New Age Islam
News Bureau
05 December 2020
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud was addressing on
online talk on Med2020 [File: John Macdougall/Pool]
-----
• Iran: Saudi
Arabia Main Hub for Nurturing, Training Terrorists in Region
• Top Diplomats
From Jordan And Israel Hold Rare Meeting On Palestine Issue
• Supreme Court Junks Plea Seeking Govt Nominees In
Muslim Trust, Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation For Ayodhya Mosque
• Call for
Lawyers to Assist with Cases of Islamophobia in the UK with the IRU
• Decision On
Resignation To Be Finalised Next Week: PDM
• Pompeo Calls
on Negotiating Parties to ‘Stand Back and Stand Down’
• Indonesia Must
Follow The Path To Unity And Healing after The Election Of Moderates To Indonesian
Ulema Council
• Biden Says He
Remains Committed To The Iran Nuclear Deal
Arab World
• Saudi Arabia’s
Foreign Minister: Normalisation With Israel Requires A Sovereign State To
Palestinians
• Hezbollah
files lawsuits against figures over Beirut blast accusations
• ‘Significant
progress’ made to resolving Gulf crisis: Saudi FM Prince Faisal
• Bahrain denies
statement on import of goods from West Bank, Golan Heights
• Iran continues
to fund militias in region, terror operations in Europe: Saudi FM
• Lebanese
security services warn of terror plot to destabilize country
--------
Mideast
• Iran: Saudi
Arabia Main Hub for Nurturing, Training Terrorists in Region
• High Council
for Human Rights Official: Deal with Terrorism in Iran as in France, Austria
Just for Once!
• Man arrested
for pouring ‘flammable liquid’ inside Jerusalem church
• Palestine to
sue Israel at ICC for killing teen at West Bank protest
• Israeli forces
attack Palestinian protesters in West Bank, kill minor
• Turkish
security forces detain Daesh suspects, including 1 with links to Vienna attacks
--------
Africa
• Top Diplomats
From Jordan And Israel Hold Rare Meeting On Palestine Issue
• Ziad
Takieddine, Lebanese Businessman Detained In Beirut Over Alleged
Sarkozy-Gaddafi Corruption
• Somalia: SNA
Says 51 Shabaabs Killed in 'Botched' Raid On Somali Military Base
• Is Africa
overtaking the Middle East as the new jihadist battleground?
• Displaced
Nearing 400,000 in Mozambique's Islamist Insurgency
--------
India
• Supreme Court Junks Plea Seeking Govt Nominees In
Muslim Trust, Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation For Ayodhya Mosque
• 'Our Turn to
Return Favour': Team of Muslim Men Serve 'Langar' 24/7 to Protesting Farmers at
Singhu Border
• Hindu Jagran
Manch Meets Jharkhand Governor For Law Against Love Jihad
• Mau Woman
Eloped with Married Lover of Different Faith, Case Filed Under UP's New 'Love
Jihad' Law
• ‘Can’t Even
Build Their Roads’: Rajnath Singh’s Stinging Jibe At Pakistan
--------
Europe
• Call for
Lawyers to Assist with Cases of Islamophobia in the UK with the IRU
• Erdogan Hopes
France ‘Will Get Rid Of Macron Soon’
• US encouraging
separatism in Syria, hindering restoration of its unity: Russia FM
• Germany wants
broader Iran nuclear deal
--------
Pakistan
• Decision On
Resignation To Be Finalised Next Week: PDM
• Justice Isa
seeks live broadcast of hearings of review petitions
• SC orders ATC
to conclude Perween Rahman murder trial as per law
• PDM holds
protest meetings in Quetta, Khuzdar, Gwadar
• 1 killed, 7
injured in auto rickshaw blast in Pakistan's Rawalpindi
--------
South Asia
• Pompeo Calls
on Negotiating Parties to ‘Stand Back and Stand Down’
• Presidential
Palace Rejects 4 ‘Reconciliation Council’ Members
• NDS Busts
Haqqani Leader in Kabul, 8 Arrested: Saleh
• Trump has
moved to pull back US troops from Afghanistan – but that may not help achieve
peace
• Iran warns
about ‘suspicious’ moves to disrupt Iran-Afghanistan ties
--------
Southeast Asia
• Indonesia Must
Follow The Path To Unity And Healing after The Election Of Moderates To Indonesian
Ulema Council
• Indonesia:
Controversial Cleric Apologizes over Gatherings after Public Outcry
• Selangau MP Calls
On PM Muhyiddin To Retract Statement Against Secularism, Liberalism
• Sabah To Allow
Social Visitors Again In Time For Christmas, Holiday Season
• Philippine
troops repel major Daesh attack
--------
North America
• Biden Says He
Remains Committed To The Iran Nuclear Deal
• US could
designate Houthi militia as ‘terrorist’ organization
• Sen. Cruz
reintroduces act to designate Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group
• Pompeo claims
Iran keen to return to nuclear talks for sanctions relief
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/saudi-arabias-foreign-minister-normalisation/d/123673
--------
Saudi Arabia’s
Foreign Minister: Normalisation With Israel Requires A Sovereign State To Palestinians
By Barbara Bibbo
4 Dec 2020
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud was addressing on
online talk on Med2020 [File: John Macdougall/Pool]
-----
Rome, Italy –
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has said Saudi Arabia would only normalise ties
with Israel within a plan that would deliver a sovereign state to Palestinians,
quashing speculation that the kingdom may soon become the latest Arab country
to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel.
“What we need to
make [normalisation of ties with Israel] happen is a peace deal that delivers a
Palestinian state with dignity and with a workable sovereignty that Palestinians
can accept,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on Friday.
Prince Faisal
was addressing an online talk at Med2020, a yearly international forum held
every year in Italy’s capital Rome bringing together world leaders.He said
Saudi Arabia envisaged normalisation of ties with Israel in exchange for the
creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borderlines.
“That deal would
have to be negotiated, but what is important now is to bring back Israelis and
Palestinians to the negotiating table to work towards a fair deal,” Prince
Faisal said.
The so-called
Abraham Accords were signed in September to normalise ties between Israel and
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.
The agreements,
brokered by US President Donald Trump’s administration, included a freeze by
Israel on planned annexation of Palestinian land.
Palestinian
officials condemned the normalisation as “a stab in the back of the Palestinian
cause and the Palestinian people”.
Prince Faisal
said a normalisation of ties with Israel has long been part of Saudi Arabia’s
vision.
“It was first
put on the table in Fez in 1982 by then Crown Prince Fahad,” he said.
“We still have
that same vision, whereby Israel becomes a normal part of the region, where it
has fully normal relations with the neighbours. What we need to make it happen
is to deliver a [Palestinian] state.”
The two-state
solution closely reflects the Arab Peace Initiative, which was proposed by
Saudi Arabia in 2002. The initiative called for normalised relations between
Israel and other Arab states in exchange for a full withdrawal by Israel from
lands it occupied in the 1967 war, including the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem
and the West Bank.
The initiative
was re-endorsed over the years by the Arab League but never implemented, as Israel
continued its occupation and settlement expansion in the West Bank.
Qatar’s position
Just a few hours
earlier, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also
delivered Qatar’s take on the Abraham Accords to the Med2020 platform, saying
Qatar did not consider them as helping the Palestinian cause.
Al Thani said
the Palestinian issue would have to be at the core of any normalisation
agreement between Qatar and Israel.
“If there are
chances for peace, based on a just resolution of the Palestinian issue,
establishing a [Palestinian] sovereign independent state with East Jerusalem as
its capital, according to the Arab Peace Initiative, Qatar will go along with
other countries in the region,” said the minister.
“Right now, I
don’t see that the normalisation of ties between Qatar and Israel is going to
add value to the Palestinian issue.”
Al Thani said
Qatar had a “working relationship” with Israel aimed at facilitating the
delivery of aid and development support to the Palestinian people.
“For the time
being this relationship is sufficient to benefit our brothers in Palestine.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/4/normalisation-with-israel-requires-palestinian-state-saudi-fm
-------------
Iran: Saudi
Arabia Main Hub for Nurturing, Training Terrorists in Region
2020-December-4
Abbas held talks in Jordan last week with King
Abdullah II ahead of visits to Egypt
--------
Khatibzadeh
wrote on his Twitter account that the Riyadh's regime should revisit its
decades-old policy of fueling tensions throughout the region.
"Wahabism—nurtured
by colonial powers—has been the source of bigotry, hatred and terrorism in our
region — and beyond," the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman tweeted.
"Fact:
Every terrorist group in our region has graduated from Saudi-funded Madrassas.
No amount of Saudi obfuscation can hide this ugly reality," he added.
Khatibzadeh
called on the Saudis to change their ways, as the policy of creating tensions
can no longer be continued.
Khatibzadeh's
reaction came after al-Jubeir in recent tweets wrote, "Iranian Foreign
Minister Zarif is desperate to blame the Kingdom for anything negative that
happens in Iran. Will he blame us for the next earthquake or flood?"
"It is not
the policy of Saudi Arabia to engage in assasinations; unlike Iran, which has
done so since the Khomeini Revolution in 1979. Ask us, and ask many other countries
who have lost many of their citizens due to Iran’s criminal and illegal
behavior!," al-Jubeir claimed.
Al-Jubeir’s
insulting comments came in reaction to remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Zarif had
earlier blamed the kingdom, the US, and Israel for cooperating with one another
to enable the November 27 assassination near Tehran of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a
senior Iranian nuclear scientist.
He had cited
Netanyahu’s visit to Riyadh, trilateral meetings involving him, Saudi
officials, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- who was visiting the Saudi
capital during a frenzied tour of the region -- and concurrent Iranophobic
remarks by the Israeli premier.
The surprisingly
coincidental developments, Zarif had regretted, “unfortunately crystalized in
the form of the cowardly terrorist act and [consequent] martyrdom of one of the
country’s senior directors (Fakhrizadeh).”
The foreign
minister had also shown how the assassination had been followed by a
misinformation campaign on Twitter featuring countless fake accounts and tweets
attacking Iran, something for which he still blamed the trio.
Martyr
Fakhrizadeh's car was targeted by an explosion and machinegun fire in
Damavand's Absard 40 kilometers to the East of Tehran on November 27 (last Friday).
The nuclear
scientist and one of his companions were immediately taken to a nearby hospital
but he could not be saved.
Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Sunday that the assassination bears
all the hallmarks of the Israeli regime.
An informed
source told Press TV on Monday that the remains of the weapon used in the
Friday assassination of senior nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh show that
it was made in Israel.
The history of
Tel Aviv’s sabotage targeting Iran’s nuclear energy program is as old as the
program itself.
Many observers
believe Israel is not able to carry out such dangerous operations without the
prior information and support of the United States which left a landmark
nuclear deal with Iran in 2015.
Secretary of Iran’s
Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said that electronic
equipment has been used in the “highly complicated” assassination of
Fakhrizadeh, and further underlined the role of Israel and the anti-Iran
Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCRI) in
the terror attack.
“Unfortunately,
the operation was very complicated and was carried out by using electronic
equipment and no one (terrorist) was present on the scene. But some clues are
available, and the identity and records of the designer of the operation has
been discovered by us,” Shamkhani said on Monday.
“Certainly,
Monafeqin (hypocrites as MKO members are called in Iran) have played a role and
certainly, the Zionist regime and Mossad are the criminal mastermind of this
incident,” he added.
Early in 2018,
the Israeli sources had acknowledged that Mossad had tried to assassinate an
Iranian nuclear scientist, but its operation failed.
According to
Fars News Agency, Mossad had gained access to Fakhrizadeh's name via a UN list
which referred to him as a senior scientist of Iran's Defense Ministry's
Physics Research Center.
After the
terrorist attack on Friday, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami underlined that assassination of
Fakhrizadeh may not undermine Iranians' resolve, and said revenge for the
terror attack is already on the country's agenda.
General Salami
extended condolences to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Seyed Ali Khamenei, martyr Fakhrizadeh's family, and the Iranian nation over
the martyrdom of Head of the Research and Innovation Organization of Iran's
Defense Ministry, Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated in an organized
and pre-planned terrorist attack by the child-killing Israeli regime.
"The
enemies of the Iranian nation, specially the masterminds, perpetrators and
supporters of this crime, should also know that such crimes will not undermine
the resolve of the Iranians to continue this glorious and power-generating
path, and harsh revenge and punishment is on agenda for them," the IRGC
chief commander stressed.
Also, Ayatollah
Khamenei in a message condemned assassination of Fakhrizadeh, ordering
officials to take action to punish the masterminds and perpetrators of the
terror attack.
“Mr. Mohsen
Fakhrizadeh, a prominent nuclear and defense scientist of the country, was
martyred by criminal and cruel mercenaries. The unique scientific figure gave
his dear and precious soul in the way of God for his great and lasting
scientific efforts, and the high position of martyrdom is his divine reward,”
Ayatollah Khamenei said in his message on Saturday.
“Two important
issues should be seriously put on the agenda by all relevant officials; first,
probing the crime and the definite punishment of those who perpetrated and
ordered it; and second, pursuing and continuing the martyr's scientific and
technical efforts in all the sectors in which he was engaged,” he added.
Ayatollah
Khamenei also extended his condolences to martyr Fakhrizadeh’s family, students
and the scientific society of the country, wishing him the highest position
before God.
President
Rouhani had on Saturday condemned assassination of Fakhrizadeh, vowing
retaliation for the criminal act.
“All think-tanks
and enemies of Iran should know well that the Iranian nation and officials are
too brave and too couragous to leave this criminal act unanswered,” Rouhani
said, addressing a meeting of the national coronavirus campaign headquarters in
Tehran.
“The relevant
officials will give a response to their crime in due time, and in addition, the
Iranian nation is too wise and too smart to fall into the trap of the Zionists’
plot,” he added.
President
Rouhani said that it seems some parties are after stirring chaos but “they should
know that we are aware of their plots and they will not succeed in attaining
their malicious goals”.
“The Zionist
regime and those standing against Iran should know that the path of the
country’s development and research will be paved rapidly” and a large number of
other Iranian scientists like Fakhrizadeh will emerge to help, he added.
Iranian nuclear
scientists have been the target of the western and Israeli spy agencies'
assassination attempts in recent years.
In June 2012,
Iran announced that its intelligence forces had identified and arrested all
terrorist elements behind the assassination of the country's nuclear
scientists.
"All the
elements involved in the assassinations of the country's nuclear scientists
have been identified and arrested," Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced
in a statement.
"A number
of countries, whose territories and facilities had been misused by the
Mossad-backed terrorist teams, have provided the Iranian officials with
relevant information," the statement added.
"Over the
course of the investigations, all other elements behind the assassinations of
the Iranian scientists Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, Majid Shahriari and Mostafa
Ahmadi Roshan as well as Reza Qashqaei (Roshan's driver) have been
apprehended," the statement read.
"Some of
the perpetrators of the assassination of Dr. Fereidoun Abbasi, the current head
of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, are among those arrested," the
ministry added.
According to the
statement, Iran's Intelligence Ministry had detected some of Mossad's bases
within the territories of one of Iran's Western neighbors, which provided
training and logistical support to the terrorist networks.
In the fifth
attack of its kind in two years, terrorists killed a 32-year-old Iranian
scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, and his driver on January 11, 2012.
The blast took
place on the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Iranian university
professor and nuclear scientist, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, who was also
assassinated in a terrorist bomb attack in Tehran in January 2010.
The
assassination method used in the bombing was similar to the 2010 terrorist bomb
attacks against the then university professor, Fereidoun Abbassi Davani – who
became the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization - and his colleague Majid
Shahriari. While Abbasi Davani survived the attack, Shahriari was martyred.
Another Iranian
scientist, Dariush Rezaeinejad, was also assassinated through the same method
on 23 July 2011.
In a relevant
development in January, 2015, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)
announced that it had thwarted an attempt by the Israeli intelligence forces to
assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist.
“In the last two
years, the Zionist enemy (Israel) was trying hard to assassinate an Iranian
nuclear scientist, but the timely presence of the IRGC security forces thwarted
the terrorist operation,” Deputy Chief Liaison Officer of Flight Guards Corps
Colonel Ya’qoub Baqeri told FNA in 2015.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990914000240/Iran-Sadi-Arabia-Main-Hb-fr-Nrring-Training-Terrriss-in-Regin
--------
Top Diplomats
From Jordan And Israel Hold Rare Meeting On Palestine Issue
December 05,
2020
Abbas held talks in Jordan last week with King
Abdullah II ahead of visits to Egypt,
-----
AMMAN: Jordanian
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has held a rare meeting with his Israeli
counterpart to press for the restart of stalled negotiations between the
Palestinians and the Jewish state.
Thursday’s
meeting came days after Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas visited
Jordan as part of an Arab tour to raise support for the Palestinian cause after
Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in last month’s US presidential election.
During the
meeting at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing between Jordan and the
Israeli-occupied West Bank, Safadi said the creation of an independent
Palestinian state was key to ending the conflict with Israel.
“There is no
alternative to a two-state solution” between Israel and the Palestinians, he
told Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, quoted by the official Petra news
agency.
“It is necessary
to return to the negotiating table according to international law in order to
find a real solution to achieve a just peace,” Safadi said.
Thursday’s
meeting was a rare encounter between officials from the two countries and the
first officially reported between Safadi and Ashkenazi since the latter, a
former army chief of staff, become foreign minister in May.
Jordan and
Israel have been bound by a peace treaty since 1994, but relations between the
two neighbors are often tense.
Safadi said
resuming talks between Israel and the Palestinians was timely, “particularly in
light of the Palestinian Authority’s decision to resume security cooperation
with Israel.”
Last month the
Palestinians announced they were restoring coordination with Israel that they
had stopped in May over to Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank.
Israel put on
hold its annexation plans, in return for an agreement to normalize ties with
the United Arab Emirates announced in August.
Abbas held talks
in Jordan last week with King Abdullah II ahead of visits to Egypt, where he
met separately with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Arab League chief Ahmed
Aboul Gheit.
During the tour,
the Arab leaders he spoke to called for stepped-up international efforts for a
solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on a two-sate solution.
Talks between
Israel and the Palestinians have been frozen since 2014, and a US peace plan
announced in January has been welcomed by Israel but rejected outright by the
Palestinians as biased.
The plan was
among moves pushed by Trump — including recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s
“undivided capital” that has angered the Palestinians.
The
Palestinians, who want to set up an independent state with east Jerusalem as
its capital, broke ties with the Trump administration, and are now hoping to
improve relations with Biden’s incoming administration.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1772666/middle-east
--------
Supreme Court
Junks Plea Seeking Govt Nominees In Muslim Trust, Indo-Islamic Cultural
Foundation For Ayodhya Mosque
Dec 5, 2020
New
Delhi/Lucknow: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking
directions for nominating Central and state government representatives to the
Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) trust for building a mosque in Ayodhya.
Citing the Shri
Ram Mandir Teerth Ksehtra Trust – formed by the central government in
accordance with the SC judgment of November 2019 in the Ayodhya dispute to
oversee construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya — the petitioners said it was
only fair that the government monitors the Muslim trust as well.
The writ, filed
by Shishir Chaturvedi of Lucknow and Karunesh Kumar Shukla of Basti in August
2020, was dismissed by the bench of Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice
KM Joseph.
The petitioners
had contented that the central government’s involvement was necessary to
maintain peace in Ayodhya and to “ensure no malpractices take place and funds
are not misused or misappropriated” by the trust.
Spokesperson of
the trust Athar Husain said, “The petition does not hold any water. The trust
formed by UP Sunni Central Waqf Board for management of 5-acre plot already has
CEO of the Board, who is a government officer, as founder trustee.”
In November
2019, Supreme Court had ordered the disputed land in Ayodhya be set aside for
construction of Ram Mandir and UP Sunni Central Waqf Board be allotted 5 acres
by the government for construction of a mosque. Aftert the state government
allotted land at Dhannipur village in Ayodhya , UP Sunni Central Waqf Board
formed a trust, Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation in August this year with nine
members.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/sc-junks-plea-seeking-govt-nominees-in-muslim-trust-for-ayodhya-mosque/articleshow/79574122.cms
--------
Call for Lawyers
to Assist with Cases of Islamophobia in the UK with the IRU
4th December
2020
The Islamophobia
Response Unit is calling for lawyers in the UK to assist with the growing
number of Islamophobia cases – from 2019 to 2020 alone, there were 3,089
religiously aggravated hate crimes against Muslims. This accounts for 50% of
all religiously aggravated hate crime recorded by the Home Office. This
shocking statistic means that the majority of hate crimes against religious
identity is being directly targeted towards Muslims.
This specific
and targeted attack on Muslims must be addressed, and the Islamophobia Response
Unit is on the lookout for dedicated and experienced lawyers to help with the
unfortunate rise in Islamophobic attacks. The IRU has so far received more than
750 cases – including the attempted murder of Zaynab Hussein and the continued
attempt to dismiss Muslims in the workplace on the grounds of their religion.
The cases the IRU has received vary from the severity and the victim’s
background – the youngest victim of an Islamophobic hate crime the IRU received
was as young as 4 years old.
The IRU is
therefore looking to expand its team of volunteer lawyers to continue the work
that is so essential in the UK today. Ideally, the IRU is looking for people
with legal expertise in:
Employment
Clinical
negligence
Education
Housing
Crime
Professional
Regulation
Created in 2017,
the IRU was founded by MEND in response to the rising anti-Muslim and
Islamophobic attacks across Europe – including the UK – and is a platform for
victims of Islamophobic abuse to both report and share their personal
experiences. The IRU has four main functions: data collecting and monitoring,
provision of free legal guidance, provision of basic emotional support, and
referrals to partner agencies and signposting to other services.
If you are
interested in offering voluntary support towards the IRU and helping combat the
growing number of Islamophobic hate crimes, be sure to contact them by emailing
them at iru@mend.org.uk, or by calling them at 020 3904 6555.
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--------
Decision on
resignation to be finalised next week: PDM
Zulqernain Tahir
05 Dec 2020
LAHORE: As the
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) could not hold significant demonstrations
across the country on Friday against the PTI government’s manhandling of its
workers during the Multan rally, the 11-party opposition alliance announced
that a decision on resigning from the national and provincial assemblies as
well as long march on Islamabad would be finalised in its Dec 8 meeting in the
federal capital, which would also be attended by deposed prime minister Nawaz
Sharif from London via video link.
“The PDM huddle
on Dec 8 will chalk out its strategy regarding resignations from assemblies and
long march [on Islamabad] to oust the selected PTI regime,” PML-N information
secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb told Dawn on Friday.
In reply to a
question whether the PML-N, especially Maryam Nawaz, insisted on announcing the
date for resignations from the assemblies at PDM’s Dec 13 Lahore rally, she
said: “Any such decision will be taken on the PDM platform after evolving a
consensus among all 11 parties [of the opposition alliance].”
Opposition
alliance’s Dec 8 meeting will be attended by Nawaz from London via video link
During a meeting
between PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and vice president Maryam Nawaz on
Thursday in Model Town, both issues (resignations and long march) came under
discussion.
According to
sources, Maryam pressed on adopting an aggressive stance on resignations,
saying the PDM after Lahore rally should immediately use this option and no
expediency be shown.
Shehbaz Sharif,
who had recently advocated for a ‘national dialogue’ among institutions,
however, advised against any hasty decision in this regard.
Addressing a
protest rally in Lahore’s Sherakot on Friday, former National Assembly speaker
Ayaz Sadiq said that the opposition should have followed JUI-F chief Mualana
Fazlur Rehman’s advice not to take oath of assemblies.
At that time,
both Nawaz and Shehbaz had paid no heed to this suggestion and preferred
launching the opposition’s struggle on parliament’s platform.
The hawkish
group in the PML-N has already advocated for resigning from the assemblies to
stop the PTI government from holding the Senate elections scheduled for March
next year.
PML-N senior
leader Khawaja Asif had said: “When this struggle [of the PDM] reaches its
peak, our 84 MNAs will resign from the National Assembly and then we will see
how the Senate polls are held.”
Interestingly,
the PDM’s anti-government campaign has entered third month, but neither the PPP
and JUI-F nor other main players of the alliance have shown any intention to
resign from the assemblies. Maulana Fazl is also president of the PDM.
Prime Minister
Imran Khan had already announced that his government would hold by-polls if the
opposition resigned from the assemblies.
Despite Maulana
Fazl’s announcement at the Multan rally that a countrywide protest would be
held on Dec 4 and 6 against the torture of PDM workers, no significant rally
was held on Friday.
PML-N held
rallies in Lahore and Faisalabad in connection with the PDM’s forthcoming
public meeting in Lahore.
“PML-N being
host of the Lahore rally is mobilising its workers. Holding Multan
episode-specific protests on two successive days amounts to making the workers
tired,” a party leader told Dawn.
“PDM’s main
concern is Dec 13 Lahore rally and it is utilising all its energies in this
regard. Maryam Nawaz has planned to hold two mini rallies in Lahore on Dec 7
and 10 to build up momentum for Dec 13 PDM power show,” he said.
Meanwhile,
Jamaat-i-Islami dispelled the impression that it might join the PDM for its
struggle against the government. “We have no such plans. We have launched a
solo struggle against the PTI government which in fact is a continuation of PPP
and PML-N regimes,” JI spokesperson Qaisar Sharif told Dawn.
He said the
second phase of JI’s anti-government campaign would begin from Dec 25 with a
rally in Gujranwala. “We provide an alternative leadership to steer the country
out of crises,” he added.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594084/decision-on-resignation-to-be-finalised-next-week-pdm
--------
Pompeo Calls on
Negotiating Parties to ‘Stand Back and Stand Down’
By Mohammad
Haroon Alim
05 Dec 2020
Mike Pompeo was
considered a safe bet to win the seat left vacant by Pat Roberts © AFP via
Getty Images
Mike Pompeo, U.S
secretary of State, on Friday said, violence in Afghanistan is unacceptably
high, and that Washington asked clashing parties to stand back and indeed stand
down.
According to
Reuters, Pompeo commented in a virtual address to IISS Manama Dialogue, year
security conference.
Pompeo said he
met the negotiating teams in Nov 21st Doha visit, and asked both sides to end
and reduced the strife.
“I made clear to
them that the violence levels can’t continue while these negotiations go on and
it won’t work,” Reuters quoted Pompeo.
Pompeo said he
asked the sides to address some of the front-end issues, including a nationwide
ceasefire”, asking both parties “ to stand back and indeed stand down”.
Taliban
spokesperson Mohammad Naeem tweeted on Friday, that will be on the agenda among
other topics during the negotiations.
https://www.khaama.com/pompeo-calls-on-negotiating-parties-to-stand-back-and-stand-down-8869879/
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Indonesia Must
Follow The Path To Unity And Healing after The Election Of Moderates To
Indonesian Ulema Council
Siktus Harson
December 03,
2020
The election of
moderates to head the Indonesian Ulema Council last week has many hoping that
Indonesia’s top Muslim clerical body will now focus more on promoting national
unity rather than issuing controversial fatwas.
The MUI, as it
is known, is the highest authority regarding Islamic teachings in Indonesia and
is comprised of representatives from all Muslim organizations in the country
except those banned by the government.
In recent years,
it has been criticized for not being tough on radicalism as some of its members
were affiliated with intolerant groups.
Therefore, it
came as a surprise when Indonesia's Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, a former
council chairman, announced at the end of last month a new board and that
Miftachul Akhyar was its chairman.
Akhyar is a top
cleric in Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest moderate Islamic group with over
80 million members.
Amin himself
became chairman of the council’s advisory board. He was actively involved in
the election of the new chairman and other key moderate figures in a move which
some observers saw was state intervention to return the council to safe hands
to counter a growing Islamist movement in Indonesia.
One of the
reasons President Joko Widodo chose him as vice president was to unite all
clerics in fighting radicalism and promote Islam as a religion of peace.
So it came as
good news that those connected to the 212 Alumni Brotherhood, an alliance of
Islamist groups including the notorious Islamic Defenders Front, were excluded
from the council’s leadership.
The 212 refers
to the biggest-ever recorded Muslim rally in Indonesia — estimated at 700,000
participants — on Dec. 2, 2016, against the then Christian governor of Jakarta
Basuki Purnama, whom they had accused of blasphemy.
The governor was
later ousted and jailed under Indonesia’s controversial blasphemy law.
Since the rally,
the 212 movement has metamorphosed into another giant political organization
and one of its key figures was a former MUI board member who often used the
name of the council to attract participation in subsequent rallies promoting an
intolerant form of Islam.
With this kind
of figure removed from the MUI leadership, it's hoped the newly elected
moderates will be able to eradicate or at least diminish the intolerance that
has risen from some controversial edicts targeting religious minorities and
secularism that have been issued in recent years.
Only time will
tell. But a good start was made by Akhyar, who called on the new administrators
to be a guiding light for Indonesians and work for the common good in
partnership with the government.
He said the
world recognizes Indonesia as a Muslim-majority nation. But what matters most
is not the numbers but the contribution Indonesian Muslims make to the world
and humanity. He said he hoped the MUI can help lead this effort.
Akhyar
emphasized the important role that ulemas play in society, particularly through
their preaching.
Sermons have
been used as “weapons” by religious leaders, he said. Now sermons should be
"embracing not hitting, loving not competing, educating not targeting,
fostering not insulting, offering solutions not looking for sympathy, defending
not bullying," he added.
It was a timely
reprimand considering that some clerics have used their sermons to insult the
government or other religions, promote lawlessness, provoke anger against
minority groups or even call for jihad.
Here Akhyar is
telling his fellow clerics to avoid involvement in politics as it creates
divisions among the faithful.
What has
concerned non-Muslims are fatwas or edicts which have caused trouble for
believers of other religions in terms of discrimination and religion-based
violence.
One that hurts
Christians is an edict issued in December 2016 prohibiting Muslims from using
non-Islamic symbols.
The fatwa,
although it did not explicitly mention Christmas or Christianity, was used by
Muslim groups to raid shopping centers and shops displaying Christmas
decorations. Some conservative clerics expanded on this by even banning Muslims
from wishing their Christian neighbors a Merry Christmas.
Such a fatwa was
unnecessary and dangerous as it fostered anti-Christian sentiment.
The Indonesian
Ulema Council was established by the government in 1975 with a mission to guide
Islam in accordance with Indonesia’s secular ideology of Pancasila (Five
Principles) and to encourage the participation of clerics in national
development and fostering interfaith harmony.
During the
Suharto era, it helped the government fight against communism and served as an
umbrella organization for Islamic groups participating in politics. But since
the fall of Suharto in 1998, the organization shifted to envisioning a more
active role in protecting Muslim interests and became more critical of the
government.
During the
post-Suharto era, MUI grew more independent from the government. The recent
election underlined Widodo’s intention during his second term to revert the MUI
back to its original mission to maintain interfaith unity, with clerics leading
the way.
The organization
has issued good fatwas such as those against corruption, forest fires,
euthanasia and more. However, those that caused divisions are the ones that
have stood out more.
The MUI’s new
leadership must remain steadfast and not harm interfaith relations by creating
policies that ignite intolerance and hatred against other religions. Instead,
it should ensure Indonesia follows a more accommodating and peaceful form of
Islam.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/indonesia-must-follow-the-path-to-unity-and-healing/90549
--------
Biden says he
remains committed to the Iran nuclear deal
04 December 2020
The projected
winner of the 2020 disputed US election, Joe Biden, says he remains committed
to the principles of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
In an interview
with CNN on Thursday, Biden denounced outgoing President Donald Trump's
withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018.
The Trump
administration restored the sanctions against Iran after pulling out from the
nuclear deal between Iran and major powers -- the US, UK, France, Russia, and
China plus Germany.
Departure from
the deal and restoration of the sanctions are constituted illegal actions
because they came in absolute disregard for the fact that the JCPOA has been
ratified by the United Nations Security Council. The illegal measures were also
marked by sheer unilateralism as they violated the international nature of the
deal.
US officials
have repeatedly accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. However,
Tehran rejects such allegations.
Iran has
denounced the US for adopting a double-standard policy toward the Weapons of
Mass Destruction (WMDs), stating that Washington never raised the issue of its
main US alley in the region, the Israeli regime, which has hundreds of nukes.
Leader of the
Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has issued a fatwa (religious
decree), which bans the development and production of weapons of mass
destruction, including nukes, as contrary to Islam.
Despite all
this, Biden reiterated US claims and said he would try to prevent Tehran from
acquiring nuclear weapons.
“The bottom line
is that we can’t allow Iran to get nuclear weapons,” Biden told CNN on
Thursday.
Trump "has
pulled out to get something tougher, and what have they done? They've increased
the ability for them to have nuclear material," Biden argued.
"They're
moving closer to the ability to be able to have enough material for a nuclear
weapon," he claimed.
"We cannot
do this alone. And that's why we have to be part of a larger group, dealing not
only with Iran, but with Russia, with China and a whole range of other
issues," he said, stressing the importance of a coalition in dealing with
Tehran.
The Trump
administration unleashed the so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran
after it left the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement.
It targeted the
Iranian nation with the “toughest ever” economic sanctions in order to force it
into submission.
However, the
pressure campaign has failed in its objectives, including renegotiating the
Iran nuclear deal to cover the Islamic Republic’s national defense program and
its influential role in the Middle East.
Tehran says the
next US administration has to submit to the will of the Iranian nation amid the
failure of its economic terrorism on Iran.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/04/640003/Biden-says-he-remains-committed-to-the-Iran-nuclear-deal
--------
Arab World
Hezbollah files
lawsuits against figures over Beirut blast accusations
04 December 2020
Lebanon’s
Hezbollah said Friday it had filed slander lawsuits against an
ex-parliamentarian and a political party who allegedly claimed the Shia
movement was responsible for the Beirut port blast.
The explosion of
hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer at the Beirut port on August 4
was Lebanon’s worst peace-time disaster.
For all the
latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
It killed more
than 200 people, wounded at least 6,500 others and ravaged large swathes of the
capital.
Lebanon has
launched a probe into the disaster, but no conclusions on responsibility have
yet been reached.
Accusations have
swirled, however, in some media and on social networks alleging Hezbollah had
considerable control over port activities, or was making use of the
highly-explosive fertilizer.
“The accusations
directed at Hezbollah over the port blast are false and constitute a real
injustice,” Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim al-Moussawi said.
The movement has
filed lawsuits against former independent parliamentarian Fares Souaid and the
website of the Christian Lebanese Forces party over such allegations, he said.
Speaking to
reporters outside the judicial court in Beirut, the Hezbollah MP said the
Shiite movement would file more lawsuits in the future.
“We have
assigned a group of lawyers to file lawsuits with the judiciary to pursue all
those who have practiced deception, falsification, slander and false
accusations,” he said.
Souaid and the
Lebanese Forces are both opposed to Iran-backed Hezbollah, the only side not to
have disarmed armed after the 1975-1990 civil war.
Hezbollah is
labeled a “terrorist” group by several Western nations.
But it is also
the most powerful player in Lebanese politics and holds seats in parliament.
Lebanon’s
government resigned after the August explosion but remains in a caretaker
capacity, while talks on forming a new one have hit a wall.
A investigation
into the blast launched by Lebanese authorities has led to the arrest of 25
people, including top port and customs officials.
Lebanon is mired
in its worst economic crisis in decades, increasing the poverty rate to more
than half the population.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/04/Hezbollah-files-lawsuits-against-figures-over-Beirut-blast-accusations-
--------
‘Significant
progress’ made to resolving Gulf crisis: Saudi FM Prince Faisal
05 December 2020
Saudi Arabian
Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Saturday that there has been
“significant progress” in resolving the Gulf crisis that began in 2017.
“We have seen
significant progress in the last few weeks, which means we are now hopeful we
can reach a final conclusion very soon that will be satisfactory to all
parties,” Prince Faisal said, at speaking at the International Institute for
Security Studies Manama Conference on Saturday.
The crisis
erupted when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt cut all diplomatic and
economic ties with Qatar in June of 2017 over concerns related to terrorism.
Qatar's neighbors
had demanded that the nation shut down media network Al Jazeera, cut diplomatic
ties with Iran and immediately halt the establishment of a Turkish military
base and end any military cooperation with the NATO member.
I am hopeful
that we’ll be able to announce the details soon," Prince Faisal said at
the conference.
Last week, Saudi
Arabia and other countries in the GCC said that they would be open to restoring
diplomatic relations with Qatar, but only when Doha agrees to meet the demands
of the Arab Quartet.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/12/05/-Significant-progress-made-to-resolving-Gulf-crisis-Saudi-FM-Prince-Faisal
--------
Bahrain denies
statement on import of goods from West Bank, Golan Heights
Ismaeel Naar
04 December 2020
Bahrain has
denied a statement attributed to its Minister of Industry to an Israeli
journalist regarding the import of goods produced in the West Bank and the
Golan Height, according to an official statement released by the Bahrain News
Agency.
“An official
source from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism denied a statement
attributed to Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, HE Zayed bin Rashid
Al Zayani, to an Israeli journalist regarding the import of goods produced in
the West Bank and the Golan Heights,” read the statement.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The official
source stressed that the minister’s statement was misinterpreted and that the
ministry is committed to the Bahraini government’s unwavering stance regarding
adherence to the resolutions of the United Nations, the Arab League and the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation concerning the Israeli settlements in the
West Bank and the Syrian Golan Heights,” the statement added.
Bahrain’s industry
minister last Wednesday met with the chairman of Israel’s trade promotion
agency and the chief executive of Israel’s largest bank Hapoalim.
A 40-strong
Bahraini delegation arrived in Israel Tuesday for two days of talks on boosting
economic cooperation and tourism after the two countries normalized relations
in September.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/12/04/Israel-relations-Bahrain-denies-statement-on-import-of-goods-from-West-Bank-Golan-Heights
--------
Iran continues
to fund militias in region, terror operations in Europe: Saudi FM
Ismaeel Naar'
04 December 2020
Iran continues
to fund terrorist militias in the region while Iranian terrorist groups carry
out operations in Europe, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan
said during his panel discussion at the Med Dialogue.
“The Kingdom
supports dialogue between US and Iran, but Tehran is the one who closes the
door on dialogue,” Prince Faisal said during his talk.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The Saudi
Arabian foreign minister also said that the Kingdom said it supports a just
peace agreement that gives the Palestinians an independent state.
“We’ve made
significant progress in the last few days thanks to the continuing efforts of
Kuwait but also thanks to the strong support of President Trump and the US
administration towards bringing all parties closer,” he said in response to the
first question posed by William F. Wechsler, Director of the Rafik Hariri
Center for the Middle East and Middle East Programs.
“And we hope
that this progress can lead to a final agreement which looks in reach and I can
say I am somewhat optimistic that we are close to finalizing an agreement
between all the nations in the dispute to come to a resolution that we think
will be satisfactory to all,” Prince Faisal added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/12/04/GCC-dispute-Iran-continues-to-find-militias-in-region-terror-operations-in-Europe-Saudi-FM
--------
Lebanese
security services warn of terror plot to destabilize country
December 04,
2020
BEIRUT:
Lebanon’s security services revealed on Thursday that they had received
information regarding a plot to destabilize the country through the
assassination of public figures over the coming holiday period.
During a meeting
of the Supreme Defense Council, the director-general of Lebanese General
Security, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, and his counterpart at State Security, Maj.
Gen. Tony Saliba, said the information had been obtained from more than one
security and intelligence service. They did not reveal the names of those
believed to have been targeted for assassination.
Supreme Defense
Council meetings are usually confidential, but several local media outlets
published reports of Thursday’s meeting the next day, along with a story
claiming that Hezbollah had thwarted a plot targeting its leaders, particularly
Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
The information
revealed in the council meeting included suggestions that the operations could
target places of worship, commercial venues and tourist destinations. It also
reportedly included details of a smuggling ring that has traditionally operated
between Iraq and Syria but that now seems to be widening its reach into
Lebanon.
The meeting
concluded with a decision to develop a pre-emptive security plan to be carried
out during the holiday period.
Also on Friday,
Hezbollah filed lawsuits against former MP Fares Souaid and the website of the
Lebanese Forces for “accusing Hezbollah of being involved in the Beirut port
blast on Aug. 4.”
Ibrahim
Al-Mousawi, a member of the Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc, said to
the media outside Beirut Justice Palace: “A lawsuit is also being prepared
against Bahaa Hariri as well as other lawsuits that will soon be registered
based on legal articles condemning those who try to sow discord.”
Al-Mousawi
added: “Accusations of Hezbollah’s involvement in the explosion are false and
constitute a continuation of the crime. When the real perpetrator is lost and
the finger of blame is pointed at a party without any evidence, this conceals
the real criminal, misleads public opinion, stirs hatred, incites sedition, and
threatens civil peace.”
Souaid told Arab
News: “I do not recall directly accusing Hezbollah of the Beirut port blast. It
does not matter that the party has resorted to the law to sue me — the most
important issue is why it has resorted to the judiciary now, and what is behind
the lawsuit?”
He went on to
suggest that Hezbollah’s public display of initiating legal proceedings against
him could be a ruse to cover up its true intentions.
“Hezbollah’s
announcement that it will file a lawsuit against me when I am a permanent
political opponent of the party is a step that intersects with security
information about possible assassinations in Lebanon,” he said. “Does Hezbollah
want to clear its name of any assassinations that might take place in Lebanon
by saying that it has resorted to the judiciary to prosecute its opponents?
Does the party want to clear its name and tell us that it is not a murderer?”
Charles Jabbour,
head of the Lebanese Forces’ Media and Communication Service, said: “We hope
that Hezbollah will constantly resort to institutions and the judiciary, and
that its commitment to institutions and resorting to the law will be an entry
point to hand over its weapons to the state.”
However, former
minister May Chidiac, who is affiliated with the Lebanese Forces, described
Hezbollah’s move as “rude.” She said: “You have no right to complain before the
courts about defamation when everyone knows your crimes. You have no regard for
the International Tribunal and consider accusing you of involvement in the port
blast a false accusation. You have no shame.”
Meanwhile, the
British Embassy in Lebanon released a statement in which the UK Minister of
State for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly — who just finished a
two-day visit to Beirut — said, “The people of Lebanon deserve a better future.
Accountability, transparency and taking responsibility are key for Lebanon to
rise again.”
He added: “The
UK is a proud partner of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Lebanon’s sole legitimate
defenders.”
The EU
delegation to Lebanon announced in a press conference on Friday the launch of
its “Lebanon Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework,” which was prepared
by the EU, the UN, and the World Bank Group in response to the Beirut port
blast and is intended to be implemented within 18 months.
Najat Rochdi, UN
resident and humanitarian coordinator and deputy special coordinator for
Lebanon, renewed the call for the formation of a new government that bears
responsibility for its people. She added: “We have communicated this to those
concerned.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1772576/middle-east
--------
Mideast
High Council for
Human Rights Official: Deal with Terrorism in Iran as in France, Austria Just
for Once!
2020-December-4
Mentioning the
terrorist act committed against the Iranian prominent nuclear scientist, Mohsen
Fakhrizade, Ali Bagheri wrote that inaction against this criminal and terrorist
act and failure to spotlight it in the relevant UN reports would further
question the credibility of the reports and may be considered as offering
legitimacy to terrorism and would also result in the further spread of radicalism
and terrorism, entailing international responsibility for the United Nations,
the High Council for Human Rights reported.
Bagheri also
reminded the UNSG’s of his clear stance with respect to terrorist acts in other
countries including Austria (statement on November 3, 2020) and France
(statement on September 17, 2020) and asked the UNSG to stress the necessity of
greater cooperation among countries for the administration of justice against
terrorists and ultimately draw the attention of the General Assembly and the
Security Council of the United Nations to this state-orchestrated assassination
and violation of international peace and security in accordance with the
implementation of Article 99 of the United Nations Charter.
“Within the
framework of these thoughts and approaches, the newly-emerged concept of “state
terrorism” is being exploited as an instrument by the powers to advance their
illegitimate and illegal policies which would ultimately threaten and violate
peace, security and human rights more than any other time,” HCHR Secretary
added.
Regarding the
politicized approach taken by Western countries towards the vicious phenomenon
of terrorism, Bagheri wrote the mentioned countries’ double standards and
decriminalization of terrorism in “terrorism-laundering” frameworks have
exposed the global community to new challenges in connection with international
peace and security.
Stressing that
this assassination is a blatant breach of peremptory norms and inviolable
international human rights (such as the right to life) as stipulated in Article
6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the HCHR
Secretary said that this terrorist act would entail the international
responsibility of the perpetrator and sponsor governments as well as the individual
criminal liability of the accomplices and participants in this murder crime.
The
international responsibility of this flagrant violation of peremptory
principles is also incumbent upon countries, the Western advocates of human
rights and international organizations which adopted silence and inaction
specifically, he added.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990914000139/HR-Official-Deal-wih-Terrrism-in-Iran-as-in-France-Asria-Js-fr-Once
--------
Man arrested for
pouring ‘flammable liquid’ inside Jerusalem church
04 December 2020
Israeli police
said Friday they arrested a Jewish man after he poured out a “flammable liquid”
inside a church near Jerusalem’s Old City, in what they described as a
“criminal” incident.
The police did
not provide further details about the motive, but past attacks on churches in
the Holy Land have been blamed on Jewish extremists.
Friday’s
incident took place at the Church of All Nations, a Catholic church built on
the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane, where Christians believe
Jesus was betrayed by Judas, one of his followers, and arrested by the Romans
before being crucified.
Police
circulated a photograph of wooden pews with black stains on them.
A 2015 arson
attack blamed on Jewish extremists caused extensive damage to the Church of the
Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish, a popular pilgrimage site on the Sea of
Galilee in northern Israel.
Jewish
extremists have targeted mosques, churches and dovish Israeli groups in recent
years.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/04/Man-arrested-for-pouring-flammable-liquid-inside-Jerusalem-church
--------
Palestine to sue
Israel at ICC for killing teen at West Bank protest
05 December 2020
The Palestinian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates says it is going to sue the Tel
Aviv regime at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the fatal shooting
of a teenager during clashes with the Israeli army on the sidelines of a
protest in the occupied West Bank.
The ministry, in
a statement released on Friday evening, called upon the ICC to undertake an
immediate investigation into Israel’s crimes and to ultimately hold Israeli war
criminals to account.
It held Israeli
prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration fully and directly
responsible for the murder of thirteen-year-old Ali Ayman Nasr Abou Aliya,
stating that the crime reflects the nature of instructions that the Israeli
regime gives its military forces.
“Such
instructions make it easy for them to shoot Palestinian citizens without any
fear of punishment,” the statement pointed out.
Moreover,
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's office issued a statement, condemning the
“cold-blooded murder” of the Palestinian minor and describing it as the latest
episode in Israel’s crimes against Palestinian people.
Abbas then urged
the international community to protect the Palestinian nation, end the Israeli
occupation of Palestinian land, and help establishment of an independent
Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
Hamas, Islamic
Jihad denounce Palestinian teen killing
Separately,
Hamas resistance movement denounced the killing of the Palestinian minor,
stating that the incident marks a new crime by the Israeli regime against
humanity.
Hamas urged the
international community to hold Israeli authorities to account at the ICC for
such appalling atrocities.
“The killing of
Abou Aliya reflects the terrorism being exercised by Israelis at all levels. It
also shows how horrible and faulty the latest normalization deals by some Arab
countries with Israel are.”
“Additionally,
it reveals that the Palestinian Authority has made a terrible mistake to
restore ties with the occupying Israeli regime, and re-launch security
collaboration with it,” the movement stated.
Hamas
highlighted that resistance against Israel is the only viable way in the face
of the regime’s attacks and settler assaults across the West Bank.
Islamic Jihad,
another Gaza-based resistance movement, also decried the “heinous crime” of
killing Palestinian teenager Abou Aliya, stating it reflects the policy of
oppression and execution that Israeli forces employ against Palestinian people.
“There is no way
but to mount greater resistance and stage a popular uprising to deter the
occupying regime and protect our people and land,” it said in a statement,
stressing that the Palestinian minor’s death shows the failure of recent
normalization agreements and that the death have provided a cover for Israel to
press ahead with its crimes and acts of terror.
Earlier in the
day, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement that Abou Aliya
“succumbed to his wounds after he was shot with live rounds in the stomach”
during clashes north of Ramallah.
He had been
taken in critical condition for treatment at a hospital in Ramallah where he later
died, the ministry said.
Marzouq Abu
Naeem, a member of the local council, said the Palestinian teenager was
involved in a weekly protest against illegal Israeli settlement expansion
activities at al-Mughayyir village, which has been the site of clashes between
Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the past.
More than
600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem
al-Quds. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
The UN Security
Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied
Palestinian territories in several resolutions.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/05/640020/Palestine-intends-to-sue-Israel-for-killing-teen-at-West-Bank-protest
--------
Israeli forces
attack Palestinian protesters in West Bank, kill minor
04 December 2020
Israeli forces
have attacked Palestinians taking part in protests against Israeli settlement
construction in several areas across the West Bank, killing a minor and leaving
dozens of protesters injured.
Protesters took
to the streets in the villages of Kafr Malik and al-Mughayyir, northeast of
Ramallah, on Friday to condemn an Israeli plan to construct a new settlement on
the area of Ras al-Tin in Kafr Malik.
The Israeli
forces used live ammunition, rubber bullets, and tear gas against the
protesters.
They shot a
14-year-old boy in the abdomen with a live bullet, Palestinian media reports
said. He later died at the hospital, according to the Palestinian Health
Ministry.
Dozens of others
were wounded.
Israeli troops
also attacked protesters in the village of Bayt Dajan, east of Nablus City, as
well as a Palestinian event to sow seeds in a land threatened with seizure by
Israel.
The Israeli
forces fired rubber bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters at the
demonstrators, leaving a number of them suffering from breathing difficulties
due to the tear gas.
The residents of
the village have been staging weekly protests against the Israeli seizure of
land for a future settlement for two months.
In the village
of Kafr Qaddum, dozens of people, including children and women, also suffered
breathing difficulties due to inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli troops against
a weekly anti-settlement protest.
Israeli troops
also attacked a similar rally in the area of al-Ras near the town of Salfit,
injuring scores of people.
At least one
protester was hit by a rubber bullet in the foot.
Another
Palestinian suffered injuries when he was run over by an Israeli military
vehicle as Israeli troops ambushed the protesters.
More than
600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem
al-Quds.
Since US
President Donald Trump took office in December 2016, Israel has stepped up its
settlement expansion activities in defiance of United Nations Security Council
Resolution 2334, which pronounced settlements in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem al-Quds “a flagrant violation under international law.”
All Israeli
settlements are illegal under international law as they are built on occupied
land.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/04/639990/Israeli-forces-attack-Palestinian-protesters-in-West-Bank
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Turkish security
forces detain Daesh suspects, including 1 with links to Vienna attacks
DEC 03, 2020
Turkish security
forces continue to nab Daesh terrorists across the country, with the latest
operations on Thursday taking place in metropolises such as Istanbul and western
Izmir, where one of the detained suspects confessed having links to the Vienna
attack.
In Izmir, a
suspect and 10 others with links to the terrorist group, were detained during a
counterterrorism operation. The operation was conducted within the scope of
Izmir's office of the chief prosecutor's investigation on the Salafi groups'
actions within the province. In this respect, it was determined that the
suspect Ramazan O., code-named "Ebu Haris," who is already being sued
in an ongoing trial, was carrying out terrorist activities from a bookshop in
Izmir.
Reportedly, the
suspect had been conducting meetings in the bookshop to recruit terrorists for
Daesh and influence youth through live events on his social media account while
engaging in fundraising activities at the same time. He is also revealed to
have links with one of the detained suspects in the Vienna attacks.
Upon this
evidence, simultaneous counterterrorism operations were conducted at 14
different spots. During the operation, a shotgun and various banned publishing
were seized.
Efforts to
capture the suspects who managed to escape are still underway.
At least four
people were killed and 22 more were wounded in a terrorist attack in the
Austrian capital last month. Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said the
assailant, who was killed in a police operation last night after the attack,
was a sympathizer of the Daesh terrorist group. Daesh also declared later that
it was responsible for the attack. Later on, it was revealed that previously,
the attacker was handed to Austrian authorities by Turkey, only to be released
shortly after, showing the incapability of European states to subdue foreign
fighters.
Although the
terrorist group has been largely defeated in Iraq and Syria, its presence still
poses a threat, as individuals following its ideology encourage others to carry
out violence. European analysts have also warned against attacks by Daesh, as
attacks by isolated individuals not under the watch of intelligence services
have become more common.
Turkey
recognized Daesh as a terrorist group in 2013, and since then, the country has
been attacked numerous times, including 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings and
four armed assaults, which have killed 315 people and injured hundreds more.
In response,
Turkey launched military and police operations both inside and outside the
country, capturing top Daesh members in counterterrorism efforts at home and in
Syria.
During another
counterterrorism operation against Daesh, security forces busted 16 different
locations in Istanbul, detaining scores of terror suspects.
https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/war-on-terror/turkish-security-forces-detain-daesh-suspects-including-1-with-links-to-vienna-attacks?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1784017_
--------
Africa
Ziad Takieddine,
Lebanese Businessman Detained In Beirut Over Alleged Sarkozy-Gaddafi Corruption
04 December 2020
Lebanon detained
a French-Lebanese businessman linked to allegations of covert Libyan financing
for former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign, two
Beirut security sources said on Friday.
The sources said
security forces arrested Ziad Takieddine based on an Interpol request over the
Sarkozy case and separate corruption charges.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
French
prosecutors are investigating allegations that Libya’s late former leader
Muammar Gaddafi provided Sarkozy’s successful run for the presidency with
millions of euros shipped to Paris in suitcases. Sarkozy denies this.
In a 2016
interview with a French news site, Takieddine said he had transferred about 5
million euros ($6.07 million) of illicit funding from Gaddafi’s former
intelligence chief to Sarkozy and his campaign director.
But when Takieddine
surfaced in Beirut a few months ago, he withdrew his account of events in a
video published by French media.
Imad al-Khazen
told Reuters on Friday that he and another Beirut lawyer had stopped
representing Takieddine as of last weekend over unpaid bills and disagreement
about how to proceed with his case.
Reuters could
not immediately verify whether Takieddine had hired other legal
representatives.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/04/Lebanese-businessman-detained-in-Beirut-over-alleged-Gaddafi-Sarkozy-corruption
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Somalia: SNA
Says 51 Shabaabs Killed in 'Botched' Raid On Somali Military Base
2 DECEMBER 2020
The government
confirmed that on Tuesday Somali troops killed 51 Al-Shabaab fighters during
the latter's botched attack on the Somali National Army (SNA) base in the
southern region on Monday.
Osman Dubbe,
Minister for Information said six al-Shabab terrorists were also arrested
including the mastermind of the attack. The attack also left 15 other people,
including soldiers dead.
The government
also lauded the civilians who teamed up with the soldiers to defeat the
terrorists who had planned to overrun the military base in the southern town of
Baladweyne in Mudug region.
"Al-Shabab
defeat in yesterday's (Monday) attack in Baladweyne is a clear example of how
the people who stand by the army can easily stop the attacks and plots of the
enemy against the Somali nation," Dubbe said in a statement issued in
Mogadishu.
The minister
said both the soldiers and the residents fought bravely to defeat the al-Qaida
allied terrorist group which Dubbe termed as the "enemy of the Somali
people."
However, the
militant group said its fighters killed 53 government troops and seized six
military vehicles including anti-aircraft guns during the Monday morning
assault.
The extremist
group which is fighting to overthrow the government frequently exaggerates the
number of troops/civilians they kill.
The government
forces have stepped up operations against al-Shabab extremists in central and
southern regions in recent days, but the militants still control swathes of
rural areas, conducting ambushes and planting landmines.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202012030244.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1784017_
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Is Africa overtaking
the Middle East as the new jihadist battleground?
By Frank Gardner
04 December 2020
About 300
British troops have arrived in the troubled West African state of Mali at a
time when the epicentre of the Islamic State group (IS) appears to have moved
from the Middle East to Africa.
In a three-year
mission named Operation Newcombe they are joining a force of around 15,000 UN
multinational troops, spearheaded by the French, in efforts to help stabilise a
part of the continent known as the Sahel.
Mali is one of
several Sahel nations currently fighting jihadist insurgencies and the violence
is getting worse.
According to the
Global Terrorism Index published on 25 November, the "centre of
gravity" for the Islamic State group IS has moved away from the Middle
East to Africa and to some extent South Asia, with total deaths by IS in
sub-Saharan Africa up by 67% over last year.
"The
expansion of ISIS affiliates into sub-Saharan Africa led to a surge in
terrorism in many countries in the region," reports the Global Terrorism
Index.
"Seven of
the 10 countries with the largest increase in terrorism were in sub-Saharan
Africa: Burkina Faso, Mozambique, DRC, Mali, Niger, Cameroon and
Ethiopia".
The report
points out that in 2019 "sub-Saharan Africa recorded the largest number of
ISIS-related terrorism deaths at 982, or 41 per cent of the total".
'Next stage in
fight against terrorism'
Jihadists have
long been active in Africa.
In modern times
the late al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden made Sudan his base before moving back
to Afghanistan in 1996.
Nigeria's Boko
Haram movement, infamous for kidnapping hundreds of schoolgirls at Chibok in
2014, carried out major attacks after declaring a jihad in 2010.
But today, as
competition increase between rival jihadist groups, the threat of terrorism in
the region is increasing.
The US State
Department's coordinator for counter-terrorism, ambassador Nathan Sales, says
both IS and al-Qaeda have shifted much of their operations away from their
heartland in Syria and Iraq to their affiliates in West and East Africa, as
well as Afghanistan.
"Africa",
he says, "is a key front in the next stage in the fight against
terrorism".
But it is not
just a case of governments versus insurgents, there is also a deadly rivalry
taking place between supporters of al-Qaeda and IS. This rivalry is becoming so
intense that French expert on jihad Olivier Guitta from GlobalStrat Risk
Consultancy even predicts:
"Africa is
going to be the battleground of jihad for the next 20 years and it's going to
replace the Middle East".
Al-Qaeda and IS
share a common loathing for secular, Western-supported rulers whom they call
"apostates".
But they also
have major differences in their approach.
IS has a
predilection for extreme, graphic, violence - as demonstrated by its gruesome
beheading videos.
While this
certainly attracts sociopaths and convicted criminals to its ranks, it also
tends to repel the vast majority of Muslims.
Al-Qaeda and its
affiliates often seek to win over the loyalty of local populations who have no
confidence in their governments or their police, exploiting regional and ethnic
grievances.
Which countries
are most at risk?
Mali and the
Sahel
Several of the
world's poorest nations border the Sahara desert.
This region is
known as "the Sahel", an Arabic word literally meaning "the
coast".
Mali, Chad,
Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania make up the Sahel countries and all have
suffered attacks from insurgents.
Parts of the
region are afflicted variously with drought, poverty, unemployment, corruption
and in some cases large tracts of ungoverned space.
"West
Africa", says ambassador Sales, "is a perfect storm, with nation
states that don't control their territories, commit abuses by their forces, and
have porous borders".
The dominant
jihadist group in this region is the al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam
wa'l-Muslimin (JNIM).
The group is in
direct competition with the IS affiliate Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
(ISGS) and this year has seen a number of low-level battles between them.
Nigeria has
suffered some of the worst jihadist attacks in the region, with the government
struggling to control the north-east of the country where the Boko Haram
movement evolved.
According to the
Global Terrorism Index, Boko Haram has been responsible for over "37,500
combat-related deaths and over 19,000 deaths from terrorism since 2011, mainly
in Nigeria" but also neighbouring countries.
In 2015, one
faction of Boko Haram pledged allegiance to IS, becoming "Islamic State
West Africa Province" (Iswap), crossing borders with ease and capturing a
multinational base on the shores of Lake Chad in 2018.
IS has since
been heavily promoting this African affiliate.
Attacks are
still being carried in Boko Haram's name. A video posted by the group on 1
December claimed responsibility for massacring dozens of farmers in Borno state
who it claimed had collaborated with government forces.
Western nations
have offered only limited military and intelligence assistance to Nigeria.
Western diplomats say they are constrained by the corruption and poor human
rights record of the Nigerian military.
These failings
have been a major contributor towards mistrust of the government and towards
recruitment for Boko Haram and other jihadist groups in the region.
"The
corruption angle in Nigeria" says Olivier Guitta, "is ruining
everything".
North Africa
Al-Qaeda's
insurgency in North Africa started off in Algeria.
So it is no
surprise that the newly appointed leader of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
(AQIM) is an Algerian.
The
white-bearded 51-year-old Abu Obaida Al-Annabi replaces his predecessor,
Abdelmalik Droukdel, who was killed by French troops in Mali in June.
In a microcosm
of the wider al-Qaeda-IS rivalry, his appointment has been cheered by
al-Qaeda's supporters while rival IS supporters have cast doubt on his jihadist
credentials.
Tunisia, the
smallest country in the region, produced one of the highest numbers of
volunteers - 15-20,000 - who travelled to Syria to join IS during its peak
years of 2013-2018.
With high
unemployment and a proximity to Libya, Tunisia continues to face an ongoing
threat from terrorism.
Libya has been
in a state of intermittent chaos ever since the Arab Spring revolt of 2011 and
the overthrow of the despotic regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
The end of his
regime not only released thousands of tonnes of weapons and explosives from
government armouries, much of it making its way across the southern border into
the Sahel countries, it also allowed IS jihadists to gain a foothold in the
east of Libya.
Somalia
Somalia's al-Shabab
group - Arabic for "the young men" - has been one of the most
persistent and dangerous jihadist movements on the entire continent.
"Al-Shabab"
says Nathan Sales, "sees itself as al-Qaeda's most successful group".
It has survived
concerted multinational military campaigns to eradicate it yet it has been able
to strike across its borders in Kenya and Uganda as well as detonating massive
bombs in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
US Special
Operations raids and drone strikes, launched from neighbouring Djibouti,
frequently kill al-Shabab leaders and yet the group has been able to keep
regenerating itself.
It has also
succeeded in beating back a challenge from the local IS affiliate which is now
largely confined to the north-east tip of the Horn of Africa.
Mozambique
The foothold
gained by IS in the northern district of Cabo Delgado under the banner of
"Islamic State Central Africa Province" (ISCAP), could well be an
example of a full-blown insurgency arranged almost entirely over the internet.
Counter-terrorism
officials believe that the jihadists operating in this gas-rich part of
Mozambique have been recruited online with some input from across the border in
Tanzania but largely without the physical presence of recruiters sent from the
IS heartlands of Syria and Iraq.
There are
conflicting reports as to the veracity of some of the recent atrocities carried
out in the name of IS in Cabo Delgado, such as the alleged massacre of around
50 villagers on a football field.
But IS does
appear to be getting the upper hand against the government.
"IS"
says Olivier Guitta, "is moving around within Mozambique unhampered by
other forces".
Hostage ransoms
This is a hugely
contentious issue.
In June 2013 all
seven leaders at the G7 summit at Loch Erne signed up to an agreement not to
pay ransoms to proscribed terrorist organisations.
Seven years on
and the reality remains that European citizens tend to be eventually released
for undisclosed amounts while British and American hostages are the most likely
to get executed.
Several French
citizens have been released from jihadist captivity in the Sahel, most recently
in exchange for the release of a large number of dangerous jihadist prisoners
in Mali.
Analysts have
put the total amount paid to jihadist kidnappers in North and West Africa over
the years at more than €100m ($120m; £90m).
This ransom
money is then used by the jihadists to buy more weapons, more explosives,
better vehicles, night vision goggles, communications equipment as well as
funding their recruitment efforts and providing bribes to corrupt officials.
No quick fix
So, is Africa,
as some are predicting, really set to overtake the Middle East as the primary
theatre of violent jihad?
This will depend
on many factors but chief amongst them is the quality of governance.
The long-term
solution to the challenge of jihadist insurgencies is not just about better
policing and stronger borders.
It comes back to
the age-old challenge of creating the economic opportunities and political
stability that eventually steer people away from a life of violence.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55147863?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1784017_
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Displaced
Nearing 400,000 in Mozambique's Islamist Insurgency
By Charles
Mangwiro
December 03,
2020
PEMBA, MOZAMBIQUE
- Aid groups in northern Mozambique say attacks on civilians have displaced
close to 400,000 people during three years of Islamist terrorism.
Fifty-year-old
Matumba Mussa said armed men showed up at his house in the port town of
Mocímboa da Praia one October night and demanded he call his relatives.
After his three
brothers arrived, the men set fire to his house and three others, then took his
brothers into the forest, according to Mussa.
Three days
later, he said, dismembered bodies were found in the forest.
Insurgents
linked to Islamic State took over Mocímboa da Praia in August – one of a series
of brazen attacks this year in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado
province.
Mussa fled south
to the provincial capital's Metuge refugee camp, becoming one of close to
400,000 people displaced by the violence since 2017.
The United
Nations World Food Program's representative in Cabo Delgado, Cristina Graziani,
said they are working to assist those in need.
"The
latest, official count is a bit above 366,000 people displaced in Cabo Delgado,
in the province," she said. "And that has obviously been an increase
in the past six months. So, WFP has adjusted its program to try to cater [for]
the needs, the emergency food needs, of these people. ... Our monthly food
ration covers 80% of the basic food needs of a family of five."
As the
insurgency and the number of its victims expand, concerns about the displaced
are growing.
Borges Nhamire
of Mozambique's Center for Public Integrity — which promotes democracy and
human rights — said the government needs to do more for displaced civilians in
Cabo Delgado.
People are
fleeing using their own means and the government does not have any logistics in
place to evacuate people from conflict zones to safer areas like Pemba, he
said. The government is there to receive refugees, he added, but they end up
living with host families because there is no place to sleep.
Cabo Delgado's
fast-growing Islamist threat was underscored when local media reported in November
the insurgents killed scores of people in a series of brutal attacks.
Mozambique's
state media reported militants in Muatide village rounded up more than 50
people, mostly young men, and beheaded them on a football pitch.
In April, local
media reported militants shot or beheaded 52 young people in Muidumb district
after they refused to join their ranks.
Mozambican
National Defense Minister Jaime Neto told Radio Mozambique last month that they
are fighting to eliminate the Islamist threat, adding that people must be
patient and trust the security and defense forces.
Cabo Delgado has
vast oil and gas deposits estimated to be worth $60 billion. Due to the threats
from militants, though, development of the natural resource has been slow.
The Islamist
attacks began in October 2017 when armed men overran police stations in
Mocimboa da Praia. The insurgents and military have been fighting for territory
ever since, leaving up to 2,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands
displaced.
https://www.voanews.com/africa/displaced-nearing-400000-mozambiques-islamist-insurgency?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1784017_
--------
India
'Our Turn to
Return Favour': Team of Muslim Men Serve 'Langar' 24/7 to Protesting Farmers at
Singhu Border
DECEMBER 04,
2020
A25-member team
of Muslim men have been serving 'langar' (community kitchen) since Wednesday to
the farmers protesting against the Centre's new farm laws at Delhi's Singhu
border. The team of the Muslim Federation of Punjab, led by Faaroqi Mubeen, say
they have arrived at the Singhu border to "serve the farmers who feed
everyone".
"The
'langar' will go on 24X7 till the protests continue. The farmers do so much for
us. It is out turn to return the favour," he said. "It is our
responsibility to take care of the farmers. We are a team of 25 volunteers who
are working non-stop to keep the 'langar' going," Mubeen said. Key routes
at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh remained choked as thousands
of farmers held demonstrations for the ninth consecutive day, after talks
between three union ministers and a representative group of agitating farmers
failed to yield any resolution on Thursday. The protesting farmers had on
Wednesday threatened to block other roads of Delhi in the coming days if the
new agriculture laws are not scrapped soon.
Bharatiya Kisan
Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Friday said the farmers are hoping that the
government will meet their demands during the fifth round of talks scheduled on
December 5, failing which they will continue their protests. As farmers
remained unyielding on their demand for scrapping the new farm laws, the police
kept the Delhi-Haryana border at Singhu, Tikri, Jharoda Lampur, Auchandi,
Safiabad, Piao Maniyari, and Saboli closed for traffic movement. It said border
points at Dhansa, Daurala, Kapashera, Rajokri, NH 8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam
Vihar and Dundahera are open for travel between Delhi and Haryana.
https://www.news18.com/news/india/our-turn-to-return-favour-team-of-muslim-men-serve-langar-247-to-protesting-farmers-at-singhu-border-3146354.html
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Hindu Jagran
Manch meets Jharkhand Governor for law against love jihad
Satyajeet Kumar
December 4, 2020
Adelegation of
the Hindu Jagran Manch met Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu in support of its
demand for a law against the so-called love jihad -- forced religious
conversion of Hindu girls and women through marriage and other means. Love
jihad victim and national shooter Tara Shahdeo was a part of the delegation led
by Hindu Jagran Manch president Rishi Shahdeo.
Rishi Shahdeo
claimed that at least 300 cases of love jihad have surfaced in the region in
the last few years. After Tara Shahdeo's case in 2014, and the more recent
Nikita case, the necessity for a law against love jihad was being felt in
Jharkhand, he said.
Tara Shahdeo
recounted how she became a victim of love jihad and how other girls are also
being targeted. She said the guy with whom she fell in love hid his real
identity, and pressure was mounted on her to convert after their marriage.
Later, the case
reached court and many people were arrested. "But in the absence of a law,
the marriage could not be declared null and void. I should at least get a
divorce. The CBI is probing the case," she said.
Jharkhand High
Court advocate Rajeev Kumar said many tribal girls and women in the state who
come from poor economic backgrounds are vulnerable to love jihad. "There
should be a provision in law that the marriage registrar should seek permission
from the parents of those who apply for inter-faith marriages. District
authorities should also verify details and claims. A law on this can help a
lot," he said.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/hindu-jagran-manch-jharkhand-governor-law-against-love-jihad-1746730-2020-12-04
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Mau Woman Eloped
with Married Lover of Different Faith, Case Filed Under UP's New 'Love Jihad'
Law
DECEMBER 04,
2020
The police in
Mau district of Uttar Pradesh have registered a case against 14 people under
the ordinance against forced religious conversions after a woman eloped with
her lover who belongs to a different religion. The officers said that the man
was already married.
The incident was
reported from Molnalganj village under Chiraiyyakot police station in Mau
district. Case has also been registered under sections 366, 506 and 3/5 of
Uttar Pradesh law against ordinance against forced religious conversions. The
police have started taking action after registering the case.
The matter was
reported from Molnaganj under Chiraiyakot police station area where a boy who
was allegedly already married had eloped with a girl from different faith just
before her marriage on November 30. As soon as the family members came to know
about the matter, they informed the police. A case was registered after the
father of the girl gave a written complaint.
Speaking on the
issue, Additional Superintendent of Police, Tribhuvan Nath Tripathi said, “A
boy and a girl from different faiths have eloped from their house in Molnaganj
village of Chirayakot police station area. The boy is already married, in which
the police have filed a case under the 366, 506 and 3/5 Uttar Pradesh Laws
Against forced conversion. The police has started investigating case.”
https://www.news18.com/news/india/mau-woman-eloped-with-married-lover-of-different-faith-case-filed-under-ups-new-love-jihad-law-3145037.html
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‘Can’t even
build their roads’: Rajnath Singh’s stinging jibe at Pakistan
Posted by
Nilavro Ghosh
Dec 05, 2020
In a veiled
swipe at Pakistan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said countries
which are unable to protect their sovereignty and cannot even build roads or do
trade on their own become like India’s ‘neighbours’.
Singh’s comments
are seen as an indirect reference to Pakistan where China has been rapidly
enhancing its influence in an increasing number of areas including trade and
infrastructure development.
In an address at
an online event, Singh also highlighted the effective response by India’s armed
forces in dealing with various security threats including the challenge to the
country’s territorial integrity or confronting cross-border terrorism.
“Countries which
are not able to protect their sovereignty become like our neighbours. Those who
can neither make their own ‘road’, nor walk on it, nor do trade themselves, nor
stop anyone else from doing trade,” he said.
China is
implementing a $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) besides developing the Gwadar port on the
Arabian Sea. Several major Chinese companies have been playing a major role in
Pakistani economy in the last few years.
In his remarks,
the defence minister also said that India’s “brave soldiers” were fearlessly
engaged in protecting the country’s borders when people were largely confined
to their homes in view of the rising cases of coronavirus.
Indian and
Chinese troops are locked in a tense border standoff in eastern Ladakh for the
last seven months. Indian troops had strongly responded to multiple attempts by
the Chinese military to intimidate them. Multiple rounds of talks between the
two sides have not yielded any concrete outcome to resolve the border standoff.
“When Covid-19
cases were on the rise, we sat in our homes helplessly, but our brave soldiers
were fearless and bravely engaged in protecting the borders. They not only
protected the border with promptness, but also made supreme sacrifice when
needed,” he said.
Singh further
said: “Whether it is to win in multidimensional wars to protect India’s
integrity, and sovereignty, or to counter terrorist activities from across the
border, our armed forces have responded to challenges with great vigour.”
The event was
organised by the Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) on the eve of the Armed Forces
Flag Day. The KSB is the apex body of the government that formulates policies
for rehabilitation and welfare of ex-servicemen and their dependants.
India has been
observing December 7 as the Armed Forces Flag Day since 1949 to honour those
soldiers who valiantly fought on the borders to safeguard the country’s honour.
The defence
minister also appealed to people to make contributions towards the Armed Forces
Flag Day Fund, and even referred to donations made by the citizens during the
1962 war with China.
“In the war of
1962, the people of this country had happily donated ‘hot wool to warm blood’
at the call of the nation. There was no count of money or jewellery. This is
our feeling towards the nation,” he said.
He also
mentioned how people of Bardhana Khurd village in Rajasthan had decided that
one son from each family will be sent to the border knowing very well what
could have been the result of going to the frontier.
The government
had constituted the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF) for the welfare and
rehabilitation of the ex-servicemen (ESM) community.
There are more
than 32 lakh exservicemen and around 60,000 are added each year due to
superannuation. “We must come forward with a ‘big’ and ‘open’ mind in
fulfilling responsibility towards the security of our nation,” Singh said.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/can-t-even-build-their-roads-rajnath-singh-s-stinging-jibe-at-pakistan/story-ntMDNy7AtjtpZvnvdHxLIM.html
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Europe
Erdogan hopes
France ‘will get rid of Macron soon’
05 Dec 2020
ISTANBUL:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he hoped France would get
rid of Emmanuel Macron as soon as possible, the latest salvo in an escalating
war of words between the two leaders.
Turkey is
embroiled in a series of disputes with France and its EU partners, from
tensions in the eastern Mediterranean to the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The spat has
risen to new levels in recent months as France has moved to crack down on
extremism after several attacks on its soil.
“Macron is
trouble for France. With Macron, France is passing through a very, very
dangerous period. I hope that France will get rid of Macron trouble as soon as
possible,” the president told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.
He said the
French should dump their leader “otherwise they will not be able to get rid of
yellow vests”, referring to the protest movement that erupted in France in
2018.
“Yellow vests
could later turn into red vests,” Erdogan said, without elaborating.
The Turkish
leader has repeatedly suggested that Macron get “mental checks” and urged the
Turkish people to boycott French-labelled products.
Turkey and
France are also at odds over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan populated
by ethnic Armenians that broke away from Baku’s control in a 1990s post-Soviet
war.
Fresh fighting
broke out in September, leaving several thousand people dead, until a
Russian-brokered ceasefire deal was sealed last month.
Turkey is a
staunch ally of Azerbaijan.
France along
with Russia and the United States co-chairs the Minsk Group, which has led
talks seeking a solution to the conflict for decades but has failed to reach a
lasting agreement.
Last month, the
French Senate adopted a non-binding resolution calling on France to recognise
Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state.
“Why? You are a
mediator but on the other side, you have passed a resolution in your
parliament... about a region on which you are supposed to be a mediator,”
Erdogan charged.
He also repeated
comments by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that France should concede the
Mediterranean port city of Marseille to Armenia if it wanted to establish a
state for the Armenians of Karabakh.
“I am giving the
same advice: if they are so keen, they should give Marseille to Armenians,”
Erdogan said.
In September,
Macron’s comments on the simmering eastern Mediterranean standoff, which has
pitted Turkey against Greece and the rest of the EU, drew Ankara’s wrath.
“The people of
Turkey, who are a great people, deserve something else,” Macron said while
discussing Erdogan’s approach to the crisis.
France backs
Greek claims in the row over the contested energy-rich waters, with Athens
seeking EU sanctions to punish Ankara.
EU members will
decide at a summit on December 10 whether to begin the process of applying
sanctions against Turkey although many states are not convinced.
“Turkey has a
bellicose attitude towards its Nato allies,” Macron told Al-Jazeera in October,
condemning Turkey’s behaviour in Syria, Libya and the Mediterranean.
He said France’s
wish was that things “calm down” but for this to happen, it is essential that the
“Turkish president respects France, respects the European Union, respects its
values, does not tell lies and does not utter insults”.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594119/erdogan-hopes-france-will-get-rid-of-macron-soon
--------
US encouraging
separatism in Syria, hindering restoration of its unity: Russia FM
05 December 2020
Russia has
censured the illegal presence of US troops in Syria and said the deployment of
the American forces there is meant to hinder the restoration of unity in the
Arab country.
The US is also
openly encouraging separatism in Syria by keeping its troops there, said
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov via a video link at the Rome 2020
Mediterranean Dialogues on Friday.
Lavrov called
for the involvement of the international community in resolving the
humanitarian crisis in Syria and said it was possible to "break the
back" of terrorism mostly thanks to Russia’s decisive assistance to the
Syrian government.
"The tasks
of providing decent life conditions for millions of Syrians, who have survived
that devastating war, are coming to the fore. It requires the participation of
the entire world community," the top Russian diplomat said.
"We have to
state with regret that in response to constructive shifts in political
settlement, Damascus receives illegal presence of US forces on its territory,
which is overtly used for encouraging separatism and for hindering the
restoration of the country’s unity," Lavrov added.
He called for
adherence to international law and said the entire regional conflicts,
including the one in Syria, should be resolved through “inclusive national
dialog” and away from external interference.
Washington has
refused to withdraw US forces from Syria and openly backs anti-Damascus Kurdish
militants in the north and east of the country.
Since late
October 2019, the United States has been redeploying troops to the oil fields
controlled by Kurdish forces in eastern Syria, in a reversal of President
Donald Trump’s earlier order to withdraw all troops from the Arab country.
The Pentagon
claims the move aims to “protect” the fields and facilities from possible
attacks by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.
The presence of
US forces in eastern Syria has particularly irked the civilians, and local
residents have on several occasions stopped American military convoys entering
the region.
Syria, which has
not authorized the presence of the US military in its territory, has on several
occasions said Washington is “plundering” the country’s oil.
'West shows
double standards with anti-Syria sanctions'
In his video
speech, the Russian foreign minister also lambasted new US and European
sanctions against Syria over baseless allegations of Damascus’ use of chemical
weapons and war crimes.
"The West
demonstrates double standards denying help to Syria, even when humanitarian
issues are raised," he underlined. "Amid the pandemic, the West
sticks to its policy of economic strangling of Syria."
The United
States recently imposed a round of sanctions against Syria known as the Caesar
Syria Civilian Protection Act.
The sanctions
came into effect on June 17 -- six months after being signed into law by Trump
-- targeting individuals and businesses anywhere in the world that operate
directly or indirectly within the sphere of Syria's economy. This includes
entities that help the Arab country produce oil or fight terrorism in any way.
The US economic
measures have effectively blocked imports of essential goods, impacting the
Syrian people’s access to medical equipment, food, fuel, natural gas, and
electricity.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/05/640034/Russia-Sergey-Lavrov-US-military-presence-illegal-unity-
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Germany wants
broader Iran nuclear deal
December 04,
2020
BERLIN: Germany
said Friday that a new broader Iran nuclear accord must be reached to also rein
in Tehran’s ballistic missile program, warning that the 2015 deal was no longer
enough.
“A form of
‘nuclear agreement plus’ is needed, which also lies in our interest,” German
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, whose country currently holds the EU presidency,
told Spiegel magazine in an interview.
“We have clear
expectations for Iran: no nuclear weapons, but also no ballistic rocket program
which threatens the whole region. Iran must also play another role in the
region.”
“We need this
accord because we distrust Iran,” he added.
The 2015 nuclear
deal — known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA —
gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
The European
Union and the United States were key signatories in the deal but US President
Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and has reimposed
crippling sanctions on Tehran as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign.
President-elect
Joe Biden has signalled that Washington could rejoin the deal as a starting
point for follow-on negotiations if Iran returned to compliance.
But Iran’s
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has rejected talk of reopening the 2015
deal, saying on Thursday: “We will not renegotiate a deal which we negotiated.”
He added that
Western powers should look to their own behavior before criticizing Iran.
He also
complained at what he characterised as a lack of European outrage at the
assassination of one of Iran’s leading nuclear scientists, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh,
outside Tehran last week — an attack Tehran has blamed on Israel.
Decades old
US-Iranian tensions dramatically escalated after Trump walked out of the deal.
In recent
months, alarm has also grown over Iran’s regional activities through proxies in
Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, which the West says destabilizes the region.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1772461/world
--------
Pakistan
Justice Isa
seeks live broadcast of hearings of review petitions
05 Dec 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Justice Qazi Faez Isa has requested the Supreme Court to order live broadcast
of the hearings of the review petitions against the judgement in the case
pertaining to the presidential reference against him and accused a number of
aides of Prime Minister Imran Khan of possessing properties abroad.
In a petition
filed in the Supreme Court on Friday, Justice Isa again rebutted that he owned
any offshore properties in London but alleged that many distinguished
functionaries of the government owned foreign properties.
The petition
however hastened to add that the petitioner did not have any idea whether these
individuals had disclosed these properties in Pakistani tax returns or even if
they had filed such returns because a cloak of secrecy had been cast allegedly
by the prime minister on all those in his government.
Accuses several
associates of PM of owning properties abroad
According to the
petitioner, those who allegedly possess properties abroad are Sayed Zulfikar
Abbas Bukhari who owns a flat in London; Yar Mohammad Rind who owns a
residential villa and an apartment in UAE; Nadeem Babar who has a house in
Texas, US; Dr Shahbaz Gill who has a house in US, retd Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa
who owns 13 commercial and five residential properties in the US which have
been shown in the name of his wife; Mirza Shahzad Akbar who has a London
property in his name and a flat in Spain in the name of his spouse; Faisal
Vawda who has nine properties in London, Dubai and Malaysia, and Usman Dar who
owns a property in Birmingham, West Midlands.
The petition
said that the detailed reasons of the Supreme Court judgement in the Justice
Isa case stated that there was a “stigma in Pakistan, that these assets [three
London properties of Justice Isa’s wife] have been acquired unlawfully” and
this claim probably prompted the official respondents to submit the
presidential reference against Justice Isa to the Supreme Judicial Council
(SJC).
However, the
petitioner clarified that he did not own nor had ever owned any property
outside Pakistan.
On the other
hand, the prime minister who advised the president to submit the reference
against him admittedly owned a property in London and so did his two former
wives and his children about whom the prime minister adamantly refused to make
disclosure, the petition alleged.
The petition
requested the Supreme Court to order that the hearing of the review petitions
in the Justice Isa case be broadcast live on television because the official
respondents had disclosed confidential matters affecting the petitioner and his
family, had them broadcast/published, then carried out a relentless propaganda
campaign against them and prohibited the media from broadcasting and publishing
his and his family’s version.
The petition
also pleaded that Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and
Justice Yahya Afridi, who wrote dissenting notes in the detailed reasons,
should not be excluded from the benches hearing the review petitions as well as
the present application.
The petition
also requested the apex court to revisit paragraphs 3 to 11 of June 19 short
order asking the Federal Board of Revenue chairman to furnish a report on the
proceedings conducted by the inland revenue commissioner after seeking
explanation from the wife and children of Justice Isa about three properties in
the UK to the SJC secretary though the majority order had quashed the
reference.
On the receipt
of the report, the SJC may determine to initiate any action/proceedings for the
purposes of Article 209 of the Constitution, in its suo motu jurisdiction, the
judgement added.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594081/justice-isa-seeks-live-broadcast-of-hearings-of-review-petitions
--------
SC orders ATC to
conclude Perween Rahman murder trial as per law
Naeem Sahoutara
05 Dec 2020
KARACHI: The
Supreme Court has directed an antiterrorism court to conclude the trial in the
murder of head of the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) Perween Rahman in accordance
with law, it emerged on Friday.
Five accused —
Abdul Raheem Swati, his son Mohammad Imran Swati and three co-accused: Ayaz
Shamzai aka Swati, Amjad Hussain Khan and Ahmed Khan aka Ahmed Ali aka Pappu
Kashmiri — have been charged with her murder.
Ms Rahman was
gunned down near her office in Orangi Town on March 13, 2013.
In September,
the Supreme Court had directed Karachi’s ATC-XIII judge to conclude the trial
within one month since a fourth joint investigation of the Federal
Investigation Agency (FIA) had concluded reinvestigation on the directives of
the apex court.
Notice to Gizri
SHO on plea for FIR registration over killing of five suspects in DHA
‘encounter’
Judicial sources
told Dawn that the judge of the ATC-XIII had sent a report to the SC in
November mentioning progress in the case. The trial court also requested the
apex court to allow it more time to conclude the trial, which is still under
way, the sources added.
In the
meanwhile, the sources said that the tenure of the judge of the ATC-XIII
expired on Nov 23. Therefore, the case had been transferred to the ATC-IV for
further proceeding.
The judicial
sources said that a letter had been received from the apex court directing the
ATC-IV judge to conclude the trial in accordance with the law.
The trial in the
high-profile case remained stalled for around one and half years following a
restraining order passed by the Sindh High Court against passing of the
judgement without recording evidence of the heads of three joint investigation
teams (JITs) constituted to investigate the killing of Ms Rahman.
Earlier, the
judge of the ATC-XIII had recorded statements of the accused persons under
Section 342 of the criminal procedure code (CrPC).
But, the
complainant, a sister of the slain activist, had approached the SHC to seek
recording of evidence of the heads of the three JITs and also moved a separate
application before the SC for a fresh investigation into the murder by the FIA
showing “mistrust” in the Sindh police.
According to the
prosecution, some of the detained accused during interrogation had confessed to
their involvement in the crime and disclosed that local leaders of the Awami
National Party (ANP) had allegedly hired Taliban militants to kill the
activist.
Plea for FIR in
DHA ‘encounter’ case
A sessions court
on Friday issued notice to the Gizri SHO on an application seeking registration
of a criminal case against police officials for allegedly killing five suspects
in a ‘fake’ encounter in the Defence Housing Authority.
The additional
district and sessions judge (South) directed the SHO Gizri to file a report on
Dec 10.
Police claimed
to have killed five ‘suspects’ alleging they had entered a bungalow near
Imambargah Yasrab in DHA Phase 4 with the intention of committing a burglary on
Nov 27.
Laila Parveen, a
local PTI leader, had filed an application under Section 22-A of the CrPC
seeking a direction for the SP (complaints cell) and Gizri SHO to lodge an FIR
against police officials allegedly involved in the ‘staged’ encounter.
Ms Parveen, the
owner of the bungalow, said that the officials of the Gizri police station took
away her driver, Abbas, from her house and later killed him along with four
others dubbed as suspected robbers.
The complainant
further submitted that the officials showed that the encounter took place in
her bungalow, but there was not a single bullet mark anywhere in the house to
prove their claim.
She alleged that
the officials had killed her driver, Abbas, who was an innocent man and was
neither involved nor wanted by police in any criminal case.
She stated that
after the alleged encounter the police officials of the Gizri police station
washed the crime scene to destroy the evidence, which was also a criminal act.
The complainant
said that the police officials also did not allow an independent post-mortem
examination of the slain driver, adding that the body was still lying in the
mortuary.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594012/sc-orders-atc-to-conclude-perween-rahman-murder-trial-as-per-law
--------
PDM holds
protest meetings in Quetta, Khuzdar, Gwadar
Saleem Shahid
05 Dec 2020
QUETTA:
Provincial leadership of the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) said
on Friday that the present government had failed to fulfill its promises and
its wrong policies had brought the country to the brink of economic disaster.
Speaking at a
public meeting organised by the 11-party alliance at the Bacha Khan Chowk, the
PDM leaders said the struggle they had launched would continue until the ouster
of the rulers who had been “imposed on the country after stealing the people’s
mandate in the 2018 elections”.
Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam’s chief Maulana Abdul Wasey, Senator Usman Kakar of the Pakhtunkhwa
Milli Awami Party, Agha Hassan of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal, Khair
Jan Baloch of the National Party, Rasheed Khan Nasar of the Awami National
Party, Wali Mohammad of the PPP and Abdul Wahab Atal of the PML-N were among
the leaders who spoke on the occasion.
The opposition
alliance also organised protest meetings and demonstrations in Khuzdar, Gwadar
and Hub, where local leaders spoke to the public.
They strongly
criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government and its leadership and said their
wrong policies had resulted in the country “becoming bankrupt”.
They said that
those who had promised to provide 10 million jobs to the people were snatching
the existing jobs from them, thus making them think in terms of committing
suicide.
They said that
despite arrests and “other excesses” committed by the government they would
continue their struggle until its logical conclusion.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594089/pdm-holds-protest-meetings-in-quetta-khuzdar-gwadar
--------
1 killed, 7
injured in auto rickshaw blast in Pakistan's Rawalpindi
Dec 4, 2020
RAWALPINDI: One
person was killed while seven others were injured in a blast in a parked
autorickshaw at Rawalpindi's Pir Wadhai bus station here on Friday, informed
police officials.
According to city
police spokesperson, Sub-Inspector Sajjadul Hassan, the injured were admitted
to Holy Family Hospital, and efforts were underway to identify all victims,
reported Dawn.
Hassan further
said that the nature of the blast is still being determined, adding that the
possibility of terrorism could not be ruled out yet.
"The bomb
disposal squad and all concerned law enforcement agencies are on the scene and
investigating the area. A final decision regarding the nature of the blast will
be announced soon," Dawn quoted Hassan.
The area has
been cordoned off as officials inspect the site to collect evidence.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/1-killed-7-injured-in-autorickshaw-blast-in-pakistans-rawalpindi/articleshow/79566958.cms
--------
South Asia
Presidential
Palace Rejects 4 ‘Reconciliation Council’ Members
By Mohammad
Haroon Alim
05 Dec 2020
A source in the
High Council for National reconciliation told Khaama Press that the listed
names of Rahmatullah Nabil, Seyed Ishaq Gilani, Farkhondeh Zahra Naderi, and
Shahzadeh Shahid has been removed as the members of the Reconciliation council
due to opposition from President Ghani.
According to the
source, President Ghani opposed their presence at the first meeting of the
leadership committee of the High Council for National Reconciliation at the
Presidential palace.
The first
general meeting of the council is scheduled today, Meanwhile, Rahmatullah Nabil
and Sayed Ishaq Gailani confirmed that an invitation was sent to them at first,
were later removed after President Ghani objected to their presence at the
meeting.
The names of
these prominent political figures were recently included in the list of 45
members of the council at the request of HCNR Head, Abdullah Abdullah.
The Presidential
Palace has not yet commented on the matter, but in the past, there have been
disagreements between President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah over appointing
Reconciliation council members.
Following the
establishment of the High Council for National Reconciliation, President Ghani
had announced a list of names as part of the Council members, the list was
later opposed at that time by Abdullah Abdullah.
Since then,
contrary to the political agreement of both sides, the council was left without
members and lacks a formal organization.
https://www.khaama.com/presidential-palace-rejects-4-reconciliation-council-members-897897/
--------
NDS Busts
Haqqani Leader in Kabul, 8 Arrested: Saleh
By Mohammad
Haroon Alim
05 Dec 2020
Amrullah Saleh,
the first vice president, said in the Morning meeting on Saturday, that the NDS
have arrested a leader of a Haqqani network along with seven others in Kabul.
According to
him, this leader of the Haqqani network is known as Matiullah, who was arrested with the
cooperation of the people.
Saleh added that
Rahmatullah, one of the facilitators and suppliers of the magnetic mines in
Kabul, has been detained.
The first vice
president noted, Rahmatullah hired a child for his subversive purposes for a
daily payment of 200 afghanis and had repeatedly raped him.
On the other
hand, the Ministry of Defense stated in a press release, that 28 Taliban were
killed and eight others were wounded in clashes between Taliban fighters and
security forces in Kandahar province.
Fawad Aman, the
Deputy Spokesman for MoD, tweeted on Saturday, that the incident took place
when Taliban fighters attacked Afghan security forces in the region, as a
result of which the attacks were repelled and the Taliban suffered casualties.
Aman added that
27 bombs planted by the group on public roads had also been discovered and
defused.
Kandahar is one
of the most insecure provinces in the country where the Taliban have a large
presence.
https://www.khaama.com/nds-busts-haqqani-leader-in-kabul-8-arrested-saleh-7868768/
--------
Trump has moved
to pull back US troops from Afghanistan – but that may not help achieve peace
05 Dec 2020
The United
States President Donald Trump’s recent call to withdraw just over half of the
4,500 United States troops in Afghanistan has been condemned as an act that
“would hurt our allies and delight, delight, the people who wish us harm” by
members of his own party and key military leaders. The November 17 announcement
of troop reduction is part of a ceasefire agreement with the Taliban, but may
not help deliver a lasting peace to the Afghan people.
The Taliban are
a fanatical minority who seek to replace Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy with
harsh Islamic law. They also have close ties to al-Qaida, offering refuge to
other terrorist groups and supporting terrorist campaigns against neighbouring
Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
The country’s
long-suffering people will be most affected by the pullout. Many of them rely
on the US military to keep the Taliban from moving out of the countryside –
much of which they control, especially in the southeast – to take provincial
capitals and the rest of the country.
According to a
major Washington think tank, the withdrawal of US troops could “potentially
cripple” the Afghan National Army, which has seen 45,000 troops killed from
2015 to 2019. But based on my work among the Afghan tribes – whose leaders are
powerful figures who provide crucial supports for the current government – an
American drawdown is also likely to proclaim US weakness to Afghanistan’s
tribal leaders. Those important allies may switch sides to the Taliban en masse
if they feel the US is abandoning their country.
An embattled
ally
I worked with
Afghan National Army troops while working on a forward operating base for the
US Army’s Information Operations team in eastern Afghanistan. From that
experience, I know they are brave and willing to make tremendous sacrifices –
including of their lives – to defend their country. But they lack the essential
training, equipment and other support that American troops provide.
When Afghan forces
deploy on missions to repel insurgent offensives or retake villages, valleys or
towns from the constantly probing and advancing enemy, they are transported by
US aircrews in Black Hawk or Chinook helicopters. When they engage the Taliban
in combat, US Special Forces troops embedded with them fly hand-launched Raven
drones that provide aerial views of the battlefield. Those US troops also call
in American artillery and air strikes, which are key to the Afghan National
Army’s ability to succeed in the battle against a determined foe.
These American
“force multiplier” troops also provide their Afghan National Army allies with
vital logistics support and, in a psychological sense, let their hard-fighting
partners know that the American superpower has their back.
But the Army is
not the only Afghan key factor the US would weaken by pulling out.
The tribes are
key
The strategic
southeast of Afghanistan that is home to the Taliban is dominated largely by
ethnic Pashtun tribes, which is very different from the postmodern melting-pot
societies familiar to those in the US and Europe. These 60 tribes, or clans,
have for centuries maintained – and shifted – the country’s balance of military
and political power. They are always calculating which of the rival factions or
warring parties is in the strongest position and seeking to join that side.
When the Soviets
withdrew their forces from Afghanistan in 1989 after 10 years of war supporting
the country’s communist government, tribes who had remained neutral joined the advancing
mujahedeen Islamist rebels and eventually defeated the remaining government
forces.
I was working in
Afghanistan in 2007, the year that the George W Bush administration kept US
forces in Afghanistan roughly constant around 20,000 – but sent a far larger
force to Iraq. The shift in US priority pulled vital resources like drones,
Special Forces troops, artillery, vehicles with additional armor protection,
and combat planes and helicopters out of Afghanistan.
As the
Pentagon’s focus shifted to Iraq, the tribes saw the US as only weakly
committed to winning the Afghan conflict. Those that had allied with the
previously powerful Americans and Afghan government defected to a resurgent
Taliban in order to be on the winning side.
The resulting
Taliban advance on the Pashtun tribal area saw the insurgents take much of the
country’s second-largest city, destroy US-built girls’ schools and take the
lives of Afghans who had worked with Americans. The Talibans’ offensive was
averted only by President Obama’s 2009-2012 troop surge, which vastly increased
the number of US troops in the country, to a peak of 100,000.
That commitment
conveyed a message of strength to the tribes, who came back to the government’s
side in key strategic areas and prevented the Taliban conquest of the
southeast. As US and NATO troops bolstered the Afghan National Army, vast
swaths of territory in the Pashtun belt and its second largest city of Kandahar
were wrested from the Taliban, who lost tens of thousands of fighters.
The effects of Pentagon
disengagement
For the past
several years, a tentative stalemate has prevailed. Many tribes are clearly
watching for signs of weakness from either the Taliban or the Americans. They
will interpret any retreat or sign of weak commitment from one side as a signal
to join the other side.
The U.S. has
gradually over the years reduced its troop numbers, which has hurt the
country’s reputation among the tribes. But so far, American forces are still
numerous enough to deploy alongside Afghan troops to call in supporting
artillery and air strikes – demonstrating enough power to keep the tribes
tentatively on the U.S. side.
[Get our most
insightful politics and election stories. Sign up for The Conversation’s
Politics Weekly.]
The upcoming
troop drawdown would end most, if not all, of that capacity, leaving the Afghan
National Army without crucial reinforcements. The Taliban will likely claim a
huge tactical victory on the battlefield, and an equally important victory in
the battle of perceptions. The tribes will see U.S. weakness, and may shift
their support to the Taliban out of a sense of self-preservation.
The remaining
number of just 2,000 U.S. troops in Texas-sized Afghanistan would no longer be
able to support the Afghan National Army – and will most likely be hard-pressed
just to protect themselves.
Brian Glyn
Williams is a Professor of Islamic History, University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth.
https://scroll.in/article/980225/trump-has-moved-to-pull-back-us-troops-from-afghanistan-but-that-may-not-help-achieve-peace
--------
Iran warns about
‘suspicious’ moves to disrupt Iran-Afghanistan ties
04 December 2020
Iran has warned
about “suspicious” moves by those who seek to disrupt cordial relations between
Tehran and Kabul, after a video purportedly showing Afghan nationals being
insulted by Iranians went viral.
The Iranian
Police issued an announcement on Friday suggesting the video published on
social media with regards to insulting Afghan nationals was basically untrue,
and that the incident in question had not happened in Iran.
In a separate
statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh expressed
regret over such incidents, wherever in the world they might occur.
He called on the
government and officials of the brotherly and friendly country of Afghanistan
to be more careful with releasing news and not to rush when issuing official
statements.
“At a time when
the Khaf-Herat railroad is to be inaugurated by both countries’ presidents in
the coming days as the symbol of extensive cooperation between the two sides,
it is inevitably necessary to be wary of suspicious actions by those who are
against [Iran-Afghanistan] relations,” Khatibzadeh noted.
“Iran and
Afghanistan are two friendly and neighboring countries with a common culture
and a historical background of unity and cooperation,” the Iranian police said
in its statement.
“The Islamic
Republic of Iran has always supported Afghanistan despite all the problems and
cruel sanctions, and will do so in the future,” it added.
It said Afghan
people have entered Iran in the past decades because of the numerous problems
they faced, and Iran has always warmly received and hosted them as its brothers
and sisters.
However, it
added, enemies are not pleased with this empathy and humanitarian interaction
between the two sides, and make mischievous moves every now and then.
“They spare no
effort to destroy trust between the two countries, but the people of Iran and
Afghanistan will always stand by each other and these tensions will not disrupt
their cordial relations,” it added.
Similar efforts
to disrupt Iran-Afghanistan relations were also made earlier this year after
two incidents in which Afghan nationals were killed.
The first was in
May, when a group of 54 Afghan migrants allegedly sought to enter Iran, but
were thrown into Harirud, on the border between Iran and Afghanistan.
Western media
claimed that Iranian border guards killed the migrants by forcing them into the
river at gunpoint. Eighteen were reportedly drowned, among them a 12-year-old
boy. However, Iran categorically rejected the claims.
In the next
incident, on the third of June, a bus fire on the road from the Iranian central
city of Yazd, went as such: the car was transporting illegal Afghan refugees or
entrants to other cities.
When the police
became suspicious and the driver refused to stop, the police shot at one of the
back tires of the car, which caught fire after skidding on the asphalt for some
eight kilometers due to its high speed. Finally, it hit the center guardrail,
and eventually caught fire. This was also used as a pretext to impact
Tehran-Kabul relations.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/04/639975/Iran-afghanistan-incident-khatibzadeh-police
--------
Southeast Asia
Indonesia:
Controversial Cleric Apologizes over Gatherings after Public Outcry
2020-12-02
Ronna Nirmala
A hardline
Indonesian Muslim cleric on Wednesday apologized for leading gatherings that
flouted coronavirus restrictions after his return from Saudi Arabia last month.
Muhammad Rizieq
Shihab’s apology came as police sought to question him in connection with his
role in the COVID-19 health protocol violations, after he failed to answer an
earlier summons, citing exhaustion.
Thousands of
Rizieq's supporters thronged Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Nov. 10 to
welcome his arrival in Indonesia after spending three years in Saudi Arabia.
In the same
week, Rizieq held at least three religious gatherings attended by thousands of
people in Jakarta and neighboring West Java, prompting public criticism and
calls for authorities to take action against the violations of social
distancing rules.
"I
apologize for the disturbances, discomfort and offence caused by the
gatherings. It got out of hand because of the enthusiasm of the people,” Rizieq
said in a live YouTube broadcast.
The Health
Ministry said on Nov. 22 that 80 coronavirus cases had been linked to the
gatherings.
Outcry over the
gatherings prompted the sackings of Jakarta and West Java police chiefs and
four other municipal officials for their failure to stop the events.
Rizieq, founder
of the anti-vice group Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), added in his broadcast on
Wednesday that he had cancelled all plans to attend public events.
"Together
we follow health protocols and avoid crowds, any crowds, including elections.
We support the goal to get out of this pandemic as soon as possible,” he said.
Millions of
Indonesians will go to the polls on Dec. 9 to elect governors, mayors and
regents in simultaneous local elections.
Self-exile
Rizieq went to
Saudi Arabia after police called him in for questioning about complaints that
he sent lewd images to a woman or insulted Pancasila, the Indonesian state
philosophy. He stayed in Saudi Arabia after police issued arrest warrants
against him on these charges.
The cleric
previously said police had targeted him for criticizing the government, while
authorities said they had evidence to support their charges.
Rizieq insisted
that he could not return to Indonesia after the charges against him were
dropped in 2018, saying authorities had blocked his return. The government
denied this accusation last week.
Also last week,
Rizieq was treated for exhaustion in a hospital in Bogor, near Jakarta, and
underwent a COVID-19 swab test. The hospital has not made public the result,
citing patient privacy.
Rizieq said he
would self-quarantine, though he denied contracting COVID-19.
Indonesia
recorded 5,533 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total
to 549,508. The virus-related death toll rose by 118 to 17,199.
New summons
On Wednesday,
police delivered a summons to Rizieq's residence in Central Jakarta, after he
failed to show up earlier for questioning over the gatherings.
Jakarta police
spokesman Yusri Yunus said investigators sought to question Rizieq on Thursday.
"Hopefully
he can attend this time,” Yusri told BenarNews, adding that the investigation
would continue despite Rizieq’s apology.
Rizieq on
Wednesday attended a virtual gathering marking the anniversary of the massive
protest four years ago against Jakarta’s then-governor, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja
Purnama, over remarks citing the Quran that some Muslims said were blasphemous.
The 212 Alumni
Association, named after the date of the protest, had planned to stage a rally
at the National Monument square to mark the event, but authorities refused to
issue a permit.
In 2017, a court
sentenced Ahok, a Christian, to two years in prison for blasphemy for the
offending remarks.
Ahok lost the
Jakarta gubernatorial election that year to former Education Minister Anies
Baswedan, who courted support from conservative Muslim groups despite his
liberal credentials.
Governor Anies
said Tuesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, days after his deputy
Ahmad Riza Patria announced he had contracted the disease.
"The
results came out early Tuesday morning and showed I was positive for
COVID-19," he said in a video statement, adding that he had no symptoms as
yet. He urged those who had been around him recently to get tested and
self-isolate.
A spike in new
cases prompted the government to cut the year-end holiday – previously
scheduled from Dec. 24 through Jan. 1 – by three days, to curb the spread of
the coronavirus, Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy
said Tuesday.
The spokesman
for Indonesia’s COVID-19 task force, Wiku Adisasmito, blamed the public’s lack
of observance of health guidelines for the increase in cases.
"A lot of
people get together and do not keep their distance. People are also starting to
be careless and not use masks or wash their hands," he told reporters on
Tuesday.
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/covid-fpi-12022020173951.html
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Selangau MP
calls on PM Muhyiddin to retract statement against secularism, liberalism
05 Dec 2020
KUCHING, Dec 5 ―
Selangau MP Baru Bian has called upon the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin
Yassin to retract his statement against secularism and liberalism as it was
deemed grossly insensitive to Sarawak’s aspirations.
He also also
called upon all right-thinking Sarawak leaders to make their stand on this
issue and be heard, so as to safeguard the Federal Constitution and secularity.
“If the
Perikatan Nasional (PN) government perseveres to challenge secularism, then all
Sarawakian parliamentarians must withdraw support for this PN administration,
including the GPS parliamentarians without whom Muhyiddin Yassin will surely
fall as PM,” he said in a statement today.
Baru, who is
Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) presidential council member, said on November 28 at
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) annual general meeting, the prime
minister was quoted as saying the PN government alliance with Umno and PAS, was
‘God’s will’, and vows to fight against secularism and liberalism.
He added that
secularism was simply defined as “the concept that the government or other
entities should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs while
liberalism, he pointed out, meant “a political and/or moral philosophy based on
liberty consent of the governed and equality before the law.”
He noted that
this type of secularism on a social or philosophical level has often occurred
whilst maintaining an official state church or other state support of religion.
“This statement
by the prime minister is very alarming, especially for Sarawak which has always
been a secular state.
“Is it the PM’s
agenda to change this part of the constitution? Make no mistake about it,
Sarawak is a secular state, period,” he said.
Baru believed
Sarawak would not have agreed to join in the formation of Malaysia 50 years ago
if it was an Islamic state.
He said Sarawak
signed the Malaysia Agreement as a secular state, as shown in historical
documents and legal judgments.
“That was the
‘binding spirit’ of MA63. It must be pointed out that the founding father, Bapa
Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman, stated it plainly in Parliament: “I would like to
make it clear that this country is not an Islamic State as it is generally
understood, we merely provided that Islam shall be the official religion of the
State [Hansard, May 1,1958].”
“How much
clearer can it be that the intention was the establishment of a secular state?”
he said.
He believed that
during the talks leading to the formation of Malaysia, the non-Muslim
communities of Sarawak had voiced their reservations about Islam being the
religion of the Federation.
He said it was
finally agreed that “While there was no objection to Islam being the national
religion of Malaysia there should be no State religion in Sarawak, and the
provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not
apply to Sarawak.”
He pointed out
that the absence of a state religion was key to Sarawak’s agreement to join in
the formation of Malaysia in 1963, due to the wisdom of our forefathers.
“If it were
otherwise then I have no doubt that Sarawakians would never have agreed to be
part of the Federation,” he said.
He said in 2015
the capital of Sarawak, Kuching was picked as the “City of Unity” as Kuching is
a model city for promoting unity among people of different races and religions.
This, he said,
was an undeniable acknowledgement that Sarawak is a state that has a clear
direction to unity.
“This is because
all Sarawakians value our unique culture where we can all sit and have a meal
regardless of race, creed or religion under our unadulterated acceptance way of
life. There is a mutual respect here that is obviously lacking in other parts
of the country.
“It is
imperative that all Sarawakians must take a stand against this insensitive
statement by the PM. This brazen attack against secularism must not go
unresponded,” he said. ― Borneo Post
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/12/05/selangau-mp-calls-on-pm-muhyiddin-to-retract-statement-against-secularism-l/1929027
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Sabah to allow
social visitors again in time for Christmas, holiday season
04 Dec 2020
BY JULIA CHAN
KOTA KINABALU,
Dec 4 — Sabah is gradually re-opening its borders again, starting by allowing
social visits from Malaysians, long-term immigration pass holders, as well as
family members of resident Sabahans.
Sabah Covid-19
spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said that the state is relaxing the standard
operating procedures (SOP) for travellers to Sabah ahead of the upcoming
Christmas and holiday season as well as to prepare the state to welcome domestic
tourists again.
“We are
preparing to normalise domestic travel again soon. There are a lot of families
separated for long periods of time during this conditional movement control
order, so we would like to facilitate their reunion.
“Let the Christians
who want to come home for Christmas be reunited with their families, so for
this we will relax some of the restrictions in place,” he said during a virtual
press conference held today.
The relaxed
entry requirements will still mean that visitors have to go through a swab test
of RT-PCR or RT Antigen three days before, but will no longer require police
approval.
“Basically, the
categories of people who can travel into Sabah now have been widened.
Previously, the authorities were strict on who could travel and required
written approval from the police,” he said.
Now, holders of
MyKad, MyPR, MyKAS, long-term immigration pass holders as well as spouses and
dependents of Sabah residents are permitted entry.
When asked
whether the Immigration and state Health Department are ready to process the
influx of travellers, Masidi said it is unlikely there would be a sudden flood
of visitors given that public awareness of the risks of infection of Covid 19
is still high.
“I don’t think
that because we are opening our gates again there will be flood of people
suddenly. People are still cautious. I think the entry will be dependent on the
current situation. People are still weighing the risks of whether or not to
travel,” he said.
When asked when
the new SOP will come into effect and whether the updated SOP will allow inter
district travel for such travellers, Masidi said that an announcement is
expected to be made by Senior Minister (Defence) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob
tomorrow.
"I’m making
this statement slightly earlier. Tomorrow the senior minister will make another
announcement that is related.
“I believe when
you allow people to come here, they won’t just want to be in Kota Kinabalu. So
let’s hope everything goes well and the situation improves,” he said.
Sabah’s current
CMCO is due to end on December 6, but it is widely believed that there will be
an extension but with certain changes to the SOPs allowing the economy to
recover.
Meanwhile,
Masidi also announced that eateries could open till midnight starting tomorrow.
Previously, the
state only allowed eateries to open till 10pm despite the national SOP allowing
longer operational hours.
The state is
also preparing to open its museum galleries again starting December 15.
“This will be in
starting with the state museum, the Muslim Civilisation Museum, the Locomotive
gallery and the Heritage village. Those in Sandakan and Semporna will open at a
later date,” he said.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/12/04/sabah-to-allow-social-visitors-again-in-time-for-christmas-holiday-season/1928870
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Philippine
troops repel major Daesh attack
December 04,
2020
MANILA:
Philippine security forces repelled a major attack by Daesh militants in
southern Maguindanao province, army officials confirmed.
About 50 militants
from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) group struck the Muslim
town of Datu Piang around 10 p.m., the Army 6th Infantry Division said on
Friday.
“The attack was
a retaliation against the chief of police, who previously had problems with a relative
of some members of the group,” the army report said.
Spokesman Lt.
Col. Anhouvic Atilano said the militants were led by BIFF commander Sukarno
Guilil, a supporter of Ustadz Karialan, who had previously led attacks against
the military and police.
No casualties
were reported among the security forces, while the military is still examining
the scene.
The attack
sparked fears of a repeat of the 2017 Marawi city siege, which lasted over five
months and left more than 1,000 people dead.
However,
Philippines armed forces chief Gen. Gilbert Gapay said the incident was an
“isolated case” and troops “have already
learned their lessons from Marawi.”
“It happens
every now and then in Maguindanao. We have been receiving reports of security
forces being harassed,” he said.
Militants were
attempting to “sow terror in the area, but another Marawi is highly
improbable,” Gapay said.
The army
reportedly received a tipoff that extremists were preparing an attack.
“Generally, the
armed capability of the BIFF is on a decline,” Gapay said.
However, he
called for greater vigilance among security forces and members of the public.
“They are really
not that strong, but this is terrorism we are confronting. Usually they attack
whenever we let our guard down or when our vigilance is low.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1772606/world
--------
North America
US could
designate Houthi militia as ‘terrorist’ organization
December 03,
2020
DUBAI: US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo could designate the Houthi militia as a
terrorist organization this week, Al-Arabiya TV reported, citing the Washington
Post.
US National
Security Adviser Robert C. O’Brien said earlier that the US had options to deal
with the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
O’Brien added
that Washington has been constantly studying this decision, calling on the
militia to stay away from Iran and stop attacking neighboring countries.
He further
criticized the Houthis for their failure in engaging in negotiations and
showing good intentions to end the conflict in Yemen, adding that Washington
has been monitoring the situation closely over the past period.
The decision to
designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization is on President Donald
Trump’s agenda during the remaining months of his administration, O’Brien said.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1771911/middle-east
--------
Sen. Cruz
reintroduces act to designate Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group
DECEMBER 3, 2020
Senator Ted Cruz
(R-TX) reintroduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act this week,
his office announced on Wednesday. The act urges the US State Department to
designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
“I am proud to
reintroduce this bill and to advance America’s fight against radical Islamic
terrorism,” said Cruz. “I commend the current administration’s work calling
terrorism by its name and combating the spread of this potent threat, and I
look forward to receiving the additional information this new bill requests
from the Department of State.
“Many of our
closest allies in the Arab world have long ago concluded that the Muslim
Brotherhood is a terrorist group that seeks to sow chaos across the Middle
East,” he said.
Senator Jim
Inhofe (R-OK) co-sponsored the bill, saying that, “since the founding of the
Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Brotherhood-affiliated groups have consistently
preached and incited hatred against Christians, Jews, and other Muslims while
supporting designated radical terrorists.
“I am proud that
under the Trump administration, we continue to call out and combat radical
terrorism, and I am glad to join my colleagues today in reintroducing this
legislation,” he said. “We must continue to condemn foreign terrorist
organizations and hold them accountable for the evil they perpetrate.”
The Trump
administration worked to designate the Brotherhood as an FTO in April. Former
White House national security advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo supported the designation but officials at the Pentagon and elsewhere
have been opposed and have been seeking more limited action.
Some
conservative and anti-Muslim activists have argued for years that the
Brotherhood, which was founded in Egypt in 1928 and sought to establish a
worldwide Islamic caliphate by peaceful means, has been a breeding ground for terrorists.
Designating the
Brotherhood as an FTO could complicate Washington’s relationship with NATO ally
Turkey. The organization has close ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s ruling AK Party and many of its members fled to Turkey after the
group’s activities were banned in Egypt.
According to
Shimrit Meir, a commentator on Arab affairs, the designation is not appropriate
and Trump was pushed to declare the designation by Egyptian President Abdul
Fattah al-Sisi.
“The truth is
that the Muslim Brotherhood is not meeting the parameters. If the move doesn’t
fail in the Congress, it will in the Senate, and then reach court,” Meir said
in an interview with The Jerusalem Post's sister paper, Maariv. “Abdul Fattah
al-Sisi is pushing Trump because he is still threatened by the Muslim
Brotherhood, which is still a very strong phenomenon in Egypt – and the Saudis
are also very threatened by this.”
Cruz, a member
of the senate Foreign Relations Committee, first introduced the act in 2015 and
reintroduced it for the first time in 2017.
The 2017
reintroduction of the bill sparked warnings by critics of the Trump
administration that such a move will be the first step in a crackdown on
Muslim-American civil society groups. Birzeit University political scientist
Samir Awad warned then that designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist
organization would signal regimes that they are free to intensify human rights
abuses against their opponents.
“They’re not
anything like Daesh or Nusra, which are terrorist groups,” Awad said, using the
Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. “If a person can’t see the difference
between the Muslim Brotherhood and Daesh, then his eyesight is blurred.”
The Brotherhood,
which estimates its membership at up to a million people, came to power in
Egypt’s first modern free election in 2012, a year after long-serving autocrat
Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular uprising during the Arab Spring. But the
movement is now banned, and thousands of its supporters and much of its
leadership have been jailed.
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/sen-cruz-reintroduces-act-to-designate-muslim-brotherhood-terrorist-group-651012?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1784017_
--------
Pompeo claims
Iran keen to return to nuclear talks for sanctions relief
04 December 2020
US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo has tried to defend during his final days in office the
illegal "maximum pressure campaign" by the Trump administration
against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In an outrageous
statement on Friday, he claimed that Tehran "desperately" wants to
return to the nuclear talks and get sanctions relief from Washington.
"We know
our campaign is working because now the Iranians are desperately signaling
their willingness to return to the negotiating table to get sanctions
relief," Pompeo said while addressing the virtual conference, Manama
Dialogue, hosted by Bahrain.
The top American
diplomat did not elaborate on what signals Washington had seen.
Warning against
going easy on Tehran during the possible negotiations, Pompeo said, "In
the event that they come to the table, and are only willing to talk about
turning off a few nuclear centrifuges for a few months or a few years, the
world should not find that satisfactory... We ought to not cut short negotiation.”
US President
Donald Trump, a hawkish critic of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran
and six world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA), unilaterally withdrew Washington from the agreement in May
2018, and unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic
in defiance of global criticism.
The US unleashed
the so-called maximum pressure campaign and targeted the Iranian nation with
draconian restrictive measures in order to bring it to its knees, but Iran's
economy keeps humming and is getting back on its feet.
Following its
much-criticized exit, Washington has been attempting to prevent the remaining
signatories -- the UK, France China and Russia plus Germany -- from abiding by
their commitments and thus kill the historic agreement, which is widely viewed
as a fruit of international diplomacy.
On Thursday,
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reasserted Iran’s position that its 2015
nuclear deal with world powers is not open to renegotiation and that the US has
to observe the agreement and the UN resolution that endorses it.
Zarif advised
that the US end its “grave breach” of the JCPOA and UN Security Council
Resolution 2231 that has endorsed the nuclear deal, because Washington “has walked
out of the nuclear agreement, but did not walk out of the United Nations.”
The top Iranian
diplomat also said if the incoming administration of US President-elect Joe
Biden continues to ask Iran to come and renegotiate the JCPOA, it would be
walking in the same “rogue” steps as Trump’s team.
Biden has
previously expressed a conditional desire to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal.
Iran remained
fully compliant with the JCPOA for an entire year after Washington's unilateral
pullout from the deal, waiting for the co-signatories to fulfill their end of
the bargain by offsetting the impacts of American bans on the Iranian economy.
But as the
European parties failed to do so, the Islamic Republic moved in May 2019 to
suspend its JCPOA commitments under Articles 26 and 36 of the deal covering
Tehran’s legal rights.
Iran took five
steps in scaling back its obligations, among them abandoning operational
limitations on its nuclear industry, including with regard to the capacity and
level of uranium enrichment.
All those
measures were adopted after informing the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) beforehand, with the agency's inspectors present on the ground in Iran.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/04/640004/US-Mike-Pompeo-Iran-nuclear-talks
--------
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