Religious & Political Hub With Mughal Roots — Kashmir’s Hazratbal Shrine, Where PM Modi Launched Rs 1,400 Crore Project
New Age Islam News Bureau
07 March 2024
Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar
| Commons
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·
Religious
& Political Hub With Mughal Roots — Kashmir’s Hazratbal Shrine, Where PM
Modi Launched Rs 1,400 Crore Project
·
'Queer In
Gaza' Campaign Aims To Raise Awareness About Hamas LGBTQ+ Persecution
·
Spanish Priest
Faces Up to Three Years in Jail on “Hate Crime” Charges for Criticising Islam
·
Ahmadi
Teachings Contradict Islamic Law, Says Malay Religious Affairs Minister
·
Army
Commands Respect As Defender, Not Decision-Maker: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Chief
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India
·
Communal
Harmony In Dakshina Kannada: Boats With Saffron Flags Take Visitors To Rahmania
Dargah Masjid Sharif
·
In
Srinagar, PM Modi speaks of ‘naya J&K’, shackles of 370; tears into
‘political families’
·
Modi
takes selfie with Kashmiri youth Nazim Nazeer, calls him ‘friend’
·
Govt
declares Hafiz Saeed-backed operative Mohammad Qasim Gujjar a terrorist
·
Badruddin
Ajmal will be arrested if he practices ‘magical healing’: Assam CM
·
Haj
Pilgrims Paid For Chartered Flight, Made To Board Normal Plane; Guwahati High
Court
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Mideast
·
Gaza To
Be Rebuilt; Israeli Prestige Will Not Be Restored: Quds Force Commander
·
End of
the Israel regime is imminent: Palestinian leader
·
Hamas
leader says negotiations reached dangerous turning point threatened possibility
of success
·
Hamas
appreciates Islamic Ministerial statement, calls for actual steps to stop
aggression
·
Zionist
enemy renews attacks on villages, towns southern Lebanon
·
Sheikh
Khazali says presence of foreign forces violates, weakens Iraq's national
sovereignty
·
UAE
President orders release of 735 prisoners ahead of Ramadan
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Europe
·
Imam Of
The Baab-Ul-Ilm Centre In Leeds Reported To Police After Comparing October 7
Attacks To Jews Breaking Out Of Concentration Camps
·
UK
draft pushes ceasefire in conflict-torn
Sudan ceasefire during Ramadan
·
UK
Foreign Secretary David Cameron: Israel Can’t Have Veto Power On Palestinian
Statehood
·
Antalya
Diplomacy Forum like UN General Assembly without Western Europe, says Hungarian
minister
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Southeast
Asia
·
Selangor
Islamic Religious Council Special Committee Monitoring Online Materials
Contradicting Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah
·
Top
Official From China's Xinjiang Says 'Sinicisation' Of Islam 'Inevitable'
·
China
calls war in Gaza ‘a disgrace to civilization’
·
More Youth
Mentorships, Gaza Fund-Raising Among 6 Key Announcements By Malay/Muslim Ministers
·
Tuan
Ibrahim Defends Push To Re-Enact 16 SyariahCriminal Provisions In Kelantan
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Pakistan
·
Pakistani
Envoy Calls For UN Probe Into TTP's Financing, Acquiring Of Weapons
·
Imran
Backs Army’s Resolve To Bring May 9 Culprits To Book
·
CTD
Rawalpindi catches three terrorists carrying Adiala Jail map, weapons
·
Growing
visibility of Pakistani-Americans reflective of Pak-US ties: Masood
·
Dialogue
with Imran mandatory, says Elahi
·
Pakistan
desired to expand trade ties with friendly countries: Alvi
----
Africa
·
South
Africa Appeals To ICJ For Further Measures Against Israel
·
Mass
Kidnapping in Nigeria: Islamic State Jihadists Abduct Over 100, Mostly Women,
Children
·
Niger,
Mali, Burkina creating joint force to fight worsening jihadi insurgency
·
New
attacks by IS-linked group in Mozambique leave over 70 children missing
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North
America
·
US Says
It Will Welcome ‘Productive, Peaceful’ Talks Between India, Pakistan
·
US ‘quietly’
made over 100 weapons sales to Israel during Gaza war: Report
·
US
Muslims to Begin Ramadan Observance as War Rages in Gaza
·
CAIR Says
SOTU is President Biden’s ‘Best and Perhaps Last Chance’ to Listen to the
American People, End Gaza Genocide
·
CAIR
Endorses Maryland Teacher Union’s Gaza Ceasefire Resolution, Condemns Outside
Pressure by JCRC to Block Resolution
----
Arab
World
·
Saudi
Arabia condemns Israeli settlement expansion plans in West Bank
·
Dhaifallah
discussed plan activities of Al-Aqsa Support Campaign in Hodeida during Ramadan
·
Yemen
attack on US ship leaves at least 3 death: CENTCOM
·
Saudi
minister tackles Gaza during meeting with EU official
·
Muslim
World League and Red Cross chiefs meet to discuss humanitarian crisis
----
South
Asia
·
Acting
Minister of Information and Culture Prioritizes Protection of Cultural Heritage
·
UNAMA
Chief announces readiness for 3rd Doha conference with Taliban and stakeholders
·
US House
of Representatives to hold another session on Messy Afghanistan withdrawal
·
Afghanistan
to Witness Economic Growth in Coming Years: Kabir
·
Salman
Charity Foundation donates $1.1 million to healthcare in Central Afghanistan
·
UN
Reports 24 confirmed attacks on Taliban without major territorial shifts
·
Pakistan
expels two hundred Afghan migrants
·
Nimruz
Governor Appeals for Increased WFP Assistance
Compiled by New Age
Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/religious-mughal-kashmir-hazratbal-shrine/d/131868
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Religious & Political Hub With Mughal Roots —
Kashmir’s Hazratbal Shrine, Where PM Modi Launched Rs 1,400 Crore Project
Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar
| Commons
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Zenaira Bakhsh
07 March, 2024
New Delhi: Every year, thousands of Muslims visit the
Hazratbal shrine on the banks of Dal Lake, one of the most revered religious
sites in Kashmir that houses the holy relic of Prophet Mohammad —
Moi-e-Muqaddas.
The shrine is now going to get a development boost,
with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Srinagar, inaugurating the
Hazratbal shrine development project as part of an ambitious Rs 1,400 crore
plan to boost infrastructure and tourism in the Kashmir Valley.
Thursday’s visit to Kashmir was the first by PM Modi
to the region after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
The Hazratbal shrine project will include the
construction of a tourist facilitation centre as well as a Sufi interpretation
centre, a multi-level car parking, and a boundary wall. The banks of Srinagar’s
famous Dal Lake will be illuminated, and signages will be added.
The project was inaugurated virtually at Bakshi
stadium in Srinagar as part of a slew of projects under the Swadesh Darshan and
Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD), which was
launched with the aim of integrating “pilgrimage destinations in a prioritised,
planned and sustainable manner to provide a complete religious tourism
experience”.
“The path to building a developed Jammu and Kashmir
will emerge from here. J&K is not just a region; it is the forehead of
India. Viksit J&K is the priority of Viksit Bharat,” PM Modi said.
Significance in Kashmir
Dating back to the 17th century, the shrine was
initially established by Inayat Begum, the daughter of Khwaja Nur-ud-Din Eshai,
the custodian of the holy relic. The first building of the Hazratbal shrine was
established by Mughal subedarSaqiq Khan.
The white-dombed Hazratbal shrine, surrounded by the
mighty Chinars from all sides, was originally the site of Ishrat Mahal built by
Khan. When Mughal emperor Shah Jahan arrived in Kashmir, he ordered the
conversion of the palace into a place of worship.
“When Moi-e-Muqaddas arrived in Kashmir in 1699, it
was kept in the Naqashbad Sahib for some time, before becoming a part of the
Hazratbal,” reads the description on the official website of Hazratbal.
Each year, on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad, the
Moi-e-Muqaddas is displayed when the faithful reach the shrine to catch a
glimpse of the relic.
“Hazratbal shrine has been central to Kashmir’s
landscape. All the influential people during the political movements have
carried out rallies here. It was one of the main mobilising points during the
freedom movement before Independence,” political analyst and retired Kashmir
University professor Noor A. Baba told ThePrint.
Prof. Baba added that Hazratbal has been the most
important pilgrimage centre for the Muslims in Kashmir. “Hazratbal is a tourist
attraction. The project will help the shrine to become an excellent tourist
spot since it’s already surrounded by Mughal Gardens.”
In December 1963, Kashmir witnessed an uproar after
the sudden disappearance of the holy relic from the Hazratbal shrine. The then
prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru tasked Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief
B.N. Mullik with the responsibility to recover it. The relic was in January
1964. Nehru is said to have complimented Mullik, saying: “You saved Kashmir for
India.”
In 1968, popular Kashmir leader Sheikh Muhammad
Abdullah reconstructed the Hazratbal shrine to its present shape under the
auspices of the Auqaf Trust for relaunching his political movement.
The shrine was at the centre of Sheikh Abdullah’s
politics, said Prof. Baba. “After him, Farooq Abdullah and even Omar Abdullah
visited this place. Through them, it continued to remain the centre of politics
in Kashmir.”
Over the years, the shrine has been the focal point of
some of the biggest political as well as religious gatherings in Kashmir.
During the political turmoil in the last few decades, some of the biggest
protests have taken place in Hazratbal.
The foundation stone of a development project was laid
in 2017, by then chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, during
the PDP-BJP rule in the erstwhile state.
“For many Kashmiris who couldn’t afford to perform the
Hajj pilgrimage, they found solace in visiting Hazratbal shrine,” Mohammad
Ashraf Wani, a retired professor of history, told ThePrint.
Source: theprint.in
Please
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https://theprint.in/india/religious-political-hub-with-mughal-roots-kashmirs-hazratbal-shrine-where-modi-launched-project/1991671/
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'Queer In Gaza' Campaign Aims To Raise Awareness About
Hamas LGBTQ+ Persecution
A rainbow coloured placard
in the colours of the LGBT flag [Illustrative]
(Photo credit: REUTERS)
------
Benjamin Weinthal
MARCH 7, 2024
A new campaign launched a website to raise awareness
about the Hamas terrorist movement’s lethal actions targeting the persecuted
LGBTQ+ community in the Gaza Strip.
The Equality Campaign Inc. created a website called
“Queer in Gaza" that states “Learn the Facts about Hamas' treatment of
LGBT Palestinians.”
The website declares “Living as a Queer person in Gaza
is punishable by torture and death by Hamas, the rulers of Gaza” and “There is
no transgender population in Gaza because any trans person who lives openly
will be hunted down by Hamas.”
The former acting director of US National
Intelligence, Richard Grenell, who was the first openly gay member of a
presidential cabinet during the Trump presidency, told The Jerusalem Post that
“It’s shameful for the gay community in America to ignore the reality of what
gays in the Middle East face. The Chelsea and WeHo crowd is too damn selfish to
understand what other people are dealing with.”
Chelsea refers to the neighbourhood of Manhattan that
has a large LGBTQ+ population and WeHo is an abbreviation for West Hollywood.
Grenell launched the first global campaign to end the death penalty targeting
gays in Muslim-majority countries such as Iran and other repressive nations.
Hamas co-founder Mahmoud Zahar has said, “You in the
West do not live like human beings. You do not even live like animals. You
accept homosexuality. And now you criticize us?”
According to the "Queer in Gaza" website,
“Israel grants asylum rights to LGBT Palestinians who face death in Gaza and
the Palestinian Territories; there are hundreds of Queer Palestinians living
safely in Israel right now, who will face death if they are sent back to Gaza
or the Palestinian Territories.”
Israel is widely considered the only country in the
Middle East where LGBTQ+ people can live without repression. “As a Queer Palestinian, I fled to Israel for
protection, “ said Abdul, who was kidnapped and tortured by Hamas for being
gay, according to “Queer in Gaza."
Hamas persecution against LGBTQ+ community similar to
Iran
Gigi Pour, an Iranian-American refugee and LGBTQ+
rights advocate living in the US, told the Post that “The stories are very
similar to atrocities committed against LGBTQ+ [people] in Iran. In most cases,
the worst maltreatment comes from family members and siblings followed by the
vigilantism by others who know homosexuality is punishable by death which leads
to victimization and violence against LGBTQ with significant threats to their
safety and well-being.”
Hamas is a proxy of Iran’s regime and Tehran’s rulers
have supported the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people on October 7 in Israel.
Pour said, “Both the US and Canada have taken in many
Iranian LGBTQ+ refugees because the country has an awful record of systemic
abuse and executions of the LGBTQ+ population.”
Pour continued “Of course, LGBTQ+ [people are]
persecuted under Sharia law since their gender identity and sexual orientation
are unacceptable under those laws. Under the Islamic Republic of Iran, folks
who identify as gay or lesbian are forced into sex change operations as a way
to “solve” the issue. In 2007, Ahmadinejad in his speech at Columbia University
in NYC said: 'We don’t have homosexuals like you have in your country. We don’t
have that in our country. In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don’t know
who told you that we have it.'"
"These types of statements from the president of
a system of government basically indicate [that] LGBTQ+ [people are] not
visible and they don’t exist. There is zero inclusion and forced exclusion
which borders elimination.”
Iran’s regime has executed between 4,000-6,000 gays
and lesbians since the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to a 2008
British Wikileaks cable.
“Yet some misguided people are supporting Hamas while
claiming to support Queer lives. They are putting Queer Palestinians in
danger,” warns "Queer in Gaza."
The anti-Israel lesbian University of California,
Berkeley gender theorist, Judith Butler, recently said that Hamas' mass murder
was neither antisemitic nor a form of jihadi terrorism, terming Hamas’ mass
slaughter “armed resistance.”
Butler triggered intense criticism in 2006 when she
said at a “Teach-in Against War “ with respect to the Second Lebanon War that
“Understanding Hamas/Hezbollah as social movements that are progressive, that
are on the Left, that are part of a global Left, is extremely important.”
Butler also supports the BDS movement targeting the Jewish state.
Mehdi Hasan, the controversial pro-Palestinian
journalist, who just launched the media company Zeteo, compared homosexuals to
“pedophiles” and “sexual deviants.” Hasan is viscerally anti-Israel and has
ignored the lethal homophobia that dominates life for the LGBTQ+ community in
the disputed West Bank territory and Gaza.
The website “Queers in Gaza” quoted a 2022 BBC report
about a “Gay Palestinian Ahmad Abu Marhia [who was] beheaded in West
Bank."
"Palestinian police have arrested a suspect in
the killing of a 25-year-old man after his body was found decapitated in the
occupied West Bank. LGBTQ groups say he had spent two years in Israel waiting
on an asylum claim to flee abroad after receiving death threats from within his
community,” read the report.
The campaign also cited an October 2022 AP report
titled “LGBT Palestinians Targeted by Hamas Regime." According to the AP,
“Palestinian Authority police have banned a Palestinian LGBT rights group from
organizing any activities in the West Bank and threatened to arrest them,
saying such activities are contrary to the 'values of Palestinian society.'”
The US-based Middle East Media Research Institute
(MEMRI) revealed that on September 16, 2023, the pro-Hezbollah Mayadeen TV
aired a report about opposition in Gaza to the new UNRWA Code of Conduct, which
the reporter said promotes homosexuality and asserts that there are homosexuals
among UNRWA employees and the refugees.”
Muhammad Shwadeh of the UNRWA Workers Union said that
"it started" with equality between men and women and now the UNRWA
are demanding equality for "groups that do not exist among the Palestinian
people."
MEMRI also noted that in a sermon that was posted to
the Al-Aqsa Call YouTube channel on June 26, 2022, Palestinian Islamic scholar
Sheikh Yousef Abu Islam preached that Allah said homosexuals "should be
thrown head first from the rooftop of the tallest building, and then they
should be stoned."
Source: jpost.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-790635
----
Spanish Priest Faces Up to Three Years in Jail on
“Hate Crime” Charges for Criticising Islam
Father Custodio Ballester
serves a parish in the Archdiocese of Barcelona, Spain. | Credit: Courtesy of
hazteoir.org
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Will Jones
6 MARCH 2024
A Spanish priest is facing up to three years in prison
on “hate crime” charges for his heated words about Islam. Catholic News Agency
has the story.
Last month, Father Custodio Ballester and two other
individuals received a summons from a provincial court in Spain to answer
charges of an alleged “hate crime” for criticising Islamic extremism.
If convicted, Ballester could be forced to pay a fine
of more than $1,600 and serve up to three years in prison. The charges date
back to 2020, when the Court Prosecutor’s Office in Catalonia accused Ballester
of a “hate crime” based on what he wrote in a 2016 article titled ‘The
Impossible Dialogue with Islam‘.
Four years later, Ballester is still awaiting trial on
criminal charges for criticising the faith that he says aims to “destroy” all
those who refuse to recognise Mohammed as “the last and ultimate prophet of
God”.
“I know Muslims who were not offended and understood
perfectly well that I was not referring to them but to those who live Islam in
a violent, radical way,” he told CNA.
Ballester, 59, serves a parish in Barcelona within the
archdiocese led by Bishop Juan José Omella. He has long been known for his
pro-life activism.
“In Spain, ‘hate crime’ was invented and is directed
at any speech that directly or indirectly refers to discrimination,
encouragement of hostility, or inducement to violence,” Ballester told CNA.
Previously, he pointed out, the criminal code was directed at whether someone
had actually done something.
Asked whether he is prepared to spend three years in
prison should he be convicted on the hate crime charges, Ballester said: “It
doesn’t seem right to be convicted for something I’ve said, but in Spain anything
is possible. But if I am convicted, this will no longer be Spain but Pakistan,
where you can be killed for blaspheming the Koran or Mohammed.”
“There is no longer any true right to free speech in
Spain,” Ballester said.
Source: dailysceptic.org
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://dailysceptic.org/2024/03/06/priest-faces-up-to-three-years-in-jail-on-hate-crime-charges-for-criticising-islam/
----
Ahmadi Teachings Contradict Islamic Law, Says Malay Religious
Affairs Minister
Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said the
teachings of the Ahmadi ‘Religion of Light and Peace’ go against the Islamic
law. — Bernama pic
------
07 Mar 2024
PUTRAJAYA, March 7 — The teachings of the Ahmadi
“Religion of Light and Peace” go against the Islamic law, said Minister in the
Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk MohdNa’im Mokhtar.
MohdNa’im said he would ensure that social media
content related to these teachings are immediately removed to safeguard the
community from their influence.
“As the minister overseeing religious affairs, I take
this matter seriously and I have directed all agencies under my authority to
closely monitor the dissemination of these teachings on social media.
“We want such content to be taken down because we
don’t want the younger generation and social media users to be influenced by
these teachings,” he told reporters after officiating at the Keluarga Madani
seminar here today.
He said the ministry has held discussions with the
Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police, on the removal
of content related to Ahmadi teachings from social media and measures to
address the issue.
MohdNa’im expressed concern over the potential
influence of individuals with limited religious knowledge who might be swayed
by those using Arabic words on social media.
This concern arose following the emergence of a TikTok
account, purportedly owned by the ‘bishop’ or leader of The Ahmadi ‘Religion of
Light and Peace,’ which has garnered over 30,000 followers and receives
responses during live broadcasts on the TikTok app.
As such, he admitted the need to increase the
deployment of Islamic religious affairs officers (cadres) at MCMC to combat the
spread of deviant teachings via social media effectively.
He stressed the urgency of adapting to technological
advancements, acknowledging the challenge posed by the dissemination of such
teachings online compared to physical means. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/03/07/ahmadi-teachings-contradict-islamic-law-says-religious-affairs-minister/122035
---
Army Commands Respect As Defender, Not Decision-Maker:
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Chief
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazal)
Chief
-----
March 7, 2024
LAHORE: “I don’t accept this electoral mandate and I
hold those responsible who have done it, not those for whom it was done,” said
chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, here
on Wednesday.
Inaugurating lawyers’ wing of his party, he insists if
the establishment sabotages the electoral process and interferes in the
democratic procedures, resolutions of Corps Commanders’ Conference cannot deter
criticism of it. The army as a defender of Pakistan is respected, but not as a
political decision-maker.
Berating the judiciary, he wonders how can this
judicial system accept 100 cases in a week’s time against a person fallen out
of favour of the military establishment and decide in favour of another 100
against a person, who has won favour of the army?
The judiciary now says Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) was
not given fair trial 45 years after his hanging, when all the judges have died.
Can he come back now? Recently, why they took up a case (about Ahmadis) when
they did not have expertise on the subject? They are now writing letters to
ulema for guidance after the event. Why did they not seek guidance before
deciding the case?
“We do not agree with the court judgment [on Ahmadis]
and will launch a movement against it,” he warns and adds: “I have already told
everyone that decision would now be made on the streets not in the parliament.”
Explaining why does he not accept the electoral mandate
given by the Feb 8 elections, he says, “I have been asking the PML-N that it
has won almost the same seats as it secured in 2018; why last elections were
rigged and the current one are not. Similarly, I have been asking the PTI,
which won almost the same mandate in both polls, then why last election was not
rigged and this one is. Both of them need some explanation to do.”
“I have decided to agitate in the aftermath of
elections because some very serious governance issues are involved, even the
Constitution of the country. The 1973 Constitution is a consensus document and
provides basis for the current shape of the country. If it collapses, the
country would collapse. It gives four cardinal principles: Islam, democracy,
parliamentary form of government and federalism.
“If we tinker with any of these bases, the
constitution would die and we have to have a constitution writing assembly. Can
this country with so much deeps divisions already on the rampage can afford?
Another factor necessitates my taking to the streets is role of legislature:
should it, as a representative of people, decide matters related to people of
Pakistan or on the directions of those working behind the scene? Should it
legislate according to the needs of the time, as it consider necessary, or on
the wishes of someone else?
“It already has a very limited space to manoeuvre. The
economy is already beholden to the IMF, World Bank and FATF. All financial and
economic strings are pulled and pushed by these institutions in a very crude
way. The economic and financial crises have a decisive impact on the defence
capabilities of the country and these three factors decide the country’s future
as a physical contiguous entity. So, no more games can be played with the
country, without risking its life,” Fazl says.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.dawn.com/news/1819690/army-commands-respect-as-defender-not-decision-maker-fazl
----
India
Communal Harmony In Dakshina Kannada: Boats With
Saffron Flags Take Visitors To Rahmania Dargah Masjid Sharif
MARCH 07, 2024
The coastal area of Dakshina Kannada district in
Karnataka is known for being a communal area. The communal fault lines that
presently define Coastal Karnataka are marked out by the saffron flags flying
from the masts of fishing trawlers anchored at Bunder Port and others. There
is, however, a lesser-known story from these coastal regions of Dakshina
Kannada, a heart-warming gesture of communal harmony that is mostly
overshadowed by other not-so-pleasant occurrences all over the country. It
involves scores of Hindu boats with their saffron mast flying high forming a
bridge across a river to make way to a famous mosque.
Situated near Mangalore, in the middle of the
Netravati River, is the Rahmania Dargah Masjid Shariff in Nadupalli, Adyar
Kannur. The visit to Dargah Sharif is special because it allows devotees to
walk via a makeshift bridge that is made available by arranging around 80 boats
in a row from the banks of the river to the mosque.
NadupalliRehmaniya Dargah, ten kilometres away from
Mangalore city, is situated in the middle of the Netravati River. People of
both Hindu and Muslim communities, predominantly Hindu boats, make a bridge by
placing about 80 boats in a row. Then they put planks on it and attach a sandbag
to the edge of the boat on both banks.
The River Netravati meanders peacefully around the
isle that houses this historic mosque, which dates back around 400 years. This
Dargah holds the tombs of three saints who dedicated their entire lives to
providing the populace with spiritual advice. It’s commonly known that this
dargah grants farmers their wishes. There are numerous stories of farmers who
came here in distress due to a lack of rain, prepared gruel that was
traditionally mixed with jaggery, gave it to the poor and prayed for rain.
Source: news18.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.news18.com/india/in-dakshina-kannada-boats-with-saffron-flags-take-visitors-to-this-famous-mosque-8806663.html
---
In Srinagar, PM Modi speaks of ‘naya J&K’,
shackles of 370; tears into ‘political families’
Naveed Iqbal
March 7, 2024
On his first visit to Kashmir since the abrogation of
Article 370 of the Constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said
only a few political families had benefited from the provision that had given
special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and that the people of J&K were now
free from its “shackles”.
At a public rally at the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar,
he highlighted the Centre’s development efforts in J&K over the last five
years, and also said that the Congress and its allies “misled the people of
Jammu and Kashmir in the name of (Article) 370”.
Speaking about Article 370, the PM said it was a
shackle that the people are now free from. Since the special status was
removed, there are equal opportunities and rights for everyone in J&K, he
said.
Addressing the crowd, which largely consisted of
government employees, Modi said he is “elated and indebted” for the love he
received in Srinagar, and that he will “not leave any stone unturned to return
the debt of this love”. He also said he is working hard to win the hearts of
the people of J&K, and added that he believes he is on the right path.
According to the Union Territory’s administration,
around one lakh people joined the PM’s address online in various districts of
the Valley.
This “naya Jammu Kashmir is the one that we had been
waiting for, for decades”, the PM said.
“Jammu and Kashmir is breathing freely today, and
hence achieving new heights,” the PM said, adding that his government’s
decision to include Paharis among groups being included under Scheduled Tribes
in J&K would benefit the communities.
“Refugees from Pakistan, the Valmiki community and
sanitation workers getting voting rights, fulfilling the demand of the Valmiki
community for SC category, reservation of seats in the Assembly for Scheduled
Tribes, Paddari tribe, and the inclusion of Paddari tribe, Pahari ethnic group,
Gadda Brahmin and Koli communities in the Scheduled Tribes” were among the
decision he highlighted.
The Prime Minister also said dynastic politics in
J&K had deprived the right to reservation to Other Backward Classes in
panchayats and Urban Local Bodies as provided by the government. “Today, every
class is being returned its rights,” PM Modi said.
Without naming any regional political parties in his
speech, the PM said dynastic politics and corruption have gone hand in hand in
J&K for a very long time, and the “decimation” of J&K Bank was a result
of that practice.
“They appointed their friends and relatives to the
bank and had left the bank struggling,” he said, adding, “The Anti Corruption
Bureau is still investigating thousands of such appointments. And over the last
five years, thousands of youth in J&K have been provided employment with
absolute transparency.”
At the Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu Kashmir event, he
dedicated the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme worth about Rs 5,000 crore
to the nation. He also launched multiple projects in the tourism sector worth
more than Rs 1,400 crore under Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD scheme, including
the project for ‘Integrated Development of Hazratbal Shrine’ in Srinagar. He
also spoke to beneficiaries of government schemes at the venue and through
video conferencing.
The Prime Minister also launched the ‘Dekho Apna Desh
People’s Choice Tourist Destination Poll’ and ‘Chalo India Global Diaspora
Campaign’, and announced tourist destinations selected under the Challenge
Based Destination Development (CBDD) Scheme. He distributed appointment orders
to about 1,000 new government recruits of J&K and will also interact with
beneficiaries of various government schemes including women achievers, lakhpatididis,
farmers, and entrepreneurs.
Stating that the power of development, potential of
tourism, capabilities of farmers and leadership of the youth of J&K will
pave the way for “Viksit Jammu Kashmir”, the PM recalled the time when laws
implemented in the country were not implemented in J&K.
The PM also pointed to two AIIMS coming up in Kashmir
as well as in Jammu. He also mentioned the seven new medical colleges, two
cancer hospitals and institutes like IIT and IIM being set up in the region.
Highlighting the efforts of the government for the
development of the youth of J&K in every field, the Prime Minister said
that new opportunities are being created, ranging from skill development to
sports and mentioned the modern sports facilities being built in every district
of J&K.
He also extended his best wishes to the nation for the
upcoming month of Ramzan. “It is my wish that everyone should get the message
of peace and harmony from the month of Ramadan. Tomorrow is Mahashivratri, I
wish everyone the best on this holy festival,” Modi said.
J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union
Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh, and Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Ali Katana
joined the Prime Minister on stage.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-modi-srinagar-jk-article-370-9200853/
----
Modi takes selfie with Kashmiri youth Nazim Nazeer,
calls him ‘friend’
7th March 2024
Srinagar: It was a dream-come-true moment for Kashmiri
youth Nazim Nazeer on Thursday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only took a
selfie with him but also referred to him as a “friend”.
Nazeer, who has set up a successful beekeeping unit,
was one of the few achievers selected to interact with Modi after his public
rally at the Bakshi stadium here. During their interaction, he expressed his
wish for taking a selfie with Modi.
The prime minister later posted a tweet along with the
selfie with Nazeer.
“A memorable selfie with my friend Nazim. I was
impressed by the good work he’s doing. At the public meeting he requested a
selfie and was happy to meet him. My best wishes for his future endeavours,”
Modi wrote on X.
While lauding the efforts of the young boy from
Pulwama district, Modi said he has brought a “sweet revolution” in the
beekeeping sector.
“We have heard of green revolution and white
revolution but you have brought about sweet revolution,” Modi said after
listening to Nazeer’s story.
Nazeer said he started his beekeeping venture with two
boxes as a hobby but soon availed a government scheme to increase the number of
boxes to 25.
“The first extraction was 75 kg which earned me Rs
60,000. I took a PMEGP loan of Rs 5 lakh and added 200 boxes. The yield was
good and through online marketing, we sold around 5000 kg of honey,” he said.
He said he has now increased the number of boxes to
2000 and added 100 more youths to his beekeeping venture.
“We got FPO membership in 2023. Now we earn Rs 1 lakh
per stall at different exhibitions,” he added.
Modi suggested that Nazeer should use online resources
to study how beekeepers in Central Asia were using different crops for rearing
bees so that they get different flavours of honey.
Central Asia honey is different, study it online. They
rear bees in different crops for different flavours, he told Nazeer.
Modi cited the example of Uttarakhand saying this was
successful in the Himalayan state.
“You are giving direction to the youth of the country.
You are becoming the strength of the country. I thank you,” Modi said.
He also interacted with an all-girls group who set up
their own bakery after undergoing a course in food technology.
“We belong to lower middle class families. We were
passionate about the bakery. When we got admitted in the food technology
course, we got our opportunity,” Ehtisam Majeed Bhat, a Srinagar resident,
said.
Asked about the challenges faced by the group in
setting up their unit and how the government schemes helped them, Bhat said it
was not easy for them to get all the clearances earlier.
“However, the single window clearance set up after
2019 helped us in getting NOCs in one go,” she said.
Modi lauded her for not only taking care of her
sisters but linking her friends with her in her self employment venture.
“My best wishes to you and I assure you that the
government will provide all possible support to your efforts,” he added.
Source: siasat.com
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https://www.siasat.com/modi-takes-selfie-with-kashmiri-youth-nazim-nazeer-calls-him-friend-2988462/
----
Govt declares Hafiz Saeed-backed operative Mohammad
Qasim Gujjar a terrorist
TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Mar 7, 2024
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday
declared Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Mohammad Qasim Gujjar a terrorist
under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Mohammad Qasim, who works for Hafiz Saeed's outfit, is
currently in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and was "involved in creating
new terror modules by recruitment" and resorted to radicalisation by
various means "including social media and other online encrypted
communication applications".
The government said the Qasim was working to widen the
areas of terror activities.
"Mohammad Qasim Gujjar with the intention to wage
war against the country is involved in carrying out a wide range of terrorist
activities including coordinating, supplying, and identifying locations of
drones for dropping arms, ammunition, Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), and
cash etc. and delivering and managing consignments from across the
border," the ministry said in a notification.
After the government declared Mohammad Qasim a
terrorist, Union home minister Amit Shah said Mohammad Qasim Gujjar caused
numerous deaths and injuries in the terror attack.
"Anyone found involved in activities against the
unity and integrity of India will be dealt with ruthlessly. LeT operative
Mohammad Qasim Gujjar caused numerous deaths, and injuries with terror
attacks," Amit Shah said.
The ministry also said Mohammad Qasim Gujjar was part of
various terror attacks and bomb blasts. The government has held Qasim
responsible for causing death and injuries to a number of persons in the terror
attacks.
Considering Mohammad Qasim's involvement in terrorism,
the Ministry said it exercised the powers conferred by clause (a) of
sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967
and designated Mohammad Qasim as a terrorist.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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----
Badruddin Ajmal will be arrested if he practices
‘magical healing’: Assam CM
07 March, 2024
Guwahati : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on
Wednesday warned All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief and Lok Sabha
MP Badruddin Ajmal not to practice “magical healing” in the state, otherwise he
might get arrested.
While launching several development projects in the
state’s Lakhimpur district, the Chief Minister said: “Badruddin Ajmal practices
magical healing, and he tried his tricks during his public meetings also. But
the Assam Assembly has passed a Bill to ban magical healing in the state.
Anybody who practices this will be put behind bars.”
Sarma also asserted that Badruddin Ajmal may not
follow what he said, but the AIUDF leader must abide by the Assam Healing
(Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024, passed by the Assembly.
The Assam government passed the Bill in the recently
concluded Budget Session of the Assembly that would outlaw “magical healing” in
the name of therapy and suggests harsh penalties for anybody who engages in it.
The Bill intends to prohibit and eliminate practices
of magical healing in the name of treatment of certain diseases and conditions
such as deafness, speechlessness, blindness, physical deformity, autism, etc. —
IANS
Source: muslimmirror.com
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----
Haj Pilgrims Paid For Chartered Flight, Made To Board
Normal Plane; Guwahati High Court
PrasantaMazumdar
07 Mar 2024
GUWAHATI: The Guwahati High Court has set a 90-day
deadline for the Haj Committee of India to dispose of two representations,
filed by aggrieved Haj pilgrims from Assam alleging their excess flight fare
was not refunded.
They said they had paid for chartered flight from
Guwahati to Jeddah but were made to board a normal flight.
During the hearing of a group writ petition filed by
137 pilgrims, the petitioners’ counsel FZ Mazumdar said tender was called for
chartered flight and after its finalisation, the selected Haj pilgrims from
Assam were asked to deposit Rs 3,82,297 for Haj expenditure, including fare of
chartered flight.
Advocate Mazumdar told The New Indian Express there
were 6,302 pilgrims – 6,189 from Assam, 93 from Meghalaya and 20 from Nagaland.
Citing normal flight fare, he claimed that an excess amount of Rs 40,96,30,000
was collected. He said each pilgrim should get back Rs 65,000.
An order, passed on Wednesday by the single-judge
bench of Justice K Sema, said, “The learned counsel for the petitioner submits
that out of Rs. 3,82,297/-, Rs.1,54,694/- was collected as air fare of the
chartered flight from Guwahati to Jeddah. However, during the boarding at
Guwahati embarkation, pilgrims of Assam were asked to take normal passenger
flight instead of international chartered flight.”
“It is the case of the petitioner that though the Haj
Committee of India had cancelled the chartered flight from Guwahati but the
excess amount which was deposited by the pilgrims for the chartered flight was
not refunded,” the order further said.
The petitioners had submitted two representations
addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Haj Committee of India, on November
22, 2023 seeking refunds but the Haj Committee has neither disposed of the
representations nor refunded the amount to the petitioners so far.
The court said the counsels of the petitioners and the
respondents were in unanimity that the writ petition could be disposed of with
a direction to the Haj Committee of India to dispose of the representations in
accordance with section-42 of the Haj Committee Act, 2002.
“…this Court proposes to dispose of the writ petition
with a direction to the Chief Executive Officer, Central Haj Committee Office,
Mumbai…to dispose the representations submitted by the petitioner…strictly in
the light of the provisions contained in section-42 of the Haj Committee Act,
2002,” the court said.
“Accordingly, the Haj Committee of India…shall dispose
the representations…by speaking order after hearing the petitioners and by
adhering to the mandate of section-42 of the Haj Committee Act, 2002,” the
order said.
The court directed that all exercise for compliance of
the order would be completed within 90 days from the day of the passing of the
order.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Mar/07/haj-pilgrims-paid-for-chartered-flight-made-to-board-normal-plane
-----
Mideast
Gaza To Be Rebuilt; Israeli Prestige Will Not Be
Restored: Quds Force Commander
Mar 6, 2024
TEHRAN, Mar. 06 (MNA) – The commander of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force stressed that the destroyed Gaza will be
rebuilt, while the Zionist regime of Israel's prestige will not be restored.?
Commander of IRGC Quds Force Brigadier General
EsmailGhaani made the remarks at a meeting of the Assembly of Experts.
The IRGC Quds Force commander pointed out that the
Axis of Resistance in the region has grown so strong that no foreign power can
ignore it.
"Today, the Resistance Front, especially the
Hamas forces, in the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation, relying on faith and the weapons
they have, have adopted an offensive stance and heroically are challenging the
Israeli army," he said.
"The Resistance Front is a united collection that
has a lot of potential and capabilities," Ghaani said, adding that,
According to him, the Resistance Front hasn't used all
of its capabilities yet, adding that "it has been proven that no one can
ignore the Resistance Front."
He said that the Zionist regime has killed almost
40,000 people, most of whom are women and children.
However, he said that it is the Palestinians who will
come out victorious in the Gaza battle.
"The Palestinian youth have been able to preserve
their land and dignity and have left Israel in misery with their
Resistance," Ghaani concluded.?
Source: mehrnews.com
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-----
End of the Israel regime is imminent: Palestinian
leader
Mar 7, 2024
TEHRAN, Mar. 07 (MNA) – A leader of the Palestinian
Hamas resistance movement emphasizes that the resistance will not be defatted
and that the end of the Israel regime is imminent.
Osama Hamdan, one of the leaders of the Palestinian
Hamas resistance movement has denounced the United States and the Zionist
regime for pushing for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing that the
resistance will not be defatted and that the end of the Israel regime is
imminent.
Hamdan in an interview with Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen news
network on Wednesday night reacted to Israeli and American stances on the
latest round of ceasefire talks in the Egyptian capital that ended without a
breakthrough.
"There is no doubt that any negotiation that does
not reach its goal will not continue and the Israelis want to intensify the
humanitarian crisis in Gaza," he said.
He underlined that there was an obstacle to the deal
from the first day when a proposal was presented following a meeting of
mediators in Paris. “Americans and Israelis wanted a temporary truce and
refused to stop the war permanently”.
Emphasizing that the US is worried about being accused
of covering up Israeli crimes, the senior Hamas member said Americans and
Israelis are actually maneuvering and trying to buy time.
Hamdan said the position of Hamas was crystal clear
from the beginning and has, time and again, said that it would not accept
anything less than what it had demanded.
This senior Hamas official said that Washington has
presented its own draft resolution at the UN Security Council in order to water
down the one by Algeria as the Americans are trying to show their face in good
light without harming their Zionist ally.
Source: mehrnews.com
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----
Hamas leader says negotiations reached dangerous turning
point threatened possibility of success
[07/March/2024]
GAZA March 07. 2024 (Saba) - A leader in the Islamic
Resistance Movement Hamas said that the negotiations have reached a dangerous
turning point that threatens the possibility of their success and reaching a
final agreement.
Al-Mayadeen quoted the leader, whose name was not
mentioned, as saying “After rounds of dialogue in Cairo with the participation
of the Egyptian and Qatari delegations, the Hamas movement has become certain
that the Zionist enemy will not give clear answers to the main issues it
requested.
He pointed out that Hamas's main demands have not
changed, which are a ceasefire, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and
the return of the displaced.
He explained ".. Hamas has not presented any new
initiative regarding the numbers of prisoners, which is the most important
issue for the Zionist enemy."
The leader pointed out that the Zionist enemy has not
yet given any positive position regarding stopping the aggression and does not
want to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3311012.htm
-----
Hamas appreciates Islamic Ministerial statement, calls
for actual steps to stop aggression
[07/March/2024]
GAZA March 07. 2024 (Saba) - Hamas has appreciated the
positions issued by the special session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of
the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss
developments in the Zionist aggression against the Palestinian people in the
Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the movement called on the
organization and member states to translate the positions issued in the final
statement into actual steps that pressure the Zionist enemy to oblige it to
stop its aggression and barbaric war against the Palestinian people.
It stressed that the suffering and humanitarian
catastrophe caused by the criminal Zionist enemy army in the Gaza Strip calls
for joint and immediate Arab and Islamic action to stop the aggression, provide
food aid to the Palestinian people who are subjected to a systematic war of
starvation, and move to ensure that the Nazi entity does not escape
accountability for the atrocities and unjust and unprecedented massacres it
committed in the contemporary history.
An emergency meeting of foreign ministers of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation countries in the Saudi city of Jeddah
called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of the ongoing Zionist
aggression on the Gaza Strip, and the opening of humanitarian corridors to
bring aid into the Strip without obstacles.
The meeting also called for the provision of
humanitarian, medical and relief aid, the provision of water and electricity,
and the opening of humanitarian corridors to deliver urgent aid to the Gaza
Strip without obstacles and in an adequate manner.
It stressed its categorical rejection and response by
all means to any attempt to displace, expel, or forcefully transfer the
Palestinian people from their land.
The meeting called on the Prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court to quickly complete the investigation into the war
crimes committed by officials of the government of the Zionist colonial enemy
against the defenseless Palestinian people.
It stressed the importance of bringing criminals to
international justice, thanking South Africa, Comoros, Djibouti, Bolivia,
Bangladesh, Venezuela, Chile and Mexico for referring the situation in the
State of Palestine to the International Criminal Court.
The meeting also called on member states that are
members of the International Criminal Court to refer crimes committed in
Palestine to the court as soon as possible.
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3311016.htm
----
Zionist enemy renews attacks on villages, towns
southern Lebanon
[07/March/2024]
BEIRUT March 07. 2024 (Saba) - The Zionist enemy
forces renewed their attacks on villages and towns in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported that enemy
artillery targeted the outskirts of the town of Yaroun in the Bint Jbeil
district with more than 20 155 mm shells.
The enemy reconnaissance aircraft continued to fly
over the villages of the western and central sectors, reaching the outskirts of
the city of Tyre, coinciding with the firing of bombs.
The Zionist enemy intensified its attacks on villages
and residential neighborhoods in the south as it raided the town of Kafra,
which led to a number of injuries.
The raid also led to severe damage to property and
infrastructure, especially the electricity and water networks.
The enemy warplanes raided a house in the town of
al-Dhahira and on the outskirts of Aita Al-Shaab, causing material damage to
property and crops, while the enemy warplanes carried out a series of mock
raids over southern villages, breaking the sound barrier and launching thermal
balloons.
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3311014.htm
----
Sheikh Khazali says presence of foreign forces
violates, weakens Iraq's national sovereignty
[07/March/2024]
BAGHDAD March 07. 2024 (Saba) - Secretary-General of
the Iraqi Asaib Ahl al-Haq movement Sheikh Qais al-Khazali has stressed that
the presence of foreign forces violates and weakens Iraq's national
sovereignty.
Sheikh al-Khazali said in a statement reported by
Iraqi media on Wednesday that the exit of all foreign forces from Iraq is
imminent and the issue of delaying it is just a matter of time.
He added the departure of foreign and American forces
is a decision that has major implications at the level of Iraq and the region.
Al-Khazali stressed that sacrifices must be made in
order for foreign and American forces to leave Iraq.
He continued as saying the issue of Palestine is not
only a measure of the Arab and Islamic conscience, but it is also a measure of
the human conscience, and the position in this regard is part of the clear and
progressive position of the Iraqi nation.
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3311013.htm
----
UAE President orders release of 735 prisoners ahead of
Ramadan
March 07, 2024
UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al
Nahyan has directed the release of 735 prisoners from correctional and penal
facilities, ahead of the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed will also personally cover
all fines and penalties imposed on the inmates, who had been sentenced to jail
terms for a variety of offences.
Ramadan, the month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, is
expected to begin on Monday, but the start of the lunar month depends on the
sighting of the moon.
Source: gulftoday.ae
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----
Europe
Imam Of The Baab-Ul-Ilm Centre In Leeds Reported To
Police After Comparing October 7 Attacks To Jews Breaking Out Of Concentration
Camps
Holly Bishop
07/03/2024
A Muslim preacher who compared the October 7 attacks
to Jews breaking out of concentration camps and attacking Nazis has been
reported to the police.
Sheikh Jaffer Ladak, the imam of the Baab-Ul-Ilm
Centre in Leeds, made numerous comments on social media stating that Muslims
should not condemn Hamas.
West Yorkshire police were handed a dossier filled
with remarks Ladak has made since Hamas massacred more than 1,000 Israeli
civilians last year.
In one clip, the Iman compared Hamas’ attack to Jewish
people breaking out of concentration camps and attacking their persecutors: “So
why should you condemn when the people of Gaza break out of their concentration
camp and attack the military bases around them?”
In another video, Ladak complained about the media
asking if Muslims “condemn Hamas”, to which he responded: “The answer is
actually no, why should we condemn?”
He hosted a sermon called “Palestinians have a right
to occupation” six days after the invasion of Gaza.
In the sermon, he said: “We have seen the Muslim ummah
[community] come together, united in opposition of the atrocities carried out
by the illegal and illegitimate Zionist state against our brothers and sisters,
particularly in Gaza. Also in the West Bank and also in Lebanon and Syria.”
“Allah has given permission for people to fight back
because they have been oppressed” and that “from the perspective of
international law, it is the right of the Gazans to fight off their oppressors,
at any moment that they see fit, and in any way they see fit.
“It is their right to overthrow their oppressors,” he
added.
Ladak said that the displacement of the Palestinian
people was a war crime and commended Gazans for “not bowing heads” to the
Israelis.
He added: “You have seen many many thousand people
realising the extent of the crimes committed by the Israeli regime and are
beginning to understand the history of this conflict and the way in which the
Palestinians have had their rights usurped systematically over the last 75
years.”
In another sermon posted on January 5, Ladak gave his
support to Qasem Soleimani, a military commander of Iran’s revolutionary guard
who was killed in a US drone strike in 2020. Soleimani was infamous for his
ruthlessness.
The mosque has slammed the police complaint as
“ignominious Islamophobia”.
In a statement to The Times, they said: “It is absurd
and baseless even to suggest that we would commit hate crime against any faith,
race, or group of people.
“The allegations against us fail to demonstrate
association with a proscribed organisation or that speeches were outside the
remit of English law. Such unfounded accusations are ignominious Islamophobia.”
West Yorkshire police said that inquiries into the
incident are ongoing.
Source: gbnews.com
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https://www.gbnews.com/news/muslim-preacher-hamas-jews-concentration-camps-sheikh-jaffer-ladak
----
UK draft pushes
ceasefire in conflict-torn Sudan ceasefire during Ramadan
March 7, 2024
Britain has circulated a draft UN resolution calling
for an immediate cessation of hostilities in conflict-wracked Sudan ahead of
the holy month of Ramadan, which begins soon.
The draft, obtained late Wednesday by The Associated
Press, expresses “grave concern over the spreading violence and the
catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation, including crisis levels
of acute food insecurity, particularly in Darfur.”
With Ramadan expected to begin around Sunday,
depending on the sighting of the new moon, the council is expected to vote
quickly on the resolution, likely on Friday.
Sudan plunged into chaos last April, when
long-simmering tensions between its military led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al Burhan
and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by Mohammed HamdanDaglo
broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum.
Fighting spread to other parts of the country,
especially urban areas, but in Sudan’s western Darfur region, it took on a
different form, with reported brutal attacks by the Rapid Support Forces on
ethnic African civilians. Thousands of people have been killed.
World’s largest hunger crisis
Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with
genocide and war crimes, particularly by the Popular Defence Forces, a
government-backed/linked militia known as the Janjaweed, against populations
that identify as Central or East African.
The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor, Karim
Khan, said in late January there are grounds to believe both sides in the
current conflict are committing possible war crimes, crimes against humanity or
genocide in Darfur.
The latest draft on a Sudan ceasefire was circulated
on the same day the head of the UN food agency warned that the Sudan conflict
“risks triggering the world’s largest hunger crisis” as global attention is
focused on the Israeli war on Gaza.
Allowing unhindered humanitarian access
According to that UN agency, 18 million people across
Sudan are facing acute hunger, with the most desperate trapped behind the front
lines. They include 5 million who face starvation, it said.
The proposed UN resolution calls on all parties to
remove obstructions and allow “full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian
access” including across Sudan’s borders and across conflict lines.
The draft also urges strengthened coordination of
several regional and international efforts “to facilitate an end to the
conflict and to restore a lasting inclusive civilian-led democratic
transition.”
UN experts said in a report obtained by AP on March 1
that fighters for the Rapid Support Forces and their allied militias carried
out widespread ethnic killings and rapes while taking control of much of Darfur
that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Source: trtworld.com
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https://www.trtworld.com/africa/uk-draft-pushes-ceasefire-in-conflict-torn-sudan-ceasefire-during-ramadan-17259864
----
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron: Israel can’t have
veto power on Palestinian statehood
TOVAH LAZAROFF
MARCH 6, 2024
The United Kingdom should recognize Palestinian
statehood during a peace process toward a two-state solution but not at the
start of one, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron told The House of Lords.
“Part of a two-state solution is the recognition of Palestine
as a state,” Cameron said in a foreign policy speech on Tuesday.
“I don’t think that should happen at the start of the
process because I think that takes all the pressure off the Palestinians to
reform. But it shouldn’t have to wait till the end,” he continued, explaining
that doing so leaves Israel as the gatekeeper for Palestinian statehood.
He therefore opposed the US position, which until now,
has determined that Palestinian statehood recognition should occur only once a
final arrangement is reached for a two-state solution.
“We shouldn’t give Israel a veto power, which is the
effect of the American policy at the moment. And so I think that recognition
can become part of the unstoppable momentum we need to see towards a two-state
solution.
Cameron also clarified that Hamas cannot be part of
any day-after plans for Gaza or indeed part of any configuration for a
two-state resolution to the conflict.
“You got to get the Hamas leadership out of Gaza.
You’ve got to get rid of the terrorist infrastructure. You’ve got to have a new
Palestinian government. You’ve got to have the horizon towards Palestinian
statehood.
“These things are necessary to have a chance of a
genuine peace process and outcome,” he said. “Israel’s security must be
guaranteed for any two-state resolution to occur.”
Any such guarantee “won’t work if Hamas [is] still
running Gaza and if there aren’t guarantees about how secure Israel would be
living alongside a Palestinian state,” Cameron said.
Source: jpost.com
Please
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---
Antalya Diplomacy Forum like UN General Assembly
without Western Europe, says Hungarian minister
SümeyyeDilaraDinçer, Salih Okuroglu
06.03.2024
Türkiye's Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) is like a UN
General Assembly without Western European countries, Hungarian Foreign Minister
Peter Szijjarto said on Sunday.
He attended the ADF 2024 held at the NEST Congress
Center in the Belek Tourism Region, of which Anadolu is the "Global
Communication Partner."
Szijjarto told Anadolu that the ADF is like a UN
General Assembly without Western Europe.
"So many representatives of countries from all
continents have been present here, which gives us a great chance to carry out
bilateral talks in a very effective manner," he said.
Noting that world diplomacy has become a
"negative term" these days, he said the European foreign policy is
unfortunately being narrowed down to the war in Ukraine.
"There is a war psyche on the European continent.
Once you mention diplomacy or peace in these debates, you are considered to be
either a spy of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, a friend of the Russians,
or a propagandist of the Kremlin," he said.
As the neighbor of the war in Ukraine, he said his
country is especially interested in diplomacy's rebirth as a tool in
international politics.
He hoped that platforms such as the ADF could help in
this regard.
Bilateral relations
Stressing that the bilateral ties between Türkiye and
Hungary are based on mutual respect and trust, Szijjarto said respect is
lacking in international politics.
On economic relations, he said they broke the record
for trade volume of $4 billion, which is another "important
milestone" on the road to the $6 billion set by the Turkish president.
Regarding the Hungarian National Assembly's approval
of the agreement regarding Sweden's participation in NATO, he said there was a
"lack of trust" between Sweden and Hungary.
"This lack of trust was created by the Swedish
politicians because they kept on criticizing, judging, lecturing, and accusing
Hungary for years. We are a pro-enlargement country, in all organizations, very
happy present in both the EU and NATO," he said.
He added that from a geopolitical perspective,
"it was obvious that if Sweden wanted to join, we should let them
in."
US leadership role in security crisis
Szijjarto added that security crises such as the war
in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza could not be solved if there was no strong
American leadership.
"I'm pretty sure that if President (Donald) Trump
had been elected back in 2020, both security-related crises could have been
resolved already," he added.
So, from the perspective of Ukraine, he believed that
Trump would make peace and would be able to contribute to an enhanced security
situation.
He added that if the "conflict" in Gaza
escalates to other countries, it will result in a regional war.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population
into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and
medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or
destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International
Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop
genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is
provided to civilians in Gaza.
Source: aa.com.tr
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---
Southeast
Asia
Selangor Islamic Religious Council Special Committee
Monitoring Online Materials Contradicting Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah
07-03- 2024
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Islamic Religious Council
(MAIS) has established a special committee to closely monitor all forms of
teaching and preaching materials online, which contradict the teachings of Ahli
Sunnah Wal Jamaah in the state.
State Islamic and Cultural Innovation Committee
chairman Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah said that the special committee was established
to control and curb online preaching activities which are contrary to
Selangor’s enactments, fatwas and Syariah laws.
“This special committee was established to look at
such matters, including the issue of enforcement (of online material),
including how enforcement can be done if the internet protocol (IP) address is
outside (Selangor).
“We are looking into all of this and are determining
the methods and ways to curb and control such things,” he said, at the Selangor
State Legislative Assembly sitting today.
He was replying to a supplementary question from
MohdShafieNgah (PN-Sungai Ramal), who wanted to know the state government’s
efforts related to online dakwah activities, which are feared to deviate and
contradict Selangor’s enactments, fatwas and Syariah laws.
Mohammad Fahmi said that the committee included the
Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia
Commission (MCMC).-Bernama
Source: thesun.my
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---
Top Official From China's Xinjiang Says 'Sinicisation'
Of Islam 'Inevitable'
MAR 07, 2024
BEIJING – Xinjiang’s top Communist Party official said
on March 7 that the “Sinicisation” of Islam in the Muslim-majority region in
northwestern China, where Beijing is accused of human rights abuses, is
“inevitable”.
“Everyone knows that Islam in Xinjiang needs to be
Sinicised, this is an inevitable trend,” regional party chief Ma Xingrui told
reporters at a largely scripted briefing on the sidelines of China’s annual
parliamentary sessions in Beijing.
Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses of
Uighurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority that numbers around 10 million in
Xinjiang, including denying Uighurs full religious freedoms. Beijing vigorously
denies any abuses.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly called for
the “Sinicisation” of religions including Islam, Buddhism and Christianity,
urging followers to pledge loyalty to the Communist Party above all else. About
two-thirds of mosques in Xinjiang have been damaged or destroyed since 2017,
according to an Australian think-tank report.
During the news conference, Mr Ma and other regional
officials praised Xinjiang’s economic development, refuted the United States’
allegations of forced labour and cultural genocide, and tried to paint the
region as open to foreign tourism and investment.
Mr Ma, a high-flying former governor of prosperous
Guangdong province who was transferred to Xinjiang in 2021, stressed the need
to "coordinate security and development".
“The three forces are still active now, but we cannot
be afraid (to open up) because they exist,” he said, using a political slogan
referring to “ethnic separatism, religious extremism and violent terrorist
forces” in Xinjiang.
Beijing in 2017 launched a harsh security crackdown in
Xinjiang after a spate of violent ethnic protests, which saw over a million
people from several Muslim minorities detained in re-education camps, rights
groups allege.
"We have carried out a severe crackdown on
terrorist activities, promulgated and implemented anti-terrorism laws to...
combat various forms of terrorism," senior Xinjiang parliamentarian Wang
Mingshan said.
But the briefing was largely focused on Xinjiang's
economic development, tourism potential and what the officials described as
cultural preservation.
Last year Xinjiang received 565.7 billion yuan (S$105
billion) in central government transfers accounting for 72.7 per cent of local
government spending, as well as over 19 billion yuan in fiscal aid from other
provinces, the region's chairman ErkinTuniyaz said.
Mr Ma was flanked by two Xinjiang officials sanctioned
by the US over human rights abuses in Xinjiang - Mr Tuniyaz and former regional
chairman Shohrat Zakir.
Officials also said that over 4,390 foreigners visited
Xinjiang in 2023, and that last year's newly installed renewable energy
capacity totalled 22.61 million kilowatts, bringing the total installed in the
region to 64.4 million kilowatts - nearly half of Xinjiang's electricity
capacity.
Xinjiang is a major base for solar cell production,
which has been tainted by allegations of forced labour. REUTERS
Source: straitstimes.com
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----
China calls war in Gaza ‘a disgrace to civilization’
March 07, 2024
GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: China described
the war in Gaza as a “disgrace to civilization” and called on Thursday for an
immediate ceasefire as the conflict stretched into its sixth month despite
efforts by mediators to reach a truce.
Wang also said Beijing supports “full” United Nations
membership of a Palestinian state.
“We support Palestine becoming a formal member of the
United Nations,” the foreign minister said.
“The catastrophe in Gaza once again reminded the world
that the fact that the Palestinian territories have been occupied for a long
time can no longer be ignored.”
Mediators in Egypt have struggled to overcome tough
obstacles in their attempts to negotiate a pause, while the United Nations has
warned that famine looms for Palestinians trapped by the fighting.
“It is a tragedy for humankind and a disgrace for
civilization that today, in the 21st century, this humanitarian disaster cannot
be stopped,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a news conference in
Beijing.
China, historically sympathetic to the Palestinian
cause, has been calling for a ceasefire since the war began when Hamas
militants attacked Israel on October 7.
“The international community must act urgently, making
an immediate ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities an overriding priority,
and ensuring humanitarian relief an urgent moral responsibility,” Wang said.
“The long-cherished wish of the Palestinian people to
establish an independent country can no longer be evaded, and the historical
injustice suffered by the Palestinian people cannot continue for generations
without being corrected,” he added.
President Xi Jinping has called for an “international
peace conference” to resolve the fighting between Israel and Hamas, which has
killed more than 30,000 people since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that has
triggered an massive Israeli offensive on Gaza.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2472511/middle-east
-----
More youth mentorships, Gaza fund-raising among 6 key
announcements by Malay/Muslim ministers
MAR 06, 2024
SINGAPORE – More support for working professionals and
mentorships for youth were among moves relating to the Malay/Muslim community
that were announced on March 6, during the debate on the Ministry of Culture,
Community and Youth’s budget.
Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs MasagosZulkifli
also reiterated Singapore’s calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in
the Gaza Strip so that aid can reach civilians there.
He urged Singaporeans to donate generously to a new
round of fund raising, which will contribute to the Republic’s ongoing
humanitarian efforts for the Palestinian territory.
Here are the highlights:
More mentoring opportunities
A new mentoring programme for upper secondary students
and those from institutes of higher learning will be launched in 2024.
The Cool Yah Conversations programme will take on a
one-time session approach to cater to those who do not wish to commit to
long-term mentoring.
Individuals can be mentored in subjects like education
transition, careers and personal development. The programme aims to reach 1,000
Malay youth in one year.
Yes, I would also like to receive SPH Media Group's
SPH Media Limited, its related corporations and affiliates as well as their
agents and authorised service providers. marketing and promotions.
Mendaki will set up at least one youth mentoring
programme in each of its 11 M3@Towns by end-2024, up from four towns in 2023.
Its Youth Mentoring Office has trained more than 1,600 people to help more than
5,700 mentees since its inception in 2019.
M3 is a tie-up between self-help group Mendaki, the
Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) and the People’s Association
Malay Activity Executive Committees Council.
Expansion of support network for professionals
To help Malay/Muslim workers expand their support
network and give back to the community, Mendaki will expand its professional
networks to four more industries, including healthcare and media.
The networks currently have more than 450
professionals in the care, green and digital sectors, said Senior Minister of
State for Manpower and Defence Zaqy Mohamad.
These networks help nurture Muslim youth by, for
instance, providing job shadowing opportunities in various industries, he
explained.
In 2023, more than 5,000 Malay/Muslim workers received
help from Mendaki’s care advisers and partners, such as the National Trades
Union Congress, in their job search and career-related needs, said Mr Zaqy.
Fund raising for Gaza during Ramadan
With over 30,000 lives lost and the human toll
increasing, Israel’s military response has gone too far, said Mr Masagos,
echoing a point made by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Parliament on
Feb 29.
“The carnage must stop,” he said.
Mr Masagos added that it has been heartbreaking for
many Singaporeans to see the humanitarian tragedy unfold in Gaza in the past
few months.
“Bound by our shared humanity, we cannot help but
carry with us their pain and suffering,” he said.
“From the many conversations that my parliamentary
colleagues and I have had with the community on this crisis, we hear the deep
sense of grief, frustration and helplessness that many feel amid the ongoing
crisis,” he said. “We understand and share these sentiments.”
He noted that Singapore has announced that it will
send a third tranche of aid, via Jordan, to support civilians in Gaza.
The Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF) will hold
another round of fund-raising appeal for Gaza during Ramadan.
“We hope that Singaporeans will step forward and
contribute generously,” he said.
According to its website, the RLAF’s previous donation
drive from Oct 19 to Nov 17, 2023, raised close to $6.8 million for
humanitarian relief in Gaza.
New fund for religious needs to be launched
community
endowment fund is expected to be open for public contribution later in 2024. It
will serve as a sustainable revenue stream to meet the needs of the local
Muslim community.
The WakafMasyarakat Singapura will support the needs
of religious institutions, the development of religious teachers, and community
programmes.
Muis has received over $3.6 million in pledges for the
fund since 2023, said Mr Masagos.
To encourage the Muslim community here to contribute
to the fund, Muis will embark on public education campaigns, and work with
partners such as M3 lawyers.
It will also work with government agencies such as the
Central Provident Fund Board to leverage national legacy planning initiatives.
Mr Masagos said: “We must continue to ensure strong
foundations for our religious institutions.
“In turn, our religious institutions provide the moral
foundation for our community to thrive in the economy.”
All mosques can soon invest their reserves
A pilot programme that lets mosques here place their
reserves in syariah-compliant investment products to generate better returns
will be expanded, said Mr Masagos.
Since the launch of the Mosque Wakaf Investment Plan
in 2022, 14 mosques in the western part of Singapore had invested close to
$2.37 million, he noted.
By expanding this initiative to all mosques here, they
can grow their funds and amplify their impact on the community, he added.
Muis said the programme will help strengthen the
mosques’ reserves so that they are more financially resilient to meet future
needs, such as renewing their leases.
A three-year partnership that Mendaki has signed with
semiconductor firm Micron Singapore will provide five scholarships for
polytechnic engineering students annually from 2024, with each student
receiving $4,000 a year.
Staff from Micron have also been trained to be
facilitators in Mendaki’s mathematics tuition programme, and to mentor
undergraduates, said Mr Zaqy.
He also provided an update on enrolment numbers for
Mendaki’s signature educational programmes.
KelasMateMatika, which prepares Malay/Muslim children
aged four to six for Primary 1 maths, has supported close to 5,500 children
since 2018. In 2023, 3,200 children and parents were enrolled in the programme,
an increase of 74 per cent from 2022.
Separately, enrolment in the Mendaki Tuition Programme
grew by 15 per cent over the past five years to more than 9,000 students in
2023, he noted.
Of the pupils who received one-to-one coaching for
Primary 6 maths in 2023, 65 per cent of those who previously failed the subject
passed their PSLE maths after the programme, said Mendaki.
Source: straitstimes.com
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----
Tuan Ibrahim defends push to re-enact 16 Syariah
criminal provisions in Kelantan
March 7, 2024
KOTA BARU: The Kelantan State Assembly has a responsibility
to uphold the Islamic legal system, says Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
This comes after the Kelantan State Assembly passed a
motion to re-enact the 16 criminal provisions in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal
Code Enactment (1) 2019 that were deemed unconstitutional by the Federal Court.
The Pas deputy president today said legislation of the
state's Islamic legal system comes under the state assembly.
He said Pas welcomed the decision by the Kelantan
State Assembly to re-enact the laws taking into account some of the weaknesses
to overcome the existing problems.
"The Kelantan State Assembly's actions can serve
as a guide to other state assemblies to overcome similar weaknesses (in their
Islamic laws)," said Tuan Ibrahim to NST.
The KubangKerian MP, however, said Pas would continue
to urge the government to amend the Federal Constitution to give states the
authority to enact and enforce Syariah criminal enactments.
Yesterday, the Kelantan State Assembly unanimously
passed a motion for the re-enactment of 16 criminal provisions in the Kelantan
Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (1) 2019, which were deemed unconstitutional
and invalid for enforcement in the state.
On Feb 9, the that 16 provisions in the Kelantan
Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (1) 2019, were unconstitutional because the
state assembly did not have the power to enact laws on matters that are
supposed to be legislated by Parliament.
The constitutional challenge was initiated by Nik Elin
Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid, a lawyer born in Kelantan, and her daughter Tengku
Yasmin NastashaTengku Abdul Rahman on May 25, 2022.
The duo contended that the power to legislate on
criminal matters belongs exclusively to parliament, with state assemblies only
given the right to enact laws concerning the Islamic faith.
Source: nst.com.my
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----
Pakistan
Pakistani envoy calls for UN probe into TTP's
financing, acquiring of weapons
March 07, 2024
Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United
Nations (UN) Ambassador Munir Akram has called on the intergovernmental
organisation to conduct an investigation into the finances of the banned
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) along with the acquiring of modern weapons by
the militant group.
"The UN should investigate to find out how the TTP
has acquired advanced military equipment and weaponry and to identify the
sources of the group's financing [which is] sustaining its 50,000 fighters and
their dependents and its terrorist operations," the ambassador said while
speaking in a UN Security Council (UNSC) session on Wednesday.
Pakistan has witnessed a significant surge in attacks
on security forces, by TTP and other militant organisations, in recent months
with the militants using advanced weaponry and equipment.
Islamabad has time again called on the interim
Afghanistan government to prevent its land from being used by TTP and other
militant organisations for carrying out attacks against Pakistan.
Furthermore, the envoy sought the UNSC's support for
Pakistan's demand for the interim Afghanistan government to cut off ties with
the TTP.
"I am confident that this council [UNSC] will
join Pakistan in demanding that the Afghan government terminates its
relationship with the TTP.
Urging the UN to call on the Afghan side to prevent
such cross-border attacks and infiltration by the TTP and other terrorists into
Pakistani territory, the ambassador also called for a probe into the financing
and acquiring of modern weapons by the militant group.
"Left unchecked, the TTP, supported by Al-Qaeda
and some [other state-sponsored] groups, could soon pose a global terrorist
threat", he added.
"Interim Afghan government's failure to control
the TTP and other terrorist groups erodes its claim of full control of its
territory that it asserts in order to secure international recognition,"
Akram noted.
Envoy dispels 'forceful deportation' of refugees
Responding to the concerns regarding the alleged
forceful expulsion of illegal Afghan refugees residing inside Pakistan, the
ambassador stressed that 98% of such aliens returned to their country
"voluntarily.
Meanwhile, the remaining 2% who were deported included
individuals who were either involved in terrorism, drug smuggling and other
crimes or were convicted prisoners who had completed their jail terms.
Terming the UN's assertion of an "unfavourable
protection environment in Pakistan" regarding Afghan refugees as
"offensive", Akram highlighted that Islamabad has sheltered almost
five million Afghan refugees for over 40 years at great economic, social and
security costs to our country and to our society, with little help from the
international community.
The country still hosts more than one million
undocumented Afghans who should return forthwith, he added.
"We have made several exceptions for those with
Afghan ID cards, POR cards, for those who may be 'vulnerable' if they return,
and for the over 60,000 Afghans which third countries have offered to receive
but have not done so for over two years," the envoy said adding that the
UN should itself arrange immediate repatriation of Afghan refugees if it has
concerns over "unfavourable protection environment".
Source: thenews.com.pk
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----
Imran backs army’s resolve to bring May 9 culprits to
book
March 7, 2024
ISLAMABAD: Incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan has
said he fully endorses the communiqué of the corps commanders’ conference and
wants strict action against those responsible for May 9 violence.
Talking to the media persons at Adiala Jail on
Wednesday, Mr Khan demanded that the culprits be identified through CCTV
footage, citing the example of the United States where protesters were held for
insurrection and attacking Capitol Hill with the help of security footage.
The former PM, however, regretted that no one was
apparently interested in an independent and fair probe into the May 9 violence.
“May 9 narrative could not work for Feb 8 [election],”
he emphasised, adding that only three political parties were the beneficiaries
of rigged elections.
Criticises ECP for depriving his party of reserved seats;
demands audit of four constituencies
He also criticised the ECP for depriving his party of
reserved seats, terming the move ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘contradictory to the
democracy’. He questioned the legal basis on which reserved seats were
allocated to those parties which were not entitled.
The ex-PM demanded audit of four constituencies,
including the Lahore constituencies of Nawaz Sharif and Aun Chaudhry and the
one in Peshawar from where Noor Alam was declared successful.
He quoted Khawaja Asif as alleging that former army
chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had asked the then opposition to topple the PTI
government. Mr Khan also claimed Gen Bajwa had offered him reward for ‘behaving
nicely’, but he rejected the offer.
The PTI founder said he would never accept the results
of the recent elections, as it would be tantamount to “accepting the slavery”.
He told the media that his party would hold a massive public gathering in
Peshawar against alleged rigging on Sunday.
He claimed that the Feb 8 general election was “the
most rigged one in the history” which would adversely affect the economy with
the result that public at large would suffer an ‘irreparable loss’. It was the
‘stolen mandate’ of East Pakistan that was behind the 1971 tragedy, he said,
adding that the country could not survive without political stability.
Mr Khan said the Sharifs were solely relying upon the
Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) for their future politics, but
it alone could not attract foreign investment. He said the Sharifs had already
changed their narrative.
Meanwhile, the defence counsel in £190m corruption
case against Imran Khan cross-examined two prosecution witnesses before an
accountability court inside the Adiala jail.
Property tycoon Malik Riaz, his son Ahmed Ali Riaz,
Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Zulfi Bukhari, Farah Khan and an associate lawyer of Mr
Akbar, who have also been facing charges in the corruption case, were declared
proclaimed offenders for absconding.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana summoned two more witnesses on
March 13.
On the other hand, a division bench of the Islamabad
High Court (IHC) comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq
Mehmood Jahangiri sought a response from the National Accountability Bureau
(NAB) on Mr Khan’s bail application in the corruption case.
When Justice Farooq inquired if the petitioner was
seeking relief under the provisions related to bail after arrest or invoked the
high court jurisdiction seeking bail through court discretion, counsel Sardar
Latif Khosa said the case was related to bail after arrest and, therefore, it
didn’t matter under which provision the petition had been filed.
The court then re-issued notices to NAB and adjourned
further hearing till next week.
Source: dawn.com
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----
CTD Rawalpindi catches three terrorists carrying
Adiala Jail map, weapons
March 07, 2024
Shabbir Dar
RAWALPINDI: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of
police Thursday said three alleged terrorists were collared and an Adiala
Jail’s map, explosive devices and weapons were recovered from them.
Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Khalid Hamdani
said police recovered weapons, ammunition and explosive devices including
automatic weapons, a hand grenade and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from
the terrorists’ possession.
Following the arrest, police and other law enforcement
agencies conducted a search operation around Adiala Jail, where former prime
minister Imran Khan is also imprisoned.
The CPO said the terrorists hailed from Afghanistan
and further investigation from them was underway.
Earlier on November 7, 2023, police found a suspicious
bag laden with an explosive device near Adiala Road in Gorakhpur, Rawalpindi,
just one kilometre away from the Adiala jail ahead of the hearing of the cipher
case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder.
Law enforcement agencies have already expressed
concern about the security of Khan as all of the case hearings are held under
tight security inside the prisons.
He was shifted to Adiala from Attock on September 26
amid tight security, a day after the Islamabad High Court’s order in this
regard.
An 18-vehicle convoy — including 15 vehicles of
Islamabad police — two armoured vehicles and an ambulance had escorted Khan via
motorway.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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---
Growing visibility of Pakistani-Americans reflective
of Pak-US ties: Masood
March 07, 2024
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan
says the growing visibility and outstanding performance of Pakistani-Americans
in all walks of life reflects the huge potential of our people. It is also
indicative of the deepening bonds between Pakistan and the United States.
Addressing a large gathering of Police officers and
the members of Pakistani diaspora who have gathered at NYPD headquarters to
celebrate “Pakistan Heritage and Resolution Month” being organized by New York
Police Department.
The event was attended among others by Mayor New York
City Eric L. Adams, First Deputy Commissioner Tania O. Kinsella, Chief of NYPD
Jeffrey B. Maddrey, US District Judge of New Jersey Zahid Qureshi, Consul
General of Pakistan in New York Aamer Ahmed Atozai and other senior officials.
Ambassador Masood Khan inaugurated the event as the
Chief Guest in jam-packed hall of over six hundred attendees.
This is for the first time in the history of NYPD that
such a ceremony has been organized at the headquarters of the world’s largest
Police department by Pakistani American Law Enforcement Society and Pakistan’s
Consulate in New York to commemorate Pakistan’s heritage and to pay tribute to
the contributions of Pakistani officers serving the department.
Ambassador Masood Khan lauded PALS for its
contributions towards strengthening ties between Pakistani-American youth and
law enforcement agencies in USA. He said we are proud of our sons and daughters
who are serving the community and fostering a spirit of inclusivity, diversity
and understanding between our communities.
The Ambassador said that the holding of ‘Pakistan’s
Heritage & Resolution Month’ on the eve of ‘Pakistan Day’ carried a special
significance and reflected the strength of decades-long Pak-US ties. He said
one million strong Pakistani American community is the most abiding link
between Pakistan and the United States.
In his speech, Mayor Adams paid a glowing tribute to
the contributions of Pakistani officers of NYPD who are serving the community
with dedication, commitment and professional zeal. He assured his continued
support to Pakistani community in their efforts to excel in all walks of life.
First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella acknowledges
PALS and said your humanitarian efforts go beyond the badge and strengthen the
bonds within our communities.
Chief of Department Jeffrey B. Maddrey in his remarks
appreciated the cooperation of Pakistani diaspora in maintaining law and order
and wished the community happy and safe Ramdhan.
United States District Judge of New Jersey Zahid
Qureshi highlighted the opportunities for Pakistani youth and professionals to
excel in merit-based US society.
Pakistan’s Consul General Aamer Ahmed Atozai said
historic event signified the enduring bonds of collaboration and friendship
between the NYPD and Pakistan. He said the dedication, professionalism, and
commitment to upholding the values of justice and safety are truly commendable,
and they serve as shining examples of the strength and resilience of our
community.
The Ambassador also gave away awards to various officers
for their outstanding performance. He expressed his best wishes for NYPD and
the entire team of PALS in their personal and professional lives. He said the
contributions of over 600 Police officers of Pakistani descent in NYPD and
around 1000 police personnel across the United States is a matter of great
pride for Pakistan and our community.
Source: radio.gov.pk
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----
Dialogue with Imran mandatory, says Elahi
March 06, 2024
ISLAMABAD:Citing the formation of “fake cases” and
underlining the necessity of “return of PTI’s real mandate”, party’s Central
President Parvez Elahi has emphasised that the government’s “proposal for
reconciliation” holds no significance.
Talking to media after appearing before the
anti-corruption court, the PTI president claimed that his party’s candidates
lost the Feb 8 polls due to the alleged tampering of Form 45.
“The country is being pushed towards a dire crisis by
disregarding the public mandate. The election commission has reached the
‘height of cruelty and injustice’ by allocating our reserved seats to the
Pakistan Democratic Movement,” he said.
The PTI leader stressed that the only way to steer the
country of the current crisis was to hold “direct and meaningful dialogue” with
Imran Khan.
“Government’s offer for reconciliation holds no
meaning [in the wake of] fabricated cases and until the return of PTI’s real
mandate.”
Source: tribune.com.pk
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----
Pakistan desired to expand trade ties with friendly
countries: Alvi
2024-03-07
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi said that Pakistan
desired to expand its trade and economic relations with friendly countries.
The president expressed these views during separate
meetings with Ambassador-designate of Pakistan to Portugal Dr Muhammad Khalid
Ejaz and Ambassador-designate of Pakistan to Myanmar Imran Haider, who called
on him at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Wednesday.
Talking to ambassador-designate to Portugal, President
Dr Alvi urged him to work for further strengthening of bilateral trade ties
with his host country, adding that Pakistan was ensuring a conducive
environment for economic and trade activities.
"The foreign investors should avail of such
business-friendly environment in Pakistan. Portuguese IT companies could
benefit from the skilled human resources of Pakistan in the respective
sector," the president said.
President Alvi also underlined the need to enhance
political, cultural and people-to-people contacts between Pakistan and
Portugal, besides strengthening exchanges at the political level.
The president, during his meeting with
ambassador-designate to Myanmar, stressed upon further cementing of bilateral
relations between the two countries. He stressed that both countries were
required to enhance their cooperation in the business sector to promote trade.
He said that Ancient Buddhism heritage in Pakistan
could further bring the two countries closer in tourism and cultural sectors.
On the occasion, the president also separately
expressed his good wishes for the success of both envoys.
Source: brecorder.com
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----
Africa
South Africa appeals to ICJ for further measures
against Israel
March 7, 2024
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Citing “widespread
starvation” in Gaza, South Africa on Wednesday urged the United Nations’ top
court to order Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the war-torn region as
part of an ongoing case alleging that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza
breaches the Genocide Convention.
South Africa — which filed the genocide case against
Israel late last year — approached the International Court of Justice again on
Wednesday and said it was compelled to seek more preliminary orders “in light
of the new facts and changes in the situation in Gaza — particularly the
situation of widespread starvation — brought about by the continuing egregious
breaches” of the convention by Israel.
While aid groups say all of Gaza is mired in a
humanitarian crisis, the situation in the largely isolated north stands out.
Many of the estimated 300,000 people still living there have been reduced to
eating animal fodder to survive, according to some accounts. The UN says that
one in six children under the age of two in the north suffers from acute
malnutrition.
“South Africa respectfully calls on this Court to act
again now — before it is too late — to do what is within its power to save
Palestinians in Gaza from genocidal starvation,” South Africa said in a written
request.
It is the second petition South Africa has made to the
court, seeking motions against Israel, in less than a month. In mid-February,
South Africa requested urgent measures to safeguard southern Gaza’s Rafah amid
Israeli plans for a campaign in the city, Hamas’s last bastion in the enclave.
That request was denied.
At hearings in January, lawyers for Israel argued that
its war in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people and that it was Hamas
who was guilty of genocide.
The International Court of Justice, the principal
judicial organ of the UN, delivers its order on the request for the indication
of provisional measures submitted by South Africa against Israel over its
actions in the Gaza Strip, January 26, 2024. (International Court of Justice)
The Israeli Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment
Wednesday night to South Africa’s latest request.
Israel has strongly denied breaching the Genocide
Convention and, together with its Western allies, has rejected the allegation
as baseless. It has asserted its right to self-defense following Hamas’s
October 7 shock attack, which sparked the war, and says it does all it can to
spare civilians while targeting Hamas terrorists in Gaza. It says Hamas’s
tactics of deliberate embedding in civilian areas and institutions make it more
difficult to avoid civilian casualties.
The ICJ ruled in late January that there was
“plausibility” to South Africa’s claims that Palestinians require protection
from genocide but stopped short of ordering an immediate, unilateral ceasefire.
The order clarified that the decision was not a
determination on the merits of South Africa’s allegations — which may take
years to get through the judicial process — and asked Israel to report to the
court short-term, detailing the measures it has and is taking to comply. The
ICJ asked Israel to prevent actions in the Gaza war that could violate clauses
of the Genocide Convention and ordered regular updates. Israel’s report was not
made public.
On Wednesday, South Africa accused Israel of violating
the provisional measures imposed by the court including that Israel immediately
enable urgently needed services to address starvation and other issues. It
called on judges to make orders without first holding a hearing, due to the
“extreme urgency of the situation.”
The delivery of aid to Gaza has been a central issue
in the ongoing war. Israel, which checks all trucks entering Gaza from both the
Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings, has blamed the United Nations for not
delivering the aid fast enough after they are cleared, and for leading to a
general fall-off in deliveries over the past month.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
said in a statement Wednesday that despite “facing extreme challenges,” aid
workers were able to significantly ramp up humanitarian efforts in February. It
cited a 48% increase in humanitarian missions over the previous month.
But the office added that humanitarian efforts were
“undermined by a cessation of operations to the north and an overall decline in
the security of civilians, including humanitarian aid workers.”
According to COGAT, the Israeli military body in
charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, 257 humanitarian aid trucks entered
Gaza on Wednesday, a significant increase from the number of trucks passing
into Gaza during February.
Over the last week, over 550 packages carrying
humanitarian aid were airdropped over Gaza in cooperation with Jordan, Egypt,
France, USA, UAE and Israel, COGAT added. Aid officials have said that airdrops
are not an efficient means of distributing aid and are a measure of last
resort.
In its request Wednesday, South Africa also again
urged the court to order “all participants in the conflict” to “ensure that all
fighting and hostilities come to an immediate halt, and that all hostages and
detainees are released immediately.”
In an attempt to further ratchet up international
pressure on Israel, South Africa also asked the court to order all countries
that have ratified the convention to “refrain from any action, and in
particular any armed action or support thereof, which might prejudice the right
of the Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide.”
The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel
on October 7 in which thousands of Palestinian terrorists killed around 1,200
people and took 253 hostages. More than 100 of them were released during a
weeklong temporary ceasefire in November. Among the remaining hostages, over 30
are dead, according to military intelligence.
Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said Wednesday the
Palestinian death toll from the war has climbed to 30,717, a figure that cannot
be independently verified and includes some 13,000 Hamas terrorists Israel says
it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 gunmen inside
Israel on October 7.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and
does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tallies. But it
claims women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.
Source: timesofisrael.com
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-----
Mass Kidnapping in Nigeria: Islamic State Jihadists
Abduct Over 100, Mostly Women, Children
MARCH 07, 2024
More than 100 people are missing after jihadists in
northeast Nigeria carried out a mass kidnapping that targeted women and
children from displacement camps, officials told AFP on Thursday.
Anti-jihadist militia leaders have blamed Islamic
State West Africa Province (ISWAP) for last week’s attack in Borno state, the
heart of a jihadist insurgency which has left more than 40,000 people dead and
two million displaced since 2009.
Several details about the attack in rural Ngala are
still unclear and officials have given conflicting accounts. The number of
people reported missing does not necessarily reflect the number held in
captivity.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) said the attack took place on Thursday last week and estimated
over 200 people from camps for displaced people had been abducted.
It said armed attackers took the women while they were
out collecting firewood.
“The United Nations strongly condemns the reported
abduction of internally displaced persons (IDPs), many of them women, boys and
girls,” it said.
“The exact number of people abducted remains unknown
but is estimated at over 200 people.”
OCHA told AFP the figure came from initial estimates
from community leaders, and said headcounts were being carried out in four
displacement camps to verify the number.
It said the camps house almost 104,000 people, mostly
women and children.
Ali Bukar, an officer at the Ngala Local Government
Information Unit, told AFP families had confirmed 113 people missing.
Anti-jihadist militia leader ShehuMada had told AFP
that women from displacement camps were “rounded up by ISWAP insurgents” on
Friday.
“Some of the women were able to escape and returned,”
said Mada, who helped conduct a headcount which found “47 women from the
wood-collecting mission could not be accounted for”.
Usman Hamza, another anti-jihadist militia leader,
confirmed the account.
Borno State police spokesman Nahum Daso Kenneth has
said an attack took place at around four pm (1500 GMT) on Friday, but the
police could not give a precise figure for the number kidnapped.
Kidnapping is a major problem across Nigeria, which is
also grappling with criminal militias in the northwest and a flareup of
intercommunal violence in central states.
Hamas Rejects Hostage Release Before Gaza Ceasefire,
Erdogan Warns Israel Against Al-Aqsa Curbs
Last month kidnappers seized at least 35 women
returning from a wedding in northwestern Katsina state.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came to power last year
promising to address insecurity in Nigeria, but critics say the violence is out
of control.
Source: news18.com
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----
Niger, Mali, Burkina creating joint force to fight
worsening jihadi insurgency
March 07, 2024
NIAMEY, Niger: Junta-led Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali
have agreed to set up a joint force to tackle security threats across their
territories, Niger’s armed forces chief Moussa SalaouBarmou said on Wednesday
after a meeting with his counterparts.
The decision is the latest sign of closer alignment to
emerge since the three neighbors in West Africa’s insurgency-torn central Sahel
region severed military ties with longstanding allies including France and
formed a cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
In a televised statement, Barmou said the new task
force would be “operational as soon as possible to meet the security
challenges,” but did not give further details on the size or remit of the
force.
Violence in the region fueled by the decade-long fight
with Islamist groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State has worsened since
the three countries’ militaries seized power in a series of coups from 2020 to
2023.
It hit a high in 2023, with conflict fatalities in the
central Sahel rising by 38 percent compared with the previous year, according
to US-based crisis-monitoring group ACLED, citing reports of over 8,000 people
killed in Burkina Faso alone last year.
The army chiefs of military-ruled Niger, Mali and
Burkina Faso on Wednesday announced the creation of a joint force to battle
long-running jihadist rebellions raging in their countries.
The new force “will be operational as soon as possible
to take into account the security challenges in our space,” Niger’s army chief
Moussa SalaouBarmou said in a statement following talks in Niamey.
“We are convinced that, with the combined efforts of
our three countries, we will manage to create the conditions for a shared
security,” he added.
The size of the joint force was unspecified but Barmou
said the three armies had agreed to develop an “operational concept” that would
allow them to reach their defense and security objectives.
The announcement is the latest bringing closer the
three neighbors, who have severed ties with former colonial ruler and traditional
security ally France in favor of Russia.
Last year they joined diplomatic forces in an Alliance
of Sahel States with a view to creating a federation and in January announced
their intention to withdraw from the regional bloc the Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS).
ECOWAS has imposed sanctions on all three countries
for overthrowing democratically elected governments in a succession of coups
since 2020.
Anger at civilian governments for failing to stem the
violence meted out by jihadist rebels affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Daesh
group played a large role in the military takeovers.
A jihadist revolt broke out in northern Mali in 2012
before spreading to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
The spiraling violence is estimated to have killed
thousands and displaced millions across the region.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2472486/world
----
New attacks by IS-linked group in Mozambique leave
over 70 children missing
March 07, 2024
A surge of new attacks by an Islamic State-affiliated
group in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province has left more than 70 children
missing, with fears they may have drowned in a river or been kidnapped by
militants as thousands of families fled, local authorities and a group of aid
agencies said.
Around 30 families now seeking shelter in Nampula
province to the south have asked police to help locate their children,
according to a report released Wednesday by the Protection Working Group, a
network of non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies.
The attacks have hit areas that had been relatively
untouched since the start of the jihadist insurgency in Cabo Delgado in 2017.
They may mark a new stage in a crisis that aid agencies say forced more than a
million people to flee their homes during nearly seven years of violence. Thousands
were killed.
Cabo Delgado, Mozambique's northernmost province that
borders Tanzania, was thrust into the international spotlight in 2020 and 2021
when insurgents were accused of carrying out mass beheadings, including of
children.
The U.N.'s migration agency said nearly 100,000 people
were displaced between early February and early March after Islamic State
Mozambique fighters launched a new offensive from their heartland in coastal
central Cabo Delgado into the south. More than 61,000 of those displaced were
children, it said.
Save the Children called it the largest displacement
of children in Cabo Delgado in 18 months.
"There are repeated reports of beheadings and
abductions, including multiple child victims," Save the Children said.
The U.N. high commissioner for refugees, Filippo
Grandi, is in Cabo Delgado and was due to update on the situation and
humanitarian response on Thursday.
A total of 72 children have now been reported missing
after the recent attacks, said Albertina Ussene, the Nampula provincial
government's director of gender, children and social action, who was quoted by
the Lusa news agency. Ussene told a meeting of provincial officials this week
that another 29 children had been reunited with their families.
The report by the Protection Working Group said around
27 villages in southern Cabo Delgado were attacked late last month. It said
children and older people were reported to have drowned while trying to escape,
and some men were believed to have been kidnapped.
The report said an unconfirmed number of people were
killed and 500 buildings, including houses, churches and markets, were
destroyed.
The U.N. Children's Agency said the displacement of
tens of thousands more people risks exacerbating cholera outbreaks due to
overcrowding and the lack of clean water and sanitary facilities in
displacement sites.
Insurgent attacks were relatively limited in Cabo
Delgado last year. The head of the Mozambique army, Maj. Gen. Tiago Nampele
said in December that the troubled province was "90-95% secure."
But over the weekend, Islamic State Mozambique
fighters occupied the coastal town of Quissanga, one of Cabo Delgado's district
capitals, which the Mozambican military had left unprotected. The next day,
insurgents beheaded three members of the security forces on a nearby island.
The army's ability to stop the killings has long been
questioned.
Mozambique has been fighting the jihadist militants in
the north since October 2017. Initially known as Ansar al-Sunna, the insurgent
group affiliated with Islamic State in 2019. It is composed mostly of
Mozambicans with some fighters coming from Tanzania and further abroad.
Islamic State Mozambique's political goals have not
been explicitly stated, but it recently made attempts to impose Islamic law in
areas under its influence.
Piers Pigou, the head of southern Africa at the
Institute for Security Studies, said the recent mass displacements showed how
fragile security in Cabo Delgado remains.
"The government acknowledges that only a handful
of insurgents can generate widespread uncertainty," he said. "This
will not change unless communities have far greater belief that the security
forces will be able to provide the required stability."
Source: africanews.com
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-----
North
America
US Says It Will Welcome ‘Productive, Peaceful’ Talks
Between India, Pakistan
MARCH 07, 2024
The US said it will welcome “productive and peaceful
talks” between India and Pakistan but highlighted that both nations will
determine the “pace, scope, and character of” the talks.
“The United States values its relationship with both
India and Pakistan, and we want to see them have a productive and peaceful
relationship,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. “We would
welcome productive and peaceful talks between India and Pakistan, but the pace,
scope, and character of any dialogue is a matter for India and Pakistan to
determine,” Miller said.
India has maintained that talks with Pakistan will
only resume if the neighbour stops using terrorism as a tool to destabilise the
region and cause instability in the Kashmir region.
Miller’s response was to a question posed to him by a
reporter on how does the US state department view Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s congratulatory message to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
following the latter’s swearing-in earlier on Tuesday.
“So, we, of course, welcome the prime minister’s
statement,” Miller said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated counterpart
Shehbaz Sharif following his swearing-in on Monday. “Congratulations to Shehbaz
Sharif on being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan,” PM Modi said in a
post on social media site X.
Hamas Rejects Hostage Release Before Gaza Ceasefire,
Erdogan Warns Israel Against Al-Aqsa Curbs
President Arif Alvi administered the oath to the
72-year-old Shehbaz in a ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the presidential
residence. Shehbaz Sharif is taking over the reins of the cash-strapped country
for a second time. He was also the outgoing prime minister and took over from
Imran Khan after the latter was ousted in a no-confidence motion vote in 2022.
However, his second stint has begun with controversy
because his party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) and its supremo,
his elder brother and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif are accused to have
the backing of the Pakistani deep state and the Pakistan Army in the recently
concluded elections where the party did emerge as the single-largest party but
did so amid widespread allegations of rigging as independents backed by
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) appeared to bag the most seats.
Source: news18.com
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----
US ‘quietly’ made over 100 weapons sales to Israel
during Gaza war: Report
07 March 2024
A new report has revealed that the United States has
quietly authorized over 100 separate weapons sales to Israel since the start of
the Gaza war in early October, despite mounting alarm over the occupying
regime’s genocidal campaign against the besieged territory.
US officials told members of Congress in a recent
classified briefing that the sales include thousands of precision-guided
munitions, small diameter bombs, bunker busters, small arms and other lethal
aid, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
The report comes as only two approved weapons sales
authorized by US President Joe Biden had been made public so far but the latest
triple-digit figure has not been previously reported.
The Biden administration bypassed Congress to initiate
$106 million in sales of tanks ammunition as well as $147.5 million of
components needed to make 155 mm shells.
However, the 100 other weapons transfers were
processed without any public debate because each fell under a specific dollar
amount that requires the executive branch to individually notify Congress.
Jeremy Konyndyk, a former senior Biden administration
official and current president of Refugees International, said these
transactions are “an extraordinary number of sales over the course of a pretty
short amount of time, which really strongly suggests that the Israeli campaign
would not be sustainable without this level of US support.”
Josh Paul, a former State Department official who
resigned in protest over the Biden administration’s Gaza policy, also noted,
“The arms transfer process lacks transparency by design.”
The vast number of transfers since early October,
largely financed by the more than $3.3 billion in US taxpayer funds Washington
provides to Israel every year, “is something we deserve to know as citizens of
a democracy,” he said.
Israel launched the devastating war on Gaza on October
7 after the territory’s Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise
retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.
Since then, the United States has supplied the Tel
Aviv regime with more than 10,000 tons of military equipment, and used its veto
power against all United Nations Security Council resolutions that called for
an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The relentless Israeli military campaign against Gaza
has so far killed more than 30,700 people, most of them women and children.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/03/07/721437/Palestine-Israel-Gaza-war-US-arms-sale-report-Congress-Biden
-----
US Muslims to Begin Ramadan Observance as War Rages in
Gaza
March 06, 2024
WASHINGTON —
The Islamic holiday of Ramadan is being observed this
year as the Israel-Hamas war surges in Gaza, where the United Nations is
warning of a growing humanitarian crisis.
Imam Talib Shareef of Masjid Muhammad, the Nation’s
Mosque, in Washington said there will be differences in how Muslims observe
this year because of the conflict.
Other than organizing prayers for the community, the
mosque is "more engaged in service and feeding; we actually feed at the
masjid and [also at] shelters, and we also go to other faith communities,"
said Shareef, who served for more than 30 years in the U.S. Air Force and helped
to establish the first Islamic military chaplain in 1993.
"I do expect that … religious communities are
going to be trying to come together," he said, noting that his mosque also
works with churches and gives food to others in the community.
"Obviously [the conflict] is going to be on
people's hearts, on people's souls, it's bothering people," Shareef said.
Nearly 2 billion Muslims around the world will begin
observing the Islamic holiday Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 10
or 11, depending on the sighting of the moon.
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from
food, drink, smoking, gossip and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset.
Fasting is meant to bring Muslims closer to God and help them better empathize
with those who are less fortunate.
US Muslims
In the United States, the Muslim population is about
3.45 million, which accounts for slightly more than 1% of the population,
according to Pew Research.
Depending on where Muslims live in the United States,
their experience can vary. In some rural areas, Muslims may not have access to
a mosque or a community where they can practice their faith.
This is particularly true for immigrants who move to
areas without a large Muslim population.
Jemal Yasin, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia
in 2008 to do postgraduate research at the University of Vermont, described his
first experience in the United States as "a little bit lonely."
He said there was a community of Somali immigrants,
though he didn’t get a chance to pray with them.
During that first year in the States, he said he had
to "pray in my room by myself," which he said was a typical
experience of many Muslim immigrants.
Now, Yasin is president of the board of directors of a
the First Hijrah Foundation in Washington.
The FHF started as a small organization that aimed to
"promote and preserve the Islamic heritage," and "foster the
Islamic principles of brotherhood, equality, mutual assistance and teachings of
peace, love and justice," according to its website.
Initially, the organization didn't have a building,
and members of the foundation would meet at one another's houses. It wasn't
until 2005 that their current building was officially secured, said Yasin.
"This is a center for Muslims, all Muslims. … So,
when you come here, you see [people of many] backgrounds – African Americans,
Ethiopians, Somalians, Arabs – they will come pray together and break fast
together, so this is a place for everybody," Yasin said.
He added that the foundation works with the community
and organizes events for Muslims, before, during and after Ramadan.
When he moved to Washington later in 2008 Yasin became
involved with the foundation and was able to be part of a larger Muslim
community.
Ramadan observations are becoming more common in the
United States, with many organizations hosting events to observe the month.
Shareef said, "We used to have more … private
iftars in the past, and now they're more open … and we are able to share
more."
After sunset, Muslims typically gather for iftar — the
breaking of the fast and the most important meal of the day.
Yasin said the foundation helped organize a bazaar on
Sunday to help the community prepare for Ramadan. Traditional clothing, incense
and foods, such as dates, were sold.
During Ramadan, the First Hijrah Foundation will be
providing free iftars for the community each night.
Ramadan this year
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war is the result of an
October 7 terror attack in which Hamas crossed into Israel, killing more than
1,200 people and taking more than 240 civilians hostage. The Israeli military
response has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health
ministry.
Negotiators are pushing for a possible cease-fire in
the Israel-Hamas conflict ahead of the start of Ramadan.
Source: voanews.com
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----
CAIR Says SOTU is President Biden’s ‘Best and Perhaps
Last Chance’ to Listen to the American People, End Gaza Genocide
Ismail Allison
March 6, 2024
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the
nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said that
President Biden’s State of the Union address is his “best and perhaps last
chance” to announce concrete steps showing he is listening to the American
people demanding that his administration end its immoral support for the
genocide in Gaza and secure a permanent ceasefire.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad
Awad said:
“The State of the Union is President Biden’s best and
perhaps last chance to listen to the American people and announce concrete
steps to force the Israeli government to end its genocide in Gaza. If President
Biden instead plays word games about a temporary ceasefire, justifies the
ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people, or insists on continuing to enable
Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign of indiscriminate bombing, ethnic cleansing and
forced starvation, his State of the Union address could permanently damage his
relationship with millions of Americans watching at home, including two million
American Muslim registered voters.”
He noted that The Guardian reported: “A protest vote
against Joe Biden gained more traction around the country on Super Tuesday as
voters in several states sought to send a message to the Democratic president
to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”
The Washington Post reports that the Biden
administration has “quietly approved and delivered more than 100 separate
foreign military sales to Israel since the Gaza war began on October 7, US
officials told members of Congress in a recent classified briefing.”
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-says-sotu-is-president-bidens-best-and-perhaps-last-chance-to-listen-to-the-american-people-end-gaza-genocide/
----
CAIR Endorses Maryland Teacher Union’s Gaza Ceasefire
Resolution, Condemns Outside Pressure by JCRC to Block Resolution
Ibrahim Hooper
March 6, 2024
The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) today endorsed a Gaza ceasefire resolution proposed by the
Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) and urged community members to
act swiftly to help pass the measure by signing and sharing a click and send
letter to the MCEA board.
CAIR also condemned attempts by the Jewish Community
Relations Council of Greater Washington (JCRC) to block the resolution.
ACT NOW: Urge Montgomery County Teachers’ Association
to VOTE FOR CEASEFIRE
“MCEA’s ceasefire resolution is important precisely
because all students in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) deserve to
thrive – including Palestinian-American children whose loved ones have been killed
or forcibly displaced in the relentless carpet-bombing of Gaza funded by
billions of our tax dollars,” said CAIR’s Maryland director Zainab Chaudry.
“MCPS educators also deserve to thrive, including those who’ve been unjustly
reprimanded for simply advocating for their basic human rights. The educational
system in Gaza has been decimated. Children there have not attended school
since October. Advocating for all students is an important part of being an
educator. The tax dollars our government spends to prolong this deadly violence
are put to better use investing in our own schools and towns. Anyone who fails
to understand this is out of touch with humanity.”
Last month, the civil rights group filed a lawsuit
against MCPS for violating three teachers’ free speech rights by placing them
on suspension over basic advocacy for Palestinian human rights.
CAIR alleges Montgomery County public schools violated
teachers’ First Amendment rights
In December, CAIR welcomed a letter by MCEA calling on
MCPS to “cease and desist blatantly violating unit members’ rights to due
process by issuing letters to school communities regarding personnel matters
when an MCEA unit member is placed on administrative leave, prior to an
investigation having taken place.”
Source: cair.com
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Arab
World
Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli settlement expansion
plans in West Bank
March 06, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday condemned an Israeli
decision to approve the development of 3,500 new settlement units in the West
Bank.
The Saudi foreign ministry said the Kingdom “strongly
condemned” the planned settlement and attempts to Judaized large parts of the
West Bank.
The statement comes as an Israeli minister said the
plans to construct the units had been pushed forward.
Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said there were
3,426 homes advanced through a planning committee, across MaaleAdumim and
Kedar, east of Jerusalem, and Efrat, south of the city.
The recent push comes after Finance Minister Bezalel
Smotrich last month vowed to expand settlements, in response to Palestinian
gunmen killing an Israeli civilian and wounding several others in the West
Bank.
“Nearly 3,500 settlement units,” minister Orit Strock
wrote Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter.
“We promised -- we are delivering... Together we will
continue to advance the settlements,” added Strock, an ally of fellow
extreme-right settler Smotrich.
The move also came as Israel is engaged in a war with
Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip since the Islamist group’s deadly attack on
southern Israeli communities on October 7.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are viewed as
illegal under international law and many countries reject their expansion.
Israel captured the West Bank in 1967 after the Arab-Israeli war and
settlements there have flourished with nearly half a million settlers calling
the territory home.
Source: arabnews.com
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Dhaifallah discussed plan activities of Al-Aqsa
Support Campaign in Hodeida during Ramadan
[06/March/2024]
HODEIDA March 06. 2024 (Saba) - A meeting in Hodeida
province, chaired on Wednesday by the Minister of Information in the caretaker
government, member of the Central Committee for the Support of Al-Aqsa
Dhaifallah Al-Shami, discussed the plan and activities of the campaign to
support the Palestinian people during the month of Ramadan.
The meeting, which included Governor Mohammed Qahim,
First Undersecretary of the Governorate Ahmed Al-Bishri, deputy governors and
officials of offices and concerned authorities, reviewed the paths of expanding
programs and escalating solidarity activities in support of the Palestinian
people and keeping pace with the operations of the armed forces to deter ships
and battleships of the American, British and Zionist enemy.
He touched on the mechanisms for adopting new squares
to organize mass marches in order to facilitate citizens to travel to
participate through the nearest square to the governorate's directorates, as
well as activating the role of the official and popular side in holding stands,
events and solidarity seminars.
Source: saba.ye
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Yemen attack on US ship leaves at least 3 death:
CENTCOM
Mar 7, 2024
TEHRAN, Mar. 07 (MNA) – Yemen's attack on an American
ship in the Gulf of Aden left at least 3 dead, US officials confirmed.
Four other crewmembers were injured, with three in
critical condition, and the vessel sustained "significant damage," US
Central Command said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
The spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces,
Brigadier General Yahya Saree confirmed earlier Wednesday's reports of media
about targeting an American ship from Yemen in the Gulf of Aden.
Yahya Saree announced that the Yemeni Navy targeted
and set fire to the American ship "TRUE CONFIDENCE" in the Gulf of
Aden with appropriate naval torpedoes.
According to the Yemeni military's statement, the
operation was carried out after the crew of the American ship ignored the alert
warnings issued to them by the Yemeni armed forces.
The Greek-owned cargo ship True Confidence has been
hit by a missile about 50 nautical miles (93km) southwest of the Yemeni port of
Aden in an attack media reported earlier today.
The bulk carrier was drifting with a fire continuing
onboard after it was attacked on Wednesday, a statement by the ship’s owner and
operator said, adding that no information was available on the status of the
ship’s 20 crew members and three armed guards.
Source: mehrnews.com
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Saudi minister tackles Gaza during meeting with EU
official
March 06, 2024
BRUSSELS: Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
and Climate Envoy Adel Al-Jubeir reiterated the Kingdom’s calls for an end to
the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the implementation of a two-state solution
in Palestine during a meeting with an EU official.
Al-Jubeir addressed the developments in Gaza and the
expanding tensions in the region with the EU Special Representative for the
Middle East Peace Process, Sven Koopmans, during his official visit to the
Belgian capital, Brussels.
He urged support for all efforts to end hostilities in
Gaza that have placed majority of the population on the brink of famine and
establish secure humanitarian aid corridors for the war-affected population.
The officials also discussed enhancing cooperation
between the Kingdom and the EU.
During his visit, Al-Jubeir met with Hannah Neumann,
chairman of the EU delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula.
They both discussed regional and international issues
of common interest.
The Saudi minister also visited the Egmont Royal
Institute for International Relations in Brussels where he discussed with senior
researchers the Kingdom’s foreign policy and its stance towards various
regional and international issues as well as its efforts to enhance
international peace and security.
Source: arabnews.com
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Muslim World League and Red Cross chiefs meet to
discuss humanitarian crisis
March 06, 2024
RIYADH: Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the
secretary-general of the Muslim World League and chair of the Organization of
Muslim Scholars, visited the humanitarian vessel Ocean Viking this week, where
he met the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies, JaganChapagain, and was briefed on the work of the
vessel and its crew.
The president of the Italian Red Cross, Rosario
Valastro, was also present at the meeting, which took place off coast of
Sicily, a place that officials said “has witnessed the greatest
migration-related humanitarian suffering.”
Al-Issa commended the vessel’s crew for their noble,
life-saving humanitarian work, including the provision of food, medicine and
healthcare to migrants stranded at sea, which he said is carried out in
cooperation with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Chapagain expressed appreciation for the significant
support provided by MWL, an important strategic partner to his organization,
which he said is vital if its urgent mission and humanitarian efforts are to
continue.
“The MWL’s contribution to the projects has had a
great impact on the lives of displaced people, which is a reflection of the
generous support provided by MWL to this humanitarian effort and its
partnership. This is truly appreciated by everyone,” Chapagain said.
“Through the cooperation of humanitarian
organizations, we are contributing to saving lives and preserving human dignity
at sea. This vessel is a symbol of solidarity and humanity, as it seeks to
provide humanitarian assistance and protection to migrants and displaced
people.”
The MWL has announced that an agreement signed with
IFRC last year with the aim of “supporting migrants, displaced people and the
victims of conflicts” is to be renewed.
Officials said it has already helped save the lives of
more than 2,744 displaced people, mostly in the Mediterranean, which is
considered the most dangerous route taken by migrants. It provides healthcare
and other assistance, including more than 20,000 meals for people after they
reach safety.
Al-Issa also stressed the urgent need to help facilitate
the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza as a matter of priority
for the international community.
Source: arabnews.com
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South
Asia
Acting Minister of Information and Culture Prioritizes
Protection of Cultural Heritage
2024-03-06
KABUL (BNA): Mullah KhairullahKhairkhwah, the Acting
Minister of Information and Culture, met with the CEO of MCC mining company,
which holds the contract for the MesAynak mine, in his office today.
During the meeting, MullarhKhairullahKhairkhwah
emphasized the importance of cultural heritage and declared its preservation as
a priority for the ministry.
He assured full cooperation in the mining of the Aynak
Copper Mine and stated that historical monuments are not exclusive to one
country, but their protection is the responsibility of all nations.
The CEO of MCC company expressed their commitment to
conducting the mining operations of the Aynak copper mine in a manner that
ensures the protection of cultural and historical monuments. He also requested
further cooperation from the Ministry of Information and Culture in this
regard.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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UNAMA Chief announces readiness for 3rd Doha
conference with Taliban and stakeholders
Fidel Rahmati
March 6, 2024
The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in
Afghanistan (UNAMA) announced the readiness to hold the third Doha conference
on Afghanistan.
Raza Otunbayeva stated her hope for the participation
of the Taliban and other stakeholders in this meeting. However, she did not
provide further details about the timing of the conference.
The head of UNAMA stated in a report to the UN
Security Council that the next Doha session should have a practical agenda,
aiming for discussions that yield the results the organization seeks.
However, it is said that this session, unlike the
first two Doha sessions, will likely be held at a different level and possibly
without the presence of the UN Secretary-General.
The second round of Doha talks, attended by Antonio
Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, and representatives from 25 countries and
international organizations on Afghanistan, was held on February 18th and 19th.
This session ended without a clear outcome due to the
Taliban’s abstention from participating and because the conditions set by the
group for its attendance were not met.
UNAMA notes Afghanistan’s global challenge due to
terrorism. Concerns extend to various terrorist groups, including the Pakistani
Taliban, posing regional threats.
UNAMA emphasizes engagement with the Taliban and
ongoing human rights consultations. Otunbayeva highlights substantial global
aid, urging sustained support for Afghanistan’s stability.
Continued assistance from the global community is
crucial for Afghanistan’s stabilization and development efforts, reinforcing
the importance of sustained support.
Source: khaama.com
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US House of Representatives to hold another session on
Messy Afghanistan withdrawal
Fidel Rahmati
March 6, 2024
The disorderly withdrawal of the United States from
Afghanistan, often termed a “strategic failure,” has been a topic of repeated
debate in the United States House of Representatives. However, the latest
development indicates that the Committee on Foreign Affairs of this House will
hold its next session on this matter, with the participation of two retired
generals.
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs announced
unexpectedly on ?Tuesday, March 5th, its readiness to hold a session titled
“Strategic Failure: Biden’s Retreat, American Generals, and Taliban Dominance,”
scheduled for March 19 of the current year.
General Mark Milley, former Chief of Staff of the U.S.
Army, and Kent Frank McKenzie, former commander of CENTCOM, are the two retired
generals slated to provide insights into America’s tumultuous exit from
Afghanistan at the March nineteenth session.
The previous session of this committee featured Zalmay
Khalilzad, a diplomat and the United States Special Representative for Afghan
Reconciliation, renowned as the architect of the Doha Agreement.
It is worth noting that the United States forces,
leading an international coalition, began withdrawing from Afghanistan
following the signing of the Doha Agreement in 2020. However, from August 15 to
the end of August 2021, this process intensified in a manner described as
“disorderly and chaotic.”
The planned session reflects the gravity of the
situation, with experts and former military leaders expected to shed light on
the complexities surrounding America’s exit strategy and the resurgence of
Taliban control.
As the world watches closely, this congressional
session signifies a critical juncture in understanding the implications and
repercussions of America’s hasty departure from Afghanistan.
Source: khaama.com
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Afghanistan to Witness Economic Growth in Coming
Years: Kabir
March 6, 2024
The deputy prime minister for political affairs,
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, said that within the next few years, Afghanistan will grow
not only politically but also economically.
During the commencement ceremony of the national
tree-planting campaign under the slogan "Planting Trees, Eradicating
Drought" in Badam Bagh, Kabul, and at the Qosh Tepa Canal, Kabir called
the completion of this project as a revolution in agriculture for the country.
He said: "Efforts are underway for water
management, and surveys have been conducted in all districts of Afghanistan for
the construction of dams to prevent drought and manage water throughout the
districts."
According to him, climate change has posed various
challenges to countries worldwide, especially Afghanistan. Internal conflicts,
deforestation, and illegal logging have exacerbated issues such as air
pollution and drought in recent years.
In the event, the deputy prime minister for political
affairs considered the lack of a standard water supply system as the reason for
the scarcity of drinking water in Kabul, assuring that the Islamic Emirate
plans to build large dams for national water management.
"The tree-planting process can energize and
enhance the greening process," Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of
Economy said.
Meanwhile, the acting Minister of Agriculture,
Irrigation and Livestock, Attaullah Omari, mentioned the efforts to standardize
the agricultural system, livestock management, irrigation, and establish
specific procedures to protect forests and reclaim government-encroached lands.
Omari said, "Our livestock sector is traditional,
and we have plans for this sector. The first decision is to improve and
transform the existing traditional breeds; we will provide breeds to our
livestock farmers that are worth their efforts."
Meanwhile, the Directorate of the greenery affairs
department of the Kabul municipality highlighted tree planting as crucial in
preventing floods, air pollution, and global warming, announcing that
approximately 2 million fruit and non-fruit trees will be planted in 1403
(solar year).
The head of the greenery affairs department of the
Kabul municipality, Abdul Wakil Mutawakil, said: "Kabul's air was polluted
in the past years, but efforts by the municipality have cleaned it."
The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock
reported that approximately 82 million fruit and non-fruit trees have been
distributed and planted across the country in the past two years.
Source: tolonews.com
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Salman Charity Foundation donates $1.1 million to
healthcare in Central Afghanistan
Fidel Rahmati
March 7, 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the
Salman Charity Foundation, led by the King of Saudi Arabia, donated $1.1
million for healthcare in Bamyan province. This money will be used to provide
healthcare services for mothers and children in that province.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, March 6,
regarding the donation exceeding $1 million from the Salman Charity Foundation.
The funds will be managed through the Development Bank and the Islamic
Cooperation Organization to support healthcare efforts.
According to the World Health Organization,
Afghanistan’s healthcare system is in crisis, with the country still having the
highest maternal mortality rate in the region. Previous reports from the
organization have highlighted these challenges.
The WHO statement emphasizes that this donation will
be used to prevent avoidable deaths among pregnant women, children, and
adolescents in Afghanistan. The aim is to address and stop these preventable
deaths.
he donation from the Salman Charity Foundation will
benefit 134,876 people, including 52,870 pregnant and postpartum women, as well
as more than 63,000 children under the age of five.
This charity foundation has previously assisted
earthquake victims in Badakhshan and Herat.
Despite efforts by charitable organizations like the
Salman Charity Foundation to assist earthquake-affected regions such as
Badakhshan and Herat, ongoing healthcare disparities persist across
Afghanistan. The unequal distribution of aid resources underscores the need for
equitable access to healthcare services nationwide.
Women and children, as the most vulnerable groups,
bear the brunt of inadequate healthcare access and malnutrition in Afghanistan.
Addressing these issues requires not only financial aid but also comprehensive
healthcare reforms aimed at improving infrastructure, training healthcare
workers, and ensuring equitable access to essential services for all.
The Salman Charity Foundation’s donation represents a
step towards mitigating the healthcare crisis in Bamyan province, but it also
highlights the broader challenges facing Afghanistan’s healthcare system.
Sustainable solutions must prioritize long-term investments in healthcare
infrastructure, education, and preventative care to ensure the well-being of
all citizens, particularly women and children.
Source: khaama.com
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UN Reports 24 confirmed attacks on Taliban without
major territorial shifts
Fidel Rahmati
March 6, 2024
The UN Secretary-General reports that the Freedom
Front carried out 24 attacks on the Taliban between November 1, 2023, and
January 10, this year. However, Antonio Guterres noted in his report that these
armed opponents haven’t posed major territorial challenges to the Taliban.
The UN Office in Afghanistan, on Wednesday, March 6,
released the Secretary-General’s quarterly report on the situation in
Afghanistan.
Antonio Guterres also described assessing the
capabilities of anti-Taliban military forces as “difficult” due to the lack of
verifiable claims about their attacks on social media.
Nonetheless, he confirmed that the Freedom Front
continued its assassinations and “small-scale attacks” against Taliban forces.
The report indicates these attacks have expanded from rural to urban areas.
Mr. Guterres mentioned four Freedom Front attacks in
Pul-e Khumri, four in Kabul, one in Kandahar, one in Aybak, and one in Samangan
in his report.
According to the UN Secretary-General, these attacks
occurred between November 1 of the past year and January 10 of this year.
The report highlights the National Resistance Front,
which had the most activities in Panjshir and conducted no attacks in its
traditional base, Panjshir.
Guterres notes that other armed groups opposed to the
Taliban have also claimed existence and attacks on Taliban forces, but none of
these reports have been confirmed.
The UN Secretary-General writes in his report that the
continued implementation of Taliban policies violating the rights of Afghan women
and men is alarming.
Antonio Guterres asks the Taliban government to halt
corporal punishment, which violates Afghanistan’s commitments under the United
Nations Convention against Torture.
Source: khaama.com
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Pakistan expels two hundred Afghan migrants
Fidel Rahmati
March 6, 2024
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation of the caretaker
government has announced that over two hundred Afghan migrants residing in
Pakistan have returned to Afghanistan after being expelled by the Pakistani
authorities.
This ministry stated on Wednesday, March 6, on its
official social media platform X that around two hundred individuals returned
to the country from Pakistan.
According to the statement of the Ministry of Refugees
and Repatriation, these migrants re-entered the country via the Torkham border
in Nangarhar province after being expelled by the Pakistani government.
Recently, there has been a significant increase in the
expulsion of Afghan citizens from Pakistan.
The interim government of Pakistan initiated the
process of expelling undocumented migrants from the country after November 1,
2023, stating that approximately 1.7 million Afghan migrants residing in
various parts of the country without legal documents will be expelled from
Pakistan.
The plight of Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan
to Afghanistan raises concerns about their reintegration into society,
especially considering the challenges they may face upon their return.
Many of these returning refugees lack proper
documentation and may encounter difficulties in accessing basic services and
livelihood opportunities in Afghanistan.
Efforts from both the Afghan and international
communities are necessary to support the successful reintegration of these
returning refugees and address their needs effectively.
Source: khaama.com
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Nimruz Governor Appeals for Increased WFP Assistance
2024-03-06
KABUL (BNA): Sheikh Mohammad Qasim Khalid, the
Governor of Nimruz province, has called for increased humanitarian aid from the
World Food Programme (WFP) to various regions of the province during a meeting
with its representatives.
According to a statement from the Nimruz Governor’s
office, the WFP representatives briefed Khalid on their activities over the
past six months, highlighting their assistance to the people of Afghanistan in
various areas. They noted that the process of aid delivery continues in
different provinces of the country.
With the rule of the Islamic Emirate, they affirmed
that overall security in the country is ensured, enabling them to deliver
humanitarian aid to all parts of Afghanistan.
The Governor expressed his gratitude to the WFP
representatives for their assistance to needy families in Afghanistan.
Khalid requested the WFP representatives to initiate
the distribution of aid in the remote areas of Nimruz Province. He also
addressed the issue of water scarcity in the province, urging the WFP officials
to assist the people of Nimruz in this regard.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/religious-mughal-kashmir-hazratbal-shrine/d/131868