PoK Integral Part of India, All Muslims and Hindus Living There Are Indians: Union Home Minister

New Age Islam News Bureau

27 March 2024

  

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the main goal of Narendra Modi government is to 'liberate' Kashmir from the 'claws of dynastic politics'.

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·         PoK Integral Part of India, All Muslims and Hindus Living There Are Indians: Union Home Minister

·         Russian Official Awards Muslim Teen Who Helped Save Over 100 People During Concert Hall Attack

·         Moscow Terror Attack Is Reminder That Daesh/ISIS 'Remains A Real Threat': Blinken

·         Indonesian Horror Movie 'Kiblat' Considered Affront to Islam; Indonesian Ulema Council Criticises

·         Military Officials To Be Held Responsible For Any Harm To Imran Khan: Bushra Bibi

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India

·         BJP respects minorities and welcomes Muslim leaders, says party candidate from Kerala

·         There Will Be No Hindus In Cong After 2026, No Muslims By 2032: Himanta

·         Indian Student At The London School Of Economics Alleges Harassment In UK: 'Called Islamophobe For Supporting BJP'

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Europe

·         Moscow Claims Washington Supports Daesh, Al-Qaeda

·         Italian School Stands Behind Decision To Give Muslim Students Day Off For Holiday, Despite Criticism, Threats

·         Spain detains man with suspected Islamic State links for promoting terror online

·         Daesh poses greatest security threat to Germany, interior minister says

·         Zelensky Hosts Joint Iftar and Honours Ukrainian Muslim Warriors

·         Moscow Concert Hall Attack: Vladimir Putin Admits ‘Islamist Hawks’ Carried Out Raid

·         Spain contributes one million euros, Russia donates one million dollars to Afghanistan

·         Russia says UN resolution on Gaza binding for all sides

·         Russian lawmakers discuss lifting moratorium on death penalty after concert hall attack

·         Iftar time during holy month of Ramadan heralded with fireworks in Kosovo’s city of Prizren

·         Brothers in Sweden join anti-Israel boycott with Palestine Cola

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North America

·         Maryland Imam Renounces Participation In ‘Interfaith Iftar’ With Israeli Embassy

·         CAIR-LA Thanks LA County Supervisor for Statement Urging Congressional Delegation To Call for a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza

·         CAIR to Release New Civil Rights Report Revealing Worst Wave of Anti-Muslim Hate Recorded in Group’s 30-Year History

·         Colombia Threatens To Sever Ties With Israel If Gaza Ceasefire Not Implemented

·         Attack On Rafah ‘Not The Way’ To Defeat Hamas, US Envoy Tells UN Security Council

·         Any operation into Rafah 'must account' for more than 1 million people: Pentagon

·         US State Department says Rafah operation will hurt Israeli national security

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Southeast Asia

·         Thai Parliament Passes Same-Sex Marriage Bill

·         China Urges Israel To Comply With UNSC Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

·         Singapore made Israeli embassy remove ‘inappropriate’ Palestine social media post

·         Hope Gaza ceasefire resolution will be implemented fully: Minister

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Pakistan

·         Most Copies Of Cipher Returned After FIR Against Imran, Qureshi

·         Imran calls for judicial inquiry into May 9, again

·         IHC Judges Detail ‘Brazen Meddling’ In Letter To Supreme Judicial Council

·         Seven PTI, JI men move Karachi poll tribunals against Muttahida’s victory

·         PTI to hold big power show in KP for Imran’s release: Gohar

·         Pakistan, Afghanistan vow to resolve trade, transit issues

·         Imran demands inquiry into Donald Lu’s statement

·         Pakistan ‘mapping’ resident Afghans before eviction push

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Arab World

·         Saudi Arabia Condemns Israel’s Seizing Of 800 Hectares Of Palestinian Land

·         Yemeni army says hit 6 ships in 72 hours in Gulf of Aden, Red Sea

·         Saudi Arabia introduces Madarik program to aid development of nation’s space industry

·         Saudi residents find comfort in spiritual aspect of Ramadan

·         Saudi mission in US hosts Indiana University students for cultural exchange

·         Saudi Arabia has Seen Three Years of Consecutive Private Equity Investment Growth, Closing 2023 with $4Bn Worth of Transactions

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South Asia

·         BNP Playing Anti-Independence Role Even After Five Decades: Quader

·         'Where is democracy?' asks BNP leader Moyeen Khan

·         Mujahid: 24 Islamic Emirate Officials on UN Blacklist

·         Half of Afghanistan’s population faces mental distress amid low quality of life

·         Educational Opportunities Provided for Dozens of Prisoners in Herat Prison

·         Independence Day: India congratulates Bangladesh, its people

·         PM greets freedom fighters on Independence Day

·         Muttaqi meets with Pakistan’s deputy minister of commerce

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Mideast

·         UNICEF says cease-fire in Gaza must be 'substantive' to end 'darkest chapters' of humanity

·         Resilience of Gaza's people upholds dignity of Islam: Leader

·         UNRWA says it has enough money to last until May after some nations resume funding

·         'Everyone is hungry': Desperate Gazans fight for food after airdrop deaths

·         Lebanon’s Hezbollah says it launched dozens of rockets after Israeli strikes

·         Intense Israeli bombardment hits southern Gaza, calls for more aid grow

·         Jordanian anti-riot police use batons to push back protesters near Israeli embassy

·         Islamic Resistance in Iraq hit Israeli air base, military site with drones

·         Leader hails Palestinians resistance against Israeli crimes

·         Sharjah mosques beacons for Quranic learning during Ramadan

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Africa

·         South African Delegation: Gov’t Stance On Israel Is Not That Of Citizens

·         Prominent Imam Killed, Others Kidnapped In Zamfara Fresh Bandits Attack

·         100,000 Nigerian refugees return from Niger in seven years – Zulum

·         Foundation laments plight of Plateau IDPs, donates relief materials

·         Oyo Muslim Community Holds Special Prayer over Economic Hardship, Insecurity in Nigeria

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:    https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pok-muslims-hindus/d/132018

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PoK Integral Part of India, All Muslims and Hindus Living There Are Indians: Union Home Minister

 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the main goal of Narendra Modi government is to 'liberate' Kashmir from the 'claws of dynastic politics'.

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MARCH 26, 2024

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday emphasised that both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the entire Parliament firmly believe that Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) is an integral part of India, asserting that both Muslims and Hindus living there are Indians.

During an interview with the JK Media Group, Amit Shah stated, “The Muslims and Hindus brothers living in POK are Indians, and the land, which has been illegally occupied by Pakistan, belongs to India. It is the goal of every Indian, every Kashmiri to get it back.”

The Union Minister also urged the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to steer clear of Pakistan’s conspiracies.

“Today Pakistan is shrouded by the scourge of hunger and poverty and even people there see Kashmir as heaven. I want to tell everyone that if anyone can save Kashmir, he is Prime Minister Modi,” he said.

PEOPLE MISLED ON ARTICLE 370

While speaking on the government’s decision to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Shah highlighted that the people in the Valley were misled with misinformation regarding the abrogation.

“It was always said that once Article 370 is abrogated, the culture, language and existence of Kashmiriyat will be threatened. It is now five years after the abrogation but nothing such has happened. Kashmiris are free today, the importance of the Kashmiri language, and food culture have enhanced and tourists are flocking to the tourist spots of Kashmir,” the minister said.

During the interview, Shah addressed several myths surrounding Article 370, including claims that lakhs of people would move to Kashmir, ‘threatening the very existence of Kashmiriyat’. He stated that such myth has been debunked.

“Under the shadows of Article 370, a separatist ideology was shaped and the youths of Jammu and Kashmir were dragged into terrorism. Pakistan misused this situation and in the last 4 decades, more than 40,000 youths lost their lives,” Shah remarked.

The Home Minister highlighted that Jammu and Kashmir is now progressing. “Terrorism is on the decline, and incidents of stone-pelting have completely stopped. An anti-corruption bureau has been established to curb corruption, ensuring that public funds reach the intended recipients,” he added.

CENTRE ‘PLANNING’ TO REVOKE AFSPA

Regarding the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, Shah also disclosed the central government’s plan to consider revoking the act in Jammu and Kashmir, indicating that the Centre intends to withdraw troops from the Union Territory (UT) and entrust law and order responsibilities solely to the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

“We have plans to pull back troops and leave law and order to the Jammu and Kashmir Police alone. Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir police was not trusted but today they are leading the operations,” he stated.

Source: news18.com

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https://www.news18.com/india/pok-integral-part-of-india-all-muslims-and-hindus-living-there-are-indians-amit-shah-8829106.html

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Russian Official Awards Muslim Teen Who Helped Save Over 100 People During Concert Hall Attack

 

15-year-old cloakroom attendant Islam Khalilov has been talking about how he helped to get dozens of people to safety during the theatre attack near Moscow

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Elena Teslova

27.03.2024

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Children's Rights Ombudswoman Maria Lvova-Belova presented an award Tuesday to a 15-year-old Muslim boy who saved over 100 people during last week’s shooting at a concert hall in the Moscow region.

Lvova-Belova arrived at the school where Islam Khalilov studies and in a solemn atmosphere presented him with a diploma "for dedication, courage and personal bravery."

The teenager worked part-time at the Crocus City Hall concert venue as a cloakroom attendant and was on duty when the shooting occurred.

The boy saw people panicking, being unable to understand where to go and what to do to save their lives and took the lead. He loudly announced that he was an employee, that he knew where the exists were, and pointed out the way.

Khalilov wanted to make sure that no one was left behind even though he was in mortal danger.

Speaking at the ceremony, he attributed his action to the way he was brought up.

"Dad has always said that if you can help in any way, always help people," he said.

The teenager also said that many people have been writing to him on social media, thanking him for saving the lives of their relatives.

"This is amazing how children who needed to be saved themselves were helping people," Lvova-Belova said.

At least 139 people were killed and more than 180 injured on March 22 when gunmen opened fire at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast.

The Investigative Committee said it detained 11 people, including four perpetrators, in the border region of Bryansk, who were on their way to Ukraine.

Moscow's Basmanny District Court charged the four perpetrators late Sunday with terrorism and approved their pre-trial detentions until May 22.

Source: aa.com.tr

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Moscow Terror Attack Is Reminder That Daesh/ISIS 'Remains A Real Threat': Blinken

 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

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Iclal Turan

27.03.2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that last week's terrorist attack in Moscow is a reminder that Daesh/ISIS “remains a real threat.”

“And despite the very good work that we’ve done over the years in dealing with that threat and mitigating it significantly, we’re reminded by the horrific attack outside of Moscow just a few days ago that ISIS remains a potentially potent force and one that we have to continue to deal with,” Blinken said before his meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein at the State Department.

“We mourn the loss of so many innocent lives, people going to a concert outside of Moscow. This is a very unfortunate reminder that we have to continue to deal with ISIS and make sure that it doesn’t revive and regenerate,” he added.

At least 139 people were killed and more than 180 injured on March 22 when gunmen opened fire at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said it detained 11 people, including four perpetrators, in the border region of Bryansk, who were on their way to Ukraine.

Moscow's Basmanny District Court charged the four perpetrators late Sunday with terrorism and approved their pre-trial detentions until May 22.

Hussein said Iraq also suffers from Daesh/ISIS, adding: “This means that ISIS is still a threat for peace in the Middle East but also for security and peace somewhere else.”

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement after the meeting that the two discussed cooperation on security and economic, political and diplomatic issues under the US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.

Blinken and Hussein also previewed an upcoming meeting of the US-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on April 15.

“Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Higher Military Commission process, which will enable the transition to a durable bilateral security partnership between Iraq and the United States and help to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS,” Miller said.

Hussein also met with Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker at the Pentagon.

According to the Pentagon readout, Baker expressed “appreciation for collective efforts to safeguard Iraqi, U.S. and Coalition Forces — reinforcing that attacks by Iran-aligned militia groups threaten the effectiveness of counterterrorism efforts, provide ISIS greater space to operate, and place innocent civilians at risk.”

The top Iraqi diplomat arrived in Washington on Friday to meet with US officials amid talks regarding the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.

Hussein told Anadolu during an interview on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum earlier this month that the talks between Baghdad and Washington regarding the withdrawal of American troops from Iraqi soil continue.

Noting that the US troops were invited by the Iraqi government to fight against Daesh/ISIS, he added that the team participating in the talks will submit a report to Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Sudani soon.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced in late January that the US and Iraq will begin talks on a potential end to the US-led anti-Daesh/ISIS coalition's presence in Iraq.

Washington and Baghdad agreed last summer to the formation of the US-Iraq Higher Military Commission (HMC) and the defense chief said the looming commencement of the process "reflects the deep U.S. commitment to regional stability and Iraqi sovereignty."

Roughly 2,500 American troops remain in Iraq on a train and assist mission for Iraqi forces following the December 2021 announcement of the end of major combat operations in the effort to defeat the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

Source: aa.com.tr

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/moscow-terror-attack-is-reminder-that-daesh-isis-remains-a-real-threat-blinken/3175847

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Indonesian Horror Movie 'Kiblat' Considered Affront to Islam; Indonesian Ulema Council Criticises

 

The promotional poster for the horror movie "Kiblat".

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 March 27, 2024

BeritaSatu

Jakarta. The not-yet-released horror movie “Kiblat” has sparked outrage in Muslim-majority Indonesia, even drawing criticisms from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).

“Kiblat” is the Indonesian word for “Qibla”-- the direction towards the Kaaba in Mecca. Muslims perform their prayers in this direction. A poster of the movie shows a woman performing the prayer but with her body bent to the back instead of the qibla, thus going against Islamic teachings. The movie is set for a 2024 release, although the exact date is still yet to be announced.

Cholil Nafis, who chairs Da’wah at MUI, recently called the movie a "black campaign" against Islam.

“[Movies] often use sensitive and controversial promotional content to get people’s attention and many viewers. But if [the movie] offends one’s religion, then we usually shouldn’t watch it. Oftentimes, businessmen play with these religious reactions to reap materialistic benefits. We cannot let this be. We must fight this,” Cholil recently posted on his Instagram.

Cholil admitted that he had not seen the movie, although he argued that if it really offended Islam, “the movie must not be released and is a black campaign against religious teachings.”

Asrorun Niam Sholeh, the chair for fatwa at MUI, said that any religious terms must not be taken out of context or away from their true meaning. The MUI is mulling to issue a fatwa on this matter, although an internal discussion has not taken place.

“We will issue a fatwa once we have a thorough analysis and enough data,” Niam said.

Source: jakartaglobe.id

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https://jakartaglobe.id/lifestyle/indonesian-horror-movie-kiblat-considered-affront-to-islam

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Military Officials To Be Held Responsible For Any Harm To Imran Khan: Bushra Bibi

 

Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi

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 2024-03-27

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi on Tuesday named top military officials to be held responsible if something bad happened to her jailed husband.

Talking to the media informally in Adiala jail after hearing of the Al Qadir Trust case, she said that she wants to make it clear that her husband is completely fit mentally and physically.

She added that if something bad happened to Imran Khan then the top three military officials would be responsible. “I’m requesting them to take care of Imran Khan, otherwise, people would not spare them if something bad happened to him,” she warned.

Imran Khan also told the media on the occasion that a judicial commission should be constituted for the investigation of the May 9 incidents. So far, no inquiry has been conducted concerning the May 9 incidents, he said, adding that Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa must hear the PTI’s petition regarding May 9 and also order the recovery of CCTV footages regarding May 9. “Those who stole the CCTV footages are responsible for May 9”, he said.

He said that President Zardari and senate elections held in the wake of rigged elections have no legal status.

Khan further said that we have nominated Omar Ayub as the opposition leader and Sher Afzal Marwat as chairman Public Accounts Committee and it is up to the speaker National Assembly to issue the notification.

About Rana Sanaullah's remarks against him, he said he would like to say that this is what mafias do.

Earlier, the Accountability Court Judge, Nasir Javed Rana, while hearing of £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) scam commonly known as the Al-Qadir Trust case, completed recording statements of 10 witnesses.

During the hearing, the defence counsel completed the cross-examination of prosecution witness Jameel Ahmed.

The court adjourned the hearing of the case till April 2.

Source: brecorder.com

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India

 

BJP respects minorities and welcomes Muslim leaders, says party candidate from Kerala

Mar 27, 2024

Malappuram (Kerala) Despite catching nationwide attention following the denial of permission to accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an open jeep during the election campaign roadshow in Kerala’s Palakkad two days ago, the BJP’s lone Muslim face so far in the fray said he continues to be a hardcore believer in the teachings of Prophet Muhammad but places patriotism and national interests above all religious preferences.

In an exclusive interaction with Hindustan Times at his constituency Malappuram, which is otherwise a traditional citadel of Congress alliance partner Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), academic turned politician M Abdul Salam said Muslim politicians in the country must end their existing practice of finding the BJP and Narendra Modi as their enemies and acting as a `walkout opposition’ in the parliament.

The 71-year-old agronomist, who has over 70 international research papers to his credit and is one of the most controversial vice-chancellors of Kerala’s prestigious Calicut University, Salam, claimed he was not disheartened by the SPG’s refusal to accommodate Modi in the open jeep, as reported by a section of the media.

“Before the beginning of the roadshow, I met the prime minister, and he offered me good luck. I took a selfie with him as well. I reached Palakkad only to invite him to campaign in my Malappuram constituency, and the prime minister has yet to accept or reject that invitation,” he said.

When asked why a former vice chancellor chosen by the IUML to lead one of the universities with high Muslim stakes chose to prefer a Hindutva party later, Salam claimed the BJP was never a Hindutva or communal party, and he wishes to call it a collective of nationalists who place all of their other priorities below the patriotic goals.

“I have no personal animosity with Congress, IUML, or CPI (M). My question is why they are not placing national interests first. Religion and faith are important but should not be placed above the country. To me, the country is the top priority. So I found Modi’s dedication to the country and its overall growth to be matchless,” he said.

“What are the Congress and CPI (M) pursuing in Kerala other than simply appeasing fanatic Muslim leaders? All 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala will go to the polls on April 26, a Friday. Kerala’s ruling and opposition parties are now requesting the Election Commission of India (ECI) to reschedule the polling date in the state as it coincides with a Friday, a significant day for the Muslim faith. If the country is the priority, any Muslim can vote on that day before or after prayers at the mosque. If this is the mentality, how would the community achieve progress and its youngsters occupy top slots?” he asked.

He said the adamant attitude of Muslim Orthodoxy towards trivial matters makes things complex for the community in the country.

“I feel honoured as the lone Muslim face so far among the BJP candidates at the national level. But it is also a limitation. The BJP respects minorities and welcomes Muslim leaders. But why are they not ready to join the party and help Modiji achieve his vision for the country? As an educated Muslim, I found it my duty to join Modi in this mission to make India a world power. Muslim leaders must not be puppets at the hands of those elements that are jealous of India’s growth,” he said.

“It’s true that IUML, which handled the education portfolio of the Ommen Chandy-led Congress government, made me the vice-chancellor. But it was not a concession to an unqualified person on religious grounds. If they had chosen me, I would have performed better than their expectations. But they must not anticipate that I would be a prisoner of them for my whole life. I started watching Modi and his unique abilities even while being the vice chancellor. As a researcher with a clinical perspective, I used my methodology to follow Modi, and I found him the answer to the larger questions India faced,” he said.

He said the BJP is not communal, and it would be happy to accommodate even IUML, the largest minority party in India, in the NDA if it approves Modi’s leadership and shares his national vision.

“Goa governor and former BJP Kerala unit president P. S. Sreedharan Pillai brought me to the BJP in 2019 and chose me as the party candidate in the state assembly election in 2019 at Tirur in Malappuram. Though I lost to IUML’s Kurukkoli Moideen and managed hardly 5.33 percent of the votes, the party has now deputed me to contest the Lok Sabha election. I never canvassed for the seat and learned only about my candidature through television news. That is the kind of preference and quality prevailing in the BJP. Even if I lose this election, I will not demand anything from the party. Instead, I will work as a disciplined functionary at the grassroots level,” he said.

When asked about Ayodhya and Babri Masjid, he said Muslims are not attaching so much importance to any geographical locality other than Mecca, and they can worship at any place by shifting mosques to convenient localities.

He said the Gyanvapi and other contentious issues can be easily solved if Muslim clergy shift the disputed mosques to more spacious and convenient locations identified by fellow Hindus.

He claimed that the protests against CAA in Kerala are false and that the law would not affect any Indian Muslims.

“We, the Muslims, must evolve as a constructive force, taking a bold position against terrorism and obscurantism. Those who chopped off the hands and heads must be singled out and handed over to the investigating agencies. The priority must be overall growth,” he said.

Salam said he has high faith in the Muslim women voters of Malappuram who are clad in `black burqa’ and are continuously victimised by triple talaq.

“They may be silent and unorganised. But they would vote for me en masse as a mark of solidarity to Modi, who improved their positions,” he said.

When reminded about the controversial days at Calicut University, including the infamous board outside his chamber preventing women’s entry to meet him, Salam said he had never been against women. “That time, the CPI (M) student wing of SFI was creating enormous hurdles for me. There were police and intelligence reports of the possible implicating of me in sexual harassment cases. So I installed a board just saying that women who wish to meet me must not come alone to the chamber; if they are alone, they must seek accompaniment from a senior lady staff in my office. I had even created a special facility outside my office to address requests from women who wished to meet me,” he said.

When asked about his controversial decisions, including the bid to sell off varsity land and to admit students for degree courses without a plus-two qualification, Salam said all those were the propaganda of the CPI (M) cyber goons.

“They registered 19 cases against me with police and anti-corruption embellishments. Please verify the present position of all those cases. In many cases, the investigators failed to charge me in the absence of any evidence. The courts absolved me of the need for evidence in the rest of the cases. They brutally chased me and levelled heinous allegations against me for attempting to make the university the best in the country,” he claimed.

Asked why even Congress and IUML, which appointed him to the post, turned his enemies by the end of his tenure, Salam said that in his tenure between 2011 and 2015, he attempted to end political interference and collective bargaining by employee unions.

“Such actions irritated both the UDF and the LDF,” he said.

Salam said the Malappuram district was constituted 65 years ago as the lone Muslim-majority district of the South. Still, it remains backward by unquestioningly supporting the Congress and IUML.

He claimed that only the BJP could ensure a new breath of life for Malappuram.

A native of Chadayamangalam in the Southern Kollam district, resides in Thiruvananthapuram.

Before retiring as vice chancellor of Calicut University, he was the head of the regional research station of Kerala Agriculture University at Vellayani in Thiruvananthapuram. In Malappuram, he is fighting IUML veteran E T Muhammed Basheer, who represented the nearby Ponanni Lok Sabha constituency in the outgoing Lok Sabha, and V Vaseef, the young leader of the CPI (M) youth wing DYFI.

Source: hindustantimes.com

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https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bjp-respects-minorities-and-welcomes-muslim-leaders-says-party-candidate-101711481770017.html

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There Will Be No Hindus In Cong After 2026, No Muslims By 2032: Himanta

 March 27, 2024

In controversial remarks, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said there will be no Hindus in the Congress after 2026, and no Muslims by 2032.

Amidst the ongoing nomination process for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, Sarma accompanied Sarbananda Sonowal for filing the latter’s nomination from Dibrugarh seat on Tuesday.

Speaking to the press, Sarma highlighted the significant number of defections from the Congress to the BJP, indicating a trend of party members switching sides.

He remarked, “The steady flow of individuals from the Congress to the BJP suggests that there will soon be plenty of vacant seats in the Rajiv Bhawan, but few candidates to occupy them. Such is the current political landscape in Assam.”

Sarma’s statements come amidst escalating political tensions with the chief minister hinting at a more assertive approach, suggesting that “this trend will escalate further when Narendra Modi assumes office as the prime minister again”.

“The Congress will gradually diminish and eventually disappear by 2032,” he added.

Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats, and this is the first election being held in the state after last year’s delimitation exercise which witnessed large scale redrawing of boundaries of both assembly and parliamentary seats.

Polling in Assam will be held on April 19, April 26 and May 7.

Source: thestatesman.com

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https://www.thestatesman.com/india/there-will-be-no-hindus-in-cong-after-2026-no-muslims-by-2032-himanta-1503284133.html

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Indian Student At The London School Of Economics Alleges Harassment In UK: 'Called Islamophobe For Supporting BJP'

Mar 27, 2024

Satyam Surana, an Indian student at the London School of Economics (LSE), has alleged he was targeted and called a 'fascist' while campaigning for this year's student union elections.

Satyam was in the news last year when he defiantly picked up a Tricolour off the ground during an attack on the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom by Khalistani elements.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Pune-born Satyam alleged a campaign was initiated against him hours before the voting for the student union elections began. He also alleged that his opponents associated him with the BJP, and labelled him a 'fascist' to boycott him.

Elaborating on the sequence of events, Satyam said the elections at the London School of Economics were announced in February and early March this year, after which he filed his nomination for the post of general secretary.

From March 14 to 15, we noticed that my posters were being ripped off, and torn. We complained to the authorities. After we replaced our posters, on the 16th, we saw that some posters were defaced. There were crosses on my face, it was written 'anyone but Satyam'. I was cancelled out," Satyam said.

"On the 17th afternoon, there were messages in all groups of LSE, claiming, 'This Satyam Surana is a BJP supporter, he is a fascist person, an Islamophobe, transphobe.' The messages were so seditious and contentious of the Indian government and the current establishment," the student said.

Satyam alleged that the radical elements also screenshotted his posts on X, where he had merely praised the BJP government, but his posts were used with a malicious agenda to call him a "fascist."

Speaking about his manifesto for the student union elections, Satyam said it spoke of addressing the genuine issues on campus.

"With my entire team, I went through the entire campus. We were reaching out across departments and explaining our policies. I had a very well-written and well-drafted manifesto, which was not at all political. It said how things need improvement at LSE, how there is a need for a grievance redressal portal, and to have subsidised food on campus. We were getting support and people were saying that they would vote for me," Satyam said.

The student also said his photo with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (clicked when he was invited by Fadnavis during his India visit) was used to associate him with the BJP.

"I was called a Neo-Nazi supporter, Right Wing, outside of campus. See, when the message heading was circulated as the right wing outside of campus, it is very clear that the campaign was dictated and planned by the left wing," he said.

Satyam also claimed those who targeted him were the ones who could not digest the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thus resorting to such false and malicious propaganda.

"The people of the international community are not aware of what is going on in India. Every international person looks up to India and the current Prime Minister as a stalwart, legendary politician. Our Prime Minister has the highest approval rating in the entire world, we have shown what we can do during Covid, and we are emerging as the third-largest economy. But, sadly, these groups who can't digest this fact are spreading not misinformation, but disinformation," Satyam said.

THE RESULT

Satyam said he could not go past the finish line despite gathering enough support in the initial phase of his campaigning.

He further said that the campaign left a huge impact on him and his life at the campus, even after the elections were over.

However, he also acknowledged the support he received from those who stood by him.

Recalling last year's attack on the Indian High Commission in London, Satyam said, "Somewhere around early October, I was in the news because I picked up the national flag outside the Indian High Commission among the Khalistani protestors."

He further said that he was targeted for referring to Khalistanis as 'terrorists' in one of his posts.

Source: indiatoday.in

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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/satyam-surana-indian-student-claims-harassment-london-school-of-economics-2519776-2024-03-27

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Europe

 

Moscow Claims Washington Supports Daesh, Al-Qaeda

 Mitra Majeedy

March 26, 2024

Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an article for Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper said that Daesh has targeted opponents of the United States, including the "Taliban," in recent years.

In the article, Maria Zakharova accused the United States of supporting Al-Qaeda and Daesh.

"Oddly enough, ISIS has adjusted its plans in recent years and now attacks mostly enemies of the US, such as the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Iranians, the legitimate authorities in Syria, and Russia," she told Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, also made accusations against the US the day before, regarding support for Daesh.

The Islamic Emirate said that Daesh emerged during the presence of the United States in Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, does not consider Daesh a threat to Afghanistan and says that Western countries exaggerate Daesh in Afghanistan for their specific goals.

“Daesh was one of the phenomena that grew and emerged under the American occupation in Afghanistan and created problems for the Afghan people, against whom the Islamic Emirate fought after coming to power,” he said.

“They were supposed to work for the interests of the United States, which they were unable to do properly, and I think that against Daesh, there should be a comprehensive and universal fight by the international community and all countries because it is an inappropriate phenomenon,” said Samim Shamsi, a political analyst.

Previously, the New York Times also claimed in a report that  Daesh’s Khorasan branch in Afghanistan is targeting the embassies of Iran, China, and India in Kabul; a claim that was dismissed as baseless by the Islamic Emirate.

Source: tolonews.com

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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-188005

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Italian school stands behind decision to give Muslim students day off for holiday, despite criticism, threats

Burak Bir

26.03.2024

Despite criticism and threats, a school in northern Italy is standing behind its decision to close for a day so its many Muslim students can mark the religious holiday Eid Al-Fitr, local media reported on Tuesday.

Earlier, the Iqbal Masih School in Pioltello, near Milan, drew criticism and even far-right threats after it decided to close to mark the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, as its student body is 40% Muslim.

The Lombardy regional school office last week said the decision was irregular and urged it to rethink the move, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Many Italian politicians also criticized the move, including Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who branded it "unacceptable."

The school on Tuesday said that it will stick with the decision and called for "respect for a choice that came spontaneously from within us, on the basis of reasons that we believe to be consistent with the right to education and with the Italian Constitution."

Source: aa.com.tr

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/italian-school-stands-behind-decision-to-give-muslim-students-day-off-for-holiday-despite-criticism-threats/3175709

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Spain detains man with suspected Islamic State links for promoting terror online

26 March 2024

MADRID — Spanish police said Tuesday they had arrested a man on suspicion of carrying out “intensive efforts to encourage terrorism” and who had extensive ties with an international network of jihadists.

The suspect was arrested in Barcelona on suspicion of links to the Islamic State group, with a Guardia Civil police statement saying he had “extensive connections” with other group members in Asia, Europe and North America.

Police began investigating him last year after noticing he was “using encrypted instant messaging platforms to express support for IS” and engaging in an “intense propaganda effort to encourage terrorism.”

Through his online profiles, he spread and translated “a great deal of jihadist content about terrorist activities in different contexts and about materials for making explosives,” it said.

The suspect followed “strict security measures” in all his communications, using “tools that let him operate anonymously” online, and was in touch with other jihadist sympathizers abroad to “offer training and instruction in terrorism.”

Investigators also found he was using cryptocurrencies, saying they “did not rule out his involvement in funding terror activities.”

The suspect was brought before a Spanish court on March 19 and remanded in custody, with police in Canada and Sweden also arresting several of his contacts, the statement said.

“Propaganda efforts by terrorist groups using the internet and social media are key to keeping up the terror pressure in the West,” it said, referring to online propaganda as “one of the main strengths of different jihadist organizations.”

The police operation was carried out with the collaboration of Spain’s CNI intelligence agency, Sweden’s SAPO intelligence service, France’s domestic intelligence agency DGSI and the European policing agency EUROPOL.

Source: timesofisrael.com

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https://www.timesofisrael.com/spain-detains-man-with-suspected-islamic-state-links-for-promoting-terror-online/

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Daesh poses greatest security threat to Germany, interior minister says

March 26, 2024

BERLIN: The Daesh branch known as Daesh-Khorasan, which US intelligence says appears responsible for the mass shooting attack near Moscow, poses the greatest Islamist threat to security in Germany, its interior minister said on Tuesday.

“The threat level is still high,” Nancy Faeser said in a statement. “It was already high before the attacks in Moscow and has remained consistently high.”

She spoke four days after camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers outside the Russian capital, killing at least 139 people and injuring 180 in an attack claimed by Daesh.

Germany will introduce temporary border controls as part of ramped-up security around soccer’s 2024 European Championship that it will host this summer, she said. “Security is of course our top priority at this tournament.”

It starts on June 14 and is set to attract an estimated 2.7 million fans to stadiums and up to 12 million at public viewing events.

“We have ramped up our security measures in the police (forces), but also in the intelligence services,” Faeser said.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2483326/world

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Zelensky Hosts Joint Iftar and Honors Ukrainian Muslim Warriors

March 26, 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accompanied by Ukrainian Muslim servicemen, leaders of the Mejlis [highest executive-representative body] of the Crimean Tatar people, and Muslim community representatives, participated in an iftar, the fast-breaking evening meal during the holy month of Ramadan.

Held at the Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea, the iftar continued a tradition initiated by Zelensky in 2023, aiming to foster unity amid challenging times, particularly amidst ongoing war.

The iftar was organized by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea together with the Crimean Tatar community of Kyiv.

Expressing gratitude to attendees, including those defending Ukraine, the President honored Muslim warriors within Ukraine’s Defense and Security Forces, bestowing awards for their valor and commitment to the country’s sovereignty.

Zelensky also recognized efforts to aid citizens in occupied territories and stressed the importance of global cooperation in repatriating those affected by the war.

The event saw participation from various dignitaries, including Mustafa Dzhemilev, leader of the Crimean Tatar people, who praised the commitment of Muslim soldiers to their homeland and called for solidarity in the face of adversity.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, himself of Crimean Tatar origin, highlighted the significant role Muslim servicemen play in safeguarding Ukraine’s future, especially during Ramadan, which many are spending on the front lines.

The iftar featured recitations of prayers and exhibitions showcasing historical Qurans and portraits of Muslim soldiers, emphasizing their contributions to Ukraine’s defense.

Source: kyivpost.com

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https://www.kyivpost.com/post/30089

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Moscow concert hall attack: Vladimir Putin admits ‘Islamist hawks’ carried out raid

27.03.24

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday acknowledged for the first time that the bloody assault on a concert hall near Moscow was executed by “radical Islamists”, but he insisted that Ukraine could still have played a role despite the Islamic State group’s claim of responsibility.

As Russians grieved, bringing flowers and candles to makeshift memorials across the country, Putin said the tragedy was likely ordered by Ukraine, a statement that shifted attention from his government’s security failure and could also help his war effort.

“The question is: Who benefited from it?” Putin said, referring to the worst attack in the capital in two decades, during a publicly broadcast meeting with government officials. “This atrocity can be just an element in a series of attempts of those who have been at war with our country since 2014,” he said, referring to the Ukrainian government.

Russian investigators have not disclosed any evidence demonstrating that the four suspects, men from Tajikistan who were migrant workers in Russia, have a connection to Ukraine.

In the news reports, Russian state television presented the location of their arrest — the Bryansk region of Russia that borders Ukraine — as evidence of Ukrainian involvement. The reports also suggested that the Ukrainian government could have hired them to mount the attack.

On Monday, Putin said, “Of course, it is necessary to answer the question, why after committing the crime the terrorists tried to go to Ukraine?” Putin said. “Who was waiting for them there?”

Ukraine denied any involvement in the attack.

Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia’s top investigative body, said the number of dead had grown to 139, including three children. Of those, 137 died in the concert hall and two in hospitals, he said.

Tatiana Golikova, Russia’s deputy prime minister in charge of health care, said 93 people were still hospitalized and nine were in very grave condition.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack. And the United States has said that the assault was the work of the Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate and that there was no evidence implicating Ukraine.

Ukrainian attack

A Ukrainian missile attack struck a Russian naval reconnaissance vessel and a large landing warship that Moscow captured from Kyiv during the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, Ukraine's navy said on Tuesday.

Ukraine hit the vessels during an attack on Crimea at the weekend, the navy said. The fact of that strike was already known, but the military had said it hit two other warships, the Azov and Yamal large landing ships.

Source: telegraphindia.com

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https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/moscow-concert-hall-attack-vladimir-putin-admits-islamist-hawks-carried-out-raid/cid/2009366

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Spain contributes one million euros, Russia donates one million dollars to Afghanistan

Fidel Rahmati

March 27, 2024

Following humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Spain has recently announced a contribution of one million euros, and Russia has pledged one million dollars in cash assistance to the Afghan Humanitarian Fund.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on its social media platform X that Spain has contributed one million euros to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund.

In a press release, OCHA stated that approximately 24 million people in Afghanistan will require humanitarian assistance in 2024.

It is noteworthy that this is Spain’s first humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

On the other hand, the World Food Programme of the United Nations in Afghanistan announced today that Russia has donated one million dollars to provide food assistance to 150,000 people.

This comes as the World Food Programme (WFP) had previously announced that economic challenges and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan had increased the demand for food aid in the country.

Amid a harsh winter, Afghanistan faces a deepening humanitarian crisis. With millions needing assistance, the cold exacerbates already dire conditions, leaving vulnerable populations struggling for survival.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/spain-contributes-one-million-euros-russia-donates-one-million-dollars-to-afghanistan/

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Russia says UN resolution on Gaza binding for all sides

Elena Teslova 

27.03.2024

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that UN Security Council Resolution 2728 on Gaza, which calls for an immediate cease-fire and access for humanitarian aid, is binding for all sides, including Israel.

Russia and China vetoed a US-sponsored resolution on Gaza because it contained "only a general imperative" to stop the fighting under the strict condition of the release of hostages, the ministry said in a statement.

The draft contained a condemnation of the Palestinian group Hamas, slamming it as "a terrorist organization," but did not mention Israel as "an occupying power" or its numerous violations of humanitarian obligations, it noted.

Non-permanent members of the UN Security Council simultaneously presented an alternative draft unambiguously demanding an immediate cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan obligatory for all parties and leading to a long-term and sustainable end to hostilities.

The draft also contains requirements for ensuring humanitarian access, the urgent release of hostages and compliance with international humanitarian law with respect to all detainees, the ministry emphasized.

"The Russian side expects that the binding UN Security Council Resolution 2728 will contribute to de-escalating violence in Gaza, including preventing the Israeli operation in Rafah, freeing hostages, (and) increasing humanitarian assistance to civilians in the sector," it said.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Palestinian territories since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed around 1,200 people.

More than 32,400 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 74,800 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Source: aa.com.tr

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/russia-says-un-resolution-on-gaza-binding-for-all-sides/3175838

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Russian lawmakers discuss lifting moratorium on death penalty after concert hall attack

Elena Teslova

27.03.2024

Russian lawmakers called Tuesday for lifting the moratorium on the death penalty following last week’s attack on a concert hall in the Moscow region.

Speaking at a plenary session of Russia's lower chamber of parliament, the State Duma, its chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said all the necessary legislation exists and it is up to the Constitutional Court to decide.

"In our constitution and criminal legislation, no one has abolished the death penalty. There is a decision of the Constitutional Court, which postponed the imposition of such a sentence. Therefore, there is no need for any referendums. The decision of the Constitutional Court on this issue is enough," he emphasized.

Volodin noted that the issue was raised due to public discussions in order to inform the society what the current situation is and what entity is responsible for making the necessary decisions.

"Of course, any decisions must be made with a cool head after calculating all the consequences," he stressed.

Volodin highlighted that the questions appeared on the agenda of the State Duma’s plenary session at the request of heads of factions.

He reminded that the decision to impose a moratorium on the death penalty was adopted by the Constitutional Court in fulfillment of international obligations to the Council of Europe, noting that since Russia has left the organization, there are no barriers to reneging on it.

Calls to lift the moratorium on the death penalty began after at least 139 people were killed and more than 180 were injured on March 22 when gunmen opened fire at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast.

The Investigative Committee said it detained 11 people, including four perpetrators, in the border region of Bryansk, who were on their way to Ukraine.

Moscow's Basmanny District Court late Sunday charged the four perpetrators with terrorism and approved their pre-trial detentions until May 22.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum in June 2022, the chairman of the Russian Constitutional Court, Valery Zorkin, said the return of the death penalty in Russia could only take place if a new constitution is adopted.

The Russian Constitutional Court banned death sentences in 1999 and confirmed its decision in 2009.

The last death sentence in Russia was carried out in 1996. The name of the executed was not officially announced, but according to media reports, serial killer Sergey Golovkin was shot for brutally torturing and killing 11 boys between 1986 and 1992.

Source: aa.com.tr

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/russian-lawmakers-discuss-lifting-moratorium-on-death-penalty-after-concert-hall-attack/3175831

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Iftar time during holy month of Ramadan heralded with fireworks in Kosovo’s city of Prizren

Eren Beksaç

26.03.2024

The time for iftar, or fast-breaking meal, in Kosovo’s second largest city of Prizren, is heralded with an explosion of fireworks.

The population of the southern city, which was the intellectual and cultural center of Ottoman Kosovo for centuries, is predominantly Muslim.

A group of local activists decided in 2017 to revive the almost-forgotten tradition of heralding iftar by shooting a cannon.

As such, they started to set off fireworks in Ramadan that year in the spot where the old cannon in the city's historical castle is located.

That was later adopted by the city’s Islamic Union, which tasked Varis Hashimi to set off the fireworks.

Regardless of the challenging factors, including adverse weather conditions during Ramadan, Hashimi climbs 100 meters (330 feet) from Shadervan Square in the center of Prizren to the castle, whose first fortresses date back to the Roman period and whose area was enlarged during the Ottoman period, to complete his task.

He told Anadolu that he feels joyful and privileged for being chosen to announce the time to eat during Ramadan.

Source: .aa.com.tr

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/iftar-time-during-holy-month-of-ramadan-heralded-with-fireworks-in-kosovo-s-city-of-prizren/3175519

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Brothers in Sweden join anti-Israel boycott with Palestine Cola

MAR 26, 2024

Two Palestinian brothers in the Swedish city of Malmo have begun producing a soft drink named Palestine Cola, with an aim to donate any profits to Palestinians.

Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, where it has so far killed more than 32,200 Palestinians, prompted mass protests around the world and boycotts of many international brands, including top beverage and coffee companies and fast-food chains.

Amid the worldwide campaign to boycott Western producers that profit from Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank or support Israel in any way, Mohamed and Ahmad Hassoun saw a market gap due to high demand for substitutes for larger brands.

Their company, Palestine Drinks, was launched in February, Mohamed Kiswani, the press officer for Safad Food AB, the Swedish firm behind it, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Palestine Cola represents "a symbol of unity and purpose,” according to the company.

The Hassoun family comes from the large Palestinian town of Safad, from where they were driven out during the British mandate in 1948.

They were forced to live in refugee camps in the south of Lebanon, before eventually relocating to Sweden.

On a cold November day in Malmo, the two brothers sat down to try and come up with a project to help Palestinians, who are facing what many around the world say is a genocide being perpetrated by Israel in Gaza.

This is when Palestine Drinks began to take shape, with experts and consultants helping the family, which owns a successful car and property company in Sweden but had no previous experience in the food and beverage industry.

"The market, restaurants, stores and people wanted alternatives to the larger brands, so we thought why not make it a charity project and call it Palestine Drinks, for people to remember the name and to be proud of the brand. So that’s the main reason why this idea came to life,” Kiswani said between back-to-back meetings.

"We have launched an alternative brand for everyone who wants ... a company that supports Palestinians.”

Overwhelming response

Proud of its role as a project to help fellow Palestinians, the brothers initially saw it as a small initiative targeting only the Swedish market.

When the drinks hit the shelves, however, the public response was overwhelming and totally unexpected.

"As soon as we pushed out a million cans, they just immediately sold out, as this brand markets itself,” said Kiswani, adding that a key factor is that people are confident that it is for a good cause.

The drinks are currently sold in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, but orders keep coming in from other parts of Europe, the U.S., Australia, Japan, Arab countries, parts of Asia and even Latin America.

The company feels the sky is the limit for this brand and is currently in the process of expanding beyond Scandinavia, with plans to have it available in other countries within the next two or three months.

"So, we have about 900 orders from companies all over the world wanting to be our distributor. We have not had time to answer all the emails yet,” Kiswani said.

The company’s drinks are designed to appeal to all taste buds "regardless of preference,” available in original, sugar-free, orange and lemonade flavors, as well as an energy drink variant.

"We decided to go with the cola flavor, which we thought tasted better than other alternatives on the market today,” he said.

The can’s logo features an olive tree, a Palestinian symbol since ancient times, and a bottom pattern that represents the Palestinian keffiyeh, a historic emblem of Palestinian nationalism.

"So, the main idea here is to reach all of the world, to keep everyone remembering that Palestine exists in the memory of this family and in the memory of every Palestinian family,” said Kiswani.

Source: dailysabah.com

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https://www.dailysabah.com/business/brothers-in-sweden-join-anti-israel-boycott-with-palestine-cola/news

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North America

 

Maryland Imam Renounces Participation in ‘Interfaith Iftar’ with Israeli Embassy

Ismail Allison

March 26, 2024

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today thanked a Washington, D.C., area imam, or Islamic religious leader, who renounced his participation in a recent Ramadan iftar (fast breaking) event sponsored by the Israeli embassy.

In a statement published by the Maryland Islamic Action Network (IMAN), Imam Faizul R. Khan of the Islamic Society of the Washington Area (ISWA) in Silver Spring, Maryland, said:

“I was recently asked to lead the prayer at an interfaith iftar, and I accepted the invitation, as I have for many interfaith events over the years. I was never informed that this event was sponsored by the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. and co-organized by a fringe activist, Anila Ali, who has a history of smearing and feuding with American Muslims who support Palestinian human rights.

“Having been so deceived, I sincerely regret that my participation in this event resulted in the false impression that I would have willingly participated in any activities that could be viewed as endorsing or supporting Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Interfaith dialogue should never be used as a tool to whitewash genocide and other crimes against humanity.

“Like the overwhelming majority of American Muslims, and like many people of different faiths and backgrounds from around the world, I unequivocally support the rights, dignity and humanity of Palestinians, and pray for an end to their suffering and the illegal occupation of their land.”

In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), CAIR said:

“We thank Imam Faizul Khan of the Islamic Society of Washington for clarifying and renouncing his participation in an ‘interfaith iftar’ that was co-sponsored by the Israeli government and meant to ‘faithwash’ its genocide in Gaza.”

Source: cair.com

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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/maryland-imam-renounces-participation-in-interfaith-iftar-with-israeli-embassy/

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CAIR-LA Thanks LA County Supervisor for Statement Urging Congressional Delegation To Call for a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza

Ismail Allison

March 26, 2024

The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today expressed gratitude to Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell for urging the LA County Congressional Delegation and the Biden administration to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Supervisor Mitchell recently sent an official letter to Los Angeles County’s congressional delegation expressing concern about the suffering of civilians in Gaza and seeking the delegation members’ support in urging the Biden administration to call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, a release of Palestinians detained unlawfully by the Israeli government, and the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

In her letter, Supervisor Mitchell said: 

“The United States must act now to save innocent lives, and the Biden administration must use the full force of America’s leverage and global leadership to end the war. While I support recent American efforts to deliver additional aid to Gaza, human rights organizations assert that a permanent ceasefire is the only way to allow for sufficient aid and to meaningfully address the crisis.”

In a statement, CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said: 

“We thank Supervisor Mitchell for her principled stance in calling for a ceasefire and urging the Biden administration to prioritize delivering crucial humanitarian aid to Gaza and putting a definitive end to the violence and the occupation. An overwhelming majority of Americans support a permanent ceasefire, and it is time for our Congress and White House to align themselves with the voice of their constituents and use their global leadership to end the genocide.”

CAIR-LA sent a letter to Supervisor Mitchell thanking her for using her position to advocate for a permanent ceasefire and for her leadership in addressing the rise in hate towards the Palestinian, Arab, Jewish, and Muslim communities in Los Angeles. 

Since Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza began on Oct. 7, it has destroyed entire residential neighborhoods and critical infrastructure, displaced over one million people, and killed nearly 32,000 civilians, including over 13,000 children. Human rights organizations and advocates from all over the world have stated that Israel’s cutting off of food, water, electricity, and medicine while it also indiscriminately drops bombs homes, hospitals, bakeries, schools, mosques, churches, and even refugee camps in Gaza, amounts to war crimes. 

 CAIR-LA is Southern California’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American Muslims. 

Source: cair.com

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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-la-thanks-la-county-supervisor-holly-mitchell-for-statement-urging-congressional-delegation-to-call-for-a-permanent-ceasefire-in-gaza/

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CAIR to Release New Civil Rights Report Revealing Worst Wave of Anti-Muslim Hate Recorded in Group’s 30-Year History

Ismail Allison

March 26, 2024

On Tuesday, April 2, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, plans to release its annual civil rights report during a news conference at its Capitol Hill headquarters in Washington, D.C. 

Titled “Fatal: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate,” the report documents the worst wave of anti-Muslim bigotry witnessed in its 30-year history. CAIR’s new civil rights report, which examines this rise of incidents in the context of the domestic fallout of the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, details the various lived experiences of Muslims in America both during and before this time. The report will offer multiple recommendations for public officials to consider in light of new data findings.

To obtain an embargoed copy of the report, media professionals may email: csaylor@cair.com 

Since 1995, CAIR’s annual reports on the status of American Muslim civil rights document anti-Muslim incidents that were reported to CAIR in any given year. The report also usually includes sections on specific civil rights and civil liberties issues confronting Americans of the Islamic faith in the year under review. The upcoming 2024 report will be the 20th civil rights report published by CAIR since its founding in 1994.   

Source: cair.com

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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-to-release-new-civil-rights-report-revealing-worst-wave-of-anti-muslim-hate-recorded-in-groups-30-year-history/

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Colombia threatens to sever ties with Israel if Gaza ceasefire not implemented

27 March 2024

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has threatened to break off diplomatic ties with Israel and has called onto other nations to do so if Tel Aviv refuses to comply with a United Nations security council resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The UN security council approved the resolution on Monday, urging for an instant halt to hostilities in Gaza during the holy month of Ramadan, which concludes in a fortnight.

On Tuesday, in a social media post Petro warned the Zionist regime to either end its genocide in Gaza or face severing of political ties with the South American country.

“If Israel does not comply with the United Nations ceasefire resolution we will break diplomatic relations with Israel,” Petro said on a social media platform.

Si Israel no cumple la resolución de Naciones Unidas de Cese al Fuego rompemos relaciones diplomáticas con Israel.

“Colombia does not support genocides,” he said in another post.

On Monday, in another released statement he commended the approval of the resolution and called upon other countries to sever their connections with Israel if it fails to halt its military aggression in war-torn Gaza Strip.

“I invite the nations of the world to break diplomatic relations with Israel if it breaks the ceasefire,” he said.

Por fin sale del Consejo de Naciones Unidas una resolución de alto al fuego en Gaza por unanimidad. Invito a las naciones del mundo a que si Israel rompe este cese al fuego se rompan relaciones diplomáticas con ese país. https://t.co/2QlPrEmNCM

The Israeli regime has been committing severe acts of genocide and war crimes in the name of “protecting its people”.

Petro has repeatedly accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of being genocidal and has compared it to the Nazi regime.

On 29 February, Petro decided to halt the procurement of weapons from Israel following reports of the killing of 100 Palestinians in an Israeli assault. The victims were awaiting humanitarian assistance in Gaza at the time.

Colombia and Israel have faced various tensions following the outbreak of the war in October. Ambassador Margarita Manjarrez came back to Colombia on 8 November last year after being summoned for consultations by the president.

The ongoing offensive has tragically claimed the lives of more than 32,000 individuals, as reported by Gaza's Health Ministry.

Source: presstv.ir

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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/03/27/722587/Colombia-threatens-to-sever-ties-with-Israel-if-no-ceasefire-implemented

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Attack on Rafah ‘not the way’ to defeat Hamas, US envoy tells UN Security Council

March 26, 2024

NEW YORK: The US has again urged Israel to abandon plans for a major ground operation in Rafah, where more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are hemmed in after months of fighting in Gaza.

“We share Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas,” US ambassador Robert Wood told the UN Security Council on Tuesday, “but a major military ground operation in Rafah is not the way to do it.

“It risks killing more civilians, it risks wreaking greater havoc with the provision of humanitarian assistance.

“And so our advice to Israel is, there is a better way.”

Wood also said Washington is working to dramatically step up humanitarian aid into Gaza, “where not enough assistance is reaching civilians in need.”

He said: “The reality is that children are starving to death because humanitarian assistance can’t reach them.

“Children should not be dying of malnutrition in Gaza, or anywhere else for that matter. A 100 percent of the population of Gaza is experiencing severe levels of acute food insecurity. “

After 170 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas, the UN Security Council on Monday adopted Resolution 2728, calling for a cessation of hostilities during the holy month, leading “to a lasting, sustainable ceasefire.”

In addition, the resolution calls for Hamas and other militant groups to release all hostages taken on Oct. 7.

It also demands that all involved in the conflict “comply with their obligations under international law in relation to all persons they detain,” and emphasizes “the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to, and reinforce the protection of civilians in, the entire Gaza Strip.”

The resolution reiterates a demand for the lifting of “all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale.”

Wood expressed regret that the resolution failed to condemn the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7, and “its sexual violence.”

“There is no excuse, let me repeat, no excuse for the Security Council’s failure to condemn Hamas’ terrorism. This council needs to condemn Hamas,” he said.

Guyana’s Deputy Permanent Representative Stephanie Savory told the council that “from all indications, yesterday’s resolution is not being adhered to.”

As the war in Gaza grinds on, an Israeli strike late on Monday on a residential building in Rafah where three displaced families were sheltering killed at least 16 people, including nine children and four women, according to hospital records and relatives of the victims.

“Accountability remains sorely lacking in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and perhaps is the reason crime after crime is committed year after year with seeming impunity,” Savory said.

France’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Nicolas de Riviere, called on Israel to “immediately and without conditions” open all existing land crossing points.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic, and there is an urgent need to ensure the massive entry of aid given the risk of imminent famine,” he said.

Like other council members, de Riviere condemned the Israeli policy, “contrary to international law,” of continuing and “even accelerating” Israeli settlement building in the West Bank.

“France will never recognize the illegal annexation of territories. The Israeli decision of the 22nd of March, confiscating 800 hectares of land in the West Bank is unacceptable. This is the largest confiscation of land by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory since the Oslo Accords.

He added that “the historic status quo over the holy places in Jerusalem must be preserved.”

France calls for all measures to be avoided “which would lead to conflagration of the situation in Jerusalem and the West Bank,” de Riviere said.

Source: arabnews.com

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Any operation into Rafah 'must account' for more than 1 million people: Pentagon

Diyar Güldogan

26.03.2024

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin noted any Israeli operation into Gaza's southern city of Rafah that does not take into account more than 1 million people would be a "mistake," the Pentagon said Tuesday.

"What we continue to reiterate, both publicly and privately, is that any type of operation into Rafah must account for over 1 million people that are sheltered there and take into account innocent civilian lives.

"So, what we've said is going forward with an operation in Rafah would be a mistake if those lives aren't taken into account," spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters.

Her remarks came after Austin and his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, met at the Pentagon where they affirmed a shared interest in defeating Hamas, discussed the importance of prioritizing civilians and Rafah, the dire humanitarian situation across Gaza and threats to regional security.

"The secretary stressed that the US and Israel have a moral imperative and a shared strategic interest in safeguarding civilians, noting that any assault on Rafah should not proceed without a credible and implementable plan that ensures the safety and humanitarian support for civilians sheltering there," she said.

Austin urged Gallant to expand entry points for humanitarian assistance and address distribution challenges inside Gaza, said Singh.

"He also reiterated the department's commitment to establish a temporary maritime corridor to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” she said.

Singh said the men discussed the maritime corridor that is still going to be set up "as planned."

"We're still a few weeks away from that being fully operational, but that will still be set up," she added.

When asked about the US versus Israel's role in logistics, Singh said: "So, that's something that did also come up with Minister Gallant.

"Israel will play a role in providing some type of security and securing the temporary causeway to the coastline of Gaza. But those details are still ... going through the process of being worked out. In terms of the distribution of humanitarian aid, that is also something that is ongoing," she added. 

3 bundles had parachute malfunctions, landed in sea

Turning to US airdrops into Gaza, Singh said between March 2 - 26, US Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted 17 airdrops into Gaza with more than 470,000 culturally appropriate pork-free meals and over 8 tons of food items such as rice flour, pasta and canned food.

Stressing the importance of safety when planning the airdrops, Singh added: "Of note, during these humanitarian airdrop, which included approximately 80 bundles, three bundles were reported to have had parachute malfunctions, and landed into the water.

"It is important to note that drop zones are chosen to mitigate potential failures of parachutes to deploy," she said, adding the drops occurred above water and the wind caused the bundles to drift above land.

"In the event of a parachute malfunction, the bundles land into water," she said.

When asked about reports about 12 victims who were killed trying to reach aid that fell into the sea, Singh said: "I've seen the reports. I can't confirm those reports, but, I have seen them."

At least 18 Palestinians were killed Tuesday in the Gaza Strip when an aid airdrop operation malfunctioned, according to Gaza’s Media Office.

The fatalities included 12 victims who drowned in the sea in the northern Gaza Strip and six in a stampede while trying to obtain the aid, the office said in a statement.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in which less than 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,333 Palestinians have since been killed and over 74,694 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now in day 172, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Source: aa.com.tr

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US State Department says Rafah operation will hurt Israeli national security

Servet Gunerigok

26.03.2024

The State Department said Tuesday that a potential military operation on the Gazan city of Rafah will hurt Israeli national security.

"It will leave Israel more isolated in the world. It will separate Israel from countries that have been longtime partners of Israel, and you've heard this from countries all around the world," Miller told reporters at a news conference.

He said Washington believes a full-scale operation will cause civilian harm to Palestinians and hinder the flow of humanitarian assistance.

Most of the aid going to the war-ridden Palestinian enclave enters through Rafah.

Miller reiterated that the operation is not in Israel's interest either.

The US opposes Israeli plans to launch a ground attack on Rafah, where more than 1.4 million people have taken refuge from Israel’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 32,400 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 74,800 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now in day 172, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the ICJ, which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Source: aa.com.tr

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Southeast Asia

 

Thai parliament passes same-sex marriage bill

27 Mar 2024

BANGKOK, March 27 — Thailand’s parliament passed a same-sex marriage bill today, paving the way for the kingdom to become the first South-east Asian nation to recognise LGBTQ marriage equality.

The bill passed by 399 to 10 votes in the lower house, although it must still be approved by the Senate before it is endorsed by the king, and then published in the Royal Gazette.

On the news, one representative brought a huge rainbow flag into the chamber.

“Today society has proved to us that they care about LGBT rights,” Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat, a member of the progressive Move Forward Party which has pushed for LGBTQ+ rights, told AFP.

“Now we finally we will have same rights as others.”

Across Asia only Taiwan and Nepal recognise same-sex marriage, with India’s highest court deferring the decision to parliament in October.

And while the kingdom enjoys a welcoming reputation for the international LGBTQ+ community, Thai activists have struggled for decades against conservative attitudes and values.

The proposal changes references to “men”, “women”, “husbands” and “wives” in the marriage law to gender-neutral terms.

It also means LGBTQ+ couples will be able to enjoy inheritance and adoption rights in the kingdom for the first time. — AFP

Source: malaymail.com

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China urges Israel to comply with UNSC Gaza cease-fire resolution

MAR 26, 2024

China called on Israel to fulfill its obligations under the U.N. Charter and comply with the U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, saying that the council's resolutions are "binding on Israel."

China "calls on the parties concerned to fulfill their obligations under the U.N. Charter and to take due action as required by the resolution,” Lin said in response to a question by Anadolu Agency (AA) about comments by the U.S. top envoy to the U.N. who claimed a resolution passed Monday was "non-binding” on parties to the conflict in Gaza, which has been under an onslaught by Israel since Oct. 7.

More than 32,333 Palestinians have since been killed and over 74,694 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The U.N. Charter stipulates that all Security Council resolutions are legally binding under international law.

The Council passed a resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began March 11 and is set to end April 9.

Fourteen countries on the 15-member Council voted in favor of the resolution that was presented by 10 members. The U.S. abstained.

The resolution demanded an "immediate cease-fire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable cease-fire."

It also insisted on the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs."

After the resolution passed, the Chinese top diplomat to the U.N., Zhung Jun, told the Council: "If fully and effectively implemented, (the resolution) could still bring long-awaited hope. Security Council resolutions are binding."

Without directly naming the U.S. and Israel, Lin said Beijing "expects the state with significant influence to play a positive role on the party concerned, including by using all necessary and effective means at their disposal to support the implementation of the resolution.”

The Council "must continue to follow closely the situation in Gaza and get ready for further actions when necessary to ensure the timely and full implementation of the resolution,” said Lin.

"China will continue to make unremitting efforts together with all parties to bring an early end to the fighting in Gaza, alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe, and implement the two-state solution,” he added.

Source: dailysabah.com

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Singapore made Israeli embassy remove ‘inappropriate’ Palestine social media post

MARCH 27, 2024

Singapore’s interior ministry said that it had forced the country’s Israeli embassy to delete a Facebook post on Sunday, which it deemed as ‘insensitive,’ about the lack of mention of “Palestine” in the Koran.

The post claimed that Israel was mentioned 43 times in the Koran but that “Palestine” was not mentioned once, according to an AFP article from Tuesday.

Singapore’s Minister of Home Affairs, K. Shanmugan, reportedly ordered the country’s foreign ministry to tell the Israeli embassy to remove the post.

Israel's embassy in Singapore ordered by the Singaporean Government to delete a post claiming: "Israel is mentioned 43 times in the Koran.While Palestine is not mentioned even once"The Singaporean Home Affairs Minister nailed their ass elegantlyWatch pic.twitter.com/AkTAcJJxY0

“That post on the Israeli embassy's social media page is completely unacceptable. I was very upset when I was told about it,” Shanmugam told reporters. “It is insensitive and inappropriate. It carries the risk of undermining our safety, security, and harmony in Singapore.”

“Posts like these can… inflame tensions and can put the Jewish community here at risk. The anger from the post can potentially spill over into the physical realm,” he added.

Source: jpost.com

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https://www.jpost.com/international/article-793916

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Hope Gaza ceasefire resolution will be implemented fully: Minister

March 26, 2024

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Foreign Affairs Ministry has expressed the hope that the ceasefire resolution on Gaza, Palestine, ratified by the United Nations Security Council will be implemented in its entirety by the parties involved in the conflict.

"We hope that the implementation of this resolution can be carried out well," Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said on Tuesday.

She added that the Indonesian government supports Resolution No. 2728 of 2024, which was ratified through a vote by the UN Security Council in New York City, the United States, on Monday.

Marsudi continued to communicate with the Indonesian Ambassador in New York, who was following the vote-counting process, until the resolution was passed after 14 countries agreed to support it. The resolution demands an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan, paving the way for a sustainable and lasting ceasefire.

The minister noted that the resolution ratified by the UN Security Council is the first to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

The resolution also regulates provisions that are in line with international humanitarian law and UN Security Council resolutions. Therefore, every point in the resolution must be implemented, the minister emphasized.

One point highlights the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian aid and strengthen the protection of civilians throughout the Gaza Strip and reiterates the demand to remove all obstacles to the provision of humanitarian aid on a large scale.

It is known that Israel launched a deadly military attack on the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas left around 1,200 Israelis dead.

More than 32,333 Palestinians have been killed and more than 74,694 people injured amid mass destruction and shortages of basic necessities.

According to the UN, the Israeli aggression, which is entering its 171st day, has forced 85 percent of Gaza's population to become refugees amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.

Source: antaranews.com

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Pakistan

 

Most Copies Of Cipher Returned After FIR Against Imran, Qureshi

March 27, 2024

Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD: When the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a case against former prime minister Imran Khan for withholding the copy of a diplomatic cipher, seven other state offices had not returned their copies to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), court records show.

The confidential diplomatic cable, at the heart of the cipher trial against Mr Khan, was sent to nine top offices, and only the Presidency had returned the copy by the time a case was registered against the ex-PM and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, on Aug 15, 2023.

This is the gist of a reply submitted by MoFA on September 27, 2023, to an FIA letter about the status of the cipher’s copies sent to various offices.

The revelation poses a daunting task for the FIA — the prosecuting agency in the cipher trial — as it will have to justify why only the former PM and foreign minister were singled out for prosecution, when other state offices had yet to return their copies of the confidential document.

Case against ex-PM, FM filed on Aug 15, 2023; documents show most other offices returned their copies in late September of that year

Most of the recipients held on to their copies for well over a year and only returned them once proce­edings against the ex-PM and his foreign minister were formally underway.

The only exceptions among the eight recipients were the president, who returned the document by June 15, 2023, and foreign secretary, who incidentally returned his copy on the same date as the case against Mr Khan and Mr Qureshi was filed, i.e. Aug 15, 2023.

Eight out of nine copies ‘not returned’

The MoFA reply, seen by Dawn, showed that between March 8 and April 27, 2022, copies of the cipher were sent to the PM’s secretary, president, chief of army staff, Inter-Services Intelligence chief, and Senate chairman. Two copies each were also sent to the cabinet secretary and chief justice of Pakistan.

Three copies — DG ISI’s, Senate chairman’s and the cabinet secretary’s second copy — were returned to MoFA on Sept 26, 2023, only a day before FIA sought the record.

Interestingly, the FIA submitted its query on Sept 27, and MoFA replied the same day. As per the reply, the copies of the cipher sent to the cabinet secretary, chief justice and army chief were also returned the same day.

The only copy marked “not returned” in MoFA’s list was the one sent to the prime minister’s secretary on March 8, 2022. The FIR, registered by the FIA’s Counter Terr­orism Wing in Islamabad, charged Mr Khan and Mr Qureshi under sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 and Section 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

They were accused of twisting and disclosing facts mentioned in the cipher for personal gains “in a manner prejudicial” to the state’s security.

The FIR also alleged that Mr Khan retained the confidential diplomatic cable, which had “compromised” the cipher encryption system used by Pak­istan’s missions abroad.

According to the FIR, the inquiry was completed on October 5, 2022. How­ever, Mr Khan’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, in a hearing on March 19, pointed out that a formal complaint was filed on Oct 12, 2022.

In another hearing, Barrister Safdar argued that the copy sent to the then COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa was also returned “after a very long time”.

Source: dawn.com

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1824033

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Imran calls for judicial inquiry into May 9, again

March 27, 2024

Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan has once again call­ed for a judicial inquiry into the May 9 violence and the Feb 8 elections.

He also urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to hear the petitions filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Mr Khan made the appeals while speaking to journalists after attending a court hearing in the 190 million pound corruption case.

The former prime minister said the establishment was using the May 9 violence as a pretext to dismantle his party in accordance with the “London plan”.

He called upon Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to set up a judicial commission to probe the matter.

“The culprits could have been identified through CCTV footage, but these have been stolen. Those behind the footage theft were responsible for the May 9 episode,” the PTI chief said.

He alleged that the closure of cases related to the Sharif family and Presi­dent Asif Ali Zardari was a “part of the London plan”.

He said the PTI would not consider the Senate ele­ctions as legitimate bec­a­u­­se the National Assemb­­ly was “a product of rigged exercise” in the first place.

Lu’s testimony

In reply to a question about the hearing in US Congress on the cipher controversy last week, the PTI chief said it would have been a disaster for the Biden administration had Donald Lu, the US diplomat, stated that Washington supported the ouster of his government.

Mr Khan said Asad Majeed, the former amba­ssador in Washington, had informed the National Security Committee about the “threatening tone” of Donald Lu.

“Mr Lu did not disclose facts before the Congress hearing since it would have been damaging for the Biden administration.”

The former prime minister said he was not responsible for the security of cipher as a protocol was in place for safekeeping of secret documents.

He rejected the Election Commission of Pakistan’s investigation into allegations of rigging, saying that the ECP cannot carry out an “impartial probe” since it had itself conducted the exercise.

Bushra’s warning

Bushra Bibi, Imran Khan’s wife, also spoke to the media.

She said Mr Khan was in “good physical and mental health”.

She said the Chief of Army Staff, the ISI head and the chief of Counter Terrorism Department would be held responsible if “anything happened” to Mr Khan.

“The nation will not tolerate such an incident.”

Source: dawn.com

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IHC judges detail ‘brazen meddling’ in letter to Supreme Judicial Council

March 27, 2024

Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD: In a startling letter written to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) members, six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges have accused the country’s intelligence apparatus of interference in judicial affairs, including attempts to pressure judges through abduction and torture of their relatives and secret surveillance inside their homes.

The letter, addressed to Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar and chief justices of the IHC and Peshawar High Court, also questioned if there exists a state police to “intimidate” and coerce judges.

The letter, dated March 25, has been signed by Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Saman Rafat Imtiaz of the IHC.

The letter mentioned seven instances of alleged interference and intimidation “to influence the outcome of cases of interest” by the intelligence officials, pointing out that when two out of three judges in the bench hearing the plea to disqualify PTI leader Imran Khan for concealing his alleged daughter opined that the case was not maintainable, they were pressured by “operatives of the ISI” through friends and relatives.

The situation got so stressful that one of the judges had to be admitted to hospital due to high blood pressure, the letter said.

According to the six judges, the matter was brought to the notice of the IHC chief justice and the then-CJP. The former informed the judges that he had “spoken to the DG-C of ISI and had been assured that no official from ISI will approach the judges of the IHC”.

The letter complained that “interference on the part of intelligence operatives” continued even after IHC CJ’s assurance.

The letter also referred to the abduction of an IHC judge’s brother-in-law by armed men who claimed to be ISI operatives.

The victim was “administered electric shocks” and “forced to record a video” making false allegations, apparently against the judge.

“Subsequently, a complaint was filed against the judge of IHC before the SJC, accompanied by an orchestrated media campaign to bring pressure to bear upon the judge to resign.”

The letter revealed that in May 2023, an IHC inspection judge reported to the chief justice that district court judges were being intimidated and crackers were thrown into the house of one additional district and sessions judge.

The judge was even called to the IHC to verify the claims which he confirmed. But instead of probing the allegations, the judge “was made officer on special duty and transferred to IHC, before being sent back to Punjab as he was a judicial officer on deputation”.

Last year, during routine maintenance, an IHC judge found that his official residence had been bugged with spy cameras concealed in his drawing room and bedroom.

When data from surve­illance equipment was rec­overed, it showed that “pr­i­vate videos of the judge and his family members” were stored. “The matter was brought to the attention of Chief Justice IHC. There has been no determination of who installed the equipment and who is to be held accountable…”, the letter added.

Along with their letter to the SJC, the six judges also attached copies of letters written to the IHC CJ on May 10, 2023 and Feb 12, 2024.

The letters mentioned, among other complaints, ISI officials’ efforts to pressurise IHC judges and probe into the tax records of at least one judge “to seek a certain outcome”.

They added that it was imperative to determine whether there was a “policy on the part of the executive … implemented by intelligence operatives” to intimidate judges.

The six judges also supported the demand of the former IHC judge, Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, for a probe into the allegations of interference by ISI operatives.

“[The] allegations of interference by operatives of ISI have been dealt with and relief has been granted to a former judge of IHC who was wronged. We believe that while such action was necessary, it may not be sufficient,” the letter added.

No guidance from SC

The judges noted that the SJC’s code of conduct for judges doesn’t outline the response to such incidents “that are tantamount to intimidation and interfere with judicial independence”.

The judges requested a judicial convention to discuss the interference of intelligence officials “that undermines independence of the judiciary”.

The consultation would help the Supreme Court to determine a course of action that judges could take “when they find themselves at the receiving end”.

Source: dawn.com

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1824028/ihc-judges-detail-brazen-meddling-in-letter-to-supreme-judicial-council

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Seven PTI, JI men move Karachi poll tribunals against Muttahida’s victory

March 27, 2024

Ishaq Tanoli

KARACHI: Seven more contestants of the Feb 8 general elections — two independents backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and five belonging to the Jamaat-i-Islami — on Tuesday challenged the results of two National Assembly (NA) and five Sindh Assembly constituencies in Karachi before the election tribunals.

All the seven seats had won by candidates belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan in the elections.

PTI’s Alamgir Khan and Aftab Jahangir submitted that they had contested the Feb 8 general elections from NA-236 (Karachi East-II) and NA-244 (Karachi West-I), respectively, as independent candidates after their party lost its electoral symbol.

They cited the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), provincial election commissioner, returning officers (ROs) concerned, candidates elected from the said constituencies and others as respondents.

Petitioners ask tribunals to set aside ‘fraudulent’ results of two NA and five PA seats and declare them winners

They contended that the Form-45s, obtained by their polling agents from the presiding officers at all the polling stations of the constituencies in question, clearly reflected that they had secured highest votes and win with big leads over their rival candidates.

However, they alleged that the respondents had robbed them of their mandate given by the people as their votes were extensively reduced through forgery of Form-45s and Form-47s.

They said that MQM-P’s candidates Hassan Sabir and Dr Farooq Sattar were declared returned candidates from NA-236 and NA-244, respectively.

The petitioners submitted that initially, they, along with several other contenders, had filed petitions in the Sindh High Court on the subject matter and the SHC had referred the same to the ECP with a direction to pass speaking orders on such complaints after hearing the petitioners.

However, they submitted, the ECP dismissed the same through short orders over jurisdiction issue.

The petitioners asked the tribunals to set aside the impugned results/notifications and declare them as winners.

Five PA seats

Also on Tuesday, the JI challenged the victory of five MQM-P candidates from PS-104 (Karachi East-VIII), PS-123 (Karachi Central-II), PS-124 (Karachi Central-III), PS-126 (Karachi Central-V) and PS-128 (Karachi Central-VII) constituencies.

JI’s Junaid Mukati challenged the victory of Mohammad Daniyal from PS-104, Mohammad Akbar impugned the victory of Abdul Waseem from PS-123, Mohammad Ahmed filed a petition against returned candidate Abdul Basit from PS-124, Nusratullah approached the tribunal to get Mohammad Iftikhar Alam de-seated from PS-126 and Wajihuddin challenged the victory of Taha Ahmed Khan from PS-128.

Citing the ECP, the ROs and others as respondents, all the five JI aspirants submitted that as per Form-45s, they had easily won the constituencies in question, but the results were fraudulently changed and the petitioners were shown runners-up in the impugned Form-47s.

The petitioners asked the tribunals to overturn the victory of rival candidates of the MQM-P and issue directives to the respondents to notify them as returned candidates.

Earlier, PTI-Sindh president Haleem Adil Sheikh and Karachi president Khurram Sher Zaman had filed identical petitions challenging the results of NA-238 (Karachi East-VI) and NA-241 (Karachi South-III) before the election tribunals.

Source: dawn.com

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PTI to hold big power show in KP for Imran’s release: Gohar

March 27, 2024

Mumtaz Alvi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said that a public meeting, the biggest-ever, will be held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the release of party founder Imran Khan.

Talking to media persons outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Tuesday, he noted that the founder of PTI has said that he will live and die in the country, whereas his message to all is to stand firm. The PTI will organize rallies and “the theme of the proposed public meeting is to release prisoner No 804,” he said.

About his meeting with Imran Khan, Gohar said that there was also a discussion on the Senate election and Congressional statement of the US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu. “We have demanded that former ambassador Asad Majeed should come forward and give his statement before the media,” the PTI chairman said.

He pointed out that Donald Lu’s statement gave an impression as if no meeting took place between him and Pakistan’s ambassador, whereas the contents of the same that Asad Majeed sent to Pakistan show there was an interference in internal affairs based on which it was decided to demarche and protest against the US.

Gohar explained there had been some changes due to ongoing litigation regarding some Senate candidates and noted that though Zulfi Bokhari was a PTI candidate from Punjab “if anything happened otherwise, then Allama Raja Nasir Abbas will be our candidate from Punjab, while the parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly will be Mian Aslam Iqbal.

“All other candidates in Punjab are requested to withdraw their candidatures tomorrow. Likewise, there is an addition of two names in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa i.e. Dr. Shafqat Ayaz and Faizur Rehman but in view of litigation, the rest of the candidates are urged to withdraw tomorrow. Azam Swati is our candidate for the technocrat seat but if anything happens to him, then Noorul Haq Qadri will be our candidate,” he said.

He said that Bushra Bibi’s name is neither in the Toshakhana case nor in the Election Commission’s judgment but she has been involved in the cases only to pressurise Imran. Gohar claimed that Bushra Bibi was kept in solitary confinement and claimed that her health had worsened due to the food being given to her. He declared that Bushra’s health was of serious concern for the party.

The PTI leader pointed out that PMLN’s Rana Sanaullah is boldly saying that the PTI founder should not remain the party chairman. Sanaullah, Gohar said, has been rejected by the people and has been accused by his ‘own’ people of having killed 20 people.

Quoting Sanaullah further, Gohar said the PMLN leader has been threatening Imran. Against this backdrop, “we have filed petitions in Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad against the PML-N leader, as Khan’s security is of paramount concern to us.”

Gohar also asked Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to take up their cases and decide them as soon as possible and said they had no hope from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Source: thenews.com.pk

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Pakistan, Afghanistan vow to resolve trade, transit issues

March 27, 2024

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani delegation headed by Commerce Secretary Khurram Agha discussed on Wednesday trade and transit issues with Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The meeting, which took place in Kabul, ended on a positive note as both leaders vowed to resolve the ongoing trade issues between the South Asian countries.

The meeting took place during the commerce secretary's two-day visit to Afghanistan to discuss trade-related matters.

The development comes amid strained ties between the two countries over the use of Afghan soil by terrorist outfits including the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) to launch attacks inside Pakistan.

During the meeting, discussions on the development of trade and transit relations between both countries took place.

Moreover, both sides emphasised on provision of facilities pertaining to the movement of passengers, patients and traders at the Pak-Afghan border.

In a statement issued by the Afghan Taliban government, the purpose of the meeting was to strengthen trade, transport and economic relations.

Agha said that the issues between the two countries will be solved as soon as possible. "We are busy in talks with the officials of the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Trade," he added.

Meanwhile, the Afghan foreign minister said that a detailed discussion on the solution for the current issues took place. He added that joint and sincere measures are necessary to solve trade and transit issues.

"It is the responsibility of the governments to ensure respect for shared values," said Muttaqi.

Source: thenews.com.pk

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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1172803-pakistan-afghanistan-vow-to-resolve-trade-transit-issues

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Imran demands inquiry into Donald Lu’s statement

March 27, 2024

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday demanded a fresh inquiry into US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu’s statement denying “cipher conspiracy”.

Testifying before a Congressional panel last week, the top US diplomat said: “I wanna be very clear on this point [that] this conspiracy theory is a lie [and] it is a complete falsehood.”

Speaking to journalists at Adiala jail, Khan denied the reports that the US envoy met him in the prison. He said that he would speak to the US envoy about Lu’s statement and the alleged role of the US embassy in the ciphergate if he met him.

“The original copy of cipher is with the Foreign Office, we were only given a paraphrased copy [of the document],” the former premier said while referring to the allegations that he misplaced the classified cipher document that he received as the prime minister.

The PTI founder said that a prime minister is “not the security guard” of his office; instead, there are some security protocols for the PM’s Office. Imran also called for a separate judicial commission for an investigation into the May 9 incidents and February 8 elections. “A political party is being eliminated on the pretext of May 9 events,” he added.

The former prime minister said that the president and Senate elections have no value after a “rigged” election.

He then said that the authorities can keep him in prison but all his party leaders and workers should be released from jail.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi has claimed that something was mixed with her honey in Banigala.

While talking to journalists in the courtroom of Adiala Jail, Bushra Bibi said that when she came to Adiala Jail in the last hearing, something was mixed with honey in Banigala.

Bushra Bibi said that life and death are in the hands of Allah, if anything happens to the founder PTI, the responsibility will be on the establishment. The founder PTI is in jail for the people and for the sake of the nation. Imran is fully fit mentally and physically, but if anything happens to him, people will not forgive.

Source: thenews.com.pk

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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1172752-imran-demands-inquiry-into-donald-lu-s-statement

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Pakistan ‘mapping’ resident Afghans before eviction push

 2024-03-27

Pakistan is gathering data on Afghan migrants — including those legally resident in the country — ahead of a renewed eviction push slated to start after Eid, official sources told the media on Tuesday.

More than half a million Afghans fled Pakistan last year after the former government ordered undocumented migrants to leave or face arrest, as Islamabad-Kabul relations soured over security.

Islamabad initially set a November 2023 deadline, however two officials, who asked to remain anonymous, said evictions would resume in the coming weeks.

"This time, instructions have been given to also collect data and conduct mapping of legally resident Afghan citizens," said a top government official in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan.

A senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police official said whilst "a final decision" has not yet been taken by the government, "police have sprung into action regarding Afghan citizens".

"The federal government has directed to not only collect data of legal and illegal Afghan citizens but also to conduct their mapping," he said.

Two officials, who asked not to be named, previously told AFP the renewed push to evict migrants will begin after Eid, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, set to be celebrated in April's second week.

Pakistan's interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Islamabad has previously said the massive eviction scheme is justified by security concerns and its faltering economy.

But analysts say it is designed to pressure Kabul over rising attacks in Pakistan's border regions with Afghanistan, where the Taliban government is accused of giving militants patronage and safe haven.

The Taliban government has consistently denied the allegations.

Millions of Afghans have poured into Pakistan over the years, fleeing decades of cascading conflict.

Afghans who left Pakistan last year were only allowed to cross the border with limited belongings and cash, and arrived in the midst of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Some had never set foot in Afghanistan before, having been born in Pakistan to Afghan parents.

An estimated 600,000 arrived since the Taliban government seized power in August 2021 and imposed its stark interpretation of Islamic law.

Before the first wave of evictions began, Pakistan estimated there were 1.7 million Afghans living illegally in the country.

The stand-off between Islamabad and Kabul worsened last week when eight civilians were killed in Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan's border regions, according to Taliban officials.

Islamabad's attack came after seven Pakistani troops were killed by militants on Pakistani soil, which President Asif Ali Zardari blamed on outside forces and vowed retribution.

Source: gulftoday.ae

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https://www.gulftoday.ae/news/2024/03/27/pakistan-mapping-resident-afghans-before-eviction-push

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Arab World

 

Saudi Arabia condemns Israel’s seizing of 800 hectares of Palestinian land

March 27, 2024

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s seizing of 800 hectares of Palestinian land in the West Bank, the Saudi Press Agency said early Wednesday.

The Kingdom said that the move is a blatant violation of relevant international laws and is an extension of the brutal practices of the Israeli occupation’s forced settlement operations, a foreign ministry statement read.

“The Kingdom affirms that the continued Israeli violation of the rules of international law and legitimacy resolutions without deterrence weakens the credibility of the international system and undermines the chances of a just and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution,” the statement said.

Saudi Arabia renewed its call on the international community to immediately stop the systematic Israeli settlers' violations and return confiscated Palestinian lands.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2483496/saudi-arabia

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Yemeni army says hit 6 ships in 72 hours in Gulf of Aden, Red Sea

 26 March 2024

The Yemeni army says it has carried out military operations against six ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, including two US destroyers, over the past 72 hours.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the army’s spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the Yemeni naval forces had conducted the operations “with a large number of ballistic missiles and drones.”

According to the statement, the Yemeni army struck Maersk Saratoga, APL Detroit, Huang Pu and Pretty Lady after identifying them as either owned by the US or Britain.

Saree said the army also launched a drone attack against two US destroyers in the Red Sea as well as Israel’s Eilat Port.

The military operations, the spokesman said, were “successful.”

The Yemeni Armed Forces have been targeting Israeli vessels or those “associated” with the occupying regime in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea since October 7, 2023.

The regime ignited its bloody war machine in the besieged Palestinian territory on that October day in response to Operation Al-Aqsa Storm conducted by the resistance movement Hamas.

The maritime attacks have forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.

Tankers are instead adding thousands of miles to international shipping routes by sailing around the continent of Africa rather than going through the Suez Canal.

The pro-Palestine maritime campaign has also prompted airstrikes by the US and its allies on Yemen – in violation of the Yemeni sovereignty and international law.

In consequence, Yemen’s armed forces have declared US and British vessels as legitimate targets.

The head of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council says the country’s maritime operations in the Red Sea will continue until Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip stop, and much-needed aid is allowed into the besieged territory.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Saree vowed that the Yemenis would continue their pro-Palestinian operations as long as the Israeli regime continued the hostilities and a siege it has been enforcing against Gaza.

Since the start of the brutal campaign in Gaza, the regime has killed more than 32,300 Palestinians and injured over 74,000 others. It has cut off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Source: presstv.ir

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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/03/26/722548/Yemen-Red-Sea-US-UK-Palestine-Gaza-Israel

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Saudi Arabia introduces Madarik program to aid development of nation’s space industry

March 27, 2024

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission on Tuesday launched a program designed to empower and develop national capabilities in the space sector.

The Madarik program, which will run from May 5 to Aug. 15 in collaboration with specialist international institutions, aims to build a sustainable future for the sector by drawing on the knowledge of partners with experience in the field to develop professional pathways for Saudi citizens, officials said. The goal is to build a foundation of knowledge in the space sciences to help participants in the program take their first steps on their journey to develop their skills and play a part in the growth of the nation’s space sector.

In collaboration with global specialized institutions #CST launches #Madarik Program for specialized topics in Space sector.

The commission said the program has been developed in partnership with the International Space University in France, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, and BAE Systems Saudi Development and Training, with Al-Yamama University in Riyadh as an educational partner.

In-person courses will take place in Riyadh and Jeddah, but registered participants in all parts of the Kingdom will be able to attend virtually.

The commission said recent graduates and professionals chosen to take part in the program will join one of three specialized tracks. Space business development targets those with experience in strategy, business administration, economics and the law.

The space data and software track is for people who specialize in computer science, data science, data engineering and cybersecurity. And the space engineering track is for those qualified in engineering disciplines.

Applicants for the Madarik program must be Saudi nationals, have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, be proficient in English, and meet all other registration requirements, the commission said.

Source: arabnews.com

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Saudi residents find comfort in spiritual aspect of Ramadan

March 26, 2024

NADA ALTURKI

RIYADH: In the thick of Ramadan season, Saudi residents are trying to find the balance between their busy social calendars and the spiritual journey of the holy month.

This Ramadan, Nouf Al-Dossari realized that she is more focused spiritually than in previous years, making sure to perform the five daily prayers on time and learning to interpret the Qur’an in both English and Arabic.

She has balanced out the spiritual aspect of the month by tackling other projects at home. “I have picked up on learning how to write in Arabic, which is something I’m very proud of myself for doing. Coming from a Saudi family and not knowing how to write Arabic wasn’t great, especially as an Arabic speaker, so I finally got down to it,” she told Arab News.

She has also made her way into the kitchen to help out her mother make iftar and sahoor, calling it an “absolute blessing.”

Al-Dossari said: “In the past I would not dare to enter the kitchen, but now, I get so excited to create a delicious masterpiece with her,” she said. 

But Ramadan does not come without its own set of challenges. As a content creator, Al-Dossari says it is difficult for her to dedicate mealtimes to her family. 

“I’m called to do shoots during the iftar timing which causes me to miss iftar on most days. The first week, I was so disheartened because I spent it breaking my fast alone,” she explained.

After shuffling her schedule around, prioritizing herself and her family became a promise she has sworn to keep — anything else, like outings and watching Ramadan series, comes after Taraweeh prayers.

She uses the rest of her time creating Ramadan-related content for her popular Instagram page, @saudiexplorer_, and educating her audience.

She said: “With so much growth on my page, I have both non-Muslim and Muslim viewers who have interest in learning about Islam and it gives me a chance to allow myself to learn as well.

“This year I focused on supporting home-based business, providing daily reminders, and just being real and being myself. I also refrain from using music for my content so my viewers can enjoy the content,” she said. 

For more traditional jobs, most working hours in Muslim countries are cut down to six hours a day or 30 hours a week, to relieve the stress of commitments and leave more spare time to attend to religious practices.

“Short office hours allow us to enjoy the spirit of Ramadan easily. Every other street has a mosque in Saudi Arabia, which makes it so easy for one to enjoy their prayers and immerse fully,” Ifrah Mahmoud, an expatriate living in Saudi Arabia, told Arab News. 

She said that trips to mosques have been so entertaining on their own that she has not needed to divert attention elsewhere.

“I can’t wait for the last 10 days in particular where we are supposed to pray even more. It gives us a chance to put a pause to work life and enjoy spirituality,” she said.

Hadeel Jabrti’s Ramadan strategy consists of planning ahead before the month starts. She has set herself up to read five pages of the Qur’an every prayer, in order to finish the mus’haf by the end of the month, and attend Taraweeh at least three to four times a week. 

“I’m hoping to achieve these goals, and so far, l’m doing well,” she told Arab News. “Since I don’t typically sit still and practice mindfulness, Taraweeh has quickly become the thing I look forward to at the end of the day. I love the aroma of the mosque and getting together and praying in unison.”

In contrast, their household integrates Ramadan rituals with fun activities.

She said: “We host iftar at our house every year, which is a great way to catch up with some of my closest friends and family … I especially love it when we all get in the kitchen and cook together, chat, bicker, and play around. In my opinion, it really makes it feel like Ramadan.”

Her goal for the month is to remain mindful and make an effort to be careful with words and actions. This also includes mindfulness of consumption, whether it’s food, media, or others. 

She advises others with trouble keeping a balance this Ramadan to create a schedule or routine that allows for flexibility while enabling them to accomplish their goals.

Source: arabnews.com

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Saudi mission in US hosts Indiana University students for cultural exchange

March 26, 2024

RIYADH: The Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the US recently received a delegation of students from Indiana University Bloomington as part of a program to boost communication and the exchange of ideas between different cultures, enrich their Arabic language, and develop their skills.

Dr. Fawzi Bukhari, the cultural attache at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC, and Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Turki, the mission’s director of cultural and social affairs, welcomed the delegation.

Members of the party toured the King Abdullah Cultural Hall and viewed sculptures, Arabic calligraphy paintings, and other exhibits portraying the authentic Saudi culture.

Al-Turki noted Saudi Arabia’s efforts in serving the Arabic language through the King Salman International Complex for the Arabic Language, in addition to the work of its various ministries and official bodies.

That was followed by language competitions among students, with the participation of several Saudi scholarship students.

Delegates pointed out the authenticity of Saudi costumes, food, architecture, and the popular tools for preparing coffee still used today.

Source: arabnews.com

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Saudi Arabia has Seen Three Years of Consecutive Private Equity Investment Growth, Closing 2023 with $4Bn Worth of Transactions

26 Mar, 2024

The "2019-2023 Saudi Arabia Private Equity Report" revealed that the Kingdom has witnessed a remarkable surge in Private Equity (PE) activity over the past five years, reaching a pinnacle of approximately $4Bn in 2023. According to the report published today by the venture data platform, MAGNiTT, and sponsored by SVC, the Private Equity landscape has displayed consistent growth since 2020, experiencing a substantial 3.7x rise in 2021 and further catapulting to 5.9x its 2021 level in 2022. Notably, the composition of PE transactions has undergone significant shifts, particularly with a pronounced emphasis on Buyout transactions. Between 2020 and 2023, Buyout transactions witnessed a notable 20-percentage point increase in their share of the total, while concurrently, Growth transactions saw a growth of 2 percentage points over the same period.

Across the last five years, Buyout transactions have dominated the PE investment landscape, capturing an average of 80% of the total capital deployed in these transactions. This trajectory underscores the evolving dynamics and the increasing prominence of Private Equity within the Kingdom's financial ecosystem, reflecting a strategic shift in investment preferences. The report also revealed that the PE activity in the Kingdom has been characterized by significant transactional diversity and concentration in specific industries over the past five years. Notably, Food & Beverages emerged as the most transacted industries within the PE landscape between 2019 and 2023.

Interestingly, Manufacturing claimed the top spot in terms of total investment, commanding 46% of the capital deployed during this period. Commenting on the report, Dr. Nabeel Koshak, CEO and Board Member at SVC, said "Following the launch of the 2023 Saudi Venture Capital Report, we unveil the first-of-its-kind Private Equity report that covers the State of private equity in Saudi Arabia over the past five years and outlines its promising growth trajectory. This report represents a significant milestone in our commitment to providing valuable market insights and contributing to understanding the evolving investment landscape in the Kingdom". He further added, "Alongside our commitment to the growth of Venture Capital, as reported in the 2023 Saudi Arabia Venture Capital Report published by MAGNiTT, we at SVC persist in our unwavering commitment to actively propelling the diverse facets of Private Capital in Saudi Arabia.

This dedication is evident through initiating necessary investment programs and products, meticulously crafted based on a thorough analysis of the ecosystem's requirements and aligned with proven working models on both regional and global scales". Philip Bahoshy, CEO of MAGNiTT, said: "After years of delivering credible market research and real-time insights on the venture capital ecosystem of the region, MAGNiTT is now excited to expand its coverage into the private equity landscape within the markets we cover. And we're even more delighted to be stepping into that direction with our inaugural Private Equity report for Saudi Arabia with our longstanding partners at SVC. This report highlights the pivotal role of private equity in shaping the financial landscape of the Kingdom, while offering insights on industries and leading players within the space."

Source: alriyadhdaily.com

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https://alriyadhdaily.com/article/8872659cbe384d9ba6d8fc887efc37fc

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South Asia

 

BNP playing anti-independence role even after five decades: Quader

Mar 26, 2024

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today said the BNP is playing an anti-independence role even five decades after the country won independence.

He made this comment while talking to reporters after paying tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War at National Memorial in Savar today.

"This opposition has happened before. This opponent opposed during the Pakistan period. And when there is no issue, there is anti-India. It's still happening, nothing new," Quader said.

The AL general secretary said, "Today, on this day, the communal evil forces under the leadership of BNP are hindering the consolidation of victory. We will resist, overcome and defeat these evil forces under the leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. We will move forward towards Bangabandhu's dream of Sonar Bangla."

Source: thedailystar.net

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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/bnp-playing-anti-independence-role-even-after-five-decades-quader-3575396

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'Where is democracy?' asks BNP leader Moyeen Khan

Mar 26, 2024

After 53 years of Bangladesh's independence, a question that the country's 18 crore people has been asking is "where is democracy", BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said today.

He was talking to reporters after placing floral wreaths at National Memorial in Savar on the occasion of Independence Day, our Savar correspondent reports.

"Today, we have come to the memorial after 53 years of independence. Thousands of people have sacrificed their lives for the country. Their objective was to ensure economic freedom for the poor. After 53 years, a question has emerged in the minds of 18 crore people: Where is democracy?

"Today you have witnessed how thousands of crores taka have been transferred abroad illegally, how mega corruption has been done in the name of mega development."

Criticising the ruling Awami League, he said they have effectively established a one-party rule.

One lakh cases have been filed against the opposition party leaders and activists as they are trying to hold the power, the BNP leader said.

As many as 50 lakh opposition activists have been imprisoned, he added.

Several leaders of BNP central and district committee were present with him at the National Memorial.

Source: thedailystar.net

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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/where-democracy-asks-bnp-leader-moyeen-khan-3575401

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Mujahid: 24 Islamic Emirate Officials on UN Blacklist

March 26, 2024

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, told TOLOnews that the names of 24 officials of the Islamic Emirate are still on the United Nations and European Union blacklist.

The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate once again called for the removal of the names of the Islamic Emirate officials from the United Nations Security Council, the United States, and the European Union blacklist.

The names of the Islamic Emirate officials have not only not been removed from the United Nations blacklist over the course of more than two and a half years, but more names have also been added to this list.

“More than 20 individuals are still on the blacklist, with three or four added, making a total of 24. This is not a positive step. The list should have been eliminated before,” Zabihullah Mujahid said.

The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate added that the pressure policy is not effective and that engagement with the caretaker government will solve the current challenges.

“These bans and sanctions have not yielded results in the past and will not yield results in the future; so countries should not insist on their stance that has not been successful,” he stated.

According to some political affairs experts, the international community has blacklisted important and competent individuals of the caretaker government, which has further affected the foreign relations of the Islamic Emirate.

“The sanctions should have been lifted; Afghanistan's funds are frozen, the blacklist exists; international institutions have made their assistance conditional, all of which affects the people of Afghanistan,” said Qaribullah Sadat, political analyst.

Previously, the Islamic Emirate stated that not removing the names of the Islamic Emirate officials from the blacklist was in violation of the Doha agreement.

Source: tolonews.com

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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-188006

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Half of Afghanistan’s population faces mental distress amid low quality of life

Fidel Rahmati

March 26, 2024

The World Health Organization, in its joint session with the Office of Drugs and Crime, the European Union, and Japan, discussed the psychological consequences of drug use, stating that half of Afghanistan’s population is struggling with mental distress, which has significantly impacted their quality of life.

Hanan Balkhi, the regional director of the World Health Organization, stated at this session titled “Deepening Crisis: Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Paralyzing Afghan Society,” held in Vienna, that 50% of Afghanistan’s population is experiencing various forms of mental distress.

While she didn’t elaborate on the statistics regarding mental health issues, she emphasized that these conditions have affected the quality of life, rendering individuals more vulnerable to drug use.

The session emphasized the need for effective solutions to reduce the consequences of drug use. Raffaella Iodice, the acting head of the European Union delegation in Afghanistan, stressed the importance of investing in global and Afghan mental health and substance use disorder initiatives as a shared responsibility of the global community.

Meanwhile, according to the latest Gallup research findings, Afghanistan has been rated as the unhappiest country for several consecutive years, with significant portions of the population expressing dissatisfaction with life in Afghanistan. A similar report from the “World Happiness Center” indicates that Afghanistan has ranked at the bottom of the list for the fifth consecutive year in terms of happiness.

Unemployment, political instability, decades of bloody wars, gender discrimination, poverty, environmental conditions, and low literacy rates are cited as major reasons for the Afghan people’s failure to build satisfying and joyful lives.

However, there is still a lack of responsive and executable plans to improve people’s quality of life and reduce the destructive consequences of drug use. The World Health Organization, in its session, emphasized the need for prioritizing sustainable budget allocation for combating drug use and implementing mental health programs in Afghanistan.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/half-of-afghanistans-population-faces-mental-distress-amid-low-quality-of-life/

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Educational Opportunities Provided for Dozens of Prisoners in Herat Prison

March 27, 2024

Officials at Herat Prison said that they have provided illiterate prisoners with opportunities to learn literacy and recite the Holy Quran.

Recently, nearly 130 prisoners have graduated after completing courses in literacy and recitation of holy Quran.

The literacy and Quran memorization courses at Herat Prison range from four months to two years.

Mohammad Nabi Khalil, the director of Herat Prison, said, "Approximately 75 individuals have graduated as reciters and about 50 have graduated from the literacy section."

Several prisoners said that they have learned to read and write over several months of literacy training.

Gholam Dastgir, a prisoner, said, "This is not a prison, this is a university for anyone who takes advantage of it."

According to officials at Herat Prison, nearly a hundred other prisoners are currently engaged in vocational training.

Officials added that in the women's and children's sections of Herat Prison, school books and vocational training are provided.

Nematullah Ershad, the head of the children's section at Herat Prison, said, "We have 78 prisoners in the school section, for whom teachers come from the Ministry of Education to teach."

According to statistics from Herat Prison, nearly two thousand prisoners, including women and children, are imprisoned in separate sections of the prison.

Source: tolonews.com

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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-188017

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Independence Day: India congratulates Bangladesh, its people

Mar 26, 2024

India today congratulated the people of Bangladesh on the occasion of its Independence Day.

Indian President Droupadi Murmu, in a letter addressed to Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, conveyed on her behalf and on behalf of the government and the people of India, warmest greetings to the people of Bangladesh on the occasion of the National Day of Bangladesh.

She highlighted the qualitative transformation in the India-Bangladesh relations in the last decade with remarkable growth in diverse areas.

The Indian president expressed confidence that the leadership of the two countries will continue to endeavour towards further strengthening of people-to-people links between the two countries.

Source: thedailystar.net

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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/independence-day-india-congratulates-bangladesh-its-people-3575706

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PM greets freedom fighters on Independence Day

Mar 26, 2024

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today greeted freedom fighters of the country on the occasion of Independence and National Day.

As in the past, the premier sent flowers, fruits and sweets to the war-wounded freedom fighters and family members of the martyred at Martyred and War-wounded Freedom Fighters' Rehabilitation Centre (Muktijoddha Tower-1) on Gaznabi Road in the capital's Mohammadpur area.

Prime Minister's Assistant Private Secretary Gazi Hafizur Rahman Liku and Assistant Press Secretary ABM Sarwer-E-Alom Sarker handed over the gifts to them.

According to a media release from the prime minister's press wing, the freedom fighters and family members of the martyred thanked and expressed their gratitude to the premier for thinking of them on every national day and festival like Independence Day, Victory Day, the two Eids and Pahela Baishakh.

The freedom fighters expressed satisfaction over the country's impressive progress under the leadership of the eldest daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

They expressed their unwavering faith in the visionary leadership of Sheikh Hasina.

The freedom fighters also extended their gratitude to her for presenting the accurate history of independence to the new generation.

They specifically mentioned that the welfare of the country's people is ensured, including that of the freedom fighters and their families, when Awami League, which believes in the spirit of the Liberation War, is in power.

They also expressed their gratitude to the prime minister for providing increased allowances and accommodation to the freedom fighters.

They said that under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh will one day stand with its head held high on the world stage as a poverty-free, prosperous and self-respecting "Golden Bangladesh" as dreamt by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

They also wished for the prime minister's good health and long life.

Source: thedailystar.net

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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/pm-greets-freedom-fighters-independence-day-3575351

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Muttaqi meets with Pakistan’s deputy minister of commerce

 March 27, 2024

Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi met with the Deputy Minister of Commerce of Pakistan Muhammad Khurram Agha on Tuesday in Kabul for talks on strengthening trade ties.

Muttaqi spoke in detail about the existing problems between the two countries and possible solutions.

In addition, Muttaqi explained that the governments have the responsibility to ensure respect for the shared commonalities and public values of the two countries.

Actions should be taken jointly and sincerely to solve the problems, he said.

Later, Agha thanked the Afghan government for the invitation to visit Afghanistan and said that they are in discussions with the officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and that he hoped solutions to all the problems will be resolved soon.

At the end of the meeting, both sides emphasized the need for development and strengthening of commercial and transit relations and the establishment of facilities for the movement of passengers, patients and traders across the Durand line.

Source: ariananews.af

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Mideast

 

UNICEF says cease-fire in Gaza must be 'substantive' to end 'darkest chapters' of humanity

Beyza Binnur Donmez

26.03.2024

A cease-fire in the Gaza Strip must be “substantive, not symbolic” to end the “darkest chapters” of humanity, a UNICEF official said on Tuesday.

"Gaza has shattered humanity's records for its darkest chapters. Humanity must now urgently write a different chapter," UNICEF spokesman James Elder said at a UN press briefing in Geneva.

"The hostages must go home, the people of Gaza must be allowed to live," he added.

Regarding the challenges that UNICEF as well as other partners face while trying to reach the north to deliver aid, he said that if the existing Erez crossing point, which is "10 minutes from where those people are putting their hands to their mouth pleading for food," could be used in the north, the humanitarian crisis could be "turned around in a matter of days" but efforts to provide aid are being "hampered."

On Monday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,300 Palestinians have since been killed and over 74,694 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now in its 172nd day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Gaza, particularly residents in the north, is on the verge of starvation as a UN-backed report warned of an imminent famine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Source: aa.com.tr

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Resilience of Gaza's people upholds dignity of Islam: Leader

March 26, 2024

TEHRAN- Ayatollah Khamenei says the unique resistance exhibited by the resistance forces and the people of Gaza has granted dignity to Islam.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei received Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his accompanying delegation on Tuesday afternoon.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, " The historic patience of the people of Gaza in the face of the crimes and savagery of the Zionist regime, fully supported by the West, is a great phenomenon that has turned the issue of Palestine into a global priority."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate in supporting the cause of Palestine and the oppressed and resilient people of Gaza," the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei honored the memory of the martyr Al-Arouri, one of the leaders of Hamas who was martyred by the Zionist regime, saying "This noble martyr was a prominent figure whose blessed martyrdom was a reward from God for his efforts."

In the meeting, Ismail Haniyeh also thanked and appreciated the support of people and government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the cause of Palestine and especially the people of Gaza.

Earlier on Tuesday Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of Hamas, said the resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire between the group and Israel in Gaza shows how the Israeli regime has become globally isolated as a result of months of aggression on Palestinians.

Haniyeh made the remarks on Tuesday after a meeting in Tehran with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and a day after the UN Security Council adopted its Gaza resolution.

He said that the resolution showed that even the United States, as the main supporter of Israel in its war on Gaza, is no longer able to impose its will on the international community.

He said that "it is a testimony to the unique resilience of the Islamic Resistance and the Palestinian people."

It is the first time since the start of the war in Gaza in early October that the U.S. has allowed a draft resolution on ceasefire in Gaza to pass the Security Council.

Washington had vetoed three such resolutions alleging that any cessation of hostilities in Gaza would allow Hamas to resume attacks on Israel.

That comes as the continued Israeli invasion has pushed Gaza, a Mediterranean Palestinian territory home to some 2.3 million people, to the brink of famine as the Israeli

regime continues to block the badly needed aid from reaching people in need.

Haniyeh: Iran stands at forefront of supporting Palestinian cause

More than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of the Israeli aggression while more than a million have been displaced from their homes.

In his remarks in Tehran on Tuesday, Haniyeh also thanked Iran for the support it has provided to the people and resistance groups in Gaza in their struggle against the Israeli aggression.

“Iran stands at the forefront of supporting Palestine’s cause and nation,” said the senior Palestinian leader.

Source: tehrantimes.com

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UNRWA says it has enough money to last until May after some nations resume funding

26 March 2024

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has enough funds to keep operating until at least the end of May, its chief told Swiss media on Tuesday.

UNRWA, which coordinates nearly all aid to Gaza, has faced severe funding cuts since Israel accused at least a dozen of its 13,000 employees in the Strip of taking part in Hamas’s murderous onslaught against Israel on October 7.

Israel also uncovered a Hamas control center directly below the UNRWA’s Gaza headquarters, though the agency claimed it had no idea it was there.

This led many donor nations, including the United States, to abruptly suspend funding to the agency, threatening its efforts to deliver desperately needed aid in Gaza, where the UN has warned of an impending famine.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini had warned last month that the funding crunch was so great the organization might not be able to operate beyond March.

But after a number of countries recently resumed or increased their funding, including Spain, Canada and Australia, Lazzarini told Switzerland’s Keystone-ATS news agency Tuesday that “the situation today is less dramatic.”

“But we are still working from one month to the next,” he said, adding that now “we have funding until the end of May.”

Lazzarini was in Geneva to brief Switzerland’s parliamentary foreign policy commission on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and to address questions about Israel’s accusations against the UNRWA employees, the commission said in a brief statement.

The Swiss national is hoping to convince his country to follow the lead of the nations that have resumed their funding to UNRWA.

Switzerland, which in recent years has dished out around 20 million Swiss francs ($22 million) annually to UNRWA, said in late January the 2024 payment was in doubt following Israel’s allegations against the agency.

The UN has launched both an internal and an independent investigation, but has said Israel has not provided it with any evidence to support the claims against its staff.

Lazzarini has accused Israel of trying to destroy UNRWA, which employs some 30,000 people across the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

He claimed last week to have been barred from entering Gaza and said over the weekend that Israel had definitively barred the agency from making aid deliveries into northern Gaza, where the threat of famine is highest. COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body governing civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, said on X that Lazzarini had not followed “the necessary coordination processes and channels” when requesting entry into Gaza.

Israel has started working with other groups in Gaza, such as the UN World Food Programme, to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians instead of UNRWA, which it has said it is seeking to shut down following years of allegations.

A watchdog said in a new report that textbooks used in UNRWA schools in Gaza contain anti-Israel incitement, including the systematic erasure of Israel’s existence and the glorification of violent jihad and martyrdom.

The war in Gaza started on October 7 with Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel in which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 253.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims that more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the war, but the number cannot be independently verified as it is believed to include both Hamas terrorists and civilians, some of whom were killed as a consequence of the terror group’s own rocket misfires.

The IDF says it has killed over 13,000 terrorists in Gaza, in addition to some 1,000 who were killed inside Israel on and immediately following October 7.

Source: timesofisrael.com

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'Everyone is hungry': Desperate Gazans fight for food after airdrop deaths

Mar 27, 2024

Gazans waited again Tuesday in their hundreds for food to fall from the sky at beaches in the famine-stalked north, a day after nearly 20 died trying to get to parachutes carrying aid.

Twelve of them drowned trying to wade into the sea to get aid packages that went astray, according to the Hamas government and the Swiss-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

They were "young men and children", witnesses told AFP. "They didn't know how to swim. They went and did not return."

"Everyone is hungry, so there's chaos to get food," said Ahmed Al-Rifi, a mechanic from nearby Gaza City, much of which has been reduced to ruins by months of Israeli bombardment.

"Every day people get hurt or even killed fighting to get basic items like flour, canned food, water, lentils and beans," he added.

Six of those who died amid the dunes and rubble on Monday were killed in stampedes, the government and Euro-Med said.

"The situation is deeply humiliating," said taxi driver Uday Nasser.

"We are risking our lives just to receive aid. What should be a humanitarian effort has turned into fights and beatings.

"The strong take from the weaker ones. Sometimes they use knives or even shoot."

Even those who manage to get food risk being robbed on the way home, said Nasser.

But such is the hunger in northern Gaza, which the United Nations warned is on the brink of a "man-made famine", that every day people are prepared to take the risk.

'Real danger'

"We hear the plane's noise and wait for aid to be dropped with parachutes. We see people gazing at the sky, so we know the plane is coming," said Nasser, 27, who used to live in the Jabalia refugee camp before being forced to flee his home.

"When we reach the drop zone, a large crowd gathers, leading to fights, chaos and injuries. Some people fall to the ground in the stampede."

The aid crates, which weigh around a tonne, can be dangerous in themselves.

Five people were killed and 10 injured by an airdrop earlier this month when parachutes malfunctioned, a Gaza medic said.

Several nations have been airdropping aid into northern Gaza, where land deliveries have effectively been blocked, including France, Jordan, the Emirates and Germany.

Despite the latest deaths, the United States insisted Tuesday that it would continue the airdrops even as Hamas pleaded for them to stop, saying they were a "real danger to the lives of hungry citizens".

Instead it demanded that Israel allow more aid trucks to enter the war-torn territory.

Only around 150 lorries a day carrying aid are now getting into Gaza compared with at least 500 before the war, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

The UN children's fund, UNICEF, said vastly more aid must be rushed into Gaza by road, rather than air or sea, to avert "this imminent famine".

Back on the beach, Al-Rifi, 32, whose workshop was destroyed by Israeli army bulldozers, is in despair.

"By God, getting food is hard for us. We risk our lives (waiting for deliveries) on Salah al-Din Road or at the Kuwait roundabout, or when trying to collect supplies dropped from planes," he said.

"Neither planes nor trucks provide us with our basic needs. We want UNRWA to come and distribute aid respectfully to every family in Gaza."

Source: thedailystar.net

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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/world/israels-attack-on-palestine/news/everyone-hungry-desperate-gazans-fight-food-after-airdrop-deaths-3575916

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Lebanon’s Hezbollah says it launched dozens of rockets after Israeli strikes

March 27, 2024

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it launched dozens of rockets at Kiryet Shmona, an Israeli town over the border, early on Wednesday in response to deadly Israeli strikes on the village of Hebbariyeh in southern Lebanon a day earlier.

At least seven people were killed in the Israeli strikes on Hebbariyeh, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters.

The Israeli strikes appeared to be aimed at the Islamist group’s emergency and relief center in the village, the sources said.

There was no immediate reaction from Israel to the reported Hezbollah strikes on Wednesday or detail of any casualties or damage.

On Tuesday, Israeli air strikes near two towns in northeast Lebanon killed three Hezbollah militants, the group posted on Telegram. Israel confirmed those strikes.

Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire across the border since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in Gaza, in the biggest escalation since a month-long conflict between them in 2006.

Source: arabnews.com

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Intense Israeli bombardment hits southern Gaza, calls for more aid grow

March 27, 2024

Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories: The southern Gaza Strip came under intense Israeli bombardment overnight, despite international pressure for an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territory where famine is looming.

Besieged Gaza is in desperate need of aid and the United States said it would continue airdrops, despite pleas from Hamas to stop the practice after the Islamist group said 18 people had died trying to reach food packages.

A fireball lit up the night sky in the southern city of Rafah, the last remaining urban center in Gaza not to have been attacked by Israeli ground forces. About 1.5 million people are crammed in the area, many having fled south toward the border with Egypt.

The sound of explosions was also heard and smoke was seen rising in Gaza City in the north, where Israeli troops have been attacking the city’s largest hospital for more than a week.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said early Wednesday that 66 people had been killed overnight, including three killed in Israeli air strikes in and around Rafah.

The fighting went on unabated two days after the UN Security Council passed its first resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” and urging the release of the roughly 130 hostages Israel says remain in Gaza, including 34 captives who are presumed dead.

Israeli forces have also surrounded two hospitals in Khan Yunis, where the health ministry said 12 people, including some children, were killed in an Israeli strike on a camp for the displaced.

The Palestinian Red Crescent has warned that thousands were trapped in the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis and “their lives are in danger.”

Underscoring the desperation of civilians trapped by the fighting, Hamas has asked donor countries to stop their airdrops after 12 people drowned trying to recover parachuted food aid from the sea off Gaza’s Mediterranean coast.

Hamas and the Swiss-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor also said another six people were killed in stampedes trying to get aid.

“People are dying just to get a can of tuna,” Gaza resident Mohamad Al-Sabaawi told AFP, holding a can in his hand after a scramble over an aid package.

Hamas has also demanded that Israel allow more aid trucks to enter the territory, which the United Nations has warned is on the brink of a “man-made famine” after nearly six months of fighting.

The war, triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, has shattered Gaza’s infrastructure and aid agencies say all of its 2.4 million people are now in need of humanitarian help.

The UN children’s fund, UNICEF, said vastly more aid must be rushed into Gaza by road rather than by air or sea to avert an “imminent famine.”

UNICEF spokesman James Elder said the necessary help was “a matter of kilometers away” in aid-filled trucks waiting across Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.

The US National Security Council said in a statement it would continue trying to get aid in by road, but also said it would continue airdrops.

AFPTV footage showed crowds rushing toward aid packages on Tuesday being dropped by parachute from planes sent by Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Germany.

The October 7 attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign against Hamas has killed at least 32,414 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry.

Israeli troops have shown no sign of a let-up in the fight against Hamas, with the military saying its jets had struck more than 60 targets, including tunnels and buildings “in which armed terrorists were identified.”

The UN Security Council resolution passed Monday demanded a ceasefire for the remaining two weeks of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that should lead to a “lasting” truce.

The United States, Israel’s top ally, which had blocked previous resolutions, abstained from the vote, prompting Israel to cancel a planned US visit by senior officials.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Israel was experiencing “unprecedented political isolation” and losing US “protection” at the Security Council.

Washington has baulked at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to launch a ground assault on Rafah, and the United States has also expressed increasing concern over the humanitarian toll.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said before meeting his Israeli counterpart that “the number of civilian casualties is far too high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low” in Gaza.

Officials from the two sides are in indirect mediated talks in Qatar aimed at agreeing on a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

However, both Hamas and Netanyahu said the talks were failing and blamed each other.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said this week the talks were “ongoing.”

In Khan Yunis, dozens of Israeli tanks and armored vehicles surrounded the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.

The health ministry said shots were fired around the sprawling complex but no raid had yet taken place.

Israeli troops have also been engaged in heavy fighting at Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest, for nine days.

Israel said it has killed 170 Palestinian militants and arrested hundreds there.

Israel has labelled its actions “precise operational activities” and said it has taken care to avoid harm to civilians, but aid agencies have voiced concern for non-combatants caught up in the fighting.

Palestinians living near Al-Shifa have reported corpses in the streets, constant bombardment and the rounding up of men who are stripped to their underwear and questioned.

Source: arabnews.com

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Jordanian anti-riot police use batons to push back protesters near Israeli embassy

March 27, 2024

AMMAN: Jordanian anti-riot police beat and arrested dozens of demonstrators trying to march toward the heavily guarded Israeli embassy in the capital Amman, witnesses and residents said on Wednesday.

More than two thousand protesters gathered late on Tuesday, the third day of demonstrations which have been marred with clashes, after baton wielding police pushed back hundreds of angry crowds seeking to storm the embassy compound in the affluent Rabae district of Amman.

The Israeli embassy, where protesters gather daily, has long been a flashpoint of anti-Israel protests at times of escalation of violence between Palestinians and Israel.

Many demonstrators chanted slogans in support of the militant Islamist Hamas. Jordanian authorities are alarmed that Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza could broaden the popularity of the Hamas movement among many Jordanians.

“Oh Hamas...All of Jordan’s people are behind you,” the protesters chanted.

Passions have run high among Jordanians, many of whom are of Palestinian origin, over the carnage in Gaza as Israel’s relentless bombing campaign against Hamas has led to tens of thousands of civilian deaths, according to Gaza officials, and flattened many parts of the densely populated enclave.

Jordan has seen some of the biggest outpourings of public anger in the region since the war was triggered when Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel on Oct.7 , killing 1,200 people and capturing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Authorities in Jordan say peaceful protests are allowed but they would not tolerate any attempt by mobs who sought to exploit anger against Israel to create havoc or try to reach a border zone with the Israeli occupied West Bank or Israel.

Amnesty International last month called on Jordanian authorities to end what it said was a sweeping crackdown that has seen hundreds of people arrested for expressing their support for Palestinians in Gaza or criticizing Jordanian government polices toward Israel.

Many demonstrators slam perceived inaction by authorities, saying their compatriots in Gaza were being left to face Israel’s military might alone.

Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel is widely unpopular among many citizens who see normalization as betraying the rights of their Palestinian compatriots.

Source: arabnews.com

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Islamic Resistance in Iraq hit Israeli air base, military site with drones

27 March 2024

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has said it has carried out new operations against Israeli targets in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The Iraqi umbrella group of anti-terror groups said in a statement published on its Telegram channel on Wednesday that the first operation targeted the Ovda air base in the occupied Palestinian territories using drones.

"The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, targeted on 03/26/2024, the Israeli Uvda Air Base with drones," the Islamic Resistance statement said.

 In the second operation, the resistance’s drones hit Israel’s Speer military site also in the occupied territories.

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted this morning, Wednesday 27/3/2024, the ‘Speer’ military site of the Zionist occupation in our occupied lands by drones,” the statement said.

"The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, targeted on 03/27/2024, the Israeli Speer military site with drones," it added.

The Iraqi resistance said the operations were carried out in response to the latest massacres of the people of Gaza by Israel.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has carried out several key operations in recent months, including multiple attacks on Ben Gurion Airport, a power plant in Tel Aviv as well as major Israeli ports in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

They have also attacked US military bases in Iraq and neighboring Syria in response to Washington’s support for the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

This week the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted the headquarters of the Israeli regime's ministry for military affairs in the occupied territories with a drone early on Sunday.

The Islamic Resistance statement said that “the fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted, at dawn today Sunday 3/24/2024, by drone, the headquarters building” of the Israeli ministry for military affairs in the occupied territories.

Israel has waged a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

More than 32,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and more than 74,000 injured.

The regime has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the Palestinians living there.

Source: presstv.ir

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Leader hails Palestinians resistance against Israeli crimes

Mar 26, 2024

TEHRAN, Mar. 26 (MNA) – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei hailed the resistance of Palestinians against Israeli crimes.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with the Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Tuesday evening.

The Leader stressed that the Palestinians' historical patience honored Islam and made the issue of Palestine the first issue of the world.

The Islamic Republic of Iran would not hesitate to support the Palestinian issue and the oppressed people of Gaza.

Haniyeh, for his part, said that the patience and resistance of the people of Gaza and the Resistance forces during the last six months has caused the Zionist enemy to not achieve any of its strategic goals in the Gaza war.

He also hailed the efforts of the Iranian government and nation in supporting Palestine and the people of Gaza.

The war in Gaza is a world war and the American ruling body is the main accomplice of the Zionists, Haniyeh added.

Source: mehrnews.com

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Sharjah mosques beacons for Quranic learning during Ramadan

27 March 2024

The Sharjah Department of Islamic Affairs has announced that 700 Quran memorisation sessions are being held in mosques across the emirate during the holy month, attracting 29,000 learners from diverse age groups.

Driven by a commitment to the Quran, these individuals are committed to memorising and studying the Quran alongside mastering the rules of Tajweed. The department collaborates with the Sharjah Quran and Sunnah Foundation and the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments to ensure the highest quality of instruction.

In addition to the memorisation sessions, the department has designated 20 mosques throughout Sharjah for Quran recitation correction sessions. This allows participants to refine their pronunciation and recitation techniques.

Furthermore, ten mosques have been designated for Quranic interpretation sessions. Led by skilled imams specialising in Quranic sciences, these sessions aim to clarify the meaning of the verses, explaining their rulings, nuances, and divine directives.

The department collaborates to ensure the highest quality of instruction.

Moreover, the department conducts "Electronic Quran Reading" sessions via the Zoom platform, offering virtual lessons to the public on correcting recitations easily.

The department strives to expand these sessions to other areas of the emirate. Mosque imams affiliated with the department are tasked with conducting memorisation sessions for all segments of society, furthering the accessibility of Quranic education.

Source: gulftoday.ae

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Africa

 

South African delegation: Gov’t stance on Israel is not that of citizens

 MICHAEL STARR

MARCH 26, 2024

A delegation of 15 South African Christian, traditional, and political leaders came to Israel on Friday to create bonds and represent what they said was the true position of the populace.

In contrast to the antagonistic position that the South African government has taken against Israel since the October 7 war began, radio personality Bafana Modise and Chairman of South African Friends of Israel Shaun Zagnoev told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that the country had strayed from its role as a neutral peacemaker to distract from domestic problems.

“We are horrified by the events of October 7,” said Modise. “The nation is quite disappointed that in many wars, the government has approached with reconciliation, but on this issue, they acted hostile.”

Zagnoev said that “South Africa has a unique pedigree for playing a role in the resolution of intractable conflicts,” but that neutrality has been squandered with the current government’s decision to take a “very partisan stance.”

Modise said they were on a “peace and fact-finding mission” organized by SAFI and DiploAct.

“We are here to bring people together,” said Modise.

Joining the delegation to Israel were South African Jerusalem Prayer Network head Clive Mashishi, legal scholar Dr. Pearl Kupe, ACDP Parliament Member Marie Sukers, Christian podcaster John Mathuhle, Faith Acts Ministry pastor Dr. Josias Moleele, Gateway Church Pastor Speedy Kisten, Pastor Dr. Allen Mnene, Judah House Tabernacle Pastor Apostle Mponeng, Princess Bhelekazi Mabandla, Christian Zionist activist Vivienne Myburgh, Joshua Generation Pastor Kim Muller, and journalist Jackie De Lange.

The delegation hoped to take a meaningful role in stopping the bloodshed in the Levant and bringing lasting peace, said Modise. At times, the delegation members were called “sellouts” for visiting, but Zagnoev noted that members of the ruling ANC party were not allowed to go to Israel, showing that they were afraid to learn the truth about the Jewish state.

Modise said, “If all of them came to this country, they would regret the apartheid narrative and would seek peace for Israelis and Palestinians.”

The degree of interaction among different racial groups in Israel would not have happened in an apartheid state, he explained. Apartheid is segregation based on race, but Modise found Israel to be a racially diverse place. He said that everyone hates apartheid because it is an inhumane policy and ripe for use as slander. He believes that eventually, Israelis and Palestinians will exist peacefully, side by side.

“Comparison of our history has always been abused during this war,” said Modise. “Our history is being used to demonize.”

Modise noted that former South African President Nelson Mandela recognized Israel and took a more neutral stance, but in 2000, the government began to veer away from that position.

“It’s become a chief foreign policy issue,” said Modise.

Zagnoev said that in an election, the ANC risks losing its majority and may be trying to boost its popularity among certain demographics by using human rights issues as a smokescreen for domestic problems. He also mentioned the party’s financial constraints, which the government suddenly resolved in an attempt to court certain actors.

“Forces alien to our interests have taken over our foreign policy,” said Zagnoev.

South Africa has issues internally, not just diplomatically

He added that South Africa needed to address not only continental issues but also domestic challenges, such as economic and infrastructure problems, noting that 60% of the country's youth are unemployed. Meanwhile, South Africa’s accusations and petitions against Israel before the International Court of Justice were costing the country millions of rand. According to Modise, cooperation between Israel and his country could help fix some economic troubles.

“We hope that the government will change its position, or the people will change the government,” said Zagnoev.

MODISE AND ZAGNOEV also jabbed at the hypocrisy of the government. Ex-Sudan president Omar al-Bashir had been welcomed to the country and not handed over to the International Criminal Court for genocide in Darfur, said Modise. Russian President Vladimir Putin was allowed to deliver a speech at the BRICS summit in August, despite the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

“Why do we still have a Russian embassy in South Africa?” asked Modise, noting the closure of many consular services to Israel that left Christian pilgrims unable to visit.

Zagnoev and Modise said that the Christians of South Africa were not consulted about the position that the government took and that a vast majority of them recognized the deep connection their faith had to Israel. The delegation visited Nazareth, the Jordan River, and Jerusalem’s Christian quarter during the trip.

On Tuesday, the delegation met with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana at the Knesset, and Sukers told him that the Christian South African community supported Israel and sought its friendship.

“On behalf of the South African people, I ask Israel for forgiveness for the steps taken by our government in connection with the claim to the International Court of Justice,” said Sukers. “These views and actions do not represent the South African people.”

Ohana thanked her and said he knew Israel had wonderful friends in South Africa. He added that Israel would not stop the fight against Hamas, which is also a fight on behalf of the free world.

Modise said that Hamas is not a partner for peace and has invited the deaths of many Palestinians instead of caring for them and releasing the Israeli hostages.

“South Africa needs to call for the release of the hostages if it cares about Palestinians because that’s the only way that the war ends,” said Modise.

DiploAct chairman Amit Deri said, “While there are those who are afraid to stand up to evil and terrorism, there are brave people who stand up for Israel in its just war with Hamas. We thank the leaders of the communities and the members of parliament from South Africa for their choice to come here and support us.”

Source: jpost.com

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https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-793883

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Prominent Imam Killed, Others Kidnapped In Zamfara Fresh Bandits Attack

 27 March 2024

The Chief Imam of the Central Mosque in Keita village, Sheikh Ahmad Rufa’i, has been tragically killed by bandits.

A resident of the community, Ibrahim Musa Keita, who spoke to journalists on the latest attack, said the bandits attacked the village shortly after the night congregational prayer known as isha’i.

“Before the invasion, the residents were alerted about the movement of the bandits along Kwarin Gano-Keita Road. They were sighted along that road but we were not sure whether they would come to this village or not.

“Initially, they wanted to abduct road users along the Keita-Kwarin Gano Road, but after spending some time without getting a single person, they invaded Keita village, killed our chief imam and abducted scores of people, including women.

“We have not ascertained the number of people they have abducted as some people ran into the bush and have not been seen yet,” Keita told Daily Trust.

Naija News understands that the unfortunate incident occurred just three weeks after the murder of Imam Abubakar Hassan Mada, the Chief Imam of the Central Mosque in Mada, Gusau Local Government Area.

In a related development, two individuals were reportedly abducted in Magazu village in Tsafe LGA on Tuesday.

A local resident, Yusuf Ibrahim, disclosed that the bandits entered the village at approximately 3 am, firing shots randomly, causing most residents to flee their homes.

Furthermore, Aminu Kwalfada, a resident of the nearby Kwalfada village, expressed disappointment that the bandits’ actions had forced residents to refrain from using loudspeakers in their mosques during prayers.

The Police Public Relations Officer for Zamfara State Command, ASP Abubakar Yazid, acknowledged the incident and assured journalists that he would share information on the incident once he had gathered the necessary details.

Source: naijanews.com

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https://www.naijanews.com/2024/03/27/prominent-imam-killed-others-kidnapped-in-zamfara-fresh-bandits-attack/

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100,000 Nigerian refugees return from Niger in seven years – Zulum

27th March 2024

Stephen Angbulu

At least 100,000 Nigerians displaced to Niger, Chad and Cameroon, by terrorism in the North-East were returned to their homes in the past seven years.

The Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, disclosed to State House Correspondents after closed-door talks with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday

Zulum, who said he discussed plans to resume the repatriation of Nigerians from the neighbouring countries, announced that the President had approved the immediate take-off of the Federal College of Education, Gwoza.

He said, “We talked about the issue of repatriation of Nigerians living in the Republic of Chad, Niger and Cameroon. We have started repatriating them during the last administration, but because of the election period and rainy season, we stopped the repatriation exercise.

“Again, Mr. President has given me his commitment that the Government of Nigeria will resume the repatriation exercise. So far, so good, within the last six to seven years, not less than 100,000 people were repatriated.

“This is the official figure; the unofficial figures might be more than this. But I want to inform you that we still have remnants of people living in Chad, Niger and Cameroon. I need to discuss this with the National Commission for Refugees as well as NEMA and other organisations before coming out with a figure.

“But the most important thing that I want to tell you is that we have started the repatriation. And this administration is committed to ensuring that all our refugees living in our neighbouring countries are repatriated before the end of this administration, inshallah.”

On the Federal College of Education in Gwoza, Zulum cited President Tinubu’s approval for the staggered take-off of six universities on October 18, 2023, after the Federal Executive Council meeting that day.

The Buhari administration had approved the establishment of no fewer than 75 universities, encompassing federal, state and private institutions.

However, the Federal Government lacked the funds and qualified staffing to kick start all institutions at once as they are capital intensive, the Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, disclosed at the time.

But Zulum said, “I wrote to Mr. President on the need for the take-off of the Federal College of Education, Gwoza, a few months ago.

“I’m pleased to notify you that the President has given approval for the immediate take-off of the Federal College of Education, Gwoza.

“That is something that is very important and very dear to the entire people of Borno State.”

The Governor also revealed plans to resuscitate two fallow irrigation projects in the state— the South Chad Irrigation Project and the Yauri Irrigation Scheme—saying he suggested the establishment of a vibrant security outfit around the South Chad Basin area.

“Secondly, we spoke about the Lake Chad Basin. Now that we are having relative peace in Borno State, there is a need for the government to ensure the re-establishment of the South Chad Irrigation Project.

“South Chad Irrigation Project has tremendous potential to produce food to cater for the needs of the entire northern Nigeria or I can say even the entire country. But as a result of insecurity in the region, the irrigation scheme has not functioning very well for the last decade or more than a decade. I spoke with Mr. President and he will look into the possibility of establishing a very strong security outfit in the Lake Chad Basin so that people shall have access to the agricultural lands.

“Again, we spoke about re-establishing the Yauri Irrigation Scheme, also in northern Borno state. I think this is very important since the country is looking to ensure food security in terms of quantity and quality. Inshallah, when these two irrigation projects are reestablished, I believe the issue of food security will be addressed not only in Borno State, but also in Nigeria,” he noted.

Source: punchng.com

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https://punchng.com/100000-nigerian-refugees-return-from-niger-in-seven-years-zulum/#google_vignette

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Foundation laments plight of Plateau IDPs, donates relief materials

27th March 2024

James Abraham

No few than 11,000 internally displaced persons taking refuge in Mangu and Bokkos Local Government Area have received food relief materials from Stefanos Foundation to assist them cushion the effect of their current situation

The IDPs were chased away from their local communities following repeated attacks on them by gunmen.

On Christmas eve, last year, suspected gunmen killed at least 150 persons in over 25 communities while several houses belonging to the natives were set ablaze.

Although the attacks appear to have subsided in recent times, many of the displaced villagers who are currently camping at the different locations in Mangu and Bokkos towns are yet to return to their ancestral homes for fear of renewed attacks.

While making donations to the IDPs in Mangu and Bokkos on Tuesday, the Director of Administration, Stefano’s Foundation,

Abraham Hassan, who led members of his team on the visit, said they were in the two LGAs to show some love kindness.

The Director said, “We are here in Mangu to give out food relief aid to victims of the violence that affected so many communities in Mangu LGA. We received the news of the incident that happened and we had a press conference with leaders from Mangu in Abuja and and the news went viral and today, we are receiving donations and support from our partners abroad to come and support the victims.

“So, we are here today with buckets of food items to assist those affected in the violence.

“They lost so many things. Some lost their food barns, some lost their homes and couldn’t come out with  anything. Some lost their loved ones and so many properties. And so, we are here today to empathise and identify with them.

“We were here two weeks ago and we met with some of them and we told them we would be going to come back if we receive more support and we received more support and we are here today to continue to support them in the little ways we can.

“As a non governmental organisation, our own is to complement what the government is doing and we are hoping that these people who are now displaced families living in Mangu town will soon return to their ancestral communities, trusting that government will do the needful and will be able to settle them in their communities but they will need basic things to be able to do that like rebuilding their burnt villages and also providing adequate security so that they will be safe when they return to their communities,” Hassan stated.

He continued, “And also support that they can receive from the government to continue with their farming occupation . This is the call we are making today to look into the plight of the internally displaced persons here in Mangu and similar activities are going on Bokkos LGA as well because a team of Stefanos Foundation are also there to extend similar food aid to victims of the attacks in Bokkos and we pray that these will go along way to alleviate what the people are suffering.”

The Chairman of Mwaghavul Youth Movement, Emmanuel Bello, commended the foundation for coming to the aid of the IDPs describing their experience as a night mare.

The chairman said, “Actually speaking, what happened in Mangu Local government entirely is a nightmare to us and is a shock because Mangu that has been peaceful over the years, Mango that has received an award for being peaceful in Plateau State, the most peaceful local government in Plateau State is now the area that’s not at peace again.

“But not withstanding, we know that God has a plan for everything.

“Actually, what happened rendered our people homeless, many people are displaced and infact, we’ve been suffering with a lot of challenges.

“And the  challenges we are passing through, I believe, with the support of spirited individuals, non-governmental organisations, the government, will come to our aid, will also help us well.

“Right now, we have about four camps that we are using for the meantime to host the displaced communities. But because of the nature of the camps that is being managed by only the communities, most of the people are living with their relations, their friends. We pleaded with spirited individuals who have construction of buildings within us to host some of them because of their needs. Their shelter can not be provided by those managing the camp,” Bello pointed out.

Another community leader, Polycarp Hosea, stressed,  “Really, we thank God for this organisation, Stefanos Foundation, for helping those that this crisis affected them. We pray that God will continue to open ways where there is no way for them to continue helping people who are affected. Really, we thank God, and we ask God to bless them and give them the wisdom that will take this thing forward and be blessed anytime and any moment,” he went philosophical.

Source: punchng.com

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https://punchng.com/foundation-laments-plight-of-plateau-idps-donates-relief-materials/

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Oyo Muslim Community Holds Special Prayer over Economic Hardship, Insecurity in Nigeria

Mar 26, 2024

 Kazeem Awojoodu

The Muslim Community of Oyo State, under the spiritual auspices of Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh AbdulGaniyy Agbotomokekere, has organised special prayer over economic hardship and insecurity in Nigeria.

The special prayer led by the Chief Imam of Ibadanland was held at the Eid praying ground, Agodi-Gate, Ibadan, the Capital City of Oyo state.

The prayer which has in attendance Muslim faithfuls and clerics recited some selected chapters of the Holy Quran and other Islamic supplications to seek Allah’s intervention over the nation’s insecurity and economic challenges.

Addressing newsmen after the prayer, Alhaji Murisiku Siyanbade, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Community of Oyo State,said the prayer was offered for Nigerians, Oyo State and Nigeria in general.

Siyanbade said that the prayer was to seek Allah’s divine interventions to get the country out of the current sorry state of the economy and insecurity.

“We are imploring God to guide our leaders right to help them as they strive to make things better for Nigeria.”

“We are also urging Nigerians to have patience with the good efforts of President Bola Tinubu, the captain of the ship, and pray that he succeeds,” Siyanbade said.

The secretary-general said that prayer was the only key that can be offered when things are bad.

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Also speaking, a former lecturer of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan, Prof. Kamil Oloso, affirmed the efficacy of prayers and citizens’ commitment to see Nigeria through.

Emphasising the hardship on many Nigerians, he, however, said the Almighty Allah was inclined to answer prayers easily during the period of Ramadan.

“We believe that the prayers offered today have been answered and the country will begin to enjoy peace and harmony among others by the grace of God,” Oloso said.

He, however, called on those at the helm of affairs of Nigeria to always do the right thing.saying everyone would give accounts of his or her deeds on the day of judgment.

“We will continue to appeal to few corrupt individuals who are at the echelon of the leadership of this country to learn from those responsible ones and I believe this prayer will make them sit up and start to do the right thing,” Oloso said.

The Alfa Agba of Ibadanland, Dr AbddulBari Adetunji, enjoined Muslims to always pray whenever they found themselves in difficult situations.

Adetunji, however, called on Nigerians to shun bad habits and other social vices so that their prayers would be accepted by Allah.

According to him, prayers are quickly accepted when an individual moves away from committing sins and seeks the forgiveness of God.

Among those present at the occasion include Alhaji Daud Afolabi,Oyo State Coordinator, National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) among others.

Source: independent.ng

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story

https://independent.ng/oyo-muslim-community-holds-special-prayer-over-economic-hardship-insecurity-in-nigeria/

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