‘Sufi Dialogue’ Launched At the BJP Headquarters in New Delhi as a Means of Reaching Out To the Muslim Community
New Age Islam News Bureau
16 March 2023
The BJP Minority Morcha
will hold a large sammelan in December featuring an address by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. (Image: PTI/File)
------
• UN Secretary-General Delivers Statement on International
Day to Combat Islamophobia
• Muslims in US Call For Global Efforts to Combat
Islamophobia, Foster Inclusivity
• “Self-Perceived Identity” Un-Islamic: Pakistan Transgender
Law Comes Under Fire at Council of Islamic Ideology Meeting
• From Islamic State to Hefazat: Sheikh Hasina Needs
to Fight a Long War against Radicalism
India
• Stones Pelted At Mosque, School and Houses during
Hindu Outfits’ Rally in Karnataka
• Petition Seeks Transfer of Mathura Mosque Cases to
High Court, Judge Says ‘Matter Should Not Be Unnecessarily Prolonged’
• 55:45 Muslim-Hindu arrests in child wedding cases:
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
• UP Minority Panel Urges Chief Secretary for Best
Facilities for Muslims in the Coming Month of Ramzan
• UP Muslim body urges not to pull down loudspeakers
that follow decibel limit
• UP: Ittehad-e-Millat Council Chief Put Under House
Arrest For Allegedly Making Inflammatory Remarks
• India invites Pak defence minister Khawaja Asif for
SCO meeting: Report
• 20 arrested for Haveri communal clash, more arrests
to follow: Karnataka police
--------
Europe
• UK Islamophobia Victim Urges Muslims to Report Hate
Crimes
• Germany’s Muslim Community Calls for Determined
Stance against Islamophobia
• EU official says inciting hatred against Muslims
incompatible with bloc’s values
• Christchurch mosque attack leaves survivor with 52%
disability, trauma
• UK’s The Royal Mint Releases Exclusive Ramadan Gold
Bar with Kaaba Design
--------
North America
• US Secretary of State marks International Day to
Combat Islamophobia
• Canadian minister urges public to denounce
Islamophobia
--------
Pakistan
• Amid High Drama, HC Asks Security Forces to Halt Op
outside Imran House
• Pakistan Ex-PM Imran Khan Says Arrest Bid Is Plot to
Bar Him from Election
• Pakistan-occupied Kashmir: All sections of society
reject Census 2023
• Two Pakistani pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia after
walking on foot for months
• Toshakhana case: Judge offers to halt arrest
attempts if Imran surrenders in court
• Amid unrest, Shehbaz offers to parley with Imran
• Punjab capital smoulders amid lull in Zaman Park
operation
-------
South Asia
• Ahmadiyya leader terms Fakhrul’s remark
irresponsible, disheartening
• World Security Forum in Doha Discusses Afghanistan
Situation
• Stability in Afghanistan Requires an Inclusive
Political System, Says EU Envoy
--------
Mideast
• ‘Don't Come Back’: Israelis Protest As Netanyahu
Heads Abroad
• Fireworks and defiance: Iranians mark fire festival
with anti-regime protests
• ‘Sanctions work’: Iranian Nobel winner urges EU ‘not
to give in’ to Tehran
• Israelis, Palestinians to meet in Egypt in bid to
lower tensions before Ramadan
• Army says suspected Hezbollah-linked suicide bomber
shot dead in Israel
• Erdogan says Turkey may ratify Finland’s NATO membership
bid
• Pope Francis commends Ayatollah Sistani for
commitment to peace and unity
--------
Southeast Asia
• Selangor Bans Muslims from Attending Events at
Churches, Temples
• Malaysia’s Christian minister dismisses
proselytization claim
• Malaysia’s opposition raises spectre of another
government collapse
• DPM Zahid: Govt to upgrade Islamic education
curriculum at Kemas kindergartens
• Singapore PM: We will work with Indonesia, ASEAN, UN
to push Myanmar peace plan
--------
Arab World
• Saudi Arabia Could Invest In Iran ‘Very Quickly’,
Says Minister
• Saudi Arabia, UK hold inaugural session of strategic
aid dialogue in London
• Saudi official: China has leverage on Iran to
enforce compliance with agreement
• Syria’s Assad expresses his support for Russia in
war in Ukraine
• Lebanon’s Salameh does not attend hearing, session
postponed: Sources
• Saudi wildlife centre uses satellite tracking
devices to monitor animals
• Lebanon’s empty schools bode long-term damage from
crisis
• Syrians mark 12th anniversary of uprising against
regime
• Former Iraqi PM hails Gen. Soleimani as architect of
Iran-Saudi détente
• UAE to send 200 tons of dates to quake victims in
Türkiye ahead of Ramadan
--------
Africa
• Somalia Military Court Executes 3 Terrorists By
Firing Squad
• Tons of Uranium Missing From Libyan Site, IAEA Tells
Member States
• Tunisia opposition spokesman and latest Saeid critic
detained: Party
• Security Council renews UN South Sudan mission for
one year
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sufi-bjp-muslim-community/d/129332
--------
‘Sufi Dialogue’ Launched At the BJP Headquarters in
New Delhi as a Means of Reaching Out To the Muslim Community
The BJP Minority Morcha
will hold a large sammelan in December featuring an address by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. (Image: PTI/File)
------
March 15, 2023
Sufi Samvad (Sufi Dialogue) programme was launched at
the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, under the aegis of the party’s minority
Morcha, as a means of reaching out to the Muslim community, with a year-long
set of programmes planned by 150 non-political people, to end with a big
meeting to be addressed by Prime Minister Modi himself.
President of the BJP’s minority morcha Jamal Siddiqui
said it was on the direction of Prime Minister Modi to reach out to the Sufi
community who are “advocates of peace and harmony”. “Prime Minister Modi spoke
of ‘ sabka saath, sabka vikas’, therefore we also should have ‘ sabka saath’ as
an important component,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Yasir Jilani, media
coordinator for the programme, said, “this is a great occasion where people
working in Sufi dargahs across 30 States have gathered at the BJP headquarters,
to firm up our programme for the Sufi Samvad. The idea of the programme is to
go among the Muslim community, bring to their notice the fact that the Modi
government had worked for all, irrespective of caste, creed or community, and
dispel the notions set out by Opposition parties on the BJP and Prime Minister
Modi.”
A majority of the programmes will be aimed at
Muslim-majority areas, districts where there is up to 20% or more of the Muslim
population. States like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Bihar and Telangana
will be included in this programme. Within Uttar Pradesh, programmes are being
planned to be held in Saharanpur, Meerut, Rampur, and Azamgarh, while in Bihar,
Kishanganj, Araria, and Katihar Lok Sabha constituencies will host events.
The main talking point of the Sufi Samvad would be to
show how the welfare programmes undertaken by the BJP-led Central government
have been uniformly implemented without discrimination. The planning for the
programme, minority morcha leaders said, came after Prime Minister Narendra
Modi asked BJP leaders at the Hyderabad national executive of the party to
reach out to deprived sections among the Muslim population, as they too have benefitted
from the welfare policies of the Modi government.
Another programme which is being launched by the BJP’s
minority morcha, also from the same Hyderabad meeting, is the “ sneh milan”
goodwill meeting with Muslim community members, with the slogan “one nation,
one DNA”. These will start at the end of March and 12 such meetings will be
held in Muslim-majority Lok Sabha constituencies.
Source: The Hindu
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original story:
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UN Secretary-General Delivers Statement On International
Day To Combat Islamophobia
Ambassador Linda
Thomas-Greenfield at a UN General Assembly High-Level Event on the
International Day to Combat Islamophobia
------
March 15, 2023
NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
emphasized that Islam’s message of peace, compassion and grace has inspired
people across the world for millennia, Emirates News Agency reported.
Guterres called for action to counter anti-Muslim
hatred in his statement on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. He
noted that nearly 2 billion Muslims worldwide are frequently subjected to
bigotry due to their faith.
The UN chief also emphasized the triple discrimination
faced by Muslim women because of their gender, ethnicity and faith. He added
that rising anti-Muslim sentiment is part of a resurgence of ethnonationalism,
neo-Nazi white supremacist ideologies, and violence against vulnerable
populations such as Muslims, Jews, minority Christian communities, and others.
Discrimination diminishes everyone, he said, and it is
thus the responsibility of all to fight it.
Guterres called for policies that fully respect human
rights and protect religious and cultural identities to strengthen defenses
against discrimination. He also advocated for greater investment in social
cohesion and the recognition of diversity as a source of wealth in order to
combat bigotry.
The UN secretary-general stressed that all major
faiths and traditions call for tolerance, respect and mutual understanding. He
called on people to confront the forces of division by reaffirming their common
humanity every day, not just on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2269216/world
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Muslims in US Call For Global Efforts to Combat
Islamophobia, Foster Inclusivity
Photo: aa.com
----
March 15, 2023
HOUSTON, United States
The UN has declared March 15 the International Day to
Combat Islamophobia with the goal of taking "concrete action in the face
of rising hatred, discrimination, and violence against Muslims.”
"It says to me that we really have a problem, a
big problem, in order for the UN to come out and recognize that Islamophobia is
a worldwide issue and to talk against it," said Heisam Galyon, a member of
the Islamic Society of Greater Houston.
In a phone interview with Anadolu, Galyon said the
only way to address Islamophobia is to get the message out to the world, which
is exactly what the UN is doing.
"We need to talk about it," said Galyon.
"You can't solve a problem if you don't bring it up."
While Galyon acknowledged that discrimination against
Muslims is an age-old problem, he said the prevalence of Islamophobia came to
light in the US immediately after the 9/11 attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
"They saw us as terrorists, as Osama bin
Laden," said Galyon. "It really did great harm to Muslims here in the
United States. People who had neutral views about Islam, all of sudden,
developed negative views about them just like after Pearl Harbor in World War
II where the US created internment camps and discriminated against the Japanese
community living in America."
In declaring Wednesday as International Day against
Islamophobia last year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the nearly 2
billion Muslims worldwide "face bigotry and prejudice simply because of
their faith" and that Muslim women suffer “triple discrimination” due to
their gender, ethnicity, and faith.
“It is an inexorable part of the resurgence of
ethno-nationalism, neo-Nazi white supremacist ideologies, and violence
targeting vulnerable populations including Muslims, Jews, some minority
Christian communities and others,” said Guterres.
‘Islamophobia is rooted in xenophobia’
UN General Assembly President Csaba Korosi also noted
that "Islamophobia is rooted in xenophobia, or the fear of strangers,
which is reflected in discriminatory practices, travel bans, hate speech,
bullying and targeting of other people" and urged countries to uphold the
freedom of religion and take action against the hatred.
“All of us carry a responsibility to challenge
Islamophobia or any similar phenomenon, to call out injustice and condemn
discrimination based on religion or belief – or the lack of them,” said Korosi.
The UN said all countries “must confront bigotry
wherever and whenever it rears its ugly head,” including tackling online hate
speech, adding that it is working with governments, regulators, media and
technology companies “to set up guardrails, and enforce them.”
"It's a really big issue. It's an international
issue. And I'm glad the UN is recognizing this," said Munir Ibrahim, the
former president of the Indian Muslim Association of Greater Houston.
Ibrahim told Anadolu via phone that while Islamophobia
in the US is not at the extreme level it once was more than two decades ago after
9/11. He said that “discrimination and alienation against Muslims are still
societal problems” that need to be addressed.
"Kneeling and praying and wearing a hijab have
become negative symbols of judgment for places around the world, not just the
United States," said Ibrahim, who added that Islamophobia affects Muslims
in all nations, from Europe to Russia to India and China.
Ibrahim emphasized that the “best way” to combat
Islamophobia is to shed light on the problem and educate the public about tolerance,
understanding and kindness.
"Let this international day be the
catalyst," he said. "Battling Islamophobia and discrimination should
be communicated every day."
2-way street
However, Ibrahim believes tolerance is a two-way
street, saying that as much as non-Muslims need to understand a different
religion and way of life, he said that Muslims need to do their part to be
tolerant of other religions and their practices.
"In Houston, Muslims have done a good job of
embracing all communities and religions," he said. "We are all the
same. We may pray differently. We may worship differently. But we are still all
the same."
That being said, Ibrahim believes that Islamophobia is
still a major concern that the US and the rest of the world face.
"I believe that 99% of Muslims are good and there
is just 1% of bad, as with any other community," said Ibrahim. "But I
fear that we are just one moment away, one negative incident, from extreme
Islamophobia becoming prominent again, from this hatred and discrimination that's
underlying in society from coming to the surface," he said.
Both Ibrahim and Galyon believe the road going forward
can be a positive one to combat Islamophobia worldwide, but it will take plenty
of work from all sides.
"Muslim communities need to get more involved and
reach out to other communities," said Ibrahim. "Educate society about
Islam, bring them into your mosques and share your religious beliefs. Embrace
other cultures and learn about other religions, just as you want others to learn
about yours."
Galyon believes governments must do their part too in
order to set the standard that hatred and intolerance of any kind are
unacceptable.
"I think each country has to pass some laws
making Islamophobia a crime," said Galyon. "There should be punishment
for people who attack Muslims or desecrate their places of worship."
"There have to be penalties for people who commit
hate crimes against Muslims," he added. "Somehow, they need to be
held liable for both their discriminatory actions and words."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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original story:
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“Self-Perceived Identity” Un-Islamic: Pakistan
Transgender Law Comes Under Fire at Council of Islamic Ideology Meeting
The Council of Islamic
Ideology (CII) Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz (centre) addressing a press conference on
Thursday. — Photo provided by author
-----
March 16, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman
Dr Qibla Ayaz on Wednesday said that after a detailed review of the Transgender
Persons (Rights of Protection) Rules, the council had reached the conclusion
that “self-perceived identity” is un-Islamic.
Addressing a press conference after taking the sense
of all stakeholders during a two-day meeting, he said these rules were framed
in continuation of the Transgender Act and contained several provisions and
clauses which were not compatible with Sharia.
The council expressed concerns over the social and
legal problems faced by intersex and transgender persons, he said, adding that
protection of basic human rights of these persons must be ensured.
Dr Ayaz said the council also examined the amendment
bills presented by Senator Mohsin Aziz, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed and Senator
Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and suggested amendments to them.
Apart from the CII members and other religious
scholars and leaders, representatives of the transgender community, doctors,
legal and social experts, civil society organisations, the National Database
and Registration Authority and Ministry of Human Rights also participated in
the meeting to review all aspects of the issues pertaining to the intersex and
transgender community.
Islamophobia resolution
Meanwhile, the CII also passed a resolution in
connection with the International Day to Combat Islamophobia and hailed the UN
decision to celebrate it on March 15 annually as a commendable initiative.
Mr Ayaz said the council hoped that continuous, integrated
and comprehensive measures would yield positive results in this context.
It noted that certain elements in the West and some
other countries were engaged in nefarious designs to create an atmosphere of
fear and hatred towards Islam and Muslims, due to which there were serious
threats to the global peace
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1742464
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From Islamic State to Hefazat: Sheikh Hasina Needs to
Fight A Long War Against Radicalism
Sheikh Hasina led from the
front to curb terror in Bangladesh after the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka
-----
Mar 16 2023
By Darakhsha Qamar
New Delhi, Mar 16: The recent instance of violence
between the police and a group of people protesting against an Ahmadiyya
community event that left 2 dead and at least 50 others, including policemen
injured, is only the latest in the slew of extremist violence targeting
minorities in Bangladesh in the last decade.
Throughout 2014-15, members of religious minorities,
prominent activists, intellectuals, members of the LGBTQ community as well as
atheist social media activists were targeted in a series of machete murders.
In 2016, there was a 6 hour hostage situation in the
Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka that left 24 non- Muslims and an Indian national
dead.
2021 saw more than 100 temples, a Buddhist monastery,
homes and shops of non-Muslims being attacked, vandalised and set on fire
because malicious rumours had been spread that the holy book of Muslims, the
Quran, was desecrated at a Durga puja pandal.
These instances point to the rise of radical Islamist
groups and their exclusivist doctrine in the Bangladesh polity. Yet their
existence is not new, nor have they emerged into the scene overnight. Since
independence in 1971, the Bangladesh polity has been dominated by two broad,
opposing strands of nationalist thought. One is a secular ethno-linguistic
identity built around the Bengali language, and the other is a religious
nationalism that gives precedence to the Muslim identity of the Bangladeshi
people over all else.
The former is the nationalism of Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman and is enshrined in the founding principles of the Bangladeshi
Constitution. The influence of the second kind of nationalism spread after the
death of Sheikh Mujib, during the military regimes of 1975-1990. It is
especially apparent in the chequered history of amendments to the constitution
during this time, the most significant of which was the 8th amendment of June
1988, when Islam was recognised as state religion. This is a significant event
in the political history of Bangladesh because it undermined one of the
founding principles and therefore the basic structure of the constitution-
secularism.
Since that time, the position of radical religious
groups representing an orthodox section of the majority Sunni Muslims, was
consolidated in the Bangladesh political scene, with them having ties to the
main opposition party BNP and therefore wielding enormous political influence.
They have also posed a big challenge to the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League
government that is its ideological antithesis.
Sheikh Hasina's secular policies, strong opposition to
anti-minority violence, zero tolerance approach to terrorism and her conviction
to uphold the constitutional guarantee of religious equality have elicited
vehement opposition from these groups, resulting in violence instances and the
death of innocent civilians. And though the Bangladeshi government has been
resolute in asserting that these groups operate without any outside assistance
and influence, it has long been speculated that the local extremist outfits
have now become and operate as a part of the global terror network, spearheaded
by ISIS and Al-Qaeda. The increasingly sophisticated and organised nature of
such attacks in the last decade has only strengthened this conviction. The
Islamic state has even claimed responsibility for a number of attacks, like the
2016 Dhaka attack on the Bakery.
Ideologically too, groups like the Hizbut Tahrir
(HuT), Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen-Bangladesh and Ansarulla Bangla Team (ABT) have
links to ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Other groups like Hefazat-E-Islam- an overarching
collective of radical Islamist groups - came up in 2010 in Chittagong,
following the 2009 Women development policy draft that advocated for equal inheritance
rights for women. It sought to fight secularism and protect Islam from
anti-Islamic policies. But the Jamaat-e-Islami remains of course, the most
influential radical outfit in Bangladesh and the majority of extremist groups
in Bangladesh receive indoctrination and operational assistance from it. This
indoctrination is believed to take place in religious schools or Madrassas,
where radical ideologies in variance with the teachings of Islam are imparted.
These schools have unfortunately turned into a
recruitment facility for these terror outfits. More than a million children
attend these schools which are controlled by the Hefazat-E-Islam and have been
financed by Saudi Arabia since the 1970's. International support in
infrastructural funding and operational assistance then, is one of the main
reasons for the strengthening presence and increasingly large scope of their
attacks.
Radicalism has also found a space to thrive due to the
contentious and polarised nature of the Bangladesh polity. Fierce rivalry
between the two main political parties has allowed them space to exist, as the
parties employ these extremist groups to counter the other party and their
affiliates' influence.
The liberation of Bangladesh was the victory of
secular, democratic values over parochial religious fundamentalism. The radical
Islamist elements wish to preserve, what they consider, the 'true' Islamic
culture of Bangladesh. They have no regard or respect for the syncretic nature
of Bangladeshi society and religious practice, the very culture that the
leaders of its liberation movement had fought to preserve and protect. The
people of Bangladesh share with their west Bengali counterparts many rituals
and festivals. For example Mongol Shubhojatra is a procession to celebrate the Bengali
New Year where people wear masks representing motifs like birds, owls, fishes
and other animals. It is an assertion of the people of Bangladesh's pride in
the Bengali folk history and a sign of resistance against extremists forces
because the radical groups consider this procession to be un-Islamic and
blasphemous.
Their idea of an ideal society, just like every
religious nationalist's, is an extremely narrow, intolerant and exclusivist one
that allows no space for the vibrant, pluralist ethos that are the foundation
of Bangladesh. Everything that doesn't conform to their narrow worldview then,
is a threat to them and must be done away with.
The growing extremism in Bangladesh could also create
more security concerns in the north-eastern border states of India. It could
also affect India's strategies to counter Chinese designs in the east of India.
The political influence these radical groups wield in
Bangladesh is unquestionable, but what is heartening and a source of great
hope, is that the biggest political force against such violence and extremism,
is the government of Bangladesh itself led by Sheikh Hasina and the Awami
League. They are the carriers of the legacy of a more benevolent and secular
nationalism and are therefore the biggest threat to extremist groups that if
unwatched, could tear the very fabric of Bangladeshi society.
Source: Daiji World
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original story:
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1060691
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India
Stones pelted at mosque, school and houses during
Hindu outfits’ rally in Karnataka
by Kiran Parashar
March 15, 2023
Tension prevailed in Karnataka’s Haveri district after
some Hindu activists allegedly pelted stones on a mosque, Urdu school and
Muslims’ houses while taking out a rally on Tuesday afternoon.
Superintendent of police Shivakumar said that 8-10
houses and cars parked outside them had been damaged in the incident in Rattihalli.
Fifteen people were detained for questioning, he said, adding that the
situation was now normal.
According to a police officer, the procession was
taken out in honour of Sangolli Rayanna, a freedom fighter. The participants
are also alleged to have attacked a Muslim autorickshaw driver and smashed his
vehicle.
The police officer said that a bike rally was taken
out and that the participants took a road for which they had not sought
permission.
Congress leader Siddaramaiah called for an amicable
solution. Police should maintain peace and whoever violates the law should be
punished, he added.
Agriculture Minister B C Patil, who represents the
Hirekerur Assembly constituency of Haveri district, said he was not aware of
any attack on the mosque.
Source: Indian Express
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Petition seeks transfer of Mathura mosque cases to
High Court, judge says ‘matter should not be unnecessarily prolonged’
March 16, 2023
Hearing a plea seeking transfer of similar cases in
the Shahi Idgah Mosque dispute in Mathura district, the Allahabad High Court
Wednesday said the “matter should not be unnecessarily prolonged”.
The plea filed by Hindu petitioners representing Lord
Krishna sought the transfer of all suits related to the dispute over the
ownership of a plot of land where Shahi Idgah Mosque stands to the Allahabad
High Court from local courts in Mathura.
Hearing the plea, Justice Arvind Kumar Mishra-I on
Wednesday said the “matter should not be unnecessarily prolonged”.
The application was first heard by the High Court on
February 1. The court directed all respondents to “exchange their pleadings
within the stipulated period” and listed the matter for a hearing on April 4.
In 2020, Lucknow-based advocate Ranjana Agnihotri,
along with six others, had filed a plea before the Civil Judge (Senior
Division), seeking the removal of the Shahi Idgah mosque from the temple
complex.
The plea is pending in the same court.
In the latest transfer application, Agnihotri and
others are seeking the transfer of their case and other “similar” cases to the
Allahabad High Court. The transfer application was filed on behalf of Bhagwan
Shrikrishna Virajman and seven others.
The dispute involves ownership of 13.37 acres, which
the petitioners claim belongs to the deity Lord Shri Krishna Virajman.
Representing the Shahi Idgah mosque, Senior Advocate
SFA Naqvi opposed the transfer application and submitted that it is “not
maintainable”.
Source: Indian Express
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55:45 Muslim-Hindu arrests in child wedding cases:
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
by Sukrita Baruah
March 16, 2023
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Wednesday
said his government had ensured that an almost equal proportion of Muslims and
Hindus was arrested in child marriage cases to ward off allegations of communal
targeting, despite child marriage being “more prevalent in Muslim-majority
areas”.
Sarma told the Assembly that he had got “some of our
people” picked up too “because you all [Opposition MLAs] will feel bad”. He
said the ratio of arrests of Muslims to Hindus since the February 3 crackdown
is 55:45.
“The NFHS 5 [National Family Health Survey] data shows
that the problem is highest in Dhubri and South Salmara [Muslim-majority
districts]. Not Dibrugarh and Tinsukia. But because you communalise every
single thing, I told the Dibrugarh SP to pick up a few from there as well. NFHS
4 data collated during Congress times also shows that the highest number of
underage marriages and childbirths is done in Lower Assam districts [where
there is a greater Muslim population],” he said.
Sarma also claimed that “Muslims in Assam have never
lived as peacefully” as they are today. “Have there been communal clashes in
Udalguri? Have there been communal clashes in BTR? [Bodoland Territorial
Region]? Have there been communal clashes in Kokrajhar? Muslims in Assam have
never lived as peacefully as they are today. They are all getting schools and
colleges… Today people are accusing us that 60% of houses under PM Awas Yojna
have gone to Muslims. The amount of roads that are being built in Muslim
villages today have never been built before…” he said.
“Today if someone honestly asks how many minority
people in Assam have died of communal attacks, you people keep talking about
encounters. Are encounters something that gets done deliberately? Communal
attacks are deliberate… If someone brings out their revolver, only then will
the police bring out their revolver,” he added.
Accusing the Opposition MLAs of shedding “crocodile
tears” for minorities in Assam, he said that the law under which people are
being evicted from forest lands in the state’s continuing anti-encroachment
drive had been passed by a Congress-led government at the Centre.
He added that the “real problem” is not evictions but
of the lack of population control in Lower Assam districts.
“The main thing is that till the population is
controlled in Lower Assam, we will stop having land… Even if I don’t do an
eviction today, where will the next generation live if one family has eight
children,” he said.
Source: Indian Express
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UP Minority Panel Urges Chief Secretary for Best
Facilities for Muslims in the Coming Month of Ramzan
Mar 16, 2023
AYODHYA: The UP minority’s commission has advised the
chief secretary to ensure best arrangements in the coming month of Ramzan
expected to begin on March 23.
Talking to TOI, commission chairman Ashfaq Saifi said,
"I have written a letter to the chief secretary of the state and also
advised all police chiefs and district magistrates of all districts to give
best facilities and security to Muslim community members during Ramzan".
"Almost all of the mosques in cities and villages
of the state remain full at all times of namaz and specially during evening and
night prayers while the Muslims break fast and offer long namaz of
'Taraveeh'," said Saifi.
The official letter issued by Saifi addressed to the
chief secretary with copies to director general of police and all DMs and
district police chiefs and police commissioners advised for proper arrangements
of lighting, cleanliness, uninterrupted supply of electricity and water to all
mosques.
"I have received lots of complaints from Muslim
community that the loudspeakers mounted on mosques, even after being in
accordance with the guidelines of the high court, were being forcefully removed
by the local administration. I have asked the chief secretary to ensure that
loudspeakers mounted as per law must not be removed and Muslims must be given a
feeling of security and harmony," Saifi said.
"During Ramzan there are huge crowds of namazis
in mosques, also for Friday prayers and especially on Eid. I have asked for
proper security arrangements so that no untoward incident takes place", he
added.
Source: Times Of India
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UP Muslim body urges not to pull down loudspeakers
that follow decibel limit
16th March 2023
Lucknow: Ashfaq Saifi, the chairperson of the Uttar
Pradesh State Minorities Commission, has written a letter to the state
government, urging the latter to not bring down loudspeakers from mosques that
follow the decibel limit.
In his letter ahead of Ramzan, he pointed out that
there have been complaints that loudspeakers are being removed from mosques
despite clerics adhering to the prescribed volume limits.
He has also asked the state to ensure civic amenities
like water, electricity, and better approach roads around mosques during
Ramzan.
Saifi further urged for better security around Eidgah
and mosques and a better street-light arrangement.
Source: Siasat Daily
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UP: Ittehad-e-Millat Council Chief Put Under House
Arrest For Allegedly Making Inflammatory Remarks
15th March 2023
Bareilly: A Muslim cleric, who had been booked by
Uttar Pradesh police for allegedly making inflammatory remarks, was placed
under house arrest after he made a call to his supporters to march to Delhi
seeking a ban on Hindutva organisations, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza
and his three associates were placed under house arrest on Tuesday night for
three days after his call for march to Delhi, District Magistrate Shivakant
Dwivedi said. He said the cleric’s detention could be extended if there’s a
need.
Bareilly City Magistrate Renu Singh said Raza had not
taken permission to take out the march and only informed senior officials about
his plans. Police said Raza and his associates were detained based on the
information provided by intelligence agencies with regard to law and order.
The cleric had announced plans to start a ‘Tiranga
Yatra’ from Bareilly to Delhi on Wednesday to hand over a memorandum to
President Droupadi Murmu seeking a ban on Hindutva organisations.
Raza had told reporters in Moradabad last week that
the government, which files a case of treason against those who demand a
separate Khalistan, should also do the same with those who seek a “Hindu
Rashtra”.
According to a viral video of Raza, he had said, “What
would happen if our youths started demanding a Muslim nation. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s slogan of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas is a lie. Some fanatics are
sowing the seeds of hatred in the country. Those who do this and their
supporters are neither well wishers of society nor of the country, but are
traitors,” police said.
He had alleged that hatred against Muslims was rising
and mosques and madrassas need to be protected.
Moradabad police booked him for allegedly making
provocative remarks on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Raza and his associates Nafees, Nadeem
and Munir Idrishi (also his spokesperson) were placed under house arrest.
A large number of police personnel have been deployed
around the Hazrat Dargah complex, where Raza lives, and the residence of the
detained officials. Seniors officials are monitoring the situation around
Raza’s residence since this morning, the Bareilly city magistrate said.
SP (City) Rahul Bhati said PAC and other staff in the
Police Lines have also been put on alert.
Source: Siasat Daily
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https://www.siasat.com/up-ittehad-e-millat-council-chief-put-under-house-arrest-2547647/
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India invites Pak defence minister Khawaja Asif for
SCO meeting: Report
Mar 15, 2023
ISLAMABAD: India has invited Pakistan Defence Minister
Khawaja Asif to attend the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) to be held in New Delhi in April, according to a media report on
Wednesday.
India currently holds the presidency of the SCO, which
comprises China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan.
As President of the SCO, India is set to host a series
of meetings.
Diplomatic sources told The Express Tribune newspaper
that the Indian government shared the formal invitation with the Pakistan
Foreign Office on Tuesday.
There was no immediate confirmation from New Delhi on
the Pakistani media report.
India earlier invited Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar
Ata Bandial, as well as shared an invitation for the meeting of foreign
ministers of SCO, the report said.
The chief justice, however, skipped the meeting of the
SCO chief justices and instead Justice Muneeb Akhtar attended the meeting
through a video link recently, it said.
The foreign ministers' meeting is scheduled for May in
Goa while the defence ministers' huddle will be held in New Delhi in April.
The Pakistani government has said that it has not yet
taken a decision on whether Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari or Defence
Minister Asif will attend the meetings in India.
Bilawal and China's Qin Gang are among the foreign
ministers of the SCO member nations invited by India for the meeting it is
scheduled to host in May.
The Pakistan Foreign Office has said that the decision
will be taken at an appropriate time.
If the Pakistani foreign minister attends the meeting
in person, it will be the first such visit from Islamabad to India since 2011.
Then Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited India that year. Khar
is currently serving as the minister of state for foreign affairs.
In May 2014, then-Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif
visited India to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony.
In December 2015, then external affairs minister
Sushma Swaraj visited Pakistan and days later, Modi made a brief visit to the
neighbouring country.
The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe
strain after India's warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training
camp in Pakistan's Balakot in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.
The relations further deteriorated after India
announced the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir's special powers and the
bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union territories in August 2019.
The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by
the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan.
Source: Times Of India
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20 arrested for Haveri communal clash, more arrests to
follow: Karnataka police
15th March 2023
Twenty people have been arrested so far in connection
to the recent clash between Hindu and Muslim community people on Tuesday in
Rattihalli taluk of Haveri district, police said.
“Through the various videos present online, we have
arrested 20 people. Investigations are still on,” said an official from the
Rattihalli police station.
Following the incident, police security has been
beefed up. The situation is under control, the police officer told Siasat.com.
On Tuesday, clashes between the Hindus and Muslims
were reported after stones were pelted at a mosque, an Urdu medium school, and
a few Muslim houses.
According to the Haveri district Superintendent of
Police Dr Shivakumar, a Hindu bike rally carrying a statue of revolutionary
Sangolli Rayanna, who fought the British in the 19th century, was underway.
“The rally was going on peacefully but suddenly nearly
150 people took a sudden detour and went near the mosque and pelted stones We
have detained 15 people for investigation. Further action will be taken. the
situation is under control,” he said.
Source: Siasat Daily
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Europe
UK Islamophobia victim urges Muslims to report hate
crimes
Rabia Ali
15.03.2023
On a bustling street of Central London, *S hurried to
catch an underground train back home after a long day's work. For many years,
this had been her routine, and on that chilly night in February 2019, she
expected no different.
That evening, however, her pride in being able to move
freely as a practicing Muslim woman fell apart when her headscarf was pulled by
a man at the train station who then assaulted her.
With the first-ever International Day to Combat
Islamophobia being commemorated by the UN on March 15, *S, a British Muslim
spoke to Anadolu about the assault she encountered and the racism she has
suffered over her religious beliefs.
On that particular night, when she was at the St.
James's Park station in London, a man approached her from behind and stood very
close. Uncomfortable, she moved to put distance between her and the man, but he
blocked her way and swore at her, then pulling her hijab and pushing her down
to the floor, where she slammed her head on the hard tiles.
"I stayed on the floor out of shock, I didn't
understand what had happened. I didn't know I had hurt my head. I didn't know I
was bleeding," she said, recounting the traumatic incident in an online
interview in which she requested to remain unnamed to protect her privacy.
A bystander helped her get back on her feet as the
attacker fled the scene. The police later arrived to report the crime, along
with an ambulance, cleaning up the cut she got on her forehead.
A British citizen with Asian roots, *S said this was
the second Islamophobic attack she encountered in a span of three months. In
November 2018, she was on her way to work in southwest London when a woman in a
car beckoned to her. "Excuse me, girl in the yellow scarf..." she
said, before swearing at her and her religion, and driving off.
*S says she was left shaken by the incident. "Not
only was I upset by what the woman had said, but the fact that (there were) people
around her who were staring and laughing. I was embarrassed and humiliated.
People should have found it despicable."
Upon her employer's insistence, she reported the
incident to the police, who considered it a hate crime. These were not the only
abuse *S faced for being a Muslim. She has also had schoolchildren pointing at
her, calling her, "bloody terrorist" or "you ninja."
Such incidents have made her realize the need to be
careful against the daily risk of Islamophobia. "There are a lot of people
with a lot of hatred, and people think it's OK to hate on Muslims. I have
realized I can also be assaulted. I have to be more careful. I can't be as
carefree as I used to be."
Sympathetic for her fellow victims, *S said:
"It's so unfortunate and I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who has
experienced it. Statistically women experience Islamophobia a lot more because
they have a visual representation through their scarves."
According to Home Office statistics, around 3,459
Muslims were subjected to religious hate crimes in Britain during 2021-2022,
making them the highest number of people — around 42% — to be persecuted
because of their faith. In London, hate crimes have spiked, with a 188% rise
since 2012-2013, according to police. The highest number of Islamophobic hate
crimes took place in 2017-2018, when 1,667 occurred.
Since then, police have reported an annual decline of
50% in the number of incidents until 2021-2022, when they shot back up 20% in a
single year.
Briefly taking off hijab
Following the two incidents, *S decided to stop
covering her head for a brief period as she feared more attacks and
discrimination.
"I felt I would be safer if I took off my hijab.
So for a small period in my life, unfortunately, I took off the hijab. And
putting it on in the first place was so hard for me. So, taking it off felt so
painful that I had worked (for) something so hard but, due to unwarranted
Islamophobic events, I felt my safety was important."
This decision led to a psychological mess, she said.
"I feared for my safety, I feared for my wellbeing. I feared (that) as a
Muslim, I had failed for taking off my hijab." It was during this time
that she realized in anger that she could not hide her identity.
During the COVID pandemic, she found in her the
courage to once again cover her hair. She felt safer since she worked from home
during that time.
Today, as she covers her head, she feels more
confident and aware on how to tackle hate crimes. "I feel like I am a bit
braver again, and able to speak up. I am very aware. People are racist but you
have to live your life best to your ability."
Reporting cases
For anyone encountering Islamophobia incidents, *S
strongly urges them to report cases to the police. This applies not only
physical attacks but also to verbal abuse.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-islamophobia-victim-urges-muslims-to-report-hate-crimes/2846316
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Germany’s Muslim community calls for determined stance
against Islamophobia
15.03.2023
BERLIN
Germany’s Muslim community called for a more
determined stance against Islamophobia, saying Muslims continue to experience
prejudice, hate crimes and discrimination in their daily lives.
“The anniversary of Christchurch mosque attacks
painfully reminds us that stirring up prejudices and hatred against Muslims do
not stop at words, but they can be carried into action,” the president of the
Central Council of Muslims in Germany said in a statement.
“This also makes it clear that we have to take a much
more determined stand against Islamophobia in our society, even if it sometimes
hypocritically portrayed as the criticism of Islam,” Aiman Mazyek said.
On March 15, 2019, an Australian white supremacist
shot dead 51 Muslim worshippers and wounded 40 others at two mosques in
Christchurch, New Zealand. Last year, the UN designated 15th March as the
International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
Mazyek called on the German government to take
concrete steps to address the problem, and reiterated the Muslim community’s
demand to appoint a commissioner to combat Islamophobia.
Germany witnessed growing racism and Islamophobia in
recent years, fueled by the propaganda of far-right groups and parties, which
have exploited the refugee crisis and attempted to stoke fear of immigrants.
Authorities registered at least 272 Islamophobic
crimes in 2022, including verbal and physical assaults, threatening letters,
and arson attacks targeting mosques.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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EU official says inciting hatred against Muslims
incompatible with bloc’s values
Agnes Szucs
15.03.2023
BRUSSELS
Inciting hatred against Muslims goes against EU
values, and defending Muslims' rights protects individual freedoms, a recently appointed
EU official said on Wednesday.
Marion Lalisse, who was assigned last month as the
European Commission’s coordinator on combatting anti-Muslim hatred and
discrimination, issued a video statement on Twitter introducing her priorities.
“Acts of violence and incitement to hatred against
Muslims are not compatible with the funding values of the EU,” she pointed out,
noting that “the Muslim community represents the biggest religious minority in
Europe.”
Lalisse explained that the fight against violence and
hatred against Muslims subscribes to the “broader work on combatting hatred and
discrimination” and the core of the values that the EU has been built on.
“It is about protecting the rights of individuals and
not of a religion in particular,” she asserted.
Lalisse said she was “aware of the multiple
discrimination and harassment that Muslim women could face.”
She stressed that it is important to collect
information on discrimination and harassment on the EU level to understand the
extent of the phenomenon and to present a political response.
“Combating anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination
should be done on every single day of the year,” she stressed, promising to
work “tirelessly” with EU institutions, nongovernmental organizations,
governments, and other international organizations and researchers.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Christchurch mosque attack leaves survivor with 52%
disability, trauma
Omer Kablan
15.03.2023
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand
Temel Atacocugu, a survivor of the 2019 Christchurch
mosque attack, has been left with 52% disability and is still feeling the
effects of the trauma after being shot nine times during the assault.
Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre, where 51
people lost their lives. Atacocugu told Anadolu he was shot nine times during
the attack, adding that he was still struggling and seeking professional help
while taking antidepressants to manage the trauma.
Despite the difficulties he has been facing, Atacocugu
remains grateful for the support he has received from people all around the
world.
Speaking to reporters, he expressed his appreciation
for the love and care shown to him and his fellow survivors.
The Christchurch attack left Atacocugu with a physical
disability of 52%, which has added to the challenges he faces on a daily basis.
However, he remains resolute in his determination to overcome the trauma and
stay strong against all ideologies of hate.
Atacocugu's message of hope and peace is one that
resonates with many, and he has vowed to respond to hate with peace. His
unwavering commitment to this message is an inspiration to others who have been
affected by similar tragedies.
The Christchurch mosque attack was a devastating event
that shook the world and brought attention to the rising threat of far-right
extremism. Atacocugu's story is a reminder that the effects of such events can
be long-lasting and that those affected require ongoing support and care.
He said he is getting better and he is "carrying
onto life."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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UK’s The Royal Mint releases exclusive Ramadan gold
bar with Kaaba design
March 15, 2023
LONDON: The Royal Mint, the UK’s oldest company and
official maker of coins, has released a gold-minted bullion bar for Britain’s
Muslim community that depicts the Kaaba.
The 20-gram bar, which was released ahead of Ramadan,
was created in consultation with the Muslim Council of Wales.
Abdul-Azim Ahmed of the Muslim Council of Wales said:
“It’s been wonderful to work with The Royal Mint to introduce this special gold
bullion bar depicting the Kaaba. Covered by the kiswa, a black cloth with gold
decoration, the building’s outline is unmistakable, and it has now been minted
in gold, the precious metal prized for millennia.
“The design will undoubtedly be popular with the
Muslim community and exemplifies the craftsmanship of The Royal Mint. It’s been
a fascinating process and I hope people across the world will enjoy this bar.”
In marking the launch of the bar, The Royal Mint in
February took part in three events across the UK hosted by Islamic Relief, a
leading Muslim charity that provides aid responses to disasters and emergencies
around the world.
The three events — in Manchester, London and Glasgow —
aimed to raise funds for Turkiye and Syria in the wake of last month’s deadly
earthquakes.
The Royal Mint donated one of the Kaaba gold bars for
auction at each event, raising more than $10,000.
Islamic Relief Director Tufail Hussain said: “We’re
honored to be partnered with the historic Royal Mint and so pleased to be able
to hold these events across the country.
“These Kaaba gold bars, donated by The Royal Mint,
will help us to raise significant funds for the Turkiye and Syria appeal.”
Director of Precious Metals at The Royal Mint Andrew
Dickey said: “We are delighted that for the first time, the distinctive cube
structure of the Kaaba is being represented on a 20-gram gold bullion minted
bar by The Royal Mint.
“Drawing on more than 1,100 years of minting
expertise, we have applied our expert craftsmanship to create a beautiful
representation of the Kaaba, the holiest place on Earth for many Muslims.”
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2269091/world
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North America
US Secretary of State marks International Day to
Combat Islamophobia
Servet Gunerigok
15.03.2023
WASHINGTON
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the first
International Day to Combat Islamophobia on Wednesday, saying each person has
the freedom to manifest their beliefs.
"Every person, everywhere has the right to
freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief, including the freedom to
change their beliefs or not believe," Blinken said in a statement.
"Each person also has the freedom, either
individually or in community with others, in public or private, to manifest
those beliefs in worship, observance, practice, and teaching," he said.
Blinken said Muslims around the world too often face
discrimination and hatred based on their religious beliefs.
March 15 is a day that is the first of its kind
declared by the UN in 2022.
The day also marks four years since the terror attacks
on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, where a gunman killed 51 Muslim
worshippers and injured 40 others.
"On this day, we call attention to people around
the world who are harassed, detained, imprisoned, or even killed for
identifying, practicing, converting to Islam or being perceived as Muslim.
"The United States will continue to advocate for
individuals’ ability to live in accordance with the dictates of their
consciences and speak out on behalf of those who have been denied the ability
to do so," said Blinken.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Canadian minister urges public to denounce
Islamophobia
Servet Gunerigok
15.03.2023
WASHINGTON
A Canadian minister on Wednesday urged the country to
denounce Islamophobia, saying the government will continue to work to fight it.
Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed
Hussen said in a statement that Islamophobia, discrimination and hate have no
place in Canada.
His comments came on International Day to Combat
Islamophobia, declared by the UN in 2022.
"I encourage all Canadians to recommit to
denouncing Islamophobia and to choose inclusion over intolerance as we continue
to build a Canada that is safer, more equal, and equitable for everyone,"
said the minister, who is originally from Somalia.
Hussen came to Canada in 1993 as a refugee.
"We recognize that there is more work that needs
to be done, and our government will continue to work alongside Muslim Canadian
communities in this important fight," he said.
Hussen noted that the government invested $85 million
to support a new anti-racism strategy and Canada’s action plan on combatting
hate and appointed Amira Elghawaby as the first special representative to
combat Islamophobia.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/canadian-minister-urges-public-to-denounce-islamophobia/2846594
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Pakistan
Amid high drama, HC asks security forces to halt op
outside Imran house
Mar 16, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Amid high drama, the Lahore high court on
Wednesday directed law enforcers to halt the operation outside Pakistan’s
former PM Imran Khan’s residence till Thursday morning even as the police
failed to arrest him after passage of more than 21 hours.
Security forces had already started retreating from
around Imran’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore before the HC’s orders, citing a
Pakistan Super League cricket match at Gaddafi Stadium, that was scheduled
later on Wednesday, as the reason for calling off the siege. Following the
withdrawal, the PTI chief came out of his home and greeted his supporters. In
one of the videos, he can be seen wearing a mask while PTI supporters celebrate
and chase the law enforcers away. Videos posted by the party on social media
showed people hugging each other and raising pro-Imran slogans.
“A moment of joy for the workers who had been fighting
for 21 hours to send back the police force from Imran Khan’sresidence for a
third time,” PTI posted on Twitter with a video of jubilant party supporters.
Shortly after the Lahore HC’s orders stopping the
police operation at Zaman Park till 10am (local time) on Thursday, the
Islamabad high court disposed of a plea seeking the cancellation of the PTI
chief’s arrest warrants. The Islamabad HC asked him to provide the lower court
with an undertaking that he will present himself on a specific date in the
Toshakhana case. The case is related to allegations that Imran had sold state
gifts while in office and did not reveal it in his annual declaration.
On Wednesday, Islamabad Police, backed by Punjab
Police and Pakistan Rangers, resumed their operation — which had started at
noon on Tuesday — to arrest the PTI chairman. However, they were met with
strong resistance from PTI workers, who threw petrol bombs and stones at them.
The law enforcers responded with volleys of tear gas, rubber bullets and water
cannons.
In a series of tweets, Imran said after a day of
facing tear gas, cannons with chemical water, rubber bullets and live bullets,
“we now have Rangers(a paramilitary force) taking over and are now in direct
confrontation with the people”.
The former premier claimed that the real intent of the
authorities behind the entire episode was to “abduct and assassinate” him.
“Clearly, the arrest claim was mere drama because the real intent is to abduct
& assassinate. From tear gas & water cannons, they have now resorted to
live firing,” he posted on Twitter. “My question to the establishment
(military), to those who claim they are “neutral”: Is this your idea of
neutrality?” he added.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan Ex-PM Imran Khan Says Arrest Bid Is Plot to
Bar Him from Election
Mar 15, 2023
LAHORE: Former Pakistan prime Minister Imran Khan said
Wednesday the government wanted him behind bars in order to stop him taking
part in elections due later this year.
"The reason why this is happening is not because
I broke any law. They want me in jail so that I cannot contest elections,"
he told AFP after police called off a siege of his residence.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan-occupied Kashmir: All sections of society
reject Census 2023
16 March, 2023
Muzaffarabad (PoK), March 16 (ANI): Pakistan Bureau of
Statistics has rejected the demand of the civil society of Pakistan occupied
and Kashmir (PoK) to register their data as citizens of PoK. The census being
conducted right now is adding the data of PoK citizens as Pakistanis.
This is not only a serious breach of the United
Resolutions that have classified PoK as the disputed territory between India
and Pakistan, but by denying the people of PoK to be identified according to
their ethnicity and linguistic identity, Pakistan is blatantly committing a
crime against the people of PoK.
The ongoing 52nd session of the United Nation Human
Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva must take note of this humanitarian injustice
that is aimed at erasing our identity as a nation. Let me remind you that this
is not the first attempt by Pakistan to undermine our freedom
and subjugate our people.
On the night of October 22, 1947, the Pakistan army
attacked the sovereign state of Jammu and Kashmir. During the first Kashmir
war, more than 100,000 civilians of Jammu and Kashmir was killed by the
Pakistan army, many of whom were of Hindu and Sikh faith. Pakistan’s occupation
of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan has resulted in the total destruction of our
culture, political liberties, economic independence, and social fabric.
For 75 years Pakistan has followed a well-formulated
plan to systematically alter our identity as a nation. First and foremost,
Pakistan altered our geographical unity by facilitating the forceful divide of
our independent state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Secondly, Pakistan imposed Islamic statutes in an
attempt to convert our people into Hindu/ India-hating religious fanatics set
up jihadi terrorist camps across PoK where jihadis from Punjab and Khyber
Paktoonkhawa were brought for training in the art of terrorism.
In short, Pakistan orchestrated the death of our
indigenous culture by suffocating it with issuing dozes of Islamic dictates,
thereby establishing the religious hegemony of Islam at the cost of the
destruction of indigenous cultures.
Thirdly, Pakistan crippled our political liberties by
conditioning any political activity with loyalty to the state of Pakistan. The
fact of the matter is that the United Nations has given us the right to choose
between Pakistan and India, however, we are not allowed to campaign for
reuniting with India as per the instrument of accession signed between the last
king of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh and the last viceroy of British
India Lord Mountbatten.
If a resident of PoK dares to speak about a reunion
with mother India he/she is persecuted, executed, like the late Arif Shahid
advocate who was gunned down by Pakistan’s secret services outside his house in
Rawalpindi on May 13, 2013, or the way Ghulam Abbas was shot in the face at the
doorstep of his house in June 2021 in Kotli PoK.
Fourthly, Pakistan has ruthlessly conducted the
plunder our natural resources. Our minerals scattered all over PoK and
Gilgit-Baltistan are being dug out day and night without the consent of the
local population.
Our rivers have been diverted in order to construct
hydropower projects that supplies electricity to Pakistan. While the whole of
the occupied region suffers from up to 20 hours of load shedding a day.
Our development funds have been stopped and the
governments of both PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan have no cash to pay wages or
pensions.
And finally, the coherent social fabric of our
societies and the right to individual freedom of choice has been ripped apart
by the introduction of medieval traditions such as mandatory wearing the hijab
in schools, colleges, and universities. An Islamic authority by the name of
Rehmat fulfill Alameen has been set up in PoK to further the religious tyranny
of Islam at the cost of our indigenous cultural practices.
Islamic religious ideology is made sacred by banning
any form or shape in which Islamic laws imposed upon us might be challenged.
Cult worship around the personality of the last prophet of Islam, Muhammed, has
been enforced by the state that condemns anyone who thinks
otherwise with blasphemy and condemned to death.
The question is what is the UNHRC going to do about
this? Is the UNHRC going to organise a fact-finding mission and send it to PoK
and Gilgit-Baltistan to obtain first-hand information about our plight and
present it to the general council or is the 52nd UNHRC session being
held in Geneva yet another eye wash.
For now, all sections of PoK society have rejected the
census that is being conducted by Pakistan.
Source: The Print
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Two Pakistani pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia after
walking on foot for months
15 Mar, 2023
RIYADH – Two Pakistani pilgrims have arrived in Saudi
Arabia on foot. They walked for nearly three and a half months to reach Islam’s
holiest place to perform the obligatory ritual of Hajj.
On December 2, 2022, Khalid Abdul Ghafoor and Zeeshan
from the central-eastern Pakistani province of Punjab left their hometown
Faisalabad for Makkah with a trolley carrying their personal belongings.
The duo covered a distance of 30 kilometres in a day
to reach their dream destination and finally they entered the Kingdom via the
UAE border after three months and 12 days. Still, they have 1500km to travel to
reach the Holy Kaaba in Makkah.
Expressing their feelings in a conversation with the
Pak Media Forum (PMF) in Saudi Arabia, they thanked Allah Almighty for giving
them the courage to travel on foot for the holy pilgrimage. As they have
entered Saudi Arabia, they wish to reach their destination as soon as possible.
Source: Daily Pakistan
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Toshakhana case: Judge offers to halt arrest attempts
if Imran surrenders in court
Umer Burney
March 16, 2023
Additional District and Sessions (ADSJ) Judge Zafar
Iqbal said on Thursday that he would stop the Islamabad police from arresting
PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case if the ex-premier surrendered in
court.
The judge passed these remarks while hearing the
Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) reference seeking criminal proceedings
against Imran for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts.
The sessions court was set to indict Imran in the
reference on Feb 28, but his lawyer had requested the judge that he be exempted
from the hearing because he had to appear in several other courts. His
indictment was deferred multiple times before.
The judge had subsequently issued non-bailable arrest
warrants for Imran and instructed the police to present him in court by March
7. The PTI chief managed to dodge the arrest and later approached the Islamabad
High Court (IHC) for the cancellation of the warrants.
The IHC, while granting some relief to Imran, had told
him to appear in the sessions court by March 13, but the former prime minister
once again skipped the hearing. Resultantly, ADSJ Iqbal had on Monday re-issued
non-bailable arrest warrants for Imran and directed the police to bring him to
court by March 18.
However, when the police reached Imran’s Zaman Park
residence in Lahore to arrest him on Tuesday, they were met with resistance,
leading to two-day pitched battles between PTI supporters and law enforcement
agencies. The clashes ultimately subsided after the courts intervened on
Wednesday.
That same day, the PTI also challenged the latest
arrest warrants issued for Imran in the IHC. It rejected the plea and directed
the PTI chief to submit an undertaking to the trial court which states he would
attend the hearing on March 18.
On Thursday morning, the court of ADSJ Iqbal resumed
hearing the case. Imran’s lawyers Khawaja Haris Ahmed and Babar Awan were
present on his behalf.
The hearing
As the proceedings commenced, the judge remarked that
the court had not yet received the high court’s directives as per judicial
procedures.
“Do you think a notice should be issued to the ECP
regarding the case being maintainable,” ADSJ Iqbal asked. “This matter can be
resolved in a second … where is Imran Khan?
“When has Imran appeared in court in person? What is
the concept of an undertaking,” he inquired.
At that, Haris asked if it was necessary to arrest his
client to bring him to court.
“We want Imran to come to court. Why is he not coming?
What is the reason? Imran Khan has to assist the police according to the law,
not resist them,” the judge remarked, adding that had the warrants been
bailable, there would have been no issue.
“But the warrants are non-bailable.”
Here, Haris read the IHC’s order out loud in court.
However, the judge stated that the arguments presented by the counsel were for
bailable warrants.
“There already is a surety in the case,” ADSJ Iqbal
pointed out. “In its verdict, the IHC has also said that the court order should
not be affected by any illegal actions.”
Meanwhile, Haris argued that a surety had already been
submitted in the court and his client was ready to give an undertaking as well.
“Do you want to remain strict and uphold Imran’s non-bailable arrest warrants?”
The judge stated that the warrants were issued for
Imran’s appearance in the case to which the lawyer stated that Imran wanted to
come to court.
“Imran is not asking for an exemption, he wants to
come to court,” Haris said. “But, at this moment, are non-bailable warrants
necessary for an arrest?” he asked.
The lawyer contended that the court had two options.
“The first is that you accept the undertaking and cancel the non-bailable
arrest warrants and the second is that you take a surety and issue bailable
arrest warrants,” he proposed.
Haris also clarified that Imran wanted to give an
undertaking that he would appear in court on March 18.
Here, ADSJ Iqbal remarked that the arrest warrant —
issued for Imran — had become the most expensive warrant in the world.
“Millions of rupees have been spent [to execute] this warrant.
“What happened shouldn’t have taken place,” the judge
asserted.
Haris agreed with ADSJ Iqbal and then urged the court
to cancel Imran’s warrants. He also requested that the ECP lawyer be issued
notices and called for arguments.
But the judge asked: “Why is the situation bad outside
Zaman Park right now?”
Imran’s lawyer replied that the government was
carrying out a political vendetta through arrests. “In more than three
incidents, there have been instances of torture and case have been registered
against people.”
Here, ADSJ Iqbal said that he would stop the Islamabad
police from the arrest if Imran surrendered in court. “Legally, Imran should
have been directly brought to court… it wouldn’t have been possible to harass
him during the court appearance.”
“Section 91 has been violated but the arrest warrants
were issued under Section 93,” he added.
The judge also said Pakistan was a poor country and
there was no need to spend millions of rupees on the warrants. “If a date is
mentioned on the warrant, it doesn’t mean that action should be taken that day
only … it means that the person be arrested and presented in court whenever
possible.
The police cannot sit outside doing nothing, he added.
ADSJ Iqbal further asked why Imran resisted the
warrants that were legally issued. “This is the money of the public. You could
have held a peaceful protest.”
In criminal proceedings, he went on to say, arrest
warrants were usually issued and then cancelled after the suspect appeared in
court.
At one point, Imran’s lawyers presented his undertaking
in court and requested that the non-bailable arrest warrants for him be
forthwith cancelled.
However, the judge issued notices to the secretariat
police and ECP and summoned them to court. The hearing was subsequently
adjourned till 12pm.
Toshakhana case
The reference, which alleges that Imran had not shared
details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana (during his time as the
prime minister) and proceeds from their reported sales, was filed by lawmakers
from the ruling coalition last year. On October 21, the Election Commission of
Pakistan (ECP) had concluded that the former premier had indeed made “false
statements and incorrect declarations” regarding the gifts.
The Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet
Division that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by heads of
other governments and foreign dignitaries. According to Toshakhana rules,
gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules
apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.
The watchdog’s order had said Imran stood disqualified
under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution.
Source: Dawn
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Amid unrest, Shehbaz offers to parley with Imran
Syed Irfan Raza
March 16, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Extending an olive branch to Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan again, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
on Wednesday emphasised that all political forces will have to sit for dialogue
to rid the country of the ongoing political and economic crises.
He said the government would hold the general election
on its scheduled time as per the decision of the Election Commission of
Pakistan (ECP).
The prime minister said that the threat of Pakistan
defaulting on its debt was now over as the staff-level agreement with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be finalised soon.
“All political forces will have to sit together to
take the country forward,” the premier said while addressing a meeting held
with a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) at the PM
House.
PM Shehbaz lamented that he had invited PTI for talks
on two occasions in the recent past, but the party did not turn up.
“Though politicians always resort to dialogue,
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has a history of not responding positively in this
regard,” he noted.
The prime minister said the country was facing serious
political and economic challenges but stressed that all component parties of
the Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) ruling coalition had contributed
positively to improving the situation.
He regretted that PTI did not even attend the apex
committee meeting held in Peshawar in the wake of the suicide attack inside a
mosque in the Police Lines.
The meeting, on Wednesday, held an in-depth discussion
on the overall situation in the country in areas of politics, economy, foreign
affairs and security.
Talking about the general election in the country, the
PM said: “No one should have any doubt in this regard. We will wholeheartedly
participate in the election and follow whatever decided by the ECP.”
He said it was for the ECP to take a decision in this
respect. However, he added, as president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, he had
directed his party to finalise names of aspiring candidates.
He said the government was cognisant of the fact that
timely elections led to a stronger state and its progress.
During the 11 months since it took over, he said, the
government had successfully overcome the shadows of default.
He regretted that the previous government stepped back
from the agreement inked with IMF, adding that it was not a private but a state
deal non-implementation of which resulted in a big loss to the country.
He expressed the confidence that the staff-level
agreement with IMF would be struck soon.
Shehbaz Sharif recalled that friendly countries,
including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and China, had extended
support to Pakistan in trying times.
The prime minister slammed former prime minister Imran
Khan for his “naked defiance” of court orders and making fun of the state
institutions by his no-show in courts.
“For the first time in Pakistan, a so-called political
person is considering himself above the law … non-appearance in courts is
tantamount to violation of law,” he said.
He mentioned that PML-N leaders were implicated in
fake cases by the previous government, but they still appeared before the
courts.
“The government is not taking the action on its own,
but it’s acting on the court orders,” he said in reference to the police action
with regards to Imran Khan’s arrest warrants.
On the Toshakhana case, he said that Imran Khan, who
called himself an ‘honest person’, was in fact a liar, who even sold a
wristwatch with the model of Holy Ka’aba.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1742462/amid-unrest-shehbaz-offers-to-parley-with-imran
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Punjab capital smoulders amid lull in Zaman Park
operation
Mansoor Malik | Wajih Ahmad Sheikh
March 16, 2023
LAHORE: After the Lahore High Court ordered the police
to put off its operation to arrest former prime minister Imran Khan till 10am
today (Thursday), an eerie calm prevailed in Zaman Park — the residence of the
PTI chairman — after a night of pitched battles between the police and
supporters of the PTI chief.
The situation could be best described as a ‘calm
before the storm’ — police pickets around the residence are still in place
while a defiant Imran Khan is refusing to back down. The second-tier leadership
of the PTI is fearing an escalation of hostilities, whereas the residents of
the city are keeping their fingers crossed.
As Wednesday dawned on Zaman Park, there was no let-up
in clashes between PTI workers and law enforcement agencies. Party supporters
retaliated with petrol bombs as police used tear gas and water cannons to
disperse PTI activists, and gunshots were also heard. The party workers
collected and showed empty bullet shells on posts widely circulated on social
media.
Police initially suspended the operation due to a PSL
match scheduled for the evening, saying the operation would resume after the
cricket match.
In the meantime, the LHC suspended the police
operation until 10am on Thursday (today).
In the early hours of Wednesday, Imran Khan released a
video message alleging that attempts to arrest him were part of an alleged
‘London Plan’ that required his imprisonment. He said the London Plan also
required the dismantling of the PTI and getting cases against Nawaz Sharif
quashed.
Stating that police and Rangers were raiding time and
again as if they wanted to conquer Zaman Park, he said, he gave an undertaking
to LHCBA President Ishtiaq A. Khan for a personal appearance before the court
on March 18 to avoid confrontation. He regretted the Punjab police DIG did not
receive his undertaking because of the ‘London Plan’.
In his second address, Mr Khan appeared on screens
with a number of empty tear gas shells and bullets neatly arranged on his
tabletop. He urged the establishment and the judiciary to stop the “drama”
going outside his residence and stop working on the ‘London Plan’.
He said the criminals currently in the corridors of
power wanted to “minus Imran Khan” so that he should not contest upcoming
elections.
In a question posed to ‘neutrals’ — a euphemism he
uses for the military establishment — Mr Khan asked why they allowed the
Rangers to come and raid his residence. “What crime I have committed that the
Rangers were scaling the outer walls of my residence,” he asked.
Pointing to the tear gas shells and bullet casings, Mr
Khan asked, “Is this democracy? I ask those, who hold real power, whether they
are concerned about Pakistan or not.”
The PTI chief said he wanted to turn himself in but
several party leaders and workers did not let him do so because of custodial
torture. The party workers feared that any arrest would entail torture as they
did to other party leaders,“ he said and added that the situation “is getting
out of my control”.
LHC suspends operation
In response to a petition submitted by PTI leader
Fawad Chaudhry, Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh suspended the police operation till
10am when the court will resume proceedings in the case. Justice Sheikh is also
scheduled to take Imran Khan’s petitions seeking protective bail in FIRs
registered against him at the Ramna police station in Islamabad and Racecourse
PS in Lahore.
Lahore High Court Bar Association President Chaudhry
Ishtiaq A. Khan appeared on behalf of the petitioner, whereas Advocate General
of Punjab Shan Gul represented the caretaker government.
In the first phase of the hearing, the advocate
general questioned the maintainability of the petition, arguing that the matter
fell under the domain of the IHC, where the PTI chief had also filed a petition
against the arrest warrants. However, Advocate Khan insisted that the police
action violated the fundamental rights of citizens and turned Zaman Park into a
“war zone”.
The judge summoned the chief secretary, the inspector
general of police of Punjab and the Islamabad operations chief at 3:15pm. The
judge warned to issue arrest warrants after a federal law officer said the
Islamabad police did not fall under the jurisdiction of the LHC.
As the judge resumed the hearing, IGP Punjab Dr Usman
Anwar told the court that the Lahore police were only supporting the capital
police for the compliance of the arrest warrants of Imran Khan issued by an
Islamabad court.
He said that at least 59 police officers had been
injured and two police vehicles, including water cannons, were damaged “due to
the attack by PTI workers”. He accused the party workers of hurling petrol
bombs at the police. The IGP said there was “no police operation” and only those
attacking cops had been arrested.
Source: Dawn
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South Asia
Ahmadiyya leader terms Fakhrul’s remark irresponsible,
disheartening
March 15, 2023
Reacting to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam
Alamgir calling the Ahmadiyya community's recent religious event in Panchagarh
“controversial”, a spokesperson of the community said such remarks “go against
their constitutional right”.
“The government gave permission to hold this
controversial event,” Fakhrul said at a press conference on Monday, a video of
which has generated reactions among netizens on social media, UNB reported.
Ahmad Tabshir Chowdhury, a spokesperson for the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at, said: “First, Mirza Fakhrul puts the blame squarely on
the government, saying the attack on our religious event was staged by the
government to divert public attention, and now he finds it convenient to call
our congregation ‘controversial'.”
Referring to Ahmadiyyas' constitutional rights,
Chowdhury said: “Our religious gathering was set to be held within our
premises. We have a right to hold such peaceful events.”
He said: “How can he disregard our rights by calling
our congregation ‘controversial'? We didn't seek permission from the government
to hold our event in a busy commercial area like Paltan in Dhaka. We rather
planned to hold it within our premises, it was on our property.
“When such irresponsible remarks come directly from a
major political leader like Fakhrul, we are gravely disheartened.”
He further requested all political parties to at least
maintain a modicum of decency while making comments on issues involving any
minority community.
Fakhrul's remark came at a time when Basherkella – a
pro-Jamaat-e-Islami Twitter account – condemned police action to stop the
violence over the Ahmadiyya religious event and called for “boycotting” the
community. The Ahmadiyya community has called it a “hate campaign” against
them.
BNP ally Jamaat-e-Islami also issued a statement
blaming the Ahmadis for the clashes on March 3.
Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum issued a
statement on March 5, asking the government to officially declare the Ahmadiyya
community “non-Muslim”.
He said: “Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country
where 90% of people are Muslims. In this country, the Ahmadiyya community is
committing reckless activities against Islam. The Islam-loving people will
never accept it. The government's role in this regard is questionable.
“The government should resolve the Ahmadiyya crisis
permanentlby paying heed to public views and also officially declaring
Ahmadiyyas non-Muslim."
Long history of persecution
The Ahmadiyyas are members of a minority Muslim
community who have been living in different parts of Bangladesh since the
beginning of the twentieth century.
Their rituals are very similar to the other sects of
Islam but the predominant Sunni Muslims and hardline Islamists are opposed to
their way of saying prayers, among other issues.
They demand that the government banish the Ahmadiyyas
from Islam through a formal announcement, a call first raised by
Jamaat-e-Islami founder Abul Ala Maududi in 1953, leading to the slaughtering
of over 2,000 Ahmadis in Lahore.
Since 1963, over a dozen Ahmadis have been killed and
scores of others injured or assaulted in separate incidents across Bangladesh.
Moreover, their mosques are also targeted by the Islamists.
The situation worsened in 2004 and 2005 when the BNP's
coalition partners -- Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Oikyo Jote (IOJ) -- dedicated
themselves to the preservation of "the finality of the prophethood"
of Prophet Muhammad. They threatened the Ahmadiyya community with attacks on
their mosques and campaigned for Ahmadis to be declared non-Muslim, according
to the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In 2013, in the face of growing demands during the
Hefazat-e-Islam's movement, the government said that it could not accede to
such demands as the constitution upheld religious rights.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
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World Security Forum in Doha Discusses Afghanistan
Situation
By Fidel Rahmati
March 16, 2023
The Afghanistan situation was discussed in the fifth
edition of the Global Security Forum on Wednesday in Qatar.
The session on Afghanistan was held on the last day of
the forum, where the panellists included Afghan officials and activists from
the ousted government of Afghanistan.
The Panel reflected on the development in Afghanistan
and its prospects, including security, human rights, women’s rights, education
and governance.
One of the Panelists included the ex-deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Hekmat Khalil Karzai, and the other was Fawzia Koofi, an
ex-member of the parliament.
Karzai criticized the caretaker government,
particularly their policies concerning women and girls’ rights and education
while emphasizing an inclusive government in the country; he said,
“First and foremost, girls be able to go to school,
for them to be able to decide their future, for them to be able to set the path
for their life and, second, to have a government that is representative of all
Afghans, not just one particular segment of the population,” he stated.
He added that education is obligatory in Islam for
both men and women, while the Islamic Emirate denied education for girls and
women.
He also stressed that a government representative of
all Afghans who “still have legitimacy should be able to talk to Afghans.”
Simultaneously, an ex-parliament, Fawzia Koofi,
discussed the current situation in the country, saying that the ongoing
situation in Afghanistan is unlike any other Muslim country.
She noted, “As much as the Taliban are experts at
fighting, they do not know how to handle a transformed Afghanistan, including
the women’s movement.”
However, the acting authorities in Kabul are seeking
international recognition, saying the government has fulfilled all its
obligations.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/world-security-forum-in-doha-discusses-afghanistan-situation/
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Stability in Afghanistan Requires an Inclusive Political
System, Says EU Envoy
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
March 16, 2023
Tomas Niklasson, European Special Representative for
Afghanistan expressed his concerns about human rights and said stability in
Afghanistan requires an inclusive political system and national dialogue.
Mr. Niklasson on Tuesday wrote on Twitter that an
inclusive government should be formed to avoid further political unrest and
stability in the war-torn country.
Furthermore, he expressed concerns about human rights
and growing threats from terrorism in Afghanistan and stated that peace and
stability can be restored through the participation of all political parties
and ethnic groups.
Mr. Niklasson left the country five days ago and said
in a press gathering in Belgium that major challenges pose threats to the media
in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees in a statement said that Afghanistan is facing the worst humanitarian
crisis in the world.
According to the reports of the United Nations Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the number need Afghan
people has increased from six million in 2019 to 28.3 million in 2023.
The significant rise in the number of needy
individuals indicates the presence of deep poverty in the war-torn country,
being seriously affected by the late regime – followed by a severe economic
crisis.
Moreover, the international community and
Afghanistan’s partners have repeatedly called on the Afghan interim government
to establish an all-inclusive government, in which every segment of the society
could see them represented. However, the de facto authorities have their own
priorities and objectives, which have paved the way for a deteriorating
humanitarian situation in the country.
Source: Khaama Press
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Mideast
‘Don't come back’: Israelis protest as Netanyahu heads
abroad
15 March ,2023
Opponents of controversial judicial reforms sought by
Israel's government demonstrated Wednesday at Ben Gurion airport ahead of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's departure on an official trip to Germany.
“Dictator on the run” and “Don't come back”, read
placards held up by demonstrators near the airport, where a convoy of cars
bearing Israeli flags circulated between the terminals, making them difficult
to access, an AFP correspondent reported.
The Israeli parliament, or Knesset, voted Tuesday to
approve a bill in first reading that would, among other things, allow lawmakers
to scrap Supreme Court rulings with a simple majority vote.
The government of Netanyahu, which includes
ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right parties, introduced its package to overhaul
the judiciary in January.
Netanyahu, who also has a planned trip to Britain,
presents the overhaul as key to restoring balance between the branches of
government in a system he believes gives judges too much power over elected
officials.
But the move has sparked 10 consecutive weeks of
nationwide demonstrations, with critics expressing concerns that the reform
package threatens Israel's liberal democracy.
They have also charged that the proposed changes aim
to protect the Israeli prime minster as he fights corruption charges.
At Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on Wednesday, some
demonstrators held aloft banners that read “Crime Minister”, in reference to
Netanyahu's ongoing legal battle.
The convoy of cars that moved between the terminals
included veterans of the Israeli armed forces.
Among them were veterans who took part in the 1976
operation in Uganda to free hostages of a Tel Aviv-Paris flight that had been
hijacked and during which Netanyahu's brother Yoni was killed.
Israeli President Issac Herzog -- who, in his largely
ceremonial role, has tried to broker dialogue -- last week called on the
coalition to halt the legislation, dubbing it “a threat to the foundations of
democracy”.
The German and British governments have come under
pressure for hosting Netanyahu, with 1,000 writers, artists and academics
urging the two countries to scrap the visits.
“In the face of Mr. Netanyahu's dangerous and
destructive leadership, and in light of a vast democratic civilian resistance
against the destruction of state institutions by undemocratic law-making, we
are asking that Germany and Great Britain swiftly announce” the cancellation of
Netanyahu's visits, they wrote.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Fireworks and defiance: Iranians mark fire festival
with anti-regime protests
15 March ,2023
Iranians in several cities took to the streets late on
Tuesday to express their opposition to their theocratic leaders, using
celebrations linked to a traditional fire festival as a platform.
Every year on the last Tuesday night of the Iranian
calendar year, which ends on March 20, Iranians celebrate the Chaharshanbeh
Suri festival, a pre-Islamic tradition that involves leaping over bonfires to
keep away evil spirits.
The festival is not officially endorsed but is popular
among young people. It festival also results in significant casualties every
year, with this year’s celebrations resulting in 11 deaths and over 3,500
injuries, according to Iran’s emergency services chief.
The festival comes after months-long protests that
erupted in Iran in September following the death in custody of 22-year-old
Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who died shortly after being arrested by the
morality police in Tehran for allegedly breaching the country’s strict dress
rules for women.
Videos posted on Twitter by the activist group
1500tasvir showed acts of defiance taking place in several parts of Iran,
including the capital Tehran, with protesters chanting slogans against Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
One video showed Iranians in Tehran throwing fireworks
at security forces on motorcycles, while another showed two individuals in an
unspecified city throwing fireworks at a billboard featuring the late IRGC
commander Qassem Soleimani.
In another video from Tehran, a crowd gathered around
a bonfire with women throwing their headscarves into the fire.
Other videos posted on Twitter showed protests in
Bandar Anzali, Khorramabad, Doroud, Rasht Bukan, Karaj, Esfahan, and Sanandaj,
with demonstrators chanting slogans against Khamenei and the IRGC.
Source: Al Arabiya
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‘Sanctions work’: Iranian Nobel winner urges EU ‘not
to give in’ to Tehran
16 March ,2023
Nobel Peace Prize-winning Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi
on Wednesday urged the EU to maintain pressure on the authorities in Tehran
over human rights violations.
“Subordinate aid to Iran, contracts with Iran, and
treaties with Iran to respecting international norms, otherwise the money will
not benefit the Iranian people at all,” the activist said in a speech to the
European Parliament.
Ebadi -- who won the Nobel Prize in 2003 and now lives
in exile outside Iran -- insisted that “sanctions work” against the authorities
in Tehran.
“Do not give in to this regime,” she told EU
legislators.
The European Union has imposed multiple rounds of
sanctions on Iranian officials for their fierce crackdown on protests over the
death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Amini died in custody in Tehran in September after being
arrested for an alleged violation of Iran’s mandatory dress code for women.
The 27-nation European bloc has so far stopped short
of formally labelling Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terror
group, despite calls to do so from Germany and the Netherlands.
But Ebadi was categorical that “the Revolutionary
Guards is a terrorist group.”
“Say it officially,” she urged the EU.
She said that since the start of the protests over
Amini’s death “at least 500 people” had been killed and 20,000 imprisoned.
“Don’t look away from the immense violations of
fundamental rights in Iran,” she said.
Her address came on the eve of MEPs voting on a
resolution on Iran, in particular on the mystery poisonings of thousands of
schoolgirls.
Ebadi shrugged off claims that poverty in Iran was due
to sanctions being imposed by the international community on the country.
Instead she pinned the blame on “the misappropriation
of funds” and “bad economic policies” by the authorities.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israelis, Palestinians to meet in Egypt in bid to
lower tensions before Ramadan
Rina Bassist
March 15, 2023
Israel's public broadcaster KAN revealed on Tuesday
evening that Israeli and Palestinian officials will meet in Sharm al-Sheikh in
Egypt ahead of Ramadan, set to begin mid of next week, in another regional
attempt to try to calm tensions in the West Bank.
A first such meeting took place on Feb. 26 in Aqaba,
Jordan. Haaretz reported that the summit in Sharm al-Sheikh will take place on
Sunday.
The Aqaba meeting was convened at the initiative of
the Biden administration and under the auspices of Jordanian King Abdullah. It
included representatives from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the United
States, Egypt and Jordan. The summit ended with an agreement to establish a
joint security committee to examine renewing Israeli-Palestinian security
cooperation and another to establish a civilian committee to advance
confidence-building economic measures. The participants agreed to hold another
summit in Egypt.
Israel also agreed at Aqaba not to advance any further
moves on settlement expansion. But later in the day, after the murder in the
Palestinian West Bank village of Huwara of two Israeli brothers, Israeli
authorities reversed that decision. Israel committed instead not to announce
any new measures in the four coming months. In other words, the government
intends to go forward with the legalization of nine West Bank outposts and
advance the construction of some 10,000 housing units in existing settlements.
The Sharm al-Sheikh meeting is expected to have same
attendees as Aqaba. They included from Israel Foreign Ministry Director General
Ronen Levy, national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar
and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Rassan Alian.
The Palestinian delegation in Aqaba was headed by Palestinian intelligence head
Majed Faraj. US National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and
North Africa Brett McGurk also participated, as well as senior Jordanian and
Egyptian security officials.
Still, parallel to these efforts to lower the flames,
Hamas has been increasing its belligerent rhetoric. Hamas Political Bureau
deputy Saleh al-Arouri said on Tuesday, "Israel's attempt to use the month
of Ramadan as a trigger to implement a policy that will change the status quo
and divide the prayer times at the Al-Aqsa Mosque will lead to a furious
reaction from the Palestinian people." Senior Hamas official Marwan Issa
warned Wednesday morning, "The diplomatic process regarding the West Bank
is over. The coming days will be full of events."
The most complicated issue expected to be discussed at
the summit is the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif compound, considered the most
volatile point in the region. This year, the month of Ramadan coincides with
the Jewish Passover holiday, to be celebrated on the second week of April.
Jordanians and Palestinians fear that extreme-right activists, possibly even
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, will ascend to the site during the
Passover, generating friction.
Source: Al Monitor
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Army says suspected Hezbollah-linked suicide bomber
shot dead in Israel
March 15, 2023
JERUSALEM: Israel’s army on Wednesday announced it
killed a suspect wearing an explosive belt in the country’s north earlier this
week, suggesting the possible involvement of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
“We are examining a possibility of the Hezbollah
terrorist organization of being involved” with the suspected attacker who was
shot dead on Monday, the army said.
The suspect was stopped in a car at one of the established
border crossings in the north of Israel after an explosive device was detonated
in the area, at the Meggido junction about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Haifa.
The army said the suspect was believed to have been
responsible for that explosion, which severely injured an Israeli civilian.
“He could have used the explosive belt in the first
attack but chose not to,” the army said in a press briefing.
“Our assumption is that he was aiming to conduct
another terrorist attack,” perhaps before committing suicide, it added.
The suspected attacker is believed to have asked a
driver to pick him up to take him back toward the north of the country,
according to the army.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2269261/middle-east
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Erdogan says Turkey may ratify Finland’s NATO
membership bid
16 March 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country
may soon approve Finland’s application to join the NATO military alliance,
fulfilling its pledge to the Nordic country following months of negotiations.
Erdogan made the remarks at the Grand National
Assembly in Ankara on Wednesday, ahead of his scheduled meeting with Finnish
President Sauli Niinisto later this week.
“Whatever the process is, we will run that process. We
will do our part. We will keep our promise,” Erdogan said, marking the clearest
sign yet that Turkey will approve Helsinki’s NATO membership bid.
Niinisto is due to travel to Ankara on Thursday, after
Erdogan asked the Finnish president to meet him in person to give his approval
to join NATO.
“I have said yes to the invitation,” Niinisto said.
“It was known that once Turkey’s President Erdogan has made up his decision on
ratifying Finland’s NATO membership, he will want to meet and make good on his
promise from one president to another.”
Finland and Sweden applied last year to join the
transatlantic defense pact after Russia attacked Ukraine.
All 30 NATO members must unanimously agree on
admitting new members, so that they can benefit from the pact’s collective
security guarantee.
Finland and Sweden had pledged to enter the alliance
“hand in hand,” but Turkey has held up Sweden’s application over a row about
protests held in Stockholm, including the burning of the Holy Quran in front of
Turkey’s embassy.
Therefore, if Turkey approves the Finnish application,
as is expected, Finland will join NATO without its Nordic partner.
Turkey initially opposed Finland and Sweden’s bid,
accusing the two Nordic countries of giving a safe haven to forces linked to
the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group.
However, in recent weeks, Erdogan has softened his
tone regarding Finland’s attempt to join NATO, signaling that Ankara could
accept Helsinki’s bid without its Nordic neighbor.
Source: Press TV
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Pope Francis commends Ayatollah Sistani for commitment
to peace and unity
15 March 2023
Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, has written
a letter to Iraq’s prominent Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani,
hailing his commitment to preserving unity in Iraq while also praising their
face-to-face meeting two years ago.
Back on March 8, 2021, the pontiff held a meeting with
the spiritual leader of Iraqi Shias during his unprecedented visit to the Arab
country in what is seen as a landmark interfaith meeting.
Pope Francis addressed Ayatollah Sistani as his
"dear brother" in the letter,
describing the meeting as "a milestone on the path of
interreligious dialogue and understanding between peoples."
The Pope also commended the top cleric for "his
commitment to those who suffered persecution, preserving the sacredness of life
and the importance of the unity of the Iraqi people."
The letter, which was published by the Holy See Press
Office on Tuesday, was also sent to address a conference in Najaf entitled
"Catholics and Shias facing the future" held on the occasion of the
2nd anniversary of Pope Francis’s visit to Iraq. The event, held on March 8-10,
was organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio and the Al_Khoei Institute of
Najaf and was attended by a number of Shia and Christian religious leaders.
"Collaboration and friendship between believers
of different religions are indispensable, in order to cultivate not only mutual
esteem but above all that concord that contributes to the good of humanity, as
the recent history of Iraq teaches us," wrote the Pope.
According to the pontiff, faith-based communities must
be "a privileged place of communion and a symbol of peaceful coexistence,
in which we invoke the Creator of all, for a future of unity on earth."
He noted that "respect for the dignity and rights
of every person and every community, especially freedom of religion, thought
and expression, is a source of personal and social serenity and harmony between
peoples."
Accordingly, religious leaders are duty-bound to
"encourage those with responsibilities in civil society to work to affirm
a culture based on justice and peace, promoting political actions that protect
the fundamental rights of each person," added the pontiff.
"It is essential that the human family rediscover
a sense of fraternity and mutual acceptance, as a concrete response to today's
challenges," the Pope continued, expressing his hope that together,
Christians and Muslims, may always be "witnesses of truth, love and hope,
in a world scarred by numerous conflicts and therefore in need of compassion
and healing."
During the meeting in March 2021, Ayatollah Sistani
pointed to the role of belief in God and commitment to high moral values in
overcoming challenges facing today's world, including justice, oppression,
poverty, religious persecution, repression of fundamental freedoms, and wars.
Source: Press TV
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Southeast Asia
Selangor Bans Muslims from Attending Events at
Churches, Temples
15 Mar 2023
PETALING JAYA: Any programme involving Muslims at
non-Muslim houses of worship are not allowed, says Selangor religious affairs
exco Zawawi Ahmad Mughni.
In a statement, Zawawi said while Selangor welcomed
the programmes organised by NGOs to foster tolerance, these programmes should
follow the guidelines set by the Selangor Islamic religious department (Jais).
“The rules state that any programme involving Muslims
in non-Muslim houses of worship is prohibited.
“Jais will monitor and take action against those who
violate this rule under Sections 5 and 6 of the Non-Islamic Religions (Control
of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment,” he said.
Zawawi reminded those wanting to organise religious
activities to be more sensitive to avoid any misunderstanding. He also urged
them to refer to Jais or the state Mufti for clarification.
His response comes after an uproar over a poster by
Impact Malaysia, a non-profit organisation under the youth and sports ministry,
about a planned visit to a church in Klang.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Malaysia’s Christian minister dismisses
proselytization claim
March 15, 2023
Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh
dismissed allegations from political rivals that her ministry’s program to
visit houses of worship of various faiths was meant to convert Muslim youths.
Yeoh, 43, a member of the ruling Democratic Action
Party, refuted the allegations during a speech in parliament, Malay Mail
reported on March 14.
She said the program Projek Article 11 by Impact
Malaysia, a non-profit agency under the ministry, did not have any Muslim
youths when the team members visited mosques and Sikh Gurdwara this month.
No Muslim youth has registered for a program to visit
a church later this month, she noted.
Yeoh said that the program known as “Jom Ziarah” aims
to promote a better understanding of the different races, religions, and
cultures in Malaysia.
"Jom Ziarah is not a project that is organized to
make all religions equal and is not intended to illustrate that all religions
have the same standings, as what has been portrayed by certain quarters,"
Yeoh was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.
The project is a combination of efforts to know the
differences between religions, and to help people in Malaysia’s multi-ethnic
society to live in harmony and tolerance, she said, adding that the program is
an exercise of freedom of religion guaranteed in Malaysia’s Federal
Constitution.
The lawmaker from Segambut, a constituency in the
Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, reacted after Islamists and political
rivals accused the program of evangelizing Muslim youth.
Badrul Hisham Shaharin, a blogger and former member of
the People’s Justice Party who was reportedly sacked for defying party orders
in 2016, slammed the Impact Malaysia event saying "Christian evangelist
has started its work."
He alleged in Facebook posts that a visit to a church
in Klang city was the beginning of groundwork by evangelists.
“While religious preachers are being barred, an agency
under a ministry headed by a DAP minister is looking to bring Muslim youths to
church.”
In response, Yeoh lodged a police complaint against
the Muslim politician on March 13 for spreading false information about the
program, media reports say.
"So, accusing me of using agencies under the
Youth and Sports Ministry for [evangelism] is an accusation that is overboard,
and making me a punching bag to cover up charges that are being faced by their
leaders,” she said in the parliament.
Meanwhile, Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden, a lawmaker
from the Islamic Party of Malaysia or PAS criticized Yeoh and the ministry for
the church visits by non-Christians.
“It is not wrong to learn about other religions, but
to (specifically address) non-Christian youths, I feel, causes uneasiness in
our community,” he told parliament on March 13, the Star reported.
This is not the first time Yeoh or Christian leaders
in Malaysia have been targeted by Muslim politicians, activists, and Islamists.
Last year, Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer Kamarul
Zaman Yusoff filed a defamation lawsuit against seven lawmakers from DAP including
Yeoh after the MPs issued statements to rebuke him. Their criticism came after
Yusoff accused Yeoh of using politics to propagate Christianity in the country.
The court rejected the lawsuit while accepting a
defamation lawsuit from Yeoh against him.
In May 2021, Yeoh also filed a lawsuit against the
former inspector-general of Malaysian police, Musa Hassan, who allegedly said
she had been trying to turn Malaysia into a Christian country.
Both cases are still pending in the courts, reports
say.
Christians make up about 10 percent of the estimated
32 million citizens in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
For years, Muslim radicals and Islamist politicians
have spread anti-Christian propaganda in the country.
Until a court ruled in 2021, non-Muslims were legally
banned to use the word “Allah.” The decades-long legal battle triggered violent
protests and at least 11 churches were attacked.
That year, Muslim politician Nik Muhammad Zawawi
Salleh told parliament that the Bible’s New Testament had been “corrupted by
Christians over time” and so they did not reflect the true teachings of Jesus.
In 2016, politician Andul Hadi Awang from the Islamist
Party of Malaysia penned an article where he accused Christian missionaries of
“preying on poor and uneducated people” in impoverished communities in
Malaysian states like Sabah and elsewhere by paying them off to convert to
Christianity.
Source: UCA News
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Malaysia’s opposition raises spectre of another
government collapse
Ram Anand
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s opposition Perikatan
Nasional (PN) has raised political temperatures with the spectre of another
government collapse after several of its leaders were arrested and charged with
alleged graft and abuse of power during the coalition’s brief tenure in power
between 2020 and 2021.
Leaders of the largely Malay-Muslim opposition
coalition, headlined by Malay-Muslim parties Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia
(Bersatu) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), have played up the prospect of a
premature end to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration.
“God willing, it will happen soon,” PAS president
Abdul Hadi Awang said during a dialogue on Feb 27, a week after Bersatu
information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan became the first politician to be charged
over a growing scandal surrounding Jana Wibawa, a Covid-19 stimulus measure for
the construction industry introduced by Bersatu chief Muhyiddin Yassin when he
was PM.
Despite the country’s appetite for political stability
after seeing four prime ministers in as many years, Datuk Seri Hadi doubled
down on his comments last week, claiming that it was PN’s “right” to plan to
topple the government, while claiming that there were government parties that
were already unhappy.
Soon after, Muhyiddin, who became the second Malaysia
ex-premier to be charged with graft after he was accused last Friday, echoed
the view that there was discontent among parties in the mixed coalition
government, and that the government might “drop out” before its full five-year
term expires in 2027.
In 2018, former PM Najib Razak faced multiple graft
allegations over the corruption scandal at state fund 1MDB, and has since been
jailed.
While a new anti-hopping law effectively prevents
individual MPs from changing parties, it still allows political parties to
switch allegiances en bloc – something which Muhyiddin’s Bersatu did to
collapse the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
in 2020 and kickstart a period of prolonged political turmoil.
Datuk Seri Anwar’s PH has only 82 seats in Parliament,
and is highly dependent on smaller regional outfits and former rival Barisan
Nasional to form its majority in Parliament. Despite the government having a
two-thirds majority, PN remains the second largest bloc in Parliament with 74
seats, although it makes up the entirety of the opposition bench.
University of Malaya sociopolitical analyst Awang
Azman Awang Pawi told The Straits Times that the messages being sent out by PN
were a form of “political warning” towards Mr Anwar to keep him on his toes.
However, Dr Awang Azman said that toppling the
government now would be difficult, given its majority and the anti-hopping law.
“Muhyiddin is facing a crisis in leadership. His
reputation is falling, so he tries a democratic power grab, with the hope that
his case can be dropped if he becomes PM,” he added.
Muhyiddin had largely campaigned on an anti-corruption
and pro-Malay platform during last year’s closely fought general election,
which produced no clear winner and a hung Parliament. He had raced against Mr
Anwar to form a government after the November polls, and lost.
Mr Anwar has taken a keen interest in investigating
the purported wrongdoings of Muhyiddin’s short but controversial tenure as PM
between 2020 and 2021. Muhyiddin has maintained his innocence and claimed he
and his party colleagues are victims of political persecution.
After coming to power through midterm defections in
2020, Muhyiddin stayed as premier for 17 months – most of it marred by a
worsening Covid-19 pandemic and a six-month state of emergency – before he lost
majority support in Parliament and was forced to resign.
Source: Straits Times
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DPM Zahid: Govt to upgrade Islamic education
curriculum at Kemas kindergartens
15 Mar 2023
KOTA BARU, March 15 — The government will upgrade the
Islamic education curriculum for Community Development Department (Kemas)
kindergartens throughout the country by introducing the Penghayatan Pendidikan
Islam (PPI) module beginning this year.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
said the new module would emphasise the aspects of worship and Quran studies
and would benefit some 250,000 children.
“The upgrading will also involve a revamp of the
module as a whole, catering to five- and six-year-olds in a more specific
manner.
“In line with the digital era, the learning and
teaching applications used will be contemporary and based on the fun education
concept to maintain the Kemas identity,” he said.
He told reporters this after attending a Ramah Mesra
programme with Kelantan Kemas staff at the state Culture and Arts Department
Auditorium here today.
Also present were Rural and Regional Development Ministry
(KKDW) secretary-general Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun and Kemas director-general
Ahmad Kamal Idris Mohd Nawawi.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional
Development Minister, said efforts to upgrade Kemas education would involve
providing professional skills training for its teaching manpower.
“We also give an assurance that non-Muslim students
will not be sidelined as they will have a chance to attend their own religious
classes since our country allows freedom of worship,” he added.
He also said the government planned to introduce a
digital communications module soon for Kemas developers and educators.
Source: Malay Mail
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Singapore PM: We will work with Indonesia, ASEAN, UN
to push Myanmar peace plan
March 16, 2023
SINGAPORE: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
said on Thursday the city-state would work with Indonesia and other Southeast
Asian countries, as well as partners like the United Nations, to push Myanmar’s
military rulers to implement a stalled peace plan.
He was speaking after meeting visiting Indonesian
President Joko Widodo.
Lee said the leaders regretted the lack of progress on
a peace plan led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on
Myanmar, which has been gripped by violence and unrest since a coup in February
2021 that upended a decade of democratic reforms.
“Singapore will continue working with Indonesia and
ASEAN members, plus ASEAN’s partners like the UN, to push for the full
implementation of the five-point consensus,” he said, referring to the peace
plan that Myanmar’s top general agreed to with ASEAN.
Indonesia currently chairs the 10-member ASEAN bloc.
In addition, Singapore and Indonesia would work together
on developing renewable energy, their leaders announced.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2269576/world
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Arab World
Saudi Arabia could invest in Iran ‘very quickly’, says
minister
March 16, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia could start making investments in
Iran “very quickly” after they agreed to restore diplomatic ties, the Saudi
finance minister said on Wednesday, despite sweeping US sanctions against
Tehran.
Mohammed Al Jadaan said there were “a lot of
opportunities” in Iran and that he could not see any reason to prevent
investments from taking place between the two Gulf heavyweights.
“I would say quickly,” he told the Financial Sector
Conference in Riyadh, when asked how soon Saudi Arabia could start making
“significant” investments in Iran. “When people really stick to the principles
of what was agreed, I think that could happen very quickly.”
In a surprise, Chinese-brokered announcement on
Friday, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to work towards restoring ties and
reopening diplomatic missions within two months.
Source: Dawn
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Saudi Arabia, UK hold inaugural session of strategic
aid dialogue in London
March 15, 2023
LONDON: The inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-UK
Strategic Aid Dialogue was recently held in London, the Saudi Press Agency
reported on Wednesday.
The Adviser at the Royal Court and Supervisor General
of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
Al-Rabeeah, headed the Saudi delegation, which included representatives from
the ministries of foreign affairs and finance, and the Saudi Fund for
Development.
Saudi Ambassador to the UK Prince Khalid bin Bandar
bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz also attended the meeting along with SFD CEO Sultan
bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad.
UK Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office Andrew Mitchell, and Director General of the Humanitarian
and Development at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Nick Dyer
were among representatives of the UK.
Al-Rabeeah expressed KSrelief’s hopes for humanitarian
cooperation with the UK, adding that “Saudi Arabia is a significant donor
worldwide.”
He said Saudi Arabia provided $65 billion for 2,300
humanitarian projects in 167 countries between 2000 and 2023.
Development and humanitarian support to countries in
need amounted to $85.5 billion, Al-Rabeeah said.
He said that the Kingdom believes in supporting
education projects for girls, as well as projects aimed at providing women with
professional skills to enable them to support their families and improve their
livelihoods.
Al-Marshad voiced his appreciation for the outstanding
partnership with the UK in the development field, which has yielded essential
initiatives such as Ethiopia’s water and sanitation program project, and the
clean energy for schools project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Such efforts affirm the commitment of both sides to
providing development assistance to countries in need, added the CEO.
Al-Marshad said he looks forward to continuing this
partnership to support the development process in developing countries and
positively impact the lives of beneficiaries.
The session discussed the progress made within the
framework of the British-Saudi partnership in the field of development and
humanitarian assistance concerning cooperation agreements and the launch of
joint humanitarian development projects.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2269301/saudi-arabia
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Saudi official: China has leverage on Iran to enforce
compliance with agreement
15 March ,2023
China has leverage on Iran and Tehran will find it
difficult to explain if it does not honor the agreement signed with Saudi
Arabia in Beijing, a Saudi official said on Wednesday.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on Friday to re-establish
relations after years of hostility following talks in China.
The official, who declined to be named, said China is
in a unique position as it enjoys exceptional relations with both Iran and
Saudi Arabia.
The most difficult topics in the talks with Iran were
related to Yemen, the media, and China's role, the official said.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on Friday to re-establish
relations after seven years of hostility which had threatened stability and
security in the Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to
Syria.
“This is a victory for dialogue, a victory for peace,
offering major good news at a time of much turbulence in the world,” the
Chinese foreign ministry cited Wang Yi as saying at the close of the dialogue.
Previously undisclosed talks between the two were held
March 6-10 by top security officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Chinese
capital, according to a tripartite joint statement of the countries released by
China's foreign ministry.
In the statement, the three parties expressed their
willingness to make “every effort” to strengthen international and regional
peace and security.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Syria’s Assad expresses his support for Russia in war
in Ukraine
15 March ,2023
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday offered
Russian President Vladimir Putin his support in the conflict in Ukraine.
In a televised meeting with Putin in the Kremlin,
Assad said Russia was fighting neo-Nazis and “old Nazis” in Ukraine, according
to a Russian translation.
Without offering evidence, Assad said the West had
taken in “old Nazis,” and was now giving them support.
Kyiv and the West say Russian accusations that Ukraine
has become a hotbed of Nazism and “Russophobia” are a baseless pretext for an
unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Lebanon’s Salameh does not attend hearing, session
postponed: Sources
15 March ,2023
Lebanon’s embattled central bank governor Riad Salameh
did not attend a corruption probe hearing on Wednesday held by a local judge
alongside European investigators after procedural objections by Salameh’s
lawyer, two sources told Reuters.
Salameh is being investigated in Lebanon and in at
least five European countries over alleged embezzlement of public funds. He
denies the charges and says they are part of an attempt to scapegoat him for
Lebanon’s financial crisis.
Lebanese authorities last month charged him with a
slew of financial crimes and set a first hearing for Wednesday. French and
German investigators who arrived in Beirut this week to pursue their own probe
into him had been told they could attend the hearing, two source told Reuters
earlier.
But on Wednesday, Salameh’s lawyer arrived at the
justice palace without him and objected to the presiding judge over the
European officials’ presence, a senior judicial source and a second source with
knowledge of the developments said.
“Salameh’s lawyer attended and submitted an
explanatory memo in which he considered that summoning him to a European
investigation session is a violation of the sovereignty of the Lebanese
judiciary under the International Anti-Corruption Convention,” the senior
judicial source said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi wildlife centre uses satellite tracking devices
to monitor animals
TAREQ AL-THAQAFI
March 15, 2023
MAKKAH: Al-Baida Park in Madinah is embracing
technology in a bid to track the movement of its wildlife.
Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, the Saudi minister of
environment, water and agriculture, recently presided over the release of some
92 wild animals into the park to help enrich biodiversity, and restore
environmental balance and aid sustainability.
And Dr. Ahmed Al-Bouq, director general of wildlife
conservation at the National Center for Wildlife Development, supports the
concept of using technology to help the well-being of the creatures at the
location.
He told Arab News that the evaluation process is the
first step in any release operation. This includes focusing on the release area
and noting whether it will aid protection and if it contains the vegetation
density to help the species.
He said: “During the first release, we dealt with 10
species, including the Alpine ibex, mountain gazelles, vultures, eagles,
crowned sandgrouses, European turtle doves, crested larks and Namaqua doves.
“The pre-evaluation process is of utmost importance as
it will provide us with sufficient information on how to set appropriate
conditions to ensure the safety and integration of all animals.”
Al-Bouq said that this is followed by the installation
of satellite tracking devices to target the released animals and track their
movements.
He added: “What we are aiming to achieve is to bring
people closer to wildlife, while giving them the chance to become familiar with
animals that are endangered, so they no longer find them strange or feel a
cultural dimension keeping both worlds apart. The release operation is a bridge
linking people and wildlife.”
Al-Bouq said that the center is working hard on
helping people understand the link between man and nature, in the hope of
helping to enrich the environment in the process.
He added: “We are adding to the diversity in parks and
raising the visitors’ environmental awareness level, while enhancing the
readiness of concerned parks to invest in the wildlife sector in general.
“We are also looking to improve the level and quality
of life of the animals, given that natural parks are way more important than
industrial parks, especially in the outskirts of cities, such as Al-Baida wild
natural park.”
The Verreaux’s eagle was released in Al-Baida Park. It
is a breeding resident of the Kingdom that can only be found in the western
highlands in mountainous areas. Pairs can be seen throughout the year near
nesting sites in rocky cliffs.
The greater hoopoe is a bird that was also released
during the operation, along with the Tristram’s starling.
The steppe eagle was also released into the park. This
is a migrant bird that visits the Kingdom during the winter season, from November
until the end of March.
It can be found in deserts, mountains, plains, and
near the beach, as well as in garbage dumps.
The bird breeds in central and northern Kazakhstan,
and feeds on rodents and dead animals.
The nubian ibex is a herbivore goat species with a
stout brown body, and it too was released into the park. It traditionally lives
in mountainous areas and on steep slopes.
It needs to be continuously hydrated so the animal
gravitates to areas where surface water is available.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2269406/saudi-arabia
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Lebanon’s empty schools bode long-term damage from
crisis
March 16, 2023
BEIRUT: On a recent school day, the Rene Mouawad High
School in Beirut was empty, its classrooms dark, just like all of Lebanon’s
public schools have been for most of the past three months. Its striking
teachers were protesting in front of the Education Ministry, not far away.
About 100 teachers joined the demonstration outside
the ministry, blocking traffic and holding placards demanding pay raises. “We
are done with charity,” said Nisreen Chahine, the head of the union for contractor
teachers. “We are not negotiating anymore. They should either rightfully pay or
us or go home.”
The teachers gave speeches demanding officials come
out and talk to them. But as usual in these regular protests, no one from the
ministry emerged. After several hours, the teachers packed up and went home.
Lebanon’s schools are crumbling under the weight of
the country’s economic collapse as the political leadership — which caused the
crisis through decades of corruption and mismanagement — balks at taking any
measures to resolve it. Since the meltdown began in late 2019, over
three-quarters of Lebanon’s 6 million people have been plunged into poverty,
their assets evaporating as the currency’s value shrivels and inflation rises
at one of the world’s highest rates.
Most of the country’s children have not been in school
for months — many since even before teachers, who say they can no longer live
on their salaries, went on strike in December. Lebanon was once known for
producing a highly skilled, educated work force. But now an entire generation
is missing out on schooling, wreaking long-term damage on prospects for the
country’s economy and future,
Teachers called their strike because their salaries,
in Lebanese pounds, have became too low to cover rent and other basic expenses.
The pound has gone from 1,500 to the dollar before the crisis to 100,000 to the
dollar currently. Most teachers are now paid the equivalent of about $1 an
hour, even after several raises since 2019. Grocery stores and other businesses
now usually price their goods in dollars.
Teachers are demanding adjusted salaries, a
transportation stipend, and health benefits. The government only offered to
partially cover transportation, saying it didn’t have the budget for more.
Though schools partially reopened last week after some teachers returned to
work, most chose to continue striking.
Even before the crisis, Lebanon’s investment in public
schools was limited. In 2020, the government’s spending on education was
equivalent only to 1.7 percent of Lebanon’s GDP, one of the lowest rates in the
world, according to the World Bank. The 2022 budget allocated 3.6 trillion
Lebanese lira for education — the equivalent of around $90 million at the time
the budget was passed in October, less than half the $182 million budget on
education from a donor-funded humanitarian program.
Instead, the government has relied for years on
private and charity schools to educate children. Humanitarian agencies paid to
cover salaries and keep decrepit infrastructure functioning. Two-thirds of
Lebanese children once went to private schools, but hundreds of thousands
dropped out in recent years because private schools have had to increase
tuition to cover soaring costs. Public and private schools struggle to keep
lights on as fuel costs mount.
Even before the strike, more than 700,000 children in
Lebanon, many of them Syrian refugees, were not in school because of the
economic crisis. With the strike, an additional 500,000 joined their ranks,
according to UNICEF.
“It means we now see children ages 10, 12, 14 and they
are not able to even write their own names or write basic sentences,” Ettie
Higgins, UNICEF deputy representative for Lebanon, told the The Associated
Press. UNICEF said that last week it gave almost $14 million to help more than
1,000 public schools pay staff.
Rana Ghalib, a mother of four, said it makes her
anxious to see her children at home when they should be in school. Her
14-year-old son had to repeat the 6th grade because he has fallen behind during
previous disruptions.
“The classrooms are basically empty because teachers
are demanding their rights and they’re dark because there is no fuel,” Ghalib
told the AP.
The international community has been pushing Lebanon’s
leaders to carry out wide-ranging reforms in the economy, financial system and
governance in order to receive a $3 billion bailout package from the
International Monetary Fund and unlock development aid. The political elite,
which has run the country since 1990, has stalled — because, critics say, reforms
would undermine its grip on power and wealth. Amid political deadlock, there
hasn’t been a president for months, and the government only functions in a
limited caretaker capacity.
Education, meanwhile, is joining banks, medicine and
electricity in the ranks of Lebanon’s failing institutions. That could cause
long-term damage: Lebanon has traditionally relied on its educated and skilled
diaspora population abroad to send remittances back home to support families,
invest and feed dollars into the banking system. The exodus of skilled people
skyrocketed during the economic crisis, leaving remittances as Lebanon’s last
economic lifeline.
Hussein Cheaito, an economist and nonresident fellow
at The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, a Washington-based think tank,
says the crippled education system will further “deteriorate the social fabric”
of Lebanon and deepen poverty.
“This will have a effect on the longer-term growth of
the economy,” he told the AP. “This means there will be less access to jobs in
the future … (and) weaken the labor market in general.”
Ghalib, meanwhile, checks on her children, who are
watching TV and playing with their cellphones at a time when they would usually
be studying. Even her 9-year-old daughter is aware that her future is in
jeopardy, she said.
Source: Arab News
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Syrians mark 12th anniversary of uprising against
regime
March 15, 2023
IDLIB: Thousands of Syrians demonstrated in the
war-ravaged country’s rebel-held northwest on Wednesday, marking 12 years since
the start of pro-democracy protests and rejecting any international
“normalization” with Damascus.
The brutal repression of the 2011 protests, which
began during the Middle East’s Arab Spring uprisings, triggered a complex civil
war that drew in foreign powers and jihadists.
It has claimed more than 500,000 lives and left
millions displaced internally and abroad.
In Idlib city, demonstrators waved revolutionary flags
and held banners reading: “The people demand the fall of the regime” and
“Freedom and dignity for all Syrians.”
“We have come to commemorate the anniversary of the
revolution, this great memory in the heart of every free Syrian,” protester Abu
Shahid, 27, said. “We are proud of the day we managed to break the barrier of
fear and demonstrate against the criminal regime.”
The rebel-held areas of Syria’s north and northwest,
controlled by Islamist groups and Turkish-backed fighters, are home to more
than 4 million people, at least half of whom have been displaced from other
parts of the country.
Protests also took place on Wednesday in Tabqa, a
Kurdish-held area of Raqqa province in central Syria.
Both Damascus and Ankara see a common “enemy” in
Kurdish groups in northern Syria, which Ankara calls “terrorists” but are
backed by Washington.
Source: Arab News
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Former Iraqi PM hails Gen. Soleimani as architect of
Iran-Saudi détente
15 March 2023
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has
lauded late Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani
as a “pacesetter” in the recent agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to
restore diplomatic ties and re-open diplomatic missions.
In an article published on the website of Iraq's
Al-Ahad TV channel on Tuesday, Abdul-Mahdi provided an exclusive account of the
recent Iran-Saudi agreement and praised General Soleimani, former commander of
the Quds Force of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), as the one who
“launched” the groundbreaking deal.
Abdul-Mahdi said during a state visit to China in
September 2019, he received a phone call from General Soleimani who asked him
if he could visit Saudi Arabia and act as an “intermediary” between Iran and
the kingdom.
“General Soleimani said the matter was urgent,” to
which the former Iraqi premier replied that he would go to Riyadh right after
returning to Baghdad.
“I informed the Chinese side of the martyr's request,
and they rejoiced,” Abdul-Mahdi added.
The former Iraqi premier continued by saying that he
contacted the Saudi government, which inquired about the purpose of the visit.
“I informed them of Iran's request for mediation and
identified Soleimani as the Iranian representative. The Saudis welcomed the
proposal,” Abdul-Mahdi said.
"We returned to Iran on the morning of 25/9/2019
and left Baghdad in the evening for Saudi Arabia. Former Prime Minister
[Mustafa] al-Kadhimi accompanied me, along with Minister of Oil Thamer
al-Ghadhban, and Mohamed al-Hashimi, the cabinet secretary. We were received by
the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; then we held a late-night meeting with
the Crown Prince [Mohammad bin Salman]."
Abdul-Mahdi stressed that the initiative was
obstructed following strikes on Saudi Arabia's state-run oil giant Aramco and
the US-directed assassination of General Soleimani along with his companions in
the Iraqi capital.
"Regrettably, the former American administration
executed their misguided and cowardly operation...I then passed on the
responsibility to Prime Minister al-Kadhimi on May 7, 2020. Despite this
setback, the initiative continued, and the first meetings were held in Baghdad
in April 2021, with Mr. Mohammad Hashemi representing al-Kadhimi in his stead.
Sheikh Khaled al-Humaidan led the Saudi delegation, while the Iranian side was
represented by Deputy Secretary General of the National Security Council, Mr.
Saeed Iravani. Meetings proceeded with the involvement of other officials,
culminating in a strategic agreement in Beijing," he said.
The former Iraqi premier also said many parties had
contributed to the conclusion of the agreement, which, if successful, "has
the potential to alter not only the region but the world."
Abdul-Mahdi added that the deal is not merely about
re-establishing ties between the two countries, adding that it will lead to a
complete resolution of sensitive and dangerous issues.
"Both parties engaged in robust and forceful
negotiations, and the agreement could not have been reached without regional
and global developments, the growing influence of China, and guarantees from
both sides. The agreement holds a shared vision for the wider trajectory of the
region, as can be gleaned from the concluding statement," Abdul-Mahdi
concluded.
After several days of intensive negotiations hosted by
China, Iran and Saudi Arabia finally clinched a deal on Friday to restore
diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions within two months.
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in
January 2016 after Iranian protesters, enraged by the execution of prominent
Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government, stormed its
embassy in Tehran.
Source: Press TV
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UAE to send 200 tons of dates to quake victims in
Türkiye ahead of Ramadan
Muhammed Sheikh Yusuf
15.03.2023
An Emirati plane carrying 28 tons of dates arrived at
Gaziantep airport in southern Türkiye on Wednesday as part of a campaign to
support the victims of last month’s deadly earthquakes.
According to the UAE Embassy in Ankara, the plane was
the first of a group of shipments amounting to 200 tons of dates for the quake
victims.
More planes will arrive in the coming days to deliver
the 200 tons, it added.
The dates are scheduled to be distributed to the quake
victims before the start of the fasting month of Ramadan, due to begin next
week.
The UAE has delivered 7,176 tons of aid materials to
Türkiye and Syria aboard 223 cargo planes and one ship since the quake
disaster. The aid was sent as part of Operation Chivalrous Knight 2 to support
those affected by the quakes in both countries.
More than 48,448 people were killed in Türkiye in the
quakes on Feb. 6, according to official figures.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Africa
Somalia military court executes 3 terrorists by firing
squad
Mohammed Dhaysane
15.03.2023
MOGADISHU, Somalia
Somalia’s military court executed three
al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group senior officers Wednesday by firing squad in
the nation’s capital of Mogadishu.
Mohamed Abdi Nur Jirow, Sharif Mohamed Barqadle Ayanle
Jeego, and Mohamed Abdulle Abkow Omar Biyamalow were found guilty of carrying
out bombings and murders throughout the country and in particular in Mogadishu,
according to the court.
Thirteen people from the al-Shabaab and ISIS/Daesh
terrorist groups were also executed in the northeastern semiautonomous state of
Puntland earlier this month.
The executions ordered by a military court took place
around Galkayo, Garowe, and the state’s commercial capital of Bosaso.
The court in the region also executed six soldiers
after they were convicted of carrying out killings in Puntland.
The Puntland military court in the northern city of
Galkayo executed 18 people in 2021 who were sentenced to death after being found
guilty of terrorism, according to the Puntland's Justice Department.
Somalia’s Armed Forces Court has been carrying out
death penalties for years despite pressure from international partners and
human rights groups to stop the practice.
.Although Somalia experienced years of armed conflict
and political instability, in recent years, it has made significant progress to
rebuild state and government institutions, according to the United Nations
Human Rights Council.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Tons of uranium missing from Libyan site, IAEA tells
member states
16 March ,2023
UN nuclear watchdog inspectors have found that roughly
2.5 tons of natural uranium have gone missing from a Libyan site that is not
under government control, the watchdog told member states in a statement on
Wednesday seen by Reuters.
The finding is the result of an inspection originally
planned for last year that “had to be postponed because of the security
situation in the region” and was finally carried out on Tuesday, according to
the confidential statement by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael
Grossi.
IAEA inspectors “found that 10 drums containing
approximately 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of UOC (uranium ore
concentrate) previously declared by (Libya) ... as being stored at that
location were not present at the location,” the one-page statement said.
The agency would carry out “further activities” to
determine the circumstances of the uranium's removal from the site, which it
did not name, and where it is now, the statement added.
“The loss of knowledge about the present location of
nuclear material may present a radiological risk, as well as nuclear security
concerns,” it said, adding that reaching the site required “complex logistics”.
In 2003 Libya under then-leader Muammar Gaddafi
renounced its nuclear weapons program, which had obtained centrifuges that can
enrich uranium as well as design information for a nuclear bomb, though it made
little progress towards a bomb.
Libya has had little peace since a 2011 NATO-backed
uprising ousted Gaddafi. Since 2014, political control has been split between
rival eastern and western factions, with the last major bout of conflict ending
in 2020.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Tunisia opposition spokesman and latest Saeid critic
detained: Party
15 March ,2023
The spokesman of Tunisia’s Ennahdha party has been
detained, his party said on Wednesday, denouncing the latest arrest of a
prominent critic of President Kais Saied.
Abdelfattah Taghouti was detained by a national guard
unit on Tuesday evening, Ennahdha said, demanding his immediate release.
More than 20 political figures have been arrested in
the North African country in recent weeks, including members of the main
opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, and its main component,
Ennahdha.
In its statement Wednesday, the party condemned a “campaign
of arbitrary arrests aimed at diverting attention from the failings of the
regime.”
Saied froze parliament and sacked the government in a
dramatic July 2021 move against the sole democracy to emerge from the Arab
Spring uprisings.
He later pushed through sweeping changes to the
country’s political system, concentrating near-total power in his office.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Security Council renews UN South Sudan mission for one
year
March 16, 2023
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council voted
Wednesday to extend for another year its mission in South Sudan, the world’s
youngest state, which is undertaking a fragile peace process but remains
plagued by post-civil-war violence.
Thirteen of the council’s 15 members voted to extend
the mandate for the mission, known as UNMISS, until March 15, 2024.
China and Russia abstained.
Early this month the head of UNMISS, Nicholas Haysom,
urged South Sudan’s government to implement its peace agreement in order to
hold “credible” elections next year.
UNMISS, one of the global body’s most expensive
operations with an annual budget of $1.2 billion, will “maintain its force
levels with a ceiling of 17,000 troops and 2,101 police personnel,” according
to a UN statement.
The adopted resolution allows UNMISS to carry out
tasks in four key areas: protecting civilians; improving conditions for
delivery of humanitarian aid; support for implementation of the peace process;
and monitoring and reporting on violations of international humanitarian law
and human rights.
After a five-year civil war ended in 2018 having
claimed at least 380,000 lives, President Salva Kiir and his rival Riek Machar
formed a transitional government and agreed to join forces in a single army to
protect the population, hard hit by conflicts and climatic disasters.
Armed violence, however, continues in the oil-rich
country where the majority of people live below the poverty line.
Haysom acknowledged last week there are still
conflicts that “increasingly present an ethnic or tribal dimension, and, as
President Kiir noted... threaten to unravel hard-won peace gains.”
The United States meanwhile had said it was “gravely
alarmed” by the rise of violence against civilians in South Sudan.
South Sudan became independent on July 9, 2011, from
Sudan after years of bloody fighting that has killed hundreds of thousands of
people. the UN mission was established by United Nations Security Council just
a day before South Sudan's independence day.
Source: Arab News
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