Ram Navami Violence: 113-Year-Old Islamic Library, Containing Rare Manuscripts, Torched In Bihar Allegedly By Bajrang Dal
New Age Islam News Bureau
26 April 2023
The
113-year-old madrasa library that was torched.
Sourced by
the Telegraph
-----
India
• BSP Nominating 11 Muslims for Mayoral Polls in UP Seen
as Move to Split SP Vote Bank
• Acting Is The Only Profession Where Hindus, Muslims,
Sikhs, Christians Work Hand-In-Hand: Actor
• Guddu Muslim 'With Beard' Frequently Changing
Location. Now Around Bengal's Murshidabad
• Karnataka Polls: Yogi Slams Congress Over
'Anti-Constitutional' Religion-Based Reservation
--------
Europe
• British Muslims Are ‘Disenfranchised At Every Level’; Race
And Class Divisions Run Deep In Britain
• Germany: Syrian man arrested in suspected Islamist
terror plot
• Islamic finance presents $6tn opportunity
• UK’s Forced Marriage Unit Underfunded And Too
Muslim-Focused, Report To Say
• Zakharova, Director, Information and Press Department
Russian FM Says Americans ‘Deliberately’ Left Weapons in Afghanistan
• Moscow Will not Recognize the Taliban Govt Unless It
Ensures Human Rights: Lavrov
--------
North
America
• Taliban Kill Islamic State 'Mastermind' Of Kabul
Airport Attack: White House
• 'A Chilling Effect': Muslim Charities Fall Prey To
Canada’s Double Standards
• Second Minneapolis mosque set afire in two days,
public's help sought finding suspect
• Islamic State Operative Behind Deadly Kabul Airport
Attack Is Dead
• Netherlands: Muslims file UN complaint against
parliament, citing discrimination
• Why an iconoclastic Jewish scholar thought Islam held
a key to improving Judaism
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Registering Marriage Important For Indonesians Abroad:
Legislator
• Temples, puppets, opera a legacy of Fujian's past at
tourist Mecca
• Malaysians have left Port Sudan for Jeddah, says Wisma
Putra
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Mideast
• Iran, Saudi Arabia Resume TradeFollowing A
China-Brokered Deal: Iranian Trade Minister
• Amir sends condolences to the Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques
• Israeli Arabs torn over judicial reforms protest
movement
• Israel complains about growing Chinese role in Middle
East at Washington's expense
• India, Iran and Armenia forms new trilateral to deepen
regional relations
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Arab World
• Muslim World League Slams Swedish Parliamentary Panel
Chief’s Remarks Offensive To Islam And Prophet
• World Bank Group President Thanks Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques for Helping Evacuate its Staff from Khartoum to Saudi Arabia
• Shoura Council delegation starts official visit to
Sweden
• Costa Rica supports Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo
2030
• King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah receives the largest
evacuation yet from Sudan
• Why Saudi patents still matter for growth and
innovation
• Saudi railways carry more than 818,000 passengers
during Ramadan
• Saudi Arabia: Mecca buses transported 7.5 million in
Ramadan
• Sharjah Ramadan Festival 2023 sales exceed $81.6mln
• Saudi authorities thwart bid to smuggle 12.7m
amphetamine pills
• UAE launches Domestic Dirhams Islamic Treasury Sukuk
with size of AED1.1 billion
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South Asia
• Taliban Consulted Gen Bajwa Before Asking India to
Send Diplomats Back to Kabul: New BookTitled ‘The Return of the Taliban’
• Afghan Refugees Told By UK Home Office They Will Have
To Find Their Own Accommodation
• Bangladesh unveils Indo-Pacific Strategy; expert says
it is still trying to placate China
• A decade after Rana Plaza, Bangladesh garment workers
fight on
• India-Bangladesh Border Forces Unite Siblings for
Heartfelt Farewell
• US Envoy Says “No Normalization of Relations with the
Taliban”
--------
Pakistan
Massive Protest
In Pakistan’s Gwadar On Eid Demanding Release Of Missing Persons
Emaan Islamic
Banking and TPL Insurance join hands to launch Emaan All-in-One Account
COAS Asim
Munir, Chinese army commander discuss security, military cooperation
Ship carrying
37 Pakistanis from Sudan port reaches Jeddah: FO
--------
Africa
• You’re Free To Live, Do Your Business Anywhere, Peter
Obi Assures Muslims
• ‘No governor has taken us to Mecca since Obi left
office’ – Miyetti Allah chair
• Why I close my nightclub during Ramadan— Shina Peller
• Rite Foods urges refreshing moments for Muslims with
its quality brands for Eid el-Fitri celebration
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Ram Navami violence: 113-year-old Islamic library, containing rare manuscripts, torched in Bihar allegedly by Bajrang Dal
The
113-year-old madrasa library that was torched.
Sourced by
the Telegraph
-----
26.04.23
Employees were
away, too, since it was a Friday. A few who were present hid themselves to
escape the mob.
The BBC report
said that according to local people, the rioters “were armed with sticks,
stones and petrol bombs and allegedly shouted provocative slogans near the
madrasa before attacking it”.
“Suddenly I
could smell smoke,” the report quoted Abdul Gaffar, a cook at the madrasa, as
saying. “When I opened the door, I saw there was a lot of chaos near the
office. They (the mob) had moved towards the hostel as well. I got scared and
hid under the bed.”
The police have
accused Bajrang Dal members of the violence that brought the town, around 70km
southeast of Patna, to a standstill for around nine days. Some 150 people,
including the Bajrang Dal’s Nalanda district convener, Kundan Kumar, have been
arrested.
In the 1930s,
the German Student Union had carried out a campaign of burning books it
considered subversive or ideologically opposed to Nazism. The books targeted
included those written by Jewish authors — among them, Albert Einstein — as
well as communists, socialists, anarchists, liberals, pacifists and others.
“When I first
saw the (library) blaze, I felt like I had lost everything. We used to discuss
how much knowledge the books contained, particularly the rare ones,” Shakir
said.
Several madrasa
employees, including Shakir, spent Ramazan and Id-ul-Fitr trying to clean the
beautifully latticed building, its pillars and walls now covered in soot, and
its electricity and water supply disrupted at a time the mercury has been
soaring to 44 degrees Celsius.
“All the
electrical wires, fittings and furniture too are burnt. The submersible motor
that pumps up water is still there, but we can’t operate it without power. We
are somehow managing to work (cleaning the building) in the scorching heat
without electricity,” Shakir said.
But cleaning
the building isn’t the same as restoring it.
“Our estimates
suggest that restoration will cost around Rs 3 crore, not to speak of the
invaluable books we have lost,” Shakir said.
He said he had
petitioned Nalanda district magistrate ShashankShubankar, the sub-divisional
officer, the circle officer and social welfare department officials seeking
help to restore the building.
“I attached a
copy of the FIR that we have registered and photographs of the fire with the
petition. But nobody has offered or promised anything so far,” Shakir said on
Monday.
“We are now
thinking of submitting a memorandum to the chief minister and education
minister for help.”
The Nalanda
district magistrate did not respond to a call to his mobile.
Bihar State
Madrasa Education Board chairman Abdus Salam Ansari told this newspaper on
Tuesday that he and his officials were trying to help the madrasa and library
get back on their feet again.
“We went to see
the place. It has been destroyed. The principal there has sought some books
from us. We will provide them with textbooks from Classes I to XII,” Ansari
said.
“We shall take
the matter up at our next board meeting and discuss possible ways to help the
madrasa and library further. We are also in touch with the education and
minority welfare departments because renovating the burnt building will require
a lot of money, time and expertise.”
The Bihar State
Minorities Commission’s public relations officer, Farooquzzaman, said the
National Commission for Minorities had sought a report on the burning of the
library.
“Their letter
came to us last week. We have written to the Nalanda district magistrate and
sought a report from him. We may visit the place, if necessary,” Farooquzzaman
said.
Nalanda
superintendent of police Ashok Mishra said: “We are recording the statements of
victims and eyewitnesses, and taking further action. Arrests are still going
on. We have arrested around 148 people (for the overall Biharsharif violence)
while several have surrendered in court.”
A woman named
Bibi Soghara had built Madrasa Azizia in memory of her late husband, Abdul
Aziz, in 1896. The library came up a few years later.
The madrasa was
first started in Patna but was later shifted to Biharsharif, which was the Pala
dynasty’s seat of power over a millennium ago and became famous for its Sufi
saints in subsequent centuries.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/ram-navami-violence-113-year-old-library-torched-in-bihar/cid/1932443
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Muslim Influencers Are Ditching Islamic Values To Go Viral On Social Media
Photo: 5 Pillars.com
----
25th April 2023
Unfortunately,
by kowtowing to predatory algorithms, much of the Da’wah on creative mediums
has blurred the boundaries between inspirational and narcissistic content,
bearing little resemblance with the Da’wah of our pious predecessors who
recommended extreme vigilance against manipulative influences which could
compromise their sincerity.
Suffice to say,
they never craved the limelight when commanding good and forbidding evil and
preferred obscurity to stardom.
Without doubt,
conveying Islam and inviting mankind to the worship of Allah ranks among the
noblest of deeds. All the Messengers were entrusted with this responsibility,
which became a defining hallmark of Prophethood and example for those aspiring
in their footsteps.
While the
styles and means of Da’wah can vary depending on capability and resources, there
is no dispute among the Ulema that anyone undertaking this mission must possess
some distinguishing characteristics – notably wisdom, sincerity and humility.
In the digital
age where Da’wah is nigh impossible without some level of tech engagement,
harnessing the ubiquitous power of social media has become the primary means of
Islamic outreach for many scholars, students of knowledge and influencers.
But despite the
communicative power of platforms like Facebook, YouTube and TikTok, it is
important to recognise that the overwhelming presence of content sharing
networks presents a unique set of challenges to contemporary Da’wah efforts,
mainly in the form of algorithms and what can broadly be described as the
“attention economy.”
Algorithms are
mathematical rules which determine the behaviour of data.
In social media
platforms, algorithms assist with ranking search results and advertisements and
direct content and pages to display in a particular order.
Given its
billions of users worldwide and with so much content being uploaded by the
minute, navigating the social media space is fraught with complexity.
Therefore, social networks use algorithms to sort content in a user’s feed.
Generally
speaking, algorithms involve filtering out irrelevant content and prioritising
material which users will likely engage with based on a number of factors, such
as recency, popularity, quality and level of interaction. Furthermore, they are
generally designed to nudge towards a corporation’s profits through
personalised and targeted advertising all vying for our attention.
To stand out
from all the noise, content creators are incentivised to use algorithms to
their advantage in order to drive up subscriptions and increase the number of
followers, likes and any other stimuli specific to the platform of choice.
Attention
Economy
Regrettably,
much of the Da’wah on social media today is bound by these algorithmic
constraints and is victim to the attention economy, according to which
attention is a scarce commodity which users must compete for.
It’s almost
impossible to ignore a growing trend among Muslim social media influencers to
use any means necessary to capture user attention, whether that be for
traction, ad revenue or a plethora of other reasons.
From tasteless
clickbait thumbnails to sensationalist buzzwords in upload descriptions, I’m
not the only one to have noticed these unbecoming practices to increase search
engine optimisation, monetise from content and expand one’s organic reach in
the competitive social media environment.
Herein lies a
key dilemma confronting many Muslim social media influencers and in particular,
those involved in Da’wah.
While their
intentions may be sincere, their Da’wah is hinged entirely on platforms which
reward self-promotional tendencies and whose business model views consumers as
data commodities, capitalising on what grabs our attention, often in the form
of bite-sized meaningless content.
Therefore, it
is tempting to convert our platforms into brand-building exercises and develop
scripted online personas which are conducive to high user engagement. Sadly, in
the quest to keep afloat in an attention economy, it is not uncommon to find
Da’wah carriers resorting to sound bytes, intemperate language, provocative
hashtags and grandstanding when engaging with interlocutors and co-religionists
to generate interest and excitement.
Instead of
adopting a more soft-hearted tone which is more conducive to winning the hearts
and minds of audiences, material is carefully curated to increase views and
keep users coming back based on algorithms that track subconscious behaviour
and prioritise dopamine-saturated content where fiction outperforms reality,
controversy is king and content creators exude the marketable combination of
pazazz, notoriety and bluster to climb their way up the algorithm.
As a result of
these attention-driven metrics, much of the da’wah in the social media space
has devolved into a tabloidesque spectacle, where ad hominem attacks,
point-scoring and controversies flood our feeds and group chats. This is
primarily because algorithms do not incentivise the patience that is essential
for nurturing long-term relationships, which can only be attained through
reasoned discussions and civil exchanges where we take our egos out of the
equation and genuinely seek the betterment of those whom we passionately
disagree with.
The short-term
credibility which one may acquire through likes, views and enhanced social
capital does not always translate into a heartfelt connection with others which
is really what we ought to be aspiring for through our social media presence.
This is in
stark contrast to the Quranic injunction to debate with decorum and the
exhortations of the salaf to practise anonymous virtue, modesty and humility,
which are essential psycho-spiritual ingredients for any da’ee.
Beating the
algorithm
There is no
dearth of psychological studies citing the correlation between compulsory
social media usage and peer pressure, shortened attention spans, narcissism as
well as a slew of mental health problems ranging from depression to social
isolation.
Algorithms
undoubtedly contribute towards this phenomenon, often promoting harmful and
explicit content and material which screams of self-promotion, fuelling the
feel-good chemical in the brain for both content creators and their audiences.
As empowering
as these platforms may be for pursuits like da’wah, their evident harms should
encourage the prominent du’aat using these networks to think outside of the
social media ecosystem by redefining their relationship with the medium and
refusing to be held hostage to the algorithm.
This does not
imply abstaining from social media platforms. Rather, it entails a more
judicious approach to usage which not only mitigates risk but optimises
spiritual well-being as opposed to immediate gratification.
If we are
sucked into an endless vortex of feedback loops and preoccupied by an unhealthy
obsession with the self, we risk being lulled into a false sense of activism
which stimulates the brain’s reward system without delivering any desired
change that resonates with Islam’s naysayers. What can be more deceiving than
thinking one is on the right side of history without making a real-world
impact?
In a world
where dangerously skewed recommendation algorithms are targeting children,
exposing them to harmful subcultures and threatening to rewire users on a
neurochemical level, Muslim social media influencers have a greater moral
responsibility to buck the trend by fostering compassion and humility through
their outreach, even at the expense of algorithmic approval.
If the ultimate
end is to tactically leverage social media to earn the pleasure of Allah, then
the means that are employed to achieve this must also be keeping with the
Quranic and Prophetic guidelines. Simply, the ends do not justify the means,
however virtuous one’s mission may be.
Regardless of
the algorithmic bias, da’wah carriers must be cautious not to rely on shock
value, hot takes and the artifice of display to propagate their message.
Instead, they must build walls around anything that can lead to performative
virtue-signalling and must pledge to collectively fight the economics of social
media.
Too often, our
da’wah on social media immunises us to the inhibitions which we experience in
everyday interactions, a phenomena known as the online disinhibition effect.
However, we must build our character to a point where the etiquette and
protocols which another’s physical presence would naturally impose on us is
also present in our online interactions.
To add value to
the lives of others, one must beat the algorithm.
Source: 5pillarsuk.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://5pillarsuk.com/2023/04/25/muslim-influencers-are-ditching-islamic-values-to-go-viral-on-social-media/
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The Big History Of Albania’s Tiny Quran, Two Centimetres (0.7 Inches) Wide And One Centimetre Thick
Photo:
Kuwait Times
-----
April 25, 2023
The ritual is
always the same. Mario Prushi carefully washes his hands and face before
kissing and pressing one of the world’s smallest Qurans to his forehead.
For
generations, the postage stamp-sized book has been passed down in his family —
surviving wars and one of the world’s most fanatical “godless regimes”.
Scholars say it
is one of the smallest Qurans on record, with the minuscule holy book held
inside a silver case blackened with age.
“We have kept
it from generation to generation with absolute dedication,” Prushi, 45, told
AFP at his home in Tirana.
Just two
centimetres (0.7 inches) wide and one centimetre thick, the book almost
disappears in the palm of Prushi’s hand, and it can only be read with a small
magnifying glass embedded in its case.
The Quran is
difficult to date in the absence of scientific analysis, but according to Elton
Karaj — a researcher in Quranic studies at Beder University in Tirana — the
900-page copy has been around since at least the 19th century.
“This Quran was
printed in a very small format, one of the smallest in the world. From its
appearance, its publication dates back to the end of the 19th century. It is an
extraordinary work, very valuable. It is fortunate that this copy is in
Albania,” said Karaj.
– Miraculously
preserved –
But its size is
not the only remarkable thing about the Quran. It is also responsible for
converting the Prushi family from Catholicism to Islam.
“My
great-great-grandparents were digging the ground for a new house in the
Djakovica region of Kosovo when they found the perfectly preserved body of a
man buried there,” said Prushi.
“The Quran was
found intact laying over his heart.”
The family took
the discovery as a divine sign and embraced Islam.
His
grandfather, an officer in the army of Albania’s King Zog in the 1930s, knew
Arabic and would invite friends to his home every night to read verses from it.
Years later,
under the communist dictatorship of EnverHoxha — who completely banned all
forms of religion and sent all practicing believers to prison — the book
survived in part because it could be so easily hidden.
“Someone had
notified the secret police that we had a Quran in our house, but it was so
small that my father managed to hide it. The agents moved heaven and earth
without finding it,” said Prushi.
– ‘Blessings’ –
Following the
incident, Prushi’s father Skender decided to entrust it to friends in
neighbouring Kosovo after smuggling it across the border hidden in a lorry full
of coal.
He only
recovered it only after the war in Kosovo in 1999, where it was buried during
to save it from the fighting.
Prushi then
inherited the Quran shortly before his father’s death in 2012.
“This little
book carries so many stories, blessings and miracles. It is very dear to me,”
said Prushi.
“Every time I
touch it, I am moved,” his wife Blerina told AFP.
“When something
goes wrong or when our daughter is sick, we feel reassured, we know that the
Quran will protect us, it is a real talisman,” she added.
The family has
received numerous offers to buy it, including from museums.
“I never think
of selling it,” said Prushi. “This Quran belongs to our family and it will
always stay with us.”
Source: digitaljournal.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/the-big-history-of-albanias-tiny-Quran/article
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Islamophobes In
Daegu, South Korea, Bring In Mini Pigs To Protest Nearly Completed Mosque
An
industrial refrigerator with three pig heads in it and a mask of a pig head sit
outside the construction site for a mosque in Daegu’s Daehyeon neighborhood on
April 25. (Kim Gyu-hyeon/The Hankyoreh)
-----
Apr.26,2023
Two live
miniature pigs have popped up in front of a construction site where a mosque is
being built near the western entrance to Kyungpook National University, in
Daegu.
“People living
near the mosque have decided to raise two pigs. We’re raising pigs the way
other people keep dogs or cats at home,” said a committee of residents of the
Daehyeonneighbourhood of Daegu on Tuesday. The committee was formed to oppose
the construction of the mosque.
In Islam, pigs
are considered unclean.
The residents’
committee bought two miniature pigs for 300,000 won each. Just a few months
old, the piglets have been named “Daehan” and “Minguk” — together, the names
mean “Republic of Korea.”
A 53-year-old
resident of the Daehyeonneighbourhood surnamed Kim has agreed to look after the
pigs.
“We named them
that because we’re trying to protect our country,” Kim told the Hankyoreh
Monday.
“Mini pigs have
to be taken for a walk every day, just like a puppy. I’ll be walking them
through the alley in front of the mosque every day and will also take them to
our rallies.”
That includes a
rally scheduled to be held in front of the Buk District Office this Friday.
Residents who
oppose the mosque’s construction have been ramping up their protests as the
completion date nears.
“The mosque’s
construction appears to be a foregone conclusion now,” residents’ committee
co-chair Seo Jae-won told the Hankyoreh in an interview.
“Once the
mosque is completed, we’ll have no choice but to increase the level of our
opposition. We will do whatever residents have the power to do within the scope
of the law,” he added.
Around noon on
Monday, GwonYo-han, who chairs the steering committee for the Ethical Human
Rights Forum, held a one-person protest in front of the construction site with
a sign reading, “The construction of an Islamic mosque in the Daehyeon
residential area is not simply a matter of religion but a violation of
sovereignty.”
During his
protest, he stopped Muslim students and motioned for them to look at his sign
as they were leaving after praying at a temporary prayer area in front of the
construction site.
Ahead of the
placement of concrete for the mosque, opposed residents brought an industrial
refrigerator with three pig heads inside onto the site on April 17. They have
also shown off masks in the shape of pig heads.
With the
weather growing warmer and the pig heads’ decomposition causing severe odor
issues, the residents have now resorted to other means.
Two residents
who placed pig heads in front of the construction site were indicted on charges
of obstruction of operations and received a summary order to pay 50,000 won
(US$37) in fines.
The mosque’s
construction has currently entered its final stages, with a completion date
reportedly to come as early as the first half of this year.
By Kim
Gyu-hyun, staff reporter
Source: english.hani.co.kr
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/1089508.html
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Israel Silences Call To Evening Prayer From Al-Aqsa Mosque for Jews Celebrations at Buraq Square
Muslims mark
the Al-Quds Day (Jerusalem) as they gather to perform the 4th Friday Prayer of
holy Islamic month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on April 14, 2023
[Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]
-----
April 25, 2023
Israeli
authorities yesterday prevented the call to the evening prayer from being
raised at Al-Aqsa Mosque by cutting off the cables of the mosque's loudspeakers
under the pretext that Jews were celebrating in the neighbouring Buraq Square
(Western Wall).
This came as a
number of Jerusalemite figures and entities had called on Palestinians to
perform the Maghrib and Ishaa prayers at Al-Aqsa's Bab Al-Rahma Prayer Hall in
an effort to protect it from attacks and violations by occupation forces and
settlers.
For the second
time in two days, Israeli occupation police stormed the Bab Al-Rahma Prayer
Hall yesterday morning and ripped out its new electrical wirings. It also
prevented Muslim worshippers from entering it.
Source: middleeastmonitor.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230425-israel-silences-call-to-prayer-from-al-aqsa-mosque/
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India
BSP Nominating
11 Muslims for Mayoral Polls in UP Seen as Move to Split SP Vote Bank
Kavya Mishra
APRIL 25, 2023
The Bahujan
Samaj Party giving 11 out of 17 nominations to Muslim candidates for the
election to mayoral posts in Uttar Pradesh is seen as a move to split the
Samajwadi Party’s traditional Muslim-Yadav vote bank and also gives a glimpse
into the Mayawati-led outfit’s plans for next year’s Lok Sabha polls.
While the
Congress and the Samajwadi Party have termed it a “vote-cutting" strategy,
a BSP leader said his party has tried to project itself as the true well-wisher
of Muslims.
Polling for the
urban bodies is slated in two phases — on May 4 and May 11.
The BSP has
fielded Muslim candidates for mayoral posts in the municipal corporations of
Lucknow, Mathura, Firozabad, Saharanpur, Prayagraj, Moradabad, Meerut,
Shahjahanpur, Ghaziabad, Aligarh and Bareilly.
On the other
hand, the SP and Congress have fielded only four Muslim candidates each. The
BJP did not field any Muslim candidate for the mayor’s seat.
“Every voter
knows why the BSP gave so many tickets to Muslims. She (Mayawati) cannot win
herself, so she has done this at the behest of someone else," the
Samajwadi Party’s chief spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhary told PTI.
“The BSP is the
BJP’s B-team and this is their strategy to cut votes. But now everyone is aware
of all their tricks," he claimed.
On the SP
giving nominations to fewer Muslim candidates than BSP, Chowdhary said his
party that takes everyone along and works accordingly.
Congress leader
Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who was a minister in the Mayawati government, said, “No
one knows Behenji (Mayawati) and BSP more than me. Whenever this kind of game
was played, the party was wiped out." “Uttar Pradesh has a 20 per cent
Muslim population and we (Congress) have fielded four Muslim candidates out of
17, which is more than 23 per cent," said Siddiqui who was once considered
a confidant of Mayawati.
In 2017, out of
16 mayoral seats, the BJP won 14 and the BSP two.
“This time, the
BSP has fielded 11 Muslims, trying to wean away the minorities by sending out a
message of being the true well-wisher of the Muslims," a senior BSP leader
said.
The BSP won
only one seat in the 403-member strong Uttar Pradesh assembly and got only 12
per cent of votes in the 2022 state polls. Therefore, the BSP chief has started
a campaign to influence Muslims, a Samajwadi Party leader said.
While staying
mum on other important issues in the last few months, Mayawati has been most
vocal in criticising the Samajwadi Party and raising matters concerning
Muslims, he said.
Mayawati had
targeted the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the law-and-order situation
after gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at
point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media
interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a
medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup on April 15.
Atiq Ahmed’s
wife Shaista Parveen is still in the BSP even though she is wanted by the
police, the Samajwadi party leader said.
The BSP’s lone
MLA Uma Shankar Singh had on Sunday said that Shaista Parveen is still in the
party. “If she is convicted, she will be expelled from the party," Singh
had said.
Source: news18.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.news18.com/india/bsp-nominating-11-muslims-for-mayoral-polls-in-up-seen-as-move-to-split-sp-vote-bank-7636405.html
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Acting Is The
Only Profession Where Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians Work Hand-In-Hand:
Actor
Garima Das
25 APR 2023
Vikramaditya
Motwane’s web-series, ‘Jubilee’ is hands down a 'masterpiece'. With it, Motwane
teleported us to the film industry of the 1940s and ’50s. From technical
aspects, costumes to music and dialogues, everything is just brilliant. But the
icing on the cake is the 'stellar star cast'. Who would have imagined
AparshaktiKhurana playing an intense and grey character? But he pulled it off
with grace and subtleness. From Binod Das to the superstar Madan Kumar, we must
acknowledge that not only in reel life but also in real life 'a star is
born'.
Post the
release of 'Jubilee', Garima Das of Outlook spoke to Aparshakti where he said
that acting is the only profession where he has seen Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs,
and Christians working together hand-in-hand. He feels that it is the victory
of the film fraternity.
Aparshakti has
largely done comedies and then with 'Dhokha: Round The Corner', he explored
uncharted territory and now 'Jubilee'. When we asked him if he chose serious
roles to break the stereotype of being an actor doing only comedy, he said,
"It doesn't run emotionally in my mind that I should do this or that to
prove people or change my image. It's nothing like that. It's just about
picking the right scripts, meeting the right people, working with the right
people and delivering what they want.
All the
dialogues from 'Jubilee' have become popular. One such is When BinodDas’
character says, "Khan Log Actor Nahin BanteIsiliyeUnheKumar Banna
Pada". Apar was asked if there was
any improvisation in dialogues, and he said they were delivered as they were
written. In reference to the dialogue, he added there have been changes today
in the industry and it is a great victory. The 'Dangal' actor further said,
"The biggest superstars of our country are three Khans-Aamir Khan, Shah
Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. Earlier, when it was like Khan cannot become the
hero in our country after that cut to the phase where the three biggest
superstars of our country are Khans. So, I think as a country it is our
victory."
Adding more to
it, Khurana said that before becoming an actor, he was trying to be a
sportsperson, then he studied law and worked at Delhi High Court. He changed
5-6 professions before entering into acting. But from his journey and
experience, he can say that the victory of the film fraternity is that it is
the only profession where he has seen Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian work
hand-in-hand. "I haven't seen this kind of synergy in other professions
and I am proud of the fact that I work in such industry where there is this
kind of stance of people," added Aparshakti.
Source: outlookindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.outlookindia.com/art-entertainment/aparshakti-khurana-acting-is-the-only-profession-where-hindus-muslims-sikhs-christians-work-hand-in-hand-news-281181
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Guddu Muslim
'With Beard' Frequently Changing Location. Now Around Bengal's Murshidabad
SumedhaKirti
APRIL 25, 2023
Guddu Muslim,
slain gangster Atiq Ahmed’s close aide and Umesh Pal murder case accused, is
either hiding in West Bengal’s Murshidabad or some nearby place, sources told
News18 citing “solid information" received by investigating agencies.
Based on the
information, the investigation agencies have been conducting raids in several
places in West Bengal in the last three days. Earlier, Guddu Muslim aka
‘Bambaaz’ Guddu’s location was traced to Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
In Odisha, his
last location was traced to Bargarh where police had quizzed a man. According
to a report in India Today, the man was identified as Raja Khan, an aide of
Guddu Muslim. The report, quoting Raja, stated that Guddu has grown a beard to
avoid detection and being apprehended by the police.
His location
was also traced to places like Meerut and Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan’s
Ajmer, Nashik and Pune in Maharashtra, and had even travelled to Chhattisgarh
and Karnataka.
Guddu Muslim is
among the 10 people named in the murder of Umesh Pal. While Atiq Ahmed, his son
Asad and four other accused have been killed, Guddu Muslim is on the run.
Atiq Ahmed and
the gangsters of Uttar Pradesh have become a hot topic in the upcoming
municipal elections. More than developmental works, the ongoing campaigning by
various political parties have been focused on mafias and the methods of the
Yogi Adityanath government to wipe them out.
As the
Samajwadi Party (SP) blamed the state government for unleashing a reign of
terror and lawlessness, the BJP came out with a campaign song that said,
“Gundepukartehai Akhilesh aaiye’/dangonmeinphirse UP kowapasjalaiye".
The song with a
parody track makes references to gangster-turned politicians Mukhtar Ansari and
Atiq Ahmed, who was recently shot dead by three men in Prayagraj.
Montages of SP
president Akhilesh Yadav play out during the course of the video and shows him
meeting Mukhtar Ansari and Atiq Ahmad. The lyrics further point out,
“Apradhiyonkonetabanayatumhi ne tha/Atiq aur Mukhtar kauddhartumhi se
tha".
The BJP also
accused the SP of looting Uttar Pradesh and shattering the dream of socialist
leader JaiprakashNarain. A montage of visuals also show Akhilesh Yadav holding taps
(a reference to allegations of theft of water taps), Muzaffarnagar riots, women
being harassed on the streets, violence and SP chief meeting Atiq Ahmed,
Mukhtar Ansari and Gayatri Prajapati.
Source: news18.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.news18.com/india/guddu-muslim-with-beard-frequently-changing-location-now-around-bengal-murshidabad-7634059.html
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Karnataka
polls: Yogi slams Congress over 'anti-constitutional' religion-based
reservation
26.04.23
In his first
election rally in poll-bound Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath on Wednesday attacked the Congress over religion-based reservation
saying that it was against the Constitution.
He also claimed
that no riots took place in Uttar Pradesh in the past six years due to the
strong ''double engine government".
"Congress
appeases the Popular Front of India (PFI) and gives religion-based reservation,
which is against the Indian Constitution," Adityanath said during an
election rally here in the Vokkaliga heartland, the stronghold of JD(S) headed
by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.
He was
referring to the four per cent reservation for Muslims under 2B category of the
Other Backward Classes, which the BJP government in Karnataka scrapped at the
fag end of its tenure saying that religion-based quota has no constitutional
backing.
After making 2B
redundant, the Karnataka government split the four per cent reservation into
two equal parts and increased the two per cent quota each for the two dominant
communities of the state, Vokkaligas in 2C and Lingayats in 2D category.
"India was
divided on religious lines in 1947. The country cannot endorse religion-based
reservation and we are not ready for another partition," Adityanath said.
The party
leader added that the BJP governments at the Centre and Karnataka banned the
PFI and had broken the back of the Islamist organisation.
Hailing the
development and progress of Uttar Pradesh, he said the 'double engine'
government – one at the Centre and another in his home state – has shown its
might in the strongest possible manner.
"In Uttar
Pradesh, security and prosperity is guaranteed. 'No curfew, no danga, wahan par
hai sab changa' (There is no curfew and no riots. All is well there). In the
past six years, no riots took place in Uttar Pradesh," he said.
The concept of
'Ek Bharat, Sreshtha Bharat' (One India, Great India) that the BJP believes in,
can alone take India forward, he said, adding: "We don't believe in
appeasement; but in empowerment".
Karnataka goes
to the polls on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.
Except for the
headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has
been published from a syndicated feed.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/karnataka-polls-yogi-adityanath-slams-congress-over-anti-constitutional-religion-based-reservation/cid/1932525
--------
Europe
British Muslims
Are ‘Disenfranchised At Every Level’; Race And Class Divisions Run Deep In
Britain
26 Apr 2023
Life in today’s Britain feels like a work of
crass dystopian fiction: from everyday items like butter and cheese becoming
luxuries to baby formula and washing detergent under lock and key on
supermarket shelves.
With levels of
homelessness surging, unemployment figures edging higher and food prices
soaring at crippling rates, things only look set to get worse. But as with so
much else in our divided nation, not everyone is equal in the cost of living
crisis.
Half of all
British Muslims live in poverty compared to only 18 per cent of the general
population. Research by the Muslim Census suggests 65 per cent of Muslims in
Britain have taken on debt in order to cover household bills in the last year.
But why are things so disproportionately crippling for Muslim communities up
and down the country?
Race and class
divisions run deep in Britain. If you are a person of colour or if you live in
an urban area then you are likely to experience the cost of living crisis more
acutely than wealthier (and whiter) counterparts. And you are less likely to be
sheltered by high wages, home ownership or significant savings than other
groups.
People also
have to grapple with issues like poor health, insecure employment, precarious
housing, or an uncertain immigration status. This only exacerbates the already
brutal impact of poverty for communities.
Source: bigissue.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.bigissue.com/opinion/british-muslims-are-disenfranchised-at-everylevel/
--------
Germany: Syrian
man arrested in suspected Islamist terror plot
Apr 26, 2023
German
authorities have arrested a Syrian man on suspicion of planning to carry out an
explosives attack motivated by Islamic extremism, officials said Tuesday,
according to The Associated Press.
Federal police
said officers arrested the 28-year-old man early Tuesday in the northern city
of Hamburg based on a court-issued warrant for suspected terrorism financing
offenses.
Investigators
say the man is suspected of trying to obtain substances online that would have
allowed him to manufacturer an explosive belt “in order to carry out an attack
against civilian targets.”
Police said the
man was encouraged and supported in his action by his 24-year-old brother, who
lives in the southern town of Kempten. German news agency dpa reported that the
younger man was also detained.
The brothers,
whose names were not immediately released, were described by federal police as
being motivated by “radical Islamist and jihadist” views.
Police searched
properties in Hamburg and Kempten, seizing large amounts of evidence including
chemical substances, officials said, according to AP. Some 250 officers were
involved in the operation.
Meanwhile,
authorities in western Germany said Tuesday that they are investigating a
possible extremist motive in an attack at a gym in Duisburg last week.
A 26-year-old
Syrian was arrested days after the attack, in which four men were seriously
wounded and one of them remains in life-threatening condition.
Germany has
been hit by several terrorist attacks in recent years. The worst such attack
took place in December of 2016, when Tunisian terrorist AnisAmri killed 12
people and injured dozens more when he drove a truck into a Christmas market in
Berlin.
In 2019, a
neo-Nazi tried to storm a synagogue in Halle on the Jewish holiday of Yom
Kippur. When he failed to enter the synagogue, he murdered two passersby.
In an attack in
2021, a knife-wielding attacker killed one tourist and seriously injured
another in the city of Dresden.
In January, a
knife-wielding man described as a “stateless Palestinian” fatally stabbed two
people and injured seven others on a train traveling from Kiel to Hamburg
before he was arrested.
Source: israelnationalnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/370529
--------
Islamic finance
presents $6tn opportunity
13 JANUARY 2023
BY SARAH RIZVI
The global
Islamic finance industry is expected to grow to $5.9tn by 2026 up from $4tn in
2021, according to an Islamic Finance Development (IFDI) 2021 report. By IFDI
projections, this growth will be driven by the sector’s biggest segments –
Islamic banks and sukuks.
This sector has
continued its growth momentum despite the challenges of a recovering economy,
which has been affected in large part by energy prices, disruption in supply
chain and rising inflation.
In fact,
Islamic financing has expanded at a much faster rate in the past few years
compared with conventional loan growth. Moody’s Investors Service states that
the two segments grew at an average compound rate of 10.5 per cent and 3.4 per
cent respectively during the 2020-21 period.
The outlook for
the Islamic financial system is optimistic as experts now regard it as one of
the fastest growing segments of the global financial system, with a predicted
average growth rate of 8 per cent until 2025.
New
developments
Although the
market is still at a maturingstage, considerable growth opportunities are
emerging, particularly with the increased focus on aligning Islamic financial
products with environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and the recent
strides in digitalisation.
“Green and
sustainability sukuk are providing the additional impetus to the overall demand
for the Islamic papers by the global investors as they are aligned with
sustainability themes. The implementation of energy transition strategies and
investments in clean energy are also boosting the opportunities for sustainable
sukuk.
The Islamic
banking sector holds the lion’s share of the market, constituting 70 per cent
of Islamic finance assets, as per Refinitiv Islamic finance data. Sukuk is the
second-largest contributor to Islamic finance assets with over $74.5bn of
issuances in the first half of 2022 according to S&P Global Ratings.
“Islamic
finance has played a vital role in the UAE’s national development with Islamic
banking and finance assets estimated to be about 25 per cent of the total
domestic banking assets, which stood at AED1.6tn in August 2022,” said Sohail
Zubairi, AAOIFI certified sharia advisor and auditor and IICRA accredited
Islamic finance arbitration expert, speaking during the MEED-Mashreq Islamic
Business Leaders Forum on 7 December 2022.
“We need a
Sukuk insurer entity in the UAE on the lines of Danajamin in Malaysia that can
help wean the private entities away from the banking sector and into the
domestic capital market. This move will help reduce the burden on the UAE banks
that can then spare greater funding at lower costs for the projects of national
development,” said Zubairi.
To capitalise
on the rising demand and to keep pace with the developments in this segment,
the industry must produce an emerging pool of talent that can integrate the
knowledge of sharia and Islamic products with the technological advances in the
industry.
However,
existing training and qualifications may not provide the required levels of
specialisation and sophistication.
“In many
countries, especially ones with low awareness, Islamic finance practitioners
are often inadequately equipped,” said Bashar al-Natoor, global head of Islamic
finance at Fitch Ratings. “There is a gap in understanding sharia products and
the industry is looking to employ specialists.
“Stakeholders,
including customers, regulators and employees of Islamic financial institutions
often view Islamic products to be similar to conventional interest-based
products. This perception stems from the way Islamic products are marketed and
priced.”
A major
contributor to this sector’s continued growth will be making sharia-compliant
products easily accessible and standardising compliance processes.
Furthermore, as
digital banks and new payment methods such as ‘buy now, pay later’ emerge in
the Islamic finance system, it is important that Islamic banks not only
simplify and centralise their operating models but also work with the
innovators and developers to deliver banking solutions without compromising
sharia principles.
Citing
collaboration as another key driver for the growth of Islamic finance, senior
corporate and structured finance and banking leader and Islamic finance
specialist Jawaad Chawla said, “From a very humble beginning, not more than 2
decades ago, Islamic finance has grown into a multi-trillion-dollar industry.
And we got here through the collaborative efforts of bankers, lawyers,
scholars, regulators and industry experts, who have all come together to bring
innovation into Islamic finance and offer it to a wider audience.”
Globalisation
trend
Islamic finance
is no longer exclusive to Islamic or Muslim-majority countries. Recent global
developments such as the UK government’s second issuance of sukuk in 2021 and
the launch of Australia’s first full-fledged Islamic bank in July 2022 are a
testament to its increasing appeal.
Zubairi
explained that more and more countries are now keen to adopt Islamic finance
options as governments move to diversify funding options and interest in
sustainable and responsible investing peaks.
“We are seeing
countries such as Hong Kong and South Africa adopting Islamic finance and a
rise in investments from countries that do not necessarily have a Muslim
dominated population,”he said. He further opined that the growth in Islamic
finance assets is reaching saturation point in the Islamic world and that next
generation push can only come from non-OIC countries provided “we are able to
develop a global Islamic finance law which provides legal protection to the
parties entering into an Islamic finance contract and also serves as a global
benchmark for dispute resolution”.
This
globalisation trend is expected to continue with the application of ESG
principles and digitalisation and a higher degree of standardisation within the
Islamic finance sector.
Source: meed.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.meed.com/islamic-finance-presents-6tn-opportunity
---------
UK’s forced
marriage unit underfunded and too Muslim-focused, report to say
Wed 26 Apr 2023
UK ministers’
efforts to stop forced marriages are failing because the unit set up to tackle
them is undervalued, under-resourced and overly focused on Muslim families,
according to a report from Michael Gove’s levelling up department.
The 165-page
report by Colin Bloom, the government’s faith adviser, will highlight a range
of areas in which ministers are ineffective because they are too wary of
tackling problems that arise within religious communities. It is expected to be
the most sweeping review of the government’s relationship with religion in more
than a generation
Bloom said
these included forced marriage – including instances where gay people are
forced to marry as a type of conversion practice – substandard religious
schools and religious nationalism.
Bloom said: “We
need root-and-branch reform of how forced and coercive marriage is tackled by
the government, because that mainly happens within the context of faith-based
communities. At the moment this remains in the ‘too difficult to do’ box.”
He added: “The
forced marriage unit is not working well. It is under-resourced and poorly led,
which is the fault of politicians rather than the civil servants who work for
it. Also, the unit has an Islamic bent to it, but this is not just a Muslim
problem – this happens in Orthodox Jewish and other religious communities too.”
The report was commissioned
by Boris Johnson in 2019 and has been delayed several times, first by Covid-19
and then by the multiple changes at the top of government last year.
In the four
years since it was commissioned, Bloom has received 21,000 responses, making it
one of the biggest government evidence-gathering efforts ever undertaken.
Bloom’s
65,000-word report will deal with almost every aspect of government policy
where it affects religious groups, praise the work faith groups do and urge
ministers to engage with them more.
But it will
also risk angering some faith groups with its insistence that ministers should
be bolder in tackling abusive and dangerous behaviour by some within them.
Forced and
coercive marriage is one of the clearest examples of that, the report will say.
Bloom will single out the forced marriage unit for criticism, saying it needs
more money, needs to be responsible to just one department rather than two (the
Home Office and the Foreign Office), and should broaden its focus from
concentrating mainly on Muslim families.
Bloom also
warns that Christian iconography is being used to bolster far-right white
extremists. In one passage of the report, which has been seen by the Guardian,
he said: “Christian religious imagery and language can sometimes be attributed
to an imagined past, which is de facto white, where the UK was successful and
thriving.
“A belief that
the UK is a ‘Christian country, and we need to keep it like that’ can be used
to entrench an ethno-nationalist agenda and gain public legitimacy for
aggression towards others, regarded as a threat to preserving what is perceived
to be the national identity.”
He will also
highlight how some gay people are being forced into marriage as a type of
conversion practice, as happened in a case in 2013 when a British Sikh gay man
murdered his wife six months after they were married.
He will
highlight the long-running issue of unregistered and in some cases substandard
faith schools, which are allowed to teach children without being inspected by
Ofsted thanks to loopholes in the law governing what constitutes a school.
Ministers’
attempts to clamp down on these schools have previously been thwarted by Church
of England leaders who have warned that any new rules could prevent children
from attending Sunday schools. But Bloom said: “It is not that hard to make
clear that a new law would not target Sunday schools. If something looks like a
school, quacks like a school, waddles like a school, it is a school.”
Other parts of
the report will touch on religious fundamentalist or nationalist groups, such
as Sikh groups that campaign for an independent Sikh state within India. But it
will not repeat some of the language of other recent reports on Islamic
extremism, which has long been one of Gove’s major policy focuses.
Bloom has a
specific warning about Sikh nationalist groups operating in the UK, which have
links to previous groups that have been banned by the British government.
While he said
it is difficult to prove the overlapping links between the banned groups and
the new ones, he urges members of the all party parliamentary group for British
Sikhs, chaired by the Labour frontbencher Preet Gill, to “consider the findings
of this report”.
While Gove has
regularly warned against the risk posed by Islamist extremists, Bloom will
advise ministers to be clear that only a tiny minority of Muslims constitute
any kind of threat to Britain.
“The government
needs to make the distinction between Islamist extremism and Islam,” he said.
“The vast majority of victims of Islamist extremism are Muslims themselves.”
Source: theguardian.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/apr/26/uk-forced-marriage-unit-under-funded-and-too-muslim-focused-bloom-report
--------
Zakharova,
Director, Information and Press Department Russian FM Says Americans
‘Deliberately’ Left Weapons in Afghanistan
By
BanafshaBinesh
26-04-23
Speaking at the
press conference, Zakharova said that “we will not be surprised if these
weapons soon surface in disputed areas of the region and other places.”
“We keep saying
that the failed 20-year-long military campaign by the US and NATO in
Afghanistan is still adversely affecting both Afghanistan and the entire region
around it. It seems like the Americans deliberately left these weapons there,
and now they are destabilising the situation because terrorists may get hold of
them. We will not be surprised if these weapons soon surface in disputed areas
of the region and other places,” she said.
However, the
Islamic Emirate's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, disputes the sale or
smuggling of military equipment in Afghanistan and said that the current
government will take care of this equipment responsibly.
"The
concerns expressed are untrue. We reassure them that every weapon the Americans
left behind has been stored safely at a depot and won't fall into the hands of
anyone. All of them under control,” Mujahid noted.
"The
remarks made by Russian officials are media propaganda and not entirely reliable.
Before the pull-out, America made all its major weapons, such as aircraft and
heavy weapons, unusable,” said Tariq Farhadi, a political analyst.
In the
meantime, former US president Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News, said
that 700,000 advanced pieces of military equipment has been left in
Afghanistan.
“They are the
second largest arm dealers in the world right now. We give it to them--brand
new trucks, brand new planes, brand new guns, rifles. 700,000 rifles and guns,
think of that: 700,000. They only need 40,000, probably not even that, so they
are selling the rest, making a fortune, we left it there,” Trump said.
The Ministry of
Defence of the Islamic Emirate also said it prevented the smuggling of
thousands of weapons.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-183105
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Moscow Will not
Recognize the Taliban Govt Unless It Ensures Human Rights: Lavrov
April 26, 2023
Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday
at a news conference in the US within the framework of Russia’s
presidency in the UN security council that Moscow “will not recognize the
Taliban government de-jure unless it fulfils its internationally recognized
obligations,” namely “, inclusivity of governing bodies, not just in the ethnic
sense, but also in the political one.”
Meanwhile, he
said, “We assume that the Taliban is a reality. Talks with them on the ground
are necessary.”
He said, “Basic
human rights are also mentioned among other criteria for international
recognition, including the rights of girls and women.”
Meanwhile, he
criticized the West by saying, “We certainly believe that the West should not
dodge discussions because it stayed in Afghanistan for 20 years and did nothing
to boost its economy in any way,” the minister continued.
Lavrov’s
remarks came ahead of the UN meeting for Afghanistan affairs in Doha on May 1
and 2, put forward by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/moscow-will-not-recognize-the-taliban-govt-unless-it-ensures-human-rights-lavrov/
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North
America
Taliban Kill
Islamic State'Mastermind' Of Kabul Airport Attack: White House
Apr 26, 2023
The Taliban
government has killed the alleged mastermind of a devastating suicide bomb
attack at the Kabul airport during the chaotic withdrawal of US forces in 2021,
the White House said Tuesday.
The bomber
detonated among packed crowds at the airport's perimeter as they tried to flee
Afghanistan on August 26, 2021. The blast killed some 170 Afghans and 13 US
troops who were securing the airport for the traumatic exit.
It was one of
the deadliest bombings in Afghanistan in recent years, and prompted a wave of
criticism of President Joe Biden for his decision to pull American forces out
of the country nearly 20 years after the US invasion.
The leader of
the Islamic State cell that planned the attack was killed by Taliban
authorities, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in a
statement.
"He was a
key ISIS-K official directly involved in plotting operations like Abbey Gate,
and now is no longer able to plot or conduct attacks," Kirby said,
referring to the spot outside the airport where the attacks took place.
ISIS-K refers
to Islamic State Khorasan, the branch of the group operating in Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
"He was
killed in a Taliban operation," Kirby added without giving any details of
it.
The pullout,
ending on August 30, 2021, saw Taliban fighters sweep aside Western-trained
Afghan forces in just weeks, forcing the last US troops to mount the desperate
evacuation from Kabul's airport.
An
unprecedented military airlift operation managed to get more than 120,000
people out of the country in a matter of days.
Biden has long
defended his decision to leave Afghanistan, which critics have said helped
cause the catastrophic collapse of Afghan forces and paved the way for the
Taliban to return to power two decades after their first government was
toppled.
Nothing
"would have changed the trajectory" of the exit and "ultimately,
President Biden refused to send another generation of Americans to fight a war
that should have ended for the United States long ago," the White House
National Security Council said in a report to Congress earlier this month.
A recent
Washington Post report citing leaked Pentagon documents said the United States
believes that since the withdrawal, Afghanistan is becoming a "staging
ground" for the Islamic State group.
In his
statement, Kirby said Tuesday, "We have made clear to the Taliban that it
is their responsibility to ensure that they give no safe haven to terrorists,
whether Al-Qaeda or ISIS-K."
He added:
"We have made good on the President's pledge to establish an
over-the-horizon capacity to monitor potential terrorist threats, not only from
Afghanistan but elsewhere around the world where that threat has metastasized,
as we have done in Somalia and Syria."
The Taliban and
IS have long engaged in a turf war in Afghanistan, and experts have pointed to
the jihadist group as the biggest security challenge for the new Afghan
government going forward.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/taliban-kill-is-mastermind-of-kabul-airport-attack-white-house/articleshow/99774392.cms
--------
'A chilling
effect': Muslim charities fall prey to Canada’s double standards
By Umar A
Farooq
25 April 2023
In March 2017,
ISNA Islamic Services of Canada, a Muslim charity that operated in Ontario, was
sent a notice that its charitable status was being revoked and that in 30 days
it would be shut down without any other recourse.
The Notice of
Intention to Revoke (NITR) was the result of a years-long audit, in which the
CRA said the organisation failed to meet the necessary requirements to be
constituted for charitable purposes, including failing to devote resources to
charitable activities and maintain adequate books and records. The CRA also
accused the organisation of possibly funding a Pakistani militant group.
By May of that
year, it ceased to be a charity operating in Canada. But while the news
coverage at the time largely focused on alleged terror links, experts in the
charity sector say charities like this one have been a part of a decades-long
clampdown on Muslim charitable organisations, in which they were unfairly
targeted due to Islamophobic bias and then given an unequal appeals process.
Middle East Eye
looked through the audits of dozens of charities over the last decade, and
while most were given ample time and space to object to being shut down, none
of the Muslim charities seen by MEE were given the same opportunities to object
to and delay the revocation of their charitable status.
The Canadian
government’s conduct highlights the discrepancy between how some charities are
treated during and after being audited and how the Canadian government treats
Muslim charities, researchers, and practitioners in the charity sector have
told Middle East Eye.
"This isn't fair because it's not the
same way other faith groups or other sectors operate," said Mahmuda Khan,
executive director of the charity, Human Concern International, a Muslim
charity that was not shut down but was suspended.
"The fear
that we have, the extra cautiousness that we have, the levels of due diligence
and compliance that we're thinking of doing. [In] having forums and dialogues
with others in the sector, I don't see that fear in others."
'Where's the
fairness?'
Middle East Eye
looked at 63 Notices of Intention to Revoke (NITRs) that were sent to Canadian
charities between 2015 and 2019. Of those charities, 38 were allowed the
opportunity to object and delay their revocation by submitting a response,
while 25 were not given the same chance and would have had to obtain an order
from the federal appeals court.
However, MEE
also viewed NITRs that were sent during that same period to five Muslim
charities, all of which were told that regardless of whether they filed an
objection, their charitable status would be revoked unless they received an
order from the appeals court.
"It seems
unfair. If you're giving this notice of intent, and then basically saying, well
we're going to revoke whatever you do anyway, where's the fairness? I mean,
there should be some process," said Faisal Kutty, a lawyer and associate
professor at Southwestern Law School who has advised dozens of Muslim charities
and groups trying to apply for charitable status in Canada.
In 2014, two
charities operating under the umbrella of the Jewish organisation, B'nai Brith
- B'nai B'rith Foundation District No 22 (BBFD) and The League for Human Rights
of B'nai B'rith (LHR), received a NITR letter from the CRA stating their
intention to revoke the groups' charitable status.
And several
years later in 2021, the original two charities were finally shut down.
The CRA told
Middle East Eye it could not provide further details on the timeline of the
revocation of B'nai B'rith Foundation District No 22 and The League for Human
Rights of B'nai B'rith, but said the agency followed "normal
administrative procedures".
The CRA also
confirmed that charities are allowed to continue operating until their status
is officially revoked.
MEE also reached
out to B'nai Brith with several questions regarding this, but the organisation
did not respond.
In a similar
scenario, another charity, the Ark Angel fund, was sent a NITR in 2015 and was
told it would be shut down in 90 days unless it received an objection from the
charity. It was not fully revoked of its charitable status until February 2021.
Kutty told MEE
that even though Muslim charities are given some type of option to oppose being
shut down, the actual reality of fighting back is incredibly difficult.
"The
theory is you can oppose these things, you can fight these things. But the
practical reality is that once this is out, people are not going to even give
you money to do a legal challenge to fight it," Kutty told MEE.
"The
challenge is not like you just stand up and challenge. You're going to end up
mounting a legal challenge, a PR challenge. So where do you get money for that
now? We've had cases where the funds are frozen."
Feeling
'targeted'
The CRA told
MEE that as a "general rule", charities can file an objection to the
agency's appeal branch within 90 days of receiving a letter saying they
intended to revoke their status.
But charities
like the Ottawa Islamic Centre and Assalam Mosque, ISNA Islamic Services of
Canada, The Canada Islamic Trust Foundation, the Islamic Shia Assembly, and the
Anatolia Cultural Foundation all received letters saying that their statuses
would be revoked after 30 days, regardless of whether they objected to it or
not.
"The
Muslim charities who were faced with audits and revocations were never granted
the opportunity to delay the revocation of their status," Tim McSorley,
national coordinator of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
(ICLMG), told MEE.
"It was
kind of a final notice that they received."
Middle East Eye
asked the CRA why during the years between 2015 and 2019 there appeared to be
an inconsistency in how Muslim charities were treated versus other
organisations.
The CRA told
MEE it can't discuss specific cases, but added that it has two types of revocations,
a 90-day revocation and a 30-day one.
"Consideration
is always given to proceeding with a 90-day Notice of intention to revoke,
unless an organization has demonstrated egregious non-compliance," the CRA
said.
But in the
cases where a 30-day notice is given, the CRA will "not hold the
revocation in abeyance given the seriousness of the non-compliance",
unless it receives an order staying publication of the notice of revocation
from the Federal Court of Appeal within 30 days.
Yet in four of
the NITRs seen by MEE that were sent to Muslim charities, the option to obtain
a court order to prevent revocation was not outlined in the letters.
Even prior to
the 2015-2019 period that MEE reviewed, Muslim organisations in Canada have
been calling on the government to look into what they say is an unfair
targeting of Muslim charities by the government.
The ICLMG
reported that from 2008 to 2015, 75 percent of organisations whose charitable
status was revoked following audits were Muslim charities.
The CRA said
that it does not discriminate against any charities based on their religious
affiliation.
"Under no
circumstances are registered charities selected for audit by the CRA based on a
particular faith or denomination, nor would such factors impact the outcome of
an audit," the agency told MEE.
"The CRA
assess all concerns about registered charities against a clear regulatory and
risk-based framework designed to prevent bias in its decision-making
process."
Terrorism
allegations
Many audits
against Muslim charities were also conducted by a special agency within the CRA
called the Review and Analysis Division (RAD), a secretive arm of the CRA that
works with national security agencies and is tasked with investigating
allegations of terrorist financing in the charity sector.
In the years
following the 9/11 attacks, RAD was tasked by the government of former Prime
Minister Stephen Harper to root out any type of terror financing among Canadian
charities, and experts say it tended to have an acute focus on Muslim charities.
"Essentially
what we've seen and what we've documented in pursuit of countering terrorism
financing in the charity sector, is that they've exclusively looked at mostly
Muslim charities, but exclusively charities within racialised
communities," McSorley said.
"That has
been guided by internal government policy that there's an inherent risk to
terrorist financing in the charitable sector, and they identify that risk as
being linked to mostly so-called Islamic terrorist organisations."
The report from
ICLMG said the CRA worked with national security agencies to carry out audits
that unfairly target Muslim charities, with little accountability.
And despite the
revocations, some of which took place during the successive liberal governments
led by current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the report said that none of the
Muslim charitable organisations or associated individuals were ever charged
with a terrorist-financing crime, according to ICLMG.
For charities
like Human Concern International (HCI) - a Muslim-Canadian relief organisation
- which did not get their status revoked but received a suspension that it has
tried to appeal, the experience of being audited was "intense and
intimidating".
"There's
one thing where there's open dialogue, friendly dialogue, but it felt very
intimidating to the members who were being interviewed," said Khan of HCI,
who was not present at the time of the audit but shared the experiences of her
colleagues.
"The
reason we felt it was not like any other audit and it felt sort of targeted was
because we were audited by the Review and Analysis Division."
And when
organisations lose their charitable status, donors can no longer claim the
funds as a tax deduction, causing a drop in contributions.
"The CRA
targeting Muslim charities definitely has a chilling effect on the Canadian
Muslim community," Khan said.
"It was
very hard to explain from our point of view that this audit in no way means the
charity is doing anything wrong."
And on top of
that, a recent study conducted by law professors Faisal Kutty and Faisal Bhaba
found that the sources of many of the CRA's claims against these charities came
from known Islamophobic and far-right experts that perpetuate anti-Muslim
sentiment.
In a recent
court hearing, in which the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) is challenging
the CRA's targeting of Muslim charities, Kutty noted that the lawyer for MAC
laid out the issue well.
"I liked
the lawyer for MAC when he concluded, he basically said, the CRA's position is
they have 300 some odd sources they rely on, and only 30 of them or 32 of them
are discredited or unreliable or problematic," Kutty said.
"Then the
lawyer concludes: 'Your Honour, that's like saying that when you're trying to
target a Black charity and you say only 10 percent of our materials come from
the KKK'."
Who gets
audited?
In the past few
years, the Trudeau government has made attempts to look into complaints of
Islamophobia in the CRA, and in March, the National Security and Intelligence
Review Agency (NSIRA), an independent government watchdog, announced its
intention to probe the CRA's review and analysis division.
This came after
Canada’s Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson was tasked with looking into the issue, but
ultimately came up with what he said was an inconclusive report, noting that
CRA would not hand over key documents.
The double
standards applied to different charities, however, are demonstrative of a
larger problem within Canada, according to AnverEmon, director of the
University of Toronto's Institute of Islamic Studies and co-author of a report
on tax audits on Muslim charities.
"We'd like
to think in the Canadian context that we're a very sophisticated government
with a very transparent rule of law orientation, but at a certain point,
there's still sort of an old boys club element to some of the ways in which it
seems to me that we're governed, that's my impression," Emon said.
The CRA has
around 40,000 employees and is responsible for overseeing the 80,000 registered
charities in Canada worth more than $300bn. However, for the past several
years, it has audited less than 300 charities a year.
And while the
CRA says it remains independent, Emon says there are questions surrounding how
it picks and chooses which charities get audited.
"What
happens politically if they're auditing a politically connected charity? We
don't know what that's gonna look like," Emon said.
"You may
be independent politically, but what happens when the Ministry of National
Revenue starts getting calls from big donors around why are you auditing this
charity?"
Source: middleeasteye.net
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/muslim-charities-fall-prey-canada-double-standards-chilling-effect
--------
Second
Minneapolis mosque set afire in two days, public's help sought finding suspect
APRIL 25, 2023
One day after
someone started a fire in a bathroom of a south Minneapolis mosque, another
fire was set on the third floor of a different mosque less than a mile away.
Dozens of
Muslim community leaders and imams condemned the alleged attacks at a Tuesday
news conference at the Masjid Al Rahma mosque, the site of the second mosque
fire. Several raised concerns that the alleged anti-Muslim attack Monday could
have been more tragic, given that about 50 day care children and 50 worshipers
were inside.
"When
these attacks happen, it's to our children, and that's what makes it even more
disturbing and personal for me," said Nimco Ahmed, president of the Somali
American Coalition Action Fund, as she held her 3-year-old daughter. "It's
very sad because this state that we call home is so precious to us."
About 6:30 p.m.
Monday, security guard BahikoroKouyate said he noticed smoke and fire coming
from a third floor hallway at the Mercy Islamic Center, which contains the
mosque in the 2600 block of Bloomington Avenue. The building was evacuated,
including the day care in the basement. He said it was fortunate a fire station
was directly across the street.
"Thank God
the fire (department) was here," Kouyate said.
The flames were
fully extinguished by 7:30 p.m., the Minneapolis Fire Department said. Early
estimates indicate the damages could be $50,000, community leaders said.
Minneapolis
police responded Sunday about 7 p.m. to the fire at the Masjid Omar Islamic
Center, in the 24 Somali Mall in the Ventura Village neighborhood. The suspect,
described as a white man, entered the building with a red gas canister filled
with flammable liquid before lighting a fire in the bathroom, according to a
news release from the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR).
Worshippers
used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, CAIR said.
Police released
security photos of the suspect, who appeared to be wearing a black skullcap,
glasses, a blue facemask and a gray hoodie.
Police suspect
the man in both mosque fires, along with previous property damage incidents,
including one in January, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said at the
news conference.
O'Hara said
police are investigating whether it was an anti-Muslim bias crime, and said he
meets with with victims anytime there's a possible hate crime incident.
In response,
the department is increasing the presence of officers at Muslim community
centers and is taking other protective measures that O'Hara did not detail.
Crime prevention specialists were sent to mosques to advise staff on how to
increase security at the sites, he said.
"We're
very confident that we will be able to bring this person to justice, but in the
meantime we cannot afford to have anything else happen, and we want to be able
to ensure that all people can be safe," O'Hara said.
Police ask that
anyone with information about the suspect to email policetips@minneapolismn.gov
or call 612-673-5845. CAIR Minnesota announced a $5,000 reward to anyone who
provides information that leads to an arrest.
More than a
dozen news conference speakers voiced support for the Muslim community and
lamented that it is too often the target of Islamophobic attacks.
"We've got
to do something," said Minneapolis Council Member Jamal Osman. "Hate
cannot win in our state."
A solidarity
event is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at the Masjid Al Rahma mosque.
Source: startribune.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.startribune.com/second-minneapolis-mosque-fire-in-two-days-arson-investigation-opens/600270067/
--------
Islamic State
Operative Behind Deadly Kabul Airport Attack Is Dead
April 25, 2023
WASHINGTON —
The leader of
the Islamic State terror group cell that carried out the August 2021 bombing
that killed 13 U.S. troops and about 170 Afghan civilians is dead, slain during
recent clashes with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban.
U.S. officials,
who initially confirmed the death to VOA on the condition of anonymity in order
to discuss the intelligence, declined to name the cell leader or say when or
where he was killed.
It was also
unclear whether the individual was targeted by the Taliban or was killed as a
result of ongoing fighting between the two groups. In a statement the U.S.
Defense Department said, “The United States was not involved in this
operation.”
National
Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby confirmed
the cell leader's death in an email to VOA, calling it "another in a
series of high-profile leadership losses" that the group has suffered so
far this year.
Kirby said the
cell leader was a key official "directly involved in plotting operations
like Abbey Gate," adding that the IS affiliate's ability to launch additional
attacks against U.S. interests has been diminished due to a series of setbacks
inflicted by the U.S. and its partners, and even the Taliban.
Confirmation of
the IS cell leader's death came as multiple U.S. media outlets reported U.S.
officials were contacting family members of the 13 U.S. troops killed in the
attack on Kabul Airport's Abbey Gate to inform them of the development.
The attack on
Abbey Gate in the waning days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan left a
lasting mark on the United States.
Following the
attack, U.S. President Joe Biden promised justice for those killed.
"To those
who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know
this: We will not forgive," Biden said in a nationally broadcast address.
"We will hunt you down and make you pay."
But since the
withdrawal, the U.S. has carried out just one counterterrorism strike in
Afghanistan: Last July, a drone strike killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of
IS rival al-Qaida, as he hid in the capital of Kabul.
U.S. Central
Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in South Asia, has
acknowledged two other operations but said the details remain classified.
In the
meantime, the Islamic State's Afghan affiliate, known as IS-Khorasan or ISIS-K,
has spread across the country, with cells in the Afghan capital and a growing
number of provinces.
Intelligence
shared in a United Nations counterterrorism report earlier this year estimated
IS-Khorasan has between 1,000 and 3,000 fighters but cautioned that the
affiliate was looking to expand its reach, pumping out propaganda in multiple
languages, including Persian, Tajik, Uzbek and Russian.
Top U.S.
military and intelligence officials have also grown increasingly wary of the IS
Afghan affiliate.
Last month,
CENTCOM Commander General Michael Kurilla told U.S. lawmakers that IS-Khorasan
has set its sights on striking the West.
"They can
do external operations against U.S. or Western interests abroad in under six
months with little to no warning," Kurilla said, adding the likely targets
would be in Asia or Europe.
U.S.
intelligence agencies have likewise sounded alarms about IS-Khorasan's
ambitions.
Defense
Intelligence Agency chief Lieutenant General Scott Berrier said early last
month that it was only "a matter of time before they may have the ability
and intent to attack the West."
This past
January, National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid called
IS-Khorasan the "threat actor I am most concerned about."
U.S. officials
have also expressed little faith in the ability of the Taliban to make good on
their pledge to contain IS-Khorasan.
"The
Taliban doesn't have the precision to go after individuals," CENTCOM's
Kurilla told U.S. lawmakers.
"They
[Taliban] will do large, sweeping clearance operations," he said, noting
such operations are only "disruptive to a point."
The White
House's Kirby, late Tuesday, defended U.S. efforts to target IS-Khorasan,
despite the lack of strikes.
"We have
made good on the president's pledge to establish an over-the-horizon capacity
to monitor potential terrorist threats, not only from in Afghanistan but
elsewhere around the world," he said.
As an example,
Kirby pointed to the U.S. counterterrorism operation this past January in
Somalia that killed IS operative Bilal al-Sudani, who played a key role in
funding IS-Khorasan.
IS-Khorasan was
quick to claim the August 26, 2021, attack on Kabul Airport's Abbey Gate, using
it to build momentum as the U.S. left.
But despite
initial claims by U.S. military officials that the bombing was part of a
coordinated attack on the airport, a subsequent Pentagon investigation
determined that was not the case.
"This was
not a complex attack," Army Brigadier General Lance Curtis told reporters
in February 2022, detailing the investigation's findings. "It was a single
blast, and it did not have a follow-on attack."
According to
the report, all of the death and damage was caused by the single bomb, which
investigators said was powerful enough to send shockwaves through the tightly
packed crowds at Abbey Gate, spreading 50 meters from the detonation site.
The Abbey Gate
bombing put the U.S. military in Afghanistan on heightened alert until the very
end of the withdrawal, and possibly contributed to a botched airstrike three
days later that killed as many as 10 civilians, including an aid worker and
seven children.
"The
degradation of ISIS in the region continues to be a top priority for this
administration," State Department Principal Deputy spokesperson Vedant
Patel told reporters during a briefing earlier Tuesday. "It's something
that we continue to work collectively on with our allies and partners and
others in the region."
Source: voanews.com
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https://www.voanews.com/a/islamic-state-operative-behind-deadly-kabul-airport-attack-is-dead/7066437.html
--------
Netherlands:
Muslims file UN complaint against parliament, citing discrimination
By AreebUllah
25 April 2023
A coalition of
Muslim groups in the Netherlands has filed a complaint with the United Nations
against a Dutch parliamentary committee tasked with investigating the influence
of foreign funding on mosques and Islamic associations.
The Ummah
Project, a group based in the Netherlands that is spearheading the effort,
filed an 82-page complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee on Monday,
accusing the Dutch parliamentary committee on unwanted foreign influence
(Pocob) of waging a "witch-hunt" against the Muslim community.
The Muslim
leaders who are part of the complaint include Hamid Tahiri, Jacob Van Der Blom,
and Nasr El Dalmanhoury, who held leadership positions in various mosques and
Muslim associations across the country.
The men were
called before Pocob in 2020 after the Dutch parliament began investigating the
influence of money from a list of "unfree countries" - including
Kuwait; Morocco; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Turkey; and the United Arab Emirates.
Pocob focused
only on Muslim organisations in Holland and refused to broaden its scope to
include the possibility of influence from other foreign countries.
The three men,
summoned by the committee as witnesses, risked possible imprisonment if they
failed to testify.
Clips from the
committee hearing showed Muslim witnesses enduring an intense line of
questioning from parliamentarians.
At one point, a
witness who challenged the inquiry's line of questioning had their microphone
switched off.
Samira Sabir, a
Dutch barrister who filed the case on behalf of the Ummah Project, said the
three men had been forced to defend themselves as suspects against highly
incriminating allegations despite committing no crime.
Sabir added
that the witness testimonies were carried on a live stream that was picked up
by several TV channels. Since then, the men and their places of worship have
faced negative backlash, the Ummah Project said.
"Not only
does the question arise as to why such a heavy-handed instrument was used to
investigate foreign influence, but the disproportionate instrument used, in
which the witnesses were publicly interrogated as suspects and under oath, was
completely unnecessary," Sabir told Middle East Eye.
"They were
not heard as witnesses but as suspects and had to defend themselves unprepared
without being given a chance to be truly heard.
"This
summons had the character of a criminal investigation rather than a democratic
parliamentary inquiry."
Jacob Van De
Bloom, the chairman of the Blauwe Mosque in Amsterdam, said the line of
questioning against him and the other witnesses was illegal and went against
the Netherlands' constitution.
"In the
constitution here in the Netherlands, we agreed to not treat each other
differently based on religion or colour [but] this is clearly happening
here," Van De Bloom said in a statement.
"[Even
before we appeared on the committee] they had already decided upon the outcome
and all the questions, the speakers and the order of the meetings. All they had
to do was their part to reach this outcome. Now they have a report where they
can claim that there is 'unwanted influence' by foreign financing."
MEE reached out
to Pocob for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Widespread
Islamophobia
In 2021, local
media revealed that at least ten towns and cities in the Netherlands used
private companies to secretly investigate mosques and Islamic institutions.
Mosque
officials, members active in the Muslim community and the local daily, NRC
Handelsblad, were investigated by Nuance Door Training and Advice (NTA) on
behalf of municipalities, using unlawful undercover methods.
NTA staff
reportedly entered mosques and visited community leaders without revealing
their true identities in municipalities including Rotterdam; Delft; Almere;
Huizen; Leidschendam-Voorburg; Zoetermeer; Veenendaal; and Ede.
The UN special
rapporteur on freedom of religion, Ahmed Shaheed, also noted in 2019 that
Islamophobia was "widespread" across the whole of the Netherlands
after a visit to the country.
"Members
of the Muslim community reported that they are being perceived or stigmatised
as terrorists and targeted as such," Shaheed noted in his assessment.
"Such a
climate highlights the need for Government to ensure that negative attitudes
towards Muslims in society, sometimes encouraged by political parties, do not
foster Islamophobic incidents and a sense of alienation in the Muslim
community."
Source: middleeasteye.net
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/netherlands-muslims-complaint-un-parliament-discrimination
--------
Why an
iconoclastic Jewish scholar thought Islam held a key to improving Judaism
By Benjamin
Ivry
April 25, 2023
Ignaz Goldziher
died just over a century ago, but his achievements as a Hungarian Jewish
pioneer in modern Arabic and Islamic studies are still cherished. Such dauntingly
masterful studies as On the History of Grammar among the Arabs and Introduction
to Islamic Theology and Law are still revered by mavens. A new book, Ignaz
Goldziher as a Jewish Orientalist, by TamásTurán, explores how Goldziher fit
into a generation of Jewish specialists in all things Islamic.
Susannah
Heschel has noted that 19th century Jewish thinkers found affinities with
Islam, especially for better opposing Christianity. To these researchers, Islam
and Judaism were rationally obsessed with law, rather than merely testing
belief, which in Christianity led to such atrocities as the Inquisition.
To these
reactions, Goldziher added a vehement preference for Sephardic Judaism,
harkening back to centuries ago, when leading Jewish intellectuals wrote in
Arabic for readers in Muslim Spain. For Goldziher, Sephardic culture was no
mere nostalgic excursion. He felt that Judaism might benefit from refinement
according to the best elements of Islam.
Favoring
progressive aspects of both religions, Goldziher rejected what he saw as
hidebound traditional Jewish observance, with rabbis “snorting away” at Bible
stories or “soul-killing” prayer books.
After an
Orthodox upbringing, he became relatively lax about matters such as kashrut,
especially when traveling, but continued to study a daily page of Talmud to
hone his intellect for the challenges of Islamic research.
In 1914,
Goldziher wrote to the linguist Abraham Shalom Yahuda, born in Jerusalem to an
Iraqi Jewish family:
“Whatever Jews
possess in terms of religious culture is of Sephardic origin. Everything is
connected to [Yehuda] Halevi and Maimonides. [Moses] Mendelssohn is unthinkable
without this connection. Remain a Sephardi and a champion of a Sephardic
Renaissance.”
Goldziher
himself remained a lifelong champion of the Bible and Talmud. His Mythology
Among the Hebrews refuted contemporary accusations that Jews had purloined
myths from other cultures, a notion advanced by the Frenchman Ernest Renan, who
decried a supposed lack of Semitic epics, science or philosophy.
Born in
Székesfehérvár, central Hungary, Goldziher began to study Talmud at age five.
His first book, on the origin, of prayer, was published when he was 12. His
mentor, the Talmudist Moses Wolf Freudenberg, accorded him a Latin nickname: Ignatius
autorculus (Ignaz the author).
At his bar
mitzvah, Goldziher preached a sermon lasting one hour, followed by Talmudic
discourse later in the day; by that evening, he had brought himself to tears
with his own eloquence.
By age 16, he
was enrolled at Budapest University, having mastered Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish
and Persian. Still in his teens, he wrote a doctoral dissertation on Tanhum ben
Joseph of Jerusalem, a 13th century Hebrew lexicographer so erudite that he was
known as the “Abraham ibn Ezra of the Levant.”
Yet a promising
career would be stymied by lack of a university appointment, in part because
unlike some contemporaries, Goldziher refused to convert to Christianity at a
time when abandoning Judaism facilitated career progress across Europe.
His
wide-ranging interest in culture and tradition, not limited to narrow
linguistic questions, might also have counted against him in some parts of
academia. A paragon of high seriousness, Goldziher’s respect for Islamic custom
was always punctilious.
In a memorial
tribute, the Semitic scholar Richard Gottheil recalled how in Geneva at an
Orientalist conference, Goldziher used fluent Arabic to scold some Egyptians
who were “hilariously drinking wine,” suggesting that “if only out of respect
for the religion they represented, they ought at least to show outward respect
for its tenets.”
TamásTurán
addresses suggestions that such moralizing to others may have impeded
Goldziher’s professional progress. Goldziher’s diary, written in German and
published only in 1978, shocked readers with the amount of paprika it threw
into the Sólet, a traditional Hungarian Jewish stew, metaphorically speaking.
Largely a plea
for rachmonis (pity), Goldziher’s narrative targeted several of his colleagues,
including some with staunch reputations.
One such was
ÁrminVámbéry (born Hermann Wamberger), a Hungarian specialist in the languages,
history and cultures of Turkic peoples. Vámbéry converted to Christianity to
advance his academic career, unlike Goldziher.
Termed by
Goldziher a “limping liar” and “vicious ignoramus,” Vámbéry was, Turán asserts,
indeed a more problematic figure than is commonly understood. In 1900, Vámbéry
informed Goldziher that his teaching job at the University of Budapest was just
an excuse for lucrative quasi-espionage on behalf of the governments of the UK
and Turkey: “Any man who does not acquire any money — much money — is a
despicable character.” After bragging about the sums he earned, Vámbéry added
that these were not obtained by dint of scholarship: “Research is a pile of
Dreck.”
Goldziher could
not have disagreed more with this attitude, and refused offers for foreign
academic chairs, opting instead to wait it out for decades in Hungary. At age
55, he was finally accorded a salaried post worthy of his publications. Until
then, he worked as secretary of the Neolog Jewish Congregation of Pest, a
liberal, modernist Hungarian Jewish communal organization, in addition to
lecturing at the Jewish Theological Seminary of Budapest.
In these roles
he often encountered Ashkenazi Jews of whom he disapproved in his journal,
using such terms as “Moravian” and “Polack” as insults. The Swiss Jewish
scholar Edward Ullendorff compared Goldziher’s critique of fellow Jews to “The
Self-Tormentor,” the protagonist of a stage comedy by the Roman playwright
Terence.
Decidedly
unmerry, Goldziher was typically an intense diarist; during one voyage, he ran
out of ink but continued scribbling away, dipping his pen into shoe polish to
capture his thoughts. He bemoaned his status as the “despised and ill-used
lackey of my purse-proud and ignorant coreligionists.”
His fellow
Hungarian Jew, the ethnographer Raphael Patai, implied that Goldziher was a
manic depressive in need of psychological counseling. More empathetically, the
German Jewish historian ShelomoDovGoitein called Goldziher’s journal a “human
document of tragic dimensions.”
By contrast,
Turán explains Goldziher’s mood swings by citing the German Jewish philologist
HeymannSteinthal’s characterization of Semites, especially Israelites, as a mix
of “excitability” and “earnestness.”
Add a dollop of
what IsmarSchorsch, Chancellor emeritus of The Jewish Theological Seminary,
characterized as “The Myth of Sephardic Supremacy in Nineteenth-Century
Germany,” and Goldziher’s vehemence may appear a bit more explicable.
Even-handed in
his obloquy, Goldziher also castigated offending Muslims, not just the bibulous
Egyptians confronted in Geneva. In Istanbul, he called a performing dervish, a
whirling Sufi Muslim worshiper, a “miserable God swindle,” and considered that
observance of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by
fasting, prayer, and reflection, was likewise part of a “swindle” perpetrated
against believers.
Invective
aside, posterity will surely look upon Ignaz Goldziher’s publications with
gratitude for their enduring probity and coherence. When Goldziher’s private
library was purchased in the 1920s by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one
young intellectual, Gershom Scholem, thrilled that the “famous library of the
even more famous Islamist” should be accessible to Jewish researchers. The
excitement persists in the scholarly community about Goldziher’s work,
regardless of his opinions of others, justified or not.
Source: forward.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://forward.com/culture/544530/ignaz-goldziher-jewish-scholar-thought-islam-couold-improve-judaism-tamas-turan/
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Southeast
Asia
Registering
marriage important for Indonesians abroad: legislator
26-04-23
Jakarta
(ANTARA) - Member of Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR)
Christina Aryani has stressed the importance of Indonesians living abroad
registering their marriage to protect the rights of mothers and children.
She conveyed
this in response to the case of an eight-year-old boy named Muhammad Yusri in
Malaysia who was left without citizenship after both his parents died. The
boy's birth had not been reported, and his parents' marriage had not been
registered.
"The
lesson that can be taken from this case is the importance of reporting marriage
to the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI)/Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia
(KJRI) representatives abroad to protect the rights of mothers and
children," she said in a statement received on Tuesday.
Children born
outside marriage have civil relations with their mothers and their mothers'
families as per Article 43 Paragraph (1) of Law Number 1 of 1974 concerning
Marriage, she added.
"Thus, as
long as it can be proven that Muhammad Yusri was born to an Indonesian woman,
Indonesian citizenship can be given to him," she said.
The offer of
help from the Malaysian government could also be an option to consider in the
case, she added.
"We also
received information that the Malaysian government is willing to help in
Yusri's citizenship process," she said.
According to
her, in responding to such cases, the interests of children must be
prioritized.
"What
needs to be paid attention to here is when he returns to Indonesia, then with
whom will he stay and who will take care of him? These all need to be
considered carefully, including the future of the child," she added.
Apart from
Malaysia, there have been frequent cases in Hong Kong of children born outside
wedlock to Indonesian-foreigner couples and at risk of having no citizenship,
the legislator said.
Source: en.antaranews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://en.antaranews.com/news/279714/registering-marriage-important-for-indonesians-abroad-legislator
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Temples,
puppets, opera a legacy of Fujian's past at tourist Mecca
26-Apr-2023
Ancestral
shrines, temples and other cultural relics and historical buildings dot the
Wudianshi Traditional Blocks. These red brick buildings with their delicately
designed roofs are typical of the architectural style of southern Fujian. They
have been well preserved thanks to concerted efforts by the local government
despite the blazing pace of urbanization.
The ancient
block was renovated for three years before it reopened to the public in 2015
with a brand-new look and complete facilities for tourism while retaining its
quaint traditional neighborhoods. As a city landmark, the block was rated as a
4A-level national scenic area in 2015. Two years later, it was named "a
provincial-level historical and cultural block."
Its reputation
attracts many visitors to appreciate local intangible cultural heritage, such
as Gaojia Opera, puppetry shows, folk music and more. Exhibitions, fashion
shows, and other cultural events are also often held there. As they wander
around sipping coffee and tasting local delicacies, visitors can enjoy a feast
for the senses while soaking up centuries of culture.
Any tour here
is a de facto history lesson with so many cultural relics and historical
architecture to be appreciated. People can also kick back a gear and enjoy the
slower pace of life of bygone times.
The block
evokes feelings of nostalgia among older generations of local people and is a
popular place for all demographics of city residents.
Source: news.cgtn.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-04-26/Temples-puppets-opera-a-legacy-of-Fujian-s-past-at-tourist-Mecca-1jjGrWdp9dK/index.html
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Malaysians have
left Port Sudan for Jeddah, says Wisma Putra
Wednesday, 26
Apr 2023
PUTRAJAYA: All
30 Malaysians, who were stranded in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, have safely left
Port Sudan for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Foreign
Ministry said all the Malaysians left the port on board a Saudi naval vessel,
after an arduous 30-hour journey by land beginning from Khartoum.
"The
journey across the Red Sea is expected to take at least 12 hours,” it said in a
tweet today (April 26).
Wisma Putra
also extended its sincere appreciation to the governments of Saudi Arabia and
UAE for making the evacuation a success.
It said that in
the spirit of compassion, Malaysia also assisted nationalities from Cambodia,
Palestine, Philippines, Singapore, Sudan, Thailand, and the United States to
safely leave Sudan under the close supervision and efforts of the Malaysian
evacuation operation.
So far, more
than 400 people have been reported killed and more than 3,500 injured since the
armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support
Forces (RSF) broke out on April 15. – Bernama
Source: thestar.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/04/26/malaysians-have-left-port-sudan-for-jeddah-says-wisma-putra
--------
Mideast
Iran, Saudi
Arabia Resume TradeFollowing A China-Brokered Deal: Iranian Trade Minister
2023-04-26
Tehran, April
26 (IANS) An Iranian official announced that trade between Tehran and Saudi
Arabia has resumed as the two Arab countries stepped up efforts to normalise
ties following a China-brokered deal in March.
Trade Minister
Reza Fatemi-Amin made the remarks to mediapersons on Tuesday when asked to
comment on the agreement reached between Tehran and Riyadh to normalise
bilateral relations in March, Xinhua news agency reported.
On Sunday,
Iran's Roads and Urban Development Minister MehrdadBazrpash announced that the
country has received a proposal from Saudi Arabia to launch three regular
flights between the two countries per week, in addition to the Haj flights.
Iran and Saudi
Arabia reached a deal in March to resume diplomatic relations and reopen
embassies and missions in the two countries within two months.
In a meeting
held in Beijing on April 6, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud signed a joint
statement, announcing the resumption of diplomatic relations with immediate
effect.
Riyadh cut
diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 in response to the attacks on Saudi
diplomatic missions in Tehran after the kingdom executed a Shia cleric.
Source: investing.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://in.investing.com/news/iran-saudi-arabia-resume-trade-minister-3615006
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Amir sends condolences
to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
25 Apr 2023
Doha: The Amir
HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent on Tuesday a cable of condolences to
the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the death of HH Prince Abdulrahman bin Abdullah bin
Abdulrahman Al-Saud.
Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/25/04/2023/amir-sends-condolences-to-the-custodian-of-the-two-holy-mosques-6
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Israeli Arabs
torn over judicial reforms protest movement
By Rhodri
Davies
26-04-23
At a recent
march for Land Day, Jameel Saed denounced the nationwide protests against
controversial judicial reform plans that have convulsed Israel since the start
of the year.
"I didn't
participate in any and I'm not going to. I don't think that many Palestinians
did," said the student from the Arab city of Nazareth, in northern Israel.
"The
Israeli protests are calling to get the status quo back - to 'claim back
democracy'. But we don't think that it was anything but tyranny and apartheid.
"This is
not something that we want."
Jameel is one
of Israel's approximately two million Israeli Arabs. Israeli Arabs are
Palestinians and their descendants who remained in the land which became Israel
in 1948. They comprise about 20% of Israel's population. While they are
officially citizens of Israel, many - estimates and polls vary - self-identify
as Palestinians.
Hundreds of
thousands of demonstrators have been on Israel's streets weekly. They have been
demonstrating against the right-wing government's proposed reforms that would
radically increase its control of Supreme Court appointments and decisions.
In the face of
the uproar in Israel's towns and cities, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's
coalition has now put the reforms on hold at least until the Israeli
parliament, the Knesset, returns from recess on 30 April.
Israel crisis a
battle for country's identity
What is the
crisis in Israel about?
Jameel believes
that the march at Land Day - the annual commemoration of the Israeli army
killings in 1976 of six Palestinians demonstrating over Israeli expropriation
of their land - is more important for Palestinian rights than participation in
the current mass protests.
On the march in
the Israeli Arab town of Sakhnin, where some of the killings took place, he
questioned the apparent disparity in treatment by Israeli security forces of
Israeli and Palestinian protests.
"If we did
one quarter of what the Israelis are doing we would've been killed by
now," he said.
Sense of
exclusion
Of the
demonstrations that have taken place, involvement by Israel's Arab citizens has
been low and primarily in Israeli Arab areas in the north.
Some are happy
to see the judicial crisis play out, or think it is the logical outcome of a
state and system which many feel has always excluded their community from full
democratic treatment.
A protester
holds a placard that says in Hebrew "We are not donkeys we are the Messiah
Democracy" during an anti-reform demonstration.
Many argue that
past Supreme Court decisions which have discriminated against Palestinians,
both in Israel and in the Occupied Territories, provide no impetus to defend
it. For instance, upholding the 2018 nation state law that stated that in
Israel the right to self-determination is unique to Jewish people.
More recently,
the court approved the eviction of 1,000 Palestinians from an area in the
occupied West Bank so that Israel's army can use it as a training zone. UN
human rights experts warned that the move - without military necessity in an
occupied territory - could constitute a war crime.
After a string
of inconclusive elections in Israel, and the fall of a short-lived broad
spectrum coalition government, November's polls saw Mr Netanyahu propelled back
into power at the head of the most right-wing government in Israel's history.
With a
coalition of nationalist and religious parties in charge, many Palestinians in
Israel and the Occupied Territories feel at risk of its legislative, cultural
and political might.
Two of the most
prominent ministers in the coalition - Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir - are themselves settlers in the
West Bank.
Last month, Mr
Smotrich provoked a storm of angry reaction when he said that there was
"no such thing" as a Palestinian people.
Analysts in
Israeli media have speculated that the coalition will try to remove legal
constraints to annex some or all of the West Bank. If such a move were to
happen, it would likely see the absorption or expulsion of Palestinians.
'We're not
alone'
Calls from
Jewish Israelis for Palestinian rights, the occupation and peace to be part of
the protest dialogue have been met by the demonstrations' mainstream with
indifference or the argument that they need to remain focused on their own
issues to achieve success.
But, despite
the current context, some Israeli Arabs are pushing for greater engagement in
the Israeli protests.
At the Land Day
march, Aida Touma-Suleiman, an Arab member of the Knesset, said: "Some are
joining, but not as much as expected from those who are going to be hurt the
most from these reforms.
"Those who
are politicised like us, we are trying to push to get our voices heard, either
by meeting with those who are leading the demonstrations or taking part in the
demonstrations under the anti-occupation bloc."
This bloc is
increasingly seen at the larger protests, such as those in Tel Aviv and
Jerusalem, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans in Hebrew and Arabic.
Though it remains tiny in comparison to the total number of protesters.
Some Israeli
Arabs see the protests as an opportunity to advance their demands for equality.
"We are
saying that real democracy cannot exist with the ongoing occupation of another
people - the Palestinian people - and that real democracy cannot be
discriminatory against the Palestinian citizens of Israel," said Yousef
Jabareen, an Arab former member of the Knesset and law lecturer.
"There's a
need to advocate for other initiatives to promote real democracy."
This includes
working with Jewish Israelis.
At the first
Saturday protest in Tel Aviv during the Knesset's recess, Alon-Lee Green was
among a group of purple-shirted protesters huddling together in the
Mediterranean sunshine.
Mr Green is the
national co-director of Standing Together, a grassroots movement that aims to
bring Jews and Palestinians in Israel together to achieve peace and equality.
He said that
carving out space for their voice has been difficult, but is increasingly
possible.
"There is
a big argument within the protest [over including calls for Palestinian
rights]," he said.
He said a large
part of the public did not want to bring in the topics of occupation or social
justice at the protests. But while the Israeli flag was seen everywhere, people
were now able to wave Palestinian flags freely, Mr Green added.
Previously
there were "a lot of attacks, even violent attacks on people that were
holding the Palestinian flag inside those protests," he said.
Ibrahim Abu
Ahmad, who works for a non-governmental organisation, is one of the handful of
Israeli Arabs who has spoken at the Israeli rallies.
On the
sidelines of the Saturday protest, the 30-year-old said that the desire for
immediate, full Palestinian rights and a Palestinian state was unrealistic -
rather that small steps were needed.
brahim Abu
Ahmad
Image caption,
Ibrahim Abu
Ahmad: "We should be kicking the door"
He favoured
first building networks in Israel and strengthening Palestinians' social and
political role.
"We have
an ally in this Israeli society, we're not alone, there are people who believe
in this change," Mr Abu Ahmad said. "We should take it as an
opportunity to put them on our side. And not to alienate ourselves from
everything."
"Then
after the crisis is resolved we can say: 'We stood by you. Now it's time to
discuss our issues.'"
Mr Abu Ahmad
added Palestinians "shouldn't be waiting for permission" to put their
views forward.
"We should
be kicking the door," he said.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-65374745
--------
Israel
complains about growing Chinese role in Middle East at Washington's expense
April 25, 2023
After China's
success in restoring relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, political and
diplomatic circles in Israel are anticipating a Chinese attempt to resolve the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, citing the rapprochement between Tehran and
Riyadh brokered by Beijing. However, Israel remains committed to the US, and
calls for its increased involvement in the Middle East.
"After the
resumption of diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran, mediated by
Beijing, years after their separation, Israeli political circles predict that
the Chinese are also trying to resolve another conflict in the Middle East,
which has lasted for decades, the conflict between the Palestinians and the
Israelis," wrote political correspondent ItamarEichner in YediothAhronoth.
"Hence, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen had a call with his Chinese counterpart
Chen Gang, without Israel announcing that the conversation included any
discussion about negotiations with the Palestinians, but rather confirming that
they discussed the threat of the Iranian nuclear programme."
He added in a
report translated by Arabi 21 that, "The Chinese announcement stated that
the foreign minister spoke with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, Cohen
and Riyad Al-Maliki, and focused with them on a completely different topic,
which is the fear of escalating tensions between the two sides, and his support
for the resumption of negotiations between them. He assured Cohen that the
agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran is a good example of overcoming
differences through dialogue, asking him to show political courage and move
towards resuming dialogue with the Palestinians."
These
developments, noted Eichner, revealed to Israel the increased Chinese
"interference" in the Middle East.
"Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked in an interview with CNBC about it, and
he said, 'We respect China, we deal with China a great deal but we also know
that we have an indispensable alliance with our great friend the United
States.' Military and security affairs commentator Ron Ben-Yishai pointed out
that Washington considers Beijing a competitor and a major enemy in all
economic and military fields, so it is concerning to Israel for China to
strengthen its grip on the Middle East at the expense of the US, given that the
US is Israel's sponsor in the region."
Source: middleeastmonitor.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230425-israel-complains-about-growing-chinese-role-in-middle-east-at-washingtons-expense/
--------
India, Iran and
Armenia forms new trilateral to deepen regional relations
April 25th,
2023
The first
trilateral consultations between the Foreign Affairs Ministry of India,
Armenia, and Iran took place in Yerevan. MnatsakanSafaryan, the deputy foreign minister
of Armenia, SeyedRasoul Mousavi, the assistant of the foreign minister of Iran,
and JP Singh, the joint secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs of India,
led their respective delegations at the meeting.
Buy Prime Test
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During the
trilateral meeting between India, Armenia, and Iran, the participants also
discussed the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). This is a
freight corridor that connects India, Iran, and Russia, with the goal of
reducing the time and cost of transporting cargo from Mumbai to Moscow. The
INSTC agreement was originally signed in 2002 by Russia, Iran, and India and
has since been expanded.
Armenia and
India marked the 30th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic relations in
2022. The two countries have maintained active political ties and effective
cooperation within international organizations. The diplomatic relations
between Armenia and India were established in 1992. In March 2022, Armenian
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan visited India, while Defence Minister Suren
Papikyan made a visit to the country in April of the same year. India’s
External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, visited Armenia in October 2021. India
and Iran have a long-standing relationship that dates back many centuries, with
both countries sharing a common cultural heritage. The Chabahar port in Iran
has been instrumental in enhancing connectivity between the two nations.
Source: currentaffairs.adda247.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://currentaffairs.adda247.com/india-iran-and-armenia-forms-new-trilateral-to-deepen-regional-relations/
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Arab World
Muslim World
League Slams Swedish Parliamentary Panel Chief’s Remarks Offensive To Islam And
Prophet
April 25, 2023
MAKKAH — The
General Secretariat of the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) condemned the
statements made by the Chairman of the Justice Committee in the Swedish
Parliament against the religion of Islam, the Holy Qur’an, and Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him).
Sheikh Mohammed
Al-Issa, secretary general of MWL and chairman of the Organization of Muslim
Scholars, said in a statement that the recent attack on the religion of Islam
was from someone, who is a prominent person, holding the chair of the Justice
Committee in the Swedish parliament. This is a clear indication of the rise of
extremism and Islamophobia in an official entity headed by this person.
Sheikh Al-Issa
noted that Sweden enjoys excellent relations with the Islamic world, and the
Swedish people are appreciated and respected by Muslims and are described as
civilized and friendly people. In such a scenario, this abusive and immoral
words only represent the person who expressed them and the entity headed by him.
The MWL
statement emphasized that the insults made by the parliament member reflect his
ignorance about the truthfulness of Islam, and these were based on concepts
promoted by extremists, which are not related to the truthfulness of Islam and
its tolerance in any way.
Al-Issa called
on the benevolent people of Sweden to stand united in confronting the growing
tendency that seeks to create a rift between Muslims and other members of
Swedish society on the one hand, and between Sweden and the Islamic world on
the other hand, saying that these trends are based on the concepts of extremism
that tend to incite clashes and conflict between civilizations.
The MWL chief
expressed hope that the Swedish consciousness, with its national and human
values, believes in fraternity, love and mutual respect among the Swedish
people and maintaining friendship between nations and peoples. He also
highlighted the importance of strengthening the alliance between civilizations
within the framework of their multiple commonalities.
Dr. Al-Issa
considered that the insistence on practices that provoke hatred and insult
religious feelings is unjustified under any pretext, whether it is against
Islam or other religions, cultures and races. He rejected such practices even
in the name of freedom as these are contrary to values of humanity. He also
noted that the Muslims of Sweden love their country and are proud of it and
prepared to offer sacrifices for it.
Dr. Al-Issa
stressed that the parliament panel chief’s statements only serve the agendas of
extremism to silence the voice of reason as it deals a blow to the efforts of
rapprochement and building bridges between nations and peoples.
The MWL chief
warned Muslims in Europe in general and in Sweden particular against being
fallen in the trap of extremists who want to spread an atmosphere of mutual
hatred among various segments of society, stressing that such anti-Islamic
statements in turn must encourage Muslims to hold fast to their values that
emphasize the necessity of building rather than destruction, rapprochement
rather than disunity, and keenness in upholding the cohesion of societies. He
also stressed the importance of rallying around the state in accordance with
the constitution and laws of each country, whatever its identity.
Sheikh Al-Essa
stated that Islam is against exchanging abuse for abuse and against any
negative behavior in terms of words or deeds, including behavior that violates
the laws, especially those that provoke hatred and escalation. “Such issues
shall be dealt with wisdom in line with the fundamental principles advocated by
the Holy Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”
The MWL chief
also emphasized that Islam is a religion of truth that is not harmed by any
sorts of provocation, and that followers of Islam who constitute around two
billion believe in it as a religion of mercy and peace for the entire humanity.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/631906/SAUDI-ARABIA/MWL-slams-Swedish-parliamentary-panel-chiefs-remarks-offensive-to-Islam-and-Prophet
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World Bank
Group President Thanks Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for Helping Evacuate
its Staff from Khartoum to Saudi Arabia
25 Apr, 2023
World Bank
Group President David Malpass has expressed thanks and appreciation to the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for the
Kingdom’s contribution and support in evacuating the World Bank staff from
Sudan to Saudi Arabia.
In a
letter sent to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the World Bank Group
president said: “We express our gratitude and appreciation for the generous
support provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to our staff in Sudan. Saudi
Arabia’s swift action and unwavering support have been truly remarkable.”
He also
expressed appreciation for the Kingdom’s embassy and its staff in Khartoum for
caring for the World Bank staff and their dependents, which, he said, is
greatly appreciated in this time of great need.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/86d9af558beb48f6a4dc37016076465f
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Shoura Council
delegation starts official visit to Sweden
April 25, 2023
RIYADH: A
delegation from the Shoura Council, headed by assistant to the Speaker of the
Council, Hanan bint Abdulrahim Al-Ahmadi, started an official visit to the
Kingdom of Sweden on Tuesday, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Ahmadi said
in a statement that, during the visit, the delegation will discuss
parliamentary relations between the Shoura Council and the Swedish Parliament,
ways of boosting and supporting their ties, while emphasizing Saudi Arabia's
position towards various regional and international issues and the Kingdom’s
pioneering role in supporting international peace and stability.
The meeting
will tackle humanitarian aid efforts internationally by the King Salman
Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) and its influential role in
alleviating human suffering worldwide, the statement added.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2292786/saudi-arabia
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Costa Rica
supports Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo 2030
April 26, 2023
DUBAI: Costa
Rica was the latest country to support Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the Expo 2030
in Riyadh.
“President of
the Republic, Rodrigo Chaves announced Costa Rica’s official support for Saudi
Arabia for Expo 2030. The announcement was made in a meeting with the investor
mission of that country,” the Central American country’s foreign ministry said
in a post on social media.
The Kingdom has
been receiving huge support for its effort to bring one of the oldest and
largest international events to the Saudi capital considering its advantage
against rival bidders Odessa, Rome and Busan.
A team from the
Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) – which holds the Expo events –
recently visited Saudi Arabia for an enquiry mission where they looked into
detailed presentations, toured the proposed Expo site and held dialogues with
various stakeholders of the project proposal.
Dimitri
Kerkentzes, secretary general of the BIE, said that the Kingdom has ‘everything
needed’ to host a successful Expo 2030 at the culmination of their five-day
visit, where they also met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“We have seen a
project strong from the very top, from His Royal Highness, all the way down to
government, from every minister and every member of Saudi Arabia that we have met
and have spoken to, all have an incredible support for this project.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2293101/saudi-arabia
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King Faisal
Naval Base in Jeddah receives the largest evacuation yet from Sudan
April 26, 2023
RIYADH: A ship
carrying another batch of evacuees from Sudan arrived in Jeddah early on
Wednesday as the Saudi Arabian government continues efforts to move its
citizens, as well as foreign nationals, into safety.
The ship
transported 1,687 people from 58 nationalities from Port Sudan on east coast of
Sudan on the Red Sea.
There were 46
Americans, 40 Britons, 11 Germans, 4 French, 13 Saudis, 560 Indonesians, 239
Yemenis, 198 Sudanese and 26 Turkish citizens on board the ship. The
Saudi-flagged ship “Amana” docked at King Faisal Naval Base just before 5 a.m.
As passengers
disembarked, they were welcomed by base officials and diplomatic authorities
from various nationalities.
Saudi Arabia
has received several rounds of evacuees by air and sea, starting with boats
that arrived in Jeddah on Saturday carrying 150 people including foreign
diplomats and officials.
On Monday, a
C-130 Hercules military plane flew dozens of South Korean civilians to Jeddah’s
King Abdullah Air Base, and a boat ferried nearly 200 people from 14 countries
across the Red Sea from Port Sudan.
Dr. Abdulaziz
Alwasil, Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United
Nations, earlier stressed on the importance of preserving the current truce in
Sudan.
At the UN
Security Council in New York, he said the Kingdom is working with all its
partners to stabilize the truce in Sudan, praising the cooperation of the
Sudanese parties to facilitate the evacuation of civilians.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2292986/saudi-arabia
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Why Saudi
patents still matter for growth and innovation
RAWAN RADWAN
April 25, 2023
JEDDAH: Throughout
modern history, revolutionary inventions have shaped societies, transformed
economies and improved quality of life. Nowadays, protecting the intellectual
property rights to such creations is considered a crucial driver of innovation.
And it all starts with a patent.
In some
industries, patents are essential, although they do not strictly protect the
technology from being infringed upon by competitors. The merely provide legal
recourse if someone does so.
For inventors
and entrepreneurs, intellectual property in the form of patents, trademarks and
copyrights can be especially valuable, as patent registration protects the
invention from being marketed, promoted and sold by a second party.
It is difficult
to say exactly how many patents have been filed throughout history. The first
is thought to date back to 1421, when an architect in Florence named Filippo
Brunelleschi developed a crane for transporting marble from the nearby Carrara
mountains.
Others believe
the first patent was awarded to an inventor named John of Utynam, a Flemish
glassmaker, in 1449.
The Apple
keyboard used to write this article is patented by the US Patent and Trademark
Office. The laptop was granted a design patent and the programs and systems to
deliver the electronic document are patented as well.
In 2021, annual
global intellectual property filings for patents, trademarks and designs
reached an all-time high, with 3.4 million patent applications filed, 67.6
percent of which came from Asia.
In 2018, Saudi
Arabia established the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, whose work
was previously entrusted to the Saudi Ministry of Commerce. The move came as
part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reforms plan, which placed IP among its top
priorities.
In 2022, Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched the National Intellectual Property
Strategy, aimed at building an IP ecosystem that supports innovation and a
creative economy by developing an IP value chain that stimulates innovation and
competitiveness, while promoting economic growth to ensure Saudi Arabia becomes
a leader in IP. Some $267 million was allocated to support the strategy, to be
distributed over five years until 2028.
IP protection
and patent filing are not new concepts in the Kingdom, however. Saudi Arabia
joined the World Intellectual Property Organization in 1982. Although there
were relatively few Saudi patents in the early 1980s, the sector has boomed.
In 2022, the
number of Saudi patents filed shot up compared with 2021. Some 5,837 patent
applications were filed at SAIP, representing a 46.7 percent increase on the
previous year, when the number was 3,979.
Institutions
filed 81.8 percent of all patent applications, while individuals filed 18.1
percent. About 43 percent of the applications filed were in chemistry, metallurgy,
and human needs affiliated with the oil, gas and health sectors.
Saudi Aramco
held the highest number of patents globally as of 2021, with more than 40,000
filed and 16,882 granted. According to SAIP, Aramco topped the list of the top
five institutions in terms of the number of patent documents issued, with 31
percent.
Khalid
Alashgar, patent manager and examiner at SAIP, told Arab News that one of the
reasons for the growing number of patents filed and registered could be the
Kingdom’s move toward industrial expansion.
He also
attributed the increase to “Saudi Arabia’s support and encouragement of
research institutions for innovation and bearing the financial costs and
burdens of patent registration.”
Alashgar added:
“The reason the number of filed applications is high and grants low is also
because all patents are subject to review and examination. Some might be
granted, others rejected based on technical reports and the grant condition
must be met, including ‘innovation.’ Applicants must ensure that their patent
has never been used before and can be manufacturable.”
He also said
that some patents are dropped due to late annual payment or examination or
publication fees, and “not all patent applications are granted.”
Every few years
the number of patents increases depending on particular circumstances, said
Alashgar. For instance, the number of patents and IP applications surged during
the COVID-19 pandemic and were primarily vaccine-related.
Nowadays, many
companies are exploring patents in new nanotechnologies. In 2022, the highest
number of patent applications filed were in computer technology, followed by
digital communications — two fields that have grown thanks to the rise of
tech-savvy entrepreneurs.
Many inventions
and innovations are created to serve humanity. For Dr. FirasAlqarawi, a dentist
based in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, the thought of registering a patent
was not even on his mind when he developed a method for better-fitting,
ceramic, fixed partial dentures.
“It wasn’t
until my supervisor pointed it out to me in grad school that I should patent
this method,” Alqarawi told Arab News.
“I was
finishing up my PhD at the time in the US and we were experimenting in the
laboratory. Through trial and error, I found that the material used really held
well and could be considered as a treatment method with long-term positive
results that also saves time instead of starting a treatment plan from
scratch.”
Doctors,
inventors and entrepreneurs can use specific medical patents to protect a wide
range of inventions, including drugs, devices, procedures and software. By
giving such inventors a competitive edge, medical patents serve the essential
purpose of promoting medical innovation.
Like many other
technological fields, the medical industry enables its inventors to use patents
and trade secrets to protect their innovations, providing them with the
competitive advantage needed to build value and identity for their products or
businesses.
“As with any
treatment plan, all options are considered and that’s not to say that my patent
is perfect,” said Alqarawi. “It is still in the initial phases and could be
considered as an option for certain patients.
“It’s not a
one-size-fits-all approach, nor is it a quick fix. The time and effort it takes
to create something is worthy of a patent and as a doctor, I swore to do no
harm and care for a patient’s well-being as a priority.”
Filed in 2015
at the US Patent and Trademark Office, it was only after several reviews that
his patent was eventually granted in 2019. As with many patents, advancing to
the manufacturing stage could take some time.
“With this
patent granted, another is in the works as well, and as I’m back living and
working in the Kingdom, I will be applying through SAIP,” said Alqarawi.
“I believe that
many are aware of the importance of protecting their inventions.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2292871/saudi-arabia
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Saudi railways
carry more than 818,000 passengers during Ramadan
April 25, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi
Arabia’s Haramain High Speed Railway carried more than 818,000 passengers over
2,540 journeys during Ramadan, a 265 percent increase on the same period last
year.
The figures,
revealed by Saudi Arabia Railways, showed the number of daily trips operated
during the holy month exceeded 115, with a commitment rate of more than 97
percent.
As part of its
operational plan for Ramadan, the company increased the frequency of Haramain
train services, providing more than 1 million seats through the line’s five
stations.
SAR’s director
general of marketing and corporate communications, Mohammed bin
MuathHamidaddin, said the integrated action plan had been implemented in
coordination with the Saudi-Spanish Train Project Co., the operator of the
Haramain High Speed Railway, and relevant government agencies.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2292836/saudi-arabia
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Saudi Arabia:
Mecca buses transported 7.5 million in Ramadan
April 25, 2023
Cairo: Public
buses plying in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca transported over 7.5 million
passengers during this Ramadan, an operator has said.
Millions of
Muslims from inside and outside Saudi Arabia usually flock to Mecca home to
Islam’s holiest site, to perform prayers and Umrah or lesser pilgrimage in
Ramadan.
The buses,
operating along 12 routes, made 4,100 journeys on average per day during
Ramadan, transporting around 258,500 users daily, the Mecca Public Buses
Transportation Project said in an overview.
The buses
operated over 120,000 journeys during the lunar month, which ended on Thursday.
Ramadan usually
marks the peak of Umrah season at the Grand Mosque, particularly in the last 10
days of the month.
Saudi
authorities described this season as exceptional, citing record numbers of the
faithful thronging the Grand Mosque in Ramadan.
The number of
worshippers at the site reached more than 22 million in the first 20 days of
Ramadan, according to official Saudi figures.
In recent
months, the kingdom has unveiled a host of facilities for Muslims wishing to
come to the country to perform Umrah.
In October
2020, Saudi Arabia gradually resumed Umrah after about seven months of suspension
due to COVID-19. In August 2021, overseas Muslims wishing to perform Umrah were
allowed back into Saudi Arabia under certain health conditions to curb COVID-19
spread.
In March last
year, Saudi Arabia lifted most anti-coronavirus restrictions. This included
scrapping physical distancing among worshippers at the Grand Mosque and the
Prophet’s Mohammed Mosque.
Source: gulfnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-mecca-buses-transported-75-million-in-ramadan-1.95341503
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Sharjah Ramadan
Festival 2023 sales exceed $81.6mln
April 25, 2023
The 33rd
Sharjah Ramadan Festival wrapped up another successful edition on Monday, after
revitalising the retail sector and markets in the emirate of Sharjah.
Throughout the
holy month of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr celebrations, the festival offered
residents and visitors exceptional shopping and entertainment experiences in
malls and popular destinations. With a plethora of promotions, significant
discounts, valuable prizes, and an entertaining atmosphere, the festival
achieved tremendous success and left a lasting impact on those who attended.
This year's
Festival, organised by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI),
exceeded sales expectations, generating approximately AED300 million and
achieving a growth rate of 20 percent. This success has further cemented
Sharjah's leading position as a global destination for shopping and
entertainment.
Attracting a
diverse range of consumers and shoppers from various backgrounds and
nationalities, the festival featured enticing offers and discounts tailored to
meet their needs.
Additionally,
numerous entertaining events were held, enriching the overall experience and
contributing to the festival's popularity. The event has also boosted the
retail sector's momentum in Sharjah, showcasing the Emirate's ability to
provide a vibrant and engaging atmosphere for visitors and residents alike.
"The
remarkable success of the 33rd Sharjah Ramadan Festival, in terms of both sales
volume and attracting thousands of shoppers, reaffirms the event's status as
one of the region's most significant festivals." "Its crucial role in
bolstering the retail sector and providing strong support to Sharjah's economy
further solidifies the emirate's standing among the world's premier shopping
destinations," Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director-General of SCCI,
said.
Source: zawya.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.zawya.com/en/business/retail-and-consumer/sharjah-ramadan-festival-2023-sales-exceed-816mln-nkptl7ph
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Saudi
authorities thwart bid to smuggle 12.7m amphetamine pills
April 25, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi
authorities in the Jeddah region have thwarted an attempt to smuggle more than
12.7 million amphetamine pills, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
Col. Marwan
Al-Hazmi, official spokesman for the General Directorate of Border Guard, said:
“The security monitoring of drug smuggling and promotion networks resulted in
the seizure of 12,729,000 amphetamine tablets concealed in a pomegranate
shipment at Jeddah Islamic Port.”
The drug bust,
which was coordinated with the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority, resulted in
the arrest of four expats, two Egyptians, one Syrian, and one Yemeni.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2292761/saudi-arabia
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UAE launches
Domestic Dirhams Islamic Treasury Sukuk with size of AED1.1 billion
ABU DHABI, 26th
April, 2023 (WAM) -- The UAE, represented by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) as
the issuer and in collaboration with the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) as the
issuing and paying agent, has announced launching a dirham- denominated Islamic
Treasury Sukuk (T-Sukuk), with a benchmark auction size of AED1.1 billion.
Mohamed bin
Hadi Al Hussaini, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, reaffirmed the UAE's
keenness to strengthen the Islamic economy and build a pioneering investment
infrastructure to boost the Islamic economy as one of the key pillars of the
national economy.
Al Hussaini
said, “The Ministry of Finance cooperates with all its partners, foremostly the
Central Bank of the UAE, to attract investments and deploy them in Islamic
economy channels. The T-Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates, and
they will be traded to reflect the local return on investment, support economic
diversification and financial inclusion, and contribute to achieving
comprehensive and sustainable economic and social development goals.”
Additionally,
he emphasised that issuing the T-Sukuk in local currency will contribute to
building a local currency bond market, diversifying financing resources,
boosting the local financial and banking sector, and providing safe investment
alternatives for local and foreign investors.
He also noted
that this issuance will help build the UAE Dirham-denominated yield curve,
thereby strengthening the local financial market and developing the investment
environment.
Khaled Mohamed
Balama, Governor of CBUAE, emphasised the importance of issuing Islamic
treasury sukuk in developing local sukuk markets, diversifying financing
resources, and strengthening the infrastructure to support investment options
and alternatives that are compatible with the provisions of Islamic Sharia, to
develop the Islamic financial sector, improve the investment environment, and
solidify the UAE's position as a leading global hub in the Islamic finance
sector.
He added, “The
issuance of Islamic treasury sukuk comes within the UAE's commitment to
developing capital market activities and consolidating its position as a global
financial hub. This issuance reaffirms the strength and stability of the
financial system and the confidence of local and international investors in the
UAE's ability to develop the financial sector following monetary policies and
strategic plans.”
Balama noted,
“With the development of an effective infrastructure for the financial markets,
we are confident that this issuance will contribute to supporting the market
for bonds denominated in the local currency and issued by the public sector in
the country. It will also enhance the competitiveness of the local financial
markets and enable market participants in the UAE to maintain a single,
transparent, diversified and sustainable liquidity pool in Dirhams.
Furthermore, it
will contribute to the implementation of the new Dirham Monetary Framework
(DMF) and support the ongoing work to establish the Dirham risk-free pricing
benchmark (yield curve), which would stimulate more domestic market activities
to support the sustainability of the country's economic growth."
The T-Sukuk
will be issued initially in 2/3/5-year tenures; followed by a 10-year sukuk
later, and will be denominated in UAE dirhams to develop the local bonds debt
market and help develop the mid-term yield curve.
The Ministry of
Finance and the Central Bank of the UAE work with relevant government entities
and international financial bodies to ensure best practices are followed when
structuring the T-Sukuk. This allows for further development of Islamic finance
in the country and cements its position as an international Islamic economy
hub.
The structuring
of Islamic Sukuk has been approved by the Higher Shari'ah Authority at the
CBUAE, which cooperates with the relevant authorities to standardise and unify
the practices of Islamic financial institutions to be compatible with
internationally recognised Shariah standards and best practices.
The Ministry of
Finance has published a robust Primary Dealers code and onboarded eight banks,
namely Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), Abu Dhabi
Commercial Bank (ADCB), Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), HSBC, Mashreq
and Standard Chartered as Primary Dealers to participate in the T-Sukuk primary
market auction and to actively develop the secondary market.
Source: wam.ae
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395303150938
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South Asia
Taliban
Consulted Gen Bajwa Before Asking India to Send Diplomats Back to Kabul: New
BookTitled ‘The Return of the Taliban’
April 26, 2023
The book,
titled ‘The Return of the Taliban’, is authored by Hassan Abbas, who teaches
international relations at the National Defence University (NDU), Washington
and will be released in the US later this week. Dawn reported.
“India’s return
to Kabul could not have happened without Pakistan, and Pakistan acted this way
because it just might open up prospects of some aid for the Taliban in
Afghanistan,” Abbas writes, arguing that Islamabad is as desperate about
getting financial support to run Afghanistan as the Taliban themselves.
India has
strategic interests in Afghanistan, the book argues. However, it points out
that once the Taliban took over in August 2021, India cut off diplomatic ties
with Afghanistan, unlike Russia and China.
Meanwhile,
India is now reassessing its position and moving towards a balancing act to
engage with the Taliban, while the Taliban’s desire is “international
legitimacy and recognition.”
Kabul’s new
rulers also need “huge external investments… to reconstruct and revive the
country”, and India has the resources to do so, it says.
Since the
Taliban came to power, relations with India have been improving again.
India has sent
a team from its embassy to Kabul, and meanwhile, India is again providing
humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
However, India
has reiterated the security concern and the growing of militants, such as Daesh
and others. At the same time, the de facto authorities deny the allegations and
say they will not allow any group or individual to use Afghanistan soil against
neighbouring countries.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-consulted-gen-bajwa-before-asking-india-to-send-diplomats-back-to-kabul-new-book/
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Afghan Refugees
Told By UK Home Office They Will Have To Find Their Own Accommodation
Tuesday 25
April 2023
Afghan evacuees
who were brought to the UK after the fall of Kabul have been told not everyone
will be found somewhere to live by the government.
A Home Office
letter - seen by Sky News - has been sent out telling them the majority of the
8,000 people still in hotels will have to find their own accommodation.
The Government
has become frustrated that some evacuees have turned down offers of housing -
those who have said they do not want to move to an area they do not know or
that the housing on offer is not big enough for their families.
It's unclear
how many offers have actually been made.
ShararehSarwari,
19, who was a journalist in Afghanistan and came to the UK in October last year
on a resettlement scheme, told us she feels abandoned.
She said:
"I feel like a homeless woman because I'm young and I came alone. It's so
hard for me, and I can't find a job. They don't have any plan for Afghan
refugees."
The letter
applies to those still living in hotels who were airlifted out of Kabul in
August 2021 or have since been relocated to the UK.
Unlike asylum
seekers, Afghan evacuees can work and the government says it is time for them
to move on and fully integrate into British society.
The letter
reads: "If you do receive an allocated property, we recommend that you
accept it. If you refuse, no further allocations of settled accommodation will
be made and you will need to find your own accommodation.
"It is
likely that most people will not receive an allocation through the new process,
and we encourage you to find your own accommodation wherever possible."
The letter goes
on to advise people to look at property websites such as Rightmove and Zoopla
and states that help will be on offer from the Home Office to guide them.
We spoke to
several evacuees relocated to Hertfordshire who claimed they had not received
any offers of accommodation so far and that they were struggling to arrange
renting a property due to a lack of credit history.
Waheed Manan
was airlifted out of Afghanistan with his wife and three children in the summer
of 2021.
The 44-year-old
was an electrical engineer in Afghanistan, an adviser to an Afghan minister and
now works part-time in a shop. He said his children are finally settled in
school after the trauma of the Taliban takeover.
Waheed said he
wants to move on because living in a hotel without a permanent address makes it
difficult to secure another job. But he claims he has viewed 25 properties and
has not been accepted for any of them.
He said:
"We cannot find a property that's suitable to rent. We're living in this
area and we know the area. The children have been going to school and they've
made some friends."
Mohammed
Jomegol, 45, has worked in the UK as a taxi driver since 2015.
He said he was
living between the UK and Afghanistan when the Taliban re-took control and was
evacuated back to Britain. He has held a British passport since 2007.
Mohammed
brought his wife and four children with him but insists he needs to stay living
in a hotel.
He said:
"If the British government doesn't support us how am I going to support
myself?
"I'm
looking every day but it's hard. My income is not enough."
After leaving
"bridging" accommodation in the UK, Afghan evacuees have the same
access to benefits and social housing as British citizens.
The Home Office
says "hotels are not, and were never designed to be, suitable long-term
accommodation for Afghans resettled in the UK" and that more than 9,000
Afghans have now been supported into homes.
But of the
8,000 Afghan evacuees still in hotels, around half are children and around half
have been living in a hotel for more than a year.
The Home Office
says that dedicated staff are on hand to offer guidance to Afghan evacuees on
how to rent.
A Home Office
spokesperson said: "We have announced a plan, backed by £285m of new
funding, to speed up the resettlement of Afghans into long-term homes."
"Where
available, the Government will continue to make offers of suitable housing,
which we strongly encourage Afghan families to accept. Where an offer cannot be
made or is rejected, increased Government support is available to help Afghans
find their own homes and begin rebuilding their lives here."
Source: news.sky.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://news.sky.com/story/afghan-refugees-told-by-home-office-they-will-have-to-find-their-own-accommodation-12866320
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Bangladesh
unveils Indo-Pacific Strategy; expert says it is still trying to placate China
April 25, 2023
Ahead of her
tri-nation visit Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has unveiled a 15
point outlook policy document on Indo Pacific. “This is a clear signal to all
QUAD member nations (India, Japan, Australia and the US) that Dhaka is now
willing to work with them to support a rule based international regime,” says a
Bangladesh commentator.
The policy
which envisions a free, secure, open, peaceful inclusive Indo-Pacific comes on
the eve of Bangladesh PM’s visit to Japan, the US and the United Kingdom.
Sharing his
views with Financial Express Online, Gautam Lahiri, a senior journalist and
Bangladesh commentator, says, “Over the years Dhaka pursued a non aligned
foreign policy. But it appears to be moving closer to a full embrace of the
Indo-Pacific Strategy pursued by the United States and its partners in the
region, which revolves around countering China.”
According to
him, “Dhaka’s move for shifting its foreign should be seen through the prism of
Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s grand plan for free and open Indo Pacific
announced last month in Delhi. It emphasises building an economic zone
encompassing Bengal North East in cooperation with Bangladesh .This zone will
create an industrial value chain which attracted Dhaka to fulfill their aim to
make Bangladesh a developed country by 2041.”
This month, UK
Indo-Pacific Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan also visited Bangladesh.
Chinese
Influence
“China has
stepped up its own influence in Bangladesh through infrastructure loans, which
the US officials have privately described as bad deals for Dhaka,” opines
Lahiri. In his view, “China’s rivals also worry about its expanded naval
presence in the western part of the Indian Ocean region, including its military
base off Djibouti. All of this lies in Bangladesh’s maritime neighborhood. China
is also a major supplier of arms to Bangladesh. So getting Dhaka’s buy-in to
the US Indo-Pacific vision would be a strategic victory.”
Even as
Bangladesh embraces the Indo-Pacific Strategy, it is still trying to placate
China, he says. “Dhaka’s own draft Indo-Pacific Outlook stipulates that it
seeks to avoid rivalries and has no security goals. Observers note that calling
it an “outlook” rather than a “policy” or “strategy” has a softer connotation,”
he points out.
The Association
of Southeast Asian Nations—which includes many states that have cordial
relations with China—opted for the same term in its own Indo-Pacific statement.
Dhaka has also not indicated that it would join the Quad.
QUAD Leaders
Summit next month
The Maritime
focused Indo-Pacific Strategy of Bangladesh comes ahead of the QUAD Leaders
Summit scheduled to take place in Australia next month in Australia. The meeting will take place soon after the G7
Summit in Tokyo.
Some highlights
of Bangladesh Strategy
It states that
it will work with all the stakeholders
for counter-terrorism, peace-building and peacekeeping initiatives in
the Indo-Pacific Region.
The policy
supports “Rules-based International Order” and also “Free and Uninterrupted
Movement and Trade”.
In 2017 the US
had announced its Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) and this centered around the
Pacific and Indian Ocean. Japan, India and Australia joined this strategic
initiative. The US has called Bangladesh to join in its Indo-Pacific Strategy
back in 2018.
It has already
been reported that countries like Japan, South Korea, Australia, and ASEAN
countries have clarified their position on the Indo-Pacific region. And the UK,
France, Germany, Canada (recently and the European Union too have clarified
their position on the Indo-Pacific.
Source: financialexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.financialexpress.com/business/defence-bangladesh-unveils-indo-pacific-strategy-expert-says-it-is-still-trying-to-placate-china-3062557/
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A decade after
Rana Plaza, Bangladesh garment workers fight on
April 26, 2023
DHAKA: Their
factories are safer, but many Bangladeshis stitching clothes for big Western
brands say they still face dire pay and working conditions 10 years since more
than 1,100 garment workers died in the Rana Plaza collapse.
A few blocks
from the site of the disaster, one of the worst ever industrial accidents,
Ripon Das earns 15,000 taka ($141) per month for working a seven-day week as a
machine operator. As his family’s sole breadwinner, it is nowhere near enough.
“I choose to
work overtime without holidays to supplement my scant wages,” said Ripon, 27,
whose sister had to resign from her job at the same factory after falling ill
because she was not entitled to paid sick leave.
While labor
advocates say safety has improved significantly in the world’s second-largest
clothing exporter since the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building, they
say progress on better pay and conditions — from sick pay to insurance benefits
— has been far slower.
As annual
inflation running close to 10 percent hikes living costs, union leaders
representing the sector’s 4 million workers are demanding a raise in the
sector’s minimum wage to 23,000 taka from the 8,000 taka fixed in 2018 and
revised every five years.
“Earlier I
could buy food items for two to three days with just 100 taka, but now I can’t
afford the same items with even 500,” said Jolly Akter, 27, a union leader who
works as a garment quality inspector.
A spokesperson
for the government-led minimum wage board — which also includes factory owners
and labor representatives — did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
Global fashion
brands that source goods from Bangladesh should support the workers’ pay
demands, said Christie Miedema from the Clean Clothes Campaign, a global
alliance of trade unions and non-government organizations.
She also urged
them to back another key demand — insurance cover for workers who are injured
while doing their jobs — following the government’s launch of a pilot last
year.
Miedema said
brands should factor in the costs related to the injury insurance scheme in the
sales price of their garments, and that the pilot should turn into a permanent
system enshrined in the country’s labor laws.
The site where
the eight-story Rana Plaza building once stood is now an open field, overgrown
with lush greenery. A small cement sculpture depicting a clenched fist holding
a hammer and sickle commemorates the victims of the disaster.
Rajib Das, 27,
whose brother was killed in the collapse of the building on April 24, 2013,
often visits the site.
“Sanjit – just
two years older than me and my closest sibling – supported me as I was the only
one from the family to pursue higher education,” he said.
The family
received a one-off compensation payment under a deal between the government and
brands that sourced from the collapsed factories, but Rajib said there was no
long-term program to help survivors and victims’ families to recover.
More than $30
million was paid out as compensation to the victims, but the payments concluded
in 2015.
The lack of
adequate social protection schemes in Bangladesh meant many injured Rana Plaza
survivors were left to fend for themselves, said Amirul Haque Amin, president
of the National Garment Workers Federation, a trade union.
“Many of the
survivors are struggling to find a decent livelihood,” he said.
About 2,500
people were injured in the garment industry’s deadliest recorded incident, many
of them seriously.
The disaster
put pressure on global brands to improve factory conditions, and substantial
safety improvements have been made, labor advocates and industry leaders say.
“The Rana Plaza
collapse was the never again moment for Bangladesh’s garment sector,” said Amin
from the garment workers federation.
About 200
fashion brands, including top names like H&M and Zara, formed an agreement
on fire and building safety called Accord that involved government officials,
factory owners and labor leaders.
The legally
binding Accord held thousands of inspections and banned unsafe factories from
supplying its signatory buyers, helping make some 1,600 factories safer for 2
million workers, according to labor activists.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2292916/world
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India-Bangladesh
Border Forces Unite Siblings for Heartfelt Farewell
APRIL 25, 2023
In a
heart-touching tale of compassion, a sister was granted a final meeting with
her deceased brother across the border. The Indian and Bangladeshi border
forces came together to let a sister pay her last respects to her late brother.
On April 23,
2023, AminuddinDafadar from the border village of Hariharpur approached the
commander of Border Out Post Madhupur, 68 Battalion, with a request to allow
Sabar Khan’s sister living in Bangladesh to pay her last respects to her late
brother.
The Indian
border official contacted his Bangladeshi counterpart to facilitate the
meeting, after which, both sides agreed to make arrangements to let the sister
see her brother one last time. The Border Guard Force and the BSF were hailed
for honouring the family’s final wishes.
A BSF
Spokesperson said, “We protect the border day and night without any reluctance.
In addition to the security of the country, we also uphold the religious and
social values of the border dwellers. The BSF is always ready to extend help in
situations that require compassion and empathy."
The Border
Security Force, known for guarding against nefarious motives, has demonstrated
its commitment to humanity and values.
Source: news18.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.news18.com/india/india-bangladesh-border-forces-unite-siblings-for-heartfelt-farewell-7637059.html
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US Envoy Says
“No Normalization of Relations with the Taliban”
April 25, 2023
Amiri tweeted,
“I have received messages expressing concern regarding recognition of the
Taliban. We remain clear. There will be no normalization of relations with the
Taliban without respect for the rights of all Afghan, especially women.”
The remarks by
the US envoy came after the UN Deputy Chief said that the organization would
conduct a conference to discuss the possibility of the Taliban government’s
recognition by the international community.
Earlier, the US
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the UN meeting’s
agenda was never to discuss the recognition of
The Taliban
government.
Patel said,
“The intent and the purpose of this meeting was never to discuss recognition of
the Taliban, and any discussion at this meeting about recognition would be
unacceptable to us.”
Meanwhile, the
UN will conduct an international conference on May 1, 2 to discuss the
situation of Afghanistan.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/us-envoy-says-no-normalization-of-relations-with-the-taliban/
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Pakistan
Massive protest
in Pakistan’s Gwadar on Eid demanding release of missing persons
26 April, 2023
Islamabad
[Pakistan], April 26 (ANI): A massive protest rally was taken out on the
occasion of Eid, in Pakistan’s Gwadar, demanding the release of missing persons
including many political activists, Pakistan vernacular media reported.
According to
Intekhab Daily, a large number of people took part in the protest rally
demanding the release of Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman Baloch and Mahil Baloch.
Hussain Wadela,
President of ‘Give Rights Movement’ (Haq Do Tehreek), Deputy Organiser
YakubJuski, Gwadar organiser Akram Fida, sister of missing Azeem Baloch said
that Maulana Hidayat ur Rahman Baloch has been behind bars for past three
months for demanding rights, as per Intekhab Daily.
The protesters
demanded the release of Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman Baloch and Mahil Baloch and
the recovery of all the missing persons, according to Pak vernacular media
outlet Intekhab Daily.
Haq Do Tehreek
(Give Rights Movement) had earlier said Balochistan has been made hell for
political activists, according to Pakistan vernacular media Qudrat.
On April 19,
Haq Do Tehreek had announced that protest rallies for the release of Maulana
Hidayatur Rahman and Mahil Baloch and the recovery of missing persons would be
taken out across Balochistan.
The movement’s
spokesperson Hafiz Kayani said that the situation in Balochistan is worse than
in Palestine, according to Qudrat.
Geo News
recently reported that the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has
sounded alarm over growing public frustration pertaining to enforced disappearances,
economic exclusion, curbs on press freedom, misgovernance and allegations of
political manipulation by the establishment in Balochistan.
A fact-finding
mission led by HRCP in October 2022 said that a palpable sense of anger was
seen among ordinary citizens, many of whom even called Balochistan as a
‘colony’ of the state during meetings with the organisation, as per the news
report.
The mission
raised concern about the state’s widespread use of enforced disappearances to
stop dissent, a grievance echoed in numerous conversations, as per the Geo News
report. The discontent has been exacerbated by the extensive presence of
paramilitary check-posts, which people have said has caused a climate of fear,
particularly in Makran.
Balochistan
continues to be deprived of its fair share of revenues from large development
projects initiated by China through CPEC amid the serious economic downtown,
Geo News reported, adding that the mission also observed that the absence of a
healthy legal trading ecosystem between Balochistan and Pakistan’s neighbouring
nations has enhanced poverty levels in the province. (ANI)
Source: theprint.in
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://theprint.in/world/massive-protest-in-pakistans-gwadar-on-eid-demanding-release-of-missing-persons/1539940/
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Emaan Islamic
Banking and TPL Insurance join hands to launch Emaan All-in-One Account
April 26, 2023
LAHORE-Emaan
Islamic Banking, a division of Silk Bank Limited, and TPL Insurance Limited -
Window Takaful Operation, have announced the launch of their latest offering,
the Emaan All-in-One Account. The account is tailored to cater to the needs of
new-to-bank customers and existing Emaan account holders.
The Emaan
All-in-One Account is the ultimate power bundle for clients because of its
abundance of features, advantages, and free safeguards. Due to the numerous
value-added services it provides to its customers, this account distinguishes
apart from most retail-based banks. Customers of Emaan Islamic Banking who
maintain an average balance of at least Rs. 100,000 can benefit from
complimentary value-added services from TPL Insurance - WTO, including health,
life, and travel takaful. TPL Insurance - Window Takaful Operation is pleased
to be collaborating with Emaan Islamic Banking, as a Takaful solution provider
for their All-in-One Account. Through this partnership, TPL Insurance - WTO
aims to provide Emaan Islamic Banking customers with the experience of
real-time and hassle-free coverages and claim-to-service.
Speaking on the
occasion, Aurangzeb J. Siddiqui – Head of FIG, TPL Insurance said, “Through our
collaboration with Emaan Islamic Banking – (A division of Silk Bank Limited),
our focus is to reach large audiences to build awareness and usage of our
innovative takaful solutions. Moreover, through its Insurtech platforms, TPL
Insurance – Window Takaful Operation intends to provide Emaan Islamic Banking
customers with the experience of real-time and hassle-free coverages and claim
servicing.’’
This collaboration
between Emaan Islamic Banking and TPL Insurance - WTO will enable customers to
opt for complimentary takaful coverages while enjoying several free-of-charge
transactional benefits. The account is digitized, making it the first of its
kind in Pakistan to offer the fastest claim processing.
“We are excited
to start this new journey with TPL Insurance - WTO by adding innovative and
rewarding solutions for our customers. This collaboration will enable our
customers to opt for complimentary takaful coverage while enjoying several
free-of-charge transactional benefits. Silkbank Limited is committed to
continuously strengthening its retail product suit with a laser-sharp focus on
service delivery and innovative products,” said Naveed Mushtaq, Head of Consumer
Banking, Marketing & Phone Banking at Emaan Islamic Banking.
Adding to the
conversation, Syed Fahim Hassan, Head of Emaan Islamic Banking, said, “Emaan
All-in-One Account is tailored to be an ultimate power-packed account that
provides various complimentary protections and transactional benefits for their
customers. Unlike most retail-based banks which are not offering many
value-added features to their customers, this alliance will allow individuals
to maintain an average balance of Rs. 100,000 and above with Emaan Islamic
Banking (A division of Silk Bank Limited) to avail FOC value-added features
such as health, life, and travel takaful via TPL Insurance - WTO. Being
digitized, it would be the first of its kind on accounts with the fastest claim
processing.”
Source: nation.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.nation.com.pk/26-Apr-2023/emaan-islamic-banking-and-tpl-insurance-join-hands-to-launch-emaan-all-in-one-account
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COAS Asim
Munir, Chinese army commander discuss security, military cooperation
April 26, 2023
The army chief,
who is in China on a four-day official visit, arrived in the neighbouring
country on Tuesday.
In a press
release issued today, the military’s media wing said that upon his arrival at
the PLA headquarters, the COAS was warmly welcomed and presented with a guard
of honour.
“The COAS
reviewed the smartly turned out contingent which was later followed by a
detailed meeting with the Commander of the PLA Army,” it said.
During the
meeting, the two military commanders reaffirmed the need to maintain peace and
stability in the region while promoting military-to-military cooperation, the
ISPR stated.
The army chief
also observed a demonstration of the PLA troops’ operational capabilities and
commended the high standards of training and professionalism demonstrated by
the soldiers.
COAS Munir’s
four-day visit to China includes a series of meetings with military leaders
aimed at strengthening the longstanding relations between the two armed forces,
the military’s media affairs wing said.
These inaugural
meetings are expected to be followed by further discussions on enhancing
military cooperation and promoting greater collaboration in the areas of
defence and security, it added.
This is COAS
Munir’s fourth overseas visit ever since he took charge as the army chief.
Earlier this year, he undertook a week-long official visit to UAE and Saudi
Arabia and held meetings with the top leadership of the Gulf states.
During the
visit, the officials reviewed Pakistan’s bilateral ties with the two countries
and discussed ways to strengthen the relations.
Later in
February, the COAS visited the United Kingdom for meetings on defence-related
issues. He also attended a conference at Wilton Park, an executive agency
created by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to foster open
dialogue between governments.
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1749402/coas-asim-munir-chinese-army-commander-discuss-security-military-cooperation
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Ship carrying
37 Pakistanis from Sudan port reaches Jeddah: FO
April 26, 2023
“Evacuation
plan for Pakistani nationals in Sudan continues. The ship carrying 37 Pakistani
nationals from Port Sudan arrives in Jeddah,” it said in a tweet.
“They were
received by CG in Jeddah, Khalid Majid on arrival at Jeddah Port. We are
grateful to the Government of KSA for its support & hospitality,” the FO
added.
According to
the Saudi Arabia Foreign Ministry, the boat with 1,687 civilians from more than
50 countries arrived in the kingdom today, which is the largest rescue effort
by the Gulf state to date.
The group was
“transported by one of the Kingdom’s ships, and the Kingdom was keen to provide
all the basic needs of foreign nationals in preparation for their departure,”
it said in a statement.
Fighting broke
out in Sudan on April 15 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah
al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed HamdanDaglo, who commands the
powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
At least 459
people had been killed and more than 4,000 as of Tuesday across Africa’s
third-biggest country, according to UN agencies.
A three-day
US-brokered ceasefire between the warring generals brought some calm to the
capital on Tuesday, but witnesses reported fresh air strikes and paramilitaries
claimed to have seized a major oil refinery and power plant.
Saudi Arabia
has received several rounds of evacuees by air and sea, starting with boats
that arrived in Jeddah on Saturday carrying 150 people including foreign
diplomats and officials.
On Monday, a
C-130 Hercules military plane flew dozens of South Korean civilians to Jeddah’s
King Abdullah Air Base, and a boat ferried nearly 200 people from 14 countries
across the Red Sea from Port Sudan.
Thirteen of the
civilians who arrived on Wednesday were Saudi, while the rest came from
countries across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and North and Central
America, the foreign ministry statement said.
All told, 2,148
people have been evacuated to the kingdom from Sudan so far, including more
than 2,000 foreigners, the statement added.
A day earlier,
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said that more than 200 Pakistanis
were evacuated to safety in chaos-torn Sudan, bringing the total number of
rescued nationals to 700.
“In keeping
with the commitment of the Government of Pakistan to the welfare of overseas
Pakistanis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to lead in the relief and
rescue of Pakistanis in Sudan. Today, another convoy carrying 211 Pakistanis
dispatched from Khartoum has arrived in Port Sudan,” the minister said in a
statement.
Shaky ceasefire
The ceasefire
between Sudan’s warring generals entered its second day today but remained
fragile after witnesses reported fresh air strikes and paramilitaries claimed
to have seized a major oil refinery and power plant.
“The pause was
not fully upheld, with attacks on headquarters, attempts to gain ground, air
strikes, and explosions in different areas of the capital,” UN Special
Representative Volker Perthes told the Security Council a day earlier.
Perthes said he
maintained contact with both generals: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and
his deputy-turned-rival, Mohamed HamdanDaglo, who commands the heavily armed
paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“There is yet
no unequivocal sign that either is ready to seriously negotiate,” Perthes said.
Security fears
were compounded when the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a “huge
biological risk” after fighters occupied a Khartoum laboratory holding samples
of cholera, measles, polio and other infectious diseases.
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1749393/ship-carrying-37-pakistanis-from-sudan-port-reaches-jeddah-fo
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Africa
You’re free to
live, do your business anywhere, Peter Obi assures Muslims
By Vincent
Ujumadu, Awka
26-04-23
THE
presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the February 25 election and
former governor of Anambra State,Mr. Peter Obi has assured Moslems that they
are free to live and carry out their business in any part of the country
because Nigeria belongs to everyone, irrespective of religion or tribe.
Obi, who
addressed Moslem faithful at the Central Mosque, Onitsha during his Salah visit
to them on Sunday, also assured them that nobody would give them any problem in
Onitsha.
He recalled
that when he became governor of Anambra State in 2006, the Onitsha Central
Mosque was demolished and he rebuilt it, adding that he would also retouch it
to modernize it to ensure that people worship in a conducive atmosphere.He
said: “As Nigerians, you’re free to live anywhere. I’m living with you here in
Onitsha and if anyone disturbs you, inform me, but I’m sure nobody will disturb
you.
“Nigerians are
free to live anywhere in their country without discrimination and here in
Onitsha, you are free to carry out your businesses without molestation.
“I am a Nigerian
who truly believes in Nigeria. I have never discriminated against anybody on
the basis of religion or tribe and I will never do that.
“Recall that
when you had problem when I was governor, I visited you at the Army Barracks
where you were staying for safety and attended to your needs.
“As your
neighbour in Onitsha, I will continue to support the Moslem community in the
area of education, health and ensure freedom of worship.
“Do not mind
all the negative campaigns that Peter Obi does not like the North or South or
East because it is not true. When I was governor, I never treated any Moslem as
if I do not like him. My ADC as governor was a Moslem and a Moslem is running
my business. I also have a lot of friends in the north.”
The secretary
of Arewa Community in Anambra State, Mahmud Imam said they would never forget
how Peter Obi assisted them during their difficult times, noting that it was
for that reason that the Moslem community in Anambra State supported and voted
overwhelmingly for him during the last presidential election.
He said: “You
became a governor at a time we were in a very difficult situation in Anambra
State in 2006 and you showed love to us.
“Apart from
rebuilding our Mosque, you were sponsoring many Moslem to pilgrimage to Mecca.
You also brought the Sultan of Sokoto to Anambra State and throughout your
tenure as governor, you were celebrating Salah with us at the Governor’s
Lodge.”
He informed Obi
that the Moslem community will continue to support the Obidient Movement which
he said, “has come to stay throughout Nigeria”.
Source: vanguardngr.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/04/youre-free-to-live-do-your-business-anywhere-peter-obi-assures-moslems/
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‘No governor
has taken us to Mecca since Obi left office’ – Miyetti Allah chair
April 25, 2023
The Zonal
Chairman of Miyetti Allah in the state, AlhajiGidadoSiddik disclosed this when
Obi paid Sallah homage to them at the Awka Central Mosque on Monday.
AlhajiSiddik
explaining why the former Governor was invited to their Mosque, noted that it
was ‘to fraternize with him as they always did in the past, and to encourage
him on his journey to New Nigeria, not minding the falsehoods peddled against
him.
According to AlhajiSiddik,
they had wanted to visit Mr. Peter Obi at his house in Onitsha, but on
receiving their invitation, Obi offered to visit them at the mosque and
celebrate Eid el Fitr with them.
Speaking at the
Central Mosque in Awka during Obi’s visit, the Zonal Chairman of Miyetti Allah,
AlhajiGidado recalled that Obi never failed to celebrate their sallah with them
when he was the Governor of the State, a ritual he continued after. He praised
Obi for his visible contributions to the development of their Community over
the years.
Gidado stated
that under Obi’s administration as Governor, many of their children received
scholarships and many of their members were sponsored for pilgrimage to Mecca
by Obi, and since Obi left office, that tradition ended. “No Governor has
sponsored any of us to Mecca since Obi left office,” Gidado said.
He continued,
“Some of our members applied for agricultural loans under Peter Obi’s
administration, and they were approved, without knowing us in person. Such a
thing has never happened. Obi treated us like indigenes and made us feel at
home in Anambra. He did not segregate between Muslims and Christians nor
between Northerners and Easterners.”
The Leader of
the Awka Muslim Community, Alhaji Garba Sarki, in his remarks, noted that the
many lies told by traducers to tarnish Obi’s image in the North are sad. He
said he was willing to tell the whole world who Obi is, and how he has helped
their community to grow in the State. He said that the Muslim Community in Awka
supported Obi’s bid for the presidency because they know and understand the
kind of person he is and how prepared he is to change the trajectory of the
nation.
The LP
Presidential standard bearer Obi appreciated the Community for their love and
support and urged the people to resist any attempt to divide the nation along
religious and tribal lines.
He maintained
that a prosperous economy will be beneficial both to Christians and Muslims,
and as such, all should join hands to make the nation better. He called on
Nigerians to continue to love and support one another for a better nation.
Obi who was
accompanied by Chief Celestine Okoye (Retd DIG), the House of Representatives-
elect, Prof. ObyOrogbu, and his former Commissioners, namely: Prof. Chinyere
Stella Okunna; Barr. Peter Afuba, SAN; Mr. NdubisiMenakaya; Dr. Patrick Obi;
Lady Henrietta Agbata; Mr. Fidel Okafor as well as House of Assembly
member-elect, Hon. Henry Mbachu presented his material and cash gifts to the
Community and wished them well.
News continues
after this Advertisement
Source: hallmarknews.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://hallmarknews.com/no-governor-has-taken-us-to-mecca-since-obi-left-office-miyetti-allah-chair/
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Why I close my
nightclub during Ramadan— Shina Peller
25th April 2023
By TofaratiIge
A member of the
House of Representatives, and founder of the popular Quilox nightclub on
Victoria Island, Lagos State, Shina Peller, has said that the period of Ramadan
is one of rebirth, and that is why the establishment, which will celebrate its
10th anniversary later in the week, is always closed for one month at that time
of the year.
In a statement
sent to The PUNCH, Peller, who represents the Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola
(Oyo State) Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber, said, “Chaos, they say,
precedes order. On April 28, 2023, Club Quilox is coming back from its annual
break.
The break of
over one month is usually a time to revamp the space, unlearn old ways and
learn new ones, creating an environment with better service and experience for
guests.
“It is a thing
of joy to start something and keep at it. Consistency is what transforms
average into excellence. 10 seasons is a big milestone, and this year, we will
also be celebrating our 10th anniversary.
“For me this is
a dream come true, and I can’t wait to watch my ‘baby’ cross this milestone.”
Performers
expected at the club’s one-decade anniversary include Patoranking, DJ Hazan, DJ
FunkyBee, DJ Zeal, DJ Haykay; and comedian, Ushbebe.
Source: punchng.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://punchng.com/why-i-close-my-nightclub-during-ramadan-shina-peller/
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Rite Foods
urges refreshing moments for Muslims with its quality brands for Eid el-Fitri
celebration
APRIL 25, 2023
From
CyriacusNnaji, Lagos
Rite Foods
Limited, the market leader in the food and beverage sector of the Nigerian
economy, with arrays of quality brands, admonishes Islamic believers to have
rejuvenating moments with its award-winning brands as they celebrate this
year’s Eid el-Fitri festival, to mark the successful completion of the
one-month fasting during Ramadan.
Ramadan
fasting, which is the period of penitence and self-denial, is in fulfilment of
the fourth pillar of Islam, observed annually by Muslim Faithful, globally, as
enshrined in Islam.
Commending
Muslims for their uprightness and excellent conduct during Ramadan which has
led to the Eid el-Fitri celebration, Rite Foods’ Managing Director, Mr.
SeleemAdegunwa, avowed that the company’s unique products comprising the 13
variants of the Bigi Carbonated soft drink, the premium Bigi Table Water, the
Sosa fruit drink with its five variants, the Fearless energy drinks, Bigi and
Rite sausages, are available for consumers’ delight and satisfaction in the
memorable celebration.
Adegunwa
affirmed that the company’s consumers which comprise Islamic believers should
get refreshed after fasting with its array of brands that are produced in a
world-class factory with modern technology and artificial intelligence, under
good hygienic conditions in line with global best practices.
He stated that
the leading company in the food and beverage industry of Africa’s largest
economy will continue in its stride to deliver unparalleled products stemming
from adequate research and development, to cater to the needs of consumers
across the country as a Proudly-Nigerian brand, and outside its shores, as a
Proudly-African organisation.
The Rite Foods
boss also called on Muslims to use the Eid el-Fitri period to pray to Allah for
a peaceful and great nation, and for the actualisation of set developmental
goals.
In the same
vein, the Company’s Assistant Brand Manager, BoluwatifeAdedugbe, pointed out
that Rite Foods, with brands that are the hallmark of distinctiveness in its
market segment, is poised towards putting its consumers at the topmost of its
priority, hence it felicitated with Muslims during the Ramadan period which now
culminates into the Eid-el-Ftri celebration.
She stated that
the company’s unrivalled and innovative products with their unmatched flavours
are available across the country for consumers’ satisfaction, irrespective of
their religious and cultural beliefs, on memorable occasions.
Certainly, Rite
Foods’ brands are the preferred consumers’ choice as reflected in its numerous
laurels, as the Bigi Cola CSD won the “Fastest Growing Bigi Cola Brand of the
Year” in 2022, at an award ceremony organised by Marketing Edge Magazine, while
its Bigi and Rite sausages clinched the “Fastest Growing Sausage Brand of the
Year,” at the same event.
The sausage
brands also earned ECOWAS Sausage Roll Snack Manufacturing Company of the Year
at the ECOWAS Manufacturing Excellence Award in 2021, which was powered by
BusinessDay Newspapers (Ghana], and Daily Independent Newspapers in Nigeria.
Bigi’s
contribution to worthy initiatives was applauded with the “Most Outstanding CSD
Brand of the Year” at the Brandcom 2021 Awards, for its market leadership
position in the beverage industry, while the company’s Fearless energy drink
brand was bestowed with the “Most Outstanding Energy Drink Brand of the Year,”
which are among other awards credited to the company’s products.
Source: authorityngr.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://authorityngr.com/2023/04/25/rite-foods-urges-refreshing-moments-for-muslims-with-its-quality-brands-for-eid-el-fitri-celebration/
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