New
Age Islam News Bureau
30
December 2021
Yati
Narsinghanand Saraswati (L). Photo: Facebook/Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati
----
• UP:
Schoolchildren ‘tricked’ into ‘kill’ oath to create Hindu Rashtra
• Hindu
Pilgrims From India, UAE, US To Visit Century-Old Shrine In Pakistan Vandalised
By Radicals
• Attacks
On French Mosques, Racist Graffiti Signs Of Rising Islamophobia
• Respect
My Amnesty, Stop Extrajudicial Punishment: Supreme Leader of the Taliban Mullah
Hebtullah
• Japanese
Muslim Academic Teaches Islam To Compatriots In Turkey
India
• Mosque
On Hindu Family Land Is A Testament Of A Culture Of Inclusiveness In West
Bengal’s North 24 Parganas
• Rush
For Nikahs, In Hyderabad, Ahead Of New Marriage Law, Prohibition Of Child
Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021
• Hindu
Religious Leader, Kalicharan, Arrested After Remarks Against Gandhi, Islam
• Congress
MP, Abdul Khaleque, Seeks FIR Against Assam Chief Minister For Alleged Hate
Speech
• India-Bangladesh
bonhomie scaled new heights as 2021 marked 50 years of ties
• 6
JeM terrorists, including 2 Pak nationals killed in two separate encounters in
J&K: Police
• Muslim
Prisoners are not considered for premature release in TN
--------
Pakistan
• Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum Orders Govt Not To
Release His Images To Media
• Head
Of Shia Ulema Council Allama Sajid Naqvi: Strong Shia-Sunni Unity Will Lead Us
To Pure Islamic System
• Pak
sets up first-ever body of Hindu leaders to take care of minority community’s
temples
• JUI-F
Leader Dares CJP, CM To Execute Mosque Demolition Orders
• JUI-F
leader threatens CJP, Sindh CM to dare implement mosque demolition orders
• Pakistan
failed its counter-terrorism obligations: Report
• Pakistan
buys 25 China-made J-10C fighter jets in response to India's Rafale aircraft
acquisition
• Ashrafi
questions global silence over persecution of minorities in India
--------
Europe
• French
Regime Seeks New Initiative Targeting Islam And Muslims
• Nine
Serbs indicted for killing around 100 Muslims
• Turkey
hands over lead of NATO's highest-readiness force to France
• EU
Lawmaker: Nobody Did More In Defeating ISIS Than Gen. Soleimani
--------
South Asia
• Afghanistan
loses unique opportunity for avoiding undue hardship: Abdullah
• Moscow
to host Troika Plus on Afghanistan
• For
struggling Afghan family, the next meal is a matter of faith
--------
Southeast Asia
• Preacher
gets slammed for telling Muslims to not clean up non-Muslim places of worship
• Brickbats
for Zakir Naik over Christmas greetings
• Indonesia
navy ship tows boat with Rohingya refugees to port
--------
Arab World
• Tigrayans
At War Use Social Media To Woo Arabs, Muslims
• Islamic
State cells impose levy on oil investors in northeastern Syria
• King
Salman: Iran must cooperate in nuclear deal, stop supporting militias in region
• ISIS
extremists murder Iraqi police officer
• Kuwait
swears in fourth government in two years
--------
Mideast
• Islamic
Jihad: Mediators Seek Long-Term Truce, Return Of PA To Gaza
• Grand
Ayatollah Alavi-Gorgani stresses reflecting on Quran verses
• Iran’s
Top Negotiator Holds Separate Meetings with EU’s Mora, E3 Representatives in
Vienna
• Iran
Condemns Israel’s Attacks on Syria’s Latakia
• Iranian
Sends More Humanitarian Aid to Afghanistan
• Former
boy scouts bring dead Yemenis to their final destination
• Turkey
‘neutralizes’ 8 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria
--------
Africa
• Muslim
Scholar Calls For Reconciliation In Libya
• Libya
orders arrest of second minister over alleged graft
• Cash-strapped
Tunisia to borrow $7 billion more in 2022
• Tunisia's
Ennahda calls for national dialogue
--------
North America
• Blinken
Names Former US Adviser Amiri As Special Envoy For Afghan Women
• Arizona
authorities investigating assault, criminal damage at Islamic Centre of Tucson
• US
urges Somali leaders to cease escalatory rhetoric
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/swami-hindu-akhadas-quran-maulanas-imams-/d/126064
--------
Swamis
Of Several Akhadas Filed A Police Complaint Against The Quran And Haridwar’s
Maulanas And Imams
Yati
Narsinghanand Saraswati (L). Photo: Facebook/Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati
----
Ashutosh
Bhardwaj
December
30, 2021
Undeterred
by cases registered against three of the several Hindutva leaders who delivered
hate speech during a recent Dharam Sansad in Haridwar, the swamis of several
Akhadas met in the city on Tuesday and formed a core committee of 21 leaders.
They resolved to continue their fight against Islam, which they called a “gang
of armed people”, and even filed a police complaint against the Quran and a
number of the city’s Maulana and imams at the Haridwar Kotwali police station.
“The
Quran incites you to kill Kafirs. This book has provocative sections. It should
be banned,” Niranjani Akhada’s Darshan Bharti told The India Cable.
The
leaders also decided to step up their campaign to convert India into a “Hindu
Rashtra” and defended their speeches during the earlier event. “We are holding
three more sansads in Aligarh, Kurukshetra and Shimla. We have resolved that
this is about our freedom of speech, and we will continue to speak up,” Swami
Anand Swaroop told The India Cable.
Among
the core committee members are Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, Swami
Prabodhanand, Hindu Mahasabha’s general secretary Annapurna Bharti alias Pooja
Shakun, Pandit Adhir Kaushik, Sindhu Maharaj and Swami Darshan Bharti. All were
present at the event where calls to eliminate Muslims were made.
In
what seems to be a tactical decision, they unanimously “decided to stay quiet
on M.K. Gandhi”. “We have decided not to comment on Gandhi,” said Bharti, refusing
to elaborate on the reasoning.
The
India Cable had reported on Monday about the armed vigilante brigades which
these leaders have raised in the last few years. They reiterated their resolve
to continue with Weaponisation in today’s gathering.
“Is
it wrong to talk about Hindu dharma in India? Adi Shankaracharya had
established Akhadas 1,400 years ago and armed them with various weapons to save
our religion from Buddhists. Akhadas were like an army of the religion, just
like Guru Gobind Singh had created his army. There was never any controversy
then. Why is there an issue now? It’s because Islam Ek Hathiyarband Giroh Hai
(Islam is an armed gang). You can fight them only with arms,” said Darshan
Bharti.
Expressing
satisfaction at the response generated by the previous event, they said that
Haridwar has delivered an apt lesson to the world. “Dharma Sansad is a step in
the direction of making India a Hindu Rashtra.”
Also
read: Narendra Modi’s Sly, Incendiary Silences
As
they go about in their plans, how will their ideological patron, the BJP, deal
with them? When asked whether the BJP would be able to publicly support them in
their armed ventures, Bharti said: “BJP and RSS ne Hinduon ka theka thode le
rakha hai? Koi jaruri thode to BJP, VHP kahegi, vahi hoga. (The BJP and RSS are
not the sole custodians of Hindus. They can’t dictate terms.) Anything is
possible if people are awakened.”
The
Hindutva leaders have declared their intent. A few mild police cases against
just three of them seems to have only emboldened them. With BJP leaders tacitly
supporting this brigade and Uttarakhand and UP elections just months away, its
electoral impact can’t be underestimated.
Ashutosh
Bhardwaj is an independent journalist and author of the award-winning The Death
Script.
Source:
The Wire
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://thewire.in/communalism/akhadas-form-core-committee-for-armed-struggle-against-muslims
--------
UP: Schoolchildren
‘Tricked’ Into ‘Kill’ Oath To Create Hindu Rashtra
Footage
shows the schoolchildren (faces blurred by this newspaper) taking the pledge to
“fight, die and kill” to create a Hindu Rashtra. The Telegraph
----
Piyush
Srivastava
30.12.21
A
video circulated from a news channel head’s Twitter handle that shows school
children pledging to “fight, die and kill” to create a Hindu Rashtra was filmed
through subterfuge by people who “meant mischief”, the management of the
private school has told The Telegraph.
Jitendra
Singh, manager of Vimla Inter College at Robertganj in Uttar Pradesh’s
Sonbhadra district, said a crew that introduced themselves as from Sudarshan
News had asked to take boys from the school to a nearby park for a debate they
said they wanted to film.
“Even
I am a Hindu but I don’t approve of fanaticism. I condemn it and will support
any inquiry against such elements,” he told this newspaper over the phone on
Wednesday morning.
The
video was tweeted from the handle of Suresh Chavhanke, CMD and editor-in-chief
of Sudarshan News, on Tuesday, days after clips had surfaced of a similar
oathtaking in Delhi for a Hindu Rashtra and a call for genocide against Muslims
was sounded at a conclave of sadhus in Haridwar.
In
the latest video, a man administers an oath to over two dozen boys and girls,
including some in school uniform — maroon blazer or sweater, maroon trousers
and white shirt — and others in casual wear. A few toddlers are seen standing
at the front.
The
children extend their right arm forward and take this oath in Hindi: “We give
our word, we pledge to fight, die and kill, if necessary, and be ready for any
sacrifice till the last moment of our lives to make this country a Hindu
Rashtra and take it forward at any cost. We shall not step back even for a
moment. May our Gurudev, our Kul Devata (family god), our Gram Devata (village
god), our ancestors and Bharat Mata give us strength and victory.”
Jitendra
said: “I saw some people at the school gate talking to students as the school
was closing on Tuesday afternoon. I asked what was going on. Those people said
they were from Sudarshan News — their microphones bore the name — and wanted
the students to gather at the nearby Chacha Nehru Park for a debate on rashtra
dharma (national duty).”
He
added: “I had seen television reporters interview common people, so I didn’t
object…. I have learnt that five Class XI students and five Class XII students
from our school were in the park. I shall, if necessary, ask the students and
their parents to take legal action against those trying to violate our
Constitution.”
Shiv
Narayan Lal, principal of the school which teaches students from Classes VI to
XII, said: “There is no question of supporting any such violent ideology. We
knew our students had been taken to the park but didn’t know that the people
from the news channel meant mischief.”
Chavhanke
had, while tweeting the video, written in Hindi: “Oathtaking for Hindu Rashtra
is going on at several places in India. These schoolchildren from Sonbhadra in
Uttar Pradesh challenged the anti-Hindus by taking oath.”
Chavhanke’s
Twitter account has his pictures with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union
home minister Amit Shah.
When
this newspaper called Chavhanke’s office to seek his reactions to the
alle¬gation of duping the school and the children, the person who received the
call suggested that any questions be sent via Twitter.
“You
will get the reply in 48 hours,” she said.
A
question was posted to Chavhanke on Wednesday morning. No reply had arrived
till late in the evening.
Sonbhadra
superintendent of police Amrendra Pratap Singh told this newspaper that the
police had on their own started an inquiry into the event since it advocated
violence.
“I
shall be able to share the details once the inquiry has been completed,” he
said.
A
similar video showing youths taking exactly the same oath as the Sonbhadra
children — with a banner of the Hindu Yuva Vahini behind them — had surfaced
last week. Delhi police have confirmed that the event took place in the capital
on December 22. No case has been filed yet.
Yogi
Adityanath, now Uttar Pradesh chief minister, had founded the Vahini — a
militia accused of violence and intimidation — in the late 1990s when he was
Gorakhpur MP.
At
the December 1719 Dharma Sansad in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, several speakers
advocated an ethnic cleansing of Muslims to help create a Hindu Rashtra.
An FIR
has been registered against some of the speakers but no arrests have been made.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Hindu
Pilgrims From India, UAE, US To Visit Century-Old Shrine In Pakistan Vandalised
By Radicals
Hindu
Pilgrims From India, UAE, US To Visit Century-Old Shrine In Pakistan Vandalised
By Radicals
-----
Dec
30, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
A group of 250 Hindu pilgrims from India, the UAE and the US is scheduled to
visit this week a century-old shrine in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
which was vandalised by a radical Islamist party last year, according to a
media report on Thursday.
The
Hindu pilgrims will visit the shrine of Paramhans Ji Maharaaj, a saint who died
at Teri village in Karak district of the province in 1919. The temple was
established in 1920.
A
number of Hindu pilgrims from India, the United Arab Emirates and the United
States will arrive in Peshawar on January 1 to visit the Samadhi at Teri at the
invitation of the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC), the Dawn newspaper reported.
"This
is the second time that the Council has invited Hindu pilgrims from other
countries so that they can see for themselves the existence of a tolerant and
pluralistic society in Pakistan," Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the PHC's
patron, told the newspaper.
The
Council has arranged the programme in collaboration with Pakistan International
Airlines, the report said.
Fifty-four
Hindus from India, Canada, Singapore, Australia and Spain had visited the
country last month.
The
group was led by Shri Satguru Ji Maharaaj Ji, the fifth successor of Paramhans
Ji Maharaaj.
In December
last year, over 1,000 people led by some local clerics belonging to the Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) instigated the villagers to demolish the temple and
as a result, people led by local seminary students attacked the temple.
On
the orders of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the temple was restored. The apex
court also ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government in October 2021
to recover Rs 33 million (USD 1,94,161) from the culprits involved in
vandalising the century-old shrine.
Earlier
in 1997, the shrine was first attacked and severely damaged, and the PHC head
Vankwani had approached the apex court in 2015 seeking help to restore the holy
place and restart the annual pilgrimage to the place.
Pakistan
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmad had celebrated Diwali this year at the temple last
month to express solidarity with members of the Hindu community and to welcome
pilgrims from other parts of the country.
According
to Vankwani, the PHC invited the chief justice only to give a message to
"hate-mongers that the state is determined to foil their nefarious
designs".
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Attacks
On French Mosques, Racist Graffiti Signs Of Rising Islamophobia
Multiple
Islamophobic attacks were recently witnessed in France,
-----
Alaattin
Dogru
29.12.2021
Multiple
Islamophobic attacks were recently witnessed in France, as two mosques were
attacked in the country’s southeast and racist graffiti targeting Muslims were
written on the street walls in the country's west.
According
to local media, racist attacks targeted two mosques in the cities of La Mure
and Domene on early Tuesday.
The
congregation arrived at the mosque in La Mure, which is run by the Turkish
Muslim community, and found the trash bins in front of the building overturned,
the mailbox and door handle damaged, and a small Turkish flag pennant was
partially burned.
On
the wall of the mosque, Islamophobic graffiti such as "Muslims are
harmful" was written.
Security
forces have launched an investigation into the incident.
Separately,
a person believed to be drunk entered a mosque in the city of Domene on the
evening of Dec. 27, damaged the place, and wrote statements on a paper tablecloth
accusing the imam and the community of inciting terrorism.
The
attacker managed to escape from the mosque.
While
prosecutors have launched an investigation into the attack, the security forces
are investigating whether there is a connection between the two attacks.
Islamophobic,
racist graffiti on town walls
Racist
graffiti targeting Muslims and other minorities were also written on the walls
in the center of the town of Chateau-Gontier in the Pays de la Loire region.
Authorities
have launched an investigation into the Islamophobic and racist attacks.
On
Twitter, French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said that he supports the
affected Muslims in La Mure and Chateau-Gontier and that such heinous acts are
against republican values.
Escalating
hatred
In a
statement, the Coordination Committee of Turkish Muslims in France (CCMTF),
said that anti-Muslim, racist, and xenophobic ideas have been on the rise in
the country, especially recently, and Muslims have been exposed to direct
attacks.
Pointing
out that Muslims have witnessed an escalating hatred towards them with the
closure of mosques, attacks on places of worship, and Islamophobic graffiti,
the statement called for the condemnation of these attacks and for bringing the
perpetrators to justice.
France
shuts down mosques
With
a controversial “anti-separatism” law adopted in August, Paris tightened the
controls on Muslim establishments, places of worship and well-known Muslim
individuals.
The
international community, especially the UN, as well as non-governmental
organizations and human rights organizations have criticized the government for
targeting and marginalizing Muslims.
As a
result of the inspections carried out in 99 mosques this year upon the
instructions of the French Interior Ministry, 21 of them were closed, and legal
proceedings were initiated against six of them.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Respect
My Amnesty, Stop Extrajudicial Punishment: Supreme Leader of the Taliban
Supreme leader of the Taliban Mullah Hebtullah Akhundzada
-----
Mullah
Hebtullah
30
Dec 2021
Supreme
leader of the Taliban Mullah Hebtullah Akhundzada has directed the Taliban
affiliates to respect his announced general amnesty and stop extrajudicial
punishment of the employees of the former Afghan government.
Mullah
Hebtullah Akhundzada has also said that the Afghan people should not leave
their country as they will be humiliated abroad.
The
supreme leader has expressed the directions in Kandahar province while meeting
the provincial officials there.
He
asked provincial officials, religious scholars, tribal elders, provincial and
district governors to discuss with people and convince them not to leave
Afghanistan.
“Do
not seek favoritism, seek meritocracy and hire people based on their talent and
intelligence, implement justice and do not violate rights of people,” Hebtullah
instructed people.
About
the security of people, he told security officials to carry out their jobs
honestly and pay utmost care while patrolling or frisking people.
The
emphasis on implementing general amnesty and stopping extrajudicial punishment
comes after a video of a former security commander being punished and beaten by
a Taliban affiliate went viral.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Japanese
Muslim Academic Teaches Islam To Compatriots In Turkey
Naoki
Yamamoto (R), poses with a student, in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 8, 2021. (AA
PHOTO)
----
December
29, 2021
Naoki
Yamamoto found a second home in Turkey where he discovered Islam. Having
converted to the religion 12 years ago, the young academic is on a mission to
disseminate the messages of his new religion to his fellow Japanese
compatriots. Instead of going back home, Yamamota invites Muslim converts in
Japan to Turkey, where he teaches them about Islam, in the same place where he
also grasped the pillars of Islam.
Yamamota
was recently in the central province of Konya where he attended an
international congress on conversion to Islam and recounted his experience and
work in Turkey to Anadolu Agency (AA).
He
says Islam’s moral and social teachings fascinated him and he decided to
convert. He found Turkey, a Muslim-majority country, to be an ideal place to
learn more about the religion and so he moved there. Here, he learned about
Islamic sciences, the Quran as well as Turkish, Arabic and Farsi. He is still
working as an academic at Marmara University in Istanbul.
Though
Shinto and Buddhism are Japan's major religions and other faiths have little
following, Yamamoto says the number of conversions to Islam is increasing in
his country. Indeed, he was introduced to the religion by his university
lecturer, another Muslim convert, in Japan. “The conversion is easy but
practicing the religion is difficult in Japan. People have a lack of
knowledge,” he complains. He says he learned how to perform prayers properly
and about other requirements of Islam in Turkey.
Yamamoto
is now leading an ambitious project to “train Muslim intellectuals.” These
future intellectuals are Japanese Muslim converts who come to Istanbul to join
him for Islamic classes, either at the study room of a local nongovernmental
organization (NGO) or in other places. Currently, he has five students who are
learning about the religion as well as other Islamicate languages from him.
Yamamoto also organizes online classes to reach out to other converts back in
his homeland. “I train people here, so they will return to Japan to teach more
people about Islam,” he says.
Hüseyin
Jumpei Watanabe, who converted to Islam five years ago, is among his students.
The 24-year-old who hails from Nagoya, Japan, says he was introduced to Islam
while learning about the plight of Muslims in Syria and Iraq during the recent
conflicts. Watanabe says he is both learning Turkish and Islam in Turkey and
will convey what he learned here to others in Japan, where he studies social
sciences.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
Mosque On Hindu Family Land Is A Testament Of A Culture Of Inclusiveness In West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas
30th
December 2021
By
Pranab Mondal
KOLKATA: In the days of hate speech and attack on
minorities, a story of communal harmony in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas
stands out as an exception. Amanati Masjid (mosque) on a land owned by a Hindu
family in a place called Barasat is a testament of a culture of inclusiveness.
Family members of Partha Sarathi Basu, the owner of the land, have been caring
for the mosque for over 50 years since they had migrated from Bangladesh. Every
year, the family breaks bread with Muslims during Ramazan.
Located
around 25 kms from Kolkata, this place has become a unique symbol of communal
harmony. Partha’s grandfather shifted to Barasat in the aftermath of the 1964
riots from Khulna in Bangladesh after swapping his ancestral land with the land
of a Muslim family in Barasat. After shifting, the Basu family found a barren
mosque in the land.
“We
were surprised as the property document had no mention of the structure,’’ said
Partha. “’Many Hindu neighbours suggested we raze the structure but my
grandfather did not. He used to say that one should always take care of any
kind of religious place instead of destroying it. He renovated the mosque and
nurtured it with love. Now, the mosque is a praying place for hundreds.”
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Rush
For Nikahs, In Hyderabad, Ahead Of New Marriage Law, Prohibition Of Child
Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021
Dec
30, 2021
HYDERABAD:
A scramble to solemnise Nikahs that might run into legal hurdles if and when
the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 becomes a law is keeping
mosques in Hyderabad's Old City busy and buzzing.
The
brides at these hurried ceremonies are all between 18 and 20 years of age. Most
were supposed to get married sometime in 2022-2023, but fear of the bill being
passed has made their families wary of waiting until then.
The
bill, supposed to be applicable to all communities, seeks to raise the legal
age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years.
"I
have three daughters - one of them differently-abled. How can I wait another
two years to get at least one of them married?" said Samarunnissa, mother
of a 19-year-old who was taken to a local mosque on Tuesday for a low-key
nikah. "We had planned to have the ceremony in mid-2022 as her father
recently went to Sri Lanka in search of a job. We were hoping he would come
back with some money for us to arrange the wedding. But when we heard about the
bill, we had to rush," the Babanagar resident said.
TOI
spoke to at least half a dozen families living across the Old City that have
advanced the wedding dates of their daughters for a similar reason. In almost
all cases though, the 'vidaai' has been put off for financial reasons.
"It
is mandatory that we send our daughter off to her in-laws with some furniture,
gold, clothes and cash. But right now, I am struggling to even earn a meal for
the family," said Rehmat Ali, who lost his job as a driver during the 2020
lockdown. "So, while the nikah is done (on December 26), I have sought
time (four-five months) for the vidaai," said the 50-year-old father of
five daughters and a son.
The
Chandrayangutta resident is banking on KCR's "Shaadi Mubarak" scheme
to fulfil his parental duty. Rolled out by the TRS government in 2014, the
scheme extends financial aid of Rs 1 lakh to girls -SC/ST/EBC or minorities
-who are at least 18 years old and eligible for marriage.
"Families
are getting the nikah done so that they can apply for the scheme immediately
and get the money in the next few months. Once that is processed, they can
proceed with the vidaais," said Feroz Khan, a local leader from the area.
According to him, more than 40 nikahs are lined up for the next few days.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hindu
Religious Leader, Kalicharan, Arrested After Remarks Against Gandhi, Islam
by
Anurag Dwary
December
30, 2021
Bhopal:
A Hindu religious leader from Maharashtra who insulted Mahatma Gandhi and
praised his assassin, Nathuram Godse, has been arrested by the Chhattisgarh
Police from Madhya Pradesh's Khajuraho and charged with sedition.
Kalicharan
Maharaj, whose controversial speech at a "dharma sansad" or religious
meeting in Chhattisgarh's Raipur led to chief patron Mahant Ramsunder Das
disowning the event and walking off stage in anger, was also charged with
promoting enmity between communities after former mayor Pramod Dubey filed a
police case.
Raipur
senior police officer Prashant Agarwal has confirmed that Kalicharan has been
arrested.
Kalicharan
booked a guest house in Khajuraho but did not stay there, police sources said,
adding he instead went to a rented house some 25 km from Khajuraho to dodge the
police, who had been looking for him since the day a case was filed against
him.
To
evade the police from tracking, all his close aides had also switched off their
phones, sources said. This morning, a team of 10 policemen finally tracked him
down, arrested him and took him back to Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur.
He
will be taken to a court by evening.
Madhya
Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra alleged the Chhattisgarh Police violated
inter-state protocol by arresting Kalicharan from the state without informing
local police, and asked the Madhya Pradesh police chief to take up the matter
with his Chhattisgarh counterpart.
Chhattisgarh
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel rejected the allegations that the police violated
any protocol. "Narottam Mishra should tell whether he is happy or sad
about the arrest of the person who insulted Mahatma Gandhi. No rules have been
violated and the arrest made by the Chhattisgarh Police was as per
procedure," Mr Baghel said.
Source:
ND TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Congress
MP, Abdul Khaleque, Seeks FIR Against Assam Chief Minister For Alleged Hate
Speech
Dec
30, 2021
By
Utpal Parashar
Opposition
Congress Member of Parliament Abdul Khaleque on Wednesday submitted a letter to
the in-charge of a police station in Guwahati seeking a First Information
Report (FIR) against Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for an alleged
hate speech on December 10.
He
said Sarma in the speech cited the eviction exercise carried out at Garukhuti
in Darrang district in September, which left two civilians dead in police
action, and called it a “revenge” for incidents in 1983 during the agitation
against undocumented migrants in Assam.
“Betraying
his oath on the Constitution, Sarma has maliciously given a communal colour to
what was supposed to be an executive exercise,” Khaleque said in the letter.
“By calling the horrendous acts (deaths of two civilians) as revenge, Sarma has
not only justified the killings and arson committed there, the legality of
which is sub judice before the Hon’ble Gauhati High Court, but he has gone far
ahead and communalized the whole exercise--the target of which was the Muslim
population living there.”
Khaleque
called Sarma’s reference to revenge a “wanton provocation” to the public “to
commit further acts of rioting against a particular community”. “Through such
malignant and provocative utterances, the CM (chief minister) is intending to
cause disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will towards the Muslim
population of Assam.” HT has seen a copy of the letter.
Khaleque
said Sarma’s comments amounted to offences under the Indian Penal Code’s
Sections 153 and 153A as they were a provocative and could cause rioting and
promote disharmony, enmity between different groups. He urged police to
initiate action against Sarma.
A
police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they have received
the letter and a preliminary inquiry was being done. He added that no FIR has
been lodged against Sarma.
Sarma’s
political secretary, Jayanta Malla Baruah, called Khaleque’s request
“politically motivated”. He added they will go ahead with its agenda of
removing illegal settlers from encroached lands irrespective of what other
parties say or do.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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India-Bangladesh
bonhomie scaled new heights as 2021 marked 50 years of ties
Dec
30, 2021
DHAKA:
The year 2021 was a momentous one for India and Bangladesh as they jointly
celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the golden jubilee of
Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan and the birth centenary of its father
of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The
year began on a promising note as Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina
thanked her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for sending over two million doses
of AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine Covishield, as a gift.
The
vaccines helped Bangladesh launch its nationwide vaccination drive.
PM
Modi - in his first trip to a foreign country since the Covid-19 outbreak -
visited Bangladesh in March and participated in the golden jubilee of its
independence from Pakistan and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu.
During
the visit, which coincided with the 50th year of the establishment of
diplomatic relationship between India and Bangladesh, it was decided to
commemorate December 6 as 'Maitri Diwas' (Friendship Day).
Ten
days before the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan, India recognised
Bangladesh on December 6, 1971. India was one of the first countries to
establish bilateral diplomatic ties with Bangladesh.
"Both
India and Bangladesh want to see the world progressing through their own
development. Both the countries want to see stability, love, and peace instead
of instability, terror, and unrest in the world," Modi said.
In a
major boost to bilateral ties, a new passenger train connecting Dhaka and West
Bengal's New Jalpaiguri was inaugurated jointly by Modi and Hasina. It was the
third passenger train after Maitree Express (Dhaka-Kolkata) and Bandhan Express
(Khulna-Kolkata) running between the two neighbouring countries.
Exclusively
honouring Indian martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War, they jointly unveiled the
foundation stone for the first memorial in this country.
Modi
also reiterated India's "sincere and continued efforts" to conclude
the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement in consultation with relevant
stakeholders.
India
and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km-long international border, the fifth-longest
land border in the world, with West Bengal having the highest length with
2,217-kilometre.
The
two countries participated in a 10-day multilateral UN-mandated
counter-terrorism exercise held in Bangladesh. Bhutan and Sri Lanka also took
part in the drill along with observers from the US, the UK, Turkey, Kuwait,
Singapore and Saudi Arabia.
In
July, India and Bangladesh reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen
the expanding multifaceted cooperation, as external affairs minister S
Jaishankar and his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen met in Uzbekistan and
discussed a range of issues, including the bilateral and regional connectivity,
Covid-19 and the repatriation of the Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
Meanwhile,
the menace of cross-border human and cattle trafficking continued to pose
security threats.
In
November, two Bangladeshis were shot dead at the Indo-Bangla border in West
Bengal after they attacked a Border Security Force patrol party that stopped
them from smuggling cattle.
Bangladesh
foreign minister AK Abdul Momen described the killings as “unfortunate”.
To
consolidate bilateral ties, President Ram Nath Kovind visited Dhaka in December
and attended the golden jubilee celebrations of Bangladesh's independence from
Pakistan.
During
the visit, Kovind said India is committed to assisting Bangladesh in its
efforts to achieve strong economic growth and greater prosperity as he
highlighted the "uniquely close" bilateral relationship based on
age-old ties of kinship, shared language and culture.
Foreign
secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, during a briefing on President Kovind's
high-level meetings here, said the year 2021 has been very significant for the
bilateral relationship.
"It
marks the Triveni of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the state of
Bangladesh, 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries
and also the 100th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. And
on this occasion we've had the Prime Minister visit Bangladesh, we had our
external affairs minister visit Bangladesh and now we have the President of
India visit in Bangladesh.
"So
it's a rare occasion or rare conjuncture, in which we've had three of our
senior most dignitaries visit our close and friendly neighbour in one
year," Shringla, who was earlier India's high commissioner in Dhaka from
2016 to 2019, said.
Commenting
on the India-Bangladesh bonhomie, India's high commissioner in Dhaka Vikram
Doraiswami called 2021 a “special year”.
“India-Bangladesh
ties have undeniably reached new heights in the past few years, more so in the
year 2021,” he told PTI when asked to review the bilateral ties in the outgoing
year.
Doraiswami
called the developments “appropriate” as the year marked the 50th anniversary
of Bangladesh's liberation from Pakistan alongside 50th anniversary of “India's
recognition of an independent and sovereign Bangladesh” as well as
Bangabandhu's birth centenary.
Notwithstanding
the pandemic, “we saw an unprecedented effort on both sides to give the
relationship special significance” and “we need to build on this platform to
make the partnership truly irreversible”, the envoy said.
He
pointed out for the first time in recent memory, both the Indian President and
the Prime Minister made state visits to Bangladesh within the same calendar
year to join the celebrations as guests of honour.
“We
have also had an unprecedented number of other visitors, led by external
affairs minister (S Jaishankar), thus signifying the highest priority accorded
to the best possible relationship with Bangladesh,” he said.
At a
symbolic level, the two countries exchanged for the first time military marching
contingents in each other's national day parades -- in January in Delhi and in
December in Dhaka, Doraiswami said.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
6 JeM
terrorists, including 2 Pak nationals killed in two separate encounters in
J&K: Police
Dec
30, 2021
NEW
DELHI: Six terrorists, including two Pakistan nationals, have been killed in
two separate encounters with the security forces in Anantnag and Kulgam
districts of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
According
to the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, four among the killed terrorists
have been identified so far. Of these, two are Pakistani and two are local
terrorists. The identity of the other two terrorists is being ascertained.
6
#terrorists of proscribed #terror outfit JeM killed in two separate
#encounters. 4 among the killed terrorists ha… https://t.co/8d4QCw4gEi
—
Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) 1640820647000
The
first encounter started at Nowgam Anantnag where, one policeman was injured in
the shootout, the police said.
#Encounter
has started at Nowgam Shahabad, Dooru area of #Anantnag. In the initial firing,
01 police personnel got… https://t.co/v5WVQXBp0c
—
Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) 1640786740000
Soon
after the Anantnag encounter, security forces launched another operation at
Mirhama in Kulgam where three terrorists were killed in a brief encounter.
#AnantnagEncounterUpdate:
02 more #terrorists killed (Total 3). Identification being ascertained. #Search
going on.… https://t.co/4whwCTpSzN
—
Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) 1640818076000
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
Prisoners are not considered for premature release in TN
30th
December 2021
By
Syed Ali Mujtaba
Chennai:
The Tamil Nadu Federation of Muslim organizations and political parties a
collective of 23 outfits has appealed to the government to reconsider cases of
38 Muslim convicts incarcerated for 22 to 26 years in various prisons of the
state. Among them, 17 are booked in connection with the Coimbatore serial bomb
blasts in 1998.
This
appeal was made in the wake of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announcing
the premature release of 700 convicts, on the occasion of the birth anniversary
of late former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai on September 15, but Muslim
prisoners were denied the largesse made by the government.
Tamil
Nadu government had framed the guidelines for premature release of the convicts
who completed at least 10 years of imprisonment and are eligible to be freed.
This
comes under the government’s power to reduce, commute or remit the sentence of
any prisoner under articel161 of the constitution. However, the government has
specified 17 disqualification criteria and among them, persons convicted in
communal/religious offenses will not be eligible for premature release.
M.H.
Jawahirullah, leader of Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) party said
that there are several Muslim convicts in prisons across the State who the
government had not released in the past 10 years even though several courts had
said that they were eligible for release. Many of the Muslim prisoners had
spent their youth inside prison cells and are languishing without parole.
The
TMMK leader said that some 20 prisoners have even got fit-for-release
certificates but the government has denied their release though they have spent
more than 20 years in jail.
The
government of Tamilnadu in the year 2008 released about 1400 prisoners who
spent more than seven years in jail but Muslim prisoners were not released.
Then in 2018, to mark the birth centenary celebration of former Chief Minister
M G Ramachandran, the government released 1,627 but Muslim prisoners were not
among them. Some 700 prisoners were released in 2021 but again Muslims were
discriminated against.
“Muslim
prisoners issue is treated with discrimination in Tamil Nadu. Not a single
Muslim life convict was released in the year 2008 and 2018 or 2021. The issue
was raised in 2008 by Muslim politicians and following that in 2010, over 10
Muslim prisoners were released, but those prisoners’ sentence was going to end
in a short period of time and that was eyewash,” Jawahirullah said.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/muslim-prisoners-are-not-considered-for-premature-release-in-tn-2249723/
--------
Pakistan
Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum Orders Govt Not To
Release His Images To Media
Dec
30, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The newly-appointed Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General
Nadeem Anjum has instructed Pakistani authorities not to release his images or
video footage to the media, according to a media report on Wednesday.
Anjum
was named director-general of the ISI last month after a long standoff between
Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership. Anjum had replaced Lt Gen Faiz
Hameed, whose footage of him having a chat with a reporter in Kabul during the
Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August this year, had gone viral. On
Monday, Pakistan’s National Security Committee had approved the country’s
first-ever National Security Policy.
The
high-level meeting was also attended by the ISI director-general. However, the
photos and video-recording of the meeting released by the Pakistan government
showed all the other top dignitaries, except the ISI chief, News International
reported.
Source:
Times of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Head
Of Shia Ulema Council Allama Sajid Naqvi: Strong Shia-Sunni Unity Will Lead Us
To Pure Islamic System
December
30, 2021
Head
of Shia Ulema council in Pakistan called on all Muslims to boost solidarity in
order to achieve pure Islamic system in the country.
Allama
Syed Sajid Naqvi, leader of Shia Council met with Sheikh Hamid Shahriari and
the Iranian delegation of Shia and Sunni scholars visiting Pakistan stressing
that the Islamic solidarity achieved in Pakistan is partly owed to Iran's World
Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought.
Pakistani
cleric noted that his country has followed the guidelines of the Supreme Leader
and late Ayatollah Khomeini (RA) to promote Islamic proximity and said,"
Unfortunately extremist groups are supported and endeavor to restrict Shias
though, inspired by the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of
Thought, we have managed to prevent them."
Member
of the Supreme Council of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of
Thought noted that Islamic proximity movements have been launched by the Shias
and formation of a group titled national solidarity council was in the same
line.
Top
Pakistani scholar, Allama Syed Sajid Naqvi, met with Iranian cleric and
Secretary General of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought
and the delegation of religious and cultural figures visiting Pakistan.
Source:
ABNA24
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--------
Pak
sets up first-ever body of Hindu leaders to take care of minority community’s
temples
December
30, 2021
Pakistan
on Wednesday announced that it has set up a first-ever body of Hindu leaders to
take care of the minority community’s temples in the Muslim-majority country.
The
Ministry of Religious Affairs constituted the Pakistan Hindu Mandir Management
Committee on the pattern of the already working Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara
Management Committee.
According
to an official statement, the inaugural meeting of the Pakistan Hindu Temple
Management Committee was chaired by Minister for Religious Affairs Pir
Noor-ul-Haq Qadri.
Evacuee
Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Asif Hashmi briefed the meeting on the
matters. The ETPB is a statutory board that manages religious properties and
shrines of Hindus and Sikhs who had migrated to India following the partition.
“The
committee will look after matters related to Hindu places of worship,” Qadri
said.
The
committee comprising Dewan Chand Chawla, Haroon Sarab Dayal, Mohandas, Naranjan
Kumar, Megha Arora, Amit Shadani, Ashok Kumar, Versi Mill Dewani and Amar Nath
Randhawa will be headed by Krishna Sharma.
“Pakistan
has created history by constituting the committee on the demand of the Hindu
community,” Sharma said.
Qadri
said that the problems of non-Muslim population of Pakistan are being solved on
priority basis and the formation of the committee will be instrumental in
resolving the issues of the Pakistani Hindu community.
The
minister went on to say that despite religious and cultural diversity,
tolerance and acceptance of each other is humanity, adding that evil elements
want confrontation in Pakistan on the basis of religion, sect and linguistics.
“The
new committee will act as a bridge between the non-Muslim population and the
State,” he said.
He
said that according to the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, efforts were
being made for the welfare of the non-Muslim population.
Source:
Indian Express
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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JUI-F
leader dares CJP, CM to execute mosque demolition orders
December
30, 2021
Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam-F Sindh Secretary General Rashid Mahmood Soomro on Wednesday
dared Supreme Court Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Sindh Chief Minister Syed
Murad Ali Shah to implement the top court’s order to demolish illegally
constructed mosques in Karachi.
On
Tuesday, the apex court ordered to demolish a mosque, shrine and cemetery built
on amenity parks’ land near Tariq Road.
A
division bench, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Qazi
Muhammad Amin, heard a case against the construction of Madinah Mosque and
other encroachments on the land meant for a park in Tariq Road at the Supreme
Court Karachi Registry.
District
Municipal Corporation Administrator East maintained that the mosque was
constructed on park land. CJP Gulzar expressed anger over the land still being
occupied, reprimanding the district administrator over Karachi’s condition.
Khawaja Shams, the mosque administration’s counsel, said that the land was
obtained from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation through auction. However, he
claimed that a new mosque was being built in its stead.
“Assistant
Commissioner Asma Batool has built a mausoleum and a graveyard to add fuel to
sectarian rift. Bismillah mosque was also built overnight to sow sectarianism,”
the lawyer stated. “Mr chief justice the mosques are not orphans… Mr chief
minister the mosques are not orphans… if you have the courage then show it and
try bulldozing the mosque,” Soomro said in a video that went viral on social
media.
He
went on to say that till the day he was alive, he will never let “even a single
brick of any mosque in Karachi be demolished”.
Source:
Pak Observer
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
JUI-F
leader threatens CJP, Sindh CM to dare implement mosque demolition orders
DECEMBER
29, 2021
The
apex court ordered to demolish a mosque, shrine and cemetery built on amenity
parks’ land near Tariq Road. A division bench, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed
and comprising Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin, heard a case against the
construction of Madinah Mosque and other encroachments on the land meant for a
park in Tariq Road at the Supreme Court Karachi Registry.
Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Sindh Secretary General Rashid Mahmood Soomro on
Wednesday dared Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad
Ali Shah to implement the top court’s order to demolish illegally constructed
mosques in Karachi.
“Mr
chief justice the mosques are not orphans… Mr chief minister the mosques are
not orphans… if you have the courage then show it and try bulldozing the
mosque,” Soomro said in a video that went viral on social media. He went on to
say that till the day he was alive, he will never let “even a single brick of
any mosque in Karachi be demolished”.
Source:
Daily Times Pakistan
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
failed its counter-terrorism obligations: Report
Dec
30, 2021
WASHINGTON:
With the threat of terrorism becoming geographically dispersed around the
world, Pakistan continues being duplicitous on the use of terrorist groups as
proxies in its geopolitical pursuits, a new media report said.
"Terrorist
groups continued to operate from Pakistan. Groups targeting Afghanistan --
including the Afghan Taliban and affiliated Haqqani Network, as well as groups
targeting India, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its affiliated front
organizations, and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) -- continued to operate from
Pakistani territory," the Singapore Post reported citing the US's Country
Reports on Terrorism 2020.
It
further reported that Pakistan made limited progress on "the most
difficult aspects of its 2015 National Action Plan to counter-terrorism,
specifically in its pledge to dismantle all terrorist organizations without
delay or discrimination."
The
report highlighted that Pakistan "did not take action against other known
terrorists such as JeM founder and UN-designated terrorist Masood Azhar and
2008 Mumbai attack "project manager" Sajid Mir", both of whom
are believed to remain free in Pakistan.
Citing
media reports, The Singapore Post reported that Masood Azhar had written a
column "Manzil Ki Taraf" in JeM's online magazine Al Noor
congratulating the Afghan Taliban for its takeover of Kabul. He had also
commented that the "defeat of America means it has lost the status of
being the superpower in the world."
The
US report also mentioned the release of terrorist Omar Sheikh, accused of
murdering journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. In December last year, the Sindh
High Court had overturned the convictions of Omar Sheikh and three
co-conspirators for the 2002 abduction and murder of Pearl and ordered their
release.
The
Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld this decision of the Sindh High Court. This
incident once again showed Pakistan's flawed justice system and its impact on
counter-terrorism investigations, The Singapore Post reported.
South-East
Asia's news outlet further said Pakistan has never been sincere whenever it
assured the global community that it would perform its counter-terrorism
obligations. This Pakistani duplicity has been on display since the 9/11
attacks. To escape the international scrutiny of its terrorist ecosystem,
Islamabad has only engaged in a cosmetic crackdown on this network.
Source:
Times of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
buys 25 China-made J-10C fighter jets in response to India's Rafale aircraft
acquisition
Dec
30, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has acquired a full squadron of 25 Chinese multirole J-10C fighter
jets in response to India's purchase of Rafale aircraft, Interior Minister
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Wednesday.
The
minister told reporters in his home city of Rawalpindi that a full squadron of
25 all-weather aircraft comprising J-10C will attend the Pakistan Day ceremony
on March 23 next year. Apparently, China has come to the rescue of its closest
ally by providing J-10C, one of its highly reliable fighter jets.
The
minister, who often characterises himself a ‘graduate of Urdu-medium
institutions' to poke fun at his elite English-medium colleagues, incorrectly
pronounced the name of the aircraft as JS-10 instead of J-10C.
“VIP
guests are coming (to attend 23rd March ceremony) for the first time in
Pakistan, the fly-past ceremony of JS-10 (J-10C) is being held…Pakistan Air
Force is going to perform the fly-past of China's JS-10 (J-10C) aircraft in
response to Rafale,” Ahmed said.
The
J-10C aircraft were part of the Pak-China joint exercise last year, where
experts from Pakistan had the opportunity to have a close look at the fighter
jets.
The
joint exercises started on December 7 in Pakistan and lasted about 20 days,
with China sending warplanes including J-10C, J-11B jets, KJ-500 early warning
aircraft and Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft, while Pakistan participated with
the JF-17 and Mirage III fighter jets.
Source:
Times of India
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Ashrafi
questions global silence over persecution of minorities in India
December
29, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and the Middle East Tahir
Ashrafi on Wednesday questioned the global cold silence over the unprecedented
persecution of the minorities in India where Muslims and Christians were being
killed and their places of worship were being destroyed with impunity.
Addressing
a student convention held at Marhaba Masjid in Rawalpindi, Ashrafi said
Muslims, Christians and other minorities in India were being subjected to
atrocities.
If
there was an incident of rights violation elsewhere, the international
community would scream, but it was completely silent on state-sanctioned abuses
in India, he lamented. “Today, Kashmir, Palestine, Afghanistan and Burma are
not visible to the world.”
Ashrafi
said: “Low-caste Hindus are not allowed to drink from the wells reserved for
the upper-caste counterparts, attend the same temples, wear shoes in the
presence of an upper-caste Hindu or drink from the same cups in tea stalls.”
He
said Pakistan had always raised its voice for oppressed segments all over the
world facing tyranny and state-sponsored violence.
He
said that minorities living in Pakistan should not have any fear, adding:
“Islam is a religion of peace, moderation and compassion.” He reiterated that
minorities were enjoying equal rights in Pakistan without any discrimination.
“The
Constitution of Pakistan is the protector of the rights of Muslims and
non-Muslims living in Pakistan,” the adviser added.
He, however,
denounced the killing of Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumar in Sialkot.
Terming it a barbaric act, he said there was no room for extremism in Islam.
“The
Quran states that whosoever kills one man without any reason, it is as if he
has murdered entire mankind”, he added.
He
said the life of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) was a beacon of light for the
entire humanity.
He
said following the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH), the nation would have to
change its thoughts and attitude keeping in view the national, religious and
collective interests.
In
these times, there was a need that Muslims should prove their love for Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) to the world through character, speech and practice.
Ashrafi
said the young generation must come to the forefront to play their role in
eradicating extremism, terrorism, dowry rituals and spreading the moderate
message of Islam.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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--------
Europe
French
regime seeks new initiative targeting Islam and Muslims
December
29, 2021
France's
right-wing Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has announced that he will
organise a "forum of Islam in France" early next year in a bid to
exert what some see as influence over how Muslims practice their faith.
The
French government will select between 80-100 individuals who it puts forth as
religious leaders, imams and members of civil society, but more crucially, buy
into the state's narrative that Muslims and Islam have a problem in the
country.
In
2020 The French President Emmanuel Macron pressured the French Council of
Muslim Worship (CFCM) to sign up to a charter of "Republican values"
in a move that singled out Europe's largest Muslim population of 5.4 million.
At
the beginning of this year, Macron's government pushed for a "Charter of
Imams," a set of principles that would define an Islam of France.
Both
initiatives failed as they have mainly been perceived as lacking legitimacy.
The
latest initiative, set to be held in February of next year, recognises that
failure and Macron's government is now seeking a new approach.
"We
had something very formal, which worked around the French Council of Muslim
Worship (CFCM)," said the government following the announcement of the
initiative. However, CFCM has been "completely paralysed for a year."
Founded
in 2003 by the then French Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy, the CFCM, from
its inception, has been a controversial body with no legal standing but acts as
a conduit between the French state and its Muslim population.
The
controversial "Charter of Imams" seeks to control what mosques can
speak about in their sermons, particularly if they raise questions around
Islamophobia or state racism, which the French government denies as being
problematic. Speeches in mosques "hostile to French foreign policy"
would also be banned.
Several
Muslim organisations condemned the French states' attempts to
"instrumentialise" Islam following that announcement.
The
Great Mosque of Paris, a body that is close to Macron's government, split from
CFCM after the body's refusal to adopt the state's Charter of Imams and has
backed the latest initiative by Darmanin.
Earlier
this year, Darmanin expressed his displeasure at not being able to close down
more mosques in the country.
Over
the last year, Macron's has closed down 17 mosques for violating vague
"security laws" or not having the right "safety standards."
An additional 89 mosques are also under surveillance.
Issues
around identity and Islam will feature heavuly in next year's elections.
There
is growing concern amongst French civil society, international human rights
organisations and local Muslims who fear that Macron's government is
disproportionately targeting Muslims in a bid to curry favour with far-right
voters with presidential elections just over one year away.
Source:
ABNA24
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--------
Nine
Serbs indicted for killing around 100 Muslims
December
30, 2021
SARAJEVO:
A Bosnian war crimes prosecutor has indicted nine Bosnian Serbs for the killing
of around 100 Muslim Bosniaks, including seven entire families, early in the
1992-95 war, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Twenty-six
years after the end of its devastating war between Orthodox Serbs, Catholic
Croats and Muslim Bosniaks in which about 100,000 people had died, Bosnia is
still searching for people who went missing and seeking justice against the
suspected perpetrators.
At
the same time, the Balkan country is going through its worst post-war political
crisis, with Bosnian Serb leaders’ threat of pulling out of Bosnia’s national
institutions, including the joint armed forces, raising fears of a new
conflict.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1666568/nine-serbs-indicted-for-killing-around-100-muslims
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Turkey
hands over lead of NATO's highest-readiness force to France
Agnes
Szucs
29.12.2021
BRUSSELS
Turkey
handed over the lead of NATO's highest-readiness military force to France on
Saturday, the military alliance announced on Wednesday.
France
will take over the leadership of the Very High Readiness Joint Force (VJTF) as
of Jan. 1, 2022, NATO said in a press statement.
"The
Very High Readiness Joint Task Force is a substantial contribution to our
collective defense, and France's leadership is a strong display of commitment
and capabilities," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.
"At
a time of unprecedented security challenges, there must be no misunderstanding
about NATO's resolve: We stand together to defend and protect all allies,"
he added.
The
VJTF is the highest readiness element of NATO's 40,000-strong response force
which enables troops to be deployed within days.
It
was created in 2014 in response to the Russian aggression against Ukraine and
the crises in the Middle East.
The
leadership of the high-readiness force rotates between countries every year,
and several countries provide troops for the multinational force.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
EU
Lawmaker: Nobody did more in defeating ISIS than Gen. Soleimani
December
30, 2021
A
member of the European Parliament acknowledged that nobody did more to defeat
ISIS terrorists in Iraq than legend Iranian commander Martyr Lt. General Qassem
Soleimani.
"While
the US and Allies were responsible for the rise of ISIS and the arming of
Jihadists Groups, nobody did more to defeat ISIS in Iraq than General
Soleimani," Mick Wallace, a member of the European Parliament said in a
post on his Twitter account.
Wallace
made the remarks in reply to the tweet of the Iranian embassy to the Kingdom of
Belgium which said, "We invite you to watch a short video we put together
at the Embassy in commemoration of the second anniversary of the martyrdom of
General Soleimani, the hero strove to bring about peace in the region & was
a sturdy bulwark against the spread of extremism and terrorism."
He
also condemned the international community for not taking any action on the
assassination of the Iranian top general, saying, "Where was the
condemnation from the International Community when he was murdered by the
US...?"
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Afghanistan
loses unique opportunity for avoiding undue hardship: Abdullah
30
Dec 2021
Head
of former High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah in a
Twitter post said that Afghanistan lost a unique opportunity through inclusive
talks to avoid undue hardship in 2021.
Tweeting
on the eve of New Year (2022) Abdullah Abdullah said that the previous year was
a fateful year.
“While
wishing all our friends overseas a healthy and prosperous 2022, I pray for
world peace, especially for harmony, perseverance, and recovery for our
people.” Reads the Twitter post.
2021
was one of the most historic years in the recent history of Afghanistan as a
twenty-year government initially installed and funded by the US collapsed and
the Taliban recaptured power on August 15.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Moscow
to host Troika Plus on Afghanistan
30
Dec 2021
Russia’s
special representative to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov announced that his country
will host Troika Plus on Afghanistan in January 2022 inviting the US, China,
and Pakistan.
Earlier,
Pakistan hosted Troika Plus concentrated on Afghanistan, and the Taliban
authorities were also invited to the meeting.
It is
still unclear whether the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will be invited to the
meeting.
Meanwhile,
Russia’s special representative reacted to the new rules announced by the
Taliban’s Ministry of promotion of virtue and prevention of vice and called it
stupidity.
The
ministry has recently announced that women without male relatives are not
allowed to travel in the car for up to 45 miles.
Drivers
are also instructed not to seat two female passengers in the front seat and
totally avoid seating the women who do not observe Islamic hijab.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/moscow-to-host-troika-plus-on-afghanistan-98787665/
--------
For
struggling Afghan family, the next meal is a matter of faith
Dec
30, 2021
BAMIYAN:
As winter sets in, Afghan widow Kubra needs to find fuel to heat the single
room where eight family members live in the central province of Bamiyan. The
flour they bought months ago is running out, so food is also becoming scarce.
"We
got two sacks of flour last spring which we're still using. After that, we have
to have faith that God will help us," the 57-year-old told Reuters in a
room lined with rice sacks to keep out the cold.
Their
firewood was stolen when they left their home amid the chaos that engulfed
Afghanistan in the summer, as Taliban insurgents swept towards Kabul on their
way to seizing back control of the country.
Stories
like Kubra's are increasingly common in a country struck by severe drought and
where money has run dry.
Before
the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government in August, the economy relied
heavily on foreign aid. But with the international community wary of the
Islamist militant movement and the United States imposing sanctions on some of
its leaders, that support has all but disappeared.
The
United Nations estimates nearly 23 million Afghans - about 55% of the
population - are facing extreme levels of hunger, with nearly 9 million at risk
of famine as winter takes hold.
Life
for Afghanistan's poor has always been hard; Kubra's family works on farms in
the spring, earning potatoes instead of money.
But
it's getting worse. Vegetables like cauliflower are out of reach, and plastic
sheets protect their home from the freezing weather and snow. There is so
little space in the single room that Kubra sleeps at her sister's house at
night.
"My
son used to collect pieces of scrap metal but right now he has no work,"
she said.
Nothing
left
Already
vulnerable after months of severe drought and decades of war that forced many
to flee homes for relatively stable regions like Bamiyan, Afghans are entering
the unknown.
"We
never used to have different kinds of food but in the past it was alright, we
had rice and cooking oil," said Massouma, a 26-year-old mother of four
from the neighbouring province of Maidan Wardak.
"We
used to cook once a day and that was good. Now it's once a week and sometimes
there isn't even any bread to eat."
Bamiyan
is best known outside Afghanistan for imposing Buddhist sites which dominate
the little market town, 20 years after the Taliban blew up the two giant
statues that once looked down over the high plains.
In
winter it is bitterly cold, with temperatures that can drop below freezing and
biting winds.
Work
slows in the cold months, but the region was already suffering since the
visitors who once came for the Buddhist sites and the nearby Band-e Amir lake
disappeared as the Taliban offensive reached its climax.
Taliban
officials say they are aware of the problems facing the poor, which they say
stem partly from the effects of more than four decades of conflict and
mismanagement under the previous government.
They
have also repeatedly called on Washington to unblock around $9 billion in
central bank assets.
"We
intend to ease these problems," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
"We know what the people are facing."
Cash
for rights
The
crisis Afghanistan faces this winter is of a magnitude not seen for at least 20
years, when the Taliban were ousted by US-backed forces and replaced by
governments in Kabul who relied heavily on foreign support - both financial and
military.
With
the former insurgents back in power the financial system is all but closed,
prompting a collapse in the local afghani currency.
The
international community is looking to restore aid by pressing the Taliban to
become more inclusive and ensure basic human rights including lifting
restrictions keeping women and girls from work and school.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Preacher
gets slammed for telling Muslims to not clean up non-Muslim places of worship
30
Dec 2021
PETALING
JAYA: A video by preacher Ustaz Azhar Idrus has caused an uproar on social
media for his comments on why Muslims should refrain from cleaning up
non-Muslims’ houses of worship that were affected by the floods.
In
the video, which is over a minute long, Azhar was answering a question asking
whether Muslims can help clean up Hindu temples that were affected by the
floods.
He
said those professing the Muslim faith can only clean up mosques and surau, but
not houses of worship of other religions.
"We
have our own religion. We can clean up mosques and surau, but we do not wash
idols. And through that, we can differentiate those who are faithful from those
who are impious," he said.
The
video, which was uploaded on Wednesday (Dec 30), has received around 35,800
likes and 3,709 comments.
In
the comments session, there were mixed reactions with some users calling out
the preacher for being insensitive towards the predicament faced by flood
victims while some agreed with him.
Tiktok
user @AizatonTikTok said he will still offer to clean up temples, as he adheres
to the teachings of Islam, which includes respecting other religions.
"As
much as the others help us to clean up mosques, I will help them to clean up
temples. Respect," he said.
User
@thiagarajan292 questioned if Azhar helped any flood victims.
"Ustaz,
did you help any flood victims? I have not seen your face," he said.
Meanwhile,
However,
some social media users agreed with Azhar on the matter.
Nadraja@GK
agreed that what the preacher was saying was correct and factual.
"That
is why when it comes to seeking help from Muslims, there are many limitations.
I understand."
Several
days ago, a video documenting the efforts of young volunteers, including students
from International Islamic University Malaysia cleaning a Hindu temple in Klang
went viral on social media.
Nallan
Dhanabalan’s video of the heartwarming event has since garnered upwards of
65,700 likes on TikTok, with the video also being shared on Twitter by local
cartoonist Zunar.
Previously,
Nallan shared a video of a group of Indian boys cleaning up a mosque nearby
Klang that was affected by the floods.
In
the video, a group of Indian boys are seen busy cleaning up the mosque, their
hands full of mops and pails.
Source:
The Star
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Brickbats
for Zakir Naik over Christmas greetings
Shivani
Supramani
December
30, 2021
PETALING
JAYA: Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik has been dismissed as ignorant,
out of touch and divisive.
In
response to his latest pronouncement that Muslims should refrain from wishing
Christians a “Merry Christmas”, various groups and opinion makers also expressed
their disgust for his views.
National
Patriots Association president Datuk Mohd Arshad Mohd Raji said Naik’s lack of
knowledge of Malaysian history had made him naive.
He
said Naik had also forgotten Islamic history and was ignorant of Islamic civilisation.
In a
post on his Facebook page last week, the preacher had cited a verse from the
book Majmoo al Fataawa stating that the Islamic cleric Shaikh Ul Islam ibn
Taymiyyah had forbidden Muslims from participating in non-Muslim festivals.
Arshad
pointed out that Malaysia is a multicultural society and even before Arabs
brought Islam here the various communities already had their own traditions and
beliefs. “Islam did not segregate us. Instead it taught us the glory of
co-existence,” he told theSun.
He said
that while the ancient Arab traders brought Islam to other parts of the world,
they also earned the respect of non-Muslims whom they traded with.
“If
they had done what Naik preaches now, I don’t think they would have done
justice for Islam, let alone propagate the religion from East to West, North to
South,” he added.
Furthermore,
Arshad said, many traditions and festivals had a social significance and
nothing to do with religion.
“Take
Santa Claus for instance. People see Santa as the bearer of happiness,
surprises and good tidings. Wearing a Santa cap does not make one a religion
any more than wearing a kopiah makes one a pious Muslim,” he added.
Arshad
said Malaysia is fortunate that its people are peace loving, but even then
extremist views like what is propagated by Naik could breed terrorism. “As
soldiers, we have fought side by side for our nation, men and women of all
cultures and faiths in uniform. If Naik’s teachings are taken as the gospel
truth, our nation’s defences will crumble,” he added.
Social
activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said Naik was entitled to his views like everyone
else as long as it did not contravene the law.
“It’s
up to the rest of us to decide whether or not to take him seriously. But my
view is that he is out of touch with reality,” Lee told theSun.
He
pointed out that Malaysia is a multiracial country that continues to practise
racial and religious tolerance and understanding and despite what Naik has
said, the people would continue to celebrate each other’s festivals. “We can see
the spirit of togetherness among Malaysians, especially during the recent
floods,” he said.
Lee
noted that Christian and Sikh charities and other similar groups had been
helping the victims with no regard for race or religion. “That was when we saw
the true spirit of Keluarga Malaysia,” he added.
He
said the authorities “must have a reason” for allowing Naik to remain in
Malaysia despite he being sought by Indian law enforcers to answer for criminal
offences of terror financing, hate speech, inciting communal hatred and money
laundering.
“But
my view is that foreigners who are granted residence in Malaysia should not
create unease or incite negative feelings,” he added.
Political
commentator Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi described Naik’s opinion that Islam is
different from others as an “early learner’s view”.
Source:
The Sun Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thesundaily.my/local/brickbats-for-zakir-naik-over-christmas-greetings-FX8707513
--------
Indonesia
navy ship tows boat with Rohingya refugees to port
Dec
30, 2021
LHOKSEUMAWE:
An Indonesian navy ship on Thursday was towing a boat carrying 120 Rohingya
Muslims into port after it had drifted for days off the country's northernmost
province of Aceh, a navy official said.
The
refugees' wooden boat was reportedly leaking and had a damaged engine. Efforts
to rescue its passengers, who are overwhelmingly women and children, began
after Indonesia's government on Wednesday said it would allow them to dock
because conditions on the boat were so severe.
The
broken-down boat was towed by a navy ship early Thursday from its location
about 53 miles (85 kilometers) off the coast of Bireuen, a district in Aceh,
toward Krueng Geukueh, a port in the neighboring Lhokseumawe district, said
navy western fleet command spokesman Col. La Ode M. Holib.
High
waves and bad weather hampered the rescue operation and the navy ship was
moving 5 knots (5.7 miles) per hour but was expected to dock later on Thursday,
Holib said.
"We
hope the improved weather condition today will allow us to rescue them
safely," he added.
The
boat was first sighted by local fishermen on Sunday about 60 miles (96
kilometers) off the coast of Bireuen, said Badruddin Yunus, the leader of the
local tribal fishing community. He said fishermen provided food, water and
clothes to the passengers, including 60 women, 51 children and nine men, who said
they wanted to go to Malaysia and had been at sea for 28 days before the boat's
engine broke down.
The
United Nations refugee agency said it was ready to assist Indonesia's
government and local community in preparing for the Rohingya, including
establishing a quarantine process in line with international public health
protocols amid the pandemic.
More
than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Buddhist-majority Myanmar to
refugee camps in Bangladesh since August 2017, when the Myanmar military
launched a clearance operation in response to attacks by a rebel group. Myanmar
security forces have been accused of mass rapes, killings and the burning of
thousands of homes.
Groups
of Rohingya have attempted to leave the crowded camps in Bangladesh and travel
by sea in hazardous voyages to other Muslim-majority countries in the region.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Tigrayans
at war use social media to woo Arabs, Muslims
29/12/2021
LONDON-
Rebels
from Ethiopia's Tigray region are drawing on early Islamic history in an
Arabic-language propaganda push to rally solidarity among Muslims online for
their battle against the government.
Thousands
of people have been killed since the conflict erupted last year between the
government in Addis Ababa and its foes, the rebel Tigrayan People's Liberation
Front (TPLF).
The
overwhelmingly Christian Tigrayan people account for less than six percent of
Ethiopia's 110 million people and the media-savvy TPLF rebels may hope to win
over Muslim allies among anti-government forces in the country's complex
multi-ethnic population, as well as generate sympathy abroad.
Amongst
Tigray's five percent Muslim-minority, Tigrinya speakers writing in Arabic have
sought to remind people about the role the region played as one of the first
Islamic settlements and as a refuge for early Muslims fleeing Mecca.
But
while their references may be drawn from the Koran, "the conflict in
Ethiopia is not religious but ethnic", one Tigrayan activist using the
alias Mustafa Habashi, who insists his efforts are not connected to TPLF
activities.
One
Twitter account, "Tigray in Arabic", has amassed about 40,000
followers in just a few months.
It
translates statements by rebel leaders into Arabic and publishes reactions to
statements from Addis Ababa.
"Our
mastery of Arabic and our Islamic culture has helped us address the Arab and
Muslim world to make our cause known," Habashi said.
- Khalid
Ibn al-Walid -
After
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent federal forces into the Tigray region in
November 2020, the number of times "Ethiopia" has appeared in Arabic
on social media has risen sharply.
The
term received around 70 million likes, clicks, posts and comments on Facebook,
according to social media analytics tool CrowdTangle, data that includes all
online content about the country.
For
reference, the number of Facebook users in the Arab world stands at about 187
million.
Source:
The Arab Weekly
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://thearabweekly.com/tigrayans-war-use-social-media-woo-arabs-muslims
--------
Islamic
State cells impose levy on oil investors in northeastern Syria
Mohammed
Hardan
December
29, 2021
Islamic
State operatives stormed Dec. 15 into the Syrian Democratic Forces-affiliated
Subaihan oil field in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor province and
threatened to kill the field workers if the investors did not pay a fine for
oil production, which amounts to about 20% of the oil production.
On
Dec. 3, an IS explosive device targeted a bus carrying workers on their way
back home in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor from the Kharata oil field, located
20 kilometers (12 miles) southwest of Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria, which is
controlled by the Syrian government. The attack killed 10 people and wounded
others.
Al-Sharqiya
24 network reported Oct. 29 that IS operatives stormed into the Abu Habba oil
field in the northern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, after requesting oil
investors to pay them a share of the oil investment in the field.
In
October, IS launched an attack on the Syrian regime forces in al-Taym oil field
in the south of Deir ez-Zor province, firing with RPGs and heavy machine guns.
This
was followed by violent clashes with machine guns between the Syrian government
forces that were present in the field and IS militants, which resulted in
several deaths and injuries in the regime ranks.
In
July, IS operatives attacked the Daas oil field located in the northern
countryside of Deir ez-Zor, beating the guard and threatening them to force the
investors to make the payment.
Ahed
Slebi, a journalist working with the Naher Media Network covering news from
eastern Syria, told Al-Monitor, “IS militants did not only impose levies on oil
investors, but they have been threatening and chasing down all the area’s rich,
traders and workers in the Autonomous Administration’s institutions, in a bid
to establish a logistic supply base in terms of oil and funds. The oil fields
are IS’ main focus because they are lucrative.”
The
areas of northeastern Syria have recently witnessed an uptick in IS attacks,
killing dozens of regime forces soldiers, and militants affiliated with Iran
and the SDF.
On
Nov. 14, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 18 members of the
regime forces were killed including a brigadier general and four soldiers, in
addition to 13 members of al-Shaitat clan that is loyal to the Syrian regime in
several areas in the Syrian desert, in attacks launched by IS cells on sites
and local groups affiliated with the clan.
The
spokesman for the international coalition said in exclusive statements to North
Press that IS cells have escalated their attacks against civilians to undermine
stability in northeastern Syria.
Orabi
Abdel Hay Orabi, an expert on Islamist groups, told Al-Monitor, “The military
operations launched by IS in northeastern Syria target the control of the areas
on their ground and figures close to them.”
He
said, “Despite being fought by all sides, IS appears to be making progress
because the group has managed to regain the element of surprise in its attacks.
IS militants are very familiar with this vast area with many mountains, valleys
and caves. They have also recently been keen on following the raid strategy in
combat, which means moving small groups and using light weapons, and strike and
withdraw immediately."
Orabi
added, “This is not to mention the planting of mines around the regime’s vital
sites such as oil wells, phosphate sites, military sites and main camps that
include supply and transportation bases, which turned these locations into
dangerous areas."
In
October 2019, the US Department of Defense announced that it planned to
strengthen its military presence in northeastern Syria to protect the oil
fields there from falling again into the hands of IS.
Washington
considers the oil fields in Syria as a major source of revenue for the
terrorist organization.
Newsweek
magazine quoted a high-ranking official in the Pentagon as saying that the
United States intends to send 15 Abrams tanks for the protection of oil fields
in eastern Syria, pending White House approval.
It
appears that IS found the Pentagon's statement as reflecting the United States
unwillingness to continue to protect the oil wells, which means an opportunity
for the organization to finance its activities once more.
Abbas
Sharifa, researcher at Jusoor Center for Studies, said the uptick of IS
operations in northeastern Syria is the result of SDF reluctance in cracking
down on IS operatives and turning a blind eye to their activities because their
presence is directly related to the project of fighting terrorism.
“The SDF
is also not harmed by these attacks that target oil investors, and therefore
won’t affect its share from oil production,” he added.
Source:
Al Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
King
Salman: Iran must cooperate in nuclear deal, stop supporting militias in region
30
December ,2021
Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz called on Iran to stop supporting militias
in the region and asked it to cooperate with international efforts to revive
the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal, state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday.
“Iran
is a neighbor to the Kingdom, and we hope it will change its negative policies
and behaviors in the region and moves towards dialogue and cooperation,” the
King said in an annual speech to the Shura Council.
The
King said Saudi Arabia was “following with great concern the Iranian regime’s
destabilizing policy of security and stability in the region.”
The
Kingdom, along with other Gulf countries, have long said Iran needed to stop
its malign activities in the region through providing financial and military
support to its network of proxy militias across the Middle East, including in
countries such as Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.
The
King listed Iran’s “negative” activities: “The formation and support of
sectarian and armed militias, the systemic deployment of its military
capabilities in regional countries and its failure to cooperate with the
international community regarding its nuclear program and the development of
ballistic missiles.”
The
King's speech comes at a time when tensions are high over whether the Vienna
talks to revive the abandoned 2015 Iran nuclear deal will succeed.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
ISIS
extremists murder Iraqi police officer
29
December ,2021
An
Iraqi police officer was murdered about two weeks after the ISIS extremist
group kidnapped him, officials said Wednesday.
A
low-level ISIS insurgency continues to disrupt efforts to restore stability to
Iraq, which ISIS scarred by years of warfare and unrest.
The
militant group had released photos purporting to show the decapitated body of
Colonel Yasser al-Jourani, whom they had seized while he was hunting with
friends in Iraq's Hamrin region earlier this month.
One
of his hunting companions was found shot dead, while a second who had been
tortured later died of his wounds, a security source told AFP.
The
spokesman of Iraq's armed forces chief said Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi
had ordered that security efforts against ISIS forces be boosted.
“We
will pursue the terrorists to achieve justice and vengeance for our martyrs,”
the army chief's spokesman said.
Over
the past few days security forces announced a large-scale operation in the
mountainous Hamrin region.
Iraqi
military operations and airstrikes killed “five Daesh agents”, an Arabic
acronym for ISIS, leading to the discovery of several “terrorist caches”
containing bombs and weapons, a statement from Iraq's security forces read.
“Two
bodies of two kidnapped people were found,” it added, without naming the
victims.
ISIS
overran large swathes of northern and western Iraq in a lighting offensive in
2014 before eventually succumbing to counter-attacks by government forces
backed by a US-led coalition in 2017.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Kuwait
swears in fourth government in two years
29
December ,2021
A new
Kuwaiti government was sworn in on Wednesday, the oil-rich Gulf emirate’s
fourth in two years, after the last one resigned in November amid political
deadlock.
Kuwait
has been shaken by disputes between elected lawmakers and successive
governments dominated by the ruling Al-Sabah family for more than a decade,
with parliaments and cabinets dissolved several times.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
last government called it quits in November in the face of a standoff with
parliament over reforms.
The
cabinet was sworn in before the crown prince, the official KUNA news agency
reported.
It is
the fourth government that Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah has formed since his
appointment as prime minister in December 2019.
Kuwait
is the only Gulf Arab state with a fully elected parliament, which enjoys wide
legislative powers and can vote ministers out of office.
Oil
Minister Mohammed al-Fares and Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser al-Mohammed
Al-Sabah retain their posts in the reshuffle.
However,
the new lineup includes a critical voice in Finance Minister Abdulwahab
Al-Rushaid, who earlier this month called on government to “focus on a
sustainable economy rather than on the fluctuations of oil prices”.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/12/29/Kuwait-swears-in-fourth-government-in-two-years
--------
Mideast
Islamic
Jihad: Mediators seek long-term truce, return of PA to Gaza
December
29, 2021
Senior
Islamic Jihad official, Mohammad al Hindi, said on Tuesday that the parties
mediating a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian resistance are seeking a
long-term truce and return of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to Gaza.
Commenting
on the delay of ending the Israeli siege of Gaza, Al Hindi said:
"Delivering work permits for workers in Gaza and easing the siege means
nothing."
He
added: "The enemy wants to link the issue of resolving Gaza crises, truce
and rebuilding homes with the fate of the Israeli soldiers captured by the
Palestinian resistance. This is totally unacceptable."
Al
Hindi reiterated that his movement along with the other Palestinian resistance
groups reject this policy because "rebuilding Gaza and improving the life
of our people is a basic right of all the Palestinian people."
Meanwhile,
he said: "The Palestinian resistance is ready for all options. No one
wishes that Gaza achieve anything with resistance."
Source:
Middle East Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Grand
Ayatollah Alavi-Gorgani stresses reflecting on Quran verses
December
29, 2021
A
Shia source of emulation in the holy city of Qom says recitation of the Quran
is not enough and there is a need for thinking deeper about the blessed verses.
Ayatollah
Seyyed Mohammad Ali Alavi-Gorgani made the remarks in a meeting with a number
of officials from Awqaf organization.
He
referred to verse 29 of Surah Sad which reads “It is a blessed Book which We
have revealed for you so that you will reflect upon its verses and so the
people of understanding will take heed.”
The
“blessed” book means that the Quran is a healing for all pains of humans and
can solve all problems if we carry out its instructions, said Alavi-Gorgani.
The
Quran should be the main criterion and standard for spreading Islam, he added.
The
verse also points to the issue of reflecting upon the Quran’s content because
recitation alone cannot bring full advantages, the marja said, adding, if we
strive for understanding the Quran and the true meaning of life, we can achieve
felicity.
Reference
to the “people of understanding” in the verse means that not all people accept
prophets’ and preachers’ calls while the latter may also be targeted with
insults or even killed, he noted.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran’s
Top Negotiator Holds Separate Meetings with EU’s Mora, E3 Representatives in
Vienna
2021-December-29
Baqeri
Kani held a bilateral meeting with Mora, the EU coordinator of the Vienna talks
at the Coburg Hotel in Vienna within the framework of the eighth round of
talks.
He
also held a separate meeting with the representatives of Britain, France, and
Germany in the Austrian capital on Wednesday.
Iran
and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA -- Britain, Germany, France, Russia
and China -- resumed talks in Vienna on November 29 after a five-month hiatus,
marking the first round of negotiations under President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi’s
administration and the seventh overall.
During
the seventh round of the Vienna talks, Iran presented two draft texts which
address, separately, the removal of US sanctions and Iran’s return to its
nuclear commitments under the JCPOA. Tehran also said it was preparing a third
draft text on the verification of the sanctions removal.
Iran
and the G4+1 group of countries resumed the talks in the Austrian capital on
December 9 after being paused on December 3, when the participants returned to
their capitals for additional consultations on the two draft proposals that
Tehran had put forward.
As
the seventh round of discussions in Vienna concluded, Baqeri Kani said the
three European parties to the JCPOA, also known as the E3, intimately agreed to
accept Tehran’s viewpoint as a basis for “serious, result-oriented” talks.
The
eighth round of talks for lifting anti-Iran sanctions kicked off on Monday
evening local time, when Iranian top negotiator and the European Union’s
representative in Vienna talks Enrique Mora co-chaired the Joint Commission
meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
In
the meeting, which was held at Hotel Coburg in Vienna, delegations from Iran,
the European Union and the Group 4+1 (Britain, France, Russia, China plus
Germany) took part and discussed ways to continue the talks.
All
negotiating teams pointed to progress made at the seventh round of the Vienna
talks, underlining the need for keeping on with intensive negotiations.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Iran
Condemns Israel’s Attacks on Syria’s Latakia
2021-December-29
Iranian
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh condemned on Wednesday the
repeated attacks by the Zionist regime against the Syrian territory, specially
food and medicine warehouses in the port city of Latakia.
He
said that the Israeli regime's attacks not only are an act of aggression
against a UN member state but also they are in blatant violation of Syria's
sovereignty.
Khatibzadeh
also described the Israeli regime's aggression as inhuman and immoral which is
aimed at creating insecurity and crises in the region.
The
leaders of the regime cannot tolerate stability, security, and tranquility in
the region, he also said, adding that the Zionist rulers have built their
security based on instability in the region.
According
to him, the Zionists, who repeatedly target Syrian territory under false and
baseless pretexts, violate and ridicule all international laws, regulations,
and norms.
The
spokesman further called on the international community to prevent the
recurrence of such attacks, which endanger the regional peace and security.
The
Syrian nation has the legitimate right to retaliate the acts of aggressors,
Khatibzadeh said.
An
Israeli air raid struck Syria’s Mediterranean port of Latakia for the second
time this month, causing “significant material damage”, according to Syrian
state media.
“At
around 3:21am (05:21 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression
with several missiles from the direction of the Mediterranean … targeting the
container yard in Latakia port,” SANA state news agency cited a military source
as saying on Tuesday.
Live
footage aired by state television showed flames and smoke in the container
terminal. Later on Tuesday, the Syrian government’s media office said emergency
services brought under control fires that had broken out in the port’s
container storage area.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Iranian
Sends More Humanitarian Aid to Afghanistan
2021-December-29
The
aid was delivered to the officials of the interim Taliban government in the
presence of the Iranian officials.
In a
relevant development in early October, a plane carrying Iran's humanitarian aid
to the people of Afghanistan landed at Kabul airport on Tuesday and handed over
the cargo to the officials of the Taliban caretaker government.
The
aid, which is the fifth shipment from the Islamic Republic of Iran, was
delivered to the officials of the interim Taliban government in the presence of
the charge d'affaires of the Iranian embassy at Kabul airport.
The
shipment contained food and medical commodities, which was donated by the
Iranian Red Crescent to the Afghan Red Crescent officials to be distributed
among people in need in the neighboring country,the Iranian Embassy in Kabul
said.
In a
relevant development in late September, Iran dispatched a plane carrying 21
tons of humanitarian food aid to Afghanistan.
According
to a recent survey by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), only five
percent of Afghans currently have access to three adequate quality meals a day.
“In
the last two weeks, about 50 percent of the Afghan people have been without at
least one meal,” said Arif Husain, the chief economist and director of the Food
Security Analysis and Trends Service at the WFP.
The
UN agency has already asked for $200 million in emergency aid to deliver food
to Afghanistan's vulnerable people before the winter season, Husain said.
He,
meantime, warned that the war-ravaged country would run out of food in less
than a month if emergency aid did not arrive there.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001007000803/Iranian-Sends-Mre-Hmaniarian-Aid-Afghanisan
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Former
boy scouts bring dead Yemenis to their final destination
Mohammed
Alragawi
30.12.2021
ISTANBUL
As
political efforts to solve the 7-year conflict in Yemen remain deadlocked, a
former boy scout and his small team are busy extracting bodies of the dead from
the battlefield to bring relief to their families.
Hadi
Jumaan, 35, the director of Humanitarian Mediators for Rights and Development
Foundation (HMRDF), said he has been working in extracting hundreds of dead
bodies from the war fronts in Yemen since 2016.
“We
act as a humanitarian mediator to bring the warring parties closer by
reclaiming the dead bodies from fighting fronts and hand them over to their
families or to the relevant authorities,” he told Anadolu Agency.
Jumaan
said his team has managed to retrieve approximately 2,000 dead bodies since
2016.
“In
Marib alone, the group successfully took out about 225 corpses since January
2021,” he added.
His
team also works to search for missing persons, mediate the exchange of
prisoners, and facilitate the release of detainees.
Yemen
has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iranian-aligned
Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
A
Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the
situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with
nearly 80% or about 30 million needing humanitarian assistance and protection,
and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.
No
money
Jumaan
said his team has facilitated the release of more than 300 prisoners and the
freeing of hundreds of detainees since 2016.
“I
started working in this field voluntarily in August 2015 with a group of former
boy scouts. It all started when one of my friends asked me to retrieve the
bodies of his brothers from battlefronts near my city,” he said.
“After
contacting some military leaders and social figures in the area, I got them to
agree to get the bodies out, along with other corpses as well.”
Later
on, the calls from desperate families to remove their relatives’ bodies from
battlefronts “never stopped”, and the team headed by Jumaan managed to
establish its own NGO in 2016.
A
recent United Nations report projected that by the end of 2021, the death toll
from the seven-year Yemeni conflict will reach 377,000.
Jumaan’s
team started working with 75 male and female volunteers, but the lack of
financial resources caused the number to dwindle to only 15.
“We
got in debt. I had to sell some of my personal properties to keep the work on.
I still have to pay around 8 million Yemeni riyals ($16.000),” Jumaan said.
The
former scout is trying to cover the expenses from the money he gets from online
donations as he succeeded to collect $ 2,150 out of his $ 5,000 target.
Risks
Although
the team works with close coordination with the warring parties, it still faces
a lot of risks while retrieving corpses from battlefields.
“I
was imprisoned more than eight times because I was suspected to work as a spy
for both parties of the conflict,” Jumaan said.
“The
last time I was in prison, I was held for 50 days. On March 2018, we barely
survived an airstrike,” he recalled.
After
long negotiations with fighting parties, Jumaan and his team managed to enter
conflict zones wearing white clothing and raising a white scarf like a flag.
They bring with them plastic bags and a mobile phone, but “never bring a gun.”
After
working in the job for five years, the team still finds it “difficult to
identify many of the corpses as they stay on sites for days and months.”
“Some
corpses get decomposed and rotted, and others were received in pieces,” Jumaan
said. “Sometimes we lose communication with the team on-site due to the
interruption of communication networks.”
The
team also lacks proper transportation and specialized refrigerators to store the
bodies.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Turkey
‘neutralizes’ 8 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria
Ahmet
Gençtürk
29.12.2021
Turkish
forces “neutralized” eight YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, the Turkish
National Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
The
terrorists were targeted by Turkish fire support units after they attacked the
Operation Euphrates Shield zone with mortars and multiple launch rocket systems
(MRLS), the ministry said on Twitter.
All
vehicles used by the terrorists in the attack were also destroyed, the ministry
added.
Turkish
authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question
surrendered or were killed or captured.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Africa
Muslim
scholar calls for reconciliation in Libya
29.12.2021
A
member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has called for
reconciliation in Libya as a "basic entry point" towards achieving
stability in the war-torn country.
"At
a time when the international community is taking the responsibility of pushing
the Libyan parties to reach an understanding and overcome their differences,
the first responsibility lies with the intellectuals and the leaders of
society," Ali al-Sallabi told Arabi 21 news website.
The
scholar called on all the Libyan sides to “incline towards peace and achieve
reconciliation as a basis for any political step to achieve stability in
Libya."
Al-Sallabi,
himself a Libyan national, urged Libyans to stop "betting on figures that
lack legitimacy and do not have the ability to overcome their own differences”
for achieving stability.
He
warned against the “intentional” and "fatal attempts to disable the Libyan
judicial institution,” calling it “the most legitimate” institution in Libya.
Al-Sallabi’s
remarks came amid a deadlock following last week’s delayed elections, a stumble
for Libya as it is slowly recovering from years of instability.
Last
week, Libya’s High National Elections Commission proposed postponing the polls
by one month, citing obstacles hindering the holding of timely elections.
On
Friday, European countries and the US urged the Libyan authorities to decide on
a final date for elections without delay.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/muslim-scholar-calls-for-reconciliation-in-libya/2460359
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Libya
orders arrest of second minister over alleged graft
29
December ,2021
Libyan
prosecutors ordered the culture minister detained on Wednesday as part of an
investigation into alleged graft of state funds, a week after arresting the
education minister in a similar case.
Prosecutors
had questioned Culture Minister Mabrouka Touki and ordered her detained on
charges of “falsifying official documents in order to complicate the processes
of review and oversight of public spending,” it said in a statement.
This
relates to alleged graft over a contract for maintenance works on ministry
buildings which had already been refurbished last year.
Touki,
an academic with a degree in nuclear physics, was appointed in March as part of
the country's interim unity government
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Her
detention comes a week and a half after Libya's Education Minister Moussa
al-Megarief was arrested as part of an inquiry into a lack of schoolbooks.
The
prosecution service said it was investigating possible “negligence” in that
case.
Libya
plunged into a decade of chaos following the 2011 revolt that toppled dictator
Moamer Kadhafi, and state institutions are riddled with corruption.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Cash-strapped
Tunisia to borrow $7 billion more in 2022
28
December ,2021
Debt-ridden
Tunisia unveiled a 2022 budget on Tuesday that will see it borrow almost $7
billion more, as it seeks to stimulate an economy battered by the coronavirus
pandemic.
The
2022 finance law boosts spending by over three percent year on year to 57.3
billion dinars ($19.8 billion, 17.6 billion euros), finance minister Sihem
Boughdiri said.
The
deficit is expected to hit some 6.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP),
she told reporters.
The
government will borrow almost 20 billion dinars ($6.9 billion, 5.7 billion
euros) to cover 2022 expenditures, bringing government debt to 82.6 percent of
GDP.
Around
two thirds of the figure is to come from foreign lenders, and the remainder
from domestic sources, Boughdiri said.
Tunisia
has suffered years of economic woes exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic,
with high inflation and unemployment at around 18 percent. Foreign debt in 2021
hit 100 percent of GDP.
In
order to replenish state coffers, the authorities are also hoping to reach a
bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund, Boughdiri confirmed.
“Negotiations
with the IMF will restart at the beginning of 2022,” Boughdiri said.
She
said 80 experts had formulated “a program of reforms in several sectors”.
Tunisia's
previous government had been in talks with the IMF over a new bailout package,
when President Kais Saied in July sacked ministers and seized far-reaching
powers.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Tunisia's
Ennahda calls for national dialogue
Yosra
Ounas
29.12.2021
TUNIS,
Tunisia
Tunisia’s
Ennahda movement on Wednesday called for a comprehensive national dialogue to
form a political front to resume democracy and restore legitimacy.
The
movement, which held the majority of seats in the country’s disrupted
parliament, called on "all anti-coup forces to unite efforts and options
and to conclude a common ground through a comprehensive national
dialogue."
The
purpose of the dialogue, Ennahda said in a statement, is "to form a
political front that leads the political and popular movement and accelerates
the resumption of democratic life and the restoration of legitimacy."
Tunisian
President Kais Saied ousted the government on July 25, suspended parliament,
and assumed executive authority. While he insists that his "exceptional
measures" are meant to "save" the country, critics have accused
him of orchestrating a coup.
Ennahda
expressed its "solidarity with the hunger strikers from the citizens'
campaign against the coup and the national political figures participating in
it."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/tunisias-ennahda-calls-for-national-dialogue/2460521
--------
North America
Blinken
names former US adviser Amiri as special envoy for Afghan women
29
December ,2021
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday named Rina Amiri, a former US
government adviser who criticized the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, as a
special envoy for Afghan women, girls and human rights.
“We
desire a peaceful, stable, and secure Afghanistan, where all Afghans can live
and thrive in political, economic, and social inclusivity. Special Envoy Amiri
will work closely with me toward that goal,” Blinken said in a statement.
Amiri
has spent two decades advising governments, the United Nations and think tanks
on Afghanistan-related issues. Under former President Barack Obama, she served
as a senior adviser to the US special representative for Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
Blinken
named Stephenie Foster, a State Department veteran, as a new senior adviser for
women and girls to US operations to evacuate and resettle Afghans at risk of
retaliation from the Taliban after it took over the country.
The
Taliban overran Afghanistan in August as the former Western-backed government
collapsed and the last US troops withdrew after 20 years of war.
Since
then, the Taliban have curbed the rights of women and girls, banning most of
the former from working and most of the latter from attending schools in what
US officials decry as back-tracking by the Islamist extremists from assurances
they would observe human rights.
The
Biden administration has come under fire from women’s rights groups for failing
to ensure safe passage for activists and others that had long been targeted by
the Taliban.
Amiri
told Reuters earlier this year that the process of evacuating women at risk had
been a disaster.
Biden
had made clear early on in high-level policy discussions that concerns about
women’s rights would not sway his decision to exit Afghanistan, despite
promising during the campaign to forge a gender-sensitive foreign policy, she
said.
The
Taliban earlier this week decreed that women traveling more than 45 miles (72
km) should be accompanied by a close male family member. They also banned the
playing of music in vehicles.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Arizona
authorities investigating assault, criminal damage at Islamic Centre of Tucson
December
29, 2021
Authorities
confirmed there was a report of an assault and criminal damage at the Islamic
Center of Tucson city in Arizona state, US just before 6:30 a.m. on Saturday,
Dec. 25.
The
Tucson Police Department said the incident is not being investigated as a hate
crime because there was no indication it was hate-based and no mention of
religion was made during the fight.
The
TPD said a group of young people was drinking near the ICT when Bilal
El-Aloosy, the vice chairman at the Tucson Islamic Center, and his friend
started arriving for morning prayers.
“It’s
a peaceful time that we enjoy because it’s usually quiet,” El-Aloosy said.
The
two groups got into a stare-down match and there was an incident. El-Aloosy
tried to break the groups up and got punched.
“Two
girls and three guys they come, and they started punching. My friend was with
me standing at the door, so I pushed him inside. Then I tried to defend until I
could get in,” he said.
A
woman from the group that was drinking threw a chair and broke a window at the
facility.
Once
the window was broken, the group that was drinking fled the scene in vehicles.
El-Aloosy said he doesn’t feel it was a targeted attack.
“They
are under the influence I believe in one way or another that is why they
couldn’t control their actions against other people,” he said.
Source:
ABNA24
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US
urges Somali leaders to cease escalatory rhetoric
Mohammed
Dhaysane
30.12.2021
The
US on Wednesday urged Somalia's president and prime minister to take steps to
reduce tensions as a bitter feud between the two leaders continued.
US
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee called on Prime
Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble to convene the country's National Consultative
Conference (NCC) and complete credible elections.
“I
spoke yesterday with Somalia’s PM @MohamedHRoble to underscore our support for
his efforts to hold an NCC meeting to correct election irregularities and
swiftly conclude credible elections. All parties should stop escalatory actions
and security forces should remain neutral,” Phee said in a statement issued by
the Bureau of African Affairs on its Twitter account.
The
current gridlock emerged after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed issued a
decree suspending the powers of the prime minister over alleged corruption and
misuse of public land, but Roble rejected the move, calling it a "coup
attempt."
Roble
claimed he is the only person in the country who is legally responsible for all
government institutions and called on military commanders to obey him, and the
power struggle between the two men is showing no signs of ending soon.
The
president is under relentless pressure from the international community and
opposition presidential candidates who on Tuesday demanded that he leave office
as "soon as possible" and accused him of staging a
"tremendous" coup attempt.
Somali
presidential spokesman Abdirashid Mohamed Hashi, who spoke to Anadolu Agency
over the phone, denied the accusations, saying the only coup the president can
be accused of is a coup against graft, and “that has set him apart from his
competitors.”
The
presidency accused the prime minister of defying the president’s orders.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/us-urges-somali-leaders-to-cease-escalatory-rhetoric/2460918
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