Thousands of Radical Islamists Rallied in Pakistan In Support of The Killer of a U.S. Citizen on Trial for Blasphemy
New Age Islam News Bureau
1
Aug 2020
• Behind Row
Over Pakistan ‘Gurdwara Conversion’, A Video and A Dispute That Began In 1880s
• Turks Hold
First Eid Prayers at Hagia Sophia Mosque
• Eid-ul-Adha:
Devotees Offer Prayers at Mosques, Many Stay at Home Over Fears of Coronavirus
• UK Parliament
Report Concerns Persecution of Ahmadi Muslims In Pakistan
• Sheikh Hasina
Urges All to Be Imbued with Essence of Eid-ul-Azha
• Twitter
Defends Allowing Iran’s Khamenei To Call for Genocide While Censoring Trump
• Turkey
‘Dreaming of Empire in Libya,’ Says Egyptian Strategist
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Pakistan
• Thousands of
Radical Islamists Rallied in Pakistan In Support of The Killer of a U.S.
Citizen on Trial for Blasphemy
• Behind Row
Over Pakistan ‘Gurdwara Conversion’, A Video and A Dispute That Began In 1880s
• Pakistan says
troops responded to Afghan fire at Chaman border 'only in self-defence'
• Tahaffuz-i-Buniyad-i-Islam
Bill: Jamaat asks Chaudhrys to continue consultation
--------
Mideast
• Turks Hold
First Eid Prayers at Hagia Sophia Mosque
• Supreme
Leader: American Nation, Not Others Main Enemy of US
• Palestinians
Celebrate Eid Al-Adha Amid Economic Woes
• US designates,
sanctions key ISIS financial supporter in Turkey: Treasury Department
• Turkey bans
writing of university dissertations in Kurdish
--------
India
• Eid-ul-Adha: Devotees
Offer Prayers at Mosques, Many Stay at Home Over Fears of Coronavirus
• PM Modi
Extends Greetings to Sheikh Hasina on Eid-ul-Azha
• Telangana
Congress Protests Across the State Against the Demolition of Two Mosques and A
Temple In The Secretariat
• Supreme Court
bats for opening temples, churches, mosques during Unlock phases
• Indian Army Jawan
killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in J&K's Poonch
• Jammu and
Kashmir terror hits drop, more terrorists dead
--------
Europe
• UK Parliament
Report Concerns Persecution of Ahmadi Muslims In Pakistan
• British MP
Under Pressure to Apologize After Blaming Muslims, Minorities For COVID-19
Spike
• UK government
wins appeal bid in ISIS bride Shamima Begum case
• Irish Muslims
perform Eid prayers on symbolic Croke Park pitch
--------
South Asia
• Sheikh Hasina
Urges All to Be Imbued with Essence of Eid-ul-Azha
• Taliban killed
580 civilians, wounded 893 others in first half of 2020: UNAMA
• Taliban’s
deputy shadow governor among 7 killed in Wardak province
• Afghan Army
says Pakistan shelling killed 9 people, orders to ready return fire
• Explosion in
Kabul city leaves at least 3 dead, wounded
--------
North America
• Twitter
Defends Allowing Iran’s Khamenei To Call for Genocide While Censoring Trump
• US bases in
Persian Gulf should be dismantled: Scholar
• Deaths of '300
Russians' in Syria sent warning to Moscow, Pompeo says
--------
Africa
• Turkey
‘Dreaming of Empire in Libya,’ Says Egyptian Strategist
• Families seek
justice for Sudan’s slain anti-Bashir coup plotters
• 9 Civilians
Die in Two Attacks in Northern Mozambique
--------
Arab World
• Saudi Arabia’s
King Salman Wishes Muslims a Blessed Eid al-Adha
• Qatar-Linked
Media Outlets in Rare Clash: Muslim Brotherhood Vs. Arabist Secularists
• Al Qaeda
gaining strength as terror fight focuses on ISIS
• For Hard-Hit Lebanese,
Eid al-Adha Traditions Are Now Just Too Costly
• Executed
Turkish general exposed misuse of Qatari funds for Syria extremists: Report
• This year’s
Hajj measures aim to protect the guests of God: Saudi Arabian King Salman
• Iraqi premier
calls early elections in June 2021, one year earlier than scheduled
• Report: Car
bomb in north Syria kills, wounds several people
• Iraq: Since
October, 560 Protesters, Police Died in Rallies
--------
Southeast Asia
• Malaysians
Start to Reject Traditionally Virulent Anti-Semitism, Scholar Says
• Muslims in
Malaysia celebrate Aidiladha in new normal amid Covid-19
• Muhyiddin:
Aidiladha reminder of patience, solace in navigating life’s hardships
• Indonesian
Muslims celebrate Idul Adha amid coronavirus pandemic
• Japan lacking
burial grounds for expanding Muslim population
• 12 dead as
Philippine troops battle militants in south
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/thousands-radical-islamists-rallied-pakistan/d/122519
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Thousands of Radical Islamists Rallied In Pakistan In Support Of The Killer Of A U.S. Citizen On Trial For Blasphemy
July 31, 2020
The gunman, Faisal Khan, was
taken into custody
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ISLAMABAD —
Thousands of radical Islamists rallied on Friday in north western Pakistan in
support of a man who earlier this week walked into a courtroom in the city of
Peshawar and gunned down a U.S. citizen on trial for blasphemy.
The American,
Tahir Naseem, died of his wounds before he could be taken to hospital while the
gunman, Faisal Khan, was taken into custody.
The U.S. State
Department said Naseem was standing trial after being "lured to
Pakistan" from his home in Illinois and entrapped by the country's
controversial blasphemy law, which international rights groups have sought to
have repealed. The U.S. statement did not elaborate on the circumstances in
which Naseem came to be in the South Asian country.
The blasphemy
law calls for the death penalty for anyone found guilty of insulting Islam. But
in Pakistan, the mere allegation of blasphemy can cause mobs to riot and
vigilantes to kill those accused.
"We are
shocked, saddened, and outraged that American citizen Tahir Naseem was killed
yesterday inside a Pakistani courtroom," read the State Department
statement, released on Thursday.
Pakistani
officials said Naseem was charged with blasphemy after he declared himself Islam's
prophet. Police in Peshawar, who originally identified him as Tahir Shameem
Ahmed but later corrected themselves, said he was arrested two years ago.
The assailant
was also initially identified incorrectly, as Khalid Khan. It was later learned
his real name is Faisal Khan. It wasn't clear how he managed to enter the
courtroom on Wednesday and get past security with a weapon.
"We urge
Pakistan to immediately reform its often-abused blasphemy laws and its court
system, which allow such abuses to occur, and to ensure that the suspect is
prosecuted to the full extent of the law," said the statement issued by
Cale Brown, the State Department's principal deputy spokesperson.
However, in
deeply conservative Pakistan, any attempt to even amend the blasphemy law to
make it more difficult to bring charges or abuse it has brought mobs out on the
street.
At the rally in
Peshawar, the demonstrators carried signs praising Khan for the killing,
calling for his immediate release from jail and saying he killed Naseem because
the government was too slow in prosecuting blasphemy cases.
"We are not
in favor of taking the law into our own hands, but Faisal did what the
government should have done two years ago," said Mufti Shahabuddin
Popalzai, who led the rally through the narrow streets of the old city.
Although
Pakistani authorities have yet to carry out a death sentence for blasphemy,
there are scores of accused on death row. Most are Muslims and many belong to
the Ahmadyya sect of Islam, reviled by mainstream Muslims as heretics.
Besides the
State Department, the U.S. Commission on International Freedom condemned
Naseem's killing.
"Pakistan's
blasphemy laws are indefensible to begin with, but it is outrageous beyond
belief that the Pakistani government was incapable of keeping an individual
from being murdered within a court of law for his faith, and a U.S. citizen,
nonetheless," Commissioner Johnnie Moore said in a statement.
"Pakistan
must protect religious minorities, including individuals accused of blasphemy,
in order to prevent such unimaginable tragedies," Moore said in the
statement.
The Commission
declared Pakistan a "country of particular concern" in its 2020
report released last month because of its treatment of minorities.
Religious
minorities in Pakistan are increasingly under attack even as Prime Minister
Imran Khan preaches a "tolerant" Pakistan. Observers warn of even
tougher times ahead as Khan vacillates between trying to forge a pluralistic
nation and his conservative Islamic beliefs.
A Punjab
governor was killed by his own guard in 2011 after he defended a Christian
woman, Asia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy. She was acquitted after
spending eight years on death row in a case that drew international media
attention. Faced with death threats from Islamic extremists upon her release, she
flew to Canada to join her daughters last year.
https://www.startribune.com/us-says-man-gunned-down-in-pakistani-court-was-american/571966512/
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Behind Row Over Pakistan
‘Gurdwara Conversion’, A Video and A Dispute That Began In 1880s
by Divya Goyal
July 30, 2020
Gurdwara ‘Shahidi Asthan’
----
India, earlier
this week, lodged a strong protest with Pakistan High Commission over attempts
being made to convert Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Bhai Taru Singh Shaheedi Asthan in
Naulakha Bazar of Lahore into a mosque. Political parties in Punjab and the
SGPC too raised objection. The reactions came after a video was shared on
social media in which a man from Lahore could be heard claiming that the
gurdwara site belonged to a mosque and it was ‘grabbed’ by the Sikh community.
The Indian Express explains origin of the gurdwara and the controversy that has
now erupted, having its roots in the pre-Partition dispute.
Who was Bhai
Taru Singh?
According to the
Encyclopedia of Sikhism published by the Punjabi University, Patiala, Bhai Taru
Singh was a pious Sandhu Jatt from village Puhla (now in Amritsar), who tilled
his land and spent his earning in helping Sikhs fighting against the Mughals.
It is believed then Lahore governor Zakariya Khan got Taru Singh arrested and
asked him to opt between Islam or death. When Taru Singh refused to convert, he
was brutally tortured and scalped.
It is believed
that he died on July 1, 1745 at the age of 25. At the spot where he is believed
to have been tortured, currently stands the Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Bhai Taru Singh
(Shaheedi Asthan). It is believed that Zakariya fell ill and died after
apologizing to Taru Singh, who died a few days after being scalped.
What is the
history behind the complex where the gurdwara stands?
The Shaheed Ganj
complex in Naulakha Bazar where the gurdwara stands is associated with four
‘historical’ shrines. These include the Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Bhai Taru Singh
(Shaheedi Asthan), Shaheed Ganj mosque (now non-existent), Darbar Hazrat Shah
Kaku Chisti (dargah) and Gurdwara Shahid Ganj Singh Singhnian, which stands at
some distance from the complex.
It is believed
that the mosque, which was allegedly closed after the British took over and
Sikh community won a court case, was built during the reign of Mughal emperor
Shah Jahan by one of his cooks and completed in early 1720s. “Subsequently, a
public square and the area around the mosque was allegedly used by the Mughals
to persecute and punish the Sikhs and people from other communities who would
refuse to convert. They were publicly executed. Taru Singh was also persecuted
here,” says Shahid Shabbir, a historian working on the Sikh history in
Pakistan.
The gurdwara
came up in the 1760s after the Bhangi Misl Sikh army conquered Lahore and it is
said that the prayers at the mosque were stopped after Sikhs took over. Later
the gurdwara, it is believed, also received a large jagir (land to maintain its
expenses) during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s reign. It is, however, unclear when
exactly the dargah came up.
A separate
Gurdwara Singh Singhnian also stands at some distance, commemorating martyrdom
of Sikh men and women who were martyred during Mughal rule in the 18th century.
So where exactly
was the mosque?
Even the
historians are unsure of where exactly the mosque stood and their assertions contradict
each other.
Pakistan-based
historian Shahid Shabbir claims that mosque structure was next to the the
Gurdwara Bhai Taru Singh Shaheedi Asthan. “There is clear evidence in the form
of photographs of a mosque being demolished in 1935 at the spot behind Shaheedi
Asthan. The domes of both structures are visible in them. Currently, the five
arches of the mosque are in ruins,” he claims.
However, Dalvir
Singh Pannu, author of ‘The Sikh Heritage: Beyond Borders’ believes that the
mosque was next to Gurdwara Singh Singhnian and had no relation to Shaheedi
Asthan. “The matter is sub-judice still and controversial but according to my
research, the mosque was next to Gurdwara Singh Singhnian and was taken over by
Sikhs after they won the case. It was not even a mosque and there is no proof
if any prayers were held there. The mosque apparently never had any link to
Bhai Taru Singh Shaheedi Asthan,” he claims.
But Shabbir
contradicts him. “At that time, all these structures were a part of one big
complex and Gurdwara Singh Singhnian did not even have a building. It was
renovated much later. Later after the British came, the roads were built and
the entire area was reorganized. The mosque was adjacent to Bhai Taru Singh
Shaheedi Asthan only and was demolished by the Sikhs after winning the case,”
he says.
Imran William,
another historian contradicts both of them. “There is no documentary proof
anywhere that a mosque existed at all. The five-arched structure next to Bhai
Taru Singh Shaheedi Asthan was claimed to be a mosque but it was never proved.
There is even a question mark on the historical value of the Darbar Hazrat Kaku
Chisti. It came up later in a structure which was originally a part of
gurdwara.”
“There is no
documentary proof anywhere that a mosque existed at all. The five-arched
structure next to Gurdwara Shaeedi Asthan was claimed to be a mosque but it was
never proved.”
All three
historians, however, agreed on one point. “The man in the video claiming that
he will take back the mosque land himself doesn’t know where the mosque was and
which land he is talking about.”
A senior Sikh
official from Pakistan told The Indian Express, “There is no architectural
evidence of any mosque now. The Darbar structure is historical but it wasn’t
originally a Darbar. It was part of gurdwara and has been converted into a
Darbar in past some years only. There used to be a thara (slab) at the spot of
Gurdwara Singh Singhania Singhnian where the Mughals executed Sikh women and
children. If at all, the mosque was near it. The gurdwara building came up
later but no one can pinpoint where exactly the mosque was.”
What was the
dispute between Sikh and Muslim community members over the mosque?
Historians say
that the dispute between Muslims and Sikhs started in 1880s during the British
rule.
Sikh community
started protesting and objecting over the existence of a mosque near the spot
where Bhai Taru Singh was martyred and soon the matter reached the court. “The
court ruled in the favor of Sikh community. The mosque was demolished on July
7, 1935 in the presence of British officials. It also led to communal tension
in Lahore. The photographs of British officials and Sikh protesters standing at
the site when walls and dome of the mosque were brought down were published in
leading dailies,” says Shahid Shabbir.
What is the
latest controversy over the gurdwara?
Recently, a
video surfaced on social media in which a local from Lahore, identified as
Sohail Butt Attari, sitting at the complex, could be heard passing remarks
while conversing with his friend, who was allegedly shooting the video.
Butt can be
purportedly heard passing remarks, referring to one Sikh person and claiming
land belongs to the mosque, saying: ‘Pakistan saada mulk, saade masjid utey
apna kabza saabit karde. Ikk saboot deyo saanu, assi dassde haan saboot hunda
ki hai. Pakistan baneya. 20 lakh Musalman ne jaanan dittiyan. Saada mulk
Pakistan musalman da. 600 saal da record iss jagah da saada bole. Ehna ney ohdo
vi badmaashi kitti tey hun 2020 vich vi badmaashi laare hai. (Pakistan is our
country, they are trying to prove that the land of mosque belongs to them. Give
one single evidence. We will tell them what the evidence is. Pakistan came into
existence after 20 lakh Muslims gave their lives. Pakistan is the country of Muslims.
600-year old land records say this land was ours. These people created mischief
then also and in 2020 they are doing same).
As the video
went viral, there were allegations that Pakistan was planning to convert the
gurdwara into a mosque.
What does the
Sikh community claim?
Dalvir Singh
Pannu further says, “The dispute started in 1880s when the mahants started
grabbing properties of Gurdwara Shaheedi Asthan and Gurdwara Shahid Ganj Singh
Singhnian. Later as the dispute progressed, a word came up in the documents
which said a ‘mosque’ also existed at the spot but it was actually found to be
‘Shaheed Ganj Dharamsala’ and it was only structured like a mosque. A case was
filed in the High Court but the Muslim community had no evidence to prove that
structure was a mosque.
The court also
ruled in the favor in Sikh community and its judgement said that even if the
place was used for Muslim community prayers since 1722, it wasn’t used as a
mosque after 1762 when Sikhs took control over it. So even if we don’t get into
whether it was a mosque or not, it was under the Sikh control since 1762 and
the court ruled in favor of Sikh community. Legally, the case was won by
Sikhs.”
What is the
claim of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) in Pakistan? What action has
been taken by it?
The ETPB has
claimed that it was an ‘individual act’ by a person to derail Muslim-Sikh
harmony in Pakistan and the body has shot off a letter to DIG Lahore demanding
an action against him. It has also claimed that the man wanted to grab a plot
situated in Landa Bazar, Lahore.
“Sohail Butt
Attari, a local resident of Lahore…so called focal person of Darbar Hazrat Shah
Kaku Chisti, has tried to defame Pakistan by uploading a fake propaganda video
against Sikh community of Pakistan. After the success of Kartarpur Corridor
project and appreciation of Pakistan at international level, multiple
conspiracies are being hatched to malign Pakistan at international level.
Sohail Butt and his associates are conspiring to provoke people against historical
gurdwara and occupy the attached vacant plot situated in Landa Bazar, Lahore,”
reads a letter written by Sanaullah Khan, secretary, ETPB, to DIG Lahore. Imran
Gondal, deputy secretary shrines, ETBP, told The Indian Express that “it was an
individual act by a person who has been arrested by Lahore police last night.
ETBP makes it very clear that there will be no tampering or any change at the
site of Gurdwara Shaheedi Asthan. It will remain the way it has been for
years.”
What is PSGPC
saying on the matter?
Satwant Singh,
president, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC), said, “The man
has been arrested and he has no supporters. He only wanted to derail
Sikh-Muslim harmony in Pakistan. The annual prayers at the historical gurdwara
will continue and ETPB has assured Sikh community that the site will not be
tampered with in any case.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/attempt-to-convert-gurdwara-into-mosque-in-lahore-how-a-pakistan-mans-video-reignited-row-that-began-in-1880s-sparked-mea-protest-6529890/
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Eid-ul-Adha:
Devotees Offer Prayers at Mosques, Many Stay at Home Over Fears of Coronavirus
August 1, 2020
Devotees wearing masks were
seen offering prayers at Jama Masjid in Delhi on Eid ul-Adha. (Photo: India
Today Photo)
------
Eid ul-Adha was
celebrated across the country on Saturday as Muslim devotees offered prayers at
mosques and homes while keeping social distancing in mind amid the raging
coronavirus pandemic.
As lockdown
rules have been eased in many parts of the country, many devotees were seen
offering namaz in mosques as well.
Devotees wearing
masks were seen offering prayers at Jama Masjid in Delhi on Eid ul-Adha. Many
people were also seen offering prayers at Delhi's Fatehpuri mosque.
In Punjab's
Amritsar, devotees offered prayers at Khairuddin mosque amid light showers.
Meanwhile,
security was heightened in East Delhi's Seelampur area, where protests broke
out against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with massive rioting in
December last year.
Minority Affairs
Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also offered "Namaz" at his residence on
the occasion of Eid ul-Adha and said he was offering prayers at home due to
coronavirus.
"Keeping in
view social distancing due to corona pandemic, today, I offered Namaz at my
residence on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha and prayed for prosperity, harmony,
unity, safety and wellbeing of the country," Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.
BJP leader
Shahnawaz Hussain also offered prayers at his residence on the occasion of Eid
ul-Adha due to Covid-19.
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi greeted people on the occasion of Eid al-Adha and wished for the
"spirit of brotherhood and compassion be furthered".
"Eid
Mubarak! Greetings on Eid al-Adha. May this day inspire us to create a just,
harmonious and inclusive society. May the spirit of brotherhood and compassion
be furthered," PM Narendra Modi tweeted.
President Ram
Nath Kovind also sent out greetings to the people on the occasion of Eid
al-Adha that is being celebrated across the world and in India.
"Eid
Mubarak! Idu'l Zuha symbolises the spirit of sacrifice and amity which inspires
us to work for the well-being of one and all. On this occasion, let us share
our happiness with the needy and follow social distancing norms and guidelines
to contain Covid-19 spread," President Kovind said on Twitter.
Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi also wished everyone on the occasion of Eid ul-Adha.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/eid-ul-adha-covid-coronavirus-india-prayers-namaz-jama-masjid-delhi-punjab-mukhtar-abbas-naqvi-1706664-2020-08-01
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UK Parliament
report concerns persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan
Aug 01, 2020
Ahmadi Muslims,
who played a pivotal role in the creation of Pakistan, are facing severe
persecution by the Pakistani government. This culminated in the events of 1974,
when Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto turned the anti-Ahmadi movement into
fully-fledged state-sponsored persecution. He enacted a 1974 Constitutional
Amendment specifically targeting Ahmadi Muslims, declaring them ‘not Muslims
for purposes of law and constitution’. It was a watershed moment in Pakistan’s
history.
A detailed
report by the All Party Parliamentary Group titled - 'Suffocation of the
Faithful: The Persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan and The Rise of
International Extremism', speaks of targeted attacks on the non-Muslim
community with particular emphasis on Pakistan.
Life has become
intolerable for Ahmadi Muslims living in Pakistan, and many have left Pakistan
and sought refuge in other countries. In Pakistan today, anti-Ahmadi Muslim
sentiment is as strong and violent as ever. Ahmadi Muslims have been denied the
right to vote in Pakistan, and their core religious texts and websites are
banned.
Under General
Zia-ul-Haq’s promise to 'ensure that the cancer of Qadianism (a derogatory term
for the Community) is exterminated', thousands of Ahmadi Muslims were charged
under these laws, and Pakistan developed a sickening culture of anti-Ahmadi
harassment, violence and murder.
Most infamously,
on May 28, 2010, two Ahmadi Muslim mosques in Lahore were attacked. 86 Ahmadi
Muslims and a Christian were massacred. Mobs of hundreds have attacked mosques,
the grave of Pakistan’s first Nobel Laureate has been desecrated, and the word
‘Muslim’ scrubbed from his tombstone.
"Despite
the persecution we face in Pakistan and the myriad of restrictions placed upon
us, Ahmadi Muslims continue to serve their nation with a spirit of love,
selflessness and devotion, as loyalty to one’s nation is an inherent part of
Islamic faith," the report quoted Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the leader
of the global Ahmadiyya community.
The APPG report
also requested the UK government to put pressure on Pakistan for removal of its
anti-Ahmadi laws.
In Pakistan,
Ahmadi mosques have also been targeted on grounds that Ahmadis cannot ‘pose’ as
Muslims, therefore they cannot pray as Muslims and their places of worship
cannot be called mosques or resemble mosques. As a result many Ahmadi mosques
have been sealed, attacked and even destroyed.
"If I call
Azan, I would be punished with three years’ imprisonment. If I call myself a
Muslim, I would be punished with three years of imprisonment. That law is still
intact in Pakistan. People have been charged for fasting in the month of
Ramadan, because by fasting in the month of Ramadan you are posing as a Muslim,
and hence serving a sentence of three years”. Mujeeb-ur-Rehman to the APPG
Inquiry.
The APPG Inquiry
heard that Ahmadi Muslims are denied the right to rest in peace after death.
Ahmadi families are routinely barred by local extremist clerics from burying
their loved ones at the local cemetery. As a result, many families are forced
to travel long distances to put their loved ones to rest.
The persecution
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the most severe in Pakistan. However, it
is worrying to observe that phenomenon has spread to different countries across
the world.
The APPG Inquiry
found extremist agendas and activity are filtering into the United Kingdom. It
heard how extremist clerics coming from Pakistan have been able to freely enter
the UK, to carry out fundraising activities and deliver inflammatory sermons at
events such as Khatme Nabuwwat conferences and promoting anti–Ahmadi
sentiments.
Ahmadi Muslims
have experienced discrimination in the UK. Many parents have told their
children not to make friends with Ahmadi Muslim children at school.
"The
Inquiry heard how Birmingham City Council's Standing Advisory Council on
Religious Education (SACRE) had refused membership for Ahmadis unless they
removed the word Muslim from their title. Similar sentiments were echoed in
other groups, such as the Waltham Forest interfaith forum in which Ahmadi
Muslims were not permitted to be registered as part of a group representing
local Muslims," the report added.
On March 24,
2016, Ahmadi Muslim shopkeeper – Asad Shah, was savagely attacked and stabbed
in broad daylight on the streets of Glasgow. He died from his injuries at Queen
Elizabeth University Hospital.
"The
Ahmadiyya mosque in Sialkot of Pakistan was torn apart by hand and it was
incited by a preacher who had come to the UK in 2014 and given a lecture here
at the Khatme Nabuwwat Conference. I’ve raised with the government that you
need to ban this guy from ever entering this country because he’s on video
inciting the mosque to be torn down piece by piece but I have not had a
response," said Fiyaz Mughal, to the APPG Inquiry.
In Bangladesh, a
suicide bomber detonated explosives during the Friday Prayer at a mosque in a
remote northern village in 2015 and wounding three members of the Ahmadiyya
Muslim Community. In May 2017, an Ahmadi Imam was brutally attacked at his
local mosque. Similarly, in 2019, extremists vandalized and torched houses
owned by Ahmadi Muslims to protest against the Jalsa Salana, the community’s
annual convention. Around 50 people were injured in co-ordinated attacks by
hardline Islamist groups.
https://zeenews.india.com/world/uk-parliament-report-concerns-persecution-of-ahmadi-muslims-in-pakistan-2299873.html
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Sheikh Hasina
Urges All to Be Imbued with Essence of Eid-ul-Azha
July 31st, 2020
'Allah tests
patience of human being in crisis. During this time, we will have to cooperate
with each other having endless patience with tolerant and sympathetic mindsets'
Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina has called upon the countrymen to be imbued with the
Eid-ul-Azha’s spirit of sacrifice to participate in welfare-oriented activities
to establish a discrimination-free, happy, prosperous and peaceful Bangladesh.
In a message
issued on Friday on the eve of the holy Eid-ul-Azha, she said the unique
instance set by Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) by sacrificing his dearest thing for the
satisfaction of Allah will be imitated and followed forever.
Through the
festival, the capable Muslims establish the bonding of sympathy and equality
among the mankind by distributing meat of their sacrificial animals among relatives
and neighbours, she added.
“Eid-ul-Azha
teaches us peace, sympathy, sacrifice and brotherhood. Let us establish a
happy, prosperous and peaceful Bangladesh, free from discrimination, by
participating in the welfare-oriented activities and realizing the essence of
Eid-ul-Azha,” the premier said.
She said this
time the Eid-ul-Azha is being celebrated in a crisis period as coronavirus has
made the entire world stagnant.
The prime
minister said her government is taking required measures to tackle the situation
and extend cooperation to the people.
2020/07/dt-electronics0-ib-1595919961143.gif
“Allah tests
patience of human being in crisis. During this time, we will have to cooperate
with each other having endless patience with tolerant and sympathetic mindsets,”
she said.
The premier
extended her heartfelt thanks to health workers, physicians, nurses, police,
administration, law enforcement agencies, armed forces, bankers and cleaners
and others who are providing continuous services to people during this crisis
period.
Besides, she
urged all to sacrifice their animals in designated places following health
guidelines properly.
The prime
minister also called upon all to celebrate the festival staying at respective
homes to check the spread of the deadly virus and offer special prayers to the
almighty for freeing the mankind from the pandemic.
She greeted the
countrymen and the Muslims in the world on the occasion and hoped that like
every year, the Eid will bring happiness and joy to all.
Sheikh Hasina
prayed to Allah for continued peace, progress and prosperity of the country and
Muslim Ummah on the holy day.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/07/31/pm-urges-all-to-be-imbued-with-essence-of-eid-ul-azha
--------
Twitter defends
allowing Iran’s Khamenei to call for genocide while censoring Trump
30 July 2020
Twitter is under
fire after defending its decision to allow Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
to call for genocide on the platform, while censoring tweets from US President
Donald Trump.
During an
Israeli parliament hearing on Wednesday, international human rights lawyer
Arsen Ostrovsky asked a Twitter representative why the company has recently
started flagging tweets by Trump, but not Iran’s Khamenei “who has literally
called for the genocide of Israel and the Jewish people” on the social media
platform.
“Foreign policy
saber-rattling on political economic issues are generally not in violation of
our Twitter rules,” answered Ylwa Pettersson, Twitter’s head policy for the
Nordic countries and Israel, via video conference.
“Calling for
genocide on Twitter is okay - but commenting on political situations in certain
countries is not okay?” replied Israeli parliament member Michal Cotler-Wunsh.
In May, Twitter hid a tweet by Trump, where the American president wrote that
looters at protests in Minneapolis would be shot.
Pettersson then
said that Trump’s tweet “was violating our policies regarding the glorification
of violence…and the risk that it could possibly inspire harm.”
“If a world
leader violates our rules, but it is a clear interest in keeping it on the
service, we may place it behind a notice that provides more context about the
violation and allows people to click through if they wish to see that kind of
content,” she added.
Meanwhile Khamenei’s
tweets comparing Israel to “a cancerous tumor” and advocating for fighting
Israel, whose “virus of Zionism will be uprooted” have not been censored by
Twitter.
Khamenei has
also tweeted a graphic “9 key questions about elimination of Israel,” which he
asserts that “armed resistance is the cure of this ruinous regime.”
In May, Khamenei
tweeted about Israel: “One cannot communicate with a savage enemy except by
force.”
So far, Twitter
has not censored any of the abovementioned posts by Khamenei.
The remarks by
the Twitter representative have caused a stir on the platform, with users
calling the differing policies towards Trump's and Khamenei's content a “double
standard.”
Republican
Senator Ted Cruz weighed in, saying that while Twitter censors “free speech of
many conservatives – including the President – the Ayatollah Khamenei’s account
remains active and is posting #antiSemitic tweets promoting genocide.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/07/30/Twitter-defends-allowing-Iran-s-Khamenei-to-call-for-genocide-while-censoring-Trump.html
--------
Turkey ‘dreaming
of empire in Libya,’ says Egyptian strategist
August 01, 2020
CAIRO: Egypt
will not be dragged into a Libyan war designed to break the Egyptian army, a
leading Cairo-based military strategist told Arab News.
Maj. Gen. Nagy
Shohood, a strategic expert and adviser at the Nasser Military Academy, accused
Turkey of intervening in Libya to further its dreams of a restored Ottoman
empire.
Ankara is
seeking to establish its presence in Libya by creating naval and air bases, and
is not working alone but also with the US and Russia, he added.
“Turkey has
established a base in Somalia, then Qatar, and then moved to Libya. Erdogan is
still dreaming of the Ottoman empire.”
Shohood said
that the region “is to be divided in one way or another,” as Europe and the US
approved plans announced by former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in
2005.
“Turkey is a
means of implementing this plan in both Syria and Iraq. Turkey is operating in
the region where sabotage is taking place and Syria has been divided by
ideology and tribalism through Turkey, which has not come to fight in Libya but
to coordinate and agree with other parties,” he said.
Shohood said
that Turkey is unlikely to take military action in Libya since it is difficult
to fight hundreds of miles away from its own territory.
“They are
achieving what they want with tenants who are working with Turkish expertise
and capabilities. A semi-permanent Turkish presence in Libyan air and naval
bases is required.”
Shohood said:
“The Libyan people will destroy these rules that are being established, but it
is up to them if they accept being slaves to the Ottoman empire once again.”
He said that
Egypt will not be dragged into making a decision that is not in the interest of
its people and the Egyptian armed forces.
“Egypt will not
be dragged into a war in the south or west, except after studying the situation
fully and making sure it is in the interests of Egyptian citizens,” he said.
Shohood said
that “caution and anticipation” are needed in dealing with the situation in
Libya.
The Egyptian
military must strike first and not wait to react in order to avoid a clash in
the region, he added.
“Some people are
hoping for a military clash between Egypt and Turkey,” Shohood said.
Turkey’s
expansionary aims have taken an ominous turn, moving beyond cultural and
economic projects and into the military arena, with an Ottoman troop presence
resurfacing in the Arab world after almost a 100 years.
The recently
opened Al-Rayyan military base in Qatar — the first military presence in the
Gulf region since the end of the Ottoman presence — is a springboard for these
ambitions.
On the other
side of the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey opened a military base on the Somali
coast, overlooking the strategic Gulf of Aden, in July 2016, at a cost of about
$50 million.
The Gulf of Aden
is the main gateway to the global oil trade. Construction of the base coincided
with an escalation in hostilities between Turkey and Egypt. The Gulf of Aden
and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait are the strategic entrance to Egypt’s Suez Canal,
so Turkey’s presence could put pressure on Egypt in future.
In addition, the
Turkish presence in the Horn of Africa represents the beginning of a possible wider
expansion on the continent, which possesses promising markets and an abundance
of investments.
Turkey’s
military activity has reached the north of the Arab world, with the Bashiqa
camp in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.
Construction of
the first Turkish military base in Syria — on top of the Sheikh Barakat
mountain near Aleppo — was completed last November.
Turkey’s entry
into the Libyan dispute, with a military intervention and armed militias from
Syria, confirms Ankara’s desire to restore the Ottoman empire.
The intervention
started with the Turkish parliament’s decision on Jan. 2 authorizing a Turkish
army deployment in Libyan territory.
Ankara began to
interfere using intelligence elements until it applied full force alongside the
Government of National Accord, headed by Fayez Al-Sarraj, in the face of the
Libyan National Army led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
The Turkish
intervention has upset the balance, as the Al-Wefaq government, with Turkish
support, managed to drive the national army out of the city to Sirte.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1712906/middle-east
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan says
troops responded to Afghan fire at Chaman border 'only in self-defence'
Naveed Siddiqui
31 Jul 2020
The Foreign
Office said on Friday that Afghan forces had opened "unprovoked" fire
on civilians gathered on Pakistan's side of the Friendship Gate border crossing
in Chaman a day earlier and the incident resulted in casualties after Pakistani
troops responded to the fire "only in self-defence".
On Thursday, at
least three people, including a woman, were killed and over 20 injured on the
Pakistan side in a clash between an unruly mob and security forces at the
Friendship Gate, while a heavy exchange of fire also took place between
Pakistani and Afghan security forces.
Subsequent
cross-border artillery fire by Pakistan killed at least 15 civilians in
Afghanistan, Afghan officials said, prompting Kabul to put its ground and air
forces on alert.
“If the
Pakistani military continues its rocket attacks on Afghan territory, they will
face retaliation by the Afghan army,” Afghanistan's defence ministry said in a
statement, according to Reuters.
In a statement
on Friday, FO Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said Afghan forces had
"deliberately targeted" people gathered to cross the border on the
occasion of Eidul Azha, which is being celebrated in Afghanistan on Friday
(today), due to "incomprehensible reasons".
She said
Pakistani troops deployed on the border posts were also simultaneously engaged
by Afghan posts, prompting Pakistani forces to retaliate to protect the local
population.
"It is
reiterated that [the] Pakistan Force did not open fire first and responded in
self-defence only," the FO spokesperson said.
According to
Farooqi, the Pakistan side immediately activated military and diplomatic
channels to de-escalate the situation and it was after "hectic
efforts" that the firing from the Afghan side stopped.
"This
unfortunate incident resulted in numerous casualties and deliberate/serious
damage to state infrastructure on the Pakistan side," she added, noting
that "there were, reportedly, unfortunate losses on the Afghan side as
well."
"All this
could have been avoided if fire had not been initiated from the Afghan
side," the statement said.
While noting
that the borders with Afghanistan were opened for pedestrian movement and trade
upon the request of Afghan authorities, the FO spokesperson said Pakistan stood
ready to "further enhance fraternal relations with Afghanistan in the
interest of peace and stability in the region".
"We hope
our constructive efforts will be reciprocated," she added.
According to the
governor of the southeastern Afghan province of Kandahar, Hayatullah Hayat, the
shells from the Pakistan side fell in residential areas of Spin Boldak and
women and children were among the deceased and wounded.
Speaking at a
press conference in the evening, Information Minister Shibli Faraz said the
Afghan and Pakistan government had agreed to open their border crossings for a
day to allow the supply of essential commodities earlier this month. The
borders were again closed ahead of Eid, due to which some people remained
unable to cross.
He said
Thursday's tension was caused after some "self-serving elements"
provoked the crowd on the Afghan side and some people tried to cross the border
forcefully while Afghan troops also opened fire during this time.
He said Pakistan
showed "reaction" after Afghan forces targeted border posts on this
side of the international border.
According to the
minister, Pakistan has been regulating the movement of people from across the
border to avoid infiltration of unwelcome persons and smugglers.
An official of
the Chaman administration, Zakaullah Durrani, told Reuters that the situation
on the border remained tense.
Meanwhile,
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani took to Twitter to share
images of the government properties allegedly set ablaze by the protesters
during the violence on Thursday.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1572170/pakistan-says-troops-responded-to-afghan-fire-at-chaman-border-only-in-self-defence
--------
Tahaffuz-i-Buniyad-i-Islam
Bill: Jamaat asks Chaudhrys to continue consultation
31 Jul 2020
LAHORE: The
Jamaat-i-Islami has asked the Chaudhry brothers to continue the process of
consultation on the Punjab Tahaffuz-i-Bunyad-i-Islam (protecting the foundation
of Islam) Bill 2020.
A delegation of
Jamaat-i-Islami headed by its secretary general Liaquat Baloch called on
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Husain and
Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi at their residence here on Thursday.
Liaquat Baloch
said Pervaiz Elahi hailed from a family that had a religious background and the
process of consultation on this bill should be continued.
Mr Elahi said
the process for consultation with ulema of all schools of thought would
continue and this bill would promote love and unity.
The Speaker has
been listening to the concerns of clerics from different schools of thought
regarding the passage of the Punjab Tahaffuz-i-Bunyad-i-Islam Bill.
Earlier,Shia
Ulema Council’s Allama Arif Wahidi called on Mr Elahi and expressed concern on
the Bill.
PML-N: PML-N
Punjab information secretary Azma Bukhari has said the month of August will be
the month of independence for the Pakistani nation from an incompetent person.
“Nawaz Sharif
tried to make Pakistan a true Pakistan of Quaid and Iqbal. Kalbhushan confessed
to carrying out terrorist attacks in Pakistan in front of the whole world, but
today the so-called patriotic PM Imran Khan is looking for a way out for
Kulbhushan,” she said in a statement issued here on Thursday.
“Fake dramas in
the name of accountability are being practiced in Naya Pakistan. It has caused
irreparable damage to the country. Those who chanted the slogan of Ehsaas have
sealed the NRO,” she said, adding more than a dozen NROs had been given in New
Pakistan. “Jehangir Tareen, Aleema Khan, Zulfi Bukhari, Khusro Bakhtiar are the
biggest benefactors of NRO,” she alleged.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1572073/tahaffuz-i-bunyad-i-islam-bill-jamaat-asks-chaudhrys-to-continue-consultation
--------
Mideast
Supreme Leader:
American Nation, Not Others Main Enemy of US
Jul 31, 2020
Ayatollah
Khamenei made the remarks in a live televised speech on Friday on the occasion
of Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice, and noted that the United States
should not look for enemies outside the country as its biggest enemy is inside
the country, namely the American nation.
He reiterated
that the Americans said last year and the year before that there would be a
‘hot summer’ in Iran, while they themselves are now suffering from ‘Hot
Summer”.
He also
emphasized that the current protests in the US are ‘fire beneath ashes’ that
will eventually destroy the ruling system.
Ayatollah
Khamenei went on to say that US circles admit failure to achieve their
objectives through maximum pressure on Iran.
“The US has
always sought to undermine Iranian morale since the advent of the Islamic
Revolution,” he stated.
The Supreme
Leader said although the US tries to suggest that the sanctions are against the
Islamic Republic Establishment, the truth is that they target the nation.
He descrbied
sanctions as a major crime against the Iranian and other nations.
Ayatollah
Khamenei noted that the sanctions pursue many objectives, but the main
objectives can be categorized in the short-term, mid-term, long-term and
side-objectives.
He said that the
enemies, as a short-term objective, have targeted the patience of the nation by
overestimating difficulties to make the public stand against the establishment.
"The
sanctions are also aimed at impeding Iran's scientific progress and also cause
the government to fail in economic field," Ayatollah Khamenei continued.
He further noted
that the sanctions intend to push the Iranian government to a state of
bankruptcy, as the long-term objective.
"The
enemies also seek the side-objective of undermining Iran's ties with resistance
groups across the region which they have surely failed to achieve,"
Ayatollah Khamenei said.
He stressed that
with this wave of sanctions, the enemies have simultaneously engaged in efforts
to distort facts, and added, “Once this distortion and falsifying fails, the
sanctions too will fail because this is a battle of wills.”
Pointing to the
current situation in the US, the Supreme Leader said, “The United States
suffering from social gap, dire economic, managmentl problems makes confusing
remarks on others to cover its own domestic problems.”
The United
States has been suffering mismanagement in dealing with the coronavirus
outbreak and its economic aftermaths. Also, the US cities have been the scene
of unrests ever since cops killed an unarmed Black man, George Floyd.
On Thursday it
was announced that the administration of President Donald Trump is sending additional
federal agents and funding to Cleveland, Milwaukee and Detroit, expanding a
program that has targeted Democratic-run cities facing increases in violent
crime.
The Department
of Justice (DOJ) announced the deployment of dozens of federal officers to the
three cities to assist local law enforcement as part of Operation Legend,
according to The Hill.
The
administration has already sent agents to Kansas City, Mo., and Chicago as part
of the program as Democratic leaders express reluctance about the government's
intentions amid clashes involving the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in
Portland, Ore.
"For
decades, the Department of Justice has achieved significant success when
utilizing our anti-violent crime task forces and federal law enforcement agents
to enforce federal law and assist American cities that are experiencing upticks
in violent crime," Attorney General William Barr said in a statement.
"The
Department of Justice’s assets will supplement local law enforcement efforts,
as we work together to take the shooters and chronic violent criminals off of
our streets,” he added.
The DOJ is
sending more than 25 federal investigators from the FBI, Drug Enforcement
Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF) to Cleveland to assist state and local law enforcement focused on gang
activity, gun violence and drug trafficking. The city's police department will
also receive $10 million to fund the hiring of additional officers.
Roughly 40
agents from the same agencies are being dispatched to Detroit to assist the
city's police department, including 11 new permanent ATF agents who will focus
on violent crime. The city will also receive $2.4 million to hire new officers.
The DOJ will
send another 25 agents to Milwaukee, which is set to host the Democratic
National Convention next month, to combat violent crime. The federal government
is providing $10.2 million to fund the hiring of officers in the Milwaukee,
Wauwatosa and Cudahy police departments.
The department
cited increases in violent crime in each of the cities, noting homicides and
shootings are up in all three places compared to 2019.
Trump last week
announced similar deployments of federal agents to Chicago and Albuquerque as
part of Operation Legend, which is named for a young victim of gun violence in
Kansas City. The administration has repeatedly invoked the program to argue
Trump is imposing law and order.
But the
operation has solely targeted Democratic-run cities thus far, and Trump has
repeatedly blamed local leaders for the rise in violent crime. He has
simultaneously warned that the problems would worsen if presumptive Democratic
presidential nominee Joe Biden were elected, even as the unrest is taking place
under Trump's watch.
Some Democratic
leaders have been reluctant to accept help from the Trump administration,
citing concerns over the federal government's involvement in Portland. DHS
dispatched Border Patrol and other agents to the city to guard a federal
courthouse, but demonstrators have reported that unidentified agents have
detained protesters and clashes have devolved into violence at times.
Trump on
Wednesday morning vowed that the federal presence would remain in Portland
"until they've secured their city".
The Associated
Press reported that the administration is in talks with state and local leaders
about drawing down the federal presence to deescalate the situation.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990510000267
--------
Palestinians
celebrate Eid al-Adha amid economic woes
31 July 2020
Palestinians
have celebrated Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice.
The day is
marked by gathering at mosques in the morning to take part in mass prayers.
People customarily sacrifice a goat, sheep, cow, or the likes. Palestinians get
together with family and friends to share meals and sweets.
However, Eid
al-Adha is different for Palestinians this year due to the economic woes.
Despite the fact
that the purchase of livestock normally goes up during Eid al-Adha, Palestinians
cannot afford it. The livestock market is declining, even more than the past
years. This has been caused by a high unemployment rate.
Palestinians say
a sluggish economy and extreme poverty are expected to take the joy out of the
Eid al-Adha holiday this year.
The finances of
Palestinians is getting worse every year. The Israeli blockade, which has been
in place for 14 years now, and the closure of borders of the impoverished
enclave are adding to the misery.
Palestinians are
welcoming Eid al-Adha this year while under immense pressure and suffering a
multitude of concerns.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/31/630832/Palestinians-Eid-al-Adha
--------
US designates,
sanctions key ISIS financial supporter in Turkey: Treasury Department
31 July 2020
The United
States has recently sanctioned a key financial supporter for ISIS inside
Turkey, according to a statement from the US Treasury Department.
Washington has
accused Turkey of “undermining” the fight against ISIS last year and sanctioned
two ministries and three senior Turkish government officials for a military
campaign against US-allied forces in Syria.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The Turkish
Government’s actions are endangering innocent civilians, and destabilizing the
region, including undermining the campaign to defeat ISIS,” the US Treasury
Department said at the time.
This week, the
Treasury Department announced the designation of two ISIS financial
facilitators in Syria and Turkey.
“This action
coincides with the thirteenth meeting of the Counter ISIS Finance Group (CIFG),
which includes over 60 countries and international organizations, and plays a
fundamental role in coordinating efforts to deny ISIS access to the
international financial system and eliminate its sources of revenue,” a
statement from the US agency said.
Treasury
Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the Trump administration was fully committed
to disrupting ISIS’s financial activities and networks. “Together, with our
CIFG partners, we must remain vigilant to ensure that the global remnants of
this terrorist group do not regain a foothold,” Mnuchin said.
Read more: ISIS
group used Turkish offensive in Syria to regroup: US report
According to the
Treasury Department, one of the ISIS supporters, Adnan Amin Muhammad al-Rawi,
was an ISIS facilitator in Turkey.
The statement
also said that the latest US designation was part of a series of actions since
2016, when “ISIS finance emir Fawaz Muhammad Jubayr al-Rawi,” was designated.
“Since then, Treasury has continued targeting other al-Rawi network members and
their associated entities for providing critical financial and logistical
support to ISIS,” according to the statement.
Jubayr al-Rawi,
in 2016, owned and operated a currency exchange business, which he used to
exchange currency between exchange houses in Syria and Turkey.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/31/US-locates-sanctions-key-ISIS-financial-supporter-in-Turkey-Treasury-Department.html
--------
Turkey bans
writing of university dissertations in Kurdish
July 31, 2020
ISTANBUL:
Turkey’s Council of Higher Education has banned students studying Kurdish
language and literature at Turkish universities from writing their
dissertations in Kurdish.
All
dissertations at Kurdish language departments will now have to be written in
Turkish.
The move is a
step back from the government’s previous efforts to provide Kurdish citizens,
who make up about a fifth of Turkey’s population, with an opportunity to
receive an education in their mother tongue. State schools have been offering
Kurdish as an elective language for the past seven years in a country where
Turkish is the only constitutionally recognized language.
Since 2013,
Kurdish studies were introduced at universities during the fragile and
short-lived “Kurdish peace process” that aimed to increase Kurdish cultural and
linguistic rights but which ended suddenly in 2015.
Kurdish language
departments previously received thousands of applications from university
students who wanted to have their education in Kurdish but numbers have now
dropped dramatically.
The decision
will influence four universities in Turkey that are allowed to open Kurdish
language and literature departments: Dicle University in the southeastern
province of Diyarbakir, Mardin Artuklu University, Bingol University and Mus
University.
“The collapse of
the peace process has resulted in such efforts to target Kurdish language whose
use has turned into a political leverage and a means of criminalization in
Turkey,” Roj Girasun, the head of Diyarbakir-based Rawest Research Center, told
Arab News. “However, education in the mother tongue was one of the core
campaign topics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2013 and in 2014 when he
was reaching out to Kurdish citizens in the southeastern provinces,” he said.
Girasun wrote
his undergraduate thesis in the Kurdish language and on the topic of Judaism in
the Kurdish oral culture at Mardin Artuklu University. However, he is now
obliged to write his master’s thesis in Turkish, which is not his mother
tongue.
“As political
tensions escalate domestically and regionally among Turks and Kurds, the
crackdown on the universities is mounting. The government doesn’t appoint
teachers to the Kurdish language departments of the universities, which
naturally discourages citizens from applying to those universities due to the
lack of qualified academic staff. What we are witnessing is the criminalization
of the Kurdish language,” Girasun said.
Esat Sanli, a
doctoral candidate at Dicle University, is another student who will be affected
by the decision.
“The decision
will directly target students willing to write history and culture-focused
dissertations. On the other hand, it will also have international
repercussions. Any dissertation that is written in Kurdish will be taken as a
lack of capacity of the student in linguistic skills,” Sanli told Arab News.
According to
Sanli, the decision will also be a disincentive for Kurdish students to
continue their academic career in the Kurdish language.
“There was a
significant interest in choosing these Kurdish departments simply for the
opportunity to write academic dissertations in their mother tongue. But now
these universities risk losing their appeal in the eyes of the students,” he
said.
A recent study
showed that only 18 percent of the 600 young Kurds surveyed — aged between 18
and 30 — could speak, read and write in Kurdish. The categorization of Kurdish
language as an “unknown language” by the judicial system is another
marginalization of the language, sometimes even criticized by government
officials.
Max Hoffman, a
Turkey analyst from the Washington-based Center for American Progress, said
that the Kurdish language was another front in Turkey’s culture war.
“Erdogan and the
ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost most of their Kurdish support
with the resumption of the PKK conflict and the accompanying harsh government
repression. Since July 2015, they have only intensified the crackdown,
including removing duly elected mayors from the HDP,” he told Arab News.
According to
Hoffman, just as Erdogan drove the Hagia Sophia controversy in the hope that
secular Turkey and the West would react — allowing him to pose as the defender
of the faithful — he is trying to use Kurdish language and culture as another
wedge to force the opposition to either defend Kurdish cultural rights, driving
away nationalist voters, or abandon Kurdish cultural rights, driving away
Kurdish voters.
“This move
should be seen as a sign of political concern about his right-wing, as well as
an attempt by the AKP to cause tension in the informal opposition electoral
alliance,” he said.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1712831/middle-east
--------
India
PM Modi extends
greetings to Sheikh Hasina on Eid-ul-Azha
Jul 31, 2020
DHAKA/
BANGLADESH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended greetings to his
Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.
In a letter to
Sheikh Hasina, he also lauded steps taken by Bangladesh to fight Covid-19 and
said India will remain available to support the country's efforts in any way
through capacity-building in the health sector.
"On the
occasion of Eid-ul-Zuha, I would like to extend my warmest greetings to the
people and government of Bangladesh," he said.
The Prime
Minister said the festival, which is also celebrated in several parts of India,
"reminds us of our deep historical and cultural links".
"We hope
that this festival will further enhance the spirit of peace and tolerance in
our respective societies and promote fraternal ties between our two
countries," he said.
"As both our
countries continue to deal with the Covid-19 situation, we appreciate the steps
being taken in Bangladesh under your able leadership. I am confident that
Bangladesh will tide over these challenging times. We remain available to
support your efforts in any way, including through capacity-building in the
health sector," he added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/pm-modi-extends-greetings-to-sheikh-hasina-on-eid-ul-azha/articleshow/77290490.cms
--------
Telangana
Congress Protests Across the State Against the Demolition Of Two Mosques And A
Temple In The Secretariat
Aug 1, 2020
Hyderabad:
Telangana Congress on Friday held protests across the state against the
demolition of two mosques and a temple in the secretariat. TPCC minorities
department chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail along with party members staged a
demonstration at Masjid-e-Qutb Shahi here after Friday prayers.
“CM K
Chandrasekhar Rao has committed a heinous crime by ordering the demolition of
places of worship in the secretariat just to satisfy his superstitious beliefs.
He has shown utter disrespect to the feelings of not only Muslims and Hindus,
but everyone who believes in the religion. He is acting as a ruthless ruler and
not as a democratically elected leader,” Sohail told reporters at the masjid.
He said there
was no question of accepting the CM’s offer of having a mosque constructed at a
different place in the new secretariat.
He demanded that
the CM tender an apology to people for demolishing the places of worship. He
said that KCR’s apology for the demolitionwas fake and misleading.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/cong-protests-demolition-of-mosques-and-temple/articleshow/77294307.cms
--------
Supreme Court
bats for opening temples, churches, mosques during Unlock phases
Jul 31, 2020
Witnessing
temple rituals through live streaming cannot be a substitute for a physical
visit to places of worship, the Supreme Court said on Friday, advocating
opening of temples, churches and mosques for the public during the Unlock
period on special occasions.
A three-judge
bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said that a limited number of devotees can
be permitted in temples during the Unlock period provided adequate safety
measures and social distancing guidelines are adhered to.
“E-darshan is no
darshan. Can’t you permit darshan by adhering to social distancing? During a
total lockdown things are different. But during Unlock period, when other
things are functioning, why can’t states manage temples. Temples, churches,
mosques should be opened at least on special occasions,” Justice Mishra
remarked.
The bench was
hearing a plea by Member of Parliament, Nishikant Dubey seeking a direction to
the state of Jharkhand and the central government to open Baba Baidhyanath
Jyotirlinga Temple at Deoghar and Baba Basukinath Temple at Basukinath to the
public and to further allow the ‘Shravani Mela’ devotees to offer prayers
during Hindi months of ‘Shravan and Bhado’.
The Jharkhand
government had opposed the plea citing the Covid-19 threat and the fact that it
would be streaming the temple rituals online.
The apex court
eventually did not pass any direction instead asking the Jharkhand government
to explore the possibility of allowing at least a few devotees to visit the
temple every day.
“While we are
not issuing any direction, we request the state government to find out the
possibility and work out a mechanism for allowing darshan (of the temple deity)
to the public. This shall apply to churches and mosques as well. Let efforts be
made by the state government in this direction,” the court said.
The Baidyanath
temple assumes special significance during the festival of Shravani Mela which
falls during July- August when devotees throng the temple carrying water from
the river Ganga to offer it to the deity at Baidyanath temple.
Dubey, who
represents the Godda constituency of Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha, had initially
approached the Jharkhand high court seeking permission to open the two temples
for devotees citing similar intervention by the Supreme Court in the Puri
Jagannath Rath Yatra in June.
The high court,
however, dismissed his plea on July 3 stating that allowing public to
congregate for the festival could seriously impact the Covid-19 situation in
the state.
“No such
direction for Shravani Mela will be appropriate to be passed taking into
consideration the spread of threat of Covid-19 virus which according to us, if
allowed, may cause great danger of widespread of infection of the virus,” the
high court said.
Dubey then approached
the Supreme Court on July 8.
During the
hearing on Friday, senior counsel Salman Khurshid and additional advocate
general Tapesh Kumar Singh, appearing for Jharkhand, told the court that the
state has arranged for online darshan of the temple and argued against opening
the temple to for the people.
“The state is
going through the Covid-19 crisis. Serum testing is happening now and depending
on the results, lockdown might be imposed,” Khurshid said.
Tapesh Kumar
Singh said that the lanes leading up to the temple are very narrow and it might
not be possible to ensure social distancing between people if the temple is
thrown open to devotees.
The bench,
however, said that the state should have made an effort to allow at least a few
hundred devotees on a daily basis.
“Is it the same
for churches, mosques. It is Eid, are mosques open? Why can’t it be permitted
adhering to social distancing,” Justice Mishra asked Khurshid.
“No, it will
become difficult with overcrowding,” Khurshid replied.
The petitioner’s
counsel, Samir Malik pointed out that though the Baidyanath temple is not open
to public around 30,000 pandas (pilgrimage priests) are allowed inside the
temple.
The state
government said that only a limited number of pandas are allowed inside the
sanctum sanctorum of the temple though there is no restriction on them in the
temple premises.
“We are alarmed
by this,” the court noted while ordering the state to make arrangements to
avoid entry of large number of pandas so as to avert a spurt in Covid-19 cases.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/supreme-court-bats-for-opening-temples-churches-mosques-during-unlock-phases/story-ylTWf89oA9WJbXhCDAGY4I.html
--------
Indian Army
jawan killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in J&K's Poonch
Aug 1, 2020
POONCH: An
Indian Army soldier was killed in a ceasefire violation by the Pakistan Army in
the Balakot sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Saturday, police
said.
More details of
the incident are awaited.
On Wednesday, an
Army porter was killed in an unprovoked ceasefire violation initiated by
Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Baramulla by firing mortars and
other weapons, according to Chinar Corps, Indian Army.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/indian-army-jawan-killed-in-ceasefire-violation-by-pakistan-in-jks-poonch/articleshow/77297123.cms
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Jammu and
Kashmir terror hits drop, more terrorists dead
Aug 1, 2020
NEW DELHI:
Terror-related violence in J&K till July this year was two-third of the
levels witnessed during the corresponding period of 2019, and the number of
terrorists killed in the first seven months of 2020 is already nearing the
figure for entire 2019.
As per data
accessed by TOI, 120 violent incidents were recorded in J&K till July 15
this year, down from 189 in the corresponding period of 2019. Of these, 69
related to cross-firing and encounters initiated by the security forces while
21were grenade attacks, 22 random firing by terrorists and one IED blast. In
2019, till July 15, there were 81cross firing/encounters, 51 grenade attacks,
60 IED blasts and 43 random firings by terrorists.
Security forces’
fatalities fell to 35 till July 15, 2020 from 75 in the same period last year.
There has been little change in civilian killings (22 this year) though
injuries to civilians fell by 75%. Law and order incidents too have fallen by
74% from 389 till July 2019 to 102 till July this year.
“The only thing
that has risen are ceasefire violations: from 267 till July 2019 to 487 in the
corresponding period of 2020. However, infiltration attempts have fallen by
almost 50% over this period,” DGP Dilbag Singh told TOI.
As many as 141
terrorists were neutralised till July this year (the number till July 30 has
gone up to 150), as compared to 131 till July 31 last year. In entire 2019, 157
terrorists — 125 local and 32 foreign—were killed as there were negligible
encounters in the months following nullification of Article 370 in J&K on
August 5.
Of the 141
terrorists neutralised this year, 109 were killed between April and July, with
the number peaking at 49 in June. In 2019, 25 terrorists were killed in June.
Importantly, 88%
or 124 of the 141 terrorists killed this year were local Kashmiris, while 17
were foreign terrorists. Also, 108 terrorists were killed in south Kashmir
alone — 37 in Shopian, 36 in Pulwama, 21 in Kulgam and 14 in Anantnag.
Local terror
recruitment cases fell by 36% to 80 till July 2020 from 124 till July 2019.
Many of these recruits have already been neutralised.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir-terror-hits-drop-more-terrorists-dead/articleshow/77295361.cms
--------
Europe
British MP under
pressure to apologize after blaming Muslims, minorities for COVID-19 spike
July 31, 2020
LONDON: A
British MP is facing demands for an apology after he blamed a spike in
coronavirus cases in the UK on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME)
communities.
Craig Whittaker,
the Conservative member of parliament for Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, in
the north of England, suggested the “vast majority” of people from these
groups, and in particular Muslims, are “not taking (coronavirus) seriously
enough.” He did not provide any evidence to back up his claims.
His comments
drew heavy criticism, with the opposition Labour Party calling on him to
apologize for the “disgraceful” and overtly racist comments, Sky News reported.
Whittaker, whose
constituency is one of those affected by a targeted lockdown announced by the
UK government on Thursday night, was speaking during an interview on radio
station LBC.
“What I have
seen in my constituency is that we have … sections of the community that are
just not taking the pandemic seriously,” he told host Ian Payne.
When pressed to
clarify whether he was referring specifically to the Muslim community, he
responded: “Of course. If you look at the areas where we’ve seen rises and
cases, the vast majority — not by any stretch of the imagination all areas — it
is the BAME communities that are not taking this seriously enough.
“I’ve been
challenging our local leaders for … three weeks, asking what we are doing to
target these areas to let people know that this is still a very serious
problem. Until people take it seriously, we’re not going to get rid of this
pandemic.”
He added: “It’s
not just the Asian community, of course. We have areas of high multiple
occupancy, when you have multiple families living in one household. That just
doesn’t specifically have to be in the Asian community but that is the largest
proportion. Look at all the areas. You’ve got Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees:
Bradford and Kirklees have two of the largest populations in West Yorkshire.”
Payne then asked
Whittaker: “So we’re talking immigrant communities, are we?” to which Whittaker
replied: “We are. Immigrant and Asian population.”
UK prime
minister Boris Johnson was under pressure yesterday to take action over the
comments.
Marsha de
Cordova, the Labour Party’s shadow women and equalities secretary, said:
“Disgraceful and overt racism from this Tory MP blaming Black, Asian and
minority ethnic people, the very people whose lives and livelihoods have been
the worst hit by COVID-19. Boris Johnson must condemn this comment and take
action.”
However, when
Johnson was asked whether he agreed with Whittaker’s assertion, he said: “I
think it’s up to all of us in government to make sure that the message is being
heard loud and clear by everybody across the country, and to make sure that
everybody is complying with the guidance.”
Critics refuted
Whittaker’s claims, pointing out that the areas of the UK with the highest
rates of infection are predominantly white.
The Muslim
Council of Britain described the MP’s comments as a “shameless scapegoating of
minorities.”
It added: “It is
utterly unacceptable and Mr Whittaker should apologize. Mosques and Muslim
institutions have gone above and beyond to ensure social-distancing rules are
observed, and initiated unprecedented education campaigns to ensure they are
upheld by families.
“It’s one thing
to discuss health inequalities and challenges with intergenerational households
and occupational hazards — and these factors being prevalent in certain groups.
“It’s quite
another to make baseless allegations claiming certain groups aren’t taking the
pandemic seriously, especially when these claims are contradicted by a local
director of public health.”
Asked later
whether he believed he was right to make his comments, Whittaker told the Press
Association: “We have come from a situation where the infection rate was very
low and we have seen spikes in those areas, but not exclusively to those areas.
“What else could
I say? The reality is, this pandemic has not gone away, we have seen spikes in
these areas, something is happening.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1712846/world
--------
UK government
wins appeal bid in ISIS bride Shamima Begum case
Jul 31, 2020
LONDON: The UK
government on Friday won permission to appeal against a court ruling allowing
London-born ISIS bride Shamima Begum to return to Britain to challenge
stripping of her British citizenship.
Bangladeshi-origin
Begum, now 20, was one of three schoolgirls who fled London to join ISIS in
Syria in 2015.
The UK Court of
Appeal ruled that the case must go ahead to the Supreme Court before she is
allowed back into the country because the case raised a point of law of public
importance that only the highest court can resolve.
Sir James Eadie,
representing the Home Office, told the court there was a "big issue at
stake" in the case, to decide what should happen when someone cannot have
a fair appeal over being stripped of their citizenship as a "result of
going abroad and aligning with terrorist groups".
He said it was
"an issue of real pressing public importance" which was "perhaps
the central democratic issue of our times".
Lady Justice
King, the head of the panel of three judges at the UK Court of Appeal, which
includes Indian-origin Lord Justice Rabinder Singh, allowed the permission to
appeal and also said that they are separately referring ‘The Sun' newspaper to
the Attorney General because of a potential contempt of court in publishing a story
about the previous High Court judgment in the case earlier this month, allowing
Begum re-entry for her legal fight in the UK, before it was announced in court.
The judges also
granted Begum's lawyers permission to challenge a decision that the absence of
a fair and effective appeal over the citizenship decision did not necessarily
mean it should be restored, subject to the Supreme Court accepting that part of
the case.
Earlier in July,
Begum won the right to return to the UK and carry on her legal fight against
the government's revocation of her British citizenship on security grounds.
Begum was one of
the three schoolgirls who fled London to join ISIS in Syria in 2015. The Court
of Appeal judges ruled that she must be allowed to re-enter and fight her case.
"Fairness
and justice must, on the facts of this case, outweigh the national security
concerns, so that the leave to enter appeals should be allowed," they
earlier said.
The judges also
said that the national security concerns about her "could be addressed and
managed if she returns to the United Kingdom".
The UK Home
Office had earlier said the decision was "very disappointing" and
that it would apply for permission to appeal.
Begum, who was
15 years old when she secretly fled her home in east London in 2015 to join the
terrorist group in Syria, is living in a camp run by Kurdish forces in northern
Syria. The UK Court of Appeal said she had been denied a fair hearing because
she could not make her case from the camp.
A special
British immigration tribunal ruled in February that she was a Bangladeshi
citizen by descent which meant that she had not been rendered homeless by
former UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid's decision to revoke her British
citizenship in 2019.
Begum had been
tracked down in northern Syria in February last year by ‘The Times' newspaper,
when she was nine months pregnant with her third child, who later died. Javid
stripped her of citizenship soon after on the grounds that she could claim
Bangladeshi nationality through her parents.
His successor as
the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, also backed that decision and ruled out the
prospect of her return to the UK.
“We cannot have
people who would do us harm allowed to enter our country – and that includes
this woman,” said Patel, in reference to Begum, who had pleaded with the
authorities to allow her to return to her family in the UK.
Under UK law, a
person can legally have their citizenship revoked but they cannot be made
stateless. The UK government maintains that Begum has access to Bangladeshi
dual citizenship through her parents, even though the Bangladesh government has
since denied any such rights.
Begum left the
UK in February 2015 and lived under ISIS rule for more than three years. She
became known as a so-called ISIS bride because she was married to Yago Riedijk,
a Dutch ISIS fighter, soon after arriving in Syria.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/uk-government-wins-appeal-bid-in-isis-bride-shamima-begum-case/articleshow/77291173.cms
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Irish Muslims
perform Eid prayers on symbolic Croke Park pitch
July 31, 2020
DUBLIN: Irish
Muslims performed prayers to mark the festival of Eid Al-Adha on Friday in
Dublin’s Croke Park Gaelic sports stadium, a site of historic importance for
Irish nationalists who always had a deep connection with the once dominant
Catholic Church.
Around 200
Muslims laid out prayer mats on the pitch usually used for the national sports
of Gaelic football and hurling and where in 1920 British troops opened fire on
a crowd, killing 14 people during Ireland’s War of Independence.
Irish President
Michael D. Higgins described it as an important moment in Ireland’s narrative.
Leaders of Catholic, Protestant and Jewish faiths attended and spoke at the
event, which was broadcast live on television for the first time.
With Muslims
unable to hold large gatherings in mosques due to Covid-19 social distancing
rules, Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri, chair of Irish Muslim Peace & Integration
Council, approached the management of Croke Park, who he said did not hesitate
to offer the venue.
He got the idea
after an Ikea store in Germany allowed Muslims to use one of its car parks for
Ramadan prayers.
“Today this Eid
prayer is sending a very strong message out to the whole world, that Ireland is
indeed a country of céad míle fáilte,” he told the gathering, using the Irish
language greeting translated as ‘100,000 welcomes’.
“No matter how
different you are, once you come and you live here and become part of the
society, this island of Ireland has this great, unique ability to adopt you.”
A series of
sexual abuse scandals shattered the credibility of the Catholic Church which
dominated Irish society for decades after its independence from Britain.
Ireland has since experienced sweeping social change, including the
introduction of abortion and gay marriage in recent years.
The Catholic
Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, told celebrants that there was something
special about recognizing publicly the Muslim community’s place “as an integral
part of the family of the Irish” in Croke Park.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1712766/world
--------
South Asia
Taliban killed
580 civilians, wounded 893 others in first half of 2020: UNAMA
28 Jul 2020
The United
Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released its latest report
regarding civilian casualties during the first half of 2020, attributing the
majority of civilian casualties to anti-government armed militants.
UNAMA said in
its report “Anti-Government Elements (AGE’s) continued to be responsible for
the majority of civilian casualties, with UNAMA documenting a disturbing
increase in civilian casualties attributed to the Taliban from pressure-plate
improvised explosive devices, as well as from abductions that led to
ill-treatment and summary executions.”
The report
further added that a total of 58 per cent of civilian casualties were caused by
AGE’s, with the Taliban responsible for 1,473 (580 killed and 893 injured)
representing 43 per cent of the total number of civilian casualties in the 1
January-30 June 2020 period.
Meanwhile, UNAMA
said civilian casualties attributed to Afghan national security forces
increased by nine per cent, mainly due to airstrikes and the use of indirect
fire during ground engagements. “Civilian casualties from airstrikes by the
Afghan Air Force during the first six months of 2020 have tripled as compared
to the same time period in 2019. Afghan national security forces were
responsible for 23 per cent of the total number of civilian casualties in the
first half of the year, 789 people (281 killed and 508 injured). Pro-Government
Forces remained responsible for most child deaths.”
UNAMA did not
document any civilian casualties attributed to international military forces
from active hostilities during the second quarter of 2020.
According to
UNAMA the first half of 2020 witnessed fluctuating levels of violence impacting
civilians in Afghanistan, which resulted in 3,458 civilian casualties (1,282
killed and 2,176 injured).
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-killed-580-civilians-wounded-893-others-in-first-half-of-2020-unama-08991/
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Taliban’s deputy
shadow governor among 7 killed in Wardak province
28 Jul 2020
The Afghan
forces killed the deputy shadow governor of Taliban for central Maidan Wardak
province of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
According to a
statement released by MoD, the Taliban militants were planning to launch an
attack on security posts in Nerkh district of Maidan Wradak province.
However, the
Ministry of Defense said the Afghan forces launched pre-emptive operations to
prevent the attack and killed at least 7 militants during the operation.
The statement
further added that preliminary indicate the deputy shadow governor of Taliban
was among 7 Taliban militants killed during the operation.
The Afghan
forces also destroyed a Dshk heavy machine gun of the group during the
operation, the Ministry of Defense added.
The Taliban group
has not commented in this regard so far.
https://www.khaama.com/talibans-deputy-shadow-governor-among-7-killed-in-wardak-province-08990/
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Afghan Army says
Pakistan shelling killed 9 people, orders to ready return fire
Jul 31, 2020
KABUL: The Afghan
Army has been ordered to prepare for retaliatory fire against the Pakistani
military after cross border shelling killed nine Afghan civilians and left 50
others wounded, media reported.
According to
Afghan broadcaster Tolo News, citing a Defense Ministry statement, an overnight
artillery attack targeted residential areas in the Spin Boldak district of the
Kandahar province on the Afghan border with Pakistan.
The Afghan
Army's Chief of Staff, Yasin Zia, ordered the Air Force and several special
forces units to prepare for what it said were similar actions, Tolo reported.
Meanwhile,
dozens of Afghans wounded in the attack are being treated at a Kandahar
hospital.
Doctors said
some of the wounded are children, and some of the wounded are in critical condition.
Eyewitnesses of
the incident said that seven members of one family were killed in the attack
and a child from the family was wounded and is being treated at Kandahar
hospital.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/afghan-army-says-pakistan-shelling-killed-9-people-orders-to-ready-return-fire/articleshow/77280824.cms
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Explosion in
Kabul city leaves at least 3 dead, wounded
28 Jul 2020
An explosion in
Kabul city left one person dead and two others wounded, the officials in Kabul
Police Headquarters said.
Ferdaw Faramuz,
a spokesperson for Kabul Police Headquarters, confirmed the incident and said
an explosion ripped through a police vehicle at around 7:15 am local time.
According to
Faramurz, the explosives were planted in a police vehicle which went off in the
outskirts of 4th district of Kabul city.
He also added
that the explosion left a security officer dead and two others wounded while
the police vehicle was totally damaged.
No individual or
group including Taliban has so far claimed responsibility for the incident.
https://www.khaama.com/explosion-in-kabul-city-leaves-at-least-3-dead-wounded-08992/
--------
North America
US bases in
Persian Gulf should be dismantled: Scholar
31 July 2020
US military
bases in the Persian Gulf region are meant to intimidate and threaten countries
it considers to be enemies; they should be dismantled and the American military
personnel sent home, according to Dennis Etler, an American political analyst
who has a decades-long interest in international affairs.
In an interview
with Press TV on Friday, Etler, a former professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo
College in Aptos, California, Etler said, “Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles during normal military drills off the
strategic Hormuz Strait. According to Press TV, the Corps staged the strikes
against the life-size replica of a Nimitz-class US aircraft carrier, which the
American navy usually sails into the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.
The drills featured missiles, vessels, drones, and radars, and were designed to
practice both offensive and defensive missions.”
“Sources say
that US military personnel stationed at the al-Dhafra base in the UAE and
al-Udeid air base in Qatar were placed on alert during Iran's exercises and
stayed within bunkers during their duration. The maneuvers highlight the fact
that the US has military bases in the immediate vicinity of Iran based in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Qatar. US bases in the Persian Gulf
region are a direct threat to Iran. They are there not to protect US allies but
to confront and contain Iran and give their surrogates cover and freedom of
action in the Persian Gulf region to pursue their own interests,” he added.
“In fact, the
bases have been used by the US to launch direct military attacks against Iran.
The drone that struck a convoy in Iraq that killed Iranian General Soleimani
was launched from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. This was an act of war by the US
against Iran and Qatar, by allowing use of its territory for US aggression, is
directly implicated. US bases in the Persian Gulf region are meant to
intimidate and threaten country's it considers to be enemies. There is no
legitimate reason for their presence. They should be dismantled and their
military personnel sent home,” he concluded.
The Navy of
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has said the IRGC’s ongoing drills
simulate actual warzone engagement with real enemy forces and are meant to send
across a message of warning to those potentially seeking to undermine the
country’s security.
The IRGC said
its forces will spare no sacrifice in defending the achievements of the Islamic
Revolution as well as the Iranian nation and the Islamic establishment.
In a statement
released at the end of large-scale IRGC drills in Iran’s southern waters,
codenamed Payambar-e A’zam (The Great Prophet) 14, on Thursday, the public
relations department of the IRGC said the elite force will take resolute action
to defend the country’s interests and will spare no sacrifice to this end.
The statement
hailed that the exercise had achieved its predetermined goals, adding that the
exercises "ended successfully with implementation of all [determined]
sequences and combined operational drills across the land, sea, air, and
space.”
The IRGC also
enumerated some of the “elaborate operational drills” carried out during the
event, such as unprecedented firing of ballistic missiles from underground
launch facilities, destruction of enemy radar facilities, and successful firing
of coast-to-sea and sea-to-sea missiles that led to destruction of enemy
warships.
The maneuvers,
which enlisted the IRGC’s Aerospace Division and Navy, spanned the general area
of the Hormozgan Province, west of the strategic Hormuz Strait, and the Persian
Gulf.
They saw the
IRGC staging “all-out and multilayer” strikes against the life-size replica of
a Nimitz-class US aircraft carrier. The IRGC’s servicemen began the episode by
destroying the mock carrier’s accompaniment with coast-to-sea fire. State
television aired footage showing the damage caused to the model vessel
following the operational juncture, and the IRGC commandos’ rappelling onto it.
The drills have
been monitored by Iran’s first military satellite Nour (Light)-1 that was
launched by the Corps into orbit in April. Simultaneously, the satellite
relayed a high-resolution vivid image of al-Udeid Air base in Qatar that is
reportedly the largest US base in West Asia.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/31/630817/US-bases-in-Persian-Gulf-should-be-dismantled
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Deaths of '300
Russians' in Syria sent warning to Moscow, Pompeo says
31 July 2020
US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo says the deaths of "300 Russians” in Syria sent a
warning to Moscow, as he defended the administration as tough on President
Vladimir Putin.
Pompeo came
under fire at a Senate hearing over President Donald Trump’s statement that he
had not raised with Putin accusations that Moscow paid the Taliban bounties to
kill US troops in Afghanistan.
"I don’t
think there’s any doubt in the mind of every Russian leader, including Vladimir
Putin, about the expectations of the United States of America not to kill
Americans,” Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"I can promise
you that the 300 Russians who were in Syria and who took action that threatened
America who are no longer on this planet understand that, too,” he said.
Pompeo did not
specify an incident but there have been multiple reports that US airstrikes
killed Russians in February 2018 near the Syrian town of Khasham.
Russia sent
troops to Syria in 2015 on the official request of President Bashar al-Assad
and had largely avoided direct clashes with the United States, which sent
troops and launched airstrikes without any UN mandate or Syria’s permission.
Trump, in an
interview this week with Axios, said that US intelligence did not think the
account of Russian bounties in Afghanistan was real and that he never raised
the issue with Putin.
Last year, Trump
insisted that the US military presence in Syria is "only for the oil”,
contradicting his own officials who had insisted that the remaining forces were
there to fight Daesh.
Following
Trump’s earlier insistence that his administration was solely interested in
"keeping” Syrian oil, the US military deployed mechanized military units
to oil fields in the east of the country.
Meanwhile,
Russia has said a series of drone attacks on its military bases in Syria would
have required assistance from a country possessing satellite navigation
technology, apparently the United States.
Russia’s forces
at the Hemeimeem air base and a naval facility in Tartus have repeatedly come
under drone strikes. Russia’s defense ministry has said data for the attacks
could only have been obtained "from one of the countries that possesses
knowhow in satellite navigation”.
Russian forces
in the past have noted a "strange coincidence” of US military intelligence
planes flying over the Mediterranean near the two Russian bases at the moment
of the attack.
Syrian, Russian
and Iranian sources have also repeatedly reported on US troops coordinating
their assaults with Takfiri terrorists and American airlifting of senior Daesh
militants during crucial battles.
Syria has
recovered major territory from terrorists in Syria, but its troops and their
allies in the conflict are frequently attacked by the US, Israel and
foreign-backed militants in a bid to stop further army advances.
Last month, US
warplanes flew dangerously close to an Iranian passenger plane and harassed it
over an illegal American military base in Syria’s al-Tanf.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/31/630805/Deaths-of-300-Russians-in-Syria-sent-warning-to-Moscow-Pompeo-says
--------
Africa
Families seek
justice for Sudan’s slain anti-Bashir coup plotters
August 01, 2020
KHARTOUM/CAIRO:
After decades of searching for their loved ones’ remains, the families of slain
Sudanese officers who attempted a coup against strongman Omar Bashir are
demanding the killers be held accountable.
Since the 1990
attempt, they have endured intimidation, arrests and beatings — but Bashir’s
ouster in April 2019 spurred hopes that they could finally receive justice.
Last week,
investigators looking into crimes during the strongman’s 30-year rule found the
bodies of the 28 officers dumped in a mass grave in the city of Omdurman.
The coup attempt
came just months after Bashir overthrew the democratically elected government
of Sadiq Al-Mahdi in 1989.
The attempt to
oust him was thwarted and the officers were immediately executed.
“We have been
searching for their graves for 30 years. It was a heinous crime. There was no
trial, no investigation and they were executed only 24 hours after their
arrest,” said Awatef Mirghani, the sister of one of the officers, Esmat.
“They were all
dumped in a single grave, still wearing their uniforms. It was a violation of
human dignity,” she said, choking back tears.
In her Khartoum
house, Fathiya Kembal keeps at a framed photo of her husband, Bashir Abudeik,
in uniform and flashing a broad smile.
The photo, taken
as he attended training in the US, bears a black band on one side as a sign of
mourning.
It was April 22,
1990 when the couple and their children gathered at a friend’s house for iftar,
an evening meal to break the fast during Ramadan.
Abudeik later
drove his family to her father’s house, where “he said he would be busy for two
days.”
The following
morning, she woke up to the news of a coup attempt.
She rushed to a
nearby military base to check on her husband. At the gate, she met some of her
husband’s colleagues, who avoided her gaze.
“They knew he
would be killed,” the 61-year-old lawyer said.
The news of her
husband’s execution, along with other coup plotters, was announced on the
official Radio Omdurman the next day.
“It was a
massacre. (Abudeik’s killing) was an extrajudicial execution,” she said.
The families of
the slain officers quickly united to call for justice and find the bodies of
their loved ones.
“Our movement
was formed in the spur of the moment and has never stopped since with women —
wives, sisters, mothers — at its core,” said Kembal.
As they sought
answers, they faced a heavy-handed crackdown.
Their protests
outside government buildings were violently broken up by security forces.
Many were
arrested or banned from civil service jobs. Some were forced into exile.
But their movement
found a ray of hope as nationwide protests erupted against Bashir in December
2018, mainly triggered by economic hardship. The families joined the
demonstrations, including the protest camp outside army headquarters in
Khartoum.
They issued a
booklet saying the officers had sought “to restore the democratic rule Bashir
had overthrown, win the release of political detainees and bring those who
undermined the constitutional order to trial.”
The officers’
bodies have yet to be exhumed, but the families hope their memories will be
honored.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1712896/middle-east
--------
9 Civilians Die
in Two Attacks in Northern Mozambique
By Andre
Baptista, Sirwan Kajjo
July 30, 2020
CABO DELGADO,
MOZAMBIQUE/WASHINGTON - At least nine civilians were killed in new attacks
carried out by Islamist insurgents in the restive province of Cabo Delgado in
northern Mozambique, local sources said.
The attacks on
the districts of Mocimboa da Praia and Macomia of Cabo Delgado on Wednesday
forced the local population to flee their homes, seeking safety in nearby
woods, residents told VOA.
A group of armed
men “hooded with Islamic handkerchiefs” invaded the village of Tandacua in
Macomia, searching for food, according to a local resident.
The insurgents
“arrived around 6 in the evening [local time], so many residents fled the
village,” the resident, who declined to give his name, told VOA.
“When we
returned the next day, we found eight dead people who were beheaded,” the
resident said, adding that “the security situation is getting more
complicated.”
On Tuesday,
Islamist militants entered the district of Mocimboa da Praia, killing one
civilian at a flour mill before seizing food and livestock.
The insurgents
“entered Mocimboa da Praia twice this week,” said Zunaid, a Mocimboa da Praia
resident who gave only his first name.
“After they
killed a man on Tuesday and left, they went in again [on Wednesday] to steal
more food,” he told VOA.
“All residents
are in the woods out of fear,” Zunaid said, noting that “there are more
military personnel than the local population, but al-Shabab [militants] still
come in and attack us.”
IS links
Since 2017,
militant attacks on civilians and government security forces in Cabo Delgado
have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced over 210,000 others, according
to the United Nations.
Locally known as
al-Shabab, Ahlu Sunna wa Jama is the main militant group responsible for these
attacks in northern Mozambique. It is considered to be the Mozambique affiliate
of the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
However, Eric
Morier-Genoud, a Mozambique expert at Queen’s University Belfast, says there is
little “evidence that the Islamic State is behind this group, which radicalized
its positions in the face of many existing inequalities” in the Muslim-majority
province.
“The group has
approached the Islamic State, but it has little influence yet,” he told VOA,
adding that the extent of the connection between the local militant group and
IS “basically has been an exchange of information up to now.”
In April 2019,
IS declared its so-called Central African Province, known as ISCAP. Attacks
attributed to its Central African Province affiliate have been limited to
Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Increased
attacks
In recent months,
militants have stepped up their attacks in Cabo Delgado, leading experts to
predict that the conflict will likely continue for a long time.
Murade Murargy,
former executive secretary of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries
(CPLP), says he doesn’t “believe a solution to the conflict in Cabo Delgado
will be reached in the short term, but in the medium or long term.”
The Mozambican
diplomat told reporters this week that the insurgency in the northern
Mozambican province “is beyond the religious question, but it has an economic
aspect as well.”
Cabo Delgado is
a gas-rich region where major international oil and gas companies, including
ExxonMobil and Total, have several investment projects.
Transnational
insurgency
Observers say
that some of the militants fighting in northern Mozambique are allegedly
Tanzanian nationals. Tanzania, which borders Cabo Delgado to the north,
recently deployed troops to the border area to prevent a spillover of the
unfolding violence in the Mozambican province.
Mozambican
officials, however, believe they need to tighten their borders to stop the flow
of foreign fighters into the country.
“Those who
attack us, burn our houses and destroy the infrastructure are based outside the
country,” said Bernardino Rafael, commander-in-chief of the Mozambican Police,
without naming any countries.
They “enter
through our borders, which we have to close so that the terrorists do not enter
and those who enter do not leave,” Rafael said during a recent speech in the
capital, Maputo.
Murargy also
asserted that militants have been penetrating Cabo Delgado by sea and across
the border with Tanzania.
South Africa is
reportedly preparing to deploy troops to Mozambique to help combat the
insurgency in Cabo Delgado, the online newspaper Carta de Mocambique reported
Thursday. South African and Mozambican officials, however, have not made
official comments on the matter.
In May,
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi called on regional governments to support his
country in driving out the jihadists.
VOA’s Alvaro
Andrade from Washington and Ramos Miguel from Maputo contributed to this
report.
https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/9-civilians-die-two-attacks-northern-mozambique?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1404716_
--------
Arab World
Saudi Arabia’s
King Salman wishes Muslims a blessed Eid al-Adha
31 July 2020
Saudi Arabia’s
King Salman wished Muslims around the world a blessed Eid al-Adha holiday on
his official Twitter page.
“I congratulate
everyone on the blesse Eid al-Adha. May Allah [grant us another Eid where we
will be in] good, blessings, health, and wellness,” King Salman said.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“We also ask
[God] to accept the pilgrimage of those who completed Hajj, and [to accept]
Muslims’ prayers, and to remove the coronavirus pandemic in our countries,” he
added.
Muslims around
the world are celebrating Eid al-Adha on Friday. The holiday marks the end of
the annual Hajj pilgrimage and the commemorates the willingness of Prophet
Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God.
Saudi Arabia’s
King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud was discharged from hospital after receiving
treatment, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/07/31/Saudi-Arabia-s-King-Salman-wishes-Muslims-a-blessed-Eid-al-Adha.html
--------
Qatar-linked
media outlets in rare clash: Muslim Brotherhood vs. Arabist secularists
30 July 2020
Over the past
three days, social media saw a rare dispute between Qatari-linked media
organizations, including Al Jazeera, Al Araby TV, and Mekameleen, with media
figures from the organizations criticizing each other.
The dispute
started with Qatar-linked AlAraby Television’s negative coverage of Turkey’s
transformation of the Hagia Sofia museum into a mosque, including a post by
AlAraby blogger Bilal Fadl that had two pictures; one of them shows Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hugging a Turkish singer with the caption “all year
long,” and the other one shows Erdogan praying in Hagia Sofia with the caption
“before the exam.”
AlAraby’s
coverage, especially the picture, drew criticism from many, but the most
striking one came from a presenter in the Mekameleen TV, a Qatari-linked Muslim
Brotherhood Egyptian television station that broadcasts from Turkey.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The presenter,
Mohammed Nasser, went live on Facebook and made unprecedented comments about
Azmi Bishara, who is considered a policymaker in almost all Qatari-linked media
organizations, but most closely linked to AlAraby.
“Azmi Bishara is
a nationalist spy. Azmi Bishara hates all things related to Islam. Azmi Bishara
was raised by Zionists when he was a member of the Knesset,” Nasser said.
“I just want to
ask Qatar’s Emir Tamim: What do you see in Azmi Bishara? You give him money, a
research center, and a journal that doesn’t even sell,” Nasser added. “Azmi
Bishara hates all our channels, al-Sharq, Mekameleen, and al-Watan, because all
three of them combined are running with a budget less than that of AlAraby’s
food buffet and toilet.”
Nasser, along
with his colleagues in Mekameleen, is based in Turkey, a possible reason for
lashing out at Bishara after the negative coverage of the Turkish president,
whose country hosts the three Muslim Brotherhood-linked Egyptian media
organizations.
Another critique
of AlAraby’s coverage was one of Qatari-owned Al-Jazeera’s prominent
journalists, Ahmed Mansour, who tweeted saying: “A movement of heretics and
atheists has succeeded, with direct support from their peers, in sneaking into
effective positions in some TV stations, newspapers, and websites.”
Mansour did not
namely point at AlAraby but continued to say: “They are promoting heresy as
freedom, atheism as a point of view, offending religion as criticism, and swear
words on the [prophet’s] companions as a way of reading history. We have to
crush those heretics with our shoes.”
Replying to
Mansour’s tweet was AlAraby’s presenter Wael Tamimi, who wrote: “‘Crushing’ is
not a word to be used by a media figure. A journalist’s tools are his pen,
word, and idea – not ‘shoes’ that ‘crush’. These outrageous views only
originate from an ideology of eliminationism and extremism, which leads to
seeing the other as an enemy that should be silenced. Journalism is innocent of
this nonsense.”
Bishara also
separately tweeted a comment on the matter, acknowledging the other
Qatar-linked media organizations as “allies” and describing the situation as
“sad.”
“If opponents
were busy turning any disagreement with their objective allies – in the fight
against tyranny – into an enmity without rules, if jealousy was more important
than politics, if enmity took over morals, and if their alternative for tyranny
was ‘us’ and not a democracy, then tyranny is lucky to have them. This is sad,”
Bishara tweeted.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/07/30/Qatar-linked-media-outlets-in-rare-clash-Muslim-Brotherhood-vs-Arabist-secularists.html
--------
Al Qaeda gaining
strength as terror fight focuses on ISIS
Nicky Harley
July 30, 2020
Tackling
extremist online terrorist messages must remain a priority for security
services as ISIS continues to pose a threat, according to an EU crime report.
The EU Internet
Referral Unit (IRU) report for 2019 said that Al Qaeda had gained followers
because counter-terrorism efforts were focused on ISIS.
“Propaganda
disseminated online by both ISIS and Al Qaeda – although less readily
accessible thanks to disruptive action carried out jointly by EU member states
and the EU IRU – continues to inspire and incite lone attacks by individuals
who have no physical connections to either group,” the report said.
“Combating the
terrorist groups’ media reach, limiting their ability to carry out attacks, and
attributing online terrorist offences through heightened international
co-operation should therefore remain a priority.”
The report,
which was published by the European crime agency Europol, said ISIS launched a
media campaign and sent 15 videos from June to September last year. They showed
fighters renewing their allegiance to former leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.
A second media
campaign was co-ordinated in the aftermath of the declaration of Amir Mohammed
Al Mawla as the group's new leader and included endorsements from ISIS
provinces.
Al Mawla
replaced Al Baghdadi after his death in a raid by US Special Forces in October.
The US
Department of State placed Al Mawla on its Specially Designated Global
Terrorist list with a $10 million (Dh36.7m) bounty.
ISIS also
released short mobile phone videos of women and children in Syria’s Al Hol
camp, a displacement and refugee centre for families from ISIS-controlled
areas, pledging allegiance to the group.
A campaign by
Europol last November resulted in the removal of thousands of ISIS messages and
accounts on social media network Telegram.
“The takedown
action co-ordinated by EU member states and Europol resulted in an extensive
eradication of pro-ISIS accounts, channels and groups from Telegram,” it said.
“Official as
well as supportive ISIS media outlets and groups are still struggling to
rebuild their networks online, with efforts continuing across several platforms.”
The report
revealed said Al Baghdadi’s death had little effect on the group's ability to
draw followers and said its “emphasis on being a state” could undermine its
credibility.
“Its propaganda
has attempted to show that it remains a threat, albeit a de-territorialised one
but one that could regroup in the future,” the report said.
“Furthermore, Al
Baghdadi’s death did not deal a significant blow to the group. More than Al
Baghdadi, it is the idea of the caliphate that will continue to attract potential
sympathisers. However, ISIS’s emphasis on being a state along with its
continued inability to realise territorial governance could undermine its
credibility in the long run.”
The report urged
nations to be aware of the Al Qaeda threat and said the terrorist group had
become more resilient.
“While
counter-terrorism attention was focused on ISIS, Al Qaeda was patiently
strengthening its network of affiliates, from West Africa to South-East Asia,”
it said.
“Al Qaeda’s
ability to ingratiate itself locally has made the organisation more resilient.
Furthermore, Ayman Al Zawahiri’s leadership, which many have termed
uncharismatic, lends Al Qaeda the benefit of continuity.”
However, it
said, competition between the groups could undermine them.
“The future of
Al Qaeda and ISIS will be largely defined by the competition between the two.
One key question is whether this competition will evolve towards more
confrontation or whether some alliances will be forged – at least in some
regions, such as have been reported in West Africa,” it said.
“One of the
reasons for this competition, which has been played out on social media, is due
to the similarity in ideology and ultimate objectives.”
Europol’s
concentrated action last November resulted in "a significant portion of
key actors within the ISIS network on Telegram" being "pushed away
from the platform".
Telegram said
5,055 terrorist accounts and bots were removed from its platform during the
operation.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/al-qaeda-gaining-strength-as-terror-fight-focuses-on-isis-1.1056441?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1404716_
--------
For hard-hit
Lebanese, Eid al-Adha traditions are now just too costly
31 July 2020
On the streets
of Tripoli, Lebanon’s second biggest city and one of its poorest, there are no
signs of festivities for Eid al-Adha this year, no decorations or twinkling
lights. There’s no electricity anyway.
Only a large
billboard welcomes visitors at one of the city’s entrances. “We’re broke,” it
says.
The Muslim
holiday usually spells large family gatherings replete with mutton cuts, sweets
and gifts.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
But with
Lebanon’s economy imploding, leaving many hungry, and fuel shortages causing
daily blackouts, there is little to celebrate. Soaring prices mean few can
afford Eid traditions.
Meat prices are
just too high
Many butchers’
shops in Tripoli, once buzzing with customers, were closed this week.
Meat prices are
just too high for most people, forcing them to forgo the Eid custom of
slaughtering sheep or lambs to share among family and donate to the needy as
alms.
“What Eid? Look
around you, does this look like a market at Eid to you? Where are the people?”
said Um Tarek, a mother of five, at the central souk.
Her husband owns
a sweet shop but now barely manages to put food on the table. They will be
lucky if they can buy a watermelon for Eid. “We’ve only had it once this
season,” she said.
“It used to be
that you had to elbow your way in through this market over Eid,” said Ghazi
Arnaout, whose family’s shoe shop has been around for six decades. He plans to
shut it down after the festival.
Hatem Abulashra,
a livestock merchant, had few customers for this year’s holiday. The price of a
lamb has gone up more than eightfold since last year.
“My farm is full
of sheep but there is no one buying. What good is that?” he said. “Even my own
family is not eating meat.”
For Iman al-Ali,
whose blind husband had to sell his vegetable cart, it was already tough to get
by before the crisis wiped out the daily manual labor they relied on.
They had to move
with their eight children into the tiny storage room of a building, and
nowadays all she can do is hope they don’t starve.
“They keep
asking me for new clothes,” she said. “But we just can’t.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/07/31/For-hard-hit-Lebanese-Eid-al-Adha-traditions-are-now-just-too-costly.html
--------
Executed Turkish
general exposed misuse of Qatari funds for Syria extremists: Report
31 July 2020
The Turkish army
executed a senior general within its ranks after he had discovered the
embezzlement of illicit Qatari funding for extremists in Syria by public
officials, according to a 2019 court testimony unveiled in a report by the Nordic
Monitor.
Semih Terzi, a
general within the Turkish army, was executed on the night of the 2016 Turkish
coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The new
allegations unveiled in court testimonies from a hearing March 20, 2019at
Ankara 17th High Criminal Court were made by Col. Fırat Alakuş, an army officer
working within Turkey’s Special Forces Command’s intelligence section.
According to the
Nordic Monitor, Terzi is said to have been executed after discovering that Lt.
Gen. Zekai Aksakallı, in charge of the Special Forces Command at the time, was
working covertly with Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) “in
running illegal and clandestine operations in Syria for personal gain while
dragging Turkey deeper into the Syrian civil war.”
“[Terzi] knew
how much of the funding delivered [to Turkey] by Qatar for the purpose of
purchasing weapons and ammunition for the opposition was actually used for that
and how much of it was actually used by public officials, how much was
embezzled,” Col. Alakuş was quoted as saying by the Nordic Monitor via his
court testimony.
The Nordic
Monitor said in its report published on Friday that Alakuş testified that
Aksakallı had run a gang outside of the chain of command within the Turkish
intelligence that was involved in illicit activities.
The report
further alleged that Terzi was aware of public officials involved in
oil-smuggling operations with ISIS from Syria.
“[Terzi] was
aware of who in the government was involved in an oil-smuggling operation from
Syria, how the profits were shared, and what activities they were involved in,”
Alakuş said in his testimony.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/07/31/Executed-Turkish-general-exposed-misuse-of-Qatari-funds.html
--------
This year’s Hajj
measures aim to protect the guests of God: Saudi Arabian King Salman
31 July 2020
Saudi Arabia’s
King Salman bin Abdulaziz said on Friday that the world is going through
exceptionally hard times, adding that the number of pilgrims was limited this
year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Hajj
measures this year aim to protect the guests of God from the virus,” said the
Kingdom’s Minister of Media Majid al-Qasabi on behalf of the King.
The King also
said that this year’s Hajj required the state’s apparatus to double the
efforts, thanking everyone who was involved in coordinating the holy ritual.
King Salman also
wished Muslims around the world a blessed Eid al-Adha holiday on his official
Twitter page.
“I congratulate
everyone on the blesse Eid al-Adha. May Allah [grant us another Eid where we
will be in] good, blessings, health, and wellness,” King Salman said.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“We also ask
[God] to accept the pilgrimage of those who completed Hajj, and [to accept]
Muslims’ prayers, and to remove the coronavirus pandemic in our countries,” he
added.
Muslims around
the world are celebrating Eid al-Adha on Friday. The holiday marks the end of
the annual Hajj pilgrimage and the commemorates the willingness of Prophet
Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God.
Saudi Arabia’s
King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud was discharged from hospital after receiving
treatment, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/07/31/This-year-s-Hajj-measures-aim-to-protect-the-guests-of-God-Saudi-Arabian-King-Salman.html
--------
Iraqi premier
calls early elections in June 2021, one year earlier than scheduled
01 August 2020
Iraqi Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi says he will hold early parliamentary elections
next June, a year earlier than scheduled, doubling down on a promise he made
when he came to power to meet a key demand of anti-government protesters.
“June 6, 2021,
has been fixed as the date for the next legislative elections,” the premier
said during a televised speech on Friday, stressing that everything would be
done in a bid to “protect and ensure the success of these polls.”
In a statement
shortly released following the speech, the United Nations mission in Iraq
hailed Kadhimi’s announcement, saying the move would promote “greater stability
and democracy.”
Mass protests
swept over the capital Baghdad and the south of the country in October 2019,
with young crowds demanding jobs, services, and urgent action against alleged
rampant corruption.
Former Iraqi
prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi stepped down under the pressure of the rallies,
which were sometimes marred by deadly violence.
The incumbent
premier was nominated in April, months after the resignation of Abdul Mahdi,
and took office following a political consensus in May, promising to deliver on
key protesters' demands.
Furthermore,
Kadhimi has promised dialogue with protesters and has requested comprehensive
lists of all those who have been killed and wounded throughout the months-long
protests in a bid to put those accountable on trial and bring about
compensation.
The next
legislative elections had originally been due for May 2022. After the date was
drawn a year closer by the prime minister, it is now the parliament’s turn to
officially vote on the new date.
Early
parliamentary elections have been a key demand of anti-government protesters,
but it is not yet clear under what electoral law the early elections will be
held.
Late last year,
a new electoral law was passed, aiming at giving political independents a
better chance of securing seats in parliament and weakening the hold of the
ruling elites, but political differences prevail over the implementation of the
legislation.
If the new law
is implemented, it would change each of Iraq’s 18 provinces into a number of
electoral districts, with one lawmaker elected per 100,000 people, meaning that
it would practically bar parties from running on unified lists, which in the
past has helped them win all the seats in a certain province.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/31/630839/Iraq-Mustafa-Kadhimi-elections-protests-corruption
--------
Report: Car bomb
in north Syria kills, wounds several people
July 30, 2020
BEIRUT (AP) — A
car bomb exploded at checkpoint manned by Turkey-backed Syrian opposition
fighters on Thursday in northeastern Syria, killing and wounding several
people, Turkish state media and an opposition war monitoring group reported.
According to
Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, the bombing in the village of Tal Halaf killed five
people and wounded 12.
The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the civil war
in Syria through a network of activists on the ground, said six people were
killed and 15 were wounded in the blast. It said the casualties included
Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters.
Different
casualty figures are common in the immediate aftermath of such attacks.
No one has
claimed responsibility for the attack but Turkey has blamed such deadly
explosions in the area in recent months on Kurdish fighters linked to the
Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency
inside Turkey.
Ankara views
Syrian Kurdish fighters associated with PKK — and the group itself as
terrorists — even though the same fighters had partnered with the U.S. in the
war against the Islamic State group.
After a series
of military incursions, Turkey now controls most of Syria’s territory that
borders its southern frontier. Last October, Turkish troops crossed into
Syria’s northeast, capturing the Ras al-Ayn area and driving Syrian Kurdish
fighters away from the border after the U.S. withdrew most of its forces from
the region.
https://apnews.com/6ce44477674b515d87a2917a4661ce61?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1404716_
--------
Iraq: Since
October, 560 Protesters, Police Died in Rallies
July 30, 2020
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s
government said Thursday that since last October when anti-government protests
erupted in the country, a total of 560 protesters and members of the security
forces have been killed in the violence.
The figure was
reported by Hisham Daoud, an advisor to Iraq’s prime minister, at a press
conference in Baghdad. He said a fact-finding committee would investigate the
killings further.
Also Thursday,
Interior Minister Othman al-Ghanimi announced the result of an investigation
into the deaths of two protesters at the hands of Iraqi security forces on
Sunday.
He said that
based on eye-witnesses and forensic reports, the protesters — who were taking
part in a rally against government's electricity cuts amid Iraq's scorching
summer heat — were killed by pellet guns fired by three policemen. The
policemen were arrested.
Mass
anti-government protests erupted last October in Baghdad and Iraq’s south. Tens
of thousands of Iraqi youth took to the streets to decry rampant corruption,
poor services and unemployment. Hundreds died as security forces used live
ammunition and tear gas to disperse crowds.
The protests
dwindled following restrictive measures to contain the spread of the
coronavirus pandemic.
Daoud said the
families of the dead would receive 10 million Iraqi dinars in compensation,
along with a plot of land. The government has compiled an official list of the
dead, in line with a pledge made by the country's new Prime Minister Mustafa
al-Kadhimi to bring justice to protesters.
It is unclear
how the government — which is cash-strapped in the wake of an economic crisis
spurred by low oil prices — can afford the payouts. Civil activists insist the
promise of compensation should not override the need to hold the killers
accountable. Activists blame Iran-backed militias for killing and abducting
protesters.
“No one will
announce the name of killers,” said 25-year-old activist Ali Haidar, expressing
widespread pessimism on the part of the protesters that the perpetrators of the
killings would be uncovered.
Meanwhile,
Iraq’s military said two Katyusha rockets landed on the periphery of Baghdad’s
airport late on Thursday without causing any damages or casualties. It was the
latest in a spate of rocket and mortar attacks mostly targeting U.S.
installations in the country. The statement said the rockets were launched from
two separate positions in the Radwaniah area.
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/07/30/world/middleeast/ap-ml-iraq-protests-.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1404716_
--------
Southeast Asia
Malaysians start
to reject traditionally virulent anti-Semitism, scholar says
31 July 2020
Malaysia is
often seen as one of the world’s most anti-Semitic countries.
Up until
recently, it had a prime minister who described himself as a proud anti-Semite.
A survey by the Anti-Defamation League has found it harbors one of the highest
rates of anti-Jewish sentiment in the region, if not the globe.
But a researcher
who analyzed the Malaysian people’s sentiments towards the Jewish people and
the State of Israel and has just written a book about the issue sees
encouraging signs of change.
“We should not
mistake loud noises for big noises. Anti-Semitism is part of a ‘backlash’
against the breakdown of social control — it is ugly and it is loud, but it is
a backlash against wider social changes that are a force for good,” said Mary
Ainslie, of the University of Nottingham in Ningbo, China, in an interview last
week.
“Perhaps these
views are becoming stronger amongst those who hold them, but I do not believe
they are increasing among the general population. Instead, the opposite is
true.”
The Southeast
Asian country, whose official religion is Islam though roughly 40 percent of
the population belongs to other faiths, certainly hosts the most virulent forms
of Jew-hatred outside the Middle East. According to the ADL, 61 percent of its
inhabitants harbor anti-Semitic sentiments, which is significantly higher than
neighboring Singapore (16%) and Thailand (13%) and even Muslim-majority
Indonesia (48%).
Mahathir
Mohamad, who served as the country’s prime minister until March — he still sits
in parliament and is planning to return to power soon — notoriously said he was
glad to be called anti-Semitic.
“How can I be
otherwise, when the Jews who so often talk of the horrors they suffered during
the Holocaust show the same Nazi cruelty and hardheartedness towards not just
their enemies but even towards their allies should any try to stop the
senseless killing of their Palestinian enemies,” he declared in 2012.
Last year he
defended his record of anti-Semitic statements — including claims that Jews are
“hook-nosed,” have an “intrinsic” understanding of money and “rule the world by
proxy” — by invoking the principle of free speech. “Why is it that I can’t say
something against the Jews, when a lot of people say nasty things about me,
about Malaysia?” he asked a group of students at Columbia University.
The official
hostility to Jews is also reflected in bitter enmity toward the Jewish state:
Kuala Lumpur has never had diplomatic relations with Israel and last year lost
the right to host an international swimming tournament after barring Israelis
from participation. Despite much bad press, defiant authorities justified the
decision as “compassion for the Palestinian plight.”
Why is a country
nearly 5,000 miles away so obsessed with the Jewish people and their
nation-state?
“Jews and Israel
have come to represent the pinnacle of a discourse embedded in modernism,
secularism, personal freedom and internationalism, everything that is opposed
to a political system which depends upon authoritarian religious nationalism in
order to stay in power,” said Ainslie, who specializes in Southeast Asian media
and culture.
For her new
book, entitled “Anti-Semitism in Contemporary Malaysia: Malay Nationalism,
Philosemitism and Pro-Israel Expressions,” she interviewed 30 Malaysians who
oppose the bigoted views dominant in their country. What she found was both disheartening
and promising.
One participant,
for instance, recalled meeting a Palestinian student who was shocked by the
“misinformation about Israel and the voracity of anti-Semitic discourses in
Malaysia, which, for him, were far beyond that in the West Bank.”
On the other
hand, she detected significant liberal social movements and media outlets
refusing to peddle anti-Semitic and anti-Israel propaganda.
“These people
are part of a new and growing demographic of educated, generally young,
globally aware, middle-class citizens who believe in a secular society and want
democratic representation,” she said.
“Many of these
people are from ethnic minorities and so feel excluded by religious nationalism
that constructs Malaysia as Islamic and for Malays only. They reject
anti-Israel and anti-Semitic views as part of rejecting the religious
nationalism which excludes them,” she added.
Many members of
this group are young Malay Muslims unhappy about their government’s restriction
of their personal freedoms, the researcher went on. “They find authoritarian
control over their religion to be deeply insulting and resent being told what
to think or do by corrupt and hypocritical politicians.”
Reaching out
The Israeli
government largely agrees with Ainslie’s findings.
“From our
contacts with Malaysian citizens it is clear to us that many of them support
Israel and actually reject and are embarrassed by the anti-Semitism coming from
their government,” said Michael Ronen, the head of the Foreign Ministry’s Southeast
Asia bureau.
Jerusalem is
actively reaching out to Malaysians, he added.
“Some of them
have visited and witnessed the political reality here with their own eyes. They
have seen that what they are being told about us in their native country simply
isn’t true.”
The ADL welcomed
signs of waning Jew-hatred in Malaysia, but warned that it was premature to
celebrate a sea change.
“While it’s
encouraging that there’s a growing cohort of middle class citizens in Malaysia
who reject anti-Semitism and anti-Israel propaganda, Malaysia is still one of
the most anti-Israel countries in the world in terms of its policies,” Sharon
Nazarian, the ADL’s senior vice president for international affairs, told The
Times of Israel on Tuesday.
People with
Israeli stamps in their passports reportedly aren’t allowed into the country
and Mahathir Mohamad continues to use Jews as scapegoats for economic and
political woes, she added. “Any change is encouraging, but we await additional
data and change in government messaging and policies.”
A ‘significant
electoral force’?
To Ainslie, the
young generation of educated Malaysians rejecting their country’s traditional
Jew-hatred represent a “significant electoral force.”
“For them,
Israel and Jews represent the opposite to the religious nationalism they wish
to reject, and this manifests through significant theological interest in
Judaism and strong curiosity about Israel as a nation,” she said.
One participant
in her study, which was financially supported by the Vidal Sassoon Center for the
Study of Antisemitism at the Hebrew University, made efforts to visit a
synagogue on a trip abroad. Others learned about the Holocaust and reached out
to Israelis over the internet.
“They were also
able to separate any sympathy they felt for the Palestinian position from that
of anti-Israel or anti-Semitic views, believing this to be a complicated
political issue that had no bearing on their own religious beliefs,” she said.
“Many also
expressed interest in the way in which Israel negotiated the relationship
between race, religion and nationality, recognizing that Israel and Malaysia
both had a lot in common as fairly young nations with a complicated history and
makeup.”
Here is a full
transcript of our interview, slightly edited for clarity.
The Times of
Israel: Malaysia is perceived by some as the world’s most anti-Semitic country.
Do you agree?
Mary Ainslie:
Ultimately, it is very difficult to measure such views, although the
Anti-Defamation League tries very hard to be as accurate as possible. We can say
for sure that anti-Semitism is a major discourse in Malaysian society and one
that has been normalized to a significant extent.
It is also a key
part of political discourse, and anti-Semitic language is regularly used by
political leaders as part of their domestic performance when referring to
global issues. Anti-Semitic literature is available in mainstream Kuala Lumpur
bookstores, and such beliefs are a key part of Malaysian Palestinian rights
groups.
The participants
I interview in my book also related some very shocking first-hand reports of
anti-Semitism which were difficult to hear at times. One student even recounted
how a Palestinian student they had met actually expressed shock at the
misinformation about Israel and the voracity of anti-Semitic discourses in
Malaysia, which, for him, were far beyond that in the West Bank.
Malaysia is not
an Arab country, it’s far away from the Middle East, most Malaysians have never
met a Jew, since there are none left in the country — what do you think is
behind the virulent Jew-hatred there?
To begin, this
is not at all a discourse that is in any way connected to the reality of the
Israel/Palestine situation, despite how often this is cited as a motivation. It
is instead deeply embedded within the very complicated and polarized nature of
Malaysian culture and society.
We have to
understand that the country is deeply divided — religiously, ethnically,
culturally, geographically, economically, and so on — and is changing fast. It
is becoming increasingly polarized. Malay Islamic political authorities who
have long depended upon dividing the country racially and religiously are
losing power, so their rhetoric is becoming stronger.
We see a
backlash against ethnic minorities, other religions, including other versions of
Islam, the West, LGBT people, secularism and Judaism, all of which morph into a
monolithic ‘other’ against which, authorities argue, a nationalist form of
Malay Islam must be defended.
Jews and Israel
have come to represent the pinnacle of a discourse embedded in modernism,
secularism, personal freedom and internationalism, everything that is opposed
to a political system which depends upon authoritarian religious nationalism in
order to stay in power.
You write that
“Anti-Israel attitudes and anti-Semitism are part of state-promoted social
control in Malaysia,” arguing that the Jews serve as a scapegoat. How do you
explain that this millennia-old blaming of the Jews for all evil is still so
effective in contemporary Malaysia?
Anti-Semitism is
only a small part of this reactionary discourse, but as Malaysia is so far from
Israel and there are no Jews present to counter negative stereotypes,
anti-Semitism can grow unchecked in a way that other forms of racism do not.
This ‘other’ can then become increasingly demonic and twisted, fed by false
reports of Israeli brutality, statements taken out of context, and a simplistic
flawed version of the Israel/Palestine situation.
One disturbing
element of my research was uncovering how this new form of anti-Semitism is
then attaching itself to older more traditional European-originating discourses
in order to embolden itself. Such a phenomenon is dangerous and worrying as it
cannot simply be countered by improvements in the Israel/Palestine situation.
What can and
should be done to fight this?
I believe that
the best way is simply to assist alternative voices within Malaysian society
and enable these to be heard. Such change will, in part, come from within, and
most probably from the growing number of middle-class Malays.
These people
dislike the government and its paternalistic control over their personal
expression. They have their own relationship to their religion, do not want
ethnic minorities, non-Muslims and LGBT people to be victimized, and are
educating themselves to find out about global political issues and historical
events.
Using the
internet and social media, many of these young people are also reaching out and
learning about Israel and Palestine, about the Holocaust, about theological
Islam, about sexuality, about democracy. They are questioning their parents,
teachers, religious figures and politicians.
For those of us
outside Malaysia, the message must be that we are not the enemy, we respect
them and their country, we support their struggle for personal expression and
are ready to respond when they reach out.
Former (and
possibly future) Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has never hidden his
disdain for Jews. He even said once that he was “glad to be labeled
anti-Semitic.” What’s his issue with the Jews? Is his anti-Semitism merely a
particular nasty version of what the Malayisian mainstream thinks, or is there
more to it?
There is a lot
more to it! First, we must remember that Mahathir is a brilliant politician, he
is very sharp and savvy even into his advanced old age. His political position
has also shifted backwards and forwards a lot over the decades, allowing him to
stay in power for a long time.
It is also a
little simplistic to label him an anti-Semite. While he expresses anti-Semitic
views he also stereotypes other people and races to a significant extent
(Chinese, Indians, Western people, even Malays themselves), and so scholars
speculate that he is probably more accurately labeled a social Darwinist.
Going back to
his first tenure in the 1980s, one of Mahathir’s most important agendas was to
assist the Malay community. While they are the majority ethnic group, Malays
were still extremely poor and had a significant lack of opportunities, much of
which can be attributed to Western colonialism in the region.
He introduced
Malay-friendly policies designed to help this community and placed a strong
emphasis upon Islam as a form of identity through which to create social
cohesion and stability. To do this he often expressed sympathy with Muslims
internationally who were perceived to be victimized by non-Muslims — such as a
flawed and simplistic reading of the Israel/Palestine situation — and he
paralleled this with the dispossession of Malay people in their own nation by
large and wealthier urban-based ethnic minorities such the Chinese minority.
His policies
worked to an extent; life and opportunities have improved for the Malay
community, but not as quickly as was hoped. Likewise, it also led to the
Malaysian political system being strongly racialized and Malay Islam being
turned into a form of religious nationalism.
As anti-Semitism
and anti-Israel discourse became a strong part of international Muslim
identity, this also became a key part of Mahathir’s religious nationalist
rhetoric, and, in Malaysia, sits well alongside a similar anti-Chinese
discourse.
Mahathir has
built a very successful political career and transformed a nation and a people
— in many ways, for the better. He is not about to let this go and will always
defend it when challenged.
Last year,
Malaysia refused to allow Israelis to participate in the World Para Swimming
Championships. Even after the country lost the rights to host the tournament,
the sports minister unapologetically said Kuala Lumpur won’t compromise “on the
ground of humanity and compassion for the Palestinian plight.” How has this
episode been received by the Malaysian public?
My participants,
my friends and colleagues are very critical and embarrassed about this
position. They understand that such rhetoric is not based upon “humanity” or
“compassion,” is deeply unfair and is actually damaging Malaysia.
But the
consequences of airing such views can be severe and, indeed, become more severe
as the government loses more popular support due to people questioning such
rhetoric. For this reason, individuals, political organizations and media
outlets must be very careful of criticizing any anti-Israel position. Critique
is there, but it is surreptitious.
The second half
of your book is dedicated to philo-Semitism and Malaysians who have positive
views about Israel. You write that to some Malaysians Judaism and the Jewish
state “represent an alternative, almost mythical model of social freedom.” Tell
me more about these people: how many are they, how does their sympathy for Jews
and Israel express itself, and is there any chance that they will become a
critical mass that could help Malaysia become less anti-Semitic?
It would have
been dangerous to quantitatively measure this group in a society that has been
known to persecute citizens with Israeli sympathies, so I relied upon
qualitative testimony and online evidence of their size.
The growth in
liberal social movements, demonstrations and the reluctance by many media
outlets to engage in anti-Semitic and anti-Israel discourses suggests that
these people are significant.
These people are
part of a new and growing demographic of educated, generally young, globally
aware, middle-class citizens who believe in a secular society and want
democratic representation.
Many of these
people are from ethnic minorities and so feel excluded by religious nationalism
that constructs Malaysia as Islamic and for Malays only. They reject
anti-Israel and anti-Semitic views as part of rejecting the religious
nationalism which excludes them.
A substantial
portion of this group are also young Malay Muslims who are angry at government
control over their own personal freedom. They find authoritarian control over
their religion to be deeply insulting and resent being told what to think or do
by corrupt and hypocritical politicians.
This new
generation of educated and globally mobile Malaysians are a significant
electoral force, and are the reason the ruling authorities are losing their
political majority. For them, Israel and Jews represent the opposite to the
religious nationalism they wish to reject, and this manifests through
significant theological interest in Judaism and strong curiosity about Israel
as a nation.
One participant
had spent a long time looking for a synagogue when they visited overseas,
others took time to educate themselves about the Holocaust, and many had
reached out to Israeli people online.
They were also
able to separate any sympathy they felt for the Palestinian position from that
of anti-Israel or anti-Semitic views, believing this to be a complicated
political issue that had no bearing on their own religious beliefs, while also
stating that they would never become involved in Palestinian campaigns in
Malaysia (which they considered to be divisive, racist and damaging to Malaysia).
Many also
expressed interest in the way in which Israel negotiated the relationship
between race, religion and nationality, recognizing that Israel and Malaysia
both had a lot in common as fairly young nations with a complicated history and
makeup.
Finally, all
participants recognized the hypocrisy involved in such discourse, expressing
disgust for politicians who championed the Palestinian cause while
simultaneously encouraging racism against vulnerable refugees such as the
Rohingya.
What would it
take to reduce anti-Semitism in Malaysia?
It is already
reducing — we should not mistake loud noises for big noises. Anti-Semitism is
part of a “backlash” against the breakdown of social control, it is ugly and it
is loud, but it is a backlash against wider social changes that are a force for
good. Perhaps these views are becoming stronger amongst those who hold them,
but I do not believe they are increasing among the general population. Instead,
the opposite is true.
According to
Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority, almost 14,000 Malaysians visited
Israel in 2018 — 4,000 more than the previous year. Do you think the number of
Malaysians interested in Israel will continue to climb?
Yes, I do. This
is part of a general increased trend in global travel from countries with
growing economies and middle classes. Tourists from Southeast Asia are now a
significant presence around the world. More Malaysians are taking advantage of
the ability to visit Israel, either through the Christian pilgrimages or simply
because Israel welcomes them as tourists.
They see no
reason why they shouldn’t visit a country that is such an important part of
global history and religion and seek to educate themselves about a country and
a people that they have heard so much about but had so little direct contact
with.
One of the
Malaysians you interviewed said his country doesn’t really boycott the Jewish
state. “Malaysia does have ties with Israel. It’s just that it’s not really
open. Because I do see products from Israel coming here,” he said. How would
you describe the state of Israel-Malaysia trade and economic cooperation?
My participant
was right, there is a great deal of trade and cooperation between these two
countries, but this is surreptitious and not direct. Such trade will grow as
Malaysia becomes more integrated into the global economy and the new middle
class ceases to respond to anti-Semitism as a discourse.
The rest of Asia
is relying upon and investing in Israel tech more and more, and Malaysia cannot
afford to be left behind. As countries such as China, Thailand and South Korea
increase their ties with Israel and realize the benefits of doing so, Malaysian
politicians will have to change their discourse in order to remain globally
relevant.
What do you
predict for the future of diplomatic ties between the two countries? Could you
imagine Kuala Lumpur engaging in clandestine relations with Jerusalem, similar
to what the Gulf states have been doing for decades? What would have to occur
for such links to be established?
Ultimately,
there will eventually be normalized diplomatic and economic relations between
these two countries, but it will probably take some time. While increasing
stabilization of the Israel/Palestine situation has led to better relations
elsewhere, Malaysia’s political discourse has been built upon anti-Semitism and
anti-Israel discourses to a much more significant extent.
Change is likely
to come due to the benefits seen in the increased relations with Israel in
other Asian countries as well as the internal challenging of religious
nationalist discourses (in which anti-Semitic and anti-Israel beliefs are
embedded) in Malaysia itself. Global development suggests that such change is
coming, but, as history tells us, we should be mindful that the opposite can
also happen.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/malaysians-start-to-reject-traditionally-virulent-anti-semitism-scholar-says/
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Muslims in
Malaysia celebrate Aidiladha in new normal amid Covid-19
31 Jul 2020
KUALA LUMPUR,
July 31 — The year 2020 saw Muslims in the country celebrating Aidiladha in the
new normal following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Besides the
celebration was also hampered by cloudy and rainy weather almost all over the
country.
Even in this
situation, Muslims are grateful to still be able to perform the Aidiladha
prayers and the ritual sacrifice without neglecting the standard operating
procedures (SOP) set by the government to curb the spread of the pandemic.
For example, in
Kangar, Perlis, and Ipoh, Perak, the Aidiladha prayers was held in two sessions
to comply with the SOPs besides giving space to more Muslims in the state to
perform the prayers together.
In fact, the
Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail wore a face mask and
graced the Aidiladha prayers at the Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail Mosque
together with the Raja Muda of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail.
Also present was
Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man.
A similar
situation was seen in Johor Baru, when 200 people gathered as early as 7.30am
at the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque complying with physical distancing and wearing
face masks to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Among those seen
joining in the prayers were Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad; State
Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Tosrin Jarvanthi and State Public
Works, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman, Solihan Badri
Advice to the
people to comply with SOPs was also emphasised in this year’s Aidiladha sermon,
as was personally conveyed by Kedah Mentri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor at the
surau of his official residence in Seri Mentaloon, Alor Setar, Kedah.
In his sermon,
Muhammad Sanusi reminded the public to be responsible in ensuring self-control
and to obey all the directives that have been set despite the flexibility given
during the recovery movement control order (RMCO) period.
A survey
conducted by Bernama in Kuala Lumpur also saw the ritual sacrifice being
carried out in full compliance with the SOPs at the Tengku Abdul Aziz Jamek
Mosque, Kampung Sungai Penchala with the sacrificial session being divided into
several sessions with each session involving no more than 200 people.
The ritual of
sacrifice in Kelantan also practised the same SOPs with 10 cows slaughtered at
a special Qurban event at the Muhammadi Mosque, Kota Bahru, which was managed
by 40 staff, besides 10 policemen and the Malaysian Volunteer Corps Department
(Rela) also helped in the smooth running of the ceremony.
SOP compliance
was also adhered to by all the mosques and suraus in Sarawak for both the
prayers and ritual slaughter.
The cloudy
weather followed by the heavy rain last night, did not prevent the ritual
sacrifice from being held in Melaka. Only a few areas were allowed to carry out
the slaughter process among them the slaughterhouse of the Veterinary
Department.
Even so, the
average Muslim was seen celebrating Aidiladha in a low-key and moderate fashion
but in a lively atmosphere while embracing the new normal as seen in
Terengganu.
Most mosques in
the country was full of people comprising locals and those who took the
opportunity to return and holiday in the villages after not being able to do so
during Aidilfitri.
The Sultan of
Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin also graced the Aidiladha prayers at the
Al Muktafi Billah Shah Mosque, here accompanied by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr
Samsuri Mokhtar.
To be sure, it’s
a new experience for Muslims to celebrate Aidiladha this time in the new normal
and in compliance with SOPs that are being practiced during the current RMCO
period. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/31/muslims-in-malaysia-celebrate-aidiladha-in-new-normal-amid-covid-19/1889955
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Muhyiddin:
Aidiladha reminder of patience, solace in navigating life’s hardships
30 Jul 2020
KUALA LUMPUR,
July 30 — Hari Raya Aidiladha this time around serves as a reminder of the meaning
of patience and solace while navigating life’s hardships, Tan Sri Muhyiddin
Yassin said.
The Prime
Minister said the people had sacrificed a lot and given their all since the
movement control order (MCO) was implemented on March 18, which has since gone
on to the recovery movement control order (MCO) being enforced currently.
“Alhamdulillah,
all these have resulted in the Covid-19 pandemic being contained. However, I
must remind everyone that we have yet to fully overcome the outbreak. Malaysia
and many other nations have not been declared free of Covid-19 yet.
“In fact, of
late, we have seen an increase in cases in the country. As such, we cannot
afford to be complacent. Instead, we must continue the efforts to break the
Covid-19 infection chain by adhering to the standard operating procedures
(SOPs) set by the government,” Muhyiddin said in his Hari Raya Aidiladha
address tonight.
Muhyiddin said
in conjunction with the Aidiladha celebration beginning tomorrow until the 13th
day in the month of Zulhijjah, Muslims are reminded to perform the sacrificial
rituals with much appreciation besides complying with the SOPs.
Taking into
account that many would be performing the Aidiladha sacrifical ritual,
Muhyiddin reminded the people of the SOPs to be followed.
“Limit the
number of people at the ritual venue to not more than 20 for one cattle, and no
feasts allowed there as well. Once the slaughter is done and the meat is
distributed, go home immediately.
“At home, ensure
relatives who visit do not exceed 20 persons at any one time. Avoid the
handshake greeting. If any family member is under home quarantine, tell your
relatives, neighbours and friends not to visit, because it is dangerous,” he
said.
The prime
minister also reminded those under home quarantine not to leave the house.
“Don’t go out
here and there. I received reports of some who had broken their home quarantine
order. This is a major violation, and stern action will be taken.
“One more thing,
Hari Raya Aidiladha tomorrow falls on a Friday. I am sure, mosques in small
towns and villages will be quite crowded not only during the Aidiladha prayers,
but also during Friday prayers. This is because many have returned to their
hometowns,” he said.
He also
requested the cooperation of the imam, muezzin (person who recites call to
prayer), ‘tok siak’ (caretaker) as well all members of the mosque committee in
ensuring safe distancing measures are observed, while controlling movements at
the gates of the mosque.
Muhyiddin said
his purpose of explaining the SOP in detail was to serve as a reminder to
Muslims who will celebrate the festival over the next few days.
“I would like to
remind you that if we are not alert and careful, the chances of the Covid-19
infection spreading during this festive season are very high. We want to
prevent this from happening. So, it is better for us to be mindful and
vigilant.
“Dear brothers
and sisters, I pray that our Korban worship (animal sacrifice) this year will
be accepted by Allah SWT. This worship is a sign of our obedience, piety and
servitude to Allah,” he said.
Meanwhile, he
prayed for those who lost the opportunity to perform Haj — the fifth pillar of
Islam — this year due to the Covid-19 epidemic, to be able to perform the
pilgrimage next year.
He also
expressed confidence that Muslims would accept this situation with full of
contentment and patience, describing it as a noble sacrifice in the eyes of
Allah.
“Celebrate
Aidiladha in moderation as required by the Shari’ah and appreciate the true
meaning of sacrifice during Aidiladha this time. Without despair, let us
together pray to Allah SWT that the Covid-19 epidemic ends soon.
“Indeed, the
help and mercy of Allah is readily available to His pious servants. So let us
increase our piety (to Allah) and pray to Him. Hopefully, our prayers are
answered and we emerge victorious,” he said.
Muhyiddin ended
his speech by wishing Hari Raya Aidiladha to all Muslims in Malaysia. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/30/muhyiddin-aidiladha-reminder-of-patience-solace-in-navigating-lifes-hardshi/1889711
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Indonesian
Muslims celebrate Idul Adha amid coronavirus pandemic
Alya Nurbaiti
July 31,
2020
Millions of
Muslims in Indonesia observed this year's Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) under
the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic and health protocols that limited the scale
of festivities, but those taking part in the celebration say they can still
find solace in the holiday, both with and without their family.
Private sector
employee Nadia Khairani, who works in the capital city, decided to travel to
Bandung, West Java, to gather with her family to celebrate the Muslim holiday,
which fell on a Friday this year.
It was the first
time she had returned to her hometown since the coronavirus was first detected
in the country in March, as the government and the Jakarta administration had
lifted the travel ban that was previously in place during the Idul Fitri
holiday in May.
She left with
her husband on Thursday night in a private car and got stuck in a three-hour
gridlock on the Jakarta-Cikampek elevated toll road, as many vehicles flocked
to the toll road during what authorities said was the peak of the holiday's
exodus.
Despite the
heavy traffic, the 27-year-old said she enjoyed the small gathering she had
with her family. "I did not attend Idul Adha prayer in the morning. I ate
lontong [rice cake] at my mom's house and went to my in-law's house to eat lamb
satay; it's just as usual."
Similar to
Nadia, 25-year-old Dyah Rahmatika also decided to travel home to Yogyakarta
from South Tangerang since she did not want to celebrate the Idul Adha holiday
alone.
“I couldn’t make
it home during Idul Fitri because of the mudik [exodus] ban. Now that flights
have resumed and I can’t stand the lonely feeling anymore, I decided to go
home,” the private sector employee said on Friday.
Dyah, too, did
not attend the Idul Adha mass prayer as her neighborhood was among the COVID-19
"red zones", or areas with high risk of transmission, and she was
still in self-isolation after traveling as a precautionary measure.
The Religious
Affairs Ministry, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and major Muslim groups
have advised people living in areas at high risk of COVID-19 transmission to
perform Idul Adha prayers at home, while those in safer areas were asked to
comply with strict health protocols if they wanted to join mass prayers in
mosques.
In Jakarta, the
city administration banned mosques located in 33 community units (RWs)
categorized as red zones from performing Idul Adha mass prayers.
At least 108,376
people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Indonesia, with 5,131 dead, as of
Friday.
Some mosques
outside the red zones, such as the Al Azhar Mosque in South Jakarta and Sunda
Kelapa Great Mosque in Central Jakarta, hosted mass prayers while implementing
strict health protocols -- requiring worshipers to wear masks, have their body
temperature checked and maintain physical distance -- as they cut the number of
attendants to half of their capacity.
In Yogyakarta
too, the Kauman Great Mosque, for instance, held an Idul Adha mass prayer for
local residents at 60 percent of its capacity, reducing it from 1,500 to 950
people, so that worshipers could keep a distance of 1.5 meters between each
other, kompas.com reported.
The MUI also
recommended that residents who wished to perform qurban (animal sacrifice) for
Idul Adha go to an abattoir in order to prevent crowds during the ritual, and
that they have a professional carry out the qurban.
Some mosques,
including Sunda Kelapa Mosque, decided not to hold the sacrifice ritual in
order to avoid a gathering of people in the area.
However, some
mosques reportedly did not strictly adhere to the physical distancing protocol.
Civil servant Herning Meiana, who lives in Kebayoran Baru district in South
Jakarta, said she canceled her plan to attend the nearby Idul Adha mass prayer
since the mosque in her neighborhood did not enforce the policy.
“This year’s
Idul Adha is different because I am not celebrating it with my family due to
the pandemic. Normally I return to my hometown in Surakarta, Central Java, but
amid this COVID-19 situation, I prefer not to,” the 24-year-old woman said.
However, Herning
said she was not as sad as when celebrating the Idul Fitri holiday.
“I think this
time, I have accepted the situation. Besides, I’m happy because the Idul Adha
holiday gives me time to relax. Since I have been working from home, oftentimes
I still have jobs to do on the weekend,” she told the Post.
President Joko
“Jokowi” Widodo also attended an Idul Adha prayer with only his family and a
few aides while abiding by the health protocols in front of his official
residence in the Bayurini Pavilion of Bogor Palace in West Java.
“Idul Adha 2020
comes as we are enduring a global pandemic," Jokowi tweeted on Friday,
"We make sacrifices by reducing travel and physical encounters while at
the same time, we are required to take care of each other and get closer to our
families."
"Hopefully,
this pandemic shall pass soon."
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/07/31/indonesian-muslimscelebrate-idul-adha-amid-coronaviruspandemic.html
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Japan lacking
burial grounds for expanding Muslim population
August 1, 2020
Despite a rise
in the number of foreign residents in Japan who practice Islam, cemeteries
offering burials in accordance with the Quran remain sparse, with Muslims
struggling to gain understanding of the need for new sites from locals in a
country where cremation is the norm.
While Japan is
home to an estimated 200,000 Muslims, a figure likely to grow as the country
accepts more foreign workers, there are currently only seven locations for
Islamic interment.
"It would
take money, time, and effort to get buried in my native country, and it isn't
realistic," said a 57-year-old man from Pakistan who resides in Sapporo.
The man, who
came to Japan 32 years ago, is married to a Japanese woman with whom he has two
children and has no plans of leaving the country.
As there is a
belief in the resurrection of the dead, Islam dictates that believers be buried
because the soul needs to return to the physical body, according to the Japan
Muslim Association.
According to the
Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the central government has not set
regulations for burials and leaves municipalities to establish their own rules
on issues such as the distance of sites from residential areas and rivers. As
of fiscal 2018, over 99 percent of bodies in Japan were cremated.
According to the
Japan Islamic Trust, Japan has no burial sites for Muslims at all in the
northeastern Tohoku region or west of the Chugoku region.
"The body
often must be moved to distant cemeteries, which can damage the corpse or
result in high transportation fees," said the trust's director general,
Qureshi Haroon.
One of the seven
sites is a regular cemetery in Hokkaido in the coastal town of Yoichi. But
Yoichi Reien offers only very limited space for burials -- just four to five
free spaces -- leaving Towfik Alam, chairman of the Hokkaido Islamic Society,
"incredibly worried."
Although the
society had planned to create a cemetery in Otaru that would follow Hokkaido's
protocols such as being at least 110 meters away from a residential area, the
project was abandoned last summer after it failed to gain support from
residents.
"Residents
were worried about the hygiene of burials, among other aspects," a city
spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, there
are plans to build a cemetery for Muslims in Oita Prefecture, but it too has
been facing pushback from locals who are worried about water pollution.
Hirofumi Tanada,
an honorary professor at Waseda University with extensive knowledge of Japan's
Muslim community, says accommodating the needs of practitioners of not just
Islam but a range of religious traditions has become more important since Japan
amended its immigration law last April to accept more foreign workers.
"The
problem regarding burials is just one example," he said.
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/08/01/japan-lacking-burial-grounds-for-expanding-muslim-population.html
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12 dead as
Philippine troops battle militants in south
July 30, 2020
MANILA,
Philippines (AP) — Philippine troops clashed with Muslim guerrillas allied with
the Islamic State group in the country’s south, leaving two soldiers and about
10 militants dead, military officials said Thursday.
An army infantry
force raided a remote camp belonging to the Dawlah Islamiyah on Wednesday near
Datu Salibo town in Maguindanao province, sparking an exchange of fire.
Gunmen in nearby
areas reinforced the militants under army fire in the marshland, prolonging the
battle and preventing government forces from capturing more members of the
militant group led by rebel commander Hassan Indal, regional army spokesman Lt.
Col. Dingdong Atilano said.
Two soldiers
were killed and 13 others were slightly wounded in the clash, which left at
least 10 militants dead, Atilano said, citing reports from troops and
villagers.
Most of the
militants broke off many years ago from the largest Muslim separatist group,
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The rebel front’s leaders are now helping
oversee a new Muslim autonomous region after signing a peace deal with the
government in 2014.
Smaller armed
groups, including the Dawlah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf, which has been
proclaimed a terrorist organization by the United States and the Philippines,
have continued fighting the government in the south, homeland of the Muslim
minority in the largely Roman Catholic nation.
Separately,
Philippine troops have been fighting one of the world’s longest communist
insurgencies, which President Rodrigo Duterte wants to bring to an end during
his last two years in office after peace negotiations repeatedly stalled.
https://apnews.com/37fcd06a3b993312f7415cf5fb6757bd?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1404716_
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/thousands-radical-islamists-rallied-pakistan/d/122519