TikTok-Mad Malaysian Voters Push Islamic Politics To The Fore; Voters under 30 Made the Difference
New Age Islam News Bureau
22 November 2022
Hadi Awang, right, president
of the burgeoning Malaysian Islamic Party, envisions to govern Malaysia based
on Islamic principles by 2051. (Photo by NurPhoto via Getty Images)
----
• Lawyers Move Peshawar High Court For Ban On
‘Un-Islamic’ Movie Joyland
• Iran Fans With Pre-Revolution Flag Denied Entry Into
World Cup Match Against England
• Arabs Shun Israeli Media At Qatar World Cup, Dashing
Hopes Of Warming
• 1,500 Unaided Madrasas Donations Under Yogi Scanner
Southeast Asia
• As Perikatan Courts East Malaysian Allies, PAS Vows
To Not Use Its Majority To Implement Oppressive Policies
• In Penang, RM75.08m allocated to Islamic development
under state Budget 2023
• Race on to form coalition govt in Malaysia
• Amanah seen as traitors by Malay-Muslim voters, says
analyst
• Cops warn social media users against provocative
content, amid uproar over TikTok clips conjuring May 13, violence
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Pakistan
• International Islamic Art Festival In Pakistan
concludes With Message Of Peace, Love
• Federal Shariat Court Takes Suo Motu Notice Of Child
Marriages In Balochistan
• General Qamar Bajwa’s family became billionaires in
six years
• Lahore High Court Summons Principal Secretaries On
Plea Against Quran’s ‘Distorted’ Translation
• Pak: Three generals with India experience emerge as
frontrunners for key military posts
--------
Europe
• Spain to bring back Spanish families from ISIS camps
in Syria
• ‘Show of respect’: UK campaign urges medals for
Afghan interpreters
• Germany aims for UN human rights resolution on Iran
• Man who died in UK immigration centre identified as
Iraqi
--------
Arab World
• Turkish jets hit 89 PKK terrorist targets in Iraqi,
Syrian border regions
• Sisi and Erdogan agree that World Cup handshake will
be start of new relations
• Saudi Islamic Minister Awarded Most Influential
Personality Shield For 2022
• Russia calls on Turkey to show ‘restraint’ in Syria
• Thousands in north Syria attend funerals of Turkish
raids victims
• World Food Program to allocate $5.4 bln for Lebanon
over 3 years: Caretaker PM
• Bahrain’s king asks crown prince to form new cabinet
• HTS terrorists creating weapons depots in refugee
camps in Syria’s Idlib, Russia’s Defence Ministry says
--------
India
• Muslim Leaders Remind KCR Of Unfulfilled Vows Made To
Muslims, Before The Formation Of Telangana
• Inter-Faith Couple Apply for Marriage in Karnataka,
Hindu Groups Suspect 'Love Jihad'
• Communal Harmony: Muslims Unite To Revive
600-Year-Old Lavil Siva Temple in UP
• Divorce By Talaq: Kerala HC Orders Rs31.68 Lakh As
Maintenance To Former Wife
• Pakistan High Commission issues visas to Indian
pilgrims for visit to Shadani Darbar
-------
South Asia
• Afghanistan: Lack Of Teachers, Academic Facilities
Frustrate Students In Kabul Under Taliban Regime
• Bangladesh suspends five policemen after two
Islamist death row convicts whisked away from court premises
• Yesterday’s Military Men, Today’s Coal Mining
Workers; Mine Collapse Kills 2 Miners
--------
Mideast
• Israel Crimes Won’t Deter Palestinians From Treading
Path Of Resistance, Islamic Jihad Says
• Rayeesi: Supporting Terrorists Not Beneficial to US,
European States
• FM Spokesman: Iran Not to Bow to IAEA Pressures
• Iran Summons UK Envoy for Fourth Time in Weeks over
Embassy Safety
• Tehran Calls on Iraq Not to Turn into Platform for
Attacks on Iran
• OIC condemns Israel’s closure of Ibrahimi Mosque
• IRGC Continues Anti-Terror Military Operation in
Iraq's Kurdistan
• Iran to enrich Uranium to 60 pct purity at Fordow
nuclear site: Report
• Israeli army kill Palestinian high school student in
West Bank: Medics
--------
Africa
• Morocco Ex-Human Rights Minister In Jail After
‘Adultery’ Video Appeal
• Al-Shabaab Blockades Exacerbating Humanitarian
Crisis In Somalia
• Political veteran returns to Sudan opposing plan for
military exit
• Libya to consult with envoy to Athens after snub by
Greek foreign minister
• Libyans protest Greek minister’s refusal to get off
plane
--------
North America
• In Conservative Ohio, A Thriving Islamic Centre Builds
Community And Understanding
• McCarthy Vows To Remove Ilhan Omar From Foreign
Affairs Committee For Criticizing Israel
• US opposes escalation in Syria after border strikes:
State Department
• US President Pardons 2 Turkeys In Thanksgiving Tradition
• Türkiye, Mexico should explore areas of cooperation
to boost economic ties: Top Mexican diplomat
• Sweden, Finland should cooperate more with Türkiye
to fight terrorism: NATO chief
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/tiktok-malaysian-islamic-politics/d/128462
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TikTok-Mad Malaysian Voters Push Islamic Politics To
The Fore; Voters under 30 Made the Difference
Hadi Awang, right, president
of the burgeoning Malaysian Islamic Party, envisions to govern Malaysia based
on Islamic principles by 2051. (Photo by NurPhoto via Getty Images)
----
November 21, 2022
KUALA LUMPUR -- Never before in Malaysia has a small
local party exerted such influence upon a federal election, in this instance
bringing about a stalemate after Saturday's national polls.
The Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS as it is
abbreviated in Malay, was not previously a key player in the country's
race-based politics, although it had enjoyed some electoral success in rural
Malay states in the east of the peninsular.
On Saturday, Anwar Ibrahim's Hope Pact came out on top
with 82 of the 220 lower house seats being contested. But PAS also emerged high
in the rankings, securing 49 seats -- a big improvement on the 18 it won in the
2018 general election.
PAS is part of National Alliance, the coalition led by
a former prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, which secured in total 73 seats --
an improvement on the 47 that it had previously.
Voters under 30 were major supporters of PAS, which
proposes implementing strict Islamic laws in a largely secular society. PAS is
led by Hadi Awang, a Muslim preacher, and has positioned itself under the
National Alliance umbrella of Muhyiddin, a conservative who prioritizes the
Malay race and Islamic values.
Ahead of the polls, Muhyiddin played on various Muslim
sensitivities. In a TikTok video, he accused rival parties of being influenced
by Jewish and Christian agents out to convert Malays from the Muslim faith.
Apostacy is punishable under the country's Islamic laws.
A confident Hadi declared a "comfortable
win" and thanked "young voters" even before the end of the
official vote count on Sunday. He reiterated the long-term PAS vision to govern
Malaysia based on Islamic principles by 2051.
"We will do our best to implement the promises
and continue with the agenda towards Vision 2051," he said.
"It's too early to tell who young voters voted
for," Tunku Mohar Mokhtar, an assistant professor at the International
Islamic University of Malaysia told Nikkei Asia. "From the results, we can
assume that a large chunk of the votes went to the National Alliance."
Malay youths, Tunku said, appeared open to the idea
that National Alliance's rival Hope Pact was "anti-Malay and
anti-Islam."
"And the social media -- this time, TikTok --
used by the National Alliance has influenced their voting preferences," he
said.
One in ten Malaysians with smartphones use TikTok, the
short video posting platform owned by China's ByteDance. The proportion is
higher among young adults, according to Resolute, a Malaysian digital marketing
company.
Behind their carefree embrace of mobile technology,
young Malays are largely conservative with regard to race and religious faith.
Most were brought up with strict Islamic teachings, and in recent decades some
attended public and private religious schools.
"Ideological assurance remains important to Malay
voters," James Chai, an analyst at Singapore research institute ISEAS told
Nikkei. "The faith that supporters have for the National Alliance had less
to do with the policies the coalition would implement... and more to do with
the concept it represents."
Chai said the National Alliance did not campaign much
on its manifesto, did not have a particularly good record in government and was
poor on parliamentary attendance.
In its election manifesto, the National Alliance
promised to strengthen Islamic jurisdiction through Malaysia's existing
religious courts. That coupled with the effective TikTok campaign gave the
National Alliance an electoral advantage, Chai said.
"It did not necessarily change their minds --
they had already made them up -- but it activated them and pushed them out to
vote in droves, resulting in substantial victory margins for the National
Alliance," he said.
On Monday, the National Alliance confirmed that it
expects to form Malaysia's next government with Muhyiddin as its leader,
breaking the political impasse created by Saturday's failure to produce an
outright winner from the polls.
On the same day, Anwar's Hope Pact met with archrival
UMNO to try and thrash out an alternative coalition deal.
"I am extremely pleased with the negotiations
with the National Front," Anwar told reporters in a reference to the
UMNO-led coalition.
But the political instability some hoped would end on
Saturday may linger on in the coming years regardless of which coalition
manages to form a government.
PAS's powerful emergence within the National Alliance
is being seen as a turning point in Malaysia's seven decades of secular
parliamentary democracy.
Muhyiddin did not distinguish himself as prime
minister during the COVID-19 years of 2020 and 2021, but his election campaign
has positioned him as a viable alternative to ruling UMNO and aspiring Hope
Pact.
"It would mark the end of any semblance of
consociational democracy that Malaysian political actors have built since
independence," said Islamic University's Tunku. "It brings right-wing
politics to an already divided society."’
Source: Asia Nikkei
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original story:
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Lawyers Move Peshawar High Court For Ban On ‘Un-Islamic’
Movie Joyland
November 22, 2022
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Monday directed
the federal government, regulators, filmmaker and the country’s top religious
body to respond by Nov 23 to a petition seeking ban on the movie Joyland and
removal of its trailers from social media.
A bench consisting of Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice
Arshad Ali issued the directions during a hearing into a petition of lawyers
Sara Ali Khan, Mir Mohsinuddin, Kamranul Salam, Zainab Iftikhar and Aneesur
Rehman against the movie.
The petitioners made the federal government, law and
justice ministry, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Pakistan Electronic
Media Regulatory Authority, Federal Investigation Agency, Council of Islamic
Ideology, and the movie’s director and producer the respondents.
The bench directed them all to submit their replies
separately by the next hearing fixed for Nov 23.
Court seeks response of govt, regulators, filmmaker to
petition
The petitioners insisted that Joyland was an
un-Islamic and unconstitutional movie and was made to “insult their religion,
family system, bond and domestic life.”
Read more: Is Joyland facing curbs for humanising
transpersons?
They said the movie had been produced in Pakistan and
its story was not only against Islam and cultural norms but also against the
other religions, cultures and beliefs.
The petitioners also said Joyland didn’t fall in the
category of entertainment and instead, it would negatively impact the people,
especially youths, and destroy marriages and family institutions by promoting
nudity, vulgarity and homosexuality, which was fatal for the entire society,
and thus, inviting the extreme displeasure of the Almighty Allah.
They said they had also obtained a fatwa (religious
edict) against the movie, also supported LGBT people.
The petitioners also said the trailers and contents of
Joyland had been posted on thevideo-sharing website YouTube and various other
social media platforms, so the movie should be banned on social media
platforms, cinemas, theatres and TV channels.
They said the movie said movie not only violated the
constitutional provisions, including Articles 2, 2-A, 19, 30, 31, 35, 37 and
38, but also went against the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, so it
shouldn’t be allowed to be screened in the country.
The petitioners argued that the freedom of expression,
which was guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution, was not an absolute
privilege and rather, it was subject to modality, dignity and restrictions
imposed by the Constitution, which didn’t allow the use of “vulgar and
inappropriate” applications.
They said the respondents had the authority to
regulate the establishment and operation of all broadcasting media and distribution
services in the country for international, provincial, district, local or
special audience.
The petitioners said they were aggrieved and had no
other alternate and efficacious remedy, so they’re constrained to invoke the
extraordinary jurisdiction of the high court under Article 199 of Constitution
on the matter.
They added that the acts of respondents on Joyland
were illegal and us-Islamic and warranted interference by the court.
The petitioners prayed the court to direct the
respondents that Joyland be banned to extent of the violation of the provision
of the 1973 Constitution.
They also sought orders for the respondents to
restrict the screening of Joyland anywhere in the country and for the producer
and director not to make movies, which “affect moral values and customs, and
are against Quran, Sunnah and Constitution.”
The petitioners requested the court to direct
respondents to restrict the screening of Joyland on virtual private networks.
The bench issued notices to the respondents on the
next hearing on Nov 23.
Source: Dawn
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Iran Fans With Pre-Revolution Flag Denied Entry Into World Cup Match Against England
Protesters hold pre-Islamic
revolution Iranian flags during a rally in Athens February 11, 2010. (File
photo: Reuters)
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20 November ,2022
Iranian fans carrying the pre-1979 revolution flag of
Iran were denied entry into the venue of their country’s first World Cup game
against England in Qatar on Monday, the New York Times reported.
Fans wearing shirts with the flag or anti-regime
messaging were also not allowed entry into the stadium, according to the NYT
report.
The flag, known as the lion and sun flag, was the
official flag of Iran until the 1979 revolution which led to the establishment
of the Islamic Republic.
Iranian players chose not to sing their country’s
national anthem ahead of their opening Word Cup match against England on
Monday, in an apparent show of support for protesters back home.
The players were silent as the anthem was played at
the Khalifa International Stadium, where Iranian fans gathered in the stands
shouted as the music was played. Some were seen making thumbs-down gestures.
Iranian state television, during its live broadcast,
censored the footage of the players lining up before the match as the anthem
was played.
More than two months of protests in Iran, sparked by
the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of
the morality police have turned into one of the boldest challenges to Iran's
clerical leaders since the 1979 revolution.
Source: Al Arabiya
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original story:
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Arabs Shun Israeli Media At Qatar World Cup, Dashing
Hopes Of Warming
Soccer Football - 2022 World
Cup Preview - Doha, Qatar - November 10, 2022 A Qatar 2022 logo is seen in
front of the skyline of the West Bay in Doha REUTERS/John Sibley
------
21 November ,2022
Arab soccer fans at the first World Cup in the Middle
East are shunning Israeli journalists in Qatar trying to interview them,
illustrating challenges facing wider “warm peace” ambitions two years after
some Gulf states forged ties with Israel.
Israeli officials have voiced hope that the
US-brokered Abraham Accords reached with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain
in 2020, and later Sudan and Morocco, would spur further normalization,
including with Arab heavyweight Saudi Arabia.
Some Israeli reporters flew to Qatar ahead of the
event on connecting flights, while one was on the first direct flight from Tel
Aviv into Doha on Sunday under a FIFA-brokered agreement between the two
countries that have no formal ties.
Interview attempts with Arab fans, however, fell flat
with reporters from public broadcaster Kan and top-rated Channel 12 TV telling
Reuters interviewees had walked away. A Channel 13 reporter said in an on-air
report that fans had declined, shouted “Palestine” and draped Tunisian flags on
their shoulders.
Footage circulating online showed two Saudi fans, a
Qatari shopper and three Lebanese fans walking away from Israeli reporters.
Saudi national Khaled al-Omri, who works in the oil
industry and was in Qatar to support his home team, told Reuters he hoped the
Tel Aviv-Doha flight route would not become permanent.
“We hope that after the World Cup they’ll close down
this air route. Sure, most countries in the Arab world are heading towards
normalization – but that’s because most of them don’t have rulers who listen to
their people,” he said.
Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia have linked any
normalization to Palestinian statehood in Israeli-occupied territory.
But Riyadh has made some overtures this year by
opening its airspace to all airlines, including Israeli carriers.
Qatar has said the FIFA-brokered flights, which would
allow both Israeli and Palestinian fans to fly to Doha, should not be
politicized. The US State Department lauded the deal as holding “great promise
to bolster people-to-people ties and economic relations”.
While Israel did not qualify for the World Cup, it had
hoped the presence of an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 Israelis at the event would
warm ties.
Aseel Sharayah, a 27-year-old Jordanian at the
tournament, said he would have also refused to talk to Israeli journalists,
though Amman signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994.
“If I did see any of them, there’d be absolutely no
time of interaction,” said Sharayah, who works for the European-Jordanian
Committee in Amman. “Their policies are closing the door on any opportunity for
more ties between the countries.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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1,500 Unaided Madrasas Donations Under Yogi Scanner
UP government to investigate
income source of unrecognized Madrassas alongside border districts
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Piyush Srivastava
| Lucknow
22.11.22
The Yogi
Adityanath government plans to “verify” the funding sources of over 1,500
unaided madrasas that have declared their sole source of earning is the zakat —
donations that Muslims make for charitable causes as a religious obligation.
The decision follows a survey of the state’s 2,000
aided and 15,000 unaided madrasas between August and October to verify their
land records, sources of earning, classroom infrastructure and teacher
salaries, among others.
Over 1,500 madrasas in eastern Uttar Pradesh had during
the survey cited the zakat as their only source of funds, state minority
welfare minister Dharampal Singh said on Monday.
“There are about 500 such madrasas in Siddharthnagar,
400 in Balrampur, 400 in Shravasti, 200 in Lakimpur Kheri and 60 in Maharajganj,”
Singh said.
“A meeting of the minority welfare department with the
chief minister in the chair will formulate a modus operandi to verify whether
these madrasas are really run with genuine donations.
“They themselves have said they receive the donations
from individuals and institutions in places as far as Calcutta, Chennai,
Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. We need an extensive interdisciplinary team to
probe the matter since some of them have claimed they receive zakat from Nepal
and Dubai.”
Explaining the zakat, Khalid Rashid Firangimahli, a
Sunni cleric of Lucknow, said: “Those
who have assembled wealth worth 52.5 tola (about 612 grams) of silver must start giving zakat.
They are supposed to give 2.5 per cent of their annual income as zakat.
Personal residences or vehicles are not included while calculating this
wealth.”
Adityanath and some BJP leaders had in the past
alleged that madrasas were producing terrorists.
Danish Azad Ansari, junior minority welfare minister,
said some madrasas in the state were unregistered and unaffiliated to any
recognised school education board or university.
“The chief minister will decide what action is to be
taken against them,” Ansari said.
Source: Telegraph India
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original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/madrasa-donations-under-yogi-scanner/cid/1899474
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Southeast Asia
As Perikatan courts East Malaysian allies, PAS vows to
not use its majority to implement oppressive policies
By Rex Tan
21 Nov 2022
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — PAS has today vowed not to
implement any policies that would oppress the public should it be part of the
federal government, as its Perikatan Nasional (PN) aims to get the support of
the East Malaysian bloc in Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat
Sabah (GRS).
In a statement, the Islamist party’s secretary-general
Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said PAS believes in the Islamic principle of
“there is no compulsion in religion” and will not force non-Muslims to convert.
“We reject any claims that PAS will use its position
as the party with the most federal seats to implement policies that would
oppress any groups, especially in Sarawak and Sabah where its people are living
in harmony by their own traditions and religions,” he said.
It claimed to have respected the diversity and
plurality of Malaysians of different ethnicities, traditions and religions, and
their rights and freedoms to practice their own way of life that is protected
by the Federal Constitution.
“We have proven this by showing openness to other
races and religions in the state government led by PAS in Kelantan over the
past 30 years,” he added.
PAS currently has the most number of seats in the
Parliament among all political parties with 49 seats, with 27 of those
contested under the banner of Perikatan Nasional (PN) rather than its own logo.
PN is currently planning to form the federal
government with GPS and GRS.
However, Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president
Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has reportedly said that GPS would wait before
deciding on a partner to form the federal government.
This comes following public backlash from Sarawak
voters against GPS, following the many incidents in the past where PAS had
tried to impose its version of Islam in public policies.
In March this year, PAS senator and information chief
Khairil Nizam Khirudin said it is seeking a constitutional amendment to make it
a prerequisite for the prime minister to be a Muslim — leading to a chorus of
criticisms from Sarawak parties.
During 15th general election campaigning, PAS
president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang was found to use a dog-whistle remark
calling for violence against certain ethnic groups, with an anti-DAP social
media post invoking God’s power in punishing certain ethnic groups by
eliminating them.
Source: Malay Mail
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In Penang, RM75.08m allocated to Islamic development
under state Budget 2023
By Opalyn Mok
21 Nov 2022
GEORGE TOWN, Nov 21 — Penang will be allocating
RM75.08 million to Islamic development in its state Budget 2023 which includes
building and upgrading of mosques, surau, religious schools, and management of
Islamic religious affairs department.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, in tabling the
state Budget today, said Penang was picked to host the National Majlis Tilawah
Al-Quran 2023 and the state has allocated RM3.52 million (out of the RM75.08
million) for the event.
Other than the mosques that are currently under
construction, also in the plans was the construction of seven mosques between
2022 and 2025.
The mosques, to cost RM18 million in total, are Masjid
Papan in Seberang Jaya, Masjid Sungai Lokan and Masjid Sungai Dua Utama in
Butterworth, Masjid Bandar Raya Seberang Perai in Bandar Cassia, Masjid Lama
Sungai Bakap and Masjid Lama Sungai Kechil in Nibong Tebal and Masjid Bandar
Putra Bertam in Bertam.
Chow also announced the approval of an increase in
allowance to be paid to village community management councils (MPKK) committee
members from July 1 this year onwards.
He said a total 375 MPKK were set up in the state this
year at a cost of RM9.15 million and taking into account the increase in
allowance paid to the committee members, the state has allocated RM12.98
million for the MPKK in 2023.
“The state has also set up Penangn2030 centres in 15
state constituencies and another nine to be set up soon,”he said.
He said the centres are based on a shared space
concept and can be optimised to hold community and social activities.
“These centres will be fully equipped with digital
learning materials such as computers, broadband services and others,” he said.
On homestays in Penang, Chow said the state is now
finalising the guidelines on the operations of private homestays in stratified
properties and bylaws for homestays in landed properties in Penang.
“The purpose of the guidelines and by-laws are to
prepare a policy to empower the local authorities to license and control the
operations of private homestays in Penang,” he said.
He said both the guidelines and by-laws are expected
to be enforced in the whole state by 2023.
Penang will also be continuing with its i-Sejahtera
welfare programmes, consisting of annual cash aids given to senior citizens,
the disabled, single mothers and stay-home mothers, with an allocation of RM53
million for 2023.
“Realising the importance of having a disaster
management depot to provide fast and effective disaster relief, the state has
approved a total RM1.5 million for the early works and setting up of a disaster
humanitarian logistic centre in 2023,” he said.
He said the whole project will cost RM6.5 million and
is expected to complete within three years.
On the state’s Penang Transport Master Plan, Chow said
a total RM17.23 million was approved to implement projects under the plan in
2023.
“The state is confident of obtaining approval for the
environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the Penang South Reclamation
and will prepare sufficient allocation to implement some of the projects
identified including compensation to the affected parties,” he said.
He said package two of the undersea tunnel and three
paired roads project involving the carriageway from Ayer Itam to Tun Dr Lim
Chong Eu Expressway started work in July this year.
“The work progress of Package two as of the end of
September is at 20 per cent as planned,” he said.
He said the construction of Package Two is not in full
swing yet as the contractor is yet to obtain approval from the federal
government as the alignment involved federal lands despite the alignment being
part of the Penang Outer Ring Road alignment.
Source: Malay Mail
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Race on to form coalition govt in Malaysia
November 21, 2022
Rival Malaysian political blocs on Monday tried to woo
smaller parties to form a coalition government after the weekend's general
election that saw major gains by a conservative Islamist party.
One of Southeast Asia's biggest economies saw three
governments change in as many years before this stalemate, and the next one
faces major challenges including soaring inflation.
No party has emerged with a clear majority. Veteran
opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former premier Muhyiddin Yassin both claim
they have the numbers to control parliament.
To break the impasse, parties have been told to submit
their preferred prime minister and coalition partners to the king's palace by 2
pm (0600 GMT) on Monday.
The bloc led by the United Malays National
Organisation (UMNO) -- which once dominated Malaysian politics -- trailed far
behind the rest in Saturday's election.
It was their worst election performance since Malaysia
won independence in 1957.
While details of possible alliances are murky, Muhyiddin's
group includes the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which
promotes a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Big gains for Islamists
The latest election saw PAS become the largest party
in Muhyiddin's bloc, sparking worries among analysts about its influence on
national policy.
The party forced the cancellation of an annual craft
beer festival in the capital Kuala Lumpur in 2017.
And in 2018, two women convicted of having lesbian sex
were caned in front of more than 100 spectators in a PAS-ruled state.
"If they (PAS) hold most of the cabinet and
senior positions, this will inspire anxiety," Bridget Welsh of the
University of Nottingham Malaysia told AFP.
She said women's rights could be "potentially
impacted" too.
This would not be the first time in a governing
coalition for PAS, but this time they have far greater numbers than before.
Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, deputy managing director at
BowerGroupAsia, noted that PAS previously avoided pushing its agenda strongly.
"However, PAS may be tempted to stamp its
identity in the new administration... especially after its overwhelming
performance," he said.
Critics have warned of Islamist conservatism creeping
into Malaysian society and politics for years, saying hardliners are eroding
the traditionally moderate brand of Islam in the country.
The majority of Malaysia's 33 million people are Malay
and Muslim, but the country is also home to substantial ethnic Chinese and
Indian minorities.
Source: UCA News
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of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/race-on-to-form-coalition-govt-in-malaysia/99481
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Amanah seen as traitors by Malay-Muslim voters, says
analyst
Reshna Reem Ganesan
November 22, 2022
PETALING JAYA: Amanah’s poor performance in the
general election was because the party has little traction with Malay-Muslim
voters, says an analyst.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said PAS members and
supporters viewed Amanah as traitorous, whose members split from PAS in 2015 to
set up the party as a member of Pakatan Harapan.
“Malay-Muslim voters want a party they see as
protecting their interests, race and religion hence their obvious choice is
PAS. Not Umno or Amanah,” he told FMT.
Amanah’s affiliation with DAP led Malay-Muslim voters
to fear that their interests would be sidelined in favour of other racial
communities.
PH comprises PKR, DAP, Amanah and Sabah-based Upko.
Azmi said although Amanah was unable to draw the
Malay-Muslim votes, disbanding or absorbing the party into PKR would not help
the coalition.
“Amanah is a rival to PAS and totally different from
PKR in attracting Malay votes. It should remain as is,” he said.
Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International
Affairs said Amanah enjoyed a degree of Malay-Muslim support in the urban and
suburban seats but could hardly make a dent in the Malay heartlands which
continue to prefer the more conservative and “hardcore” religious ethos of PAS.
“Disbanding Amanah would imply a surrender in the
battle for Malay-Muslim voters but absorption into PKR and DAP would also not
help as it would not make the Amanah remnants or the two parties more palatable
to the same voter cohort,” he said.
To him, leaving Amanah as is was the best solution and
he saw the party eventually becoming irrelevant as the “religious
radicalisation” trend swamped it.
On the other hand, Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains
Malaysia said Amanah should be absorbed into PKR because its machinery and
grassroots setup left a lot to be desired especially when compared to the
latter.
“Amanah is unable to compete with PAS for the same
Malay voters and its affiliation with DAP is also a (contributing) factor in
being unable to garner the Malay votes,” he said.
Some former Amanah bigwigs were defeated at the Nov 19
polls.
Mujahid Yusof Rawa lost in Parit Buntar to Misbahul
Munir Masduki of PAS by 5,395 votes; Mahfuz Omar in Pokok Sena to Ahmad Saad @
Yahaya by 31,751 votes; Hatta Ramli in Lumut to Nordin Ahmad Ismail of Bersatu
by 363 votes; and Khalid Samad, who lost to Johari Ghani (BN) in Titiwangsa by
4,632 votes.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Cops warn social media users against provocative
content, amid uproar over TikTok clips conjuring May 13, violence
By Rex Tan
21 Nov 2022
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — The police have today warned
Malaysian social media users against uploading content that would threaten
public safety and order, after the online public brought up clips by youths on
TikTok bringing up the May 13, 1969 racial riots and violence after the 15th
general election.
In a statement, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri
Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani told social media users to stop misusing the platforms
to spread content that are considered provocative in nature because it will
cause public disturbances.
“During the 15th general election (GE15) and before
the forming of the next federal government, we have warned against social media
users that uploaded content that touch on racial and religious issues.
“Stern actions will be taken against users that
attempt to threaten public safety and order under the Communication and
Multimedia Acts and Penal Code,” said Acryl Sani.
Social media users have pointed to TikTok posts
warning about a possible repeat of the deadly May 13, 1969 race riots were
found on TikTok with hundred thousand of views, most of them directed against
supporters of Pakatan Harapan.
Many of the videos also falsely alleged of political
dominance by DAP if PH forms the federal government, carried anti-Chinese
messages, and openly threatened violence.
Some also questioned the religiosity of Malay-Muslims
who voted for DAP, insinuating that no Muslim would ever vote for the party.
Among the hashtags used for the posts were affiliated
to Perikatan Nasional, which is also attempting to form the federal government.
During 15th general election (GE15) campaigning,
Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)’s Social Media Monitoring Initiative to
monitor hate speech said it found that race-based narratives especially
espousing “Ketuanan Melayu” or Malay supremacy have ramped up ahead of the
election.
Source: Malay Mail
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Pakistan
International Islamic Art Festival In Pakistan
concludes With Message Of Peace, Love
November 21, 2022
LAHORE:
The four-day International Islamic Art Festival
organised by Lahore Arts Council Alhamra and Pakistan Arts Council Karachi has
ended with all the blessings and auspiciousness at Alhamra Arts Centre, the
Mall.
Delegates and intellectuals, scholars, and artists
from Pakistan and other Muslim countries, including Turkey, Iran, Yemen and
Saudi Arabia, participated in the four-day International Islamic Art Festival.
Even on the last day of the event, seminars,
exhibitions, calligraphy competitions, and other activities continued in which
the participation of people in large numbers sealed the success of the
Festival. While a large audience of all ages was present in the workshop on
calligraphy manuscripts, Yemeni research scholar and master calligrapher Dr
Zaki Ali Al Hashmi provided the training.
In addition to the workshop and exhibition, various
book fairs and stalls set up in Alhamra also became the centre of public
attention. Provincial Finance Minister Punjab Sardar Mohsin Leghari was the
chief guest of the closing ceremony.
Source: Tribune Pakistan
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Federal Shariat Court Takes Suo Motu Notice Of Child
Marriages In Balochistan
Malik Asad
November 22, 2022
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Shariat Court (FSC) while
taking suo motu notice of the forced marriage of a six-year-old girl in
Balochistan on Monday sought a report from the provincial government.
An FSC bench comprising Chief Justice Dr Syed Mohammad
Anwer and Justice Khadim Hussain M. Shaikh took up an application regarding the
forced child marriage.
When the law officer of Balochistan submitted a report
regarding the incident, he was asked about the steps being taken by the
provincial legislature to prevent child marriage and as well as the forced
marriage.
He submitted a partial report of the Khuzdar police
and social welfare department of Balochistan and expressed his ignorance of the
current status of the draft law concerning the child marriages.
Seeks detailed report on legislation passed to prevent
such cases
The court directed the law officer to submit a
detailed report regarding such legislation and the draft for such legislation
on or before next date of hearing.
Further hearing on the matter was later adjourned till
Nov 28.
In another petition, the FSC dismissed the petition
against House Building Finance Corporation Act.
The petition challenged Sections 28, 29 and 30 of the
House Building Finance Corporation Act 1952 for being repugnant to the injunctions
of Islam.
Assistant Attorney General told the court that the Act
of 1952 had already been repealed vide the House Building Finance Corporation
(Repeal) Act, 2018.
The court ruled that since the impugned law has
already been repealed, therefore, the petition in hand became infructuous and
is accordingly dismissed.
However, it noted with dismay that the law under
discussion i.e. the Act of 2018 was virtually a one-liner law, yet it suffered
from a serious mistake of legislative drafting, which practically defeated the
very cause of its promulgation.
The state could not afford even a slightest error in
drafting of laws, as it may cause serious legal complications, the court
observed.
Source: Dawn
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the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1722312
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General Qamar Bajwa’s family became billionaires in
six years
Nov 22, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s outgoing army chief General
Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extended family became billionaires after he took command
of the military in 2016, accumulating assets and businesses of more than Rs
12.7 billion within and outside the country over the past six years, said a
report published on investigative website FactsFocus.
The report prompted finance minister Ishaq Dar to take
notice Monday of the “illegal and unwarranted” leak of tax records of Gen
Bajwa’s family members. He directed Tariq Mehmood Pasha, PM Shehbaz Sharif’s
special assistant on revenue, to personally lead an immediate investigation
into the violation of tax laws, breach of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) data,
affix responsibility and submit a report within 24 hours.
Citing annual tax returns and wealth statements of Gen
Bajwa’s family from 2013 to 2021, the report claimed that his wife Ayesha Amjad
wasn’t filing any tax returns when he became a lieutenant general, while Sabir
“Mithu” Hameed, his closest friend and father-in-law of his eldest son, was an
average businessman. “Everything changed for both families as they moved ahead
and became one family.”
Within six years, according to the report, both
families became billionaires, started an international business, purchased
multiple foreign properties, started transferring capital abroad, became owners
of commercial plazas, commercial plots, huge farmhouses in Islamabad and
Karachi, an immense real estate portfolio in Lahore, and so on.
“The current market value of the “known” assets and
businesses within Pakistan and outside accumulated by the Bajwa family during
the last six years is more than Rs 12.7 billion,” the report said.
The tax records said his wife’s wealth went from zero
in 2016 to Rs 2.2 billion (declared and known) in six years. It stated that the
amount didn’t include residential plots, commercial plots and houses given by
the army to her husband as chief of the army staff.
It alleged that the total worth of declared assets of
Gen Bajwa’s daughter-in-law, Mahnoor Sabir, was zero in the last week of
October 2018. It jumped to more than Rs 1,271 million just one week before her
marriage on November 02, 2018.
Though Mahnoor Sabir declared these properties to the
tax authorities in 2018, the filing retrospectively stated that these
properties were acquired in the tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016. The
declarations were made to show that every single property was purchased before
Gen Bajwa became the army chief in November 2016.
These annual returns, along with the declarations for
the tax year 2017, were made on September 14, 2018, and October 23, 2018.
Later, declarations for the year 2018 were also submitted on December 17, 2018.
Mahnoor also became “the manager” of an oil company,
Taxx Petroleum Pakistan, in November 2019. Taxx Petroleum, currently registered
as an overseas company in Pakistan with its head office in Dubai, was first
registered in Pakistan on November 14, 2018, and later registered in the UAE on
January 16, 2019.
Incorporation documents of the company taken from
Pakistan show Sabir “Mithu” Hameed, father of Mahnoor, and his brother Nasir
Hameed as directors. However, Taxx Petroleum, which started its operations
across Pakistan within days following its incorporation, is being run by
Mahnoor from its declared head office in Dubai. Mahnoor’s LinkedIn profile
lists her as a senior manager at Taxx Petroleum.
Assets of Mahnoor’s other three sisters, including a
minor, and mother also grew from zero in 2016 to “billions” in the following
years.
Furthermore, the tax returns of Sabir
Hameed—father-in-law of Gen Bajwa’s son, Saad Siddique Bajwa—were less than a
million in 2013. But “in the coming years, he became a billionaire”, the
website said.
According to the publication, it was unable to obtain
data about assets in the name of Gen Bajwa’s two sons. FactsFocus claimed that
after the publication of the story, the traffic on its site was “disrupted”,
while also claiming that the website had been “banned”.
The website had also published comprehensive stories
on the “misappropriation of funds” by a number of politicians and other
powerful sectors in Pakistan, including PTI chairman Imran Khan and former
dictator General Pervez Musharraf.
Source: Times Of India
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Lahore High Court Summons Principal Secretaries On
Plea Against Quran’s ‘Distorted’ Translation
November 21, 2022
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday summoned
principal secretaries of prime minister and chief minister Punjab in personal
capacity on December 7, on a petition filed against distortions in translation
of Holy Quran and its printing without permission from the Quran Board.
The court also summoned officers of relevant
departments on the next date of hearing, and directed that the officers must be
of grade 20 or above.
The single bench comprising Justice Shujaat Ali Khan
passed the orders while hearing a petition, filed by one Hassan Muawiyah,
The petitioners’ counsel argued before the court that
in a 2019 judgement, the LHC had ordered the authorities concerned to ensure
that the copies of the Holy Quran were duly approved by the Quran Board before
printing and uploading it on the internet.
He submitted that the court had further directed the
Quran Board and others to have a vigilant eye on printing of any religious
material, in particular the Holy Quran, and ensure verification of its original
text and authentic meaning.
He submitted that distorted translation of the Holy
Quran was being published. He submitted that the relevant authorities were not
taking action against the printing press.
He pleaded with the court to direct implementation of
the court orders in letter and spirit.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Pak: Three generals with India experience emerge as
frontrunners for key military posts
Nov 21, 2022
By Rezaul H Laskar
New Delhi: With the Pakistan government on Monday
saying the process for selecting the army chief and chairman of the joint
chiefs of staff committee will be completed this week, three generals who have
emerged as front-runners in the race for the posts are either considered old
India hands or have played a crucial role in handling bilateral issues.
Defence minister Khawaja Asif said the process of
appointing the next army chief and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
committee started on Monday and the appointments will soon be completed in line
with constitutional requirements. The five or six senior-most generals will be
considered for the posts and the army chief’s appointment will be completed by
November 25, he told the media. The new chief will replace Gen Qamar Bajwa, who
was given a three-year extension and is currently making farewell calls at
various formations.
The appointments have been the source of intense
speculation in Pakistan’s political circles for weeks, especially after the
souring of relations between the military and former premier Imran Khan, who
only recently backed down from calls that the next army chief should be
appointed by the government formed after the next general election in 2023.
Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April,
has been at loggerheads with the military, which was irked by his interference
in key appointments, people familiar with the matter said.
Among the three generals seen as front-runners in the
race for the top two posts, Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza and Lt Gen Azhar Abbas
are both considered old India hands. The third general, Lt Gen Asim Munir, was
head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) when tensions between India and
Pakistan rose following the Pulwama suicide bombing in February 2019. The
people cited above said Munir was among the military decision-makers involved
in shaping Pakistan’s response and security policies at that time.
Of the three generals, Munir is considered the dark
horse as he is set to retire on November 27, just two days before Bajwa
completes his extended tenure. He was removed as ISI chief after a brief stint
of less than a year because his no-nonsense attitude and by-the-books approach
reportedly did not go down well with then-prime minister Khan. A section of the
ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Party favours his elevation to the
post of army chief as it believes Munir can stand up to Khan, the people said.
Abbas is considered the general with the most
experience in dealing with India because of his current stint as chief of
general staff, which has him playing a key role in overseeing all operational
matters, and his previous tenure as head of the Rawalpindi-based X Corps during
2019-21. This formation oversees operations in parts of Kashmir and Abbas was
responsible on the Pakistani side for implementing the ceasefire on the Line of
Control (LoC) when it was reaffirmed in February 2021.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Europe
Spain to bring back Spanish families from ISIS camps in
Syria
21 November ,2022
Spain has decided to bring back several Spanish wives,
widows, and children of ISIS fighters from detention camps in northeastern
Syria, a government source said on Monday, confirming a report in El Pais
newspaper.
Thousands of foreigners including women and children
had gone to Syria to live in ISIS’ so-called caliphate until 2019, when
US-backed Kurdish forces took the last pocket of Syrian territory from the
extremists.
Fleeing women and children were housed in overcrowded
detention camps run by Kurdish authorities and international charities, who had
pushed for repatriations due to rising violence and dire conditions in the
camps.
The source said Spain planned to repatriate before the
end of the year at least three women who had asked to return to their homeland
and 13 children.
The women could face prosecution in Spain, while the
children’s situation will be studied on a case-by-case basis depending on their
age, the source said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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‘Show of respect’: UK campaign urges medals for Afghan
interpreters
November 21, 2022
LONDON: British Army veterans have launched a campaign
to gain medals for local Afghan interpreters who served with UK forces during
the country’s almost two-decade war, The Times reported.
Armed forces policy means that the interpreters — many
of whom were among the 11,600 Afghans who relocated to Britain following the
Taliban takeover — are ineligible for medals or awards.
The campaign is led by Maj. James Bolter, a Royal
Logistic Corps reservist who served in Afghanistan in 2011-12, recruiting and
overseeing interpreters.
Bolter is urging the government to award a medal to
Nazir Ayeen, who worked for seven years as an interpreter and once translated
for King Charles during a troop inspection.
Ayeen said: “We worked for the UK government in the
hope we could stabilize our country but also to be protected. I translated for
King Charles and my only wish from him is to look after not only my own family
but others in the same situation.”
He added: “Giving us a medal would be a show of
respect and open doors for other organizations such as the Royal British Legion
and Help for Heroes to aid us.”
Bolter said: “It would be a very worthy recognition of
what they went through, what they put their families through and what they did
for their country.
“It would be heartening to see our former locally
employed civilians being able to stand at their local Remembrance parades in 2023,
alongside their British former colleagues, wearing their own hard-earned
medals.”
Almost 5,000 interpreters once employed by Britain’s
armed forces remain in limbo in Afghanistan, with the ARAP resettlement scheme
struggling to process a backlog of requests.
Sara de Jong, co-founder of the Sulha Alliance, which
represents interpreters, said that the government should expedite the ARAP
process and bring more former interpreters to safety in Britain.
Awarding those already in the UK with medals would be a
welcome boost to the community, she added.
“Symbolic recognition is very important for our
community. We know from our comparative research that other countries, such as
New Zealand and France, already award medals, and we have advocated for many
years for the UK to follow their example,” de Jong said.
A Ministry of Defense spokesman said: “While decisions
on medals are rightly independent, we are indebted to the contribution of those
who served British forces in Afghanistan with professionalism and bravery.
“To date over 11,800 eligible Afghans, and their
dependents, who worked with the UK armed forces under the ARAP scheme have been
relocated to the UK. All applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis
against all categories of eligibility, and have varying degrees of complexity
which can affect how quickly they are processed.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2203716/world
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Germany aims for UN human rights resolution on Iran
Oliver Towfigh Nia
21.11.2022
BERLIN
Germany is pressing for a human rights resolution on
Iran to be adopted during a special session at the UN Human Rights Council in
Geneva later this week, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Monday.
“The federal (German) government has repeatedly
expressed its concern about the massive violence being used by the Iranian
security forces against the protesters and against the Iranian civilian
population,” Christofer Burger told media representatives in Berlin.
“At this point, I can only reiterate our demand on the
Iranian regime that violence against people who freely express their opinions
and exercise their right to assembly must stop immediately. Of course, it is
particularly shocking when children become victims of this completely
disproportionate violence,” he added.
Burger stressed the Iranian government’s “legal
obligation to protect its people” in the wake of the security crackdown
following mass protests in the aftermath of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa
Amini on Sept. 16. She had been detained by morality police for allegedly
flouting Iran's strict dress code imposed on women.
“From our point of view, this is also a legal
obligation for Iran to protect its population, which is why we, together with
many other states, have requested a special session of the United Nations
People's Council in Geneva this week,” Burger said.
“We want to pass a resolution there that condemns the
procedure and decides on counter-measures. In particular, we believe that an
independent investigative mission should be commissioned there to document
human rights violations,” he added.
On Nov. 11, Germany and Iceland submitted a request on
behalf of dozens of countries to hold a special meeting at the UN Human Rights
Council on the ongoing protests.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/germany-aims-for-un-human-rights-resolution-on-iran/2744364
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Man who died in UK immigration centre identified as
Iraqi
November 21, 2022
LONDON: A man who died in the UK’s Manston immigration
facility a week after crossing the English Channel has been identified as
Iraqi, The Times reported on Monday.
The man, in his 30s, arrived in Britain on Nov. 12 but
suffered organ failure following the journey by boat.
The death, the first in the high-profile immigration
center, has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2203546/world
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Arab World
Turkish jets hit 89 PKK terrorist targets in Iraqi,
Syrian border regions
Diyar Guldogan
20.11.2022
Türkiye hit almost 90 YPG/PKK terror targets during
air raids in northern regions of Iraq and Syria, near the Turkish border, the
National Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
"With Operation Claw-Sword, 89 terror targets –
81 targets in the first stage and eight others this morning – including
shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots, and so-called
headquarters and training camps belonging to terrorists, who threaten our
country, nation and border security, were destroyed," said a ministry
statement.
The statement came after Türkiye early Sunday launched
Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the terrorist
group YPG/PKK in northern Iraq and Syria. The ministry said the operation was
carried out in line with the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN
Charter. The terrorist YPG/PKK and PKK have illegal hideouts across the border
where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.
Nearly 70 aircraft, including armed drones, took part
in the operation. The warplanes took off from six different bases across
Türkiye and carried out simultaneous operations against the terror targets.
Türkiye carried out a "successful operation"
in the Qandil, Asos, and Hakurk regions of northern Iraq and the Arab Spring,
Tal Rifat, Jazira, and Derik regions of northern Syria, it added.
While Ayn al-Arab in northern Syria was hit for the
first time in an air operation, the Turkish Armed Forces simultaneously struck
targets in Asos, 140 kilometers (87 miles) from the border, and Qandil, 90 km
(56 mi) from the border, in northern Iraq.
Among the terrorists neutralized in the air operation
were so-called leaders of the terrorist group," the ministry also said.
The operation came after last Sunday's terror attack on Istanbul's crowded
Istiklal Avenue that killed at least six people and left 81 injured.
It was carried out to eliminate terrorist attacks
against Turkish people and security forces from northern areas of Iraq and
Syria, and to ensure Türkiye's border security, the ministry said.
"After the operation, in which mostly domestic
and national ammunition was used, all of our aircraft returned safely to their
bases," it added.
Türkiye will continue to hold terrorists accountable:
Defense minister
Türkiye will determinedly continue the fight against
terrorism for the security of the country and nation until the last terrorist
is neutralized, the ministry stressed.
Earlier, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar
said Türkiye will continue to hold accountable those who threaten its security.
"Our aim is to ensure the security of our 85
million citizens and our borders, and to respond to any treacherous attack on
our country," Akar said.
He stressed that only terrorists and hideouts
belonging to the terrorists were targeted, saying: "The claw of our
Turkish Armed Forces was once again on the terrorists."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the
start of the air operation upon his return from Indonesia, where he attended a
G-20 summit.
The ministry also marked World Children's Day, saying:
"Even though there are those who do not want to see it, the terrorist
organization PKK/YPG continues to brutally murder babies and children in this
region."
The ministry shared footage on Twitter showing Turkish
soldiers writing the names of Istiklal Avenue victims – 9-year-old Ecrin and
15-year-old Yagmur – on bombs used to hit terrorist targets during the
operation.
"They separated Ecrin and Yagmur, the sweetest in
the world, from us. We will continue to hold the child killers
accountable!" the ministry said.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Sisi and Erdogan agree that World Cup handshake will
be start of new relations
21 November ,2022
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Turkish
counterpart Tayyip Erdogan shook hands in Qatar and described it as a new start
in bilateral relations, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement on Monday,
after years of tension.
The two leaders were in Qatar for the start of the
World Cup soccer tournament.
Ankara’s ties with Cairo have been strained since
Sisi, then Egypt’s army chief, led the 2013 ouster of Mohamed Mursi of the
Muslim Brotherhood, who was strongly supported by Erdogan.
The two countries started consultations between senior
foreign ministry officials last year amid a push by Turkey to ease tensions
with Egypt, the UAE, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Islamic minister awarded most influential
personality shield for 2022
November 21, 2022
SAO PAULO — In a plenary session, the Standing
Commission of the Islamic Call Center for Latin America and the Caribbean Sea
Countries has unanimously awarded Saudi Arabia's Minister of Islamic Affairs,
Call and Endowment Dr. Abdullatif Al Al-Shiekh the most influential personality
shield 2022.
The minister was awarded for his efforts in
confronting hatred, spreading tolerance and consolidating moderate values of
Islam and in recognition of his prominent role in staying steadfast against
fanatics and extremists through a rich career spanning more than 35 years.
Source: Saudi Gazette
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Russia calls on Turkey to show ‘restraint’ in Syria
22 November ,2022
Russia on Tuesday said it hoped Turkey would exercise
“restraint” and refrain from “any excessive use of force” in Syria, where
Ankara has carried out air strikes and is threatening to launch a ground
offensive against Kurdish fighters.
“We hope to convince our Turkish colleagues to refrain
from resorting to excessive use of force on Syrian territory” to “avoid the
escalation of tensions,” Alexander Lavrentyev, Russian President Vladimir
Putin’s special envoy on Syria, told reporters in Astana.
Turkey on Sunday launched a series of air raids
targeting bases of outlawed Kurdish militants across northern Syria and Iraq.
At least 37 people were killed in the strikes,
according to a report by Britain-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights.
“Russia has for months ... done everything possible to
prevent any large-scale ground operation,” Lavrentyev said in the Kazakh
capital, which is hosting a tripartite meeting between Russia, Turkey and Iran
on Syria.
The three countries are major players in the war in
Syria, which has claimed nearly half a million lives since 2011.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been
threatening to launch a new military operation in northern Syria since May.
“We will make those who disturb us on our territory
pay,” he said on Monday, adding that consultations were ongoing “to decide the
level of force that should be used by our ground forces.”
The Turkish air offensive, codenamed Operation
Claw-Sword, came a week after a blast in central Istanbul killed six people and
wounded 81, an attack Turkey has blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK).
Source: Al Arabiya
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Thousands in north Syria attend funerals of Turkish
raids victims
21 November ,2022
Thousands attended Monday the funerals of 11 people
killed in Turkish strikes in northeastern Syria targeting Kurdish militants, an
AFP correspondent said.
“The martyrs are not dead,” the mourners chanted, and
“Long live Rojava” – the name Kurds in Syria give to their region.
Turkey hit dozens of targets in northern Syria as well
as northern Iraq overnight into Sunday, a week after a deadly attack in Istanbul
which Ankara has blamed on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Kurdish groups and authorities have denied
responsibility for the November 13 attack that killed six people.
The Turkish offensive against the bases of outlawed
Kurdish militants, codenamed Operation Claw-Sword, killed at least 35 people,
according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The overnight raids targeted border areas in Syria
controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including Kobane
in the north and Al-Malikiyah in the far northeast.
Thousands gathered Monday to bury Al-Malikiyah’s 11
victims, including a journalist working for a Kurdish news agency, with the
bodies draped in the red-white-and-green Kurdish flag, the AFP correspondent
said.
The strikes on the small city also destroyed a nearby
power plant, according to the Observatory, which relies on a wide network of
sources in Syria.
“We urge the world, all those who care about human
rights and the great powers” to press Turkey to stop its strikes that “target
us with planes and drones,” a mourner named Shaaban, 58, told AFP during the
funerals.
The SDF said one of its fighters had been killed, as
well as 11 civilians and 15 Syrian regime soldiers, while the Observatory said
the 35 deaths included 18 Kurdish or allied forces and 16 regime soldiers.
On Monday, in an apparent retaliation against Ankara,
rockets fired from Syria hit Turkey’s border town of Karkamis, killing three
people including a child, according to the Turkish interior minister.
Turkey has launched waves of attacks on Syria since
2016 targeting Kurdish militias as well as ISIS, and Ankara and forces backed
by it have seized territory along the Syrian border.
Source: Al Arabiya
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World Food Program to allocate $5.4 bln for Lebanon
over 3 years: Caretaker PM
21 November ,2022
The World Food Program has agreed to allocate $5.4
billion for aid to Lebanon over the next three years, Lebanese caretaker Prime
Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday, following a meeting with the agency’s
country director.
Mikati said the aid would be split, with half going to
Lebanese and the other half to Syrian refugees, more than 1 million of whom
live in Lebanon.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Bahrain’s king asks crown prince to form new cabinet
21 November ,2022
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa reappointed
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa as prime minister and asked him to
form a new cabinet on Monday, state news agency (BNA) reported.
Prince Salman had submitted the resignation of the old
cabinet earlier, which the king accepted.
Source: Al Arabiya
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HTS terrorists creating weapons depots in refugee
camps in Syria’s Idlib, Russia’s Defence Ministry says
21 November 2022
The Russian Defense Ministry has warned that members
of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist outfit are stockpiling various
types of weapons at two refugee camps in Syria’s northwestern province of
Idlib, amid reports that the extremists are also planning to stage false-flag
attacks against civilians in coordination with the so-called civil defense
group White Helmets.
“The Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing
Sides in Syria has received reports about deterioration of the humanitarian
situation in Harim and Salkim refugee camps in Idlib province,” the deputy head
of the center, Major General Oleg Yegorov, said.
He added, “According to the available information,
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants have created weapons depots at both camps.”
Yegorov noted that the terrorists do not allow
representatives from international organizations to access the refugee camps in
order to conceal their activities.
“The militants’ actions pose a direct threat to the
lives of refugees and are another example of how terrorists use civilians as a
human shield,” he stressed.
Last week, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of
Opposing Sides in Syria said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorists, in cooperation
with White Helmets representatives, intended to carry out acts of provocation
in the Idlib de-escalation zone.
Yegorov said at the time that the false-flag attacks
were meant to incriminate Syrian government forces and Russian troops and
accuse them of operations against populated areas and civilian facilities.
On October 13, HTS terrorists took over a strategic
town in northwest Syria following days of clashes with several militant groups,
who were controlling the area.
Local sources said the Takfiris entered the town of
Afrin after its former rulers withdrew their forces.
The HTS, by far the strongest remaining militant group
in Aleppo, has allied with former foes, including the Hamzah Division, Sultan
Suleiman Shah Division, Ahrar al-Sham and the remnants of the Nour al-Din
al-Zenki Movement, all terror outfits belonging to the so-called Syrian
National Army.
Afrin has been under control of Turkey and its allied
militant groups since 2018, following a Turkey-backed military operation that
pushed Syrian Kurdish fighters and thousands of Kurdish residents from the
area.
Source: Press TV
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India
Muslim Leaders Remind KCR Of Unfulfilled Vows Made To
Muslims, Before The Formation Of Telangana
Nov 21, 2022
Hyderabad: All India Muslim Organisations, on Sunday,
organised a round table conference in the city to urge the Telangana government
to fulfil promises made to Muslims, before the formation of the state.
The conference was attended by Muslim leaders,
scholars and intellectuals who discussed the present situation of minorities in
state and drew CM KCR’s attention to his promises which were made to Muslims
prior to polls.
Source: Times Of India
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Inter-Faith Couple Apply for Marriage in Karnataka,
Hindu Groups Suspect 'Love Jihad'
NOVEMBER 22, 2022
Hindu organisations have raised objections to an
interfaith couple applying for marriage at a sub-registrar’s office here,
suspecting it to be a “love jihad" case.
The incident came to light after the office of
registrar invited objections, if any, to the marriage as part of the normal
procedure. It had given 30 days’ time to register disapproval.
According to sources, the girl is a resident of Darbe
near Puttur town in Dakshina Kannada and she is currently staying in Bengaluru.
The man is 44-year-old Sheik Mohammad Saleem, a resident of Nyapanahalli in
Bengaluru. Both had applied for marriage at a sub-registrar’s office.
Source: News18
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Communal Harmony: Muslims Unite To Revive 600-Year-Old
Lavil Siva Temple in UP
22nd November 2022
By M A Rajeev Kumar
KANNUR: In yet
another example of communal harmony in the state, the Muslim community in
Chengalayi panchayat has extended support to revive a 600-year-old Lord Siva
temple, which is nearly in ruins, at Therlayi Island.
The Lavil Siva Temple has been in a dilapidated state
for years with those managing the temple struggling to find enough resources to
even conduct daily rituals. “Not many devotees come to the temple regularly,”
said V M Gireesh, executive officer of the temple. Only three of the 140
families inhabiting the island are Hindus. The rest are Muslims. “To generate
revenue, devotees from outside the island need to visit the place. So, we are
planning to include the temple in the tourism development package of Irikkur
constituency,” said V M Mohanan, Chengalayi panchayat president.
“The six-century-old temple has to be revived. Once
the place is included in the tourism project, its condition will improve,” he
said.Gireesh said paucity of funds is the major issue. “We need around Rs 25-30
lakh for giving the temple a facelift,” he said.When the Muslim families heard
of the revival attempt, they extended their wholehearted support.
IUML to back temple devpt, give assistance
“Weeds and bushes had taken over the road leading to
the temple. With the help of the Therlayi branch Muslim League committee
members and around 15 families, we cleared the road. Some of the families even
parted with a portion of their land to widen the road,” said ward member and
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) Irikkur constituency secretary Moosankutty
Therlayi.
“Youth League state president Sayyid Munavvar Ali
Shihab Thangal had asked us to be a part of the revival attempt. He is planning
to visit the island and extend the party’s support to the revival attempts of
the temple authorities,” said Moosankutty.
Source: New Indian Express
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Divorce by talaq: Kerala HC orders Rs31.68 lakh as
maintenance to former wife
Nov 21, 2022
KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has ordered a Muslim man
who divorced his wife of over five years by pronouncing talaq to pay Rs31.68
lakhs towards maintenance.
Justice Kauser Edappagath issued the order after
considering a petition (NCN 2022/KER/64305) filed by a 33-year-old woman from
Malayidam Thuruth near Kizhakkambalam through advocate A Rajasimhan.
The petitioner got married to a man from Palliamkara
near Kalamassery, who is presently aged 38 years, in June 2008 and a male child
was born to them. She was divorced in December 2013 by pronouncing talaq.
She filed a petition before an additional sessions
court, under section 3 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce)
Act, 1986 claiming Rs1 crore towards reasonable and fair provision for the
future, Rs1,50,000 towards maintenance during ‘iddat’ period, for returning 70
grams of gold given as ‘mahr’, and Rs1,41,680 as the value of 56 grams of gold
given by her parents but taken away by her husband.
While the petitioner claimed that the man, who was a
lab technician at a government healthcare institution in Qatar, had a salary of
Rs2,00,000, he contended that his salary was Rs60,000. After conducting a
trial, the lower court held that the man had a salary of Rs2,00,000, relying on
the woman’s testimony that she had seen his salary certificate issued for
applying for family status visa while living with him in Doha. The court found
that the woman and her child need at least Rs33,000 per month for their
livelihood. Reckoning the said amount for a period of 8 years, the magistrate
granted Rs31.68 lakhs as fair and reasonable provision and maintenance under
section 3.
The order was challenged by the man before the
Sessions Court, Ernakulam and it was set aside after considering a salary
certificate produced by him.
After considering the petition, the high court said it
is trite that the status of parties, capacity of former husband to pay
maintenance, and other attendant circumstances should be kept in mind while
fixing the reasonable and fair provision of maintenance. The amount must be enough
to take care of the future needs of a woman in the prevailing socio-economic
scenario, the court said citing two earlier decisions of the high court
(Seenath Vs. Iqbal and Another, 2009 and Aboobacker CK Vs. Rahiyanath and
Another, 2008).
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan High Commission issues visas to Indian
pilgrims for visit to Shadani Darbar
Nov 21, 2022
NEW DELHI: Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi
issued 100 visas to Indian Hindu pilgrims to attend the 314th Birth Anniversary
celebrations of Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib, at Shadani Darbar
Hayat Pitafi, Sindh.
Shiv Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib's birth
celebrations are scheduled to be held in Pakistan from November 22 to December
3.
Taking to Twitter, Pakistan High Commission said,
"Today, Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi issued 100 visas to Indian
Hindu pilgrims for visiting their religious sites in Pakistan."
"The Group of Indian Hindu pilgrims is visiting
Pakistan to participate in the 314th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Shiv
Avtari Satguru Sant Shadaram Sahib, at Shadani Darbar Hayat Pitafi, Sindh from
22 November to 03 December 2022," it added.
Shadani Darbar is an over three hundred years old
temple and is a sacred place for Hindu devotees from across the globe. The
Shadani Darbar was founded in 1786 by Sant Shadaram Sahib, born in Lahore in
1708, according to the statement released by Pakistan High Commission in India.
Earlier, the Pakistan High Commission issued nearly
3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims to attend the week-long birth celebrations
of Guru Nanak, which took place from November 6-15.
Under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to
Religious Shrines of 1974, thousands of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India
visit Pakistan to attend various religious festivals/occasions every year.
Visas issued by the Pakistan High Commission are in addition to the visas
granted to Hindu and Sikh pilgrims participating in these events from other
countries, as per the statement.
Source: Times Of India
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South Asia
Afghanistan: Lack of teachers, academic facilities
frustrate students in Kabul under Taliban regime
November 21, 2022
Kabul: Students in the Khaki Jabbar district of Kabul
have expressed their misgivings over the lack of academic facilities and
teachers, complaining that the situation has made it difficult for them to
pursue education, TOLOnews reported.
The students further stated that there is a lack of
proper space for them to study amid the approaching winter. Teachers said that
up until now, the Ministry of Education has not paid heed to demands of
addressing the students' basic needs, especially academic buildings in the
area. "We ask them to build structures for us because even when it rains,
we sit here," said Hasib, a student.
"The shop was cold, we came out. Here, the ground
is wet. We demand that they raise buildings for us. It's cold here, we can't
study, we all get sick here," Mohammad, another student, told TOLOnews.
"It is tough to depend on institutions. If this
contract is terminated in future, this school will be left with no fate,"
said Faisal, a teacher.
Since the Taliban seized power in Kabul last year, the
human rights situation has been worsened in the face of a nationwide economic,
financial and humanitarian crisis on unprecedented scale.
Source: Times Of India
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Bangladesh suspends five policemen after two Islamist
death row convicts whisked away from court premises
ANISUR RAHMAN
21 November, 2022
Dhaka, Nov 21 (PTI) Authorities in Bangladesh on
Monday suspended five policemen, including a court inspector and ordered a
manhunt to recapture the two death row Islamist militants, who were whisked
away from a court premises here under dramatic circumstances a day earlier.
Two Islamist militants, who were sentenced to death
for killing prominent Bangladeshi-American secular blogger Avijit Roy and his
publisher, escaped dramatically from the premises of a crowded court here on
Sunday with the help of unidentified bikers who sprayed some chemical substance
on police and created a smoke screen before whisking away the convicts.
“Five policemen including the court inspector have
been suspended for their apparent failure while investigations are underway,”
Dhaka metropolitan police’s detective branch chief Mohammad Harunur Rashid told
the media.
He said an investigation was underway to unearth the
reason behind the incident and identities of those who whisked away these two
convicts.
The Home Ministry on Sunday ordered a probe, while the
police constituted a four-member panel to investigate into the incident while
elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) launched a separate review.
Bangladesh Police have also announced a 2 million Taka
(approx USD 19,428) for tip-offs leading to the convicts’ recapture.
Police and court officials said Moinul Hasan Shamim
and Abu Siddiq Sohel — who were among four operatives of the outlawed terrorist
group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) being escorted to transition prison room
following an indictment hearing in a different case — escaped the court
premises with the help of some unidentified motorcycle-borne men.
“Within moments the miscreants appeared in the scene
from nowhere and sprayed some chemicals on police guards that temporarily
blinded them before whisking away the convicts,” a police official said.
CCTV footage aired by TV channels showed two motor
bikers wearing helmets carrying the two militants through a narrow road in
front of the Dhaka Metropolitan Judges Court complex, while a plainclothesman
was seen chasing them.
“The prisoners were just handcuffed, their legs were
not shackled, a usual protective measure for dangerous criminals or militants,”
a court official said.
Hours after the incident, home minister Asaduzzaman
Khan Kamal told reporters that a nationwide alert has been issued to recapture
them and an investigation launched to ascertain how the event took place.
Roy, an outspoken critic of religious fundamentalism,
was hacked to death with machetes by ABT militants just after he left a book
fair at the Dhaka University on February 26, 2015.
His wife Rafida Ahmed was also injured in the attack.
The terrorist group also hacked to death his publisher
Dipan in November the same year at his office at Dhaka’s Shahbagh area.
Dhaka’s Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal court
sentenced five militants to death in the Roy murder case, while eight Islamists
were sentenced to death for killing Dipan.
Bangladesh witnessed an alarming rise of militant
activities in 2015 when four “atheist” bloggers were murdered with authorities
attributing the attacks to homegrown terrorists while Islamic State at that
time had claimed responsibility for three attacks.
A 2016 cafe attack was the worst of the militant
assaults when 22 people, including 17 foreigners, were killed, sparking a
global uproar while a court subsequently sentenced seven of the eight suspects
to death.
Source: The Print
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Yesterday’s Military Men, Today’s Coal Mining Workers;
Mine Collapse Kills 2 Miners
By Saqalain Eqbal
November 21, 2022
Two military men of the fallen Afghan government, who
worked at a coal mine in the northern province of Afghanistan after the
Taliban’s takeover of the country, died after the mine collapsed, local sources
said.
According to the sources, the mine disastrous mine
collapse took place in the Shin Dara coal mine in the Nahrin district of
Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan on Saturday evening, November 19.
The dead remains of these two coal mine workers have
still not been retrieved and are still buried beneath the rubble as there is a
danger that the mine would slide, making it impossible and extremely
challenging for them to be dragged up while resulting in additional casualties.
According to the sources, both victims were former
military personnel who turned to work in the coal mine for subsistence after
the government was overthrown and the Taliban administration was installed.
The Taliban Baghlan police chief’s spokesman, Sher
Ahmad Burhani, confirmed the tragedy and stated that efforts are being made to
recover the dead bodies.
As people with no experience were recruited for
mining, the Taliban official said that irregular and non-standard mining
practices were the main reason the mine collapsed.
Source: Khaama Press
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Mideast
Israel crimes won’t deter Palestinians from treading path of resistance,
Islamic Jihad says
22
November 2022
A
senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement has
denounced the fatal shooting of a Palestinian student during a raid by Israeli
forces on the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin, terming repeated
Israeli assaults as a futile attempt to stop Palestinian resistance.
Ahmed
al-Modallal said Israeli forces’ and settlers’ recurrent assaults and acts of
aggression across the occupied West Bank will never discourage Palestinians
from treading the path of resistance.
“Ever
since the martyrdom of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, Jenin has been the scene of
Palestinians’ resistance and struggles [against Israel]. The Jenin Brigades is
now brandishing the flag of resilience and has evolved from a group to a
popular revolutionary movement,” Modallal said.
The
high-ranking Islamic Jihad leader emphasized that Israel is now facing frequent
crises due to resistance operations and Jenin has turned into a nightmare for
the regime.
“In
light of the possibility of the formation of a far-right Israeli cabinet, we
(resistance forces) are preparing for a fierce battle and confrontation. The
resistance front is constantly developing its weapons and beefing up its
military might,” Modallal noted.
He
stated that resistance fighters are strong-minded to continue their struggle
against the occupying Israeli regime and expand their combat capabilities.
“The
resistance front has all options on the table to deal with the Israeli enemy.
It will never retreat from its path to defend the Palestinian land, nation and
their sanctities,” Modallal said.
The
Palestinian Ministry of Health said Mahmoud al-Saadi, 18, was killed by the
Israeli army on Monday in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin. He was
shot in the stomach.
At
least four other Palestinians were wounded after being shot, according to the
ministry and local journalists.
The
Palestinian Ministry of Education mourned Saadi in a statement. It said he was
a student at the Farhat Hashad Boys Secondary School in Jenin and that he had
been killed on his way to school.
Israeli
forces have recently been conducting overnight raids and killings in the
northern occupied West Bank, mainly in the cities of Jenin and Nablus, where
new groups of Palestinian resistance fighters have been formed.
Since
the start of 2022, Israeli forces have killed at least 199 Palestinians,
including 47 children, in the West Bank, occupied East al-Quds and the Gaza
Strip.
According
to the United Nations, the number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the
occupied West Bank this year is the highest it has been in 16 years.
Source:
Press TV
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Rayeesi: Supporting Terrorists Not Beneficial to US, European States
2022-November-21
“The
enemy, which has been wounded by the Islamic Revolution, is using a hybrid war
to disrupt the country’s advances by undermining its security, economy,
education, and production,” Rayeesi said while addressing a cabinet session on
Sunday.
Referring
to the explicit support lent to terrorists and rioters in Iran by the United
States, France and some other European countries, the Iranian president warned,
“Supporting terrorism definitely would not be to their benefit.”
He
also tasked the foreign ministry to use diplomatic and legal channels to take
necessary measures for thwarting and countering seditions designed and pursued
from abroad.
“Dealing
with the rioters in a firm manner and preventing further damage to people’s
lives and property by terrorists and rioters is a public demand, which must be
met immediately,” the president added.
Rayeesi
noted that security, judicial and police authorities shoulder a major
responsibility for protecting people’s security and safeguarding the country’s
assets.
In
recent days, several people, including civilian and security forces, were
martyred and wounded in separate terror attacks in three provinces of Iran.
Earlier,
a heavily-armed assailant killed 15 people and wounded 19 others in an attack
on Shah Cheragh, as pilgrims were visiting the holy site.
Iranian
officials have stressed Tehran's resolve to punish the perpetrators and
masterminds of the bloody attacks.
The
tragic incidents came as protests erupted in several cities across Iran over
the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who fainted at a police
station in mid-September and days later was pronounced dead at a hospital. The
demonstrations soon turned violent.
An
official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization announced that Amini’s
controversial death was caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the
head or other vital body organs.
Iranian
officials blame Western countries for orchestrating the riots to destabilize
the country.
Supreme
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has severely
censured the deadly riots, saying they were orchestrated in advance by the
United States and the Israeli regime.
“I
state it clearly that these developments were planned by America, the Zionist
regime and their acolytes. Their main problem is with a strong and independent
Iran and the country’s progress. The Iranian nation proved to be fairly strong
during recent events and will bravely come onto the scene wherever necessary in
the future,” he added.
Iranian
officials have blamed the United States, the European Unions, and several
Western states for meddling in Iran's internal affairs over the death of Mahsa.
They advised the US and its allies against "opportunism and
instrumentalization of the issue of human rights" by misusing the
incident.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010830000213/Rayeesi-Sppring-Terrriss-N-Beneficial-US-Erpean-Saes
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FM
Spokesman: Iran Not to Bow to IAEA Pressures
2022-November-21
Speaking
on Sunday about a recent anti-Iran resolution passed by the IAEA Board of
Governors, Kana’ani said the nuclear agency’s resolution was put on the agenda
of the US and its three European allies “in order to mount pressure on the
Islamic Republic of Iran".
“The
resolution was adopted despite the fact that Iran has the most transparent
peaceful nuclear program in the world compared to other [countries’] facilities
that are under the agency’s oversight and has undergone the highest number of
inspections and verifications,” he added.
The
spokesperson noted that Iran had warned the Western states about the
consequences of this “illogical and destructive” measure.
“Unfortunately,
instrumental use of international organizations against independent countries
has turned into a norm in the West’s foreign policy,” the diplomat stressed.
The
foreign ministry official asserted that Iran will never give in to pressures,
stating, “Iran will go on with its peaceful nuclear program proportionate to
its own needs and in line with its rights and obligations under international
treaties to which it is a member.”
Iranian
officials have condemned as unconstructive and political the anti-Tehran
resolution, and emphasized that the country's nuclear program will never be
pushed back by these actions. They say Tehran will take reciprocal
countermeasures against the UN nuclear agency's destructive move.
The
draft resolution, ratified on Thursday, has criticized Iran for what it called
a lack of cooperation with the nuclear agency. It was put forward by the United
States, Britain, France and Germany, in continuation of their political
pressures on Iran. Russia and China voted against the motion.
Tehran
has asked the IAEA to avoid politicizing the issue and focus on technical
aspects in line with the organization’s mandate.
Iran
has turned off a number of IAEA’s cameras which were functioning outside the
Safeguards Agreement since early June after the IAEA Board of Governors passed
a resolution that accused the country of not cooperating with the UN body.
Iran
has always had full cooperation with the IAEA and allowed it to visit the
country’s nuclear sites, but calls the nuclear agency's approach unconstructive
and destructive.
Back
in September, AEOI Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi stated that Tehran has fully
cooperated with the IAEA about three sites in question inside the country,
adding that detection of nuclear traces at Iranian sites does not mean Tehran
has undeclared nuclear material.
"Iran
has been fully cooperative regarding the three alleged sites brought up by the
nuclear watchdog and has sent information and answers to the nuclear agency's
questions and has also held meetings to resolve the ambiguity," the AEOI
spokeperson asserted.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010830000296/FM-Spkesman-Iran-N-Bw-IAEA-Pressres
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Iran Summons UK Envoy for Fourth Time in Weeks over Embassy Safety
2022-November-21
The
Foreign Ministry’s Director-General of the Protocol Department reminded the
British envoy of the UK government’s obligations as per the 1961 Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular
Relations.
The
Iranian official then conveyed to the UK diplomat Tehran’s vehement protest at
the British police’s inefficiency and inability to prevent the attack on its
embassy.
The
new development came after a violent group attacked the building of Tehran’s
embassy in London and insulted the sacred flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The
British ambassador, for his part, expressed regret over the incident, adding
that he will convey Iran’s protest to London.
Shercliff
also expressed hope that such incidents would not take place in the future.
In
October, Tehran summoned the British diplomat to voice its vehement protest at
London’s interference in the country’s internal affairs and the UK new
sanctions against Iran.
Anti-Iran
rioters have in recent weeks gathered in front of Tehran’s embassies and
consulates in some cities around the world, with some clashes reported between
them and host countries’ police.
Iranian
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana'ani has stated that there is an
undeniable link between assaults on Tehran's embassies in Europe and the West's
political support for rioters in Iran.
"Recently
there were similar violent attacks on our diplomatic missions in Europe. The
link between such assaults and West's political support for rioters is
undeniable," the spokesperson said in October.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Tehran
Calls on Iraq Not to Turn into Platform for Attacks on Iran
2022-November-21
"Tehran
expects that there will be no threat to Iran's security from Iraq,"
Kana'ani told reporters on Monday, adding, "Iraq must not be used as the
place and point of threats against Iran."
"We
expect that the Iraqi government and the local officials of the Kurdish region
will fulfill their international responsibilities and fulfill the obligations
they gave in the framework of bilateral negotiations with the relevant
authorities of Iran," the spokesperson noted.
The
senior diplomat stated that "this did not happen despite the repeated
promises we received from the authorities of the Iraqi government and the
region".
"As
a result, Iran is acting based on its legal rights to protect the security of
borders," Kana'ani continued.
"Unfortunately,
Iran's expectations have not been met so far," he said.
"Iran
believes in respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and
this issue is very important to us. At the same time, the separatist and
terrorist groups that are inside the territory of Iraq violated the sovereignty
of Iraq with these terrorist actions before violating the security of Iran and
its border guards and citizens," the official added.
The
Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has in recent weeks launched a series of
aerial operations on the headquarters of Iraqi Kurdistan-based terrorist
groups.
The
military operation came after the illegal entry of armed teams linked with the
Kurdish terrorist groups into the Iranian border cities in recent months.
The
IRGC Ground Force has announced that the operations against terror bases will
continue until all anti-Iran separatist and terrorist outfits holed up in the
rugged mountainous area lay down their arms and surrender.
The
Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN has announced that diplomacy has failed to
bring an end to the presence of terrorists in Kurdistan region and the terror
activities in the Arab country has left Tehran with no other option but to use
military force against them.
In
mid-October, the Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN sent a letter to the head
of the Security Council to elaborate on Tehran’s reasons for its recent
military operation against terrorist groups in Northern Iraq, explaining that
terrorists have used Iraqi territory to carry out armed attacks against
civilians and Iran's infrastructure.
The
Iranian Armed Forces, specially the IRGC, have repeatedly warned that they will
never tolerate the presence and activity of terrorist groups along the
Northwestern border and will give strong and decisive responses in case of
anti-security activities.
The
IRGC has on countless occasions attacked and destroyed terrorist hideouts in
the Kurdistan region with artillery fire, missiles and drones.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010830000681/Tehran-Calls-n-Ira-N-Trn-in-Plafrm-fr-Aacks-n-Iran
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OIC
condemns Israel’s closure of Ibrahimi Mosque
November
22, 2022
JEDDAH:
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) denounced in the strongest words
the closure of the Ibrahimi mosque in holy Al-Quds by Israeli forces.
In
a statement, the Secretariat General of OIC condemned the Israeli act of
preventing worshippers to enter to the Ibrahimi mosque and Moazin to call for
prayers through microphones as usual.
Source:
The News Pakistan
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1012483-oic-condemns-israel-s-closure-of-ibrahimi-mosque
--------
IRGC Continues Anti-Terror Military Operation in Iraq's Kurdistan
2022-November-21
The
IRGC Ground Force launched a fresh round of missile and drone attacks on the
headquarter of Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) and the Komala
Party in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region in the early hours of Monday.
According
to reports, one attack saw four missiles being fired against a PDKI position in
the town of Koy Sanjaq in the region's Erbil Province.
A
separate attack featured kamikaze drones smashing into another site belonging
to the group near the Baharka Village elsewhere in the region.
Simultaneously,
kamikaze drones struck bases associated with Komala across two locations near
the city of Sulaymaniyah in the region.
Earlier,
the IRGC announced it is bolstering its forces in Iran’s Northwestern region to
combat separatist groups and firmly confront terrorist outfits in the restive
area.
“Following
the movements of villains and anti-Iran separatist terrorist groups in the
Northwest of the country, and the creation of villainy and insecurity in some
areas, the Hamzeh Seyed Al-Shohada Base of the IRGC Ground Force, by
strengthening its own forces within the scope of the mission’s geography and
taking advantage of the cooperation of the valiant local people, embarks on
resolutely confronting insecurity factors in the region,” the statement said.
“While
emphasizing that we consider the security of the region and the honorable and
valiant people of the border provinces of the Northwest as our red line, we
strongly warn the armed villains and mercenary terrorists of the global
arrogance that in case they press ahead with their villainy and create
insecurity and disturbance for the people, the combatants of Hamzeh Seyed
al-Shohada Base and other security forces will put decisive action against them
on the agenda,” it added.
The
statement stressed that the enemies of the Iranian nation have experienced many
times that the brave forces of the IRGC, alongside the valiant people of the
region, have neutralized the plots of mercenary groups of global arrogance and
protected lasting security and stability.
The
IRGC has in recent weeks launched a series of aerial operations on the
headquarters of Iraqi Kurdistan-based terrorist groups. Military officials have
warned that the IRGC will definitely hit more positions of terrorists in the
next military operations.
The
Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN has said diplomacy has failed to bring an
end to the presence of terrorists in Kurdistan region and the terror activities
in the Arab country has left Tehran with no other option but to use military
force against them.
In
mid-October, the Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN sent a letter to the head
of the Security Council to elaborate on Tehran’s reasons for its recent
military operation against terrorist groups in Northern Iraq, explaining that
terrorists have used Iraqi territory to carry out armed attacks against
civilians and Iran's infrastructure.
The
operation came after the illegal entry of armed teams linked with the Kurdish
terrorist groups into the Iranian border cities in recent months.
The
IRGC Ground Force has announced that the operations against terror bases will
continue until all anti-Iran separatist and terrorist outfits holed up in the
rugged mountainous area lay down their arms and surrender.
The
Iranian Armed Forces, specially the IRGC, have repeatedly warned that they will
never tolerate the presence and activity of terrorist groups along the
Northwestern border and will give strong and decisive responses in case of
anti-security activities.
The
IRGC has on countless occasions attacked and destroyed terrorist hideouts in
the Kurdistan region with artillery fire, missiles and drones.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran
to enrich Uranium to 60 pct purity at Fordow nuclear site: Report
22
November ,2022
Iran
has started enriching Uranium to 60 percent purity at Fordow nuclear site using
IR6 centrifuges, Iran’s SNN network reported on Tuesday, in a response to a
resolution passed by the UN nuclear watchdog ordering more cooperation from
Tehran.
Iran
will also be building a new set of centrifuges at the site, the network
reported. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) 35-nation Board of
Governors on Thursday passed a resolution ordering Iran to cooperate urgently
with the agency’s investigation into uranium traces found at three undeclared
sites, diplomats at the closed-door vote said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israeli
army kill Palestinian high school student in West Bank: Medics
21
November ,2022
Medics
said the Israeli army shot dead a Palestinian high school student when forces
carried out an arrest raid on a flashpoint town in the occupied West Bank on
Monday.
A
military spokesperson said troops in Jenin detained a man suspected of gun
ambushes, and that they returned fire, hitting at least one person, after they
said Palestinians shot at them and threw explosive devices.
Medics
said a high school student was killed in the morning incident. The Palestinian
education ministry said he was on his way to school at the time.
Local
residents said the man arrested surrendered after troops surrounded his house
and fired at it.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Africa
Morocco
ex-human rights minister in jail after ‘adultery’ video appeal
22
November ,2022
A
Moroccan former rights minister who became an outspoken government critic was
imprisoned Monday after a court upheld his three-year sentence, his son and a
judicial source said.
Mohamed
Ziane, 79, had gone on trial last year after he accused the kingdom’s security
services of faking a video purporting to show him in a compromising situation
with a married woman in a hotel room.
The
video caused a scandal, but Ziane accused the head of the police and Morocco’s
domestic security forces, Abdellatif Hammouchi, of faking the footage.
The
interior ministry in January last year filed a complaint accusing him of
criminally “disseminating false accusations.”
Ziane’s
son, lawyer Ali Reda Ziane, defended his father and told AFP “he was
transferred to El Arjat prison (near Rabat). He was not even notified legally
and he never appeared” before the court.
“He
was convicted (by the Rabat appeals court) for all possible and imaginable
charges, it’s an aberration the likes of which I've never seen,” Ali Reda Ziane
said.
In
a statement, the prosecutor's office confirmed that “on the instruction of the
public prosecutor (officers) arrested the person concerned and detained him in
accordance with the provisions of the appeal decision.”
Ziane
was charged under the complaint filed by the Moroccan interior ministry on 11
counts, including “insulting public officials and the judiciary,” “defamation,”
“adultery” and “sexual harassment.”
He
was sentenced in February to three years in prison and fined 5,000 dirham
($464) but was released.
Mohamed
Ziane was human rights minister between 1995 and 1996. The well-connected
figure was also the government’s lawyer in the 1990s.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Al-Shabaab
blockades exacerbating humanitarian crisis in Somalia
Mohammed
Dhaysane
18.11.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
An
ongoing blockade by al-Shabaab insurgents in parts of Somalia is worsening the
humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa country.
Bakool
in southwestern Somalia is one of the worst drought-affected regions. It has
been under an al-Shabaab blockade for more than a decade, with the only means
of reaching people in need of humanitarian assistance being by air or using
donkey carts to transport food.
Adam
Ali, a 38-year-old businessman and father of eight who is currently in the
capital Mogadishu, told Anadolu Agency that the people in the region are in
dire condition.
The
blockade is worsening and families have been suffering under a devastating
drought for the past four years, said Ali, adding that the drought is the worst
he has ever seen.
“I
have a lot of family there, was born and raised there, and I know the
situation. The people in the region are facing a double-edged sword – the
drought and the al-Shabaab blockade,” he said.
“If
the government in Mogadishu and the state government continue to ignore how bad
the humanitarian restrictions and blockade are, a lot of people will die of
hunger or drought-related illnesses and malnutrition,” he added.
Omar
Atu, mayor of Bakool’s provincial capital Hudur, told Anadolu Agency that
al-Shabaab terrorists last week torched more than four donkey carts carrying
much-needed food supplies to the region.
The
neighboring region of Gedo has also been affected by the al-Shabaab blockade
and humanitarian restrictions.
Ali
Yussuf Abdullahi, spokesperson for Gedo’s regional administration, told Anadolu
Agency that although the situation there is different, they have seen
al-Shabaab terrorists restricting humanitarian activities.
The
terrorists also killed several engineers who were digging a water well in the
region, he said.
He
said the terror group’s main aim is to pressure the local population into
abandoning their support for the government.
“The
terrorist group is hurting people by stopping humanitarian aid from reaching
the areas they control and imposing a blockade on government-controlled areas,”
he said.
“Two
months ago, the group killed 11 people who were engineers, including
foreigners, just because they were building and digging a water well,” he
added.
The
Hiran region, which has seen an uprising after al-Shabaab terrorists destroyed
water wells and burned vehicles carrying food supplies, has also been affected,
although the government said it had liberated large parts of the region from
the group.
Mahas
District Commissioner Mumin Mohamed Halane told Anadolu Agency that Somalis are
fed up with the al-Shabaab blockade and extortion tactics.
“We
have liberated our areas, and wherever they are, people are getting the humanitarian
assistance they need. We will continue fighting because we are fighting to save
lives,” he said.
Overall
humanitarian situation
Four
seasons of below-average rainfall in Somalia have constrained the supply of
locally grown food in markets across the country.
Estimates
suggest that the rainy season in April-June and the off-season
September-October harvest were both 50% below the long-term average, according
to the UN.
Soaring
food prices in the international market have also worsened the situation in the
country.
A
convergence of reduced local food supply and skyrocketing global food prices
has resulted in record-high food prices in markets in Somalia.
Millions
facing starvation
Currently,
there are over 6.7 million people on the brink of starvation in the country,
said Ishaku Mshelia, deputy emergency coordinator for the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) office in Somalia.
He
said counterinsurgency operations, sieges by non-state actors around some
towns, reprisal attacks, and threats of attacks are limiting humanitarian
access in hard-to-reach areas.
“Although
some areas such as Ceelbuur, Jamaame, Hudur, and Dinsoor are classified as
hard-to-reach, the FAO was able to reach some vulnerable households with
critically needed cash transfers in some of these districts,” he said.
He
added that the worst drought in the last 40 years and elevated global food
prices have pushed more than 6.7 million Somalis to the brink of starvation.
Humanitarian
assistance has been scaled up in the past few months, but the number of people
in need continues to outpace the level of assistance, he added.
Mshelia
said the presence of non-state armed groups makes aid delivery a lot more
challenging.
“Add
to that the war in Ukraine, which caused a skyrocketing of global food prices.
We face an unprecedented challenge in meeting the needs of Somalis at this
critical moment,” he added.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Political
veteran returns to Sudan opposing plan for military exit
21
November ,2022
Veteran
Sudanese political and religious leader Al-Sayid Mohamed Othman al-Mirghani
arrived in Khartoum from Egypt on Monday, throwing his clout against a possible
agreement between pro-democracy groups and the military.
Mirghani
has been based in Egypt for about a decade and his arrival follows military
leaders and the former ruling Forces of Freedom and Change coalition saying
they had reached understandings including the military's exit from politics.
Western,
Gulf and United Nations facilitators have been trying to break a stalemate that
took hold after the military seized power 13 months ago, halting a political
transition following the 2019 ouster of Omar al-Bashir, who led Sudan for 30
years.
Mirghani,
leader of the main faction of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), one of
Sudan's most significant blocs, and the large Khatmiya Sufi sect, was met by
thousands of followers beating drums at Khartoum's main airport.
The
DUP has a strong support base in rural areas of Sudan but has lately been
embroiled in a struggle between al-Mirghani's two sons - Jaafer who has aligned
with rebel groups opposed to the deal, and Elhassan who has supported it.
In
a filmed statement released on Wednesday, the elderly Mirghani rejected a hasty
agreement and foreign intervention in the political crisis, and assigned Jaafer
with closing ranks in the party as his deputy.
“Hasty
steps in the wrong direction and the rush to offer solutions before their time
can bring about great harm,” he said, recalling past experiences of
foreign-brokered agreements.
Three
DUP sources said Mirghani's return aimed to end the dispute in favour of Jaafer
and against the deal, a move they said threatened to fracture the party
further.
The
DUP, which at its founding supported maintaining unity with Egypt following
Sudan's independence in 1956, has close ties to Egyptian authorities.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Libya
to consult with envoy to Athens after snub by Greek foreign minister
20.11.2022
TRIPOLI
Libya
on Sunday summoned home its ambassador in Athens for consultation, in response
to Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias flouting diplomatic protocol last week
by refusing to get off the plane during an aborted visit to the capital
Tripoli.
“Foreign
Minister Najla Mangoush summoned Ambassador (Hamed Bashir) Al-Mabrouk for
consultation to clarify the diplomatic issue caused by Greek minister Dendias
on Thursday, Nov. 17,” said a Foreign Ministry statement.
“Foreign
Minister Mangoush asked Libya's Ambassador to Athens to issue a protest note to
the Greek authorities to clarify the behavior of Foreign Minister
Dendias," it added.
“Such
unconsidered behaviors have repercussions that jeopardize Libya's confidence
and stability, and indirectly invite division in the country,” the statement
said.
Dendias
was scheduled last Thursday to meet Mohamed Menfi, chairman of the Libyan
Presidency Council in Tripoli, and then Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh in
eastern Libya.
He
refused, however, to disembark from his plane in Tripoli when his Libyan
counterpart, Najla Mangoush, came to the airport to greet him. Instead, Dendias
flew to Benghazi, eastern Libya ahead of schedule.
Libyan
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh condemned Dendias’ behavior, saying Tripoli
will not allow such practices against Libya.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Libyans
protest Greek minister’s refusal to get off plane
20.11.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
Hundreds
of Libyans demonstrated outside the Greek Embassy in Tripoli on Sunday to
condemn Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias’ behavior during his visit to the
country.
Dendias
was scheduled to meet Mohamed Menfi, chairman of the Libyan Presidency Council
in Tripoli on Thursday, and Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh in eastern Libya.
He,
however, refused to disembark from his plane in Tripoli when his Libyan
counterpart, Najla Mangoush, came to the airport to greet him. Instead, Dendias
flew to Benghazi ahead of schedule.
“Dendias
is an ally of war criminals” and “Libya will not bow” were among banners waved
by protesters, according to an Anadolu Agency reporter.
"We
stand here to protest the inappropriate and undiplomatic behavior by Greece
toward the Libyan state," Mohammad Ali, a protester, told Anadolu Agency.
“We
are coming here today to stand up to anyone trying to violate the Libyan
sovereignty,” he added.
Libyan
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh had condemned the Greek minister’s behavior,
saying Tripoli will not allow such practices against Libya.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
North America
In
conservative Ohio, a thriving Islamic Centre builds community and understanding
Ellie
Sennett
Nov
22, 2022
Close
to an interstate motorway in suburban, deeply conservative Butler County, Ohio,
a golden minaret mounts the grounds of a vibrant and thriving Islamic Centre.
The
contrast of the "Ottoman, Syrian and Moorish" inspired architecture
of the Islamic Centre of Greater Cincinnati (ICGC) against its backdrop of
American chain restaurants, suburban cul-de-sac housing and flat Ohio landscape
that make up the town of West Chester was not lost on the mosque's original
founders.
"The
goal of the original people who thought about building this mosque here in West
Chester, Ohio, was something that looked different," Shabana Ahmed, the
ICGC's tours and talks chairman and board member, told The National.
"When
people are driving down the [I-75 motorway] and see this architecturally beautiful
building, to ask, 'What is that, what's that building for?' They wanted
something very unique here in the Midwest."
Built
in 1995, the centre began as a mosque for the Cincinnati suburb's small but
growing Muslim community.
The
first families were made up of South Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants who
came to America in the 1960s and 70s, then moved out from cities to the suburbs
in the 1980s and 90s, according to vice chairwoman of the centre's board Samina
Sohail.
More
than 25 years later, the centre has grown into a seven-hectare campus that
includes the main prayer room, a primary school and athletic facility, that
serves "tens of thousands" of families.
"I
remember when some of our first mosques were just basically office spaces we
rented in warehouses, so we could just get together and pray and have community
dinners and gatherings and things like that," Ms Sohail said.
"Not
a lot of [Midwestern] mosques, especially in the 90s, were this beautiful, this
elaborate. I think pretty much anybody in this community can remember the first
time they stepped into this space, that feeling of just the awe and the beauty,
and 'wow ... I can't believe this is my mosque'."
The
architects were particularly inspired by the Umayyad Dynasty and Moorish Spain,
but designed a space with nearly all Ohio-crafted pieces. That includes
towering, stained glass windows from working-class Middletown, fountains and
intricate tiles from designers and builders throughout the Midwestern state.
The
massive, draping chandelier hovering over the main prayer space is one of the
few non-Ohio items, having come from an artist in Syria.
"Every
time I look at that, I think about the people of Syria. And that we have this
beautiful piece here, but then the struggles that are happening in that
country," Ms Ahmed solemnly added.
While
the Muslim-American community is growing in the Cincinnati suburb, they are
still very much a minority. The population there is largely white at more than
80 per cent, and though government census data does not have information on
religious affiliation, some analysis has shown Muslims represent a mere 0.5 per
cent of the population.
Butler
County is also a deeply conservative area. In 2020, residents overwhelmingly
voted in favour of then-president Donald Trump over Joe Biden, by a staggering
24-point difference.
In
the days after the 2016 presidential election of Mr Trump, who ran a campaign
laced with xenophobia and who quickly implemented an executive order known as
"The Muslim Ban" that prohibited travel to the US from seven
Muslim-majority countries, the centre hosted a "Know Your Neighbour"
event with the wider non-Muslim community.
Almost
700 non-Muslims attended that event "in support", Ms Ahmed said.
Part
of that work in the wider community includes taking time to give special
lessons in Cincinnati's Catholic schools, which are particularly important
institutions in the heavily Catholic city.
Katie
Collins teaches a world religions course at St Xavier High School, an all-boys
establishment closer to city centre about 30 minutes from the Islamic Centre.
Ms
Sohail had been going into Ms Collins's high school classes once to twice a
year for a more basic "Islam 101, ask me anything" style lecture. But
one year, Ms Sohail informed Ms Collins that she would be lecturing the
Catholic students while fasting for Ramadan.
From
that moment, Ms Collins each year gave her students a new assignment to prepare
for Ms Sohail's special lectures: fast all day, and then write an essay about
what they took away from the experience.
"One
of the biggest takeaways is the fact that Muslims have so much more in common
with us than what we have in difference," Ms Collins said of her students'
experience in the course, both in fasting for Ramadan and taking the time to
pray five times a day.
"It
also gives the students an opportunity to reflect ... 'should I be making time
in my life to pray, what does my faith mean to me?'"
For
"most" of her students, the exercise and the coursework was their
first exposure to Islam, Ms Collins said. But there are students at the school
who are Muslim, including Ms Sohail's own son.
The
show of solidarity from Catholic teenagers added to the value of her own lesson
plan, added Ms Sohail.
"All
these boys with the day that I would visit from that class got up early before
sunrise, had their breakfast meal, fast the whole day," she said.
"Reading
[their essays] are just so remarkable ... not just how they had a little more
respect for Muslims when they fast, but just how they had so much more respect
for their own religion, and the tenants of their religion and the expectations
of their religion."
Ms
Collins believes teaching her students at St Xavier, known locally as St X,
about the traditions of Islam is a part of living out their own religious
values.
"Our
[Catholic] faith calls us to build a sense of solidarity with people who
practice different faiths, one that is rooted in a deeper understanding of our
common calling," Ms Collins told The National.
For
Ms Collins, those lessons accomplish far more than a good grade or a high
school course credit.
"When
you have the privilege that I have to work with young people, you encounter
over and over, notice over and over again, an eagerness to learn about people
who are different than them," she said.
"If
you provide that eager student with information that is correct ... you can
push back against the cultural voices that are trying to create a sense of
fear."
For
Ms Sohail, the Islamic Centre's own patrons are a reminder of the diversity
within the Muslim-American community itself. Community members come from a
range of backgrounds, including "Syria, Egypt, many countries in Africa,
white-American converts and a huge Uzbek population", she said.
"I
think one of the most remarkable things about our community is our diversity,
we are a Muslim-American community. So we don't have just one ethnic group
here," said Ms Sohail.
Despite
recent surges of Islamophobic hate crimes and a legacy of post-9/11
surveillance on Muslim- Americans, Ms Sohail wants Muslims outside the US to
know that she feels empowered to practise her faith in America.
Source:
The National News
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--------
McCarthy
vows to remove Ilhan Omar from Foreign Affairs Committee for criticizing Israel
21
November 2022
The
US House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has reiterated his pledge to
remove Democrat Ilhan Omar (Minn.) over her condemnation of Israeli war crimes
if he becomes speaker of the House.
He
said that Omar wouldn’t be allowed to serve on the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, accusing her of “anti-Semitic” remarks.
According
to Fox News, McCarthy said “We watch anti-Semitism grow, not just on our
campuses, but we watched it grow in the halls of Congress.”
On
his Twitter account, he said “Last year, I promised that when I became Speaker,
I would remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee based
on her repeated anti-Semitic and anti-American remarks. I’m keeping that
promise.”
Along
with US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the two have triggered a widespread debate
in the US about Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians and American aid to
the regime.
Tlaib
and Omar, the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, are outspoken critics
of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians and vocal supporters of the
Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement. The two called “Israel” an
“apartheid state” guilty of war crimes.
The
37-year-old US citizen and lawmaker is originally from Somalia and represents
Minneapolis, Minnesota, a district with a large Somali population.
Omar
has accused pro-Israel lawmakers of showing “allegiance to a foreign country,”
and has criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for its
role in shaping US policy.
In
May 2021, Omar condemned US President Joe Biden for siding with Israel’s
oppressive occupation of Palestine and carrying out recent atrocities against
Palestinians.
Earlier
in April 2019, Omar made former US President Donald Trump furious for
highlighting Israeli apartheid crimes against Palestinians.
“She’s
been very disrespectful to this country. She’s been very disrespectful,
frankly, to Israel. She is somebody that doesn’t really understand life, real
life. What it’s all about,” Trump said in defense of the Israeli regime back
then.
Source:
Press TV
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--------
US
opposes escalation in Syria after border strikes: State Department
22
November ,2022
The
United States opposes any military action that destabilizes the situation in
Syria, a State Department spokesperson said, amid an escalation in retaliatory
strikes by Turkey and a Kurdish militia along the Syrian border.
Separately,
Russia called on Turkey to show restraint in its use of “excessive” military
force in Syria and to keep tensions from escalating, Russian news agencies
cited a Russian envoy to Syria as saying on Tuesday.
The
comments came after Turkey said the Syrian Kurdish YPG killed two people in
mortar attacks from northern Syria on Monday, following Turkish air operations
at the weekend and a deadly bomb attack in Istanbul a week earlier.
A
child and a teacher were killed and six people were wounded when mortar bombs
hit a border area in Turkey’s Gaziantep province. Turkey’s armed forces
responded with jets again hitting targets in Syria, a senior security official
said.
President
Tayyip Erdogan has said operations would not be limited to an air campaign and
may involve ground forces. Turkey has conducted several major military
operations against the YPG and ISIS militants in northern Syria in recent
years.
The
US State Department spokesperson said Washington had communicated its serious
concerns to Ankara about the impact of escalation on the goal of fighting ISIS.
“We
have urged Turkey against such operations, just as we have urged our Syrian
partners against attacks or escalation,” the spokesperson said in emailed
responses to questions.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
US
president pardons 2 turkeys in Thanksgiving tradition
Servet
Gunerigok
21.11.2022
WASHINGTON
US
President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned two turkeys ahead of the American
holiday of Thanksgiving.
Biden
spared the lives of two birds, named Chocolate and Chip, which were raised on a
ranch in Monroe, North Carolina, at a traditional event regularly held at White
House.
In
his remarks, Biden hit out predictions by analysts and Republicans that the US
midterm elections on Nov. 8 would see a "red wave," meaning
Republican candidates would take back majority of the votes.
The
Democrat president said the only "red wave this season" will be if
his pet German Shepherd Commander "knocks over the cranberry sauce on our
table."
Biden
also called on Americans who will meet their family members to get vaccinated
against coronavirus and flu.
"Two
years ago, we couldn't even safely have Thanksgiving … now we can. That's
progress," said Biden, thanking health personnel for their efforts to
battle COVID-19.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-president-pardons-2-turkeys-in-thanksgiving-tradition/2744521
--------
Türkiye,
Mexico should explore areas of cooperation to boost economic ties: Top Mexican
diplomat
Burak
Dag and Muhammed Tarhan
21.11.2022
It
makes sense for Türkiye and Mexico to explore potential areas of cooperation to
boost economic ties, Mexico’s foreign minister told Anadolu Agency.
“We
want to improve the relationship between our countries,” Marcelo Ebrard said in
an exclusive interview.
Ebrard
said the trade volume target between the two countries is $5 billion, but there
is no reason for it not to be higher.
“The
private sector in each country is looking for their traditional markets. So
here we need to direct their attention to a new opportunity, which is our
bilateral relationship,” he said.
On
the impact that a free trade agreement would have on Turkish-Mexican ties,
Ebrard said: “A free trade agreement between countries always has an important
impact in the increase of investment, particularly in the first years. So it
makes sense to explore this possibility.”
Asked
which sectors the two countries will particularly focus on for cooperation in
the short term, Ebrard pointed to “all the sectors linked to the car industry.”
“Both
countries have very powerful manufacturing facilities related to the car
industry,” he said.
“We
are going to have a joint taskforce in order to make a study about new fields
which can provide some new opportunities,” he added.
He
also noted, however, that there are opportunities for cooperation between
Türkiye and Mexico in the aeronautics, naval construction, semiconductor, and
medical equipment sectors.
Ebrard
stressed that the aeronautics industry is growing rapidly in Mexico, with the
country being the 14th largest aerospace supplier globally.
In
the next five years, it is going to be the 12th or 10th largest, he added.
He
said the country will also begin producing semiconductors in the next two
years.
‘Turkish
enterprises powerful in tourism’
Ebrard
identified tourism as “one of the most important” fields for Turkish investment
in Mexico, adding that Turkish businesspeople also expressed their interest in
the tourism sector during his recent meetings.
“Turkish
enterprises are powerful in this regard,” he said, stressing that Mexico is
witnessing a boom in tourism.
Free
trade areas where factories “produce and then export to the US in the northern
border of the country” are among the potential areas of cooperation between
Türkiye and Mexico, according to Ebrard.
Mediation
in Venezuela
Regarding
talks between the Venezuelan government and opposition being hosted by Mexico,
Ebrard said the parties will be back at the negotiating table for a third round
“in the next weeks.”
“We
don’t know exactly the date yet. But certainly, we are going to see a
roundtable soon. It’s good news,” he said.
“Mexico
is not going to tell them what to do,” he added, stressing that the country is
there to provide the parties with a “neutral space.”
On
his expectations for the negotiations, Ebrard said: “I think that they can
reach important agreements in the next weeks to find out how to remove
sanctions against the Venezuelan economy.”
He
emphasized that people in Venezuela “are suffering a lot” because of the
sanctions.
Venezuelan
migrants
On
Venezuelan migrants repatriated from the US to Mexico under a migration
agreement, Ebrard said: “The US agreed to provide 24,000 humanitarian permits
through this agreement. So regarding 24,000 families, it has been great to have
this agreement.
“The
idea is that you don’t need to have an irregular way to reach the Mexican-US
border or US territory,” he noted.
Otherwise,
migrants did not have any chance of remaining in the US because of Title 42, he
explained.
Title
42 is a public health rule implemented by the Trump administration at the start
of the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed authorities to expel migrants at US land
borders.
However,
critics say the policy has been used to prevent migrants from entering the
country despite a legal obligation to provide asylum to those who qualify.
Mexico
already hosts around 150,000 Venezuelans who have been granted humanitarian
permits, Ebrard said.
“They
have rights. They can work. They can send their kids to school. There isn’t any
kind of restriction on that,” he said.
Mexico
has always hosted refugees and provided them with good conditions, including
Venezuelans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, and people from many countries, he added.
Türkiye,
Mexico share experience on migration
Mexico
and Türkiye both face a migration burden stemming from either political or
economic turmoil or civil war in neighboring countries, and are sharing their
experiences in this regard, said Ebrard.
“We
have had very important talks between our teams, embassies, and relevant
authorities to learn from each other’s lessons and experiences in past years,”
he said.
“Mexico
is a very open country regarding migration in real terms. It is very easy to
receive refugee status. The only request is to fulfill Mexican regulations and
respect the law.”
Ebrard
emphasized that Türkiye has “very important experience” regarding migration.
Türkiye
hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, more than any country in the world. It
has worked to stabilize border regions in Syria that are not under the Assad
regime’s control to enable the voluntary resettlement of displaced Syrians.
Regarding
the mechanism set up to resolve problems Turkish citizens face at Mexican
airports, Ebrard said: “We established a consular office at the airport to
avoid inconvenience for tourists and people who travel to Mexico with proper
documents.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Sweden,
Finland should cooperate more with Türkiye to fight terrorism: NATO chief
Leila
Nezirevic
22.11.2022
LONDON
Sweden
and Finland need to cooperate more with Türkiye and tighten their anti-terror
laws to combat terrorist groups to join NATO, the alliance's top official has
said.
The
two Nordic countries should bolster cooperation with Türkiye in the fight
against the PKK terrorist organization and its offshoots, Secretary-General
Jens Stoltenberg told Swedish public broadcaster SVT late Sunday.
On
why Türkiye has yet to join 28 fellow allies in ratifying Sweden and Finland's
application to join NATO, Stoltenberg noted that Ankara's terrorism-related
concerns were due to it having suffered more terror attacks than any other
country in the alliance.
Sweden
and Finland formally applied to join NATO in June, a decision spurred by
Russia's war on Ukraine.
However,
Türkiye voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the countries for
tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.
A
trilateral memorandum at the NATO summit signed among the countries in June
stipulates that Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the YPG/PYD, the
PKK's Syrian offshoot, or to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) -- the
group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye.
In
its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a
terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU -- has been responsible
for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and
infants.
Stoltenberg's
remarks come after the Nov. 13 terrorist attack on Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue
that killed at least six and left 81 injured, as well as multiple rocket
attacks by the PKK/YPG across Türkiye's southeastern border, leaving three dead
and 14 others wounded.
In
response to the terrorist bombing in Istanbul, Türkiye launched an aerial
campaign, Operation Claw-Sword, against the terrorist group in northern Syria
and northern Iraq on Saturday, so far hitting 89 targets to eliminate the
PKK/YPG hideouts.
On
these efforts, the NATO chief emphasized Türkiye's right to defend itself
against such terrorist organizations.
As
part of its efforts to comply with the trilateral memorandum, Sweden moved
towards a constitutional amendment last Wednesday to alter its anti-terror law.
The
changes would give greater opportunity to restrict freedom of association for
groups engaged in terrorism -- a key demand from Türkiye to approve Stockholm’s
NATO membership bid.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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