Sinicisation Erasing ‘Arab-Style’ Mosques In China
New Age Islam News Bureau
02 October 2021
A view of the Dongguan
mosque in downtown Xining in Qinghai province in July, 2011. Photo: AFP /
Emeric Fohlen / NurPhoto
------
• ‘South African Muslims Helped Gandhi Fight Against
Injustice’
• Taliban Say They Have Raided Islamic State Hideout
North Of Kabul
• Egypt Thwarts Plot to ‘Revive’ Muslim Brotherhood
• Pakistan Can Repel Militants, Protect Nukes, Says US
Report
Southeast Asia
• Accusing PAS of hypocrisy, Mat Sabu touts Guan Eng
as Tabung Haji saviour, DAP for upholding Islamic values
--------
Africa
• Nigeria facing most difficult period in history:
President Buhari
• Tunisia police block MPs’ access to suspended parliament
amid political crisis
• Around 700 migrants try to cross into Spain’s
Melilla enclave
• UN clarifies position on Ethiopia's expulsion of
humanitarian officials
--------
South
Asia
• 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan' appointed envoy
seeks UN recognition
• Bangladesh Vows ‘Stern Action’ Against Killers Of
Rohingya Leader
• UN committee to review Taliban credential issue to
meet in November
• Russia urges calm between Tajikistan, Afghanistan
• Taliban reiterate commitment to ensuring security of
foreign diplomats
• Degeneration of journalism, Afghan journalist making
bricks to feed family
--------
Arab
World
• Lebanon PM Says Working to Repair Relations with
Arab States
• US names al-Qaeda commander killed in Syria
• Turkish company halts power supplies to crisis-hit
Lebanon after contract expires
• Saudi Defence Forces destroy Houthi drone aimed at
Jazan
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan Govt in Talks with TTP, Reveals Imran Khan
• Pakistani Taliban denies talks with Islamabad
• Pakistani scholars highlight importance of Arbaeen
at conference in Lahore
• Pakistani Taliban announces 20-day ceasefire in
South Waziristan
• Pakistan blames ‘lobbies, neighbours’ for US bill
seeking sanctions
• Pak Senate seeks report on killing of Sikh Hakeem
• Pakistan: Changes needed on EU plan on rights in
Afghanistan
--------
North
America
• Khashoggi Fiancee Urges Biden to Fulfil Pledge About
Saudi Journalist's Death
• Uyghurs protest anniversary of China in US capital
• US official calls for Pakistan action on terrorism
before visit
--------
Mideast
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation Condemns
Israel’s Violation of Rights in East Jerusalem
• FM: Iran Not to Tolerate Israel's Presence near
Borders
• Iran: Israeli Regime's Dream Never to Come True
• Clashes break out in Aden between STC members, four
fighters killed: Security sources
• Iran warns ‘enemies’ against uncalculated moves amid
tensions with Azerbaijan
• UN agency for Palestinian refugees needs $800 mln
• IRGC’s Quds Force members are soldiers outside the
borders: Iranian FM
• Iran begins war games near border, despite criticism
from Azerbaijan
• At least three hurt in Iran quake: Official media
--------
Europe
• Afghan interpreters who worked for the Dutch
summoned by Taliban: TV
• Belgian Muslims Turn to Strasbourg Court after Halal
Slaughter Ban
• Russia’s Ancient city of Phanagoria sheds light on
history with Turkish traces
• UN says it does not have 'meaningful' access to
China's Xinjiang region
--------
India
• Gurugram: People Offer Friday Prayers under Police
Vigil amid Several Protests
• UP Police accuses journalist Siddiqui Kappan of
inciting violence, instigating Muslims
• LeT terrorist killed, another held with grenade in
separate Shopian ops
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sinicisation-arab-style-mosque-china/d/125495
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Sinicisation Erasing ‘Arab-Style’ Mosques In China
By DAVID R STROUP
OCTOBER 1, 2021
A view of the Dongguan
mosque in downtown Xining in Qinghai province in July, 2011. Photo: AFP /
Emeric Fohlen / NurPhoto
------
In the normally quiet city of Xining, the capital of
northwest China’s Qinghai province, everyday interactions between the city’s
ethnic groups – Han Chinese, Hui Muslim, Tibetans, Turkic Salars and others –
usually pass without conflict or fanfare.
But thanks to the municipal government’s controversial
demolition of the entrance hall of the city’s famous Dongguan Mosque, one of
the largest in China, the city finds itself squarely in the cross-hairs of a
nationwide campaign to make Islam more Chinese or “sinicize” it – in official
language – “to guide Islam to be compatible with socialism.”
The removal of the “Arabic-style” domes and minarets
from the front gate of the mosque has sparked a backlash from local residents
and even captured the attention of foreign diplomats. The story of the
Dongguan’s renovation signals the expansion of an ongoing crackdown on Islam in
China, which has thus far largely been enacted against Uighurs and other Turkic
Muslims.
On July 9, 2021, images of a notice from the Xining
municipal government announcing the renovation of the front gate of the
Dongguan Mosque circulated on social media sites such as Sina Weibo and Zhihu.
Similar changes were enacted at the city’s other
mosques – at least 10 of which stand in the city’s central Chengdong District,
alone. Twitter users in Xining documented and shared images of these changes as
they swept across the city.
The displeased reaction of the local Hui Muslim
community – which comprises 16% of Xining’s population – was palpable. On July
15, a woman wearing a hijab prostrated herself in prayer on the street in front
of the mosque while she sobbed.
Captured on video, the woman’s lone protest spread
online, inspiring a cartoon that went viral.
But protests proved futile. On September 13, a tweet
from Christina Scott, the British deputy head of mission to China, who was
visiting the city, compared the photo of the building in a recent guidebook
which displayed its Arabesque features, to the current state of the building,
denuded of its dome and minarets.
The sinicization of the Dongguan Mosque suggests a
worrisome trend toward a state-driven, coercive assimilation of Muslim
minorities by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
Campaign of sinicization
The demolition of the front gate has happened against
the backdrop of a much larger crackdown on Islamic identity unfolding across
China.
The most notable aspects of this campaign have
occurred in the area China refers to as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
as a part of the so-called “People’s War on Terror,” a repressive campaign that
criminalizes many aspects of everyday religious behavior.
Turkic Muslims have been detained in concentration
camps, sentenced to lengthy prison terms and subjected to forced labor.
For Hui communities, this crackdown has resulted in
the foreclosure of non-state approved expressions of faith. Internal party
speeches have likened Islam to a “virus.” It’s this mentality that drives the
regime to curtail overtly Islamic architecture in public spaces.
The Nanguan Mosque in Yinchuan underwent a similar
transformation in 2020. Linxia Hui Autonomous County in Gansu removed
loudspeakers – usually used to broadcast the call to prayer – and Arabic signs
from mosques in June 2018.
In December the same year, three mosques in Yunnan
were demolished, having been declared “illegal unregistered buildings.”
By late 2019, reports from Henan, and Shandong,
pointed to the national expansion of the campaign. Even shops and restaurants
have seen their Arabic signage sinicized.
Center of Islam
The symbolic importance of the Dongguan Mosque is hard
to understate. Politically, the Dongguan has long represented power within the
region.
When I visited the area several years ago to research
my forthcoming book, Pure and True: The everyday politics of ethnicity for
China’s Hui Muslims, one of the people I interviewed referred to the
neighborhood it dominated as the “de-facto Islamic capital of China.”
The area is home to countless businesses, restaurants
and cultural resources. The mosque provides classes in Arabic and posts
collection boxes for donations to charitable projects.
As a place of worship, the Dongguan is the only
Yihewani mosque in Xining that holds weekly Friday afternoon prayers. As many
as 70,000 people attend in a typical week, spilling out into the street.
During Ramadan, more than 200,000 people might gather
for Friday prayers, with Eid celebrations drawing as many as 300,000.
Friday prayers at the Dongguan Mosque were seen as
prominent examples of cooperation between local government and the mosque. The
local government assisted in crowd management by sending traffic officers to
direct heavy traffic on the street during prayers.
Even though the mosque’s front gate, a recent addition
built in the early 1990s, is not by any means a “heritage” feature, it still
stands as a visible cultural symbol at the community’s heart.
The fact that it is being stripped of iconography
which visually links it to Islam is jarring. The emotional impact of this
decision on community members will undoubtedly be significant.
The future of Islam in Hui communities
To date, sinicization has been met with little
resistance. In August 2018, in rural Weizhou township, east of Qinghai, the
proposed demolition of the community’s Grand Mosque sparked demonstrations by
the clergy in protest.
While the building was ultimately spared from total
demolition, its “Arabian-style” architectural features were sinicized, its dome
removed and remodeled with a Chinese-style roof.
On my visit in early 2016, residents of Weizhou
expressed pride in their mosque as a sign of their community’s ascent to
moderate prosperity from the depths of rural poverty. The demonstrations of
2018 spoke to the residents’ shock that their symbol of successful cooperation
with the state could be targeted for demolition.
As the sinicization campaign arrives on the doorstep
of China’s most prominent and culturally important mosque, such sentiments of
discontent will only magnify. In enacting aggressive measures of
standardization the party threatens to undermine the stability it seeks to
preserve.
The demolition of the front gate prompted frustration
and mobilization, suggesting that strong currents of dissatisfaction run
beneath the surface.
David R. Stroup, Assistant Professor in Chinese
Studies, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester
Source: Asia Times
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://asiatimes.com/2021/10/sinicization-erasing-arab-style-mosques-in-china/
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‘South African Muslims Helped Gandhi Fight Against
Injustice’
Hassan Isilow
02.10.2021
JOHANNESBURG
On the 152nd birth anniversary of India’s freedom icon
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, on Saturday, a
South African lawyer recalled the contribution of Muslim families to help him
fight against injustice.
Gandhi arrived in South Africa in 1893 and in no time
became the leader of the Indian community. He worked as an attorney and
activist till 1914. In his own words, he was born in India but was made in
South Africa.
“Muslim families helped Gandhi generously through
hosting and financing him as he set up his operations in Natal and South
Africa,’’ Saber Ahmed Jazbhay, a leading lawyer, told Anadolu Agency.
He said Muslim businesses at the time were largely
affected by colonial oppression and racism.
“Gandhi did not only influence Indians in South Africa
but all races were touched by his philosophy, as he showed there was an
alternative to violence,” he said.
While marking the centenary of Gandhi’s non-violent
movement in January 2007, the late Nelson Mandela had acknowledged that
Gandhi’s philosophy had contributed to the peaceful transformation and
attempted to heal the divisions created by the detestable practice of
apartheid.
Attorney Jazbhay, who started studying Gandhi’s
philosophy in the early 1970s, said his teachings are still relevant in the 21st
century.
“Gandhi began his non-violent movement while in
Johannesburg in 1906. Young Gandhi was invited to South Africa to represent the
Dada Abdullah business firm owned by a Muslim family regarding a dispute
involving their land and businesses in Johannesburg,” he said.
- Removed from whites-only carriage
Jazbhay said it was when Gandhi left Johannesburg to
travel to KwaZulu-Natal that he realized how badly Indians were being treated,
as he himself was kicked out from the train for traveling in the first class,
meant only for the white people.
“Muslim families helped Gandhi generously through
hosting and financing him as he set up his operations in Natal and South
Africa. The overall purpose of those who helped Gandhi was to see him get them
the social justice that they wanted,” said the top lawyer.
While many African leaders fighting colonialism have
eulogized Gandhi for his philosophy, off late there have been attempts to
portray him as a "racist," for standing up for the rights of Indians
only living in South Africa and ignoring the Black population.
In 2018, Gandhi’s statue was removed from the
University of Ghana, just two years after it was unveiled by then Indian
President Pranab Mukherjee. Some political parties in South Africa have been
also asking for the removal of Gandhi’s statute in Johannesburg at the iconic
Gandhi Square.
But several pro-Gandhi advocacy groups, including his
granddaughter Ela Gandhi, have strongly contested the allegations of racism
against India’s freedom icon.
Achieving goals through non-violence losing relevance
But Mustafa Mheta, a Johannesburg-based researcher,
said the concept of achieving goals through non-violence has lost relevance in
Africa.
“The majority of the people have got such deep-seated
anger in them, and the bulk of that anger is either arising from the state
treating its people ‘brutally ‘or from economic hardships,'’’ he said.
Iqbal Jassat, executive member of Media Review
Network, a Johannesburg-based think tank, said Africa is confronting a range of
challenges from poverty, malnutrition, joblessness, and refugee issues, coupled
with corruption and dictatorships.
“Overcoming these requires firm opposition which
regrettably, as is evidenced in Egypt and elsewhere, is met with violent
repression,’’ he said.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Taliban say they have raided Islamic State hideout
north of Kabul
1 October 2021
KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban fighters raided a hideout
of the Islamic State group north of the Afghan capital on Friday, killing and
arresting an unspecified number of militants, a Taliban spokesman said.
Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in
mid-August, there has been an increase in attacks by IS militants targeting
Taliban members. The Taliban and IS are enemies, and the attacks have raised
the specter of a wider conflict between the long-time rivals.
In late August, an IS suicide bomber targeted US
evacuation efforts outside Kabul international airport in one of the deadliest
attacks in the country in years. The blast killed 169 Afghans and 13 US service
members.
Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told The Associated
Press that Friday’s raid took place in the city of Charikar in Parwan province.
He did not provide more details and his statement could not be independently
verified.
The raid followed an arrest by the Taliban of two IS
members linked to a roadside bombing that targeted their vehicle in the city,
wounding four fighters, Karimi said. The two were questioned and the
information they provided helped the Taliban identify the hideout, he added.
The IS is based largely in eastern Nangarhar province
but the group has ramped up attacks across Afghanistan since the Taliban
takeover. Several Taliban fighters have been killed in IS attacks in the
provincial capital of Jalalabad. In response, the Taliban have carried out
crackdowns in Nangarhar.
Source: Times of India
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original story:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/taliban-say-they-have-raided-islamic-state-hideout-north-of-kabul/
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Egypt Thwarts Plot to ‘Revive’ Muslim Brotherhood
1 October, 2021
Egyptian authorities said on Thursday they have
thwarted a plot aimed at financing the banned Muslim Brotherhood and reviving
its activities in the country.
The plot aimed to funnel funds using imprisoned
Brotherhood leader Safwan Thabet’s companies into “terrorist activities,” the
interior ministry said in a statement, adding that $8.4 million and ammunition
had been found in an apartment in Giza, across the Nile from central Cairo.
According to the statement, the National Security
Agency found out that Brotherhood member Yehia Mahran Othman played a prominent
role in the plan.
Thabet assigned Othman to use his companies in
transferring and concealing the terrorist organization’s funds in an attempt to
circumvent the legal measures taken to freeze his assets, Akhbar el-Yom
reported, quoting the statement.
Thabet was arrested in December on charges of joining
an outlawed group, inciting violence, and financing a terrorist group. His son
Seifeldin was detained in February after taking over as chairman.
Egypt banned the Brotherhood in 2014, designating it
as a terrorist organization.
It has been accused of involvement in violent acts
that took place after the ouster of president Mohammed Morsi – a member of the
group – in 2013.
Hundreds of its leaders and supporters, including its
supreme guide Mohammed Badie, are on trial on charges largely related to
incitement to violence. Several verdicts, including death sentences, have been
issued against the suspects.
Commenting on the latest security operation, former
Assistant to the Minister of Interior, Farouk al-Mekrahi told Asharq Al-Awsat
the ministry is keen to take preemptive measures against the group to avoid any
attempts that would harm Egypt’s security.
Source: Asharq Al-Awsat
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Pakistan can repel militants, protect nukes, says US
report
Anwar Iqbal
October 2, 2021
WASHINGTON: Pakistan is capable of repelling any
‘jihadi’ attempt to seize power and of protecting its nuclear weapons, says a
report by a prestigious US think-tank.
The Brookings report — “The Agonising Problem of
Pakistan’s Nukes” — argues that the Taliban victory in Afghanistan has
emboldened militants in Pakistan, stirring fears of a resurgence of militant
activities in the country.
“The fear now includes the possibility that jihadis in
Pakistan, freshly inspired by the Taliban victory in Afghanistan, might try to
seize power at home,” the report claims.
“Trying, of course, is not the same as succeeding. If
history is a reliable guide, Pakistan’s professional military would almost certainly
respond, and in time probably succeed,” the author, Marvin Kalb, adds.
But the report warns that even a failed attempt could
reopen “the floodgates of a new round of domestic warfare between the
government and extremist gangs.”
The Brookings report warns that a resurgent insurgency
would “leave Pakistan again shaken by political and economic uncertainty.”
The report then turns to another possibility that
Pakistan has often warned against — instability in South Asia increases the
possibility of a nuclear conflict in the region. Pakistan uses this argument to
strengthen its demand for international arbitration to settle the Kashmir and
other disputes in India.
The Brookings report does not mention the Kashmir
dispute but it acknowledges that “when Pakistan is shaken, so too is India, its
less than neighbourly rival and nuclear competitor.”
Change in Kabul
Going back to the Taliban victory in Afghanistan, the
report claims that the development has increased the possibility of a
“terrorist regime” in Pakistan “from a fear into a strategic challenge that no
American president can afford to ignore.”
The report, however, notes that Pakistan’s political
and military leaders have assured a succession of “anxious (American)
presidents” that this cannot happen as the country is strong enough to fight
back the militants.
The report also notes that Pakistan’s security
establishment has always closely watched various terrorist groups operating in
the country.
Pakistani officials tell their American counterparts
that “whether it be Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Haqqani network,
Lashkar-e-Taiba, Tehreek-i-Labaik, (they are) under our constant
surveillance, checked and rechecked.
“We keep a close eye on everything, even the
madrassas, where more than 2 million students are more likely studying sharia
law than economics or history. We know who these terrorists are and what
they’re doing, and we’re ready to take immediate action.”
Despite such assurances, the report claims, the United
States remains concerned about Pakistan’s nukes. “Ever since May 1998, when
Pakistan first began testing nuclear weapons, American presidents have been
haunted by the fear that Pakistan’s stockpile of nukes would fall into the
wrong hands,” the report adds.
The report argues that since the recent debacle in
Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s alleged role in it “serious questions have been
raised about America’s embarrassing predisposition to look the other way.”
Source: Dawn
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original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1649634/pakistan-can-repel-militants-protect-nukes-says-us-report
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Southeast
Asia
Accusing PAS of hypocrisy, Mat Sabu touts Guan Eng as
Tabung Haji saviour, DAP for upholding Islamic values
02 Oct 2021
BY ASHMAN ADAM
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 ― DAP secretary-general Lim Guan
Eng was the protagonist who saved Tabung Haji for Malaysia’s greater good,
Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu proclaimed during an online ceramah
in Kelantan last night.
Popularly known as Mat Sabu, the former defence
minister said it was Lim who convinced the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Cabinet in 2019
to “save” the Muslim pilgrims’ fund which had assets in excess of RM80 billion,
news portal Malaysia Dateline reported today.
“If he did not work to save Tabung Haji, Malaysia’s
rating would fall. That is why he argued to save the Muslim body.
“It is because of that, that the Cabinet at the time
decided to save Tabung Haji and inject several billions into it,” the Kota Raja
MP was quoted as saying during the one-hour programme titled “Santai Bersama
Presiden Amanah”.
Mohamad noted that Lim was finance minister at that
time and under fire from Umno and PAS detractors who accused the DAP leader and
the PH government of having sold Tabung Haji to China.
The Amanah leader claimed many “ustaz” in Umno and PAS
would persistently make unsubstantiated allegations about Tabung Haji and
“attack” Lim, the DAP and PH during the by-election campaigns in Cameron
Highlands, Semenyih and Tanjung Piai, “saying the government has sold out to
China, DAP now rules the government, Islam is at risk”.
Mohamad accused PAS leaders of being the most “savage”
in the attacks against Lim and the DAP to create the impression that the Malays
must band together to “save Malaysia from being threatened by the Chinese”.
In his talk, Mohamad said it was the democratic
socialist DAP that stood up for Islamic values and pushed anti-gambling
policies.
Source: Malay Mail
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Africa
Nigeria facing most difficult period in history:
President Buhari
Olarewaju Kola
01.10.2021
LAGOS, Nigeria
Nigeria is experiencing the most difficult time in its
history, the country’s president said in his Independence Day address on
Friday.
Muhammadu Buhari said growing insecurity and the
COVID-19 pandemic have hampered Nigeria’s drive for economic stability, but
assured citizens of efforts to redress the situation.
Nigeria broke free from British colonial rule on Oct.
1, 1960 after years of political struggle.
The West African country, the most populous one on the
continent, has been grappling with a host of challenges over the past two
years, including kidnappings, terror attacks, lawlessness, and even agitation
for self-determination in some parts.
“The past 18 months have been some of the most
difficult periods in the history of Nigeria,” he said, adding that the country
has not faced “a period of more heightened challenges” since the civil war from
1967 to 1970.
The president said the escalating insecurity and
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the government “to shift gears and
re-strategize.”
Speaking about the pandemic, Buhari said Nigeria had
managed to avoid the predicted “doomsday scenario.”
“Even as the Delta variant continues to spread, we
have built the capacity we need to respond now and into the future,” he said.
“I appeal to Nigerians not to take COVID lightly,
adhere to public health and social measures, put your mask on and get
vaccinated. We can control this pandemic, but it requires effort on everybody’s
part.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Tunisia police block MPs’ access to suspended
parliament amid political crisis
01 October ,2021
Security forces deployed heavily around Tunisia’s
parliament on Friday to block MPs demanding access to the legislature, whose
activities were suspended by President Kais Saied in July.
AFP reporters saw uniformed and plain-clothes police
using metal barriers to encircle the building in Le Bardo district of Greater
Tunis, blocking access for pedestrians and cars.
More than 80 deputies, mostly from the Ennahdha party
and its ally Qalb Tounes, had called for members of the 217-seat assembly to
gather outside and demand it be reopened.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
Saied on July 25 suspended the legislature, sacked the
government and seized control of the judiciary, later moving to rule by decree.
On Wednesday he appointed geologist Najla Bouden to
form a government, which Saied himself will technically head under measures he
announced last week.
Parliament remains frozen and its members stripped of
their immunity, salaries and other privileges.
Yet despite dozens of MPs joining calls for a
gathering to demand entry to parliament, AFP reporters only saw one.
“As a member of parliament, I’ve come to resume my
work at parliament, but I found the doors closed,” said Mohamed Goumani from
Ennahdha.
Supporters of Saied accosted him as plain clothed
police looked on.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Around 700 migrants try to cross into Spain’s Melilla
enclave
01 October ,2021
An unprecedented group of 700 migrants tried to cross
the fence into Spain’s Melilla enclave overnight but were rebuffed by Moroccan
border forces, a Spanish official said Friday.
“There were about 700 people who tried to reach the
border fence,” a spokesman for the Spanish government delegation in Melilla
told AFP.
None of the group, all of whom were from sub-Saharan
Africa, were able to cross thanks to coordination between the Spanish and
Moroccan security forces, the spokesman said.
Although hundreds of people had tried to cross the
fence before now, “we haven’t seen a number like 700 before,” he said,
describing their efforts to reach the fence as “very well-coordinated.”
“It was very well organized, they were trying to reach
different points of the border fence at the same time, to split up the security
forces who were trying to stop them,” he said, describing the approach as
“relatively new.”
“There are those who lead, those who split off and
those who act as scouts, in other words everything is perfectly coordinated and
planned.”
Spain’s two tiny enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla have
Europe’s only land border with Africa, making them a magnet for migrants
desperate to escape grinding poverty and hunger.
Source: Al Arabiya
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UN clarifies position on Ethiopia's expulsion of
humanitarian officials
Gozde Bayar
01.10.2021
A day after Ethiopia ordered seven UN humanitarian
staff to leave the country, UN said on Friday it is the long-standing legal
position of the organization not to accept the application of the doctrine of
persona non grata, with respect to UN officials.
"This is a doctrine that applies to diplomatic
agents accredited by one state to another state," said Farhan Haq, the spokesman
for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at a press briefing.
"The application of this doctrine to United
Nations officials is contrary to obligations under the Charter of the United
Nations and the privileges and immunities to be accorded to the United Nations
and its officials," he added.
The spokesman also said Guterres received a call on
Friday from the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed, in which he reiterated
the "position of the United Nations, which was formerly conveyed today to
the permanent mission".
He said the rule is that when concerns arise with
regard to the conduct of UN personnel, the requirement is that such concerns
are appropriately conveyed to the organization and then the Secretary-General
will make the necessary determinations and take the necessary steps to address
the matter.
On Thursday, Ethiopia ordered the UN officials to
leave the country within 72 hours.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, staffers from different UN organizations have been declared “persona
non grata” for "meddling in the internal affairs" of the nation.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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South
Asia
'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan' appointed envoy seeks
UN recognition
October 1, 2021
Suhail Shaheen, the United Nations envoy nominated by
the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” (IEA) has once again urged the world body
to recognise him as the representative of the Taliban-ruled country, saying the
former Kabul government “exists no more”.
The UN last month rejected Shaheen's appointment as
Afghanistan's representative, extending the tenure of Ghulam Mohammad Isaczai,
the permanent representative of Afghanistan to the UN-appointed by the former
president Ashraf Ghan-led administration.
The Islamic Emirate's appointed envoy to the UN,
Shaheen, once again called on the UN to allow him to represent Afghanistan,
Tolo News reported. Shaheen, the Taliban spokesman, said that since the former
government of Afghanistan has collapsed, its envoy cannot represent
Afghanistan, it said.
“The Kabul Administration exists no more and has no
components of a government while the IEA, having all components of a
government, is the only and real representative of the people of Afghanistan,”
Shaheen, who now identifies himself as the IEA Permanent
Representative-designate to UN, tweeted on Thursday.
No country has officially recognised the IEA
government in Afghanistan. India has made it clear that the future Afghanistan
government in Kabul must be inclusive, respecting the rights of women,
children, and minorities.
Tolo News, meanwhile, quoted Kabul-based political
analysts as saying that no representation at all the UN could spell negative
outcomes for the war-torn country.
“The presence of Mr Ishaqzai at the UN is meaningless
and useless. The president fled and there is no Republic in Afghanistan,"
political commentator Salim Kakar was quoted in the report. Global relations
educationist Hamid Obaidi said: “The Taliban should understand international relations--the
international issues and mutual interests.”
Source: India Today
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Bangladesh vows ‘stern action’ against killers of
Rohingya leader
02 October ,2021
Bangladesh's foreign minister vowed “stern action” on
Saturday against the killers of Rohingya refugee leader Mohib Ullah as calls
grew to investigate his shooting.
Mohib Ullah, who was in his late 40s, was killed by
unknown gunmen in a camp in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday night.
He led one of the largest community groups to emerge
since more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar after a military
crackdown in August 2017.
“The government will take stern action against those
who were involved in the killing. No one will be spared,” Foreign Minister A.K.
Abdul Momen said in his first comment since the killing.
Momen said in a statement that “vested” interests were
responsible for the killing as Mohib Ullah had wanted to return to Myanmar.
“The killers of Mohib Ullah must be brought to justice.”
Authorities arrested three refugees in connection with
the killing, said Naimul Huq, a police official in Cox's Bazar, giving gave no
further details.
Mohib Ullah was known as a moderate who advocated for
the Rohingya to return to Myanmar with rights they were denied during decades
of persecution.
He was the leader of the Arakan Rohingya Society for
Peace and Human Rights, founded in 2017 to document atrocities against Rohingya
in their native Myanmar and give them a voice in international talks about their
future.
But his high profile made him a target of hardliners
and he received death threats, he told Reuters in 2019. “If I die, I’m fine. I
will give my life,” he said at the time.
The killing has ignited grief and anger in the camps,
the world’s largest refugee settlement, where some residents interviewed by
Reuters say the killing is the latest evidence of mounting violence as armed
gangs and extremists vie for power.
In a video circulated on social media, his brother,
Habib Ullah, who said he witnessed the shooting, blamed the Arakan Rohingya
Salvation Army, an armed group active in the camps.
Source: Al Arabiya
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UN committee to review Taliban credential issue to
meet in November
Oct 2, 2021
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Credentials Committee that will
review the Taliban's communication in which it nominated Suhail Shaheen as
Afghanistan's envoy to the UN is expected to meet next month, with the General
Assembly president saying the entire 193-nation strong membership will decide
on the matter once the committee submits its findings on who should sit at
Kabul's seat in the world body.
Myanmar and Afghanistan were the only two countries
out of the 193-nation strong General Assembly membership that did not speak at
the just-concluded high-level UNGA week.
“Yes, I am in touch with the (Credentials) Committee.
Sweden is the chair of the committee. I have communicated the correspondences
to the committee chair. Usually, the committee meets in November, brings the
report to the General Assembly in December for adoption and I am sure that
Sweden will keep to the credentials schedule,” President of the 76th session of
the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid said in his first press conference here
on Friday.
Shahid was responding to a question on whether he is
in contact with the members of the Credentials Committee on the issue of
representation of Myanmar and Afghanistan at the UN.
Initially, Afghanistan's Permanent Representative
appointed by the ousted Ashraf Ghani-government, Ghulam Isaczai, was listed to
speak for the country on the final day of the General Debate on September 27.
However, Isaczai withdrew his participation.
The Taliban had written to UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres nominating their spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's
ambassador to the UN and had asked to participate in the high-level 76th
session of the UN General Assembly.
Following the February 1 coup in Myanmar, its military
rulers have said the country's Ambassador at UN Kyaw Moe Tun has been dismissed
and they want Aung Thurein to replace him.
The matter of who represents the two countries at the
UN has now gone to the Credentials Committee, currently being chaired by Sweden
and with the US, China, Russia, Bahamas, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Bhutan and
Chile as members.
Shahid said the Credentials Committee will consider
the matters on its agenda and they will submit the report, as other committees
do, to the General Assembly.
“Of course, the General Assembly as the universal body
makes a decision. So it will be the 193 countries who will decide,” he said,
adding that the Committee will review and submit its findings and then the
entire 193 member countries “will have the opportunity to decide. This has been
the past practice and it's been done many many times”.
Shahid further said whenever the UN receives
“conflicting” credentials communications, they are referred to the Committee.
Sweden, as chair, will do the consultations and then a report is expected to be
submitted to the General Assembly in December.
“So I'm waiting for the chair to convene the meeting,”
he said, adding that the “final decision” on the credentials will be made by
the General Assembly and then communicated to the administration “whichever way
the General Assembly decides”.
Shahid also specified that apart from the letter from
the Taliban last month, no other communication has been received from the
group.
On September 20, on the eve of the commencement of the
high-level UN General Debate, the Secretary-General had received a
communication with the letterhead “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs” dated September 20, 2021, signed by “Ameer Khan Muttaqi” as
“Minister of Foreign Affairs”, requesting to participate in the “76th session
of the UN General Assembly on September 21-27, 2021”.
Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the
Secretary-General, had told PTI that the letter also indicates that as of
August 15, 2021, “Mohammad Ashraf Ghani is ousted and [countries across the
world] no longer recognise him as president”.
Ghani, who had fled the country as the Taliban took
control of Kabul on August 15, had appointed Isaczai as Kabul's envoy to the UN
in June 2021.
Source: Times of India
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Russia urges calm between Tajikistan, Afghanistan
Oct 1, 2021
MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday urged Tajikistan and
Afghanistan to maintain calm after reports of tension at their common border.
"We observe with concern growing tensions in
Tajik-Afghan relations against the background of mutual harsh statements by the
leaders of the two countries," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei
Zaytsev was quoted as saying by DW News.
Reports have also appeared about the deployment of
armed forces by both countries on the common border.
"According to information from the Taliban, tens
of thousands of special forces units have been deployed in the bordering
[northern] Afghan province Takhar alone," Zaytsev added.
Tajikistan's president, Emomali Rakhmon, has refused
to recognize the Taliban government, accusing the group of human rights abuses.
Source: Times of India
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Taliban reiterate commitment to ensuring security of
foreign diplomats
Oct 1, 2021
KABUL: Taliban on Friday reiterated its commitment to
ensuring the security of foreign diplomats in the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Motaqi
said that ensuring the safety of foreign diplomats and envoys is the
responsibility of the Taliban and added that they can come to eth ministry
anytime they want to, reported The Khaama Press News Agency.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted
Kabul-based diplomats and envoys on Thursday evening and the first deputy of
Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar also attended the banquet.
The acting foreign minister who was addressing the
guests said that they would like to have good governance inside the country and
friendly relations with the neighbouring countries and the world, reported
Khaama Press.
"We not only want positive relations based on our
shared interests with the US but with our neighbours, Islamic world, Gulf
states, regional and European countries," said Motaqi.
Motaqi also said that the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan is respecting all the legitimate demands of the world and wants the
same from the international community, reported Khaama Press.
Source: Times of India
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Degeneration of journalism, Afghan journalist making
bricks to feed family
01 Oct 2021
Zabiullah Wafa is one of the thousands of Afghans
whose breadwinning source stopped right after the previous government fell and
the Taliban took over the country.
Zabiullah was a local reporter for the Khaama Press
News Agency and other media outlets in the western Ferz Koh city of Badghis
province who has lost his job as a journalist and is now making bricks as labor
to feed his ten-member family.
He was a well-known ten-year local journalist in
Badghis province but was laid off and left unemployed due to the financial
drawbacks of the local media.
“After the Taliban takeover, local media outlets laid
me off and it has been two months for me to be wandering without job. To feed
my family I decided to join my father in making constructional bricks.” Wafa
told Khaama press.
The former Afghan journalist is not fully convinced of
his income from making bricks though, it is still a small amount of money that
can help his family members survive.
Wafa says that hundreds of Afghan journalists are
living the same limbo and asked the international community to stand by them
and help them in this dire situation.
Source: Khaama Press
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Arab
World
Lebanon PM says working to repair relations with Arab
states
01 October ,2021
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati says that he is
working to rebuild relations with Arab states.
“The government will take all the required steps by
itself to reconnect those who have been cut off in Lebanon’s relations with the
Arab brothers, and we know in return the Arab brothers’ keenness to preserve
Lebanon’s unity and protect it from any dangers that may surround it,” Mikati
said in a statement published by Sawt Beirut.
“This country has always been a message to embody love
and coexistence between religions, and the Arab brothers have always been quick
to rescue it from its stumbles, whenever adversities befall it, based on their
brotherly understanding of the privacy and diversity of its fabric.”
The comments were in a statement published to coincide
with the Prime Minister’s visit to his home town of Tripoli, in the country’s
north.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US names al-Qaeda commander killed in Syria
01 October ,2021
The US military on Friday named the senior Al-Qaeda
commander killed in an airstrike in the Idlib region of northwest Syria on
September 20 as Salim Abu-Ahmad.
The drone strike targeted a vehicle on the road from
Idlib city to Binnish, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,
which said two jihadist commanders died.
US Central Command acknowledged killing an Al-Qaeda
official at the time, but did not name him.
In a statement on Friday, Centcom spokesman John
Rigsbee said Salim Abu-Ahmad “was responsible for planning, funding, and
approving trans-regional Al-Qaeda attacks.”
“There are no indications of civilian casualties as a
result of the strike,” the statement added.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Turkish company halts power supplies to crisis-hit
Lebanon after contract expires
01 October ,2021
A Turkish company supplying electricity to Lebanon
from two power barges off the coast of Beirut said on Friday it has halted
supplies after its contract with the Lebanese state electricity company
expired.
The move by the Turkish company, Karpowership, which
has provided electricity for the past eight years, was expected. It had said
earlier that Lebanon’s state power company owes Karpowership overdue payments
in excess of $100 million.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
Lebanon is grappling with an economic meltdown that
includes fuel and power shortages; blackouts last up to 22 hours a day.
The country’s new government, voted in last week, has
said that improving electricity production is one of its top priorities.
Successive governments have failed to agree on a permanent solution for the
chronic shortages, largely because of profiteering and endemic corruption.
“During our eight years operating in Lebanon, despite
all the challenges, we have done all we can to support the Lebanese people,”
Karpowership said in its statement.
Since 2013, the company has been providing around 370
megawatts — about a quarter of Lebanon’s supply — from giant generators on its
two barges, docked south and north of the capital, Beirut.
Karpowership said its contract expired at midnight on
Thursday. In May, the company briefly shut down its operations over delayed
payments and the threat of legal action against its vessels.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Defence Forces destroy Houthi drone aimed at
Jazan
02 October ,2021
Saudi Defense Forces said Friday that they intercepted
and destroyed an explosive-laden drone fired by the Iran-backed Houthis.
The drone was fired at Saudi Arabia’s Jazan.
Colonel Muhammad al-Ghamdi, said that the defense
received a number of notifications of falling and scattering shrapnel on a
residential neighborhood in Uhud al-Masarha governorate as a result of the
interception of a booby-trapped drone launched by the terrorist Houthi militia
backed by Iran towards the kingdom.
The spokesperson added that several homes, the railway
station and a number of shops have been damaged.
“These damages did not result in any injuries or
deaths,” the colonel added.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Pakistan
Pakistan govt in talks with TTP, reveals Imran Khan
Oct 2, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan said
on Friday that his government was in talks with some terror outfits of the
banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), seeking a reconciliation with the umbrella
organisation that had declared war against the country after mid-2000s, which
still continues unabatedly with terror attacks almost on a daily basis on the
security forces.
Khan said the talks are taking place in Afghanistan
and have been facilitated by the Afghan Taliban. “There are different groups
which form the TTP and some of them want to talk to our government for peace.
So, we are in talks with them. It’s a reconciliation process,” he said in an
interview with the TRT World, a Turkish news channel.
TTP is said to be regrouping in its former strongholds
of North Waziristan and South Waziristan tribal districts. Pakistan had
launched its final offensive against the TTP in North Waziristan in 2014 after
a series of military operations that had started against the terror
organisation in other tribal districts and the northwestern mountainous regions
of Swat and Dir in 2009.
When asked if his government was asking them to lay
down arms, Khan responded: “Yes, we will forgive them if they become normal citizens.”
Responding to a question why the TTP was conducting
attacks on Pakistan’s security forces when they were in talks with the
government, Khan said it was just a “spate of attacks”.
Just a day ago, TTP had killed a captain of the
Pakistani army during an intelligence-based operation in the Tank district,
which is next to South Waziristan.
“We might not reach some sort of conclusion or
settlement in the end but we are talking,” Khan said.
As the talks are taking place in Afghanistan, the
Afghan Taliban were mediators in it, he added.
Khan said that he didn’t believe in military
solutions. “I stand for anti-military solution, and as a politician, I believe
political dialogue is the way ahead.” He added that dialogue was the only way
out in the case of Afghanistan also.
In mid-September, Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah
Mahmood Qureshi had expressed similar sentiments, saying the TTP should review
its policies.
“Our government would pardon them if they (TTP
terrorists) promise not to get involved in terrorist activities and submit to
the Pakistani Constitution,” Qureshi had said.
Before the foreign minister, Pakistan’s president Arif
Alvi had suggested that the government could consider giving an amnesty to
those members of the TTP who are ready to disarm and agree to adhere to the
Pakistani Constitution.
Source: Times of India
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Pakistani Taliban denies talks with Islamabad
02 Oct 2021
Pakistani media have reported that the Pakistani
Taliban-Tahrik-e-Taliban Pakistan- have denied reconciliation talks with the
Pakistani Taliban.
Recently Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that they
have started negotiations with the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan which has
been mediated by the Afghan Taliban.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not commented on
the issue yet.
The TTP has also denied having reached a ceasefire
with the Pakistani government in Northern Waziristan.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/pakistani-taliban-denies-talks-with-islamabad-4574745/
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Pakistani scholars highlight importance of Arbaeen at
conference in Lahore
October 2, 2021
Experts, and religious personalities highlighting the
importance of Arbaeen in different schools of thought of Islam described it as
the basis for unity and solidarity among Muslim nations.
They were addressing at a symposium on "The Role
of Arbaeen in Uniting Islam" hosted by Culture Center of the Islamic
Republic of Iran in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, Pakistan.
The meeting was attended by Shiite and Sunni scholars,
religious thinkers and experts, as well as the Consul General of the Islamic
Republic of Iran in Lahore and the Director of the Iranian Culture Center.
The speakers highlighted the importance of Arbaeen in
different school of thoughts of Islam and said that the glorious Arbaeen march
in Iraq and other countries, including Pakistan, paved the way for
strengthening unity and solidarity among the Muslim Ummah which causes despair
in the world of infidelity and arrogance.
"Every year, millions of Shiite and Sunni Muslims
and followers of other religions participate in the great Arbaeen Hosseini
March with religious spirit,” " said Jafar Ronas, Director of the Iranian
Culture Center.
He added according to the twelfth principle of the
Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, all Islamic sects have full
respect and their followers are free to perform religious ritual according to
their own jurisprudence.
Ronas said in the field of education to meet the
educational needs of the Sunni community of Iran Planning Council of Sunni religious schools
has been formed with the presence of nine prominent scholars.
The Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran
expressing his views said the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) is a symbol to
fight against injustice and oppression.
Mohammad Reza Nazeri added the uprising of Ashura
became a role model for the followers of all religions.
The Iranian diplomat praised the glorious presence of
the Muslim people of Pakistan in this year's Arbaeen march in different cities
of the country, and said: I was thrilled by the sincere and loving presence of
women, children, men and the elderly in this great march, and I was deeply
moved by the empathy, oneness and unity among them.
He also referred to some of the recent speeches of the
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with some young people
and said the Supreme Leader has called the presence of millions of Muslims in
the Arbaeen march a great blessing.
Allama Akif Hayat Qaderi, one of the Sunni scholars of
Pakistan, considered the expression of devotion to the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) as part
of the faith of every Muslim.
He added Imam Shafi', expressing his devotion to the
Ahl al-Bayt (AS), said: If love for the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) causes me to be called
a Shiite, I consider myself a Shiite."
Source: ABNA
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Pakistani Taliban announces 20-day ceasefire in South
Waziristan
Oct 2, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced
a 20-day ceasefire in South Waziristan on Friday after reaching an agreement
with the Pakistan Army to halt all hostilities between the two, a media report
said.
"Our leaders have asked all fighters to observe a
ceasefire from today to October 20," Pakistan Today reported TTP as saying
in a statement on Friday.
Further, the TTP stated that it is engaged in
"secret talks".
Earlier on Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan
had said that the government is in talks with some groups of the banned TTP
with the aim of having the group lay down their weapons and making them agree
to adhere to the country's Constitution.
"There are different groups which form the TTP
and some of them want to talk to our government for peace. So, we are in talks
with them. It's a reconciliation process," Khan said during an interview
with the TRT World on Friday.
Further, Khan clarified that he is expecting a deal to
come out of the talks but again nothing is certain. He sees dialogue as the
only solution and is willing to 'forgive' the TTP if an agreement is reached.
Experts have cautioned Pakistan to tread carefully in
the wake of recent developments in Afghanistan post-Taliban takeover and asked
Islamabad to avoid oversimplifying the Afghan issue.
The frequent attacks by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP)
raised concerns about the security and safety of Chinese projects in the
country. Analysts have warned that TTP may continue its attacks in Pakistan and
cause damage to China's projects and personnel in the country, Global Times
reported.
Source: Times of India
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Pakistan blames ‘lobbies, neighbours’ for US bill
seeking sanctions
Oct 2, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan lashed out on Friday at its
"neighbours and lobbies" for having a hand in the US bill tabled by
Republican senators seeking sanctions against it for its alleged role in aiding
the Taliban.
Last Monday, the "Afghanistan Counterterrorism,
Oversight, and Accountability Act" was tabled in the US Senate by 22
Republican senators, demanding a deeper investigation into the Taliban victory
in Afghanistan and sanctions on non-state and state actors, including the
government of Pakistan, who had assisted them in ousting the Ashraf Ghani-led
regime.
"Pakistan will protect its interests and defend
its position. The US has to understand the role played by Pakistan in
facilitating the peace process," Qureshi said at a joint press conference
with the visiting foreign minister of Denmark, Jeppe Kofod. "Scapegoating Pakistan
would in fact mean overlooking the ground realities," he remarked.
Qureshi said Pakistan would not ignore the
implications of the bill on Pakistan, adding that "we are cognisant and
can explain".
He pointed out that the bill did not have a bipartisan
understanding and was presented by a group of Republican senators who were even
critical of some US policies and also against the US withdrawal from
Afghanistan. "Let us not be excessively obsessed with the bill. There are
lobbies in the US and our neighbours in the region who would like to play it
up," he said.
Source: Times of India
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Pak Senate seeks report on killing of Sikh hakeem
Oct 1, 2021
AMRITSAR: A day after a 45-year-old Sikh Unani
medicine practitioner was shot dead in his Peshawar clinic, the incident rocked
the Pakistani Senate on Friday with Pakistan’s only Sikh senator Gurdeep Singh
taking up the issue in the Upper House.
The chairman of the Senate sought a report from Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) police on the murder of Satnam Singh, even as social media
was abuzz with reports of the Islamic State–Khorasan (IS-K) claiming
responsibility for the murder owing to his polytheistic views.
While talking to TOI over phone, Gurdeep, the first
Sikh senator of Pakistan, said that minorities in Pakistan were under attack by
the militants.
When asked about the reason behind killing a Sikh, the
senator replied that the exact reason is not known yet but it appears to be an
outcome of a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by anti-national elements to
destabilise the country and scarce the minorities.
“The chairman of the Senate, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani,
has sought a report on the murder of Satnam Singh from the inspector general of
police, KPK,” said Gurdeep, the former vice-president of ruling Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf who became the senator in March 2021.
However, Pakistani rights activist Radesh Singh Tony
said that IS-K had taken the responsibility for killing Satnam to terrorise the
Sikhs living, not just in KPK, but across the nation.
Notably, Satnam, a member of the Tira tribal community
of KPK’s Orkazai Agency was shot dead in his Unani medicine clinic on Thursday
by some unidentified persons.
A local reporter Muhammad Saleem on Friday tweeted
that the IS-K released a statement, taking responsibility for the murder of
Satnam. Their statement read, “...by the grace of God Almighty, the soldiers of
the Caliphate targeted a follower of the polytheistic Sikh sect, in the area of
Faqirabad in the city of Peshawar, with pistol shots, which led to his death,
praise be to God.”
Source: Times of India
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Pakistan: Changes needed on EU plan on rights in
Afghanistan
Oct 1, 2021
GENEVA: Pakistan's Foreign Ministry wants the European
Union to scale back its plans to boost scrutiny of human rights under the new
Taliban leadership in Afghanistan, which is hoping to emerge from decades of
war and instability.
Islamabad says "further improvements" to a
resolution at the UN's top human rights body are needed, including concrete
pledges of assistance for the war-wracked country without using human rights as
the sole criteria. Pakistan is arguably the Taliban's closest state
interlocutor, with historic ties and ostensible influence with the religious
militia.
The European bloc is leading an effort backed by more
than 40 countries at the Human Rights Council to pass a resolution next week
that would, among other things, name a special rapporteur on Afghanistan to
help the country uphold its international commitments on human rights and offer
support to advocacy groups- much of whose work has been disrupted under the new
leadership.
The Europeans want consensus for the resolution at the
council, which counts Pakistan among its 47 member countries. The rapporteur
would benefit from expertise in legal affairs, torture and degrading
punishment, the right to education, and the rights of women, girls and
minorities, according to the resolution.
Pakistan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
led a unanimous resolution at the council during a special session in August-
before the full departure of international forces- that expressed concerns
about the rights situation in Afghanistan, and called for the UN human rights
chief to monitor the situation, with a written report planned next March. Some
advocacy groups said it didn't go far enough.
In comments to The Associated Press late Thursday,
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Asim Iftikhar said the EU draft resolution
"needs further improvements" and that delegations were working
closely on it. He said Pakistan believes the EU initiative "does not add
any value to the OIC resolution adopted just a month ago with agreement of all
council members."
Source: Times of India
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North
America
Khashoggi Fiancee Urges Biden to Fulfil Pledge About
Saudi Journalist's Death
Servet Günerigök
02.10.2021
WASHINGTON
The fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi urged US President Joe
Biden to fulfill his promise to not let Saudi journalist's death be in vain
during an emotional speech in the US capital late Friday.
Hatice Cengiz spoke at an event organized by the
Freedom First campaign on the National Mall to mark the third anniversary of
the journalist's murder.
"Jamal was not just a journalist. He was not just
a prominent champion for the rights of Saudi people and the broader Arab world.
He was my Jamal and he was taken from me," said Cengiz.
Khashoggi, a US resident and columnist for The
Washington Post, was brutally murdered and likely dismembered after being lured
by Saudi officials to their consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. While Riyadh
initially denied any role in his death, it later sought to pin blame on what it
said was a botched rendition operation.
That explanation has been widely rejected.
A report released in February by the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) under the Biden administration said
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the killing.
The report added that the crown prince, the kingdom’s
de facto leader, “approved an operation … to capture or kill” Khashoggi.
Cengiz recalled that Donald Trump was the US president
when the Saudi journalist was murdered, saying the former leader of the free
world continued to support the Saudi government and refused to hold bin Salman
accountable for the grisly killing.
She then quoted Biden's remarks when he was a
presidential candidate: "Khashoggi and his loved ones deserve
accountability. Jamal's death will not be in vain."
"President Biden and Vice President [Kamala]
Harris! When will you step up and fulfill your promises? When will you
translate your words into action?" said Cengiz.
The event hosted several speakers including Philippe
Nassif, MENA Advocacy Director at Amnesty International USA, Eason Jordan,
senior adviser at the Freedom Initiative and a veteran of CNN, NowThis and the
Malala Fund, as well as Nadine Farid Johnson, Washington Director at PEN
America.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Uyghurs protest anniversary of China in US capital
Servet Günerigök
02.10.2021
WASHINGTON
A group of Uyghurs gathered in front of the Lincoln
Memorial in the US capital on Friday to demand China end its treatment against
the Muslim minority.
More than 100 activists dressed in black shirts, lined
up in the memorial area while speakers addressed the crowd.
Among them were Republican congresswoman Vicky
Hartzler from Missouri, Democratic congressman Tom Suozzi from New York, Rabbi
Jack Moline and Nury Turkel, vice-chairman of the US Commission on
International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
Hartzler said US companies doing business in China
have an ethical and moral obligation to move their supply chains out of the
Uyghur region.
Suozzi said he is with Uyghurs "100 percent"
against China's "genocide."
Activists also demanded an end to the encampment of
Uyghurs in Xinjiang province.
According to UN data, at least 1 million Uyghurs are
held against their will in places Beijing calls "vocational training
centers" and what the international community defines as
"re-education camps."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/uyghurs-protest-anniversary-of-china-in-us-capital-/2380785
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US official calls for Pakistan action on terrorism
before visit
01 October ,2021
A top US official called Friday for Pakistan to take
action against all extremist groups ahead of a visit to Islamabad, which has
sought reconciliation with militants both at home and in Afghanistan.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will meet on
October 7-8 with officials in Pakistan, which has long faced US accusations of
playing a double game in Afghanistan where the Taliban swept back to power in
August.
“We seek a strong partnership with Pakistan on
counterterrorism and we expect sustained action against all militant and
terrorist groups without distinction,” Sherman told reporters.
“Both of our countries have suffered terribly from the
scourge of terrorism and we look forward to cooperative efforts to eliminate
all regional and global terrorist threats,” she said from Switzerland, her
first stop on a trip that will also take her to India and Uzbekistan.
Pakistan points to its efforts against militants and
the thousands who have died in attacks at home, but it has also faced criticism
for not doing more to curb Islamist radicals that target neighbor and
arch-rival India.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, a longtime critic
of US military campaigns, said in an interview aired Friday that his government
had opened talks with Pakistani Taliban about laying down their arms.
“Some of the Pakistani Taliban groups actually want to
talk to our government for some peace, for some reconciliation,” he told
Turkey’s TRT World television.
He said the discussions were taking place in
Afghanistan with sections of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has waged
years of deadly attacks.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Mideast
Organization Of Islamic Cooperation Condemns Israel’s
Violation Of Rights In East Jerusalem
Çağrı Koşak
02.10.2021
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
condemned Israel’s violation of rights in occupied East Jerusalem on Friday.
The OIC warned of the consequences of the ongoing
Israeli occupation policy, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of
Palestinians.
Israel tries to change the historical identity and
legal status of East Jerusalem and separate it from Palestine, the group said
in a statement.
It condemned Israel's prevention of Palestinians from
accessing Masjid al-Aqsa for worship, its attitude toward holy places and its
open violation of freedom of worship.
The Fanatical Jews entered the courtyard of the Masjid
al-Aqsa in occupied East Jerusalem on the occasion of the Jewish Sukkot feast,
accompanied by Israeli police, and unfurled the Israeli flag in Haram al-Sharif
on Sept. 27.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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FM: Iran Not to Tolerate Israel's Presence Near
Borders
2021-October-1
"The Islamic Republic of Iran does not tolerate
the presence and activities of the Zionist regime against its national security
and will take due measures accordingly," Amir Abdollahian said in a
meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tehran on Thursday.
He reiterated that the countries have the right to
hold military exercises within their territories in line with safeguarding
their national sovereignty.
The top Iranian diplomat, meantime, emphasized the
importance of mutual relations between Tehran and Baku in the context of
neighborly relations.
The new Azeri envoy, Ali Alizadeh, for his part,
called for good and deep bilateral relations between Baku and Tehran.
Iran recently held military drills in the country’s
northwestern border area, which was criticized by Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said he was “very
surprised” by Iran's decision to hold drills close to his country’s borders,
and questioned the timing of the maneuvers.
Reacting to Azerbaijan’s criticism, the Iranian
foreign ministry spokesman said the Islamic Republic has only been exercising
its right to sovereignty by holding the drills.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran: Israeli Regime's Dream Never to Come True
2021-October-1
Mousavi's remarks came in reaction to the recent
anti-Iran allegations by Israel's envoy in Baku.
"We have special respect for all Jews,
Christians, and other followers of the divine religions; But we are sure that
the Republic of Azerbaijan and Palestine will remain Islamic countries forever,"
Mousavi wrote in his Twitter account on Friday.
"The dreams of Zionism for this region will never
be interpreted," he added.
In relevant remarks earlier on Friday, Iranian Foreign
Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh strongly condemned a visit by the Israeli
regime's foreign minister, Yair Lapid, to the Bahrain capital of Manama, and
said the visit put lasting stain on tiny Persian Gulf country.
"Bahrain's despicable welcoming of Israeli
foreign minister (Yair Lapid) to Manama is at odds with the will of the
Bahraini people," Khatibzadeh said.
The Iranian foreign ministry reiterated that the visit
left an "unremovable stain" on the reputation of that country.
Lapid arrived in Bahrain on Thursday to open the
Israeli regime's embassy in Manama and sign cooperation deals with the Arab
country.
Khatibzadeh lamented Bahrain’s ignoring of the Zionist
regime’s daily atrocities against the oppressed yet resistant people of
Palestine.
"Such actions will not give a boost to the
legitimacy of the Zionist regime and will not affect the ideal of liberating
al-Quds al-Sharif as the first qibla of the world’s Muslims," he said.
The spokesman also emphasized that Bahraini rulers
will not be able to remove the mark of disgrace.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Clashes break out in Aden between STC members, four
fighters killed: Security sources
02 October ,2021
Clashes broke out in the Yemeni city of Aden on
Saturday between members of the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC)
and at least four fighters were killed, two security sources said.
Residents reported heavy gunfire in Aden’s central
Crater district that houses government headquarters and the central bank.
The city has seen tension between the
internationally-recognized government and the STC over control of the south.
The prime minister returned to Aden last week from
Saudi Arabia and is residing at the presidential palace in Crater along with
other government ministers.
Yemen’s president is based in Riyadh. South Yemen has
been paralyzed by the power struggle between the government and the STC,
leading to protests in recent months over widespread poverty and poor public
services.
They are nominal allies under an Arab-led coalition
which has been battling the Iran-backed Houthi movement that ousted the
government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014 and now holds most of northern
Yemen and main urban centers.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran warns ‘enemies’ against uncalculated moves amid
tensions with Azerbaijan
01 October ,2021
Iran’s defense minister on Friday warned Tehran’s
“enemies” against making any uncalculated moves amid tensions with neighboring
Azerbaijan, saying the Islamic Republic would give a “crushing” response to any
such actions.
“Iran’s enemies will certainly receive a crushing
response should they take any irrational and ignorant action, and they will
incur a heavy cost,” Brig. Gen. Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani said in a tweet shared
by Iran’s state broadcaster.
The Iranian army’s ground forces started military
exercises near the country’s border with Azerbaijan on Friday despite criticism
from Baku over the drills.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev earlier this week criticized
Iran for holding military drills near his country’s borders.
“Every country can carry out any military drill on its
own territory. It’s their sovereign right. But why now, and why on our border?”
Aliyev said in an interview published Monday with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu
news agency.
In response, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said on
Tuesday the drills near the border with Azerbaijan were a “question of
sovereignty” and added that Tehran “will not tolerate the presence of the
Zionist regime” near its borders – a reference to Azerbaijan’s relations with
Israel.
Source: Al Arabiya
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UN agency for Palestinian refugees needs $800 mln
01 October ,2021
The UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees
announced Friday it was seeking $800 million at a donor conference scheduled
for November in Brussels.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told
reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that the organization needed
“predictability” for its operations.
To fund UNRWA’s “three core activities” -- education,
health and social services -- “we are seeking $800 million a year,” he told
reporters ahead of the gathering, organized by Jordan and Sweden.
“The main objective of the conference is to have a
better predictability” and to “promote visibility” the Swiss diplomat said.
The funding would allow the agency to keep open the
700 or so schools it managed, catering to 550,000 children, as well as health
centers and to provide social welfare to Palestinian refugees and their
descendants.
In addition to the $800 million, Lazzarini said there
was also a need for funds for the humanitarian aid provided by UNRWA, which
varies from one year to the next, depending on the crisis, but which the agency
estimates will be around half a million dollars in 2022.
Source: Al Arabiya
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IRGC’s Quds Force members are soldiers outside the
borders: Iranian FM
01 October ,2021
Repeating previous statements issued by commanders in
the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir
Abdollahian said on Friday, that the Quds Force, the foreign arm of the Guards,
are “soldiers without borders,” referring to their military missions outside
Iran.
Abdullahian's words came during his meeting with
Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force, at the
headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to congratulate him on his
appointment as a minister in the government of hard-line Iranian President
Ebrahim Raisi.
The conservative minister also praised the activity of
the Quds Force, considering that they have made significant contributions to
security assistance in the country as well.
He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will
follow the path of Qassem Soleimani, in a statement recalling the leaked
recordings that shook the country last May, when former Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif revealed the impact of what he described as “the field” on
foreign diplomacy in the country, in reference to the pressures of the
Revolutionary Guards and Soleimani in particular on the Ministry's plans,
international discussions and regional policy.
These statements came days after a prominent military
commander in the country announced that his country has 6 armies outside its
borders that work for it and defend it.
Ali Ghulam Rashid, the commander of what is known as
"the headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya", confirmed in statements
carried by the Iranian Mehr Agency that Qassem Soleimani, the former commander
of the Quds Force, revealed, three months before his death, that he had
organized 6 armies outside Iranian territory with the support of the Guard
Command and the Army's General Staff.
He admitted that these armies have ideological
tendencies, and their mission is to defend Tehran against any attack, according
to his claim.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran begins war games near border, despite criticism
from Azerbaijan
01 October ,2021
The Iranian army’s ground forces began holding
maneuvers near the country’s border with Azerbaijan on Friday, state media
reported, despite criticism from its neighbor.
The exercises took place in open areas in northwestern
Iran, said state television, which showed tanks, howitzers and helicopters
firing at targets on the ground.
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channel online or via the app.
“We respect good neighborly relations but we do not
tolerate the presence of Zionist regime (Israeli) elements and ISIS terrorists
in the region,” ground forces commander Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari told
state TV.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had criticized the
Iranian war games in an interview published on Monday.
“Every country can carry out any military drill on its
own territory. It’s their sovereign right. But why now, and why on our border?”
he told Turkish news agency Anadolu.
His comments were rebuffed by Iran’s foreign ministry
spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh.
Source: Al Arabiya
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At least three hurt in Iran quake: Official media
01 October ,2021
Three people were hurt on Friday when an earthquake
struck southwestern Iran and caused some damage, the country’s official IRNA
news agency said.
The United States Geological Survey said the quake
measuring a moderate 5.2 struck at 4:45 am (0115 GMT) at a depth of 10
kilometers (6.2 miles) near the port city of Genaveh in Bushehr province.
A 4.6 magnitude aftershock followed more than two
hours later, USGS added.
Local officials cited by IRNA said three people were
hurt but there was no significant damage.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Europe
Afghan interpreters who worked for the Dutch summoned
by Taliban: TV
02 October ,2021
Afghan interpreters who worked for the Netherlands
have been summoned to appear in court by the Taliban who have threatened their
families, Dutch public television NOS reported on Friday.
The interpreters are in hiding but their family
members will be held responsible if they fail to show up in court “and severely
punished to teach other traitors a lesson,” said a letter from the Taliban,
which was aired by the broadcaster.
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channel online or via the app.
NOS said the recipient, who worked for the EU’s
policing agency Europol in Afghanistan, was accused of taking “dishonorable and
forbidden money” from foreigners.
“We will take revenge. If we are not able to get hold
of you, we will settle scores with your near ones,” said another letter to an
interpreter whom the Taliban accused of being responsible for the deaths of some
of their fighters.
All indications show that the letters, which bear
official seals, were dispatched by the Taliban, NOS said.
It said it had contacted about 10 interpreters or
people who had worked for the Dutch and who all said their situation was becoming
increasing difficult.
The Taliban in June urged interpreters who had worked
for foreign forces to repent but urged them to stay on in Afghanistan after the
withdrawal of foreign forces and assured them they would not be harmed.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Belgian Muslims turn to Strasbourg Court after halal
slaughter ban
Agnes Szucs
01.10.2021
BRUSSELS
Muslim associations will appeal at the European Court
of Human Rights against the decision of Belgium's Constitutional Court banning
ritual halal animal slaughter, they announced on Friday.
The Executive Office of Muslims in Belgium and the
Coordination Council of Islamic Institutions of Belgium decided to appeal against
the ruling at the Strasbourg-based European court after Belgium's top judicial
body approved the ban on Thursday, the organizations said in a statement.
"Current religious slaughter techniques
constitute a full-fledged alternative to stunning animals and are fully
compatible with public health, food safety, and animal welfare
requirements," they explained.
"The stunning obligation, on the other hand, is
only an emotional symbolic measure, which simply serves, to the detriment of
religious minorities, to appease the conscience of the average consumer and to
obscure the reality that animals are raised as objects of consumption in
industrial mega-stalls," they added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Russia’s Ancient city of Phanagoria sheds light on
history with Turkish traces
Emre Gurkan Abay
01.10.2021
MOSCOW
Known as Russia's Atlantis, the ancient city of
Phanagoria reveals many discoveries, including traces of Turks.
The ancient Greek city of Phanagoria in Taman
Peninsula, located in the Krasnodar region in the south of Russia, is estimated
to be about 2,500 years old. It was first discovered thanks to a tombstone that
washed up in the 18th century.
Another feature in the Phanagoria, which is one-third
of which is underwater, is that there are many traces of the Turks and the
Ottoman Empire.
Recently, the discovery of a 16th-century coin thought
to belong to a Turkish officer in the Ottoman army has created excitement,
especially among historians.
The coin is believed to have been brought to the
Phanagoria as a trophy by the Turkish military after the victories in Cyprus.
While it is known that the Ottoman Empire fleet once
established a base in Phanagoria, a few Ottoman-era structures in the region
are among the recent discoveries.
Although Phanagoria is a region in the south of Russia
today, it was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th to 17th
centuries. Experts consider it a strong possibility that more traces of Turks
will emerge over time.
The region is of great importance for Russia. Russian
President Vladimir Putin had also done scuba diving in the region in the past
years.
Importance of Phanagoria in the history of Black Sea
Speaking to the Anadolu Agency excavation director at
the ancient city Dr. Vladimir Kuznetsov said that the region is very suitable
for excavations because it is in an undeveloped area.
Pointing out Istanbul as a challenging area for
historical excavations, Kuznetsov said that there is a huge and powerful
cultural layer that allows tracing not only the history of the city but also
the region.
Noting that the region is of great interest to Turkey,
Kuznetsov said: "As for Turkey, of course, the northern and southern
coasts of the Black Sea have always been closely linked."
Pointing out Turkey's Black Sea province of Sinop was
an important trading city, he said: "In Phanagoria, there are many
(ancient) Sinop jugs from the 3rd and 2nd centuries to the present.
Coin belonging to Ottoman officer was discovered
Pointing out that the direct route between the north
and the south of the Black Sea was discovered before the 4th century, Kuznetsov
said that Turkish sailors were among the best in Europe, they were captains who
knew all the subtleties of seafaring, and they constantly sailed to Phanagoria.
"The southern and northern shores of the Black
Sea were always connected, and we can see the trace of this with archaeological
materials," he added.
On the coin that was discovered in the region recently
and believed to be belonging to an Ottoman officer, Kuznetsov said: "Our
numismatist found that Venetian money was brought here after a military
operation in Cyprus."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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UN says it does not have 'meaningful' access to
China's Xinjiang region
Peter Kenny
01.10.2021
GENEVA
The United Nations Human Rights Office said Friday
that it does not have "meaningful" or "other" access to
China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesman Rupert
Colville said his office has no permission from China to access Xinjiang, where
ethnic Uyghur Muslims have reportedly been subjected to years of abuses of
their identity and culture.
“We've had no access to Xinjiang, meaningful or
otherwise,” said Colville in an answer to a question from Anadolu Agency at a
UN news conference. “Obviously, this is not the only avenue we're pursuing.”
He said the UN Rights Office chief Michelle Bachelet
is “finalizing an assessment of the available information we have on
allegations of serious human rights violations in Xinjiang to make that public
sometime down the line.”
Since she assumed office in 2018, Bachelet has been
calling on China to allow her office access to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous
Region.
At the Human Rights Council on Sept. 13, she said she
was sorry that there was no progress on the issue.
According to the UN data, at least 1 million Uyghurs
are kept against their will in places Beijing calls "vocational training centers"
and the international community defines as "re-education camps".
Source: Anadolu Agency
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India
Gurugram: People Offer Friday Prayers under Police
Vigil Amid Several Protests
By Abhishek Behl
Oct 2, 2021
Amid threats of disruption from a group of people,
members of the Muslim community offered prayers under police vigil at around 24
places in Gurugram on Friday.
Police said their deployment in Sector 47 was high as
many people gathered near the prayer spot to protest against the practice. “We
have asked the protesters to hold a meeting with the district administration to
resolve the matter,” said the police.
Over the past two weeks, offering prayers at public
places like parks, parking areas on Fridays has become a major issue after a
group run by members of the Hindu community in Gurugram started appearing at
these sites to oppose the practice. The issue was widely discussed on social
media, which made the police department issue a clarification to the people on
September 27, in which it said that “the matter was in cognisance, and asked
the people to refrain from spreading misinformation”.
Members of the Muslim community, who were present in
Sector 47 on Friday, said that the prayer spot was away from the nearby
residential area. “Muslims offer congregation prayers only on Fridays, Eid, and
Eid al-Adha. There’s only a small mosque in Sector 57, New Gurgaon, and
everyone can’t go there on Fridays or on these occasions... Lands have not been
allotted for mosques for quite a long time now. We want the Haryana government
to allot us land for mosques in every sector, so that we can comfortably offer
prayers there,” said Altaf Ahmad, founder member, Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch --
a Gurugram-based civil society organisation.
Ahmad said that opposition to prayers is becoming a
regular affair, and some vested persons have been engaged in this. “We faced
similar problems earlier in March-April this year, and it hurt the religious
sentiments of the masses,” he said, calling for strict action against such
elements.
Source: Hindustan Times
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UP Police accuses journalist Siddiqui Kappan of
inciting violence, instigating Muslims
Abhishek Mishra
October 1, 2021
The charge sheet filed against Delhi-based journalist
Siddiqui Kappan by the Uttar Pradesh Police accuses him of inciting violence.
The charge sheet says that apart from instigating Muslims, Kappan also
sympathies with Maoists and Communists.
The 5,000-page charge sheet was filed by the Uttar
Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) on January 23, 2021. It also has 36
articles that Siddiqui Kappan wrote for a Malayalam media house. These articles
were based on the Nizamuddin Markaz gathering during Covid, anti-CAA protests,
Northeast Delhi riots, Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and the arrest of Sharjeel Imam
on charges of sedition.
STF has filed a charge sheet against all the accused,
including KA Rauf Sharif, National General Secretary of Campus Front of India,
the student wing of Popular Front of India, Treasurer Atiq-Ur-Rehman,
journalists Siddiqui Kamran Mohammad Alam and Masood Ahmed for inciting riots
in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras.
A note mentioned in the charge sheet says, "These
writings of Siddiqui Kappan can, to a large extent, be classified as communal.
Taking names of minorities during riots and talking about incidents related to
them can inflame emotions. Responsible journalists do not do such communal
reporting. Kappan reports only instigated Muslims, which is a hidden agenda of
the Popular Front of India (PFI). Some stories were written to sympathise with
Maoists and Communists".
The charge sheet was again filed in April this year,
months after Kappan, PFI members Atiq-Ur-Rehman and Masood Ahmed, and their
driver Alam were arrested in Mathura on their way to Hathras on October 5 last
year. He was booked under UAPA and on charges of sedition.
Significantly, the STF has claimed that the PFI wanted
to create unrest and a riot-like situation under the guise of protests
demanding justice for the Hathras victim. As per the case diary note, the
article has been recovered from the forensic lab from Kappan's laptop. In the
note, the police claimed that Kappan acted as a think tank of the PFI. He used
to publish anti-Hindu stories in Malayalam media.
Source: India Today
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LeT terrorist killed, another held with grenade in
separate Shopian ops
Oct 2, 2021
SRINAGAR: A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, who had
joined the outfit barely 20 days ago, was killed in an encounter in south
Kashmir’s Shopian district early Friday. In another anti-terror operation, a joint
team of security forces apprehended a LeT terrorist with a hand grenade and 29
rounds of 7.62mm calibre from Shopian’s Mujhmarg Junction later in the day.
At least 113 terrorists (including infiltrators) have
been killed in anti-terror operations across Kashmir Valley this year so far,
said a police officer. As per officials, July has so far been the deadliest
month during which 31 terrorists — most of them from LeT — alone were slain.
Meanwhile, more than three months after J&K Police
inspector Parvez Ahmad was gunned down by LeT terrorists, police on Friday
claimed to have solved the case with the arrest of one of the accused,
identified as Muheeb Bashir Dar from Nowgam, on the outskirts of Srinagar.
Around 5am, a joint team of Army’s 34RR, CRPF’s 178Bn
and J&K Police launched a cordon-and-search operation in Rakhama village in
Shopian’s Vehil hamlet, based on specific inputs about the presence of a
terrorist. “We found that a local terrorist was hiding there. He was repeatedly
asked to surrender but he opened fire at the search party instead, and was
killed in retaliatory fire,” a police spokesman said.
“The slain terrorist was identified as Mujeeb Lone
from Redwani Bala in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Arms and ammunition
including one pistol and a magazine were recovered from the spot,” said the
spokesman.
Later in the day, a joint team of the Army’s 1RR,
CRPF’s 178Bn and Shopian Police set up a special checkpoint in Shopian’s
Mujhmarg Junction based on intelligence inputs about terrorists’ movement and
possible plans to attack security forces.
Source: Times of India
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