Sudarshan News ‘UPSC Jihad’ Row: Kavendra Singh Sagar, an IPS Officer Looks Back with Gratitude on His Days at The Jamia Millia Islamia UPSC Coaching Centre
New
Age Islam News Bureau
13 September 2020
The Jamia
Centre for Coaching and Career Planning in Delhi | By special arrangement
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• Sudarshan News ‘UPSC Jihad’ Row: Kavendra Singh
Sagar, an IPS Officer Looks Back with Gratitude on His Days at The Jamia Millia
Islamia UPSC Coaching Centre
• Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal
Jamaat Hold Anti-Shia Rally In Karachi, Pelt Stones At Imambargah
• Afghanistan Must Have Islamic System, We Must Take
into Account the Interests of All In Talks: Mullah Baradar
• Counter-Extremism Is Heavily Politicised: The Scale
of Islamist and Far-Right Extremism Among British Young People
• Filmmaker Michael Moore Compares ‘Mass Killer’
Donald Trump To Osama Bin Laden
• Hamas TV Glorifies Jihad, Urges 'Death to Israel!
• Egypt’s Islamophobia Watch condemns Quran burning in
Sweden
India
• Sudarshan News ‘UPSC Jihad’ Row: Kavendra Singh
Sagar, an IPS Officer Looks Back with Gratitude on His Days at The Jamia Millia
Islamia UPSC Coaching Centre
• Stay Away from Politics or Face Consequences: Hizbul
to J-K Leaders
• Delhi Court Convicts Nine More Islamic State
Operatives in Terror Case After They Pleaded Guilty of Establishing A Base of
The Terror Outfit in India
• Hindu Man Performs 'Tarpan', Special Prayers, For Muslim
Friend During 'Pitrupaksha' In MP's Sagar
• UDF, Muslim league are tarnishing KT Jaleel's image,
alleges Kerala law minister
• Police lodge FIR after former Congress minister
Raman Bhalla gets threatening letter from Hizb
• 4 arrested in Pampore, Tral for 'supporting
militants'
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Pakistan
• Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal
Jamaat Hold Anti-Shia Rally In Karachi, Pelt Stones At Imambargah
• NA speaker hopeful of consensus over FATF bills
• Islamic Banking industry continues its upward
trajectory
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South Asia
• Afghanistan Must Have Islamic System, We Must Take
into Account the Interests of All In Talks: Mullah Baradar
• Afghan, Taliban Delegation Form Joint Committee to
Facilitate Intra-Afghan Talks
• Everyone responsible for Narayanganj mosque blast
will face speedy trial: CID
• Taliban Raid Security Post in Kapisa, Kill 5
• Germany Announces Readiness to Host Peace Talks
• Ceasefire Top Priority during Intra-Afghan Talks:
Nadiri
• Dhaka-Delhi connectivity positively impacts
Bangladesh, India's north-east: Shringla
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Europe
• Counter-Extremism Is Heavily Politicised: The Scale
of Islamist and Far-Right Extremism Among British Young People
• Harry Styles ‘lands new movie role replacing Shia
LeBeouf in Don’t Worry Darling with Chris Pine and Florence Pugh’
• Johnson faces pressure from MPs – but a third of
Brits say it is acceptable to breach international law
• Coronavirus: Britain on ‘edge of losing control’ of
spread of Covid, says government scientific adviser
--------
North America
• Filmmaker Michael Moore Compares ‘Mass Killer’
Donald Trump To Osama Bin Laden
• UN Adopts Saudi Resolution to Fight Pandemic
• Belarusian Muslim Leaders Break with Moscow Mufti
and Attack Lukashenka
• The Vaisovtsy, Bulgar Activists Who Tried to Combine
Pure Islam with Bolshevism, Recalled as Source of Ideas about the Future
--------
Mideast
• Hamas TV Glorifies Jihad, Urges 'Death to Israel!
• Iran’s Friday Prayer Leaders Condemn Desecration of
Islam’s Prophet, Holy Quran
• Muslims Must Protect Their Values in Current
Critical Situation: Rouhani
• Shiite Muslims to Observe Arbaeen Remotely over
Pandemic: Iran
• Anti-Netanyahu protesters keep up pressure on
Israeli leader
• Oman Welcomes Bahrain's Move to Normalize Ties With
Israel
• Thousands of Israelis protest outside Netanyahu’s
residence
• "US-Brokered Deal Makes Bahrain Partner To
Israel Crimes": Iran
--------
Arab world
• Egypt’s Islamophobia Watch condemns Quran burning in
Sweden
• Head of Muslim Scholars Union Slams Bahrain-Israel
Pact
• Islamic Universities League to Hold Virtual Int'l
Conference to Enhance its Role in Serving Society
• Saudi Arabia announces 27 more deaths from COVID-19
-------
Southeast Asia
• Political Understanding Among Muslim Youths Should
Be Enhanced - Abdul Hadi
• Ismail Sabri: 512 arrests yesterday including over
private parties, activities at pubs, nightclubs
--------
Africa
• Southern Kaduna: Fresh killings may derail peace
deal – Miyetti Allah
• Late Wa Imam’s family rejects GH¢20k funeral
donation from Bawumia
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL; https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sudarshan-news-upsc-jihad-row/d/122847
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Sudarshan News ‘UPSC Jihad’ Row: Kavendra Singh Sagar, an IPS Officer Looks Back With Gratitude On His Days At The Jamia Millia Islamia UPSC Coaching Centre
KRITIKA SHARMA
12 September, 2020
New Delhi: Kavendra Singh Sagar, an IPS officer who
serves as superintendent of police (SP) in Banswara, Rajasthan, looks back with
gratitude on his days at the Jamia Millia Islamia UPSC coaching centre.
“Jamia’s UPSC coaching is the best bet for those who
do not have the means to attend private coaching,” said Singh, a member of the
centre’s 2014 batch. “They have the best kind of facilities, library, test
papers, teachers. It all helped me crack the exam and become an IPS officer.”
Sagar is one of over 240 IAS, IPS and other central
civil servants, and more than 260 officers in state services and other
government jobs, who count the Centre for Coaching and Career Planning at
Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia as their alma mater.
An important destination for the underprivileged in
their journey into the civil services, the centre is currently in news as the
subject of a controversial show that seeks to project it as the fountainhead of
so-called “UPSC jihad”.
The show in question was aired on Sudarshan News, a
Hindi channel, Friday night. It is the latest episode of a programme called
Bindaas Bol, hosted by Sudarshan News Editor-in-Chief Suresh Chavhanke, who is
no stranger to allegations of hate speech.
The facility is one of five centres set up by the
government between 2009 and 2010 to provide underprivileged communities with
free residential coaching for the civil services and other government exams.
As IPS officer Sagar said, it is a place where
underprivileged communities — not just Muslims, but also the Scheduled Tribes
(STs), the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and women — find a fighting shot at a dream
that is, by far, the most coveted accomplishment for most Indians.
The initiative is meant to encourage more students
from these communities to ace government exams. And student experiences suggest
it is helping them do exactly that.
Bhanu Prabha, who is posted as district magistrate at
Tirap in Arunachal Pradesh, studied at the coaching centre between 2012 and
2014. Her training at the centre, she says, helped her crack the civil services
interviews.
“The coaching helped me to prepare for the interview
stage, because the academy arranged a mock interview with a senior officers’
panel,” said Prabha. They focused primarily on answer-writing and
essay-writing. This is very important for scoring a high rank.”
Mohammad Tarique, deputy director at the centre, said,
“Ever since the inception of the coaching centre in 2010, we have had more than
240 students selected and placed as IAS, IPS, IRS and customs officers. More
than 260 students have been placed as officers in the state services, and
central armed police forces, like the BSF, ITBP and others.”
Former University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Ved
Prakash, under whom the five coaching centres were established, said the
initiative was aimed at increasing the representation of people from backward
castes and minorities in civil services.
“It was felt that minorities and people from the SC,
ST communities are not fairly represented in civil services, hence the coaching
centres were started in five universities,” Prakash said.
Apart from Jamia Millia Islamia, the coaching centres
were set up at Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi, Aligarh Muslim University,
Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, and Bhimrao Ambedkar
University, Delhi. The initial grant for setting up the centres was given by
the UGC, and the central government now issues funds annually for their
operations.
According to Prakash, most of the universities,
“especially Jamia Hamdard and Jamia Millia”, are doing a very good job, and
“producing a good number of civil servants each year”.
Tarique, who has been associated with the coaching
centre since its inception, dismissed the allegation that one religion
dominates the student rolls.
“We have an equal representation from all religions in
the coaching centre, there are students who are Sikhs, Christians, Muslims and
we even have some Buddhist students. Women and SC/ST candidates are also
represented fairly,” he added.
Tarique said students are admitted on the basis of an
entrance test and interview. “The test carries 85 per cent weightage and
interview carries 15 per cent weightage, so whoever performs well in the test
will be admitted. There is no chance that the system could be biased towards a
particular community,” he said.
The “UPSC jihad” aka “bureaucracy jihad” episode of
Chavhanke’s show was announced through a trailer that has been widely panned
for its provocative language. Civil servants had subsequently criticised the
show, terming it hate speech, and demanded action against Chavhanke.
Following a plea from Jamia students and alumni, the
Delhi High Court had ordered a stay on the show’s telecast on 28 August.
However, when Sudarshan News challenged the stay, the court left the final call
to the central government, which gave its go-ahead Wednesday, citing rules that
don’t allow pre-censorship of TV programming.
The Union Information & Broadcasting Ministry just
advised the channel to make sure it doesn’t violate the code that oversees
television and advertising content — among the provisions of the code is one
that bars programmes containing attacks on religions or communities, visuals or
words contemptuous of religious groups, or which promote communal attitudes.
There has been no comment so far from the Jamia
administration on the I&B Ministry’s go-ahead for the programme. ThePrint
has sought a comment from the official spokesperson through text and phone, but
was yet to receive a response by the time of publishing.
Asked about the Sudarshan News controversy, Tarique
said he hoped the authorities “look into what’s going on and fulfil their
duty”.
Meanwhile, the controversy has done little to harm the
image of the coaching centre as a beacon of hope.
Manisha Minz, who is enrolled at a private coaching
centre in Delhi, said she will apply to the centre. “I had no idea about the
coaching centre until this year. I will apply to the centre… I am eligible as I
belong to the ST category, it would save me a lot of money as well.”
https://theprint.in/india/education/jamia-centre-at-heart-of-sudarshan-news-upsc-jihad-row-has-coached-500-govt-officers/500738/
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Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat
Hold Anti-Shia Rally In Karachi, Pelt Stones At Imambargah
News Desk
September 12, 2020
Tehreek-e-Labbaik
Pakistan (TLP) and Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) held a rally in Karachi
against the minority community.
-----
Amid an increase in registration of blasphemy cases
against Shias in Pakistan, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and
Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) held a rally in Karachi against the minority
community.
During the rally, the participant chanted hate slogans,
such as ‘Shia kafir’ against the members of the Shia community and demanded a
ban on Muharram processions.
Imam Bargah Imamia at Lines Area under attack by the
same goons, some pelting on Bargah reported.#ShiaGenocide
pic.twitter.com/HD5rUfrBJo
Its getting more and more dangerous for Shias of
Pakistan as the state seems to have abandoned them completely..#ShiaGenocide
pic.twitter.com/AnvHS5oqlB
Another social media user said that the demonstrators
held banners belonging to a known terrorist organization– ASWJ/SSP– that has
been responsible for the targeted killings of Shia Muslims in the country.
This is extremely worrying, and this is a strong
indication that there will be further sectarian violence in the country.
pic.twitter.com/3p44xE5Qsf
Since the start of Muharram, there has been an
increase in hate campaigns against Shia groups and subsequent blasphemy
allegations for reciting Ziyarat-e-Ashura — a prayer that denounces the killers
of Imam Hussain. Moreover, a number of Shia orators were detained across the
country for allegedly making blasphemous statements against some companions of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
At least 42 cases pertaining to blasphemy were
registered across Pakistan in a single month. Most of those accused of
blasphemy belonged to the Shia community, who have been booked under 295-A and
298 sections of the Pakistan Penal Code for allegedly ‘insulting the companions
of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’.
Similarly, members of Ahmadiyya and Christian
communities are also among the people accused of blasphemy. Blasphemy
accusations are highly inflammatory in deeply conservative Pakistan and have in
the past sparked mob lynchings, vigilante murders, and mass protests.
Amid a rise in such cases, the Human Rights Commission
of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was ‘gravely concerned’ at the recent surge in
blasphemy cases being registered against sectarian and religious minorities,
particularly the Shia community, and the potential for ensuing sectarian
violence. It said the police must also refrain from registering blasphemy cases
so promptly, knowing full well the sensitive implications of doing so when such
complaints are often fabricated and spurred on by personal vendettas.
Days after a Shia cleric was booked for alleged
blasphemous remarks, anti-Shia wall chalking — a hate practice common since the
80s — has reappeared in various neighbourhoods of Karachi.
According to a post shared on Facebook, the wall
chalking also had flags of banned sectarian outfits next to it. “Today, Prime
Minister and COAS are coming to Karachi and we can see how the decades-old wall
chalking of “Shia Kafir” started reappearing on the street walls of various
neighbourhoods in Karachi with the flags of the banned militant outfits.”
Pakistan Shias — that account for 20 per cent of the
country’s population — have been at the receiving end of faith-based violence
since the 1980s.
In the latter half of the 20th Century, the religious
minority started facing the brunt of Sunni extremist groups, such as Ahle
Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan
(SSP) which are considered to be the same group with different names. All these
groups claimed to target Shia over their ‘blasphemous practices’.
https://nayadaur.tv/2020/09/extremist-outfits-hold-anti-shia-rally-in-karachi-pelt-stones-at-imambargah/
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Afghanistan Must Have Islamic System, We Must Take
into Account the Interests of All In Talks: Mullah Baradar
September 12, 2020
Afghanistan
Must Have Islamic System, We Must Take into Account the Interests of All In
Talks: Mullah Baradar
------
Taliban’s deputy leader Mullah Baradar said at the
opening ceremony of intra-Afghan talks that Afghanistan must have an Islamic
system so that all citizens can see themselves in it.
Mullah Baradar said at the first meeting of
intra-Afghan negotiations, held in Doha on Saturday, that Taliban have so far
acted based on the US-Taliban agreement.
Being the third speaker at the opening ceremony, Baradar
said: “Taliban assures Afghan people that they will conduct the negotiations
sincerely. We must take into account the interests of all”.
“Afghanistan should have an Islamic system in which
all Afghans should see themselves represented,” he added.
It is worth mentioning that Taliban in their rhetoric
did not mention women’s rights, achievements of the past two decades, the
rights of religious and ethnic minorities and human rights.
https://www.didpress.com/en/2020/09/12/afghanistan-must-have-islamic-system-we-must-take-into-account-the-interests-of-all-in-talks-mullah-baradar/
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Counter-Extremism Is Heavily Politicised: The Scale of
Islamist and Far-Right Extremism Among British Young People
12th September 2020
Cristina Ariza
Counter-Extremism Is Heavily Politicised. For years,
leading politicians have failed to engage constructively, shying away from
tackling divisive groups head on. But the rise in identity politics should not
stop us from making greater efforts to bridge divides and identify and root out
those seeking to damage the social fabric of our communities.
In 2020, governments across the world have had to deal
with the unprecedented health and economic challenges posed by the spread of
Covid-19. While the priority of every government at the moment should be to
protect lives and the economy by building in the necessary infrastructure to
live with the virus as we wait for a vaccine, let us not forget that the
problems that existed before Covid-19 will continue to exist afterwards. If anything,
Covid-19 will only exacerbate the problems that were there before.
This year marks 15 years since the 7/7 terrorist
attacks, which led to a shift in the way we looked at security in Britain.
Avoiding a similar event was the core aim of my government’s renewed and
updated focus on counter-extremism. Yet extremism, both violent and not, is an
ever-evolving challenge. As new extreme movements gain momentum, political
leaders must be equipped to tackle this threat effectively. Even during the
spread of Covid-19, extremist groups have found a reason to mobilise and
promote their hateful rhetoric.
Yet it is imperative that we continue to tackle the
threat of extremism from across the ideological spectrum. The rise of the far
right and the increased threat of Shia extremism, for example, demand that we
take an objective look at all forms of extremism. All political movements are
struggling with extremism, both within and on the fringes of their own parties.
This makes it harder to accuse any one community of suffering from this
problem. We therefore have an opportunity to unite behind a new focus, not just
on violent extremism but on the dangerous ideologies behind extremism in the
UK.
This report, the third and last in a series that seeks
to push UK counter-extremism policy in a more practical and cohesive direction,
highlights the pressing need for a renewed political focus. The narratives my
Institute have identified are clearly resonating with a sizeable minority, one
we cannot ignore out of convenience. Dangerous views about immigrants and
minorities “invading” Britain, the state of democracy and even the use of
violence are being spread among our young people.
Any and all government counter-extremism policies are
bound to be criticised: Extremist groups have a vested interest in maligning
policies as a gateway to their more damaging worldview. By framing
counter-extremism as a targeted, police state–style apparatus, extremist groups
prey on young people’s feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty in an otherwise
febrile political atmosphere. That these programmes have a reputation for
opacity does not help.
We must be clear: Much of the blame lies at the feet
of these extremist groups. They cannot continue to operate with the impunity
that the political system currently allows them. Yet the drivers this report
identifies also point to a more complex picture, one in which the information
ecosystem of young people pushes extreme narratives to the fore.
However, this research shows there are also reasons to
be optimistic. An overwhelming majority of those surveyed hold positive views
of the future and their own agency. Many of those suffering from
discrimination, like young Muslim women, still prove hopeful and resilient.
These are the feelings we must foster, to build this same resilience in those
who are less sanguine. Positivity, diversity and critical thinking are a
bulwark against dangerous ideas.
As we continue to reflect on the impact of Covid-19 on
our lives, including skyrocketing unemployment figures, fears of recession and
entrenching of political division, we should be mindful of how they can provide
the material conditions in which extremism emerges. To avoid exacerbating
existing tensions, the government must refocus its agenda on extremism in the
UK. This agenda must be one that crosses the narrow political divides and
identities that hold progress back. One that relocates counter-extremism as a
cross-government endeavour, bringing diffuse and disconnected policies
together. And one that is unapologetic to those guilty of hate. The resources
my Institute has produced show clear examples of divisive extremism. Only by
calling these out can we stop them from further damaging the social fabric that
is vital for the well-being of our societies.
https://institute.global/policy/resonating-narratives-scale-islamist-and-far-right-extremism-among-british-young-people
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Filmmaker Michael Moore Compares ‘Mass Killer’ Donald
Trump To Osama Bin Laden
September 12, 2020
Chip Somodevilla
During an “Emergency Podcast Episode” of RUMBLE, host
and filmmaker Michael Moore accused Donald Trump of being a “mass killer” and
compared him to al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, Breitbart reported.
“My friends,” he said. “This is murder. In the
extreme. No American other than Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his
General Robert E. Lee has killed more Americans than Donald J. Trump.”
Moore linked his emergency commentary to the recent
Bob Woodward revelations. In particular, Trump faced significant criticism for
leaked audio that showed him acknowledging the deadly nature of coronavirus
compared to the flu, despite attempts at the time to downplay its severity.
“Think about that,” Moore said. “Civil War. 600,000
plus dead. Thank you, Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. We’re heading over
200,000.”
The filmmaker also cited the IHME projection that over
400,000 Americans will die from COVID-19 by the end of the year, per CBS News.
But Breitbart pushed back on the reliability of the IHME model and pointed to
the global health research center’s alleged “pattern of failed projections.”
Nevertheless, Moore continued to attack Trump for his
decision to downplay the severity of coronavirus instead of being honest with
the American public.
“What if he had chosen to do what any other decent,
sane, moral person would have done when informed about this national security
threat?”
Later, Moore compared Trump to bin Laden, who was one
of the masterminds behind the September 11 attacks.
“I can tell you for a fact that Osama Bin Laden did
not fly a single one of those God damn airplanes,” Moore said, noting that the
former terrorist leader is still responsible for the deaths of the event.
According to Moore, both the al-Qaeda founder and
Trump are mass killers. In particular, the Bowling for Columbine filmmaker said
Trump is responsible for 67 September 11 attacks due to his purported
responsibility for the approximately 193,000 pandemic deaths as of Saturday
afternoon.
U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to welcome President
Klaus Iohannis of Romania to the White House for a "working visit"
June 9, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Moore is not the only figure who has expressed his
belief that Trump is complicit in U.S. deaths for his coronavirus response. As
The Inquisitr reported, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said that
Trump’s comments in Woodward’s interview constituted an admission that he
committed second-degree murder.
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s The Dean Obeidallah
Show, the MSNBC legal analyst claimed that the president fit the criteria for
the charge: causing the death of another person, and intent. According to
Kirschner, Trump’s taped admission that he knew of the danger of COVID-19 can
be used to prove that he knew the repercussions of his actions.
https://www.inquisitr.com/6277185/michael-moore-mass-killer-trump-osama/
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Hamas TV glorifies jihad, urges 'Death to Israel!
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDS
SEPTEMBER 13, 2020
Hamas has broadcast an advert glorifying terrorism and
the killing of innocent Israelis in jihad, NGO Palestinian Media Watch (PMW)
has revealed.
A one-minute filler aired on Hamas-run al-Aqsa TV on
August 29, 2020, depicts a group of Palestinian terrorists in jail, watching a
news report on a (fictional) suicide bombing in Tel Aviv which has claimed 19
lives. The prisoners leap to their feet and cheer, before realizing that one of
their group is crying. When an inmate asks him why, he reveals that he had
wanted to be part of the suicide bombing operation. His fellow inmate assures
him that Allah will reward him for being jailed as a terrorist.
The video is by no means atypical of the output on
Hamas-run TV. Palestinian Media Watch, which monitors Palestinian media output,
watched a full day of television broadcast on August 23 2020, and found
numerous examples of anti-Israel, anti-Jew and pro-terror messages.
"Hamas’ broadcasts demonstrate the depths of hate
Hamas disseminates against Israel and Jews alongside its pro-terror and murder
messages," the NGO noted.
“The fire [in the Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1969] is still
burning and still has not been extinguished since its occupation by the Zionist
terror," he said.
"Because the Muslims are distracted from it, and
they are in a deep slumber … The arson in Jerusalem demands a greater arson
that will burn its thieves, burn the attacking sons of Zion, burn the lowly
Arabs and non-Arabs, burn those (i.e., the PA) who are carrying out security
coordination [with Israel] and those dealing in [Jerusalem’s] sanctity, and
burn whoever normalizes their relations (i.e., UAE) and flatters the
occupation. Long live Jerusalem, free and proud! … Long live Palestine, free
and eternal; and death to Israel, the occupation, and the Zionist terror!”
A filler segment on the same day intermixed images of
masked Hamas terrorists wielding assault rifles with an excerpt of a speech by
Hamas Political Bureau member Khalil Al-Hayya, who said: “We are saying to the
occupation that we are primed and ready, and our hands are squeezing the
trigger. We’re not afraid of threats or hints about an attack here or killings
or bombings. Know that bombings will be answered with bombings. Rockets will be
answered with rockets. Casualties will be answered with casualties! Palestine –
its people lives! And it has fortunate heroic men. They will sacrifice their
blood and all that is precious to them in defense of their land, defense of
their Jerusalem, defense of their heritage, and defense of their present and
future!”
Another filler featured a song glorifying past terror
attacks, as well as the capture of Gilad Shalit and the holding of the bodies
of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who were killed during the 2014 Gaza War.
"Day and night we are preparing tunnels… We came
from below, from the land, from the air…" the lyrics ran, "We will
never forget the Martyr prisoners who were led as grooms to Heaven…"
A third showed a close-up of someone's hand attempting
to open a prison cell door with various keys. One labelled [UN] 'Security
Council' fails to open the door, as does another labelled 'negotiations.'
Ultimately a hand of a Hamas fighter with a black sleeve and black fingerless
tactical gloves with a key labeled 'resistance' succeeds in opening the door
and freeing the prisoner inside. As a prisoner and a Hamas fighter exit the
prison, images of various imprisoned terrorists appeared on screen.
A fourth featured a Hamas fighter loading bullets into
a magazine and shooting at a hand with an Israeli flag drawn along the arm. The
Israeli hand is grasping a white dove symbolizing Palestinian prisoners, and
when it is shot, the dove is set free.
https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/hamas-tv-glorifies-jihad-urges-death-to-israel-642065
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Egypt’s Islamophobia Watch condemns Quran burning in
Sweden
Source : IQNA
September 13, 202
The Egyptian Dar Al Ifta's Islamophobia Watch
denounced the move by far-right groups in Sweden to once again burn a copy of
Islam’s Holy Book.
The Islamophobia Watch issued a statement describing
the move as a crime that hurt the feelings of Muslims in Sweden and elsewhere,
Masrawy website reported.
The statement added that respect for religious
sanctities is among nations’ most basic rights and that governments must
prevent desecration of religious values.
Following a similar Islamophobic provocation last
month, a far-right group on Thursday burned a copy of the Holy Quran in a
heavily Muslim area of Sweden.
Members of the Danish far-right group Hard Line (Stram
Kurs) burned the Muslim Holy Book in an illegal demonstration in the Rinkeby neighborhood
of Stockholm.
Last month in the southern Sweden city of Malmo,
supporters of Rasmus Paludan, Hard Line’s leader, also burned a copy of the
Quran.
https://en.abna24.com/news//egypt%e2%80%99s-islamophobia-watch-condemns-quran-burning-in-sweden_1070117.html
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India
Stay away from politics or face consequences: Hizbul
to J-K leaders
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria
Sep 13, 2020
Hizbul Mujahideen has allegedly threatened leaders in
Jammu and Kashmir to “get ready to face dire consequences” if they don’t stay
away from political activities, according to the police.
The threat has been issued through a letter written in
Urdu on the proscribed terror group’s letterhead, officials said.
“The letter was addressed to Jammu & Kashmir’s
Congress vice-president and former minister, Raman Bhalla. The letter was
delivered at Congress office in Shahidi Chowk via post on Saturday afternoon,”
said Anayat Ali, station house officer (SHO), Pir Mitha police station, Jammu.
The letter contained the names of politicians from the
Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other parties, Ali said.
A case under sections 121-A (waging war against the
government of India) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code
(IPC), and sections 13 (unlawful activity), 16 and 18 (terrorist act) of the
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act (UAPAA), 2019, has been
registered, Ali said.
The Hizbul has referred to the killing of public
representatives in the letter, according to people aware of the developments
who did not want to be named.
Congress sarpanch Ajay Pandita and BJP leader Waseem
Bari were gunned down in the Kashmir Valley in June and July, respectively.
Ravinder Sharma, a Congress spokesperson and a former
member of J&K legislative council, said the letter was delivered at the
party office by post on Saturday afternoon.
However, a BJP leader, who did not want to be named,
said the letter could be a prank, but he admitted that leaders from his party
face threat from terrorists.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/stay-away-from-politics-or-face-consequences-hizbul-to-j-k-leaders/story-DuzaSOiDzuA6Srb6jZo6mN.html
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Delhi Court Convicts Nine More Islamic State
Operatives in Terror Case After They Pleaded Guilty of Establishing A Base of
The Terror Outfit in India
Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu
September 12, 2020
A local court in Delhi has convicted nine more people
for hatching a criminal conspiracy aimed at establishing a base of the terror
outfit Islamic State in India by recruiting local Muslim youths for terror
activites.
The court convicted the nine people on Friday after
all of them pleaded guilty. Prior to this, the court had convicted six other IS
operatives in this case. They too had pleaded guilty.
The nine people convicted on Friday are: Abu Anas,
Nafees Khan, Najmul Huda, Mohd Afzal, Suhail Ahamed, Obedullah Khan, Mohd
Aleem, Mufti Abdul Sami Qasmi and Amjad Khan.
Their advocate Qausar Khan said the court convicted
them under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and
various sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and
Explosive Substances Act.
Their court convicted them after accepting their
application wherein they pleaded guilty to being involved in the criminal
conspiracy. The court has now posted the for September 22, when it will hear
the arguments on their quantum of sentence.
On the next date of hearing, the court will also hear
arguments on the quantum of sentence of six others - Mudabbir Mushtaq Sheikh,
Mohammad Shareef Moinudeen Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Hussain Khan, Syed Mujahid
and Mohammad Azhar Khan - who were earlier convicted after they pleaded guilty.
The court have directed the jail authorities to file
reports regarding their conduct and asked the defence counsel to inform about
their background and family's condition.
While pleading guilty, the accused told the court that
they were "remorseful for the acts alleged against them", and
undertook not to indulge in similar acts and activities in future.
Advocate Khan has further told the court that the
accused wanted to return to the mainstream society and rehabilitate themselves.
"The accused are having clean antecedents, even
their conduct in jail are satisfactory and there is nothing adverse against
them...the accused are pleading guilty voluntarily without any pressure,
threat, coercion, inducement or undue influence and he that he understands the
consequences," their plea had said.
The advocate said though the maximum punishment for
the offences in which the accused persons are convicted after pleading guilty
is life imprisonment, the court may consider all other aspects mentioned before
it while pronouncing quantum of punishment.
The case, registered by the NIA on December 9, 2015
pertains to the larger criminal conspiracy hatched by the Islamic State to
establish its base in India by recruiting Muslim youths for the proscribed
terror group through different social media platforms, the NIA said.
The accused had formed Junood-ul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind
organisation, seeking to establish a caliphate in India and pledging allegiance
to ISIS, to recruit Muslim youths to work for the ISIS and commit acts of
terrorism in India at the behest of Syria-based Yusuf-Al-Hindi who is
purportedly the media chief of ISIS, the NIA said.
The NIA filed chargesheets against the accused persons
in 2016-2017. This case was first of its kind in which terrorist conspiracy of
this magnitude involving online radicalisation was effected on cyber space in
the aftermath of declaration of Islamic Caliphate by ISIS leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi in 2014, the NIA had said.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/delhi-court-convicts-9-more-islamic-state-operatives-in-terror-case-after-they-pleaded-guilty-1721247-2020-09-12
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Hindu Man Performs 'Tarpan', Special Prayers, For
Muslim Friend During 'Pitrupaksha' In MP's Sagar
By Express News Service
12th September 2020
BHOPAL: No barrier of religion, caste or colour can
affect the eternal bond of friendship.
While Hindus across the globe pay tributes to their
ancestors through rituals and special prayers during the ongoing fortnight of
Pitrupaksha, a man in Sagar district of
Madhya Pradesh has been performing similar rituals to pay tributes to his long
time friend Syed Wahid Ali, who died three years ago in a road accident.
"Syed Wahid Ali has been my best friend since
childhood. He was an advocate who practised law in Gopalganj area of Sagar
district. He died three years back in a road accident. Just like I perform
tarpan of my ancestors in the Pitrupaksha fortnight, I performed tarpan for my
late best friend, praying that his soul be in peace and we are born as friends
again," said Pandit Ram Naresh Dubey, a resident of Chaturbhata village in
Surkhi area of Sagar district.
Every day, the elderly Brahmin performs special
prayers and rituals before the pictures of his ancestors and Ali.
Tarpan is performed facing south, remembering the
ancestors by their names with offers of water, milk and black sesame seeds.
"My father died in November 2017. Three years
later, his friend Ram Naresh Dubey, not only keeps visiting but has performed
special prayers in my father's memory. This is one of the best examples of the
secular fabric of our country and the Ganga Jamuni culture," said Syed's
son Wajid Ali.
The priest who performed the Tarpan ritual for Dubey
said, "I've never seen such a deep bond of friendship, which even death
has failed to break."
Dubey's village is located in Surkhi area -- one of
the 27 assembly segments of MP going to by-polls within a few weeks. It was
from Surkhi assembly segment only that the BJP launched the Ram Shila Pujan
Yatra, reportedly to reap the benefits of the Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Temple at
Ayodhya.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2020/sep/12/hindu-man-performs-tarpanfor-muslim-friend-during-pitrupaksha-in-mps-sagar-2196101.html
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UDF, Muslim league are tarnishing KT Jaleel's image,
alleges Kerala law minister
13th September 2020
By Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after CPM secretariat
defended higher education minister KT Jaleel, law minister AK Balan said it's
the open stance of the UDF especially the Muslim League to tarnish the image of
the minister in the public sphere.
Reiterating the CPM stance that there was nothing
wrong in accepting Quran, he said what the central agency has sought was only
some details from the minister and he was given the notice to appear before the
investigation officials as a person. He had accepted the religious texts as per
law, he said.
Jaleel refused to disclose the details of the quizzing
as per a direction issued by the Supreme Court, said Balan.
When asked about party protection, he said that there
will not be any for Jaleel if he is found guilty of the charges levelled
against him.
Jaleel was interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate
sleuths on Friday in connection with the probe into the UAE consulate linked
gold smuggling via Trivandrum International Airport.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2020/sep/13/udf-muslim-league-are-tarnishing-kt-jaleels-image-alleges-kerala-law-minister-2196309.html
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Police lodge FIR after former Congress minister Raman
Bhalla gets threatening letter from Hizb
SYED AMJAD SHAH
September 13, 2020
Police have registered a case and started an
investigation after a former minister and the J&K Congress party Vice
President, Raman Bhalla and two other leaders received threatening letters
allegedly from Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant outfit, warning them of death in
case they don’t stay away from politics.
“We received an envelope with my name on it on
September 12 at the Congress Headquarters at Shaheedi Chowk. I thought someone
might have sent a letter to highlight a public issue. To our utter shock, when
we opened, it was a threatening letter in Urdu language on the letter pad of
Hizbul Mujahideen,” said Bhalla.
Bhalla said that he alongwith three others, including
J&K Panthers Party Chairman Harsh Dev Singh and Ex-Minister Choudhary Lal
Singh, have been threatened by the militant outfit.
“Stay away from political activities or face the
consequences. You have become an obstacle in our struggle and hence, you have
become a target. If you do not keep yourself away from political activities,
get ready for death,” Bhalla said while quoting from the threatening letter.
“My relative Dr Ashok Bhalla has already been killed
in 1990-91 in Chatha in Satwari area. My security cover has also been taken
away. I have requested for security cover, but no one is listening,” he added.
Station House Officer, Pir Mitha, Inspector Nayat Ali
told Greater Kashmir: “A Congress worker had come to the police station with
the complaint and we have lodged an FIR on the basis of a threatening letter
issued by Hizb-ul-Mujahideen to Raman Bhalla. We have lodged an FIR under
section 121, 121-A, 506 of IPC and 13, 16, 18 UAPA, 1967 Act.”
Investigation is being carried out by a DySP rank
police officer, he said
https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/latest-news/police-lodge-fir-after-former-congress-minister-raman-bhalla-gets-threatening-letter-from-hizb/
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4 arrested in Pampore, Tral for 'supporting militants'
Showkat Dar
September 13, 2020
Police on Saturday said they have arrested three
youths for their alleged role in pasting posters and displaying banners of
militants in Pampore town of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Police also said
they have arrested a militant associate in Tral.
According to SP Awantipora Tahir Saleem, three persons
were arrested for ‘glorifying militancy’ by means of posters and displaying
banners in Pampore town.
“The said posters and banners were seized by police
and case FIR number 75/2020 under relevant sections of law was registered in
Police Station Pampore”, Tahir Saleem said.
He identified the arrested as Nadeem Ahmad Dar
resident of Drangbal Pampore, Irshad Ahmad Sofi resident of Tulbagh Pampore and
Shakir Ahmad Dar of Jalalabad Sopore Baramulla.
Police also claimed to have arrested a militant
associate of Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind militant outfit in Tral area of south
Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
SP Tahir Saleem said the person was involved in
providing shelter, logistics and other support to the AGH militants as well as
in transporting arms and ammunition of the militants in the Tral area.
https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/front-page-2/4-arrested-in-pampore-tral-for-supporting-militants/
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Pakistan
NA speaker hopeful of consensus over FATF bills
Amjad Iqbal
13 Sep 2020
TAXILA: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on
Saturday said the government would take all opposition parties on board for
legislation related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) before convening
a joint session of parliament to pass the bills.
Talking to mediapersons in Wah, Mr Qaiser said
political parties would be taken into confidence on the proposed FATF bills that
were crucial for getting the country out of the grey list.
Pakistan was placed on the FATF’s grey list in June
2018 and had to meet its 27-point action plan to avoid getting blacklisted as a
non-compliant nation.
The speaker said before calling the session,
consultations would be held with leaders of various political parties in the
parliament and hoped they would act responsibly.
He said there should be no politics and point scoring
on issues of national security and integrity, adding that the proposed
amendments would reflect on the government’s firm resolve to strengthen its
anti-money laundering regime.
Responding to a question about the ongoing Afghan
peace process, he said from the very first day, Pakistan had maintained a
principle stand which was “let the Afghans decide about their fate”.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1579419/na-speaker-hopeful-of-consensus-over-fatf-bills
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Islamic Banking industry continues its upward
trajectory
Ali Ahmed
12 Sep 2020
The Islamic Banking industry continued its upward
trajectory in Pakistan as the market share of the IBI’s rose to 15.3 percent
witnessing a jump of one percentage point from 15.2 percent during the year
till June 2020.
As per the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Islamic
Banking Bulletin, during the quarter under review (April-June 2020), the asset
base of the Islamic banking industry (IBI) grew by 8.1 percent to reach to Rs
3,633 billion while deposits of IBI stood at Rs 2,946 billion depicting
quarterly growth of 9.5 percent; YoY growth was recorded 21.4 percent and 22
percent for assets and deposits, respectively.
Similarly, ‘financing & investments (net)’
recorded quarterly growth of 15.5 percent and reached Rs 2,597 billion,
whereas, the YoY growth was 20.8 percent.
In terms of market share, the Islamic banking industry
now stands at 15.3 percent and 16.9 percent, respectively in assets and
deposits of the overall banking industry. Moreover, at the end of the reporting
period, profit before tax of IBIs stood at Rs 49 billion.
The assets of the Islamic banking industry increased
from Rs 3,360 billion to Rs 3,633 billion at the end of June 2020. It was a
significant increase of Rs 273 billion compared to the corresponding increase
of Rs 202 billion during 2019. At the end of June 2020, the market share of the
Islamic banking industry’s assets in the overall banking industry’s assets
increased from 15.2 percent to 15.3 percent.
The deposit base of IBIs increased by 9.5 percent i.e.
Rs 254 billion to Rs 2,946 billion at the end of June 2020 showing a YoY
increase of 22 percent, slightly higher than the growth in the deposit base of
the overall banking industry, which saw an increase of 9.3 percent and YoY rise
of 14.3 percent during the period under review.
The growth in deposits largely came from customer
deposits of varied kinds, in particular, non-remunerative current accounts and
saving deposits.
At the end of June 2020, the infrastructure of the
Islamic banking industry remained the same with 22 Islamic banking institutions
(IBIs); 5 full-fledged Islamic banks (IBs), and 17 conventional banks having
standalone Islamic banking branches (IBB's). However, the branch network of
IBIs increased from 2,913 branches to 3,274 branches during FY 20. As evident
from Figure-1, the major share of branches is concentrated in Punjab, followed
by Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). The number of Islamic banking windows
(dedicated counters at conventional branches) operated by conventional banks
having Islamic banking branches (IBBs) stood at 1,394.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40018219/islamic-banking-industry-continues-its-upward-trajectory
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South Asia
Afghan, Taliban Delegation Form Joint Committee to
Facilitate Intra-Afghan Talks
By Mohammad Arif Sheva
13 Sep 2020
DOHA, Qatar – The Afghan representatives and the
Taliban delegation – who launched the intra-Afghan talks in Qatari capital Doha
on Saturday – formed a joint committee of 10 members to facilitate the
negotiations.
In this committee, there are five members from each
parties to represent their group accordingly – the Afghan negotiation team and
the Taliban delegation.
Enayatullah Baligh, Zarar Ahmad Moqabel, Massom
Stanikzai, Fowzia Kofi and Nader Nadiri are introduced by the Afghan government
to the committee, according to sources.
While Taliban introduced Shekh Abdul Kabir, Abbas
Stanikzai, Shekh Delawar, Shekh Qasem and Noorullah Noori to represent its
delegation within the committee.
This came after the initial meeting on Intra-Afghan
talks was held Saturday in Doha, Qatar, as Afghan and Taliban delegation,
including international allies from Asian, Europe, United Nation and NATO
representatives, came together in a bid to determine a political settlement to
Afghanistan.
The first round of Intra-Afghan talks is due on Monday,
September 14, between the Afghan and Taliban delegation in Doha.
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-taliban-delegation-form-joint-committee-to-facilitate-intra-afghan-talks-34534/
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Everyone responsible for Narayanganj mosque blast will
face speedy trial: CID
Star Online Report
September 12, 2020
Deputy Inspector General of Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) Md Mainul Hasan has said each and every person responsible for
Narayanganj mosque blast will be brought under speedy trial, based on evidence
collected during the investigation.
"We will complete the investigation with the
highest level of professionalism and skills," he said while talking to
media after visiting Pashchim Talla Baitus Salat Mosque in Narayanganj where a
deadly explosion happened on September 4.
At least 39 people were injured in the explosion and
of them, 31 died so far.
"On completion of the investigation, we will
submit the report to a lower court,"said the DIG, who along with his team,
visited the mosque around 11:00am today.
Asked about primary findings from their investigation,
he said it seems that the explosion occurred due to accumulated gas. It can be
confirmed after further investigation, he added.
Evidence is being collected from the spot, he said,
adding, "We will talk to locals and the evidence will be examined at the
forensic department. We will complete investigation within the shortest
possible time after examining the evidence and other probe reports."
It is suspected that the explosion was caused due to
an accumulation of leaked gas -- from an underground Titas Gas pipeline -- that
came in contact with an electric spark.
Titas Gas has suspended eight of its officials and
staffers in connection with the blast. During digging, officials noticed two
holes in an underground gas pipe adjacent to the mosque.
https://www.thedailystar.net/country/news/everyone-responsible-narayanganj-mosque-blast-will-face-speedy-trial-cid-1960033
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Taliban Raid Security Post in Kapisa, Kill 5
By Mohammad Arif Sheva
13 Sep 2020
KAPISA, Afghanistan – At least five Afghan security
forces killed after the Taliban militant raided a local security post in Tagab
district of Kapisa late Saturday night, provincial authorities confirmed.
Abdul Shaiq Shorish, spokesman for the local police,
said the armed Taliban raided a security post in Tagab district of Kapisa
province at around 9pm local time.
The battle between the Afghan forces and the Taliban
continued until 3am Sunday morning, killing at least five Afghan security
officers, including the head of the post.
Seven further security forces injured during the
shootouts, according to the spokesman.
The arm battle did not inflict any casualty to the
local residents, he added.
The Taliban did not immediately commented on the
incident, while the officials said they were battered in the battlefield.
The attack came at a time Afghan government and the
Taliban delegation met in Doha earlier that day to settle a peace agreement in
Afghanistan.
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-raid-security-post-in-kapisa-kill-5-32332/
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Germany Announces Readiness to Host Peace Talks
By Mohammad Arif Sheva
13 Sep 2020
KABUL, Afghanistan – Germany announced it is ready to
host the upcoming round of Afghan peace talks in the country, said the High
Council for National Reconciliation in a statement.
According to the statement, Chairman of the HCNR
Abdullah Abdullah, on sideline of the inaugural session of the Intra-Afghan
talks on Saturday in Doha, met with German special envoy for Afghanistan Markus
Potzel.
During the meeting, both parties discussed the most
obvious topics of negotiation and Germany’s readiness to host the upcoming
peace talks in the country, the statement said.
Abdullah assured Afghanistan’s commitment for
achieving peace, as the country has already paid greater cost to have paved
ways for lasting peace.
Meanwhile, Potzel said starting the talks was a major
turning point and a historic event, adding Germany is ready to host next round of
talks.
https://www.khaama.com/germany-announces-readiness-to-host-peace-talks-34534/
---------
Ceasefire Top Priority during Intra-Afghan Talks:
Nadiri
By Mohammad Arif Sheva
13 Sep 2020
DOHA, Qatar – Sayed Saddat Mansoor Nadiri, State
Minister for Peace Affairs, said the primary demand by the Afghan government is
a comprehensive ceasefire during the intra-Afghan talks held in Qatari capital
Doha.
In an exclusive interview with the Khaama Press on
Saturday, Nadiri said the first and primary demand by Afghan negotiation team
is a comprehensive ceasefire in Afghanistan.
“Peace is a wish for all Afghan people,” he added.
“Today is (a representation of) a positive pace for
the Afghan nation towards achieving peace,” Nadiri exclaimed. “Really, it is a
wish for all Afghans to obtain peace with dignity and permanent.”
Meanwhile, Nadiri stressed the need for comprehensive
ceasefire, saying peace will hopefully contribute to trust-building of both
parties, the Afghan government and the Taliban.
It is an undeniable wish for people to live in an
environment where people would embrace each other peacefully, rather than
killing each other, he elaborated.
It came at a time both Afghan negotiation team and the
Taliban delegation, including a number of international allies, came together
in Doha Saturday to mark the initial meeting on Afghan peace.
https://www.khaama.com/ceasefire-top-priority-during-intra-afghan-talks-nadiri-3454/
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Dhaka-Delhi connectivity positively impacts
Bangladesh, India's north-east: Shringla
Unb, Dhaka
September 13, 2020
Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has
said Bangladesh-India connectivity directly and positively impacts both India's
North East and Bangladesh.
He said four of the six pre-1965 rail links between
the two countries have been made operational, and work is underway on the
remaining two.
The under-construction rail link between Haldibari in
West Bengal and Chilahati in Bangladesh would revive the old Siliguri-Sealdah
rail route through Bangladesh, taken by the Darjeeling Mail, Shringla said.
The Indian foreign secretary highlighted the
connectivity issues while delivering the keynote address at a webinar on
"Self-reliant India: Reimagining the North East India in terms of
Employment and Skill" recently.
Nationals of the two countries cannot only travel on
board the Maitree and Bandhan express to each other's countries, but also on
buses plying between Shillong and Dhaka and between Agartala and Kolkata via
Dhaka, he added.
"We are upgrading the infrastructure of land
customs stations for enabling smooth cross-border movement of goods and
people," Shringla said.
He said the potential of mutually beneficial resources
and of generating common economic spaces was evident in another area -- energy.
He said 20 port townships are planned along the
Brahmaputra and Barak river systems to enhance inland water connectivity.
"This could galvanise multimodal linkages in the entire region."
Goods are trans-shipped to the North East through
Ashuganj inland river port in Bangladesh and further through Akhaura-Agartala
by road.
Recently, the first container of goods was moved from
Kolkata to Agartala, using the newly-established India-Bangladesh agreement
permitting the use of Chattogram port for India to transport goods to and from
North East India.
A new waterway connecting Tripura to Bangladesh was
also operationalised recently with the first ever export consignment from
Bangladesh reaching Tripura through the waterway.
https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/news/dhaka-delhi-connectivity-positively-impacts-bangladesh-north-east-india-1960333
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Europe
Harry Styles ‘lands new movie role replacing Shia
LeBeouf in Don’t Worry Darling with Chris Pine and Florence Pugh’
Jamie Tabberer
11 Sep 2020
Harry Styles is to replace Shia LeBeouf in the
upcoming movie Don’t Worry Darling, according to Deadline. LeBeouf had to
depart the film – the next directorial effort from Booksmart’s Olivia Wilde –
due to scheduling conflicts. The movie co-stars Chris Pine and Florence Pugh,
and follows an ‘isolated, Utopian community’ in the Californian desert in the
50s, according to the publication. It will be One Direction star Harry’s first
film since Christopher Nolan’s 2017 war epic Dunkirk. ADVERTISEMENT Top articles
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stunningly successful album: 2019’s Fine Line, which spawned the hits Lights Up
and Watermelon Sugar. Florence Pugh is known for roles in the likes of
Midsommar and Lady Macbeth. She received a best supporting actress nod for her
role in last year’s tearjerker drama Little Women, and will star in the
upcoming superhero epic Black Widow.
https://metro.co.uk/2020/09/11/harry-styles-lands-new-movie-role-replacing-shia-lebeouf-in-dont-worry-darling-with-chris-pine-and-florence-pugh-13259564/?ito=newsnow-feed
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Johnson faces pressure from MPs – but a third of Brits
say it is acceptable to breach international law
by Jack Peat
September 13, 2020
Boris Johnson is facing mounting criticism over his
legislation overriding his Brexit deal, as leaders from across the political
spectrum attacked the threat to break international law.
Senior Conservatives were not backing down on their
rebellion against the Prime Minister’s plans despite his warning that Brussels
could “carve up our country” without his new Bill.
Former prime ministers Sir John Major and Tony Blair
united to urge MPs to reject the legislation, saying it imperils the Irish
peace process, trade negotiations and the UK’s integrity.
Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of having
“reigniting old rows” by working to flout his own Withdrawal Agreement, but
pledged Labour support if he addresses “substantial” concerns.
Tory rebels suggested their numbers were growing and
opinions were only hardened by Mr Johnson’s increased rhetoric that the EU
could impose a trade border in the Irish Sea.
A third say it is acceptable to breach international
law with regard to UK internal market bill, while a similar number (32 per
cent) approve of Boris Johnson’s handling of Brexit.
The majority (52 per cent) now believe the UK is
likely to leave the transition period without a trade deal, and while 50 per
cent feel this would be bad for the economy, only 27 per cent believe it would
be bad for their personal financial situation.
Adam Drummond, head of political polling at Opinium,
comments: “As Brexit returns to the news again, the Leave/Remain divide returns
as well but not as emphatically as before.
“Similarly, while 60 per cent believe Boris Johnson
wants ‘no-deal’ in the event of a trade deal not being struck, Keir Starmer’s
relative silence on the issue means efforts to portray him as a ‘re-joiner’
have not yet succeeded with only 23 per cent believing he would want to request
to re-join the EU in the event of no trade deal.”
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/johnson-faces-pressure-from-mps-but-a-third-of-brits-say-it-is-acceptable-to-breach-international-law/13/09/
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Coronavirus: Britain on ‘edge of losing control’ of
spread of Covid, says government scientific adviser
Ashley Cowburn
12-08-2020
Britain is on the “edge of losing control” of the
spread of the coronavirus, according to a member of the government’s Scientific
Advisory Group for Emergencies.
Sir Mark Walport – a former chief scientific adviser –
also insisted there was an “extremely strong argument” for people who can work
from home to continue to doing so.
“I think one would have to say we’re on the edge of
losing control and you’ve only got to look across the Channel to see what’s
happening in France and what’s happening in Spain,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today
programme.
“The French on Friday had 9,800 new infections and one
can see their hospital admission and intensive care admissions are going up.”
The distinguished scientist also cited an alarming
study from Imperial, commissioned by the government, suggesting Covid-19 cases
are doubling every seven to eight days and warned the R rate of transmission
could be as high as 1.7.
The analysis of ICL’s Real-time Assessment of
Community Transmission (React-1) came as the UK reported the highest daily
number of new coronavirus cases since mid-May: 3,539, up from 2,919 the
previous day.
Pressed on whether the public should be returning to
work, Sir Mark, who said he “definitely”
will continue to work from home, added: “The only way to stop the spread of
this infection is to reduce the number of people we come into contact with.
“Therefore it’s a fine balancing act. It’s very
important to get youngsters back to school and universities, but it means we’re
going to have to hold back our contacts in other areas.
“Where people can work from home there’s an extremely
strong argument they should do so.”
Speaking on Saturday, the Cabinet Office minister
Michael Gove said: “I think Sir Mark’s words – he’s a very distinguished
scientist – are a warning to us all.
“There’s a range of scientific opinion, but one thing
practically every scientist is agreed is that we have seen an uptick in
infection and therefore it’s appropriate to take public health measures.”
The cabinet minister said the “rule of six” – to be
introduced on Monday in England, limiting social gatherings to a maximum of six
people indoors and outdoors – was necessary due to concerns over the prevalence
of the virus.
In a separate interview on Times Radio, Mr Gove also
claimed the UK was not heading towards a second national lockdown, adding: “The
reason why we’re taking the steps we announced this week and come into force on
Monday is precisely to avoid that situation.
Rather, he said the new measures such as “target local
lockdowns” and “new regulations governing social contact” were to ensure that
children can still go to school, adults can still go to work and the “life of
the nation can continue”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-uk-covid-spread-cases-deaths-mark-walport-latest-b429942.html
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North America
UN adopts Saudi resolution to fight pandemic
SPA
September 12, 2020
NEW YORK: The UN General Assembly on Saturday adopted
a Saudi-proposed resolution calling for a global coordinated response to fight
the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The draft resolution, adopted by a large majority,
praised Saudi Arabia’s efforts, as chair of the G20 presidency, against the
pandemic and in assisting developing countries without any discrimination to
fight the unprecedented health challenges posed by the COVID-19.
While presenting the draft resolution, Abdallah
Al-Mouallimi, Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN in New York, said: “This pandemic
has ravaged our world and resulted in around 1 million deaths in 9 months, and
infected 28 million people around the world.”
He said the pandemic is threatening international
health security, causing huge damage to the economies of states around the
globe, and interrupting all aspects of human life. “It has left the people in a
state of forced confinement and painful isolation due to the fear of
contracting this malicious virus, which does not differentiate between men and
women, or old and young,” Al-Mouallimi said.
Offering his condolences to all those who lost their
loved ones to the virus, he wished a speedy recovery to those who are being
treated for the disease.
Al-Mouallimi stressed the need to support those who
are on the frontline of fighting the pandemic.
He said the pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of
global health. “This makes us more aware of the importance of cooperation and
support to overcome our differences, and to work jointly to boost a transparent
and coordinated response plan to enable us to fight threats to the
international health system, and lay strong bases for sustainable development,”
the Saudi ambassador to the UN said.
He stressed that at the beginning of the outbreak
Saudi Arabia and Egypt took the initiative to table a draft resolution under
Article 123 of the agenda of the UN General Assembly, calling for intensifying
international cooperation and coordinating a tangible and strong international
response plan to fight the pandemic, in collaboration with Bahrain, Canada,
Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Singapore, and the UAE.
He pointed out that a draft resolution was proposed
calling for a practical global response to fight the pandemic, by referring to
the resolutions of the virtual extraordinary summit of G20 leaders held on
March 26.
Al-Mouallimi added: “Since we started preparing the
draft resolution, we worked with member states and regional groups and
conducted lengthy consultations to ensure taking into consideration all
concerns and proposals of member states to include them in the draft
resolution. Hence, we did our best so that the final version of the draft
resolution would be balanced and in line with the interests of member states,
to provide support to all developing states without exception or
discrimination, at the right time, to deal with this emergency.”
He lauded the broad support for the resolution, which
was endorsed by about 120 countries, surpassing the simple majority in the UN
General Assembly.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1733606/saudi-arabia
--------
Belarusian Muslim Leaders Break with Moscow Mufti and
Attack Lukashenka
Paul Goble
September 12, 2020
Staunton, September 11 – In yet another indication
that Belarusians are not going to defer to Moscow either before or after a
possible annexation, the leaders of the two Muslim Spiritual Directorates
(MSDs) have broken with the most prominent Muslim leader in Moscow and attacked
Alyaksandr Lukashenka for his repressive policies.
(On the more general problem of Belarusian attitudes
now or in the event of an Anschluss, see this writer’s “A Problem for Putin:
Belarus Is Not Ukraine Either Now or If Moscow Annexes It,” Eurasia Daily
Monitor, September 10, 2020, at
jamestown.org/program/a-problem-for-putin-belarus-is-not-ukraine-either-now-or-if-moscow-annexes-it.)
After
Lukashenka claimed victory in heavily falsified elections, Moscow Mufti Ravil
Gaynutdin, head of the MSD of the Russian Federation hurried to send him a
message of congratulations (dumrf.ru/regions/77/documents/17507). Belarusian
Muslims were angered both by his backing of Lukashenka and his saying anything
as an outsider.
It should be noted that while Gaynutdin is perhaps the
most prominent Russian Muslim leader, he is far from the only one. Other Muslim
leaders in the Russian Federation, including Mufti Talgat Tajuddin of the
Central MSD in Ufa have not made any public comments about the Belarusian
situation.
When Lukashenka began repressing protesters, Gaynutdin
criticized both sides (dumrf.ru/upravlenie/documents/17534); and when
Lukashenka marked his birthday, the Moscow mufti sent another message of
congratulations (dumrf.ru/upravlenie/documents/15815), further outraging the
Muslims of Belarus.
Their two leaders, Mufti Abu-Bekir Shabanovich, who
heads the Muslim Religious Union in Belarus, and Mufti Ali Voronovich, who is
chairman of the MSD of the Republic of Belarus, did not congratulate Lukashenka
on either occasion and instead sharply criticized his police actions against
the Belarusians in the streets.
(For their statements, see
mechet.by/post/обращение-муфтия and
islam.by/post/zayavlenie-muftiyata-dukhovnogo-upravleniya-musulman-v-respublike-belarus;
for an analysis of their remarks, see
windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2020/08/belarusian-muslim-leader-urges.html.)
The indigenous Muslim community in Belarus (the
Belarusian Tatars) numbers only 7300 people, and the total number of
Belarusians who identify as Muslims is 19,000. They are organized in 25 Muslim
parishes (24 Sunni and one Shiite)
(reltoday.com/news/belorusskie-musulmane-v-uslovijah-politicheskogo-krizisa/).
This should serve as a warning to the Kremlin that if
it tries to absorb Belarus, it will face not only the opposition of the
Belarusian nation but also the opposition of Belarus’ Muslims, who have
demonstrated already that they aren’t ready to defer to Moscow politically or
in religious terms.
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2020/09/belarusian-muslim-leaders-break-with.html
--------
The Vaisovtsy, Bulgar Activists Who Tried to Combine
Pure Islam with Bolshevism, Recalled as Source of Ideas about the Future
September 13, 2020
Paul Goble
Staunton, September 12 -- The ideological diversity of
pre-1917 Muslims in the Russian Empire was far greater than many imagine. It
involved not just divisions between Sunnis and Shiia or between modernists
(Jadidism) and traditionalism (Kadism) but among a wide variety of groups with
a remarkable diversity of ideas.
The Soviets worked especially hard to suppress these
groups, classifying them as “sects,” lest their ideas inform the thinking of
Muslim groups within the USSR. Since
1991, scholars and activists have begun to recover some of these traditions;
and now, these groups are beginning to attract broader attention from the
Muslims living in the Russian Federation.
One of the most curious of these groups, the
Vaisovtsy, who promoted pure Islam long before the name, called on Tatars to
reidentify as Bulgars and even sought to combine Islamic purity with
Bolshevism, cooperating with the latter against Tatars and Idel-Ural activists,
before being brutally repressed in the 1920s is now getting its day in the sun.
Today, Kazan’s Business-Gazeta presents a 5,000-word
article about the Vaisovtsy that not only surveys the curious history of this
group between the 1860s and 1920s but also considers its ideas which continue
to resonate in the Middle Volga up to now
(www.business-gazeta.ru/article/480788).
The occasion for the article is the supposed 210th
anniversary of the birth of the founder of the group, Bagautdin Vaisov – the
actual date is much disputed – and the form is an interview with Dilyara
Usmanova, a professor at Kazan Federal University and a widely published
specialist on Muslim politics at the end of the imperial period.
Vaisov who was a follower of the Naqshbandi sufi
brotherhood, established a prayer house in Kazan where he promoted the idea
that Bulgarian Islam was the closest to the pure Islam of the time of the
Prophet and that Tatars had fallen away from this under the influence of the
more public imams, mullahs and muftis.
He and his followers found themselves at odds with the
Islamic establishment and with the state. The latter was disturbed by their
role in a series of peasant uprisings in the Middle Volga and the former by his
theology. As a result, the tsarist
police together with the mullahs closed his school in 1884, confined him in a psychiatric
hospital and then exiled him to Siberia.
His family members and closest followers were also
exiled but some were able to return to Kazan in 1905. The most important of these was his son
Gaynutdin who became the leader of the movement, which numbered between 1500
and 2,000 during its greatest activity in the revolutionary years after 1917.
Gaynutdin was drawn to socialism and in a strange
evolution of events, he and his movements became allies of the Bolsheviks
against Tatar nationalists. Usmanova
argues that “the Bolsheviks used the Vaisovtsy to split the Tatar national
movement and as a counterweight to the ideals of Idel Ural.”
Gaynutdin Vaisov was killed by anti-Soviet elements,
but despite that, the Bolsheviks having gained strength did whatever they could
to wipe out his movement in the early 1920s, killing or exiling his followers.
But when things eased in perestroika time, many people in the Middle Volga
sought to revive his ideas, seeing them as a way to combine sovietism and
Islam.
“The history of the Vaisi movement shows,” the Kazan
scholar concludes, “how complicated and diverse society was in the 19th and
early 20th centuries,” far more interesting that the simplified ways in which
it is normally considered. And as Tatars look to the future, they can draw on
that diversity to provide guidance about the directions they may choose to go.
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-vaisovtsy-bulgar-activists-who.html
--------
Mideast
Iran’s Friday Prayer Leaders Condemn Desecration of
Islam’s Prophet, Holy Quran
TEHRAN (FNA)
Sep 12, 2020
Friday prayer leaders across Iran strongly denounced
the French weekly Charlie Hebdo’s republication of insulting cartoons of
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), stressing that sacrilege of Islam’s Prophet means
sacrilege of all divine prophets.
All Friday prayer leader in Iran said the recent
disrespect of the Prophet of Islam and the Holy Quran has been orchestrated by
the Global Arrogance, adding that this vicious act is indicative of the victory
of Islam and the Islamic Ummah.
During an illegal gathering on August 28, supporters
of right-wing Danish politician Rasmus Paludan, who leads the anti-Islamic
group, Tight Direction (Stram Kurs), burned a copy of Holy Qur’an in the
Southern Swedish city of Malmo.
Also, on September 1, the ill-reputed French Magazine
Charlie Hebdo also republished blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet of Islam on
the eve of the trial of suspects in a deadly attack on the paper’s office five
years ago.
In a relevant event on Thursday, a large number of
Iranian people in the capital city of Tehran held rallies to condemn the recent
insulting moves against the Holy Quran and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in a number
of European states and French President Emanuel Macron’s support for them.
The protestors deplored the French government for
supporting the blasphemous acts against the sanctities of Muslims, chanted
slogans against Macron who supported them under the pretext of advocacy for
freedom of expression.
The slogans chanted by the protestors underlined that
sacrilege of the holy Quran and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) indicates the arrogant
governments’ weakness and such acts will backfire on them.
In relevant remarks on Monday, Iran’s Judiciary Chief
Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi deplored the recent insulting moves against the Holy
Quran and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), and warned of the West and Israel’s plots to
undermine Islam’s power and might in the world.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990622000246
---------
Muslims Must Protect Their Values in Current Critical
Situation: Rouhani
By Fatemeh Askarieh
September 11, 2020
Iran’s president has condemned a French satirical
magazine’s move to reprint an offensive cartoon about Prophet Muhammed (PBUH),
saying that Muslims must be careful to protect their values under the current
“critical” situation.
Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday that the world,
especially the Muslim world, is in a special and critical situation now.
“On the one hand, the Zionists are conspiring in the
region, and unfortunately, they are deceiving some Muslim and Arab countries,
which should be sensitive to the Palestinian issue,” Rouhani said.
On the other hand, he added, their flunkies are
publishing insulting cartoons in certain magazines.
“All this means that we are in a critical situation in
the world and we must defend Iran, the interests of Islam and our values,”
noted Rouhani.
The situation in the region is very critical and all must
be watchful, President Rouhani said in a videoconference address to an
inauguration ceremony to launch mega projects in Free zones of Kish, Aras,
Qeshm, Sarakhs, etc., said.
An 80-hectare greenhouse in West Azarbaijan’s Aras
Free Zone, a home appliance factory in Payam Free Zone in Alborz Province, some
factories in Shiraz Free Zone, and a tile production facility in Sarakhs were
among the main projects launched by Rouhani via videoconference.
“We are launching 4,800 billion tomans (over 192
million dollars) worth of projects. Of course, if we convert Dollar and Euro to
our own currency and calculate, our inaugurations are worth about 15,000
billion tomans (around 600 million dollars),” said the Iranian president.
He also noted the fact that Iran can launch projects
worth 15,000 billion Tomans in a week, shows the country is flourishing and
active.
“It also means that the US is defeated. It means that
we can tread on the path of glory as well as the progress and development of
the country,” underscored Rouhani.
The President said Iran, with its huge resources,
diverse climate and easy conditions for investment, is an attractive place for
investors, and all governors and managers of free and special zones are ready
for domestic and foreign investment.
https://ifpnews.com/muslims-must-protect-their-values-in-current-critical-situation-rouhani
---------
Shiite Muslims to Observe Arbaeen Remotely over
Pandemic: Iran
By IFP Editorial Staff
September 11, 2020
Iran’s health minister says this year’s Arbaeen march,
which is to mark the fortieth day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS),
will be held remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Saeed Namaki said in a phone conversation with Iraqi
Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi that in the year of the Coronavirus pandemic,
perhaps the best way to express devoutness to Imam Hussein (AS) is new methods
not experienced before.
The Radio and Television of the Islamic Republic of
Iran and the ulema as well as cultural figures in Iran and Iraq must come
together to make a more detailed plan for the Arbaeen mourning ceremony this
year, noted Namaki.
“It is necessary to form a joint committee between the
Ministries of Health of the two countries to hold the glorious mourning
ceremony of Arbaeen remotely. With the cooperation of the two countries, we are
trying to seriously fight COVID-19 in order to contain the disease as soon as
possible,” added Namaki.
Iran’s minister of health emphasized that the
country’s relationship with the honourable people and the land of Iraq is
historic and will never be broken.
“This year in Iran, with the support of the Leader of
the Islamic Revolution, a very glorious but protocol-based Muharram ceremony
was held. We were able to follow health protocols in such a way that the least
harm from the corona virus was recorded.”
For his part, the Iraqi health minister said it is
very nice to hear good news from Iran about the control of COVID-19 and the
reduction of the number of deaths.
“We continuously follow the actions of the Islamic
Republic of Iran regarding the control of this disease and we have learned
lessons in this regard,” underlined Tamimi.
https://ifpnews.com/shiite-muslims-to-observe-arbaeen-remotely-over-pandemic-iran
--------
Anti-Netanyahu protesters keep up pressure on Israeli
leader
REUTERS NEWS AGENCY
13-09-2020
Thousands of Israelis protested against Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Saturday over his alleged corruption and the
government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The crowd rallied outside Netanyahu's residence,
blowing whistles, waving signs and flags and calling for his resignation.
Israeli media estimated that about 10,000 people
attended what has become a weekly demonstration in Jerusalem. Organisers said
that as many as 25,000 people joined the protest.
A survey published in August by the Israel Democracy
Institute found that 61 percent of Israelis did not trust Netanyahu to manage
the coronavirus crisis.
Some critics of the prime minister say he is
preoccupied with his corruption trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach
of trust.
The 70-year-old was indicted in November in cases
involving gifts from wealthy friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory
favours for media tycoons in return for favourable coverage. His trial opened
in May and is set to resume in January.
Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing. He has described his
trial as a leftist political witch-hunt aimed at unseating a popular right-wing
leader.
A diplomatic breakthrough with the United Arab Emirates
in August - followed by Bahrain on Friday - has largely been welcomed by
Israelis, but has been overshadowed by the economic fears stirred by the
coronavirus crisis.
After a media backlash, Netanyahu scrapped plans to
travel on an executive jet with his family to Washington, DC on Sunday for a
signing ceremony of the Israel-UAE accord, separately from an airliner
chartered for the Israeli delegation.
Some media commentators criticised the plans to travel
to the United States as extravagant at a time when Israelis are heading into
their second lockdown since March.
The prime minister's aides said the plans to travel
separately had been a health precaution. But Netanyahu's office said on Friday
that he would travel with the rest of the delegation.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/anti-netanyahu-protesters-pressure-israeli-leader-200913010154110.html
--------
Oman Welcomes Bahrain's Move to Normalize Ties With
Israel
Reuters
13-09-2020
Oman welcomes Bahrain's decision to normalize
relations with Israel, Oman state TV reported on Sunday.
Bahrain on Friday became the second Gulf country to
normalize ties with Israel after the United Arab Emirates said they would do so
a month ago, moves forged partly through shared fears of Iran.
"The Sultanate welcomes the initiative taken by
the sisterly kingdom of Bahrain," the channel said on its Twitter account.
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/oman-welcomes-bahrain-s-move-to-normalize-ties-with-israel-1.9151054
-------
Thousands of Israelis protest outside Netanyahu’s
residence
AP
September 12, 2020
JERUSALEM: Thousands of Israelis demonstrated outside
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence in central Jerusalem
late Saturday, demanding he resign over his trial on corruption charges and what
is widely seen as his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.
With Israel reporting record levels of new coronavirus
cases each day, the country appears to be headed toward a nationwide lockdown
this week ahead of the Jewish New Year.
Saturday’s demonstration came a day after Israel
announced an agreement to establish diplomatic relations with Bahrain, the
second Arab country to normalize ties with Israel in under a month and just the
fourth overall.
But the surprise announcement had little effect on the
thousands of demonstrators, who have been gathering outside Netanyahu’s
residence every Saturday throughout the summer. Protests against Netanyahu over
his corruption trial have expanded to include demonstrations against his
handling of the health crisis and the resulting economic pain.
Israel earned praise last spring for its early
handling of the virus crisis, moving quickly to seal the country’s borders and
appearing to bring an outbreak under control.
But Netanyahu has come under criticism for reopening
the economy too quickly in May. Since then, new cases have soared, the
government has been blamed for mismanaging the resurgence and unemployment has
soared to double digit levels. Many struggling workers and business owners fear
another closure will be devastating. Many of the demonstrators are unemployed.
Last week Netanyahu announced overnight curfews on
some 40 cities and towns hit hard by the coronavirus, but backed away from
reported recommendations for full lockdowns after an uproar by politically
powerful religious politicians.
Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of trust
and accepting bribes for his role in a series of scandals involving gifts and
alleged favors exchanged with wealthy associates.
He denies any wrongdoing and accuses police,
prosecutors and the media of conspiring to oust him. He has dismissed the
protesters as “leftists” and “anarchists.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1733611/middle-east
--------
"US-Brokered Deal Makes Bahrain Partner To Israel
Crimes": Iran
Agence France-Presse
September 13, 2020
Tehran: Iran on Saturday angrily accused Bahrain of
stirring instability after US President Donald Trump announced Manama and
Israel were opening ties in a landmark deal that reinforces America's push to
redraw Middle East conflicts.
Calling it a "truly historic day," Trump
said on Friday that Israel and Bahrain were establishing full diplomatic and
commercial relations.
"They will exchange embassies and ambassadors,
begin direct flights between their countries and launch cooperation initiatives
across a broad range of sectors, including health, business, technology,
education, security and agriculture," he said.
Bahrain said in a joint statement it had agreed to
formalise the deal with Israel at a ceremony Tuesday in the White House, where
the United Arab Emirates will also sign off on its own thaw with Israel
announced in mid-August.
Shiite Iran, which has especially tense ties with
Bahrain and is a sworn enemy of Washington, slammed its Gulf neighbour over the
deal.
"The rulers of Bahrain will from now on be
partners to the crimes of the Zionist regime as a constant threat to the
security of the region and the world of Islam," it said.
Bahrainis opposed to the agreement vented their
frustration on social media, using the hashtags "Bahrainis against
normalisation" and "normalisation is betrayal".
Turkey condemned it, saying it would "further
embolden Israel to continue its illegal practices... and attempts to make the
occupation of Palestinian territories permanent".
Bahrain, a Sunni-ruled kingdom with a large Shiite
population, relies heavily on the United States, which stations its Fifth Fleet
in the tiny but strategic Gulf archipelago.
The joint statement said Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa
Al-Khalifa, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump had spoken
hours before announcing the new breakthrough.
During the phone call, the king "stressed the
need to reach a just and comprehensive peace as a strategic option, in
accordance with the two-state solution and relevant resolutions of
international legitimacy".
"Citizens of Israel, I am moved to be able to
tell you that this evening, we are reaching another peace agreement with
another Arab country, Bahrain. This agreement adds to the historic peace with
the United Arab Emirates," he said.
Israeli defence minister and alternate premier, Benny
Gantz, congratulated Netanyahu and Al-Khalifa for the deal and thanked Trump
and the US government for "their exceptional efforts to build a more
stable Middle East".
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin called on "other
Arab and Muslim countries to make peace with Israel, peace between peoples,
peace for peace".
"Today marks another significant and historic
achievement which will contribute enormously to the stability and prosperity of
the region," said Hend al-Otaiba, director of strategic communications at
the foreign ministry.
Trump, who is banking on the latest deals will give
him momentum going into the November 3 presidential election, said more Arab
nations could open their doors to Israel.
He has taken a string of decisions highly beneficial
to Israel, from recognising disputed Jerusalem as the country's capital to
unilaterally withdrawing from an international accord meant to end Iran's
isolation in return for verified controls to prevent militarisation of its
nuclear industry.
At the same time, Trump has pushed to wind down
America's own military footprint after decades of bloody entanglements in Iraq
and elsewhere.
The UAE's announcement broke with years of policy on
the Middle East conflict, prompting angry pushback from the Palestinians, who
see Arab support as crucial to their limited power in resisting Israeli
occupation.
The agreement was "a stab in the back of the
Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people," Ahmad Majdalani, social
affairs minister in the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, told AFP.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said it was an
"aggression" that dealt "serious prejudice" to the
Palestinian cause.
Trump, who has made crushing sanctions and diplomatic
pressure on Iran a priority of his administration, predicted however that there
would be a "very positive" development in the standoff with Tehran.
"I can see a lot of good things happening with
respect to the Palestinians," he said, arguing they would end their
conflict with Israel once enough Arab countries follow in the UAE and Bahrain's
footsteps.
"As more countries normalise relations with Israel,
which will happen quite quickly we believe, the region will become more and
more stable, secure and prosperous."
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-brokered-deal-makes-bahrain-partner-to-israel-crimes-iran-2294560
---------
Arab world
Head of Muslim scholars union slams Bahrain-Israel
pact
12.09.2020
Ahmed Asmar
The Secretary-General of the International Union for
Muslim Scholars (IUMS), Ali al-Qaradaghi, on Saturday decried the normalization
of relations with Israel as a “treason”.
On Friday, Bahrain and Israel announced a US-brokered
agreement to normalize their relations.
"How can a person concede his right and the right
of the Palestinian people and all Muslims in this blessed land, in our Al-Aqsa
Mosque...," al-Qaradaghi said in a video released on his Twitter account.
He said the recent developments “require us to stand
with the Palestinian cause by all our capabilities”.
In another tweet, al-Qaradaghi said that the recent
deals between Israel and both Bahrain and the UAE were a “prelude to an
imminent agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia”.
Bahrain became the fourth Arab country to have
diplomatic relations with Israel, after Egypt in 1979, Jordan 1994 and the
United Arab Emirates in August 2020.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/head-of-muslim-scholars-union-slams-bahrain-israel-pact/1971420
-------
Islamic Universities League to Hold Virtual Int'l
Conference to Enhance its Role in Serving Society
2020/09/12
SPA
Cairo, Sep 12, 2020, SPA -- The League of Islamic Universities
is set to hold on Sunday a virtual international conference that discusses the
role of the universities, in serving their societies, and consolidating values.
Muslim World League will participate and sponsor this
conference, in addition to contributions from the Egyptian Ministry of
Endowments, Al-Azhar University, Alexandria University, Institute of
Moderation, at King Abdulaziz University and the World Muslim Communities'
Council as well as participation of a number of ministers, senior scholars,
presidents of universities and specialists.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2132812
-------
Saudi Arabia announces 27 more deaths from COVID-19
RAWAN RADWAN
September 12, 2020
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia continues to witness a decline in
the daily cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The Kingdom recorded 643 new confirmed cases on
Saturday, raising the total number of patients that have been infected so far
to 325,050.
Makkah recorded the highest confirmed number, with 69.
Jeddah came in second highest with 65 cases and Hofuf third with 51 confirmed
cases.
Of the confirmed cases, 59 percent were male, of which
85 percent were adults, while 5 percent were elderly (above 65 years of age)
and 10 percent were children. The number of recoveries also rose, with 903 new
recoveries recorded, raising the total number to 301,836, placing the Kingdom’s
recovery rate at 92.8 percent. Madinah recorded the highest number of recoveries
with 93, while Hofuf had 76 and Dammam 75.
There are currently 18,974 active cases, 1,343 of
which are in critical care units.
Saudi Arabia recorded 27 new fatalities on Saturday,
raising the death toll to 4,240 since the first recorded death on March 24.
In its continued effort to minimize the spread of
COVID-19 and detect infections early, 41,178 polymerase chain reaction tests
have been conducted in the past 24 hours, raising the number of tests done so
far to 5.68 million tests.
The Ministry of Health recently announced that a third
Takkad (make sure) center had been opened in Riyadh. The centers are devoted to
testing individuals who suspect an infection but don’t show signs or have
developed mild symptoms after being in close contact with a confirmed case. The
centers provide Molecular Diagnostic Test (swab test) services and require a
prior appointment through the ministry’s “Sehaty” app.
Takkad Centers have served over 680,000 beneficiaries
in the Riyadh region to date.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1733421/saudi-arabia
--------
Southeast Asia
Political understanding among Muslim youths should be
enhanced - Abdul Hadi
12/09/202
KOTA BHARU, Sept 12 -- The PAS Youth wing plays an
important role in enhancing political understanding among the young Muslim
generation as they make up the largest part of the electorate, said PAS
president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
He said that this was due to the political ideology
among Muslim youths being very weak compared with other races.
“In fact, Islam champions politics in its struggle,
but due to ignorance in terms of religion, we abandon this obligation. All the
Prophets and Messengers did not separate politics from da'wah.
“Due to this, the vote for Muslims is very weak due to
frail political ideology… especially among young people who are targeted by the
enemies of Islam so that they end up being complacent.
“Hence, the role of the PAS Youth wing is very big and
important (in this case),” he said during the debate session of the 61st PAS
Youth Muktamar or annual general assembly at the Pusat Tarbiah Islamiah
Kelantan (PUTIK), in Pengkalan Chepa, near here today.
Abdul Hadi also said that PAS needs to further
strengthen the position of the Islamic-based party's struggle to garner
people's mandate directly through the 15th General Election (GE15).
The 61st PAS Youth Muktamar, attended by about 400
delegates from across the country, is being held in a new normal by complying
with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the Recovery Movement Control
Order (RMCO) to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, when officiating the convention, PAS deputy
president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said that youths were getting tired
of the current political situation, resulting in some of them stopping caring
about the country's political development.
“In the face of political challenges, the so-called
‘carca marba’ (all mixed up), has caused a new polemic among them. According to
a study, it was found that 23 per cent of youths were fed up with the current
political situation,” he said.
He said that this trend does not benefit any party
because youths are the backbone of the leaders of the future, hence, PAS,
especially the Youth wing, must translate the real political situation using
new media, and convey the main agenda of the party which also practices the
principle of unity with all races and religions.
https://www.bernama.com/en/politics/news.php?id=1879177
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Ismail Sabri: 512 arrests yesterday including over
private parties, activities at pubs, nightclubs
BY IDA LIM
13 Sep 2020
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — The police yesterday caught
512 individuals breaking the recovery movement control order (RMCO), with more
than half of them being nabbed over their activities at pubs or nightclubs,
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.
In a statement today, Ismail Sabri said the 512
individuals comprised 452 individuals who were issued compounds, while 59 were
remanded and one on bail.
When listing down the types of MCO breaches the 512
individuals were nabbed over, Ismail Sabri said these include 294 individuals
who were nabbed over activities in pubs or nightclubs, followed by 103 over
activities where big attendance made physical distancing difficult, private
parties with 56 nabbed, failing to provide the necessary equipment or recording
the entry and exit of patrons at 32, and not wearing face masks (14).
Eight were nabbed for operating premises beyond
operating hours, four over suspicion of prostitution activities and one for
failure to obey the order to be under quarantine during the recovery movement
control order.
Ismail Sabri also said the police-led taskforce to
monitor and enforce compliance of standard operating procedures (SOP) during
the RMCO had yesterday carried out 58,393 inspections, including on 5,405
restaurants, 3,989 supermarkets, 3,860 banks, 1,331 traders, 1,146 factories,
663 government offices, as well as 1,146 land transport terminals, 211 water
transport terminals, 108 air transport terminals.
As for ongoing enforcement of tight border controls to
avoid illegal immigrants slipping in and to avoid the spread of Covid-19,
Ismail Sabri said the authorities yesterday arrested 80 illegal immigrants, six
smugglers and one tekong or fishing boat skipper.
Those arrested include 20 illegal immigrants who were
detained by the Malaysian Armed Forces at Sungai Nipah Haji Dorani in Sungai
Besar, Selangor for not having valid personal identification papers, he said.
“The government will take firm action against anyone
who tries to enter the country’s borders illegally and the enforcement agencies
will continue to tighten control of the border areas especially at
lorong-lorong tikus (rat lines),” he said.
As for overseas returnees, Ismail Sabri said a total
of 28,063 individuals had during July 24 to September 12 returned to Malaysia
and were placed in 69 hotels and eight other premises in Kuala Lumpur,
Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Johor, Sarawak, Kelantan, Perak, Kedah,
Perlis, Terengganu, Sabah and Labuan.
Out of the 28,063 returnees, 10,187 are still
undergoing mandatory quarantine, 69 were sent to the hospitals for treatment
and 17,807 were discharged and allowed to return home, he said.
The 28,063 returnees to Malaysia are from 32
locations, namely the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore,
Vietnam, Brunei, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, India, the United
Arab Emirates, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, Iran, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar,
Timor Leste, Taiwan, China, UK, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Egypt,
Spain, France, Australia, New Zealand and the US, he said.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/09/13/ismail-sabri-512-arrests-yesterday-including-over-private-parties-activitie/1902796
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Africa
Southern Kaduna: Fresh killings may derail peace deal
– Miyetti Allah
September 13, 2020
Frank Ikpefan
The Kaduna State chapter of Miyetti-Allah Cattle
Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has condemned recent attacks in some
communities in Southern Kaduna.
The organisation stated that the renewed attacks were
contrary to the spirit of the ongoing efforts to bring peace to the area and
cautioned those it labelled as “criminal elements” to refrain from carrying out
further attacks in the area.
It stated that three of its members – Abdullahi
Hassan, Yusuf Hassan and Abubakar Hassan, were killed in the “unprovoked”
attack, blaming people who are “hell-bent on sabotaging the peace processes in
the area,” for the killings.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity,
Bayero Zango, Miyetti-Allah said the attacks resulted in the death of three
cows while some Fulani pastoralists were chased away from their places of
abode.
The statement said: “Our attention has been drawn to
the recent attacks on Fulani pastoralists, which were carried out by suspected
criminals in Atyap Chiefdom at Sagwaza and Kurmin Masara, where one Fulani
person, AbdulRashid Lawal Malam was killed at Kurmin Masara on Wednesday 9th
September. 2020.
“Earlier, another incident occurred on Tuesday 8th
September, 2020, at Sagwaza, where some suspected Atyas kataf criminals
attacked some innocent Fulani pastoralists and injured one Malam Hassan and his
son Musa Hassan, who are currently receiving treatment in a private hospital at
Zonkwa in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area.
“We condemn these unprovoked attacks by these Atyap
criminal elements, who are hell-bent on sabotaging the peace processes in the
area.
“We are appealing to the perpetrators of these attacks
to, in the interest of peace, refrain from these breaches of the peace accord
that was reached and respect their leaders and parents who are working day and
night to restore peace, law and order in the area.”
The group expressed its appreciation to the Commander
of Operation Safe Haven, Major General Chukwuemeka Okwonkwo, his men and the
Special Forces, for its quick responses. It also expressed appreciation to Rev.
(Dr.) Yakubu Pam, Chairman, Northern Christians Association of Nigeria who is
also the Executive Secretary, National Christians Pilgrims Commission, for his
commitment to ensuring that peaceful coexistence return to Southern Kaduna by
organising a three-day Peace Summit at Kafanchan.
“We also strongly commend the efforts and commitment
of the Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir Ahmed El Rufa, for demonstrating deep
commitment in bringing to an end the killings in the area, through his quick
response and for supporting all the peace processes in Southern Kaduna.
https://thenationonlineng.net/southern-kaduna-fresh-killings-may-derail-peace-deal-miyetti-allah/
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Late Wa Imam’s family rejects GH¢20k funeral donation
from Bawumia
EMMANUEL AYAMGA
September 12, 2020
The Vice President intended to donate the money as his
support for the funeral and burial rites of the late Islamic cleric.
3news reports that the family rejected the donation,
saying they cannot take it because the funeral rites have already been
concluded.
They, however, acknowledged the kind gesture of Dr
Bawumia, before raising some concerns.
A statement from the Head of the Limanyiri Family,
Alhaji Issaka Mahama Bawmara said: “Besides, the Vice President never showed up
in person to mourn with the family when he paid a visit to the region on the
7th of September, 2020.
“The money was only sent through the constituency
Chairman of the NPP for Wa Central which is unethical.”
The statement also detailed the tension that existed
between the late Imam and the Upper West Region Minister.
It said the Regional Minister, Hafiz Bin Salih,
constantly prevented the Imam from performing his religious duties at the
Central Mosque.
According to the release, the “embattled” Imam called
on the presidency to intervene but no response came at the time.
“The Regional Minister used the powers vested in him
by the Presidency to promote and support a rival faction as they purport to
allegedly depose the Imam.
“Isn’t it ironic that neither the President nor his
vice found it worthy to attend any of his funeral celebrations nor visit the
family to mourn with them even when they visited and toured the Region, yet
find it expedient to send money through others to be donated to the family?
“The family however wishes to express its sincere
gratitude to the last minute kind gesture by the presidency and wish to state
that it however came too late when the final funeral rites has been performed,”
the release added.
https://www.pulse.com.gh/news/local/late-wa-imams-family-rejects-ghcent20k-funeral-donation-from-bawumia/86sg0sp
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