Self-Proclaimed Hindu Priest Conducts Puja In 14th-Century Adina Mosque In Bengal
New Age Islam
News Bureau
20 February 2024
Self-proclaimed
Hindu priest conducts pooja inside the Adina mosque in Malda. An FIR was lodged
based on ASI's complaint
----
·
Self-Proclaimed Hindu Priest Conducts Puja In
14th-Century Adina Mosque In Bengal
·
Harafa Hussein Abdi, an American Trained With ISIS
Vowed to Kill New Yorkers in the Name of Jihad
·
Arabs Push UN Vote on Immediate Gaza Humanitarian
Ceasefire Despite Surefire US Veto
·
There Is No Majority Or Minority In Islam, Says
Deputy Islamic Emirate PM
·
Independent Candidates, Who Won February 8 Elections
In Pakistan, Will Join Sunni Ittehad Council: Imran Khan
----
India
·
2020 Delhi Riots: HC Acquits Accused Ashok, Ajay,
Subham, and Jitender Of Killing Ashfaq, Zakir
·
Hindutva Organisation, Vishwa Hindu Parishad,Launches
Court Petition Against Lions Named After Muslim, Hindu Figures
·
NIA begins probe in Muzaffarnagar time bomb case
·
UK University Confuses Sikhs With Muslims After
'Langar' Event
·
Vikrant Massey Brother Converts to Islam at 17;
Actor Reflects on Diverse Religious Upbringing
----
North America
·
American Muslims Continue Legal Fight Against FBI
Terror Watchlist
·
'A Huge Step For The Muslim Community': New Mosque
Opens Its Doors In St. James
·
CAIR Arizona, Community Partners to Hold News
Conference Responding to Anti-Free Speech, Anti-Palestinian HB2759
----
Arab World
·
Yemen warns Europe not to 'play with fire', asserts
‘unbreakable’ stance
·
Ministry of Culture Has Lineup of Cultural and
Historical Events to Mark Saudi Founding Day
·
OIC forum in Istanbul to discuss Israeli attacks on
media
·
Educational tour to inspire Jeddah youth in motorsports
·
Deputy minister meets Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi
Arabia
·
Compensation for domestic pilgrims if delay in
serving meals during Hajj
----
South Asia
·
Critics Say Doha Meeting Lacked De Facto
Authorities, Opposition
·
Death In Custody: HC Wants To Know If Autopsies Of
13 BNP Men Were Done
·
Lack of consensus among countries on appointment of
special envoy for Afghanistan
·
Amar Ekushey teaches us not to bow our heads: PM
·
9,370 Bangladeshis in foreign prisons
·
Myanmar crisis: Opposition deputy leader fears regional
instability
----
Pakistan
·
Latest Round Of Talks Between PML-N And PPP On
Coalition Govt Formulation In Pakistan Inconclusive
·
Pakistan calls out veto powers for failure to secure
peace in Gaza, Ukraine
·
Imran, Bushra’s Indictment In £190m Reference Deferred
Till Feb 23
·
May 9 violence cases: ATC extends pre-arrest bail of
IK till 24th
·
Pakistan Firmly Asserts Durand Line Sovereignty in
Face of Taliban’s Stark Rejection
----
Mideast
·
Israel To Set Security Limits On Ramazan Prayers At Al
Aqsa
·
Palestine Warns Of Religious War After Deny Muslims
Access To Al-Aqsa
·
Palestinian Foreign Minister Urges Top UN Court To
End Israeli Occupation, Declare It 'Illegal'
·
ICJ reviews occupation of Palestinian lands, as Gaza
death toll tops 29,000
·
Israel accused of repressing basic Palestinian
freedoms in ICJ hearing on West Bank rule
·
Iran's UN envoy dismisses ‘baseless’ US allegations
about arms smuggling to Yemen
-----
Southeast Asia
·
Govt To Continue Upholding Constitution, Including
Article 153, Says Anwar
·
G7 transport ministers to meet online on Red Sea
crisis, Japan says
·
Myanmar Civil War: Policy experts urge diplomatic
push to end instability
·
Malaysia’s oral submission to ICJ adds value to
Palestine issue, says Ops Ihsan Secretariat
·
Govt stepping up commitment to street children’s
educational needs through MAIWP
·
PM denies claims Malaysia MADANI white rice will
support cartel activities
·
Baznas sends another humanitarian aid batch for
Palestine via Egypt
----
Africa
·
Imprisoned Tunisian Opposition Leader Rached
Ghannouchi Initiates Hunger Strike In Protest
·
Sudanese refugees face gruelling wait in overcrowded
South Sudan camps
·
Terrorists Launch Fresh Attacks On Benue, Zamfara,
Kill 10 Residents, Two Police Officers, Destroy Several Houses
·
Food shortage: Boko Haram collecting levies, killing
Borno farmers – Suleman cries out
----
Europe
·
Germany Voices Concern Over Israeli Threat To Attack
Rafah During Ramadan
·
26 EU countries warn Israel against ‘catastrophic’
Rafah offensive
·
Norway to hold a meeting on climate change in Afghanistan
in near future
·
Russia's UN envoy criticizes US for opposing Gaza
cease-fire resolution
·
EU launches naval mission to secure Red Sea from
Houthi attacks
·
Brazil recalls ambassador to Israel in diplomatic
rift over regime's genocide in Gaza
·
Tallaght community gathers in solidarity following
attack on chair of Irish Muslim Council
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/proclaimed-hindu-priest-puja-adina-mosque/d/131759
-----
Self-Proclaimed
Hindu Priest Conducts Puja In 14th-Century Adina Mosque In Bengal
Self-proclaimed
Hindu priest conducts pooja inside the Adina mosque in Malda. An FIR was lodged
based on ASI's complaint
----
19th
February 2024
In
what could lead to communal disharmony, a young self-proclaimed Hindu priest
conducted Pooja inside the Adina Mosque in the Malda district of West Bengal on
Saturday, February 18.
According
to local reports, the young man named Maharaj Hiranmoy Goswami is not a native
of Malda. He, accompanied by several young men, came and conducted pooja inside
the premises of the mosque.
The
news soon spread to local Muslims who notified the Malda police. Upon receiving
the information, the police rushed to the spot and stopped the puja, leading to
an argument.
Adina
Mosque comes under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Based on the ASI’s
complaint an FIR was registered against Goswami.
The
state secretary of All Bengal Imam Muezzin Association and Charitable Trust,
Nizamuddin Biswas, condemned the act calling for strict action against Goswami
and others.
Trinamool
Congress (TMC) MLA and Malda unit president Abdur Rahim Boxi said that the
matter will be handled according to the law and appealed for communal harmony
and peace. “We have discussed the issue. Police have appealed for religious
harmony. The administration has handled the matter assertively. No violence was
reported,” he was quoted by The Telegraph.
Since
the incident, additional police force have been deployed in order to maintain
law and order.
The
Adina mosque was built in 1369 by Sultan Sikander Shah. It was also called
‘Salami Gate’ as salutes were fired from its sides. Its construction reused
materials from pre-Islamic Hindu and Buddhist structures. According to the List
of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal, it is a ASI-listed monument.
Source: siasat.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.siasat.com/self-proclaimed-hindu-priest-conducts-puja-in-14th-century-mosque-in-bengal-2980030/
----
Harafa
Hussein Abdi, an American Trained With ISIS Vowed to Kill New Yorkers in the
Name of Jihad
American
Trained With ISIS Vowed to Kill New Yorkers
-----
Adam
Devine
February 19, 2024
Harafa
Hussein Abdi, a U.S. citizen originally from Minnesota, has been charged with
various offenses related to his involvement with ISIS, a designated foreign
terrorist organization.
After
moving to Somalia in 2015, Abdi joined an ISIS training camp in the Puntland
region, where he received military-type training and actively participated in
the group’s media wing.
Abdi’s
actions included carrying an AK-47 assault rifle, expressing support for ISIS
through social media and audio clips, and threatening violence against New York
City in the name of ISIS.
Following
a fallout with ISIS leadership in 2017, Abdi was jailed by the group, later
escaped, and traveled to East Africa, where he was arrested by law enforcement
authorities.
During
interviews with the FBI, Abdi admitted to his participation in the ISIS
training camp and identified himself in an ISIS propaganda video promoting the
organization and urging others to join and fight.
Abdi
faces charges including conspiring to provide material support to ISIS,
providing material support to ISIS, conspiring to receive military-type
training from ISIS, and receiving military-type training from ISIS. These
charges carry significant prison sentences, demonstrating the serious legal
consequences of affiliating with and supporting designated foreign terrorist
organizations.
Source: shorenewsnetwork.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2024/02/19/american-trained-with-isis-vowed-to-kill-new-yorkers-in-the-name-of-jihad/
----
Arabs
Push UN Vote On Immediate Gaza Humanitarian Ceasefire Despite Surefire US Veto
The
UN Security Council meets about the situation in the Middle East at UN
headquarters in New York on December 22, 2023. (Charly Ttriballeau/AFP)
-------
20.02.2024
Arab
nations are advancing a UN resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian
ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, knowing it will be vetoed by the United States but
hoping to show broad global support for ending Israel’s war against Hamas.
The
Security Council has scheduled a vote on the resolution at 10 a.m. local time
in New York (5 p.m. in Israel) Tuesday.
US
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield says the Biden administration will veto the
Arab-backed resolution because it may interfere with ongoing US efforts to
arrange a deal between the warring parties that would bring at least a six-week
halt to hostilities and release all hostages taken during Hamas’s brutal
October 7 massacres in southern Israel.
In a
surprise move ahead of the vote, the United States on Monday circulated a rival
UN Security Council resolution that would support a temporary ceasefire in Gaza
linked to the release of all hostages, and call for the lifting of all
restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid. Both of these actions “would
help to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities,” the
draft resolution obtained by The Associated Press says.
US
deputy ambassador Robert Wood told several reporters Monday that the
Arab-backed resolution is not “an effective mechanism for trying to do the
three things that we want to see happen — which is get hostages out, more aid
in, and a lengthy pause to this conflict.”
With
the US draft, by contrast, “what we’re looking at is another possible option,
and we’ll be discussing this with friends going forward,” Wood said. “I don’t
think you can expect anything to happen tomorrow.”
A
senior US official said later Monday that “We don’t believe in a rush to a
vote.”
The
official, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of council discussions on
the US draft, said, “We intend to engage in the coming days in intensive
negotiation around it. … That’s why we’re not putting a timeline on a vote, but
we do recognize the urgency of the situation.”
Arab
nations, supported by many of the 193 UN member countries, have been demanding
a cease-fire for months as Israel’s military offensive has intensified in
response to the Hamas attack in which terrorists killed 1,200 people and took
over 250 others hostage, mostly civilians.
The
number of Palestinians killed has surpassed 29,000, according to the Hamas-run
Gaza health authorities, though these figures cannot be independently verified,
and are believed to include both civilians and Hamas members killed in Gaza,
including as a consequence of terror groups’ own rocket misfires. The IDF says
it has killed over 12,000 operatives in Gaza, in addition to some 1,000
terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
Tunisia’s
UN Ambassador Tarek Ladeb, this month’s chair of the 22-nation Arab Group, told
UN reporters last Wednesday that a ceasefire is urgently needed.
He
pointed to some 1.5 million Palestinians who sought safety in Gaza’s southern
city of Rafah and face a “catastrophic scenario” if Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu goes ahead with his announced plan to evacuate civilians from the
city and move Israel’s military offensive to the area bordering Egypt where
Israel says Hamas fighters are hiding. At least some of the 130 hostages
remaining in Gaza are thought to be in the city, after two were rescued in
daring special forces raid last week. Hamas leadership is also believed to be
sheltering there.
In
addition to an immediate ceasefire, the Arab-backed draft resolution demands
the immediate release of all hostages, rejects the forced displacement of
Palestinian civilians, calls for unhindered humanitarian access throughout
Gaza, and reiterates council demands that Israel and Hamas “scrupulously
comply” with international law, especially the protection of civilians. Without
naming either party, it condemns “all acts of terrorism”
In a
tough message to Israel, the US draft resolution says Israel’s planned major
ground offensive in Rafah “should not proceed under current circumstances.” And
it warns that further displacement of civilians, “including potentially into
neighboring countries,” a reference to Egypt, would have serious implications
for regional peace and security.
Thomas-Greenfield,
in a statement Sunday, explained that the United States has been working on a
hostage deal for months. She said US President Joe Biden has had multiple calls
over the last week with Netanyahu and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar to push
the deal forward.
“Though
gaps remain, the key elements are on the table,” she said, and the deal remains
the best opportunity to free the hostages and have a sustained pause that would
enable lifesaving aid to get to needy Palestinians.
The
15 Security Council members have been negotiating on the Arab-backed resolution
for three weeks. Algeria, the Arab representative on the council, delayed a
vote at US request while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was recently in
the region, hoping to get a hostage deal. But Qatar said Saturday the talks
“have not been progressing as expected.” And the Arab Group decided over the
weekend that they had given the US enough time and put their resolution in final
form for a vote.
What
will happen after the US casts its veto remains to be seen. The Arab Group
could take their resolution to the UN General Assembly, which includes all 193
UN member nations, where it is virtually certain to be approved. But unlike
Security Council resolutions, assembly resolutions are not legally binding.
The
Security Council will then likely start discussing the much-lengthier US draft
resolution, which would for the first time not only condemn Hamas’s October 7
onslaught but also its hostage-taking and killing, “murder, and sexual violence
including rape.” Some council members blocked the condemnation of Hamas in two
previous council resolutions on Gaza.
The
US draft doesn’t name Israel, but in a clear reference the draft “condemns calls
by government ministers for the resettlement of Gaza and rejects any attempt at
demographic or territorial change in Gaza that would violate international
law.”
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/arabs-push-un-vote-on-gaza-humanitarian-ceasefire-resolution-despite-surefire-veto/
----
There
Is No Majority Or Minority In Islam, Says Deputy Islamic Emirate PM
Mawlavi
Abdul Kabir, the Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs
------
2024-02-19
KABUL
(BNA): Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, the Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs,
has affirmed that the Islamic Emirate operates on the principle of no
distinction between majority and minority, mirroring the tenets of Islam.
As
per a statement from Arg, the Prime Minister’s Palace, Mawlavi Abdul Kabir has
held separate meetings with dignitaries, scholars, and representatives of Shia
and Hindu communities. He also visited representatives from 22 districts of
Kabul city and interacted with traders from Paktia province.
The
participants in these meetings expressed their willingness to cooperate with
the Islamic Emirate. They noted that since the Islamic Emirate’s return to the
country, Kabul has seen a significant decrease in oppression, theft, criminal
activities, and land usurpation, leading to a safer environment for its
citizens.
Representatives
from various Kabul regions brought attention to the city’s severe drinking
water shortage. They stressed the need for development in Kabul, provision of
drinking water, and increased collaboration between Kabul’s residents and the
Islamic Emirate.
Hindu
and Sikh representatives raised concerns about their properties in Kabul being
seized, demanding their return and calling for legal measures to address their
rights.
In
response, Mawlavi Abdul Kabir acknowledged Kabul’s water crisis and assured
that the Islamic Emirate is actively working to address it, including seeking
assistance from other countries. He reiterated that the Islamic Emirate is
committed to resolving the people’s challenges, emphasizing that there is no
concept of majority and minority in Islam, a principle that guides the Islamic
Emirate’s actions.
He
stated that Kabul requires substantial development and reform. He assured that
all seized properties would be returned to their rightful owners and that the
city’s residents would receive standard services.
The
Deputy Prime Minister also reassured that efforts are underway to address the
issues faced by all Afghans, including Shia and Hindu believers.
It’s
noteworthy that during these meetings, tribal leaders and merchants from Paktia
presented written accounts of the challenges faced by the people of Paktia to
the Deputy Prime Minister. Mawlavi Abdul Kabir assured them that their requests
and suggestions would be taken into consideration based on available resources.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/there-is-no-majority-or-minority-in-islam-says-deputy-pm/
----
Independent
Candidates, Who Won February 8 Elections In Pakistan, Will Join Sunni Ittehad
Council: Imran Khan
Pakistan’s
former Prime Minister Imran Khan. File | Photo Credit: AP
------
19.02.24
Jailed
former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Monday said that
the party-backed independent candidates, who won the February 8 elections, will
join the Sunni Ittehad Council.
The
Sunni Ittehad Council is an alliance of Islamic political and religious parties
in the Muslim-majority country which represents followers of the school of
Sunni Islam.
"Our
candidates in the National Assembly, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies
will join the Sunni Ittehad Council," Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman
Barrister Gohar Khan said.
Though
independent candidates backed by the party won the maximum number of seats in
Parliament, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan Peoples
Party (PPP) - have announced that they will form a coalition government after
the February 8 elections resulted in a hung Parliament.
The
winning independent candidates had to join a party within 3 days after the
notification of the results.
The
post-poll alliance by the PML-N and the PPP could mean that PTI will not be
able to form the next federal government, prompting Khan's party to allege that
the two rival parties were trying to steal the people's mandate with the help
of the powerful establishment.
Khan's
beleaguered party received a major boost on Saturday when a senior government
official in charge of the election process in the garrison city of Rawalpindi
alleged that rigging took place and dragged the Chief Election Commissioner and
the Chief Justice into it.
Buoyed
by the allegations of vote rigging, the PTI on Sunday demanded a judicial probe
into the manipulation of the results of the elections.
Independent
candidates - a majority backed by former prime minister Imran Khan's PTI party
won 93 National Assembly seats in the election.
The
PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP came third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi
Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has also agreed to support them with their 17 seats.
To
form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 contested seats in the
266-member National Assembly.
Except
for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff
and has been published from a syndicated feed.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/imran-khans-party-says-independent-candidates-who-won-february-8-elections-in-pakistan-will-join-sunni-ittehad-council/cid/2001575
----
India
2020
Delhi Riots: HC Acquits AccusedAshok, Ajay, Subham, and Jitender Of Killing
Ashfaq, Zakir
19th
February 2024
New
Delhi: A court here has acquitted four men accused of murdering two people
during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, saying there was no evidence to prove
that the accused were part of the riotous mob.
Additional
Sessions Judge PulastyaPramachala was hearing two cases registered against
Ashok, Ajay, Subham, and Jitender Kumar for allegedly murdering Ashfaq Hussain
and Zakir in Brijpuri here on February 25, 2020, during the communal riots.
In
two separate orders passed last week, the court said the prosecution could not
prove that any of the accused persons was involved in the killing of Zakir and
Hussain.
“There
is no evidence to even establish any of the accused being part of rioters at
the given place and time. Therefore, all the accused persons are acquitted of
all the charges alleged against them in this case,” the court said.
Regarding
whether the accused were part of a riotous mob that killed the duo, the court,
in the common observations, said the eyewitness in the cases turned hostile and
did not support the prosecution’s version.
There
was, however, some circumstantial evidence as call details record (CDR),
recovery of scissors, swords and the clothes worn by some of the accused
persons, based on their alleged disclosure statements, it said.
The
court said it could not reach a concrete conclusion about the presence of a
particular person at a particular place, solely based on the CDR.
“As
far as swords and scissors recovered and relied upon by the prosecution is
concerned, it is not that these weapons were found with remnants of the blood
of the deceased, to show that they were the weapons through which deceased were
killed,” it said.
The
court said the prosecution did not conduct any forensic examination to show
that the clothes had bloodstains of the deceased.
It
said the CCTV footage showing the presence of the accused persons as part of
the unlawful assembly which murdered the duo was not played in the court.
“Even
in the form of circumstantial evidence, there is nothing on the record to
establish the presence of accused persons among the rioters,” the court
observed.
Thus,
the prosecution was unable to prove that the accused persons were involved in
the duo’s killings, it said.
The
Dayalpur police station had registered FIRs against the accused.
Source: siasat.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.siasat.com/2020-delhi-riots-hc-acquits-4-accused-of-killing-ashfaq-zakir-2980005/
----
Hindutva
Organisation, Vishwa Hindu Parishad,Launches Court Petition Against Lions Named
After Muslim, Hindu Figures
February
19, 2024
A
Hindu extremist organisation in India has launched a court petition to stop two
lions named after a Mughal Muslim Emperor and a Hindu deity from sharing a zoo
enclosure, amid the growing anti-Muslim and sectarian sentiment within the
country.
Following
reports that a lioness named Sita – a Hindu ‘goddess’ – had been placed with a
lion named Akbar – a Muslim emperor who ruled over the Mughal empire in the
16th century – in an enclosure at a zoo in the Indian state of West Bengal, the
right-wing organisation, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), launched a petition at a
court to ban the use of religious names for animals in zoos.
According
to the VHP, “such an act amounts to blasphemy and is a direct assault on the
religious belief of all Hindus”. An official at the organisation, Anup Mondal,
also stated on Sunday that “Sita cannot stay with the Mughal Emperor Akbar”, as
it would apparently further risk offending religious sentiments amongst the
country’s Hindu-majority population.
The
lion named Akbar had reportedly previously been named Rama, the Hindu deity,
when he was in the neighbouring state of Tripura – controlled by the ruling
right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – but was later changed after being
brought to West Bengal, under the control of the opposition, Trinamool Congress
Party.
The
case is currently scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday, 20 February but,
meanwhile, “the lion and the lioness are now kept separately”, according to
Dipak Kumar Mandal, an official from the West Bengal forest department.
The
VHP’s court petition comes at a time when anti-Muslim and sectarian sentiment
in India has been on a sharp rise over the years, with Hindu nationalists and
extremists becoming ever more emboldened in their acts against Muslims and
other groups, particularly with the BJP remaining in power.
Source: middleeastmonitor.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240219-hindutva-organisation-launches-court-petition-in-india-against-lions-named-after-muslim-hindu-figures/
----
NIA
begins probe in Muzaffarnagar time bomb case
20th
February 2024
Sameer Khan
Muzaffarnagar:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has started investigating the case
related to the recovery of four time bombs in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar and
the arrest of Javed, 25, and Imrana, 60 by the UP STF.
A
senior police officer said on Tuesday, “An NIA team reached the house of the
two suspects and collected information from the local police on Monday evening.
The team conducted an hour-long investigation. Apart from NIA, local police and
various other security agencies are probing the matter. The suspects’ remand
will be sought so that all the facts can be verified.”
Following
their arrest, a case has been registered against Imrana and Javed under IPC
section 286 (negligent conduct for explosive substance) and sections 4/5 of
Explosives Act.
Javed
was arrested last week near the Kali River in Muzaffarnagar. STF sleuths seized
four “home-made timebombs” from his possession.
During
interrogation, Javed had said that he assembled “the bottle bombs with a timer
after watching YouTube videos”.
The
bombs were subsequently found to have been ordered by Imrana.
Sources
said that Imrana was a victim in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and her house had
allegedly been burnt down.
She
said during the initial interrogation that she had ‘ordered’ for the bombs
because she wanted to keep herself ‘secure’ in event of any communal trouble in
the future.
Security
agencies, however, are not satisfied with her statements and will probe the
source of money given to buy the bombs and whether there was any larger
conspiracy.
Source: siasat.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.siasat.com/nia-begins-probe-in-muzaffarnagar-time-bomb-case-2980125/
-----
UK
university confuses Sikhs with Muslims after 'langar' event
Feb
20, 2024
Girish
Kumar Anshul
The
Sikh community in the UK slammed the University of Birmingham for confusing the
community with Muslims in a social media post. Members of the Sikh community
expressed their disappointment and said, "these mistakes should not happen
in 2024".
The
University deleted the post and issued an apology for mistakenly stating that a
recent 'langar' (community meal) event organised by its Sikh students was
associated with an Islamic awareness week, according to The Birmingham Mail on
Monday.
The
mix-up occurred when a Birmingham staff member managing the university's
Instagram account tagged and wrongly labelled the 20-year-old Sikh event as
part of "Discover Islam Week".
The
event in question was a 'langar' held on campus hosted by the Sikh Society. The
langar has been held on the university campus for the last 20 years.
Langar
is a community kitchen where free meals are served to all, regardless of
people's background. It is an integral part of Sikh traditions.
Similar
events are now hosted by over 15 universities across the UK, where students
offer free vegetarian food on campus.
Despite
its long-standing presence at the university, the event was mistakenly
associated with "Discover Islam Week", an annual campaign organised
by the Islamic Society.
Jasveer
Singh, Sikh Press Association senior press officer, said: "It is
disappointing but very revealing to see those in charge of the public image of
the University of Birmingham (UOB) are ignorant regarding the communities at
the university", reported the Birmingham Mail.
Singh
mentioned that Birmingham University teaches principles of Sikhism, employs
lecturers from the Sikh community, and frequently organises Sikh events.
"It
is disappointing... There is clearly an issue with the training and education
given to the staff," Jasveer Singh, a member of Sikh Press Association,
told the newspaper.
UK
UNIVERSITY'S MIX-UP LEAVES PEOPLE 'GOBSMACKED'
People
on social media labelled the confusion as "embarrassing" and left
them feeling "utterly gobsmacked".
Following
the backlash, the university promptly deleted the post and apologised.
"The
university sincerely apologises for any offence or upset this has been caused.
We recognise this post was incorrect. It was identified shortly after being
posted and immediately deleted," a University of Birmingham spokesperson
said.
"The
university respects and celebrates the diversity of our community and
continually works to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment. We have
made contact with relevant individuals and groups to apologise directly and
listen to their views," the Brimingham University spokesperson added.
Source: indiatoday.in
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/indians-abroad/story/sikh-community-langar-muslim-discover-islamic-week-uk-university-birmingham-instagram-gurudwara-2504566-2024-02-20
---
Vikrant
Massey Brother Converts to Islam at 17; Actor Reflects on Diverse Religious
Upbringing
February
20, 2024
The
diverse family of actor Vikrant Massey includes a Sikh mother, a Christian
father, a brother who converted to Islam in his adolescence, a Hindu wife, and
Vikrant himself. Vikrant stated in the most recent Unfiltered by Samdish
episode that he saw “a lot of arguments” concerning spirituality and religion
when he was a child. He mentioned his older brother, saying, “My name is
Vikrant, and my brother’s name is Moeen. One may wonder, why Moeen? My family
accepted his decision to convert to Islam. “Beta, if you find this satisfying,
go ahead and do it.” they said. At seventeen, he underwent a significant life
transition. While my father attends church twice a week as a Christian, my
mother is Sikh.
Vikrant
continued, “My father was questioned by my extended relatives about how he
could ‘allow’ that (brother’s conversion). He said that was none of their
business. ‘He is my son, he is only answerable to me and has all the rights to
choose what he wants.’ After seeing this, I went on my own quest, wondering
what exactly is religion. It is man made.”
The
actor recently became a father. He is married to Sheetal Thakur. He stated that
their aim as a couple is to instill “rationalism” in their child, but he also
expressed great respect for certain aspects of “authentically Indian” culture.
I do believe in them, particularly in Hindu culture. It doesn’t have to be
religious; it’s just based on my cultural background. The majority of people in
my country are accustomed to this culture. Since Diwali is only observed in
India, I also celebrate it. It’s my childhood memory, my muscle memory.
“It
need not be religious. I don’t believe that if I do Laxmi Puja then I will be
blessed with wealth. I do it because I grew up witnessing it, and it is now my
lifestyle. My father would do it. He goes to church twice a week, but he also
does puja with my mother and my wife. So, it is a beautiful house,” he added.
The
last time we saw Vikrant Massey was in the movie 12th Fail. Directed by Vidhu
Vinod Chopra, the movie became the sleeper hit of 2023 and was named one of the
year’s highlights.
Source: newsx.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.newsx.com/entertainment/vikrant-massey-brother-converts-to-islam-at-17-actor-reflects-on-diverse-religious-upbringing/
----
North America
American
Muslims Continue Legal Fight Against FBI Terror Watchlist
Enes
Taha Ersen
20.02.2024
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil
liberties organization in the United States, has raised its voice against the
negative impact of the FBI's “terror watchlist’’ on the country’s Muslim
community.
CAIR
National Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell told Anadolu that this
surveillance system significantly hampers the daily lives of Muslims across
various facets of society.
American
Muslims "might be subjected to extra security when they are applying for a
job, when they are trying to open a bank account, when they're getting on a
plane. They might have to jump through extra hoops to accomplish any of the
things that other Americans can do very easily without having to deal with
suspicion," he said.
Mitchell
highlighted the origins of the watchlist, tracing it back to the aftermath of
the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, wherein the FBI
initiated a covert monitoring mechanism targeting Muslims in the country.
He
added that the list contains the names of individuals deemed suspicious by the
government, even though they haven't been charged with any crimes.
‘Horrible’
consequences
The
watchlist "has led to some pretty horrible things," Mitchell said,
citing instances where innocent American Muslims encountered severe
disruptions, including intrusive questioning about their religious practices
like “How many times a day do you pray?’’ and "What Imam do you
like?"
"It's
resulted in one case in an American being repeatedly pulled over while driving
by local police who saw his name on a list and they approached him with guns
out, endangering his life simply because he's wrongly on this watch list,"
he said.
He
also recalled that the issue garnered renewed attention in January 2023, when a
Swiss hacker exposed the watchlist online, revealing cases of mistaken
identities, including children erroneously included due to name similarities.
"Children
who could not have committed any crime. (But) because their name matches up
with someone else's name, they end up on the list. We also know from a leak of
the watch list that over 95% of the names on the list are names that are
typically associated with Muslims. Those make up the overwhelming majority of
names on this watch list."
Mitchell
also pointed out that such profiling not only endangers individual liberties
but also perpetuates racism and discrimination within society.
"Last
year, we received about 5,000 complaints nationwide related to discrimination
and other issues. That was actually a 23% decrease compared to the year before.
But that's still a large number, of 5,000 Americans, at the very least
experiencing a problem, potentially because they are Muslim. That number is far
too high."
‘We
plan to continue the fight against the watchlist’
In
response to these challenges, CAIR has embarked on a legal crusade against the
FBI terror watchlist, aiming to safeguard the civil rights of Muslims in the
country, according to Mitchell.
He
affirmed their commitment to pursuing justice for those unfairly targeted, highlighting
ongoing litigation, including a crucial case currently before the US Supreme
Court.
Mitchell
also cautioned against the government's attempts to dismiss lawsuits by
removing individuals from the watchlist before legal proceedings are completed.
The
government avoids responsibility for unlawfully taken decisions by doing that,
he said.
Despite
these obstacles and regardless of the outcome, CAIR remains steadfast in its
pursuit of justice through continued advocacy and legal action, he said.
"We
of course plan to continue fighting the watch list everywhere we can in courts
of law," Mitchell said, signaling CAIR's unwavering commitment to
upholding the rights in various courts and the dignity of Muslim Americans in
the face of systemic discrimination.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/american-muslims-continue-legal-fight-against-fbi-terror-watchlist/3142455
----
'A
huge step for the Muslim community': New mosque opens its doors in St. James
Feb.
20, 2024
Danton
Unger
A
Winnipeg family hopes to bring together the Muslim community with the creation
of a new mosque in the St. James neighbourhood.
The
Beit Nabala Mosque opened its doors late last week – welcoming the community to
come and pray together for the first time in this area of the city.
"Praying
together is very important in Islam and for Muslims. In St. James, there isn't
anywhere for people to gather together and pray together," said Ramsey
Zeid, the president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba.
"This
is a huge step for the Muslim community, especially in St. James."
Zeid
helped set up the mosque with his parents. He said it has been a dream of
theirs to create a mosque in the St. James area.
"A
place where people can come and gather and pray together and worship together –
a safe place for Muslims and Palestinians in Winnipeg to come together,"
he said.
The
name of the mosque holds a special place for Zeid's father Wajih. It is named
after the Palestinian town where he was born.
"It's
very important to me because it's my hometown," Wajih told CTV News.
When
he was four years old, his family had to flee their home due to the
Arab-Israeli war in 1948. His family spent time living in a refugee camp before
immigrating to Canada, and eventually Winnipeg's St. James neighbourhood.
"St.
James becomes a second home," Wajih said. "I thought now's the time
for me to do something for my community."
This,
as many Muslims are once again being displaced by the ongoing war between Hamas
and Israel.
Zeid
said the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba is expecting an increase
in Muslim immigrants due to the conflict.
"They
need a place to worship and to practise the Islamic religion," he said.
He
hopes this mosque will help them find their community.
"It's
a place where people can come and feel safe, to look for guidance, to come and
have maybe a few minutes of peace when things look not so peaceful around the
world."
It
comes at a time when Manitoba is already seeing an increase in its Muslim
population. Ruheen Aziz with the Manitoba Islamic Association said census
records show in the past few years, the province's Muslim population has grown
from 15,000 to 25,000.
"That's
a tremendous growth," Aziz said. "Growth like that in the last few
years just shows that the needs of the community are also growing. St. James is
in an area that was requiring a community space for a long time."
Muhamed
Ali, who was at the mosque praying on Monday, said before Beit Nabala opened in
St. James, he would have had to attend mosques that were a 20 to 30-minute
drive away. He said it is nice to be able to pray in his community.
"It's
beautiful," Ali said.
The
new mosque will also include children’s education programming and the offices
of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba.
It's
located at 325 Wallasey Street, and is open daily for prayer.
Source: winnipeg.ctvnews.ca
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/a-huge-step-for-the-muslim-community-new-mosque-opens-its-doors-in-st-james-1.6775433
----
CAIR
Arizona, Community Partners to Hold News Conference Responding to Anti-Free
Speech, Anti-Palestinian HB2759
Ibrahim
Hooper
February
19, 2024
On
Wednesday, Feb. 21, the Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-AZ), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy
organization, and its partner organizations plan to hold a press conference at
the state capitol to urge lawmakers to oppose HB2759 as a threat to freedom of
speech and for unfairly singling out pro-Palestinian student groups.
HB2759
also generates hateful rhetoric amid widespread Palestinian casualties, fails
to humanize Palestinians and promotes Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian
sentiment reminiscent of post-9/11 era.
Other
groups scheduled to take part in the press conference include Arizona Palestine
Solidarity Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, Arizona Palestine Network,
Students for Justice in Palestine.
CAIR’s
mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote
justice, and empower American Muslims.
La
misión de CAIR esproteger las libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam,
promover la justicia, y empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Source: cair.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-arizona-community-partners-to-hold-news-conference-responding-to-anti-free-speech-anti-palestinian-hb2759/
----
Arab World
Yemen
warns Europe not to 'play with fire', asserts ‘unbreakable’ stance
20 February 2024
A
top-ranking Yemeni official has warned the European Union against “playing with
fire” after the 27-member bloc launched a naval military mission in the Red
Sea.
Mohammad
Ali al-Houthi, who is a member of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, made the
remarks on Tuesday after an attack by Yemeni armed forces sank the
UK-registered Rubymar cargo in the Gulf of Aden.
“To
the Europeans: do not play with fire and learn a lesson from Britain. You need
not support the American devil in protecting the Israeli regime so that it can
exterminate the people of Gaza with no disturbance,” he said in an X post.
It
followed an announcement of the official launch of the EU naval operation
called Aspides (“shield” in ancient Greek) amid Yemen’s maritime campaign in
solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza strip.
With
a mandate set initially for one year, the mission will send European warships
and airborne early warning systems to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and
surrounding waters.
Houthi
said that the EU mission will increase the militarization of the Red Sea,
endanger international navigation, and affect the shipping of food to European
countries.
Israel
waged a US-backed genocidal war on besieged Gaza in October following a
historic operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group against the
occupying regime.
In
support of Gaza, Yemeni armed forces have targeted ships going to and from
ports in the occupied territories, or whose owners are linked to Israel, in the
southern Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Gulf of Aden, and even in the
Arabian Sea.
In
response to the pro-Palestine maritime campaign, the US and its allies have
bombed Yemen in violation of the country’s sovereignty and international law.
The
illegal attacks prompted Yemen to declare American and British vessels to be
legitimate targets for its military.
‘US,
allies give Israel opportunity to continue Gaza crimes’
In an
X post on Monday, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, spokesman for Yemen’s Ansarullah
resistance movement, said that the continuation of the US-led strikes on Yemen
gives Israel a chance to continue its brutal attacks against the people of
Gaza.
“The
Americans and the British should know that Yemen's position will not change or
break, but the country will become stronger and it remains committed to its
stance,” he asserted.
He
noted that Yemen’s pro-Palestine maritime campaign will continue as long as
Israel presses ahead with the Gaza war and refuses to lift the blockade on the
Palestinian territory.
Source: presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/02/20/720408/Yemen-EU-playing-fire-Red-Sea
----
Ministry
of Culture Has Lineup of Cultural and Historical Events to Mark Saudi Founding
Day
19
Feb, 2024
The
Ministry of Culture has a lineup of cultural and historical events for the
February 21-26 period, to mark the Saudi Founding Day, which is celebrated
annually on February 22.
This national occasion commemorates the
founding of the Saudi state by Imam Muhammad bin Saud in 1727 to highlight the
heroism that built the country and political system.
Among the ministry-organized events across the
Kingdom are:
The Foundation Nights, promising a voyage
through time with poetry and musical performances, which will be held on
February 21 and 22 at the Abu Bakr Salem Stage in the Boulevard City, in
Riyadh.
Symphony of the Beginning will take place on
February 25 and 26 at the Abu Bakr Salem Stage in Boulevard City, featuring
performances by some of the most prominent contemporary Saudi poets,
accompanied by the National Orchestra.
The History Walk, parade floats representing
deep-rooted Saudi values throughout history; 19 scenes will present a timeline
of Saudi Arabia’s history from 1727 till today.
A musical theatre and a drone show that will
close the first-day events.
The Founding Village, from February 22 to 24,
will travel in 14 cities and governorates around the Kingdom, namely: Madinah,
Hail, Tabuk, Arar, Dammam, Najran, Al-Baha, Sakaka, Al-Ahsa, Abha, Taif,
Qassim, Jizan and Jeddah. The event aims to resurrect the Kingdom's historical
narratives through immersive experiences that put the spotlight on the
country's cultural legacy to highlight its 300 years of history.
These celebratory events underscore the
Ministry of Culture's dedication to commemorating a pivotal moment in Saudi
history, the establishment of the Saudi state, and to celebrate the pride in
national heritage, the solid bond between citizenry and leadership, and the
enduring legacy of progress and prosperity over three centuries.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/cad2e946994a4b7d8c20f81e38b4146b
----
OIC
forum in Istanbul to discuss Israeli attacks on media
February
20, 2024
JEDDAH:
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation will hold an extraordinary session of
the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers in Istanbul on Feb. 24 to
discuss joint efforts to “confront the Israeli occupying authority’s
disinformation and hostilities against journalists and media outlets” in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Turkiye
is hosting the conference in its capacity as chair, and it is expected that
information ministers and ministers responsible for communication from OIC
member states will participate.
OIC
Secretary-General HisseinBrahim Taha will deliver a speech at the conference
informing participants of ongoing crimes committed by Israel against
journalists and professionals at various media outlets and institutions.
Numerous
reports document Israel’s suppression of the media in the Gaza Strip and West
Bank, including targeting more than 140 media institutions. At least 126 people
working in the press and media sector have died since Israel began military
operations in Gaza following the attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
As
part of its campaign, Israeli strikes have destroyed the premises of several
media institutions in Gaza, while internet access in the enclave has also been
cut.
Israel’s
campaign in Gaza has now been underway for more than four months, and has
reportedly left more than 28,000 people dead, displacing millions more
Palestinians and causing widespread destruction.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2463226/saudi-arabia
----
Educational
tour to inspire Jeddah youth in motorsports
February
20, 2024
JEDDAH:
The Saudi Motorsport Co. — the driving force behind the 2024 Formula 1 stc
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix — on Tuesday launched an educational tour titled
“Truck of the Future.”
The
initiative aims to introduce Jeddah’s students to the world of motorsports.
Prince
Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and
Motorcycle Federation and Saudi Motorsport Co., noted that the campaign would
run in Jeddah province until March 4. It will include school and university
visits where students will be made aware of career opportunities in
motorsports.
Prince
Khalid said: “We, at the Saudi Motorsport Co., understand the significance of
leveraging motorsports to raise awareness about the wide array of opportunities
it offers.”
He
highlighted the Kingdom’s emerging status as a global hub for motorsports
adding that he wanted to inspire Saudis, particularly youth, about the value of
teamwork.
Prince
Khalid pointed out that hosting major motorsport events such as Formula 1,
Formula E, the Dakar Rally, and the Extreme E series in the country would
expose young Saudis to new career paths they may not have previously
considered.
The
educational truck will provide students with information on science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics in relation to future technology,
sustainability, and innovation.
By
adopting a learning through play approach, visitors to the truck will be able
to engage in interactive displays and hands-on activities focused on
professional motorsports.
The
campaign will target more than 2,000 students in Jeddah, with a particular
emphasis on STEM subjects and their relevance to jobs in the sector.
In
addition, project leaders will aim to instill values of sportsmanship,
competition, teamwork, and safety among students.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2463221/saudi-arabia
----
Deputy
minister meets Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia
February
19, 2024
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Saud Al-Sati on Monday met
with Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Ahmed Farooq, the ministry reported
on X.
During
the meeting, they discussed their two nations’ relations and topics of common
interest.
In a
separate meeting in the capital, Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar held
talks with Ambassador of Syria to the Kingdom Ayman Soussan.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2462936/saudi-arabia
----
Compensation
for domestic pilgrims if delay in serving meals during Hajj
February
19, 2024
MAKKAH
— The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah directed companies and establishments that are
licensed to provide services for domestic Hajj pilgrims to adhere to the timing
with regard to serving meals for the pilgrims during the forthcoming Hajj. The
ministry has revealed the timing for the distribution of meals among the
domestic pilgrims at the Holy Sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah during the
Hajj, saying that the pilgrims are entitled to get compensation in the event of
delay in serving meals.
The
ministry explained that the time for serving breakfast on the day of Arafat
begins after the dawn (fajr) prayer until 10:00 in the morning, and the time
for serving lunch on the day of Arafat starts from 1:30 pm until 3:30 pm while
the dinner at Muzdalifah will be served immediately after the arrival of
pilgrims from Arafat.
The
ministry said that the provision of meals on the Day of Tarwiyah (Dhul Hijjah
8) and the Days of Tashreeq (Dhul Hijjah 11, 12, and 13) will be as follows:
breakfast from 5:00 am until 10:00 am; lunch from 1:30 pm until 3:30 pm, and
dinner from 8:30 pm until 11:30 pm.
The
ministry confirmed that pilgrims will be compensated in the event of a delay in
serving meals after the lapse of the serving times announced to the pilgrims by
the establishments. The compensation amount can be doubled from the estimated
value when the specified corrective period is exceeded. The pilgrim will be
compensated five percent of the value of the total package in the event of a
delay in serving lunch on the day of Arafat, and three percent, not more than
SR100, in the event of a delay in serving meal at Muzdalifah, three percent of
the package value, not more than SR300, in the event of delay in serving lunch
on Eid al-Adha (Dhul Hijjah 10), and three percent of the package value, not
more than SR200, for the rest of the meals on other days.
The
ministry also announced compensation in the event of failure in serving meals
at the Holy Sites during the Hajj. The service provider shall provide the
following compensation: five percent of the value of the total package if there
is a delay in serving lunch on the day of Arafat:; five percent of the value of
the package, not exceeding SR200, for the delay in serving meal at Muzdalifah;
five percent of the value of the package, not exceeding SR500, for failure in
serving lunch on the Eid Al-Adha, and three percent of the value of the
package, not exceeding SR300, whichever is higher, for the rest of the meals on
other days of Hajj.
If
the domestic pilgrims are provided with meals, contrary to the provisions of
the contract, this matter shall be addressed within two hours, and the pilgrim
is compensated with the following specified amount. One percent of the total
package value for Arafat lunch meal, one percent of the package value, not more
than SR50, for Muzdalifah meal, one percent of the package value, not more than
SR100, for delay in serving lunch on10th Dhul Hijjah and one percent from the
value of the package, not more than SR50, for rest of the meals on other Hajj
days.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/640554/SAUDI-ARABIA/Compensation-for-domestic-pilgrims-if-delay-in-serving-meals-during-Hajj
-----
South Asia
Critics
Say Doha Meeting Lacked De Facto Authorities, Opposition
February
19, 2024
The
second Doha meeting on Afghanistan reportedly did not indclude either
representatives of the Islamic Emirate nor its political opponents.
Coordinating
international engagement on Afghanistan and reintegrating Afghanistan into the
international system were the objectives of the meeting.
Political
analysts questioned the effictiveness of the meeting as neither representatives
of Kabul nor its opponents were present in the meeting.
“I am
not sure that the meeting will be fruitful because the Afghanistan government
was not present in the meeting. In every meeting, if representatives from the
current government do not take part, the meetings will not be efficient,” said
Moeen Gul Samkanai, head of Afghanistan’s Haq and Adalat party.
In
the meantime, Afghanistan’s Journalists Center also criticized the absence of
journalists in the meeting.
The
center in a statement said that not inviting civil activists from inside
Afghanistan indicates the indifference of the international community in its
support of Afghan journalists.
Some
members of Afghanistan’s civil society that are based abroad have been invited
to Doha meeting which we appreciate. But not inviting civil activists from
inside Afghanistan despite the matter having been discussed with UNAMA, shows
the indifference of the international community, the UN in particular, towards
supporting the media community inside the country, reads part of the statement
of the AFJC.
Some
said the question about the selection criteria for such meetings is still
unclear.
“Most
of the talks in the meeting were held among the UN colleagues. As per my
understanding, the UN has been in contact with the participants. I’m not sure
if there is any mechanism to select people for such meetings. Human rights
activists and those who have been active in media were part of the meeting.
Because all issues are somehow related to politics and governance in
Afghanistan,” said Nasir Ahmad Andisha, the permanent representative of
Afghanistan to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Representatives
from over 25 countries participated in the meeting.
MahboubaSaraj,
Shah Gul Rezayee, Mitra Mehran and LotfullahNajafizada were representing
Afghanistan’s civil society in the meeting, and they also met with the UN chief
and envoys of countries.
Source: tolonews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-187491
----
Death
in custody: HC wants to know if autopsies of 13 BNP men were done
Feb
19, 2024
The
High Court today wanted to know whether post mortem were done of the bodies of
13 BNP men, who allegedly died inside jails in last few months.
The
HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice MdAtabullah also inquired
whether any unnatural death (UD) case was filed in this connection.
"Give
the information and you can provide details through filing a supplementary
petition", the HC bench told the lawyers who moved a writ petition
regarding the matter.
The
bench also adjourned hearing of the petition for a week.
BNP's
Legal Affairs Secretary Barrister Kayser Kamal filed the petition with the HC
on February 11 seeking its order to form a committee with domestic and international
human rights organisations to probe deaths of 13 BNP leaders and activists
allegedly inside jails in the last six months.
Senior
Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali accompanied by lawyers Kayser Kamal and MdMaksudUllah
moved the petition, while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney
General Tushar Kanti Roy opposed it.
During
today's hearing, the HC bench asked lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali whether the writ
petition is acceptable.
AJ
Mohammad Ali said the writ petition is acceptable and such incidents of death
inside the prisons must be stopped.
Attorney
General AM Amin Uddin told the court that the writ petitioner could have filed
cases under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, 2013 if he has
any grievance.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/death-custody-hc-wants-know-if-autopsies-13-bnp-men-were-done-3548001
----
Lack
of consensus among countries on appointment of special envoy for Afghanistan
Fidel
Rahmati
February
20, 2024
The
two-day Doha conference hosted by the United Nations at Qatar “Four Seasons”
hotel concluded yesterday. The conference was held to negotiate the global
community’s engagement with the de facto authorities, assess the human rights
situation in Afghanistan, and garner consensus among nations on appointing a
new representative for Afghan conflict resolution.
However,
due to opposition from Iran, Russia, and China, there are significant doubts
and uncertainties regarding consensus on appointing a new representative.
Similar
to its predecessor, the second Doha conference was conducted behind closed
doors, with delegates from approximately 25 countries and international
organizations participating. Afghanistan was represented by at least four
individuals, including LutfullahNajafizada, Mitra Mehran, ShahgulRezai,
MahboubaSeraj, and Faiz Mohammad Zaland, representing civil society and women
in the conference.
Experts
dubbed this conference a “significant opportunity.” The expectations
surrounding it underscored its importance. However, the tangible and definitive
outcome of this conference remains unclear. The Secretary-General of the United
Nations, in a post-conference briefing, mentioned that countries agree to
prevent further crisis escalation in Afghanistan, but added that a long road
lies ahead.
During
the Doha conference, it was reported that representatives of Iran, Russia, and
China opposed the consensus for appointing a special representative. Following
this, Russia’s representative abstained from participating in the joint session
between country representatives and Afghan civil society and women. Moscow
explained that participants in the Doha conference were invited in a
“non-transparent” manner without the confirmation of the Taliban
administration.
Iran’s
representative also followed suit, echoing what is perceived as “Taliban’s
demand,” and did not attend the joint session. The dissent and lack of
consensus regarding the appointment of a new representative indicate that the
most contentious agenda item of the conference, negotiating and agreeing on a
special representative for Afghanistan, concluded fruitlessly.
The
objective of selecting a special representative for Afghanistan is to fulfill one
of the resolutions of the UN Security Council concerning Afghanistan. According
to this resolution, the UN Secretary-General is tasked with nominating a
qualified individual for the political resolution of the Afghan issue.
Based
on reports, this representative will be tasked with engaging with all
stakeholders in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, civil society, women, and
regional countries, to facilitate practical decisions for increased interaction
with Afghanistan’s current authorities.
It is
worth noting that the appointment of this representative has been delegated to
the next session of the UN Security Council.
Source: khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.khaama.com/lack-of-consensus-among-countries-on-appointment-of-special-envoy-for-afghanistan/
----
Amar
Ekushey teaches us not to bow our heads: PM
Feb
20, 2024
Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged countrymen to move ahead with heads held
high as Amar Ekushey (February 21) taught them not to bow their heads.
"Ekush
taught us not to bow down. We will not move keeping our heads down anymore, we
will go with our heads high," she said conferring Ekushey Padak-2024 at
Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.
Speaking
as the chief guest at the award distribution programme, the premier said
Bangladesh lost its dignity as a victorious nation after 1975 (with the
assassination of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman).
"Today,
I can at least claim that Bangalees can move with their heads high in the world
arena as we have brought that dignity back."
The
people of Bangladesh will have to move forward upholding this dignity in the
coming days, she said.
"We
are not seeking anything from anyone by begging. We will walk in the world with
self-dignity."
Source: thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/amar-ekushey-teaches-us-not-bow-our-heads-pm-3548511
----
9,370
Bangladeshis in foreign prisons
Feb
20, 2024
A
total of 9,370 Bangladeshi expatriates are detained in prisons in 26 countries,
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud told parliament yesterday.
Of
them, the highest 5,746 Bangladeshis are detained in prisons in Saudi Arabia,
followed by 508 in Turkey, he added.
Hasan
Mahmud also said 1,226 Bangladeshis have been repatriated since July 2023,
while 51 have returned from prisons in France and other European countries.
Also,
around 1,950 expats have been brought back from different prisons in India,
Myanmar, and countries in Middle East, he added.
The
foreign ministry, expatriates' welfare ministry, Bangladesh embassies abroad,
and the International Organization for Migration are playing an integral role
in the release of imprisoned expatriate Bangladeshis, said the minister.
Liaison
is always maintained with police stations and public prosecution offices
concerned for speedy and fair investigation of complaints brought against
migrants held over criminal offences abroad, he said.
The
government also communicates at the highest levels of countries concerned for
special and general amnesty for detained expatriate workers, he added.
Bangladesh
at present has 81 embassies abroad, through which the government also maintains
diplomatic relations with other countries where Bangladesh does not have an
embassy, he informed.
Hasan
Mahmud also said the government is continuing its effort to maintain
international attention on the Rohingya issue.
"More
than 8 lakh British-Bangladeshis in the United Kingdom are making significant
contributions there in politics, economy, and culture. In the context of the
post-Brexit UK labour market, we believe that opportunities are there to send
skilled workers from Bangladesh through a legal and orderly immigration process,"
Mahmud also said.
Necessary
measures have been taken as per existing laws of the countries concerned while
maintaining diplomatic norms to bring back the fugitive killers of Bangabandhu,
he added.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/69pc-land-cases-associated-small-farmers-3548216
----
Myanmar
crisis: Opposition deputy leader fears regional instability
Feb
19, 2024
The
Deputy Leader of the Opposition and a Jatiyo Party MP Anisul Islam Mahmud today
in parliament expressed fear that the ongoing conflict in Myanmar may disrupt
the security of Bangladesh and India.
He
suggested that a joint initiative should be taken with India, Bangladesh,
Myanmar, China and the United States to address the situation.
Pointing
to the recent remarks of US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central
Asian Affairs Donald Lu, the JP MP said the situation in Myanmar might heighten
security risks for Bangladesh and neighbouring regions.
Last
week, Donal Lu warned both Dhaka and Delhi that the security situation born out
of the Rohingya refugee crisis and the general instability in Myanmar will
worsen and continue to have implications for its neighbours.
Anisul
said Bangladesh needs to take more precautionary steps to deal with the
war-like situation in Rakhine.
He
said benefactors of the conflict can try to take advantage of the situation by
drawing Bangladesh into the conflict.
"So,
I think India, US, Myanmar and China should take a joint initiative to look
into this matter," Anisul said.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/myanmar-crisis-opposition-deputy-leader-fears-regional-instability-3548081
----
Pakistan
Latest
round of talks between PML-N and PPP on coalition govt formulation in Pakistan
inconclusive
20.02.24
The
latest round of talks between the top leaders of the PML-N and the PPP has
ended inconclusively after both sides failed to reach a consensus on a
power-sharing formula to form a coalition government in Pakistan following a
fractured verdict in the election.
The
meeting, held at the residence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior
leader Senator Ishaq Dar in parliament lodges here on Monday, saw the
participation of prominent figures from both parties. The Pakistan Peoples
Party (PPP) delegation comprised Murad Ali Shah, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nadeem
Afzal Chan, and others, the Express Tribune newspaper reported on Tuesday.
This
was the fifth round of discussions between PML-N and PPP coordination
committees to end the political stalemate after the February 8 elections
resulted in a hung Parliament.
After
a three-hour deliberation on Monday, the negotiation hit a snag prompting a
temporary halt, with both PML-N and PPP agreeing to reconvene at 10 pm on
Monday. However, the meeting did not take place.
Eventually,
at 11 pm, the PML-N concluded their meeting, announcing that discussions with
PPP would resume on Wednesday.
In an
informal conversation with reporters after the first round of the meeting,
PML-N leader Azam Nazir Tarar conveyed a positive trajectory in the ongoing
discussions.
“Some
things have already been decided on the matter of PPP's inclusion in the
cabinet,” Tarar was quoted as saying by Geo News.
Sources
said PPP Chairman Bilawal Zardari-Bhutto was playing smartly and trying to
bring PML-N to a point where it withdrew from making a coalition government and
then launching himself as prime minister and form a government with the support
of independents of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who have now joined the Sunni Ittehad Council.
But
it will not be easy for the 35-year-old former foreign minister as PTI has
already rejected the possibility of supporting the PPP.
The
general elections have been controversial with several serious allegations of
widespread rigging to alter the results. Over 11 days after the voting, there
is still no clarity on which party would form the government at the Centre.
Though
independent candidates backed by PTI party won the maximum number of seats in
Parliament, PML-N and PPP have announced that they will form a coalition
government after the elections resulted in a hung Parliament.
However,
despite multiple rounds of talks, a decision regarding PPP's inclusion in the
Cabinet remained elusive.
According
to sources, the powerful military, which has backed a unity government after
the fractured verdict, would have to put down its foot and the PPP would have
to join the coalition government with a share in the cabinet. Otherwise, the
process of forming a coalition government would be difficult.
The
Parliament should meet for its maiden session by February 29 and it is hoped
that the two leading parties -- PML-N and PPP -- would agree on a power-sharing
arrangement by that time.
Meanwhile,
the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan) pledged its support for the PML-N on
Monday.
To
form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 contested seats in the
266-member National Assembly.
Independent
candidates - a majority backed by the PTI -- won 93 National Assembly seats in
the election.
The
PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP came third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi
Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has also agreed to support them with their 17 seats.
In an
informal dialogue with journalists, Sindh governor and MQM-P leader Kamran
Tessori said, "We stand united in the challenging task of government
formation. MQM-P has assured full support (to PML-N)."
Except
for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff
and has been published from a syndicated feed.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/latest-round-of-talks-between-pakistan-muslim-league-nawaz-and-pakistan-peoples-party-on-coalition-government-formulation-in-pakistan-inconclusive/cid/2001736
----
Pakistan
calls out veto powers for failure to secure peace in Gaza, Ukraine
February
20, 2024
Munir
Akram, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, has blamed the
veto-wielding governments for the UN Security Council's (UNSC) inability to
bring about peace in Gaza and Ukraine.
"We
are trying to curtail the veto power of the permanent members," Akram said
while speaking to Geo News.
Stressing
that there are both pros and cons of permanent membership of the UNSC, owing to
the veto powers enjoyed by a handful of nations, the envoy opposed the addition
of another permanent member to the UN body.
The
diplomat added that permanent members have the power to essentially paralyse
the Security Council.
Urging
for more non-permanent elected seats in the council, the Pakistani envoy said
that the UNSC should comprise 27 members with a majority of developing nations.
Five
UNSC permanent members have veto power including China, France, Russia, the UK
and the USA. These countries have vetoed resolutions hundreds of times with
Russia using the power 125 times and the US 82 times.
US hints using 'veto' ahead of likely UN vote
on Gaza
Meanwhile,
the UNSC is likely to vote on Tuesday (today) on an Algerian push for the
15-member body to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the
Israel-Hamas war, said diplomats, a move the United States signalled it would
veto.
Algeria
put forward an initial draft resolution more than two weeks ago. But US
Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield quickly said the text could
jeopardise "sensitive negotiations" aimed at brokering a pause in the
war.
Algeria
requested on Saturday that the council vote on Tuesday, diplomats said. To be
adopted, UN Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and
no vetoes by the United States, Britain, France, China or Russia.
"The
United States does not support action on this draft resolution. Should it come
up for a vote as drafted, it will not be adopted," Thomas-Greenfield said
in a statement on Saturday.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1159605-pakistan-calls-out-unsc-nations-for-veto-powers-inability-to-secure-peace-in-gaza
----
Imran,
Bushra’s indictment in £190m reference deferred till Feb 23
February
20, 2024
ISLAMABAD:An
accountability court deferred on Tuesday the indictment of former premier Imran
Khan and Bushra Bibi in the £190 million corruption reference as the newly
appointed judge, Nasir Javed Rana, has yet to take charge.
Judge
Rana was scheduled to hold his first hearing of the case today at Adiala jail.
The
indictment of Imran and Bushra has been deferred multiple times without any
proceedings, due to Judge Muhammad Bashir’s unavailability.
The
Ministry of Law and Justice appointed a district and sessions judge, Nasir
Javed Rana, as the new judge at Islamabad Accountability Court-I. The
accountability court’s incumbent judge, Muhammad Bashir, is set to retire on
March 14.
Read:
Imran, wife indicted in marriage case
On
January 20, Judge Bashir applied for medical leave until his retirement.
In
the letter sent to the IHC and the Ministry of Law and Justice, the judge
stated that due to his deteriorating health, he could not perform his duties.
However,
the ministry did not approve his request. After his request was denied, the
judge withdrew his application on January 27, stating that he was now well and
able to perform his duties.
On
January 28, Judge Bashir sentenced former prime minister Imran and his spouse,
Bushra, to 14 years in prison for misusing the state’s gift repository during
the former’s term as PM. On February 3, the judge once again applied for leave
until his retirement on medical grounds.
Judge
Bashir was adjudicating a number of high-profile cases, including the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB) references filed against former Imran Khan and his
wife for their alleged involvement in a £190m scandal.
The
case
Former
prime minister Imran Khan is a primary accused in the case and co-accused are
former accountability czar Shahzad Akbar, former aide to premier Zulfiqar
Bukhari, Zia Mustafa and Farah Shazadi aka Farah Gogi.
The
reference, filed by NAB, accused the PTI chief and Akbar of collusion. It said
that Akbar produced a misleading note on Dec 2, 2019, to show the account of
the Supreme Court Registrar as the account of the state of Pakistan. It said
that the PTI chairman, who was the prime minister at the time, was aware of the
whole plan, as he had taken 458-kanal of land in 2019 that was transferred in
the name of Zulfi Bukhari.
It
added that when the land was given, the Al-Qadir Trust did not exist. In the
reference, NAB had requested that the accused be tried and punished.
Source: tribune.com.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2457033/imran-bushras-indictment-in-190m-reference-deferred-till-feb-23
----
May 9
violence cases: ATC extends pre-arrest bail of IK till 24th
2024-02-20
LAHORE:
An Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday extended the pre-arrest bail of former
PTI chairman Imran Khan in seven May 9 riots cases till February 24.
The
bail petitions were filed in cases of attacks on Corps Commander House, Askari
Tower, Shadman police station, burning PML-N party offices in Model Town and a
container at Kalma Chowk.
The
court extended the bail without any progress in the proceedings as the
attendance of Imran could not be marked from Adiala jail on a video link.
Earlier,
the Khan’s counsel asked the court to mark the attendance of the petitioner by
making a video call on Whatsapp number of the jail’s superintendent.
He
reiterated his request of personally summoning the PTI founder, if his
attendance was not possible on video link.
Source: brecorder.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40289622/may-9-violence-cases-atc-extends-pre-arrest-bail-of-ik-till-24th
----
Pakistan
Firmly Asserts Durand Line Sovereignty in Face of Taliban’s Stark Rejection
Khaama
Press
February
19, 2024
In a
vivid manifestation of escalating tensions, Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special
envoy to Afghanistan, has emphatically dismissed the Taliban’s contentious
stance on the Durand Line, underscoring Islamabad’s rigid position on the
historic border dispute. This sharp exchange marks a significant heightening in
the long-standing discord over the demarcation that has been a point of
contention between Afghanistan and Pakistan for decades.
Durrani
articulated his staunch rebuttal in response to the inflammatory assertions
made by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Deputy Minister for the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Taliban, who categorically stated Afghanistan’s refusal
to recognize the Durand Line as the official boundary. Speaking to Afghanistan
International in Doha, Durrani declared, “For Pakistan, the matter of the
Durand Line is conclusively settled,” unequivocally affirming the line as the
official and internationally recognized border separating the two nations.
This
firm declaration from Pakistan is a direct countermeasure to Stanikzai’s
provocative remarks during a commemorative event for the Soviet withdrawal from
Afghanistan in Logar. Stanikzai criticized the internal divisions among Afghans
during the era of Ahmad Shah Durrani as the precursor to British intervention
and the subsequent creation of the “imaginary Durand Line,” which, in his view,
bisected Afghanistan. He also lambasted Pakistan’s “oppressive” expulsion of
Afghan migrants from the border areas, touching on the deep historical
grievances and humanitarian issues engendered by the disputed boundary.
Stanikzai’s
resolve, as captured in his pronouncement that “We have never recognized Durand
in our lifetime and will not recognize it,” reflects a profound and historical
rebuke of the boundary, highlighting a source of friction that has marred
relations between the two countries for generations. The Taliban’s steadfast
rejection of the Durand Line underscores long-standing Afghan sentiments that
challenge the foundation of Afghan-Pakistani diplomatic relations.
Previously,
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry had labeled the Taliban’s non-recognition of the
border as “selfish and baseless.” Durrani’s recent statements to Afghanistan
International in Doha further cement Pakistan’s stance, emphasizing the Durand
Line’s legitimacy through international law and historical agreements.
Pakistan’s unwavering defense of the border line underscores a serious,
hardline approach to protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity
against any disputations.
The
Durand Line, steeped in British colonial legacy, continues to be a divisive
issue, slicing through ethnically Pashtun territories and disrupting
communities. Pakistan’s adamant insistence on the legitimacy of this border is
driven by considerations of state sovereignty, the regulation of cross-border
movement, and the overarching goal of ensuring regional stability amidst
contentious debates.
This
intense diplomatic exchange between Afghanistan and Pakistan underscores the
complex historical and contemporary challenges shaping their bilateral
relationship. As rhetoric on both sides escalates, the diplomatic rift widens,
amplifying concerns over regional security, cooperation, and the well-being of
those living along the disputed border.
The
persistent dispute over the Durand Line serves as a stark reminder of the
lasting impact of colonial-era demarcations in South Asia, with Afghanistan and
Pakistan clinging to their respective narratives. Navigating a path forward
requires diplomatic finesse and a dedicated effort to confront the deep-seated
issues underlying this division, highlighting the need for a resolution that
considers the sensitivities and aspirations of all involved parties.
Source: khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-firmly-asserts-durand-line-sovereignty-in-face-of-talibans-stark-rejection/
----
Mideast
Israel
to set security limits on Ramazan prayers at Al Aqsa
2024-02-20
JERUSALEM:
Israel will allow Ramazan prayers at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque during the
upcoming holy month but limits will be set according to security needs, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Monday.
Hamas
denounced the proposed restrictions and the top Palestinian Islamic council
called on all Muslims to visit Al Aqsa regardless.
Al
Aqsa, one of the holiest sites in the world for Muslims, sits on a hilltop in
Jerusalem’s Old City in a compound also revered by Jews as the site of their temples
of biblical times.
Rules
about access to the site have been a frequent source of friction, particularly
during holidays including Ramazan, which begins this year on or around March
10.
Israel
has imposed restrictions in the past - usually keeping out younger worshippers
- saying that doing so prevents violence.
Asked
about the possibility of blocking access for Israeli Muslims to Al Aqsa,
Netanyahu’s office said: “The prime minister made a balanced decision to allow
freedom of worship within the security needs determined by professionals.” It
gave no further details.
Source: brecorder.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40289649/israel-to-set-security-limits-on-ramazan-prayers-at-al-aqsa
----
Palestine
warns of religious war after deny Muslims access to al-Aqsa
[19/February/2024]
OCCUPIED
AL-QUDS February 19. 2024 (Saba) - The Supreme Fatwa Council in Palestine on
Monday warned of the repercussions of the decision to prevent Palestinians from
entering the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque to perform religious rituals in the holy
month of Ramadan in response to right-wing extremist pressure.
According
to Palestine Today Agency, the Council explained in a statement that the
Blessed al-Aqsa Mosque is currently going through a painful and dangerous
reality, calling for taking the Zionist decision seriously, as the danger is
imminent and the aggression is fierce.
The
Council renewed its call on Arabs and Muslims to stand by the mission of their
Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, and to intervene to stop the
increasing attacks on al-Aqsa and on the Palestinian people.
It
held the Zionist enemy authorities responsible for the consequences of these
decisions, which increase the fire of hatred in the region and fuel conflict in
the holy sites.
The
Council urged everyone who can reach the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque to travel to
it, protect it, and stay in it
Source: saba.ye
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3306327.htm
-----
Palestinian
Foreign Minister Urges Top UN Court To End Israeli Occupation, Declare It
'Illegal'
Mohammad
Sio
19.02.2024
Palestinian
Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki addressed the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) on Monday, urging the court to terminate the Israeli occupation and deem
it "illegal."
"We
call upon the International Court of Justice to declare the Israeli occupation
illegal and emphasize the necessity of ending it immediately and
unconditionally," al-Maliki said during a hearing session at the ICJ.
The
court sessions commenced Monday regarding the legal implications arising from
Israel's policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.
"It
is time to end double standards and enforce international laws on all countries
without exception," he said.
Highlighting
the stark realities faced by Palestinians, the minister said: "Israel has
left Palestinians with only three options: either displacement, detention, or
death."
Al-Maliki
further said: "Palestine remains the greatest test of the credibility of
the international system based on laws, and humanity cannot bear its
failure."
The
Palestinian minister also addressed reporters after the hearings that began at
the ICJ on Monday, stating that the Court would provide its legal opinion on
Israel's practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.
"The
source of all the suffering endured by our people is the illegal and colonial
occupation and the apartheid regime of (Israel)," he said.
"Formulas
that do not address this fundamental source of problems sow the seeds of
further tragedy while assisting Israel in imprisoning Palestinians within its
colonial agenda and unlawful actions," he added.
He
pointed out that this process will help end the occupation immediately,
unconditionally, and completely and it will enable the Palestinian people to
realize their inalienable rights, such as determining their fate and achieving
national independence within the boundaries established by international law,
alongside Israel, and to live in peace, mutual security, and dignity.
"We
will continue to pursue this tirelessly and steadfastly. Palestine and the
Palestinian people are not alone in this march for justice. The process at the
ICJ that began today clearly demonstrates that Israeli colonization, apartheid,
and persecution of the Palestinian people cannot be justified or excused,"
he underlined.
Remarks
by lawyers, experts
Following
Maliki's opening remarks, Andreas Zimmermann, an academic at the Faculty of Law
of Potsdam University and one of Palestine's lawyers, emphasized that Israel
persistently rejected negotiations to end the occupation and conflicts.
Zimmermann
underscored Israel's failure to fulfill its obligation to resolve disputes
peacefully, highlighting its non-compliance with numerous UN resolutions and
violations of international law and the UN Charter.
He
said there is no compelling reason for the court to refuse to provide the
requested opinion, adding that considering Israel's ongoing and escalating
violations of the imperative norms of international law, the court's findings
are both urgent and significant. He added that the court clearly has the
authority to present the requested opinion.
Recalling
Israel's repeated refusals to engage in meaningful negotiations with Palestine
based on international law, Zimmermann said the mere hypothetical possibility
of future negotiations cannot be used as an excuse to avoid the implementation
of international law.
Lawyer
Paul S. Reichler, who spoke during the hearing, emphasized the illegality of
Israel's long-standing occupation and annexation of Palestinian territories,
stating that according to international law, the occupation must be completely
and unconditionally terminated based on valid and undisputed facts.
Reichler
underscored that under international law, the temporary nature of the
occupation is clear and that the ultimate goal of the occupation is to seize
the maximum amount of Palestinian land with the minimum number of Palestinians.
Lawyer
Reichler drew attention to the written statements submitted by other participating
states, noting that except for Fiji and the US, no state explicitly supported
the occupation.
Reichler
observed that while all states presenting their statements to the advisory
opinion uniformly opposed all of Israel's violations, Fiji and the US stood out
by supporting Israel, contrary to the general trend.
Speaking
at the hearing, Ambassador NamiraNegm, director of the African Union Migration
Observatory and one of the lawyers representing Palestine, said Israel
considers all Palestinians as suspects, highlighting that despite the UN
resolutions calling for the cessation of arming Jewish settlers, Israel has
failed to prevent these settlers, who attack Palestinians.
Negm
stressed that Israel's discriminatory policies in the occupied Palestinian
territories aim to obstruct all human rights of Palestinians, saying Israel is
implementing an apartheid regime in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Listing
evidence of the discrimination Palestinians face, Negm mentioned the existence
of two separate groups, Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims, emphasizing that
Palestinian Muslims face severe discrimination.
Philippe
Sands, a law professor at University College London and one of the lawyers
representing Palestine, stated in his speech that while there is no doubt about
the validity of the Palestinians' right to self-determination, Israel has
prevented Palestinians from exercising this right.
As a
Jewish lawyer, Sands pointed out that Israel has violated the territorial
integrity of Palestine with an illegal occupation lasting over half a century.
Alain
Pellet from Paris Nanterre University, another lawyer representing Palestine,
also emphasized the responsibility of states regarding the occupation and
violations, saying the Palestinians' violated rights, including their right to
self-determination, are prohibited by the imperative rules of international
law.
Pellet
noted in his speech that Israel, which has occupied Jerusalem for 57 years, has
an obligation to end this occupation. He also said Israel has an obligation to
end the occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Israel
has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group
Hamas. The ensuing Israeli attacks have killed over 29,000 and caused mass
destruction and shortages of necessities, while less than 1,200 Israelis are
believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The
Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory'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
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
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/palestinian-foreign-minister-urges-top-un-court-to-end-israeli-occupation-declare-it-illegal/3141756
----
ICJ
reviews occupation of Palestinian lands, as Gaza death toll tops 29,000
February
19, 2024
TEHRAN-Israel’s
decades-long atrocious crimes against Palestinian people once again grab the
headlines as the International Court of Justice holds public hearings on the
legal consequences of the regime’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
Judges
of the UN's top court have been asked to review "occupation, settlement
and annexation ... including measures aimed at altering the demographic
composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its
adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures."
The
Palestinian foreign minister took the floor in the first session of the six-day
hearings held in The Hague in the Netherlands on Monday.
Riyad
al-Maliki lashed out at Israel for subjecting Palestinians to decades of
discrimination and apartheid.
He
said such practices have left Palestinians with the choice of “displacement,
subjugation, or death”.
Al-Maliki
added, “The only solution consistent with international law is for this illegal
occupation to come to an immediate, unconditional and total end.”
The
Palestinian foreign minister also touched upon Israel’s deadly war on Gaza that
began on October 7.
“The
genocide underway in Gaza is a result of decades of impunity and inaction.
Ending Israel’s impunity is a moral, political and legal imperative,” al-Maliki
said.
More
than 50 countries and three international organizations speak during the nearly
week-long event which had been requested by the United Nations General
Assembly.
The
assembly passed a resolution in December 2022 calling on the world’s top court
to give an advisory or non-binding opinion on Israel’s occupation of
Palestinian territories since 1967.
ICJ’s
second opinion in 20 years
This
is the second time the UN General Assembly has asked the ICJ for an advisory
opinion related to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.
The
ICJ found in July 2004 that Israel's separation wall in the occupied West Bank
violated international law, urging the regime to dismantle the structure. But,
Israel has so far refused to do so.
The
ongoing ICJ hearings that will continue until February 26 are different from a
case filed by South Africa at the UN’s top court against Israel for violating
the 1948 Genocide Convention in its onslaught in the Gaza Strip.
In
late January, the ICJ ruled on South Africa’s legal case ordering Israel to
take all measures to prevent genocide in Gaza.
Israel
captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the Six Day War in
1967. It has expanded settlements in the West Bank since then. All Israeli
settlements are illegal under international law.
Israeli
forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005. A year later Hamas won a majority
in the Palestinian legislative council election. After Hamas took power in
2007, Israel imposed an airtight land, sea and air blockade on the Palestinian
territory which has continued till today.
Gaza
death toll tops 29,000
Israel
announced a “total” blockade of the already besieged Gaza Strip, including a
ban on food and water, after the Hamas resistance movement launched a military
operation codenamed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in southern Israel on October 7.
More than 1,100 were killed in the Hamas attack. About 240 others were seized
as captives as well. Around 100 of them were released during a seven-day truce
in late November. That was in exchange for the release of hundreds of
Palestinian prisoners from the regime’s jails.
Following
the Hamas operation, Israel launched a genocidal campaign in Gaza.
The
Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza announced on Monday morning that the death
toll from Israel’s military action since October 7 has risen to 29,092.
The
ministry said the number of people who have been injured in the Gaza Strip over
the past 132 days stands at 69,028.
But,
the death toll could be higher than official figures as thousands more are
missing and feared dead beneath the rubble.
Israeli
airstrikes that were followed by a ground invasion on October 27, have
destroyed large swaths of the Gaza Strip and displaced a vast majority of the
population.
Source: tehrantimes.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/495144/ICJ-reviews-occupation-of-Palestinian-lands-as-Gaza-death-toll
----
Israel
accused of repressing basic Palestinian freedoms in ICJ hearing on West Bank
rule
19
February 2024
JEREMY SHARON
Israel
faced an avalanche of condemnation and denunciation in the International Court
of Justice on Monday, as Palestinian representatives accused Jerusalem of
creating a permanent and illegal occupation in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem, and of establishing a system of apartheid in its treatment of the
Palestinians.
The
proceedings on Monday were the first of six days of hearings in The Hague over
the UN General Assembly’s request for an advisory opinion by the ICJ on the
“legal consequences” of Israel’s 56-year rule in the territories.
Palestinian
Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki accused Israel of giving Palestinians
the choice of “ethnic cleansing, apartheid, or genocide” due to its long-term
rule of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and he and other representatives for
the Palestinians asked the ICJ to “declare that the Israeli occupation is
illegal” and to call for its immediate end.
The
hearing drew swift castigation from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, and Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office rejected the legitimacy of the
proceedings, alleging they were “designed to harm Israel’s right to defend
itself from existential threats,” and “dictate the results of a diplomatic
settlement without any negotiations.”
In a
brief statement to the ICJ issued last year in response to the proceedings, Israel
emphasized that previous efforts to politically resolve the conflict had run
aground, pointing to statements by former US president Bill Clinton, former US
secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, and former Saudi ambassador to the United
States Prince Bandar bin Sultan, accusing the Palestinians of failing to come
to an agreement with Israel and thereby end Israeli rule in the territories.
The
Palestinian Authority had lobbied for the UN General Assembly to request the
advisory opinion. It is seeking a ruling by the court that Israeli rule in the
West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal, and that Israel must end that rule,
dismantle Israeli settlements, and provide restitution to Palestinians who have
been harmed by it.
Advisory
opinions by the ICJ are non-binding and have no legal ramifications, but the
hearing nonetheless carries enormous emotional and diplomatic heft amid
Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 attack and increased
criticism worldwide of the Jewish state’s dealings with the Palestinians in
both Gaza and the West Bank.
On
Sunday, Israel’s government unanimously backed a declaration rejecting a
reported US-led proposal to set a firm timeline for recognition of a
Palestinian state, saying this would be a “massive prize” for the terrorist
massacre in southern Israel four months ago.
“A
Palestinian can spend their entire lifetime as a refugee, denied dignity and
the right to return home… under constant threat, have their loved ones thrown
in Israeli jail and held there indefinitely, and their land stolen, colonized,
and annexed,” said Maliki in opening remarks for the Palestinians.
“For
decades, Palestinians have endured colonialism and apartheid,” he continued,
and requested that the court “declare that the Israeli occupation is illegal”
and that it must end “immediately, totally and unconditionally.”
The
oral arguments presented by the Palestinian representatives almost entirely
ignored the political nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the
territories, past efforts to resolve the dispute, and the ongoing applicability
of the Oslo Accords to resolving it in a political, not legal, framework.
International
lawyer Paul Reichler presented the legal arguments for the Palestinian case,
saying that Israeli control of the territories constitutes an illegal
occupation and citing the UN Charter as well as UN Security Council resolutions
242, 478, and 2334, among others.
He
described the settler movement in which some 700,000 Israelis now live in West
Bank settlements and East Jerusalem neighborhoods as “a vast colonial
enterprise” in which he alleged Israel had “implanted settlers” as part of a
goal of permanent annexation.
He
also quoted the statements of several senior Israel officials indicating their
intention to permanently annex parts or all of the West Bank, pointing by way
of example to Netanyahu’s 2019 declaration that he intended to annex the Jordan
Valley, as well as comments by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that it was “a
national ambition” to control land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean
Sea, which includes all of the West Bank.
“The
evidence is indisputable. Under an umbrella of a prolonged military occupation,
[Israel] has been steadily annexing Palestinian territory and the objective is
the permanent acquisition of this territory and to exercise sovereignty over
it, in defiance of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by
force,” said Reichler.
“Senior
Israeli officials admit their objective is sovereignty over all the territory
over the green line… there is no reason not to take them at their word because
their deeds are consistent with them.”
Prof.
Phillipe Sands, an expert in international law, presented arguments that
Israel’s decades-long rule in the West Bank has denied the Palestinians their
right to nationhood.
“The
Palestinians are a distinct people. As such they enjoy the same rights of every
other people, namely the right to self-determination, to decide for themselves
how they will live and organize politically, socially, and economically,” said
Sands. “Israel] decides how, or if at all, Palestinians may meet, trade, live
and love.”
He
accused the right-wing government ruling the country, which includes many
politicians opposed to Palestinian statehood, of celebrating “the denial of
Palestinian self-determination, sovereignty and statehood,” and alleged that
Israel intended to keep the situation in place “forever.”
A
spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry denounced Monday’s hearing after it
concluded, alleging the PA was “trying to turn a conflict that should be
resolved through direct negotiations and without external impositions into a
one-sided and improper legal process.” A statement called on the court to
instruct the Palestinians to resolve the conflict through direct negotiations
with Israel.
“For
years, the Palestinian leadership has rejected direct negotiations to resolve
the conflict, while fostering incitement to terrorism, promoting antisemitism
and providing financial incentives to terrorists who murder Jews,” said the spokesperson.
“All
of this was hidden from the Court in the distorted and one-sided questions
posed to it by the [UN] General Assembly, which endeavor to predetermine the
results of the proceedings without regard to the basic principles of
international law and the legal framework that applies to the conflict.”
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-accused-of-repressing-basic-palestinian-freedoms-in-icj-hearing-on-west-bank-rule/
----
Iran's
UN envoy dismisses ‘baseless’ US allegations about arms smuggling to Yemen
20 February 2024
Iran
has roundly dismissed as "baseless" US allegations that Tehran is
transferring weapons and ammunition to Yemen, stressing that Washington is
abusing the Security Council podium to pursue its short-sighted political
objectives.
Iran’s
Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations Amir-SaeidIravani, in a Monday
letter addressed to the rotating president of the UN Security Council, Carolyn
Rodrigues-Birkett, brushed off the unfounded claims leveled against his country
by the Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs of the United
States Mission to the United Nations.
During
the recent session of the United Nations Security Council on February 14,
Robert Wood alleged that Iran is enabling and supporting the attacks being
carried out by Yemeni naval units against Israeli-affiliated commercial vessels
in the Red Sea, and has provided Yemen’s Armed Forces with advanced weapons in
violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 2140 and 2216.
“It
is deeply regrettable that, once again, the representative of the United States
has misused the Security Council platform to advance its short-sighted
political agenda by spreading misinformation and baseless accusations against
the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the situation in Yemen and the Red Sea,”
Iravani wrote in the letter.
He
underscored that Iran categorically rejects such baseless allegations, and
regards them as a pretext used by the United States to justify and legitimize
its illegal actions and military aggression against Yemen.
“Iran
remains committed to its adherence to Security Council Resolutions 2140 (2014)
and 2216 (2015) and has not engaged in any activities in contravention of these
resolutions, including the sale or transfer of arms or weaponry systems.
The
Iranian foreign minister says the Islamic Republic has sternly warned the
United States over its decision to launch joint strikes with Britain on Yemen
as such attacks constitute “a strategic mistake.”
“Moreover,
Iran consistently advocates for the peaceful resolution of the Yemen crisis
through diplomatic channels and underscores its dedication to maritime security
and freedom of navigation,” the senior Iranian diplomat pointed out.
Iravani
also noted that Iran unequivocally condemns the US and British airstrikes
against Yemen, stating the attacks flagrantly violate Yemen's sovereignty and
territorial integrity, international law, the UN Charter as well as relevant Security
Council resolutions, and pose a serious threat to regional peace and
stability.
The
US and the UK have been carrying out strikes against Yemen after the Joe Biden
administration and its allies offered the Tel Aviv regime unqualified support
and said that Yemeni forces bear the consequences of their attacks against
Israeli-owned ships or merchant vessels heading to the occupied territories.
Yemenis
have declared their open support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli
occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza in October after
the territory’s Palestinian resistance movements carried out a surprise
retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying
entity.
Yemeni
Armed Forces have said that they won’t stop their attacks until unrelenting
Israeli ground and aerial offensives in Gaza, which have killed over 29,000
people and wounded nearly 70,000 individuals, come to an end.
Source: presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/02/20/720406/Iran-dismisses-
%E2%80%98baseless%E2%80%99-US-allegations-of-smuggling-arms-to-Yemen,-slams-Security-Council-abuse
----
Southeast Asia
Govt
to continue upholding constitution, including Article 153, says Anwar
20
Feb 2024
THE
government will continue upholding the position and principles of the federal
constitution, including the special position of the Malays and Bumiputera
enshrined under Article 153.
Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this has been the government’s stance
all this while.
“We
will continue upholding the position of the constitution, including Article
153,” he said briefly to reporters after delivering a keynote address at the
15th International Conference on Islamic Economics and Finance (ICIEF) today.
Article
153 of the Federal Constitution gives the Malays and the natives of Sabah and
Sarawak special rights and privileges and says it shall be the responsibility
of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays
and natives of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other
communities.
Anwar
said this in response to PasirGudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim’s statement calling
for the upcoming 2024 Bumiputera Economic Congress to reassess whether the
privileges under Article 153 truly benefit the intended groups.
Hassan
questioned the affirmative action policy, claiming that it had been seized and
manipulated by a certain elite group of Bumiputera.
The
2024 Bumiputera Economic Congress, scheduled to take place from February 29 to
March 2 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), aims to
propose new directions and approaches for a fairer, just, and inclusive
empowerment agenda for the Bumiputera community. – Bernama, February 20, 2024
Source: thevibes.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/101043/govt-to-continue-upholding-constitution-including-article-153-says-anwar
---
G7
transport ministers to meet online on Red Sea crisis, Japan says
February
20, 2024
TOKYO:
Transport ministers of G7 countries to hold an online conference on Tuesday at
1200 GMT to address the Red Sea crisis and its impact on maritime traffic,
Japan’s transport ministry said.
Representatives
from the G7, which besides Japan includes the United States, Britain, Germany,
France, Italy and Canada, will be joined by the European Union, the
International Maritime Organization and the International Transport Forum to
share information and discuss a possible joint statement, the ministry said.
Source: brecorder.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40289756/g7-transport-ministers-to-meet-online-on-red-sea-crisis-japan-says
----
Myanmar
Civil War: Policy experts urge diplomatic push to end instability
Feb
20, 2024
As
fears grow that Myanmar's civil war and refugee crisis could deepen in the
coming days, foreign policy experts are calling for a diplomatic push by the
regional players to facilitate reconciliation among the warring parties.
They
said the security challenges for the regional countries, including Bangladesh
and India, could go beyond control if steps are not taken immediately.
The
issue came to fore when US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central
Asia Donald Lu warned that the situation in Burma and the refugee crisis were
not improving, and that security issues could deepen for Bangladesh and
potentially for India in coming days.
"It's
something we've to watch out for and enable our partners in the region, in this
case Bangladesh and India, to cope with those stresses without it boiling over
into instability in their countries as well," he told a discussion marking
the two years of US' Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) at the US Institute of Peace
in Washington DC on February 15.
Lu
elaborated the role of the IPS for a free, open, prosperous and secure region
and hailed Sri Lanka as an example of the success of the IPS in collaboration
with partners such as India.
He
also spoke about the Maldives, where China, the US, India and other countries
are competing for influence, but viewed that China will be a good partner when
there is genuine, actual competition.
"If
there isn't competition, what we have seen over and over again is China
offering unsustainable debt for unsustainable projects."
Experts
said Lu's warning of regional fallouts due to the Myanmar crisis should trigger
a concerted effort by the international community to stabilise Myanmar.
Bangladesh,
which is the number one victim of the crisis, should increase its efforts in
every manner possible.
They
also said global powers are also competing for influence in resourceful Myanmar
that is located strategically along the Indian Ocean.
Prof
Imtiaz Ahmed of Dhaka University's International Relations Department said
Washington supports Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), which has an
armed wing "Peoples' Defence Force" that, along with the ethnic rebel
groups, is fighting the Myanmar military for democracy.
He
said Washington wants to have influence in this region to counter China, which
has relations both with the Myanmar military and some of the rebel groups,
including the Arakan Army (AA), that are now fighting in Bangladesh's bordering
Rakhine state.
The
civil war, which intensified following the Myanmar military's takeover of Suu
Kyi's National League of Democracy in February 2021, spread further since
October last year forcing hundreds of Myanmar military members to flee to India
and Bangladesh.
Hundreds
of thousands of Myanmar civilians, including Rohingyas, in Rakhine have already
been displaced and several hundred have been waiting near the border to flee to
Bangladesh, which has already been burdened by more than a million Rohingyas
and is now denying accepting any more.
M
Humayun Kabir, president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, said the Myanmar
military will definitely try to take back the towns that were occupied by the
rebel groups.
"Can
Bangladesh stop the Myanmar nationals if the military bombs the bordering
towns? There will be obvious influx and spillover of the conflict. This was
already evident," he said.
The
former ambassador said regional countries besides Bangladesh -- India, China,
Thailand -- all will be affected by the conflict. Human trafficking, drug
smuggling and conflicts within the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar have already
been rampant, creating security concerns for Bangladesh.
Trade
and connectivity projects, including those of India and China are also being
affected, which is why nobody wants an unstable Myanmar, experts say.
Humayun
Kabir further said China has been trying for stability in Myanmar but it is
going nowhere.
"Other
countries including the US, India and China should come up with a diplomatic
initiative to facilitate a reconciliation."
Bangladesh,
the worst victim of the Myanmar crisis, can also initiate a diplomatic move and
the five-points consensus of the ASEAN -- that includes immediate cessation of
violence, constructive dialogue among all parties and provision of humanitarian
assistance – can be the starting point, he said.
"The
ethnic rebel groups want autonomy, not independence. On the other hand, Myanmar
army wants a safe exit. There should be a big push for a solution by the
actors. Bangladesh can definitely play a role here."
Prof
Imtiaz says there are sociological aspects of the military in Myanmar's
governance process.
"Though
the majority of Bamar civilians are now fighting for democracy, military
influence is very strong there. So, the western type of democracy may not be a
feasible option for Myanmar.
"Also,
China and India may not want the US to come into the play of Myanmar
affairs."
He
also said, "In recent times, we have seen India and China, despite having
enmity over land borders, took similar positions on the Russia-Ukraine conflict
and Bangladesh's election. They also work together in BRICS. So, they can also
work together for stability in Myanmar."
Bangladesh
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud and Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval
recently agreed to work together for this purpose, he said.
"I
think this is a good move. China can also be involved here."
Source: malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/myanmar-civil-war-policy-experts-urge-diplomatic-push-end-instability-3548136
----
Malaysia’s
oral submission to ICJ adds value to Palestine issue, says Ops Ihsan
Secretariat
20
Feb 2024
PUTRAJAYA,
Feb 20 — Malaysia’s oral submission to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
will significantly add value to the Palestine issue, ensuring that the
international community becomes fully aware of the atrocities committed by the
Zionist regime, said Ops Ihsan Head of Visibility Cluster Shahrul Aman
MohdSaari.
He
said the Ops Ihsan Secretariat also fully supports the ICJ’s interim verdict on
South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.
“We
are hopeful for a positive outcome for the Palestinian people,” he told
reporters after officiating the special postcard campaign for Palestinian
independence with the Ministry of Education (MOE) here today.
Foreign
Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan is in The Hague, Netherlands, to participate
in the public hearings on the request for the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on the
issue of Palestine.
In a
statement issued today, Mohamad said he is leading the Malaysian delegation at
the ICJ regarding the request for an Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences
arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian
territory, including East Jerusalem.
He is
scheduled to deliver Malaysia’s oral submission at the Peace Palace in The
Hague on February 22 at about 5.10pm local time or February 23 about 12.10
midnight in Malaysia.
Meanwhile,
Shahrul Aman said the Ops Ihsan Secretariat has so far collected more than
100,000 postcards signed by various parties.
He
added that the secretariat would strengthen its partnership with the MOE
regarding the distribution of special postcards involving school students.
Earlier,
Education Minister FadhlinaSidek and her Deputy Minister Wong Kah Woh signed
the postcard as a gesture of solidarity.
Ops
Ihsan was inspired by former foreign minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir as
a collaborative effort between the Foreign Ministry and non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) to mobilise humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people.
Coordinated
by the Foreign Ministry, Ops Ihsan is led by Mahar along with more than 50
other NGOs including Global Peace Mission (GPM) Malaysia, Red A Humanitarian
Development Global, Mercy Malaysia, Pertubuhan Ihsan Johor, BeVital and the
Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim). — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/02/20/malaysias-oral-submission-to-icj-adds-value-to-palestine-issue-says-ops-ihsan-secretariat/119061
-----
Govt
stepping up commitment to street children’s educational needs through MAIWP
20-02-
2024
KUALA
LUMPUR: The government, through the Federal Territories Islamic Religious
Council (MAIWP), is intensifying efforts to support classes organised by
PertubuhanJejakJalanan for street children, especially in the Chow Kit area, to
ensure they have equal access to educational opportunities.
Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr. MohdNa’im
Mokhtar (pix) emphasised the government’s commitment to safeguarding the
welfare of the underprivileged, including in matters of education, and that it
is prepared to collaborate with relevant parties for this purpose.
“This
is my promise. Together with the acting chief executive officer of MAIWP, Datuk
Mohd Nizam Yahya, we will support and collaborate with PertubuhanJejakJalanan
and insha-Allah Baitulmal as well.
“We
will work together to ensure that these children receive the best education
like their peers... MAIWP and I will ensure their welfare is protected,“ he
told reporters after visiting Chow Kit last night.
MAIWP
will offer assistance for the rental of premises, provision of books, allowance
for volunteer teachers providing free tuition, and consider adding more
teachers to adequately meet the children’s educational needs.
Meanwhile,
the Head Activist of PertubuhanJejakJalanan, Azhan Adnan, 54, revealed that the
organisation holds classes under the streetlights for underprivileged children
in open spaces such as the compound of Menara Raja Laut and a parking area in
front of a mamak restaurant.
A
group of four volunteer teachers impart religious knowledge and conduct classes
on academic subjects including Bahasa Malaysia, English, Science, and
Mathematics four times a week.
Azhan
stated that the classes serve as tuition for those attending the
SekolahBimbinganJalinanKasih, a special model school under the Ministry of
Education’s care to support vulnerable groups in the Chow Kit and Kuala Lumpur
area in general.
Azhan,
affectionately known as Abe Hae, expressed his hope that these children would
utilise education as a stepping stone to break free from the cycle of the
poverty trap.
“I
hope to see these children grow with knowledge; we don’t want to see them
repeat their parents’ mistakes. I hope to see at least 10 to 20 percent succeed
like their peers and attend university.
“I
will grow old and pass away. These children may remember, and pass forward this
welfare initiative to help others,“ he said.
The
organisation is currently renovating its Homeless Transit Centre, previously
used as a temporary shelter for the homeless, to be adapted as an educational
centre for underprivileged children in the area. –Bernama
Source: thesun.my
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://thesun.my/local_news/govt-stepping-up-commitment-to-street-children-s-educational-needs-through-maiwp-HD12118249#google_vignette
----
PM
denies claims Malaysia MADANI white rice will support cartel activities
19-02-
2024
KUALA
LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today denied claims suggesting
that the proposal for Malaysia MADANI white rice would support cartel
activities that mix Local White Rice (SST) and Imported White Rice (SSI).
Anwar
said that, on the contrary, the government’s action is aimed at curbing cartel
interference, but there has been no decision regarding the issue so far, and it
will be discussed in more detail at the upcoming National Action Council on
Cost of Living (NACCOL) meeting.
“No,
we are cutting cartel intervention but we will discuss with NACCOL. No decision
(yet),“ he told reporters after attending a “Meet-and-Greet” session with
Maybank staff and the Launch of the ‘myimpact SME HUB’ Empowerment Programme at
Menara Maybank, here today.
Also
present were Minister of Finance II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan; Minister in
the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Dr MohdNa’im
Mokhtar; Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Datuk R.
Ramanan, and Maybank Group chairman Tan Sri ZamzamzairaniMohd Isa.
Anwar,
who is also Finance Minister, said this in response to remarks by UMNO Youth
chief Dr Akmal Saleh, who urged Anwar not to allow the implementation of
Malaysia MADANI white rice as proposed by Bukit Gantang Member of Parliament
Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, claiming that it supports cartel
activities.
On
Feb 14, Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz, who is also the chairman of NACCOL’s Food
Cluster Task Force, announced that the government would introduce MADANI
Malaysian White Rice, which would be sold at RM30 per 10 kilogrammes sack
starting Feb 19, with expectations to hit the market by March 1.
He
stated that this meant that there will no longer be categories of SST and SSI,
except for MADANI Malaysian White Rice as a single category. – Bernama
Source: thesun.my
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://thesun.my/local_news/pm-denies-claims-malaysia-madani-white-rice-will-support-cartel-activities-HD12116010
----
Baznas
sends another humanitarian aid batch for Palestine via Egypt
February 20, 2024
Jakarta
(ANTARA) - Indonesia's National Alms Agency (Baznas) collaborated with the
Egyptian philanthropic institution, Mishr Al-Kheir, to send another batch of
humanitarian aid aboard 14 container trucks to Palestine through Egypt's Rafah
border.
The
humanitarian team, led by Baznas' Deputy Chair Mo Mahdum also participated in
the humanitarian aid send-off at the Mishr Al-Kheir Warehouse, New Cairo,
Egypt.
"The
aid sent today is a real action by the Indonesian people in helping Palestine.
Previously, we have sent 16 container trucks of aid, specifically in
collaboration with Mishr Al-Kheir at the end of December 2023," Mahdum
noted in his statement on Tuesday.
He
revealed that the aid comprised Egyptian food kushari, biscuits, and other food
items. Moreover, his side continues to send other aid to Palestine.
Mahdum
affirmed that Baznas has collaborated with three leading philanthropic
institutions in Egypt.
"In
the near future, Baznas will also collaborate with SunnatulHayah and Food
Bank," he explained.
He
highlighted that the collaboration with philanthropic institutions in Egypt
aimed to facilitate the distribution of aid to the Palestinian people to be more
effective and efficient.
Meanwhile,
Director of Communications of Mishr Al-Kheir Dr Thariq Hasan Muhammad stated
that humanitarian assistance from the Indonesian people through Baznas holds
high significance for the Palestinian people.
He
stated that the prioritized humanitarian aid delivery for Palestine is for
food, health, and emergency items.
"We
express our gratitude to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Cairo,
Egypt, Baznas Indonesia, other Indonesian philanthropic institutions, and to the
Indonesian people," he remarked.
Before
sending the container trucks, the agency had also sent aid for Palestine in the
form of money worth Rp12 billion (US$767 thousand) channeled through the
Foreign Affairs Ministry, and Baznas' network in Egypt and Jordan.
Source: antaranews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://en.antaranews.com/news/306504/baznas-sends-another-humanitarian-aid-batch-for-palestine-via-egypt
-----
Africa
Imprisoned
Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi initiates hunger strike in protest
February
19, 2024
Rached
Ghannouchi, a prominent figure in Tunisia's opposition and leader of the
Ennahda party, has embarked on a hunger strike in solidarity with fellow
anti-government activists.
The
move comes as a form of protest against the continued detention of opposition
figures, as reported by a team of lawyers representing the opposition.
Ghannouchi,
aged 82, has long been a vocal critic of President Kais Saied and his
administration. Last year, he was arrested on charges of incitement against
police and alleged involvement in plots against state security.
In a
statement released by his legal team, Ghannouchi urged Tunisians to uphold
democratic principles, emphasizing the importance of freedom and judicial
independence. Despite his hunger strike, he remains committed to advocating for
a democratic Tunisia that is inclusive of all its citizens.
The
opposition has strongly condemned President Saied's actions, particularly his
decision to dissolve the elected parliament in 2021, which they view as a coup.
Saied, on the other hand, defends his actions as necessary measures to restore
stability to Tunisia after years of political turmoil.
Last
week, six other opposition leaders initiated an indefinite hunger strike to
demand their release from detention without trial. They have also called for an
end to judicial harassment of political activists, journalists, and civil
society members.
The
detained leaders, including Jawher Ben Mbarak, KhayamTurki, Ghazi Chaouachi,
IssamChabbi, AbdelhamidJalasi, and Rida Belhaj, were arrested on suspicion of
plotting against state security.
The
opposition accuses President Saied of suppressing press freedom and undermining
democratic institutions through his constitutional reforms. Saied, however,
maintains that his actions are necessary to protect Tunisia from instability.
Source: africanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.africanews.com/2024/02/19/imprisoned-tunisian-opposition-leader-rached-ghannouchi-initiates-hunger-strike-in-protest/
----
Sudanese
refugees face gruelling wait in overcrowded South Sudan camps
February
20, 2024
RENK,
South Sudan: A new truck arrives in the South Sudanese town of Renk, packed
with dozens of elderly men, women and children, their exhausted faces betraying
the strain of their traumatic journey out of war-ravaged Sudan.
They
are among more than half a million people who have crossed the border into
South Sudan, which is struggling to accommodate the new arrivals.
Renk
is just 10 kilometers (six miles) from Sudan, where fighting broke out in April
last year between army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his former deputy
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces
(RSF).
Since
then, Renk’s two UN-run transit centers have been overwhelmed by an
uninterrupted influx of frightened people, fleeing for their lives.
The
journey is rife with danger, said Fatima Mohammed, a 33-year-old teacher who
escaped with her husband and five children from El-Obeid city in central Sudan.
“The
bullets were entering our house. We were trapped between crossfire in our own
street. So we understood that we needed to leave for the good of our kids,” she
said, describing the situation in Sudan as “unsustainable.”
It
took them five days to make their escape, with Sudanese soldiers and RSF
fighters “making (it) difficult for us to leave the country.”
“They
took all our phones at one checkpoint, a lot of our money (at) another one. We
saw abuses happening at those checkpoints,” she said.
Since
the start of the conflict, nearly eight million people, half of them children,
have fled Sudan.
Around
560,000 of them have taken refuge in South Sudan, according to the United
Nations, which estimates that around 1,500 new arrivals turn up in the country
every day.
Many
spend months waiting in the transit camps, hopeful that someday soon they will
be able to return home.
Iman
David fled fighting in Sudan’s capital Khartoum with her then three-month-old
daughter, leaving her husband behind.
“It
was supposed to be a short stay, but I am still stuck here in Renk after seven
months,” the 20-year-old said.
“My
hope is to go back to Khartoum and reunite with my husband but I don’t know his
fate.”
The
war has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, according to UN figures.
Around
25 million people, more than half of Sudan’s population, need humanitarian
assistance, while around 3.8 million children under the age of five are
suffering from malnutrition, the UN says.
While
many in Renk long to return home, others hope to travel onwards to the town of
Malakal in Upper Nile state, which is also hosting a huge number of refugees.
At
Renk port, hundreds of people lined up under the oppressive glare of the midday
sun, waiting hours to hop aboard the metal boats which make the trip at least
twice a week.
As
she waited, Lina Juna, a 27-year-old mother of four, said her final destination
was the South Sudanese capital Juba.
“I
have nothing to do in Juba, no family members or friends, no business or work
to take care of because I have spent all my life in Sudan,” she said.
“But
I still expect Juba to be much better than Khartoum,” she added, recalling days
spent struggling to find food as heavy fighting rocked the city.
Several
hours later, she managed to board a boat, one of two carrying some 300 people
each.
“Today
is a good day for us,” said Deng Samson, who works for the International
Organization for Migration.
“Some
weeks we have seen ourselves completely overwhelmed,” he said, adding that the
approaching monsoon made him nervous.
“We
are truly afraid of what will happen when the rainy season comes, with waters
rising from the river and disrupting the normal functioning of the port.”
With
up to 10 trucks and buses turning up in Renk every day, the UN is trying to
mobilize the international community, launching an appeal for $4.1 billion this
month to respond to the most urgent humanitarian needs.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2463131/middle-east
----
Terrorists
Launch Fresh Attacks On Benue, Zamfara, Kill 10 Residents, Two Police Officers,
Destroy Several Houses
February
20, 2024
Ten
people have been killed in fresh attacks on four villages in Apa Local
Government Area of Benue State.
The
attacks, which happened within the space of three days, also displaced hundreds
of residents, who are now taking shelter in the local government headquarters.
The
state governor, Hyacinth Alia, however, accused some indigenes of the state of
inviting foreign herders, who are wreaking havoc in many communities.
Meanwhile,
in Zamfara State, two police officers were gunned down when bandits attacked
Zurmi town, Daily Trust reports.
Another
set of bandits burnt over 30 houses and scores of cattle during an attack in
the Allawa community, Shiroro Local government area of Niger State.
In
Yobe State, three ISWAP fighters were killed by troops of the Joint Task Force
(North-East) Operation Hadin Kai Sector 2 in Damaturu.
The
Nigerian Army said the terrorists were killed when troops responded to a report
on the presence of terrorist elements at Maltari village near Kukareta, where
they were reportedly extorting Zakat levies from community members.
The
victims of the Benue attacks, which killed 10 people in Ikobi Council Ward in
Apa LGA, said the incidents happened a few days after the invasion of the Imana
community where four people were killed last week.
One
of the villagers, who is now displaced as a result of the incident, narrated on
phone that nine dead bodies were recovered from the affected communities at the
time they fled to take shelter at the Apa LGA headquarters in Ugbokpo.
He
said, “Nine persons were killed three days back from attacks on Ibele,
Ochumekwu and Ijaha by armed herders. It has been sustained attacks on our
people for the past two weeks.
“They
have been terrorising us. As I speak with you now, in Ikobi, there is nobody
and Ikobi has a population of over one million people. All the people have run
away and are right now taking shelter at Ugbokpo, the LGA headquarters.”
Barr
EcheAkpoko, who is the chairman of Apa Development Association, confirmed the
attacks to Daily Trust.
Akpoko
said one more corpse was discovered after the nine found earlier, bringing the
number of those killed to 10 so far.
He
said of the 10 causalities; five people were killed in Ijaha-Ibele, three in
Ochumekwu while the remaining two were killed in Adija and Kano villages
respectively.
“I
can confirm to you that there was a serial attack on the following communities,
Ijaha-Ibele 5, Ochumekwu 3, Adija 1, and Kano 1 all of Apa LGA on 14th, 15th
& 16th of February 2024, with a total number of 10 casualties ascertained
so far! We condemn the dastardly act in strong terms,” Akpoko said.
The
police spokeswoman for Benue Command, SP Catherine Anene, however, said she did
not have the report.
‘Benue
indigenes inviting foreign herders’
Meanwhile,
Governor Hyacinth Alia has accused some indigenes of the state of inviting
herders from Niger Republic, who are wreaking havoc in many communities.
Donald
Kumun, the Principal Special Assistant to the Governor on Print Media, in a
statement in Makurdi, said the governor stated this on Sunday at the Chapel of
Grace in the Government House, Makurdi, while addressing congregants after the
mass service.
“The
security report has revealed that some Benue indigenes have gone out of their
way to invite herdsmen from Niger Republic to troop into Benue State, all in
the name of bringing down this administration and this is unacceptable. The
security agents are doing their work,” he said.
The
governor, however, appealed to the people of the state to remain calm,
stressing that the security agencies are ready to ensure the safety of all and
sundry.
He
urged the enemies of the state who were not ready to join hands with his
administration to improve the well-being of the people to leave.
Source: saharareporters.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://saharareporters.com/2024/02/20/terrorists-launch-fresh-attacks-benue-zamfara-kill-10-residents-two-police-officers
---
Food
shortage: Boko Haram collecting levies, killing Borno farmers – Suleman cries
out
February
20, 2024
A
senior consultant and public affairs analyst, Abdulsalam Suleman, has lamented
the activities of Boko Haram insurgents in some parts of Borno and Adamawa,
which is affecting the food shortage in Nigeria.
He
said farmers in parts of Borno State cannot go to their farms due to levies
being collected by Boko Haram insurgents, a situation affecting food
availability.
Speaking
with DAILY POST, he disclosed that several farmers are being killed on their
farmlands due to these levies.
As
the economic hardship bites harder, Nigerians are currently lamenting over the
shortage of food in the country.
To
this end, President Bola Tinubu had directed the Department of State Services,
DSS; National Security Adviser, NuhuRibadu; and the Inspector General of Police
to monitor warehouses hoarding food items across the country.
Tinubu
directed them to stop owners of these warehouses from profiteering.
However,
Suleman said: “I’m particular about the level of insecurity in our country now;
this issue has been there. I remember in 2015 during the government of
Jonathan, Buhari said the then president was inept and could not wipe out Boko
Haram and manage the economy, but he (Buhari) will clear out Boko Haram within
three months.
“Eight
years on, Boko Haram that was in the Northeast, that is Borno and Adamawa
States, have spread to Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Sokoto, and others states. So,
eight years on, Buhari could not wipe out Boko Haram. It escalated to the level
of collecting levies. In Bama, they have been collecting levies till now in
Sabo Birni in Sokoto State and Zamfara. You dare not go to your farmland if you
have not paid the levy.
“This
is making a lot of farmers abandon their farms because some are being
slaughtered and murdered with their families and helpers on their farmlands;
two years on now, it has been difficult going to their farms, and because most
farmers were unable to farm during the last farming season, we are experiencing
food shortage now. What you didn’t plant, you can’t harvest, and those who
planted have not been able to weed their farms or harvest. This is contributing
to the present food shortage we are having.”
Source: dailypost.ng
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://dailypost.ng/2024/02/20/food-shortage-boko-haram-collecting-levies-killing-borno-farmers-suleman-cries-out/
-----
Europe
Germany
voices concern over Israeli threat to attack Rafah during Ramadan
20/02/2024
Germany
on Monday expressed concern over the latest remarks by Israel's War Cabinet
Minister Benny Gantz who threatened to invade Rafah city during the Muslim
fasting month of Ramadan if hostages held by Hamas are not released.
“We
view this announcement with concern,” deputy foreign ministry spokeswoman
Kathrin Deschauer said at a press briefing in Berlin.
She
reiterated the urgent need for a humanitarian pause amid the dramatic
deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza as a result of the Israeli
military offensive which has killed nearly 29,000 Palestinians, mostly women
and children, and caused mass destruction.
Deschauer's
remarks were echoed by government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit who stressed his
country's “deep concern” over Israel's military plans for a ground offensive in
Rafah.
Hebestreit
termed the humanitarian situation in Gaza “catastrophic.”
On
Sunday, Gantz threatened to invade Rafah city during Ramadan, if hostages held by
Hamas are not released.
“I
say this very clearly: Hamas has a choice. They can surrender, release the
hostages, and this way, the citizens of Gaza can celebrate the holy holiday of
Ramadan,” Gantz told a press conference in Jerusalem.
The
Israeli army plans to launch a ground attack in Rafah, home to more than 1.4
million residents seeking refuge from war, to defeat what Tel Aviv calls the
remaining "Hamas battalions."
Palestinians
have sought refuge in Rafah as Israel pounded the rest of the enclave since
Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed nearly 29,000 victims and
caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Gantz,
a former defense minister, said that the invasion of Rafah will occur in
coordination with “our American and Egyptian partners to minimize civilian
casualties,” according to The Times of Israel newspaper.
“The
world must know, and Hamas leaders must know – if by Ramadan our hostages are
not home, the fighting will be extended to the Rafah area,” he added.
Ramadan,
the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, is expected to start on March 10.
Hamas
is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages following its
cross-border attack, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.
The
Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory'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. 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: yenisafak.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/germany-voices-concern-over-israeli-threat-to-attack-rafah-during-ramadan-3677742
----
26 EU
countries warn Israel against ‘catastrophic’ Rafah offensive
20/02/2024
All
European Union countries except Hungary warned Israel on Monday against
launching an offensive in Rafah that they said would deepen the catastrophe of
some 1.5 million Palestinians crammed into the city on the southern edge of
Gaza.
“An
attack on Rafah would be absolutely catastrophic … it would be unconscionable,”
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said before a meeting of foreign
ministers from the 27 EU member states in Brussels.
After
the talks ended, all but one of them called in a joint statement for “an
immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a lasting ceasefire, the
unconditional release of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian
assistance.”
The
statement was issued in the name of “Foreign Ministers of 26 Member-States of
the European Union” and diplomats said Hungary — a close ally of the Israeli
government — was the sole country that did not sign up.
“We
ask the Israeli government not to take military action in Rafah that would
worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation and prevent the urgently needed
provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance,” the European
ministers said.
Israel
is preparing to mount a ground invasion of Gaza’s southernmost city, which it
has called a last bastion of Hamas control after nearly five months of fighting.
The
statement echoed a declaration from the leaders of Australia, Canada and New
Zealand last week, which urged a “humanitarian ceasefire,” while expressing
hope for a long-term end to hostilities.
It
also appeared to be in line with a US revision of a United Nations Security
Council resolution that would underscore the body’s “support for a temporary
ceasefire in Gaza as soon as practicable,” according to the text seen by
Reuters on Monday.
Washington
has been averse to the word “ceasefire” in any UN action on the Israel-Hamas
war, but the US draft text echoes language that US President Joe Biden said he
used last week in conversations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The
US draft text also “determines that under current circumstances a major ground
offensive into Rafah would result in further harm to civilians and their
further displacement including potentially into neighboring countries.”
On
Sunday, war cabinet member Benny Gantz warned that if the 130 hostages held in
Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 massacres are not freed within the next few weeks,
Israel will broaden its offensive in southern Gaza and push Rafah on the
Egyptian border.
But
EU foreign policy chief JosepBorrell said it would be impossible to prevent
civilian deaths.
“We
have to continue putting pressure on Israel to make them understand that there
are so many people in the streets of Rafah, it will be impossible to avoid
civilian casualties,” he said.
“This,
certainly, will be against the respect of humanitarian law.”
German
Foreign Minister AnnalenaBaerbock also called on Israel to respect humanitarian
law, but said that Israel had the “right to self-defense” as it was clear that
Hamas fighters were still operating from Rafah.
“The
most important thing would be that Hamas would lay down its weapons,” she said.
“Over
a million people went to the south of Gaza because the IDF (Israel Defense
Forces) told them so. They can’t just disappear in the sky.”
On Saturday,
Netanyahu pushed back on the growing calls from world leaders to avoid a ground
operation in Rafah, saying doing so would mean losing the war against Hamas.
“Those
who want to prevent us from operating in Rafah are essentially telling us:
‘Lose the war.’ I won’t let that happen,” he vowed at an evening press
conference in Jerusalem. “We won’t capitulate to any pressure.”
Israel
has said it will draw up a plan for civilians to evacuate before it enters and
believes it cannot effectively curtail Hamas without taking Rafah. At least
some of the 130 hostages remaining in Gaza are thought to be in the city, after
two were rescued in daring special forces raid last week. Hamas leadership is
also believed to be sheltering there.
The
war erupted after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught on southern Israel, which saw
some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border by land, air and sea, killing
some 1,200 people and seizing over 250 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid
horrific acts of brutality.
Vowing
to destroy Hamas and return the hostages, Israel launched a wide-scale military
campaign that Gaza health authorities say has left 29,000 people dead.
The
figures issued by the Hamas-run health ministry cannot be independently
verified, and are believed to include both civilians and Hamas members killed
in Gaza, including as a consequence of terror groups’ own rocket misfires. The
IDF says it has killed over 12,000 operatives in Gaza, in addition to some
1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/26-eu-countries-warn-israel-against-catastrophic-rafah-offensive/
-----
Norway
to hold a meeting on climate change in Afghanistan in near future
February 20, 2024
The
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) quoted TerjeMagnussønnWatterdal, head of
the Norwegian Committee for Afghanistan (NAC), as saying that Norway will hold
a meeting on the consequences of climate change in Afghanistan.
He
stated this in a meeting with Zainul Abedin Abed, the deputy head of the
Environment Department of the Islamic Emirate.
This
meeting will be held in April in Kabul and Norway.
In
this meeting, head of NAC said that they will hold a meeting with the National
Environment Agency and international organizations in Kabul focusing on climate
change in Afghanistan.
Also
in this meeting, Zainul Abedin Abed talked about the negative consequences of
climate change in the fields of agriculture, irrigation, health and some other
sectors.
Last
year, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA)
said that Afghanistan is among ten vulnerable countries exposed to climate
change and natural disasters.
This
organization had warned about the aggravation of drought in Afghanistan and
considered it a threat to people’s livelihood and hunger.
According
to United Nations estimates, Afghanistan is considered the fourth country at
risk and the eighth country vulnerable to climate change.
Source: ariananews.af
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.ariananews.af/norway-to-hold-a-meeting-on-climate-change-in-afghanistan-in-near-future/
-----
Russia's
UN envoy criticizes US for opposing Gaza cease-fire resolution
19.02.2024
Russia’s
ambassador to the UN on Monday criticized the US for standing in the way of a
cease-fire in Gaza, as it signaled it will block another UN Security Council
resolution presented by Algeria.
Speaking
to reporters, VasilyNebenzya said that “only one delegation” has blocked a
possible cease-fire in Gaza for nearly five months.
Saying
Russia proposed a cease-fire resolution on Oct. 16, he said so many lives could
have been saved if a cease-fire had been passed.
His
remarks came as Algeria is expected to present a resolution at the UN Security
Council calling for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire” between Israel and
Hamas, and demand an “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
“Should
it come up for a vote as drafted, it will not be adopted,” said US Ambassador
to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Saturday, as the resolution “may run
counter” to efforts by the US, Egypt, and Qatar for a hostage deal, she added.
“The
United States will continue to engage in the diplomacy necessary to get a
hostage deal over the finish line, and will be candid with Israeli and regional
leaders regarding our expectations for the protection of more than one million
civilians in Rafah,” she said.
Navalny's
death
Asked
by a reporter why Russian authorities are not handing over the body of Russian
opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died at a remote Arctic penal colony on
Friday, Nebenzya said the forensic medical investigation is not over yet.
On
Friday, Russia’s penitentiary service said Navalny died after losing consciousness
after a walk in the Arctic Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, the region where
he was serving out his sentence.
Navalny
was arrested in January 2021 after a hospital stay in Germany, where he was
being treated for poisoning. Western countries and Navalny himself blamed
Russia for the poisoning, a claim the Kremlin denies.
In
August, he got a 19-year prison sentence on charges of extremism, and other
crimes. He was already serving an 11-year sentence on fraud charges.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/russias-un-envoy-criticizes-us-for-opposing-gaza-cease-fire-resolution/3142199
----
EU
launches naval mission to secure Red Sea from Houthi attacks
19
February 2024
The
European Union formally launched a naval mission on Monday to protect Red Sea
shipping from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, as cargo vessels continued to come under
fire in the region.
The
Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, have been harassing
the vital shipping lane since November in a campaign they say is in solidarity
with Palestinians, during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the
terror group’s devastating October 7 attack.
The
EU aims to have the mission — called Aspides, Greek for “shield” — up and
running in a “few weeks” with at least four vessels, an official said on
Friday, ahead of Monday’s official launch.
“Europe
will ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, working alongside our
international partners,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The
United States is already spearheading its own naval coalition in the area and
has conducted retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, as has Britain.
The
dozens of Houthi attacks have roiled shipping in the Red Sea, forcing some
companies to take alternative routes including a two-week detour around the tip
of southern Africa.
In
the latest incident, a Greek-flagged, US-owned cargo ship was attacked twice in
two hours in the Gulf of Aden, which adjoins the Red Sea, maritime security
firm Ambrey said.
The
bulk carrier reported a “missile attack” before another projectile hit the
water just meters (yards) from the ship, Ambrey said.
The
ship’s master reported “evidence of shrapnel and damage to paintwork” in the
second incident, the Royal Navy’s UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
Earlier,
the Houthis claimed an attack on a British ship in the Gulf of Aden, after
Ambrey reported an attack on a UK-registered cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandeb
Strait linking the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.
The
UKMTO reported an incident 35 nautical miles (65 kilometers) south of Mokha on
Yemen’s Red Sea coast, without naming the ship. The location would be towards
the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Citing
“military authorities,” UKMTO said the crew had safely “abandoned the vessel,”
which was left at anchor with military authorities at the site and providing
assistance.
Houthi
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree issued a statement claiming the attack, saying the vessel
later sunk.
There
was no independent confirmation the vessel sank.
“The
ship suffered catastrophic damages and came to a complete halt,” Saree said.
“During the operation, we made sure that the ship’s crew exited safely.”
The
private security firm Ambrey reported the British-registered, Lebanese-operated
cargo ship had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the
United Arab Emirates.
Ship-tracking
data from MarineTraffic.com analyzed by The Associated Press identified the
vessel targeted as the Rubymar. Its Beirut-based manager could not be reached
for comment.
The
Houthis later also identified the ship as the Rubymar, as did the US military’s
Central Command.
Central
Command said the attack involved two anti-ship ballistic missiles, which saw
one struck the Rubymar.
Ambrey
described the ship as being partially laden with cargo, but it was not
immediately clear what it had been carrying. The ship had turned off its
Automatic Identification System tracker while in the Persian Gulf early this
month.
Meanwhile,
the US military’s Central Command reported it carried out five airstrikes
targeting Houthi military equipment. Those strikes targeted mobile anti-ship
cruise missiles, an explosive-carrying drone boat and an “unmanned underwater
vessel,” Central Command said.
“This
is the first observed Houthi employment of a UUV since attacks began in October
23,” Central Command said.
‘Impact
on the entire world’
As
the attacks continued, Qatar’s energy minister called for a ceasefire in Gaza
to end the insecurity in the Red Sea, which has disrupted oil deliveries along
with other trade.
Saad
al-Kaabi, who is also the chief executive of state-owned QatarEnergy, said the
“root of the problem” in the Red Sea, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have
targeted commercial vessels, “is the Israeli invasion of Gaza.”
“Hopefully
there is a ceasefire soon that will stop that so that the economic impact on
the entire world stops,” he said at a ground-breaking ceremony for a new
petrochemicals plant on Qatar’s northeast coast.
War
erupted in Gaza on October 7 when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led a
devastating cross-border attack from the Gaza Strip that killed 1,200 people in
Israel, mostly civilians. Terrorists also abducted 253 people of all ages, who
were taken as hostages to Gaza.
Israel
responded to the attack with a military offensive to destroy Hamas, remove it
from power in Gaza, and free the hostages, over half of whom remain captive.
Egypt’s
President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi said on Monday that revenues in the Suez Canal,
which links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean, had fallen “40 to 50 percent”
so far this year.
The
canal, which brought in $8.6 billion in the 2022-23 fiscal year, is a vital
source of foreign currency for Cairo, which is suffering from a severe
financial crisis.
Italian
top diplomat Antonio Tajani confirmed the EU mission’s launch during a meeting
of foreign ministers in Brussels, calling it “an important step towards common
European defense.”
The
overall commander of the EU mission will be Greek, while the lead officer in
operational control at sea will be Italian. So far France, Germany, Italy and
Belgium have said they plan to contribute ships.
The
EU says the mission’s mandate — set initially for one year — is limited to
protecting civilian shipping in the Red Sea and that no attacks will be carried
out “on Yemeni soil.”
An EU
official said there would be “continuous military to military contact” to
coordinate actions with the United States and other forces in the region.
The
EU’s 27 countries agreed on the Red Sea mission in a matter of weeks as
concerns mount that the Houthi attacks could damage their economies and push up
inflation.
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/eu-launches-naval-mission-to-secure-red-sea-from-houthi-attacks/
----
Brazil
recalls ambassador to Israel in diplomatic rift over regime's genocide in Gaza
20
February 2024
Brazil
has recalled its ambassador to Israel in a diplomatic rift between the Latin
American country and the occupying regime after the Brazilian president
compared Tel Aviv’s atrocities against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip
to Adolf Hitler's actions against Jews.
The
new development came on Monday just a day after Brazil's President Luiz Inácio
Lula da Silva unequivocally lambasted the Israeli regime's savagery in its
military aggression against the coastal territory, which has so far killed more
than 29,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
The Tel
Aviv regime has also imposed a complete siege on the territory, cutting off
supply of fuel, electricity, food, water and medicine to more than two million
Palestinians living there.
"What’s
happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war, it’s a genocide," Lula said while
addressing an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa
on Sunday, adding, "It’s not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It’s a
war between a highly prepared army and women and children."
"What’s
happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people hasn’t happened at any
other moment in history. Actually, it has happened: When Hitler decided to kill
the Jews,” he noted.
The
Brazilian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the country's ambassador to Israel
has been recalled "for consultations," adding that it has also
summoned the Israeli ambassador to Brasilia.
"Given
the gravity of the statements ... by ... Israel, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira
... has summoned the Israeli ambassador, Daniel Zonshine, to report today to
the Foreign Ministry," it said, adding that the minister also
"recalled the Brazilian ambassador in Tel Aviv, Frederico Meyer, for
consultations."
Israeli
Foreign Minister Israel Katz had reacted to Lula’s harsh comments by summoning
Brazil’s ambassador for a formal reprimand, telling the envoy that
"President Lula ... is persona non grata in Israel until he takes it
back."
On
Monday, however, Reuters quoted unnamed informed sources as saying that Brazil
does not intend to retract President Lula's comments on Israel.
Lula's
orders are that there will be no retraction and any answers will be given
through diplomatic channels, the sources said.
This
is not the first time that the Brazilian president has singled out the Israeli
regime for outspoken criticism since the onset of its military onslaught on
Gaza.
Speaking
after a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on
Thursday, Lula said Israel's behavior in the Gaza Strip "has no
explanation."
"With
the pretext of fighting [the Palestinian resistance movement] Hamas, it is
killing women and children," the Brazilian chief executive added.
Source: presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/02/19/720398/Palestine-Israel-Brazil-Lula-Holocaust-Hitler-Gaza-war
---
Tallaght
community gathers in solidarity following attack on chair of Irish Muslim
Council
20
February 2024
Darragh
Nolan
A
vigil was held in Tallaght on Monday evening following an attack in the area on
the chairperson of the Irish Muslim Council.
Chief
Imam Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri said he was the victim of "a deliberate hate
crime attack" on Thursday, February 15.
The
impromptu gathering was organised by Le Chéile, an alliance focused on
challenging the far-right in Ireland.
Le
Chéile counts Sinn Féin and Solidarity-People Before Profit among its member
organisations.
Speaking
at the vigil, Dublin South-West TD Paul Murphy said Dr Al-Qadri "was
targeted simply because of who he is".
"People
came out from the housing estate, they saw what was going on and they came out
to stop the attack," he said.
"And
that is what Tallaght is actually about, is people standing together, people
standing against division, people welcoming people, people acting as a real
community."
Mr
Murphy shared a message from Dr AI-Qadri, who was unable to attend the vigil
while he recovers from his injuries.
Dr
Al-Qadri, who has been released from hospital and is now recovering at home,
said he wants to forgive those who carried out the attack.
"A
chairde, go raibhmaithagaibh for your kind message of support and condemnation
of the recent attack," Dr AI-Qadri said.
"Your
words of encouragement and well wishes have truly touched my heart during this
challenging time.
"In
the wake of this unfortunate incident, I want to assure you that the gardaí are
actively investigating the matter, and I have personally expressed my desire to
communicate with and forgive those who perpetrated the attack."
Dr
Al-Qadri said that despite the incident, he remains committed to working to
"foster understanding and harmony within our community".
In a
post shared to his X account following the incident, Dr Al-Qadri said he was
asked by an Irish-Pakistani man to officiate a wedding on the evening of
February 15.
He
said upon arriving at an address in Tallaght, he was asked by a man over the
phone to meet at a different house on the street.
After
encountering two men "who both appeared fully Irish and spoke with Irish
accents" Dr Al-Qadri said his memory turns blank after opening the door of
his car.
Mr
Murphy said members of the far-right "are trying to cast doubt that this
was a racist attack".
"They've
implied that it's racist to say that it's a racist attack, but we have to call
it for what it is.
"It's
important to note, and to call out, and to oppose racist violence when we see
it, because it's extremely dangerous and obviously shows a dangerous road that
we can go down if it's allowed to go unchecked.”
The chairperson
of the Irish Muslim Council received treatment in hospital for his injuries,
including broken teeth and a swollen face.
Gardaí
continue to investigate the incident that occurred in Tallaght on Thursday
evening.
The
Le Chéile group is holding a protest on March 2 a year on from the Ireland For
All march that brought more than 50,000 people together on the streets of
Dublin.
Source: independent.ie
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/tallaght-community-gathers-in-solidarity-following-attack-on-chair-of-irish-muslim-council/a1245141405.html
----
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/proclaimed-hindu-priest-puja-adina-mosque/d/131759