‘We Believe In The Qur’an, You Will Not Suffer’: Israeli Hostage Recounts Her Experience In Hamas Prison
New Age Islam News Bureau
25 October 2023
Yocheved
Lifshitz, 85, an Israeli grandmother who was held hostage in Gaza for over two
weeks, speaks to reporters a day after her release from captivity.
Janis
Laizans/Reuters
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Mideast
·
Lebanon's Hezbollah Chief
Hassan Nasrallah Meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad Officials About Achieving
"Real Victory" In Their War With Israel
·
Sheikh Qassem: Hezbollah at
heart of battle to defend Gaza, has 'finger on trigger'
·
A Black Flag Over Iran’s Imam
Reza Shrine Isn’t A War Cry. It Represents Mourning For Gaza Victims
·
Iran’s Raisi Blames ‘Lack Of
Unity’ Among Muslim Countries For Israeli War On Hamas
·
Turkish Islamist party’s
district head protests Israel by spilling cola
·
Rocket attack reported on US
Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq
·
Israeli attack kills eight
soldiers in Syria
·
Emirati president and Canadian
foreign minister discuss need to protect civilians in Gaza
--------
Europe
·
Pope Blames West For Rise Of
Islamic State And Lawless Libya
·
Islamist arrested on suspicion
of planning terror attack at Israel rally in Germany
·
Labour Leader Starmer To Face
Muslim MPs Over Gaza Stance As He Stands Accused Of ‘Gravely Misrepresenting’
Islamic Centre Visit
·
Brazilian Minister Calls For
More Trade With Muslim Nations
·
Scepticism over Macron idea of
anti-Daesh ‘coalition’ to fight Hamas
·
France willing to break
European human rights law – interior minister
-------
Southeast Asia
·
IGP says beefing up PM Anwar’s
security amid threats over Malaysia’s solidarity with Palestine
·
DAP Rep Calls On Malaysians To
Buy Palestinian Products Like Olive Oil, Dates As Sign Of Solidarity
·
Saifuddin: Citizenship
application process period is now only 14 days
·
Anwar's strident voice on
Palestine hallmark of Malaysia's international relations
·
‘Malaysia is with Palestine’:
Thousands rally in Kuala Lumpur to support Gaza
·
Japan allocates $7m to UNRWA
for displaced Palestinians in Gaza
-------
India
·
Durga Puja An Occasion For
Nandi Family To Express Respect And Gratitude To A Pir (a Spiritual Guide In
Islam), A Tradition That Began 225 Years Ago
·
HC To Hear On Dec 1, Plea
Against Not Allowing Prayers In Mughal Mosque In Mehrauli, Delhi
·
UP Govt’s Madrasa Order Leads
To Backlash From Muslim Community
·
Muslim Man Dies After Being
Attacked By Mob Near Ramlila Ground In UP’s HapurDistrict
·
Mohan Bhagwat blames ‘outside
forces’ for Manipur violence, gives clean chit to government
-------
Africa
·
Terrorists In Military Uniform
Attack Mosque In Kaduna, Shoot Dead Imam, Worshipper
·
Nigerian Court Discharges,
Acquits Three Abia Residents Charged For Terrorism Over Alleged Membership Of
IPOB
·
Nigerian Secret Police, DSS
Recovers 150 AK-47 Rifles, Other Weapons From Terrorist's House In Niger State
·
Nigerian soldiers kill many
terrorists in one operation – Official
-------
Arab World
·
Saudi Crown Prince, Biden
Discuss Ways To Stop Israeli Military Operations In Gaza
·
Security Council ‘Complacent’
About Loss Of Palestinian Lives, Says Saudi Foreign Minister
·
Saudi FM meets with Dutch
counterpart on sidelines of UNSC meeting on Middle East
·
Saudi ambassador presents
credentials to Iranian president
·
Kuwaiti deputy prime minister
and defense minister visits Riyadh
·
Saudi FM: UN Security Council
‘complacent’ about loss of Palestinian lives
·
Qatari Emir Issues Warning
Against Israeli Massacres in the Palestinian Conflict
-------
South Asia
·
Islamic Emirate Denies Claims
of UNAMA’s Report on Human Rights
·
Oust-Govt Movement: Bangladesh
Islamist Parties Plan To Step Up Agitation
·
Jamaat-e-Islami Won't Be
Allowed To Hold Rally On Oct 28: DMP
·
‘They’ll Be Successful’:
Bangladesh Backs Saudi Bids For Expo 2030, World Cup 2034
·
Suppression, Crisis, and quakes
deepen Human Rights concerns in Afghanistan: UN Report
·
64 Afghan refugees detained in
Turkey
·
8,000 Afghan migrants forced to
return from Pakistan and Iran
·
Deputy PM, UN Coordinator
Discuss Relations Between IEA and International Community
·
BNP to get permission for event
if it promises peaceful event: home minister
·
PM arrives in Brussels to
attend Global Gateway Forum
·
Connecting Afghanistan to BRI
Discussed in China: Dep. Minister
-------
North America
·
Biden's Israel Stance Angers
Arab, Muslim Americans; Could Jeopardise 2024 Votes
·
CAIR-NY Calls for Hate Crime
Charges in Road Rage Murder of Sikh Man
·
CAIR Calls Biden
Administration’s Refusal to Seek Gaza Ceasefire as Americans Face Israeli
Bombing ‘Unacceptable’
·
Obama issues warning to Israel
·
US Treasury seeking coalition
against Hamas financing: Official
·
US has 'high confidence'
Palestinian rocket caused Gaza hospital blast: official
------
Pakistan
·
If Imran’s Safety Not
Guaranteed, How Can Polls Be Secured: ECP
·
Reporters Without Borders
assails ‘duplicity’ in Arshad Sharif murder probe
·
Discussion in Islamabad on
Afghan refugees’ issue abandoned after police ‘raid’
·
Plan in place to deport
undocumented migrants in Rawalpindi division
·
Pakistan reiterates strong
condemnation of Israeli airstrikes, military action in Gaza
·
Cipher case: IHC denies Imran
interim relief on appeal against jail trial
·
ECP urged to drop contempt case
against Imran
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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‘We Believe In The Qur’an, You Will Not
Suffer’: Israeli Hostage Recounts Her Experience In Hamas Prison
Yocheved
Lifshitz, 85, an Israeli grandmother who was held hostage in Gaza for over two
weeks, speaks to reporters a day after her release from captivity.
Janis
Laizans/Reuters
-------
October 25, 2023
Hamas has released two elderly Israeli
hostages who were held captive in Gaza. The hostages, including 85-year-old
Yushvid Lefebvre, were set free in a move that has garnered international
attention. Yushvid Lefebvre and her fellow hostage were held for a considerable
period in underground tunnels, and their ordeal has brought to light the
conditions they endured during their captivity.
Yushvid Lefebvre, the 85-year-old
released by Hamas, revealed details of her captivity at a press conference in
Tel Aviv, where she was accompanied by her daughter. She described her
harrowing experience, stating that she was abducted from her house by Hamas
gunmen on October 7. She was then transported to Gaza on a motorcycle, where
she suffered injuries and had difficulty breathing during the journey.
Upon her release from Hamas, Yushvid
Lefebvre was promptly admitted to a Tel Aviv hospital for treatment. During the
press conference held at the hospital, she explained the conditions she and her
fellow hostages endured while in captivity.
“We were placed in a tunnel underground
in Gaza where we slept on mattresses laid on the ground,” Yushvid recounted.
“There were guards and medical staff, while a doctor also came for a check-up
of the hostages every other, the third day.”
Lefebvre further detailed the food
provided during their captivity, saying, “We were given white cheese and
cucumber to eat, which was the same food that the kidnappers consumed.”
According to her account, they shared
the underground tunnels with 24 other people, and the floor was soft and wet.
She said that the captors demonstrated a surprising level of care during their
imprisonment, even taking women’s gynaecological needs into account.
Yushvid Lefebvre’s release was
accompanied by an 11-second video released by Hamas, showing the moment of her
liberation. In the video, she can be seen leaving with Red Cross personnel. As
she departs, Yushvid extends her hand to one of the Hamas fighters, who
responds with a handshake. It is a moment that has captured the attention of
many on social media.
It should be noted that Israel confirmed
that 222 civilians were held hostage by Hamas on Monday, but two elderly women,
including Yushvid Lefebvre, have been released. Two American citizens, a mother
and daughter, were also among those released earlier.
Israel expressed its gratitude to Egypt
and the Red Cross for their important roles in securing the release of the
hostages. Hamas, on the other hand, claims that they released the hostages as a
humanitarian gesture, citing health concerns.
Source: muslimmirror.com
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https://muslimmirror.com/eng/we-believe-in-the-quran-you-will-not-suffer-israeli-hostage-recounts-her-experience-in-hamas-prison/
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British MP, Mohammad Yasin, MP for Bedford,
Stopped At Airports ‘Because His Name Was Mohammad’
MARIA UNGER/PA
Labour MP Mohammad Yasin
------
October 24, 2023
LONDON: A British MP was stopped from
getting on an Air Canada flight “because his name was Mohammad,” The Guardian
reported.
Mohammad Yasin, MP for Bedford, was held
back for questioning “for a considerable period” before traveling to Canada
with colleagues from the House of Commons levelling up, housing and communities
committee, and again before returning to the UK.
The incidents were raised in Parliament
by the chair of the committee, Clive Betts, who said it was “racist and
Islamophobic” that Yasin had been singled out.
Betts added that Yasin had been asked
where he was born and whether he was carrying a knife or other offensive weapon
by Air Canada staff.
Betts said he would be writing to the
Canadian high commissioner in the UK to protest Yasin’s treatment.
“When the committee checked in for their
flights at Heathrow, all members got through with the exception of the member
for Bedford, who was delayed for questioning for a considerable period,” Betts
told the Commons. “He was told it was because his name was Mohammad.”
Betts added: “The questioning was
undertaken by officials from Air Canada and we believe the Canadian government,
and despite him already having been given a visa to enter Canada.
“After proving he was an MP with the
help of my committee clerk, he was eventually allowed through.
“At Montreal airport, the same issues
were raised by Canadian immigration. On return at Toronto airport on the way
back, he was again challenged and got on his flight with the assistance of my
consul general, who was very helpful.”
Betts said Yasin “received apologies
from the parliamentary secretary to the Canadian minister for immigration and
Air Canada,” but added: “I believe it is important to put these concerns on the
parliamentary record. It was completely unacceptable for a member of this house
to be treated in this way.
“But because he was an MP, he was
allowed on his flight. If, however, he had been one of our constituents who had
been so challenged, he might have been refused.”
Deputy Speaker Roger Gale said: “I am
sure that the whole house will share the dismay at the treatment of the member
for Bedford.
“It is wholly unacceptable under any
circumstances, but it is particularly concerning, occurring as it did, in the
course of official travel on parliamentary business.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2396786/world
--------
PM Anwar Claims Threatened By European Mps
For Rallying Behind Palestine In Gaza Conflict
Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim speaks during the carnival to promote the
national language at the Multimedia University in Cyberjaya October 25, 2023.
—Picture by Miera Zulyana
------
By Muhammad Yusry
25 Oct 2023
CYBERJAYA, Oct 25 — Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said he had been threatened by certain European
parliamentarians after speaking up for Palestinian rights in the Middle East.
He did not disclose their identities or
which member states of the European Union had issued threatening remarks
against him, but said he will not be cowed.
“There were European MPs who gave,” he
said, trailing off before adding that he will give a clear statement later.
He indicated that the threats came in
the form of statements, with one made directly from an unnamed European MPs.
To Anwar it was “not a problem”.
“We have work to do and we will continue
to do it,” he told reporters after attending a carnival to promote the national
language at the Multimedia University here.
Anwar was asked to elaborate about what
threats he had received following his public disclosure during the mass
solidarity rally with Palestine at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil here last
night.
The PM replied that he is not worried
for his own safety, and expressed confidence in the local police force to
handle domestic security threats.
“The inspector-general of police is
here. He will take care of it, so I am not worried.
“Insya Allah, we will continue to work.
We have to voice the views from Malaysia,” he replied.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri
Razarudin Husain had told national news agency Bernama separately today that
Anwar’s security detail has been increased following the prime minister’s
disclosure.
Razarudin was reported saying that the
threats could also be linked to economic and trade matters.
Anwar is also finance minister and has
been courting investors abroad to boost Malaysia’s post-Covid economic
recovery.
Source: malaymail.com
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the full text of the original
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/10/25/pm-anwar-claims-threatened-by-european-mps-for-rallying-behind-palestine-in-gaza-conflict/98284
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NCERT Panel Recommends Replacing 'India'
With 'Bharat' In School Textbooks
This
suggestion has been made by the 2022 Social Science committee. (Representative
image. Credit: Image created using DALL-E3)
------
25th October 2023
The National Council of Educational
Research and Training (NCERT) should consider replacing the name ‘India’ with
‘Bharat’ in textbooks and introduce ‘classical History’ instead of ancient
History in the curriculum, a high-level committee for social sciences'
chairperson CI Issac said on Wednesday.
The Committee chairman CI Issac said the
panel also recommends the introduction of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in
the curriculum for all subjects, ThePrint reported.
Issac said the “unanimous”
recommendation of the seven-member committee has found mention in its final
position paper on social sciences, which is a key prescriptive document that is
supposed to lay down the foundation for the development of new NCERT textbooks
on the subject.
The panel chaired by Issac was among the
25 committees formed by the NCERT in December 2021 to prepare position papers
on various subjects and themes.
The NCERT panel's recommendation came
against the backdrop of a debate on whether the country will be renamed
'Bharat'.
A political row was triggered earlier
this year, after the Modi government sent G20 dinner invites hosted by
President Droupadi Murmu in the name of "President of Bharat",
instead of "President of India".
Source: newindianexpress.com
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the full text of the original
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/oct/25/ncert-panel-recommends-replacing-india-with-bharat-in-school-textbooks-2626895.html
------
US Warns Businesses Of Risks In Uganda,
Citing Anti-LGBTQ Law
FILE PHOTO:
Quin Karala, 29, a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex
and queer (LGBTQ) community and a single mother of one poses for a picture with
rainbow colours at the offices of Rella Women's Empowerment Program, for LGBTQ
rights advocacy, after a Reuters interview in Kulambiro suburb of Kampala,
Uganda April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa/File Photo Acquire Licensing
Rights
-------
24 Oct 2023
The United States on Monday issued a
business advisory for Uganda, saying that businesses faced potential risks in
the African country, citing an anti-LGBTQ law condemned by many countries and
the United Nations.
The advisory was issued by the U.S.
Departments of State, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Commerce, and the
U.S. Agency for International Development.
Uganda's anti-LGBTQ law, considered one
of the harshest in the world, was enacted in May and carries the death penalty
for "aggravated homosexuality," an offence that includes transmitting
HIV through gay sex.
It drew condemnation from Western
governments, including Washington, and put in jeopardy some of the billions of
dollars in foreign aid the country received each year.
Firms including media and
non-governmental organizations that knowingly promote LGBTQ activity will incur
harsh fines, the law says. The law also imposes a life sentence for same-sex
intercourse and a 20-year sentence for promotion of homosexuality.
"Uganda's enactment of the
Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) on May 29, 2023, further increases restrictions on
human rights, to include restrictions on freedoms of expression and peaceful
assembly, and exacerbates issues regarding the respect for leases and
employment contracts," the U.S. government's business advisory said.
In June, the U.S. State Department
imposed visa restrictions on Uganda officials after the passage of the law.
The State Department also updated its
Uganda travel guidance for U.S. citizens to highlight the risk that LGBTQ
persons could be prosecuted and subjected to life imprisonment or death penalty
based on provisions in the law.
Rights groups have said that the law has
unleashed a torrent of abuse against LGBTQ people, mostly by private
individuals.
Source: africanews.com
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the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/24/us-warns-businesses-of-risks-in-uganda-citing-anti-lgbtq-law/
--------
Mideast
Lebanon's Hezbollah Chief Hassan
Nasrallah Meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad Officials About Achieving "Real
Victory" In Their War With Israel
25th October 2023
By AFP
BEIRUT: Senior officials of Palestinian
militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have held talks with Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah about achieving "real victory" in their war with
Israel, the Lebanese group said Wednesday.
The Hezbollah statement did not specify
when or where Nasrallah met with Hamas number two Saleh al-Aruri and Islamic
Jihad leader ZiadNakhalehbeyong saying that it was at a undisclosed location in
Lebanon.
News of the meeting comes as Hezbollah
and allied Palestinian factions exchange daily fire with the Israeli army
across the Lebanon-Israel border, raising fears of a new front in Israel's war
with Hamas in Gaza.
The three groups are part of the
"axis of resistance" -- Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian and other
Iran-backed armed groups opposed to Israel.
They discussed what "the axis of
resistance must do at this critical stage to achieve real victory... in Gaza
and Palestine and stop" Israel's "brutal aggression", the
statement said.
They also discussed "recent events
in the Gaza Strip since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" -- the
unprecedented October 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,400 people, mostly
civilians, in Israel.
The health ministry in Hamas-controlled
Gaza says 5,791 people have been killed, again mostly civilians, as Israel has
bombarded the territory.
Nasrallah and the Palestinian militant
leaders "agreed to keep coordinating and daily following up on
developments," the statement added.
Hezbollah and Hamas have long been part
of a "joint operations room" with the Quds Force -- the foreign
operations arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards -- a source close to Hezbollah
previously told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The meeting also touched upon the
cross-border fire on the Lebanon-Israel border, the statement said.
At least 52 people have been killed in
Lebanon according to an AFP tally, mostly Hezbollah combatants but also four
civilians, including Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah.
Four people have been killed in Israel,
including one civilian.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/oct/25/lebanons-hezbollah-chief-meets-hamas-islamic-jihad-officials-2626897.html
------
Sheikh Qassem: Hezbollah at heart of
battle to defend Gaza, has 'finger on trigger'
24 October 2023
Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General
Sheikh Naim Qassem says the Lebanese movement is at the core of the regional
resistance campaign to defend the blockaded Palestinian territory of Gaza Strip
against the ongoing Israeli aggression.
In a post published on social media on
Tuesday, Sheikh Qassem said that Hezbollah has its “finger on the trigger” to
whatever extent it deems necessary to defend Gaza and to face off the occupiers
of Palestine.
He said the United States and Europe
should be held accountable for the atrocities committed by the Zionist regime
of Israel against children and women in Gaza.
His remarks come as Hezbollah fighters
have been trading fire across Lebanon’s border with the Israeli occupied
territories since earlier this month when Israel launched its assaults on Gaza.
Hezbollah has warned that it will join
the Palestinian resistance group Hamas and its allies in the fight against
Israel if the regime escalates its aggression on Gaza and in case foreign
military forces intervene to help the Israeli regime in the battle.
Hezbollah says it has fired guided
missiles at Al-Abad military site, outside the Lebanese border town of Houla,
destroying the technical equipment of the base.
The confrontation in Gaza erupted on
October 7 after Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against Israeli settlers
and military forces, killing some 1,400 of them.
Qassem said Operation Al-Aqsa Storm
inflicted an “unforgettable defeat” on the Israeli regime.
He said, however, that Israel’s
aggression was an unforgettable defeat for humanity because the US and its
allies in Europe supported the Israeli regime’s aggression and savagery in
Gaza.
More than 5,700 people have been killed
and over 18,000 injured in less than three weeks of Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/10/24/713348/Hezbollah-Naim-Qassem-Gaza-Israel-resistance
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A black flag over Iran’s Imam Reza
shrine isn’t a war cry. It represents mourning for Gaza victims
October 25, 2023
BY PHILIP MARCELO
CLAIM: A major mosque in Iran raised a
black flag to call Muslims to war over Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The Imam Reza
shrine said the flag was raised as a symbol of mourning for the lives lost in
Israel’s strikes on Gaza. Experts on Islam and Iran confirmed the flag includes
a passage from the Quran that is meant to comfort Muslims that their sacrifices
will one day be rewarded.
THE FACTS: As the war between Israel and
the Palestinian militant group Hamas threatens to spillover into a wider
regional conflict, social media users are claiming a battle cry has already
gone out to Muslims worldwide.
Many have shared images and videos of
the distinctive gold dome of Iran’s Imam Reza shrine — a major pilgrimage site
for Shiite Muslims in Iran’s northeast that includes a mosque, library and
other institutions — with a black banner flying on a flagpole.
“BREAKING: The Black Flag has been
raised over Razavi Shrine in Mashhad, Khorasan province, Iran,” wrote one
Facebook user who shared the image on Oct. 18, using an alternate name for the
complex. “This is a call for war or vengeance.”
Others claimed the black flag and its
Farsi inscription was meant to herald the coming of the Mahdi, the final leader
believed to appear at the end of times to lead Muslim people.
But the black flag isn’t a call for war,
and neither the flag’s text nor the shrine’s statement about the banner
references the coming of the Mahdi or the end of time.
In fact, an announcement on the shrine’s
English-language Facebook page on Oct. 17 specifically describes it as a
“mourning flag” that was raised in response to the deadly blast that rocked a
hospital in Hamas-controlled Gaza that day.
“In an unprecedented gesture and by the
order of the custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, the black flag has been hoisted
above the illuminated and pure Razavi dome, and drum beating will not be played
tomorrow,” the post said, including #sorrow #mourning #sadness #grief and other
hashtags.
Islamic and Iranian experts confirmed
the flag includes a line from the Quran roughly translated as “help from Allah
and an imminent victory” or “conquest from Allah and victory is near.”
That phrase isn’t traditionally used to
declare war, but meant to bring comfort and hope to those struggling or engaged
in battle that their sacrifice is not in vain and that Allah will grant them
victory eventually, they said.
Hamid Dabashi, professor of Iranian
Studies at Columbia University in New York, said the Quranic verse, in the
context of the shrine’s Facebook post, means “solidarity” with the Palestinian
cause and not an outright declaration of war against Israel.
“To me it says nothing more than the
obvious: the ruling government in Iran supports Hamas and the Islamic Jihad,”
he wrote in an email. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
The Middle East Media Research
Institute, a Washington-based think tank founded by Israeli analysts, agreed,
noting that Islamic militants tend to use a different passage from the Quran
when declaring war.
The organization noted that statements
from the Iran-backed Iraqi militias claiming responsibility for recent attacks
on U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq open with this Quranic verse: “Permission [to
fight] is given to those upon whom war is made because they are oppressed, and
most surely Allah is well able to grant them victory.”
To be sure, the black flag has a long
history in Muslim culture, Islamic scholars said.
Historically, it represents the Shiite
branch of Islam and traces its roots to the Persian Abbasid Caliphate
established in 750, explained Mohammad Faghfoory, director of the Islamic
Studies graduate program at George Washington University in Washington.
The black flag is also a symbol of
Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, in which Shiite Muslims
commemorate the death of Imam Hussian, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, he
said.
Indeed the Imam Reza shrine hoisted the
black flag in July to mark the start of the mourning month, according to local
reports at the time.
This is part of AP’s effort to address
widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and
organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating
online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.
Source: apnews.com
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the full text of the original
https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-israel-hamas-gaza-iran-mosque-450023053332
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Iran’s Raisi blames ‘lack of unity’
among Muslim countries for Israeli war on Hamas
24 October 2023
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s president on
Tuesday expressed regret at a “lack of unity” among Muslim countries in
response to the war between its arch-foe Israel and Gaza’s rulers Hamas.
Ebrahim Raisi said greater coordination
across the Muslim world could have stopped Israel’s ongoing bombing of the Gaza
Strip, which followed Hamas terrorists’ brutal attacks that killed some 1,400
people in Israeli territory, most of them civilians.
“A united and unified position in the
Muslim world could have prevented the oppression and aggression of the Zionist
regime and the excesses of its Western supporters in a more effective way,” he
said, quoted by state news agency IRNA.
Raisi also called for “strengthening
cooperation” between countries in the region to avoid interventions from
outside nations.
He made the remarks while receiving the
credentials of the new Saudi ambassador to Tehran, Abdullah bin Saud al-Anazi.
Iran and Saudi Arabia broke off
diplomatic ties seven years ago, amid an escalating geopolitical rivalry, but
in March, they signed a China-brokered deal to restore relations.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian, left, and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan hold a
joint press conference in Riyadh on August 17, 2023. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP)
“The presence of foreigners in the
region not only does not solve any issues but is itself a factor in
exacerbating the problems,” Raisi added without naming any specific countries.
Iran frequently criticizes the role of
the United States, which has boosted its military presence in the Middle East
since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Iranian president had already called
on October 12 for Muslim and Arab countries to join together to “stop the
crimes” of Israel.
The ongoing war between Israel and the
Gaza terror group was triggered on October 7 when some 2,500 Hamas terrorists
poured into Israel and ravaged Israeli military bases and communities. Some
1,400 people were killed, most of them civilians, and at least 224 people were
taken hostage, with 220 of them still held inside Gaza.
Israel launched Operation Swords of Iron
following the massacre, vowing to eradicate Hamas and destroy the terror
group’s infrastructure inside the Strip.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza health
ministry, over 5,700 people have been killed by Israeli strikes. However, this
number cannot be independently verified, and it is believed to include slain
terror operatives as well as civilians killed by misfired Palestinian rockets.
Source: timesofisrael.com
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/irans-raisi-blames-lack-of-unity-among-muslim-countries-for-israeli-war-on-hamas/
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Turkish Islamist party’s district head
protests Israel by spilling cola
October 25 2023
A district branch head of the Turkish
government ally Islamist New Welfare Party protested Israel by spilling Pepsi
on a street. “Either death or jihad,” he said after spilling cola.
Duvar English
Turkish government ally far-right New
Welfare Party’s (YRP) Suruç district head Yahya Amaç protested Israel by
spilling cola on a street.
In the footage spread over social media,
Amaç was seen spilling a bottle of Pepsi on the ground. “I want to protest for
the Palestinians and boycott (Israeli) goods,” he said in his video shared on
TikTok.
Arguing that he wanted to go to Gaza to
fight but could not due to international agreements, Amaç said, “If we do not
die for Al-Aqsa Mosque today, when will we die? If the state allows, I will go
and become a martyr as soon as possible. Al-Aqsa Mosque is not alone. Either
death or jihad.”
Source: duvarenglish.com
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https://www.duvarenglish.com/turkish-islamist-partys-district-head-protests-israel-by-spilling-cola-video-63205
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Rocket attack reported on US Ain al-Asad
air base in Iraq
Oct 24, 2023
TEHRAN, Oct. 24 (MNA) – The US-run Ain
al-Assad Airbase in Iraq’s province of al-Anbar came under rocket attack, media
sources announced on Tuesday evening.
SANA news agency announced that Ain
al-Asad base in Iraq's Anbar province was attacked for the umpteenth time in
the recent days.
Al-Mayadeen said in a report that
several explosions were heard in this American base.
Al-Mayadeen reporter in Baghdad reported
that preliminary evidence indicates that Ain al-Asad base was targeted with
several rockets.
Issuing a statement, the Islamic
Resistance of Iraq claimed responsibility for this attack.
Ain al-Asad base has been the target of
drone and rocket attacks by the Iraqi Islamic Resistance several times in the
past few days.
Source: mehrnews.com
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https://en.mehrnews.com/news/207533/Rocket-attack-reported-on-US-Ain-al-Asad-air-base-in-Iraq
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Israeli attack kills eight soldiers in
Syria
October 25, 2023
BEIRUT: An Israeli attack on military
positions in southwest Syria on Wednesday killed eight soldiers and wounded
seven more, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported.
Citing a military source, SANA said
Israel’s “aerial aggression” targeted a number of military positions near the
southwestern city of Daraa. The strike also caused material damage, it
reported.
The attack took place at around 1:45
a.m. on Wednesday (2245 GMT on Tuesday), SANA reported.
Israel’s military said earlier that its
jets had struck Syrian army infrastructure and mortar launchers early on
Wednesday in what it described as a response to rocket launches from Syria
toward Israel.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in
a statement that its “fighter jets struck military infrastructure and mortar
launchers belonging to the Syrian Army in response to the launches toward
Israel yesterday (Tuesday)”.
Fears are growing that Israel’s war with
Hamas will create wider regional turmoil, and especially further inflame
existing tensions with Syria and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
The war erupted after militants from the
Palestinian Islamist movement stormed across the Gaza border on October 7 and
went on a rampage that Israeli officials say killed more than 1,400 people.
They also snatched more than 220
hostages in the worst-ever attack in Israel’s history, which has prompted a
ferocious Israeli bombardment of the coastal Palestinian territory which Gaza’s
Hamas rulers say has killed 5,791 people.
Israeli strikes on Sunday put war-torn
Syria’s two main airports out of service, according to Syrian state media.
While Israeli strikes have repeatedly
caused the grounding of flights at the government-controlled airports in the
capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, it is the second time since
this month’s conflict between Israel and Hamas began that the two sites have
been struck simultaneously.
Earlier in the month, Israeli strikes
targeted Aleppo airport, wounding five people, a war monitor reported, and also
put it out of service, according to the authorities.
During more than a decade of war in
Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its northern neighbour,
primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, as well
as Syrian army positions.
Israel rarely comments on individual
strikes it carries out on Syria, but it has repeatedly said it will not allow
its arch-foe Iran, which supports President Bashar al-Assad’s government, to
expand its presence there.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2397286/middle-east
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Emirati president and Canadian foreign minister
discuss need to protect civilians in Gaza
October 25, 2023
LONDON: Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed
Al-Nahyan, the president of the UAE, and Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly
discussed bilateral ties and ways to strengthen cooperation between their
countries in various sectors when they met on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi.
They also talked about regional and
international developments of mutual interest, most notably the urgent need to
protect Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, the Emirates News Agency
reported. They also reiterated the importance of bolstering the humanitarian
response amid the worsening situation there.
Also present at the meeting were Emirati
Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Foreign Minister Sheikh
Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and other officials and invited guests.
Source: arabnews.com
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Europe
Pope blames West for rise of Islamic
State and lawless Libya
October 25, 2023
Pope Francis has blamed Western military
interventions for the rise of the Islamic State terror group and for the
distabilising of Libya and the ensuing migration crisis in the Mediterranean.
In an interview for a new book, the Holy
Father said the invasion of Iraq and support for jihadi groups in the so-called
“Arab Spring” had created more problems than they have solved.
The British and French support for
jihadi groups in the Libyan civil war of 2011, which led to the overthrow of
Muammar Gaddafi, had particularly disastrous consequences, the Pope said.
The instability that followed the
conflict has since allowed warlords to traffic weapons to jihadis attacking
Christians in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa and criminal gangs to
traffic vast numbers of migrants across the Mediterranean, tens of thousands of
whom have drowned during attempted crossings.
The Pope also said that the invasion of
Iraq by an American-led coalition in 2003 directly led to the rise of the
Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq neighbouring Syria a decade later.
Francis said the West was misguided in
their policies to “import its own type of democracy” into countries with a
political culture “similar to” tribal.
“Let’s think about Libya,” said the
Pope. “A Libyan told me that they once only had one Gaddafi, but now they have
53.”
Francis then described the invasion of
Iraq as a “true disgrace” and “not to say one of the worst cruelties”.
Pope Francis said: “Saddam Hussein was
certainly no angel, on the contrary, but Iraq was a fairly stable country.”
I
am not defending Gaddafi or Hussein,” the Pope reminded. “But what did the war
leave behind? Organised anarchy and more war.”
He continued: “Therefore I believe that
we must not export our democracy to other countries.
“Don’t go to war to import a democracy
that people are unable to assimilate.
“There are countries that have a
monarchical system that will probably never accept a democracy, but we can
certainly contribute to ensuring that there is greater participation.”
Pope Francis added: “In any case, I
consider myself ignorant when it comes to international politics, but I believe
that the appearance of ISIS is based on an unfortunate Western choice.”
ISIS was the western branch of Al-Qaeda
until its breakaway two years after the US withdrawal from the region in 2011.
The terrorist group invaded northern
Iraq in 2014, displacing hundreds of thousands of Christians as refugees, but
were defeated five years later by Iraqi forces with Western military help.
The remarks of Pope Francis were made to
journalists Francesca Ambrogetti and Sergio Rubin for their forthcoming book
You Are Not Alone: Challenges, Answers, Hopes, and were reproduced in La
Stampa, the Italian newspaper.
The pair previously co-wrote the 2014
book Pope Francis: His Life in His Own Words.
(Rebel fighters cover the body of a
Libyan killed in a coalition air strike/ CNS photo/Youssef Boudlal, Reuters)
Source: catholicherald.co.uk
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https://catholicherald.co.uk/pope-blames-west-for-the-rise-of-islamic-state-and-lawless-libya/
---------
Islamist arrested on suspicion of
planning terror attack at Israel rally in Germany
OCTOBER 24, 2023
West German police arrested a man in the
city of Duisburg after receiving information about a potential attack, the
police said on Tuesday.
The man, 29, was a previously convicted
Islamist militant and is suspected of planning an attack on a pro-Israeli
demonstration, according to German newspaper Spiegel.
The apartment of the man in the
Dellviertelneighborhood was searched and he was temporarily taken into custody,
the police said in a statement.
The man had searched online for
pro-Israeli events and jihadist content and it is unclear whether he already
had a specific demonstration in mind for the potential attack, Spiegel
reported.
Source: jpost.com
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https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-770006
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Labour Leader StarmerTo Face Muslim Mps
Over Gaza Stance As He Stands Accused Of ‘Gravely Misrepresenting’ Islamic
Centre Visit
25 Oct, 2023
Keir Starmer will today face a group of
Muslim MPs and peers from the Labour Party, according to reports.
The meeting, to be held straight after
prime minister’s questions finished at 12.45 pm, will discuss the backlash to
the Party’s position on the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
It will also be attended by Labour’s
deputy leader Angela Rayner.
It comes as Starmer has been heavily
criticised after his comments in an interview with LBC during Labour Party
conference, which were interpreted as him suggesting Israel had the right to
withhold water and food from Palestinians in Gaza.
During the LBC interview, he appeared to
suggest that “Israel does have that right” to cut off power and water.
He has since sought to clarify Labour’s
stance on the matter, reiterating that Israel should act within the constraints
of international law.
Starmer has denied he ever backed Israel
withholding humanitarian aid from Gaza.
After a visit to a mosque in South
Wales, a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) from the Labour leader read: “I
was grateful to hear from the Muslim community of the South Wales Islamic
Centre.
“I repeated our calls for all hostages
to be released, more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, for the water and power to
be switched back on, and a renewed focus on the two state solution.”
Subsequently, the Labour leader has been
accused of having “gravely misrepresented” the meeting with Muslim leaders.
The centre’s statement said: “We wish to
stress Keir Starmer’s social media post and images gravely misrepresented our
congregants and the nature of the visit.
“We affirm, unequivocally, the need for
a free Palestine. We implore all those with political authority to uphold
international law, and to end the occupation of Palestine.”
The centre said it wanted to “apologise
for the hurt and confusion that our hosting of this visit has caused”.
It added: “Our intention was to raise
the concerns of the Muslim community around the suffering of Palestinians, and
so we hosted an event initially with local representatives on the issue, and
the knowledge of Keir Starmer’s attendance was given at short notice.
“There was a robust and frank
conversation which reflected the sentiments Muslim communities are feeling at
this time. Members of the community directly challenged Keir on his statements
made on the Israeli government’s right to cut food, electricity and water to
Gaza, warranting war crimes as well as his failure to call for an immediate
ceasefire.”
Source: politics.co.uk
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https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2023/10/25/starmer-to-face-mps-over-gaza-stance-as-he-stands-accused-of-gravely-misrepresenting-islamic-centre-visit/
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Brazilian minister calls for more trade
with Muslim nations
24/10/2023
São Paulo – The Brazilian Minister of
Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro, stated this Tuesday (24) that Brazil
and Islamic countries could expand their already consolidated economic
relationship further. At the closing of the 2nd Global Halal Brazil Business
Forum (GHB) in São Paulo, he said this expansion could occur through increased
commercial exchange and investments. The GHB was held this Monday (23) and
Tuesday (24) in partnership between the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce
(ABCC) and certifier FAMBRAS Halal. Fávaro participated in the event’s closing
alongside the presidents of the ABCC, OsmarChohfi, and FAMBRAS Halal, Mohamed
Zoghbi (pictured above).
Fávaro highlighted Brazil is the world’s
leading supplier of halal protein (produced under the laws of Islam), and food
exports from Brazil to Islamic countries represent 17% of foreign sales by
Brazilian agribusiness, having grown in recent years to USD 28.3 billion in
2022. In his speech, he said the ten major agribusiness importers represent
over 70% of shipments, but four products account for most of sales: sugar,
grains, soybean, and poultry. Fávaro said expanding the export basket and trade
is necessary, as suppliers from the Arab world have essential products for
Brazilian farming.
“It is crucial to seek to expand
bilateral trade, whether by opening markets or through agreements. After all, a
good business relationship goes both ways, as [president] Lula says. He always
says: ‘Whenever you offer Brazilian products, see what friendly countries also
have to offer.’ We need to be aware of the opportunities and expand trade with
Islamic countries,” said the minister, highlighting that the partnerships occur
not only through exports and imports but also through investments. “The Arab world
has the largest global investors, and some of them are major fertilizer
suppliers. We want to expand this partnership to guarantee the supply of this
input for our production,” he added.
Event Closing
In GHB’s closing speech, Chohfi recalled
some of the main topics discussed over the event’s two days: “We had access to
research and strategies that demonstrated the strength of halal in markets that
go beyond the borders of the Arab and Islamic worlds,” he said.
He also spoke about the importance of
partnerships between the private sector and government entities. “Producing
halal foods appears as an excellent opportunity for most Brazilian producers.
We also have growth potential in areas other than food, such as tourism,” he
stated.
Zoghbi, in turn, congratulated Brazilian
companies for their commitment. “Throughout my time working, I have observed
the development of this sector, which makes me very proud to be Brazilian.
Brazilian companies are increasingly dedicated to achieving excellence in
healthy products,” he said.
In a video sent to the event, the
Minister of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places of the Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan, Mufti Mohammad Al Khalayleh, said halal influences human life both on
this Earth, where it impacts health, awareness, and life of human beings, as
well as in afterlife, the one we live alongside God.” The president of the
Council of Religious Studies of the Republic of Tatarstan, Mufti Kamil
Samigullin, recalled that in 2018, the government of Tatarstan drafted a plan
for the development of the halal lifestyle, with financing from the tourism,
health, media, and agricultural sectors.
The GHB was supported by the
International Halal Academy, the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and
Agriculture, the Union of Arab Chambers, and the Arab League, and held in
partnership with the Brazilian Federal Government, Ministry of Development, Industry,
Trade and Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and ApexBrasil. Its sponsors
are BRF, Marfrig, Minerva Foods, Laila Travel, Turkish Airlines, Brazilian
Tourism Board (Embratur), Travel Plus, H2R Insights & Trends, World
Logistic Passport (WLP), Bank ABC in Brazil, Seara, Pão& Arte, Cristal
Plus, Pamunã Alimentos.
Source: anba.com.br
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Scepticism over Macron idea of
anti-Daesh ‘coalition’ to fight Hamas
October 25, 2023
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron
evoked an international coalition along the lines of the one that defeated
Daesh extremists in Iraq and Syria to fight Palestinian militant group Hamas
but such an idea will struggle to even get off the ground, experts say.
Macron floated the proposal during a
visit to Israel Tuesday, as a conflict rages between Israel and Hamas that has
seen thousands of civilians killed on both sides.
It appears he did not wish to signal
that any international forces should be sent into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip,
as Israel prepares for a ground operation that it wants to destroy the Islamist
group, even if the comments created a certain ambiguity.
The war was triggered by an
unprecedented attack on Israel launched by Hamas on October 7 from the Gaza
Strip. More than 220 hostages are being held by Hamas in the territory.
During his visit to Israel for talks
with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Macron said that “France is ready for
the international coalition against Daesh ... to also be able to fight against
Hamas.”
“I propose to our international partners
that we should build a regional and international coalition to battle against
terrorist groups that threaten us all,” he added.
Macron’s advisers appeared eager to
rapidly dampen any assumptions his comments may have created about the
potential of any Western-backed ground force emerging to join Israel in its
stated aim of destroying Hamas.
An Elysee source said the aim of such a
coalition would be to draw “inspiration” from the anti-Daesh alliance that
emerged from 2014 to defeat the Islamist extremists in Iraq and Syria.
The source also emphasised that the
anti-IS coalition was “not limited to operations” on the ground but also the
training of Iraqi forces, the sharing of information between partners and the
fight against terror financing.
Macron’s proposal “draws inspiration
from the experience of the Global Coalition Against Daesh and seeing what
aspects can be replicated against Hamas,” said the source, who asked not to be
named.
The coalition worked to dislodge and
ultimately defeat the Daesh group which had seized swathes of territory in
northern Syria and northern Iraq including the key Iraqi city of Mosul.
It was set up in 2014 and says it has 86
“members” — countries and groups such as the European Union and the Arab League
— and worked notably with Kurdish fighters who handled the bulk of fighting on
the ground in Syria backed and trained by Western special forces.
Experts say that the degree of unanimity
that was found over the campaign to defeat Daesh would not translate into a
campaign against Hamas, making it tough to simply expand the existing
coalition.
The list of anti-Daesh coalition members
includes “many countries which absolutely do not share France’s position on
Hamas” such as Qatar, Jordan and Turkiye, said ElieTenenbaum of the French
Institute of International Relations (IFRI).
“Israel is not a member of this
coalition, so that would also be problematic,” he added.
“The feasibility of extending the scope
of the global coalition against Daesh to the fight against Hamas seems highly
improbable to me.”
Renad Mansour, senior research fellow at
London-based think tank Chatham House, added that whereas there was large local
support from Iraqi and Syrian populations in the fight against Daesh any such
the campaign against Hamas “will be much more difficult because it (Hamas) is
more organic, from Gaza.”
“It would be a much more difficult task
and, as we have already seen, the nature of Gaza and Palestine is going to
result in significant casualties of civilians.”
At least 5,791 Palestinians, mostly
civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in relentless Israeli
bombardments since October 7, according to the Hamas government’s Ministry of
Health.
More than 1,400 people have also been
killed in Israel since Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on 7 October,
according to Israeli authorities.
Tenenbaum nevertheless emphasised that
such coalitions against extremist groups are not limited to operations on the
ground.
“Missions to combat propaganda, the
financing of terrorism, stabilization missions and reconstruction of liberated
areas can have their place in the fight against Hamas,” he said.
Source: arabnews.com
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France willing to break European human
rights law – interior minister
24 Oct, 2023
France is willing to go to great lengths
to expel “dangerous” foreigners from the country, even if it means breaking
some European laws, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with
Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD) published on Sunday, he indicated that the country
would remove these foreigners without waiting for a ruling by the European
Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on their cases, acting based on decisions made by
the national judiciary only.
According to ECHR rules, it is
“prohibited to expel someone who risks, in their country of origin, the death
penalty since we are committed against it,” the minister explained.
“This is perfectly understandable, but a
very political question arises for those in power: these people may perhaps
return to their country of origin, but should we keep them in our country even
if they could also cause death in our own country?”
In my opinion, the ECHR must understand
that it is judging in a terrorist crisis situation, which did not exist when
its rules were designed.
For instance, the minister has stood by
the decision to expel two individuals hailing from Russia’s Chechen Republic
last year. One of them had served a prison term on terrorist charges, while
another was flagged as an “Islamist radical” by the Interior Ministry. Later
on, the ECHR ruled both expulsions to be illegal, claiming the two might face
“torture” if they ended up in Russia.
“I think that the French people … find
it common sense that someone who was sentenced to ten years in jail for
terrorist activities can be deported because they are very dangerous,” Darmanin
said.
The minister also noted that the
authorities were ready to act without approval from the ECHR and face the
consequences. If the move is deemed unlawful by the ECHR, it is penalized by a
fine that is said to only be around 3,000 euros ($3,177)– while it often takes
it up to three years to produce a ruling, according to French media reports.
“We used to wait until we had the
opinion [of the ECHR], even if that meant keeping extremely dangerous people on
our soil. Now we don’t wait. We expel and we wait to see what the court is
going to say. The consequence of that is indeed a fine,” Darmanin explained,
without specifying the exact amount of the fine.
Last week, the minister revealed the
country had expelled 89 “dangerous” foreigners this year, including eight
individuals over the past month. The tough rhetoric comes from the minister in
the aftermath of the October 13 terrorist attack in Arras, which claimed the
life of Dominique Bernard – a 57-year old teacher who was fatally stabbed by
20-year-old Mohammed M. The suspect, apparently driven by Islamism ideology, is
believed to be of Chechen origin, having immigrated to France from Russia at
the age of five.
Source: rt.com
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Southeast Asia
IGP says beefing up PM Anwar’s security
amid threats over Malaysia’s solidarity with Palestine
25 Oct 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 ― The Royal
Malaysia Police have given assurance that the security for Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be increased following his disclosure regarding
numerous threats he received due to his outspoken advocacy for Palestine.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan
Sri Razarudin Husain said that the police will not compromise on this matter.
“The security of the Prime Minister is
our top priority,” he told Bernama.
However, Razarudin said most of the
threats may be related to economic issues or other sectors, such as the
country's exports.
The IGP said this in response to Anwar’s
disclosure that he had received multiple threats from Western countries
following Malaysia's firm stand, support and commitment to defending the rights
of the Palestinian people as well as criticism levelled against the Israeli
government.
Anwar revealed this in his speech at the
Malaysia Stands with Palestine Rally held at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil
last night.
The prime minister said a sovereign
nation, Malaysia will remain independent and continue to defend the country's
freedom as well as advocate the freedom of the Palestinian people, and he, as
the head of the government, would not succumb to or be intimidated by such
threats.
More than 16,000 Malaysians of various
backgrounds, races and religions flocked to the Axiata Arena, in Bukit Jalil
here in a show of solidarity for the Palestinian people.
Razarudin said the rally was conducted
under control and involved more than 300 police personnel. ― Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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DAP Rep Calls On Malaysians To Buy
Palestinian Products Like Olive Oil, Dates As Sign Of Solidarity
By John Bunyan
25 Oct 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 — DAP’s organising
secretary Steven Sim has reportedly proposed that Malaysians buy Palestinian
products as a sign of support for the sovereign state.
Expressing his support for their
independence, Sim, who is also a deputy finance minister, said this is the
least he can do since it is impossible for him to join the fight in Palestine.
“Because of the Holocaust oppression of
the Palestinian people, not only did they lose their lives, but the blockade in
the West Bank made the Palestinian people be robbed of RM16 billion a year.
“Since 1967, approximately one million
olive trees belonging to the Palestinian people have been confiscated. I cannot
afford to fight in Gaza. But every year I buy Palestinian products such as
olive oil and dates. We Malaysians need to support by buying Palestinian
products,” he was quoted as saying.
BeritaHarian quoted him as saying this
in his speech at the “Malaysia Stands with Palestine Rally” held at Axiata
Arena Bukit Jalil, last night.
Revealing the history of Israel’s
occupation of Palestinian land, Sim said the people of the land were forced to
accept the reality of occupation by the Zionist regime.
He reportedly said that the fact had to
be accepted because there were sympathisers who expressed support for the
Zionist faction, because the Jews were victims of the Holocaust.
“We sympathise with oppressed people.
The Jews were oppressed too during the Holocaust for four years, but the
Palestinians were oppressed for more than 70 years.
“The Palestinian issue has a religious
side because of the al-Aqsa Mosque. This is a humanitarian issue. In 1975, [Tan
Sri] Lim Kit Siang once spoke at the Palestinian Revolutionary Parliament
insisting that the struggle must be supported by all Malaysians of various
religions,” he was quoted as saying.
Thousands attended the mega gathering
last night clad in white and holding Palestinian flags, with Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim headlining the rally.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/10/25/dap-rep-calls-on-malaysians-to-buy-palestinian-products-like-olive-oil-dates-as-sign-of-solidarity/98234
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Saifuddin: Citizenship application
process period is now only 14 days
October 25, 2023
PUTRAJAYA: The citizenship application
processing period has been reduced, from 73 days to 14 days, through the
integrated security vetting system, launched by the National Registration
Department (NRD), today (October 25).
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin
Nasution Ismail said with the implementation of the system developed by the
NRD, in collaboration with Police, the processing time for an application is
more efficient.
"Before this, the citizenship
application documents received by the NRD would be submitted to the police
physically (printed), but with this system, the documents will be submitted
online," he said at a press conference, after officiating the department's
75th anniversary celebration, here today.
He said that the system will
automatically reject an application if it finds that the applicant is involved
with an organisation considered dangerous and a threat to public order, and
those who overstayed.
Apart from that, Saifuddin said that the
Cabinet will finalise the establishment of a single agency to regulate the
country's borders soon.
"The decision of who will be
involved in the single border agency will be made by the Prime Minister (Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim) and the Cabinet.
"Security and national border
control in any country in the world is an important aspect and there are
several security agencies under the Home Ministry (KDN)," he said.
He added that KDN staff have been asked
to be prepared if the ministry and its agencies are responsible for the
establishment of the agency.
There are currently more than 20
agencies involved in regulating the country's borders, including the
Immigration Department (Immigration), the Customs Department (JKDM) and the
Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (MAQIS). –BERNAMA
Source: nst.com.my
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------
Anwar's strident voice on Palestine
hallmark of Malaysia's international relations
October 25, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's loud voice
urging other nations to support Palestine and put an end to Israeli brutality
is the hallmark of the country's international relations under the leadership
of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, according to analysts.
Several analysts applauded Anwar's
courage to speak up and bring Malaysia's voice to the world stage in expressing
solidarity with the Palestinians.
Anwar has been vocal and consistent in
championing the Palestinian cause. On September 22, in his maiden national
statement at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the prime minister
highlighted the 'flagrant hypocrisy' of the West in dealing with the issue of
Palestine.
He called for a concerted multilateral
effort spearheaded by the UN to resolve all conflicts and humanitarian crises
in the world.
During the Asean-Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh recently, the prime minister seized the
opportunity to raise the Palestinian issue with many leaders of other
countries, urging the international community to end the ongoing aggression against
the Palestinians.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict took
centre stage and was the main topic of discussions between Anwar and Crown
Prince Mohammed Salman, who is Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister, during their
four-eyed meeting after the summit.
Anwar also discussed the ongoing Gaza
Strip conflict with Muslim World League secretary-general Dr Muhammad
Abdulkarim Al-Issa in Riyadh, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in
Istanbul and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo during his working
visit to these countries.
Pacific Research Centre principal
advisor of Malaysia Dr Oh Ei Sun said Anwar has aspired to be acknowledged as
an advocate for the Muslim world at the forefront of championing the Palestine
issue.
"As such, it is no surprise that
Anwar proactively projects a pro-Palestinian stance both domestically and
internationally. Domestically, the Palestinian plight is probably one of the
few issues that could unite the Malay-dominated parties, and so Anwar must
adroitly place himself at the forefront of this issue," he told Bernama.
Asked whether Malaysia can expect
repercussions from Western countries for championing the Palestinian cause, the
senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs noted that
most Western countries understand the domestic necessity for most
Muslim-dominated governments or their leaders to project a more pro-Palestinian
stance.
Therefore diplomatic relations between
Malaysia and these countries are unlikely to be severely impacted, he said.
Associate Professor Dr Roy Anthony
Rogers, deputy executive director of Asia Europe Institute, Universiti Malaya,
said Anwar has been an ardent supporter of the Palestinian cause since his
early days in the Islamic Youth Movement Malaysia (ABIM) and has been very
consistent in his stance.
He said it is a global crisis and
Malaysia needs to use international and regional platforms such as Asean, the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the UN to pursue this issue.
"Malaysia's foreign policy towards
Palestine has been very consistent. Since the 1960s, Malaysia has been very
supportive of the struggle of the Palestinian people.
"Malaysia is exercising its rights
as a free and sovereign nation. Therefore no country including from the West
can stop Malaysia from exercising its rights as a sovereign state," he
added.
Echoing similar sentiments, Palestinian
Cultural Organisation Malaysia (PCOM) chairman BadereddinSeyam expressed
appreciation for Anwar's efforts, including his call for the international
community to condemn the Israeli aggression, halt international support for the
occupation and stop the war crimes in Gaza.
"The Malaysian prime minister
promised to lead an international initiative at the regional and international
levels, particularly during his visit to the Middle East, to immediately halt
the aggression on Gaza and reject forced displacement.
"He is also committed to
accelerating the operation of the humanitarian corridor to Gaza and delivering
the necessary medical relief aid. We call on the Malaysian people to support
the prime minister's actions," he said.
Professor Datuk Mohamad Abu Bakar,
former head of Universiti Malaya's International and Strategic Studies
Department, said Anwar's stance could give impetus to an international movement
to direct global attention to the Palestine issue, which the Western powers
seem to be marginalising.
He said Malaysia's stand risks drawing a
backlash but the country is just fulfilling a moral and diplomatic need to
overcome a longstanding crisis.
"Malaysia's strident voice is a
meaningful encouragement for other parties like Asean to adopt a similar stance
on the turmoil in the Middle East. It is time for the pro-Palestine struggle to
be made mainstream again in the current context," he added. –BERNAMA
Source: nst.com.my
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‘Malaysia is with Palestine’: Thousands
rally in Kuala Lumpur to support Gaza
October 24, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of protesters
gathered in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday in Malaysia’s biggest display of solidarity
with Palestinians since the beginning of the deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza.
Malaysians have been taking to the
streets since the escalation began over two weeks ago. Wearing traditional
Palestinian scarves and carrying Palestinian flags, they have been calling for
“Solidarity with Palestine,” and chanting “Save Palestine,” “Stop genocide in
Gaza,” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The protest on Tuesday, dubbed the
“Malaysia is with Palestine” rally, took place at Axiata Arena Stadium in the
south of Kuala Lumpur, and was the biggest so far, with the 16,000-seat venue
full as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim addressed the crowd.
“We are with the Palestinian people ...
yesterday, today and tomorrow,” Anwar said.
“Malaysians were there from the days of
Yasser Arafat, struggling for an independent Palestine until today, and we will
continue without fear.”
The number of people killed in Gaza has
exceeded 5,000 since Oct. 7, when Israel began its bombardment of the densely
populated enclave following an attack by the Gaza-based militant group Hamas.
Women and children make up 60 percent of
the dead, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, while more than 15,200 people
have been injured.
“It is a level of insanity to allow
people to be butchered, babies to be killed, hospitals to be bombed, and
schools to be destroyed,” Anwar said.
“We are not asking for anything extra.
We want the Arabs, the Palestinians, the people of Gaza to be treated as human
beings ... Stop the killing. Give them food. Give them medicine. Give the
babies the right to live. Is that asking too much?”
Some of those who attended the rally,
such as Mohammed Hassan Tahir, 65, told Arab News they wished they could go to
Gaza and help — but they knew that was impossible.
“We can’t go,” Tahir said. “But we can
give our moral support. That’s why we are here.”
Israel has said it is carrying out
airstrikes to protect itself, but those who took part in the Kuala Lumpur
protest disagree.
“Israel says it is defending itself, but
for me, I don’t think so,” said Nurul AinaIshak, a student. “The way they are
seizing land, taking (it) from the Palestinians, that is wrong.”
In recent days, Israeli airstrikes on
residential buildings and hospitals have intensified despite repeated calls by
international organizations for a ceasefire and humanitarian access. Israel has
also cut off power, water, food, fuel and medical supplies to Gaza, stepping up
its 16-year blockade of the enclave that is home to 2.3 million people.
“They (Israel) are bombing places that
should be considered safe, schools and mosques. They are even targeting
hospitals. I feel unhappy with what is happening,” another protester,
ShuhaimiShukor, a 43-year-old executive, told Arab News.
“I support the Palestinians because what
is happening is unjust. They are being suppressed.”
For ShazirSamsudin, a 21-year-old
business owner, being at the rally was a matter of solidarity — and a sense of
brotherhood that has been fostered for decades.
“We, as human beings, want to support
the Palestinians,” Samsudin said. “Palestinians are our siblings. When our
siblings are in trouble, we want to take care of them.”
Malaysia, a multicultural Southeast
Asian nation, has no diplomatic relations with Israel, while it boasts historic
links with Palestine, and support for the Palestinian cause, statehood, and the
right of Palestinians to their land, that transcends both political and
religious divisions.
“An overwhelming Muslim and non-Muslim
population is supportive of the Palestinian cause in the name of humanitarian
grounds and Malaysia’s legacy of standing up for the cause of the
underprivileged,” Collins Chong Yew Keat, foreign policy and security strategist
from the University of Malaya, told Arab News.
But while Malaysia has always been among
“the most persistent and vocal defenders of the Palestinian cause,” more is
needed for its stance to have any real impact, he said.
“It will need Malaysia’s diplomatic
craft to exert more than diplomatic pressure or galvanize regional or global
people-centered pressure.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Japan allocates $7m to UNRWA for
displaced Palestinians in Gaza
October 24, 2023
LONDON: Japan has allocated $ 7 million
to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, it was announced on Tuesday
amid Israel’s continued bombardment and siege of Gaza.
The contribution will assist UNRWA to
continue its emergency services, such as providing food and drinking water, to
85,000 internally displaced persons who have found shelter at the agency’s
facilities across the city.
The number of IDPs in Gaza is estimated
to be 1.2 million, including around 600,000 sheltering in 150 UNRWA facilities,
all of whom are facing increasingly dire conditions.
The shelters are overcrowded, with a
scarce supply of food, drinking water, and other necessities.
“This year, we commemorate 70 years of
partnership between Japan and UNRWA. Japan’s long-term partnership is the
evidence of its keenness to alleviate the suffering of those affected around
the world, including Palestinian refugees,” Japanese Ambassador for Palestinian
Affairs Nakashima Yoichi said.
“We hope that this assistance will
contribute to alleviating the severity of the current situation and the
suffering of the people in Gaza by meeting their basic needs,” he added.
Source: arabnews.com
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India
Durga Puja An Occasion For Nandi Family
To Express Respect And Gratitude To A Pir (a Spiritual Guide In Islam), A
Tradition That Began 225 Years Ago
25.10.23
Subhasish Chaudhuri
Durga Puja comes as an occasion for the
Nandi family at Pandua in Hooghly district to express respect and gratitude to
a Pir (a spiritual guide in Islam) as they believe blessings showered by him
had once changed their lives for generations.
As a mark of respect to the original
Pir, the family after completion of puja on Mahanavami first offers the Bhog
Prasad (a meal of blessed food in Hinduism) to a Pir and distributes it among
others only after he finishes eating.
On Vijaya Dashami, the family offers a
prayer at a local Dargah (a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered
figure in Islam), maintaining a tradition that their forefathers began 225
years ago — around 1798 when Shah Alam 2 was the Mughal Emperor of India and
Babar Ali Khan was the Nawab of Bengal under the East India Company’s rule
commanded by Lord Richard Wellesley.
According to the Nandi family legend, an
unknown Pir had once given two Mohurs (gold coins) to two siblings —
forefathers of the family — advising them to launch their business at a time
when they were struggling for survival amid penury. The brothers, Kuber Nandi
and Sankar Nandi, invested the coins in the business of betel nuts and edible
oil and rushed to Calcutta to change their lives.
The special occasion of Mahanavami,
which turns into a family get-together, is a major crowd-puller for the local
residents who gather to experience the event as an instance of communal amity
and inclusivity.
“Nobody knows the identity of the pir
who had helped our forefathers…. But since our ancestors had once begun these
practices as a gesture of gratitude, we have been following the tradition,”
said Abhijit Nandi, 54, who works as an editor at a publishing house in
Calcutta.
The Nandi family which established an
estate at Jamgram in Pandua began the puja a few decades after the mohur
episode.
“The family records show Durga Puja and
the tradition of inviting a pir began around 225 years ago. It appears that the
later generations heard about the pir’s blessings and decided to continue
expressing gratitude before the goddess,” said Nandi.
“We feel great that our forefathers had
such exemplary inclusivity,” he added. “This is what makes the event popular.
Many Muslim people visit our puja and participate in the celebrations.”
On Monday, after Mahanavami’s puja was
concluded, the bhogprasad was first offered to a pir, who was invited from a
neighbouring village. The family humbly approached him to have the bhogprasad
for lunch. Everybody else started eating only after the pir finished eating.
Partha Chattopadhyay, a teacher of
Bengali literature at BalagarhBijoy Krishna College and a researcher of Hooghly
history, said: “Such instances prove that the Almighty has no religion.’
“It is good that many people in our
society still feel this way and practise it in real life. Religion is just a
concept, which many people interpret in wrong ways to create differences,” he
added.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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HC To Hear On Dec 1, Plea Against Not
Allowing Prayers In Mughal Mosque In Mehrauli, Delhi
October 24, 2023
New Delhi : The managing committee of
Mughal Mosque, which was appointed by the Delhi Waqf Board, had approached the
high court last year alleging that the officials of the Archaeological Survey
of India (ASI) completely stopped the offering of Namaz in the mosque on May
13, 2022 in an “absolutely unlawful, arbitrary and precipitous manner”.
Allowing an early hearing application by
the petitioner, Justice Prateek Jalan said in a recent order, “List on
01.12.2023. The next date of hearing i.e. 30.01.2024 stands cancelled.”
Advocate for the petitioner M Sufian
Siddiqui said the prayers were being offered inside the mosque regularly until
last year when they were stopped by the ASI without any notice.
Recently, the court had asked the ASI to
clarify its policy on allowing prayers by devotees in religious places located
inside protected monuments.
In its reply to the petition, the ASI
has said that the mosque in question comes within the boundary of Qutub Minar
and is thus within the protected area and offering of prayers cannot be
permitted there.
The ASI has cautioned that allowing
worship in Mughal Mosque would “not only set an example but it may also impact
other monuments too”.
“Qutub Minar is a Monument of National
Importance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is submitted that it is not a
place of worship, since the time of its protection the monument or any part of
it, has not been used for any type of worship by any community.
“It is submitted that the Mosque in
question comes within the boundary of Qutub Minar Complex,” the reply has
added. ( with PTI inputs )
Source: muslimmirror.com
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--------
UP govt’s Madrasa order leads to
backlash from Muslim community
October 24, 2023
Muzaffarnagar : Uttar Pradesh’s basic
education department has issued notices to over a dozen madrasas in this
district operating without proper registration and asked them to produce their
documents.
The notice added that such madrasas if
found open will face a fine of Rs 10,000 per day.
According to officials, there are about
24,000 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh, of which 16,000 are recognised and 8,000
unrecognised.
The madrasas which have been issued
notices have been asked to produce their relevant documents within three days
of receiving the order or face action according to the rules.
“If the madrasas are found operating
without recognition, they will be fined Rs 10,000 per day,” the notice read.
Muzaffarnagar Basic Shiksha Adhikari
(BSA) Shubham Shukla said the district minority department has informed his
office that more than a hundred madrasas being run here do not have
registration or recognition in the district and are functioning against the
norms.
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind slams move
Taking strong exception to the notice
served to madrasas, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, an organisation of Indian Muslims,
called the education department’s order “unlawful”.
Maulana Zakir Husain, secretary of the
Uttar Pradesh unit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, said the madrasas in the state are
“being harassed by serving them illegal notices only to target a particular
community”.
“The madrasas are providing free of cost
education to the students, they will not be able to pay the fine of Rs 10,000
per day,” Husain said.
Meanwhile, according to a senior
official in Lucknow, about 4,000 madrasas in the state are under the scanner
for receiving foreign funds.
The state government has set up a
three-member special investigation team (SIT) to investigate 4,000 madrasas,
most of them run along the Indo-Nepal border, which are allegedly receiving
funds from abroad, the official said.
The SIT will examine if the money
received by them was used in any illegal activities, such as terrorism or
forcible religious conversion, the official added. ( with PTI inputs )
Source: muslimmirror.com
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Muslim Man Dies After Being Attacked By
Mob Near Ramlila Ground In UP’s HapurDistrict
Amit Sharma
October 25, 2023
A 25-year-old Muslim man died after
being assaulted by an angry mob in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur district
late Tuesday night after his bike hit a man, who was part of a group indulging
in Dussehra revelry. The incident took place on the outskirts of Luhari
village.
With tensions running high in the
village, additional police force was deployed to ensure that the incident did
not lead to further trouble.
According to the police, the incident
took place at around 7.30 pm on Tuesday when Irshad Mohammad was returning to
Luhari village on a bike. While passing the Ramlila ground on the outskirts of
the village, his bike hit a man who had come to the place along with his
friends to take part in the Dussehra festivities.
The minor accident led to a verbal row
which soon turned violent after a group of people beat Mohammad, who fell to
the ground and hit his head on a stone. He was rushed to the local hospital
where doctors declared him brought dead, the police said.
As news of Mohammad’s death reached the
village, his family members and locals rushed to the spot. Both groups attacked
each other. The elders from the village informed the Bahadurgarh police station
and the police used mild force to chase away members from both communities.
“We have identified five people who have
beaten Irshad and they will be arrested soon. A first information report (FIR)
in this connection has been lodged at the Bahadurgarh police station. Adequate
police force has been deployed at Luhari village to ensure that the incident
does not lead to further trouble,” said Hapur Superintendent of Police Abhishek
Verma.
Source: indianexpress.com
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----------
Mohan Bhagwat blames ‘outside forces’
for Manipur violence, gives clean chit to government
25.10.23
J.P. Yadav
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday gave
a clean chit to the government and blamed “outside forces” for the violence in
Manipur, even as he sought to tell the voters to choose from the “available
best” in the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
It’s nearing six months since the
outbreak of unprecedented mayhem in Manipur but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is
yet to find time to visit the state. It took him two months and the surfacing
of shocking videos of two women being paraded naked to break his silence on the
spiral of unrestrained arson, violence and killings. This was on the opening of
the monsoon session of Parliament.
During the session, the government was
forced by the Opposition to speak on Manipur but post this the government has
again chosen silence on the happenings in the northeastern state which now lies
bitterly divided between the Meitei community and Kuki-Zo tribals who mostly
inhabit the hill regions.
Bhagwat was addressing RSS cadres during
the annual Vijay Dashami event at their headquarters in Nagpur. The event is
obliquely sought to be projected as an address to the nation by the Sangh, the
ideological parent of the ruling BJP.
“Manipuri Meiteis and Manipuri Kukis
have been living together for many years. How did this sudden discord take
place?” Bhagwat asked before pointing fingers at “outside” or foreign forces
and seeking to accuse them of orchestrating violence in the border state.
“It (Manipur) is a border state. Who
benefits from such internal discord and secessionism in that region? Outside
forces also benefit. Were people from outside involved in what happened there
(Manipur)?” Bhagwat said without taking the name of any country.
The RSS chief lauded the central
government, terming it “mazbootsarkar” (strong government), stressing how home
minister Amit Shah camped in Manipur for three days, followed by other
ministers. However, the fact that the violence continued despite that showed it
was being “orchestrated”, he said.
“When restoration of peace was in sight,
some incident occurs and once again widens the gap between the communities. Who
is instigating the violence? It is not happening but it is being made to
happen,” Bhagwat said.
Bhagwat added: “Which foreign powers may
be interested in taking advantage of unrest and instability in Manipur? Does
the geopolitics of southeast Asia also have a role in these events?” he went on
to ask without taking any names. He said the RSS cadres worked for peace in
violence-hit Manipur.”
Bhagwat’s comments on Manipur and
pinning the blame on foreign forces have come in the backdrop of the Narendra
Modi government seeking to virtually ignore the happenings in Manipur since
violence broke out in the state on May 3.
Bhagwat, who is regarded as the head of
the Sangh parivar (that includes the BJP), also spoke on the upcoming Assembly
elections followed by the Lok Sabha polls next year. He warned against attempts
to garner votes by inflaming emotions and urged people to vote keeping in mind
the “unity, integrity, identity and development of the country”.
“Elections are coming and there will be
attempts to incite emotions and sway the voters. Don’t get provoked,” he said
and then went on to urge the voters to choose from the “available best”.
In doing so, Bhagwat skipped any
reference to various Hindutva elements who regularly hurl provocative comments
targeting a minority community in a bid to incite violence.
“People will choose from the available
best. People have experienced all types (of parties and their governments) by
now and they should make the best choice,” Bhagwat said, stressing that it was
a “national duty” to vote.
The RSS cadres on the ground are known
to canvas support for the BJP but the RSS chief refrained from naming any
party.
Bhagwat lauded the Modi government for
hosting the G20 Summit and for the successful moon mission.
The RSS chief warned against divisive or
anti-India forces “outside and inside the country” whom he described as
“cultural Marxists”.
“Some people inside and outside the
country don’t want India to move ahead. They try to build conflicts, destroy
our unity and sow seeds of disharmony,” he said.
“These elements now have a new name:
cultural Marxists or woke, meaning awakened... They are opposed to all kinds of
orderliness, culture, dignity and restraint in the world,” Bhagwat said.
He sought to accuse these “cultural
Marxists” of using a modus operandi of taking over the control of the media and
the academia in their pursuit of spreading chaos and dividing society.
The RSS chief emphasised “devotion to
the motherland” and said even people who follow faiths that originated outside
the country should uphold it, without naming any religion.
“Three elements, devotion to the
motherland, pride in forefathers, and common culture, make us one nation by
tying together all diversities of language, region, religion, sect, caste and
sub-caste,” Bhagwat said.
He referred to the installation of Lord
Ram’s idol in the Ram temple at Ayodhya on January 22 and urged the people to
organise programmes at local temples across the country on that day.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Africa
Terrorists In Military Uniform Attack
Mosque In Kaduna, Shoot Dead Imam, Worshipper
October 25, 2023
Terrorists, locally dubbed as bandits,
have attacked a mosque in Allah Babba community, SabonLayi Village of Kakangi
Constituency in BirninGwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
It was gathered that they killed the
Imam and one other person, injuring two other worshippers.
The attack took place around 5:30am on
Tuesday, Daily Trust reports.
They reportedly struck while people
gathered for congregational prayer in the small village situated between
TasharKeji and SabonLayi village of BirninGwari LGA.
A resident of the community, speaking
anonymously, revealed that the bandits emerged from the Kamuku Forest while
wearing security uniforms and were en route to the Tegina axis of Niger State.
“They arrived during the morning prayer
and entered the mosque, opening fire on the worshippers, killing our Imam and
one other person. Two other individuals sustained gunshot wounds,” he reported.
The deceased victims were identified as
Mamudaga Allah Babba and Kabiruga Allah Babba, while the injured individuals
were Bilya Mai Rabo, Ashiru Mai Rabo.
When contacted, Ishaq Kasai, the
Chairman of BirninGwari Emirate Progressive Union (BEPU), confirmed the attack
and described it as a tragic incident.
Source: saharareporters.com
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Nigerian Court Discharges, Acquits Three
Abia Residents Charged For Terrorism Over Alleged Membership Of IPOB
October 25, 2023
An Abia State High Court, sitting in
Umuahia, has discharged and acquitted three indigenes of the state who were
charged by the Nigerian police for terrorism, armed robbery, conspiracy among
others.
The discharged and acquitted Abia
residents – David Onyema, UcheAdiele, and Victor Isaiah – had been unjustly
arrested on February 18, 2021, by overzealous Nigerian police in Umuahia, Abia
State and labelled members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
They were subsequently arraigned before
Justice ChidoNwakanma of court D on five count charge bordering on conspiracy,
armed robbery, unlawful possession of firearm and terrorism related offences.
The offences and punishments, the police
told the court are stipulated in Sections 6(b), 2(2)(a), 2(1) of the Robbery
and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act CAP R11 Laws of The Federation, 2004, and
Section 16(1) and Section 21 of the Terrorism (Prevention Amendment) Act, 2013.
Delivering judgement on Tuesday, October
24, 2023 after 33 months of incarceration at the Nigeria Correctional Centre
fears legal battle Justice Nwakanma, discharged and acquitted the three
accused.
The court held that police failed to
prove the charges levelled them as there was no material evidence the
prosecution presented before the court to justify the charge.
Reacting to the judgement, IPOB Counsel,
Ifeanyi Ejiofor hailed the court decision, noting that though the wheels of
justice might grind slowly, justice would surely take place.
Ejiofor, in statement on the victory
said, "After a fierce legal battle that lasted nearly three years, the
baseless and fabricated charges against EzigboUmuChineke have been completely
dismantled, resulting in a triumphant outcome.
"On February 18, 2021, David
Onyema, UcheAdiele, and Victor Isaiah were unjustly apprehended by overzealous
Nigerian security agents in Umuahia, Abia State.
"They were subsequently brought
before the Umuahia High Court, on a five count charge including conspiracy,
armed robbery, unlawful possession of firearms, and terrorism related offences,
as stipulated by Sections 6(b), 2(2)(a), 2(1) of the Robbery and Firearms
(Special Provisions) Act CAP R11 Laws of The Federation, 2004, and Section
16(1) and Section 21 of the Terrorism (Prevention Amendment) Act, 2013.
"These innocent men were arrested
and subsequently charged on the smokescreen 5-count charge, simply because they
passed in front of a Police Station after the curfew in the State; and because
one of them was allegedly putting on an IPOB cap and black cloth, and had
bottles of drink in his bag.
"Despite our initial application
for bail being rejected by the court, which insisted on proceeding with a full
trial; we persevered throughout the trial process. The prosecution presented
their witnesses to support their case, while we diligently presented a strong
defence against these unfounded charges.
"Today, the 24th day of October,
2023, High Court of Justice, sitting in Umuahia, Court No. 6, Per: Hon Justice
ChidoNwakanma, delivered a landmark judgement in this case. The court in its
well considered judgement, discharged and acquitted, these three innocent
Biafrans, who have been in custody since February 18, 2021. They have gone home
as free men.
"I want to express my utmost
appreciation to my esteemed colleagues in chambers and D. Agu, Esq., for their
invaluable contributions, which played a significant role in achieving this
remarkable victory.
"Let EzigboUmuChineke be assured
that we are not relenting in our efforts to ensure that every Biafran currently
held unlawfully by the Nigerian Security Agents, receives justice. It is true
that the wheels of justice turn slowly, but they ultimately deliver fair
outcomes.”
Source: saharareporters.com
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Nigerian Secret Police, DSS Recovers 150
AK-47 Rifles, Other Weapons From Terrorist's House In Niger State
October 25, 2023
Operatives of the Department of State
Service (DSS) Niger State Command, have stormed a house in Kulobe community in
the Gbeganu area of Minna, Niger State, following a tip-off from neighbours,
and discovered a large cache of AK-47 rifles and thousands of ammunition.
A suspected terrorist was said to have
seen the operatives coming to his house through his Close Circuit Television
camera and engaged them in a gun battle.
The incident happened on Tuesday between
1am and 3am as the suspect was said to have used a rocket launcher to bring
down part of the fence of his house through which he disappeared into thin air,
leaving behind his wife and children who were taken into custody by the
security operatives.
According to a security source, who said
he was in the house when the DSS was taking inventory of the weapons, over 150
AK-47 riffles, explosives, a rocket launcher, an anti-aircraft rifle, and
ammunition, numbering over 3,000 were evacuated from the suspect’s house and
carted away to the office of the DSS.
PUNCH reports that some residents of the
community and neighbours confirmed that they heard the loud exchange of gunfire
and the rocket launcher when it was fired.
“We thought bandits had invaded our
community. The heavy sound of the guns between the terrorist and the security
operatives were too heavy. Some of my electronics and furniture were destroyed.
The loud noise sounded like there were many bandits,” one of them said.
Cracked windows, doors, roofing sheets,
and walls of houses close to the suspect’s house could be seen indicating the
impact of the shootout.
Empty canisters of bullets could also be
seen littering around the neighbourhood while parts of some buildings were
brought down by the magnitude of the guns.
It was learnt that the suspected
terrorist, whose name was not immediately known, is an indigene of the central
part of Kogi State.
He was said to have bought the house two
years ago and he had been living there without interacting with neighbours.
It was further learnt that following the
indiscriminate shooting by the suspect, a night watchman living next door,
Mubarak Abubakar, was hit by a stray bullet and is currently receiving
treatment at the IBB Specialist Hospital in Minna.
The spokesman for the Niger State Police
Command, AbiodunWasiu, said he would investigate and get back.
Source: saharareporters.com
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Nigerian soldiers kill many terrorists
in one operation – Official
October 25, 2023
The Nigerian Army says the troops of the
8 Division Garrison, on Tuesday, killed several terrorists in a discreet
operation at Tukandu Village in Sokoto State.
The Director of Army Public Relations,
OnyemaNwachukwu, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Mr Nwachukwu said the troops launched a
carefully planned offensive, targeting a notorious group of terrorists,
responsible for various heinous activities in the general area.
He said the troops’ onslaught killed
many of the terrorists, while others fled with gunshot wounds.
According to him, troops recovered three
AK-47 Rifles, one PKT Gun, 125 rounds of 7.62 mm Special ammunition, two
rocket-propelled gun bombs and nine motorcycles.
The Chief of Army Staff, TaoreedLagbaja,
lauded the troops, charging them to remain resolute and continue to escalate
their operations against the terrorists to decimate and deny them the freedom
of action.
Source:
premiumtimesng.com
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Arab World
Saudi crown prince, Biden discuss ways
to stop Israeli military operations in Gaza
October 24, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman called on the US to work immediately to discuss ways to
stop Israeli military operations that claimed the lives of innocent people.
Speaking during a call he received from
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, the crown prince discussed the military
escalation taking place in Gaza and the efforts being made to end the war that
began following a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 by the Hamas group.
Prince Mohammed also called on the need
to find solutions to rejecting the targeting of civilians in any way, or the
targeting of infrastructure and vital interests that affect their daily lives
or forced displacement, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He stressed the need for calm, stopping
the escalation, and not allowing it to deteriorate in a way that affects the
security and stability of the region, and the need to adhere to international
humanitarian law, lift the siege on Gaza, preserve basic services, and allow
the entry of humanitarian and medical aid.
The crown prince also explained the
importance of restoring the path of peace to ensure that the Palestinian people
obtain their legitimate rights and achieve a just and comprehensive peace.
Biden expressed his thanks to Prince
Mohammed for the efforts he has made to reduce the escalation and prevent it
from spreading in the region.
Meanwhile, the crown prince met with
Kuwaiti Minister of Defense Sheikh Ahmed Fahd Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, on the
sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative Forum.
During the meeting, which was attended
by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Salman, they reviewed relations
between the two countries, and a number of topics of common interest.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2397156/saudi-arabia
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Security Council ‘complacent’ about loss
of Palestinian lives, says Saudi foreign minister
October 25, 2023
NEW YORK CITY: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
reiterated its “clear” condemnation of the targeting of civilians, “whoever
they may be.” It came as the Kingdom called for an end to the escalation of
military operations in Gaza, a “stop to the bloodshed,” the release of
hostages, and respect for international laws and conventions.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin
Farhan said his country, alongside “friendly and brotherly nations,” have made
every effort to achieve those goals and end the cycle of violence.
“The Palestinian people are suffering
under the blockade and the ongoing escalation of the Israeli war machine,” he
said.
“(Military operations) continue to
target (Palestinian) civilian facilities, schools, hospitals, infrastructure.
They have claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, including women,
children and the elderly. They have injured thousands of civilians.
“The failure of the international
community, to this very day, to end this collective punishment by the Israeli
occupation forces against the residents of Gaza, and their attempts to forcibly
displace them, will not bring us any closer to security and stability.”
The prince was speaking during a
high-level meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the war in Gaza. It
was hosted by Brazil, which holds the rotating presidency of the council this
month. Attendees included UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, relatives of
Israeli victims of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, and representatives of more
than 85 nations.
“We hold this meeting under painful
circumstances, following dangerous developments in the Gaza strip that claimed
the lives of thousands of civilians,” Prince Faisal said as he warned of an
imminent humanitarian catastrophe and dangerous repercussions for the security
of the region and the wider world.
He said the council’s silence on the
Palestinian issue has been “ongoing for decades” and is unacceptable.
“This council bears the responsibility
of its complacency, the cost of this crisis, the losses of lives and property,
and the threats to the security and stability of the region,” said Prince
Faisal.
“Maintaining international peace and
security is at the forefront of the functions of this council. However, today
we see that it is unable to carry out its role. It is late in reaching a
resolution that would address this crisis, as Israel continues with its
violations of international conventions, including international humanitarian
law. This cast doubt on the credibility of the mechanisms of international
legitimacy.”
He called on members of the council to
shoulder the responsibility for which it was created, and urged the
international community to take a firm stance on ending the military operations
in Gaza, preventing the conflict from escalating, protecting civilians, and
ending the blockade on the territory so that aid, including medicine, food and
water, can reach those in need.
The prince lamented the double standards
and “selectivity” in the application of UN rules and resolutions, warning that
the lack of accountability for the ongoing escalation risks fueling “further
violence, further destruction — it will lead to further extremism.”
He laid the blame for the ongoing cycles
of violence on failure to implement UN resolutions, and underscored the need to
acknowledge the root causes of the long-running Israeli-Palestininan conflict.
Failure to do so, he added, will hamper any chances of reaching a durable
solution to the conflict, and bringing peace and security to the region.
“We need to seriously revive the peace
process,” said Prince Faisal. “We are working for a better future for our
region. We do hope that the region will enjoy peace, that prosperity will be
guaranteed for all and a better future will be guaranteed for the peoples of
the region and succeeding generations.
“This is the peace that we aspire to: A
sustainable peace that would guarantee the two-state solution and the
establishment of a Palestinian state along the lines of 1967, that would
achieve security stability and prosperity for all.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi FM meets with Dutch counterpart on
sidelines of UNSC meeting on Middle East
October 24, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister
Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with his Dutch counterpart Hanke Bruins Slot on
the sidelines of a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East and the
Palestinian question on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the two ministers
discussed developments in the situation in Gaza and its surroundings and
international efforts made to stop the military escalation.
They also discussed the importance of
opening safe corridors for the entry of medical and food aid for civilians in
compliance with international laws and humanitarian principles.
Prince Faisal reiterated the Kingdom’s
call on the international community to find a peaceful solution to the crisis
that will stop the recurring cycle of violence in the region, end the
bloodshed, and establish peace for the Palestinian people.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2397066/saudi-arabia
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Saudi ambassador presents credentials to
Iranian president
October 25, 2023
TEHRAN — Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to
Iran Abdullah Al-Enezi presented his credentials to Iranian President Ibrahim
Raisi on Tuesday.
Ambassador Al-Enezi conveyed the
greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown Prince
and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman to President Raisi.
He also expressed their wishes for the
continued progress and prosperity of the Iranian people.
President Raisi welcomed and extended
his best wishes to Ambassador Al-Enezi for success in his mission.
He entrusted the ambassador with
conveying his regards and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques, as well as to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and the people of
Saudi Arabia.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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Kuwaiti deputy prime minister and
defense minister visits Riyadh
October 24, 2023
RIYADH — The Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Defense of Kuwait Sheikh Ahmed Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah touched down
in Riyadh on Tuesday for an official visit to the Kingdom.
Upon his arrival at the Royal Terminal
at King Khalid International Airport, he was welcomed by Minister of Defense
Prince Khalid Bin Salman, who extended a gracious reception to Sheikh Ahmed,
affirming the strong bonds between the two nations.
The Kuwaiti deputy prime minister and
defense minister also received greetings from the Ambassador of the State of
Kuwait to the Kingdom Sheikh Sabah Nasser Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, highlighting the
close diplomatic ties, as well as the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC), Jassem Mohammed Al-Budaiwi.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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------
Saudi FM: UN Security Council
‘complacent’ about loss of Palestinian lives
25 October 2023
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has
condemned the UN Security Council's silence on the Palestinian issue as
“unacceptable,” saying the Security Council is “complacent” about the loss of
Palestinian lives. He called for measures to stop the Israeli “bloodshed” in
the besieged Gaza Strip.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan made the
remarks during a Tuesday high-level meeting of the UN Security Council to
discuss the war in Gaza. The meeting was hosted by Brazil, which holds the
rotating presidency of the council this month. Attendees included UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres and representatives of more than 85 nations.
Bin Farhan said his country, alongside
“friendly and brotherly nations,” has made every effort to achieve those goals
and end the cycle of violence.
“The Palestinian people are suffering
under the blockade and the ongoing escalation of the Israeli war machine,” he
said.
He warned that Israel continues to
“target civilian facilities, schools, hospitals, infrastructure. They have
claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, including women, children and the
elderly. They have injured thousands of civilians.”
“The failure of the international
community, to this very day, to end this collective punishment by the Israeli
occupation forces against the residents of Gaza, and their attempts to forcibly
displace them, will not bring us any closer to security and stability,” the
senior Saudi diplomat stated.
Aid agencies warned that a humanitarian
catastrophe was unfolding in the besieged enclave.
“We hold this meeting under painful
circumstances, following dangerous developments in the Gaza Strip that claimed
the lives of thousands of civilians,” Prince Faisal said, warning of an
imminent humanitarian catastrophe and dangerous repercussions for the security
of the region and the world.
He said the council’s silence on the
Palestinian issue has been “ongoing for decades” and is unacceptable.
“This council bears the responsibility
of its complacency, the cost of this crisis, the losses of lives and property,
and the threats to the security and stability of the region,” the Saudi foreign
minister noted.
“Maintaining international peace and
security is at the forefront of the functions of this council. However, today
we see that it is unable to carry out its role. It is late in reaching a
resolution that would address this crisis, as Israel continues with its
violations of international conventions, including international humanitarian
law. This casts doubt on the credibility of the mechanisms of international
legitimacy,” Prince Faisal said.
Hamas launches the “most intense and
extensive” missile strike against Israel since the start of Operation al-Aqsa
Storm on October 7.
He urged the international community to
take a firm stance on ending the Israeli raids on Gaza, preventing the conflict
from escalating, protecting civilians, and ending the blockade on the territory
so that aid, including medicine, food and water, can reach those in need.
The prince lamented the double standards
and “selectivity” in the application of UN rules and resolutions, warning that
the lack of accountability for the ongoing escalation risks fueling “further
violence, further destruction — it will lead to further extremism.”
He also laid the blame for the ongoing
cycles of violence on failure to implement UN resolutions and underscored the
need to acknowledge the root causes of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. Failure to do so, he went on, will hamper any chances of reaching a
durable solution to the conflict and bringing peace and security to the region.
Israel launched the devastating war
after the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance groups staged Operation al-Aqsa
Storm, a surprise attack on the occupied territories, in response to the
Israeli regime’s intensified crimes against the Palestinian people.
According to the Palestinian Health
Ministry, the Israeli aggression against Gaza has so far killed at least
5,795 people and left over 18,000 others
wounded.
Source: presstv.ir
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Qatari Emir Issues Warning Against
Israeli Massacres in the Palestinian Conflict
2023-10-24
KABUL (BNA): Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al
Thani, the Emir of Qatar, has stated that Israel should not be given the green
light to commit unconditional massacres of Palestinians.
The Emir of Qatar made this statement
during a consultative meeting of the Gulf Arab states, where he emphasized that
the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas poses a serious threat to the
region and the world.
These remarks could be seen as a
critique of Western countries, particularly the United States, which has
justified the actions of the Zionist regime and labeled these atrocities
against defenseless Palestinian people as legitimate self-defense.
In the past 18 days, Israel, alongside
the killing of approximately 5,000 Palestinians, has imposed a complete
blockade on Gaza, leaving the region under military siege.
Meanwhile, former U.S. President Barack
Obama has also issued a warning, stating that certain Israeli actions in the
war against Hamas, such as cutting off water and food supplies to Gaza, could
“alter the Palestinian perspective for generations” and weaken international
support for Israel.
Obama also highlighted that any military
strategy by Israel that disregards the human cost of war could ultimately yield
counterproductive results.
On the other hand, French President
Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday for discussions with Israeli
officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu. According to reports, Macron’s visit
to Tel Aviv is aimed at demonstrating “full solidarity” with Israel.
Before him, the President of the United
States, the UK Prime Minister, the German Foreign Minister, and several other
Western leaders visited Israel to show support for Tel Aviv in the conflict,
where hundreds of Palestinian children, women, and elderly men have become
victims.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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South Asia
Islamic Emirate Denies Claims of UNAMA’s
Report on Human Rights
Fatema Adeeb
October 24, 2023
The Islamic Emirate denied claims made
by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan’s recent report about
the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and called out the report for
lacking the ground facts.
Speaking to TOLOnews, the spokesperson
of the Afghan caretaker government, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that UNAMA has
never assessed the ground facts in Afghanistan, and he addex that the UN
Afghanistan mission has been concentrated on inferior and less-important issues
in the country.
“UNAMA has always published propaganda,
UNAMA has always misused its position other than recognizing its duty and
resolving problems in Afghanistan. The reports they published are not in line
with the facts on the ground in Afghanistan,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman
for the Islamic Emirate.
UNAMA has expressed its deep concern
over the situation of human rights in Afghanistan in its recent report of the
last three months, July to September 2023.
In the report, UNAMA voiced its concern
about the following issues.
“Limitations against women and girls,
treatment of former government’s officials and former members of security
forces, treatment of detainees, corporal punishment and death penalty,
limitations on Ashura celebration, indiscriminate detention and imprisonment of
human rights defenders and media workers…” read part of the UNAMA report.
“I am not speaking on behalf of UNAMA,
as an Afghan, I have the right to say that the Islamic Emirate should be
recognized as soon as possible and such reports will harm the process of
recognition,” said ZakiullahMuhammadi, a university lecturer.
“UNAMA’s recent report on human rights
situation in Afghanistan is quite important and I ask the officials [government
officials] not to deny it and seek resolving problems instead,” said Tariq
Farhadi, a political analyst.
In on of its previous reports, UNAMA
also claimed to have recorded “800 cases of extrajudicial killings and torture,
ill-treatment, indiscriminate detention and disappearances," claims which have been denied by the Islamic
Emirate.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185701
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Oust-Govt Movement: BangladeshIslamist
Parties Plan To Step Up Agitation
Oct 25, 2023
Some major Islamist parties and
organisations are planning to intensify their street agitation to force the
government to step down and hold the election under a neutral government.
They will not join the BNP's
anti-government movement but will hold similar programmes.
These parties are also aiming to emerge
as a third force and press home their own demands, alongside the one for the
government's resignation.
Most Islamist parties have decided not
to join the election under the incumbent government.
At the moment, 44 political parties, 14
of them Islamist, have registration with the Election Commission, which has
been made mandatory for contesting in any election.
However, several Islamist parties and
organisations are there without being registered with the EC.
Jamaat-e-Islami, which lost its
registration with the EC in 2018, has decided to step up its anti-government
agitation after Durga Puja, which ended yesterday.
Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Syeed Abdullah
Muhammad Taher told The Daily Star that their programmes would be tougher this
time compared to their previous ones and that they will be similar to BNP's
anti-government movement.
The party has already sought police
permission to hold a rally at ShaplaChattar in the capital's Motijheel area on
October 28, to press home its demands including restoration of the caretaker
government.
Hefazat-e-Islam, a Qawmi madrasa-based
organisation, will hold an "Ulama Masayek" gathering on October 25
(today) at the Engineers Institute.
There, it will give the government an
ultimatum for realising their demands, which include withdrawal of the cases
against its leaders and release of its top leaders before the election.
The organisation earlier decided to hold
its programme on October 28. As the BNP recently announced its grand rally for
that day, Hefazat later changed its schedule.
As Hefazat is a non-political
organisation, four political parties -- Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Khilafat
Andolan, Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam and Bangladesh Nezami Islami Part -- will take
to the streets under Hefazat's banner to demand the resignation of the
incumbent government.
AzizulHoqueIslamabadi, joint secretary
of Hefazat, said the government betrayed them and thus, they will pressure it
to realise their demands.
On the other hand, Islami Andolan
Bangladesh will hold a rally in the capital on November 3, demanding the
dissolution of the Election Commission and parliament, and polls under an
all-party government.
The party on Saturday sought permission
from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner to hold its rally in the
capital's SuhrawardyUdyan.
Before that, it will hold rallies in
every district headquarters on Friday with the same demands.
Though the party is not a BNP ally, it
will support the opposition's anti-government movement, party sources said.
Contacted, Islami Andolan Bangladesh's
Joint General Secretary Shahidul Islam said they are holding their own
programmes while also supporting the opposition's peaceful anti-government
agitation.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/oust-govt-movement-islamist-parties-plan-step-agitation-3451906
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Jamaat-e-IslamiWon't Be Allowed To Hold
Rally On Oct 28: DMP
Oct 25, 2023
The government will not allow
Jamaat-e-Islami to hold their rally at ShaplaChattar in the capital on October
28, Joint Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Biplob Kumar Sarker said
tonight.
"Police will not allow Jamaat to
hold the rally as the party is an anti-liberation force. Besides, the
registration of the political party has already been cancelled," he told
The Daily Star.
Biplab said if Jamaat tries to hold a
rally, police will take necessary steps against them.
Earlier, Jamaat applied to the DMP to
hold their rally at ShaplaChattar on October 28.
Source: thedailystar.net
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‘They’ll be successful’: Bangladesh
backs Saudi bids for Expo 2030, World Cup 2034
October 24, 2023
Dhaka: Bangladesh has pledged its
support for Saudi Arabia to organize Expo 2030 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup, its
foreign minister said, as he expressed confidence that the Kingdom would be
successful in hosting both events.
Saudi Arabia has already gathered
significant international backing to host both the world’s largest exhibition
and the most prestigious football tournament.
Bangladesh extended its support for Expo
2030 in August and will stand with the Kingdom for the FIFA World Cup too,
Foreign Minister Abdul Momen told Arab News on Monday.
“The Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) has
conveyed to the Saudi government that, yes, we will support them,” he said. “We
will support them in organizing the event in 2030. Another thing they have
requested is (support) for 2034. We pledged to support Saudi Arabia there
also.”
Both events will be a success if hosted
by the Kingdom because of its “very progressive approach,” Momen added.
“They will be successful in this
endeavor. Saudi Arabia has plenty of assets and their arrangements will also be
good ... That’s why I think a lot of countries will participate,” he said.
Three countries are in the running to
host World Expo 2030 — besides Saudi Arabia’s bid to hold it in Riyadh, there
is also South Korea’s in Busan and Italy’s in Rome.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
announced the Saudi bid to host Expo 2030 in October last year and the country
submitted its formal application in December to the Bureau International des
Expositions, the organization behind the expo.
The host nation will be elected by
member countries during the organization’s general assembly on Nov. 28.
For the World Cup, the international
governing body of association football, FIFA, has invited bids from Asia and
Oceania for the 2034 tournament, setting a deadline of Oct. 31.
For the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the Saudi
Arabian Football Federation announced its bid on Oct. 4, intending to deliver a
world-class tournament, drawing inspiration from the Kingdom’s ongoing social
and economic transformation and deep-rooted passion for the sport.
The bid is backed by the Kingdom’s
growing experience of hosting world-class football events and its ongoing plans
to welcome fans from across the world to the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup and the
2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2396776/world
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Suppression, Crisis, and quakes deepen
Human Rights concerns in Afghanistan: UN Report
Fidel Rahmati
October 25, 2023
Richard Bennett, the Special Rapporteur
on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan on Tuesday, presented a report
on the situation in Afghanistan to the United Nations General Assembly.
The report said that Afghanistan is
currently confronted with a multitude of pressing challenges which encompass a
worsening human rights landscape due to the repressive policies of the Taliban,
a pervasive culture of impunity, an ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis,
recent devastating earthquakes, and the looming threat of massive involuntary
returns.
“Afghanistan is facing a convergence of
challenges, including a deteriorating human rights situation due to the
Taliban’s repressive policies and practices, a culture of impunity, an ongoing
humanitarian and economic crisis, recent deadly earthquakes, and the
possibility of massive involuntary returns, all of which require urgent action
to avoid further suffering and potential instability in the country and the
region,” the report said.
The Special Rapporteur voiced deep
concern about the deteriorating human rights situation, emphasising the
vulnerability of women, girls, human rights defenders, journalists, ethnic and
linguistic minorities, LGBTI individuals, persons with disabilities, and former
government officials and military personnel. The situation is dire, and the
rights and freedoms of these groups are under severe threat.
Meanwhile, the recent earthquakes in
Herat have exacerbated the already vulnerable conditions faced by Afghan
communities. The international community’s assistance is urgently needed to
alleviate the suffering of those affected by these natural disasters.
Despite assurances, Bennett highlighted
the culture of impunity for torture, inhumane treatment in detention centres,
and human rights violations against former government officials and military
personnel. Accountability for these crimes is paramount.
The Special Rapporteur underscored the
need to resume education for girls beyond the sixth grade and women’s tertiary
education. The suspension of these educational opportunities by the Taliban,
even if declared temporary, constitutes a form of gender persecution and
segregation that merits further examination.
The Taliban’s policy of narrowing the
focus of education to religious teachings, akin to “madrassa-style”
instruction, poses risks by limiting children’s access to a well-rounded
education. Coupled with unemployment and poverty, this policy could foster radicalization,
increasing the risk of homegrown terrorism and regional instability.
While some journalists have been
released, Bennett expressed concern about the chilling effect of these arrests
and the shrinking civic space in Afghanistan. Freedom of expression and a
robust media landscape are crucial for a democratic society.
The Special Rapporteur urged the
international community to prioritize human rights over geopolitical interests,
emphasizing the importance of standing up for Afghan women and girls and
ensuring their rights are not sidelined.
Therefore, Afghanistan faces a multifaceted crisis that
demands immediate attention and action from the international community.
Protecting human rights, particularly for vulnerable groups, should be a
paramount concern, and efforts to address the ongoing challenges in Afghanistan
must be pursued with urgency and determination.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/suppression-crisis-and-quakes-deepen-human-rights-concerns-in-afghanistan-un-report/
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64 Afghan refugees detained in Turkey
Fidel Rahmati
October 24, 2023
Turkish media, reporting from police
sources, say that 64 Afghan refugees were detained inside a trailer in the city
of Bitlis.
According to reports, these refugees
were detained on October 21st when the truck they travelled in was stopped for
a police checkpoint inspection in central Najeh, Bitlis province, as part of a
law enforcement operation.
According to officials in this province,
among the detained individuals, there were also two human traffickers. However,
these refugees have been handed over to the Bitlis Migration Directorate for
deportation.
The deportation of refugees, including
Afghan refugees, has significantly risen in recent months due to stricter
migrant regulations.
Alongside these forced deportations from
Turkey, disturbing allegations have emerged of refugees suffering harsh
treatment and even torture at the hands of the local police. Tragically, some
refugees have lost their lives due to the severity of these beatings.
The situation underscores the challenges
faced by Afghan migrants, who continue to seek refuge in neighbouring countries
like Turkey, driven by increasing poverty, security threats, prosecution and
unemployment back in Afghanistan.
According to reports, more than 3,500
Afghan refugees have been detained and deported from Turkey in the current
year. This comes as, over the past two years, the migration of Afghan citizens
to neighbouring countries and, subsequently, to Turkey continues due to rising
poverty and unemployment.
Source: khaama.com
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8,000 Afghan migrants forced to return
from Pakistan and Iran
Fidel Rahmati-
October 24, 2023
The Ministry of Refugees and
Repatriation of Afghanistan has confirmed the ongoing deportation of Afghan
citizens from Pakistan and Iran, revealing that over 8,000 Afghan migrants have
been forcefully sent back from these two countries.
On Thursday, through a press release,
the Ministry announced that approximately 5,196 Afghan migrants were forcibly
returned to Afghanistan as of October 24 through the Turghandi and Spin Boldak
border crossings.
According to officials at the border
authorities in Nangarhar and Kandahar, 676 families, comprising 4,606
individuals, were forcibly returned to Afghanistan through the Turghandi
crossing. Additionally, 209 other returning families, consisting of 1,190 individuals,
were repatriated via the Spin Boldak border.
Meanwhile, the border official in Islam
Qala continues to report that approximately 3,310 Afghan migrants have
voluntarily and involuntarily returned from Iran as of Monday, October 23rd.
Among these individuals, both families and
singles, 344 have been identified as vulnerable and in need of assistance, and
they have been referred to the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
for support.
Pakistan and Iran had previously made
public their plans to expel Afghan nationals lacking proper legal documentation
upon entry into their territories. This announcement stirred significant
national and international responses.
Despite the notable reactions generated
by these decisions, the repatriation of Afghan citizens from Pakistan and Iran
remains an ongoing process.
The determination of these countries to
enforce deportation policies underscores the complexities surrounding the
status of Afghan migrants and their place in the region’s broader immigration
discourse.
Source: khaama.com
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Deputy PM, UN Coordinator Discuss
Relations Between IEA and International Community
2023-10-24
KABUL (BNA): The United Nations special
coordinator for Afghanistan, FeridunSinirlioğlu, met with Mawlavi Abdul Salam
Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs of the Islamic Emirate
of Afghanistan (IEA), and expressed the UN’s desire to have good relations with
the IEA and to see Afghanistan as an active member of the international
community.
According to a statement from the Prime
Minister’s office, Sinirlioğlu praised the progress made by the IEA in ensuring
security and stability in Afghanistan and said that the UN is working to
resolve the misunderstanding between the international community and the IEA.
He also stressed the need for technical
and development assistance to Afghanistan in the current challenging situation.
Mawlavi Hanafi said that the IEA seeks
positive relations with the world based on mutual respect and interaction, and
welcomed the meetings between the IEA officials and the UN representatives as a
good way to clear up misunderstandings.
He emphasized that issues should be
resolved through dialogue and resolution.
Mawlavi Hanafi also said that the IEA
wants to develop Afghanistan and that no one is allowed to use Afghanistan’s
soil against the security of others.
He highlighted the achievements of the
IEA in providing complete security, banning drug cultivation, production, n and
trafficking, and eradicating administrative corruption in Afghanistan.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://bakhtarnews.af/en/iea-deputy-prime-minister-and-fereydon-sinirlioglu-emphasizes-on-continuous-interaction-between-iea-and-the-international-community/
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BNP to get permission for event if it
promises peaceful event: home minister
Oct 24, 2023
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal
today said permission for BNP's October 28 rally will be given if the party
promises that the event will be peaceful and there will not be any criminal
activities.
"I believe the BNP will conduct
their rally in a peaceful manner, and they will be granted permission. The
police commissioner will evaluate their assurances and then make a
decision," Asaduzzaman told an event.
He added that the BNP has lost
significant public support due to its history of anarchy, militancy, and
terrorism.
While inaugurating the Madhubagh
playground in the capital, he said people abhor terrorism, and are determined
to move forward.
He believes it will be difficult for the
BNP to regain people's trust.
The BNP appears to be engaged in
conspiracies to obstruct the country's progress with its programmes. However,
the government has not prevented it from conducting the programmes.
The minister encouraged the BNP to
connect with the people and participate in the electoral process.
"Rather than pursuing such means,
the BNP has a tendency to resort to strikes, blockades, and to bringing Dhaka
to a standstill.
"Thousands of people need to come
to the capital to leave the country, critical patients needing medical care
arrive in Dhaka, and numerous essential activities within the capita."
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/bnp-get-permission-event-if-it-promises-peaceful-event-home-minister-3451706
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PM arrives in Brussels to attend Global
Gateway Forum
Oct 25, 2023
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in
Brussels yesterday evening for a three-day official visit to Belgium to attend
the "Global Gateway Forum" from October 25 to 26.
She is in Brussels at the invitation of
the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
A commercial flight of Biman Bangladesh
Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage landed at the
Brussels-Zaventem Airport, Belgium at 6:30pm (local time).
Bangladesh Ambassador to Belgium Mahbub
Hassan Saleh received the prime minister at the airport.
Earlier, the flight departed from Hazrat
Shahjalal International Airport at 11:10am.
During the visit, the prime minister
will have a number of meetings with leaders of European countries on the
sidelines of the forum.
She is scheduled to return home on
October 27.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/pm-arrives-brussels-attend-global-gateway-forum-3452136
-------
Connecting Afghanistan to BRI Discussed
in China: Dep. Minister
Bibi Amina Hakimi,
October 24, 2023
Sediqullah Abid, Deputy of the Ministry
of Transport and Civil Aviation, said that during his trip to China there was a
discussion about increasing flights, making it easier to get visas, and
connecting Afghanistan to the “Belt and Road Initiative" project.
After his trip to China, Abid emphasized
that the problems in obtaining a Chinese visa will be resolved.
“Travel and flight visas have been
discussed, problem-solving and increasing flights between Kabul and China have
been discussed,” said Sediqullah Abid.
Abid has said that currently the
groundwork for the implementation of large projects in Afghanistan has been
provided, and during the visit to China, he also called for the connection of
Afghanistan to the “Belt and Road Initiative" project.
“The current situation of Afghanistan,
the Islamic system is ruling, and the security is all over, and the ground has
been provided for the implementation of the project,” said Sediqullah Abid.
The Chamber of Commerce and Investment
said that in order to increase trade between Afghanistan and China, it is
necessary for the Islamic Emirate to provide more facilities.
“I hope that the trip will have good
results, both in terms of flights and cargo. We import all raw materials from
China and we need to have good communication with China,” said Mohammad Yonis
Momand, deputy of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment.
“As much as the economic relations
between the two countries improve and the challenges are removed, the
development of trade and investment will definitely be effective for both
countries,” said Sakhi Ahmad Payman, deputy of the Chamber of Industry and Mines.
Earlier, the Ministry of Industry and
Commerce said that China and Afghanistan are interested in connecting through
the Wakhan Corridor.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/business-185695
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North America
Biden's Israel stance angers Arab,
Muslim Americans; could jeopardise 2024 votes
OCTOBER 25, 2023
WASHINGTON — Arab and Muslim Americans
and their allies are criticising President Joe Biden's response to the
Israel-Hamas war, asking him to do more to prevent a humanitarian crisis in
Gaza or risk losing their support in the 2024 election.
Many Arab Americans are upset Biden has
not pushed for any humanitarian ceasefire even as Palestinians are killed
fleeing Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip, more than a dozen academics,
activists, community members and administration officials said.
Their growing frustration could impact
Democrat Biden's reelection bid, which opinion polls show is likely to be a
rematch with the Republican frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.
In hotly contested Michigan, Arab
Americans account for five per cent of the vote. In other battleground states
Pennsylvania and Ohio, they are between 1.7 per cent to two per cent, said Jim
Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute.
Biden won Michigan with 50.6 per cent of
the vote in 2020, compared to 47.8 per cent for Trump, and Pennsylvania with
50.01 per cent to Trump's 48.84 per cent, a difference of less than 81,000
votes.
Arab and Muslim Americans are unlikely
to back Trump but could sit out the election and not vote for Biden, some
activists said.
"I do think it will cost him
Michigan," said Laila El-Haddad, a Maryland-based author and social
activist from Gaza.
While condemning the Oct 7 attacks by
Hamas on civilians in Israel that killed 1,400 people, Arab Americans said the
Israeli response was disproportionate and Biden's failure to condemn the
bombardment has many questioning his promise of a "human rights
centred" foreign policy.
On Tuesday (Oct 24), US officials joined
the United Nations and Canada in pushing for a pause in Israel's attacks on
Gaza so food, water and medicine could be delivered to Palestinian civilians.
Demands for policy change
Abdullah Hammoud, the first Arab
American mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, home to the largest Muslim per capita
population in the US, decried Biden's failure to condemn Israeli threats to cut
off water, electricity and food for over two million Palestinians in Gaza.
"Nothing could have prepared us for
the complete erasure of our voices and radio silence from those whom we elected
to protect and represent us," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Our family members trapped in Gaza have been ignored, our calls for a
ceasefire drowned out by the drums of war."
The White House said Biden and other US
officials have repeatedly pushed to get Americans in Gaza released, and Biden
on Tuesday said aid arriving there was "not fast enough".
Linda Sarsour, a former executive
director of the Arab American Association of New York, told hundreds of
attendees at a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) event on Saturday
that Muslim Americans should make any political donations contingent on a
change in policies.
Many are pressuring Biden to push Israel
to temporarily halt its attacks on the Gaza Strip that have killed thousands of
Palestinians.
Israel’s bombing of Gaza is "now in
the realm of genocide targeting the entire Palestinian population," said
CAIR, the largest Muslim civil rights group in the US, adding that government
officials will be "complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza" unless
they intervene.
Biden's push for more than US$14 billion
(S$19 billion) in new US aid to Israel is also drawing fire.
"If you look at his rhetoric, it's
unbelievable, and now they are trying to pump billions and billions of dollars
militarily into Israel, with some US$100 million in humanitarian aid for the
Palestinians," said Sa'edAtshan, a Quaker Palestinian American who teaches
peace and conflict studies at Pennsylvania's Swarthmore College.
Even Biden's former boss, President
Barack Obama, usually a staunch backer of Biden's policies, offered some
pointed public advice on Monday, calling on the US to continue leading the
world "in accelerating critical aid and supplies to an increasingly
desperate Gaza population".
White House responds to critics
Biden has appointed more Arab Americans
and Muslims to political posts than any predecessor, as well as the first two
Muslim federal judges, but that diversity has not impacted policy for the
self-described "Zionist" President.
Some Arab American and Muslim appointees
are scared of backlash and reprisals and worried about family members in the
region, said one White House official, who is Arab American.
"There are very vocal people in the
administration who have concerns," the official said. US officials with
family in the region are doubly stressed by the "ambassadorial" role
they play as they field agitated messages from relatives and others angry at
Biden's Israel strategy.
The White House said it was aware of and
responding to criticism of its policies by meeting with administration
officials and community members, and underscored Biden's efforts in public and
behind the scenes to ensure aid reached Gaza. Biden has also made forceful
speeches since taking office on the need to confront Islamophobia and hate of
all kinds, it said.
Biden's chief of staff Jeff Zients and
adviser Anita Dunn are meeting staffers and community members and urging
cabinet secretaries to do the same, White House officials said.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan
and his principal deputy Jon Finer met with Arab and Muslim American community
leaders on Oct 13, and the White House officials hosted 30 Palestinian American
youth on Friday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken
acknowledged the personal difficulties some staff are facing in a Thursday
letter, and met Monday with Palestinian and Arab American community leaders and
Jewish American groups.
One 11-year State department veteran,
the director of congressional and public affairs for its Bureau of
Political-Military Affairs, Josh Paul, quit his job last week. Top officials
refused to respond to his concerns about "blindly rushing lethal arms to
Israel while the people of Gaza face obliteration," he said in a posting
on LinkedIn.
Source: asiaone.com
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---------
CAIR-NY Calls for Hate Crime Charges in
Road Rage Murder of Sikh Man
Ismail Allison
October 24, 2023
(NEW YORK CITY, NY, 10/24/2023) – The
New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today
called for hate crime charges for the suspect in a road rage murder of a Sikh
man in New York City.
Jasmer Singh, 68, was attacked Thursday
after getting into a car accident on the Wan Wyck Expressway. The driver of the
car Singh accidentally hit reportedly assaulted him. Singh spent a day in the
hospital before he died from his injuries. Singh’s family said the attacker
referenced Singh’s faith and religious clothing, and they are asking police to
pursue hate crime charges.
“We urge law enforcement authorities to
thoroughly investigate whether there was a bias motive for this horrific crime
and to bring appropriate charges based on the results of that investigation,”
said CAIR-NY Executive Director AfafNasher. “We extend our deepest condolences
to the Singh family and the Sikh community of New York City.”
She noted that last week, CAIR-NY
condemned the reported hate crime assault on Sunday of a Sikh young man wearing
a turban.
CAIR-NY’s mission is to protect civil
rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American
Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY esproteger las
libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y
empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Do you like reading CAIR-NY’s press
releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to
CAIR-NY’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across
the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor.
Supporters like you make CAIR-NY’s advocacy work possible and defeating
Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR-NY.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-ny-calls-for-hate-crime-charges-in-road-rage-murder-of-sikh-man/
--------
CAIR Calls Biden Administration’s
Refusal to Seek Gaza Ceasefire as Americans Face Israeli Bombing ‘Unacceptable’
Ismail Allison
October 24, 2023
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/24/2023) – The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil
rights and advocacy organization, today said it was “unacceptable” for the
Biden administration to continue refusing to seek a ceasefire in Gaza despite
the fact that many American travelers and hostages are under Israeli
bombardment that has already killed 5,791 Palestinians, including 2,360
children.
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy
Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“If President Biden wanted to force the
Israeli government to allow Americans trapped in Gaza to evacuate, he could do
so today. Our nation is instead actively enabling the Israeli government’s mass
bombing of men, women and children in Gaza, including both American citizens
who cannot evacuate because of the blockade and American citizens reportedly
held hostage. The Biden administration must pursue a ceasefire, demand the
reopening of the Rafah entry point, launch negotiations to secure the
evacuation or release of all Americans trapped in Gaza, and seek a permanent
end to the violence.”
He noted that yesterday, CAIR called
Israeli attacks on Gaza “genocide” after the death toll of Palestinians topped
5,000, including more than 2,000 children.
CAIR also said U.S. officials will be
complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza unless they intervene after the
Israeli government announced that any Palestinian civilians who refuse to leave
their homes in north Gaza could be identified as accomplices with a terrorist
organization, and presumably targeted for killing by Israeli forces.
[NOTE: More than 70,000 Americans have
used CAIR’s action alert to contact their members of Congress and call for an
end to the violence and the renewal of U.S.-led efforts to end the occupation.
SEE: Urge Your Members of Congress to Address Root Cause of Mideast Violence
(cair.com) ]
BACKGROUNDER:
CAIR condemned a deadly Israeli
airstrike targeting the Greek Orthodox Church campus in Gaza that killed 17
people.
Israel’s far-right defense minister has
said that Israel is fighting “human animals” and that the entire Gaza
population would be treated accordingly through a “complete siege” on the Gaza
Strip that block all supplies of electricity, food and fuel. UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres he is “deeply distressed” by that blockade.
According to the Geneva Convention,
states must allow the free passage of medical supplies, food, and other relief
supplies for the benefit of a civilian population.
The Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court states that it a war crime to: “Intentionally using starvation
of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable
to their survival, includin[sic] impeding relief supplies as provided for under
the Geneva Conventions.”
Collective punishment is also prohibited
by Article 33 of the Geneva Conventions, which states: “No protected person may
be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective
penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are
prohibited.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil
rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American
Muslims.
La misión de CAIR esproteger las
libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y
empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-calls-biden-administrations-refusal-to-seek-gaza-ceasefire-as-americans-face-israeli-bombing-unacceptable/
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Obama issues warning to Israel
25 Oct, 2023
Former US President Barack Obama has
endorsed Israel’s right to defend against “wanton violence” by Hamas, but
warned that a strategy that “ignores the human cost” would be
counterproductive.
In an essay released on Medium on
Monday, Obama backed President Joe Biden’s call for the US to “support our
long-time ally in going after Hamas, dismantling its military capabilities,”
and freeing the hostages taken in the October 7 attack.
However, Obama argued, it is important
that Israel’s strategy “abides by international law” and minimizes the death
and suffering of civilians. Not just because it is “morally just and reflects
our belief in the inherent value of every human life” but because it is “vital
for building alliances and shaping international opinion — all of which are
critical for Israel’s long-term security.”
Pointing out that thousands of
Palestinians have already been killed, including children, and hundreds of
thousands displaced, Obama argued that the crackdown on Gaza could “further
harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global support for Israel,
play into the hands of Israel’s enemies, and undermine long term efforts” to
achieve peace.
Obama advised both the US and Israel to
reach out to “those Palestinian leaders and organizations that recognize
Israel’s right to exist” and start “articulating a viable pathway” for
Palestinian statehood, as “the best and perhaps only way to achieve the lasting
peace and security most Israeli and Palestinian families yearn for.”
He also urged both countries to “to do
our best to put our best values, rather than our worst fears, on display,” and
oppose both “anti-Semitism in all its forms” and “anti-Muslim, anti-Arab or
anti-Palestinian sentiment.”
This means “guarding against
dehumanizing language towards the people of Gaza, or downplaying Palestinian
suffering — whether in Gaza or the West Bank — as irrelevant or illegitimate,”
concluded Obama, who was the US president from 2009 to 2017.
The October 7 incursion by Hamas
militants resulted in the deaths of more than 1,400 Israelis. Israel has
responded by declaring war and vowing to “dismantle” the Palestinian group,
while imposing a “total blockade” on Gaza. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen declared
on Tuesday that there was “no room for a balanced approach” after the attacks,
and that “Hamas must be wiped out from the world!”
Meanwhile, West Jerusalem’s envoy to the
UN called on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to resign on Tuesday, for
daring to suggest that the Hamas attack “did not happen in a vacuum” and may
have been related to “56 years of suffocating occupation” by Israel.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/585728-obama-israel-gaza-backfire/
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US Treasury seeking coalition against
Hamas financing: Official
October 25, 2023
WASHINGTON: Washington aims to build an
international coalition to target the financing of Hamas, a top US Treasury
official said Tuesday, as conflict rages on in the Middle East.
The comments to AFP by Deputy Treasury
Secretary Wally Adeyemo come after the United States unveiled fresh sanctions
last week on Hamas members, operatives and financial facilitators.
“Our goal is to build a coalition with
countries both in the region but also around the world to go after their
financing,” Adeyemo said on the sidelines of an event in Washington.
Hamas gunmen stormed across the border
from Gaza into Israel on October 7, carrying out the deadliest attack since the
country was created in 1948 and taking over 200 people hostage.
In retaliation, Israel announced it
would destroy Hamas and began a relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of civilians have been killed
on both sides since the conflict began.
Adeyemo said that during a trip to
Europe later this week, he plans to meet with “allies and partners and talk
about what we can do in a coordinated way to go after Hamas’ financial
network.”
While the United States has previously
issued a number of sanctions against Hamas, which Washington has designated a
terrorist group, Adeyemo said the organization has tried to find ways around
the restrictions — such as by using cryptocurrencies and new facilitators.
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel
Macron — on a solidarity visit to Israel — called for Hamas to be added to the
targets of an international coalition against the Daesh group.
Without commenting on Macron’s specific
remarks, Adeyemo told AFP that “the strategy that was used to counteract the
Islamic State and other terrorist groups is the one we have to use here.”
Brian Nelson, the Treasury under
secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, is also visiting Qatar and
Saudi Arabia this week.
He held a meeting with “a number of Gulf
countries, where they talked about what they can do to increase their focus on
terrorism as well,” said Adeyemo.
“We look forward to taking additional
actions when it comes to sanctions and using some of our other tools against
Hamas,” Adeyemo added.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2397201/world
--------
US has 'high confidence' Palestinian
rocket caused Gaza hospital blast: official
Oct 25, 2023
US intelligence officials have
"high confidence" that an explosion at a Gaza hospital last week was
caused by a Palestinian rocket that broke up mid-flight, and not by Israel, a
US official said on Tuesday.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said
471 people were killed in the blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital on Oct. 17.
Palestinians and Arab states said an Israeli air strike hit the hospital.
Israel said the blast was caused by a
failed rocket launch by the Palestinian militant Islamic Jihad group, which has
denied responsibility.
US President Biden said a day after the
incident, while visiting Tel Aviv, that the explosion appeared to be the result
of an errant rocket fired by a "terrorist group", echoing Israel's
view.
The New York Times, NBC News and other
US media reported the US intelligence assessment earlier on Tuesday, citing a
briefing with reporters. The US official declined to be named as the
information remained confidential.
The officials said there was still
uncertainty around the death toll and the number of injuries, the New York
Times reported. The officials said there was little damage to the hospital and
the structure did not collapse, it reported.
The intelligence assessment was based on
Israeli intercepts of Palestinian groups, publicly available video,
communications intercepts provided by the Israelis and images of the blast and
the aftermath, the officials told the newspaper.
An unclassified US intelligence report
seen by Reuters two days after the blast estimated the death toll was
"probably at the low end of the 100 to 300 spectrum" but added that
the assessment may evolve.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/world/israel-hamas-war/news/us-has-high-confidence-palestinian-rocket-caused-gaza-hospital-blast-official-3452251
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Pakistan
If Imran’s safety not guaranteed, how
can polls be secured: ECP
October 25, 2023
Iftikhar A. Khan
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of
Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday summoned the interior secretary to appear in person
on Nov 13 to explain why PTI chief Imran Khan could not be produced for a
contempt hearing.
The development came as a four-member
ECP bench, led by Sindh member Nisar Ahmed Durrani, conducted a hearing on the
matter of contempt of ECP and the chief election commissioner against Mr Khan
and two former PTI officials, Fawad Chaudhry and Asad Umar.
While Mr Chaudhry and Mr Umar were
present, Mr Khan could not be brought from Adiala Jail to the proceedings —
something PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen described as the “real insult” to the
Election Commission.
The assistant inspector general of
police (operations) presented a report suggesting potential risks associated
with transporting Mr Khan from the densely populated area of Rawalpindi. The
report said the PTI chairman had himself said there were threats to his life.
At this, Mr Durrani, the ECP’s member from Sindh, asked the AIG about the
credibility of Mr Khan’s claims.
Summons interior secretary over PTI
chief’s absence from contempt hearing
When the interior ministry said the ECP
should hold the hearing at Adiala Jail, the bench raised concerns over the
ministry’s capabilities, asking that if it couldn’t ensure the security of one
individual, “how will the upcoming elections be conducted?”
“How can the ministry order the
commission? The interior secretary should appear himself,” the ECP observed and
adjourned the hearing until Nov 13.
This decision follows the ECP’s recently
issued production orders for the jailed PTI chairman in contempt cases.
In the Oct 11 hearing, Advocate Shoaib
Shaheen told the commission that Mr Khan was in jail and couldn’t attend the
proceedings unless a production order was issued.
On Oct 19, a written order shared with
the media emphasised the need for a swift verdict in the case lingering since
August last year.
“It is a matter of record that the
matter was pending adjudication since August 2022 and has to be decided without
any further delay,” the order said.
“Since the respondent is in jail and his
personal appearance is mandatory to proceed further with the matter. In such
view of the matter, there is no alternate except to issue production order of
respondent namely Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi,” it said.
The ECP bench asked the office to convey
the directions to the superintendent of Adiala Jail to make all necessary
arrangements to produce Mr Khan for the proceedings. The police chiefs of
Islamabad and Punjab were also asked to ensure foolproof security for Mr Khan
in this regard.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1783488/if-imrans-safety-not-guaranteed-how-can-polls-be-secured-ecp
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Reporters Without Borders assails
‘duplicity’ in Arshad Sharif murder probe
October 25, 2023
KARACHI: Following a year-long
investigation into the murder of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya,
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has accused authorities in both countries of
being uncooperative and engaging in duplicity.
According to a press release by the RSF,
the investigations have been marred by opacity, misleading information, a lack
of collaboration, and a failure to apprehend the suspects.
This lack of action appears to
prioritise personal interests over revealing the truth about Mr Sharif’s death
and delivering justice for his family.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court, which
initially took responsibility for investigating the Pakistani side of the case,
aiming to simplify the complexities of this transnational incident, has not
conducted any hearings on the matter since June 3.
Says investigations marred by misleading
information, lack of collaboration
The RSF press release added that Kenyan
authorities attributed the shooting to “mistaken identity,” claiming a
roadblock targeted a stolen vehicle.
It said the claim “lacked credibility”
as the stolen van bore no resemblance to Mr Sharif’s Land Cruiser, which was
moving in the opposite direction.
The Independent Police Oversight
Authority stated that officers’ firing was in response to shots from Mr
Sharif’s car, but no weapon evidence was found, the RSF statement added. The
probe has stalled, with the officers still free which has raised concerns.
The report briefly examined Pakistani
security services’ potential involvement in the case, despite their role in Mr
Sharif’s flight.
Mr Sharif was killed near Nairobi on
October 24, 2022.
Source: dawn.com
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Discussion in Islamabad on Afghan
refugees’ issue abandoned after police ‘raid’
October 25, 2023
Munawer Azeem
ISLAMABAD: The capital police on Tuesday
allegedly raided ‘The Black Hole’, a small community hall in Islamabad’s G-11
sector, minutes before start of a panel discussion on the issue of the
repatriation of the Afghan refugees.
A participant of the panel discussion
told Dawn that a team of the Islamabad Police, led by Station House Officer
(SHO) of Ramna police station Alamgir Khan, raided ‘The Black Hole’ community
hall, where a panel discussion was to take place on the issue of the
repatriation of Afghan refugees.
He said that eminent politician Afrasiab
Khattak and the author and researcher Sajjad Azhar were to take part in the
discussion.
The SHO, he alleged, ordered the
organisers to cancel the event and claimed that he had come there on the deputy
commissioner’s order.
The police officer, he said, failed to
provide a written order to this effect. He alleged that some of the police
personnel manhandled the staff members and threw one of them in the police
vehicle.
Later, when the police noticed the
arrival of a few news reporters with cameras, they backed down and left the
venue, he said.
Before leaving, he said, the SHO hurled
threats of dire consequences at a senior staff member of The Black Hole.
Although Mr Khattak and Mr Azhar refused
to be intimidated by the police threats, the organisers decided to abandon the
event.
The Black Hole is a community space
created for open discussions and creative discourse on various social issues.
It has been working since early 2022. It
may be mentioned that it has hosted over 450 events in one year since its
inception.
SHO Mr Khan, when contacted, denied that
the police raided The Black Hole.
He said the police had reached the venue
and only asked for an NOC (no objection certificate) from the organisers of the
programme as Section 144 of the CrPC was imposed on capital by the city
administration.
However, he said, the organisers failed
to produce any NOC, and in response, the police asked to cancel the discussion.
Source: dawn.com
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Plan in place to deport undocumented
migrants in Rawalpindi division
October 25, 2023
Aamir Yasin
RAWALPINDI: As the Nov 1 deadline for
the expulsion of undocumented migrants approaches, the local administration and
the law enforcement agencies have chalked up a plan to expel at least 24,000
foreign nationals residing in Rawalpindi Division’s six districts.
According to the data collected so far,
the number of “illegal residents” across the division is around 24,018. Out of
this, 10,000 people are living in Attock district; 1,200 in Chakwal district;
818 in Jhelum district and 12,000 in Rawalpindi district. Authorities claimed
all these foreign nationals did not have proof of identity.
Talking to Dawn, Commissioner Liaquat
Ali Chattha said arrangements had been completed to evict “illegal foreigners”
and in this regard, a mass transit centre had been established in Attock where
immigrants would be kept before being deported to Afghanistan via Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
“The newly-constructed university
building of Pir Mehr Ali Shah-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi
(PMAS-AAUR) in Attock will be used as the transit centre. We will also provide
temporary stay to ‘illegal Afghans’ from other parts of Punjab,” he said.
Police detain 27 Afghan nationals
“In every district of the province, the
authorities have established transit centres, but Attock will have a mass
transit centre due to its proximity to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he added.
The commissioner said they would keep
the illegal immigrants there and conduct bio-metric along with other
identification procedures, adding that the building was constructed recently
and had 100 rooms, which would be “enough to accommodate these immigrants”.
“In Rawalpindi, 200 beds hospital
building in Rawat will be utilised to house undocumented Afghans rounded up
from the district,” he said and added that the action against undocumented
immigrants would start from November 1.
Meanwhile, a joint implementation
committee met at the commissioner’s office to finalise the plan to evict
undocumented foreign nationals. Regional Police Officer Syed Khurram Ali also
participated in the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, the
commissioner said data of foreign nationals “residing illegally throughout the
division is in finalising stage”.
“Afghan nationals were given the
deadline of October 31, 2023, and since the given date is approaching, stern
action will be started from November 1, 2023,” he added.
He directed that the deputy
commissioners and DPOs of all districts of Rawalpindi submit their “final
lists” to the commissioner’s office after comparing their tally with other
security agencies.
“Along with this, a specific place
should be identified where these foreigners are to be assembled; arrangements
for their stay, food, and transportation to the Torkham border should be
completed immediately,” he directed.
The commissioner said before this
operation, a strong awareness campaign was launched by the administration
urging the refugees to go back voluntarily or face a crackdown by the state. He
added that no one would be abused during the process, but the government would
not allow “illegal foreigners” to stay in Pakistan.
Speaking on the occasion, RPO Syed
Khurram Ali said the government approved the issuance of eviction orders under
the Foreigners Act from November 1.
“Arrest, detention and deportation of
Afghan nationals have been decided under the Foreigners Act,” he said. The
police official said under-trial and convicted Afghan citizens for serious
crimes would not be deported, while under-trial and Afghan citizens convicted
for minor crimes would be deported.
“Afghans arrested from Punjab will be
sent to Rawalpindi for deportation and then they will be transferred to the
established centre. He said Afghans staying illegally [in Pakistan] have no
option but to leave Pakistan till October 31,” the RPO said.
On the other hand, the Rawalpindi police
arrested more than 27 Afghan nationals from different parts of the district.
According to sources, the city police officer directed the police across the
district to detain Afghan nationals residing or doing business in their
respective jurisdictions.
They said the police had arrested 18
Afghans from Jatli, five from Mandra, two from Race Course, and two from Gujar
Khan areas till the filing of this report.
A police official said that following
the caretaker cabinet’s decision to deport foreign nationals residing illegally
in the country, the police had started “collecting data of Afghans living
illegally in Rawalpindi”.
A significant number of Afghan nationals
have been residing in different parts of Rawalpindi, including Pirwadhai,
Sadiqabad and Naseerabad. Many Afghan citizens have also settled in urban or
semi-urban areas as well as villages.— Additional repoting by Mohammad Asghar
Source: dawn.com
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Pakistan reiterates strong condemnation
of Israeli airstrikes, military action in Gaza
October 25, 2023
At the UN Security Council meeting on
the situation in Middle East, Pakistan has reiterated its strong condemnation
of Israeli airstrikes and military action in Gaza.
In his remarks, Pakistan's Permanent
Representative to the UN Munir Akram said the Israeli attacks on civilians,
civilian objects and infrastructure, blockade of water, food and fuel as well
as the forced transfer of people from the occupied territory, are flagrant
violations of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes. He said
those responsible for these atrocity crimes must be held accountable.
Munir Akram said any attempt to create a
false equivalence between Israel, the occupying power, and the Palestinians,
the victims of this occupation is untenable legally, morally and politically.
He called for an immediate and
unconditional ceasefire. He said the perpetuation of Israeli occupation will
not bring peace to the Holy Land, stressing durable peace will emerge from the
internationally agreed two-State solution and from the creation of a secure,
viable, contiguous, and sovereign state of Palestine on the basis of the
pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Source: radio.gov.pk
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Cipher case: IHC denies Imran interim
relief on appeal against jail trial
October 25, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court
(IHC) on Tuesday refused to give interim relief to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on his intra-court appeal against his jail trial in
the cipher case.
A division bench, comprising Justice
Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, addressed the
Registrar Office objections to Khan’s intra-court appeal against his jail trial
and referred the matter to the court’s chief justice for further orders.
The PTI chief’s lawyer, Salman Akram
Raja, submitted that the federal law ministry had issued a notification for
conducting the trial of his client in the cipher case inside prison for
security concerns. He said that the ministry had no authority to issue the
notification as this power was vested in the commissioner.
The lawyer contended that a single bench
of the IHC held that it is the prerogative of the federal government to appoint
a judge of its choice. He argued that the judges were judicial officers, and
the government had no authority to “pick and choose” them.
Justice Aurangzeb observed that such a
prerogative would amount to the executive interfering in judicial powers. He
said that the IHC chief justice may constitute a new bench on the matter;
however, the division bench cannot grant any interim relief to the plaintiff.
He added that whether the appeal is maintainable or not will be decided later,
and rules cannot be violated for any person. The IHC chief justice had upheld
the decision of the jail trial and the appointment of the Official Secrets Act
court’s judge, which was challenged by the PTI chief through the intra-court
appeal.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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ECP urged to drop contempt case against
Imran
October 25, 2023
ISLAMABAD: For the first time in a
reconciliatory tone, the main lawyer of PTI Chairman Imran Khan Tuesday urged
the Election Commission of Pakistan to drop the contempt case against PTI
chairman, assuring it that in future Imran would not pass any remarks against
the electoral body.
A four-member bench of the commission,
headed by Member Sindh Nisar Durrani, heard the contempt of commission cases
against Imran, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry.
Though, the ECP had issued production
order for Imran, he could not be produced before its bench owing to security
reasons. The forum decided to summon the secretary interior in this connection.
The PTI chairman’s lawyer, Shoaib
Shaheen, appeared on his behalf and decried the ministry’s inability to ensure
the presence of Imran despite the production order. The lawyer made a request
to the bench to drop the contempt case against PTI chairman on his assurance
that in future, the PTI chairman would not say anything against it.
One of the bench members suggested to
him to go to Imran and get in writing from him an apology over his use of
intemperate and contemptuous remarks. “Difference of opinion may be everybody’s
right but resorting to use of abusive language can’t be allowed,” the ECP
member contended.
In response, the lawyer promised to take
this proposal to PTI chairman but said the case may be fixed after the general
election.
As the ministry explained to the ECP the
risks involved in case of production of PTI supremo, his lawyer said that today
there had been a real insult meted out to the commision. He noted that despite
the fact the electoral body had issued production order, the PTI chairman was
not presented before the bench.
On behalf of the Ministry of Interior,
AIG Operations Punjab Police submitted a report to the ECP about the PTI
chairman and said that there was a threat to the life of PTI chairman, which he
himself had declared in the past.
However, the police report suggested a
way out that the ECP should go to Adiala Jail and hear the case there.
The ECP bench said that ‘how can you
order us to hold a hearing in Adiala. If the Ministry of Home Affairs cannot
provide security to a person, then how will the election be held’.
The ECP was also informed that
Rawalpindi is a densely populated city and the journey from the city to
Islamabad was not free of risks. The ECP bench summoned the interior secretary
and adjourned the hearing till November 13.
Meanwhile, the ECP Tuesday decided to
extend the deadline from October 25 to October 28 for voter registration,
transfer, exclusion and correction of particulars in the electoral rolls/voter
list.
According to the ECP’s Media
Coordination and Outreach Wing, the ECP had set October 25, 2023 as the
deadline for voter registration, transfer, exclusion and correction of
particulars in the electoral rolls/voter list. However, an important meeting of
the ECP was held Tuesday under the chairmanship of the Chief Election
Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja. As a consequence of the deliberations,
the ECP has extended the deadline for voter registration till October 28, 2023
for the convenience of general public. Therefore, the general public is
requested to take advantage of this last opportunity and ensure the
registration, transfer, exclusion and accuracy of their vote till the last
date.
After the deadline, the electoral rolls
will be frozen and the vote will not be registered and transferred.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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