Increasingly Religion-Centric Reforms In Pakistan Schools Worry Education Activists
New
Age Islam News Bureau
26
January 2022
Pakistani
activists are concerned about the increasing Islamization of school education
in the country. (Photo: AFP)
----
• Clashes
Between Daesh/ISIS, YPG/PKK Terrorists Continue In Northeastern Syria
• Israel
Says It Hopes For Ties With Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, But No Deals Imminent
• Taliban
Praises 'Very Well' Meeting With Western Diplomats In Norway
• Selangor
Islamic Religious Council Loses Appeal To Restore Kids' Unilateral Conversion
To Islam, Federal Court Says Both Parents' Consent Needed
Pakistan
• Army’s
Gun Guards Shaky Peace At Pakistan’s Global Terrorism HQ
• Blow
To Imran Khan Govt: Pakistan Drops 16 Places To 140th Spot In Corruption Index
• Pakistan’s
Transparency ranking worse off under PTI
• PDM
vows to take out ‘anti-inflation’ march on Pakistan Day
--------
Arab World
• Syria’s
Kurdish-Led Forces Advance Into Islamic State Prison
• Snowstorms,
cold and fire threaten displaced Syrians in northern camps
• Arab
Coalition launches military operations in Sanaa in response to Houthi threats
--------
Mideast
• Israel’s
President To Make First-Ever State Visit To UAE
• Iran:
No Need to Face-to-Face Talks with US in Vienna
• Envoy
Blames US Sanctions for Iran's Delayed Payment to UN
• Iran
sentences French national to 8 years’ jail for spying: TV
• Turkish
parliament speaker condemns forced eviction in occupied East Jerusalem
• Israel
demolishes another Palestinian house in East Jerusalem
• In
just 24 hours, Saudi warplanes conduct 50 airstrikes on Yemen
--------
South Asia
• Taliban
Detain Dozens Trying To Leave Afghanistan 'Illegally' By Air
• UNSC
Is All Set To Convene Meeting On Afghanistan Today
• Accounts
of Afghan embassy in US frozen by US banks
• Humanitarian
aid to Afghanistan can stabilize local currency: Afghanistan Central Bank
--------
Southeast Asia
• Selangor
Islamic Religious Council Loses Appeal To Restore Kids' Unilateral Conversion
To • Islam, Federal Court Says Both Parents' Consent Needed
• Indonesia
committed to mediating peace in Muslim countries: Amin
• Indonesia,
Singapore sign key defence, extradition agreements
--------
Africa
• Kwara
Meets Christians, Muslims, Confirms Use Of Hijab By Willing Muslim Schoolgirls
• Sudan’s
junta releases nine Doctors Without Borders members: Medical group
• South
Sudan inter-ethnic violence kills 32: UN
• Diaspora
group: Ethiopia PM open to talks with Tigray forces
• Nigeria
neutralizes Daesh/ISIS terrorists in military operation
• Somali
military liberates 2 towns, 8 villages from terrorists, says official
--------
Europe
• UK
Imam Appointed To Define Islamophobia Has Had ‘No Meaningful Engagement’ From
Ministers
• UK
Islamophobia rising as Muslims second 'least-liked' group, reveals survey
• Mosque
attack in Germany sign of growing Islamophobia in Europe
• Court
orders Turkey to pay damages to German-Turkish journalist
• UN
Security Council condemns Iraq terror attack, urges all nations to help seek
justice
--------
India
• Indian
Government Mulls Setting Up A Fresh National Panel To Explore Education, Job
Quotas For Dalit Christians, Muslims
• CAA
A Positive Action That Gave Citizenship, Says Delhi Court
• Hindu-Muslim
narrative being kept, says Rakesh Tikait
--------
North America
• Muslim
Advocacy Group Claims Afghan Refugees In Baltimore Lacking Healthcare,
Resources To Settle
• Islamic
university to be created in Latin America
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/religion-centric-reforms-pakistan-activists/d/126244
--------
Increasingly
Religion-Centric Reforms In Pakistan Schools Worry Education Activists
Pakistani
activists are concerned about the increasing Islamization of school education
in the country. (Photo: AFP)
Kamran
Chaudhry
January
25, 2022
Education
activists in Pakistan have raised concerns for the safety and well-being of
non-Muslim students amid increasingly religion-centric reforms in schools
across the country.
Provincial
Minister for Education Shahram Khan Tarakai on Jan. 21 directed school
authorities to adjust the timings for afternoon prayers (known as Zuhr) in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
“Zuhr
prayers are made mandatory in government schools in KP. It has been directed to
take a break during Zuhr prayers in schools,” he stated in a tweet.
Activists
say such practices in public education are loaded with religious content and
nomenclature, changing the very character of school education.
“The
data of minority students in Punjab is also being compiled without explaining
the purpose behind this exercise. The education department has been indiscreet
in introducing this step, raising fears that it will increase religious
hostilities in the province,” said Peter Jacob, director of the Centre for
Social Justice (CSJ).
Last
month, the School Education Department of Punjab notified the compulsory
reciting of Durood Shareef (a salutation to Prophet Muhammad) along with the
recitation of the Quran before the national anthem during morning assemblies in
all public and private schools.
“Around
81 percent of the reported cases under the blasphemy laws during 2021 had taken
place in Punjab, where some incidents of false allegation involved students and
teachers. The above-mentioned measures carry repercussions on religious
tolerance and rule of law in the province,” stated the CSJ and Working Group
for Inclusive Education in a press release issued on Jan. 24.
“A
student from minority faiths who may not be able to pronounce certain Arabic
words correctly, or quote a Hadith correctly, could face the accusation of
blasphemy,” they added.
According
to a survey of about 400 students, parents and educators published by the
Catholic bishops' National Commission for Justice and Peace, textbooks impart
compulsory Islamic education and contain hateful content about non-Muslims.
Lack
of interest in studies, an increased sense of inferiority and exclusion,
discrimination in educational and professional lives, diminishing interaction
with Muslims and fear of hate are common concerns shared by minority Christian,
Hindu and Sikh students in Pakistan.
In
November 2021, Lahore High Court issued a verdict that assigned district judges
to conduct inspections in schools to check the arrangements for teaching the
Quran in all schools across Punjab. Some schools were sealed for insufficient
arrangements.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/islamic-reforms-in-pakistan-schools-worry-education-activists/95855
--------
Clashes
Between Daesh/ISIS, YPG/PKK Terrorists Continue In Northeastern Syria
(Representative Image)
----
25.01.2022
AL-HASAKAH,
Syria
Armed
clashes between terrorists from YPG/PKK and Daesh/ISIS continued in northern
Syria for the 6th consecutive day, local sources said Tuesday.
Daesh/ISIS
terrorists are fighting for control after breaking out of a YPG/PKK-run prison
last week in the Guweiran region.
As
the clashes spread from the Gweiran Prison to the Euphrates University campus
in the city of Al-Hasakah, the US-led anti-Daesh/ISIS coalition and YPG/PKK
deployed additional forces to the area, the sources told Anadolu Agency
requesting anonymity.
Coalition
helicopters and aircraft also conducted airstrikes against the Daesh/ISIS
terrorists late Monday night, the sources added.
Meanwhile,
YPG/PKK transferred at least 600 people, mainly Daesh/ISIS terrorists, to the
city of Qamishli.
Local
sources said at least 30 YPG/PKK terrorists were killed in the clashes.
However, Daesh/ISIS claimed the killings of 200 YPG/PKK terrorists.
YPG/PKK
claimed that 300 Daesh/ISIS terrorists surrendered but did not reveal the
casualties it suffered.
In
its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a
terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for
the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.
Although
Daesh/ISIS lost most areas under its control in Syria in recent years, the
terror group still maintains presence in the desert Badia area from where it
launches sporadic attacks.
It is
estimated that around 10,000 militants still operate for the Daesh\ISIS group
in both Syria and Iraq.
Turkiye
was one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terror group.
The
country has since been attacked by the terror organization multiple times. It
has carried out at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks, and four
armed attacks, killing 315 people and injuring hundreds more.
In
response, Turkiye launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent
further attacks.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Israel
Says It Hopes For Ties With Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, But No Deals Imminent
Israeli
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid Shakes Hands With United Arab Emirates' Foreign
Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan In Abu Dhabi, UAE, June 29, 2021. WAM/Handout
Via REUTERS.
----
25
January ,2022
Israel's
top diplomat said on Tuesday it hopes to build on its 2020 US-brokered accords
with four Muslim nations and establish diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia
and Indonesia, but such deals would take time.
Saudi
Arabia, home to Islam's holiest two sites, and Indonesia, which has the world's
largest Muslim population, have conditioned any eventual normalisation with
Israel on the addressing of the Palestinians' quest for statehood on territory
captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
On
Army Radio, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Israel is looking to “expand the
Abraham Accords to additional countries” beyond the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and
Morocco.
“If
you're asking me what the important countries that we're looking at are,
Indonesia is one of them, Saudi Arabia of course, but these things take time,”
he said.
Lapid
added that “smaller countries” he did not identify could normalise relations
with Israel in the coming two years.
Israel's
President Isaac Herzog said on Tuesday he would visit the United Arab Emirates,
the first country to normalise ties with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords,
on Jan. 30-31, and meet with its leaders.
Despite
the absence of official ties, Saudi Arabia agreed in 2020 to allow Israel-UAE
flights to cross its territory. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's El Al
Israel Airlines plane flew through Saudi airspace when he visited Abu Dhabi
last month.
Both
Saudi Arabia and Indonesia condemned Israel's air strikes in Gaza during 11
days of hostilities with Palestinian militants in May 2021. More than 250
Palestinians were killed in Gaza. Rockets fired by Hamas and other militant
groups killed 13 people in Israel.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
Praises 'Very Well' Meeting With Western Diplomats In Norway
Taliban
is demanding that $10 billion frozen by the United States and other Western
countries be released, but there is no agreement on that so far. (Reuters)
-----
January
26, 2022
Taliban
has said three days of discussions by its delegates with Western diplomats in
Norway went "very well" while the latter said they linked
humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to an improvement in human rights after meeting
the Afghan delegation on a landmark visit to Europe.
On
Tuesday, the final day of the Taliban's first official trip to Europe since
returning to power in August, the group held talks behind closed doors with
several Western diplomats.
Acting
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi praised talks that he said:
"went very well".
"It
was a very good trip, such trips will bring us closer to the world," he
told the AP news agency at the end of three days of meetings that focused on
humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and human rights.
Muttaqi
said the Taliban government will do "its best to protect Afghanistan from
any sorts of problems, attract more assistance, seeking solutions for the
economic problems."
The
new Afghan rulers told The Associated Press last week they aim to have schools
open for girls and women in late March, after the Afghan new year. They repeated
that promise in Oslo, according to the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council,
Jan Egeland, who met with the Taliban delegation led by Muttaqi.
Taliban
seeks $10 billion frozen funds
The
European Union's special envoy to Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, wrote on
Twitter that he had "underlined the need for primary and secondary schools
to be accessible for boys and girls throughout the country when the school year
starts in March".
He
was responding to a tweet from a spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry
hailing the EU's commitment to "continue its humanitarian aid to
Afghanistan".
The
Taliban delegation met senior French Foreign Ministry official Bertrand
Lotholary, Britain's special envoy Nigel Casey, and members of the Norwegian
Foreign Ministry.
The
Taliban is seeking international recognition and financial aid.
Afghanistan's
humanitarian situation has rapidly deteriorated since the Taliban returned to
power in August 2021 and Western countries blocked billions of dollars of
Afghan assets, worsening the plight of millions of people already suffering
from hunger after several severe droughts.
The
Taliban is demanding that $10 billion frozen by the United States and other
Western countries be released, but there is no agreement on that so far.
The
United Nations has managed to provide some liquidity and allowed the Taliban
administration to pay for imports, including electricity.
Humanitarian
demands should be met
At
the United Nations in New York, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said
the talks appeared to have been "serious" and "genuine".
"We
made clear we want to see girls back in school in March, also those above 12.
We want to see humanitarian access," he said.
No
country has yet recognised the Taliban rule, and the international community is
waiting to see how the Taliban intends to govern before releasing aid.
The
Norwegian prime minister said he knew many were troubled by the meeting in
Oslo, but said it was a first step to avoid "humanitarian disaster".
"The
alternative to leave Afghanistan, one million children, at the danger of
starving... that is no option. We have to deal with the world as it is."
Half
of population suffering from hunger
Meanwhile,
Egeland told the AFP news agency before sitting down with the Taliban and other
non-governmental organisations: "We cannot save lives unless all the
sanctions are lifted."
Freezing
aid is "hurting the same civilians that the NATO countries spent hundreds
of billions on defending until August", he said.
Some
55 percent of the Afghan population is now suffering from hunger, according to
the United Nations.
In
Oslo, a Western observer at the talks told AFP "there were some
incremental shifts on both sides".
"But
I think we're going to need more of these meetings before the Taliban and the
West find a way of dealing with each other".
Source:
Trt World
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Selangor
Islamic Religious Council Loses Appeal To Restore Kids' Unilateral Conversion
To Islam, Federal Court Says Both Parents' Consent Needed
Chief
Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat is pictured at the Opening of the Legal Year
2022 at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya January 14, 2022. — Picture by Yusof
Mat Isa
-----
26
Jan 2022
BY
KENNETH TEE
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 26 — The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) today failed in
its final court bid to reinstate the 2015 conversion of five young children to
Islam when they were aged in the range of around three and nine years old.
A
three-judge panel in the country’s highest court chaired by Chief Justice Tun
Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat unanimously ruled in favour of the mother and dismissed
the application for leave to appeal filed by both the Mais chairman and the
Mais registrar of muallaf or Muslim converts.
“This
is our unanimous decision. The application does not meet the threshold of
Section 96 of the Courts of Judicature Act for leave to be granted.
“The
issue before us has been settled by the decision of this court in M. Indira
Gandhi’s case. The courts below were therefore correct in following Indira
Gandhi.
“Further
the provision of Section 117 of the enactment is very clear that a person who
is not Muslim may convert to the religion of Islam if he is of sound mind and attain
18 years or if he has not attain, the mother and father must consent to the
conversion.
“The
application is therefore dismissed,” Tengku Maimun said.
The
Federal Court had earlier heard the submissions from Mais’ lawyer, Mohamed
Haniff Khatri Abdulla, and Toh Lee Khim, the lawyer for the children’s mother.
The
two other judges on the Federal Court panel today were Datuk Vernon Ong Lam
Kiat and Datuk Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim.
In
Malaysia, those who wish to appeal in a lawsuit to the Federal Court would
first have to seek leave to appeal.
In
this case, Mais had sought to appeal against a lower court ruling that granted
the mother’s (named only as W) application to revoke the conversion of her five
children to Islam, made unilaterally by her ex-husband (known as L).
The
father converted the five children, aged between eight and 14, in November 2018
without W’s knowledge and consent.
She
only knew that the children had become Muslims after receiving a letter from
Mais in August 2019.
The
case started on September 6, 2019 when the mother filed a judicial review in
the High Court challenging her children’s unilateral conversion to Islam.
She
named Mais, the Mais registrar of Muslim converts, the Education Ministry
director-general, the government of Malaysia and the father L as the five
respondents.
Both
the Education Ministry director-general and the government of Malaysia did not
object to the case back then.
In
the judicial review, the mother sought court orders to quash the children’s
conversion and their registration as Muslim converts and for the court to order
both Mais and the Selangor registrar of Muslim converts to cancel the
children’s registration and remove the children’s registration as Muslim
converts from Mais and the registrar’s records.
On July
21, 2020, High Court judge Datuk Seri Tun Abd Majid Tun Hamzah ruled in favour
of the mother, deciding that the five children’s conversion to Islam were
invalid under a Selangor state law and quashed both their conversion and their
registration as Muslim converts.
Among
other things, the High Court judge had ruled that the Federal Court’s latest
decision in 2018 in Hindu mother M. Indira Gandhi’s case — where it was decided
that children’s conversion to Islam need both parents’ consent — was binding.
The
case then went on to the Court of Appeal.
And
on August 20 last year, an all-Muslim three-judge panel at the Court of Appeal
unanimously dismissed the appeal by Mais and the Selangor registrar of muallaf,
upholding the High Court decision.
In
both the appeal bids to the Court of Appeal and Federal Court, only Mais and
the Selangor registrar of muallaf appealed against the decision to quash the
children’s unilateral conversion to Islam.
The
other three whom the mother first sued — her ex-husband L, the Education
Ministry director-general and the government of Malaysia — had not appealed
against either the High Court or Court of Appeal decisions even though they
remained part of the suit at the Federal Court level.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Army’s gun guards shaky peace at Pakistan’s global terrorism HQ
Omer
Farooq Khan
Jan
26, 2022
MIR
ALI, NORTH WAZIRISTAN: “Leave ASAP”—that wasn’t a warning but an advice heard
from most people TOI spoke to during a recent visit to heavily guarded North
Waziristan, a district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that was once
called the headquarters of global terrorism. This rugged and restive tribal
land bordering Afghanistan has been on the radar again since the Taliban
takeover of the neighbouring nation to the north.
“A
small-scale attack on the military, something very common here, will trigger
indiscriminate firing from the forces. Curfew will be imposed, search
operations will start, and everyone will be forced indoors. I advise you to
leave as soon as possible,” said an influential tribal elder in the town of Mir
Ali.
Famous
in the past for its fearless warriors and good-natured hospitality, North Waziristan
was part of the semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)
until it was merged in 2018 with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to stop the
“Talibanisation” of the area and bring Islamabad’s influence. But this place
has remained a trouble spot, a no-go for travellers: permission, solid reason
and registration on entry and exit are needed to visit this scenic but
dangerous area.
For a
new visitor, travelling down a new road to Waziristan gives the impression of
normality. But things are not well in this mountainous region, more so since
Taliban fighters recently broke a border fence and stopped Pakistani soldiers
from fixing it. The Taliban say the fence divides families on both sides of the
2,670km border, known as the Durand Line. The Taliban don’t recognise the
Durand Line.
In
Mir Ali, the second largest town of North Waziristan, heavily armed soldiers
have replaced young and old civilians carrying automatic weapons on the roads
and markets. An army convoy moves slowly in the bazaar, flanked by soldiers
ready to fire at the slightest hint of danger. Not a single woman was to be
seen in markets, on roads, or even outside people’s homes.
A
senior intelligence official from Mir Ali said he was visiting home after five
years to attend a funeral. “You may have noticed on the way makeshift
arrangements for people displaced by the 2014 military offensive (in North
Waziristan). They are not returning home because they know their towns and
villages are unsafe,” he said. He was referring to Pakistan’s second biggest
internal displacement of people in a military offensive against terrorists.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Blow
to Imran Khan govt: Pakistan drops 16 places to 140th spot in corruption index
Jan
25, 2022
NEW
DELHI: Pakistan has dropped as many as 16 places in the Corruption Perceptions
Index (CPI) for 2021 compared to the previous year, Transparency International
said in a report released on Tuesday.
Out
of 180 countries ranked by CPI, Pakistan is now at the 140th spot with a score
of 28.
This
is a sharp drop compared to 2020 when Pakistan's CPI was 31 and it was ranked
124.
A
country’s score is the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale
of 0-100, where 0 means highly corrupt and 100 means very clean, as per CPI.
The
report comes at a time when the Imran Khan-led PTI government in Pakistan is
facing increasing criticism over the nation's economic performance.
It
will also be a big dent to the image of Imran Khan, who came to power in 2018
with the promise of providing a clean governance system.
String
of woes
Khan's
advisor on accountability, Shehzad Akbar, stepped down on Monday amid reports
of his poor performance to bring the corrupt elements under the law.
To
add to Khan's woes, Justice (retd) Nasira Iqbal, Vice-Chair of Transparency
International Pakistan, said that the ranking of Pakistan under the PTI
government has gradually come down.
Pakistan
was ranked 120th out of 180 countries in 2019. In 2018, under the Nawaz
Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, Pakistan's ranking
was 117 out of 180 countries.
Explaining
the causes of low score of Pakistan, the report said the absence of the “rule
of law” and “state capture” were the main reasons.
India's
score unchanged
Comparatively,
India's score stands at 40, in no change from 2020.
The
ranking has improved to 85 from 86 last year.
Bangladesh's
CPI is 26 and stands at 147th position.
Afghanistan,
which is ranked 174 out of 180, is the other south Asian nation that is worse
than Pakistan when it comes to corruption.
The
report released by the Berlin-based non-profit organisation formed to combat
global corruption said that corruption levels remain at a standstill worldwide,
with 86 per cent of countries making little to no progress in the last 10
years.
Since
its inception in 1995, the CPI has become the leading global indicator of
public sector corruption.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan’s
Transparency ranking worse off under PTI
Zulqernain
Tahir | Syed Irfan Raza | Amin Ahmed
January
26, 2022
ISLAMABAD
/ LAHORE: The perception of corruption in Pakistan has seen a rise for the
third straight year, with the country sliding 16 places to rank 140th out of
180 countries surveyed by watchdog Transparency International (TI).
In
2020, Pakistan’s CPI was 31 and it was ranked 124th out of 180 countries, but
this year that score has fallen to 28.
In
its ‘2021 Corruption Perception Index’, TI noted that corruption levels
remained at a standstill worldwide, with 86 per cent of countries making little
to no progress in the last ten years.
Looking
at scores from previous years, Pakistan’s CPI ranking has been on the decline:
in 2020, the country was ranked 124th out of 180 countries, 120th in 2019 and
117th in 2018.
According
to the report, CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived
levels of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100
(very clean).
As
per the CPI report, a country’s rank is its position relative to the other
countries in the index. Since ranks can change merely if the number of
countries included in the index changes, the rank is therefore not as important
as the score in terms of indicating the level of corruption in that country,
the report says.
The
report used eight data sources to calculate the CPI for Pakistan: Bertelsmann
Foundation Transformation index, Economist Intelligence Unit country ratings,
Global Insights Country Risk ratings, PRS International Country Risk Guide,
Varieties of Democracy Project, World Bank CPIA, World Economic Forum EOS and
the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index.
TI’s
annual report has always been a contentious subject in Pakistan, with
successive oppositions using it to cast aspersions on the performance of the
government of the day, whoever it may be. On their part, governments have
always downplayed the veracity of the TI data or questioned the motives of the
local TI chapter
Govt
stance
The
government’s chief spokesperson, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry attributed
the drop in Pakistan’s CPI ranking to weak rule of law and ‘state capture’,
rather than an actual increase in financial corruption.
At a
press conference, the minister said all the international institutions that
helped determine country rankings had Pakistan maintaining its previous ranking
– except the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which dropped the country’s
ranking.
“If
you ascertain that who is heading the Economist in Pakistan, you will find that
why Pakistan’s ranking was dropped,” he added.
The
minister, who has used the CPI in the past to question the performance of the
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government, also cast doubt on the credibility of
the TI report.
“It
is not a concrete and country specific report. We will give our comprehensive
response once the complete report is issued. I am not getting into the
controversy of whether it is correct or not, he said.
He
admitted that the CPI score indicated a need to take steps to strengthen the
rule of law in Pakistan, saying that this was something PM Khan had stressed
time and again.
Opposition
reaction
Opposition
politicians were quick to join the chorus of critical voices, terming the CPI
report “a charge sheet against PM Khan” and calling on him to resign.
Leader
of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said the PTI govt
“has broken all records of corruption in the last 20 years. Among the
Asia-Pacific region, Pakistan has unfortunately been ranked as the 5th most
corrupt country.”
He
tweeted that under his brother Nawaz’s rule, corruption had decreased despite
massive development projects being undertaken. This, Mr Sharif said, was down
to “transparency, good governance and legal reforms”, adding that corruption
was rampant under Imran Khan even though he had not carried out any major
development works.
His
niece and PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz declared the Imran Khan government
“the most corrupt government in Pakistan’s history”, claiming that every sector
had witnessed a decline during his reign.
Punjab
Assembly opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz said that Imran Khan’s anti-corruption
slogans were merely a front for targeting the opposition after coming to power,
while the party’s information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb asked the premier to
address the nation and answer their questions over the latest TI report.
Zulfiqar
Ali Bader, spokesperson for Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari said that after the publication of this report, there was no
justification for Imran Khan to remain in government.
“Imran
Khan came to power with the slogan of ending corruption but now, with
corruption increasing, he should go home,” he said.
Former
prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi went as far as to declare PM Khan “the most
corrupt prime minister in the history of Pakistan”.
Speaking
at a presser in Islamabad, the PML-N leader said that the man who was “declared
sadiq and ameen after a Supreme Court suo motu had failed to deliver.
He
claimed that according to the report, the bulk of this corruption was prevalent
in the federal, KP and Punjab governments, all of which were under PTI rule.
PPP
MNA Shazia Marri termed Imran Khan past claims that he would root out
corruption from the country had proven to be lies.
She
pointed out that it was under PTI rule that the KP Accountability Commission
was abolished.
Jamaat-i-Islami
emir Sirajul said that the prime minister had proven, quite literally, that he
was dangerous for the country. He claimed that the blunder committed by this
government over three years were unmatched in the country’s 74-year history.
Global
Highlights
The
CPI global average remains unchanged at 43 for the tenth year in a row, and
two-thirds of countries score below 50.
In
its report, TI found that countries which “violate civil liberties consistently
score lower on the CPI. Complacency in fighting corruption exacerbates human
rights abuses and undermines democracy, setting off a vicious spiral. As these
rights and freedoms erode and democracy declines, authoritarianism takes its
place, contributing to even higher levels of corruption.”
The
report also notes that the “global COVID-19 pandemic has also been used in many
countries as an excuse to curtail basic freedoms and side-step important checks
and balances”.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1671455/pakistans-transparency-ranking-worse-off-under-pti
--------
PDM
vows to take out ‘anti-inflation’ march on Pakistan Day
January
25, 2022
Pakistan
Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Tuesday said the alliance
had refused listen to the government’s requests and decided to moving ahead
with its plan to hold an “anti-inflation” long march to Islamabad on Pakistan
Day, March 23.
The
PDM chief, while speaking to the media in Islamabad after a meeting of the
heads of the PDM’s component parties stated that the military parade would
begin early morning and wrap up by Zuhr prayers.
He
stated that the PDM rally will come after “Zuhr prayers”.
When
asked how the PDM would enter the federal capital on March 23 as security
arrangements would be tight due to the military parade and a session of the
Organisation of Islamic Organisation (OIC), he replied: “The PDM will enter.
They [the government] knew that we were staging a long march on that date.
Under what conspiracy did they make such recommendations?”
During
his press conference, the Maulana also touched on all the things discussed
during today’s meeting and came down hard on the government for its alleged
failure in effectively tackling the country’s issues.
He
said that the PDM had rejected the recently passed Finance (Supplementary)
Bill, generally known as the “mini-budget”, and called for it to be withdrawn.
He
said that inflation had broken the backs of the country’s citizens and trapped
the nation in a place where there was no possibility of escape. Rehman claimed
that the government was not cognisant of the people’s screams for help.
“A
ruler who can’t fulfil the responsibility of the common man or the economy has
no right to remain in power.”
He
said that the opposition parties valued the country’s freedom and would not
allow the government to trade it.
Commenting
on the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill, which was also recently
passed by the National Assembly, he lamented the fact that the country’s
institutions were being handed over to international financial institutions.
Commenting
on the Transparency International (TI) report released earlier today, the PDM
chief said that the government had labelled all opposition leaders as corrupt
and called them thieves. “But the TI report has laid bare their artificial
honesty.”
He
lamented the fact that over the span of a few years, the country’s ranking on
the TI corruption index had gone from 114 to 170.
He
went on to state that the current PTI government had proven to be the most
incompetent and unsuccessful in the country’s history. “Despite this, they are
trying to gear up for the next elections and are planning to do rigging using
electronic voting machines (EVMs).”
He
added that Prime Minister Imran Khan had been proven a criminal in the foreign
funding case and had hidden around 26 accounts. He called on the election
commission to conduct daily hearings in the case, to disqualify the prime
minister and to ban the PTI.
“Parties
formed by external powers are not the true representatives of the people.”
He
also talked about the calamity in Murree in which 22 people died after their
cars were stranded in a snowstorm in the resort town earlier this month.
He
said that all countries take measures to ensure roads are clear and to help
tourists when there is snowfall. “But the administration [in Murree] was
asleep.”
He
added that the Punjab government had removed officials for the role they played
in the incident when the premier and the chief minister should have resigned.
It is
pertinent to note that last week, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed had
urged the opposition alliance to change the date as the nation would be
celebrating Pakistan Day while foreign guests would also be present in the
country for the OIC summit.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Syria’s
Kurdish-led forces advance into Islamic State prison
January
26, 2022
Kurdish-led
fighters freed nine hostages on Tuesday after entering northeast Syria’s
largest prison holding Islamic State detainees the day prior.
Fighters
from the multi-ethnic Syrian Democratic Forces began clearing cell blocks on
the fifth day of a US-backed siege of the prison after calling via loudspeaker
for IS detainees inside to surrender.
At
least 190 people have been reported killed in the fighting, which broke out
after IS fighters launched a complex dual-pronged attack on Hasakah’s Sinaa
prison late last week.
Some
550 detainees inside the prison had surrendered by Tuesday afternoon and are
being sent to other detention sites under SDF control until the prison is
secured, researcher Clara Moore with the Rojava Information Center (RIC) told
reporters.
Local
security forces continued sweeping neighborhoods in the surrounding city of
Hasakah on Tuesday, killing at least 19 suspected IS fighters, according to the
SDF.
The
facility is the largest of more than a dozen makeshift detention centers for
Islamic State prisoners and their families across northeast Syria.
Most
of those killed are believed to be IS adherents, of whom unknown numbers
escaped the prison’s walls as jihadist fighters took up positions in nearby buildings
to open fire on local security forces. It remains unclear how many IS prisoners
may remain at large.
When
asked about the matter during a press briefing on Tuesday, Pentagon press
secretary John Kirby referred Al-Monitor to the US-led coalition. The coalition
did not respond to Al-Monitor’s request for comment by publication time.
The
US provided airstrikes that continued into Tuesday morning, according to RIC,
and deployed Bradley armored vehicles to help secure a perimeter around the
prison, the Pentagon confirmed yesterday.
At
least 30 members of the SDF have died in the fighting, marking the Kurdish-led
militia alliance’s bloodiest skirmish with IS since capturing the jihadists’
final redoubt in Syria’s rural east in 2019.
The
SDF said Tuesday that nine prison staff who had been held hostage by IS
detainees had been rescued from the north wing of the facility.
Security
forces also killed at least five suspected IS fighters who entered and
barricaded civilian homes in the al-Zuhour neighborhood “in an attempt to
commit terrorist acts” in support of the prison riot, the SDF’s media center
said in a statement.
Nine
other suspected IS fighters were killed in the city’s east on Tuesday,
including two wearing suicide belts, according to the SDF. Three others were
reportedly killed south of the city in a firefight with the US-backed militias.
The
Sinaa prison held some 3,000-4,000 captured IS fighters prior to last week’s
breach, as well as roughly 700 boys, some of whom had been transferred there
from IS family internment camps. SDF officials said IS detainees inside the
prison took boys hostage.
Human
Rights Watch released audio from inside the prison on Sunday in which a
teenager claiming to be Australian said he had been hurt in an airstrike but
was unable to reach medical aid. RIC confirmed on Tuesday that children were
among the wounded being treated by SDF medics.
Source:
.Al Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Snowstorms,
cold and fire threaten displaced Syrians in northern camps
25
January ,2022
Five-year-old
Intissar and her younger sister Lin were sheltering from northern Syria’s
bitter winter cold when fuel from a heater ignited their tent, killing them and
seriously injuring their mother.
The
young family and other displaced Syrians were living near the Turkish border in
a camp of more than 400 tents, which offer little protection from snowstorms
and plunging temperatures which struck in recent days.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
cold snap has brought chaos to traffic and flights in neighboring countries but
its effects are most severe in northwest Syria, where 3 million people have
been left homeless in a long-running humanitarian crisis.
Many
have been displaced several times by the 11-year war.
“People
in the camp are suffering. The tents don’t protect from the cold,” said
Nouredin al-Abdullah, whose cousin Ahmed is the father of the girls who died.
“If you think about heating, God forbid, you and your children may go (the same
way).”
He
said the latest snowfall was the heaviest he had seen.
The
weight of the snow has collapsed many tents, while water seeped underneath
them.
Across
the region, food supplies and health services have been disrupted and relief
workers are struggling to reach some of the 300 worst affected sites, said Mark
Cutts, U.N. deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria.
“The
numbers are just staggering, and it is very difficult to provide people with
all the support they need,” he said. Desperate to stay warm, people were
burning cardboard and plastic bottles, and then inhaling toxic fumes.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
Coalition launches military operations in Sanaa in response to Houthi threats
26
January ,2022
The
Arab Coalition has announced the start of military operations in Sanaa and
several Yemeni governates, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on
Wednesday.
It
comes in “response to the threat and military necessity to protect civilians
from hostile attacks.”
Tensions
are currently high with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, who continually attempt to
attack civilian targets in Saudi Arabia, and more recently in the UAE.
On
January 24, the Arab Coalition destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward
Saudi Arabia's Dhahran al-Janub. Meanwhile, the UAE said it had downed two
missiles launched by the Houthis targeting Abu Dhabi just days after January
17’s attack, which used cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as drones, and
left three people dead.
Shrapnel
from the destroyed missile fired at Saudi Arabia landed in the town’s
industrial zone and only material losses were reported, SPA detailed.
In
response, the Arab Coalition has been carrying out attacks against legitimate
military Houthi targets in Yemen, warning civilians to not approach or gather
around the targeted sites beforehand.
UAE’s
Dr. Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the country’s president, is among
many of the local officials in conversation with global representatives to find
a solution to the Houthi issue.
On
January 21, Gargash declared that the UAE has a “legal and moral right” to
defend itself against terrorist acts by the Houthi militia during a call with
Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen.
The
UAE official also met with the US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking, where
he reiterated the need for “appropriate international pressure” which may help
reach a ceasefire agreement that aids the search for a political solution to
the Yemeni crisis, as stated by SPA.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Israel’s
president to make first-ever state visit to UAE
25
January ,2022
Israel's
President Isaac Herzog will make a historic visit to the UAE at the end of the
month, his office said Tuesday, in the latest high-profile diplomatic trip
since the countries normalised ties.
Herzog's
office said the president, who will travel with the first lady, will meet
United Arab Emirates' Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan during
the January 30-31 trip.
“We
have the privilege of making history by making the first visit of an Israeli
president to the United Arab Emirates,” Herzog said in the statement, adding
that the countries were “laying the foundations of a new shared future”.
Herzog
is also scheduled to meet with the ruler of Dubai and senior government
officials, and visit the Dubai Expo, his office said.
The
visit comes some 16 months after the wealthy UAE broke with decades of Arab
consensus and forged diplomatic ties with Israel.
The
move was part of a series of US-brokered deals known as the Abraham Accords,
pacts that have angered the Palestinians.
Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett made history last month when he became the first
Israeli head of government to visit UAE, in a trip that partly focused on
international talks on Iran's nuclear programme, a top Israeli security
priority.
Herzog,
whose position is largely ceremonial, will be the first Israeli head of state
to officially visit the UAE.
He
vowed “the bold new partnership” between the countries “will transform the
Middle East”, with Israel keen to expand the list of Arab nations that sign on
to the Abraham Accords.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran:
No Need to Face-to-Face Talks with US in Vienna
2022-January-25
“So
far, [our] contacts with the US delegation in Vienna have been through
exchanging non-papers. Neither has there been nor will there be a need for
more,” Shamkhani wrote on his Twitter page on Tuesday.
Meantime,
he said the way of contacting the other side could be liable to change if a
“good agreement” is within reach.
In
relevant remarks on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
had also dismissed certain reports about direct talks between Tehran and
Washington during Vienna talks.
He
meantime, said "but at the same time, we will not ignore it if we reach a
stage in the negotiation process where reaching a good agreement with strong
guarantees would require some degree of dialogue with the US”.
Amir
Abdollahian also criticized the three European parties to the JCPOA (E3) for
failing to present any "new, forward-looking and constructive"
initiative during the Vienna talks although they have made efforts in recent
weeks to pursue a rational and constructive attitude. Even France does not play
the role of a bad cop in the Vienna negotiations, he said.
Iran’s
foreign minister touched on the ongoing talks in the Austrian capital for the
removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran, saying that there has been so far no
direct talks between Iranian and US delegations.
"The
American side sends messages in various ways, calling for a level of direct
negotiations with Iran," the minister said, noting that Tehran is engaged
in talks with the G4+1 group of countries (China, Russia, Britain and France
plus Germany) and has "non-paper" contacts with the US through
Enrique Mora, the European Union’s deputy foreign policy chief and head of the
Joint Commission of the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and one or two signatories to the deal.
Iran
and the remaining participants to the JCPOA have been holding talks in the
Austrian capital since April last year with the aim of reviving the deal by bringing
the US into full compliance.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001105000745/Iran-N-Need-Face-Face-Talks-wih-US-in-Vienna
--------
Envoy
Blames US Sanctions for Iran's Delayed Payment to UN
2022-January-25
"The
Islamic Republic had always paid its dues and contributions to the UN on time
before US' illegal sanctions created problems and hampered Tehran’s efforts to
clear its arrears,"
Takht Ravanchi said.
"Iran
as an active member of the United Nations is cognizant of the fact that it has
responsibility, it has rights, and we are attentive to our rights and
responsibility," he added.
Iran’s
right to vote at the UN General Assembly has been restored after its membership
dues were paid to the UN.
The
United States reimposed its sanctions against Iran after the administration of
former President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of a 2015 international
nuclear agreement.
South
Korea said on Sunday it used US$18 million of frozen Iranian assets to pay
Tehran’s dues to the UN, in a move to immediately restore the country’s voting
power.
South
Korea’s finance ministry said in a statement that the payment was made Friday
in cooperation with the US and the UN after Iran made an “emergency request” to
South Korea to pay the dues.
South
Korea owes Iran more than $8 billion for gas condensate imports from the
country but has so far refused to pay it. South Korea sees unilateral sanctions
and the so-called US maximum pressure as an impediment to paying off its debt.
The issue has been criticized multiple times by Iranian officials.
Iranian
authorities have repeatedly said they expect South Korea to do more on the
release of the assets blocked illegally at two South Korean banks under the
pretext of the United States’ sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001105000840/Envy-Blames-US-Sancins-fr-Iran's-Delayed-Paymen-UN
--------
Iran
sentences French national to 8 years’ jail for spying: TV
25
January ,2022
An
Iranian court on Tuesday convicted French national Benjamin Briere of
espionage, sentencing him to eight years in prison, BFM TV reported.
Briere,
36, has been held in Iran since May 2020, when he was arrested after flying a
helicam - a remote-controlled mini helicopter used to obtain aerial or motion
images - in the desert near the Turkmenistan-Iran border.
Briere’s
lawyer in France was not immediately available for comment.
In
recent years, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual
nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.
Briere’s
trial came as the United States and parties to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, including
France, tried to revive the pact after then-US President Donald Trump pulled
his country out of the agreement in 2018.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish
parliament speaker condemns forced eviction in occupied East Jerusalem
Muhammet
Emin Avundukluoğlu
26.01.2022
Turkiye's
parliament speaker on Tuesday condemned the forced eviction of the Salhiyeh
family from their home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East
Jerusalem.
"The
ongoing policies, evictions and displacements of our Palestinian sisters and
brothers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood as well as in other Israeli-occupied
lands we have been witnessing since last Ramadan are against human rights and
international law," Mustafa Sentop said in a message as the term president
of the 16th session of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation.
“We
are confirming our full support for the honorable struggle of the Palestinian
people, and we are inviting the international community not to turn a blind eye
any longer, declaring that the attacks towards the demographic and legal status
of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) are the biggest obstacle for the search of a solution
and lasting peace,” he added.
Israeli
forces demolished the Palestinian house that is at the center of an
anti-expulsion campaign in the neighborhood.
Israeli
police went to the home of the Salhiyeh family before dawn, assaulted a number
of its occupants, and demolished the house after a forced eviction, Walid
Tayeh, the family's lawyer, told Anadolu Agency.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
demolishes another Palestinian house in East Jerusalem
Abdelraouf
Arna'out
25.01.2022
JERUSALEM
Israeli
bulldozers demolished a Palestinian house in East Jerusalem on Tuesday, in the
latest demolitions in the occupied city, according to the house owner.
Israeli
forces evicted the house in the al-Tur neighborhood of East Jerusalem and
brought it down, Mohammad Karameh told Anadolu Agency.
He
said Israeli authorities cited the lack of a building permit for razing the
200-square-meter house.
Karameh
said his 15-member family has been living in the house for the past eight
years.
Meanwhile,
nine Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces during the home
demolition, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
There
was no comment from local Israeli authorities on the demolition.
Palestinian
and Israeli rights groups say the Israeli demolition policy aims to limit the
presence of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem.
Jerusalem
remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping
East Jerusalem might eventually serve as capital of a future Palestinian state.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
In
just 24 hours, Saudi warplanes conduct 50 airstrikes on Yemen
26
January 2022
Saudi
warplanes have carried out as many as 50 airstrikes against various districts
in war-torn Yemen in just 24 hours.
The
air raids started on Tuesday, and lasted until early Wednesday, Yemen's
al-Masirah television network reported.
The
network identified the targeted locations as the Jabal Habashi District in the
Ta'izz Province that lies in Yemen's extreme southwest, as well as the
al-Thawrah, Sanhan, al-Sabahah, and al-Sab'ain Districts in the west-central
province of Sana'a.
Throughout
the same time span, Saudi aircraft also targeted the western provinces of
Ma'rib, Shabwah, and al-Jawf on a total of 37 occasions.
Enjoying
complete arms, logistical, and political backing from the United States, Saudi
Arabia led many of its allies, chief among them the UAE, in a 2015-present
invasion of Yemen. The war has been seeking to change Yemen's ruling structure
in favor of its former Riyadh-friendly officials.
The
military campaign has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis and turned the entire
Yemen into the scene of the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The
Yemeni forces that feature the country's army and its allied fighters from the
Popular Committees have, however, vowed not to lay down their arms until the
country's complete liberation from the scourge of the Saudi invasion.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/26/675533/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-airstrikes
--------
South Asia
Taliban
Detain Dozens Trying To Leave Afghanistan 'Illegally' By Air
January
25, 2022
Dozens
of people were stopped from "illegally" leaving Afghanistan by air on
Monday, a top Taliban official said, and several women among them are being
detained until they are collected by male relatives.
Tens
of thousands of Afghans fled on evacuation flights from Kabul in August as the
Taliban returned to power amid the hasty withdrawal of US-led forces.
Some
nations and international NGOs have since operated irregular chartered flights
extracting Afghans, but Taliban authorities have increasingly clamped down.
Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted late Monday that a group had attempted to
leave on a flight from the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
"Forty
people were arrested... who wanted to go abroad illegally by plane," he
said.
He
said most were released, but some women "remain detained because their
male relatives have not yet come to escort them".
It
was not immediately clear who had organised the flight.
Tens
of thousands Afghans are still desperate to leave the country -- fearful of
reprisals from the Taliban because of their links to foreign forces or the
former US-backed regime.
The
Taliban insist anyone can leave as long as they have the right documents --
including visas to wherever they are going -- but getting the paperwork in a
country where only a handful of embassies operate is extremely difficult.
The
hardline Islamist government has also called on Afghans with skills and
training to stay and help rebuild the country.
Despite
promising a softer version of rule compared to their first stint in power from
1996 to 2001, the Taliban have imposed several restrictions on women.
Source:
ND TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UNSC
is all set to convene meeting on Afghanistan today
26
Jan 2022
As
Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation continues to suppress the vulnerable
Afghan people especially amid the freezing winter, United Nations Security
Council is all set to convene a meeting on Afghanistan on Wednesday, January,
26.
UN
Secretary-General to Afghanistan Deborah Lyons and Norwegian Foreign Minister
Anniken Huitfeldt are supposed to brief the council about recent developments
in Afghanistan.
United
Nations Assistant Mission in Afghanistan UNAMA in a Twitter post said that the
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also brief the session about the
situation in Afghanistan.
This
comes as Norway hosted the delegation of IEA and other non-Taliban Afghan
personalities in three-day talks during which the Taliban also met with
representatives of seven western and European countries including the EU.
Norway
had said that the invitation did not mean recognizing the interim government in
Afghanistan but to address the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and
prevent the collapse of the country’s economic and social systems.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
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https://www.khaama.com/unsc-is-all-set-to-convene-meeting-on-afghanistan-today-86585/
--------
Accounts
of Afghan embassy in US frozen by US banks
26
Jan 2022
Two
senior Afghan diplomats in the US-based Afghan embassy confirmed to the VOA on
the condition of anonymity that the Citibank accounts of the embassy and
accounts of two consulates have been suspended now for more than a month.
The
issue is still under discussion by US officials.
A
source in the Afghan embassy has told VOA that they have been discussing the
issue with State Department but there is no breakthrough yet. The Afghan
diplomats are warned against telling the issue publicly.
Afghanistan’s
embassy in the US has been surviving by renewing expired passports and consular
services as the embassy does not get money from Kabul.
There
are 90 Afghan diplomats in four diplomatic posts in the US including in
Afghanistan Permanent Representative that represents Afghanistan’s collapsed
government.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/accounts-of-afghan-embassy-in-us-frozen-by-us-banks-8667576/
--------
Humanitarian
aid to Afghanistan can stabilize local currency: Afghanistan Central Bank
26
Jan 2022
As
Afghanistan’s local currency-Afghani- hit the unprecedented highest price
against the dollar in the past five months, the Afghani is yet to return to its
price and stabilize.
One
US dollar is exchanged for 105 Afghani now, the price which was in the 70s
before the Taliban takeover.
Afghanistan’s
Central Bank-Da Afghanistan Bank- has said that humanitarian aid and in
particular the cash can help stabilize the local currency, the money is not
given to them though.
Da
Afghanistan Bank said that the dollars in cash that are coming to Afghanistan
are being distributed to the exchange market in the country.
About
the banking system in Afghanistan, the spokesperson of the DAB Saber Mommand
said that all private banks in Afghanistan are operational and they are
striving to return Afghanistan’s banking system to normal.
Amid
the complaints of people in Afghanistan over ATM machines still being inactive,
Saber Momand said that the machines have been activated.
Source:
Khaama Press
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--------
Southeast Asia
Indonesia
committed to mediating peace in Muslim countries: Amin
January
26, 2022
Jakarta
(ANTARA) - Indonesia will continue to mediate conflict resolution on the
international stage to achieve global peace, including in Muslim countries that
are currently engulfed in conflicts, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has affirmed.
"In
accordance with our Constitution, Indonesia must continue playing its role for
achieving global peace, particularly in Muslim countries engulfed in crises and
conflicts till this day, as what our brothers in Afghanistan are currently
suffering," he remarked while addressing an international seminar on
international cooperation for promoting Islam as a blessing for the world from
his official residence in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Indonesia
had earlier organized the Trilateral Ulema Conference on Afghanistan, as a
conflict resolution effort, by inviting Islamic scholars from Afghanistan, Pakistan,
and Indonesia, the Vice President noted.
The
conference, which also invited representatives from the Taliban group, was
organized to host a dialogue for peace in Afghanistan, he added.
"Indonesia
had initiated the Ulema conference by inviting representatives from the Afghan
government and the Taliban group, then Indonesian and Pakistani ulemas,"
Amin said.
A
consensus, crystallized in the 2018 Bogor Declaration, was reached at the
conference as the first step in the Afghan peace process, and the declaration
has served as a reference for the International Ulema Conference and the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, he added.
The
Indonesian government also organized a meeting in December 2021 to plan
humanitarian relief distribution in Afghanistan, Amin said.
"In
December 2021, the Indonesian government initiated a meeting in Islamabad,
Pakistan, to conceive a humanitarian relief distribution plan for Afghanistan,
which is currently plagued by famine and social issues," the Vice
President added.
Indonesia's
persistent commitment to global peace was again demonstrated in early 2022 when
the government sent additional humanitarian relief for Afghanistan to alleviate
the worsening humanitarian crisis in the country, he said.
Source:
Antara News
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Indonesia,
Singapore sign key defence, extradition agreements
January
25, 2022
JAKARTA:
Indonesia and Singapore signed on Tuesday a series of agreements covering
extradition, defense and airspace management in what is seen as a “major step
forward” in relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbors.
The
deals were signed by senior cabinet ministers following a meeting between
President Joko Widodo and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Indonesia’s Bintan
island as part of their annual leader’s retreat.
“Today,
our bilateral relations take a major step forward,” Lee said during a joint
press statement aired on Indonesia’s State Secretariat YouTube channel.
Both
countries agreed to realign the boundary of their respective flight information
regions while further strengthening cooperation and fostering closer
interaction between their armed forces through a defense cooperation agreement.
“Going
forward, we hope that the cooperation in law enforcement, aviation safety, as
well as defense and security of the two countries will continue to be
strengthened based on the principle of mutual benefit,” Widodo said.
Fitri
Bintang, a researcher at the Center for Strategic International Studies in
Jakarta, told Arab News that today’s milestones are “signs of maturing
relations” between Indonesia and Singapore.
The
two countries also inked an extradition agreement, under which they can grant
the extradition of fugitives for a comprehensive list of offenses committed up
to 18 years ago.
“The
extradition treaty will enhance cooperation in combating crime and send a
clear, positive signal to investors,” Lee said.
Indonesian
Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said in a statement that the
extradition treaty will act as a deterrent for criminals in Indonesia and
Singapore.
“If
the two countries ratify the extradition treaty soon, then the law enforcement
agencies of both countries can make use of this treaty to prevent and combat
transnational crimes like corruption and terrorism,” he added.
Indonesia
has already signed similar treaties with other countries in the region,
including Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and China.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2011931/world
--------
Africa
Kwara
Meets Christians, Muslims, Confirms Use Of Hijab By Willing Muslim Schoolgirls
Tunde
Oyekola
26
January 2022
The
Kwara State Government has confirmed the use of hijab by willing Muslim
schoolgirls in all categories of public schools in the state.
The
state Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa’adatu
Madibbo-Kawu, made this known during a peace meeting between Muslim and Christian
stakeholders from Ijagbo in the Oyun Local Government Area of the state held at
the ministry’s headquarters in Ilorin on Monday.
A
statement by the Press Secretary, Ministry of Education and Human Capital
Development, Yakub Aliagan, disclosed this on Tuesday.
The
commissioner as quoted to have said, “The policy statement of the Kwara State
Government allowing willing Muslim schoolgirls to wear the hijab in all public
schools, including grant-aided ones, is binding.
“This
conforms to the judicial pronouncements of the courts of law and the
constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Madibbo-Kawu
appealed to both Muslim and Christian leaders to allow peace to reign in the
state.
She
directed the head of the Oyun Baptist High School, Ijagbo, to immediately
implement the policy on the use of approved hijab in public schools.
The
commissioner warned that anybody trying to sabotage the peaceful coexistence
among the people of the state would face the full wrath of the law.
The
meeting was also attended by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Mary
Adeosun; Chairman, Teaching Service Commission, Alhaji Abubakar Bello; TESCOM
Board members; the President, All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of
Secondary Schools, Alhaji Toyin Abdullahi; and the Nigeria Union of Teachers’
Caretaker Chairman, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi.
Source:
Punchng
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://punchng.com/kwara-meets-christians-muslims-says-hijab-stays-in-schools/
--------
Sudan’s
junta releases nine Doctors Without Borders members: Medical group
25
January ,2022
Sudanese
authorities released nine Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières)
staff members on Tuesday, the medical aid group said in a statement.
The
employees were arrested in Khartoum on Monday on their way back to their office
from a local hospital.
The
group’s emergency medical teams are working with health authorities in Khartoum
to treat COVID-19 patients, as well as protesters hurt in recent anti-military
demonstrations, the statement added.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Sudan inter-ethnic violence kills 32: UN
25
January ,2022
The
United Nations on Tuesday announced that 32 people, including women and
children, had been killed during armed raids in a region of South Sudan plagued
by inter-ethnic violence.
The
deadly attacks on two villages in the troubled Jonglei State on January 23 sent
civilians fleeing as armed youths from a rival ethnic group opened fire and
torched property.
Among
the dead were three children who drowned in a river while trying to escape, the
UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said.
At
least 26 people were wounded, across genders and ages, and others remain
unaccounted for two days after the bloodshed in the Baidit locality.
“UNMISS
strongly condemns any attack on civilians and urges groups and individuals to
take immediate action to avoid further escalations that will endanger
vulnerable people,” it stated.
“The
Mission further calls on authorities to carry out timely investigations and
that the perpetrators be held accountable.”
The
peacekeeping mission was deployed for a year in 2011 when South Sudan gained
independence, but its mandate has been extended again and again as the young
country has suffered through civil war and high levels of ethnic violence.
More
than 700 people were killed and others raped and kidnapped in Jonglei between
January and August 2020 in armed raids by ethnic militias in the eastern state.
A UN
investigation found political and military elites played a role in the violence
in which militias razed villages in coordinated attacks on their rivals, using
machetes, machine guns and sometimes rocket-propelled grenades.
The
UN’s special envoy to South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, told the Security Council
in December that the number of civilian casualties from local violence across
the country had roughly halved in 2021 compared to the previous year.
But
instability remains pervasive, and a post-war coalition government has failed
to stop armed violence or punish those responsible nearly two years after
taking power in Juba.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Diaspora
group: Ethiopia PM open to talks with Tigray forces
26
January ,2022
Ethiopia’s
prime minister has revealed there will be negotiations on a cease-fire between
his government and the rival Tigray forces who have been waging war for almost
15 months, the chairman of a diaspora group that had a private meeting with him
told The Associated Press.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed has never admitted a development like this so publicly as
international mediation efforts continue amid one of the world’s worst
humanitarian crises.
Mesfin
Tegenu, chairman of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee, on Tuesday
described the tone of Saturday’s five-hour meeting with the prime minister as
“a very earnest desire to stop this thing... Of course, the other side must be
willing.” The prime minister “said that there will be negotiations, reasonable
negotiations, that will keep the interest of the integrity of the nation
first,” and the new US special envoy who visited Ethiopia last week “would have
ideas” about the process, Mesfin explained.
Even
approaching negotiations between Ethiopia’s government and the Tigray People’s
Liberation Front, which dominated the country’s repressive government before
Abiy took office, has been a challenge in part because the government declared
the TPLF a terrorist group after the war began in November 2020.
The
war shifted late last month when the Tigray forces, who had been moving closer
to the capital, Addis Ababa, retreated into their northern region under
pressure from a drone-supported military offensive. Ethiopia’s military at the
time said it would not pursue the fighters further, opening the way for renewed
mediation efforts. But deadly drone strikes have continued, killing civilians
in Tigray.
The
decision not to pursue was an unpopular one for many Ethiopians, Mesfin told
the AP. “Most people wanted (the prime minister) to advance, really finish this
war,” he said. That’s why his committee requested a meeting, he said. They
expected Abiy’s deputy or chief of staff to attend, but the prime minister
walked in.
At
first the discussion was “a little hostile” to Abiy, Mesfin said, but the prime
minister told the diaspora group that “you have to trust me on this one.” He
told them that the Tigray forces were contained, and that not pushing further
into the Tigray region gives the government time to “force” ethnic Tigrayans to
reconsider their support for the fighters.
“They
want the population to push the TPLF to negotiate,” Mesfin said of Abiy’s
government. He described the prime minister, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who has
largely shied away from the international spotlight since the war began, as
“charming at times, serious most of the time, very patient with us. He
listened.”
There
was no immediate comment on the chairman’s account from Abiy’s spokeswoman,
Billene Seyoum, or from Tigray forces spokesman Getachew Reda. An official with
US special envoy David Satterfield did not immediately respond to questions.
The
US has given no details about Satterfield’s first Ethiopia visit as special
envoy last week. On Tuesday, the State Department said he would be traveling to
Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Israel through February 4 to
discuss Sudan and the Horn of Africa at large.
Estimated
tens of thousands of people have been killed in Ethiopia’s war, and millions
displaced. While rebuilding efforts have begun in the country’s Amhara and Afar
regions since the Tigray forces’ retreat, some six million people in Tigray
remain under a government blockade that has kept out most food aid, medicines,
cash, fuel and other badly needed supplies.
The
prime minister told the diaspora group that “we are going to do all humanly
possible to get supplies in, to make sure the population suffering will not
continue to suffer,” Mesfin relayed.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Nigeria
neutralizes Daesh/ISIS terrorists in military operation
Adam
Abu-bashal
26.01.2022
ABUJA,
Nigeria
The
Nigerian military neutralized many Daesh/ISIS terrorists during an operation in
the country's northeast, an official said on Tuesday.
The
operation was carried out against the Daesh/ISIS in West Africa Province
(ISWAP) in Borno state using "A-29 Super Tucano" aircraft purchased
from the US, Nigerian Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet said in
a statement.
Gabkwet
added that many terrorists, including Mallam Ari, the so-called main leader of
ISWAP, were neutralized during the operation.
A
group of terrorists split from Boko Haram in 2016 to pledge allegiance to
Daesh/ISIS. Since then, the two groups have had a bitter rivalry, with each
group carrying out terrorist attacks in the country's vast northeast region.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Somali
military liberates 2 towns, 8 villages from terrorists, says official
Mohammed
Dhaysane
25.01.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
The
Somali military on Tuesday said it has liberated from terrorists two towns and
eight villages in the southern Middle Shabelle region, a security official
said.
A
military operation was conducted in Hawadley and Jameo, located on the
outskirts of the Balad district, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Somali
capital Mogadishu, the official in the region told Anadolu Agency on the
condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
The
army also liberated eight more villages in Tuesday's operation against an
al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab group that has been carrying out a suicide
bombing, attack on the army bases, and also targeting the African Union
peacekeeping mission forces in Somalia (AMISOM) since 2007.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
UK
imam appointed to define Islamophobia has had ‘no meaningful engagement’ from
ministers
January
25, 2022
LONDON:
An imam appointed by the UK government to draw up a definition of Islamophobia
has said he has received no “meaningful engagement” from ministers in years.
Qari
Asim, who was appointed to lead an official process to define the term in 2019,
told The Independent that letters sent to ministers as recently as last month
have received no reply.
His
intervention came as the government has become embroiled in a controversy
surrounding Islamophobia after former Minister Nusrat Ghani said she was fired
because her “Muslimness” made colleagues uncomfortable.
Asim
said those allegations “once again demonstrate the importance of having a
definition of Islamophobia.”
He
added that he had been given no office, money, staff or terms of reference to
assist him in drawing up a definition of Islamophobia.
“Other
than an announcement and conversations (with ministers), there hasn’t been any
progress, and that shows a lack of political will to define Islamophobia,” he
said.
“I’m
perplexed over the reasons for lack of engagement when the government time and
again say they have zero tolerance to anti-Muslim hatred.”
Asim,
an imam at Makkah Mosque in the English city of Leeds, said several letters
sent to successive communities secretaries have gone unanswered, some as
recently as November and December 2021, addressed to Michael Gove.
Gove
committed to “the importance of countering anti-Muslim hatred” in Parliament in
November, alluding to Asim’s efforts and a working group set up to tackle
anti-Muslim hatred. A letter sent by Asim following up on those assertions went
unanswered.
“I
have set out my plan on how I thought a broad-based consensus can be achieved,
but there has been a lack of meaningful engagement,” he said.
“Initially
I didn’t pursue it during the first year of the pandemic, because I wanted to
give the government the space to deal with that, but from the community’s
perspective it’s hugely disappointing and undermines trust and confidence in
the government. Something needs to happen.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2011616/world
--------
UK
Islamophobia rising as Muslims second 'least-liked' group, reveals survey
25
January 2022
In a
startling revelation pointing to growing Islamophobia in the UK, a new survey
says Muslims are the second “least-liked” religious group in the country.
Led
by the University of Birmingham, the survey states that 1 out of 4 Britons hold
negative views about Muslims and Islam, supporting the hypothetical policy that
bars all Muslim migration to Britain.
It
further states that people from middle and upper-class occupational groups are
“more likely to hold prejudiced views of Islam” than people from working class
occupational groups.
The
survey, which was carried out in collaboration with public opinion and data
company YouGov, finds that 23.2 percent of people who come from the social
group ABC1 harbour “prejudiced views” about Islamic beliefs compared with only
18.4 percent of people from the C2DE group.
The
survey, presented in a report titled 'The Dinner Table Prejudice: Islamophobia
in Contemporary Britain', interviewed a sample of 1667 people between 20-21
July 2021 “which was weighted by age, gender, social grade, voting record,
region and level of education to ensure representativeness.”
More
than 25 percent of participants in the survey feel negative about Muslims,
while about 10 percent feel “very negative,” promoting hatred toward Islam,
without having any real knowledge of the religion.
In
addition, nearly one in five people “support” banning Muslim migration to the
UK, and about 10 percent “strongly support” the idea.
“British
people acknowledge their ignorance of most non-Christian religions, with a
majority stating they are ‘not sure’ how Jewish (50.8 percent) and Sikh (62.7
percent) scriptures are taught,” the study says.
“In
the case of Islam, however, people feel more confident making a judgment, with
only 40.7 percent being unsure. This is despite the fact that people are much
more likely to make the incorrect assumption that Islam is ‘totally’
literalistic.”
Dr.
Stephen Jones, author of the study and a researcher focusing on British
Muslims, said the findings of showed how prejudice works among Britons when
they pass judgment about a religion they don’t have information about.
“We
tend to associate prejudice with ignorance, but that’s too simple. Instead,
prejudice is a kind of miseducation: Many people in this country ‘think’ they
know what Islam is about, and what Muslims believe, in a way that they admit
they don’t for other non-Christian religions,” Jones asserted.
The
study dubs the British discriminatory behavior toward Muslims as “the dinner
table prejudice” because people will openly and freely admit to their
anti-Muslim prejudice, while they don’t follow such approaches towards other
religious or ethnic groups.
Jones
said the “public hostility” toward Muslims was “publicly accepted,” adding that
“it’s not just that Muslims suffer from Islamophobia, but that this
discrimination isn’t publicly recognized.”
The
research notes that “systemic miseducation about Islam forms an important
element of Islamophobia,” and goes on to make a series of policy
recommendations to address the issue.
The
revealing report comes at a sensitive time for the ruling Conservative Party,
with a lawmaker on Monday alleging that she was fired from a ministerial job in
the government partly because of her Muslim faith.
Nusrat
Ghani, 49, who lost her job as a junior transport minister in February 2020,
told the Sunday Times that she had been told by a “whip” that her “Muslimness”
was raised as an issue in her sacking.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mosque
attack in Germany sign of growing Islamophobia in Europe
25
January 2022
A
mosque in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt province has been targeted in an assault
rifle attack, in a latest case of anti-Muslim violence in Western Europe.
A
report in Anadolu Agency, citing a police statement, said two individuals heard
shots being fired near the Islamic Cultural Center in Halle, a city in central
Germany.
The
police discovered three bullets on the ground, the report stated, but no
casualties took place.
The
suspect was identified as a 55-year old-man living in an apartment across the
mosque.
Eyewitnesses
had seen him opening fire on the mosque from his home. Two weapons – a long gun
and a gas pistol – were recovered from his possession by the police.
The
Central Council of Muslims, a leading Islamic organization in Germany,
condemned the shooting incident in a statement on Monday.
“Thankfully
nobody was injured. Police are still investigating and interrogating.
Anti-Muslim hatred and racism are not just in words,” it said, noting that the
mosque had faced similar attacks in the past.
"We
must continue to work together and resolutely oppose hostility to Islam,
anti-Semitism and every form of misanthropy,” it added.
Islamophobia
and racism are on the rise in Europe. In Germany, mosques are targeted by
supporters of the terrorist organization PKK.
—
Kenan ÜLKÜ (@knnu06) January 22, 2022
The
attack comes as Germany, especially its eastern part, has experienced a rise in
anti-Muslim hate in recent years, fueled by far-right groups and parties after
the massive refugee influx into Europe.
Many
blame Western powers for the exodus of refugees from their conflict-ridden home
countries, where they face violence at the hands of West-backed militant
groups.
Germany
has seen an alarming rise in racism and anti-Muslim hatred in recent years. The
country is home to 81 million people, the second-largest Muslim population in
Western Europe after France.
According
to a report by TRT World, the percentage of crimes against Muslims in Germany
has seen a steady surge over the years.
At
least 1,026 crimes against Muslims were recorded in 2020, compared to 950 in
2019, and 910 in 2018, it said in an Instagram post.
The
situation in Germany is emblematic of the overall grim situation in Europe –
growing hate crimes against Muslims fueled by the rising wave of Islamophobia.
A
recent report on Islamophobia in Europe said that hate crimes against Muslims
in the continent had "worsened, if not reached a tipping point," over
the last two years.
According
to the report, France's systemic pressure on Muslims had seen "increasing
number of police searches, threats of eviction, as well as mosques and school
closures, including the dissolution of a humanitarian NGO and a human rights
organisation defending Muslims in France against racism and
discrimination."
The
country has closed down more than 17 mosques for violating so-called
"security laws" in the last two years, apart from 89 mosques that are
under surveillance.
The
report further stated that more than 901 Islamophobic crimes were committed in
Germany in 2020, 146 of which targeted mosques and 48 of which targeted people.
In
May 2021, the upper house of the German parliament moved a legislation that
banned all public sector workers from wearing religious symbols, including the
hijab or Muslim headscarf. It was as passed as a law in July 2021.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/25/675482/Gunman-attacks-mosque-eastern-Germany
--------
Court
orders Turkey to pay damages to German-Turkish journalist
25
January ,2022
The
European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday ordered Turkey to pay damages in
excess of 12,300 euros ($14,000) to a German-Turkish journalist, ruling that
his rights were violated by a year-long detention.
Deniz
Yucel was detained from 2017-18 over his reporting for conservative German
daily Die Welt of Turkey’s attempted military coup in 2016 and the repression
that followed.
“Mr
Yucel’s detention amounted to an ‘interference’ with his exercise of his right
to freedom of expression” when “there had been no plausible reasons to suspect
him of committing an offence,” the court ruled Tuesday.
German
Culture Minister Claudia Roth hailed the ruling, saying it “strengthens the
protection of journalists.”
“Today
is an important day for the freedom of the press in Europe,” her statement
said.
Yucel
was accused of crimes including propaganda for terrorism and incitement to
hatred, especially for his reporting on Turkey’s Kurdish minority and the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
He
was arrested after reporting that the email account of then energy minister
Berat Albayrak had been hacked. Albayrak, later the finance minister, is
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law.
The
case plunged relations between Ankara and Berlin to new lows, coming alongside
detentions of other journalists and activists.
Yucel’s
2018 release helped to ease tensions and Turkey’s constitutional court found in
2019 that his rights had been violated.
“Imposing
a measure resulting in deprivation of liberty as in this case, invariably (has)
a chilling effect on freedom of expression by intimidating civil society and
reducing dissident voices to silence,” the European judges said Tuesday.
Ankara
must pay Yucel damages of 12,300 euros and costs of 1,000 euros, the ECHR
ordered.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UN
Security Council condemns Iraq terror attack, urges all nations to help seek
justice
January
25, 2022
NEW
YORK: The UN Security Council has unanimously condemned “in the strongest
terms” a recent terrorist attack in Iraq’s Diyala Province, and called for all
“perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts
of terrorism” to be brought to justice.
At
dawn on Friday, Jan. 21, at least 11 Iraqi soldiers were shot dead in their
sleep during an attack on their barracks by suspected Daesh gunmen, according
to reports citing Iraqi security officials. It happened in the Al-Azim
district, a mountainous area more than 70 miles north of the capital, Baghdad.
The
Security Council urged all states to actively cooperate with the Iraqi
Government in seeking to hold the perpetrators to account, in line with their
obligations under international law and the council’s resolutions. It
reiterated that terrorism is one of the most serious threats to international
peace and security.
In a
joint statement, council members reaffirmed that “any acts of terrorism are
criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever
and by whomsoever committed.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2011911/middle-east
--------
India
Indian
Government Mulls Setting Up A Fresh National Panel To Explore Education, Job
Quotas For Dalit Christians, Muslims
January
26, 2022
India’s
government is considering setting up a fresh national panel to explore the
possibilities of giving scheduled caste (SC) status to Dalit converts to
Christianity and Islam.
However,
Dalit Christians remain skeptical about their long-pending demand for SC
status, which would likely ensure education and job quotas for them
Franklin
Caesar Thomas, coordinator of the National Council of Dalit Christians (NCDC),
told UCA News that there was already an official committee looking into their
demand for reservations or affirmative action.
“There
were recommendations from the Ranganath Misra Commission and the Sachar
Committee for reservations for Dalits among Christian and Muslim minority
communities. The case has been pending in the Supreme Court for years,” Thomas
said.
In
fact, the federal government had told the Supreme Court that it was “not
agreeable to” granting the minorities such rights, claiming that education and
job quotas would encourage religious conversions.
The
newly proposed National Commission on Scheduled Caste Converts to Other
Religions will examine a number of issues, especially finding out the
discrimination SC community members face after undergoing conversion to other
religions in social, economic and other aspects.
The
panel comprising a federal minister, a member from the judiciary and a retired
bureaucrat will also examine the possible implications of SC status if accorded
to minority community members, said officials aware of the development.
Thomas
felt the panel may remain just on a paper. “Is the government serious or it is
just another promise with an eye on the state polls later in the year?” he
asked.
In
January 2020, the NCDC filed a petition in the Supreme Court to make SC status
"religion-neutral." At present SC reservations are extended to
Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.
Mukti
Prakash Tirkey, editor of a weekly newspaper in New Delhi, said India’s apex
court had agreed to examine the plea and would hopefully do justice to Dalit
Christians and Muslims who have been suffering discrimination for more than
five decades.
The
National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities, also known as the
Justice Ranganath Misra Commission, in its 2007 report had recommended that
Christians and Muslims should be extended reservations in education and jobs.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/india-mulls-education-job-quotas-for-dalit-christians-muslims/95858#
--------
CAA A
Positive Action That Gave Citizenship, Says Delhi Court
Usha
Das
Jan
26, 2022
NEW
DELHI: A city court said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was a “positive
action” to provide citizenship to a particular class of people and in no way
took away anyone’s citizenship. However, a lot of falsehood and rumours were
spread with mischievous intent stating that the Act was against one community
and discriminatory in nature.
The
observations were made by Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat while framing
charges of sedition and other offences against JNU student Sharjeel Imam for
allegedly giving inflammatory speeches in Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar
Pradesh during the protests against CAA.
The
court further stated that it was correct at one level to say that Imam had
lambasted almost every institution, the Constitution and the ideas of democracy
and secularism, and the entire polity. “The accused made vituperative
utterances against even the Father of the Nation. He seems to be sceptical of
the ideas of secularism and democracy,” it said.
“The
speech and other materials produced by the prosecution appeared to create
public disorder and incitement to violence. The speech also appears to
challenge the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India. It also appears
to create hatred/contempt for lawful institutions and to challenge them by
unlawful means...One community is sought to be (mis)guided in a particular way
of resentment, ill-will and hatred towards others,” remarked the court.
The
judge said Imam, by referring to the blockage/cut-off of the “chicken-neck”,
which joins mainland India to the Northeast, seemed to remind everyone that the
land belonged to Muslims and the call to do it was indicative of his intention.
While
referring to the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, the court said CAA was
aimed at conferring citizenship to victims of religious persecution. It added
that a special treaty was signed between the governments of India and Pakistan
regarding security and rights of minorities. “While the Indian government
honestly abided by the terms of the agreement, the same was not done by
Pakistan,” it stated.
The
order mentioned, “Criticism of any government, policies or even institutions is
fundamentally within the reach of freedom of speech and expression and is not
within the purview of this sedition. In fact, criticism and rallying people
against what one perceives to be incorrect policy or even law is what makes a
country democratic. Dissent is the hallmark of a progressive and democratic
nation.”
Mentioning
that Imam was “indubitably an intelligent and educated person”, the court said
this case was not testing the intelligence or qualifications of the accused,
but the legality of his utterances and actions in respect of the charges
brought against him. “Discourses happen in society on the evaluation of
different viewpoints. What we have to see is whether the Laxman Rekha is crossed
or not, ie the point where the standpoint crosses the boundaries laid down by
statutes and judicial pronouncements,” the court observed.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hindu-Muslim
narrative being kept, says Rakesh Tikait
26th
January 2022
Aligarh:
Bharatiya Kisan Union National Spokesperson, Rakesh Tikait has said that the
“”Hindu-Muslim” and “Jinnah” rhetoric will be kept alive in the state only till
the state Assembly elections.”
He
cautioned his supporters and farmers “not to be influenced by such divisive
statements, meant only for political gains”.
Tikait,
while talking to media in Aligarh, added the ‘propaganda’ is only for two and
half months.
“People
should be wary of the statements being given by the leaders from the ‘Sarkari
manch’. Though I cannot predict which party will form the next government,
people will certainly not vote for such people,” he said.
Rakesh
Tikait’s statement comes days after his brother and BKU Chief Naresh Tikait had
appealed to his supporters and khaps of western Uttar Pradesh to ensure victory
for the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance.
However,
he later retracted his statement and added that he had made a ‘mistake’ in
giving such a call publicly.
Tikait
said that farmers are frustrated with the government as they are being forced
to sell their crops at half of its price. He added that they are fully
conscious of the importance of their choice in the forthcoming Assembly
elections and do not need any prompting.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/hindu-muslim-narrative-being-kept-says-rakesh-tikait-2264477/
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North America
Muslim
Advocacy Group Claims Afghan Refugees In Baltimore Lacking Healthcare,
Resources To Settle
January
25, 2022
BALTIMORE
(WJZ) — A Muslim advocacy group is calling for a federal probe after it
allegedly found Afghan refugees are experiencing “egregious mistreatment” at
temporary housing in Baltimore.
The
Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said around
40 refugee families at an extended-stay facility in the city are in need of
healthcare, documents, schooling for children, help with job placement, and
other resources to settle into their new homes.
The
council claims it has learned of “a lack of caseworker check-ins with an
elderly Afghan woman living alone who speaks no English, families being
prematurely evicted even though their rooms have reportedly been paid for
through February 9, and a pregnant Afghan woman expecting to deliver any day
who has not been provided with basic support and prenatal care.”
Source:
Baltimore
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Islamic
university to be created in Latin America
January
25, 2022
SAO
PAULO: Latin American Islamic associations gathered in the Brazilian city of
Sao Paulo recently to sign an agreement to create the Latin American and
Caribbean Islamic University.
The
academic institution will allow future Muslim leaders to study in their own
region, without the need to move to Middle Eastern countries and other Muslim
nations.
Imams
in Latin America had been discussing the idea for years. Now, Brazil’s Islamic
Dissemination Center for Latin America, known by the Portuguese acronym CDIAL,
and the Supreme Council of Imams and Islamic Affairs in Latin America and the
Caribbean have finally made it possible.
CDIAL
and the council established a deal with the Islamic University of Minnesota,
which will provide academic courses and materials for the new institution.
Initially,
it will have headquarters in Sao Paulo, with classes in Portuguese, and Mexico
City, with classes in Spanish.
“We’re
beginning with the cities with a higher number of potential students. But our
idea is that other countries create their own branches in the future,” CDIAL’s
Vice President Ziad Saifi told Arab News.
He
said the program was inspired by traditional Islamic courses such as those
offered by the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia and Al-Azhar
University in Egypt.
“The
university’s goal is not only to educate future sheikhs, but any person who
wants to deepen his or her knowledge of Islam,” he added.
Even
non-Muslim students will be able to enroll in classes, said Egyptian-born
Sheikh Abdelhamid Metwally, who will be the university’s president and academic
director.
“We
want to educate people in Islamic culture and tradition. We certainly will be
able to work on the formation of sheikhs. Students who desire to pursue such a
path will be able to continue their studies,” he added.
“But
we also want to simply educate people on Islam. Both Muslims and non-Muslims
need to have a better understanding of our religion.”
Living
in Brazil for 15 years, Metwally believes it is desirable to train in Latin
America religious leaders who will work in the region.
That
is also the opinion of Sheikh Mohamed Mansour, who will coordinate the
Spanish-language courses in Mexico City.
“We
need to educate people here so they can think from here. Many times, people go
to the Middle East to study and when they come back, they want to impose the
Middle Eastern culture in Latin America. That’s not possible,” he told Arab
News.
Islam
has been growing throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, “but we aren’t
growing well if we don’t have true knowledge,” Mansour said. “We need an
academic foundation, something that goes beyond the mosques’ teaching.”
In
Mexico, he explained, only Spanish can be spoken in class except for
Arabic-language courses — if a professor or instructor can only speak Arabic, a
translator will be present. “God willing, soon we will have masters and PhD
courses too,” he added.
Saifi
said many sheikhs and the Muslim community as a whole have been supporting the
creation of the university.
“Thankfully,
people have been giving their time to this project and working on the
translation of educational materials and other tasks,” he added, expressing
hope that courses will begin in August.
The
coordinating group is working on the university’s official accreditation in
each of the region’s countries.
At
first the university will operate with distance learning, given the rising
number of COVID-19 cases in most Latin American countries. But a physical
location is being selected in Sao Paulo, Saifi said.
No
distinction will be made between Sunni and Shiite students, and men and women
alike will be able to enroll.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2011501/world
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/religion-centric-reforms-pakistan-activists/d/126244