Condition of Trans (Khwaja Sira) Children ‘Scar on Society’: Pakistan Shariat Court
New Age Islam News Bureau
14 December 2022
Transgender Pakistanis are
commonly shunned by their families and expelled from their homes, which
introduces a lifetime of both discrimination and violence/ Photo: The Islamic
Monthly
-----
• UK Far-Right Terror Threat ‘Steadily Increasing
Since 2017:’ UK MPs
• Jewish Community Opens Gulf’s First Kosher
Supermarket in Dubai, UAE Rabbi Inaugurates
• Bangladesh Arrested Jamaat-e-Islami Party Emir as
Protests to Oust PM Sheikh Hasina Spreads
• Pakistan’s Diplomatic Property for Sale in
Washington
Pakistan
• Pakistan Army Chief General Munir Has His Hands Full
with TTP-Afghan Taliban, A Challenge to the Pakistan Army’s Authority
• Pakistan blames India for bombing near Hafiz Sayeed
house
• Britain rejects Bilawal’s plea to consider Pakistan
as emerging market
• Pakistan's brain drain situation aggravates; 7,
65,000 youths moved overseas in 2022: Official data
• Proceedings begin to remove Imran as PTI chief, ECP
tells IHC
• Imran’s counsel terms SC question on army’s immunity
‘political’
--------
Europe
• Far-Right Terrorist Takes Guards Hostage in German
Prison
• The World Cup and Spain’s uncomfortable relationship
with its Muslim past
• UK announces new sanctions against Russia, Iran
• In letter to UN, Türkiye, Libya urges Greece to
respect their sovereign decision
• Over 11,000 children killed or maimed in Yemen's
eight-year old war: UNICEF
• European Parliament vice president removed over
Qatar graft scandal
--------
Arab World
• Foreign-Sponsored Terrorism against Syria Due To Its
Unwavering Support for Palestine: Parliament Speaker
• Collection of artefacts never displayed outside of Oman
before showcased in Sharjah
• Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khalid in Britain to
strengthen defence ties
• Damascus blasts Dutch govt. over support for terror
groups operating inside Syria
• US resumes patrols with SDF in northern Syria:
Pentagon
--------
South Asia
• Islamic Emirate Allows No One to Cruelty,
Discrimination in Afghanistan, Deputy PM Hanafi
• Further Security Measures to be provided at the
Foreign Entities in Kabul
• Beijing 'shocked' by attack on Afghan hotel hosting
Chinese visitors
• Pakistan Plans to Launch Military Operations at
Afghan Border
--------
North America
• Man admits Ramadan attack on US Islamic centre
• Assault in Toronto mosque highlights alarming rise
of Islamophobia in Canada
• US says Iran executions show leadership ‘fears own
people’
• US says joints patrols with YPG/PKK in Syria resume
------
India
• Religious Harmony with Humanity: Tamil Nadu Muslim
Farmer Donates 15 Cents Of Land To • Help Hindu Devotees Access the Path to
Ayyanar Temple
• Upcoming Karnataka Assembly Elections: BJP MLA Warns
Muslims: Vote For Me Or Else...
• Justice Bela M. Trivedi, a Judge from Gujarat,
Recuses From Review of Premature Release of the Convicts in Bilkis Bano Case
• Cong's Muslim Leaders in Karnataka Push for More
Tickets
• Muslim groups confused as CPM, IUML get closer
• Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan Supports Bringing
Uniform Civil Code
• K'taka: As parties attempt to woo Muslim voters,
Cong leaders from community seek more tickets
--------
Southeast Asia
• Elected Reps Not Allowed To Hold Talks at Mosques,
Suraus: Perak MB
• Controversial amendments to Terengganu state Islamic
laws stoke concerns in Malaysia
--------
Mideast
• Mahsa Amini’s Death Protests: Iran Jails 400
Protesters for Terms of up To 10 Years: Judiciary
• Houthis accused of torturing prisoner, concealing
death from family for years
• Israeli forces raze four Palestinian-owned homes,
several structures in West Bank
• Iran Says US, Allies Liable for Israel Crimes as UN
Urges Probe into Teenager’s Killing
• Israel’s Netanyahu promises ‘liberal-right’
government
--------
Africa
• 2023: Muslim-Muslim Ticket Better Than North Retaining
Power – Southern Christians
• Uganda Army Says 11 Islamist Militants Killed in
Cross-Border Raid
• Ghana: Northern Regional Muslims Council Inaugurated
in Tamale
• Sudan inks $6 bln UAE deal for new Red Sea port
• 3 gunmen killed in attack on office of Nigeria’s
electoral body
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/transgenders-khwaja-sira-pakistan-shariat/d/128630
--------
Condition of Trans (Khwaja Sira) Children ‘Scar on
Society’: Pakistan Shariat Court
Transgender Pakistanis are
commonly shunned by their families and expelled from their homes, which
introduces a lifetime of both discrimination and violence/ Photo: The Islamic
Monthly
-----
Kalbe Ali
December 14, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Federal Shariat Court (FSC) has said the
situation faced by transgender children in Pakistan was a scar on the face of
society.
A two-member bench of the FSC, comprising Chief
Justice Dr Syed Muhammad Anwer and Justice Khadim Hussain Shaikh on Tuesday
heard a set of petitions challenging the Transgender Persons (Protection of
Rights) Act, 2018.
The FSC chief justice also emphasised the state’s
responsibility to protect transgender children since they were exposed to
exploitation by criminals.
“It was unfortunate that these children were abandoned
by their own families and as a result, they are abused by criminals and fall
prey to paedophiles and other predators in our society,” CJ Anwer remarked.
He added the lives of trans people become more
miserable as they turn old.
During the hearing, a representative from the ‘Khwaja
Sira’ community expressed concerns over the worsening situation of the
community in the country.
The chief justice asked the representatives of the
Ministry of Human Rights about the overall conduct of the society towards the
trans community. However, the ministry failed to provide a ‘satisfactory’
response to the query.
While expressing dissatisfaction over the explanation,
the court directed the ministry to provide a ‘rational response’ in the next
hearing.
The ministry has also been directed to submit a report
by Dec 15 on facilities for the protection of children born with some defects
in their sexual organs.
The chief justice further remarked that Section 6(a)
of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018, bounds the
government and the human rights ministry to ensure the rescue, protection and
rehabilitation of transgender persons and provide medical, psychological and
counselling facilities.
There should be protection homes for intersex children
abandoned by their families and older persons falling under the category of intersex
(Khusra) as defined in section 2(n)(i) of the act.
Transgender rights activists Bubli Malik and Nayab
Ali; Nadra, human rights ministry, Benazir Income Support Programmes and
Karachi-based “Gender Interactive Alliance” (GIA) appeared as respondents in
the court.
Religious parties’ representatives also attended the
proceedings while another transgender rights activist Reem Sharif filed an
application to become a respondent in the case.
She also sought two weeks to present scientific and
medical arguments for the identification of trans people, who were undeveloped
males or undeveloped females due to birth defects.
The court granted her application to present the
arguments in two weeks.
The National Assembly enacted the law to provide legal
recognition to transgender persons and ensure that discrimination against
transgender persons in various walks of life shall be punishable in May 2018.
The law also enabled trans people to be recognised as
they perceive themselves and register with government institutions as
transgenders.
Hailed as a ‘landmark’ law that offered protection to
a marginalised community, the legislation however was embroiled in litigation
scrutiny since it was passed by the two houses of the parliament.
A set of petitioners challenged the law in 2021 on
grounds that it was “repugnant to Islamic injunctions”.In September 2022, a
fresh set of petitions were filed against the law in the FSC.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1726234/condition-of-trans-children-scar-on-society-federal-shariat-court
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UK Far-Right Terror Threat ‘Steadily Increasing Since
2017:’ UK MPs
British MPs
PRU/AFP
----
13 December, 2022
UK lawmakers on Tuesday warned of a growing threat
from right-wing extremists, and urged the military and police to tighten
background checks.
The parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee
said in its annual report that the phenomenon had been steadily increasing
since 2017, with tech-savvy young men driving the rise.
A growing number of young people under the age of 24
were now on the radar of the UK domestic security service MI5 investigating
extreme right-wing terrorism (ERWT), it added.
Of the 25 attacks which the security services and
counter-terrorism police prevented between March 2017 and January 2020, eight
were motivated by an ERWT ideology.
“The new ERWT threat is fragmented and complex,
increasingly driven by the internet and characterized by a technologically
aware demographic of predominantly young men, many of them still in their
teens, who are typically ‘Self-Initiated Terrorists’,” the report said.
Few of the individuals suspected belong to organized
groups and are as a result difficult to identify and monitor.
“Their motivation can be highly individualistic,
according to their particular personal circumstances, the nature of their
grievances and perceptions of their own capabilities,” the MPs said.
“Determining how, why and when they may choose to
attack is therefore particularly challenging,” the report said.
But the MPs, who scrutinize the work of the
intelligence agencies, said the military and police needed to do more to weed
out actual and potential far-right followers.
Far-right extremists often display an interest in
military culture, weaponry and the armed forces or law enforcement
organizations, and either join or try to recruit in their ranks.
The UK armed forces, however, do not provide clear
direction to service personnel regarding the membership of any organization,
“let alone an extremist one”, the committee said.
This “appears a somewhat risky approach,” given the
sensitive roles of many service personnel, it added.
It also said there was “particular concern” about a
similar risk in the police because of a “lack of thorough background checks”.
The committee has previously criticized the government
for failing to probe possible Russian meddling in UK politics, including the
2016 Brexit referendum.
On Tuesday, its chairman Julian Lewis said it was
“deeply disappointed” that the government failed to provide information on time
for it to scrutinize.
The delays had hampered its ability to provide
statutory oversight, he added.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Jewish
Community Opens Gulf’s First Kosher Supermarket in Dubai, UAE Rabbi Inaugurates
Representational
Photo
----
13
December, 2022
The
Arabian Gulf’s first kosher supermarket opened in Dubai on Monday evening,
catering to the emirate’s fledging Jewish community.
Rimon,
meaning pomegranate in Hebrew, was officially opened by the United Arab
Emirates’ Rabbi Levi Duchman in the Al Wasl area of Dubai.
“It
is a symbol of the incredible progress that our Jewish community in the UAE is
making and the freedom we've been thankfully granted, to enable all of this -
and an answer to a true need for kosher food throughout the year,” Duchman said
in a statement.
The
new store intends to answer the growing demand for food that abides by the
dietary standards of Jewish law, as the number of Jews living in and traveling
to the UAE continues to grow.
Rimon
offers meat and chicken products classified as ‘mehudar,’ the highest standard
of kosher food, among other items.
Its
shelves are stocked mainly from produce imported from Israel, Europe, and the
US.
The
store will also host a Jewish food market every weekend.
“We
hope that with this project we will enable many more Jewish families to move
and live in the UAE, making their daily lives even more comfortable,” Duchman
added.
“So
far the feedback from the local and global Jewish community -- as well as many
non-Jewish friends -- is amazing.”
The
Jewish community has flourished in the UAE since the Gulf country normalized
relations with Israel in the 2020 Abraham Accords.
Traditional
restrictions on Jews practicing their religion openly were eased, part of wider
reforms to encourage expatriates to settle in the country whose population is
made up of mostly foreign residents.
Rabbi
Duchman has resided in the emirates since 2014 and has been instrumental in
setting up Jewish institutions in the country.
“Our
wonderful community, which keeps growing and prospering here in the UAE, most
gratefully continues to benefit from the extraordinary embrace we have received
from the Emirates government and local authorities, for over a decade now,” he
said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/12/13/Gulf-s-first-Jewish-supermarket-opens-in-Dubai
--------
Bangladesh
Arrested Jamaat-e-Islami Party Emir as Protests to Oust PM Sheikh Hasina
Spreads
Supporters
of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party a huge rally in Dhaka on Dec 10
to press for a snap poll. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
-------
DEC
14, 2022
DHAKA
- Bangladeshi police have arrested the chief of the country’s largest Islamist
party, days after it announced that it would join the main opposition in
protests to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Counter-terrorism
officers arrested Jamaat-e-Islami party emir Shafiqur Rahman in Dhaka, police
spokesman Faruq Ahmed said, without elaborating on the charges.
A
spokesman for Jamaat – the country’s third-largest political party, which has
been banned from contesting elections since 2012 – condemned the arrest of the
64-year-old, saying it was intended to “scuttle the opposition’s
anti-government movement”.
“This
is just another episode of the unjust oppression continuing against the party for
the last 15 years,” said Jamaat publicity secretary Matiur Rahman Akand.
For
years, Jamaat was a major ally of the right-of-centre main opposition
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Their coalition ruled the country between
2001 and 2006.
But
after Ms Hasina came to power in 2009, Jamaat’s entire leadership was arrested
and tried for war crimes dating back to the country’s 1971 independence war
against Pakistan.
Five
of its top leaders were hanged between 2013 and 2016 after they were found
guilty by a war crimes court.
The
party called the trials politically motivated and part of a wider vendetta
against its leaders.
Hundreds
of party activists were shot dead and tens of thousands detained after they
staged violent protests against the executions.
The
fresh arrest of Jamaat’s chief came days after two of the BNP’s leaders were
arrested on charges of inciting violence on the eve of a giant anti-government
rally last Saturday.
The
BNP has demanded Ms Hasina step down and let a caretaker government hold a free
and fair election.
The
opposition says a credible vote under her is impossible after she was accused
of rigging the past two general elections in 2014 and 2018.
Jamaat
and several left-leaning and centrist parties have supported the BNP’s demands.
They also announced that they would hold protests jointly with the BNP.
Police
in November also arrested Mr Rahman’s son, Mr Rafat Sadik Saifullah, on
extremism charges and remanded him in custody under Bangladesh’s harsh
anti-terrorism laws. AFP
Source:
Straits Times
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Pakistan’s
Diplomatic Property for Sale in Washington
Picture
source - AP
-----
Anwar
Iqbal
December
14, 2022
WASHINGTON:
Pakistan has put one of its diplomatic properties in the US capital — a
building on the prestigious R Street NW — for sale, with officials insisting
that neither the new nor the old embassies are up for sale.
The
building housed the embassy’s defence section from the mid-1950s to early
2000s. “This building is in the market,” an official for the Pakistan Embassy
confirmed to Dawn.
“We
are following the proper procedure for sale.” The embassy advertised the
proposed sale in newspapers and has received several bids. “It is still in the
market, no final decision yet,” the official added.
The
embassy said they were consulting an appraiser to assess what’s better for
them: to sell the building as it is, or to do so after renovation.
“We
are in no rush, and we will not conclude a deal that does not benefit
Pakistan,” the embassy official said.
Official
denies embassy is unable to pay its staff
Posts
on social media displayed two buildings: both the present and the old
embassies. But the embassy said none of these two buildings were for sale.
The
present embassy is in a new building constructed in the early 2000s while the
old embassy was in the heart of the town, on Massachusetts Avenue, close to the
Indian embassy.
While
no one ever suggested selling the new embassy, reports about the possible sale
of the old embassy and the R Street building have been circulating for some
time.
The
embassy, however, insists that neither the new nor the old embassies were up
for sale. According to some estimates, the embassy spent close to seven million
dollars in renovating the old building and the nearby official residence of the
ambassador.
The
amount spent on the renovation, however, surprised many, with some demanding a
probe to determine why it cost so much.
The
R Street building, however, has never been renovated and a visit to the site
showed that it was in dilapidated conditions. Other residents of the area
confirmed that they had complained to the local authorities about the state of
the building which, they said, was now “a security hazard.”
The
residents want the building to be renovated or razed to ground.
The
R Street building was purchased by Ambassador Syed Amjad Ali between 1953 and
1956. The old embassy was purchased by Pakistan’s first ambassador to the US,
M.A.H. Ispahani. Both buildings have remained unoccupied for almost 20 years
now.
Another
embassy official, when asked for comments, said the government has no plans to
sell the old embassy as they still wanted to set up a cultural centre here.
A
former Pakistani ambassador told Dawn that two ambassadors Jalil Abbas Jilani
and Sherry Rehman had previously come close to selling the old embassy building
but the government withdrew after a media uproar.
“Personally,
I am in favour of selling all unoccupied buildings,” the former ambassador
said. “We have already wasted a lot of money in retaining these buildings for
so long.”
However,
he made it clear that since they are diplomatic properties, Pakistan does not
have to pay property tax for these buildings. “But a commercial buyer will have
to pay taxes if he buys the property,” he said. “That’s why we do not have too
many offers. Further delay will make it even more difficult to sell the
buildings.”
Yet
another embassy official rejected the suggestion that the embassy was unable
to pay its diplomatic and other staff. “Every embassy employee — diplomatic or
non-diplomatic — is paid on time,” the official said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1726213/pakistans-diplomatic-property-for-sale-in-washington
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Pakistan
Pakistan
Army Chief General Munir Has His Hands Full With TTP-Afghan Taliban, A
Challenge to the Pakistan Army’s Authority
14
December, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], December 14 (ANI): General Asim Munir, the new Pakistan Army chief,
will have to relook at the age-old patronage of the Taliban and find a new way
to deal with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a terrorist organisation protected
by another terrorist entity, the Afghan Taliban, both an immediate challenge to
the Pakistan Army’s authority, reported Geo-politik.
TTP’s
rise is mainly due to the support it draws from the Afghan Taliban, Pakistan
Army’s traditional ally and key strategic instrument against India’s expansion
in the region.
General
Munir, therefore, has his hands full with the TTP-Afghan Taliban, politics and
internal dynamics of the army leadership. The TTP cannot be pushed back without
dealing with the Afghan Taliban as it is the Taliban which is protecting the
TTP.
According
to Geo-politik, Munir can no longer ignore the legacy of his predecessor, Javed
Bajwa, who dismissed reports of the regathering of TTP militants in Swat and
other areas in Pakistan in a bid to cover up his singular failure in defending
the territorial integrity of Pakistan.
The
report said that Bajwa during his tenure had started a peace dialogue with TTP
and even struck a secret pact with the militant leadership to hoodwink the
people, with the active connivance of his other protege, Imran Khan as the
Prime Minister.
It
is therefore not surprising that as soon as Bajwa exited, TTP called off the
ceasefire agreement and ordered its militants to attack Pakistan, whenever and
wherever they get the opportunity.
This
can be seen in the recent beheading of a police officer in Bannu. The incident
shows that the TTP is serious about implementing its threat.
Pakistani
newspaper Business Recorder termed “these are consequences of the appeasement
policy adopted by the state until recently”, reported Geo-politik.
After
General Asim Munir assumed the position of Pakistan Army chief last month, he
is now facing an unprecedented crisis, emanating from the economic and
political upheaval in the country.
“Army
is facing public ridicule in Pakistan to the dismay of old-timers who still
consider that Army is an essential part of three ‘A’s guiding the destiny of
the country, the other two being America and Saudi Arabia,” wrote the
London-based commentator James Crickton, in an opinion piece for South Asia
centred think tank Policy Research Group (Poreg).
Crickton
said that Pakistan’s military has been the only stable and formidable
institution in the country even as the country “faced political, economic,
judicial, and religious upheavals.”
“However,
its influence seems to be fading for the first time because of the polity
challenging its once indisputable authority,” he added.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
blames India for bombing near Hafiz Sayeed house
Dec
14, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan accused India on Tuesday of the 2021 bombing near the Lahore residence
of LeT founder Hafiz Sayeed, in which three people were killed and 22 injured
and claimed New Delhi’s footprints had been found in most of the terrorist
activities in the country.
Addressing
a press conference, Pakistan interior (home) minister Rana Sanaullah said
Islamabad has decided to bring its stance before the world and “unveil” India’s
alleged “face of terrorism”.
The
minister, flanked by Punjab’s top counter-terrorism department (CTD) official,
Imran Mehmood, said the presser was called to share evidence of last year’s
attack near the residence of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba founder Hafiz Saeed. The CTD
official said police had traced the suspect within 16 hours of the incident on
June 23, 2021. “And within 24 hours we arrested three terrorists. The first
character was Peter Paul David, who was caught through the details of his
vehicle. Sajjad Hussain, who was arrested alongside, was David’s assistant,” he
said.
“He
(Peter) was affiliated directly with two RAW agents — Ali Budaish and Bablu
Srivastava,” the CTD official alleged, adding his assistant had destroyed the
phones used for communications to plan the explosion.
On
Peter’s identification, Mehmood said, Ziaullah, another terrorist, was
arrested. “This guy (Ziaullah) was the brother of the main culprit –
Sami-ul-Haq. Four to five days later CTD officials tracked down two more
culprits – Eid Gul and his wife, Ayesha Gul,” Mehmood said,
After
Gul’s interrogation, the CTD was finally able to arrest Sami-ul-Haq, the main
handler of the attack, along with his brother-in-law, Uzair Akbar. Akbar,
Mehmood claimed, assisted Haq in terror activities. “We also found out about
Naveed Akhtar, who did the surveillance and selected the target,” the official
said.
“Naveed
was a labourer in the Middle East and was in jail because he could not pay his
fine,” Mehmood said. He alleged that a RAW agent approached Naveed and told him
that he would pay his fine but Naveed would then have to carry out terrorist
activities against Pakistan. He added that as soon as Naveed was arrested,
several terror activities were thwarted
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Britain
rejects Bilawal’s plea to consider Pakistan as emerging market
13
December, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], December 13 (ANI): Britain outrightly rejected Pakistan’s Foreign
Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s plea to re-look at his country from the
perspective of a “promising emerging market full of opportunities”, Asian Lite
International reported.
He
appealed to the world on the same day when Britain announced sanctions against
a Muslim cleric Maulana Abdul Haq alias Mian Mithu for forced conversion of
non-Muslims in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
Bilawal
raised the pitch for his country in Singapore, seeking improved economic ties.
Analysts noted that Bhutto-Zardari’s plea came during his meetings with
Singapore President Halimah Yacob, a woman and a Muslim, and his counterpart Dr
Vivian Balakrishnan, an ethnic Tamil.
Bilawal,
who went to Singapore on December 9, met Singapore President Halimah Yacob on
Saturday and raised the pitch for his country, seeking improved economic ties.
At
the same time, when Bilawal was asking the world to relook at his country, the
United Kingdom sanctioned a Muslim cleric, Maulana Abdul Haq alias Mian Mithu
for forced conversion of non-Muslims in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
A
Pakistan People’s Party lawmaker between 2008 and 2013, Mithu was expelled by
the party after he became controversial over the forced conversion and marriage
of Rinkle Kumari, a girl from the minority Hindu community, reported Asian Lite
International.
Earlier,
on Friday, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced a new list of
sanctions including Mian Abdul Haq of the Bharchundi Sharif shrine in Ghotki,
Sindh, to mark International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day.
The
package includes individuals and entities involved in a wide range of grievous
activities – including the torture of prisoners, the mobilisation of troops to
rape civilians, and systematic atrocities.
“It
is our duty to promote free and open societies around the world,” said
Cleverly.
“Today
our sanctions go further to expose those behind the heinous violations of our
most fundamental rights to the account. We are committed to using every lever
at our disposal to secure a future of freedom over fear,” he said.
Haq,
who is a cleric and politician, is a locally influential figure in the Sindh
region of Pakistan and has been criticised over the years for the forced
conversion of minorities, mostly Hindus, in the province.
“Mian
Abdul Haq, a Muslim cleric of the Bharchundi Sharif shrine in Ghotki, Sindh,
who is responsible for forced marriages and forced religious conversions of
non-Muslims and minors,” UK sanctions list reads.
Sanctions
impose an asset freeze and travel ban on individuals and entities and prevent
any UK citizen, or any business in the UK, from dealing with any funds or
economic resources which are owned, held or controlled by the designated
person.
Other
countries covered in the latest wave of sanctions include Russia, Uganda,
Myanmar and Iran.
The
sanctions effectively mean that designated individuals will be unable to do any
business or undertake the economic activity with UK citizens or companies and
that they will be denied entry to the UK, according to Asian Lite
International.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistan's
brain drain situation aggravates; 7, 65,000 youths moved overseas in 2022:
Official data
Dec
13, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's brain drain situation has aggravated with more than 7,60,000
educated youth seeking employment overseas this year mainly because of the
uncertain economic and political situation in the country, according to a media
report on Tuesday.
According
to documents available with The Express Tribune, 7,65,000 people left Pakistan
in 2022, nearly triple the 2,25,000 departures in 2021 and 2,88,000 in 2020.
This
year's data also includes 92,000 highly-educated people such as doctors,
engineers, information technology experts and accountants leaving the nation.
According
to the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, an overwhelming majority
of the emigrants went to Middle Eastern countries, mainly Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates (UAE). Among the European destinations, the preferred
choice of Pakistanis appears to be Romania.
“The
effects of the deteriorating economic situation, as well as the political
uncertainty, have begun to affect the workforce of Pakistan,” a bureau official
told the newspaper on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to
the media.
“Hundreds
of thousands of young men, including the highly-educated, who are worried about
inflation, unemployment and uncertain economic and political situation, are
going abroad every year in search of employment,” he added.
Cash-strapped
Pakistan is also facing a political crisis with ousted prime minister Imran
Khan demanding that the government announce early general elections and Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif rejecting his plea for snap polls.
According
to the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, 7,65,000 young people from
Pakistan went abroad this year. It also said that the number of emigrants had
risen after registering a fall in two consecutive years following 6,25,000
emigrations in 2019.
According
to the documents, those who left the country in 2022 included more than 92,000
graduates, 350,000 trained workers and the same number of untrained labourers.
They also said that 7,36,000 people went to the Gulf states.
The
emigrants included 5,534 engineers, 18,000 associate electrical engineers,
2,500 doctors, 2,000 computer experts, 6,500 accountants, 2,600 agricultural
experts, over 900 teachers, 12,000 computer operators, 1,600 nurses and 21,517
technicians. The group of unskilled workers comprised 2,13,000 drivers.
According
to the data, over 7,30,000 youth went to the Gulf states, and nearly 40,000
went to European and other Asian countries.
The
country-wise breakdown of the data showed 4,70,000 Pakistanis headed to Saudi
Arabia for employment, 1,19,000 to the UAE, 77,000 to Oman, 51,634 to Qatar and
2,000 to Kuwait.
The
data also mentioned that 2,000 Pakistanis went to Iraq, 5,000 to Malaysia, 602
to China, 815 to Japan, and 136 to Turkey. Besides, 478 Pakistanis went to
Sudan in Africa in search of employment.
The
highest number of people emigrating to a European country was 3,160 youth going
to Romania. It was followed by 2,500 to Great Britain, 677 to Spain, 566 to
Germany, 497 to Greece, and 292 to Italy. The Bureau of Emigrants also
registered 700 people going to the United States.
More
than half of those leaving Pakistan were from Punjab.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Proceedings
begin to remove Imran as PTI chief, ECP tells IHC
Nasir
Iqbal
December
14, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) informed the Islamabad High Court on
Tuesday that it had initiated proceedings to remove Imran Khan from the post of
PTI chairman after his disqualification in the Toshakhana reference.
ECP
Director General Law Mohammad Arshad also told the court that the next hearing
of the reference has been scheduled for Dec 20, adding that a district and
sessions court in Islamabad reserved its verdict on an ECP plea in the
Toshakhana case against Imran Khan.
The
trial court had taken up the commission’s plea on Nov 22 and is expected to
announce its judgement on Dec 15.
The
ECP had on Dec 5 initiated the process to remove Imran Khan as PTI chairman in
the light of its verdict in the Toshakhana case. He disqualified under Article
63(1)(p) of the Constitution for making “false statements and incorrect
declaration”.
IHC
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took up PTI’s appeal against ECP’s decision to
disqualify Imran Khan, but postponed further proceedings to Dec 20 due to
paucity of time.
Ex-PM’s
counsel terms commission’s disqualification order unconstitutional
Barrister
Syed Ali Zafar, representing Imran Khan, highlighted the urgency of the case in
view of the ECP proceedings. He informed the IHC that the National Assembly
speaker had accepted applications of a few MNAs without any reasoning, document
or evidence in a mechanical manner, and filed in the commission a reference
seeking to disqualify Imran Khan under Article 62(1)(f) in the Toshakhana case.
He
contended that the NA speaker’s decision and the ECP order were unconstitutional.
The counsel argued that for a disqualification under Article 62(1)(f) to take
place there must be a pre-existing declaration from a court of law against the
member.
He
pointed out that in this case there was no declaration from a court of law as
required under Article 62(1)(f) against Imran Khan at the time of NA speaker’s
decision nor before the ECP when the commission was called upon to answer the
questions raised in the reference.
“Hence,
the speaker’s reference is unfounded and unconstitutional and ECP should have
dismissed the reference by deciding that Imran Khan does not stand disqualified
under Article 62(1)(f),” the counsel argued.
The
counsel argued that the ECP was not a court of law and there were many
judgements of the Supreme Court in which it had been decided that under Article
62(1)(f), no declaration could be made by the ECP. He also referred to the
latest case of Faisal Vawda in which the apex court had ruled that the
commission had no jurisdiction to give any declaration under Article 62(1)(f).
The
counsel said the present case was a strange one in which assets were legally
purchased and sold and yet the ECP had disqualified Imran Khan. He referred to
many judgements of the superior courts in which it was held that all
mis-declarations were not a cause for disqualification but it has to be seen
whether the declaration was for any ulterior or dishonest motive.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1726211/proceedings-begin-to-remove-imran-as-pti-chief-ecp-tells-ihc
--------
Imran’s
counsel terms SC question on army’s immunity ‘political’
Nasir
Iqbal
December
14, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The counsel for PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that
its question about his client’s opinion on exclusion of the armed forces from
the purview of NAB law was a political one.
Advocate
Khawaja Haris explained that the 2001 judgement in Asfandyar Wali case had
already justified why the armed forces did not fall within the ambit of the
accountability law, saying the Pakistan Army Act 1952 as well as the Pakistan
Army Act Rules 1954 were self-contained codes, which provide for prosecution
and punishment in cases involving corruption, corrupt practices and illegal
gratification, besides enjoying constitutional protection.
However,
members of the armed forces in federal and provincial corporations are not
immune from the accountability process, the counsel explained, adding that the
serving army officers can be tried under the corruption law but only after
their retirement.
Khawaja
Haris was arguing before a three-judge SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of
Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, which was hearing Imran Khan’s challenge to
the amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance.
Justice
Mansoor questions officers’ exclusion from NAB law’s purview
Justice
Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, a member of the bench, wondered why the officers
employed by the military-owned organisations like the Army Welfare Trust are
out of the ambit of NAB law, but not those who are serving in the federal and
provincial corporations.
“I
simply wanted to understand why the members of the armed forces have been taken
out especially when Article 25 of the Constitution talks of equality of
citizens?” the judge asked. Though the army officers could be expelled from
service on corruption charges, still the ill-gotten assets could not be recovered,
he wondered.
Justice
Shah conceded that the serving army officers have been made immune from the
ambit of the NAB law to maintain discipline and administrative control, but “we
are talking about the corruption done by the officers in their individual capacity”.
The
court can revisit the Asfandyar Wali case for further clarity, said the
counsel.
“You
wanted the court to revisit the case,” Justice Shah said, asking who was in the
government when the judgement came.
The
counsel said it was the government of Gen Pervez Musharraf, but hastened to add
that the court should not shift the burden on “our shoulders”.
Regarding
amendments to the NAB law, CJP Bandial asked if a truncated assembly could
amend the accountability law, wondering how the court could deal with an
assembly which has not been properly constituted and so many of its members
have boycotted it and chosen to go out of parliament.
Justice
Ijaz-ul-Ahsan regretted the unduly haste in which the amendments were rushed
through, adding that literally nothing was on record to explain what was the
motive and purpose behind adopting the amendments by the assembly.
He
regretted that political parties follow lines given by individuals, which
usually lead to self-interest, adding that there were 250 cases against those
individuals who benefited from the NAB law yet they guided amendments.
When
the CJP asked if it could be called parliamentary capture, the counsel
explained that it was akin to regulatory capture done in a blatant manner and
the court should not close its eyes, rather intervene.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1726228/imrans-counsel-terms-sc-question-on-armys-immunity-political
--------
Europe
Far-right
terrorist takes guards hostage in German prison
13.12.2022
BERLIN
A
right-wing extremist, who was behind the 2019 Halle terror attack, took two
prison guards hostage in Germany, but he was later overwhelmed by other guards,
authorities said on Tuesday.
The
incident occurred on Monday evening at a prison in Burg in the eastern
Saxony-Anhalt state.
According
to the Justice Ministry, the right-wing extremist Stephan Balliet took two
staff members of the prison, but he was overpowered after a short time by other
staff inside the prison.
Balliet
was injured during the release of the hostages. The two freed staff members
were reportedly not injured, but are in shock.
It
is still unclear how the hostage situation came about.
Police
had armed officers in position in front of the prison after the hostage-taking
became known.
The
State Criminal Investigation Office of Saxony-Anhalt has started
investigations.
Balliet
had initially tried at gunpoint to enter the city's synagogue in Halle on Oct.
9, 2019 to kill people having gathered there.
After
he had failed in this, he shot a passer-by in front of the building and shortly
afterwards a guest in the snack bar Kiez-Doner.
During
the trial, it came out that he originally wanted to storm a mosque or a center
of the anti-fascist Antifa group, because he believed they were less guarded.
But, he said, he wanted to murder Jews as a priority because, in his view, they
were behind Muslim immigration to Europe.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/far-right-terrorist-takes-guards-hostage-in-german-prison/2762375
--------
The
World Cup and Spain’s uncomfortable relationship with its Muslim past
Steffani
Garcia
13
Dec, 2022
'Do
not cry like women, for what you could not defend as men', is probably
something I would like to think Luis Enrique is telling the selección española
on their way back to Spain after losing in a penalty shoot-out to the Atlas
Lions last Tuesday. This particular phrase is an adapted adage that pierced the
lips of the mother of Abu Abdallah Muhammad XII (known as Boabdil in Spain, the
last Emir of Granada) as he wept upon his expulsion from the Iberian Peninsula
in 1498 by King Ferdinand VII of Castille.
This
epigram is something I, a British-Andalusian, have heard ad nauseam by Arabs
and Muslims alike when the subject of Al Andalus is broached. My most recent
conversation on this topic was actually with some Moroccan friends, as we
jokingly tussled between kicks and passes during the Spain vs. Morocco match.
"If Spain loses, give us back Al Andalus". Similar jokes have
reverberated throughout the Twittersphere’s of the Western Mediterranean since.
Less
so the nature of the jest, it's the acceptance of Al Andalus as being something
external to Spanish identity, bothers me. I specifically say Spanish here as
Andalusian culture has been monopolised by the grand stage that is modern day
Spanish nation-building and the cesspool that are tourism boards in general.
Firstly,
Al Andalus never belonged to what we know as the modern-day Moroccan state, it
was part of the Ummayad Caliphate, the Almorovid Empire after becoming an
independent caliphate and then met its doom after fragmenting into various
taifas or “mini kingdoms”. Secondly, when the Muslims and Jews were expelled
from the Peninsula, these weren’t necessarily Arabs or Moors. They were native
Iberians who refused to convert to Catholicism.
Our
problematic relationship with Al Andalus is ingrained in the contemporary
Spanish psyche, if you ask any Spaniard, who built the Alhambra or the Great
Mosque of Córdoba, they will, without pause, answer "the Arabs",
"the Muslims". As if Federico García Lorca didn’t lament the Alhambra
in his poems, as if we don’t enjoy some aceitunas (zaytoun, olives) on a
plastic chair on the sotea (sota’a, roof terrace) outside our grandmother’s
house in the barrio (neighbourhood).
Why
are we so quick to “other” our own history, when it evidently permeates our
modern language and cultural surroundings? Yes, the Italians say the Romans
built the Colosseum, but even then, they simultaneously protect and defend it
as something wholly Italian, despite Italy only truly existing as a modern
nation-state from 1871 - 1,800 years after the founding of the stadium. A
significantly longer lapse between the creation of the modern state of Spain
and the Alhambra.
In
the last Roman census of Hispania (Roman Spain), the population stood at around
6 million. With the later influx of the Visigoth tribes, this elevated the
number of the native population by a meagre 80,000. Unless all 6,080,000
inhabitants were hiding in the mountains of Basque Country, when Tariq ibn
Ziyad and his Amazigh warriors conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD, there
must have been a populous these armies actually conquered.
Moreover,
there’s a consensus amongst European historians that a small number of Amazigh
and Arab Muslims settled the land, and majority of the population (around 80%)
ended up converting to Islam and becoming arabised. So, it begs the question,
who actually built the Alhambra? Not the Moors, but the great grandparents of
modern day Spaniards.
If
my grandfather in Cádiz, was speaking Arabic 800 years ago, would that have
made him any less gaditano or Iberian?
However,
whilst Spain is a secular country, the culture and people are overwhelmingly
theocratic, especially when it comes to the subject of Al Andalus. Cathedrals,
Baroque architecture and the (what feels like) a thousand devotions of the
Virgin Mary are inextricably ours and anything Muslim in character is
considered theirs. We may as well have the Alhambra hoisted by a crane and
thrown at the feet of King Mohammad VI in Rabat with that line of thinking.
To
answer this question, we must look at the issues of Spanish society and
politics since 1498 – primarily the genocidal and racialised legacy of the
colonisation of the Americas. The 40 year-long fascist dictatorship of
Francisco Franco also sought to erase the history books and replaced over 800
years of Muslim rule in Spain with a lame and reductive; “the Arabs came, and
then they left”, focusing more on Spain’s respectively brief Roman and Visigoth
history to instil a sense of a “white Catholic Spain”. It was under this
particular version of Spain, you couldn’t even apply for a Spanish national identity
card unless you were baptised.
By
extension, the around 1 million Moroccans currently living in Spain, report
increasing levels of hostility, in line with increasing far-right populism and
general anti-Muslim sentiment across Europe. Arguably, their presence in Spain,
is viewed by far-right parties such as Vox as an attempt to restore the Iberian
Peninsula to Muslim rule, and could explain why Spanish police were on
high-alert during Tuesday’s football match, fearing riots after “Ultras”
rallied Spaniards on Twitter and Instagram to “protect the streets” from
Moroccan supporters.
This
anti-Arabness in Spain is rooted in an ardent hypocrisy that burns so bright it
blinds far-right nationalists across the country. If you look at any of the
iconography used in “Visit Spain” or “Andalucía Loves You” posters, there is
consistent use of azulejos (Moorish azelij tile work). If we continue this line
of thinking of us versus them, why are we using something that belongs to the
Arabs we want to “protect our streets from” to market our country to tourists?
It’s illogical, inaccurate and rooted in desperate self-hatred.
With
respect, this is not to dismiss the nostalgia that Arabs and Muslims cherish
towards Al Andalus, as mentioned earlier, many North Africans have Iberian
heritage and there are families in Morocco that still have the keys to their
medieval homes in Córdoba and Granada.
Moreover,
the sensational melodies in Raï music of Oran, Algeria has heavy Andalusian
influence, as does the traditional music of Tetouan and Tangiers in Morocco
(known as Andalusi music in North Africa). Many cities in Morocco, such as
Chefchouen, were founded by a contingent of Andalusí refugees in 1471, and
there they built their abodes to reflect their memories of Granada.
Let’s
also not forget our shared history of being conquered by the Romans and
Byzantines, and its impact on trade, knowledge sharing and migration. We were
one people many times over, yet Al Andalus is still not a shared, but divided.
Many
Spaniards are uncomfortable with their Arab-Muslim past and it’s of no shock
that the attitudes towards the Muslim community in Spain which have allowed
far-right islamophobic politicians such as Santiago Abascal (leader of the Vox
party) to succeed, are connected to the psychological acceptance of Al Andalus
as something that is ours. Yet it continues to be something that is erased,
suppressed and ultimately exported through daily conversations or memes on
twitter.
You
cannot escape the impact of Al Andalus, it is a concomitant echoless scream and
deafening whisper. The origins of flamenco, gastronomy, architecture toponyms
such as Gibraltar (Jabal al Tareq) or Benalmádena (Beni al Madena), and even
agricultural methods are all inheritance from our forefathers, and not
exclusively that of Morocco or Achraf Hakimi.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.newarab.com/opinion/world-cup-spains-uneasy-relationship-its-muslim-past
--------
UK
announces new sanctions against Russia, Iran
13
December ,2022
The
UK on Tuesday announced new sanctions against senior Russian military
commanders, as well as Iranians involved in the producing and supplying drones
to target Ukraine.
The
government said 12 Russian top brass would be subject to assets freezes and
travel bans, including Major General Robert Baranov, who is said to be in
charge of a unit programming and targeting cruise missiles.
The
Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said more than 6,000
Ukrainian civilians are thought to have been killed since the Russian invasion
in February, mainly as a result of missile and artillery strikes.
“Intentionally
directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is a serious violation
of international humanitarian law. Those responsible must be held to account,”
it said.
Iranian-manufactured
drones supplied to Russia have played a “central role” in such attacks, the
FCDO said.
Foreign
Secretary James Cleverly said the Tehran regime, which has been hit by a wave
of civilian protests in recent months, was “striking sordid deals” with Moscow
“in a desperate attempt to survive.”
Last
week, the United States voiced concern at what it said was a “full-scale
defense partnership” between Russia and Iran, calling it “harmful” to Ukraine,
Iran’s neighbors and the world.
The
latest UK sanctions target four Iranians, include the managing director of the
company that manufactures engines for drones used by Russia to attack Ukraine,
he added.
On
Monday, Cleverly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “waging a
19th-century war of imperial conquest” against its neighbor.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
In
letter to UN, Türkiye, Libya urges Greece to respect their sovereign decision
Dilara
Hamit
14.12.2022
In
a letter to the UN on Tuesday, Türkiye and Libya blasted Greek criticisms of
their agreements on the delimitation of hydrocarbon and maritime jurisdiction
areas, and urged Greece to end its baseless accusations, hostile rhetoric, and
escalatory actions and instead respect the sovereign decisions of the two
countries.
"The
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on 3 Oct. 2022 between the Governments
of National Unity of Libya and the Republic of Türkiye on Cooperation in the
Field of Hydrocarbons is a legal instrument based on the principle of sovereign
equality. The MOU envisages the development of bilateral cooperation in the
field of hydrocarbons, both on land and at sea in the Eastern Mediterranean and
therefore is in full observance of the principles of international law
concerning friendly relations and cooperation among states," Feridun
Sinirlioglu, Türkiye's permanent representative to the UN, and Libya's
Permanent Representative to the UN Taher El-Sonni said in a joint letter in
English.
The
letter noted that, contrary to Greece's allegations, the Libyan Government of
National Unity has the capacity to enter and terminate international accords,
and that its laws authorize the government to negotiate agreements with other
states.
Contrary
to Greece’s claims, the letter highlighted that there is no legal basis for
claims that the hydrocarbons agreement signed by Libya and Türkiye contradicts
the political process under UN supervision, as the roadmap that will lead to a
political solution in Libya gives the government full authority in the election
preparation process.
"Greece
fails to mention, or deliberately ignores, that many states, including EU
member states, have concluded tens of other similar memoranda of understanding
with the Government of National Unity of Libya in areas that require long-term
commitments by the signatories, ranging from energy to infrastructure and
economic activities," the letter said.
The
letter stated that the agreement between Türkiye and Libya on the delimitation
of maritime jurisdiction areas, signed on Nov. 27, 2019, was recorded in line
with Article 102 of the UN Convention and that a fair solution based on
international law was reached, and rejected Greece's claims that the agreement
violates its sovereign rights.
"Greece's
objections to the said MOU on the ground that it allegedly violates Greek sovereign
rights are unacceptable to Libya and Türkiye. So is the purported maritime
boundary delimitation agreement signed between Egypt and Greece. We regard them
(as) null and void; they are in no way opposable to us. In accordance with
international law, Greece is not entitled to sovereign rights in the maritime
areas delimited between Libya and Türkiye," it said.
It
asserted that with its claims, Greece disregards Türkiye's and Libya's
sovereignty rights. "Greece continues to interpret the law of the sea and
general international law selectively. It ignores the principle of equity in
maritime boundary delimitation," the letter said.
The
letter also said Greece poses illegally as an archipelagic state, claiming that
all islands, islets, and rocks should be given full weight in maritime boundary
delimitation regardless of their location, size, or ability to sustain human
habitation or economic life on their own.
The
agreements signed between Turkey and Libya on the delimitation of hydrocarbon
and maritime jurisdictions violate neither international law nor Greece's
sovereign rights, said the letter, adding that Greece is attempting to
discredit Libya and Turkey's efforts to promote dialogue in the Mediterranean
at the UN.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Over
11,000 children killed or maimed in Yemen's eight-year old war: UNICEF
Betul
Yuruk
13.12.2022
UNITED
NATIONS
The
eight-year-old conflict in Yemen has killed or maimed more than 11,000
children, according to the UN Children's Fund.
An
average of four children were killed or wounded since the beginning of the war
in Yemen in 2015, UNICEF said in a statement on Monday.
While
the UN-brokered truce led to a significant reduction in the intensity of the
conflict, a further 62 children have been killed or injured after a nationwide
cease-fire expired on Oct. 2, it said.
Yemen's
warring sides failed to reach an agreement to extend the UN-brokered truce.
UNICEF
Executive Director Catherine Russell called for the renewal of the truce
following a visit to the war-torn country last week.
"Thousands
of children have lost their lives, hundreds of thousands more remain at risk of
death from preventable disease or starvation," said Russell.
An
estimated 2.2 million children in Yemen are acutely malnourished, including
nearly 540,000 children under the age of five suffering from severe acute
malnutrition and struggling to survive, according to UNICEF.
Two
million children are out of school, and this number could rise to 6 million
children having their education disrupted as at least one out of four schools
in Yemen are destroyed or partially damaged.
"If
the children of Yemen are to have any chance of a decent future, then the
parties to the conflict, the international community and all those with
influence must ensure they are protected and supported," Russell said.
UNICEF
also called for 484.4 million dollars to respond to the humanitarian crisis in
Yemen in 2023.
The
eight-year conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the
world, with millions risking starvation.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
European
Parliament vice president removed over Qatar graft scandal
13
December 2022
The
European Parliament (EP) has removed Eva Kaili as vice president of the
assembly after she was accused by authorities of accepting bribes from Qatar.
"The
European Parliament decided on Tuesday to terminate the term of office of
Vice-President Eva Kaili," the parliament said in a statement.
The
decision to remove Kaili comes after Belgian authorities arrested her on
Sunday.
Originally
from Greece, and a member of the European Parliament since 2014, Kaili was one
of 14 vice presidents in the assembly.
The
Belgian prosecutors' office, which said in a statement on Monday that it had
been working on the case for more than four months, charged her and three
Italians at the weekend with taking part in a criminal organization, money
laundering, and corruption. A source close to the investigation has said the
group involved with Kaili had allegedly received bribes for influence peddling
from Qatar.
Meanwhile,
police have raided numerous buildings in Brussels, including parliament offices
and 19 homes, in relation to the case, discovering around 1.5 million euros
(1.58 million dollars), some of it stashed in a suitcase in a hotel room, a
source close to the investigation said.
"The
allegations against the vice president of the European Parliament are of utmost
concern, very serious," said European Commission President Ursula von der
Leyen on Monday. "It is a question of confidence of people into our
institutions, and this confidence and trust into our institutions needs higher
standards."
The
energy-rich Persian Gulf state of Qatar, which is currently hosting the FIFA
World Cup, has denied any wrongdoing.
Kaili's
lawyer in Greece, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, also said on Tuesday that his
client was innocent and she had done nothing illegal.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/13/694432/European-Parliament-VP-Kaili-Qatar-graft-scandal
--------
Arab World
Foreign-Sponsored
Terrorism against Syria Due To Its Unwavering Support For Palestine: Parliament
Speaker
13
December 2022
The
speaker of the People’s Council of Syria says the ongoing foreign-sponsored
acts of terrorism and hostile plots against his war-ravaged Arab country are
due to the Damascus government’s firm and unswerving support for the
Palestinian nation and their decades-long struggle against the occupying
Israeli regime.
“The
conspiracies and vicious campaigns that Syria has been subjected to over the
past years are due to its principled and solid standpoint concerning the
Palestinian nation’s aspirations and rights, as they are fighting to recover
their occupied territories and create an independent sovereign state with
al-Quds as its capital,” Hammouda Sabbagh told the Speaker of the Palestinian
Legislative Council, Rawhi Fattouh, and his accompanying delegation in
Damascus.
He
stressed the need to pursue common goals at regional and international levels,
and called for stronger cooperation between Syrian and Palestinian legislatures
in order to serve the best interests of both nations.
The
top Syrian official further noted that Damascus will continue to support and
assist Palestinians to attain their ideals.
Fattouh,
for his part, appreciated the perseverance and steadfastness of Syrians in the
face of the terrorism that has been targeting the national sovereignty and
territorial integrity of their country since 2011.
The
Palestinian legislator described Syria’s victory over terrorism as a remarkable
triumph for his nation and the entire Muslim world and a prelude to the
creation of a new multi-polar world order.
Fattouh
pointed to the active role of Syria in supporting the unity of the Palestinian
nation, saying that Damascus has long been the main supporter of Palestine,
treated Palestinian refugees equitably and made great sacrifices for them.
Syria
has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian
government says the United States, the Israeli regime, and their Western and
regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are spreading
insecurity in the country.
Israel
frequently violates Syrian sovereignty by targeting military positions inside
the country, especially those of the resistance movement Hezbollah, which has
played a key role in helping the Syrian army in its fight against
foreign-backed terrorists.
The
Tel Aviv regime mostly keeps quiet about its attacks on Syrian territories,
which many view as a knee-jerk reaction to the Syrian government’s increasing
success in confronting terrorism.
Israel
has been a key supporter of terrorist groups that have battled the government
of President Bashar al-Assad since foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria in
early 2011.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Collection
of artefacts never displayed outside of Oman before showcased in Sharjah
13
December ,2022
Sharjah
Museums Authority is organizing the “Omani Civilisation: Origin &
Development” exhibition in a first collaboration with the National Museum in
the Sultanate of Oman with an aim to highlight the deep-rooted and strong
cultural relations between the two countries.
The
exhibition which will be held at Sharjah Archaeology Museum from December 2022
to June 2023 will feature a collection of over 100 artefacts that tell the
story of the Omani civilization from the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages until the
rise of Islam.
“The
collection reveals the historical ties between the two countries, while
shedding light on the life of the original inhabitants and settlers in the
Arabian Peninsula,” said Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums
Authority.
Displayed
objects include fishing gear, weapons, clay and stone pots, ornaments, stamps,
farming equipment, and jewelry such as a rare golden necklace that date back to
the period between 300 B.C. and 400 A.D.
The
exceptional exhibition, the first of its kind for the National Museum of Oman,
will shed light on the historical bonds that unite the two nations while also
strengthening the partnership between Sharjah Museums Authority and the
National Museum of Oman and bringing attention to the similarities between
archaeological finds in Oman and those at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum.
An
array of events that will be accompanying the exhibition including workshops,
interactive and educational activities will allow members of the public to
enjoy a cultural awareness-raising experience.
Sharjah
Museums Authority which under directions from Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al
Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, was established as an
autonomous government authority in 2006, runs 17 museums across the emirtate.
The
museums cover widely varied fields including Islamic art and culture,
archaeology, heritage, science, marine life, as all as the history of Sharjah
and aim to become a cultural beacon that enhances Sharjah’s identity locally
and internationally.
The
Sharjah Museums Authority contributes in nurturing a community aware of the
museums’ importance as a cultural, educational, and enjoyable destination by
delivering the highest museum standards to preserve collections & enhance
an appreciation of culture and learning through exhibitions, educational, and
community programs.
The
National Museum in Oman was inaugurated in 2013 to showcase the Sultanate’s
cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, from the earliest evidence of
human settlement in the Oman Peninsula through to the present day.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia’s Prince Khalid in Britain to strengthen defense ties
14
December ,2022
Saudi
Arabia’s Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman met with his British
counterpart Ben Wallace for official talks in London on Tuesday, the official
Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Wallace
welcomed Prince Khalid at the Royal Cavalry Guard Square in London, where an
official reception was held in the Saudi defense minister’s honor.
The
pair reviewed their kingdoms’ strategic and historical ties, discussing ways to
further enhance cooperation in the defense and military sectors, during a
meeting at the headquarters of Britain’s defense ministry.
The
defense ministers also spoke about issues of mutual interest and the latest
regional and global security developments, SPA reported.
Prince
Khalid and Wallace signed a defense cooperation plan, which aims to develop the
capabilities of Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry, localize military industries,
and strengthen both nations’ partnerships.
Accompanying
Prince Khalid was a Saudi delegation of senior officials, all of whom arrived
in the UK on Monday for the official visit.
Visit
to BAE Systems in Wharton, Cumbria
During
his trip, Prince Khalid also paid an official visit to the headquarters of BAE
Systems – a British multinational arms, security and aerospace company – in
Wharton, Cumbria.
He
was received by the Chief of Air Staff of the UK’s Air Force Air Chief Marshal
Sir Mike Wigston; Britain’s Military Attaché to Saudi Arabia Brigadier Jimmy
Piggott; and BAE Systems CEO Dr. Charles Woodburn.
The
Saudi defense minister was briefed on the capabilities of the firms Typhoon
aircraft and its combat systems, the company’s future plans which included its
program for future combat air capabilities and the development of air systems.
Prince
Khalid visited the company’s aviation systems development and design site and
was briefed on a number of modern aviation systems.
They
also discussed ways to strengthen the long-standing partnership between BAE
Systems and the Saudi Armed Forces, which extends for more than 50 years,
according to SPA.
Over
the years, this partnership has reportedly contributed immensely to the Saudi
defense sector, and more specifically, to the goals set out by Saudi Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2016 under Vision 2030.
Saudi
Arabia has ramped up its defense spending in recent years. On Monday, the
Kingdom’s governor of the defense sector’s general authority Ahmed al-Ohali
revealed that the country had spent $1.4 billion in incentives to boost its
local military sector over the last two years.
Al-Ohali
said that the incentives included $877 million (3.3 billion riyals) which was
directed to research and development throughout 2021 and 2022. He added that
the remaining $478.6 million (1.8 billion riyals) was distributed to companies
in the Kingdom’s military sector, including Saudi Arabian Military Industries
(SAMI).
The
Kingdom now has the third-largest defense budget in the world.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Damascus
blasts Dutch govt. over support for terror groups operating inside Syria
14
December 2022
Syria
has denounced the Dutch government’s involvement in supporting and providing
weapons supplies to Takfiri militant groups operating inside the conflict-hit
Arab country, stating that the move is a straightforward example of numerous
political, moral, and legal crimes committed by the Northwestern European
country against the nation.
Syria’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement that the
December 12 report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on
the Syrian Arab Republic exposes the fact that the Netherlands has given
assistance to the so-called opposition armed groups in Syria in contravention
of the international law.
The
statement added, “The Dutch public opinion was manipulated to conceal the truth
that the supplies were funneled to terrorist organizations and used in combat.”
The
Syrian foreign ministry went on to say “The report corroborates one again the
credibility of the Damascus government’s assertions that Western states, including
the Netherlands, are involved in sponsoring terrorism in Syria under various
excuses.”
“Syria
calls on the international community to hold such states accountable for all
their violations of the international law, including humanitarian regulations
and all related Security Council resolutions, and to put an end to the
exploitation of the so-called combat against terrorism in order to interfere in
the domestic affairs of other countries,” the statement pointed out.
Back
in September 2018, the Dutch current affairs television program Nieuwsuur (News
Hour) revealed that the Dutch government had provided assistance to 22 militant
groups, one of which named as the Levant Front had been designed as a terrorist
organization by the public prosecution department.
Source:
Press TV
The
Netherlands reportedly provided uniforms and pick-up trucks to the group.
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
resumes patrols with SDF in northern Syria: Pentagon
13
December ,2022
The
US has fully restarted patrols in northern Syria with Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF), the Pentagon said on Tuesday, after they had been paused because of
Turkish strikes in the region.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Islamic
Emirate Allows No One to Cruelty, Discrimination in Afghanistan, Deputy PM
Hanafi
December
14, 2022
KABUL:
The Islamic Emirate allows no one for cruelty and discrimination, the IEA
Deputy Prime Minister, Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi said the other day.
Deputy
Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Mawlavi Abdul Salam
Hanafi in a gathering in Qush Tepa district of Jawzjan province, said that
Islamic Emirate will not allow oppression and discrimination against anyone.
“Thousands of true offspring of this territory by scarifying their lives
brought victory to the current system,” said Hanafi.
Pointing
to the implementation of the development project of Qush Tepa district, he said
that the Islamic Emirate will use any means for the welfare and development of
the country and preservation of national sovereignty.
Source:
The Kabul Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Further
Security Measures to be Provided at the Foreign Entities in Kabul
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
December
13, 2022
Following
the deteriorating security situation in the capital Kabul, the authorities of
the caretaker government have decided to strengthen the security measures for
foreign entities.
Over
the past few weeks, several people died and many were wounded in three
different terrorist attacks in Kabul. The latest bombing targeted a Chinese-run
hotel in which five Chinese nationals were injured according to the Chinese
Ambassador to Kabul, Wang Yu. Following the attack, the Chinese government
urged its citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately to avoid similar incidents.
Similarly,
over the past few days, a gunman attack targeted the head of the Pakistani
Diplomatic Mission in the capital Kabul, injuring one of the Charge D’affaire’s
security guards, while another terrorist attack targetted a jihadi leader’s
office, killing one and injuring two people.
The
recent terrorist attacks received strong condemnations from national and
international organizations as well as governments, undermining the interim
regime’s ability to provide security to foreign diplomatic missions and
business organizations in Afghanistan.
“To
prevent similar bombings and attacks, the security should be tightened by
special units from professional security forces who are well-trained in this
field,” a resident in Kabul said. “Providing security for hundreds of entities
while the security forces are still launching search operations to disarm
illegal armed men and collect weapons and ammunition is not easy,” he
added.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/further-security-measures-to-be-provided-at-the-foreign-entities-in-kabul/
--------
Beijing
'shocked' by attack on Afghan hotel hosting Chinese visitors
Dec
13, 2022
KABUL:
Beijing said Tuesday it was "shocked" by a deadly attack on a Kabul
hotel popular with Chinese business visitors, adding that five of its nationals
were wounded.
The
Taliban claim to have improved security since storming back to power in August
last year but there have been scores of bomb blasts and attacks, many like this
one claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group.
"This
terror attack is abominable and China is deeply shocked," foreign ministry
spokesman Wang Wenbin said in Beijing.
"As
far as we know, five Chinese citizens were injured in the terrorist attack, and
several Afghan military and police were also killed."
The
Taliban's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, however, said Monday only three
attackers were killed in the raid on the Kabul Longan Hotel. Two foreigners
were hurt escaping from the building, he said.
Mujahid
told AFP Tuesday "a few other" injuries may have since been reported.
The
Italian non-governmental organisation Emergency NGO, which operates a hospital
just one kilometre from the blast site, said Monday they had received 21
casualties, including three people dead on arrival.
Taliban
casualty figures following such incidents are usually lower than those reported
by hospitals and other independent sources.
On
Tuesday, the hotel facade was blackened by fire that erupted during the attack
and windows of the 10-storey building had also been blown out.
"I
heard the sound of a loud explosion and shots. Of course everyone was
scared," said a vendor in an adjacent street, asking not to be identified.
The
Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Monday's attack, issuing photos
of two men it said were the perpetrators.
It
also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside the Russian embassy
in September that killed two staff, as well as an attack on Pakistan's mission
this month that Islamabad decried as an assassination attempt against the
ambassador.
No
country has recognised Afghanistan's Taliban government but China, Russia, and
Pakistan are among a handful that have maintained their embassies in Kabul.
"This
looks like (at least in part) a campaign to dent the efforts of the Taliban,
IS-K's rival, to gain legitimacy both at home and abroad," tweeted Michael
Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center think tank.
China,
Pakistan, and Russia were expected to base decisions about international
recognition on security rather than the Taliban's human rights record, he said.
In
Beijing, Wang reminded Chinese nationals that foreign ministry advice was to
evacuate from Afghanistan as soon as possible.
Chinese
business visitors have flocked to the country since the Taliban's return in
pursuit of high-risk but potentially lucrative business deals.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Plans to Launch Military Operations at Afghan Border
December
13, 2022
Concerned
about the developments on the Afghan border, the Pakistani Army has reportedly
decided to conduct a heavy military operation against the country’s growing
terrorism and border infiltration.
General
Asim Munir, the newly appointed head of Pakistan’s armed forces, presided over
a meeting of senior generals at General Headquarters (GHQs) in Rawalpindi over
the weekend, CNN NEWS18 of India reported.
The
Pakistani military official evaluated the overall security situation in light
of the rise in terrorist activities, cross-border infiltration, and
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and decided to conduct the military operation.
The
decision to launch the military operation follows the attack on the Pakistani
embassy in Kabul earlier this month and the Afghan Border Forces attack on the
Chaman Border that resulted in the deaths of six Pakistani civilians.
“The
military operation will aim at indiscriminately eliminating the residual and
latent threat of terrorism, consolidating the gains made in other military
operations, and further ensuring the security of Pakistan’s borders … We are
committed to long-lasting peace in the region,” CNN NEWS18 quoted top Pakistani
military officials.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-plans-to-launch-military-operations-at-afghan-border-36654/
--------
North America
Man
admits Ramadan attack on US Islamic centre
Dec
14, 2022
A
man has pleaded guilty to hate crime and arson charges for starting a fire that
destroyed an Islamic centre in south-east Missouri two years ago, the US
Justice Department announced on Tuesday.
Nicholas
Proffitt entered the plea in the case of the torching of the Cape Girardeau
Islamic Centre on April 24, 2020, which was the first day of Ramadan, the
department said. It was the second time he had attacked the building.
Security
video showed Proffitt breaking the building's glass window and throwing two
containers inside. He then entered, poured the contents of two gallon-size
containers throughout the foyer and the hallway and lit the blaze, according to
court records.
About
a dozen people were inside at the time but escaped unharmed. The fire made the
building unsuitable for use as a centre.
Proffitt
admitted he started the blaze because of the religious nature of the building,
prosecutors said.
He
will be sentenced on May 22. Proffitt faces up to 20 years in prison for damage
to religious property and a mandatory minimum of 10 years, consecutive to any
other sentence, for using fire to commit a federal offence. He also could be
fined up to $250,000 on each charge.
Source:
The National News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Assault
in Toronto mosque highlights alarming rise of Islamophobia in Canada
13
December 2022
Canadian
Muslim groups are raising concerns about a recent attack in which an imam was
allegedly assaulted during a morning prayer service in Toronto.
The
Islamic Foundation of Toronto said on Monday that an intruder had entered the
mosque and disrupted the dawn prayer by assaulting the imam before "two
brave congregants quickly held him back and called 911".
In
its statement, the mosque condemned the attack and called on the police to
"keep all avenues of the investigation open".
"Our
hearts are deeply troubled and we know that many in our community are deeply
concerned after an incident took place this morning," the official
statement read.
However,
the centre said there was not enough information to know what the motivation of
the attack was.
"We
understand that this is a difficult and scary time for our community. We must
stress, however, that we simply do not have enough information to assess what
led to this incident," the Islamic Centre said.
Toronto
police are investigating the matter and have yet to charge the individual.
The
police said on Twitter that it "investigates all potential hate crimes
fully" and that if charges are laid, it will provide an update to the
case.
The
imam, Yusuf Badat, released a statement on Monday saying that he and many of
his congregants remain "traumatized, in fear and very worried" after
the incident.
"I
pray that no individual or community ever face what horrific incident the IFT
congregation and myself have experienced this morning," he said.
The
National Council of Canadian Muslims and Canada's Council of Imams (CCI) also
expressed their concerns over the incident.
"The
bravery of the congregants to prevent this ugly incident from escalating is
truly remarkable and CCI strongly encourages all congregants to continue their
increased vigilance," the CCI's statement said.
Mapping
Canada's Islamophobia
Experts
in Canada previously told MEE that Canada has witnessed decades of anti-Muslim
rhetoric both from politicians and the media.
Islamophobic
and anti-Muslim attacks have also surged in recent years, the most high-profile
being the mass shooting at Quebec City mosque in 2017, where a white Canadian
man shot and killed six people.
An
August report from Statistics Canada found that hate crimes against Muslim
communities across the country increased by 71 percent in 2021.
The
government study found that the number of recorded attacks against Muslims rose
from 84 incidents in 2020 to 144 in 2021. The jump in attacks followed a
decline from the previous year, as in 2019 there was a total of 182 reported
incidents targeting Muslims.
A
recent study from October tracked networks peddling Islamophobia throughout
Canada over the past four years.
The
240-page report outlined an ecosystem composed of media outlets; Islamophobia
influencers; white nationalist groups; fringe, right-wing pro-Israel groups;
security experts; think tanks; and the donors who fund their campaigns.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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US
says Iran executions show leadership ‘fears own people’
13
December ,2022
The
US on Monday denounced Iran's second execution over ongoing protests, saying
the latest killing, carried out in public, showed the clerical leadership
feared its own people.
“We
denounce this draconian treatment in the strongest terms,” State Department
spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
“These
harsh sentences, and now the first public execution at least, are meant to
intimidate Iran's people, they're meant to suppress dissent and they simply
just underscore how much the Iranian leadership actually fears its own people,”
he said.
At
the United Nations, spokesman Stephane Dujarric called for a halt to
executions, saying “there's no place for capital punishment.”
Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres “believed that the circumstances of this were particularly
cruel,” Dujarric said.
Majidreza
Rahnavard, 23, had been sentenced to death by a court in the city of Mashhad
for killing two members of the security forces with a knife, and wounding four
other people, the judiciary's Mizan Online news agency reported.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
says joints patrols with YPG/PKK in Syria resume
Busra
Nur Cakmak
14.12.2022
The
Pentagon announced on Tuesday the US has resumed its joint patrols with the
YPG/PKK, which it reduced earlier in the wake of Türkiye’s airstrikes against
the terror group.
“The
partner operations with the Syrian Democratic Forces have resumed, they resumed
in full on Dec. 9. Again, our focus is on working with those local partners to
prevent the reconstitution of ISIS,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, spokesman for
the Defense Department, told reporters in a daily press briefing.
He
was referring to the SDF, the US’ principal partner in Syria, led by the YPG.
The
YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK, a designated terror group in the US, EU,
and Türkiye.
The
US has partnered with the YPG-led SDF in its efforts to counter Daesh/ISIS in
northeastern Syria, drawing Ankara’s anger in a major strain on bilateral
relations.
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-says-joints-patrols-with-ypg-pkk-in-syria-resume/2763231
--------
India
Religious
Harmony with Humanity: Tamil Nadu Muslim Farmer Donates 15 Cents Of Land To
Help Hindu Devotees Access the Path to Ayyanar Temple
DECEMBER
13, 2022
The
75-year-old Mohammad Swaifu, a farmer from a neighborhood in Ramanathapuram
district holds a Nanchai land. On the route to the Ayyanar shrine in
Kanchirangudi Melavalasai hamlet, is where his Nanchai land is located.
In
this instance, residents of the area and temple visitors are prohibited from
visiting the temple during the agricultural season. Owing to this, the locals
who travel to the temple have been pleading with the landowner to build a
pathway to the temple for several days. Following this, the landowner, the
75-year-old farmer from the Muslim community demonstrated religious harmony
with humanity by donating around 8 cents of his land, so that it could be used
by all the people to reach the temple.
Similar
to this, locals can also travel along the coastline from East Mutharaiyar Nagar
to Kanchirangudi Pakkeerappa Dargah. The inhabitants endured terrible suffering
in impassable conditions as a result of the sea water’s infiltration during the
rainy season. Knowing this, he contributed 15 cents from his land for use by
the public and for the tar road that can be laid by the government. The locals
are grateful to Mohammad Swaifu for donating the land for the temple and the
public road.
Source:
News18
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Upcoming
Karnataka Assembly Elections: BJP MLA Warns Muslims: Vote For Me Or Else...
K.M.
Rakesh | Bangalore
14.12.22
A
BJP lawmaker has drawn flak for allegedly warning Muslim voters that he would
not work for them if they don’t vote for him in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly
elections, with the Congress determined to lodge a complaint with the Election
Commission.
In
a video clip that went viral on social media, a voice resembling Hassan MLA
Preetham Gowda’s cautions voters in a Muslim-dominated locality that he would
do nothing apart from taking care of drinking water, roads and drainage if the
community does not vote for him again. “If you come (to my) home I will send you
back after giving you some coffee. I won’t do anything more (if you don’t vote
for me),” the speaker in the video, whose face is not clearly visible, says.
Asked
about the video, Gowda in a WhatsApp message alleged misrepresentation. “It is
total misinterpretation by the Opposition and some media friends,” Gowda wrote
and shared a video clip in which people could be seen shouting slogans in his
favour and promising their support to him. In the video that is viral, the
speaker reminds Muslim voters that they had not voted for him or his party in
the last three elections.
“You
have ditched me thrice. You did not vote for me in the Assembly elections,
didn’t vote (for the BJP) in the municipal elections and Lok Sabha polls. Now
the next Assembly election is due in six months. If you ditch me, I will ditch
you as well,” he is purportedly heard saying.
The
speaker urges the voters to “take a decision today” on voting for him. The
59-second clip starts with a reassurance that he treats Muslims as brothers.
“I
treat my Muslim brothers with a lot of love.… But if you don’t help me, I will
come to a decision not to even take a look at this side…. It is your
responsibility to ensure such a decision is not taken,” the speaker says.
State
Congress spokesperson M. Lakshman said his party would soon lodge a complaint
with the Election Commission, seeking action against Gowda. “It is his
(Gowda’s) duty to serve the interests of everyone in his constituency, and not
just his voters or supporters. We are lodging a complaint with the Election
Commission seeking action against him since he has violated laws in inciting
communal hatred,” Lakshman told The Telegraph.
The
Congress leader said that more BJP leaders would make such comments because
they feared defeat. “When they have nothing to show in terms of concrete
development work, they spew hatred to confuse and divide people on communal
lines.”
Muslims
form a sizable part of the population in Hassan district, which is dominated by
the Vokkaliga community. But they have traditionally stood by the Janata Dal
Secular of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who belongs to the district.
The
Congress too has considerable influence in the area. Gowda succeeded in
breaking into the JDS bastion of Hassan in the 2018 state elections. He defeated
H.S. Prakash, a four-time JDS MLA, by nearly 14,000 votes, capitalising on the
triangular fight with the Congress. The BJP tried to play down the MLA’s
remarks. “It was a discussion since the MLA shares a special bond with the
people,” the party’s Hassan district president, Venugopal, told local
reporters.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/mla-warns-muslims-vote-for-me-or-else/cid/1903725
--------
Justice
Bela M. Trivedi, a Judge from Gujarat, Recuses From Review of Premature Release
of the Convicts in Bilkis Bano Case
R.
Balaji | New Delhi
14.12.22
Justice
Bela M. Trivedi, a judge from Gujarat, on Tuesday recused from hearing a writ
petition filed by Bilkis Bano challenging the premature release of the 11
persons convicted of gang-raping her and murdering seven of her family members
during the 2002 riots in the state.
As
soon as the matter came up for hearing, Justice Trivedi informed the presiding
judge, Justice Ajay Rastogi, and counsel Shobha Gupta that she was withdrawing
from the case. Justice Trivedi did not give any reason for her decision.
The
bench then referred the matter to Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud for
listing before an appropriate bench. Legally, a judge is not required to cite
reason for recusal.
Normally,
judges recuse from matters in which they had some stake earlier as a counsel
for either of the parties, or had personal acquaintance or other rapport with
those involved. In such cases, judges withdraw from hearing a case to avoid
allegations of conflict of interest.
Bilkis
had, in addition to the writ petition, filed a plea seeking a review of the
apex court’s May 13 order by which it had asked the Gujarat government to
consider the plea for remission of the 11 life convicts.
The
review petition was listed before the bench of Justices Rastogi and Vikram Nath
at 1.30pm on Tuesday, in chambers. However, the outcome is not known as an
official order has not yet been uploaded.
A
review petition has to be heard by the same bench which had passed the original
order.
In
Bilkis’s case, the bench of Justices Rastogi and Nath had passed the impugned
order of May 13, directing the Gujarat government to consider the plea for
premature release of one of the convicts, Radheshyam Bhagwandas Shah alias Lala
Vakil.
Radheshyam
had moved the apex court after Gujarat High Court had ruled that only the
Maharashtra government had the power to consider release of the convicts since
the trial was conducted in that state.
Review
petition
The
review petition by Bilkis has complained that Radheyshyam had “not come with
clean hands” to the court as he had concealed several incriminating facts which
Bilkis would now place before the court.
The
review petition has argued that the appropriate government to decide the
premature release of the convicts was the Maharashtra dispensation.
Writ
petition
Bilkis’s
writ petition has sought the enforcement of her fundamental right, contending
that the premature release ought to be quashed as she and her family
apprehended grave threat to their personal safety and security.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/bilkis-bano-judge-recuses-from-review/cid/1903724
--------
Cong's
Muslim Leaders in Karnataka Push for More Tickets
Dec
14, 2022
Congress'
Muslim leaders in Karnataka on Tuesday decided to ask the party for more tickets
to candidates belonging to the community, in the Assembly polls scheduled by
April-May next year. This was decided at a meeting of leaders from the minority
community, which included- former Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan,
KPCC working president Saleem Ahmed, former ministers UT Khader, Tanveer Sait,
B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rahim Khan, former MP IG Sanadi, MLC Naseer Ahmed, among
others.
Noting
that the Congress has received 100 applications from minority communities
seeking tickets, mostly Muslims, Saleem Ahmed said, "We will scrutinise
and give a list to the party. Winnability will be the criteria. Wherever there
is a chance to win, we will push for tickets to be given to minorities."
In
the 2018 Assembly election, the Congress had given tickets to 17 Muslim
candidates, of whom seven had won. The meeting decided to hold five conventions
of minorities and backward classes together in January, aimed at organising the
party.
Further
alleging that minority voters are being deleted from electoral rolls, and
calling it a "conspiracy", Saleem Ahmed said, "Voters are being
shifted to different houses and booths, such irregularities have been found in
Bidar, Vijayapura and Hubballi, other than Bengaluru."
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
groups confused as CPM, IUML get closer
14th
December 2022
By
MP Prashanth
KOZHIKODE:
The developing cosy relationship between the CPM and the IUML will be a major
embarrassment for the Muslim organisations that have been lashing out at the
LDF government for its ‘anti-Muslim’ stand. Many Muslim organisations had taken
the position that the CPM is trying to smuggle in the ‘liberal’ and ‘atheist’
ideology through various channels, posing grave danger to the believers.
The
major reason for the polarisation in the Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulama was
the alleged pro-CPM stand taken by its president Syed Muhammad Jiffiri
Muthukoya Thangal. Anti-Jiffiri Thangal group has been alleging that Thangal
was taking a soft approach to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPM. This
irritation was publicly aired by Samastha Mushawara member Bahaudeen Nadvi
Kooriyad at a meeting last month. He indirectly criticised Jiffiri Thangal for
welcoming the LDF government’s decision to shelve the move to entrust the PSC
with the appointments to Waqf Board. Kooriyad, who is known to be close to the
IUML, had earlier written an article saying that the madrassa system will
collapse if communists come to power.
It
is believed that the anti-Jiffiri Thangal group took a strident stand against
the CPM at the behest of the IUML. Now they are confused over their future
course of action if the IUML-CPM alliance becomes a reality.
The
Jama’at-e-Islami, which offered all ideological help to the IUML to take on the
CPM, too is perturbed. The sympathisers of the organisation had brought a book
against communism during the run-up to the assembly elections. Jama’at and its
feeder organisation were at the forefront of attacking the communists (read
CPM) to prepare the ground for the IUML.
The
anti-CPM faction led by M K Muneer and K M Shaji is keenly watching the
developments after CPM state secretary M V Govindan gave a clean chit to the
IUML. A bitter critic of the CPM, Muneer had written a series of articles
against communism during the campaign for the assembly elections. His remarks
against the personal life of communist leaders at the meeting organised by MSF
in Kozhikode a few months ago had kicked-off a huge controversy. Reacting to
Govindan’s remarks, Shaji said aligning with the CPM would amount to
surrendering the ideals of the IUML.
The
Kanthapuram faction of the Sunnis, which has been traditionally loyal to the
CPM and antagonistic to the IUML, is worried for a different reason. The group
is suspicious about the CPM’s new-found love for the IUML, though no leader
from the faction has openly aired any resentment. Muslim politics in the state
will see new permutations and combinations if the CPM decides to strike an
alliance with the IUML.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Kerala
Governor Arif Mohammad Khan Supports Bringing Uniform Civil Code
10th
December 2022
NEW
DELHI: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has supported bringing a Uniform
Civil Code and said anyone who has sworn to the constitution will never oppose
it.
Asked
about his opinion on the Uniform Civil Code on Friday, he said, "Anyone
who has sworn to the Constitution will not say that it should not come."
"The
Hindu code is already there, did it bring uniformity in Hindus, Sikhs and
Jains? We are a country of diversity," Khan said at the Agenda Aaj Tak
programme.
"Uniform
civil code is not about marriages or customs. It is about equal justice. There
are cases where people have converted to have two wives. I will not name
anyone," he said.
On
the recent controversy around hijab, he said, "Who is stopping from
wearing a burqa? This is a free nation. But institutions also have the right to
have their dress code. "There are institutions that allow hijab, one can
go there," he said.
Commenting
on the Shah Bano case, Khan, who quit the Congress in 1986 because of his
differences with the leadership over its handling of the issue, said he stands
by his views.
"I
had said that making a law is not a big deal, law can be changed by Parliament
in the future, but the people who speak against the country, people who support
violence, bowing to them was a crime against the nation according to me,"
he said.
"Before
1947, they said there are two nations, in 1986 the successors of that line of
thought said we have a separate identity. My stand was against that separate
identity. I still stand by it. There is no change in my thoughts," he
added.
Asked
if it was appeasement politics, he said it was appeasement of a certain section
as the community at large only suffered because of it.
Khan,
who was recently removed from the post of the Chancellor of the Kerala
Kalamandalam deemed university and replaced by Mallika Sarabhai, said he has
congratulated his successor, and hoped the state government would not interfere
in her work.
"She
is a big name in the art world. I congratulate her and wish her success and
hope government will not interfere in her work," he said.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
K'taka:
As parties attempt to woo Muslim voters, Cong leaders from community seek more
tickets
By
Prathima Nandakumar
December
13, 2022
With
the different political parties trying to woo Muslim voters, will Karnataka see
an increased number of candidates from the community in the fray in the 2023
assembly elections? At least the Muslim leaders in Karnataka Congress are
hopeful of getting better representation (tickets) even as the grand old party
braces for the competition from not just the JD(S), but also the SDPI, AIMIM,
and AAP in wooing the minority voters.
“This
time, we have received more than 100 applications (for tickets) from Muslim
candidates, which will be scrutinised before the final list is submitted to the
KPCC. Winnability of the candidates will be the main criterion,” said KPCC
working president Salem Ahmed during a pressmeet held at the KPCC office on
Tuesday.
“Around
12-17 Muslim candidates had been elected from the Congress party in the past
(currently, there are seven legislators). We are confident that the number will
increase this time,” said Saleem Ahmed.
Earlier
in the day, around 55 Muslim leaders from the Congress, including former
ministers U.T. Khader, Zameer Ahmed Khan, Tanveer Sait, MLA Naseer Ahmed,
former deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha K. Rahman Khan and Saleem Ahmed, held a
meeting, where it was decided to seek more tickets for the community, besides
taking up the issue of alleged deletion of minority voters from the electoral
rolls and holding community conventions to woo the voters.
Answering
a question on the possible division of minority votes due to many parties trying
to woo Muslim voters, Saleem Ahmed claimed that the voters were aware that the
“real contest” would be between the BJP and the Congress. “The minority voters
are wise. We are confident they will continue to support our party,” said
Ahmed, adding that the party had planned five major conventions for minorities
and backward classes in January.
On
the deletion of the names of minority voters from electoral rolls, Ahmed said,
“Deletion of names from the voter's list is a major conspiracy of the state
government. The BJP is resorting to such tactics out of fear. We will try to
address it (disenfranchisement) in the coming days. Our charges against chilume
(data theft) has been proven right. In fact, such data theft from voter's list
has taken place not just in Bengaluru but other districts too.”
On
the possibility of a Muslim chief minister from the Congress, Ahmed said the
issue was not discussed in the meeting and the community leaders would consider
placing such demands before the party only after the Congress comes to power in
the state.
Source:
The Week
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Elected
Reps Not Allowed To Hold Talks at Mosques, Suraus: Perak MB
13-12-
2022
IPOH:
Elected representatives in Perak have been reminded that they are not allowed
to hold talks in mosques and suraus in the state.
Menteri
Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said it was also to respect the decree of the
Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah regarding the guidelines to preserve the
sanctity of the Muslim houses of worship.
“The
circular issued clearly states that no politician is allowed to speak in a
surau or mosque, including myself,” he said after appearing as a guest in the
radio programme ‘Selamat Pagi Cikgu Saarani’, produced by Perak FM here today.
Source:
The Sun Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Controversial
amendments to Terengganu state Islamic laws stoke concerns in Malaysia
Hazlin
Hassan
December
13, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR - Human rights groups have expressed concern over amendments to
Terengganu state Islamic laws by the Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) state
government that punish Muslim women who become pregnant out of wedlock, or act
like men, among other things.
Women
who get pregnant out of wedlock can be fined up to RM5,000 (S$1,530) or jailed
for up to three years or caned up to six times, or any combination of the
three.
Women
wearing men’s clothing and behaving like men can be fined up to RM2,000 or
jailed up to a year, or both. For subsequent offences, they can be caned up to
six times or jailed up to three years, or both, and fined up to RM5,000.
Ten
rights groups, including Sisters In Islam and Centre for Independent
Journalism, have urged the Malaysian Human Rights Commission to conduct an
impact assessment of the latest version of the Terengganu Syariah Criminal
Offences Enactment 2022, after the amendments were passed on Dec 1 by the state
assembly.
“The
amendments to the enactment further exacerbate existing harmful impact on
women, young people and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer)
persons, among others,” they said in a statement.
In
particular, the amendment criminalising premarital pregnancies is the subject
of much debate, with conflicting opinions among Muslim medical professionals.
“The
criminalisation of out-of-wedlock pregnancies not only places unnecessary
trauma on, but also burdens and shames, survivors of sexual assault,” the
statement added.
But
the state’s Syariah Implementation, Education and Higher Education Committee
chairman Satiful Bahari Mamat said he hoped that “the well-being of Muslims,
especially in Terengganu, will be better protected” with the amendments.
He
said the section on women acting like men was needed as existing legal
provisions applied only to men acting like women.
“In
the past, it may not have been much of an issue (women acting like men). Now,
however, we see that ‘pengkid’ (Malay slang for tomboys or lesbians) and
similar cases are becoming more widespread. So, the state government intends to
curb this issue,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.
Dr
Mohamed Hatta Mohamed Tarmizi, vice-president of Muslim medical professionals
group I-Medik, and Dr Murizah Mohd Zain, both gynaecologists, said critics of
the amendments were influenced by “morally bankrupt” Western culture.
“Law
must be equipped with morality if society is to function smoothly,” they said
in a joint statement.
“Rather
than offering ‘consent and condoms’ as some sort of solution to social ills, we
must address the root of the issue which is comprehensive management of sexual
desires.”
Two
other prominent doctors, Dr Musa Nordin and Dr Johari Bux, said that arguments
which suggested that critics of the amendments were promoting premarital sex
were “irresponsible, outrageous and offensive”.
They
said the motives of those opposed to the amendments were to prevent negative
consequences to and improve outcomes for mothers and babies.
Religion
falls under the respective states’ purview in Malaysia, and the approval of the
federal government is not needed to effect legislative changes. About 63 per
cent of the country’s population of 33 million are Muslims.
Source:
Straits Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Mahsa
Amini’s Death Protests: Iran Jails 400 Protesters for Terms of up To 10 Years:
Judiciary
13
December, 2022
Courts
in Tehran have sentenced 400 people to jail terms of up to 10 years over their
involvement in protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death, Iran’s judiciary said
Tuesday.
Iran
has been gripped by nearly three months of protests -- which officials describe
as “riots” -- since the death of Amini after her arrest for an alleged breach
of the country’s dress code for women.
“In
hearings on cases of rioters in Tehran province, 160 people were sentenced to
between five and 10 years in prison, 80 people to two to five years and 160
people of up to two years,” Tehran’s judiciary chief Ali Alghasi-Mehr said,
quoted by the judiciary’s Mizan Online website.
The
Islamic Republic has drawn widespread international condemnation after
executing two men in the past week in connection with the unrest.
Majidreza
Rahnavard and Mohsen Shekari, both 23, were hanged on Monday and Thursday
respectively on the charges of “moharebeh” -- or “enmity against God” under
Iran’s Islamic sharia law.
Prior
to the two executions, Iran’s judiciary said it had issued death sentences to
11 people over the protests, but campaigners say around a dozen others face
charges that could see them also receive the death penalty.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Houthis
accused of torturing prisoner, concealing death from family for years
SAEED
AL-BATATI
December
14, 2022
AL-MUKALLA:
A Yemeni human rights group and relatives have accused the Iran-backed Houthis
of torturing and killing a prisoner of war and then for years concealing his
death from family.
The
Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms said that Omar Ahmed Al-Samae, a Yemeni
government fighter seized from a battlefield in the province of Saada in 2018,
was mercilessly tortured before being murdered. The militia group later told
his family that he was being held in jail.
But
when his parents traveled from Taiz city to Sanaa to see their son, the Houthis
escorted them to 48 Model Hospital’s mortuary and showed them his body. It was
then that the relatives spotted clear signs of torture.
A
medical report showed that Al-Samae had passed away on Nov. 16, 2020. However,
the Houthis continued to demand money from his family to make them believe he
was still alive, the rights network claimed.
In
a statement, the network said: “During this time, the Houthi jail
superintendent repeatedly asked the victim’s family for expenditures for their
son Omar, despite the fact that Omar had died two years ago as a consequence of
electric shock torture.”
The
Yemeni organization’s officials have called for the creation of an
international commission to investigate reports of abuse and fatalities among
Houthi detainees.
The
rights group recently claimed that since late 2014, the Houthis had executed
147 inmates in detention facilities, while 282 others had died while imprisoned
as a result of negligence. A further 98 detainees were believed to have died
within days of being released from Houthi custody.
Meanwhile,
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned that three Yemeni journalists jailed by
the Houthis could soon die after being placed in solitary confinement and
tortured for weeks.
The
freedom of information group said that the trio, among four journalists
sentenced to death by a Houthi-run court two years ago, had been segregated
from other prisoners and beaten, and it urged international mediators to assist
in their release.
Jonathan
Dagher, head of RSF’s Middle East desk, accused the Houthis of using the
reporters as hostages to gain leverage in negotiations.
He
said: “The Houthis are carrying out their death sentence slowly by torturing
these journalists.
“We
call on the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, to do everything possible
to secure their immediate release, and we call on the Houthis to follow through
on their own proposal to allow UN representatives to visit these hostages and
to urgently allow a medical team to come and examine them.”
Separately,
in the northern province of Hajjah, an explosive-rigged drone on Monday hit a
school in Hairan district, killing a child and wounding three more.
Muammar
Al-Eryani, Yemen’s information minister, accused the Houthis of intentionally
attacking civilian institutions as the school was not located near a military
position or a battlefield.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2215806/middle-east
--------
Israeli
forces raze four Palestinian-owned homes, several structures in West Bank
14
December 2022
In
the latest escalation against Palestinians, Israel has demolished several
Palestinian-owned homes and other structures in the occupied West Bank.
The
Israeli forces destroyed four homes located in the village of al-Jiftlik, north
of the ancient city of Jericho on Tuesday, under the pretext that they were
built without so-called permits in Area C of the occupied West Bank, which is
under Israeli military rule.
Also
in the West Bank, Israeli military forces knocked down 17 metal barns
Palestinians use to raise livestock. Livestock is an important sector of the
Palestinian economy, contributing up to 46 percent of total agricultural income.
The
head of the village council, Ahmad Abu Ghanem, told Wafa news agency that
soldiers stormed into the village and proceeded to demolish the four homes with
a bulldozer.
“The
destruction left several families homeless, and the demolition operations are
still ongoing,” he said.
The
Israeli army routinely demolishes Palestinian houses in the occupied West Bank
and East al-Quds, claiming that the structures lack so-called construction
permits, a pretext widely used by the apartheid regime. The construction
permits are almost impossible to obtain.
Almost
75 percent of applications for a permit by Palestinian residents of al-Quds are
rejected by the Israeli municipality, according to rights groups.
The
demolitions come within the context of forcing out Palestinian families from
different neighborhoods across the Occupied Palestinian territories and
replacing them with illegal Israeli settlers.
Israeli
settlers have also been aiding the Israeli occupation army in the illegal
destruction of structures owned by Palestinians.
Based
on an internal official document it had obtained, Haaretz newspaper uncovered
on Monday there is a close cooperation between Israeli illegal settlers and the
Israeli local authorities to report any Palestinian construction work in the
occupied West Bank in an effort to dispossess Palestinians.
The
document revealed that through an online platform, Israeli settlers provide
tip-offs on any activity carried out by Palestinians, not only on house
constructions, but also activities such as “digging wells” and “planting
trees.”
Critics
are expecting more escalation against Palestinians as Israel’s most far-right
and pro-settler administration in its history is being sworn in during one of
the deadliest years for Palestinians.
Since
the beginning of 2022, Israeli occupation forces have demolished more than 320
structures in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds, according to the United
Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Between
600,000 and 750,000 Israelis occupy over 250 illegal settlements that have been
built across the West Bank since the 1967 occupation.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
says US, allies liable for Israel crimes as UN urges probe into teenager’s
killing
13
December 2022
The
Iranian Foreign Ministry has condemned the Israeli killing of a female
Palestinian teenager, saying the Tel Aviv regime's Western backers are
responsible for the unchecked Israeli atrocities that target Palestinians every
day.
"Not
a day goes by without the world people hearing some news about martyrdom,
injury, or detention of Palestinian children, teenagers, and youths at the
hands of the apartheid Zionist regime," Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani
tweeted on Tuesday.
"Not
only Israel, but also the regimes in America, England, France, and Germany are,
as the [Israeli] regime's main supporters, responsible for these atrocities and
should answer in the dock," he added.
The
remarks came two days after 16-year-old Jana Majdi Zakarneh was killed in the
city of Jenin in the north of the Tel Aviv-occupied West Bank, after an Israeli
sniper targeted and fatally shot her in the head.
The
Israeli military alleges that the victim was killed during Israeli forces'
clashes with Palestinians in the city.
It
also claimed that an initial review of the incident had found a "high
probability" that Zakarneh had been killed by "the accidental fire
of" Israeli forces that had been "directed at Palestinian gunmen
during the battle."
UN
calls for probe
The
spokesman for Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres called
for an investigation into the "shocking" death of the Palestinian
teenager.
"That
killing today is, indeed, shocking," Stephane Dujarric told reporters in
New York.
The
shooting death "needs to be fully investigated," the spokesman said,
adding that "it is yet another example of the price that civilians are
paying in this atmosphere where we’re seeing increased violence."
Reacting
to the tragedy, the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas
said targeting minors was a heinous crime, calling for mass mobilization
against Israeli military forces and settlers' attacks throughout the occupied
territories.
Following
the murder, the Palestine Liberation Organization umbrella group's Executive
Committee Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh also broached the issue with
United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor
Wennesland, urging the UN to "provide international protection for our
people."
Last
month, the United Nations said 2022 had been the deadliest year for the
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, based on a fatality count that the UN
started to keep a tally of in 2005.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/13/694443/Palestine-Israel-United-Nations-murder-teenage-girl
--------
Israel’s
Netanyahu promises ‘liberal-right’ government
13
December ,2022
Israeli
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Tuesday to balance
religious and secular interests as he tries to form a new government with
nationalist and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.
Netanyahu
has come under fire from outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid and anti-corruption
groups warning that demands from his future partners will erode Israel’s
democracy and already tenuous separation of synagogue and state.
Agreements
have been reached with far-right factions that call for ending a ban on Jewish
prayer at a site in Jerusalem’s Old City that houses a major mosque.
Netanyahu
is still in talks with ultra-Orthodox groups that want business and transport
restricted on the Jewish Sabbath and prefer gender separation at beaches.
“There
is and will be electricity (production) on the Sabbath. There is and will be
beaches for everyone. We will preserve the status quo,” Netanyahu said in
parliament.
The
term “status quo” is used in Israel both for secular-religious cooperation and
for a decades-old arrangement with Muslim authorities at the Al Aqsa mosque
compound in Jerusalem under which Jews are allowed to visit, but not to pray.
The
site is the holiest in Judaism, having housed its two ancient temples.
“Everyone
will live in accordance with their own faith. This will not become a nation of
religious law. It will be a country in which we tend to all citizens of Israel,
without exception,” Netanyahu said.
“We
were elected to lead in our way, the way of the nationalist-right and the way
of the liberal-right, and so shall we do.”
Lapid
and others in the outgoing center-left government have refused to join
Netanyahu in part due to his ongoing corruption trial.
“Netanyahu
is weak, terrified of his trial. People who are younger than him - more
extremist and determined than him - have taken over,” Lapid said in his own
speech.
The
two leaders spoke as parliament elected a new chairman who is expected to push
through a series of controversial laws to help Netanyahu form a government. One
such bill would enable a senior partner serve in cabinet despite a criminal
record.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
2023:
Muslim-Muslim ticket better than North retaining power – Southern Christians
December
13, 2022
By
Emmanuel Uzodinma
The
Southern Nigerian Christian Vanguard, SNCV, has again voiced its opinion on the
controversial same-faith presidential ticket fielded by the All Progressives
Congress, APC.
It
could be re-called that the APC defied protests from a large section of Nigerians
and went ahead to field Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima both Muslims as
its presidential candidate and running mate, respectively.
However,
speaking during its meeting in Owerri, the National President of the Southern
Nigerian Christian Vanguard, Most Rev. Isaac Nwaobia noted that it would be a
grave injustice for another Northerner to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari
after 8 years.
This
was contained in a statement made available to journalists by Bishop Joseph
Ajujungwa, the Executive Secretary of the Organization.
Ajujungwa
quoted Nwaobia as saying that it would be a grievous harm to the country for
another Northern to succeed Buhari.
“Muslim-Muslim
ticket is really not the issue now. What we are saying is that it is
unthinkable for another Northerner coming to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari
in 2023.
“Where
is the equity, where is the justice. A Southern should succeed Buhari in order
to preserve the unity of the country.
“We
need a southern candidate to win not minding the religious inclination. No
Southern candidate should be condemned on the basis of religion,” he noted.
Nwaobia
raised concerns over the level of insecurity in the country, noting that it was
a major threat to the forthcoming elections.
“With
the election just a few weeks away, the major threat now is insecurity. Nowhere
is safe in the country- the air, land, sea, rail tracks and sacred places or
worship are not spared. The government must rise to the occasion and take
proactive measures towards guaranteeing the safety of the electoral process.
“We
also insist that the candidates for the various political parties should focus
on issue-based campaigns rather than depending on endorsements.
“Claims
must not be vague but verifiable and measurable,” he further stated.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Uganda
Army Says 11 Islamist Militants Killed in Cross-Border Raid
Dec.
13, 2022
KAMPALA
(Reuters) -Eleven Islamist militants based in eastern Democratic Republic of
Congo were killed in clashes with Ugandan forces overnight during a
cross-border raid, Uganda's army said on Tuesday.
The
Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which pledged allegiance to Islamic State in
2019, started as an uprising in Uganda but has been operating in the dense
forests of eastern Congo since the late 1990s, where it has killed thousands of
civilians.
Some
20-30 ADF fighters crossed the Semiliki River into Uganda's southwestern
Ntoroko district on Monday night, sparking a firefight with Ugandan soldiers,
the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) spokesman Felix Kulayigye wrote on
Twitter.
"Our
intelligence got wind of them and they were intercepted. A fight is on to
decisively deal with the group. Eleven of them have been (killed)," he
said, adding that a further eight had been captured, while one Ugandan soldier
died.
More
than 1,500 people fled when the ADF fighters attacked the villages of Kayanja
II and Kyobe, Ntoroko district chairperson Kasolo Williams told local
broadcaster NBS Television.
The
ADF shot at civilians in the area, injuring at least three people, the
Kampala-based Daily Monitor newspaper reported.
Following
a series of bombings in and around its capital Kampala late last year, Uganda
deployed hundreds of troops to eastern Congo as part of a joint operation with
the Congolese army to root out the ADF.
Uganda
says the operation has recorded significant successes, but the ADF has
continued to attack civilians.
Source:
US News
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ghana:
Northern Regional Muslims Council Inaugurated in Tamale
13
DECEMBER 2022
A
29-Member Northern Region Muslims Council to serve as an umbrella for unity and
development for all Muslim sects in Ghana was over the weekend inaugurated in
Tamale, the Northern Regional capital.
The
Council is made up of mem-bers from various disciplines: aca-demia, medicine,
religion, accoun-tancy, and administration to, among others, help promote unity
among Muslims and the nation at large.
The
Northern Regional Minister Alhaji Saani Alhassan Sayibu on behalf of the
Vice-President and Guest of Honour for the inaugural ceremony, Dr Mahamadu
Bawumia, urged the Council Members to be honest and transparent in the
dis-charge of their duties.
He
also tasked them to work with all Islamic sects within the re-gion and other
faith organisations to promote unity and development in diversity.
Chairman
of the Council and Regional Manager of the Islamic Education Unit, Issah
Alhas-san Abubakari, in remarks said the Council would serve as an umbrella
body for all Muslims and Muslims Sects in the Northern Region.
He
also said the council would help promote a better understand-ing of Islam
through the teachings and learning of Islamic fundamen-tals and doctrines as
enshrined in Quran and Sunnah, take practical steps to encourage and ensure
that Muslims live by the teachings of Islam and promote unity, love, peace,
goodwill and understand-ing among Muslim sects through continuous dialogue
"The
mission is to be an established and vibrant Muslim council /organisation that
will inculcate the values and teachings of Islam in Muslims as well as address
challenges confronting Muslims in the practice of the religion," he said
He
expressed gratitude to the traditional authorities and other faith
organisations in the region for the peaceful co-existence en-joyed by Muslims
and pledged the support of the council to deepen cooperation among all faith
bodies
He
also assured the Muslim populace that the Council would be honest and
transparent in the performance of its duties, and called for the support of all
Mus-lims to the work of the Council to help them achieve their aims.
A
lecturer at the Faculty of Edu-cation, University for Development Studies (UDS)
and Guest Speaker at the ceremony, Dr Mohammed Zainu-Deen Abdul Mumin, in a
presentation, called for unity among Muslims in Ghana
Source:
All Africa
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://allafrica.com/stories/202212130334.html
--------
Sudan
inks $6 bln UAE deal for new Red Sea port
13
December ,2022
Sudan
signed Tuesday an initial $6 billion deal led by United Arab Emirates' AD Ports
Group and Invictus Investment to build a vast new Red Sea port and economic
zone.
“The
massive project, which is estimated to cost around $6 billion, will give a
strong boost to the national economy and will bring countless benefits for the
whole country,” said Sudan's Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim during the signing
ceremony.
The
Abu Amama port, to be built north of the existing key hub of Port Sudan, will
include an industrial zone, an international airport, and an agricultural area
covering over 400,000 acres, Ibrahim said.
AD
Ports Group is majority owned by ADQ, among Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth funds.
Invictus Investment is headed by Osama Daoud Abdellatif, head of the Dal Group,
Sudan's biggest conglomerate.
The
UAE's official WAM news agency said the deal gives the consortium the “right to
develop, manage, and operate port and economic zone assets” in Sudan.
Tuesday's
signing came a week after Sudan's military and civilian leaders inked an
initial accord aimed at ending the crisis since last year's military coup.
Sudan
has been reeling from the crippling aftermath of the 2021 military power grab
led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The
coup derailed a transition installed following the 2019 ouster of president
Omar al-Bashir.
On
December 5, military leaders and multiple civilian factions signed the deal as
the first component of a planned two-phase political process.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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3
gunmen killed in attack on office of Nigeria’s electoral body
Ibrahim
Garba Shuaibu
13.12.2022
KANO,
Nigeria
Gunmen
launched an attack Monday on the office of Nigeria’s Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) and three of the attackers were killed, according
to police.
Speaking
by phone to Anadolu Agency, Imo state police spokesman Michael Abbatam
confirmed the incident in the capital Owerri.
“Gunmen
launched an attack on the INEC office in Owerri, Imo state, but the joint
security team was able to repel them and killed three of the attackers,” said
Abbatam.
He
declined to provide the identities of the gunmen, but sources in the state said
under anonymity that the attackers were believed to be members of a separatist
group.
Police
said the electoral commission’s office was damaged during the attack by a
firebomb and two firebombs were recovered from the scene.
No
arrests were made, according to Abbatam.
A
number of weapons were recovered including AK-47 rifles and pump-action guns as
well as eight vehicles.
Abbatam
confirmed that many of the gunmen escaped with bullet wounds, but they managed
to torch one police vehicle.
Last
week, an INEC office in the Orlu local government area of the state was
attacked by gunmen.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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