Saudi Couples Are Undeterred — It’s Valentine’s Day, And They’re Going For It Big Time
New
Age Islam News Bureau
14 February 2021
Saudis in major cities are
buying extravagant gifts, flowers, cheesy balloons and even the cliched teddy
bears for that special person. (AN photo by Hameed Al-Harbi)
-----
• Saudi Couples Are Undeterred — It’s Valentine’s Day,
And They’re Going For It Big Time
• Muslim Law Board Moves SC Opposing Plea Seeking
'Uniform Grounds Of Divorce' For All Citizens
• A Mistake In ‘Bomb-Making Training’ Session Killed
30 Taliban Terrorists, Six Of Them Foreign Militants
• Oversight Board, An International Watchdog: Facebook
To Reinstate Post Feared To Incite Muslims To Violence
• Israeli Jewish Fanatics Trespass, Desecrate Muslim
Cemetery Below Jerusalem’s Old City Wall
• US Senate Acquits Trump As Republicans Save Him In
Impeachment Again
• Army Holding War Games To Validate Concept Of
Defence In Desert: ISPR
• Masari To Islamic Clerics: Sensitise Your Members On
Community-Driven Security
• Non-Muslim Houses Of Worship Allowed To Operate During
MCO
Arab world
• Saudi Couples Are Undeterred — It’s Valentine’s Day,
And They’re Going For It Big Time
• Egypt’s Sisi Urges Developing Programs To Qualify
Imams, Preachers
• Egyptian Court Justifies Islamist Travesty: Al
Sisi’s Statement To Macron
• HSBC completes first Islamic trade facility in Menat
at $100m with QIB
• HSBC completes $100mn first Islamic trade facility
in MENAT with QIB
• Downsize Or Delay: Saudis Weigh Up Wedding Options
Amid Pandemic
-------
India
• Muslim Law Board Moves SC Opposing Plea Seeking
'Uniform Grounds Of Divorce' For All Citizens
• Lucknow's All India Shia Orphanage Donates For
Ayodhya's Ram Temple
------
South Asia
• A Mistake In ‘Bomb-Making Training’ Session Killed
30 Taliban Terrorists, Six Of Them Foreign Militants
• Necessary Steps Have Already Been Taken To Amend The
Muslim Marriage Law – Sri Lankan Justice Minister
• 52% of Afghanistan is under the Taliban control:
Pajhwok
• Military General warns of ‘bloody spring’ ahead
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Europe
• Oversight Board, An International Watchdog: Facebook
To Reinstate Post Feared To Incite Muslims To Violence
• Imam Urging Worshippers To Get Vaccinated Warns
Against Scapegoating Muslims When There's 'Scepticism Across The Board'
• Marine Le Pen Defends Muslims From Liberal Macron's
Interior Minister
• Victory anniversary of Islamic Revolution observed
in Spain
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Mideast
• Israeli Jewish Fanatics Trespass, Desecrate Muslim
Cemetery Below Jerusalem’s Old City Wall
• Manifestations of joy at al-Abbas holy shrine on
birth anniversaries of Imam al-Baqer & Imam al-Hadi
• Islamic Jihad to boycott Palestinian vote
• Explosion hits Iran-Afghanistan border
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North America
• US Senate Acquits Trump As Republicans Save Him In
Impeachment Again
• Osama Bin Laden’s Suspected Bodyguard Dies
• US announces exclusion of Yemen's Ansar Allah from
list of terrorist organizations
• Biden press aide out of a job after threatening
White House journalist
--------
Pakistan
• Army Holding War Games To Validate Concept Of
Defence In Desert: ISPR
• PTI MPs’ video probe to focus on beneficiaries
• Punjab governor accords approval to ‘illegal’
sub-campus
-------
Africa
• Masari To Islamic Clerics: Sensitise Your Members On
Community-Driven Security
• Nigerian soldiers kill two top Boko Haram commanders
– Official
• Nobody Can Force Us Out Of South-West, Miyetti Allah
Says
• Miyetti Allah lists conditions to stop clashes
between farmers, herders
• Islamists threaten to kill another teacher
--------
Southeast Asia
• Non-Muslim Houses Of Worship Allowed To Operate
During MCO
• Event organiser takes blame for photo of Annuar Musa
in apparent MCO SOP breach
• KL traffic personnel being investigated over claims
of sexual harassment
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/saudi-couples-undeterred-—-its/d/124300
------
Saudi Couples Are Undeterred — It’s Valentine’s Day,
And They’re Going For It Big Time
Saudis in major cities are
buying extravagant gifts, flowers, cheesy balloons and even the cliched teddy
bears for that special person. (AN photo by Hameed Al-Harbi)
-----
Deema Al-Khudair
February 14, 2021
RIYADH: There may have been less romance and more
coronavirus in the air for the past year, but Saudi couples are undeterred —
it’s Valentine’s Day, and they’re going for it big time.
Flower shops, chocolate stores and restaurants, even
with food available only for delivery, report booming business as love conquers
all.
Khalid Omar, 28, who set up Dream Flowers in Jubail
Industrial City in 2017, has doubled his sales in the past four days. And not a
moment too soon, after the damage caused by the coronavirus lockdown, with the
shop closed for three months in 2020.
“The COVID-19 pandemic hindered all local business projects
for everyone,” he told Arab News. “With the lockdown, we did not receive so
many customers. Production stopped during the lockdown because we could not
import fresh flowers twice a week. This affected us greatly.
“Days such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Teacher’s
Day and so forth have a positive impact on sales. We increased our profit in
just four days. This is our season.”
With in-restaurant dining strictly forbidden, the
time-honored tradition of eating out with your partner on Valentine’s Day is
off the menu this year — but enterprising restaurants are offering special
deliveries of a romantic meal for two.
The popular Japanese hotspot Kampai has a Valentine’s
Day box of sushi rolls and salmon sashimi, complete with a red rose and a
bottle of non-alcoholic Merlot to share with your significant other, while
Casper and Gambini’s will supply a heart-shaped cake in chocolate or red
velvet.
Meanwhile, Saudis have been telling Arab News what
their ideal Valentine’s gift would look like. “There is nothing I would love
more than a cake and a card from my children so my wife and I can celebrate
with them,” said Mohammed Al-Qahtani.
Hafsa Ayub said: “A box of chocolates. I don’t care if
it’s a cliché, because I still like receiving them.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1808856/saudi-arabia
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Muslim Law Board Moves SC Opposing Plea Seeking
'Uniform Grounds Of Divorce' For All Citizens
Supreme Court of India/ Representational Image
-----
Feb 14, 2021
PTI
New Delhi: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has
moved the Supreme Court against a plea seeking laying down of "gender and
religion neutral" uniform grounds to award maintenance and alimony in
matrimonial disputes as per international conventions and Constitution.
The Board has opposed the plea filed by advocate and
BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay which also seeks directions to the government
to take appropriate steps to remove the prevailing anomalies in the grounds of
maintenance and alimony, and make them uniform for all citizens without
discrimination.
"The applicant would like to submit that the
expression and 'Custom and Usage' in Article 13 of the Constitution does not
include faith of a religious denomination embedded in personal laws," the
All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) plea said.
"The constituent assembly was aware of the
distinction between ‘personal law' and the 'Custom and Usage' and chose
advisedly to exclude personal law and include Custom and Usage in Article 13 of
the Constitution," it said while seeking impleadment in the petition filed
by Upadhyay.
The AIMPLB opposed Upadhyay's plea on the basis that
personal laws cannot be tested on the anvil of Articles 14, 15, 21 and 44 of
the Constitution.
The top court on December 16 last year had issued
notice to the Centre on the plea filed by Upadhyay.
Upadhyay's petition, filed through advocate Ashwani
Kumar Dubey, said that despite the eloquent provisions in the Constitution, the
central government has totally failed to provide even gender-neutral,
religion-neutral uniform grounds of maintenance and alimony for all citizens.
Maintenance and alimony is the only source of
livelihood hence discrimination on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex or
place of birth is a direct attack on the right to life, liberty and dignity,
guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, it said.
"Even after 73 years of Independence and 70 years
of India becoming a socialist secular democratic republic, laws relating to
maintenance and alimony are not only complex and cumbersome but also against
the constitutional mandate of being equal, rational and just," the plea
said.
"Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains are governed by
the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 and the Hindu Adoption & Maintenance Act 1956. Muslims
are dealt as per status of valid marriage & prenuptial agreement and
governed under the Muslim Women Act 1986. Christians are governed under the
Indian Divorce Act 1869 and Parsis under the Parsi Marriage & Divorce Act
1936, but none of these laws are gender neutral," it said.
The PIL stated that discriminatory maintenance and
alimony reinforce patriarchal and stereotypical notions about women and thus
any provision that perpetrates or reinforces discriminatory stereotypes against
women is manifestly arbitrary.
The plea has sought directions to declare that the
discriminatory grounds of maintenance and alimony are violative of Articles 14,
15, 21 of the Constitution.
It has also sought directions to the Law Commission to
examine domestic and international laws and prepare a report on "uniform
grounds of maintenance and alimony" within three months.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/aimplb-moves-sc-opposing-plea-seeking-uniform-grounds-of-maintenance-and-alimony/articleshow/80909018.cms
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A Mistake In ‘Bomb-Making Training’ Session Killed 30
Taliban Terrorists, Six Of Them Foreign Militants
Balkh was among one of the relatively secure parts of
Afghanistan until recent years, but the Taliban have extended their reach there
from their traditional power base in the south and southeast of the country.
(AFP/File Photo)
------
Arab News
February 14, 2021
Thirty Taliban terrorists, six of them foreign
militants, were killed by an explosion inside a mosque where they had gathered
for a “bomb-making training” session in northern Afghanistan on Saturday,
officials said.
“As a result of the explosion of a mine in a mosque,
30 terrorist Taliban, including six foreign nationals who were professional
mine-makers, were killed,” a Defense Ministry statement said.
The incident took place at 9.15 a.m. in the Qitla
village of the Dawlat Abad district of Balkh province, which lies some 450 km
to the north of the capital city Kabul and shares its border with Uzbekistan, ministry
officials said.
Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the ministry, said: “There
were no survivors from the blast,” calling it the “deadliest of its kind” for
the insurgents.
“In the past, the enemies would have suffered like
six, eight or 10 people while either planting a bomb or making a mine, but this
is the first time they suffered such heavy losses,” he said.
A Taliban terrorist spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid,
said that the explosion had occurred last night in a room used for storing
ammunition and “not today as reported by government officials.”
Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for Balkh’s governor,
said that the Taliban have had a “heavy presence in Dawlat Abad for years,” but
had not heard about the Defense Ministry’s report related to the incident.
Balkh was among one of the relatively secure parts of
Afghanistan until recent years, but the Taliban have extended their reach there
from their traditional power base in the south and southeast of the country
since the reduction of US-led troops in the past few years and due to
infighting among government leaders.
https://en.abna24.com/news//a-mistake-killed-30-taliban-terrorists-making-bombs-in-northern-afghan_1115077.html
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Oversight Board, An International Watchdog: Facebook
To Reinstate Post Feared To Incite Muslims To Violence
Simon Rushton
February 13, 2021
Facebook has been ordered to reinstate a post it had
taken down amid accusations that it encouraged Muslims to violence.
The Oversight Board, an international watchdog set up
to monitor Facebook’s handling of posts that spark complaints of hate or abuse,
said the post did not pose an imminent threat.
France’s relations with its Muslim population has been
tense since teacher Samuel Paty was killed after he discussed cartoons of the
Prophet Mohammed in class.
The Facebook post was uploaded to an online group for
Indian Muslims and included hashtags that called Mr Macron the devil and urged
a boycott of French goods.
The board said human rights standards allow for people
to express ideas and opinions, even those that "may be controversial or
deeply offensive", as well as offence "at such expressions".
"A majority found that, for this specific post,
Facebook did not accurately assess all contextual information and that
international human rights standards on expression justify the board’s decision
to restore the content," the group said in a statement.
"While a minority viewed the post as threatening
some form of violent response to blasphemy, the majority considered the
references to President Macron and the boycott of French products as calls to
action that are not necessarily violent," the board said in its ruling.
"The majority interpreted the post as criticising
[Mr] Macron's response to religiously motivated violence rather than
threatening violence itself. The board notes that its decision to restore this
post does not imply endorsement of its content," it added.
https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/facebook-to-reinstate-post-feared-to-incite-muslims-to-violence-1.1165028
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Israeli Jewish fanatics trespass, desecrate Muslim
cemetery below Jerusalem’s old city wall
February 13, 2021
WAFA
JERUSALEM – A group of Israeli Jewish fanatics today
trespassed and desecrated a Muslim cemetery located just below Jerusalem’s old
city wall, according to a Palestinian official.
Munther Siam, member of the committee in charge of
Muslim cemeteries in Jerusalem, told WAFA that the Israelis first walked
through the Muslim cemetery known as Bab al-Rahma cemetery, under police
protection, before reaching Lions’ Gate, one of the gates to the old city
located near the cemetery, where they performed Jewish rituals.
Ahmad Sumrein, spokesman for the committee, told WAFA
that residents of Silwan, a neighborhood of East Jerusalem where the cemetery
is located and where the neighborhood’s dead are buried, confronted the Israeli
fanatics and forced them to leave the cemetery.
This is not the first time Jewish fanatics trespass on
the cemetery and they previously held a party there, he said.
The cemetery is located below the close Bab al-Rahma
gate that leads to the walled-in Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound, the third holiest
site in Islam that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock, as
well as other Muslim mosques and antiquities buildings.
Israeli Jewish fanatics often gather near the gate,
but from inside the wall, where they sometimes hold rituals in violation of
standing rules that prevent non-Muslims from holding any religious rituals
inside or near the Muslim holy place.
https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/123270
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US Senate acquits Trump as Republicans save him in
impeachment again
FEBRUARY 14, 2021
WASHINGTON - The US Senate acquitted Donald Trump on
Saturday in his second impeachment trial in a year, with fellow Republicans
blocking conviction over the former president’s role in the deadly assault by
his supporters on the US Capitol.
The Senate vote of 57-43 fell short of the two-thirds
majority needed to convict Trump on a charge of incitement of insurrection
after a five-day trial in the same building ransacked by his followers on Jan 6
shortly after they heard him deliver an incendiary speech.
Trump left office on Jan 20, so impeachment could not
be used to remove him from power. But Democrats had hoped to secure a
conviction to hold him responsible for a siege that left five people including
a police officer dead and to set the stage for a vote to bar him from ever
serving in public office again. Given the chance to hold office in the future,
they argued, Trump would not hesitate to encourage political violence again.
Trump’s attorneys argued that his words at the rally
were protected by his constitutional right to free speech and said he was not
given due process in the proceedings.
Republicans saved Trump in the Feb. 5, 2020, vote in
his first impeachment trial, when only one senator from their ranks — Mitt
Romney — voted to convict and remove him from office.
Romney voted for impeachment on Saturday along with
fellow Republicans Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Ben Sasse, Pat
Toomey, and Lisa Murkowski.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who voted “not
guilty,” offered scathing remarks about the former president after the verdict.
“There is no question that President Trump is
practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” he
said. “The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the
wishes and instructions of their president.”
The drama on the Senate floor unfolded against a
backdrop of gaping divisions in a pandemic-weary United States along political,
racial, socioeconomic and regional lines. The trial provided more partisan
warfare even as Democratic President Joe Biden, who took office on Jan 20 after
defeating Trump in the November election, called for healing and unity after
his predecessor’s four turbulent years in power and a caustic election
campaign.
Seventy-one percent of American adults, including
nearly half of all Republicans, believe Trump was at least partially responsible
for starting the Capitol assault, but only about half of the country thought
Trump should be convicted of inciting insurrection, according to an Ipsos poll
conducted for Reuters.
Trump, 74, continues to hold a grip on his party with
a right-wing populist appeal and “America First” message. The wealthy
businessman-turned-politician has considered running for president again in
2024.
Trump is only the third president ever to be impeached
by the House of Representatives — a step akin to a criminal indictment — as
well as the first to be impeached twice and the first to face an impeachment
trial after leaving office. But the Senate still has never convicted an
impeached president.
The House approved the single article of impeachment
against Trump on Jan 13, with 10 Republicans joining the chamber’s Democratic
majority. That vote came a week after the pro-Trump mob stormed the
neoclassical domed Capitol, interrupted the formal congressional certification
of Biden’s victory, clashed with an overwhelmed police force, invaded the
hallowed House and Senate chambers, and sent lawmakers into hiding for their
own safety.
Shortly before the rampage, Trump urged his followers
to march on the Capitol, repeated his false claims that the election was stolen
from him through widespread voting fraud, and told them that “if you don’t
fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
During the trial, nine House lawmakers serving as
trial managers, or prosecutors, urged senators to convict Trump to hold him
accountable for a crime against American democracy and to prevent a repeat in
the future. They played searing video of rioters swarming inside the Capitol
and making violent threats toward politicians including House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi and then-Vice President Mike Pence. The House managers said Trump
summoned the mob to Washington, gave the crowd its marching orders and then did
nothing to stop the ensuing violence.
The defence lawyers accused Democrats not only of
trying to silence Trump as a political opponent they feared facing in the
future but of attempting to criminalise political speech with which they
disagreed and aiming to cancel the voices of the tens of millions of voters who
backed him.
Trump’s lawyers argued the trial was unconstitutional
because he had already left office. The words Trump used, they argued, were no
different than those regularly employed by Democrats.
In his previous impeachment trial, the Senate voted to
acquit Trump on two charges — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. That
impeachment arose from Trump’s 2019 pressure on Ukraine to investigate Biden as
he sought foreign aid to sully a domestic political rival.
A common theme in the charges at the heart of the two
impeachments was Trump’s abandonment of accepted democratic norms to advance
his own political interests.
The US Constitution sets out impeachment as the
instrument with which the Congress can remove and bar from future office
presidents who commit “treason, bribery or other high crimes and
misdemeanours.”
Impeachment, once a rare occurrence, has become more
commonplace during America’s era of poisonous political polarisation in recent
decades. In the 209 years after the first US president, George Washington, took
office in 1789, there was only one impeachment.
Since 1998, there have been three, including Trump’s
two. Andrew Johnson was impeached and acquitted in 1868 in the aftermath of the
American Civil War and Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 and acquitted in 1999
of charges stemming from a sex scandal.
Trump’s acquittal does not end the possibility of
other congressional action against him such as a censure motion. Republicans
seemed dead set against an idea floated by Democrats of invoking the
Constitution’s 14th Amendment provision barring from public office anyone who
has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the government.
The impeachment proceedings also can be viewed in the
context of a battle for the future of the Republican Party. Some Republicans —
mostly moderates and establishment figures — have voiced alarm at the direction
Trump has taken their party.
Detractors have accused Trump — who had never before
held public office — of undermining the institutions of democracy, encouraging
a cult of personality and pursuing policies built around “white grievance” in a
nation with a growing non-white population.
https://www.asiaone.com/world/us-senate-acquits-trump-republicans-save-him-impeachment-again
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Army holding war games to validate concept of defence
in desert: ISPR
Staff Reporter
February 14, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army on Saturday said that its
troops are holding war games in the Thar desert.
The exercises codenamed ‘Jidar-ul-Hadeed’ that began
on Jan 28, the ISPR said, would conclude on Feb 28.
Troops assigned to Karachi Corps are taking part in
the drills. The troops are “practising tactical drills and procedures” as part
of the exercises.
ISPR said the defensive manoeuvres were aimed at
validating the concept of defence in deserts.
“The exercise is being conducted in extreme desert
conditions, 74km ahead of Chhor, under conventional operations setting,” it
added.
The army has a Desert Warfare School at Chhor, which
is 165km from Hyderabad.
The school was established in 1987 in recognition of
the importance of desert warfare training.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1607235/army-holding-war-games-to-validate-concept-of-defence-in-desert-ispr
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Masari to Islamic clerics: Sensitise your members on
community-driven security
February 14, 2021
By Augustine Okezie
Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State,
yesterday, called on Islamic clerics in the state to partner with the state
government in sensitising their members on the new three-tier community-driven
security arrangement designed to tackle banditry.
Governor Masari, who made the call in Katsina during a
two-day security awareness seminar for Jumma’at Mosque Imams and other Islamic
religious leaders in the state, with the theme, “Combating Insecurity through
Da’awa,” said several security meetings and strategic policies have been
adopted by the state government, which have started yielding the needed
results.
He charged the clerics to instigate communal
participation in security arrangements within their localities rather than
waiting for security operatives, whose population, he noted, is grossly
disproportionate to the 7.8 million population of Katsina State.
He said, “The setting up of the 3-tier security
arrangement should be seen as grassroots approach by the state government, by
engaging the usual traditional and religious
methods of enforcing discipline and good conduct amongst the populace.’’
“We must go back to our tested traditional and
religious method of enforcing security. The situation got degenerated because
of the failure of the religious leaders to play their assigned roles of
enforcing discipline and good conduct amongst members.”
The Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumin Kabir Usman,
also warned the clerics that failure to actively sensitise their members on the
growing security challenges in the state may further limit activities,
especially farming, religious freedom and movements.
While calling for continued prayer and support to the
government in tackling insecurity, the monarch blamed the insatiable quest for
wealth amongst the youths as responsible for their engagement in crimes.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on
Security, Alhaji Ahmad Katsina, said the seminar was organised to challenge the
clerics to mobilise their members to partner with the state government in
tackling the growing insecurity in the state.
https://thenationonlineng.net/masari-to-islamic-clerics-sensitise-your-members-on-community-driven-security/
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Non-Muslim houses of worship allowed to operate during
MCO
13 Feb 2021
by Ahmad Zamzahuri
PUTRAJAYA, Feb 13 — Non-Muslim Houses of Worship
(RIBI) are now allowed to operate during the Movement Control Order (MCO)
effective Feb 12 until 18, said the Ministry of National Unity (KPN).
In a statement today, KPN said the decision was made
during the National Security Council (MKN) Special Meeting On Covid-19
Management chaired by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
It said the government had agreed on the opening of
RIBI during the MCO subject to strict standard operating procedures (SOP),
namely, the number of worshippers present not to exceed 30 at any one time.
In addition, SOP also included the usage of the
MySejahtera application for recording purposes in areas with good internet
access.
‘’An exemption of the MySejahtera code scan is given
to worshippers who are 60-year-old and above and those without a smart phone,’’
it said.
According to the statement, the prayer schedules for
Buddhist temples, Tao temples, Wat and churches started at 6 am until 2 pm.
For Hindu temples, the first session is from 6 am to
10 am and the second session is from 5 pm to 9 pm while Gurdwara commences at 6
am until 9 am, it said.
KPN advises all worshippers nationwide to comply with
the SOP which were effective during the period (Feb 12 to 18).
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/02/13/non-muslim-houses-of-worship-allowed-to-operate-during-mco/1949519
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Arab world
Egypt’s Sisi urges developing programs to qualify
imams, preachers
Ahram Online
13 Feb 2021
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi urged the
continuing and development of programs to qualify Muslim male imams and female
preachers, as he met with Endowment Minister Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa on Saturday.
Gomaa reviewed with the president, the ministry’s plan
on continuously providing training to imams and teachers through the International
Awkaf Academy, said Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi.
He also presented the ministry’s latest updates in the
fields of writing, translation and publishing as well as the publications that
the ministry provided for Islamic libraries abroad.
El-Sisi urged for the developing of qualifying
programs for imams and preachers and for the strengthening of communication
skills through securing postgraduate chances for the endowment ministry staff,
especially in psychology and sociology.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Irrigation Minister
Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait and Agriculture Minister
El-Sayed El-Quseir attended the meeting with El-Sisi.
The presidential spokesman also said that the meeting
addressed a number of activities carried out by both the agriculture ministry
and the endowment ministry.
The meeting reviewed the status regarding organising
the overlap between the general authority for agrarian reform and the
endowments authority in terms of the agricultural plots, Radi noted.
The meeting also discussed the national project for
horizontal expansion of the agricultural areas nationwide, especially in
central and north Sinai, Toshka, Al-Hamam and west Minya.
The president urged for intensifying efforts to apply
the modern technology methods of agriculture and to expand the use of the
modern irrigation system nationwide.
El-Sisi also urged coordination between the ministries
of agriculture and irrigation to secure irrigation water. He highlighted the
importance of raising the efficiency of the wastewater treatment plants and the
canal networks as well as lining these canals nationwide.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/403979/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt%E2%80%99s-Sisi-urges-developing-programs-to-qualify-.aspx
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Egyptian court justifies Islamist travety: Al Sisi’s
statement to Macron
Dr. Ashraf Ramelah
Feb 14 , 2021
Nearly five years ago now, on Arutz Sheva, I wrote
about a courageous Coptic Christian woman and a brave Coptic Bishop who stood
with her and her son in the “Bedouin arbitration” court after she fell victim
to a heinous crime.* -
As justice is never served through the “Bedouin”
process of arbitration, shortly thereafter the woman and her son brought a
civil lawsuit against the perpetrators in the state court. This past December
2020, her case was lost in favor of Islamists. The religious deep state found
the offenders innocent, and the court set them free.
Al Karm is a small, miserable village in the Al Minya
Governorate, which is one of the poorest governorates in Egypt. In Al Karm
village, as in other parts of the country, Muslims and Christians live as
neighbors. The common denominator of its villagers is simplicity of life
penetrated with poverty and ignorance. Such conditions aid in the diffusion of Salafi
fundamentalists and Muslim Brotherhood influencers that are able to control
behavior and handle religious matters.
In July 2016, a rumor started everything. It
circulated that a relationship existed between a Christian man and Muslim woman
-- unacceptable to the Muslim community. Seeking reparations, a religious mob
struck back.
After the targeted man was seized by the radicals and
arrested by the police, his mother, a woman in her 70’s, was stripped, dragged
from her home and paraded through the village streets. As the mother of a
Coptic man who had been convicted in the court of public opinion for a
religious crime she paid a dear price.
During this humiliating and brutal exercise the mob
screamed Allah u Akbar signaling great satisfaction as if winning an Islamic
invasion (Gazwa). State authorities and Al Azhar Sunni Institute both turned a
blind eye. There were no statements of condemnation coming from either
direction.
During their press conference in France on Dec 6,
2020, the Egyptian president offered a morality lesson to Macron when a
journalist asked them each for his vision concerning religion and social
issues. Macron responded:
“The rank of religious values is much higher than
human value, it is the right of a person to embrace what he wants and reject
what he refuses, but it is important, as we express our opinion, that we do not
violate religious values, because religious values are much higher than human
value.”
The clash between the two leaders demonstrates the
hierarchy of values in the Arab-Muslim culture. Differing from the Western view
and dominating the Islamist mentality, the embracing of ideas, rejecting them
and expressing opinions remains confined to religion alone. Religious values,
if they contradict human rights, come before that which makes up human value --
life, liberty, free speech, free will, i.e. all human rights. In the West,
human rights (God given) stand above all else, and religious freedom is one of
those rights.
The battered and humiliated Coptic family was assaulted
due to an Islamic “insult” and under the auspices of "religious
values" was finally defeated in the pursuit of justice. This is how Al
Sisi’s “rank of religious values is much higher” comment actually plays out
over and over in horrible tragedies. Egypt’s society suffers at the hands of
Islamic religious values incongruent with human rights and ranked above them in
governing the country.
It is this basic concept that does anything but deter
Egypt’s internal divisions. It fosters all types of crimes against the
Christian minority. Islam’s rooted perception of values appears as the heavy
stumbling block to fairness and equality under the law. The president’s message
in the international arena discourages any potential for modification to
religious teachings, which could lead to gradual change in outlook and respect
for life and liberty.
Also, Al Sisi’s statement to Macron illustrates
Islam’s double standard. Al Sisi indicates that without violating religious
values one can “embrace what he wants and reject what he refuses…” and as well
express opinions. This implies that individuals with Islamic “religious values”
must embrace, reject and express only while adhering to approved doctrine, and
those outside of Islam must not embrace, refuse or express their truths at any
time because it is merely an exercise of intrinsic human value (rights).
As with the tragic incident of this family, the
tremendous danger in statutes and decisions coming from the “rank of religious
values,” in this religion, over human value lies in giving absolute immunity to
those believing in Islam. This carries in its essence an absolute threat to the
humanity of the country -- especially to those who do not embrace the
"religious values" of the ruling, majority religion.
The verdict from the Egyptian court is in keeping with
Islamic doctrine where it is permissible for a man to violate a woman’s body
and dignity. Al Sisi’s statement made it clear; religious values supersede
human value.
Dr. Ashraf Ramelah is the 2007 founder of Voice of the
Copts, dedicated to opposing the idea of Islamist supremacy and Sharia
throughout the Western world through education, advocacy and action. By drawing
attention to the suffering of Coptic Christians in Egypt, it endeavors to
educate the Western world as to the chilling effect of Sharia (Islamic law).
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/296784
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HSBC completes first Islamic trade facility in Menat
at $100m with QIB
14 Feb 2021
The Peninsula
Doha: HSBC Bank Middle East has completed its first
Islamic trade facility in the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (Menat)
region valued at $100m, in January 2021 with Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), Qatar’s
largest Islamic institution. The Financial Institutions Refinance trade
facility is a new addition to HSBC Bank Middle East’s Islamic product
suite.
“This is a first-of-its-kind transaction for HSBC Bank
Middle East within the Menat region and we are very proud that Qatar was the
first country where it was executed,” said Abdul Hakeem Mostafawi, CEO of HSBC
Qatar. “We are very optimistic about the different growth opportunities in
Qatar that is driven by the expansion in gas production, final preparations for
the FIFA 2022 World Cup and ongoing investment in infrastructure development.
This transaction signals a strong start to the year,” he added.
The fact that this transaction was first completed in
Qatar demonstrates that the country has a number of market leading
internationally recognised Islamic financial institutions with diversified
product sets and a high demand for Sharia compliant banking products.
Bassel Gamal, Group CEO of QIB, added: “We are very
proud that QIB is the first Bank in the region to complete an Islamic trade
facility with HSBC. The transaction has been executed efficiently, with the
highest professional standards. We look forward to further cooperation in the
future”.
Osama Ali, Head of Global Banking in Qatar, said:
“This transaction demonstrates our ability to identify and deliver unique
solutions to our clients, by utilising our extensive global network and
applying our broad knowledge of the market in Qatar.”
HSBC is able to offer a complete range of Islamic
financial products to its wholesale clients. In addition to being the top Sukuk
arranger globally, it provides its clients with Islamic financing, hedging and
bespoke solutions.
https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/14/02/2021/HSBC-completes-first-Islamic-trade-facility-in-Menat-at-$100m-with-QIB
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HSBC completes $100mn first Islamic trade facility in
MENAT with QIB
February 13 2021
Abdul Hakeem Mostafawi
HSBC Bank Middle East completed its first Islamic
trade facility in Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) valued at $100mn
in January with Qatar Islamic Bank, Qatar’s largest Islamic institution. The
Financial Institutions Refinance trade facility is a new addition to HSBC Bank
Middle East’s Islamic product suite.
“This is a first-of-its-kind transaction for HSBC Bank
Middle East within the MENAT region and we are very proud that Qatar was the
first country where it was executed,” said Abdul Hakeem Mostafawi, CEO, HSBC
Qatar.
“We are very optimistic about the different growth
opportunities in Qatar that is driven by the expansion in gas production, final
preparations for the FIFA 2022 World Cup and ongoing investment in
infrastructure development. This transaction signals a strong start to the
year.”
The fact that this transaction was first completed in
Qatar demonstrates that the country has a number of market leading
internationally recognised Islamic financial institutions with diversified
product sets and a high demand for Sharia compliant banking products.
Bassel Gamal, Group CEO, QIB stated: “We are very
proud that QIB is the first Bank in the region to complete an Islamic trade
facility with HSBC. The transaction has been executed efficiently, with the
highest professional standards. We look forward to further cooperation in the
future”.
Osama Ali, HSBC Head of Global Banking in Qatar said,
“This transaction demonstrates our ability to identify and deliver unique
solutions to our clients, by utilising our extensive global network and
applying our broad knowledge of the market in Qatar.”
HSBC is able to offer a complete range of Islamic
financial products to its wholesale clients. In addition to being the top Sukuk
arranger globally, it provides its clients with Islamic financing, hedging and
bespoke solutions.
https://www.gulf-times.com/story/684609/HSBC-completes-100mn-first-Islamic-trade-facility-
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Downsize or delay: Saudis weigh up wedding options
amid pandemic
HALA TASHKANDI
February 14, 2021
RIYADH: Life has changed dramatically since the
coronavirus pandemic hit Saudi Arabia.
Face masks and other personal protective equipment
have become commonplace, daily tasks such as grocery shopping have become more
hazardous, and terms like “social distancing” and “quarantine” have found their
way into everyday vocabulary.
But life has continued in one way or another and even
a global pandemic cannot stand in the way of true love because, despite the
obvious challenges presented by preventive measures, Saudi couples have beaten
the odds to find wedded bliss.
Jeddah-based wedding planner Rajaa Zagzoog said that
the number of weddings she organized during the pandemic did not decrease.
Instead, they went up.
“We actually had more weddings than we’re used to
normally,” she told Arab News. “Those who had decided to postpone their
weddings during lockdown approached us as soon as it was over to plan. Numbers
were especially high during the mid-year school vacation, we had back-to-back
weddings then.”
Zagzoog started planning home weddings as soon as the
first lockdown ended and when ballroom weddings with up to 50 guests were
allowed again, she started doing those too.
Home weddings were popular last year due to their
intimate nature along with the relative ease of planning and the safety of
conducting an event in one’s own space.
And, with wedding costs climbing and people’s finances
still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, some Saudi couples have taken
advantage of the situation to downsize their weddings and hold their
celebrations at home with fewer guests.
One such person is Layla M, who got married at home
last year with only her family and her husband’s family present, along with a
few of her closest friends.
“Nobody can guarantee what is going to happen
tomorrow, and never has that been truer than it is today,” she said. “If this
virus ends up killing us all, at least I can say I got to marry the love of my
life and spend a little time with him.”
“The numbers weren’t as low as you’d expect. They
depended on what we had planned for the wedding in the way of flowers and
decorations, the number of guests, and so on.”
Wedding costs in Saudi Arabia vary greatly, but
estimates from industry research company IBISWorld put Saudi Arabia’s wedding
sector at $550m (roughly SR2.06 billion).
Arabian Business puts the price tag of a Saudi wedding
at between $185,000 and $2 million, and reports that around $1 billion is spent
every year on wedding jewelry and bridal dresses in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf
Cooperation Council countries.
“Some home weddings we planned even surpassed the
costs of ballroom weddings,” added Zagzoog. “Even a home wedding can have a
high budget depending on the design.”
When it came to the challenges of planning a pandemic
wedding, she and her team were able to find ways to spruce up weddings and make
both the couple and guests feel special, while also incorporating the necessary
safety requirements into the wedding decor.
“We would write the bride and groom’s names on the
masks, for example, or offer masks that fit with the theme colors of the
wedding, or if the couple had a logo or a monogram, we would put those on the
masks, or on the bottles of sanitizer, or go with something floral, for example.”
All in all the pandemic had put the importance of
weddings into perspective for many of her clients, and she had noticed a
definite change in the way weddings were now viewed.
“Since the pandemic began, people have really started
looking at weddings differently. They’ve started focusing on the true reason
behind a wedding - to be happy. Getting to wear a nice dress, not needing to be
nervous all the time, just enjoying spending the day with family and loved
ones. It’s much more intimate and cozier and, in my opinion, much nicer than
before.”
But some Saudi brides are choosing to bide their time,
hoping to be able to have their dream weddings in peace once things are calm
again.
Raghad Abdulaziz, who is 23, got engaged just before
the lockdown began last March. She steadfastly refused to get married during
the pandemic, holding on to the hopes of having the elaborate and opulent
ceremony of her dreams.
“Like almost every other girl, I’ve been dreaming of
my wedding since I was just a kid,” she told Arab News. “I’ve had most of the
details worked out since I was a teenager. The color scheme, the style of my
dress, the wedding cake, everything. I’ve always wanted it to be a big affair.
I can’t let go of that dream.”
Abdulaziz said that, as an only child, she wanted to
give her mother the chance to celebrate her wedding properly as both mother and
daughter had their hearts set on a fabulous fete to send her off to her new
home in style.
“If the pandemic lasts for much longer, I will
probably concede at some point. But for now, both my mother, my fiance, and
myself are all in agreement to postpone for a little longer. I'm not in that
big of a rush, for now. As long as there's a chance to still have the wedding
of my dreams, I'm going to hold out for it.”
Marriage is a family affair and, in some families, is
it common to find the groom bearing the cost of the wedding, home and furniture
alongside the dowry and honeymoon. With the mandatory cut in the number of
wedding guests by authorities, a pandemic wedding is practically a steal for
some grooms.
Ahmed Abdulhamid, an engineer from Madinah and
soon-to-be groom, came to an agreement with his wife to give up on the prospect
of a large wedding in order to save for their dream honeymoon and home.
“It's an insult to the family if you can't pay for a
wedding, it's tradition and though it's an expensive one, it's still too much
of a burden on a lot of young grooms just starting to find a solid base in
their careers and to settle down,” he told Arab News. “My wife is brilliant
inside and out and my love for her grew more when we both stood our ground to
get married in a small intimate wedding and save on the cost. I want to give
her a dream honeymoon that she deserves and a home that we both want to build
together, and that is now closer to reality when I was able to save almost 80
percent of the cost. It's what we both want and we've never been happier.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1808811/saudi-arabia
-------
India
Lucknow's All India Shia Orphanage donates for
Ayodhya's Ram Temple
Abhishek Mishra
February 14, 2021
With over Rs 1,000 crore raised so far for the Ram
temple in Ayodhya, the crowdfunding drive has not only seen participation by
Hindu devotees, but by the Muslim community as well.
Over 80 orphans from the Sadatganj orphanage of the
All India Shia Orphanage in Lucknow and people from the minority community
donated more than Rs 1.5 lakh for the construction of the Ram temple. The
donations ranged from Rs 1,100 to Rs 10,100.
Muslim intellectuals said such an effort would send a
message of unity and brotherhood in the country. Speaking to India Today TV,
12-year-old Aarif said all religions are same. "No one has got a stamp of
any religion from God and we should come together to contribute for each
other's religious work," he said.
Over 80 orphans from the All India Shia Orphanage in
Lucknow and people from the minority community donated more than Rs 1.5 lakh
for the construction of the Ram temple (Source: India Today)
Speaking to India Today TV during the contribution
drive, former chairman of Shia Waqf Board Wasim Rizvi said "such a picture
will send a message of unity to those who work to divide people in the name of
religion". RSS executive member Dr Indresh Kumar said a new chapter of
mutual harmony would be written with the construction of the Ram temple.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust is
conducting a mass contact and contribution campaign from January 15 till
February 27 for the construction of the grand temple in Ayodhya.
"The accounts of the trust in three nationalised
banks show an amount of over Rs 1,000 crore. Nearly 1.50 lakh VHP activists are
collecting funds for the Ram temple. 37 activists have been deputed to deposit
the donations in the bank accounts," PTI quoted Shri Ram Janmabhoomi
Teerth Kshetra secretary Champat Rai as saying.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/all-india-shia-orphanage-muslim-community-donation-ayodhya-ram-temple-1769010-2021-02-14
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South Asia
Necessary Steps Have Already Been Taken To Amend The
Muslim Marriage Law – Sri Lankan Justice Minister
Sandasen MARASINGHE
13-02-2021
Necessary steps have already been taken to amend the
Muslim Marriage Law, Justice Minister Ali Sabry, PC stated in Parliament
yesterday (12).
Minister Sabry made this observation responding to a
question raised by MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera under Standing Order 2/27
in Parliament.
Minister Sabry said that the time has come to
introduce adjustments to the Muslim marriage rules and regulations and that
steps are being taken to that end.
Minister Sabry pointed out that proposals have been
submitted suggesting that the minimum age of marriage should be 18 and that
women should be allowed to act as Khati and that Muslim women should also sign
at the time of marriage. Accordingly, a special advisory committee has been
appointed to amend the Constitution based on the said proposals, Minister Sabry
added.
Minister Sabry also pointed out that the statement
made regarding the involuntary marriage of young children under Muslim law was
incorrect and that it is not done in practice. He furthered that following
discussions, it could be amended if necessary.
However, Minister Sabry pointed out that this should
not be turned into a slogan and should not be used to attack religious leaders.
He noted that the law should be enforced equally for all the citizens.
Minister Sabry also said that a number of rules and
regulations pertaining to personal law are being implemented and that they are
being implemented in foreign countries as well. He said that Muslim law alone
should not be abolished.
“Even in Saudi Arabia today, the age of marriage has
been amended to 18. Thus these laws should go through timely amendments,” Sabry
noted.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2021/02/13/local/241485/muslim-marriage-law-be-amended-%E2%80%93-justice-minister
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52% of Afghanistan is under the Taliban control:
Pajhwok
By Khaama Press
13 Feb 2021
Pajhwok Afghan News in a survey analysis found that at
least 52 percent of Afghanistan’s territory is controlled by the Taliban and 59
percent of the population lives under the Afghan government.
Pajhwok Afghan News indicated that the government
controls 46 percent of the territory, the survey is conducted between November
2020 and February 2021.
During the survey, 1,266 people were questioned
through interviews, questionnaires, telephonic conversations, and in each part
of the country, three people were given the papers to the questions.
According to the survey Taliban controls 337,000
square kilometers of Afghan land and about 297,000 square kilometers are under
government control. And 18,000 square meter is reported to have no influence
over by any of the parties.
The findings revealed that 27 districts are under
Taliban control while 64 other districts are fully controlled by the government
and the rest 297 districts are controlled by both of the parties.
A Taliban spokesman claimed that the group has control
over 70 percent of the country’s territories which was later rejected by the
National Security Advisor, Hamdullah Mohib at a weekly briefing on Saturday.
“The Taliban claims to have control over 70 percent of
the territory, but even today, they convene their meetings in Quetta (in
Pakistan) where they make plans on how to kill the people of Afghanistan and
destroy the gains that we have achieved and destroy our infrastructures,”
Tolonews quoted Mohib.
head of Pajhwok Afghan News Danish Karokhel told
media, “In 422 districts of which, 24
are temporary, we interviewed three people in each district to find out their
perspectives and find who controls or has an influence on how many swaths of
land,”
This comes as National security Adviser, Hamdullah
Mohib in a press briefing on Saturday said that the Taliban does not have the
authority for negotiations and the group so far have shown no interest in the
peace process and is seeking acquittance of complete power.
The afghan NSA iterated that the government is fully
prepared to give sacrifice for real peace in the country, he said the scale of
violence has doubled in the country, but the Taliban has refused the claims and
said they have not announced their so-called summer offensives.
Mohib said Taliban leaders want absolute power, and
that their supporters and want the destruction of Afghanistan, he added, that
Pakistan apparently supports peace but behind the scene, they are supporting
the violence by the extremist group in the country.Referring to Pakistan he
said, they have invited their [Taliban] commanders to their homes in Quetta, to
prepare for summer offensives.
Earlier, Second Vice President Sarwar Danish hinted
that US Special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad once had warned that if the government
does not release the remaining 400 notorious Taliban inmates, the security
situation in the country will worsen.
https://www.khaama.com/52-of-afghanistan-is-under-the-taliban-control-pajhwok-334433/
---------
Military General warns of ‘bloody spring’ ahead
By Khaama Press
13 Feb 2021
Senior Commander of 207th Zafar Corps in the western
zone of Afghanistan, warned that the Taliban are preparing for a “Major Attack”
in the upcoming spring.
Abdul Rauf Arghandiwal, 207th Zafar Corps’ commander,
said during the introductory ceremony of the new commander of the 1st Brigade
of the 207 Zafar Corps.
He indicated that we are waiting for a “bloody war”
and we must be “ready for it”.
The commander warned the Taliban to violence or face
the bloodiest spring ahead.
Referring to peace efforts, he said, the Taliban
offensives did not only decreased but escalated in Ghor, Farah, and some part
of Herat Province, he also added that 1200 Taliban were killed and 1600 were
wounded in the operations conducted by the Corps this year
On the other hand, 600 Taliban attacks were repelled,
Herat’s Governor, Sayed Abdul Wahid Qatali said.
According to Qatali, with the support of neighboring
countries ( not exactly mentioning which country) he said the Taliban are
destroying infrastructures, and spreads insecurity across the country.
https://www.khaama.com/military-general-warns-of-bloody-spring-445533/
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Europe
Imam urging worshippers to get vaccinated warns
against scapegoating Muslims when there's 'scepticism across the board'
ByRamazani Mwamba
13 FEB 2021
A local imam has warned about scapegoating the Muslim
community when talking about covid sceptics in BAME communities.
Imam Irfan Chishti MBE, who has been using Friday
prayers to raise coronavirus awareness and dispel myths around the vaccinations
has warned that there is 'scepticism across the board' and not just in the
Muslim community.
His comments come after experts and politicians warned
that people in high-risk minority ethnic groups must be prioritised for Covid
vaccines, amid growing concerns over vaccine scepticism.
Even in Greater Manchester new Covid-19 vaccination
centres, such as the one in Whalley Range , are seeing a low turnout for
residents eligible for the AstraZeneca jab.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage)
also raised concerns after research showed that up to 72% of black people said
they were unlikely or very unlikely to have the jab.
Imam Irfan Chishti MBE is the managing director of the
Chishtia Mosque in Rochdale. He has been working closely with the local health
authority to spread information about the vaccine and has released
informational videos on social media and on messaging apps like Whatsapp.
Irfan believes that vaccine scepticism is prevalent in
all communities and has stressed the importance of not scapegoating the Muslim
community when discussing the anti-vaxxers.
He told the M.E.N that he has been urging members of
the Muslims to abide by ‘Quranic principles’ when it comes to Covid and the
vaccine.
“The Muslim community gets scapegoated for a lot of
stuff, but the statistics are saying that there are some Muslim communities
that are disproportionately affected along with some black and Caribbean
communities.
“There’s a beautiful verse in the Quran that says when
you receive information you must verify it, and when it comes to any issue you
must ask the experts in that field.
“Those are two Quranic principles that I encourage
people to adhere to, not just with Covid, but also general principles that we
should always abide by.”
Last year the British Islamic Medical Association
(BIMA) released a statement recommending the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine to
eligible at-risk members of the Muslim community after rumour surfaced that the
vaccine was haram.
Gorton MP Afzal Khan has also been vocal about the
misinformation spread across Asian communities regarding the Covid and the
vaccine.
“The preservation of life is central to Islam. That’s
why mosques have an important part to play in the health of Britain's Muslims,
and throughout the pandemic they have been a lifeline for our
communities," he said.
"Now, mosques and religious leaders are working
hard to make sure communities get accurate information that will help to save
lives," the MP added.
“We know this vaccine is safe for everyone. It is so
important that we all get the vaccine to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
“I am deeply concerned about the impact disinformation
could have on the vaccination effort. I would urge everyone to be cautious
about believing what they read or see, and if in doubt check the NHS website.
“Last week, I came together with other MPs from across
Parliament with South Asian heritage to encourage communities to take up the
vaccine when it is their turn. You can watch the video here."
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/imam-urging-worshippers-vaccinated-warns-19815927
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Marine Le Pen Defends Muslims From Liberal Macron's
Interior Minister
by James Tweedie
13.02.2021
French President Emmanuel Macron has renewed his war
on "Islamist separatism" since the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty
on 16 October, cracking down on the independence of mosques. Now his Interior
Minister has even accused nationalist Marine Le Pen of going soft on Muslim
fundamentalists.
French Muslims have an unlikely new champion against
the liberal government — anti-immigration National Rally leader Marine Le Pen.
Le Pen, whose National Front party rebranded itself in
2018, stood up for Muslims' freedom of worship in a televised debate on
Thursday with Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
"In her attempts to rehabilitate [her party], Ms
Le Pen has gone a bit soft," Darmanin charged. "You need to take some
vitamins, you’re not tough enough here."
Le Pen replied: "I don’t intend to attack Islam,
which is a religion like any other. Because I am strongly attached to our
French values, I want to conserve total freedom of religion."
President Emmanuel Macron has redoubled his offensive
against what he calls "Islamist separatism" since the horrific murder
of Parisian teacher Samuel Paty in October 2020. Paty had used satirical
cartoons of Islam's prophet Mohammad in a class on freedom of expression,
including one showing him naked with his genitals exposed.
"You’re not even prepared to legislate on
religion, and you say that Islam is not even a problem. You’ve gone quite far,
it’s going to disappoint quite a lot of your voters I imagine," the
minister claimed. "Ms Le Pen says it’s not a problem with Islam, it’s a
problem with ideology. The Salafists, the Muslim Brotherhood."
In this 30 November 2006 file photo, unidentified
women are seen wearing niqabs during a demonstration outside the Dutch
parliament against a proposed ban on the burqa, in The Hague, Netherlands.
In 2010 France became one of the first of several
socially liberal western European nations — at the core of the European Union —
to legislate for a so-called Burqa Ban to prevent women from wearing the veil
in public.
Others to have passed a ban on Islamic dress include
Belgium in 2010, the Netherlands in 2012, Austria in 2017 and Denmark and
Luxembourg in 2018. In 2017 Germany banned face coverings for all armed forces
personnel, state employees and drivers. Of the more conservative east European
nations, by contrast, only Bulgaria and Estonia have imposed blanket bans on
face coverings.
https://sputniknews.com/europe/202102131082064520-marine-le-pen-defends-muslims-from-liberal-macrons-interior-minister/
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Victory anniversary of Islamic Revolution observed in
Spain
Feb 13, 2021
Journalist ID: 1114
London, Feb 13, IRNA – The 42nd victory anniversary of
the 1979 Islamic Revolution and Iran’s National Day was commemorated at a
ceremony in the Spanish capital on Saturday.
The ceremony was organized by Iran’s cultural attaché
in Madrid.
The ceremony involved different parts including the
inauguration of a virtual exhibition of Quranic arts, unveiling a book on the
Islamic Revolution, and playing music instruments.
A group of Iranians living in Spain, as well as
Spanish people interested in the Iranian culture took part in the
ceremony.
https://en.irna.ir/news/84227806/Victory-anniversary-of-Islamic-Revolution-observed-in-Spain
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Mideast
Manifestations of joy at al-Abbas holy shrine on birth
anniversaries of Imam al-Baqer & Imam al-Hadi
Source : Al-Kafeel News
February 14, 2021
Here is the month of Rajab has come, carrying with it
the anniversary of auspicious births of the Mohammadian moons, starting by the
birth anniversary of Imam Mohammad al-Baqer (peace be upon him), which will be
on tomorrow Sunday, and followed by the birth anniversary of his grandson Imam
Ali al-Hadi (peace be upon him) that is celebrated on the second of this blessed
month.
The manifestations of joy and happiness spread over
the al-Abbas’s (p) holy shrine, as banners on which expressions of loyalty to
those moons were written, were hung around the courtyard of Aba al-Fadl
al-Abbas (peace be upon him), and their walls and minarets were decorated with
colored lamps, in addition to roses that covered large parts of the Holy
Sanctuary.
As for outside the holy shrine of Master Aba al-Fadl
al-Abbas (peace be upon him), celebration decorations were spread through the
square between the Two Holy Shrines, up to the shrine of the master of the
Youth of Paradise; Aba Abdillah al-Hussayn (peace be upon him).
On the other hand, the al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine
prepared a festive program to revive these auspicious anniversaries, in the
forefront of which is the holding of the Imam al-Baqer (peace be upon him)
conference in its seventh edition.
https://en.abna24.com/news//manifestations-of-joy-at-al-abbas-holy-shrine-on-birth-anniversaries-of-imam-al-baqer-imam-al-hadi_1115088.html
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Islamic Jihad to boycott Palestinian vote
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
FEBRUARY 14, 2021
The Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
organization announced at the weekend that it will boycott the upcoming
Palestinian parliamentary election because the vote is being held under the
umbrella of the Oslo Accords.
PIJ, which has boycotted all previous Palestinian
presidential and parliamentary elections, is the second largest terror group in
the Gaza Strip after Hamas.
Both PIJ and Hamas reject the Oslo Accords signed
between the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Israel and call for
replacing Israel with an Islamic Palestinian state.
In 1996, Hamas boycotted the first Palestinian general
elections, also on the pretext that they were being held as part of the Oslo
Accords.
Ten years later, however, Hamas participated in the
election for parliament, the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), though it
did not change its position regarding the Oslo Accords.
Hamas has announced that it will participate in the
election for the PLC on May 22 and the PLO’s Palestinian National Council (PNC)
on August 31. The presidential election is scheduled to take place on July 31.
Palestinian sources said that PIJ’s decision to
boycott the parliamentary election, which did not come as a surprise, was taken
in coordination with Iran.
The sources pointed out that leaders of PIJ recently
met in Moscow with the Iranian ambassador to Russia and discussed with him
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to hold general
elections.
The decision to boycott the election was announced
shortly after PIJ leaders attended a meeting of Palestinian factions in Egypt
to discuss preparations for the vote.
A statement issued by the factions after the two-day
meeting said that they all agreed on “mechanisms” for holding the elections.
The talks in Cairo were held under the auspices of Egypt’s General Intelligence
Service.
Sheikh Nafeth Azzam, member of the PIJ political
bureau, said that his organization decided to boycott the election, because
they will be “part of the current political system.” PIJ won’t be participating
in the election because it rejected the Oslo Accords, he added.
Explaining its decision to boycott the vote, PIJ said
it believes that “the correct approach to national unity is to agree on a
political program that strengthens the steadfastness of the Palestinian people
and protects its resistance.”
PIJ expressed hope that the election for the PNC (the
PLO’s legislative body) would pave the way for the “reconstruction” of the PLO.
The Palestinian factions are expected to hold another
meeting in Cairo next month to discuss preparations for the PNC election.
Established in 1964, the PNC is often described as the
Palestinian parliament-in-exile because it represents Palestinians inside and
outside the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Fatah leaders were scheduled to hold a
meeting in Ramallah late Saturday to discuss the latest developments concerning
the elections. Fatah’s leaders were set to discuss the internal situation of
the faction and the mechanism for choosing its candidates, said Fatah Central
Committee Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub.
Rajoub, who headed the Fatah delegation to the Cairo
talks, said that the Palestinian factions agreed on a “political map” for
holding the elections.
Rajoub said the parliamentary election would be
followed by the formation of a new Palestinian government whose main task would
be to heal the rift between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/islamic-jihad-to-boycott-palestinian-vote-658841
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Explosion hits Iran-Afghanistan border
Feb 13, 2021
MEHR NEWS AGENCY
According to initial reports, several trucks have been
engulfed in flames after a gas tanker exploded Saturday noon.
Afghan media cited Waheed Qatali, governor of the
western province of Herat, as saying that Iranian authorities had been asked
for urgent assistance to contain the blaze.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that around 300 trucks
have been engulfed in the fire and the number of fatalities could rise to at
least 50.
According to Afghan officials, the explosion has cut
Iran’s electricity export to Herat province.
Iran has dispatched firefighting and military forces
to the explosion-hit area.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/169889/Explosion-hits-Iran-Afghanistan-border-VIDEO
---------
North America
Osama Bin Laden’s Suspected Bodyguard Dies
13 February, 2021
Asharq Al-Awsat
He was taken to the prison at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba
on the day it opened as a suspected bodyguard of bin Laden and was then
released by the Obama administration as too impaired to pose a threat to the
US.
Christopher Curran, a lawyer who represents Sudanese
interests in Washington, said he succumbed “to medical complications he had
from Guantánamo.”
The New York Times revealed that the exact cause was
not immediately known, but Idris had been a sickly shut-in at his mother’s home
in his native country, in Port Sudan, according to another former Sudanese
prisoner, Sami al-Haj, who asserted that Idris had been tortured at Guantanamo,
at the US naval base there.
Idris was captured in Pakistan fleeing the Battle of
Tora Bora in December 2001, three months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror
attacks.
He was initially thought to be part of bin Laden’s
security detail, according to a leaked US military intelligence profile from
2008. He was never charged with a crime, and he denied the allegation.
He was among 20 prisoners taken to Guantánamo on Jan.
11, 2002, the day the Pentagon opened its crude, open-air prison called Camp
X-Ray as a detention and interrogation compound for “enemy combatants”.
A widely viewed Navy photograph from that day shows
the men on their knees in orange jumpsuits, shackled at the wrists and
blindfolded inside a barbed-wire pen.
Military medical records showed that Idris spent long
stretches in the prison’s “behavioral health unit”, where an Army psychiatrist
concluded that he had schizophrenia. He also developed diabetes and high blood
pressure at the prison.
He was repatriated on Dec. 18, 2013, in a rare
instance of the government’s choosing not to oppose a petition in federal court
for the release of a Guantánamo prisoner.
His habeas corpus petition invoked domestic and
international law, noting that “if a detainee is so ill that he cannot return
to the battlefield, he should be repatriated.”
“Given how ill he was, it was clear that at home with
his family was where he would receive the best care,” Ian C. Moss, a former
State Department diplomat who arranged for Idris’s transfer, said on Wednesday.
At the time, Sudan was still on the State Sponsor of
Terrorism list. But because a federal court ordered his release, he could be
returned.
https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2802621/osama-bin-laden%E2%80%99s-suspected-bodyguard-dies
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US announces exclusion of Yemen's Ansar Allah from
list of terrorist organizations
Source : Yemen Press
February 13, 2021
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the
exclusion of Yemen's Ansar Allah from the list of foreign terrorist
organizations, effective February 16.
Blinken said in a statement issued by the Foreign
Ministry: “Starting from February 16, the classification of” Ansar Allah “,
sometimes called Houthis, is withdrawn from the list of foreign terrorist
organizations.
He explained that the decision was based on “the
catastrophic humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
In a statement, he added: The United States will
“closely monitor” the activities of the Houthis, and are working to “define”
new targets for the sanctions, especially for those responsible for attacks on
commercial shipping in the Red Sea and for missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, as
he put it.
https://en.abna24.com/news//us-announces-exclusion-of-yemens-ansar-allah-from-list-of-terrorist-organizations_1114799.html
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Biden press aide out of a job after threatening White
House journalist
Feb 14, 2021
Alexandra Alvaro
White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo has
resigned a day after being suspended for issuing a sexist and profane threat to
a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter.
Ducklo had been put on a week-long suspension without
pay on Friday after a report surfaced in Vanity Fair outlining his sexist
threats against a female Politico journalist to try to suppress a story about
his relationship, telling her: “I will destroy you.”
The journalist had been seeking to report on his
relationship with a political reporter at Axios who had previously covered the
Biden campaign and transition.
In a statement on Saturday, Ducklo said he was
“devastated to have embarrassed and disappointed my White House colleagues and
President Biden”.
Before Politico broke the story, People magazine published
a glowing profile of the relationship. It was the first time either one had
publicly acknowledged they were dating.
It’s the first scandal and the departure from the new
administration, less than a month into President Joe Biden’s tenure, and it comes
as the White House was facing criticism for not living up to standards set by
Biden himself in the decision to retain Ducklo.
During a virtual swearing-in for staff on Inauguration
Day, Biden said “if you ever work with me and I hear you treat another colleague
with disrespect, talk down to someone, I will fire you on the spot”.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/us-news/2021/02/14/first-white-house-sacking/
-------
Pakistan
PTI MPs’ video probe to focus on beneficiaries
Amir Wasim
February 14, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The three-member ministerial committee
constituted by Prime Minister Imran Khan to probe the leaked video showing then
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly members allegedly receiving money to sell their
votes during the 2018 Senate elections has vowed to find out the
“beneficiaries” of the purchased votes and suggest criminal action against
those involved in the scam.
Talking to Dawn after attending the first meeting of
the committee here on Saturday, federal Minister for Science and Technology
Fawad Chaudhry said the committee wanted to ascertain two things — who provided
those funds and who were the beneficiaries in the 2018 Senate polls.
The minister said the committee wanted to submit a
comprehensive report to the PM containing suggestions to remove the “menace of
corruption” from the Senate poll process and ascertaining as to what criminal
action should be taken against those seen in the video and involved in the
scam.
The minister had earlier said the committee could seek
the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and police assistance to find out buyers
and sellers of votes.
Besides Mr Chaudhry, the committee comprises federal
Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari and Adviser to the PM on
Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar.
According to a brief handout issued by the Press
Information Department (PID), the committee has also decided to invite the
journalist who had “actually released” the video and “exposed the scam”.
Sources said the committee was informed the leaked video was first run by senior
TV anchor Arshad Sharif of ARY News, from where it was picked up by other TV
channels and the social media team of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
The committee has also sought help and input from any
other person having firsthand knowledge or information about the scam, asking
them “to share it with the committee either in writing or in person”.
The PID handout said the committee recognised the
undermining of democracy by vote purchasing, especially in Senate elections
which had been regularly subjected to this malpractice.
The committee members decided to make the office of
the human rights minister as secretariat of the committee and decided the
procedure to be followed.
The video of PTI lawmakers allegedly receiving bribes
before the Senate elections in 2018 had surfaced on the social media amid the
ongoing debate in the country on the issue of open and identifiable ballots in
the Senate elections, scheduled to be held on March 3.
In the video, stacks of currency notes, can be seen
piled up on a table in front of PTI MPAs. Following the release of the video,
KP Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights Sultan Mohammad
Khan, one of the characters in the video, sent his resignation to Chief
Minister Mahmood Khan as he was asked to do so.
Soon after the release of the video, Mr Khan tweeted:
“The videos showing the shameful way in which politicians buy & sell votes
in Senate reflects the total destruction of the nation’s morality by successive
ruling elites as they drowned the nation in debt. Cycle of corruption &
money laundering is a sordid tale of our political elite.”
In another tweet, the PM said: “They spend money to
come to power and then use this political power to make money to purchase
bureaucrats, media and other decision-makers to consolidate their power and rob
nation’s wealth — money laundering it into offshore assets/foreign
assets/palatial residences abroad.”
“This is what the PDM cabal wants to protect by
supporting a corruption-friendly system. We are determined to stop this cycle
of corruption and money laundering that is debilitating the nation,” wrote the
PM.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1607232/pti-mps-video-probe-to-focus-on-beneficiaries
--------
Punjab governor accords approval to ‘illegal’ sub-campus
Imran Gabol
February 13, 2021
LAHORE: Ignoring the advice of the Higher Education
Department, official accreditation committee and the law department,
Governor/Chancellor Chaudhry Sarwar has given approval ‘in principle’ to an
illegal sub-campus of a Lahore-based private university in Pakpattan.
The issue of illegal sub-campuses of private sector
universities in Punjab has been lingering on for a long time after the HED
declared 23 sub-campuses of six private universities as illegal on January 10,
2020 and asked their managements to stop further intake of students and also
shift the enrolled students to the main campuses to complete their degrees.
Earlier, on Dec 23, 2019, the chancellor had ordered
an inspection/ inquiry into the affairs of the University of Lahore (UoL) on
account of its unauthorized sub-campuses at Gujrat, Pakpattan and Islamabad
under section 7 (1) of the University of Lahore Ordinance 2002.
The HED had also constituted a five-member committee
to ascertain whether the Ibadat Trust (the sponsoring body) of the UoL was
functioning in line with aims and objectives stated in the trust deed and to
conduct forensic audit of the trust.
When the private universities strongly opposed the HED
move of declaring 23 sub-campuses illegal, the government constituted a
six-member committee to re-inspect these sub-campuses under the ToRs of
conducting forensic audit.
Rejecting the forensic audit, the private universities
formed an association and held a meeting with the chancellor, who stopped the
six-member committee from proceeding ahead and rather constituted a new
eleven-member committee, involving the PHEC to soften the terms of reference
(ToRs) to conduct inspection of the 23 sub-campuses.
The committee was mandated to conduct inspection of
sub-campuses of Hajvery University, Qarshi University, University of Central
Punjab (UCP), National College of Business Administration and Economics
(NCBA&E), University of Lahore and Superior College in the light of
criteria and guidelines notified by the provincial government vide a
notification No SO (Univ) 5-6/2004 dated 20.09.2006.
In its report, the 11-member committee headed by
Quaid-i-Azam University VC Prof Dr Muhammad Ali Shah recommended grant of
approval to the UoL sub-campus in Pakpattan but did not attach any supporting
document to substantiate any claims made or information provided by the UoL.
The committee declared the sub-campuses of rest of the
five universities as illegal on the ground of not having purchased land and
faculty shortage. However, it treated the case of UoL’s Pakpattan sub-campus
differently despite the fact that it has been established on leased land and
there is shortage of faculty as well. The case of UoL’s Gujrat sub-campus was
also rejected on same grounds.
In the light of the inspection committee report, the
chancellor again issued directions to the HED to implement the recommendations
in consultation with the PHEC.
The HED referred the report to the PHEC with a
reminder that the chief minister had already endorsed the view of the
accreditation committee that a society or trust applying for a university
campus must own in its name at least 10 acres of land and minimum tangible
assets of Rs 100 million. The land obtained on lease might not be relevant for
the purpose.
Documents reveal that during consultation at the PHEC,
there was a clear divide among its members on the implementation of inspection
committee recommendations. Five members opposed the recommendations while as
many endorsed them. The 11th member (from the HED) stayed away from voting
since the HED was the implementing body.
Dr M Khaleeq, former GCU VC, attended the PHEC meeting
on 23.10.2020 though his term of appointment had already expired on 18.10.2020.
Accreditation Committee Chairman Prof Dr. Khalid Aftab also submitted his
dissenting note.
Giving its observation on the PHEC summary, the HED
observed that “One of the major reasons due to which the Gujrat sub-campus of
UoL does not qualify to be a legally valid sub-campus, is the fact that
infrastructure/ purpose-built campus has been constructed on leased land rather
than on purchased land. Regarding the Pakpattan sub-campus of UoL, it was
observed that there is deficiency of faculty as per notified criteria issued
with the approval of the provincial cabinet. Secondly, it remains unclear
whether a purpose-built campus is built on the owned land or leased land”.
It further observed that the “government can only
process the case for opening of a sub-campus if all the requirements of the
notified criteria of 2006 are fulfilled. The inspection committee’s report is
self-contradictory as Gujrat and Pakpattan campuses have been treated
differently while both are on leased land.”
On the constitution of inspection committee by the
governor/chancellor, the law department stated that the governor/chancellor is
bound by the advice of the chief minister which was not obtained while
constituting the new inquiry committee (the earlier inquiry committee
constituted on the advice of CM was superseded by Mr Sarwar). It further said
that any decision on the issue is also subject to the advice of the chief
minister.
However, the chancellor ignored the observations of
the HED and advice of the Law Department and during the pendency of the
summary, acted in contravention to the prescribed rules and granted approval
‘in principle’ to the UoL’s Pakpattan campus directly from his own office.
A senior officer told Dawn that approval ‘in
principle’ cannot be construed as ‘final approval’ until all legal requirements
are met and no admission can be announced in such a sub-campus till the formal
notification of ‘final approval’.
HED Secretary Nadeem Mehboob told Dawn the department
had moved a summary on the matter of ‘in principle approval’ to the Chief
Minister Office and response was awaited.
The Governor House spokesperson said the approval of
the sub-campus charter was granted on the recommendation of the committee
formed to inspect the sub-campuses.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1607037/punjab-governor-accords-approval-to-illegal-sub-campus
-------
Africa
Nigerian soldiers kill two top Boko Haram commanders –
Official
ByAgency Report
February 14, 2021
Nigerian Army Headquarters says the troops of
Operation Tura Takaibango on Tuesday eliminated two most wanted Boko Haram
terrorist leaders, Abul-Bas and Ibn Habib in an encounter at Pulka axis of
Borno.
Mr Yerima said the renewed offensive operations by troops
under the theatre command, Operation Lafiya Dole, had continued to inflict
heavy casualty on the Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province
(ISWAP) terrorists in the North East.
He said the troops of 121 and 151 Battalions, on
Tuesday, laid ambush at the terrorists’ crossing point between Vuria and Guja
settlements along road Banki Junction – Pulka axis.
According to him, the troops also recovered three
GPMG, seven AK47 rifles, a belt of ammunition containing 446 rounds of 7.62mm,
one Boxer motorcycle and one ITEL 2160 mobile phone among others.
“Abul-Bas was a top commander second to Abu Fatima,
while Ibn Habib was the BHT Commander in charge of Njimia and Parisu camps in
the Sambisa Forest,” he said.
The spokesperson said the elimination of Abul-Bas and
Ibn Habib by the gallant troops had inflicted a big blow on the operations of
the terrorists and further boosted the morale of the troops of Operation Tura
Takaibango.
“The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim
Attahiru, has commended the troops for this feat and other successes being
recorded in the Theatre.
“He further charged them to intensify the aggressive
clearance operation in order to clear the Sambisa Forest and environs of all
remnant terrorists and their collaborators,” he said.https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/442732-nigerian-soldiers-kill-two-top-boko-haram-commanders-official.html
--------
Nobody Can Force Us Out Of South-West, Miyetti Allah
Says
BY SAHARAREPORTERS
FEB 14, 2021
Fulani herdsmen under the aegis of Miyetti Allah
Kautal Hore have vowed to resist any eviction from the South-West, citing their
rights as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution to live wherever they desire.
Miyetti Allah also vowed to avenge the alleged attacks
on and loss of herdsmen and their cattle, saying it would never tolerate any
act of injustice on herders.
The National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore,
Mr Alhassan Saleh, stated these in an interview with Sunday PUNCH against a
backdrop of the eviction notices issued to criminal herdsmen by some South-West
groups and personalities.
Saleh said it was wrong to drive herders out of any
part of Nigeria and that even if there were criminals among them, it was the
function of the government's security forces to identify and arrest them.
He said the eviction of herdsmen from the southern
region of the country was a dangerous precedent and that the best way to solve
the herders-farmers crisis was for state governments to provide ranches and
grazing routes for the herders and their animals.
In January, the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu,
asked all Fulani herdsmen to vacate the forest reserves in the state. He later
issued a seven-day ultimatum to the effect.
The governor gave the order at a meeting with leaders
of the Hausa/Fulani and Ebira communities in the state, saying the herdsmen's
activities had long been causing a threat to security in the state.
Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore National Secretary, Saleh,
said no group could evict the herders, vowing to resist any eviction from the
South-West.
He said, "Nobody has the right (to evict
herdsmen). If you say you are going to evict us, we will resist eviction. We
have been surviving in harsh environments; if we do not resist, we will be
wiped out of the planet. If you kill a herder, don't go and sleep, we will
revisit you, and it's not because we hate your tribe. People attack herders,
and in one way or the other, herders have found a way to retaliate."
Also, Saleh said nobody could bar foreign herdsmen
from entering Nigeria, saying most of the herders entering to the country once
settled in Nigeria but relocated to other neighbouring countries like Ghana and
Benin republics.
He said, "All those who travelled to the Benin
Republic and others are coming back home. All those saying they will bar
foreign herders from entering Nigeria are just playing to the gallery because
if they know the ECOWAS Protocols, they would know they cannot chase them away.
That is why the position of the Bauchi State Governor [Bala Mohammed] is the
true position. You have no right to evict anybody from any part of the country.
"Our number has increased recently because of the
tension in Ghana and Benin republics. The Benin Republic ones have integrated
with the Yoruba in such a way that they speak the language. They were initially
living in the South-West, and they are coming back," he added.
He said, "They expected a reaction from us, maybe
by way of attacking other ethnic nationalities. But that is wrong because the
herders they are attacking are the innocent herders. Are the criminals
representing anybody? They are doing their criminal enterprise. Our pain is
that the people who are supposed to know are pretending as if they don't
know."
Saleh also asked governors to provide land for
ranching for the herders as a solution to the ongoing crisis, adding that
herders' eviction would only lead to wider consequences.
Similarly, Miyetti Allah's leaders in some states in
the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones have said they are not ready
to leave the regions anytime soon.
On Friday, the Northern Elders Forum called on
herdsmen feeling unsafe in the southern region of the country to relocate to
the North.
http://saharareporters.com/2021/02/14/nobody-can-force-us-out-south-west-miyetti-allah-says
--------
Miyetti Allah lists conditions to stop clashes between
farmers, herders
February 13, 2021
By Nwanosike Onu, Awka
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of
Nigeria MACBAN, in the Southeast, says it will support any policy by the
government that seeks to stop the clashes between host communities and the
herdsmen.
He said the association in the southeast zone was in
support of any government policy that would put to an end, the continued
clashes between Fulani herders and farmers in the country. So long the policy
would be of benefit to both parties.
According to Siddiki, “the governor’s position is a
welcome development, but for the policy to work as expected, the following
provisions must be in place for peace and equity.
“They are training and re-training of Fulani herdsmen
on Mechanized Grazing, provision of land for Ranching in the 36 states of the
federation and the FCT and a continue Town Hall Meetings between Government,
Farmers and the Herders in the affected areas.
“I believe with all these, it will bring to an end,
the lingering crisis between the farmers and herder in the country, Siddiki
added.
The group maintains that the majority of its members
have no idea of mechanized grazing while calling on the government to organize
training on that for the cattle breeders.
Speaking with reporters Saturday in Awka, Anambra
State, the Chairman of the Association in the Southeast, Alhaji Gidado Sidikki,
said about 89 percent of herders had no such knowledge.
“The government should train us so that we can plan
with the modern system of animal husbandry because the majority of us have no
knowledge of Mechanized Farming”
Miyetti Allah leader was reacting to the decision of
the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), on the need for the country to transit into
modern systems of animal husbandry that would replace open, night and underage
grazing across the country.
He disclosed that the association in the southeast
zone was in support of any government policy that would put to an end, the
continued clashes between Fulani herders and farmers in the country. So long
the policy would be of benefit to both parties.
Sidikki, therefore urged farmers and host communities
where his people were residing to always report any disagreement to the
security or other relevant authorities for prompt action to avoid the
destruction of lives and property.
https://thenationonlineng.net/miyetti-allah-lists-conditions-to-stop-clashes-between-farmers-herders/
-------
Islamists threaten to kill another teacher
February 12, 2021
REMIX NEWS
French authorities provided police protection to
teacher Didier Lemaire, who received several anonymous death threats after
warning against the spread of radical Islam in the country.
Lemaire will now have to live under the same police
protection as top constitutional officials, according to Interior Minister
Gérald Darmanin, AP reported. Police were already providing unspecified protection
to the philosophy teacher, but Darmanin said the authorities had raised it to
the highest possible protection, which includes a driver and an additional
bodyguard. The minister did not say whether the teacher had accepted the offer.
Lemaire lectures on philosophy at the University of
Trappes, located in a suburb of Paris. The threats began, according to Lemaire,
after he published a text last autumn in which he publicly criticized the state
for not doing enough to protect Samuel Paty, the middle-school teacher who was
beheaded by an Islamist terrorist.
In October, an 18-year-old Chechen immigrant murdered
Samuel Paty in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, near Paris. The assailant waited for
Paty in front of the school and cut his head off with a knife, allegedly for
showing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad from the Charlie Hebdo magazine as
part of a classroom discussion on freedom of speech. Police pursued and shot
the perpetrator, who did not know his victim, shortly after the crime.
A few weeks after Paty's murder, in an article
published on Le Point, Lemaire criticized French authorities for
underestimating the threat and failing to provide protection. Prior to his
murder, Paty had faced harsh criticism on social media.
The philosophy teacher now lives under police
protection. "Following his wishes, the local authorities, in cooperation
with the police, will provide him with such conditions that he can continue
working," the regional school board said in a statement.
Paty's murder quickly became a national story,
prompting demonstrations across France in support of freedom of speech. Paty's
memory was also honored by President Emmanuel Macron, who defended the right to
print cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The Macron administration has since
banned several organizations considered Islamist and has proposed legislation
banning, among other things, the financing of Islamic organizations from
abroad.
https://rmx.news/article/article/islamists-threaten-to-kill-another-teacher
--------
Southeast Asia
Event organiser takes blame for photo of Annuar Musa
in apparent MCO SOP breach
BY JUSTIN ONG
14 Feb 2021
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — A non-governmental organisation
has apologised to Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa over an
event in which he dined at a table with six others in breach of the movement
control order’s (MCO) regulations.
According to the Malaysiakini news portal, the Kelab
Pencinta Alam Kolam Takungan Banjir Sungai Midah accepted blame for the
incident during Annuar’s visit to a community centre project in the Cheras
township.
“I, on behalf of the community here, apologise to Tan
Sri (Annuar) and all Malaysians. We admit this was our shortcoming.
“When Tan Sri came, we invited him to drink at a hut
in our communal farm, but that was only for a brief moment.
“Tan Sri already felt (the photograph) would be shared
widely; that was why he moved on quickly,” the group’s chairman, Zainuddin
Amran, was quoted as saying.
Under the current standard operating procedures for
the MCO, only two people are allowed to share a table for meals.
Yesterday, Annuar was accused of again violating the
SOPs after the photograph of him dining at a table with six others was posted
online.
At the time, the minister asserted that he did not
stay at the table as he was aware the arrangement violated the SOPs.
This morning, Umno leader Datuk Puad Zarkashi
dismissed Annuar’s explanation as another excuse similar to when the latter was
photographed exercising outdoors with two acquaintances, again in apparent
violation of the SOPs.
When the exercise photograph was taken, the SOPs only
allowed outdoor exercise among members of the same household.
The incidents coincide with growing discontentment
among Malaysians over the apparent bias in the enforcement of the rules
governing the MCO.
Such views have forced government leaders including
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to repeatedly pledge that there would
be no double standard in the enforcement of the rules to curb the spread of
Covid-19.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/02/14/event-organiser-takes-blame-for-photo-of-annuar-musa-in-apparent-mco-sop-br/1949645
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KL traffic personnel being investigated over claims of
sexual harassment
13 Feb 2021
by Farhan Najib
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 — An investigation is being
carried out into the alleged sexual harassment of a woman by police personnel
during a roadblock at Jalan Duta, here.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Saiful Azly Kamaruddin
said the department had opened an investigation paper based on the woman’s
claim which had gone viral on social media today.
“The investigation is underway involving a member from
the Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT),” he
said when contacted.
Earlier, Bukit Aman Integrity and Standards Compliance
Department (JIPS) director Datuk Zamri Yahya confirmed that the police had
received a report over the matter.
A woman claimed on Twitter today she was pulled over
at a roadblock along Jalan Duta and sexually harassed by the police personnel
on duty.
Meanwhile, Brickfields District Police chief ACP Anuar
Omar said the incident occurred when the complainant, a 23-year-old woman, was
stopped by a policeman while passing through the roadblock at about 7.30 pm
yesterday, before being asked to produce her driving licence.
“The complainant claimed that she was approached by a
policeman who asked her to reveal her breasts, and threatened to issue a
summons if the complainant refused.
“The complainant was also asked by the policeman to
provide her phone number before being allowed to leave once her identity card
had been verified,” he said in a statement today.
Meanwhile, Anuar advised the public not to make any
speculations that could interfere with the police investigation.
He said members of the public with any information
regarding the incident may contact the Brickfields Police Hotline at 03-2297
9222; Kuala Lumpur Police Hotline at 03-2115 9999 or head over to any nearby
police station.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/02/13/kl-traffic-personnel-being-investigated-over-claims-of-sexual-harassment/1949528
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