Rawalpindi Police Book Transgender Person for Leading Prayers in Mosque
New Age Islam News Bureau
04 March 2023
Photo: BNN Network
---
• Political Correctness Allowed Islamist Extremism to
Go Unchecked In UK, British Home Secretary Says
• RSS' Muslim Outreach Continues, Holds Meeting With
Islamic Intellectuals Discussing Their Issues
• In Malaysia’s Terengganu State, Politicians Banned
From Giving Religious Talks in Mosques and Prayer Halls
• With West Bank in Turmoil from Israeli Interference,
New Palestinian Militants Emerge
Pakistan
• Journalist Syed Fawad Ali Shah Found Jailed In
Pakistan after Going Missing In Malaysia
• Bilawal to chair ‘Women in Islam’ moot during New
York visit
• PM consults Zardari, Fazl on Punjab poll strategy
• Pakistan receives $500m from China’s ICBC, Dar
confirms
• SHC sets aside life term of two in minor girl’s
rape, murder case
• Imran calls for Bajwa’s court-martial over Ukraine
policy criticism
• Pak Ambassador at Large for Kartarpur rues
‘lukewarm’ Indian pilgrims’ response to corridor
--------
Europe
• Schools Minister Condemns 'Death Threats' Over
Kettlethorpe High School Quran Damage
• Manchester Arena Inquiry: Didsbury Mosque receives
demolition and deportation threats
• European delegation visits Palestinian towns
following violence by Israeli settlers
• MI5, media and far-right owe Didsbury Mosque and
Manchester Muslims an apology
• Didsbury Mosque welcomes Manchester Inquiry
conclusion it didn’t radicalise Salman Abedi
• Bosnian students write comfort letters to their
Turkish quake victim peers
• German traveler walks from Vienna to Istanbul to
collect money for earthquake victims in Türkiye
--------
India
• India Hails Saudi Support in the G20 as FM Prince
Faisal bin Farhan Attends G20 Meetings
• Muslim Community Elders and Imams Tell Youth Not To
Do Bike Stunts On Shab-E-Barat Night
• Ayodhya Development Authority Clears Supreme Court
-Mandated Mosque
• Muslim Community Recognises Uddhav Thackeray as
Leader of the Real Shiv Sena, Says Sanjay Raut
• Right-Wing Outfits Protest ‘Land Jihad’, Demand Govt
to Remove Encroachments from Forts of Maharashtra
• NIA attaches Hizb commander’s property in J&K's
Sopore
• NIA attaches property of Pakistan-based terrorist in
Baramulla
• Karnataka Hijab row: SC assures petitioner to
constitute bench, hearing expected after Holi vacation
• Allocate 6% of GDP to education, says Students'
Islamic Organisation of India, Karnataka
--------
Southeast Asia
• In Johor, mosques in flood areas to open as
temporary flood relief centres
• Seniman lodges police report over ‘Mentega Terbang’
movie that allegedly insulted Islam
--------
Mideast
• Palestinians accuse Israeli government of complicity
as Hawara arson suspects are freed
• Iran: Israeli Regime Continuing Violation of Int'l
Law, UN Charter
• Israel minister inciting violence with Palestinian
town statement: UN rights chief
• FM: No Peaceful Protesters Arrested in Iran's Recent
Unrests
• Head of UN nuclear watchdog arrives in Iran to
discuss cooperation
• Turkey’s opposition alliance splits over election
candidate
• Iran Using Execution as Tactic to Repress Ethnic
Minorities, Amnesty Warns
• World condemns Israeli minister’s ‘racist’ Palestine
comments
--------
Arab World
• Pakistani Pilgrim Saved after His Heart Stopped for
10 Minutes at Prophet’s Mosque
• Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli minister’s call to
‘erase’ West Bank town of Huwara
• Earthquakes caused $5.1 bln in damage in Syria,
World Bank estimates
• Turkey, United Arab Emirates sign trade agreement
• Saudi project cleared 4,811 explosive devices from
Yemen in February
• Education key to Saudi vision of future, experts say
• Human Rights Council president holds meeting with
Qatari assistant Foreign Minister in Geneva
• 'Sky is the limit' in economic ties with Türkiye,
says UAE trade minister
--------
North America
• Can The US Keep The Lid On The Fiery Region Before
Ramadan?
• Pentagon chief’s trip to Middle East to focus on
Iran threats: Official
• Israel tells top US general it sees need to
cooperate against Iran
• Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations have a critical
role in climate change battle, says US envoy
• US with Türkiye for ‘long haul’ in recovery from
earthquakes, says senior diplomat
--------
South Asia
• Islamic Emirate Leader, Mawlawi Hibatullah
Akhundzada, Meets With Ministers, Clerics
• Homes of Ahmadiya community set ablaze in
Bangladesh, 1 killed, 50 injured
• Ban on Women’s Work Causes ‘Food and Medicine’
Shortage in Afghanistan: Blinken
• Afghanistan denies harbouring ‘Pakistani Taliban',
what next?
• Bangladesh’s hajj package twice as costly as those
of India, Pakistan
--------
Africa
• Saudi Arabia Welcomes Sudan’s Cooperation with
International Human Rights Mechanisms
• Nigeria’s top court rules old currency notes still
legal tender amid cash shortage
• South Sudan's president sacks defence, interior
ministers
• Türkiye advanced in agriculture, irrigation, says
Gambian minister
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/rawalpindi-transgender-prayers-mosque/d/129247
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Rawalpindi Police Book Transgender Person for Leading Prayers in Mosque
Photo: BNN Network
---
Israr Ahmad
March 04, 2023
Rawalpindi
- police have booked a
transgender person on charges of leading prayers as imam in the mosque in a
village for more than 18 months by hiding his gender, informed sources on
Friday.
The case was registered with Rawat police Station
under section 419 of ppC and The Punjab Vagrancy Ordinance 1958- 9 against the
accused identified as Muhammad Khan son of Gul Jahan, hails from Mianwali, on
complaint of Raja Muhammad Shafique, they said. However, no arrest was made so
far by the investigators, sources said. according to sources, Raja Muhammad
Shafique, resident of dhaki Village, lodged a complaint with pS Rawat stating
the mosque committee had floated an advertisement for hiring an imam for the
mosque in the village.
He added a person namely Muhammad Khan son of Gul
Jahan approached the committee members and told during interview that he could
lead prayers and teach Quran to children in the mosque. after consulting with
other members of committee, Muhammad Khan was hired as imam who had led prayers
and funerals for more than one and half year, the applicant said. He said the
imam also arranged marriages of scores of people as nikkah Khwan adding that Khan
Muhammad informed the mosque committee that he wanted to resign and go to
Saudia for work.
The applicant told that the locals arranged a farewell
in honour of the imam. He said that he along with other villagers spotted a
beggar in the village later identified as Muhammad Khan, the former imam, he
said adding that it was disclosed that Khan was a transgender and had committed
a crime by leading prayers. Raja Muhammad Shafique asked police to register
case against the accused and to arrest him. Police filed a case against the
accused and began investigation.
Source: Nation Pakistan
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.nation.com.pk/04-Mar-2023/police-book-transgender-person-for-leading-prayers-in-mosque
--------
Political Correctness Allowed Islamist Extremism to Go
Unchecked In UK, British Home Secretary Says
Suella Braverman also said
not enough had been done to clamp down on a “highly coordinated” Islamic
extremist network in the UK. (Reuters/File Photo)
-----
March 02, 2023
LONDON: Political correctness in the UK had created a
“blind spot” in its national security regarding Islamist extremism, the British
home secretary said on Wednesday.
Suella Braverman also said not enough had been done to
clamp down on a “highly coordinated” Islamic extremist network in the UK.
Her comments came after a review of the UK’s
counter-extremism program, Prevent, which concluded that not enough had been
done to tackle radicalization within Britain’s Muslim community.
The review, which was commissioned in 2019 and carried
out by William Shawcross, ruled that extremist Islamic ideology was often
“misinterpreted, misunderstood or even overlooked” by a government focusing too
heavily on far-right extremism.
The review called for a renewed focus on Islamist
extremism, even when candidates for referral to Prevent failed to meet the
terrorism threshold.
“We have a blind spot in the system,” Braverman said.
“It has allowed certain Islamist groups to operate under our radar. There can
be no place for political correctness in our national security. In fact, I’d
like to banish it altogether,” she added.
In the speech, a copy of which The Times obtained,
Braverman also accused Muslim groups of pursuing “dishonest narratives” in
criticizing the Prevent program.
“Groups like Mend (Muslim Engagement and Development)
and Cage have persistently pursued harmful and dishonest narratives, which
until now have gone largely unchallenged,” she said.
“Their members have repeatedly been involved in the
demonization of Muslims who co-operate in counter-extremism efforts,” she
added.
Braverman said that a new program to counter
disinformation will now be included in the existing Prevent strategy and
announced that an independent standards and compliance unit will be created for
community leaders and members to report concerns to ensure the government
tackles issues in the appropriate manner.
“Extremism is not only dangerous because it can lead
to violence. It is dangerous in its own right,” she said. “And unless we deal
with it comprehensively, we should not be surprised when it continues to endure
and grow — with disastrous consequences for our shared norms, values, basic
rights and freedoms,” she added.
Anas Mustapha, head of Cage’s public advocacy, said
Braverman’s comments were “inciting and exploiting societal prejudices,” and
said the group would continue its opposition to the Prevent program and the
“rise of the authoritarian surveillance state.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2261206/world
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RSS' Muslim Outreach Continues, Holds Meeting With
Islamic Intellectuals Discussing Their Issues
RSS leader Indresh Kumar
meets Muslim scholars. India News Photo
------
By: Raju Kumar
March 03, 2023
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)'s Muslim outreach
continues as its senior leaders Indresh Kumar, Krishna Gopal and Ram Lal, on
March 1, held a meeting with Muslim intellectuals discussing their issues.
Prominent doctors and professors from the Muslim community were among the
delegation that participated in the meeting.
Jamaat-e-Islami-RSS talks in Kerala
Kerala ruling CPI (M) continued to target the
Jamaat-e-Islami over its recent talks with the RSS and urged it to explain to
the public benefits of the parleys, even as the opposition Congress termed as
"nonsense' Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's charges connecting the party-led
UDF with the meeting.
'Those whose ancestors were Hindu are Hindus': RSS
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary
Dattatreya Hosabale said those whose ancestors were Hindu are Hindus. While
speaking at the Birla Auditorium, Jaipur on the topic 'Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow' organised by the Ekatm Manavdarshan
Anusandhan Evam Vikas Pratishthan on Wednesday, Hosabale said we can't shut
doors for those who consumed beef out of compulsion.
RSS neither right wing nor left wing, we are
nationals: RSS
Hosabale said the organisation works in the interest
of the nation without any political inclination.
"We are neither right wing nor left wing. We are
nationalist. The Sangh is only going to work in the interest of the
nation," Hosabale said. He said all the people living in India are Hindus
because their forefathers were Hindus and their methods of worship may be
different, but they all have the same DNA. He said India can lead the world by
becoming a 'Vishwa Guru' only with collective efforts of all. "The Sangh
considers all religions and sects of India as one. People can do organisation's
work while retaining their sect. The Sangh is not rigid. It is flexible,"
he added.
He also spoke on the Constitution and said even a good
Constitution cannot do anything if those in charge of implementing are bad.
Hosabale said the RSS played a role in the establishment of democracy in the
country which finds mention in the write-ups of foreign journalists.
Source: India TV News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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In Malaysia’s Terengganu State, Politicians Banned
From Giving Religious Talks In Mosques And Prayer Halls
A view of the At-Taqwa
Mosque in Batu Enam, Terengganu. (Photo: CNA/Try Sutrisno Foo)
-----
Najmi Syahiran Mamat
03 Mar 202
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian East Coast state of
Terengganu has banned politicians from delivering religious talks and sermons
in mosques and surau (small prayer halls), according to an order by its state
ruler Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.
This follows a similar edict in the southern state of
Johor earlier in January, when its Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim
ordered that political discussions be kept out of its mosques and prayer halls.
Terengganu’s Islamic Religious and Malay Customs
Council (MAIDAM) on Thursday (Mar 2) announced Sultan Mizan’s orders, saying
that the state ruler was upset that there were some politicians who had given
religious lectures and classes without the council’s approval.
Some had also led Friday prayers without its prior approval,
MAIDAM said on Thursday, without naming who the politicians are or which
parties they belong to.
Terengganu is currently ruled by the Islamist party
Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).
“Sultan Mizan has expressed his disappointment that
some politicians had given religious lectures or classes, and led Friday
prayers without MAIDAM’s approval.
“Therefore, MAIDAM has decided to disallow all state
assemblymen, Members of Parliament (MPs), and senators from delivering any
religious lectures in mosques and surau in Terengganu,” said MAIDAM president
Shaikh Harun Shaikh Ismail.
He added that all political leaders and activists are
also not allowed to lead and deliver the Friday sermon in mosques as well as
deliver religious talks without the council's permission.
Mr Shaikh Harun stressed that speakers, lecturers and
teachers as well as imams who lead the Friday prayers in Terengganu must have
the necessary accreditation issued by MAIDAM.
To ensure these instructions are complied with, Mr
Shaikh Harun said that the Terengganu religious affairs department has been
tasked to monitor such activities.
MAIDAM stressed on Thursday that mosques and surau
should never be misused to create anxiety, restlessness or discord among the
community. And this includes activities or programmes that have an element of
politics, the council said.
It stressed that mosques and surau that function well
can bring a positive impact to the local Muslim community.
On Jan 18, Johor’s Crown Prince Tunku Ismail - who is
the chairman of the state’s Islamic Religious Council - ordered that besides
the ban on religious talks in mosques, all activities involving religious
discourse as well as the speakers involved must first be approved by the
relevant religious bodies.
In other states, religious speakers have also been
banned from or given stern warnings against preaching political messages in
mosques.
According to Free Malaysia Today, the Kelantan Islamic
and Malay Customs Council reminded mosque officials not to be involved in any
political activities during the 15th General Elections (GE15) late last year.
In Selangor, the state Islamic Religious Council in
2021 revoked the Islamic teaching certificate of political activists for fear
that their certificate would be misused to benefit political parties.
News portal Malaysiakini reported that in 2019, Sultan
Nazrin Shah of Perak called on religious preachers and accredited mosque
committee members to relinquish their posts if they have any political agendas
and ambitions, adding that such agendas would violate the sanctity of mosques
as religious sites.
Source: Channel News Asia
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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With West Bank In Turmoil From Israeli Interference,
New Palestinian Militants Emerge
Palestinians run as they
clash with Israeli forces during a raid in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West
bank, February 22, 2023. (File photo: Reuters)
-----
03 March, 2023
The stuttering blasts of M-16s shattered the quiet in
a West Bank village, surrounded by barley fields and olive groves. Young
Palestinian men in Jaba once wanted to farm, residents say, but now, more and
more want to fight.
Last week, dozens of them, wearing balaclavas and
brandishing rifles with photos of their dead comrades plastered on the clips,
burst into a school playground — showcasing Jaba’s new militant group and
paying tribute to its founder and another gunman who were killed in an Israeli
military raid last month.
“I’d hate to make my parents cry,” said 28-year-old
Yousef Hosni Hammour, a close friend of Ezzeddin Hamamrah, the group’s late
founder. “But I’m ready to die a martyr.”
Similar scenes are playing out across the West Bank.
From the northern Jenin refugee camp to the southern city of Hebron, small
groups of disillusioned young Palestinians are taking up guns against Israel’s
open-ended occupation, defying Palestinian political leaders whom they scorn as
collaborators with Israel.
With fluid and overlapping affiliations, these groups
have no clear ideology and operate independently of traditional chains of
command — even if they receive support from established militant groups.
Fighters from Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other organizations attended last
week’s ceremony in Jaba.
In near-daily arrest raids over the past year, Israel
has sought to crush the fledgling militias, leading to a surge of deaths and
unrest unseen in nearly two decades.
While Israel maintains the escalated raids are meant
to prevent future attacks, Palestinians say the intensified violence has helped
radicalize men too young to remember the brutal Israeli crackdown on the second
Palestinian uprising two decades ago, which served as a deterrent to older
Palestinians.
This new generation has grown up uniquely stymied, in
a territory riven by infighting and fragmented by barriers and checkpoints.
More than 60 Palestinians have been killed in the West
Bank and east Jerusalem since the start of 2023, after Israel’s most right-wing
government in history took office. About half were militants killed in fighting
with Israel, according to an Associated Press tally, though the dead have also
included stone-throwers and bystanders uninvolved in violence.
At least 15 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian
attacks in that time, including two Israelis shot Sunday in the town of Hawara,
just south of Jaba. In response, Israeli settlers torched dozens of buildings —
a rampage that also left one Palestinian dead.
“It’s like the new government released the hands of
soldiers and settlers, said now they can do whatever they want,” said Jamal
Khalili, a member of Jaba’s local council.
At the recent memorial service, children with black
militant bands on their foreheads gathered around the gunmen, eager for a
glimpse of their heroes.
“The outcome is what you see here,” Khalili added.
Last week, an Israeli military raid in the northern
city of Nablus sparked a shootout with Palestinian militants that killed 10
people. The raid targeted the most prominent of the emerging armed groups, the
Lion’s Den. Israeli security officials claim the military has crippled the
Nablus-based Lion’s Den over the past few months, killing or arresting most of
its key members. But they acknowledge its gunmen, who roam the Old City of
Nablus and pump out slick Telegram videos with a carefully honed message of
heroic resistance, now inspire new attacks across the territory.
“The Lion’s Den is beginning to become an idea that we
see all around,” said an Israeli military official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity to discuss an intelligence assessment. Instead of hurling stones or
firebombs, militants now mainly open fire, he said, using M-16s often smuggled
from Jordan or stolen from Israeli military bases.
The official said the army was monitoring the Jaba
group and others in the northern cities of Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarem. But he
acknowledged the army has difficulty gathering intelligence on the small,
loosely organized militant groups.
The Palestinian self-rule government administers parts
of the West Bank, and works closely with the Israeli military against its
domestic rivals, particularly the militant Hamas group, which runs the Gaza
Strip.
With young Palestinians increasingly viewing the
Palestinian Authority as an arm of the Israeli security forces rather than the
foundation for a future state, Palestinian security forces are loathe to
intervene against the budding militias. Palestinian forces now rarely venture
into militant strongholds like the Old City of Nablus and the Jenin refugee
camp, according to residents and the Israeli military.
Jaba militants said the Palestinian security forces
have not cracked down on them. Residents said the group, founded last
September, has rapidly grown to some 40-to-50 militants.
Hammour described Palestinian leaders as corrupt and
out of touch with regular Palestinians. But, he said, “Our goals are much
bigger than creating problems with the Palestinian Authority.”
With the popularity of the PA plummeting, experts say
it cannot risk inflaming tensions by arresting widely admired fighters.
The PA “is experiencing a crisis of legitimacy,” said
Tahani Mustafa, Palestinian analyst at the International Crisis Group. “There’s
a huge disconnect between elites at the top and the groups on the ground.”
Palestinian officials acknowledge their grip is
slipping.
“We fear any of our actions against (these groups)
will create a reaction in the street,” said a Palestinian intelligence
official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to
talk to reporters.
With the Israeli military stepping up raids, the West
Bank’s power structure faltering and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government
expanding settlements on occupied land, frustrated Palestinians say they are
not in pursuit of any political agenda — they simply want to defend their towns
and resist Israel’s 55-year-old occupation.
For 28-year-old Mohammed Alawneh, whose two brothers
were killed in confrontations with Israeli forces, two decades apart, the Jaba
group is a “reaction.” He said he could support peace if it meant the end of
the occupation and the formation of a single state between the Jordan River and
the Mediterranean Sea. For now, he said, it’s clear Israel doesn’t want peace.
Hamamrah, the Jaba group’s late commander, threw
stones at the Israeli army as a teen and later joined an armed offshoot of
Fatah, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to his
mother, Lamia. After 10 agonizing months in Israeli prison, he became religious
and withdrawn. He spoke of taking revenge.
After his death, Lamia discovered he had helped form
the Jaba group and that Islamic Jihad had supplied them with weapons, including
the gun Hamamrah fired at Israeli troops on January 14.
The army chased him into Jaba, killing Hamamrah along
with another gunman, Amjad Khleleyah. Their crushed and bloodstained car now
sits in the center of Jaba like a macabre monument.
At his funeral, Lamia said Hamamrah’s friends urged
her to show pride in a son who became a fighter and inspired the whole village.
But Lamia wept and wept. Her 14-year-old daughter,
Malak, now wants to die a martyr, too.
“I’m just a mother who lost her son,” she said. “I
want this all to stop.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Pakistan
Journalist Syed Fawad Ali Shah found jailed in
Pakistan after going missing in Malaysia
March 3, 2023
Shah had lived in Malaysia as a registered refugee
since 2011, according to his wife Syeda, who spoke with CPJ.
Syeda, who asked to be identified by her first name,
said that Shah fled Pakistan after he was abducted by agents of the country’s
military intelligence agency, the ISI, who held him for three and a half months
while beating and threatening him in retaliation for his reporting that
unfavorably portrayed Pakistan’s security forces during the U.S. war on terror.
In January 2023, Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin
Nasution Ismail said in a press conference that Shah had been deported in late
August at the request of Pakistani authorities, who alleged that he was a
police officer subject to disciplinary proceedings.
Syeda told CPJ that Shah never worked as a police
officer, and she believed the ISI worked with Malaysian authorities to repatriate
him in retaliation for his journalism. While in exile, Shah wrote about
politics and alleged corruption in Pakistan, particularly within law
enforcement agencies. He also wrote about refugee issues in Malaysia.
On February 8, 2023, Syeda learned that Shah was being
held at the Adiala Jail in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, and visited him
there the following day. Shah told her that authorities had held him for five
months in an underground cell in Islamabad, where they abused him, she said.
In a petition filed at an Islamabad magistrate and
dated February 7, 2023, which CPJ reviewed, the Cyber Crime Circle of the
Islamabad division of the Federal Investigation Agency claimed that Shah was
arrested on January 26, 2023, in relation to an investigation opened the
previous January for alleged offenses under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes
Act, 2016, and three sections of the penal code pertaining to defamation,
criminal intimidation, and obstruction of a public servant. CPJ has repeatedly
documented how the PECA has been used to detain, investigate, and harass
journalists in retaliation for their work.
The first information report in that case, which
opened the investigation, accuses Shah of disseminating “false, frivolous and
fake” information about Pakistani civil servants, including Interior Ministry
official Naqeeb Arshad, through a Malaysian WhatsApp account and unspecified
posts on the Twitter account Bureaucracy, according to CPJ’s review of the
report.
The Bureaucracy account, which has around 3,200
followers and covers politics and alleged corruption in Pakistan, posted
allegations in January 2022 that Arshad had solicited bribes in exchange for
visa extensions. CPJ called Arshad’s office and emailed the Interior Ministry
for comment, but did not receive any replies.
Syeda denied that Shah operated that profile, which
most recently posted on October 10, 2022, after his disappearance.
Syeda and Imaan Mazari-Hazir, Shah’s lawyer, who spoke
to CPJ in a phone interview, said that Shah’s legal team filed a bail
application in that case in mid-February, and then on February 18 authorities
transferred Shah from the Adiala Jail to the Peshawar Central Jail, in
northwest Pakistan, without informing his family or lawyers.
Shah was transferred as part of a separate
investigation opened in December 2020, which accused him of spreading “false,
fallacious and malicious contents” about police officials using an anonymous
profile on a WhatsApp group also named Bureaucracy, according to Mazari-Hazir
and CPJ’s review of the first information report in that case. CPJ was unable
to review the content of that WhatsApp group.
The journalist’s wife and lawyer told CPJ that police
have not presented in court any specific examples of content by the Bureaucracy
Twitter account or the anonymous WhatsApp account that they allege Shah wrote,
or any evidence that would show he operated the Twitter account.
Syeda told CPJ that she deeply fears for the safety of
herself, her family, and her husband. While traveling to Malaysia in December,
she received numerous calls from unknown individuals she suspected were ISI
officers, who warned her to stop searching for her husband, she said. Since
returning to her home outside Peshawar in January, ISI officials have
repeatedly visited her home, warning her to stay silent regarding her husband’s
disappearance and not to get involved in the matter, she told CPJ.
CPJ emailed the Malaysian Home Ministry, the Pakistani
Federal Investigation Agency, and the High Commission of Pakistan in Malaysia
for comment, but did not receive any replies.
CPJ also contacted Amma Baloch, Pakistan’s ambassador
to Malaysia, and Marriyum Aurangzeb, Pakistan’s information minister, via
messaging app, but did not receive any replies. Pakistan’s Inter-Services
Public Relations, the military’s media wing, did not respond to CPJ’s request
for comment submitted through its website.
Source: CPJ
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Bilawal to chair ‘Women in Islam’ moot during New York
visit
MARCH 4, 2023
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,
arrives in New York next week for a hectic, 4-day visit during which he will
preside over a conference on ‘Women in Islam’ to be held on the sidelines of
the 67th Session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
Hosted by Pakistan in its capacity as the chair of the
OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), the one-day conference will take place
in the Economic and Social Council’s chamber at UN headquarters on March 8, a
day after the foreign minister arrives.
On March 7, FM Bilawal is also expected to participate
in a high-level UN Security Council debate on ‘Women, Peace and Security’,
sponsored by Mozambique in its capacity as the Council’s President for March.
Meanwhile, the stated objective of the conference,
convened by Pakistan, is to bridge the perception-reality gap on the rights of
women in Islam and celebrate the experiences and successes of iconic Muslim
women. It is aimed at establishing an annual policy dialogue to address
challenges and explore opportunities to advance the role of women role in OIC
countries.
Titled “Women in Islam: Understanding the Rights and
Identity of Women in the Islamic World”, FM Bilawal will open the high-level
segment of the conference with an address. He will be followed by the UN
General Assembly President, Csaba Korosi; OIC Secretary General, Hissein Braham
Taha; Executive Director of UN-Women, Sima Bahous; Chairperson of 67th CSW,
South African Ambassador Mathu Joyini; dignitaries and representatives of OIC
Member States.
Also participating in the conference will be non-OIC
states and representatives of UN Agencies.
The outcome document will be a chair’s summary of the
deliberations.
Later, in pursuit of the General Assembly landmark
resolution 76/254 designating 15 March as the International Day to Combat
Islamophobia, the General Assembly president and the foreign minister will be
co-convening a special high-level event to commemorate the day on March 10.
The 193-member Assembly’s resolution followed the OIC
Foreign Ministers’ resolution of 2020 designating 15 March as an international
day to combat Islamophobia.
Source: Daily Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/1068837/bilawal-to-chair-women-in-islam-moot-during-new-york-visit/
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PM consults Zardari, Fazl on Punjab poll strategy
March 4, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Hours after President Dr Arif Alvi
announced April 30 as the date for the general elections in Punjab in line with
the Supreme Court’s verdict, the heads of three major ruling coalition parties
met at the Prime Minister House to discuss the political options available to
them.
“Former president Asif Zardari and Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called on Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif here on Friday. In the meeting, political situation in the country came
under discussion,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported without
providing further details.
There was no official word from any of the three
political parties — PML-N, JUI-F and PPP — about the meeting and some of the
senior PPP leaders, when contacted, even expressed their ignorance about taking
place of any such meeting.
However, sources in the government claimed that during
the meeting, Mr Zardari suggested that the ruling coalition should go for
elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as they had no other option
available after the Supreme Court’s judgement in the suo motu case.
They said there was a general consensus that since the
government had left with no other option to further delay the polls in the two
provinces after the SC verdict, they should direct their party workers to make
preparations for the elections.
However, the sources said, there had been no decision
yet whether the parties in the ruling coalition would contest the elections
individually or from a single platform. The leaders agreed to hold more
consultations and involve other coalition partners in the process as well
before coming out with a final strategy.
The sources said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif
was also contacted during the meeting through a telephonic link.
A senior government functionary, while talking to Dawn
on condition of anonymity, said delaying the elections in Punjab and KP would
amount to contempt of the court and could also cause further political damage
to the ruling coalition.
In his opinion, now only the Supreme Court could delay
the elections on some pretext and the government had no such choice.
Some TV channels, on the other hand, aired
contradictory reports claiming that there was a difference of opinion among the
top coalition leaders as both Maulana Fazl and Mr Sharif did not agree to Mr
Zardari’s proposal to go into the elections as they believed that it was not an
appropriate time for them to face the PTI in the electoral field due to the
prevailing economic crunch in the country.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1740313
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Pakistan receives $500m from China’s ICBC, Dar
confirms
March 4, 2023
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd on Friday
approved a rollover of a $1.3 billion loan for cash-strapped Pakistan, which
will help shore up its depleting foreign exchange reserves, Finance Minister
Ishaq Dar said.
The facility will be disbursed in three instalments.
The first one of $500 million has been received by the State Bank of Pakistan,
Dar said in a tweet. “It will increase forex reserves,” he said.
The money, which Dar said has been repaid by Pakistan
to the ICBC in recent months, is crucial for the country’s economy, which is
facing a balance of payment crisis, with its central bank foreign exchange
reserves dropping to levels barely able to cover three weeks of imports.
Earlier in the day, Dar had in a press conference,
said Pakistan was expecting financing from ICBC.
Pakistan has already received a $700 million loan from
China to help boost its forex reserves.
Dar said the total $2bn is in effect Pakistan
borrowing back the debt repayments it has paid to Beijing for previously agreed
loans.
He said Pakistan will need $5bn external financing to
close its financing gap this fiscal year, which ends in June.
More external financing will be coming to Pakistan
only after Islamabad signs a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF),
which the minister said should be done by next week.
The lender has been negotiating the deal with Pakistan
since early last month to clear its ninth review, which if approved by its
board will issue over $1bn tranche of $6.5bn bailout agreed in 2019.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1740336/pakistan-receives-500m-from-chinas-icbc-dar-confirms
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SHC sets aside life term of two in minor girl’s rape,
murder case
Ishaq Tanoli
March 4, 2023
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has set aside life
imprisonment handed down to two men by a sessions court on charges of rape and
murder of a five-year-old girl.
A single-judge SHC bench comprising Justice Omar Sial
acquitted the appellants Ghulam Haider and Muhammad Salah by extending them
benefit of the doubt.
A sessions court had in November 2017 sentenced Ghulam
Haider and Muhammad Salah to life in prison in November 2017 for murdering the
girl after subjecting her to rape in October 2010 in a Gulistan-i-Jauhar
locality.
According to the prosecution, both the accused persons
were employees of the victim’s father who was associated with cattle business.
The appellants, through their counsel, had challenged
the conviction order of the trial court before the SHC and after hearing both
sides and examining the record and proceedings of the case the bench allowed
their appeals.
The bench in its judgement observed that the case of
prosecution was mainly based on evidence of two witnesses, who said to have
seen the appellants with the victim before the incident. However, the bench
noted that it seemed to be a coincidence that both eyewitnesses had seen the
victim in the company of the appellants and had gone to Larkana soon after.
Later, they returned the same day and informed the complainant about what they
had seen.
It further observed that both the witnesses did not
sound credible as one claimed he was going to his native village when he saw
the girl with the accused while the other said that though he lived and worked
in Larkana, he was in Karachi for his day off and saw the girl with the
appellants.
They were both chance witnesses and the absence of any
witness from the neighbourhood who might have seen the girl and the accused
together meant that the testimony of the two witnesses needed to be treated
with great care and caution, it added.
About the medical evidence, the bench further noted
that initially, police had recorded that death was a consequence of drowning
and did not explain before the trial court as to how it was determined that the
victim had been raped and murdered when the body was brought to the doctor
while medico-legal officer (MLO) had noticed that the body was in an advanced
stage of decomposition, but that there were no obvious marks of injury.
“The MLO also opined that she was not in a position to
ascertain the cause of death while she also did not conclude that the deceased
had been raped prior to death and in essence, the medical report did not conclusively
support the prosecution case,” it added.
“She seems to have based her findings on the DNA
report that showed that the DNA had matched the DNA of the accused. As
mentioned above, that finding in itself does not appear clear of doubt,” the
bench stated.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1740256/shc-sets-aside-life-term-of-two-in-minor-girls-rape-murder-case
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Imran calls for Bajwa’s court-martial over Ukraine
policy criticism
March 3, 2023
LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Friday demanded former army chief
Qamar Javed Bajwa be put on trial for violating his government’s foreign policy
and delivering a speech critical of Russia following the beginning of the
military crisis in Ukraine in February of last year.
Addressing a group of journalists in Lahore, Khan also
said the military establishment lacks understanding of political dynamics. and
asserted that Bajwa had “stabbed me in the back” by criticizing Russia’s
involvement in Ukraine.
The former prime minister was referring to a speech
Bajwa delivered at the Islamabad Security Dialogue in April of last year. In
his keynote address, the now-retired general had demanded that the crisis in
the eastern European country must be “stopped immediately”.
“Despite legitimate security concerns of Russia, its
aggression against a smaller country cannot be condoned,” he had remarked.
President Vladimir Putin believes that Ukraine is an
integral part of Russian history and that it currently has a puppet regime controlled
by foreign powers, a reference to the 2019 presidential election which resulted
in comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy being elected as president of Ukraine.
Defense analysts suggest that a possible solution to
the conflict is for Ukraine to become a neutral state in world politics. This
would involve Kyiv agreeing to stand neutral between NATO and Russia,
undertaking no formal alliances or non-defensive military cooperation with
either side, and defending its borders against any invader. In return, Russia
and NATO would agree not to interfere with Ukraine’s neutrality and to respect
its sovereignty.
Khan has been highly critical of Bajwa since he was
ousted from power in April last year, accusing him of being responsible for the
country’s current predicament.
Imran has claimed that Bajwa used to call the shots,
while he, as the prime minister, was at the receiving end of all the criticism.
“He was a super king. He was above everyone. He was controlling NAB [National
Accountability Bureau] and no one could be held accountable without Bajwa’s
nod.”
“I was the punching bag while they [the establishment]
had the absolute power. Bajwa took credit for all good things, while we were
blamed for everything that went wrong,” he said.
“The money laundering case against [Prime Minister]
Shehbaz Sharif could not proceed because Bajwa did not want it to,” he said.
Referring to a recent article based on the former army
chief’s interview, Imran had said everyone already knew that the former army
chief had toppled his government but “I did not expect that he would have
admitted to this”.
‘Ready to talk to new army chief’
Imran during the media interaction also stated that he
was ready to talk with the current army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, for the
betterment of the country but only if some officials be removed. However, Khan
added that it seemed that Munir considered him an ‘enemy’.
“I have no rifts with the establishment. If someone
thinks that I will kneel down then it will not happen. No one is willing to
talk so what should I do?” he was quoted as saying.
Speaking about a slew of cases against him, Imran
dared the government to prove a single corruption charge against him and his
wife Bushra Bibi. Imran said that the general elections should be held across
the country simultaneously to cut poll expenditure.
He also vowed to win all elections despite “PDM
umpires” and added that overseas Pakistanis also support the PTI. Reiterating
his claim of life threats to his life, the former premier said that he has
recorded a video message regarding the threats to his life which is present in
a foreign country.
Imran also revealed that he decided against travelling
to Islamabad by plane for court hearings as he was informed that the government
wanted to arrest him from the airport and take him to Balochistan.
“I am facing threat from those who are supposed to
protect me,” he alleged.
Source: Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/03/03/imran-khan-seeks-court-martial-of-general-bajwa/
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Pak Ambassador at Large for Kartarpur rues ‘lukewarm’
Indian pilgrims’ response to corridor
by Divya Goyal
March 4, 2023
THE KARTARPUR corridor, perhaps the biggest gesture of
peace between India and Pakistan, now has an “Ambassador At Large”. In a recent
order, Pakistan named Ramesh Singh Arora, a Sikh legislator from its Punjab
province, to the post, with Arora saying his biggest hope is to boost the
number of pilgrims from India using the corridor.
The 48-year-old belongs to Narowal, the district in
Punjab where the Gurdwara Shri Kartarpur Sahib, one of Sikhism’s holiest
shrines, is located, and is a two-time Member of its Provincial Assembly (MPA).
The new initiative on Kartarpur comes at a time when
former CM of Pakistan Punjab Shehbaz Sharif is the Prime Minister of the
country, and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) is ruling both at the Centre
and in the state. Arora is a member of the PML-N.
Speaking to The Indian Express on the phone from
Pakistan, Arora said it was “unfortunate” that more than three years after the
Kartarpur Corridor was thrown open in November 2019 to facilitate pilgrims from
the Indian side to pay obeisance at the Kartarpur gurdwara — the final resting
place of Guru Nanak — the response has been “lukewarm”.
“As per the MoU signed between India and Pakistan, we
have made arrangements for at least 5,000 pilgrims daily at Kartarpur,
including langar etc, but there is hardly a day when the number of pilgrims
arriving from India crosses even 1,000. On most days, it is just 200-500 on an
average. We can only appeal to the Sikh sangat in India to make full use of
this corridor as the only reason to open it was the demand from Indian Sikhs,”
said Arora.
The Sikh leader said he had also suggested to PM
Sharif that the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib be kept open 24 hours, seven days a
week, so that Indian pilgrims could visit as per their convenience. “We will do
everything possible from our side to encourage as many people as we can to
visit Kartarpur… Currently, the gurdwara is open dawn to dusk for Indians. But
since it is a two-way process, we have to work out the modalities with the Indian
authorities,” Arora said.
He added that discussions were also being held on how
underprivileged pilgrims who cannot afford to pay fees or don’t have a passport
(which is needed for travel) can be accommodated.
Arora became the first member of the Sikh community to
be elected an MPA in Pakistan Punjab in 2013, and was re-elected in 2020.
He is credited with the implementation of the Sikh
Marriage Registration Act in the country. He introduced it as a private
member’s Bill, which was unanimously passed by the Assembly in March 2018,
allowing Sikhs to register their weddings under their own Act. Earlier, such
marriages had no legal sanctity.
Arora admitted there was some religious persecution of
minorities in Pakistan, but added that there are such problems everywhere.
“Every country has its own issues. However, Sikhs and Hindus currently living
in Pakistan enjoy every basic, fundamental right, and those who violate human
rights are punished.”
With the latest Census data for Pakistan still to be
released by the government, Arora claimed there are “at least 10 million Hindus
and 25,000 Sikhs in Pakistan”.
A report by the Centre for Peace and Justice Pakistan
released in June 2022 had put the numbers at 22.10 lakh for Hindus, comprising
1.18 cent of the country’s population.
Arora said they were doing their best to ensure that
the Census data was available at the earliest.
Arora’s own family opted to stay back in Pakistan at
the time of Partition. “I was born in Nankana Sahib but later we moved to
Narowal. My grandfather chose to stay back on the insistence of a dear friend.
Just for the sake of friendship, he did not move to India,” Arora said.
A postgraduate in entrepreneurship and SME management
from Government College University, Lahore, Arora worked for the World Bank’s
Poverty Reduction Programme in Pakistan before joining politics. In 2008, he
founded the Mojaz Foundation, an organisation working for the underprivileged
and destitute.
He has also served as a member of the National
Commission for Minorities, and has been raising issues regarding the rights of
minorities to practise their faith and protection of their places of worship.
In 2016, the President of Pakistan awarded him the National Human Rights Award
in the category of Minorities’ Rights.
Arora said he joined politics on the urging of Ahsan
Iqbal Chaudhary, a senior PML (N) leader, who told him that “it was important
to have a person from the Sikh minority community in the Punjab assembly of
Pakistan”.
Arora last visited India in December 2014 to attend an
NRI Sammelan on the invitation of former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh
Badal. “We have close ties with Sukhbir Badal and former Punjab speaker
Charanjit Singh Atwal. They invited me to India and gave a lot of respect to me
and my family,” Arora said.
Source: Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Europe
Schools
minister condemns 'death threats' over Kettlethorpe High School Quran damage
3
March 2023
A
government minister says he is working with a school in West Yorkshire after
four students were suspended for allegedly damaging a copy of the Quran.
The
students at Kettlethorpe High School, in Wakefield, were removed after a copy
of the Islamic text was partially torn and left scuffed after it was brought in
by a Year 10 pupil reportedly as part of a dare last week.
Headteacher
Tudor Griffiths said the book remained "fully intact" but the
students' actions were "unacceptable".
The
suspensions have caused controversy and widespread debate on social media.
Minister
for Schools, Nick Gibb, said he would write to the headteacher and local
authority "to offer my support" following the incident.
"Our
guidance for schools on how to manage suspensions is clear, stating that all
decisions should be reasonable, fair, and proportionate," he said.
"In
circumstances where parents feel discipline has not met these standards, they
can follow the school's complaints procedure and raise the issue with the school's
governors or the local authority."
The
minister condemned reported death threats against the pupils as "totally
unacceptable".
Mr
Gibb said: "My first priority is always the wellbeing of our children and
young people.
"The
death threats reportedly issued against the pupils are totally
unacceptable."
He
added: "There is no blasphemy law in this country and schools should be
promoting the fundamental British values of the respect for rule of law,
individual liberty and tolerance of those with different faiths and
beliefs."
Mr
Griffiths said the students were suspended to ensure "they understand why
their actions were unacceptable" after he became aware of the incident on
23 February.
Mr
Griffiths said: "We would like to reassure all our community that the holy
book remains fully intact and that our initial inquiries indicate there was no
malicious intent by those involved.
"However,
we have made it very clear that their actions did not treat the Quran with the
respect it should have, so those involved have been suspended and we will be
working with them to ensure they understand why their actions were
unacceptable."
He
said that the school is "inclusive" and a place where all should
"feel safe and secure."
He
added: "Understanding and respecting each other is a fundamental part of
who we are and we are coming together and learning from this.
A
meeting was held with school bosses, local Muslim community leaders,
councillors and police last week.
Cllr
Akef Akbar, an independent councillor for Wakefield East, said on Facebook that
he has since met with the parents of some of the children that were suspended
from school.
He
said: "I am actively working with them to have them reinstated as soon as
possible. I spoke with the school this morning.
Source:
I TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Manchester
Arena Inquiry: Didsbury Mosque receives demolition and deportation threats
By
Areeb Ullah
3
March 2023
A
mosque in Manchester has received a wave of violent threats, with some calling
for its "demolition" and the "deportation" of its
followers, after an inquiry into the 2017 Manchester Arena attack named the
place of worship in its report.
Published
on Thursday, the Manchester Arena Inquiry concluded that the Manchester Islamic
Centre, also known as Didsbury Mosque, had played no part in the radicalisation
of bomber Salman Abedi or his brother, Hashem Abedi.
But
it said that the chair of the mosque had “tended to downplay the strength of
the links between the Abedi family and Didsbury Mosque in the years leading up
to the attack”.
Twenty-two
people were killed when Abedi, a 22-year-old British-Libyan man, detonated a
bomb in a rucksack, also killing himself.
Sir
John Saunders, the chair of the inquiry, said the mosque had displayed
"weak leadership" in failing to address what an expert witness to the
inquiry described as a "very toxic political environment" fuelled by
conflict and unrest in Libya.
“On
any view, in the years leading up to the attack, the leadership of the mosque
did not pay sufficient attention to what went on at its premises and did not
have policies in place that were robust enough to prevent the politicisation of
its premises,” said Saunders.
Since
the report's release, the Manchester Islamic Centre has been on alert, with
police patrolling the area to protect the community from any possible attack.
Tracey
Pook, the Didsbury Mosque's community engagement coordinator, has been
monitoring the number of threats the centre has received and said they had been
growing by the hour.
"Having
compiled the threats and attacks, I've seen people say the mosque should be
demolished, that extremists live here, and that the centre is somehow
responsible for the murder of children," Pook told Middle East Eye.
"I
have been coming to the mosque for the last 20 years. It's where I became a
Muslim, and the community here has been nothing but friendly. These comments
and threats are hurtful because what happened [in the Manchester Arena] is not
what Islam is about," she added.
"The
mosque has been at the heart of the community since 1967 and helped them when
they needed it the most - like Covid."
Pook
said the most alarming comments she had seen online referenced far-right
activist Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson,
claiming "he was right" when he attempted to confront leaders from
the mosque in 2017.
Fawzi
Haffar, Manchester Islamic Centre’s chair of trustees, said the mosque had
previously had to deal with the attention of the far right due to the media
coverage it received in the aftermath of the bombing.
The
mosque was also the target of an arson attack in September 2021. Haffar said
the mosque had consulted with local police before the report’s release and had
put security arrangements in place because of concerns that far-right activists
could again target it.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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European
delegation visits Palestinian towns following violence by Israeli settlers
Qais
Abu Samra
03.03.2023
A
delegation of European ambassadors and consuls on Friday visited Palestinian
towns in the occupied West Bank that were subjected to violence by Israeli
settlers on Sunday.
EU
representative Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff headed the delegation comprising about
20 ambassadors and consuls.
The
delegations visited the towns of Huwara, Zatara and Burin in Nablus.
The
delegation offered condolences to the family of Palestinian, Sameh Aktash, who
was killed during acts of violence carried out by the settlers.
Speaking
to reporters, Kuhn von Burgsdorff demanded that all those who committed these
crimes be held accountable.
Dozens
of Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian town of Huwara on Sunday and set
fire to several Palestinian homes and vehicles. A Palestinian was killed in the
attack.
The
violence followed the killing of two Israeli settlers in a shooting in the
town.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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MI5,
media and far-right owe Didsbury Mosque and Manchester Muslims an apology
3rd
March 2023
Manchester
resident Shabnam Kulsoom says that following the exoneration of Didsbury Mosque
by the Manchester Arena Inquiry over the radicalisation of Salman Abedi, MI5,
the media and Tommy Robinson owe the Manchester Muslim community a huge
apology.
On
May 22, 2017, my brother – one of the heads of the da’wah department at
Didsbury Mosque – was coming home from the mosque after his usual evening of
voluntary work there.
But
this particular evening he asked to be picked up by another family member due
to an emergency situation of chaos and confusion that had occurred at Victoria
Tram Station. Salman Abedi had attacked the MEN arena only minutes away from
the station, and overspill was happening at the tram station because of
terrified crowds running for their lives.
When
I learned that the incident was confirmed as a terrorist attack, my immediate
gut instinct told me: “They’re somehow going to blame Dids”- our nickname for
Didsbury Mosque.
I
relayed my feelings to my brother and said that they were based on the fact
that it was a very popular mosque for Muslims, new-Muslims and non-Muslims
alike. Its work in the community (thanks to volunteers in the da’wah
department) was an example for other mosques to follow. Its outreach work
varied from regular open days for non-Muslims to be educated on Islam to
community outreach programmes.
Unfortunately,
the da’wah department is now a shell of its former glory as a direct
consequence of the negative focus on the mosque since the attack. Many of the
ex-volunteers who grew the da’wah department to the success it became are
still, to this day, hurting from it.
We
saw the immediate vilification of the mosque by mass mainstream media from all
over the world who converged on it within a day or so of it being named as THE
mosque. We (the volunteers and regular attendees) were all deemed guilty by
association.
The
journalists’ faces said it all as they pitched themselves outside. Despite
regular offerings of water and snacks as per Islamic hospitality, the tension
from the media was in the air. They behaved like hyenas and unjustly attempted
to defame the mosque in its entirety, based on a snippet of information that
Abedi had attended the masjid less than a handful of times, and only for
prayers.
With
the media’s eyes fixed firmly on the outside of the mosque, we were inside
calming the elderly sisters down who were in tears at having the finger of
blame pointed at the community and attendees. They, nor we, could make any
sense of the fact that this mosque that was our home from home, was being
portrayed as a terrorist hotbed.
Tommy
Robinson and his friends had also made their intentions to visit the mosque,
and this was clearly frightening attendees as to the consequences and potential
attacks on them and indeed the masjid.
If
my memory serves me correct, Robinson came to the mosque at around Fajr time to
put a projection onto the exterior when young children were in their classes,
upsetting them in the process while playing the amateur, self-proclaimed
investigative journalist. His sole purpose and intentions were to stoke up hate
towards Manchester’s Muslims. In that respect, he failed, and with yestrday’s
announcement, Tommy Robinson owes Manchester’s Muslims a firm apology.
Defamation
of Manchester’s Muslims
In
the days following the attack, myself and other sisters felt compelled to go
out into St Anne’s Square to show a visible Muslim presence. For the first time
in my life, I felt like I was walking on eggshells in my own city. We fed and
consoled visitors at the vigil site that was strewn with bouquets of flowers
and teddy bears. We felt we had to tell them how sorry we were for the heinous
acts of one deranged individual, whose only link to us was that he happened to
share our faith.
We
stood outside the mosque in a show of solidarity in front of the world’s media,
but some of us point-blank refused to hold up “I Love Mcr” placards at the
request of the trustees. I was born and brought up in a small, white,
working-class industrial town called Radcliffe in Manchester. Why was I being
told that I had to publicly declare my love for Manchester when I am more Manc
than a Manchester worker bee? We discarded those placards in front of them.
“We’re absolutely NOT doing it.”
The
image of Didsbury Mosque and that of Manchester’s Muslims was defamed for a
number of years following the attack. Yesterday’s conclusion that MI5 – an
agency of the government that is supposed to protect us and take preventative
measures to prevent attacks – failed massively demonstrates sheer incompetence.
The
finger of blame should have always been pointed at their failings first by
virtue of being our so-called protectors. Instead, they were content for the
narrative to be peddled in the direction of Muslims as a collective group. Let
us also not forget, it is these goverment agencies that facilitated British
Libyans and those of Libyan-heritage born in the UK to travel back and forth in
order to topple Colonel Gaddafi.
So
when it suited their objective they seemingly knew how to turn a blind eye. If
Abedi was on their watch list as they say, why didn’t they throw everything
they had into preventing him from carrying out the attack? Why wait until after
the event? Surely prevention is better than cure?
We
will always stand with the victims of this criminality, and send our
condolences to the families over what seems an ongoing trauma to get to the
truth. However, let us not forget that Muslims are also the victims in all of this
– guilty by association.
Source:
5pillars UK
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Didsbury
Mosque welcomes Manchester Inquiry conclusion it didn’t radicalise Salman Abedi
3rd
March 2023
Didsbury
Mosque has welcomed the Manchester Arena Inquiry’s conclusion that the bomber
Salman Abedi was not radicalised there, but has disputed the finding that it
was “wilfully blind” to a political debate raging about the Libya conflict.
Here
is the mosque’s statement in full:
First
and foremost, Didsbury Mosque wishes to recognise the bravery and dignity shown
by the victims and the families of victims during the course of the Inquiry and
the evidence heard.
The
anguish felt by the victims cannot accurately be put into words and Didsbury
Mosque wishes to offer its unwavering support to all those affected and hopes
that the conclusion of this Inquiry can provide a pathway to obtaining some
justice and closure.
The
Mosque will do all it can to ensure that it is a place of peace, calm, and
safety for all those who come to worship or visit and recognises and
understands how dangerous the scourge of extremism/terrorism can be. It will
not be tolerated under any circumstances whatsoever.
Didsbury
Mosque also wishes to thank the Chair for overseeing a long and difficult
Inquiry.
After
considering the final report issued on 2nd March 2023, Didsbury Mosque agrees
with the conclusion that the Mosque was not involved in the radicalisation of
Salman and Hashim Abedi.
However,
some of the findings of the report are disputed by Didsbury Mosque and in the
interests of transparency we wish to respond to said findings.
The
trustees were invited voluntarily to give evidence to the Inquiry; they were
never a core participant. Didsbury Mosque provided written evidence and
responses on numerous occasions and our chair also gave oral evidence. It is
vital that the public understand that we attended and cooperated with the
hearing on a voluntary basis, purely to assist with the Inquiry and Didsbury
Mosque is of the opinion more could have been done to highlight this fact.
The
Chair has made comments on evidence heard from Mr. Haffar and Mr. Saeiti and
has stated that the evidence of Mr. Saeiti was preferred. It should be noted
that Mr. Haffar was subjected to vigorous cross-examination whereas Mr. Saeiti,
was not. The opinion of Didsbury Mosque is that had Mr. Saeiti been
cross-examined and had his evidence been tested, he would have been found
lacking in credibility and his evidence widely dismissed.
Didsbury
Mosque also notes that a previous longstanding Imam Mr. Graff was not invited
to give evidence at the Inquiry. We will stand corrected if an invite was sent
to him. Mr. Graff voluntarily provided his own statement to the Inquiry and
Didsbury Mosque feels that more consideration should have been given to this
statement as Mr. Graff was an Imam who served for a long period of time and had
a deep understanding of the issues raised by Mr. Saeiti.
Didsbury
Mosque does not agree with the assertion that it was “wilfully blind.” The
trustees do not manage the activities at the mosque on a day-to-day basis, the
staff do. There were no meetings of radical Libyan groups at the mosque.
Evidence was provided to the Inquiry that proved there is a longstanding policy
of not allowing overseas politics at the mosque. Like many mosques the meeting
room was hired for humanitarian aid work in Libya and for other countries, this
is not evidence of extremism. An allegation was made against two individuals
who had held meetings on the day Mr. Haffar gave evidence. Those individuals
subsequently submitted statements to the Chairman that they were not extremists
but holding a lawful registered charity/social meeting. Those statements have
not been commented upon by the Inquiry.
Didsbury
Mosque asked trustees and staff what they knew about the Abedi family and any
sightings. They were asked to put their response into an email. Those emails
included that of both Imams. Copies were provided to the Inquiry. If any former
member of staff now claims other information, we would ask why that information
was withheld and was not put in the email or provided to the police in the
first place and question the motive. We provided details of Ismail Abedi his
mother and his sister working at the mosque to the Inquiry. They have not been
charged with anything to do with this attack and were DBS cleared. There was no
other information we had to give. Mr. Haffar the Chair has never met anyone
from the Abedi family and answered at a personal level which is the truth.
Other trustees and staff confirmed what they knew to the Inquiry.
Didsbury
Mosque had been a place where Ramadan Abedi and their sons prayed until 2006
when they moved to a mosque in another part of the city, after which they went
to Libya and then the children returned. They were not known to the mosque as
adults (except Ismail), and this was not their local mosque. Our staff reported
a visual sighting of Salman on a few occasions at Friday prayers. He is said to
have prayed and left. No contact or conversations were reported to have taken
place. Ramadan Abedi attended Ismail’s Islamic marriage contract as the witness
and father, in the prayer hall. We were shown a recording of this only on the
day of our public hearing. It was presented on the day as if it was evidence of
an extremist circle at the mosque. The trustees were not made aware of this
beforehand. Thousands of marriage contracts have been performed at this mosque
the staff cannot be expected to recall them all and the trustees are not aware
of them. Does this mean we are linked to everyone who has a marriage at this
mosque from any ethnic origin?
The
mosque has been linked to Libya and the wider political situation in the
country, because of the common ethnic heritage of some of our staff and those
who come to pray. Are we linked to worshippers from Pakistan, Syria, and Iraq
too? We also cannot be linked with the politics and political comments of the
Libyan or any community on their social media or in their private lives, simply
because they come and say their prayers at our premises or hold a charity
meeting or marriage here. The Inquiry and its lawyers and experts have also
sometimes confused political comments and discussions about conflicts overseas
with extremism that leads to terrorism. Are the Muslim community not able to
discuss any politics overseas? This is a flawed approach. None of our trustees
are of Libyan heritage. The breakdown of Libyan and non-Libyan staff and
trustees was provided to the Inquiry at the outset. The Mosque has no links
with Libya other than this.
We
did not accept weak management in Libyan or other politics. There have been a
few staffing/management issues to deal with which happen at every institution.
The trustees have had a long-term informal policy of not allowing Imams and
speakers to use the mosque for politics or expressing their personal political
opinions. This predates 9/11 and has been effectively applied over decades. Two
former Libyan Imams had opposing political views of the Libyan civil war, but
both were against extremism and ISIS. Didsbury Mosque was aware of their
differences and managed them as best and sensitively as they could. Neither
were allowed to use the mosque for the promotion of their political views. Both
gave sermons against extremism, and the mosque has always preached against
anyone going overseas to fight. From 2011 -2017 there were 364 Friday sermons.
Many had spoken against extremism. During that time two sermons strayed
slightly into politics, and both were clamped down on by trustees immediately
and the Imams warned not to let it happen again. A correspondence warning to
both Imams was provided to the Inquiry. These two sermons and the mosque’s
response to them were discussed at the Inquiry.
It
has been alleged that the former Imam of the Mosque Mustafa Graf called for
people to go to fight in the fundraising sermon he delivered which was widely
reported in the media. That sermon was a fundraising sermon for local charities
because of a chemical attack on Syrian people. The call was for striving by
Maal (or giving). The police expert who examined the sermon concluded that this
was not an encouragement for warfare but charity. The Mosque also commissioned
an independent expert to investigate the sermon and that reached the same
conclusion. Our investigation concluded: “There was no objective of encouraging
people to take up arms, nor did the khutbah do so. Our main reason for saying
this is: – a) there was a clear charitable purpose to khutbah. b) those verses
commonly known as the ‘fighting verses’ or ‘sword verses’ are not used in the
Khutbah. The fighting verses are used by most scholars or leaders of violent
groups who wish to encourage taking up arms and fighting. The BBC’s own website
defines Jihad and mentions types of non-violent expression as Jihad and states
the key fighting verses. c) At the end of the Khutbah in English, MG makes it
clear he is asking people for donations for victims in Aleppo, not just to give
loose change but give more and that ‘this will be considered Jihad fi
Sabeelillah (Jihad in the path of Allah).’ This is also mentioned, toward the
end of the speech in Arabic ‘spend your wealth considering that your Jihad in
the path of Allah.’ It is also mentioned in the last Arabic paragraph ‘seeking
reward from Allah with your wealth and effort and do not be miserly and do not
hesitate.’ d) The congregation understood the purpose of the Khutbah was
fundraising.“
Didsbury
Mosque wishes to reconfirm that it voluntarily and wilfully aided the Inquiry
to the best of its ability based on the information it could gather. This has
been done in the interests of transparency and justice.
Source:
5pillars UK
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Bosnian
students write comfort letters to their Turkish quake victim peers
Ismail
Ozdemir
03.03.2023
Primary
school students receiving Turkish language education in Bosnia and Herzegovina
made drawings and wrote comfort letters on Wednesday for the children affected
by the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes in southern Türkiye.
Students
of the "My Preference is Turkish" program by the Yunus Emre Institute
(YEE) wrote letters including Turkish expressions like "We are sorry for
your loss, our prayers are with you," "Get well soon, my
Türkiye," "We are with you our brothers and sisters."
"Brother
Türkiye, although the earthquake happened in your land, it shook us deeply
here. Fault fractures became like our life fractures. I wish all the wounds would
be healed quickly," a student wrote.
Mehmet
Akif Yaman, the director of YEE in Sarajevo, told Anadolu that donations were
collected from all parts of the country for the earthquake zones in Türkiye.
He
said that students donated their clothes and pocket money to support the aid.
"Our students learning Turkish prepared beautiful cards and letters for
their brothers and sisters and friends affected by the earthquake in Türkiye
and sent them to us. We hope to alleviate the children's sadness there to some
extent by delivering them to the earthquake regions."
"I
hope that when our children in Türkiye see these, they will communicate with
the Bosnian children here in the future when the conditions normalize and
reinforce their brotherhood and friendship. We will contribute to the
communication in Bosnia and Herzegovina," Yaman added.
Noting
that Turkish has been taught in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2011, Yaman said:
"At the moment, nearly 6,500 students are learning Turkish and there are
98 teachers in nearly 200 schools."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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German
traveler walks from Vienna to Istanbul to collect money for earthquake victims
in Türkiye
Muhammed
Enes Calli
03.03.2023
Twin
earthquakes in southern Türkiye did not only affect Turkish people's lives and
cause devastating effects on buildings but also foreigners living in the
country were rocked by the disasters.
Franziska
Niehus is among those foreigners who have been living in Istanbul for five
years.
Born
in Germany, Niehus is a big fan of Türkiye as she traveled over 81 provinces in
her old yellow car, and became quite popular on Instagram.
She
has over 500.000 followers on her Instagram account named
"travelcomic," where she makes videos about the Turkish cities that
she has visited.
After
receiving news of devastating earthquakes that hit 11 cities, she felt that her
heart "was heavy with pain."
She
has been affected by some dramatic features from the quake zone, leading her to
take immediate action to help the victims as the idea just popped into her head
out of nowhere; Walking from Vienna, Austria, to Istanbul to raise donations on
her way.
Niehus
told Anadolu via Zoom about her activities to help victims while walking the
outskirts of Vienna on the second day of her trip.
The
29-year-old traveler was in Kayseri for a ski trip when the earthquake occurred
on Feb. 6.
"I
woke up at 4:20 am in the morning because the building was shaking. It was the
first time ever that I experienced such a strong earthquake in my life. So, I
was scared. I didn't know what to do. I was running outside without shoes
on," she said.
Following
the earthquake, she immediately went to Elbistan of Kahramanmaras, the
epicenter of the second earthquake with a 7.6 magnitude in the afternoon.
"We
saw the devastating outcome of the earthquake, I realized that this is one of
the biggest disasters that the modern time has probably seen and we should do
something against it or for it."
"When
I was in Elbistan, it was really cold. Everybody lost family or their house.
But they still came up to me to offer tea because it was so cold. They might
have lost everything, but they did not lose their hospitality and hope. This is
why I care about this so much."
Goal
to walk 2,400 kilometers across 8 countries
She
will walk around 2,400 kilometers (1,490 miles) and will distribute the
donations to a charitable project for the victims every 500 kilometers (310
miles).
Asked
for the purpose of her trip, Niehus said that she wanted to raise awareness to
collect donations for the earthquake victims.
"I
was thinking by myself as to what I can personally do to help in this situation
for Türkiye, which I called my home. I feel like there is something that I can
do to help people. So, this is something that I can do, raise awareness with my
social media platforms by raising donations for those people that need help
most right now."
She
already collected $3,000 on her second day of walking.
"I
am overwhelmed by the support and donations that are already coming in before I
even started this walk. Multiple charities will profit from this project."
On
messages she received about her long trip, she stated that the reactions have
been very positive.
"Of
course, there are a lot of people who are also very worried about me because
it's a really long way. And there are parts that are going to be extremely
lonely and difficult. I am aware of this, but most of the messages were
extremely sweet. People are excited about this. And I hope that with this
project, I can also motivate other people to do something. Go outside and think
about how I can personally help in this situation."
She
plans to walk around 20 or 30 kilometers per day, which will take around five
months to reach Istanbul, expecting to arrive in Istanbul in July or August,
across eight countries, including Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia,
Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece.
She
added that she already used to walk long distances with other outdoor
activities such as hiking and camping in Türkiye.
"I
climbed Agri Mountain a few months ago. So, I feel well-prepared. I'm trusting
in myself. I'm very confident that I will reach Istanbul."
Hatay
'special' for her
Niehus
has been affected by the pictures of the cities that were hit by the massive
quakes, as Hatay has a special place in her heart.
"When
I saw the images of the destroyed cities, I was devastated because I remembered
all the memories that I made in those cities."
"I
went to Hatay, which was one of my favorite cities in Türkiye. I also have
friends there. Immediately, I contacted everybody and made sure that they were
okay. But the city is not recognizable anymore. I am really devastated about
this. I hope that together we can build this up again. I know it takes a very
long time. But one day, it will be okay."
The
death toll from the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye has risen to
45,089, the country's disaster management agency, AFAD, said early on
Wednesday.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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India
India
Hails Saudi Support in the G20 as FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan Attends G20
Meetings
Sanjay
Kumar
March
04, 2023
NEW
DELHI: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister and his Indian counterpart discussed
global developments on Friday, after the top diplomats of the world’s 20
biggest economies met in New Delhi.
The
foreign ministers of the Group of 20, which includes the US, Saudi Arabia,
Japan, Russia, China and the EU, arrived in the Indian capital for the second
high-level ministerial meeting under India’s G20 presidency this year.
The
talks on Thursday were dominated by tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,
which prevented them from finding enough common ground to deliver a joint
statement at the end of the summit.
The
G20 meeting was followed by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s
individual discussions with some of the participants.
In
a morning meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan, he said
he had discussed “global developments.”
“A
good conversation this morning with FM Faisal bin Farhan of Saudi Arabia,”
Jaishankar said on Twitter. “Appreciate Saudi Arabia’s support in the G20. Also
discussed global developments.”
During
the G20 meeting’s session on promoting multilateralism, development
cooperation, food and energy security, Prince Faisal “reiterated the importance
of resolving conflicts and political tensions hindering effective action on
facing global challenges and exacerbating economic fragmentation,” the Saudi
Press Agency reported.
He
also “praised the efforts of the Indian government during its presidency of the
G20,” as New Delhi has been trying to enhance multilateral action in light of
the current global political and economic challenges.
Experts
see the Saudi foreign minister’s engagements in India as bringing the two
countries closer together on global political issues.
“The
main point about Saudi foreign policy is that it is following an independent foreign
policy based on strategic autonomy. This makes the Kingdom very close to India
in its approach,” Talmiz Ahmad, former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told
Arab News.
“The
most important aspect in the message that is coming to me from G20 at the moment
is the need for countries of the South to cooperate with each other. I do not
believe there is any prospect in the near future of Western countries
participating in any serious dialogue relating to global issues.”
Talmiz
said that it was now time for countries like Saudi Arabia and India to
cooperate even closer.
Muddassir
Quamar, Middle East expert and fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and
Analyses in New Delhi, said that now was the right moment for New Delhi and
Riyadh to broaden cooperation.
“There
is immense political and diplomatic momentum in favor of strengthening the
ties,” he told Arab News.
“The
two sides have many mutual and shared interests when it comes to issues of the
Global South, including climate change, net zero and so on, and they have been
cooperating on these issues at the G20 as well as other forums.”
Mohammed
Soliman, director of the Strategic Technologies and Cyber Security Program at
the Middle East Institute in Washington, said Saudi Arabia and India were
natural economic and strategic partners, both aspiring to strategic autonomy
and asserting themselves as major G20 nations.
“Delhi
and Riyadh aim to present a middle ground between Washington and Brussels on
the one hand, and Beijing and Moscow on the other, as the G20 is evolving into
the de facto global governance mechanism,” he said.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2261956/world
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Muslim
Community Elders and Imams Tell Youth Not To Do Bike Stunts On Shab-E-Barat
Night
04th
March 2023
By
Mohammed Yacoob
BENGALURU: With Shab-e-Barat, a holy night for the
Muslim community, falling on Tuesday,
community
elders and imams have been collectively giving sermons asking the youth to save
the image of the community and not to get into legal trouble by doing stunts on
two-wheelers. The imams have appealed to community leaders and elders to have
an eye on youth on Tuesday night as accidents and unsavoury incidents have
taken place in the past.
For
almost a decade now, the Bengaluru traffic police have also taken a decision to
block the flyovers in the city after 9 pm. “The Shab-e-Barat is an indication
of the arrival of the holy month of Ramzan. Community members have been told to
come to masjids and pray. About 400-plus masjids in the city have been asked to
give sermons on Friday and also make announcements on the night of
Shab-e-Baarat.
Not
just wheeling and bike stunts, youth and community members have been asked not
to roam around that night on the streets and not to disturb other community
members. Some elders and leaders in each area will keep an eye and if necessary
will also call the police to ensure that peace is not disturbed,” said Maqsood
Imram Rashadi, Chief Imam, Jamia Masjid City Market.
Source:
New Indian Express
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Ayodhya
Development Authority Clears Supreme Court -Mandated Mosque
Mar
4, 2023
AYODHYA:
The Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) on Friday gave final sanction for the
construction of Ayodhya mosque mandated by the Supreme Court in Babri
Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi verdict. The construction of the mosque did not start in
the last two years even though the Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation, the trust
tasked with developing the Ayodhya masjid and community facilities, submitted the
maps with the ADA in May 2021.
The
mosque construction work got delayed due to no-objection certificates sought by
ADA. Further delay was caused due to the change of land use as the allotted
land was for agricultural purposes.
In
its Ayodhya verdict dated November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court had ordered
allotment of 5 acres of suitable land to the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board in the
acquired area under the Ayodhya Act 1993 or atany appropriate, prominent place
in Ayodhya.
Following
the order, the Ayodhya administration had allotted the said 5 acres in
Dhannipur village of Sohawal tehsil, about 25km from the Ayodhya town.
Talking
to TOI, Ayodhya divisional commissioner and ADA chairman Gaurav Dayal said, “We
have approved the project of Ayodhya mosque in the Board meeting held on
Friday. The sanctioned maps will be handed over to Indo-Islamic Cultural
Foundation after a few departmental formalities, which are to be completed
within a couple of days.”
Source:
Times Of India
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Muslim
community recognises Uddhav Thackeray as leader of the real Shiv Sena, says
Sanjay Raut
March
03, 2023
Stating
that the Muslim and Dalit communities in Maharashtra had whole-heartedly
recognised the Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership as the ‘true
Sena’, Thackeray camp leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said that the Election
Commission’s decision awarding the party name and symbol to Chief Minister
Eknath Shinde faction was “merely a decision on paper” and not the people’s
verdict.
Speaking
during his tour of Kolhapur and Sangli districts, Mr. Raut said that the people
in the State had been unhappy with the ECI’s decision to award the party name
and the bow-and-arrow symbol to the ‘rebel’ Shinde faction.
“Everywhere
during my tour, I saw that our Muslim brothers have wholeheartedly welcomed us
with shouts of ‘Shiv Sena Zindabad’ and ‘Jai Maharashtra’. The Dalit and Muslim
community recognise Mr. Thackeray as the leader of the real Shiv Sena.
Moreover, the people have not liked the ECI’s decision. They are questioning as
to how the party founded by Bal Thackeray can belong to someone else,” said the
Rajya Sabha MP.
Remarking
that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had “lost sleep” over their defeat
by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) troika in the Kasba Peth Assembly by-poll in
Pune, Mr. Raut said that the Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) would contest
seats and win the Sangli and Kolhapur districts in the 2024 Assembly election.
“What
happened in Kasba Peth will happen in Sangli and Miraj (Assembly segment in
Sangli district) in the 2024 Assembly election. The BJP thought Kasba was its
bastion, but they did not realise that a major part of their presence over 30
years was due to the contribution of Shiv Sena workers. At least 35,000-40,000
voters in Kasba Peth were from the Shiv Sena who expressed their anger this
time at Mr. Thackeray being toppled from the CM’s post by the Shinde faction,”
said Mr. Raut.
Clarifying
that his recent ‘chormandal’ (legislature of thieves) remark was directed at a
particular faction (Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena), Mr. Raut said he had not
insulted any MLA or the State legislature by his statement.
Mr.
Raut’s controversial remark had courted a breach of privilege motion from the
ruling Shinde-BJP coalition.
“I
accuse them [Shinde faction] of robbing the party, the Shiv Sena symbol and
claiming to be ‘real’ Shiv Sena. Moreover, I have made this statement [
chormandal] outside the legislature, so it remains to be seen whether the
breach of privilege against me falls under any actionable ambit,” said Mr.
Raut.
Amid
uproar over the remark, Deputy Chairperson of the Maharashtra Legislative
Council, Neelam Gorhe on Thursday directed Mr. Raut to submit a reply within
seven days to the breach of privilege notice, moved against him by the BJP.
Mr.
Raut, however, said being on tour, he was yet to see the notice.
Nationalist
Congress Party chief (NCP) Sharad Pawar— an ally of Mr. Raut— had expressed
reservations on the composition of the committee formed to hear the breach of
privilege notice against Mr. Raut.
Source:
The Hindu
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Right-Wing
Outfits Protest ‘Land Jihad’, Demand Govt to Remove Encroachments from Forts of
Maharashtra
March
3, 2023
More
than 500 members of several Right-wing outfits that voluntarily carry out
conservation and restoration works in various forts of Maharashtra came together
at Azad Maidan Friday afternoon to protest against encroachment at several
forts in the state and labelled it as ‘Land Jihad’.
The
protest in South Mumbai was organised by Maharashtra Gad-Durg Rakshan Samiti
along with the Hindu-Jan-Jagruti Samiti. The Gad-Durg Rakshan Samiti is an
umbrella organisation of several independent outfits that carry out
conservation of forts, voluntarily. The members who participated in Friday’s
rally came from several parts of the state, including, Raigad, Kolhapur and
Pune.
All
the protestors who were present at the event were seen wearing either a
saffron-coloured ribbon or a turban. Some of them were also seen displaying
paper cut-outs of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Speaking
at the event, Satish Kochrekar, spokesperson of the event, said the primary
objective of the protest is to send a message to the current state government
to remove illegal encroachments that have grown inside the forts.
“Almost
all the forts in Maharashtra have been encroached today and all the encroachers
belong to the Muslim community. They have taken over the entire fort premises
in an illegal way, as they don’t have a single document that could prove their
original ownership of that property,” Kochrekar said.
“This
way they are taking over all the heritage structures that were built by Shivaji
Maharaj and stern action is necessary from the state government. Therefore, we
demand that strict guidelines should be issued to remove these encroachers from
our forts and at the same time the government officials under whose watch these
encroachments took place, should be penalised,” he said.
On
Friday afternoon, a delegation of the members representing the outfit went to
meet Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and handed over a letter stating that an
independent committee needs to be formed which will comprise of government
officials as well as members of the Gad-Durg Rakshan Samiti, that would work
towards framing holistic policies towards conservation of the forts.
Ranjit
Savarkar, grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar (Veer) Savarkar and chairperson of
Swatantryaveer Savarkar Rashtriya Smarak, also participated in the protest
gathering and said that although the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is
responsible for caretaking of these forts, an independent committee is need of
the hour.
“This
process of encroaching our forts is a deliberate attempt of grabbing the lands
and heritage properties that have been built by Shivaji Maharaj and his
followers. Many of these encroachers have received subsidies for setting up
their shanties and this clearly states that in a way the government is also
backing them. This needs to stop and the government needs to intervene,”
Savarkar said.
Source:
Indian Express
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NIA
attaches Hizb commander’s property in J&K's Sopore
Mar
4, 2023
SRINAGAR:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday attached a property of Hizbul
Mujahideen commander Basit Reshi in Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla
district.
The
move came a day after the agency attached properties of Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar
alias Latram — one of the two terrorists freed along with Masood Azhar in
exchange for passengers of the Indian Airlines plane hijacked to Kandahar in
1999 — in Srinagar’s Nowhatta area.
The
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has already declared Basit Reshi — who is
presently based in Pakistan as per the NIA — a designated terrorist under the
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, a stringent law legislated to control terrorism.
According to MHA, the Hizbul-affiliate was involved in coordinating targeted
killings besides other subversive activities in Jammu and Kashmir. NIA claimed
that Reshi planned and executed an attack on a police guard post at Tujar
Sherief on August 18, 2015, in which police personnel and a civilian were
killed.
Source:
Times Of India
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NIA
attaches property of Pakistan-based terrorist in Baramulla
Mar
3, 2023
NEW
DELHI: A day after NIA attached the property of Pakistan-based terrorist
Mushtaq Zargar in Srinagar, it executed a similar action in respect of
agricultural land owned by another terrorist operating from Pakistani soil,
Basit Ahmed Reshi, in Baramulla.
Basit
is a ‘listed terrorist’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and is
said to be involved in terror activities of Lashker e Taiba arm The Resistance
Front (TRF) as well as funding of terrorist acts in the Kashmir Valley. He
manages and supplies arms/ammunition as well as funds for TRF from Pakistan,
NIA said in a statement on Friday.
Basit
had joined the militant ranks in 2015 and was allegedly involved in the
planning and execution of a terror attack at Police Guard post in Sopore, in
which a constable was killed and others injured. He was associated with Hizbul
Mujahideen at the time and had later exfiltrated from J&K to Pakistan.
Reshi’s
agriculture land measuring 9.25 marlas was attached by NIA under the provisions
of UA(P) Act, with the assistance of representatives of the J&K
administration and police.
Till
date, NIA has attached the properties of five designated terrorists, namely
US-based pro-Khalistan activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Canada-based Sikh
terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and Pakistan based terrorists Mushtaq Zargar @
Latram, Basit Ahmad Pir and KCF (Panjwar) Paramjit Singh @Panjwar.
Source:
Times Of India
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of the original story:
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Karnataka
Hijab row: SC assures petitioner to constitute bench, hearing expected after
Holi vacation
Mar
3, 2023
NEW
DELHI: In the Hijab row, the Supreme Court on Friday assured the petitioner
that it will constitute a bench and hear the plea, seeking to allow female students
to appear in the examination wearing Hijab in Karnataka.
A
bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that it will
constitute a bench and hear the matter related to the Hijab issue.
The
plea was mentioned by Shariat Committee, which sought to grant permission to
female students to appear in exams with wearing Hijab.
The
court said that it will list the matter immediately after Holi.
The
Apex court will remain closed for the Holi break from tomorrow and it will
reopen on March 13.
Petitioner's
counsel told the court that the exams are after five days and insisted to hear
the matter urgently.
An
application was moved in the top court to allow girl students to appear in
examinations, beginning from March 9, in colleges in Karnataka wearing
headscarves.
The
top court has earlier given a split verdict on various petitions challenging
the Karnataka High Court order which upheld a ban on Hijab in educational
institutes. Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed the appeal while Justice Sudhanshu
Dhulia allowed it. The matter was thereafter referred to the Chief Justice of
India for appropriate direction due to divergent opinions.
The
judgement was given by a two-judge of justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu
Dhulia.
The
court was hearing various pleas against Karnataka HC's judgement upholding the
Karnataka Govt decision to direct educational institutes to prescribe uniforms
in educational institutes.
Various
petitioners have approached the apex court challenging the Karnataka HC order
upholding the Karnataka government's order which directs strict enforcement of
schools and colleges' uniform rules.
Karnataka
High Court last year held that the prescription of uniforms is a reasonable
restriction that students could not object to and dismissed various petitions
challenging a ban on Hijab in education institutions saying they are without
merit.
The
Hijab row erupted in January last year when the Government PU College in Udupi
allegedly barred six girls wearing the hijab from entering. Following this, the
girls sat in protest outside the college over being denied entry.
After
this, boys from several colleges in Udupi started attending classes wearing
saffron scarves. This protest spread to other parts of the state as well
leading to protests and agitations in several places in Karnataka.
As
a result, the Karnataka government said that all students must adhere to the
uniform and banned both hijab and saffron scarves till an expert committee
decided on the issue.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Allocate
6% of GDP to education, says Students' Islamic Organisation of India, Karnataka
Mar
4, 2023
BENGALURU:
With state assembly elections approaching, the Students' Islamic Organisation
(SIO) of India, Karnataka, has released its manifesto, asking political parties
to allocate 6% of the state's gross domestic product (GDP) for education in the
annual budget.
While
reiterating that 50% vacancies in teaching posts in government schools should
be filled up at the earliest, SIO demanded that the government should also try
to reduce high school dropout rates among children of parents employed in the
unorganised sector.
"Scholarships,
school uniforms and basic facilities should be provided to create an ideal
learning environment and ensure participation of students," the SIO
manifesto said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
In
Johor, mosques in flood areas to open as temporary flood relief centres
By
Ben Tan
Friday,
03 Mar 2023
JOHOR
BARU, March 3 — Main mosques in flood-affected areas in Johor are now open as
temporary flood relief centres, following the sudden surge in flood victims
from the state.
Johor
Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid said in
order to accommodate the new role, guidelines will be prepared for the mosques
to continue their main function as a place of Muslim worship.
"This
is a contingency plan that we have taken to accommodate the high increase in
the population affected by the floods.
"The
mosque is also allowed to assist in preparing food for distribution and
delivery to nearby temporary flood relief centres,” Mohd Fared said in a
statement posted.
On
the fifth day of the floods in Johor, the number of flood victims continued to
increase today.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Seniman
lodges police report over ‘Mentega Terbang’ movie that allegedly insulted Islam
03
Mar 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR, March 3 ― Persatuan Seniman Malaysia (Seniman) has lodged a police
report against an Indie film Mentega Terbang that it alleges insulted Islam and
promoted seditious content in some scenes.
Seniman
secretary-general Mohd Hafiz Mohd Nafiah said it was inappropriate for the film
to be shown on any platform in the country and action should be taken against
it.
“Seniman
urges the authorities to carry out a thorough investigation against the
producer, director and scriptwriter under the Sedition Act 1948 and appeals to
the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to investigate
the matter under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
“Seniman
is deeply concerned about a scene in the film that can affect racial harmony,
by involving Islamic religious issues, which is protected under Clause 1,
Article 3 of the Federal Constitution,” he told the media after lodging the
report at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters here today.
Meanwhile,
Dang Wangi district police chief, ACP Noor Delilhan Yahaya, when contacted by
Bernama, said the case had been handed over to the Ampang Jaya district police
for further action.
The
film Mentega Terbang, which has been uploaded for free viewing on digital
streaming platforms received objections from Muslims in the country for allegedly
containing elements of religious pluralism.
Meanwhile,
the Malaysian Film Producers Association (PFM) has issued a reprimand directed
at local film producers and is asking them to be more sensitive to content
development especially when dealing with religious issues, race and culture in
the country even with subtle attempts as depicted in the film Mentega Terbang.
PFM
president Pansha said the production company, Anomalist Production and Meng
Kheng Entertainment have committed an offence under the Finas Act 244 by not
applying for a Filming Certificate of Licence (SPP) from Finas, and not having
any licence to produce local films.
“Even
though Mentega Terbang was broadcast through digital streaming and its content
beyond the control of the Censorship Board (LPF) or without screening
permission from Finas, its broadcast on the internet can still be controlled by
MCMC," he said in a statement today.
He
said the national film policy guided by the FINAS Act 244 and Film Censorship
Act 2002 (Act 620) must be respected.
"An
agency has been entrusted to monitor the content of a film and not a third
party, like what happened with the film Pulau. PFM is urging that authorities
take quick action,” he added.
Meanwhile
the LPF is studying all aspects related to the film Mentega Terbang before
taking further action.
The
Home Affairs Ministry informed in a statement issued today that the board has
taken note of the issues raised and based on the review, the film was not in
the board’s censorship record and is being shown online (via an internet
platform).
Source:
Malay Mail
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Mideast
Palestinians
accuse Israeli government of complicity as Hawara arson suspects are freed
MOHAMMED
NAJIB
March
03, 2023
RAMALLAH:
Israeli police on Friday released all of the settlers arrested in connection
with the burning of homes and vehicles in the occupied West Bank town of Hawara
on Feb. 26.
The
Ynet news website, affiliated with Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, reported that
law enforcement officials said they could not find any evidence linking the
settlers to the attacks, some of which were caught on video. About 100 cars and
35 houses were destroyed, and more than 40 houses were partly burned.
Israeli
sources also said that two settlers placed in administrative detention on the
orders of the Defense Ministry could be released at any moment.
Hamas
spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the release of settlers was evidence of the
“complicity of the Israeli judiciary in covering up the crime.”
Also
on Friday, Israeli troops used stun grenades and tear gas to prevent busloads
of Israeli peace activists from staging a solidarity rally in Hawara,
protesters said. Soldiers pressed their knees into the necks and backs of
demonstrators they had pushed to the ground, according to protesters.
According
to Sally Abed, from the group Standing Together, at least two people were
briefly detained after the army threw them to the ground, kicked and handcuffed
them. In another incident, a group of soldiers reportedly violently pushed
Avraham Burg, a former speaker of the Israeli parliament speaker, until he
stumbled and fell.
The
Israeli army said it had declared Hawara a closed military zone and so when
Israeli and Palestinian activists ignored the military order, security forces
used tear gas and other tactics to disperse the crowds and maintain order.
Kayed
Odeh, a 42-year-old shop owner, told Arab News that about 1,500 shops in Hawara
had suffered losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result
of the siege imposed on the town by the Israeli army since Sunday.
“Life
is paralyzed in Hawara: No one goes to work, no student goes to school and the
situation here has become like a battlefield in Ukraine,” he said.
“Did
we expect the government to imprison a government?” he added, explaining that
the settlers are like a law unto themselves. “Dozens of security cameras are
installed along the main streets in Hawara to obtain evidence of the settlers’
involvement in terrorism against the townspeople.”
He
said it would take at least four months for the town to return to normal
following the attacks.
Palestinians
and human rights activists condemned the release of the arson suspects.
Shawan
Jabarin, director of human rights organization Al-Haq, told Arab News: “An
accomplice cannot hold a criminal accountable. The Israeli police, army and
intelligence are all part of the crime, whether through their failure to
prevent it or their leniency with those involved in the Israeli terrorism
carried out by settlers.”
He
warned that growing right-wing Israeli extremism could lead to large-scale
massacres of Palestinians.
“Those
released settlers will become heroes in the eyes of the Israeli right and they
may be rewarded, and we, as a human rights institution, are warning that what
is to come will be worse and more dangerous,” Jabarin added.
Ibrahim
Melhem, a spokesperson for the Palestinian government, told Arab News: “Have
you heard of a criminal who arrested himself? The Israeli army and police are
accomplices in the crime, so we are not surprised by their move.”
Referring
to Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s recent statement in which he
called on the government to wipe out the town of Hawara, Melhem said the
settlers had taken that as a green light to attack the town with impunity.
US
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Smotrich’s comments “were
irresponsible. They were repugnant. They were disgusting.” He added: “And just
as we condemn Palestinian incitement to violence, we condemn these provocative
remarks that also amount to incitement to violence.”
A
delegation led by Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, the EU’s representative in
Palestine, visited Hawara on Friday and said his organization “will continue to
demand directly the trial and accountability of those who carried out the
settler attacks on the town.” Settler violence “must stop,” he added.
While
the EU representatives were in Hawara, extremist Israeli parliamentarian Tzvi
Sukkot arrived in the town and tried to disrupt their conversations using a
loudspeaker.
Burgsdorff
said: “We made extensive contacts to stop what is happening on the ground, and
unfortunately, this intervention was late.” He added that his team will
continue its efforts to prevent such attacks against the Palestinian people.
He
also demanded compensation for the arson victims, and said his delegation’s
visit “constitutes a message of solidarity from the international community
with the people of Hawara and neighboring villages.”
Hagai
Elad, director general of Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, said the
Israeli government was sponsoring the attacks by settlers by providing them
with immunity from any repercussions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Muin
Dumaidi, Hawara’s mayor, said the attacks have dealt a psychological blow to
residents. He also expressed hope that protection might be provided for Hawara
and neighboring villages.
Meanwhile,
residents of the town have installed early-warning systems and provided
whistles to alert the population in case of any further attacks by settlers.
This is similar to the system used by Israelis to warn people of Hamas rocket
attacks from Gaza.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2261816/middle-east
--------
Iran:
Israeli Regime Continuing Violation of Int'l Law, UN Charter
2023-March-3
Amir
Saeed Iravani warned the Zionist officials in his letter that Iran reserves its
natural and legitimate right to defend itself, and that Iran's response to any
adventurist and inappropriate move of that usurper regime will be quite harsh
and strong, at any time and any place deemed necessary.
"The
Zionist regime's February 21st, 2023, remarks about resorting to military power
against Iran's vital infrastructures and peaceful nuclear facilities are not
only falsely based but are also in direct contrast to the international laws
and the UN Charter," wrote Iravani.
The
senior Iranian diplomat elsewhere in his letter referred to the remarks of the
Zionist regime defense minister's words in which threats to resort to military
force against Iran's civil, vital infrastructures were a clear breach of the
humanitarian international laws and the UN Charter, and that their aftermaths
will be quite dangerous and destructive against both regional and international
peace and stability.
It
is emphasized in the letter addressed to the UN Security Council rotating
chairman that the UN must pay heed to its responsibility and quite clearly
condemn the warmonger remarks of the Zionist regime officials, which are
seriously threatening international peace and stability.
In
relevant remarks earlier this week, Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi
said that Tehran is seeking to maintain and promote good and constructive
relations with the world, but cautioned that the territory of the European
states should not be the source of threats against the interests of the Iranian
nation.
Rayeesi
made the remarks during a telephone conversation with Belgian Prime Minister
Alexander De Croo on Wednesday.
"The
European countries' territories should not serve as a source of plot and
threats against the Iranian nation's interests," the president stated.
Iran
is inclined to preserve and enhance favorable and constructive relations with
the rest of the world, including Europe, he added.
Iran's
president, however, cautioned foreign governments, including those in the
continent, to avoid coming under the influence of false information that are
propagated by anti-Tehran movements.
"If
a government chooses the path of confrontation under the influence of the false
and misleading information [that are provided] by terrorist and mercenary
movements, it stands to lose," he continued.
President
Rayeesi also expressed concern about some European countries' provision of
support for Islamophobic activities.
Several
European countries are accused of enabling "state-sponsored" Islamophobia
by contributing to systematic suppression of their Muslim communities and
tolerating sacrilegious insults against the Abrahamic religion.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Israel
minister inciting violence with Palestinian town statement: UN rights chief
03
March ,2023
The
UN human rights chief on Friday criticized Israel’s hard-line finance minister
for remarks in which he called for the Palestinian village of Huwara to be
erased, describing the comments as “an unfathomable statement of incitement to
violence and hostility.”
Volker
Turk was addressing the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, where he formally
presented a report on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
FM:
No Peaceful Protesters Arrested in Iran's Recent Unrests
2023-March-3
"No
one was arrested in autumn’s peaceful protests," Amir Abdollahian wrote on
his Twitter account.
"But
when they turned to riot, chaos & violence due to foreign & terrorist
interference, trouble makers were arrested. Leader granted amnesty to all but
murderers & terrorists," he added.
Commenting
on the aftermath of the foreign-backed violence, Amir Abdollahian said,
"When they turned to riot, chaos & violence due to foreign &
terrorist interference, trouble makers were arrested."
The
top Iranian diplomat also referred to the decree, reminding that the Leader's
amnesty had covered "all but murderers & terrorists."
Meeting
with Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday, the United Nations General Assembly President
Csaba Korosi commended the decree issued by Ayatollah Khamenei, saying the move
deserved appreciation.
The
riots followed the death in police custody of a young Iranian woman named Mahsa
Amini.
Western
governments and media seized the opportunity to allege that Amini had died as a
result of grievous bodily harm inflicted on her in a police van.
The
CCTV footage, however, showed the young woman collapsing after a conversation
with a female police officer inside a police station.
Foreign-backed
rioters brutally attacked security officers and caused massive damage to public
property. Dozens of people and security personnel were killed in the process
across the country, including in the capital Tehran.
On
February 5, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei
pardoned or commuted the sentences of a large number of Iranian prisoners, who
had been arrested during the riots.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011212000375/FM-N-Peacefl-Presers-Arresed-in-Iran's-Recen-Unress
--------
Head
of UN nuclear watchdog arrives in Iran to discuss cooperation
03
March ,2023
The
head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi arrived in Iran on
Friday for high-level meetings, the official IRNA news agency reported.
The
visit comes amid discussions with Tehran on the origin of uranium particles
enriched to up to 83.7 percent purity, very close to weapons grade, at its Fordow
enrichment plant, according to a report by the nuclear watchdog seen by
Reuters.
The
head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, said on Wednesday
that the Islamic Republic’s production is at 60 percent, according to state
media.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Turkey’s
opposition alliance splits over election candidate
03
March ,2023
Turkey’s
right-wing IYI Party withdrew from the main opposition alliance on Friday,
rejecting its proposal to make the biggest opposition party leader their
election candidate and potentially weakening the challenge to President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan.
The
public split, after months of simmering discord, came after Erdogan said this
week the elections would be held on May 14, despite criticism of his
government’s response to last month’s devastating earthquakes.
Speaking
at party headquarters in Ankara, IYI Party leader Meral Aksener said the other
five parties in the alliance had put forward Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the
Republican People’s Party (CHP), as their presidential candidate.
She
said her party, the second biggest in the alliance, would not “bow down” to
pressure to accept him. Instead she proposed as candidates the Istanbul and
Ankara mayors, both from the CHP, saying opinion polls showed they would win by
a large margin against Erdogan.
“As
of yesterday, the ‘Table of Six’ (opposition parties) has lost the ability to
reflect the will of the people in its decisions,” she said, signaling her party’s
exit from the alliance.
“It
is no longer a platform through which potential candidates can be discussed but
a table that works to rubber-stamp a single candidate,” she said.
Aksener
said the nation was calling on the Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and Ankara
Mayor Mansur Yavas to do “their duty” suggesting they step up as candidates.
Speaking
after Aksener’s announcement, Kilicdaroglu downplayed the disagreement over the
presidential candidate.
“Don’t
worry, all stones will fall into place,” he said, according to broadcaster
Haberturk and other media.
The
“Table of Six” met on Thursday for more than five hours to agree a candidate
and issued a statement, signed by all the leaders including Aksener, saying,
“We have reached a common understanding concerning our joint presidential
candidate.”
It
had said the leaders would gather again on Monday to announce their final
decision. But following that meeting, Aksener went to her party’s headquarters
in Ankara and held a meeting with IYI leaders until around the early hours of
the morning.
She
made her announcement after a further meeting of party officials on Friday.
Doubts
on Kilicdaroglu
The
opposition has failed in previous national votes to pose a serious challenge to
Erdogan, who has been in power for two decades. It has cooperated more closely
since its success in taking control of major municipalities, including Istanbul
and Ankara, from Erdogan’s ruling AK Party in 2019 local elections.
Erdogan
has seen his popularity dip amid a cost-of-living crisis even before last
month’s earthquakes that killed at least 45,000 people in Turkey.
But
despite widespread criticism of the government’s initial response to the
disaster, pollsters on Friday said Erdogan and the AK Party appeared to have
largely retained its support.
In
the southeastern province of Adiyaman, an AKP stronghold which suffered some of
the worst earthquake destruction, some said their support for the government
had waned because of its disaster response but they remained unsure about the
opposition.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
--------
Iran
using execution as tactic to repress ethnic minorities, Amnesty warns
March
03, 2023
LONDON:
Iran is executing members of ethnic minorities as a “tool of repression,”
Amnesty International has claimed.
In
a report published alongside Iranian human rights organization the Abdorrahman
Boroumand Center, Amnesty said the regime had killed 14 Kurds, 13 Baluchis and
an Ahwazi Arab among 94 people executed since the start of the year — and had
condemned many more to death after “grossly unfair” trials.
Roya
Boroumand, the executive director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, said:
“The Iranian authorities are carrying out executions on a frightening scale.
Their actions amount to an assault on the right to life and a shameless attempt
not only to further oppress ethnic minorities but to spread fear that dissent
will be met with brute force, either in the streets or in the gallows.”
The
executions, many conducted in secret, are, according to Amnesty, in violation
of international law and were retaliation for the mass protests that have
engulfed Iran since September 2022 following the death of a Kurdish woman,
Mahsa Amini, at the hands of the country’s notorious morality police for
improperly wearing her headscarf.
Amnesty
said that the Ahwazi Arab man, Hassan Abyat, was executed on Feb. 20 in
Khuzesta and that two days later a Kurd named Arash (Sarkawt) Ahmadi was
executed in Kermanshah. Both men, it is claimed, were subjected to torture in
order to extract confessions of guilt, both of which were subsequently
broadcast on state TV.
Abyat,
a witness told Amnesty, had been tied to a bed before being beaten and
electrocuted after being accused of involvement in the death of a member of the
Basij militia in 2011. Ahmadi, meanwhile, was tortured by members of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for alleged ties to an Iranian-Kurdish group.
Neither man was allowed to see his family before execution.
In
a significant number of cases, minorities sentenced to death have been
convicted of what Amnesty called “vaguely worded” religious-based crimes, most
notably “efsad-e fel arz,” or “spreading corruption on earth” and/or
“moharebeh,” or “enmity against God.”
Diana
Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for the Middle East
and North Africa, said: “It is harrowing that executions routinely occur amid
the systematic use of torture-tainted ‘confessions’ to convict defendants in grossly
unfair trials. The world must act now to pressure the Iranian authorities to
establish an official moratorium on executions, quash unfair convictions and
death sentences, and drop all charges related to peaceful participation in
protests.
“We
also urge all states to exercise universal jurisdiction over all Iranian
officials reasonably suspected of criminal responsibility for crimes under
international law and other grave violations of human rights.”
In
addition to those already executed, Amnesty warned a further 12 Ahwazi Arab and
Baluchi individuals face the death penalty following unfair convictions and
forced confessions for “membership of illegal groups” in cases stretching back
to 2017.
Six
more Baluchi men were sentenced to death between December and January in
relation to protests in the Sistan and Baluchestan province in September last
year, one of whom suffers from a physical disability.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2261871/middle-east
--------
World
condemns Israeli minister’s ‘racist’ Palestine comments
March
03, 2023
DUBAI:
The international community on Friday condemned what they say were “racist
comments” by Israeli Minister of Finance, Betzalel Smotrich calling for the
destruction of the Palestinian village of Huwara.
The
UN human rights chief Volker Turk, speaking before the Human Rights Council in
Geneva, denounced Smotrich’s original comments as “an unfathomable statement of
incitement to violence and hostility.”
Turk,
who formally presented a report on the situation in the occupied Palestinian
territories during the session, also urged an end to the violence.
On
Wednesday Smotrich responded to journalists saying the village had to be
demolished following the violence. He later claimed the comments were taken out
of context, explaining he believed the village had become “hostile” and was
turning into a terrorist haven.
A
French foreign ministry statement also condemned the comments as “unacceptable,
irresponsible and unworthy coming from a member of the Israeli government.”
“These
comments only fuel hatred and fuel the spiral of current violence,” the
statement added, appealing for calm.
The
UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) said the
UAE rejected all practices that contradicted moral and human values and
principles, state news agency WAM reported.
The
UAE ministry underscored the need to confront hate speech and violence and said
it was important to strengthen “the values of tolerance and human coexistence”
in an effort to reduce instability in the region.
Qatar
described Smotrich’s comments as “hateful and provocative” and said it
considered them “a serious incitement to a war crime.”
Kuwait
affirmed its total rejection of such irresponsible provocative statements that
contradict all international laws and norms, and represent a flagrant violation
of international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile,
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned Smotrich’s “inflammatory” comments.
The
ministry spokesperson, Ambassador Sinan Majali, said the calls for violence
“portend serious consequences and represent a violation of international
humanitarian law,” state news agency Petra reported.
Egypt’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the minister’s comments in the
“strongest terms”, in a statement issued on Friday.
The
statement said the Israeli comments represented a “dangerous and unacceptable
incitement to violence”, adding that they contradicted “all laws, customs and
moral values, and lacks the responsibility that any official holding an
official position should have.”
All
countries said it was imperative to support all regional and international
efforts to advance the Middle East Peace Process, end illegal practices that
threaten the two-state solution, and establish an independent Palestinian state
on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The
Gulf Cooperation Council’s Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi also denounced
the comments and said it was necessary to address the discourse of hatred and
violence, and to promote the values of tolerance and human coexistence instead,
just as part of efforts being exerted to reduce escalation and ensure stability
in the region.
He
also echoed calls for backing all efforts to push forward the Middle East peace
process and put an end to illegal practices that put the two-state solution
into jeopardy.
Washington,
a staunch ally of Israel, was even more blunt in its response to Smotrich’s
comments on Wednesday.
“They
were irresponsible, they were repugnant, they were disgusting,” US State
Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2261521/middle-east
--------
Arab World
Pakistani
pilgrim saved after his heart stopped for 10 minutes at Prophet’s Mosque
March
03, 2023
MADINAH
— The rapid intervention of the rescue team in the Madinah health sector was
able to save the life of a Pakistani Umrah pilgrim whose heart had stopped for
more than 10 minutes at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
The
medical teams received an urgent notification to deal with the case of a
70-year-old patient suffering from health problems and loss of consciousness
inside the courtyards of the Prophet’s Mosque.
Ambulance
services were provided immediately and the patient was diagnosed that he had
suffered cardiac arrest and breathing difficulties.
The
medical team instantly started CPR with electric shocks for more than 10
minutes until the heart restarted beating.
Then
the patient was transferred to Al-Safiah Healthcare Center to complete the
treatment plan, and he was given the necessary medications until his condition
became stable and he left the center.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia condemns Israeli minister’s call to ‘erase’ West Bank town of Huwara
03
March ,2023:
Saudi
Arabia on Friday condemned Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel
Smotrich’s remarks calling for “erasing” the occupied West Bank town of Huwara,
the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
“The
Kingdom completely rejects these racist and irresponsible remarks that reflect
the magnitude of violence and extremism practiced by the occupying Israeli
entity toward the brotherly Palestinian people,” the foreign ministry said in a
statement.
It
also called on the international community to deter these “shameful” practices,
end escalation and provide “necessary protection to civilians.”
Hundreds
of settlers, some armed with knives and guns, rampaged through Hawara Sunday
and torched dozens of homes and businesses after two Israeli brothers were shot
and killed nearby. One Palestinian was killed in the mob assault.
A
chorus of condemnations over the rampage has poured in from around the world,
particularly after Smotrich’s statement.
Smotrich,
whose party wants Israel to formally annex large parts of the West Bank, later
backtracked on those remarks.
The
United States has demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
disavow Bezalel’s call for the village of Huwara to be erased.
The
UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk also criticized Smotrich’s remarks as “an
unfathomable statement of incitement to violence and hostility.”
On
the night of the rampage, Netanyahu urged people not to take the law into their
own hands, but he has not publicly addressed Smotrich’s statement or responded
to the unusual criticism by Washington, a close ally.
Also
on Friday, the European Union’s envoy to the Palestinians called for accountability
and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice after Sunday’s rampage.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Earthquakes
caused $5.1 bln in damage in Syria, World Bank estimates
03
March ,2023
The
deadly earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria last month caused about $5.1
billion in direct physical damage in Syria, the World Bank said on Friday,
furthering destruction in a country already devastated by years of civil war.
The
current value of damaged and destroyed buildings and infrastructure is
estimated at some 10 percent of Syria’s gross domestic product, the bank said
in a statement after releasing what it described as a broad but preliminary
damage estimate.
Damaged
buildings include cultural heritage sites in historic areas of Syria, it said.
“These
losses compound years of destruction, suffering and hardship the people of
Syria have been enduring over the past years,” said Jean-Christophe Carret,
World Bank country director for the Middle East.
“The
disaster will cause a decline in economic activity that will further weigh on
Syria’s growth prospects,” Carret added.
The
Feb. 6 earthquakes struck a swathe of northwest Syria, a region partitioned by
the 11-year-long war, including insurgent-held territory at the Turkish border
and government areas controlled by President Bashar al-Assad.
The
province of Aleppo, which was a major front line in the war, suffered an
estimated 45 percent of total damages from the quakes, the bank said. Some 37
percent of the damage was in Idlib province, with 11 percent in the coastal
Latakia province, the bank added.
Reflecting
a degree of uncertainty around the preliminary assessment, estimates for total
direct damages range between $2.7 billion and $7.9 billion, the bank said. Its
assessment does not cover broader economic impacts and losses for the Syrian
economy, it said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Turkey,
United Arab Emirates sign trade agreement
03
March ,2023
The
United Arab Emirates and Turkey signed an agreement in Abu Dhabi on Friday
which aims to increase trade between the two countries to $40 billion in the
next five years, according to UAE projections.
Speaking
in Istanbul ahead of a press conference in Abu Dhabi, Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, said the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
will take economic and trade relations between the two countries to a new
phase.
The
UAE kicked off negotiations with Turkey on a bilateral trade deal last year
after a warming in political relations following UAE President Sheikh Mohamed
bin Zayed’s visit to the country in 2021, during which the UAE set up a $10
billion investment fund.
“The
$10 billion fund is attracting a lot of investments from the UAE, but at the
same time this CEPA will open more doors, because there will be proper
mechanisms for choosing projects and investments,” Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE
minister of foreign trade told Reuters in an interview.
“Turkey
has huge potential for growth. They will be one of the biggest emerging
economies dominating global markets 20 years from now.”
Ratification
of the deal is expected in the second quarter of 2023 with implementation to
follow soon after, Al Zeyoudi said.
The
CEPA is expected to focus on strategic sectors such as agritech, food security,
and clean energy, as well as continued cooperation on construction and real
estate projects.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2023/03/03/Turkey-United-Arab-Emirates-sign-trade-agreement
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Saudi
project cleared 4,811 explosive devices from Yemen in February
March
04, 2023
RIYADH:
Nearly 5,000 mines and other explosive devices were cleared from Yemen in
February, according to statistics released by Masam, a Saudi humanitarian
landmine clearance project.
Its
monthly report reveals its teams dismantled 809 anti-tank mines, 61 improvised
explosive devices, 29 anti-personnel mines, and 3,912 other items of unexploded
ordnance, all within an area of 789,942 square meters.
Since
it was founded in 2018, Masam has removed a total of 389,706 mines and other
unexploded ordnance randomly placed by the Houthis across Yemen, according to
the project’s media office.
Masam
carried out three main operations in February to destroy 3,670 devices, to help
ensure the safety of Yemeni civilians and humanitarian teams working in the
country.
Representatives
from the project also participated in the third Riyadh International
Humanitarian Forum on Feb. 20 and 21. Other participants at the event, which
was organized by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, included
leaders, donors, workers and researchers involved in humanitarian efforts.
The
aim of the forum was to highlight and discuss challenges and opportunities in
the sector, with the goal of developing innovative, sustainable and effective
solutions for humanitarian responses, while supporting efforts to achieve the
UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
“The
Masam family includes teams that pledged a purely humanitarian pact to meet the
humanitarian call in Yemen with unlimited generosity,” Osama Al-Gosaibi,
Masam’s project manager, told delegates at the forum.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2261961/saudi-arabia
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Education
key to Saudi vision of future, experts say
AFSHAN
AZIZ
March
03, 2023
JEDDAH:
Education is central to the task of creating a vibrant society and thriving
economy in line with Saudi Vision 2030, experts have said in a discussion in
Jeddah.
In
the event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah
Chapter, experts and stakeholders highlighted the effects of Vision 2030 on
education and the ways it was achieving the requirements of the 21st century.
Dr.
Maha Bawazir, CEO of Global Education Consultancy, said Vision 2030 had
revamped the educational sector. “Within these five years, we have achieved
tremendously. A lot of changes have taken place in the school's curriculum and
programs,” she told the discussion at the Jeddah Hilton Hotel.
“I
am really proud that we have adapted to these changes perfectly and that
education in Saudi Arabia continues to gain global recognition.
“According
to the Human Development Index, a report released by the UN Development
Program, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has already moved from 40th place to 35th
in just two years, which is amazing.
“This
proves that we are on the right track and ready for the future.”
Dr.
Abeer Bar, an educational consultant, said: “These kinds of events really show
how Vision 2030 (promotes) expertise, knowledge and passion. People who work in
different sectors can also be our educators. Passion is one of the main things
that is required to develop and take the community further following the plans
of Vision 2030.”
Dr.
Munirah Alaboudi, education sector director of the Ministry of Investment of
Saudi Arabia, spoke about education from an investment perspective.
“It
is very exciting to see the momentum that’s happening across different levels
in Saudi Arabia whether it is the public, private, or non-profit sector,” she
said.
“Everyone
is working together and buying into the goals of Vision 2030 in accelerating
Saudi Arabia being a talent hub. Schools, public and private universities are
all rethinking and recalibrating their offerings.
“Also,
the public and private entities are finding ways to contribute even more to
human capital development.”
She
highlighted some of the upcoming projects, which include college preparation
programs that prepare students and give them a better chance to excel before
they start in higher education.
“Even
beyond that, a lot of private schools are developing exciting programs to prep
the students in a better way for a future career in a field that does not exist
yet,” she said.
Dr.
Lina Lewis, CAO at Riyadh Schools Platform (MISK) said: “We are preparing the
students to meet and exceed Vision 2030 by preparing them to be lifelong
learners, and to have a sense of Saudi cultural identity, where they know
Arabic language and Islamic knowledge.
“We
are giving them the competency and skills through an integrated curriculum that
they need to survive as lifelong learners and face the ambiguity and changes in
the fourth industrial revolution.
“This
curriculum is revised constantly. We hope to create a graduate learner profile
that is aligned with Vision 2030 and the human development capacity
successfully.”
Other
panel members discussed the role of expatriate educators, the international
schools model and the school transformation in regards to science, technology
and mathematics.
They
discussed how to identify top educational talents who can work in the Kingdom,
steps taken to help them blend high-quality education from other countries with
the culture and vision of Saudi Arabia, and ways the youth in the Kingdom can
be prepared before going abroad to study.
Zeina
Alnouri, AmCham Saudi Arabia Jeddah Chapter Coordinator said: “Education allows
the Kingdom to establish a society that ensures success. The sector’s key
stakeholders and change makers discussed important topics that will surely
impact students’ learning and their readiness for university and beyond.
Additionally, the changes will help in creating efficient teachers with
excellent leadership skills.”
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2261826/saudi-arabia
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Human
Rights Council president holds meeting with Qatari assistant Foreign Minister
in Geneva
March
03, 2023
GENEVA:
The President of the Human Rights Commission (HRC), Dr Hala bint Mazyad
Al-Tuwaijri, met with the assistant minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar,
Lolwah Rashid Al-Khater, on Friday.
Also
at the meeting was the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the UN and
international organizations in Geneva, Abdul Mohsen bin Khathila, Saudi Press
Agency reported.
They
met on the sidelines of the 52nd session of the United Nations Human Rights
Council, currently meeting in the Swiss city.
During
the meeting, they reviewed the strong relations that bind the Kingdom to Qatar
and also discussed a number of issues of common interest and ways to enhance
bilateral relations in various fields.
Al-Tuwaijri
has been president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, with the rank of
minister, since September.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2261751/saudi-arabia
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'Sky
is the limit' in economic ties with Türkiye, says UAE trade minister
Aysu
Bicer
03.03.2023
LONDON
Bilateral
trade and relations are set for an immense boost with a new free trade agreement
between Türkiye and the UAE, according to the Gulf state’s foreign trade
minister.
The
UAE recognizes that Türkiye’s financial sector is the “right place” for
investment and “the sky is the limit” for us in that respect, Thani Ahmed Al
Zeyoudi told Anadolu in an exclusive interview in London as the countries gear
up to ink a lucrative free trade deal.
The
agreement will have “a huge impact,” he asserted.
“At
least 25,000 jobs are expected to be created in the UAE and more than 100,000
jobs in Türkiye,” he said.
“There
is also huge potential for many sectors like food security, health, ICT
(information and communications technology), the financial sector, and
logistics.”
Apart
from removing trade barriers and cutting tariffs, the deal is also expected to
ease access to new markets for businesses in both countries and bolster their
competitiveness.
Despite
past political tensions, the countries have maintained strong economic ties,
with Türkiye being the UAE’s sixth-largest trading partner.
“Bilateral
trade saw excellent growth last year, exceeding 40% compared to 2021. We
reached around $18.9 billion in our non-oil trade,” said Al Zeyoudi.
“This
growth in trade, when compared to 2020, exceeded 112%, which means that we’re
doubling the trade volume.”
‘Türkiye
right place for investment’
The
UAE has already invested more than $5 billion in Türkiye and remains keen on
increasing that figure, the minister said.
In
2021, the UAE launched a $10 billion fund for investments in Türkiye, including
infrastructure projects, real estate, and other sectors.
“But
we are not restricting ourselves to this figure – the sky is the limit. As long
as there are opportunities, we will jump in and explore,” Al Zeyoudi
emphasized.
The
“excellent” growth in the Turkish financial system has proven that this is
“right place” for our investments, he said, pointing out that their 2022
profits were more than 40% greater than the previous year.
All
of this means there are “strong economic opportunities” in Türkiye, he added.
He
said the two countries are also exploring ways to help each other gain access
to new markets.
“Because
we have a huge interest in Türkiye’s neighborhood, especially when it comes to
the eastern part of Asia, the eastern part of Europe, and we have a common
shared interest within Africa as well,” he said.
The
UAE has access to the Indian market and Türkiye has access to Pakistan, which
is where we can complement each other, the minister said.
New
trade routes
Logistics
is another important area where both countries are looking to enhance
cooperation.
According
to Al Zeyoudi, the UAE has invested heavily in transport and logistics
infrastructure in recent years, pointing to its connections to 250 ports in
more than 400 cities worldwide.
“This
gives us this excellent exposure when it comes to logistics and trade movements
from the UAE,” he said.
He
said Türkiye and the UAE have made “great progress” in logistics cooperation.
“We’re
actually exploring new routes, which is going to reduce the time for shipments
from Türkiye to the UAE,” he said.
“That
normally takes 28 days, and now it is going to take half of that time, because
the discussion is about how we’re going to go directly from Türkiye to Iran and
to the UAE by sea, or from Türkiye to Iraq to the UAE.”
At
the same time, the UAE is working on its logistics infrastructure, as well as
engaging with Turkish companies on how to collaborate in the African market, he
added.
Talks
are also being held on solar and wind energy, as well green hydrogen projects,
the minister said.
“There
is huge interest. Not only that, we’ve already moved into the feasibility study
phase. As I said earlier, the sky’s the limit in our relations,” he said.
Pouring
billions into renewable energy
The
UAE is “very pragmatic” in tackling climate change and has successfully managed
to reduce the share of oil and gas in its gross domestic product, Al Zeyoudi
said.
“Yes,
it’s part of the investment. It’s part of the whole diversification,” he said.
“Transition
is going to be a key issue, particularly how we address all aspects of energy
along with … the growth of the nation.”
When
it comes to renewable energy, he underlined, the UAE is “proud” to be one of
the top global investors.
“We’re
investing more than $50 billion in more than 70 countries,” he said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
North America
Can
the US keep the lid on the fiery region before Ramadan?
By
OMRI NAHMIAS
MARCH
3, 2023
WASHINGTON
– It was a week that emphasized the fragility of the situation in the West
Bank, and the limited ability of the US to stabilize it, three weeks ahead of
Ramadan.
On
Sunday morning, it seemed that the sides were trying to find a formula to
reduce tensions, as Israeli and Palestinian officials discussed the resumption
of security coordination and the brief suspension of West Bank settlement
announcements during a rare meeting that Jordan’s King Abdullah hosted in Aqaba
on Sunday.
The
rare Aqaba summit
The
rare summit took place, with Egyptian and US participation, as officials from
the five governments pushed to halt the escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence
and prevent an even sharper outbreak during the month of Ramadan, which begins
on March 22.
A
joint communique put out by the five governments after the summit stated that
Israel and the PA “confirmed their joint readiness and commitment to work
immediately to end unilateral measures for a period of three-to-six months.”
It
added, “This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new
settlement units for four months, and to stop authorization of any outposts for
six months.” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State
Antony Blinken lauded the meeting as an important step forward.
However,
just a few hours later, the Palestinian shooting attack in the West Bank, which
claimed the lives of two brothers during the summit, and the following rampage
by settler vigilantes that left one Palestinian dead, 30 homes damaged, and
dozens of cars torched, underscored the urgent need to restore calm.
Later
on Sunday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the US
“condemns [the] violence in the West Bank, including the terrorist attack that
killed two Israelis, and settler violence, which resulted in the killing of one
Palestinian, injuries to over 100 others, and the destruction of extensive
property.”
The
US continued to stay highly engaged with the situation throughout the week, as
State Department’s special representative for Palestinian affairs, Hady Amr,
visited Huwara and called for Israel to take action against vigilante attacks.
US Ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, said that settler violence is “causing an
enormous amount of pain.”
“I
do not think any Israeli would be proud to see settlers burning cars and
smashing windows; that doesn’t make any of us proud or happy under any
circumstance,” Nides said when he spoke briefly at Tel Aviv University’s
Institute for National Security Studies.
The
US is increasingly vocal
Lucy
Kurtzer-Ellenbogen, director of Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and the
Region program at the US Institute of Peace, said that “in the past couple of
weeks we’ve witnessed the administration getting increasingly vocal and more diplomatically
engaged on this issue, as the hope for de-escalation expressed by Secretary
Blinken during his January trip has failed to materialize.
“We’ve
seen rare joint statements with European allies, and at the UN, denouncing
settlement decisions,” she noted. “There’s been an Aqaba meeting held in
partnership with Jordan and Egypt aimed at generating Israeli and Palestinian
cooperation to prevent deterioration. And in the past couple of days, in the
wake of the Palestinian terrorist attack that killed 2 Israelis, and the
subsequent raid of terror and destruction on the Palestinian town of Huwara by
Israeli settlers, we’ve heard US officials call for legal accountability for
violence committed by both sides, and a denouncement of an Israeli minister’s words
as ‘repugnant incitement,’” she said.
“Along
with multiple senior US administration official visits, this is not business as
usual, but neither is the pace, intensity and fragility of developments on the
ground,” Kurtzer-Ellenbogen emphasized. “All eyes had been trained on keeping
things calm in Jerusalem as Ramadan and Passover are set to coincide in the
coming weeks. But the tinder is so dry that the concern now is for preventing
an explosion even earlier.”
She
went on to say that “no doubt the administration is hoping that signs of its
patience wearing thin with unchecked provocations will force a modicum of
self-control, and that perhaps the reality of rapid deterioration will force
the parties into restraint postures of their own accord. But bottom line: the
best-laid plans of this administration for not getting dragged into
Israeli-Palestinian mediation or de-escalation seem unrealistic.”
“Violence
will always pull the US back in,” Kurtzer-Ellenbogen said. “The question now is
not whether the administration will walk away, but whether its current pace and
posture of diplomacy and denunciation can succeed in containing the sparks, or
whether it will find itself fighting a five-alarm fire.”
ELLIOTT
ABRAMS is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign
Relations (CFR) in Washington, DC. He served as deputy assistant to the
president and deputy national security advisor in the administration of
President George W. Bush, where he supervised US policy in the Middle East for
the White House.
He
said that the Aqaba meetings “were a good effort” but “may not bring the level
of violence down.”
“Israel’s
policy is to strengthen the PA, but that policy has not worked for years now,”
Abrams said. “The PA has little ability to stop attacks coming from individuals
or gangs. The US should certainly urge Israel to punish settler violence, but
if terrorist attacks increase, settler violence will likely increase too.”
Jonathan
Schanzer, senior vice-president for research at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies in Washington, said that “American engagement with Israel should be
expected. However, finger-wagging without constructive solutions is not the way
forward. Successive administrations have learned this lesson.”
“The
bulk of the violence stems from a strategic decision undertaken by Hamas and
its patron in Tehran to export unrest to the West Bank,” he said. “US sanctions
designations of top Hamas figures involved in this activity could help.
Similarly, sanctions against Iranian figures could send a good message. Apart
from that, an engagement that helps spur greater functionality within the
Palestinian Authority is urgently needed.
“The
PA lacks both leadership and credibility,” he said. “Sending American officials
to meet with Mahmoud Abbas is not enough. Credible plans for succession,
fighting corruption, and bringing order to pockets of chaos are necessities.
Without them, the West Bank government could collapse.”
The
US should pressure both sides
According
to Dennis Ross, a distinguished fellow at The Washington Institute for Near
East Policy, the US could quietly press each side to act on the specific steps
each promised to take at Aqaba.
“The
problem is that the environment has greatly deteriorated since Aqaba because of
the murder of three Israelis and the actions of extremist settlers who carried
out a pogrom in Huwara, killing one Palestinian and torching dozens of homes
and cars,” said Ross, who previously he served two years as special assistant
to President Barack Obama and National Security Council senior director for the
Central Region, and a year as special adviser to secretary of state Hillary
Clinton
“Now
the administration has to ask itself basic questions: Can it press the
Palestinians to resume security cooperation? Are PA security forces willing or
even capable of acting, given the environment, especially after the settler
rampage in Huwara? Is anything even possible on the Palestinian side without
thoroughgoing reform to deal with the corruption and dysfunction of the PA –
and give its security forces a reason to stand up for it and for the
reimposition of law and order?” Ross wondered.
Source:
J Post
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-733256
--------
Pentagon
chief’s trip to Middle East to focus on Iran threats: Official
04
March ,2023
The
Pentagon chief is heading to the Middle East this weekend, where his primary
focus will be Iran, a senior US defense official said Friday.
Secretary
of Defense Lloyd Austin, who was previously head of the US Central Command
(CENTCOM), is scheduled to visit Jordan, Egypt and Israel. Sources familiar
with his trip have said that Austin will also stop in Iraq, where US combat
troops officially withdrew at the end of 2021.
US
troops are still present in Iraq at the invitation of Baghdad on advise and
assist missions.
Over
30,000 US troops are deployed across multiple bases in the Middle East.
But
with Iran enriching uranium at levels close to weapons-grade, its continued
support for terrorist groups and proxies across the region, and its supply of
drones to Russia, Tehran has become an increasingly acute threat to Washington
and its allies.
The
Biden administration has long favored a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear
weapons program, which Iran claims is for civilian purposes.
Speaking
to reporters at the Pentagon, the senior US defense official reiterated the
president’s continued desire to address Iran’s nuclear ambitions via diplomacy.
“Secretary Austin’s job is to ensure that should the President need other
options, there are credible options from the Department of Defense available,”
said the official who was speaking on condition of anonymity.
Citing
senior Biden administration officials as saying that reviving the 2015 nuclear
deal is not currently on the table, the official noted that the Pentagon has
been working on the “full constellation” of Iranian threats.
The
official pointed to Iran’s cultivation of non-state actors and proxies that
threaten the US and its partners, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Tehran’s
aggression at sea, cyber threats, drone threats and its ballistic missile
program are several other issues the US is working to counter. “Every partner,
every capital you visit in the Middle East, will talk about their concerns
related to all of these threats,” the official said. “So Secretary Austin will
seek to… consult with our partners on how we can most effectively push back and
undermine them going forward.”
Senior
Biden administration officials were recently in Riyadh, where they met with GCC
counterparts for talks on Iran, counterterrorism and addressing other common
threats.
That
trip, last month, was also meant to signal Washington’s commitment to the
Middle East at a time when the Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s
potential invasion of Taiwan are a main focus of the West.
Austin’s
upcoming trip is meant to further signal the US commitment to the region.
“Secretary
Austin will convey enduring US commitment to the Middle East and provide
reassurance to our partners that the United States remains committed to
supporting their defense,” the US defense official said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Israel
tells top US general it sees need to cooperate against Iran
03
March ,2023
Israel
hosted the top US military officer, Army General Mark Milley, on Friday for
discussions that it said included the need for cooperation on denying Iran
nuclear weaponry.
Milley
made the previously unannounced visit ahead of a trip to Israel by Pentagon
chief Lloyd Austin that will also include neighboring Egypt and Jordan -
US-aligned Arab states that have influence on Israeli-Palestinian affairs.
“Ongoing
cooperation is required in order to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear
weapon,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office quoted him as telling
Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Amid
its long-stalled negotiations with world powers on renewing a 2015 nuclear
deal, Western powers say Iran has made advances with technologies that could
potentially yield it a bomb. Tehran denies having any such plan.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
Saudi
Arabia and other Arab nations have a critical role in climate change battle,
says US envoy
RAY
HANANIA
March
04, 2023
CHICAGO:
John Kerry, the US special presidential envoy for climate, said on Friday that
environmental threats relating to climate change and the world’s oceans
persist, but he praised the work that is being being done to address them by
the UN and the support it is receiving from nations in the Middle East,
including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Since
1995, the UN has organized an annual Climate Change Conference, also known as
COP (short for Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change), to address environmental issues. Four of these meetings have
taken place in the Arab World: COP7 and COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2001
and 2016; COP 18 in Doha, Qatar, in 2012; and COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt,
in 2022.
This
year, COP 28 will convene from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai, Kerry noted as he
praised the important support the UN has received from oil-producing nations in
the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“Last
year, the UAE held the first-ever regional conference on the climate and the
issues of fossil fuels, and we had 11 countries there from the region,” he
said.
“We
had a joint statement that came out from it, a very forward-leaning, very
strong statement about the necessity of keeping (global temperature increases
within) 1.5 degrees (Celsius of pre-industrial levels), about the necessity of
reducing emissions, and doing what we need to do by 2030 because if you don’t
do enough by 2030 you can’t get to net-zero by 2050.
“The
UAE has deployed a massive amount of renewables themselves. They are spending a
very significant portion of their current efforts on (research and development)
of renewables, also on carbon capture, sequestration and utilization,
recognizing they have got to reduce emissions.”
Kerry
added: “I know that Saudi Arabia has plans for a very large solar field that is
going to produce green hydrogen. Bahrain and Kuwait and others are all figuring
out exactly where they are going to go.”
The
envoy painted an ominous picture of what the future might hold for the
environment if climate goals are not achieved, and warned that more needs to be
done. He said the efforts are helped significantly by having the oil-producing
nations in the Middle East engaged and “fully committed.”
“The
world is not living sustainably and if you look at history, civilizations have
disappeared due to that reality,” Kerry said, adding that many nations “don’t
respect” the effects they are having on climate change.
“The
basics of our relationship to nature are critical ... We have lost half the
species on the planet and we are not headed in the right direction. We need a
treaty,” he added.
There
is compelling evidence pointing to the “real possibility” that we have already
passed several “tipping points” in the battle against climate change: Barents
Sea ice is disappearing as the planet warms; coral reefs are dying as a result
of increasing pollution and warming; the permafrost is thawing, producing
massive amounts of methane gas as a result; and temperatures are rising
significantly in the Arctic and Antarctic.
“The
rate of melting is threatening enough that the Greenland ice sheet might
disappear,” Kerry said, which could raise sea levels by 7 meters, alter
dominant currents and cause massive changes in weather patterns.
“We
need to heed the science carefully but we can win this battle,” he added,
noting that nations have made more than 1,800 commitments, valued at more than
$100 billion, focusing on six themes under the Our Ocean Conference initiative.
It was introduced in 2014 by the US Department of State to draw international
attention to serious threats to oceans and encourage countries to commit to
taking action in support of marine conservation and sustainable development.
The issues it focuses on include climate change, sustainable fishing,
sustainable blue economies, maritime security, pollution, and protected marine
environments.
Speaking
of the importance of Arab World involvement in the discussions relating to
climate change and the environment, Kerry said: “One of the virtues,
conceivably, is the question does it help us to have a country that is familiar
with oil and gas, and that has leverage within that community, that is
committed to do these things I have just described. My view is it has the
potential to be extremely important.
He
said it is “emissions from fossil fuels that fall into the ocean in rainfall
and raise the acidity” levels of the waters, added: “We have been, over the
years, changing the chemistry of the ocean more than it has been changed in
millions of years. That is a scientific conclusion by oceanographers and ocean
marine biologists and others.”
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2261971/middle-east
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US
with Türkiye for ‘long haul’ in recovery from earthquakes, says senior diplomat
Rabia
Iclal Turan
04.03.2023
WASHINGTON
The
US will continue to work through the “long haul” to support those affected by
major earthquakes that struck Türkiye’s southern provinces, according to a
senior US diplomat.
“When
friends are in need at their darkest hour, that is when we are there for each
other,” US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and
Eurasian Affairs Erika Olson told Anadolu.
“Türkiye
has been there for the United States throughout the years. And we are there for
Türkiye during this time. So, we will continue to do that,” she said when asked
how “earthquake diplomacy” will affect relations between the two countries.
“We
will continue to work together to help support the people and appreciate the
cooperation that we have with the government of Türkiye,” she said.
Olson
was part of a US delegation that accompanied US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken during his visit to Türkiye late last month, where he toured
earthquake-hit Hatay province, the Incirlik Air Base in Adana, and had meetings
with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu in Ankara.
She
served as an economic counselor for the US Mission in Türkiye between 2016 and
2019, where she spent time in southern provinces that were affected by the
recent earthquakes.
Olson
said it was “heartbreaking” seeing the destruction by the earthquakes.
“And
myself, personally, and the United States, we're really happy to be able to
stand with the people of Türkiye and to help provide assistance as they recover
from what is an incomprehensible natural disaster,” she said.
‘US
with Türkiye through long haul’
Regarding
US assistance in the aftermath of the quakes, Olson said Washington has been in
touch with the Turkish government from the “very beginning,”
“In
fact, the evening of the earthquake, I was messaging with the Turkish
ambassador on a different topic when the earthquake hit,” she said.
“So,
from that very moment, we have been working hand-in-hand with the Turkish
Embassy here in Washington and with the Turkish government on helping to meet
the immediate needs of the people on the ground,” she said. “As the secretary
(Bilken) said: the United States is with Türkiye through the long haul when it
comes to recovery.”
She
added: “And we will take our lead from the people of Türkiye and the government
of Türkiye in terms of needs.”
Building
field hospital in Türkiye’s Hatay province
Noting
that teams from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and urban
search and rescue teams were on the ground “immediately following the
earthquake” she said the US is also building a mobile hospital in Hatay to help
victims.
The
100-person field hospital, which has been set up by the US military and USAID,
will be handed to the Turkish Ministry of Health on March 7, she said.
The
hospital focuses “on intensive care and surgery needs that will be there to support
the people of the region,” according to the diplomat.
The
US has announced a total of $185 million in humanitarian assistance to Türkiye
and Syria following the 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes, centered in the
Kahramanmaras province, that have killed more than 45,000 in Türkiye and 6,000
in Syria, and affected millions of others.
Asked
how the funds are being distributed, Olson said it is being used in “many
different ways,” such as providing mobile hospitals, medical needs, food and
immediate needs as well as sanitary, hygiene.
“But
as the Secretary just announced the additional 100 million, how that will be
used going into the future will depend on the needs and the conversations that
we have with those in the ground,” she said.
Olson
said the US private sector raised more than $100 million to help people
affected by the quakes as she praised the efforts of ordinary Americans.
“My
daughter's school did a fundraiser to be able to support the people in Türkiye.
My daughter's university in Washington state held a candlelight vigil. So, it
really speaks to long-term ties between the people of the United States and the
people of Türkiye,” she said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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South Asia
Islamic
Emirate Leader, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, Meets With Ministers, Clerics
By
Banafsha Binesh
The
supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, met with
the heads of the interior, foreign, and defence ministries as well as religious
clerics and officials of several provinces, and discussed the activities of the
government departments as well as next year’s budget," a spokesman said.
The
Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that Mawlawi Hibatullah
met with acting Minister of Defense Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid; acting Minister of
Interior, Sirajuddin Haqqani; the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and the
acting Minister of Technology Information and Telecommunication.
According
to Mujahid, the meeting was also attended by clerics from Kabul, Khost,
Nangarhar and other provinces.
“The
Emir (leader) always calls on his ministers and is monitoring them and giving
them essential advice,” he said.
“The
religious clerics have responsibilities regarding the nation and people. The
clerics should convey the problems in front of the people to the leader,” said
Abdul Qadir Qanat, a religious cleric.
But
what is the real message behind the meeting of the Islamic Emirate’s supreme
leader with the acting ministers?
“Security
measures--because of the Daesh and Resistance Front issue and as well as the
issue of female schools and universities--might have been discussed,” said Aziz
Maarij, a political analyst.
“These
ministers have gone to visit the leader on behalf of the cabinet,” said
Faizullah Jalili, a political analyst.
Source:
Tolo News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-182323
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Homes
of Ahmadiya community set ablaze in Bangladesh, 1 killed, 50 injured
Sahidul
Hasan Khokon
Mar
3, 2023
In
Bangladesh’s northern district of Panchagarh, the Ahmadiyya community's annual
jalsa turned into a massive protest site with incidents of vandalism and arson,
sparking demonstrations by the local Sunni Muslim community. The jalsa was
supposed to be a three-day event and today was the first day.
The
Sadar police station’s office-in-charge, Abdul Latif Miah, said that the
clashes began when the protesters came to the Chowrangi junction after Friday
prayers.
“I
heard about vandalism and arson in Ahmednagar. Fire services and civil defense
personnel were rushed to the spot and they brought the fire under control,”
Latif Miah said.
District
Superintendent of Police, SM Sirajul Huda, told reporters that as of this
evening, the situation was normal in the city and that the police are trying to
control the situation.
Meanwhile,
17 platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in the area
along with additional police personnel.
According
to the police and the locals, several organizations protested in the town on
Thursday, demanding the jalsa be cancelled. They blocked the roads and stopped
traffic in the area.
Following
the Friday prayers today, people from different mosques gathered at the
Chowrangi intersection in small groups and took out a joint procession.
Security
was beefed up ahead of this march and police personnel were deployed to prevent
any kind of law and order situation.
However,
the police stopped the procession as the protesters clashed with them, Latif
Miah said.
Several
protesters and policemen were injured in the clashes, the police said.
"The protestors went to the city's Takkamara area and set fire to the
traffic police office,” they said.
“The
police and BGB vehicles were also damaged in the attack. The police fired a few
tear gas shells to bring the situation under control,” they added.
Eyewitnesses
said that shops belonging to the Ahmadiyya community were vandalized at a
market in the Panchagarh Bazar area. Later, goods were taken out of these shops
and burnt on the streets.
Several
shops in the city remained shut after panic spread. People’s movement in the city
also reduced. The protesters set fire to tires on different roads and burnt
down several houses in Ahmadiya Nagar on the outskirts of the city in the
afternoon.
Senior
police officers, including the Superintendent of Police, rushed to the spot to
bring the situation under control.
Abdul
Rahim, a local journalist, said that many people from the Ahmadiyya community
live in the area and over 10 houses were vandalized and set afire. Many people
have fled and taken shelter elsewhere with their families, Rahim said.
ONE
KILLED, 50 INJURED
One
man, identified as Arifur Rahman (28), was killed in the clashes between the
police and the protesters. Rahman is a resident of the Masjidpara area of
Panchagarh municipality. He was the manager of a printing press in the city.
His family claimed that he was returning home after offering prayers when he
was caught in the crosshair.
Source:
India Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Ban
on Women’s Work Causes ‘Food and Medicine’ Shortage in Afghanistan: Blinken
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
March
3, 2023
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken once again condemned the Taliban’s ban on
female employees’ work, adding that gender-based restrictions will lead to a
shortage of food, medicine, and other life-saving supplies, affecting
vulnerable people including women and girls.
The
Secretary of State in a recorded speech sent to the United Nations Human Rights
Council, described the ban on the education of female students in secondary
schools and universities, as part of a repressive policy towards Afghan women
and girls.
Blinken
pointed out to the restrictions baring women employees to work for
non-governmental aid organizations as a disruption to accessing food, medicine,
and other vital requirements to vulnerable groups such as women and girls.
“For
a country, with 29 million populations heavily relying on humanitarian aids,
the continuation of such gender-based restrictions adds to the problem of
ordinary people,” Blinken said.
This
comes as Michael McCaul the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US
Congress has criticized the ‘weak reaction’ of the US Foreign Ministry against
the repressive policies of the Taliban regime towards Afghan women and girls.
On
Thursday, Mr. McCaul in a letter asked the US Secretary of State to issue a
visa ban and tougher restrictions against the Taliban group.
The
Taliban authorities have issued a number of decrees barring girls from the
right to attend secondary school and university education. Meanwhile, women are
barred from working for NGOs, and they have to be accompanied by a male family
member while leaving home.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/ban-on-womens-work-causes-food-and-medicine-shortage-in-afghanistan-blinken/
--------
Afghanistan
denies harbouring ‘Pakistani Taliban', what next?
03rd
March 2023
By
Jayanta Bhattacharya
A
spurt in terror activities within its borders has led Pakistan to warn
Afghanistan of military action. The latter has been accused of harbouring the
outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The ‘Afghan Taliban’ strongly denied
such reports and claimed that ‘Pakistani Taliban’ (TTP) or its camps do not
exist within its boundaries.
Ironically,
the outfits that Islamabad and Rawalpindi nurtured in the long war against
separate occupiers in Afghanistan have now turned their guns on its hosts.
The
TTP, reports suggest, is planning to throw the Pakistan government out of the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. The terror group intends to establish the law
of Sharia.
An
US State Department report says that “several UN- and U.S.-designated terrorist
groups that focus on attacks outside the country continued to operate from
Pakistani soil in 2021, including the Haqqani Network, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT),
and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)”.
According
to the US Department of State Country Reports on Terrorism 2021 (February 27,
2023), “Terrorist and insurgent groups, including ISIS-K, elements of AQ
(including affiliate al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent [AQIS]), and terrorist
groups targeting Pakistan (such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan), continued to use
Afghanistan, especially its remote regions, as a safe haven throughout 2021.”
Northern
Pakistan, particularly the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, called Tribal
Areas, has always been a haven for refugees from neighbouring Afghanistan.
Under the tutelage of Pakistan’s spy agency ISI, able-bodied Afghans in refugee
camps later took up guns and joined Islamic extremist groups.
Even
today, “ISIS-K, elements of al-Qa’ida (including affiliate AQIS), and terrorist
groups targeting Pakistan — such as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — continued
to use the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region as a safe haven,” the State
Department report added.
Pakistan
shares a porous border with Afghanistan where the adjoining areas are
designated ‘Tribal Agencies’. These are semi-autonomous regions, administered
by an appointee of the federal government. This border has been used for the
illicit and discreet movement of men and logistics. Pakistani spy agency ISI
took this route to launch Mujahidin fighters across the border during Soviet
occupation.
The
efforts spawned a monster-out-of-control. The Mujahids grew in power along the
Afghan border – from Peshawar to Quetta, and beyond. A new breed of fighters
called the Taliban or ‘students’ evolved.
The
US, through the CIA, channelled billions of dollars into Pakistan in covert
assistance against the Soviet forces. Even after their withdrawal, Pakistani
military officers continued to assist the fighters. Thus, the route lay open to
cross-border transgression. With the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the US had
lost interest in Afghanistan. But 9/11 made Uncle Sam march back into
Afghanistan.
Today,
Islamabad has little, or no control over this region. Local warlords call the
shots here, and law enforcing agencies fear to tread. Meanwhile, the fighters
grew and fractioned. Power tussles grew, paths got crossed.
The
United States does not recognise the Taliban as the Government of Afghanistan.
But before pulling its troops out of Afghanistan, it had entered into an
agreement with the Taliban leadership based in Doha. It is part of this
leadership which is largely governing Kabul now.
Even
as a Taliban takeover seemed imminent in Kabul, there were reports that New
Delhi too had made overtures at the ‘good Taliban’. Indian officials visited
Doha to establish contact with the Taliban, claimed Qatar’s Special Envoy for
Counterterrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution, Mutlaq bin Majed Al
Qahtani. He stated this while addressing a web-based academic conference on
June 21, 2021, hinting that India may recognise the rising influence of the
Taliban in Afghanistan. However, there has been no official confirmation of
this in India.
While
making the statement, Qahtani clarified that he was participating in an
informal discussion in a personal capacity. “I understand that there has been a
quiet visit by Indian officials to speak with the Talibans,” he said then,
adding, “Taliban is a key component, or should be, or is going to be a key
component – of the future Afghanistan”. He said that in his view it is the
reason for dialogue and reaching out to all parties in Afghanistan.
However,
the Taliban is a composite rag-tag group of fighters where various leaders are
engaged in a battle for supremacy. This was evident in an alleged shootout even
as top leaders were discussing the formation of a government in Afghanistan and
the members of the proposed cabinet after the Taliban conquered Kabul.
Thus,
the Doha Taliban may not have absolute control on the ground. The Pakistani
Taliban is yet another umbrella organisation of gun-toting Mujahids, while
radical fundamentalist groups like the Islamic State wage its own battle – many
of which are even against the Taliban.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Bangladesh’s
hajj package twice as costly as those of India, Pakistan
Rashidul
Hasan
Mar
3, 2023
Bangladesh
has surpassed neighbouring India and Pakistan in terms of costly hajj packages,
with this year's being one of the most expensive ones in the country's history.
Pakistan
has not officially announced their hajj package yet but according to Pakistan
Today, the country's religious affairs ministry said they will announce it in
early March.
The
price is estimated to be around one million Pakistani rupees, which when
converted to Bangladeshi currency is around Tk 4 lakh.
Meanwhile,
India announced its hajj package in 2018, priced at 3.99 lakh rupees. They
haven't changed the prices till 2022, according to the website of Hajj
Committee of India.
Indian
Ministry of Minority Affairs in a notice said this year, a subsidy of 1 lakh
rupees would be given to each pilgrim. As such, an Indian would be able to
perform hajj within 3 lakh rupees, which amounts to around Tk 4 lakh.
In
Bangladesh, the cost of hajj package under the government and private hajj
management is about Tk 7 lakh. But the actual cost will exceed Tk 8 to Tk 8.5
lakh when the cost of sacrificial animal, food and other miscellaneous costs
are included.
This
is set to be the most expensive in Bangladesh's history, thanks mainly to what
travel agents and hajj agents termed as Biman Bangladesh Airlines' unusually
high airfare.
In
both India and Pakistan, the cost of airfare is not more than Tk 1 lakh to 1.2
lakh, sources in ATAB said. This year the airfare for Biman has been fixed at
Tk 1.98 lakh, an increase of about Tk 60,000 over last year's airfare.
ATAB
and HAAB leaders said in a bid to get rid of the monopoly business from Biman
and Saudi Arabia, the government should allow other airlines like India,
Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia to carry hajj pilgrims.
Source:
The Daily Star
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of the original story:
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Africa
Saudi
Arabia welcomes Sudan’s cooperation with international human rights mechanisms
March
03, 2023
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia on Friday welcomed the Sudanese government’s “positive
cooperation” with international human rights mechanisms, the Kingdom’s mission
to the UN in Geneva said on Friday.
The
Kingdom in particular welcomed its work with the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights in order to fulfill its obligations to achieve
security and stability and improve the human rights conditions of all its
citizens despite the challenges it faces.
The
statement was made by the Kingdom’s permanent representative to the UN in
Geneva, Abdul Mohsen bin Khathila, during an interactive dialogue at the Human
Rights Council on the human rights situation in Sudan.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2261911/saudi-arabia
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Nigeria’s
top court rules old currency notes still legal tender amid cash shortage
Hassan
Isilow
04.03.2023
KANO,
Nigeria
The
Nigeria Supreme Court ruled Friday that N200, N500 and N1,000 naira notes will
remain in circulation until the end of 2023.
The
ruling came in the suit against the federal government on the naira redesign policy.
The
suit was filed by 16 states to challenge the legality of the introduction of
the policy.
The
16 led by the states of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara were praying the Apex Court
will void and set aside the policy on grounds that it is inflicting hardships
on innocent Nigerians.
Justice
John Inyang Okoro, who led a seven-judge panel, had on Feb. 22 fixed Friday for
the Court to make a decision.
The
governors of the states accused President Muhammadu Buhari of usurping the
function of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the introduction and
implementation of the policy and asked that the directive issued by Buhari be
voided.
The
federal government challenged the jurisdiction of the Apex Court on grounds
that the CBN was not a party and that the dispute on the policy ought to be
directed to the CBN so that the suit can be referred to the Federal High Court.
Governor
Nasir El-Rufai from Kaduna State, his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello and
Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle were in court for the ruling.
"The
Nigerian economy is shrinking with new naira notes. Many people lost their
money because they could not be able to take their money back to banks but this
judgment is a welcome development that will boost the economy with old notes in
circulation," international analyst Musa Abdullahi Sufi told Anadolu.
Abdulmumin
Murtala, a trader in Kano said: “This decision by the Supreme Court will surely
restore our trading business back to action. I closed my business because I
don't have an account with the bank and even the money is nowhere to be
found."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
South
Sudan's president sacks defense, interior ministers
Benjamin
Takpiny
03.03.2023
JUBA,
South Sudan
South
Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit dismissed the country’s defense and
interior ministers on Friday.
Angelina
Teny, the minister of defense, and Mahmoud Solomon, the interior minister, were
sacked by presidential decree read out on state television.
No
reason was cited for the president's decision.
Kiir
did not name the replacement immediately after sacking the two ministers.
Teny,
the wife to the First Vice President Riek Machar, was appointed as Defense and
Veterans' Affairs Minister in 2020.
The
ministry was under the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition
(SPLM-IO) under Riek Machar whereas the Ministry of Interior was under the
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Government (SPLM) Party headed by Kiir.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/south-sudans-president-sacks-defense-interior-ministers/2836715
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Türkiye
advanced in agriculture, irrigation, says Gambian minister
Gozde
Bayar and Muhammet Tarhan
03.03.2023
The
Gambia could benefit from Türkiye as it has a highly developed infrastructure
capacity in the field of agriculture and irrigation, according to the Gambian
agriculture minister.
"Türkiye
is fairly advanced in terms of agriculture and irrigation… Also, they have the
know-how. We are still struggling with irrigation and water engineers. This is
something that Türkiye has the capacity to extend to the Gambia and we'll be
looking forward to that," Demba Sabally told Anadolu.
Upon
the invitation of an agricultural company in Ankara, Sabally praised the
hospitality and products which could increase agricultural productivity in the
Gambia.
"The
Gambia is an agricultural economy," he said, adding that the country is
also rich in water, including the fresh water in the Gambian River.
"We
have a lot of land compared to the size of the country. The Gambia is a small
country, but the arable land is like over 500,000 acres, and we are only
cultivating about 200,000," he said, adding that 65% of the population is
young.
Underlining
that many Gambian students receive university education in Türkiye thanks to
scholarships, he considers this as cooperation in agriculture between both
countries.
"There
is not a lot of agreement between the countries as far as agriculture is
concerned. I think this is the first step and probably the step in the right
direction," he said, adding that he had an invitation from his Turkish
counterpart to establish an agricultural relationship.
Noting
that the main cooperation between the countries is on the military, he said the
Turkish army had been giving training to the Gambian military since the early
90s.
On
diplomatic relations, Sabally said the Gambia has only 20 embassies around the
world, including one in Ankara.
"Türkiye
is a very important partner to the Gambia. We have an embassy here in Ankara
and a consulate in Istanbul. So there is a very excellent relationship between
Türkiye and the Gambia," he added.
Regarding
the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2020, he said the
Turkish people and the president are highly rated in his country as both
populations are of the Muslim majority.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
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