Saudi Arabia Aiming To Become The Middle East’s Film-Production Powerhouse
New
Age Islam News Bureau
18
February 2022
Film
has enjoyed a huge revival in Saudi Arabia sInce the decades-long ban on
cinemas was lifted in 2018, and as part of the Vision 2030 reform agenda huge
investments are being made to turn the country into a film powerhouse.
(Supplied)
-----
• Hindutva
Leader YatiNarsinghanand, Organiser Of Haridwar 'DharamSansad' Walks Out Of Jail, Gets Heroic Welcome
• UN
Sets Up Racial Discrimination Commission For Israel, Palestine
• Pakistan's
Backdoor Contacts WithTehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan May Soon Pave Way For
Ceasefire
• Former
VP Of Afghanistan Says Pak Snipers Infiltrating Panjshir 'Embedded' With
Taliban Fighters
Arab World
• Saudi
Authorities Add Another 8 Years To Prison Sentence Of Dissident Preacher, Sheikh
Khalid al-Rashid: NGO
• Normalizing
Relations With Israel Still Lacks Popular Support In Egypt, Says Analyst
• Top
Daesh/ISIS militant killed in airstrike in Iraq's Anbar
• Coalition
says 11 Houthi vehicles destroyed in strikes on Marib, Hajjah
• Several
countries participate in ‘Spears of Victory 2022’ exercise in eastern Saudi
Arabia
• Saudi
leadership’s ‘decisive stance’ provides impetus for joint Arab action: Speaker
• At
least one civilian killed as Saudi jets bomb Sana’a, other Yemeni cities
--------
India
• Hijab
Row: Advocate General Seeks Time To Respond To Petitions By Muslim Girls
• Mysuru:
Muslim Family Donates 2-Acre Land For School
• "Muslim
Women Blessing Me": PM Attacks Opposition Over Triple Talaq
• Stalemate:
Many students skip classes in Karnataka, miss practical exams
• Hijab
row erupts in Andhra Pradesh, is defused
• Karnataka
Education Minister Meets Muslim Lawmakers Over Hijab Row
• Karnataka
Hijab Row: Muslim Women Being Targeted, Says MutahidaMajlis-E-Ulema
• Hijab
Row: Now, Aligarh College Bans Entry Of Students In Religious Attire
• Andhra
College Stopped Girls With Hijab, Backs Down After Collector Phones
• Hijab
Row: Boxer Sonny Bill WilliamsFrom New Zealand Shows Solidarity With Indian Muslim
Girls
--------
Europe
• Muslims
Fleeing IslamophobiaIn France Settling In Turkiye: Report
• Dutch
tolerated violence in Indonesian freedom war, say researchers
• Azerbaijan
able to supply more natural gas to Europe: Top authority
• Migrants
still fear for their safety 2 years after racist terror attack in Germany
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan
to enhance mutual cooperation with EU states based on common interests: COAS
• Pakistan
struggles to quell violence on its Afghan border
• Pakistan
finally owns woman languishing in Indian jail
• Bill
Gates lauds Pakistan’s ‘inspiring’ efforts to end polio
• Pakistani
MPs’ plane was denied Kabul landing due to political reasons: NA speaker
• Pakistani
artist asks govt, private sector to support world’s largest gold-plated Quran
project
--------
South Asia
• Afghan
diplomats in Washington impoverished due to 'colossal US betrayal', says envoy
• Tensions
over UN seat, former Afghan FM’s letter rejected
• Sri
Lanka clears police, defence chiefs over bombings
• Sri
Lankan govt urged to abolish terror law
• Islamic
Emirate Delegation Returns to Kabul from Doha
--------
Southeast Asia
• Muslim
Groups In Indonesia Demand Closure Of Country’s First Holocaust Exhibition
• Johor
bans political activities at surau, mosques
• Racial,
religious tensions spiked after GE14, ‘Allah’ verdict, says group
• Penang
mufti apologises for comments on children’s conversion
--------
Mideast
• Israel
Bars UN Team From Probing Its Crimes During Gaza War
• Israel-Palestine
conflict resolution key to peace, stability in Middle East: Arab League chief
• Israel
continuing to JudaiseIbrahimi Mosque, Palestinians say
• Iran's
CBI Confirms Talks with S. Korea on Frozen Assets
• Turkish
officials in Jerusalem ahead of Israeli visit
• Israel
shoots down alleged drone launched by Hezbollah
• Israeli
forces disperse peaceful rally in Sheikh Jarrah
• Palestinian
resistance groups blast Australia’s decision to list Hamas as ‘terrorist’ group
--------
Africa
• Miyetti
Allah orchestrated Abia cattle market attack to instigate killing of Igbos,
HURIWA alleges
• Chief
ImamOfNigeria Dies At 130, Leaves 290 Grandchildren, 200 Great Grandchildren
Behind
• Jordan
says drug trafficking from Syria is ‘organized’
• Tunisia's
speaker says the suspended parliament will inevitably return
• 28
protesters injured in Sudan rallies
• Libya's
safety requires ending transitional period: Senior official
--------
North America
• Over
150 Republican Lawmakers Warn Biden: Iran Deal WithoutCongress Will Fail
• US
welcomes collaboration to advance durable resolution to end Yemeni conflict:
Blinken
• Russian
mercenaries expected to grow in Mali post-French exit: US officials
• Canada
joins France in military withdrawal from Mali after decade-long operation
against Islamist militants
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/saudi-arabia-middle-east-film-production/d/126397
--------
Saudi
Arabia Aiming To Become The Middle East’s Film-Production Powerhouse
Film
has enjoyed a huge revival in Saudi Arabia sInce the decades-long ban on
cinemas was lifted in 2018, and as part of the Vision 2030 reform agenda huge
investments are being made to turn the country into a film powerhouse.
(Supplied)
-----
February
17, 2022
DUBAI:
A husband and wife fight as their marriage deteriorates and their home is
overtaken by “evil spirits.” A bride disappears during her wedding, leaving her
guests waiting and her mother in meltdown. A pregnant woman tries to
distinguish reality from dreams, drug-induced delusion and perceptions of
death.
These
are just some of the enticing story lines of recent Saudi movie releases. The
last of these, “Rupture,” is a film by Hamzah K. Jamjoom, which won top prize
in the Red Sea International Film Festival’s Saudi film category in December.
Four
years ago, screening such films in Saudi Arabia, where cinemas were banned for
more than 30 years between 1983 until 2018, was unthinkable. But now, as the
Kingdom pushes its Vision 2030 reform agenda, it is aiming to become the Middle
East’s new film industry powerhouse and instill in Saudis a love of watching
and making movies.
So
far, the plan is working. International producers and Hollywood studios are
flocking to the Kingdom to produce films and strike deals in a fertile new market.
Cinemas are seeing exponential growth as screens open and Saudi households
flock to theaters. According to Comscore, box-office market revenues in Saudi
Arabia rose to $238 million in 2021 — a 95 percent increase from 2020.
Importantly,
there are now numerous incentives for young Saudi filmmakers to develop their
craft at home. The Saudi government is investing billions in building a film
industry with international and regional ambitions.
During
the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah in December, the Ministry of Investment
announced that the Kingdom would support the production of 100 films by 2030.
For
many young Saudis this is a dream come true — even if many cannot quite believe
their eyes. Until 2018, aspiring filmmakers often had to shoot in secret,
dodging religious police to do so. The challenges became so frustrating for
many with ambitions that they left to produce films and build careers abroad.
“Saudi
filmmakers have always been there, fascinated by storytelling, but it is so
fresh that film is now becoming an industry in Saudi Arabia,” Sarah Taibah, a
Saudi actress and film writer, told Arab News.
“This
is now a surreal dream that has now actually become a reality and I am so glad
to be part of this industry at this early stage. People are now hungry to hear
our stories.”
The
boom is prompting many Saudi filmmakers and professionals who have been based
and working abroad for years to come home and work in their own country.
AhdKamel, 41, a well-known actress and filmmaker, is one of them.
“There
was a ban on films my entire lifetime — it was taboo,” Kamel told Arab News.
“When I started doing films I was told: ‘Absolutely, not. This is not something
you can do.’ I had to define myself as a filmmaker on the other side of the
river. It’s been 40 years of my life. It’s baffling, amazing and wonderful.
When you are young you are pigeon-holed about what is happening but now, I can
see that in a lifetime, things can really change.”
In
2012, Kamel played a conservative teacher in the film “Wadjda,” which was
directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, the first Saudi feature directed by a woman and
the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia. Kamel is now preparing to
shoot a new film in the Kingdom about her family’s driver, who died recently.
Mona
Khashoggi, a film and theater producer who was based in London for 20 years,
has now returned to her hometown of Jeddah to take part in what amounts to a
cultural revolution.
“Even
when we didn’t have cinemas, we are all very cultured and many Saudis had
cinemas in their homes,” she told Arab News. “What I want to see in Saudi films
is not films about oppression that the West is expecting and stereotyping but
stories about the youth and women who are now building their lives in this new
reality in the Kingdom.”
A
major attraction for foreign investors is the fact that 70 percent of the
Kingdom’s 34 million population is under the age of 30 and have money to spend.
Telfaz 11, a studio specializing in locally relevant content and Saudi Arabia’s
youth culture, is growing rapidly thanks to internal and foreign investment.
Alaa
Yousef Fadan, Ali Al-Kalthami and Ibrahim Al Khairallah founded Riyadh-based
Telfaz 11 just over 10 years ago, and immediately set about revolutionizing
content creation for young people via YouTube.
In
November 2020, Telfaz 11 struck a deal with Netflix to produce eight feature
films as the streaming platform sought to break into the Middle Eastern market.
Then, in December, Telfaz 11 secured a multimillion-dollar funding line from a
consortium of high-profile local financiers.
It
acquired Last Scene Films, a production house also based in Riyadh, and is
setting up Wadi Cinema, an independent cinema house in a joint venture with
Muvi Cinema, the first home-grown cinema brand in the Kingdom.
The
company has big ambitions. Faden says he and his partners will use the latest
funding “to build its development and production slate ... . The company’s
focus is to be the premiere destination for filmmakers and talent throughout
the world.”
The
changes are nothing short of revolutionary. Cinema, however, was not completely
foreign to the Kingdom, even in the days when it was banned. Film fans remained
determined to watch movies in the company of fellow enthusiasts.
The
Saudi Film Festival, which will in its eighth edition in June 2022, was founded
in Dammam in Eastern Province in 2008 by Ahmed Al-Mulla and colleagues at the
local Literature Club.
“A
lot of people in the 1980s and 1990s, like me, loved cinema, but didn’t have
cinema in public to watch,” Al-Mulla recalled.
When
Al-Mulla became a member of the board of the Literature Club, he began
discussing with other members how to screen films. For nearly two years, they
managed to discreetly screen films, including local productions, every Sunday
night.
“We
had many clashes with the other side who believed cinema was forbidden,” he
told Arab News. “But we believed we had the right to see movies, and this is
part of our culture and part of our mandate as the Literature Club.”
In
2016, two years before cinemas were officially reopened in the Kingdom, the
King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture joined the club as a strategic partner
and, since then, the Saudi Arabian Society of Culture and Arts has organized
the Saudi Film Festival.
The
current wave of producers, writers and actors have much to thank the
enthusiasts in Dammam for in keeping cinema alive and nurturing early pioneers
in domestic filmmaking.
“It
was all done underground,” said Al-Mulla. “There were no opportunities then to
film or get financing. Everything depended on the individual.”
Last
but not certainly not the least, cinema’s comeback in Saudi Arabia has given
women, who now have many more freedoms than they did previously, a much
stronger voice.
“Over
the last few years, I have been getting more requests to do films about Saudi
women,” Taibah, the actress, told Arab News.
“People
want films by Saudi women that tell stories about Saudi women. This is all very
fresh. I feel so blessed it is finally happening, because no one tells our
story better than us.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2027011/saudi-arabia
--------
Hindutva
Leader YatiNarsinghanand, Organiser Of Haridwar 'DharamSansad' Walks Out Of Jail, Gets Heroic Welcome
Hindutva
Leader Yati Narsinghanand (File Photo)
----
18th
February 2022
Haridwar:
The head priest of Dasna Devi temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad
YatiNarsinghanand was released from jail on bail on Thursday, February 17.
He
spent around a month behind the bars. He was arrested on January 15 in
connection with the Haridwar hate speech case. At the time of arrest, he was on
hunger strike at SarvanandGhat in order to register his protest against the
arrest of Waseem Rizvi aka Jitendra Narayan Tyagi.
After
the release, he was received like a homecoming hero by his supporters. He was
also garlanded with flowers.
Later,
he went to SarvanandGhat to resume his protest against the arrest of Tyagi who
has been named in the hate speech case.
Haridwar
hate speech
In
a three-day Dharma Sansad which was organized by YatiNarsinghanand from
December 17 to 19 last year, various personalities spite hate openly against
religious minorities with the slogan ‘shastramevjayte’.
Narsinganand
apparently called for the genocide and use of arms against Muslims while
speaking at the event.
After
videos of hate speeches went viral on social media, an FIR was also registered
against him along with others in the case.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/yati-narsinghanand-out-of-jail-on-bail-gets-heroic-welcome-2277746/
--------
UN Sets
Up Racial Discrimination Commission For Israel, Palestine
United
Nations Head Office
-----
Peter
Kenny
17.02.2022
GENEVA
The
UN on Thursday set up a conciliation commission for Palestine and Israel to
pursue an amicable resolution to a dispute involving allegations of racial
discrimination.
In
a statement, the UN Human Rights Office noted that both Israel and Palestine
are parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination.
The
convention defines racial discrimination and lists civil, political, economic,
social, and cultural human rights that everyone must have without distinction
regarding race.
It
allows states to file complaints with the UN Committee on the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination on alleged treaty violations by another state party.
The
conciliation commission was set up following the convention and comprises of
five human rights experts from the committee.
These
experts, who serve in their individual capacities independent of any government
or organization, are VereneSheperd, Gun Kut, Pansy Tlakula, Chinsung Chung, and
Michal Balcerzak.
The
commission held two online preparatory meetings on Jan. 19 and Feb. 10, during
which it adopted its rules of procedure and elected Kut as its chair.
It
will review information and evidence, while also preparing a report
highlighting its findings and recommendations for the amicable solution of the
dispute.
The
Convention on the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination,
adopted by the UN in 1965, has been ratified by 179 states.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan's
Backdoor Contacts WithTehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan May Soon Pave Way For
Ceasefire
Imran Khan, Pakistan PM. File |
Photo Credit: AP
----
Feb
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s backdoor contacts with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an
umbrella organisation of several Pakistani terrorist groups, could possibly
pave the way for a ceasefire and direct talks between the two sides in coming
weeks. Despite Kabul’s complete silence over the TTP issue, well-placed sources
revealed that the Taliban government has been playing a role to bring Islamabad
and TTP back on table. “Pakistani authorities have been engaged with the TTP
through backdoor contacts. If these contacts culminate into broader talks, then
Kabul and Islamabad would involve political and tribal elders from both sides
of the border to address the issue,” confided a Pakistani official familiar
with the backdoor exchanges.
The
previous talks between Islamabad and the TTP had collapsed due to the
conflicting positions of the two sides. Lack of political ownership in Pakistan
of the move to initiate talks with the terrorists has also been described as
one of the reasons for the deadlock. “The previous talks were announced by PM
Imran Khan in an interview with foreign media. The issue was neither brought
into parliament nor taken up by his government at any level, indicating that
only security and intelligence officials were involved in it,” said Ali Akbar
Khan, a Peshawar-based journalist. He said that no issue can be resolved
without the involvement of tribal elders in regions along the Pak-Afghan
border. “The tribal elders along the Durand Line have been addressing issues
and disputes through a tribal system for decades. Without their involvement,
talks cannot succeed between the TTP and Pakistan,” Khan said, adding, the
support of the local tribal people to the Taliban was one of the reasons for
the collapse of the previous Afghan regime.
Since
the collapse of a brief truce between the TTP and Pakistan in December 2021,
Islamabad has been demanding from Kabul to restrain the TTP from attacks on
Pakistani security forces. Around 2,000-2,500 TTP fighters — driven from North
Waziristan after a major offensive launched against them in 2014 — live in
Afghanistan. While the Afghan Taliban neither condemn nor condone the TTP
attacks in Pakistan, the group has been denying the use of its soil for attacks
against other nations. “I reject Pakistan claim regarding TTP’s bases in
Afghanistan. These are baseless allegations. We will not allow Afghan soil to
be used against anyone,” said Mullah Muhammad Yaqub, the Afghan defence
minister, in a recent interview. His statement has been described by observers
a comment synonymous with Pakistan’s public condemnation in the past of US
drone attacks on its soil. The drone strikes, in fact, were taking place with
Pakistan’s collaboration. Formed in 2007, the TTP has been at war with
Pakistan.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Former
VP Of Afghanistan Says Pak Snipers Infiltrating Panjshir 'Embedded' With
Taliban Fighters
Taliban
soldiers gather with weapons and machinery in Panjshir province, Afghanistan
(AP file photo)
-----
February
17, 2022
Former
Vice President of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh has alleged that the Taliban are
once again making an incursion into Panjshir Valley, with Pakistani
"snipers and mentors".
Saleh
claimed that these alleged Pakistani snipers and mentors, "embedded with
Taliban militias" from the Haqqani Network, have entered Panjshir.
“Since
yesterday, dozens of Pakistani snipers and mentors embedded with hundreds of
Taliban militias from HQN have entered Panjshir valley. Historically, Pakistani
mentors and snipers for such missions in Afghanistan hail from SSG. Pakistani
military tents and MREs are also seen. Hard evidence soon,” he tweeted.
After
going into hiding following the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani government in
Afghanistan, Saleh has often accused Pakistan of being hand-in-glove with the
Taliban and trying to rule the war-ravaged country by proxy.
Earlier
this week, the resistance leader hit out at Pakistan Prime Minister’s Imran
Khan for seemingly acting as the mouthpiece of Taliban’s supreme leader
HibatullahAkhundzada. He also charged that the country’s spy wing, the ISI, was
providing intelligence to the radical militant outfit.
“PM
Khan of Pakistan is doing the functions of Mullah Haibatullah making big
statements on Afghanistan, while the ISI chief is doing the work of Taliban
intelligence reaching out to dark people and places. Does it leave you any
doubt that Taliban junta is nothing but puppets/proxies and Afghanistan a
protectorate?” said Saleh.
In
another tweet, Saleh stated that civilians are fleeing Panjshir, the last
bastion of Afghanistan's crumbling resistance movement, due to the Taliban’s
concerted and forceful attempts to fully control the holdout province.
Source:
IndiaToday
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Saudi Authorities Add Another 8 Years To Prison Sentence Of Dissident Preacher, Sheikh Khalid al-Rashid: NGO
17
February 2022
Saudi
authorities have reportedly extended the prison sentence handed down to a
prominent religious preacher as a crackdown led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman against scholars, rights activists, pro-democracy campaigners and
political opponents widens in the kingdom.
The
Prisoners of Conscience, an independent nongovernmental organization advocating
human rights in Saudi Arabia, announced in a post on its official Twitter page
that the so-called court of appeal in the capital Riyadh had ordered Sheikh
Khalid al-Rashid to serve eight more years behind bars, extending his jail term
to 23 years.
Sheikh
Rashid was reportedly transferred from the maximum-security al-Ha'ir Prison,
located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Riyadh, to the General
Directorate of Investigation on November 26 last year, despite the fact that
prison authorities had warned of his poor health condition.
The
Saudi preacher was initially supposed to be released in September 2020 after
spending 15 years of imprisonment.
The
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD), which is a body of independent
human rights experts, has condemned his arbitrary incarceration.
Sheikh
Rashid was arrested on March 19, 2006 in the holy city of Mecca, while he was
performing the Umrah Hajj (minor pilgrimage) with his wife. His arrest was
carried out by secret police agency (Mabahith) agents in plain clothes, who
neither did present any mandate nor explained the reasons of his arrest.
It
was only a month after his arrest that his family was informed that he had been
arrested and being kept in Mabahith facilities, where he was subjected to
various forms of torture and ill-treatment, causing immense damage to his
health.
Additionally,
Saudi officials slapped a seven-year prison sentence against lawyer MutaibZafer
al-Omari, who owns the “Future Review” Twitter account.
Social
media activists believe that his detention was in reprisal for his opinions.
Earlier
this month, an independent human rights organization said Saudi officials bring
imprisoned political dissidents and pro-democracy campaigners, who are deprived
of family visits and meetings with attorneys, to secret trials in order to
conceal grave violations committed against them.
Sanad
human rights organization, which defends political and civil rights in Saudi
Arabia and monitors human rights violations and exposes them to public opinion
as well as international organizations, said many of the inmates stand secret
trials, and receive arbitrary and unfair sentences based on confessions
extracted under torture.
The
organization highlighted that Saudi authorities grossly mistreat imprisoned
dissidents in flagrant violation of international principles, which demand
justice and transparency in the criminal procedure.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Normalizing
relations with Israel still lacks popular support in Egypt, says analyst
Salam
Abu Sharar
18.02.2022
GAZA,
Palestine
As
Israel observes on Friday the 42nd anniversary of opening its embassy in Egypt,
the first in any Arab country, the last two years have seen many Arab countries
lining up to normalize relations with Tel Aviv.
Speaking
to Anadolu Agency, political analyst Mustafa Al Sawaf said Israel’s opening of
its diplomatic mission in Cairo did not extend to people, who still refuse to
accept the normalization of the Israeli occupation of Arab territories.
According
to the 2019-2020 survey conducted by the Qatar-based Arab Center for Research
and Policy Studies, 13% of Egyptians supported diplomatic recognition of Israel
while 85% opposed it.
After
years of conflict starting in 1948, Egypt was the first Arab nation negotiated
normalization with Israel. The 1967 war had led to the occupation of the
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula -- a sparsely populated desert region between the Red
Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
In
October 1973, Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal and regained control.
Egypt under Mohamed Anwar Sadat later in 1978 regained full sovereignty over
the Sinai Peninsula after signing a peace treaty with Israel.
Describing
this political process, a disappointment for the Palestinians, Sawaf said it
became a kind of ruse for other Arab countries also to follow the process of
normalization.
He
said except for a tense period under late President Mohammed Morsi from
2012–2013, the relations between the two countries have remained strong.
In
a military coup led by the current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi,
Morsi was deposed in July 2013.
"Morsi's
clear pro-Gaza policy was one of the reasons why Sisi turned against Morsi and
isolated him, and he became intensely engaged in a partnership with Israel to
narrow the siege on Gaza," said Sawaf.
He
said Egypt is cooperating with Israel in both security and intelligence to
stifle resistance in the Gaza Strip, particularly during the escalation of the
wars between Israel and Hamas as a major resistance faction in Gaza.
“During
all the wars against the Gaza Strip, the regime in Egypt sided with Israel and
took an anti-Palestinian resistance stance in Gaza, except the 2012 war that
took place during the reign of Morsi, who fully supported Gaza, " Sawaf
told Anadolu Agency.
The
analyst said that situation has worsened further when the Rafah crossing point
connecting Gaza with Egypt was closed following the Israeli aggression as
punishment for the Palestinian resistance. He said the crossing point was
restored only after Hamas leaders threatened to suspend all agreements with the
Egyptian side regarding security in Sinai.
After
Egypt and Jordan, in September 2020, the UAE and Israel signed a US-sponsored
deal to normalize their relations. Since then, the two countries exchanged
official visits by senior officials and have signed dozens of bilateral
agreements in various fields, including investment, banking services, and
tourism.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Top
Daesh/ISIS militant killed in airstrike in Iraq's Anbar
Ibrahim
Saleh
17.02.2022
BAGHDAD
A
senior member of the Daesh/ISIS terror group was killed in an Iraqi airstrike
targeting his car in the western Anbar province, according to the defense
ministry on Thursday.
The
attack took place in the desert of Al-Rutba district in Anbar, a ministry
statement said.
It
identified the militant as MuthannaKhaderKamelShatran, nicknamed Abu Malika,
adding that he was the terror group’s Anbar governor.
The
statement said one of his aides was also killed in the attack.
Daesh/ISIS
has in recent months intensified attacks against military and civilian targets
in northern and eastern Iraq.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Coalition
says 11 Houthi vehicles destroyed in strikes on Marib, Hajjah
February
17, 2022
RIYADH:
Nearly a dozen Houthi vehicles have been destroyed in strikes on the Yemeni
governorates of Marib and Hajjah, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen
said on Thursday.
11
military vehicles were destroyed and a number of Houthi fighters killed in 15
strikes that were carried out over the last 24 hours, the coalition said.
Meanwhile,
a former US ambassador to Yemen and veteran analyst has urged the Biden
administration to redesignate the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization
for resisting peace efforts to end the war and staging attacks on neighboring
countries.
Writing
for the US-based War on the Rocks platform on Tuesday, Gerald Feierstein said
that the Biden administration should consider redesignating the Houthis as a
foreign terrorist organization since it is the only option available to
pressure the Houthis to stop hostilities on the ground and comply with peace
initiatives.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2026791/middle-east
--------
Several
countries participate in ‘Spears of Victory 2022’ exercise in eastern Saudi
Arabia
February
18, 2022
RIYADH:
The “Spears of Victory 2022” joint exercise continued at the Air War Center in
Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Sector, with the participation of a number of countries,
the Kingdom defense ministry said on Thursday.
The
exercise was held in the presence of the commanders of the Royal Saudi Air
Defense Forces, Royal Saudi Air Force, US Air Forces Central, and the Royal
Bahraini Air Force, with wide participation from all branches of the Saudi
armed forces, the Ministry of National Guard, and the Presidency of State
Security.
The
participants demonstrated a high level of readiness and coordination in
planning, preparation and implementation, which contributes to strengthening joint
work, the ministry said.
Lt.
Gen. Turki bin Bandar, commander of the RSAF, said many countries were taking
part in this edition, some as participants, and others as observers, with air
forces from a number of countries, including the US, Bahrain, and Pakistan.
“Through
this exercise, the RSAF is working to raise its combat capabilities and the
level of joint work with the branches of the armed forces,” he added.
The
exercise, which will continue for 10 days, consists of many stages, starting
with the arrival of aircraft to King Abdulaziz Air Base, and involves several
lectures and workshops for all air and technical crews.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2027126/saudi-arabia
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Saudi
leadership’s ‘decisive stance’ provides impetus for joint Arab action: Speaker
February
18, 2022
RIYADH:
The decisive stance of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has
provided a positive impetus for joint Arab action and is embodied in the
practical steps taken to support Arab countries, according to the speaker of
the Saudi Shoura Council.
Addressing
the opening session of the 32nd Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary
Union, which opened on Thursday in Cairo, Dr. Abdullah Al-Asheikh drew
attention to the Kingdom’s keenness to play its humanitarian role by providing
aid to alleviate the suffering of Arab citizens.
He
also reiterated the Kingdom’s condemnation of the attacks by Houthi terrorist
militia on Saudi Arabia, the UAE and international shipping in the Red Sea,
which he said were aimed at destabilizing the region’s security and stability.
Al-Asheikh
said also that the Kingdom was keen to achieve security and stability in Yemen,
and to bring an end to the suffering of its people.
He
expressed the Kingdom’s support for international efforts to reach a political
solution in line with the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanism, the
outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue, and UN Security Council
Resolution 2216. He also praised the efforts made by the Arab coalition to
support legitimacy in Yemen.
Al-Asheikh
also expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation of Iran’s aggressive policies, and
its support for international efforts to prevent Tehran’s possession of nuclear
weapons and call for its full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy
Agency.
During
the conference — which is attended by the heads of legislative councils and
parliaments in Arab countries, as well as Ahmed AboulGheit, the
secretary-general of the Arab League — Al-Asheikh said that the Palestinian
cause remained a central and stable issue for Saudi Arabia and was at the
forefront of its concerns.
Source:
Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2027051/saudi-arabia
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At
least one civilian killed as Saudi jets bomb Sana’a, other Yemeni cities
18
February 2022
Saudi
Arabia has intensified its air raids against residential areas in the Yemeni
capital Sana’a and elsewhere in the war-wracked country, after the head of
Yemen’s Supreme Political Council announced the launch of a general
mobilization campaign against the Saudi war and all-out blockade.
Saudi
jets conducted several air attacks against al-Masajid area in the BaniMatar
district of Sana’a early on Friday, Yemen's Arabic-language al-Masirah
television network reported.
At
least one civilian was killed in the latest attack. It followed another strike
that hit Hajjah province.
The
Yemeni media outlets also reported that the Saudi military aircraft launched at
least seven raids against the al-Jubah and Wadi districts of Yemen’s central
province of Ma’rib.
Saudi
planes hit Medghal and Sirwah districts in the same Yemeni province as well.
Saudi
jets also bombed the Harad district in Yemen’s northern province of Hajjah on
three occasions. There have been no reports of casualties as of yet.
Al-Tinah
area in the Midi district of Hajjah province was also targeted by the
warplanes.
Mahdi
al-Mashat, who heads Yemen's Supreme Political Council, stressed on Wednesday
the importance of “popular steadfastness” in the face of the aggressors as he
announced the start of the “Yemen Hurricane” campaign.
He
added that the campaign would include the Yemeni people, elite, and officials,
emphasizing that the nation will mobilize to respond to the crimes of Saudi
Arabia and its allies via “all available means.”
Mashat
urged state institutions to play an effective role in advancing the campaign at
all levels.
He
also called on all Yemeni people to “seriously interact” with the campaign and
stand by the army and popular committees in the fight against the brutal Saudi
aggression.
Civil
society groups urge US Congress to oppose Ansarullah terror listing
Meanwhile,
more than 40 civil society organizations, rights groups and anti-war bodies
delivered a letter to the United States Congress on Thursday, calling on US
lawmakers to publicly urge the administration of President Joe Biden not to
designate Yemen’s popular Ansarullah resistance movement as a foreign terrorist
organization (FTO).
The
letter was signed by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Democracy
for the Arab World Now, and the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft,
among others.
The
letter comes as the White House deliberates whether to make the designation
amid pressure from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel.
Aid
groups have warned that Washington’s decision to go through with the listing
and the sanctions that accompany it would further deteriorate the humanitarian
situation in Yemen by severing access and making it illegal for any US
organizations or companies to provide aid to those parts of Yemen controlled by
Yemen’s Sana’a-based National Salvation Government.
“This
label would only serve to disincentivize the Houthis from engaging in the
diplomacy needed to end this war, and would make it nearly impossible to
deliver critical commercial goods and humanitarian aid to millions of innocent
Yemenis,” Hassan El-Tayyab, legislative director for Middle East policy at
Friends Committee on National Legislation, said.
“It's
critical Congress speak out against a potential FTO designation and work to end
all US military participation in the Saudi-led war and blockade, before more
Yemenis are plunged into famine,” he pointed out.
Aisha
Jumaan, president of the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation, also said
designating Yemen’s Ansarullah movement as an FTO would “amount to an
intentional starvation of 30 million Yemenis, 16.2 million of whom are at the
brink of famine.”
Last
year, in the final days of former president Donald Trump's term in office, the
White House moved to list Ansarullah as an FTO – a decision which was quickly
reversed by Biden as he assumed office.
Source:
Press TV
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India
Hijab
row: Advocate General seeks time to respond to petitions by Muslim girls
Feb
18, 2022
New
Delhi: The Karnataka high court on Thursday adjourned its hearing on the
petitions filed by five Muslim girls against a ban on hijabs in classrooms
after state advocate-general PrabhulingNavadgi sought time to respond to the
petitions. The hearing will resume on Friday. The AG said he was awaiting some
orders by the state government. The three-judge high court bench said the state
can modify its government order.
Advocate
Vinod Kulkarni, whose petition is under consideration, told the bench the issue
was creating hysteria and affecting the mental health of the Muslim girls, and
“as per the Preamble of the Constitution, guarding health is the duty of the
State”. He sought interim relief to allow Muslim girls to wear the hijab, at
least on Fridays. “Banning the hijab is almost tantamount to banning the
Quran,” he argued.
“I
am a devout Brahmin myself… my submission is that it may amount to the banning
of the Quran. My submission is: please pass an order today to allow wearing of
the hijab on Fridays and during Ramzan,” Mr Kulkarni said, as he cited the song
“KuchPakarKuchKhonahain”.
The
high court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by a social activist saying
it was not maintainable, and told advocate RahamathullaKotwal, representing the
social activist, that the court’s precious time was being wasted while it was
considering such an important matter.
Senior
advocate A.M. Dar, representing another set of five girl students from
Bengaluru, said the government order on the hijab would affect his clients who
wear the hijab, and said that the order was unconstitutional. However, the
court asked Mr Dar to withdraw the petition and granted him the liberty to file
a fresh one.
Another
advocate suggested mediation to resolve the issue, to which the court said
mediation was possible only if both the petitioners and the respondents (the
State and the college development committees) agree.
Karnataka
education minister B.C. Nagesh held a meeting with Muslim legislators on
Thursday in an effort to get the Muslim girls to return to the classrooms by
adhering to the high court order that temporarily barred the hijab and other
religious clothing in classes. “There is a need for a revised uniform policy. A
lot of controversy has occurred at present. We will wait for the HC order to
come up with a new policy,” said MrNagesh, whose office described the
interaction as a “goodwill meeting”.
Source:DeccanChronicle
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Mysuru:
Muslim family donates 2-acre land for school
Feb
18, 2022
MYSURU:
A Muslim family donated 2 acres 20 guntas of land to the Government Higher
Primary School in Bachegowdanahalli village, HD Kotetaluk, 28kms from Mysuru
city. It’s meant for promotion of academic and sports activities.
Mohammed
Rakib, a 63-year-old businessman from Hampapurahobli, and four siblings,
including two sisters, donated the land in memory of their father Mohammed
Jaffer who passed away six years ago. “It was the dream of our late father to
donate land to the school. As per his wish, we siblings handed over land to the
school,” explained Rakib.
“This
land can be used for the school ground and to upgrade the school into an
English-medium school,” he added. The current market value of the land is
around Rs 20 lakh per acre.
HD
Kote Block Education Officer Chandrakanth said the school has enough classrooms
and other facilities. “The family approached us with the proposal of donating
land. We’ll plan on its proper utilisation,” he said.
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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"Muslim
Women Blessing Me": PM Attacks Opposition Over Triple Talaq
February
17, 2022
Fatehpur
(UP): Prime Minister NarendraModi on Thursday called the opposition parties
"selfish" for opposing the law against triple talaq, saying they
don't think about the good of even those who vote for them.
The
PM also sought to corner the Congress over Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit
Singh Channi's "UP de bhaiye" remark, asking people to stay away from
such parties.
"When
the government made a law against triple talaq, then the whole 'kunba'
(opposition) stood against it," the PM said addressing an election rally
in UP's Fatehpur.
"I
am surprised in which century they are living. They cannot think about the good
of even those who are voting for them," the PM said, asking people if the
opposition parties could be trusted.
"There
used to be triple talaq even on small issues. Think about the father of a
daughter who returns with one or two kids. What would they have to face. What a
brother and mother faced when his sister or daughter returned from her in-laws'
place," he said.
"But
I am getting blessings of Muslim sisters and daughters all over the country as
I have done a great job of saving their lives," the PM said referring to
the triple talaq law, which was enacted by the Centre in 2019.
PM
Modi slammed Channi for asking people during a road show not to let "UP,
Bihar and Delhi de bhaiye" enter Punjab.
"When
the chief Minister insulted the people of UP, the Gandhi family kept clapping.
And today these people are asking for votes from the people of UP. You have to
stay away from these 'parivarwadi (dynasts)," PM Modi said.
The
word "bhaiya" in reference to people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is
generally considered offensive.
MrChanni
on Thursday said his remark was twisted and he respects people from the states
as they helped build Punjab.
Hitting
out at the rival parties over dynastic politics, PM Modi said the dynasts of UP
had termed the covid vaccine as the BJP's vaccine and they always question the
country's achievements.
In
an apparent jibe at the Samajwadi Party, PM Modi said, "The BJP government
is giving free vaccine to the entire country but these "parivarwadi"
(dynasts) are saying this is BJP's vaccine." "These 'parivarwadis' of
UP never liked the might of the country and they question whatever good the
country does," the PM alleged.
PM
Modi said only two entities are afraid of the vaccine--coronavirus and the ones
who oppose it.
The
PM also predicted the BJP win in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, saying
people have made up their mind to celebrate Holi on March 10, referring to the
day of counting.
The
PM claimed that the support for the BJP is on the rise in the state.
"Your
enthusiasm shows a glimpse of the next five phases," he told people at the
rally referring to the remaining rounds of the UP polls.
For
rapid development of Awadh and Bundelkhand, the PM said people don't need those
who take revenge but those who bring change.
Source:
ND TV
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Stalemate:
Many Students Skip Classes In Karnataka, Miss Practical Exams
Feb
18, 2022
BENGALURU:
Stand-offs between students and parents on one side and authorities of
educational institutions and police on the other continued across the state,
although no major untoward incident was reported as the row over wearing hijabs
in classrooms raged on.
North
Karnataka
High
drama unfolded at a paramedical college in Belagavi after the management
stopped hijab-clad students from entering classrooms. Vijaya Institute of
Paramedical Sciences (VIPS) banned headscarves, although the high court’s
interim order is limited to only schools and pre-university colleges where
uniforms/dress code is prescribed.
On
Thursday, staff of VIPS insisted students remove their headscarves at the gates
before entering. This led to arguments with students questioning the decision,
and the management saying it was only implementing the HC’s order. Police too
arrived on the scene.
Meanwhile,
a group of men gathered outside the college and shouted slogans, while
demanding the girls be allowed into classrooms. Police and the men were
involved in an altercation. RavindraGadadi, DCP, said six people were detained.
Arguments
between staff and students continued even as parents of students arrived.
Discussions lasted almost two hours and ended in a stalemate. Prakash Patil,
who manages the college, said: “Students and parents returned home, and it
looks like they are convinced. They may return to college tomorrow without
their hijab. ”
Protests
also continued at Saraladevi Government First Grade College in Ballari and at
Government College in Vijayapura town. Students skipped practical exams, but
the college in Ballari agreed to reschedule it for those who missed out on
Thursday.
South
&Malnad districts
While
protests continued to disrupt the academic environment across the Malnad region
and Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts, the situation was by and large
peaceful. However, the number of Muslim girls who attended classes was thin
across colleges.
DK
Srinivasa Murthy, DDPU, Mysuru, said that in a PU college in Narasimharaja
limits, 291 students were absent on Thursday. “There are 293 Muslim students on
the rolls. Parents and students informed us that they will attend classes only
after the HC verdict. We will conduct online classes for these students,” he
said.
Staff
at PU and degree colleges said most Muslim girls had skipped classes over the
past couple of days. “They are worried about being isolated in classrooms,” a
staffer said. More than a dozen students of a school in Nanjangudtaluk in
Mysuru district skipped classes.
In
Kodagu, some 30 students refused to attend classes without their hijabs at
Field Marshal KM Cariappa College in Madikeri and returned home. At a PU
college in Kudige, nine students returned home. Muslim students in many other
schools and colleges were sent back after they refused to remove their hijabs.
In
Hassan, a group of students at the Women’s Polytechnic College continued
protests, leading to a stand-off even as police stepped in to defuse the
situation. “There are only 29 Muslim students in out college and 17 of them
protested on Thursday. They were joined by outsiders,” said ManjulaKadam,
principal.
Coastal
districts
The
Government First Grade College in Uppinangady declared a two-day holiday as the
hijab row simmered and boy students came out in support of their classmates.
Source:
Times Of India
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Hijab
row erupts in Andhra Pradesh, is defused
Feb
18, 2022
NEW
DELHI: Even as neighbouring Karnataka is on the boil with agitations and
counter agitations over hijab, a related incident was reported at a college in
Andhra Pradesh on Thursday, reports MadhuRasala . However, the issue was
resolved quickly before any controversy could be created to blow it up.
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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Karnataka
education minister meets Muslim lawmakers over hijab row
February
17, 2022
Karnataka
Education Minister BC Nagesh held a meeting with Muslim legislators on Thursday
in an effort to get Muslim girls to return to classrooms by adhering to the
high court order that temporarily barred the hijab and other religious clothing
in classes.
“There
is a need for a revised uniform policy. A lot of controversy has occurred at
present. We will wait for the HC order to come up with a new policy,” said
Nagesh, whose office described the interaction as a “goodwill meeting”.
Schools
and colleges reopened this week after being closed on February 9 because of the
tension over the hijab ban imposed by the institutions as part of dress codes.
But Muslim girls were kept out of classrooms in many places for wearing
headscarves after state authorities interpreted the Karnataka High Court’s
interim order as a ban on the hijab in all educational institutions.
In
its February 10 order, the Karnataka High Court restrained “all the students
regardless of their religion or faith from wearing saffron (bhagwa) shawls,
scarves, hijab, religious flags and the like, within the classroom, until
further orders.” It also went on to add that the order “is confined to such
institutions wherein the college development committees have prescribed the
student dress code/uniform”.
Despite
the restrictions being applicable only to colleges where uniforms bar such
religious clothing, the hijab has effectively been banned in many districts. On
Wednesday many degree colleges did not allow Muslim girls to attend classes
with the hijab.
Source:IndianExpress
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Karnataka
Hijab Row: Muslim Women Being Targeted, Says MutahidaMajlis-E-Ulema
Feb
17, 2022
Speaking
on the Karnataka Hijab issue, MutahidaMajlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an amalgam of over
24 influential Islamic religious bodies and social institutions of Kashmir led
by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on Thursday condemned what it said was a repeated
assault and targeting of Muslim women in India.
The
amalgam said that there seems to be a deliberate attempt by the “right wing
Hindu segment to spread sectarian poison” in India with the minorities,
especially Muslims, being at the receiving end of it . “This sectarianism is
fuelled by prejudice and hatred,” the MMU said in a statement.
“Whether
it is a deplorable and derogatory online campaign like Sulli and Bulli that
deals against Muslim women or the attempt to keep them away from education by
disallowing them to wear the Hijab to colleges and schools ,as in Karnataka ,
Muslim women in India are being repeatedly targeted and intimidated,” it said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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Hijab
row: Now, Aligarh college bans entry of students in religious attire
Feb
18, 2022
A
college in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district has banned students from donning
any attire that could be attributed to religion amid a raging controversy in
Karnataka over restrictions imposed on Muslim girls wearing the hijab (a
headscarf) to educational institutions.
According
to a report by news agency ANI, DS College in Aligarh has banned the entry of
students who are not dressed in the prescribed uniform. The college's
principal, Dr Raj Kumar Verma, said,“We'll not allow students to enter the
campus with covered faces. Students are not allowed to wear saffron stole or
hijab on college premises."
Pictures
tweeted by ANI showed a circular stating the same stuck on what appeared to be
the walls of the college.
The
directives came days after students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) held a
protest march on the campus to extend support to their peers in the southern
state demanding their right to wear the hijab. They were seen carrying posters
and raising slogans as they marched within the campus. A report in PTI said
they had also issued a written statement describing the ban on hijab as an
assault on their fundamental right.
“We
have been compelled to lodge a protest when an incident took place in Karnataka
in which a young girl, protesting against the ban, was hounded by a group of
vandals. We salute the brave girls of Karnataka,” read the statement.
Meanwhile,
in Karnataka, several Muslim students have continued to resist the ban on their
entry in preuniversity colleges for wearing the hijab after the government
reopened the educational institutions.
Protests
were witnessed across colleges in the districts of Chikmagalur, Udupi,
Shivamogga, Gadag and Chitradurga. As chaos prevailed, police also threatened
to book a section of agitating students for wrongful restraint and get them
debarred from their college.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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Andhra
college stopped girls with hijab, backs down after collector phones
Feb
18, 2022
Even
as the controversy over denial of entry into educational institutions for
Muslim students in Karnataka wearing a burqa or a hijab continues to rage,
three Muslim girls studying in a popular Christian educational institution in
Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada made a similar allegation against the college
management on Thursday.
The
girls, studying in the final year of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Andhra
Loyola College, an autonomous institution established in 1953, told reporters
that they were stopped at the college entrance by the security staff who
questioned them for coming to college wearing a burqa and hijab.
“College
principal Father G A P Kishore arrived and pulled us up for wearing a burqa and
hijab. He asked us why we were wearing our traditional dress now, when we have
been attending the classes in uniform. He told us to change our dress,” one of
the students said.
She
recalled that they had been going to the college in burqas and hijab since they
had joined the institution two years ago. The girls also displayed their
college identity cards showing their pictures with a hijab.
Since
wearing a hijab has become controversial in Karnataka, the girls are
apprehensive that the same thing may happen in their college. They immediately
brought it to the notice of their parents, who in turn alerted their community
elders. They also informed district collector J Nivas about the incident.
Parents,
along with community elders reached the college and lodged a protest with the
management. On the instructions of the collector, officials of the education
department and the local police also intervened and held talks with the college
management.
Later,
the principal said the issue had been settled “for now” following instructions
from the district collector. “We shall allow the Muslim girls to attend their
classes in their traditional dress,” he said.
In
a statement issued in the evening, Kishore said Andhra Loyola College was a
decades’ old institution catering to the educational needs of all sections of
society, irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
He
said the college has a prescribed college uniform for all students and
everybody was following the dress code. “It is the usual practice that they
wear their traditional dress. They remove their attire in the ladies’ waiting
room and attend the classes in the prescribed dress code,” he said.
On
Thursday, he had noticed the Muslim girls who were late by 10 minutes, and were
requesting the faculty member to let them attend their classes in their
traditional dress, as they had no time to change. “I told them to go to the
waiting room to remove their traditional dress,” he said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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Hijab
Row: Boxer Sonny Bill Williams From New Zealand Shows Solidarity With Indian
Muslim Girls
17th
February 2022
Hyderabad:
Professional heavyweight boxer and former Rugby player from New Zealand, Sonny
Bill Williams on February 17 expressed solidarity with Muslim girls in
Karnataka whose education lies in jeopardy amidst the ‘Karnataka Hijab row’.
Most school and college-going girls have now been left to make a choice between
their right to education and freedom to practice religion, guaranteed under
Article 25, of the Indian Constitution.
In
the 45 second video on Twitter, Sonny Bill Williams said “just a quick message
of support to my sisters out there who are struggling with the hijab at the
moment, and particularly in India and of recent Okago gills high school in New
Zealand.” He added that he was sending his love and dua’s (prayers) to these
girls fighting, for their rights against “thugs”.
“Yes
these thugs may rip the headscarf off, but they will never rip Islam or Allah
from your hearts. So stay strong sisters,” he stated. The heavyweight boxed
remarked that Inshaallah (God willing), the full force of these thugs will be
met with the full force of the Lord, “stay strong sisters.”
Source:Siasat
Daily
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Europe
Muslims
fleeing Islamophobia in France settling in Turkiye: Report
AlaattinDogru
17.02.2022
Turkiye
has become an attractive destination for Muslims fleeing France due to
Islamophobia, according to a report by French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche
on Wednesday.
It
said that many qualified young French of North African origin are also settled
in Gulf countries, but the modern yet traditional Turkiye has now become an
increasingly popular migration destination for them.
Thirty-two-year-old
Thibault, a baker from Isere, France, first moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina and
later Norway. He eventually settled in Istanbul, Turkiye with his wife and two
children more than a year ago.
The
couple first thought about moving to Egypt or Morocco, but preferred Turkiye as
its diverse culture is more closer to their lifestyle.
FosilMahani,
a YouTube influencer who settled in the Turkish Mediterranean province of
Antalya in 2019, said Turkiye's blend of European and Middle Eastern culture
appealed him.
Muslim
convert David Bizet, who founded Facebook group, Immigration to Turkey, is also
living in Turkiye since 2019. He is originally from Dijon in eastern France.
The
report quoted a recent post by Bizet, which read: "Hardly a week passes by
without messages from the French who have settled in Turkiye or want to settle
down."
French
authorities have been accused of cornering its Muslim community, and in recent
years many mosques and civil society organizations are said to have closed
down.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Dutch
tolerated violence in Indonesian freedom war, say researchers
Selman
Aksünger
18.02.2022
AMSTERDAM
The
northwestern European country the Netherlands, tolerated acts of violence by
its soldiers in Indonesia when the Southeast Asian nation was fighting for
independence from 1945 to 1949.
A
joint study of The Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean
Studies (KITLV), the Netherlands Institute of Military History (NIMH), and the
Institute of War, Holocaust, and Genocide (NIOD) has mentioned the systematic
violence of Dutch soldiers in Indonesia.
Participating
in a discussion through video link, the researchers said the Dutch soldiers'
violence against Indonesians was “widespread and deliberate”.
They
underlined that the Dutch government tolerated acts of violence by not
conducting adequate investigations by military, administrative, and judicial
authorities.
Dutch
soldiers frequently and widely used violence during the war carried out
extrajudicial executions, committed acts of murder, rape, and torture, and made
arrests under inhumane conditions, said, researchers.
Criticizing
the impunity enjoyed by those responsible, the researchers described
Indonesia’s war of independence as the result of the Dutch colonization, racism,
and exploitation.
Jeffry
Pondaag, chairman of the Committee of Dutch Honorary Debts (KUKB), told local
media that the findings were “not surprising”.
Stressing
that such findings are not newsworthy unless the Netherlands openly declares
itself responsible for the war, he said: "Wherever the two sides fight,
there is mutual violence and accusations. But only the responsibility of the
Netherlands is mentioned here."
Pondaag
emphasized that the Netherlands investigated the events in 1969 and the results
were recorded.
History
of independence
Indonesia
declared independence from Dutch Empire on Aug. 17, 1945
The
Netherlands did not recognize Indonesia’s declaration of independence and
landed troops on the islands of Java and Sumatra to maintain colonial rule.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Azerbaijan
able to supply more natural gas to Europe: Top authority
RuslanRehimov
17.02.2022
BAKU,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
has sufficient natural gas reserves and can supply more natural gas to Europe,
the country's deputy energy minister told Anadolu Agency.
"But
two people dance a tango. In natural gas, unlike petroleum, the processing of
the fields cannot be started without a buyer,” said ElnurSoltanov. “In case of
a large volume gas supply increase, buyers should be determined and agreements
should be signed.”
On
the energy crisis in the world and Europe's greater natural gas demand from
Azerbaijan, Soltanov said it is very difficult to balance demand and supply
without a strategic approach to oil and natural gas.
He
went on to say that it takes six to seven years to start the operation of a
natural gas field and significant investments are required for the maintenance
of existing deposits.
Soltanov
underlined that steps to be taken require strategic calculations and the
coronavirus pandemic astonished calculations and created uncertainty.
Noting
that serious steps have been taken in the direction of green energy in the
world and "even though natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel,"
Soltanov said there are hesitations in the use of such fuels due to global
warming.
The
hesitations create difficulties for banks to provide loans, provide certain
concessions to strategic projects and process fossil deposits, thus, work
becomes more expensive, he added.
Energy
crisis in the world
Emphasizing
that cold weather in Europe is below seasonal normals and the tensions between
Russia and Ukraine are among the reasons for the world’s energy crisis,
Soltanov said the situation was felt more in Europe and that there was a
serious increase in natural gas prices.
He
said officials who attended the 8th Advisory Board Meeting of the Southern Gas
Corridor in Baku on Feb. 4 brought the crisis to the agenda and Azerbaijan's
contributions to overcoming the crisis came to the fore.
Regarding
the main natural gas reserves of Azerbaijan, Soltanov highlighted that the
Absheron deposit has "enough reserves," while the ShafakAsiman, Umit
and Babek basins are "large enough," adding that the third phase of
the Shah Deniz deposit can be further developed.
"There
is a discussion on the transfer of Azerbaijani oil to the western Balkans via
TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline). European authorities also brought this up.
Azerbaijan can do this, but these things should be mutual and based on signed
agreements," he said.
TAP
is an essential part of the Southern Gas Corridor, offering a direct and
cost-effective transportation route to southeast European countries and beyond.
It
transports natural gas from the Caspian basin to Europe, connecting the Trans
Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, crossing Northern
Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in southern Italy to
connect to the Italian natural gas network.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Migrants
still fear for their safety 2 years after racist terror attack in Germany
MesutZeyrek
17.02.2022
HANAU,
Germany
Two
years after a far-right terror attack struck the German town of Hanau, migrant
communities are still living in fear and anxiety, eyewitnesses from the night
of the deadly attack told Anadolu Agency.
OzkanRutbil,
who saw racist extremist Tobias Rathjen shooting at people he targeted as
foreign-looking on the night of Feb. 19, said they are still struggling to cope
with the trauma of this attack.
“Nothing
will be the same. We live in fear for our lives, we’re seen as foreigners in
this country,” he said.
“The
attack has opened a deep wound. Nothing can heal this,” he added.
On
Feb. 19, 2020, the 43-year-old assailant attacked two cafes in Hanau, killing
nine young people and injuring five others. All the victims had migrant
backgrounds.
Before
the attack, the far-right extremist posted videos on the internet detailing his
xenophobic views, and afterwards, he killed both his mother and himself.
KadirKose,
who owns a small shop in Hanau and witnessed the attack on that night, said
more and more people in the local Turkish community are feeling insecure, due
to the rise of racism and far-right movements in the country.
“Things
are getting worse. Hatred of foreigners is fueled by politicians and the media.
They’re trying to shift the blame for economic problems and unemployment onto
foreigners,” he said.
Henri
Samkiran, the coach of an amateur football club in Hanau, said he knew almost
all the victims in person, and will never forget the night of the attack, how
people ran for their lives, and how many others tried to help those wounded.
“One
of our friends tried to stop the assailant, and called the police so many times
while driving behind his car, but no one picked up. The assailant later killed
six more people, including our friend who tried to stop him,” he recounted.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Pakistan
Pakistan
to enhance mutual cooperation with EU states based on common interests: COAS
February
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
General QamarJavedBajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Thursday said that
Pakistan values its relations with European Union (EU) countries and earnestly
looks forward to enhance mutual cooperation based on common interests.
The
COAS who is on an official visit to Belgium, expressed these views during his
meetings with Mr Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European External
Action Services (EEAS) and General Claudio Graziano, Chairman of the EU
Military Committee.
During
the meetings matters of mutual interest, overall regional security situation
including current situation in Afghanistan and bilateral relations with EU were
discussed.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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--------
Pakistan
struggles to quell violence on its Afghan border
Feb
17, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's military has stepped up operations along the Afghan border in recent
weeks after a spate of militant attacks that has dashed any hope the frontier
might see more peace and stability after the end of the war in Afghanistan.
Islamist
and separatist factions have killed at least 14 Pakistani soldiers in attacks
over the past month, three of them carried out by fighters entering from
Afghanistan, the Pakistani military said.
Afghanistan's
new Taliban rulers, struggling with a humanitarian crisis, have denied that
Afghan territory was used in any of the attacks.
But
despite such assurances, disputes linked to the border, which has been a bone
of contention between the neighbours for decades, could undermine their
relations.
The
Pakistani military said six insurgents were killed in the latest clash in the
resource-rich southwestern province of Balochistan on Wednesday.
"Operations
to eliminate such perpetrators of terrorist acts in Pakistan will
continue," the military said in a statement.
A
top Pakistani security official with direct knowledge of border operations told
Reuters: "We have stepped up intelligence-based operations to ensure that
we deny entry to militants."
Large
areas on the Pakistani side of the border were out of the control of the
government for decades, ruled by fiercely independent Pashtun tribes, whose
communities often straddle both sides of the unmarked border.
But
Pakistan is determined to end all that, aiming to bring the rugged Pashtun
lands under central rule and to demarcate the border with a fence, and control
who comes and goes with a tight border-control system, another Pakistani
official said.
"We're
targeting anyone, whether separatists or Islamists militants, who is a
threat," said the second official, who also declined to be identified.
'FRIENDS'
Pakistan
has enjoyed good relations with the Afghan Taliban for years even though
Pakistan was officially an ally of the United States during its 20-year
occupation of Afghanistan.
But
as Pakistan grapples with violence by Pakistani Islamists and separatists, its
appeals to the Taliban to control their side of the border have not brought the
action it hopes to see.
Increasingly
frustrated, Pakistani officials have been pressing the Taliban to deny space
and resources to the militants, an appeal repeated by National Security Adviser
Moeed Yusuf when he visited Kabul last month.
Yusuf's
office did not respond to a request for comment.
In
Kabul, the Taliban reject suggestions Afghan territory is used for attacks into
Pakistan and hope talks can solve the problem.
"We're
trying to solve such actions through diplomatic ways," defence ministry
spokesman EnayatullahKhowarazmi said.
The
Taliban tried late last year to facilitate talks between Pakistan and an
alliance of al-Qaida linked militants known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP), or Pakistani Taliban. But the talks fell apart after a few weeks.
Despite
the frustrations, Pakistani officials rule out the chance of any serious
deterioration in relations with the Afghan Taliban.
"We're
budding friends," one of the officials said.
The
Pakistani military's information office did not respond to a request for
comment about the scope of its operations and what the military would do if the
attacks from Afghan soil continued.
Another
source of friction is Pakistan's determination to finish fencing the 2,600 km
(1,615 mile) border that was drawn by British colonial rulers with no
consideration for the Pashtun tribes it divided. It has never been recognised
by any Afghan government.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
finally owns woman languishing in Indian jail
February
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has finally issued a citizenship certificate for Sumaira, a woman
languishing in an Indian detention centre, paving way for her return to
Pakistan with her daughter soon.
Interior
Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed announced on Thursday that his ministry had issued
a citizenship certificate for Sumaira, who is languishing in a detention centre
in the Indian city of Bangalore, after verification of her family tree by the
National Database and Regulatory Authority (Nadra).
He
said the certificate had been sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi would issue a travel document to her,
allowing her to return to Pakistan along with her four-year-old daughter.
The
issue of the Pakistani-origin woman languishing in a Bangalore detention centre
along with her daughter was raised in the Senate on Monday by Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui.
According
to a BBC report, a family bearing Pakistani citizenship was living in Qatar.
There, a Pakistani girl called Sumaira married an Indian boy who took her to
India without a visa.
Later,
Sumaira was arrested and subsequently sentenced to three years in prison. Two
months later, she gave birth to a baby girl. Her husband left her during the
period when she was under custody.
After
her release from prison, Sumaira is living at a Bangalore detention centre with
her daughter.
Sumaira’s
lawyer SahanaBiswa Patna said she had been trying to contact the Pakistani High
Commission in New Delhi and the foreign ministry in Pakistan for the last six
months to verify Sumaira’s citizenship, but to no avail.
While
expressing sympathy over the case of an Indian girl, Muskaan, Senator Siddiqui
had said in the Senate that “something should also be done for Pakistan’s
daughter Sumaira”.
He
asked Leader of the House in Senate DrShahzadWasim to take up the matter with
the government.
The
Senate chairman issued a ruling that Senator Siddiqui and the leader of the
house should work out a plan of action in this regard.
The
issue was raised again by Senator Siddiqui in the house on Thursday, when the
opposition members were staging a walkout.
“I
raised the issue in the house on Feb 14 and five days down the road not a word
has been said about Sumaira by the foreign ministry or the government,” he
said. The PML-N senator also said the government’s “indifference towards the
plight of Sumaira and her daughter is deplorable”.
“She
remained in jail for four years. No one came to her rescue. The people of
Bangalore collected and paid a fine of Rs100,000 for her release from jail, but
our embassy in Delhi remained asleep.”
In
response, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan
promised that the government would take notice of the issue and the house would
be informed of the progress made in this regard.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1675665/pakistan-finally-owns-woman-languishing-in-indian-jail
--------
Bill
Gates lauds Pakistan’s ‘inspiring’ efforts to end polio
IkramJunaidi
February
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates had a chock-a-block schedule
on Thursday during his first trip to the country that included meetings with
the prime minister, the president and other national and provincial leaders, a
luncheon and a ceremony to confer on him one of the country’s highest civil
awards.
Mr
Gates also visited the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) and
chaired a meeting of the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) on polio.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is part of a global initiative
between governments and international organisations fighting the crippling
disease.
Welcoming
Mr Gates, Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked the BMGF for its continued support
and partnership with the government in polio eradication.
“Polio
eradication is a top priority for our government,” said Mr Khan. “We are
working at all levels to ensure every child is protected with the polio vaccine
and are grateful for the continued partnership and support from the BMGF and
our other polio partners. We have a clear plan to eliminate this virus, and I
am committed to seeing it implemented in full so that Pakistan can help secure
a polio-free world.”
Microsoft
co-founder meets top officials, receives Hilal-i-Pakistan on maiden visit
With
Pakistan and Afghanistan being the only two countries fighting wild polio
circulation, PM Khan also spoke about the situation in the neighbouring
country.
“Afghanistan
being the primary source of polio incidence in our two bordering provinces
requires urgent international support to avert a humanitarian crisis, including
a health emergency. Pakistan is providing full support for the sake of 40
million Afghans in the provision of basic amenities,” he stressed.
The
premier directed deputy commissioners of the districts adjoining Afghanistan,
particularly those of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to remain vigilant and proactive
against spread of poliovirus.
While
calling Pakistan’s commitment to ending polio “inspiring”, Mr Gates said the
country was near the end-game against the disease.
“Pakistan’s
commitment to ending polio is inspiring,” he said. “Government leaders, health
workers, and parents are working tirelessly to ensure this disease never
paralyses a child again. This is the final, and hardest, phase of the
eradication effort, but by keeping up the momentum and staying vigilant,
Pakistan has an opportunity to make history by ending polio for good.”
Mr
Gates thanked PM Khan for inviting him and extending warm hospitality on his
first-ever visit to Pakistan. He acknowledged that despite Covid-19
restrictions, Pakistan performed amazingly and continued to administer the
polio vaccine.
The
National Task Force on Polio Eradication paid tribute to the 36 frontline
workers and 14 law enforcement personnel who had lost their lives during
vaccination campaigns across the country.
The
meeting was attended by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr
Faisal Sultan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman, the chief ministers of
Punjab, KP and Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar
Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi, the health ministers of Sindh and Balochistan,
representatives of international organisations and other senior officers.
Deputy commissioners from across Pakistan joined via video link.
Earlier,
Prime Minister Khan held a one-on-one meeting with Mr Gates and also hosted a
lunch in his honour. The lunch was also attended by federal ministers
ShaukatTarin, AsadUmer, Fawad Chaudhry, KhusroBakhtiar, Dr Sultan and others.
Later,
at the Presidency, President DrArifAlvi conferred the Hilal-i-Pakistan — one of
the country’s highest civil awards — on Mr Gates in recognition of his
philanthropic services for humanity, eradication of polio and betterment of the
people of Pakistan.
“Pakistan
is trying to improve the nutritional needs of mother and child and in this
regard Ehsaas has a very good programme. Pakistan is looking forward to an
outstanding cooperation with Microsoft in the IT sector. The country has a huge
youth bulge that could enormously help to meet the requirements of the Fourth
Industrial Revolution,” the president said.
The
Microsoft co-founder also met with the PM’s Special Assistant on Poverty
Alleviation DrSaniaNishtar to discuss the progress in poverty alleviation
through the Ehsaasprogramme, and later visited the NCOC where he received a
briefing.
Then
at the NEOC, he was briefed on the successes and challenges of polio
eradication in the country and also visited the operations room. Dr Faisal
Sultan, Health Secretary Amir Ashraf Khawaja, NEOC Coordinator DrShahzadBaig
and Deputy Coordinator DrAkram Shah accompanied him during the visit.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1675667/bill-gates-lauds-pakistans-inspiring-efforts-to-end-polio
--------
Pakistani
MPs’ plane was denied Kabul landing due to political reasons: NA speaker
February
17, 2022
National
Assembly Speaker AsadQaiser on Thursday said that a plane carrying Pakistani
lawmakers was not allowed to land in Kabul last year due to “political
reasons”, according to Dawn.
In
April last year, a parliamentary delegation, headed by Qaiser, had departed for
Afghanistan on a three-day official visit but had returned home within minutes
after Afghan authorities did not allow their plane to land at Kabul airport.
The
NA speaker commented on the situation for the very first time on Thursday,
citing political reasons behind the incident.
Talking
to a gathering of Pakistani and Afghan businessmen in Islamabad, he said: “My
visit to Afghanistan was hit by politics. I had not commented on the incident
at the time.”
At
the event, the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber and Industry (PAJCCI)
stakeholders’ meeting, delegates stressed that political differences should be
set aside as they have an impact on bilateral and transit trade between the
countries.
The
speaker endorsed the views and said that it is unfortunate that politics has
become a hurdle in other matters.
“Politics
should not play a role in trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Qaiser said,
calling on Pakistani and Afghan traders to float proposals to boost bilateral
trade and remove obstacles that affect it.
The
NA speaker went on to say that PM Imran is “monitoring relations with
Afghanistan”, adding that he is advocating for the Afghans at an international
level and calling for the release of their frozen assets.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistani
artist asks govt, private sector to support world’s largest gold-plated Quran
project
February
17, 2022
Pakistani
painter and sculptor ShahidRassam is creating a stunning, one-of-a-kind
masterpiece that will be the world’s “largest” gold-plated copy of the Holy
Quran.
The
costly project, which will require a massive amount of money, will need the
government’s as well as the private sector’s support, said Rassam while
speaking at a news conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Wednesday.
Rassam
told journalists that he began creating the remarkable piece in 2016. The
550-page copy of the Quran would have 2,000 pounds of aluminium, and 200 pounds
of gold for plating.
“Each
page is 2.6 metres long and two metres wide. Instead of ink or paint, we’re
using metal to cast the words, and instead of paper, we’re using canvas,” he
explained.
“When
I first showed it to Anwar Maqsood sahib, he asked me how long it would take me
to finish it. He inquired if my grandchildren would finish the project after
discovering that it had taken me two years to complete two pages,” he said.
To
speed up the process, Rassam said that he has hired 200 young calligraphers,
designers, painters, and sculptors.
He
went on to say that once completed, the gold-plated copy of the Holy Quran
would need to be placed in a special museum, which would require assistance
from both the government and the private sector. “I’m also asking for support
from the Aga Khan Foundation,” he continued.
ShahidRassam
working on a page of the world largest Quran. — Twitter/ ShahidRasssam
According
to Anwar Maqsood, Rassam is an artist who followed his heart. He was of the
view that his recent work is not just loved by the Muslims but also by those
who are drawn to such art.
“Of
course, if you ask for a museum to house it, you might as well ask for a
hundred thousand security personnel to guard it because it’s loaded with gold,”
he joked, adding that the Aga Khan Foundation would be ideal for aiding and
patronising such a project.
President
of the KPC FazilJamili stated that Rassam had rendered an invaluable service by
creating a stunning work of art.
“It
is a masterpiece. And as Pakistanis we are proud of getting an opportunity to
see this kind of work in our lifetime,” he said.
World’s
largest copy of the Holy Quran unveiled at Dubai Expo 2020
Earlier,
a part of the world’s largest copy of the Holy Quran was unveiled at the Dubai
Expo 2020, which had attracted a large crowd outside the Pakistan Pavilion as
visitors flocked to see the one-of-its-kind project.
Rassam,
who is also an award-winning artist, had cast Surah-e-Rahman with aluminium and
gold plated script on a high-quality canvas, which has been done for the first
time in Islamic history of over 1,400 years.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Afghan
diplomats in Washington impoverished due to 'colossal US betrayal', says envoy
Feb
17, 2022
Speaking
from an undisclosed location to Padma Rao Sundarji for The Times of India,
Afghanistan’s ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ashraf Haidari slammed US President Joe
Biden’s decision to freeze Afghanistan’s assets worth USD 7 billion, the
impoverished condition of his country’s diplomats in Washington, DC and urged
India to help stranded Afghan students return to their studies in India. He
also underscored the Taliban’s continuing support of al-Qaida, Islamic State
and more than a dozen other terror groups, many targeting India, in the Af-Pak
region.
Q:
Earlier this week, a US daily reported that Afghanistan’s diplomats at your
embassy in Washington, D.C. are impoverished, and have not been paid for
months. Now President Jo Biden has frozen USD 7 billion worth assets belonging
to the Afghan people. That’s a further squeeze on funds for your missions. The
US capital’s diplomatic area is expensive. How are your colleagues and their
families coping? And are all your missions affected in a similar way?
A:
My colleagues at our US embassy are in a state of limbo. Like all other
Afghans, they too, have been affected by the colossal betrayal of our
developing democracy by some of our strongest and closest allies, especially
the United States and the Biden administration. Much to their credit, courage
and determination, they have continued their consular services for six months,
without being paid. Asylum must be granted to them immediately. All missions
have similar financial problems, because we can only rely on the revenues that
were already with us when the Taliban took over. Now, nobody even travels to
and from Afghanistan anymore. Global sanctions, too, have affected many of our
embassies. In some countries, some of our lower-ranking diplomats with families
have quit. Many others continue to serve, but have been borrowing from
relatives and friends, to support their families. Others relied on their
savings and cut down their expenses. Our embassies have also downsized. They
now operate on small budgets and are funded by whatever consular revenue they
make. Other missions with no such revenues, or even support from host
governments, have begun winding down. I can’t say which ones right now, but
some may shut down altogether. All said, these past six months have been
extremely hard for diplomats. Despite that, we remain committed. As for
schooling – well, when you have no salary, you can’t afford private schools, so
you send your children to public schools.
Q:
It’s been six months since the US withdrew from your country and allowed the
US-supported Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to fall to the Taliban. Since
then, the group listed as a terror organization by most countries has reversed
much of the progress made in previous years, like women’s rights. Meanwhile,
international sanctions slammed on the Taliban are causing near starvation
among Afghanistan’s 40 million citizens. How can diplomats like you and your
colleagues continue to represent Afghanistan, given all these devastating
changes?
A:
The sixty Afghan missions overseas, still operate under the flag of our Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan, which was toppled by the Taliban. We represent,
promote, advocate for, and defend the constitution of Afghanistan based on
Islam, the Afghan culture, and our obligations under international laws. There
is no communication at all between any of us and the Taliban. As a group, we
reject the Taliban and will not talk to them, unless they change. And the
Taliban know that most countries – except a few, like Pakistan -will not accept
envoys sent by them. The US withdrew unilaterally and unconditionally from
Afghanistan. It did so against the advice of military generals and civilians.
Even US diplomats formerly based in Afghanistan, called on President Biden days
before the collapse of Kabul and advised him to make a course correction to
save the Islamic republic. They warned him that the Taliban is being supported
by ‘resourceful’ states like Pakistan, to topple our democracy. But
unfortunately, the President had made up his mind.
Q:
All Afghan diplomats openly slam the ‘illegitimate” Taliban. Surely that’s
risky for your own lives?
A:
Not in the US, India, or Sri Lanka. But sure, if our diplomats in Washington
are not granted refugee status and deported, of course they would be risking
their lives by returning to Afghanistan. Look at what is happening to both
civilians and former military officers. The Taliban is making them ‘disappear’
every single day. If the Taliban is picking up even ordinary journalists, of
course they’d go after a former Afghan diplomat! Under the Geneva Convention
1951, we are automatically refugees, when we give up diplomatic status and
apply for asylum. Signatory countries can’t deny that fact. As for myself,
look, I am committed to serving my country. I didn’t join the foreign service
to fear threats. And there is always danger. You could get up on a stage to
speak and be shot dead, this has happened even in developed countries. Host
countries do take protective measure and we do have security round the clock.
More importantly: neither I, nor other Afghan diplomats, are saying something
that the Taliban disagree with. The Taliban recently met with western diplomats
in Doha, one of whom later tweeted that the Taliban had accepted the
constitution of Afghanistan, with certain amendments. They apparently also said
that they would open schools and universities, and spoke oof bringing
prosperity, peace and other good things to Afghanistan. However, all this is
not going to happen merely by saying so.
Q:
India has not recognised, nor condemned the Taliban, but ‘engaged’ it. New
Delhi will soon ship 50,000 mega tonnes (MT) of wheat to Afghanistan. The
Taliban may have shown its appreciation for India’s help but is not past silly
jingoism either. It named a military unit ‘Panipat’, after a battle in which an
Indian army was defeated by an Afghan king in the 18th century. You have served
in India and know its foreign and defence policy well. Could India do more to
checkmate the Taliban?
A:
There’s nothing wrong with engaging the Taliban, in order to help the people of
Afghanistan. India and others have to talk to the Taliban to get badly needed
aid to the people. However, it is the Taliban that has brought about this
widening humanitarian crisis in my country. More than 2 million Afghans need
relief aid, 9 million are facing a famine, 3 million children are acutely
malnourished. India is focussing on the humanitarian aspect most of all, and we
greatly appreciate that. In fact, India has been consistently sharing bread
with the people of Afghanistan. Where we wish India could do more, is for
Afghan students facing challenges across India. They can’t return home. They
may have run out of money. Even some of our cadets who were in India on
training when the Taliban took over, are more or less in a state of limbo, and
have not been helped in a way they expected. There are also a large number of
our students enrolled at Indian institutions, who are stranded in Kabul. They
recently met our former president Hamid Karzai and appealed to him to use his
contacts in India to help them out. I tweeted this appeal and tagged PM
NarendraModi and minister for external affairs, S Jaishankar too. I requested them
to make an exception and get these students back to their institutions, so they
can continue their education. Governments – and even the Taliban – have come
and gone. But the relationship between Afghanistan and India is deep. India
ranks very high in Afghan public opinion. It is the country most loved in the
neighbourhood.
Q:
But the Taliban shelters Pakistan-sponsored, anti-India terror groups on your
soil. It also tolerates such terror groups operating from the Af-Pak border
areas. In addition to this menace, India faces territorial aggression from
Pakistan’s closest ally, China, too. Together, both those countries have
recognized the Taliban. How can India throw caution to the winds and open its
borders more liberally, when terrorists could easily pose as civilians to
infiltrate India?
A:
Everyone knows about the Taliban’s relationship to Al Qaida and more than half
a dozen other regional terror groups, including those in Pakistan. The Taliban
serve as an operational umbrella for the Islamic State (IS). The Taliban very
much share ideology with IS and have enabled the terror outfit to grow and
expand in Afghanistan. That is precisely why we call on our immediate
neighbourhood -India, Iran, China and Russia to help. Three are full members of
the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and share very common interests, as
far as eradicating terrorism, separatism and drugs emanating from Afghanistan,
is concerned. Each time these countries get together, these are key topics for
discussion. But when it comes to action, nobody delivers. They should really
walk the talk. Even as we speak, the Taliban are sheltering Chinese Uighur
separatists of the militant East Turkistan Islamic Movement in north-eastern
Afghanistan. Yes, China may have engaged with the Taliban more than others. But
China is very concerned about the Taliban being an extremist group that is
sheltering ETIM.
Q:
Ahmed Masood of the National Resistance Front in the Panjshir Valley was a ray
of hope that there would be stiff resistance, as the Taliban advanced towards
Kabul last year. Today, nobody knows where he is. Is there any resistance left
in Afghanistan? Or, are there attempts to form an exile government, at the
least?
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tensions
over UN seat, former Afghan FM’s letter rejected
18
Feb 2022
The
incumbent charge d’affaires of Afghanistan at the United Nations NaseerFaiq on
Wednesday, February 16 said that the letter sent by the former Foreign Minister
of Afghanistan HanifAtmar was rejected by the UN.
The
letter was aimed at changing the leadership of the permanent representation of
Afghanistan at the United Nations.
Naseer
Ahmad Faiq said that the letter of the former FM was not accepted and the
officials in the UN did not agree.
“I
would like to inform you that recent attempts and conspiracies to change the
leadership of the permanent representation of Afghanistan to the United Nations
have been thwarted by the voice of truth and justice and the fight against
corruption.” Reads a Twitter post by Faiq.
Earlier,
HanifAtmar had introduced Muhammad WaliNaeemi as Charge d’affaires of
Afghanistan to the UN.
A
letter sent to the United Nations in this regard read that, Muhammad WaliNaeemi
was not in good health condition to take over the post after Ghulam Muhammad
Ishaqzai-former PR of Afghanistan-, he is all set to occupy the post now.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/tensions-over-un-seat-former-afghan-fms-letter-rejected-7477856786/
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Sri
Lanka clears police, defence chiefs over bombings
February
18, 2022
COLOMBO:
Sri Lanka’s High Court today acquitted two top officials accused of “crimes
against humanity” for failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that
killed 279 people.
The
state had indicted the two men in November for failing to act on early warnings
from an Indian intelligence agency that local extremists were planning a string
of suicide bombings in April 2019.
The
three-judge panel dismissed all 855 charges against Hemasiri Fernando, then
defence ministry secretary, as well as then inspector-general of police
PujithJayasundara.
A
court official said the judges in a unanimous decision exonerated the suspects
and released them without calling defence witnesses.
The
attacks, blamed on a homegrown Islamic extremist group, targeted three churches
and three hotels in the capital and killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners,
leaving more than 500 wounded.
Fernando
and Jayasundara were arrested in 2019 and held in custody for four months
before being released on bail.
Jayasundara
was the most senior police official to be arrested in the 155-year history of
the force.
The
then chief prosecutor Dappula de Livera had told the court that “negligence” by
the two top officials amounted to “grave crimes against humanity” and laid
murder charges against them.
A
lower court had earlier refused to charge them with murder as prosecutors were
unable to establish any links with the bombers, or a motive.
The
first Indian intelligence warning was given on April 4, nearly three weeks
before the bombings.
The
Islamic State group said it had backed the attackers.
Local
Muslim groups had also alerted police and intelligence units over the threat
posed by radical cleric ZahranHashim, who led the suicide bombings.
Jayasundara
and Fernando have testified to a parliamentary inquiry that then-president
MaithripalaSirisena failed to follow established protocols in assessing
national security threats ahead of the bombings.
They
also alleged that Sirisena – who was also defence as well as law and order
minister – did not take the threats seriously.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sri
Lankan govt urged to abolish terror law
February
18, 2022
The
Sri Lankan Church has joined human rights groups calling for the abolition of
the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) as the government faces pressure to prove
its sincerity in addressing past rights violations.
Rights
groups claim the government has used the draconian law to harass minorities,
journalists, activists and critical voices.
Thirty-two
rights groups and 70 activists have organized an island-wide petition campaign
calling for the immediate repeal of the PTA.
Cardinal
Malcolm Ranjith has voiced opposition to the PTA and signed the petition
calling for the immediate repeal of the act on Feb. 17.
Amnesty
International condemned the PTA and said that despite assurances to amend the
problematic legislation, proposed amendments have fallen far short of
safeguarding rights protected by international human rights law and the
constitution of Sri Lanka.
"Forty-three
years since it was first passed as a temporary measure, the draconian law
continues to be used by the government of Sri Lanka to target and harass
minorities, activists, journalists and critical voices," Amnesty
International said in a Feb. 17 statement.
The
act, which was introduced as a temporary measure in 1979, allows for arrests
without a warrant for unspecified, unlawful activities and permits detention
for up to 18 months without a court appearance.
A
Catholic priest who signed the petition said many minority rights activists
were arrested under the PTA.
"Ruki
Fernando and Oblate Father Praveen Mahesan, director of the Center for Peace
and Reconciliation, were detained on anti-terrorism charges on March 2014 in
Kilinochchi," said the priest who wished to remain anonymous.
Fernando
is a human rights activist and consultant to the Justice, Peace and Integrity
of Creation Commission of the Conference of Major Religious Superiors.
The
priest said activists are traveling across the country to gather signatures for
the petition demanding the complete abolition of the act, which has been
gazetted and amended by the government.
A
resident of Karawetti, Jaffna, was arrested in Colombo in 2010 on charges of
raising money for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the last days of
the civil war. He was arrested under the PTA and was released after 12 years of
failing to prove the charges against him. The court ordered his release on Feb.
15.
The
Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has informed the government that the PTA
should be repealed. The commission said the period of detention of a person
under the PTA is completely unconstitutional and that no person can be punished
on the basis of an ongoing investigation.
"The
proposed amendments to the PTA fail to address any of the shortcomings that
enable grave human rights violations," civil society organizations said in
a statement on Feb. 7.
"We
call upon the government to release all persons on bail, except those that
would not qualify under the Bail Act, and halt prosecutions where the
confession is the primary or only evidence.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/sri-lankan-govt-urged-to-abolish-terror-law/96169
--------
Islamic
Emirate Delegation Returns to Kabul from Doha
February
17, 2022
The
delegation of the Islamic Emirate led by the acting minister of Foriegn Affairs
arrived in Kabul on Thursday after a five-day visit to the Gulf state of Qatar,
the Foreign Ministry said.
Muttaqi
met with the envoys of the European Union and 16 European nations.
The
European Union’s Ambassador to Kabul said the Islamic Emirate delegation
pledged to respect the current Afghan constitution.
The
Islamic Emirate delegation held talks with envoys of the Gulf states and European
Union as well as with Islamic Scholars.
The
meeting focused on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, higher education,
capacity development, humanitarian aid, and providing scholarships to Afghan
students, according to Abdul QaharBalkhi, a spokesman for the Foreign
Ministry.
“Delegation
lead by (df) Foreign Minister Muttaqi committed to - opening school and
university education for male and female students- respecting current
constitution and laws and only adapting constitution in a consultative process
with all strata of society,” Ambassador von Brandt said in a series of
tweets.
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the delegation of the Islamic Emirate assured
the EU that Afghan soil will not be used against any foreign country.
Muttaqi
and his accompanying delegation met with the Afghans based in Qatar.
“Our
government is becoming stronger day by day. Tens of thousands of our Mujahedeen
came to cities from the mountains but nothing was touched in national
property,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
According
to MoFA, the participants promised to take constructive steps to provide
humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
Political
analysts believe that such meetings would pave the ground for recognition of
the current Afghan government.
Source:ToloNews
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-176760
--------
Southeast Asia
Muslim
groups in Indonesia demand closure of country’s first Holocaust exhibition
February
17, 2022
Some
Muslim groups in Indonesia are demanding the closure of the country’s first
permanent Holocaust exhibition, charging that it is part of an effort to
normalise Indonesia’s relations with Israel.
The
exhibit launched timed to International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27
and is located at Indonesia’s only synagogue, ShaarHaShamayim, located in
Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province. “Shoah: How is it Humanly Possible?” was
created by the YadVashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, which is based in
Israel.
Yaakov
Baruch, ShaarHashamayim’s rabbi, said his motivation to open the exhibition was
personal.
“When
I had this idea to build a Holocaust museum, the reason was to remember my
family who died in the Holocaust on my grandmother’s side,” Baruch said. “And I
also want to educate Indonesians on the danger of antisemitism, especially the
danger of hate crimes.”
But
groups protesting the exhibition say they see it as part of Israel’s attempts
to normalise relations with Indonesia and the occupation of Palestinian
territories, according to BenarNews, an online news service affiliated with
Radio Free Asia.
“We
demand any exhibition be stopped and the museum be canceled [and]
discontinued,” said Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, the head of foreign relations and
international cooperation of the country’s Indonesian Ulema Council, a top
Islamic clerical body known as MUI.
“Jewish
communities and the descendants of Jewish people everywhere, including in
Indonesia and North Sulawesi, should also see fairly clearly the brutal acts
that have been perpetrated by Israeli Zionists against the Palestinian people
since 1948,” he added.
MUI
— which was once chaired by Indonesia’s vice president, Ma’run Amin — is known
in Indonesia as holding conservative and sometimes controversial religious
opinions.
But
representatives of other groups have expressed similar sentiments. HidayatNur
Wahid, deputy speaker of Indonesia’s legislative branch, the People’s
Consultative Assembly, and a lawmaker with the faith-based Prosperous Justice
Party, told BenarNews that he objected to the exhibit’s ties to YadVashem
because of the museum director’s ties to Israel’s settlements in the West Bank.
Dani
Dayan, who is the former chair of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organisation
for Israeli West Bank settlements, was appointed to lead YadVashem last summer.
Meanwhile,
representatives from NahdlatulUlama, Indonesia’s largest Islamic organisation —
and the largest Islamic organisation in the world — have spoken out in support
of the exhibition. The local government was also supportive, according to a
source familiar with the situation.
The
demand to shutter the exhibit arises amid circulating rumours of increased
diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Israel, which do not currently have
formal ties. Last month, Israeli officials said U.S. Secretary of State Antony
Blinken raised the possibility of normalised relations, suggesting that
Indonesia might join several other Muslim nations in opening ties with Israel.
The claim was later confirmed by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
but officials have played down the reports of increased discussion.
Barriers
to normalised relations remain high, including fears from Indonesia’s current
leaders that they would lose the support of the majority-Muslim public, who
want independence for the Palestinian people. The country’s constitution states
that “independence is the right of all peoples,” meaning the nation of islands
supports Palestinian independence. Indonesia has long supported a two-state
solution.
“There
are many reports now in mass media that cannot be confirmed,” said TeukuFaizasyah,
Indonesia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, at a news briefing in January.
“Indonesia’s principle on Palestinian issues remains unchanged. We support the
Palestinians and we will continue to work on the two-state solution for the
freedom of Palestine.”
That
policy agenda can easily translate into antisemitism, according to Mun’imSirry,
a professor of world religions and world church at the University of Notre
Dame.
“Indonesians
do not always distinguish between Jews and Israelis,” Sirry said. “They also do
not distinguish between the foreign policy of the state and the people of
Israel. And that is a problem.”
According
to Sirry, antisemitic discourse existed in Indonesia before the founding of the
state of Israel. But it became more prominent in public life as more religious
groups and parties emerged following the fall of the authoritarian Suharto
regime in 1998.
He
refers to Indonesia’s situation as “antisemitism without Jews” — antisemitism
is on the rise, but the country is home to virtually no Jews.
It
is not illegal to practice Judaism in Indonesia, but many Jews try to keep a
low profile and practice in private. There are only five legally-recognised
religions — Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism —
meaning Jews have to identify with one.
Baruch’s
ID card says he is Christian, but he says Jews in majority-Muslim areas
identify as Muslim.
Baruch
estimates that there are only 20 to 30 practicing traditional Sephardic Jews at
his synagogue and another 20 to 30 Jews in Jakarta who practice at home.
Most,
like Baruch himself, are descendants of Dutch Jews who first came to Indonesia
in the 17th century with the Dutch East India Company. The community built a
synagogue in Surabaya in 1939, which was destroyed in 2013.
“Once
I was attacked with my pregnant wife in Jakarta because I was wearing a
kippah,” he said. “But now, my hometown [Tondano, North Sulawesi] is much more
safe because there are a lot of Christian people here.”
Baruch
added that the local government has provided support and security to the small
Jewish community since the synagogue was constructed there in 2004.
Richelle
Budd Caplan, director of international relations and projects for YadVashem’s
International School for Holocaust Studies, said the exhibit at ShaarHaShamayim
is part of an effort to release Holocaust documentary content in 20 languages.
Source:JewishNews
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Johor
bans political activities at surau, mosques
Friday,
18 Feb 2022
KULAI,
Feb 18 — No political activities are allowed to be held in mosques and surau in
Johor with immediate effect.
Johor
Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman TosrinJarvanthi said the decision
was made by the Mosque and Surau Management Division of the Johor Islamic
Religious Department (JAINJ).
He
said it is the responsibility of the district kadi to ensure the mosques and
surau in their respective area are not used as a venue for political
activities, including by political leaders, to give talks.
“The
Mosque and Surau Management Division of JAINJ has decided not to allow any
political leaders, even from the government, to use mosques and surau for any
political activities,” he told a press conference here today.
Source:MalayMail
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Racial,
religious tensions spiked after GE14, ‘Allah’ verdict, says group
Dineskumar
Ragu
February
17, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: A spike in racial and religious tensions occurs almost immediately after
a pivotal event that has some bearing on either race, religion, or both.
The
Initiative to Promote Tolerance and Prevent Violence (Initiate My) revealed
today that two such major events were the 14th general election (GE14) in May
2018 and the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s verdict on the usage of the word “Allah”
in 2009.
A
database established by Initiate My to document racial and religious conflicts
in the country shows the correlation between such events and a rise in
tensions.
The
findings of the group were released at the “Importance of Datafication in
Promoting Religious Freedom and Tolerance” webinar today.
According
to AizatShamsuddin, Initiate My founder and director, GE14 and the High Court
verdict in 2009 created spillover effects, where “one event could trigger another
event to emerge or escalate”.
After
GE14, which saw BarisanNasional losing their hold on the government for the
first time and the then opposition PakatanHarapan coming to power, Initiate My
recorded nine conflicts and incidents that illustrated racial and religious
intolerance among Malaysians. These events took place in 2018 and 2019.
They
included various protests against the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), the ratification of
the Rome Statute, the use of Khat calligraphy, the Buy Muslim First campaign,
and the riots near the SeafieldMariamman temple in Subang.
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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Penang
mufti apologises for comments on children’s conversion
February
18, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor has apologised if the comments he
made yesterday on the conversion of a single mother’s children to Islam
appeared to be in favour of only one party.
Wan
Salim said his comments should not be interpreted as being in in favour or in
support of the mother, LohSiew Hong.
He
said that after listening to the explanation given by Perlis mufti
AsriZainulAbidin, he now fully understood the actual facts involved in the
issue.
“I
apologise if the comments I had made earlier on the issue could be interpreted
as being in favour of the child’s mother,” he told FMT.
However,
Wan Salim at the same time stressed that the absolute right of a person to
exercise the freedom to choose his religion must also be respected.
“i
have always believed that we must respect the absolute right of every
individual to choose the religion he wishes to follow.
“I
also oppose the extreme actions by any party that threaten the freedom of
anyone to practise their chosen religion.
“Let
a person choose the religion he wishes to adopt without any hindrance because
that is a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution of our country and is
consistent with the precepts of Islam,” he said.
Yesterday,
during a live broadcast on Facebook, Asri said the conversion of Loh’s three
children was legally done in accordance with Perlis state law and cannot be
disputed.
He
said that under the Perlis Islamic Enactment, either a father, mother or
guardian can convert a minor to Islam.
FMT
previously reported Wan Salim as saying that the authorities could direct
ulamas and muftis to review existing fatwas on the freedom to choose one’s
religion, after the Perlis Islamic religious department registered the three
children as Muslims without the presence of their mother.
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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Mideast
Israel
bars UN team from probing its crimes during Gaza war
18
February 2022
The
Israeli regime refuses to cooperate with a United Nations team investigating
the crimes that it committed during a full-scale war on the Gaza Strip last
year.
MeiravEilonShahar,
the regime's ambassador to the UN and international organizations in Geneva,
made the remarks in a letter, which she personally delivered to NaviPillay, the
head of the Commission of Inquiry that has been established by the UN Human
Rights Council (UNHRC).
"…there
is simply no reason to believe that Israel will receive reasonable, equitable,
and non-discriminatory treatment from the Council, or from this Commission of
Inquiry [COI]," said Shahar.
"This
COI is sure to be yet another sorry chapter in the efforts to demonize” Israel,
she added.
The
Israeli regime launched the war last May after Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
rose up in protests in solidarity with their fellow countrymen in the
Israeli-occupied West Bank, who were facing a significantly ferocious crackdown
by Tel Aviv.
The
war killed at least 248 Palestinians, including more than 60 children, and
injured upwards of 1,200 others.
The
war was the fourth wholesale military campaign by the occupying regime against
the densely-populated Palestinian enclave.
Michelle
Bachelet, the former UN high commissioner for human rights, told the Council
back then that the Israeli strikes might have constituted “war crimes.”
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/02/18/677048/Israel-bars-UN-team-from-probing-crimes-war-Gaza
--------
Israel-Palestine
conflict resolution key to peace, stability in Middle East: Arab League chief
17
February 2022
Secretary
General of the Arab League Ahmed AboulGheit says resolution of the decades-long
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is needed in order to establish a lasting peace,
stability and security in the Middle East region.
Speaking
at the 32nd Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union in the Egyptian
capital Cairo on Thursday, AboulGheit underlined that the Palestinian issue
remains a burning issue for all Arabs and Muslims of the world, stating that
everyone should assume their responsibility in this regard.
“Peace,
stability and security will not be established in this part of the world,
unless Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories comes to an end and an
independent Palestinian state is formed on the borders of June 4, 1967, with
East al-Quds as its capital,” he noted.
He
went on to say that “the Arab world is going through a difficult historical
stage, where geopolitical threats are rising.”
“Security,
economic and social challenges facing our societies and governments are
intensifying. Dangerous ambitions in addition to expansionist and offensive
policies are being pursued by some parties in the region with the aim of
expanding hegemony and dominion,” AboulGheit pointed out.
Palestinians
want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East
al-Quds as its capital.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
All
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law as they are built on
occupied land. The United Nations Security Council has condemned Israel’s
settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
continuing to JudaiseIbrahimi Mosque, Palestinians say
February
17, 2022
A
Palestinian official warned yesterday that the Israeli army is continuing its
attacks on the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, with
the aim of Judaising it and changing its features, in order to serve illegal
settlers.
The
Director-General of the Hebron Endowments, Jamal Abu Aram, said in an interview
with Anadolu Agency: "The Israeli army has installed an escalator that is
longer and wider than a previous one that was removed." This facilitates
settler access "to a place located in the eastern corner of the mosque,
where they perform religious rituals," he explained.
In
August 2021, Israel began construction work, including the erection of an
elevator in the Ibrahimi Mosque, despite Palestinian objections.
Abu
Aram stressed that "the new attacks come within the gradual Judaisation of
the mosque, changing its features and turning it into what looks like a
synagogue to serve the settlers."
He
stressed that the new Israeli measures in the vicinity of the mosque, including
the recent erection of a number of tents, "contravene all laws, as the
mosque is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and therefore must be
preserved."
In
July 2017, the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) declared the Ibrahimi Mosque a
Palestinian heritage site.
Abu
Aram also reported that Israeli excavations are continuing in the vicinity of
the mosque, with the aim of constructing an elevator to serve settlers.
"We
condemn what the occupation is doing by force of arms," he added.
Source:
MiddleEastMonitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Iran's
CBI Confirms Talks with S. Korea on Frozen Assets
2022-February-17
CBI
Public Relations Director-General MostafaQamariVafa said that Iran and South
Korea hold negotiations in Seoul to release seven billion dollars of Iranian
funds blocked in South Korean banks.
The
funds have been frozen since four years ago under the pretext of limitations
imposed by US sanctions, he said.
Earlier
this week, Iranian and South Korean officials held a meeting in Seoul to discuss
ways to free Tehran’s frozen assets in South Korea.
South
Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that they have had a meeting with
an Iranian delegation in Seoul to explore ways to release Iran’s funds frozen
in the country.
Seoul
and Tehran are holding working-level consultations seeking ways to resolve the
issue of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea due to US sanctions.
South
Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that government officials from Iran
and South Korea were joined by Iranian company representatives and bankers in
Seoul for the two-day discussions.
Last
month, Seoul and Tehran agreed to launch a working-level dialog on the
sidelines of multilateral talks in Vienna to restore the 2015 Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program.
Earlier,
the deputy foreign ministers of Iran and South Korea met in Austria to discuss
Tehran's blocked money in Seoul banks.
"South
Korea and Iran plan to hold working-level talks in Seoul next month to find
ways to resolve the years-long dispute over Tehran's frozen assets,"
Yonhap was quoted as saying by an informed source.
At
the meeting, which was held at the request of the Korean side and held at the
mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Vienna, the Deputy Foreign Minister
of South Korea, referring to the importance of Seoul-Tehran relations,
explained the blocked Iranian assets with South Korea, saying that his country
is trying to repay its debt to Iran.
The
frozen asset issue started in 2018 when former US President Donald Trump
withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal and reinstated economic sanctions against
Iran.
Iranian
authorities have said on several occasions that they expect South Korea to do
more on the release of nearly $8.5 billion blocked illegally at two South Korean
banks under the pretext of the United States’ sanctions against the Islamic
Republic.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001128000576/Iran's-CBI-Cnfirms-Talks-wih-S-Krea-n-Frzen-Asses
--------
Turkish
officials in Jerusalem ahead of Israeli visit
17
February ,2022
Senior
Turkish officials held meetings in Jerusalem Thursday ahead of a rare visit by
Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey, officials said.
“The
parties discussed preparations for the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog
to Turkey, bilateral ties between the two countries, as well as various
regional issues,” Herzog's office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a
joint statement.
Herzog
met with Ibrahim Kalin, senior adviser to Turkish President RecepTayyipErdogan,
as well as SedatOnal, the deputy foreign minister.
“Turkey
and Israel have broad influence in the region, and both have agreed that the
rehabilitation of relations can contribute to regional stability,” the Israeli
statement added.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
In
a television interview last month, Erdogan said he expected Herzog to visit,
hailing the trip as an opportunity to “open a new chapter in relations between
Turkey and Israel”.
Turkey's
state-run TRT television has reported the trip would take place on March 9 and
10, but Israel has given no confirmation of the date.
Erdogan
has also said he was ready to cooperate with Israel on a gas pipeline project
in the eastern Mediterranean.
Relations
between majority-Muslim Turkey and Israel froze over after the death of 10
civilians in an Israeli raid on a Turkish flotilla carrying aid for the Gaza
Strip in 2010, the Palestinian coastal enclave.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Israel
shoots down alleged drone launched by Hezbollah
17
February ,2022
The
Israeli military on Thursday said it shot down an unmanned aircraft launched by
Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group into Israeli airspace.
The
incident occurred just a day after Hezbollah’s chief, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah,
said his group has been manufacturing military drones in Lebanon and has the
technology to turn thousands of missiles in its possession into
precision-guided munitions.
In
a statement, the Israeli military said it had monitored the drone “throughout
the incident” before shooting it down.
It
gave no further details but said it will “continue to operate in order to
prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty.”
Israel
and Hezbollah are bitter enemies that fought a monthlong war in 2006 that ended
in a stalemate. Israel considers the Iranian-backed Hezbollah to be its
greatest immediate threat, possessing an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles
capable of striking anywhere in Israel.
Israel
has long expressed concerns that Hezbollah would obtain or develop guided
missiles and attack drones.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Israeli
forces disperse peaceful rally in Sheikh Jarrah
Said
Amouri
17.02.2022
JERUSALEM
sraeli
forces on Thursday dispersed dozens of Palestinians taking part in a peaceful
rally in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, east of occupied Jerusalem.
Witnesses
told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli forces put out fire lit by the residents
and activists to warm themselves while closing the neighborhood with iron
barriers.
The
sit-in by local residents was triggered after the right-wing Israeli lawmaker
Ben Gvir on Sunday set up a tent on private Palestinian land in the
neighborhood as his office.
Ben
Gvir was accompanied by dozens of Israeli settlers who hurled stones at
Palestinian homes in the neighborhood sparking confrontations between the
Palestinians on the one hand, and the settlers and the Israeli police on the
other.
Palestinians
in Sheikh Jarrah have complained of repeated attacks by Israeli settlers, who
reside next to them in homes taken from Palestinians over past years.
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/israeli-forces-disperse-peaceful-rally-in-sheikh-jarrah/2505826
--------
Palestinian
resistance groups blast Australia’s decision to list Hamas as ‘terrorist’ group
18
February 2022
Palestinian
resistance groups have strongly condemned the Australian government’s
announcement that it will designate the entire Hamas organization as a terror
group, saying the “hostile” measure is in line with Israel’s demands to
criminalize the Palestinian nation's resistance to the occupation of its
territories.
Khalid
al-Battash, a member of the political bureau of the Islamic Jihad movement,
described the step as cruel and in conformity with the Tel Aviv regime’s
requests to outlaw Palestinians' struggle to liberate their lands and restore
their legitimate and inalienable rights.
Battash
stated that Australia's decision will pave the way for Israeli officials to
intensify their aggression against Palestinian people and further violate
international treaties and principles.
He
went on to note that the designation would cover up the crimes of Israeli
occupiers, especially in the occupied West Bank as well as the flashpoint
Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East al-Quds.
The
Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) also called Australia's decision a clear
support for Israel and its policies, stating that the Australian government,
which is known to have an anti-Palestinian stance, should have considered the
Tel Aviv regime’s crimes against Palestinians and the incessant killing of
Palestinians.
The
PRC termed resistance against the occupying Israeli regime a fundamental right
of all Palestinians under the international law.
Moreover,
the Palestinian Mujahideen movement denounced the step as a continuation of the
West's aggression against Palestinians and the resistance front.
It
stressed that the Australian government’s decision would provide a cover for
Israeli occupiers' crimes against the Palestinian nation.
The
movement noted that the measure would double the determination of Hamas
resistance movement to firmly continue threading the path of struggle against
Israel.
The
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) also said that
Australia's decision to list Hamas as terrorist was a clear manifestation of
its support for Israel and its endorsement of the occupying regime’s crimes
against Palestinians.
The
DFLP underlined the inalienable right of Palestinians to defend themselves,
their land, their sanctities and their national rights against the carnage and
criminal acts of extremist Jewish settlers and Israeli military forces.
Additionally,
the Palestinian People's Party slammed the Australian decision, calling it a
clear allegiance to Israel and its aggressive policies.
It
called on Australian political parties to press the government to reconsider
the move, which runs contrary to all international regulations.
Australia
had previously listed Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades military wing as a “terror”
group in 2003, but the new designation which will come into force in April,
will list the organization in its entirety, including its political wing.
The
designation will place restrictions on financing or providing other support to
Hamas – with certain offences carrying a 25-year prison sentence.
The
Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, a national coalition of Australians who
support Palestinian rights, disagreed with the designation, saying it does
nothing to advance the cause of peace and will only create more suffering for
the two million people currently living under the 15-year Israeli blockade.
“The
government has failed in its duty of searching for a peaceful solution and has
shown it applies one set of rules to Palestine and another to Israel,” Network
President Bishop George Browning said.
Source:
Press TV
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Africa
Miyetti
Allah orchestrated Abia cattle market attack to instigate killing of Igbos,
HURIWA alleges
February
17, 2022
The
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has alleged that the Tuesday
attack on Abia State cattle market, which claimed eight lives, was orchestrated
by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Owners Association to instigate killing of Igbos
living in the North.
The
Abia State government confirmed that bandits attacked the new Abia cattle
market in OmumaUzo, Ukwa West council area on Tuesday night, killing eight
persons and many cows.
HURIWA
, a Civil rights advocacy group, alleged that the attack was carried out by
“members of the deep state and foreign mercenaries hired by Miyetti Allah”.
The
group argued that the cattle owners association was displeased with the
anti-open grazing legislations in South-East states.
The
allegations were contained in a statement jointly signed by HURIWA National
Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, and its National Media Director, Miss Zainab
Yusuf, on Thursday.
According
to the statement titled, ‘Abia Cattle Market Attack Done to Inflict War on
South-East” HURIWA argued that the attack was carried out by the perceived
victims, in order to cause civil unrest between Igbos and Northerners in the
Northern region.
The
statement reads partly, “We urge the OHANAEZE NDI IGBO, Governors of the South
East of Nigeria and the Igbo World’s congress to jointly hire forensic and
security experts and investigators from any part of the world to uncover the
exact identities of the so-called unknown gunmen who the Rights group believed
are members of the security forces or foreign mercenaries hired by Miyetti
Allah Cattle Owners Association angered by the anti-open grazing legislations
in the South East.
“And
are now on a mission to start off civil war by attacking peaceful cattle owners
just so the North will boil in anger and to transfer the aggression and
reprisals on peaceful Igbo citizens of Nigeria living legitimately with their
Northern brothers/sisters.”
It
added, “The South East of Nigeria is under attacks by outsiders who want to
cash in on the nebulous anti-cow posture of IPOB to attack Northerners in the
East so as to achieve their daredevil agenda and the silence and willful
inability of Nigeria’s security forces to uncover who the unknown gunmen are
points to larger conspiratorial plots against the South East of Nigeria by
enemies of the Igbos”.
The
group, however, urged the Abia State Governor, OkezieIkpeazu to launch an
intensive manhunt for perpetrators of orchestrated violence, and also calm
aggrieved persons for peace to reign
The
rights group, while upholding the need for peaceful coexistence, urged northern
groups to stop “sensationalising the unfortunate attacks in the Abia State
cattle market which it believed was executed not by Ignos but by those who hate
Igbos”.
Source:
RipplesNigeria
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--------
Chief
Imam Of Nigeria Dies At 130, Leaves 290 Grandchildren, 200 Great Grandchildren
Behind
17
February 2022
Leaving
26 children, 290 grandchildren and more than 200 great-grandchildren behind,
the Chief Imam of Kafanchan Central Mosque, Sheikh Adam Tahir, has died at the
age of 130 years.
Deputy
Chief Imam of Kafanchan, Alhaji Muhammad Kassim, said Sheikh Adam died on
Wednesday evening in an illness.
Kassim
said the late Imam would be greatly missed by Muslim faithful as he was a role
model to all.
Source:Guardian
Nigeria
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--------
Jordan
says drug trafficking from Syria is ‘organized’
17
February ,2022
Drug
trafficking from Syria into Jordan is becoming “organized” with smugglers
stepping up operations and using sophisticated equipment including drones,
Jordan’s army said Thursday, warning of a shoot-to-kill policy.
Since
the beginning of this year, Jordan’s army has killed 30 smugglers and foiled
attempts to smuggle into the kingdom from Syria 16 million Captagon pills, more
than they seized in the whole of 2021, the military said.
“The
most dangerous thing we have noticed recently is the presence of armed groups
alongside the traffickers,” Colonel Zaid al-Dabbas told reporters during a tour
of the border.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
These
groups, he said, “have new tactics, like those of organized crime” and use
“sophisticated vehicles... as well as drones.”
Another
senior officer, Colonel Mustafa al-Hiyari, warned that “anyone who tries to...
smuggle drugs to Jordan will die,” pointing his hand toward the border area.
On
January 27, the army said it killed 27 traffickers in a clash as they tried to
enter Jordan from Syria.
It
was the deadliest confrontation yet in the army’s fight against smugglers.
Three other alleged traffickers have been killed in separate operations this
year.
Some
160 groups of traffickers are operating in southern Syrian, near the border
with Jordan, according to al-Dabbas.
Al-Hiyari
told reporters that large amounts of illegal drugs have been seized since the
beginning of the year.
This
included 17,348 packs of hashish and more than 16 million Captagon pills -
compared to 15.5 million pills for all of 2021 and 1.4 million pills in 2020.
Captagon
is an amphetamine-type stimulant manufactured mostly in Lebanon, although
probably also in Iraq and Syria.
“Jordan
is waging an undeclared war along the border against drug traffickers and those
who back them up,” al-Hiyari said.
Jordan,
the officers said, is working with Syrian authorities to stamp out trafficking
along the border.
“We
got a very positive response from the Syrian government... but on the ground
that does not last for long,” al-Hiyari said.
“We
have confirmed information that some Syrian checkpoints cooperated with some
smugglers in some cases... some checkpoints affiliated with the Syrian army
helped smugglers and provided protection,” he added.
“But
we cannot be certain that this was done on instructions from the Syrian army -
perhaps these are cases of corruption in these checkpoints,” al-Hiyari said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Tunisia's
speaker says the suspended parliament will inevitably return
18
February ,2022
Tunisia's
speaker, RachedGhannouchi, said on Thursday that the suspended parliament will
inevitably return, in the clearest challenge to President Kais Saied, who
suspended Parliament in July and seized control of most powers, a move his
opponents described as a coup.
Ghannouchi
said in an opposition meeting that Tunisians will “get rid of dictatorship” and
called on the opposition to unite to face the setback.
Tunisia's
president this month dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council, one of the
remaining institutions in Tunisia that was able to work independently of him.
Saied
cemented his grip over the judiciary last week with a decree that lets him
dismiss judges or block their promotion, helping consolidate his power after he
seized executive authority last summer.
Responding
to journalists, Saied said during a visit to Brussels on Thursday, “Just as
(French) General De Gaulle said, “Not at this age, I'm going to start a
dictatorship.”
Ghannouchi,
the leader of hardline Ennahda party did not announce further details about
plan to return parliament, but it is likely that it will be through an
invitation to a public session via video.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
28
protesters injured in Sudan rallies
Adel
Abdel-Rahim
18.02.2022
KHARTOUM,
Sudan
At
least 28 protesters were injured Thursday in protests demanding full civilian
rule in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, according to local medics on Friday.
Two
protesters were injured by live bullets, while six others were hit by tear gas
canisters, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said in a statement.
During
Thursday's rallies, protesters called for bringing those responsible for the
death of protesters to accountability and the release of political prisoners.
There
was no comment from the Sudanese authorities on the report.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/28-protesters-injured-in-sudan-rallies/2506127
--------
Libya's
safety requires ending transitional period: Senior official
Walid
Abdullah
17.02.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
The
head of Libya’s High Council of State said Thursday ending the transitional
period is the key to cruising the country to safety.
"There
is no way to reach safety without ending the transitional period with a
permanent constitution and renewing the legitimacy of the legislative,
executive, judicial and oversight bodies," Khalid al-Mishri said in a
video released on the 11th anniversary of the 2011 Libyan revolution that ended
the tenure of long-serving leader Muammar Gaddafi.
He
said the sacrifices of the Libyan revolution aimed to achieve freedom and to
"establish a state built on justice."
“Comprehensive
transitional reconciliation [...] is a main goal and a national duty to end
adversity," al-Mishri added.
The
anniversary of the Libyan revolution comes amid political division after the
House of Representatives named former Interior Minister FathiBashagha to form a
new government.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
North America
Over
150 Republican lawmakers warn Biden: Iran deal without Congress will fail
17
February ,2022
Over
150 lawmakers have warned US President Joe Biden against reaching a nuclear
deal with Iran without Congress’ approval, vowing to “work tirelessly” to reimpose
any lifted sanctions.
“We
will view any agreement reached in Vienna which is not submitted to the US
Senate for ratification as a treaty—including any and all secret agreements
made with Iran directly or on the sidelines of official talks—as non-binding,”
the lawmakers wrote in a letter dated Feb. 16, 2022.
Republicans
have been staunch opponents of returning to the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal,
which former President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018.
Indirect
negotiations since last April between the US and Iran, mediated by Europe,
China and Russia, have so far failed to reach any agreements.
But
in recent days, diplomats have voiced increased optimism with the US and Iran
saying talks have reached “final stages.”
Iran
has demanded the lifting of all sanctions imposed by the US, which has choked
off significant oil revenues for Tehran.
The
Trump administration argued that Iran was forging ahead with efforts to
manufacture nuclear weapons and cited Tehran’s support for terrorist acts by
its proxies and militias.
Iran
also wants a guarantee from Biden that any future administration will not
withdraw from another deal.
“As
duly elected representatives of American citizens across the United States,
sent to Washington to check and balance the executive branch as established by
the separation of powers in our Constitution, we feel compelled to remind you
that you do not have the power to provide any such ‘guarantee,’” the lawmakers
said in the letter to Biden.
“Indeed,
if you forge an agreement with the Supreme Leader of Iran without formal
Congressional approval, it will be temporary and non-binding and will meet the
same fate as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”
The
letter was first published by Axios.
The
latest threat comes after 33 Republican senators sent a similar letter to Biden
earlier this month.
A
State Department official previously told Al Arabiya English that the
administration would respond to the earlier letter from the senators.
Republicans
are eyeing the midterm elections in November, where it is expected that they
will take back control of at least the Congress or Senate.
Historically,
the sitting president's political party loses seats or power during the
elections right after entering the White House.
Meanwhile,
there have also been reports that Iran has demanded the lifting of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from US terror blacklists.
“We
will oppose any attempt to rescind the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization and will work to expand US
sanctions on all government entities, banks, companies and individuals
connected to the IRGC,” the lawmakers wrote in their latest letter to Biden.
They
added that they would investigate any potential links between nuclear deal
talks in Vienna and the Biden administration’s negotiations with Russia over
their possible invasion of Ukraine.
“If
your dependency on the Russians to revive the JCPOA [nuclear deal] is weakening
our deterrent posture with the Russians in other areas of the world, the
American people deserve to know,” they said.
The
letter provided no evidence to back up these claims or reports.
Nevertheless,
the Republican lawmakers said they hoped the day would come when the US and
Iran could enjoy normalized ties.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
US
welcomes collaboration to advance durable resolution to end Yemeni conflict:
Blinken
February
18, 2022
LONDON:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday welcomed collaboration to advance
a durable resolution that ends the conflict in Yemen and creates the space for
Yemenis to collectively determine their own future.
Blinken
made the comments during a phone call with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans
Grundberg, the State Department said.
Blinken
renewed his support for Grundberg’s “ongoing efforts to develop an inclusive
political framework and reiterated that justice and accountability will be key
to securing an enduring peace in Yemen.”
He
reiterated that ending the war in Yemen remains a top US foreign policy
priority, and called for the urgent need for de-escalation.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2027106/middle-east
--------
Russian
mercenaries expected to grow in Mali post-French exit: US officials
February
17, 2022
WASHINGTON:
The number of Russian mercenaries in Mali are expected to increase after France
and military allies said they would leave the West African country, US
officials said on Thursday.
Diplomats
fear the exit of 2,400 French troops from Mali — the epicenter of violence in
the Sahel region and strongholds of both Al-Qaeda and Daesh affiliates — could
worsen violence, destabilize neighbors and spur migration.
A
French-led mission of 14 mainly European nations with 600-900 soldiers in Mali
is also winding up.
President
Emmanuel Macron said the withdrawal would take four to six months, during which
there would be fewer operations against extremists.
Two
senior US defense officials said, on condition of anonymity, there were between
3,000 and 5,000 private military contractors from the Russian Wagner Group
across the African continent.
Between
800 and 1,000 contractors from the Wagner group are in Mali, the officials
said.
“We
absolutely expect an increase in Wagner numbers, to go up in Mali as the French
leave,” one official said. “What we’re specifically watching for is perhaps any
lethal weapons that may move (in).”
The
European Union has imposed sanctions on the Wagner Group, accusing it of
clandestine operations on the Kremlin’s behalf.
President
Vladimir Putin has said the group does not represent the Russian state, but
that private military contractors have the right to work anywhere in the world
as long as they do not break Russian law.
The
officials added that they had not seen a change in Russian mercenary numbers in
or out of Mali due to Russia’s military buildup around Ukraine.
“But
that is something that we’ll always be concerned about and we’ll continue to
watch very closely,” the official added.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2026936/world
--------
Canada
joins France in military withdrawal from Mali after decade-long operation
against Islamist militants
17
February ,2022
Canada
will be joining the withdrawal of a French-led military contingent from Mali
after supporting the operation against Islamist militants for nearly a decade,
the military allies have announced.
Canada
does not have its own troops in the counter-insurgency campaign, known today as
Operation Barkhane and Task Force Takuba, but has been supporting it with
military transport aircraft since 2013.
France
and its allies in the West African country, including Canada, have been
increasingly critical of Mali’s military junta after it postponed elections and
recruited an estimated 1,000 private military contractors from Russia’s Wagner
Group for its internal security.
“Due
to multiple obstructions by the Malian transitional authorities, Canada and the
European states operating alongside Operation Barkhane and within the Task
Force Takuba deem that the political, operational and legal conditions are no
longer met to effectively continue their current military engagement in the
fight against terrorism in Mali,” a joint announcement said on Thursday in a
statement under French presidential letterhead.
French
President Emmanuel Macron said the 2,400 French troops in Mali will be removed
or relocated to neighbouring Niger over the next four to six months, and the
three French bases in Mali will be closed.
“We
cannot remain militarily engaged alongside de facto authorities whose strategy
and hidden aims we do not share,” Mr. Macron told a news conference in Paris on
Thursday.
Analysts
predict that the withdrawal – faster than previously expected – could create a
security vacuum in Mali that will benefit the Islamists and the Russian
mercenary forces.
Canadian
Defence Minister Anita Anand travelled to Paris on Wednesday for a dinner with
Mr. Macron and other international partners at the Élysée Palace to discuss the
Mali issue. She said they were troubled by the Malian military junta’s
“unreasonable proposal” to delay elections by four years.
“We
are also very concerned by the deployment of the private military company
Wagner Group,” she told reporters on Thursday. “Their presence represents a
significant risk to stability in West Africa and respect for human rights.”
France
has about 4,600 troops in the Sahel region, fighting Islamist militias that
have gained control of large chunks of territory across Mali, Burkina Faso and
Niger. But the French have become increasingly unpopular in the region, often
blamed for its economic and security problems.
The
French military presence in the Sahel will eventually be reduced to about 2,500
to 3,000 troops, French officials said.
Mr.
Macron denied that the withdrawal from Mali was a sign of failure. “I
completely reject this term,” he told the news conference.
The
announcement does not formally affect the United Nations peacekeeping mission
in Mali, known as MINUSMA, in which Canada has 23 police and military officers.
But some analysts say the UN peacekeepers could be weakened if they cannot call
on French military aircraft or troops for rapid assistance.
The
UN mission in Mali, with about 14,000 troops, has suffered more casualties than
any other UN peacekeeping mission in the world.
Olivier
Salgado, a spokesman for MINUSMA, said the French withdrawal will inevitably
have an impact on the peacekeeping mission. German officials said the
withdrawal could also jeopardize a European military training program in Mali.
“In
the short term, it’s very likely that the Barkhane vacuum will contribute to
more violence,” said Bruno Charbonneau, director of the Centre for Security and
Crisis Governance at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Quebec.
“MINUSMA
will adapt if it loses troops, but it might be harder if it loses French
support,” he told The Globe and Mail. “Both operations share bases in Mali, so
basic UN troop and base protection will likely suffer from the French retreat.
In the last few weeks, there’s already been an increase in the number of
attacks on MINUSMA and Malian troops.”
Canada
has been one of Mali’s biggest financial supporters for decades, providing
about $1.6-billion in development aid to the country over the past 20 years. It
also deployed about 250 Canadian troops to the country from 2018 to 2019 to
support Canadian helicopters in the UN mission.
Source:
TheGlobeAndMail
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/saudi-arabia-middle-east-film-production/d/126397