New Age Islam News Bureau
09 January 2023
Nobel Prize winner Amartya
Sen
-----
• First Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida
Tlaib Says US Must Stop Funding Israeli Apartheid Regime
• Expo City Dubai Extends Winter City To January 12
Kick-Starting Celebrations For Chinese New Year
• Hundreds Rally In French City In Support Of Iran
Protesters
• Yemen’s Ansarullah Says Will Strike Deep Inside
Saudi Arabia, UAE as No Option Left
India
• UP Children’s Rights body writes to Centre for
disenrolling non-Muslim students from Madrasas
• ‘Students Of All Faiths Have Right To Madrasa
Education’: Chairman Of UP State Madrasa Education Board
• Fast Track Court Defers Hearing In Six Cases In
Shringar Gauri–Gyanvapi Issue
• Drone-mounted radars to help check tunnels near Pak
border
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North America
• Pentagon Misled US Public On Kabul Drone Strike That
Killed Children: Documents
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Arab World
• Brawl At Arabian Gulf Cup Opening Ceremony Shocks
Onlookers, Forces Kuwaiti Delegation To Leave
• UAE embassy in China announces changes to COVID-19
travel policies
• Saudi Arabia congratulates Sudan on launching final
phase of political process
• Saudi aid convoy arrives in Gaza via Rafah
commercial crossing
• Syrian FM hails Iran’s 'constructive role' in fight
against terror, securing political settlement
• Aid convoy enters Syrian rebel area ahead of key UN
vote
• Drone shot down over Iraq air base: Report
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Europe
• More EU nations to summon Iran envoys over
executions of two protesters
• Christmas mass held in Türkiye’s Armenian church
• Sweden cannot meet some Turkiye demands for NATO
bid: PM
--------
Mideast
• Iran Sentences Three More To Death Over Amini
Protests
• Israel suspends Palestinian foreign minister’s VIP
pass amid ICJ row
• Human Rights Chief: Iran to Issue Indictment in
Connection with Nuclear Scientist's Assassination
• Protest outside Iran prison against reportedly
imminent executions of demonstrators
• Denmark to summon Iran envoy over protest executions
• Israel’s Netanyahu defends controversial judicial
reforms amid protests
• Israel’s Ben-Gvir restricts Arab MKs’ visits to
Palestinian prisoners
• ‘Extraordinary’ OIC meeting to discuss Israeli
attacks on Al-Aqsa
• Yemeni rights groups urging Houthis to release
online influencers
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistani Ministry Making Efforts to Ensure Availability
of Authentic Version of Quran with Literal Translation
• Case Against Five In Chiniot For Marketing ‘Altered’
Quran Translation
• ‘Still Open' To Ceasefire Agreement With Pakistan
Government, Says TTP Chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsood
• Speaking on behalf of OIC, Pakistan slams Israeli
minister’s visit to Al Aqsa Mosque
• Stampedes across Pakistan as flour shortage
intensifies
• COAS Asim Munir, Saudi crown prince review bilateral
relations
• ‘Court-martialled’ general continues legal battle to
clear his name
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South Asia
• IEA Deputy PM Urged Leading Scholars to Interpret
Reality of Afghanistan to Muslims of the World
• IEA facing criticism for implementing Sharia, says
minister
• Ban on women: UN envoy meets Afghanistan education
minister
• Taliban (IEA) Minister Speaks on Altering Journalism
Curriculum
• Aid chief Taliban decrees against women paralysing
NGO work
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Southeast Asia
• Saudi Arabia Draws In Malaysian Nurses With
Opportunity To Grow
• Fleeing persecution, 200 Rohingya Muslims reach
Indonesia
• Indonesia, Malaysia agree to fight against palm oil
‘discrimination’
--------
Africa
• King Abdullah Featured Next To Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa
Mosque In New Jordan Banknote
• Taskforce arrests hawkers of Islamic herbal products
in Cross River
• Five African migrants die, 10 missing after boat
sinks off Tunisia
• Türkiye welcomes start of final round of Sudan’s
political process
• Nigerian police intercept rocket shells,
anti-aircraft ammunition in NW Zamfara state
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/taj-mahal-dara-shikoh-hindu-muslim-amartya/d/128836
--------
Taj Mahal and Dara Shikoh Finest Example Of
Hindu-Muslim Collaboration, Says Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen
Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen
-----
Jan 9, 2023
KOLKATA: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen felt the need of
the hour was to encourage people and communities to "work together".
Speaking about collaborative work between Hindus and Muslims, he gave examples
of Dara Shikoh, Shah Jahan's eldest son, who translated 50 Upanishads from
Sanskrit to Persian, enabling the world to know about Hindu scriptures, Hindu
culture and Hindu tradition. Taj Mahal, he said, was one of the finest examples
of "collaborative work between Hindus and Muslims".
Biswajit Roy, a professor at Visva-Bharati, read out
excerpts from Kshitimohan Sen's 'Bharater Hindu Musalmaner Jukto Sadhana' at
the beginning of the programme to highlight the tradition of the two
communities working together in the fields of architecture, literature, music
and several others.
Sen also spoke about some of the negatives of
diversity, focusing on the "disparities" and "differences"
in society. He said it was a "matter of concern" when a section of
people went hungry and another had enormous wealth; when a section was deprived
of education and could not afford school, while there were sections that could gain
knowledge only because of their wealth.
"This raises a question as to what extent
diversity is good. We should think of the positive sides of diversity as well
as its problems," he said, adding that caste discrimination - which was
also a "diversity" - should be done away with. Many diversities had
swallowed the new India, he felt, something he had not seen earlier. In this
vein, he referred to Gandhi's thoughts during the nationalist movement, where
he had said that "differences" should be reduced.
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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First Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
Says US Must Stop Funding Israeli Apartheid Regime
US-Palestinian
Congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib.
-----
07 January 2023
US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has called on
Washington to stop its support for the apartheid Israeli regime, amid rising
tensions across the occupied territories.
The first Palestinian-American woman ever elected to
the chamber made the remarks in a post on Twitter, stressing, “Congress must
stop funding apartheid.”
She further noted that 2022 was one of the deadliest
years for Palestinians, adding that Israeli forces and settlers killed more
than 200 Palestinians, including more than 50 children, last year.
Tlaib further took aim at Israel's new far-right
cabinet for its plans to forcibly displace over 1,000 Palestinians in the
Masafer Yatta region of the southern occupied West Bank.
“Just days after the new Israeli regime is sworn in,
families in Masafer Yatta are already facing more ethnic cleansing,” she said.
“The Israeli military’s ongoing expulsion of Masafer
Yatta residents will now be accelerated at an even faster rate. Don’t look
away. Save Masafer Yatta,” the congresswoman added.
“Even one week into 2023, the new right-wing apartheid
regime is moving to ethnically cleanse entire communities, which will displace
over 1,000 Palestinians, including 500 children,” she said.
The Israeli army has reportedly informed Palestinian
officials of their imminent plans to forcibly displace more than 1,000
Palestinian residents, including some 500 children, in the Masafer Yatta area
of the southern occupied West Bank.
Home to some 2,500 Palestinians, Masafer Yatta falls
in the 60 percent of the occupied West Bank designated as “Area C”, which is
under full Israeli military and administrative rule.
Congresswoman Tlaib has frequently spoken out against
the United States’ military support for Israel, and called for the protection
of the Palestinians’ rights.
In an emotional speech at the House of Representative
in May 2021, Tlaib criticized President Joe Biden and other top officials for
offering statements that she said did not acknowledge “Palestinian humanity.”
Also in November of the same year, she called on
Washington to give up its unconditional support for Israel and stop the regime
from committing crimes against minors.
Over the past months, Israel has ramped up attacks on
Palestinian towns and cities throughout the occupied territories. As a result
of these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others
have been arrested.
Since the start of 2022, Israeli troops have killed
more than 210 Palestinians, including more than 50 children, in the occupied
West Bank and East al-Quds as well as the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to the United Nations, the number of
Palestinians killed by Israel in the occupied West Bank in 2022 was the highest
in 16 years.
Local and international rights groups have condemned
Israel’s excessive use of force and “shoot-to-kill policy” against
Palestinians.
Source: Press TV
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original story:
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Expo City Dubai Extends Winter City To January 12
Kick-Starting Celebrations For Chinese New Year
Expo City Dubai’s wintry
wonderland activations will continue until January 12. (Supplied)
----
08 January ,2023
The festive spirit continues at Expo City Dubai, with
Winter City extended until January 12 and a parade on January 14 kick-starting
celebrations for Chinese New Year.
Due to the overwhelming success of Winter City, Expo
City Dubai’s wintry wonderland activations will continue until January 12, with
new timings of 3 p.m. -to 11 p.m. from January 9.
Visitors can enjoy a market with arts and crafts,
arcade games, and a range of seasonal food and beverages, Santa’s House, the
zip line and skating rink will be open, and the spellbinding Christmas
projection show at Al Wasl Plaza will round off the experience after the sun
sets.
Marking the start of celebrations for Chinese New Year
2023, the “Happy Chinese New Year” Grand Parade at 1600 on 14 January promises
to be the biggest Grand Parade outside of China, featuring around 60 parade
group formations, more than 20 parade floats and 2,500 participants.
The carnival-style event will continue until January
28 and include kiosks and Chinese cuisine as well as entertainment, street
dance, games, and a cultural area.
Expo City Dubai is a strategic partner of the “Happy
Chinese New Year” Grand Parade, which is co-hosted by the Embassy of People’s
Republic of China in the UAE, the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of
China in Dubai, and Hala China, with support from China’s Ministry of Culture
and Tourism.
Source: Al Arabiya
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original story:
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Hundreds Rally In French City In Support Of Iran Protesters
A protester holds a gallows
rope during a rally in Lyon to pay tribute to Mohammad Moradi, an Iranian
student who jumped into a river last month, and drowned, in an attempt to draw
attention to the situation in Iran.—AFP
-----
January 9, 2023
LYON: Some 1,000 people rallied in the French city of
Lyon on Sunday in support of unprecedented anti-regime protests in Iran,
journalists saw.
The protesters walked through the streets of the
eastern city carrying a banner that read “Woman, life, freedom” and chanting
the words, which have become the slogan of the protests.
Demonstrations in Iran began after the September 16
death in custody of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini, 22.
She had been arrested by morality police who enforce a
strict dress code which requires women to wear a scarf-like covering over their
hair and neck.
The protests have escalated into calls for an end to
the Islamic regime, posing the biggest challenge for the clerics since the 1979
revolution deposed the shah.
Authorities have responded with deadly violence that
has left hundreds dead.
Thousands have been arrested and 14 detainees
sentenced to death, many for killing or attacking security force members,
according to the judiciary. Four have been executed, the latest two on
Saturday.
Many of Sunday’s protesters in France had a personal
connection to the country.
“I am here to demand freedom in Iran,” Sholeh
Golrokhi, 49, said. “When I was little, they arrested all of my family.” “We
are here to ask Western countries to be the voice of our people” and “expel
Iranian ambassadors”, said Samane Ramezanpanah, 35.
In late December a 38-year-old Iranian man drowned in
the Rhone river that flows through Lyon, saying on social media that he was
going to kill himself to draw attention to the crackdown of the protests in
Iran.
Source: Dawn
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original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1730673/hundreds-rally-in-french-city-in-support-of-iran-protesters
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Yemen’s Ansarullah Says Will Strike Deep Inside Saudi
Arabia, UAE as No Option Left
Troops from various units of
the Yemeni Armed Forces participate in a massive military parade in the capital
Sana’a, on September 21, 2022, to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the
September 21 Revolution. (Photo by al-Masirah television network)
------
2023-January-8
Ansarullah announced in a statement that even with the
six-month truce that expired on October 2 last year and two rounds of
negotiations to extend the ceasefire and lift the blockade on commercial
airports and entry ports, the Riyadh-led alliance reneged on the terms of the
ceasefire and did not honor previous agreements, presstv reported.
“The Saudi-led coalition’s main goal out of the truce
was to stop the Houthi Ansarullah forces from carrying out retaliatory military
operations against targets deep inside Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the crippling
sea, land and air blockade on Yemen has created a humanitarian disaster in the
country,” the statement read.
Ansarullah described the famine and siege as criminal
and cruel strategies of the Saudi-led coalition against Yemen, arguing that the
practice amounts to mass murder under the United Nations Charter and
principles.
“Siege is same as a war, whose primary purpose is to
kill as many Yemenis as possible and take revenge on them by destroying
people’s livelihood. The Saudi-led coalition’s intention behind the ceasefire
was to ramp up the economic blockade against Yemen,” the statement read.
Ansarullah noted, “The Riyadh-led alliance took
advantage of the siege as a weapon of war against Yemen. The ceasefire also
proved that the Saudi-led coalition was not looking for any measure to reduce
the sufferings of the Yemeni nation. It is firmly against payment of salaries
to civil servants and knows no limits to tighten the blockade.”
The Lebanese Arabic-language daily newspaper Al-Akhbar
has reported that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto leader is seeking to
get himself out of the crisis created in Yemen.
The newspaper wrote that Mohammed bin Salam has
suggested that Ansarullah maintain control over Yemen in exchange for security
guarantees to the Riyadh regime.
It said the latest round of indirect and
behind-the-scenes talks between Ansarullah representatives and Saudi diplomats
with Oman, a Persian Gulf country that borders both Yemen and Saudi Arabia, as
mediator had more fateful results than the previous ones.
“Riyadh is now showing a lot of flexibility during
negotiations. It currently has no concern other than getting security
guarantees that strategic facilities deep inside the country would not be hit.
It has abandoned the illusion of turning Yemen into a country under its
tutelage, and has instead sufficed for security assurances,” the newspaper
wrote.
Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with its Arab allies
and with arms and logistics support from the US and other Western states,
launched the devastating war on Yemen in March 2015.
The objective was to crush the popular Ansarullah
resistance movement, which has been running state affairs in the absence of a
functional government in Yemen, and reinstall the Riyadh-friendly regime of Abd
Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
While the Saudi-led coalition has failed to achieve
any of its objectives, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and
spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Source: Fars News Agency
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India
UP Children’s Rights Body Writes To Centre For
Disenrolling Non-Muslim Students From Madrasas
Jan 08, 2023
Suchitra Chaturvedi, a representative of the State
Commission for the Protection of Children’s Rights in Uttar Pradesh, wrote a
letter to Centre regarding disenrolling non-Muslim students from Madrasas. She
also discussed the lack of NCERT implementation in madrasas. “Keeping in view
that NCERT has still not been implemented in all madrasas, Islamic teaching is
imparted in madrasas and teachers of those madrasas have studied in madrasas
only and don’t have knowledge of other subjects, we wrote the letter,” said
Suchitra Chaturvedi.
Source: Times Of India
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‘Students Of All Faiths Have Right To Madrasa
Education’: Chairman Of UP State Madrasa Education Board
Jan 09, 2023
Lucknow Students of every faith had the right to get
education in state madrasas, said chairman of UP State Madrasa Education Board
Dr Iftikhar Ahmed Javed on Sunday. He said,” Madrasas impart modern education
in every subject along with religious teaching. If Muslims can get education in
Sanskrit schools and colleges, why can’t students of other faiths get educated
in madrasas? I don’t think one should discriminate between students on account
of religion. I have also been a student of Banaras Hindu University.”
The statement was in response to a notice of the
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
A letter signed by Priyank Kanoongo, chairperson,
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), asked for a
detailed inquiry of all government funded/recognized madrasas admitting non-
Muslim children. The inquiry should include physical verification of children.
Subsequent to the inquiry, all such children should be admitted to schools for
formal education, it said.
The letter also directed to undertake mapping of all
unmapped madrasas in state/UTs and admit any/all children into schools for
availing formal education with immediate effect.
The letter has also sought a copy of action taken
report (ATR) within 30 days for records and further appropriate necessary
action.
Dr Iftikhar Ahmed Javed said,” The madrasas, as an
invaluable instrument of traditional education, have played a vital role in
spreading literacy among the downtrodden segments of society. Students can be
of any faith.”
Source: Hindustan Times
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Fast Track Court Defers Hearing In Six Cases In
Shringar Gauri–Gyanvapi Issue
Jan 6, 2023
Varanasi: Civil judge senior division fast track court
(FTC) on Thursday issued fresh dates for hearing in six Gyanvapi related cases,
including five seeking worshipping rights at Shringar Gauri and ‘Shivling’ and
one of a Muslim plaintiff seeking permission to offer fatiha and hold Urs.
Assistant district government counsel (civil) Sulabh
Prakash said, as the parties concerned sought time to file replies and complete
other formalities, civil judge senior division (FTC) Mahendra Kumar Pandey
issued new dates for hearing.
He said, in Kiran Singh’s suit (no. 712/2022 Bhagwan
Adi Vishweshwar Virajman and others vs. State of Uttar Pradesh through
secretary and others) seeking ban on entry of Muslims in Gyanvapi mosque,
handing over Gyanvapi premises to Hindus and permitting regular worshipping of
Aadi Visheshwar (purported Shivling found during court mandated survey on May
16, 2022) court fixed January 21 for hearing.
On November 17, 2022 court had rejected Anjuman
Intezamia Masajid (AIM) — the Gyanvapi mosque management committee-- plea
challenging maintainability of this case. After it AIM had also filed revision
petition in district judge court.
Next hearing in another suit filed by Hindu Sena chief
Vishnu Gupta, Ajit Singh of Khajuri, Mangla Prasad Pathak and Abhishek Pathak
seeking regular worship of purported Shivling will also take place on January
21, he said.
Prakash said the next date for hearing in
environmentalist Prabhu Narain’s suit seeking regular worship of Lord Aadi
Visheshwar, Shringar Gauri, Lord Ganesh, Lord Hanuman and other deities in
Gyanvapi, removal of upper construction erected illegally over the temple and
restoration of the heritage of the temple, was fixed on January 17. Next
hearing in the suit filed by Mukhtar Ansari of Lohta area seeking rights to
hold urs, offer chadar and fatiha at mazars insides Gyanvapi mosque compound
will take place on January 17, added Prakash.
Source: Times Of India
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Drone-mounted radars to help check tunnels near Pak
border
Jan 9, 2023
NEW DELHI: Drone-mounted ground penetration radars
have been deployed for the first time by the Border Security Force (BSF) to check
for the presence of underground tunnels used by terrorists to infiltrate the
India-Pakistan International Border in Jammu region, officials said.
The indigenously-made technical gadget has been
pressed into action at this front recently as part of the below-the-earth
tunnel detection exercise carried out by the force to ensure no terrorist is
able to sneak into Indian territory and conduct strikes in Jammu & Kashmir
or any other location of the country. These structures have also been used to
smuggle narcotics, arms and ammunition.
BSF has unearthed at least five underground tunnels in
the about 192 km of the Jammu front (of the India-Pakistan IB) in the last
three years.
According to official data, two such cross-border
tunnels were detected in 2020 and 2021 each, while one was found last year and
all of them were detected in the Indreshwar Nagar sector of Jammu.
“The force has procured a smart technical tool to
counter the menace of underground tunnels that have been reported regularly
along the Jammu region of the India-Pakistan IB. More than one drone-mounted
ground penetration radars have been deployed in the region to check these
clandestine structures used by terrorists to infiltrate into India from
Pakistan,” said a senior BSF officer.
Source: Times Of India
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North America
Pentagon misled US public on Kabul drone strike that
killed children: Documents
07 January 2023
Documents obtained through a lawsuit have revealed how
erroneous assumptions and biases by US military personnel led to the August
2021 Kabul drone attack killing of Afghan civilians, and that US military
officials purposefully misled the public to conceal the assessments of civilian
casualties.
On Aug. 29, 2021, an American MQ-9 Reaper drone shot a
Hellfire missile at a white Toyota Corolla in a neighborhood near the Kabul
airport.
An internal military investigation into the attack
reportedly found that erroneous assumptions and biases by US analysts during
the Pentagon’s chaotic August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the Kabul
drone attack that killed 12 civilians, including seven children.
Three days earlier to the deadly Kabul drone attack, a
bomber had killed more than a dozen US soldiers and scores of Afghan civilians
at a main gate of the Kabul airport. Then, officials had intelligence that
there would be another attack there and that it would involve a white Corolla.
Then, US military analysts observed a white Toyota Corolla park at what they
believed was a Daesh compound. US officials hastily authorized a drone strike
on the Toyota Corolla to thwart a suspected bombing attack. Hours later, US
officials announced they had successfully thwarted the attack. As reports of
civilian deaths started to emerge, the US military issued statements saying
they had “no indications” but would assess the claims and were investigating
whether a secondary explosion may have killed civilians.
A US Central Command investigation into the drone
attack, which was partially obtained by The New York Times (NYT), showed that
military analysts reported within minutes of the drone strike that civilians
may have been killed, and within three hours, it had assessed that at least
three children were killed in the attack.
US military officials, however, continued to conceal
what they knew about the strike. Three days later, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff Mark Milley said the attack was “righteous” and that it had killed a
Daesh facilitator and unknown “others.”
The documents obtained by NYT also provide detailed
examples of how assumptions and biases led to the deadly blunder that US
military officials had wanted to cover up.
Military analysts had wrongly concluded, for example,
that a package loaded into the car contained explosives because of its “careful
handling and size,” and that the driver’s “erratic route” was evidence that he
was trying to evade surveillance.
The investigation was completed a week and a half
after the strike and was never released, but The New York Times has obtained 66
partially redacted pages of it through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit
against Central Command.
Central Command declined to provide additional comment
beyond statements it had previously made about the strike. The Pentagon
previously acknowledged that the strike was a “tragic mistake” that killed 10
civilians, and told The Times that a new action plan intended to protect civilians
drew on lessons learned from the incident.
Among those killed in the attack was Zemari Ahmadi, a
longtime aid worker and the driver of the white Toyota Corolla.
Hina Shamsi, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer
representing families of victims, said the investigation “makes clear that US
military personnel saw what they wanted to see and not reality, which was an
Afghan aid worker going about his daily life.”
Ahmadi had spent the day he was killed in the drone
attack picking up his employer’s laptop, taking colleagues to and from work and
loading canisters of water into his trunk to bring home to his family.US
military analysts thought the water container was a bomb.
Officials insisted that their target had visited a
Daesh “safe house,” but media investigations found that the building was
actually the home of Ahmadi’s boss, whose laptop he was picking up.
Source: Press TV
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of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/01/07/695907/US-Pentagon-Misled-Kabul-Drone-Attack
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Arab World
Brawl At Arabian Gulf Cup Opening Ceremony Shocks
Onlookers, Forces Kuwaiti Delegation To Leave
07 January ,2023
A brawl ahead of the opening ceremony of the 25th
Arabian Gulf Cup in Iraq forced a shocked Kuwaiti delegation to leave the
stadium.
A video shared on social media showed men in the VIP
section at the Basra International Stadium arguing and pushing one another
while others attempted to separate them.
According to media reports, the chaos erupted shortly
after the Kuwaiti delegation arrived in the stadium.
Abdulaziz al-Samhan, a member of the board of
directors of the Kuwait Football Association (KFA), told Kuwaiti media that the
delegation left after Sheikh Fahad al-Nasser, who represents the country’s
emir, couldn’t enter the stadium due to the chaos.
“We left after we heard [al-Nasser] couldn’t enter…
This upset us and we [walked out] in solidarity [with him], and we’re currently
at the hotel,” Samhan said.
Samhan also said that he was robbed as people jostled
while he walked from the stadium’s entrance toward the VIP section, adding that
when he sat on the chair, he realized that his pocket had been torn with a
sharp object and his wallet was missing.
Meanwhile, Kuwaiti newspaper al-Rai cited sources as
saying that rumors about the withdrawal of Kuwait’s national team from the
tournament were false, adding that the team will play against Qatar as planned
on January 7.
The eight-nation Arabian Gulf Cup will see teams from
the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - as well as Yemen and Iraq compete.
It’s the first time since 1979 that turmoil-wracked
Iraq hosts the tournament.
Despite the brawl, the matches were held as scheduled
on Friday and saw the host, Iraq, tie with Oman (0-0) and Saudi Arabia winning
against Yemen (2-0).
FIFA President Gianni Infantino who attended the
opening match said it was great to be at the “prestigious” tournament.
“It was great to have attended the opening ceremony
and the opening game of the 2023 Arabian Gulf Cup in Basra, Iraq between Iraq
and Oman,” Infantino said.
He added that he was glad to see such matches being
held in Iraq after decades of conflict.
“I am so happy that competitive football has finally
returned to Iraq, a real football loving country, even more so with such a
prestigious tournament,” he said.
“I would like to congratulate Iraq, the Iraq Football
Association and the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation for the warm welcome and
the all the organizational efforts.
Source: Al Arabiya
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UAE embassy in China announces changes to COVID-19
travel policies
08 January ,2023
The United Arab Emirates’ Embassy in China said on
Sunday that citizens and travelers leaving China for the UAE must have a
negative COVID-19 PCR test taken no more than 48 hours before their departure.
As of Sunday, quarantine procedures for “all personnel
upon entry” were scrapped and the UAE now expects travelers from China to
present a health declaration upon arrival by filling out a form provided at the
Chinese customs port.
In recent weeks, several countries have imposed virus
curbs on travelers departing from China.
In the European Union, France, Italy, and Spain were
the first to enact such measures in response to rising cases. Other countries,
including Australia, Canada, India, Israel, Malaysia, Morocco, Qatar, South
Korea, Taiwan, and the US, have also introduced additional measures for
arrivals from China.
On Tuesday, the EU agreed on a coordinated approach to
the changing COVID-19 situation, though specific details have yet to be
announced. These measures may include testing and vaccination requirements,
monitoring and surveillance for new variants, and health and hygiene measures
for air passengers.
China recently lifted its stringent anti-virus controls,
leading to a surge of COVID-19 cases in its population of 1.4 billion, many of
whom have little natural immunity to the virus.
Funeral homes have reported an increase in demand, and
international health experts predict at least one million deaths in China this
year.
While the official number of COVID-19 deaths in China
has been low, with a reported 5,258 as of January 3, it is widely believed that
the actual death toll is much higher.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia congratulates Sudan on launching final
phase of political process
January 08, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia welcomes and congratulates Sudan
on the launch of the final phase of the political process in the country, the
foreign ministry said on Sunday.
The Kingdom also congratulates Sudan on the measures
taken to prioritize this process, and to implement measures to create a climate
of trust between all parties, the ministry added.
The Kingdom also commended the international efforts
of the UN Mission in Sudan, the African Union, and the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development, affirming its permanent support for the return of
political stability to Sudan.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2228901/saudi-arabia
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Saudi aid convoy arrives in Gaza via Rafah commercial
crossing
HAZEM BALOUSHA
January 08, 2023
GAZA CITY: A Saudi aid convoy carrying tons of meat on
Saturday arrived in Gaza via the Rafah commercial crossing with Egypt.
The Kingdom has donated 12,000 sacrificial animals
under the terms of an agreement signed with the Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt
Diab Al-Louh during a recent ceremony held at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo.
As part of the deal, Egypt will also receive the same
quantity of meat from Saudi Arabia.
Six trucks delivered the consignment to the
Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs through a project managed
by the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, and the produce will be distributed
throughout Gaza via zakat committees.
Salima Abu Ryala, 66, from Al-Shati refugee camp, west
of Gaza City, said she hoped to receive sacrificial meat for the second year
running, adding that the aid would also be welcomed by her seven unemployed
sons and their families.
“It is generous of Saudi Arabia to offer these
sacrifices every year. We are in dire need of any assistance from any party,”
she said.
Her neighbor, Abu Raed Abed, 57, said: “We only buy
meat on special occasions. Our financial situation has been difficult in recent
years. Saudi Arabia is a generous country, and we appreciate this effort in
helping the Palestinians in Gaza.”
More than 80 percent of the 2.3 million population of
Gaza depend on food aid from international or local institutions, according to
UN statistics.
Saudi Arabia also provides other forms of support to
Palestinians, mainly through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian
refugees, and late last year contributed $27 million toward UNRWA operations in
the region.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2228881/middle-east
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Syrian FM hails Iran’s 'constructive role' in fight
against terror, securing political settlement
09 January 2023
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has appreciated
Iran’s constructive and effective role in the fight against terrorism, and in
the political settlement of the foreign-sponsored crisis in the Arab country.
In a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian, Mekdad demanded that Iran continue to play an active role in
any political initiative to end the Syrian crisis through the Astana format.
Iran and Russia, as the allies of the Syrian
government, as well as Turkey, which sides with the opposition, set up the
Astana peace process in January 2017 to put an end to the Syrian conflict
through the involvement of the Syrian government and the opposition.
During their phone conversation, the two foreign
ministers also discussed bilateral relations and the latest developments in
Syria and the Middle East and expressed their countries’ determination to
further develop mutual ties in various spheres.
The top Iranian and Syrian diplomats reaffirmed their
countries’ commitment to supporting Palestinians’ legitimate struggle to
safeguard their sanctities and historical rights, and strongly condemned the
apartheid Israeli regime’s crimes against Palestinians.
Amir-Abdollahian underscored Iran’s support for
Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying the Islamic Republic will
continue to assist the war-ravaged Arab country in the war against terrorism
and in the face of Western sanctions.
Iran maintains an advisory mission in Syria at the
request of Damascus with the aim of helping the war-torn Arab country get rid
of the foreign-backed militants, who have been fighting against the Syrian
government since 2011.
In 2017, Iran’s advisory assistance helped Syria
defeat the Daesh terrorist group.
Source: Press TV
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Aid convoy enters Syrian rebel area ahead of key UN
vote
08 January ,2023
A humanitarian convoy on Sunday delivered urgently
needed supplies to Syria’s last rebel stronghold, a day before the UN Security
Council is set to vote on a resolution that would determine whether aid
deliveries to the war-stricken territory can continue.
Syria’s conflict has killed hundreds of thousands and
displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million since it began in
March 2011.
The convoy of 18 trucks entered the area of Idlib
through frontlines held by Syrian government forces.
Russia, which is allied with Syrian President Bashar
Assad, has moved to replace humanitarian aid crossing the Turkish border into
Syria with convoys like Sunday’s shipment, which pass through government-controlled
areas. In the early years of the war, Turkey strongly supported Syria’s rebels.
In July, the UN Security Council approved a resolution
extending humanitarian aid deliveries to Idlib, which is home to 4.1 million
people. Many of the people sheltering in the area have been internally
displaced by the nearly 12-year conflict.
Russia is expected to abstain in Monday’s vote. The
draft resolution would continue aid deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa crossing
to rebel-held northwest Syria for six months, until July 10.
In Idlib, dozens of paramedics on Sunday protested
outside a main medical center against any attempt by Russia at the UN to
prevent the flow of aid from Turkey.
On Friday, 14 aid trucks crossed from Turkey through
the Bab al-Hawa frontier point — Idlib’s only land connection with the outside
world.
Last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
warned in a report that the already dire humanitarian situation in Syria is
worsening, and said if aid deliveries from Turkey to Idlib aren’t renewed
millions of Syrians may not survive the winter.
In July 2020, China and Russia vetoed a UN resolution
that would have maintained two border crossing points from Turkey for
humanitarian aid into the northern Syrian rebel stronghold. Days later, the
council authorized the delivery of aid through just one of those crossings, Bab
al-Hawa, and this has been the case since.
Russia has repeatedly said the cross-border aid
deliveries that began in 2014 were meant to be temporary.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Drone shot down over Iraq air base: Report
08 January ,2023
Defense systems at Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base, which
hosts US forces, intercepted and shot down a drone while it was hovering near
the base, Iraqi military sources said on Sunday.
The sources said it was not clear whether the drone
was on a surveillance mission or if it was carrying any explosives.
Source: Al Arabiya
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https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/01/08/Drone-shot-down-over-Iraq-air-base-Report
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Europe
More EU nations to summon Iran envoys over executions
of two protesters
09 January ,2023
Denmark and Belgium said Sunday they would summon
Iran’s ambassadors after Tehran executed two men linked to protests over the
death of Mahsa Amini, with fresh EU sanctions “on the table.”
The announcements came shortly after fellow EU nation
the Netherlands announced similar action.
Iran’s envoy to Denmark will be summoned “to send him
the strongest possible and imaginable message that the abuses committed against
his people trigger our outrage”, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen
told news agency Ritzau.
The Danish foreign ministry confirmed to AFP that the
meeting would take place on Monday.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib wrote on Twitter
that she was “horrified” by the executions.
“Together with like-minded EU member states, we will
summon the Iranian ambassador. New EU sanctions are on the table,” she said.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra tweeted on
Saturday that he was “appalled” and that the Iranian ambassador to the
Netherlands would be summoned “to underline our serious concerns.”
A fourth EU sanctions package was “already in
preparation” for the 27-nation bloc’s next foreign affairs council to be held
on January 23, he added.
Iran on Saturday announced that two men had been
hanged for killing a paramilitary force member in November during unprecedented
protests sparked by the death in custody of young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.
The executions sparked international condemnation,
with the United Nations denouncing “unfair trials based on forced confessions.”
The United States said the hangings were “a key
component of the regime’s effort to suppress protests”, which have shaken the
Islamic republic since Amini’s death in September last year.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Christmas mass held in Türkiye’s Armenian church
Bestami Bodruk
08.01.2023
DIYARBAKIR, Türkiye
Christmas mass was held on Sunday in Türkiye’s
Diyarbakır Surp Giragos Armenian Church.
Hymns were sung and prayers were recited during mass
led by three religious officials appointed by the Armenian Patriarchate in
Istanbul.
Father Natan Arabyan said they are proud to celebrate
Christmas in Diyarbakir, the cradle of civilizations.
Arabyan also thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and top officials to provide the peaceful environment in Türkiye's
southeastern Diyarbakir province.
"On this occasion, I wish everyone a happy new
year and wish tranquility, peace, and brotherhood all over the world," he
noted.
Sur District Governor and Deputy Mayor Asim Solak also
visited the historical church before the mass and congratulated the
participants' holiday.
In Western Christianity, Christmas Day is celebrated
on Dec. 25, but due to a calendar difference, many Orthodox churches mark
Christmas on Jan. 7.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/christmas-mass-held-in-turkiye-s-armenian-church/2782662
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Sweden cannot meet some Turkiye demands for NATO bid:
PM
January 08, 2023
STOCKHOLM: Turkiye, which has for months blocked NATO
membership bids by Sweden and Finland, has made some demands that Sweden cannot
accept, Sweden’s prime minister said on Sunday.
Turkiye “has confirmed that we have done what we said
we would do, but it also says that it wants things that we can’t, that we don’t
want to, give it,” Ulf Kristersson said during a security conference also
attended by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.
“We are convinced that Turkiye will make a decision,
we just don’t know when,” he said, adding that it will depend on internal
politics inside Turkiye as well as “Sweden’s capacity to show its seriousness.”
Sweden and Finland broke with decades of military
nonalignment and applied to join the US-led defense alliance in response to
Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine. But Turkiye has refused to approve their
bid until the two countries take steps, including joining Turkiye’s fight
against banned Kurdish militants.
Most of Turkiye’s demands have involved Sweden because
of its more robust ties with the Kurdish diaspora.
Finland’s foreign minister said that the country would
join NATO at the same time as its neighbor.
“Finland is not in such a rush to join NATO that we
can’t wait until Sweden gets the green light,” Pekka Haavisto, said at Sunday’s
conference.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2228851/world
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Mideast
Iran sentences three more to death over Amini protests
January 09, 2023
TEHRAN: Iran has sentenced to death three people
accused of killing three members of the security forces during the protests
triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, the judiciary said Monday.
The Islamic republic has been rocked by civil unrest
since the September 16 death of Kurdish Iranian Amini, 22, following her arrest
for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
The latest sentences, which can still be appealed,
bring to 17 the total number of people condemned to death in connection with
the more than three months of protests.
Four of those convicted have been executed and two
others are on death row after their sentences were upheld by the country’s
supreme court.
Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were
sentenced to death on charges of “moharebeh” — or waging “war against God” —
the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website reported.
Two others were handed prison terms for the incident
that led to the deaths of three security force members in the central province
of Isfahan on November 16, Mizan said.
All the sentences can be appealed before the supreme
court, it added.
On Saturday, Iran executed Mohammad Mehdi Karami and
Seyed Mohammad Hosseini for killing a paramilitary force member in November in
Karaj west of Tehran.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2229091/middle-east
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Israel suspends Palestinian foreign minister’s VIP
pass amid ICJ row
Awad Rajoub
08.01.2023
RAMALLAH, Palestine
Israel on Sunday suspended a VIP pass card of
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki, in response to a Palestinian bid
to seek the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s opinion on the decades-long
Israeli occupation.
The VIP pass card eases the minister’s travel in and
around the occupied West Bank.
“The occupation authorities withdrew the minister’s
VIP card as he returned from Jordan, in disregard of his position,” the
Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Political adviser Ahmed al-Deek termed the Israeli
move as a “brazen violation” of international law and agreements signed between
the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
“These measures will not deter us from rallying
international political, diplomatic and legal support in all forums,” al-Deek
said.
There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on
the move.
On Friday, the Israeli government approved five
sanctions against the Palestinian Authority (PA) in response to the PA bid to involve
the ICJ.
Al-Maliki, for his part, described the Israeli
penalties as a “violation of international law”.
"Israel must realize that it’s not completely
free to act against the Palestinian people,” he told Voice of Palestine radio.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Human Rights Chief: Iran to Issue Indictment in
Connection with Nuclear Scientist's Assassination
2023-January-8
Qaribabadi said a court in Iran will soon issue a
verdict over the murder, adding that the Judiciary will not let justice fail in
the case.
He said two court sessions were recently held at the
judicial organization of the armed forces and the trial will continue.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Protest outside Iran prison against reportedly
imminent executions of demonstrators
09 January ,2023
Dozens of Iranians gathered early on Monday outside a
prison near the capital Tehran where authorities are reportedly preparing to
execute two protesters, videos posted on social media showed.
Human rights defenders had warned on social media that
authorities planned to execute Mohammad Ghobadlou and Mohammad Boroughani early
on Monday, promoting the protest outside Rajaei Shahr prison in the city of
Karaj, west of Tehran, where the two men are being held.
Ghobadlou, 22, and Boroughani, 19, were convicted of
attacking members of the security forces in trials that human rights groups
have described as “sham.”
The pair’s death sentences were recently upheld by
Iran’s Supreme Court, the final step before authorities carry out the sentence.
Videos shared on Twitter by the activist group
1500tasvir showed the crowd outside the prison embracing Ghobadlou’s mother,
who was present at the scene along with Ghobadlou’s father.
The crowd also chanted anti-regime slogans and urged
other Iranians to join the protest. Sound of gunfire could be heard in other
videos shared on Twitter.
Iran executed two more protesters on Saturday,
bringing the total number of executions related to the demonstrations sparked
by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September to four.
These executions have drawn condemnation from Western
powers, but have not deterred the Islamic Republic from executing more
protesters.
Activists have called on Western governments to
increase the political cost of executions for the regime by taking action such
as expelling Iranian diplomats in the West and recalling their own ambassadors
from Iran.
Since Amini’s death, protesters across Iran have been
demanding the overthrow of the regime, creating one of the most significant
challenges to the Islamic Republic since it was founded in 1979.
The regime views the protests as “riots” that are
backed by foreign powers.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Denmark to summon Iran envoy over protest executions
08 January ,2023
Denmark will summon Iran's ambassador to express its
"outrage" after Tehran executed two men linked to mass protests over
the death of Mahsa Amini, the Danish foreign minister said on Sunday.
Iran's envoy will be summoned to the foreign ministry
"to send him the strongest possible and imaginable message that the abuses
committed against his people trigger our outrage", Lars Lokke Rasmussen
told Danish news agency Ritzau.
The ministry confirmed to AFP that the meeting will
take place on Monday.
Iran on Saturday announced that two men were hanged
for killing a paramilitary force member in November during unprecedented
protests sparked by the death in custody of young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.
The executions sparked international condemnation, with
the United Nations denouncing "unfair trials based on forced
concessions".
The United States said the hangings were "a key
component of the regime's effort to suppress protests", which have shaken
the Islamic republic since Amini's death in September last year.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Israel’s Netanyahu defends controversial judicial
reforms amid protests
Zain Khalil
08.01.2023
JERUSALEM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended
controversial judicial reforms proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, saying
the reforms aim to "represent the voter's will."
"The claim that judicial reform is the end of
democracy is baseless,” Netanyahu said during his Sunday cabinet meeting.
“The balance between the executive, legislative, and
judicial powers has been violated in the past two decades, and more rapidly
over the past few years,” he added.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Levin intends
to complete by the end of January the preparation of draft laws necessary to
advance his reforms, before submitting them to the Knesset (Israel’s
parliament).
On Saturday evening, thousands demonstrated in Tel
Aviv, including current and former Knesset members, to protest against the
proposed judicial reforms.
"Netanyahu's government threatens to destroy the
entire constitutional structure of the State of Israel," former Prime
Minister Yair Lapid said in a tweet.
Levin, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, plans a
comprehensive reform of the judicial system, which if enacted, would be the
most radical change ever in the system of government in Israel.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Israel’s Ben-Gvir restricts Arab MKs’ visits to
Palestinian prisoners
Zain Khalil
08.01.2023
JERUSALEM
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on
Sunday tightened restrictions on visits by Arab members of the Knesset (the
Israeli parliament) to Palestinian prisoners.
Ben-Gvir informed Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana to cancel
the practice under which any member of Knesset (MK) can visit security
prisoners, Israeli Public Radio reported KAN.
"I have rescinded the procedure of Omar Bar-Lev
(former public security minister) and Miki Levy (former police chief), which
allowed any MK to meet with terrorists in prison, after concluding that these
visits led to the incitement and promotion of terrorist actions," Ben-Gvir
said in a tweet.
On Friday, during a visit to Israel's Nafha Prison,
Ben-Gvir threatened to take action "to ensure that the conditions of
Palestinian prisoners are not improved."
He also said he would pursue plans to pass a law that
would impose the death penalty on prisoners accused of killing or attempting to
kill Israelis.
"I visited Nafha Prison yesterday after new cells
were built to ensure that those who murdered Jews do not receive better
conditions than the existing ones," he tweeted.
From time to time, Arab MPs visit Palestinian
prisoners to check on their condition, especially those who have called a
hunger strike.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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‘Extraordinary’ OIC meeting to discuss Israeli attacks
on Al-Aqsa
January 08, 2023
RIYADH: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation will
hold an extraordinary open-ended meeting of its Executive Committee in Jeddah
on Tuesday to discuss Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem,
Saudi Press Agency reported.
The meeting follows escalating Israeli activity in
occupied Jerusalem, most notably a “provocative” visit by Israel’s far-right
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the mosque compound on Tuesday.
It also comes in light of Israel’s attempts to alter the legal and historical
status of the holy site.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2228826/middle-east
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Yemeni rights groups urging Houthis to release online
influencers
SAEED AL-BATATI
January 08, 2023
AL-MUKALLA: More than 100 Yemeni human rights and
civil society organizations have urged the international community to pressure
the Houthi militia into freeing thousands of detained Yemenis, including
several high-profile YouTubers.
The Yemeni organizations, including the Yemeni Network
for Rights and Freedoms, Rasd Coalition and others, launched a petition urging
the Houthis to release four social media influencers held captive for exposing
the corruption of the militia’s leaders and condemning the movement’s
repressive crackdown on dissidents.
“Civil society organizations in Yemen are closely
monitoring the Houthi militia’s frantic and hysterical campaigns against
journalists and social media influencers who have merely voiced their
opposition to the machine of corruption and looting that has devoured
everything, and left the populace suffering from the scourge of poverty and
hunger,” the groups said in a joint statement.
They urged the UN and foreign mediators to act by
ordering the Houthis to release critics and cease persecuting prominent
dissidents.
Since late December, the Houthis have abducted and
interrogated four prominent Yemeni social media influencers in Sanaa for
criticizing the movement after it failed to pay public workers, ignored growing
famine and neglected to provide basic services to Yemenis.
The Houthis first kidnapped Ahmed Hajar from a Sanaa
street after he was featured in a widely circulated YouTube video. In the clip,
Hajar strongly criticizes the militia for levying heavy taxation, failing to
relieve poverty, ignoring deteriorating services and promoting endemic
corruption.
The militia later abducted Mustafa Al-Mumari, Hamoud
Al-Mesbahi and Ahmed Elaw. The three voiced support for Hajar and repeated the
same charges against the militia.
The four YouTubers had long been seen as Houthi
loyalists who used their social media clout to back the group’s military
operations throughout the country, while also criticizing the Arab coalition
and Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Yemeni activists argue that the most recent round of
crackdowns against critics, including previous loyalists, demonstrates that the
militia will not tolerate criticism from its own supporters. It also shows that
the Houthis are concerned about an escalation of public resentment that
developed during the UN-brokered ceasefire, they added.
Zafaran Zaid, a Yemeni human rights activist and lawyer
who was sentenced to death in absentia by a Houthi-run court, told Arab News
that the abducted influencers obtained important documents that exposed Houthi
officials looting public funds and pillaging state and private lands by force,
as well as other forms of corruption. The documents also revealed growing
rivalries between different wings of the militia.
“The activists went out to expose numerous truths and
disprove the falsehoods and claims of the Houthi militia, who had monopolized
essential utilities like water and gas, and commodities and services in the
black markets,” Zaid said.
“As a result, the Houthis arrested the influencers and
made up charges of them being mercenaries and supporters of the militia’s
opponents.”
Similarly, the Mothers of Abductees Association, an
umbrella organization representing thousands of women relatives of civilian war
prisoners, accused the Houthis of torturing three Yemeni teachers from the
province of Mahwet in order to coerce the trio into confessing to spying for the
Yemeni government and Arab coalition.
The association said that Abdulaziz Ahmed Al-Aqeeli,
47, Sagheer Ahmed Fare’e, 45, and Esmail Mohammed Al-Melhani, 28, who were
detained by the Houthis during separate periods in 2015, were so severely
tortured by the Houthis that they were left unable to walk.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2228776/middle-east
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Pakistan
Pakistani Ministry Making Efforts to Ensure
Availability of Authentic Version of Quran with Literal Translation
January 09, 2023
Mufti Abdul Shakoor, the minister of religious affairs
and interfaith harmony said on Sunday that the version of the Holy Quran with
translation will be published after seeking the seal of approval of provincial
Quran Boards.
The minister said that the standard version of the
Holy Quran published by the Matbooa Anjuman Himayat Islam and translated by
Matbooa Elm Foundation had been notified at the federal capital level by the
Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony and Ministry of Federal
Education respectively.
He said that all the stakeholders concerned were
requested to get the above notified prescriptions and make arrangements for
their availability at tehsil, district and province level.
He said that Quran Compulsory Education Act 2017 was
passed by the Parliament and it ensured compulsory teaching of the Holy Quran
to the Muslim students in all the federal capital and public sector educational
institutions controlled by the federal government.
On the recommendation of the Ittehad Tanzeemat
Al-Madaris Pakistan (ITMP), the Ministry of Federal Education constituted a
committee comprising representative from all sectors to reach a consensus on
the translation of the Holy Quran with regard to its compulsory teaching in the
schools, he added.
Mufti Shakoor said that after several meetings of the
said committee, a unified translation of the Holy Quran was prepared and a
letter with the signatures of all the committee members was also published by
the ILM Foundation.
Later, the Secretary of the aforesaid committee was
asked to get a soft copy of the Holy Quran from the ILM Foundation and forward
it to the provincial Awkaf Department to take approval from their respective
Quran Boards, he maintained.
He said that Islamabad administration was requested to
ensure the availability of standard version of the Holy Quran at the suitable
places.
He also expressed the hope that it would help remove
the controversy of distorted translation of the Holy Quran which had caused
furry amongst the Muslims across the country due to a particular segment of the
society.
Source: IQNA
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Case against five in Chiniot for marketing ‘altered’
Quran translation
January 9, 2023
CHINIOT: Chenab Nagar police have registered a case
against five Ahmadia community members under blasphemy charges and arrested one
of them on Saturday night for publishing and distributing an ‘altered’ version
of Quran’s Urdu translation.
The alleged desecration of the holy book took place
some four years ago but the first information report was lodged against the
printer, publisher, author, composer, proof reader and some other unknown
facilitators under sections 295-B, 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section
9-1 of the Punjab Holy Quran (Printing and Recording) Act, 2011 now.
According to complainant Muhammad Hassan Moawia,
secretary general of Tahafuz Khatme Nabuwat Forum Pakistan, he has been
striving since long for getting the altered translation of the Holy Quran
blocked.
He also filed a writ petition with the Lahore High
Court which directed all the institutions concerned to take action against such
publishers in its March 2019 order.
He said during an annual ceremony of Madressatul Hifz,
Ayesha Academy, Chenab Nagar, on March 7, 2019, the suspects distributed ‘altered’
translation version of the book among children.
“The ceremony was held on the lawns of Nusrat Jehan
College for Woman where 62 boys and girls were given copies of altered version
which was a clear violation of relevant laws,” the FIR added.
He said the altered version had also been banned by
the Punjab home department in 2016. The Chenab Nagar police received an e-mail
from the Chiniot DPO office having an attachment of Hassan Moawia’s application
and a letter from Umar Draz, Secretary, Punjab Quran Board, Lahore, regarding
action against the nominated and unknown accused.
The mail ordered registration of the FIR and
subsequent investigation.
After learning about the case, scores of Ahmadia
community members reached the police station and lodged a protest against the
FIR and the arrest of their member. As a result, traffic on the
Chiniot-Sargodha Road remained blocked for several hours.
The action was lauded by local clerics whereas a
spokesperson of Jamat Ahmadia termed it another bid to implicate their members
in fabricated cases across the country. He said the Jamat believed in rule of
law and would go into a constitutional struggle.
Source: Dawn
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‘Still Open' To Ceasefire Agreement With Pakistan
Government, Says TTP Chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsood
Jan 8, 2023
PESHAWAR: The chief of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) has said that his group is “still open” to a ceasefire agreement
with the Pakistan government, according to media reports.
In November last year, the TTP called off an
indefinite ceasefire agreed with the government in June 2022 and ordered its
militants to carry out attacks on the security forces.
The TTP, which is believed to have close links to
al-Qaida, has threatened to target top leaders of Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif's PML-N and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's PPP if the ruling
coalition continued to implement strict measures against the militants.
However, the dreaded outfit insisted that it has not
scrapped the ceasefire agreement with the government.
“We held talks with Pakistan mediated by Islamic
Emirates of Afghanistan. We are still open to the ceasefire agreement,” the
Dawn newspaper quoted TTP chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsood as saying in a video on
Saturday.
Mehsood's change in stance comes amid reports that he
has sought guidance from religious scholars in Pakistan.
In the video message, Mehsood said his outfit is “open
to guidance” from Pakistan's religious scholars if they believe “the direction
of our jihad” is wrong, according to the Express Tribune newspaper.
“If you find any problem in the jihad that we waged
[against this global infidel agenda], if you believe we have changed our
direction, that we have gone astray, then you're requested to guide us. We're always
ready to listen to your arguments happily,” the TTP chief said.
Mehsood's comments come amid a sharp uptick in
violence across Pakistan.
On Saturday, Pakistan police arrested five TTP
terrorists during intelligence-based operations in the country's Punjab
province.
Over 5,000 tribesmen took out a rally on Friday in
Wana, the headquarters of the South Waziristan tribal district, against the
growing unrest, terrorism, and kidnappings in their areas.
The protest comes amidst rising terrorist attacks in the
country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces that are
believed to have been carried out by TTP militants.
The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set
up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007.
Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of Islam
across Pakistan.
Pakistan had hoped that the Afghan Taliban after
coming to power would stop the use of their soil against Pakistan by expelling
the TTP operatives but they have apparently refused to do so at the cost of
straining ties with Islamabad.
The TTP has been blamed for several deadly attacks
across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on
military bases and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.
In 2012, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai was attacked
by TTP.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Speaking on behalf of OIC, Pakistan slams Israeli
minister’s visit to Al Aqsa Mosque
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan, speaking for the OIC group
at the United Nations, has condemned the visit to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound
by Israel’s new far-right security minister, after a UN Security Council
meeting at which the 15-member body’s members called for preserving the
historic status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites.
“We strongly demand that such acts have to be stopped
and they have to be stopped, forthwith”, Ambassador Aamir Khan, deputy
permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told reporters at the UNSC
stakeout alongside all ambassadors of Islamic countries.
The Pakistani envoy said that the group met prior to
the Security Council meeting at the request of Palestine’s Permanent Observer
to the UN Ambassador Riaz Mansour, and strongly condemned Israel minister
Itamar Ben-Gvir’s action.
“We have to deal with such situations with the
strength and the force of international law,” Ambassador Khan added.
At the Security Council meeting, Khaled Khiari, U.N. assistant
secretary-general for the Middle East, said, “As we have seen numerous times in
the past, the situation at Jerusalem’s holy sites is deeply fragile, and any
incident or tension there can spill over and cause violence throughout the
occupied Palestinian territory, in Israel and elsewhere in the region.”
He urged the parties to refrain from escalating
tensions and respect the status quo, which allows Jews and Christians to visit
the site at specific times but only Muslims to worship there.
The Council’s emergency meeting was requested by
Palestine and Jordan and supported by council members United Arab Emirates,
China, France, and Malta.
Israel’s new extremist government was sworn in on
December 29, along with Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned as prime minister for
an unprecedented sixth term. On Tuesday, the new national security minister,
Itamar Ben-Gvir, accompanied by a heavy security detail, visited the compound
that houses al-Aqsa Mosque.
His visit marked the first time since 2017 that an
Israeli minister had gone to Haram al-Sharif by and Temple.
Ambassador Mansour, the Palestinian envoy, said
Ben-Gvir’s intentions were clear.
“He is pursuing the same extremist agenda he has
pursued all his life: ending the historic and legal status quo. That is his
objective, regardless of the consequences,” Mansour told the council.
Israel’s UN envoy defended the national security
minister’s actions.
“Minister Ben-Gvir’s recent visit to Temple Mount was
not an incursion into al-Aqsa or any other fabrication that the Palestinians
branded his visit as,” Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said. “Minister
Ben-Gvir’s visit was in line with the status quo, and whoever claims otherwise
is only inflaming the situation. Jews are allowed to visit the Temple Mount.”
“We expect the government of Israel to follow through
on that commitment,” U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood said at the council meeting.
Jordan’s King Abdullah is the custodian of both Muslim
and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. His envoy at the UN said Ben-Gvir’s
unannounced presence was a status quo violation.
“This storming took place without the agreement of the
Auqaf administration, which is the legal agency in charge of the Haram
[al-Sharif],” Ambassador Mahmoud Hmoud said, adding that Israel also violated
an international convention and two Security Council resolutions — one of which
was adopted in 2000 in response to an incursion at the site by then-Israeli
opposition leader Ariel Sharon. That incident led to Palestinian protests and
riots that grew into the second intifada, which lasted more than four years and
was deadly for Palestinians and Israelis.
“We expect the government of Israel to follow through
on that commitment,” US Ambassador Robert Wood said at the council meeting.
Israel’s UN envoy defended the national security
minister’s actions.
Jordan’s King Abdullah is the custodian of both Muslim
and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. His envoy said Ben-Gvir’s unannounced
presence was a status quo violation.
“This storming took place without the agreement of the
Al Qaf administration, which is the legal agency in charge of the Haram
[al-Sharif],” Ambassador Mahmoud Hmoud said, adding that Israel also violated
an international convention and two Security Council resolutions — one of which
was adopted in 2000 in response to an incursion at the site by then-Israeli
opposition leader Ariel Sharon. That incident led to Palestinian protests and
riots that grew into the second intifada (uprising), which lasted more than four
years and was deadly for Palestinians and Israelis.
In his remarks, Ambassador Mansour called on the
Security Council to take action.
“The record shows that Israeli persistence on this
path does not lead to surrender but to uprising,” he said. “Those committed to
international law and peace must act now, not lament once the fire spreads
beyond control.”
Source: Brecorder
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Stampedes across Pakistan as flour shortage
intensifies
Jan 8, 2023
The absolute disarray in the sale of the Pakistan
Sindh government's subsidised flour to the people resulted in the death of a
man, a father of seven, in Mirpurkhas district during a stampede.
The death occurred near the commissioner's office
where two mini-trucks carrying 200 bags each were selling flour outside
Gulistan-e-Baldia Park, The Express Tribune reported.
The mini-trucks were selling flour bags of 10-kg each
at the rate of Rs 65 per kg. People had gathered around the vehicles in a
disorganised way, pushing each other to grab the bag before the others.
According to police, 40-year-old labourer Harsingh
Kolhi fell on the road during the hustle and was instantly trampled upon by the
surrounding people, The Express Tribune reported.
What triggered the stampede is still not known.
Kolhi's family staged a sit-in outside the Mirpurkhas Press Club for five
hours, demanding action against the officials of the food department.
They dispersed after the police assured them of taking
action against those responsible for the mishap.
The incident's FIR has not been lodged so far. Similar
scenes of chaos were witnessed in all parts of Sindh where flour was being sold
through mini-trucks or vans.
Separately, three females, including a minor girl,
suffered injuries while being crushed under the feet of a crowd when a stampede
broke out outside a flour mill in Shaheed Benazirabad's (formerly Nawabshah)
Sakrand town while buying cheap flour at the government rate, Express Tribune
reported.
The prices of wheat and flour have hit unprecedented
levels amid the ongoing crisis.
After an uptick of Pakistan Rs 20, flour in Karachi is
being sold from Rs 140 per kg to Rs 160 per kg. In Islamabad and Peshawar, a
10-kg bag of flour is being sold at Rs 1,500 per kg. In Quetta, a 20-kg bag of
flour is being sold at Rs 2,800.
Meanwhile, Balochistan's Minister for Food Zamarak
Achakzai also made a startling revelation, stating that the wheat stock in the
province had "completely ended", and noted that the crisis for the
commodity in the province was "intensifying", The Express Tribune
reported.
Addressing a news conference on the issue, the
provincial minister maintained that Balochistan had not received the required
stock of wheat.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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COAS Asim Munir, Saudi crown prince review bilateral
relations
January 9, 2023
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on
Monday met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz
Al-Saud in Al-Ula, Madina and discussed bilateral ties between the two
countries.
COAS Munir is on a week-long official visit to Saudi
Arabia and UAE — the first since his appointment — culminating on Jan 10.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Prince
Salman welcomed the army chief at the winter camp in Al-Ula earlier today.
“During the reception, they reviewed bilateral
relations and the ways of enhancing them, in addition to a number of issues of
common concern,” the SPA report said.
The reception was attended by Saudi Defence Minister
Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and National Security Adviser Dr Musaed
bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, it added.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ameer Khurram
and other officials were also present.
Gen Munir had last week met Saudi Defence Minister
Prince Khalid bin Salman and discussed the ways of strengthening cooperation
between the two countries.
The leaders had discussed military and defence
cooperation, and ways to support and enhance them, along with important
regional and international issues of common interest.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1730745/coas-asim-munir-saudi-crown-prince-review-bilateral-relations
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‘Court-martialled’ general continues legal battle to
clear his name
Baqir Sajjad Syed
January 9, 2023
ISLAMABAD: A retired general convicted of sharing
‘classified information’ with foreign spies has been pardoned by the new
military leadership and released from prison.
However, he still plans to continue challenging the
guilty verdict, awarded to him by an army tribunal until he is honourably
acquitted, his lawyer told Dawn on Saturday.
Lt Gen retired Javed Iqbal was released from
Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Dec 29 after the new military leadership reviewed
his case soon after taking charge and, according to his lawyer Omer Farouk
Adam, “realised the injustice done to him” by the previous command.
Gen Iqbal was awarded 14-years rigorous imprisonment
by Field General Court Martial (FGCM) — a life term in Pakistan — on May 30,
2019 after being convicted of “espionage/leakage of sensitive information to
foreign agencies prejudicial to the national security”, but eventually came out
of jail after four years.
The 14-year sentence was commuted by the appellate
authority by seven years, in May 2021. Later, former army chief Gen Qamar Javed
Bajwa further reduced the sentence by another two and a half years just before
his departure from GHQ.
The jailed general was, therefore, scheduled to be
freed on May 29 this year, but the new Army Chief Gen Asim Munir finished the
sentence completely, paving the way for his early release.
Gen Iqbal has been pursuing a separate petition in the
Lahore High Court since 2021, in which he has appealed for setting aside his
conviction by the FGCM for being “coram non judice, without jurisdiction, and
suffering from mala fides including malice in law and fact,” according to a
copy of his appeal that is being heard by the court.
His counsel, Adam, says nearly a dozen hearings have
been held by the court without much headway. He vows to press ahead with the
appeal and is hopeful that his client would eventually get justice.
The next hearing in Gen Iqbal’s appeal is set for the
end of this month.
Commenting on the pardoning of Gen Iqbal by Gen Munir,
the lawyer said: “It’s a good start, but not acceptable. He must be acquitted
of all malicious and malafide allegations.”
Mr Adam said his client was determined to continue
fighting for an “honorable acquittal”.
Gen Iqbal’s conviction on espionage-related charges
and sentencing was almost unprecedented for a three-star retired military
officer, and more so for someone who had held key appointments, including
director-general of military operations, adjutant-general, and corps commander.
He had also led the military’s internal probe into the
US special forces’ raid in Abbottabad in 2011 in which Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin
Laden was killed.
While announcing the sentence, the army had neither
disclosed what secrets he had allegedly divulged to foreign spies, nor
identified the foreign agency.
Gen Iqbal’s engagements with Americans, which
ultimately landed him in trouble, allegedly started when he was approached by
Ryan Kessler from Gaming Company Take-II during a visit to US after retirement
and engaged as a consultant in 2016.
However, his involvement came to an end after he
objected to plans for showing US forces thwarting an attempt to smuggle nuclear
material through Karachi port.
He is alleged to have subsequently come in contact
with two other individuals, one from the Harvard Group and someone who worked
for the US National Security Adviser’s office.
The latter got in touch with him in 2018, and the
general is said to have conveyed these engagements to Gen Bajwa. He was never
granted a subsequent audience with the army chief and taken into custody on Dec
5, 2018.
After investigations, Gen Iqbal was charged under
Section 3 of Official Secrets Act and Section 59 of Army Act, 1952 and court
martial proceedings were initiated against him.
The allegations against him included sharing his
career profile; disclosing the SPD deals with fissile material; explaining the
selection process for the appointment of the army chief; detailing how the army
channels its advice to the government and elaborating the National Security
Committee’s composition; talking about Pakistani role in military operations in
Afghanistan; divulging plans to erect fence on border with Afghanistan;
revealing that a joint training exercise had been held with Russia and sharing
information about negotiations with Russia for acquisition of military
equipment, especially gunship helicopters; giving details of deployment of an
infantry brigade at Gwadar for security of Chinese and CPEC and army’s
involvement in CPEC security.
In his communications, he was also said to have told
the Americans that UAE and KSA provided funds for the rehabilitation of
militancy-hit areas of KP province; and that US assistance was going to the
government instead of directly reaching the armed forces.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1730663/court-martialled-general-continues-legal-battle-to-clear-his-name
--------
South Asia
IEA Deputy PM Urged Leading Scholars to Interpret
Reality of Afghanistan to Muslims of the World
2023-01-08
KABUL (BNA) Deputy Prime Minister of the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Beradar Akhund met with a delegation
of leading scholars from Egypt, Sudan and Palestine in his office on Saturday.
Deputy Prime Minister, Beradar, welcomed the delegation
of scholars and said “Muslims scholars, always sympathize with their Afghan
brothers, adding Afghans are grateful for this”.
Later, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Al-Sagheer, the leader of
the delegation of scholars, and his members called the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan’s jihad against the US and NATO an amazing stunt and congratulated
the Afghan nation on this great stunt.
They called this victory a pride not only for Afghans,
but for the entire Islamic Ummah.
The scholars delegation, called announcement of
general amnesty by the leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, supreme
leader a unique instance in the history of the world and similar to the general
amnesty of the conquest of Makkah.
Deputy PM Beradar, besides being grateful for the
arrival and spiritual support of these scholars, said that the real situation
of Afghanistan has not been correctly interpreted in the world and
unfortunately, the western media has a negative image of everything.
Source: Bakhtar News
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IEA facing criticism for implementing Sharia, says
minister
January 8, 2023
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) minister of
higher education said the government has come under fire by the international
community, including Muslim countries, for implementing Sharia.
This comes after a delegation of religious scholars
from Egypt, Sudan, Libya and Palestine met with the minister in Kabul on
Saturday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
These religious scholars shared their experiences on
education with Neda Mohammad Nadim, the higher education minister, on Saturday
in his office in Kabul, the ministry said.
“Our goal is to implement Sharia law, but for this we
are facing criticism from the West and some Islamic countries,” Nadim said.
The minister said that Islam is currently very poor
and called on the scholars to cooperate and share their message with other scholars.
“Islam is currently very poor and has been attacked by
infidels. I ask the scholars to share this situation with other scholars,”
Nadim added.
In the meeting scholars of Islamic countries shared
their experiences of education in their countries with the Higher Education
Minister, the ministry said.
Experts believe that closing the doors of schools and
universities to females will increase the gap between the government and the
people.
Meanwhile, on the same day UN deputy envoy Markus
Potzel met IEA’s Higher Education Minister and called for the urgent lifting of
the bans on female education and work for aid agencies.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(UNAMA) announced that Afghanistan has entered a new period of crisis.
UNAMA stressed that the IEA ban on education for women
and even stopping them from working for aid agencies will harm all Afghans.
Source: Ariana News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.ariananews.af/iea-facing-criticism-for-implementing-sharia-says-minister/
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Ban on women: UN envoy meets Afghanistan education
minister
Jan 8, 2023
KABUL: A top UN envoy met with the Taliban-led Afghan
government’s higher education minister Saturday to discuss the ban on women
attending universities. Markus Potzel is the first international official to
meet with minister Nida Mohammad Nadim since Taliban authorities, on December 20,
ordered public and private universities to close for women immediately until
further notice. It triggered widespread international condemnation, including
from Muslim-majority countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Taliban
(IEA) Minister Speaks on Altering Journalism Curriculum
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
January
9, 2023
The
Ministry of Higher Education of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced
that initial initiatives have been taken to revise the journalism curriculum at
the universities in the country.
Mawlavi
Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Acting Minister of Higher Education, in a ceremony
said in his opening remarks, that westerners use media as a powerful tool to
their own advantage through waging intellectual and propaganda war against
Muslims.
The
interim administration is planning to significantly revise the journalism
curriculum to prepare the young journalists to sever the country with honesty
and good faith, not to propagate wrong things against a group, regime, or
Islamic values, Minister Nadeem said.
“Lying
is forbidden in all religions, however, some media have made it their
profession and are corrupting people’s minds through propaganda” Minister
Nadeem added. He further stressed on the importance of honesty, reliability,
and compliance with national and Islamic values in journalism.
Journalism
is an important profession in the contemporary environment, it has the
potential to change people’s mindset either negatively or positively,” Deputy
Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Lutfullah Khairkhah said.
This
comes as the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have imposed wide-ranging
restrictions on media and free press since their return to power in August
2021. The set of regulations introduced by the Taliban administration restricts
media and journalists to report on matters that are contrary to Islam, insulting
national figures, or criticizing the ruling regime. It also adds that media
outlets should maintain balance by not providing reports on matters that could
negatively influence the attitude of the general public. The complete
censorship of media has paralyzed the local and international media outlets to
reflect the reality of the status quo in the country.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-iea-minister-speaks-on-altering-journalism-curriculum/
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Aid
chief Taliban decrees against women paralysing NGO work
January
08, 2023
Kabul,
Jan 8 (AP) The Taliban's “internal debates and extreme decrees” are paralysing
humanitarian work in Afghanistan, the head of a major aid agency told The
Associated Press on Sunday, after he arrived on a week-long trip to talk to
Taliban leaders about reversing a ban on women working for national and
international non-governmental groups.
Jan
Egeland, the secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, is the first
NGO chief to visit Afghanistan for talks with the Taliban since the ban came
into effect more than two weeks ago.
Authorities
have barred Afghan women from working at NGOs, allegedly because they weren't
wearing the Islamic headscarf correctly. The ban follows a slew of moves that
have severely limited or suspended women's rights and education.
Aid
groups, foreign governments, and the United Nations say women are vital for the
delivery of lifesaving assistance in Afghanistan and are calling for the ban's
reversal. Many groups have suspended their operations, warning of dire and
deadly consequences for a population already battered by decades of war,
deteriorating living conditions and economic hardship.
The
Norwegian Refugee Council says it has worked in Afghanistan since 2003 and
employs 470 women. It helped more than 840,000 people last year and was
intending to help 700,000 this year, the group said.
Egeland
said that he was meeting Taliban leaders in the capital of Kabul and in the
southern city of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement and the base
of the group's supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Egeland
has already met the economy minister, who initially announced the ban, and
other Taliban officials. Egeland indicated that those in Kabul were more
willing to contemplate women returning to work because of their crucial role in
delivering humanitarian aid.
“They
all say that they want us to continue work and hope we will continue without
females," Egeland said in an interview Sunday at his group's Kabul office.
"But when I say we're not willing or able to work with males only, they
(Taliban officials) realize that the population is totally dependent on
international assistance at the moment, food, shelter, sanitation.”
Women
are needed to contact women, including female-headed households and widows, he
said. Aid agencies say it is impossible for men to do this work because of
Afghanistan's social and cultural norms as well as the Taliban's own
prohibitions against the mixing of genders.
Separately,
two aid officials have told the AP that they were given the impression by
Taliban ministers in Kabul that they want women to resume their work at NGOs
but that this decision lies with the leadership in Kandahar.
Egeland
said the economy minister “sent us the message given by the supreme leader that
we had to discontinue all work.” He said he is traveling to Kandahar because
“it is there that the ideological and religious decrees come from."
“The
(Taliban's) internal debates and extreme decrees have paralyzed our work,"
Egeland said.
The
NRC chief said it was impossible to meet the supreme leader in Kandahar but
hoped to influence those around him.
Two
weeks after the ban, it remains unclear how comprehensive it is, and some
groups have reported that they are able to continue their work.
Egeland
said this raises further questions.
“Can
this be a religiously activated ban if some (women) are working and some are
not? It's not thought through at all," Egeland said. “We can't work with
males only because we can't follow their (the Taliban's) rules and
regulations.”
The
Norwegian aid chief said the group's female staff have complied with the
Taliban's dress codes, gender segregation rules and even the need to have a
male chaperone on certain occasions. The damage caused by the ban will become
worse the longer it continues, he warned, saying malnutrition and death is
rising and maternal health is plunging.
On
his trip, Egeland is also due to meet officials from embassies of
Muslim-majority countries, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who retain a
diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and have condemned the Taliban crackdowns on
female education and employment.
Despite
initially promising a more moderate rule, the Taliban have widely implemented
their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.
They
have banned girls and women from middle school, high school, and university,
restricted women from most employment and ordered them to wear head-to-toe
clothing in public. Women are also banned from parks and gyms.
Egeland
said he was in Afghanistan shortly after the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
“All
these promises were made. We were misled. What I would say is that the Taliban
decrees on female workers, on education for girls is so wrong for Afghanistan,
for the population, for the future, for the economy.”
Source:
The Week
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/international/2023/01/08/fgn24-afghan-ngo-chief-women.html
--------
Southeast Asia
Saudi
Arabia draws in Malaysian nurses with opportunity to grow
January
03, 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR: When Mohammed Amran Azizan decided to leave Malaysia and work in Saudi
Arabia as a nurse, it was a leap of faith for him. Now, six years later, he
sees the decision not only as career progression but also as an investment for
his future.
While
traditionally the most popular destinations for Malaysian nurses are those
where English is the official language — like the UK, Singapore, Canada and the
US — Azizan is among thousands of those who have made the Kingdom their second
home.
He
had initially applied to work in Singapore, but his prospective employer’s
demand for him to know Mandarin cemented his decision to try his luck in Saudi
Arabia, where he found employment in one of the most advanced centers in the
Middle East: Prince Sultan Military Medical City in Riyadh.
“After
my first year in the Kingdom, I fell in love with working here,” Azizan told
Arab News.
“There
are so many opportunities to further study. Salaries are tax-free and there’s a
better opportunity for promotion.”
Azizan’s
wife also works as a nurse, but in Makkah.
On
their honeymoon, they explored the Kingdom in an experience that further sealed
their decision to stay.
“When
Saudis welcome a guest, they treat them like one of their family members,”
Azizan said. “No one has ever treated me like this in a foreign country.”
Cultural
comfort for Malaysians, whose country is also a Muslim-majority one, and the
possibility to grow and learn are what appeal most to health professionals from
the Southeast Asian nation.
“I
didn’t experience any cultural shock going to Saudi because it is almost the
same as Malaysia,” said Bridget Henriette Fernando, a senior midwife who used
to work in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh — one of the most
comprehensive and highly advanced healthcare medical cities in Saudi Arabia.
She
came back home during the pandemic but will be returning to the Kingdom in two
months.
“They
are very helpful because they know you are coming from afar,” she said.
Nurses
from Malaysia began to join the Saudi healthcare market in the 1980s, attracted
by competitive packages, work flexibility, advanced medical infrastructure and,
for some, also the proximity to Islam’s holiest sites.
“Muslim
nurses, they love it there, especially if they can work in Makkah and Madinah,”
Malayan Nurses Union President Nor Hayati Abdul Rashid told Arab News.
About
20 percent of Malaysian nurses working abroad choose the Middle East. Rashid
said they are quite welcome there as disciplined and experienced employees, as
at home they have to undergo rigorous, multidisciplinary training. Every nurse
is licensed by the Malaysian Nursing Board. Their certificates must be renewed
annually.
“They
are knowledgeable and skilled in their subject matter and can even teach the
doctors,” she said.
But
it is abroad where they can gain more experience.
“Nurses
are given a bigger responsibility instead of playing the role of handmaiden to
doctors,” said Irene Ng, who for the past eight years has been serving as a
critical care nurse at Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Riyadh.
When
she arrived in Saudi Arabia, she was surprised that her workplace was not
merely a hospital but a network of clinics.
“It
is not a medical center but a medical city,” she said. “The place where I work
here is a cardiac center, the whole building specializes in cardiac care, from
cardiac medical to cardiac surgical, from the ward to the critical unit.”
And
despite her busy schedule and 12-hour shifts, she manages to frequently fly
back home as her compensation includes enough annual leave.
“I
have more time at home to rest,” Ng told Arab News.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2226076/world
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Fleeing
persecution, 200 Rohingya Muslims reach Indonesia
January
09, 2023
BANDA
ACEH, Indonesia: A wooden boat carrying nearly 200 Rohingya refugees, a majority
of them women and children, landed on Indonesia’s western coast on Sunday,
police said.
The
ship is the fifth boat carrying Rohingya refugees to land in Indonesia since
November, according to authorities. Thousands of the mostly Muslim Rohingya, heavily
persecuted in Myanmar, risk their lives each year on long and expensive sea
journeys -- often in poor-quality boats -- in an attempt to reach Malaysia or
Indonesia.
The
wooden vessel -- which carried 69 men, 75 women and 40 children -- arrived at
around 02:30 pm local time (0730 am GMT) on a beach in Indonesia´s westernmost
province of Aceh, local police chief Irwan Fahmi Ramli said Sunday.
“They
are generally healthy, but there is one pregnant woman among them, and four
people are sick,” Ramli said. “We had coordinated with doctors who will come
here to conduct an initial health check of these refugees, particularly those
who are sick.” He added that the refugees will be transferred to a local
government facility.
According
to one of the passengers, the boat departed Bangladesh on December 10. “We feel
very happy because we arrived here. Already, our engine is damaged and also we
don´t have food in the boat,” 26-year-old Fairus told reporters.
Around
a million Rohingya were estimated to be living in refugee camps in Bangladesh
after they fled persecution in neighbouring Myanmar in 2017. Four vessels
carrying Rohingya refugees have already landed in Indonesia in November and
December last year, carrying a total of more than 400 passengers.
More
than 2,000 Rohingya are believed to have attempted the risky journey in 2022,
according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR -- at levels similar to 2020. The
agency estimated nearly 200 Rohingya have died or remain missing after
attempting hazardous sea crossings last year.
But
the figure could rise after relatives of around 180 Rohingya refugees that were
on another vessel drifting at sea for weeks lost contact and were feared dead.
The UNHCR could not confirm their deaths.
Source:
The News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1028761-fleeing-persecution-200-rohingya-muslims-reach-indonesia
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Indonesia,
Malaysia agree to fight against palm oil ‘discrimination’
January
,2023
Indonesia
and Malaysia, the world’s biggest producers of palm oil, agreed on Monday to
work together to fight “discrimination” against the commodity after a meeting
between leaders from the countries.
The
comments by Indonesian President Joko Widodo followed a meeting with Malaysian
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was making his first overseas trip since
being elected last November.
Widodo,
popularly known as Jokowi, said the two countries would “fight discrimination
against palm oil” and “strengthen cooperation through the Council of Palm Oil
Producing Countries” to address concerns.
The
European Union plans to phase out palm-oil based fuels by 2030 because of
perceived links to deforestation.
During
their bilateral meeting, Anwar and Jokowi signed eight memorandums of
understandings covering shipping, export-import financing, green energy, the
development of battery industry, which they said they hoped would deepen cross
border trade and investment.
The
leaders also discussed the development of Indonesia’s planned new capital,
Nusantara, with Anwar handing over 11 letters of interest from Malaysian
companies related to possible investment in the new city, located in the
Indonesian portion Borneo.
The
new capital could boost regional development, Anwar said, with the Malaysian
states of Sabah and Sarawak located in the Malaysian part of Borneo island.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Africa
King
Abdullah featured next to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque in new Jordan banknote
08
January, 2023
The
Central Bank of Jordan has revealed new dinar banknotes, one of which bears the
image of King Abdullah II next to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The
new 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 Jordanian dinar (JOD) banknotes will be put into
circulation at a later date, according to the central bank, however the new 1
dinar note already began circulating since 26 December.
The
Jordanian sovereign’s image next to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied
East Jerusalem is on the 50 JOD bill.
It
comes at a time of heightened tensions between Jordan and Israel, as the
latter’s new far-right government threatens to change the status quo at the
Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The
decades-old status quo allows only Muslims to worship at the compound – Islam’s
third holiest site - which is managed by the Jordanian-affiliated Islamic Waqf.
Amman
has increasingly raised concerns over Israel’s attempts to alter the situation
and allow Jewish prayers and rituals at the site. King Abdullah has warned
Israel of "crossing red lines," saying that Amman is ready for
conflict.
Extremist
settlers have already stormed the compound multiple times since Israel's new
government was announced late last month, including once by Israel’s
controversial new National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir earlier this week.
The
Jordanian central bank announced in a statement on Saturday evening that the
latest issue, the first after nearly 20 years, includes better security
features and quality that will allow the bills to last longer.
They
will still feature the images of previous Jordan sovereigns.
Source:
The New Arab
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.newarab.com/news/new-jordanian-banknote-features-king-next-al-aqsa-mosque
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Taskforce
arrests hawkers of Islamic herbal products in Cross River
January
8, 2023
By
Asare Asare
The
chairman of Cross River State Health Taskforce and special adviser to Governor
Ben Ayade on health, Mr David Ushie said several hawkers and sellers of Islamic
herbal products have been arrested in Abakpa and Igoli towns in Ogoja LGA of
the state.
He
said the persons arrested claimed the products cure all manners of diseases.
Ushie
said: “The medications have no NAFDAC safety certifications and they show no
credible manufacturer’s information.”
On
3rd January 2023, the taskforce raided several medical centres and enforced a
clampdown on suspected fake medical products in northern parts of the state.
Among
the hawkers arrested were Michael Chia and Michael Ani who were charged to
court on 5th January 2023. A shop belonging to one Rabiu along Audu Street in
Ogoja was also sealed by the taskforce.
Those
arraigned in Ogoja in January 2023 were the second batch of offenders. The
first batch comprised of six quacks arraignment in October 2022, arrested
mostly in Alladim community of Ogoja in September 2022.
Ushie
further disclosed that one Rosemary Irima who owned and operated Divine Favour
Clinic and Maternity in Yala had her facility sealed and practice items
confiscated by the taskforce.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://dailypost.ng/2023/01/08/taskforce-arrests-hawkers-of-islamic-herbal-products-in-cross-river/
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Five
African migrants die, 10 missing after boat sinks off Tunisia
07
January ,2023
At
least five African migrants died and another 10 were missing after a boat sank
off Tunisia, as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a judicial
official said on Saturday.
The
coastguard rescued 20 migrants who had been on the overcrowded boat, which sank
off Louata in Sfax region on Friday, the official told Reuters.
The
coastline of Sfax has become a major departure point for people fleeing poverty
in Africa and the Middle East for a chance at a better life in Europe.
In
recent months, hundreds of people have drowned off the Tunisian coast, with an
increase in the frequency of attempted crossings from Tunisia and Libya towards
Italy.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
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Türkiye
welcomes start of final round of Sudan’s political process
Diyar
Guldogan
08.01.2023
Ankara
welcomes the start of the final stage of Sudan’s political process, the Turkish
Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
"We
attach importance to advancing the process in question on a broad basis
covering all segments of Sudan. Our country will continue to stand by the
brotherly people of Sudan, as it has always been," the ministry said in a
statement.
On
Dec. 5, 2022, Sudan’s military and political forces signed a framework
agreement meant to resolve Sudan’s months-long crisis. The deal pledges a
two-year transition period and the appointment of a civilian prime minister by
the political parties that signed the framework agreement.
The
four-day consultations will address five issues identified in the framework
agreement to reach a "roadmap for the renewal of the dismantling of the 30
June regime process."
The
framework agreement includes five topics, including justice and transitional
justice, security and military reform, reviewing the peace deal, the
dismantling of the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir, and resolving the
issue in eastern Sudan.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Nigerian
police intercept rocket shells, anti-aircraft ammunition in NW Zamfara state
Ibrahim
Garba Shuaibu
08.01.2023
KANO,
Nigeria
Nigerian
police in the Zamfara state on Sunday said its tactical operatives have
intercepted rocket shells, anti-aircraft ammunition, and explosives.
Police
spokesman Muhammad Shehu told Anadolu Agency that the gunrunners in Saturday's
incident are suspected to be behind all the recovered weapons, including three
live shells for rocket-propelled grenades, three explosive shells, 151 rounds
of live ammunition for AK 47 rifles, and 200 rounds of live ammunition for
anti-aircraft.
Shehu
said two of the gunrunners were killed, adding: "I can confirm to you that
it is gunrunners who supplied ammunition and other sophisticated weapons to
bandits inside the bush. We intercepted them and made a serious recovery."
He
said: "On 7th January 2023, Police Tactical Operatives have successfully
killed two gunrunners along Gummi – Anka Road following an extensive gun duel
that lasted for several hours between the police and the gunrunners, while
conveying sophisticated arms and ammunition to terrorists' camp in Zamfara from
Taraba state."
According
to the spokesman, the gunrunners came from the northeastern Taraba state and
supplied ammunition to the bandits when the tactical operatives engaged them.
Shehu
also noted that the success was achieved following a tip-off received about the
movement of the suspects inside a vehicle containing the arms and ammunition
from the Taraba state en-route to a terrorist camp in Zamfara.
Two
of the suspects were fatally injured, while others escaped and ran into the
bushes with possible gunshot wounds, he said.
"The
injured suspects were taken to Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital Gusau, and
later confirmed dead by the doctor."
Shehu
disclosed that a spot search by the operatives led to the recovery of the
weaponry.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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