New Age Islam News Bureau
25 January 2023
Follow-Up To The Outreach
With Muslim Community
-----
• Journalist Reveals How Swedish Police Enabled
Far-Right Paludan To Burn Quran
• Trapped In Afghanistan, Female Judges Plead For
International Support As Taliban Kills One
• Muslim-American Group Urges Swedish Government To
Condemn Quran Burning
• ‘Psychological Torture’ On Rise In Tunisia: Rights
Group World Organization Against Torture
India
• In A Bid To Draw Minorities Closer UP BJP’s Republic
Day Drive To Woo Muslims With Nationalism
• Madhya Pradesh: Hindutva Mob Assaults Muslim Men At
Woman’s Party Alleging ‘Love Jihad’
• Pakistan's Bilawal invited for SCO foreign
ministers' meeting
--------
Europe
• British Muslim Author Lauren Booth 'Grateful' For
Her Life In Istanbul
• Oregon man accused of vandalising mosque, synagogues
faces federal charges
• Boy who killed Afghan refugee in UK sentenced for
carrying knife hours before attack
• Swedish-Assyrians explain how they stopped Quran
burning in their town
--------
South Asia
• Hundreds Protest In Afghan City Against Quran
Burning In Sweden
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation Distributes Aid
in Kabul
• Crisis-hit Sri Lanka seeks support, investment from
OIC countries
--------
North America
• US Treasury sanctions individuals, entities linked
to Hezbollah
• 'Türkiye taking decisive steps to improve ties with
Latin America, Caribbean'
• In new book, Pompeo staunchly defends S Arabia
despite Khashoggi murder
• Former US secretary of state Pompeo claims India
informed him Pakistan was preparing for nuclear attack
• US sanctions Lebanon money exchanger for alleged
ties to Hezbollah
--------
Africa
• The Financial And Investment Forum On
‘‘Sharia-Compliant Bonds’ Role In Libya’s Economic Development’’ Held In
Misrata
• King Abdullah meets Israeli PM in surprise Jordan
visit
• Jordan stresses importance of respecting status quo
in Al-Aqsa Mosque during Netanyahu meeting
• Mortar attack targeting Somalia's presidential
palace wounds at least 5
--------
Pakistan
• Not Just Hindus, Ahmadiyya Muslims Too Not Safe in
Pakistan: Graves Desecrated in Faisalabad
• Thailand’s chief monk proposes Gandhara University
in Pakistan to promote peace, spiritualism
• PM ready to sacrifice ‘political capital’ at IMF
altar
• Security agencies to keep vigil on extremists,
illegal foreigners in twin cities
• India invites Pakistan’s foreign minister for
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting: reports
--------
Southeast Asia
• Central Jakarta Lautze Mosque: Harmonious
Co-Existence Of Islam, Chinese Cultures
• Indonesia summons Sweden envoy over Quran burning
• JB school taken to task over allegedly Muslim
students-only SPM workshop
• Hannah pens touching tribute to late PAS leader
--------
Arab World
• Awqaf Ministry and Islamic Affairs Launches Course
For Imams, Muezzins
• Al Azhar Grand Imam to Italy’s FM: World should
resort to dialogue to get out of crises
• How one Aleppo neighbourhood continues to defy siege
of Syria’s Assad
• Shoura Council approves IMF regional office in Saudi
Arabia
• Suspected ‘UFO’ image spotted over Iraqi city of
Mosul released by US officials
• Takfiri militants planning acts of sabotage, terror
attacks in Syria’s Idlib: Russian military
--------
Mideast
• Spokesman: EU, UK Fresh Sanctions Demonstrate West's
Confusion in Dealing with Iran
• Iranian FM: Emotional Behaviours to Cost for Europe
• Israel’s Netanyahu holds talks with King Abdullah in
Jordan
• Israeli high-tech workers protest against
government’s judicial reform plan
• Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA appeals for $1.6
bln in funding
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/rss-muslim-intellectuals-community/d/128966
--------
RSS Leaders Indresh Kumar, Ram Lal And Krishna Gopal
Meet Muslim Intellectuals, Najeeb Jung And SY Qureshi etc. As A Follow-Up To
The Outreach With Muslim Community
Follow-Up To The Outreach
With Muslim Community
-----
Jan 24, 2023
NEW DELHI: In a significant development, senior RSS
leaders met at former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung’s residence as a
follow-up to the outreach with members of the Muslim community. Several issues
including hate speeches, mob lynchings, bulldozer politics and temples in
Mathura and Kashi were discussed in the closed-door meeting.
The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had first met with five
prominent Muslims on August 22 last year.
On January 14, RSS leaders Indresh Kumar, Ram Lal and
Krishna Gopal – authorised by Bhagwat to continue the dialogue – met with Jung,
former election commissioner SY Quraishi, journalist Shahid Siddiqui and
hotelier Saeed Sherwani. Lt Gen (retd) Zameeruddin Shah, who was a part of the
Bhagwat meeting, was not present.
The meeting was also significant because it included
Muslim scholars from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind and the Darul
Uloom Deoband. The religious heads also met with Jung and the other prominent
Muslims, a day earlier on January 13, at Siddiqui’s home, to make a list of
talking points.
Confirming the meeting, Siddiqui told TOI, “We had
another cordial meeting to discuss the continuing polarisation and
marginalisation of the Muslim community. We hope to meet again in different
cities.” Laeek Ahmed, National assistant secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JEIH)
also confirmed the meeting, saying, “Our representative was present. The issue
of hate speeches was taken up and the RSS leaders agreed that it gives India a
bad name, internationally.
Jung and company took up the issue of Bhagwat’s recent
interview with Panchajanya and Organiser. The RSS chief’s comments on Hindus
being “at war for over 1000 years,” and the need for Muslims to give up the
“rhetoric of supremacy,” led to a political storm. In the January 14 meeting,
however, the RSS leaders sought to underplay the remarks, saying, the interview
– originally in Hindi – had not been properly contextualised and translated.
The leader, apparently read out portions in Hindi.
The most startling discussion in the closed-door
meeting was the suggestion from the RSS, that the Muslim community consider
handing over the mosques in Kashi and Mathura as a “good will gesture.”
Confirming this, Malik Mohtasim Khan, National
Secretary, JEIH, who was a part of the January meeting at Jung’s residence,
said, “They brought up Mathura and Kashi in the context Babri Masjid and we
reminded them about the court cases. We also asked them, will you stop at three
(Babri, Kashi and Mathura) and they said they cannot guarantee anything.”
The meeting that lasted nearly three hours ended with
the prospect of taking the outreach forward, through meetings in other cities.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Journalist Reveals How Swedish Police Enabled
Far-Right Paludan To Burn Quran
Leader of the far-right
Danish political party Stram Kurs Rasmus Paludan during a manifestation outside
the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, January 21, 2023. (Reuters)
----
Mehmet Solmaz
24.01.2023
STOCKHOLM
Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right party
Stram Kurs (Hard Line), had not only burnt a copy of Islam’s holy book Quran
under police protection, but also reportedly made the Swedish security forces
to release a member of his team to start his provocative act.
Photojournalist Orhan Karan said a companion of
Paludan, whom he had seen in the previous demonstrations, suddenly approached
him in an aggressive manner and started verbal abuses before threatening to
attack him.
“Then he turned his abuse into a physical attack.
Police at the scene had detained him as they have witnessed the incident.
Police informed me, saying they have removed him from the area,” Karan said,
adding that Paludan arrived at the scene shortly after, but refused to get out
of his vehicle unless his colleague was released by the police.
Under normal conditions, detainees are taken to a
police vehicle, followed by a questioning at a police station.
“The police had bowed down to Paludan’s demand and
brought the person back to the scene of demonstration; meaning, allowing a
person, who got involved in a criminal offense and an act of violence,” said
Karan, who added that the detained person was tasked with live streaming the
act of Paludan.
Karan said he will file a legal complaint against the
officers who are accused of enabling Paludan to stage his act. He says police
had apologized to him after releasing the detainee and said the far-right
leader, who was given legal protection for his demonstration, was otherwise not
going to come out of his vehicle.
Stunned by the police reaction, Karan said any other
detained individual would be taken to a police station under normal
circumstances.
The incident caused uproar in the Muslim world. In
response to Sweden allowing Paludan to burn a copy of the Quran, which Türkiye
condemned as a “provocative act” of “hate crime,” Ankara has canceled Swedish
Defense Minister Pal Jonson's upcoming visit to Türkiye.
Due to fears of a possible Russian invasion in the
future, Swedes are bidding to be part of the NATO's transatlantic military
alliance. However, their candidacy is currently on hold by Türkiye, which
demands the Nordic country to start acting against the activities of the
terrorist groups, including the PKK and Fetullah Terrorist Organization.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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original story:
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Trapped In Afghanistan, Female Judges Plead For
International Support As Taliban Kills One
Afghan Female judges remaining trapped in Afghanistan
plead for international support. Representational Image/AFP.
-----
Umang Sharma
January 25, 2023
Kabul: Afghan female judges, who remained trapped in
Afghanistan, pleaded for support from the international community. Five months
ago, one of the woman magistrate was killed by the Taliban who removed them
from jobs after coming to power on 15 August, 2021.
While many female judges have resettled in other
countries, about 70 of them still remain in Afghanistan.
Qazi Marzia Babakarkhail, a former Afghan judge now
living in exile in Manchester, said: “Five months ago, we lost one of our
female judges in Kabul. Taliban killed her and left her body outside her
brother’s house. This is the day I tell the world. Because of security and
safety problem, we kept quite all these days.”
She further alleged that a lot of women are being
killed by the Taliban which are not being reported.
Babakarkhail, who is also a survivor of two
assassination attempts by Taliban, said: “We ask the UK government and the
international community to help the remaining judges who are hiding as the
revenge has increased and the situation has become worse for female judges in
Afghanistan.”
The former Afghan judge went on to say, “There are lot
of sympathy for Afghanistan. There are lot of option for Afghanistan, but we
just a practical action. If they want to help women in Afghanistan, there are
lot of ways to help.”
“We are very alone. We need help and we need hand to
escape our sisters (female judges) we left behind in Afghanistan,” Babakarkhail
said.
According to reports, there were 270 female judges in
Afghanistan but all lost their jobs after the Taliban came to power in 2021.
The Taliban began as an armed group that emerged in
the 1990s out of Afghanistan’s Civil War. However, by 1996, they had come to
rule most of the country. They lost power in 2001, but came back to rule the
country in 2021.
According to Babakarkhail, soon after taking over
Afghanistan, the Taliban killed two female judges in Kabul.
Source: Firstpost
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Muslim-American Group Urges Swedish Government To
Condemn Quran Burning
Photo: aa.com
----
Betül Yürük
25.01.2023
NEW YORK
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
called on the Swedish government Tuesday to condemn the recent burning of the
Muslim holy book, the Quran, outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
''While CAIR does not hold the government of Sweden
responsible for this act of hate, Prime Minister (Ulf) Kristersson’s statement
does not clearly convey that the government of Sweden unequivocally rejects
Islamophobia as a form of hate and bigotry,'' the Muslim civil rights and
advocacy organization said in a letter sent to the Swedish Ambassador to the
US, Karin Olofsdotter.
''Unfortunately, this Quran burning incident is not an
isolated act of Islamophobia in Sweden. CAIR and the American Muslim community,
as well as those concerned about religious freedom globally, remain deeply
concerned about the increasing number of media, academic, and government
reports detailing the continuing rise of Islamophobia and related anti-Muslim
bias incidents and hate crimes in Sweden.''
On Saturday, Kristersson tweeted that "freedom of
expression is a fundamental part of democracy. But what is legal is not
necessarily appropriate. Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply
disrespectful act. I want to express my sympathy for all Muslims who are
offended by what has happened in Stockholm today."
Rasmus Paludan, leader of the far-right Stram Kurs
(Hard Line) party, burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in
Stockholm on Saturday under police protection and with permission from the
Swedish government, resulting in a wave of condemnations from across the Arab
and Islamic world.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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‘Psychological Torture’ On Rise In Tunisia: Rights
Group World Organization Against Torture
President Kais Saied casting
his ballot near Tunis on December 17, 2022
Copyright © africanews-/AFP
------
24 January ,2023
Tunisia has witnessed an upsurge in the ill-treatment
of President Kais Saied’s opponents since he seized power in 2021, in what
amounts to “psychological torture,” a rights group said Tuesday.
Saied froze parliament and seized far-reaching
executive powers on July 25, 2021 in what critics have called a “coup” and an
attack on the only democracy to have emerged from the Arab Spring uprisings
more than a decade ago.
Following the 2011 fall of dictator Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali, incidents of torture instigated by the political leadership in Tunis
had reduced, said Helene Legeay of the World Organization Against Torture.
But since Saied’s power grab, such ill-treatment had
been “extended to political opponents” of the Tunisian leader, she said.
“What concerns us enormously is the rise in recent
years of what could be described as psychological torture, or at the very least
ill-treatment perpetrated against people under police surveillance.
“It manifests itself in the form of arbitrary restrictions
of freedoms, renewed restrictions, through house arrest, travel bans... police
visits,” said Legeay.
“And this forms a torturous environment that is
increasingly present in Tunisia.”
“It’s coming back more and more; we’re seeing
institutionalized torture and ill-treatment in protests,” she said, citing the
violent suppression of demonstrations in 2020 and 2021.
Legeay said the security forces largely enjoyed
“impunity,” offering “tacit consent” for the targeting of “protesters,
political opponents... and members of the LGBTQ community.”
Tunisia was “progressing a little bit,” with the
judiciary hearing more trials in cases of violence involving security forces
and some convictions recorded, she said.
However, Tunisia has yet to suspend or put in jail anyone
accused of committing such offences, she added.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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India
In A Bid To Draw Minorities Closer UP BJP’s Republic Day Drive To Woo Muslims With Nationalism
Jan 24, 2023
LUCKNOW: In a bid to draw minorities closer to its
agenda of nationalism, the BJP will launch a special campaign on Republic Day
wherein Muslim cadres of the party would fan out across the state and
felicitate the families of martyrs.
Sources said UP BJP has deputed its Muslim Morcha to
steer the campaign in every district of the state. According to the plan, the
party’s Muslim wing will form teams of at least 20 members who would meet the
families of war veterans and soldiers killed in the line of duty.
“The idea is to infuse feeling of nationalism among
all sections of the society, including Muslims and other minorities,” said UP
BJP Muslim Morcha chief Kunwar Basit Ali. He said the campaign, which would be
carried out on January 26, will also cover some of the families of freedom
fighters. “We would listen to their stories and discuss them with the youth,”
Ali said. He said the campaign will be a counter to the opposition’s attempt to
divide the society on the lines of caste and religion.
Experts interpret the development as BJP’s fresh
attempt to woo the Muslim community which has traditionally been maintaining a
distance from it. A senior BJP leader said the party has been reaching out to
all communities, irrespective of their social or political leanings.
The drive comes amid BJP plans to step up the activity
in 30,000 Muslim dominated polling booths in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha
polls. Sources said BJP has identified around a dozen Lok Sabha seats in UP
where minority votebank plays a crucial role in the electoral fortunes of
parties.
Sources said the BJP wants to blunt minorities’
aversion towards it by reaching out to them through various measures and
campaigns. This would form a key strategy of the BJP to take on Samajwadi Party
which has strong backing of Muslim voters.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Madhya Pradesh: Hindutva Mob Assaults Muslim Men At
Woman’s Party Alleging ‘Love Jihad’
Jan 25, 2023
A Hindutva mob on Saturday allegedly intruded into a
24-year-old Hindu woman’s flat and assaulted her male Muslim friends on the
allegations of “love jihad” in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, reported The Quint.
“Love jihad” is a debunked Hindutva idea that Muslim
men lure Hindu women into romantic relationships in order to convert them to
Islam.
The woman was hosting her birthday party on Saturday
and had invited her five Muslim friends to attend it. However, the mob,
reportedly linked to the Bajrang Dal Hindutva group, entered her home and beat
up the Muslim men, according to The Quint.
The mob then took the Muslim men and the woman to
city’s MIG Colony police station and forced her to file a complaint, reported
Siasat. The woman, however, refused to file a complaint against anyone.
“I can’t comment on if there is a religious angle as
investigations are still on,” Sub Inspector Seema Sharma said, according to
Siasat.
However, the police on Saturday sent the five Muslim
men to jail under Section 151 (any assembly of five or more persons likely to
cause a disturbance of the public peace) of the Indian Penal Code.
Ajay Verma, the officer in charge of MIG police
station, told Scroll.in that the altercation between both the sides had moved
from the woman’s flat onto the street. “When the group came to the police
station, they gheraoed our station,” he added. “In order to maintain peace at
that point, a case was registered against the five men.”
Verma said the men are likely to be released on a bond
by Tuesday.
Source: Scroll
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Pakistan's Bilawal invited for SCO foreign ministers' meeting
Jan 25, 2023
NEW DELHI: India has invited all member-states,
including Pakistan, for the SCO foreign ministers' meeting which it will host
in Goa on May 4-5 this year. India currently holds the presidency of the
Eurasian group, which is seen as playing a critical role for peace and
stability in Afghanistan, and will also host the SCO summit in June for which
too the government is expected to soon send out invites to the leaders of all
member-states.
Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang and his Russian
counterpart Sergey Lavrov are also likely to participate in the meeting. It may
turn out to be their second visit to India this year as they are also expected
for the G20 foreign ministers' meeting which the government will host on March
1-2.
Pakistan, which will go to polls later this year, is
yet to take a call though on whether or not its foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari will travel to India for the SCO meeting. If he does come, it will be
the first ministerial visit by either side since then foreign minister Sushma
Swaraj travelled to Islamabad in December, 2015, for the Heart of Asia
conference.
Swaraj was then also accompanied by foreign minister S
Jaishankar who was then foreign secretary. The 2 countries used that
opportunity to revive the dialogue process under the new name of comprehensive
bilateral dialogue, leading to PM Narendra Modi's visit to his then counterpart
Nawaz Sharif's home in Lahore a few weeks later.
The comprehensive bilateral dialogue failed to take
off though because of the Pathankot airbase attack that took place barely a
week after Modi's Lahore visit. Official sources said that invite to Bilawal
has no bearing on India's position that Pakistan is yet to create the right
conditions for resumption of bilateral dialogue between the 2 countries. India
continues to maintain that dialogue is possible only in an environment free of
terrorism and hostilities. While Jaishankar and Bilawal had participated in the
SCO foreign ministers meeting last year in Tashkent, there was no bilateral
meeting between them.
Source: Times Of India
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Europe
British
Muslim author Lauren Booth 'grateful' for her life in Istanbul
Ahmet
Esad Sani
24.01.2023
Once
you have embraced Islam, you become part of the Islamic tradition, said Lauren
Booth, one of Britain's most high-profile Muslim converts.
"So
my history is not the queens and kings of England. It's the Ottoman Sultans,
the Prophet (peace be upon him), it’s that lineage and that life," Booth
said, who is an author and journalist.
In
an exclusive interview with Anadolu, Booth, who embraced Islam after her visit
to Palestine 11 years ago, talked about her life in Istanbul, her journey to
Islam and a recently published Turkish edition of her book, In Search of a Holy
Land.
Having
traveled all around the Muslim world, Booth decided to settle in Istanbul three
years ago. “I am grateful to Allah for being drawn to Turkey.”
Interestingly,
many Muslim converts from Britain, Canada and other countries are also
"being drawn to Turkey," she says.
"It's
like there's a great gathering going here."
YouTube
channel
She
is also making videos about Türkiye for her Youtube channel.
“The
more that I found myself going to these big great mosques the more I realized
that as a Western person, my idea of the Ottoman Empire of who the Turks were
was so jaded by Orientalism, I had to start again.
"So
I decided to start making videos for a YouTube channel about the history of the
Ottomans."
So
far, Booth has made videos on the Suleymaniye Mosque, Kuzguncuk neighborhood
and Uskudar "the hidden gem, the Holy Land of Istanbul."
Touching
on her life in Istanbul, she said: "What I love about the many things in
Istanbul is it's all about families. So you can go out at 9 o'clock in the
evening, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, and there are families with children,
going out to eat, always celebrations going on."
Calling
renovations in the Uskudar district, where Booth resides with her husband,
"for the people," she said: "That's really different to the UK
right now."
She
said she loves Turkish breakfast. "It's always such a treat."
Booth,
who is the sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, said she
has a great relationship with her sister, Cheire Blair.
She
recalled her sister's visit to Türkiye with a smile, saying: "There was a
time she came over to meet President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan about eight years
ago. He gave her a scarf for me. I think she was annoyed."
Turkish
edition of 'In Search of a Holy Land'
The
first foreign language edition of her book has been released in Turkish.
She
said: "It's a really dynamic travel adventure about a spirit seeking truth.
This is my story from cradle to celebrity to going to Palestine to
activism."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Oregon
man accused of vandalising mosque, synagogues faces federal charges
24
January, 2023
Brooke
Anderson
A
man in Oregon who set fire to a mosque and vandalised two synagogues last year
is now facing federal charges.
Michael
Bivins, a 35-year-old former freelance journalist from Portland, is accused of
setting fire to a Muslim community centre, breaking a window at a synagogue,
and spray-painting graffiti on another synagogue. He is also accused of
intimidating a Black business owner in Portland by breaking the business's
window.
He
remains in custody at a jail in Portland and he is scheduled to enter a plea
deal in February, according to local news reports.
"Attacks
on houses of worship cannot be tolerated and must be prosecuted to the full
extent of the law. We welcome the federal charges in these disturbing cases and
urge law enforcement authorities nationwide to crack down on crimes targeting
houses of worship," said Ismail Allison, national communications
coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in a public
statement.
Source:
The New Arab
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.newarab.com/news/man-accused-vandalising-mosque-synagogues-faces-charges
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Boy
who killed Afghan refugee in UK sentenced for carrying knife hours before
attack
January
24, 2023
LONDON:
A 17-year-old-boy stabbed an Afghan refugee to death in London just hours after
being sentenced for carrying a knife in a shopping mall, the Daily Mail
reported.
The
boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, killed Hazrat Wali, 18, following
an argument in a London park in October 2021.
Wali
was sitting with a female friend as the boy approached with five other people.
An argument ensued over hijab norms, a witness said, with Wali accusing the
17-year-old of racism.
The
boy produced a knife and stabbed Wali — who had arrived in Britain two years
earlier — in the chest.
He
died at the scene shortly after, despite a passerby calling emergency services
and attempting to administer first aid.
The
killer was found guilty of manslaughter at the Old Bailey by a jury majority of
10 to two, but was cleared of murder. He is due to be sentenced in March after
being remanded into youth detention.
The
court heard that the 17-year-old had been handed a youth rehabilitation order
on the day of the killing, after being caught carrying a knife in a shopping
mall months earlier in August 2021.
Through
evidence given in court, the boy admitted to being “hot-headed” and prone to
“releasing anger.”
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2238281/world
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Swedish-Assyrians
explain how they stopped Quran burning in their town
Mehmet
Solmaz
25.01.2023
STOCKHOLM
Rasmus
Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), has
managed to cause uproar by burning the Muslim sacred book in different parts of
Sweden, but in one small town, Sodertalje, he failed after the intervention of
a Swedish-Assyrian.
Speaking
to Anadolu, Swedish-Assyrian TV journalist Dikran Ego explained how his friend
Ozcan Kaldoyo had stopped Paludan from staging his provocative act in the town
with an Assyrian community of about 40,000.
Recalling
one of Paludan's previous demonstrations, where he burned copies of the Quran,
including one on Saturday outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Ego said
Sodertalje was the only place where the far-right extremist failed to carry on
with his plan. The town has a population of 73,000, with Assyrians being the
majority.
"Of
course, they didn't threaten him. They indulged in a conversation with him.
Ozcan had told him: 'You brag about tolerance and pluralism, and respect to
people, you claim to have no prejudice against religions, but how are you going
to prove this to us? If you're really sincere in your words, don't burn this
Quran today and we'll see your sincerity.' He was kind of cornered, and said
'Alright, I’m not burning it here,' and then left the scene."
The
incident, which took place over the summer, was streamed live on social media.
In the video, Ozcan can be seen talking to him for a long time before Paludan
left the scene.
The
town of Sodertalje is known for being home to the largest Assyrian community in
Europe. When asked, members of the community told Anadolu that they always
expressed their solidarity with Muslims in the country when they became the
target of extremists.
Ego
said he understands and believes the government was genuine in its
condemnations of Paludan's actions. He said the bar for freedom of expression
laws were so high in the country, also impacting Christians.
In
an incident that took place 15 years ago, Ego noted, Jesus Christ was portrayed
as a homosexual in an art exhibition that took place in a church. While many
were upset and staged a protest to condemn it, there was nothing much they
could do.
"A
freedom of expression that allows Jesus Christ to be portrayed as a homosexual
person cannot do anything on the Quran being burned as the laws are designed in
this way," said Ego.
Critics
of the Swedish government say that such provocative hate crimes could easily be
prevented by the authorities had they wanted to.
Just
over a year ago, Paludan embarked on a Quran burning "tour" in Sweden
during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, triggering major riots in the country
where many took to the streets to protest the Swedish authorities' decision to
allow the plans by his far-right group.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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South Asia
Hundreds
Protest In Afghan City Against Quran Burning In Sweden
January
24, 2023
Hundreds
of Afghan men staged a protest in the eastern city of Khost on January 24 to
express anger at the burning of the Quran in the Swedish capital over the
weekend. Swedish-Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan on January 21 set
fire to a copy of the Muslim holy book in front of Turkey's embassy in
Stockholm. Protests have been held since then in some Muslim countries, and on
January 24 crowds of Afghan men condemned the incident in Khost, a city
bordering Pakistan. "Death to the Swedish government, death to such
politicians," protesters chanted on the city's main square, an AFP
correspondent reported.
Source:
RFERL
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-khost-protest-Quran-burning-sweden/32237661.html
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Organization
of Islamic Cooperation Distributes Aid in Kabul
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
January
24, 2023
The
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in collaboration with the Afghan Red
Crescent Society and King Salman Charity Foundation distributed aid to 500
needy families in Kabul on Tuesday.
Muhammad
Saeed Al-Ayash, Head of the OIC office in Kabul said that the humanitarian aid
would reach at least 280,000 people in 25 provinces of Afghanistan within a
year.
Irfanullah
Sharafzoi, the spokesperson of the Afghan Red Crescent Society said that of far
aid has been distributed to some 500 vulnerable families in Kabul the capital
city. According to the OIC representative, the aid package
Irfanullah
Sharafzoi, the spokesperson of the Afghan Red Crescent Society said that of far
aid has been distributed to some 500 vulnerable families in Kabul the capital
city. According to the OIC representative, each aid package is 62 Kilograms and
includes flour, rice, beans, sugar, cooking oil and dates.
“We
wholeheartedly thank the OIC and affiliate international aid organizations for
assisting the Afghan people during these difficult times. Our lives greatly
depend on the delivery of such essential humanitarian aids,” said a Kabul
resident.
Since
the overthrow of the previous government by the Taliban in August 2021,
Afghanistan is going through major challenges including a dire economic
situation, extreme poverty, hunger, unemployment, energy, and humanitarian
crisis.
The
war-torn country needs immediate humanitarian aid during these difficult
economic times. Thousands of families are on the verge of losing their lives
due to the extreme weather conditions throughout the country.
Following,
the recent bans restricting Afghan women and girls to attend educational
institutions and workplaces, aid delivery had been slowed down, which adversely
affected the living conditions of needy families across the country.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/organization-of-islamic-cooperation-distributes-aid-in-kabul/
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Crisis-hit
Sri Lanka seeks support, investment from OIC countries
MOHAMMED
RASOOLDEEN
January
24, 2023
COLOMBO:
Sri Lanka’s foreign minister met on Tuesday with the secretary-general of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as the island nation seeks support and
investment to steer out of its worst economic crisis in history.
Foreign
Minister Ali Sabry is on a state visit to Saudi Arabia to meet top officials
and leaders of international organizations based in the Kingdom, including his
Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan and senior officials from the
Islamic Development Bank.
In
his meeting with OIC secretary-general Hissein Brahim Taha in Jeddah, Sabry
appealed for humanitarian and economic support from member countries of the
bloc.
“In
the time right now, when Sri Lanka is in need of support to get over the
economic crisis that we have, OIC (is) a strong bloc and really we need their
support,” the minister told Arab News in a phone interview.
Founded
in 1969, the OIC has 57 member states with a collective population of more than
2 billion people.
Though
a predominantly Buddhist country, Sri Lanka’s relations with the OIC and the
Islamic world have been “longstanding,” Sabry said.
“We
are very close friends and Sri Lanka has stood by the cause of Islamic
countries,” Sabry said.
“We
decided that the OIC will continue to support Sri Lanka in the international
arena and that the secretary will appeal to the member countries for further
enhancement of strong relationship and investment.”
Sri
Lanka has been gripped by a deep financial crisis since early 2022, with
challenges ranging from low reserves of foreign currency to runaway inflation
as it faces its worst financial crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2238076/world
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North America
US
Treasury sanctions individuals, entities linked to Hezbollah
Ovunc
Kutlu
24.01.2023
The
US Treasury Department announced Tuesday it imposed sanctions on several
individuals and associated entities allegedly for facilitating financial
activities for Hezbollah.
At
the center of the sanctions is a Lebanese money exchanger, Hassan Moukalled, a
money service business he owns called CTEX Exchange, and two of his sons.
"Hassan
Moukalled, a Lebanon-based economist, has worked in close coordination with
senior Hizballah financial officials to help Hizballah establish a presence in
Lebanon’s financial system. He serves as a financial advisor to Hizballah and
carries out business deals on behalf of the group throughout the region,"
the department said in a statement.
Sanctions
also include two additional companies that are owned or controlled by Moukalled
-- Lebanese Company for Information and Studies (LCIS) that he is the
editor-in-chief for and Lebanese Company for Publishing, Media, and Research
and Studies (LCPMR) that he is the director of.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
'Türkiye
taking decisive steps to improve ties with Latin America, Caribbean'
Sinan
Dogan
24.01.2023
Türkiye
is taking decisive steps to improve relations with Latin American and Caribbean
countries, according to Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Mus.
Part
of these efforts are the steps being taken to boost ties with Venezuela, Mus
said at an event in Venezuela’s capital Caracas on Monday.
There
have been several bilateral visits by Turkish and Venezuelan officials, and
cooperation has been enhanced in fields ranging from tourism to agriculture and
health, he added.
Mus
said trade volume between Türkiye and Venezuela reached $1.1 billion last year,
marking a significant rise from $152 million in 2019.
Türkiye
aims to raise it to $3 billion in the short-term and $5 billion in the medium-term,
he added.
In
2021, Türkiye ranked second in the world for Venezuelan exports, he said.
“We
achieved this despite the difficulties caused by unilateral sanctions, the
(COVID-19) pandemic, and other global problems,” said Mus.
He
reaffirmed Ankara’s stance against the “unfair” sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
“We
reject this, and we believe these sanctions have a very negative impact on the
friendly and brotherly people of Venezuela,” the minister said.
“This
also harms third countries, as well as free trade. As we have done so far, we
will continue to stand with Venezuela.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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In
new book, Pompeo staunchly defends S Arabia despite Khashoggi murder
25
January 2023
Publishing
a new book, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo stages a staunch defense
of Saudi Arabia, despite the murder of former Saudi-American journalist Jamal
Khashoggi, which has been widely blamed on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
"Never
Give an Inch" came out on Tuesday, witnessing Pompeo defending the 2018
murder as "all too routine," and saying it had come to him as no
surprise.
Khashoggi,
a former Washington Post journalist, who used to be critical of bin Salman, was
lured into the kingdom's Consulate in Istanbul, where he was strangled and
dismembered in October of that year.
Pompeo
praised the quality of the Saudi-American ties after the grisly slaughter,
noting how he was sent to the kingdom by former US president Donald Trump in a
sign of a burgeoning relationship between Washington and Riyadh, days after the
murder, and how this served to enrage the media.
"What
really made the media madder than a vegan in a slaughterhouse was our
relationship with Saudi Arabia," Pompeo wrote.
On
Trump dispatching him, Pompeo wrote, "In some ways, I think the president
was envious that I was the one who gave the middle finger to The Washington
Post, The New York Times, and other bed-wetters who didn't have a grip on
reality."
The
remarks came, although, the CIA, which Pompeo used to run in the past, has
found the Saudi crown prince culpable of ordering Khashoggi's murder.
Rather
than referencing the accusations that face bin Salman, however, the former
American top diplomat praised the royal as "one of the most important
leaders of his time, a truly historic figure on the world stage."
Pompeo's
comments were soon to draw heavy backlash, including from Khashoggi's fiancee,
Hatice Cengiz, who said she was "horrified and upset."
"He
has spoken with no respect and no humanity about a person murdered so
brutally," she wrote on Twitter.
The
Washington Post publisher and CEO Fred Ryan said it was "shocking and
disappointing" to see Pompeo "so outrageously misrepresent"
Khashoggi.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Former
US secretary of state Pompeo claims India informed him Pakistan was preparing
for nuclear attack
Jan
25, 2023
WASHINGTON:
Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has claimed that he was awakened to
speak to his then Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj who told him that Pakistan
was preparing for a nuclear attack in the wake of the Balakot surgical strike
in February 2019 and India is preparing its own escalatory response.
In
his latest book ‘Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love’ that hit
the stores on Tuesday, Pompeo says that the incident took place when he was in
Hanoi for the US-North Korea Summit on February 27-28 and his team worked
overnight with both New Delhi and Islamabad to avert this crisis. “I do not
think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came
to spilling over into a nuclear conflagration in February 2019. The truth is, I
don’t know precisely the answer either; I just know it was too close,” Pompeo
writes.
India’s
fighter jets pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Pakistan’s
Balakot in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack that killed
40 CRPF jawans. “I’ll never forget the night I was in Hanoi, Vietnam, when — as
if negotiating with the North Koreans on nuclear weapons wasn't enough — India
and Pakistan started threatening each other in connection with a decades-long
dispute over the northern border region of Kashmir,” Pompeo says.“After am Islamist
terrorist attack in Kashmir— probably enabled in part by Pakistan’s lax
counterterror policies — killed forty Indians, India responded with an air
strike against terrorists inside Pakistan. The Pakistanis shot down a plane in
a subsequent dogfight and kept the Indian pilot prisoner,” he said.
“In
Hanoi, I was awakened to speak with my Indian counterpart. He believed the
Pakistanis had begun to prepare their nuclear weapons for a strike. India, he
informed me, was contemplating its own escalation. I asked him to do nothing
and give us a minute to sort things out (sic),” Pompeo writes in his book,
which wrongly refers to Swaraj as "he".
“I
began to work with Ambassador (then National Security Adviser John) Bolton, who
was with me in the tiny secure communications facility in our hotel. I reached
the actual leader of Pakistan, (Army chief) General (Qamar Javed) Bajwa, with
whom I had engaged many times. I told him what the Indians had told me. He said
it wasn't true,” Pompeo says.
“As
one might expect, he believed the Indians were preparing their nuclear weapons
for deployment. It took us a few hours — and remarkably good work by our teams
on the ground in New Delhi and Islamabad — to convince each side that the other
was not preparing for nuclear war,” the 59-year-old top former American
diplomat wrote in his book.
There
was no immediate comment from the MEA on Pompeo's claims. “No other nation
could have done what we did that night to avoid a horrible outcome. As with all
diplomacy, the people working the problem set matter a great deal, at least in
the short run. I was fortunate to have great team members in place in India,
none more so than Ken Juster, an incredibly capable ambassador. Ken loves India
and its people,” he said.
“And,
most of all, he loves the American people and worked his tail off for us every
day. My most senior diplomat, David Hale, had also been the US ambassador to
Pakistan and knew that our relationship with India was a priority,” Pompeo
said.
“General
McMaster and Admiral Philip Davidson, the head of what came to be renamed the
US Indo-Pacific Command, understood India's importance, too,” he said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
US
sanctions Lebanon money exchanger for alleged ties to Hezbollah
January
24, 2023
BEIRUT:
The US Treasury said on Tuesday it was placing sanctions on Lebanese money
exchanger Hassan Moukalled and his business for alleged financial ties to
blacklisted group Hezbollah.
Its
announcement said Moukalled was a financial adviser to Iranian-backed
Hezbollah, which is also designated by the United States, and carried out
financial transactions on its behalf that earned him hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
“Today,
the Treasury Department is taking action against a corrupt money exchanger,
whose financial engineering actively supports and enables Hezbollah and its
interests at the expense of the Lebanese people and economy,” Treasury Under
Secretary for Terrorism Brian E. Nelson said.
A
Treasury statement said Moukalled’s business CTEX was licensed by Lebanon’s
central bank. Neither Moukalled, Hezbollah’s media office nor the central bank
immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
It
also sanctioned Moukalled’s two sons, saying they were involved in the same
financial dealings.
Moukalled
regularly appears on Lebanese television channels as a financial expert and has
more than 50,000 followers on Twitter, making him one of the rare public-facing
figures sanctioned by Washington for financial links to Hezbollah.
Founded
in 1982 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and classified by the United States and
other Western countries as a “terrorist organization,” Hezbollah is a
heavily-armed and politically powerful faction.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2238181/middle-east
--------
Africa
The
Financial and Investment Forum on ‘‘Sharia-compliant bonds’ role in Libya’s
economic development’’ held in Misrata
by
Sami Zaptia
January
24, 2023
The
Second Finance and Investment Forum was held in the conference hall of the
Libyan Iron and Steel Company (LISCO) in Misrata on Saturday under the title
“Investment Sukuk (bonds) and their Role in Achieving Economic Development”.
The
event was organized by the Libyan Academy for Graduate Studies, Misrata Branch,
and sponsored by Misrata Free Zone.
Sukuk
is the Arabic name for financial certificates, also commonly referred to as
“sharia compliant” bonds. Sukuk are defined by the AAOIFI as “securities of
equal denomination representing individual ownership interests in a portfolio
of eligible existing or future assets.
Source:
Libya Herald
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
King
Abdullah meets Israeli PM in surprise Jordan visit
January
25, 2023
AMMAN:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise trip to Jordan on
Tuesday for talks with King Abdullah, who the royal court said underlined the
need for Israel to respect the status quo of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
Far-right
Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toured the Al-Aqsa mosque
compound, which Jews revere as the Temple Mount, under heavy security this
month. The visit angered Palestinians and caused an outcry among Arab states.
The
compound is Islam’s third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina, and Judaism’s
most sacred site.
Abdullah
told Netanyahu, who took office last month and whose visit to Jordan marks his
first foreign trip since he came back to power, that Israel should respect the
“historic and legal status quo in the Holy Aqsa mosque and not violate it,” the
royal court said.
The
monarch, who has had years of tense ties with Netanyahu during his past tenure
as premier, was quoted as telling the Israeli leader that an end to violence
was crucial to allow long-stalled peace talks to resume between the
Palestinians and Israel.
Netanyahu’s
office said the two leaders discussed regional issues, especially strategic,
security and economic cooperation between Israel and Jordan.
Jerusalem
is a particularly sensitive issue for Jordan’s Hashemite royal family as it is
the custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in the eastern part of the
city.
Netanyahu’s
return to power has deepened Jordan’s concerns that ultra-right policies, which
include accelerated Jewish settlement building in Palestinian territories in
the West Bank, will spark a new cycle of violence.
The
kingdom fears provocative moves by ultra-right Jewish groups that perform
prayers in the compound of Al-Aqsa which Muslims consider part of the mosque.
There are concerns that the prayer area could inflame religious passions.
Jewish
religious nationalists have increasingly toured the site and demanded rights
for Jews to pray in the mosque compound in moves Jordan says undermine an
arrangement in which Jews and non-Muslims are permitted to visit but not to
pray. That arrangement has prevailed for years.
Jordan
is a staunch ally of Washington and is home to many people of Palestinian
descent. It is hopeful that the administration of US president Joe Biden will
pressure Israel to preserve the status quo in the Al-Aqsa mosque, whose upkeep
is paid for by Jordan.
Officials
told Reuters that King Abdullah is expected to visit Washington at the end of
January. He will hold talks with senior US officials and possibly meet Biden
and address the issue of Jerusalem and ways to push the stalled Middle East
peace process.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Jordan
stresses importance of respecting status quo in Al-Aqsa Mosque during Netanyahu
meeting
January
24, 2023
AMMAN:
Jordan’s King Abdullah II stressed the importance of respecting the historical
and legal status quo in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during a meeting with
Israel’s prime minister on Tuesday.
The
king stressed the need to maintain calm and cease all acts of violence “in
order to pave the way for a political horizon for the peace process,” the royal
court said in a statement.
He
also called for an end to any measures that could undermine peace prospects.
While
hosting Benjamin Netanyahu in Amman, King Abdullah reaffirmed Jordan’s
steadfast support of the two-state solution, which guarantees the establishment
of an independent Palestinian state on 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its
capital.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2238111/middle-east
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Mortar
attack targeting Somalia's presidential palace wounds at least 5
Mohammed
Dhaysane
24.01.2023
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
At
least five people including two high school students and a woman were wounded
when a mortar targeting Somalia’s presidential palace rocked the Somali capital
Mogadishu on Tuesday, an official said.
Osman
Mohamed, a security official in Mogadishu, told Anadolu over the phone that
several mortar shells that they believed were aimed at the presidential palace
hit the Warta Nabada and Hamarwayne districts of the capital, wounding at least
five civilians, including two students about 14-16 years old.
“I
can’t tell you if some shells landed inside the presidential palace but three
landed near the national theatre, which is very close to the presidential
compound,” he said.
“A
school in the Harmarwayne district was also hit, and mortar explosions were
heard in parts of the capital,” he added.
Residents
who spoke to Anadolu said they have seen wounded people who were transported by
ambulance and paramedics to local hospitals for treatment.
Al-Shabaab
terrorists claimed the attack, saying it had targeted the president’s residence
with three shells landing inside the state house. It said it had also targeted
the Information Ministry building and the parliament meeting hall.
The
attack comes days after al-Shabaab terrorists attacked the Mogadishu City Hall,
claiming the lives of at least five civilians.
In
related news, at least 39 al-Shabaab terrorists were killed and dozens wounded
in an operation against the al-Qaeda-affiliated group in the country’s Mudug
province on Monday.
Somali
infantry commander Gen. Mohamed Tahlil told reporters that the operation was
carried out with support from Somalia’s international security partners,
without specifying a particular country.
“Today’s
operation that took place in villages within the town of Haradhere has
devastated the enemy. We counted at least 39 terrorists’ bodies,” Tahlil said.
He
said over 50 others were wounded during the operation, including a foreign
fighter.
Haradhere
is a strategic coastal town located 491 kilometers (305 miles) northeast of the
capital Mogadishu. The town was liberated by the army from the al-Shabaab
terrorists.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Pakistan
Not
Just Hindus, Ahmadiyya Muslims Too Not Safe in Pakistan: Graves Desecrated in
Faisalabad
By:
Manoj Gupta
JANUARY
24, 2023
Unknown
miscreants desecrated graves of Ahmaddiya Muslims at 89 GB Ratan in Pakistan’s
Faisalabad on January 22, said local sources. Minorities, especially Ahmadis or
Ahmadiya Muslims, are vulnerable in Pakistan and are often targeted by
religious extremists.
According
to sources, they trespassed the Ahmadiyya graveyard by cutting the barbed
wires. Later, they tried to torch the coffins and some other items.
A
similar attack was carried out on November 20 in the same graveyard, where
unknown miscreants removed gravestones from three Ahmadiyya graves.
The
Human Rights of Commission of Pakistan had then said: “The recent desecration
of an Ahmadi worship place in Gujranwala is not only a grave violation of the
community’s fundamental rights, but also contravenes the very spirit of the
2014 Tasadduq Jillani judgement.”
The
incident was reported to police who didn’t register a first information report
(FIR), said sources.
Pakistan’s
Parliament in 1974 declared the Ahmadi community as non-Muslims. A decade
later, they were banned from calling themselves Muslims. They are banned from
preaching and from travelling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.
In
May 2022, a 35-year-old Pakistani man belonging to the minority Ahmadi
community was stabbed to death by a religious fanatic over his faith in the
country’s Punjab province, the police said.
Source:
News18
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Thailand’s
chief monk proposes Gandhara University in Pakistan to promote peace, spiritualism
January
25, 2023
Pakistan’s
soft image particularly, the country’s rich Buddhist heritage is the subject of
Thailand’s senior and respected monk, Most Venerable (MV) Arayawangso’s Dhamma
lectures these days.
MV
Arayawangso who spent 2022’s Rains Retreat in Pakistan’s city Taxila in his
sermons, public and private discourse can be seen drawing his followers’
attention towards the Buddhist sites in Peshawar, Taxila, Swat and Khyber Pass
that once used to be the centre of Gandhara Civilization.
He
urges them to undertake a journey to these places to see with their own eyes
the footprints of the monks who travelled to these places in search of wisdom
and knowledge in ancient times.
Giving
an exclusive interview to Pakistan Observer in his Forest Monastery, MV
Arayawangso said since Pakistan was a country with the 3rd largest treasure of
Buddhist sites, a university could be set up on the ruins of the Buddhist sites
by the Department of Archaeology so that education of the area could be
promoted.
Pakistan’s
Gandhara Civilization he insisted was not only about history, it was about
wisdom too.
He
expressed his willingness to inaugurate the Gandhara University which according
to him would be a unique centre of excellence spreading knowledge, peace and
spiritualism.
Arayawangso
was of the view that both Thailand and Pakistan shared a similar background and
people of the two countries were kind and loving by nature. During my trips to
Pakistan (MV has earlier visited Pakistan in 2019 also) I met people who were
warm, hospitable, good-natured and friendly in contrast to the general
perception about Pakistan in Thailand, he said.
Like
Thailand, Pakistan is a home to multi-ethnic communities and groups and the
country should perhaps adopt a similar policy allowing followers of all faiths
to visit the country freely without any fear or problems.
In
our Dhamma sessions, there is no ban on Muslims or Christians or followers of
any faith from attending as the teachings of Lord Buddha are about seeking
peace, harmony, help and wisdom, he further said.
In
Thailand society also, Muslims and Buddhists are living in complete harmony and
there is no segregation between them, MV said adding the Muslims are the second
biggest component of the population of Thailand, a little above 5 per cent and
they are free to go to their mosques and practice their rituals according to
the teachings of Islam.
Islam
he said preached peace and harmony of society and if a person spreads hatred or
terrorism in the name of Islam it is an individual’s act and has nothing to do
with Islam.
Source:
Pak Observer
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
PM
ready to sacrifice ‘political capital’ at IMF altar
Syed
Irfan Raza
January
25, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday indicated that the government was
finally ready to swallow the bitter pill of the International Monetary Fund’s
(IMF) “stringent” conditions to revive the loan programme.
The
ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance was ready to sacrifice its
political career for the sake of the country, he said, addressing the launch of
‘PM Youth Loan Scheme for Business and Agriculture’. Mr Sharif said the
government has clearly conveyed its intentions to complete the ninth review to
the IMF.
“We
are ready and want to sit down regarding your [IMF’s] conditions so that [the
review] can be concluded and Pakistan moves forward,” he said.
“I
spoke to the IMF managing director two weeks ago and we have proactively approached
them… so that the programme moves forward, in addition to other multilateral
and bilateral programmes,” he added.
He
said Pakistan has been given a clear message “from left and right” that it
would not be abandoned, but it should “stitch” the IMF programme.
This
was an apparent reference to reports that friendly nations and other global
lending institutions are looking at the fate of the programme to provide
financial aid to Pakistan.
As
the economic crisis worsens, Islamabad has been making hectic efforts to
convince the IMF to complete the review — pending since Sept 2022 — which will
be followed by the release of funds.
However,
the strings attached to the move have been a sticking point between the global
lender and Pakistan.
The
conditions include the withdrawal of subsidies of electricity subsidies,
rationalising of gas tariffs in line with prices in the international market,
market-determined exchange rate and removal of the ban on the opening of LCs.
As
it enters the election year, the ruling coalition is wary of implementing the
demands as it would lead to a further surge in inflation, already clocking
24.5pc for December.
Talking
about the collective responsibility to solve problems plaguing Pakistan, the PM
said as Pakistanis and Muslims, the rulers should respond to the difficult
situation.
“The
people at the helm of affairs – the politicians and the rich – have to set an
example, as is unfair to burden the poor with price hikes while the elites and
governments splurge loans,” he added.
“What
legacy will we leave behind if these issues are not being addressed? It is
clear that Pakistan is facing huge challenges and if we have taken
responsibility, we will make all-out efforts to steer the country out of the
difficulties.”
Energy
conservation
The
prime minister urged the nation to conserve resources like water, gas and
electricity and help the government to reduce its import bill which had
increased significantly in the past few years.
Pakistan
was spending $27bn on the import of oil for energy generation and it could be
reduced by half if we take practical steps, the PM noted.
In
an apparent reference to the PTI’s government in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
– which now stand dissolved – the prime minister said two provincial
governments impeded the implementation of the Centre’s energy conservation
plan.
One
government approached the high court for a stay order while another government
“in the north” delayed the implementation, the PM said.
He
said the PML-N and other allied parties were committed to overcoming the
current challenges.
He
also beseeched political parties to shun politics at the time of crisis. “To
save Pakistan, they would have to sacrifice politics.”
Loan
scheme
The
PM said the loan scheme was aimed at promoting entrepreneurship among youth by
providing them loans on softer terms with less markup.
He
added that 15 commercial, Islamic and SME banks will facilitate the government
in providing the capital.
All
Pakistanis, aged between 21 and 45 years, with entrepreneurial potential are
eligible to apply for the loan under the scheme.
The
prime minister, while expressing optimism in the abilities of the youth, said
they were full of potential and talent. “They would steer Pakistan out of the
current issues.”
Under
the scheme, he said loans would be extended to young people in different
categories, to provide them with an opportunity to excel in different fields.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1733489/pm-ready-to-sacrifice-political-capital-at-imf-altar
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Security
agencies to keep vigil on extremists, illegal foreigners in twin cities
Munawer
Azeem
January
25, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Officials of various intelligence and security agencies and police of the twin
cities on Tuesday decided to mount strict surveillance of extremist elements
and foreigners staying illegally.
A
police officer told Dawn that the first meeting of the security coordination
committee had decided to keep educational institutions, including seminaries,
under strict surveillance to identify elements having extremist trends.
The
meeting also decided to develop coordination among intelligence agencies aimed
at taking action against extremists and identifying militants staying in the
twin cities, the officer said, adding that intelligence-based operation will
also be conducted frequently to eliminate such elements.
Foreigners
staying in the twin cities illegally will be registered, the officer said.
Surveillance
and vigilance in and around public places, especially bus terminals will be
started in an effective manner, the officer added.
Housing
societies will also be approached and asked to arrange own security, the
officer said, adding that no-objection certificate (NOC) to a new housing
society would be given if they have a proper security plan.
Source:
Dawn
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India
invites Pakistan’s foreign minister for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
meeting: reports
January
25, 2023
India
has invited Pakistan’s foreign minister to a meeting of the Shanghai
Co-operation Organisation (SCO) that it is hosting in May, Indian media reported
on Wednesday, signalling a possible thaw in relations between the nuclear-armed
rivals.
The
invitation came days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for talks with
India over all outstanding issues, including India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir
(IIOJK), before clarifying that talks cannot take place until the “illegal
actions of August 5, 2019” are reversed.
Just
a month ago, there were street protests in India over Foreign Minister Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari’s remarks calling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the
“butcher of Gujarat” on the sidelines of the United Nations Security Council
meeting. India called Bilawal’s comments “uncivilised”.
Foreign
ministry spokespersons for the two countries did not immediately respond to
requests from Reuters for comment on the media reports that Bilawal had been
invited to the SCO foreign ministers meeting being hosted in Goa.
According
to the Indian Express newspaper, the invitation from Indian External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar has been delivered by the Indian High Commission in
Islamabad. It added that the “dates being looked at, as of now, are May 4 and
5”.
If
Pakistan accepts, Bilawal would be its first foreign minister to visit India
after a gap of nearly 12 years. The last foreign minister to visit India was
Hina Rabbani Khar in July 2011, Indian Express said.
The
SCO comprises Pakistan, China, India, Russia and Kyrgyzstan, as well as Central
Asian countries with whom Pakistan has recently been strengthening foreign ties
— namely Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The
newspaper also reported an Indian “top official” saying: “In keeping with its
‘Neighbourhood First Policy’, India desires normal neighbourly relations with
Pakistan. India’s consistent position is that issues, if any, between India and
Pakistan should be resolved bilaterally and peacefully, in an atmosphere free
of terror and violence.
Pakistan
and India have fought three wars since independence from British rule in 1947.
The divided Himalayan region of IIOJK was the root cause of two of those wars.
Tensions
flared again in late 2019 when India unilaterally revoked the autonomous status
of occupied Kashmir. Shehbaz said New Delhi’s actions resulted in “flagrant”
human rights violations.
Source:
Dawn
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of the original story:
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Southeast Asia
Central
Jakarta Lautze Mosque: Harmonious Co-Existence Of Islam, Chinese Cultures
Mosques
in Indonesia generally follow the orthodoxy of Islamic architecture, replete
with onion-shaped domes with star-and-crescent pinnacle and towers, but a
mosque in Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta, does not follow this pattern.
Lautze
Mosque, established in 1991 and officiated by then-Minister of Science and
Technology BJ Habibie in 1994, can be considered unusual for Indonesian mosques
in terms of the architecture.
The
mosque adheres to the Chinese architecture style, complete with Chinese
ornaments and lanterns, and a distinctive red and yellow facade welcomes
worshippers to the mosque.
On
entering the Lautze Mosque, worshippers will find an Arabic calligraphy,
measuring 15x20 metres drawn in Chinese calligraphy style, adorning the foyer
of the mosque, with its letters written in black ink over a bare white medium.
“Most
of (the calligraphies at this mosque) are made by a Chinese Muslim in Shenzhen
(China), (which I bought) when I went there,” according to Ali Karim Oei,
chairperson of the Haji Karim Oei Foundation, which is the institution managing
the mosque.
The
mosque is also adorned with bright colours typical of Chinese architecture,
with each one having its own meaning.
The
red colour for the praying area signifies luck, happiness, and abundance, while
yellow at the mosque sides symbolizes loyalty and purity, and green for the
mosque’s pillars indicates peace and is also the typical colour of Islam.
The
mosque has four stories, with the ground floor used for the men’s praying area.
Meanwhile, the second floor is the women’s praying area, which would be opened
to male worshippers, who will flock to the mosque for every Friday Prayer.
The
mosque’s third floor accommodates a simple kitchen to serve the mosque’s
management or for visitors attending the Quran learning session organized at
the mosque. The fourth floor is used as the mosque management office, archives
room, and religious consultation centre.
Apart
from its unusual architecture, the mosque also has unusual operational hours.
While mosques are generally expected to open for all five mandatory prayers
from early morning to late night, Lautze mosque is open only for two prayers in
the afternoon.
With
regard to this peculiarity, Ali said that the mosque decided to follow the
office hours of most of its worshippers, as no member of the limited mosque
management lives at the mosque.
“Moreover,
because of its proximity to business centres and offices, most of the
congregations are at home (outside office hours),” Ali, who is also known by
the Chinese name Oei Tek Lie, stated.
How
the mosque got its name
Ali
Karim Oei said that the road where the mosque is located is its namesake. The
complete address of the mosque is Lautze Road No. 88-89, Pasar Baru, Central
Jakarta.
He
also explained that it was decided to give it a Chinese rather than an Islamic
name in order to invite the Chinese community keen to learn about Islam or just
visit the mosque and prevent them from feeling alienated.
“We
want to proselytize (our faith) among the Chinese community, as they are our
target. If (the mosque) uses Islamic names, how they would be attracted? Finally,
we decided to use the Lautze Road name for our mosque,” Ali remarked.
Ali
said that Lautze is the name of an ancient Chinese philosopher -- Laozi -- who
taught Taoism in ancient times. Laozi taught that “God is one, but it cannot be
seen; it has no form, but it exists,” he added.
Considering
the particular stance consistent with the Islamic tenet of Tawhid (Oneness of
God), the mosque management agreed to use the Lautze name to reflect the Haji
Karim Oei Foundation’s vision and mission for the Chinese and Islamic
communities.
The
foundation's chairperson also said that the mosque’s Chinese architecture
style, making it similar to a Chinese worship place, aims to make
newly-converted Muslims from the Chinese community feel welcomed, as they could
learn the religion that embraced their culture.
Ali
also recounted that during the mosque’s early years, he determined to establish
the mosque without a dedicated foundation institution for the mosque.
He
was reluctant to do so over concerns that others would perceive the mosque and
the foundation as family-owned, which is contrary to his resolve to make the
mosque open and accessible to all sections of society.
Through
encouragement from national Muslim organizations, such as Nahdlatul Ulama,
Muhammadiyah, and Al-Washliyah, Ali agreed to establish a foundation to manage
the mosque, though his only condition was that representatives of those Muslim
organizations participate in the foundation.
How
the mosque views Chinese New Year
Chinese
New Year is the day to celebrate the beginning of the new year in the lunisolar
Chinese traditional calendar. It has been the most essential cultural
celebration for the Chinese community worldwide, including in Indonesia.
Despite
Lautze Mosque being founded by members of the Chinese community, the mosque
does not organize a particular event to celebrate the day.
“We
are keen to prevent the perception that Chinese Muslims have three main
holidays,” Naga Kunadi, also known by his Chinese Name Qiu Xuelong, a member of
the mosque management, stated.
Kunadi’s
“three main holidays” statement referred to the notion that it is enough for
Muslims to celebrate only two Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Despite
not celebrating the Chinese New Year, the mosque management decided to organize
a Quran recitation session to commemorate the day, which this year fell on
Sunday (January 22).
The
mosque also serves special menus for worshippers coming for the Sunday
congregation, he stated.
“We
have lontong cap gomeh, noodles, and others. It is different than other days,”
Kunadi, who converted to Islam in 2002, stated.
The
Quran reading session is also a medium for Chinese Muslims to reunite and
interact with family members or colleagues, whom they seldom meet, due to
personal business matters and living at different places.
The
Chinese Muslims at Lautze Mosque are not celebrating the Chinese New Year in
ways that the general Chinese community celebrates it, but they acknowledge the
day will hold a significant place in their hearts.
Accepting
Islam does not mean that they must relinquish everything that belongs to their
culture and customs that they have lived for so long.
They
continue to live in peace and harmony with other members of their family and
the Chinese community at large despite now following a different faith.
Source:
Antara News
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Indonesia
summons Sweden envoy over Quran burning
JAN
24, 2023
JAKARTA
- Indonesia summoned Sweden’s envoy on Tuesday over the burning of the Quran by
a far-right activist in Stockholm at the weekend, officials in the world’s most
populous Muslim-majority nation said.
Swedish-Danish
politician Rasmus Paludan last Saturday torched a copy of the Islamic holy book
in front of Turkey’s embassy in the Swedish capital, stoking the anger of
Ankara, which said it would not support the Scandinavian country’s bid for Nato
membership.
Sweden’s
Ambassador to Indonesia, Ms Marina Berg, was summoned as Jakarta lodged an
official complaint against the anti-Islamic act, Indonesian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told AFP.
“Yes,
(we will meet her) within this week,” Ms Faizasyah said, without disclosing a
date.
The
Swedish Embassy confirmed Ms Berg would hold a meeting with an official from
Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, without specifying the day it would take place.
Swedish
leaders have roundly condemned Mr Paludan’s actions, but defended their
country’s broad definition of free speech.
Mr
Paludan’s burning of the Quran sparked rallies outside Swedish missions in
several countries, including Turkey and Iraq, where protesters torched the
Swedish flag on Monday and a policeman and seven protesters were injured.
Ankara
last Saturday called off a visit by Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson that
had been scheduled for Friday, after summoning the Swedish Ambassador and
saying the meeting “has lost its significance and meaning”.
Source:
Straits Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesia-summons-sweden-envoy-over-quran-burning
--------
JB
school taken to task over allegedly Muslim students-only SPM workshop
January
24, 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has left it to the Johor Education
Department whether to take action against a school for allegedly conducting an
overnight examination workshop for only Muslim Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM)
students.
She
told news portal FMT that the matter was the purview of the state Education
Department
A
Twitter user, who goes by the handle Anne Louis, had posted a thread claiming
that a school in Johor Baru held an overnight SPM examination workshop for only
Muslim students, but the school initially said it was only for Islamic studies.
She
said it turned out, other subjects were covered as well, and that non-Muslim
students were not invited to attend the programme.
When
contacted, the Johor Education Department said it had investigated the matter
and would release a statement soon.
It
is learnt that the school in question is SMK Infant Jesus Convent, and it has
been contacted for comment.
Anne
Louis had said that parents were told about the allegedly Muslim-only workshop
by their children, who found out from their Muslim classmates that it had taken
place a few days before the Chinese New Year break.
The
parents had then queried the school's principal on their parent-teacher
association (PTA) WhatsApp group.
Screenshots
shared on the thread, indicated that the principal responded by saying that the
decision was taken to ensure that Malay students could keep up with the
school's achievements as trial examination results showed that 40 of them would
fail their SPM.
The
principal claimed there was "no issue of double standards and leaving
anyone behind" and that the school wanted all students to do well.
She
also asked the parents to accept the workshop with an open mind and not to make
it into a racial issue.
When
contacted by the NST, Anne Louis, who declined to state how she obtained the
screenshots, said the school had "held an overnight 2-day 1-night SPM
workshop only for Muslim students at a hotel, flying it under the radar by
saying it's just for those taking the Agama-subject".
"When
it included Chemistry and Additional Mathematics, etc. It was paid for by a
donor, with non-Muslim students left out and not informed of the
workshop."
She
said parents feared coming forward as they were afraid there would be consequences
on their children who would be sitting for their exam in around a month.
Source:
NST
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Hannah
pens touching tribute to late PAS leader
January
24, 2023
PETALING
JAYA: Youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh paid tribute to the late Dr Abd
Rani Osman, highlighting the many times the former PAS assemblyman prioritised
friendship ahead of political differences.
Calling
Rani, who died yesterday, her “good friend”, she said the former Selangor PAS
commissioner had showed her how to live with people of other faiths.
“Glad
I am in town today so I could be at his burial. Cried my eyes out. He will be
missed so dearly.”
She
added: “In the mosque, the prayers mixed with sobbing ended with ‘ini hamba
Allah yang baik’. I can testify that this is indeed true.”
The
DAP MP for Segambut recalled in a Facebook post that Rani had always comforted
her whenever she was attacked for her faith.
Yeoh
said Rani, whom she labelled a “good, good man”, had even attended a simple
ceremony in church when her daughter was born.
Rani
had also led a delegation of Muslim politicians to a dialogue with church
members when the Damansara Utama Methodist Church was raided by the Selangor
religious authorities in 2011 following allegations of attempts to convert
Muslims.
And
even after Rani remained in PAS after Pakatan Rakyat split up in 2015, Yeoh
said they had kept in touch.
“When
my campaign billboards were vandalised recently, Rani messaged me to check on me.”
“Politically,
we were opponents but Rani was first and foremost a dear friend. And I will
remember him that way. You lived the high calling of public service so well.”
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Arab World
Awqaf
Ministry and Islamic Affairs Launches Course For Imams, Muezzins
25
Jan 2023
Doha:
The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has announced the launch of first
qualification course for new Qatari imams, muezzins and preachers in the fiqh
of purification and prayer, which is organised by the ministry for 15 days.
Eleven
Qatari muezzins have already participated in this qualification course in order
to perform the call to prayer in the country’s mosques, and they have been
nominated in cooperation with the
Ministry’s Mosques Department. The course is presented by Muhammad Abdul Latif
Al Mahmoud, where he explains the chapters on the fiqh of purification and
prayer. The course comes as part of the
Ministry’s plan to prepare the Qatari muezzin and provide them with the Sharia
necessary to perform this task, and graduate a new batch of qualified Qatari muezzins.
Source:
The Peninsula Qatar
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/25/01/2023/awqaf-ministry-launches-course-for-imams-muezzins
--------
Al
Azhar Grand Imam to Italy’s FM: World should resort to dialogue to get out of
crises
January
24, 2023
Dialogue
is the lifebuoy for humanity to get out contemporary crises, said Grand Imam of
Al Azhar Ahmed al-Tayyeb on Monday during a meeting with visiting Italian
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Tayyeb
said any dialogue vision not based on religious and moral values cannot benefit
humanity.
He
told the Italian foreign minister that peoples lost when they depended on
material gains and ignored religions, a matter that caused wars and crises.
The
Grand Imam said today’s world is in dire need of scientific progress and
religion at the same time.
The
Grand Imam discussed with the Italian top diplomat means to promote religious
and cultural dialogue between the east and west.
During
the meeting, Tayyeb welcomed the Italian foreign minister and his accompanying
delegation at Al Azhar headquarters.
The
Grand Imam also discussed with Tajani the progress achieved so far in the
dialogue among religions and their followers around the world, pointing out to
the Document of Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi signed with Pope Francis of the
Vatican.
For
his part, the Italian foreign minister expressed happiness at meeting the Grand
Imam and appreciated his initiative to hold a conference among men of religions
to discuss how to confront insults to symbols of religions and their
sanctities.
The
Italian top diplomat affirmed that dialogue is the best way for peace and
security and stressed the importance of graduating Imams able to understand the
nature of the Italian society and supply it with moderate thinking.
Source:
Egypt Independent
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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How
one Aleppo neighbourhood continues to defy siege of Syria’s Assad
LUCAS
CHAPMAN
ALI
ALI
January
24, 2023
ALEPPO,
Syria: At 2:30 a.m. on January 22, Sheikh Maksoud, a Kurdish-majority
neighborhood in Syria’s Aleppo, was struck by tragedy. A five-story residential
building collapsed, burying dozens of residents under a mountain of rubble.
After
round-the-clock rescue efforts, 16 bodies were recovered and two survivors were
brought to the neighborhood’s hospital for treatment. According to state media,
the structure’s foundations had been weakened by water leakage.
For
residents of Sheikh Maksoud, this is just the latest in a litany of disasters
as the neighborhood struggles to survive under a crushing siege imposed by
opposition and regime groups alike.
Over
the past decade, Aleppo has been transformed from a once-thriving trade, travel
and cultural hub into a battleground, leaving much of the city in ruins.
Slowly,
as the frontline moved elsewhere, Syria’s second-biggest city began to rebuild.
However, Sheikh Maksoud, an autonomous enclave on the northwestern edge of the
city, continues to fight for its life.
With
half of the 2-square-kilometer neighborhood left destroyed after years of
fighting between opposition groups and the neighborhood’s self-defense
militias, the people of Sheikh Maksoud have done their best to continue living
life as normal.
Over
the past year, one force has been particularly brutal in depriving the
neighborhood’s residents of everything from medicine to fuel and even food —
the regime’s Iran-backed Fourth Division.
With
winter biting, residents are struggling to cope.
“We’ve
been burning trash because there is no fuel. It gave me a chest infection. I’ve
been to the hospital twice this week,” said one resident of Sheikh Maksoud when
Arab News visited the neighborhood in December.
Merai
Sibli, a member of the General Council of Sheikh Maksoud and Ashrafiyah, said
fuel had not reached the neighborhood for more than 50 days, with residents
often receiving an hour or less of electricity per day as their private
generators run empty.
“We
can’t get fuel. Children and the elderly can’t cope with the cold,” said Sibli.
“They don’t even allow medicine to pass here. What is allowed to pass is very
expensive. Six months ago, they cut off our flour, and all bakeries were closed
for nearly 20 days.”
According
to Sibli, the Fourth Division demands up to SYP2.5 million (more than $380) for
every fuel truck which enters the neighborhood — a heavy price, considering the
average monthly salary in Syria is just SYP150,000 (approximately $23).
“Soon
our workshops and tailors will shut down because they are without electricity,
and in the end, all of our youth will be out of work and forced to sit at home
in the dark.”
The
Fourth Division has roots going back to the 1980s, when Hafez Assad’s brother
Rifaat fled the country and his paramilitary group, Defense Companies,
dissolved into several militia groups.
The
Fourth Division would eventually form out of these groups, and was later used
to crush uprisings in Daraa, Baniyas, Idlib and Homs from the outset of the
Syrian crisis. A Human Rights Watch Report from 2011 documents the Fourth
Division’s participation in several abuses, including arbitrary detentions and
the killing of protesters.
The
de facto commander of the division is Maher Assad, the younger brother of
Syria’s President Bashar Assad. According to an investigation by the Lebanese
Al-Modon newspaper, the Fourth Division has been enjoying Iranian support — material,
financial and advisory — since the start of Iran’s intervention in the Syrian
civil war.
Early
on in the conflict, the Syrian military was overwhelmed by defections and
internal conflict, an effect from which the Fourth Division was not spared. As
with many other units in the Syrian army, the Fourth Division was forced to
rely on Iranian militias to bolster its strength.
The
Fourth Division’s siege is not limited to Sheikh Maksoud. It extends to the
city’s northern countryside, in the Shahba region, between Afrin and Aleppo.
Shahba includes the town of Tel Rifaat (with a population of approximately
18,500, of which 15,700 are internally displaced persons, or IDPs) and five
camps, which are all home to thousands of IDPs from the Afrin region.
At
some regime checkpoints in Shahba, photos of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei are displayed next to photos of Bashar and Hafez Assad.
“No
one is joining the Syrian military anymore. Their soldiers are all Iranian
mercenaries. When those mercenaries come here, their aim is to take everything
and share it with the state,” Muhammad Hanan, the co-chair of the Tel Rifaat
district, told Arab News.
Hanan
explained that the Iranian militia presence in the Shahba region serves mainly
to protect the Shiite majority towns of Nubl and Zahraa, between Tel Rifaat and
Aleppo.
From
2013 to 2016, the region was controlled by opposition groups, which were ousted
by the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units, or YPG. At that time, Syrian
state military presence was mainly limited to small towns and villages in the
area.
However,
after the Turkish invasion of Afrin in 2018, government forces — and
consequently, Iranian mercenaries — began to grow in number on the pretext of
protecting the region from Turkish-backed opposition groups.
“In
the end, they are not defending anything. Until now, the Syrian state takes
every opportunity to weaken us and take over all of Shahba,” Hanan said.
Hanan
and other local officials told Arab News that regime checkpoints block vital
aid from the UN and other NGOs from reaching the region.
“The
regime’s Fourth Division has closed the roads. If you want to bring something
from outside, like fuel or propane, you have to give them a cut,” Dr. Azad
Resho, administrator of Avrin Hospital in Shahba, told Arab News.
“It’s
the same with the medicine. It has to come from the regime side. When
international health organizations give aid to Syria, because the Syrian regime
has status, all aid has to come through the regime.
“There
are also international forces here, like Russia and Iran. It is all a political
game. Even if the regime were to give aid, it must be in the interests of these
forces. Because of this, we have become the victims of politics.”
Hassan,
an administrator in the Shahba branch of the Kurdish Red Crescent, told Arab
News: “The situation is terrible. There is no medicine at all. We just deal
with emergency cases. We have no dermatologists, no nephrologists, and we have
no equipment such as MRI machines.
“For
patients with these needs, we have to send them to Aleppo. That has its own
problems; the regime often prevents these people from entering (the city).”
Under
the suffocating embargo of Sheikh Maksoud and the Shahba region, however, there
is one commodity that the Fourth Division appears happy to allow into these
areas — drugs.
Last
year, a New York Times investigation discovered that the Fourth Division was
responsible for the production and distribution of Captagon pills and crystal
meth across Syria, with the division moving the drugs to border crossings and
port cities.
“Just
recently, we confiscated and burned 124 kg of hashish. These 124 kg were
brought in by the Syrian regime — by the Fourth Division, Hezbollah and other
Iran-backed groups. They attempted to bring it in containers of oil,” Qehreman,
an official in the Internal Security Forces of Sheikh Maksoud, told Arab News.
“They
want to bring some things in, especially narcotic pills, with their members,
and spread them among the people.”
Sibli
said that despite the siege, “our people are very resilient.”
“Does
the regime want us to lose and return us to the year 2007? They insist we must
all be under one flag, one language and one leader.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2238371/middle-east
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Shoura
Council approves IMF regional office in Saudi Arabia
January
25, 2023
RIYADH:
The Saudi Shoura Council on Tuesday held its 18th ordinary session in Riyadh
under the chairmanship of deputy speaker, Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Salami.
During
the meeting, the council discussed several draft memorandums of understanding
and agreements.
Members
approved a draft MoU between the Saudi government and the International
Monetary Fund on the establishment of an IMF regional office in the Kingdom and
support for the fund in capacity development.
A
similar preliminary accord between the Saudi General Authority for Competition
and its Egyptian counterpart organization on increased cooperation and
combating monopolistic practices was also agreed.
In
addition, a draft of an MoU on combating corruption, drawn up between the Saudi
Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority and the National Anti-Corruption
Commission of Thailand, was passed by the council.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2238396/saudi-arabia
--------
Suspected
‘UFO’ image spotted over Iraqi city of Mosul released by US officials
January
24, 2023
LONDON:
The US military is investigating an “unidentified flying orb” after a large,
round metallic object was spotted by a spy plane over an active conflict zone,
it was reported on Tuesday.
The
image, originally taken in April 2016 over the city of Mosul, was part of a
classified briefing for US officials and was shared by Jeremy Corbell and
George Knapp on their podcast “Weaponized,” a Daily Mail report said.
Produced
from a video by the Pentagon’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, the
image of the orb is the first to be publicly revealed from the US government’s
ongoing unidentified flying objects investigation showing an unidentified craft
over a conflict zone.
“Here’s
the very basics: It’s called the ‘Mosul orb;’ it’s an image taken in northern
Iraq,” Corbell said in his podcast.
“This
is in the UFO category within our intelligence community. This is an example of
one of the UFOs that our military and intelligence community are looking at.
“It’s
one of many images. This one is a still from a video. It’s a brief video, maybe
four seconds, where this orb or metallic ball runs alongside a spy plane, and
it’s shown moving beside the plane without dropping altitude at all.
“This
is within part of the conversation of our intelligence community. This is what
they’re looking at,” he added.
One
intelligence source speaking to the Mail said the video was analyzed by experts
for more than six years at the Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia for the US
Central Command but remains unexplained.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2238211/middle-east
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Takfiri
militants planning acts of sabotage, terror attacks in Syria’s Idlib: Russian
military
25
January 2023
Russia
has warned that foreign-backed terrorists are preparing to stage a series
of acts of sabotage and terror attacks
in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib to implicate Syrian and Russian
military forces, and fabricate pretexts for military action in the war-ravaged
Arab country.
Major
General Oleg Yegorov, the deputy head of Russian Defense Ministry’s Center for
Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria, said on Tuesday that the center
had received information that the foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists were
seeking to escalate tensions in the Idlib de-escalation zone and disrupt joint
patrols being carried out by Russian and Turkish military forces through
attacks on the positions of Syrian government forces and Russian troops.
Yegorov
noted that militants were amassing armored vehicles, drones and multiple-launch
rocket systems near al-Ziyarah, Kafrinjah and Karkur villages, preparing to
launch their strike and provoke Syrian and Russian soldiers to return fire.
“Subsequently,
the militants plan to publish videos on social networks that would show alleged
damage to civilian infrastructure. They would then accuse the Russian and
Syrian military forces of indiscriminate strikes on territories controlled by
them,” the senior Russian general said.
The
White Helmets group, which claims to be a humanitarian NGO, is known for its
coordination with terror outfits in Syria to carry out staged chemical attacks
in order to falsely incriminate Syrian government forces and fabricate pretexts
for military strikes by a US-led military coalition present in Syria since 2014.
On
April 14, 2018, the United States, Britain, and France carried out a string of
airstrikes against Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack on the city
of Douma, located about 10 kilometers northeast of the capital Damascus.
That
alleged attack was reported by the White Helmets group, which published videos
showing them purportedly treating survivors.
Washington
and its allies blamed Damascus for the Douma attack, an allegation strongly
rejected by the Syrian government.
The
Western media and governments have repeatedly accused the Syrian government of
using chemical weapons against its own citizens in the war against terrorists.
This
is while Syria surrendered its stockpile of chemical weapons in 2014 to a joint
mission led by the United States and the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which oversaw the destruction of the weaponry. It has
also consistently denied using chemical weapons.
Russia
has been providing Syrian forces with crucial military assistance in the
ongoing battles across the conflict-plagued Arab country.
Source:
Press TV
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Mideast
Spokesman:
EU, UK Fresh Sanctions Demonstrate West's Confusion in Dealing with Iran
2023-January-24
The
West on Monday stepped up pressure on Iran over alleged human rights violations
as the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom imposed fresh
sanctions on Tehran.
Kana'ani
said on Tuesday that the move by the EU and the UK regime indicates "their
intellectual disability in understanding realities in Iran" as well as
"their confusion in dealing with the authority of the Islamic
Republic".
He
also described the recent sanctions by Europe and the UK against certain
Iranian lawmakers, as well as judicial, military, law enforcement and cultural
officials, as "a sign of their desperation, frustration, and
annoyance", which has its roots in their abject failure in creating
insecurity in Iran despite several attempts and heavy prices.
"They
know very well that sanctions will not affect the Iranian nation’s
determination to stand against foreign intervention and plots," the
spokesperson added.
The
diplomat concluded that Iran reserves its right to embark on reciprocal acts in
the face of such failed policies, and it would announce a list of new sanctions
on "violators of human rights" and "promoters of terrorism"
in the EU and the UK.
The
European Union on Monday imposed a fourth package of sanctions on Iran
following a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers in Brussels, targeting 18
individuals, including Iran's Sport Minister, and 19 entities. The latest
sanctions bring to 173 and 31 the number of Iranian individuals and entities
blacklisted by the EU, respectively.
The
US and the UK have also imposed sanctions on more Iranian individuals and
entities on Monday.
The
Iranian Foreign Ministry has in recent added dozens of EU, Americans and
British officials and institutions to Tehran’s blacklist of sanctions over
their support for terrorism and instigation of deadly unrest in the country.
Protests
erupted in several cities across Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini who fainted
at a police station in mid-September and days later was pronounced dead at a
hospital. The demonstrations soon turned violent.
Iranian
officials blame Western countries for orchestrating the riots to destabilize
the country.
The
unrest has claimed the lives of dozens of people and security forces, while also
allowing acts of terror and sabotage across the country. Iran's Interior
Ministry has confirmed the enemy waged a hybrid war against the country to
weaken national solidarity and hinder the country's progress, stressing that
some 200 people lost their lives in the riots sparked by separatist and
terrorist groups.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Iranian
FM: Emotional Behaviours to Cost for Europe
2023-January-24
Amir
Abdollahian made the remarks in an address to the 26th foreign ministerial
meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in the Uzbek capital of
Tashkent on Tuesday.
The
top diplomat said the right path for Europe would be focusing on diplomacy and
constructive interaction with Iran.
The
minister has warned the European countries that “emotional behavior” by
Europeans will have a negative impact and will prove costly for them.
Amir
Aabdollahian was commenting on the European Parliament’s draft resolution that
called for the blacklisting of the IRGC.
On
Wednesday, the European Parliament's members backed an amendment added to an
annual foreign policy report, calling for "the EU and its member states to
include the IRGC in the EU's terror list". The step was passed by a vote
of 598 in favor and nine against, with 31 abstentions.
The
amendment will urge Brussels to blacklist the IRGC military force, the
volunteer Basij force, and the IRGC's Quds Force.
The
move has been strongly condemned by Iranian officials, commanders and the Armed
Forces.
Tehran
has repeatedly announced that the IRGC is an official state body which has had
and will continue to have an important and key role in ensuring the security of
Iran and the region.
Iranian
officials have warned the EU that its plan to blacklist the IRGC as a
“terrorist organization” may have unbearable consequences, urging Europe to
avoid repeating the past mistakes.
They
cautioned the European governments against falling into the trap of a plot
hatched by the US and Israel, calling on the EU to maintain its independence
from the US.
Tehran
stresses the European states enjoy safety because of the elite forces' efforts
in the fight against terror groups in the region.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011104000443/Iranian-FM-Eminal-Behavirs-Cs-fr-Erpe
--------
Israel’s
Netanyahu holds talks with King Abdullah in Jordan
24
January ,2023
Jordan’s
King Abdullah II on Tuesday hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in
Amman in a rare meeting after years of strained relations between the two
leaders.
The
royal palace said they discussed the situation in Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque
compound and “the importance of respecting the historical and legal status
quo.”
Netanyahu,
who previously served as prime minister from 2009 to 2021, returned to power
last month at the head of a coalition that includes extreme-right and
ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.
On
January 3, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the
sensitive Jordanian-administered Jerusalem holy site, sparking a wave of
international condemnation.
Netanyahu’s
office said the Israeli leader discussed “regional issues” and bilateral ties
with the Jordanian king.
The
two leaders last met in Jordan in 2018.
Tuesday’s
visit to Amman was Netanyahu’s first official trip abroad since taking office.
The
prime minister was joined by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Ronen
Bar, head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, as well as national
security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Netanyahu’s military secretary Avi Gil, an
Israeli official said.
Jordan
in 1994 became the second Arab country to recognize and sign a peace treaty
with neighboring Israel, after Egypt.
King
Abdullah has repeatedly described ties with Israel as a “cold peace” and in
late 2019 said that Israeli-Jordanian relations are at “an all-time low.”
Israel’s
former Defense Minister Benny Gantz met Abdullah in Amman in January 2022, less
than a month after a visit by former premier Naftali Bennett in a bid to repair
the relationship.
According
to the palace statement, the king stressed in his meeting with Netanyahu “the
need to maintain calm and cease all acts of violence, in order to pave the way
for a political horizon for the peace process.”
He
called for “an end to any measures that could undermine peace prospects” and
“reaffirmed Jordan’s steadfast position in support of the two-state solution”
to Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians, it added.
The
foreign ministry in Amman summoned Israel’s ambassador twice this month, once
to protest hard-right minister Ben-Gvir’s visit to the al-Aqsa compound, and a
second time after Israeli police officers prevented the Jordanian ambassador
from entering the site.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Israeli
high-tech workers protest against government’s judicial reform plan
24
January ,2023
Hundreds
of Israeli high-tech workers protested against the government’s judicial reform
plan Tuesday, claiming the controversial measures will hurt the flourishing
sector by undermining the rule of law.
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government insists the reforms are essential to
correct an imbalance that has given judges too much power over elected
officials.
But
critics, including tens of thousands of protesters who turned out in Tel Aviv
and other cities on Saturday, say the plan threatens Israeli democracy, raising
specific alarm over measures that would allow parliament to overrule Supreme
Court decisions through a majority vote.
Israel’s
crucial tech sector, which expanded substantially during Netanyahu’s previous
tenure in office from 2009 to 2021, accounted for 54 percent of Israeli exports
in 2021, or $67 billion, according to the most recent figures from the Israeli
Innovation Authority.
Roughly
500 high-tech workers briefly left work Tuesday to protest the reforms, arguing
the industry would suffer if foreign firms lost confidence in Israel’s legal
system and democratic principles.
“Without
democracy, Israeli high tech cannot continue to grow and prosper,” Inbal Orbaz,
a protest leader, posted on Facebook, adding that the majority of investment
comes from abroad.
“No
democracy, no high tech,” read a placard carried by demonstrators, with rallies
against the plan expected to continue as the legislation moves forward.
If
passed, the reforms would also give lawmakers authority to appoint Supreme
Court judges, a role currently held by a panel of legal experts and overseen by
the justice minister.
The
proposed revamp has faced rare public criticism from Supreme Court president
Esther Hayut, who branded it an “unbridled attack” earlier this month.
Netanyahu
and his allies, who last month formed the most right-wing government in Israeli
history, have long accused top judges of advancing a left-wing agenda through
key court rulings, including some related to the Palestinian conflict.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Palestinian
refugee agency UNRWA appeals for $1.6 bln in funding
24
January ,2023
The
UN agency that delivers basic services to millions of Palestinian refugees
appealed on Tuesday for $1.6 billion in funding after its head warned it was
struggling to fulfil its mandate due to spiraling costs and shrinking
resources.
Established
in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA provides public services
including schools, primary healthcare and humanitarian aid in Gaza, the West
Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
“Compounding
challenges over the last year including underfunding, competing global crises,
inflation, disruption in the supply chain, geopolitical dynamics and
skyrocketing levels of poverty and unemployment among Palestine refugees have
put immense strain on UNRWA,” the agency said in a statement.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Turkey
summons Dutch envoy over protest in which Quran was torn apart
24
January ,2023
Turkey
on Tuesday summoned the Dutch ambassador to express its deep displeasure with
an anti-Islam protest in The Hague targeting the Quran.
The
Turkish foreign ministry said it condemned “in the strongest possible terms the
vile attack of an anti-Islamic person” in the Dutch city on Sunday.
The
Dutch public broadcaster NOS said Edwin Wagensveld, who heads the Dutch chapter
of the German anti-Islam group Pegida, tore pages out of the Muslim holy book
during a one-man protest.
Images
on social media also showed him walking on the torn pages of the holy book.
The
summons came days after a similar protest outside the Turkish embassy in
Stockholm threatened to sink Sweden’s ambitions to join the NATO defense bloc.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Sweden could no longer expect
support for its NATO membership bid following its decision to allow an
anti-Islam protester to burn the Quran.
Erdogan’s
warning prompted Finland, which applied to join NATO together with its Nordic
neighbor, to say for the first time Tuesday that it might consider joining the
US-led bloc without Sweden.
The
anti-Islam protests have stirred anger in Turkey, an officially secular but
mostly Muslim country facing a crucial election in May.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
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