Mamdani Does The Iconic Shah Rukh Khan Pose While Guessing Bollywood Songs With Mehdi Hasan

·         Rep. Randy Fine: Islam a National Threat, 'Deport Them All'

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Mideast

·         Four European Nations Urge Israel To End West Bank ‘Settler Violence’

·         Erdogan Praises Pope’s ‘Astute Stance’ On Palestinian Issue

·         How Israel’s use of AI in Gaza has transformed warfare and the ‘automation of apartheid’

·         Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in West Bank who appeared to be surrendering

·         Lebanese president rejects Israel’s criticism of army disarmament efforts

·         Israel launches new strikes in south Lebanon on ceasefire anniversary

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Africa

·         ‘Terrorists, Bandits Killing People Are Northerners And Muslims’ — Former Senator

·         ‘If My Son Turns Terrorist, Arrest Him’ – Lawmaker Declares Amid Nationwide Kidnap, Banditry Surge

·         It Is Unacceptable – Oshiomhole Blows Hot, Blasts Judges For Reducing Death Sentences Of Capital Offenders

·         Bandits Abduct 24 In Fresh Niger State Attack

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Arab World

·         Training Session For Islamic Preachers Concludes In Thailand

·         Ministry of Interior enhances services with AI

·         Saudi students bring cultures together at KFUPM WORLD

·         Aid distributed to quake victims in Afghanistan

·         Saudi Aviation Club signs agreement in bid to host largest annual air show in Middle East

·         Muslim World League launches Islamic digital reference platform

·         UN celebrates 80th anniversary at Riyadh office

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South Asia

·         Afghans Determined to Defend Their Country’s Sovereignty

·         Trump Vows Permanent Ban on Immigration from “Third-World” Nations

·         Turkey Sends 1,300 Tons of Humanitarian Aid to Afghanistan

·         Badakhshan Governor Visits Tajikistan for Border Security Talks

·         Afghanistan Wushu Team Returns with Bronze Medal

·         Jamaat launches post-earthquake building safety assessment

·         At least 20 hurt in BNP-Jamaat campaign clash

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Southeast Asia

·         JAKIM And JAWI Mosques To Hold Special Prayers For Flood Protection

·         National peace essential for Malaysia’s progress, says PM Anwar

·         Perak spends RM32 million on water subsidy and rebate programmes

·         PM Anwar confirms 40% revenue return to Sabah will be implemented

·         PM’s ex-aide Shamsul Iskandar's statement taken at MACC over corruption claims

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/rajya-sabha-vande-mataram-parliament/d/137806

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Rajya Sabha Secretariat Reminded MPs Not To Use Slogans Like 'Vande Mataram' And 'Jai Hind' In Parliament To Maintain Decorum

27 Nov 2025

A view of the Parliament building, in New Delhi.(FILE Photo | ANI)

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NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday hit out at the BJP after the Rajya Sabha Secretariat reminded MPs not to use slogans like 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jai Hind' in Parliament to maintain decorum, and said those who did not lose anything in the freedom movement and sided with the British have problems with slogans associated with the independence struggle.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said earlier the British had problems with these slogans which were used in the freedom struggle and now the BJP is having problems.

On November 24, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat reminded members not to use slogans like 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jai Hind' inside or outside the House to maintain decorum, citing them as a breach of parliamentary etiquette.

"I am shocked. What on earth is the objection to these slogans - the British had a problem with them, and now the BJP folks have too? What kind of people are they made of, those who find it difficult to utter the two most famous slogans of the freedom struggle in the House," Shrinate said in a video message.

She said 'Jai Hind' means the victory of Hindustan - may India always be victorious and this was the most powerful slogan of the freedom struggle as it beats in the heart of every Indian.

"It was composed in 1907 by the revolutionary Chempakaraman Pillai from Travancore, Kerala. Between 1914-1918, Pillai was active in the Indian freedom movement in Germany. He was the first to use 'Jai Hind' as a greeting and slogan among Indian revolutionaries living abroad," she said.

"In 1943-44, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the Azad Hind Fauj made 'Jai Hind' their official greeting and slogan, making it even more popular. Netaji would end all his speeches and radio messages broadcast from South East Asia and Germany with 'Jai Hind'. Netaji chose it because it was secular and united everyone," the Congress spokesperson added.

Shrinate said after independence in 1947, 'Jai Hind' was adopted by the Indian armed forces as their official greeting and salute and even today, it instills a sense of patriotism in the army, paramilitary forces, and every Indian.

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru made it even more popular. He would often end his speeches with 'Jai Hind', she noted.

Talking of 'Vande Mataram', she said, it is that glorious slogan and song in our history that gives India the status of a mother and pays homage to her, while bowing to her.

Written in 1870 by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, it was first sung by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 Indian National Congress session and in 1905, during the Swadeshi movement, it became the political and nationalist slogan of the masses, she said.

"Between 1906–1910, the British regime repeatedly banned it, leading to arrests for singing it. Whether it was protests for Swaraj or marches for independence, 'Vande Mataram' was always on the lips of the great heroes of freedom. Revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Khudiram Bose raised the slogan 'Vande Mataram' during their trials and at the time of hanging. On 24 January 1950, India's Constituent Assembly declared 'Vande Mataram' as India's national song.

"Now think about it: who could possibly have a problem with these slogans? Only those who didn't even lose the tiniest bit of a little fingernail in the freedom movement. Those who were slaves and informants to the British," the Congress leader said.

The advisory, mentioned in the 'Handbook for Members of Rajya Sabha', was issued ahead of the commencement of the parliamentary session on December 1.

"The decorum and the seriousness of the proceedings of the House require that there should be no 'Thanks', 'Thank You', 'Jai Hind', 'Vande Mataram' or any other slogans raised in the House," the Rajya Sabha notification said, while reminding MPs to observe the parliamentary customs and conventions.

Sources in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said that this is not the first time such an instruction has been issued. A similar circular was released during the UPA-led government in November 2005, also emphasising that raising slogans like 'Jai Hind' and 'Vande Mataram' was inconsistent with parliamentary customs and etiquette.

Source: newindianexpress.com

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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Nov/27/no-vande-mataram-jai-hind-slogans-in-parliament-congress-slams-bjp

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Assam Assembly Passes Assam Prohibition Of Polygamy Bill, 2025 Criminalising Polygamy

Nov 27, 2025

Assam assembly passes bill criminalising polygamy

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Guwahati: Assam Assembly on Thursday passed the Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025, marking a significant stride towards criminalising polygamy in the state.

This new legislation makes polygamous marriages a punishable offence, with penalties including up to seven years of imprisonment. If a person enters into a subsequent marriage while concealing the first, the punishment can extend to ten years. Additionally, village heads, quazis, parents, and legal guardians who dishonestly conceal facts or intentionally participate in polygamous marriages can face up to two years in jail.

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hailed the bill as a historic moment for women, promising that if he becomes CM in 2026, he would introduce the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the first assembly session. While the opposition, including Congress and AIUDF, criticised the bill as a breach of the Shariat Act of 1937, Sarma argued that monogamy is the norm in Islam, with polygamy being an exception. He said, “Ban on polygamy is a direction towards uniform civil code.”

With the 1937 Shariat law being recognised, Muslims were exempt from penalties for polygamy, unlike Hindus who faced legal consequences under sections of BNSS. Sarma said an expert committee advised that any state law contradicting parliamentary law requires the President’s assent. He expressed hope that President Droupadi Murmu, being a woman, would approve the Act passed in assembly.

He noted that a committee led by Justice (retd) Rumi Kumari Phukan sought public opinion on polygamy, and an overwhelming majority, including Muslims, supported a ban on polygamy. He said only two applications were received advocating for second marriages under specific circumstances, such as the wife’s inability to bear children or illness. He argued that the law would encourage adherence to true Islamic principles and claimed that Prophet Mohammad himself advocated monogamy.

Sarma countered AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam’s claim that Islam permits second marriages under certain conditions. Sarma said a wife should not be treated as a commodity and deserves lifelong care even if sick or unable to give birth.

Sarma said next on his agenda is to introduce mandatory marriage registration, eliminate instant divorce, and ensure equal rights in divorce proceedings. Sarma announced his future plans to introduce a bill against deceptive marriages, addressing issues like land-jihad and love-jihad.

Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal opposed the bill, arguing it overrides a central Act and should be reviewed by a select committee.

Source: indiatimes.com

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/assam-assembly-passes-bill-criminalising-polygamy/articleshow/125620022.cms

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Imam’s deportation highlights Italian crackdown on Gaza protests

27 November 2025

Italy's interior minister Matteo Piantedosi. (Ivan Romano/Getty Images)

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The deportation of an Imam from Turin, Italy has spurred demonstrations from pro-Palestinian activists, left-wing movements and immigrant communities amid a growing crackdown of groups perceived to be Hamas supporters.

On the morning of November 25, Italian police picked up Mohamed Shahin from his home in the city to send him back to Egypt, his home country, following an expulsion decree citing security reasons signed by the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi. The Imam was arrested and taken to the Turin repatriation centre. His residence permit was revoked and he was ordered to be immediately deported to Egypt.

As officers arrived, Shahin contacted the representatives of Torino per Gaza, a collective of activists that has organised numerous large demonstrations in support of Palestinians in the city.

The group quickly mobilised, condemning what it described as a political move: “His only crime is shouting for freedom for Palestine,” one statement read.

A demonstration was organised in front of the city prefecture to demand the Imam’s release. The Sì Cobas Turin, the local branch of the Sindacato Intercategoriale Cobas, an independent Italian labour union, also joined the initiative.

Their shared statement read: “Mohamed was arrested after two years of protests during which he never stopped publicly speaking out against the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”

“This is not an isolated case,” said Claudio Bertolotti, an Italian security analyst and director of the Observatory on Radicalism and Counter-Terrorism (ReaCT).

“It is part of a series of measures aimed not only at countering radicalisation but also at monitoring the activism of organisations linked to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood network.”

Many of these groups, especially after the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, have played a leading role in Italian pro-Palestinian solidarity movements and exerted influence in political circles and immigrant communities.

Shahin was leader of the Omar Ibn Al Khattab mosque in Via Saluzzo in Turin. He had been resident of the city for more than 20 years and had recently emerged as one of the main organisers of protests against Israel.

During these demonstrations, he described the October 7 2023 attack as “not an act of violence” and later added, “I cannot speak only about October 7, because it is the result of 80 years of occupation and 11 previous wars,” framing the attack as “a reaction” rather than a criminal act.

For Italian authorities, these statements were deemed sufficient to justify his deportation.

This episode reflects a significant shift in Italy’s traditional approach, historically sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

While firmly aligned with the west since 1945, Rome has long maintained independent and often positive relations with the Arab world, particularly with the Palestinians.

A notable example was the “Lodo Moro”, a secret deal allegedly made by the Italian secret services on behalf of the late politician Aldo Moro in order to shelter Italy from the wave of Arab-Palestinian terrorism that shook Europe in the late 1960s.

It allowed Palestinian factions to transport arms through Italy in exchange for a promise not to carry out attacks on Italian soil.

Journalistic accounts have described this Italian ambiguity as “a Western bride, an Arab lover.”

“In recent years, while maintaining privileged relations with certain Arab countries, Italy has shifted from its previously more pro-Arab positions toward closer alignment with American and Israeli policies,” said Bertolotti.

At the same time, he added, “Italian intelligence has been increasingly vigilant regarding Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood because of their influence within growing foreign-origin communities and the broader spread of political Islam.”

The Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational organisation aiming to spread Islam globally through grassroots “Islamisation” of societies.

Hamas serves as its Palestinian branch. Present in all western European countries, the Muslim Brotherhood arrived in Italy with the first waves of immigrants in the 1970s, establishing one of the most important networks in terms of size and organisation among Italian Muslims.

Their presence was further highlighted by the 2019 publication of the investigative book Qatar Papers. It revealed that between 2011 and 2014, Qatar Charity financed over 140 projects in Europe, with a particularly high concentration in Italy, totalling around €22 million.

Documents suggest that part of these funds passed through networks linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, consolidating the organisation’s presence in Italy.

Despite representing less than 3 per cent of Italy’s resident population, the Muslim community is expected to grow significantly.

“In many ways, the situation in Italy is not very different from that in France or Belgium, although it is chronologically and generationally behind,” according to Bertolotti.

“With the native population shrinking while the Muslim population grows, movements linked to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood have considerable potential to embed themselves within immigrant communities.

“Today’s intelligence efforts aim to prevent such networks from taking root too deeply, so they do not ‘Islamise from below’ or develop into a parallel society, as has happened in other countries,” he told Brussels Signal.

Since October 7, 2023, many groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas sympathisers have organised and led numerous large-scale demonstrations in support of Gaza and the Palestinian people.

Sometimes they strengthen their influence within immigrant and activist communities, creating new political footholds. Yet the majority of participants —tens or even hundreds of thousands — have no direct ties to these organisations.

Italian authorities continue to monitor these networks to prevent them from embedding too deeply within Muslim communities.

In this context, Shahin’s deportation reflects not just an individual case but a wider policy aimed at curbing the influence of political Islam within Italy’s growing Muslim population.

Source: brusselssignal.eu

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https://brusselssignal.eu/2025/11/imams-deportation-highlights-italian-crackdown-on-gaza-protests/

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Muslim students concerned as Quebec government tables sweeping new secularism rules

Nov. 28, 2025

Samy Khelefi does his afternoon prayer in the prayer room organized by the Muslim Students’ Association, at Concordia University in Montreal, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025.

Christopher Katsarov The Canadian Press

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MONTREAL - As the Quebec government tables broad new restrictions on religious practices, Muslim students say they feel unfairly singled out by measures that would forbid them from praying anywhere on college and university campuses.

Throughout the day at Concordia University in Montreal, hundreds of students file in and out of two nondescript doors on the seventh floor of a downtown campus building. Just inside the doors – one for men and one for women – are ablution rooms where they can wash before prayers. From there, they pass into one of two prayer rooms – a long, windowless room for men and a smaller space for women.

Muslim students have had a dedicated prayer space at Concordia for decades. For some, its existence is part of the reason they chose to attend the university. But if the Quebec government passes a new secularism bill, tabled Thursday in the provincial legislature, the room will be shut down by the time students return from summer break next year.

“It definitely feels like a personal attack against our community,” said Ines Rarrbo, a first-year mechanical engineering student. “It’s as if we’re not welcome here.”

The new legislation is a far-reaching attempt to extend secularism rules in the province beyond the limits of the state and into public and private spaces. On Thursday, Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge framed the bill as the latest step in a long march that began with the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, when the grip of the Catholic Church on Quebec society began to weaken.

“For more than 60 years, Quebec has been slowly but surely moving toward secularization,” he said.

Bill 9 would ban prayer and other religious practices in public institutions, most notably post-secondary schools. Roberge said Quebec institutions have gone “too far” in accommodating the requests of religious communities. ”(Colleges) and universities are not temples or churches or those kinds of places,” he said.

It would also deliver on the government’s promise to ban communal prayer on public roads and in parks, except for short events that receive municipal authorization. Fines could be levied against anyone who violates the prohibition.

The legislation would extend the province’s ban on religious symbols to anyone working in daycares, colleges, universities and private schools. It would also prohibit full face coverings, such as the niqab, for anyone in those institutions, including students. Similar bans were passed earlier this fall for elementary and high schools.

Those measures are a marked expansion of the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s first secularism law, Bill 21, which was passed in 2019. That law banned religious symbols, including hijabs and turbans, for public sector employees in positions of authority, such as teachers, police officers and judges. It did not apply to daycares or post-secondary schools.

Bill 21 is the subject of a landmark case to be heard at the Supreme Court of Canada, in part focused on the government’s pre-emptive use of the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to shield it from constitutional challenges. The new legislation also invokes the override clause.

The bill also takes aim at government funding for private religious schools, which Premier François Legault has previously defended. It would forbid government-subsidized schools from teaching religion during classroom hours and from selecting students or staff based on religious criteria. Roberge was unable to say how many schools would be affected by the change, but said they would have three years to adapt before the new rules take effect.

However, prayer rooms at colleges and universities will have to close by September 2026, Roberge said.

Samy Khelifi, president of the Muslim Student Association at Concordia, said the law would create a new problem for the group’s 5,000 members. “People won’t stop praying because there’s not a prayer space,” he said. “What happens to those 5,000 people if they all go pray out on random corners?”

He said the prayer room is an important gathering place for the Muslim community, visited by at least 500 students a day. He added that he was among those who chose Concordia because of the space, which is also open to students of other faiths.

Maryam Laoufi, an adviser at the student association, said she’s alarmed by the new bill. “As a Muslim Quebecer, I feel that we are treated as second-class citizens more and more,” she said.

On Thursday, Roberge rejected the idea that the bill is targeting Muslims, saying that the same rules apply to everyone.

Still, several of the new measures appear to stem from specific incidents involving the Muslim community. The ban on public prayer comes in response to Muslim prayers taking place as part of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including in front of the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal.

Roberge called such prayers a “provocation.” People who defy the ban could face fines of up to $375, while groups could face fines of up to $1,125.

The bill would also ban anyone from disrupting a religious practice within a place of worship, which seems to have been inspired by the same demonstrations.

A separate measure to prohibit religious symbols from appearing in communications by public institutions comes following a controversy last year over a welcome poster at Montreal’s city hall that depicted a woman wearing a hijab. Such images will no longer be permitted.

Zainab Karmali, another first-year student at Concordia, said she’ll end up spending less time on campus if the prayer room is closed. “We have so many issues,” she said. “And I don’t know why they’re focusing on this so much.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2025.

Source: thestar.com

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https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/quebec/muslim-students-concerned-as-quebec-government-tables-sweeping-new-secularism-rules/article_034b6a74-54ef-54e0-bf3f-7673dced2d94.html

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Turkiye not ‘hostile’ to Christians, Constantinople patriarch says

November 28, 2025

Clergymen wait for Pope Leo XIV outside the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (St Esprit cathedral) in Istanbul, Turkiye. (AFP)

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ISTANBUL: Muslim-majority Turkiye, which is hosting Pope Leo XIV on his first overseas trip as pontiff, is not “a hostile environment” for Christians, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople told AFP in an interview.

“It is simplistic to see adversaries everywhere and to imagine the pope’s visit as taking sides in a hostile environment,” said Patriarch Bartholomew I, leader of the world’s 260 million Orthodox Christians.

On Friday, Bartholomew joins Leo for celebrations in Iznik, around two hours from Istanbul, to mark 1,700 years since the First Council of Nicaea, a key early Church gathering that resulted in a statement of faith still central to Christianity.

After arriving in Ankara on Thursday and meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom critics have accused of wanting to Islamise society, the pope described Turkiye as a “crossroads of sensibilities” that was richer for its “internal diversity.”

Turkiye has a population of 86 million but only about 100,000 Christians.

Numbers were hit by the Armenian genocide — a term denied by Ankara — during the Ottoman Empire, and the population exchanges and pogroms that saw many Greek Orthodox leave in the early 20th century.

- ‘Blessing in disguise’ -

But Bartholomew said living in a Muslim country had its advantages.

“Living in a predominantly Muslim country is a blessing in disguise because it sustains and strengthens the essential feature of the Ecumenical Patriarchate... open and honest dialogue with all people in all places, irrespective of race and religion,” he said.

The timing of Leo’s visit, coming at a moment of conflict, was significant, he said.

“This year, when the world is troubled and divided by conflict and antagonism, our meeting with Pope Leo XIV is especially significant,” he said.

“It reminds our faithful that we are more powerful and more credible when we are united in our witness and response to the challenges of the contemporary world.”

The Eastern Orthodox Church sustained a major blow in 2018 when the Moscow Patriarchate broke ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate after it recognized the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s independence from Russia.

But Bartholomew insisted “the door of dialogue is always open.”

The patriarch, who in March 2022 said he had become “a target of Moscow,” refuses to budge in his stance against the Ukraine war, urging the Moscow Patriarchate to break away from the Kremlin.

“The spiritual leaders in Russia cannot follow blindly the inhumane interests and barbarous policies of its political leaders. Nor can they indiscriminately condone and even bless the bloodshed in Ukraine,” he said.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2624255/middle-east

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India

 

Dozens Of Raids Across Kashmir Target Banned Jamaat-E-Islami Links Amid Crackdown On Militancy

Muzaffar Raina

28.11.25

Police on Thursday carried out dozens of raids across Kashmir on properties linked to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, including an educational institute in Handwara, as part of a crackdown to curb militant activities.

A police spokesperson claimed that they had brought “all individuals with any past or present affiliation to the banned group” under “the ambit of the searches”.

The raids came as the police in Jammu said they had arrested a “radicalised” teenager who was planning a “terror attack”.

Banned Jamaat — a religious-cum-political organisation, some of whose leaders were allowed by the LG Manoj Sinha administration to contest last year’s Assembly polls — has emerged as the biggest target of the crackdown launched in the wake of the busting of a “white collar terror module” involving some Kashmiri doctors recently.

A major operation also

targeted the Jamaat leaders and activists on November 12, a day after the suspected suicide bombing involving a Kashmiri doctor.

District police officials in Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Awantipora, Budgam and Handwara issued separate statements about the raids.

Shopian police said they carried out a “major and meticulously coordinated operation” in which “extensive searches” were carried out targeting individuals and premises linked with the Jamaat-e-Islami, proscribed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

“The large-scale operation forms part of the continuing preventive measures aimed at identifying and neutralising networks attempting to covertly revive the activities of proscribed organisations. All individuals with any past or present affiliation to the banned group were brought under the ambit of the searches,” Shopian police said.

Jamaat has a huge presence across Jammu and Kashmir, with thousands of families believed to be linked with it. Pockets of Shopian are seen as the party’s strongholds.

In last year’s Lok Sabha elections, the administration surprisingly allowed its leaders to contest polls — seen as a move to divide the Muslim vote to the advantage of the BJP. None of the candidates emerged as a winner.

Pulwama police said the raids were carried out in the backdrop of a recent spurt in “terrorist activities and to curb the tendency of radicalisation among the youth”.

Officials released pictures of the raids, showing police men searching the premises amid the presence of a strong security force contingent.

“Electronic devices, documents and literature were seized from the houses of individuals linked to the outfit and associated institutions. All recovered material has been seized for detailed scrutiny, according to officials,” the spokesperson said.

In north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, searches were also carried out at the Jamia Islamia Institute in Waripora, Handwara, based on information indicating suspected unlawful activities and possible links with Jamaat, officials said.

In Jammu, the police said they arrested a 19-year-old youth in connection with an FIR registered under Section 113(3) (terrorist activity) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) at Bahu Fort police station.

The teenager is a resident of Reasi district in Jammu, but was presently living in Jammu district.

An official said preliminary investigations revealed that the accused had been radicalised online and was allegedly planning to execute a militant attack.

Source: telegraphindia.com

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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/dozens-of-raids-across-kashmir-target-jamaat-e-islami-links-amid-crackdown-on-militancy-prnt/cid/2135128

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Srinagar Police conducts searches at mosques, madrasas in crackdown on ‘terror-linked networks’

Scroll Staff

28 November, 2025

The Srinagar Police said that it carried out inspections at mosques and madrasas on Thursday as part of a crackdown on “individuals and networks associated with terrorist organisations”.

The intensified checks come in the aftermath of the blast near Delhi’s Red Fort metro station on November 10, which left 13 persons dead.

The doctor believed to have been driving the car that exploded was identified as Umar Nabi, a resident of Kashmir.

Two days after the explosion, the Union government described it as a “terrorist incident”.

Hours before the blast, the police said that it had cracked an “inter-state and transnational terror module” in Faridabad and Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur.

The case, along with the recent detection of the alleged terror module, has prompted multiple rounds of checks in the Valley.

On November 12, the Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted raids at more than 300 locations in the Kashmir valley allegedly linked to persons affiliated with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami. The actions came after intelligence that elements linked to the Jamaat-e-Islami, banned under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, were trying to revive the organisation under different names, the police had said at the time.

On Thursday, the Srinagar Police said that search teams accompanied by executive magistrates and independent witnesses inspected several premises to collect evidence related to “terror-linked or radical activities inimical to the security and integrity of the nation”.

Officers examined digital devices, documents and other material during the searches.

The searches were part of efforts to dismantle the “terror support ecosystem” in the city and to prevent any conspiracies aimed at disturbing peace and public order, the police said.

The operations were conducted in line with legal procedures “ensuring transparency and accountability at every stage”, the statement added.

The police said similar actions would continue wherever credible inputs indicate the presence of individuals or material linked to terror or radical activities.

It also urged citizens to cooperate with ongoing investigations and report suspicious activity.

Source: scroll.in

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https://scroll.in/latest/1088853/srinagar-police-conducts-searches-at-mosques-madrasas-in-crackdown-on-terror-linked-networks

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Delhi car blast: Al-Falah chancellor forged papers to grab land of deceased Hindu owners; new details surface

Nov 28, 2025

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday accused Al-Falah University chancellor Javed Ahmed Siddiqui of "fraudulently acquiring land" in Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar by forging documents in the names of deceased Hindu landowners.

According to the agency, land in Khasra No. 792 was transferred to the Tarbia Education Foundation, a trust linked to Siddiqui, on the basis of a forged General Power of Attorney (GPA).

A General Power of Attorney (GPA) is a legal document that authorises one person to act, sign and make decisions on behalf of another in broad matters, including property and financial transactions.

The ED said several landowners whose names appear on the documents had died between 1972 and 1998, yet a GPA dated January 7, 2004, was created in their names and later used to reregister the land.

The agency has termed the transfer fraudulent and said the fake documents were the foundation of the acquisition. Siddiqui is currently in ED custody as the probe continues.

The ED on November 18 arrested Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, the founder of Al Falah University, which came under scrutiny after the alleged involvement of three of its professors in a terror module behind the i20 car blast near Delhi's Red Fort on November 10.

Siddiqui, Chairman of Al Falah group, was arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The arrest took place after a detailed investigation and analysis of evidence gathered during search action conducted at premises related to Al Falah group in the ongoing probe in an ECIR recorded by the ED under PMLA in connection with the Al Falah Group.

The prime accused, Dr Umar Un Nabi, was a former student of the university located in Haryana's Faridabad.

The arrest comes, hours after the ED launched raids against the Al-Falah University along with its office in Okhla and the university's promoters as initial probe had revealed discrepancies regarding UGC and NAAC recognition.

The central agency conducted raids at 25 different places across the national capital, intensifying the Delhi car blast probe. Nine shell firms connected to the group, each registered at the same address, are now under scrutiny.

What triggered the probe?

ED initiated investigation against Al Falah group on the basis of 2 FIRs registered by the Crime Branch, Delhi Police, based on the allegations that Al-Falah University, Faridabad, has made fraudulent and misleading claims of NAAC accreditation with an intention to deceive students, parents, and stakeholders for wrongful gain.

It has been further mentioned in FIR that Al-Falah University, Faridabad, has falsely claimed UGC recognition under Section 12(B) of the UGC Act, 1956 with oblique motive to cheat the aspirants, students, parents, guardians, stakeholders and general public to gain wrongfully and cause wrongful loss to them.

The UGC clarified that Al-Falah University is included only under Section 2(f) as a State Private University, has never applied for inclusion under Section 12(B), and is not eligible for grants under that provision.

Source: indiatimes.com

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/delhi-car-blast-al-falah-chancellor-forged-papers-to-grab-land-of-deceased-hindu-owners-new-details-surface/articleshow/125628760.cms

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Delhi blast probe finds terror suspect operated multiple Faridabad hideouts near university

28 Nov 2025

FARIDABAD: The Delhi blast investigation has revealed that Dr Muzammil Ganaie, one of the prime suspects arrested in connection with the alleged white-collar terror module linked to the 10 November terrorist incident, had maintained two additional hideouts near Al-Falah University, police sources have said.

In addition to renting accommodation in Fatehpur Taga and Dhauj in Faridabad, Muzammil had taken a house on rent from the former sarpanch of Khori Jamalpur village on the pretext of starting a Kashmiri fruit business, as well as a small room built on a farmer’s land, the sources said.

The accommodation, owned by Jumma Khan, comprised three bedrooms, a hall and a kitchen. It was located about 4 kilometres from Al-Falah University, where Muzammil worked and from where he was picked up by the J&K Police.

He stayed at this house between April and July on a monthly rent of ₹8,000, according to the sources. The house was constructed above a plastic raw material factory also owned by Khan.

A team from the NIA recently took Muzammil to the village as part of its Delhi blast probe. NIA officers questioned Khan for several hours during their visit.

Sources said Jumma, during questioning, told officers that Muzammil had informed him he wanted to start a Kashmiri fruit business and needed space for it. However, after about three months, he vacated the house, claiming it was too hot.

Jumma clarified that he had no prior connection with Muzammil and that their first meeting took place at Al-Falah Hospital, where Jumma’s nephew was undergoing cancer treatment.

"He had vacated my house after around three months. I never suspected that he was a terrorist," said Khan.

The NIA probe also revealed that Muzammil had stored a substantial amount of explosive material for approximately 12 days in a room built on a piece of land belonging to a farmer. He later shifted the explosive material to a room in the house of cleric Ishtiyak in Fatehpur Taga village, sources said.

Source: newindianexpress.com

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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Nov/27/delhi-blast-probe-finds-terror-suspect-operated-multiple-faridabad-hideouts-near-university

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Supreme Court seeks Rajasthan govt's response on plea challenging validity of anti-conversion law

28 Nov 2025

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Rajasthan government on a plea challenging the validity of the provisions of the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2025.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the state government seeking its response on the plea filed by the Peoples Union For Civil Liberties and others.

The bench tagged the plea with separate pending petitions raising similar issue. Senior advocate Sanjay Parikh appeared for the petitioners.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that similar matters are pending before the apex court and this plea be tagged with them.

The petitioners have sought a declaration that provisions of the Act are "arbitrary, unreasonable, illegal and ultra vires" the Constitution and also violative of Articles, including Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty).

On November 17, the top court sought response from the Rajasthan government and others on a separate plea challenging the validity of the Act.

The apex court on November 3 had agreed to hear two separate petitions challenging the validity of several provisions of the law against illegal religious conversions that came into force in Rajasthan.

In September, another bench of the apex court sought the stand of several states on separate pleas seeking a stay on their respective anti-conversion laws.

The top court had then made it clear that it would consider the prayer for staying the operation of such laws once the replies were filed.

The bench was then dealing with a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of anti-conversion laws enacted by several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand and Karnataka.

Source: newindianexpress.com

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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Nov/28/supreme-court-seeks-rajasthan-govts-response-on-plea-challenging-validity-of-anti-conversion-law

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As J&K Police say will search ‘till every hospital locker is accounted for’, dismay among doctors grows

by Bashaarat Masood

November 28, 2025

For two weeks now, police teams, with camerapersons in tow, have been sweeping through hospital corridors in Kashmir, pulling open lockers and pigeon-holes allotted to doctors. Within minutes, the pictures and video of these “raids” make their way to social media.

The searches are a fallout of the inter-state Ansar Ghazwatul Hind module busted in connection with the recent Red Fort blast in Delhi, comprising allegedly four doctors, three of them from Kashmir. As part of the investigations, officials claim to have seized a rifle from a locker at Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag, which had been allotted to one of the accused in the blast, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, when he worked at GMC. Rather left GMC a year ago, but never ceded possession of the locker.

Officers say the searches will continue till “every locker is accounted for”, and that surprise checks may continue in the future. Noting that hospital administrations are “fully cooperating with them”, with medical superintendents accompanying the search parties, a police officer said: “We have checked most of the hospitals in the Valley and are likely to finish the process in a few days… But we could carry out surprise inspections to keep a check.”

However, even within the police force, some are raising questions about the purpose of the sweeping exercise, instead of isolated suspects. Police have not shared recovery of anything incriminatory from these “searches”, and queries to IGP V K Birdhi in this regard went unanswered.

A senior officer posted in Srinagar said: “Doctors are the cream of society. By humiliating them, we are sending a wrong message, not just to the doctor community but also to the general public. We are breeding animosity with them and that could be counter-productive. Also, by painting the entire community as suspects, we risk damaging the career of hundreds of doctors posted outside Kashmir.”

Incidentally, these searches have been ordered despite the Health and Medical Education Department already directing hospitals across the Valley to carry out an inspection of all unidentified lockers on their premises.

Medical Superintendent of District Hospital, Pulwama, Dr Abdul Gani Dar told the media Monday that they had themselves called police and asked them to check the lockers that had not been opened for a while. “There were instructions from the higher authorities and we abided by them… There were some unidentified and unlabelled lockers. We broke their seal and nothing adverse was found. We mostly found aprons and medicines.”

A senior Health Department official said doctors and staff at a hospital are allotted lockers or small cabinets known as pigeon-holes for keeping such stuff, and belongings like books, stethoscopes and other medical apparatus.

explosion near Red Fort

A senior doctor, posted in a top Srinagar hospital, told The Indian Express: “We understand the security concerns, but what exactly are they trying to signal with these dramatic and camera-ready raids that run non-stop on social media and television? What message does that send about all of us? Do they want to convey that all of us are militants?”

Others argue that the checks, if necessary, could have been done quietly. “If security agencies genuinely needed to inspect our lockers, they could have done it discreetly without turning it into a public spectacle and for every camera to capture,” a senior doctor at Srinagar says. Women doctors also allege invasion of privacy.

Expressing regret at “targeting of the entire fraternity”, J&K Health Minister Sakeena Itoo said she would direct the Secretary, Health, to sensitize agencies to follow a proper SOP.

Meanwhile, police Thursday conducted city-wide inspections at Srinagar’s mosques and madrassas as part of its crackdown against “individuals and networks associated with terrorist organisations”.

Source: indianexpress.com

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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/terror-module-probe-as-police-step-up-searches-in-jk-hospitals-doctors-raise-questions-10390248/

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Europe

 

Seventh Met Police officer filmed in TV exposé sacked for appalling anti-Muslim slurs

November 28, 2025

A Metropolitan Police officer has become the seventh sacked over an undercover BBC Panorama documentary that exposed unacceptable behaviour.

PC Sean Park, based at Charing Cross Police Station, expressed “appalling” discriminatory and disrespectful views about Muslims.

He boasted about pretending not to see an alleged excessive use of force by another officer who is said to have stomped on a detainee’s ankle and failed to challenge what had happened, the force said.

Park also failed to challenge discriminatory views of PC Martin Borg, who was previously dismissed for saying he joined the police to take part in “legal f****** scraps”.

But the broadcaster came under criticism “once again” for the late disclosure of additional unaired footage at extremely short notice relating to the former PC Brain Sharkey, whose case has had to be adjourned.

A gross misconduct panel found allegations proven for Park, attached to Central West Command Unit, following the broadcast of BBC Panorama on October 1.

Commander Simon Messinger said: ”PC Park’s conduct fell very far below the high standard we expect of all our officers.

“His comments were appalling, along with his apparent condonement of inappropriate use of force against a detainee, and it is entirely right he has now lost his job.

“PC Park’s hearing was the penultimate accelerated misconduct process to be held.

“Today we should also have been holding a hearing for former PC Brain Sharkey.

“However, the BBC have once again disclosed additional unaired footage to the Independent Office for Police Conduct at extremely short notice – just yesterday – which has now been shared with the Met.

“It is frustrating to have to adjourn proceedings but it is right we examine this footage to ensure all the available evidence is presented to the hearing in relation to this former officer. A new hearing will take place as soon as possible.”

Park was found to have breached standards of professional behaviour for authority, respect and courtesy, discreditable conduct, challenging and reporting improper conduct and equality and diversity.

Along with the other officers dismissed, he will be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing to prevent him re-joining the police or being employed by other related bodies.

Former PC Brian Sharkey was previously attached to Central West Command Unit before he retired. His new hearing is likely to take place in February.

The IOPC investigation into misconduct at Charing Cross continues.

In response to Scotland Yard’s rebuke, the BBC said: “We are glad to see the Met’s recognition of the value of Panorama’s journalism, and we are actively engaged with assisting the IOPC.

“So far there have been seven dismissals from the Met Police because of the evidence found in the Panorama investigation and provided by the BBC.”

Source: standard.co.uk

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https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/met-police-officers-bbc-panorama-charing-cross-london-b1260113.html

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Russian courts freed two seriously ill Crimean Muslims. Months later, both are back in prison.

27/11/2025

Since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Crimean Tatars and other Muslims have faced systematic repression, including arrests, searches, and harassment. Russian authorities frequently use politically motivated charges to suppress dissent and limit the community’s political and religious activity. Human rights groups say these actions are part of a broader campaign to control and intimidate Muslims on the peninsula.

Cancer patient freed in August, re-arrested in October

Lenur Khalilov, a Crimean Tatar community figure from Alushta, was freed in August 2025 after the Isakogorsky District Court in Arkhangelsk ruled that his health had deteriorated too sharply for him to remain in prison.

He was diagnosed with liver cancer and hepatitis C while serving an 18-year sentence for alleged links to Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Khalilov was known locally for helping families of political prisoners and taking part in informal support groups that formed after 2014.

His wife, Umida Khudoyberdiyeva, said the community gathered around him the moment he came home: “People came from all over Crimea to see him. It was like a wedding - so much joy and worry at the same time.”

During the three months at home, he received urgent treatment for both cancer and hepatitis C. But in mid-October, a Russian court ordered him back into detention. On 7 November, four officers arrived at the family home. “I just entered the yard, and they were already there,” Khudoyberdiyeva said. “My hands were shaking as I packed his things.”

Since then, the family has had no information about his condition or whether he is receiving treatment.

Blind activist sent back to detention after May release

Oleksandr Sizikov, a blind Crimean activist from Bakhchysarai, was released in May 2025 by the Minusinsk City Court because of his health. He lost his sight in a 2009 accident but continued to take part in community work, including helping families of detainees and attending local religious gatherings.

Sizikov had been sentenced to 17 years in prison for alleged ties to Hizb ut-Tahrir, a charge widely criticized by human rights defenders as baseless.

His mother, Olena Sizikova, explained the difficulties of caring for a blind prisoner: “A blind person needs special conditions: nothing should be on his path. At home, I guided him by touch and sound so he could orient himself.”

Despite the court ruling, Sizikov was re-arrested in October by a Russian-controlled court in Bakhchysarai, briefly held in a local detention facility, and then transferred to Simferopol’s pre-trial detention center, awaiting transfer to a Russian colony.

In April, Sizikov spoke publicly about the conditions he faced after his release from a Siberian detention facility, describing long transfers, limited access to medical care and repeated pressure over his religious practices.

His account highlighted how difficult it was to secure basic rights inside the system and how much of his daily survival depended on help from other detainees.

"Neither appeals nor international pressure prevent continued repression"

Victoria Nesterenko, project manager at the human rights center ZMINA, says cases like Khalilov and Sizikov reflect a broader pattern.

“The number of political prisoners with serious health conditions is growing. Re-arresting individuals despite court rulings shows that neither appeals nor international pressure prevent continued repression,” she said.

Both cases underline the precarious situation for Crimean political prisoners, especially those with severe illnesses. Freed temporarily on medical grounds, they face repeated detention with little access to treatment, while families are left in uncertainty and fear for their loved ones’ survival.

A decade of persecution targeting Crimean Muslims

Since the annexation of Crimea, Russian authorities have regularly targeted Crimean Muslims, accusing them of extremism or terrorism without credible evidence. Many have been imprisoned, fined, or forced into exile, while their communities face restrictions on cultural, religious, and political activities.

International observers say this repression echoes historical patterns: Crimean Tatars were deported en masse under Soviet rule in 1944, and their rights have repeatedly been undermined by Russian authorities over decades.

Today, repeated arrests of political prisoners, particularly those with health vulnerabilities, illustrate how Russian authorities continue to use the legal system to silence an entire ethnic group.

Source: euromaidanpress.com

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Accused tells terror trial he didn't know video of him contained Islamic State song

John Scheerhout

27 Nov 2025

A shop worker accused of failing to report that his brother was allegedly plotting a mass terror attack against Jews has told a jury he doesn't support Islamic State.

Bilel Saadaoui, 36, told Preston Crown Court he had no idea that 'nasheeds', or religious songs, found on his mobile phone were made by a terror group.

His brother Walid Saadaoui, 38, of Crankwood Road, Abram, Wigan; and his co-accused, Amar Hussein, 52, of no fixed abode, deny terror charges. Tunisia-born Bilel Saadaoui denies a single charge that he failed to disclose acts of terrorism, as the MEN reports.

The prosecution alleged Bilel Saadaoui, who worked at a Pound Bargains shop in Greater Manchester, sympathised with the views of the Islamic State' and 'knew what his brother was up to'.

Walid Saadaoui was arrested on May 8, 2024, before the alleged summer 2024 plot to target a pro-Israel march in Manchester then Jewish communities in Prestwich, Higher Broughton and Cheetham Hill.

The court heard how officers found two assault rifles, a semi-automatic pistol and almost 200 rounds of ammunition in a car. The defendant was awaiting delivery of a further two assault rifles, another pistol and another 700 arounds of ammunition, according to the Crown.

As the trial resumed on Wednesday (November 26), Bilel Saadaoui was quizzed by his barrister Ali Naseem Bajwa KC about a series of messages he sent. This included a message he sent his co-defendant Amar Hussein on May 1, 2021, which referenced a collapse of a bridge which left 25 Jewish people dead and 150 others hurt during the Festival of Lights.

The defendant said: "This will probably be an article probably from Facebook or Google or something. It was just news I came across and I have shared it." Jurors were told that Amar Hussein replied to the message: "Allah is truly vigilant over them."

Bilel Saadaoui was asked about another message he sent to Amar Hussein on July 12, 2021, in which an historic figure in Islam was said to have spoken of 'a strong desire to achieve martyrdom and die for the sake of Allah'.

Asked if these were his words, Mr Saadaoui told the jury: "They are not mine. They are just shared."

The jurors have been told the defendant sent many messages to WhatsApp 'broadcast' groups to which he had added Mr Hussein.

Bilel Saadaoui was asked about another message he sent on July 29, 2021, which said 'the blood of of the infidel is the blood of the dog' went on: "They have cracked us with mercy and tolerance until they had mercy on those who did not have mercy on us and forgave those who killed us and raped our women."

Asked if the words 'did reflect your own views', Mr Saadaoui told the jury: "No, it certainly did not." He said: "This was part of I believe a speech and debate between two scholars or two speakers comparing Islam back then and Islam now. I just found it debatable and argumentative and I just shared it."

He was also asked about 'nasheeds', or religious songs, which were found on his phone from April 2022 and had been created by the media arm of ISIS.

Mr Saadaoui said: "I listened to all kinds of music and nasheeds happen to be Muslim and it was available on the internet. I listened to nasheeds. I listened to Arabic music. I listened to rap music including French rap and Arabic rap music... I listened to bird song and also classic music, country."

The defendant said he obtained the nasheeds from YouTube, Telegram and a website called MP3 Juice, and when quizzed by his barrister Mr Bajwa KC, Mr Saadaoui denied that he went to ISIS websites to obtain the nasheeds and said had not been looking for 'ISIS created content'.

The defendant said it was 'the sound that attracted me', and when asked if he paid attention to the lyrics, he told the jury: "No I didn't because most of it is formal Arabic. It's very hard to understand. I do understand some of it to a degree."

The jurors were shown a 'compilation' video created by Bilel Saadaoui of the defendant working out at a gym, featuring selfie pictures and videos while a nasheed is playing.

The court has been told the nasheed referenced 'jihad', with one section stating: "Those who said there's no jihad or fight have lied. For our jihad will continue until the day of the resurrection and the end of times."

Asked why he created the video on his phone - dated June 9, 2022, the defendant said: "It's a normal thing for people at the gym when they are working out and they feel pumped, just take a film of themselves while they are working out especially in front of the mirror."

He added that his stepson took the video of him on a punchbag.

Mr Saadaoui said he believed he hadn't shared the clip with anyone and asked why he created it he said: "I can be a little bit vain sometimes."

The defendant was asked about another selfie in which he is seen with his right finger raised, which the prosecution allege is a sign of support for Islamic State.

Pressed by Mr Bajwa KC, Mr Saadaoui said: "It's a simple symbol of Islam that represents the oneness of god, that god is one." He added: "It's very normal for Muslims to do every day, sometimes five times a day."

Asked if it had any other meaning for him, he said: "No, it means there's no other god but Allah. That's all what it means to me."

Pressed about the nasheed he had added to the montage, the defendant said he wanted 'uplifting music' and wasn't aware it was an ISIS creation.

The defendant was also asked about about a pro-Islamic State message found on his phone which included the words 'there is no hesitation in our hearts from accepting the judgment of Allah until we annihilate you all or die trying'. He said he had seen the message on Facebook and kept it, adding that he may have 'disliked' the comment.

The defendant was asked about a video which showed his step son on the floor of a kitchen shooting a rifle at a target in a yard outside. Beside the step son was a mobile phone on which another ISIS nasheed, titled 'We Rose Up', was playing.

Mr Saadaoui said the air rifle was purchased from a shop in Bolton for his stepson, who was aged 15 or 16 at the time, adding that his son was interested in guns, knives, swords and 'memorabilia'.

The defendant said he took the video as he 'wanted to have one of his hobbies recorded on my phone'. Mr Saadaoui told the jury his son obtained the tracked from Google Soundcloud, adding: "He likes a lot of different music and foreign music and the sound of it although he doesn't understand it."

When asked if this included nasheeds, Mr Saadaoui replied: "I believe so."

The defendant said he was aware a nasheed was playing on his son's phone as his stepson was shooting the rifle but, when asked if he was aware it was an ISIS nasheed, he told the jury: "No, I was not."

He then added that he believed he hadn't shared the clip with anyone.

Mr Saadaoui was asked about another picture, found on his wife's phone, which- dated January 25, 2024 - showed Bilel Saadaoui and his stepson bare-chested each armed with a sword and with coverings over their faces in a bedroom.

He told the jury: "Myself I do at home, I do a lot of silly and strange things. I do dress up. Sometimes I put my wife's underwear on my head or dress up like gangsters... I just like acting daft at home."

Mr Saadaoui said: "This picture, we came back from the gym me and (my stepson) and we are just beefing up in front of each other and showing muscles in his room."

The defendant said he took swords from a collection of memorabilia at home for the picture. "We are just acting daft at home and posing for different characters and having a laugh and just being at home and just being bored probably," he told the jury.

Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein have pleaded not guilty to preparation of terrorist acts, namely that between December 13, 2023, and May 9, 2024, with the intention of committing acts of terrorism, they arranged for the purchase and delivery of firearms, conducted reconnaissance and made plans of attack.

Walid’s brother, Bilel Saadaoui, 36, from Hindley, Wigan, has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of failing to disclose acts of terrorism between the same dates.

Source: lancs.live

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https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/accused-tells-terror-trial-didnt-32954214

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Sally Rooney books may be withdrawn from UK sale over Palestine Action ban, court told

Dominic Casciani

28 November 2025

Irish author Sally Rooney has told the High Court it was "almost certain" she cannot publish new novels in the UK and may have to withdraw her current books because of the banning of Palestine Action under terrorism laws.

Rooney says UK legislation may mean she cannot be paid royalties by her British publisher or the BBC because it could leave both at risk of being accused of funding terrorism.

In August, she said she intended to use royalties "to go on supporting Palestine Action".

The group was banned in July after the home secretary accused it of causing serious damage to property. Its co-founder is challenging that ban in the High Court, arguing it interferes with the right to protest.

The author of Normal People, which was adapted into one of the most watched BBC dramas of recent years, has supported the campaign to reverse the ban.

In two witness statements provided to the High Court, Rooney said she believed that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza - and Palestine Action's activity in the UK was from a "long and proud tradition of civil disobedience - the deliberate breaking of laws as an act of protest".

She went on: "I myself have publicly advocated the use of direct action, including property sabotage, in the cause of climate justice. It stands to reason that I should support the same range of tactics in the effort to prevent genocide."

Israel has regularly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as a means of self-defence.

Rooney said the ban on Palestine Action under terrorism laws also had far reaching consequences for her as an author and her right to free expression.

She explained she periodically receives royalties from the BBC's adaptions.

In August she declared in an Irish Times article that she intended to use those royalties "to go on supporting Palestine Action".

Following that statement, she said she had been advised that any such payment to her for those televised dramatisations could be a breach of terrorism laws.

That warning had come from the independent producer of the two BBC dramatisations of her novels. It told her agent that it had received "unambiguous legal advice" that if it knew or suspected that Rooney was using royalties from the TV dramas to fund Palestine Action, sending her the money would be a terrorism offence.

"It is therefore unclear whether any UK company can continue to make payments to me, even when it had agreed to do so," said Rooney.

Rooney told the court that this legal uncertainty affected her rights as an artist - and her publisher's too.

"If... Faber & Faber Limited are legally prohibited from paying me the royalties I am owed, my existing works may have to be withdrawn from sale," she said.

"My novels have been influential and popular in Britain, where I am among the best-selling literary authors of the last decade.

"The disappearance of my work from bookshops would mark a truly extreme incursion by the state into the realm of artistic expression.

"It is also almost certain that I can no longer publish or produce any new work within the UK while this proscription remains in effect."

Rooney publicly revealed in September that she did not believe she could travel to the UK anymore because of her stance.

"I am and will continue to be a committed supporter of Palestine Action. If that support is criminalised, I will effectively be prevented from speaking at any future public events in the UK.

"Is it likely that I could ever again collaborate with British public institutions like the BBC as I have done in the past?"

The hearing continues through Thursday with a final day of submissions next week.

Source: bbc.com

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm20ldz0g9ro

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North America

 

Beyond Zohran Mamdani: Social media amplifies the politics of feelings

November 27, 2025

Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City mayor has spurred global celebrations and pride. Scores of social media users worldwide celebrate and claim him as one of their own.

Muslims across the globe, including in Indonesia — home to the world’s largest Muslim population, where I was born and raised — rejoice that he is Muslim. Indians take pride in Mamdani’s Indian roots. Ugandans cheer his victory because Kampala is his birthplace.

Representation does matter. It can be deeply affirming to see someone whose identity resonates with you succeed in a foreign political landscape.

However, Mamdani didn’t win simply because of who he is. He won because of what he did, the politics that his campaigns were based on — a platform that focuses on the cost of living, from utility bills to grocery bills to bus fares to child care to rent — and, more importantly, the feelings, the trust and cohesion generated in the network of people who organized with and for him.

As a scholar who examines digital media and information technology in relation to citizen participation and democracy, I know that political behaviour research has long observed that voters don’t choose based on policy alone: they vote based on identity, group belonging, emotional attachments and symbolic cues, all of which speak to “the politics of feelings.”

This refers to politics that mobilize and build power through shared feelings and emotional bonds.

Identity, platform, visibility

That Mamdani is Muslim — the son of a South Asian African Muslim father and a Hindu Indian mother, born in Uganda — and that he has lived an immigrant community experience in New York is a formidable part of his story.

This profoundly matters in a political landscape that often marginalizes such identities — and helps explain why he has become so visible online and globally.

Viral videos, algorithmically boosted content and his public persona amplified this visibility. Online, the Zohran Mamdani phenomenon illustrates the power of emotion-driven mobilization, the process through which emotional currents bring people into alignment or connection with a cause, figure or community.

Identity and emotion have always been central to politics. Social media didn’t invent the politics of feelings; it accelerated and amplified them.

Branding a politician

Social media political participation doesn’t operate within a deliberative civic culture, but within an algorithmic marketing culture where algorithmic targeting and data-driven marketing principles shape how persuasion, visibility and emotion circulate.

Branding shapes the way content looks and feels. Algorithms push what’s likely to grab attention, and human users — naturally drawn to emotion — interact with it, feeding the system in return. Together, they produce a self-reinforcing loop where high-arousal content dominates, as a consequence of the interplay of marketing logic, machine learning and user behaviour.

The algorithm rewards emotion, not analysis. It privileges what’s instantly legible — a name, a face, a faith — over the collective labour and work behind a political movement.

Hope, pride as well as fear, outrage

Posts highlighting Mamdani’s Muslim, immigrant or brown identity, whether in celebration or attack, elicit emotions — hope, pride, fear or outrage. These emotions fuel engagement, which algorithms amplify, generating cycles of visibility which can simultaneously mobilize support and provoke backlash.

Indeed, the same identity categories that make him so celebrated abroad have also been weaponized against him at home in the United States.

Through social media disinformation fuelled by racism and Islamophobia, Mamdani’s opponents have framed him as a “Muslim extremist,” “communist,” “jihadi terrorist,” “brown” and “dirty” or a “threat” to American values.

The flattening happens from both sides: he is either attacked for his identity or adored because of it.

The irony is sharp. For example, some Indonesians embrace a man named Mamdani — Mamdanis are part of the Khoja Shia community — while turning a blind eye to anti-Shia persecution at home.

Similarly, some Modi supporters claim Mamdani’s Indian heritage without acknowledging that he is a vocal critic of Modi.

Identity becomes politicized

We can see similar dynamics elsewhere. Sadiq Khan’s visibility as a Muslim mayor of London generated both celebration and Islamophobic backlash on social media, amplified through viral videos, memes and algorithmically boosted news cycles.

In Canada, former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s youthful, multicultural and photogenic persona generated strong emotional attachment and global circulation while overshadowing his substantive political work.

This is how identity becomes politicized. By focusing the debate on who someone is, attention is diverted from what they stand for. It’s easier to categorize than to engage with structural critique.

In an algorithmic age, we consume politics in byte sizes, where visibility often displaces understanding and emotional attachment overshadows knowledge-seeking. It’s easier to celebrate a face than to join a struggle.

Emotion meets lived experience

But visibility is not the same as electoral power. We learn from Mamdani’s case that, for local politics, symbolism is rarely enough. It operates in a different register from national or global scales.

While Mamdani’s online persona benefited from algorithmic amplification, his campaign was also built on grassroots, volunteer-based mobilization combining door-knocking and neighbourhood conversations across the city of New York.

In local elections, voters aren’t distant algorithmic audiences. They’re neighbours, co-workers and community members who experience the effects of policy in their daily lives. A candidate’s identity, promises and track record must resonate with the residents’ tangible needs. Branding and emotional attachment help, but they cannot replace direct knowledge of local realities and persistent organizing work.

Mamdani platform

To cast a ballot for Mamdani in New York, voters needed to not only embrace his identities, but also his platform and the fact that, like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, he’s unapologetically a democratic socialist.

The word “socialism” is not widely accepted in the United States, as it’s often conflated with “communism” — the remnant of Cold War anti-communism propaganda. It’s not popular in Indonesia, India and Uganda either.

Whether Mamdani will fulfil his voters’ expectations is too early to tell. What is clear is that his story isn’t just about Muslim pride or immigrant success. It’s about what’s possible when people organize across differences for a common cause. It’s about choosing to see beyond who someone is to what they stand for.

Source: theconversation.com

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Zohran Mamdani Does The Iconic Shah Rukh Khan Pose While Guessing Bollywood Songs With Mehdi Hasan

Nov 28, 2025

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani opened up about his transition, political pressures and even his Bollywood music knowledge, at one point dropping into the iconic Shah Rukh Khan pose, in an exclusive conversation with British journalist Mehdi Hasan.

The interview was recorded inside his campaign headquarters that he will soon vacate and marks Mamdani’s first major sit-down since his election victory earlier this month against independent candidate Andrew Cuomo.

Lets face it, we’ve all been wondering since we heard ‘Dhoom Machale’ blaring from the speakers at @ZohranKMamdani's victory celebration, if the Mayor-elect is a Bollywood music lover, so we put him through the ringer in this quiz.

The Zeteo interview also featured a fun Bollywood guessing game. Hasan quizzed him on Indian classics like Chaiyya Chaiyya, featuring Shah Rukh Khan. It was a fitting moment for a politician whose victory speech itself ended with the iconic beat of Dhoom Machale.

Mamdani was polling at just 1 per cent last December before an appearance on Hasan’s show sent his campaign viral. After winning the Democratic primary and rallying more than 100,000 volunteers into an unstoppable force, he spoke to Hasan again just weeks before Election Day while facing coordinated Islamophobic attacks.

The socialist is set to assume office on January 1, 2026.

Mamdani talked about how he hopes to carry out an ambitious affordability agenda inspired by FDR. He described some of the early choices shaping his transition, including all the unsolicited advice pouring in from uncles and aunties in his family and his plan to keep NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. He also shed light on growing normalisation of Islamophobia and said he is seriously worried about the security of his phone number.

Speaking about national politics, Mamdani threw an interesting and contrasting point of the two major parties. He said that Republicans tend to approach politics with an imagination that keeps expanding, pointing to ideas as absurd as buying Greenland. Democrats, he argued, often seem trapped in a mindset where the sense of what is possible keeps shrinking. He said, “Republicans, they have a sense of imagination that is ever-expanding. It can extend to purchasing Greenland. And Democrats, it feels as if we are often in an exercise of an ever-lowering ceiling of possibility.”

Source: indiatimes.com

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/watch-zohran-mamdani-does-the-iconic-shah-rukh-khan-pose-while-guessing-bollywood-songs-with-mehdi-hasan/articleshow/125623177.cms

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Rep. Randy Fine: Islam a National Threat, 'Deport Them All'

27 November 2025

The fatal ambush attack near the White House underscored a growing national security threat tied to immigration failures, and the country must move swiftly to remove foreigners who never should have been allowed entry, Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Thursday.

Fine appeared on Newsmax's "Greg Kelly Reports" and delivered a sharp warning about what he called the consequences of a failed immigration system, responding to the Washington, D.C., attack that killed National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, while another National Guard member was severely injured.

President Donald Trump announced Thursday night that Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries. Authorities identified the suspected shooter as Rahmanullah Lakamal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, and Trump described him as a "savage monster."

Fine said the Thanksgiving week attack illustrated what he views as a preventable tragedy tied to federal decisions about who enters and remains in the country.

"Well, I wonder how many people, how many Americans have to die because of foreigners who never should have been let into this country, who hate what we stand for, who hate our values, and who seek its destruction before we do something about it," Fine said.

He added that he is "sick and tired of political correctness" and argued that American reluctance to confront security risks has produced deadly outcomes.

The Trump administration said earlier Thursday that it is reviewing green cards issued to individuals from nineteen countries.

Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow wrote in a post on X: "At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern."

The list of nations, drawn from a June presidential proclamation, includes Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Chad, Eritrea, Haiti, Burma, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

Fine quickly dismissed the review as unsatisfactory.

"Well, look, I'd prefer to simply deport them all," he said.

He said the United States has admitted "tens of millions" of people who he believes pose risks or should never have been granted entry, adding that the national focus on "illegal" immigration overshadowed what he described as an influx of "legal" immigrants whose presence he views as dangerous.

He pointed to Somali arrivals and voting patterns in New York as examples of what he believes are deeper structural problems.

"How are people gunning down National Guardsmen in our streets?" Fine asked, calling the situation a "self-inflicted wound" and saying the only remedy is "kicking them all out."

When asked whether he believes Islam is compatible with the Constitution, Fine responded, "I think mainstream Islam is not compatible. I think mainstream Islam is a threat to the United States.

"What I believe we need to do is we need to deport every single foreigner who is illegal, every single foreigner who believes in this," he said.

Fine added that naturalized citizens who "lied" — naming Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani — should be denaturalized and deported as well.

"How many times do we have to hear people yell 'Allahu Akbar' while they're killing people before we do something about it?" he asked.

Source: newsmax.com

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Mideast

 

Four European nations urge Israel to end West Bank ‘settler violence’

November 27, 2025

PARIS: Four European nations Thursday urged Israel to stop what they called increasing “settler violence against Palestinian civilians” in the occupied West Bank.

“We — France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom — strongly condemn the massive increase of settler violence against Palestinian civilians and call for stability in the West Bank,” they said.

“These attacks must stop,” they added, saying they risked undermining plans to end the Gaza war and prospects for long-term peace.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

Violence in the West Bank has soared since Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

It has not ceased despite the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas coming into effect last month.

Israeli troops or settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank — many of them militants, but also scores of civilians — since the start of the Gaza war, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures.

At least 44 Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.

Israel’s military on Wednesday launched a new operation against Palestinian armed groups in the occupied West Bank. A local governor told AFP that Israeli forces had raided several towns.

Source: arabnews.com

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Erdogan praises Pope’s ‘astute stance’ on Palestinian issue

November 27, 2025

ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan praised Pope Leo’s stance on the Palestinian issue after meeting him in Ankara on Thursday, and said he hoped his first overseas visit as Catholic leader will benefit humanity at a time of tension and uncertainty.

“We commend (Pope Leo’s) astute stance on the Palestinian issue,” Erdogan said in an address to the Pope and political and religious leaders at the presidential library in the Turkish capital Ankara.

“Our debt to the Palestinian people is justice, and the foundation of this is to immediately implement the vision of a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. Similarly, preserving the historic status of Jerusalem is crucial,” Erdogan said.

Pope Leo’s calls for peace and diplomacy regarding the war in Ukraine are also very meaningful, Erdogan said.

In September, Leo met at the Vatican with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and raised the “tragic situation” in Gaza with him.

Turkiye has emerged as among the harshest critics of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, in its conflict there with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Source: arabnews.com

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How Israel’s use of AI in Gaza has transformed warfare and the ‘automation of apartheid’

JONATHAN LESSWARE

November 27, 2025

LONDON: Kill lists drawn up from vast databases, facial recognition cameras tracking targets, quadcopter drones mounted with machine guns. The Israeli military’s artificial intelligence-powered systems played a central role in the Gaza war.

The ruthless efficiency of AI programs to process data and produce bombing targets combined with reports of limited human oversight has been blamed in part for the extremely high number of civilian casualties.

The scale with which automation and machine learning were used and developed during the war has led military experts to conclude that the world is now at a turning point in how wars of the future will be fought.

For Palestinians, the legacy of this AI-driven conflict goes beyond the immediate trail of death and destruction. These technologies will very likely be channeled back into the occupation, entrenching what many describe as an “automated apartheid.”

Israel has long been accused of using the occupied Palestinian territories as a laboratore

It has spent years gathering vast quantities of intelligence and data from Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Despite this, during previous wars with Palestinian militant groups in Gaza in 2014 and 2021, the Israeli Air Force actually ran out of targets to hit.

“They were hitting everything they had and that they could identify during the war, and they would run out of targets,” Noah Sylvia, a research analyst at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute, told Arab News.

“So they created a bank of targets in the event of the next war … a database of tens of thousands of targets to strike as needed.”

An Israeli soldier launches a drone near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in southern Israel, on January 15, 2024. (REUTERS/File)

A book published in 2021 by Yossi Sariel, at the time commander of Unit 8200, Israel’s elite cyber-warfare agency, offered a chilling indication of the role AI would play in creating such a target bank.

“Imagine 80,000 relevant targets that are produced before combat and 1,500 new targets created every day during a war,” he wrote in “The Human-Machine Team,” which described how AI could transform the way wars are fought.

Human beings, he wrote, were “the bottleneck” preventing the creation and approval of those targets. “A team consisting of machines and investigators can blast the bottleneck wide open.”

When Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023, this vision became a reality.

During the first week of the war, the Israeli military reported dropping 1,000 bombs a day. By early December 2023, it reported 10,000 airstrikes.

Studies estimated that the initial months of the conflict amounted to one of the most intensive bombing campaigns in history, with levels of destruction comparable to the bombing of three German cities, Dresden, Hamburg and Cologne, during the Second World War.

Details of the AI-powered systems driving the campaign started to emerge in reports from the Israeli magazine +972.

An investigation published in November 2023 revealed that the Israeli military was using a system called “The Gospel,” which selected buildings as targets far faster than had previously been possible.

One former Israeli intelligence officer described the system as a “mass assassination factory.”

Five months later, +972 revealed the existence of the “Lavender” program, which instead of selecting structures as targets, selected people. The system made even the lowest ranked members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets for the air force’s bombs.

Sources told the magazine that the system selected 37,000 suspected militants and their homes as possible airstrike targets in the early days of the conflict.

The article revealed another system named “Where’s Daddy?” that could simultaneously track the thousands of individuals flagged by Lavender and send a signal when they reached their family homes.

According to the report, the military preferred to bomb them in their homes, usually at night in the presence of their families, because it was easier to locate them there.

Sources also told +972 that during the early weeks of the war, the army decided it was acceptable to kill 15 to 20 civilians for every low-ranking Hamas militant and, on occasions, 100 civilians for a senior commander.

There were also alarming details about the levels of human oversight of the targets supplied by the AI programs, known as Decision Support Systems.

Sources described a “rubber stamp” approach to the targets flagged by the systems, with a mere 20 seconds spent on each one before a bombing was authorized.

“That is going to make it near impossible for meaningful, substantive human input in a targeting selection process,” Asaf Lubin, an associate professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law and a former Israeli intelligence analyst, told Arab News.

Israel insists that the AI systems it uses are merely tools to help identify targets and that all targets are independently verified by an intelligence analyst as legitimate to attack.

But Lubin suggests that the quantity of targets being generated would have made it impossible for a human to carry out proper verification or allow for the capacity to challenge the information.

“Our entire legal frameworks in international humanitarian law and the laws of war are rooted on an understanding that there will be a process, an iterative process, for those involved in the targeting decision making,” he said.

“Automation bias and technology played a role in loosening that process, that iterative process, that would have allowed for more review, scrutiny, analysis, questioning.”

Anwar Mhajne, an associate professor of political science at Stonehill College in Massachusetts, said the AI systems gave Israel’s military a “facade of confidence” in their ability to select targets.

She said this led to a “confirmation bias” based on the Israeli forces’ existing view of Palestinians in Gaza.

“If the person approving the targets has a bias of his own, then it’s easy to just say, ‘oh, well, the data told me that it is, so it’s not my fault’.”

Mhajne added: “The way the weapons have been used, all these weapons, all these systems helped facilitate genocide in Gaza.”

Experts agree that while AI played a part, the ultimate responsibility for the huge civilian death toll rests with Israel and the conduct of its forces.

“There’s no question that AI systems were utilized and they generated kill lists and target lists in ways not seen before in the previous confrontations between the Israelis and Palestinians,” Lubin said.

However, he added, the scale of the civilian death toll “can also be tied to decisions that have nothing to do with technology, that have everything to do with policy changes and the way the military decided to operate in the context of this operation and in the wake of Oct. 7.”

Israel has so much information on Gaza that they “know exactly what they’re doing, at any given time,” RUSI’s Sylvia said. “They know how many casualties there are going to be.

“What artificial intelligence does is that it takes your existing operating procedures and allows you to do them more quickly and at a greater scale.

“How ethically you use artificial intelligence correlates largely with your existing operating procedures.”

Another legacy of the Gaza war is the involvement of major international technology companies in Israel’s military AI systems.

Microsoft said in September it had cut off some of its services to Unit 8200 after media reports that the Azure cloud was being used to store intercepted phone calls made by ordinary Palestinians.

It is those ordinary Palestinians who will now live under the shadow of the new AI-powered military and surveillance technologies developed by Israel during the conflict.

“Automated apartheid is not only becoming more real, it is accelerating,” Jalal Abukhater, policy manager for 7amleh, a non-profit organization that advances the digital rights of Palestinians, told Arab News.

“The AI systems refined during the war, whether for predictive analytics, biometric monitoring, automated targeting, or mass data extraction, will entrench and expand the occupation and apartheid regime.

“These tools don’t disappear after conflict — they become part of everyday governance.”

Mhajne, who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel, said the use of AI is both entrenching the occupation and making it “more and more sophisticated.”

“Mainly why Israel is able to produce all of this is because of the massive institutions of occupation,” she said.

The development of AI military systems raises fears that the future will be dominated by killer robots — autonomous drones or vehicles making decisions on who lives and who dies.

The Gaza war showed that the automated systems working in the background to make decisions on who or what is a target are already in place.

When used with the same recklessness that was apparent in Gaza, the consequences are catastrophic — nearly 70,000 Palestinians were killed in two years, according to Gazan health authorities.

With the rapid development of automated warfare, at a time when international legal norms and rules are coming under strain, Lubin sees Gaza as a “pivotal moment” that will “redefine wartime activity.”

“It’s not just about the targeting cycle. It’s about every aspect of the war machine,” he said.

“It’s a very dangerous time we’re entering into.”

Source: arabnews.com

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Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in West Bank who appeared to be surrendering

November 27, 2025

JENIN: Israeli security forces shot two Palestinian men on Thursday who appeared to be surrendering and unarmed during a raid in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestine TV news footage showed.

In the footage, the men are seen exiting a building surrounded by armed Israeli forces in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, lifting their shirts and lying on the ground in an apparent surrender. The forces then appeared to direct the men back inside the building before opening fire at close range.

A Reuters journalist in the vicinity saw the men leave the building, appearing to surrender, and later, after hearing shots fired, saw Israeli forces standing near what appeared to be a lifeless body.

The Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that the two men were killed in the shooting, identifying them as 26-year-old Montasir Abdullah and 37-year-old Yusuf Asasa.

The Israeli military and Israel Police issued a joint statement announcing that they had opened an investigation after forces opened fire toward suspects who had exited a building.

The statement did not give any reason for why the forces opened fire, nor say that the two men had lain on the ground before they were directed back inside the building and shot.

Jenin Governor Kamal Abu Al-Rub, speaking by phone, accused Israeli forces of carrying out a “cold-blooded execution” of two young men who he said were unarmed and had surrendered.

He said those who opened fire should face accountability, but expressed doubt that Israeli authorities would conduct a genuine investigation.

Israeli forces had been carrying out an operation in the Jenin area to apprehend individuals wanted for “terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces,” the Israeli military and police said in the joint statement.

The two men who were shot were wanted individuals who were affiliated with a “terror network in the area of Jenin,” the statement said. It did not specify what the two men were accused of nor disclose any evidence of their alleged link with a terror network.

According to the military and police, security forces had surrounded the building where the men were located before initiating a “surrender procedure” that lasted several hours.

“Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects,” the statement said, adding that the shooting was “under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir later issued a statement giving his “full backing” to the military and the police unit that was involved in the shooting.

“The fighters acted exactly as expected of them — terrorists should die!,” he wrote on X.

The Jenin raid marks the latest assault in a months-long Israeli campaign across northern West Bank cities. Israeli forces on Wednesday launched an operation on the nearby city of Tubas.

Palestinian militant group Hamas, which agreed to a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza last month, condemned the killing of the men in Jenin as an “execution” and urged the international community to intervene to stop what it called Israel’s “escalating field executions.”

The group did not claim the two men as members.

Source: arabnews.com

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Lebanese president rejects Israel’s criticism of army disarmament efforts

NAJIA HOUSSARI

November 27, 2025

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday dismissed Israeli claims questioning the government’s disarmament efforts, calling them “baseless” and “unsupported by any tangible evidence,” as Israeli airstrikes intensified across southern Lebanon.

The remarks came just hours after the Israeli military launched a wave of strikes deep inside Lebanese territory, targeting mountainous areas and valleys in the Jezzine district and Iqlim Al-Tuffah, north of the Litani River, in a significant escalation.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, the attacks struck the vicinity of Al-Jarmaq, Al-Mahmoudieh, and Nabaa et Tasse, and were described as the most extensive assault since the assassination of Haytham Ali Tabatabai, a senior Hezbollah military commander.

During the 12 months since the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel came into effect, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily violations, including airstrikes, drone surveillance, and targeted assassinations of Hezbollah operatives across southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and extending to Beirut’s southern suburbs.

In a meeting with Khaled Khiari, the UN assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific, Aoun said that Lebanon welcomes international support aimed at stabilizing the south and halting Israel’s ongoing attacks on civilians and southern villages and towns.

During the meeting at the Presidential Palace, Aoun reiterated that the Lebanese army has “fully carried out its duties” in its area of deployment south of the Litani River since the ceasefire agreement was announced last year.

He rejected what he called “Israeli attempts to undermine the army’s role and cast doubt on its field work,” saying that such claims are contradicted by the work of the Mechanism Committee, which has officially documented the army’s past and present efforts to curb armed activity, seize weapons and ammunition, and uncover tunnels in the region.

The Israeli strikes came a day after Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held talks in Beirut with Lebanese officials, during which he affirmed Cairo’s “intensive efforts to shield Lebanon from any threats to its security and stability.”

Abdelatty voiced Egypt’s full support for the Lebanese government’s commitment to ensuring that only legitimate state institutions hold weapons.

“The arrogance of force will not bring security or stability to Israel or anyone else,” he said, adding: “We advocate for diplomatic solutions.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Thursday that Lebanon is in a “one-sided war of attrition that is escalating.”

He reiterated that the government established deadlines for monopoly over weapons, noting that the first phase is to be completed by the end of this year and includes the area south of the Litani River where weapons and military infrastructure will be removed.

“As for area north of the Litani River, the principle of containing weapons must be applied at this stage, that is preventing their transfer and use, with subsequent phases of monopoly over weapons in various areas to follow,” he added.

Salam criticized Hezbollah’s stance on retaining its weapons, questioning the effectiveness of its deterrence claims. “The party says its weapons prevent attacks, yet Israel continues to strike. These weapons have failed to deter aggression or protect either Hezbollah’s leaders or the Lebanese people, and the dozens of destroyed villages are proof of that,” he said.

He further asked: “Are Hezbollah’s weapons currently capable of repelling Israel’s ongoing attacks? These weapons neither deterred, nor protected, nor brought victory to Gaza. We did not implement Resolution 1701 in 2006, and as a reminder, the preamble to the ceasefire agreement clearly states that only six official entities, namely the Lebanese military and security agencies, are entitled to bear arms.”

Israel has continued to exert pressure on Lebanon by threatening to launch a new military confrontation soon if Hezbollah does not hand over its weapons to the state. This comes amid multiple reports claiming that Hezbollah is rebuilding its military capabilities, while the Lebanese government has yet to take any concrete steps to address the issue.

Iran’s escalating stance, which supports Hezbollah in refusing to hand over its weapons, has met with widespread condemnation in Lebanon.

Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt condemned a statement made by the Iranian adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ali Akbar Velayati.

Velayati had said on Wednesday that “Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon has become more vital than daily bread.”

In a post, Jumblatt described the Iranian stance as a violation of Lebanon and “an attempt to turn it into a mailbox in the American dialogue.”

Jumblatt also condemned the presence of a large number of former Syrian regime officers in Lebanon “under the protection of partisan and official groups,” adding that “they pose a threat to internal stability.”

He commended Iraq’s leading Shiite cleric, Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani, for the message he delivered last week to the Iranian leadership on the danger of leaving the Lebanese Shiite community under the threat of a new war.

In a statement to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, Velayati said that Tehran will not give up its support for Hezbollah.

He added: “The Israeli enemy’s aggression showed everyone the disastrous consequences of disarming Hezbollah in Lebanon.”

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi responded to Velayati’s statement, accusing him of “interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs.”

In a post on X addressing his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Raggi said: “I wanted to believe what you said that Iran does not interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs, until your Supreme Leader’s adviser (Velayati) came out today to guide us on what is truly important in Lebanon and warned us of the consequences of disarming Hezbollah.”

He added: “What is more important to us than water and bread is our sovereignty, our freedom, and the independence of our internal decision-making, free from ideological slogans and transborder regional agendas that have devastated our country and continue to drag us further into ruin.”

Former Justice Minister Gen. Ashraf Rifi called on Velayati to “take care of the Iranian people crushed under the authoritarian grip, instead of lecturing the Lebanese.”

He added: “Your blatant interference in Lebanon’s affairs is the root of all the tragedies we are living through, and it’s shameful that you consider yourselves the guardians of a free country. The game is over, and Lebanon will reclaim its national decision no matter how hard you try to impose your influence.”

Lebanese Independent MP Michel Moawad described Velayati’s statement as “provocative and rude.”

He said: “Lebanon is not a stage for the ambitions of the Iranian project, but a country guarded by an independent state.”

Source: arabnews.com

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Israel launches new strikes in south Lebanon on ceasefire anniversary

November 27, 2025

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said it had carried out another series of strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Thursday, exactly a year into the ceasefire with the militant group.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli aircraft launched “a series of raids on Al-Mahmoudiya and Al-Jarmak in the Jezzine area.”

The Israeli military “struck and dismantled Hezbollah terror infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon,” it said in a statement.

It also said it had hit “several launch sites where Hezbollah weapons were stored,” “military posts” used by the Iran-backed group and a storage facility containing weapons.

Israel’s military “will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel,” it said.

The November 27, 2024 ceasefire sought to end over a year of hostilities between the two sides.

Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure to stop the group from rearming.

According to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border with Israel, and have its military infrastructure there dismantled.

Under a government-approved plan, the Lebanese army is to dismantle Hezbollah military infrastructure south of the river by the end of the year, before tackling the rest of the country.

The United States is increasing its pressure on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.

The Lebanese military has said it is carrying out its plan to disarm the group, but the US and Israel have accused Lebanese authorities of stalling the process.

An Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday killed Haitham Ali Tabatabai — the most senior Hezbollah commander to be killed by Israel since the ceasefire entered into force.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday warned there would be “no calm” in Lebanon if Israel’s security was not guaranteed.

Source: arabnews.com

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Africa

 

‘Terrorists, Bandits Killing People Are Northerners And Muslims’ — Former Senator

November 27, 2025

By Rachel Okporu

Former Senator representing Kaduna Central at the National Assembly, Shehu Sani, has said that terrorists and bandits operating in the North-East and North-West of Nigeria and killing people are not foreigners, but northerners and Muslims.

Naija News reports that Sani stated this during a public discussion on insecurity, stating that northerners must be honest about the situation and lead the solution.

According to Sani, bandits in the North-West are not from Senegal, Mali, Morocco, Guinea or Guinea-Bissau, but are Fulani from the North-West of Nigeria.

The former lawmaker called on leaders in Northern Nigeria to take direct responsibility for tackling the region’s security crisis and stop externalising the problem.

He said, “The terrorists killing people in the North East are not from Congo, Malawi, Libya or Egypt; they are northerners, and they are Muslims. We must be honest about this.

“The bandits in the North-West are not from Senegal, Mali, Morocco, Guinea or Guinea-Bissau, they are Fulani from the North-West of Nigeria.

“It is for us to solve this problem, not anybody else, they are not speaking Chinese or Spanish. They speak Fulani, Hausa and Kanuri. These are our languages.”

Speaking on the number of bandits and terrorists involved, the chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna said the active fighters are not as large as many assume.

He added, “The total number of bandits and terrorists is not more than 5,000.”

Source: naijanews.com

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‘If My Son Turns Terrorist, Arrest Him’ – Lawmaker Declares Amid Nationwide Kidnap, Banditry Surge

November 27, 2025

By Richard Ogunsile

The lawmaker representing Niger East Senatorial District, Senator Sani Musa, has demanded the immediate arrest of any person linked to terrorism, declaring that no position, title, or bloodline should shield suspects from prosecution.

Naija News reports that Musa, speaking at Senate plenary, tied his call to the rapid spread of insecurity now haunting every region, saying the scourge that once began in a single local government had metastasised nationwide.

“No state is immune. I don’t want politics in this issue, not politics; it is a reality. If my brother, my son, if he is doing this thing, he should be picked. The law should take its course,” he said.

Maintaining his stance, Musa stressed that if his son, or any relative, was found complicit in terror, the law must bite.

“If my son or my brother is doing terrorism, arrest me through him. Arrest anyone. The law should take its course,” he emphasised.

The lawmaker challenged the growing culture of criminals walking free despite being monitored, disarmed, or confronted by state forces without consequence.

“They were arrested with AK-47s and released with AK-47s, no gunshots, no arrest, nothing. And then tomorrow, we wake up to another banditry. Why should it end like that?” Musa queried.

Naija News reports that lawmakers have in recent weeks debated spikes in mass abductions, especially after high-profile school kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger, and ceremonial condemnations that followed instead of arrests.

Musa directed his appeal to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, reminding him that national security sits on the head of leadership.

“Mr President, it is on you as our leader to tackle this issue head-on, without any fear or favour. We will stand for you, we voted for you,” he said.

“We should not be here playing politics with the lives of this country. We must own our responsibilities,” Musa added, backing it with a pledge of institutional support if oversight turned to action.

The Niger leader insisted that terrorism had expanded into every corridor, from the Zaria-Sokoto highway to forest routes in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger, where kidnappers have only grown bolder.

“We should not be here playing politics with the lives of this country. We must own our responsibilities,” he restated.

Source: naijanews.com

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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/11/27/if-my-son-turns-terrorist-arrest-him-lawmaker-declares-amid-nationwide-kidnap-banditry-surge/

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It Is Unacceptable – Oshiomhole Blows Hot, Blasts Judges For Reducing Death Sentences Of Capital Offenders

November 27, 2025

By Justina Otio

The Senator representing Edo North senatorial district, Adams Oshiomhole, has condemned the reduction of prison sentences for capital offences.

Speaking during Senate deliberations on national security on Wednesday, Oshiomhole argued that such decisions undermined the rule of law and public confidence in the justice system.

He asserted that it was unacceptable for judges to substitute death sentences prescribed by law with 20-year imprisonment terms, particularly in cases involving armed robbery, kidnapping, or terrorism that result in loss of life.

The lawmaker made reference to a recent judgement passed on an Ansaru terrorist group kingpin by a Federal High Court judge in Abuja.

“How can someone carrying a death sentence end up with twenty years in prison? That is not acceptable,” Oshiomhole declared.

The former labour leader accused some judges of violating laws duly passed by the National Assembly through “sentimental or compromised judgments,” insisting that judicial officers must strictly interpret and apply the law as enacted.

“If the law says terrorism, if convicted, shall attract the death penalty, no judge has a right to pronounce less than that.

“It is only when you have implemented the law, interpreted the will of the people as conveyed in that law, that the President can decide, if there is reason, to commute or reduce the sentence,” he said.

Oshiomhole expressed dismay that despite the huge efforts and risks undertaken by security agencies and prosecutors to secure convictions, inconsistent and lenient judgments by courts have often nullified those efforts.

“I am troubled when, after all the efforts that security agencies and prosecuting authorities invest to secure convictions because the state cannot behave like a mob and must follow due process, we then see conflicting judgments from various high courts,” he said.

He cited the instance where a convicted terrorist was sentenced to just 20 years in prison despite the law prescribing the death penalty, warning that such practices embolden criminals and erode trust in the justice system.

Oshiomhole, however, also noted the importance of balance and fairness, citing cases where individuals acting in self-defence, such as farmers attacked on their land faced harsh punishments, while actual aggressors escaped justice.

“For example, somebody allegedly killed someone who came to attack him on his farm and was sentenced to death, but there is no evidence that those who attack and kill farmers are being convicted or sentenced accordingly,” he lamented.

The senator urged the federal government and the judiciary to urgently reform sentencing practices to ensure justice is both fair and consistent.

“These are some of the issues we have to deal with so that nobody is given any excuse to misunderstand what is clearly a national challenge,” he added.

Source: naijanews.com

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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/11/27/it-is-unacceptable-oshiomhole-blows-hot-blasts-judges-for-reducing-death-sentences-of-capital-offenders/

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Bandits Abduct 24 In Fresh Niger State Attack

November 27, 2025

Bandit terrorists have abducted 24 people, including a pregnant woman in yet another deadly attack on Niger State.

It was gathered that the gunmen also mutilated a blind resident in separate attacks within the same local government area.

According to Vanguard, the latest incident occurred on Wednesday in Palaita community, Erena Local Government Area, where armed men stormed a farmland while labourers were harvesting crops.

Witnesses said the attackers rounded up the workers and whisked them away into the bush. Among those taken was a heavily pregnant woman.

In another deadly attack in the same local government area, the criminals reportedly cut off the arm of a blind man after he allegedly failed to “cooperate” with their demands.

Residents say the renewed attacks have heightened fear across surrounding communities, with calls mounting for urgent government intervention to halt the escalating insecurity in the state.

Source: naijanews.com

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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/11/27/breaking-bandits-abduct-24-in-fresh-niger-state-attack/

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Arab World

 

Training session for Islamic preachers concludes in Thailand

November 27, 2025

BANGKOK: The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, represented by the Religious Attache at the Saudi Embassy in Thailand, on Thursday concluded the Sharia academic session for qualifying 50 imams, preachers and muezzins.

Key academic topics included the explanation of fundamental principles and simplified jurisprudence, aimed at enhancing participants’ efficiency in community guidance and the dissemination of moderate Islamic teachings, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The initiative is part of the ministry’s ongoing external programs to deliver Sharia knowledge based on the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, reinforcing the message of tolerance and moderation, and promoting correct religious awareness to serve Muslim communities and elevate moderate religious discourse.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2624226/saudi-arabia

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Ministry of Interior enhances services with AI

November 27, 2025

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior is using artificial intelligence and data analytics to improve service quality, security and environmental security.

The ministry uses advanced technologies across several areas including crowd management and translation for pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah. AI-equipped drones are used to enhance surveillance, monitoring and crowd management.

Its use of AI focuses on technological innovation, integration, speed and accuracy, managing human density through crowd flow analysis and congestion prediction and using big data to allocate human and technological resources.

Other AI tools including a command-and-control center equipped with real-time data analysis technology help to reduce crime in the country. This makes for more seamless and efficient experience for citizens, residents and visitors, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The center enables a rapid, accurate response to both pilgrims and Umrah performers when it comes to crowd management, security and safety, and service issues, in close collaboration with various government departments.

The Ministry of Interior’s initiatives are highlighted in the simplification of the entry process for pilgrims through the “Smart Path,” implemented by the General Directorate of Passports, which uses AI to process visitors entering the country. It allows for smooth passage, quick and accurate verification of entry, reduced waiting times and an enhanced overall experience.

The ministry has also established unified data, a strategic step towards strengthening integration between different systems. This helps accurate decision-making based on comprehensive insights, contributing to increased operational efficiency and improved service quality.

In collaboration with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, the ministry also operates a digital identity project via the Tawakkalna application, which includes national identity and resident identity.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2624155/saudi-arabia

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Saudi students bring cultures together at KFUPM WORLD

WAAD HUSSAIN

November 27, 2025

DHAHRAN: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals opened its campus this week to one of its largest student-led cultural festivals, KFUPM WORLD.

The four-day event, which began on Wednesday and runs until Saturday, is designed to bring together students from more than 30 nationalities and aims to strengthen cross-cultural understanding, enabling international and Saudi students to better connect outside the classroom.

Organized entirely by students, KFUPM WORLD includes cultural booths, traditional clothing displays, live performances, virtual reality experiences and an art exhibition. It has four themes — culture, tourism, entertainment and arts — with each highlighting a different aspect of global identity and student expression.

Building 57’s outdoor space at the university has been transformed into a walkway lined with flags from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Visitors move between booths and performances while student volunteers guide guests through the experience.

Ziyad Al-Harbi, a mechanical engineering student and the founder and president of KFUPM WORLD, said the initiative began as a personal goal.

“The real driving force behind launching KFUPM WORLD is a personal desire to leave a mark in the university before graduating,” he said.

“Another reason is that major programs like student exchange and others have not been fully activated. Many of the students who come to the university from different countries remain closed within their own communities and socialize mainly with people of the same nationality.”

His comment reflects a challenge often faced by universities trying to help international students integrate. KFUPM WORLD was designed to address this by giving students a direct, welcoming platform to present their cultures and engage with others.

Visitors so far have said it offers an accessible look into the university’s diverse community.

Ghala Hazza, a high school senior, said she found the atmosphere warm and welcoming: “Honestly, I enjoyed it a lot, and everyone organizing the event was extremely kind. Thank you so much for all the effort.”

Inside the cultural booths, traditional clothing, crafts and foods are all highlighted. Some visitors posed for photos in front of large cultural backdrops, while others learned about the different customs, languages and history.

The Chinese booth, decked out in bright red and featuring traditional attire, drew particular attention, while those representing Indonesia, Pakistan, Sudan and other countries also reflected their regions.

Meanwhile, the main stage near Building 70 drew large crowds to watch traditional Saudi performances. Drummers led segments of local folk arts as students gathered around to enjoy, take photographs and join in.

For the university, KFUPM WORLD aligns with broader efforts to enhance student life and support national goals linked to Vision 2030, particularly in the areas of culture, tourism and community engagement.

The event also highlights a shift toward student-led initiatives, following the trend of large-scale activities such as TEDxKFUPM and major student conferences.

Crowds remained heavy throughout opening night as families, students and school visitors explored the festival. For many international students, it was a chance to share their identity while for younger visitors it offered a first look at KFUPM’s campus and community.

Organizers said the goal was for KFUPM WORLD to become an annual event, expanding to include more countries and experiences.

Source: arabnews.com

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Aid distributed to quake victims in Afghanistan

November 27, 2025

KABUL: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has distributed 300 food baskets and 300 cartons of dates to earthquake victims in Mazar-i-Sharif, Northern Afghanistan.

The aid benefited 1,800 individuals, falling under the food security and emergency support project in Afghanistan.

This initiative is part of the Kingdom’s ongoing humanitarian commitment, through KSrelief, to support the Afghan people and alleviate their suffering.

Elsewhere, the agency distributed 1,787 cartons of dates in Damascus, Syria.

This effort aligns with the Kingdom’s continuous humanitarian commitment, through KSrelief, to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, the agency distributed 916 food baskets and 916 cartons of dates in the Sidon area of Lebanon.

The aid benefited 4,580 individuals, including Syrian and Palestinian refugees and members of the host community. The distribution is part of the 2025 food and date aid projects in Lebanon aimed at supporting the most vulnerable families.

Source: arabnews.com

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Saudi Aviation Club signs agreement in bid to host largest annual air show in Middle East

HEBSHI ALSHAMMARI

November 27, 2025

RIYADH: The Saudi Aviation Club and Messe Frankfurt Group have signed a memorandum of understanding to host the largest annual air show in the Middle East.

The club said on Thursday that the agreement “merges the Saudi Aviation Club’s renowned consumer-focused General Aviation Air Show 2025 Sand and Fun with Messe Frankfurt’s powerful industry platform Aero Middle East, creating the region’s premier hub for general aviation technology.”

Prince Sultan bin Salman, the founder and chairman of Saudi Aviation Club, said that the partnership with Messe Frankfurt was “a landmark moment.”

Wolfgang Marzin, the CEO of Messe Frankfurt Company, said: “We will deliver a must-attend annual event that serves the entire general aviation community.”

Alongside the partnership, the air show has witnessed the signing of 17 other agreements and memorandums of understanding with government and private entities such as the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, the Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority, the Saudi Aircraft Preparation and Maintenance Company, Cluster2, Red Aviation, GGAS Aviation Services, the Human Resources Development Fund, and the National Aviation Academy.

The agreements cover multiple areas, including the development of general aviation infrastructure, the adoption of emerging future technologies, the enhancement of operational and training capabilities, and the provision of integrated safety and technical service solutions.

This announcement comes at a time when Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector is witnessing remarkable growth, with the number of aviation clubs now standing at 19, and the establishment of 46 accredited flying schools across the Kingdom.

The air show, which continues until Saturday, features more than 90 aerial performances and has attracted more than 150 exhibitors from around the world.

According to the event’s organizers, the show is expected to host more than 200,000 visitors.

The memorandum was signed by Ahmed Al-Fahid, a member of the board of directors and general supervisor of the Saudi Aviation Club, and Azzan Mohamed, managing director at Messe Frankfurt Saudi Arabia. The signing was attended by Prince Sultan and Marzin.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2624191/saudi-arabia

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Muslim World League launches Islamic digital reference platform

TAREQ AL-THAQAFI

November 27, 2025

MAKKAH: The Muslim World League has launched a new digital reference platform for Islamic studies named Minhaj.

The MWL’s Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa presented the app at a ceremony in Makkah on Wednesday.

The inauguration was attended by representatives of Islamic bodies and organizations.

During the launch, Al-Issa explained that the platform includes an international Shariah-based framework developed over many years by senior jurists and experts.

Minhaj has “high institutional credibility” that counters the “contradiction and inconsistency” found in some religious programs, said Al-Issa.

Minhaj received official approval from the Islamic Fiqh Council on April 22, 2024, he added.

Minhaj offers a wide suite of interactive digital services in several languages, filling a long-standing gap.

The attendees at the ceremony included Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan, Council of Senior Scholars’ Secretary-General Dr. Fahd bin Saad Al-Majed, and the Grand Mosque’s Imam and Khateeb Sheikh Dr. Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid.

Also in attendance was Algeria Supreme Islamic Council Chairman Sheikh Dr. Mabrouk Ali Mohamed Zaid Al-Khair, and Indonesian Shura Council Chairman Ahmad Muzani.

Source: arabnews.com

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UN celebrates 80th anniversary at Riyadh office

HAIFA ALSHAMMARI

November 27, 2025

RIYADH: The UN celebrated its 80th anniversary at its Riyadh office on Wednesday night, highlighting the role of women in Saudi Arabia society.

The participants included officials from government and semi-government entities, as well as representatives from various UN agencies.

During the event, several speakers discussed the progress made in empowering Saudi Arabia’s women, and how the Kingdom is advancing toward its sustainable development goals.

“Here in Saudi Arabia, we see women in classrooms, in university, in labs, in public service … and today here with us (are) artists who turned imagination into voice and identity,” said Mohamed El-Zarkani, UN resident coordinator in the Kingdom.

El-Zarkani emphasized that development was not only about infrastructure but also developing skills, participation, dignity, and access to opportunity.

The event featured “She Shapes Tomorrow,” a show displaying the work of Saudi artists that illustrate the connection between the nation’s culture and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“We are here to serve, to build trust, and to connect people with hope, knowledge, and responsibility.

“The UN’s value isn’t defined by its age or scale, but by its humanity, its ability to stay close to people, listen to them, and help transform potential into opportunity,” El-Zarkani said.

Saudi Arabia has been contributing to international development, mediation, climate action, humanitarian aid and knowledge exchange, he added.

“We are not celebrating how old the organization is; we are celebrating its relevance. The UN and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have such a strong partnership.

“We worked with each other across all sectors, from water desalination to energy efficiency to environmental action to food security to early childhood development,” El-Zarkani told Arab News.

“This kind of partnership is one where there is so much synergy and compatibility between both of our entities, where we see value in this partnership and relationship,” he added.

“Women everywhere still fight for their voices to be heard,” said Janneke Van der Graaff, deputy regional director of the UN Women’s Regional Office in the Arab States, in a speech.

“In inequalities, persistent decision-making, in pay, in access to services and opportunities, without women on the table, half of the population … remains vulnerable to discrimination.”

This year, more than 200 women from rural areas across the Kingdom participated in a collaborative initiative between the Food and Agriculture Organization, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development Program and Reef Saudi Arabia.

Through this project, women learned how to turn local produce including coffee, pomegranates, leather and roses into viable business ventures.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2624161/saudi-arabia

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South Asia

 

Afghans Determined to Defend Their Country’s Sovereignty

November 27, 2025

KABUL: Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, stated during an interview with TOLONews that Afghans are determined to defend their country’s sovereignty and will respond to Pakistan’s recent airstrikes at an “appropriate and necessary time.”

Mujahid condemned the attacks as an “unforgivable crime,” insisting they should never have occurred.

He emphasized that Afghanistan has not initiated any conflict, saying, “We are not the starters of war, our soil has been attacked.”

The remarks come amid rising tensions following Pakistan’s airstrikes inside Afghan territory, which Kabul has strongly denounced.

Source: thekabultimes.com

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https://thekabultimes.com/afghans-determined-to-defend-their-countrys-sovereignty/

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Trump Vows Permanent Ban on Immigration from “Third-World” Nations

By Fidel Rahmati

November 28, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will permanently stop immigration from “third-world” countries, unveiling plans for a sweeping overhaul of America’s current migration system.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he intends to permanently block immigration from what he calls “third-world countries,” outlining a plan for a fundamental overhaul of America’s migration system.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the United States would no longer accept migrants from low-income nations, framing the proposal as part of his effort to “rebuild the American system.” He argued that recent migration waves had weakened U.S. technological progress and strained living standards.

Announcing a broad rollback of admissions, Trump said he would revoke all entries he labels “illegal,” particularly those made during Joe Biden’s administration. “Anyone who does not contribute to America’s future or respect its values will not be allowed to stay,” he wrote.

Trump added that federal welfare assistance for asylum seekers would end, and that citizenship could be stripped from individuals he says jeopardize domestic security. He pledged to expel anyone he considers a burden, a threat, or incompatible with what he described as Western civilization.

Immigration has remained one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics, and Trump’s previous term was marked by repeated clashes over border and refugee policies. His latest position has again thrust the debate into the center of national politics amid rising tensions.

Analysts warn that a policy shift of this scale could destabilize millions of migrants and complicate America’s relationships with partner nations. Rights groups say the rhetoric risks deepening fear within immigrant communities and undermining humanitarian protections.

With the election season approaching, experts expect immigration to dominate public discourse, as both parties brace for a renewed battle over one of the country’s most polarizing issues.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/trump-vows-permanent-ban-on-immigration-from-third-world-nations/

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Turkey Sends 1,300 Tons of Humanitarian Aid to Afghanistan

By Fidel Rahmati

November 28, 2025

Turkey has delivered 1,300 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, providing vital relief to communities struggling with earthquake damage and worsening humanitarian conditions.

The Turkish Embassy in Kabul announced that Turkey has dispatched around 1,300 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, marking another significant contribution as the country faces worsening humanitarian hardships. The embassy stated on X, Thursday, November 27, that the relief supplies were prepared in cooperation with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and several Turkish non-governmental organizations.

This latest shipment was sent through the “Kindness Train,” a continuing initiative used by Turkey to deliver large-scale humanitarian support to Afghanistan communities. The train carries essential goods such as food items, tents, warm clothing, and other materials urgently needed by families affected by recent earthquakes.

According to the embassy, these supplies will be distributed among earthquake-hit households, many of whom have lost homes and remain exposed to harsh weather, food shortages, and limited access to basic services. The aid aims to offer temporary relief as these communities struggle to recover from repeated natural disasters.

Turkey had also sent 922 tons of humanitarian aid earlier to help residents in Kunar, showing a pattern of continued engagement and support for Afghanistan during these difficult times.

Afghanistan remains trapped in a severe humanitarian emergency, compounded by natural disasters, economic collapse, and a sharp reduction in international assistance. Millions of people face growing food insecurity, displacement, and a lack of basic necessities, making foreign aid shipments a critical lifeline for survival.

Although Turkey’s assistance offers immediate relief, the scale of Afghanistan’s crisis requires sustained global attention, long-term recovery efforts, and broader international cooperation to prevent further suffering and help vulnerable communities rebuild their lives.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/turkey-sends-1300-tons-of-humanitarian-aid-to-afghanistan/

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Badakhshan Governor Visits Tajikistan for Border Security Talks

By Fidel Rahmati-

November 27, 2025

Taliban-appointed Badakhshan governor Ismail Ghaznavi has traveled to Tajikistan for high-level border security talks, as both sides seek to ease recent tensions along their shared frontier.

Taliban-appointed Badakhshan governor Ismail Ghaznavi has traveled to Tajikistan for talks focused on border security, state television reported on Thursday.

The visit took Ghaznavi to Tajikistan’s autonomous Gorno-Badakhshan region, where he met senior security officials, including the deputy head of the country’s national security service.

According to the report, both sides discussed recent developments along the shared frontier and ways to prevent armed incidents in the mountainous border districts.

Taliban and Tajik forces have clashed several times this year in Afghanistan’s Shahr-e Buzurg district of Badakhshan, raising concerns about escalating cross-border tensions.

Recent exchanges come weeks after a Tajik government delegation visited Kabul for separate discussions on regional security and counter-terrorism cooperation.

Analysts say the renewed engagement reflects both sides’ desire to prevent instability from spilling across the border, even as distrust and unresolved security issues persist.

Regional observers note that Tajikistan remains wary of militant groups operating from Afghanistan territory, while the Taliban seek international recognition and improved relations with neighboring states.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/badakhshan-governor-visits-tajikistan-for-border-security-talks/

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Afghanistan Wushu Team Returns with Bronze Medal

November 27, 2025

A five-member Afghan Wushu delegation has returned home after successfully participating in the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, securing a bronze medal for the country. The team, which represented Afghanistan in the competition from November 19 of this year, consisted of three athletes and two officials from the Afghanistan National Wushu Federation.

Among the athletes, Mohammad Jafar Sultani, competing in the 70 kg weight category, delivered an impressive performance. He defeated opponents from Yemen and Saudi Arabia with remarkable skill and dynamic bouts. However, he fell short in his match against an Iranian competitor, earning a well-deserved bronze medal for Afghanistan.

To honor this achievement, the leadership of the National Olympic Committee, along with the country’s sports and physical education authorities, organized a special welcoming ceremony. The celebration began at the international airport and continued to the premises of the National Olympic Committee, where team members were warmly received.

The ceremony was attended by senior officials, including Mawlavi Ahmadullah Wasiq, the Director General of the National Sports Administration, Hafez Ahmadjan Zadran, the Deputy for Technical and Professional Affairs, several department heads, and representatives of the National Wushu Federation.

In his remarks, Mawlavi Ahmadullah Wasiq congratulated the athletes on their success and highlighted the recent international accomplishments of Afghan sports as a source of pride for the nation. He reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to supporting athletes across all disciplines, emphasizing that the leadership will continue to work tirelessly for the growth, development, and advancement of sports in Afghanistan.

The return of the medal-winning delegation has sparked optimism within the sports community, reflecting the growing presence and competitive spirit of Afghan athletes on the international stage. The Kabul Times

Source: thekabultimes.com

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Jamaat launches post-earthquake building safety assessment

Nov 28, 2025

Jamaat-e-Islami has launched a post-earthquake building safety assessment, following the recent tremors in Dhaka and nearby areas.

The service was launched yesterday by Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, and a team of engineers was formed, the party said in a press release today.

Under the initiative, experienced civil and structural engineers are conducting on-site inspections in areas under the jurisdiction of the two Dhaka city corporations and adjoining neighbourhoods.

Members of the engineering team may contact residents from the following numbers: 01731-923090, 01959-895769, 01717-303317, the release said.

The team has also provided three hotline numbers through which affected people will be able to communicate with the team.

People will be able to get expert analysis of their home's condition and potential damage by calling these hotlines: 01327-121935, 01327-12 3099 or 01327-121301.

The hotlines are available from 8:00am to 8:00pm.

Source: thedailystar.net

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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/jamaat-launches-post-earthquake-building-safety-assessment-4045711

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At least 20 hurt in BNP-Jamaat campaign clash

Nov 28, 2025

At least 20 people were injured as BNP and Jamaat activists clashed over election campaigning at Char Gargari village in Shahpur union of Pabna's Ishwardi upazila yesterday.

Each side blamed the other for the attack. In protest, Jamaat men held a rally in the area last night.

Tension has been prevailing in Ishwardi as the two groups remained positioned against each other.

Police and locals said the clash broke out around 4:30pm when Jamaat-backed Pabna-4 candidate Abu Taleb Mondol went to Char Gargari for campaigning and BNP activists allegedly attacked them without warning, triggering an hour-long clash.

At least 20 people from both sides were injured, and seven were admitted to Ishwardi Upazila Health Complex.

Abu Taleb alleged that BNP men carried out the attack.

However, BNP-nominated candidate Habibur Rahman Habib told journalists that villagers chased the Jamaat men as they were "misleading" local residents.

Tensions escalated further as fresh clashes were reported in different parts of the upazila last night.

Abdun Nur, officer-in-charge of Ishwardi Police Station, said he did not receive phone calls in this regard.

He, however, told national daily Prothom Alo that the situation was under control and that additional police had been deployed in the area to maintain law and order. No case had been filed over the incident till the filing of this report around 10:00pm.

Locals said tension had been prevailing across the district due to a series of clashes in the past several days.

Meanwhile, Pabna's Jamaat unit brought out a rally on Abdul Hamid Road in the town, blaming BNP men for the "criminal attack" and demanding punishment for the attackers.

In a statement issued last night, Jamaat-e-Islami condemned the attack.

Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar in the statement alleged that supporters of BNP candidate Habibur Rahman Habib carried out the assault and that over 50 Jamaat activists, including Mondal, were injured and many vehicles were damaged.

He described the attack as a blatant attempt to disrupt a peaceful and participatory election and called on the authorities to arrest the attackers immediately and ensure exemplary punishment.

In response, BNP's Pabna-4 candidate Habibur Rahman Habib claimed Jamaat supporters attacked his workers, and that 15-20 of his people were injured in self-defense. He accused Mondal of leading the attack and denied Jamaat's allegations.

Source: thedailystar.net

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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/least-20-hurt-bnp-jamaat-campaign-clash-4045576

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Southeast Asia

 

JAKIM and JAWI mosques to hold special prayers for flood protection

27 Nov 2025

Mosques under JAKIM and JAWI will conduct Solat Hajat after Friday prayers seeking protection from floods and storms affecting multiple states.

KUALA LUMPUR: All mosques and Friday surau under JAKIM and JAWI will conduct Solat Hajat after Friday prayers tomorrow.

Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said the special prayers seek Allah SWT’s protection from disasters including floods and storms.

The prayers also aim to safeguard the country and its people from property damage and other community trials.

“May this serve as a platform for us to pray for the ease of all matters involving our security forces, government agencies, and volunteers who are working tirelessly to assist the affected victims,” he said.

Mohd Na’im added that the community should be granted strength, patience and sustained protection through these prayers.

“May Allah SWT, through our prayers and efforts, lift all hardships, shower His blessings, and grant continued prosperity to our beloved country, Malaysia,” he stated in a Facebook post.

The announcement comes as MetMalaysia warned of unstable weather from Tropical Storm Senyar.

Director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip advised residents in Selangor, Perak and parts of Pahang to remain alert.

The storm is expected to bring unstable weather from midnight tonight until Saturday.

Kedah, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor are also forecast to be impacted.

Source: thesun.my

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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/jakim-and-jawi-mosques-to-hold-special-prayers-for-flood-protection/#google_vignette

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National peace essential for Malaysia’s progress, says PM Anwar

27 Nov 2025

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urges Malaysians to prioritise dialogue and understanding to maintain peace, warning that conflicts hinder national development.

KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on all Malaysians to prioritise understanding and dialogue when resolving differences.

He emphasised that national progress cannot be achieved without peace.

Speaking at a gathering with the Sabah Chinese community, Anwar recalled his recent working visit to Africa where ethnic conflicts had hindered development in several countries.

“That is why I urge friends, including in Sabah, not to take peace lightly because a small mistake can lead to total breakdown,” he said.

The Prime Minister warned that economic collapse and business suffering would follow any breakdown of peace.

“The economy collapses, business suffers, the nation suffers, so safeguard peace,” he stressed during the event organised by the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah.

Anwar’s message highlighted the critical connection between national stability and economic prosperity.

He urged continuous efforts to maintain harmony among Malaysia’s diverse racial communities.

The gathering brought together community leaders and members to discuss national unity and development.

Source: thesun.my

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story

https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/national-peace-essential-for-malaysias-progress-says-pm-anwar/

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Perak spends RM32 million on water subsidy and rebate programmes

28 Nov 2025

Perak government allocates nearly RM32 million for water subsidies and rebates, benefiting B40 households with free water and monthly bill reductions

IPOH: The Perak government has spent nearly RM32 million on water subsidy and rebate programmes as of October this year.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the initiative aims to ease living costs, particularly for the B40 group.

Registered low-income and hardcore poor households receive 25 cubic metres of free water monthly, valued at RM20.40.

Eligible households must be registered with and receiving aid from the Social Welfare Department, Department of Orang Asli Development, or Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council.

“If water consumption is below the allocated rate, no payment will be imposed,” Saarani told the State Legislative Assembly.

All domestic account holders in Perak also receive a monthly water bill rebate of RM4.

The Menteri Besar was responding to Dr Najihatussalehah Ahmad’s question about strengthening the social safety net in Budget 2026.

A study by Institut Darul Ridzuan identified food, housing and utility bills as the main burden for Perak residents.

Saarani said the state government constantly reviews current needs to enhance B40 assistance in urban and rural areas.

He stressed this depends on the state’s financial situation and current policy commitments.

“The state government is committed to ensuring that state revenues benefit the people of Perak comprehensively,” he said.

Assistance distribution emphasises coordination between departments to prevent duplication and ensure fair reach.

Various initiatives will continue under Budget 2026, including increased Social Welfare Department General Assistance.

The allocation for General Assistance rises from RM31 million to RM37 million monthly.

Perak Sejahtera Card funding increases from RM24 million to RM24.5 million.

Food Box Assistance Programme allocation grows from RM5 million to RM6 million.

The state government also allocated RM3 million for the Sayangi Rumahku Programme as a revolving fund.

This programme assists with housing needs through Yayasan Perak.

Other continuing initiatives include Rahmah Sales and the Perak Sejahtera Bus Programme. – Bernama

Source: thesun.my

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story

https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/people-issues/perak-spends-rm32-million-on-water-subsidy-and-rebate-programmes/

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PM Anwar confirms 40% revenue return to Sabah will be implemented

28 Nov 2025

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declares 40% revenue return to Sabah is settled and will be implemented by the MADANI Government

KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has confirmed that the return of 40% of revenue to Sabah is no longer an issue and will be implemented.

He stated that the matter was discussed and unanimously agreed upon during a Cabinet meeting.

“Why complain about 40%? Now this government, during the Cabinet meeting has already discussed it,” he said at the Harapan Urang Sabah Grand Finale Programme at the Likas Stadium parking area.

“I checked with the Cabinet, all agree with 40%? Agreed. Want to appeal (in court)? No. Forty per cent done? Yes, done.”

Anwar emphasised that he had explained this commitment in Parliament as Prime Minister defending Sabah’s welfare.

“Forty per cent is no longer an issue. It will be implemented. Which government? The current government. Before? None,” he added.

Regarding Pakatan Harapan’s participation in Sabah, Anwar clarified the party has no intention of contesting the Chief Minister’s post.

The PH chairman stressed the importance of a strong state government maintaining good relations with the Federal Government.

“If the state government is weak, they must get along with us, and we also get along with them. We listen to them, they listen to us,” he said.

He highlighted that federal-state cooperation is crucial for development in information technology and artificial intelligence.

“This (Malaysia) is among the countries moving forward. But I do not want digital (technology) only for the rich at the top,” Anwar stated.

“I want everyone (to benefit). Digital for the people. AI for the people.”

The Prime Minister cited the RM2 billion undersea cable project linking the peninsula, Sarawak and Sabah as a key federal initiative.

This project aims to narrow the digital gap between the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak.

He reiterated that digital technology advancement must benefit all people, not just certain groups. – Bernama

Source: thesun.my

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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/politics/pm-anwar-confirms-40-revenue-return-to-sabah-will-be-implemented/

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PM’s ex-aide Shamsul Iskandar's statement taken at MACC over corruption claims

28 Nov 2025

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 28 — Former senior political secretary to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, presented himself at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters here today to have his statement recorded pertaining to corruption allegations made by businessman, known as Albert Tei.

Sources said Shamsul Iskandar arrived at the MACC headquarters at around noon.

According to MACC, apart from Tei and Shamsul Iskandar, the woman featured in a viral conversation with Tei had also given her statement yesterday.

On Nov 25, Shamsul Iskandar announced his resignation as senior political secretary to the Prime Minister.

The MACC had previously confirmed the launch of a probe into the corruption allegations involving both Albert Tei and Shamsul Iskandar, stating that all relevant parties would be summoned to provide evidence. — Bernama

Source: malaymail.com

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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/11/28/pms-ex-aide-shamsul-iskandars-statement-taken-at-macc-over-corruption-claims/200017

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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/rajya-sabha-vande-mataram-parliament/d/137806

 

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