Snubbed By BJP Brass, UP Hardliner Calls Off Rally on Love Jihad and Rising Population Of Muslims'
New
Age Islam News Bureau
09
June 2023
India
• Muslim shopkeepers start leaving
Purola town in Uttarakhand after ‘Love-Jihad’ allegations & threat
• Row Over Muslim Vendors Outside
134-Year-Old Temple in UP's Shahjahanpur
• ‘118 of 179 groups in Bengal OBC list
are Muslim’ — Backward Classes panel probes ‘irregularity’
• Moradabad: Imam arrested for raping,
forcibly converting a woman
• Wake-up 'Call'? How Karnataka VHP's
'Love Jihad Helpline' Has Created a Buzz
• Haj is a fundamental right of Muslims:
HC; suspension of Haj Group Organisers stayed
--------
Mideast
• Jihad Azour halts IMF position to
focus on Lebanon presidency
• Asia’s biggest Islamic lender Maybank
to boost GCC lending and focus on the wealthy
• Iran Strongly Condemns Deadly Attack
on Afghan Mosque
• Lebanon presidential nominee Jihad
Azour temporarily steps away from IMF role
--------
South Asia
• Rohingya Muslims Testify in Argentine
Court on Genocide Charges
• Video of Bangladesh Mosque Peddled As
Donation Received In Shirdi Sai Temple
• 16 Killed in Afghanistan’s Faizabad
Mosque Explosion
• 11 killed in mosque blast at
Afghanistan's Badakhshan: Report
• Poppy Cultivation Reduced To Almost
Zero in Afghanistan’s Helmand: Officials
• Afghanistan Calls on Pakistan to Stop
Detaining Afghan Nationals
• Afghanistan Presents a Great Business
Opportunity for Chinese Investors
• Rohingya in Bangladesh protest to be
sent home after UN aid cut
--------
North America
• Kosovo becomes second Muslim-majority
country to endorse organization's definition of anti-Semitism
• Muslims seek apology from Democrat for
linking them to ‘White supremacists’ over LGBTQ books
• Muslim Community Waking Up To 'Unholy
Alliance' With Democratic Party Amid Battle Over Parental Rights
• NY man charged with terroristic
threats against NJ Muslim leader
• Canadian Muslim charity wins
'milestone' settlement after being falsely accused of funding terrorism
• Ex-US President Donald Trump Indicted
In Classified Documents Probe
--------
Europe
• Sonny Bill William inside
controversial Carlton mosque
• Harrow business wins award to create
more toys teaching children about Islam
• Inauguration of Imam Abu Hanifa
Al-Nu'man bin Thabit Mosque confirms Qatar's role in Islamic world: Tajikistan
CRA Chairman
• ‘Daesh Remains Dangerous Terror
Actor,’ Says French FM Catherine Colonna
--------
Arab World
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation
Praises Saudi Arabia’s empowering Of Women
• Saudi FM: Kingdom Is Making Great
Efforts to Combat Financing Of Islamic State
• Saudi Armed Forces, GCC, US troops
conclude military exercises
• Solomon Islands PM discusses climate
change with Saudi envoy
• Saudi foreign minister meets French,
Lebanese counterparts
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Deserters
Return to Join Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party
• NAB grills Imran for four hours in NCA
case
• Naqvi directs to utilize all resources
to arrest miscreants of 9th May
• Masked men break into Dawn staffer’s
house in Islamabad
• Poverty, lack of opportunity make
people vulnerable to extremism: Alvi
• Pakistan vows to follow constitutional
obligations regarding May 9 actions
• Two cops martyred in Mingora attack
--------
Southeast Asia
• Umno Youth Wants Relevant US
Authorities To Investigate Stand-Up Comedian Jocelyn Chia
• UMNO has not wavered in its stance to
defend Malay, Islam issues: Party president Ahmad Zahid
• Mourners at Hong Kong mosque pay
respects to 3 girls allegedly murdered by mum
• The question marks over China’s next
big Mideast peacemaking efforts
• Back at Umno assembly after over two
decades, PM Anwar says still knows words to party’s anthem
--------
Africa
• 10th NASS: Don’t elect another Muslim
as Senate President – Group cautions
• Glo Delights Nigerian Pilgrims,
Announces Special Data Roaming In Mecca
• Kano court remands DJ for disturbing
Islamic school
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/up-hardliner-love-jihad-muslim-population/d/129957
-------
Snubbed By BJP Brass, UP Hardliner Calls off Rally On Love Jihad And Rising
Population Of Muslims'
Jun 9, 2023
LUCKNOW: BJP's hardline neta and former
Sardhana MLA, Sangeet Singh Som, has called off his June 30 rally in Meerut on
'Love jihad and rising population of Muslims' - reportedly after drawing a
reprimand from the party brass.
Sources said the party leadership
expressed its "serious reservations" over the rally which was being
organized around the culmination of 'Maha-SamparkAbhiyan' - a mega mass contact
programme launched by the BJP to mark nine years of the Modi government. When
contacted Som confirmed that the rally had been postponed following
"directions of the high command". "For the past 10 years, I've
been raising the issue of love jihad and demographic changes that have been
occurring because of the uncontrolled rise in population of "one
particular religious community". I will seek permission from the party
leadership for the rally sometime later," he told TOI.
Som, who hails from the Thakur
community, is the second BJP leader after Kaiserganj MP Brij Bhushan Sharan
Singh to draw flak from the party for side-stepping organisational line and
resorting to an independent show of strength. Singh, also a Thakur, had invited
the ire of the BJP leadership after he planned a rally in Ayodhya on June 5 in
an apparent move to counter the protest by women wrestlers who had accused him
of sexual harassment.
Sources said BJP's west UP unit too has
reprimanded Som for organizing a rally which could have serious bearings in the
communally sensitive region. BJP's west UP president SatyendraSisodia told TOI
that Som was cautioned about the rally and asked to seek permission from the
high command.
BJP sources said the party is in no mood
to allow Som whip up a communal narrative that may be detrimental to the
saffron outfit even as it gears up for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Som was one of the accused in the 2013
Muzaffarnagar riots and was booked under the National Security Act in September
2013. Justice Vishnu Sahai Commission's report on Muzaffarnagar riots had put
him on top of the list of those responsible for the communal flare-up. Som was
booked for showing clips from the riots as part of a documentary before the
2017 assembly elections. Som won from Sardhana by defeating SP's Atul Pradhan,
a Gurjar, by over 21,000 votes, in 2017. That was Som's second win, but he lost
the seat in 2022 assembly elections to Pradhan.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/snubbed-by-bjp-brass-som-calls-off-rally-on-love-jihad/articleshow/100862087.cms
--------
Israel: MP Suggests Dividing Al-Aqsa
Mosque, Sparking Concerns from Palestinians Who Fear the Holy Site Being Split
Up
Dome of the
Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem pictured on 24 March 2023 (AFP)
------
8 June 2023
An Israeli lawmaker has suggested a plan
to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque between Jews and Muslims, sparking major concerns from
Palestinians who have long held fears of the holy site being split up.
Amit Halevi, an MP with the governing
Likud party, outlined his plan in an interview with the Hebrew-language
newspaper Zeman Israel, in which he called for giving Muslims the southern end
of the compound, while the rest would be left for Jews, including the area
where the Dome of the Rock is located.
Halevi also suggested that Jordan's
administration of Al-Aqsa be removed.
The Hashemite royal family of Jordan are
custodians of both the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, including
Al-Aqsa, and dates back to an agreement made during the British mandate of
Palestine.
“If they pray there, it does not make
the entire Temple Mount a holy place for Muslims. It wasn’t and it won’t be,”
Halevi said, using the Jewish term Temple Mount to refer to Al-Aqsa.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, whi lies on a raised
plateau that Jews refer to as the Temple Mount, is an Islamic site where
unsolicited visits, prayers and rituals by non-Muslims are forbidden according
to decades-long international agreements.
Israeli groups, in coordination with
authorities, have long violated the delicate arrangement and facilitated raids
of the site and performed prayers and religious rituals.
"We will take the northern end and
pray there. The entire mountain is sacred to us, and the Dome of the Rock is
the place on which the Temple stood. This should be our guideline. Israel is
leading. It will be a historical, religious and national statement,"
Halevi said.
Source: middleeasteye.net
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-aqsa-mosque-lawmaker-proposes-plan-divide
--------
Extrajudicial Executions, Mass Arrests
and Detention of Civilians in Panjshir, Afghanistan,By Taliban Is a War Crime:
Amnesty International
Photo by
WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images
------
June 8, 2023
The organization has been able to
document extrajudicial executions, mass arrests and detention of the people in
this province on multiple times.
Amnesty International states that the
Taliban have committed serious violations of human rights in Afghanistan’s
Panjshir province by mistreating ordinary civilians under the pretext of having
affiliation with the National Resistance Front (NRF) fighters.
According to the organization, the
Taliban forces arrest and imprison men and youth in the villages, and subject
them to beatings and all kinds of harassment.
Today (June 8), the organization
published a new 40-page report titled ‘Your Sons Are In The Mountains’ and said
the Taliban have committed the war crime of collective punishment against
civilians in Panjshir province.
AgnèsCallamard General Secretary of
Amnesty International in a statement said, “Taliban’ mistreatment of local
civilians accused of having affiliations with NRF fighters, has caused fear and
chaos among the people in Panjshir province.
Callamard further added, “The list of
war crimes and violations of international and humanitarian laws in Panjshir
province is extensive, including extrajudicial killings, tortures, arbitrary
detentions and burning homes.”
After the Taliban seized power in
Afghanistan in August 2021, some members of the former Afghan government’s
security forces fled to Panjshir with equipment and arms to join the National
Resistance Front.
In response, the Taliban have retaliated
against captured fighters and targeted the civilian population of Panjshir to
force compliance and submission.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/collective-punishment-of-civilians-in-panjshir-is-a-war-crime-amnesty-international/
--------
Senate Confirms, Dilawar Syed, As
Highest-Ranking Muslim in USGovernment after Earlier GOP Blockade
FILE -
Dilawar Syed, president of the software company Freshdesk, speaks during a Tech
Stands Up rally outside City Hall in Palo Alto, Calif., March 14, 2017. The
Senate has confirmed the highest-ranking Muslim official in the U.S.
government. Dilawar Syed was confirmed Thursday, June 8, 2023, as deputy
administrator of the Small Business Administration in a 52-42 vote. (AP
Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
-----
09-06-23
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday
confirmed Dilawar Syed as deputy administrator of the Small Business
Administration, ending more than two years of delays after a blockade by
Republicans in the last Congress.
Syed will be the highest-ranking Muslim
official in the U.S. government.
Republicans on the Small Business
Committee had blocked his nomination, citing the agency’s payouts to abortion
providers and other reasons. President Joe Biden had first nominated the
Pakistani-born businessman to the position in March 2021, and he renominated
him this year in the new Congress.
Syed was confirmed 54-42.
Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat who
chairs the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, said ahead of
the vote that the position of deputy administrator at the SBA has been vacant
for nearly five years over two presidential administrations.
“It is about time we get this done,”
Cardin said.
Syed’s nomination stalled in committee
last Congress after Republicans repeatedly failed to appear for votes.
Republicans, led by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — then the panel’s top Republican —
gave several different explanations, including Syed’s affiliation with a Muslim
advocacy group, small-business loans he received and, finally, the agency’s
loans to branches of Planned Parenthood.
The stalemate led to Democratic charges
of anti-Muslim bias and galvanized some Muslim and Jewish organizations to
condemn the delay.
Rabbi Jack Moline, then-president of
Interfaith Alliance, argued at the time that the inaction was an “excuse for a
lot of issues that have nothing to do with suitability for the position.”
With an increased majority this year
that gave Democrats an extra vote on the committee, the panel approved Syed’s
nomination in March, two years after he was first nominated. Five Republicans
voted to confirm him in Thursday’s final vote.
Republicans on the committee still have
objections. Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, the new top Republican on the business
committee, said she believes Syed was slow to disclose loans he had received
and was not forthcoming enough in questioning as the committee has been
concerned about potentially fraudulent pandemic loans.
“I’m not convinced Mr. Syed is ready and
willing to change the SBA’s culture and bring much-needed accountability to the
agency,” Ernst said.
Democrats pointed out during Syed’s 2021
confirmation hearing that at the time, he was not required to disclose the
loans in his nominations paperwork.
Lina Khan, the chairwoman of the Federal
Trade Commission, is also Muslim.
Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
Source: apnews.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://apnews.com/article/confirmation-senate-small-business-muslim-1fbc795de7562ce29366a55552e3a944
--------
The Promotion of an Anti-Muslim Figure
By A Labour MP Exposes The 'Hierarchy Of Racism' In The Party
Members of
the Labour Party march through Finsbury Park in support of Jeremy Corbyn and to
demand that the whip is restored to him by leader Kier Starmer on November 22,
2020 in London, England [Photo by Guy Smallman/Getty Images]
------
June 8, 2023
The UK Labour Party's claim that it has
a "zero tolerance" policy towards racism has to be questioned after
pro-Israel Christian Wakeford MP used social media to promote an Islamophobic
figure. The Bury South Labour MP, who defected from the Conservatives last
year, has sparked a debate about whether or not Labour is as serious about
combatting Islamophobia and anti-black racism as it is about combatting
anti-Semitism.
Under the leadership of Kier Starmer,
Labour apparently has a hierarchy of racism, whereby anti-Jewish racism is
taken more seriously than Islamophobia or other forms of racism. Moreover,
Labour's adoption of the controversial definition of anti-Semitism produced by
the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) has made the party
extremely intolerant of any criticism of Israel whatsoever. With seven of the
eleven examples of anti-Semitism in the IHRA definition conflating anti-Jewish
racism with criticism of Israel, Labour's supposedly "zero tolerance"
anti-racism policy has led to an extremely hostile undemocratic crackdown on
critics of the apartheid state, all in the name of fighting anti-Semitism.
Allegations that Labour has a hierarchy
of racism surfaced again this week after Wakeford promoted Israel-born US
musician Gene Simmons. The bass player with the band Kiss was accused of
Islamophobia after he described Islam as a "vile culture" that
treated women worse than dogs. Muslim women had to walk behind their men and
were not allowed to be educated or own houses, Simmons is reported to have
said. "Your dog, however, can walk side by side, your dog is allowed to
have its own dog house… you can send your dog to school to learn tricks, sit,
beg, do all that stuff – none of the [Muslim] women have that advantage."
In a fawning tweet, a star-struck
Wakeford shared a photo of himself standing next to Simmons. "Was going to
say @AngelaRayner stole the show at #PMQs this week but I'm afraid it wasn't to
be…" he said, commenting on the performance of Labour's deputy leader at prime
minister's questions in the House of Commons. "Sorry Ange, there isn't
anyone able to upstage Gene Simmons! Great to have him watching in the Chamber
today and to meet him to!"
Wakeford's tweet triggered a response
from Labour Muslim Network. "Promotion of Mr Simmonds is Islamophobic and
a direct violation of the Labour Party code of conduct," said the campaign
group. It added that it had sent a letter to Starmer and Wakeford calling on
the Bury South MP to apologise and take down the offensive tweet. "If we
do not act with immediacy and seriousness, it only furthers accusations of a
hierarchy of racism in our party," the Network pointed out.
Wakeford apologised, and said that he
had joined several MPs from across the House in meeting Simmons and that as a
huge heavy metal fan he wanted to take the opportunity to have a picture taken
with. "I have since been made aware of his political views and comments
towards Muslims," said Wakeford. "Now I know this I wish to
disassociate myself from those views he has expressed and apologise for any
harm or offence caused by having a picture with him."
Wakeford's apology hasn't satisfied
Labour's critics, though, and the party has been urged to uphold its own
standard for "zero tolerance", which was highlighted this week by the
blocking by party officials of Jamie Driscoll's mayoral candidacy. Driscoll, a
supporter of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, became the first mayor for
North of Tyne in 2019. Last week he was blocked from standing for re-election,
ostensibly because he had taken part in an event with pro-Palestine film
director Ken Loach, who was expelled from the party in 2021. Senior left-wing
Labour figure Andy Burnham, mayor of the Liverpool city region, accused the
party of being undemocratic, opaque and unfair.
"Whilst we appreciate the NEC's
important role in upholding standards within the party, and rooting out any
form of anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination, it also has a responsibility
to ensure decisions are democratic, transparent and fair," wrote Burnham
to the Labour party's National Executive Committee. "To exclude a sitting
mayor from a selection process with no right of appeal appears to us to be none
of those things."
Driscoll was invited to interview Loach
at the Live Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne in March. They discussed Loach's new
film The Old Oak, the third in a trilogy of widely acclaimed movies portraying,
food poverty and racism in Britain. Throughout the political storm arising from
the interview, Driscoll has made a number of appearances in the mainstream
media. The BBC basically interrogated him for agreeing to share a stage with
Loach, as did Labour representatives. Asked whether he thought Loach was
anti-Semitic, Driscoll said there was "a lot of smoke but very little
fire." He acknowledged that it is reasonable to disagree with Loach and
take a different view on Israel and Palestine, but warned that Labour's
reaction will have a chilling effect on free speech and undermine democracy.
The NEC's decision has been criticised
sharply by Labour Hub. So, according to the logic of the Labour party,
"the Cannes jury, BAFTA, film reviewers, cinema-goers who regard Ken Loach
as Britain's greatest living film maker are all colluding with
anti-Semitism?" asked the left-wing group. "The only conclusion from
Labour's reasoning is that all Labour members should be instructed not to go
and see The Old Oak on its release; it should be boycotted as the product of
Ken Loach's anti-Semitism. Will the Party be issuing such advice and
sanctioning any elected Labour politician who ignores this, watches the film
and admits to liking it?"
The row continued on social media where
Labour was accused of hypocrisy and double standards. If the overreaction to
Driscoll's interview with Loach is the standard for "zero tolerance",
why has Wakeford's promotion of an anti-Muslim figure gone unpunished, Labour
members are asking. "This week we've seen the 'guilt-by-association'
machine kick into overdrive with Jamie Driscoll and Ken Loach," said
political commentator Ash Sarkar on twitter. "Will @Christian4BuryS be
barred from standing in a [General Election] for failing to challenge Gene
Simmons on his Islamophobia? If not, why don't the same standards apply?"
A former Corbyn speechwriter, Alex
Nunns, also slammed Labour for its double standards. "I see
@Christian4BuryS — the Tory-turned-Labour MP who failed to get Roger Waters'
shows cancelled for anti-Semitism because he didn't understand the concept of
theatrical costume — is today parading around parliament with Gene Simmons from
Kiss, who has called Islam "a vile culture," said Nunns, referring to
the vicious media attack against the founder member of Pink Floyd. Nunns
explained that he was "holding Wakeford to his own standards."
Source: middleeastmonitor.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230608-the-promotion-of-an-anti-muslim-figure-by-a-labour-mp-exposes-the-hierarchy-of-racism-in-the-party/
--------
India
Muslim shopkeepers start leaving Purola
town in Uttarakhand after ‘Love-Jihad’ allegations & threat
June 8, 2023
SMA Kazmi
One of the seven Muslim shopkeepers of
Purola town of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand has vacated his shop after he
among others was asked by their respective landlords to vacate their shops
following protests and demonstrations and ultimatums by right-wing Hindu
organisations.
Seven of these shopkeepers and the
miniscule minority population of around 40 families had already left the town
after threats, demonstrations, and attacks on their premises by the locals led
by right-wing organisations. A few Muslims own shops and houses in Purola town
but are too scared to return back after protests and threats.
The problem in Purola town of
Uttarakashi town started on May 27 after an alleged attempt by two youths who
allegedly tried to ‘take away’ a local Hindu girl. Two boys namely Obaid, a
Muslim, and another Jitender Saini were caught by locals with a Grade 9 local
girl on May 27. The right-wing Hindu bodies charged the youth with enticing
away a minor girl and it was a case of ‘Love Jihad’ prompting bandhs,
demonstrations, and protests in the other towns of the district.
The markets remained closed in Barkot,
Naogaon, Purola, and Damta in protest against the incident on a call given by
the Yamuna Valley Hindu Jagriti Sangathan for a few days.
Later, posters appeared in the shops
owned by minority community members to vacate and leave before June 15, 2023,
in Purola. The posters put up on behalf of Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan warned ‘Love Jehadis’ to
vacate their shops by June 15 when a ‘Mahapanchayat’ on the issue has been
called by Hindu outfits.
The shops were also marked with crosses
with black paint (a cross marking signifies elimination). The boards of the
shops owned by Muslims were also broken.
According to locals, nine shop owners
had asked their Muslim tenants to vacate their premises on the reported
persuasion of Swami Darshan Bharati, a right-wing Hindu leader who had been
vocal against the minority community. Seven of these shopkeepers have packed
their goods and awaiting transport.
Meanwhile, the local police have
registered a case against unknown persons for trying to disturb social and
communal harmony under relevant sections. The shops belonging to the Muslim
community are closed since May 28, 2023. A delegation of local Muslim
shopkeepers had also met the local Sub-Divisional magistrate and sought
protection to open their shops and businesses. But to no avail.
The police and Provincial Armed
Constabulary(PAC) have been deployed in the town. Arpan Yaduvanshi, SP,
Uttarkashi district has said that the minority Muslims have been assured of
safety with the heavy deployment of police.
Source: thestatesman.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thestatesman.com/india/muslim-shopkeepers-start-leaving-purola-town-in-uttarakhand-after-love-jihad-allegations-threat-1503188409.html
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Row over Muslim vendors outside
134-year-old temple in UP's Shahjahanpur
Jun 9, 2023
BAREILLY: A 134-year-old Hanuman temple
in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district, which was translocated to make way
for the widening of the Delhi-Lucknow National Highway, has become the center
of controversy as members of the right-wing group Karni Sena have raised
objections to shops owned by Muslims located near the temple.
Initially, they prevented Muslims from
selling 'prasad' outside the temple. Now, they have submitted a memorandum to
the local administration, demanding the "removal of all shops owned by Muslims
from the vicinity."
On Thursday, the district chief of Karni
Sena, Omveer Singh Rathore, along with other members, met with sub-divisional
magistrate (SDM) Tilhar Deep Shikha Singh and handed over a memorandum
outlining their concerns. Omveer told TOI, "We cannot allow people of
other faiths to sell 'prasad' and related items outside our temple. They may
add something to it. We see many things on social media that people spit on
food before selling them to the customers."
Speaking on this, the senior
superintendent of police (SSP) of Shahjahanpur, S Anand, said that such demands
were deemed "unacceptable". He said, "Action will be taken
against those who disrupt law and order near the temple."
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/row-over-muslim-vendors-outside-134-year-old-temple/articleshow/100861696.cms
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‘118 of 179 groups in Bengal OBC list
are Muslim’ — Backward Classes panel probes ‘irregularity’
RISHA CHITLANGIA
8 June, 2023
New Delhi: The National Commission for
Backward Classes (NCBC) is inquiring into alleged irregularities in West
Bengal’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) list on the back of complaints that
Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh are cornering the benefits of reservation,
the panel’s chairperson said Thursday.
Addressing a press conference, NCBC
chairperson Hansraj GangaramAhir said that of the 179 OBC groups included in
the state list, 118 were from the Muslim community. “We have got several
complaints and took up the matter with the state government in our review
meeting during our state visit in February this year,” he said.
“We have received several complaints
stating that many from the Muslim community included in the list are immigrants
from Bangladesh. We are investigating the matter, as this has been done by
depriving actual beneficiaries. We have sought a detailed response from the
state government.”
West Bengal’s current reservation for
OBCs stands at 17 per cent.
The state’s OBC list, Ahir said, is
divided in two categories: Most Backward Class (Category A) and Backward Class
(Category B). He added, “In the Most Backward Class category, there are a total
of 81 communities, of which 73 are Muslim and eight are Hindu. In Category B,
there 98 communities in total, of which 45 belong to the Muslim community and
rest to the Hindu community. We are not against Muslims getting the benefit of
reservation, but such irregularity can’t be accepted.”
ThePrint reached West Bengal’s Minister
of State for Backward Classes Welfare, BuluChikBaraik, and the department’s
secretary, Sanjay Bansal, for their response by phone, email, and text
messages. This report will be updated when a response is received.
Non-adherence to OBC reservation policy
According the NCBC, West Bengal relies
on reports by the Cultural Research Institute in Kolkata — which comes under
the state government — while including communities in the state’s OBC list.
Ahir said that the commission had held
two meetings with state government officials — the first during a visit to
Bengal in February this year and the second last month. The panel highlighted
the issue during the February meeting, he said.
“They initially told us that these
people were earlier Hindu and later converted to Islam. But when we asked for
proof, the government, in a written response, said that they can’t prove it,”
Ahir, who took charge of the commission in December last year, said.
Ahir, a former Union minister, claimed
he had reviewed OBC-related matters with 12 state governments and that many
states — especially Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab and West Bengal — were not
adhering to the reservation policy while recruiting for government jobs.
“There are seven districts in Rajasthan
where OBC reservation is zero despite a sizeable population living there. After
we raised the matter with the state government, OBC certificates were issued.
There were other issues that are not being addressed,” he said, adding that the
commission has received proposals from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab,
Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Telangana for several communities to be
included in the central lists and had initiated the process to take the
proposals forward.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
Source: theprint.in
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://theprint.in/india/118-of-179-groups-in-bengal-obc-list-are-muslim-backward-classes-panel-probes-irregularity/1618995/
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Moradabad: Imam arrested for raping, forcibly
converting a woman
8 June, 2023
Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June
8 (ANI): An Imam, Maulana Nizamuddin was arrested in Moradabad on Thursday for
allegedly raping a woman after giving her false assurances of love and marriage
and then forcibly converting her to Islam.
The Moradabad police filed a case
against the accused Maulana and sent him to jail. Six others were also accused
of helping Maulana. Sandeep Kumar Meena, Superintendent of Police, Rural
Moradabad received the complaint from the victim.
As reported by the woman, she met the
accused Maulana Nizamuddin’s son Mohammad Hussain in 2016. Later, Nizamuddin
deceived her and told her that he is unmarried and made her believe that he
loves her. He forcibly raped her and got her pregnant.
“On Jan 16, 2022, the family members of
Maulana Nizamuddin came and forcibly raped the victim when she was alone in her
house. They even made obscene videos and threatened to behead her. They also
told her that if she wants to live with them, she has to tolerate all of this.
The victim also alleged that Imam gave her triple talaq and forced her to sign.
Later, he threatened to kill her and threw her out of the house,” said Rural
Moradabad SP.
The woman, a resident of the Dilari
Police Station area filed a complaint against Imam and six other people.
After raping the victim, Imam forcibly
converted her by making a fake marriage receipt on Dec 20, 2016, and kept her
to himself. While living with Imam, she came to know that he had cheated on
many young women in the past and had played with their lives too.
“That’s how he bluffs women and keeps
them with himself for some days and then sends them away,” she alleged. (ANI)
Source: theprint.in
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https://theprint.in/india/moradabad-imam-arrested-for-raping-forcibly-converting-a-woman/1619338/#:~:text=Moradabad%20(Uttar%20Pradesh)%20%5BIndia,forcibly%20converting%20her%20to%20Islam.
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Wake-up 'Call'? How Karnataka VHP's
'Love Jihad Helpline' Has Created A Buzz
JUNE 08, 2023
It was like a scene straight out of the
film The Kerala Story. Only this was real life, in Karnataka. The state unit of
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) received a call on its ‘love jihad helpline’
from the parents of an underage girl from Ramanagara district seeking help to
bring back their daughter from the arms of a Muslim man with whom she allegedly
had fallen in love.
The undergraduate student claimed to
have fallen in love with a Muslim boy who was the brother of one of her classmates.
The incident, which took place in 2021, came to the notice of the VHP after the
parents of the girl called its 24×7 helpline in distress.
“Not only was she a victim of love jihad
but she was also forced to go against her parents’ wishes and start living with
him. She became pregnant even before turning 18. The girl’s parents called our
helpline to help save their daughter. We managed to bring her back and expose
her to the truth—that he was already married and had trapped this young Hindu
girl as part of the love jihad conspiracy. We were lucky to have saved this
girl, but there are many more who need to be saved," said a VHP official
in charge of the helpline.
Smita (name changed), an IT professional
from Mysuru, was married to a Bengaluru-based techie in May last year. After
they shifted to Whitefield, she fell in love with a Muslim man and left her
husband to live with him. Smita’s parents called the VHP helpline in distress
and sought intervention to bring back their daughter.
“We tried to convince her and speak to
her, but she would not budge. After several attempts, we had to give up as they
were both adults and their decision was consensual," explained another VHP
functionary who attended the distress call and tried to help the girl’s family.
‘Love jihad’ is a term coined by
right-wing organisations, alleging that Muslim men entice Hindu women into
relationships with the intention of converting them to Islam.
The VHP’s helpline, which works in
association with several other Hindu organisations, provides legal and medical
assistance to girls or families seeking their intervention and legal
assistance.
The spotlight is back on the helplines
set up by the VHP and Bajrang Dal across the state to help BJP workers in
distress and curb ‘love jihad’, especially in the background of cabinet
minister MB Patil’s request to set up a helpline called ‘Peaceful Karnataka’ to
ensure nobody spreads hatred or causes societal unrest.
“During the Siddaramaiah-led Congress
government in Karnataka, many BJP workers were targeted, and it came to our
notice that they were charged with false cases. To fight such atrocities
against the party workers, the BJP decided to launch a helpline number for all
party workers in the state in the next one week," said Bengaluru MP Tejasvi
Surya in a media statement.
In response to Surya’s announcement,
Patil sought a ‘Peaceful Karnataka’ helpline.
He tweeted, “Requesting @DrParameshwara
@PriyankKharge @DKShivakumar @CMofKarnataka to consider setting up a new
helpline called ‘Peaceful Karnataka’ to ensure there is no hatred being spread
in Karnataka and keep track of any such incidents. Our agenda is only
Development & Progress, and to protect ‘Brand Karnataka’."
The BJP’s state unit is currently in the
advanced phase of launching a round-the-clock helpline that will provide prompt
assistance and legal support to distressed or targeted party workers. Sources
within the party have confirmed that a specialised team is being trained in
collaboration with a legal cell to manage the helpline and initiate legal
proceedings as required.
“The Congress must define the helpline,
its scope, and who can call. They must frame rules regarding which issues will
be addressed via that helpline and what action will be taken. They must clarify
if they are doing this to help just one minority community or safeguarding the
public at large," questioned Udupi MLA YashpalSuvarna of the BJP.
Suvarna also said that merely having a
helpline will not work; those who are distressed should not be further troubled
by making them shuttle between police stations to file a case.
On average, the helplines set up by the
VHP across Karnataka receive 90 to 100 calls a month, most of which are from
people in distress seeking the organisation’s intervention to save Hindu girls
or act on atrocities against Hindus, say officials from the organisation.
“The calls range from police harassment,
moral policing, and cases of forced conversions or love jihad," explained
Girish Bharadwaj, a Hindutva social activist who also works closely with the
VHP. “The so-called Peace Helpline that the Congress is talking about is only
to please a particular community. When the government speaks about controlling
moral policing or zero tolerance for communal violence, why are they shy of
naming the groups? Will they speak against the Popular Front of India? What
action have they taken against those who conspired to attack our PM and were
caught in Dakshina Kannada? “Let them clarify who the Peace helpline is for. Is
it targeted only for a particular community or is it for everyone?"
The VHP claims that hundreds of women
are falling into the blackmail tactics or the trap of ‘love jihad’. Apart from
that, many young men working to save Hindu dharma and working towards building
a strong Hindu Rashtra are being brutally attacked, and many times help does
not reach them or their families, they say.
“Take the cases of Praveen Nettaru,
SharathMadiwala, and Rudresh. Maybe if they had communicated using the
helpline, then we could have saved them. We want to ensure that Hindus feel
safe, and so this helpline will help raise an alarm immediately,"
explained another Mangaluru-based VHP leader.
When a distress call comes in, the
caller, after narrating the incident, is connected to a 20-member team
comprising doctors, counsellors, and social work volunteers, explained Pradeep
Saripalla, Prachara Pramukh (publicity head) of the Mangaluru unit of the VHP.
“Many Hindu girls have been converted to
Islam, killed, and used to smuggle drugs in the name of love. This happens a
lot in coastal Karnataka, and to prevent all such incidents, we have started
this ‘love jihad helpline’, which can be accessed by anyone who feels he or she
has been trapped," he told News18.
While a helpline for VHP workers has
been operational nationwide since its establishment by former organisation
chief Praveen Togadia, the Mangaluru unit took a step further in December 2022
by launching an ‘anti-love jihad helpline’. This helpline aims to support girls
who claim to have experienced coerced religious conversions or interfaith
marriages.
Source: news18.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.news18.com/india/wake-up-call-how-karnataka-vhps-love-jihad-helpline-has-created-a-buzz-8030971.html
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Haj is a fundamental right of Muslims:
HC; suspension of Haj Group Organisers stayed
June 09, 2023
The Delhi High Court has stayed the
suspension of registration and quota of private Haj Group Organisers (HGOs),
noting that Haj for Muslims is not merely a holiday but a medium of practising
their faith, which is a fundamental right.
The Centre had last month kept in
abeyance the registration and quota of some HGOs, which act as tour operators
for pilgrims, after they were found to be ineligible on various grounds, including
“willful misrepresentation of facts”.
A Vacation Bench of Justice Chandra
Dhari Singh, while dealing with petitions by several such HGOs, said it was
concerned about the plight of pilgrims who had paid in advance to the
petitioners.
The Centre told the court that it has
the right to suspend or cancel the registration of HGOs and that it was not
willing to risk placing the pilgrims’ fate in the hands of non-compliant HGOs.
Source: thehindu.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/haj-is-a-fundamental-right-of-muslims-hc-suspension-of-haj-group-organisers-stayed/article66946745.ece
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Mideast
Jihad Azour halts IMF position to focus
on Lebanon presidency
09 June, 2023
Jihad Azour, the opposition-supported
candidate to be Lebanon's next president, will be taking leave from his role at
the IMF to avoid any conflicts of interest, an IMF spokesperson said on
Thursday.
Azour is currently the head of the
Middle East and Central Asia at the IMF and was previously a finance minister
in Lebanon.
Lebanon has been without a president
since November 2022 and is currently ruled by a caretaker government.
A new president must be appointed before
a new government can be formed.
Azour was announced as a presidential
candidate on 3 June and has earned the support of Lebanon’s two largest
Christian parties as well as 23 independent members of parliament.
He is the first serious contender for
the pro-Iran group Hezbollah's candidate, SleimanFrangieh, which the opposition
and Christian parties have so far vetoed.
Hezbollah has dismissed Azour's
candidacy, with MP Hassan Fadlallah saying, "he will not reach Baabda
palace," where the presidency is located.
Speaker of the House NabihBerri has called
for parliament to vote on a presidential candidate on 14 June.
Lebanon has been mired in an economic
crisis since the fall of 2019 when its banking sector collapsed.
Two-thirds of its population has been
plunged into poverty and basic services have all but stopped as a result of the
crisis.
Since 2019, politicians have failed to
pass a single policy recommended by the IMF as necessary to create economic
stability and access international financing.
On Thursday, an IMF spokesperson said
that Lebanon must take "urgent action" on reform to avoid
"irreversible consequences for the economy."
Source: newarab.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.newarab.com/news/jihad-azour-halts-imf-work-focus-lebanon-presidency
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Asia’s biggest Islamic lender Maybank to
boost GCC lending and focus on the wealthy
Jun 09, 2023
Maybank Islamic, one of the top five
Islamic banks globally, aims to grow the size of its GCC lending book by more
than three times in the next two years and launch Sharia-compliant wealth
management solutions for affluent clients in the region, its chief executive
has said.
The lender, the Islamic banking arm of
Malaysia’s largest lender Maybank, is also counting on significant growth in
its sustainable financing portfolio in the GCC as governments in the six-member
bloc focus on reducing their carbon footprint and launch climate-focused
projects, Mohamed Merican told The National in an interview.
The bank, which launched operations at
the Dubai International Financial Centre in 2020, expects its GCC operations to
contribute substantially to its balance sheet growth in the long term.
Maybank Islamic has grown its financing
assets from zero to about $200 million in the region, which mostly includes
syndicated deals the bank has participated in.
“I think it's relatively small … but
it's double-digit growth, so we're quite pleased with that fact,” Mr Merican
said.
The lender initially set a target of
$500 million in financing book size when it launched operations in Dubai, but
that has since been revised to $700 million by 2025.
“It's dynamic; we will see if the deals
actually make sense for both sides, the borrower, as well as for us, then we
have an opportunity to change this target size [again],” Mr Merican said.
The global Islamic finance industry is
expected to grow by about 10 per cent in 2023 to 2024 despite the economic
slowdown, after posting a similar expansion in 2022 mainly led by the GCC
countries, according to S&P Global Ratings.
The sector continued to expand in 2022,
with assets up 9.4 per cent from 12.2 per cent in 2021, supported by growth in
banking assets and the sukuk industry, S&P said in a report last month.
GCC countries, mainly Saudi Arabia and
Kuwait, spurred 92 per cent of the growth in Islamic banking assets last year.
Moody’s Investors Service expects demand
for Sharia-compliant financing to outpace conventional funding in 2023, driven
by strong economic growth and development agendas in key markets, including
Saudi Arabia, amid higher oil prices.
In the UAE, the Arab world’s
second-largest economy, growth in Islamic banking outpaced that of conventional
lenders last year, Fitch Ratings said in a report last month.
Islamic lenders grew by 8 per cent in
2022, more than conventional banks, which grew by 3 per cent, the rating agency
said at the time.
“There's a lot of participation from
this part of the world in international issues and there's a lot of interest
from markets in Asia into issues here as well,” Mr Merican said.
The bank, which has mobilised 34 billion
Malaysian ringgits ($7.75 billion) in sustainable finance by the end of last
year, also expects significant growth potential for its green funding portfolio
as government, financial institutions and corporates continue to issue green
loans and bonds to fund renewable energy and climate-related projects.
The UAE alone is spending Dh600 billion
($163 billion) to finance projects that will help it reach its net zero target
by 2050.
Although Maybank Islamic has recorded
substantial growth in the syndicated and trade finance business over the past
years, the sukuk market has been “quite challenging” amid a consistent rise in
interest rates, Mr Merican said.
US interest rates need to stabilise as
currently issuers have adopted a wait-and-see approach.
However, once pricing is attractive
again, demand for sukuk transitions will rise, he added.
Maybank Islamic, the biggest Islamic
lender in the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) region, intends
to expand its presence in Dubai and use the DIFC as a centre for its regional
operations.
“Our objective was to establish
credentials here, build relationships, get to know the market better. I think
after three years … we understand the market better,” Mr Merican said.
“There are pockets opportunities, which
we can actually build on.”
Sharia-compliant wealth management
solutions for affluent clients in the region is one such opportunity, with
potential of growth in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, he added.
The bank estimates a potential flow of
about $10 billion from affluent GCC clients into Islamic investable assets in
the Asean region that offer attractive returns.
However, there are “several building
blocks”, including developing a product suite before it can start offering
services to rich clients in the GCC.
Maybank has also yet to make a decision
on whether it will start offering services directly to clients or team up with
established wealth managers to offer its Sharia-compliant solution to their
clients.
The bank has already held discussions
with potential partners and aims to launch wealth management services within
the next 12 months, Mr Merican said.
Source: thenationalnews.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/banking/2023/06/09/asias-biggest-islamic-lender-maybank-to-boost-gcc-lending-and-focus-on-the-wealthy/
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Iran Strongly Condemns Deadly Attack on
Afghan Mosque
08-06-23
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Nasser Kana'ani deplored a terror attack on a mosque in Northern
Afghanistan during the funeral of the Taliban's provincial deputy governor who
had been killed in a car bombing earlier this week.
Kana'ani on Thursday condemned the
recent terror attack on a funeral ceremony in Badakhshan province.
The spokesperson stressed that
"terrorist attacks against civilians especially at religious sites have
nothing to do with the teachings of the holy religion of Islam".
The explosion occurred on Thursday at a
mosque in Faizabad, the capital city of Badakhshan province, where Taliban
officials had gathered for condolence prayers for a slain deputy governor, who
was also killed in a car bombing on Tuesday. It has killed at least 15 people
and injured 50 others.
Provincial director for Information and
Culture Qari MaazudinAhamdi said that a former police chief of Afghanistan's
Baghlan province was among the victims of the blast.
No group or individual has yet to claim
responsibility for Thursday's fatal attack in Faizabad.
The Taliban, who had previously ruled
Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, took power again in August 2021 as the US was in
the middle of a chaotic troop withdrawal. The group announced the formation of
a caretaker government weeks later. Following the Taliban’s takeover, the US
and its allies rushed to cut off Afghanistan’s access to international aid and
froze nearly $10 billion in assets belonging to the country’s central bank.
The Taliban administration has been
carrying out raids against members of Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), which
had claimed several major attacks in urban centres.
Despite the Taliban’s assertion that
they have brought security to the nation, Afghanistan has seen regular attacks
by armed groups, many of them claimed by a Daesh affiliate known as the Islamic
State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), in recent months. Daesh raids have
resulted in around hunreds of deaths since the Taliban came to power nearly two
years ago. The militants have primarily targeted religious and ethnic
minorities, as well as schools, mainly with suicide bombings.
Source: farsnews.ir
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14020318000582/Iran-Srngly-Cndemns-Deadly-Aack-n-Afghan-Mse
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Lebanon presidential nominee Jihad Azour
temporarily steps away from IMF role
08 June ,2023
International Monetary Fund official
Jihad Azour, who has been nominated for the long-vacant Lebanese presidency,
has “temporarily relinquished” his responsibilities at the lender, an official
at the body said Thursday.
“In order to avoid any perception of
conflict of interest, the director of the Middle East and Central Asia
department has temporarily relinquished his responsibilities at the IMF,” said
the organization’s director of strategic communications Julie Kozack, referring
to Azour.
“He is on leave,” she added.
Azour, who served as Lebanon’s finance
minister from 2005 to 2008, has yet to officially announce a presidential bid.
Lebanon, mired in a crippling economic
crisis since late 2019, has been without a president for more than seven
months, and has been run by a caretaker government since May last year.
The international community has urged
Lebanese officials to avoid a prolonged presidential vacuum and enact key
reforms required to unlock much-needed IMF loans.
Lawmakers have made 11 failed attempts
to elect a new head of state, as bitter divisions prevent any single candidate
from garnering enough support.
Parliament speaker NabihBerri has
scheduled a new vote on the presidency for next week.
On Sunday, a group of 32 Christian and
independent legislators endorsed Azour after weeks of negotiations.
French President Emmanuel Macron this
week named his former foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian as his personal envoy
for Lebanon, in a new bid to end the country’s political crisis.
Last month, the United States urged
Lebanese politicians to elect a new president “to unite the country” and
swiftly enact reforms.
“Lebanon’s leaders must not put their
personal interests and ambitions above the interests of their country and
people,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Source: english.alarabiya.net
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/06/08/Lebanon-presidential-nominee-Jihad-Azour-temporarily-steps-away-from-IMF-role
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South Asia
Rohingya Muslims Testify in Argentine
Court on Genocide Charges
June, 08, 2023
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Rohingya Muslims made
their first in-person appearance in court on Wednesday, providing eyewitness
testimony regarding genocide and crimes against humanity committed by senior
officials in Myanmar.
The hearing, taking place in Argentina,
operates under the principle of "universal jurisdiction" as outlined
in the country's constitution. This principle allows for the trial of alleged
perpetrators, even if they are located thousands of miles away.
TunKhin, the president of the
London-based advocacy group Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), which
filed the complaint with the Federal Criminal Correctional Court in Buenos
Aires, described the proceedings as a "historic fight for justice."
The hearings, scheduled until June 13,
will feature seven Rohingya witnesses who will testify before federal
prosecutor Guillermo Marijuan. Marijuan is responsible for gathering evidence
in the case.
The 46-page criminal complaint focuses
on the violence that occurred in 2012 and 2018, resulting in the displacement
of approximately 1 million Rohingyas from Myanmar, most of whom sought refuge
in neighboring Bangladesh, where many continue to live in dire conditions.
The document provides chilling details
of the atrocities committed by Myanmar's military, known as the Tatmadaw, and
their civilian supporters, including gang rapes, beheadings, and the
intentional destruction of towns and villages through arson.
The complaint ultimately seeks to
identify the perpetrators and take necessary measures, such as their arrest or
extradition, for them to be interrogated by a judge. AkilaRadhakrisan, the head
of the New York-based Global Justice Center, emphasized that this effort is
part of a larger pursuit of accountability and truth.
However, Radhakrisan acknowledged that
cases like this can take years to be resolved, citing the recent arrest of a
fugitive involved in the 1994 Rwandan massacre as an example of the lengthy
process.
Officials noted that the public shaming
and the issuance of arrest warrants against the perpetrators in Myanmar could
restrict their travel and act as a deterrent for others worldwide who might
engage in similar human rights abuses.
Prosecutor Marijuan is currently in the
evidence collection phase, which includes the courtroom testimonies and
extensive information gathered by the UN-backed Independent International Fact
Finding Mission on Myanmar from 2017 to 2019. The fact-finding mission
conducted interviews with numerous witnesses in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The accused individuals mentioned in the
complaint include Senior Gen. Min AungHlaing, the head of Myanmar's armed
forces and ruling junta, as well as senior officials in the police and border
guard. Radical Buddhist monks, including AshinWirathu, are also named. The
accusation implicates pro-democracy figure Aung San SuuKyi, who led Myanmar's
civilian government from 2016 to 2021, as being complicit in the genocide.
SuuKyi was removed from power during the coup and is currently serving a
lengthy prison sentence on charges considered politically motivated by her
supporters.
Due to fears of retaliation from
Myanmar's military government, the Rohingya witnesses have taken stringent
measures to protect their identities. The hearings will be conducted behind
closed doors.
Tomas Ojea Quintana, an Argentine
attorney who previously served as the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in
Myanmar, is representing the Rohingya in court. He mentioned that Argentine
prosecutors may travel to a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh if they require
additional information.
Argentina has previously handled cases
involving alleged crimes committed in other countries. These cases include
crimes during the fascist rule of Francisco Franco in Spain from 1939 to 1975
(2010), crimes against humanity committed by Israeli authorities in the Gaza
Strip (2014), and crimes against humanity committed by Saudi Arabia's Prince
Mohammed bin Salman in Yemen (2018).
Source: tasnimnews.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2023/06/08/2907864/rohingya-muslims-testify-in-argentine-court-on-genocide-charges
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Video Of Bangladesh Mosque Peddled As
Donation Received In Shirdi Sai Temple
8 June 2023
A video of people collecting and
counting cash donations in a mosque is circulating online with a false claim
that it shows Muslim representatives of Shirdi Sai Baba temple collecting
money. The claim further adds that the temple has declined to donate for the
Ram temple in Ayodhya. BOOM found that the video is from Bangladesh's Kishoreganj
City, and shows representatives of a mosque named Pagla Mosque collecting
donations. In the viral video, people wearing Islamic caps can be seen
collecting cash from a donation box and putting them into sacks. The clip also
shows the funds being transferred through sacks and a group of people including
children counting the cash received. The video is captioned as,
"•COLLECTION OF HUNDI• •OF SHIRDI SATSAI• • See who collects the Shirdi
Baba hundi. No contribution has been made by Shirdi Sansthan for Ram Mandir
till now, as I have been told and the information goes. • Do indicate, if I am
wrong." (sic)
We also received the same video on our
WhatsApp tipline number (7700906588) with a verification request.
We then searched for Bangladeshi news
reports about the donation at Kishoreganj'sPagla Mosque and found a news
bulletin by Jago News carrying the same visuals uploaded on May 6, 2023.
The news bulletin also stated that a
hefty donation of around 5.5 crore Bangladeshi taka was received in the
donation box at Pagla mosque. Another May 6, 2023, report by KaalerKantho about
the incident states, "After a 118-day, the chest of Kishoreganj'sPagla
Mosque was opened, revealing eight donation boxes and 19 sacks of cash totaling
an astonishing 55.9 million taka. This sum has shattered all previous
fundraising records for the mosque." The article further adds, "To
make use of the donations, the Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad,
who is also the chairman of the management committee of Pagla Mosque, has
announced plans to build an Islamic complex of international standards on the
mosque's campus. The complex will provide facilities for devotees, with a
capacity for 60,000 people to pray together. The estimated initial cost of the
project is Tk 115 crore, and work has already begun on it. Once the initial
work is completed, the main construction phase will commence. The donated funds
are now being deposited in a bank." Additionally, BOOM reached out to a
representative from Shri SaibabaSansthan Trust who confirmed that the trust has
not contributed or funded the construction of the Ram temple. Also Read:Video
Of Exorcism By Fake Faith Healer Shared As Forced Conversion Of Hindus In
Pakistan
Source: boomlive.in
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.boomlive.in/fact-check/viral-video-shirdi-sai-temple-money-cash-donations-social-media-22188
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16 Killed in Afghanistan’s Faizabad
Mosque Explosion
June 8, 2023
16 people were reportedly killed, and
over 50 others were injured after an explosion struck a mosque in Faizabad,
Badakhshan province, Afghanistan, on Thursday morning.
The explosion targeted the memorial
ceremony for the Taliban deputy governor of Badakhshan province, who was killed
in a suicide bomb blast this week, according to the Sputnik Telegram Channel.
So far, no one has claimed
responsibility for the attack.
Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor
of Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, was killed in a car bomb along with his
driver and six others were injured on Tuesday.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility
for the attack that killed the Taliban deputy governor and his driver.
Since the Taliban took control of the
county in August 2021, ISIS has been a significant security threat.
The militant groups have been
responsible for several brutal attacks over the past nearly two years on the
Russian Embassy, Pakistan’s diplomatic mission, and a Chinese-run hotel in the
heart of Kabul.
Source: khaama.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/16-killed-in-afghanistans-faizabad-mosque-explosion/
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11 killed in mosque blast at
Afghanistan's Badakhshan: Report
Jun 09, 2023
The explosion happened during the
memorial service for Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan who
was killed in a car bombing on Tuesday.
At least 11 people were killed when an
explosion occurred near a mosque in northern Afghanistan at a memorial service
for the Taliban's provincial deputy governor, who died in an attack earlier
this week, officials said, according to Al Jazeera.
The explosion happened during the
memorial service for Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan who
was killed in a car bombing on Tuesday.
A former Taliban police official was
among those killed and more than 30 others were wounded in the explosion near
Nabawi Mosque on Thursday, according to Abdul NafiTakor, the Taliban-appointed
spokesman for the interior ministry.
Takor said there were concerns that the
number of casualties could rise further.
The attack in Faizabad, the capital of
Badakhshan, also killed the deputy governor's driver and wounded 10 other
people.
A car bombing on Tuesday claimed the
life of Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan, and the
explosion took place during his memorial service. The deputy governor's
chauffeur was also killed in the attack in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan,
and ten other people were injured.
Safiullah Samim, a former Afghan police
chief in Baghlan, was reportedly killed in the explosion on Thursday, according
to Moazuddin Ahmadi, the Afghan official in charge of communication and
culture, according to Al Jazeera.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai
condemned the attack and tweeted that the bombing of mosques is an act of
"terrorism" and goes "against human and Islamic standards".
There was no immediate claim of
responsibility for the attack. The ISIL (ISIS) armed group claimed
responsibility for the car bombing on Tuesday.
The Taliban administration has been
carrying out raids against members of ISIL, which has claimed several major
attacks in urban centres, Al Jazeera reported.
The group has targeted Taliban
administration officials and claimed the killing of the governor of northern
Balkh province in an attack in March.
Several senior Taliban officials
attended Ahmadi's funeral, which took place on Wednesday, along with hundreds
of residents of Faizabad.
The Afghan military chief,
FasihuddinFitrat, denounced the attacks in Badakhshan and asked people to
cooperate with Afghan security forces and report suspicious activities in their
areas, Al Jazeera reported.
Read here: Nearly 80 schoolgirls
poisoned, hospitalised in Afghanistan: Report
In December, a car bombing killed
Badakhshan's provincial police chief as he was on his way to work.
The ISIL regional affiliate, known as
the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, said at the time that it had carried
out that attack. The group said it had parked an explosive-laden car on the
road and detonated it when the police chief was close by.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/afghanistan-mosque-blast-badakhshan-11-killed-in-mosque-blast-at-afghanistans-badakhshan-report-101686263924530.html
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Poppy Cultivation Reduced To Almost Zero
in Afghanistan’s Helmand: Officials
June 8, 2023
According to the Ministry’s
spokesperson, Hafiz Zia, poppy cultivation has been reduced to zero compared to
2020. During 2020, 56.2% of Helmand province’s land was cultivated, which was
reduced to 0.4 in 2023.
“In reality, it is much less,” Ahmad
tweeted.
This follows an edict that Hibatullah
Akhundzada, supreme leader of the Taliban, issued in April of last year
outlawing the production of poppies in the country.
On Wednesday, Thomas West, the US’s
special envoy for Afghanistan, stated that allegations that the Taliban
authorities are stopping the growth of poppies are “credible and significant.”
“Every country in the region and beyond
has a shared interest in an Afghanistan free of drugs,” he said.
Earlier this week, BBC reported that In
April 2022, Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada decreed that
cultivation of the poppy – from which opium, the key ingredient for heroin, can
be extracted – was strictly prohibited. According to Sharia law, anyone
violating the ban would have their field destroyed and be penalized.
A Taliban spokesman told the BBC that
the prohibition was put in place because it violates their religious
convictions and is necessary to prevent the spread of opium obtained from poppy
seed capsules.
More than 80% of the opium in the world used
to be produced in Afghanistan. In Europe, opium from Afghanistan accounts for
95% of the heroin sold.
The BBC has now been to Afghanistan and utilized
satellite analysis to investigate the impact of direct intervention on the
cultivation of opium poppies. The Taliban leaders seem to have succeeded more
than anyone else in eradicating farming, BBC reported.
We discovered a sharp decline in poppy growth
in the main opium-producing areas; according to one expert, annual cultivation
may be 80% lower than the previous year. Poppies have been replaced with less
lucrative wheat crops, and many farmers report experiencing financial hardship.
Provinces visited by the BBC included
Nangarhar, Kandahar and Helmand. Studies of satellite images were also done.
“It is likely that cultivation will be
less than 20% of what it was in 2022. The reduction scale will be
unprecedented,” said David Mansfield, a leading expert on Afghanistan’s drugs
trade, working with Alcis – a UK firm specializing in satellite analysis.
According to Alcis’ analysis, Helmand’s
poppy cultivation has decreased by more than 99%. According to David Mansfield,
poppy cultivation in the Helmand province has decreased from 129,000 hectares
the year before to fewer than 1,000 hectares.
Source: khaama.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/poppy-cultivation-reduced-to-almost-zero-in-afghanistans-helmand-officials/
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Afghanistan Calls on Pakistan to Stop
Detaining Afghan Nationals
June 8, 2023
The call comes on Wednesday to stop
arresting Afghan refugees after security officials in Pakistan detained 250 of
them.
During the Soviet occupation of
Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, millions of Afghans fled to Pakistan, producing
one of the greatest refugee populations in the world. Since then, Pakistan has
taken in Afghans and encouraged them to register with the UN and local
officials to prevent being deported.
The Afghan embassy in Islamabad said
that refugees continue to be apprehended in the capital, the garrison city of
Rawalpindi, and surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, the Afghan officials said
they had met the Pakistani officials to discuss the “ongoing apprehension” of
refugees in Islamabad and surrounding areas.
The Afghan officials in Islamabad said
they learned that counterterrorism officials and other agencies had detained
refugees with identification documents and Afghan passports.
According to the UN reports, some 1.3
million registered Afghan refugees live in Pakistan.
Over 100,000 Afghans have entered
Pakistan to avoid persecution at home, despite the Taliban’s offer of a pardon
and desire that they stay in the country.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-calls-on-pakistan-to-stop-detaining-afghan-nationals/
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Afghanistan Presents a Great Business
Opportunity for Chinese Investors
June 8, 2023
Forging ties with China, the world’s
second-largest economy can help war-torn Afghanistan utilize the opportunity to
attract Chinese investors’ attention in various fields including technology,
innovation, education, agriculture, construction, trade, and industry.
With the vast mountain trains and rich
natural resources such as water, wind, sun, oil and gas, Afghanistan presents a
great business opportunity for Chinese investors to engage in low-cost,
high-production power generation in the country.
China’s expertise and investment can
contribute to Afghanistan’s mining sector, as Chinese investors have the
capacity in this field. This collaboration could lead to the development of
Afghanistan while benefiting Chinese industries to utilize an untapped market.
During the China-Central Asian Summit
which took place in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province from May 18 to 19, President Xi
Jinping stressed the importance of coordinating efforts among Afghanistan’s
neighbors to promote peace and reconstruction in the region.
Additionally, given its four seasons and
moderate climate, agriculture is another promising sector for Chinese
industrialists to invest in and export high-quality products to the global
market, according to economic experts.
Meanwhile, China has shown a willingness
to exploit the unique business opportunity and invest in different sectors
including mining, construction, infrastructure and more.
China maintains close ties with
Afghanistan’s de facto authorities, as the Chinese Ambassador to Kabul
frequently meets with the Taliban senior authorities, stressing the need to
increase continued cooperation with Afghanistan across fields.
A developed, peaceful, and stable
Afghanistan is beneficial for the entire region, especially China, which can
leverage Afghanistan’s geopolitical position for economic development.
Source: khaama.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-presents-a-great-business-opportunity-for-chinese-investors/
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Rohingya in Bangladesh protest to be
sent home after UN aid cut
9 Jun 2023
Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees
in Bangladesh are demanding to be repatriated to Myanmar so that they can leave
the squalid camps they have lived in since fleeing a brutal military crackdown
in their homeland in 2017.
More than a million Rohingya have been
crammed into the camps in southeastern Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee
settlement. Most fled the crackdown by Myanmar’s military almost six years ago,
although some have been there for longer.
On June 1, the World Food Programme cut
the monthly food allocation to $8 per person from $10 earlier. In March, the
ration cut had been reduced from $12 to $10 due to a reduction in global aid
for the refugees.
During Thursday’s demonstrations across
the sprawling camps, the mainly Muslim refugees, young and old, waved placards
and chanted slogans.
“No more refugee life. No verification.
No scrutiny. No interview. We want quick repatriation through UNHCR data card.
We want to go back to our motherland,” the placards read.
“Let’s go back to Myanmar. Don’t try to
stop repatriation,” said the others.
‘We will go mad’
Mohammed Rezuwan Khan, a protester, told
Anadolu Agency that if things continued going downhill, they would be left with
no option but to “steal food for survival”.
“Rohingya lives have been stuck in a
quagmire. Sometimes I feel we will go mad,” he said.
Muhammad Ayaz, 35, who lives at the
Teknaf refugee camp, told Anadolu: “We are citizens of Myanmar. We urge the
global community to hear our appeal of returning home with proper citizenship
rights and protection in Myanmar after repatriation.”
He said the food aid cut by the UN has
pushed them to starvation. Women and children are the worst victims of the
ration cut, he added, urging the global community, including the UN, to
immediately ensure necessary food support and other basic needs as the refugees
completely depend on aid for survival.
During a four-day visit to the refugee
camps last week, Kelly T Clements, UN deputy high commissioner for refugees,
said the refugees are completely reliant on humanitarian aid for their basic
needs. However, the minimum funding for this assistance is no longer available,
she said.
Humanitarian agencies have appealed for
more than $876m this year to support the Rohingya in Bangladesh. As of June
2023, the Joint Response Plan for supporting them was only 24 percent funded.
‘What future do we have here?’
Rohingya community leader Mohammad
Jashim said he was keen to return to Myanmar but wanted his citizenship rights
guaranteed.
“We are the citizens of Myanmar by
birth. We want to go back home with all our rights, including citizenship, free
movement, livelihood, safety, and security,” he told Reuters news agency,
saying the refugees hoped for the UN’s help in this regard.
Myanmar’s military had until recently
shown little inclination to take back any Rohingya, who have for years been
regarded as foreign interlopers in Myanmar and denied citizenship and subjected
to abuse.
Attempts to begin repatriation in 2018
and 2019 failed as the refugees, fearing prosecution, refused to go back.
A group of 20 Rohingya told Reuters they
would not return to Myanmar to “be confined in camps” after visiting their
homeland as part of a pilot scheme aimed at encouraging voluntary repatriation.
A Bangladesh official said the pilot
scheme envisaged about 1,100 refugees returning to Myanmar, but no date had
been set.
Densely populated Bangladesh says
refugees’ repatriation to Myanmar is the only solution to the crisis.
Tom Andrews, UN special rapporteur on
the human rights situation in Myanmar, on Thursday said Bangladesh must
immediately suspend the pilot repatriation project for Rohingya to return to
Myanmar, where they face serious risks to their lives.
Meanwhile, surging crime, harsh living
conditions and bleak prospects for returning to Myanmar are driving more
Rohingya to leave Bangladesh by boat for countries such as Malaysia and
Indonesia, putting their lives at risk.
UN data shows 348 Rohingya are thought
to have died at sea last year.
Local communities in Bangladesh have
also been increasingly hostile towards the Rohingya as international aid
agencies’ funding for the refugees has dwindled.
“Our situation is only deteriorating.
What future do we have here?” asked refugee Mohammed Taher, as he stood with
other protesters.
Source: aljazeera.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/9/rohingya-in-bangladesh-protest-to-be-sent-home-after-un-aid-cut
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North America
Kosovo becomes second Muslim-majority
country to endorse organization's definition of anti-Semitism
June 9, 2023
Kosovo became the second Muslim-majority
country to endorse the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA),
an intergovernmental organization, definition of anti-Semitism, joining 43
other countries.
The southeastern European country passed
the resolution on adopting the definition defined by the IHRA on Thursday, June
8.
The decision was announced on Twitter by
the country's Charge d'Affairs to Israel, Ines Demiri.
The IHRA is the only intergovernmental
organization mandated to focus solely on Holocaust-related issues, and has
defined antisemitism as a "certain perception of Jews," including
rhetorical and physical hatred towards Jews.
"Antisemitism is a certain
perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical
and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or
non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community
institutions and religious facilities,"
to the IHRA website.
Israel's ambassador to Kosovo Tammy Ziv
thanked the parliament for the decision in a Twitter post, sharing the
country's commitment, "to bringing our two countries and people closer."
"I want to thank the 79 MPs of all
ruling and opposition parties in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosova who
today unanimously voted and adopted the IHRA's working definition of
antisemitism. We remain committed to bringing our two countries and people
closer," Ziv said in a Twitter post.
In March 2021, Kosovo further built it's
relationship with Israel when the country opened an embassy to Israel in
Jerusalem. The move was controversial, since it was the first European country
to establish an embassy in the disputed city whose status is at the core of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Demiri championed the effort, saying in
a Twitter post that it was the "greatest honor" of her life. Korovo
followed the United States and Guatemala in opening embassies in Jerusalem.
Source: foxnews.com
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https://www.foxnews.com/world/albania-becomes-second-muslim-majority-country-endorse-organizations-definition-antisemitism
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Muslims seek apology from Democrat for
linking them to ‘White supremacists’ over LGBTQ books
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Tensions between Muslim parents and
Montgomery County Public Schools over the Maryland district’s mandatory LGBTQ
books escalated after a Democratic official compared the families to White
supremacists.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations
demanded an apology for “offensive and disparaging remarks” made by Montgomery
County Councilmember Kristin Mink at Tuesday’s board of education meeting on
the elimination of the classroom opt-out policy.
“This issue has unfortunately put, it
does put some – not all, of course – some Muslim families on the same side of
an issue as White supremacists and outright bigots,” said Ms. Mink at the
meeting. “However, the folks who I talked to here today I would not put in the
same category as those folks, although it’s again complicated because they’re
falling on the same side of this particular issue.”
Zainab Chaudry, director of CAIR’s
Maryland office, said Ms. Mink used the public forum “to link your Muslim
constituents with the same White supremacist groups who so often threaten our
own existence and well-being.”
“To help repair some of the damage that
your remarks caused, CAIR is seeking a statement from you publicly apologizing
for your remarks and committing to showing respect for the views of Muslim families
in Montgomery County, even if you personally disagree with them,” said
Ms.Chaudry in the Tuesday letter.
Source: washingtontimes.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jun/8/muslims-seek-apology-democrat-linking-them-white-s/
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Muslim community waking up to 'unholy
alliance' with Democratic party amid battle over parental rights
June 8, 2023
Muslim parents are waking up to the
"unholy alliance" their community forged with the Democratic Party
after standing side by side with conservatives to fight for parental rights,
said a Muslim journalist.
"Parents everywhere, from the
Muslim community to the Asian community, the Armenian-American community in
California, are recognizing that their children are in the crosshairs of this
woke army and they don't want to have any part of it," Asra Nomani, the
author of "Woke Army," told Fox News Digital.
"These woke activists have stirred
the mama bears and the papa bears in our Muslim community in a way that is
irreversible. This is going to be the wedge issue of 2024 because they are now
coming after the children."
At a Tuesday protest organized by Family
Rights for Religious Freedom (FRRF), hundreds of parents protested a change to
the curriculum no longer allowing parents to opt their children out of sexual
and gender identity lessons based on religious beliefs.
In March, the Montgomery County Public
school system revised its parental notification policy, which meant that
parents were no longer informed in advance of the books being read in class.
And opting out of lessons was not allowed anymore.
"I was in awe – about 250 Muslim
parents were united with fellow parents from the Christian and Jewish community
to take a philosophical stand protecting parental rights in America,"
Nomani, who attended the rally following a school board meeting in Rockville,
Maryland, said.
"When you have a common enemy of
people who are coming after your children, you unite," she added.
"This is a united interfaith effort that I felt really good about,"
Counter-protestors also attended the
rally and shouted down the parents, and accused them of aiding White supremacy.
"These woke women, who are mostly
White…they had signs like ‘We fight for those without privilege.’ Meanwhile,
they were protesting these Brown and Black parents who are just trying to
protect their constitutional right to parent their kid as they wish," Nommani
said.
Over the past decade, the Muslim community in
America became "enmeshed" with the far left and the Democratic Party
in what Nomani called an "unholy alliance."
"Muslim families are waking up to
the fact that the establishment organizations have largely betrayed their
values in forging this alliance with the Democratic Party," she said.
Muslims traditionally have more socially
conservative values, Nomani pointed out. But due to the Democrats
"exploiting the concept of intersectionality," they have allied with
the left. She said she sees a political realignment for the Muslim American
community on the horizon.
"We may have many different
religious views, but we value and cherish the family in a way that is both
noble, sacred and necessary for the future of our world," she said.
"I can tell you that many of those
parents are gearing up for the next school board election. They are preparing
to run as Republicans, they are even ready to put their support behind
Republican politicians," Nomani told Fox News Digital. "I would
encourage anybody in politics to recognize this constituency as the swing voter
that will decide the presidential election of 2024."
"Parents everywhere are ignited,
and this community is the woke Army's worst nightmare. They will not shut
up."
Source: foxnews.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.foxnews.com/media/muslim-community-waking-up-unholy-alliance-democratic-party-amid-battle-over-parental-rights
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NY man charged with terroristic threats
against NJ Muslim leader
09-06-23
A 40-year-old New York man has been
charged for terroristic threats he allegedly made to the imam of the New
Brunswick Islamic Center in North Brunswick.
Khaliyk Sellers, of the Bronx, was
arrested without incident May 27 in Pennsylvania where he also is facing
weapons charges, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said.
The Islamic Center’s website lists
ShadeeElmasry as the spiritual director.
North Brunswick police on May 26 learned
of multiple explicit and credible threats made via text message to the
spiritual director, Ciccone said.
An investigation by North Brunswick
police, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and the New Jersey Office of
Homeland Security and Preparedness identified Sellers as the suspect, the
prosecutor said.
More:NJ Muslim leader Sam Khan
remembered: 'His legacy will continue to inspire us all'
"The cooperation and outstanding
police work conducted by the aforementioned agencies allowed law enforcement to
prevent further threats of violence to the members of our community,"
Ciccone said.
The investigation is active and
continuing. Anyone with information is asked to contact North Brunswick
Detective Christopher Trokovich at 732-545-3200.
Email: alewis@njpressmedia.com
Alexander Lewis is an award-winning
reporter and photojournalist whose work spans many topics. This coverage is
only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital
subscription.
Source: northjersey.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/crime/2023/06/09/muslim-threats-imam-nj/70303908007/
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Canadian Muslim charity wins 'milestone'
settlement after being falsely accused of funding terrorism
Jun 09, 2023
One of Canada's largest faith-based
charities has won a settlement over a set of publications that falsely claimed
it was a "front" to fund terror groups abroad.
Islamic Relief Canada reached the
out-of-court settlement earlier this month in a lawsuit against Thomas Quiggin
— a former military officer turned self-described researcher who last year
emerged as one of the more recognizable names in the truck convoy protests —
and six others who it argued made "false, malicious and defamatory"
statements aimed at harming the charity.
Along with Quiggin, the $2.5-million
lawsuit from December 2018 took aim at Benjamin Dichter, who later emerged as a
convoy spokesperson; writer Tahir Aslam Gora and an online television channel
of which Gora is CEO; writer Raheel Raza and her husband Syed Sohail Raza; as
well as a Yarmouth-based man named Joseph Hazelton who interviewed Quiggin
about the charity in a YouTube video that garnered over 10,000 views.
"This case illustrates the kind of
misinformation that legitimate aid organizations too often face in carrying out
their vital humanitarian missions," said Usama Khan, Islamic Relief
Canada's CEO.
"The settlement reached by Islamic
Relief Canada is a milestone in this fight," said Khan. "By holding
those who spread misinformation accountable for their actions, we can send a
clear message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated."
The exact terms of the settlement have
not been made public, but as part of it, the defendants issued a statement of
clarification acknowledging their statements were "unfounded."
"We did not exercise sufficient due
diligence in researching, drafting and/or publishing the defamatory
statements," the defendants said.
Misinformation easily amplified by 'bad
actors': lawyer
The clarification added that the
defendants "never intended" to suggest the charity "supports
terrorist groups, has an Islamist agenda or is a 'front or sham'
organization." It also says the defendants have removed or asked various
publishers to remove their defamatory statements.
Despite the settlement, CBC News easily
located the 132-page so-called "Quiggin Report" online and available
for download. The long, winding document packages in a pseudo-academic format
conspiratorial references to an "Islamist cancer" and "globalist
beliefs" within the federal government.
Using hundreds of footnotes and numerous
graphics and charts, the report attempts to draw a line from the charity to
militant groups like Hamas through the charity's parent organization Islamic
Relief Worldwide.
Lawyer Nader Hasan, who represents
Islamic Relief Canada, said the charity intends to hold the defendants to their
commitment to remove their statements. But the fact that they may remain in
some corners of the internet illustrates how easily misinformation can
proliferate online.
"This ultimately speaks to the
pernicious nature of defamation on the internet, where untrue statements get
repeated and amplified by bad actors that might be outside of the control of
any party," he said.
Defendants authored complaint to RCMP
Islamic Relief Worldwide itself has
faced accusations of links to terror groups before. In 2014, the Israeli
government banned the organization, claiming it was funding Hamas. Following
that, Hasan says, IRW commissioned a "comprehensive, independent"
review of its operations in the Palestinian occupied territories, which found
no evidence that its West Bank office engaged in any improper or illegal
practices.
The United Kingdom, United States,
Sweden and Canadian governments have all continued to fund IRW's programs
despite Israel's ban, he added.
According to the lawsuit, the
defendants' "campaign of defamation" began on Oct. 9, 2018, when
Quiggin, Gora, Dichter, Raza and her husband sent a letter to then-RCMP
commissioner Brenda Lucki. The letter contained a publication by Quiggin,
claiming the federal government was funding terrorism with taxpayers' money by
providing grants to Islamic Relief Canada.
Those grants included money to provide
health-care services for sexual assault survivors in Iraq; aid programs for
Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen; Ethopia flood relief assistance and
funds for victims of the Myanmar crisis, the statement of claim says.
The complaint to the RCMP has since been
retracted.
Hasan told CBC News that because it
operates in hot zones around the world and because of the increased scrutiny
that Muslim charities generally face, Islamic Relief is "one of the most
audited, scrutinized, and inspected charities in the world."
"Every dollar they spend is for
legitimate purposes. That's why the allegations were so frustrating and
outrageous in the first place," he said.
Lawyer Lorne Honickman, who represents
the defendants, told CBC News his clients are "very happy with the
settlement, and the fact that a long trial was avoided."
National security watchdog probing
possible CRA bias
The added scrutiny facing Muslim
charities is something AnverEmon, director of the University of Toronto's
Institute of Islamic Studies, zeroed in on in a report he co-authored last
spring. The report, called Under Layered Suspicion, documented how potential
biases within the Canada Revenue Agency's auditing rules may unfairly put
certain Muslim charities under the microscope and how real-world anti-terror
can be influenced by Islamophobic bias.
"Since 9/11 we have witnessed many
self-declared experts claiming to know where terrorism is, who finances it, and
how. These so-called experts contribute to an echo chamber that reverberates in
the halls of all our Canadian institutions, public and private and in
between," said Emon.
Earlier this year, CBC News reported the
watchdog for Canada's security and intelligence agencies has begun an
investigation into the CRA's work on charities following allegations of bias
and Islamophobia within its auditing practices.
For its part, the charity says the
settlement affirms what it has always maintained: that it is a "respected,
purely humanitarian" organization supporting vulnerable people in Canada
and around the world.
Oxfam Canada, with which the charity has
long worked to respond to conflict and natural disasters, agrees.
In a statement, its executive director
Lauren Ravon told CBC News, "the space humanitarian organizations can
operate in is shrinking around the world and development organizations are increasingly
under attack."
"The Islamophobic attacks that IRC
has been the target of over the years are shameful and absolutely out of step
with the professional and principled organization I have always known them to
be."
Source: cbc.ca
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/islamic-relief-muslim-charity-canada-terror-1.6870177
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Ex-US president Donald Trump indicted in
classified documents probe
June 9, 2023
Donald Trump said on Thursday he has
been indicted over his handling of classified documents after leaving office,
the US ex-president’s most serious legal threat yet as a firestorm of criminal
investigations imperils his bid for a second White House term.
“The corrupt Biden administration has
informed my attorneys that I have been indicted, seemingly over the boxes
hoax,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform as he broke the bombshell news
of a historic moment for the United States: the first time a sitting or former
commander-in-chief has ever faced federal charges.
There was no immediate confirmation from
the Justice Department regarding Trump’s assertion.
A Trump attorney, Jim Trusty, told CNN
his client has been indicted on seven charges including the willful retention
of documents in violation of the Espionage Act, making false statements,
obstruction of justice and a count of conspiracy.
Though the precise details of the
charges were not immediately clear, people familiar with the matter told The
New York Times that the conspiracy charge was related to obstruction of
justice.
In his post, Trump, who is running for
president again, said he has been summoned to a federal courthouse in Miami
next Tuesday — the day before his 77th birthday.
“I never thought it possible that such a
thing could happen to a former president of the United States,” he wrote.
His announcement came a day after US
media said federal prosecutors had informed the former president’s lawyers that
he is the target of the probe into his handling of classified documents.
He was already the first former or
sitting president to be charged with a crime — in his case over election-eve
hush money payments to a porn star who said she had an affair with him. That
indictment was handed down by Manhattan’s district attorney in March.
In a statement after his initial online
posts, the Trump campaign lashed out at what it called an “unprecedented abuse
of power,” and called for the indictment to be thrown out.
Dark day
In a defiant video released after he
shared the news, Trump repeatedly declared his innocence and framed the
indictment as a form of election interference by a Justice Department
“weaponised” by Joe Biden’s administration.
“They come after me because now we’re
leading in the polls again by a lot against Biden,” Trump says in the clip.
“Our country is going to hell and they come after Donald Trump […] We can’t let
this continue.”
His allies in Congress swiftly stood by
him, like House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan.
Top Republican leadership, including
Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy who has had a
rollercoaster relationship with the former president, also rushed to defend
Trump.
“Today is indeed a dark day for the
United States of America. It is unconscionable for a President to indict the
leading candidate opposing him,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said in a
statement.
“I, and every American who believes in
the rule of law, stand with President Trump.”
Special counsel Jack Smith, named by US
Attorney General Merrick Garland, has been looking into a cache of classified
documents that Trump had stored at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after
leaving the White House.
The FBI carted away some 11,000 papers
after serving a search warrant on Mar-a-Lago in August, and obstruction-of-justice
charges could be a result of his resisting efforts to recover the trove.
Trump eventually turned over 15 boxes
containing almost 200 classified documents to the National Archives in January
2022 but was subpoenaed for any outstanding records in his possession.
When asked about the charges on Thursday
night, Smith’s spokesman Peter Carr told AFP, “We are declining to comment.”
Mounting legal woes
Some Democratic lawmakers spoke out
following Thursday’s extraordinary revelation.
Trump’s indictment “is another
affirmation of the rule of law,” House Democrat Adam Schiff said.
“For four years, he acted like he was
above the law,” Schiff added. “But he should be treated like any other
lawbreaker. And today, he has been.”
Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing
in the documents’ case, telling a Fox News town hall event on June 1 that
“everything I did was right.”
But he has openly acknowledged taking
and storing the documents, undermining his lawyers’ suggestion he took the
stash inadvertently in the confusion of a chaotic departure.
“This evidence just adds to the mound of
stuff that already exists, and no one piece is the ‘be all and end all,’ but
when you put them all together, the case is so strong,” former Watergate
prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks told MSNBC.
“You cannot imagine his getting away
with this.”
The latest indictment comes with Trump
facing numerous other probes as he bids to be the Republican nominee to
challenge US President Joe Biden for the presidency in 2024.
Smith is also looking at whether Trump
should face charges over the 2021 US Capitol riot, and Georgia prosecutors are
investigating whether Trump illegally attempted to overturn the 2020
presidential election outcome there.
The former president has already been
charged with dozens of financial crimes as part of an alleged hush-money scheme
to silence a porn star claiming she had sex with him and is due to go on trial
next March, in the middle of primary election season.
Source: dawn.com
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Europe
Sonny Bill William inside controversial
Carlton mosque
09-06-23
The project has been at the centre of a
long-running row with neighbours in the quiet suburban street who bitterly
opposed the traffic and disruption it will bring.
Sonny Bill Williams has given an sneak
peek inside the massive work underway on the controversial new mosque
personally backed by the All Black and NRL star in Sydney's south.
In April, Daily Mail Australia revealed
video footage of Williams, 37, apparently telling one Asian resident to 'go to
China' in a clash with locals in the middle of the road.
The clash followed claims mysterious men
had thrown firecrackers at the homes of locals opposing the mosque and ripped
down signs protesting against the plans.
But work is now underway which will
transform a former nursing home into the $5million Hurstville Masjid at the
1,988sqm site in Carlton.
A neighbouring home and an outer
building have both now been demolished to make way for the new car parks needed
to meet demand.
Workmen have also ripped off the roof in
preparation for the interior renovation which will create male and female
prayer rooms and a college onsite.
Sonny Bill Williams (pictured with
Sheikh Kamal Taleb) has given an sneak peek inside the massive work underway on
the controversial new mosque in Sydney's south
A video obtained by Daily Mail Australia
showed Sonny Bill Williams (pictured) in a fiery confrontation with a
Chinese-Australia resident over the mosque
'God willing, we'll be praying 365 days
a year, five times a day' Sonny Bill Williams lives in the area with his South
African-born former model wife Alana, 29, and their three young children,
Imaan, 6, Aisha, 4, and Zaid, 3. The Kiwi converted to Islam in 2009 while
playing in France, and his wife, mother and brother have also since converted
too. Williams joined with Anthony Mundine and former footballer Hazem El Masri
to campaign for the Carlton mosque. 'The Muslim community has been here in the
Carlton area since 1950s and has never had a mosque,' he said. Williams
welcomed its approval - three years after the application was first lodged - in
a video for the mosque's website. 'As a proud Muslim in this area, this is
something…
Source: news.knowledia.com
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Harrow business wins award to create
more toys teaching children about Islam
June 8, 2023
Desi Dolls, a small business based in
Stanmore, Harrow and founded by Farzana Rahman, has achieved a significant
milestone by winning the esteemed Inclusive Innovation Award grant from
Innovate UK.
The company, known for its range of
educational toys that teach children about the Islamic faith, will utilise the
grant to fund the development of two innovative and interactive toys.
Innovate UK, the national innovation
agency of the United Kingdom, plays a crucial role in supporting the growth and
commercialisation of new products, services, and processes for UK businesses.
Desi Dolls has already gained
recognition for its popular toys such as Aamina, Yousuf, and the Original Dua’
Pillows. These soft, cuddly, and educational plush dolls and pillows recite
verses from the Quran in both Arabic and English. Targeted at children between
the ages of 3 and 6, the toys also feature catchy songs.
The origins of the award-winning
Stanmore, Harrow Business
Farzana Rahman, the founder of Desi
Dolls, left her successful career in investment banking 15 years ago to pursue
her passion for creating educational resources for Muslim children. Her
dedication and commitment have resulted in over 50 different faith-inspired
interactive toys and several accolades, including Businesswoman of the Year at
the Islam Channel Business Awards, SME Business of the Year at the Saverah
Women in Business Awards, and the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for
International Trade in 2022.
Expressing her excitement, Farzana
Rahman said, “Having the vision and the plans on paper are one thing, but
actually making them materialize is another ball game altogether. The Innovate
UK project spans 12 months ending March 31st, 2024, and already it doesn’t seem
long enough! I will be working very hard between now and the end of March 2024
to create these two fantastic Islamic educational resources.”
The prestigious Inclusive Innovation
Award grants each winning company £50,000 to further develop their inclusive
innovations. Innovate UK aims to promote innovation that benefits and engages
with all segments of society. The award recognizes the importance of designing
products and services that consider accessibility and inclusion from the
outset, fostering commercial success while mitigating the risk of deepening
inequalities.
Farzana Rahman noted the significance of
representation in toys, stating, “It’s so important for children to feel
represented by the toys they see on the toy shelves, so they feel included and
gives them confidence in their Muslim identity.”
Where can you get the toys?
Desi Dolls’ toys are currently stocked
in the FAO Schwarz toy department of Selfridges, as well as in 140 Asda and
Morrisons supermarkets across the UK. With the Inclusive Innovation Award, the
company aims to expand its reach by seeking partnerships with other major toy
retailers.
Innovate UK’s Inclusive Innovation Award
supports various groundbreaking projects, ranging from AI-driven smart gloves
that translate sign language into speech to interactive voice reminders
empowering people with dementia to live more independently. By investing in
inclusive innovation, Innovate UK aims to bridge gaps and ensure equal
opportunities for all members of society.
As the demand for educational toys that
promote inclusivity continues to grow, Desi Dolls’ success in securing the
Inclusive Innovation Award showcases its commitment to empowering children and
creating a more diverse and representative toy industry.
For more information about the Inclusive
Innovation Awards and Innovate UK, please visit their official website.
Source: harrowonline.org
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https://harrowonline.org/2023/06/08/harrow-business-wins-award/
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Inauguration of Imam Abu Hanifa
Al-Nu'man bin Thabit Mosque confirms Qatar's role in Islamic world: Tajikistan
CRA Chairman
JUNE 08, 2023
The Chairman of the Committee on
Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions and Rituals (CRA) of Tajikistan,
SulaimonDavlatzoda said that the inauguration of Imam Abu Hanifa Al-Nu'man bin
Thabit Mosque, the largest mosque in Central Asia, in the city of Dushanbe,
funded by the State of Qatar, confirms the significant role that Qatar plays in
the Islamic world and its great position as a country that has provided and is
still providing a lot of service to humanity in the world.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency
(QNA), Davlatzoda stated that thanks to its initiatives and charitable efforts,
Qatar has been able to attain a high position in the Islamic world in recent
decades. This is a testament to the success of its foreign policy, thanks to
its wise leadership, he added.
He expressed pride that Qatar
participates in the development of his country through several projects, the
latest of which is the Imam Abu Hanifa Al-Nu'man bin Thabit Mosque in Dushanbe,
which stands as a testament to Qatar's growing achievements. These
accomplishments serve as a source of pride for the Tajik people, he stressed.
The inauguration of the mosque has a
positive impact on the spirit of friendship between the two countries and the
two peoples, as this mosque will serve Muslims in Tajikistan for many centuries
in the future; and will remain an influential factor in strengthening
friendship and cooperation between the two countries and a motive at the same
time for the development of bilateral relations between the two countries to
broader horizons.
He stressed that the opening of the
mosque, by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Tajik
President EmomaliRahmon, is a gesture of goodwill that further supports the
relations between the two countries. It is expected that several new
cooperation agreements will be signed in various fields between the two
friendly nations, he said adding that the visit of His Highness the Amir will
undoubtedly elevate the cooperation between the two sides to a new qualitative
stage.
The visit of His Highness the Amir will witness
the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding between the Committee on
Religious Affairs in Tajikistan and the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs
in Qatar, serving as another gateway to further comprehensive cooperation, he
said.
Among the countries of the Islamic
world, Qatar has a great expertise in promoting Islamic values. Studying
Qatar's experience in the field of interreligious dialogue, enhancing religious
tolerance, and preventing religious extremism and terrorism would be beneficial.
Based on this, increasing cooperation between Qatar and Central Asian countries
would be in the best interest of the region, Davlatzoda noted.
At the end of his interview to QNA, the
Davlatzoda highlighted the work of the committee, which falls under the government
of the Republic of Tajikistan. Its main mission is to implement the state's
policy in the field of religion, including coordinating the activities of
religious associations, such as mosques, churches, and other temples, along
with several other tasks related to religions.
Source: gulf-times.com
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https://www.gulf-times.com/article/662629/qatar/inauguration-of-imam-abu-hanifa-al-numan-bin-thabit-mosque-confirms-qatars-role-in-islamic-world-tajikistan-cra-chairman
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‘Daesh remains dangerous terror actor,’
says French FM Catherine Colonna
June 09, 2023
PARIS: On the eve of the Ministerial
Meeting of the Global Coalition Against Daesh in Riyadh, Catherine Colonna, the
French minister for Europe and foreign affairs, said the coalition’s work
remains vitally important because the terrorist group “has not abandoned its
agenda.”
All members of the coalition
participated in the meeting, organized by Saudi Arabia and the US. Established
in 2014, when Daesh was at the peak of its power, the coalition has since
achieved the bulk of its objectives, having liberated all territories held by
the group, first in Iraq in 2017 and then in Syria in 2019.
However, French authorities believe the
coalition remains relevant, as the threat has merely changed in nature. The
French government has said Daesh “remains a dangerous terrorist actor” in many
parts of the world, including Africa, Afghanistan, and even Syria.
The group “is not currently in a strong
enough position to carry out new attacks on our territory” as it did in 2015
and 2016, French authorities said in a recent statement, referring to a spate
of mass casualty events.
However, it seeks to take advantage of
continued instability, particularly in Syria, but also in certain African
countries and Afghanistan, “to rebuild its bases and regain the ability to recruit
and project new threats.”
“We are dealing with an group that has
not at all abandoned its global agenda,” it added.
The Riyadh meeting was viewed as an
opportunity to conduct a security evaluation that will allow coalition military
personnel to present their perception of the threat.
Furthermore, the French government
believes the focus on the war in Ukraine “should not overshadow the fight
against terrorism,” otherwise “we would lose the gains we have made over the
past ten years, investing human lives and billions of euros and dollars, which
would be totally irresponsible.”
Colonna used the Riyadh meeting to press
home her government’s stance, notably emphasizing how the Levant region, the
birthplace of Daesh, must remain a priority for the coalition.
She also used the occasion to convey how
the threat has evolved and how the response must evolve accordingly.
“It is evident that we are dealing with
a group that has voluntarily returned to clandestinity rather than being forced
into it” and that it maintains its intention “to reposition itself in a
strategy of harassment,” the French government said.
“The stakes are different today, and
they consist of preventing the territories that were under the influence of
Daesh from falling back under its sway, which requires us to make a massive
stabilization effort.”
In this regard, Colonna was keen to
emphasize the magnitude and consistency of the French commitment to
stabilization, as, since 2017, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs alone
has mobilized 302 million euros, including 170 million euros for Iraq.
egarding logistics, the meeting focused
on three geographical themes — the Levant, specifically the Syrian-Iraqi zone
that lies at the heart of the international coalition’s traditional activities,
Africa, with a significant focus on the Sahel-Saharan region, and finally,
Central Asia, where Afghanistan is a key concern.
Ministerial interventions and several
stabilization announcements also took place, along with a presentation of the
coalition’s diverse activities through its various working groups on combating
Daesh’s narrative.
The meeting provided an opportunity for
Colonna to hold bilateral talks with her counterparts, including Saudi Arabia’s
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Morocco’s Nasser Bourita, Lebanon’s AbdallahBou
Habib, and several African ministers.
After Riyadh, Catherine Colonna traveled
to Doha, marking a milestone in the framework of the strategic dialogue between
France and Qatar, which covers all areas of the bilateral relationship.
In this regard, Paris emphasizes that
“the relationship with Qatar has been extremely strong and on the rise for
several years.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Arab World
Organization of Islamic
CooperationPraises Saudi Arabia’s empowering Of Women
June 09, 2023
CAIRO: The Organization of Islamic
Cooperation has praised Saudi Arabia for its continued empowerment of women,
and the government’s support for the OIC’s work, the Saudi Press Agency
reported on Thursday.
These were the comments made by Tarig
Ali Bakheet, assistant secretary-general for humanitarian, social and cultural
affairs, on behalf of the head of the organization, HisseinBrahim Taha, during
a high-level session of the OIC’s Women Development Organization in Cairo.
Bakheet welcomed the Kingdom’s offer to
host an international conference on women’s rights in Islam, including to
education and work, in coordination with the OIC.
He said women must be empowered to
become decision-makers in all sectors including on the economic and trade
fronts, and that the OIC supports the work of the WDO across the Arab and
Islamic world.
Afnan Al-Shuaibi, executive director of
the WDO, also lauded the Kingdom’s efforts to enhance the role of women in line
with Vision 2030.
Al-Shuaibi said that women in the
Kingdom have received considerable support from the country’s leadership. She
added that many Saudi women now hold leadership positions in various
industries, both inside and outside the country.
Al-Shuaibi highlighted that the WDO
continues to strengthen partnerships with member states, sister organizations,
UN agencies and other bodies throughout the world.
The session was held to explore women’s
development in Arab and Islamic countries.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi FM: Kingdom Is Making Great
Efforts To Combat Financing Of Islamic State
June 9, 2023
The Kingdom is making great efforts to
combat the financing of Daesh, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal
bin Farhan said on Thursday.
Speaking at a joint press conference
with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after a ministerial meeting of the
Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh, Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that threat of
the terrorist organization is not limited to Sahel countries, but rather
extends to the whole world.
Prince Faisal said the Kingdom is working
with Africa to confront terrorist organizations and that it has a
responsibility toward Africa as an important source of cooperation.
He added that it is unfortunate that
developed countries are refusing to take back their citizens from Syria’s Al-Hol
displacement camp that houses refugees and families of Daesh fighters,
including thousands of foreigners.
“They (Lebanon) cannot carry this burden
of two million Syrian refugees for much longer. And in order to avoid a
situation where they are at risk, we need to find a way for them to return
safely,” Prince Faisal said.
The foreign minister said China was an
important partner for the Kingdom and the region, but affirmed the strength of
Saudi-American relations during the conference and said the Kingdom continues
to develop security and military relations with America.
In turn, Blinken expressed his
appreciation for the Kingdom’s contributions to the coalition against Daesh,
and said that the US is working closely with Saudi Arabia on the situation in
Yemen.
Blinken added that Saudi Arabia is
leading diplomatic campaigns for a cease-fire in Sudan and the delivery of
humanitarian aid.
He added that the Kingdom is witnessing
remarkable development and has embarked on a huge and historic effort to
modernize its economy.
The secretary of state said US relations
with Gulf countries are important to America and countries in the region.
Blinken met with Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday evening ahead of the ministerial meeting, and
the two vowed to work together to advance stability, security, and prosperity
across the Middle East and beyond.
Source: eurasiareview.com
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Saudi Armed Forces, GCC, US troops
conclude military exercises
June 09, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Armed Forces have
concluded military exercises with GCC countries and the US, the Kingdom’s Defense
Ministry announced on Thursday.
The “Eagle Resolve 23” drill, which was
launched at the Air Warfare Center in the Eastern Province, aimed to raise
combat efficiency, achieve operational readiness, and exchange expertise on
planning and implementation at all levels.
It was held to demonstrate the depth of
strategic and military relations with the GCC countries and the US, the
ministry said in a statement.
Over the course of two weeks, the
countries participated in various exercises including air and missile combat
with live ammunition, defensive counter-air operations, air-to-air refueling,
surface-to-naval warfare, electronic warfare, naval incursions, defense against
weapons of mass destruction and handling mass casualties.
The closing ceremony was attended by
Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, the chiefs of staff of
the participating countries, Commander of the Saudi Air Force Lt. Gen. Turki
bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, and a number of senior officers of the Saudi Armed
Forces.
Maj. Gen. Fahad bin Hamad Al-Salman, the
exercise director, said the drill and its various scenarios took place over
more than eight months, during which several conferences and seminars were held
in the Kingdom and the US.
The chiefs of staff were briefed on the
working groups involved, and attended a “Senior Leaders” symposium, during
which issues of common interest were discussed.
As part of the symposium’s activities,
the Commander of the Naval Forces at the US Central Command Lt. Gen. Brad
Cooper, gave a lecture entitled “Partnerships and Innovation,” while the Saudi
side presented two lectures entitled “Air Defense in Joint Operations” and
“Information Operations.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Solomon Islands PM discusses climate
change with Saudi envoy
June 09, 2023
RIYADH: Prime Minister of the Solomon
Islands Manasseh Sogavare received Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
and Climate Affairs Envoy Adel Al-Jubeir in the capital, Riyadh, the Kingdom’s
foreign ministry said on Thursday.
During the reception, Al-Jubeir conveyed
greetings from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and wishes to
the government and people of the Solomon Islands for continued stability,
progress and prosperity.
They reviewed bilateral relations and
ways to develop them in various fields, and the Kingdom’s efforts and
initiatives to preserve the environment and limit climate change.
A number of regional and international
issues and developments of common concern were also discussed.
Al-Jubeir met with the Cypriot Foreign
Minister Dr. ConstantinosKombos, where they reviewed relations between the two
countries, and ways to enhance and develop them in various fields, including
the environment and limiting the effects of climate change.
He also held separate talks with
Emanuela Claudia Del Re, the EU special representative for the Sahel, to
discuss cooperation, and Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Deputy Foreign
Minister, Waleed Al-Khuraiji, held talks with British Minister of State for the
Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and the UN Lord Tariq Ahmad on the
sidelines of the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh in
Riyadh.
Al-Khuraiji also met Tobias Lindner,
minister of state at the German Foreign Office.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi foreign minister meets French,
Lebanese counterparts
June 09, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Foreign
Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan met his French counterpart Catherine Colonna
on Thursday, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Global
Coalition against Daesh in Riyadh.
They reviewed the strong relations
between the Kingdom and France, and ways to enhance ties in various fields, the
Kingdom’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The two ministers also discussed the
latest developments in the international arena and addressed prominent topics
at the ministerial meeting.
Prince Faisal also met today with
Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants AbdallahBouhabib, on the
sidelines of the meeting.
Prince Faisal expressed the Saudi
leadership’s gratitude and appreciation for all the efforts made by the
security services in Lebanon for their quick response in freeing the Saudi citizen
who had been kidnapped.
During the meeting, the two sides
reviewed bilateral relations and ways to develop them in several fields and
discussed regional and international developments key issues raised in the
ministerial meeting.
Source: arabnews.com
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Pakistan
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Deserters
Return to Join Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party
June 9, 2023
LAHORE: The Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party
(IPP) — the new home of most PTI deserters — was formally launched on Thursday
with the objective to “give a new direction to politics and take the country
forward with a strong economy”.
After weeks of consultations, the sugar
baron and once the trusted lieutenant of Imran Khan, Jahangir Khan Tareen, in
the presence of dozens of PTI deserters, finally announced the name of the new
party during a press conference at a local hotel in the provincial capital.
The IPP is being dubbed as a ‘king’s party’,
which is all set to establish itself on the political landscape, especially in
Punjab as most of its big guns are from the same province. Since the IPP under
Mr Tareen has an ‘excellent’ relationship with the ruling PML-N leadership, the
ex-PTI leader could not explain which party would be its rival in the province.
Mr Tareen has been named the patron of
the IPP, while no other party positions were announced. Similarly, the
manifesto of the party would be released later as well. It was declared in the presser
that the IPP would be a “symbol of progress”.
Former PTI leader lays foundation of
‘Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party’, explains what went wrong with PTI
On the stage, Mr Tareen was accompanied
by former Sindh governor Imran Ismail, former PTI financer Aleem Khan, former
Azad Kashmir Prime MinisterTanvirIlays, former ministers Amir Kiani, Ali Zaidi,
and Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, FirdousAshiqAwan, Saeed Akbar Nawani and
NaumanLangrial.
Former federal information minister
Fawad Chaudhry who was spotted in the back row deliberately chose not to sit on
the stage. His “uneasy body language” gave way to speculations about his
decision to join the IPP presumably “under pressure”.
He also avoided the journalists who
surrounded him and sought his comments over his transition to the new party.
‘For constructive politics’
It was a brief presser in which only Mr
Tareen and Aleem Khan spoke while refusing to take any questions. On
journalists’ insistence to respond to some of the queries, Mr Tareen asked them
to wait for the next presser.
Mr Tareen’s talk revolved around what
went wrong with the PTI and why he and a number of other former PTI leaders
joined hands to launch a “new platform for fresh political struggle”.
He was categorical that May 9 protests
changed the political landscape of Pakistan.
“Today we lay the foundation of the
Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party. My objective is always to contribute to the
country’s progress. I was not a traditional politician. I entered politics with
an objective. I joined the PTI with a passion and worked hard to make it a
strong party. However, things didn’t go the way they should… and people started
getting disappointed. PTI couldn’t achieve its purpose,” he said.
He also sought strict action against
those involved in May 9 riots. “If we do not bring the culprits of May 9 to
justice then this will lead to attacks on the houses of politicians as well.
Even a mob can attack anyone’s house,” he added.
Indirectly referring to the PTI chief,
Mr Tareen said the style of politics during the last few years had damaged the
country. “We cannot allow this to continue anymore. We want to put politics in
the right direction as there is a need for leadership that gives a narrative
which takes the country forward. Our politics needs a new dimension. Democracy
can only be strengthened if both the government and the opposition learn their
responsibilities.”
He claimed that more politicians who
have a vote bank in their constituencies would join the IPP in the coming days.
“I am hopeful to get better results in upcoming polls,” he said in a confident
tone.
Meanwhile, Aleem Khan said after May 9,
those who were inactive and indifferent to politics sat together and decided to
do “constructive politics on one platform”. “Credit goes to Tareen…under his
patronage, we will contribute to Pakistan’s progress.”
FirdousAshiqAwan, in a separate talk,
claimed over 100 former PTI MNAs and MPAs had joined the IPP so far. She said
the party offices and manifesto would be announced soon.
Reacting to the development, Federal Information
Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said: “The soul of PTI is gone after those who
formed it left today and only the idol of arrogance remains. Imran Khan has
become an example…”
Source: dawn.com
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NAB grills Imran for four hours in NCA
case
June 09, 2023
ISLAMABAD: A NAB panel interrogated the
former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan for four
hours Thursday regarding a £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) UK
settlement case. The panel issued a questionnaire, seeking replies supported by
documentary evidence. Sources say that the panel asked a range of questions
related to the case, including inquiries about money transfers, cabinet
clearance, land allocation for the Al-Qadir Trust and a record of donations.
Additionally, they inquired about the confidentiality of the summary and its
approval by the cabinet without discussion. According to the sources, the PTI
chief told the NAB that the entire process involving the National Crime Agency
was overseen by Shahzad Akbar.
He said that he had no direct
involvement in the process, as he received verbal briefings. The PTI chief said
that Shahzad Akbar should be summoned from London for further investigation.
The sources quoted him as saying that the property tycoon was spiritually
motivated by the vision of the Al-Qadir University Trust and had donated the
land for its establishment. Originally scheduled for June 7, the NAB had
initially summoned both Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, but they
requested a postponement. The NAB team rescheduled the summoning of the PTI
head for June 8, while Bushra Bibi received a summons for June 13.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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Naqvi directs to utilize all resources
to arrest miscreants of 9th May
June 09, 2023
Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin
Naqvi directed to utilize all-out resources for the arrest of miscreants
involved in the 9th May incident.
He stated this while chairing a review
meeting, in Lahore on Friday, of legal actions against miscreants of May 9
incidents.
The meeting decided to proceed with the
effective prosecution of cases against miscreants.
Source: radio.gov.pk
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Masked men break into Dawn staffer’s
house in Islamabad
June 9, 2023
ISLAMABAD: A group of masked gunmen
raided the house of a senior journalist of Dawn in broad daylight, frightened
his family and snatched cash and ornaments on Thursday.
Talking to Dawn, Baqir Sajjad Syed, who
is currently in Washington to pursue a US fellowship, said that five masked and
armed men raided his house in I-8 and held up his parents and uncle at
gunpoint. Later, all the three were detained in a room and the gunmen searched
the house from top to bottom, he added.
They also inquired about his
brother-in-law, a former member of provincial assembly (MPA) of PTI from his
parents, who left from the house moments ago, he said, adding they looted cash
Rs700,000, kept in the house for the medication of his ailing father and gold
ornaments of his mother.
Even though it looks like a robbery, the
gunmen told his parents that they had come looking for his brother-in-law, he
said, adding that according to his uncle they were properly dressed and wearing
white clothes.
Over the incident, Information Minister
Marriyum Aurangzeb on her Twitter said she has spoken to the inspector general
of police (IGP) Islamabad regarding the incident, adding that she would
investigate the matter as a matter of priority and also speak to Mr Syed.
The capital police said the police team
is in touch with complainants and efforts are being made to apprehend the
culprits. Officers are working diligently to investigate the matter thoroughly.
The police said that a complaint over
the incident was lodged for registration of the case. The complainant told
police that the culprits came to the house in a car.
The police got the car registration
number and efforts are in progress to trace the vehicle and its owner, they
added.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1758662/masked-men-break-into-dawn-staffers-house-in-islamabad
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Poverty, lack of opportunity make people
vulnerable to extremism: Alvi
June 9, 2023
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on
Thursday said extremism is not borne in a vacuum - poverty, inequality and lack
of education and opportunity can make individuals vulnerable to extremist
ideologies.
Speaking at a two-day National Vice
Chancellors Peace Conference, which concluded on Thursday, he highlighted the
importance of working on countering violent extremism, and praised the idea of
collaboration between state institutions and civil society.
“As a nation, we must work towards
addressing these underlying issues and provide a better future for our
citizens,” he said. The president said academia had a greater responsibility to
nurture traits of empathy, tolerance and coexistence among their students.
The conference was a joint venture by
Shaoor Foundation for Education and Awareness (SFEA), National Counter
Terrorism Authority (Nacta) and Higher Education Commission (HEC), and attended
by 50 vice chancellors from across the country besides policy stakeholders.
The conference with the theme ‘Academic
Discourse on Countering Extremism - The Way Forward’ was a significant milestone
in the implementation of Peace, Advocacy and Community Engagement through
Transformation (PACT) for tolerance project, which is built on a foundation of
collaboration and cooperation between SFEA, Nacta, HEC Pakistan and other
policy-level stakeholders.
Chairman of HEC Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmed
said that HEC has always encouraged and supported efforts for mutual benefit,
including conflict resolution within universities. “It is our joint
responsibility that universities are empowered and supported to create an
enabling environment where difference of opinion is respected,” the HEC chief
said. He urged vice chancellors to make use of policy recommendations for
promotion of peace and tolerance at universities and the society at large.
Founder and chair person of Shaoor
Foundation for Education and Awareness Syed Ali Hameed said: “We need a
multi-sectoral approach to tackle the menace of extremism and intolerance.
“Shaoor Foundation has always focused on
working with stakeholders and developing well informed solutions.”
Member of NACTA Mohammad Inkasar Khan
shed light on the role of NACTA in contributing towards the state’s response to
counter extremism and its alignment with PACT for Tolerance project. He said
that this conference has beefed up efforts of engaging youth and enhancing
their capacities to support peace and harmony in academic institutions.
Moreover, a letter of intent (LOI)
between NACTA and HEC Pakistan, renewing their commitment towards partnering
for the cause of peace, tolerance, and inclusivity in university campuses was
also signed on the first day of the conference.
The report, ‘Findings and
Recommendations for Peace and Tolerance at University Campuses’ has been
developed with active engagement of more than 70 partner universities involved in
the PACT for Tolerance project. The recommendations have been extracted from
in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews
conducted with university administrators, faculty members, students, and policy
stakeholders from all provinces of Pakistan.
In the concluding session of the
conference, a joint declaration was also issued wherein vice chancellors
announced their support and commitment towards outcomes of the conference as
well as the policy recommendations developed and approved by VCs as a result of
the three-year-long process.
Prof Dr Bushra Mirza, vice chancellor,
Lahore College for Women University read out the declaration on behalf of the
VCs.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1758655/poverty-lack-of-opportunity-make-people-vulnerable-to-extremism-alvi
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Pakistan vows to follow constitutional
obligations regarding May 9 actions
June 08, 2023
Pakistan on Thursday vowed to follow all
constitutional requirements when taking action against the suspects involved in
the May 9 attacks, a day also dubbed as "Black Day", when protests
broke out following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan's
arrest.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra
Baloch made the statement during her weekly press conference in Islamabad
following statements from the rights bodies and US lawmakers asking Pakistan to
honour its commitments as thousands of PTI supporters were arrested in
connection with the May 9 riots.
The PTI claimed that its workers,
including women, were being harassed in prisons, but a committee formed to
review their conditions denied the allegations. PTI's women workers themselves
also said that they were not harassed whilst behind bars.
"I would like to reiterate what we
have said in the past, that Pakistan is a country of laws," the
spokesperson said.
"...it is a country which has
constitutionally guaranteed human rights and fundamental freedoms and we are a
democratic setup with a free and independent judiciary."
"The Government of Pakistan will
continue to follow its obligations under the law, under the Constitution,"
the FO spokesperson added.
Army rebuts claims
It is important to note that the
Pakistan Army has also rejected such allegations and said that action is being
taken on the basis of “irrefutable evidence”.
“Unfounded and baseless allegations on
Law Enforcement Agencies and Security Forces for custodial torture, human
rights abuses and stifling of political activities are meant to mislead the
people and malign Armed Forces in order to achieve trivial vested political
interests,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement
after the conclusion of Formation Commanders Conference at the GHQ, Rawalpindi.
The forum while condemning the 9th May
Black Day incidents in the strictest sense reiterated their firm resolve that
desecrators of Shuhada Monuments, Jinnah House and attackers of military
installations would certainly be brought to justice speedily under the Pakistan
Army Act and Official Secret Act which are the derivatives of the Constitution.
“In this regard, efforts to create
distortions and attempts to take refuge behind imaginary and mirage Human
Rights Violations to create smoke screen for hiding the ugly faces of all
involved, are absolutely futile and do not stand the abundantly collected
irrefutable evidences.”
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1078276-post-may-9-actions-in-line-with-the-law-fo-rejects-rights-abuse-allegations
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Two cops martyred in Mingora attack
June 09, 2023
SWAT:
Two policemen were martyred while a
security guard sustained severe injuries in a gun attack by an unidentified man
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Mingora.
Mingora City Deputy Superintendent of
Police Amjad Khan told The Express Tribune that an unidentified miscreant
opened fire at two police constables deployed near SabziMandi. As a result, DSP
Amjad said, constables Ashraf Ali and Umra Khan were martyred on the spot.
The security guard of a private bank was
also critically injured in the attack.
Eyewitnesses said that a masked man
suddenly appeared and opened fire at both the constables and fled.
The injured was rushed to the hospital
where his condition is stated to be critical.
“Both the policemen had been deployed
for security at the vegetable and fruits market,” a police official said,
adding that a large contingent of police reached the site and launched a
door-to-door search operation.
Several people had been arrested on
suspicion and shifted to the local police station for interrogation.
Meanwhile, the proscribed
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack in a message
on social media.
The entire district has been in the grip
of widespread panic after the reemergence of terrorists in Swat. In the last
one month, terrorists have clashed with local residents and police in which two
policemen were injured and a local volunteer was killed in the Sangota area of
Swat.
Similarly, two terrorists were killed in
an encounter with the Counter Terrorism Department in the mountains of Swat.
Local residents are under the impression
that terrorists have resettled under an agreement in Malakand and they are
going to impose their violent ideology in the region at gunpoint.
Meanwhile, the last rites of the slain
policemen were offered in Mingora Police Lines with full guard of honour.
Later, the coffins were sent to the
ancestral graveyards for burial.
Source: tribune.com.pk
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2420869/two-cops-martyred-in-mingora-attack
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Southeast Asia
Umno Youth wants relevant US authorities
to investigate stand-up comedian Jocelyn Chia
By SooWern Jun
Friday, 09 Jun 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Umno Youth has
handed over a memorandum to the United States Ambassador to Malaysia Brian D.
McFeeters, in protest of stand-up comedian Jocelyn Chia.
Its chief Dr MuhamadAkmal Saleh said the
wing is hopeful that the memorandum will be conveyed to the relevant
authorities within the US government to ensure a thorough investigation into
the incident is conducted and appropriate measures taken to address the
situation.
“I appreciate your attention to this
matter and look forward to a prompt and satisfactory resolution.
“I trust that the US embassy will take
the necessary steps to address this incident, foster cultural sensitivity, and
uphold the values of mutual respect and understanding that are essential,” Dr
Akmal said in an official letter to the US ambassador.
Dr Akmal added that as an embassy
representing the US, a country known for its commitment to diplomacy and
inclusiveness, it is imperative to address this issue promptly and take
appropriate action.
“I appreciate your attention to this
matter and look forward to a prompt and satisfactory resolution.
“I trust that the US embassy will take
the necessary steps to address this incident, foster cultural sensitivity, and
uphold the values of mutual respect and understanding that are essential to the
relationship between our two nations,” Dr Akmal said.
Among others who condemned Chia included
Transport Minister Anthony Loke who called her out over her remarks.
Loke deemed what Chia said as rude, insolent
and inhumane, and that no one in their right mind would have done such a thing.
Chia became an overnight sensation on
social media for her disparaging cracks against Malaysia in a stand-up comedy
skit on The Comedy Cellar, a US-based show that was aired on the internet.
In particular, her remarks about the
missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared on March 8, 2014 en
route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with all 239 people on board presumed dead
sparked a nationwide backlash here.
Singapore High Commissioner to Malaysia
Vanu Gopala Menon also denounced Chia and apologised to all Malaysians in a
separate statement, adding that the New York-based performer is no longer a
Singaporean.
Chia, now a naturalised US citizen
according to Singapore daily The Straits Times, had posted an 89-second video
clip posted on her Instagram of an act where she joked that Malaysia is “still
a developing country” far behind Singapore 40 years after being “dumped” in
1965.
She then made a crack about Malaysia not
visiting Singapore because its airplanes “cannot fly”, which drew audible gasps
from the live audience — which appeared to include some Malaysians based on the
interaction during the show.
To that, Chia said: “Why? Malaysian
Airlines going missing not funny huh? Some jokes don’t land”.
She later told the audience that she
would be getting a bad score on Yelp, an online review site, for her remarks,
but shook it off saying Malaysians have no internet, which was met with
laughter.
Many Malaysians, including high-profile
individuals like popular comedian Harith Iskandar and radio personality
KudsiaKahar, also took to social media to denounce Chia’s act.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/06/09/umno-youth-wants-relevant-us-authorities-to-investigate-stand-up-comedian-jocelyn-chia/73434
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UMNO has not wavered in its stance to
defend Malay, Islam issues: Party president Ahmad Zahid
09 Jun 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: United Malays National
Organisation (UMNO) president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Friday (Jun 9) said that
the party has never wavered from its stance of championing the rights of the
Malays, Bumiputera as well as defending the sanctity of Islam in the country.
He also stressed that UMNO party leaders
and its grassroots should not be apologetic for championing these issues.
“UMNO, in facing the new political
reality, has made political adjustments without diluting the position of Islam
and without sacrificing the agenda of Malay Bumiputera and without gambling the
fate of the people as a whole,” he said during his opening speech at the
party’s general assembly.
“If anyone tries to play on sentiments
that our political cooperation will erode the position of Islam, Malays and the
Bumiputera, I would like to emphasise: UMNO is not a political chameleon,” said
Ahmad Zahid.
Also present during the general assembly
were Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other leaders from the parties in the
unity government led by PakatanHarapan (PH).
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the deputy
prime minister of Malaysia, said that fundamental issues involving Islam,
Malays and Bumiputera have never been challenged by their political partners in
the unity government.
“My hope is that this reciprocity will
erase our mutual suspicions. Let there be no more statements that can hurt us.
“To our friends, don't hurt the feelings
of the Malays. It's the same with us, avoid speech and actions that can invite
restlessness of friends and colleagues,” he said.
After the last general election resulted
in a hung parliament, BarisanNasional (BN) became part of the unity government
led by PH, together with GabunganParti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah
(GRS) and PartiWarisan among others.
UMNO is a component party of BN.
On Friday, Ahmad Zahid said there were
attempts to portray UMNO as having abandoned its principles, bringing up the
example of the “Allah” issue.
He stressed, however, that the party has
not “budged one inch on the issue”.
On May 15, the Malaysian government’s
decision to withdraw an appeal against a ruling allowing Christians to use the
word "Allah" in publications sparked controversy over the
decades-long debate.
“UMNO and our representatives in the
Cabinet have stressed that the word ‘Allah’ cannot be used by non-Muslims. It
is also the stance taken by the unity government,” said Ahmad Zahid.
He also said that the change in politics
worldwide and in Malaysia demanded that they make adjustments for the
future.
“The evolution of world politics has
seen many countries now form multi-party governments, either in the name of a
coalition government or a unity government.
“Political parties that were previously
at odds and could not be together, now join together to form a government, for
the sake of the people,” said Ahmad Zahid.
He added that UMNO needed to be
progressive in nature taking into account the political developments.
“Progressive nature means a government
that focuses on the development of the country and the people, regardless of
race, ethnicity, religion and political beliefs.
“The benefits of development must be
equally distributed. If the Peninsula is more developed in terms of the
economy, then Sabah and Sarawak are also entitled to have it,” he said, adding
that the unity government should be given a chance in carrying out its plans
for the country.
Separately, Ahmad Zahid also said the
party would be facing elections in six states – Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu,
Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
He added that UMNO would work in a
“spirit of togetherness” with the other parties in the unity government.
Ahmad Zahid stressed that UMNO carried a
huge responsibility in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, also known as the “Malay
belt”.
“If we really want to see Islam and
Malays excel - together with the government in Putrajaya - (we) will strengthen
the moderate and progressive Malay Islamic agenda,” he said.
JUSTICE FOR NAJIB
During his speech, Ahmad Zahid also
called for justice for former prime minister Najib Razak who was jailed in
relation to a multi-billion dollar graft scandal at state fund 1Malaysia
Development Bhd (1MDB).
Najib became the first Malaysian premier
to be imprisoned after Malaysia's Federal Court in August last year upheld a
guilty verdict and a 12-year prison sentence handed down to him by a lower
court.
“UMNO wants justice for Najib,” Ahmad
Zahid said to loud cheers from the delegates in the hall.
Ahmad Zahid also told Najib’s wife,
RosmahMansor, and her family to remain patient and strong.
“May God answer our prayers and that he
returns to the family and also to us,” he added.
Najib, 69, can no longer challenge the
conviction in court, but he has applied for a royal pardon which if successful
could see him released without serving the full 12-year prison term.
Mr Anwar, who returned to UMNO
headquarters 25 years after being sacked by the party in 1998, told reporters
that he attended the general meeting to strengthen the camaraderie within the
unity government.
The last time the prime minister
addressed the UMNO general assembly was in June 1998.
“The important thing is to complete the
task for the country. My personal experience is important but it cannot
overcome the interests of the people and the interests of the country.
“I am here because I am using this
platform of unity to strengthen the government and provide benefits to the
people,” he said.
Mr Anwar, who was also seen singing
UMNO’s anthem and waving its flag, said that he felt comfortable and used to
the atmosphere there.
Democratic Action Party (DAP)
secretary-general Anthony Loke told reporters that it was time to move on from
past political differences and unite to ensure the stability of the government.
“I agree with the UMNO president’s
speech that we should forget about the past and unite for the sake of the
country. For me, we should move on from any feud we had been having all this
while.
“We have already formed a government for
six months and it is doing well,” he said when asked to respond to calls for
the party to apologise to UMNO for supposed past transgressions.
Source: channelnewsasia.com
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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-umno-general-assembly-ahmad-zahid-hamidi-stance-defending-malay-islam-issues-3550596
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Mourners at Hong Kong mosque pay
respects to 3 girls allegedly murdered by mum
8 Jun, 2023
Hundreds of mourners at a Hong Kong
mosque paid their respects to three girls who were allegedly murdered by their
mother, before a burial at a Muslim cemetery on Thursday afternoon.
The bodies of the girls – aged two, four
and five – were carried in coffins covered in shrouds during a ceremony at the
Ammar Mosque and Osman RamjuSadick Islamic Centre in Wan Chai. Two were draped
in black and gold-coloured material, with the other in green.
A dozen men carried the coffins above
the crowd as mourners joined in a 20-minute prayer organised by the Muslim
Council of Hong Kong, before they were taken to the Chai Wan Muslim Cemetery.
Aamina Rehman, 29, faces three counts of
murder for allegedly killing her daughters in their subdivided flat in Sham
Shui Po on Monday. She remains in a psychiatric hospital because of her unstable
state of mind and missed a court appearance on Wednesday.
Muhammad Arshad, the chief imam of Hong
Kong, said in Muslim culture, bodies were buried in white clothes.
“It is the first time we experienced
such an incident,” he said.
More than 1,000 residents from a variety
of ethnic groups had come to mourn the girls on Thursday, the chief imam noted.
“Many people have expressed their views
on the government taking the initiative to help minority groups,” Arshad added.
One resident paying his respects, a man
who gave his surname as Khan, said he had grown up with the girls’ father as
they were part of the same tight-knit community.
The tragedy sparked concerns over
support provided to members of ethnic minority groups, but Khan, who was born
and raised in Hong Kong, said the authorities had been very supportive. He
noted help for those in need, such as single mothers, had been provided.
“The government can only do so much,”
Khan added, saying that if the same incident had occurred in Pakistan or India,
the authorities would not be as helpful.
He said he believed the incident erupted
following a long period of struggle.
“If we are able to trace it back, we
might be able to find a common difficulty we all face,” he said.
Khan also suggested the language barrier
might be the biggest problem for his community to integrate fully into society.
Since the community was relatively
small, such an incident affected everyone, he said, adding: “Everyone is
connected to each other one way or another.”
In the last few days, authorities and
community organisations have set up mental health support teams and counselling
hotlines for those suffering from emotional distress because of a spate of
killings.
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs
Alice Mak Mei-kuen earlier said the government would endeavour to find the
“hidden cases” of residents dealing with mental health problems.
The Democratic Alliance for the
Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong on Thursday said it had collaborated with
several community organisations to form a new team – with almost 20 social
workers and clinical psychologists – to offer free counselling sessions to
members of ethnic minority groups in Sham Shui Po and YauTsim Mong district.
The party’s Vincent Cheng Wing-shun said
the volunteers, who also hope to break the language barrier, would regularly
check up on patients with psychiatric problems between hospital appointments.
Source: scmp.com
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The question marks over China’s next big
Mideast peacemaking efforts
9 Jun, 2023
Beijing will need to make more political
and security commitments if it is serious about deeper engagement with the
Middle East and solving some of the region’s long-standing problems, according
to observers.
In an online discussion organised by the
think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Thursday, analysts
said that while countries in the region had responded positively to China’s
recent engagement, there was still a question mark about how big a role Beijing
could play.
In March, China helped broker a landmark
peace deal between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, with Tehran and
Riyadh restoring diplomatic relations for the first time in seven years.
President Xi Jinping was reportedly directly involved in realising the
agreement.
A month later, Chinese Foreign Minister
Qin Gang said Beijing was ready to help with peace talks between Israel and the
Palestinians.
The engagement came after Xi attended
two inaugural summits with Arab states and the Gulf Cooperation Council in
Saudi Arabia late last year.
For many, the agreement was a clear sign
of China’s growing influence in a region where the United States has been the
main external player.
But analysts on the Carnegie forum’s
panel said it was still unclear how committed Beijing was to handling security
issues, and whether it had the resources needed for the Middle East.
Yu Jie, a senior research fellow in the
Asia-Pacific programme at Chatham House, said China’s pool of Middle East
expertise was smaller than its reserves of US foreign policy or European
studies specialists.
“So even though China has the intention
of playing a much bigger role, you still need the capability and capacity to
sustain that level of ambition,” Yu said.
One of the main terms was that all
parties agreed in principle to non-interference in each other’s affairs. But
Saudi Arabia and Iran have used proxy forces against each other, such as the
civil war in Yemen.
“Should either party renege … what China
will do is not very clear,” said Maha Yahya, the director of the Malcolm H.
Kerr Carnegie Middle East Centre.
“I don’t see China at this point moving
in for security [purposes].
“That’s not its usual MO, and despite
the shift in its foreign policy it doesn’t have the hardware in the region to
do this.”
Participants also raised doubts about
how effective China could be in brokering an acceptable peace solution between
the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Yahya said that unlike the rivalry
between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the balance of power between the Israelis and
Palestinians was “asymmetrical”, and would require China to deploy “significant
political capital” to force the two sides to negotiate.
“I have not seen any moves by China to
move in that direction,” she said.
But China does benefit from a lack of
“historical baggage” in the Middle East, according to panellist Benjamin Ho, an
assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ China
programme in Singapore.
Ho said China did not have any disagreements
such as territorial disputes in the region, giving it a “neutral slate” for
engagement.
“[But] they recognise the Middle East is
a far more complicated region, with history that spans thousands of years,” Ho
said.
“So I don’t think the Chinese are under
any illusions that they’re going there in a big way and to sort of change the
regional architecture or the situation.”
Source: scmp.com
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https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3223557/question-marks-over-chinas-next-big-mideast-peacemaking-efforts?module=lead_hero_story&pgtype=homepage
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Back at Umno assembly after over two
decades, PM Anwar says still knows words to party’s anthem
By ShahrinAizatNoorshahrizam
Friday, 09 Jun 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he could still remember the lyrics to Umno’s
“Bersatu, Bersetia, Berkhidmat” party song, after appearing at his first Umno
general assembly since he was expelled in the 1990s.
Anwar told reporters his visit to the
Umno annual general meeting was mainly to strengthen the camaraderie within the
unity government.
“The important thing is to complete the
task for the country, personal experience is important but it cannot overcome
the interests of the people and the interests of the country.
“So, I am coming back because I use this
platform of unity to strengthen the government and provide benefits to the
people.
“I certainly felt comfortable and
because I was used to the atmosphere including facing the Umno song,” he said
as he left the Umno headquarters.
Anwar was seen singing the anthem when
it was played, seemingly word for word, as he waved the Umno flag alongside the
Malay-nationalist party’s top leadership on the main stage.
The prime minister’s presence at the
Umno headquarters as the guest of honour was highly anticipated due to his
history with the party that previously ostracised him but went on to support
his formation of the federal government last year despite the enmity.
Also seen at the AGM were Deputy Prime
Minister Datuk Seri FadillahYusof, Amanah president Datuk Seri MohamadSabu, and
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke.
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/06/09/back-at-umno-assembly-after-over-two-decades-pm-anwar-says-still-knows-words-to-partys-anthem/73390
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Africa
10th NASS: Don’t elect another Muslim as
Senate President – Group cautions
June 9, 2023
Ahead of the June 13 inauguration of the
10th National Assembly, a group under the aegis of The Natives has kicked
against the election of another Muslim as the next Senate President.
The Leader of the group, Smart Edwards,
while addressing a press conference on Thursday in Abuja called on
Senators-elect across party lines to key into the wisdom of President Bola
Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to promote peace, ensure
inclusion and national unity that would endear the parliament to the Nigerian
people.
He urged Senators-elect to dissociate
themselves from any political, financial and insensitive approach or act that
would promote a Muslim for the office of the Senate President.
Edwards said: “We cannot toy with the
expensive acts that can widen the divide of the people post-elections. While it
is politically permissible, we persuade the 10th Assembly to dissociate
themselves from any political, financial and insensitive approach or act that
will promote a Muslim for the Office of the Senate President for this is a
display of national sabotage.”
He noted that the plethora of
disruptions and carryover of pre-election bitterness, resistance and echoes
from the people was a clear indication that no group whatsoever should be seen
fanning the flags of discord in the name of financial war chest.
Source: dailypost.ng
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://dailypost.ng/2023/06/09/10th-nass-dont-elect-another-muslim-as-senate-president-group-cautions/
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Glo Delights Nigerian Pilgrims,
Announces Special Data Roaming In Mecca
Jun 9, 2023
Total telecommunications solutions provider,
Globacom, has unveiled a special data roaming offer which gives its
subscribers performing the Hajj the opportunity to enjoy Glo data roaming
services in the Holy Land for as low as N5/MB.
The offer by Globacom, in partnership
with Zain Saudi Arabia, gives subscribers the chance to enjoy and share their
Hajj experiences with their family and friends back home.
Globacom explained that a subscriber who
activates a N15,000 bundle will receive 3GB, valid for 30 days, while the
N6,500 bundle comes with 1.25GB with 15 days validity. Also, 600MB and 300MB
bundles will be received by subscribers who activate the N3, 500, and N2, 000
bundles and are valid for 7 and 3 days respectively.
According to Globacom, “Subscribers are
also in control of their usage and there are no fears of additional billing as
they only use from the bundle they purchase. Glo also ensures that customers
receive consumption messages several times to enable them to monitor their
depletion of the data purchased”.
Globacom, which said the data bundle can
be purchased while in Nigeria and its validity starts when the subscriber
lands in the Holy Land, urged prepaid subscribers to ensure they have
sufficient balance on their account since roaming services are activated by
default on prepaid lines. It advised postpaid subscribers to activate the
roaming service before they purchase any of these bundles.
Globacom has a roaming partnership in
Saudi Arabia and several other countries including the United Kingdom, United
States, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Netherlands, France, Cameroon, Ghana,
Germany, Kenya, Italy, South Africa, South Africa, Cote D’Ivoire, Switzerland,
Niger, Croatia, Greece, Sweden, Senegal, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Estonia, Ireland, Malta, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Turkey, Benin, Luxembourg,
Morocco, Hong Kong, Iceland, Poland, Vatican, San Marino, Liechtenstein,
Monaco and Andorra. Subscribers can enjoy seamless roaming services anytime
they travel to any of these countries.
Source: independent.ng
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://independent.ng/glo-delights-nigerian-pilgrims-announces-special-data-roaming-in-mecca/
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Kano court remands DJ for disturbing
Islamic school
8th June 2023
A Kano State Sharia court in Dambare,
Ungogo Local Government Area has remanded a Disc Jockey, Ali Dan-Asabe, for
disrupting studies and other activities in an Islamic school.
Dan-Asabe was dragged before the court
by the police following a complaint from the school’s management that his
activities were disrupting pupils with loud music while they were having
classes.
Daily Trust was quoted as saying that
the prosecutor, Inspector Bashir Wada, told the court that the defendant
allegedly played music loudly to the extent that students could not hear what
teachers were saying.
The prosecutor added, “When they
complained to him, the DJ said he would not reduce and he decided to increase
the volume.
While the defendant pleaded guilty to
the charges, the Judge, Munzali Idris Gwadabe, ordered his remand and adjourned
the case to July 6 for sanctioning.
Source: punchng.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://punchng.com/kano-court-remands-dj-for-disturbing-islamic-school/
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URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/up-hardliner-love-jihad-muslim-population/d/129957