Several Rights Groups Protest against Release of 11 Convicts Sentenced To Life for Gang Rape and Murder in the Bilkis Bano Case
New Age Islam News Bureau
19 August 2022
Women’s groups protest on
Jantar Mantar Road on Thursday against the release of the 11 gang-rape and
massacre convicts who were serving life sentences in the Bilkis Bano riots case
of 2002./ Centre for Struggling Women
-----
• Hosted By GOP Jewish Group, Dr. Mehmet Oz to Become
the First-Ever Muslim Elected To the US Senate
• Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate, Hibatullah
Akhundzada, Says He Will Engage With International Community within Sharia
Framework
• Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan Warns Nationalists
Levelling Allegations against the Banned Outfit
• Iraq's Sadrist Movement Rejects Results of National
Dialogue
India
• Bababudan Dargah/Peetha': Management Panel Comprising
Hindus, Muslims to Oversee Religious Practices
• Rohingya Refugees ‘Speechless’ After U-Turn
• Group of friends attacked in Kodagu over presence of
2 Muslims: Police
• Weapons dropping by Pak drones: NIA searches
multiple locations in J&K
• Pakistan site warns of more targeted attacks in
J&K over voting rights for all
--------
North
America
• Most Americans Support Taking In Afghan Refugees But
Oppose The Taliban, Finds Survey
• Confronting anti-Shia hate is necessary to prevent
killings like Albuquerque’s
• Michigan Imam Serves Tehran Regime as He's Fêted by
U.S. Politicians
• Gander working with Muslim community to build
mosque, retain Muslim doctors
• Federal court rejects Muslim student’s lawsuit over
controversial quiz about Islamic terrorism
• ISIS ‘Beatle’ faces life sentence for US hostage
deaths
--------
South
Asia
• 'You Have the Same Rights As I Have', Bangladesh PM
Hasina Tells the Hindu Community on Janmashtami
• Former NSA Calls Doha Accord ‘Terrible Agreement’
• Taliban Condemns Bombing of Mosque in Afghan Capital
• Hamid Karzai: ‘After Taliban takeover, I told Indian
envoy not to leave… glad they coming back’
• Want to export goods to India like Pakistan, says
Taliban minister in Afghanistan
• Disgruntled Taliban commander killed while trying to
flee to Iran
--------
Pakistan
• US commander lauds Pakistan Army’s ‘commendable’
efforts in war on terror
• Madrassa student abuse case, Qari Shams gets life
imprisonment
• Imran Khan: PTI's Plea Seeking Disqualification of PM
Shehbaz, Cabinet Dismissed
• Salman Rushdie attack was unjustifiable: Imran Khan
• Pak Army Would Be Held Responsible By History for
Doing Nothing to Stop Corruption: Imran Khan
• Pakistan lifts ban on import of non-essential and
luxury items to meet IMF condition for bailout package
• Pakistan wants peaceful ties with India: PM Shehbaz
--------
Arab
World
• Lebanon’s Public Sector Paralyzed as Country Lurches
toward ‘Failed State’
• Saudi Crown Prince Meets Iraq's Shia Cleric, Ammar
Al-Hakim, In Riyadh
• With few visitors, custodian of Syria castle has
lonely job
• Lebanon records major spike in murders and suicides
in 2022: Data
• Missile strike kills 9 civilians in northern Syria
• UN warns of increasing violence at Al Hol camp in
Syria
• Turkish forces 'neutralize' 9 YPG/PKK terrorists in
northern Syria
--------
Mideast
• Next Gaza Battle Will Sweep Israel off The Face of
Occupied Palestinian Lands, Islamic Jihad Warns
• Israeli Forces Raid Offices of Several Palestinian
Rights Groups, Civil Society Organizations in West Bank
• Iran Calls on Western Gov'ts to Stop Ignoring
Israeli Crimes against Palestinians
• Palestinian Islamic State leader in Sinai killed by
Egyptian forces - report
• Human Rights Chief Blasts US for Unjust Detainment
of Iranians
• Israeli PM speaks to Germany's Scholz on Iran
nuclear deal
• Palestinian killed in Israeli West Bank raid:
Palestinian ministry
--------
Africa
• Ethiopia Calls UN Health Body Head's Remarks on
Tigray 'Unethical'
• Somali Army Claims Killing 17 Al-Shabaab Terrorists
• Jordanian Journalists Protest to Mark 100 Days since
Abu Akleh’s Murder
• Morocco sentences 13 migrants to prison, says lawyer
• US senator meets Kenyan leaders amid election
dispute
--------
Europe
• UK's Priti Patel Signs Deal To Deport Illegal
Pakistani Migrants
• Alleged Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Investigated By Portland
Police
• Erdogan warns of ‘another Chernobyl’ after talks in
Ukraine
• Turkey says Sweden’s first extradition of Turkish
convict falls short of demands
• EU hails decision by Türkiye, Israel to restore full
diplomatic relations
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Foreign Minister of Malaysia Condemns Myanmar Junta
for Suu Kyi’s Latest Prison Sentence
• Timor-Leste Muslims reject Indonesian Islamic group
• Australia upset at Indonesia reducing Bali bomber’s
sentence
• Amin Highlights Sharia Insurance Industry’s
Challenges, Opportunities
• Don’t use civil servants as ‘propaganda tools’, PM
told
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/rights-groups-protest-bilkis-bano/d/127752
--------
Several Rights Groups Protest against Release of 11
Convicts Sentenced To Life for Gang Rape and Murder in the Bilkis Bano Case
Women’s groups protest on
Jantar Mantar Road on Thursday against the release of the 11 gang-rape and
massacre convicts who were serving life sentences in the Bilkis Bano riots case
of 2002./ Centre for Struggling Women
-----
Pheroze L. Vincent
| New Delhi
19.08.22
Several rights groups on Thursday protested against
the release of 11 convicts sentenced to life for gang rape and murder in the
Bilkis Bano case, telling the government “you have let down every woman in the
country”.
Around 6,000 individuals and institutions, including
the National Alliance of People’s Movements, women’s groups and mass
organisations of Left parties endorsed a statement asking the Supreme Court to
undo the remission and saying that the justice from the courts had been undone.
Left women’s groups demonstrated on Jantar Mantar
Road, condemning the release as well as the welcome accorded to the convicts
after they were freed.
A pregnant Bilkis was gang-raped during the 2002
Gujarat riots and seven members of her family, including her three-year-old
child, were killed.
The release of the 11 men was executed under the
Gujarat government’s remission policy, following which the convicts were
felicitated by Hindutva groups.
Among the critics was the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila
Andolan, which had waged the legal battle against the triple talaq, a practice
whose criminalisation the BJP tom-toms as an achievement for its government.
“The Prime Minister’s call for Nari Shakti and women
power is meaningless in front of this shocking remitting of the life… sentence
for the rapists,” a statement from the Andolan said.
“This act of setting the culprits free is in violation
of the Centre’s guidelines on remission. It invokes ethical questions over the
state showing compassion for the accused whilst the woman who suffered
unspeakable brutalities is left emotionally and mentally scarred for her
lifetime.
“This act is a huge setback for several Nirbhayas
across the country who are awaiting justice in matters of brutal sexual
assaults and murders. This act would cripple women’s fight for justice in all
matters of sexual violence. It would embolden those indulging in gruesome
crimes against women and children that they can get away under the loophole of
remission.
“The Centre must prevail upon the Gujarat government
to withdraw the order and revoke the remission. The accused must serve
life-term as required by the HC verdict.”
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties demanded that
the remission be revoked, the survivor be protected, the Centre and the Gujarat
government be held accountable for “abuse of power”, and the remission process
be put in the public domain.
The Union said: “While PUCL is supportive of the
remission of sentences, at the same time it cannot be done in a discriminatory
manner, and especially in heinous crimes such as this one and that too without
ascertaining and establishing full support and safety structure for victims.”
The statement by the 6,000 individuals and
institutions said: “To those who facilitated the release of 11 murderers and
gang-rapists in contravention of the law of the land, we say this: You have let
down every woman in the country. Made us more unsafe, more threatened and more
at risk of violation.”
The welcome the rapists and murderers received after
they were released from jail is a slap in the face of a just society, Telangana
Rashtra Samiti MLC Kavitha said.
In a series of tweets in Hindi, Kavitha said: “The
welcome the rapists and murderers received, after their release from jail, from
some people who follow a certain ideology is a slap in the face of a just
society. It is imperative to stop this extremely dangerous tradition before it
takes the form of a legacy.”
She added: “The BJP government in Gujarat has
displayed insensitivity by releasing the rapists of the then five months
pregnant Bilkis Bano and the murder of her three-year old child. This is not
only against the law but goes against humanity. Being a woman I can feel the
pain and fear experienced by Bilkis Bano.”
Requesting the Supreme Court’s intervention and
immediate action, Kavitha said: “This shameful decision must be withdrawn
immediately so that citizens don’t lose their faith in law and there are no
more cases like the Nirbhaya case and no lady has to go through what Bilkis
Bano suffered.”
Additional reporting by PTI
Source: Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Hosted
By GOP Jewish Group, Dr. Mehmet Oz To Become The First-Ever Muslim Elected To
The US Senate
Mehmet
Oz, a Republican candidate for US Senate in Pennsylvania, takes part in a
Republican Jewish Coalition event in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022.
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
-----
By
Jacob Magid
18
August 2022
PHILADELPHIA
— Mehmet Oz sought to present pro-Israel bona fides at a Philadelphia event for
Republican Jewish voters Wednesday night, as the GOP candidate aims to close a
widening gap in order to become the first-ever Muslim elected to the US Senate.
Recent
surveys showed Democratic nominee Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman leading
over the retired heart surgeon and TV personality by double digits after the
two began the race neck and neck.
Oz
was welcomed by a warm audience at a hotel ballroom where roughly 300 people
waved signs reading, “Fetterman is the Squad,” “Jews for Oz,” “Pro-Israel,
Pro-Oz and “Oz” in Hebrew and English.
The
gathering was hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition and featured an onstage
discussion between Oz and former US president Donald Trump’s ambassador to
Israel, David Friedman.
“There’s
no more important race in this country for us than right here in Pennsylvania,”
said RJC executive director Matt Brooks at the start of the event, insisting
that keeping the seat vacated by retired Republican Sen. Pat Toomey would be
essential if Republicans want to win back the Senate.
Brooks
also made a point of highlighting Oz’s background, declaring that “a Muslim, a
Republican is going to be more pro-Israel than his Democratic opponent J Street
John Fetterman.”
The
dovish Middle East lobby, along with the more centrist Democratic Majority for
Israel, has endorsed Fetterman in the race against Oz, a dual American-Turkish
national.
Friedman
also expressed his excitement about Oz’s candidacy, saying he was “intrigued by
the idea of a pro-Israel Muslim, a very pro-Israel Muslim.”
Oz
seemed careful to clarify that he identifies as a “secular Muslim,” adding that
“in Turkish and Islamic culture, there’s strong respect of Judeo-Christian
values.”
“I’m
proud as a secular Muslim to stand tall and say together with many others who
are Christian and Jewish — and other Muslims as well — to say that Israel is a
force for good that brings light into the world,” he declared to immediate
applause.
Oz
spent much of the event trying to paint his opponent as part of the “radical
far left” and out of touch with most Pennsylvanians.
“John
Fetterman is on the opposite side of just about every major issue from me, and
that includes the future of Israel,” said the Republican nominee.
“He’s
okay with the United States putting pressure on Israel to manage their internal
affairs differently, in particular with how they manage the Palestinian
population within Israel,” Oz continued. “I believe people should have the
autonomy to make important decisions in their lives, like they do with their
own personal health.”
Fetterman
has made few public statements regarding his pro-Israel positions, but he told
Jewish Insider in April that he opposes conditioning US aid to Israel.
It
was unclear whether Oz was referring to Arab Israelis or Palestinians living in
the West Bank and Gaza, but he still appeared to suggest that Israel’s
treatment of the Palestinians beyond the Green Line was a domestic matter.
Oz
argued that Israel should not “give up any of its territory” when Friedman
asked the Republican candidate whether he opposed ceding West Bank land to the
Palestinians.
The
former Trump envoy and backer of the settlement movement went on to prime Oz on
the issue of US aid to the Palestinians, arguing that it should cease, given
the PA’s payments to those jailed on terror offenses and to the families of
deceased attackers.
The
US hasn’t given aid to the PA since 2014, instead donating to the UN agency for
Palestinian refugees as well as to humanitarian causes in the West Bank, Gaza
and East Jerusalem. The Trump administration cut all of that funding, but it
has been restarted by US President Joe Biden, about which Oz said he would
“reverse course.”
Oz
took a similar stance regarding the Iran nuclear deal, which Biden is seeking
to reenter. Trump in 2018 withdrew from the agreement, which traded sanctions
relief for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program, and initiated a “maximum pressure”
sanctions campaign against Tehran, which led to the Islamic Republic rapidly
expanding its nuclear program in violation of the agreement.
“Why
would we be giving back all the money that we had been able to block for so
many years, allow them to then accelerate the weaponization of their armed
forces and be able to clearly present a risk to Israel?” he asked. “I still
don’t understand why Joe Biden would get us back into it. The hard part was
getting out of it. Trump figured that out, and my opponent John Fetterman is
embracing that idea.”
This
was the only time that Oz mentioned the former president during the roughly
one-hour event, in what appeared to be part of a broader effort to make inroads
with more centrist voters. Trump endorsed Oz in the Republican primary. The
latter made a point of arguing that Fetterman, who endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders
in the 2020 presidential primary, was a fringe figure in his party, and noted that
he, Oz, had been engaging with conservative Democrats.
Receiving
no mention at all was Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor Doug
Mastriano, who has also fallen in the polls amid continuous revelations of his
ties to far-right conspiracy theorists, including the Gab social media
platform, on which the Tree of Life synagogue shooter posted antisemitic
diatribes.
Brooks,
the RJC director, acknowledged that his group had some “concerns” regarding
Mastriano and would like to see him assure “the Jewish community [as to where]
he stands as it relates to antisemitism.”
However,
he insisted that voters are differentiating between the two races and that Oz
will manage to eventually overtake Fetterman in the November election.
Fetterman
has faced mounting questions regarding his health after he suffered a massive
stroke days before the May Democratic primary. The lieutenant governor made one
of his first public appearances since the life-threatening incident at a
campaign rally last week, where media reports noted his ability to stand
through the duration of his 11-minute speech.
Source:
Times Of Israel
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Supreme
Leader Of The Islamic Emirate, Hibatullah Akhundzada, Says He Will Engage With
International Community within Sharia Framework
Taliban
supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada
-----
August
19, 2022
The
supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada,
reportedly spoke today at a meeting in Kandahar and said he will not let anyone
interfere with the current government but he is ready to engage with the
international community within a Sharia framework.
A
high-level gathering of around 2,500 participants including Islamic clerics,
civil society activists, Islamic Emirate officials and officials of the former
Afghan government was held on Thursday in Kandahar.
There
was no media coverage during the speech of the Islamic Emirate’s leader.
Meanwhile,
the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said that the
Islamic Emirate has represented Afghanistan in a "better way" around
the world.
“No
one should test the Afghans. Let these poor and proud people live happily,” he
said.
Muttaqi
said that the Islamic Emirate wants good relations with all countries, but
relations after 20 years of war with some countries cannot be expected to be
normalized quickly.
“Afghanistan
will not be the ground for the conflict of world powers, and the Afghan soil
will not be used against anyone,” he added.
“There
is no land in the country which is not under the control of the Islamic
Emirate,” said the acting Minister of Vice and Virtue, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi.
“All
of the girls are your girls. The facilitation of education for them is the wish
of all Afghans,” said Abdul Samad Madani, a trader.
The
gathering is the second largest to be held since the Islamic Emirate came to
power, after the meeting of clerics in Kabul.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-179452
--------
Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan Warns Nationalists Levelling Allegations against the Banned Outfit
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan
-----
August
19, 2022
PESHAWAR:
Showing keenness for the success of the ongoing peace talks with the government
of Pakistan, the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has warned
‘secular’ and nationalist groups to stop levelling allegations against the
banned outfit.
In
a statement issued here on Thursday, TTP said that some pro-western groups were
frustrated as situation in Pakistan showed signs of improvement owing to its
peace talks with the government.
“These
people do not want Pakistan to be peaceful and prosperous. That’s why these
groups are trying to create an impression from different platforms that Taliban
are being brought to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the merged districts, under
the garb of negotiations,” said the statement.
It
said that TTP had reiterated its stance on many occasions that it wanted real
peace in the country. It added that TTP was neither anti-state nor was it
working for anti-Pakistan powers.
The
statement said that TTP did not want to clash with any religious or political
party. It warned liberal, secular and nationalist groups to refrain from making
baseless propaganda and levelling allegations against it. It added that those
parties, keeping under consideration its policies, should not choose the path
of confrontation.
“These
parties suffered losses in the past because of their wrong policies,” it
claimed.
The
statement did not threaten any specific nationalist or secular group for
spreading baseless allegations against the proscribed outfit. Awami National
Party recently highlighted the issue of extortion and resurgence of militants
in the province. The party also blamed members of the provincial cabinet for
paying extortion to Taliban.
TTP
recently denied its involvement in extortion, amid resurgence of armed group in
Swat, Dir and other parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The outlawed group alleged
that nationalist and secular groups, who were enemies of the religious values
and unity of Pakistan, were spreading disinformation regarding TTP’s
involvement in extortion in order to please their masters.
“We
(TTP) appeal to all patriotic and Islam loving people to not to pay attention
to the baseless propaganda of the atheist elements. These secular and
nationalist elements are the enemies of Islam and this country. These groups do
not want the supremacy of Islam,” said the statement.
A
political analyst, while commenting on the TTP statement, said that the entire
world was wondering as to how a particular group could fight against a state
for such a long time without any substantial financial resources.
“Is
it possible to continue such a long conflict against the state, without
resources,” he questioned.
Commenting
on the statement of the proscribed organisation, ANP provincial general
secretary MPA Sardar Hussain Babak said that his party had no enmity with any
group. He said that the party was following its hundred-year-old narrative that
was peace, democracy and development. “Our policy is very clear, and we do
politics under these guidelines,” he added.
He
said that terrorism had plagued Pakhtun’s land for the last five decades and
people had migrated to other parts of the country and abroad because of
lawlessness. He said that terrorism affected every sector including economy,
education and social values. He added that it was a known fact that ministers
of PTI had been paying extortion for long time.
“Only
ANP is not party to this conflict. Every Pakhtun should play his role to end
this war,” said Mr Babak. He added that violence, suicide attacks and extortion
had a severe effect on the society and economy.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1705624/ttp-warns-nationalists-against-levelling-allegations
--------
Iraq's
Sadrist Movement Rejects Results Of National Dialogue
Photo:
aa.com
----
Raed
al-Hamed
18.08.2022
BAGHDAD
The
Sadrist movement in Iraq on Thursday rejected the results of a national
dialogue meeting.
The
movement led by Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr refused to participate in the talks
that were called by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.
The
Wednesday's session was attended by UN envoy to Iraq Jeanine Plasschaert to
find a solution to the ongoing political crisis which has hindered the
formation of a new government.
Salih
Muhammad al-Iraqi, a leading member of the movement, accused most of the
attendees of seeking to remain in power.
"This
secret meeting of yours does not concern us with anything," and "the
people do not want people to do anything but to step aside," he said in a
statement.
The
meeting urged the movement to engage in talks to set mechanisms for a
comprehensive solution.
It
also encouraged proceeding with talks to lay down a legal and constitutional
road map to address the crisis, and stop all forms of field, media or political
escalation.
Tension
flared in Iraq in recent days following the nomination of Mohammed Shia
al-Sudani as the new prime minister by the Coordination Framework, a coalition
of groups close to Iran.
The
move triggered mass protests from supporters of al-Sadr, who called for the
dissolution of parliament and early elections.
Last
June, 73 lawmakers of al-Sadr's movement resigned from the 329-seat parliament
after failing to form a "national majority" government, as the
Coordination Framework hampered the Cabinet formation.
Iraq
has been in a political deadlock for nine months following general elections
last October, which has since failed to agree on a new government between rival
parties.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
Bababudan
Dargah/Peetha': Management Panel Comprising Hindus, Muslims to Oversee
Religious Practices
August
19, 2022
Bengaluru:
The Karnataka government has issued an order for constituting a management
committee, comprising both Hindus and Muslims, to oversee religious practices
at 'Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah/Peetha' in Chikkamagaluru
district.
The
order dated 19 July is based on recommendations made by a Cabinet sub-committee
headed by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy. The state
cabinet on 1 July had accepted the recommendations made by its sub-committee.
This
government order replaces the earlier order appointing Syed Ghouse Mohiyuddin
Shah Khadri, a Muslim cleric, to conduct rituals at the disputed religious
site, which was issued in March 2018 by the then Congress government.
According
to the new order, the management committee comprising both Hindus and Muslims
will appoint an 'archaka' and 'mujawar' to carry out religious practices.
The
Datta Peetha issue has been a controversial one in Karnataka for several years.
A Hindu shrine in the name of Dattatreya and a dargah in the name of Sufi saint
Baba Budan are located at the cave in the Bababudangiri Hills of the Western
Ghats.
Baba
Budan was a 16th-century Sufi saint, who is said to have introduced the coffee
plant to India by bringing in seven raw beans from the port of Mocha, Yemen
while coming back from Hajj.
As
per the order, a Hindu priest, who has passed in 'Agama Shastra' will be
appointed to conduct daily rituals such as lighting of the nanda deepa inside
the cave and offer floral prayers for the 'Dattatreya peetha/ paduke'.
The
management committee will also take measures to hold Hindu religious practices
such as 'Datta mala', 'Datta Jayanti', among others, it said.
The
order further states that the mujawar appointed by the management committee
will carry out customs at the dargah every evening and after namaz on Mondays
and Thursdays.
Source:
Firstpost
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Rohingya
refugees ‘speechless’ after U-turn
Pheroze
L. Vincent | New Delhi
19.08.22
Sabber
Kyaw Min waited a good seven hours before issuing a media release thanking the
Centre for announcing that Rohingya refugees would be resettled in Bakkarwala
near Delhi’s western boundary with Haryana. But it was too good to be true.
Although
the flats are in the back of beyond, far from Okhla where most Rohingyas in the
capital live and work as daily wagers and domestic helps, this would have been
the first official recognition of them as humans — and not the several unproven
labels of them being criminals, rioters or vermin. An estimated 1,080 Rohingyas
live in different parts of Delhi.
But
Kyaw Min, the director of the Rohingya Human Rights Initiative here, had spoken
too soon. On Wednesday afternoon, the Union home ministry practically nullified
the offer made by housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Puri in the
morning.
After
withdrawing his statement, the Rohingya activist was too choked with emotion to
respond to queries from this newspaper.
He
told The Telegraph on Wednesday: “I am speechless, please forgive me. We thank
India for simply allowing us to live here so far. There are refugees from
Somalia, Sudan and Afghanistan, too, in Delhi. I don’t know why people have a
problem with us.”
Most
Rohingya huts in Okhla’s Madanpur Khadar on the west bank of the Yamuna were
gutted in a fire in June last year. As they were rebuilding their shanties, the
Uttar Pradesh irrigation department tore them down. The department owns a part
of the Delhi floodplain the slum was located on.
“Half
of us are living on the premises of the (NGO) Zakat Foundation of India in the
area, and the rest live in the open on the lanes of Madanpur Khadar. After the
fire and the eviction, the UNHCR (the United Nations’ refugee agency) held
talks with the sub-divisional magistrate and we were given food and water for
three months. A large number of police personnel have been deployed here for
some time, and they told us that we would eventually be moved somewhere,” Kyaw
Min said.
The
first Rohingya refugee child to enter college, Tasmida Johar, is from this
slum. Like her, many of the children go to schools run by Jamia Millia Islamia
and other charitable institutions that do not insist on Aadhaar cards for
admission.
“The
genocide case against Myanmar is being heard at the International Court of
Justice. The US in March this year recognised the genocide against us. India is
our neighbour and is respected in the world community. We plead for your
solidarity in this hour of crisis, and your support in our rightful return to
Myanmar when the conditions are safe. We request India to take a humanitarian
stand for our physical and mental well-being,” Kyaw Min said.
In
a statement on Thursday, Kyaw Min said at least 17 Rohingyas registered with
the UNHCR had been deported from India since 2017, and 294, including four
children, were in detention.
“It
came as a surprise to the whole Rohingya community, as neither the UNHCR nor
the government shared or discussed such plans (of resettlement)…. As a member
of the UN Human Rights Council and a country that has taken in refugees who
were persecuted in their home countries, we urge the Indian government to give
the Rohingya people the tools they need to claim their right to life,” he said.
The
Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has accused the Centre of keeping it in the
dark. Referring to a home ministry tweet that the Delhi government had
requested for the Rohingyas to be shifted, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia
tweeted on Wednesday: “The news that the central government was not tired of
boasting in the morning, after being opposed by the Aam Aadmi Party, has now
started putting the responsibility blaming the Delhi government. Whereas it is
a fact that the central government was secretly trying to give permanent
residence to the Rohingyas in Delhi.”
He
added: “At the behest of the central government, the officers and police took
decisions only on the orders of the LG, which were sent for the approval of the
LG without showing it to the Chief Minister or the Home Minister.”
Sisodia
wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday asking for a probe into the
move to shift the Rohingyas to apartments in the national capital without his
knowledge, if indeed it happened without the approval of the Centre.
He
wrote: “The Delhi government opposes any step to give temporary or permanent
accommodation to Bangladeshi Rohingyas in Delhi…. This is a matter of national
security and the security of every citizen in Delhi is affected by this.”
By
describing the refugees as “Bangladeshi Rohingyas”, Sisodia echoed Myanmar’s
ruling junta which considers the community as immigrants from what is now
Bangladesh, and does not recognise them as citizens.
AAP’s
chief spokesman and MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj pointed to a file noting by the
principal secretary of the Delhi home department that was marked to the
lieutenant governor through chief secretary Naresh Kumar — without it being put
before Sisodia, who handles the home portfolio. Kumar did not respond to a
query on the resettlement plan from this newspaper.
BJP
MP Gautam Gambhir on Thursday tweeted a letter from Delhi’s home department to
the New Delhi Municipal Council in June, asking for the Bakkarwala flats to
supplement the existing “restriction centres” of the Foreigners Regional
Registration Office that are overcrowded. It was a request of the FRRO, which
reports to the Union home ministry, that the Delhi government had forwarded.
The
police in the capital report to the LG. After a communal flare-up in April, AAP
had accused the BJP of settling Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in Delhi to engineer
riots — although all the accused were Indian nationals.
The
UNHCR has 26,095 refugees from Myanmar registered in India. These are mainly
Rohingyas and Chins. The former is a Muslim-majority community and the latter
Christian.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/rohingya-refugees-speechless-after-u-turn/cid/1881002
--------
Group
of friends attacked in Kodagu over presence of 2 Muslims: Police
Aug
19, 2022
Three
men were allegedly attacked and their two woman friends verbally abused on
Tuesday by workers of a right-wing organisation while they were on an outing in
Kodagu district, in a suspected case of moral policing.
Madikeri
police said a complaint was lodged by Nanda Krishnan (26), Mohammed Shamseer
(24), Saman Sajeed (23) and two women who travelled from Mangaluru to Madikeri
on a sightseeing tour in a car on Tuesday.
“The
friends had gone to Abbey Falls in Kodagu district first. After parking their
car near the location, they had hired a jeep to travel to the Mandalpatti Peak.
By the time they returned, a mob of 30 people had gathered around their car and
began questioning them,” said a senior police officer seeking anonymity.
According
to the complaint, the mob, who identified as right-wing group workers,
questioned the friends about the presence of two Muslim men in the group. In
the argument that followed, the mob allegedly assaulted the three men and
verbally abused the women in the group.
The
tyres of the car that the group had travelled in were punctured and the
pictures of the five people were clicked.
“A
case on charges of wrongful restraint, intentional insult, unlawful assembly
with arms, rioting, criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt was
registered based on the complaint. We are still looking for the suspects,” the
police officer said.
In
a similar incident, Bajrang Dal workers heckled pub goers in Mangaluru on July
26. The activists belonging to Bajrang Dal reportedly asked the staff at the
pub in the Balmata area of Mangaluru to stop the event, alleging the students
were indulging in some “illegal activities”.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Weapons
dropping by Pak drones: NIA searches multiple locations in J&K
Aug
19, 2022
KATHUA/DODA/JAMMU:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has carried out searches in five
districts of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with its investigation into
dropping of weapons by Pakistani drones along the International Border, an
official said.
The
searches were carried out at eight locations on Thursday in Jammu, Srinagar,
Kathua, Samba, and Doda districts in the case related to interception of a
drone used for delivery of consignments of arms, ammunition and explosives by a
key module of The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The
TRF operatives were working at the behest of Pakistani handlers, a spokesperson
of the federal agency said.
"The
searches conducted today have led to recovery of various incriminating
material, digital devices and documents," the NIA said.
The
spokesperson said the TRF operatives were in constant touch with Pakistani
handlers of LeT and were receiving weapon consignments and other terrorist
hardware via drones in the Indian territory near the International Border in
Samba.
"These
weapon consignments were being further supplied to TRF terrorists in Kashmir
for execution of terrorist attacks on minorities, migrants, and security
forces," the official said.
The
case was initially registered at Rajbagh Police Station in Kathua on May 29 and
was re-registered by NIA on July 30.
Officials
in Kathua said the NIA conducted raids on four houses in Marheen area.
Similarly,
raids were carried out at a house in Kharoa-Bhalla of Doda district and at
Talab Khatikan in Jammu.
Last
month, police busted a module of LeT with the arrest of seven of its members,
including their leader Faisal Muneer of Khatikan Talab.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
site warns of more targeted attacks in J&K over voting rights for all
Aug
19, 2022
SRINAGAR:
A Pakistan-sponsored online mouthpiece for the Lashkar-backed terror outfit TRF
on Thursday warned of a more intense wave of attacks targeting "migrant
Pandits" and other "non-locals" in J&K, ostensibly in
response to the chief electoral officer's estimate that the ongoing summary
revision of rolls could see the addition of up to 25 lakh new voters in the
Union Territory.
KashmirFight's
threat to unleash violence through "resistance fighters" coincided
with a chorus of dissenting mainstream voices, led by National Conference
president and Srinagar MP Farooq Abdullah's call to "unite against the
latest onslaught" at an all-party meeting next Monday. BJP is the only
party not to receive an invitation to the meeting at Farooq's Gupkar Road
residence.
At
the heart of the uproar is CEO Hirdesh Kumar's statement in Jammu on Wednesday
that anyone from any part of the country "ordinarily" living in
J&K for work, education or business could now choose to get enlisted as a
voter in accordance with the provisions of the Representation of the People
Act, 1951.
KashmirFight,
which in its previous avatar as a banned blog was known to threaten journalists
and activists in J&K, claimed "making stooges and traitors vote"
was a step towards initiating "demographic change".
"It
is time to resist...Resistance fighters will accelerate their attacks...If
these elements (non-locals) want to live like scapegoats, so be it," it
said in a reminder of targeted attacks that have already claimed around 36
lives in two years, the latest a Kashmiri Pandit orchard owner in Shopian last
Tuesday.
By
the time J&K Police attempted to blank out the post on social media,
screenshots had gone viral.
In
Srinagar, the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration comprising NC, Mehbooba
Mufti's PDP and CPM attempted a reconciliation of sorts with Altaf Bukhari's
Apni Party and Sajjad Lone’s People’S Conference by pitching the alleged bid to
pack the electoral rolls with non-Kashmiris as a challenge they needed to
combat together.
"We
should focus on resolution of the Kashmir issue more than elections. Our youth
are being radicalised. Kashmiri Pandits are getting killed, security personnel
are being shot dead, and everybody is suffering," ex-CM Mehbooba said
during a presser at her government-owned residence.
She
claimed granting voting rights to non-Kashmiris was aimed at perpetrating a
fraud in the name of elections and getting "BJP fascists" to run the
UT. "They have understood after three years (since the nullification of
Article 370) that they can't otherwise break the resistance of our silent
people."
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
Most
Americans support taking in Afghan refugees but oppose the Taliban, finds
survey
AMOGH
ROHMETRA
19
August, 2022
New
Delhi: Fifty-six percent Americans, and an overwhelming 72 percent Democrats
surveyed, would support a policy to accept refugees from Afghanistan, one year
after US troops exited that country.
A
study has found that 41 percent of Americans are opposed to that idea, and so
are 64 percent of Republicans asked.
The
2022 Chicago Council Survey, involving 3,106 adults from all 50 US states,
shows an overall positive response to refugees who have worked with the United
States during the 20-year war.
Seventy-six
percent of Americans supported such a policy from the US government, and 85
percent or every eight in ten Democrats were in favour of helping Afghans who
supported the US during the War.
Among
Republicans too, 67 percent were in favour of giving shelter to such Afghans.
According
to the Chicago Council Survey, conducted 15 July to 1 August, three-quarters of
US citizens supported food aid to the country undergoing a hunger crisis.
The
survey said, “Three-quarters overall (73%), including large majorities of
Democrats (82%), Independents (73%), and Republicans (64%), support providing
food aid to the Afghan people.”
Americans
still oppose the Taliban
The
survey authored by Craig Kafura, Assistant Director, Public Opinion and Foreign
Policy at the Chicago Council, however shows a particular dislike towards the
ruling Taliban.
Americans
across party lines do not recognise the Taliban as a legitimate government of
Afghanistan, with strongest opposition coming from the Republicans. Eight in
ten Americans resist legitimacy to the current “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”
government, while nine in ten Democrats oppose the same.
Following
the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, the United States had also frozen billions in
Afghan government funds in the US.
Eight
in ten Americans oppose the release of these funds — Republicans (89%)
Independents (75%) and Democrats (74%).
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Confronting
anti-Shia hate is necessary to prevent killings like Albuquerque’s
August
18, 2022
By
Faiyaz Jaffer
(RNS)
— It was at the end of a religious service in the first 10 days of Muharram,
some of the holiest days of the year for Shia Muslims, that news broke about
the series of killings of Muslim men in Albuquerque — three in the space of two
weeks. Initially suspected to be anti-Muslim violence, it was now believed that
the suspect under arrest was acting on Shiaphobia — discrimination against
members of the Shia sect of Islam.
My
wife, my daughters and I are Shia Muslims. We, like many members of my
community, are worried about what this attack means for us and our children. We
are a community that has long been isolated and targeted, and these killings
confirm that Shiaphobia is alive and active.
Shia
Muslims make up a minority within the larger Muslim American community, which
itself is only about 1% of the U.S. population. Following a different lineage
of successors to the Prophet Muhammad than the majority Sunni Muslims, we are a
minority as well among the global Muslim community, amounting to about 10% of
Muslims worldwide.
It
is difficult enough being Muslim in the United States. But my family and other
Shia Muslims feel isolation, vulnerability and further loneliness in a world
where we often struggle to find a sense of belonging. Our distinct theology,
jurisprudence and ethical frameworks are assumed to be incorrect by the masses,
contributing to a dehumanization of my community. In many places, our religious
and cultural narrative has virtually been erased.
At
New York University, where I’m a professor of Islamic law and ethics, my
students who know my religious identity have questioned my legitimacy and
scholarship, particularly in classroom discussions where I asked them to see
beyond what they have been taught about a religion of close to 2 billion
people. Shia Muslims have long been seen as “the other” when it comes to
discourse around Islam, and this alienation has repercussions.
As
the stories came out of Albuquerque, it turned out that these dangerous forces
led to this violence. Authorities say the suspect, who had a history of
domestic violence charges against his family and harbored Shiaphobia, targeted
men in the community who were Shias or perceived to be Shias.
As
a freshman in college, I was asked to leave the Muslim prayer space on my
university campus by my Muslim peers because I am Shia. I spent the next two
and a half years of my collegiate career praying alone in a stairwell of the
library. When I share my experience with young Shia Muslims, hundreds of them
say they have had similar experiences.
As
a chaplain at New York University, I speak with Shia Muslim Americans daily,
and everyone I know who identifies as Shia has experienced physical, verbal or
(at the very least) casual anti-Shia microagression from privileged Muslims and
others whose perception of Islam is shaped through negative media stereotypes.
Reporting on political turmoil in Iraq and Iran, where Shia Muslims make up a
majority, often lacks nuance about the geopolitics of the Middle East, instead
caricaturing Shia Islam as “bad” or “evil.” This skewed orientalist
understanding of Islam, coupled with the United States’ ties to Sunni majority
countries that have long contributed to the genocide of their Shia communities,
has allowed for a perception that Shias are “less Muslim” or “less human” than
others.
The
tragic episode in Albuquerque must be a rallying cry to create avenues that
allow Americans of all faiths and backgrounds to appreciate the important
differences in religious practice and expression, their subtleties as well as
the headlines. As we have conversations about diversity and inclusivity, it is
vital for us to acknowledge that religion is a salient element of identity for
millions of people in the United States. We must learn to utilize our
differences as a source of strength and growth.
Unfortunately,
there are few models for combating anti-Shia rhetoric in this country. At the
Islamic Center at NYU, my colleague Imam Khalid Latif, a Sunni Muslim leader,
and I have sought to create a socially pluralistic space that embraces unity,
but not uniformity. We strive to create an environment where Shia Muslims,
Black Muslims and other minoritized people on our campus can freely express
their religious identity and just “be” without any qualifying statements.
There
is still so much more work to do, but it’s a step in the right direction, and
in a world filled with so much darkness, a small incremental step has to count
for something.
Source:
Religion News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Michigan
Imam Serves Tehran Regime as He's Fêted by U.S. Politicians
by
Susannah Johnston
August
17, 2022
A
Michigan mosque and imam praised by politicians has served as a key institution
for the interests and agenda of the Iranian regime for decades.
Since
the early 1990s, Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi has presided over the Islamic House of
Wisdom (IHW), an Iranian Shi'ite mosque in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. In
recent years Elahi has publicly presented himself as a moderate, progressive
Muslim devoted to serving the community with blood drives, COVID-19
vaccinations, and welcoming people of all faiths to his house of worship. He even
serves as a police chaplain for the city of Dearborn.
Elahi
seems popular, with his work apparently winning the attention of Vice President
Kamala Harris, Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Congressional
representatives, and state and local officials.
Yet
behind the façade of friendly community organizing, Elahi has worked as an
Iranian regime operative and maintained decades-long friendships with Iranian
leadership, tightly associating himself with a regime responsible for the
deaths of at least hundreds of Americans. The regime has remained under some
form of U.S. sanctions since 1979, and the U.S. Department of Defense calls it
"the leading source of instability in the Middle East."
Elahi
appears to be leading a double life, maintaining lengthy friendships with
Iranian leadership and promoting hardline Islamist thought, while at the same
time promoting himself as a loving member of his Dearborn Heights community.
Before
moving to America, Elahi served as the head of "political ideology"
for the Iranian Navy in the 1980s, according to both a U.S.
government-commissioned 1987 Rand report and a CIA report. A since-deleted
biography page at Elahi's mosque describes his appointment to the position. The
post details Elahi's founding of the Cultural Research Center "to explain
the spiritual motivations of the martyrs." A since-deleted resource linked
to on IHW's website notes that martyrdom is a "goal of Shi'ite
Islam."
According
to a report commissioned by the United States Institute of Peace, Elahi came to
the United States in 1991 on a four month visa "to inspect American
branches of Hizbullah (Tehran's network of agents) and to reinforce Tehran's
influence on Shi'ite communities."
In
1992 he became an imam for the Islamic Center of America, a leading Shia Islamist
institution that in 2010 hosted a memorial service for Hizbullah
"spiritual leader" Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.
IHW's
website boasts pictures of Elahi meeting in 2005 with Fadlallah, who advocated
suicide bombings during Lebanon's civil war in the 1980s. In fact, some
consider Fadlallah "the inventor of the modern suicide bomb." When
Fadlallah died in 2010, Elahi publicly mourned him as a "great
scholar" and "a man of great wisdom, knowledge, leadership, and
spirituality."
Elahi
also claims lengthy friendships with at least three of Iran's recent
presidents. In 2013, he offered high praise for the election of Hassan Rouhani
(President of Iran 2013-2021), who Elahi said he had known for thirty-seven
years and "admire[d]...his ethical character and moral values."
During his term, Rouhani poured billions into funding terror, arrested
thousands of political dissidents, and allowed physical and psychological
torture of prisoners.
In
January 2017, upon the death of Iran's former President Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani,
Elahi wrote a Facebook post describing him as a "great hero, a shining
star in the sky of wisdom," followed with multiple pictures of himself
with Rafsanjani during his presidency.
Presumably
Elahi's admiration for Rafsanjani includes his views on Iran's weapons
programs: "If one day, this Islamic World is also equipped with weapons
like those that Israel possesses now, then the imperialists' strategy will
reach a standstill because the use of even one nuclear bomb inside Israel will
destroy everything."
After
praising the late president in January, Elahi traveled to Iran in March 2017
and met with former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, whom he called a friend
of "almost thirty years." They had an "extremely friendly
conversation" in his office about Khatami's eight years as president and
discussed memories of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the regime's founding
figure.
Khatami,
while less bombastic than former Iranian President Ahmadinejad, made his
hostility to the "Zionist regime" clear: "If we abide by the
Koran, all of us should mobilize to kill." Khatami later took credit for
developing Iran's nuclear technology.
In
2005, when then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel should be,
"wiped off the map," Elahi defended the remarks.
While
Elahi decries "gun violence" in the West, he praises Iranians with
violent ideals and violent histories. In 2020, U.S. forces killed Qasem
Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, "the
Iranian regime's primary liaison with Islamic terrorist groups across the
Middle East." Elahi protested his killing and asked President Donald Trump
to apologize and lift sanctions.
Elahi's
mosque seems no less troubling. IHW presents itself as a friend of Americans
and offers the holistic services expected from a healthy religious institution:
care for the displaced, employment help, foster care, family counseling,
education, and spiritual guidance. It also prominently promotes interfaith
dialogue.
But
IHW's website has also taught extremist ideas. Its online library has openly
contained extremist texts and was publicly available on its website until July
of this year. When Focus on Western Islamism contacted Elahi about it, the
mosque apparently tried to delete the evidence.
Web
archives show the library page as seen in July. It encouraged readers to read
resources advocating the subjugation of the world under Islam, fighting Jews
and Christians, upholding martyrdom as a Shi'ite goal, denigrating women, and
prescribing the death penalty for apostasy.
One
article offering information about jihad, linked to on IHW's website, says
"It is these People of the Book whom we are to fight until they pay the
Jiziyah (tribute). When they have humbled themselves before us and submit to
paying the Jiziyah, we are to fight no more."
Another
linked resource demeans and derides Jews: "Why does the chief advisor of
land distribution have to be a Zionist Jew? ... Should a government which does
not submit to the laws of Islam rule over the Muslim masses? You tell me, your
excellence!" Yet another IHW resource calls Jews "more murderous than
the Pharaoh, greater worshippers of wealth than Qarun and more deceitful than
Balaam."
The
Islamic House of Wisdom also glorifies the late supreme leader of Iran,
Ayatollah Khomeini, and promotes the current supreme leader, Khamenei.
Despite
Islamic House of Wisdom's promotion of Islamist resources and Elahi's support
for Tehran, Elahi reportedly received an invitation to a vaccination event in
July 2021 featuring Vice President Harris.
In
2021, Michigan's Governor Whitmer participated in an IHW prayer service. The
Mayor of Dearborn Heights, Bill Bazzi, fundraised for IHW, saying "We do
need to support the Islamic House of Wisdom financially" and Imam Elahi
has "an open line to us both" – a reference to himself and Dearborn
Heights Council Chair Dave Abdallah, who formerly served on the board of IHW.
Neither
political office responded to requests for comment when asked about IHW's
radical Islamist record.
Elahi
did initially respond to FWI's inquiries. In an email, he referred to himself
as "a man of interfaith and dialogue." When asked by FWI about his
past in the Iranian navy, his praise of Iranian leaders, and his online library
that "calls for subjugating Christians and Jews under Islam and recommends
the death penalty for apostasy," he stated that he "didn't like the
tone of your email" and that "many of the stuff u mentioned sound
strange to me and i would be very curious to know about." He did not
comment further.
Source:
M E Forum
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.meforum.org/63464/michigan-imam-serves-tehran-regime-as-he-feted-by
--------
Gander
working with Muslim community to build mosque, retain Muslim doctors
Aug
18, 2022
The
central Newfoundland town of Gander is working with its local Muslim community
to establish the town's first mosque — and to retain Muslim doctors.
Gander
Mayor Percy Farwell and Dr. Mohamed Barasi, director of the Central
Newfoundland Islamic Community, said Wednesday they hope a mosque will
encourage Muslim doctors to stay in the region.
Farwell
says there are several internationally trained Muslim doctors working in
Gander, and in the past, the town has had difficulties convincing them to stay.
While he applauds the provincial government's efforts to attract international
medical graduates, he said communities in need of their expertise have an
important role in retaining them.
"Doctors
are parts of families, and families have needs that go way beyond the
professional life of the physician," Farwell said in an interview.
"The rest of the community needs to be part of that."
Like
the rest of Newfoundland and Labrador, Gander needs more doctors, Farwell said.
In a province of about 522,875 people, nearly a quarter don't have a family
doctor, according to the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association.
Premier
Andrew Furey announced Tuesday that the medical school at Memorial University
in St. John's would open five new residency seats for international medical
graduates wanting to practise family medicine. Other medical schools, including
Dalhousie in Nova Scotia and all six schools in Ontario, already have residency
seats reserved for international doctors.
Barasi,
an orthopedic surgeon, said his community has been working with the Town of
Gander for over a year to establish a mosque, and they've identified a suitable
plot of land.
"We
started the conversation from nothing over a year ago," Barasi said.
"To have the lot, in a year — that's a big thing."
Stuck
in paperwork
He
said his group is now stuck in the paperwork process of establishing itself as
a registered charity so it can begin fundraising to buy the land. The
complicated process takes time and resources, and Barasi said he hopes someone
will be able to help them with it.
Gander,
with a population of about 11,600 people, is home to a busy regional hospital
and health centre. Farwell estimates the local Muslim community to be about 55
residents, but he says that figure is closer to 100 if surrounding communities
are factored in.
Barasi
said a local mosque would serve a critical need for Muslims in Gander, as well
as those in nearby communities.
"If
you're a Muslim doctor working in Newfoundland, an international graduate —
after two years or three years, if you're able to go to Ontario, saying you got
the same money, you'll go to Ontario," Barasi said. "You'll find a
lot of mosques there, and you can go to the mosque in person instead of staying
home. You can practise your religion in person."
During
Ramadan this year, the town let the Central Newfoundland Islamic Community
gather in a building at a city park, Farwell said.
Dr.
Nizar Belgasem, a physician who had been practising in Gander since 2017 before
taking a temporary leave for more training, said it made a huge difference.
"Before
that, we used to go sometimes to one of our basements or something," he
said in an interview Wednesday. "Everybody loved it; even children really
enjoyed it. It's much easier when you have a place outside your home."
Source:
CBC
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/gander-mosque-doctors-1.6554703
--------
Federal
court rejects Muslim student’s lawsuit over controversial quiz about Islamic
terrorism
By
Alex Swoyer
August
18, 2022
A
federal court ruled this month that an Arizona community college professor’s
quiz about jihad and Islamic terrorism did not force a Muslim student to
violate his faith.
The
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit’s opinion highlights teachers’
immunity from liability over curriculum choices.
Student
Mohamed Sabra and the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Arizona sued
Maricopa County Community College District and professor Nicholas Damask over
an Islamic terrorism lesson as part of a world politics class in 2020.
Mr.
Sabra alleged that the lesson and a multiple choice quiz violated his religious
rights by having him affirm something that is contrary to his faith. A lower
court ruled against him.
A
three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that the college did not have a practice or policy
that ran afoul of the Free Exercise or Establishment Clause and that Mr. Damask
was protected by qualified immunity, which shields government workers from
civil liability lawsuits.
“Although
Plaintiffs allege that Damask has taught his World Politics class for 24 years,
they do not allege that the course in other years contained the same content
that offended Sabra, or that Damask’s views or teaching methods are so
persistent and widespread as to constitute part of the College District’s
‘standard operating procedure,’” the appeals court ruled.
Mr.
Sabra said the lesson was “biased” and “distorted” Islam.
One
of the multiple choice questions he took issue was “Where is terrorism
encouraged in Islamic doctrine and law?” The correct answer was “the Medina
verses,” but Mr. Sabra selected “terrorism is not encouraged in Islamic
doctrine and law.”
Another
question: “Terrorism is ____ in Islam.” Mr. Sabra answered “always forbidden,”
but the correct answer was “justified within the context of jihad.”
The
three-judge panel said the quiz wasn’t enough to violate his religious rights.
“We
have never held that actions like the ones challenged in this case constitute a
violation of the Establishment Clause or Free Exercise clause. Nor is this the exceptional
case where the alleged constitutional violation is so obvious as to obviate the
need for a case on point,” wrote Judge Richard Clifton, a Bush appointee.
He
was joined by Judge Lawrence VanDyke, a Trump appointee.
Judge
Daniel Bress, a Trump appointee, disagreed and chastised the curriculum.
“Although
Sabra suffered no First Amendment injury through his mere exposure to
inflammatory course materials, he may have suffered such an injury when, in
connection with those disturbing materials, he was forced to answer black and
white multiple-choice questions that he plausibly alleges required him to
violate his religious beliefs on pain of receiving a lower grade,” wrote Judge
Bress.
After
learning of the quiz, the community college reached out to Mr. Sabra and gave
him credit for his answers. It also apologized for any offensive content in the
“inaccurate” quiz.
After
being contacted by Mr. Sabra about the questions, Mr. Damask told him in an
email that the quiz was meant to portray what terrorists believe.
Neither
the college nor Mr. Damask immediately responded to a request for comment.
According
to a 2020 interview with the Arizona Daily Independent, Mr. Damask and his
family faced threats after Mr. Sabra’s complaints went viral on Instagram.
CAIR
did not comment about whether it’s planning to appeal the panel’s decision.
Douglas
Laycock, a law professor at the University of Virginia, said there is a fair
amount of such lawsuits but courts tend to be deferential to schools.
“Courts
have been terrified of becoming classroom supervisors and having to review
course assignments and grade disputes that could arise without end,” Mr.
Laycock said.
Robert
Tuttle, a law professor at The George Washington University, said the quiz was
terrible but the professor didn’t clearly violate any laws.
Source:
Washington Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/aug/18/federal-court-sides-az-school-professor-over-musli/
--------
ISIS
‘Beatle’ faces life sentence for US hostage deaths
19 August,
2022
A
member of the notorious ISIS kidnap-and-murder cell known as the “Beatles” is
to be sentenced in a US court on Friday for the deaths of four American
hostages in Syria.
El
Shafee Elsheikh, 34, faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison after being
convicted in Alexandria, Virginia, in April of hostage-taking, conspiracy to
murder US citizens and supporting a terrorist organization.
The
grueling two-week trial of the former British national, which featured
emotional testimony from former hostages and parents of the victims, was the
most significant prosecution of an ISIS extremist in the United States.
The
12-person federal jury deliberated for less than six hours over two days before
finding Elsheikh guilty for his role in the deaths of four Americans --
journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla
Mueller.
Elsheikh
and another former “Beatle,” Alexanda Amon Kotey, were captured by a Kurdish
militia in Syria in January 2018 and handed over to US forces in Iraq.
They
were flown to the United States in 2020 to face trial.
Kotey,
38, pleaded guilty in September 2021 and was sentenced to life in prison in
April by US District Court Judge T.S. Ellis, who will also deliver the sentence
on Friday against Elsheikh.
Another
alleged “Beatle,” Aine Davis, 38, was deported to Britain last week from Turkey
and was remanded in custody on terrorism charges.
The
fourth “Beatle,” executioner Mohammed Emwazi, was killed by a US drone in Syria
in 2015.
The
hostage-takers, who grew up and were radicalized in London, were nicknamed the
“Beatles” by their captives because of their distinctive British accents.
Active
in Syria from 2012 to 2015, they are accused of abducting more than two dozen
journalists and relief workers from the United States and other countries.
Ten
former European and Syrian hostages testified at Elsheikh's trial accusing the
“Beatles” of months of brutal treatment including beatings, electric shocks,
waterboarding and mock executions.
Foley,
Sotloff and Kassig were beheaded by Emwazi, and videos of their deaths were
released by IS for propaganda purposes.
Mueller
was initially held by the “Beatles” but was later turned over to ISIS leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who reportedly raped her repeatedly.
ISIS
announced Mueller's death in February 2015. The group said she was killed in a
Jordanian airstrike, a claim disputed by US authorities.
Baghdadi
died during a US special forces raid in 2019.
Ahead
of Elsheikh's sentencing, British police revealed details on Wednesday of the
years-long effort to identify the hostage-takers and bring them to justice.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
'You
have the same rights as I have', Bangladesh PM Hasina tells the Hindu community
on Janmashtami
Aug
19, 2022
DHAKA:
The Hindu community in Bangladesh has the same rights as she has, Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said, asserting that the number of mandaps in
Dhaka during the Durga Puja festivities were much higher than in West Bengal.
Hasina
interacted with the Hindu community leaders on Thursday on the occasion of
Janmashtami and urged believers of other faiths not to think of themselves as
minorities, saying everyone irrespective of their religions will enjoy equal
rights in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country.
“We
want people of all faiths to live with equal rights. You are people of this
country, you have equal rights here, you have the same rights as I have,” the
Dhaka Tribune newspaper quoted her as saying.
“You
would always think that you are the citizens of this country and you will enjoy
equal rights,” the premier noted.
Hasina
virtually joined the event at Dhakeswari Mandir in Dhaka and JM Sen Hall in
Chattogram from her official residence in Gonobhaban.
“We
also want to see you in that way. Please don't undermine yourselves. You were
born in this country, you are the citizens of this country,” she noted.
The
prime minister said the number of mandaps in Dhaka is higher than the number in
West Bengal or Kolkata, and across Bangladesh during the Durga Puja
festivities.
Hasina
lamented that whenever an untoward incident occurs, it is propagated in such a
manner that the Hindu community don't have any rights in Bangladesh.
“Colours
are given to that incident in a way that the Hindus have no rights here. And
the actions of the government after the incidents don't get proper attention,”
Prothom Aalo newspaper quoted her as saying.
Hasina
said her government and the Awami League did not believe in undermining people
from any religion.
“We
can say it clearly. Our government is very cautious about it. I can assure you
that,” she added.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Former
NSA Calls Doha Accord ‘Terrible Agreement’
By
Arif Ahmadi
19
Aug 2022
KABUL,
Afghanistan – In an exclusive interview with TOLOnews, former US ambassador to
UN and National Security Adviser John Bolton, said that Donald Trump’s decision
to sign the Doha agreement between the United States and the Taliban was a big
mistake.
His
remarks came at a time both the Taliban leadership and the United States have
repeatedly blamed each other for breaking the pact – mainly after the recent
American drone strike that killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri at an urban
safe house in Afghanistan.
“I
think history has proven in fact that it was a terrible agreement,” he said, as
TOLOnews quoted. “The objective the Taliban wanted was America, NATO, out of
Afghanistan, everything else was secondary.”
According
to Bolton, the former US envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad did
not contribute positively during the peace negotiation, saying he was “taking
orders” from both the former President Trump and the Secretary Pompeo.
“Let’s
be clear, he was taking orders from President Trump and Secretary Pompeo, so
whatever criticisms one makes about Zal’s (Zalmay Khalilzad) performance should
be understood as criticizing both what Trump and Pompeo were instructing,” he
said.
Meanwhile,
Bolton exclaimed the Islamic Emirate leadership has failed to uphold its
commitments, increasing the chances for Afghan soil to be used as the
battleground for many terrorist activities, including bombing against other
nations.
“I
very much fear our knowledge of efforts which have been made to launch
terrorist attacks from Afghanistan is deeply incomplete and that the risk is
high and if we were still there we would have a much better chance to detect
these plans for terrorist attacks before they took place,” he explained. ‘Now
we are not entirely blind, but we are certainly not in the position we were.”
But
the Islamic Emirate rule has repeatedly denied the accusation, defying the
United States has consistently violated the Doha agreement.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/former-nsa-calls-doha-accord-terrible-agreement/
--------
Taliban
Condemns Bombing of Mosque in Afghan Capital
By
Saqalain Eqbal
18
Aug 2022
The
Taliban government authorities vehemently condemned the Wednesday evening
mosque explosion in Kabul, the Afghan capital, which reportedly left at least
21 people dead and 33 more injured.
Senior
Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid expressed sympathy to the
victims’ families and prayed for the injured to recover quickly, in a tweet
posted on Wednesday.
The
explosion was denounced by the Taliban and Zabihullah Mujahid stated that “the
perpetrators of such atrocities will soon be brought to justice and will be
punished.”
The
attack on Wednesday night in Kabul, the latest to hit the country in the year
since the Taliban took power, elicited no immediate claims of responsibility.
According
to eyewitnesses and authorities, an explosion at a mosque in the Afghan capital
during evening prayers resulted in at least 21 fatalities, including a
well-known imam, Amir Mohammad Kabuli, and his students, with at least 33
injuries.
Since
reclaiming control, the Taliban administration has been denied international
recognition, which has resulted in a debilitating economic meltdown for the
country.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-condemns-bombing-of-mosque-in-afghan-capital-68659/
--------
Hamid
Karzai: ‘After Taliban takeover, I told Indian envoy not to leave… glad they
coming back’
by
Nirupama Subramanian
August
19, 2022
As
India was preparing to shut down its embassy in Kabul on August 15 last year in
the wake of the Taliban takeover, Hamid Karzai urged Indian Ambassador
Rudrendra Tandon not to leave, the former President of Afghanistan said in an
interview to The Indian Express.
“Well,
of course, it was very clear that I advised him not to leave,” Karzai said,
declining to give details of that conversation. “There was no reason for India
to leave, I am glad they are coming back. I’ve been urging Indian government
leaders to re-open the embassy. There’s so much relationship between
Afghanistan and India that requires India’s presence here. Active full strength
presence here. So I’m glad they are returning. And I want them to return
full-fledged, full force.”
Karzai,
who studied in India from 1979-1983, said Delhi must, “on priority”, reissue
visas to Afghan students who were studying in India, and have not been able to
return to their studies, and issue visas to those who wish to study in India.
“The return of the (Afghan) students is important”, he said.
“We
are talking about India, Afghanistan, people to people, civilisational links.
It’s for that reason that India has a place in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has a
place in India. Therefore, this engagement is necessary with the Afghan people,
and India must return,” he said.
Karzai,
who led Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014, as head of a transitional administration
for two years and following the 2004 elections, as President, lives in the
Afghan capital. His home is near Zanbaq Square, an area whose fortifications
have been taken over by the Taliban. An armoured car with a gun mounted on it,
is stationed at the square. Armed Taliban cadres check for identity and papers
every few metres.
Karzai’s
home is next to the Arg, the presidential palace, and the foreign ministry,
which is now run by the Taliban. His own security are deployed inside the
compound.
Karzai
and Abdullah Abdullah, who served as former chief executive in the first Ashraf
Ghani government, were the only two top political leaders who stayed on after
the Taliban takeover. As panic spread at the news that Ghani had left, the
statement by the two leaders that they would remain to manage a peaceful
transition, served as a reassurance to Kabul residents.
Since
then, Abdullah has travelled out of the country including to India earlier this
year. Karzai is allowed to meet visitors at home, and within the city, but is
not allowed to leave Kabul. The Taliban have turned down requests from him to
travel abroad.
Asked
if he was a prisoner of the Taliban he said: “No, I have just not been able to
visit abroad. Whatever we describe that as, I wouldn’t call that a prisoner.”
Karzai’s
son recently left to study in Germany. The former President said his son had an
opportunity to study abroad in 2020, but both he and his wife wanted him to
finish schooling in Afghanistan. “But then things changed, and education
suffered, so there was no more an opportunity here for him to educate, and we,
out of total compulsion, agreed to send him to Germany,” he said.
Karzai
also has three young daughters, who attend school in Kabul. “I want my
daughters to study here. And to study from Class 6 to 12, as well here. And the
Taliban. I am urging them strongly, very strongly, to reopen girls school as a
vital important issue for our country,” he said. The Taliban have banned
education for girls beyond Class 6.
Karzai
said he and Abdullah had urged the Taliban to reopen high schools for girls.
“They have to, that must be the decision. It’s inevitable. The country cannot
take steps towards towards dying. If we are not going to go to school, that
means we’re killing ourselves and our future. Therefore, there simply is no
other option. That’s an imperative. Is there a word beyond imperative, or
that’s where it ends?” Karzai said.
The
response from the Taliban to his and Abdullah’s entreaty “has been quite
positive”, Karzai said. “We are waiting for action on all this,” he said.
As
those running the country, the Taliban was now responsible to ensure “that
Afghans don’t leave the country, that the educated ones are not only given an
opportunity to stay in Afghanistan, but those who have left are attracted back
to come back to their own country, and that the government represents the
aspiration of all the Afghan people,” he said.
He
said the one big change in the last year was that there was no large-scale
“fighting” or casualties. “In that sense, there is a lot better security. The
countryside is a lot better in this respect than what we had before,” he said.
“But
in other aspects, in the economy, we have a serious deprivation, in terms of
education, there is serious decline, the universities are not functioning to
even half their strength, the schools are not functioning to half their
strength. And the most important of all, girls are not going to school from
grade 6 to 12. Plus a lot more. We lost the reserves of the country, $7
billion. For a country of poor means and resources, that’s a lot of money.
There is a loss of institutions, the collapse of the state itself, we have at
least 55 of our army helicopters in our neighbouring countries. Imagine if each
one of those helicopters is calculated between at least 10 to $15 million, that
that’s almost $700 million. So in those terms, we have lost a lot,” he said.
He
said he had asked the Taliban to start a “national dialogue” with all Afghans.
“You cannot govern a country without technocrats, without educated people,
without professionals, you cannot govern the country effectively without the
participation of women. So all aspects of good governance must be put in place.
And that must begin with a dialogue with all Afghans. And that should lead to
the expression of the will of Afghan people on the government and the future of
the country,” he said.
The
will of the people could be ascertained through the traditional Afghan assembly
of loya jirga, or a referendum. “Whatever way is best at a given time, must be
used,” he said.
He
dismissed a recent loya jirga as not one at all. “That was a more a jirga of
the Taliban themselves, a meeting of largely of the clergy of the religious
scholars of the country, plus some others. So that wasn’t really representative
in any sense,” he said.
Source:
Indian Express
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Want
to export goods to India like Pakistan, says Taliban minister in Afghanistan
August
18, 2022
Amir
Khan Muttaqi, who is the Foreign Minister of the Taliban government of
Afghanistan, has sought to export goods to India. He said that the Taliban want
good relations with all countries.
Addressing
an event in Kandahar, Muttaqi said: “The Islamic Emirate wants good relations
with all countries. But relations after 20 years of war with some countries are
not expected to be normalised quickly.” Muttaqi was speaking to a gathering of
tribal leaders in Kandahar.”
He
said if Pakistan is allowed to transport its goods to Asian countries,
Afghanistan should also be able to transport its goods to India. “We were able
to play a key role for India by helping India transport goods to Uzbekistan via
the Pakistani transit routes,” he said.
Source:
India Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Disgruntled
Taliban commander killed while trying to flee to Iran
18
August, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], August 18 (ANI): Mawlawi Mahdi Mujahid, a disgruntled Taliban
commander, was killed by Taliban border forces when he wanted to enter Iran
through the province of Herat in western Afghanistan, media reports said citing
a statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense.
This
comes as tensions have been rising between Iran and Afghanistan over the
boundary dispute and an Iranian embassy in Kabul announced that a delegation,
led by the deputy minister of foreign affairs, arrived in the country to
discuss border matters with the Taliban officials.
It
is worth mentioning that Mujahid had clashed with the Taliban multiple times
after starting a dispute with the group in the Balkhab district of Sar-e-pol in
northern Afghanistan. Mawlawi Mujahid was the only Hazara Taliban commander to
take up arms against the Taliban government.
The
statement which was released on Wednesday made no mention of the date on which
Mahdi Mujahid was killed, reported Afghanistan’s local media portal Khaama
Press. In the statement, Mujahid was referred to as a “rebel.”
13
years ago, Mawlawi Mahdi Mujahid embraced the Taliban. At the time when the
foreign forces were stationed in Afghanistan, he played a key part in the
collapse of the republican party in Afghanistan’s northern provinces.
However,
more than ten months after the Taliban assumed power, he began to criticize the
Taliban group.
According
to reports, Mahdi Mujahid sought more Hazara participation in the Taliban
government, but the Taliban leaders disregarded not just his demand, but also
the views of the international community and internal political circles, in
order to establish an inclusive government.
Since
the Taliban regime took control of Afghanistan, blasts and attacks have become
a regular affair with unabated human rights violations involving ceaseless
murder of civilians, destroying mosques and temples, assaulting women, and
fueling terror in the region.
Last
month, a bomb exploded near Karte Parwan Gurudwara in Kabul, a month after the
holy place was attacked by members of the Islamic State. Religious minorities
in Afghanistan, including the Sikh community, have been targets of violence in
Afghanistan.
The
ongoing economic crisis in Kabul has caused abject poverty in the region. As
per analysts, the primary reason for the rise in poverty is due to political
changes. Moreover, following the Taliban regime in the country, many private
businesses have stopped operating as well impacting the country even more.
Source:
The Print
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/disgruntled-taliban-commander-killed-while-trying-to-flee-to-iran/1088897/
--------
Pakistan
US
commander lauds Pakistan Army’s ‘commendable’ efforts in war on terror
August
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
General Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander US CENTCOM along with a delegation
visited GHQ and held one-on-one meeting with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and
discussed the matters of mutual interest, regional security situation &
stability, defence and security cooperation particularly military to military
ties during the meeting.
The
one-on-one call was followed by delegation level meeting. Pakistan Army’s
counter terrorism efforts and significant contributions towards regional peace
and stability were discussed. Pakistan-US military training exchange programme
also came under discussion.
The
visiting dignitary acknowledged Pakistan Army’s commendable efforts in fight
against terrorism, counter terrorism experiences and efforts for regional peace
and stability.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/08/18/commander-us-centcom-calls-on-coas/
--------
Madrassa
student abuse case, Qari Shams gets life imprisonment
August
18, 2022
Qari
Shams, the man who abused a student of his own Madrassa (seminary) on December
27, 2019 at Thakra Mansehra, has been sentenced to life imprisonment after
being proven guilty and imposed a fine of Rs. 0.2 million.
According
to the details, Additional District and Session Judge Mansehra Ajmal Tahir
awarded a total of 16.5 years imprisonment to Qari Shams, after proven guilty,
14 years of jail, six months in jail for the torture of the victim boy and two
more years of imprisonment in case of non-payment of Rs. 0.2 million fine.
Qari
Shams raped a 10-year-old student of his own Madrassa in 2019 and also tortured
the victim boy for two days, medical report proved the rape and the DNA of the
convicted also matched with the victim boy.
Mansehra
police registered case No. 254 324/109/337Aii/201/202 and 53 CPA on 27.12.2019
against the main accused Qari Shamsuddin.
The
hearing of the case was in progress for three years and during this course of
time, many influential people of Mansehra have tried to pressurize the family
of the victim boy and settle the case out of court.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Imran
Khan: PTI's plea seeking disqualification of PM Shehbaz, Cabinet dismissed
M
Zulqernain | Lahore
18.08.22
A
Pakistani court on Thursday dismissed a petition of Opposition Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
and his Cabinet for "misuse of power".
The
petition was filed by PTI's senior leader Andleeb Abbas and ousted premier
Imran Khan's nephew Advocate Hassaan Niazi in the Lahore High Court. The
petitioners alleged that Prime Minister Shehbaz "misused" his powers
and violated the Constitution by allowing his son Suleman Shehbaz and nephew
Hussain Nawaz -- both proclaimed offenders - to meet the Saudi Crown Prince
Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS) during an official visit'.
Besides,
Shehbaz took his Cabinet members to London to meet proclaimed offenders --
former prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and former finance
minister Ishaq Dar -- which is against the law of the land," the
petitioners argued through their counsel in the LHC.
They
said that prime minister and his Cabinet members violated the Official Secret
Act 1923, therefore, it is requested to the court to disqualify them and direct
the police to initiate criminal proceedings against Shehbaz and his Cabinet
members.
During
the hearing, Justice Shahid Waheed asked the counsel of the petitioners under
what law the respondents could be disqualified.
Source:
Telegraph India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Salman
Rushdie attack was unjustifiable: Imran Khan
Aug
19, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has condemned the attack on Salman
Rushdie, describing it as "terrible" and "sad", and saying
that while the anger of the Islamic world at the author's book "The
Satanic Verses" was understandable, it could not justify the assault.
In
an interview to the Guardian, Khan also said he expected Afghan women to
"assert their rights" in the face of Taliban restrictions in which he
sought to moderate his reputation as a firebrand.
He
is fighting for his political survival after being ousted from office in April.
Khan
says his staff and followers are being persecuted and intimidated and he is
battling eight-year-old charges of illicit campaign financing that could lead
to him being banned from politics.
Ten
years ago, Khan pulled out of an event in India because Rushdie would also be
appearing and the two men exchanged insults, but he does not appear to have
expressed support for violent action against the Indian-born author.
His
denunciation of the attack is striking, however, in a region where most
politicians have ducked comment, The Guardian reported.
Asked
for his response to the knife attack in New York state that left Rushdie badly
wounded, Khan said: "I think it's terrible, sad.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pak
army would be held responsible by history for doing nothing to stop corruption:
Imran Khan
Aug
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
In a scathing attack on Pakistan's powerful military, former premier Imran Khan
on Thursday said that it would be held responsible by history for doing nothing
to stop corruption in the country.
Addressing
a seminar in Islamabad, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader used the word
"neutral" for the army, which he coined after the armed forces
declared that they would not interfere in politics when he was unceremoniously
removed from office through a no-confidence vote in April.
He
asked the army to review its policy to stay neutral and act forthwith to stop
the economic decline of the country.
“I
want to ask the neutrals today: Do you know where the country is heading? How
can the country and economy progress when you don't even know what will happen
in the next 2-3 months,” he said.
Khan
said that in the day run up to his coming to power, the powerful Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) spy agency used to tell him about the corruption by Pakistan
Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders and he started believing
that “establishment will act but that did not happen”.
“I
now ask the establishment, how did you let these corrupt leaders rule the
country? This means you don't see theft as a bad thing…When the establishment
was aware of the corrupt people, why did not they stop their way?” the
ex-premier asked, pointing out that the establishment had the greatest degree
of power in the country.
“But
with great power comes great responsibility,” he said. “No matter how many
times you call yourself neutral, history will blame you for what you did with
the country.”
The
former premier also revealed that the anti-corruption watchdog, the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB), was not under his control when he was chief
executive of the country.
“There
was a hand of someone who would press the accelerator and undo it as per his
wish. If NAB was in my control, I would have retrieved Rs 15 to Rs 20 billion
from them (his rival politicians),” he claimed.
Khan
said that he would never accept the present government and preferred death
instead if there was no other choice, as he urged the Army to make correct
decisions to bring political stability, which was needed for economic
development.
He
slammed the decision made behind the curtains and asked that the establishment
should make decisions for the sake of 220 million people, especially youth.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
lifts ban on import of non-essential and luxury items to meet IMF condition for
bailout package
Aug
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Thursday lifted the ban on the import of non-essential and luxury
items to meet a condition of the IMF ahead of the global lender's meeting later
this month to decide on a bailout package for the cash-strapped nation.
The
government led by prime minister Shehbaz Sharif imposed the ban due to
depleting foreign exchange and deteriorating balance of payments.
Addressing
a press conference, finance minister Miftah Ismail said that the ban would go
but with a price on importers as heavy duty would be imposed to make the import
costly.
Ismail
said the government was scrapping the import ban as it was an international
requirement, but the regulatory duty that will be imposed on the non-essential
imported items will be three times higher than the current levels.
"We
will impose such heavy duties that these items cannot be imported (easily) or
at least in their finished form. I don't have enough dollars, so I will prioritise
cotton, edible oil, and wheat. I do not prioritise Iphones or cars," he
said.
The
heavy duties will be imposed on completely built-up (CBU) commodities - cars,
mobile phones, and electronic appliances - and apart from them, the imported
fish, meat, purse, and other such non-luxury items.
Even
then, if a person wants to import a car that is originally worth Rs 60 million,
after the regulatory duties it will cost them Rs 300-400 million, they can
import it, the minister said.
Ismail
said the government's objective was not just to allow imports, but it was to
fulfil international and IMF demands, while also keeping the current account
deficit in check.
The
IMF's executive board will meet on August 29 to approve a bailout package for
Pakistan, including the pending disbursement of about USD 1.18 billion.
Talking
about the restoration of the stalled bailout package, Ismail said the
International Monetary Fund wanted Pakistan to ensure funds amounting to USD 6
billion for which it needs to secure USD 4 billion in funding from other
countries, which has been arranged.
Source:
Times Of India
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--------
Pakistan
wants peaceful ties with India: PM Shehbaz
Syed
Irfan Raza
August
19, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that Pakistan desired peaceful
relations with India and resolution of the Kashmir issue and urged the
international community to play its role in this regard.
According
to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Mr Sharif expressed these views during a
meeting with newly-appointed Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Neil
Hawkins.
The
PMO quoted the prime minister as saying: “Pakistan desires peaceful ties with
India, based on the principles of equity, justice and mutual respect. In this
context, a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in
accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri
people, was indispensable.”
“The
international community has to play a facilitative role in this regard, as it
was essential for durable peace and stability in South Asia,” the prime
minister said.
Mr Sharif
also highlighted the cooperation that Pakistan continued to extend to the
international community in the wake of the situation in Afghanistan,
particularly since August last year.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1705646/pakistan-wants-peaceful-ties-with-india-pm-shehbaz
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Arab
World
Lebanon’s
public sector paralyzed as country lurches toward ‘failed state’
18 August,
2022
It’s
a weekday, but 50-year-old Lebanese finance ministry employee Walid Chaar is
not at work and hasn’t been since June.
He
rushes to water the garden at his home in the hills south of Beirut, using the
single hour of rationed state power to run the sprinkler. He then phones his
mother, who is struggling to get a new passport at a state agency grappling
with paper and ink shortages.
“The
public sector is at its end if we keep going like this,” Chaar told Reuters.
Like
thousands of state employees in Lebanon, Chaar has been on strike for two
months over the collapse of his salary caused by Lebanon’s economic implosion -
one of the world’s worst in modern times.
The
public sector paralysis is spreading further - this week judges launched their
own protest, while soldiers moonlight to feed themselves and government offices
run out of power and basic office supplies.
State
infrastructure, already strained by years of unchecked spending, corruption and
a preference for quick fixes over sustainable solutions, has reached breaking
point.
“We
are in a state of collapse,” said Lamia Moubayed of the Lebanese Institute of
Finance Basil Fuleihan, a research center at the Ministry of Finance.
In
parliament, there is no fuel to run a generator for the elevator - so security
guards run messages up and down the stairs between workers.
Those
registering a new car purchase with the department of motor vehicles were given
handwritten notes instead of proper state-issued documents due to paper
shortages.
Commanders
in Lebanon’s security services are looking the other way as troops take on
second jobs – typically prohibited, but now unofficially allowed as soldiers’
salaries crash.
The
average public servant’s monthly salary has dropped from around $1,000 to
barely $50 - and counting, as the Lebanese pound loses more value by the day.
That
prompted tens of thousands of state employees – from ministries, local
government bodies, schools and universities, courts and even the state news
agency - to strike.
This
week, 350 Lebanese judges will not show up for hearings, demanding a hike to
their salaries, too.
“The
judges are hungry,” said Faisal Makki, a founder of the country’s Judges’ Club
– the judiciary’s equivalent of a syndicate or union.
Makki
told Reuters the justice ministry had long been underfunded, so judges had for
years been buying paper and ink for their office printers at their personal
expense.
“Now
I can’t do that because it means I couldn’t afford to eat. This is definitely a
failed state.”
‘Primitive
lives’
In
response, the government is rolling out piecemeal policies. In a two-month
stop-gap, it agreed to increase daily benefits and provide social assistance to
most state workers, effectively doubling take-home monthly pay - to just $200.
But
with food prices jumping eleven-fold and many restaurants and even
service-providers charging in dollars, the olive branch has not satisfied
Lebanon’s roughly 150,000 public sector workers.
“No
state employee is able to buy a kilo of meat or chicken except maybe once a
month. Our lives have become primitive, and we are only buying basic
necessities,” said Chaar.
Nawal
Nasr, head of a public sector employees association, said workers were
demanding a five-fold salary increase and help with soaring education and
health costs, but that has prompted fears of run-away inflation.
Meanwhile,
state revenues flounder as tax collection was halted for two months as relevant
employees were striking.
Prime
Minister-designate Najib Mikati has said meeting all of the workers’ demands
“is impossible and will cause a broader collapse of the situation.” Wage
increases must come “within the context of a broader financial stabilization
plan,” he said.
A
hollowed state
But
political factions have yet to reach consensus around such a plan - costing the
government some of its highest-skilled workers. Nearly six in 10 state
employees are either leaving or planning to leave - a pace not seen since the
country’s 1975-90 civil war, said Moubayed.
“These
are not numbers, these are the best people in the Lebanese state... People we
need for the recovery, for implementation of any structural reform plan Lebanon
will eventually undergo,” Moubayed said.
Chaar,
who holds a PhD and heads a top finance ministry tax directorate after nearly
three decades in public service, says he is demoralized and wants to leave
Lebanon.
The
public workers union he is a part of has lost roughly half its members, and its
representative for aviation workers recently took a one-way ticket out of
Beirut.
To
those left behind, it feels like Lebanon’s pile-up of problems is finally
catching up.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Crown Prince Meets Iraq's Shia Cleric, Ammar Al-Hakim, In Riyadh
Mustafa
M. Haboush
19.08.2022
RIYADH,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday met Iraqi Shia cleric Ammar al-Hakim
to discuss the lingering political crisis in Iraq.
The
meeting came after the leader of Iraq's Hikma Movement, a political coalition,
arrived in the Kingdom on an unannounced visit, according to the official Saudi
Press Agency.
The
agency reported that during the meeting, Saudi-Iraqi relations alongside a number
of issues of common interest were discussed.
For
his part, Hakim tweeted: "The Saudi crown prince and I emphasized the
close historical relations between the two brotherly peoples."
He
added, "We discussed the importance of dialogue between the various
parties to reach solutions to the current political impasse in Iraq."
Al-Hakim
stressed the importance of stability on both sides of the Gulf and praised
Iraq's role in mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore bilateral
relations.
He
also underlined the centrality of the Palestinian cause.
Hakim's
visit came after his participation on Wednesday in a national dialogue with the
aim of resolving the country's political crisis.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/saudi-crown-prince-meets-iraqs-shia-cleric-in-riyadh/2664903
--------
With
few visitors, custodian of Syria castle has lonely job
18
August, 2022
A
Crusader fortress on Syria’s Mediterranean coast that welcomed hordes of
visitors before the war is now largely the preserve of one person, its
custodian of the past 15 years.
Every
morning, Younes Dayoub uses a large metal key to unlock the wooden gates of
Al-Marqab castle, located near the coastal city of Baniyas in Tartus province.
The
49-year-old government employee spends much of his shift inside a ticket booth
adorned with a picture of President Bashar al-Assad on the wall.
He
rarely issues any admission tickets.
“The
gates of the castle are still open but sometimes days and weeks go by without
me giving out a single ticket,” Dayoub told AFP. “This has been the case since
the start of the war” in 2011.
Dayoub
passes his time sipping hot tea or enjoying the sea view from the hilltop
fortress which once attracted visitors from Syria and abroad.
He
showed AFP pictures from before the war when tourists used to clamber over the
castle’s ramparts and wander its cavernous halls.
“I
feel lonely here, and I have no friends except these high, silent walls,” he
said.
Al-Marqab
castle is close to 1,000 years old and has survived the civil war largely
unscathed, with no major damage, the antiquities department said.
First
fortified by Muslims in 1062 AD, the hilltop site is considered one of the
finest examples of military architecture from the period of the Crusades.
But
the civil war has kept nearly all foreign visitors away while domestic tourism
has been virtually brought to a halt by a spiraling economic crisis that has
plunged most of the population into poverty.
Rising
fuel prices have put long-distance travel within Syria beyond the means of
many.
In
the meantime, national treasures like Al-Marqab castle have been gathering
dust.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanon
records major spike in murders and suicides in 2022: Data
18
August, 2022
Lebanon
has seen an 18 percent increase in murders and almost an 8 percent surge in
suicides in 2022 so far, compared to the same period last year, according to
new data.
Beirut-based
research center Information International conducted a study based on reports
from the General-Directorate of the Internal Security Forces which was
published on Wednesday, revealing the surge in murders and suicides in the
Levant country.
However,
the report also showed a decrease in theft incidents, recording a 6.5 percent
decrease and a decline in car thefts by around 6 percent.
Dramatic
surges in crime and theft were recorded in Lebanon last year, mostly due to the
economic crisis. Information International reported a 212 percent increase in
car thefts, a 266 percent increase in theft crimes overall and a 101 percent
increase in murders compared to the first 10 months of 2019, right before the
economic crisis took a turn for the worse.
The
research firm added that murder cases rose by at least 68 percent and suicides
by at least 42 percent last month, compared to July 2021.
Lebanon
was rated the angriest country in the world by US company Gallup which analyzed
emotions in over 100 countries for its Global Emotions Report. It found that
nearly half of the survey respondents in Lebanon experienced anger regularly,
including on the day before they took part in the survey.
The
Levant country also ranked among the saddest and most stressed countries in the
Gallup report.
Gender-based
violence
Lebanon-based
non-government organizations ABAAD and KAFA told Al Arabiya English last month
that they noticed an increase in gender-based violence throughout the country.
KAFA
told Al Arabiya English in an email last month that violent incidents against
women worsened since the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown. Following the
onset of the pandemic, the Beirut Port Blast in 2020 compounded multiple crises
facing Lebanese society, leading to a COVID-spurred economic meltdown, severe
currency devaluation, layoffs, and mass migration, all while the government
offered no support to mitigate these issues.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Missile
strike kills 9 civilians in northern Syria
Omer
Koparan and Ethem Emre Ozcan
19.08.2022
AL-BAB,
Syria
At
least nine civilians were killed and 15 others wounded when a missile targeted
the town of al-Bab in northern Syria on Friday, according to initial reports
from the ground.
Children
were among those killed in the attack, which hit a civilian-heavy part of the
town. There was no immediate claim of responsibility so far.
Türkiye
launched Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria on Aug. 24, 2016 to
eliminate Daesh/ISIS and other terrorists and help the safe and voluntary
return of Syrians to their homes.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/missile-strike-kills-9-civilians-in-northern-syria/2664918
--------
UN
warns of increasing violence at Al Hol camp in Syria
Betül
Yürük
18.08.2022
UNITED
NATIONS
The
UN warned Thursday of increasing violence at the al-Hol refugee camp in eastern
Syria, home to families of suspected Daesh/ISIS terror group members.
The
warning came after a four-day visit by the UN resident coordinator and
humanitarian coordinator in Syria to the northeastern al-Hasakeh and ar-Raqqa
governorates.
''This
year alone, at least 26 people, including three this week, have been murdered
in the camp. Twenty of those murdered were women,'' Imran Riza said in a
statement.
He
warned that Syria is facing a severe water crisis from drinking water to water
for irrigation, food production, and power generation that is affecting the
health and livelihoods of residents.
The
al-Hol camp is run by the YPG/PKK terror group and houses 55,000 suspected
Daesh/ISIS members and their families from Syria, Iraq and 60 other countries
with more than half of the residents being children.
The
UN has deplored inhumane and degrading conditions at the camp with human rights
experts urging states to repatriate their citizens that are held at that
location.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/un-warns-of-increasing-violence-at-al-hol-camp-in-syria/2664547
--------
Turkish
forces 'neutralize' 9 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria
Diyar
Guldogan
18.08.2022
Turkish
forces “neutralized” nine YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, near the
Turkish border, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
The
terrorists were planning an attack on Türkiye's Operation Peace Spring zone,
the ministry said in a statement.
Turkish
authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question
surrendered or were killed or captured.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Next
Gaza battle will sweep Israel off the face of occupied Palestinian lands,
Islamic Jihad warns
Friday,
19 August 2022
The
Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement has warned that any new military
confrontation with Israel in defense of the Palestinian cause and as a natural
response to the ferocious acts of Tel Aviv's aggression will be a game-changer
that will wipe the Tel Aviv regime off the face of occupied lands.
Nasser
Abu-Sharif, a member of the Islamic Jihad's political office, said on Thursday
that Israeli authorities are flagrantly enacting multiple measures and
implementing Zionist projects to deliberately deny Palestinians of their basic
rights and freedoms.
He
added, “The next confrontation with the Israeli Occupation will be a
game-changer as it will sweep the Tel Aviv regime off the face of occupied Palestinian
territories.”
Abu-Sharif
stressed that efforts should be made towards complete liberation of Palestine,
calling for more unity among Palestinian factions in this regard.
The
senior Islamic Jihad official pointed out that Palestinians are grateful for
the sacrifices made by the resistance front, saying, “We insist on the unity of
Palestinian factions in order to firmly stand up against the usurping and
occupying Israeli regime. We hope other forces in the Arab and Islamic world
join this struggle.”
“It
is our religious and moral duty to confront the Israeli aggression. The Islamic
Jihad courageously stood up against such viciousness during the three-day
onslaught on the Gaza Strip, and this is a source of pride for all
Palestinians,” Abu-Sharif noted.
The
Israeli regime carried out new massacre in the besieged Gaza Strip on August 5,
killing nearly 50 people, including Taysir al-Jabari, a senior commander of the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement.
The
Israeli airstrikes prompted the al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military
wing, to respond by firing hundreds of rockets toward the occupied territories,
pushing the regime forces on the back foot.
The
strong retaliation, as was pledged by the resistance group, forced Tel Aviv to
accept an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire, which took effect late on August 7.
Secretary
General of the Islamic Jihad resistance movement, Ziad al-Nakhala, says the
movement has made “a great achievement” in the face of Israel, lauding
Palestinian people’s resistance against the regime's aggression.
Ziad
al-Nakhala made the remarks after the movement agreed to a truce with the Tel
Aviv regime following three days of strikes on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli
forces.
“Fifty-eight
Zionist-populated settlements were simultaneously brought under the al-Quds
Brigades’ rocket fire,” Nakhala said during a press conference in Tehran.
“The
occupiers failed to impose any of their conditions on us,” he added. The
Islamic Jihad, on the other hand, conditioned the truce on the release of two
of its prisoners, who have been detained by the Israeli regime, he added.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
forces raid offices of several Palestinian rights groups, civil society
organizations in West Bank
18
August 2022
The
Israeli regime’s forces have stormed the headquarters of several Palestinian
human rights and civil society organizations in the occupied West Bank, in yet
another crackdown on rights groups in the Palestinian territories.
Palestine's
official Wafa news agency said the raid took place in the early hours of
Thursday and targeted seven human rights NGOs in the occupied West Bank cities
of Ramallah and al-Bireh.
“The
heavily-armed soldiers stormed the offices of the organizations, muscled
inside, tampered with the contents, seized office equipment and documentation,
shut down the main entrances with iron plates, and leaving behind military
orders declaring the organizations unlawful,” Wafa reported.
The
Palestinian news agency said the organizations raided were Al-Haq, Addameer,
the Bisan Center for Research & Development, Defense for Children
International Palestine (DCI-Palestine), the Union of Agricultural Work
Committees, the Union of Health Work Committees and the Union of Palestinian
Women.
Local
media reports said the Israeli soldiers and police officers "closed seven
institutions and confiscated property" in the overnight raids, adding that
at the Ramallah offices of human rights group Al-Haq, the front door had been
welded shut and an Israeli notice left saying it would remain closed for
"security reasons.”
The
Thursday move led to heavy clashes between Palestinians and Israelis, with the
regime’s force firing teargas canisters at protesters outside Al-Haq's office
and Palestinians responding with rocks and Molotov cocktails over the overnight
raids.
In
a tweet, senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh described the
raids as "an attempt to silence the voice of truth and justice.”
In
October last year, the Israeli regime issued a military order declaring the
Ramallah-based Al-Haq, along with the other six rights groups, as “terrorist
organizations.”
The
occupying regime accused the groups of funneling donor aid to Palestinian
resistance fighters and of having links to the Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine (PFLP). The groups have strongly denied the claims.
Last
month, nine European Union states rejected the Israeli regime’s terrorist
designation of the Palestinian civil society groups, saying they would continue
their cooperation and strong support for the organizations as the regime had
failed to prove the allegations.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Calls on Western Gov'ts to Stop Ignoring Israeli Crimes Against Palestinians
2022-August-18
“In
line with what has been stipulated in many official documents… and countless
reports by human rights institutions, the Zionist regime is an apartheid
regime, which is culpable for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against
humanity,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana’ani wrote Twitter on
Thursday.
He
advised the Western governments to stop denying “objective facts” regarding the
Israeli regime’s apartheid character and instead start backing the Palestinian
nation’s human rights.
Numerous
human rights organizations have condemned the Israeli regime for its practicing
apartheid by systematically oppressing the Palestinians via military occupation
and racist laws.
Leading
human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International,
have equated Israeli policies against Palestinians to apartheid.
Iran
has repeatedly stressed the international community should force Israel to
account for human rights violations and crimes against Palestinians. Tehran
stated that Washington-supported barbarity will not change the inevitable fate
of the Tel Aviv regime.
Israel
unleashed a wave of air raids on the Gaza Strip during the last week.
Forty-nine Palestinians, including 17 children and two Islamic Jihad
commanders, were martyred in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of Palestinians were also wounded.
United
Nations Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet has sounded the alarm about the
high number of Palestinians, including children, killed and injured by Israel
in 2022.
Almost
40 Palestinian children have been killed so far this year in the occupied
territories and in many incidents, Israeli forces appear to use lethal force in
a manner that violates international human rights law, Bachelet said.
The
toll of civilian casualties in the Israeli attack on Gaza “was heavy”, the UN
rights chief added.
Iran
describes Israel as the root cause of instability in the region, but says the
regime's US-supported barbarity will not change the inevitable fate of the Tel
Aviv regime.
Iranian
President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi strongly condemned the new crime committed by
Tel Aviv in the Gaza Strip, and noted the Israeli regime is on a fast-track
towards decline because of the resistance of the Palestinian people in the
besieged enclave.
"Through
its crime last night, the Zionist regime once more showed its occupationist and
aggressive nature to the world," President Rayeesi stated on Saturday.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Palestinian
Islamic State leader in Sinai killed by Egyptian forces - report
AUGUST
18, 2022
The
leader of Islamic State in Sinai responsible for the death of 305 Egyptians in
a 2017 mosque massacre has been killed in fighting with the Egyptian Armed
Forces, the Sinai United Tribes announced on Monday.
Hamza
Adel Muhammad Al-Zamili, better known by the Jihadi moniker Abu Kazem
Al-Maqdisi, was killed in combat along with nine other Islamic State fighters.
Three others were arrested, and as of Tuesday, Egyptian military operations
were still underway, according to the Sinai United Tribes, which is aligned
with the Egyptian government.
Rawdah
mosque massacre
In
2017, 305 people at Al Rawdah mosque in the northern Sinai were killed in a
bombing and gun attack during Friday prayers. Many of those killed were
reportedly Sufis, a branch of Islam that is considered idolatrous by the
Islamic State. Maqdisi was reportedly responsible for the attack.
"The
armed forces and the police will avenge our martyrs and restore security and
stability with the utmost force," Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
said in a televised address at the time. "What is happening is an attempt
to stop us from our efforts in the fight against terrorism, to destroy our
efforts to stop the terrible criminal plan that aims to destroy what is left of
our region."
A
Gazan extremist
Maqdisi
was from Gaza but was at odds with the ruling Hamas regime. He had accused
Hamas of cooperating with Israel and Egypt to crack down on ISIS-affiliated
radicals, Voice of America reported.
Source:
J Post
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/isis-threat/article-715016
--------
Human
Rights Chief Blasts US for Unjust Detainment of Iranians
2022-August-18
“The
US has arrested tens of innocent Iranians under the pretext of circumventing
its cruel and inhumane sanctions,” Qaribabadi tweeted on Thursday.
“The
last two are Messrs Sarhangpour and Attar-Kashani. All innocent Iranians must
be freed – effective immediately,” he added.
He
also said that Sarhangpour is held under dire humanitarian conditions and was
forced to pay the rent for the apartment in which he is placed under arrest.
Sarhangpour’s
access to emergency medical care is denied and he has been forced to pay the
exorbitant treatment costs, the official stated, calling it “Barbaric”.
The
remarks came after Iran announced it's ready to swap prisoners with the United
States, calling on President Joe Biden's administration to act instead of
performing theatrical shows.
"Iran
has repeatedly announced to the United States through different channels that
it is ready to address the issue of prisoners independently of the issue of the
JCPOA," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana'ani said on
Wednesday, reffering to the 2015 nuclear deal, officialy known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Some
Iranians are in US jails just because of ignoring Washington's illegal
sanctions on Tehran.
He
declared Tehran’s readiness for the immediate implementation of the existing
agreement with Washington on releasing prisoners, noting the US must release
jailed Iranian citizens without any conditions.
"Tehran
is ready to get the innocent Iranians imprisoned in the United States, those
who have become victims of injustice by the judicial system of that country on
false charges of violating the cruel and illegal Washington's sanctions,
released and make their quick freedom and return to the open arms of their
families possible," the spokesman added.
"“It
is surprising that the US, instead of acting and removing the obstacles in this
field, is only performing propaganda shows against Iran,” he noted.
US
officials have recently called on Iran to release American prisoners held in
the country.
Tehran
has numerously urged Washington to free Iranian nationals who have been taken
hostage for baseless reasons under the pretext that they have bypassed and
violated the US sanctions. Iran has also blasted the US for linking a
humanitarian exchange of prisoners with the talks over the revival of the 2015
nuclear deal.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010527000375/Hman-Righs-Chief-Blass-US-fr-Unjs-Deainmen-f-Iranians
--------
Israeli
PM speaks to Germany's Scholz on Iran nuclear deal
18 August,
2022
Israeli
Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday,
pressing Israel's position that efforts to revive a nuclear deal with Iran
should end, a senior Israeli diplomatic official said.
As
well as speaking with Scholz, Lapid spoke to Ted Deutch, chairman of the US
House Foreign Affairs Committee's Middle East Subcommittee and with the US
ambassador to Israel Tom Nide, the official said.
The
head of Israel's National Security Council, Eyal Hulata, is due to travel to
the United States next week for more talks.
The
conversations came days after the European Union submitted a “final” draft text
aimed at salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal which former US President Donald Trump
walked away from in 2018.
In
an emailed statement, the Israeli official said the time had come to walk away
from the talks with Iran, adding: “Anything else sends a message of weakness.”
“Now
is the time to sit and talk about what to do going forward in order to prevent
Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” the official said.
Israel
has repeatedly spoken out against efforts to revive the deal, reserving the
right to take military action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon or
against Iranian-backed militant groups in the region.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Palestinian
killed in Israeli West Bank raid: Palestinian ministry
August
19, 2022
RAMALLAH,
Palestinian Territories Presse: A Palestinian man was killed Friday by Israeli
forces during a raid in the north of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian
health ministry said.
Salah
Sawafta, 58, “died of critical wounds, sustained by live bullets from the
occupation (Israeli military) in the head, in Tubas this morning,” a ministry
statement said.
The
Israeli military said soldiers came under fire during a raid in the town.
During
an operation in “Tubas, several suspects hurled Molotov cocktails and opened
fire at (Israeli) troops, who responded with fire,” the army said in a
statement, adding “hits were identified.”
The
mayor of Tubas, Hossam Daraghmeh, said Sawafta had been leaving dawn prayers
when he was shot.
“He
left the mosque and was heading to his house wearing a prayer robe. There was a
vengeful soldier stationed in a building near the municipality who shot him in
the head,” he said.
Daraghmeh
said Sawafta had been unarmed when he was hit.
“This
man did not have a stone or anything in his hand,” he said.
The
Israeli military said five people were detained in overnight raids across the West
Bank.
On
Thursday, a 20-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli troops during clashes
in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2146121/middle-east
--------
Africa
Ethiopia
calls UN health body head's remarks on Tigray 'unethical'
Addis
Getachew, Seleshi Tessema
18.08.2022
ADDIS
ABABA, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
on Thursday described as "unethical" comments made by the head of the
World Health Organization concerning the humanitarian situation in Tigray, the
country's northernmost region.
“The
comment is one among many unethical ones being made by the WHO Director General
and is not surprising," said Billene Seyoum, press secretary at the Prime
Minister's Office.
“Using
a race card and one’s multilateral position to garner the sympathy of the
global north for personal, partisan politics is quite unbecoming of such a high
profile position,” she said.
“We
have no doubt that the UN will review the continued breach of the UN office by
the WHO Director General wherein the oath of office itself clearly requires a
UN staff to act within impartiality and independence," she said.
In
a press briefing on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,
who is an ethnic Tigrayan, said the situation caused by the conflict in Tigray,
was worse than any other humanitarian crisis in the world.
“I
haven’t heard in the last few months any head of state talking about the Tigray
situation anywhere in the developed world. Anywhere. Why?” Tedros asked. “Maybe
the reason is the color of the skin of the people in Tigray.”
He
suggested racism could be why Ukraine was getting more attention
internationally than Tigray.
Meanwhile,
Billene said humanitarian aid continued to enter Tigray.
Armed
conflict between Ethiopian federal government and Tigray rebels erupted in
November 2020 and in March 2022 the Ethiopian government declared a humanitarian
truce, which is holding to date.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Somali
army claims killing 17 al-Shabaab terrorists
Mohammed
Dhaysane
18.08.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
The
Somali army claimed to have killed 17 al-Shabaab terrorists in the country’s
central region of Hiran.
In
a brief statement issued on Twitter on Thursday, the army said that the
terrorists were killed in counter-terrorism operations.
The
military also liberated three villages from al-Shabaab during the operations,
the statement said.
Hiran,
a central province that borders Ethiopia, has seen increased military
activities over the last few weeks, as the new Somali government has vowed to
continue fighting the group.
On
Wednesday, the US army in Africa (AFRICOM) said it conducted an airstrike in
the same region, killing at least 13 al-Shabaab terrorists.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/somali-army-claims-killing-17-al-shabaab-terrorists/2664090
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Jordanian
journalists protest to mark 100 days since Abu Akleh’s murder
Laith
Al-jnaidi
18.08.2022
AMMAN
A
number of Jordanian journalists on Thursday held a vigil in commemoration of
the 100th day since Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead by
an Israeli sniper in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The
protest took place in front of the office of the Al-Jazeera news network in
central Amman.
Participants
raised photos of the late journalist, reading: “Justice for Shireen,” and “You
will remain present in our hearts ... the martyr of free speech.”
Participants
called for accountability for what Abu Akleh was subjected to and the need for
justice, describing what had happened as a “crime.”
Basil
Al-Akour, the editor-in-chief of “Jo 24 Site” (Independent), said in a speech
during the protest: “100 days have passed and we are still hurt, the wound is
still tender, we are still sore, since our colleague fell as a martyr on
Palestine’s soil, bearing the banner of truth and justice.”
He
added: “Journalists carry their lives, their future, and the future of their
children on their shoulders as they try to convey the truth to you as it
stands. The UN and the International Criminal Court are an illusion, as Israel
goes unpunished every time.”
Hassan
Shobaki, the director of the Al Jazeera Office in Jordan, confirmed that this
crime will not be silenced, pointing out that “the hand of treachery chose
Shireen... There is no greater crime in the world than the crime of occupation.”
Al
Jazeera's Abu Akleh was killed on May 11, and the Palestinian Health Ministry
said she was shot in the head while covering an Israeli army's incursion in the
city of Jenin, northern West Bank.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Morocco
sentences 13 migrants to prison, says lawyer
18
August, 2022
Morocco
sentenced 13 migrants to two-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday, their
lawyer said, following a deadly mass crossing into the Spanish enclave of
Melilla in June.
Their
representative, Khalid Ameza, could not specify the charges against the 13 when
approached by AFP.
They
appeared at a court in Nador, a Moroccan city bordering Melilla, and intend to
appeal.
The
two Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta are the EU’s only land borders with
Africa.
According
to the official toll, 23 people died when around 2,000 migrants, many of them
from Sudan, stormed the fences along the frontier in June.
It
was the largest death toll in years of attempted crossings into the enclaves.
Spanish
rights group Caminando Fronteras says as many as 37 people lost their lives in
the mass crossing attempt.
The
United Nations, the African Union and independent rights groups have condemned
the use of excessive force by Moroccan and Spanish security personnel.
Morocco
earlier this month sentenced 14 migrants to eight months’ jail following their
arrest a day before the deadly mass crossing.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
senator meets Kenyan leaders amid election dispute
Andrew
Wasike
18.08.2022
NAIROBI,
Kenya
US
senator Chris Coons met separately Thursday with Kenya’s President-elect
William Ruto, veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga and outgoing President
Uhuru Kenyatta amid uncertainty about recent election results.
Coons,
who is on a five-nation tour of Africa, met Odinga who challenged the Aug. 9
elections in which he lost to the deputy president.
“We
held candid discussions on developments around our general election and
bilateral relations with the Congressional delegation of the US Senate and
House of Representatives. We reiterated our commitment to pursuing legal means
to resolve issues around the election results,” Odinga wrote in a tweet. He has
said that he is going to challenge the results in court.
Coons
later met Ruto, who said talks centered on the elections and ties that would
benefit both countries.
”The
talks touched on the just concluded elections in the country and areas of
cooperation between Kenya and United States. We commit to deepen relations and
further partnership for the mutual benefit of the citizens of the two
countries,” he tweeted.
Later,
Coons commended Kenyatta, who made his first public appearance since the
elections, for his leadership. “We are encouraged by the peace Kenya has
continued to experience during this period,” he said.
Kenyatta
said “the process of transition will be smooth” and his greatest desire is for
peace to prevail.
Coons’
trip comes days after Ruto was declared Monday the winner of the elections amid
a dispute.
Odinga,
who was also hoping to take the mantle from Kenyatta, is headed to the Supreme
Court to challenge the results.
Lawyer
and political analyst George Kithi told Anadolu Agency that the possibility of
a brokered power-sharing deal cannot be ruled out but right now all eyes are on
the Supreme Court that will decide where to uphold Ruto’s win or call a new
election.
“I
think because it was done before, probably it can be done now,” he said.
Coons
was among those who urged Kenyatta and Odinga to talk in 2017 following an
election that was marred with irregularities.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/us-senator-meets-kenyan-leaders-amid-election-dispute/2664219
--------
Europe
UK's
Priti Patel signs deal to deport illegal Pakistani migrants
Aug
18, 2022
LONDON:
Britain has clinched a new agreement with Pakistan, dubbed a
"landmark" deal, to speedily remove Pakistani nationals with no legal
right to remain in the UK.
The
Returns Agreement was signed by Home Secretary Priti Patel and Pakistan Interior
Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar and the country's High Commissioner to the UK,
Moazzam Ahmad Khan in London on Wednesday.
The
agreement will target Pakistan criminals, failed asylum seekers, visa
overstayers and immigration offenders to facilitate their return to their home
nation.
"I'm
proud to have signed a new landmark agreement with our Pakistani friends to
return foreign criminals and immigration offenders from the UK to
Pakistan," said Patel.
"I
make no apology for removing dangerous foreign criminals and immigration
offenders who have no right to remain in the UK. The British public have quite
rightly had enough of people abusing our laws and gaming the system so we can't
remove them. This agreement, which I am proud to have signed with our Pakistani
friends, shows the New Plan for Immigration in action and the government
delivering,” she said.
"Our
new Borders Act will go further and help end the cycle of last-minute claims
and appeals that can delay removals,” Indian-origin Cabinet minister said.
According
to the UK Home Office data, Pakistan nationals make up the seventh largest
number of foreign criminals in prisons in England and Wales – totalling nearly
3 per cent of the foreign national offender population, around 2,500 prisoners.
The
British government says the new agreement underlines both countries' ongoing
commitment to tackling the issue of illegal migration and the significant
threats it poses to both nations. The agreement also includes ongoing work to
“improve and expand UK-Pakistani law enforcement cooperation".
The
new pact with Pakistan is among a series of Returns Agreements signed by Patel
in 15 months under the government's “New Plan for Immigration” to tackle
illegal migration.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Alleged
anti-Muslim hate crimes investigated by Portland police
by
Leela Stockley
Aug
19, 2022
A
series of alleged hate crimes targeted at Portland’s Muslim community are under
investigation by the Portland Police Department.
Three
separate instances of actions attempting to intimidate or ostracize Muslim
members of the Portland community were reported by members of the Omar Bin
Alkhetab Masjid mosque on Aug. 2, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The
mosque members reported two videos that were shared with them; one showing a
person burning a Quran and one showing a person entering the mosque some time
in April while recording details of the interior while talking with others on
WhatsApp, a social media platform, according to the Press Herald.
A
Muslim family also reported that graffiti with allegedly threatening messages
was left on a street outside their home on or before Aug. 5, the Portland
newspaper reported.
The
Portland Police Department has opened an investigation, and will report any
evidence that is indicative of a hate crime to the Cumberland County district
attorney’s office and the Office of the Maine Attorney General.
A
hate crime is defined as any action against a person that is motivated by bias
against a person’s race, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender,
disability or sexual orientation. Any attempt to threaten, intentionally
injure, intimidate or oppress someone based on bias is a Class D offense in
Maine, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.
Attorney
General Aaron Frey declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, according
to the Press Herald.
Members
of the Council on American-Islamic Relation welcomed an investigation into the
videos and graffiti, calling for appropriate actions to be taken in the wake of
the investigation.
Source:
Bangor Daily News
Please
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https://www.bangordailynews.com/2022/08/18/news/portland/muslim-hate-crime-investigation-portland/
--------
Erdogan
warns of ‘another Chernobyl’ after talks in Ukraine
August
19, 2022
LVIV:
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Russia and Ukraine on Thursday to
show a “spirit of compromise” to ensure the continued success of a UN brokered
deal, even as Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of an impending
nuclear disaster in Ukraine during his first face-to-face talks with President
Volodymyr Zelensky since the invasion began.
“We
are worried. We don’t want another Chernobyl,” Erdogan said during a press
conference in the eastern city of Lviv, during which he also assured the
Ukrainian leader that Ankara was a firm ally.
“While
continuing our efforts to find a solution, we remain on the side of our Ukraine
friends,” Erdogan said.
Guterres
said he was “gravely concerned” about the situation at the plant and said it
had to be demilitarised, adding: “We must tell it like it is — any potential
damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide”.
Erdogan,
who has major geopolitical rivalries with the Kremlin but maintains a close
working relationship with President Vladimir Putin, met with the Russian leader
less than two weeks ago in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The
Turkish leader along with Guterres were key brokers of a deal inked in Istanbul
last month allowing the resumption of grain exports from Ukraine after Russia’s
invasion blocked essential global supplies.
Ahead
of the press conference with Zelensky, Ukraine’s port authority announced that
the 25th cargo ship under the deal had departed for Egypt carrying 33,000
tonnes of grain.
Guterres
said after talks in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv that 21 ships had
departed from Ukrainian ports under the deal in less than a month, and 15
vessels had left Istanbul for Ukraine to load up with grain and other food
supplies.
“Since
the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I have been clear: There is no solution to the
global food crisis without ensuring full global access to Ukraines food
products and Russian food and fertilisers,” he told reporters in Lviv.
Source:
Dawn
Please
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1705641/erdogan-warns-of-another-chernobyl-after-talks-in-ukraine
--------
Turkey
says Sweden’s first extradition of Turkish convict falls short of demands
18
August, 2022
Turkey’s
justice minister Thursday said Sweden’s pledge to extradite a Turkish convict
fell far short of Stockholm’s commitments under a deal paving the way for its
NATO membership bid.
NATO
member Turkey is threatening to freeze Sweden’s attempts to join the Western
defense alliance unless it extradites dozens of people Ankara accuses of
“terrorism.”
A
non-binding deal Sweden and fellow NATO aspirant Finland signed with Turkey in
June commits them to “expeditiously and thoroughly” examine Ankara’s requests
for suspects linked to a 2016 coup attempt and outlawed Kurdish militants.
The
Swedish government said earlier this month that it would extradite Okan Kale -
a man convicted of credit card fraud who appeared on a list of people sought by
Ankara published by Turkish media.
Justice
Minister Bekir Bozdag told the conservative Milliyet news site that Sweden
needed to do far more to win Turkey’s trust.
“If
they think that by extraditing ordinary criminals to Turkey they will make us
believe that they have fulfilled their promises, they are wrong,” Bozdag said
in the first government response to the extradition decision.
“Nobody
should test Turkey,” he warned.
Bozdag
is seen as one of the more hawkish members of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
government.
The
Turkish leader himself has warned that he will not submit the two countries’
applications for ratification in parliament unless they comply with his
extradition demands in full.
Erdogan
said in July that Sweden had made a “promise” to extradite “73 terrorists.”
The
Turkish justice ministry in June formally requested the extradition of 21
suspects from Sweden and 12 from Finland.
Sweden
and Finland ended decades of military neutrality and decided to try and join
NATO in response to Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine.
Their
bids have already been ratified by the United States and more than half of the
30 members of NATO. Each application must win unanimous consent from member
states.
Sweden
and Finland are due to hold their first formal consultations with Turkey about
the dispute on August 26.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
EU
hails decision by Türkiye, Israel to restore full diplomatic relations
Agnes
Szucs
18.08.2022
BRUSSELS
The
European Union on Thursday hailed the recent Turkish-Israeli rapprochement.
“I
welcome the announcement between Turkey and Israel to restore full diplomatic
ties,” EU commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Oliver Varhelyi said on
Twitter.
The
remarks came after Türkiye and Isreal announced on Wednesday that they will
resume diplomatic relations and mutually reappoint ambassadors and consuls.
Varhelyi
called the agreement “another milestone strengthening bilateral relations,
stabilizing the region and fostering prosperity.”
“The
EU is ready to support establishing new grounds of cooperation,” he added.
In
his speech announcing the restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel, Turkish
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed that Türkiye will “continue to
defend the rights of Palestine, Jerusalem, and Gaza, and it is important that
our messages are conveyed directly to Tel Aviv at the ambassador level.”
On
Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a phone talk with Israeli
Prime Minister Yair Lapid to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.
Erdogan
said he supports the development of cooperation and dialogue between the two
countries built on a sustainable basis and respect for mutual sensitivities.
He
also expressed his satisfaction with the progress achieved in relations under a
framework agreed on during recent visits to Türkiye by Lapid and Israeli
President Isaac Herzog.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Southeast
Asia
Foreign
Minister of Malaysia Condemns Myanmar Junta for Suu Kyi’s Latest Prison
Sentence
August
16, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah has condemned Myanmar’s junta for
sentencing deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to six years in prison.
Reuters
reported yesterday that a court in military-ruled Myanmar handed down the
sentence after finding Suu Kyi guilty in four corruption cases, after she had
already been sentenced to 11 years in prison in other cases.
Suu
Kyi has denied all the charges against her.
“The
additional sentencing of Suu Kyi and the recent execution of four democracy
activists prove that the junta repeatedly disregards calls by Asean leaders for
concrete and inclusive dialogue for national reconciliation in Myanmar,” said
Saifuddin in a tweet.
Suu
Kyi, a 77-year-old Nobel laureate and the figurehead of Myanmar’s opposition to
military rule, has been charged with at least 18 offences ranging from
corruption to election violations, carrying combined maximum jail terms of
nearly 190 years.
Saifuddin
said Malaysia stands with the people of Myanmar and supports calls for Suu
Kyi’s immediate release.
“This
is so that the process of peaceful and inclusive dialogue with all
stakeholders, including the country’s National Unity Government (NUG) and
National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), can begin,” he said.
He
said the junta had failed to fulfil the five-point consensus (5PC) to end the
country’s turmoil which was agreed upon at the Asean Leaders Meeting (ALM) in
Jakarta in April 2021.
It
called for an immediate cessation of violence, holding dialogues with all key
stakeholders, the appointment of a special envoy to facilitate mediation, for
the delegation to visit and meet with stakeholders in Myanmar, and allowing
Asean to provide humanitarian assistance to the people in Myanmar.
Myanmar
has been in crisis since last year when the military overthrew an elected government
led by Suu Kyi’s party, before leading a deadly crackdown on dissent.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Timor-Leste
Muslims reject Indonesian Islamic group
August
18, 2022
A
top leader of Timor-Leste’s minority Muslim community has turned down an offer
from a leading Indonesian Muslim group to open its branch in his Catholic-majority
country, fearing it would destroy religious harmony.
Haji
Abdullah Inacio Antonio Soares, vice president of the government-recognized
organization called Timor-Leste Muslim Community said he has rejected the offer
from Indonesia's largest moderate Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama [NU].
“As
a fellow human being and a fellow Muslim, I welcome their presence, but to open
a branch here as they wish is not easy," he told UCA News on Aug. 18.
Soares’
response came after a delegation of NU and its youth branch Gerakan Pemuda
Anshor from East Nusa Tenggara province, which borders Timor-Leste, concluded a
four-day visit to Timor-Leste on Aug. 17.
The
delegation met with leaders of Timor-Leste’s Muslim community and President
Jose Ramos-Horta and discussed issues related to reconciliation, human
brotherhood, and peace.
The
visit aimed to establish “friendship and consolidation" and to "open
our branch here,” said Ajhar Lawe, chairman of the East Nusa Tenggara province
branch of Gerakan Pemuda Anshor after meeting President Ramos-Horta on Aug. 16.
Soares
told UCA News that he was “well aware” of NU’s track record as a moderate
organization. "But I'm afraid the presence of such an organization will
actually bring new problems to our country."
The
group is welcome to work with Muslims in Timor-Leste in social fields such as
education. Opening a branch of this organization will lead to a flood of other
organizations, he said.
Muslims
are only less than one percent of Timor-Leste's 1.3 million population, with 97
percent Catholics.
He
said Timor-Leste Muslims live as one community without any factions "in
harmony with other religions. So, when we make a decision, we also consider the
impact it will have on people of other religions."
“A
bigger issue is about the life of the nation” and the future of co-existence of
different religions. “So far it has been going well” and should be left
undisturbed Soares said.
"My
decision to reject the opening of the branch was indeed criticized a lot, but
actually what I consider is a matter of greater interest, about our
nation," he said.
Soares'
rejection was supported on social media.
Faralata-Ratutey
Arapausa'e Simao wrote on Facebook that Timor-Leste does not need Islamic
organizations “because in Indonesia how difficult it is for Christians to
establish churches.”
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/timor-leste-muslims-reject-indonesian-islamic-group/98440
--------
Australia
upset at Indonesia reducing Bali bomber’s sentence
August
19, 2022
CANBERRA:
Australia’s leader said Friday that it’s upsetting Indonesia has further
reduced the prison sentence of the bombmaker in the Bali terror attack that
killed 202 people — which could free him within days if he’s granted parole.
The
most recent reduction of Umar Patek’s sentence takes his total reductions to
almost two years and means Patek could be released on parole ahead of the 20th
anniversary of the bombings in October.
“This
will cause further distress to Australians who were the families of victims of
the Bali bombings,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Channel 9. “We lost 88
Australian lives in those bombings.”
Albanese
said he would continue making “diplomatic representations” to Indonesia about
Patek’s sentence and a range of other issues, including Australians currently
jailed in Indonesia. Albanese described Patek as “abhorrent.”
“His
actions were the actions of a terrorist,” Albanese told Channel 9. ”They did
have such dreadful results for Australian families that are ongoing, the trauma
which is there.”
Indonesia
often grants sentence reductions to prisoners on major holidays such as the
nation’s Independence Day, which was Wednesday.
Patek
received a 5-month reduction on Independence Day for good behavior and could
walk free this month from Porong Prison in East Java province if he gets
parole, said Zaeroji, who heads the provincial office for the Ministry of Law
and Human Rights.
Zaeroji,
who goes by a single name, said Patek had the same rights as other inmates and
had fulfilled legal requirements to get sentence reductions. “While in the
prison, he behaved very well and he regrets his radical past which has harmed
society and the country and he has also vowed to be a good citizen,” Zaeroji
said.
Patek
was arrested in Pakistan in 2011 and tried in Indonesia, where he was convicted
in 2012. He was originally sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
With
his time served plus sentence reductions, he became eligible for parole on Aug.
14. The decision from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights in Jakarta is still
pending, Zaeroji said. If refused parole, he could remain jailed until 2029.
Patek
was one of several men implicated in the attack, which was widely blamed on
Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian militant group with ties to Al-Qaeda. Most
of those killed in the bombing on the resort island were foreign tourists.
Another
conspirator, Ali Imron, was sentenced to life. Earlier this year, a third
militant, Aris Sumarsono, whose real name is Arif Sunarso but is better known
as Zulkarnaen, was sentenced to 15 years following his capture in 2020 after 18
years on the run.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2146031/world
--------
Amin
highlights sharia insurance industry’s challenges, opportunities
August
19, 2022
Vice
President Ma’ruf Amin highlighted future challenges and opportunities of the
national sharia insurance industry amid implementation of ASEAN Framework
Agreement on Services (AFAS) aimed at eliminating restrictions to trade in
services among ASEAN countries.
“On
one hand, the domestic sharia insurance industry is required to compete with
foreign rivals in the domestic market, while on the other hand, it (the AFAS
implementation) increases prospects for the Indonesian sharia insurance
industry to expand its market to other ASEAN member states,” Amin stated while
addressing the 19th anniversary of the Indonesian Sharia Insurance Association
(AASI) in Jakarta on Thursday.
The
ability to penetrate the insurance market is hinged on the industrial capacity.
The national sharia insurance companies should be able to capitalize on the
momentum by preparing themselves to be more competitive and efficient, so that
they can compete and lead the regional sharia insurance market, he affirmed.
To
that end, he urged AASI to encourage sharia financial literacy, particularly
about sharia insurance, among members of the public; make the most of digital
technology to strengthen the Indonesian sharia insurance industry; and create
attractive products for Indonesia’s productive generation.
In
addition, the vice president called on the AASI to improve the quality and
capacity of human resources in the field of sharia finance and insurance and
take active part in supporting micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in
terms of business protection and literacy.
“Sharia
insurance can also encourage sharia financial inclusion by targeting the middle
to lower class population that makes up the large market through micro
insurance products. There is a lot of evidence that the industry is
successfully engaged in micro products. Hence, micro products, with an
unburdening and affordable payment system, must be innovated,” he remarked.
Source:
Pak Observer
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://pakobserver.net/amin-highlights-sharia-insurance-industrys-challenges-opportunities/
--------
Don’t
use civil servants as ‘propaganda tools’, PM told
August
19, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s call for civil servants to defend
the government from allegations will lead to them being used as “propaganda
tools” to boost Barisan Nasional’s (BN) image, says Pakatan Harapan (PH) Youth.
PH
Youth said Ismail’s action is tantamount to abuse of power.
“Any
attempt to use civil servants to defend the government must be strongly
rejected,” it said in a statement.
“Civil
servants should adhere to the principle of neutrality in ensuring that the
delivery of government services is not affected, even if there is any change in
leadership.”
The
statement was signed by PH and DAP Youth chief Dr Kelvin Yii, PKR Youth chief
Adam Adli, Amanah Youth chief Hasbie Muda and Upko Youth chief Felix Joseph
Saang.
It
noted that after PH took over Putrajaya in May 2018, following its victory in
the 14th general election (GE14), the Cabinet decided to ban civil servants
from getting involved in politics to ensure that they remain neutral in all administrative
affairs.
The
former PH government also introduced regulations to prohibit top civil
servants, as well as those in managerial and professional roles, from being
involved in politics.
During
a meeting with staff of the Prime Minister’s Department on Tuesday, Ismail said
it would be apt for civil servants to defend the government against allegations
that the government under his administration had failed.
On
allegations that the police were linked to a network of fake social media
accounts and pages that tried to boost support for the government and run down
the opposition, PH Youth said Ismail’s message to the public servants only
served to add credence to such claims.
It
also urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to conduct an
investigation into the allegations, stating that it would help restore the
police’s integrity.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
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