New Age Islam News Bureau
12 October 2023
The Krishna
Janmasthan temple and Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura
-----
India
·
Karnataka:
Authorities Urged To Allow Muslims To Do Business On Temple Premises
·
Palestine
march: Uttar Pradesh police book four students of Aligarh Muslim University
·
Gaza
crisis rattles India’s poll-bound states, law enforcement on high alert
---------
North America
·
CAIR
Issues Guidance for Students Targeted Due to Islamophobia, Palestine Rights
Advocacy
·
CAIR-NJ, NJ
Mosques and Partners Publish Open Letter Urging New Jersey Elected Officials to
Act on Palestine and Address Root Cause of Violence
·
White
House Backtracks On Biden's 'Beheaded Babies' Claim
·
How a US
‘peace plan’ brought war to Israel’s doorstep
·
Muslim Groups
That Advised The Biden Admin On Fighting ‘Hate’ Now Blaming Israel For Hamas
Attacks
·
Mayor of
America’s First Muslim Majority City Council Declares ‘No Peace’ With Israel
·
Blinken
visits Israel to stress US support for war on Hamas
·
Donald
Trump attacks President Biden on foreign policy as Israel-Hamas war rages
·
Trump
Faults Israeli PM Netanyahu For Not Being ‘Prepared,’ Says He Once Let U.S.
Down Amid Conflict With Hamas
--------
Mideast
·
Israeli
Army Denies Having Confirmation Of Widely Circulated Claim That Hamas Beheaded
Babies
·
No Order
To Yield Results Without Palestinian Rights: Iranian President
·
Gaza faces
catastrophic situation with dwindling food, water supplies
·
Over
338,000 Palestinians displaced in Gaza: UN agency
·
Israel
cutting off Gaza’s water, electricity amounts to collective punishment,
systematic war crime: FM Amir-Abdollahian
·
Israel
targets elite Hamas unit in Gaza strikes as Blinken heads to region
·
Iran,
Syria presidents call for unity on Palestinian support
-------
Arab World
·
Saudi Crown
Prince, Iranian President Discuss Military Escalation In Gaza
·
Saudi
crown prince, French president discuss Gaza situation
·
Saudi
crown prince, Turkish president discuss military escalation in Gaza
·
Saudi
Arabia to Host Ninth Conference of Environment Ministers in The Islamic World
in Jeddah
·
Iraq is
guest of honour at ‘Made in Saudi’ expo
------
Europe
·
Iraqi PM
Asks Putin To Help Resolve Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
·
EU Asks
Musk To Censor Info Not Conforming To Western Narrative Over Israel’s War In
Gaza
·
Support
not ‘indefinite,’ White House tells Ukraine
·
Vladimir
Putin reveals Russian position on Israeli-Palestinian conflict
--------
Pakistan
·
Cabinet
Condemns Israeli Bombardment Of Gaza
·
2016
Pathankot Attack Mastermind Shahid Latif Killed In Pakistan Mosque
·
Two More Afghan
Settlements Bulldozed In Islamabad
·
Three die
in targeted attack on Daska mosque
·
Pakistan
demands immediate stop of bombardment in Gaza
·
Paragon
Housing Society: NAB finds Khawaja brothers innocent in case
-------
South Asia
·
11 Cases
Against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia: Charge Framing Hearing On November 13
·
Dy FM Of
Taliban Accuses Pakistan Of Employing Political Pressure By Deporting Afghan
Refugees
·
Iran
Reaches Agreements With Afghanistan in Trade Development
·
Taliban
blocks Pakistani Medical Plane’s aid to Herat earthquake victims
·
Latest
Earthquake in Herat Severely Damaged More Than 20 Villages
·
Kazakh
Diplomat Arrives in Herat with Aid Shipment for Earthquake Survivors
·
Man
arrested for raping 7-yr-old girl in Dhaka
--------
Southeast Asia
·
PM Anwar Says
Unity Govt Still Willing To Talk With PAS, But Warns Against Religious Zealotry
·
Grab
Singapore suspends driver who allegedly made racist comments to passenger,
asked him to ‘get out’ of car
·
Zambry
urges any Malaysians in or around Gaza to contact Wisma Putra
·
Two dead,
six injured as car carrying illegal migrants crashes in Hungary
·
2
enforcement officers among 3 arrested for allegedly soliciting RM1,500 bribe
--------
Africa
·
Kenyan
Publisher Withdraws Controversial School Book Depicting Prophet Muhammad
·
Hundreds Of
South Africans Show Solidarity For Palestinians
·
Nigeria
halts all Christian pilgrimages to Israel
·
Israel-Hamas
war: Nigeria repatriates 310 pilgrims to Jerusalem
·
Nigerian
govt declares commitment to press freedom
·
Nigeria’s
prominent Shia cleric arrives in Iran
·
Don’t
treat us as aliens, Delta Muslims beg Oborevwori
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/shahi-idgah-masjid-krishna-janmabhoomi/d/130886
-----
Allahabad High Court Rejects PIL Seeking
Recognition Of Mathura’s Shahi Idgah Masjid As Krishna Janmabhoomi
The Krishna
Janmasthan temple and Shahi Idgah mosque in Mathura
-----
Oct 12, 2023
PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad high court on
Wednesday dismissed a PIL seeking recognition of Mathura’s Shahi Idgah Masjid
as Krishna Janmabhoomi.
A division bench comprising Chief
Justice PritinkerDiwaker and Justice Ashutosh Srivastava passed the order while
dismissing a PIL filed by Mahek Maheshwari, an advocate.
Gyanvapi mosque body files SLP in
Supreme Court against Allahabad HC order transferring its plea
Earlier, this court had reserved its
verdict in the matter last month. Though the court pronounced the order of
dismissal today (on Wednesday), a detailed judgment is still awaited.
This PIL was separate from the title
suit and the hearing on a bunch of petitions related to Krishna
Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute will continue in the high court.
In May this year, the HC had transferred
the cases being heard in the lower court in Mathura to itself. It was contended
in the PIL that various texts had recorded the site in question as Krishna
Janmbhoomi land. It was further pleaded that the structure there was not a
proper mosque, as the same was built by forcibly acquiring the land in
question.
The petitioner had emphasized that it
was not a proper mosque because as per the Islamic jurisprudence, a mosque
cannot be built on forcibly acquired land. On the other hand, as per Hindu
jurisprudence, a temple is a temple even if it is in ruins.
Therefore, the petitioner pleaded that
the temple’s land should be handed over to Hindus and a proper trust for
Krishna Janmabhoomi janmasthan be formed for building the temple.
An additional prayer in this PIL, which
was filed in 2020, was that a court-monitored GPRS-based survey by the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) of the disputed structure should be done.
In the plea, it was also argued that a
mosque is not an essential part of Islam and hence, the disputed land should be
handed over to Hindus for the exercise of their right to freely profess,
practice, and propagate religion under Article 25 of the Constitution.
Earlier, PIL had sought transfer of
Shahi Idgah land to Hindus
The judges had reserved their verdict on
the plea at the previous hearing. In May, the HC took over the cases that were
being heard in a Mathura court. The mosque committee of the Shahi Idgah Masjid
thereafter filed a special leave petition challenging this order in the SC.
On July 21, the apex court said it would
be better if the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah mosque dispute is
adjudicated by the high court,
which should also decide the preliminary
objection to the maintainability of the suit.
It said the “multiplicity and
prolongation of litigation in such cases could create disquiet one way or the
other, as history has shown”.
In his plea, Maheshwari had asked for
the land to be handed over to the Hindu side for a shrine to be built under the
supervision of a trust.
As in the Shringar Gauri case centring
on the Gyanvapi mosque site, the PIL also sought a court-monitored ground
penetrating radar (GPR) excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India of the
structure allegedly built at Krishna’s “Janmasthan”.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/high-court-rejects-pil-seeking-recognition-of-mosque-as-krishna-janmabhoomi/articleshow/104352210.cms
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Shia Ulema hold special meeting in Delhi
to express support for Palestine
Photo: Muslim Mirror
----
October 11, 2023
In a gathering of the Shia Ulema
Assembly, the quarterly session convened at Jamia Ahl Bayt in Okhla, Delhi, on
Tuesday, October 10, 2023. The assembly brought together elected members of the
Majlis Khas from various regions across India, including Delhi, Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh.
The session commenced with the
recitation of the Holy Quran by Maulana Syed Namdar Abbas Sahib. Under the
leadership of the meeting’s president, discussions centered around the primary
agenda, emphasizing the importance of the gathering and the key issues at hand.
One of the noteworthy aspects of the
assembly was the focus on provincial representation. Elected members selected
one to three representatives from prominent cities across the country with
significant Shia populations. These representatives aimed to introduce the Shia
Ulema Assembly and elucidate its objectives and goals to the general public.
A prevalent theme during this special
assembly was the resolute defense of their homeland. The Shia Ulema Assembly
voiced its support for the oppressed Palestinian people, particularly lauding
the valiant efforts of organizations such as Hamas in their ongoing struggle
against the oppressive Israeli government.
In a show of solidarity and commitment,
a video was released during the session, explicitly condemning the actions of
Israel and offering fervent prayers for the ultimate success of the Palestinian
people in their fight against oppression.
Source: muslimmirror.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/shia-ulema-hold-special-meeting-in-delhi-express-support-for-palestine/
--------
US CEOs Urge Blacklisting Of Harvard Students
Who Signed Anti-Israeli Statement
11 October 2023
CEOs running a whole host of American
business giants have urged the blacklisting of the Harvard University students,
who recently signed a statement calling out Israel for the developments that
have been unfolding across the occupied territories and the Gaza Strip over the
past several days.
The CEOs, who run a whole host of
American business giants, demanded the witch-hunt, two days after the issuance
of the statement by a coalition of 34 Harvard student organizations.
The students said they “hold the Israeli
regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.”
A coalition of 34 student organizations
condemned Israel’s bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Calling up an unprecedented 300,000
reservists, the Israeli regime has declared a "long" war on Gaza in
response to Operation al-Aqsa Storm. Gaza's resistance movements initiated the
operation on Saturday in response to the occupying regime's decades-long
campaign of bloodshed and destruction against Palestinians.
The Israeli war has so far killed at
least 1,100 Palestinians, including 326 children, and injured 5,339 others.
At least 1,100 Palestinians have been
killed in more than five days of Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza
Strip.
The military campaign has seen the
regime leveling entire districts and featured its use of banned white
phosphorous munitions against densely populated neighborhoods.
The health ministry in Gaza, which has
come under an all-out Israeli war, confirms the regime
The students' statement said, “The
apartheid regime is the only one to blame” for the developments.
Moving ahead of the others, billionaire
hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman demanded that Harvard University release the names
of the students.
If the members support the letter, the
names of the signatories “should be made public so their views are publicly
known,” Ackman said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The CEO of Pershing Square Capital
Management said he wanted to ensure his company and others would not
“inadvertently hire” the signatories.
Multiple other business leaders,
including the CEOs of shopping club FabFitFun, health tech startupEasyHealth,
and Dovehill Capital Management supported the call from Ackman.
“I would like to know so I know never to
hire these people,” Jonathan Neman, CEO of restaurant chain Sweetgreen, said on
X.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/10/11/712548/Palestine-Israel-United-States-Harvard-University-students-statement
---------
Islamic Jihad Resistance Movement In
West Bank Vows To Join Al-Aqsa Storm Operation, Says, The Battle With The
Occupiers Is No Longer Limited To The Gaza Strip
Photo: Mehr News Agency
-----
Oct 12, 2023
TEHRAN, Oct. 12 (MNA) – Abu Hamza, the
spokesman of Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad resistance
movement, announced early Thursday that the battle with the occupiers is no
longer limited to the Gaza Strip.
In an audio message, Abu Hamza said,
"We announce the official entry of the West Bank into the Al-Aqsa Storm
Operation, and the battle may soon spill into across the occupied
territories."
Addressing the Zionist temporary regime,
he warned, "We are preparing for you outside of Palestine, as we are
preparing in Palestine, and you will see what happened in the Gaza Strip in
other areas."
The spokesperson of Saraya al-Quds
further stated that the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation has also spread to the West
Bank and southern Lebanon, and explained, "The point of fire is expanding
and what happened in southern Lebanon is only a small sign of what awaits
you."
Abu Hamza also stated about the brutal
attacks of the Zionist terrorist regime on the Gaza Strip: "The enemy was
not able to face the Resistance, so it targeted its anger at women and
children."
After the launch of the Al-Aqsa Storm
Operation by the Hamas resistance movement against the Zionist terrorist regime
on Saturday, which has so far resulted in the death of at least 1,300 Zionists
and the wounding of 2,500 of them, the cabinet of the occupying regime issued
the order to begin large-scale attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Yoav Gallant, Tel Aviv regime's war
minister, ordered an all-out blockade against the Gaza Strip, prohibiting the
supply of any food, medicine, fuel, electricity and even water into the region.
Source: mehrnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the
full text of the original
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/207022/Islamic-Jihad-in-West-Bank-vows-to-join-Al-Aqsa-Storm-op
-------
Saudi Arabia 'Making Unremitting
Efforts' To Reduce Gaza Tensions: Crown Prince
Saudi
Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud
------
Oct 12, 2023
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
stressed in a phone call with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that the kingdom
is "making unremitting efforts" regionally and internationally to
stop the intensification of the Israeli-Hamas war, the Saudi state news agency
reported on Wednesday.
In a statement, the crown prince
asserted the need to stop any Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, the agency
said. Saudi Arabia firmly supported the Palestinian cause and attempts to
achieve a comprehensive and just peace, it said.
Erdogan on Wednesday told bin Salman
that Turkey had started work to get humanitarian aid to civilians affected by
the war, the Turkish presidency said.
Turkey has offered to mediate the latest
conflict, which began on Saturday when gunmen of the Palestinian militant group
Hamas rampaged through Israeli towns, killing 1,200 people and taking scores of
hostages to Gaza.
Israel has retaliated with air strikes
that have killed more than 1,100 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Saturday's assault, the biggest
incursion into Israel in decades, coincides with U.S.-backed moves to push
Saudi Arabia towards normalising ties with Israel in return for a defence deal
between Washington and Riyadh.
Gaza, a tiny coastal strip of land
wedged between Israel in the north and east and Egypt to the southwest, is home
to some 2.3 million people who have been living under a blockade since Hamas
took control there in 2007.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/world/israel-hamas-war/news/saudi-arabia-making-unremitting-efforts-reduce-gaza-tensions-crown-prince-3441211
---------
India
Karnataka: Authorities urged to allow
Muslims to do business on temple premises
12th October 2023
Dakshina Kannada: The sticky issue of
the boycott of Muslim traders doing business on the premises of temples has
come to the forefront again in Karnataka.
The Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Districts
Religious Fair Businessmen’s Coordination Committee is demanding that Muslims
be allowed to carry on their trade on the premises of temples, while temple
managements have continued to impose restrictions on them in the communally
sensitive coastal districts.
The committee members had submitted a
complaint regarding the boycott of Muslim traders in the Navaratri fare at the
historical Mangaladevi Temple in Mangaluru city in Dakshina Kannada district.
The Mangaladevi Temple comes under the
Muzarai department of the government and the Navaratri fair will be held
between October 15 and October 24.
The temple management had taken a
decision not to allow Muslim traders to participate in the fair and initiated
the process of allotting stalls to businessmen on the Rathabeedi Street
opposite the temple that belongs to the Mangaluru City Corporation. However,
for years, the temple management has been organising its fairs here.
Following the hijab row, a boycott call
was given by Hindu organisations after Muslim bodies staged a protest against
the court order banning the hijab in classrooms.
The BJP government that was in power at
that time upheld the right of the temple management to ban Muslim traders from
religious fares and temple premises.
Now, with the Congress government
assuming power in the state, it remains to be seen how the issue will be
sorted.
The committee submitted a complaint
against the boycott to the District Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada on
Thursday.
Source: siasat.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.siasat.com/karnataka-authorities-urged-to-allow-muslims-to-do-business-on-temple-premises-2719728/
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Palestine march: Uttar Pradesh police
book four students of Aligarh Muslim University
12.10.23
Piyush Srivastava
Uttar Pradesh police have registered an
FIR against four students of Aligarh Muslim University for taking out a
procession on campus in support of Palestine in the war against Israel.
Azhar Hasan, the in-charge of the
Medical Police Outpost, said on Wednesday: “The students had taken out a rally
on Sunday night and raised slogans that could disturb social harmony. I
registered a complaint and the case was filed today. We are in possession of a
video of the rally and have identified the students who were present.”
“The students marched without having
formal permission from the university administration. We are taking a legal
view on the matter before taking further action against the students,” said
Mrigank Shekhar Pathak, the superintendent of police of Aligarh city.
Carrying placards with “Support
Palestine” written on them, the students had organised the procession from Dak
Point to Bab-e-Sayd Gate on the campus. Those named in the FIR are postgraduate
students Naved Chaudhary, Mohammad Kamran, Mohammad Khalid and Mohammad Atif.
They have been booked for creating
hatred between different groups (IPC Section 153A), breach of peace (IPC 505)
and disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant (IPC 188).
Hamza Jamshed, a student leader of AMU,
said: “AMU is located in a democratic country where we have the right to have
ideological leanings and faith. The procession was not meant for any religion
but was in the interest of democratic norms. You cannot suppress the voice of
the students as it would amount to the suppression of the future.”
Tahir Hussain, an undergraduate student,
said: “Palestine is a victim of America. Raising our voice for a genuine cause
is our right. We don’t care if the police and the government turn vindictive
against us without knowing the history of the creation of Israel.”
S. Nawaz Zaidi, the AMU proctor, said
four students had been “booked for organising a procession in support of
Palestine. We are keeping a watch on the development.”
Reacting to the police case on the
students, Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal Shafiq-ur-Rahman Barq told reporters
in Moradabad: “The present (BJP) dispensation doesn’t like AMU because it is
one of the best universities in the world. The students took out a procession
to express their views and didn’t go to Gaza.”
Asim Arun, Uttar Pradesh minister of
state for social welfare, said “those who support Hamas, a terrorist
organisation, must not be spared”.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
declared India’s support to Israel and every Indian must follow it. I have
written to the university administration to take action against
the students,” said Satish Kumar Gautam,
the BJP MP of Aligarh.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/palestine-march-uttar-pradesh-police-book-four-students-of-aligarh-muslim-university/cid/1972744
---------
Gaza crisis rattles India’s poll-bound
states, law enforcement on high alert
12th October 2023
Mir Alamgir
Hyderabad: Reports of death and
destruction emerging from the on-going airstrikes and bombardment by Israel on
Palestinian people in Gaza following the Hamas attack, has been robbing the
Indian security agencies of their sleep, especially in the poll-bound states.
One major concern for security agencies
is the increased politicisation of the Israel-Hamas war by political parties in
India. The ruling BJP is openly supporting Israel, while other political
parties, like the Congress, are showing solidarity with the Palestinian people.
This stark divide is leading to harsh verbal exchanges between supporters of
each side on social media.
The contrasting stances on this issue
are causing disputes. The top security officials feel it may not take a long
time for people to take to the streets to support or denounce the actions of
either party.
Of the five India states going to polls
next month, at least three have a significant Muslim population. As Muslims
consider Israel an enemy of Islam, security agencies feel there could be some,
if not huge, impact on campaigning.
The police in several communally
sensitive cities across the country, including Hyderabad, are watching the
developments closely to maintain law and order.
Former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal called
for protests across the Muslim world on Friday in support of the Palestinians,
and asked people from neighbouring countries to join the fight against Israel,
Reuters reported on Wednesday.
This announcement has alerted the law
enforcement agencies, who have a tough task ahead of them in ensuring law and
order in the wake of elections.
In Telangana, where AIMIM and Congress
are at loggerheads, AIMIM party president Asaduddin Owaisi had said that for a
long time India was supporting the Palestine cause. Asaduddin said that India
historically stood with Palestine. He further claimed the shift in India’s
policy (towards the Palestinian cause) changed because of Congress.
He referred to former Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s old video in which he spoke in favour of the Palestinian
cause, Owaisi has said, “A late BJP leader once said about Palestine that land
worth billions has been acquired. We had released a post stamp in solidarity
with Palestine. This changed when Congress came into power.”
The police are concerned that any major
incident related to the Israel-Palestine conflict might provoke public
condemnation, leading to large-scale protests amid the ongoing use of this
conflict as a campaign issue by political parties.
Source: siasat.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.siasat.com/gaza-crisis-rattles-indias-poll-bound-states-law-enforcement-on-high-alert-2719575/
--------
North America
CAIR Issues Guidance for Students
Targeted Due to Islamophobia, Palestine Rights Advocacy
Ismail Allison
October 11, 2023
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/11/23) – The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil
rights and advocacy organization, is issuing guidance to students being
targeted for advocating on behalf of Palestinian rights or because of their
Muslim faith. Today’s guidance focuses on speech rights in educational settings
and addressing any bullying that may result.
“Students have the right to visibly
practice their faith and peacefully advocate for human rights without facing
harassment, threats or punishment,” said CAIR Research & Advocacy Director
Corey Saylor. “We encourage K-12 schools, colleges and universities to address
this sudden surge in reports of abusive and discriminatory behavior and express
support for students of all backgrounds, including Muslims and Palestinians. We
encourage students impacted to report any incidents of abuse and seek
assistance. We are here to help.”
CAIR has seen and received multiple
reports of students harassed online and at school due to advocacy for
Palestinian human rights in recent days, including reports of bullying against
visibly Muslim students and disciplinary action in public school settings and
instances of threatening messages targeting college students online.
The organization encourages all students
experiencing interference or suppression of their free speech in educational
settings or harassment due to their faith to document the incident and contact
CAIR promptly. CAIR asks the same in instances of anti-Muslim or
anti-Palestinian bullying or harassment in school.
CAIR’s Legal Team offers the following
core tips to students asserting their free speech rights in educational
settings. (Note: This does not constitute legal advice.)
1.
Students in all levels of education are afforded free speech within the
public school setting, with two caveats: 1) offensive speech is afforded less
protection in the public school system (outside the school setting this would
be fully protected); 2) hate speech is not protected in public schools despite
having at least partial protection in most other settings.
2.
You have the right to speak out, hand out flyers and petitions, and wear
expressive clothing in school — as long as you don’t cause a disruption or
violate the school’s content-neutral policies. Speech cannot incite people to
violence (ever- not in or out of school)
3.
Schools can only limit students’ expression if they can reasonably
predict that it will create a substantial disruption or material interference
in school activities or invade the rights of others. The school disagreeing
with your position or believing that your position is controversial does not
necessarily mean that the speech is disruptive. Whether the speech is
disruptive will depend on the circumstances.
4.
The Supreme Court has held that school authorities must respect
students’ rights to express themselves outside of school, including their right
to express dissenting or unpopular views. Schools do not have the same
authority to punish students for speech outside of school as they do in school
contexts.
5.
The First Amendment also prohibits “viewpoint discrimination” –
government action (which includes action by public university officials) that
burdens or suppresses speech based on viewpoint. This means that if a student
or a group is punished because administrators don’t like their message, the
university may be held accountable for violating students’ constitutional
rights.
6.
Free speech protections do not extend to defamation, obscenity, “true threats”
or speech that incites imminent violence or law-breaking.
7.
Students cannot be punished for publishing content on social media in
most circumstances, unless it is threatening to the school, or members of the
school- threats are never protected speech.
The team at Palestine Legal has prepared
resources for students who are “advocating for justice in Palestine on campus.”
Similarly, the National Lawyers Guild
team prepared a guide focused on law enforcement overreach targeting
protestors.
We also recognize that various forms of
doxxing, a form of intimidation intended to silence speech by putting a
person’s private information online, may be occurring. The team at ReThink
Media presented a best practices training for advocates on this issue which is
reshared here.
CAIR also urges students in public
school settings to read our recent guide offering practical steps for youth
experiencing bullying in school and their families.
It includes advice such as how students
can develop a plan to advocate for themselves in response to bullying, as well
as step-by-step guidance for parents who seek to report incidents of bullying
to school authorities.
The follow tips apply if you are
experiencing bullying due to pro-Palestine advocacy:
Take Care of Yourself and Your Peers
1.
Experiencing bullying due to Palestine advocacy efforts can be difficult
and scary. Maintain connections with peers and members of student organizations
who can be a shoulder to lean on during challenging times.
2.
If you have a connection to a trusted university official (faculty
member, staff member, etc.), ask them for support and, if you do not feel
comfortable leaving your dorm, a letter to excuse you from attending class.
3.
If you are a leader or on the board of a student organization, consider
hosting an event where affected students can share their experiences and feel
supported. Also consider holding another event to invite a trusted university
official (faculty member, staff member, etc.) who can listen to student concerns
and recommend concrete actions for support.
Document and Report Incidents of
Bullying
1.
Document everything. Take detailed notes of what you experienced and
pictures if applicable. These can be shared with attorneys if legal action is
possible.
2.
Identify and review school policies on bullying and discrimination. If
comfortable, follow any channels to reporting incidents of bullying to
university officials.
If university officials have been
unresponsive and/or ineffective, contact outside organizations, such as
Palestine Legal and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil
rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American
Muslims.
La misión de CAIR esproteger las libertadesciviles,
mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a
losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Source: cair.com
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CAIR-NJ, NJ Mosques and Partners Publish
Open Letter Urging New Jersey Elected Officials to Act on Palestine and Address
Root Cause of Violence
Ismail Allison
October 11, 2023
(Newark, NJ, 10/11/2023) – The New
Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), the
nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today
disseminated an open letter to New Jersey elected officials calling on them to
respond to the calls of Palestinian civil society and to act in response to
Israel’s war on Gaza.
The letter states, in part:
The Muslim community has long called for
an end to Israel’s illegal occupation, Palestinians’ right to return to their
ancestral lands, and the right to self-determination. This remains our call.
We write to you today as a consolidation
from within your constituency. The undersigned community organizations further
urge your respected offices to take the following actions:
1.
Address Israel’s heightened levels of violence and settlement expansions
as of late;
2.
Review Israel’s continued harassment of Palestinians and Palestinian
Americans especially who seek to visit their homelands especially in light of
Israel’s admission to the U.S. visa waiver program;
3.
And to meet with our community to take lead and introduce you to medical
and legal experts on Israeli state oppression.
The Palestinian American Community
Center and American Muslims for Palestine co-authored the letter. It was signed
onto by fourteen local mosques across the state.
In a statement, CAIR-NJ Executive
Director SelaedinMaksut said:
We continue to stand firmly against
Israeli occupation and in opposition to Israel’s relentless bombing of civilian
infrastructure including hospitals and humanitarian aid, and its ongoing siege
and blockade of the 25-mile-long strip.
Our solidarity and support are
unwaveringly with our sisters and brothers in Gaza and the Occupied West
Bank.
Palestinians and Muslim Americans make
up a thriving segment of New Jersey’s population. They — we — are committed
businesspeople, medical and legal professionals, educators, engineers, elected
officials, and much more, and it is entirely unacceptable for elected officials
to completely overlook our pain — which is why we are reaching out and
reiterating our asks, as we have been over the last week.
The American Muslim community expects
support from our elected leaders and hope to see that in the days to come.
We wish no harm on any innocent soul,
especially no women, or child neither and we mourn the lives lost. Israel and
only Israel bears responsibility for the calamities that we have been
witnessing for that is the natural result of their oppression.
CAIR-NJ also called on members of the
public to write to their representatives, calling on them to address Israel’s
belligerency in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank, which the UN calls a
“substantial obstacle to peace.”
Source: cair.com
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White House backtracks on Biden's
'beheaded babies' claim
12 Oct, 2023
US officials have backtracked after
President Joe Biden claimed to have seen “confirmed pictures” of Palestinian
militants “beheading children” in Israel, explaining that he had seen no images
and was merely relaying claims from the Israeli government and media reports.
While Biden declared in an address tio
Jewish leaders on Wednesday that he was shocked by photos depicting brutal acts
against Israeli babies, a White House spokesperson later told the Washington
Post that officials were unaware of the pictures the president claimed to have
seen. They added that they had no independent confirmation of reports that
children were beheaded during a Hamas attack on Israel last weekend, despite
Biden’s claim of having seen “confirmed” images.
“The president based his comments about
the alleged atrocities on the claims from [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin]
Netanyahu’s spokesman and media reports from Israel,” the Post reported, citing
the White House.
US updates death toll of citizens killed
in Israel-Palestinian escalationREAD MORE: US updates death toll of citizens
killed in Israel-Palestinian escalation
Asked about the claim by The Intercept,
the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it could not “confirm it officially,” but
stressed that “you can assume it happened and believe the report.”
“Women, children, toddlers, and elderly
were brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action and we are aware of the
heinous acts Hamas is capable of,” an IDF spokesperson told the outlet.
A number of similar allegations have
made the rounds following the surprise attack by Palestinian armed groups last
Saturday, including claims that fighters had raped Israeli women. Biden also
echoed those charges earlier this week, saying that women had been “raped,
assaulted [and] paraded as trophies.” The accusation also remains unverified,
with the Los Angeles Times appending an editor’s note to a recent op-ed noting
that “such reports have not been substantiated.”
The IDF has launched waves of airstrikes
on Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led assault, pounding residential areas
and leveling entire apartment blocks in some raids. According to local
officials, around 1,200 people have been killed in Israel since Saturday, and
at least 1,100 in Gaza, where more than 5,000 were also reported wounded.
Israel’s long-standing blockade on Gaza has also been tightened in recent days,
after the government declared a “complete siege” to halt the flow of food,
fuel, and medicine into the densely populated territory.
Source: rt.com
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How a US ‘peace plan’ brought war to Israel’s
doorstep
11 Oct, 2023
Timur Fomenko
On Saturday morning, Jihadist group
Hamas made the decision to attack Israel on an unprecedented scale, bombarding
it with rockets and launching a ground invasion. Carnage, death and destruction
ensued, with hundreds dead and thousands injured on both sides, including
civilians, as Israel responded with a full-scale declaration of war and
relentless bombardment of the Gaza strip.
Conflict between Israel and Palestine is
about as common as the sun rising in the East, but this time it is different,
not only because of the frightening number of victims on both sides over just a
few days, but because such conflicts have not constituted a formal war since
1973, and the legally recognized territory of Israel has not been invaded by an
enemy since 1948. The stakes are huge, but one might question, how exactly did
it come to this? Why is this happening now? And how does it relate to the
broader context of not only the Middle East, but the world?
Two words: Abraham Accords. The United
States’ push to create a one-sided, unbalanced and effective appeasement of
Israel’s actions, coupled with an attempt to use such to isolate Iran, has led
to the calculation by Hamas that the only way to salvage its cause is to
unleash a full-scale armed struggle. In doing so, the militants’ goal is not to
destroy Israel head on, because we must acknowledge that such an outcome is not
possible. Rather, it is to turn the diplomatic and political tide in the region
against Israel and the US in the name of a new Jihad.
The Abraham Accords are a peace
initiative started in 2020 by the Trump administration that seeks to get Arab
countries to unilaterally recognize the State of Israel, without West Jerusalem
itself making any concessions regarding the issue of Palestinian statehood.
Through the accords, driven by the pro-Israel fanaticism of former Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo, the US was successful in getting the United Arab Emirates,
Sudan, Morocco, and Bahrain to open up diplomatic relations with Israel. The US
typically incentivized this by making unilateral concessions to these countries
as part of a deal, such as removing Sudan from the State Sponsor of Terrorism
list or recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara.
The Abraham Accords were not a serious
peace initiative because all they did was bribe countries to effectively side
with Israel and abandon Palestine, instead of seeking peace in one of the most
prominent simmering conflicts in the region. Moreover, the accords’ true geopolitical
intention was to facilitate the diplomatic isolation of Iran by weakening and
splitting the anti-Zionist cause. The grander strategy, by extension, was to
facilitate American hegemony over the Middle East, given Israel’s very close
relations with the US. Opposition to the US in the region has always gone
hand-in-hand with opposition to Israel, be it through Arab nationalism (Syria,
Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and, historically, Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Egypt) or Islamic
fundamentalism (Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas).
In line with this, the US hoped that, by
diplomatically isolating Iran, imposing tough sanctions on it and attempting to
force it to capitulate on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs,
Washington could sustain its order over the Middle East and maintain its
favourable security relationships in the region. The Abraham Accords, to this
end, encouraged appeasement of Israel, rather than making a mutually acceptable
compromise which sought to move towards a two-state solution. In promoting
this, the US was happy to allow Israel under Netanyahu to continually move the
goalposts towards a “one-state solution” and to effectively ignore Palestinian
resistance, which it now describes as “unprovoked.”
However, this strategy has failed on
numerous counts. First, the changes in the global geopolitical landscape since
the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, as well as US competition
with China, has made Iran stronger, as it has gained political space for itself
to avert sanctions and more readily develop its military capabilities without
pushback, therefore giving it the opportunity to exert greater support to Hamas
and Hezbollah. The US is still using unipolar-era sanction policies that are
strategically redundant. Then, secondly, the US seems to have failed to account
for how attempting to arbitrarily change the status quo in Israel’s favor would
culminate in armed resistance because Palestinians are effectively backed into
a corner. These factors combined mean that the soil was fertile for a
multipolar-era military conflict to emerge. Hamas calculates that by forcing
Israel’s hand towards a full-scale war, it can rip the Abraham Accords to
shreds and force the Arab world to tilt back to supporting Palestine, which in
turn weakens the influence of the US in the Middle East and therefore forces it
to engage more directly, consequently promoting a greater radicalization of
Muslims all over the world.
The end result will be a proxy war with
the US backing Israel, while Iran, among others, backs Hezbollah and Hamas.
While there have been many instances of such proxy wars before, be it in Syria
or Yemen, the difference in this one is that it is against Israel itself,
therefore, the US does not have the privilege of wielding other Arab states in
support of its cause. Thus, the Palestinian cause will also wage a propaganda
war that will force an ‘us vs. them’ binary on the region. This ultimately
makes a quagmire for the US, whose position will take increasing damage the
longer this goes on, especially as its military resources are overstretched
with the conflict in Ukraine too.
In conclusion, the Abraham Accords were
a strategic mistake by the US that did not bring peace to the Middle East but
fundamentally destabilized it and led to the biggest war Israel has been involved
in since 1973.
Source: rt.com
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Muslim Groups That Advised The Biden
Admin On Fighting ‘Hate’ Now Blaming Israel For Hamas Attacks
October 11, 2023
KATE ANDERSON
Multiple Muslim organizations, who have
been tapped by the White House to fight antisemitism and Islamophobia, issued
statements over the past few days blaming Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.
Two members of these groups, Dilawar
Syed and RamziKassem, were appointed to positions in the Small Business
Administration and as a National Security adviser, respectively.
“To truly understand what is happening,
we must look to the source of the problem; an ongoing occupation in violation
of international human rights law that has left the Palestinian people, in
particular Gazans, stripped of their basic rights and human dignity,” the
Muslim Public Affairs Council wrote in a statement.
Several Muslim organizations that
advised President Joe Biden’s administration have released statements over the
past several days condemning Israel for the recent terrorist attacks by Hamas,
a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
Israel was invaded Saturday by Hamas operatives,
who launched rocket attacks and killed, raped and captured Israeli civilians
and soldiers, resulting in the death of over 1,200 Israelis with 2,700 more
injured, according to CBS News. The Biden administration condemned the attacks
and pledged support for Israel, but multiple groups that have worked with the
White House released statements placing the blame on the Jewish state,
according to press releases and social media posts reviewed by the Daily Caller
News Foundation. (RELATED: Biden Goes Radio Silent, Announces Early Lid As War
Ravages Israel, Gaza)
The White House hosted a “Listening
Session on Islamophobia” in May and invited representatives from Muslim and
other religious groups to speak on the issue. One of the participants was the
Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), which put out a statement on Oct. 7
accusing the Israeli “occupation” of being the “source of the problem.”
“To truly understand what is happening,
we must look to the source of the problem; an ongoing occupation in violation
of international human rights law that has left the Palestinian people, in
particular Gazans, stripped of their basic rights and human dignity,” the press
release reads. “By actively, and often violently, preventing their pursuit of a
self-defined identity, national autonomy, and global recognition, Israeli
occupation and the world’s continued silence has offered Hamas and other groups
the political vacuum needed to propel themselves into positions of leadership
and justify their violent attacks.”
MPAC further argued that the Jewish
state would use Hamas attacks over the weekend to “justify” a
“disproportionate” assault on Palestinians, while purposely targeting “civilian
areas,” according to the press release. MPAC demanded that the U.S. “end the
occupation” and “protect the rights” of Palestinians.
The White House also included MPAC in
its “National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism” as part of the “Interagency
Group to Counter Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Related Forms of
Discrimination and Bias,” according to a May press release. An MPAC
spokesperson told the DCNF that it condemns the innocent lives taken by both
Israel and Hamas and that the Jewish state’s “occupation of Gaza and the West
Bank” must end.
Empowering Engaged Muslim Americans
(EMGAGE), another group that attended the listening session, published a
statement on the attacks on Oct. 9. EMGAGE initially condemned “all attacks on
civilians” but blamed the “root” of the issue on Israel.
“Our common goal is peace and safety for
all. To achieve this, we must address the issue at its root and end the
occupation that has oppressed millions of Palestinians for decades,” the
statement reads. “Palestinians in Gaza have endured Israel’s brutal siege for
over 15 years. Israel’s repeated large-scale military attacks on Gaza have
taken thousands of Palestinian civilian lives, including hundreds of children.”
The Biden administration appointed
Dilawar Syed, a former EMGAGE board member, as the deputy administrator of the
Small Business Administration in 2021, according to Politico. The decision was
criticized by Jewish Americans who were concerned about his previous ties with
EMGAGE, which has been known for taking anti-Israel positions in the past.
The Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign (SSC)
also commented on the conflict by quoting a portion of a Vox article that
claimed the “only solution” was to end the “apartheid” in Israel, according to
a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“The only solution, as it has always
been, is to bring an end of apartheid, occupation, and siege, and promote a
future based on justice and equality for all of us. It is not in spite of the
horror that we have to change course — it is exactly because of it,” the
article reads.
The group took part in the Biden
administration’s 2022 “United We Stand” summit, according to a statement from
the White House, and said that they were privileged to help counter
“discrimination and hate-fueled violence at all levels of society.” SSC also
reposted MPAC’s statement on the Hamas attacks.
Biden appointed RamziKassem, a City
University of New York (CUNY) professor and the founder of CUNY’s Creating Law
Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) group, as a senior
policy adviser on immigration in 2022. CLEAR claimed that New York protesters
were fighting for Palestinian liberation following the Hamas attacks in an X
post on Oct. 8.
“New Yorkers have the right to protest
for Palestinian rights,” CLEAR wrote. “They did today, they will tomorrow, and
they’ll continue on until Palestine is liberated. And we’ll make sure they’re
protected.”
The protest, led by the New York
Democratic Socialists, was held in Times Square and garnered over 700
attendees, some of whom could be heard shouting “Israel go to hell” and “NYC
stands with Gaza,” according to The Times of Israel. CLEAR also posted tips for
protesters if they are arrested or questioned by law enforcement to “keep your
movements safe.”
The White House, Syed, Kassem, EMGAGE,
CLEAR and SSC did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for
comment.
Source: dailycaller.com
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Mayor of America’s First Muslim Majority
City Council Declares ‘No Peace’ With Israel.
October 12, 2023
The Mayor of Hamtramck – America’s first
Muslim-majority city council – Amer Ghalib, responded to the past week’s events
in the Middle East with a pro-Hamas message insisting: “Peace can never coexist
with occupation and injustice, anywhere and at anytime، no matter how
strong the oppressor or how weak the oppressed is!” Mayor Ghalib, who became
the Hamtramck’s first mayor without a Polish background for a century in 2021,
added there “are enough lessons from history for some people to learn this
principle.” The Michigan city has undergone a radical demographic
transformation due to mass migration – Ghalib is himself a Yemeni migrant. Like
Ghalib, most of the city councilmen have a history of posting anti-Israel or
outright anti-Semitic content online. Councilman Khalil Refai, for example, has
referred to Israelis as “Zionist criminals” and called on Allah to help Muslims
“plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people” in
Israel. Councilman Mohammed Hassan, meanwhile, has shared images depicting
Jewish people as monkeys, and denounced Israel as “the real terrorist!!!” There
are similar issues elsewhere in Michigan, with Dearborn’s Mayor Abdullah
Hammoud responding to the Hamas attack with a long social media post suggesting
the mass murder of Israeli civilians was the “inevitable” consequence of the
“occupation”.
Source: thenationalpulse.com
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Blinken visits Israel to stress US
support for war on Hamas
October 12, 2023
JERUSALEM: Israel and Hamas traded more
heavy fire Thursday in the Gaza war that has killed thousands as US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken visited to stress strong solidarity but also urge
restraint to protect Palestinian civilians.
Israel’s army has hammered Hamas with
thousands of strikes ahead of what is widely expected to be a ground invasion
of the crowded territory, after Hamas gunmen killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly
civilians, and took about 150 hostages.
More than 1,200 Palestinians have died
in Gaza as Israel has levelled entire city blocks and destroyed thousands of
buildings in the six days since Hamas launched their unprecedented attack, the
bloodiest in Israeli history.
“Every Hamas member is a dead man,”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the traumatized nation after forming a
wartime government Wednesday, likening Hamas to the Daesh group and vowing to
“crush them and destroy them.”
US President Joe Biden — who has
strongly backed Israel and started sending military aid — also cautioned on
Wednesday that Israel must, despite “all the anger and frustration ... operate
by the rules of war.”
Fears have grown for Gaza’s 2.4 million
residents now enduring the fifth war in 15 years in the long-blockaded
territory, which has also seen seen Israel cut off water, food and power
supplies.
Palestinian officials reported over
1,200 people killed in Israel’s uninterrupted campaign of air and artillery
strikes, while the UN said more than 338,000 people have been displaced. (AFP)
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
voiced concern about the “supercharged cycle of violence and horror.” He urged
the release of all hostages and the lifting of the siege and stressed that
“civilians must be protected at all times.”
There have been calls for the
establishment of a humanitarian corridor to allow Palestinians to escape ahead
of a possible Israeli ground invasion that would spell brutal urban combat and
house to house fighting.
Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz
vowed Thursday the total siege of Gaza would continue until the hostages are
freed.
“Humanitarian aid to Gaza?” he wrote in
a statement. “No electric switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened
and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home.”
SURPRISE ATTACK
Israel has called up 300,000 reservists
and rushed forces, tanks and heavy armor to the southern desert areas around
Gaza from where Hamas launched their unprecedented attack on October 7.
Israeli soldiers have since then cleared
the southern towns and kibbutz communities and killed 1,500 of the militants,
while making ever more shocking discoveries of large numbers of dead civilians,
including children.
“I would never have been able to imagine
.. something like this,” DoronSpielman, an Israeli army spokesman, said at one
gated community where more than 100 residents were killed.
“It looks like... an atomic bomb just
landed here.”
Netanyahu has said the Hamas onslaught
was of a level of “savagery... we have not seen since the Holocaust.”
Israeli outrage has been fueled by
Hamas’s capture of at least 150 hostages — mostly Israelis but also foreign and
dual nationals — now being held in Gaza.
“I know he’s out there somewhere,” one
of the affected Israelis, Ausa Meir, said of her brother Michael, who is among
the captives. “It’s very, very painful.”
Hamas has threatened to kill hostages if
Israel bombs Gaza civilian targets without advance warning — deepening the
anger and fear in shell-shocked Israel.
Palestinians evacuate the area following
an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City. (AFP)
“Everybody is impacted in Israel,” said
Joana Ouisman, 38, a finance executive. “I’ve been watching TV all day for the
past three to four days. All I do is cry.”
Israel’s war now flaring in the south is
further complicated by a threat from the north, the Iran-backed Hezbollah group
based in Lebanon.
Israel has massed tanks on the northern
border after repeated clashes with Hezbollah in recent days, including
cross-border rockets and shelling.
The United States has deployed an
aircraft carrier battle group to the eastern Mediterranean in a show of support
and warned Israel’s other enemies not to enter the conflict.
Israel’s arch foe Iran has long
financially and militarily backed Hamas but insists it had no involvement in
Saturday’s assault.
Demonstrators rally and march through
downtown to show support for the Palestinian people in Chicago, Illinois. (AFP)
Unrest has also flared in the occupied
West Bank, where protests have been held in solidarity with Gaza and 27
Palestinians have been killed in clashes since Saturday.
The conflict has prompted Netanyahu to
set aside for now his political differences and form an emergency government
including centrist former defense minister Benny Gantz for the duration of the
crisis.
“Israel before anything else,” Gantz
wrote in a social media post Wednesday, while the far-right National Security
Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote that he “welcomes the unity, now we must win.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Donald Trump attacks President Biden on
foreign policy as Israel-Hamas war rages
October 12, 2023
MIAMI: Former President Donald Trump on
Wednesday defended his record governing the nation for four years without any
new wars, and criticized President Joe Biden’s foreign policy as the world
watches a war that has already claimed 2,300 lives unfold in Gaza, ignited by
Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Trump and other Republicans have tried
to lay blame on the Biden administration, particularly citing the release of
nearly $6 billion in frozen assets to Iran, a supporter of Hamas.
Administration officials insist that money has not been spent.
“With crooked Joe Biden, you have chaos,
bloodshed, war, terror and death. Look what’s happening today,” Trump told a
crowd of supporters in a speech that lasted more than an hour and a half at a
convention center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The Biden campaign said Trump has been
pushing dangerous misinformation about the crisis in Israel at a time when the
country should stand together.
“While Trump continues to lie about his
record, President Biden is laser-focused on providing steadfast support for
Israel and leading on the global stage,” Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz
said.
Trump spoke to his supporters at the
venue near Mar-a-Lago as he campaigns as the front-runner in the 2024
Republican primary race for the White House, despite four criminal cases
against him.
Rep. Matt Gaetz appeared at the event
but did not speak. Gaetz is a Florida congressional ally who, with other
hard-right conservatives, engineered the ouster of House Speaker Kevin
McCarthy. The unprecedented action has kept Congress partly shuttered.
Trump has tried to use the power vacuum
to underline his lingering influence over the Republican Party, backing
Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan to replace McCarthy. However, Republicans on
Wednesday nominated House majority leader Steve Scalize to take over the job.
Jordan formed a close alliance with the
former president, particularly during the effort to overturn the results of the
2020 election, which Trump lost to Biden. Two of the cases against Trump, in
Washington and Georgia, are over his efforts to overturn the results.
Trump has continued to travel to early
primary states and has been spending much of his time focused on the four
criminal indictments and several civil cases he is facing.
He has put pressure on his Republican
challengers to drop out of the 2024 primary race to help him defeat Biden. On
Tuesday, he criticized GOP candidates for meeting with donors in an event
hosted by Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who unsuccessfully challenged then-President
Barack Obama in 2012 as the Republican presidential nominee, and Paul Ryan, a
former congressman who was the House speaker between 2015 and 2019.
“These failed candidates should have
started by campaigning effectively, which they didn’t because they don’t have
the skill or the talent,” Trump said on his Truth Social site.
Among those 10 Republicans challenging
him are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, once a strong ally; Mike Pence, his former
vice president; and Nikki Haley, who served as United Nations ambassador under
Trump.
Source: arabnews.com
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Trump Faults Israeli PM Netanyahu For
Not Being ‘Prepared,’ Says He Once Let U.S. Down Amid Conflict With Hamas
October 12, 2023
Former president Donald Trump on
Wednesday criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called
Hezbollah terrorist attackers “very smart” as Israel recovers from the
deadliest attack it has suffered in 50 years.
“He has been hurt very badly because of
what’s happened here,” Trump said of Netanyahu in an excerpt of an interview
with Fox News presenter Brian Kilmeade that aired Wednesday night. “He was not
prepared. He was not prepared and Israel was not prepared.”
Israeli has declared a state of war and
called up 360,000 reservists after a surprise attack by Hamas militants on
Saturday killed at least 1,200 people and wounded more than 2,700.
Later on Wednesday, Trump, the clear
polling leader in the Republican presidential race, complimented the
intelligence of Hezbollah, which has been designated a terrorist organization
by the United States. The Iran-aligned group, based in Lebanon, exchanged fire
with Israeli forces on the country’s northern border Wednesday.
“You know, Hezbollah is very smart,”
Trump said. “They’re all very smart.”
That remark drew condemnation from one
of his Republican rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“It is absurd that anyone, much less
someone running for President, would choose now to attack our friend and ally,
Israel, much less praise Hezbollah terrorists as ‘very smart,’” DeSantis said
in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the same breath, Trump acknowledged
that his remark about Hezbollah could be controversial, immediately adding,
“The press doesn’t like when they say it.” He went on to repeat that he views
Xi as a “very smart man” because “1.4 billion people, he controls it with an
iron fist.”
“They kill me the next day — ‘I said he
was smart,’ ” Trump mocked. “What am I going to say? But Hezbollah, they’re
very smart.”
He added, speaking again of Israel’s
enemies, “They’re vicious and they’re smart and boy, are they vicious.”
According to the Washington Post,
elsewhere in Wednesday’s speech, delivered to an auditorium of supporters in
West Palm Beach, Fla., Trump elaborated that he had “a bad experience with
Israel as president,” telling a story about the U.S. operation to assassinate
Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
In Trump’s account, Israeli intelligence
helped the U.S. locate Soleimani and plan the drone strike that killed him, but
on the eve of the operation withdrew its participation.
The accuracy of Trump’s account could
not immediately be confirmed. At the time of the assassination, the Israeli
government reacted with restraint to avoid fanning tensions with Iran. In 2021,
a retired Israeli military officer acknowledged that his country’s intelligence
contributed to the U.S. airstrike.
“I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu
let us down. That was a very terrible thing,” Trump said in Wednesday’s speech.
“So we were disappointed by that. Very disappointed. But we did the job ourself.
It was absolute precision, magnificent, beautiful job. And then Bibi tried to
take credit for it. That didn’t make me feel too good. But that’s all right.”
As Trump told the story, he suggested he
was recounting it publicly for the first time, and that it possibly included
classified information. He was indicted in June by special counsel Jack Smith
on 40 counts arising from allegedly mishandling classified documents after
leaving the White House.
“I don’t think this has ever been told,”
Trump said in the speech. “They’ll say, ‘Oh, it’s classified information.’
Well, maybe it is, but I don’t think so.”
Source: saharareporters.com
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Mideast
Israeli army denies having confirmation
of widely circulated claim that Hamas beheaded babies
October 11, 2023
The Israeli army has denied having any
confirmation of allegations that Hamas fighters beheaded babies in Kfar Aza
kibbutz region during the Israel-Hamas conflict that began on Saturday — a
claim that was widely circulated on social media and even carried by some
mainstream news websites.
The allegation, which has been used to
condemn Hamas’ armed offensive against Israel, first came to light on Tuesday
when the official government @Israel account on X published a video from
i24NEWS reporter Nicole Zedek about the devastation at the Kfar Aza kibbutz.
The video came with the caption: “40
babies murdered”.
In another video, the reporter said: “No
one could expect that it would be like this, the horrors I’m hearing from these
soldiers.”
Several websites, including CBS and the
Times of India, also featured stories alleging the beheadings of more than
three dozen babies.
CBS quoted the Israel Defence Forces
spokesperson Maj. Libby Weiss as saying that more than one of the Israeli
soldiers reported finding “beheaded children of varying ages, ranging from
babies to slightly older children,” along with adults who had also been
dismembered in Kfar Aza.
However, Anadolu Agency has since quoted
an Israeli army spokesperson as clarifying that it had no confirmation of the
claim.
The report did not reveal the identity
of the spokesperson and did not mention whether it was a different spokesperson
of the Israeli army going against Maj Weiss’ earlier remarks or was it Maj
Weiss herself retracting her claim.
“We have seen the news, but we do not
have any details or confirmation about that,” the unnamed spokesperson told the
agency.
Journalist Oren Ziv, affiliated with the
independent news outlet 972 mag, also addressed the topic, saying: “During the
tour [of the site of the attack] we didn’t see any evidence of this (beheading
of babies), and the army spokesperson or commanders also didn’t mention any
such incidents.”
Source: dawn.com
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No Order To Yield Results Without
Palestinian Rights: Iranian President
Oct 12, 2023
TEHRAN, Oct. 12 (MNA) – The Iranian
President called for Muslim countries' integration against the Zionist Israeli
regime and in support of Palestine, stressing that no world order will take
shape without taking into account Palestinian rights.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi and his
Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in a phone conversation on Wednesday called
for convergence and cooperation between Muslim and Arab countries in supporting
the Palestinian nation.
Condemning the Israeli regime's huge
crimes against Palestine, Raeisi said that the Zionists, contrary to all
international treaties, have completely besieged Gaza and the false claimants
of human rights are also using double standards to replace the oppressor with
the oppressed,
"Today, all the Islamic and Arab
countries and all the freedom-seeking people of the world must reach a serious
convergence and cooperation in the path of stopping the crimes of the Zionist
regime against the oppressed Palestinian nation. Accordingly, the Islamic
Republic of Iran will try to achieve that coordination as soon as possible by
contacting the leaders of the Islamic countries," the Iranian president
stressed.
"No new order in the region will
yield results without taking the rights of the Palestinians into account,"
he continued, adding that the Tel Aviv regime now is in its weakest position.
Assad, for his part, said that today,
the most important issue is that all Arab and Islamic countries must agree on a
united and clear position to support the rights of the Palestinian nation and
the oppressed people of Gaza.
He also called for speeding up the
process of reaching the consensus because "haste in regard will urge the
Zionist regime to commit more crimes against the oppressed people of Gaza and
Palestinians."
Source: mehrnews.com
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Gaza faces catastrophic situation with
dwindling food, water supplies
October 12, 2023
The situation in Gaza is catastrophic,
as food, water and electricity supplies in the besieged city continue to
dwindle.
According to a statement, spokesperson
for World Food Program said Palestinians in Gaza continue to suffer as the only
power plant remains out of service due to lack of fuel.
In a separate statement, Hamas'
spokesman said that 535 residential buildings have been destroyed in Israeli
air strikes, leaving around two hundred and fifty thousand people homeless.
Source: radio.gov.pk
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Over 338,000 Palestinians displaced in
Gaza: UN agency
October 12, 2023
GAZA: The United Nations has released a
harrowing report on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, revealing that over
338,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip.
The UN's humanitarian agency, OCHA,
described the situation as a "mass displacement" as heavy Israeli
bombardments continue to pound the densely populated Palestinian enclave.
The crisis deepened as Israel
intensified its attacks on Hamas targets in response to the militants' surprise
Saturday assault. Israeli forces reported that approximately 1,200 people, the
majority of them civilians, have tragically lost their lives during this
devastating onslaught, marking it as one of the most severe in the country's
history.
In Gaza, officials reported over 1,000
casualties due to Israel's sustained campaign of air and artillery strikes.
OCHA's statement highlighted that nearly
220,000 of the displaced individuals, which make up two-thirds of the total,
have sought refuge in schools run by the UN agency that supports Palestinian
refugees, UNRWA.
Meanwhile, around 15,000 people have sought
shelter in schools run by the Palestinian Authority, and over 100,000 are being
sheltered by relatives, neighbours, and various other facilities within Gaza
City.
The report also disclosed that
approximately 3,000 people had been displaced within the Gaza Strip even before
Saturday's attack, reflecting the longstanding turmoil in the region.
The bombardment has inflicted extensive
damage to Gaza's housing infrastructure, with at least 2,540 housing units
rendered uninhabitable. Additionally, another 22,850 housing units suffered
moderate to minor damage.
Furthermore, the UN agency expressed
alarm at the substantial destruction of civilian infrastructure, including
sewage facilities that serve more than a million people, resulting from air
strikes.
The damaged sewage facilities have led
to solid waste accumulating in the streets, posing a grave health hazard to the
population.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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Israel cutting off Gaza’s water,
electricity amounts to collective punishment, systematic war crime: FM
Amir-Abdollahian
12 October 2023
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian says Israel's move to cut off water and electricity supplies
to the already besieged Gaza Strip amounts to collective punishment and
systematic war crime.
"The continuation of and an
increase in war crimes in Gaza, its blockade and targeting of residential
areas, hospitals and schools, as well as cutting off its water and electricity,
amount to collective punishment and a systematic war crime,"
Amir-Abdollahian said in a phone call with his Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin
Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday.
He warned that the persistence of such a
situation would further complicate the conflict, adding that the Israeli regime
is accountable for the ensuing consequences.
Israeli energy minister Israel Katz said
on Monday that he had instructed authorities to cut the water supply to the
Gaza Strip.
“All the water supply pipes from Israel
to the Gaza Strip have been disconnected,” he added.
The top Iranian diplomat censured
Israel's war crimes in Gaza and the regime’s tightening of the siege, urging
Muslim and Arab countries to support the Palestinian people.
Pointing to Israel's indiscriminate
attacks on Gaza, which have killed and wounded many Palestinians, the top
Iranian diplomat reiterated Iran's call for an emergency meeting of the foreign
ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The resistance groups in the besieged
Gaza Strip launched large-scale Operation al-Aqsa Storm against Israel on
Saturday. According to Israeli media outlets, the death toll from the Hamas
attacks has risen to 1,300 while the number of those injured exceeds 3,300.
The Emirati minister, for his part,
stressed the importance of unanimous support for the Palestinian people and
civilians in Gaza in the face of Israel's brutal attacks.
Nahyan said the United Nations and the
International Red Cross should fulfill their duties to support the people of
Gaza and create safe passage of the wounded out of the territory.
He noted that he would raise the issue
of an OIC emergency session with Arab countries.
Iran’s FM holds Israel accountable for
the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
In another telephone conversation with
Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres on Wednesday,
Amir-Abdollahian held Israel accountable for the unfolding humanitarian crisis
in the besieged Gaza Strip as trapped residents are cut off from food, water
and electricity, voicing Iran’s readiness to send humanitarian aid to the
region.
The death toll in Gaza has risen to
1,200, with around 5,600 wounded, Palestinian media reported earlier, citing
Gaza's health ministry.
Source: presstv.ir/
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Israel targets elite Hamas unit in Gaza
strikes as Blinken heads to region
October 12, 2023
WASHINGTON: Israel bombed Gaza
overnight, saying it had targeted an elite Hamas unit that led the deadly
weekend attacks, while the US Secretary of State headed to the Middle East to
show solidarity with Israel and meet Arab leaders including Palestinians.
Israel has unleashed the most powerful
bombing campaign in the 75-year history of its conflict with the Palestinians,
vowing to annihilate the Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip in
retribution for the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
Hundreds of Hamas gunmen poured across
the barrier fence and rampaged through Israeli towns on Saturday, killing at
least 1,200 people, mostly civilians gunned down in their homes or on the
streets. They carried scores of hostages back to Gaza.
Israel has put the enclave, home to 2.3
million people, under total siege and has so far killed around 1,200 people in
a bombing campaign that has obliterated entire neighborhoods.
It has called up hundreds of thousands
of reservists and formed a unity war cabinet, in preparation for what could be
a ground assault on Gaza.
No decision on a ground assault had been
made “but we’re preparing for it,” military spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht
said early on Thursday.
The latest strikes overnight were
focused on Hamas’s “Nukhba Force”, which spearheaded Saturday’s attacks, Hecht
told reporters. Palestinian gunmen were still trying to infiltrate Israel by
sea and the military was still working to secure the Gaza fence, Hecht said.
Hamas media said 15 Palestinians had
been killed and several wounded in the latest Israeli air strikes. Eyewitnesses
reported Israeli aircraft heavily bombarding Gaza city and Gazan authorities
also reported an air strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.
Gaza hospitals have been overrun with
wounded and dead and are fast running out of supplies with just days left of
fuel for their generators.
Biden dispatched his top diplomat to the
Middle East to show Washington’s enduring support for Israel, seek to secure
the release of captives, including Americans, and prevent war from spreading.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will
arrive on Thursday and will also visit Jordan. Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary
general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization,
said on social media platform X, that Blinken will meet Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday.
Abbas’s Palestinian Authority has
limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but lost control of the
Gaza Strip to Hamas, an Islamist militant group backed by Iran, in 2007.
MESSAGE TO IRAN
Speaking to a roundtable of Jewish
community leaders in Washington, Biden said 22 Americans were among the dead in
what he described as acts of “sheer evil” by Hamas.
“This attack was a campaign of pure
cruelty — not just hate, but pure cruelty — against the Jewish people,” he
said, describing it as “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.”
The war has overturned the plans of
diplomats in the region, coming just as Israel was preparing to reach an
agreement to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia, the richest Arab power, and
months after Riyadh resumed ties with its regional rival Iran, sponsor of
Hamas.
Tehran has celebrated the Hamas attacks
but denied being behind them.
Biden said his deployment of military
ships and aircraft closer to Israel should be seen as a signal to Iran, which
backs Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
“We made it clear to the Iranians: Be
careful,” Biden said.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the conflict on Wednesday, in
the first telephone call between the two leaders since the China-brokered deal
between Tehran and Riyadh to resume ties.
‘WE ARE ALL SOLDIERS OF ISRAEL’
Israel’s leaders on Wednesday formed a
unity government, promising to put bitter political divisions aside to focus on
the fight against Hamas.
Former defense minister Benny Gantz, a
centrist opposition leader, spoke live on Israeli television alongside Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after forming a
war cabinet focused entirely on the conflict.
“Our partnership is not political, it is
a shared fate,” said Gantz. “At this time we are all the soldiers of Israel.”
Netanyahu said the people of Israel and
its leadership were united. “We have put aside all differences because the fate
of our state is on the line,” he said.
With Palestinian rescue workers
overwhelmed, others in the crowded coastal strip searched for bodies in the
rubble.
“I was sleeping here when the house
collapsed on top of me,” one man cried as he and others used flashlights on the
stairs of a building hit by missiles to find anyone trapped.
Some 340,000 of Gaza’s 2.3 million
population have been displaced due to the war, and around 65 percent of them
have sought safety at shelters or schools, according to the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the enclave.
Israel has deployed formations of tanks
and armored vehicles near Gaza in possible preparation for a ground offensive
into the enclave.
Israel withdrew its troops and settlers
Gaza in 2005 after 38 years of occupation. Hamas seized power in the enclave in
2007 and Israel and Egypt have subjected the territory to a blockade ever since
that has created conditions which Palestinians say are intolerable.
Washington said it was talking with
Israel and Egypt about safe passage for civilians from Gaza, with food in short
supply.
Source: arabnews.com
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Iran, Syria presidents call for unity on
Palestinian support
October 12, 2023
DUBAI: The presidents of Iran and Syria
have urged Islamic countries to reach an agreement on a position in support of
Palestinians, a news agency linked to Iran’s top security agency, Nournews,
reported on Thursday.
“Islamic and Arab countries as well all
free people of the world must reach a single position to stop the crimes of the
Zionist regime against the oppressed Palestinian people,” Iranian President
Ebrahim Raisi told his Syrian counterpart over the telephone, Nournews
reported.
On Wednesday, Raisi and Saudi Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the
first telephone call between them since their countries agreed in a March deal,
brokered by China, to resume ties.
Iran and Syria are long-time allies in
the Middle East.
Iran’s economic influence in war-torn
Syria has grown in recent years, supplying the government of President Bashar
Assad with credit lines and winning lucrative business contracts.
Source: arabnews.com
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Arab World
Saudi crown prince, Iranian president
discuss military escalation in Gaza
October 12, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
on Wednesday, the Saudi Press Agency said.
The pair discussed the ongoing military
escalation in Gaza and its surrounding areas.
The crown prince reiterated that the
Kingdom is exerting all possible efforts in communicating with all
international and regional parties to halt the escalation.
He stressed Saudi Arabia’s position
rejecting targeting of civilians and taking innocent lives, emphasizing the
need to take into account the principles of international humanitarian law,
noting the grave concern about the seriousness of the humanitarian conditions
in Gaza Strip.
The crown prince stressed Kingdom’s firm
position towards supporting the Palestinian cause and efforts aimed at
achieving a comprehensive and just peace that guarantees the Palestinian
people’s legitimate rights.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi crown prince, French president
discuss Gaza situation
October 12, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the
situation in Gaza during a call, the Saudi Press Agency said Thursday.
The crown prince stressed the need to
discuss ways to stop the military operations that claimed the lives of innocent
people.
He reiterated the Kingdom’s keenness to
work to calm the situation, stop the ongoing escalation, respect international
humanitarian law, including lifting the siege on Gaza, and work to create
suitable conditions for the return of stability to ensure that the Palestinian
people obtain their legitimate rights and achieve just and lasting peace.
The crown prince emphasized the
Kingdom’s rejection of targeting civilians in any way or disrupting
infrastructure and vital interests that affect their daily lives.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi crown prince, Turkish president
discuss military escalation in Gaza
October 11, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan on Wednesday.
During the phone call, the two officials
discussed the current military escalation in Gaza and its surroundings.
The crown prince confirmed that the
Kingdom is making unremitting efforts regionally and internationally with the
aim of joint coordination to stop the ongoing escalation.
He also affirmed that the Kingdom
rejects the targeting of civilians in any way and taking the lives of innocent
people, stressed the need to observe the principles of international
humanitarian law, and emphasized the need to stop the attack on the Gaza Strip.
Crown Prince Mohammed also highlighted
the Kingdom’s firm position supporting the Palestinian cause and efforts aimed
at achieving a comprehensive and just peace that guarantees the Palestinian
people access to their legitimate rights.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia to Host Ninth Conference of
Environment Ministers in The Islamic World in Jeddah
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is set to
host and preside over the 9th Conference of Environment Ministers in the
Islamic World. The conference, organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water
and Agriculture in partnership with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), will take place in Jeddah from October 18th
to 19th. A total of 52 countries and 30 regional and international
organizations dedicated to environmental matters will participate in the event.
The conference program will include several
scientific sessions. The first session will address the concept of green
transformation within the Islamic world, examining both the challenges and
opportunities it presents. The second session will focus on the role of
artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in achieving sustainable
development goals. Finally, the closing session will conclude the conference.
Coinciding with the conference, the Sixth
Meeting of the Islamic Executive Bureau for the Environment will convene,
bringing together the nine member states of the Executive Bureau, as well as
numerous regional and international organizations. Additionally, an exhibition
will be held concurrently with the conference.
During the ministerial meeting, elections will
be held to select members of the Islamic Executive Bureau for the Environment.
Furthermore, decisions regarding the location and date of the tenth conference
session will be made.
One of the main highlights of the conference
will be the presentation of the third edition of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Award for Environmental Management. This prestigious award will recognize 21
winners from 18 Islamic nations for their outstanding contributions to
environmental management.
By hosting this conference, Saudi Arabia
reaffirms its commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable
development within the Islamic world.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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Iraq is guest of honor at ‘Made in
Saudi’ expo
October 12, 2023
RIYADH: Iraq is the guest of honor —
which includes 24 of the country’s companies — at the second edition of the
“Made in Saudi” exhibition.
The event takes place from Oct. 16 to 19
at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center and features over
100 national companies, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
Iraq’s selection demonstrates the strong
and growing economic relations between the two countries. It is hoped that the
event will attract significant local and international buyers, the SPA
reported.
From 2018-2022, non-oil exports from the
Kingdom to Iraq totaled SR14.8 billion ($3.9 billion).
The construction-materials industry
emerged as the top exporting sector, at SR4.42 billion.
Trade in all sectors were boosted by the
establishment of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council in 2017.
The “Made in Saudi Arabia” exhibition
aims to promote local products and services as part of the objectives of Saudi
Vision 2030, the SPA stated.
Source: arabnews.com
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Europe
Iraqi PM asks Putin to help resolve Israeli-Palestinian
conflict
11 Oct, 2023
Russia can use its position as a
permanent member of the UN Security Council to help resolve the conflict
between Israel and Palestine, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani suggested
during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
In his speech at the plenary session of
Russian Energy Week in Moscow, the Iraqi leader stressed that “the forces of
good should unite” and personally appealed to Putin to propose an initiative
for a ceasefire and “real” solution to the “Palestinian problem.”
Al-Sudani claimed that the consequences
of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are now hard to predict as the Islamic
world is “seething” amid the recent escalation.
During the meeting, Putin argued that
the conflict in Gaza ultimately stems from the fact that when the state of
Israel was created, there was also a promise to establish a sovereign
Palestinian state.
“Israel, as we know, was created, but
Palestine, as an independent and sovereign state, was never created,” Putin
said. He added that over the years, Israel has also occupied parts of
historically Palestinian territories, mainly with the use of military force.
According to the Russian president, the
Palestinian problem is currently “within the heart” of every person in the
Middle East, and everything that has happened over the past several decades is
perceived as a “manifestation of injustice raised to some incredible degree.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov
stated in an interview on Wednesday that Russia can and will continue to play a
role in settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and will maintain dialogue
and an “equal distance” with both sides.
Previously, Putin stated that the recent
escalation in Gaza, which started with a surprise attack on Israeli territory
by Hamas militants on Saturday, was ultimately down to failed US policies in
the Middle East.
“[The US] tried to monopolize the peace
settlement, but unfortunately paid no attention to searching for compromises
that would be acceptable for both parties,” the Russian president said. He
claimed that Washington had put pressure on both sides in an attempt to impose
its own solutions to the issue, without ever taking into account the core
interests of the Palestinian people.
Hamas, a Palestinian militant group
which controls much of Gaza, launched ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ on Saturday,
firing rockets and sending commandos deep into Israeli territory. The Israel
Defense Force (IDF) responded by bombing Gaza and cutting off all of its
utilities, as Israel made an official declaration of war.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Israel had
recorded at least 1,200 dead and 2,900 injured among its citizens. The
Palestinian authorities in Gaza have recorded at least 1,055 dead and over
5,000 wounded since the outbreak of hostilities.
Source: rt.com
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EU asks Musk to censor info not
conforming to Western narrative over Israel’s war in Gaza
11 October 2023
The European Union is asking Elon Musk
to censor information not conforming to the Western narrative over Israel’s war
of aggression against Palestinians in Gaza.
The EU called on Musk, the billionaire
owner of the social media website X, to curb the spread of what it called
“disinformation” on X, formerly known as Twitter, about Israel's aggression
against the Palestinians.
In a letter to Musk shared on social
media on Tuesday, EU industry chief Thierry Breton claimed that he had
indications that X was purportedly being employed to disseminate what he called
illegal content and disinformation in the European bloc.
The EU senior official stressed that
“violent and terrorist content” had not been taken down, despite warnings as is
required by EU law.
“I therefore invite you to urgently
ensure that your systems are effective, and report on the crisis measures taken
to my team,” Breton said in his letter to Musk, reminding the X’s owner that he
needed to have “proportionate and effective mitigation measures to tackle the
risks to public security and civic discourse stemming from disinformation.”
As a platform subject to Europe’s
Digital Services Act (DSA), X could face billions in fines if regulators
conclude that violations have occurred.
Breton further strongly urged Musk to
send “a prompt, accurate and complete response to this request within the next
24 hours.”
In an exchange on X, Musk was quick to
respond, telling Breton, “Our policy is that everything is open source and
transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports. Please list the
violations you allude to on X, so that that the public can see them.”
Breton on Wednesday replied, telling
Musk, “You are well aware of your users’ — and authorities’— reports on fake
content and glorification of violence.”
“Up to you to demonstrate that you walk
the talk. My team remains at your disposal to ensure DSA compliance, which the
EU will continue to enforce rigorously,” Breton added.
"We take our actions in the open.
No back room deals. Please post your concerns explicitly on this
platform," Musk responded.
Earlier, the BBC came under immense
pressure for using the term fighter for members of Hamas, according to a
report.
A Tuesday report published by the Daily
Express said that members of the British parliament as well as pro-Israeli
media outlets and politicians in Britain have been criticizing the BBC for
refusing to refer to Hamas members as “terrorists,” instead calling them “fighters”
and “militants.”
It said critics believe the BBC should
comply with a proscription issued by the British government which designates
Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The report indicated that hard-line
pro-Israeli politicians view BBC’s use of the words fighter and militant as a
way of giving legitimacy to Hamas while claiming that the practice is
anti-Semitic.
Source: presstv.ir
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--------
Support not ‘indefinite,’ White House
tells Ukraine
12 Oct, 2023
The US is running out of money for
Ukraine unless Congress approves additional funding, National Security Council
spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.
“In the near term, we’ve got
appropriations and authorities for both Ukraine and for Israel,” Kirby said
during the daily press briefing. “But you don’t want to be trying to bake in
long-term support when you’re at the end of the rope.”
“And in Ukraine, on the Ukraine funding,
we’re coming near to the end of the rope,” he added. “Today we announced $200
million, and we’ll keep that aid going as long as we can, but it’s not going to
be indefinite.”
Asked to define “near term,” Kirby said
he could not point to a specific date, because that depends on how quickly
Ukraine and Israel expend their equipment and ammunition “or what the need is
and what our ability to do it is.”
On Tuesday, a Pentagon spokesperson
assured reporters that the US has the ability to “continue our support both to
Ukraine, Israel, and maintain our own global readiness.”
Kirby, however, admitted that the money
previously appropriated for Ukraine by Congress is “not going to last forever”
and that lawmakers need to approve more and soon.
“The sooner there’s a speaker of the
House, obviously, the more comfortable we’ll all be in terms of being able to
support Israel and Ukraine,” he said.
The House of Representatives has not had
a speaker since last Tuesday, when Kevin McCarthy became the first-ever speaker
to be ousted in a House vote, over an alleged secret deal with the White House
to approve more Ukraine funding. Several Republicans led the charge against
their California colleague, backed by all of the minority Democrats. Steve
Scalise of Louisiana, the Republican nominee to succeed McCarthy, has been
supportive of funding Ukraine in the past.
Since February 2022, when the conflict
with Russia escalated, the US has channeled almost $44 billion worth of military
aid to Ukraine, as well as billions more in cash, humanitarian, and economic
assistance.
Source: rt.com
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Vladimir Putin reveals Russian position
on Israeli-Palestinian conflict
October 12, 2023
Amid the fierce Israeli attacks on the
crowded Palestinian enclave, grounding residential blocks in the Gaza Strip,
Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the combating parties to resolve their
issues by initiating talks, as countries are voicing concerns about the
conflict's potential to escalate.
Putin also hoped that the current
situation would not expand, which was started Saturday last week with the
powerful response by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas to Israeli
decades-old brutality.
More than 1,000 Palestinians were
martyred by the Israeli strikes in Gaza — ruled by Hamas — with the death toll
on the occupied forces side reaching 1,200.
"It is necessary to avoid the
expansion of the conflict at all cost because if it happens it will have an
impact on the international situation," Russian President Putin said
Wednesday.
"Parties need to return to a
negotiation process that should be acceptable to all sides, including to the
Palestinians," the 71-year-old leader said.
He also said it was "necessary to
engage in diplomacy rather than with the military side [of the conflict] to
find solutions to stop the fighting."
Russia has a history of maintaining friendly
relations with both Palestinians and Israeli authorities — though ties with
Jerusalem have been strained by Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine
which commenced in February last year.
While the West condemned Palestinian
attacks, Russia has so far carefully denounced violence from both sides.
Russia also believed that the current
situation in the Middle Eastern region is the direct result of the US foreign
policy "failure."
Russia "could contribute to the
settlement process," Putin said while making an offer to mediate in the
current situation. He also added that any mediation effort would be difficult
given the gravity of the situation.
A day earlier Putin called for "the
creation of an independent sovereign Palestinian state."
Turkey in mediation for hostages
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
initiated talks with Hamas to secure the release of Israeli hostages taken into
custody in a recent attack by the Palestinian resistance group.
According to media reports, President
Erdogan has given the go-ahead in the negotiations.
Turkey, which has had historical ties
with Hamas, is now actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to mediate the
conflict arising from the recent surprise attack by Hamas on Israel.
Turkey earlier conveyed its mediation offer
and asserted to facilitate the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian situation
during Erdogan's recent exchanges with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
(MBS) and Algerian President AbdelmadjidTebboune.
Several reports noted that "Turkey
is conducting negotiations concerning the civilian prisoners held by
Hamas," without any further information about the discussions on the
matter.
Turkey has been vocal about the
Palestinian cause and urged a two-state solution since the Israelis encroached
upon the Palestinian land turning the country a living hell for the innocent
Muslims of the country.
Citing fears of escalation, Ankara
called for restraint, emphasising the need to protect civilians on both sides.
It also expressed that the key to regional peace lies in the establishment of
an independent Palestinian state.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1118300-vladimir-putin-reveals-russian-position-on-israeli-palestinian-violence
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Pakistan
Cabinet condemns Israeli bombardment of
Gaza
October 12, 2023
ISLAMABAD:The federal cabinet on
Wednesday strongly condemned the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and
demanded an immediate cessation of air raids and the lifting of the blockade to
facilitate the delivery of essential relief items to the civilians.
The cabinet, which met here with Prime
Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar in the chair, approved the appointment of former
Lahore High Court (LHC) judge Sohail Nasir as deputy chairman and Syed Ehtsham
Qadir Shah as prosecutor general, accountability, of the National Accountability
Bureau (NAB).
Speaking at a post-meeting news
conference, Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi said that the
ministers also approved a proposal for hiring the Consortium for Financial
Advisory for the privatisation of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
The information minister said that the
federal cabinet called for an immediate halt to Israeli bombardment of civilian
areas of Gaza, and demanded lifting of the blockade of the enclave for the
provision of relief items to the civilians.
“The forum strongly condemned Israel's
bombardment, particularly targeting civilians in Gaza besides expressing
concern over the volatile situation stemming from Israel’s illegal occupation,
oppression of Palestinians for decades and blatant violations of the Security
Council resolutions,” Solangi said.
During the cabinet meeting, the prime
minister directed all the federal ministers to undertake only essential foreign
visits. Solangi said that the prime minister directed the ministers not to
undertake any foreign visit that was unnecessary.
Among the decisions taken during the
meeting, Solangi said, the cabinet approved the appointments of Justice (retd)
Sohail Nasir as NAB deputy chairman and Syed Ehtesham Qadir as NAB prosecutor
general accountability.
The cabinet approved the receipt of the
‘PLA Commemorative Award Medal’ awarded by China to Brig Shahid Amir. The
ministers also approved the extradition of two Pakistani citizens, who were
wanted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait.
Read more: Polls expected before end of
Jan, date pending
Besides, Solangi said, the cabinet
ratified the decisions taken in an Economic Coordination Committee (ECC)
meeting on October 3 and a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on State-Owned
Enterprises (SOEs) on January 21 and 28.
Responding to a question, Solangi said
that no action was being taken against those Afghan citizens who had Proof of
Registration (POR) Cards, those residing in Pakistan for the last 40 years and
those who had Afghan citizen cards, which had been verified by the previous
Afghan government.
“The deadline of October 31 for
voluntary return is only applicable to those individuals who did not possess
any legal document,” the minister said, adding that thousands of illegal
residents had started returning to their countries.
Responding to another query, he said
that elections would be held as per the schedule to be issued by the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP). He added that the elections history of the
country suggested that polls were held in extreme cold and hot weather.
Source: tribune.com.pk
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2016 Pathankot attack mastermind Shahid
Latif killed in Pakistan mosque
12.10.23
Muzaffar Raina
A Jaish-e-Mohammad militant, who was
named as an accused in the 2016 Pathankot attack, and his associate were killed
in an attack by unknown gunmen in Pakistan’s Sialkot early on Wednesday.
Sialkot police have called it a
“terrorist” attack.
Reports said three unidentified gunmen
barged into a mosque where worshippers were offering pre-dawn prayers and
opened fire at Jaish militant Shahid Latif and his associate Hashim. They were
killed while another person was injured.
Over half a dozen militants linked to
Kashmir jihad and Khalistan have been killed in a spate of attacks in Pakistan
in recent months, leading to speculation of a “shifting battleground” against
the militants.
The fresh killings have come weeks after
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed to have evidence about India’s
involvement in the June killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh
Nijjar. India has dismissed these allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.
Sialkot police chief Hasan Iqbal told
reporters on Wednesday that Latif and Hashim were killed inside Noor Masjid in
MandaikiGoraya village at Daska in Punjab’s Sialkot district during Fajr
prayers.
“Unknown gunmen opened fire (inside the
mosque). It is definitely a target killing. We are treating it as terrorism,”
he said.
“Shahid sahab was facing a security
threat. He would position himself based on that.”
The National Investigation Agency (NIA)
had named Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar and three others, including
Latif, as accused in the attack on the Indian Air Force base in Punjab’s
Pathankot in June 2016.
Seven security force personnel and a
civilian were killed in that attack, which lasted for days. Four militants
involved in the attack were also killed.
The NIA claimed Latif and his associate
Kashif Jan had guided, equipped and launched the four militants who carried out
the attack.
Latif was a resident of Pakistan’s
Gurjanwala. He was arrested in 1994 in Jammu and Kashmir in a militancy case,
put on trial and eventually jailed. Jaish had reportedly sought his release,
along with some others, in 1999 after they hijacked the Indian Airlines flight
IC-814. The Vajpayee government had released Jaish chief Azhar and some other
militants in exchange for the hostages but Latif’s release did not fructify.
Former Jammu and Kashmir police chief
S.P. Vaid said Pakistan, a “once safe haven for terrorists”, had become their
“graveyard”. Vaid said Latif had infiltrated into Kashmir in 1993 and was
arrested in 1994. “He was undergoing sentence in KotBalwal with other
terrorists, including Jaish chief Azhar Masood, whose release I had personally
supervised during ‘99 hijacked Flight IC-814 in Kandahar,” Vaid posted on X.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/2016-pathankot-attack-mastermind-shahid-latif-killed-in-pakistan-mosque/cid/1972742
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Two more Afghan settlements bulldozed in
Islamabad
October 12, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development
Authority (CDA) on Wednesday demolished two settlements of Afghans in I-12/2
and Margalla Town Phase 2.
A press release issued by the civic body
on Wednesday stated that the CDA’s enforcement directorate conducted an
operation against the illegal settlements built near Nust.
The CDA staff razed scores of rooms and
a number of livestock farms with heavy machinery. As a result of the operation,
land measuring 250 kanals was retrieved, which was later handed over for sector
development.
Besides, another operation with the
assistance of police and the local administration was conducted in Margalla
Town Phase 2.
The settlement was established there
long ago and dozens of houses and livestock farms were razed during the
operation and state land retrieved.
Another operation was conducted at Mandi
Mor in response to a complaint against encroachment. During the operation,
encroachments were removed from both sides of the roads.
Meanwhile, the capital police arrested
four more ‘illegal’ Afghan immigrants from different places and registered
separate cases against them under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act.
Aabpara police arrested four ‘illegal’
immigrants from Aabpara Chowk after they failed to produce any legal traveling documents.
Similarly, Shalimar police arrested an ‘illegal’ Afghan immigrant from F-10/2
for lacking necessary documents.
Source: dawn.com
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Three die in targeted attack on Daska
mosque
October 12, 2023
NAROWAL: In what believed to be a
targeted attack on a Daska mosque during Fajr prayers on Wednesday, a prayer
leader, a religious activist belonging to an outlawed outfit and his security
guard were killed.
Quoting Zulfikar Ali, another security
guard of Maulana Shahid Latif, police said six unknown people reached the
Noori-e-Madina Masjid in MandikeGuraya Chowk on motorbikes and three of them
joined the prayers. He said soon some gunshots were heard and within seconds
the assailants fled the scene. He said they fired a shot on him as well but he
remained unhurt.
Police said prayer leader Maulana Ahad,
Maulana Muhammad Latif and his security guard Hashim Ali were seriously injured
in the firing. Police said Maulana Latif died on the spot due to a head injury
while Maulana Ahad and the security guard were immediately shifted to the Daska
Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in a critical condition.
Police said the guard succumbed to
bullet wounds while Maulana Ahad was shifted to a hospital in Gujranwala where
he also expired.
Sialkot District Police Officer Muhammad
Hasan Iqbal along with a heavy contingent of police reached the mosque and
ordered blocking of all entry and exit routes of the district.
The DPO formed five teams for the
immediate arrest of the accused.
Eyewitnesses Qamar Abbas and Salim
Warik, also offering prayers, said all worshippers ran away due to the sudden
fire in the mosque. He said the ages of the suspects were between 20 and 25
years.
On the complaint of ASI Amjad Javed,
Daska Saddar police registered an FIR against six unknown suspects on murder
and terrorism charges.
The DPO said this could be called a
target killing and an incident of terrorism. He said that the police
investigation teams had obtained all the evidence and statements of local
people from the spot. He said CCTV footages might help police trace the culprits.
To a question, the DPO confirmed
Muhammad Shahid Latif had been a Jaish-e-Muhammad activist.
Indian news website NDTV claimed Latif
had guided four terrorists who carried out a terror attack at the Pathankot
airbase in 2016. It said seven Indian Air Force personnel were killed when four
JeM terrorists sneaked into the Pathankot Air Force Station. The encounter went
on for three days.
The NDTV further said Latif was arrested
in India in 1994 on terror charges. He was then put on trial and eventually
jailed. He completed his sentence in 2010, after which he was deported to
Pakistan.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1780582/three-die-in-targeted-attack-on-daska-mosque
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Pakistan demands immediate stop of
bombardment in Gaza
October 11, 2023
The Caretaker Federal Cabinet has
demanded immediate cessation of bombardment in Gaza and ending of illegal siege
of the territory, allowing international assistance to reach victims.
Minister for Information and
Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi, along with Minister for Privatization Fawad
Hassan Fawad, was briefing media about Federal Cabinet's decisions in Islamabad
this evening. The Federal Cabinet was met in the federal capital today with
Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar in the chair.
Murtaza Solangi said the cabinet
strongly condemned Israeli bombardment against the innocent and unarmed
Palestinians. It also expressed serious concerns about the shortage of food and
water in Gaza.
The Information Minister said the
cabinet unanimously emphasized that recent tension is a result of Israel's
illegal occupation of Palestinian territories for the last two decades,
oppression against innocent Palestinians and open violation of UN Security Council
Resolutions.
The Cabinet reiterated Pakistan's
principled stance that a viable, sovereign, and contiguous State of Palestine
should be established on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al-Sharif
as its capital in light of the UN resolutions and will of the people of
Palestine.
Murtaza Solangi said the Prime Minister
also directed the federal ministers to only undertake necessary foreign trips.
He said the cabinet also approved
appointment of Justice retired Sohail Nasir as Deputy Chairman and Syed
Ehtisham Qadir Shah as Prosecutor General of the National Accountability
Bureau. He said it was also decided to
hire services of a Financial Advisory Consortium for the privatization of the
Pakistan International Airlines.
Responding to questions, Caretaker
Minister for Privatization Fawad Hassan Fawad said the purpose of privatization
of State Owned Enterprises is to make these entities profitable and add value
to their services for the people.
He said privatization of PIA will open
up Pakistan's aviation sector for international investment.
The Minister said the entity is facing a
loss of 50 crore rupees daily. He said out of total 34 planes, 15 are grounded
and 19 operating, which having lapsed their age, go out of order, creating
problems for passengers. He categorically stated government's clear stance that
no employee of the 'to be privatized' state enterprises will be rendered
jobless during this process of privatization.
Source: radio.gov.pk
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https://www.radio.gov.pk/11-10-2023/federal-cabinet-demands-immediate-cessation-of-bombardment-in-gaza
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Paragon Housing Society: NAB finds
Khawaja brothers innocent in case
October 12, 2023
LAHORE: The National Accountability
Bureau (NAB) has declared Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Khawaja Salman Rafiq innocent
in the Paragon Housing Society Reference.
The NAB, in its report, stated that no
evidence of corruption was found against Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Salman Rafiq,
so there was no need to take further action on the reference against the
Khawaja brothers. The report stated the Paragon Housing Society has been
approved by Aziz Bhatti Town, but not by the LDA. So LDA, as a regulator,
should address minor complaints.
The NAB requested that Paragon Reference
be sent to LDA. The Accountability Court of Lahore sent the reference to the
LDA on the request of NAB.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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South Asia
11 Cases Against BNP Chairperson Khaleda
Zia: Charge Framing Hearing On November 13
Oct 12, 2023
A Dhaka court today fixed November 13
for hearing on charge framing of 11 cases, including a sedition case, filed
against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Judge Md Asaduzzaman of Dhaka
Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court set up at Keraniganj Central Jail adjourned
today's hearing and set the new date, said Additional Public Prosecutor Tapash
Kumar Pal.
The adjournment came following petitions
submitted by the defence, citing different reasons.
Khaleda, who is out of jail following an
executive order from the government, are undergoing treatment at Evercare
Hospital.
Among the 11 cases, 10 were filed in the
first three months of 2015 over arson attacks, while the other one was filed
with a Dhaka court on charge of making seditious comments on freedom fighters
and martyrs of the Liberation War.
Three other corruption cases against
Khaleda -- Gatco, Niko and Boropukuria coalmine -- are now pending with three
other special courts in Dhaka.
Two more cases are pending with the
Second Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/dinajpur-mayor-jailed-month-derogatory-comments-judge-3441226
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Dy FM Of TalibanAccuses Pakistan Of
Employing Political Pressure By Deporting Afghan Refugees
October 11, 2023
Fidel Rahmati
On Wednesday, Sher Mohammad Abbas
Stanikzai, the political deputy foreign minister of the Taliban administration,
issued a plea to both Islamabad and Tehran, urging them to halt the deportation
of Afghan refugees.
During the inauguration of the second
phase of the Qosh Tepa Canal project, Stanikzai expressed concerns that
Pakistan is employing economic and political pressure tactics on the current
administration through the deportation of Afghan migrants.
His remarks shed light on the belief
that the deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan is perceived as a means
for Pakistan to exert economic and political leverage on the interim government
of Afghanistan.
Stanikzai also noted that despite these
challenges, the Taliban caretaker administration is actively expanding its
political relations with foreign countries, with plans to establish ties with
many countries shortly.
Simultaneously, Pakistan’s special
representative for Afghanistan, Asif Ali Durrani, clarified during the 74th
meeting of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Executive
Committee that Pakistan’s deportations are not exclusive to illegal Afghans but
encompass all illegal immigrants.
Durrani acknowledged Pakistan’s
historical role in hosting millions of Afghan refugees and expressed gratitude
for the UNHCR’s support.
“The order of deportation of migrants
taken by our government is for those migrants who have entered the country
illegally or whose visas have expired because Pakistan has hosted immigrants
for four decades, and the international community has not helped them. The
country has faced many economic problems and is still facing insecurity,”
Durrani said.
Source: khaama.com
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Iran Reaches Agreements With Afghanistan
in Trade Development
Bibi Amina Hakimi,
Iran’s economic delegation has reached
an agreement with Islamic Emirate’s officials and private sector
representatives of Afghanistan on some issues in the areas of trade
development.
Iran's Ambassador to Kabul Hassan
KazemiQomi, said they have agreed to create an Iran-Afghanistan chamber, trade
development, to provide of facilities in the transit sector and investment in
the agricultural sector.
“The creation of the Iran-Afghanistan
Joint Chamber is one of the ways for introducing the capabilities and relative
economic benefits of the two nations. The Chamber of Commerce of the two
countries is responsible for the introduction of companies and entrepreneurship
of economic banks. This is one of the things we agreed on,” Qomi noted.
Meanwhile, the acting Minister of
Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, said that the ministry is trying to
boost the level of exports with Iran.
"There has always been a big
difference in Afghanistan's trade balance. Our export was about twenty million
dollars, and from Iran it was about $2 billion,” Azizi noted.
"We are trying to find the
characteristic of each soil of each province and use it according to its
characteristic and use the modified eggs and researched eggs from Iran,” the
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Ataullah Omari, said.
According to the Afghanistan Chamber of
Commerce and Investment, the cost of transporting goods through Iran is high,
and Afghans urged that attention should be paid to reducing the prices.
In the meantime, the Afghanistan Railway
Authority wrote on social media that on Tuesday the authority signed an
agreement with the Iranian Railway Consortium for the use of the Khawaf-Herat
railway.
The authority wrote that, based on the
agreement, Iran will send 100,000 tons of goods by this route in the first year
and this level will increase by 100,000 tons every year.
At the signing of the agreement
ceremony, the head of the Afghanistan Railway Authority, Bakht-ur-Rahman
Sharafat, said that the construction of the first phase of the fourth section
of the Khawaf-Herat line will start next week.
This comes as acting Foreign Minister
Amir Khan Muttaqi in a meeting with Sardar Yaqub Ali Nazari, the governor of
Iran's Khorasan Razavi province, emphasized the need for bilateral cooperation
between Kabul and Tehran.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the spokesman of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on social media that Muttaqi in the meeting
said that now security in the country, and commercial and economic cooperation
are better than in the past.
Balkhi wrote that in the meeting Yaqub
Ali Nazari called for the creation of special teams for work and expertise
coordination between the ministries of the two countries as a new step for
further cooperation and development.
On Sunday, over 80 Iranian businessmen
came to Afghanistan to provide facilities for businessmen and to boost trade
between the two countries.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/business-185501
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Taliban blocks Pakistani Medical Plane’s
aid to Herat earthquake victims
Fidel Rahmati-
October 11, 2023
According to sources, the Taliban did
not allow a team of ten Pakistani doctors to land at Herat Airport.
A team of ten Pakistani doctors was
denied entry to Herat Airport by the Taliban, preventing them from providing
crucial medical assistance to earthquake victims in the city. Afghanistan
International News Agency reported that the team included general surgeons,
orthopaedic surgeons, nurses, and paramedics.
The Taliban has not issued any official
statement or comment regarding the matter.
Iran was among the first countries to
send its relief workers to the earthquake-stricken area. The Iranian Red
Crescent announced on Tuesday that it is ready to send more medical aid to the
earthquake-affected areas of Herat.
Afghanistan’s healthcare system, which
heavily relies on international aid, is facing a shortage of financial
resources and healthcare personnel, especially in emergencies, two years after
the Taliban took control and many international aid flows stopped.
The earthquake, which occurred on
Saturday, has tragically claimed the lives of over 2,400 individuals and laid
waste to at least 20 villages. The repeated occurrence of such a devastating
calamity has left the local population deeply traumatized and urgently needed
assistance.
The World Health Organization has stated
that most victims are women and children.
Additionally, on Wednesday, another
earthquake of a similar magnitude struck western Afghanistan. According to
local sources, dozens of injured individuals from this Wednesday’s earthquake
were transported to a nearby hospital in the Herat region, with two reported
fatalities.
Source: khaama.com
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Latest Earthquake in Herat Severely
Damaged More Than 20 Villages
Nasir Ahmad Salehi
Over twenty villages in several
districts of Herat province have been seriously damaged in three recent strong
earthquakes on in the province on Wednesday.
In these earthquakes, one person was
killed and over 150 people were injured.
The earthquakes completely devastated
the village of Chawak in Herat's Injil district.
Fewer people have been hurt by these
earthquakes because residents of the province fled their homes out of fear of
the earthquakes, which started on Saturday.
"We have been outside since Sunday.
Our houses were cracked in the earthquake. Most of our clothes are at home,”
said Shir Ahmad, the victim.
“I was awake when I felt todays’
earthquake. I was confused. My daughters called me to get out and somehow, I
got out,” said Naz Bibi, another victim of the earthquake.
The rescue teams have not come to this
village and because of this, the residents are trying to get their property out
from under the ruins.
Shah Sawar, a local resident, whose
house was destroyed by the earthquake wants to get his carpet out of the
rubbles.
“I have lost everything, but this one
did not have causalities. Everything is under rubble,” he told a TOLOnews
reporter.
"We had blankets, wheat, rice, and
oil, all of them were buried under the rubble. Everything we had, we only took
enough on the first day of the earthquake that helped us in these two days, and
we thought we would return to our homes,” said Adam Khan, another resident of
Herat who suffered due to the earthquake.
Three strong earthquakes shook part of
western Afghanistan on Wednesday morning after an earlier quake killed more
than 2,000 and flattened whole villages.
The latest 6.3-magnitude earthquake was
about 28 kilometers (17 miles) outside Herat, the capital of Herat province,
and 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
With the continuation of earthquakes,
the operation of evacuating the victims of last Saturday's earthquake continues
in Zindehjan district of Herat province.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185495
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Kazakh Diplomat Arrives in Herat with
Aid Shipment for Earthquake Survivors
2023-10-11
HERAT (BNA): Bakhtiar Sarsinbai, the
Deputy Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Afghanistan, arrived in Herat province with
a rescue team and aid cargo to assist survivors of the recent earthquake.
During his visit, Sarsinbai met with
Sheikh Mawlana Nur Ahmad Islam Jar, the Governor of Herat, and expressed his
sympathy for the devastating disaster that resulted in thousands of casualties.
Sarsinbai affirmed Kazakhstan’s
readiness to cooperate in any way necessary to assist the people affected by
the earthquake in this province.
The Governor of Herat expressed his
gratitude for Kazakhstan’s assistance, stating that it will help address some
of the needs of the earthquake victims.
Tomorrow, Kazakhstan’s relief team,
along with the Deputy Ambassador, is scheduled to visit the earthquake site.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://bakhtarnews.af/en/kazakh-diplomat-arrives-in-herat-with-aid-shipment-for-earthquake-survivors/
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Man arrested for raping 7-yr-old girl in
Dhaka
Oct 12, 2023
Rab today arrested a 46-year-old man on
charge of raping a seven-year-old girl in Dhaka's Rupnagar area on October 6.
The arrestee was identified as Ibrahim
Molla, a neighbour of the victim.
A team of Rab arrested him from Birulia
area in Savar early today, Shihab Karim, assistant director of Rab-2, told The
Daily Star.
The Rab official said as the child got
caught in the rain outside their home on that day, Ibrahim Molla lured her by
offering toys and food. He gave her Tk 20 and took the girl in his room and raped
her.
The family members along with the
neighbours rescued the girl after Ibrahim fled, he said.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/man-arrested-raping-7-yr-old-girl-dhaka-3441301
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Southeast Asia
PM Anwar says unity govt still willing
to talk with PAS, but warns against religious zealotry
By Julia Chan
12 Oct 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reportedly said that his administration is still
willing to conduct talks with Islamist party PAS, but must draw a line when it
comes to religious zealotry.
Speaking to Time magazine, he pointed to
the rise of conservative rhetoric among Malaysians that stemmed from the
current political environment and PAS' increasingly hardline stance.
“On whether we are prepared to engage
with them, of course we do. We must. And I’ve sent [an invitation] to them ...
Yes, I have been open to the idea from the beginning. After all, this is a
unity government and we do what is best for our country,” he was quoted saying.
“But of course, we are going to draw a
line. Islam is the religion of the federation, but this is a multi-religious
country and I want every single citizen in this country, of all religious
persuasions, to know that they have a place in this country.
“No one should be discriminated against,
marginalised, or ignored,” he reportedly added.
However, Anwar told Time he has yet to
receive a clear rejection or positive response from PAS so far.
“The political climate is still a bit
heated, so we’ll let it cool off for some time,” he reportedly said.
To combat the rising racial and
religious tensions, Anwar said his strategy is to bring economic development,
and then education to emphasise that Malaysia's plural identity.
Anwar also said that education is key to
dispelling any form of racism, extremism and religious bigotry which tend to
breed easily among the more ignorant segment of the population.
“When I say ignorant, I don’t mean
you’re not qualified, you don’t go to university. I mean the lack of
understanding of the total message of a religion dependent on some of the
mullahs and sheikhs, with their very narrow, obscure interpretation.
“Although it is a predominantly Muslim
country, it is a multiracial country. And we have survived hundreds of years
with the presence of Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians. And there is no reason
why you should upset this and cause enmity,” he said.
After taking power in November last
year, Anwar said his coalition government would uphold the tenets of the
Federal Constitution, namely the status of the Bumiputera, the Malay language,
the religion of Islam, and the Malay rulers.
However he stressed that this should not
come at the expense of the rights, citizenship, and opportunities of every
race, religion and region in the country, no Malaysian should be left to feel
ignored or marginalised.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/10/12/pm-anwar-says-unity-govt-still-willing-to-talk-with-pas-but-warns-against-religious-zealotry/95795
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Grab Singapore suspends driver who
allegedly made racist comments to passenger, asked him to ‘get out’ of car
11 Oct 2023
SINGAPORE — A male Grab driver who
allegedly made racist comments towards his passenger and then asked him to get
out of the vehicle has since been suspended, the ride-hailing company said.
On Tuesday, a video clip of the alleged
incident was posted by someone named “lanjiolover” on the Singapore Happenings
subreddit page of online forum Reddit, showing the altercation between the two
parties.
The driver was seen calling the
passenger “a rubbish Indian” after claiming that the latter made him wait for a
long time during pick-up and then telling him what route to take.
The passenger then responded by saying
that “it doesn’t matter” since the Grab application would charge him extra for
being late.
The driver kept asking the passenger to
“get down” though he continued driving.
The passenger went on to ask why the
driver was “being racial”, to which he denied at first. When the passenger
insisted that the driver was so, the driver replied that Indians tend to be
late based on his knowledge.
After further heated exchanges, the clip
ends with the driver raising his voice and telling the passenger to “get out”
of the vehicle.
In response to TODAY’s queries, Grab
said that its driver-partners are expected to treat passengers fairly and not
discriminate against them in any way.
“This is in line with our code of
conduct.
“We take a strong stance against
discriminatory behaviour and language on our platform and have since suspended
the driver-partner,” it added.
Just two weeks ago, a private-hire
driver from ride-hailing company Tada was suspended for a similar incident that
was captured on video, where the driver called his passenger “Indian” and “the
very worst” customer.
In response, Tada said that the driver’s
remarks that insinuated racial differences were “completely unacceptable” with
the platform’s community guidelines and ethos. — TODAY
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2023/10/11/grab-singapore-suspends-driver-who-allegedly-made-racist-comments-to-passenger-asked-him-to-get-out-of-car/95722
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Zambry urges any Malaysians in or around
Gaza to contact Wisma Putra
12 Oct 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Aside from the five
Malaysians who are currently in the process of being repatriated, Wisma Putra
is calling for other Malaysians who may be in or around Gaza to contact the
ministry as soon as possible.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry
Abdul Kadir said at press time, Wisma Putra has been able to contact the five
Malaysians who were previously trapped in the West Bank and Gaza, adding that
they are currently safe.
According to Zambry, Wisma Putra was
informed of the condition of the five Malaysians through the Malaysian
Embassies in Amman, Jordan and Cairo, Egypt. They consist of a doctor with her
three children and another Malaysian who went there for a holiday with her
husband.
They are Dr Nurul Ain Latiff and her
three children who were previously trapped in the West Bank and have been taken
out of the area, while Nurul Ain Haron and her Palestinian husband are still
trapped in Gaza.
“We have contacted our embassy in Amman
and we managed to talk to them and they are currently safe and we are making
plans to take them out of Gaza.
“There are only five people who have
registered with us. Wisma Putra appeals to all Malaysians to let us know if
they are living there (in Gaza) and to register and let us know of their
whereabouts.
“So far, we only have this information,
that there are five Malaysians there,” he said during a press conference at the
Parliament lobby here Thursday (Oct 12).
Earlier, Zambry had also addressed the
Dewan Rakyat and notified the House of the current updates of the five
Malaysians who are currently being rescued.
Zambry said Malaysia is also seeking
help for the evacuation process through the Philippines government.
“In times of crisis like this, we will
take help from whichever embassy that can extend help to us. Right now, we are
getting (help) from the Philippines because they (their embassy) are nearest to
the (affected) area.
“This is similar to the situation during
the Sudan crisis where Malaysia extended help to other nationalities. This is
in the spirit of working together.”
On the 23 Malaysians and Singaporeans
who were previously stuck around the embattled region, Zambry gave his
assurances that they had left the embattled zone.
“All 23 of them have safely crossed into
Egypt on Oct 10,” he said.
As one of the countries that strongly
supports the Palestinian cause, Zambry said Malaysia will continue to condemn
the cruelty of the Zionist regime.
He said this is especially following
worldwide reports saying that the regime is targeting ambulances, hospitals, schools
and mosques, adding that the massive air campaign by the Israeli regime is
leaving Palestinians helpless without food, water and electricity.
“The cruelty to the Israeli regime is
too much,” he added.
As part of an effort to help the
struggling Palestinians in Gaza, Zambry said RM1mil in donations has been
collected and will be channeled to the Palestinians.
“We are handing over the RM1mil and
other aid, which will continuously be given by Malaysians. We hope that this
could alleviate the burden of the Palestinians who are currently living in
pain.”
Palestinian ambassador to Malaysia,
Walid Abu Ali, who was present during the media conference expressed his
gratitude for the donation, as well as Malaysia’s contributions to the
Palestinian struggles in the last few decades.
“Malaysia's ongoing support for our
Palestinian people has never been questioned. Malaysians have always shown
their support and solidarity to our cause locally, regionally and
internationally.
“On behalf of the Palestinian government
and the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, Al-Quds and the Palestinian
diaspora, we are grateful to Malaysia and we highly appreciate the support.
“We pray Malaysia stays safe, united and
secured. We look forward to the day when we could all welcome you and host you
in al-Aqsa,” he said.
Source: thestar.com.my
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https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/10/12/zambry-urges-any-malaysians-in-or-around-gaza-to-contact-wisma-putra
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Two dead, six injured as car carrying
illegal migrants crashes in Hungary
12 Oct 2023
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Two people died and
six were injured in southern Hungary near the Serbian border on Thursday when a
car carrying illegal migrants hit a tree and turned over, Hungarian police
said.
The car, which had a French number plate
and was driven by a smuggler, according to a police statement, did not stop for
police checks but accelerated before the accident happened near Kiskunmajsa.
Police did not say how many illegal migrants were in the vehicle.
Police figures have shown a jump in
illegal migrant crossings on Hungary's southern border with Serbia in the past
months, from where they head for Slovakia or Austria.
The migrants, predominantly young men from
the Middle East and Afghanistan, arrive via the so-called Balkan route,
entering Hungary from Serbia despite a steel fence that Prime Minister Viktor
Orban had built after the 2015 migration crisis that rocked Europe.
Hungary pushes migrants back to Serbia -
which is not in the EU - but they make repeated attempts to climb or cut
through the fence, and many make it with the help of gangs of smugglers who
then ferry them north, largely to the border with Slovakia.
On Wednesday, Slovakia's caretaker government
approved extending temporary controls on its border with Hungary until Nov. 3
as it seeks to clamp down on heightened illegal migration.
The small central European country
installed the border controls on Oct. 5 for a period of 10 days, following neighbours
Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria, which had earlier tightened their own
frontiers with Slovakia.
In September alone, illegal migration to
Slovakia was as high as in all of 2022.
(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by
Alex Richardson)
Source: thestar.com.my
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https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2023/10/12/two-dead-six-injured-as-car-carrying-illegal-migrants-crashes-in-hungary
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2 enforcement officers among 3 arrested
for allegedly soliciting RM1,500 bribe
October 12, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Three people, including
two enforcement officers, were arrested on suspicion of soliciting a RM1,500
bribe in exchange for turning a blind eye to a motorist who was "in
possession of a trade vehicle licence plate"
A source said the three men aged between
36 and 37, were detained at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)
office here between 5pm and 7pm yesterday.
"The two enforcement officers on
motorcycles were believed to have flagged down a four-wheel drive vehicle using
a company's trade plate at about 9.30am yesterday.
"The officers then told the driver
that the trade plate displayed on the vehicle was fake," he said.
He said one of them asked for RM1,500 in
exchange for not taking any action against the driver.
Following the arrests, the trio, which
included a man that acted as a runner, was brought to the Kuala Lumpur
magistrate's court this morning for remand.
Magistrate IlliMarisqaKhalizan ordered a
six-day remand starting from today.
KL MACC director Datuk Mohamad
FauziHusin confirmed the arrests of the men, with investigation conducted under
Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
Source: nst.com.my
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https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2023/10/966199/2-enforcement-officers-among-3-arrested-allegedly-soliciting-rm1500
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Africa
Kenyan Publisher Withdraws Controversial
School Book Depicting Prophet Muhammad
11 Oct 2023
A Kenyan publishing company has
withdrawn a text book that featured an image of Prophet Muhammad, following
protests by Muslim leaders and parents.
The Muslim community had expressed their
concerns about the blasphemous nature of depicting the Prophet and the request
for students to colour in the illustration.
Mentor Publishing Company acknowledged
the gravity of their mistake, regretting the inclusion of the controversial
drawing in their book on Islamic studies designed for second-year primary
school pupils.
In Kenya, where about 11% of the
population adheres to Islam, this move holds significant importance, as it
addresses a sensitive religious matter.
Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are a
deeply sensitive issue for Muslims, as they contravene traditional Islamic
beliefs that explicitly forbid visual representations of both the Prophet and
Allah (God).
Sheikh Rishard Rajab Ramadhan, a Muslim
scholar from the coastal city of Mombasa, described the book's content as
"dangerous" for young children and emphasized that such depictions
could even lead to conflict.
In a letter addressed to the Muslim
community, Mentor Publishing Company acknowledged the sacrilegious nature of
the content in their book, known as the "Mentor Encyclopaedia Grade
2". The drawing in question had been inadvertently inserted into the book
and mistakenly identified as an image of Prophet Muhammad.
Josephine Wanjuki, the director of
Mentor, offered a sincere and wholehearted apology for this error and pledged
to prevent such mistakes from recurring. Additionally, the publisher confirmed
that the offensive drawing would be removed from all future editions, and they
have committed to collaborating with the Muslim Education Council to review
their entire catalog of books.
All teachers, students, and school administrators
in possession of the book have been advised to return it to the publisher.
Sheikh Ramadhan praised this decision to recall the books but urged publishers
to consult with Muslim leaders before releasing any materials related to
Islamic studies.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/11/kenyan-publisher-withdraws-controversial-school-book-depicting-prophet-muhammad/
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Hundreds of South Africans show solidarity
for Palestinians
11 Oct 2023
A cross-section of South Africans took
to the streets of Johannesburg on Wednesday in support of the people of
Palestine, as the deadly conflict between Israel and the militant group, Hamas,
continues.
Some people said they were joining in
the protest to show solidarity with Palestinians who have faced decades of
oppression.
“I did more and more research and I came
to the conclusion that not only have I been lied to, and spreading myself, but
my religion was being used to undermine the rights of the Palestinian people,”
said protester Pamela Ngubane.
Demonstrators outside the United States
consulate criticised Washington's decision to send weapons to Israel and called
for the Israeli ambassador to South Africa to be expelled.
A similar protest was held in Cape Town
with people calling for an end to violence.
The demonstrations were organised by
pro-Palestine group BDS (Boycott, Disinvest, Sanctions) which continues to call
for the boycott of Israeli products, disinvestments, and sanctions against the
country.
They were held as the Jewish community
in South Africa also announced plans to hold prayer sessions and solidarity
events this week in support of Israel.
South Africa’s government on Sunday
called for an immediate cessation of violence between Israel and Palestine.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/11/hundreds-of-south-africans-show-solidarity-for-palestinians/
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Nigeria halts all Christian pilgrimages
to Israel
11 Oct 2023
Nigeria has temporarily halted all
pilgrimages to Israel. This move follows a surge in deadly hostilities over the
weekend, disrupting the plans of eager Easter pilgrims.
Originally scheduled to depart for
Israel and Jordan on Tuesday, the pilgrimage for a group of committed
Christians has now been canceled until further notice. The Nigerian
government's Christian Pilgrim Commission has confirmed this decision,
emphasizing the prevailing uncertainty caused by the ongoing conflict.
Sunny Udeh, the commission's Director
for Mobilization and Sensitization, shared his thoughts on the matter, stating,
"The war has created uncertainties in our planning for the main pilgrimage
in December... we do hope the hostilities will end before the end of the
year." It is a sentiment that underscores the desire for peace in the
region.
On average, approximately 18,000
Christian pilgrims from Nigeria embark on journeys to holy sites in Israel and
Jordan each year. The commission's commitment to ensuring the safety of these
Nigerian pilgrims remains unwavering, prompting them to closely monitor the
situation in Israel.
The recent escalation in violence stems
from an attack launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas against Israel
last Saturday. Tragically, the conflict has claimed the lives of at least 1,200
Israelis, with retaliatory strikes on the Gaza Strip from Tel Aviv resulting in
the deaths of at least 1,000 Palestinians.
The Nigerian government has called for
an end to hostilities and a ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hamas
fighters. Their stance prioritizes a peaceful resolution to the conflict
through dialogue.
It's worth noting that, despite the
ongoing chaos in the region, commercial flights from Nigeria to Tel Aviv remain
unaffected. The situation continues to be closely monitored, with hope for a
swift return to normalcy and peace in the region.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/11/nigeria-halts-all-christian-pilgrimages-to-israel/
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Israel-Hamas war: Nigeria repatriates
310 pilgrims to Jerusalem
11 Oct 2023
Nigeria has repatriated 310 of its
nationals who were in Jordan after leaving Israel by road, where they were on a
Christian pilgrimage, the Lagos State government announced on Tuesday.
“I am happy to announce that we have
managed to repatriate by plane all 310 citizens who had gone on pilgrimage to
Jerusalem,” Lagos State Governor BabajideSanwo declared on X (ex-Twitter).
-Olu.
These pilgrims were traveling from
Bethlehem to Nazareth when they learned that an attack was underway in southern
Israel, said BukolaAdeleke, special adviser for Christian affairs in that state
and one of the leaders of the band.
“We were scared and everyone wanted to
return to Nigeria, no one wants to die,” he told AFP after the group returned
Tuesday morning.
The group - who were in Israel as part
of a twice-yearly pilgrimage organized by the Lagos State government - and the
Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission organized their road trip to Jordan,
from where they took off for Lagos on a specially chartered plane.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country,
is divided almost evenly between the predominantly Muslim north and the
predominantly Christian south.
Israel announced on Tuesday that it had
partially regained control of its border with the Gaza Strip, placed in a state
of siege, after four days of a war against the Palestinian Islamist movement
Hamas which has already left more than 3,000 dead.
Source: africanews.com
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Nigerian govt declares commitment to
press freedom
October 12, 2023
The Minister of Information and National
Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has emphasized the importance of a free and
vibrant media landscape to the success of democracy, expressing the
government’s commitment to ensuring press freedom. He stated this while
receiving executive members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists at his office
on Tuesday.
He recognized the challenges journalists
and media organizations face, including press freedom, access to information,
and journalist safety.
The minister noted that the Nigerian
Union of Journalists plays a vital role in sustaining our democracy and urged
practitioners and regulators to work together as partners in progress.
“The Ministry of Information and
National Orientation is here to provide oversight and create a level playing
field for all journalists, our goal being to ensure that journalists feel safe
and encouraged to practice their profession”.
He observed that while press freedom is
valued, it is also crucial for practitioners to be responsible and provide
accurate information to the Nigerian public.
He reiterated that President Bola Ahmed
Tinubu’s administration had shown commitment to press freedom and creating a
conducive environment for the Nigerian press to operate, and therefore charged
practitioners to take advantage of this commitment and collaborate in
repositioning and reorienting Nigerians for the benefit of our country’s
development, peace, and unity.
“As the Minister of Information and
National Orientation, I am committed to working collaboratively with the
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to address the challenges bedevilling the
industry and promote a vibrant and responsible media landscape.”
Together, he noted, the principles that
define the journalism profession and ensure press freedom, access to
information, and the safety of journalists would be safeguarded.
Finally, the minister re-echoed his
strong dedication to nurturing a flourishing media environment with the backing
of the Nigerian Union of Journalists and other stakeholders
In his remarks, Chris Isiguzo, the
president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, acknowledged the challenges
faced by the media industry, including press freedom, access to information,
journalist safety, and economic burdens. The NUJ, he said, sees the minister as
a major stakeholder and an ally in addressing these challenges and fostering a
vibrant, independent, and responsible media landscape in Nigeria. He further
said that the Nigerian Union of Journalists envisions a collaborative alliance
with the ministry, built on shared commitment and optimism for the future.
Source: premiumtimesng.com
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Nigeria’s prominent Shia cleric arrives
in Iran
October 11, 2023
Leader of the Islamic Movement in
Nigeria Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky has arrived in Tehran as part of his second
foreign visit after the termination of his home arrest by the Nigerian
government.
Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife,
MalamaZeenah Ibrahim, arrived at Imam Khomeini International Airport in the
capital Tehran on Wednesday and were warmly received by the Iranian people as
well as their supporters and followers upon arrival.
The participants, in their hundreds,
held placards and waved Iranian national flags as well as portraits of Leader
of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and late anti-terror
commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in support of the prominent
Nigerian Muslim cleric.
“I am very happy that such a crowd
supports the resistance today, and I have nothing to say but to thank you dear
ones,” Sheikh Zakzaky said in an address at the airport.
Pointing to the divine promise of the
victory of truth over falsehood, he stated, “We are all under a great test, and
it is hoped that the Islamic Revolution will bring about change in the whole
world, including in the US and Europe, to set the ground for the emergence of
the last Shia Imam, Imam Mahdi (PBUH).”
Sheikh Zakzaky, the founder of the
Islamic Movement in Nigeria, is scheduled to attend an official ceremony held
in the University of Tehran on Saturday in recognition of his self-effacing
character and distinguished sacrifices in promoting Islam in the African
continent.
In December 2015, Nigerian army troops
attacked Sheikh Zakzaky’s residence and a place of worship belonging to the
Islamic Movement in Nigeria, killing over three hundred and forty of his
supporters in Zaria, Kaduna state.
Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife have lost
their six sons, three of whom were killed during the Zaria Massacre.
He had remained under state detention in
the Nigerian capital pending his release, which was ordered in late 2016. In
2019, a court in Kaduna state granted him and his wife bail to seek treatment
abroad but they returned from India after three days due to unfair treatment
and tough restrictions by security operatives deployed to the medical facility.
Last year, the Kaduna state higher court
exonerated him from any charges and ordered his immediate release after 2,055
days of illegal detention.
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria will
mark the eighth anniversary of the Zaria Massacre this year. Remembering the
massacre has become an annual event where members pray for those who were
killed and injured by the security forces.
Source: ifpnews.com
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Don’t treat us as aliens, Delta Muslims
beg Oborevwori
October 11, 2023
Emma Amaize
Muslims in Delta State have entreated
the State Governor, Rt Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, not to shut them out in the
affairs of the state.
They made the request in a communique
issued a
an emergency meeting of Muslim
stakeholders, yesterday, in Ovwian, Udu local government area of the state.
AlhajiMumakaiUnagha, who read the
communique, said, “The governor should not shut us out in the affairs of the
state. Delta state is not a singular religious state.”
” Indigenous muslims of the state are
entitled to a representation in the government for equity, fairness, and
justice.
Delta muslims are optimistic that the
governor will not close his ears to our appeal.
“We assure him of our preparedness to
partner with him in socio politica, l and economic development of the state.
“The truth, however, is that over a period
of time, they have neglected and sidelined Muslims, despite several appeals
through correspondences.
Source: vanguardngr.com
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/shahi-idgah-masjid-krishna-janmabhoomi/d/130886