UN expert warns of another Rohingya genocide if world continues to do nothing
New
Age Islam News Bureau
02
February 2023
In
this November 2017 photo, Rohingya Muslims who fled the state-sponsored
genocide in Myanmar are packed at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar,
Bangladesh. (AFP)
--------
•
Taliban Tell Pakistan Not to Blame Afghanistan for Mosque Bombing
•
LeT terrorist arrested as police cracks several blast cases in Jammu region,
says J&K DGP
•
Indonesia upholds ban on interfaith marriage
•
Muslim groups decry criminalisation of hijab use
•
Deadly blast in Pakistan mosque leaves trails of tragic memories
•
Washington Post disavows saying ‘US forces train PKK,’ but Türkiye has shown
how terror group just used another name
•
Arab counter-terrorism strategy draft discussed in Riyadh
•
Israel hits Gaza after rocket fire despite US appeal for calm
Europe
•
EU appoints new ‘anti-Muslim hatred’ chief following rising Islamophobia
•
European Muslim Forum condemns burning of Quran in Sweden, Netherlands
•
Allowing Quran burning in Sweden, Denmark threatens other religious groups:
Rights defender
•
Macron's remarks prove France still pursues colonial approach toward Africa:
Turkish scholar
--------
South
Asia
•
Islamic State Khorasan: Global Jihad in a Multipolar World
•
Uzbekistan Suspends Railway Transportation to Afghanistan over Breach of
Contract
•
Ashraf Ghani Received $110 From Qatar Not to Resist Taliban
•
Iran Considers Establishing a Trade Center in Afghanistan
--------
India
•
Muslim Women Can Only Approach Family Court For Divorce, Not Shariat Council:
Madras HC
•
Members of Dalit & Muslim communities stage protest
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
18-year-old Islamic State supporter detained for planning terror attacks on
Singapore
•
Canada moves to take in 10,000 Uyghur refugees
•
Loan growth up 5.7%, exceeding projection, says MIDF Research
•
Former Malaysian PM Muhyiddin to lead Perikatan Nasional’s shadow Cabinet
--------
Africa
•
Islamic group demands justice for woman allegedly raped inside Mosque
•
Spanish PM arrives in Morocco on visit to cement ties
•
Tunisian labor union says police arrested top union official over strike
•
Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti join forces for new offensive against
al-Shabaab terror group
--------
Pakistan
•
Where did Rs417bn in ‘anti-terror’ funds go, PM asks KP
•
Pakistan mosque attacker breached security wearing a police uniform
•
'Why did he open doors for terrorists': Maryam Nawaz blames ex-ISI chief for
Peshawar blast
•
Peshawar mosque blast: 17 suspects arrested
•
Wikipedia ordered to remove ‘blasphemous’ content in Pakistan
•
Pakistan Christians slam religious ministry’s seminar
•
Party chiefs should play role in population control: Babar
•
Operation underway to tackle TTP in Punjab-KP border area
•
Anchorperson Imran Riaz arrested for ‘hate speech’ against state institutions:
FIA
•
KP policemen take to streets in uniform against Peshawar suicide bombing
•
Pakistan gets 340 suggestions to improve human rights situation
--------
North
America
•
Pentagon says US military helped intercept Houthi-bound weapons from Iran
•
US denounces Sudan release of killer of US aid worker
•
New US military strategy on display during ‘largest ever’ joint exercise with
Israel
•
Canada's anti-Islamophobia representative 'extremely sorry' for offending
Quebecers
•
Canadian court convicts pair of assault of Muslim father
--------
Arab
World
•
Militants kill eight soldiers in northwest Syria: monitor
•
No end to executions in Saudi Arabia, report shows
•
Saudi Arabia’s FM arrives in Baghdad for talks on strategic ties
•
UAE envoy to UN Lana Nusseibeh named 2023 Counter-Terrorism Committee chair
•
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, France’s FM discuss regional, global developments
•
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister discusses strengthening relations with Iraq
•
Saudi foreign minister reviews relations with OIC chief, Cypriot and Kyrgyz
counterparts
•
Social Responsibility Forum kicks off in Riyadh
--------
Mideast
•
Türkiye concerned by 'increasing anti-Islamic rhetoric, actions in Europe',says
Erdogan
•
Palestinian Islamic Jihad delegation heads to Egypt amid tensions
•
Report: Foreign-Backed Kurdish Groups Involved in Failed Drone Attack on Iran's
Military Facility
•
Iran's Military Chief Calls for Broadening of Cooperation with N. Korea
•
President Rayeesi Blames US, Europe for Inciting Iran's Unrest
•
Iran Strongly Condemns Israel's Brutal Repression of Female Palestinian Inmates
•
Human Right Chief: Iran, Iraq to Launch Joint Task Force to Deal with Terror
Groups
•
Iranian FM Hails Mauritania for Efforts to Fight Terrorism in Africa's Sahara
Region
•
Spokesman: Iran's Judiciary to React Firmly to European Parliament's Improper
Move
•
Israeli PM Netanyahu in Paris to press French President Macron on Iran
•
Israeli armed drones use gravity bombs, can carry up to a tonne of munitions
•
Israel behind Isfahan drone attack, Iran’s ambassador to the UN says
•
Global figures urge support for protesters in Iran
•
Israeli forces kill two Palestinians during new violence
•
France seizes Iran assault rifles, missiles heading to Yemen
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
UN
expert warns of another Rohingya genocide if world continues to do nothing
February
02, 2023
In
this November 2017 photo, Rohingya Muslims who fled the state-sponsored
genocide in Myanmar are packed at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar,
Bangladesh. (AFP)
-----------
NEW
YORK CITY: The independent UN expert tasked with investigating the situation in
Myanmar has called on the international community to “do a lot more” to protect
the vulnerable Rohingya population in the country’s Rakhine State.
Tom
Andrews, whose official title is UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights in Myanmar, warned that “not to do so is to risk seeing another
2017.”
This
referred to the brutal persecution of the Rohingya that began with a military
crackdown on their community about six years ago, during which thousands were
killed and more than a million were ultimately forced to flee to other
countries.
Tom
Andrews warned that the same forces who committed “those genocidal attacks” are
now in control of the country and “their priority is not the human rights of
the Rohingya people.”
Rohingya
Muslims have suffered decades of violence, discrimination and persecution in
Myanmar but the largest exodus began on Aug. 25, 2017, after Myanmar’s military
launched brutal operations targeting them in northern Rakhine State.
Amnesty
International said the subsequent wave of violence resulted in grave crimes
under international law. The junta torched entire villages and forced more
700,000 people, half of them children, to flee to Bangladesh, where almost 1
million Rohingya now live in crowded refugee camps at Cox’s Bazar.
Andrews,
who had just returned from a fact-finding trip and presented to the UN in New
York his report on the situation in the South Asian country, told Arab News
that more than 600,000 Rohingya continue to live in Rakhine State, 130,000 of
them in makeshift internment camps.
“Even
those who are living in the villages, those villages are surrounded,” he said.
“The people are prisoners in their own home villages. They have virtually no
rights whatsoever. It’s very, very oppressive to be living under these
conditions.”
The
special rapporteur said the frustration and anger among the Rohingya community
at the lack of accountability for the atrocities that have been committed
against them “is pervasive.”
“Many
would argue that the lack of accountability for the genocide that occurred in
2016 and 2017 was not lost on the military leaders that committed (the February
2021) coup,” said Andrews.
“You
know: If you could get away with one, why not get away with another? If the
international community is not willing to bring justice to bear in one, perhaps
they’ll just forget about what happens as a result of the coup.
“So,
failure to bring accountability is not only tragic, and an injustice for the
people who suffer, but it’s an injustice and a tragedy for those who will
suffer at the hands of the very same forces who are receiving the message that
the international community simply doesn’t care.”
A
human rights organization and a group of people from Myanmar this month filed a
criminal complaint in Germany seeking punishment of Myanmar’s generals for the
genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity that they allege were
committed during the crackdown on the Rohingya minority in 2017 and after the
military coup in 2021.
Meanwhile,
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan has said that an
investigation being conducted by his office into the crimes against the
Rohingya will be a priority during his tenure.
Andrews
lamented the fact that such legal mechanisms are “slow and cumbersome, and they
are no comfort to the people who have lost loved ones in the most horrific of
ways.” He called on the international community to do the “very least” it can
and fully support them.
“We
need to create the kind of pressure on those who are responsible for these
tragedies, namely the SAC (the State Administration Council that currently
rules Myanmar), so that they understand that there’s a price to pay (and) that
what they’re doing now is not sustainable — and unless and until they receive
that message from the international community, impunity will continue to
reign,” he said.
In
his report to the Human Rights Council, published on the eve of the second
anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s
elected government, Andrews described the coup as “illegal” and the military’s
claim to be the country’s legitimate government as “illegitimate.”
He
called for nations that support human rights to recognize the National Unity
Government, the main underground group coordinating resistance to the military
rule, as the legitimate representatives of the people of Myanmar. It was formed
by elected politicians prevented from taking their seats when the military
seized power.
Andrews
said UN member states “have an important responsibility and role to play in
determining whether Myanmar’s military junta will succeed in achieving its goal
of being accepted as legitimate and gaining control of a nation in revolt.”
He
described the situation in Myanmar as “the forgotten war” and accused the
international community of failing to properly address the crisis and “the
junta’s systematic crimes against humanity and war crimes.”
Since
the military came to power, he said at least 2,900 people, and probably many
more, have died, 17,500 people are political prisoners and at least 38,000
homes, clinics and schools have been burned to the ground.
In
addition, a total of 1.1 million people have been displaced, more than 4
million children do not have access to formal education, and 17.6 million
people are expected to need humanitarian aid this year, up from 1 million
before the coup.
Andrews,
a former US congressman, said a new, coordinated global response to the crisis
is crucial.
He
added in his report that the military’s hold on the country “is weakening” and
his investigation found international sanctions have made it difficult for the
junta to move and access the funds it needs to maintain its operations.
But
“the problem is that the sanctions are not coordinated,” he added.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2243271/world
--------
Taliban
Tell Pakistan Not to Blame Afghanistan for Mosque Bombing
February
01, 2023
Ayaz
Gul
Women
light candles during a prayer ceremony for victims of a suicide bombing inside
a mosque, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Feb. 1, 2023.
----------
Afghanistan's
Taliban rulers Wednesday rejected allegations their territory was used in this
week's mosque bombing in Pakistan, urging the neighboring country to thoroughly
investigate such terror acts before blaming others.
Taliban
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told a gathering in the capital, Kabul, that
Pakistani officials should find a solution to their security challenges locally
and desist from "sowing the seeds of enmity" between the two Muslim
countries.
No
group has claimed responsibility for Monday's bombing of a crowded mosque in
the highly guarded provincial police headquarters in the Pakistani city of
Peshawar. The ensuing blast killed more than 100 people, mostly police
personnel, injured many more and demolished the upper story of the building.
Pakistani
authorities were quick to blame the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, also called
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), for what they said was a suicide bomb attack
and suggested the violence emanated from Afghanistan.
"We
advise them to conduct a thorough investigation into the Peshawar
bombing," Muttaqi said Wednesday. "Our region is used to wars and
bomb blasts. But we have not seen in the past 20 years a lone suicide bomber
blowing up roofs of mosques and killing hundreds of people."
Muttaqi
echoed suspicions and questions being raised by critics in Pakistan in the wake
of the large scale destruction caused by the blast.
The
TTP, designated a global terrorist group by the United States, has long been
conducting deadly terrorist attacks in Pakistan and its leadership allegedly
directs the violence from Afghan sanctuaries. But the Pakistani Taliban has
formally denied involvement in the Peshawar mosque bombing.
Moazzam
Jah Ansari, the provincial police chief, told reporters Tuesday that a suicide
bomber had entered the mosque as a guest, using up to 12 kilograms of explosive
material earlier brought to the site in bits and pieces.
Investigators
said Wednesday they had arrested several suspects in connection with the deadly
bombing. Provincial police officials said they had recovered the remains of the
attacker but shared no other details. They did not rule out the possibility
that the bomber had internal assistance evading security checks.
Pakistan's
military was frequently accused of sheltering Afghan Taliban leaders and
fighters while they were waging insurgent attacks, including suicide bombings,
against U.S.-led international forces in Afghanistan for almost two decades.
The
Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021 as the U.S. and allied
nations withdrew troops from the country.
Since
then, Islamabad has deepened economic and trade cooperation with the
cash-strapped Islamist Taliban leadership in Kabul to help it deal with
financial troubles stemming from sanctions and international isolation of the
Afghan banking sector.
However,
a spate of recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, mostly claimed by the TTP, has
strained relations between the two countries.
Islamabad
and the global community at large have not yet recognized the Taliban as
legitimate rulers, mainly over human rights issues and their restrictions on
women's access to public life and education.
U.S.
officials are also skeptical of the Taliban's pledges against terrorism and
continue to press them to prevent the use of Afghan soil for cross-border
attacks. Taliban authorities reject the skepticism and so did Muttaqi while
responding to the Pakistani allegations Wednesday.
"Don't
point fingers at Afghanistan. If Afghanistan were a center of terrorism then it
would also have hit China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran.
Today, all these countries are safe and so is Afghanistan," asserted the
Taliban foreign minister.
Source: VOANews
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
LeT
terrorist arrested as police cracks several blast cases in Jammu region, says
J&K DGP
Feb
2, 2023
J&K
DGP Dilbag Singh (ANI photo)
----------
JAMMU:
A government school teacher-turned Lashkar-e-Taiba-terrorist was arrested for
allegedly carrying out multiple blasts, including one in a bus carrying Vaishno
Devi pilgrims, director general of Jammu and Kashmir police Dilbag Singh said
on Thursday.
The
arrest of Arif, a resident of Reasi district, follows investigations in the
recent twin blast case at Narwal in Jammu. An Improvised Explosive Device (IED)
planted inside a perfume bottle was recovered from his possession, Singh told
reporters here.
The
Jammu and Kashmir police chief said this was the first time that such type of a
bomb was recovered in the Union Territory.
Arif
was allegedly working at the behest of his Pakistani handlers and admitted to
his involvement in bombing the bus carrying Vaishno Devi pilgrims that killed
four people and injured 24 last May, Singh said.
He
also accepted his role in an IED explosion in Jammu's Shastri Nagar area in
February 2022 besides the twin explosions at Narwal on January 21 that left
nine people injured.
"All
the (ready-to-use) IEDs have come from across the border," Singh said,
adding further investigation is under way.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Indonesia
upholds ban on interfaith marriage
February
01, 2023
Ahmad
Nurcholish, program director and interfaith marriage counselor at Indonesian
Conference on Religion and Peace in Indonesia, is seen with an interfaith
couple in this file image. (Photo supplied)
----------
Indonesia's
Constitutional Court has upheld a nearly five-decade-old law that bans
interfaith marriages, rejecting a Catholic man's petition seeking to marry his
Muslim partner.
In
a verdict on Jan. 31, seven out of nine judges dismissed the lawsuit from Ramos
Patege and defended the 1974 Marriage Act.
Patege's
counsel argued that the law violates the constitutional rights of the couple,
and infringes on their freedom to embrace a religion and belief of their
choice.
Wahiduddin
Adams, one of the judges, stated that a provision of the laws states that
"a marriage is said to be valid if it is carried out according to the laws
of each religion and belief" and so it does not impede anyone's freedom of
religion and belief.
"The
regulatory provisions are about legal marriage according to religion and
belief, not about the right to choose a religion and belief," he said.
He
also claimed that the choice to embrace a religion and belief remains the right
of each person to choose, adhere to, and believe in it.
He
also said there has been no change in circumstances and conditions or new
developments related to issues of constitutionality that warrant a change in
the law.
"The
court remains in its stance on the constitutionality of a valid marriage, which
is done according to religion and belief," he said.
Meanwhile,
two other judges, Suhartoyo and Daniel YusmicFoekh, a Catholic, gave concurring
opinions, stating that the law needed to be changed in order to answer the real
realities at this time, but left that task to the parliament and the
government.
Holy
Cross Father Postinus Gulo, a graduate of the Canon Law at the Pontifical
Gregoriana University and a member of the Marriage Tribunal at the Bandung
Diocese in West Java province, said he was saddened by the court’s decision.
"In
the Catholic Church, interfaith marriage is an obstacle, but a legal marriage
can be done if there is a dispensation from the bishop and vicar general,"
he told UCA News.
He
said that the law had made it impossible for couples to register interfaith
marriages in the state.
"We
must realize that this is a challenge for us, as well as an opportunity to
continue to be faithful and proud of our Catholic faith," he said.
Ahmad
Nurcholish, program director and interfaith marriage counselor at Indonesian
Conference on Religion and Peace (ICRP) said that this decision shows that the
government is actually going backward, while religious communities are becoming
more open.
He
said religions allow their own people to marry from another religion, sometimes
conducting marriage ceremonies of both religions.
"For
example, in Islam and Catholicism, an Islamic marriage ceremony and a blessing
in the Church can be held. That way it is legal according to Islam and legal
according to the rules of the Catholic church," he said.
The
state, he said, does not need to get involved in debates on the pros and cons,
but give citizens the freedom to make their own choices.
He
said the law has made interfaith couples choose ways to get past it, including
by marrying abroad, such as in Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong, the
Netherlands, the US, and Germany.
“For
those who do not have enough money, the law is, of course, a problem,” he said.
Nurcholish
said his organization, which partners with Harmoni Mitra Madania, has helped
officiate the marriage of 1,576 couples of different religions since 2005.
The
group offers counseling and advocacy for about 30 interfaith couples every
month.
"This
reality is ignored by the Constitutional Court and the government," he
said.
Source:
UCANews
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/indonesia-upholds-ban-on-interfaith-marriage/100236
--------
Muslim
groups decry criminalisation of hijab use
By
ShakirahAdunola
02
February 2023
School
girls in hijab
----------
Muslim
organisations in Nigeria have stated that hijab use should not be criminalised
but instead be seen as a right of faithful. They made the statement yesterday
to mark World Hijab Day.
The
groups also expressed satisfaction over the ruling of the Supreme Court on the
hijab controversy and called on states that are yet to comply to do.
The
bodies that championed the cause include Federation of Muslim Women Association
of Nigeria (FOMWAN Lagos), Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative, Muslim Students’
Society of Nigeria Lagos State Area Unit, The Criterion, Nasrul-lahi-li Fathi
Society of Nigeria (NASFAT), Al Muminaat: The Believing Women Organisation,
Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC), Guild of Muslim Professionals (GMP),
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) and Pristine Cactus Foundation.
Others
are International Muslim Women Union (IMWU), Pure Heart Islamic Foundation (PHF
Lagos), Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria, Islamic Medical association of
Nigeria (IMAN), Akhawat, IzarulHaq Movement of Nigeria, Lagos Secretariat
Community Central Mosque (LSCCM) and An-Nujabau Female Forum.
The
convener/Executive Director, Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative,
MutiatOrolu-Balogun, said the global movement is a united voice against the
criminalisation, discrimination and oppression of Muslim women due to practice
and observance of their religious codes.
“WHD
was born 11 years and the movement is now being observed in 190 countries
around the world, “ she said.”
She
noted that the theme of this year’s celebration, ‘Progression not Oppression’,
was to remind people that Hijab was legislated and sanctioned for Muslim women
over 1,400 years ago.
Ameerah
FOMWAN Lagos State, AlhajaSherifatAjagbe, called on government to protect woman
from the incessant gender-based violence in the country.
Source:Guardian
Nigeria
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://guardian.ng/news/muslim-groups-decry-criminalisation-of-hijab-use/
--------
Deadly
blast in Pakistan mosque leaves trails of tragic memories
Islamuddin
Sajid
02.02.2023
PESHAWAR,
Pakistan
The
deadly bombing in a mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar that
killed 101 people and injured 157 others on Monday has added to tragic memories
of a city with a long history of facing terrorism.
The
tragic terrorist act was the deadly incident after the 2014 army school attack
in the city that claimed the lives of over 140 people, mostly schoolchildren.
Most
of the victims were police officers as the suspected suicide bomber blew
himself up during midday prayer in the mosque inside the Police Headquarters in
Peshawar.
“I
have never seen such tragic moments in my service,” Bilal Faizi, spokesman for
Rescue 1122, told Anadolu.
Rescue
1122 teams reached the spot within a few minutes after the bombing to shift
bodies and the injured to the hospital.
“Apparently,
the reason behind massive casualties was the collapse of the mosque building
due to the explosion that trapped many people under the rubble,” he said.
According
to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) officials, 49 injured are still under
treatment and 107 have been discharged.
“We
were praying when suddenly flames flared up and there was a loud explosion and
then I don't know what happened as I fell unconscious,” Inamullah, a police
constable under treatment in LRH, said.
“I
cannot forget that terrible scene,” he told Anadolu, looking back at the
tragedy.
January
2023 turned out to be the deadliest month since July 2018 as 134 people were
killed and 254 injured in 44 attacks across the country, according to the
latest report released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security
Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think-tank.
Security
forces also killed 44 militants and 52 others were arrested across the country,
according to the report.
In
2018, at least 186 people were killed in a suicide bombing in the Mastung area
of Balochistan during a political rally.
2
friends who lived, and died together
Abni
Ameen and Iftikhar Ahmed from Charsadda, a district near Peshawar, were close
friends who joined the police department in 2011 and 2015 respectively, and
lost their lives in the blast.
“Iftikhar
was my cousin and he left two daughters aged three and one while Abni Ameen had
a year old son,” Ahmed’s cousin Jamil Dawood said.
“Both
of them were very close friends since school times and Iftikhar joined the
police because of his friend,” he added.
Most
of the people joining police lower ranks belong to middle or poor-class
families in the country of 220 million people where, according to the UNDP
“Multidimensional Poverty Index 2022,” the intensity of deprivation, which is
the average deprivation score among people living in multidimensional poverty,
is 51.7%.
“Iftikhar
hailed from a very poor family and I don’t know how his family will survive
now,” Dawood said.
‘Save
my life, please’
Around
160 injured were brought to the LRH, the nearest hospital, located a mile away
from Police Headquarters where doctors treated and discharged around 107 people
while 49 are still in the hospital.
“I
treated 20 injured and some of them were in critical condition. But, I cannot
forget two of them I couldn’t save. They lost breath in my hands,” Dr. Tahir
Khan told Anadolu.
“One
of the police officers, Irfanullah, had head injuries and I did my best to save
his life but couldn’t succeed. I cannot forget his last words when he was
shouting and saying ‘doctor, please save my life,’” Khan recalled the moments
when he was fighting for the life of blast victims.
“I
kept doing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for 30 minutes despite my team
saying that he has died and I cried for the man.”
“I
saw some photos of his daughters in his pocket. I will never forget that
moment,” he said.
Narrating
another story of an aged man who also had brain injuries, Khan said the old man
was shouting and demanding that his son be brought to the hospital.
“I
told him, I am your son and trying to do everything for you. But still, he was
crying and saying, bring my son,” the doctor narrated.
Protest
rallies
Devastated
by the loss of their colleagues, policemen on Wednesday held protest rallies in
several cities of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province demanding a fair
investigation into the Peshawar bomb blast. It was a rare event that policemen,
along with a large number of people, took to the streets demanding better
actions against terrorism.
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari said on Thursday that the police
were “closing in” on the terror network behind the attack, revealing that the
bomber “was clad in a police uniform.”
Earlier
on Tuesday, he told a press conference that the initial investigations show
that 10-12 kilograms of explosive material were used in the bombing.
“We
are investigating how the explosive was brought inside the police line,” he
said.
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of several militant groups, has denied
involvement in the attack on its propaganda website.
Commenting
on the responsibility claims and denials by different militant groups, Ansari
said "the police don't believe in such exaggerated claims until proved by
investigations."
He
contended that Jamat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the TTP, could be involved
in the bombing, which ranked the deadliest in recent years.
“The
ISKP (Islamic State Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) has also claimed responsibility for the
attack, which we are investigating,” he maintained.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Washington
Post disavows saying ‘US forces train PKK,’ but Türkiye has shown how terror
group just used another name
KasımIleri
01.02.2023
WASHINGTON
The
Washington Post has issued a "correction" on a photo it published on
Jan. 28 with a caption saying in part: “US forces provide military training to
(the) PKK,” yet in fact the caption was correct, and acknowledged a fact the US
has refused to admit.
With
the photo taken in Syria’s Hasakah region, a US newspaper for the first time
acknowledged that the organization that the US army calls the SDF is in fact
the same organization as the PKK – a group recognized as a terrorist group by
the US, EU, and Türkiye.
The
Washington Post later said: “A photo with a Jan. 28 Federal Insider column
about women in Special Operations forces, which was provided by Getty Images,
contained inaccurate caption information that cited U.S. military forces
training members of the PKK, a militant group. The U.S. forces were not
training members of the PKK, which operates in Turkey and Iraq and has been
labeled a terrorist organization by the United States.”
But
in fact for years Türkiye has strenuously objected to US support for the
YPG/PKK terrorist group, documenting with extensive evidence how the PKK and
YPG are in actuality the same terrorist group that has attacked Türkiye for
decades, taking tens of thousands of lives.
Anadolu
recorded how US forces were training the PKK
The
photo used in the Washington Post story was published by Anadolu on Sept. 7,
2022, and was supplied to the international media via Anadolu’s agreement with
Getty Images.
The
photo taken by a Anadolu photojournalist in the Hasakah countryside in northern
Syria shows PKK/YPG terror group members being trained by US troops, with
American Bradley armored vehicles in silhouette in the background.
Leading
the coalition against the terrorist group Daesh/ISIS, the US supported PKK/YPG
terrorists in Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor, east of the Euphrates, with armed
training and exercises.
Since
2015, the United States and its coalition forces have provided armed training
and truckloads of weapons and ammunition to thousands of PKK/YPG terrorists,
who sometimes also use the labels PYD and SDF.
The
US administration and media, ignoring extensive evidence Türkiye has supplied
since the beginning of the Syrian civil war as well as press and intelligence
reports, do not accept that the YPG/PYD/SDF is an extension of the terrorist
group PKK.
Facing
a Turkish backlash over support for the terrorist group, the US suggested that
the terrorist group PKK/YPG use the name SDF as a way to “rebrand” and disguise
its true terrorist identity, as recounted by US Army Gen. Raymond Thomas in a
2017 Anadolu article (“US urged PKK/PYD to change name for legitimacy”).
The
PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union, and
the US, and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women,
children, and infants. The YPG is the terrorist PKK’s Syrian branch.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Arab
counter-terrorism strategy draft discussed in Riyadh
February
01, 2023
RIYADH:
Representatives from 14 Arab countries submitted a draft executive plan for the
Arab counter-terrorism strategy, which was developed by the Council of Arab
Interior Ministers.
It
came during the seventh two-day meeting of the Arab high committee, hosted by
Naif Arab University for Security Sciences at its headquarters in Riyadh.
The
meeting, organized by the Arab Office of Counter-Extremism and Terrorism in
Riyadh and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, was chaired by Omani
representative Lt. Col. Mohammed bin Salem Al-Shanfari, and attended by
delegations from Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iraq,
Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania and Yemen, along with a GCC
representative.
The
meeting reviewed the components of the executive plan, its means of
implementation as well as accompanying programs with international partners.
Representatives discussed mechanisms for measuring, monitoring and evaluating
the plan.
Foreign
relations vice president at NAUSS, Khalid Alharfash, said that terrorism tops
issues that the university is keen to address, given the impacts of terror on
international security and stability.
Alharfash
added that the university, in partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and
Crime, recently inaugurated a specialized center that aims to combat crimes
including terrorism.
He
expressed hope that the recommendations and resolutions adopted by
representatives would achieve the goals and objectives of regional interior
ministers, and boost Arab action in the field of counter-terrorism.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2243026/saudi-arabia
--------
Israel
hits Gaza after rocket fire despite US appeal for calm
02
February ,2023
The
Israeli military said it struck in Gaza overnight on Thursday, hours after it
intercepted a rocket launched from Gaza and following appeals from the United
States for all sides to calm escalating violence in Israel and the occupied
West Bank.
There
were no immediate reports of serious casualties.
The
military said its air strikes targeted rocket and weapon production sites used
by Hamas, the Islamist group than runs the blockaded strip, in response to
Wednesday’s rocket launch.
Powerful
explosions shook buildings and lit up the night sky over Gaza as warning sirens
sounded again in Israeli areas around the strip warning of more incoming rocket
fire before dawn on Thursday.
There
was no claim of responsibility for Wednesday’s rocket from Hamas or the smaller
Iran-backed Islamic Jihad movement, which fired rockets at Israel last week.
The
armed wing of the leftist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said
it had launched rocket salvos at Israel early on Thursday in response to the
air strikes and the “systematic aggression” against Palestinian prisoners in
Israeli jails.
The
exchange of fire underlined the tensions between Israel and the Palestinians
after a Palestinian gunman shot dead seven people near a synagogue in East
Jerusalem and an Israeli raid in a West Bank refugee camp killed 10
Palestinians.
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged calm upon wrapping up a visit to the
region on Tuesday, in which he reaffirmed Washington’s support for a two-state
solution to the decades-long conflict.
Top
US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, and US special representative
for Palestinian affairs, Hady Amr, remained behind to continue de-escalation
talks between the sides.
In
a tweet sent after Wednesday’s rocket launch, Israel’s far-right National
Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees prisons, said he would push
ahead with plans to toughen conditions for Palestinian prisoners.
“The
rocket fire from Gaza will not stop me from continuing efforts to cancel summer
camp conditions for murderous terrorists,” he said, adding that he had asked
the security cabinet to convene.
Israel
has been carrying out near-daily raids in the West Bank since a spate of deadly
attacks by Palestinians in Israel last year, leading to a bloody January for
Palestinians in which 35 were people, militants and civilians, were killed.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Europe
EU
appoints new ‘anti-Muslim hatred’ chief following rising Islamophobia
AsmahanQarjouli
February
2, 2023
The
European Commission has appointed Marion Lalisse as its new coordinator on
combating anti-Muslim hatred on Wednesday amid an alarming rise of attacks on
Islam in the region.
“I
welcome MsLalisse, as the new Coordinator on combating Anti-Muslim hatred,
whose work will ensure responses to hatred, as well as structural and
individual discrimination against Muslims,” Helena Dalli, the European
Commissioner for Equality, said.
According
to the European governing body, Lalisse will join member states along with
civil society and academics in a bid to “strengthen policy responses” in
anti-Muslim hatred.
“We
must fight anti-Muslim hatred in all areas of life including education,
employment and social policy. We must also gather data about, monitor and
tackle all instances of anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination,” Dalli added.
Lalisse
had extensive experience in the EU, having previously served as the bloc’s
deputy ambassador to Yemen. She also previously worked with numerous civil
society organisations inside the EU and in the Muslim world.
The
latest developments comes amid a series of Islamophobic incidents across Europe
that has seen far-right leaders desecrate the Quran.
Far-right
dual Danish-Swedish leader Rasmus Paludan first lit a copy of the holy book on
fire in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on 20 January.
Protected
by Swedish police, Rasmus’s alleged “protest” came at a sensitive time for both
nations as Sweden sought Turkey’s support to join NATO. Turkey’s NATO
membership grants it power to block applications for other states seeking to
join the military alliance.
Just
days later, Dutch far-right leader, Edwin Wagensveld tore and stomped on pages
of the Quran near parliament in The Hague in The Netherlands.
Then
on Friday, Rasmus, also protected by Danish authorities, burned a copy of the
Quran in front of a mosque as well as the Turkish embassy in Copenhagen shortly
after packed-out weekly prayers.
The
provocative incidents have been met with fury across the Muslim world.
Condemning
Danish authorities last week, Qatar’s foreign ministry said the attacks reveal
“abhorrent double standards” and warned of the dangers that such campaigns
hold.
On
Wednesday, Qatar renewed its condemnation of the burning and tearing of the
Quran in Sweden, Stockholm, and Copenhagen.
Source: DohaNews
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://dohanews.co/eu-appoints-new-anti-muslim-hatred-chief-following-rising-islamophobia/
--------
European
Muslim Forum condemns burning of Quran in Sweden, Netherlands
BurcEruygur
01.02.2023
The
European Muslim Forum (EMF) on Wednesday condemned the recent incidents of
burning copies of the Quran in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, acts which
have drawn widespread outcry from Türkiye and others in the Muslim world.
Addressing
a press conference in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, Abdul-Wakhed Niyazov,
head of the organization formed in 2018 and registered in France according to
its website, said some elements in Europe intend to create a "second
battlefield" in the continent.
“European
Muslims are voicing their presence, and their role in Europe is growing. These
provocations are trying to diminish their role in Europe,” Niyazov said.
He
said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been the most vocal in
condemning the desecration of the holy book, adding: "We hope other
countries would also react. Most did condemn these acts but they were not
effective."
“If
the Muslim world reacted and supported Türkiye, then this issue would have been
resolved quickly,” he added.
Niyazov
said the European system stands behind such acts, but not behind the people who
undertake such actions, adding that the Swedish, Danish, and Dutch governments
are responsible.
“In
many European countries, anti-Semitism is regarded as a crime but Islamophobia
comes under 'freedom of speech'. This is double standard,” he said, noting that
this “must change.”
“We
are against the burning of any religious book. I can’t imagine a Muslim
conducting such an act. We, as Muslims, are always going to be against such
acts of desecration,” he added.
Rasmus
Paludan, an extremist Swedish-Danish politician, burned a copy of the Quran
outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Jan. 21, with both police
protection and permission from the Swedish authorities.
The
following week, Paludan burned a copy of the Quran in front of a mosque in
Denmark on Jan. 27, and announced he would burn a copy of the holy Muslim book
every Friday until Sweden is included in the NATO alliance.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Allowing
Quran burning in Sweden, Denmark threatens other religious groups: Rights
defender
Halil
Ibrahim Medet
01.02.2023
Granting
permission for far-right Danish politician Rasmus Paludan to burn Islam’s holy
book Quran in Sweden and Denmark on the grounds of "a democratic
right" and "freedom of expression" stokes distrust in the
society and worries other religious groups, according to a Swedish rights
activist.
Helene
Sejlert, a political scientist and human rights defender, told Anadolu that
Paludan's anti-Islamic acts are causing more problems and putting more people
in danger.
"His
actions are spoon-feeding racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism. If the law
can't stop that, there's clearly something wrong with the law!" Sejlert
said.
His
actions are harming so many, she said. "Large (different) groups are now
scared of just saying that they are Muslims or Jews."
"To
escalate the hate against these groups is of course also the aim for a bigot
like Paludan," she added.
Paludan,
who holds both Danish and Swedish citizenship, last week burned copies of the
Quran on two separate occasions, first outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden
and later in front of a mosque in Denmark.
Burning
Quran 'bone-chilling echo of Nazi' mentality
"The
burning of the holy Quran, is a bone-chilling echo of Nazi book-burnings, where
'the other' was demonized and the 'un-pure' people or material should be
exterminated," Sejlert said. "This is a rhetoric Paludan (and other
extremists) has used when addressing what he views as 'The Muslim
problem'."
She
also said there is "way to little knowledge on how to address and combat
racism and Islamophobia" in Swedish society.
The
opinions expressed by a few radicals, like in the case of Paludan, is not
"just a cheap, isolated event, spread for the wind by a crazy lone
wolf," Sejlert said. "It is rather a reflection of the society we
live in and an extension of the hate that is growing in every corner of our
streets. Many times this hatred is directed at Muslims."
She
continued: "These few radicals get a free ride by media who gives them a
platform to ventilate their racism and Islamophobia, and then social media
drives the topic to a boiling point.
"As
the emotions run wilder, normal limits of decency trespass, the words used get
more and more emotional and hateful towards 'the other' and starts to appeal to
an even broader group."
Police
could have prevented attack, says Sejlert
While
there is already "a lot of hate-mongering and disinformation" across
the society, Paludan did not only burn copies of Quran, but "set fire to
an inflamed situation," Sejlert said.
"Sweden
should have acted wiser and more fair," she asserted. "Sweden should
have set an example to not hurt a large chunk of its population even
more."
Sejlert
said "the law is clear and the police could have called the provocation
off by invoking security concerns since the hateful act very well could result
in violence."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Macron's
remarks prove France still pursues colonial approach toward Africa: Turkish
scholar
Enes
Taha Ersen
01.02.2023
French
President Emmanuel Macron’s recent remarks proved his country still pursues a
colonial approach toward Africa, according to a Turkish scholar.
"I
do not have to ask for forgiveness, that is not the matter, the word would
break all ties," Macron said Jan. 11 in an interview with the French
weekly, Le Point.
MuserrefYardim
told Anadolu that France colonized Algeria for 132 years and “colonialism”
refers to a bloody and traumatic period of Algerian history that remained in
the minds of the nation.
She
noted that Algerians frequently demand an apology and remorse from France for
massacres in Algeria committed during the colonial era.
"The
issue of France's official apology for what it did in Algeria has been at the
center of the relations between the two countries for many years," said
the scholar from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Necmettin
Erbakan University.
She
said Macron described French colonialism in Algeria as a “crime against
humanity” while preparing for the 2017 presidential election.
"In
2018, Macron also said that his country used systematic torture during the
Algerian liberation war," she said, adding that France has taken steps to
confront its colonial past in recent years but the moves were symbolic.
"Macron
commissioned historian Benjamin Stora in 2020 to investigate France's colonial
legacy in Algeria," she said. "A series of symbolic steps were taken,
excluding 'apology' or 'regret', to improve ties between the two countries. In
his report, Stora said that there is no problem to issue an apology for the
massacres committed in Algeria. Macron, on the other hand, said that he would
not apologize for his country’s colonial rule."
French
colonialism in the Algerian national anthem
Citing
Macron's latest remarks, Yardim said France's official approach to Algeria for
its colonial past has not changed.
She
noted the French president's remarks to Le Monde: 'If it weren't for France,
you wouldn't exist now, you owe your existence to France."
Macron
tried to honor his country’s colonial past in the remarks, according to Yardim.
She
said an apology would be the first step in restoring relations with other
African countries, especially Algeria.
"Some
groups, who demand an apology from France over its massacres committed in
Algeria, are demanding that Algeria-France relations should be
reconsidered," she said. "The traces of the French colonial past are
even reflected in the Algerian national anthem. The anger and reckoning against
France are seen in the anthem. The demand of both Algeria and other African
colonies is that France should confront its colonial past and do what was
necessary by accepting the crimes against humanity it has committed."
"However,
the officials don’t have the intention of taking positive steps."
-
'Policies are for the benefit of colonized nations'
France
still claims sovereignty in Africa, even though the colonial period is over,
According to Yardim,
She
noted the speech given by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007 in
the Senegalese capital of Dakar.
"Even
if there are mistakes and crimes in history, no one should expect today's
generations to pay for the crimes committed by past generations," said
Sarkozy.
Yardim
noted that the colonialist mentality still exists in Europe.
She
said France passed the law on colonialism on Feb. 25, 2005, to impose teachers
to teach the positive effects of the French presence in North Africa to
students. But the bill was withdrawn due to the public reaction.
"Although
the law was strongly condemned by Algeria and other colonial countries, France
still believes that colonial policies continue to say that policies are for the
benefit of the colonized nations," she said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
Islamic
State Khorasan: Global Jihad in a Multipolar World
By
Lucas Webber
February
01, 2023
The
Islamic State (IS) garnered global media attention in 2014, when its forces
scored a series of sweeping battlefield victories and territorial gains across
swathes of Iraq and Syria. The establishment of the Caliphate and the
appointment of Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reverberated throughout the region
and galvanized Islamic radicals around the world. At the Islamic State’s
height, it forged its place in jihadist history by attracting an unprecedented
variety of foreign fighters, inciting or directing a high level of attacks
throughout the world, and developing an unmatched propaganda apparatus.
Further, IS inspired a plethora of existing and new jihadi groups from all over
to pledge allegiance, spreading its tentacles with the establishment official
branches throughout Asia and Africa.
With
the physical rollback of Caliphate territory in the Middle East, IS and its
branches became primarily focused on fighting local governments, militias, and
other aligned forces, markedly scaling down extra-regional attacks and
operations against foreign interests. However, the Islamic State Khorasan
Province (ISKP) branch, based in Afghanistan, has emerged as an exception to
this.
ISKP
has internationalized its media strategy while ramping up attacks on
neighboring countries and international targets, such as diplomatic missions
and foreign nationals. ISKP’s Al-Azaim Foundation for Media Production has
dramatically expanded and is now ambitiously producing propaganda in far more
languages than any other IS branch – particularly since the Taliban’s August
2021 takeover of Afghanistan.
This
has prompted the outfit to internationalize its scope, and, most recently, ISKP
has taken to publishing in-depth geopolitical analysis and identifying
opportunities in the new multipolar world. To better understand how and why
ISKP has ascended to become a leader among the IS movement in promoting global
jihad, it is necessary to examine the group’s origins, history, ideological
influences, and strategy.
ISKP’s
Transnational Roots and Vision
Islamic
State Khorasan Province has been transnational since its nascent phase in
2014-15 as it expanded operations in parts of Pakistan and throughout
Afghanistan. From its earliest stage, ISKP had a complex range of adversaries –
some were even fighting each other – such as the U.S.-led international
coalition, the Pakistani state, the Afghan Republic government, and Taliban
forces.
Source:
TheDiplomat
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://thediplomat.com/2023/01/islamic-state-khorasan-global-jihad-in-a-multipolar-world/
--------
Uzbekistan
Suspends Railway Transportation to Afghanistan over Breach of Contract
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
February
2, 2023
Uzbekistan
Railway Authorities have announced the suspension of freight transport through
the Hairatan-Mazar-i-Sharif railway route to Afghanistan effective from
February 1.
Uzbek
authorities stated that the Taliban have failed to fulfill the technical
obligations agreed upon by both sides while signing the contract with the
Taliban authorities in December last year, therefore, the transportation
services have been suspended.
According
to the Uzbek officials, representatives of Kabul and Tashkent had met to
discuss the railway issues last year in Termez city, and it was agreed by both
sides the Afghanistan Railway Authority would be responsible for the technical
issues and maintenance of the rail route in Afghanistan territory. However, it
seems that the Taliban have not been able to act in accordance with the
agreement signed by the two sides.
“Also,
during the meeting, Sogdiana Trans and the Afghanistan Railway Authority
mutually agreed on the list of works to be performed and their prices, and also
agreed to sign a new contract by January 27 of this year, and the relevant
Protocol was signed,” Uzbek Railway Authorities in a statement said.
The
statement added that in order to support entrepreneurs and ensure the
continuity of freight transportation to Afghanistan so as to prevent the
stoppage of transportation of essential goods to the country, Sogdiana Trans
will provide practical assistance “in carrying out cargo transportation to
Afghanistan through logistics centers in Termez, through automobile transport
and through the Termez river port”.
On
December 6, 2022, just two weeks before negotiations with Uzbekistan Railway,
Taliban officials signed a contract with a Kazakhstani company, Mansour Fatih,
to manage the Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif railway line.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ashraf
Ghani Received $110 From Qatar Not to Resist Taliban
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
February
2, 2023
Italian
TG1 News Network has revealed an investigative report showing that Qatar had
paid Ashraf Ghani more than $110 million to avoid resisting the Taliban
fighters.
This
network has published the document of receipt of this money by Ajmal Ahmadi,
the special representative of Ashraf Ghani and the former head of the Central
Bank of Afghanistan, from the representative of Qatar.
The
Italian state-run network has published a document that indicates the receipt
of $110,478,000 from Dr. Mutlaq AL-Qahtani, the representative of Qatar signed
by Ajmal Ahmadi, the special representative of Ashraf Ghani on July 7, 2021.
The
archive of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates that Mr. Qahtani was
in Kabul, and had met with Ashraf Ghani at the Presidential Palace (Arg) on
July 7, 2021.
It
is further highlighted in the letter for what reason the money was granted to
Ashraf Ghani. However, five weeks after the payment of the sum at the Embassy
of Qatar in Kabul, Ashraf Ghani fled, and the Taliban entered Kabul.
Filippo
Rossi, a renowned Italian journalist who conducted this investigative research
states that this report has been provided based on reviewing documents and
talking to reliable sources.
He
says, Ashraf Ghani in a speech in the country’s Parliament on August 2, called
on the people of Afghanistan to fight against the Taliban, while districts and
provincial capitals were falling to the Taliban one after another with the
least resistance.
According
to Mr. Rossi, the Afghan security forces were commanded from Kabul not to
resist and retreat, instead. Prior to this, other reports existed that certain
high-ranking security officials across the country claimed that they were
dictated by Kabul not to fight.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/ashraf-ghani-received-110-from-qatar-not-to-resist-taliban/
--------
Iran
Considers Establishing a Trade Center in Afghanistan
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
February
1, 2023
Mohammad
Mousavi, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Trade on Tuesday in a meeting said that
Tehran is planning to set up a trade center in Afghanistan in the coming
future.
The
establishment of the trade center is aimed at strengthening trade relations
between Tehran and Kabul, Mousavi stated to Mehr New Agency.
While
addressing to meeting Mousavi said that Tehran wanted to invest in Afghanistan
and actively participate in the country’s sustainable growth.
Iran
serves as one of the key trading partners in Afghanistan for decades. The two
neighboring Islamic countries share a lot in common, from culture to food,
lifestyle, and more.
Meanwhile,
Afghan officials have said that the volume of imports from Iran, such as food
and fuel, has totaled more than $1 billion so far this year. Whereas,
Afghanistan’s export volume to Iran was much lower and totaled only $20.
Iran
is one of the few countries which maintained close ties with Afghanistan’s
Taliban regime. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Iran has
continued trading with Afghanistan, kept issuing visas to Afghans, and
continued delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan during these
difficult times.
With
the U.S., Iran’s arch-rival and enemy gone, the situation is perfectly suitable
for Iran to strengthen its economic and political relations with the Taliban,
exploit the country’s resources, and turn Afghanistan into a lucrative market
for its products and commercial goods.
Prior
to this, Iranian business officials had visited Afghanistan and met with the
Taliban authorities aimed at discussing potential investment in the war-torn
country. Despite all the odds, Afghanistan can still become a potential
business hub for Iran.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/iran-considers-establishing-a-trade-center-in-afghanistan/
--------
India
Muslim
Women Can Only Approach Family Court For Divorce, Not Shariat Council: Madras
HC
02
FEB 2023
It
is open for a Muslim woman to exercise her inalienable right to dissolve
marriage by 'Khula' (divorce proceeding initiated by wife) by approaching a
family court and not private bodies such as a Shariat Council, the Madras High
Court has ruled.
What
did Madras High Court say?
Private
bodies cannot pronounce or certify dissolution of marriage by Khula.
"They
are not courts or arbitrators of disputes. The courts have also frowned upon
such practice...," the court held.
Such
Khula certificates issued by private entities are hence invalid. "Khula is
the form of divorce conferred upon wife similar to talaq conferred upon the
husband."
In
his judgement on a writ petition by a man who prayed for quashing the Khula
certificate issued to his wife, Justice C Saravanan quashed the impugned
certificate issued in 2017 by Shariat Council, Tamil Nadu TowheedJamath.
What
was the case that the Madras HC was hearing?
The
Madras High Court granted an interim stay in Bader Sayeed Vs Union of India,
2017 and restrained bodies such as the respondents in that matter (Kazis) from
issuing certificates certifying dissolution of marriage by Khula, the judgment
said.
"Thus,
while it is open for a Muslim woman to exercise her inalienable rights to
dissolve the marriage by Khula recognized under the Muslim Personal Law
(Shariat) Application Act, 1937 by approaching a family court, it cannot be
before a self declared body consisting of few members of Jamath."
The
impugned Khula certificate issued by the Shariat Council is quashed. The High
Court directed the petitioner and his wife to approach the Tamil Nadu Legal
Services Authority or a family court to resolve their disputes.
In
this matter, the petitioner relied upon a Supreme Court decision in Vishwa
Madan Lochan Vs Union of India and others (2014) in which the court held that
whatever may be the status of 'fatwa' during Mughal or British rule, it has no
place in independent India under the Constitutional Scheme.
In
an order on a writ plea, the Madras High Court, referring to a body, Makka
Masjid Shariat Council had said that the impression conveyed to the public is
of a 'court functioning,' the petitioner cited.
The
petitioner had also filed a suit for restitution of conjugal rights and it was
decreed as ex parte. In the writ plea proceedings, the woman chose to remain
absent.
Out
of the wedlock, a male child was born to them in 2015. They were married in
2013 and she left the matrimonial home in 2016.
Source:
OutlookIndia
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Members
of Dalit & Muslim communities stage protest
Feb
1, 2023
Aurangabad:
Several members of the Dalit and Muslim communities on Tuesday morning staged a
protest here to highlight various pressing demands, including the awarding of
land rights.
United
under the banner of Bahujan Republican Socialist Party, the protesters
initially carried out a rally from Bhadkal Gate to the office of Aurangabad
divisional commissioner. The march then converted into a sit-in protest, which
saw agitators holding placards and raising slogans in support of their demands.
Suresh
Mane, who was leading the protest, said land rights need to be awarded to
weaker sections, who are dwelling on government lands, such as gairan, gaothan
and forest land till 2020.
“The
landless weaker elements residing on any such plot are its true owners. Instead
of evicting them, the government should award these lands to them,” he said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Southeast
Asia
18-year-old
Islamic State supporter detained for planning terror attacks on Singapore
Feb
2, 2023
An
18-year-old man was detained in Singapore for allegedly supporting the Islamic
State (IS) group and planning to carry out attacks.
Muhammad
Irfan Danyal bin Mohamad Nor, a Singaporean student, was detained in December
under the Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial for
up to two years, as reported by the news agency AFP.
In
a statement, the Singapore authorities said that the student became radicalised
after viewing Islamic State group propaganda online, adding that he wanted to
use social media to gather fighters to conduct attacks in Singapore.
"His
plans included recruiting a suicide car bomber to attack a military camp as
well as bombing a grave site," the authorities stated.
"At
the point of arrest, he was determined to commit violence," said Minister
for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam.
In
2020, authorities detained a 16-year-old who planned to attack two mosques in
Singapore after being influenced by a massacre of Muslim worshippers in New
Zealand.
Source: IndiaToday
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Canada
moves to take in 10,000 Uyghur refugees
February
2, 2023
OTTAWA:
Canada’s parliament on Wednesday unanimously passed a motion to take in 10,000
Uyghur refugees who fled China but are now facing pressure to return.
The
move builds on a February 2021 move by Canadian lawmakers to label Beijing’s
treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in its northwestern Xinjiang territory
as genocide.
Rights
groups believe at least one million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities
have been incarcerated in internment camps in the region, where China is also
accused of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labour.
Tens
of thousands have fled.
And
according to backbench MP Sameer Zuberi, who sponsored the motion, at least
1,600 have been detained in other countries at China’s behest or forcibly
repatriated.
At
a news conference, Zuberi noted that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his
cabinet voted in support of the motion, signalling the government’s “intent to
make this happen” even though it is nonbinding.
“It
is a clear signal that we do not accept human rights violations against the
Uyghur people,” he said, adding that “what is happening to the Uyghurs is
unacceptable”.
Mehmet
Tohti, executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, told reporters
it is a strong message that “will resonate not only in China and in Canada, but
around the world”.
The
motion says Uyghurs who “fled to third countries face pressure and intimidation
by the Chinese state to return to China” and accuses Beijing of also applying
diplomatic and economic pressure on countries to detain and deport them,
“leaving them without a safe haven in the world”.
It
proposes resettling 10,000 Uyghurs in Canada over two years, starting in 2024.
China
has defended its Uyghur camps in Xinjiang, saying they are crucial to battling
terrorism and providing vocational training to minorities.
But
the US has said China’s repression of Uyghurs amounts to “genocide”, and the
United Nations has condemned China’s persecution of Uyghurs and other Turkic
Muslims.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Loan
growth up 5.7%, exceeding projection, says MIDF Research
February
2, 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR: Financial institutions recorded a loan growth of 5.7% year-on-year
(y-o-y) in December 2022, marginally higher than the projected 5.0% to 5.5%,
MIDF Research reported today.
On
a month-on-month (m-o-m) basis, it was up 0.7%.
In
a note released today, the research house said the system loan growth was
relatively stable in December after a sharp contraction in November.
“With
lending rates having nearly normalised and liquidity no longer as cheap, our
2023 system loan forecast is a muted 4.5% to 5.0%,” it said.
MIDF
Research said leading indicators showed a continued downward trajectory with
system loan applications continuing to decline, contracting by 12% m-o-m.
It
said that contributors to the steep decline were spread out, although prime
drivers were hire purchase loans, residential mortgages and working capital
loans.
“System
loan approvals also saw a steep decline of 18% m-o-m, as approval rates fell to
52% versus 56% in November 2022.
“The
rate of loan approval for small and medium enterprises also fell, to 48% in
November 2022 compared with 58% in October 2022,” it said.
MIDF
Research has maintained its positive call for banking, while top picks for the
sector are Public Bank and RHB Bank with a target price (TP) of RM5.39 and
RM6.94, respectively.
“Several
banking counters have also repriced lower following Bank Negara Malaysia’s
(BNM) decision to keep the overnight policy rate (OPR) at 2.75%.
“We
view this as an opportunity to accumulate on weakness, as the likelihood of BNM
raising OPR by at least 25 basis points (bps) in the first half of 2023 remains
intact,” it said.
Meanwhile,
Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) said deposits growth in December 2022 was
unchanged at 5.9% y-o-y, attributable to current account-saving account
moderation being offset by quicker increases in fixed deposits, foreign
currency and other deposits.
It
noted that as a whole, December 2022’s loan-to-deposit ratio remained flat
m-o-m at 86% versus February 2018’s peak of 89%.
“That
said, we understand the current rivalry for the fixed deposit is still
intense,” it said.
HLIB
has maintained its neutral call for the sector and continues to take the stand
that the banking sector has a balanced risk-reward profile.
The
bank has a “buy” call for RHB Bank and Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd with a TP of
RM6.60 and RM3.00, respectively.
Additionally,
RHB Research has maintained its overweight call on the sector with CIMB Bank,
AmBank and Alliance Bank Malaysia as top picks.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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--------
Former
Malaysian PM Muhyiddin to lead Perikatan Nasional’s shadow Cabinet
PETALING
JAYA - Malaysia’s opposition bloc Perikatan Nasional (PN) has unveiled its
shadow Cabinet and its chairman Muhyiddin Yassin will be leading the line-up as
chief of its MPs.
In
the shadow Cabinet, known as the Perikatan MPs portfolio committee, Parti Islam
SeMalaysia (PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang will be Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s deputy.
PN
secretary-general Hamzah Zainuddin remains as the opposition leader in
Parliament.
PAS
secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan is the shadow home minister, while
PartiPribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s vice-president Radzi Md Jidin is the shadow
finance and economic minister.
Other
notable appointments are former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah as the
shadow education and higher education minister, and Arau MP ShahidanKassim as
the shadow rural and regional development minister.
Mr
Muhyiddin said PN aspires to be an effective and responsible opposition.
“Various
briefing sessions regarding our duties and responsibilities have been held,
where we gave explanations on the current situation,” he said.
Mr
Muhyiddin said the shadow Cabinet would have a research team consisting of experts
to assist shadow ministers in improving their skills and also knowledge in
their respective portfolios.
“They
have a duty and responsibility to assist the country in solving issues,” he
added.
He
also said PN’s secretariat would make policy statements from time to time on
various issues such as the economy, education, environment, defence and
security.
“We
will table it (policy statements) so that the people know what we present
ourselves to be. We are ready to take on bigger responsibilities if the people
give us a mandate to lead the country again,” Mr Muhyiddin said.
PN’s
MPs portfolio committee includes Pasir Mas MP Tuan Ahmad Fadhli Shaari as the
shadow youth and sports minister, and Ms Mas ErmieyatiSamsudin as the shadow
minister of law and institutional reforms.
Source:StraitsTimes
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Africa
Islamic
group demands justice for woman allegedly raped inside Mosque
February
1, 2023
By
Don Silas
The
Muslim Right Concern, MURIC, on Wednesday called for justice for a woman
purportedly raped inside a worship centre in Oyo State.
This
was disclosed in a statement issued by its Oyo State Ambassador, Ibrahim
Agunbiade.
MURIC,
an Islamic group, said it would do everything possible to make sure the
incident was not swept under the carpet.
The
statement disclosed that the group had confirmed the suspect is one Idris, also
referred to as KesariRekereke.
MURIC
alleged that Idris was the son of an influential transport union leader known
in the Oyo State National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
The
statement read in part: “We call for the prosecution of Idris and warn that the
case must not be swept under the carpet.
“We
commend the police for arresting the culprit. Justice must not only be done in
this case but it must also be seen to have been done.”
Source:DailyPost
Nigeria
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Spanish
PM arrives in Morocco on visit to cement ties
01
February ,2023
Spanish
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrived in Rabat on Wednesday for a visit aimed at
mending ties following a deep diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
Sanchez
and a dozen ministers are set to sit down on Thursday with top members of the
Moroccan government.
They
are expected to sign a string of deals including on encouraging investment,
Spanish government sources said, as well as discuss irregular migration.
Prior
to his trip, Sanchez had spoken on the phone with King Mohammed VI who urged
him to “consolidate the new stage of relations between Morocco and Spain,”
according to a statement from the Spanish premier's office.
Sanchez
visited Morocco in April last year, drawing a line under a year-long diplomatic
crisis that began easing after Madrid reversed decades of neutrality on the
Western Sahara conflict to back Morocco's position.
The
crisis had begun in 2021 when Madrid allowed BrahimGhali, leader of the
Polisario Front which seeks independence for the territory of Western Sahara,
to be treated for Covid-19 in a Spanish hospital.
Weeks
later, more than 10,000 migrants surged into Spain's tiny North African enclave
of Ceuta as Moroccan border forces looked the other way, in an incident seen as
seeking to punish Madrid.
In
March last year, Madrid announced a “new stage” in relations and said it backed
the North African kingdom's plan for the Western Sahara of limited autonomy
under Moroccan sovereignty.
King
Mohammed has invited Sanchez for a higher profile state visit in future to
“reinforce the positive dynamic” in their ties, according to a palace
statement.
After
resuming cooperation with the kingdom, Spain's interior ministry reported that
arrivals of irregular migrants on its territory from Morocco were down by a
quarter last year compared to 2021.
Both
countries faced criticism from rights groups after at least 23 migrants died
during a mass attempt to enter Spain's Melilla enclave on the North African
coast in June 2022.
The
Spanish-Morocco rapprochement comes as Moroccan politicians and media accuse
France, a staunch ally of the kingdom, of “orchestrating” a European Parliament
resolution critical of Morocco's treatment of the press.
Morocco
has also denied accusations of corruption involving European Parliament
members.
Rabat
is also considered an ally in the fight against extremism.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Tunisian
labor union says police arrested top union official over strike
01
February ,2023
Tunisian
police arrested an official in the country’s largest labor union over a strike
by toll booth workers, the UGTT union said on Wednesday, in a growing
confrontation between President Kais Saied and one of Tunisia’s strongest
political forces.
The
UGTT, which has more than one million members, said police detained Anis Kaabi,
the general secretary of the union’s highways branch, at his home late on
Tuesday.
Hamza
al-Mahmoudi, a union official, said Kaabi was arrested after a complaint from a
government ministry that he was costing the state financial losses due to a
strike this week by union members at highway toll booths who are demanding more
pay.
Both
the police and a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry were not immediately
available for comment.
The
arrest could aggravate tensions between Saied and the union, which has taken an
increasingly strong stance against his expansion of powers, introduction of a
new political system and proposals for economic reforms.
Kaabi
was detained hours after President Saied said in a speech to police forces that
they should take action against “those who conspire against national security
or against public companies.”
“Those
who block the road and threaten to block the motorway cannot remain outside the
circle of accountability and punishment,” he said.
The
UGTT called on workers to mobilize and to be ready to defend the trade union
rights and public and individual freedoms in all forms of struggle.
The
union, which has proven its ability to shut the economy with strikes, has
played a key role in Tunisian politics since the 2011 revolution, helping
broker a deal for a new constitution in 2014.
It
has used increasingly strong language against Saied, while so far stopping
short of any major campaign of strikes and protests to directly challenge his
political agenda.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Somalia,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti join forces for new offensive against al-Shabaab
terror group
Mohammed
Dhaysane
01.02.2023
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
The
leaders of Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti on agreed to put up a “united
fight” against the al-Shabaab terror group.
Somali
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud hosted Kenya’s President William Ruto,
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar
Guelleh for talks in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday.
The
leaders “agreed to jointly plan and organize a robust operational campaign at
the frontline states level, of search and destroy on multiple frontlines aiming
at key al-Shabaab strongholds across the south and central Somalia,” they said
in a joint statement.
“The
time-sensitive campaign will prevent any future infiltrating elements in the
region,” the statement said.
They
also stressed the “importance of establishing a joint border security mechanism
that intends to eliminate cross-border terrorism activities and ensures legal
passage of trade and movement,” the statement added.
The
leaders hailed Somalia’s ongoing offensive against al-Shabaab, which has seen
its military reclaim several strategic areas and make significant gains in
recent months.
They
agreed to make a joint push for areas that are still controlled by the
terrorist group, the statement said.
Kenya,
Ethiopia, and Djibouti, who also contribute troops to the African Transition
Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), acknowledged the “need for new partnerships and
enhancing solidarity among Somalia’s neighboring states … in a united fight
against a common terrorist threat to demonstrate a unified stance on
confronting al-Shabaab,” the communique added.
Several
mortars were fired at different areas of Mogadishu, including a district near
the Somali president’s office before the summit kicked off at the heavily
fortified Decale Hotel located next to the Aden Adde International Airport.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Pakistan
Where
did Rs417bn in ‘anti-terror’ funds go, PM asks KP
Syed
Irfan Raza
February
2, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday blamed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
government for its failure to equip police and civil armed forces to counter
militants, questioning how the provincial government spent funds to the tune
Rs417 billion it received from the Centre since 2010.
The
premier made this observation during a weekly meeting of the federal cabinet
which only had one agenda — resurgence of terrorism — after PM Sharif said he
wanted an open discussion on the matter.
The
meeting, however, remained limited to shifting the blame instead of coming up
with a strategy to tackle militancy in light of an increase in terrorism
incidents.
During
the meeting, the premier asked where did these funds go even though the
National Counter-Terrorism Authority and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had
been established.
The
premier said that the nation wanted the KP government to be held accountable
for the rise of terrorism in the province and the money could have been to
enhance terror-combatting abilities.
“Who
had said these jihadis (fighters) were friends of Pakistan? Who had said that
they have surrendered [weapons] and will enter the mainstream? It’s a point of
concern,” the prime minister said in a thinly-veiled allusion to Imran Khan’s
plan to resettle these militants in tribal districts. “Terrorism is rearing its
head again,” he said. “The question is who brought them back.”
“Everyone
is asking who brought them back. What happened? […] How can peace be destroyed?
How can Khyber Pakhtunkhwa go back into the hands of terrorists,” PM Shehbaz
wondered.
‘NFC
Award’
The
premier also spent a better part of the meeting responding to allegations
levelled by the KP government about the unfair distribution of funds under
National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
In
December last year, former KP chief minister Mahmood Khan along with others
rebuked the federal government for depriving the province of its rightful share
by withholding funds meant for the province. In January, PTI Chairman Imran
Khan said it was impossible for the provincial police to counter TTP militants
who were armed with US-made weapons.
PM
Sharif, while responding to these statements, said that KP had received Rs417
billion since 2010 under the NFC Award. “The rest of the provinces gave them
approximately Rs40bn every year,” he said, asking how did the government spend
this “huge amount” of money.
He
said KP had sacrificed “more than other parts” of the country but the “money
provided to them was solely to strengthen their counter-terrorism
capabilities”. They could have used this money for strengthening the CTD, ammo
procurement, training and recruitment of cadres, and improving their
intelligence-gathering capabilities.
PM
Sharif said that it was unacceptable for the former KP government to ask for
more funds. “If you are getting Rs40bn per year, you do not get to complain
about the weaknesses of the CTD,” he said, adding, “Complaints about not having
guns, training, and satellites for lack of funds is a clear distortion of
facts.”
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1734882/where-did-rs417bn-in-anti-terror-funds-go-pm-asks-kp
--------
Pakistan
mosque attacker breached security wearing a police uniform
February
02, 2023
A
day after arresting suspects who might have helped the suicide bomber enter the
mosque, Pakistani police identified the bomber. On January 30, a bomb blast in
a mosque in Peshawar killed about 103. the attack was reportedly carried out by
a suicide bomber.
According
to the Peshawar police chief, the bomber breached security by wearing a police
uniform, Reuters reported. Moazzam Jah
Ansari, police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Peshawar is located,
said the bomber was part of a "network" and had driven a motorcycle
into the area.
The
police, after matching his head with images from CCTV footage said that he wore
a helmet. The powerful blast blew a wall of the prayer hall.
“He
(suicide bomber) entered the main gate on a motorcycle, came inside, talked to
a constable and asked him where the mosque was. This means that the attacker
was not aware of the area. He was given a target and there is an entire network
behind him. He was not a lone ranger,” Ansari was quoted as saying by The Dawn.
Initially,
TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban) officials Sarbakaf Mohmand and Omar MukaramKhurasani
claimed the attack. But later, the group denied being part of it. Reportedly
the bomber used 12-16kgs of TNT in the blast.
Source:
TheWeek
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'Why
did he open doors for terrorists': Maryam Nawaz blames ex-ISI chief for
Peshawar blast
Feb
2, 2023
Pakistan's
deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday held
former spy master Gen Faiz Hamid responsible for the suicide attack in a
high-security zone mosque in Peshawar that killed 101 people, including 97
policemen.
"Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan's facilitator – Gen Faiz Hamid – who was
posted in Peshawar (as Corps commander) was responsible for the Peshawar
attack," Maryam, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior
vice-president, told a party gathering in Bahawalpur city of Punjab.
A
Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during the afternoon prayers on Monday
in the mosque in the Police Lines area in Peshawar, killing 101 people and
injuring more than 200 others.
The
banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
"The
one (Gen Hamid) whom Imran Khan used to call his eyes, hands and ears, was
posted in Peshawar (Corps commander). Why did he open doors for terrorists
(from Afghanistan)? Why did he say that terrorists were our brothers and
invited them to Pakistan? Why did he release hardcore terrorists from
prison?" Maryam asked.
She
further said, "Had he (Gen Hamid) become the eyes, hands and ears of
Pakistan, this situation (of terrorism) would not have happened."
Maryam
also taunted the former ISI chief for his "controversial visit" to
Afghanistan at the time of the fall of Ashraf Ghani government. "This man
used to say in Afghanistan that everything is fine while drinking qahwa,"
she lambasted.
Lt
Gen Hamid, who served as the chief of the spy agency Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) from June 2019 to November 2021, was the first high-ranking
foreign official to visit Afghanistan after the Taliban seized the Afghan
capital in mid-August in 2021.
In
the last phase of his stint as head of the ISI, he became the focus of a
controversy between Imran Khan and then army chief Gen Qamar JavedBajwa as the
latter had decided to post him as commander of the Peshawar Corps and the
former was not willing to relieve him. He was ultimately posted out to
Peshawar, where he served for less than a year before being moved to the
Bahawalpur Corps.
The
post of ISI chief is considered one of the most important in the Pakistan Army,
which has ruled the country for more than half of its 75 plus years of
existence and has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of
security and foreign policy.
Maryam
said her father rid the country of terrorism but it returned because of the bad
policies of the Imran Khan regime.
She
also indirectly hit out at former army chief Gen Bajwa and former chief justice
Saqib Nisar for her father's ouster.
Source:IndiaToday
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Peshawar
mosque blast: 17 suspects arrested
Feb
1, 2023
PESHAWAR/ISLAMAD:
Pakistan's security agencies arrested 17 suspects in connection with the
suicide blast in a high-security zone mosque in Peshawar that killed 101
people, including 97 policemen, as Army chief Gen Asim Munir vowed zero
tolerance for terror groups and directed his generals to eliminate the threat
of militancy. A Taliban suicide bomber who was present in the front row during
the Zuhr (afternoon) prayers on Monday blew himself up, causing the roof to
collapse on the worshippers.
Sources
said that the security agencies have arrested 17 suspects involved in the
devastating blast - the deadliest attack on the security personnel in decades
in Pakistan.
The
arrests have been made from close vicinity of the Police Lines area where the
mosque is located and the suspects were shifted to interrogation cell for
investigation, sources told PTI on condition of anonymity.
In
a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the entire
nation and institutions are united to eliminate the menace of terrorism.
Describing
police as a front line force in the fight against terrorism, the prime minister
said that they will be further strengthened and equipped with modern weapons.
Speaking
at a meeting of the federal cabinet in Islamabad on Wednesday, Sharif expressed
serious concerns over the resurgence of terrorist elements especially in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan.
The
Prime Minister said that if immediate and effective steps were not taken, the
despicable incidents might spread to other parts of the country.
The
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed
responsibility for the Peshawar mosque suicide attack, saying it was part of a
revenge attack for slain TTP commander Umar Khalid Khurasani who was killed in
Afghanistan in August last.
Meanwhile,
Pakistan's top generals have vowed that perpetrators of the Peshawar terrorist
attack will be brought to exemplary justice.
General
Munir, who presided over the 255th Corps Commanders' Conference held at general
headquarters in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, said that the military was determined to
eliminate the threat of militancy from the country.
The
army chief referred to the Peshawar mosque attack and said that "such
immoral and cowardly acts cannot shake the resolve of the nation rather
reinvigorate our determination to succeed in ongoing war against terror with
zero tolerance for any terrorist entity," according to a statement issued
by the army.
General
Munir, who on Monday was in Peshawar along with Prime Minister Sharif following
the suicide bombing, "directed all commanders to continue focus on
anti-terrorism operations in coordination with intelligence and law enforcement
agencies with renewed resolve till the time we achieve sustainable peace,"
the statement said.
Interior
Minister Rana Sanaullah told parliament on Tuesday that 97 policemen were among
the dead.
He
said that past policies were responsible for terrorism plaguing the nation.
"We created mujahideen but they have become terrorists," he said,
referring to the Afghan war against the erstwhile USSR.
The
blast shocked residents in Peshawar - once known as "the city of
flowers".
The
policemen took out a protest rally in Peshawar on Wednesday demanding fair and
transparent investigation into the deadly bombing. The speakers of the rally
demanded formation of a joint Investigation team to probe the blast.
They
also demanded exemplary punishment to elements involved in the devastating
bombing that killed innocent people, mostly policemen.
The
rally was largely attended by people from a cross section of the society.
Defence
Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday urged all political forces to unite against
terrorists who are targeting not a sect or particular segment of society but
the entire nation.
"There
is a need to create a consensus like (at the time of) the Zarb-e-Azb operation
against this kind of terrorism. It is being hoped that the prime minister would
take a step in this direction," the defence minister said.
Zarb-e-Azb
was launched after the Peshawar school bombing of 2014 which had killed around
150 people, mostly students. During the operation, the security forces killed
and expelled militants.
Asif
was asked by journalists outside the parliament building about the possibility
of any fresh operation against the militants.
He
said that the high-level National Security Committee (NSC) would decide about
launching a military operation to eliminate militancy.
"This
is a decision that the National Security Committee will take. Such things can
be decided at a forum (like the NSC) which is able to take such major
decisions," he said.
Asif
said that the latest bombing in Peshawar was no less a tragedy than the 2014
Army Public School massacre and a similar consensus was needed by politicians
from all parties.
He
also said that Pakistan had suffered over USD 126 billion in economic losses
and 83,000 deaths including, armed forces personnel, police officials and
others but the world had not acknowledged it.
He
accused the previous government of Imran Khan of holding talks with the
Taliban.
Source:
Times Of India
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Wikipedia
ordered to remove ‘blasphemous’ content in Pakistan
Feb
2, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Wikipedia will be blocked in Muslim-majority Pakistan if the platform fails to
take down content deemed to be sacrilegious within 48 hours, the country’s
telecoms regulator said.
Pakistan
Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday said it had “degraded” Wikipedia
services on non-compliance of an earlier direction to remove “unlawful”
content, according to a statement. While it did not elaborate on measures
taken, some suggested the site had been throttled.
If
the platform fails to remove the content in question, Wikipedia “will be
blocked within Pakistan,” the authority said, without specifying the
information it wanted removed.
“There
is slowness and definitely it’ll impact especially those who use Wikipedia for
education and information purposes,” Wahaj-us-Siraj, Chief Executive Officer of
internet provider Nayatel, said in a text message.
Blasphemy
is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, whose laws condone capital punishment for
anyone convicted of affronting Islam.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistan
Christians slam religious ministry’s seminar
February
01, 2023
Christian
leaders in Pakistan have demanded the resignation of Minister for Religious
Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor for allegedly insulting them
and their religious beliefs.
Protest
against the minister began after he invited a controversial figure, who is
known for being involved in marrying off Christian and Hindu girls to Muslim
men and forcibly converting them to Islam, for a seminar his ministry organized
on Jan. 31.
Pir
Abdul Haq, alias Mian Mithu, the man in question, was invited to a seminar on
"Religious Conversions: Issues, Controversies and Reality" organized
at a hotel in Islamabad.
Christians
of Islamabad present at the seminar raised slogans rejecting religious
extremism, said a Christian leader.
They
also boycotted the event after one of the speakers, a former Christian,
rejected Jesus as the son of God and made false claims about the Bible, he
said.
However,
the ministry of religious affairs termed the seminar a success.
“A
countrywide discussion on religious conversion has been initiated. A document
of national narrative will be prepared with recommendations of all religions
following a detailed review of such allegations," said a press release
from the ministry.
It
said a joint declaration about the conversion issue in Pakistan "will be
presented to the international community.”
Several
newly converted Muslim women and men, accused of being forcefully converted,
were also invited, the press release further stated.
“They
denied the impression of being forced to change [religion] by the clerics and
confessed to being influenced by Islamic teachings. The speakers demanded
action against elements who make false accusations of forced conversions and
defame Pakistan at the global level,” the ministry added.
Christian
activists including Mary James Gill, director of the Center for Law and
Justice, shared a Facebook post with an X mark on the banner of the
controversial seminar.
“The
attitude of the federal ministry is very shameful and condemnable. Shame on
participants who did not consider it appropriate to record their protests
against the attempt to show other religions as false and inferior compared to
the state religion,” she said.
"The
courage with which the Christian participants faced this hate speech is
admirable, but it would have been better if the Hindu and Sikh communities also
supported them against this bigoted attitude," Gill added.
Akmal
Bhatti, chairman of Minorities Alliance Pakistan, labeled Minister Shakoor as
“a cleric of anarchy.”
“Christian
religious or political leaders were absent from the panel. But more than that
it was a pathetic attempt to counter the pressure from the Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council reviewing
Pakistan’s human rights record,” he told UCA News.
Several
countries, including the US, have raised specific questions, which will be
reviewed by the working group during the session that will continue till Feb. 3
in Geneva.
Bhatti
expressed surprise that the organizers of the seminar are still demanding proof
of forced conversions despite repeated cases of blackmailing and coercion of
underage minority girls.
“These
incompetent people, who use religion to stay in power, are responsible for the
economic, political and moral crisis in our country,” he said.
Forced
conversions of Hindus and Christians to Islam are a burning issue throughout
the Islamic Republic of some 220 million people.
At
least 100 reported cases involving abductions, forced conversions, and forced
marriages of girls and women belonging to the Christian community across
Pakistan were reported between January 2019 and October 2022, according to the
rights group, Voice for Justice and Jubilee Campaign.
In
2021, a parliamentary committee rejected a bill against forced conversions
citing public interest. The draft proposed legalities for only “mature”
non-Muslims to convert to Islam.
The
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that it was appalled to learn that the
seminar featured not only a cleric long associated with forced conversions in
the southern Sindh province, but it also asked recent converts to Islam to
publicly denounce their original faith.
“Such
blatant bigotry flies in the face of the government’s recent claims at
Pakistan’s fourth UPR that it is committed to freedom of religion or belief,”
stated the commission in a statement issued Feb.1.
Source:
UCANews
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/pakistan-christians-slam-religious-ministrys-seminar/100233
--------
Party
chiefs should play role in population control: Babar
Ikram
Junaidi
February
2, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Former PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar on Wednesday called upon mainstream
political parties representative participating in a dialogue to convince their
party heads to play their role in population control as they agreed that family
planning was imperative for development of the country.
He
was speaking at a consultative dialogue on, ‘Prioritising Population Issues and
Family Planning in Political Parties Manifestos’ organised by the Population
Council in Islamabad.
The
consultative dialogue was attended by members of all major political parties
including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP),
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), MuttahidaQaumi Movement (MQM), Balochistan
National Party (BNP), BalochistanAwami Party (BAP), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), and
Awami National Party (ANP).
In
her welcome remarks, Country Director Population Council Dr Zeba Sattar stated
that it was important to align manifestos of political parties with Council of
Common Interest (CCI) national action plan 2018 to reduce Pakistan’s rapid
population growth rate.
The
Population Council cited national data on the cross-sectoral impact of rapid
population growth on Pakistan’s development indicators and stressed the need
for sustained political commitment to achieve population stabilisation in
Pakistan.
PML-N
Senator Sadia Abbasi stressed the importance of mass awareness campaigns on
family planning issues and said political parties should lead from the front in
this regard. Poorest sections of the society must be targeted though
comprehensive family planning programmes in the country.
Former
deputy speaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Mahmood Jan emphasised to build
a consensus to tackle rapid population growth beyond party lines and reiterated
his party’s commitment to prioritise population planning for well-being of the
people of Pakistan.
Balochistan
Minister for Finance and Food Zmarak Khan (ANP) quoted the example of
Bangladesh where religious leaders led the process of achieving sustainable
population growth through their sermons. He also suggested redefining of NFC
award which heavily depends upon population size and disincentivise smaller
provinces to lower their fertility rate.
Emphasising
the importance of mother and child health, former member of Balochistan
Assembly and Deputy Secretary General Women wing of Jamaat-i-Islami, Samina
Saeed said mass awareness on birth spacing which also has religious endorsement
must be propagated.
She
stressed the new national narrative which is based on the concept of Tawazun,
and which is derived from the teaching of Islam needs to be propagated through
media.
MPA
Ali Khurshidi, a representative of MQM in Sindh, stated that Pakistan’s high
fertility rate was an issue of national importance, and all political parties
should join hands in tackling the high trajectory of growth.
“Revitalisation
and empowerment of local governments is vital to improve situation as
availability of contraceptives at basic health unit will improve access,” he
said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1734829
--------
Operation
underway to tackle TTP in Punjab-KP border area
Asif
Chaudhry
February
2, 2023
LAHORE:
The Punjab police on Wednesday morning launched a grand counterterrorism
operation in the highly complex and inaccessible hilly areas of Mianwali
district, hours after some heavily equipped militants of the banned
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacked a police station in the area in the
dead of the night.
The
go-ahead for the operation was given at a meeting attended by chief secretary,
inspector general of police, heads of the intelligence agencies and several
regional and district police officers.
“We
have grounded many field formations of the Punjab police under a new policy,
called HITS, Hunt, Impede, Thwart and Serve,” IG police Dr Usman Anwar told
Dawn.
This
HITS operation would not be called off till the elimination of armed militants
from the territories of Mianwali district, the police chief declared.
He
vowed that this force would give a deterrent response to the terrorists and
purge them from Punjab territories.
The
police chief said a decision was taken to launch a ‘large-scale and
sustainable’ operation against the militants behind the attack on Makkarwal
police station in Mianwali late Tuesday night.
The
meeting of security officials held just hours after the attack also took some
other important decisions, prepared a set of guidelines and devised strategies
to ensure coordination between security apparatus against the TTP’s presence in
Punjab.
DIG
Ahsan Younis, who has been assigned a key role in the police operation, said
the highly trained police personnel and commandos from the three regions, the
counterterrorism department, special protection unit and the elite force were
taking part in the operation.
He
told Dawn that human and logistic resources had been moved from various regions
of the Punjab province to Mianwali to ‘hit the hideouts’ of the TTP men in
highly complex terrain.
“Makkarwal
was the nearest police station to the hilly area from where the armed militants
of the TTP launched the offensive,” the officer pointed out.
About
the late-night attack, which was ‘repulsed’ by police, DIG Younis said
intelligence sources had alerted the Makkarwal police about movement of the
armed men in the nearest hilly areas, only hours before the assault.
Police
personnel had been put on high alert and they returned the fire as soon as a
gunner from a nearby hillside opened fire. Suddenly, firing intensified from
multiple points, he said. The personnel responded promptly to stop militants
from advancing towards the police station, and managed to repulse the attack,
he explained.
However,
the militants used the cover of darkness to disappeared into the hilly terrain,
DIG Younis said.
Terrain
Starting
from Mianwali’sMakkarwal area, the hilly terrain — spread over 300km to 400km —
continues till the boundary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where an operation
has already been underway against militants, according to the DIG.
Punjab
police has also shared information with KP’s law enforcement agencies to devise
a strategy to hit the hideouts of terrorists, who sneaked into the Mianwali
district under the cover of darkness to attack the police station and
disappeared into the mountains, he said.
He
said the Punjab police chief reached the Mianwali district on Wednesday
morning, met personnel from the Makkarwal police station and distributed Rs3.5
million among them as a cash reward for acting promptly and repulsing the TTP
attack.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1734884/operation-underway-to-tackle-ttp-in-punjab-kp-border-area
--------
Anchorperson
Imran Riaz arrested for ‘hate speech’ against state institutions: FIA
Rana
Bilal
February
2, 2023
Anchorperson
Imran Riaz was arrested in Lahore in the early hours of Thursday on charges of
“hate speech” and making a “violence-inducing statement” aimed at creating “a
rift between the general public and the state institutions”, the Federal
Investigation Agency (FIA) said.
Earlier,
Riaz’s counsel Mian Ali Ashfaq told Dawn.com that his client was taken into
custody from the Allama Iqbal International Airport by FIA’s cybercrime wing.
He
said the “illegal arrest” of the journalist will be challenged in court.
The
FIA registered the first information report under sections 11 (electronic
forgery), 20 (malicious code) and 24 (legal recognition of offences committed
in relation to information system) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes
(Peca) 2016. Likewise, sections 131/109 (incitement to mutiny), 500 (punishment
for defamation) and 505 (public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code have also
been added to the FIR.
According
to the FIR — a copy of which is available with Dawn.com — Khan was “found
involved in publicly making a hate speech at a conference which falls under the
territorial jurisdiction of FIA cyber crime cell”.
The
complaint went on to say that the speech was further publicly shared on social
media platforms nationally and internationally.
The
contents of Khan’s video, as mentioned in the FIR, questioned former army chief
Gen Bajwa’s pledge for the military to remain apolitical in his final speech as
army chief.
The
agency pointed out that it had been found “that the same mischievous video of
the alleged person was publicly shared and a part of that video was posted by a
Twitter user, which was retweeted by Imran Riaz Khan”.
The
FIR said the nexus of “retweeting the mischievous video by the alleged person
from the Twitter handlers is technically verified [by the agency].”
The
FIA report said such a “violence-inducing statement made intentionally and made
public by Imran Riaz Khan may cause, or is likely to cause, fear or alarm to
the public or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to
commit an offence against the state or against the public tranquillity or
incite or likely to incite any class or community or person to commit any
offence against any other class or community on the grounds of spreading
anarchy, division in the social fabric against the state and the state
institutions, bloodshed, extremism, terrorism, feelings of enmity, hatred
between the people of Pakistan:
It
said the consequences of such mischievous statements rendered “dire
consequences both nationally and internationally for the state of Pakistan”.
The
FIA said such intimidating/threatening statements were a mischievous act of
subversion to create a rift between the general public and the state
institutions.
“Prima
facie, the alleged person namely Imran Riaz has committed offences u/s 11, 20,
24 of PECA 2016 R/w 131, 500, 505, 109 — PPC. Hence, a case may be registered
against the accused while the role of other accomplices (if any) will be
determined during the course of the investigation,” it added.
A
video shared by PTI’s official Twitter account shows the journalist at FIA’s
cybercrime office.
Condemning
the journalist’s arrest, PTI general secretary Asad Umar said that while
journalists and politicians were in jail, “terrorists are walking free in the
country”.
Source: Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
KP
policemen take to streets in uniform against Peshawar suicide bombing
February
2, 2023
PESHAWAR:
Police in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held protest march to condemn
the Monday bombing of a mosque inside a compound that left more than 100 dead
and scores wounded.
In
an unprecedented move and what is believed to be the first of its kind, over 24
uniformed police personnel gathered outside Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday
and chanted slogans for peace.
They
demanded independent investigation into the blast in mosque at the police lines
in Peshawar.
The
daughter of martyred police officer Irfan Khan weeps during a protest by police
officers to condemn the suicide blast in a mosque in Peshawar on February 1,
2023.—Reuters/Fayaz Aziz
They
were holding placards inscribed with different slogans. They said that they
wanted to raise their voice against the injustice with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
police.
The
protesting policemen said that their protest was against the ‘system’ and they
were compelled to take to the streets owing to the deteriorating law and order
situation in the province and seek justice for the victims of terrorist
attacks.
Seek
justice for victims of terrorist attacks
In
Mardan, policemen gathered outside the local press club and held a protest to
demand effective measures for protection of law enforcers.
They
stated that police were fighting as frontline force in the war against
terrorism and rendered countless sacrifices. They questioned the explosion in a
highly guarded and sensitive area. They also demanded judicial inquiry into the
incident.
In
Swabi, police personnel gathered outside the district headquarters and marched
till Karnal Sher Khan Chowk where they staged a protested against the Peshawar
blast.
The
protesters were holding placards inscribed with different slogans against the
dreadful suicide attack. They stated that they were being killed by
unidentified people. They demanded an independent investigation into the
Peshawar blast.
In
Swat, police held special prayers and Quran Khwani at Javed Iqbal Shaheed
Police Lines.
Malakand
Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan, Swat District Police Officer Shafiullah
Khan Gandapur, Additional SP Rahim Hussain Khan, SPs Izhar Shah and Pir Zar
Badshah and other officers were present on the occasion.
RPO
Sajjad Khan stated history of police was full of sacrifices. He condoled with
the families of those policemen, who embraced martyrdom in the suicide attack
in Peshawar on Monday.
In
Charsadda, a police darbar was organised where Quran Khwani was held for the
departed souls and recovery of injured cops. SP Sajjad Khan, station house
officers and police constable were present on the occasion.
DPO
Sohail Khalid stated that they were facing a ‘coward’ enemy, who could not
fight face to face. He said that morale of every official of police department
was high. “Terrorists cannot demoralise us with such actions,” he said and
added that they were protecting their nation.
In
Shangla, police organised Quran Khwani for the victims of Peshawar blast. The
police officers and personnel also offered prayers for departed souls of police
martyrs. They demanded peace across the province and end to bloodshed.
Civil
society members in Alpuri also staged a protest rally against the Peshawar
blast and demanded justice for the martyred police personals and protection for
residents of the province.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
gets 340 suggestions to improve human rights situation
Amin
Ahmed
February
2, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has received 340 recommendations from UN member states on its fourth
periodic report on the human rights situation in the country, and the
government will examine these recommendations and report back to the UN Human
Rights Council (HRC) in its forthcoming meeting.
A
draft report prepared on Wednesday by the Working Group on Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, available with Dawn,
stated: “All conclusions and/or recommendations contained in the present report
reflect the position of the submitting state(s) and/or the state under review.
They should not be construed as endorsed by the Working Group as a whole.”
Pakistan’s
response to the recommendations will be included in the outcome report adopted
by the HRC at its 53rd session, it added.
The
HRC selected Argentina, Gambia and Nepal as the group of rapporteurs (troika)
to facilitate the review of Pakistan.
UN
member states complete review of Islamabad’s fourth periodic report on human
rights
A
list of questions prepared in advance by Angola, Belgium, Germany,
Liechtenstein, Panama, Portugal — on behalf of Group of Friends on national
mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up — Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and the United States was
transmitted to Pakistan through the troika.
During
the interactive dialogue, 122 delegations made statements. Canada proposed to
develop a strong policy and delivery mechanism to ensure the registration of
women voters, and protect women voters from violence and disenfranchisement as
they cast their ballots.
Several
countries demanded ratification of the International Convention for the
Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and incorporate it into
domestic law.
Luxembourg
proposed placement of moratorium on death penalty and ratification of the
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights aimed at abolition of the death penalty.
Poland
called for fully respecting freedom of religion or belief in accordance with
the international human rights law, in particular by: reforming blasphemy laws,
especially as regards the existing legal possibility of punishing blasphemers
by death, which creates a climate conducive to extrajudicial killings;
repealing other legal provisions discriminating against members belonging to
religious minorities; halting abductions, forced marriages and forced
conversions of women and girls from religious minorities.
The
US demanded repealing or amending blasphemy laws, and ending other
discriminatory laws used against members of Ahmadi and other religious minority
communities.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1734878/pakistan-gets-340-suggestions-to-improve-human-rights-situation
--------
North
America
Pentagon
says US military helped intercept Houthi-bound weapons from Iran
02
February ,2023
The
US military revealed Wednesday that it played a role in an operation last month
that intercepted an Iranian shipment of weapons to Yemen’s Houthis.
The
Wall Street Journal, citing officials familiar with the operation, reported
that French special forces stopped a suspicious vessel on January 15 and found
3,000 assault rifles, 20 anti-tank missiles, and around 500,000 rounds of
ammunition.
The
US Central Command quickly came out with its own statement, saying that
information sharing and coordinated efforts between international forces and
CENTCOM maritime forces led to the successful operation.
“The
weapons were seized along routes historically used to traffic weapons
unlawfully from Iran to Yemen. The direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer
of weapons to the Houthis in Yemen violates UN Security Council Resolution 2216
and international law,” the CENTCOM statement read.
US
forces have stepped up their efforts to monitor the waters in the region
alongside its Gulf and Arab allies.
CENTCOM
said the latest operation was one of the four “significant illicit cargo
interdictions” over the last last two months, preventing over 5,000 weapons and
1.6 million rounds of ammunition from reaching Yemen.
Joe
Bahout, the director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of
Beirut (AUB), said Europe was taking on a more significant role in helping foil
Iranian weapons shipments to Yemen.
“Until
recently, the #US military had taken the lead in hunting down weapons smugglers
ferrying supplies to the #Houthis. Now, #France the #UK are playing a greater
role,” Bahout said in a tweet.
The
US Navy intercepted a fishing vessel with weapons heading to Yemen from Iran on
January 6, making it the third operation since November.
In
2021, CENTCOM says it prevented 9,000 illegal weapons from reaching Yemen,
representing a 200 percent increase in weapons seized over the previous year.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
denounces Sudan release of killer of US aid worker
01
February ,2023
The
US on Wednesday voiced alarm over Sudan's release of a man sentenced to death
over the killing of an American development worker, denying there was any
understanding between the countries.
Extremist
gunmen shot dead John Granville, a 33-year-old US Agency for International
Development employee, along with his 40-year-old Sudanese driver Abdel Rahman
Abbas in a hail of bullets on New Year's Day 2008.
Sudanese
authorities on Monday freed Abdelraouf Abu Zaid, who was convicted over the
killing, with his lawyer saying it was a court decision in line with a 2020
compensation package by Sudan to Washington for past terrorism.
“We
are deeply troubled by the lack of transparency in the legal process that
resulted in the release of the only individual remaining in custody,” State
Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
He
said it was “inaccurate” that the US had agreed to the release as part of the
2020 deal, which removed Sudan from a blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism
dating from the dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir.
As
part of the deal brokered by then premier Abdalla Hamdok, impoverished Sudan
paid $335 million to American survivors and families of victims killed in past
attacks.
Hamdok,
a civilian heading a transitional government, was seeking to reintegrate Sudan
into the international community but he was ousted the following year by the
military, setting back relations with the US which froze $700 million in
economic support.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
New
US military strategy on display during ‘largest ever’ joint exercise with
Israel
01
February ,2023
Last
week, the joint military drills between the US and Israel sent a strong signal
to Iran that the countries are prepared to counter any malign activities
carried out by Tehran or its proxies. But Juniper Oak 23.2 was about more than
demonstrating Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security,
according to officials.
The
US is looking to alter the way it intervenes in areas of conflict and war
zones, which was displayed during last week’s exercise that the Pentagon said
was the largest of its kind in history.
With
around 6,400 American troops and more than 140 aircraft, including B-52s, F35s,
F15s, F16s, High Mobility Rocket Artillery Systems (HIMARS), Multiple Launch
Rocket Systems (MLRS), and long-range bombers, the drill had three main
messages, a senior US defense official said.
“Increasingly,
we want to shift to a posture whereby we still have a significant presence
that’s sustainable in the region, but we are able to surge dynamically forces
into the region when we have indications and warnings of a threat,” the
official told Al Arabiya English.
In
other words, the US is looking to move away from deploying thousands of troops
into a country or battlefield, as was the case in Iraq and Afghanistan, and looking
towards the strategy of dynamic force employment, or DFE.
DFE
was described in the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) as allowing the
Defense Department to “more flexibly use ready forces to shape proactively the
strategic environment while maintaining readiness to respond to contingencies
and ensure long-term warfighting readiness.”
Last
year’s NDS did not mention DFE but said the Pentagon would explore “force
employment concepts and capabilities that degrade adversary power projection
while weighing crisis stability and escalation risk.”
The
DFE strategy would allow the US to rapidly send forces on a mission for a
limited period and, once completed, return.
But
to do so, the US needs to be able to fall in on partners who are highly
interoperable and “already plugged in and integrated into our networks,” the
defense official said.
Last
week’s exercise demonstrated that the US and Israel can already implement this
strategy. The official said that Juniper Oak was put together in a “couple of
months,” whereas one to two years of planning are typically needed for drills
of this nature.
However,
DFE comes with certain risks, said Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of
the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
“There’s
vast potential friction associated with these types of things. You can’t always
count on forces getting there as quickly as you’d like, particularly if the
deployment is contested. That would be very hard to do,” Gen. Frank McKenzie
told Al Arabiya English.
Nevertheless,
Gen. McKenzie believes it is a good idea. “I think it gives the secretary a lot
more arrows in his quiver to respond more flexibly.”
The
secretary of defense is the only person that has the authority to move forces
around at his direction as part of DFE, McKenzie noted.
US
military posture remains steady
Iran
was not the only adversary watching the live-fire exercise last week, although
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the drills were not meant to
be oriented around “any single adversary or threat.”
Russia
and China were also being sent an indirect message, according to the senior US
defense official, who spoke to Al Arabiya English on condition of anonymity.
At
a time when the US is focused on supporting Ukraine’s fight back against
Russia’s invasion and reclaiming captured territories, the threat of China
invading Taiwan remains a strong possibility.
The
official said that the multi-domain nature of last week’s drills showcased the
US military’s ability to quickly carry out a mission while upholding its
commitments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
At
the same time, the official added, Washington’s Arab and Gulf allies should see
the drill as a further sign of the US’s commitment to their safety and
security.
“What
we need to make sure people understand is we are going to move forces in, [and]
we are going to move forces out; but we can do that at a speed and scale so
that people aren’t judging,” the official said.
That
message is meant for allies and partners as well as adversaries, not to simply
look at the number of troops in the region to determine the US military
posture.
“What
we’re trying to suggest is what we have now is just the tip of the iceberg of
what we can bring to bear if necessary,” said the US defense official.
Asked
at the start of Juniper Oak if there were any messages to US allies in the
region, Brig. Gen. Ryder said: “It demonstrates the fact that the United States
is a reliable partner, that we’re going to continue to work together to ensure
the security and the stability of the region.”
Gen.
McKenzie commended the Juniper Oak exercise and praised his successor, Gen.
Erik Kurilla, and CENTCOM for their “really remarkable work.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Canada's
anti-Islamophobia representative 'extremely sorry' for offending Quebecers
Barry
Ellsworth
02.02.2023
TRENTON,
Canada
Canada's
new anti-Islamophobia representative apologized Wednesday for saying a
"majority of Quebecers" who support Bill 21 are anti-Muslim.
The
bill bans religious symbols, including the hijab, to be worn by most public
servants in the workplace.
"I
would like to say that I am extremely sorry for the way that my words have
carried, how I have hurt the people of Quebec,” Amira Elghawaby told reporters.
"I understand that the words and the way that I said them have hurt the
people of Quebec. I have been listening very carefully. I have heard you and I
know what you're feeling and I'm sorry."
Elghawaby
was appointed last week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as his government's
special anti-Islamophobia representative.
The
legislation has come under fire as anti-Muslim from Muslims who say it forces
them to choose between religion and their employment.
Elghawaby
co-penned a column that appeared in an Ottawa newspaper in 2019 that said based
on a poll, Quebecers who supported Bill 21 were anti-Muslim.
"Unfortunately,
the majority of Quebecers appear to be swayed not by the rule of law, but by
anti-Muslim sentiment," wrote Elghawaby and co-author Bernie Farber,
former head of the Canadian Jewish Congress.
Since
the column surfaced, several Quebec politicians called for her resignation.
But
Trudeau supported Elghawaby.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Canadian
court convicts pair of assault of Muslim father
Barry
Ellsworth
01.02.2023
TRENTON,
Canada
A
Canadian court Tuesday found two men guilty of assault of a Muslim father, an
attack that displayed the "darkest side of humanity," the victim's
wife said at a press conference following the verdict.
The
unprovoked attack on Mohammed Abu Marzouk, which left the father of two with
10-15 skull fractures and brain bleeding, happened in July 2018.
Abu
Marzouk, 39, his wife Diana Attar and their two daughters aged four and six,
were about to head home after a picnic in Mississauga, a city adjacent to
Toronto.
Two
men came toward the vehicle and Abu Marzouk got out to speak to them. They had
indicated that they had been hit or nearly so by the vehicle. One of the men
struck Abu Marzouk in the face, and the beating began as his daughters watched
from inside the van.
His
wife begged them to stop and then saw a police car and ran for help. Abu
Marzouk was found lying in a pool of blood coming from his head. He was rushed
to a trauma center with life-threatening injuries. During the attack, the men
were heard insulting and cursing Arabs.
Apparently
taking those words into consideration, Superior Court Justice Fletcher Dawson
characterized the assault as "anti-Arab, not anti-Muslim."
Attar
called the vicious assault "the darkest side of humanity, one that we
would not wish upon anyone."
The
family has faced emotional, physical and financial hardship as a result of the
attack, and Canada should do more to help victims, an official with the
National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said in a statement.
“We
need to change this pattern of neglect and hardship for survivors of such
attacks,” said NCCM Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Nadia Hasan. “These survivors
deserve help, yet as a country we have not done enough."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/canadian-court-convicts-pair-of-assault-of-muslim-father/2802982
--------
Arab
World
Militants
kill eight soldiers in northwest Syria: monitor
February
01, 2023
BEIRUT:
Eight Syrian soldiers were killed in the country’s northwest on Wednesday in an
attack carried out by the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham militant group, a war monitor
reported.
“HTS
fired shells and rockets at a Syrian military post, killing eight soldiers near
KafrRuma in Idlib province,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights said.
HTS
is headed by ex-members of Syria’s former Al-Qaeda franchise.
Syrian
state media did not immediately report the attack.
About
half of the northwestern province of Idlib and areas bordering the neighboring
provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia are dominated by HTS and other rebel
factions.
The
Idlib region is home to about three million people, around half of them
displaced.
Observatory
head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that since the end of 2022, the militants “have
intensified operations against regime forces in Idlib... in the context of a
rapprochement between Ankara and Damascus.”
He
said exchanges of fire and clashes between regime forces and militant factions
had killed 63 people since the start of the year, 45 of them pro-regime forces.
One of the 18 militants was a French national.
Ankara
became a sworn enemy of Damascus when it began backing rebel efforts to topple
Assad at the start of the civil war.
But
in late December the defense ministers of Turkiye and Syria held landmark
negotiations in Moscow — the first such meeting since 2011.
The
mooted reconciliation has alarmed Syrian opposition leaders and supporters who
reside mostly in parts of the war-torn country under Ankara’s indirect control.
President
Bashar Assad said in January that a Moscow-brokered rapprochement with Turkiye
should aim for “the end of occupation” by Ankara of parts of Syria.
Turkiye
has military bases in northern Syria and backs some local groups fighting the
regime and against Syrian Kurdish forces which it considers “terrorist” groups.
Ankara
has never publicly backed hard-line group HTS but is believed to coordinate
with its forces.
HTS,
which is sanctioned by the UN as a terrorist organization, formally broke ties
with Al-Qaeda in 2016 and incorporated a number of smaller Syrian rebel
factions in a major re-branding effort.
Widely
seen as the strongest and best organized of Syria’s rebel groups, it has
presented itself as the mainstay of Syria’s opposition.
With
Russian and Iranian support, Damascus has clawed back much of the ground lost
in the early stages of Syria’s conflict, which erupted in 2011 when Assad’s
government brutally repressed pro-democracy protests.
The
war has killed nearly half a million people since it broke out over a decade
ago, displacing almost half of Syria’s pre-war population.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2243111/middle-east
--------
No
end to executions in Saudi Arabia, report shows
Qasim
A. Moini
February
2, 2023
KARACHI:
While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has rebranded itself as a country open to
investment, tourism and engagement with the rest of the world under powerful
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, also known as MBS, the desert kingdom’s
reputation as one of the largest executioners in the globe persists.
Figures
compiled in a fresh report by UK-based human rights NGO Reprieve, point to the
disturbing fact that under the crown prince’s watch, hundreds of people have
been put to death.
In
fact, 2022 was amongst the bloodiest years on record, with 147 people executed.
The report claims that after MBS’s father King Salman took the throne in 2015,
executions went up by 82 per cent.
The
report, Bloodshed and Lies: Mohammed bin Salman’s Kingdom of Executions, has
been compiled by Reprieve and the Berlin-based European Saudi Organisation for
Human Rights. BBC News also recently highlighted its findings.
According
to the document, at least 1,243 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia
between 2010 and 2021.
The
bloodiest single-day round of executions took place on March 12 last year, when
81 individuals were given capital punishment. Nearly half of the men were from
the Kingdom’s Shia minority. Some were accused of pledging allegiance to
foreign terrorist organisations, including the self-styled Islamic State, Al
Qaeda as well as the Houthi movement of Yemen.
Earlier,
in 2016, 47 people were killed, including outspoken Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh
Nimr Baqir an-Nimr. Moreover, during the period covered, the greatest number of
foreign nationals executed by Saudi Arabia happen to be Pakistanis.
As
per families of some of the victims BBC News spoke to, they were not informed
in advance of their loved ones’ execution, while in some cases they were not
given the bodies for burial after their sentence was carried out.
According
to the Reprieve report, problems arise due to the opacity of the Saudi legal
system and lack of due process, leading to questions about the arbitrary use of
the death penalty.
The
report says that there is “a legacy of discrimination, injustice, misrepresentation
and human rights violations in Saudi Arabia’s use of the death penalty from
2010 to 2021.” Particularly problematic is the use of capital punishment
against minors, and “disproportionate” use against foreigners and women. It
adds that since 2010, at least 15 individuals have been executed for crimes
they allegedly committed when they were under 18.
The
Reprieve document also claims that a female Indonesian domestic staffer was
executed in 2011 after she hit and killed her employer in self-defence after he
tried to rape her. As she was fleeing her employer’s house after the incident,
she was gang-raped by nine men.
The
report says that out of the 490 foreign nationals executed by Saudi Arabia
during 2010-2021, Pakistanis make up the highest number, 164. Yemenis and
Syrians come in second and third, respectively. In the case of seven
Pakistanis, all the men were denied access to interpreters and a lawyer, while
they were also not granted consular assistance.
“There
is no robust mechanism within Saudi Arabia’s criminal justice system to ensure
that defendants are provided with legal representation. Some foreign nationals
may lack the financial resources to afford legal representation in their
cases,” it adds.
According
to the BBC report, in 2018 MBS had promised to “minimise” use of the death
penalty. However, Saudi Arabia appears to have done quite the opposite,
applying capital punishment to offences that do not meet the “most serious
crimes” threshold, while also apparently executing individuals for their
political views or for demanding fundamental rights. Multiple requests by the
BBC to the Saudi Human Rights Commission went unanswered.
However,
the Kingdom’s mission in London replied to queries about the report, by saying
that “As we respect their right [of other nations] to determine their own laws
and customs, we hope that others will respect our sovereign right to follow our
own judicial and legislative choices.”
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1734877/no-end-to-executions-in-saudi-arabia-report-shows
--------
Saudi
Arabia’s FM arrives in Baghdad for talks on strategic ties
02
February ,2023
Saudi
Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived on an official
visit to Iraq’s capital of Baghdad for talks on enhancing strategic ties, Al
Arabiya reported on Thursday.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UAE
envoy to UN Lana Nusseibeh named 2023 Counter-Terrorism Committee chair
02
February ,2023
Lana
Nusseibeh, the Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the UN
has been named the new chair of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee.
The
seasoned diplomat has served as the UAE Ambassador and Permanent Representative
to the UN since 2013.
She
was the Assistant Minister for Political Affairs since February 2021 and the
non-resident Ambassador of the UAE to Grenada since November 2017.
Before
her appointment as the UN envoy, Nusseibeh served with the UAE Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where she established the
ministry’s Policy Planning Department in 2009 and was its first director for
three years.
In
2017, she was awarded the UAE Prime Minister’s Government Excellence Award.
Nusseibeh
has earned a BA (Hons) in History from the University of Cambridge and an MA
with Distinction in Israeli and Jewish Diaspora Studies from the School of
Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
The
Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) was established in the aftermath of the
September 11 attacks against the US in 2001. Last year, India’s Permanent Ambassador
to United Nations Ruchira Kamboj chaired the CTC.
The
department works on a wide range of global concerns including countering the
financing of terrorism border security and arms trafficking, human rights,
countering violent extremism and terrorist narratives, and more.
Located
in a region prone to conflict, from Iran to Iraq, the UAE makes one part of the
GCC group of countries that share a long history of peace and security. It
routinely strives to combat extremist ideologies and terrorism in the form of
tackling groups including ISIS and al-Qaeda.
One
such instance is the establishment of the Sawab Centre by the UAE and the US in
March 2015, which hosts an interactive online messaging initiative to support
the efforts of the Global Coalition against Daesh in its fight against
extremism and terrorism.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince, France’s FM discuss regional, global developments
02
February ,2023
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and France’s Minister of Foreign
Affairs Catherine Colonna discussed ongoing regional and global developments in
a meeting held in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.
The
Crown Prince and French minister discussed bilateral relations between the
Kingdom and France and ways to enhance them in various fields.
The
two also reviewed the efforts both of their countries were taking to deal with
regional and international developments, the SPA report added.
The
meeting was attended by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Energy; Prince
Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs; the Minister of State,
Cabinet’s Member and National Security Advisor, Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed al-Aiban,
and the Saudi Ambassador to the Republic of France, Fahd al-Ruwaili.
France’s
Ambassador to the Kingdom Ludovic Pouille and other French officials also
attended the meeting, according to SPA.
The
French minister arrived on an official visit to the Kingdom on Wednesday and
was greeted at the King Khalid International Airport by Deputy Foreign Minister
Eng. Waleed al-Khuraiji.
Saudi
Arabia and France have long-lasting ties that date back to 1926, when the
European country first sent a consul in charge of French affairs to Riyadh.
France then established a diplomatic mission in Jeddah in 1932.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia’s foreign minister discusses strengthening relations with Iraq
February
02, 2023
DUBAI:
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, affirmed on
Thursday that economic relations with Iraq were developing significantly.
Al-Saud
made the statement during a press conference held in Iraq with the country’s
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
Hussein
said ‘security cooperation continues with Saudi Arabia’ and added they were
‘working to reduce tensions in the region.’
Al-Saud
also highlighted the depth of relations with Iraq, which he stated had
‘witnessed great momentum recently.’
“We
support the Iraqi government’s effort to enhance stability,” he said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2243546/saudi-arabia
--------
Saudi
foreign minister reviews relations with OIC chief, Cypriot and Kyrgyz
counterparts
February
02, 2023
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call
from the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,
HisseinBrahim Taha, the ministry said on Wednesday.
During
the call, they reviewed aspects of cooperation between the Kingdom and the OIC
in various fields, in addition to discussing the most prominent regional and
international developments.
Prince
Faisal also received separate calls from his Cypriot counterpart
IoannisKasoulides and his Kyrgyz counterpart ZheenbekKulubaev, the ministry
said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2243206/saudi-arabia
--------
Social
Responsibility Forum kicks off in Riyadh
HEBSHI
ALSHAMMARI
February
01, 2023
RIYADH:
The 2023 Social Responsibility Forum launched on Wednesday at Riyadh’s
InterContinental Hotel, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Representatives
from the public and private sectors, company CEOs as well as heads of local
authorities and organizations are taking part in the event.
The
support of the Kingdom’s leadership in promoting social responsibility was
lauded in a speech by Saudi Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development
Majid bin Abdul Rahim bin Salem Al-Ghanmi.
He
noted that the Saudi Council of Ministers will mark March 23 as an annual Day
of Social Responsibility in the Kingdom for the first time this year.
The
association’s CEO, Abdullah Al-Muhanna, said that the forum will also tackle
the Kingdom’s experience of social responsibility during the COVID-19 pandemic,
as well as ways to incorporate the private and nonprofit sectors in promoting
civic duties.
Saud
Al-Subaie, chairman of the association’s board of directors, stressed the
importance of bridging the gap between the public, private and nonprofit
sectors in promoting social responsibility to achieve sustainable development.
“It
is very important to achieve sustainable development in social responsibility,
rooting social work in a framework, conducting research and scientific studies,
in addition to spreading public awareness about social responsibility issues
and monitoring social responsibility experiences with the relevant
authorities,” Al-Subaie told Arab News.
“Partnerships
between active institutions in the three sectors are due to be signed in
relation to the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in the social responsibility
sector,” he added.
Al-Subaie
praised the private sector’s growing interest in its “internal and external
environment,” including the long-term strategy of Saudization.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2242996/saudi-arabia
--------
Mideast
Türkiye
concerned by 'increasing anti-Islamic rhetoric, actions in Europe',says Erdogan
2/02/2023
Growing
anti-Islamic rhetoric in Europe, especially in Scandinavian countries, is a
cause for concern for Türkiye, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.
“We
are concerned about the increasing anti-Islamic rhetoric and actions in Europe,
especially in Scandinavian countries,” Erdogan said in a televised interview in
Ankara, referring to recent attacks on Islam’s holy book the Quran in Sweden,
Denmark, and the Netherlands.
Türkiye
expects “sincere steps from Sweden in the fight against Islamophobia,” he said.
“We
expect Sweden and Finland to fully comply with their commitments in the
tripartite memorandum,” Erdogan said, referring to an agreement signed last
June between Türkiye and the two Nordic states for their NATO membership.
Terming
the memorandum of understanding a “roadmap,” he said it is essential that the
countries fulfill their promises, especially in the fight against terrorism.
Apologies
from Sweden will not fix the issues, he said, adding that the country has
become “a safe haven for terrorist organizations.”
Sweden
has not fulfilled its commitments regarding the fight against terrorism under
the memorandum, he said, adding the terrorist groups continue their activities
in Sweden.
Terror
organizations have targeted Türkiye in "the ugliest way," he said,
adding that due to recent developments, we had to postpone visits of the
Swedish Parliament Speaker and defense minister.
Recent
attacks targeting Muslims and insulting sacred values is a "hate
crime," he said, adding under the guise of freedom of expression, it is
"unacceptable to openly and publicly commit hate crimes against
Muslims."
His
statement comes after Danish-Swedish extremist Rasmus Paludan last week burned
copies of the Quran on two separate occasions, outside the Turkish Embassy in
Sweden and then in front of a mosque in Denmark.
Paludan
said he would burn the Muslim holy book every Friday until Sweden is admitted
to the NATO alliance.
Edwin
Wagensveld, a far-right Dutch politician and leader of the Islamophobic group,
Pegida, also tore out pages from a Quran in The Hague and burned the pages in a
pan. He posted an internet video of the act.
Expecting
its allies to address Türkiye's security concerns, he said: "As of the
moment, we do not favor Sweden's NATO bid. also, we evaluate Finland's
membership process differently. If Finland manages the process as it is now, we
will do our part."
Sweden
and Finland formally applied to join NATO last May, a decision spurred by
Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Under
a memorandum signed last June between Türkiye, Sweden, and Finland, the two
Nordic countries pledged to take steps against terrorists to gain membership in
the NATO alliance.
In
the agreement, Sweden and Finland agreed not to provide support to terror
groups such as the PKK and its offshoots, and the Fetullah Terrorist
Organization (FETO), and to extradite terror suspects to Türkiye, among other
steps.
-
Sending tanks not element for solution
Turning
to the Ukraine war, Erdogan said: “I cannot say that sending tanks to Ukraine
could be an element of a solution. All of this is risky and only benefits gun
barons."
He
said: "Is the sending tanks and ectara by the US and Germany to Ukraine a
solution?", asserting that he will continue talks with the leaders of
Russia and Ukraine to find a way to secure lasting peace.
So
far, the US announced it will supply 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine while Germany
will send 14 Leopard 2 tanks and authorized other countries to transfer to
Ukraine German-made tanks from their inventories.
Norway,
Slovakia, the UK, France and Poland also announced they will provide Ukraine
with armored vehicles.
Ankara
is always ready to take on the role of facilitator and mediator for lasting
peace, he said, adding we expect support from Europe and the world to call for
peace and negotiation.
He
emphasized that they are always part of the solution regarding the grain
corridor, prisoner exchange and security of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power
plant and humanitarian aid.
Negotiations
need to be supported with the declaration of a cease-fire and the vision of a
fair solution, he said.
"I
always keep my hopes for peace alive. If I had lost this hope, the grain
corridor would not have been opened, there would have been no prisoner
exchange," he said.
-
Tensions with Greece,
On
tensions with Greece, he said Türkiye “will not just stand by as Greece takes
actions that threaten its security,” vowing that Ankara “will respond both
legally and in the field.”
Greece’s
recent attitude toward Türkiye is against the spirit of good neighborly
relations and the NATO alliance, he said, adding it is neither "possible
to explain nor accept the attitude that Greece has taken toward Türkiye in the
last period."
He
reiterated that Athens is arming islands very close to Türkiye’s coasts and
major settlements in violation of international law.
“Greece's
allegations that Türkiye violates its airspace are baseless. Actually, Greece
violates our airspace and increases tensions,” he said, adding, “of course, our
air force and coast guard do not and will not leave these hostile actions
unanswered."
-
Türkiye, Russia, Syria meeting
Touching
on the latest development on ongoing operations as a part of Türkiye's fight
against terrorism, Erdogan said his country’s fight against terrorism also
contributes to the preservation of Syria's territorial integrity and unity.
Therefore, (Syria's Bashar al-Assad) regime should be aware.
The
regime should fight against "the separatist attitude of the terrorist
organizations of the PKK/YPG and the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces)," he
said.
Speaking
about the process of establishing dialogue between Türkiye and Syria, Erdogan
said: "A gradual work is being carried out in the dialogue with the Syrian
regime."
"The
attitudes of the parties will determine how the dialogue process between
Türkiye and Syria will be shaped. In any case, we take the necessary measures
to protect our national security," he said.
"Finding
a solution to the conflict by advancing the political process may constitute a
window of opportunity," he said.
The
return of the Syrians should be "voluntarily, safely, and in a dignified
manner," he said, adding that currently, approximately 500,000 refugees
have started to voluntarily return to Syria.
Although
no date or location has yet been announced, the foreign ministers of the
Türkiye, Russia and Syria are expected to meet, which would mark another high
level of talks since the Syrian civil war began in early 2011.
Source:
YeniSafak
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Palestinian
Islamic Jihad delegation heads to Egypt amid tensions
2nd
February 2023
Gaza:
A delegation of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militant group will head to
Egypt on Thursday for dialogue on defusing the escalating tensions between
Israel and Palestine, an official said.
Dawood
Shehab, a PIJ leader from Gaza, told reporters that the group’s
secretary-general Ziad Al-Nakhala, at the invitation of Egypt, will lead the
delegation to discuss the escalating violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem
with Egyptian security intelligence officials.
The
meeting comes after a series of deadly incidents in the region.
On
January 26, Israeli forces raided the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied
northern West Bank and killed nine Palestinians and wounded 16 others.
A
day later, a gunman opened fire on people near a synagogue at a Jewish
settlement in East Jerusalem, killing at least seven people.
Source:Siasat
Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/palestinian-islamic-jihad-delegation-heads-to-egypt-amid-tensions-2516659/
--------
Report:
Foreign-Backed Kurdish Groups Involved in Failed Drone Attack on Iran's
Military Facility
2023-February-1
Nour
News reported on Wednesday that the terrorists, ordered by a foreign
intelligence service, smuggled the constituent parts of a micro aerial vehicle
and explosive materials from the Kurdistan region into Iran through far-flung
and arduous routes, and handed them over to a liaison in a border city in the
Northwestern part of the country.
The
drone parts and explosives were then assembled at a modern workshop by a group
of specialists and were used in the attack, the report added.
The
Iranian Defense Ministry on Sunday announced that the country's air defense
units had thwarted a drone raid on a military workshop in Isfahan. Tehran
confirmed that the unsuccessful attack did not cause any loss of life and only
led to minor damage to the roof of a workshop.
Several
news outlets reported that Israel had launched the strike. There was initial
speculation in the Arab media that the explosions in Isfahan were the result of
a US Air Force operation. But, Pentagon Spokesperson Patrick Ryder has stated
that no American forces were involved in the strike, but declined to comment
further.
Iranian
officials would not assign blame to any party but have stressed that sabotage
acts could by no means pressure Tehran to stop its nuclear progress.
Since
late September, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched a
series of aerial operations on the headquarters of Iraqi Kurdistan-based
terrorist groups. The military operation came after the illegal entry of armed
teams linked with the Kurdish terrorist groups into the Iranian border cities
in recent months.
The
IRGC Ground Force has announced that the operations against terror bases will
continue until all anti-Iran separatist and terrorist outfits holed up in the
rugged mountainous area lay down their arms and surrender.
Iran
said diplomacy failed to put an end to the terror activities in the Kurdistan
region, and added that that military operations against terror groups based in
the region aim to defend the country’s national security.
The
Iranian Armed Forces, specially the IRGC, have repeatedly warned that they will
never tolerate the presence and activity of terrorist groups along the
Northwestern border and will give strong and decisive responses in case of
anti-security activities.
The
IRGC has on countless occasions attacked and destroyed terrorist hideouts in
the Kurdistan region with artillery fire, missiles and drones.
Source: Fars News Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran's
Military Chief Calls for Broadening of Cooperation with N. Korea
2023-February-1
Major
General Baqeri congratulated Pak Su-il on his appointment as the new General
Staff Department (GSD) of the Korean People's Army.
"Mutual
cooperation on the path of establishing regional peace and stability and
countering any disruptive measures of global security and unilateralism should
be further developed," the top commander said in his congratulatory
message.
He
also wished the government and the nation of North Korea success and glory.
Several
American officials have publicly stated that the United States is concerned
about Iran’s cooperation with North Korea and will do whatever it can to
prevent it.
But
analysts say warm relations between Iran and North Korea have showed that
decades of Washington's efforts to isolate the two states internationally have
actually pushed them closer together.
Tehran,
which has its own sad experience in dealing with Washington, has repeatedly
warned Pyongyang that the Asian country should be aware US' tendency to betray
deals when they talk about denuclearization.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
President
Rayeesi Blames US, Europe for Inciting Iran's Unrest
2023-February-1
President
Rayeesi made the remarks in a televised interview on Tuesday, calling the
foreign-backed riots and the sanctions two sides of the same coin.
He
noted how the sanctions had failed to bring production in the country to a
standstill, prevent the country from experiencing five-percent economic
progress, and creation of close to one million jobs across the nation.
"Whatever
it (the enemy) was after [stifling], has been [contrarily] realized thanks to
the nation's will and the government's intention to serve [the people],"
Iran's president continued, adding, "Therefore, it is natural that the
enemy should be angry at us."
"One
of the reasons [behind the enemy's fomenting] of the recent riots was the very
fact that it was witnessing that its sanctions have been neutralized thanks to
the efforts of our statesmen and the steadfastness of the people," the
chief executive stated.
"While
the enemies are trying to stop the country's progress, our people have resolved
to move forward," he remarked, asserting that the course of the country's
advancement would gather further momentum every day owing to the nation's
willpower and the government's determination to be at the nation's service.
The
president said the recent riots had played a role in reducing income generation
levels across the country, and, in turn, increased the dollar's exchange rate,
but assured the nation that the country's foreign exchange reserves currently
stood at a "good and reliable" level.
Protests
erupted in several cities across Iran over the death of MahsaAmini who fainted
at a police station in mid-September and days later was pronounced dead at a
hospital. The demonstrations soon turned violent.
An
official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization announced that Amini’s
controversial death was caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the
head or other vital body organs.
Iranian
officials blame Western countries for orchestrating the riots to destabilize
the country.
The
unrest has claimed the lives of dozens of people and security forces, while
also allowing acts of terror and sabotage across the country. Iran's Interior
Ministry has confirmed the enemy waged a hybrid war against the country to
weaken national solidarity and hinder the country's progress, stressing that
some 200 people lost their lives in the riots sparked by separatist and
terrorist groups.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Strongly Condemns Israel's Brutal Repression of Female Palestinian Inmates
2023-February-1
“Beating
female Palestinian inmates in Zionist Regime’s Damon Prison [is] abhorrent,”
Kana’ani tweeted late on Tuesday.
The
spokerperson also denounced the Western governments’ double standards on human
rights and women’s rights.
“Do
self-proclaimed rights defenders in Europe and US believe human rights and
women’s rights apply to Palestinian prisoners in Israel’s horrifying jails?”
the diplomat asked rhetorically.
Israeli
jail authorities assaulted Palestinian women prisoners on Tuesday morning amid
a push to enforce strict new measures against Palestinian inmates introduced by
Israel's far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The
Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli forces beat
women prisoners in Damon jail, fired tear gas at them and used pepper spray.
The
Palestinian Authority's prisoners' affairs commission announced that the Israel
Prison Service (IPS) also confiscated electronic devices and some personal
items from the prisoners in what it called "collective punishment".
The
assault on women prisoners caused anger among Palestinian detainees across all
Israeli jails. The rise in prison tensions follows a week of violence across
the occupied Palestinian territories.
More
than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in some 17 Israeli jails,
with dozens of them serving multiple life sentences.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Human
Right Chief: Iran, Iraq to Launch Joint Task Force to Deal with Terror Groups
2023-February-1
Qaribabadi
landed in Iraq's capital on Monday in order to follow up on the 2020 US terror
attack on Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and his companions.
Speaking
on results of his trip to Baghdad, the judiciary official said several
important issues were discussed during the meetings in Iraq, including speeding
up the handling of the case of the assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani.
He
emphasized that it was decided to start the process of investigation into the
case of Martyr Soleimani and his companions in the Iraqi judicial system.
The
head of the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq has assured the Iranian side that
there is a serious interest in dealing with the assassination of the top
commander in the Iraqi judicial system and he feels a heavy responsibility in
this regard, the official continued.
"There
was consultation with the Iraqi officials dealing with the terrorist groups
because both countries have suffered a lot from the actions of the terrorist groups
and MKO," Qaribabadi underscored.
He
also announced the agreement of the two countries to form a joint task force to
prosecute terrorist groups in the international courts.
The
human right chief stated that this understanding will be finalized in the next
two months at most, and then its implementation phase will begin.
"There
was an MoU about the exchange of judicial and legal experiences, management of
prisons and dealing with the problems of Iranian and Iraqi prisoners, and in
almost two months, about 30 Iranian prisoners in Iraq will be transferred to
Iran," the secretary of the High Council for Human Rights underlined.
Lieutenant
General Soleimani, Abul Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU,
and ten of their deputies were martyred by an armed drone strike that was
directly ordered by the White House as their convoy left Baghdad International
Airport on January 3, 2020.
Both
commanders were highly revered across the Middle East because of their key role
in fighting the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) Takfiri terrorist group in the region,
particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Iranian
officials have repeatedly emphasized that Tehran will certainly take revenge
from the masterminds and perpetrators of the terror attack on the anti-terror
icon. Tehran stresses Americans and Zionists rest assured that it is serious
about revenge for the assassination of Martyr Soleimani, and they continue to
live under the shadow of Iran's reprisal since they don't know when and where
they come under attack.
On
January 8, the the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted the US-run
Ein Al-Assad in Iraq’s Western province of Al-Anbar by launching a volley of
missiles in retaliation. According to the Pentagon, at least 110 American
forces suffered “traumatic brain injuries” during the counterstrike on the
base. Iran has described the missile attack as a “first slap".
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Iranian
FM Hails Mauritania for Efforts to Fight Terrorism in Africa's Sahara Region
2023-February-1
During
the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations in different fields
particularly technology, culture, economy and trade. They also discussed
regional and international developments.
The
Iranian foreign minister, meantime, appreciated efforts by the Mauritanian
president and his initiative for the purpose of establishing peace and security
and fighting terrorism in the Sahara region.
The
Mauritanian president, for his part, described ties between Iran and Mauritania
as historical and strong.
President
Ghazouani then pointed to the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in fighting
terrorism.
Putting
emphasis on Iran’s industrial, scientific and technological achievements, the
Mauritanian president also stressed the need to expand relations with Iran.
In
a relevant development last month, Amir Abdollahian and his Algerian
counterpart Ramtane Lamamra in a telephone conversation condemned the
desecration of Islam's religious sanctities, and called for a lawful and
international mechanism to stop such moves against holy sites.
During
the phone talk, Amir Abdollahian called on the international organizations to
take serious measures against the Islamophobia.
The
top Iranian diplomat made the call during a phone conversation with his
Algerian counterpart (Ramtane Lamamra) in the wake of the recent insulting
cartoons published by French magazine Charlie Hebdo and the visit by an Israeli
far-right minister to the al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Al-Quds.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Spokesman:
Iran's Judiciary to React Firmly to European Parliament's Improper Move
2023-February-1
"The
European Parliament's blacklisting of the IRGC was an improper action under the
influence of the lobbies of the MKO terrorist group," Setayeshi said.
He
pointed out that although in the eyes of Iran the action is non-binding and is
lacking legitimacy on the basis of international laws and regulations; however,
the act cannot be ignored.
"In
accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, the IRGC is an
official military force of the sacred establishment, which relies on the
popularity and support among the Iranian people. We are surprised by the
so-called flagbearers of human rights and rule of law, how they infringed the
standards of international relations and regulations," Setayeshi added.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Israeli
PM Netanyahu in Paris to press French President Macron on Iran
02
February ,2023
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold talks with French President
Emmanuel Macron Thursday, hoping to gain support against Iran’s nuclear program
but shadowed by an upsurge of violence in the region.
Israel’s
Paris embassy said the pair would discuss “the international effort to stop the
Iranian nuclear program.”
Netanyahu
hopes that Iran’s role supplying drones to Russian invaders in Ukraine as well
as the crackdown on protests at home will prompt Western allies to drop any
pursuit of a revival of the 2015 deal over its atomic drive.
The
prime minister has also said Israel is considering sending military aid to
Ukraine, apparently dropping its previously more neutral stance over the
conflict.
France
agrees that “firmness” is needed in dealings with Iran, a diplomatic source
told AFP, calling its nuclear program “dangerous” and highlighting its role in
the Ukraine war.
Tehran
also holds several foreign nationals who Western governments see as political
hostages.
But
Macron’s office said the French leader would “reiterate (to Netanyahu) the need
for all sides to avoid measures likely to feed the cycle of violence” between
Israelis and Palestinians -- while offering “France’s solidarity with Israel in
the face of terrorism.”
Netanyahu
visits as Israelis and Palestinians exchanged rockets and missiles over Gaza,
the latest violent episode as the conflict intensifies.
A
week ago, seven were killed in a mass shooting by a Palestinian at a synagogue
in annexed east Jerusalem - one day after an Israeli raid in the West Bank
killed 10 Palestinians.
No
press conference is planned around the Macron-Netanyahu dinner starting at 1900
GMT at the French president’s Elysée Palace office.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Israeli
armed drones use gravity bombs, can carry up to a tonne of munitions
02
February ,2023
Israeli
armed drones use gravity bombs that produce no noise or smoke as they fall,
making them hard for enemies to anticipate or evade, and the largest model of
the aircraft can carry up to a tonne of munitions, the military says.
After
more than two decades of secrecy, Israel in July went public with the existence
of armed drones in its arsenal. In November, an Israeli general detailed the
two corps - air force and artillery - that operate the systems in combat.
Such
drones are remote-piloted, dropping bombs or carrying out surveillance before
returning to base. They are distinct from the kamikaze drones that Iran said
were used in a weekend attack on a defense plant in Isfahan - an incident on
which Israel has declined to comment.
Briefing
Reuters, a senior Israeli military officer said the armed drone fleet includes
the passenger plane-sized Heron TP, made by state-owned Israel Aerospace
Industries Ltd, and Elbit Systems Ltd’s smaller Hermes.
The
former, the officer said, “is the heaviest drone that the IDF (Israel Defense
Forces) has, which can carry munitions, with an effective payload of around a
tonne.”
The
Israeli manufacturers do not publicize the armed capabilities of the drones,
under what industry sources have described as a defense ministry secrecy
policy.
The
officer, not identified in line with military requirements given the
sensitivity of the subject, said any sales of bomb-capable drones would be
government-to-government, negating the need for publicity.
All
the drone munitions are Israeli-made, the officer said, and “come down in
free-fall, and can reach the speed of sound.”
Such
bombs would not have propulsion systems that generate the tell-tale noise and
smoke of fuel afterburners.
The
officer declined to give further details on the munitions, saying only that, by
design, when an armed drone attacks “no one will hear it, no one will see it
coming.”
This
would assume enough altitude so that the drones’ propeller engines cannot be clearly
heard on the ground, however.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Israel
behind Isfahan drone attack, Iran’s ambassador to the UN says
02
February ,2023
Iran
blamed Israel for a drone attack on a military factory near the central city of
Isfahan, the semi-official ISNA news agency said on Thursday, vowing revenge
for what appeared to be the latest episode in a long-running covert war.
In
a letter to the UN chief, Iran’s UN envoy, Amir SaeidIravani, said primary
investigation suggested Israel was responsible for the attack on Saturday
night.
“Iran
preserves the right to give a firm response whenever and however it feels
necessary,” Iravani said in the letter, adding, “This action undertaken by
Israel goes against international law.”
The
attack came amid tension between Iran and the West over Tehran’s nuclear
activity and its supply of arms - including long-range “suicide drones” - for
Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as months of anti-government demonstrations at
home.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Global
figures urge support for protesters in Iran
01
February ,2023
Hundreds
of global figures from Nobel laureates to actors have issued a joint plea
urging “unstinting” support for Iranians protesting against their country’s
regime in defiance of a bloody crackdown.
Demonstrations
erupted in September last year over the death of MahsaAmini, 22, who had been
arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s dress code for women.
But
protests rapidly expanded into a movement calling for the ousting of the
theocratic regime that has ruled Iran since the fall of the shah in 1979.
A
statement issued Wednesday by US-based rights group Freedom House said the
protesters’ “victory would mean deliverance from a regime that denies free
elections, free speech, due process of law, and personal autonomy in matters as
simple as the choice of clothing.”
It
was signed by some 480 global figures, Freedom House said, including
Nobel-Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich, former US secretary of state
Hillary Clinton, and actor Richard Gere.
The
“end of the Islamic Republic’s system of misogyny would constitute a global
landmark in the long march toward a world in which women are treated equally,”
the statement said, adding: “They (protesters) deserve unstinting support from
freedom-loving people around the world.”
Iranians
have kept up acts of defiance in the face of a crackdown that has so far seen
four men executed over the protests and at least 14,000 people arrested,
according to the United Nations, while hundreds have been killed.
Iranian
figures who signed the statement include some of the most prominent exiles
backing the protest movement, such as US-based dissident Masih Alinejad, actor
Golshifteh Farahani who lives in France, footballer Ali Karimi, and Reza
Pahlavi, the son of the ousted shah.
The
statement urged governments to sanction all Iranian officials involved in the
repression, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and called for the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be proscribed as a terror group.
Officials
from “democratic governments should receive leaders of the opposition, in
publicly announced meetings,” it added.
Freedom
House president Michael Abramowitz said the statement “shows the remarkable
unity of a broad coalition from around the world, across the political
spectrum, and from all segments of society.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Israeli
forces kill two Palestinians during new violence
01
February ,2023
Israeli
troops shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly tried to stab a soldier in
the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, while a Palestinian teenager was shot dead
after brandishing what Israeli police said was a fake pistol during an
operation in east Jerusalem, according to Palestinian officials.
They
were the latest deaths in a surge of violence that shows no signs of slowing.
The violence comes at a time of tensions over Israel's new government, the most
right wing in Israel's history.
On
Wednesday, ultranationalist Cabinet minister Itamar Ben-Gvir promised to
continue visits to a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site, despite pleas from
neighboring Jordan that Israel maintains a delicate status quo at the site.
The
Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man killed as Aref Abdel Nasser
Lahlouh, 20. The Israeli military said the man was carrying a knife and was
shot after he attempted to attack a soldier at a military post.
Video
on social media showed a man getting out of a car, running toward soldiers
while holding an object in his right hand, and then falling to the ground.
Earlier
Wednesday, Israeli forces demolished the home of a Palestinian gunman who
allegedly killed a female Israeli soldier at an east Jerusalem checkpoint last
year. Israel says such demolitions deter future attacks, while Palestinians and
rights groups say they unfairly punish people who were not involved in
violence.
Police
said some 300 officers and troops entered the Shuafat refugee camp to demolish
the home of Uday Tamimi. Police said they opened fire on a Palestinian who they
suspected was armed and aiming at forces, but the weapon turned out to be fake.
The
Palestinian Health Ministry said 17-year-old Mohammed Ali was killed.
Footage
released by police showed the teen, his face covered and wearing a hood, among
a crowd of masked youths and aiming what appears to be a pistol. The video
shows him running off, dropping the weapon and then falling to the ground.
Wednesday’s
deaths brought to 20 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire this
year. Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed last year in the West Bank and east
Jerusalem, making it the deadliest in those areas since 2004, according to
figures by the Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Tensions
have been high for months as Israel has been conducting nightly arrest raids in
the West Bank, which were prompted by a spate of Palestinian attacks against
Israelis last spring. Some 30 people were killed in Israel by Palestinians in
2022.
Israel
says most of the Palestinians killed have been militants. But others including
stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions or people not involved in the
violence have also been killed.
After
the shooting attack last year that killed the 19-year-old soldier, the attacker
fled, sparking a weeklong manhunt and tight restrictions around Shuafat. As
part of the search, Israeli security forces choked off the camp’s entry and
exit points, bringing life to a standstill for its estimated 60,000 residents.
Tamimi
was eventually killed after opening fire at security guards at the entrance to
a West Bank settlement near Jerusalem.
Ben-Gvir,
an ultranationalist who oversees the police as Israel's new national security
minister, welcomed Wednesday's demolition.
“This
step is very important, but not enough at all. We must destroy all terrorists'
homes and deport the terrorists themselves from the country,” he said.
He
also said Wednesday he would continue visits to a sensitive sacred compound a
day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordanian King Abdullah II met
and discussed the political sensitivities at the site, which Muslims call the
Noble Sanctuary and Jews call the Temple Mount.
“I
manage my own policy concerning the Temple Mount, not that of the Jordanian
government,” Ben-Gvir told Israeli public broadcaster Kan. “I went up to the
Temple Mount, I will continue to go up to the Temple Mount.”
Days
after taking office, Ben-Gvir made a visit to the site, drawing condemnations
from Jordan and across the Arab world. The visit was seen as a provocation, due
to Ben-Gvir's past calls to change longstanding arrangements at the site.
Under
an arrangement that has prevailed for decades under Jordan’s custodianship,
Jews are permitted visits during certain hours but may not pray there. But
Jewish religious nationalists, including Ben-Gvir, have increasingly visited
the site and demanded equal prayer rights for Jews there. The Palestinians fear
this is a step toward taking over the site.
The
site, the emotional heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has frequently
been the scene of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police. It is home
to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam. Jews call it the Temple
Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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France
seizes Iran assault rifles, missiles heading to Yemen
February
02, 2023
YEMEN:
French naval forces seized thousands of assault rifles, machine guns and
anti-tank missiles earlier this month in the Gulf of Oman coming from Iran
heading to Yemen’s Houthi militia, officials said Thursday, the latest such
interdiction amid the Mideast nation’s long-running war.
While
Iran did not immediately acknowledge the seizure, images of the weapons
released by the US military’s Central Command showed them to be similar to
others captured by American forces in other shipments tied back to Tehran.
The
announcement comes as Iran faces increasing Western pressure over its shipment
of drones to arm Russia during its war on Ukraine, as well as for its violent
monthslong crackdown targeting protesters. Regional tensions also have
heightened after a suspected Israeli drone attack on a military workshop in the
central Iranian city of Isfahan. Previous cycles of violence since the collapse
of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers have seen the Islamic Republic launch
retaliatory attacks at sea.
The
seizure occurred Jan. 15 in the Gulf of Oman, a body of water that stretches
from the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, through to the
Arabian Sea and onto the Indian Ocean. US Central Command described the
interdiction as happening “along routes historically used to traffic weapons
unlawfully from Iran to Yemen.”
A
United Nations resolution bans arms transfers to Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi
militia, who took the country’s capital in late 2014 and have been at war with
a Saudi-led coalition backing the country's internationally recognized
government since March 2015.
The
Wall Street Journal first reported on the seizure, identifying the forces
involved as elite French special forces. A regional official with knowledge of
the interdiction, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity
due to not having permission to speak publicly on the operation’s details,
similarly identified the French as carrying out the seizure.
The
French military did not respond to requests for comment about capturing the
weapons. US Central Command did not immediately respond to questions about the
seizure, nor did Iran’s mission to the United Nations. While France maintains a
naval base in Abu Dhabi, it typically takes a quieter approach in the region
while maintaining a diplomatic presence in Iran.
Iran
long has denied arming the Houthis, though Western nations, UN experts and
others have traced weaponry ranging from night-vision scopes, rifles and
missiles back to Tehran. In November, the US Navy said it found 70 tons of a
missile fuel component hidden among bags of fertilizer aboard a ship bound to
Yemen from Iran. Houthi ballistic missile fire has targeted Saudi Arabia and
the United Arab Emirates in the past.
Images
taken Wednesday by US Central Command, analyzed by the AP, showed a variety of
weapons on board an unidentified ship apparently docked at a port. The weapons
appeared to include Chinese-made Type 56 rifles, Russian-made Molot AKS20Us and
PKM-pattern machine guns. All have appeared in other seizures of weapons
attributed to Iran.
Source:
Arab News
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2243436/middle-east
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