Ahead Of UCC, Assam Cabinet Repeals Muslim Marriages And Divorces Registration Act In Bid To End Child Marriage
New Age Islam
News Bureau
24 February 2024
Photo: Udayvani.com
------
·
Ahead Of
UCC, Assam Cabinet Repeals Muslim Marriages And Divorces Registration Act In
Bid To End Child Marriage
·
‘I Could
Not Deny A Human Right To Fellow Citizens,’ Says Greek Muslim MP On Same-Sex
Marriage
·
Pakistani
Islamist Parties Rally Against Top Judge On Blasphemy Accusations
·
Islamist
Nigerian Militants Press Attacks Against Christians To Foment Religious War
·
Challenging
Destruction Palestinians Pray Amid Ruins Of Gaza’s Oldest Great Omari Mosque
-----
India
·
Rajasthan
Govt School Teachers 'Forced' Students to 'Convert to Islam'; 'Promoted Love
Jihad'; Education Minister Reacts
·
UP
Muslims May Vote For The BJP In 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Says A Survey
·
Lalu
Family ‘Used’ Muslims Only As Vote Bank: BJP Leader
·
Israel’s
military exports to top buyer India unaffected by Gaza war
·
3 Hizbul
Terrorists Among 6 Chargesheeted In Jammu Narco-Terror Funding Case
-----
Europe
·
UK
Islamophobia: Anti-Muslim Bigotry 'Soars Due To Gaza War'
·
Brazil’s
outspoken Lula stands ground, asserts Israel committing genocide in Gaza
·
Police
beatings of pro-Palestinian high school students spark outrage in Italy
·
UK
Foreign Secretary Cameron dismisses Netanyahu's post-war Gaza plan as unworkable
----
Pakistan
·
Pakistan Urges
International Court Of Justice Not To Let Israel Violate World Law
·
PM’s
Special Representative Ashrafi Terms Religious Diversity As Key To Pakistan's
Harmony
·
Judicial
Commission of Pakistan okays elevation of BHC CJ Naeem Akhtar Afghan to SC
·
Pak, Iran
reaffirm commitment to strengthen cooperation in diverse fields
-----
Africa
·
CAN
Youths Demand Arrest Of Islamic Cleric Who Called For Killing Of Tinubu’s Wife
·
Gani
Adams to FG: “You can’t impose hardship on Nigerians and expect them be quiet”
·
African
Union declares support for Palestine, request member states to cut ties with
Israel
----
Mideast
·
For The
Islamic United Arab Emirates, ‘Tolerance’ Is A State Policy
·
Al-Qassam:
Our Mujahideen Targeted Group Of Enemy Soldiers Inside House South Of Zaytun
Neighbourhood In Gaza City
·
Türkiye
vows to use 'all available means' to halt Israel's assaults in Gaza, Jerusalem
·
Zionist
policies met with Widespread condemnation in ICJ as Washington continues its
protection
·
UN
experts urge ‘immediate’ stop of arms transfers to Israel
·
UN rights
chief deplores ‘entrenched impunity’ in Gaza war
·
Palestine
rejects Netanyahu's post-Gaza war plan, says Gaza part of future state
·
Erdoğan
pushed for arrest of political mentor Erbakan in 2006: Islamist opposition
leader
-----
Southeast
Asia
·
Penang
Mufti: Don't Be Obsessed With Those Claiming To Be Prophet Descendants
·
Muslim
Cleric Prevented From Delivering Sermons Over His ‘Radical Views’In The East
Java Capital Mosque
·
Singapore
Ministry of Education says teachers do not impose personal views, advocate for
any party in school lessons about Israel-Hamas war
-----
North
America
·
New
Israeli Settlements In West Bank Illegal And Inconsistent With International
Law: US Secretary of State
·
US warns
of environmental disaster from cargo ship hit by Houthi rebels
·
Fresh
US-British airstrikes target positions in Yemen’s western Hudaydah province
·
US
revives policy deeming settlements illegal, pans Israel’s plan for 3,000 new
homes
·
'Palestinians
are not Hamas': Biden's post on social media draws response from some notable
figures
-----
Arab
World
·
Yemenis Come
Out In Their Millions In Solidarity With War-Hit Palestinians In Gaza
·
Qatar
Condemns ‘Double Standards’ At ICJ Hearing On Israeli Occupation
·
Culture
Ministry launches ‘1727’ competition to mark Saudi Founding Day
·
Residents
unite to celebrate Saudi Founding Day in Jeddah
·
Saudi
foreign minister emphasizes need for reforms in global governance
----
South Asia
·
Mujahid:
Lack of Constitution Does Not Mean Legal Vacuum
·
'800
Ethnic Conflicts' Resolved Under Islamic Emirate Rule: Officials
·
Global
Fund allocates $4.7 million for Afghan returnees’ health services
·
Execution
of Two People in Ghazni Sparks Intl Reactions
·
There’ll
be no scarcity during Ramadan: PM
·
State
minister Arafat off to Turkey for OIC conference of info ministers
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ucc-assam-muslim-marriages-divorces/d/131792
------
Ahead Of UCC, Assam Cabinet Repeals Muslim Marriages
And Divorces Registration Act In Bid To End Child Marriage
Photo: Udayvani.com
------
24.02.24
The Assam Cabinet has given the nod to repeal the
Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935 in a bid to end
child marriage, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
"This Act contained provisions allowing marriage
registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18
and 21 respectively, as required by law. This move marks another significant
step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam," the Chief Minister
posted on X.
The district commissioners and district registrars
will be authorised to take "custody of registration records"
currently with 94 Muslim Marriage Registrars on repeal of the legislation under
overall supervision and control of the Assam Inspector General of Registration.
A one-time compensation of Rs two lakh will be
provided to Muslim Marriage Registrars for their rehabilitation after the Act
is repealed.
The decision to repeal the Act was taken at a
late-night cabinet meeting on Friday as it is an obsolete pre-independence Act
of the British for the then province of Assam, the CM said.
Registration of marriages and divorces is not
mandatory as per the Act and the machinery of registration is informal, leaving
a lot of scope for non-compliance with extant norms, he said.
It was pointed out at the meeting that as per the
provisions of the Act, there remains scope for registering marriages of
intended persons below 21 years for men and 18 years for women and there is
hardly any monitoring for implementation of the Act.
The chief minister had earlier said that the state
government was planning to bring a Bill to end polygamy.
An expert committee had submitted a report on the
assembly's competence to end polygamy following which 150 suggestions were
received regarding the proposed Bill to end the social menace in the state. The
chief minister had said that his government was in support of the Uniform Civil
Code (UCC) but wants to ban polygamy immediately in the state.
The UCC is a matter which will be decided by
Parliament but the state can also take a call with the assent of the President,
he said.
The state government had launched a crackdown against
child marriage in the state in two phases last year and it was found that many
elderly men married multiple times and their wives were mostly young girls,
belonging to the poor section of the society, Sarma had said earlier.
In the first phase in February last year, 3,483 people
were arrested and 4,515 cases registered in February, while 915 people were
arrested and 710 cases registered in the second phase in October last year.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.telegraphindia.com/north-east/assam-cabinet-gives-nod-to-repeal-muslim-marriages-and-divorces-registration-act-in-bid-to-end-child-marriage-among-muslims/cid/2002631
----
‘I Could Not Deny A Human Right To Fellow Citizens,’
Says Greek Muslim MP On Same-Sex Marriage
Ilhan Ahmet voted in favor
of same-sex marriage but not for adoption. ‘I had an issue with adoption,
because my view is that same-sex couples cannot fulfill that purpose,’ the
PASOK MP for Rhodope says. [InTime News]
------
Stavros Tzimas
23.02.2024
In Islam, homosexuality is a grave sin that is
believed to incur the wrath of Allah. In some strict Islamic countries, such as
Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, punishments such as flogging,
stoning, and burning at the stake are prescribed. In Turkey, gender-affirming
surgery has been legal since 1988, but gay people cannot marry, are not allowed
to adopt children, are prohibited from donating blood and are exempt from
conscription, as the Turkish Armed Forces define homosexuality as a “psychosexual
illness.”
In Greece, the unauthorized muftis of the Muslim
minority in Thrace had disapproved of the recent government bill – voted into
law on February 15 – that established marriage equality, and in Parliament only
one of the four Muslim MPs, Ilhan Ahmet of centre-left PASOK, who represents
Rhodope, defied the teachings of the Quran and the possible nagging of Muslim
voters and voted in favour of marriage, but not adoption. The other three
Muslim lawmakers from leftist SYRIZA and PASOK chose to abstain.
“The bill was definitely in a reformist direction, it
was a big reform,” Ahmet tells Kathimerini. “Clearly, the party that I come
from, as progressives, could not but vote for this bill. I am a religious
person who believes in God, but not an extreme Islamist. Therefore, at this
level, I did not have a dilemma of conscience because I have a different
theological approach. But I had an issue with adoption, because my view is that
same-sex couples cannot fulfil that purpose.”
“But there is another parameter in my vote. As a
person who wants a modern minority, which is close to the Western, liberal
standards of societies, which claims its emancipation and the equality of its
rights at all levels, I could not deny a human right to another group of our
fellow citizens,” he continues. “With my stance, I want to send a message to
the younger generations against fear, [in favour of] an inclusive society where
everyone will defend their beliefs democratically and freely.”
Asked whether he believes that his vote reflects the
sentiment of Muslim – and presumably conservative – voters, Ahmet responded
that “a society, especially when it is a minority, cannot collectively be
called conservative.”
“Religious sentiment concerns each person’s
relationship with God. From then on, in a democratic country, every minority –
religious, linguistic, ethnic, sexual etc – must be supported to maintain its
otherness. Therefore, with this law, the government rightly took a step further
in the protection of minorities. That’s why our minority in Thrace needs to be
encouraged to highlight its otherness, not as a threat, but as [a sign of] the
richness of Greek society,” he added.
For the Muslim society in Thrace “the subject [of
same-sex marriage] was and remains a taboo,” Ahmet continues. “Of course,
within the minority it was discussed in hushed conversations and with an
accusatory tone by some extreme – political rather than religious – circles,
who always want to take advantage of people’s beliefs in order to draw up a
hardline policy.” Having openly clashed with the Turkish consul general in
Komotini ahead of the general elections of 2023 and voted in favor of the
marriage equality bill, does he feel that he is taking big political risks?
“I did not clash with any state, neither with Turkey
nor with any other, as some of my opponents deliberately claimed, but with a
certain consul who behaved in an insulting way toward an elected member of the
Greek Parliament and the Greek people, and tried to manipulate and interfere
with the will of the voters,” he replies. “I have been hearing the prediction
that I will not be elected in the next elections for the last 20 years from my
opponents in Thrace, and I would say that it’s wishful thinking on their part.”
‘Equal opportunities’
What major reform does the Muslim minority need?
“Beyond the main minority rights (education, religion, associations etc) we
must provide equal opportunities at all levels, so that the Greek state can
take the next step and include citizens from the minority in the administrative
structure, in politics and public administration,” Ahmet says. “Only in this
way will a message be sent that, in this country, there are no divisions and
everyone is selected only on the basis of their qualifications. Why shouldn’t
there be a representative from the [Muslim] minority in the European
Parliament, for example?”
Source: ekathimerini.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1232412/i-could-not-deny-a-human-right-to-fellow-citizens-says-greek-muslim-mp/
-------
Pakistani Islamist Parties Rally Against Top Judge On
Blasphemy Accusations
Supporters of the religious
and political party Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) protest against what they
say the blasphemous remarks by the chief justice of Pakistan, in Karachi,
Pakistan February 23, 2024. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro Purchase Licensing Rights
------
FEBRUARY 24, 2024
ISLAMABAD - Hundreds of supporters from Pakistani
Islamist parties on Friday (Feb 23) rallied to protest against what they say
were blasphemous remarks by the country's chief justice.
The protest call, by various religious and political
groups led by hardline Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) whose rallying cry is
"death to blasphemers", said that remarks by Chief Justice of Pakistan
Qazi Faez Isa in a case against a member of the minority Ahmadi community were
blasphemous.
The court had granted bail to an Ahmadi community
member earlier this week, ruling that blasphemy charges against him did not
stand. The man, accused of blasphemy for distributing Islamic literature, had
been in jail for 13 months.
"We (will) monitor the sermons and protests
outside mosques," said police official Abrar Hussain in southern city of
Karahci, warning the protesters to remain peaceful.
Hundreds of the protesters took to streets in the
northwestern city of Peshawar, chanting slogans against the chief justice, said
police official Mubarak Khan.
The top court on Thursday issued a statement after the
Islamist parties and some political groups launched a campaign accusing the
chief justice of deviating in his ruling from the constitutional definition of
a Muslim, which excludes Ahmadis.
"This impression is absolutely wrong," the
court statement said, deploring what it called a "vicious campaign"
against Isa.
The campaign against Isa was also joined by some
supporters and aides of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who think a
ruling by the chief justice stripping Khan's party of its symbol on ballots
cost them votes in an election on Feb 8.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's
information secretary Rauf Hasan did not respond to a request for a comment.
Human rights groups say Pakistan's harsh blasphemy
laws are often misused to settle personal scores, and just accusing someone of such
a crime could lead to mob justice.
Judges hesitate to take up such cases for fear of
retribution, which leaves accused languishing in jail for years without cases
being heard.
Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan. No one
has been executed by the state for it, but numerous accused have been lynched
by outraged mobs.
Source: asiaone.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.asiaone.com/asia/pakistani-islamist-parties-rally-against-top-judge-blasphemy-accusations
----
Islamist Nigerian Militants Press Attacks Against Christians
To Foment Religious War
(AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
------
February 23, 2024
ABUJA, Nigeria (RNS) — Islamist Fulani militants in
the central Nigerian state of Plateau are continuing an anti-Christian killing
spree that began with a devastating Christmas-time attack that left almost 200
Christians dead and hundreds others injured.
On Feb. 18, six people were ambushed, with one killed
and others injured, including a woman who was raped. A week earlier, the
militants attacked a Christian village with guns and machetes, killing 10 and
injuring dozens. The campaign is going on despite a multi-agency security
operation in the region.
On the evening of Dec. 23, Fulani gunmen targeted some
20 Christian communities and dozens of churches in the predominantly Christian
area of the country, which as a whole is more than half Muslim. The terrorists,
who are aligned with the Islamist group Boko Haram, killed or maimed anyone in
sight, slaughtered animals and burned down thousands of homes, displacing more
than 20,000 people. The mayhem lasted through the morning of Dec. 26.
Twenty-six-year-old Joseph Makut survived a gunshot
wound to his right leg in the attack. “I didn’t celebrate Christmas. The
militants attacked my village of Mabor at midnight when my family and I were in
a deep sleep,” the father of two said from his hospital bed at Jos University
Teaching Hospital. “The gunmen broke our door and opened fire at us. We
pretended to be dead, but my wife tried to crawl, and she was shot several
times and died.”
Makut said the gunmen told them that they aimed to
eliminate Christian communities in the central part of the country.
“I don’t think I will go back to my village until my
security is assured,” said Makut, bemoaning the insecurity that Christians face
in the country, especially in Plateau. “The terrorists are determined to kill
every Christian in the region, and this is making us live in fear because we
have already lost our loved ones.”
Nigeria, a West African nation of more than 200
million people, has suffered terror attacks since 2009 when the violent
extremist groups Boko Haram and the Islamic State group in West Africa launched
an insurgency aimed at overthrowing Nigeria’s secular government and
establishing an Islamic state. In 2011, the Fulani militants joined Boko Haram
to escalate Islamism insurgency in northern and central Nigeria, targeting
Christians.
At least 52,250 Nigerian Christians have been murdered
for their faith, and thousands of churches have been destroyed, according to
the report from Intersociety, a democracy and human rights advocacy group
founded in 2008.
Nigeria is now ranked number six on the World Watch
List, Open Doors’ annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the
most extreme persecution. The research reveals that the country is the most
dangerous or difficult in which to be a Christian as violence against
Christians is increasing.
Patricia Machen, another survivor of the Christmas Eve
attacks, said she was afraid of attending church services after terrorists
burned her church during the night attack and warned residents against praying.
“We are afraid to be Christians in this country, and
we are now not even going to church since the attack happened,” said Machen, a
40-year-old mother of four from the Mangu community, one of dozens of ethnic
groups in Plateau. “The terrorists found us praying inside the church, and they
started shooting at us, and we had to run and hide. But unfortunately, they
killed and injured some of our members.”
Machen said the groups have spies in every Christian
community that report to them about religious activities happening in the
communities. “For example, when we have a prayer gathering, vigil or fasting in
groups, the terrorists will know and strike. They will even send messages to
warn residents against praying.”
Religious leaders have warned that the attacks are
aimed at creating conflict between Muslims and Christians in the hope of
instigating a religious war in the country.
“These people are terrorists, and they are not
fighting for any religion. But they want to use religion to achieve their
target of destabilizing the country and establishing an Islamic state,” said
Moses Mashat, pastor of an evangelical Christian church. “I want to urge the
government to bring hope to the people by arresting and prosecuting the
perpetrators and sponsors of these crimes happening across the country.”
The president of the Christian Association of Nigeria,
Archbishop Daniel Okoh of the independent Christ Holy Church International,
advised Nigerians to remain united despite the attacks.
“In times like these, Nigerians must come together and
remain united despite the challenges they are facing from terrorist gangs,”
said Okoh. “We can only defeat terrorists when we are together as a country,
and I urge Nigerians to continue praying to the Almighty God to protect our
country from future attacks.”
Meanwhile, survivors, most of them sheltered in 23
camps set up by the Red Cross in Plateau, are desperately awaiting aid as they
continue to mourn their loved ones.
“We have nothing to eat because we lost everything,
including our farm produce and livestock,” said Machen, noting that they lack
basic needs, such as food, water, shelter, clothing, blankets and medical aid.
“We are urging the government and well-wishers to come to our aid because we
are suffering and, at the same time, mourning.”
Source: religionnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://religionnews.com/2024/02/23/islamist-nigerian-militants-press-attacks-against-christians-to-foment-religious-war/
----
Challenging Destruction Palestinians Pray Amid Ruins
Of Gaza’s Oldest Great Omari Mosque
A view of the ruins of the
'Great Omari Mosque', also known as the 'Great Mosque of Gaza' in Gaza City,
Gaza on January 27, 2024.
-------
Rania R.a. Abushamala
24.02.2024
The imam of the Great Omari Mosque insists on reciting
the Adhan, or call to prayer, and performing congregational prayers amid the
rubble of the mosque that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in the old town
of Gaza City.
In one corner of the mosque, Sheikh Fadi ArEf calls
the adhan, while a limited number of the faithful and children wait for the
congregational prayer.
Sheikh Aref leads worshippers in a covered courtyard
inside the mosque, which features characteristics from the Mamluk and Ottoman
eras.
The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in
Gaza announced that the Israeli army destroyed 1,000 of 1,200 mosques in the
enclave, including historic mosques, since the beginning of its offensive on
Oct. 7. It noted the destruction of dozens of cemeteries and the assassination
of more than 100 preachers.
The Omari Mosque, founded more than 1,400 years ago,
is one of the largest and oldest mosques in Gaza, and the third-largest in
Palestine after Al-Aqsa and Ahmad Pasha Al-Jazzar in Acre, rivaling in size the
Mahmoudiya Mosque in Jaffa.
Mohammed Iskafi, 30, who regularly prays in
congregation with youngsters at the mosque, said they pray at the mosque
whenever the opportunity arises.
“Whenever the opportunity arises amidst the Israeli
war and intense shelling, we try to reach the Omari Mosque, gather ourselves,
and pray in congregation,” Iskafi told Anadolu.
He notes how he used to go with his friends and
neighbors to pray at the historical mosque, especially for Eid prayers and
Taraweeh during the month of Ramadan.
“We are on the doorstep of Ramadan, and if the war
ends, we will strive to keep prayer present in its courtyards and rebuild it
with faithful,” he said.
Nael Al-Far expressed deep sadness at the fate of the
mosque. “I never expected the mosque to turn into rubble one day,” he said.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border
attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv said has killed less than 1,200 people.
The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the
territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food,
clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been
damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International
Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop
genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is
provided to civilians in Gaza.
Hostilities have continued unabated, however, and aid
deliveries remain woefully insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/challenging-destruction-palestinians-pray-amid-ruins-of-gaza-s-oldest-mosques/3146380
----
India
Rajasthan Govt School Teachers 'Forced' Students to
'Convert to Islam'; 'Promoted Love Jihad'; Education Minister Reacts
FEBRUARY 24, 2024
Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar has
suspended two Kota-based government school teachers and initiated an inquiry
against a third for their alleged involvement in religious conversion, love
jihad, and ties to banned jihadi outfits.
The suspension orders of the teachers, posted at a
school in Kota’s Sangod block, were issued on Thursday night by the Kota
education officer (secondary).
Minister Madan Dilawar released a video statement on
the matter and said, “In the Khajoori village of Sangod panchayat samiti in
Kota district, the religion of a girl in senior secondary school was mentioned
as ‘Islam’ in the transfer certificate of a girl despite her being a Hindu. A
conspiracy of religious conversion and ‘love jihad’ is happening there. Hindu
girls are being forced to offer Namaz. This has come to our notice.”
Explaining the reason behind his move, he said, “As
soon as this was brought to my notice, I decided to take strict action against
three teachers. In this context, I suspended two teachers – Firoz Khan and
Mirza Mujahideen. Further action is being taken against one Shabana. All three
of them have been sent to Bikaner. I will take strict action against them after
a detailed investigation. If needed, I will expel them.”
The minister ordered action against the teachers after
a local group, Sarv Hindu Samaj, Sangod gave him a memorandum on the matter.
According to a report in The Indian Express, the
memorandum also alleged that three teachers have connections with banned
outfits and that they had links to Pakistani groups. The memorandum also stated
that an FIR had previously been registered in this regard at Sangod police
station, but no action was taken.
The suspended teachers were identified as Mirza
Mujahid and Firoz Khan, the report mentioned.
Love jihad’ is a term often used by right-wing
activists to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious
conversion through marriage. All three teachers have been ordered to report to
the directorate of education, Bikaner during this period, as per the order.
Source: news18.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.news18.com/india/rajasthan-love-jihad-news-kota-teachers-forced-islam-conversion-hindu-girls-namaz-8790970.html
----
UP Muslims may vote for the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha
elections, says a survey
Syed Ali Mujtaba
FEBRUARY 24, 2024
An electoral survey Mapping Muslim voting behavior for
the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, says Muslim voting behavior is gravitating toward
the BJP, and the vote share of the saffron party vis-à-vis Muslims may go up.
This survey was carried out by Feyaad Allie a
post-doctoral fellow in the Government Department at Harvard University. He
traveled across eighteen districts in eastern, central, and western Uttar
Pradesh. The sample included 1,468 Muslims who identified as Pasmanda (OBC and
Dalit) and 480 who identified as General or Upper Caste. Additionally, the
Hindu sample of the survey included 355 Hindus identifying as Upper Caste,
1,180 identifying as OBC, and 389 identifying as from the Scheduled Castes.
The survey that was conducted in 2024, revealed that
in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Muslims are going to shift their loyalty from its
traditional religious block and may vote on their sub-caste identities which
may bolster the chances of the BJP in the 2024 general elections.
The survey disclosed that till 2012, only a small
percentage of Muslims voted for BJP candidates but by 2017, the percentage
increased, with nearly 12.6% of general Muslims and 8% of Pasmanda Muslims
voting for the BJP.
The survey remarks that Muslim voting behavior is
influenced by the presence (or absence) of a co-ethnic representative in the
electoral fray. It’s from this behavior it can be inferred that Muslim
representative can activate internal divisions among Muslims that may shape
their subsequent voting pattern. These divisions can manifest along
sub-identities within the broader Muslim identity, according to the survey.
It says a range of factors appear to shape Muslim
voting behavior. First Muslims vote according to their state’s electoral
context like how many parties are contesting. How many Muslim candidates these
parties are fielding prospects to lure the Muslim votes which results in the
division of Muslim votes in multipolar contests?
The survey did a comparative study of Muslim voting
behavior in the state assembly elections after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,
suggesting some consolidation of Muslim votes has been registered.
In the 2020 Bihar elections, about 77% of Muslims
voted for the Mahagathbandhan, 75% for the Trinamool Congress in the 2021 West
Bengal elections, and 79% for the Samajwadi Party in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh
elections.
The survey reveals that in the 2022 state elections,
9.8% of general Muslims supported the BJP, whereas 9.1% of Pasmanda Muslims
supported the BJP.
Source: muslimmirror.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/up-muslims-may-vote-for-the-bjp-in-2024-lok-sabha-elections-says-a-survey/
----
Lalu family ‘used’ Muslims only as vote bank: BJP
leader
23rd February 2024
Neha Khan
Patna: A day after Shahabuddin’s wife Hena Shahab and
her son stayed away from Tejashwi Yadav’s rally in Siwan, BJP leader and
spokesperson Danish Iqbal said that the Lalu family has “used” the Muslim
community only as a vote bank in Bihar.
“During the tenure of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi
as the chief minister, they used Mohammad Shahabuddin to establish ‘Jungle Raj’
in Bihar. After the demise of Mohammad Shahabuddin, RJD sidelined his family,”
said Danish Iqbal.
“Lalu Prasad’s family has a track record of using the
Muslim community as a vote bank in Bihar, but has not given them equal
participation in the party.
“The Muslim community should understand the strategy
and intention of Tejashwi Yadav and the RJD,” the BJP leader said.
On Thursday, Tejashwi Yadav was in Siwan to address a
rally during the RJD’s Jan Vishwas Yatra. He was expecting Hena Shahab and her
son, Osama Shahab, to join the rally venue, but they stayed away.
Source: siasat.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.siasat.com/lalu-family-used-muslims-only-as-vote-bank-bjp-leader-2981686/
-----
Israel’s military exports to top buyer India
unaffected by Gaza war
23 February 2024
NEW DELHI, India — Israel’s military exports to India,
its largest defense buyer, have not been affected by the war in Gaza, Reuters
reported Friday, citing unnamed Indian and Israeli sources aware of the
details.
India has imported military hardware worth $2.9
billion from Israel over the last decade, including radars, surveillance and
combat drones, and missiles.
Israel’s war needs have not conflicted with its
defense supplies to India, the Israeli source and the senior Indian military
official said.
Israel’s operations against Hamas in Gaza have created
a growing need for ammunition, but not radars of the type it is exporting to
India, the Israeli source said.
“We made sure our [military] exports to India are not
impacted,” he said.
The Indian official said Israel had ensured a steady
supply of weapons bought by New Delhi, which also include drone components.
Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to
the sensitivity of the subject.
India’s foreign ministry and the Israeli embassy in
New Delhi did not respond to requests for comment.
With a strong presence at the Singapore Airshow,
Israeli arms manufacturers are back at international events after an absence
following the start of the war in Gaza.
India is the world’s largest arms importer, buying $37
billion worth between 2012 and 2022, according to the Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute.
Israel is the fourth largest supplier of military
hardware to India, which has bought weapons worth $21.8 billion from Russia,
$5.2 billion from France and $4.5 billion from America in the last decade.
India has been trying to reduce its dependence on
Russian weapons by diversifying purchases to countries such as France and
Israel, and boosting its nascent domestic arms manufacturing industry.
Israel’s Elbit Systems partners with Indian
conglomerate Adani group to manufacture some of its Hermes900 drones at a
facility in southern India, which are exported back to Israel for its use.
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-military-exports-to-top-buyer-india-unaffected-by-gaza-war/
---
3 Hizbul Terrorists Among 6 Chargesheeted In Jammu
Narco-Terror Funding Case
February 23, 2024
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): The Jammu and Kashmir
State Investigation Agency (SIA) has filed a 4th supplementary chargesheet
against six more accused in a case relating to terror funding, taking the total
toll of accused to 18, police said on Friday.
According to an official Jammu and Kashmir police
release, "Mohd Sharief Chechi, Farooq Ahmad Jungal, and Saif Din who were
arrested by SIA recently have been charge-sheeted under various sections of
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, Narcotic Drug Psychotropic Substance
Act and Indian Penal code relating to criminal conspiracy, raising funds for
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, a proscribed terrorist organization."
"SIA Jammu has seized an amount of ₹ 10 lakh and freezed more than ₹ 70
lakh in bank accounts which were the proceeds from narcotics
smuggled from PoK. The other 3 accused namely Hamidullah Khuroo, Farooq Ahmad
Shawl and Javid Ahmad Chalkoo, all HM terrorists, are evading their arrest and
are presently in Pakistan," it said.
The accused were involved in smuggling heroin from PoK
in Uri, Hathlanga, and Baramulla and further transporting and selling heroin in
Jammu to generate huge proceeds which were further planned to be delivered to
OGWs of HM, a proscribed terrorist organization, it said.
The same was deposited in banking channels for further
distribution to fuel anti-national activities and other terrorist acts to
challenge the sovereignty, integrity and security of India.
As per the release, SIA Jammu by filing the fourth
chargesheet and making arrests has prevented huge amounts of money from
entering into the channels of terror activities.
The SIA crackdown over the accused involved has
prevented the lives of many of our youths from being spoiled.
Out of the total accused, proceedings for attaching
their property under section 82/83 have been initiated. This will have a big
dent in the property created by the accused using the terror money, said the
police release.
SIA investigation revealed that there is a
well-organized drug syndicate, including Farooq Ahmad Naikoo who was operating
from Dubai, Mohd Rafiq Najar, Mubashir Mushtaq Fafoo, Ainaz Ahmad Sayam, Mohd
Sharief Chechi, Farooq Ahmad Jungal, Saif Din, who after hatching conspiracy
with HM terrorists Farooq Ahmad Shawl, Hamidullah Khuroo, Tariq Ahmad Malla and
Javid Chalkoo operating from Pakistan infused narcotics into the Indian
territory and further transported the said narcotics to Jammu for generating
huge narco-terror funds to be used for funding secessionist and terror
activities, it said.
Source: ndtv.com
Source: ndtv.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/3-hizbul-terrorists-among-6-chargesheeted-in-jammu-narco-terror-funding-case-5114965
---
Europe
UK Islamophobia: Anti-Muslim bigotry 'soars due to
Gaza War'
23 February, 2024
Anti-Muslim hate incidents in the UK more than tripled
following the outbreak of the war in Gaza, a monitoring group said Thursday.
Tell MAMA recorded 2,010 such cases in the four months
since Hamas's deadly attack against Israel on 7 October sparked the conflict.
That was the largest recorded number of cases in a
four-month period, said a statement from the organisation, which was set up to
monitor and report such incidents.
The latest figures were up from 600 incidents over the
same period in 2022-2023, a rise of 335 percent.
"We are deeply concerned about the impacts that
the Israel and Gaza war are having on hate crimes and on social cohesion in the
UK," said Tell MAMA director Iman Atta.
"This rise in anti-Muslim hate is unacceptable
and we hope that political leaders speak out to send a clear message that
anti-Muslim hate, like anti-Semitism, is unacceptable in our country."
Tell MAMA said that 901 cases occurred offline while
1,109 were online. Most of the offline incidents took place in the British
capital London, it added.
They included abusive behaviour, threats, assaults,
vandalism, discrimination, hate speech and anti-Muslim literature.
Women were the target in 65 percent of cases, the
group said.
Zara Mohammed, Secretary-General of Muslim Council of
Britain (MCB), emphasised the importance of highlighting gendered Islamophobia,
which she said has disproportionately left British Muslim women unsafe.
“This is especially worrying for visibly Muslim women
who face the brunt of these attacks, as evidence shows. More needs to be done
to tackle Islamophobia at all levels, starting with our politics," she
told The New Arab.
A Muslim woman who spoke to British news channel Sky
News, stated that she "could have been killed" by a brick thrown
through her window over her support for Palestine.
"I will not be terrified by those people, they
will not stop me from doing what I need to do, they will not stop me from
supporting the case I believe is right," a woman named as Mahetab told Sky
News.
"I have never thought about changing how I look
because of these things because, this is me, I am a Muslim and this is [what]
we look like."
The Tell MAMA report has since led to a wave of
condemnation from various activists, journalists and politicians, who denounced
the surge of attacks against Muslims, while also calling for an end the ongoing
assault on Gaza.
"The thing is even the blatant Islamophobia is
just a distraction. Ceasefire now," Al Jazeera English journalist Myriam
Francois wrote in a post on X.
"We are not going to shut up, we are not going to
disappear, truthfully your time in power is over - I'd advise conserving some
dignity before you go down as one of the worst [governments] in UK
history."
"Appalling & shameful rise in Islamophobia -
cases of anti-Muslim hate reported to [Tell Mama] have trebled. Stronger action
is needed against hate crime, threats & abuse. Islamophobia must have no
place in the UK," UK Labour MP Yvette Cooper posted on X.
Tell MAMA’s latest revelation comes after former Home
Secretary Suella Braverman had come under fire, after posing an argument that
claimed "Islamists" were now in control of the UK.
In a feature for British news publication The
Telegraph, Braverman stated that politicians were "burying their heads in
the sand" due to the alleged rise in "extremism" across the
region.
The controversial parliamentarian referenced
pro-Palestine protests and uprisings at university campus that was said not be
safe for Jewish people.
"The truth is that the Islamists, the extremists,
and the antisemites are in charge now," she wrote.
Braverman’s comments sparked fury from Muslim leaders
and politicians and accused her of fearmongering.
SNP leader Humza Yousaf, whose family members were
trapped in Gaza before being evacuated in November, slammed Braverman’s
statements by retorting that she was "the worst of politicians".
MCB's Zara Mohammed also said Braverman is complicit
in fuelling hatred amid a staggering surge in Islamophobic hate crimes.
"On the front page of a national newspaper, a
former Home Secretary has shamelessly peddled extremist conspiracy theories
about so-called ‘Islamist’ takeovers. That this comes on the day we learn of a
stark rise of Islamophobic hate crime with over 2000 cases in the last 4 months
is no less shameful," Mohammed told The New Arab.
"Suella Braverman’s disgraceful article is
Exhibit A for those investigating why there is an Islamophobia surge in the UK.
Her incendiary messages were articulated on the floor of the House of Commons
as well."
She continued: "With a track record of demonising
Muslim communities and peaceful Palestinian protesters, this is more dog
whistle politics to distract from the actual issues of the day.
"This is a time where communities need to come
together, her sinister attempts to divide us will not succeed."
Israel's invasion of Gaza and sustained military
campaign has killed at least 29,514 people, mostly women and children,
according to the latest health ministry figures in the besieged territory.
Source: newarab.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.newarab.com/news/uk-islamophobia-anti-muslim-bigotry-soars-due-gaza-war
----
Brazil’s outspoken Lula stands ground, asserts Israel
committing genocide in Gaza
24 February 2024
Brazil’s president repeats his recent assertion that
the Israeli regime is committing genocide in Gaza, braving the repercussions
that have come to affect his country’s ties with the Israeli regime and its
main ally, the US.
"What…Israel is doing is not a war, it is
genocide, because it is killing women and children," Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva said at an event in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.
"It is a genocide. Thousands of children are dead
and thousands are missing. Soldiers are not dying. Women and children are dying
at the hospital," he said. "If that's not genocide, I don't know what
genocide is," he exclaimed.
"I do not exchange my dignity for
falsehood," said Lula, who once again spoke in favor of the creation of a
"free and sovereign" Palestinian state.
No earlier than on Sunday, Lula had unequivocally
lambasted the Israeli regime's savagery in its October-present military
aggression against the coastal territory, which has so far killed more than
29,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
"What’s happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war,
it’s a genocide," Lula had said, addressing an African Union summit in the
Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, adding, "It’s not a war of soldiers against
soldiers. It’s a war between a highly prepared army and women and
children."
"What’s happening in the Gaza Strip with the
Palestinian people hasn’t happened at any other moment in history. Actually, it
has happened: When Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” he had noted.
The Brazilian foreign ministry confirmed afterwards
that the country's ambassador to the occupied territories had been recalled
"for consultations," adding that it had also summoned the Israeli
envoy to Brasilia.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has reacted to
Lula’s comments by summoning Brazil’s ambassador for a formal reprimand,
telling the envoy that "President Lula ... is persona non grata in Israel
until he takes it back."
This is not the first time that the Brazilian
president has singled out the Israeli regime for unashamed criticism since the
onset of its military onslaught against Gaza.
Speaking after a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo last Thursday, Lula had said Israel's behavior in
the coastal sliver "has no explanation."
"With the pretext of fighting [the Palestinian
resistance movement] Hamas, it is killing women and children," the
Brazilian chief executive had added.
Source: presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/02/24/720661/Brazil-Israel-genocide-Gaza-Lula
----
Police beatings of pro-Palestinian high school
students spark outrage in Italy
24 February 2024
ROME, Feb 23 – Footage of police beating
pro-Palestinian students drew broad condemnation in Italy on Friday, with the
opposition calling for the interior minister to address parliament over the
episode.
Student marches were blocked by police in the Tuscan
cities of Florence and Pisa, with images of officers vigorously using their
truncheons on school-age protesters in Pisa triggering outrage on social media
and from politicians.
The videos showed the students, who appeared to be
protesting peacefully, retreating under a hail of blows from law enforcers
wearing helmets and full riot gear.
“Is this how you beat your own children,” one young
woman is heard shouting.
The Pisa police were not immediately available for
comment.
Elly Schlein, the leader of the center-left Democratic
Party, posted on Facebook a video of the “unacceptable” scenes of “students
trapped in an alleyway, charged and beaten by the police.”
She said Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government, which
came to office in 2022 promising to crack down on illegal immigration and
promote law and order, was creating a “climate of repression” in the country.
There was no immediate comment on the police conduct
from the government.
Enzo Letizia, head of ANFP, a police trade union, said
student protests were often infiltrated by “expert instigators” and judgments should
not be made until an inquiry had been held into the incidents.
Teachers at Pisa’s Russoli high school, which is close
to the street where the march took place and attended by some of the students
involved, said they were “stunned” by the treatment of the protesters, most of
whom were minors.
“We found boys and girls from our classes trembling
and shocked … from the beatings they received,” the teachers said in a
statement, demanding that someone be held responsible for the “shameful day”.
Former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, leader of the
left-leaning 5-Star Movement, said the images were “worrying” and “not worthy
of our country.”
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-beatings-of-pro-palestinian-high-school-students-spark-outrage-in-italy/
---
UK Foreign Secretary Cameron dismisses Netanyahu's
post-war Gaza plan as unworkable
Diyar Güldoğan
24.02.2024
UK's foreign secretary on Friday said that Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for the post war Gaza "will not
work."
"If you think about it from both sides, Israel
needs to see that its security is guaranteed. The Palestinian people need to
see there is the prospect of a Palestinian state so they can live in
dignity," David Cameron told the reporters at the UN Headquarters in New
York, where he addressed General Assembly meeting on Ukraine.
"Those two things are the key, and if they're not
in a plan that I don't believe that plan will work," said Cameron.
His remarks came after Netanyahu proposed to the
Cabinet a plan for unlimited complete Israeli security control over Gaza, and
the closure of the UNRWA agency as part of his plan when the war on Gaza is
over.
Cameron added a new political horizon is needed for
the Palestinian people so they can see the pathway to a two state solution,
adding: "But we're going to need those responsible for October the 7th,
the Hamas leadership, to leave Gaza and we're going to need to see the
infrastructure of that terror dismantled."
When asked by Anadolu whether the UK is planning to
suspend arms exports to Israel, and whether Cameron fears that the UK may be
"complicit in war crimes by Israel against Gaza due to its assistance to
Israel, Cameron said the UK has "one of the strictest systems" for
arms exports anywhere in the world.
"And everything has to happen in light of the
position under international humanitarian law, which we review on a regular
basis and will continue to do so," he added.
*Serife Cetin in New York contributed to the story
Source: aa.com.tr
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/uk-foreign-secretary-cameron-dismisses-netanyahus-post-war-gaza-plan-as-unworkable/3146354
----
Pakistan
Pakistan urges International Court of Justice not to
let Israel violate world law
February 24, 2024
Baqir Sajjad Syed
ISLAMABAD: Taking a firm stance at the International
Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday, Pakistan implored the tribunal not to allow
Israel to get away with its ongoing violations of international law in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
Caretaker Minister for Law and Justice Ahmed Irfan
Aslam emphasised that Israel’s occupation was not only unlawful but that allowing
it to benefit from such actions would undermine the ICJ’s role in upholding
justice.
“The ICJ would fail to discharge its judicial
functions if it did not stop Israel from profiting from its own continued grave
wrongs,” he maintained.
During the presentation, part of advisory proceedings
initiated through a December 2022 request from the United Nations General
Assembly, Mr Aslam highlighted the critical need to address the legal
consequences of Israel’s protracted occupation and its detrimental effects on
the Palestinian population.
Allowing Tel Aviv to continue its policies will
undermine ICJ’s role in upholding justice, says caretaker minister
He argued that Israel’s policies, which include
illegal settlements and systematic racial discrimination amounting to
apartheid, violate international humanitarian law and human rights, and thus,
should not go unchecked.
The minister further criticised Israel’s settler
policy for creating “irreversible changes on the ground” and perpetuating the
unlawful occupation. He called on the ICJ to acknowledge the grave implications
of these policies on Palestinian rights and the broader violations of
international norms.
Against the backdrop of increasing violence against
Palestinians by Israeli forces, Pakistan reaffirmed its support for the
Palestinian cause. Islamabad called for an immediate ceasefire, sustained
humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a viable solution that establishes a sovereign
Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al Sharif as its
capital.
The ICJ hearings have witnessed various delegations
denouncing Israel’s conduct, with accusations ranging from colonialism to
ethnic cleansing and genocide. The South African delegation notably related
Israel’s actions to their own historical fight against apartheid.
Israel has dismissed the ICJ’s advisory proceedings as
illegitimate, advocating for a political resolution to the conflict over a
legal one. This stance further underscores the international divide over
achieving peace in the Middle East.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1816639/pakistan-urges-international-court-of-justice-not-to-let-israel-violate-world-law
-----
PM’s Special Representative Ashrafi Terms Religious
Diversity As Key To Pakistan's Harmony
February 24, 2024
Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Religious
Affairs Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has emphasized the country’s
diversity of faiths in a significant development regarding religious harmony in
Pakistan.
In a statement, he reiterated that Pakistan, as
enshrined in its Constitution and law, upholds the rights of individuals from
all religious backgrounds.
Ashrafi, who is also the Chairman of Pakistan Ulema
Council, underlined the importance of
upholding the rule of law and preventing any attempts to disrupt harmony or
incite anarchy within the country.
Source: radio.gov.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://radio.gov.pk/24-02-2024/ashrafi-stresses-religious-diversity-as-key-to-pakistans-harmony
----
Judicial Commission of Pakistan okays elevation of
BHC CJ Naeem Akhtar Afghan to SC
February 24, 2024
ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP)
on Friday recommended the elevation of Chief Justice of the Balochistan High
Court Naeem Akhtar Afghan as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez
Isa, the JCP also recommended the elevation of Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan
as the new Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, replacing the incumbent,
Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, who is set to retire on March 7, 2024.
Both unanimous recommendations have been sent to the
parliamentary committee of the National Assembly for final approval.
Meanwhile, members of the commission, namely Justice
Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Yayha Afridi, Justice (retd) Manzoor Malik, and
the representative of the Pakistan Bar Council, Akhtar Hussain, objected to
granting a second extension to Justice Khadim Hussain M. Sheikh of the Federal
Shariat Court (FSC) for another three years.
However, they unanimously approved the elevation of
District and Sessions Judge Amir Muhammad Khan to the FSC.
During the proceedings, Akhtar Hussain again
emphasised the need to call a meeting of the Judicial Commis- sion Rules
Committee to bring amendments to the rules.
However, CJP assured that the meeting will be called
soon.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1816692/judicial-commission-of-pakistan-okays-elevation-of-bhc-cj-naeem-akhtar-afghan-to-sc
----
Pak, Iran reaffirm commitment to strengthen
cooperation in diverse fields
February 23, 2024
Pakistan and Iran have reaffirmed their commitment to
further strengthen bilateral cooperation across all areas of mutual interest.
The resolve was expressed in a telephonic conversation
between Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and his counterpart Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian, today.
The Iranian Foreign Minister congratulated the
caretaker government on the successful conduct of parliamentary elections and
Jalil Abbas Jilani deeply appreciated the warm wishes from the brotherly people
of Iran.
The two countries have fully restored official
engagements since the visit of the Iranian Foreign Minister to Pakistan earlier
this month.
Source: radio.gov.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://radio.gov.pk/23-02-2024/pakistan-iran-reaffirms-commitment-to-further-strengthen-bilateral-cooperation-across-all-areas-of-mutual-interest
-----
Africa
CAN Youths demand arrest of Islamic cleric who called
for killing of Tinubu’s wife
February 24,
2024
The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of
Nigeria, YOWICAN, has called for the arrest and prosecution of a
yet-to-be-identified Islamic preacher who allegedly said the wife of the
president, Oluremi Tinubu should be put to death.
The cleric had been captured in a now viral video
saying the Muslim/Muslim ticket of President Bola Tinubu and his vice, Kashim
Shettima was a scam.
The cleric averred that Mrs Tinubu, “being an infidel
should be put to death as provided for in the Quran,” he, however, did not
provide any chapter or verse of the Quran to support his claim.
“Now, Tinubu, his wife is an infidel. As an infidel,
she is a leader among the infidels.
Reacting, YOWICAN in a communiqué issued at the end of
its National Executive Council, NEC meeting held in Abuja on Friday, frowned at
the outburst of the cleric.
The association emphasised the need for swift action
to forestall further deterioration of the security situation in the country.
“The NEC is calling for the public prosecution of the
Cleric and wishes to request that the said preacher should be restricted from
preaching in Nigeria to serve as a deterrent to others”, it said.
Source: dailypost.ng
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://dailypost.ng/2024/02/24/can-youths-demand-arrest-of-islamic-cleric-who-called-for-killing-of-tinubus-wife/
----
Gani Adams to FG: “You can’t impose hardship on
Nigerians and expect them be quiet”
Jerry
Wright-Ukwu
February 23, 2024
Gani Adams, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, has
called on President Bola Tinubu to address the prevailing economic hardship in
Nigeria.
Speaking exclusively to TheCable, Adams expressed deep
concern about the challenges faced by Nigerians, particularly the drastic
increase in the prices of essential commodities.
Adams highlighted the sharp increase in the price of
rice, using it as an example of the economic strain facing citizens. He pointed
out that a bag of rice, which cost less than N50,000 in May 2023, now sells for
N85,000.
He called for a reevaluation of multi-taxation,
emphasizing its role in contributing to inflation and economic difficulties and
urged the government to consider the impact of taxation policies on the overall
economic landscape.
The Aare Ona Kakanfo expressed concern about the
government’s decision to increase fuel prices, citing the current cost of about
N700 per litre. He argued that such hikes contribute to the economic burden
faced by Nigerians.
Adams warned of potential unrest if the government
continues to impose hardship without addressing citizens’ concerns.
His words: “I will advise that the government should
look into the issue of multi-taxation. It always creates problems and
inflation. Also, the federal government still has the chance to reconsider the
issue of fuel price hike.
“Today, we are buying fuel for about N700 per litre,
and you are saying you don’t want people to protest. Definitely, you can’t
continue to impose hardship on the people, and you have the mindset that people
will be quiet about it.
“How many security personnel will you use to curtail
the people when the crisis comes? So, the federal government needs to take
urgent drastic action on the state of the nation so that we don’t box ourselves
into a corner.”
Source: politicsnigeria.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://politicsnigeria.com/gani-adams-to-fg-you-cant-impose-hardship-on-nigerians-and-expect-them-be-quiet/
----
African Union declares support for Palestine, request
member states to cut ties with Israel
Chiamaka Okafor
February 23, 2024
The African Union has expressed its full support for
Palestine in the ongoing Middle East conflicts, asking member states to sever
ties with Israel.
The AU gave “full support for the Palestinian people
in their legitimate struggle against the Israeli occupation, represented by the
Palestine Liberation Organisation under the leadership under the leadership of
President Mahmoud Abbas, in order to restore their inalienable rights,
including the right to self-determination, return of refugees and independence
in their State of Palestine, existing side by side with the State of Israel.”
The 54-member continental bloc said last week at its
summit that it also condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and requested member
states “to end all direct and indirect trade, scientific and cultural exchanges
with Israel.”
The AU called on the international community to live
up to the shared principles of humanity and justice.
It expressed outrage at what it described as a humanitarian
catastrophe occurring in the Gaza Strip caused by Israeli forces.
The AU expressed concerns about the possibility of the
ongoing conflict spreading to Lebanon, other neighbouring countries and the
Middle East region.
It further commended South Africa “for taking the bold
step to institute proceedings against Israel before the International Court of
Justice (ICJ), regarding the blatant violations by Israel of its obligations
under the Genocide Convention in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
In the same vein, it expressed disapproval for the
unprecedented support from some countries for Israel under the pretext of
“Israel’s right to defend itself.”
It also stressed the urgent need to immediately open
safe humanitarian corridors to alleviate the sufferings of the Palestinian
People.
AU underscored the necessity of resolving the
Palestinian issue to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East region,
based on the two-state solution, provisions of international law, all
resolutions of the international community, the Arab Peace Initiative,
decisions by the African Union, and guided by the vision of President Mahmoud
Abbas and his repeated calls to achieve peace.
Source: premiumtimesng.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/671145-african-union-declares-support-for-palestine-request-member-states-to-cut-ties-with-israel.html
----
Mideast
For The Islamic United Arab Emirates, ‘Tolerance’ Is A
State Policy
February 24, 2024
ROSHIN MARY GEORGE
New India is ebullient. Less than a month after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi attended the Pran Prathishta for the new Ram Temple in
Ayodhya, he presided over the inauguration of the Arabian region’s first
traditional stone temple, complete with flag staffs and human sculptures on its
walls, in Abu Dhabi, on February 14. In grandeur and structure, it may seem a
replica of the Ayodhya temple but in vision and mission, it is second to none.
Built on 27 acres gifted in 2015 by UAE President
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan when he was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the
BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) Hindu Mandir seeks
to satisfy the spiritual and religious needs of the UAE’s resident Hindu community
and boost cultural tourism and bilateral trade.
The temple, situated at Abu Mureikhah on the outskirts
of the UAE’s capital, is a creation of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which
builds and maintains Hindu temples worldwide from the U.S. to Australia. Commanding
a height of 108 feet and length of 262 feet, the temple carefully dons a
pan-Indian, West Asian and global imprint on its walls and pillars – from
camels and elephants to the Museum of the Future and the Burj Al Arab. Its
seven spires represent the seven emirates of the UAE, and each ensconces
popular deities from various regions of India.
Prime Minister Modi, who was in Abu Dhabi on the
sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai, said: “The President of the
UAE, with his large heart, has fulfilled the dreams of millions of Indians.”
Indian expatriates from over 3.5 million or 37% of the population of the UAE,
with Hindus making up 25% of them.
Clad in lotus-hued robes, Mr. Modi called the pink
sandstone and white marble temple a “lotus in the desert”. The inauguration
brought to the venue an excited Indian community.
Bandana Jain, a long-time Dubai resident who attended
the event, says the temple was a display of “strong Indo-UAE ties”. “Arabic
calligraphy, hieroglyphics from Egypt, value tales from the Koran and the
Bible, water bodies signifying India’s holiest rivers – all this and more
create a harmonious blend that transcends borders and faiths.!”
For young Dubai professional Parvathi Shine, the
temple is “a symbol of the UAE’s tradition of cultural acceptance and tolerance
of people belonging to all faiths”. Her family plans to visit only in six
months since temple authorities have urged UAE residents to wait until March 1
to register for a visit.
Religious diplomacy
The notion of tolerance is not alien to the UAE, whose
official religion is Islam. Lands were gifted to build churches in the various
emirates; and for a temple and gurdwara complex in Bur Dubai. The temple
received an expansion in October 2022, when a 6,000-square-metre white temple
that infuses Indian and Arabic architecture opened in Jebel Ali, Dubai.
The country has a Minister for Tolerance and
Coexistence since 2016, who actively involves himself in various interfaith
programmes. Tolerance is a much-canvassed word – 2019 was the Year of
Tolerance, and a Tolerance Bridge opened in Dubai in 2017 on November 16,
International Day of Tolerance, to symbolise the connection between 200
nationalities living in the city.
The year 2019 was a landmark year in the tolerance
agenda as it witnessed the visit of Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic
Church, to the Muslim nation. A public mass conducted by the pontiff was
attended by 135,000 people in an Abu Dhabi stadium – the same stadium that
witnessed the Ahlan Modi event recently.
The crowning feature of the visit was the signing of
the Document of Human Fraternity by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of
Al-Azhar, Professor Ahmad Al-Tayyeb; the decision to build the Abrahamic Family
House, a multifaith complex comprising a mosque, a church and a synagogue to
proclaim the oneness of the three Abrahamic religions of Islam, Christianity
and Judaism stemmed from it.
If there is anything amiss in the foundation stone
enclosed in a glass case near the reception, it is the signature of the representative
from the Jewish community, since the document was signed before the Abraham
Accords.
The UAE and its brand of Islam are enshrined in the
three identical yet distinct places of worship standing on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat
Island. Conceived and designed by Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye, the
three houses of worship are like cubes – devoid of spires, minarets, and domes
– around an open courtyard. The exquisitely designed structures, with arches
and lattices letting in copious sunlight and breeze, have been welcoming
visitors and devotees since March 2023. While the Imam Al Tayyeb Mosque is
oriented towards Mecca and the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue towards Jerusalem,
the St Francis Church faces the rising sun in the East.
“Since its inauguration a year ago, the Abrahamic
Family House has opened its doors to hundreds of thousands of worshippers,
visitors, delegations, and students from diverse backgrounds across the globe,
to engage in meaningful discussions. We have hosted a variety of educational
programmes and inter-religious workshops. Additionally, our three Houses of
Worship have curated a comprehensive year-round calendar of religious services
and events, bringing people together,” said Abdulla Al Shehhi, Acting
Operations Executive Director of Abrahamic Family House.
While Indian churches have a presence in all the
emirates, the biggest church in the country is the 1800-square-metre Russian
Orthodox Church in Sharjah, with its ornate blue domes and gold gilded cross
spires.
Source: thehindu.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/for-the-islamic-united-arab-emirates-tolerance-is-a-state-policy/article67879044.ece
-----
Al-Qassam: Our Mujahideen Targeted Group Of Enemy
Soldiers Inside House South Of Zaytun Neighbourhood In Gaza City
[23/February/2024]
GAZA February 23. 2024 (Saba) - Al-Qassam Brigades,
the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, said that its
mujahideen targeted a group of Zionist enemy soldiers inside a house south of
the Zaytun neighbourhood in Gaza City, leaving them killed and injured.
The Brigades added in a brief statement on Friday
evening that its fighters targeted a Zionist Merkava tank with an “Al-Yassin
105” shell southwest of Zaytun neighbourhood in Gaza City.
Al-Qassam confirmed that its fighters destroyed a
Zionist troop carrier with an "Al-Yassin 105" shell in Sheikh Nasser
area of Khan Yunis, leaving its crew killed and injured.
Al-Qassam Brigades also confirmed that its fighters,
along with the Mujahideen Brigades, bombed a gathering of Zionist enemy forces
south of Zaytun neighbourhood in Gaza City with mortar shells and clashed with
members of the force with machine guns, leaving them killed and injured.
For its part, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing
of the Islamic Jihad Movement, said that it had placed an Israeli engineering
force and a D9 bulldozer in a “tight” ambush in Abasan Al-Kabira area, east of
Khan Yunis.
Source: saba.ye
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3307446.htm
----
Türkiye vows to use 'all available means' to halt
Israel's assaults in Gaza, Jerusalem
Esra Tekin
23.02.2024
Türkiye will use all means at its disposal to halt
"oppression in Gaza and harassment in Jerusalem" by Israel, Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.
"Anyone who claims that this issue has nothing to
do with us is either unaware of the world or is working on behalf of others.
Therefore, for the oppression in Gaza to stop, for the harassment in Jerusalem
to cease, without making any exceptions, I say we will use all the means at our
disposal," Erdogan said.
He added that Türkiye is working to secure collective
action by Muslim countries around the world against the oppression in Gaza.
The aid sent by Türkiye to the people of Gaza exceeded
34,000 tons, President Erdogan said, adding that another ship carrying 2,380
tons of aid materials arrived in the region on Thursday.
He said if this “oppression” is not stopped, the
"inevitable consequence would be the fire" in the region that would
affect the country.
Türkiye's fight against terrorism
On Türkiye's counter-terrorism efforts, Erdogan said
Ankara would launch fresh operations to disrupt and dismantle attempts to set
up a terror state across its southern border with northern Syria.
"With new operations, we will continue to
perforate and dismantle the project of establishing a Terroristan by encircling
our country from its southern borders," he said.
Türkiye has defeated terrorists in Gabar and Cudi, in
the country’s east and southeast, and buried them in the mountains, President
Erdogan said, adding: "Now, where are they? That's the issue."
Source: aa.com.tr
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkiye-vows-to-use-all-available-means-to-halt-israels-assaults-in-gaza-jerusalem/3146159
----
Zionist policies met with Widespread condemnation in
ICJ as Washington continues its protection
[23/February/2024]
CAPITAL’S February 23. 2024 (Saba) - For the fourth
consecutive day, the International Court of Justice in The Hague continues its
public hearings on the legal consequences arising from the policies of the
Zionist occupation of Palestine, as Washington continues to provide support to
protect this bastard entity.
In this context, several countries denounced, on
Thursday, during the continuous hearings at the International Court of Justice
in The Hague, the continued Zionist occupation of the occupied Palestinian
territories, and its violation of international law.
Today, the Court heard the interventions of many
representatives of countries, including China, Iraq and Iran, and 52 countries
are scheduled to give their opinion during the hearings on the legal
consequences of the Zionist occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The week-long public hearings began on Monday, based
on a resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly at the end of
2022.
The decision asked the court to issue a non-binding
"advisory opinion" on "the legal consequences arising from the
policies and practices of the Zionist enemy in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, including East Al-Quds."
The authorities of the Zionist enemy will not
participate in the hearings, but submitted a transcript on July 24, 2023 urging
the court to refuse to issue an opinion on the case.
Most of the countries that have so far expressed their
opinion have called on the Zionist enemy authorities to end their occupation of
the Palestinian territories, but the United States defended them, and its
representative said yesterday that the court should not conclude that the
Zionist enemy is legally obligated to withdraw immediately and unconditionally
from the occupied territories.
For his part. China's spokesman told the International
Court of Justice that armed resistance is a right of colonized peoples and does
not contradict international law.
He added that the authorities of the Zionist enemy do
not have the right to defend themselves because their occupation of the
Palestinian territories is illegal, while retaining the right to take some
security measures.
The Chinese spokesman went on to say that justice for
the Palestinian cause is long overdue, and that it should not be denied.
China has repeatedly called for an end to the Zionist
war on the Gaza Strip and has called for the implementation of a two-state
solution leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Other interventions before the International Court of
Justice focused on highlighting Zionist violations of international law.
The representative of Iraq said that the Zionist enemy
is working to completely isolate the Palestinians. He called for holding the
authorities of the Zionist enemy accountable for their crimes and to bear their
responsibility for violating human rights.
He also called on the Court to take all measures to
preserve a dignified and secure life for Palestinians in which they enjoy all
human rights.
The representative of Iraq expressed his country's
grave concern about the human suffering as a result of what he described as
barbaric acts carried out by the Zionist enemy against civilians in the
Palestinian territories.
For his part, the representative of Iran told the
Court of Justice that the Zionist enemy has violated and continues to violate
the right of Palestinians to self-determination.
He added that the enemy had gravely violated
international law through demographic changes. He pointed out that the
authorities of the Zionist enemy have been practicing the forced displacement
of Palestinians since 1948.
The representative of Iran pointed out that there are
2 million and 200,000 in Gaza living without food, water or health care.
For his part, the representative of Ireland stated
that the Zionist enemy authorities illegally continued to destroy and annex
Palestinian land to expand settlements. He pointed out that the occupying
entity is obliged to respect international law.
The Palestinian delegation, headed by Foreign Minister
Riyad al-Maliki, intervened yesterday and confirmed in its testimony that the
Zionist occupation is a colonial regime that practices apartheid.
The Court of Justice issued a decision on January 26
obliging the Zionist enemy to take "temporary measures" to protect
Palestinians in Gaza and comply with the Genocide Convention, pending a
decision on the content of the lawsuit filed by South Africa accusing the enemy
of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The public hearings will run for six days from
February 19 to 26 to hear briefings by 52 countries.
On the other hand, the United States constitutes a
"diplomatic shield" for the Zionist enemy, which continues the war of
genocide in the Gaza Strip for the fifth month in a row, supported by the third
American "veto" that obstructs the issuance of a UN resolution on a
ceasefire, Tuesday.
This was confirmed by the former UN Special Rapporteur
on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Michael
Lynk, in 1967 in an interview with Anadolu Agency. "The Zionist military
discourse in Gaza initially went from a 'humanitarian crisis' and 'humanitarian
catastrophe' to a 'humanitarian nightmare', but now it is heading towards
'genocide', with a US diplomatic shield.
On Tuesday, a draft resolution submitted by Algeria
calling for an "immediate" humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza won the
support of 13 out of 15 members, while the United States vetoed it and the
United Kingdom abstained from voting, UN News reported.
The Algerian draft resolution rejects the forced
displacement of the Palestinian civilian population and demands that all
parties to the war in the Gaza Strip comply with their obligations under
international law and "immediately and unconditionally release all
hostages."
This is the third time that the United States has used
a "veto" in the UN Security Council since the start of the Zionist
war on Gaza on the seventh of last October, against draft resolutions calling
for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Washington used its veto power on October 18, 2023
against a Brazilian draft resolution that calls on the Zionist enemy, among
other things, to withdraw the order issued to the residents of Gaza to move to
the southern Gaza Strip, while the second time was on December 8, 2023, as it
blocked an Emirati draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian
ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The former UN official accused the United States of
forming a "diplomatic shield" for Zionist practices in the corridors
of the United Nations.
He criticized the United States providing military
equipment to the Zionist enemy, compensating for the lack of Zionist stocks of
equipment and weapons, in addition to military aid worth $ 3.8 billion annually
to Tel Aviv.
The UN human rights defender stressed that it is
difficult to stop the Zionist attacks and "the catastrophe looming over
Rafah, unless the United States says enough to the Zionist enemy," and
added: "I rule out that this will happen."
Lynk, who served between 2016 and 2022 as the UN
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian
territory occupied in 1967, noted that there are currently some 1.5 million
people stranded in the southern Gaza Strip.
"Those displaced to Rafah do not currently have
access to water, fuel, food and shelter, and they lack security and
protection," he said.
The former UN official warned that even
"displaced Palestinians living in tents in the city of Rafah face the risk
of bombing."
Criticizing the lack of serious international action
to stop the war on the Strip, Lynk said: "While the world can insist on a
ceasefire and stop the Zionist attacks, it has chosen to simply watch and
follow what is happening in Gaza." He pointed out that "the law's
description of an act as 'genocide' requires the act of genocide to occur or
the existence of an intention indicating that."
He stressed that "there are many statements by
Zionist political and military officials, including intentions to carry out
genocide," as he assessed.
According to Lynk, according to the Genocide
Convention's definition, this act "is either happening now mostly, or is
about to happen."
Source: saba.ye
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3307435.htm
----
UN experts urge ‘immediate’ stop of arms transfers to
Israel
February 23, 2024
GENEVA: Any transfer of weapons or ammunition to
Israel that would be used in Gaza is likely to violate international
humanitarian law and must cease immediately, UN experts warned on Friday.
“All states must ‘ensure respect’ for international
humanitarian law by parties to an armed conflict, as required by 1949 Geneva
Conventions and customary international law,” a media statement quoted the
experts as saying.
“States must accordingly refrain from transferring any
weapon or ammunition — or parts for them — if it is expected, given the facts
or past patterns of behavior, that they would be used to violate international
law.”
According to the experts, such transfers are
prohibited even if the exporting state does not intend the arms to be used in
violation of the law — or does not know with certainty that they would be used
in such a way — as long as there is a clear risk.
Meanwhile, the UN experts welcomed the decision of a
Dutch appeals court on Feb. 12 ordering the Netherlands to halt the export of
F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel.
The court found that there was a “clear risk” that the
parts would be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international
humanitarian law, as “there are many indications that Israel has violated the
humanitarian law of war in a not insignificant number of cases.”
Israel has repeatedly failed to comply with
international law, said the experts.
They noted that states party to the Arms Trade Treaty
have additional treaty obligations to deny arms exports if they “know” that the
arms “would” be used to commit international crimes, or if there is an
“overriding risk” that the arms transferred “could” be used to commit serious
violations of international humanitarian law.
EU member states are further bound by the bloc’s arms
export control laws.
“The need for an arms embargo on Israel is heightened
by the International Court of Justice’s ruling on Jan. 26, 2024, that there is
a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and the continuing serious harm to
civilians since then,” the experts said.
The Genocide Convention of 1948 requires states
parties to employ all means reasonably available to them to prevent genocide in
another state as far as possible.
“This necessitates halting arms exports in the present
circumstances,” the experts added.
They further welcomed the suspension of arms transfers
to Israel by Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the Japanese company
Itochu Corp.
The EU also recently discouraged arms exports to
Israel.
Moreover, the experts urged other states to
immediately halt arms transfers to Israel, including export licenses and
military aid.
The US and Germany are by far the largest arms
exporters and shipments have increased since the attack by Hamas on Israel on
Oct. 7. Other military exporters include France, the UK, Canada and Australia.
The experts further noted that arms transfers to Hamas
and other armed groups are also prohibited by international law, given their
grave violations of international humanitarian law during the October attack,
including hostage-taking and subsequent indiscriminate rocket fire.
The duty to “ensure respect” for humanitarian law
applies “in all circumstances”, including when Israel claims it is countering
terrorism.
Military intelligence must also not be shared where
there is a clear risk that it would be used to violate international
humanitarian law.
“State officials involved in arms exports may be
individually criminally liable for aiding and abetting any war crimes, crimes
against humanity or acts of genocide,” the experts said.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2465431/middle-east
----
UN rights chief deplores ‘entrenched impunity’ in Gaza
war
February 24, 2024
GENEVA, NEW YORK: The UN human rights chief said on
Friday that perpetrators of gross human rights violations in the conflict
between Israel and Hamas must be held accountable.
“The entrenched impunity that OHCHR — the UN rights
agency — has reported on for many years cannot persist,” High Commissioner for
Human Rights Volker Turk said in a report on the situation in Gaza and in the
Israeli-occupied West Bank.
He said that this impunity had contributed to
violations that could amount to international crimes.
Turk urged all parties to the conflict to “put an end
to impunity and conduct prompt, independent, impartial, thorough, effective and
transparent investigations” into alleged crimes under international law. He
also called on them to implement a ceasefire on human rights and humanitarian
grounds, to ensure full respect for international law, and to ensure
accountability for violations and abuses.
Last month, the International Court of Justice in The
Hague ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and do
more to help civilians, although it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire as
requested by South Africa, which brought the case.
In separate proceedings, South Africa on Tuesday urged
the court to issue a non-binding legal opinion that the Israeli occupation of
Palestinian territories is illegal, arguing it would help efforts to reach a
settlement.
Separately, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees
warned it has reached a critical juncture as it struggles to cope with the war
in Gaza.
“It is with profound regret that I must now inform you
that UNRWA has reached a breaking point,” chief Philippe Lazzarini said, as
donors freeze funding, Israel exerts pressure to dismantle the agency and
humanitarian needs soar.
“The Agency’s ability to fulfill the mandate given
through General Assembly Resolution 302 is now seriously threatened,” he said
in a letter to the assembly.
That is the resolution under which the agency was
founded in 1949, following the creation of Israel. UNRWA employs some 30,000
people working in the occupied territories, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
Several countries — including the US, Britain, Germany
and Japan — have suspended funding to UNRWA in response to Israeli allegations
that some of its staff participated in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
In an interview published over the weekend Lazzarini
said $438 million has been frozen — the equivalent of more than half of
expected funding for 2024. He said Israel was waging a concerted effort to
destroy UNRWA.
The UN fired the employees accused by Israel and has
begun an internal probe of UNRWA.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also tasked
an independent panel with assessing whether UNRWA acts in a neutral fashion in
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Lazzarini asserted that Israel has provided no
evidence against the 12 former employees it accuses, but 16 countries have suspended
funding anyway.
“I have cautioned donors and host countries that
without new funding, UNRWA operations across the region will be severely
compromised from March,” he said.
He added: “I fear we are on the edge of a monumental
disaster with grave implications for regional peace, security and human
rights.”
The war started after Hamas’s unprecedented Oct. 7
attack which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly
civilians.
Hamas militants also took about 250 hostages — 130 of
whom remain in Gaza, including 30 presumed dead, according to Israel.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least
29,410 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest count by
Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2465606/middle-east
----
Palestine rejects Netanyahu's post-Gaza war plan, says
Gaza part of future state
23 February
2024
The Palestinian Authority has roundly dismissed
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s so-called “day after” plan for
Gaza, noting that such plans are doomed to fail.
The spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said on Friday that “Gaza will only be part of the
independent Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital.”
He added that Netanyahu's proposal was doomed to fail,
as were any Israeli plans to change the geographic and demographic realities in
Gaza.
“If the world wants security and stability in the
region, it must end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and
recognize the independent Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital,” Abu
Rudeineh noted.
The senior Palestinian official stressed that
Netanyahu's so-called day-after plan for Gaza aims to perpetuate the Israeli
regime's occupation of Palestinian territories and prevent the establishment of
a Palestinian state.
Moreover, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Expatriates said in a statement that the plan amounts to the official
recognition of the re-occupation of the Gaza Strip and the imposition of
Israeli control over it.
The ministry emphasized that the so-called post-Gaza
war plan is aimed at prolonging the genocidal war on Gaza and trying to buy
more time to implement the regime’s plot to forcefully displace Palestinian
people.
Netanyahu presented the plan to his cabinet on
Thursday night, which calls for the enclave to be administered by “local
officials” and stressed that Israel will only permit reconstruction of Gaza if
the strip is “demilitarized.”
The document also demands setting up a buffer zone
inside Gaza, and maintaining security control over the strip. It calls for
Israeli control of the Gaza–Egypt border as well.
“Reconstruction plans will be carried out with the
financing and leadership of countries acceptable to Israel,” it states.
The plan also calls for a complete dismantling of the
UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and its replacement with other
international agencies.
Israel has accused UNRWA employees of being involved
in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, with no credible evidence provided to date.
Israel has killed more than 29,000 people, mostly
women and children, in Gaza since early October. Over 68,000 others have also
been injured.
Source: presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/02/23/720647/Palestine-rejects-
Netanyahu%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98day-after%E2%80%99-post-Gaza-war-plan,-says-Gaza-will-be-part-of-future-state
-----
Erdoğan pushed for arrest of political mentor Erbakan
in 2006: Islamist opposition leader
February 23, 2024
Temel Karamollaoğlu, leader of the Islamist Felicity
Party (SP), has accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of trying to imprison
his political mentor, Necmettin Erbakan, in 2006.
Karamollaoğlu claims that Erdoğan, the prime minister
at the time, tried to take advantage of a court ruling to imprison Erbakan.
This allegation sheds light on the relationship
between two key figures in Turkish political Islam and raises questions about
Erdoğan’s loyalty, political maneuvering and the legacy of Erbakan’s Milli
Görüş (National Outlook) movement.
From mentor to rival
To fully understand the scope of these claims, it is
important to know the historical context of the relationship between Erbakan
and Erdoğan. Erbakan, a charismatic engineer-turned-politician, founded a
number of explicitly Islamist political parties from the 1970s onwards. These
parties, often viewed with suspicion by Turkey’s secular establishment, were frequently
banned by the courts or pressured by the military to disband.
Erdoğan, a young and ambitious politician, rose in the
ranks of Erbakan’s parties. However, a rift began to emerge between the
traditionalist Erbakan and the pragmatic Erdoğan. This rift culminated in a
split within Erbakan’s Virtue Party (FP) in 2001.
Erdoğan and his allies founded the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) and moderated their Islamist rhetoric to project a
broader conservative image more appealing to the Turkish public and the secular
establishment.
The AKP received 34 percent of the vote nationwide in
the 2002 parliamentary elections, and Erdoğan became prime minister in 2003
after a political ban was lifted in parliament.
Despite their differences of opinion going back to the
late ’70s, Erdoğan maintained a degree of visible respect for his former
mentor. Notably, he named his son Necmettin Bilal Erdoğan, born in 1981, after
Erbakan, a gesture seen as symbolic of enduring loyalty.
However, Karamollaoğlu’s allegation shows another side
of the story.
A court ruling in 2006 opened the way for Erbakan’s
imprisonment.
Karamollaoğlu claims that Erdoğan used this
opportunity to sideline his former mentor and ordered the police to surround
Erbakan’s house. Hasan Kalyoncu, a prominent businessman and former Erbakan
loyalist, apparently stopped this action by threatening Erdoğan with his
political downfall if he went further with his course of action.
Erdoğan is said to have arranged for Erbakan to be
placed under house arrest instead. An eventual pardon by then-president
Abdullah Gül allowed Erbakan to return to politics as leader of the Felicity
Party, which he led until he died in 2011.
Although this could be dismissed as mere hearsay, it
is worth noting that it comes from a person very close to Erbakan and who
governs the party he founded, an organization that would not cross the
boundaries drawn by the party elders.
Erdoğan might have been driven by a desire for
political revenge or pursuing a broader strategy to consolidate his power
within the Islamist voter base. It is plausible that he saw Erbakan as a
continuing threat to his authority despite his waning influence.
During Erdoğan’s time as prime minister, although he
was already frail at the time, Erbakan condemned the pro-Western policies of
his former protégés and accused them of “serving Zionism.”
Source: turkishminute.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.turkishminute.com/2024/02/23/erdogan-pushed-for-arrest-political-mentor-erbakan-2006-islam-opposition-leader/
----
Southeast
Asia
Penang Mufti: Don't be obsessed with those claiming to
be Prophet descendants
23-02- 2024
GEORGE TOWN: Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Wan Salim Wan
Mohd Noor has urged Muslims not to become overly obsessed with those claiming
to be the descendants of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
He also advised them to verify the facts and
investigate the background of a scholar or group beforehand to avoid becoming easy
targets for those with vested interests, adding that noble lineage has no
benefits if the individual does not adhere to the teachings of Prophet
Muhammad.
“I support the advice of the Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs, Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar) for society
to avoid idolising someone who claims to be a descendant of Prophet Muhammad.
“Such fanaticism leads to individuals’ minds being
closed off from seeing the truth,“ he said in a statement today.
Media outlets reported that police were monitoring the
activities of a man claiming to be a Moroccan who is the 38th descendant of
Prophet Muhammad, known as ‘Mawla Amin’.
Elaborating, Wan Salim said two years ago, the man's
followers brought him to Penang for a religious function, which he was invited
to attend. However, he decided not to go because he doubted the authenticity of
the man's claims based on information about his background from Malaysian
students in Morocco.
“Someone claiming to have such lineage should be asked
to present valid documents from authorities in their (home) country, such as
the courts, Islamic religious councils or recognised scholars’ associations,“
he added. –Bernama
Source: thesun.my
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://thesun.my/local_news/penang-mufti-don-t-be-obsessed-with-those-claiming-to-be-prophet-descendants-MB12133690
-----
Muslim Cleric Prevented From Delivering Sermons Over
His ‘Radical Views’In The East Java Capital Mosque
Muhammad Fakhruddin & Heru Andriyanto
February 23,
2024
Surabaya. Chaos erupted at Assalam Purimas Mosque in
the East Java capital on Thursday evening during a religious event, as a group
of individuals disrupted the gathering, preventing the renowned cleric Syafiq
Riza Basalamah from delivering sermons due to his alleged "radical and
divisive views."
The arrival of Muslim preacher Syafiq Riza Basalamah
drew protests from GP Ansor and Banser, the youth wings of Indonesia's largest
Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama. A brawl ensued between GP Ansor and Banser
members and the followers of Syafiq before he could commence his sermons.
Asyiqun Nahdli, a GP Ansor member, clarified that the
group was not against the religious gathering itself but against a cleric with
a history of promoting radical views being allowed to speak at the event.
“We have voiced opposition since the beginning and
everyone agreed in a signed document that [the cleric] will not come here. The
signing of the agreement was witnessed by the police and district leaders. But
they don’t keep their promise,” Asyiqun said.
The incident sparked intense discussions on various
social media platforms. Afif Fuad, another GP Ansor member, pointed out on his
X account that in previous sermons, Syafiq had discouraged his followers from befriending
people of different faiths. Additionally, Fuad claimed that the cleric
prohibited his followers from saluting the national flag and singing the
national anthem.
Contradictorily, videos on Syafiq's YouTube account
showed him delivering sermons next to a small Indonesian flag on his desk.
In one video, the 46-year-old cleric refrained from
making statements about the recent presidential election, asserting that
"democracy is invented by humans to create hostilities and hatred."
However, Syafiq participated in the Feb. 14 election and posted a video showing
him casting his ballot at a polling station in Jember, East Java.
Following the Surabaya incident, Syafiq took to
Instagram, saying, "May Allah give guidance to our friends who may not
possess the understanding and goodwill." He apologized to his followers
for canceling the sermon due to the chaotic situation and assured them of
future meetings.
Source: jakartaglobe.id
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://jakartaglobe.id/news/muslim-cleric-prevented-from-delivering-sermons-over-his-radical-views
-----
Singapore Ministry of Education says teachers do not
impose personal views, advocate for any party in school lessons about
Israel-Hamas war
24 Feb 2024
SINGAPORE, Feb 24 — Responding to some concerns online
about what schools are teaching on the Israel-Hamas war, the Ministry of
Education (MOE) said that teachers do not impose their personal views, “nor do
they advocate for the interests of any particular parties involved in the
conflict”.
For younger students, the lessons hone in on empathy
for the victims of the conflict, while lessons for older students also focus on
verification of information sources and appreciating diversity in perspectives,
the ministry said yesterday (February 23) in response to TODAY’s queries.
Its statement came after numerous posts began
circulating on social media channels on Friday, voicing concerns over what
schools are teaching students about the conflict in Gaza.
Among others, the posts claimed that the narrative
presented to the students was not neutral or objective since it only covered
the events from Oct 7, without giving historical context of the wider conflict
between Israel and Palestine that dates back some seven decades ago.
The posts also said that teachers were not allowed to
give further input in the lessons beyond what was prescribed to them.
TODAY understands that the topic on the Israel-Hamas
conflict has been covered in Character and Citizenship Education lessons from
February this year.
TODAY also understands that its contents cover the
developments of the violence from Oct 7 up to December 2023, given the
constraints of the one-hour lesson time as well as the lead time required to
prepare and disseminate the resources.
Numerous key developments have happened since
December, with the calls by the international community growing louder as the
civilian death toll continues to climb.
For example, the world court in January ordered Israel
to take action to prevent acts of genocide as it wages war against Hamas
militants in the Gaza Strip.
On Febriary 20, 13 members of the United Nations
Security Council voted in favour of a draft resolution demanding an immediate
humanitarian ceasefire, but it was vetoed by the United States.
Lessons slides seen by TODAY included a brief one-page
summary of some key events of the Israel-Palestine conflict since the 1940s.
What happens during the lessons
Yesterday, MOE said that Character and Citizenship
Education lessons cover “discussions on a range of contemporary issues”.
These include “casual racism”, mental well-being as
well as global events such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas
conflict.
The lesson on the Israel-Hamas conflict, in
particular, aims to give students a safe space to understand the complex
situation and develop their own views, it added.
The students are also taught to “appreciate the
diverse perspectives involved, discern the information about the issue, and
understand the situation from Singapore’s perspectives, including the need to
preserve our cohesion and harmony”.
Teachers were trained to use “age-appropriate methods”
to help students of different level — from upper primary to pre-university —
appreciate different dimensions of the issue.
“In conducting these lessons, our teachers do not
impose their personal views on the students, nor do they advocate for the
interests of any particular parties involved in the conflict,” MOE said.
“Our curated resources are differentiated by levels
for ease of use by our educators.”
Students are given the opportunity to share their
thoughts in a safe environment while being respectful and sensitive to the
views of others. They are encouraged to channel their energies into positive
actions.
“Our teachers also check in on the emotional
well-being of our students and identify those that may require greater support.
We do not poll the students on their beliefs.”
Members of Parliament had in November called for
discussions to be held in schools to educate the young.
Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Second Minister for Foreign
Affairs and Education, said then that as educational institutions engage
students in understanding global issues, including the conflict in the Middle
East, “we will continue to emphasise Singapore’s multicultural context and the
importance of preserving our precious racial and religious harmony”.
He said that schools here provide a safe environment
for students to “engage in civil, respectful and balanced discourse and allow
different opinions to be voiced and discussed objectively”.
Israel’s latest military campaign in Gaza — which
followed Hamas’ attack on Oct 7 that led to the death of about 1,160 people in
Israel — has killed at least 29,410 people, mostly women and children. This is
based on the latest count by Gaza’s health ministry.
At a G20 meeting in Brazil, Dr Maliki said that
Singapore supports an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza to facilitate
the urgent delivery of aid to affected civilians, while also calling for “the
safe, immediate and unconditional release of all civilian hostages”. — TODAY
Source: malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2024/02/24/singapore-ministry-of-education-says-teachers-do-not-impose-personal-views-advocate-for-any-party-in-school-lessons-about-israel-hamas-war/119717
-------
North
America
New Israeli Settlements In West Bank Illegal And
Inconsistent With International Law: US Secretary of State
24.02.24
The new Israeli settlements in the West Bank are
illegal and inconsistent with international law, US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken has said, reversing a Trump-era policy.
Blinken, at a joint press conference with the
Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino in Buenos Aires, said he was
disappointed with Israel's latest plans for settlement expansion.
“We have seen the reports, and I have to say we’re
disappointed in the announcement. It’s been long-standing US policy under
Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are
counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace,” Blinken said in response to a
question.
“They’re also inconsistent with international law. Our
administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion. And in our
judgement, this only weakens -- it doesn’t strengthen -- Israel’s security,”
said the top American diplomat, a day after Israel’s far-right Finance Minister
Bezalel Smotrich indicated that more than 3,000 new residences would be added
to settlements.
The statement comes as the Biden administration's
latest shift away from the pro-Israel policies pursued by former president
Donald Trump.
The Trump administration reversed the US policy to
declare that settlements did not violate international law. In 2019, under
Trump, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that “the establishment of
Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with
international law".
Blinken’s statement was defended by the White House in
Washington DC.
“(We have) seen those reports and, frankly,
disappointed in the announcement. It's been long-standing US policy under both
Republican and Democratic administrations that new settlements are
counterproductive to the cause of peace. Frankly, they're also inconsistent
with international law. And this administration maintains our firm opposition
to settlement expansion,” John Kirby, a White House spokesman, told reporters.
The New York Times reported that in November 2019, the
then Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, under then-president Donald Trump
reversed four decades of US policy by saying that settlements did not violate
international law.
“State Department lawyers never issued a new legal
determination that buttressed that policy change and Mr. Blinken’s shift back
to the old policy is consistent with a long-standing legal finding of the
department,” the daily reported.
“We are simply reaffirming the fundamental conclusion
that these settlements are inconsistent with international law. This is a
position that has been consistent over a range of Republican and Democratic
administrations. If there’s an administration that is being inconsistent, it
was the previous one,” Kirby told reporters.
In Buenos Aires, Blinken said he had seen reports
about the post-war Gaza plan.
“I haven’t seen the plan, so I want to reserve
judgment until we see the details. Having said that, you know that there are
certain basic principles that we set out many months ago that we feel are very
important when it comes to Gaza’s future, including that it cannot be a
platform for terrorism,” he said.
“There should be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza. The
size of Gaza’s territory should not be reduced. So, we want to make sure that
any plan that emerges is consistent with those principles. There are other
principles, but those are three of the most important ones,” Blinken said.
“At the same time, we have many countries in the
region that are working together on a plan for post-conflict Gaza. I think
that’s very important, and I’ve spent some time with some of our Arab partners,
including recently on the margins of the G20, talking about just as we did when
we were at the Munich Security Conference together. So, it’s important that we
have, again, a necessary plan, but one also that’s consistent with basic
principles that I think many countries share about what has to be Gaza’s
future,” said the Secretary of State.
The reversal comes amidst growing US-Israeli tensions
over the war in Gaza, with the latest settlement announcement only adding to
the strain.
The United Nations' highest court, the International
Court of Justice, is also holding hearings into the legality of the Israeli
occupation.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/new-israeli-settlements-in-west-bank-illegal-and-inconsistent-with-international-law-united-states-secretary-of-state-antony-blinken/cid/2002628
-----
US warns of environmental disaster from cargo ship hit
by Houthi rebels
February 24, 2024
WASHINGTON: A cargo ship abandoned in the Gulf of Aden
after an attack by Yemeni rebels is taking on water and has left a huge oil
slick, in an environmental disaster that US Central Command said Friday could
get worse.
Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, British-registered and
Lebanese-operated cargo ship carrying combustible fertilizer, was damaged in a
Sunday missile strike claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Its crew was evacuated to Djibouti after one missile
hit the side of the ship, causing water to enter the engine room and its stern
to sag, said its operator, the Blue Fleet Group.
A second missile hit the vessel’s deck without causing
major damage, Blue Fleet CEO Roy Khoury told AFP.
CENTCOM said the ship is anchored but slowly taking on
water and has left an 18 mile oil slick.
“The M/V Rubymar was transporting over 41,000 tons of
fertilizer when it was attacked, which could spill into the Red Sea and worsen
this environmental disaster,” it said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The ship’s operator said Thursday the ship could be
towed to Djibouti this week.
Khoury said the ship was still afloat and shared an
image captured on Wednesday that showed its stern low in the water.
When asked about the possibility of it sinking, Khoury
had said there was “no risk for now, but always a possibility.”
The attack on the Rubymar represents the most
significant damage yet to be inflicted on a commercial ship since the Houthis
started firing on vessels in November — a campaign they say is in solidarity
with Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war.
The Houthi attacks have prompted some shipping
companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, which normally
carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade.
The UN Conference on Trade and Development warned late
last month that the volume of commercial traffic passing through the Suez Canal
had fallen more than 40 percent in the previous two months.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2465686/middle-east
-----
Fresh US-British airstrikes target positions in
Yemen’s western Hudaydah province
24 February 2024
The United States and the United Kingdom have launched
a string of airstrikes against targets in Yemen’s strategic western province of
Hudaydah in response to continued attacks by Yemeni Armed Forces against
Israeli-affiliated commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Yemen’s official Saba news agency, citing a security
source speaking on condition of anonymity, reported that two airstrikes hit
al-Kuwaizi area in the al-Durayhimi district late on Friday. No further details
about any casualties were immediately available.
The development came hours after US and British forces
conducted three strikes against positions in the Port of Ras Isa.
Diana Shipping’s vessels avoiding Suez Canal
Meanwhile, Diana Shipping Inc., a global provider of
shipping transportation services, announced on Friday that it had joined the
world’s largest shipping companies in avoiding the Suez Canal route following a
spate of attacks in the Red Sea.
“Suez Canal transits are running about 40% below those
seen during the first half of December last year. This is partially the result
of several operators including ourselves avoiding the area,” Diana Shipping
President Anastasios Margaronis said.
The canal is a key trade link between Europe and Asia,
channeling nearly 12% of the global cargo. The ongoing operations in the Red
Sea, however, are forcing shipping companies to use longer routes, disrupting
their schedules while adding to their costs.
The United States and Britain have been carrying out
such strikes on Yemen since Washington and its allies offered the Tel Aviv regime
unqualified support and said Yemeni forces bear the consequences of attacks
against Israeli-owned ships or merchant vessels heading to the occupied
territories.
The Yemenis have declared their open support for
Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a
devastating war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s Palestinian
resistance movements carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
The Yemeni Armed Forces have said they won’t stop
retaliatory strikes.
The maritime attacks have forced some of the world’s
biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the
world’s most important maritime trade routes.
Tankers are instead adding thousands of miles to
international shipping routes by sailing around the continent of Africa rather
than going through the Suez Canal.
Source: presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/02/24/720667/US-Britain-launch-new-airstrikes-targets-Yemen-Hudaydah
----
US revives policy deeming settlements illegal, pans
Israel’s plan for 3,000 new homes
JACOB MAGID
23 February 2024
The United States on Friday restored its longstanding
policy that settlements are inconsistent with international law, reversing a
stance implemented by the former administration, hours after Israel announced a
plan to advance the construction of thousands of new settlement homes in
response to a terror shooting in the West Bank.
“We’ve seen the reports and I have to say we’re disappointed
in the announcement,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in response to
a question on the matter during a press conference in Argentina.
“It’s been long-standing US policy under Republican
and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive
to reaching an enduring peace.”
“They’re also inconsistent with international law,” he
continued, effectively revoking what became known as the “Pompeo doctrine,”
which deemed settlements “not per se inconsistent with international law.” The
2019 policy implemented by Trump’s secretary of state Mike Pompeo overturned a
1978 memo by State Department legal adviser Herbert Hansell, which
characterized settlements as illegal.
Blinken’s remarks restored the validity of that memo, a
US official told The Times of Israel, adding that a more formal step wasn’t
required because Pompeo’s policy was merely announced in a statement akin to
the one now made by his successor.
“Our administration maintains firm opposition to
settlement expansion and in our judgment, this only weakens — doesn’t
strengthen — Israel’s security,” Blinken added.
Elaborating on the decision during his own press
conference, White House National Security Adviser John Kirby said, “We are
simply reaffirming the fundamental conclusion that these settlements are
inconsistent with international law… this is a position that has been
consistent over a range of Republican and Democratic administrations.”
“If there’s an administration that is being
inconsistent, it was the previous one,” Kirby said of the Trump administration.
The criticism was echoed by the UK’s Ambassador to
Israel Simon Walters, who tweeted, “Settlements are illegal under international
law and make it harder still to progress towards a solution of this conflict.”
Despite pressure from progressive pro-Israel
organizations, the Biden administration had held off for over three years in
revoking the Pompeo doctrine, as it avoided moves seen as overly
confrontational with Jerusalem.
But the swift nature in which the US moved with
Friday’s announcement highlighted Washington’s ever-shrinking patience with
Israel’s policy in the West Bank, as the administration continues to come under
fire from progressives at home and many allies abroad over its broad support
for Israel in the war against Hamas.
Anger has bubbled over the past year, even as
Washington held off on pulling the trigger on reversing the largely symbolic
Pompeo doctrine.
Last year’s approval of a record number of settlement
homes and the expansion of Israel’s footprint in the West Bank led the US to
summon Jerusalem’s ambassador in Washington for the first time in over a
decade. Unchecked settler violence recently sparked first-of-their-kind
sanctions against Israeli extremists, with additional such penalties slated to
be announced in the coming weeks and months, US officials told The Times of
Israel earlier this week.
One senior US official said on Tuesday — two days
before the Israeli settlement announcement — that the Pompeo doctrine could be
revoked if Israel took a significant step to expand its footprint in the West
Bank. Notably, Israel had avoided convening the High Planning Subcommittee
since the war with Hamas broke out. It last met in June 2023, while still
managing to break a record in just six months for most homes advanced in a year
— 12,349.
That lull will end in the coming days after Finance
Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced late Thursday that Israel will advance
plans for the construction of more than 3,000 settlement homes in response to the
deadly shooting attack near the Ma’ale Adumim settlement.
Smotrich said in a statement that the decision to
advance plans for 2,350 new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim, 300 in Keidar and
694 in Efrat was made during a meeting he held with Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron
Dermer. It was the latest demonstration of the influence that the far-right
minister holds in Netanyahu’s government, as the premier continues to rely on
the support of his Orthodox coalition partners to remain in power.
“May every terrorist planning to harm us know that
lifting a finger against Israeli citizens will be met with a death blow and
destruction in addition to the deepening of our eternal grip on the entire Land
of Israel,” Smotrich said, calling the decision “an appropriate Zionist
response.”
Earlier Thursday, three Palestinian gunmen opened fire
near a checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement city of Ma’ale
Adumim, killing an Israeli man and wounding 11 others.
In what may have been an attempt to soften the
response from Washington, the three settlements that the top Israeli ministers
earmarked for construction — Ma’ale Adumim, Efrat and Kedar — are all located
west of the West Bank security barrier, in areas perceived to enjoy more
consensus Israeli support, as opposed to more isolated settlements dozens of
kilometers east of the Green Line.
This apparently was not enough to convince the Biden
administration to hold off on the step it took Friday.
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-pans-israeli-w-bank-construction-plans-revives-policy-deeming-settlements-illegal/
----
'Palestinians are not Hamas': Biden's post on social
media draws response from some notable figures
FEBRUARY 24, 2024
"The overwhelming majority of Palestinians are
not Hamas" said US President Biden on a post on X (formerly twitter) on
Friday.
"I won't mince words. The overwhelming majority of
Palestinians are not Hamas. And Hamas does not represent the Palestinian
people. In fact, they're also suffering as a result of Hamas' terrorism. We
need to be clear-eyed about that reality," said the president in his full
post.
Over the course of the war there has been much
discourse in Israel and around the world about how representative Hamas is of
the Palestinians in Gaza, as well as how many Gazans support Hamas, or even how
much of the death toll in Gaza is actually Hamas operatives.
Conversations on Gazan support and involvement with
Hamas have also grown exponentially over the past few weeks, due to the
imminent, but unclear ground operation that is expected to take place in Rafah.
Key figures respond to the president on social media
The presidents post warranted the response of some
well-known figures, who didn't exactly agree with his message.
Notably, Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism
Minister Amichai Chikli responded, saying "Dear Mr. President, The
overwhelming majority of Palestinians express strong support for Hamas. In
fact, a survey conducted by the Palestinian research institute AWRAD revealed that 84% of respondents in the West
Bank strongly endorsed the massacre and atrocities of Oct. 7."
Additionally, former Miss Iraq and current human
rights advocate and ally to Israel, Sarah Idan, weighed in, saying, "Tell
that to the Palestinians in my inbox telling me Hamas are heroes and are
freedom fighters…"
There were also pro-Palestinian commenters in the post
who also had issue with the president's statement. One account commented,
saying. "Why are you still arming Israel then?" and another saying,
"Says the man that just vetoed another humanitarian ceasefire. How many is
that now?"
Source: jpost.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-788565
----
Arab
World
Yemenis come out in their millions in solidarity with
war-hit Palestinians in Gaza
23 February
2024
Millions of Yemenis have rallied across the country
again to display support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who are enduring a
genocidal Israeli war.
The rallies were held throughout various provinces all
over the country on Friday, Yemen’s al-Masirah television network reported.
“The participants affirmed steadfastness and
determination in their stance towards the Palestinian cause” of liberation from
Israeli occupation and aggression, the report noted.
Yemenis have been holding similar demonstrations every
Friday since October 7, 2023, when the regime began the war in response to
Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, a surprise offensive staged by Gaza's resistance
groups against the occupied territories.
The regime has simultaneously been employing an
all-out siege against the coastal sliver, preventing the flow of water, food,
electricity, and medical supplies into the territory.
So far, the war has killed 29,514 people, mostly women
and children, and injured tens of thousands of others.
This Friday, the marches that were held in solidarity
with the Gazans across Yemen, “witnessed greater momentum” compared to those of
the previous weeks, al-Masirah’s report revealed.
The demonstrators partaking in the rally that was held
in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a released a statement “condemning the ongoing
Zionist crimes,” “denouncing international silence,” and decrying, what they
called, “the weak Arab positions towards the [Israeli] atrocities.”
The statement also praised the operations that the
Yemeni military has been conducting against Israeli vessels and those heading
towards the occupied territories’ ports as means of mounting pressure on the
Israeli regime and its supporters.
The Yemenis vowed that the operations would continue
“until the aggression stops and the siege on Gaza is lifted.”
Source: presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/02/23/720657/Yemen-millions-demonstrations-support-Palestinians-Israel-war-Gaza
-----
Qatar condemns ‘double standards’ at ICJ hearing on
Israeli occupation
23 Feb 2024
Qatar tells the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
that it rejects the “double standards” when international law applies to some
but not to others during a hearing on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian
territories.
“Some children are deemed worthy of protection while
others are killed in their thousands,” senior Qatari diplomat Mutlaq al-Qahtani
said on Friday in The Hague.
“Qatar rejects such double standards. International
law must be upheld in all circumstances. It must be applied to all, and there
must be accountability”.
Al-Qahtani added that Israel had implemented an
“apartheid regime” to maintain the “domination of Jewish Israelis over
Palestinians”.
He also said the occupation is “illegal” due to it
violating the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
The court has the “clear mandate and indeed the
responsibility to remedy this unacceptable situation. The credibility of the
international legal order depends on your opinion, and the stakes cannot be
higher.”
Qatar, the United States and Egypt are currently
mediating negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to stop the
current war, which is taking a devastating toll on Palestinian civilians in the
Gaza Strip.
INTERACTIVE - ICJ hearing on Israel occupation of
Palestine
Over the past week, the ICJ has been hearing the
opinion of more than 50 countries on the legal implications of Israel’s
occupation ahead of the court issuing a nonbinding opinion.
The 15-judge panel has been asked to review Israel’s
“occupation, settlement and annexation, … including measures aimed at altering
the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of
Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and
measures”.
But Qatar echoed similar statements from several
countries in calling out Israel’s policy as a breach of international law,
including South Africa, which also referred to the occupation as “apartheid”.
Representatives from several other countries,
including Pakistan, Norway, Indonesia and the United Kingdom, spoke at Friday’s
hearing.
Pakistani Minister for Law and Justice Ahmed Irfan
Aslam said that while Israel had tried to make its occupation of the
Palestinian territories irreversible, history has shown that change is
possible, referring to the withdrawal of French settlers from Algeria in 1962.
He added that a two-state solution “must be the basis
for peace”.
Norway’s representative said developments on the
ground “give reason to ask whether the occupation is turning into a de facto
annexation”, which is prohibited under international law.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, who said
she left the G20 meeting in Brazil to address the ICJ personally, stated: “I
stand before you to defend justice against a blatant violation of international
humanitarian law that is being committed by Israel.”
Marsudi added that Israel’s “unlawful occupation”
should not be normalised or recognised, all actions that stop the Palestinian
people’s right to self-determination “shall be unlawful” and it is clear that
its “apartheid regime” is in breach of international law.
The British representative was the only person to
divert from what other countries had said on Friday and instead aligned with
the US, who called on the court to reject issuing an advisory opinion.
The representative said that while Israel’s occupation
is illegal, it is a “bilateral dispute”, and issuing an opinion would affect
the security framework led by the United Nations Security Council.
The hearings are, in part, a push by Palestinian
officials to get international legal institutions to investigate Israel’s
occupation, especially in light of the current war on Gaza.
During the past four months and after Hamas’s October
7 attacks in southern Israel, which killed 1,139 Israelis, Israel has conducted
a military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than
29,000 Palestinians.
In the occupied West Bank, settler violence has
increased, and world leaders have issued sanctions to try to penalise and curb
the attacks.
Israel, which is not attending the hearing, has said
the court proceedings could be harmful to achieving some kind of negotiated
settlement.
Source: aljazeera.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/23/qatar-condemns-double-standards-at-icj-hearing-on-israeli-occupation
-----
Culture Ministry launches ‘1727’ competition to mark
Saudi Founding Day
February 24, 2024
RIYADH: The Ministry of Culture announced the launch
of the "1727" competition, featuring a prize pool of SR100,000, in
honor of the Saudi Founding Day.
The competition, open to the general public, commences
on Thursday and will run through Saturday. It entails a series of questions
related to the establishment of the Saudi state by Imam Muhammad bin Saud in
1727 AD.
Participants will encounter eight diverse questions
divided into four phases, with two questions per phase, focusing on the
cultural and historical aspects of Founding Day.
Participants who correctly answer all questions,
progressing through all phases, will qualify for a prize draw. Randomly, 100
winners will be chosen, each receiving SR1,000.
The competition is part of numerous activities and
events presented by the Ministry of Culture to commemorate Founding Day, a
source of immense pride for all Saudis. These events aim to engage all segments
of society throughout the Kingdom.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2465631/saudi-arabia
----
Residents unite to celebrate Saudi Founding Day in
Jeddah
February 23, 2024
JEDDAH: Citizens and residents have come together to
celebrate Saudi Founding Day with a plethora of exciting events and activities
in Jeddah. The festivities are taking place over a long weekend, allowing
everyone to fully immerse themselves in honoring Saudi Arabia’s rich history.
One of the main highlights is being held in Al-Balad —
nine activities with a Founding Day theme. Visitors are taken on a journey
through Saudi Arabia’s history, and given the opportunity to indulge in street
food, participate in various activities, and spend quality time with their
family and friends.
Guests are welcome to begin their visit at Bab Jadid,
where they can savor Saudi coffee, explore the crafts area, and engage in folk
games. Moving on to Thaker Courtyard, visitors can experience a live cooking
corner, while Al-Hazzazi Courtyard showcases the mesmerizing traditional dance
called Ardah and other folk arts.
For those with children, Al-Eidrous Courtyard features
a dedicated children’s corner, a theater area, and art workshops. Meanwhile,
Zawiya 97 is brimming with artistic performances, providing a vibrant and
immersive experience for all attendees.
One of the main highlights is being held in Al-Balad —
nine activities with a Founding Day theme. Visitors are taken on a journey
through Saudi Arabia’s history, and given the opportunity to indulge in street
food, participate in various activities, and spend quality time with their
family and friends.
Sari Salem Hariri, co-founder and general manager of
Al-Mugasap, a Saudi traditional fashion clothing brand, shared his passion for
showcasing Saudi traditional attire: “We have meticulously crafted all our
Saudi traditional founding designs in alignment with the guidelines of the
founding day, catering to both men and women. Each piece embodies the spirit of
celebration.”
He further expressed his enthusiasm for promoting
awareness of Saudi traditional attire, and said: “I am thrilled to be part of
this event and to contribute to the preservation of our deep-rooted customs and
traditions. Our booth offers visitors the opportunity to try on these outfits
and create lasting memories of our cultural heritage.”
Their stall is not limited to Al-Balad; it can also be
found in Thuwwal and at various locations such as the Saudi German Hospital and
Red Sea Mall.
Dalia Al-Sahref Al-Abdali, an advisor at the Jeddah
Historic District, also played a part in the celebration with a stall
showcasing traditional outfits for visitors to wear and have a photo session.
“This is the time when we can proudly participate and
celebrate our culture and show the real Saudi culture,” she said.
Hend Al-Gheethi, the owner of a perfume brand bearing
her name, crafted exclusive perfumes specifically for the foundation day,
capturing the essence of traditional Saudi scents.
She said: “I am proud to have created perfumes that
embody the rich and authentic aromas of Saudi tradition, specially designed to
commemorate this special occasion.”
The lively streets of Al-Balad are filled with men
singing and dancing to traditional songs. Skilled artists can be observed
playing ouds, reviving the community’s musical heritage.
Huda Labib, founder of Mansaj Studio located at Zawiya
97, conducts workshops on textiles knitting and weaving. She actively took part
in the celebrations, guiding both children and adults in creating special
designs through knitting and weaving to celebrate the occasion.
“It is a privilege to empower individuals of all ages
to engage in the art of textiles knitting and weaving, fostering creativity and
celebrating our heritage on this significant founding day,” she said.
In addition to the festivities in Al-Balad, another
experience awaits visitors at the Founding Village, located in Al-Baghdadiyah
Al-Gharbiyah district. This event offers guests the opportunity to journey back
300 years into the rich cultural heritage.
Through engaging storytelling, creative showcases of
traditional crafts and interactive experiences at the Culture Square, guests
can immerse themselves in the spirit of Saudi Founding Day. This inclusive and
interactive event is tailored for all age groups, especially with amazing
entertainment activities organized for children.
The festivities will continue until Feb. 24, and
admission is free for all attendees.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2465541/saudi-arabia
----
Saudi foreign minister emphasizes need for reforms in
global governance
February 23, 2024
RIO DE JANEIRO — Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal
bin Farhan underscored the need for reforms in global governance to enhance the
efficacy of multilateral frameworks.
Prince Faisal participated in the second session of
the Group of Twenty (G20) foreign ministers meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In his speech titled "Restructuring Global
Governance," Prince Faisal highlighted the G20's crucial role as a
platform of the world's leading economies in bolstering cooperation and
improving coordination to tackle global challenges.
He pointed out the increased interconnectedness of the
global economy and the collective interest in addressing economic hurdles and
trade barriers that hinder global growth and development.
The foreign minister emphasized the importance of
fortifying multilateral trading systems, referring to Riyadh's initiative on
the future of the World Trade Organization, endorsed by G20 leaders during
Saudi Arabia's presidency in 2020.
Additionally, he spoke about the significance of
relieving the growing pressures on developing countries through a unified
global effort.
Prince Faisal stressed that applying the G20 joint
framework across all sectors is essential for Saudi Arabia to reform global
governance and rectify imbalances in the international system.
He also called for more global dialogue and
cooperation, along with the restoration of trust and credibility in
international organizations.
Prince Faisal advocated the need for a process aimed
at enhancing transparency, inclusivity, and equitable application of
international law to make key institutions like the United Nations Security
Council more effective in decision-making and addressing shared challenges.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/640637/SAUDI-ARABIA/Saudi-foreign-minister-emphasizes-need-for-global-governance-reform
----
South
Asia
Mujahid: Lack of Constitution Does Not Mean Legal
Vacuum
February 23, 2024
The Islamic Emirate spokesperson said that the absence
of a constitution does not mean there is a legal vacuum in the country.
Two and a half years of Islamic Emirate rule have
passed without any constitution in the country, and the Islamic Emirate
spokesman said that having a constitution is important; however, Islamic Sharia
has specified everyone’s duty in the society.
“We are not in any legal vacuum, Islamic Sharia is a
comprehensive law which specify duties for everyone,” said Zabiullah Mujahid.
Law experts on the other hand consider the
establishment of a constitution the most important job of a government, adding
that the absence of law will lead to inconsistent dealings with similar issues.
“Now, the rule of law might be ten kinds in ten
districts of the country, it means people’s issues will be dealt with
differently, which is indeed a legal vacuum. A government should have a single
law applying to all,” said Muhammad Zaman Muzamel, a university lecturer.
“The constitution is mother of public laws. The
constitution should be the source of other small laws in the country,” said
Zakiullah Muhammadi, a university lecturer.
The Islamic Emirate has suspended Afghanistan’s
previous constitution and said that they are working on a new one, but details
of the process have not been made public yet.
Source: tolonews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-187548
-----
'800 Ethnic Conflicts' Resolved Under Islamic Emirate
Rule: Officials
February 23, 2024
The Islamic Emirate said that 800 ethnic conflicts
have been resolved since the they came to power.
According to the deputy spokesperson of the interim
government, most of the conflicts were about land, forests or water.
“Our regional governance has resolved 800 small and
large ethnic conflicts in different provinces since the Islamic Emirate came to
power. Most of them were about land, forests or water,” said Hamdullah Fetrat,
the deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate.
Fetrat added that most of these conflicts emerged
between nomads and regional people in Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, Bamiyan and Takhar
provinces.
“The government has done much to resolve conflicts
between nomads and people in different provinces. We had many conflicts in
Ghazni, Bamiyan, Maidan Wardak and Takhar provinces which have been resolved
significantly,” added the deputy spokesperson.
“Most of the conflicts are resolved through regional
councils in different provinces,” said Muhammad Asif Faqiri, a law expert.
“The Taliban has been successful in resolving the
conflicts through Sharia law,” said Akhtar Muhammad Rasikh, a military analyst.
Earlier, the ministry of borders and tribal affairs
said that they have established a commission to resolve ethnic conflicts across
the country.
Source: tolonews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-187546
----
Global Fund allocates $4.7 million for Afghan
returnees’ health services
Fidel Rahmati
February 23, 2024
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and
Malaria is stepping up its efforts to support the healthcare needs of Afghan
returnees from Pakistan, with an allocation exceeding $4.7 million in emergency
funding. This financial injection aims to tackle the health challenges posed by
HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria among the anticipated 1.3 million returnees
in the coming year.
This emergency funding complements an ongoing $66
million grant initiated on January 1, 2024, spearheaded by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP). Over three years, this grant seeks to bolster
healthcare services in Afghanistan, particularly in regions bordering Pakistan,
where the influx of returnees is concentrated.
Annelise Hirschmann, the Head of Asia, Eastern Europe,
Latin America, and the Caribbean Department at the Global Fund, highlights the
significance of the returnee population, amounting to over 3% of Afghanistan’s
total populace. This demographic shift, especially in remote and underserved
areas near the Pakistan border, presents a heightened epidemiological risk,
necessitating robust interventions for HIV, TB, and malaria.
“The anticipated 1.3 million people represent over 3%
of Afghanistan’s population. This increase, particularly in rural and
hard-to-reach areas bordering Pakistan, poses an epidemiological risk and
necessitates reinforced HIV, TB, and malaria services, Hirschmann said.
The emergency funds earmarked by the Global Fund will
be strategically allocated to address specific healthcare priorities. For
malaria, this includes bolstering diagnostic services, distributing
long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in high-risk zones, and offering
training programs to residents in low-risk provinces to mitigate the spread from
neighbouring high-risk areas.
In the realm of tuberculosis, the focus is on
establishing point-of-care facilities at border crossings equipped with testing
infrastructure, expanding active case-finding initiatives, streamlining sample
transportation, and facilitating treatment services. These measures aim to
enhance TB detection and management among the returning population.
To combat AIDS, emergency funding will support
voluntary testing at border entry points, provision of counselling services,
and continuation of treatment for displaced individuals. These interventions
are crucial for maintaining continuity of care and preventing the resurgence of
HIV infections among vulnerable populations.
Stephen Rodriques, the UNDP Afghanistan Resident
Representative, expresses confidence in the collaborative efforts between UNDP
and the Global Fund to address the immediate health needs of returnees. With
the additional financial support, they aim to minimize health risks and ensure
the well-being of the returnee population, emphasizing the importance of
continued collaboration in the face of ongoing challenges.
Source: khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/global-fund-allocates-4-7-million-for-afghan-returnees-health-services/
-----
Execution of Two People in Ghazni Sparks Intl
Reactions
February 23, 2024
The execution of two people in Ghazni on Thursday
sparked reactions from international institutions.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
on X said that the United Nations is against executions.
UNAMA said on X: “Two people were publicly executed
today by Afghanistan's de facto authorities in Ghazni province. The UN is
strongly opposed to the death penalty. It is inconsistent with the fundamental
right to life.”
The UN Secretary General's spokesperson, Stephane
Dujarric, said: “We firmly continue to stand against the use of the death
penalty and I think the public nature of these executions is particularly
heinous.”
Meanwhile, in a statement, Amnesty International asked
the caretaker government to stop all kinds of executions in the country,
stating that the executions by the Islamic Emirate are an insult to human
dignity and contradict all international laws.
The Islamic Emirate said that execution is a Sharia
ruling and the Islamic system is obliged to implement it.
Hamdullah Fetrat, deputy spokesman of the Islamic
Emirate, said: "Qisas (execution) is an Islamic and Sharia principle, and
with the completion of Sharia, it is necessary for the Islamic system to
implement, and after the implementation of Qisas and other principles, the
amount of crimes will decrease and people will feel more secure."
"Afghanistan is an Islamic country and execution
is part of Islamic justice, it means that it is a right, and forgiveness is
mentioned in the Qur'an along with Qisas," said Tariq Farhadi, a political
analyst.
The two people accused of murder were executed in
Ghazni province on Thursday after the approval of the leader of the Islamic
Emirate and the ruling of three courts.
Source: tolonews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-187545
----
There’ll be no scarcity during Ramadan: PM
Feb 24, 2024
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said there will
be no shortage of essential commodities during Ramadan.
"There'll be no scarcity of anything during
Ramadan. All arrangements have already been made," she told a press
conference at the Gono Bhaban.
It was organised to brief the media about the outcome
of her recent visit to Germany where she attended the Munich Security
Conference-2024.
Talking about the supply of essentials during the
month of fasting, Hasina said arrangements have been made to import sufficient
amounts of items including chickpeas, dates, and sugar . "So, there will
be no problem," she said, reports UNB.
Referring to the manipulation of prices of various
items including egg, she said, "Don't you think those who want to
overthrow the government have played some tricks in increasing the
prices?"
She also pointed out that the country suddenly faced a
shortage of onions. The onions that had been hoarded rotted away and then
thrown into water.
"What should be done with these people? You tell
me. They deserve mass beating."
The premier also said that during her visit to
Germany, no global leaders raised any concern or questions about Bangladesh's
general election.
"No one said anything about the polls. They don't
have any concern or question regarding the election," she said in reply to
another question.
Hasina said bilateral issues dominated the agenda of
her meetings with global leaders on the sidelines of the conference.
"We have state-level relations with European
countries. Besides, we have an advantage because of personal relations. No one
spoke about the election. They themselves knew that I would win the election.
"Those who don't want [to see me in power again]
raised the issue."
Not naming anyone, Hasina said there is a country
where the election is called free and fair though it takes 12-13 days to
announce the results of polls.
"Then how come the election is not free in
Bangladesh though the results are announced within 24-48 hours [after voting].
We don't have any medicine for this disease. I believe our strength is our
people.
"We have good relations with European countries.
France will provide us with $1 billion to mitigate the impacts of climate
change."
Asked about her fear of "a famine" in the country in February-March
this year, Hasina said conspiracies have always been there.
"A big conspiracy was afoot to prevent the
election from taking place. There was the October 28 incident and arson attacks
before that. These did not happen suddenly, all were planned.
"When the vested quarters understood that they
couldn't prevent the election, they began making a plot to hike the prices of
essentials."
"The plot was hatched to oust the government …
You all know who they are. I don't want to name anyone. I don't even need to
say. But the plot still exists."
Hasina further said there is a lack of
"genuine" political parties in Bangladesh.
The Awami League was formed in 1949 to speak for the
people and then the party moved forward through movements. But no other party
in Bangladesh has such history, she said, adding that Jamaat-e-Islami is a
party of war criminals, and the BNP and the Jatiya Party were formed by
military dictators.
About traffic jam in the capital, Hasina said she
already asked the authorities concerned to activate the traffic signal system
instead of the manual one in the city to ease traffic congestion.
"I talked to the IGP yesterday [Thursday] and
asked him to take measures to activate the traffic signal system in a better
way to ease traffic congestion," she said when her attention was drawn to
the traffic situation in Ramadan.
The city streets now don't face additional pressure of
traffic like they did before the launch of metro rail, she added.
Hasina went to Munich on February 15 and returned home
on February 19.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/therell-be-no-scarcity-during-ramadan-pm-3551101
-----
State minister Arafat off to Turkey for OIC conference
of info ministers
Feb 23, 2024
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting
Mohammad Ali Arafat today left Dhaka for Turkey to attend the Islamic
Conference of Information Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC) member states.
He left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the
capital for Istanbul, Turkey by a flight of Turkish Airlines this morning, said
an official release.
The state minister will attend a special session of
the conference tomorrow.
The theme of the session is "Israeli government's
disinformation and hostility against journalists during the Israeli occupation
of Palestine".
Mohammad Ali Arafat will also meet information
ministers of Qatar and Turkey on the same day.
Besides, he will visit the Turkish Radio and
Television offices on Sunday (February 25).
The state minister is scheduled to return home on
Wednesday (February 28) after wrapping up his Turkey visit.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/accidents-fires/news/2-umrah-pilgrims-killed-satkhira-road-accident-3550936
----
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ucc-assam-muslim-marriages-divorces/d/131792