New Age
Islam News Bureau
07 July 20123
Police
officers intervene after people's reaction as demonstrators burn the Koran (not
pictured) outside Stockholm's central mosque in Stockholm, Sweden June 28,
2023. TT News Agency/Caisa Rasmussen/via REUTERS
----
North America
• Muslims Who Fight Against LGBTQ2+
Inclusion Are Hurting Many — Including Themselves
• US Lawmaker Attacked After Muslim
Prayer Service Alleges Police Downplaying Incident
• Connecticut lawmaker attacked after
Muslim service says Hartford police downplayed assault
• Ramy Youssef On Returning To Stand-up
At JFL And The Intersection Of Islam And Comedy
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Europe
• Moscow warns of dangers French riots
present to Europe
• Families queue down street for hours
as Cardiff mosque gives out hundreds of food donation bags
• Zelensky ‘dragging entire planet’ to
hell – Russian envoy
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South Asia
• Roof Reconstruction of Herat's Great
Mosque Completed After Nearly 11 Years
• Children in Kabul Malnourished Due to
Poverty
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Pakistan
• Lahore ATC asks PTI chief to join
probe in 5 cases linked to May 9 violence
• Judge says political motive behind
allotment case against Nawaz
• PAC seeks probe into leak of military
officials’ data
• Jahangir Tareen’s brother commits
suicide
• Imran approaches SC against IHC order
on Toshakhana reference
• Islamophobia acts being carried out to
pit Muslims against Christians, warns PM
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India
• Alleging Cow Slaughter, Karnataka BJP
MLA SharanuSalagar Barges Into Muslim Home, Booked
• Bomb Threat To Shivajinagar Mosque
Proves To Be A Hoax
• Minority Report: Data Busts A Myth
About Indian Muslims
• To Prevent ‘Political Misuse’ Of UCC, BJP
Plans Community Dialogue With Pasmanda Muslims
• Muslim World League Secretary General
Al-Issa to Arrive in India on July 10: Sources
• SC Grants Bail To Muslim Man Accused
Of Kidnapping, Raping Live-In Partner
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Mideast
• Nine Islamic State Suspects Arrested
in Germany, Netherlands
• Eid al-Ghadir; the day that Islam
perfected
• Sa'ada's people celebrate
"Wilayah" day of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, in 11 squares
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Arab World
• Saudi Delegation Takes Its Place At
4th Annual G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting In India
• Saudi and Thai officials discuss
anti-corruption efforts
• Saudi Space Agency discusses
cooperation with Chinese agencies and businesses
• Number of pilgrims arriving in Madinah
passes 140,000
• Ornithology journal cites vulture
research by Saudi nature reserve
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Southeast Asia
• Good Governance, Economic Management
Attract Investments - PM Anwar
• Govt To Channel RM10 Billion In Sukuk For
Felda's10-Year Recovery Plan: PM
• Unity govt implements various
initiatives to improve people's economy - Fahmi
• PH to discuss Aminuddin's nomination
for state election - Anwar
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Africa
• Labourer In Sharia Court For Allegedly
Stealing 9 Packs Of Rubber Toys
• Muslims salute President on return
from Mecca
• Nigeria confirms outbreak of deadly
diphtheria
• South Africa gas leak death toll rises
to 17
• Senegal: Sonko promises
"chaos" if his candidacy is prevented
• Migrants accuse Tunisia of dumping
them on border
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sweden-quran-aftonbladet/d/130159
-----
Sweden Is Considering Making Quran
Burnings Illegal, Aftonbladet Reports
Police
officers intervene after people's reaction as demonstrators burn the Koran (not
pictured) outside Stockholm's central mosque in Stockholm, Sweden June 28,
2023. TT News Agency/Caisa Rasmussen/via REUTERS
----
July 6, 2023
STOCKHOLM, July 6 (Reuters) - The
Swedish government is examining whether it could make setting the Quran or
other holy books on fire illegal, as recent Quran burnings have damaged
Sweden's security, Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Aftonbladet paper on
Thursday.
An Iraqi immigrant to Sweden burned the
Quran outside a Stockholm mosque last week, causing outrage in the Muslim world
and condemnation from the Pope. The Swedish Security services said such action
left the country less safe.
The police denied several applications
earlier this year for protests that were set to include burning the Quran,
citing security concerns, but courts have since overturned the police's
decisions, saying such acts are protected by Sweden's far-reaching freedom of
speech laws.
Sweden's minister of justice said on
Thursday that the government is analysing the situation and whether the law
needs to be changed.
"We have to ask ourselves whether
the current order is good or whether there is reason to reconsider it,"
Strommer told Aftonbladet.
He added that Sweden had become a
"prioritized target" for attacks.
"We can see that the Quran burning
last week has generated threats to our internal security," he said.
The incident has also damaged Sweden's
bid to join NATO, with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan saying his country
cannot ratify Sweden's application before Quran burnings are stopped.
Reporting by Johan Ahlander Editing by
Alexandra Hudson
Source: reuters.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/sweden-is-considering-making-Quran-burnings-illegal-aftonbladet-2023-07-06/
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Russia Investigate Egyptian National for
Desecration of the Holy Qur'an
Photo: Shafaq.com
-----
2023-07-07
Shafaq News/ Russian authorities have
investigated a young Egyptian man accused of desecrating the Holy Qur'an and
making negative statements about Islam. The incident in the Russian province of
Ulyanovsk has drawn significant attention, prompting local authorities to take
swift action.
The Ulyanovsk security services
announced the arrest of the Egyptian citizen and searched his residence as part
of the ongoing investigation.
Governor Alexey Russkyh of the Ulyanovsk
region condemned the act in a Telegram post, stating, "Disrespect towards
the Quran is a repugnant crime in Russia." The governor emphasized that
such behaviour goes against the principles of respect and religious tolerance
upheld in the country.
The detainee, identified as Syed Abu
Mustafa, an Egyptian national residing in Ulyanovsk, was seen in the video
dancing on the Quran on a pedestrian bridge before discarding it and pouring an
unknown liquid on it, according to reports from the Assembly of Russia's
Peoples and local news outlet Inkazan.ru.
In collaboration with the Federal
Security Service, the Anti-Extremism Center of the Ulyanovsk Region's Ministry
of Interior successfully apprehended the individual after identifying him
through video footage.
The suspect, born in Egypt in 1995,
admitted to recording the desecration of the Quran several days before his
arrest.
The incident has elicited strong
condemnation and outrage from the local community, particularly among religious
and cultural groups. Russian authorities are treating the case seriously and
conducting a thorough investigation to determine the motives behind the act and
take appropriate legal measures.
Source: shafaq.com/
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://shafaq.com/en/World/Russia-Investigate-Egyptian-National-for-Desecration-of-the-Holy-Qur-an
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Biden’s Comments on Al-Qaeda in
Afghanistan 'Divorced From Reality': Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman
President Biden
----
6 July 2023
The House Foreign Affairs Committee
Chairman Michael McCaul in a statement reacted to US President Biden’s recent
remarks on al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, saying that “it is completely divorced from
reality for President Biden to claim that al Qaeda is no longer operating in
Afghanistan or that the Taliban has somehow become our national security
partner in the region.”
Earlier, Biden in response to a question
about “mistakes in Afghanistan withdrawal”, said: “Remember what I said about
Afghanistan? I said al-Qaida would not be there. I said it wouldn’t be there. I
said we’d get help from the Taliban. What’s happening now? What’s going on?
Read your press. I was right.”
Referring to a UN report saying the
“relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaida remained close and symbiotic
with al-Qaida viewing Taliban-administered Afghanistan a safe haven,” McCaul
said that Biden’s words can only be interpreted as an attempt to whitewash the
Islamic Emirate and al Qaeda’s longstanding ties, and “may even be an attempt
to get Washington on the path of recognizing the Taliban as the government of
Afghanistan.”
“That is something I will do everything
in my power to oppose,” he said.
McCaul also mentioned the US strike in
Kabul, in which, according to the US officials, Ayman al- Zawahiri, the leader
of al Qaeda was killed.
However, earlier, the Islamic Emirate
said that they have not found any details to prove that Zawahiri was killed in
Afghanistan.
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee
chairman argued that the UN and top US generals regularly report al Qaeda’s
growing capabilities, “which not only go unchecked by the Taliban, but are
aided by the Taliban through funding and security cooperation.”
The Islamic Emirate has yet to comment
on McCaul’s statement.
Source: tolonews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-184083
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PM Shehbaz Urges Nation To Protest
Against Holy Quran’s Desecration As Country Observes ‘Quran Sanctity Day’
Nation
protests against Holy Quran's desecration in Sweden. Photo: Express
------
July 7, 2023
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday
called upon the nation to record their protest against the desecration of the
Holy Quran as the nation observes “Youm-e-Taqaddus-e-Quran” [Quran Sanctity
Day].
The premier’s remarks come after a man
desecrated the Holy Quran in Sweden’s capital Stockholm last month, resulting
in strong condemnation from several Muslim states, the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC), the European Union, Pope Francis and the Swedish government
as well, among others.
A day ago, a joint session of the
Parliament also passed a resolution urging Sweden to take “appropriate steps”
against the perpetrators involved in the desecration.
Meanwhile, protests have also been
taking place during the past week across the country, including by political parties,
lawyers and the Christian community.
In a tweet today, Shehbaz said, “When it
comes to the [matter of] Quran, the [entire] nation is united. The entire
Muslim Ummah is disturbed by the incident in Sweden.”
He further said the nation will unite to
protest to “express their feelings and emotions over the disheartening
incident”, adding that after the Friday afternoon prayers, “all classes of
Pakistani Muslims will raise the flag of the Holy Quran’s honour and record
their peaceful protest”.
“Quran is in our hearts. The Quran is
not only a recitation for us but a guideline for living,” Shehbaz said.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
also took to Twitter, noting that the desecration was “another example of the
rising Islamophobic mindset that seeks to dehumanise and denigrate our faith”.
He called the act a “blatant provocation
to try [to] inflame sentiments and undermine Islam as a religion of peace,
tolerance and acceptance”.
Bilawal asserted that Pakistan will be
raising the issue at the urgent debate of the United Nations Human Rights
Council, which will be held on July 11 in Geneva, on behalf of the OIC group.
Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman
voiced similar concerns, saying that the incident “not just dehumanises our
religion but also deliberately seeks to provoke Muslim sentiment”.
Meanwhile, state-run Radio Pakistan
reported that people belonging to different walks of life will take part in peaceful
nationwide protests.
Yesterday, addressing the parliament,
the prime minister had said, “I am trying to reach out to the secretary general
of the United Nations to call a meeting of all the Muslim leaders in which
condemnations would be issued.”
While noting that Sweden had condemned
the incident, Shehbaz had raised the question that the country should clear its
position on why the incident took place at all.
The premier had termed the incident to
be a part of a “conspiracy to create rifts between Christians and Muslims”.
Earlier the same day, Foreign Office
Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan had raised the issue of the
desecration with the Swedish charge d’affaires in Islamabad, Radio Pakistan had
reported.
Separately, Swedish Justice Minister
Gunnar Strommer had been reported as saying that the government was examining
whether it could make desecration of the Holy Quran or other holy books on fire
illegal, as recent incidents have damaged Sweden’s security.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1763451/pm-shehbaz-urges-nation-to-protest-against-holy-qurans-desecration-as-country-observes-quran-sanctity-day
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Fake Claim Of Bangladeshi Muslim Killing
Trans Person In Gurugram Goes Viral
Photo: Boom.com
----
6 July 2023
A disturbing video showing the body of a
woman hanging from a balcony is going viral with a false claim that Bangladeshi
Muslims killed a trans person in Gurugram'sDharampur, Sector 108 area and
hanged her body from the balcony.
BOOM spoke to Gurugram West ACP Shiv
Archan who confirmed the claim to be false. Archan refuted any communal angle
to the incident and said that the transperson died by suicide.
In the 1 minute 3 seconds-long video,
some people can be seen recording the scene of a dead body hanging from the
balcony of a multi-story building.
ISKCON Kolkata vice president Radharamn
Das tweeted the video with a caption saying, "Bangladeshi Peacefulls
invited a transgender & brutally killed him in a house in Gurgaon &
hanged the dead body from the balcony. All the Jihadi tenants living in the
rented house are absconding. Many Bangladeshis peacefull's are living illegally
in Dharampur village in Gurgaon." (sic)
BOOM has fact-checked Das for sharing
communally charged misinformation in the past as well.
Fact Check
BOOM ran a related keyword search to
find out news reports covering the incident but found none corroborating the
communal claim.
On the other hand, we found a report
published by inshorts on July 5, 2023, about the incident stating that Gurugram
police refuted the viral communal claim.
Taking a cue from this, we found some
tweets by the official handle of Gurugram police from July 5, 2023, where they
debunked the viral claim about the death of the trans person.
Gurugram police, tweeted, "A
message is going viral on social media claiming that a Bangladeshi Muslim
hanged a transperson after brutally killing her in Taliban style in Dharmapuri
Sector-108. This is untrue."
The police also added saying, "The
incident took place on July 3, 2023, when a friend of a trans person named
Priya, living in the Rajendra Park area of the police station, had informed the
police that Priya had committed suicide due to illness. An action under 174
CrPC has been taken by Rajendra Park Police Station regarding the matter. The
claim of killing is untrue."
For further clarification, we reached
out to Rajendra Park Police Station in Gurugram about the incident. Inspector
Pankaj confirmed the same to BOOM saying, “It is a case of suicide. She is a
transperson, her name is Priya. She was troubled by her illness. Her
post-mortem has also been done. This is not a case of murder by a Bangladeshi
Muslim."
BOOM also contacted Gurugram West
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Shiv Archan and shared the viral video
with him. He confirmed to BOOM that the incident took place in his area but the
claim being made with the video is completely false.
“There is no Muslim angle in this
incident. It is only a case of suicide. We are tracking those social media
users who are giving communal colour to the incident,” Gurugram West ACP Shiv
Archan said. Also Read:Video Showing Wax Figure Of Pope John Paul II Shared
With False Claim
Source: boomlive.in
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.boomlive.in/fact-check/bangladeshi-muslims-killed-transgender-in-dharampur-gurugram-viral-video-fact-check-22451
--------
North America
Muslims who fight against LGBTQ2+
inclusion are hurting many — including themselves
Fri., July 7, 2023
A viral audio clip of an Edmonton
teacher admonishing a Muslim student for avoiding Pride events perfectly
encapsulates a dilemma that’s worth wrestling with. How does one tolerate — or,
better still, tackle — the intolerance of some members of a group that has
itself faced so much intolerance.
At least part of the answer is simple:
not with the very discrimination you rail against.
Less simple, and also wrapped up in the
answer, is a layered understanding of how religion, a source of support for
many, can also be a basis of discrimination.
In the two-minute audio clip from last
month, an unnamed Londonderry Junior High School teacher told a student his
behaviour was unacceptable, and referenced Uganda, where intolerance and
criminalization of homosexuality has been boosted by evangelical Christians.
She also pointed out there were no
complaints when Ramadan was acknowledged at school.
“It goes two ways. If you want to be
respected for who you are, if you don’t want to suffer prejudice for your religion,
your colour of skin or whatever, then you better give it back to people who are
different from you. That’s how it works,” said the teacher.
She should have stopped there.
It’s not uncommon to see individuals
from equity-seeking groups aligning with discriminatory actions; the plaintiffs
in front of the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down affirmative action last
week were Asian-American.
Of course, Muslims are not a monolith.
Nor are they the only faith group to denounce LGBTQ2+ teachings at school. On
June 27, a group of Muslim, Jewish and Christian parents of students at a
Montgomery county school demanded that their kids be able to opt-out of the
sex-ed curriculum.
But Muslim opposition to Pride in Canada
and the U.S. is not restricted to one Edmonton student’s choice to skip
Pride-related events, or students routinely using provincial exemptions and not
attending sex-ed classes, or parents leading protests against school boards for
gay-inclusive teachings and other forms of gay expression.
It also affects policy. Residents of
Hamtramck, Mich., who celebrated their multiculturalism when they voted in a
Muslim-majority city council during Donald Trump’s Islamophobic campaign
rhetoric in 2015, were dismayed to find that council passing legislation in June
that banned flying the Pride flag on city properties.
It has become a knotty issue involving
religious beliefs, political expediency and flirtation with outright hate. It
raises questions about whether freedom of religious expression is more
important than freedom from discrimination and paves a pathway to shaking hands
with the devil.
It is notable because individual
intolerance was in a way sanctified by a statement by North American Islamic
scholars that declared queer life sinful. In addition, at least one senior
member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an important civil rights
advocacy group, supported parents seeking book bans and opt-out options.
Perhaps these examples of opposition
come from a loud minority among Muslims or perhaps the sentiments are more
mainstream. In any case, these actions risk being weaponized for a larger,
insidious cause that could end up hurting Muslims here in the long run.
Even if sex-ed exemptions are allowed in
Alberta, I’m glad the Londonderry teacher challenged the disdain toward LGBTQ2+
groups.
But she didn’t end it there. Instead,
what she said next has been gleefully and understandably seized upon by
conservatives as proof of hypocrisy among progressives.
She said, “We believe people can marry
whoever they want. That is in the law. And if you don’t think that should be
the law you can’t be Canadian. You don’t belong here.”
I think we can all agree that we can’t
beat homophobia with Islamophobia or racism. What are the odds that a
homophobic white child would have been told “You don’t belong in Canada”?
The National Council for Canadian
Muslims lambasted the teacher’s comments as “deeply Islamophobic, inappropriate
and harassing behaviour.”
But it did not weigh in on the question
of whether the student should have dodged Pride events.
Intolerance against queer identities has
surfaced over fear of a “woke gender ideology” — a fear manufactured and stoked
by the white Christian far-right, expressed under the guise of protecting
children.
In this twisted thinking, children being
aware that a small minority of people are not heterosexual or that an even
smaller minority doesn’t identify with the gender they were assigned at birth,
is considered indoctrination or even pornographic corruption. (But gay and trans
children and adults being surrounded and ridiculed by heterosexual cis people
is apparently totally safe.) A miniscule fraction of that minority who might
regret transitioning or might have had bad experiences with gender-affirming
medical procedures is amplified as proof positive of hell having broken loose.
And what do Islamic experts say about
the issue? Some 300 Islamic scholars and preachers across North America
co-signed a statement late in May to clarify their religious position on sexual
and gender ethics. It was damning: homosexuality and transgenderism are not
permissible.
“By a decree from God, sexual relations
are permitted within the bounds of marriage, and marriage can only occur
between a man and a woman,” said the statement titled Navigating Differences:
Clarifying Sexual and Gender Ethics in Islam.
I’m not qualified to offer a theological
critique of Islamic beliefs. But this is a column about justice for the most
vulnerable, and I don’t believe justice can be served by relying on principles
of the past to moralize today.
That sentence by the Islamic scholars
echoes the beliefs of the World Congress of Families created by American
conservatives back in 1997, which now exists as the International Organization
for the Family.
According to the Southern Poverty Law
Center, the congress “pushed for restrictions to LGBT rights under the guise of
the defense of the ‘natural family’ — defined as heterosexual married couples
with their biological children.”
The organization, which was created by
the Christian right-wing, is another example of how religion is used to
discriminate against others and it exists today, as the SPLC says, “as a
political power broker as an anti-LGBT group in its own right.”
That group of people who blame gay
lifestyles and feminist liberation for a declining white population also
subscribe to the conspiracy theory of the Great Replacement of white people by
Black and brown people.
In this process of rejecting LGBTQ2+
rights, conservative Muslims have linked hands with the very people who
demonized them for decades.
But Edward Ahmed Mitchell, a deputy
director at CAIR, calls the idea of that alliance “ludicrous,” and said parents
were standing up for their religious rights “without prompting from the right
and without fear of backlash from the left.”
“What matters is whether the cause
itself is just,” he said in a Twitter statement.
Not only does his stance risks isolating
gay and trans Muslims, the scholars’ statement that they are sinners could well
be psychologically crippling at a time of rising hate against people like them.
The logical extension of the Islamic
scholars’ argument is also damaging for all Muslims in North America.
For instance, the statement says, “As a
religious minority that frequently experiences bigotry and exclusion, we reject
the notion that moral disagreement amounts to intolerance or incitement of
violence.”
By that token, could a law banning head
coverings — based on a moral disagreement with seeing veiled Muslim women — no
longer be criticized as being intolerant?
When it says: “Peaceful coexistence does
not necessitate agreement, acceptance, affirmation, promotion, or celebration,”
could that not be turned around to mean religious accommodation in schools or
celebrating Muslim holidays is not required to signal acceptance of Muslims?
It says, “there is an increasing push to
promote LGBTQ-centric values among children through legislation and
regulations, disregarding parental consent,” as if this exact same objection
could not be used by the far-right to decry depictions of Muslims in
schoolbooks as a sample of wokeness.
But leaders of the white far-right,
sensing weakness in the solidarity of rights groups, have switched tacks for
the moment.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham, a
far-right hero, who once said the “dual loyalties” of Muslim refugees to the
Qur’an that would lead them to “to try to blow us up” is now praising Muslim
parents who are opposed to their children reading books with LGBTQ2+ themes.
For white supremacists, expanding their
base this way, or even appearing to grow support for their “causes”, offers a
two-pronged advantage. One, images with visibly Muslim people in their midst
make for an effective cover, similar to when the Proud Boys propped up the
African-Cuban Enrique Tarrio as their “chairman” as if to say: See, no white
supremacy here.
And two, it’s an effective
divide-and-conquer strategy. When they need to invoke the Great Replacement
fear again, the anti-racist rights-seeking groups will have already been
disorganized and weakened.
To be clear, Muslims who support
ultra-conservative ideologies around sexuality are not naïve dupes. They are
simply being as closed-minded as conservatives of any religion.
Where is the compassion and mercy that
religions are so famous for?
I don’t much care for religion nor do I
particularly want it flapping in my face. Even so, I stick my neck out to speak
up for the freedom of believers.
In times of disaster and injustice, in
my experience, Muslims (and Sikhs) are often the first to show up to give support.
That may be why I’m doubly disappointed by this not insignificant opposition to
LGBTQ2+ rights.
As the Londonderry teacher pointed out,
respect is reciprocal. The right to practise religion cannot trump the human
right to sexuality. Because ultimately, religion and religiosity are a choice.
Sexual orientation and gender identity are not.
Source: thestar.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2023/07/07/muslims-who-fight-against-lgbtq2-inclusion-are-hurting-many-including-themselves.html
--------
US lawmaker attacked after Muslim prayer
service alleges police downplaying incident
07-07-23
A US lawmaker in the state of
Connecticut who was attacked last month while leaving a Muslim prayer service
accused police in the city of Hartford of downplaying the assault and called
Thursday for a federal investigation of the department’s handling of violent crimes,
especially against women.
Rep. Maryam Khan, the first Muslim
member of the Connecticut House, wore a sling on her right arm at a news
conference and was surrounded by friends, family and fellow state legislators
as she gave a harrowing account of her ordeal. She called the attack much more
violent and shocking than how it was described in a police report.
Khan said she was later diagnosed with a
concussion and is now awaiting an MRI after losing feeling in her right arm and
shoulder. She recalled having to convince emergency responders at the scene
that she was physically injured and emotionally traumatized.
“All I keep thinking in these last few
days is what happens to women in the city of Hartford that call the police when
they are assaulted, when they experience what I experienced, when they
experience sexual assault, when they experience physical assault,” she said in
the appearance at the Legislative Office Building.
“Because if this is what’s happening to
me and this is the best we can do, as a state representative who represents the
city of Hartford, I cannot be OK with that. I’m not okay with that,” she said.
Khan, a Democrat, lives in the Hartford
suburb of Windsor. Her legislative district includes Windsor and a part of
Hartford, Connecticut’s capital.
Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody
expressed his sympathy for the legislator in a statement and said the
department is taking the assault “very seriously,” noting both the Intelligence
and Major Crimes divisions were immediately assigned the case.
“What Representative Khan experienced is
awful, and I am so sorry for her and her family,” he said. The chief said his
detectives have “supplemented the initial report with additional information
and context” and have shared it with prosecutors. He said the department “will
review every aspect of our response” to Khan’s assault, noting “we always want
to get better and better.”
Thody said the case remains under
investigation and the department is prepared to release as much information -
including video and police body camera footage - “as the law allows and
Representative Khan requests.”
Khan described Thursday how she and her
family were taking photos June 28 outside a Hartford arena where the prayer
service was held. She said a man approached and said he “intended to have
sexual relations” with one of them, including Khan’s 15-year-old daughter.
He then followed them inside and Khan
said he started to pursue her in particular, grabbing at her face and shirt and
demanding a kiss. Khan said the man followed her back outside and tried to grab
her face again but became angry when she “dodged him” and slapped her across
the face. She said he later held her in a “chokehold” and held up his hand and
mimicked having a gun before slamming her body into the ground.
“I knew in that moment my body went
numb, and I thought I was going to die,” she said.
The Associated Press doesn’t generally
identify people who report attempted sexual assaults unless they publicly
identify themselves, as Khan has done.
There was no immediate response to an
email seeking comment from the US Department of Justice about Khan’s call for a
federal probe.
The department originally said Khan
suffered “minor injuries” after a man, who made lewd comments and tried to kiss
her, slapped her face and let go of her neck, causing her to fall to the
ground. Khan noted the police report did not mention how her children were
present for the attack or that she was a Muslim marking Eid al-Adha, the end of
the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage by Muslims to Mecca.
She said her family regularly attends
the annual prayer service at the XL Center, an arena in downtown Hartford,
which drew roughly 4,000 people to the June 28 gathering. Information provided
by Mayor Luke Bronin’s office said the XL Center hired one sergeant and two
officers to work at the prayer service, which has been held there for many
years without incidents.
“Without a legitimate reason, a larger
police detail can drive up the expense for events and can make attendees
uncomfortable and feel overpoliced,” the mayor’s office said.
The suspect, Andrey Desmond, 30, who was
chased down and held by two bystanders, was held in lieu of $250,000 bond at
his arraignment last week on charges including misdemeanor assault, unlawful
restraint, breach of peace and interfering with police. Authorities have said
he could still face additional charges.
Emails were sent Wednesday and Thursday
seeking comment from Desmond’s public defender, but there was no immediate
response.
Khan won a special election for her seat
in March 2022.
Source: english.alarabiya.net
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/07/07/US-lawmaker-attacked-after-Muslim-prayer-service-alleges-police-downplaying-incident
--------
Connecticut lawmaker attacked after
Muslim service says Hartford police downplayed assault
JULY 6, 2023
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut lawmaker
who was attacked last month while leaving a Muslim prayer service accused
police in Hartford of downplaying the assault and called Thursday for a federal
investigation of the department's handling of violent crimes, especially
against women.
Rep. Maryam Khan, the first Muslim
member of the Connecticut House, wore a sling on her right arm at a news
conference and was surrounded by friends, family and fellow state legislators
as she gave a harrowing account of her ordeal. She called the attack much more
violent and shocking than how it was described in a police report.
Khan said she was later diagnosed with a
concussion and is now awaiting an MRI after losing feeling in her right arm and
shoulder. She recalled having to convince emergency responders at the scene
that she was physically injured and emotionally traumatized.
''All I keep thinking in these last few
days is what happens to women in the city of Hartford that call the police when
they are assaulted, when they experience what I experienced, when they
experience sexual assault, when they experience physical assault,'' she said in
the appearance at the Legislative Office Building.
''Because if this is what's happening to
me and this is the best we can do, as a state representative who represents the
city of Hartford, I cannot be OK with that. I'm not okay with that,'' she said.
Khan, a Democrat, lives in the Hartford
suburb of Windsor. Her legislative district includes Windsor and a part of
Hartford, Connecticut's capital.
Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody
expressed his sympathy for the legislator in a statement and said the
department is taking the assault ''very seriously,'' noting both the
Intelligence and Major Crimes divisions were immediately assigned the case.
''What Representative Khan experienced
is awful, and I am so sorry for her and her family,'' he said. The chief said
his detectives have ''supplemented the initial report with additional
information and context" and have shared it with prosecutors. He said the
department ''will review every aspect of our response" to Khan's assault,
noting ''we always want to get better and better.''
Thody said the case remains under
investigation and the department is prepared to release as much information —
including video and police body camera footage — ''as the law allows and
Representative Khan requests.''
Khan described Thursday how she and her
family were taking photos June 28 outside a Hartford arena where the prayer
service was held. She said a man approached and said he ''intended to have
sexual relations" with one of them, including Khan's 15-year-old daughter.
He then followed them inside and Khan said
he started to pursue her in particular, grabbing at her face and shirt and
demanding a kiss. Khan said the man followed her back outside and tried to grab
her face again but became angry when she ''dodged him'' and slapped her across
the face. She said he later held her in a ''chokehold" and held up his
hand and mimicked having a gun before slamming her body into the ground.
''I knew in that moment my body went
numb, and I thought I was going to die,'' she said.
The Associated Press doesn't generally
identify people who report attempted sexual assaults unless they publicly
identify themselves, as Khan has done.
There was no immediate response to an
email seeking comment from the U.S. Department of Justice about Khan's call for
a federal probe.
The department originally said Khan
suffered ''minor injuries" after a man, who made lewd comments and tried
to kiss her, slapped her face and let go of her neck, causing her to fall to
the ground. Khan noted the police report did not mention how her children were
present for the attack or that she was a Muslim marking Eid al-Adha, the end of
the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage by Muslims to Mecca.
She said her family regularly attends
the annual prayer service at the XL Center, an arena in downtown Hartford,
which drew roughly 4,000 people to the June 28 gathering. Information provided
by Mayor Luke Bronin's office said the XL Center hired one sergeant and two
officers to work at the prayer service, which has been held there for many
years without incidents.
''Without a legitimate reason, a larger
police detail can drive up the expense for events and can make attendees
uncomfortable and feel overpoliced,'' the mayor's office said.
The suspect, Andrey Desmond, 30, who was
chased down and held by two bystanders, was held in lieu of $250,000 bond at
his arraignment last week on charges including misdemeanor assault, unlawful
restraint, breach of peace and interfering with police. Authorities have said
he could still face additional charges.
Emails were sent Wednesday and Thursday
seeking comment from Desmond's public defender, but there was no immediate
response.
Khan won a special election for her seat
in March 2022.
Source: startribune.com
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--------
Ramy Youssef on returning to standup at
JFL and the intersection of Islam and comedy
july 6, 2023
Sometimes I describe Ramy Youssef as the
Muslim Lena Dunham. The two couldn’t be more different, but they do share a
millennial affinity for auto-fiction, in that they both created shows based on
people that, on the surface, would seem to easily align with their off-screen,
offline personalities. Fiction is fiction, however, and Ramy Youssef is an
entirely different beast from the awkward, fumbling and spiritually existential
kid he portrays on Hulu’s hit comedy show Ramy. But just like the ways in which
many young white women saw themselves in Hannah Horvath, many young Muslims
found representation in Ramy Hassan.
Youssef’s career, thus far, intersects
Islam with comedy, and he is bringing this intersection to the Just for Laughs
festival in Montreal this year.
My early experience of navigating the
push and pull of ethnic and Western identities very much took place online,
where I built a community of equally confused members. I asked Youssef whether
this was his experience, too.
“I never engaged in the internet too
much,” he says, “but I think, for me, a lot of the standup that I did when I
first started would involve, like, halal sets of standup. I would be performing
at fundraisers, like a charity raising money for (Palestinian Children Relief
Fund), and with these shows, you’d have to do a clean set. And I’d be like,
‘Oh, cool, I’m performing in front of a bunch of Muslims here. I want to make
them laugh and I want to connect.’ And it’d be really interesting because I’d
be there, and I’d realize they love talking about politics and religion, but if
you talked about sex, they were uncomfortable. And then I would go to the
comedy club later and they loved talking about politics and sex, but if you
talked about religion, they were uncomfortable.” He stifles a laugh at the absurdity.
The point being that he’s eager to leave
television and film sets, for a moment, to return to the stage. “What I do
miss,” he says, “is that when I used to do comedy, it involved being in the
room with people. And I think you lose something when you’re not in the room,
you know? We can see each other and realize we’re human. It’s something I’m
really looking forward to on this tour.”
From the success of his stand-up came
television opportunities. In 2020 he won a Golden Globe for Ramy, and as the crowd
applauded, he quipped and said, “I know none of you have seen my show.” He says
this response was rooted more in awe, than anything, but did admit award shows
were silly. Opportunities are wonderful but, “I don’t believe in gamifying
art.”
This is especially evident when we look
at Ramy’s spin-off series released on Netflix in 2022: Mo. Youssef took a fan
favourite character and extended the opportunity to fill yet another writers
room with diversity and complexity. Mo tells the story of an immigrant in an
interfaith and interracial relationship who’s desperate for American
citizenship, and spends a lot of the series aghast at the ways white people
abuse olive oil and hummus. It’s very funny, and as I point out to Youssef,
more palatable than Ramy, a show who sees a character so desperate to be good,
and who, as each season develops, only seems to be getting worse.
“With Ramy,” Youssef says, “I think
we’re tracking a bit of the death of ego. We’re really looking at the intimacy
of a spiritual journey, and peeling those layers back and getting closer to the
wound. I think that’s the space where we actually shift something and move. And
what I think about Mo is that it’s almost the opposite. It’s a bit more outward
— about a guy and his family and what they have to face in a system.”
As he prepares to share new stand-up
material, I wonder whether fans can expect the work to stay political. Will the
personal always be political for Ramy Youssef? “For sure, I think that’s always
going to be intertwined with the material. For anyone who hasn’t seen me do
standup since the first special, it will be really fun. Because it’s been four
years, and I’ve been playing with a bunch of different types of versions of the
new hour for probably a few years. I’m excited to really get it together. So,
yes, definitely there’s the personal being political, but also a lot more
personal in general.”
This fall, fans will also get a chance
to see another side of the actor in YorgosLanthimos’s next feature film, Poor
Things. While he won’t be playing Ramy — he had to learn a British accent — and
I still wonder if, like the rest of his work, there was a spiritual element
that drew him to the role. “You know, Yorgos is his own universe. I think the
spiritual draw for me was just getting to work with truly one of the greatest
living directors. It was very fulfilling.” Youssef pauses. “I mean, it is
funny, the character I play in the film might be the only character that
believes in God, or claims that he believes in God, which is interesting.” ■
Source: cultmtl.com
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--------
Europe
Moscow warns of dangers French riots
present to Europe
7 Jul, 2023
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Maria Zakharova expressed deep concern over the unprecedented spike in violence
in France triggered by the police shooting of a 17-year-old man of Algerian and
Moroccan descent, warning Paris against the use of any form of police
brutality.
“We call on the [French] authorities to
immediately establish the circumstances of the murder that stirred up France
and take the necessary measures to punish the perpetrators. The situation in France
must not threaten the security of our common European continent,” Zakharova
said at a press briefing on Thursday.
Amid the latest wave of street violence
in France, Moscow condemned both the police brutality, which it believes set
the stage for the violence, as well as the mayhem caused by the rioters who
have looted numerous businesses and injured hundreds of officers.
“In recent years we have witnessed
numerous human rights violations and cases of police brutality in France, but
the murder of a 17-year-old Algerian teenager by a police officer showed the
world the true extent of the problems in the country that calls itself the
cradle of human rights,” she added.
Zakharova said it is “hard to ignore the
increasing level of xenophobia, hostility towards migrants, and manifestations
of antisemitism,” urging the French authorities to “take seriously the growing
radicalization of society.”
Zakharova separately claimed that French
weapons originally supplied to Ukraine have surfaced in their country of
origin, and have been used by rioters to attack police. “According to multiple
media reports, neo-Nazi groups are taking direct action in the riots in
France.”
Paris should stop criticizing other
nations on how they uphold the rule of law and focus instead on solving its own
domestic problems and protecting its citizens, Zakharova said.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/579312-france-riot-europe-threat/
---------
Families queue down street for hours as
Cardiff mosque gives out hundreds of food donation bags
6 JUL 2023
Around a hundred families lined up in
Cathays on Thursday, July 6, as a local mosque gave out free food bags. Dar
Ul-Isra Muslim Welfare and Education Centre set up a food drive in the
community after receiving a generous donation of Qurbani meat and groceries
from a charity.
Every year during the Islamic month of
Dhul Hijjah, Muslims slaughter an animal – a goat, sheep, cow or camel – to
reflect the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail, for the
sake of God. The meat is then distributed to people who are most in need.
In partnership with Islamic Relief,
volunteers from Dar Ul-Isra mosque prepared around 300 food parcels - with the
meat donation - for pick-up collection and distribution around Ely, Grangetown
and Roath. Due to the cost of living crisis, many families are struggling to
afford food and the mosque is doing everything it can to help its local
community and beyond.
Doors to the building opened at 6.30pm
for the public to collect the donations, but volunteers said that the queues
started forming outside the mosque at 4pm. As families picked up a parcel -
containing cupboard staples and hygiene products - and a portion of meat, a
variety of people walked through the door. From refugees and asylum seekers to
Ukrainians, the elderly, single mums, students, and young families - Dar
Ul-Isra mosque welcomed all who were in financial need.
Dar Ul-Isra mosque also runs a popular
food bank every Saturday at 12pm, which has been running for the last four
years. Naveed Rahman, an organiser of the food bank, said that there has been a
huge demand for food donations since the cost of living crisis. He said: “We’ve
steadily seen an increase over the last four years for our weekly food service
that we run. Obviously, things like this is an extension of that - a one-off -
where we tend to give a lot more. The fact that people queue two to three hours
before we open just shows the cost of living crisis is real for a lot of
families and it’s just got more acute as the years go on.”
Naveed added that he sees the same faces
coming to the food bank each week, noting that any money they have goes
straight on their bills as they’re not able to afford “basic things” any more
due to "the increase in utilities and everything else."
“From when we started - we spread the
news through the whole community - so more than 50% of our attendees are not
Muslim. What’s surprising is how far people come from. We have people coming
from Splott, Tremorfa, west Cardiff and often they walk to us. It’s not unusual
for us to see attendees on a Saturday queue from 8am, and our doors open at
12pm,” said Naveed. He added that around 40 to 60 families turn up to the
mosque each week for the food bank.
Dar Ul-Isra mosque gets the majority of
its donations from supermarkets in the area and has a partnership with
FareShare - taking 150kg from them each week. For the first time in four years,
about three months ago food supplies that were coming into FareShare from the
supermarkets were “drying up” and the mosque only received 50kg.
Naveed said: “We had to reach out to the
community and they responded magnificently - we raised around £10,000 in a
month. So what we’re doing now is topping up the shortfall by doing our own
private shopping every Saturday.
“We’re trying our best to accommodate
everybody, but it’s becoming harder and harder.” Naveed hopes to set up a
drop-off point in front of the mosque soon so members of the community are able
to drop off food donations for their Saturday food bank, which is open to
anyone who needs it.
Helen Criddle is a volunteer and has
been with the mosque since 2015. Tonight she has been busy driving around
Cardiff dropping food parcels to families in need. She said: “We try to spread
it all over Cardiff and it’s great we have so many volunteers.” Helen added
that tin goods, dental products, and feminine hygiene items are among the most
important products for people to donate.
“We normally do this every year - but
just the meat - but because we had this big donation there’s also the extra
groceries - like the squash, toothpaste, toothbrush, oil, sugar etc.”
Rashid Campbell, the Midlands events
co-ordinator for Islamic Relief, travelled to Dar Ul-Isra mosque for the first
time to assist with the food bank. He said: "This is part of our UK
programme where we help the local community here - and all over UK in the major
cities. This time of year is called Qurbani, which is the sacrifice that our
profit Abraham did and the word Qurbani means ‘to become close’. Through this
act of sharing, we want to become close to our neighbours, to our community and
god. That’s what Qurbani’s about.
“I wasn’t really surprised [by today’s
response] because of the cost of living crisis - you can see the amount of
people queuing around the mosque. There must have been 100+ families here today
and everybody got something. Hopefully next year we’ll do stuff bigger and better
for everybody.”
Source: walesonline.co.uk
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https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/families-queue-down-street-hours-27273362
--------
Zelensky ‘dragging entire planet’ to
hell – Russian envoy
7 Jul, 2023
Faced with failure on the battlefield,
Ukraine’s president is trying to drag NATO into the conflict with a false-flag
attack on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Russia’s ambassador to the US,
Anatoly Antonov, said on Thursday.
“News reporters continue to pretend not
to notice the obvious: from the very beginning of the special military
operation, all the accusations of the Zelensky regime against us turned out to
be sabotage operations of Kiev itself,” Antonov told Newsweek in an email
interview.
The difference now, he added, is that
“this time stakes have grown substantially: Europe’s nuclear security is at
risk.”
Zelensky has accused Russia of planting
explosives at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). Antonov called it
“absurd” to accuse Russia of wanting to damage the facility which it has
controlled since March 2022.
Kiev’s “criminal intentions” divert
attention from “the failed counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in
which the West has invested enormous resources,” to falsely accuse Russia as a
‘nuclear terrorist’ ahead of the NATO summit, and draw the US-led bloc into the
conflict directly, Antonov said.
“Western ruling elites should understand
that the failures on the battlefield make Kiev eager to create a pretext for
the deployment of the NATO contingent to Ukraine, thereby to inflate a regional
conflict into World War III,” the Russian ambassador told Newsweek.
“We call on the curators of the Kiev
regime to exercise responsibility and exert influence on their ‘wards’ in order
to avoid a large-scale catastrophe,” he added. “American and European citizens
are hardly ready to march in orderly rows to the hell into which the Zelensky
government is dragging the entire planet.”
International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) inspectors, who are on the ground at the ZNPP, reported on Wednesday
that they have found no signs of any mines, either at the cooling pond – as
Kiev initially claimed – or on the roofs of the reactor buildings.
The IAEA observer mission was deployed
to the ZNPP in September 2022. Prior to that, the station and its environs had
been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian artillery, which Kiev admitted at one
point. Just before the IAEA mission arrived, Ukrainian commandos also attempted
to seize the facility but were driven back. Russia has provided evidence of
Ukrainian attacks to the UN, which has avoided assigning blame.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/579310-zelensky-planet-nuclear-hell-antonov/
-------
South Asia
Roof Reconstruction of Herat's Great
Mosque Completed After Nearly 11 Years
The Herat Great Mosque's roof
reconstruction process has been completed after nearly eleven years.
The whole roof structure of this
historical monument was constructed by the monument engineers.
This project has been financially supported by
several international organizations and individuals.
“The roof tile-covering process for the
Herat Jami Mosque, the sixth historical-religious structure recognized in the
world, was completed this year on schedule, covered with tiles over 3,800
square meters,” said Zalmay Safa, director of the preservation of Herat's
historical monuments.
Cultural activists emphasized the need to
preserve the Great Mosque of Herat as the historical symbol of Afghanistan and
the Islamic world.
"It is a historical symbol of the
Islamic world; for this reason, the Jami Mosque is very great and has a long
history and national value," said NaihekFalah, a cultural activist.
The Great Mosque of Herat is often visited by
local and foreign tourists.
To draw in international tourists,
several people asked the Islamic Emirate to repair all areas of this historical
site.
"All the people must protect and
take care of this, it is not only the responsibility of the government, but the
people must also cooperate in this respect,” said Iqbal Shah, a resident of
Herat.
"It has a very high value. Not only
me, but many other people from abroad and other countries come just to see this
mosque,” said Shah Mohammad, a resident of Nimroz.
According to the Herat Department of
Information and Culture, the repair and renovation of the Herat Grand Mosque is
proceeding based on a sustainable plan.
"Everything that is necessary for
the Jami Mosque, from the bricks of the roofs of the Jami Mosque to everything
that is necessary, will be provided,” said Naeemulhaq Haqqani, head of
information and culture in Herat.
This mosque is regarded as one of the
nation's most significant ancient monuments and has a history dating more than
800 years.
Source: tolonews.com/
Please
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-184074
--------
Children in Kabul Malnourished Due to
Poverty
The father of a malnourished child, Khan
Zada, said that he is the family's sole breadwinner and that his three-year-old
child is malnourished as a result of his inability to provide adequate food for
them.
"My last child had malnutrition
because of a lack of food for him and his mother," he said.
"Every day, my husband makes
between 50 and 60 Afs. He sometimes arrives empty-handed. We don't have
anything to eat for lunch or at night,” said Freshta, the mother of a
malnourished child.
Meanwhile, the Save the Children Fund
said in a report that Afghanistan is among the fifteen countries in the world
that face food insecurity.
“Millions of children around the world
are facing hunger. In the 15 worst-affected countries, like South Sudan,
Afghanistan or Burkina Faso, one child is pushed into severe acute malnutrition
every minute. That’s why we urgently need your help. You can give hungry
families the support they need to survive, and stop children dying from
hunger,” Save the Children tweeted.
In the meantime, Fouzia Shafique,
UNICEF’s health lead in Afghanistan, said that this organization will continue
its health emergency response project with the aim of providing health services
in 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
“This is a crucial project for the
country right now. And the reason is, we are all aware of the economic crisis
that Afghanistan has faced over the last one year. We know that more and more
Afghans are living in poverty. We know there is loss of livelihoods. People
have lost their jobs, their work. Some displacements in the country, last year
alone we had a couple of disease outbreaks,”
This comes as, based on the statistics
of the Ministry of Public Health in 2022, nearly three million people in
Afghanistan have suffered from malnutrition.
Source: tolonews.com
Please
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-184082
---------
Pakistan
Lahore ATC asks PTI chief to join probe
in 5 cases linked to May 9 violence
July 7, 2023
An anti-terrorism court in Lahore on
Friday directed PTI Chairman Imran Khan to become part of the investigation
into five cases registered in connection with violence in the country on May 9.
The cases in question concern the
attacks on Jinnah House, Askari Tower, the Shadman Town police station,
vandalism at the PML-N office in Model Town, and the setting ablaze of a
container when protests erupted in the country following Imran’s arrest in the
Toshakhana case.
During today’s hearing, Imran appeared
in court alongside his lawyer IntizarPanjhuta. Lawyer Khawaja Waseem Abbas
represented the Punjab government.
At the outset of the hearing, Judge Ejaz
Ahmed Buttar expressed his displeasure at Imran’s failure to join the
investigation in the five cases. “Why have you not yet joined the probe?” the
judge asked Imran.
The PTI chief said that he was appearing
in courts on a daily basis, therefore, he was unable to join the investigation.
The judge told Imran to provide a list
of dates detailing his court appearances, to which the PTI chief said, “I am
ready to join the investigation.”
“The implementation of the law is
important,” the judge emphasised.
The PTI chief said that he would join
the probe if investigation authorities visited his Zaman Park residence.
“This is a matter between you and the
police which should be discussed and settled mutually,” the judge said.
The government’s lawyer insisted that
Imran join the probe at 4pm today. However, Imran said that he was unavailable
at that time as he was scheduled to meet with a delegation from the
International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The judge said that it would be better
if Imran went to the police headquarters to join the investigation and directed
him to do so by July 14. Additionally, the judge extended Imran’s interim bail
in all five cases until July 21.
Toshakhana case
Meanwhile, an Islamabad sessions judge
exempted Imran from appearing before the court while hearing an appeal filed by
the PTI chief challenging the maintainability of the Toshakhana reference.
At yesterday’s hearing, the judge had
directed Imran to appear before the court today as he declined a plea by the
PTI chief’s counsel to adjourn the hearing to Aug 1.
Additional District and Sessions Judge
HumanyunDilawar presided over today’s hearing during which Imran’s counsel
Gohar Ali Khan filed a plea to postpone the hearing till July 10.
However, the lawyer representing the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Amjad Parvez, accused the petitioner of
using delaying tactics. He said that the PTI chief’s lawyers did not intend to
give arguments, adding that “time was being wasted”.
In response, Imran’s lawyer contended
that the ECP’s counsel was indulging in “point-scoring”.
Subsequently, the judge adjourned the
hearing till tomorrow (Saturday) and told Imran to appear in court alongside
his lawyer Khawaja Haris.
Source: dawn.com
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--------
Judge says political motive behind
allotment case against Nawaz
July 7, 2023
LAHORE: The 34-year-old case against
former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was reopened for “political victimisation”
and to damage his reputation, said the accountability court verdict which
acquitted Mr Sharif of all charges.
The detailed verdict issued on Thursday
was hailed by several PML-N leaders as the “vindication” of the party’s supreme
leader.
The proceedings started in 2020 when
during the PTI government, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a
reference alleging that Jang Group owner Mir Shakilur Rehman had illegally
obtained exemption of 54 plots, each measuring one kanal, in Block-H of
Lahore’s Johar Town. It alleged that the allotment was made in connivance with
the then chief minister of Punjab, Nawaz Sharif, in 1986 for monetary gains.
Mr Sharif was given a clean chit of any
wrongdoing through a short-order passed on June 24. Earlier, Mr Rehman and
other principal accused, including former Lahore Development Authority director
general Humayon Faiz Rasool and former LDA director of land development
department Mian Bashir Ahmad were acquitted on Jan 31.
The detailed verdict of the ex-PM’s
acquittal which came out on Thursday, said: “The record reflects that the
accused Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had become the victim of political
victimisation, and perhaps the NAB authorities were constrained to prepare the
reference at the behest of the then ruling junta to damage and destroy the political
career and goodwill of the accused who had been three-time elected prime
minister of Pakistan.”
PML-N celebrates detailed verdict; PM
says his elder brother stands ‘vindicated’
In his verdict, Judge Rao Abdul Jabbar
Khan said the order passed by his predecessor declaring Mr Sharif a proclaimed
offender “was not in line” with the parameters devised by the Supreme Court.
The former judge had not only declared
Mr Sharif a proclaimed offender but also ordered an auction of his assets. Mr
Sharif was out of the country when the inquiry was initiated and a reference
was filed against him.
Judge Khan said the case record was
silent regarding procedure under sections 87 and 88 of CrPC including the
issuance of warrants and publication of proclamations to declare Mr Sharif a
proclaimed offender.
“The court was never supposed to be a
silent spectator, sitting with blind eyes and deaf ears” as settled by the
Supreme Court, the verdict stated.
The judge ruled that Mr Sharif was
entitled to the same relief given to the principal accused, having a lesser
role and better legal footing compared to the acquitted accused.
The court concluded that no loss was
caused to the LDA from any act of the accused or co-accused as the prosecution
admitted that the reserved price was paid in time.
PML-N hails verdict
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb have said the
verdict proved the PML-N supreme leader was deliberately implicated by the PTI
government.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said the
acquittal proved the case was meant to politically damage his elder brother,
APP reported.
The information minister, Ms Aurangzeb,
said NAB was pressurised by the PTI regime to create false cases against the
PML-N leader.
She said under the “NAB-Niazi nexus” — a
reference to the collusion between the accountability watchdog and the then PM
Imran Khan — the bureau was given a task to target political opponents of the
PTI chief.
“Today, the accountability court had
affirmed that Nawaz Sharif was targeted for political vengeance,” she said,
adding the court found no evidence of corruption against him.
The owner of a leading media house was
arrested in a fake case just to pressurise the media to toe the then
government’s line, Ms Aurangzeb claimed.
In his remarks, Planning and Development
Minister Ahsan Iqbal said those who called Mr Sharif “Sicilian Mafia” were
gradually being exposed.
He was referring to the statement of
former PTI leader and eminent lawyer Hamid Khan in which he said the decision
to disqualify Mr Sharif as prime minister was taken much before the Supreme
Court verdict.
Talking to the media after addressing a
ceremony at the University of Education in Lahore, the minister said those who
were part of the conspiracy were now testifying to the innocence of Mr Sharif.
“Pakistan was punished by removing Nawaz
Sharif from power through an unconstitutional step, a conspiracy to bring an
incompetent favourite into the government.”
Amjad Mahmood and Kalbe Ali in Islamabad
also contributed to this report
Source: dawn.com
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PAC seeks probe into leak of military
officials’ data
Jamal Shahid Published July 7, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Expressing apprehensions over
the data leak of citizens, especially of military authorities from the Nadra,
the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday directed the Ministry of
Interior to conduct a joint investigation into the breach of data.
PAC Chairman MNA Noor Alam Khan said
that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Federal Investigation
Agency (FIA), and Military Intelligence (MI) should also be included in the
investigation team.
“Everyone’s personal data is available
on the internet. Data of military authorities has also been leaked. How was it
leaked from the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra)?” Mr Khan
asked as he instructed PTA to block the data online.
The PAC convened to review audit
objections for the year 2019-20 related to the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Members of the PAC were vexed over the
absence of the Secretary of Religious Affairs. It was informed that the
secretary, who returned from Haj operations a day ago, had fallen ill.
“Is he on a ventilator? In an emergency?
Is he in the hospital? What is the disease?” Mr Khan said angrily, adding,
“Does he know how much the pilgrims have suffered?”
“The secretary has fever, cough and
infection,” an official from the ministry informed the members.
“After what you have done with Hajis,
the FIA will look into this matter,” Mr Khan said.
He also registered a complaint with the
ministry against private operators who took Rs2.5 million from aspiring
pilgrims and failed to provide satisfactory services.
“They do not provide proper
accommodation to the pilgrims and are rude,” said Mr Khan. Upon inquiry,
ministry officials informed PAC members that about 200 members/officials from
the religious affairs ministry went to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.
Last month, the PAC had urged President
Arif Alvi and lawmakers who were also performing Haj to address the issues
faced by other pilgrims using the government scheme.
It also warned of strict action against
private operators who charged pilgrims Rs2.5m or more in fees but failed to
provide proper facilities.
Source: dawn.com
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Jahangir Tareen’s brother commits
suicide
July 7, 2023
LAHORE: Alamgir Khan Tareen, brother of
Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party Chairman Jahangir Khan Tareen, committed suicide by
shooting himself in the temple at his residence here on Thursday.
Alamgir (63) was also the owner of the
Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans.
Police found him dead with a pistol and
a suicide note he left at his Gulberg residence.
In the hand-written note, he had
unveiled the ‘endless list of illnesses’ he was suffering from as prime reason
for ending his life.
The police also recovered a Glock pistol
from the same room he had used to shoot himself.
The initial police inquiries suggested
that Alamgir fired a shot in the right temple and the bullet left a deep hole
on the other side, causing his instant death.
The postmortem report endorsed the
police inquiries, saying that a single bullet fire caused excessive blood loss.
The report further stated that no
torture marks or violence were found on any other part of his body.
“We were alerted by the domestic help
[of Alamgir] on Thursday morning when he visited the room of his employer at
upper storey of the house and found him in a pool of blood,” Lahore Operations
DIG Nasir Rizvi told Dawn.
He said Alamgir was living alone in the
apartment since he was unmarried and he used to hold a brief meeting with his
employee Alam to discuss domestic chores before going to bed at around 9pm
daily.
Alam told the police that on Wednesday
night he noticed some ‘unusual’ things when his employer went to his room
without sharing anything with him.
Alam said he got [somewhat] confused and
went back to his quarter and had a sleepless night.
He then made a call on the mobile phone
of his landlord at 3am [Thursday early morning] but found no response, Alam
said adding that he again called at around 10am.
On finding no response, he rushed
upstairs, entered the room and found him dead, the DIG quoted Alam as having
said.
“The forensic and the police teams
isolated the crime scene, seized the suicide note, pistol used by him, the
bullet shell and fingerprints of the deceased,” Mr Rizvi said.
He said the police also alerted Jahangir
Khan Tareen, who was holding a meeting in Model Town at that time and he
immediately reached the house of his brother along with Aun Chaudhry.
The DIG said Jahangir was initially
reluctant to go for postmortem but later got convinced when the police briefed
him about the legal requirements.
The body was sent to the Lahore General
Hospital where the postmortem was carried out, he said adding that before
committing suicide, Alamgir was much concerned about his loyal employee which
was evident from some contents of his suicide note wherein he had requested his
brother to take care of Alam.
The body has been handed over to
Jahangir Tareen after completing legal formalities, the DIG said.
“Jahangir pls take care of Alam. He has
served me without a fault all his life and don’t let the police bother him
about this (probable referring to his decision of suicide)”, reads the note.
In the note, he repeatedly mentioned
multiple diseases he was facing that made his life irritating.
“So here goes, I love life and I never
wanted to do this. The life was perfect full some six months ago”, reads the
suicide note. He also mentioned his last visit to Sri Lanka where he spent
vacation.
There were also some reports that
Alamgir was planning to marry his fiancée in coming December.
He was a leading businessman in south
Punjab and operated one of the largest water purification plants in the
country.
Alamigir was also owner of Multan
Sultans. It was added as the sixth team in 2017.
Captained by Mohammad Rizwan, the team
was being represented by big names including Shan Masood, Anwar Ali, Khushdil
Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, David Miller, Adil Rashid, Tim David, and RileeRossouw.
“It is with deep sadness that we share
the news of the passing of our beloved team owner, Alamgir Khan Tareen. Our
thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Tareen’s family. We request you all to kindly
respect his family’s privacy. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” Multan
Sultans stated on Twitter.
Source: dawn.com
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Imran approaches SC against IHC order on
Toshakhana reference
Nasir Iqbal
July 7, 2023
ISLAMABAD: PTI chief Imran Khan
approached the Supreme Court on Thursday to challenge the Islamabad High
Court’s (IHC) July 4 remand to a trial court for re-examination of the
maintainability of the Toshakhana case within a week.
Moved through senior counsel Khawaja
Haris Ahmad, a petition filed by the former prime minister requested the apex
court to set aside the IHC directive. He also sought a stay on the proceedings
before Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ), Islamabad,
HamayunDilawar, until a decision on his appeal by the Supreme Court.
On Oct 21 last year, the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Imran Khan in the Toshakhana
reference under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution for making “false
statements and incorrect declaration”.
And on May 10 this year, the trial court
rejected Imran Khan’s challenge to the maintainability of the Toshakhana
reference and indicted him in the case.
The trial court’s decision was
challenged before the IHC, which remanded the case back to the former on July 4
to re-examine the matter in seven days in the light of eight legal questions to
decide maintainability of the reference.
The questions included “whether the
complaint has been filed on behalf of ECP (Election Commission of Pakistan) by
a duly authorised person”, “whether the Oct 21, 2022, ECP decision was a valid
authorisation to any officer of ECP to file a complaint,” “whether the question
of authorisation was a question of fact and evidence and can be ratified
subsequently during course of proceedings”.
The fresh petition, brought by Imran
Khan before the apex court on Thursday, argued that the IHC was not legally
justified in remanding the same questions of law that formed the basis of the
impugned order for re-determination by the same trial judge who had already
given his judgement.
Moreover, Mr Khan added, the IHC set
aside the petitioner’s plea by remanding the matter back to the trial court for
re-decision despite the fact that the petitioner had also applied for transfer
of the complaint from the trial judge to any other court.
The petitioner contended the IHC had
committed a jurisdiction error in remanding the case to the same trial judge
against whom an application had been filed for transfer of the case.
Malik Asad adds: The ADSJ has summoned
Imran Khan to appear before him today (Friday). The trial judge gave the order
after taking up an appeal by the PTI chief challenging maintainability of the
Toshakhana reference. The reference accused Mr Khan of concealing details of
state gifts retained by him when he was prime minister.
During the hearing on Thursday, ADSJ
HamayunDilawar declined a plea by Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, the PTI chief’s
counsel, to adjourn the hearing to Aug 1, saying the Islamabad High Court had
asked him to decide maintainability of the case by July 10.
However, the judge said if Imran Khan
seeks exemption from personal appearance for “cogent reasons”, the court would
consider it.
Our Correspondent in Toba Tek Singh
adds: Faisalabad police registered two cases against the PTI chief on charges
of abetment in attacks on an ISI office and Rana Sanaullah’s residence after
Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9.
Source: dawn.com
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Islamophobia acts being carried out to
pit Muslims against Christians, warns PM
July 07, 2023
YAUM-E-TAQADDUS-E-QURAN TODAY.
ISLAMABAD -
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the desecration of
Holy Quran was an attempt to create animosity between the Muslims and
Christians and any recurrence of such condemnable act, would in no way be
tolerated.
The prime minister, in his address to
the joint sitting of the parliament, urged United Nations Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres to convene an urgent session to invite the Muslim world
leaders, adopt a condemnatory resolution and also warn the Swedish government
and such individuals against the recurrence of such condemnable acts.
"The Holy Quran teaches the
philosophy of love, respect and patience to the entire world," he said
adding that we Muslims respect the books of other religions.
“Never has anyone heard or seen the
Bible being desecrated or burnt here. We respect all these religions so that
no one points a finger at our religion or book,” said the premier, claiming
that events such as the one in Sweden were a part of “a conspiracy to create
rifts between Christians and Muslims” and demanded that such actions be
condemned.
He appreciated the Islamic countries for
their immediate reaction to the incident.
“The incident that took place in Sweden
on Eid, we need to tell the world that this won’t be tolerated,” he asserted.
“It is a part of our belief that we
should sacrifice our lives to uphold the honour of the Holy Quran without
worrying about anything ,” he said clarifying that the restraint that they are
showing must not be seen as a weakness. Sharif called on people from all walks
of life, as well as political and religious parties, to take to the streets on
Friday (July 7) and register their protest against the incident and “give a
message to the world”.
He said that the “vile man” who
disrespected the Holy Quran should be punished in an exemplary manner,
highlighting that that could only be done through legal and political
discussions. “For this purpose, I want to appreciate the efforts of the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,” PM Shehbaz said, referring to an
emergency meeting of the group which took place earlier this week.
He said that although Sweden had
condemned the incident, it should clear its position on why the incident took
place at all.
“We are not against freedom of speech,
but no one has the right to talk about anyone’s religion or do propaganda against
Muslims. No law in the world allows this,” he stressed, recalling that similar
incidents had taken place in Sweden in the past as well.
He also mentioned former New Zealand
prime minister Jacinda Arden had talked about the way she “respected and protected
Muslims”. He paid tribute to Arden and said Pakistan would always remember
her.
He urged the National Assembly Speaker
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to form a committee with a mandate to formulate
recommendations for their onward dissemination to the world including
international organisations so that such acts could be averted. The prime
minister urged the parliamentarians to condemn the act of Swedish police and
make it clear that the Muslims could even sacrifice their lives to protect the
sanctity of the Holy Quran.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the
House to put forward suggestions which would be raised at the UN platform to
realise the world that the billions of Muslims would not allow any repetition
of such hateful acts.
“This is beyond tolerance. This is not
the first time as earlier too, same thing happened in Sweden. This must be
condemned in the strongest possible words,” he said
He told the House that he was trying to
contact with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to request him for
convening an urgent session to invite the Muslim leaders and adopt a
condemnatory resolution. “I will also ask him to warn such governments and
individuals against redoing such acts aimed at fanning hatred,” he added.
The prime minister thanked Pope Francis
for condemning the act, saying his dissociation of such Islamophobic action
gave a positive image.
Earlier, the parliamentarians in a joint
session passed a resolution urging Sweden to take “appropriate steps” against
perpetrators involved in the recent incident of the Holy Quran’s desecration
in Stockholm.
The lawmakers, in a unanimously passed
resolution, stated that it believed in respecting all religions, beliefs and
Holy Books. “This House urges that appropriate steps be taken by Swedish
authorities against the perpetrator(s) including but not limited to legal
action, and to ensure that no such act taken place in the future,” according to
the resolution.
The lawmakers urged incidents of
Islamophobia should be dealt with the same seriousness as hate against other
religions.
“This house urges that relevant
international organisations and states must legislate to criminalise
desecration of holy symbols of religions including holy books, personalities,
places of worship and followers.” “This house resolves that the international
community take appropriate measures for promoting interfaith harmony to
ensure that any act that hurts religious sentiments may never take place in
the future,” it added. It was also decided in the house to form a committee for
the purpose of condemning the desecration of the Holy Quran and suggesting
measures to prevent such incidents in the future. Later, Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing a ceremony in connection with the 247th
national day of the United States here, said that Pakistan and America are
the good friends and the bilateral relations between the two countries are
getting further strengthened.
Source: nation.com.pk
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https://www.nation.com.pk/07-Jul-2023/islamophobia-acts-being-carried-out-to-pit-muslims-against-christians-warns-pm
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India
Alleging cow slaughter, Karnataka BJP
MLA SharanuSalagar barges into Muslim home, booked
The incident allegedly took place on
July 1 in Basavakalyan when Mehraj (27) was celebrating Eid.
By: Express News Service
July 6, 2023
sharanusalagar, karnataka news, cow
slaughter, indianexpress'Karnataka BJP MLA SharanuSalagar. (Photo source: FB/
SharanuSalagar)
Karnataka BJP MLA SharanuSalagar and his
supporters have been booked for allegedly barging into a Muslim man’s home and
abusing his family members claiming that they were slaughtering animals for Eid
al-Adha.
On a complaint lodged Wednesday by Mehraj
(27), an electrician, Salagar, MLA for Basavakalyan in Bidar district, and his
followers were booked under Indian Penal Code sections 143 (unlawful assembly),
147 (rioting), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the
peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), 448 (house trespass), 295A (deliberate and
malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 149 (every member of
unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object).
The incident allegedly took place on
July 1 in Basavakalyan. According to the complaint, when Mehraj was inside his
house celebrating Eid, Salagar and about 15-25 supporters barged into his house
screaming that they were slaughtering animals inside their house. Initially,
the MLA claimed that a cow was being slaughtered.
Despite Mehraj and his neighbours trying
to clear their “doubts”, the MLA allegedly continued to abuse the women of the
family and threatened to teach them a lesson. “Muslims are taking all the flats
and if they are allowed, they will not allow Hindus to live. They are acting
too much. We will teach them a lesson,” Salagar was quoted as saying by Mehraj
in his complaint.
Source: indianexpress.com
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Bomb threat to Shivajinagar mosque
proves to be a hoax
JUL 07 2023
A phone call about a bomb being planted
at a mosque in Shivajinagar, central Bengaluru, was declared a hoax after hours
of search, police said.
Around 9.55 pm on Wednesday, a man
called 112 to tell the police that his sources had informed him that a bomb had
been planted in Masjid-e-Azam, located on Chandni Chowk Road.
The caller, who reportedly spoke Urdu,
also claimed that it was an act of terrorism.
Taking no chances, Shivajinagar police
rushed to the mosque with members of the bomb disposal and canine squads and
emergency services personnel. Senior police officers also arrived at the
mosque.
The team combed the mosque and the whole
area for about two hours, but found nothing.
The operation was eventually called off
at 2 am and the team was demobilised, a police officer said on the condition of
anonymity.
Police traced the call to a location
outside Bengaluru. The caller is currently located in Hyderabad and his phone
number is still operational, the officer said, adding that a police team has
been sent to track him down.
Source: deccanherald.com
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Minority Report: Data Busts A Myth About
Indian Muslims
July 7, 2023,
Surjit S Bhalla
Former IMF executive director &
former PMEAC member argues that since the early 1980s, median wages for Muslims
have been mostly higher than those for Hindus
Opinions come cheap, and everyone is
entitled to an opinion. George Soros has been openly critical of “democracy” in
India and its imminent decline, and former US president Barack Obama added his
weight to the opinion by stating that “if you do not protect the rights of
ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility that India at
some point starts pulling apart”. That Obama said this when the floodlights
were on Modi, and before his speech to a joint session of the US Congress,
well, that added fuel to the Soros fire.
Way back in the 1960s, Selig Harrison
(India – The Most Dangerous Decades) warned that unless a new democratic leader
arose post-Nehru, “India will face Balkanisation or authoritarian control based
on army force. ” Obama’s comment is a more judicious rephrasing of Harrison’s
“forecast” some 60 years ago.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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To prevent ‘political misuse’ of UCC,
BJP plans community dialogue with Pasmanda Muslims
As per insiders, it will also be the
next step in line with the party’s ongoing attempts to expand its base among
Delhi’s second-largest minority community.
Written by Jatin Anand
July 7, 2023
Pasmanda Muslim population, ncr,
Pasmanda Muslim population, ucc, Uniform Civil Code, Delhi news, New Delhi,
Indian Express, current affairs“We are in the process of finalising the
modalities around a large community event where the right information about UCC
will be given and a dialogue will be held; it will either be held in Delhi or
in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to coincide with the Monsoon Session of
Parliament,” Rasheed said.
The BJP is planning a “big community
dialogue” among the Pasmanda Muslim population in the NCR to dispel
“misinformation” around the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), coinciding with the
Monsoon Session of Parliament.
To be organised by the BJP’s Minority
Morcha, the unit’s in-charge and President of the Rashtrwadi Muslim Pasmanda
Mahaz, Atif Rasheed, said the main aim of the programme was to prevent the
“possible political misuse” of the UCC.
As per insiders, it will also be the
next step in line with the party’s ongoing attempts to expand its base among
Delhi’s second-largest minority community. “Spreading rumours and
misinformation around UCC, just like attempts to mislead people on the issue of
Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens before the 2019 Lok
Sabha elections, is a very real possibility; we won’t let that happen,” Rasheed
said.
Since Eid last month, Rasheed has been
engaging with the capital’s Pasmanda Muslim community — an economically
backward sub-group with numbers that contribute significantly to the Muslim
population of India — while focussing on the BJP’s achievements during its
nine-year-tenure as part of its ongoing ‘Sampark Se Samarthan’ initiative.
Outreach at areas like Trilokpuri and
Sangam Vihar among others has, however, so far only focussed on targetting the
AAP Delhi government for allegedly not allowing implementation of the Centre’s
Ayushman Bharat health scheme and seeking to underline PM Narendra Modi’s role
in “ensuring delivery of free ration” to their homes every month. A senior
party leader said these were core issues concerning the economic well-being of
Pasmanda households.
Underlining the “significant outlook”
with which the BJP viewed the community, a senior leader pointed out the PM’s
instructions at two national executive meetings in 2022 and 2023 to reach out
to marginalised sections within minority communities and his address in Bhopal
on June 27 with regard to the Pasm-anda Muslim community per se.
“We are in the process of finalising the
modalities around a large community event where the right information about UCC
will be given and a dialogue will be held; it will either be held in Delhi or
in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to coincide with the Monsoon Session of
Parliament,” Rasheed said.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/bjp-plans-outreach-with-citys-pasmanda-muslims-on-ucc-8800836/
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Muslim World League Secretary General
Al-Issa to Arrive in India on July 10: Sources
JULY 06, 2023
Noted Saudi scholar and secretary
general of the influential Muslim World League, Mohammad Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa
will visit India between July 10-15, sources say.
According to them, Issa would arrive in
New Delhi on July 10 and will have a meeting with National Security Adviser
Ajit Doval.
On July 11, at 11 am, on the invitation
of the Khusro Foundation, Al-Issa will address a gathering of prominent
religious and community leaders, academics and media at BS Abdur Rahman
Auditorium at the India Islamic Cultural Centre.
NSA Ajit Doval shall also address the
gathering, the sources said.
During the course of his visit, Issa is
expected to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Minority Affairs
Minister Smriti Irani.
He may also call on President Droupadi
Murmu.
According to sources, Issa might visit
the Akshardham temple and also meet some prominent personalities.
During his stay in Delhi, he is likely
to pay tributes to martyrs at the National Police Memorial, Chanakyapuri.
An important part of his engagement will
be the visit to Jama Masjid for Friday prayers.
He is also scheduled to visit Agra.
Al-Issa is an Islamic scholar and a
leading voice on moderate Islam. He is also a promoter of inter-faith dialogue
and world peace.
He is a prominent religious leader,
Islamic scholar and reformist from Saudi Arabia. Before being appointed as the
Secretary General of the Muslim World League in 2016, Al-Issa served as the
Minister of Justice in the Saudi Cabinet.
He also serves as the chairman of the
Centre for Responsible Leadership, a body of globally influential government,
faith, media, business, and community leaders working together to solve the
challenges facing humanity and the world today.
He has been commended by religious leaders,
government officials, and international organisations for his efforts in
promoting moderation, cooperation, and coexistence among people of different
faiths.
Source: news18.com
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SC Grants Bail To Muslim Man Accused Of
Kidnapping, Raping Live-In Partner
06th July 2023
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has granted
bail to a man accused of kidnapping and raping his live-in partner belonging to
a different religious faith.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul
and Sudhanshu Dhulia noted that the interfaith couple had a live-in
relationship agreement and even jointly filed a petition for police protection.
The Court also noted the petitioner was
behind bars for nine months.
"Three factors weigh with us. In
the live-in relationship agreement of August 25, 2022, the parties filing a
joint petition for police protection especially as an interfaith couple and the
petitioner has already been in custody for about nine months.
In view of the aforesaid facts and
circumstances, we grant bail to the appellant on terms and conditions to the
satisfaction of the trial court," the bench said.
Advocate Namit Saxena, appearing for the
accused, submitted that the girl's statement under Section 164 of the Code of
Criminal Procedure (CrPC) made it clear that the relationship between them was
consensual.
The top court was hearing a petition
filed by a 22-year-old Muslim man challenging an order of the Rajasthan High
Court dismissing his bail plea.
The plea said the petitioner and the
woman are neighbours and fell in love with each other.
"While the petitioner belongs to
the Muslim community, the alleged victim and her family follow the Hindu
religion. That the couple wanted to marry each other and spend life together.
however, this was not agreeable to the
family of the alleged victim due to religious differences.
"That the couple ultimately eloped
to marry each other and also entered into a live-in relationship agreement
dated August 25, 2022 to attain some societal status," the petition said.
It said a day after they eloped, the
girl's father filed a missing report.
Later, he lodged a first information
report (FIR) against the petitioner, alleging the man kidnapped and raped his
daughter.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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Mideast
Nine Islamic State Suspects Arrested in
Germany, Netherlands
06/07/2023
ERBIL — Security forces in the Federal
Republic of Germany on Thursday arrested seven individuals on suspicion of
forming terrorist cells and engaging in terrorist activities.
"The Turkmen, Tajik and Kyrgyz
nationals arrested in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia had
known each other for a long time and entered the country from Ukraine shortly
after the war began in 2022," according to Al-Arabiya News, citing a
statement from a German prosecutor' office.
They formed a terrorist organization in
June 2022 and had been considering targets in Germany and trying to procure weapons,
but at the time of arrest did not have concrete plans for an attack."
Meanwhile, Dutch authorities today
arrested two suspected Islamic State (IS) members, a Tajikistani man and his
Kyrgyz wife, who are reportedly linked to the group arrested in Germany.
Despite being defeated on the
battlefield, remnants of the Islamic State (IS) continue to linger in many
countries. In Iraq, they are especially active in disputed territories, hiding
out in bushes, caves, marshes, and makeshift hideouts.
Source: basnews.com
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https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/814355
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Eid al-Ghadir; the day that Islam
perfected
Jul 7, 2023
TEHRAN, Jul. 07 (MNA) – Eid al-Ghadir,
the day on which Imam Ali (AS) was chosen by God as the successor of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH), is an Islamic commemorative holiday and is considered to be
among the significant holidays of Shi'ite Muslims.
Eid al-Ghadir is a Shi'a holiday that
celebrates the appointment of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Prophet Muhammad's cousin and
son-in-law, as the Prophet's successor. The festival takes its name from the
place where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have made this announcement,
the Pond (Ghadir) of Khumm.
Eid al-Ghadir is the commemoration of Prophet
Muhammad’s (saw) final sermon at GhadirKhumm, which took place on the 18th of
Dhu al-Hijjah, 10 AH. Shias celebrate this event as the basis for their
acceptance of Imam Ali's (as) succession to the Prophet.
In the Farewell Pilgrimage that took
place ten years after hijrah (the migration), Prophet Mohammad called on
Muslims to join him in his last pilgrimage to Mecca. The event witnessed the
largest Muslim gathering in the presence of the Messenger of God.
While traveling from Mecca to Madina
after the last hajj, the Prophet (saw) and his companions stopped at a lake
three miles from Al-Johfa.
The Prophet (saw) then came to a halt in
GhadirKhuum, a site between Mecca and Medina. In front of hundreds of people,
he proclaimed that Imam Ali (a.s.) was his chosen successor to rule Islam after
him. He held up Imam Ali’s (a.s.) hand during his address and said:
“Ali is to be the Master of whoever I
was Master (Mawla). Oh Allah, be a friend to those who support him (Ali) and an
enemy to those who resist him (Ali).”
It was at that moment, that all the
believers hailed Prophet Muhammad’s choice and congratulated Imam Ali (AS). The
following verse of the Quran was revealed after the Prophet (saw) finished his
discourse;
“Today I have perfected your religion
and completed my bounty upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam be your
religion” (Quran; 5:3)
This Quranic verse is noteworthy because
it shows that Imam Ali (a.s.) was selected by Allah rather than Prophet
Muhammad (saw) and that there was a rationale for Imam Ali’s (a.s.) selection.
On this day, Imam Ali (a.s.) was
appointed the first of twelve Imams who would continue to give leadership and
authority in Islam, marking the conclusion of Prophethood and the commencement
of the Institution of Imamate.
The holy Imams are regarded as the
Prophet’s legitimate successors not because they are related to him, but
because they possess the attributes essential for religious-political
leadership. In the absence of an Imam, a highly educated religious scholar
(Marja') can provide direction to believers in all matters of jurisprudence.
On the day of Eid al-Ghadir, the holy
shrines of Shia Imams would be decorated with flowers and celebrations would be
held with the participation of crowds of Muslims.
Like many Muslim nation, the Iranian
people celebrate Ghadir by holding public ceremonies or doing charity.
In Eid al-Ghadir 2022, Iranians attended
a 10-km-long Eid al-Ghadir celebration on Tehran's Valiasr Street. According to
estimates, some 3 million participated in the ceremony.
Like every other Eids on the Islamic
calendar, Afghan Muslims celebrate Eid al-Ghadir with diverse ceremonies. In
one of the festivities on this occasion, many of the couples tie the knot in a
mass wedding in Afghanistan.
On the occasion of Eid Al-GhadirKhumm,
different celebrations and book-reading competitions would be held in
Afghanistan with the presence of children, adolescents, young people,
university professors, and ulama.
Eid al-Ghadir in Turkey:
The followers of Ahlulbayt, peace be upon
them, celebrate the blessed occasion of Eid al-Ghadir in Turkey as well.
On the occasion, people in Turkey's
Hatay usually cook special food called "Hirisi", which was made by
mixing the sacrificial meat with wheat and cooking it in large cauldrons. They
distribute the food among the people of their neighborhood, especially
low-income families.
On the occasion of the Eid Al-Gadir,
many tradesmen and shopkeepers in the city did not open their workplaces and
joined the celebrations.
Source: en.mehrnews.com
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https://en.mehrnews.com/news/202697/Eid-al-Ghadir-the-day-that-Islam-perfected
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Sa'ada's people celebrate
"Wilayah" day of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, in 11 squares
[06/July/2023]
SA'ADA July 06. 2023 (Saba)-Today, the
people of Sa'ada province commemorated "Wilayah" day of Imam Ali,
peace be upon him, with rhetorical and festive activities in 11 squares in the
various directorates of the province.
During the ceremony that was held in
Sa'ada city, in the presence of a number of ministers, the governor of Sa'ada,
Muhammad Jaber Awad, noted the large attendance and mass interaction to
commemorate "Wilayah" day in the province center and other squares in
the districts.
He pointed out the importance of
commemorating "Wilayah" day and consolidating its concept in the
souls, to follow the example of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, his courage,
sacrifices, and support for the true Islamic religion.
While Abdullah Al-Ghalbi reviewed the
appropriate speech, the incident of guardianship and the communication of the
Prophet Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, in
response to God in conveying the proof, completing the blessing, and perfecting
the religion.
He affirmed the firm stance of the
Yemeni people against the Zionist enemy and the forces of global hegemony and
arrogance and their tools of agents, mercenaries, and his constant support for
the Palestinian people and resistance until the victory is achieved.
The ceremony, which was attended by
heads of military, security, social bodies and leaders, included paragraphs of
folklore, an expression of joy at the commemoration of Wilayah Day, " Eid
al-Ghadir", and the singing participation of the Sa'ada band.
Source: saba.ye
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3250301.htm
--------
Arab World
Saudi delegation takes its place at 4th
annual G20 Space Economy Leaders meeting in India
July 07, 2023
RIYADH: A Saudi delegation is taking
part in the fourth G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting, which began on Thursday
in Bengaluru, India.
Mohammed Al-Tamimi, CEO of the Saudi
Space Agency, is leading the Kingdom’s team at the two-day gathering, during
which participants will discuss ways to enhance the role of the space economy
and its tangible contributions to efforts to address global challenges and
achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the Saudi Press Agency
reported.
The delegates include representatives of
space agencies and related organizations from G20 member states, along with
invited guests from other countries and the heads of international and regional
organizations.
Speaking during the meeting, Al-Tamimi
said the spirit of cooperation and optimism that is entrenched in the annual
gathering has become the shared trait of global space activities and endeavors.
It is a trait that will continue to shape humanity’s long-term future in terms
of how it makes use of the space sector and its applications, he added.
He also extended thanks to authorities
in India and officials from the Indian Space Research Organization for hosting
the important meeting.
The Kingdom is working to promote the
cooperative goals of the meeting, in line with its commitments as a signatory
to the Artemis Accords, which serve as a guide for sustainable civil space
exploration, and its contributions to efforts to implement the practical
aspects of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, Al-Tamimi said.
The annual meeting is one of the results
of the Kingdom’s presidency of the G20 in 2020, during which it was placed on
the group’s agenda for the first time in an effort to enhance space-related
cooperation between countries to maximize the benefits of the space economy and
the utilization of associated data to support sustainable development, food
security and global health.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2333666/saudi-arabia
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Saudi and Thai officials discuss
anti-corruption efforts
July 07, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi and Thai officials held
talks on enhanced cooperation between their countries in efforts to combat
corruption and ensure high standards of integrity in public life.
It came as Mazen Al-Kahmous, president
of the Saudi Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, also known as Nazaha,
welcomed a delegation led by WatcharapolPrasanrajkit, president of Thailand’s
National Anti-Corruption Commission.
During the meeting the participants
reviewed initiatives implemented by both Nazaha and Thai authorities to promote
the principles of transparency, crack down on corrupt practices and guarantee
integrity.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2333616/saudi-arabia
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Saudi Space Agency discusses cooperation
with Chinese agencies and businesses
July 06, 2023
RIYADH: The Saudi Space Agency has held
a number of meetings with Chinese government agencies and businesses to discuss
enhanced cooperation and collaborations in the fields of technology, industry
and space exploration.
Abdullah Al-Swaha, chairman of the board
of directors of the Saudi Space Agency, met his counterpart from the China
Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. and other leading figures from the space
sector in Beijing to discuss common interests and explore opportunities for
strategic cooperation.
A delegation from the Saudi agency also
held talks with representatives of the Chinese companies MinoSpace, Galactic
Energy, and China Electronics Technology Group Corp. to discuss satellites, the
spacecraft industry, and the development of satellite payloads.
They also met executives from Galaxy
Space, a company that develops and sells communication satellites, and I Space,
a business that specializes in the development and manufacture of spaceships,
to discuss partnership opportunities in the research and science fields, along
with technological cooperation in the space industry.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the
agency’s visit to China is the latest initiative in efforts to boost political
ties and enhance bilateral relations to further the space exploration agenda.
The aim is to learn from Chinese
successes in the field so that both nations can mutually benefit from the
further development of space industries to the highest international tech
standards that are bolstered by innovation, while facilitating efforts in the
Kingdom to enhance the transfer of key knowledge, localization, and achieve
strategic goals, the SPA added.
The Saudi Space Agency has partnered
with a number of international agencies and organizations to help enhance the
country’s stature in the sector and position itself as a global leader in space
exploration and innovation, authorities said, while working to improve its
competitiveness by seizing emerging opportunities in a rapidly evolving sector.
The status of the organization was last
month elevated to that of agency from commission to better align with the
country’s ambitious vision for the future of space exploration.
In May, Saudi astronauts Ali Al-Qarni
and RayyanahBarnawi joined two Americans on the crew of the Axiom Mission 2,
which successfully docked with the International Space Station. After an
eight-day stay they returned safely to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
Barnawi, a scientist, became the first Saudi woman in space.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2333566/saudi-arabia
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Number of pilgrims arriving in Madinah
passes 140,000
July 06, 2023
MADINAH: The number of pilgrims from
around the world to arrive in Madinah up to Wednesday after performing the Hajj
rituals has reached 142,588, state news agency SPA reported.
A total of 17,258 pilgrims arrived in
Madinah on Wednesday, with 15,159 arriving at the Hijra Station through 395
flights, according to Hajj and Visit Committee statistics.
Meanwhile the Haramain high-speed
railway station received 1,797 pilgrims who arrived on 395 trips.
Of these 36,963 pilgrims have already
left to return to their home countries.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2333286/saudi-arabia
---------
Ornithology journal cites vulture
research by Saudi nature reserve
July 06, 2023
RIYADH: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal
Natural Reserve’s efforts to research and protect the Eurasian griffon vulture
have been cited by Sandgrouse, an international ornithology journal.
“Sandgrouse is an international magazine
collecting and publishing data on birds of the Middle East, the Caucasus and
Central Asia. Issued periodically since 1996, It is one of the most famous
magazines specialized in birds in these regions,” said Fahad Al-Shuwaier,
director-general of communications at KSRNR.
“The
importance of the Eurasian griffon vulture for the ecosystem lies in the fact
that it feeds on the carcasses of dead animals collectively, as it is
present in groups that go out to search for food collectively, which helps to clean the
environment from the carcasses of these animals, which in turn reduces the spread of
diseases and infection from these carcasses,” he added.
“The
publication of such news in international periodicals guarantees that KSRNR attracts the attention of researchers, experts and scientists at
the world level who are interested in issues related to the
environment.”
The Eurasian griffon vulture is an
endangered species within the Kingdom, with population numbers falling
dramatically across the Arabian Peninsula.
The number of Eurasian griffon vultures
in Saudi Arabia fell by between 50-80 percent from 1972-2015 as a result of
exposure to hazards including secondary poisoning, hunting, collision and
electrification.
The Eurasian griffon vulture is one of
the resident species nesting in KSRNR and in the wilds of southern Saudi
Arabia.
It is one of the most important types of
birds in the reserve, with 46 nesting sites being registered and monitored
during the 2022 season, including 22 active nests, according to research.
KSRNR teams detected more than 250 birds
and more than 100 nesting sites within the boundaries of the reserve during the
2023 nesting season, representing a key ornithological documentation of the
species in the Middle East.
The reserve announced its commitment to
join the Green List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature with
the aim of protecting natural assets, restoring ecological balance, preserving
endangered animals and birds, and achieving sustainable ecological balance
through the protection of biodiversity.
The authority aims to preserve the
Eurasian griffon vulture within its boundaries because of the important role
that the species plays in maintaining environmental balance and protecting
nature.
Special initiatives have been launched
to protect griffon vultures by creating an incubating environment for their
reproduction.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2333096/saudi-arabia
--------
Southeast Asia
Good governance, economic management
attract investments - PM Anwar
July 7, 2023
SEREMBAN: Good governance and economic
management can attract the interest and confidence of domestic and foreign
investors to invest in the country thus ensuring rapid economic growth, said
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said this was proven when under his
administration which prioritises such matters, foreign investments from China,
Japan and Saudi Arabia were successfully recorded recently.
"Next week, Elon Musk (Tesla CEO)
asked to consult with me, to discuss his possible commitment to increase
investment in Malaysia, all this is with the beginning of good governance and
economic management.
"Last week, I met Japanese
investors who want to increase and expand their investments. A few months ago I
went to China, resulting in the highest Chinese investment in Malaysian
history," he said during his speech at the Majlis AmanatPerdanaMenteriKepadaPenjawatAwamNegri
Sembilan at Seremban City Council Hall here today.
Anwar said the Saudi Aramco Company from
Saudi Arabia previously also agreed to expand its investment in Johor.
"This is important, if there is no
investment, unemployment will increase, the economy will not grow, restaurants,
hotels and others will also be affected," he said.
Also present were Negeri Sembilan
MenteriBesar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew
Fook, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri MohdZuki Ali and
Director-General of Public Service Datuk Dr Zulkapli Mohamed.– BERNAMA
Source: nst.com.my
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--------
Govt to channel RM10 billion in sukuk
for Felda's 10-year recovery plan: PM
July 7, 2023
SERDANG: The government will channel a
total of RM10 billion in 'sukuk' for the Felda's recovery plans for a period of
10 years.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
said the allocation had been approved last month by the Finance Ministry to
ensure Felda's survival.
"We previously have the sukuk but
it was suspended by the previous government. However, I have signed the
approval (for the allocation) last month.
"This is to ensure Felda's survival
and recovery in the industry as a huge institution (that can help its
settlers)," he said during the national-level Felda Settlers' Day
celebration in MAEPS, today.
Last week, the government announced that
it will restructure Felda's debts through sukuk issuance and revolving credit.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister
said a large part of the restructuring plans involved reducing Felda's debt
with financial institutions.
He also said the restructuring would
help reduce Felda's costs against interest rates implemented and allow them to
abolish 80 per cent of settlers' loan, worth RM8.3 billion.
Following this, Anwar also pledged that
the government will restuctureFelda's financial position to ensure it could
abolish 80 per cent of its settlers' debt.
"As what was announced last week,
the government has also agreed to restructure Felda's financial position
through sukuk issuance and revolving credit in our effort to recover its
finances and allow the abolishment of 80 per cent of settlers' loan worth RM8.3
billion."
The prime minister also said Putrajaya
had pledged to prioritise Felda through the 2024 Budget which would be tabled
in October.
Anwar said the move to prioritise the
institution was to look after the people of Felda and their livelihood.
"I vow to review (the move to help
the settlers) through the 12th Malaysia Plan. (And) through this, we will
include Felda under the second Madani Budget in October as an effort to lift
the people's livelihood,"
Anwar also announced that the government
would provide special health incentives worth RM21.2 million for settlers aged
65 years and above.
"To ensure the their health are
taken care of, individuals aged 65 and above will be given RM300 each and this
incentive will benefit a total of 70,715 settlers.
"The government will also establish
a dialysis centre with an allocation of RM21 million for all Felda districts.
The centre is expected to benefit almost 2,000 patients from Felda who had to
travel up to two hours to get treatment."
Among others, Anwar also announced that
the government agreed to bear the operating costs of 37,012 street lights in
Felda districts nationwide, which involved RM7.7 million, as well as diesel
subsidy worth RM36 million to ensure smooth operations for matters of energy
and water treatment rations in Sabah.
The prime minister also vowed to resolve
the abandoned housing projects issue for the second-generation of Felda
farmers.
"Give me some time to discuss with
the (Plantation and) Commodities Minister as we need to check the cost.
However, I have agreed to consider (to resolve the issue)."
Also present at the event were Deputy
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Selangor MenteriBesar Datuk
Seri Amirudin Shari and Felda Chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.
Source: nst.com.my
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https://www.nst.com.my/news/government-public-policy/2023/07/928479/govt-channel-rm10-billion-sukuk-feldas-10-year-recovery
--------
Unity govt implements various
initiatives to improve people's economy - Fahmi
July 7, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: The unity government has
implemented various initiatives over the course of seven months to ensure a
better economy for the people, including increased allowances, education
assistance, internet access, and healthcare.
In a nearly four minutes video on the
first series of reports for the government's first seven months' performance,
the Unity Government's spokesman FahmiFadzil specified the 19 initiatives,
encompassing all segments of society, implemented by the government under the
leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"Insya-Allah, the Unity Government
will continue to ensure that the people of Malaysia receive more benefits
through other initiatives to be announced later," said Fahmi, who is also
the Minister of Communications and Digital.
The implemented initiatives include
improvements to existing assistance programmes and the introduction of new
initiatives aimed at reducing the economic burden of the people.
Following are the 19 initiatives
implemented by the Unity Government so far.
Living Allowance (ESH) for Public
Service Department (PSD) scholars increased from RM1,000 per month to RM1,100
per month.
Schooling Assistance increased to RM150
from RM100 previously.Free-ride pass for students and persons with disabilities
(PwD) using Keretapi Tanah MelayuBhd (KTMB) services.
Free-of-charge application for UPU
Online compared to RM15 previously.
E-wallet for youth (eBeliaRahmah)
increased from RM150 to RM200.Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR), rebranded as
Rahmah Cash Aid (STR), increased to up to RM2,500 from only up to RM1,800
previously.
Release of 130,000 individuals from the
bankruptcy list.Increased allowance for 35,000 KAFA teachers to RM1,100 per
month, compared to the previous RM1,000 per month.
Aid for Imam, bilal, toksiak, noja,
marbut, KAFA and takmir teachers increased to RM600 from only RM500
previously.Aidilfitri assistance for civil servants increased from RM500 to
RM700.
Aidilfitri assistance for government
pensioners increased from RM250 to RM350.The B40 group enjoys a discounted
broadband internet price of RM69 per month through the Unity Package, compared
to the previous RM89 per month.
Introduction of free medical services at
selected private clinics (MADANI Medical Scheme) and affordable insurance and
takaful with a minimum monthly premium of RM5 (RAHMAH Insurance Package and
RAHMAH Takaful Package).
Introduction of special-priced cooked
meals for as low as RM5 through Menu RAHMAH.
Discounts of up to 30 per cent for raw
and daily necessities through the MADANI Sales.
Monsoon aid for farmers increased from
RM600 to RM800.Introduction of special Aidilfitri assistance for padi farmers,
fishermen, and planters amounting to RM200.
For the first time, padi farmers receive
additional aid of RM250 per person from the distribution of the RM60 million
contribution from Padiberas NasionalBhd (Bernas).
For the first time, 30 per cent of
Bernas' profits are directly given to padi farmers, in addition to the monthly
RM200 assistance for three months, as well as subsidies and incentives for padi
prices, fertiliser and seeds. –BERNAMA
Source: nst.com.my
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https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/07/928538/unity-govt-implements-various-initiatives-improve-peoples-economy-fahmi
--------
PH to discuss Aminuddin's nomination for
state election - Anwar
July 7, 2023
SEREMBAN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim said Negri Sembilan MenteriBesar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun has proven
his credibility in leading the state government through investment achievements
over the past five years.
Anwar, who is also PakatanHarapan
chairman, is still puzzled about talks on whether Aminuddin, the incumbent of
the Sikamat state seat, will contest in this upcoming state polls.
"I'm happy with his performance and
satisfied with the implementation of state governance. Negri Sembilan is key in
terms of investment because it is located near Klang Valley and is very
strategic.
"The final discussion (Aminuddin's
as candidate) will be discussed with component parties, for now, he seems to be
the poster boy because he is the MenteriBesar," he told reporters after
delivering his message to Negri Sembilan civil servants here today.
Anwar was asked whether Aminuddin who is
also Negri Sembilan PH chairman will be contesting the coming state election.
In the 14th general election (GE14), PH
won 20 seats comprising DAP (11), PKR (six) and Amanah (three) while
BarisanNasional (BN) secured 16 seats, 15 of which by UMNO and one, MIC.
Meanwhile, Aminuddin believed he is
still enjoying the support for the Aug 12 state election.
"InsyaAllah I am still getting the
support," he said briefly when met by the media during lunch with Anwar at
Taman Ampangan, here.
In GE14, Aminuddin won the Sikamat seat
with a 3,413 vote majority to defeat three other candidates from BN, PAS and
independent.
The Election Commission has set the
state election in six states namely Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang,
Selangor and Negri Sembilan with Aug 12 as the polling day.
The nomination of candidates has been
fixed on July 29 while early voting is on Aug 8.– BERNAMA
Source: nst.com.my
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https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/07/928516/ph-discuss-aminuddins-nomination-state-election-anwar
--------
Africa
Labourer in Sharia Court for allegedly
stealing 9 packs of rubber toys
July 6, 2023
A 27-year-old labourer, AminuShuaibu,
was on Thursday docked in a Sharia Court sitting in Kano for allegedly stealing
nine packs of rubber toys worth N54,000.
The defendant, who lives in Kofarwaika
Quarters, Kano, is charged with theft.
The Prosecution Counsel, Insp Abdullahi
Wada, told the court that the complainant, KamiluMuktar, who resides in
Darmanawa Quarters, reported the matter at Fagge Police Station, Kano, on July
3.
Wada alleged that the defendant entered
the complainant’s store through the window and stole nine packets of rubber
toys worth N54,000.
The defendant, however, pleaded not
guilty to the charge.
The judge, Malam Umar Lawal-Abubakar,
admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N20,000 and adjourned the case
until July 21 for mention.
Source: dailypost.ng
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https://dailypost.ng/2023/07/06/labourer-in-sharia-court-for-allegedly-stealing-9-packs-of-rubber-toys/
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Muslims salute President on return from
Mecca
MUSLIMS in Zimbabwe have hailed the
Government for creating an enabling environment for them to practice ethos that
anchor their religion. At least 124 pilgrims returned home on Wednesday evening
from a 28-day sojourn in Mecca, Saudi Arabia where they took part in the annual
Islamic Hajj pilgrimage.
symbolises the ultimate faith journey to
the Kaaba (House of Allah) located in Mecca, which is also the direction of
worship by all Muslaimps,iis.one of the five pillars of the Islamic religion.
It mutsstabepundertaken by every adult
Muslim once in a lifetime provided they are physically and financially ready
for the commitment. Every nation can sendpa.qcuoota each year, and Zimbabwe was
represented by 124 pilgrims this year.
Theypalhlroeturned in high spirits at
the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on Wednesday.
Leadnereof=the group Mr Mahmoud Eid paid
tribute to the Government of Zimbabwe, led by President Mnangagwa, for ensuring
a conducive environment for w2o6rs3hi7p.
In a1co6u8nt3ry which is predominantly
Christian, other religions are freely sprouting, thanks to President Mnangagwaʼs policy of leaving no one and no
plac6e 7be9hi6nd.
“Bastic=alHlyeiverything went on very
well. We had no injuries, no missing people and no one lost anything.
“Eve+ryWoneewas listening to advice in
Saudi Arabia and it was very sound. We really represented the country in a good
way. Our Zimbabwean flag has
alwabyssbieten flying high there.
“Sauedi+ArSabian authorities also
appreciated Zimbabweansʼ discipline and good
behaviour.
“ThiosHratjj.h)ad over 4 million people
and Zimbabwe had 124 pilgrims,” said Mr Eid.
“We would like to appreciate the
Government of Zimbabwe for their work in facilitating for us to go there.
“You would obviously need a Government
like ours to facilitate for us to fulfil an important pillar of our religion. (/feed)
“We had pilgrims from across the country
represented and we would like to really salute the Government. It shows their
sincerity when it comes to
freedom of worship and association.
Mr Eid said everyone was happy although
the 28-day trip was not very easy to undertake.
(https://www.facebook.com/TheHeraldZimbabwe)
He said the pilgrims first went to Medina
before proceeding to Mecca on June 27 for the mighty gathering adding that all
of them prayed for the well-
being of Zimbabweans.
“Itʼs our country, we love this country
a lot and we also prayed for it.
“The Hajj is very important in our
religion. One has to perform it once in a lifetime.”
Source: herald.co.zw
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.herald.co.zw/muslims-salute-president-on-return-from-mecca/
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Nigeria confirms outbreak of deadly
diphtheria
07-07-23
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed 798 cases of diphtheria in Nigeria since
December 2022, resulting in one death.
In a recent statement, the NCDC
disclosed that 654 of the confirmed cases were among individuals who were not
vaccinated.
The outbreak has been reported in
multiple states, with Kano recording the highest number of cases at 782.
Children aged 2-14 years account for the majority of cases, and the case
fatality rate stands at 10%.
The NCDC emphasizes the importance of
vaccination in preventing diphtheria and highlights the need to improve
historical vaccination coverage, as less than half of children under 15 are
fully protected from the disease.
Source: africanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/07/07/nigeria-confirms-outbreak-of-deadly-diphtheria/
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South Africa gas leak death toll rises
to 17
The death toll from a toxic gas leak
linked to illegal mining has risen to 17, including three children.
The deaths occurred on Wednesday in the
informal settlement of Angelo in Boksburg, on Johannesburg's eastern outskirts.
Authorities believe the toxic nitrate
gas came from canisters kept in shacks within the settlement, used by illegal
gold miners who use the gas to separate gold from rock and dirt.
In addition to the 17 deaths, 10 people
were hospitalised, including a two-month-old baby, two 4 year-olds and a 9
year-old, according to officials. The three children who died were aged 1, 6
and 15.
Police on Thursday began the task of
finding evidence and removing remaining gas canisters they found.
Widespread illegal mining
Wednesday's incident is not a
stand-alone one, with fatalities linked to illegal mining all too common.
There are thousands of illegal miners in
South Africa, many of whom are from neighbouring countries such as Lesotho.
The miners go in search of precious
metals, stones and even coal in mines long closed off because they are no
longer deemed profitable.
In late June, at least 31 illegal miners
were found dead due to a gas explosion in an abandoned mine in Welkom, 250 km
south of Johannesburg.
Source: africanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/07/07/south-africa-gas-leak-death-toll-rises-to-17/
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Senegal: Sonko promises
"chaos" if his candidacy is prevented
Opponent OusmaneSonko on Thursday
promised elections in Senegal in "indescribable chaos" if his 2024
presidential candidacy is prevented, during his first speech since President
MackySall announced on Monday that he was not running for a third mandate.
"There will be no election in this
country, or else it will be in indescribable chaos if President MackySall wants
to prevent my candidacy through legal tricks," he warns in an interview on
the France 24 channel.
Mr. Sonko, President Sall's fiercest
opponent, was sentenced a month ago to two years in prison in a morality case.
This condemnation makes him in his current state ineligible. In early June, it
caused the most serious unrest in years in Senegal, killing 16 people according
to the authorities, and around 30 according to the opposition.
Mr. Sonko felt that Mr. Sall gave up a
third candidacy, “not because he is a democrat”, but because of “popular and
international pressure”. According to him, there is no reason to
"congratulate" him for this.
Despite the "relentlessness"
of power to eliminate him from the presidential race according to him, the
leader of Pastef said he was "ready to forgive", and even to
"forget" if he can participate in the election.
"We wish him (MackySall) to finish
this mandate in style and to be able to leave in serenity, he and his
family", he added, calling for "free", "transparent"
and "inclusive" elections.
He claimed that there is no
"official" or "unofficial" contact between him and the
president. He said he was ready "to make sacrifices" to
"appease" the country, but recalled that he would not discuss
"the knife at the throat".
Mr. Sonko has been blocked by the
security forces at his home in Dakar, "sequestered" according to him,
since May 28.
Source: africanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/07/07/senegal-sonko-promises-chaos-if-his-candidacy-is-prevented/
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Migrants accuse Tunisia of dumping them
on border
Tensions are rising dangerously in the
Tunisian port city of Sfax with the killing this week of a Tunisian reportedly
by migrants, reports of retaliation and mass expulsions, and testimony by
sub-Saharan African migrants who said security forces dumped hundreds of men,
women and children on the border with Libya.
Tunisian security forces put some
migrants in shelters to avoid vengeance attacks, while some 200 others headed
to the Sfax train station to escape to Tunis, the capital, according to Radio
Mosaique.
The fate of hundreds more was grimmer.
Migrants reported being taken to an
isolated beach near Libya's border with armed men from both countries on each
side.
A 29-year-old man from Ivory Coast said
he was among 600 sub-Saharan migrants caught in what he described as a
“no-man's land” between the Mediterranean Sea and the Tunisian-Libyan land
border near Ben Guerdane.
The man, who spoke to The Associated
Press in a video call and shared his GPS location via WhatsApp, said he was
intercepted Saturday evening _ two days before the death of the Tunisian _ as
he waited in a safe house to board a small boat to Italy.
More migrants were taken from their
homes in Sfax in the middle of the night in the following days, he claimed.
Sfax, on Tunisia’s eastern coast, is a
main departure point for migrants and refugees planning to cross the
Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
Thousands of people, mainly from
sub-Saharan Africa, have poured into the city to set out in unprecedented
numbers for dangerous crossings to Italy in small boats.
The name of the man, who said he entered
Tunisia legally in 2019 and worked on a golf course, is being withheld for
safety reasons.
Uniformed and armed men subsequently
transferred his group to several police stations and National Guard bases
before being dropped on the beach Sunday, he said.
The man spoke to the AP Wednesday and
Thursday surrounded by other Black migrants including women and small children.
He accused the Tunisian National Guard
of beating them and assaulting women in the group.
He also claimed that Libyan security at
the border fired shots into the air to keep them at bay.
A drone flew over them Thursday morning,
he added.
Hostility towards Black migrants in
Tunisia has been on the rise in recent months following remarks by Tunisian
President Kais Saied in which he ordered a crackdown on sub-Saharan Africans.
They also come at the heel of a series
of visits by European leaders pledging 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) in
financial aid to rescue the North African country's crumbling economy and keep
migrants from crossing the Mediterranean.
Source: africanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/07/07/migrants-accuse-tunisia-of-dumping-them-on-border/
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URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/sweden-quran-aftonbladet/d/130159