Saudi Arabia Bans Tablighi Jamaat, a Sunni Islamic Movement, Calls It ‘One of The Gates Of Terrorism’
New Age Islam News Bureau
11 December 2021
In India, Tablighi Jamaat was severely criticised by India's Rwandan
media for organising an international conference in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area
during the first wave of Covid pandemic for violating lockdown rules, though
the conference had been held a week before these rules were formulated and
lockdown imposed. Courts have severely criticised the police for arresting
foreign Tablighis for gathering, even though Lockdown had not been imposed
then. Photograph : (WION Web Team)
-----
• Malayalam Film Director Ali Akbar and His Wife
Renounces Islam to Protest against Those ‘Rejoicing’ Over Gen Rawat’s Death
• Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Chief, Mufti Noor Wali
Mahsud, Asks His Fighters to Resume Attacks against the Pakistani Security
Forces
• All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulema Of Sri Lanka Thank Pak
Religious Scholars
• Uighur Genocide Report ‘Deeply Disturbing’, Says UN
Arab World
• Six Years Later, Ex-Islamic State Stronghold in Iraq
Feels Left Behind
• ISIS Propagandist, A Canadian Citizen, Pleads Guilty
To Aiding Terrorist Group
• Egypt jails 43 'Muslim Brotherhood members'
• Around a dozen people injured in explosion at south
Lebanon Palestinian camp
--------
India
• Haryana Chief Minister Says Prayers by Muslims in
Open Spaces “Will Not Be Tolerated”
• Namaz Disrupted Again As Protesters Hold Event To
‘Mourn Chopper Crash Victims’
• India’s Iconic Jama Masjid Needs Urgent Repairs,
Says Management
--------
Pakistan
• FATF needs to open Pakistan's Pandora Papers leaks
to stop terror finance networks
• Sikh Girl Embracing Islam to Marry Her Muslim
Boyfriend of Nankana Sahib, Pakistan
• Waziristan families begin returning from Afghanistan
--------
South Asia
• Afghan Taliban Reject TTP Claim of Being a 'Branch
of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’
• Indian Sisters Pay Rs 1.5 Crore To Help 92 People,
Pets Flee Afghanistan
• 15 EU nations to resettle Afghan refugees to prevent
irregular immigration
• World Bank confirms delivering $280 M to Afghanistan
• Canada may resume political mission in Kabul
• Donors back $280 mln transfer from trust fund to WFP
for Afghan food, health needs
• Bus bomb kills two in Afghan capital: Taliban
--------
Europe
• Former BBC chairman tells broadcaster: ‘Prove
anti-Muslim slur claim or apologise’
• Germany promises to take in 25,000 Afghans: EU
document
• France to declassify Algerian war archives
-------
Mideast
• Mountains Have Deeply Spiritual, Political Symbol
For Palestinians: Historical Researcher
• Erdogan Reacts to Publication of Insulting Book to
Prophet for Syrian Kids
• Iran prioritizes ties with Muslim and neighbouring
nations including Turkey: Qalibaf
• Iran's Chief Negotiator Slams EU's Lack of
Seriousness in Vienna Talks
• Spokesman Blasts UK Parliament for Unconstructive
Move to Ban Iranians
• Palestinian rejects ‘tempting offers’ to vacate
house in East Jerusalem
• Israeli army kills Palestinian in northern West Bank
--------
Africa
• Gunmen Attack Mosque in Nigeria’s North, Killing 16
• Algerian President receives rector of Great Mosque
of Paris
• Morocco economy rebounds with strong growth: IMF
-------
North America
• Arizona State University Police Arrest an Individual
Related To Tearng, Burning Holy Quran
• US sanctions China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, others over
human rights issues
• Al-Qaida has grown in Afghanistan after US
withdrawal: McKenzie
--------
Southeast Asia
• Indonesian Muslims Gather For Holy Friday Prayers
Near Deadly Volcano
• President upbeat about Indonesian sharia economy's
prospects
• Jokowi Assures ITE Law Won't Limit Freedom of Expression
• I need your continued support as PM, Ismail tells
Umno
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Saudi Arabia Bans Tablighi Jamaat, a Sunni Islamic Movement, Calls It ‘One of The Gates Of Terrorism’
In India, Tablighi Jamaat was severely criticised by India's Rwandan
media for organising an international conference in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area
during the first wave of Covid pandemic for violating lockdown rules, though
the conference had been held a week before these rules were formulated and
lockdown imposed. Courts have severely criticised the police for arresting
foreign Tablighis for gathering, even though Lockdown had not been imposed
then. Photograph : (WION Web Team)
-----
Dec 10, 2021
The Saudi government has banned Tablighi Jamaat, a
Sunni Islamic movement, calling it “one of the gates of terrorism”.
The Saudi Ministry of Islamic affairs said in a tweet
that the preachers in the mosque have been directed to allocate the next Friday
sermon to warn people about the Tablighi Jamaat.
“Declaration of the misguidance, deviation and danger
of this group, and that it is one of the gates of terrorism, even if they claim
otherwise; Mention their most prominent mistakes,” it said.
“Mention their danger to society; Statement that
affiliation with partisan groups, including (the Tablighi and Da’wah Group) is
prohibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the ministry added.
Originated in India in 1926, Tablighi Jamaat (Society
for Spreading Faith) is a Sunni Islamic missionary movement that urges Muslims
to return to a pure form of Sunni Islam and be religiously observant,
especially with respect to dressing, personal behaviour, and rituals.
It is estimated to have somewhere between 350 to 400
million members across the globe. They collectively claim that their focus is
only on religion and strictly avoid political activities and debates.
United States Institute of Peace has described
Tablighi Jamaat as an “Islamic revivalist organization” noting that the group
“has appeared on the fringes of several terrorism investigations, leading some
to speculate that its apolitical stance simply masks ‘fertile ground for
breeding terrorism’ in nations such as UK, France and America.
In India, the group the severely criticised for organisation
a mass gathering in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area during the first wave of Covid
pandemic for violating lockdown rules last year.
According to Pew Research Centre, Tablighi Jamaat
operates roughly in 150 countries around the world, including Western Europe,
Africa, and South Asia.
In South Asia, the Tablighi Jamaat has a great
following, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and
Thailand.
Source: WIO News
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original story:
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Malayalam Film Director Ali Akbar and His Wife
Renounces Islam to Protest against Those ‘Rejoicing’ Over Gen Rawat’s Death
Ali Akbar/Republic World
.com
----
Dec 11, 2021
Malayalam film director Ali Akbar has announced that
he and his wife were giving up Islam in protest against a section of social
media users allegedly indulging in jubilation over the tragic death of CDS
Bipin Rawat and his wife in a helicopter crash.
He made the announcement in a video posted on social
media on Friday.
"I am not a Muslim from today onwards. I am an
Indian," the film-maker said.
In the clip, he slammed those who had put smiley
emoticons below the news reports related to the death of Gen Rawat, saying he
could not stand with the “anti-nationals” anymore.
Akbar's decision comes in the wake of a section of
members of a minority community reportedly rejoicing over Rawat's death.
In October, the film director-turned-politician had
resigned from all responsibilities in the BJP, including as its state committee
member, as he was "pained" by the Kerala unit's organisational-level
action against BJP state secretary AK Nazeer.
Akbar, however, had said that he would continue as a
member of the BJP.
In an emotional Facebook post, he had said that it was
very difficult for the common man to understand the kind of humiliations and
abuses being faced by a Muslim, from his own family and community, while
working for the BJP.
The filmmaker is currently working on a film based on
Malabar rebellion also called as Moplah riot that took place in north Kerala in
1921. PTI
Source: Tribune India
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original story:
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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Chief, Mufti Noor Wali
Mahsud, Asks His Fighters to Resume Attacks against the Pakistani Security Forces
Tehrik-e Taliban
Pakistan’s Chief, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud/ Sayhoon News
-----
Dec 11, 2021
ISLAMABAD: With the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
unilaterally announcing an end to a month-long ceasefire on Thursday night, the
terror group’s chief, Mufti Noor Wali Mahsud, has asked his fighters to resume
attacks against the Pakistani security forces. In an audio message, Mufti Noor
said that his fighters reserve the right to resume attacks wherever they are
after Thursday midnight since the TTP has not heard back from the mediators or
the Pakistani government. The month-long ceasefire had come into effect on
November 9.
Announcing an end to the ceasefire on Thursday night,
the TTP in a statement blamed the Pakistan government for reneging on its
promises made to the terror group in the initial stages of consultations in
Afghanistan. It said the Pakistani authorities had not released their 102
prisoners. According to the statement, the initial agreement had guaranteed
that the released prisoners would be handed over to the TTP through the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan on November 1.
The TTP further stated that both sides had agreed to
initiate formal talks and will finalise five names of negotiators from each
side. While the TTP said it had formed a five-member committee, the Pakistani
government had not appointed a negotiating team to conduct talks. The group
also said that security forces had carried out raids in many parts of the
northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing and detaining a number of
militants while the ceasefire was in place.
“Under these circumstances, it is not possible to
extend the ceasefire,” the TTP statement said.
Pakistan’s talks with the TTP were deemed to fail
since some of the demands of the outfit, like implementation of Shariah and the
demerger of the volatile tribal districts, were not possible for Islamabad to
meet. The tribal districts were merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through a
constitutional amendment in May 2018.
Since 2007, the TTP has carried out some of the
deadliest attacks on Pakistani soil, targeting political leaders, civilians and
security forces in suicide bombings, IED attacks and targeted killings.
In 2014, the group claimed responsibility for attack
on Army Public School in Peshawar, killing about 150 people, including 132
schoolchildren. The number of TTP attacks had significantly dropped after
Pakistan launched a military operation in 2014, pushing the group out of its
erstwhile stronghold of the North Waziristan tribal district. Sporadic attacks,
however, continued to take place.
After the Afghan Taliban took over control of
Afghanistan in mid-August, the TTP had intensified their attacks, targeting
civilians and security forces, prompting the authorities in Islamabad to demand
from Kabul not to allow its soil for terrorist attacks on Pakistan.
Source: Times of India
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original story:
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All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulema Of Sri Lanka Thank Pak
Religious Scholars
All Ceylon Jamiyyathul
Ulema of Sri Lanka / The International News
-----
By Asim Yasin
December 11, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulema of Sri
Lanka in an appreciation letter to Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council, Special
Aide to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad
Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi thanked him and all ulema of Pakistan for condemning the
inhuman murder of Sri Lankan PriyanthaKumara in Sialkot and coming forward to
establish peace and justice.
"We All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulema of Sri Lanka
(Council of Islamic Religious scholars in Sri Lanka) appreciate your good self,
the ulema and all religious scholars of Pakistan for condemning the inhuman
murder of our fellow Sri Lankan manager PriyanthaKumara in Sialkot,” the letter
said.
The letter stated that Sri Lankan ulema learnt about
the joint meeting of leaders of all religions and religious schools of thought
of Pakistan last Sunday under his leadership and termed the Sialkot incident
barbaric, fatal and brutal. “Further we appreciate Islamic religious scholars
of Pakistan expressing their solidarity with Sri Lanka clarifying that this act
is against the teachings of Islam,” the letter stated.
Source: The News Pakistan
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/915857-sri-lankan-clerics-thank-pak-religious-scholars
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Uighur Genocide Report ‘Deeply Disturbing’, Says UN
Uyghurs and other members of
the faithful pray during services at the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar in far west
China's Xinjiang region, Apr 19, 2021. (Photo: AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
------
December 10, 2021
GENEVA: The UN on Friday labelled as “deeply
disturbing” a report by a London panel of lawyers and rights experts accusing
China of genocide against its Uighur minority.
UN rights office spokesman Rupert Colville said the
agency had not verified the findings presented in Britain on Thursday and did
not comment on the conclusion that China had committed genocide through
population control measures.
But he told reporters in Geneva that the informal
panel, set up at the request of exile group the World Uighur Congress, had
“brought to light more information that is deeply disturbing in relation to the
treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim and ethnic minorities in Xinjiang”.
He said credit was due to the “many victims or
witnesses who took great risk in coming forward”, stressing that it was
“extremely important therefore to give them full protection from any
reprisals”.
Nine lawyers and human rights experts were involved in
the London panel and heard allegations of torture, rape and inhumane treatment
at two evidence sessions this year.
The tribunal, which has no powers of sanction or
enforcement, concluded that China’s rulers “intended to destroy a significant part”
of the Muslim Uighur minority through population control measures and as such
had “committed genocide”.
Beijing dismissed its findings, and said the World
Uighur Congress had “paid for liars, bought rumours and gave false testimony in
an attempt to concoct a political tool to smear China”.
Colville said the UN rights office investigators had
“similarly identified patterns of arbitrary detention and ill-treatment in
institutions, coercive labour practices and an erosion of social and cultural
rights in general”.
He stressed the need for “an independent and
comprehensive assessment” of rights abuse allegations in Xinjiang.
The UN rights office was finalising its own
assessment, he said, and its conclusions were likely to be published in the
coming weeks.
UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet has for years been
asking Beijing to provide her and other independent observers with “meaningful
and unfettered access” to the region, but Colville said so far no such visit
had been made possible.'
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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original story:
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Arab World
Six years later, ex-Islamic State stronghold in Iraq
feels left behind
December 10, 2021
Six years after a Dutch air raid as part of the
coalition against the Islamic State, the scars of the disaster are still
everywhere in the Iraqi city of Hawija. The target was an explosives factory,
but at least two tankers outside the factory were full of explosives, and tons
of chemicals used to make bombs were stored nearby. At least 70 people were
killed and hundreds wounded. Part of the industrial area where the factory
stood is still just ruins.
The inhabitants of Hawija knew that Dutch planes were
responsible for the disaster that befell their city in June 2015 long before it
was revealed in the Dutch media. “We knew right after it happened, from leaks
from the operation”, mayor Sabhan Khalaf Ali al-Jubouri explained. “Why is the
Dutch government saying it did not know? Someone is trying to escape
responsibility.”
Al-Jubouri is on a trip to The Hague to make these
complaints in person. Last year, the Dutch Ministry of Defense finally
earmarked 4 million euros for Hawija, years after the former minister Jeanine
Hennis Plasschaert (now head of the UN mission in Iraq, Unami) was forced to step
down for misleading Parliament. It has recently become clear that officials
knew at the time of the bombing that the collateral damage could be serious.
Al-Jabouri has called on the Dutch both to issue an official apology and to
provide immediate assistance in Hawija. “My people expect me to return with
compensation money,” he said.
“We had a supermarket, which was totally flattened,”
said Hani al-Obaidi, a soldier at a military base just outside the town. “Daesh
offered us $200 in compensation, which I refused. The Iraqi government has not
compensated me.” He squarely blames the Dutch for his loss, as does the owner
of a small shop selling motor oil in the industrial area, who only managed to
rebuild with the help of his supplier. They are both angry that no compensation
has been paid as yet by the Dutch government.
People in Hawija point out that France has rebuilt the
technical institute its air raids destroyed during the IS occupation. And that
the eastern province of Ramadi, which suffered enormous destruction, has
already been largely rebuilt with help from coalition countries.
“We have not seen any money from Holland,” says Sheikh
Wasfi al-Assi angrily. “None of the victims has received any compensation. Are
the Dutch not interested at all in their fate?”
The sheikh receives his guests at an army base right
outside the town—one of many, to counter the IS cells that still are active in
the area. Shiites are the majority in Iraq and control the government as well
as the army and security forces. They are not willing to forget Hawija’s role
as an IS stronghold, and distrust its people still.
Hawija’s sheikhs and leaders try to explain to
politicians in Baghdad that they lost 5 000 of their own people to the terror
group. And civilians generally had little choice but to stay, they say. “If we
tried to leave, IS killed us. If we stayed, the coalition bombed us,” people
say. After the 2015 disaster, there were problems with the water and
electricity supply, but IS was not engaged in any rebuilding. Hawija’s civilians
were mostly peaceful, says Sheikh Al-Wasfi. “Everybody waited until Daesh had
gone, as Daesh was stronger than they were.”
Yet many in Iraq still consider Hawija to be
dangerous, and the recurring attacks on the checkpoints and bases manned by
Shiite militias and army around the town only feed the perception. Every road
into this conservative Sunni town is guarded by militias of the Shiite Hashed,
and colorful Shiite flags fly at every base and checkpoint.
Since the liberation in 2017, security forces ask
civilians in Hawija to report any suspicious conversation or movement —
something that doesn’t happen in Mosul, which was considered the capital of
IS’s so-called Caliphate. For this reason, many people in Hawija admit to
feeling punished twice over, first by IS and the air raids, and now by the
distrust and neglect of the outside world.
Baghdad has mainly excluded the town from its own
compensation payments, which is why civilians are looking to the Dutch for the
money. The fact that nothing has reached them feeds into conspiracy theories:
“The money goes to officials in Kirkuk,” says the sheikh. “And even there, they
only give it to the people they have a relationship with.”
On every level in Hawija, people are convinced that
even if money is on the way, a lot won’t make it to them. Sabria Salah lost her
husband to IS and a son to the explosion. Her house was flattened, and she now
rents another, while hers is slowly rebuilt with money loaned by her family.
“The NGOs don’t come to the right people,” she says. “We heard there were
lists, and that mattresses and blankets were distributed, but we got nothing.”
Her brother-in-law, Harif Shabib, says the NGOs only
help people they have a relationship with. “We know of a village school that
has been renovated six times over, while schools in other villages are still in
ruins.” He points out that his sister-in-law should at least receive his
husband’s state pension. But as he is missing and has not officially been
declared dead, she does not.
The Al-Ghad League for Woman and Child Care, the major
local NGO in Hawija, indicates that psychological problems have snowballed due
to the violence of the occupation, the explosion and its aftermath, with
hopelessness leading to a recent increase in suicides. Tofan Abdulwahhab Awad
of Al-Ghad said, “We call on the countries that helped us to get rid of Daesh
to continue helping us now. Daesh was a terror group, but you are countries
with values to uphold.”
Source: Al Monitor
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ISIS Propagandist, A Canadian Citizen, Pleads Guilty
To Aiding Terrorist Group
11 December ,2021
A Canadian citizen who traveled to Syria to join ISIS
nearly a decade ago pleaded guilty Friday to serving as one of the
organization’s more prominent English-language propagandists.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
Mohammed Khalifa, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiring to
provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization,
resulting in death, at a hearing in US District Court in Alexandria. US
District Judge T.S. Ellis III accepted the plea.
According to court records, Khalifa left Canada for
Syria in 2013 after being inspired by the lectures of Anwar al-Awlaki, a US
cleric who later became a leading figure in al-Qaeda.
Prosecutors said Khalifa narrated two notorious ISIS
propaganda videos — “Flames of War” in 2014 and “Flames of War II” in 2017 —
designed to recruit Westerners to join ISIS to kill Westerners as part of an
international holy war campaign.
Khalifa also fought on the battlefield, according to
prosecutors. He was captured by Syrian Defense Forces in 2019 and held overseas
until he was brought to Virginia earlier this year to face charges.
According to an FBI affidavit, Khalifa told FBI agents
he expected to be sent to an ISIS training camp when he joined the organization
in late 2013. Instead, he was recruited to join the organization’s media
department because of his English language skills and spent nearly five years as
a leader in their English-language propaganda unit, it said.
The affidavit said Khalifa narrated numerous videos
besides “Flames of War” and its sequel, which show prisoners being executed and
decapitated. In another video, titled “Inside the Khilafah,” Khalifa urges
listeners, if they aren’t able to travel to Syria to join ISIS to instead
“terrorize the disbelievers with your jihad outside the khilafah by targeting
them and shedding their blood.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
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Egypt jails 43 'Muslim Brotherhood members'
December 10, 2021
An Egyptian court yesterday issued prison sentences
against 43 people accused of being leaders and members of the Muslim
Brotherhood.
Of those jailed, 23 were handed life terms while four
were acquitted. They were found guilty of "joining a terrorist group and
forging official documents."
Yahya Moussa and Alaa Al-Samahi were sentenced in
absentia as they are both living in exile in Turkey.
The court sentenced 18 defendants to 15 years,
including Hossam Ahmed, Jamal Sultan, Karim Sayed, Ahmed Galal, Youssef
Mohamed, Ahmed Ali Awad, Hisham Al-Sayed, Ayman Tariq, Ahmed El-Sayed, Mohamed
El-Sayed, Mohamed Mahmoud Abdel-Aal, Sami Mahmoud, Khaled Mohamed Shaaban, Mohamed
El-Sayed Khamis, Saleh Abdel Rahim, Mohamed Mahmoud, Hani Mahrous and Amr Fadl.
The court acquitted Hadi Mohamed, Rajaa El-Sayed,
Mohamed Mustafa and Raya Abdullah of charges relating to mediation to pay a
bribery. It also ruled that lawsuits against Ahmed Abdel Nabi and Khamis
Abdel-Aal could be dropped as they have both died.
Source: Middle East Monitor
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of the original story:
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211210-egypt-jails-43-muslim-brotherhood-members/
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Around
a dozen people injured in explosion at south Lebanon Palestinian camp
10
December ,2021
A
large explosion rocked a Palestinian camp in the southern Lebanese port city of
Tyre on Friday night, injuring about a dozen people, according to rescue
workers on scene and a Palestinian source inside the camp.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported an unspecified number of deaths,
but local media and civil defense workers on scene said there had been no
fatalities. A security source also said fatalities had not been recorded.
The
NNA reported that the blast emanated from a Hamas weapons depot in the Burj
al-Shemali camp and a judge had ordered security forces to launch an
investigation.
A
number of armed Palestinian factions, including Hamas and the Fatah Movement,
hold effective control over roughly a dozen Palestinian camps in the country,
which Lebanese authorities by custom do not enter.
Shehab
News Agency, seen as close to Hamas, quoted a Palestinian source as saying the
explosion was caused by the ignition of oxygen canisters stored for use in
fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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India
Haryana
Chief Minister Says Prayers by Muslims in Open Spaces “Will Not Be Tolerated”
Pheroze
L. Vincent
11.12.21
Haryana
chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said that prayers by Muslims in
open spaces “will not be tolerated” and withdrew consent to Friday namaz at
designated open-air sites in Gurgaon.
His
announcement came after serial disruptions, by Hindutva groups and residents,
of open-air Jumma namaz since September.
“Such
(religious) programmes should not happen in the open,” Khattar told reporters.
“Namaz
in open spaces, which has happened here, will not be tolerated at all. An
amicable solution will be found by sitting together.”
Police
have been protecting open-air Friday prayers in the face of disruptions by
Hindutva activists who use loudspeakers and play Hindu devotional songs during
namaz, or perform puja at these spots at the time of namaz.
Last
month, the district administration withdrew consent to eight of the 37
designated sites where Muslims offered Friday prayers in the absence of enough
mosques.
These
37 sites, which included three Muslim institutions, had been earmarked by the
administration in 2018 after protests by Hindutva groups.
Before
this, Friday and Id prayers were offered at 106 open spaces in addition to
mosques, almost all of which are in older parts of the city.
On
December 11, Friday prayers were reportedly offered at only 14 open spaces.
“There
is some property that is their (Muslims’) own or is of the waqf (board) that
have been encroached on and which can be made available to them for prayers,”
the BJP chief minister said.
“(Owing
to) prayers in the open, there should not be confrontation under any
circumstance. By sitting together, a decision was made on this but we have
withdrawn that decision to reserve some places (for prayers). With fresh talks,
let everyone get facilities, and let no one interfere in anyone else’s rights.
No one will be allowed to do this by force.”
Gurgaon
is home to 26 Muslim institutions where namaz is offered but only two of them
are in the newer parts of the city, where most jobs exist. These two mosques
are mired in litigation, preventing further construction on them to accommodate
more worshippers.
Altaf
Ahmad of the Gurugram Muslim Council said: “Muslims of Gurgaon are forced to
offer the Jumma namaz in the open as the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran has
not allocated land to us. All our applications get rejected and earnest money
refunded, including our latest application submitted in October 2021.
“The
waqf board and the (district) administration have been unable to get waqf
properties back from encroachers for a very long time. Now, as the chief
minister has said that the approved open-air sites need to be reworked between
the administration and the Muslim community, we request him to instruct the
HSVP to allocate us land in multiple sectors to build multi-storey mosques.
That shall be the end of the Jumma namaz row.”
During
the disruptions, the council had lodged complaints against three Hindutva
leaders for inflammatory statements, but no FIR has been registered although
the police took one of them into preventive detention.
The
council said: “(The) town planning (department) has allocated 42 or more
temples and 18 or more gurdwaras; however only one piece of land in Sector 57
was given by the state government to build a masjid.”
Source:
Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Namaz
disrupted again as protesters hold event to ‘mourn chopper crash victims’
by
Pavneet Singh Chadha
December
11, 2021
Some
residents of Khandsa, Mohammadpur Jharsa, Begumpur Khatola villages and members
of right-wing groups occupied a designated namaz site outside Gurgaon’s Sector
37 police station on Friday and conducted a “condolence meeting” to pay tribute
to CDS Bipin Rawat and others killed in Wednesday’s helicopter crash. The group
did not allow members of the Muslim community to offer Friday prayers, which
were also disrupted at Sector 44 and Sector 29.
At
12.15 pm, Avaneesh Raghav, a businessman from Khandsa, gave directions to men
from nearby villages to park their trucks and cars on the periphery and middle
of the open ground at Sector 37.
Raghav,
who also organised a “havan” at the site a fortnight ago “in memory of the
26/11 terror attack martyrs”, said: “Every week, we are going to hold some
event here. Our earlier plan was to have a bhandara (community meal) here, but
an elderly person from our village died yesterday, so we did not deem it
appropriate. This is the only open space available in the village for community
events. We have made it clear in recent weeks that we shall not allow namaz
here in the open.”
Some
of the protesters carried a poster with photos of those who died in the chopper
crash.
Pramod
Singh Raghav, secretary, Rashtrawadi Janlok Party, said, “We are marking our
protest against the unauthorised way in which namaz is being held.”
At
1.15 pm, as a group of Muslims arrived to offer prayers, they were coerced into
leaving by the protesters after arguments, amid police deployment.
At
Sector 44, in a public park, a group, including many affiliated with the
Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, did not allow Friday prayers.
Arish,
who works with an insurance company, said, “As we were about to pray, a group
of men asked us to leave. Namaz has been offered here since 2008. If people
have issues, they should go to the administration. How can they go from place
to place and disrupt prayers? The Constitution gives us the right to practice
our religion.”
Sohail
Khan, who had come to pray at Sector 44, said, “It is our fundamental right to
pray. I have been praying here for three years; it was never an issue.”
Amit
Hindu, who was among 26 people arrested on October 29 for attempting to disrupt
namaz, said, “At Sector 29 also, a group of people were offering namaz. We went
to the park and politely asked them to leave.”
Source:
Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
India’s
Iconic Jama Masjid Needs Urgent Repairs, Says Management
Ahmad
Adil
10.12.2021
NEW
DELHI
India’s
iconic Jama Masjid or main mosque of the national capital New Delhi is awaiting
repairs as its domes and other structures have dilapidated, according to the
management and Muslim groups.
Speaking
to Anadolu Agency Mohammed Ansar ul Haq, a member of the mosque's management
committee said the government was not paying attention to the decrepit
condition of the historic mosque, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the
17th century, and regarded as the symbol of Muslim rule in India.
Early
this year the mosque suffered damages in two dust storms within a week that
damaged its southern minaret with a big block of red sandstone falling off.
Recently
heritage activists raised alarm after finding patches of cement on the northern
dome of the mosque.
The
management said that in absence of any support they were forced to use cement
to prevent heavy rains from seeping into the mosque.
"It
is not one to two repairs. Almost all the area of the mosque needs restoration
work," said Ansar ul Haq.
He
said that the domes of the mosque need early restoration.
"The
bricks of the floors have started to come out. Whatever we could do, we have
done. But it needs people with expertise to carry the work
scientifically," he added.
The
chief cleric known as Shahi Imam of the mosque, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, has sought
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention, pleading to repair the
mosque especially its iconic minarets.
In
a letter to the prime minister, Bukhari said due to the falling of these
stones, the support of the other stones around them has gone weak and it
warrants immediate repairs to avoid any grave mishap.
“I
shall be grateful if you instruct the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to
inspect the monument and commence its necessary repairs, and particularly to
inspect the two minarets to ascertain their condition," he wrote.
ASI
is a government body responsible for archaeological research and the
conservation and preservation of cultural monuments.
-
Delay will aggravate damages
All
India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) – an umbrella group of various Muslim
organizations – has also asked the prime minister to direct officials to attend
to the mosque as it was not only a national heritage but an internationally
acclaimed place of worship, often visited by foreign dignitaries.
Naveed
Hamid, the president of AIMMM said the minarets, domes, parts of the ceiling
are falling apart, and rainwater speeds in domes are expediting the quantum of
damage to the structure.
Fearing
that any further delay will aggravate the damages, he said the magnificent
building needs immediate renovation.
He
said since a large number of people including foreign tourists visit the mosque
every day, there is a lurking danger of any part falling on people causing
fatalities.
According
to the ASI, the mosque does not figure in their list of protected monuments.
Manu
Sharma, spokesman of the ASI said: "The Jama Masjid is not a protected
monument under ASI, and the restoration or any work is not usually done by us.
We do work only in special cases when we receive requests from them on
Government's directions."
Speaking
to Anadolu Agency Mehfooz Mohammad, an official of the Delhi Waqf Board said
that they have now ordered a technical survey of the building and will start
work, once it is completed.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
FATF
needs to open Pakistan's Pandora Papers leaks to stop terror finance networks
Dec
11, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The global anti-terror watchdog - Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will open
Pakistan's Pandora Papers leaks to reveal the nexus of the financial
shenanigans, the money laundering operations and the covering up of terror
finance networks being run by the Pakistan Army using shady businessmen and
dodgy politicians.
Federico
Giuliani, writing in Inside over said that it is nothing short of a travesty
that the Pandora Papers Leaks did not open a Pandora's Box in Pakistan.
It
may be recalled that it is precisely these AML/CFT networks that prompted the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to place Pakistan under 'increased
monitoring' or the "Grey List" in 2018.
After
Pakistan was put on the grey list, it has purportedly taken a slew of measures
to fulfil the "high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and
APG to strengthen its AML/CFT regime and address its strategic
counter-terrorist financing-related deficiencies".
But
most of these measures, especially the ones that involve curbing financial
networks of terror groups closely linked to or working for the Pakistani state
have been largely untouched.
For
throwing dust into the eyes of the FATF, Pakistan even instituted cases against
UN-designated terrorists like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and some
of his close associates.
In
very hasty trials -necessitated by the FATF calendar - the lower courts even
convicted Saeed and his associates for various jail terms. That the trial
courts convicted these terrorists in a matter of days should have set alarm
bells ringing in the FATF in Paris, said Giuliani.
Nothing
proves this more than the Pandora Paper leaks. If the action items related to
money laundering and tightening of the financial system had indeed been
completed, then either there would have been no Pandora Papers leaks, or the
state would have moved into action to question the people whose names figured
in these leaks, reported Inside over.
"That
has not happened. The reason as said earlier, there are half a dozen top armed
forces officers whose names figure in the list and around a dozen people who
are either part of the Imran Khan regime or are closely related to people who
are in the Imran Khan government," Giuliani wrote.
Clearly,
it is the same "see nothing, say nothing, do nothing" attitude that
is adopted when it comes to other AML/CFT networks that are linked to the
Pakistani State and 'deep state', he added.
Source:
Times of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Sikh
Girl Embracing Islam to Marry Her Muslim Boyfriend of Nankana Sahib, Pakistan
Dec
11, 2021
Amritsar:
A teenaged Sikh girl Rajmeet Kaur embracing Islam to become Zannat Bibi and
marrying her Muslim boyfriend Zunaid has led to tension between Sikhs and
Muslims of Nankana Sahib, Pakistan.
Sources
said Rajmeet, 18, married Zunaid, 18, on December 7 in a mosque at Jaranwala
city in Faislabad district of Pakistan, about 25 km from Nankana Sahib. She
also filed a petition in the local court, claiming threat to life and seeking
security. Her father Ranjit Singh, an hakim by profession, has sought the help
of community to bring back the girl to the family.
As
the issue escalated, the local administration intervened and brought both
Rajmeet and Zunaid to police station, where their parents were also called for
a compromise. However, the attempt failed and police decided to send the girl
to Darul Uloom in Lahore, but her kin insisted that she be handed over to them.
“Rajmeet
has outrightly refused to go to her parents and agreed to go to Darul Uloom or
be sent with Zunaid, which has led to some tension between two communities,”
said a local Sikh leader. He also accused some Sikh politicians of fanning the
fire for their political gains.
Sources
said Rajmeet had eloped with Zunaid in April but was brought back home after
the intervention of relatives.
Pakistan
Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Ameer Singh did not take the phone
while former president Bishan Singh denied any knowledge of the incident.
Source:
Times of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Waziristan
families begin returning from Afghanistan
Pazir
Gul
December
11, 2021
NORTH
WAZIRISTAN: A batch of displaced families reached North Waziristan tribal
district from Afghanistan via the Ghulam Khan border crossing on Friday seven
years after the completion of the Zarb-i-Azb military operation against
militants.
Relief
and rehabilitation minister Iqbal Khan Wazir, deputy commissioner Shahid Ali
Khan and relevant officials received the returnees.
Officials
told reporters that 30 displaced families arrived in North Waziristan during
the first phase of the return.
According
to official estimates, around 5,500 displaced families currently live in Khost
province of Afghanistan.
Khost
province has around 5,500 families, which left Pakistan in 2014
The
officials said the registration desk had been set up at Ghulam Khan, where a
team of National Database Registration Authority would conduct verification and
registration of all individuals.
They
said a team of the health department had been deployed at the registration
desk.
DC
Shahid Ali Khan said all displaced families would be brought back to their
homes in North Waziristan.
He
said after scrutiny and verification process, the returnees were being
transported to Dera Ismail, Bannu and Lakki Marwat and that they could go to
their native areas in North Waziristan, which had been cleared from miscreants.
The
DC said the returnees would be fully facilitated and would receive food ration
and other basic necessary items.
More
than 10,000 families from North Waziristan had sought shelter Afghanistan in
2014 when the Pakistan Army had launched an operation against militants in the
tribal district. The operation displaced close to one million people, most of
them finding refuge in Bannu and DI Khan districts and elsewhere.
Some
families living in villages close to the border crossed into Afghanistan, where
the Afghan government, in collaboration with the UN agencies, provided them
with shelter and assistance.
Officials
said the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) was making
accommodation arrangements for 300 families at Bakakhel Camp in Bannu
subdivision after their repatriation from Afghanistan.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1663071/waziristan-families-begin-returning-from-afghanistan
--------
South Asia
Afghan
Taliban Reject TTP Claim of Being a 'Branch of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’
December
11, 2021
The
Afghan Taliban have distanced themselves from the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) after the latter recently claimed it was a "branch" of
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) — the regime in charge in Kabul.
TTP
chief Mufti Noor Wali Mahsud, in a video available on social media and
purportedly shot during his visit to Pakistan's northern areas, had declared
that his outfit came under the larger "umbrella" of the IEA.
"Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan is a branch of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, [and] is a part of that
umbrella on this land," Mahsud, flanked by armed TTP fighters, can be seen
saying in the video as he addressed a group of men.
Afghan
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, in an interview with Arab News on
Friday, rejected Mahsud's claim of affiliation with the IEA.
"They
are not, as an organisation, part of IEA and we don’t share the same
objectives,” Mujahid is quoted as saying by the publication.
“We
advise TTP to focus on peace and stability in their country. This is very
important so they can prevent any chance for enemies to interfere in the region
and in Pakistan. And we request Pakistan to look into their demands for the
better of the region and Pakistan.”
Mujahid
said the TTP was Pakistan's internal matter, adding: "The IEA stance is
that we do not interfere in other countries’ affairs. We do not interfere in
Pakistan’s affairs.”
Ceasefire
— beginning and end
The
Afghan Taliban spokesperson's remarks come roughly a month after Afghanistan's
acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi acknowledged that the Afghan Taliban
were mediating between Pakistan and the TTP on the desire of both the parties.
The
Afghan Taliban's facilitation of talks had led to a month-long ceasefire during
November, which the TTP declined to extend any further, accusing the government
of failing to honour the decisions reached earlier.
A
statement issued by the TTP on Thursday gave out details of the six-point
agreement that it said it had reached with the government under the aegis of
the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” (IEA) on Oct 25, 2021.
The
two sides, according to the agreement, had accepted that the IEA would play the
role of a mediator and that both sides would form five-member committees each
which, under the supervision of the mediator, would discuss the next course of
action and demands of each sides.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1663185/afghan-taliban-reject-ttp-claim-of-being-a-branch-of-iea
--------
Indian
Sisters Pay Rs 1.5 Crore To Help 92 People, Pets Flee Afghanistan
Dec
11, 2021
LONDON:
Two Indian sisters have paid a significant sum of money to help evacuate 92
people, five dogs and one cat from Afghanistan. The evacuees are now in secure
accommodation in Islamabad waiting to be resettled in a third country.
The
sisters, one of whom lives in Gibraltar and the other in India, felt a deep
connection with the plight of the Afghan refugees as their late mother had fled
Pakistan for India during Partition.
They
paid more than half of the £300,000 (Rs 3 crore) to help evacuate the group to
honour her. Funds for the mission also came from other private individuals.
In
an evacuation dubbed "Operation Magic Carpet", the 92 evacuees —
including 30 women, 32 children and six pets — were transported across land
from Kabul to Islamabad using the services of American-Israeli rescue
specialist Moti Kahana. They stayed in safe houses for different periods of
time until it was safe to cross the border at different times and places before
being met by Kahana’s team in Pakistan.
"We
are lobbying a number of countries to see who can take them," said British
animal welfare campaigner Dominic Dyer, who played a leading role in the
operation.
Thirteen
of the evacuees are vets who had been working for animal welfare charity Mayhew
in Kabul, of which Meghan Markle is the patron. In addition to 60 former Mayhew
staff and dependants, the group involved 32 business executives, former
security specialists and their families.
A
90-year-old woman was part of the group and a baby girl was born during the
evacuation.
"The
pets are all alive and well and provided unconditional support to the families
throughout the ordeal," Dyer said.
Source:
Times of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
15
EU nations to resettle Afghan refugees to prevent irregular immigration
December
11, 2021
Fifteen
European Union (EU) countries on Thursday decided to resettle 40,000 Afghan
refugees in order to prevent irregular immigration of these people.
Commissioner
of home affairs of the EU Ylva Johansson said that 15 member countries of the
union have decided to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees, reported Khaama Press.
Johansson
after meeting interior ministers of the countries said that this is impressive
solidarity and the more controlled way of resettling Afghans will prevent
irregular immigration of these people.
As
per statistics, Germany will host 25,000 Afghans, the Netherlands 3,159, Spain
and France 2,500 each, and the rest of the countries in the lower number,
reported Khaama Press.'
It
comes after tens of thousands of Afghans mostly youths are taking dangerous
ways to get to Europe through Iran and Turkey that often leading to the deaths
of these asylum seekers.
There
are now an estimated 85,000 Afghans who have gotten closer to the European
borders and approximately the same number are waiting to find a way to get out
of the country after the Taliban's takeover on 15 August, reported Khaama
Press.
Source:
Business Standard
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
World
Bank confirms delivering $280 M to Afghanistan
11
Dec 2021
The
World Bank confirmed on Friday, December 10 that they will deliver $280 million
from Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) World Health Organization,
World Food Program, and United Nations International Children Emergency Fund.
The
amount of money is part of the assets of Afghanistan now frozen in western
banks.
The
World Bank in its statement said that $180 million will be given to World Food
Program (WFP) and $100 million will be provided to UNICEF to carry out health
services in Afghanistan.
“With
the money allocated by ARTF, UNICEF will provide basic health facilities to
12.5 million people and WFP will be able to give food to 2.7 million people
while 840 thousand women and children will be provided with nutrition.” Reads
the statement.
Earlier,
rumors had it that the transfer of the money will be a big issue as financial
institutions will be afraid of US sanctions.
The
US has frozen over $9.5 billion of Afghanistan’s preserves after the Taliban’s
takeover that has plunged Afghanistan into potentially the world’s biggest
humanitarian crisis and disaster.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/world-bank-confirms-delivering-280-m-to-afghanistan-346346/
--------
Canada
may resume political mission in Kabul
11
Dec 2021
Canada
plans to dispatch a number of its diplomats to Kabul and resume its consular
operations in Kabul, Global News reported.
Canadian
authorities have told Global News that the country’s Special Forces (JTF2) will
be responsible for assuring the security of the diplomats.
It
comes more than a week after Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Indian announced to
resume their consular services in Afghanistan after nearly all foreign
embassies shut on August 15.
France
has also pledged to restart their diplomatic operations in Afghanistan.
The
Canadian government is yet to release a statement regarding the resumption of
their diplomatic mission in Kabul.
Sources
have also told the Global News that other countries are also willing to resume
their diplomatic mission in Kabul deploying their own forces to man the
security.
The
apparently informal engagement of these Asian and European countries is at a
time when the Taliban’s interim government is not recognized yet.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/canada-may-resume-political-mission-in-kabul-765765/
--------
Donors
back $280 mln transfer from trust fund to WFP for Afghan food, health needs
11
December ,2021
Donors
agreed on Friday to transfer $280 million from a frozen, trust fund to the
World Food Program (WFP) and UNICEF to support nutrition and health in
Afghanistan, the World Bank said as it seeks to help a country facing famine
and economic freefall.
The
World Bank-administered Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund will this year give
$180 million to WFP to scale up food security and nutrition operations and $100
million to UNICEF to provide essential health services, the bank said in a
statement.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
money would aim to support food security and health programs in Afghanistan as
it sinks into a severe economic and humanitarian crisis that accelerated in
August when the Taliban overran the country as the Western-backed government
collapsed and the last US troops withdrew.
The
United States and other donors cut off financial aid on which Afghanistan
became dependent during 20 years of war and more than $9 billion of the
country’s hard currency assets were frozen.
The
United Nations is warning that nearly 23 million people –- about 55 percent of
the population –- are facing extreme levels of hunger, with nearly 9 million at
risk of famine as winter takes hold in the impoverished, landlocked country.
Using
reconstruction trust fund money and channeling it through the WFP and UNICEF,
both part of the UN family, appears to be a way to get funding into the country
for basic needs in a manner that does not necessarily implicate US sanctions
against the Taliban.
“This
decision is the first step to repurpose funds in the ARTF portfolio to provide
humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan at this critical time,”
the bank said, saying the agencies had presence on the ground to deliver
services directly to Afghans in line “with their own policies and procedures.”
“These
ARTF funds will enable UNICEF to provide 12.5 million people with basic and
essential health services and vaccinate 1 million people, while WFP will be
able to provide 2.7 million people with food assistance and nearly 840,000
mothers and children with nutrition assistance,” it added.
Earlier
on Friday, Reuters reported exclusively that the donors were expected to
approve the $280 million transfer. On Dec. 1, Reuters reported
that
the World Bank board had backed transferring the ARTF funds to the two
agencies.
In
its statement, the bank said it would “continue to work with ARTF donors to
unlock additional ARTF funds to support the Afghan people.”
Laurel
Miller, a former acting US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan,
criticized the decision to tap the ARTF for strictly humanitarian aid, saying
money should come from other sources and the $1.5 billion fund should be used
for a major initiative to halt the collapse of state institutions whose workers
have not been paid for months.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Bus
bomb kills two in Afghan capital: Taliban
10
December ,2021
Two
people were killed and four wounded in separate bomb explosions in the west of
Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Friday, the Taliban said.
“Two
civilians have been killed and three others were wounded” when a bomb exploded
on a minibus in the Dasht-e-Barchi district of Kabul, the Taliban’s interior
ministry spokesman Sayed Khosti told reporters.
“In
another explosion in the same area, one woman was wounded,” he added,
specifying that the second blast was also a bomb.
There
was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.
Dasht-e-Barchi
is largely populated by the mostly Shiite Hazara community, who for years have
been the target of violence by the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) group.
In
November, a similar bomb attack on a minibus in Dasht-e-Barch killed two people
and wounded five others. That attack was claimed by ISIS-K.
ISIS-K
claimed responsibility for an October 15 suicide bomb attack on a Shiite mosque
in Kandahar that killed at least 60 people and injured scores more.
That
attack came a week after another deadly mosque blast claimed by the group in
northern Kunduz province killed over 60 people.
The
Taliban has vowed to crush this rival Sunni extremist group, launching
crackdowns against hideouts used by the jihadists, especially in the country’s
south and east.
Friday’s
bus bomb is the first fatal attack reported by the Taliban for several weeks.
But
Kabul has been hit by repeated blasts lately that the Taliban say have been
non-fatal.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2021/12/10/Bus-bomb-kills-two-in-Afghan-capital-Taliban
--------
Europe
Former
BBC chairman tells broadcaster: ‘Prove anti-Muslim slur claim or apologise’
By
RICHARD FERRER
December
10, 2021
Former
BBC chairman Lord Michael Grade has urged the corporation to finally prove its
claim that Jewish victims of an antisemitic attack on Oxford Street used an
Muslim slur or apologise.
The
Conservative peer’s dramatic intervention heaps further pressure on the
broadcaster after a week of unbridled anger over its reporting of a sickening
attack on a busload of Charedi youngsters celebrating Chanukah in central
London.
The
BBC’s report appeared to blame the Jewish teenagers on the bus for “anti-Muslim
slurs” – while describing the shouting, spitting and Nazi salutes from outside
the bus as “alleged” antisemitism.
In
the audio someone is heard saying in Hebrew: “Tikra lemishehu, ze dachuf” –
“Call someone, it’s urgent”. It is believed the BBC took this be someone
shouting in English: “Dirty Muslims”.
The
teenagers on the bus categorically denied they uttered any abuse and Jewish
News learned that the claim of anti-Muslim slurs was added after the reporter
filed his story, apparently by senior BBC staff.
On
Tuesday the Board of Deputies sent a formal complaint from to BBC
director-general Tim Davie, chairman Richard Sharp and head of news Fran
Unsworth. Three days later the BBC is yet to respond.
On
Friday, Lord Grade weighed into the bitter row, telling Jewish News: “Given the
available evidence, or rather lack of it, it is worrying that the BBC has so
far defended its report that there were ‘clearly’ anti-Muslim shouts from the
bus, while the antisemitic gestures were only ‘alleged’. They need to provide
the evidence to support their defence or
rethink and issue an urgent correction and apology.”
Source:
Jewish News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
-------
Germany
promises to take in 25,000 Afghans: EU document
10
December ,2021
Germany
has pledged to admit 25,000 Afghans deemed most at risk following the Taliban
takeover in Kabul from about 40,000 such people that European Union states are
to accept, according to a letter by a senior EU official.
Germany
had a record number of almost 900,000 people seeking refuge on its soil in
2015, most of them coming from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
In
a letter dated Dec. 9 and seen by Reuters on Friday, EU Home Affairs
Commissioner Ylva Johansson called on member states to make good on all their
resettlement promises by the end of 2022.
“Vulnerable
people and refugees at risk are awaiting their departure to start a new life in
safety and dignity,” she said.
As
well as the 25,000 refugees that Germany will take in, the Netherlands agreed
to admit more than 3,100 Afghans whose life and safety is now seen most at
risk. France and Spain will take in 2,500 people, followed by 2,000 who will
head to Sweden, according to the document.
Western
countries evacuated more than 120,000 Afghans in a hastily arranged airlift in
August as the Taliban took over Kabul, bringing a two-decades long U.S.-led
military mission to the country to a chaotic end.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
-------
France
to declassify Algerian war archives
Shweta
Desai
10.12.2021
PARIS
France
will open up judicial archives on the Algerian war 15 years ahead of the
stipulated declassification, the government announced on Friday, a move which
could confirm the long-held allegations of torture by the French police and the
gendarmerie against Algerian and French nationals.
French
law provides for declassification of government documents labelled
“confidential,” “secret” or “very secret” after a period of 50 years.
Culture
Minister Roselyne Bachelot in an interview with BFMTV news broadcaster said she
wants to open up access to the archives on the judicial investigations of the
gendarmerie and the police in order for the French people to face the truth
about the “disturbing questions” of the Algerian war.
"I
want that on this question, which is disturbing, irritating and where there are
falsifiers of history at work ... I want us to be able to look it in the
face" she said.
Questions
pertaining to torture techniques employed by the French army and the police,
leading to horrific killings and disappearances of thousands of civilians part
of the resistance movement, have been a subject of taboo.
Bachelot
said it was “in the country's interest to recognize it (torture).”
These
include the cases of mathematician and Algerian Communist Party member Maurice
Audin, who was tortured and executed by the French army, and the events of 1961
when Paris police drowned hundreds of protesting Algerians in the Seine river
with their hands tied behind their backs, or strangulated or wounded with
bullets.
Audin’s
family has long campaigned for the opening of the archives. In 2018, President
Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the torture and disappearance of Audin’s body and
assured access to the archives. In October, he also condemned the Paris
massacre and crimes by the French police as “inexcusable.”
The
archives will also help establish the truth since “falsification of facts was
leading to all the troubles and hatred,” the minister said, adding it will help
in “rebuilding and reconciling” relations with Algeria.
France’s
relations with Algeria are defined by the 132-year-long colonial occupation
that ended with a brutal war of independence in 1962.
The
already fractious relations deteriorated further recently after Paris reduced
visa quotas for the former colonies in North Africa, and Macron accused the
Algerian government of rewriting history and fomenting anti-French hatred.
The
remarks sparked controversy with Algeria recalling its Paris envoy, and
suspending the use of its airspace by French military planes to carry out
operations in West Africa.
The
announcement of declassification of the archives is also part of the memorial
reconciliation project initiated by the Macron government to honor the lives of
Algerians who fought in the war.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/france-to-declassify-algerian-war-archives/2444437
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Mideast
Mountains
have deeply spiritual, political symbol for Palestinians: Historical researcher
Salam
AbuSharar
11.12.2021
NABLUS,
Palestine
Every
Friday, in the early morning, Hamza Aqrabawi prepares his traditional breakfast
for a hike in the Palestinian mountains with his sons or friends.
Aqrabawi
is a historical researcher and a farmer from Aqraba in southeastern Nablus,
located in the middle mountains of Palestine that overlook the coastal plain of
the Mediterranean Sea from the West and the plains of the Jordan valley from
the East.
He
said the mountains in his childhood give rise to his curiosity to discover what
is behind the huge peaks.
Villagers
in Palestine consider mountains a symbol of charity and bidding because of
their olive fields -- the most important harvesting season for Palestinians,
according to Aqrabawi.
“There
is a continuous nostalgia in the collective memory of the mountains that affect
our social identity in a unique and different way than the people of the
plains, for example,” he said. “The high places have a spiritual symbol in the
traditional culture for the Palestinians.”
During
his frequent hikes, Aqrabawi visits the mountains in the West Bank and
documents stories, proverbs, and folk songs that relate to the mountains from
people who tell him tales about the religious and political history of the
area.
“In
every mountain near the villages, there is at least one holy place for a
righteous man as the people believe. There is a traditional belief transmitted
through the civilizations that the tops of the mountains are the nearest point
to the sky and God,” he said.
Aqrabawi
has documented stories of archaeological places that were built for religious
or political reasons depending on the time they were constructed.
Historical
research and archived documents show there are many military points in the tops
of mountains that were used during the time of Ottoman rule and prior.
In
Palestinian popular culture, people describe brave, hard, and heroic people
using “the mountain” to inspire strength, height, and persistence. Particularly,
those who are resisting Israeli occupation.
During
the continuous Palestinian struggle against the British mandate and Israeli
occupation, the mountains were a safe place for fighters.
“The
middle mountains are full of caves that were a shelter for the fighters wanted
by the occupation because of their resistance activity in different periods of
time. They usually choose the mountains for military and logistic reasons. The
mountains overlook the areas very well and many of them contain geysers and have
a connection with the villages which are a logistic supporter for the
fighters,” said Aqrabawi.
Palestinian
documents or oral histories archives show many Palestinian fighters were killed
in caves and some are still listed as unaccounted for until today.
Ali
Amro from Hebron, who was a participant in the military resistance, has been
unaccounted for since 1971.
Since
the occupation of the West Bank in 1967, the settlement movement in Israel is
still targeting the top of the mountains, either to build military observation
points or outposts for radical settlers which can be seen clearly from the
south to the north West Bank.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Erdogan
reacts to publication of insulting book to Prophet for Syrian kids
December
11, 2021
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has regretted the publication of books that
insult Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), describing the move as a “disgrace”.
“Even
though I don’t have direct knowledge of what happened, I am sad that it
occurred under an administration I am responsible for,” he said on Thursday in
a meeting with a group of Turkish muftis, “Aksalser.com” reported.
No
excuses are acceptable, he said, urging officials to start an investigation to
identify those behind the insult.
Religious
textbooks for first graders were distributed by Turkey’s education ministry
among some towns in northern Syria.
The
textbook contained a picture of the Prophet (PBUH) despite the fact that
Muslims consider any sort of depiction as a form of blasphemy.
Residents
of Jarablus in response torched the book in a sign of protest to the blasphemy.
Meanwhile,
the people of Al-Bab took to streets with banners that lauded Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH).
Source:
ABNA24
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Iran prioritizes ties
with Muslim and neighbouring nations including Turkey: Qalibaf
December
10, 2021
At
the beginning of the meeting, the CEOs expressed their views, problems and
suggestions for boosting investment.
Later,
the speaker stated that the problems raised in the meeting can be solved,
saying, “In the government and the parliament, we have given priority to the development
of relations with neighbors and Islamic countries, and this is a serious and
strong will [of Iran]. We are determined to prioritize bilateral trade.”
He
stressed that bilateral trade should not be limited to the time that sanctions
are lifted, suggesting that for a variety of reasons plans should be made in a
manner that even if sanctions are lifted, bilateral trade will continue to
thrive.
The
senior parliamentarian added that there are now better grounds for the
development of trade and economic relations, especially amendments that will be
made to the Seventh Development Plan in this regard.
Referring
to the issues raised by Turkish investors and entrepreneurs, Qalibaf added,
“The issues and problems that were raised should be followed up and resolved by
the parliamentary friendship groups of the two countries.”
He
pointed out that studies show that there is a gap between the logistics hub and
the financial hub in the trade relations between the two great neighbors, and
this has caused problems.
Source:
Tehran Times
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Iran's
Chief Negotiator Slams EU's Lack of Seriousness in Vienna Talks
2021-December-10
"We
had cancelled other appointments and meetings to take part in Vienna talks and
this was indicative of Iran's determination in the talks," Baqeri Kani
told reporters on Friday.
"Look
who has cancelled other meetings and has stayed here [in Vienna] and who has
preferred other meetings and left," Iran's top negotiator said.
He,
meantime, pointed out that discussion on Iran's proposed drafts has begun since
last night.
In
relevant remarks on Thursday, Baqeri Kani said that the Iranian negotiating
team is definitely determined to hold serious talks in Vienna on removal of the
US sanctions.
"The
meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA) was held and different sides stated their views about the future
process of talks," Baqeri Kani told reporters after the meeting in Vienna.
"The
Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized in the meeting that it will continue the
path of talks seriously based on its positions and views stated before and has
a serious determination to enter serious talks and reach an agreement. Iran
certainly does not see any obstacles (to an agreement), if the necessary
grounds are provided," he added.
Asked
if Iran has received the documented and logical response which expected from
the other side in today's meeting, he said, "This should be stated in the
workgroups meeting."
"That
the two sides have a serious determination to continue the talks indicates that
they want to make their positions close to each other," Baqeri Kani said.
The
meeting of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA on the removal of anti-Iran
sanctions was held in Coburg Hotel in Vienna on Thursday.
"The
meeting of the Joint Commission is over. It was rather short and
constructive," Russia's permanent representative to international
organizations in Vienna just tweeted.
"The
participants observed a number of important commonalities in there positions,
including with regard to the need to finalize the Vienna Talks on restoration
of JCPOA successfully and swiftly," Mikhail Ulyanov added.
Baqeri
Kani said that the country is attending the Vienna talks aimed at removal of
sanctions with serious determination to secure rights of the nation.
"Started
my working day by hosting a useful and constructive meeting with top
negotiators of Russia and China," Baqeri Kani wrote on his twitter page.
"Also
met with EU's Mora ahead of Joint Commission. Iran will continue to engage
seriously and is determined to reach a good deal that secures our nation's
rights and interests," he added.
Former
US president Donald Trump unilaterally left the 2015 nuclear deal, officially
known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018 and
re-imposed the anti-Iran sanctions that the deal had lifted. He also placed
additional sanctions on Iran under other pretexts not related to the nuclear case
as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign.
Baqeri
Kani announced on Tuesday that Iran and the five other parties to the 2015
nuclear deal are set to start a new round of negotiations on December 9.
Baqeri
Kani, who also serves as Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs,
stressed that Tehran’s two proposed drafts in the seventh round of talks last
week can seriously advance the negotiation process.
The
senior Iranian diplomat said the two proposed drafts were nothing new and were
in compliance with the texts that had earlier been agreed upon by both sides
during the previous six rounds of the talks, but with some amendments and
additions meant to make up for the shortcomings.
Following
a year of strategic patience, Iran decided to let go of some of the
restrictions on its nuclear energy program, resorting to its legal rights under
the JCPOA, which grants a party the right to suspend its contractual
commitments in case of a non-performance by the other side.
The
administration of US President Joe Biden had voiced willingness to compensate
for Trump’s mistake and rejoin the deal, but it has retained the sanctions as
leverage.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Spokesman
Blasts UK Parliament for Unconstructive Move to Ban Iranians
2021-December-10
Khatibzadeh's
remarks came on Friday in reaction to a move by British parliamentarians to
read out the names of three Iranians who they believe should be added to the
sanctions list over "human rights" accusations.
He
said Iran is informed about British parliamentarians' push to ban three Iranian
citizens, adding, "We strongly reject the baseless and unfounded
accusations leveled against our compatriots."
Khatibzadeh
emphasized that the British government is certainly aware that any
unconstructive measure in this case and similar ones will "directly
complicate the circumstances".
During
the Wednesday session of Britain's House of Commons, Labour MP Chris Bryant,
who co-chairs the UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Magnitsky
Sanctions, read a list of Iranian individuals, including Ali Rezvani, a
reporter and producer working for Iran’s official Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting (IRIB).
The
British government accused Rezvani, who is an Iranian state-media journalist
for the popular and highly-watched ‘20:30 News’ program, of being involved in
the “interrogation of detainees", and broadcasting their “forced
confessions", as well as spreading “misinformation regarding political
prisoners, dissidents and hostages".
The
Iranian reporter was also accused of working with intelligence agencies and
“peddling propaganda” on detained dual and foreign nationals.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Palestinian rejects
‘tempting offers’ to vacate house in East Jerusalem
Abdel
Raouf Arnaout
11.12.2021
JERUSALEM
Palestinian
Abdel Fattah Eskafi remains steadfast in fending off 'tempting offers' for his
house despite being handed lucrative proposals by Israeli settlers to leave his
home in occupied the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
The
“temptations,” Eskafi told Anadolu Agency, include a $5 million cash offer, as
dozens of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah continue to suffer harassment from
Israeli authorities and illegal settlers to have all Palestinians leave their
homes amid an ongoing court battle.
An
Israeli court ruling in January to evict seven Palestinian families from their
homes in Sheikh Jarrah sparked fierce clashes between Palestinians and Israelis
in Palestinian territories in May.
The
dispute stems from the events of 1948 when hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians were forcefully evicted from their homes and lands -- a tragedy
Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, or Catastrophe.
Eskafi’s
family was among 28 families that settled in Sheikh Jarrah in 1956 under an
agreement with the Jordanian government, which ruled the West Bank, including
East Jerusalem, before its occupation in 1967, and the UN Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees.
Israeli
settlement associations, however, claim the homes were built on land that was
owned by Jews before 1948 -- a claim that is vehemently rejected by
Palestinians.
In
October, the Israeli Supreme Court offered Palestinians to remain as
"tenants" in their homes for 15 years.
According
to the proposal submitted to Palestinian families and a settlement association,
they will be recognized as "protected tenants" for 15 years or until
another arrangement is reached.
During
that period, those residing in homes who are threatened with expulsion will pay
rent to the Nahalat Shimon settler organization, which claims ownership of the
land where the homes were built.
Unsurprisingly,
Palestinian families rejected the offer, arguing it implied acknowledging
settlers' ownership of the homes.
Constant
fear
Eskafi
is worried that his family will be displaced for a second time since the Nakba.
"My
family has been displaced since 1948. We used to live in Baqa'a (on the
outskirts of West Jerusalem) and we came to East Jerusalem," he told
Anadolu Agency.
Eskafi
said his 130-square-meter (1,399-square-foot) house is home to 14 people,
including his children and grandchildren.
"Our
house is still there and is inhabited by Jews, but if you go there, they will
bring you the police," he said.
The
actual eviction of families from their homes began in 2008 when the al-Kurd
family was expelled in a procedure repeated in 2009 with the al-Ghawi and Hanun
families.
Since
then, Eskafi’s family and other Palestinian families have been in constant fear
that a similar fate will befall them.
According
to Eskafi, the problem started in 1972 when Jewish groups alleged ownership of
the lands of the 28 families.
In
1972, the Sephardic Committee, an Israeli settler association, and the Knesset
Committee of Israel claimed they owned land and houses since 1885. They said
they had procured documents of ownership from Ottoman officials when they were
ruling Palestine.
But
Eskafi said Palestinian families’ lawyers found the documents were forged.
"There
is a Turkish document that denies the Jews' ownership of this land, and there
is a Koshan (proof of ownership document) in the name of Suleiman Darwish
Hijazi, which indicates that this land belongs to the Hijazi family," he
noted but said Israeli courts have rejected documents submitted by Palestinian
families.
"The
harassment continues. We were living a happy life, but at the time we lost
three buildings in 2008 and 2009 and settlers settled in them, problems and
suffering began, as they used all kinds of dirty and non-dirty harassment
against us, including disturbances and attempts to displace and beat children
and youth," said Eskafi.
Next
to his house is one that was taken over by settlers.
But
he said neighborly relations do not exist between the two families as they fear
each other.
Tempting
offers
Eskafi
said offers for his house continue.
"Offers
have been going on since the 1970s, and they are still offering. They tell us
they want our house and warn us that they will have it in the end,” he said.
"They offered us a plot of either land in another area of the city or two
apartments, or 4 to 5 million US dollars, and even more.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Israeli
army kills Palestinian in northern West Bank
Mohammed
Ghefari
11.12.2021
RAMALLAH,
Palestine
A
Palestinian man died Friday of injuries sustained by Israeli forces while he
was participating in an anti-settlement rally in the northern occupied West
Bank.
The
Palestinian Health Ministry said the man was shot in the head by Israeli live
bullets in Beita village in southern Nablus.
Local
sources identified the victim as Jamil Abu Ayyash, 31, who was transferred to a
hospital but was later pronounced dead.
The
director of the Palestinian Red Crescent society Ahmed Jebril told Anadolu
Agency that medical teams had to deal with four injuries from Israeli
rubber-coated bullets, 52 suffocations from Israeli teargas canisters and 11
injuries as people fell during clashes with the Israeli forces.
In
the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya, the coordinator of the Popular
Resistance Committees in the village, Murad Eshteiwi, told Anadolu Agency that
the Israeli army fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas
canisters after Friday prayers to disperse an anti-settlement rally.
Six
Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated bullets and dozens suffered
inhalation of teargas, he added.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-army-kills-palestinian-in-northern-west-bank/2444614
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Africa
Gunmen
attack mosque in Nigeria’s north, killing 16
December
11, 2021
Gunmen
attacked a rural village in northern Nigeria, killing 16 worshippers at a
mosque and kidnapping others, said a local official.
The
assault on Ba’are village in the Mashegu area of Niger state lasted for hours
on Thursday, local government chairman Alhassan Isah Mazakuka said.
Dozens
of the assailants arrived on motorcycles and rampaged through the village,
killing people praying at the mosque and looting, he said.
Source:
Pak Observer
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Algerian
President receives rector of Great Mosque of Paris
December
10, 2021
Algerian
President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, met the rector of the Great Mosque of Paris,
Chems Eddine Hafiz, in the capital city of Algiers.
During
their meeting, Tebboune called on Hafiz "to pursue moderation and fight
extremism.
"President
Tebboune assured Hafiz his full support in the management of this historic
spiritual building, giving him guidance to continue efforts and step up the
performance of the institution, through the adoption of the middle way and the
fight against radicalism and extremism," the Algerian Presidency said on Facebook.
The
meeting was reported to have been attended by the Algerian Presidency Chief of
Staff, Abdelaziz Khellaf, and the Religious Affairs Minister, Youcef Belmehdi.
Source:
Middle East Monitor
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Morocco
economy rebounds with strong growth: IMF
11
December ,2021
Morocco’s
economy has rebounded with GDP in 2021 projected to grow 6.3 percent on the
back of a rapid response to the coronavirus pandemic, the International
Monetary Fund said Friday.
“Thanks
to a very successful vaccination campaign and the prompt response of the
authorities, the health crisis has been placed under control and the Moroccan
economy is rebounding,” said Roberto Cardarelli, head of an IMF mission at the
end of virtual talks with Rabat since November 30.
“Economic
activity has recovered most of the ground lost during the severe global
recession of 2020, which hasn’t spared Morocco,” he said in a statement.
“This
performance owes to continued fiscal and monetary stimulus, the rebound of
exports, buoyant remittances and the exceptional harvest after two years of
drought,” he said.
“After
shrinking 6.3 percent in 2020, GDP is forecast to grow by 6.3 percent in 2021,”
among the highest in the Middle East and North Africa, Cardarelli said.
The
economic recovery is expected to continue, “although the pandemic will leave
some scars”, he said, projecting growth of about three percent in 2022 “as
agriculture output returns to average levels and non-agricultural activity
continues to recover”.
The
IMF called for “a fast and effective implementation of structural reforms”.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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North America
Arizona
State University Police Arrest an Individual Related To Tearng, Burning Holy
Quran
December
11, 2021
Arizona
State University police said they arrested an individual related to a destroyed
Quran and other damage in the Hayden Library on the Tempe campus.
Wesley
Waggoner, 37, was arrested and charged with criminal damage “for causing
significant damage to library property, including a Quran from the interfaith
reflection area,” according to a Friday morning police statement.
“Laborious
police work, thorough investigating and cognizance from the library staff is
what brought this incident to a quick resolution,” ASU Police Chief Michael
Thompson said in a statement.
The
Muslim Students Association of ASU had publicized the incident on social media
Wednesday evening, calling it a hate crime and urging ASU to investigate and
hold whoever is responsible to account.
Photos
posted to the group’s Instagram page show what appear to be burned and torn up
Quran and Islamic literature pages, as well as a damaged wall. The room is one
where many Muslim students go to pray, according to the student group.
“There
should be zero tolerance for any actions of hatred on campus,” the Muslim
Students Association’s statement said. “The safety concerns of the Muslim
students on campus cannot go unheard or unattended.”
Sasha
Uddin, education director for the Muslim Students Association, said her group
is grateful to ASU police for making the investigation a priority, with an
arrest made the day after the incident was reported.
“We
want to move forward with peace and also making sure we do ensure security for
anyone who decides they’d like to go into the Interfaith Reflection Room,” she
said.
The
ASU Police Department confirmed Thursday that it was investigating reported
criminal damage in the library’s Interfaith Reflection Room after being notified
of property and facilities damage.
Waggoner
was arrested at around 8 p.m. Thursday after Hayden Library staff reported
further damage to library property, according to police. Police officers linked
Waggoner to Wednesday's incident using surveillance footage.
Thompson,
the police chief, said in a statement that police were still investigating the
"circumstances and reasoning" around the destructive actions.
“There
is no room or tolerance at ASU for this type of damaging behavior,” he said.
In
addition to criminal damage, Waggoner was charged with possession of drug
paraphernalia, and police said he had methamphetamine on him. He also had two
confirmed warrants, according to ASU police.
Source:
ABNA24
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US
sanctions China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, others over human rights issues
December
11, 2021
PRI
GEN INT .WASHINGTON FGN58 US-SANCTIONS-CHINA-MYANMAR US sanctions hit China,
Myanmar, others over human rights Washington, Dec 10 The U.S. government
announced financial sanctions and other restrictions Friday on 15 people and 10
entities in China, Myanmar, North Korea and Bangladesh to coincide with
International Human Rights Day. The actions announced by the Treasury
Department also included investment restrictions on a Chinese company connected
to the mass government surveillance operations in China. The sanctions are
intended to freeze the targeted people and entities out of the global financial
system. On International Human Rights Day, Treasury is using its tools to
expose and hold accountable perpetrators of serious human rights abuse, Deputy
Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said in announcing the measures. The
measures include a ban on travel to the U.S. for two Chinese government
officials who have been involved with the repression of Uyghurs and other
minorities in the far western Xinjiang region of their country. Shohrat Zakir,
the chairman of the region from 2018-2021, and Erken Tuniyaz, who holds the
position now and was previously vice chairman, presided over a repressive
campaign of forced assimilation that has imprisoned more than 1 million people
under brutal conditions and forced labor. Treasury imposed investment
restrictions on Chinese firm SenseTime Group Ltd., which is involved with the
development of facial recognition programs that can determine a person's
ethnicity and has been used as part of the surveillance campaign against
Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. This latest batch of
sanctions also includes actions on officials in Bangladesh who are involved
with the country's anti-drug Rapid Action Battalion, a task force founded in
2004 that has been implicated in more than 600 disappearances and nearly 600
extrajudicial killings, with evidence suggesting they have targeted opposition
party members, journalists and human rights activists, Treasury said. The
sanctions also include measures against officials and entities in Russia and
North Korea who participate in the use of North Korean workers overseas, often
in abusive conditions, to generate hard currency for the repressive government.
Actions against four officials in Myanmar and several entities are the latest
in a series of U.S. sanctions since the military overthrew the democratically
elected government on Feb. 1, followed by a violent crackdown on opposition in
the months since.
Source:
Business Standard
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Al-Qaida
has grown in Afghanistan after US withdrawal: McKenzie
11
Dec 2021
US
CENTCOM commander General Frank Kent McKenzie in his recent interview with AP
said that terror groups like Al-Qaida have grown in Afghanistan after the US
troops withdrew from Afghanistan on August 30.
The
US general though warned of terror groups growing in the war-torn country,
added that their speed is slow.
McKenzie
said the US has less and only two percent intelligence and surveillance ability
compared with the ability they used to have in Afghanistan.
He
added that the surveillance of terror groups in Afghanistan has become
difficult.
“Al-Qaida
is striving to strengthen and widen their presence in Afghanistan. The
terrorists are regularly entering Afghanistan through its borders.” Said
McKenzie.
General
McKenzie has also questioned the Taliban’s ability in containing the terror
groups and added that they will know in the upcoming two months about the
nature of the Taliban’s fight against Al-Qaida as they are busy doing
intra-Taliban negotiations.
The
US’s doubt over the Taliban in fighting the terror groups comes as the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan has previously said ISIS-K is not a threat in
Afghanistan and the terror group has been dismantled in Kabul in Nangarhar
province.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/al-qaida-has-grown-in-afghanistan-after-us-withdrawal-mckenzie-65856858/
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Southeast Asia
Indonesian
Muslims gather for holy Friday prayers near deadly volcano
Dec
11, 2021
Indonesian
Muslims gathered for Friday prayers in an evacuation centre on the slopes of
Mount Semeru, where thousands of people remain in limbo after a series of
eruptions in the past week by the volcano left thousands homeless.
The
3,676-metre (12,060 foot) volcano erupted spectacularly on Saturday, sending a
towering cloud of ash into the sky and dangerous pyroclastic flows into
villages below.
In
the Penanggal evacuation centre, Abdul Ghofar joined several hundred others
displaced by the disaster for Friday prayers in a makeshift mosque set up using
a tent in a field.
"I
usually pray at my village ... I can't believe this is what has happened to
me," said Ghofar, 47, who recounted hearing a loud boom on the day of the
eruption before a black cloud of ash turned everything dark in his village of
Curah Kobokan.
Ghofar,
who was working as a food vendor, thought he and his mother might die, but then
some light appeared in the sky and they managed to flee without any
possessions.
He
said his cousin, who worked as a sand miner near the volcano, was still missing
and he was now waiting to be relocated.
At
least 45 people were killed and hundreds injured. More than 6,500 were
evacuated, many of them uncertain whether they will ever be able to live in the
area again.
In
a field kitchen set up at the evacuation centre, volunteers chopped vegetables
and cooked rice and eggs, to place in around 2,000 food parcels a day for the
people sheltering in the area.
Sukur,
70, who uses one name, was among a number of the displaced sheltering in a tent
at the centre this week.
Source:
The New Arab
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/indonesian-muslims-gather-prayer-near-deadly-volcano
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President
upbeat about Indonesian sharia economy's prospects
Dec
11, 2021
Jakarta
(ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo has said he is optimistic about the prospects
of the Indonesian sharia economy.
“Our
sharia economy, which was ranked ninth in 2014, has grown to the fourth largest
in the world in 2020-2021,” he noted while opening the second Muslim Economic
Congress in Jakarta on Friday.
More
than 1,300 participants joined the opening ceremony of the congress, with 250
participating in person and 1,250 others online. Deputy chairman of the
Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Anwar Abbas, also attended the opening
ceremony.
“According
to my forecast, Insya Allah (God Willing), in the next three to four years, it
will be the second or largest (in the world) if it grows as we look at it now,”
he said.
The
President said he is optimistic about the Indonesian sharia economy
increasingly expanding in the next six to seven years thanks to the nation's
large Muslim population.
“With
the world’s largest Muslim population reaching 87 percent or 207 million of the
total population, we have committed ourselves to becoming a hub for sharia
economy in 2024, and we will try hard to achieve it,” he remarked.
In
addition to the sharia financial industry, the President also touched upon
halal industry development.
“We
will encourage the development of the sharia financial sector, the development
of the sharia social financial sector, and the development of sharia
entrepreneurship since we are a country with the largest Muslim population in
the world,” he said.
In
this regard, Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) will serve not only large customers
but also small customers, he added.
“The
large, the small, the medium to become large, BSI will serve all of them. BSI
is now one of the eight large banks with stronger capital. We hope the large
banks will serve the halal industry, halal tourism, and halal products which
have a very large market share,” Widodo said.
Moreover,
since December 1, 2021, Indonesia has assumed the Presidency of the G20, he
added.
“This
means that we are the chair of large countries, developed countries, which are
in the top twenty list (in terms) of gross domestic product (GDP). We are now
ranked 16th. But as Buya has stated, Insya Allah (God willing), we will be one
of the four largest (economies), according to the calculations of McKinsey, the
World Bank, and IMF,” he said.
Though
Indonesia is predicted to become the world’s fourth-largest economy, the
challenge will not be easy, he added.
Source:
Antara News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://en.antaranews.com/news/203993/president-upbeat-about-indonesian-sharia-economys-prospects
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Jokowi
Assures ITE Law Won't Limit Freedom of Expression
10
December 2021
TEMPO.CO,
Jakarta - President Joko Jokowi Widodo acknowledged public concerns about the
limitation of the freedom of expression following the presence of the
Electronic Information and Transactions Law or ITE Law. He guaranteed that the
law would not curb the rights of people to freely express their opinions.
“The
National Police Chief has followed up on my instructions to prioritize
education and persuasive measures in dealing with ITE cases. There should be no
criminalization of the freedom of expression,” said the President in his speech
at the commemoration event of the World Human Rights Day 2021 held at the
Jakarta State Palace, Friday, December 10.
He
said the government's commitment to this matter was evident from the amnesty
for Baiq Nuril and Saiful Mahdi who were convicted of violating the ITE Law.
“But
I’d like to remind all that the freedom of expression must be exercised in a
responsible manner to the wider interests of the community,” he added.
The
head of state also acknowledged that the industry 4.0 development had prompted
the government to anticipate a number of human rights issues, as well as issues
on personal data protection.
Source:
TEMPO.CO
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://en.tempo.co/read/1537928/jokowi-assures-ite-law-wont-limit-freedom-of-expression
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I
need your continued support as PM, Ismail tells Umno
December
11, 2021
BERA:
Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob wants the party to continue to support
him as prime minister to enable him to focus on resolving the economic and
health issues facing the people.
The
prime minister said although the number of Covid-19 cases had dropped and the
country’s economy was also seen to be recovering, the task was not completed
yet.
“I
need support from the party for the strength to fight on. The biggest challenge
is the issues facing the people and not the endless politicking.
“The
number of cases is dropping, but it is still hovering around 4,000 daily.
“Don’t
think that we are now completely free from Covid-19, and I still have a huge
responsibility to deal with it ,” he said when opening the Bera Umno Wanita,
Youth and Puteri delegates meeting here today.
Meanwhile,
Ismail also called on Umno to return to the basics of the party’s struggle in
uniting the Malay and Muslim communities to ensure the party’s victory in the
next general election (GE15).
He
said its defeat in the last general election should serve as a reminder to
members on the importance of unity in the party.
“We
formed the government today not because we won the general election but because
we worked with other parties.
“We
seem to have forgotten that.
“The
original purpose of Umno’s establishment was to unite the Muslims and Malays,
but the opposite is happening now, with several camps and rifts in the party,”
he said.
He
also reminded Umno members not to be arrogant over the party’s landslide
victory in the recent Melaka state elections.
“We
can congratulate ourselves for our victory in Melaka, but we have not yet won
fully as the increase in our popular vote was only by one percent,” he added.
Meanwhile,
Ismail said the Umno Youth and Puteri members should continue to reach out to
the young people who will determine the party’s fate in the next GE15 when the
implementation of Undi-18 and automatic voter registration takes effect on Dec
15.
“You
have to engage with the young voters to get them to support our party. This
should be our commitment,” he added.
Ismail,
who is Bera MP, said there were some quarters attempting to prevent young
people from voting by proposing that GE15 be held as soon as possible.
“If
we do that, it is as if we are not confident in the ability of the young people
to make the right choices. It would seem like we are preventing them from
exercising their rights. If we do so, we will be punished by this group,” he
added.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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