Al-Qaeda’s New Leader Seif Al-Adel Has $10 Million Bounty on His Head Announced by US State Department
New Age Islam News Bureau
16 February 2023
Saif al-Adel
----
• Nordic Cross Desecrated During Protests against the
Recent Desecration of the Quran by Far-Right Activists in Pakistan
• Israel Firm, Dubbed "Team Jorge", Sought
To Influence Over 30 Elections across World: Report
• Somali Army Kills Over 200 Al-Shabaab Terrorists,
Liberates Large Swaths of Territory
• Kalicharan, Sudarshan TV Editor-In-Chief Chauhanke
Spew Hate against Muslims in Maharashtra
North America
• Kurdish Officials Want Canada to Help Set Up
Tribunal to Try Islamic State Suspects
• Andrew Tate’s Muslim Fan base Is Growing. Some Say
He’s Exploiting Islam For Internet Popularity
• US must do more than talk to resolve
Palestine-Israel issue: PA official
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Pakistan
• Injured, witnesses of Peshawar mosque blast reeling
from trauma
• China's Islamabad embassy shuts consular section
• Qatar Always Played Pivotal Role for Unity In Muslim
Ummah: Pakistan Minister for Religious Affairs
• LHC resumes hearing Imran’s bail plea in ECP protest
case today
• Resumption of trade with India urged to address
people’s woes
• Jamaat-i-Islami Demands Release of Haq Do Tehreek
Leaders, Workers
• Police capture two terrorists found in possession of
1,000 detonators
• American men face terrorism charges years after
Pakistan trial
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Mideast
• Iran Raps US' Unconditional Support for Terrorists
• Iran sentences six Arab political prisoners to
death: Rights group
• Palestinians denounce new Israeli expulsion law as
‘the ugliest form of racism’
• 'War crime': Israel approves law to deport
Palestinian citizens to Gaza, West Bank
• Israel to boost Palestinian economy ahead of
Ramadan, amid US tensions
• Iranian President Underlines Absolute Necessity for
Strengthening Peace in Asia
• China’s Xi accepts Iranian president’s invitation
for state visit to Iran
• At remote desert outpost, Israeli settlers
triumphant despite Western anger
• UN Security Council extends sanctions on Houthi
leaders for nine months
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Africa
• Algeria arrests one person who threatened to blast
Saudi embassy
• At least 73 migrants ‘presumed dead’ after shipwreck
off Libya: UN
• Libya dispatches tons of medical supplies to quake
victims in Türkiye
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India
• Haji Irshad Ali, a Sari Trader in Kashi, Writes Gita
With Ink Made Of Ganga Jal, Soil
• BJP to Engage Influential Sufi Saints to Reach Out
To Muslim Voters Ahead Of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections
• Government Drags Feet on National Council For
Promotion Of Urdu Language; Delaying The Reconstitution Of Its General Body
• Madhya Pradesh Govt Rechristens Town with Islamic
Name; Islamnagar to Jagdishpur
• 16th-Century Mosque and Grave at Humayun’s Tomb Go under
Knife
• 'Disturbing': Gujarat HC Dismisses Objection to Sale
of Shop to Muslim Man in Hindu-Majority Area
• Muslim Student Group Alleges Islamophobia by ABVP at
University Of Hyderabad
• Gujarat HC Dismisses Objection of Property Sale To Muslim
Man In Hindu Area
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Arab World
• Saudi Arabia Partners With the Indian Premier League
for Tourism Promotion
• Iraq's Moqtada Al Sadr urges MBC to withdraw $75m
Ramadan series on Umayyad caliph
• Syria's Assad welcomes ‘positive stance’ from Arab
nations
• Saudi Arabia’s World Defence Show 2024 will be
expanded amid strong demand
• UAE FM Sheikh Abdullah discusses ties, trade with
Blinken, US senators
• UAE to provide Syria with additional $50 million in
aid after deadly earthquakes
• UK makes it easier for aid agencies in Syria to
avoid breaching sanctions
• Jordan's foreign minister visits Syria in first trip
since foreign-backed war
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South Asia
• Afghan Taliban ‘Unlikely To Stop Support for Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan’
• Armed Forces Raided a Private TV Network in
Afghanistan
• Chinese media hail Iran, China for standing up to
US, Western hegemony
• Afghanistan marks 34th anniversary of Soviet Union’s
withdrawal
• 4000 ISIS-K Fighters Stationed in Afghanistan near
Tajikistan Border: Anatoly Sidorov
• Taliban aid group donates $50,000 in plastic bag to
Turkey earthquake victims
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Southeast Asia
• Xi Jinping Accepts Invitation for State Visit to Iran
• Anwar rebuts claims of 'excessive' aid for Turkiye
• Racial fairness in jobs goes beyond political
correctness
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Europe
• UK Presents Evidence That Iran Is Supplying Advanced
Weapons To Yemen’s Houthis
• Romanian philanthropist helping set up container
city for quake victims: Turkish envoy
• Spanish rescuer underlines scale of quakes that
jolted southern Türkiye
• 'Your pain is our pain,' says Bosnian rescuer in
quake-hit Türkiye
• Poland to send new batch of aid supplies to Türkiye
• Greek rescuers praise quake survivors in Turkish
province for welcoming them wholeheartedly
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/qaeda-seif-us-adel/d/129121
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Al-Qaeda’s New Leader Seif Al-Adel Has $10 Million Bounty on His Head Announced by US State Department
Saif al-Adel
----
February 15, 2023
DUBAI: Seif Al-Adel, a former Egyptian special forces
officer and a high-ranking member of Al-Qaeda with a $10 million US bounty on
his head, is now the “uncontested” leader of the militant group, according to a
new UN report on the organization.
Al-Qaeda has not formally named a successor for Ayman
Al-Zawahiri, who was believed to have been killed in a US missile strike in
Kabul last year, dealing a blow to the organization since its founder Osama bin
Laden was killed in 2011.
Although a US intelligence official said in January
that Zawahiri’s succession remained unclear, the United Nations report
assessing risks from the group said: “In discussions in November and December,
many Member States took the view that Seif Al-Adel is already operating as the
de facto and uncontested leader of the group.”
Zawahiri’s death piled pressure on the group to choose
a strategic leader who can carefully plan deadly operations and run an
extremist network, experts on Al-Qaeda say.
Unlike his slain predecessors who maintained a high
profile with fiery videos broadcast around the globe threatening the United
States, the experts say Adel planned attacks from the shadows as he helped turn
Al-Qaeda into the world’s deadliest militant group.
Adel was indicted and charged in November 1998 by a US
federal grand jury for his role in the bomb attacks on the US embassies in
Tanzania and Kenya that killed 224 civilians and wounded more than 5,000.
There are few photos of him, aside from three pictures
— including a very serious black and white image of him on the FBI most wanted
list.
Beyond the operations in Africa, his training camps
and link to the killing of US journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002,
according to US investigators, little else is known about Adel.
The US State Department says Adel is based in Iran.
The department’s Rewards for Justice Program is offering up to $10 million for
information on Adel, whom it says is a member of “Al-Qaeda’s leadership
council” and heads the organization’s military committee.
The program’s website says that after the Africa
bombings, the former Egyptian army lieutenant colonel moved to southeastern
Iran, where he lived under the protection of the country’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps.
He and other Al-Qaeda leaders were placed under house
arrest in April 2003 by Iran, which released him and four others in exchange
for an Iranian diplomat who was kidnapped in Yemen.
In a message posted on Twitter on Wednesday, the
Iranian mission to the United Nations denied Adel was in Iran.
“It is worth noting that the address for the so-called
newly appointed Al-Qaeda leader is incorrect. This misinformation could
potentially hinder efforts to combat terrorism,” it said.
Ali Soufan, a former FBI special agent who tracked
Al-Qaeda operatives, wrote in a profile carried by the Combating Terrorism
Center that the militant whose nom de guerre means “sword of justice” has been
described as a shrewd figure with a poker face. His real name is Mohammed
Salahuddin Zeidan.
“Yet his temper, too, has become notorious. Possessed
of a ‘caustic tongue’, he is apt to threaten violence against anyone who
displeases him, and is known to meet disloyalty with swift and ruthless force,”
wrote Soufan.
“Toward underlings he can be contemptuous, even
brutal, in the heat of the moment. But he has also been known as a font of
avuncular advice. In happier times, he showed a talent for soccer and a
penchant for practical jokes.”
Once Osama bin Laden’s chief bodyguard and a senior
trainer of militants, experts on the extremist movement say Adel began his long
bloody career in 1981, when he was suspected of involvement in the
assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Al-Sadat during a military parade in
Cairo that was broadcast on television.
“Seif Al-Adel’s professional military background and valuable
experience as the head of Al-Qaeda’s military committee prior to 9/11 mean he
has strong credentials to assume the overall leadership of Al-Qaeda,” said
Elisabeth Kendall, an extremist expert at Oxford University.
He takes over an Al-Qaeda that has become highly
decentralized since the group carried out its most spectacular operation, the
Sept. 11, 2001, airplane attacks against the United States which killed nearly
3,000 people.
Adel, one of the few remaining Al-Qaeda old guard, has
been close to the central command for decades, experts say. He would be tasked
with providing strategic guidance to far-flung franchises in the Middle East,
Africa and Asia that run their own day-to-day affairs, they added.
Some question though whether Adel can become an
effective manager of the organization after spending most of his career as an
operative and trainer in militant camps.
“Many insiders argue that he had an important
operational role in the past, but that he is not equipped for leadership,” said
Jerome Drevon, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.
“His skills are more suitable for the organization of
armed operations than the administration of a wide network of affiliates.”
One of Al-Qaeda’s leading military chiefs and often
called by experts its third-ranking official, Adel set up training camps for
the organization in Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 1990s.
He also played a role in the ambush of US helicopters
in Mogadishu, known as the “Black Hawk Down” incident in 1993 which killed 18 US
servicemen, security experts say. That marked the beginning of the eventual
withdrawal of a US-UN peacekeeping force from Somalia.
The FBI identifies Adel as one of its most wanted
terrorists and accuses him of conspiring to kill US nationals, to murder and to
destroy buildings.
Adel gained more extremist credentials after he joined
other Arab militants fighting Soviet occupation troops in Afghanistan, where he
eventually headed a training camp before becoming a senior figure in Al-Qaeda.
“He (Adel) is a very bold, professional, cold-blooded
figure,” said Yoram Schweitzer, head of the Programme on Terrorism and
Low-Intensity Conflict at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security
Studies.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2252026/middle-east
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Nordic Cross Desecrated During Protests against the
Recent Desecration of the Quran by Far-Right Activists in Pakistan
Muslims protest over the
incident of desecration of the Holy Koran in the Norwegian city of
Kristiansand, in Quetta on Nov. 24, 2019. (Photo: AFP)
-----
February 15, 2023
Some Muslims in Pakistan have publicly insulted the
cross on the Norwegian flag in their continued retaliation against the recent
desecration of the Quran by far-right activists in Europe.
Members of Pakistan's far-right Islamic extremist
political party Tehreek-e-Labbiak (TLP) organized the protest on a public road
in Faisalabad city in eastern Punjab province on Feb. 13.
In a video circulating on social media, a man is seen
slamming his shoes on the Norwegian flag lying on a street while another rides
his motorcycle on it.
The protestors can be heard chanting “Labaik Ya Rasool
Allah (We are present O' messenger of Allah).”
Christians have condemned the burning of copies of the
Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands but also expressed concern over the
provocative methods adopted by Islamist mobs in Pakistan.
TLP activists have been mobilizing mobs against the
Quran burning in January by Rasmus Paludan, a dual Danish-Swedish national with
a reputation for being an anti-Islam provocateur, in front of Turkish embassies
in Sweden and Denmark.
Far-right Dutch leader Edwin Wagensveld of Netherlands
also had torn pages of the Quran near the Dutch parliament last month.
Asif Munawar, a Catholic human rights activist and
member of the Human Rights Committee in Jhang District near Faisalabad,
condemned the desecration incidents in Europe and expressed solidarity with
Muslims in Pakistan.
He also urged civil society to avoid blaming Pakistani
Christians.
“The deliberate provocative actions will only flame
religious hatred. We reject insult of any religion and expect our Muslim
brothers to raise their voice against the foreign agenda,” he told UCA
News.
Father Inayat Barnard, the chaplain of Caritas
Pakistan, said the desecration of the cross in retaliation to what happened on
foreign shores is condemnable.
“Condemnation is different from [indulging in]
violence. We pray that our protests may be civilized,” he said.
The violent ways adopted by some sections of the
protesters were a sign of their desperation to be in the limelight, he added.
Interfaith groups in Pakistan have criticized Quran
burning as an unjustifiable act and said such religiously motivated acts have
deeply hurt Muslim sentiments in Pakistan and all over the world.
On Feb. 4, Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore held a
press conference with Muslim clerics at the Bishop’s House to condemn the
latest incidents in Europe.
But the diocesan commission for interreligious
dialogue refused to comment on the recent protest when UCA News contacted.
Insult to Islam and its holy book is a sensitive issue
in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
A mob reportedly stormed a police station in Nankana
Sahib, a city in eastern Pakistan, on Feb. 11 and lynched a Muslim man for
allegedly desecrating pages of the Quran.
Source: UCA News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/nordic-cross-desecrated-during-protests-in-pakistan/100383
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Israel Firm, Dubbed "Team Jorge", Sought To
Influence Over 30 Elections across World: Report
Representative photo/ ToI
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Feb 16, 2023
PARIS: An Israeli firm sought to influence over 30 elections
around the world for clients by hacking, sabotage and spreading disinformation,
according to an undercover media investigation published Wednesday. It adds to
a growing body of evidence that private firms across the world are profiting
from invasive hacking tools and the power of social media platforms to shape
public opinion.
The firm was dubbed "Team Jorge" by
investigating journalists who posed as potential clients. The report said its
boss, Tal Hanan, is a 50-year-old former Israeli special forces operative who
boasted of being able to control supposedly secure Telegram accounts, thousands
of fake social media accounts, and of planting news stories.
The investigation was carried out by a consortium of
journalists from 30 outlets, including Le Monde in France, Der Spiegel in
Germany and El Pais in Spain, under the direction of a France-based non-profit
known as Forbidden Stories. "The methods and techniques described by Team
Jorge raise new challenges for big tech platforms," Guardian wrote.
Hanan did not respond to questions, saying: "I
deny any wrongdoing". He told three undercover reporters that his services
were available to intelligence agencies, political campaigns and private
companies.
"We are now involved in one election in Africa...
We have a team in Greece and (the) Emirates... (We have completed) 33
presidential-level campaigns, 27 of which were successful," Guardian
newspaper quoted him as saying.
British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica - since
shut down - was allegedly used to develop software steering voters towards
Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential polls. The group collected and
exploited the personal data of 87 million Facebook users to which the platform
had given it access, leading to major fines and lawsuits. A probe by Forbidden
Stories in 2021 said Israeli-made Pegasus spyware had been sold by the cyber
intelligence company, NSO Group, to governments and used against at least
50,000 people around the world. AFP
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Somali Army Kills Over 200 Al-Shabaab Terrorists,
Liberates Large Swaths of Territory
Somali Army
------
Mohammed Dhaysane
15.02.2023
MOGADISHU, Somalia
The Somali army killed over 200 terrorists with ties
to the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab during military
operations that took place in three states and liberated large swaths of
territory from the terrorist group, a senior government official said on
Wednesday.
Somalia’s Information Minister Daud Aweis said at a
news conference in the capital Mogadishu that the operations took place in
Galmudug, South West State, and Jubaland.
"Over 200 al-Shabaab Khawarijs have been killed
by the army this week," he said.
He added that the army also liberated large swaths of
territories from the terrorist group in the Mudug region and captured a
“senior” explosive expert of the terrorist group.
Aweis also said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has
called on Somali people to contribute $1 per person to the “national defense
and liberation program.”
“This move is intended to speed up military operations
to eliminate terrorists and give people more opportunities to participate in
ongoing operations,” he explained.
The Somali National Army has been fighting al-Shabaab
terrorists since President Mohamud declared an "all-out war" on them
after his re-election for a second term in May last year.
Under increasing pressure from military operations,
al-Shabaab terrorists have intensified attacks in the country in recent days,
targeting security personnel, military bases, and government installations.
Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with
al-Shabaab and Daesh/ISIS being the main threats.
The UN has warned of growing insecurity in the
country, issuing periodic reports last year detailing attacks by al-Shabaab and
pro-Daesh/ISIS terror groups.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Kalicharan, Sudarshan TV Editor-In-Chief Chauhanke
Spew Hate against Muslims in Maharashtra
Kalicharan, Chauhanke
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15th February 2023
Multiple hate speech events took place in Pune and
Nandurbar districts of Maharashtra over the week as Hindutva and religious
leaders urged Hindus to raise weapons against the Muslim communities.
In Baramati, Pune district, a Hindu Jagran Morcha
event was organised where Kalicharan Maharaj delivered a speech to a group of
Hindus to pick up a weapon for their ‘protection’.
Kalicharan Maharaj has several cases against him, the
prominent being speaking against Muslims in December’s infamous ‘Dharam Sansad’
event that happened in Chhattisgarh. He was arrested by the Raipur police for
alleged derogatory remarks about Mahatma Gandhi.
On February 13, Kalicharan Maharaj in a statement
mentioned The Kashmir Files movie.
“In that movie,” he continues, “A Hindu woman is raped
by at least 150 men before she is cut into half. It is said that in Islam, one
should always share. And this is what they did. 150 men jumped on the Hindu
woman and brutally raped her before killing her. I appeal to people to watch
the movie,” he said.
He also mentioned that the incident shown in The
Kashmir Files is just one such incident. “Many Hindu women have endured the
injustice meted on them by Muslims. We need to raise our weapons to counter
them.”
He then goes on to say that when India and Pakistan
became independent nations, many Hindus residing in Pakistan were killed,
including Hindu ministers. Infact, Hindus are not safe in Muslim nations such
as Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan etc.
In another district Nandurbar in Maharashtra,
Kalicharan Maharaj continued giving anti-Muslim speeches.
At a programme organised by the far-right Hindutva
organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Kalicharan Maharaj made many claims
whose authenticity is yet to be proved.
He alleged that in many mosques and madrassas across
the country, deadly weapons such as AK-47s, and swords were found during a
police raid.
“Can we see such things in our temple?” he asks to which
the crowd replied in unison, “No.”
He then claims that Muslim countries such as Iraq,
Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, as well as Indonesia, Taiwan, Cambodia and
Australia, were all Hindu nations that were forcefully converted to Islam.
He again mentioned The Kashmir Files where he spoke
about a scene in the movie that depicts how a woman was raped and then cut into
half.
“Thirty years ago, around five lakh women were gang
raped and murdered by Muslims. All must watch The Kashmir Files movie. Let us
not repeat history,” he said.
In another hate speech, Sudarshan TV editor-in-chief
Suresh Chauhanke was speaking at an event named Asaram Bapu Diwas that was held
in Pune.
Chauhanke stressed the need to keep weapons and use
them when required.
“Those who claim pens as their weapons cannot save
Hindus. But those who have proper weapons are the only ones who can save us. I
am not degrading journalism but we need to take care of ourselves from
anti-Hindu elements,” he said.
Interestingly Asaram Bapu is currently serving life in
prison after he was found guilty of raping a minor in his ashram in 2013.
Suresh Chauhanke also is being questioned by the Supreme Court of India
regarding his speech made at a religious assembly in the national capital in
2021.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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North America
Kurdish officials want Canada to help set up tribunal
to try Islamic State suspects
February 16, 2023
Authorities in northeast Syria who are holding
Canadians suspected of being part of the Islamic State in prisons say they want
Canada’s help setting up a special tribunal and trying men in the region, as
debate takes hold in Canada on whether the government should bring the Canadian
suspects home.
The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and
East Syria (AANES) prefers to try all suspected male fighters, as well as women
who are alleged to have committed crimes, in northeast Syria because that’s
where the alleged offences occurred and they have enough evidence to try them,
said Abdulkarim Omar, AANES representative to Europe.
Their proposal, he said, is for the creation of a
court in co-operation with the governments of countries that have their
citizens in AANES’ prisons and camps. “We want the international community,
including Canada, to help us set up the court to try Daesh fighters in our
regions,” he said, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym.
In 2019, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces
detained thousands of people from more than 60 countries who were living among
Islamic State terrorists when the group’s final holdout crumbled. Foreigners,
including Canadians, were taken to camps and prisons across northeastern Syria.
Last month, the federal government agreed to
repatriate six Canadian women and 13 children who spent years detained in these
camps. Then, a federal court justice ruled the government had to also
repatriate four Canadian men being held in prisons there.
The government appealed that decision last Friday
saying that in its view, the court made errors of law and fact. Global Affairs
Canada said in a statement on Friday that the government is “resolute in its
vigilance with regard to the safety and security of Canadians and remains
committed to taking a robust approach to this issue.”
But according to Peter Galbraith, a former U.S.
ambassador and dual Canadian-U. S. citizen who has helped with the repatriation
of two Canadians, it is not entirely up to Canada to decide.
“We kind of forget that other people have a say in
these things too – and for sure, it’s up to the Kurds. This is where the crimes
were committed, they were the victims. This is a big issue for them,” he said.
Mr. Galbraith said he has been to the prisons – and
the conditions are terrible – but so are the conditions of the population that
IS victimized.
“Justice is not just something for the perpetrators,
it’s for their victims,” he said, adding that the alleged crimes of IS were
committed in Syria or Iraq, and so those are the places appropriate to try the
crimes. “All of the victims are there, the witnesses are there.” He said that
AANES has for years asked for a special tribunal, either international or a
hybrid format.
On the issue of repatriating foreigners from the
camps, Mr. Omar said AANES has always co-operated with governments, including
Canada’s. He described the camps as a “time-ticking bomb” that can explode at
any minute, saying the international community needs to help find a solution.
He said AANES is continuing to face serious challenges
regarding foreign nationals in its camps and prisons, saying the suspected male
foreign fighters “pose a serious threat to the region and the whole world.”
He said the fight against IS terrorism has exacted a
brutal toll. On top of the lives lost, people have been left permanently
disabled from their injuries and there are thousands of orphans.
“We want justice for the victims. Therefore, we call
upon the international community to help the AANES to set up the court to try
Daesh members in northeast Syria,” he said.
“The international community is not doing much these
days because of its preoccupation with the Russia-Ukraine war. Furthermore,
fighting Daesh should not be limited to the military aspect, but it must
include socio-economic and political support for the AANES and its military
forces, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).”
Global Affairs Canada did not respond to a request to
comment.
Mark Kersten, an assistant professor at the University
of the Fraser Valley and a consultant at the Wayamo Foundation, a non-profit
that works to strengthen the rule of law and promote justice for international
and transnational crimes, said that while the Kurdish authorities have been
calling for a court to try IS suspects, there has not been a political
consensus on how a tribunal singularly focused on IS would work – particularly
because people would ask about how this would address the alleged atrocities
committed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Source: The Globe And Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-islamic-state-syria-tribunal/
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Andrew Tate’s Muslim Fan base Is Growing. Some Say
He’s Exploiting Islam For Internet Popularity
By Sana Noor Haq
February 16, 2023
Iman’s ex-fiancé first referenced social media
influencer Andrew Tate in their relationship in October. Three months later,
she says, it was all over.
Her former partner, who is in his early 30s, became
“very controlling,” she says, after he started listening to Tate’s podcast,
promoting patriarchal gender roles. He told her he wanted to have a polygamous
relationship – something she says the two had never discussed.
“It was complete hell,” the 29-year-old former
insurance broker told CNN. CNN agreed not to report the full names of the women
in this piece due to concerns about their privacy.
The Muslim couple had met at the end of 2020 and fell
in love over their shared interest in travel, Iman said. They got engaged last
year and Iman left her life in Britain to join her ex-fiancé in Dubai, where
he’d found work. They set a wedding date for February.
But she says his controlling behavior escalated until
he became “a completely different person.”
“I noticed myself becoming very, very passive and
trying to avoid confrontation at any cost,” she said. “He started becoming very
verbally abusive, insulting me or belittling me.”
Serena, a 25-year-old journalist and marketer from a
Muslim family in Britain, says her two brothers, aged 21 and 23, started
parroting Tate’s “extremely misogynistic” views in September, after watching
videos of him on YouTube.
“This made me upset and quite distressed as my brother
is my best friend and I felt I was losing him and didn’t recognize him
anymore,” she told CNN of her 23-year-old sibling.
“He has turned extremely misogynistic, telling myself
and my mum that our duty is to cook and if my mum doesn’t cook one day he calls
her lazy,” Serena said via online messages. “I was telling him he was being
manipulated and essentially groomed by Andrew Tate, in which he would respond
that I don’t have an opinion and I should stop talking.”
Iman and Serena’s experience reflects a growing chorus
of Muslim women online who say Tate – a British-American kickboxer
turned-social media influencer – is indoctrinating Muslim men and boys with
sexist rhetoric, while promoting a distorted version of Islam to justify his
self-proclaimed misogyny and obsession with male dominance. He claimed to have
converted to the religion in October.
Now, as Romanian authorities investigate Tate and his
brother, Tristan, for allegations of rape and human trafficking in connection
with an organized criminal group, more Muslims are scrutinizing the effects of
the internet personality’s unbridled influence on younger members of their
community. Tate and his brother proclaimed their innocence after being
questioned by Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and
Terrorism (DIICOT).
In detention since their arrest on December 29, the
pair are due back in court later this month. Andrew Tate was pictured in
January carrying a Quran while walking into a court in Bucharest at which his
appeal for release was denied, Reuters reported.
Iman says Tate’s adoption of Islam makes her “very,
very angry,” adding: “I find it’s very common in Muslim communities in general
to use religion for their patriarchal, misogynistic agenda when actually it’s
not even what Islam says.”
She and her ex-fiance broke up in January, after Iman
says she found evidence he had cheated on her the previous month. Despite his
determined efforts to dissuade her, she says, she found the strength to leave
him and return to the UK.
‘Disenfranchised’ section of society
Andrew Tate shot to internet fame last year, racking
up 11.6 billion views on TikTok while ranting about male dominance, female
submission and wealth. Already known for a string of scandals, he was one of
the most-Googled people in 2022, and his name appeared first for the “who is”
category of the world’s largest search engine.
Commentators say he’s influencing young minds across
communities around the world. In the UK, his influence on teenage boys of all
backgrounds has prompted concern in schools and debate in Parliament.
In August, the influencer was banned from Facebook and
Instagram for violating its policies, which prohibit “gender-based hate, any
threats of sexual violence, or threats to share non-consensual intimate
imagery,” a Meta spokesperson told Reuters. TikTok also banned Tate in relation
to its ban on “sexually exploitative content,” the company said in a statement
to Reuters. Elon Musk reinstated his long-shuttered Twitter account in November
after taking over the company.
But being banned from major social media platforms did
not silence Tate online. He continued to appear regularly last year on internet
forums hosted by content creators including Mohammed Hijab and Myron Gaines –
both of whom belong to a strand of Muslim male influencers known as “akh right
bros.”
Taken from the Arabic word for “brother,” akh right
bros situate themselves in opposition to so-called Western values in favor of a
version of Islam that is rife with misogyny, according to Javad Hashmi, an
Islamic studies scholar at Harvard University.
They tap into audiences who struggle with their
identity because they are socially and financially disenfranchised as a result
of systemic Islamophobia and racism, and may be sexually frustrated due to a
lack of success in the dating and marriage market, explained Hashmi. “You feel
second class, and so because of this inferiority complex that you have, you’re
looking for an ideology that can give you power and empower you,” he said of
that audience.
In this space, akh right bros appeal to some Muslim
men and boys because they are “defending their religion in a strong way,” while
projecting the notion that women are the root of their social problems, he
added.
Even though Tate has been linked to anti-Islam figures
such as British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, he has been embraced by akh
right bros because their prejudices coincide in the so-called manosphere – a
digitized space that promotes male supremacy, anti-feminism and “red pill”
culture, said Hashmi.
The “red pill” concept refers to a scene in the 1999
film “The Matrix” in which Keanu Reeves’ character Neo is given a choice: Take
the blue pill and stay in the safe but fake world you’ve always known, or take
the red pill and enter the “rabbit hole” of the cruel real world. In the manosphere,
“swallowing the red pill” starts with the notion that feminism is toxic, men
are oppressed and that emasculation is ruining society.
“There’s a kind of a shared human experience in the
sense that misogyny is not limited to one religious group,” Hashmi said.
‘They idolize him’
Tate claimed he had converted to Islam in October,
shortly after a YouTube appearance in which he called it the “last true
religion on the planet” went viral. References to Islam have appeared on Tate’s
Twitter profile since his detention.
Former MMA fighter Tam Khan welcomed Tate’s induction
into the faith in a video on Twitter, which has garnered 3.2 million views.
However, others said Tate had embraced a warped version of Islam based on
misperceptions of the faith – including the idea it permits violence against
women.
While appearing on a podcast with Hijab, a forerunner
of the akh right community, Tate said he believed a husband is “responsible for
protecting and providing” for his wife during marriage, and therefore she
“belongs to him.” He also claimed that in cases of sexual assault, a woman
should bear “personal responsibility” for a situation in which she “made it so
easy for something bad to happen to her,” and that “the only thing that
satisfies” women is “becoming a mother.”
The episode has gained 2.3 million views since it was
uploaded to Hijab’s YouTube channel in October.
Hashmi says there is a symbiotic online relationship
between akh right bros and influencers like Tate because they play into an
algorithm that rewards extreme views, allowing them to gain virality and make
money.
“They (akh right bros) are very anti-Western and
anti-liberal, anti-modernity, anti-consumerism, materialism, is what they
claim. But in reality … they are on the platforms that are the creation of all
of those things,” he said.
Tate has a well documented record of flaunting his
riches, with footage of him driving shiny sports cars and smoking cigars
flooding his Twitter profile.
In January, Romanian authorities said they had seized
nearly $4 million worth of assets belonging to Tate, including motor vehicles,
luxury watches and sums of money in several different currencies, as part of a
sprawling investigation.
Meg, a 33-year-old Muslim teacher, said Tate’s showy
affluence attracted some of the young students at the Islamic school where she
works in Melbourne in southeastern Australia.
“I can see why Muslim men whose parents migrated to
Australia to have a better life and … are now working low-paying jobs or are
unemployed, would connect with this rich man who tells them that men are under
attack and that they have dominion over women,” Meg said.
“I think a big pull for them is that he is wealthy and
that he talks so much about his wealth … it really contributes to them admiring
him. They idolize him. They want to be him.”
‘Normalizing’ sexual violence
From starting a petition to using a hashtag, legions
of Tate’s fans have called for his release from detention in the wake of the
human trafficking and rape allegations he faces in Romania.
Gaines, who co-hosts a podcast with content creator
Walter Weekes, defended Tate and his brother in a December 31 episode, two days
after their arrest.
According to Habeeb Akande, a UK-based Muslim sex
educator, the unwavering defense of Tate offered by his fans is indicative of a
wider societal issue.
“A number of the men … that are attracted to Tate’s
messaging, they said they ignore some of what he’s said about the sexual
violence against women … they just look at that as comical,” he told CNN.
“(They) don’t realize that he’s actually normalizing sexual violence against
women.”
Tate’s fans cannot reconcile that “a man can be
friendly, nice and good to men, but be a vile human being to women,” he said.
“A lot of men are being miseducated about sex by porn. Similarly, a lot of them
are being miseducated about interpersonal relationships through figures like
Andrew Tate.”
Both Akande and Hashmi believe the wider, unmediated
“men’s rights” movement Tate occupies online must be addressed if his
popularity is to be diminished.
“It would be very mistaken to think that you just end
Andrew Tate, and that would be the end of it. Andrew Tate is one figure in this
whole kind of movement. And one of the reasons for this movement is … the
online space has been left to these people with very little pushback because
they act in a very aggressive way,” Hashmi said.
“There are many … moderate or mainstream Muslim
leaders, figures, personalities who refuse to engage in these forums, in this
online space, because they don’t want to deal with these people,” he added.
“But because of this, you’re ceding that public space to these people.”
Tate’s misguided view of Islam is also harmful to
Muslim communities because he is spreading mistruths about a community that is
already marginalized by Western society, Akande says.
‘Gross misrepresentation of our faith’
Ayo Khalil, 26, is an NHS doctor and community worker
who is trying to bridge the gap between Tate’s fans and those who are openly
critical of his platform.
He believes Tate’s conversion to Islam is “a gross
misrepresentation” of the faith.
“I feel like Muslims have become very obsessed with …
public figures representing Islam, regardless of what they’ve said and done,”
he told CNN. “It’s such a damaging and uncritical approach.”
Khalil says he converted to Islam and “fell in love”
with the faith, because “social justice and spirituality, discipline and
submission were embedded in it.”
Khalil ran an online workshop in January in order to
start a critical dialogue about Andrew Tate, sexual violence and Muslim
masculinity, after seeing the “dismissive way” members of his community
addressed Tate’s popularity.
“I have seen in real time what … sexual violence and
sexual abuse and other types of abuse can do to an individual,” he said. “Men
in this case have to take individual responsibility to really push back against
… the way other men behave towards women.”
He believes that more imams, community leaders and
teachers need to speak out against Tate and help young Muslim men re-evaluate
how masculinity is defined within the parameters of the faith, including “being
in touch with your emotions, showing kindness.”
“Being moderate, this is what makes a man. Not going
online, showing watches, boasting, smoking cigars and saying sensationalist
things for views,” he said.
Source: CNN
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/16/world/andrew-tate-muslim-men-manosphere-intl-cmd
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US must do more than talk to resolve Palestine-Israel
issue: PA official
MOHAMMED NAJIB
February 15, 2023
RAMALLAH: Israel’s killing of Palestinian civilians
and home demolition campaign has created a “very dangerous” situation in the
West Bank, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, has
told Arab News.
He said: “We are facing an unprecedented extremist
Israeli government. The policy that Israel is pursuing amounts to a war against
the Palestinian people.
“Daily killings have increased tension in Palestine
while the political relationship with Israel is nonexistent and the security
coordination has stopped.”
Abu Rudeineh added: “We demand the cessation of all
unilateral measures, and therefore all our options will be open, including
going to the UN Security Council and moving the International Court of Justice
and International Criminal Court.”
He said that Israel is seizing $300,000 of Palestinian
funds every month, leaving the Palestinian Authority unable to pay the full
salaries of its employees.
On Feb. 3, Israel, which collects taxes on behalf of
the PA, announced that it would use 100 million shekels ($29 million) of PA
funds to compensate victims of Palestinian attacks.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich signed the
order, claiming that the funds would normally be transferred by the PA to
families of prisoners and resistance fighters.
The amount to be deducted is double the usual figure
confiscated monthly — $14.7 million. It was the first move of its kind by
Smotrich since he took office.
Abu Rudeineh described Israel as “a state outside the
law that defies the law and the resolutions of the UN Security Council, which
considers Israeli settlements illegal, including in East Jerusalem.” Israel
continues to build in East Jerusalem and the West Bank despite its illegality,
he said, adding that Israel has become an “existential threat to the PA as it
has a government that messes with security and stability in the Palestinian and
Arab arenas.”
He said: “We are facing an American administration
that is unable to impose what it says publicly, the latest of which was
Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s speech that talks about the two-state
solution, and says that all American Democratic and Republican administrations
oppose settlements, but they do nothing to stop Israeli steps against the
Palestinians, their land and sanctities.
“In our existing contacts with the American side, we
were completely clear that unless Israel stops its unilateral measures, we are
forced to take decisions, the first of which was the cessation of security
coordination.”
He added that the US has issued statements that
appeared favorable to Palestine but that needed to be put into practice. “When
President Joe Biden came to Bethlehem, he said he was against unilateral
measures and with the status quo against settlement expansion and supported the
two-state solution, and despite that, Israel continues its settlement
expansion, legitimizing settlements and unilateral measures.”
The US administration must force Israel to comply with
international law, he said. Statements “do not frighten Israel or discourage it
from what it is doing,” he added.
“We constantly hear voices saying we want to
strengthen the PA, but they strengthen Israel and Hamas more than they
strengthen the PA by contributing to the delivery of money to Gaza.”
Palestinian officials in contact with US government
have focused on two issues — unilateral measures and signed agreements, Abu
Rudeineh said, adding that those two concerns may be raised in the UN Security
Council if no progress is made.
“All American efforts are focused on calming us down,
and we tell the Americans that we are not the ones carrying out the escalation.
Those who are killing, settling and storming the Al-Aqsa compound are obvious.
“Stop these actions, and things will calm down. But
unfortunately, the American administration is giving us the words we want, but
it is not forcing Israel to implement them. Therefore, the escalation is taking
place because Israel is demolishing homes in Jerusalem and killing
Palestinians.”
The US is “required to force Israel to do what America
wants,” Abu Rudeineh said, adding: “But the problem is that what matters to
America is the security of Israel and not clashing with the Jewish communities
in America and dealing with the US internal situation. These are the
considerations that govern American foreign policy.”
The killing of Palestinians, home demolitions and
storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Abu Rudeineh said, “cause the existing security
tension, and it will continue before, during and after Ramadan. The Americans
want calm to preserve Israel’s security and not as a prelude to resuming a
political process between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”
The spokesman described the fears of the Palestinian
leadership: “The only concern is the Israeli occupation and the indifference of
the American side. However, it seems that the US is concerned with the
continuation of instability in the Middle East because what America cares about
is the security of Israel and Arab oil.”
He added: “The main problem is the theft of the PA’s
funds and the suspension of donor country funds. We have had more than $2
billion stolen and seized by Israel. The US can force Israel to return our
stolen money if it is serious.
“America is required to abide by international
legitimacy. Is it unimaginable that all American presidents, the latest of
which is Biden, visited Ramallah and the Palestinian territories while the
Palestine Liberation Organization continues to be classified as a terrorist
organization?”
Abu Rudeineh said: "The US administration must
reconsider its dealings with the PLO and the Palestinian people. They cannot
open a consulate in East Jerusalem and close the PLO office in Washington. The
US administration contradicts itself and international legitimacy.”
He added that the US had ended its financial support
to the PA in an effort to stop its influence in Jerusalem, “but they will not
find a single Palestinian who accepts giving up Jerusalem. Jerusalem is not for
sale, and the American administration must reconsider its accounts.”
Regarding the potential for a third intifada in the
West Bank, Abu Rudeineh said: “The issue is not a third intifada. Rather, there
are Israeli attacks and Palestinian reactions, and all we see is a reaction to
Israel’s daily crimes.
“The PA is keen on the security, stability and
protection of Palestinian citizens. We are not protectors of Israel, and we
will not be in any case either.”
He praised the political stance of Saudi Arabia,
describing the Kingdom as “unlimitedly supportive of the Palestinian cause,
especially its adherence to the Arab Peace Initiative, which is the best
initiative in the last 100 years to support the Palestinian cause.”
He lauded Saudi Arabia’s continuous condemnation of
Israeli aggression and the Kingdom’s position on Jerusalem, “which is quite
clear.”
Abu Rudeineh added: “We are keen on our relationship
with Saudi Arabia and the implementation of the decisions of the Arab summits,
on top of which is the Arab Peace Initiative.
“We are against the normalization of some Arab
countries’ ties with Israel because it contradicts the Arab Peace Initiative
that was proposed and adopted by Saudi Arabia.”
On the future of Palestine, he said: “We are not
creating problems for anyone, but the occupation is the one that imposes itself
on Palestine and the entire region through all these measures.
“Resolving the Palestinian issue will restore security
and stability to the region, and without resolving the Palestinian issue,
everyone will burn, and the most important point in the Palestinian issue is
the status of Jerusalem, with its historical, national and religious values.”
He added: “Stopping security coordination was the
first and weakest card of the PA and as long as Israeli atrocities continue, we
will continue with these steps, and more difficult and dangerous steps will
follow, including demanding UN Security Council resolutions to delegitimize Israel.
“Our political and legal battle will continue as long
as Israel continues its unilateral measures. If they stop them, we will be
happy to review all our steps.
“But if the unilateral measures continue, we will
implement the decisions of the Palestinian leadership regarding security
coordination, turning to the ICJ and the ICC, and instructions have been issued
to our UN representative to develop certain political perceptions.”
Abu Rudeineh added: “We are facing American pressure
not to go ahead because America wants us to remain silent in exchange for
nothing.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2251961/middle-east
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Pakistan
Injured, witnesses of Peshawar mosque blast reeling
from trauma
Aihtesham Khan
February 16, 2023
The police lines blast that shook Peshawar to the core
might be at the back of the country’s mind and its ruling elite but for the
injured, first responders, witnesses, and the city’s populace it is a constant
source of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
One such victim of PTSD is Fazal-ur-Rahman, an Officer
of the provincial education department, who was injured in the blast. “I
managed to crawl out of the mosque’s debris,” said a visibly torn Fazal, “it is
nothing short of a miracle that I survived.” While Fazal is thankful that he
managed to survive, he cannot forget the blood and bones that were scattered
all over the place; hence, large crowds and noise trigger his PTSD.
“I am trying to forget the events of the unfateful day
but every time I am reminded about the explosion, my brain stops working.”
While Fazal was amongst the injured, station house officer (SHO), Saeeda
Shaheen, who was on duty a few steps away from the mosque and witnessed the
explosion, is similarly distraught. “Once we had recovered from the initial
shock of the blast, what we saw was nothing less than doomsday. There was a
cacophony of people shrieking from pain and crying for help,” recalled Shaheen,
adding that thinking about the event still makes her body tremble. It is likely
that the effects of the blast will weigh heavy on both the victims and
witnesses for anywhere between 1 to 6 months, as per Senior Clinical
Psychologist, Dr Abida Nazir, who works at the Peshawar Central Jail’s
Psychiatric Center.
“However, if the PTSD is not treated in time, the
affectees will gradually start suffering from lack of sleep, loss of appetite,
and will go into a depression spiral,” opined Dr Abida. “It is important that
victims and witnesses alike receive regular counselling from a qualified
professional to help them get over the trauma.” A Counter Terrorism Department
(CTD) Official, who happened to survive the blast because he stepped out to
answer his phone, concurring with Dr Abida’s suggestion, said that presently he
had a recurring migraine and could not sleep properly.
“I have realised that the only way I will be able to
forget the horrific events of 30th January is if I seek treatment,” said the
official while talking to The Express Tribune under the condition of anonymity.
Apart from Dr Abida’s advice as a medical professional, there is ample evidence
to suggest that seeking therapy or treatment from a psychiatrist helps.
“Although the Army Public School (APS) blast will always be fresh in my mind,
regular treatment from a psychiatrist helped me to move on from my trauma,”
informed the mother of Muhammad Ali, a student who was martyred in the APS
blast. “I was referred to a psychiatrist, who treated me for over a year and
that helped me return to my daily life.”
Source: Tribune Pakistan
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2401421/injured-witnesses-of-peshawar-mosque-blast-reeling-from-trauma
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China's Islamabad embassy shuts consular section
Feb 16, 2023
ISLAMABAD: China has announced the closure of the
consular section of its embassy in Islamabad for an indefinite period citing
“technical issues” as the reason.
The Chinese government has also advised its citizens
to be extremely cautious while in Pakistan due to threats to their lives.
In a notice on its website, the Chinese embassy shared
no specific information about the nature of the “issues” nor was a timeline
provided about the reopening of the “temporarily” closed consular section.“The
consular section of the Chinese embassy in Islamabad will be temporarily closed
from February 13, 2023 until further notice due to technical issues,” reads the
notice, adding the closure would remain in place until further orders.
The notice gave no reason for the suspension of the
service but growing insecurity against Chinese nationals apparently seems to be
one of the factors.
On Saturday, the Chinese foreign affairs ministry’s
consular department had warned its citizens that they may be at risk of high
levels of security in Pakistan. Beijing’s warning to its citizens had come a
day after Islamabad reiterated its resolve to protect all foreign nationals,
especially the Chinese. Chairing a security-related meeting last week in the
restive port city of Gwadar, interior minister Rana Sanaullah had directed
authorities to provide foolproof security to Chinese nationals working on
various projects in Pakistan and warned any negligence in this regard would not
be tolerated.
As per the official handout of the meeting, the
security agencies were told to make foolproof security arrangements and adopt
an integrated strategy for the timely completion of hydropower projects worth
billions of rupees.
Last year in July, a team of Chinese engineers working
on the 84 MW hydropower project in Swat hill station in the northwest had
suspended work due to threats and moved to Islamabad.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Qatar Always Played Pivotal Role for Unity In Muslim
Ummah: Pakistan Minister for Religious Affairs
Mohammad Ali
February 15, 2023
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th
Feb, 2023): Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul
Shakoor on Wednesday said that Qatar had always played a pivotal role for the
unity of Muslim Ummah.
In a meeting with the Ambassador of Qatar to Pakistan
Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al-Thani who called on him here at the
Ministry, he said Qatar amazingly hosted the F�d�ration Internationale De Football Association (FIFA)
World Cup and presented a beautiful introduction of islam to the world.
Abdul Shakoor said that the Ministry was grateful to
the distinguished guest for the visit and expressed the hope that it would
further promote relations at the government and public level.
He said that Qatar was a good friend of Pakistan and
Pakistanis had deep love for Arabs and Arabic language.
The Qatari Ambassador said that Pakistan was a unique
and beautiful land with rich in natural resources.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman
was a valuable friend of Qatar and a wise Islamic leader, he added.
The envoy said that Qatar was ready to cooperate with
Pakistan on high-quality printed interpretations of the Holy Quran and books of
Hadith.
Source: Urdu Point
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/qatar-always-played-pivotal-role-for-unity-in-1643493.html
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LHC resumes hearing Imran’s bail plea in ECP protest
case today
Rana Bilal
February 16, 2023
The Lahore High Court (LHC) will today (Thursday) hear
a petition filed by PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan seeking
protective bail after an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad rejected his request
for pre-arrest bail for skipping court hearings in a case pertaining to
violence outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh, who was hearing the case,
adjourned the hearing to 12:30pm after Imran’s lawyer Azhar Siddique requested
for some time. He told the court that the former prime minister was meeting
doctors and that the party had security concerns. He, however, assured the
court that Imran would be in court.
Yesterday, the ATC — on grounds of non-appearance in
court — rejected Imran’s request for an extension in his interim bail in a case
pertaining to violent protests outside the ECP after it disqualified him in the
Toshakhana case.
The PTI chief has been convalescing in his Zaman Park
residence in Lahore ever since he was wounded in an assassination attempt
during a pitstop his caravan made in Wazirabad while they were marching on
Islamabad.
Subsequently, the PTI chief had approached the LHC for
interim protective bail, but the high court refused to grant the bail without
his personal appearance and adjourned the petition till today.
“Bring him on a stretcher or in an ambulance. Bail
will not be granted without him being present in court,” Justice Sheikh had
said.
Earlier today, Imran submitted a power of attorney in
court declaring Advocate Azhar Siddique as his counsel for the case.
Imran’s petition
The PTI chairman’s petition was submitted by his
counsels Advocates Malik Ghulam Abbas Nissoana, Muhammad Farooq Khokhar, Rashid
Gill, Muhammad Aadil Khan and Ch Asghar Ali.
In the petition, Imran said that the Islamabad
anti-terrorism court did not grant him an exemption from appearance on the
basis of medical grounds, and rejected his request for an extension in his interim
bail.
“I have to submit a bail petition again in the
Islamabad ATC,” he stated in the petition and prayed to the Lahore High Court
to “approve the protective bail for the surrender to take place in the
concerned court.”
The case
The terrorism case in Islamabad was filed against
Imran in Oct 2022 after PTI workers took to the streets and held demonstrations
outside ECP offices across the country after it disqualified the former prime
minister in the Toshakhana reference.
Soon after the verdict was announced, the PTI
leadership asked people to take to the streets. Clashes were also reported
between the police and protesters in Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1737449/lhc-resumes-hearing-imrans-bail-plea-in-ecp-protest-case-today
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Resumption of trade with India urged to address
people’s woes
Ikram Junaidi
February 16, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Political economist Dr Pervez Tahir on
Wednesday called for revival of trade with India to decrease people’s woes.
He said the federal cabinet’s size should be cut down
in conformity with the requirement of the 18th Amendment. Since the federal
development spending is financed by borrowing, it ought to be reduced to zero
until the budget is balanced, he said, adding that defence expenditure “has a
tail longer than… necessary”. It’s time to improve the tooth-to-tail ratio, he
stressed.
Dr Tahir was addressing the participants of the Third
Asma Jahangir Memorial Lecture organised by the Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan. Former PPP senator Farhatullah Babar also spoke at the event, which was
moderated by rights activist Nasreen Azhar.
Dr Tahir suggested that income of big landholders must
be subjected to normal income taxation. Wealth tax, inheritance tax and estate
duties need to be re-imposed, he said, adding that there should be no increase
in indirect taxes. Provinces should devote 50 per cent of their income to
development budget and provide the corresponding current budget to fully comply
with Article 25-A within two years, he said.
“Property tax should be fully devolved to local governments
for effective public service delivery and trade should be opened in the region
to deal with the current account deficit,” he suggested.
Political economist says holders of large swathes must
pay taxes ‘like everyone else’
While talking about human rights lawyer and social
activist Asma Jahangir, Dr Tahir said he knew Asma since the time she was a
schoolgirl, adding that those were the days of the student movement launched
against the rights usurper Ayub Khan.
“What greater pleasure can there be than celebrating
the memory of someone you first saw as a teenage girl who then surpassed all of
us as a fearless leader and an outstanding champion of the rights of the weak
and the exploited.”
Source: Dawnc
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1737397/resumption-of-trade-with-india-urged-to-address-peoples-woes
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Jamaat-i-Islami Demands Release of Haq Do Tehreek
Leaders, Workers
Behram Baloch
February 16, 2023
GWADAR: Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq on Wednesday
announced that his party fully supported the demands of Haq Do Tehreek and the
people of Gwadar and demanded that the government release all detained leaders
and workers of the HDT.
Speaking at a news conference at the Gwadar Press
Club, he assured his party’s complete support to the ongoing struggle and
movement of the people of Gwadar and condemned the government and local
administration for detaining HDT leaders and workers in false cases.
The JI emir also met HDT head Maulana
Hidayat-ur-Rehman and other leaders in a local prison.
“If Gwadar is a game-changer, then the government must
bring changes in the life of the local community,” he said, adding that the
people of the area had long been demanding their fundamental rights, but the
government had treated them like second-class citizens.
He said the HDT movement was against the CPEC, adding
that the people only wanted to live a respectful life. The government, he said,
must listen to people’s demands instead of rubbing salt on their wounds.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1737393/ji-demands-release-of-hdt-leaders-workers
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Police capture two terrorists found in possession of
1,000 detonators
February 15, 2023
KARACHI: Two suspected terrorists were apprehended in
the North Nazimabad neighbourhood of Karachi on Wednesday by a joint operation
conducted by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and the Crime Investigation
Agency (CIA), according to a press statement.
The suspects were found to be in possession of 1,000
detonators and other explosive materials.
During the operation, which was underway to locate a
third accomplice, the two suspects were taken into custody with the explosives
in their possession. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Junaid Ahmed Sheikh
of the SIU said the detainees were caught in the act of transporting the
explosives from one location to another within the city.
Upon questioning, the suspects confessed to having
brought the explosives from Peshawar to Karachi to use for “terrorist
activities.” The press release added that one of the suspects who facilitated
the transfer of explosives is currently on the run.
Additionally, the statement disclosed that one of the
detainees’ accomplices had previously been arrested in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s
Charsadda city and had received an eight-year jail sentence for the possession
of explosives.
Source: Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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American men face terrorism charges years after
Pakistan trial
February 15, 2023
ISLAMABAD: It was almost 15 years ago when five young
men from northern Virginia left the US to pursue dreams of the War on Terror in
Afghanistan, only to find themselves under arrest in Pakistan when their
farewell video prompted family members to contact the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI).
Now, after the five served a decade in a prison in
Pakistan, US prosecutors are moving forward with plans to put them on trial
again for terrorism charges.
At a status hearing Tuesday in US District Court in
Alexandria, however, a judge gave strong indications that she plans to toss out
charges against one of the men on grounds that torture and solitary confinement
he allegedly endured in Pakistan have rendered him mentally incompetent.
In fact, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema has
questioned the utility of bringing charges against any of the five, given the
fact that they were convicted and punished already in Pakistan.
“If these men have been prosecuted in Pakistan and
served significant periods of incarceration in a Pakistani prison, and now the
United States government is trying to charge them for essentially the same
conduct in this country, you’ve got to think about whether that makes sense,”
Brinkema said during a December status hearing on the case.
The five men — Waqar Khan, Ahmed Minni, Ramy Zamzam,
Aman Yemer, and Umar Farooq — originally came to the FBI’s attention only after
the family reported them missing.
In late 2009, the five left the US for Pakistan,
leaving behind an 11-minute video espousing the need to engage in the war to
defend Muslim lands under attack. Family members sought to stop them from
making the trip once they learned of the plans, reaching out to a Muslim civil
rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and eventually to
lawyer Nina Ginsberg and the FBI.
But the five had already made it to Pakistan and began
looking for people who could help them get to Afghanistan. They were frequently
turned away by those they sought out, according to a recently unsealed FBI
affidavit, although one man suggested he could help if one of the five’s
extended family in Pakistan could vouch for them.
They were arrested in Sargodha, a city in the eastern
province of Punjab, on December 9, 2009, about nine days after the FBI learned
they left the US, according to the affidavit.
Several members of the group admitted to FBI agents
that their goal was to fight against American troops if they got to Afghanistan.
The five were charged in Pakistan, where they say they
were tortured during their detention — allegations denied by authorities. All
five were convicted and received 10-year terms.
After serving their sentences, the US government has
sought to bring them to the US to face charges here. So far, though, only three
of the defendants — Zamzam, Yemer and Minni — have been deported back to the
US. A fourth remains in Pakistani custody, and a fifth is at large there.
Yemer, who was just 18 when he was arrested and is the
youngest of the five, faces serious mental health problems. Ginsberg, his
lawyer, said in court that Yemer’s faculties eroded after mistreatment and
solitary confinement in Pakistan. As she described it, Yemer sits in a chair
all day, nonresponsive. He only eats if he is fed, and he only goes to the
bathroom if someone takes him to a toilet.
Months in a hospital, including electroshock
treatment, were largely unsuccessful, she said.
“They just totally incapacitated him,” Ginsberg said
after Tuesday’s hearing, in which her client appeared dressed in a gray
tracksuit, his face blank.
Ginsberg said during the hearing that she was hopeful
the US would drop the charges against her client. Brinkema gave clear
indication she will dismiss the charges against Yemer as soon as Ginsberg files
a motion seeking dismissal regardless of whether the Justice Department agrees.
As for the other defendants, prosecutor John Gibbs
expressed optimism that a plea deal will be reached and circumvent the need for
a trial. Lawyers for Zamzam and Minni have said that if a deal can’t be
reached, they plan to seek dismissal on grounds that their clients were denied
the right to a speedy trial, among other potential issues.
At a hearing in December, Brinkema raised the question
of whether a US trial would amount to double jeopardy, although it was not
immediately clear whether the trial in Pakistan would allow the defendants to
claim double jeopardy protection in the US.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Mideast
Iran Raps US' Unconditional Support for Terrorists
2023-February-15
Kana'ani in a series of tweets on Wednesday said that
"supporting terrorists and criminals is an integral part of the US foreign
policy".
"The Zionist regime as the manifestation of
organized terrorism, Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group, and
the torturing and criminal members of SAVAK as a terrible anti-human
organization, all have been and are under the direct and continuous support of
the United States," the diplomat wrote.
"The clear message of the Iranian nation to the
US; Stop supporting criminals and terrorists, interfering in Iran's internal
affairs, and [imposing] oppressive sanctions against the Iranian nation,"
the spokesperson added.
Hundreds of people poured into the streets of downtown
Los Angeles on Saturday – coinciding with the 44th anniversary of the 1979
Islamic Revolution – calling for “regime change” in Iran.
The participants included the members of the MKO
terrorist outfit, monarchists loyal to the Pahlavi family. Parviz Sabeti, the
former deputy chief of SAVAK, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s so-called “secret police”
known for its third-degree torture and other gross human rights abuses, was
also present with his family at the gathering.
There is documented evidence of how undercover SAVAK
agents – working directly on the orders of Sabeti – would intimidate, arrest,
torture, rape and kill women during the Pahlavi dictatorship.
Responding to the question of a reporter given the
presence of Sabeti, Kana'ani said on Monday countries claiming to be the
flag-bearers of human rights have morphed their countries into safe havens for
criminals and hooligans.
“This came as no surprise that a country purportedly
believed to be forerunner in protecting human rights has hosted a criminal with
checkered history,” he stated.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011126000600/Iran-Raps-US'-Uncndiinal-Sppr-fr-Terrriss
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Iran sentences six Arab political prisoners to death:
Rights group
15 February ,2023
Iran has sentenced six Iranian Arab political
prisoners to death, and six others have been handed jail sentences ranging from
five to 35 years, a human rights group reported on Tuesday.
The six individuals who were sentenced to death are
Ali Mojaddam, Moeen Khanfari, Mohammad-Reza Moghadam, Salem Mousawi, Adnan
Mousawi, and Habib Drees, the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO), which
monitors human rights violations in Arab-populated regions in southwest Iran,
said.
Fares Amouri, Jasem Alboughobeish, Qasem Moghadam,
Eskandar Moghadam, Raad Maniaat and Tofigh Maniaat were given prison sentences
ranging from five to 35 years in jail, the group said.
The verdicts were issued on Tuesday by Branch 4 of the
Revolutionary Court of Ahwaz, the capital of Khuzestan province, according to
AHRO.
The charges against the prisoners have not been made
clear.
The Iranian judiciary has not commented on the report,
which came days after state media reported that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had
pardoned “tens of thousands” of prisoners, including many arrested in recent
anti-regime protests following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in
September.
Rights activists have expressed skepticism over that
announcement, pointing out that many prominent figures remain in jail and
activists continue to be arrested.
Oil-rich Khuzestan is home to a large Arab population
that has long complained of being marginalized and discriminated against in
Iran.
Iran experienced months of protests following the
death of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who died on September 16
shortly after her arrest by the morality police for allegedly breaching the
country’s strict dress rules for women.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Palestinians denounce new Israeli expulsion law as
‘the ugliest form of racism’
16 February 2023
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has strongly
condemned a new Israeli law that facilitates the expulsion of Palestinian
prisoners and their families, with the Palestinian foreign ministry calling it
“the ugliest form of racism.”
The resistance movement said in a statement on
Wednesday that Israel’s law violates the rights of Palestinians in their
ancestral land and is aimed at paving the way for their forceful expulsion.
The Israeli parliament passed a law earlier in the day
that allows the Tel Aviv regime to revoke the residency status or citizenship
of those who have been engaged in activism against the occupation of
Palestinian lands, and deport them either to the occupied West Bank or the
besieged Gaza Strip.
The bill was passed in the Knesset by 94 votes to 10
on Wednesday. It was fast-tracked through parliament following an escalation of
tensions across West Bank towns and cities in recent months.
The law stipulates that those sentenced to prison, and
who have received a form of funding from the Palestinian Authority (PA) can
have their citizenship or residency revoked and be deported.
The Palestinian foreign ministry slammed the law as
“the ugliest form of racism.”
Qadoura Fares, the chairman of the Palestinian
Prisoners Association, said: "This is an unjust and racist law that aims
to empty the land of its native residents and eject people from their homes."
Fares said the law was a “very dangerous decision that
aims to transfer Palestinians from their cities and villages under the pretext
of getting social assistance from the PA.”
The new law will apply to Palestinian citizens of
Israel and permanent residents of occupied East al-Quds. The latter widely
refuse Israeli citizenship and are issued residency IDs by Israel’s interior
ministry.
The Palestinian Authority gives stipends to families
of Palestinian prisoners or detainees.
Adalah, an organization that advocates Palestinians'
rights in Israel, said the law “not only creates an additional avenue for the
revocation of the citizenship of residency of Palestinians … under the Israeli
regime, but also facilitates their expulsion.”
“The law explicitly and exclusively targets
Palestinians as part of Israel's entrenchment of two separate legal systems
based on Jewish supremacy,” the group said in a statement.
Ahmad Tibi, an Arab opposition lawmaker in the
occupied territories, condemned the law as discriminatory.
“When an Arab commits a crime, they are a conditional
citizen, whereas when a Jew commits even a more serious crime, revoking their
citizenship is unheard of,” he said.
Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right
cabinet, discussions about withdrawing residencies and stripping away
citizenship from Palestinians living in al-Quds have been floated, specifically
for prisoners who have carried out retaliatory operations.
Source: Press TV
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'War crime': Israel approves law to deport Palestinian
citizens to Gaza, West Bank
15 February 2023
The Israeli parliament has passed a law that allows
the Tel Aviv regime to revoke the residency status or citizenship of those who
have been engaged in activism against the occupation of Palestinian lands, and
deport them either to the occupied West Bank or the besieged Gaza Strip.
The final reading of the bill was passed in the
Knesset by 94 votes to 10 on Wednesday. It was fast-tracked through parliament
following an escalation of tensions across West Bank towns and cities in recent
months.
The law stipulates that those sentenced to prison, and
who have received a form of funding from the Palestinian Authority (PA) can
have their citizenship or residency revoked and be deported.
It will apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel and
permanent residents of occupied East al-Quds. The latter widely refuse Israeli
citizenship and are issued residency IDs by Israel’s interior ministry.
According to international law, deportation by an
occupying power constitutes a breach of the Geneva Conventions and is
considered one of the most serious war crimes.
This is while the Israeli threat of deportation of
Palestinian prisoners is standard practice.
In 2013, for example, the Israeli regime sought to
force hunger striker Samer el-Issawi to accept being deported to a UN member
state in return for him ending his strike.
According to the Israeli rights group B’tselem, the
goal of such deportations is to create a demographic and geographic reality
under which Israel’s sovereignty in the occupied East al-Quds cannot be
challenged.
“This policy blatantly discriminates between
Palestinian residents of East al-Quds and Israeli settlers,” the rights group
said. “Israeli citizens can leave for as long as they like and always have the
right to return.”
Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right
cabinet, discussions about withdrawing residencies and stripping away
citizenship from Palestinians living in al-Qudsm have been floated,
specifically for prisoners who have carried out retaliatory operations.
According to human rights organizations, Israel has
revoked the residency status of at least 14,701 Palestinians in East al-Quds
from 1967 to 2020. The number will jump to 86,000 if the dependent children of
those who had their residencies revoked are counted.
Earlier, the Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement had
denounced the deportation bill as a flagrant violation of Palestinians’ rights.
“Such a bill is aimed at Judaization of occupied
Palestinian lands, and an attempt to displace Palestinian people forcibly,” it
said in a statement on January 12.
Source: Press TV
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Israel to boost Palestinian economy ahead of Ramadan,
amid US tensions
By TOVAH LAZAROFF
FEBRUARY 15, 2023
Israel's security cabinet took steps to boost the
Palestinian economy in advance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan after Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held lengthy
consultations with the Biden administration, according to a senior source.
This includes the regulation of tolls on the Allenby
Bridge which is the main thorofare by which West Bank Palestinians travel
abroad. Fuel fees will be lowered and the Israeli Economy Ministry will update
the list of goods that are imported into the Palestinian territories.
The security cabinet made the decision at its meeting
on Sunday, but details of the decision were only released on Wednesday.
Coming amid fears of escalation of violence, Israeli
tensions with Biden administration
The move comes amid concerns of a sharp escalation in
violence when Ramadan begins on March 22, particularly given that it will
overlap with the Passover holiday in April. The US has looked to Israel to take
steps to improve life on the ground for Palestinians, particularly in lieu of
any peace process.
But the gesture also comes amid tensions between
Israel and the Biden Administration over the security cabinet’s decision on
Sunday to transform 10 West Bank outposts into nine new settlements.
On Tuesday the IDF’s Civil Administration followed
that move by publishing a Wednesday, February 22 meeting of the Higher Planning
Council for Judea and Samaria.
The Higher Planning Council is slated to advance plans
for some 10,000 new units in West Bank settlements, not all of which will be
approved at that meeting.
The Palestinian Authority in response has appealed to
the United Nations Security Council to issue a statement or a resolution
condemning the move. Israel is working to ensure that the US will block the
move given that it is one of five countries with veto power at the council.
In the worst-case scenario, it is hoping that any UNSC
statement, would also condemn Palestinian terrorism.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price spokesman said
on Tuesday, “We are opposed to unilateral measures that have the potential to
exacerbate tensions and that can move us further away from a negotiated
two-state solutions.
Source: J Post
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https://www.jpost.com/news-updates/article-731676
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Iranian President Underlines Absolute Necessity for
Strengthening Peace in Asia
2023-February-15
President Rayeesi made the remarks during a meeting
with students, professors and academic personnel from Peking University on
Wednesday.
“A new world is forming and taking the place of the
older one. The new world requires an up-to-date order in which real
multilateralism, maximum synergy, solidarity and dissociation from
unilateralism will thrive more than ever, and a fair and just order will
accordingly emerge,” he stated.
The president added Asia lies at the center of the
emerging global developments, stressing that protecting and promoting peace
throughout the vast continent is not only a matter of choice but an absolute
necessity.
Rayeesi noted that Iran’s military prowess and
regional capabilities are directed at perseverance of security and stability in
other countries and will only be employed to counter threats from hegemonic
powers.
“Among the Islamic Republic of Iran’s strategic
achievements is its triumph over transnational challenges such as terrorism and
extremism in West Asia,” the Iranian president pointed out.
Rayeesi also hailed the age-old relations between
Tehran and Beijing, saying that China joined the international community
through the ancient Silk Road, and Iran provided a fertile ground for the
progress and welfare stemming from the trade route.
“Not only did the Silk Road facilitate trade and
cooperation among different nations as the most important route, but it also
served as a cultural bond and connected different societies together throughout
history,” he added.
Iran's president went on to hail China’s Belt and Road
Initiative, emphasizing that Iran and China, with the revival of this
initiative in the modern world, have once again reasserted their determination
to strengthen friendship and take firm steps toward homogeneous development,
strategic partnership and a promising and prosperous future for the humankind.
Earlier in the day, President of Peking University Hao
Ping awarded the title of "Honorary Professor" of Peking University
in recognition of President Rayeesi's services and actions in strengthening and
developing relations between Iran and China, as well as maintaining peace in
the region and the world.
Source: Fars News Agency
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China’s Xi accepts Iranian president’s invitation for
state visit to Iran
16 February ,2023
China’s President Xi Jinping has accepted Iranian
President Ebrahim Raisi’s invitation to pay a state visit to Iran, a joint
communique between both countries said on Thursday.
The statement released on Raisi’s last day of a
three-day visit to Beijing did not give more details.
Source: Al Arabiya
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At remote desert outpost, Israeli settlers triumphant
despite Western anger
15 February ,2023
Between Jericho and the Dead Sea, Israeli settlers
rejoice after the government granted their outpost retroactive approval. An
hour's drive north, others are beaten by officers evicting an unsanctioned
settler vineyard.
Drawing Western concern and Palestinian anger, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government authorized nine settler outposts in
the occupied West Bank this week, in response to two Palestinian street attacks
in which nine Israelis were killed.
On hearing the news from the government on Sunday
night, the young men of Beit Hogla, a cluster of mobile homes housing around 35
families neatly set up near a desert road, broke into a dance.
“We had tears in our eyes. It was very joyful,” said
Yagel Shmuel, a 31-year-old father of four who came to live in Beit Hogla seven
years ago with four other families.
The formal recognition will make it easier to pave
roads, and build schools for the settlement's 100 children, said Shmuel. “We
hope the government's decision will bring us a lot of families and we can build
here a big settlement.”
Since the 1967 war, Israel has established around 140
settlements on land Palestinians see as the core of a future state. Besides the
authorized settlements, groups of settlers have built scores of outposts
without government permission.
Some, like the vineyard uprooted on Wednesday, have
been razed by Israeli security forces. Others were authorized retroactively.
The nine granted approval on Sunday are the first for Netanyahu's new
nationalist, religious government.
Palestinian officials have denounced the move as a
provocation and called on world powers to back up verbal condemnation with
action against Israel.
Most world powers deem settlements built in the
territory Israel seized in the 1967 war as illegal under international law and
their expansion as an obstacle to peace, since they eat away at land the
Palestinians claim for a future state.
Israel disputes the illegality of the settlements and
cites Biblical and historical ties to the West Bank, which it calls by its
Biblical name - Judea and Samaria.
Ideological settlers believe they are pioneers
redeeming land promised by God to the Jewish people. Legalizing outposts was
one of the main promises Netanyahu's Likud party made to their leaders in
coalition deals following the Nov. 1 election. “This is the most important
thing we have,” said Shmuel.
More than 450,000 people, or less than 5 percent of
Israel’s population, are Jewish settlers in the West Bank, home to about 3
million Palestinians who exercise limited self-rule there.
While the leaders of the pro-settler parties Religious
Zionism and Jewish Power celebrated the authorization of the outposts, the
vineyard's uprooting on Wednesday exposed cracks in the government.
Religious Zionism leader, Finance Minister Bezalel
Smotrich, denounced the uprooting and blamed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for
ignoring their coalition deal granting him increased powers in the West Bank
over settlement expansion.
Footage showing some border policemen beating settlers
who tried to stop the eviction further aggravated Smotrich and his ally,
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Source: Al Arabiya
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UN Security Council extends sanctions on Houthi
leaders for nine months
February 15, 2023
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Wednesday
extended for nine months an asset freeze and travel ban targeting a dozen
Yemenis, mainly top members of the Iran-backed Houthi militia, over the ongoing
conflict there.
The short Council resolution, adopted unanimously,
does not modify the sanctions regime already in place — it simply sets November
15 as the new end date for the measures.
The panel of experts tasked with managing the
sanctions saw its mandate extended until December 15.
The Council also reaffirmed the arms embargo, which
has targeted the Houthis for the past year. That measure has no expiration
date.
Council members discussed the situation in Yemen
behind closed doors on Wednesday.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2251886/middle-east
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Africa
Algeria arrests one person who threatened to blast
Saudi embassy
15 February ,2023
Algerian security forces arrested one person who
threatened to blast the headquarters of the Saudi embassy in Algiers, Algerian
state TV reported on Wednesday.
The Saudi embassy received a call at 3 am local time
(0200 GMT) on Wednesday from a person who threatened to bomb its headquarters,
the TV added, citing a statement from the capital’s security forces.
The capital’s security forces arrested the suspect
after investigations, the report said adding that the person was subjected to
medical checks and psychological tests before being prosecuted.
Source: Al Arabiya
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At least 73 migrants ‘presumed dead’ after shipwreck
off Libya: UN
15 February ,2023
Dozens of migrants are believed to have died in a
shipwreck off Libya, with only seven survivors found so far, the United Nations
said Wednesday.
“At least 73 migrants are reported missing and presumed
dead following a tragic shipwreck off the Libyan coast yesterday (Tuesday),”
the UN’s International Organization for Migration said.
The boat carrying 80 people had departed Qasr
al-Akhyar, some 75 kilometers (46 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli, and was
heading to Europe.
So far, 11 bodies have been retrieved by the Libyan
Red Crescent and the local police, IOM said.
And the UN migration agency said that “seven survivors
who made it back to Libyan shores in extremely dire conditions are currently in
the hospital.”
The central Mediterranean remains the world’s
deadliest migratory sea crossing.
The latest tragedy brings the numbers of deaths there
since the beginning of this year alone to 130, IOM said.
According to the agency’s Missing Migrants Project,
more than 1,450 migrant deaths were recorded on that route in 2022.
And more than 17,000 deaths and disappearances have
been recorded there since 2014.
“This situation is intolerable,” IOM said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Libya dispatches tons of medical supplies to quake
victims in Türkiye
15.02.2023
TRIPOLI, Libya
Libya’s Tripoli-based government has dispatched tons
of medical supplies to the victims of last week’s two deadly earthquakes in
Türkiye, according to a Turkish diplomat on Wednesday.
Turkish Ambassador in Tripoli Kenan Yilmaz said that
the Libyan aid has exceeded 15 tons of medical supplies.
“Medical devices, hospital beds, generators, blankets
and heaters were sent to the quake victims as part of the Libyan aid,” Yilmaz
told Anadolu.
Jibril al-Shteiwi, the director of the Libyan defense
minister’s office, said an air bridge has been launched upon orders from Prime
Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh for the quake victims in Türkiye and Syria.
“Four planes loaded with aid have already been sent to
Türkiye and Syria,” he said, adding that a fifth aid plane is also being
prepared to be dispatched.
At least 35,418 people were killed and 105,505 others
injured in two powerful earthquakes that rocked southern Türkiye on Feb. 6,
according to the latest official figures.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the
Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10
provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis,
Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.
In Syria, at least 3,688 people were killed and over
14,749 injured in the earthquake disaster.
Since the earthquake disaster, 16 Arab countries
officially announced the launch of air bridges and the provision of urgent
relief and medical aid to support Türkiye, according to official statements.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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India
Haji Irshad Ali, a Sari Trader In Kashi, Writes Gita
With Ink Made Of Ganga Jal, Soil
Feb 16, 2023
VARANASI: Haji Irshad Ali, a sari trader in Kashi, who
used to write 'Shahadatain' for the burial of the dead in his childhood is
nowadays busy in scribing the holy Hindu text Shrimad Bhagwad Gita in
calligraphy using Ganga's soil and water on the large sheets of white cotton
fabric.
Earlier, he had also written the holy Quran, Hanuman
Chalisa and other religious texts in the similar style on cotton fabric measuring
30x24 inches. He wishes to gift his artistic works to celebrities including
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister
Yogi Adityanath.
"When I was 14, I started writing Shahadatain on
a piece of half-meter cloth to be put on the shroud before the burial of the
dead," said Irshad, who is now 53. Shahadatain literally means declaration
of faith - to declare there is only one God, Allah, and that Muhammad is his
messenger.
"The passion for writing grew further, and I decided
to script the holy Quran on fabric pieces. It took almost six years to complete
all the 30 paragraphs of Quran with the handmade ink made with the soil of the
Ganga, Aab-e-Zamzam (water from Zamzam well), jafran (saffron) and gond
(adhesive)," said Irshad, the resident of Bhelupur locality. The famous
Banarasi silk brocade has been used for the binding of the bulky book.
Later, he started writing Shrimad Bhagwad Gita in the
same style and size. "The only difference is that I used Ganga jal (Ganga
water) along with Gabnga soil and gond to prepare the ink for this work,"
he said, adding that before starting the venture, he sincerely learnt Sanskrit
to understand Shrimad Bhagwad Gita. "I bought a Sanskrit translation book
and took help of local priest to learn the language," he said. He has also
written Vishnu Shastranaam, Hanuman Chalisa and the National Anthem on cotton
fabric pieces.
Source: Times Of India
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BJP To Engage Influential Sufi Saints To Reach Out To
Muslim Voters Ahead Of The 2024 Lok Sabha Elections
16th February 2023
By Rajesh Kumar Thakur
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the
Bhartiya Janata Party is geared up to launch a comprehensive nationwide
outreach programme among the influential Sufi saints of the country, making
them familiar with the party’s policies and programmes started for the Muslims
and other minority communities.
This comes as the first such initiative chalked out by
the BJP through its minority morcha, which is reaching out to the minority
communities, especially the Muslims, to bring them closer to the party.
Under the new programme, the party’s cadre will engage
Sufi saints from several states, including Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The outreach programme, called ‘Sufi Saints Samvad
Conference’, will have the religious leaders preach love and brotherhood among
all sects. The Conference will be organised by the minority morcha starting
from March this year across the country.
Speaking to this newspaper, Jamal Siddiqui, the
national president of BJP minority morcha, said the Modi government has proved
that ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas’ has never been
just a slogan of the BJP, but a dynamic project. “People from the minority
communities, including the Muslim community, should realise this. There is a
need to tell them about the party’s programmes aimed at their progress,” Jamal
Siddiqui said.
Quoting a line of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, Siddiqui
said, “The Muslims are the flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood,” Siddiqui
said that the conference aims at having a wider dialogue with Sufi saints about
how to take the country ahead in a peaceful way. “The need of hour is to bring
the Sufi saints into the forefront,” he said.
Besides religious leaders from dargahs such as Ajmer
Sharif and Hazrat Nizamuddin and other places, a Christian saint from Delhi has
also been included in this programme, Siddiqui said. The BJP leader further
said that the BJP’s minority morcha will also facilitate a meeting of the Sufi
saints with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the near future.
Boosting ‘Sabka Saath’
BJP’s minority morcha is reaching out to the minority
communities, especially Muslims, to bring them closer to party
Party planning a new nationwide outreach initiative,
‘Sufi Saints Samvad Conference’, from March onwards
A Christian saint from Delhi has also been included in
the conference
BJP minority morcha also planning to facilitate
meeting of Sufi saints with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in near future
Source: New Indian Express
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Government Drags Feet On National Council For
Promotion Of Urdu Language; Delaying The Reconstitution Of Its General Body
Basant Kumar Mohanty
| New Delhi
16.02.23
A government organisation working for the promotion of
Urdu has been unable to carry out crucial activities like organising seminars,
opening teaching centres and promoting books as the Centre is delaying the
reconstitution of its general body.
The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language
(NCPUL), which has 37 members, has been functioning with only its four permanent
members — the education minister as the chairman, the director and two
officials of the ministry of education. In the absence of the general body, or
the entire strength of the NCPUL, the 10-member Executive Board also lies
defunct.
Many Urdu scholars and organisations have expressed
concern over the activities of the NCPUL coming to a standstill. The education
ministry had constituted the council in 2018 for three years. The tenure of the
members ended over a year ago in December 2021. The Executive Board is
constituted from among the members of the council. The strength of the board
now stands at four — the four permanent members of the NCPUL.
The general council of the NCPUL gives broad advice on
the activities of the organisation. The Executive Board has a greater role
since its approval is required to carry out most promotional activities.
The NCPUL provides grants to institutions and NGOs for
holding seminars and conferences, gives approval for opening centres for
teaching Urdu and facilitates research projects and bulk purchase of books
written by scholars. NCPUL director Aquil Ahmad said he had taken up the
vacancies with the government. “The reconstitution of the council is under
process. It will happen soon,” he said.
However, the delay means the money earmarked by the
government for the promotion of Urdu in 2022-23 could largely remain
unutilised.
Shohab Malik, a faculty member of Urdu at Jammu
University, said: “This will be the most unfortunate thing that for the first
time the funds meant for promotional activities will remain unutilised. There
is hardly any time left to organise seminars or open centres and carry out
research. The funds will have to be utilised before March 2023.”
Kausar Mazhari, who teaches Urdu at Jamia Millia
Islamia university, said the NCPUL lying defunct meant neglect of the language.
“The delay in the reconstitution of the council is an
act of neglect towards the promotion of the Urdu language. I hope the
government reconstitutes the council at the earliest,” Mazhari said.
An official of the education ministry said the council
had proposed a list of names in December 2021 for appointment as members of the
NCPUL.
“The process of reconstitution is at an advanced
stage,” the official said.
The Telegraph sent an email to Sanjay Murthy, the
secretary in the department of higher education, asking why the NCPUL council
had not been reconstituted. A response is awaited.
Online conference
The NCPUL, which organises a World Urdu Conference
(WUC) with eminent scholars of Urdu from across the globe, has been holding the
event online since 2020, drawing the ire of scholars. Malik said the scholars
have a greater scope of interacting and knowing each other when a conference is
held in the physical mode.
“A virtual conference is not effective. The
participants get disturbed by the activities at home. They fail to socialise.
When every institution is functioning in the physical mode, there is no reason
to hold the WUC virtually,” he said.
Source: Telegraph India
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/government-drags-feet-on-urdu-council/cid/1916815
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Madhya Pradesh Govt Rechristens Town with Islamic
Name; Islamnagar to Jagdishpur
February 15, 2023
The Madhya Pradesh government under BJP has changed
the name of a historic town in the state from Islamnagar to Jagdishpur.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made an
announcement to this effect at the Gaurav Diwas programme held in Chaman Mahal
of the town yesterday evening. He said Jagdishpur has regained its lost
identity after 308 years.
The CM launched development works worth nearly Rs 27
crore on the occasion and also unveiled a stone plate of Jagdishpur’s name.
Chouhan said historically Jagdishpur was settled and
ruled by Devda Rajputs but Dost Mohammad Khan conquered it and named it
Islamnagar. The CM claimed that Dost Mohammad Khan had treacherously murdered
the ruler of the place Narsingh Devda after inviting the latter for dinner.
Source: The Statesman
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16th-Century Mosque and Grave At Humayun’s Tomb Go
Under Knife
Feb 16, 2023
NEW DELHI: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
has begun conservation work on the 16th-century Afsarwala tomb and mosque,
located inside the Humayun’s Tomb complex.
The tomb, along with other structures, is part of the
Unesco World Heritage site.
According to ASI officials, the identity of the
‘Afsar’ or officer who raised these buildings is not known. However, one of the
graves inside the tomb bears the figures 974, which could refer to the Hijri
year corresponding to 1566-67. Both the mosque and the tomb may have been built
around that time, said the officials.
Nadeem Hussain, ASI’s conservation assistant at
Humayun’s Tomb, said that several stones at Afsarwala mosque had fallen, cracks
had appeared on its walls and the plaster was peeling off. The path leading to
the mosque towards Arab ki Sarai is also badly damaged and causing
inconvenience to visitors as the lime concrete had decayed and used mortar
particles were being blown away by wind to other areas of the monument.
“The original lime plaster layers that survived will
be retained. Additional lime plaster will be carefully matched with the
original to restore only the missing portions,” said Hussain.
The work, which was started in the first week of
January, is likely to be completed by the end of February. The estimated cost
of the project is Rs 23 lakh, said ASI officials.
“For strengthening and filling the gaps on the walls,
we are using a mixture of belgiri, jaggery and gum in water,” Hussain said,
adding that Delhi’s quarries will be used for replacing stones.
The mosque lies on a raised platform within the
eastern enclosure of Arab Serai at the complex. Its prayer chamber has three
arched openings and the central bay has a dome roof. To the north of the mosque
is a long and dilapidated hall with arched openings.
At the south-eastern corner of the mosque, on the same
raised platform stands an octagonal tomb with a double dome. The mausoleum is
built from grey quartz and lined with red sandstone and marble.
Source: Times Of India
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'Disturbing': Gujarat HC Dismisses Objection to Sale
of Shop to Muslim Man in Hindu-Majority Area
Feb 16, 2023
New Delhi: The Gujarat high court imposed a cost of Rs
25,000 on people who had objected to a Hindu man selling his shop to a Muslim
man, calling the objections “disturbing,” Bar and Bench has reported.
“It is a disturbing factor that a successful purchaser
of property in a disturbed area is being hounded and thwarting his attempt to
enjoy the fruits of the property which he successfully purchased,” the single
judge on the bench, Justice Biren Vaishnav said.
A Muslim man, according to the report, purchased a
shop from a Hindu man in a Vadodara locality identified as “predominantly
Hindu.” Petitioners in the case were witnesses who had signed the sale
agreement between the two parties in 2020 but who now claimed that they had
been coerced to sign them.
The Collector and local police had also objected to
the sale, citing that it could affect the “balance” and cause law and order
problems.
In 2020, the high court had dismissed these
objections. It was when the transaction was supposed to be registered with the
sub-registrar that the witnesses said that they had been coerced.
An additional civil application was filed by more than
10 shop owners, whose businesses were beside the Muslim man’s.
In 2021, the Gujarat high court had stopped the state
government from declaring any locality a “disturbed area” allowed under Section
3(1)(ii) of the Gujarat Disturbed Areas Act, 1991, stating that it could lead
to “improper clustering of persons” from “one community”.
Source: The Wire
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https://thewire.in/law/gujarat-high-court-muslim-man
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Muslim Student Group Alleges Islamophobia by ABVP at
University Of Hyderabad
15th February 2023
Hyderabad: Muslim Students Federation (MSF), a student
organisation at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) has alleged that the Akhil
Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) employed Islamophobic slogans against them
at the University’s general body meeting on Wednesday.
Speaking to Siasat.com, Mohammed Muhsin said that
after protests from the ABVP, the yearly held University General Body Meet
(UGBM) which sheds light on the work done by the UoH Students Union, was
cancelled. As all students present were leaving the Amphitheatre on campus, MSF
claims to have been attacked by cadres of the ABVP.
“There were around 100 of us and around 300 ABVP
members. They started shouting slogans like Goli maaron saalon ko (Shoot the
traitors) and also asked us to ‘Go to Pakistan’,” said Muhsin, the president of
MSF and a PhD Management studies student at the university.
MSF is the student organisation of the Indian Union
Muslim League party.
Source: Siasat Daily
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https://www.siasat.com/hyderabad-muslim-student-group-alleges-islamophobia-by-abvp-at-uoh-2527686/
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Gujarat HC dismisses objection of property sale to
Muslim man in Hindu area
15th February 2023
The court called the objections of the Hindu
individuals “disturbing”. The men had signed the sale agreement as witnesses
when the Muslim individual purchased property from a Hindu man in 2020. However,
in the court the witnesses claimed that they were coerced into signing it.
Earlier in 2020, the high court had dismissed the
objections. However, when the transaction was supposed to be registered with
the sub-registrar, the witnesses stated that they were coerced.
“It is a disturbing factor that a successful purchaser
of property in a disturbed area is being hounded and thwarting his attempt to
enjoy the fruits of the property which he successfully purchased,” the single
judge on the bench, Justice Biren Vaishnav said in the current case.
Source: Siasat Daily
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Arab World
Saudi Arabia Partners With the Indian Premier League
for Tourism Promotion
SANJAY KUMAR
February 15, 2023
NEW DELHI: The Saudi Tourism Authority has signed a
partnership agreement with India’s most popular cricket league to tap into a
strong sports fan base in both countries and promote the Kingdom as a leading
destination for Indian visitors.
In the past two years, India has emerged as Saudi
Arabia’s key tourism source market and is expected to become the largest one by
2030, as the STA’s efforts are concentrated on building relations with Indian
industry stakeholders.
The cricket partnership, inked between the authority
and the Indian Premier League on Tuesday evening aims at increasing the
Kingdom’s appeal in the south Asian nation. The STA will be an official sponsor
of the IPL — a men’s Twenty20 franchise and the world’s most-watched cricket
league.
“We are delighted to announce our partnership with
IPL, because we know how important cricket is to our visitors from South Asia,”
Alhasan Al-Dabbagh, the STA’s chief for Asia Pacific, said in a statement.
“Through our partnership with the IPL, we aim to
increase Saudi Arabia’s presence and appeal in the Indian and south Asian
markets. We are excited to show prospective south Asian visitors why they
should consider Saudi not only as their next holiday destination, but also as a
viable sports destination as we play host to prominent sports and entertainment
events such as Formula One, WWE, and the Spanish Super Cup.”
The partnership follows the STA’s other recent
promotion programs in India, including a successful tourism roadshow and
participation in a series of travel and trade events across the country earlier
this month, including the One World Travel Market in Mumbai and the South Asian
Travel and Tourism Exchange — Asia’s leading platform for the tourism and
hospitality industry.
The promotion strategy and the cricket partnership
found immediate appeal in both the sports and tourism industry.
“The IPL partnership is a powerful channel to engage
with its vast audience and support the Saudi Tourism Authority’s objective of
creating brand awareness in India as well as among the fans from the entire
cricketing world,” Rajeev Shukla, vice president of the Board of Control for
Cricket in India, said during the announcement of the IPL deal.
“We hope that through this partnership, we inspire and
grow the cricket fanbase in Saudi and in collaboration with STA, create
exciting opportunities for them to engage with the game.”
Jay Shah, the board’s secretary, said he believed the
partnership would help position Saudi Arabia as the leading tourism and sports
destination.
“For us, it’s an exciting prospect that the Saudi
Tourism Authority has immense faith in the power of the IPL to bring countries
together.
“This partnership will create newer opportunities for
cricket in Saudi and strengthen the sport in the region,” he added.
Cricket matches have been organized in Saudi Arabia
since the 1960s, when the game was introduced by expatriates from Pakistan and
India. As years passed, the sport became more structured and local clubs began
to form.
The Kingdom became an affiliate member of the International
Cricket Council in 2003 and in 2016 was promoted to associate membership.
But the game’s real boom began only recently, with the
establishment of the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation in 2020, which has since
lined up a series of programs to promote the sport at home and prepare national
teams to compete with the world’s best in the future.
The idea to involve cricket in the country’s promotion
was expected to boost Saudi Indian ties.
“It is great news for Saudi Arabia and India,” Elodie
Azar, deputy general manager of the Saudi travel operator Kurban Tours, told
Arab News.
“I feel that sport is a way to engage the young
generation. This will help to promote Saudi as a leisure and tourism
destination. This will also help to connect with many cricket fans around the
world and to lead Saudi to be a destination for sports fans also not only
tourism or business.”
In addition, it was expected to help forge
people-to-people relations that underpinned economic and political
partnerships.
“Building people-to-people ties is essential for India
and Saudi Arabia,” Mohammed Soliman, strategic technologies director at the
Middle East Institute in Washington, said.
“It is part of the broader trend of economic and
political integration in West Asia.”
Muddassir Quamar, Middle East expert and fellow at the
Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, described the cricket
partnership as a “defining moment” in Saudi Indian relations.
“There is a strong push in the Kingdom for bringing
mega sporting and recreational events inside Saudi Arabia and the partnership
can be one step toward that,” he told Arab News.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2251841/world
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Iraq's Moqtada Al Sadr urges MBC to withdraw $75m
Ramadan series on Umayyad caliph
Ismaeel Naar
Feb 15, 2023
Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr has urged Saudi-owned MBC
Group not to broadcast a TV series scheduled to run during Ramadan, which
depicts the life of Umayyad caliph Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan.
Muawiyah is reportedly the most expensive Arab TV
drama series in history at a cost of $75 million.
“Broadcasting such series is contrary to the new,
moderate policies pursued by the brotherly country of Saudi Arabia,” Mr Al Sadr
wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening.
“There is no need to hurt the feelings of your Muslim
brothers in the east and west of the earth.”
MBC Group is the biggest broadcaster in the Middle
East and North Africa. The show marks the directorial TV debut of
Palestinian-Egyptian director Tariq Al Arian and is scripted by journalist
Khaled Salah.
Production began in July in the Tunisian city of
Hammamet with other scenes filmed in Kairouan, also in Tunisia.
The character of Muawiyah is played by Syrian actor
Loujain Ismail, after veteran Palestinian artist Ali Suleiman withdrew from the
role.
Actresses attached to project include Asma Jalal,
Aisha bin Ahmed and Jamila Chihi, playing Muawiyah's wives. Jordanian actor
Iyad Nassar portrays Imam Ali bin Abi Talib.
The Umayyad Caliphate ruled a large part of what is
now the Middle East from 660 to 750 and was ruled under the first caliph
Muawiyah. His son Yazid bin Muawiyah ruled as the second Umayyad caliph — the
Prophet Mohammed's grandson, Imam Hussein, protested against his caliphate.
Shiites mark Ashura annually to mourn the death of
Imam Hussein bin Ali, who was killed in a battle outside Karbala in modern-day
Iraq in 680 AD by Yazid bin Muawiyah's army.
Although MBC has yet to respond publicly to Mr Sadr’s
statements, MBC Media Solutions (MMS), the commercial arm of MBC Group,
announced the company’s highly anticipated Ramadan 2023 line-up this week in
Riyadh and Dubai.
“We all know by now the impact and reach of Ramadan
and we are proud of our role as MMS in enabling brands to be a part of this
special season’s stories and narratives year on year,” said MMS chief executive
Ahmed Al Sahhaf in Riyadh.
Shows focusing on early Islamic figures following the
Umayyad and Rashidun dynasties have been dramatised for TV in the past.
Directed by the late and influential Syrian filmmaker Hatem Ali, MBC broadcast
Saqr Quraish in 2002, tracing the rise and fall of the 7th and 8th-century
Umayyad dynasty.
Source: The National News
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Syria's Assad welcomes ‘positive stance’ from Arab
nations
15 February ,2023
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday welcomed
“any positive stance” from Arab nations, including many that severed ties with
Damascus since the outbreak of its civil war.
His remarks came during a meeting with Jordanian
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Damascus, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake
rocked Turkey and Syria on February 6, leaving a combined death toll of nearly
40,000 people.
Safadi's visit is the second by a top Arab diplomat to
Syria since the quake, after Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed
Al-Nahyan also met Assad in Damascus on Sunday.
“The Syrian people welcome and respond to any positive
stance towards them, especially from the Arab brothers,” Assad said, according
to a statement from his office.
He further emphasized the importance of “bilateral
cooperation between Syria and Jordan”.
Jordan was among the first countries to respond to the
quake in Syria, sending at least three planes and dozens of trucks laden with
aid.
“We have been cooperating for a long time, but we
highly appreciate this visit because it comes at an appropriate time,” Syrian
Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Jordan's Al Mamlaka TV after the visit,
hailing Amman's “generous aid”.
Jordan is among the few Arab countries that maintained
diplomatic ties with Damascus even after Syria's 2011 suspension from the Arab
League over bloodshed in its civil war.
Communications were however limited and official
visits were halted for several years until June 2021, when a Syrian ministerial
delegation visited Jordan.
Jordan's King Abdullah II also called Assad after the
quake, having held in October 2021 his first official call with the Syrian
president since the war began.
Analysts have viewed the momentum after the quake as
an “opportunity” for Assad to return to the Arab fold as leaders have reached
out to offer aid.
On Tuesday, a Saudi plane carrying aid landed in
Syria's second city Aleppo – the first in more than a decade of war and severed
diplomatic ties.
Following the quake, Assad also received a call from
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offering support, their first official
exchange since Sisi assumed office in 2014.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia’s World Defense Show 2024 will be expanded
amid strong demand
16 February ,2023
Saudi Arabia’s World Defense Show has received such
massive interest in participating in the second edition, that the organizers
will expand the exhibition space to accommodate more participants and visitors,
state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday.
The General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI)
announced that the second edition of the World Defense Show (WDS) will be held
in Riyadh on February 4-8, 2024.
The WDS serves one of the pillars of Vision 2030, achieving
the Kingdom’s goal to localize 50 percent of its military equipment spending by
2030.
“In response to… strong demand, and as part of the
show’s overall enhancement initiatives, WDS organizers have reviewed expansion
plans to include a third exhibition hall offering the defense community with an
additional 25 percent of exhibition space, to compliment the two existing main
halls,” SPA reported.
WDS CEO Andrew Pearcey said: “Since the resounding
success of the sold-out inaugural World Defense Show in 2022, we have really
been humbled and so very pleased with the overwhelming interest from exhibitors
and new defense ecosystem constituents keen to participate.”
He added: “In fact, and in order to accommodate this
tremendous growth in demand, we have expanded our venue to accommodate an
additional 9,000 square meters in exhibitor space.”
The first edition of the WDS held in 2022 registered
military and defense procurement contracts with a total estimated value of
$7.92 billion (29.7 billion riyals). It also attracted over 600 exhibitors from
more than 42 countries, over 100 official defense and security delegations, and
witnessed more than 65,000 visits over the course of the show.
GAMI Governor, Ahmad al-Ohali, said the goal of
localizing 50 percent of the Kingdom’s defense equipment and services by 2030
can be reached through “focusing on developing indigenous capabilities in
defense industries, technologies, and national competencies, as well as job
creation for Saudi youth, and an increased contribution from the sector to the
national economy.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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UAE FM Sheikh Abdullah discusses ties, trade with
Blinken, US senators
15 February ,2023
UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin
Zayed met with the Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a number of American
lawmakers this week to discuss an array of issues and partnership possibilities.
During his meeting with Blinken in Washington, Sheikh
Abdullah discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in security, climate, trade
exchange and investment, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
In their meeting on Tuesday, they also highlighted
their joint efforts to combat extremism in the Middle East and further the
Abraham Accords.
The UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan normalized ties
with Israel in 2020 through signing the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
Rising tensions and violence between Israelis and
Palestinians were also discussed. The two sides looked at ways to prevent
further escalation of violence and restore calm, State Separtment Spokesman Ned
Price said in a statement.
The devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey and
ways to provide humanitarian aid were also discussed as were climate-linked
initiatives and the upcoming COP28 event in the emirates.
“We understand the urgent need for ambitious action
with the US and other partners to address climate change and facilitate a
smooth transition to a near-carbon-neutral world in the future,” Sheikh
Abdullah said.
Price also commended the UAE for its “steadfast
support for Ukraine” and voiced appreciation for the UAE’s humanitarian aid
contributions to the Ukrainian people.
Separately, the top Emirati diplomat met with Bob
Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Jim Risch, Vice
Chairman of the Committee; and Senator Todd Young.
The meetings explored ways to strengthen economic
relations between the two allies, and promote trade and investments.
Source: Al Arabiya
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UAE to provide Syria with additional $50 million in
aid after deadly earthquakes
15 February ,2023
The UAE will provide an additional $50 million in aid
to quake-hit Syria on the direction of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
The latest fund allocation will add to the existing
$50 million to the war-torn Middle Eastern country that saw a deadly 7.8
magnitude quake followed by an aftershock destroy homes and take lives earlier
this month.
Out of the additional $50 million, $20 million will be
allocated for “humanitarian projects in response to the emergency appeal of the
United Nations in Syria,” the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Wednesday.
The projects will reportedly be carried out in
coordination with the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
Since 2011, the conflict in Syria has killed nearly
half a million people and forced around half of the country’s pre-war
population from their homes, with many seeking refuge in Turkey.
Even before last week’s earthquake, the majority of
the population was in need of humanitarian assistance. The latest disaster has
piled on more misery. Opposition-controlled areas have received little
assistance as frontlines with the government are sealed off and only a single
border crossing links it to Turkey to the north.
The UAE has so far sent 38 flights to Syria carrying
1,243 metric tonnes of food and medical aid, 2,893 tents that can shelter
nearly 20,000 people, and 42 rescuers.
Ties between Damascus and Abu Dhabi were strained
after the Syrian civil war broke out more than a decade ago. Syria was expelled
from the 22-member Arab League over the conflict.
The UAE reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital in
December 2018, suggesting an effort to bring Assad’s regime back into the Arab
fold after years of boycott.
Last March, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a
visit to the UAE, his first to an Arab state in more than a decade.
Deadly quakes
More than 41,000 people have been killed in Turkey and
Syria when the devastating quakes hit the countries on February 6, destroying
entire villages and injuring hundreds of thousands.
The UAE has sent a total of 70 flights to both
affected countries. In the aftermath of the quake, the UAE also sent rescue
teams to help recover people trapped underneath toppled buildings.
Several relief campaigns have also been set up across
the emirates to collect donations as well as aid to send to the two countries.
The Gulf country also recently opened a field hospital
in Turkey’s Gaziantep with an inpatient ward comprising 50 beds, operating
rooms and a medical team of 75 doctors, nurses and assistants.
Source: Al Arabiya
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UK makes it easier for aid agencies in Syria to avoid
breaching sanctions
February 15, 2023
LONDON: Britain said on Wednesday it was issuing two
new licenses to make it easier for aid agencies helping earthquake relief
efforts to operate in Syria without breaching sanctions aimed at the government
of President Bashar Assad and its backers.
The combined death toll in Turkiye and Syria from last
week’s earthquake has climbed above 41,000, and millions are in need of
humanitarian aid, with many survivors having been left homeless in
near-freezing winter temperatures.
In Syria, relief efforts have been hampered by a civil
war that has splintered the country and divided regional and global powers.
The British government said the temporary new licenses
would “strengthen the timely and effective delivery of relief efforts by
removing the need for individual license applications.”
“UK sanctions do not target humanitarian aid, food, or
medical supplies, but we recognize that the current requirements for individual
licencing are not always practical during a crisis response,” Minister of State
for International Development Andrew Mitchell said in a statement.
The licenses provide broad protection to organizations
to allow them to operate by authorizing activities which would have otherwise
been prohibited.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2251931/middle-east
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Jordan's foreign minister visits Syria in first trip
since foreign-backed war
15 February 2023
Jordan's foreign minister and deputy prime minister,
Ayman Safadi, visited Damascus on Wednesday in the first such visit by a senior
Jordanian official since foreign-backed militancy broke out in Syria more than
a decade ago.
Safadi met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at
the presidential palace in the Syrian capital, the country's official news
agency SANA said, and conveyed condolences of Jordan's King Abdullah II to the
Syrian people over the recent earthquake.
The catastrophic quake that hit northwestern Syria
last week killed thousands of people and left many more injured and displaced.
The top Jordanian diplomat stressed that the Jordanian
leadership and people stand in solidarity with Syrians in the wake of the
tragedy and “will continue to provide everything possible to help Syria overcome
the terrible ordeal, and support the Damascus government’s relief efforts to
assist those affected.”
Safadi stressed that the international community
should deal with the calamity in accordance with humanitarian principles so
that much-needed aid supplies are delivered to all quake-devastated regions
without any discrimination or politicization of the matter.
For his part, Assad appreciated Jordan’s official and
popular stance following the devastating earthquake that left a trail of death
and destruction.
“Due to their geographical and cultural commonalities,
both nations face similar challenges in many spheres. This provides ample
opportunities for promotion of cooperation in the areas of common
interests," he was quoted as saying.
Safadi is slated to head to Turkey from Damascus to
show “solidarity" with the country, a statement from the Jordanian foreign
ministry said.
“Safadi will discuss the humanitarian and aid needs
that the two countries need,” read the statement, noting that aid planes will fly
to both the earthquake-affected countries on Wednesday.
Jordan has dispatched large shipments of aid to Turkey
and Syria, with the kingdom sending a medical hospital to Turkey and organizing
several flights and aid convoys through the country’s northern border crossing
with Syria.
The Syrian health ministry announced on Tuesday that
the death toll from the quake stands at 1,414, while the number of injured
people has reached 2,357.
The ministry's count of earthquake casualties only
includes the quake-hit areas under government control.
A day earlier, a UN relief agency said 4,300 deaths
and 7,600 injuries caused by the quake had been reported in the militant-held
areas in northwestern Syria.
Jordan downgraded diplomatic relations with Syria,
like most other Arab countries, following the outbreak of foreign-sponsored
militancy in the country in 2011, when Abdullah II asked Assad to step down.
Jordan hosted Western-backed armed groups fighting
against Damascus. It also took in hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria.
The tide of the war gradually began to turn in
September 2015, when Russia began conducting air raids against Daesh and other
Takfiri terrorist groups inside Syria at the Damascus government’s request. The
Syrian government is now in control of almost all the areas once seized by
terrorists.
Source: Press TV
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South Asia
Afghan Taliban ‘Unlikely To Stop Support for
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’
Anwar Iqbal
February 16, 2023
WASHINGTON: Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are unlikely
to discontinue supporting militants in Pakistan as they feel that economic
troubles prevent Islamabad from launching a major operation against the banned
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), according to a new report from a leading US
think tank.
“Amid Pakistan’s economic crisis and the Taliban’s
rule in Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban have reemerged as an increasingly
potent threat,” warned the report, released in Washington on Tuesday by the US
Institute of Peace (USIP).
Referring to Kabul’s recent criticism of Islamabad’s
policies, the report argued that “this undiplomatic rhetoric underscores the
Taliban’s determination to continue supporting the TTP, even in the face of
intensified pressure from Pakistan”.
USIP argued that the Taliban’s response to being
confronted about their support for the TTP “has been to level
counter-accusations — which does not signal an impending shift away from that
support”.
USIP report fears Pakistan’s deteriorating economy
will limit its ability to act against terrorists
Such rhetorical signals are matched by anecdotal
reports from UN officials and other observers — quoted in the USIP report — of TTP
individuals moving freely and conducting business in Afghan cities.
Interlocutors with access to Kandahar report that the
Taliban emir and his close advisers were “unlikely to waiver in supporting the
TTP on ideological grounds,” the USIP report noted.
According to this report, another key factor shaping
the Pakistani response is the country’s deteriorating economy, which is on the
brink of a default. “That limits Pakistan’s military options. Pakistan can
carry out raids and undertake defensive actions inside the country, but it
doesn’t have the resources for a sustained high-intensity campaign,” USIP
warned.
The report noted that “Pakistan has flirted with the
idea of cross-border airstrikes again,” which it last conducted in April 2022
and it also faced “growing pressure for action,” but seemed reluctant to act.
The pressure came from political groups in Pakistan
who were “framing the terrorism resurgence as a conspiracy by the military to
block former prime minister Imran Khan’s return to power and to get American
aid,” the report added.
But the report argued that economic pressures and the
risk of a conflict spiral, especially amid reports of Taliban fighters joining
the TTP, “may induce doubts in Pakistan about such a cross-border operation”.
The TTP’s escalating campaign of violence “is a
function of its growing political and material strength — reflected in its
political cohesion, expanding cadre of trained fighters, suicide bombers,
weapons, and equipment,” the report added.
“The Afghan Taliban remain very supportive of the TTP
and are providing the group with a permissive safe haven,” the report claimed.
It noted that the TTP also had a lot of popular support in Afghanistan, “where
both Taliban and non-Taliban constituencies get behind the TTP due to a fervent
dislike for Pakistan”.
The USIP reported that some Taliban fighters were also
joining the TTP, and some recent bombers, who carried out attacks inside
Pakistan, were also Afghan.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1737417
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Armed Forces Raided a Private TV Network in
Afghanistan
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
February 15, 2023
A group of Taliban members stormed Tamaddon TV
network’s compound in Kabul on Tuesday, and harassed the employees of the media
organization, according to official sources.
Islamic Emirate members entered the compound at around
4:30 pm on Tuesday and conducted a search operation in all the departments,
according to Afghan Independent Journalist Association (AIJA).
The primary assessment of AIJA indicates that the
armed members who raided Tamaddon TV Network belonged to the ministry of
interior. AIJA reported that the employees were verbally abused, and the
Taliban members took with them two vehicles of the agency which had legal
licenses.
Hujjatullah Mujadidi, Head of the Afghan Independent
Journalist Association met with Kabul Police Chief Commander Khalid Zadran at
the Tamaddon TV compound and shared the complaints with the relevant
authorities. Mr. Zadran assured that a comprehensive investigation is underway
and the findings will be shared with the head of Tamaddon TV and AIJA in a
timely manner.
Besides condemning the incident in which journalists
and media workers were harassed, AIJA has asked for a thorough investigation
and suggested the relevant organizations to prevent such raids in the future.
It is also stated that in case of violation of rules by media outlets, relevant
entities (Ministry of Information and Culture and Media Violation Commission)
should take action.
Previous also, the Taliban members had stormed media
organizations in Afghanistan – threatened media workers and journalists. On
certain occasions, they even detained and persecuted journalists.
Taliban authorities have warned the media outlets that
their publications and programs should be Islamic, and avoid using negative
thoughts against the ruling regime.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021,
the group is accused of arbitrary arrest and abuse of dozens of journalists and
media workers. The group has imposed tough restrictions on media outlets,
especially on women journalists.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/armed-forces-raided-a-private-tv-network-in-afghanistan/
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Chinese media hail Iran, China for standing up to US, Western
hegemony
16 February 2023
Reflecting on Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi's
ongoing momentous visit to China, the Chinese media have underscored the
importance of the visit to the countries' successful efforts to stand up to the
US, and Western hegemony.
Raeisi arrived in China on Tuesday on a three-day
visit to the country, the first to be made by an Iranian president in two
decades.
Chinese media outlets have been abuzz with special
coverage and relevant content since the immediate run-up to the visit,
underlining the weight of the visit with respect to bilateral, regional, and
international dynamics.
United against 'US interference, sabotage'
China's English-language daily Global Times noted how
the bilateral cooperation between the countries had thrived on their common
efforts at "overcoming interference and sabotage by the US side."
It said the Sino-Iranian relations were characterized
by "win-win cooperation...outside the US-West bloc and its influence
circle...which cannot be blocked by the political forces of the US and the
West."
"As two ancient civilizations in Asia, China and
Iran are now important industrialized powers and energy producers respectively.
The two countries are highly complementary economically, and both have a strong
desire for development. The development needs of the two countries are highly
compatible in many fields. For many years, China has been Iran's largest
trading partner; Iran is one of the most important markets for China's overseas
project contracting, and exports of complete sets of equipment and
technology," the paper wrote.
"The development of China-Iran relations has a
strong endogenous driving force. It can be said that President Raisi's visit to
China is very natural," it added.
"In this sense, China's deepening cooperation
with Iran also has anti-hegemony and anti-bullying feature," the publican
wrote. "Both China and Iran uphold independent foreign policies, firmly
defend the principle of non-interference in internal affairs on international
occasions, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. This is
conducive to promoting the multi-polarization and diversified development of
the world, and conforms to the general trend of the times."
China's 'unswerving' resolve to develop Iran relations;
ties' 'strategic' backbone
Confirming the ties' immunity to third-party pressure,
China Daily noted how Raeisi's counterpart Xi Jinping had vowed in remarks to
him that China would "unswervingly" develop friendly cooperation with
Iran no matter how the international and regional situations evolve.
The newspaper expressed confidently that the Iranian
president's visit was destined to "enhance ties" between the
countries, and called the trip "a sign of the reinforced high-level
contact between Beijing and Teheran."
China's Xinhua news agency, meanwhile, underlined how
Xi had asserted in other remarks to Raeisi that China had always viewed and
developed its relations with the Islamic Republic from a "strategic
perspective."
Iran, China facing similar challenges
South China Morning Post mentioned that the visit had
come at a time, when "both China and Iran are struggling with challenges
at home and abroad."
It noted how both nations were facing Western
pressure, in terms of sanctions. The paper also reminded us that Beijing's
relations with Washington had reached their lowest ebb over the past decades
across several areas, from trade to advanced technology to the military.
Raeisi, who has said he would sign as many as 20 deals
with China during his visit, could urge China -- Iran's biggest trading partner
-- to "use more yuan" in trade settlements and investment with the
Islamic Republic as means of circumventing the American coercive measures, the
paper concluded.
Chinese broadcaster CGTN hailed that the Sino-Iranian
ties had weathered "various international vicissitudes," calling the
two "sincere strategic partners." Xi would urge the nations to
cooperate to "practice true multilateralism," it added.
The presidents, the network said, vowed to implement the
Iran-China 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership agreement.
The two sides jointly announced the launch of the
implementation of the plan last March, agreeing to step up cooperation on
energy, infrastructure, production capacity, science and technology, and
medical and healthcare.
Source: Press TV
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Afghanistan marks 34th anniversary of Soviet Union’s
withdrawal
By Fidel Rahmati
February 15, 2023
Thirty-four years ago, on February 15, 1989, the last
Soviet Soldier crossed the Afghan-Soviet border ending one of the bloodiest
wars in the history of Afghanistan.
Today, 15 February, has been declared a holiday to
mark the anniversary of the withdrawal of former Soviet forces from the
country.
The former Soviet Union sent thousands of troops into
Afghanistan, controlling the country politically and militarily. The invasion
of Afghanistan longed almost nine years, from December 1979 to 15 Feb 1989. The
presence of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan is considered one of the lasting
legacies of the Cold War.
On the other hand, the United States and its regional
allies, notably Pakistan, launched a containment policy to compel Moscow to
withdraw from the country. After nine years of war in the country with the
direct financial support of the US and Saudi Arabia and technical training by
Pakistan, the former Soviet Union withdrew from the country. It finally led to
the collapse of the pro-Soviet government in Afghanistan.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan led to the killing
of nearly two million Afghans and left other thousands disabled in the war.
After the withdrawal of the Soviets, the US left the
country in a dire humanitarian crisis and civil war, along with the
interference of the regional powers till 2001.
The September 11 attacks on the United States and the
subsequent invasion of Afghanistan led to the newly established government in
the country. The US and its allies both economically and militarily backed the
government.
The Doha agreement on February 2020 between the US and
the Taliban negotiation team undermined the Kabul government and led to the
collapse of the system in the country.
On August 2021, the Taliban retook control of the
country and established its Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The international
community and organizations have not recognized the caretaker till now.
Since the collapse of the previous regime, the country
has faced several economic, humanitarian, and legitimacy crises. The US and its
allies left the people alone in a dire humanitarian crisis that once had been
claimed as the strategic partner.
On the 34th anniversary of the Soviet Union, the
caretaker government in Kabul called for a positive interaction with the world
on occasion. The present government in Kabul said, “If the countries have a
clear and good interaction with us, we are also ready to have a positive
interaction, keeping in mind our religious and national interests.”
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-marks-34th-anniversary-of-soviet-unions-withdrawal/
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4000 ISIS-K Fighters Stationed in Afghanistan Near
Tajikistan Border: Anatoly Sidorov
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
February 15, 2023
Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of the Joint Staff Chief of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has announced that the ISIS
fighters in Afghanistan reach 6500, out of which 4000 ISIS-Khorasan fighters
are believed to be stationed near the Tajikistan border.
Mr. Sidorov stated that ISIS-K militants are mostly
stationed in northern Badakhshan, Kunduz, and Takhar provinces. Prior to this,
United Nations officials had revealed in a fresh report that several thousand
ISIS militants are operating in Afghanistan. Sidorov believes that militant
group poses threats to the security of Central and South Asia.
However, the Islamic Emirate officials repeatedly
denied such claims and say that Taliban security personnel target ISIS fighters
and would not allow them to grow in numbers in the country. Herewith, the
Taliban officials report on carrying out separate operations on ISIS fighters
across Afghanistan.
Since the return of the Taliban to power, ISIS
militants have carried out brutal attacks in Kabul and other provinces of
Afghanistan, claiming the lives of scores of innocent civilians and foreign
diplomats.
Meanwhile, Tajikistan which shares a border with
Afghanistan has experienced rocket attacks from the militant group over the
past year.
Emomali Rahmon, the President of Tajikistan whose
country is a permanent member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
had stated earlier that at least 6000 terrorists operate in Afghanistan.
Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of Joint Staff of (CSTO) in a
press conference on Tuesday admitted that ISIS-K and Al-Qaida in Afghanistan
are a serious threat to the security of Central Asia.
“Instability in the regions is directly linked to the
Taliban’s policy to repress religious and ethnic minorities, increasing level
of violence and lack of unity. The Taliban-run administration is currently
plagued with a serious economic and humanitarian crisis,” he added.
Source: Khaama Press
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Taliban aid group donates $50,000 in plastic bag to
Turkey earthquake victims
15 February ,2023
An Afghan Taliban-run aid organization has donated
$50,000 towards earthquake victims in Turkey, according to a tweet with a photo
of the representative allegedly handing over the money in a plastic bag.
The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) President
Mawlavi Matiul Haq Khalis, who was a member of Afghanistan’s negotiating team
in Qatar during US talks, was photographed handing a plastic bag to the Turkish
ambassador in Kabul Cihad Erginay.
Some media reports stated that the plastic bag,
featuring an energy drink brand in Afghanistan, contained the $50,000 (4.5
million Afghanis).
“Turkey is a compassionate and friendly country of
Afghanistan, which has always helped and sympathized with the people of
Afghanistan in difficult situations,” Khalis was quoted as saying in an ARCS
statement.
He was appointed the president of the ARCS in 2021.
Earlier this month, the Taliban government in a
statement expressed condolences to Turkey and Syria for the tragedy, in which
more than 41,000 people have been killed.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Southeast Asia
Xi Jinping accepts invitation for state visit to Iran
Feb 16, 2023
BEIJING: China's President Xi Jinping has accepted
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's invitation to pay a state visit to Iran, a
joint communique between both countries said on Thursday.
The statement released on Raisi's last day of a
three-day visit to Beijing did not give more details.
Source: Times Of India
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Anwar rebuts claims of 'excessive' aid for Turkiye
February 16, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
today told the Dewan Rakyat the reasons why Malaysia is sending considerable
aid to quake-hit Turkiye.
"There are quarters who are questioning why
Malaysia is taking this step and some have described it as 'excessive'.
"First, there is unprecedented large-scale
damage, apart from the (destruction from) the (2004) tsunami in Aceh,
Indonesia.
"Secondly, we enjoy a special friendship, not
just personally, but between both countries.
"And thirdly, Turkiye before this has provided
direct and indirect assistance to several of our initiatives, amounting to
millions of ringgit, and this rarely happens in bilateral ties with other
nations," he said.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the
government was donating US$1 million to Turkiye.
He said he would propose additional funding for the
country at the cabinet meeting tomorrow.
Malaysia has sent RM50 million to Turkiye, he said,
adding that this was a figure to be proud of.
The biggest contributor was Malaysia Airports Holdings
Bhd, which donated €5 million.
Yayasan Albukhary gave RM10 million, and the
Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia gave US$1
million.
Anwar said Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar was one of
the earliest donors. He gave US$1 million.
Source: NST
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https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/02/880478/anwar-rebuts-claims-excessive-aid-turkiye
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Racial fairness in jobs goes beyond political
correctness
16 Feb 2023
The benefits of a diverse workforce go beyond
political correctness. For long-term benefit to the country, it is fitting that
the public and the private sectors embrace diversity by accommodating
Malaysians of all ethnic groups in their workforce.
They should promote diversity in their workforce to
reflect the racial composition in the country and ensure that no ethnic group
is deprived of jobs in both the sectors.
A multiracial workforce in both the public and private
sectors will pave the way not only for better work ethics but will also nurture
better cultural understanding and, to an extent, lessen racial and religious
inharmoniousness among the various communities.
The new unity government has shown some positive signs
in ensuring that the issue of racist speech and extremism in religious rhetoric
is nipped in the bud. In fact, more can be done to tone down the nasty racial
and religious discord that now and again rears it ugly head.
Start with the schools
Racial tolerance and understanding starts at the
school level. The present government has a crucial role to play in making
national schools the school of choice of all Malaysians.
Efforts have to be made to prevent national schools
from being turned into “religious schools” that will be shunned by pupils of
different ethnic groups and religions.
A multiracial setup in all national schools will
nurture and pave the way for better cultural understanding among pupils of all
ethnic groups.
The workforce and students in all educational
institutions in the country also need to be multiracial to reflect the racial
composition of the country.
Fairness in employment
The workforce in the public and private sectors in
general have to reflect a fair ethnic composition, so that no Malaysian will
feel marginalised when it comes to employment.
Studies have shown there are many benefits to
workplace diversity, in promoting cross-cultural understanding and generating
more ideas, competition and challenges. There is a wider range of skills among
employees and a diversity of experiences and abilities, which can lead to
greater innovation, better decision-making and higher engagement.
In a diverse workplace, employees are more likely to
remain loyal when they feel respected and valued. People can learn from each
other.
All sectors, public as well as private, must
facilitate a significant representation of people of all ethnic groups, at all
levels.
A report by the LinkedIn site on global recruiting
trends showed that 78% of companies prioritise diversity to improve work
culture and 62% of companies prioritise it to boost financial performance and
productivity.
The report added that sectors making meaningful
efforts towards diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as providing a sense
of belonging are observed to be more dynamic and successful.
Political stability
Population-wise, 69.9% of Malaysians are classified as
Bumiputeras (of whom 63.5% are Muslim), 22.8% are classified as ethnic Chinese
and 6.6% as ethnic Indians. Those who do not fall under these three main ethnic
groups are classified as “others”.
Malaysia has over 80 sub-ethnic groups, each having
its own unique way of life. The country has to continue accommodating all these
ethnic groups in employment.
Only a nation that is politically stable, and not
bogged down by racial and religious rancour, will draw in investors. No
investor would want to invest in a nation that is embroiled in racial or
religious skirmishes.
There are countries with people of one race and
religion yet in shambles because of intra-racial and intra-religious strife, so
much so that investors fear to tread there. They are economically doomed,
bringing a lot of misery to the people.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Europe
UK presents evidence that Iran is supplying advanced
weapons to Yemen’s Houthis
15 February ,2023
Britain says it has for the first time presented
evidence that Iran is supplying advanced weapons to the Iran-backed Houthi
militia in Yemen, after finding images of tests conducted at the headquarters
of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran on the hard drive of an unmanned aircraft
seized by the Royal Navy.
Personnel from the British ship HMS Montrose seized
the unmanned quadcopter along with a shipment of missiles and missile parts in
February last year when they stopped and searched a number of fast-moving
skiffs in the Gulf of Oman.
The weapons and other evidence were presented to the
United Nations as linking Iran to violations of Security Council resolutions
barring weapons shipments to the Houthis, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said
Monday in London.
“This is the first time we have been able to present
evidence to the UN that indicates a direct link between the Iranian state and
the supply of these weapons,” a ministry official said, speaking on condition
of anonymity in line with departmental policy.
The UN has prohibited weapons transfers to the Houthis
since 2014 when they descended from their northern stronghold, toppled the
internationally recognized government of Yemen and seized the capital, Sanaa.
Iran has long denied arming the militia.
The commercial quadcopter seized by the Royal Navy is
designed for reconnaissance flights, the ministry said.
Investigators were able to decrypt the data on the
aircraft’s internal memory, which hadn’t been wiped. That’s where they
discovered the records of 22 test flights conducted at the Revolutionary
Guards’ aerospace headquarters in western Tehran, the ministry said.
The drone was in the same shipment as a number of
surface-to-air missiles and components for Iranian Project 351 land attack
cruise missiles.
The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence of
Iranian interference in the conflict in Yemen, which has spawned one of the
world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Western nations, UN experts and others have traced
Houthi weaponry ranging from night-vision scopes, rifles and missiles back to
Tehran.
Most recently, French naval forces in the Gulf of Oman
in January seized thousands of assault rifles, machine guns and anti-tank
missiles coming from Iran and heading to the Houthis.
In November, the US Navy announced that it had found
70 tons of a missile fuel component hidden among bags of fertilizer aboard a
ship sailing to Yemen from Iran.
“Once again the Iranian regime has been exposed for
its reckless proliferation of weapons and destabilizing activity in the
region,’’ said Tariq Ahmad, Britain’s minister of state for the Middle East.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Romanian philanthropist helping set up container city
for quake victims: Turkish envoy
Talha Ozturk
15.02.2023
BELGRADE, Serbia
A Romanian philanthropist will help establish a
container city for earthquake victims in southern Türkiye, an official said on
Wednesday.
This is part of the expansive efforts made in Romania
for Turkish people affected by this tragedy, said Ozgur Kivanc Altan, Ankara’s
ambassador to Bucharest.
Romania immediately sent a team of more than 110
people and four search and rescue dogs to Türkiye, he told reporters at an aid
collection center in Bucharest.
Altan said Romanian rescuers helped save many people
trapped under collapsed buildings.
“Some 2,000 tents and 8,000 beds from RescEU were
delivered to Türkiye on trains provided by Romania, as were approximately 5,000
tents and 15,000 sleepers given by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,” the
Turkish envoy said.
“In addition, 660 winter kits and over 26,600 folding
beds were delivered to Türkiye via two large planes and several trucks,” he
added.
A massive aid campaign is being carried out in Romania
with the support of the Turkish-Romanian community and NGOs, especially the
Turkish Businessmen Association (TIAD), said Altan.
Countless more tents, blankets, sleeping bags, beds,
generators, heaters, and flashlights, along with tons of food and personal
hygiene items have also been sent to Türkiye, he said.
Both Romanian and Turkish communities have “worked day
and night on this great logistical operation,” Altan added.
On Feb. 6, two powerful earthquakes struck southern
Türkiye, centered in Kahramanmaras and shaking nine other provinces – Hatay,
Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and
Sanliurfa.
The death toll has now climbed over 35,400, with
thousands more injured.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Spanish rescuer underlines scale of quakes that jolted
southern Türkiye
Seda Sevencan and Kenan Irtak
15.02.2023
A Spanish firefighter who joined the search and rescue
operation in southern Türkiye said they were not expecting to witness the sheer
scale of destruction caused by last week's twin quakes.
Speaking to reporters at Istanbul Airport, Salvador
Luque, head of a Spanish rescue team who conducted rescue efforts in
Kahramanmaras province, said they brought a team of firefighters.
“We offered ourselves to the Turkish government
through the embassy. We came with all the illusion of being able to work on
what our job is, which is the emergency, but we never thought that we were
going to encounter the disaster, the catastrophe that we have encountered,”
Luque said.
“On a mental level, we leave with the pain of not
being able to give more service to this town,” Luque said.
He further said the Spanish government will be with
the Turkish people after all this.
On Feb. 6, two powerful earthquakes struck southern
Türkiye, centered in Kahramanmaras and shaking nine other provinces – Hatay,
Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and
Sanliurfa.
The death toll has now climbed over 35,400, with
thousands more injured.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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'Your pain is our pain,' says Bosnian rescuer in
quake-hit Türkiye
Seda Sevencan and Kenan Irtak
15.02.2023
In the aftermath of last week's twin earthquakes in
Türkiye, the leader of a Bosnian search and rescue team said they feel the pain
of the Turkish people.
Speaking to reporters at Istanbul Airport, rescuer
Fahrudin Dobraca said his team pulled 10 people alive from the rubble of collapsed
buildings in Hatay province and recovered 27 bodies.
Underlining that they did their best during the rescue
operation in the region, Dobraca said: “Your pain is our pain, we share it, and
I don't know what else to say.”
He said his team consists of 20 people and they got
training on search and rescue operations in liaison with the Turkish
Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the Turkish Disaster and Emergency
Management Presidency (AFAD) and Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation
(IHH) for six years in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.
They were scheduled to come to Türkiye for a drill,
however, they came for a real rescue operation after the disaster, he added.
“We really feel this pain and disaster, we are brothers.”
Over 35,000 people were killed, while tens of
thousands of others were injured in the two earthquakes, affecting more than 13
million people across the Turkish provinces of Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir,
Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.
According to Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry, 9,315
personnel from 80 nations had arrived in the country until Monday – exactly a
week since the disaster struck – to help out in disaster zones.
Besides rescue teams, blankets, tents, food, and
psychological support teams, along with over 12,300 vehicles, including
excavators, tractors, and bulldozers, were also sent to the affected areas.
More than 227,762 tents, 2.6 million blankets, and
48,271 containers have been sent to the 10 worst-hit provinces, according to the
Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last
Friday that the country was facing one of the biggest disasters in its modern
history.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Poland to send new batch of aid supplies to Türkiye
Murat Temizer
15.02.2023
Poland will send a new batch of aid supplies to
quake-stricken Türkiye, the Turkish ambassador said Tuesday.
Cengiz Kamil Fırat told Anadolu that Poland had
dispatched a rescue team as well as a field hospital with medical equipment,
doctors and nurses to Türkiye.
Fırat expressed his gratitude to Poland for its swift
and generous assistance and said that on Wednesday, all of the Polish teams
will return and they plan to welcome them at the airport with banners and flags
to show their appreciation.
"The rescue team served in the province of
Adiyaman and rescued 12 of our citizens. We are truly grateful to them. All of
the Polish teams will return tomorrow, and we would like to welcome them with
banners and flags. We want to thank you," he said.
He also said that Poland will send three trucks of aid
including generators, blankets and winter tents from its strategic reserves as
well as some medicines requested to the quake-hit regions.
At least 35,418 people were killed by two strong
earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said on Tuesday.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors were centered in
Kahramanmaras and struck nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman,
Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million
people have been affected by the devastating quakes.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/poland-to-send-new-batch-of-aid-supplies-to-turkiye/2820113
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Greek rescuers praise quake survivors in Turkish
province for welcoming them wholeheartedly
Ahmet Gençtürk
15.02.2023
The first batch of Greek rescuers who returned to
their country after a relief mission in the quake-stricken Turkish province of
Hatay praised the local survivors for the warm welcome they received.
“Despite all the hardships they’ve had to endure, the
Turkish people gave us a very friendly welcome and treated us as family
members,” said one of the rescuers during a press conference.
“When we had to take breaks, the people approached us
to offer hot tea, biscuits, sweets and bread,” he said.
“When they learned we were Greeks, they opened their
arms wide and embraced us,” he added.
The rescuer said they did what they should as
neighbors.
“From our experience, we know that in a disaster, you
first ask for help from your next-door neighbor and then from the rest of the
wider neighborhood.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Katsaniotis, who is in
charge of coordinating Greek humanitarian aid to Türkiye, announced on Twitter
that a truckload of aid collected by the Athens chapter of the Greek Scout
Corps had left during the day for Türkiye and another batch of aid collected in
the northern port city of Thessaloniki will depart on Feb. 17.
A ship loaded with 1,000 tons of food, medicine and at
least 200 large bags of clothes will depart Wednesday from the port city of
Piraeus.
At least 35,418 people were killed by two strong
earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said on Tuesday.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors last week were
centered in Kahramanmaras and struck nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep,
Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa. More than
13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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