Will Sangh Parivar Abandon Slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' Coined By A Muslim: Kerala CM
New
Age Islam News Bureau
25
March 2024
• Will Sangh Parivar Abandon Slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki
Jai' Coined By A Muslim:Kerala CM
• Pakistan PM Shehbaz Felicitates Hindu Community On
Holi With Call To Celebrate ‘Differences As Strengths’
• In Russia, Fingers Point Anywhere But At Islamic
State Group For Concert Hall Attack
• US Didn’t Combat Terrorism In Its 20-Year Presence
In Afghanistan: Russian FM
• After Russian Terror Attack, Prominent Lawmakers
Warn ISIS-K Could Strike U.S.
India
• Exclude Objects Added To BhojshalaKamal Maula Mosque
Complex After 2003 From Survey: Muslim Body
• In Punjab’s Malerkotla, Sikhs and Hindus Hold Iftar
Events for Muslims
• Pro-BJP Pages Target India's Siddaramaiah With
Edited 'Muslim Rebirth' Video
• 4 held for forcibly pouring colours, water on Muslim
family in Bijnor
• BSP’s Muslim picks pose 2022-like threat for INDIA
bloc in west UP
-----
Pakistan
• Second phase of Afghan repatriation in the works
• PM congratulates Saudi minister on receiving top
civil award
• Dar hopes PIA’s UK operations to resume soon
• PTI’s core body gets Kashmiri member
• Man moves SHC for repatriation of family held by
Kurd militants in Syria
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Europe
• France Raises Its Security Readiness To Highest
Level After Attack In Russia, Worried About Islamic State
• Why Vladimir Putin won’t link Islamic State to
Moscow terror attack
• Islamic State terror attack in Moscow a grim
acknowledgement of global power status Russia seeks
• How St. Francis of Assisi led this former Muslim to
Christ
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South
Asia
• Al-Mursad: Kandahar attacker came from Pakistan
• Turkish Envoy: Afghanistan's Time Has Come, Ankara
Supports Afghan People
• Nearly 80 pct of Afghans lack access to drinking
water: UNDP
• Six million Afghans received aid from WFP in past
month
• Pirates demand $5mn ransom for release of
Bangladeshi crew of MV Abdullah
• Bangladesh PM opens military hardware display ahead
of I-Day
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North
America
• Cleveland Ramadan Festival Celebrates Islamic
Culture And Tradition
• In abortion pill case, US high court may undermine
drug regulator
• Jaylen Brown continues to excel while observing
Ramadan: “I don’t find it difficult at all”
-----
Arab
World
• Awqaf Ministry Launches Encyclopaedia To Develop
Islamic Education
• Muslim World League Launches New Museum In Makkah
• Sony Music partners with UMS to promote music
content in Ramadan
• TikTok launches Ramadan guide to inspire creativity
and community
• QRCS provides food to 234,000 beneficiaries in 18
countries during Ramadan
• Ramadan markets across Oman see surge in customers
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Mideast
• Singapore Orders Israeli Embassy To Remove Facebook
Post About Palestine, Quran
• Security Council set to vote on resolution demanding
Gaza ceasefire during Ramadan
• Governor Newsom calls for cease-fire in Gaza in open
letter to CA Muslims and Arabs
• Iran-Linked Muddy Water Deploys Atera for
Surveillance in Phishing Attacks
• Cyber Attack On Iran's Railway Network
• Iran’s Khamanei Believes US Will 'Leave' Middle East
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Africa
• Sudan Denies Receiving Military Aid From Iran
• Boko Haram Attacks Nigerian Army Base In Yobe, Kills
Soldier, Burns Military Vehicles
• Bandits kill two during Ramadan prayers in Katsina
• 2024 Hajj: NAHCON asks Muslim pilgrims to pay an
additional N1.9 million
• Ramadan feeding as gift of fish
-----
Southeast
Asia
• Court In PJ Fines Company Manager RM6,000 For
Allowing Quran Binding In Non-Muslim-Owned Factory
• PM Anwar: Govt not interfering in police
investigation of ‘Allah’ socks issue
• Govt tables Bill to help Malaysian mothers; but
wants to stop permanent residents’ children from getting automatic citizenship
• Sibu police: 80 individuals nabbed for revealing
account information to scammers
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sangh-parivar-bharat-mata-jai-muslim/d/131999
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Will Sangh Parivar Abandon Slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'
Coined By A Muslim: Kerala CM
PTI
25.03.24
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said
the slogans 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Jai Hind' were first raised by two
Muslims and asked whether the Sangh Parivar would be ready to abandon them.
Reaching out to the minority community in this
Muslim-dominated north Kerala district, the veteran CPI(M) leader said Muslim
rulers, cultural icons and officials had played a significant role in the
country's history and independence movement.
Drawing examples from history to prove his point,
Vijayan said a Muslim man named Azimullah Khan had coined the slogan 'Bharat
Mata Ki Jai'.
"Some Sangh Parivar leaders who came here have
asked those who sat in front of them to chant the slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'.
Who coined the slogan? I don't know whether the Sangh Parivar knows that his
name is Azimullah Khan," the CM said.
Vijayan was addressing the fourth consecutive rally
organised by the CPI(M) in the state against the controversial Citizenship
(Amendment) Act (CAA).
The translations of over 50 Upanishads into Persian
from its original Sanskrit text by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan's son Dara Shikoh
had helped the Indian texts reach across the world, Vijayan further said.
He said that Sangh Parivar leaders and activists
advocating for the extradition of Muslims from India to Pakistan ought to be
acquainted with this historical context.
Along with others, Muslims also played a crucial role
in the country's freedom movement, the chief minister pointed out.
Source: Telegraph India
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original story:
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Pakistan PM Shehbaz Felicitates Hindu Community On
Holi With Call To Celebrate ‘Differences As Strengths’
The Hindu community
celebrates Holi, the spring festival of colours, at the Swami narain Temple in
Karachi on March 24, 2024. — AFP
------
March 25, 2024
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday felicitated
the Hindu community on Holi as it celebrated the occasion across Pakistan,
calling for the day to be celebrated with a resolve to “celebrate our
differences as strengths”.
In a statement shared by the Prime Minister’s Office
(PMO), Shehbaz said, “I extend my felicitations to the Hindu community on the
auspicious occasion of Holi festival — the festival of colours.
“As Pakistanis, we take pride in the multi-ethnic,
multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious characteristics of our
society,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari said the
festival was symbolic of the triumph of good over evil. In a statement carried
by state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, he said that the Constitution guaranteed
religious freedom.
She also announced a package for the community “on the
occasion of Holi” where 700 “Hindu families in the province will be given
Rs10,000 per family”.
“The festival of Holi will lead to the promotion of
tolerance, peace and brotherhood in the country,” she said, adding that all
minorities in the country had equal rights.
Source: Dawn
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original story:
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In Russia, Fingers Point Anywhere But At Islamic State
Group For Concert Hall Attack
Scores of people brought
flowers to a memorial at Crocus City Hall, where the attack took place, on
Sunday.Credit...Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times
------
Mar 25, 2024
BY IVAN NECHEPURENKO
Bodies were recovered, flowers were laid and fingers
were pointed Sunday as competing narratives took shape over who was behind the
terrorist attack on a Russian concert hall where at least 137 people out to
enjoy an evening of music were killed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hinted that
Ukraine was behind the Friday attack. He stopped short of accusing Ukraine
directly, but on Sunday, some of his allies showed no such compunction.
U.S. officials have said that the attack appeared to
be the work of an offshoot of the Islamic State group, and that there is no
evidence connecting Ukraine to it. But many Russian nationalist commentators
and ultraconservative hawks are pushing the idea that Ukraine is the obvious
culprit.
Source: Japantimes.Co.Jp
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original story:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/03/25/world/russia-attack-blame-narratives/
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US Didn’t Combat Terrorism In Its 20-Year Presence In Afghanistan:
Russian FM
Sergey Lavrov, the Russian
Foreign Minister
-----
By Fidel Rahmati
March 25, 2024
Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said on
Monday in an interview with the TASS news agency that the US came to
Afghanistan with the “sympathies” of the UN Security Council after the attack
on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.
The Russian Foreign Minister said that no country
opposed the American and coalition attacks on Afghanistan, and the Russian
President was the first to offer help and support to George Bush, the President
of the United States at the time. But, according to him, two decades of
American presence in Afghanistan have shown that the country has not fought
terrorists.
Lavrov said, “No one objected or called the entry of
American coalition troops into Afghanistan an aggression or occupation.
Everyone understood that such a terrorist attack must be held accountable.
Twenty years of stay in Afghanistan showed that the Americans did not fight any
terrorism.”
He continued that everyone understood that such
terrorist acts should be held accountable. America’s 20-year presence in
Afghanistan has shown that Washington has not fought terrorists.
The Russian Foreign Minister also claimed that
Americans “created structures and organizations there, which later resulted in
Al-Qaeda (outlawed in Russia). Then they began to use it to punish and provoke
undesirable regimes in the Middle East and other regions.”
According to an analysis by Foreign Policy, terrorist
organizations such as Al-Qaeda have reportedly expanded their activities in
Afghanistan with the assistance of the Taliban government, a claim that the
Taliban administration denies.
The Russian Foreign Minister further stated in this
interview that the actions of Western countries in Ukraine are aimed at preventing
Russia from becoming a major power.
Source: Khaama
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original story:
https://www.khaama.com/us-didnt-combat-terrorism-in-its-20-year-presence-in-afghanistan-russian-fm/
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After Russian terror attack, prominent lawmakers warn
ISIS-K could strike U.S.
FILE - Fighters with
IS-Khorasan vow allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi
al-Qurashi, in this photo issued Nov. 5, 2019, by SITE Intelligence Group. The
U.S. is assigning responsibility for Friday's Moscow attack on the group.
-------
By John Solomon
March 24, 2024
As the world absorbs the horror of the ISIS-K slaughter
inside a Russian concert hall, prominent members of Congress are warning the
Afghan-based terror group could strike inside the United States.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul
said Sunday the threat of an attack was heightened by President Joe Biden‘s
bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan, which gave ISIS-K a breeding ground to train and carry out
attacks.
“It’s sort of like we’re going back to that old
playbook where history repeats itself,” McCaul told CBS. “And that’s why the fall
of Afghanistan, the way it was done, and the way we left it with no ISR
capability, that intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, puts us in danger,
where this is a new battleground training ground for ISIS.”
McCaul’s remarks came as Russian officials continued
to search for bodies in a concert hall outside Moscow where four heavily armed
gunmen opened fire before setting the building ablaze, killing at least
137. ISIS-K claimed responsibility and
four men were charged Sunday.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told ABC on Sunday that FBI
Director Christopher Wray confirmed to him that a trafficking network exists
that smuggles illegal aliens with ties to the Islamic State into the United
States, raising the threat of a Moscow-style attack here.
“They’ll do it here in the homeland,” Rubio said. “I
think we should be very concerned as the FBI director confirmed to me that
there is a wing – there is a trafficking network out there that specializes in
moving people. They do it for profit, moving people and migrants around the
world, including across our southern border, who have links to ISIS.”
“I think common sense tells you, if they run a
trafficking network of people, they would most certainly use it to move
operatives into the United States,” he added. “So, I’m not claiming there’s an
imminent threat to the U.S., but I am saying that border situation and that
existence of that network is a threat to the United States.”
Source: Justthe News
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original story:
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India
Exclude Objects Added To BhojshalaKamal Maula Mosque
Complex After 2003 From Survey: Muslim Body
March 25, 2024
A Muslim organisation has approached the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as it conducts a survey at the contentious
Bhojshala/Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar urging it to exclude any items
added to the premises post-2003.
Following directives from the Madhya Pradesh High
Court, the ASI team, accompanied by senior police and administrative officials,
continued the survey on Sunday for the third consecutive day. The disputed
complex is located in a tribal-dominated district. Amid tight police security,
president of the Kamal Maula Mosque Welfare Society, Abdul Samad, a key party
in the legal battle, communicated his reservations to the ASI through an email
on Saturday.
“Our objection is that the ASI should not include in
the survey objects placed inside the Bhojshala after 2003. I have sent my
objections through an email,” he said.
Source: The Hindu
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of the original story:
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In Punjab’s Malerkotla, Sikhs and Hindus Hold Iftar
Events for Muslims
Kusum Arora
25-03-2024
Jalandhar: In Punjab’s Malerkotla district – which has
a significant Muslim population – members of the community are being invited
for Roza Iftar, the evening meal that is meant to break fast during Ramzan, by
Hindu and Sikh neighbours.
The month-long Ramzan observance and fast-breaking
festivities in Malerkotla are unique as they are not confined to the Muslim
community. There is iftar in Hindu temples and Gurdwaras. Muslims too have been
inviting Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, and members of other religious communities
to join them in special Ramzan prayers.
An erstwhile princely state, Malerkotla was founded by
a ruler from present-day Afghanistan, Sheikh Sadruddin-i-Jahan, in 1454.
Malerkotla was upgraded to the 23rd district of Punjab by former chief minister
Captain Amarinder Singh in 2021.
Here, iftar and Ramzan prayers are being organised in
gurdwaras almost every day. The president of the All India Brahmin Front,
Mahant Swaroop Bihari Sharma, said they have been celebrating Roza Iftar and
Eid here for several years.
“Neither have we ever cared for the communal ideology
of politicians nor would we let them preach to us. We, the Hindus, Muslims,
Sikhs, and Christians have been together for ages in Malerkotla. There are
politicians who try to incite violence but no religion teaches hatred. Nobody
wants to fight. I keep telling people that before they talk about religion, let
us become humans first. We should celebrate all festivals together,” he said.
Source: Thewire.In
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://thewire.in/rights/malerkotla-sikhs-hindus-muslims-ramzan-iftar
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Pro-BJP pages target India's Siddaramaiah with edited
'Muslim rebirth' video
Sachin BAGHEL
25 March 2024
As India geared up for elections, an edited video
surfaced online appearing to show opposition politician Siddaramaiah, who goes
by one name, saying he wanted to be reborn a Muslim. The video was widely
shared by supporters of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP). However, the original footage in fact shows Siddaramaiah referring to
another politician -- not himself.
"Karnataka CM (chief minister) Siddaramaiah wants
to be born as Muslim in his next birth," reads a post on social media platform
X that shared the edited video on March 12.
The short clip shows Siddaramaiah, chief minister of
Karnataka state, where the opposition Congress party wrested power from the BJP
in 2023.
Source: Uk.news.yahoo.com
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/pro-bjp-pages-target-indias-043853026.html
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4 held for forcibly pouring colours, water on Muslim
family in Bijnor
Mar 24, 2024
Four persons, including three minors, were arrested on
Sunday for forcibly throwing colours and water at the members of a Muslim
family amid chanting of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘Jai Sri Ram’ in Dhampur area of
Bijnor, on Saturday.
A case under sections 147 (punishment for rioting),
341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 323 (punishment for voluntarily
causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the
peace), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman),
and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty)
of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the arrested accused
identified as Aniruddh of Bandukchian locality under Dhampur police station.
Bijnor police said that three minor accused in the
case have also been taken into custody and appropriate action under purview of
law would be taken against them.
Source: Hindustan Times
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BSP’s Muslim picks pose 2022-like threat for INDIA
bloc in west UP
Mar 25, 2024
LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party has announced candidates
for all eight seats of first phase, five for the second phase, two for the
third and one for the fourth phase.
One of the main reasons for SP to forge an alliance
with Congress was to consolidate the Muslim votes in its favour. “However, if a
Muslim candidate from BSP is able to take away a fraction of community vote, it
will dent the chances of INDIA bloc candidates in west UP as it happened on
several seats in 2022 assembly polls,” says a political analyst.
It has fielded Majid Ali from Saharanpur, dropping its
winner Haji Fazlur Rahman and Vijyendra Singh from Bijnor, ignoring Malook
Nagar who had won the seat for BSP in 2019.
Similarly, Mozahid Hussain has been fielded from
Amroha as the party sacked its MP Kunwar Danish Ali, who is now a Congress
candidate from the same seat.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan
Second phase of Afghan repatriation in the works
Ismail Khan
March 25, 2024
PESHAWAR: Pakistan has begun preparations to launch
the second phase of its repatriation drive to send nearly one million
‘documented’ Afghans back to their homeland, with directives to district authorities
and police to map and collect data of their whereabouts across the country,
documents reveal.
An official privy to the development said instructions
had been issued to district administrations and police to expedite the mapping
of Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders.
No date has yet been announced, but an official said
the campaign to repatriate hundreds of thousands of ACC holders could begin in
early to mid-summer, following approval from the federal government.
According to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, there are
2.18 million documented Afghan refugees in Pakistan. This includes the 1.3m
refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards as per the census carried in
2006-07, as well as an additional 880,000 refugees granted ACCs following a
registration drive in 2017.
The collapse of the neighbouring republic following
the return of Taliban to power in August 2021 saw another influx of worried
Afghans into Pakistan. Officials put their number anywhere between 600,000 and
800,000, some with valid travel documents, but an uncertain future.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1823591/second-phase-of-afghan-repatriation-in-the-works
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Dar hopes PIA’s UK operations to resume soon
Atika Rehman
March 25, 2024
LONDON: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said PIA
flights to the UK will resume “in weeks, not months”, and that he took up the
matter of banned flights of the national carrier with British government
officials here over the weekend.
Mr Dar made this announcement during a brief visit to
London on his return from Brussels, where he attended the First Nuclear Energy
Summit.
In London, Mr Dar met Andrew Mitchell, Minister of
State of the United Kingdom for Development and Africa, as well as Lord Tariq
Ahmad, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia. He
later met some MPs and Lords at an Iftar hosted by Pakistan High Commissioner
Mohammad Faisal.
Sources told Dawn that the resumption of PIA flights
to the UK came under discussion during the meeting, as Mr Dar urged the UK
officials to review the matter. In July 2020, the UK joined several countries
in suspending PIA’s flight operations due to concerns about the authenticity of
pilot licences.
Source: Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1823588/dar-hopes-pias-uk-operations-to-resume-soon
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PTI’s core body gets Kashmiri member
March 25, 2024
ISLAMABAD: Founding chairman Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
(PTI) Imran Khan has nominated his Kashmir origin lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry
as member of the party’s apex decision-making body.
It is the first time that a Kashmiri has been directly
involved in the decision-making process of the PTI. Mr Chaudhry stated that his
nomination in the core committee of the PTI had been appreciated by the
Kashmiri community.
“This appointment interprets as an indicator of Imran
Khan’s deep interest in the Kashmir issue, symbolising a gesture of inclusion
and recognition towards the Kashmiri populace as integral stakeholders. In the
autonomous region of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as well as among the politically
aware segments of the population in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir, this
move is viewed with significant regard.
“It underscores Mr Khan’s unwavering commitment to the
Kashmir cause, an issue he vociferously championed during his tenure as prime
minister of Pakistan,” he said.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1823573/ptis-core-body-gets-kashmiri-member
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Man moves SHC for repatriation of family held by Kurd
militants in Syria
Ishaq Tanoli
March 25, 2024
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has sought arguments
about the court’s territorial jurisdiction to entertain a petition seeking
recovery of a Pakistani family said to be detained in Syria.
A two-judge bench headed by Justice NaimatullahPhulpoto
observed that the alleged detainees were in Syria and beyond the territorial
jurisdiction of the SHC.
Mohiuddin Khan had petitioned the SHC by invoking the
constitutional jurisdiction of the court and asked it to issue directives to
the ministry of foreign affairs and other respondents for recovery of his
daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.
Source: Dawn
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Europe
France raises its security readiness to highest level
after attack in Russia, worried about Islamic State
March 24, 2024
PARIS (AP) — France’s government increased its
security alert posture to the highest level Sunday after the deadly attack at a
Russian concert hall and the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced the
decision in a post on X, saying authorities were “taking into account the
Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for the (Moscow) attack and the threats
weighing on our country.″
The announcement came after Presiden t Emmanuel Macron
held an emergency security meeting prompted by Friday’s attack in a Moscow
suburb that killed more than 130 people. The attack was claimed by an affiliate
of the Islamic State group.
Source: The Star
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Why Vladimir Putin won’t link Islamic State to Moscow
terror attack
Archie Bland
25 March 2024
Good morning. The terrorist attack at a concert venue
near Moscow on Friday was the worst perpetrated in Russia for 20 years.
Yesterday, the country observed a day of mourning, with thousands bringing
flowers to the Crocus City Hall to remember the victims. One mourner told the
Associated Press: “It is a tragedy that has affected our entire country.”
Around the world, politicians condemned the attack as
an atrocity – and in that they agreed with Vladimir Putin, who called it “a
bloody, barbaric terrorist act”. But that is the extent of any consensus over
its significance, and what the consequences should be.
Four suspects were charged last night and pleaded
guilty. They were officially identified as citizens of Tajikistan, where
Islamic State has recruited heavily. But despite strong evidence supporting
Islamic State’s claim of responsibility, Russian state media is airing
unevidenced claims that Ukraine played a part – with Putin hinting at the same
thing. With little discussion in Moscow of the apparent security failures that
made the attack possible, there are fears that it will instead be used as a way
to drum up support for Putin’s war.
Today’s newsletter explains what we know about who was
responsible, and where this horrifying story could go next. Here are the
headlines.
The death toll from the attack on Crocus City Hall now
stands at 137, with at least 154 more wounded and the building left in ruins.
This piece from Saturday relates the horrific toll on civilians who were in the
music venue, with YuliaKharitonova, who was shot in the shoulder, telling the
Astra Telegram channel: “A cheerful woman was selling tickets at the entrance,
and when we ran away she was lying with these tickets with a bullet in her
head. I still have this picture in front of my eyes.”
Source: Uk.News.Yahoo
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/why-vladimir-putin-won-t-065843312.html
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Islamic State terror attack in Moscow a grim
acknowledgement of global power status Russia seeks
LYDIA KHALIL
25-03-2025
President Vladimir Putin has long sought to restore
Russia’s global status after the personally and nationally humiliating defeat
of the Cold War. One of the ways he has done so is through Russia’s involvement
in the Middle East – highlighted by Russia’s 2015 military intervention in
Syria but also evidenced in many other ways. By acting as a spoiler in
Afghanistan, Putin also sought to accelerate and take advantage of the United
States’ own humiliating withdrawal from the region to shore up Russia’s
position as a major power.
If global power status is what Russia was after, then
the weekend attack by Islamic State in the heart of Moscow was a grim
acknowledgment. As Russia became more of a player in the Middle East, a region
always at the heart of great power rivalry and asymmetric challenges, it also
risked making itself more of a target of terrorist and insurgent forces.
On the heels of Russia’s presidential “election”,
gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall building in Moscow where a sold-out rock
concert was being held, shooting concert-goers and setting the building on fire
with explosives and flammables. The 22 March attack claimed the lives of 137
people according to the latest counts, with more than 100 injured, many of them
critically. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Russia in more than a
decade.
Source: Uk.News.Yahoo
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How St. Francis of Assisi led this former Muslim to
Christ
DjamelGuesmi.
03/24/24
Djamel chose Christ after meeting the “Poverello,” St.
Francis, by chance in a play. This actor and director, now also the founder of
a theater company, has come a long way, by his own account. “I feel like I’ve
received a miracle,” he tells Aleteia. Miraculously saved from loneliness,
abandonment, and exclusion: yes, Djamel has indeed received a miracle. He is
living proof that faith saves.
Born in Vienna in 1959 to Algerian parents who had
fled the war of independence, DjamelGuesmi grew up in a discreetly practicing
Muslim family. “My parents didn’t impose anything on me. They were people of
faith, but they didn’t try to impose any kind of straitjacket on us,” recalls
Djamel with emotion.
As he grew up, the little boy struggled with his
academic difficulties. Chosen for a vocational course in the sixth grade, he
struggled to express himself and suffered from a stammer. He couldn’t read or
write, and never graduated. The feeling of failure that gripped him never let
him go, an inner cry he describes as “silent dismay.”
As a teenager, Djamel went from one police station to
another, accused of acts of which he claimed to be innocent: burglary, theft of
a wallet, gang sexual abuse of a young girl… He received a suspended prison
sentence for the first two offenses, but was not convicted of the third.
At the age of 16, he passed a point of no return. The
young man decided to leave everything behind and set off for Paris with no
plan. He left without looking back, and without telling his family, who
declared him missing. “I’d reached such a dead end that running away was my
only salvation,” he explains. “I had no social ties, no professional prospects.
I was on my own. But I know that a protective hand was already working in my
favor at that time, even if I didn’t know it yet.”
Source: Aleteia.Org
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://aleteia.org/2024/03/24/how-st-francis-of-assisi-led-this-former-muslim-to-christ/
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South
Asia
Al-Mursad: Kandahar attacker came from Pakistan
By Khaama Press
March 24, 2024
On Saturday, Al-Mursad reported that the attacker,
MadiyarovAsadbaik, who carried out the Kandahar attack, is a Central Asian
national who joined the Khorasan branch of ISIS two months ago in Balochistan
province, Pakistan and had entered Afghanistan from Pakistan a few days before
the incident.
This media outlet claimed, citing its sources, that
the suicide attacker in Kandahar had received “ideological and doctrinal”
training in Balochistan over the past two months.
AL-Mursad also published images attributed to the
suicide attacker in Kandahar and stated that he had entered Kandahar several
days before the attack.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the Thursday morning
attack on the Bank-e-Noor in Kandahar, according to the local authorities of
the Taliban government in Kandahar. Four people were killed and twelve injured
in this attack, although some media outlets, citing local sources and
hospitals, reported higher casualty figures.
Source: Khaama
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https://www.khaama.com/al-mursad-kandahar-attacker-came-from-pakistan/
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Turkish Envoy: Afghanistan's Time Has Come, Ankara
Supports Afghan People
By NaweedSamadi
24-03-2024
The Turkish ambassador to Kabul, CenkÜnal, said that
after years of conflict, the time has come for Afghanistan to try to gain international status.
Speaking at a gathering of the Turkish Education Foundation,
attended by the Azerbaijani ambassador, some officials from the Islamic Emirate and merchants,
CenkÜnal said that Ankara will support the people of Afghanistan.
“The people of Afghanistan are capable, and they can
overcome these challenges as well. Turkey will stand by the people of
Afghanistan in this regard,” he said.
The Turkish ambassador emphasized that Ankara, along
with its other aid to Afghanistan, also contributed to the education sector and
called on the officials of the Islamic Emirate to pay attention to education in
Afghanistan.
Source: Tolo News
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-187974
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Nearly 80 pct of Afghans lack access to drinking
water: UNDP
2024-03-25
KABUL, March 25 (Xinhua) -- About 79 percent of
Afghanistan's population lacks access to potable water, according to a report
from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Afghanistan.
The report released Friday pointed out that the severe
drought conditions, economic instability, and the devastating effects of
prolonged conflicts have significantly reduced Afghanistan's water
infrastructure.
The crisis disproportionately affects female-headed
households, which face additional barriers in accessing public water
facilities, exacerbating their vulnerability, it added.
The landlocked Afghanistan is grappling with an
exacerbated drought. The Afghan caretaker government has been building small
dams, water supply networks, and water canals across the country to improve and
store groundwater.
Source: English News
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of the original story:
https://english.news.cn/20240325/4e47ea8d007e4febb30dad802fa01da3/c.html
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Six million Afghans received aid from WFP in past
month
By Fidel Rahmati
March 24, 2024
In a press release on Saturday, March 23, the agency
stated that the World Food Programme has provided cash and food assistance to
over six million people in Afghanistan.
According to the press release, the aid has been
provided to meet the needs of beneficiaries in delivering meals to their
children.
The program added that it has been able to provide
this assistance with the help of financial support from some private donors and
cooperating countries.
Source: Khaama
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https://www.khaama.com/six-million-afghans-received-aid-from-wfp-in-past-month/
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Pirates demand $5mn ransom for release of Bangladeshi
crew of MV Abdullah
By: Sidhant Sibal
Mar 25, 2024
Pirates have demanded a staggering $5 million (₹420
million) for release of 23 Bangladeshi crew held captive aboard the ship MV
Abdullah. The Bangladeshi-flagged vessel was seized earlier this month while en
route from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates, and subsequently taken to
Somalia by the pirates.
The development comes amid an increased risk of piracy
in the western Indian Ocean which has increased with Yemen's Houthi rebels
targeting ships going to or from Israel in the Red Sea region.
Indian Navy swiftly responded to a piracy attack on
the Bangladeshi-flagged MV Abdullah, deploying both a warship and an LRMP-
long-range maritime patrol. The Indian warship intercepted the hijacked vessel
on March 14, ensuring the initial safety of the Bangladeshi crew held hostage
by armed pirates and maintaining proximity until it arrived in Somalia's
territorial waters.
Indian Navy has offered to the Bangladesh government
and the ship's owner to conduct operations aboard the smuggled ship MV
Abdullah.
Source: Wio News
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Bangladesh PM opens military hardware display ahead of
I-Day
By Daily Excelsior
March 25, 2024
DHAKA, Mar 24 : Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina Sunday inaugurated the combined military hardware exhibition on the
occasion of the country’s Independence Day which falls on March 26.
She opened the display at the National Parade Square
in the city by cutting a ribbon and releasing balloons, United News of
Bangladesh (UNB) reported.
The exhibition with hardware of the Bangladesh Army,
Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air Force will be open for visitors from March
26 to March 30.
Source: News18
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https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/bangladesh-pm-opens-military-hardware-display-ahead-of-i-day/
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North
America
Cleveland Ramadan festival celebrates Islamic culture
and tradition
By Megan McSweeney
Mar. 25, 2024
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A Cleveland Islamic society
is hosting a Ramadan celebration in the last weekend of March!
One Ummah Initiative’s CLE Suhoor Fest first weekend
started Saturday and ended Sunday, according to the organization’s website.
According to the organization, the next two nights of
celebration are March 29 and 30.
CLE Suhoor Fest brings together vendors and patrons
from different backgrounds and industries in celebration of Ramadan, the
organization says.
Source: Cleveland19
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In abortion pill case, US high court may undermine
drug regulator
Mar 25, 2024
WASHINGTON: If the US Supreme Court, which on Tuesday
hears a sensitive case on the availability of abortion pills, ultimately
decides to restrict their access, it will impinge on the scientific authority of
the federal Food and Drug Administration in unprecedented and consequential
ways.
While the case specifically deals with access to
mifepristone -- the first of two pills taken in medication abortions -- a broad
ruling could threaten access to a number of other drugs used for a wide variety
of conditions, experts tell AFP.
The mifepristone pill, first authorized by the FDA in
2000, is now used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the United States.
It has been deemed safe and legal in dozens of other countries.
In 2016, the FDA eased some restrictions on the drug's
distribution, allowing it to be prescribed through the first 10 weeks of
pregnancy (up from seven); permitting health professionals including nurses,
and not just doctors, to prescribe it; and requiring only one consultation,
down from the previous three.
Source: Times Of India
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Jaylen Brown continues to excel while observing
Ramadan: “I don’t find it difficult at all”
By Noa Dalzell
Mar 24, 2024
After Friday night’s Celtics’ win over the Pistons,
Jaylen Brown told NBC Sport Boston’s Abby Chin he has been observing Ramadan.
That means that since March 10th, Brown has fasted
each day dawn to dusk, and will continue to do so until Ramadan ends on April
9th. Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is observed by Muslims
worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community.
“It’s an amazing time of the year. It’s a bunch of
people all over the world who participate, and I’m just one of those people who
just kind of falls in line,” Brown said. “It’s an amazing month to celebrate.
It’s about your strength, your focus.”
“Receiving those clarities is something that I’ve
enjoyed participating in over the years, but it’s something I don’t necessarily
make about myself either,” he said. “Everybody’s doing this together, so I’m
appreciative of that.”
Source: Celticsblog
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Arab
World
Awqaf Ministry launches encyclopaedia to develop
Islamic education
25 Mar 2024
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs
has launched the book ‘The Comprehensive Encyclopedia for the Development of
Islamic Education’, authored by Dr. Hussein Ahmed Qasim.
The Ministry published the encyclopaedia with funding
from the Endowment Fund for Scientific and Cultural Development in the General
Directorate of Endowments, and it is in five volumes covering everything
related to Islamic education.
The first volume deals with Islamic education in
schools between reality and what is expected. The second volume focuses on the
reality of educational supervision of the Islamic education subject and the
plan for its advancement. The third volume presents a curriculum document for
the Islamic education subject. The fourth volume deals with the guide book for
the Islamic education teacher, and the fifth volume presents Strategies for
developing Islamic education subject.
During the inauguration, Hassan Muhammad Al Asfar,
Head of the Publications Department at the Department of Islamic Affairs,
explained that the Ministry usually prints books on reviving the Islamic
heritage as a priority, and prints books on Sharia sciences of all
orientations, in all branches of Sharia sciences, whether in hadith or
biography, jurisprudence, doctrine, interpretation, and the principles of
jurisprudence, as well as all schools of thought.
Source: Thepeninsula Qatar
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Muslim World League launches new museum in Makkah
25-03-2024
The International Fair and Museum of the Prophet's
Biography and Islamic Civilization in Makkah has announced its the trial
operation, a report said.
The museum is a major addition to the Muslim World
League's (MWL) network of institutions dedicated to Islamic heritage, said the
Saudi Press Agency report.
MWL Secretary-General Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Abdul
Karim Al-Issa toured the museum's diverse and innovative sections, and
announced the trial operation.
Source: Tradearabia
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http://www.tradearabia.com/news/TTN_420394.html
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Sony Music partners with UMS to promote music content
in Ramadan
Mar. 25, 2024
Sony Music Middle East has announced a strategic
partnership with United Media Services (UMS), a media entity in the MENA region,
to promote music content during Ramadan.
This collaboration, in conjunction with
video-on-demand platform WATCH IT, will
see the release of more than nine soundtracks this month, featuring series
intro tracks (Titrat) and songs from popular Ramadan 2024 series.
The line-up boasts a diverse range of the most
prominent artists and genres and aims to deliver an immersive musical
experience for audiences across the region.
Source: Campaignme.com
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https://campaignme.com/sony-music-partners-with-ums-to-promote-music-content-in-ramadan/
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TikTok launches Ramadan guide to inspire creativity
and community
Sonia Majumder
Mar. 25, 2024
TikTok has launched a guide for its community to
celebrate Ramadan, under the slogan ‘Search on TikTok.’
Every year, the platform introduces a series of
hashtags tailored to meet the community’s evolving needs throughout the day
during Ramadan.
The guide includes a set of interactive activities and
posts that allow people to enjoy unique experiences and share them with the
community, whether they are looking for new recipes for iftar and suhoor,
purposeful and motivational topics, or even light-hearted and entertaining
content like comedy clips.
The key Ramadan hashtag is #Ramadan2024, aiming to
help everyone share their favourite Ramadan moments and traditions with an
ongoing conversation across the community.
Source: Campaignme.com
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QRCS provides food to 234,000 beneficiaries in 18
countries during Ramadan
25 Mar 2024
Doha, Qatar: Since the beginning of the holy month of
Ramadan 1445 AH, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has been working to
implement the Ramadan Iftar project in 18 countries, with diverse food parcels
containing local staples distributed to more than 234,000 beneficiaries
throughout Ramadan.
With the participation of H E Abdulaziz Mohamed Al
Sahli, Qatari Chargé d’Affaires in Albania, and in cooperation with the
Albanian Red Cross, QRCS, distributed food parcels to 500 vulnerable families,
or 2,000 people, at a total cost of $20,000.
In Lebanon, preparations are in progress by QRCS’s
personnel in Lebanon, to start distributing 2,668 food parcels to the poorest
families, in order to ensure their food security for one month. H E Dr.
Abdullah bin Salem Al Nuaimi, Qatar’s Ambassador to Somalia, launched the
distribution of food parcels, each containing 66.5kg of food items such as
flour, rice, sugar, infant formula, vegetable oil, and dates.
At a total cost of $360,000, the project is targeting
3,911 families, or 27,377 people, at Kismayo camps in Jubaland and remote camps
of Banadir.
As a first batch, 800 food parcels have been
distributed to 5,600 beneficiaries at a remote camp in Kismayo. In total, 2,000
and 1,911 food parcels will be distributed to 14,000 and 13,377 beneficiaries
in Jubaland and Banadir respectively.
Source: The Peninsulaqatar
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Ramadan markets across Oman see surge in customers
Monday 25/March
MUSCAT: During the Holy Month of Ramadan, markets
across the governorates of the Sultanate of Oman are experiencing a significant
increase in visitors. Families are venturing out together to shop for their
daily needs after breaking their fast, creating a vibrant atmosphere across the
nation.
With shops remaining open well past midnight,
customers are enjoying the freedom to purchase their essentials without
worrying about early closing times. The evening sees a surge in activity,
particularly after 8pm, as crowds swell in anticipation of Eid Al Fitr.
This period also marks the fruition of efforts by
government authorities to establish local markets, aimed at supporting families
and promoting household products.
Eng. Hassan bin Ali Al-Barmani, Director of the
Municipality Department in the Wilayat of Shinas, emphasised the significance
of creating marketing opportunities for local businesses in collaboration with
producers during Ramadan.
Source: Times Of Oman
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https://timesofoman.com/article/143617-ramadan-markets-across-oman-see-surge-in-customers
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Mideast
Singapore Orders Israeli Embassy To Remove Facebook
Post About Palestine, Quran
25 Mar, 2024
Singapore authorities have told the Israeli embassy to
remove a post on its Facebook page that Minister for Law and Home Affairs K.
Shanmugam called an “astonishing attempt to rewrite history”.
The post was “insensitive”, “inappropriate” and
“completely unacceptable” as it carried the risk of undermining safety,
security and harmony in Singapore, he said.
Source: Scmp.Com
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Security Council set to vote on resolution demanding
Gaza ceasefire during Ramadan
25-03-2024
The United Nations Security Council is set to vote
Monday on a resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza
during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The vote comes after Russia and China vetoed a United
States-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported “an immediate and
sustained ceasefire” in the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
The US warned that the resolution to be voted on
Monday morning could hurt negotiations to halt hostilities by the US, Egypt and
Qatar, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans.
Source: Times Of Israel
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Governor Newsom calls for cease-fire in Gaza in open
letter to CA Muslims and Arabs
By Anser Hassan
March 25, 2024
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In an open letter to
California's Muslim, Palestinian-American and Arab-American communities,
Governor Gavin Newsom writes: California is a better place because of you. The
letter acknowledges the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. And calls for an
immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
"We welcome Governor Newsom's letter, and his
spirit of the letter and recognizing and identifying our humanity in this moment.
But also, putting his support behind a cease-fire. That goes a long way,"
says Lara Kiswani. She is the Executive Director of the Arab Resource and
Organizing Center, or AROC.
"I appreciated that he emphasized the sense of
belonging, the sense of hurt that happens across the world is felt all the way
in our multicultural Bay Area," says East Palo Alto Mayor Antonio Lopez,
who is Muslim.
He says the letter also demonstrates how local
communities can have a direct impact on global issues, which elected officials
are starting to recognize.
Source: Abc7news
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https://abc7news.com/gavin-newsom-gaze-cease-fire-muslims-arabs/14564105/
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Iran-Linked Muddy Water Deploys Atera for Surveillance
in Phishing Attacks
Mar 25, 2024
The Iran-affiliated threat actor tracked as MuddyWater
(aka Mango Sandstorm or TA450) has been linked to a new phishing campaign in
March 2024 that aims to deliver a legitimate Remote Monitoring and Management
(RMM) solution called Atera.
The activity, which took place from March 7 through
the week of March 11, targeted Israeli entities spanning global manufacturing,
technology, and information security sectors, Proofpoint said.
"TA450 sent emails with PDF attachments that
contained malicious links," the enterprise security firm said. "While
this method is not foreign to TA450, the threat actor has more recently relied
on including malicious links directly in email message bodies instead of adding
in this extra step."
Source: The Hacker News
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https://thehackernews.com/2024/03/iran-linked-muddywater-deploys-atera.html
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Cyber Attack On Iran's Railway Network
25-03-2024
Hacker group APT Iran has infiltrated the cyber
infrastructure of Iran's Railway Company in the latest such attack on
government networks, with documents revealing mandates for female employees to
wear Islamic attire.
The Cyberban News Agency confirmed the hack from the
anti-government group though the agency downplayed the extent of the breach,
dismissing reports of an attack on the main railway infrastructure as
propaganda.
APT Iran claimed the breach aimed to alert railway
officials about security lapses after previous breaches of the IranCell
Communication Services Company and State Organization for Registration of Deeds
and Properties.
Source: Iranintl
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https://www.iranintl.com/en/202403246859
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Iran’s Khamanei believes US will 'leave' Middle East
MARCH 24, 2024
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iran’s Supreme Leader believes the US is in decline in
its influence in the Middle East. According to a statement last week, Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei claimed that the current war against Israel, which Iran launched
using proxies in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack, has “disrupted” the US
goals in the region.
The October 7 attack can be read as a turning point in
the world order, in which Iran, Russia, Turkey, China, and others see the
attack as a major shift that is taking place and seek to exploit it to achieve
their goals.
The Iranian leader believes the “United States’
long-standing ambition to dominate the region has been undermined by the
resilience of the Axis of Resistance,” an article in Iran’s Fars News noted.
“The United States is now left with no option but to withdraw from the region,”
the leader added, according to the article. He openly boasted of how Iran backs
attacks against Israel from “resistance factions” in Gaza, the West Bank,
Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq. This is the multi-front war that Iran has sought to
launch.
Source: Jpost
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https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/irans-khamanei-believes-us-will-leave-middle-east-793327
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Africa
Sudan denies receiving military aid from Iran
March 24, 2024
(PORT SUDAN) – Lieutenant General Ibrahim Jaber, a
member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, and Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq have
refuted claims that Iran provided military aid to Sudan for its internal
conflicts.
Renewed diplomatic ties between Sudan and Iran have
sparked speculation about their future and potential impact on regional
military dynamics, particularly concerning the ongoing clashes between the
Sudanese army and paramilitary forces.
In an interview with Sudan Tribune, Jaber, who
oversees international cooperation, emphasized the importance of open
communication and shared interests in international relations.
He rejected accusations of using the relationship with
Iran for political gain, as seen during the previous regime. He highlighted
that most Gulf countries maintain diplomatic ties with Iran, suggesting severed
relations are the exception.
He reiterated that “Sudan conducts its foreign policy
and international relations based on the best interests of its people. We will
pursue normalization when it benefits us and refrain from it otherwise.”
Source: Sudan Tribune
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of the original story:
https://sudantribune.com/article283689/
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Boko Haram Attacks Nigerian Army Base In Yobe, Kills
Soldier, Burns Military Vehicles
March 24, 2024
The Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the
Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl
as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, has claimed that its fighters killed a
Nigerian soldier in Yobe State.
According to ISWAP in a statement, the soldier was
killed when the terrorists attacked a military base in Gujba town in the Gujba
Local Government Area of the state on Saturday morning.
“An attack targeted a Nigerian army barracks, in the
town of Gujba in the Yobe area, using various weapons, killing one member and
making the others run away, and then burning two vehicles, and taking a heavy
machine gun and a medium one and ammunitions,” it said.
Since the death of JAS leader, AbubakarShekau, ISWAP
has been consolidating its grip in locations around Lake Chad.
Source: saharareporters
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Bandits kill two during Ramadan prayers in Katsina
24th March 2024
By Samuel Omotere
Some suspected bandits have killed two persons during
Ramadan prayer on Saturday at Mairuwa village in the Faskari Local Government
Area of Katsina State.
The spokesperson for the Kastina State Police Command,
AbubakarAliyu, disclosed this in a telephone interview with PUNCH Online on
Sunday
Sadiq said the suspected bandits invaded the village,
killed two according to preliminary investigation, and kidnapped some residents
during the prayers.
Source: Punchng.Com
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https://punchng.com/bandits-kill-two-during-ramadan-prayers-in-katsina/
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2024 Hajj: NAHCON asks Muslim pilgrims to pay an
additional N1.9 million
NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
MARCH 25, 2024
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria has urged
pilgrims who registered for the 2024 Hajj before the previous deadline of
February 12 to pay a balance of N1.9 million per the current exchange rate.
The commission had on February 3 fixed N4.9 million as
the 2024 Hajj fare for intending pilgrims from the Southern departure centre.
NAHCON chair Jalal Arabi said in a statement that it
had secured substantial discounts from service providers in Saudi Arabia to
reduce the pilgrimage cost for intending pilgrims.
Source: Gazettengr
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https://gazettengr.com/2024-hajj-nahcon-asks-muslim-pilgrims-to-pay-an-additional-n1-9-million/
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Ramadan feeding as gift of fish
25-03-2024
I will not be surprised if some folks in Kano and
other far Northern statesalready think of this year’s Ramadan period as the
biblical Seven Years of Plenty.At the weekend, President of Dangote Group
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, reputed to be the richest person in Africa having long
displaced Harry Oppenheimer, flagged off the distribution of 120,000 bags of
rice to one million underprivileged persons in the 44 local government councils
of his native Kano State.
Dangote estimated the cost of the food items he procured
for distribution throughout the country at N15 billion. Kano alone would
receive 120,000 bags while the rest would go to the country’s remaining LGAs,
about 730 of them. The purpose, he said,
is to provide immediate relief to those in need. Kano was chosen to flag off
the program, he said, because of its large population and high level of
poverty. This is in addition to his group’s daily feeding programme for 10,000
vulnerable people in Kano State which has been running since 1990, Dangote
said.
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who received the
food, called on other wealthy
individuals in the state to emulate the gesture. Tens of thousands of them all
over the region are doing that already, but the pressure must be mounting on
all other persons who are wealthy or thought to be wealthy to also embark on
Ramadan feeding programs, or else they may have their food stores and food
trucks looted on the highways. Everybody says Ramadan is a costly period and
millions of people need help to get by. I sometimes wonder about this claim
because during Ramadan, adult and healthy Muslims do not eat or drink for up to
14 hours a day. Logically, when we do not eat for all those hours, I thought
our food budget should drop. Instead, it goes up astronomically because people
more than make up with elaborate and sumptuous dishes for what they missed
during the day, hence the urgent cry for assistance.
Seven Northern state governments upped the ante this
year by spending a reported N28 billion on Ramadan feeding. Katsina, Sokoto,
Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Niger and Yobe together spent this tidy sum to provide
Ramadan food to their citizens. The amounts varied, from champion feeder
Katsina State’s N10bilion to Sokoto State’s N6.7 billion, Kano State’s N6
billion, Jigawa’s N2.83 billion, Kebbi’s N1.5 billion, Niger’s N976
million and Yobe State’s N178 million.
Population size had something to do with the variation, though not wholly so,
because Katsina’s population is smaller than Kano’s but it budgeted nearly
twice as much. Sokoto’s population is only slightly larger than Kebbi’s but it
voted five times as much. No doubt many other Northern states also embarked on Ramadan feeding, only that I
could not lay my hands on the figures.
One of the problems with these kinds of programs is
that once one state government starts it, other governors will come under
severe pressure to do a similar thing, even when they have doubts about its
utility. In the North things tend to spread like wildfire, such as when Zamfara
State Governor Ahmed Sani started the Shari’a project in 1999 and eleven
Northern states soon followed suit, mostly with inadequate conception and
preparation. The same thing happened with the distribution of motorcycles. Once
one state did it in 1999-2000, politicians in neighbouring states rushed to
their governors and said it was a veritable vote-getter, so they must do the
same thing. Kaduna State, for example, was late in starting it because then
Governor Ahmed Makarfi, an expert in public finance, privately said commercial
motorcycles known as Achaba should not be part of public transportation in a
modern city such as Kaduna. When the 2003 elections approached however, I was
amazed when I entered Sir Kashim Ibrahim House and s
Source: This Day Live
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https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/03/25/ramadan-feeding-as-gift-of-fish
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Southeast
Asia
Court in PJ fines company manager RM6,000 for allowing
Quran binding in non-Muslim-owned factory
25 Mar 2024
PETALING JAYA, March 25 — A printing company manager
was fined RM6,000 by the Magistrate’s Court here today for violating the Quran
Printing Control and Licensing Board (LPPPQ) licence conditions by allowing the
binding of 2,540 copies of the Quran in a non-Muslim-owned factory last year.
Magistrate Nur Natasha Mohtarudin meted out the
sentence to Idora Abdul Rashid, 42, and ordered her to serve six months’ jail
if she failed to pay the fine.
Idora is alleged to have violated the licence
conditions set by the LPPPQ of the Home Ministry (KDN) by permitting the
binding of the Quran copies in the factory.
Source: Malay Mail
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PM Anwar: Govt not interfering in police investigation
of ‘Allah’ socks issue
5 Mar 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — The government is not
interfering in any investigation process related to the issue of the sale of
socks bearing the word Allah by the KK Super Mart branch in Bandar Sunway,
Petaling Jaya, recently.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said police
are given a free hand to conduct the investigation and the issue is not
something that can be resolved through actions taken by any groups.
“We leave it to professional investigation but at the
same time, the government remains steadfast that there is no compromise on such
actions, especially involving Islam, the Federal religion in this country.
“But not only Islam, it includes insulting any other
race and religion; there is no compromise. We want to save the country and need
firm action to ensure that such actions do not recur,” he said.
He said this in his speech at the 217th Police Day
celebration at the Police Training Centre here today. Also present were Home
Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri
Shamsul AnuarNasarah, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri MohdZuki Ali
and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain.
Source: Malay Mail
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Govt tables Bill to help Malaysian mothers; but wants
to stop permanent residents’ children from getting automatic citizenship
By Ida Lim
25 Mar 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — The Malaysian government
today tabled its Bill to make changes to citizenship laws in the Federal
Constitution, including a long-awaited amendment to finally enable Malaysian
mothers’ overseas-born children to also be entitled to automatic Malaysian
citizenship.
In the Bill that was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today
for first reading by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, the
Malaysian government however also included proposed amendments — which civil
society has described as “regressive” and potentially worsening the problem of
statelessness in the country — such as removing the right of permanent
residents’ Malaysia-born children to be entitled to Malaysian citizenship.
Currently, the Federal Constitution’s Second
Schedule’s Part II’s Section 1(a) provides that those born in Malaysia to at
least one Malaysian parent or at least one permanent resident parent, would be
entitled to Malaysian citizenship by operation of law or because the law says
so.
The nine-page Bill tabled today proposes to replace
the words “either a citizen or permanently resident in the Federation” with the
words “a citizen” in Section 1(a), which would effectively be deleting the word
“permanent resident”. According to the government’s explanatory statement, this
means a child born in Malaysia — to at least one parent who is a permanent resident
at the time of the child’s birth — would “no longer be eligible for citizenship
by operation of law”.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Citizenship Rights Alliance
(MCRA) had urged the government to drop or at least defer the regressive
amendments, cautioning that deleting the words “permanent resident” from
Section 1(a) would affect the locally-born children of local natives — Orang
Asli in Peninsular Malaysia and Orang Asal in Sabah and Sarawak — the most.
Source: Malay Mail
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Sibu police: 80 individuals nabbed for revealing
account information to scammers
25 Mar 2024
SIBU, March 25 — Eighty individuals have been arrested
in Sibu since January suspected of providing their bank account information to
assist fraud activities.
“Giving account information to unauthorised quarters
is not only against the law as it is aiding criminals to carry out their
activities,” he told reporters after the 217th Police Day celebration gathering
here today.
He reminded the people to be careful and not to hand
over personal account information to other people as the act can result in the
abuse of such personal information and cause huge losses.
Police will continue to monitor and take firm action
against any individuals involved in the abuse of personal information.
Source: Malay Mail
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of the original story:
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sangh-parivar-bharat-mata-jai-muslim/d/131999