UP: Hindutva Groups Target Interfaith Wedding Alleging 'Love Jihad', Muslim Man Booked
New Age Islam News Bureau
12 February 2026
Image for representation. | Manjunath Kiran/AFP
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· UP: Hindutva groups target interfaith wedding alleging ‘love jihad’, Muslim man booked
· Council on American-Islamic Relations Commends Carrie Prejean Boller for Encouraging Muslim-Christian-Jewish Solidarity, Opposing Gaza Genocide
· Trump tells Israel’s Netanyahu Iran talks must continue
· Saudi Arabia to hold Human Capability Initiative conference in Riyadh in May
· Muslim community reels after police violence at protest
· Escalation Of Security Crisis In Nigeria: A Heavy Price For The Muslim Community
· Malaysia explores Islamic diyat system for road accident compensation
· 'If polls are free and fair, we will accept the verdict,’ says Bangladesh Jamaat ameer
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India
· 'Sectarian agenda': Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind chief criticises government’s mandate on Vande Mataram
· Muslims form bulk of SIR ‘logical discrepancy’ in south Kolkata seats, says study
· ‘Hum do, hamare do darjan’: AIMIM’s UP leader Shaukat Ali urges Muslims to have more babies
· TMC-BJP war of words as Kabir starts building his ‘Babri masjid’
· American Youtuber Alex Stein mocks Hindus with cow urine slurs at event; angry Indian-Americans walk out
· UK-based Muslim preacher voted in UP polls after quitting Indian citizenship: ED
· Simple issue relating to encroachment removal, passions should not be heightened, says Delhi HC on demolition near Turkman Gate
· Exclusive | Central Vista upgrade: After assurance in High Court, Krishi Bhawan mosque not in new building plan
· From invisible life to national probe: Inside India’s first ricin ‘bioterrorism’ case
· Delhi Confidential: AICC neta’s support for Deepak’s gym; Speaker Birla soft on errors in opposition’s notice for no confidence motion against him
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North America
· CAIR-NJ Calls On Delaney Hall ICE Detention Facility to Make Ramadan Accommodations
· CAIR Commends Bipartisan Defense of Religious Freedom During Failed ‘Sharia Hoax’ Hearing
· CAIR-Alabama Backs Calls for Gov. Ivey to Spare Charles Burton from Execution
· CAIR Report on Islamophobia and Free Speech Rates Columbia U., CUNY as Most Hostile Campuses
· CAIR Joins USCMO in Encouraging Mosques Nationwide to Host Ramadan Interfaith Dinners
· Trump tells Netanyahu Iran nuclear talks must continue
· US House votes to overturn Trump's tariffs on Canada
· Trump threatens US lawmakers with ‘consequences’ over tariff pushback
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Mideast
· Turkiye’s foreign minister says the US and Iran showing flexibility on nuclear deal, FT reports
· US forces withdraw from Syria’s Al-Tanf base: Syrian military sources
· UN agency begins clearing huge Gaza City waste dump
· UN rights chief warns Israeli land-control moves in West Bank amount to unlawful annexation
· Turkish, Greek leaders voice desire to resolve issues
· Syrian aid convoy supports bakeries in Sweida
· EU rejects new Israeli West Bank land rules it says violate international law, destabilize region
· Palestinian leader Abbas urges ‘firm’ US response to Israel’s West Bank plan
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Arab World
· Saudi Arabia champions AI and sustainable growth at UN tourism meeting in Kuwait
· Japan’s embassy marks emperor’s birthday in Riyadh
· International brands turn to Riyadh to expand cooperation
· Saudi foreign minister receives written message from Russian counterpart
· Saudi Arabia and Britain declare 2029 as cultural year
· Saudi Arabia’s minister of economy and planning meets German delegation, Ecuador minister
· Saudi minister highlights major healthcare gains
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Europe
· Police confirm Kingsbury school stabbing suspect 'former pupil' as mosque arrest 'coincidence'
· Road rage incident outside Mosque on Brearley Place, Batley
· Preston mosque seeks approval for listed building changes to 'lower bills'
· Russian strike kills 3 Ukrainian toddlers and father, with pregnant mother injured
· What’s behind von der Leyen’s two-tier EU plan?
· Russian military adapting faster than NATO – admiral
· Russian energy cut key to EU economic woes – Macron
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Africa
· External religious influence on Nigerian culture
· Kwankwaso, others may face US visa ban over religious freedom violations
· Muslim Congress decries Kwara, Katsina killings, rejects ‘jihadist’ narrative
· 2027: ACF Knock Politicians As Terrorism, Banditry Worsen In The North
· We Are Not Terrorists – Miyetti Allah Fires Back At US Over Sanctions Threat
· ‘Commander-in-Chief’ – Sowore Vows To ‘Lead’ War Front If He Becomes President
· Nigerian Army Repels Midnight ISWAP Attack In Borno, Kills 16 In Counter-Strike
· US deploys 200 troops to Nigeria to combat Islamist militants
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Southeast Asia
· Over 377,000 asnaf eligible for RM36m Ramadan aid, says Zakat Selangor
· Sabah PAS rep moots temporary surau at Ramadan bazaars to ease Maghrib prayers
· Foreign Halal Certificates Should Only Be Valid for A Year, Indonesia’s BPJPH Says
· JAKIM monitoring viral Shia video with police, MCMC
· Indonesian govt rebuilds religious facilities after Sumatra disasters
· Nusantara's State Mosque opens for 2026 Ramadan programs
· State government halts pig farming, industry to import pork for Selangor market, says MB
· Malaysia’s main interfaith group urges PM to clarify directive to local councils on unauthorised places of worship
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South Asia
· Pakistan Envoy, UN Rapporteur Discuss Afghanistan Human Rights
· Pakistan May Act Against Militants in Afghanistan Before Ramadan, Minister Warns
· Zabul Holds Seminar to Enhance Journalism Standards, Media-Government Coordination
· Building Afghanistan Collective Responsibility for All Citizens, Minister
· Afghan Ambassador Attends Ceremony Marking 47th Anniversary of Iranian Revolution
· DABS, Azizi Company Sign Contracts for Five Major Power Projects Worth $463 Million
· Regional Momentum Grows Toward Islamic Emirate Recognition
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
UP: Hindutva groups target interfaith wedding alleging ‘love jihad’, Muslim man booked
Feb 12, 2026
Image for representation. | Manjunath Kiran/AFP
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A Muslim man was booked under Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law in Meerut after his fiancée’s uncle filed a police complaint objecting to their interfaith wedding, The Times of India reported on Wednesday.
The wedding ceremony of Akanksha Gautam, who is a Buddhist, and Shahvez Rana was to be held on Friday.
Akanksha Gautam’s uncle, Premchand Gautam, filed a complaint at the city’s Ganga Nagar police station, saying that Rana’s name was mentioned as “Sahil” in the wedding card distributed by the woman’s family.
Some members of Hindutva organisations had accompanied him to the police station. They alleged that it was a case of “love jihad”, Dainik Bhaskar reported.
Love jihad is a Hindutva conspiracy theory that Muslim men trick Hindu women into romantic relationships with the aim of converting them to Islam. The Union home ministry has told Parliament that Indian law has no provision defining such a term.
In his complaint to the police, Premchand Gautam said that Akanksha Gautam was “misled by Sahil”.
“He deceived her with the intention of grabbing property and conspired to marry her after manipulating and brainwashing her,” The Times of India quoted Premchand Gautam as having said in his complaint. “I fear for my niece’s safety.”
Meerut Superintendent of Police (Rural) Abhijeet Kumar told The Times of India that a first information report has been registered in the matter.
Rana has been booked under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita sections pertaining to criminal intimidation, along with provisions of the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.
The controversy began after copies of the wedding card were shared on social media. The card from the bride’s side mentioned that the groom was named Sahil, while the card printed by the groom’s family said his name was Shahwaz Rana, according to Dainik Bhaskar.
The woman’s mother, Lata Rani, explained that this was because she had given Rana the nickname “Sahil”, which was printed on the card.
“We know the boy’s entire family,” the mother told Dainik Bhaskar. “There is no case of love jihad. My brother-in-law’s allegations are baseless.”
Akanksha Gautam accused her uncle of interfering in the matter because he wants to usurp her family’s property.
“Ever since my father’s death three years ago, he has been eyeing our property,” The Times of India quoted her as saying. “He knew that I was in a relationship with Sahil for the past six years. His concerns for me are fake and full of vested interest.”
She also clarified that she is a Buddhist and that she was marrying Shahvaz Rana of her own free will.
A Hindutva organisation, called the Hindu Suraksha Sangathan, has pressured the owner of the resort where the wedding was due to take place to cancel the event, UP Tak reported.
Sachin Sirohi, the president of the organisation, threatened that he would oppose the wedding irrespective of where it would be held, Bharat Samachar reported.
In response, the bride told the news outlet that Sirohi had no right to interfere in her wedding.
She also refuted the allegations of “love jihad” by saying: “Love-jihad will only happen as long as it’s a Hindu-Muslim matter. I’m not even a Hindu, I’m a Buddhist. I follow Buddhism. I don’t even believe in goddess worship.”
Her mother said that Rana and Akanksha Gautam’s wedding is “within the framework of the Indian Constitution”, The Times of India reported.
“I fully stand by my daughter and Shavez,” the newspaper quoted Rani as saying. “They will get married come what may. And if need be, we will approach the high court.”
On February 2, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre, and the governments of Uttar Pradesh and 11 other states on a petition contending that anti-conversion laws in these states criminalise voluntary and conscience-based change of faith.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued had notice to the Union law ministry, and to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.
Source: scroll.in
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https://scroll.in/latest/1090661/up-hindutva-groups-target-interfaith-wedding-alleging-love-jihad-muslim-man-booked
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Council on American-Islamic Relations Commends Carrie Prejean Boller for Encouraging Muslim-Christian-Jewish Solidarity, Opposing Gaza Genocide
February 11, 2026
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today commended former White House Religious Liberty Commission member Carrie Prejean Boller for using her position to oppose conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism and encourage solidarity between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. CAIR also expressed its solidarity with Ms. Prejean Boller after she was removed from the commission for her stance.
At the fifth session of the Religious Liberty Commission, Ms. Prejean Boller challenged attempts to define criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the Israeli government’s founding political ideology as antisemitism. In the wake of her comments, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick removed her from the commission.
In a statement, Washington, D.C.-based CAIR said:
“We commend Carrie Prejean Boller for using her role on the Religious Liberty Commission to support religious freedom for all people and oppose all forms of religious bigotry. We also condemn Texas Lt. Governor Patrick’s baseless and predictable decision to remove her from the commission for refusing to conflate antisemitism with criticism of the Israel apartheid government.
“As Ms. Boller correctly noted, Christian, Muslim and Jewish Americans must be able to speak out against the crimes committed by the Israeli government with American taxpayer dollars–and also express intellectual disagreement with the political ideology that Israel uses to justify those crimes–without being falsely labeled antisemitic.
“Ms. Boller is one of a growing number of Americans, including political conservatives, who recognize that corrupted politicians have been trying to silence and smear Americans critical of the Israeli government under the guise of countering antisemitism.
“We encourage Muslims, Christian and Jewish Americans, whether conservative or liberal, to reject hateful attempts to divide us for a foreign government’s benefit and instead come together to support religious freedom and human rights for all people, including each other.”
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-commends-carrie-prejean-boller-for-encouraging-muslim-christian-jewish-solidarity-opposing-gaza-genocide/
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Trump tells Israel’s Netanyahu Iran talks must continue
February 11, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump told Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Wednesday that talks with Iran must continue, rebuffing the Israeli prime minister's push for a tougher stance against Tehran.
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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump told Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Wednesday that talks with Iran must continue, rebuffing the Israeli prime minister’s push for a tougher stance against Tehran.
“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated,” Trump said on social media after their three-hour meeting.
“If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be,” said Trump, adding a reminder of last year’s US strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.
Seeking to push for the Islamic republic’s ballistic missile program to be included in any deal, Netanyahu had rushed to Washington for his seventh meeting with Trump since the US leader returned to power.
Netanyahu’s office said that during the talks with Trump the Israeli premier had “insisted on the security needs of the state of Israel in relation to the negotiations” on Iran.
Trump has hinted at US military action against Iran following Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protesters, but at the same time Washington and Tehran restarted talks last week with a meeting in Oman.
Talks had been suspended after the US strikes on Iran’s atomic sites during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran last July.
What does Netanyahu want?
The White House meeting was held behind closed doors, with Netanyahu slipping in via a side entrance without receiving the traditional honor guard. Trump and Netanyahu were seen shaking hands in a photograph released by the Israeli premier’s office.
Netanyahu said as he left for Washington his talks would “first and foremost” be about the Iran negotiations, while adding they would also discuss Gaza and other regional issues.
“I will present to the president our views regarding the principles for the negotiations,” he said in a video statement. Netanyahu’s office said he would highlight Iran’s missile arsenal.
Israel’s concerns came to a head during their unprecedented war last year, during which Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and other projectiles at Israeli territory, striking both military and civilian areas.
What does Trump think?
While boosting hopes of a nuclear deal, Trump has also been dialing up the threat of possible US military action against Iran.
He warned in an interview with Axios news outlet Tuesday that he was “thinking” of sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump said. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”
What does Iran say?
So far, Iran has rejected expanding its talks with the United States beyond the issue of its nuclear program, though Washington also wants Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its support for regional militant groups on the table.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that Tehran would “not yield to excessive demands” on its nuclear program.
But he insisted his country was not “not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.”
‘Board of Peace’ and West Bank
Netanyahu’s visit will also include other issues, from Gaza to the West Bank.
He officially signed on as a member of Trump’s “Board of Peace” during a meeting earlier Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Israeli PM’s office said.
The group was originally meant to oversee the Gaza ceasefire but Trump is now positioning it as a possible rival to the United Nations.
The meeting also came amid growing international outrage over Israeli measures to tighten control of the occupied West Bank by allowing settlers to buy land directly from Palestinian owners.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2632632/middle-east
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Saudi Arabia to hold Human Capability Initiative conference in Riyadh in May
February 12, 2026
The HCI will be held under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, from May 3-4. (Screengrab)
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LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Human Capability Development Program has announced the third edition of the Human Capability Initiative conference, featuring the UK as the country of honor.
The HCI will be held under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, from May 3-4.
HCI 2026 is set to attract over 15,000 leaders and feature 250 speakers, including policymakers, industry leaders, and experts from various sectors.
Under the theme “The Human Code,” the program will focus on optimizing learning and working environments to maximize human capability in the age of artificial intelligence.
Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, Saudi Arabia's minister of education and chairman of the Executive Committee of the HCDP, said the conference would showcase the Kingdom’s commitment to investing in people for sustainable economic growth and to enriching a global dialogue.
He added: “Human potential remains the most critical driver of progress in a rapidly changing global landscape, and investing in humans is the most critical pillar in building a competitive economy and a knowledge-based society.”
Majid Al-Kassabi, the Saudi minister of commerce and chairman of the Economic and Social Committee of the Saudi-British Strategic Partnership Council, welcomed the UK as the conference’s country of honor.
He said: “(This) represents a continuation of the strategic cooperation between (Saudi Arabia and the UK), including the launch of the Skills of the Future initiative at the 2025 HCI conference, focused on advancing economic cooperation, educational exchange, and workforce development.”
The last two HCI conferences attracted over 23,000 participants, featured 550 speakers, and announced 156 partnerships, organizers said.
The HCDP aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, focusing on enhancing citizens’ potential and competitiveness, they added.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2632711/saudi-arabia
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Muslim community reels after police violence at protest
February 12 2026
NSW's premier has defended the actions of police, saying officers were put in a difficult position. Photo: Flavio Brancaleone/AAP PHOTOS
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Muslim communities have been left feeling like punching bags after a state premier refused to apologise for a violent police response.
NSW Premier Chris Minns accepted his refusal could be antagonistic while providing steadfast backing of police who forcibly dispersed a group of people praying during a protest over the Israeli president's official visit.
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon earlier offered a qualified apology to Muslim groups, but defended the actions of officers as anger continues to rumble over violent policing that broke up the demonstration.
Vision of a group of Muslims being dragged away while performing sunset prayers beside Sydney Town Hall prompted a mass outcry.
Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir said Mr Minns had rebuffed multiple attempts to engage since the protest, leaving the community feeling brushed aside and degraded.
"Surely there's an acceptance there was overkill and there were religious sensitivities not taken into account," he told AAP.
"(Mr Minns and Mr Lanyon) could have said 'look, we did not mean any harm and if we did cause harm we apologise', at least that's a respectful way to get out of the predicament we're in."
The premier stared down calls, including from within his own party, for an independent inquiry into policing at Monday's protest because it might imply the state's law enforcement watchdog was not fit for purpose.
Officers were seen beating, pushing and pepper-spraying people in Sydney, including medics, who said they were violently pushed while attempting to treat the injured.
Police who grabbed a group of Muslim men kneeling in prayer were following orders to disperse "a violent and aggressive crowd", the police commissioner said.
"I have apologised for offence taken for interfering with that religious process," Mr Lanyon told ABC radio.
Mr Minns conceded the Muslim community felt disconnected from society, particularly as a result of "hate, racism and bile" regularly experienced on Sydney's streets, but defended police actions.
"I genuinely believe NSW Police, their leadership, their regular officers, would never, ever have disrupted a prayer service," the premier said.
Sheikh Wesam Charkawi, who led the prayers on Monday, said the premier had spoken "disingenuously" about his relationship with the community.
"If the premier believes that a statement and a handshake will do the trick, he has miscalculated," he wrote on The Muslim Vote website.
"If anything, it shows how little he thinks of the Muslim community."
Mr Kheir said his community, which runs the nation's largest mosque, was screaming for senior politicians to take a spike in Islamophobia triggered by the December 14 Bondi terror attack seriously.
Social media posts made by Muslim representative groups in recent days have been inundated with Islamophobic comments, including demands Sydney-born-and-raised leaders "go home".
"There's been zero contact and support from any form of politicians, and then the right side of politics has just taken us as punching bags," Mr Kheir said.
Monday's protest was organised by pro-Palestine groups to coincide with Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Australia.
The four-day trip was controversially declared a major event, unlocking further police powers to move on activists across large parts of central Sydney and the eastern suburbs.
After a rally was held at Sydney Town Hall, police thwarted attempts of some to march and formed human barricades across multiple exits.
Officers used pepper spray and rushed at the crowd, including those trying to disperse.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore backed calls for an arm's length review into police actions, adding her council was left out of the discussion about the major event declaration.
Street medic Omaim Al-Baghdadi earlier told AAP she was pushed and pulled by police despite wearing a vest identifying herself as medical personnel.
"I found people laying down that were also injured, so I tried to commence treatment there, but again police came and pushed us quite violently," she said.
Five people were taken to hospital after the protest, while nine people were charged.
Source: northweststar.com.au
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https://www.northweststar.com.au/story/9173360/muslim-community-reels-after-police-violence-at-protest/
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Escalation Of Security Crisis In Nigeria: A Heavy Price For The Muslim Community
12 Feb 2026
The security crisis in Nigeria has taken a devastating turn, with Muslims bearing the brunt of terrorist attacks and banditry across the country. The recent attack on Woro and Nuku villages in Kwara State, which claimed the lives of at least 170 innocent Muslims, is a stark reminder of the growing insecurity in the country.
These incidents are not an isolated one. In recent times, Muslims in different parts of Nigeria have been targeted by terrorists and bandits, resulting in significant loss of life and property. The Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast has been ongoing for over a decade, with countless lives lost and Muslim communities displaced.
In Zamfara State, bandits have been wreaking havoc on Muslim communities, killing and kidnapping innocent civilians. The situation is dire, with many communities living in fear of attack. The government has been criticised for its inability to provide adequate security to these communities, leaving them vulnerable to attacks.
The attack on Woro village is a clear example of the terrorists’ disregard for human life and their intention to spread fear and chaos. The fact that the terrorists sent a letter to the district head informing him of their plans, and then attacked the village after he reported to the security forces, is a stark reminder of the complexity of the security challenge facing the country. This attack, sadly, equally highlights the failure of the government’s security apparatus to prevent and respond to security threats. The fact that the terrorists were able to attack the village for hours without any security presence is a clear indication of the government’s inability to protect its citizens.
The government of Kwara State must take responsibility for its failure to protect its citizens and the federal government must take more concrete steps to address the security challenges in the country. These steps should include enhancing intelligence gathering and analysis capabilities, improving coordination between security agencies and local communities, and providing training and resources to security personnel to detect early warning signs of terror threats and respond quickly and effectively to them.
The security crisis in Nigeria requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of terrorism and provides support to affected communities. The government must work with local leaders and communities to prevent further attacks and ensure the security of lives and property.
The recent deployment of an army battalion to Kwara State and the launch of Operation Savannah Shield are steps in the right direction, but will it be enough to stop the cycle of violence? Terrorists may simply relocate and continue their attacks, leaving security agencies chasing shadows. To break this cycle, we need a more robust strategy that dismantles terrorist infrastructure and prevents attacks before they happen. Anything less will just keep security agencies on the back foot.
The Kainji National Park, which spans across Kwara and Niger states, has become a hideout for terrorist groups and bandits, making it a challenge for security forces to track and apprehend them. With the park’s dense forest and rugged terrain, it’s a daunting task for security agencies to contain the threat. To effectively address the situation, there’s a need for improved intelligence gathering, coordinated efforts between security agencies, and community involvement to identify and report suspicious activities.
Terrorists are killing Nigeria’s Muslims for rejecting their ideology. The government must respond with action, not just words. It’s time to take back control and show that rejecting extremism won’t be met with death, but with protection and justice.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of Muslim suffering, a section of the Nigerian Christian population and foreign actors have been promoting the narrative of an ongoing Christian genocide in Nigeria. This narrative is not only misleading but also dangerous, as it seeks to polarise the country, align them with the terrorists’ agenda seeking to exploit religious differences to create chaos, and politicise the security crisis, thereby distracting from the real issues at hand.
It is imperative that the government and the international community acknowledge the reality of Muslim suffering and take concrete steps to address the security challenges in the country. The narrative of Christian genocide, which only fuels division, must be rejected, and the focus should be on finding solutions to the security crisis that affects all Nigerians, regardless of their faith.
The escalation of the security crisis in Nigeria requires more than condolence visits by government officials or mere words of assurance after every attack. It requires a comprehensive approach to address the root causes of terrorism, eliminate the capability of terrorist to attack with impunity and provide support to affected communities who suffer dangerous consequences of resisting terrorist ideologies and indoctrination. The government must work with local leaders and communities to prevent further attacks and ensure the security of lives and property. Lagos’ Rapid Response Service (RRS), formed in 1999 during the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then Governor of Lagos State, is a proven winner in tackling security challenges. The RRS was established to respond swiftly to emergencies and crimes within Lagos State, and it has undergone various transformations over the years to enhance its operational capability. The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has supported the RRS by providing necessary equipment, including motorbikes, patrol vehicles, helicopters, and other essential gear, to significantly reduce crime rates in the state.
Kwara State, facing an even tougher crisis, can’t afford to ignore this success story. It’s time for the government to take a leaf from Lagos’ book and launch its own rapid response initiative to stem the tide of violence. The state needs innovative solutions to the worsening security challenges. It needs action- decisive actions, not condemnation or condolences. The government must act now to protect its citizens from terrorist threats.
Despite the tragic incidents in Woro and Nuku, local leaders and communities should continue to oppose terrorist ideologies and work with the government to prevent further attacks and promote peace and stability across the nation. By working together, we can ensure that Nigeria is a safe and secure place for all its citizens, regardless of their faith. The terrorists are our common enemies.
Lastly, the international community has a responsibility to ensure that terrorists do not receive support from foreign actors seeking to destabilise Nigeria. The prolonged terrorist activities in the country suggest that external support is likely sustaining their operations. It is therefore imperative for the international community to work with the Nigerian authorities to cut off terrorist supply lines: prevent the flow of cash, weapons, intelligence, and logistics to terrorist groups operating in Nigeria.
The international community must recognize that terrorism is a global threat and that Nigeria’s stability is crucial to regional and global security. By taking collective action, they can help Nigeria defeat terrorism and create a safer, more stable environment for its citizens.
Kamor is the Executive Chairman, Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) kamor.disu@mpac-ng.org
Source: dailytrust.com
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https://dailytrust.com/escalation-of-security-crisis-in-nigeria-a-heavy-price-for-the-muslim-community/
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Malaysia explores Islamic diyat system for road accident compensation
12 Feb 2026
JAKIM holds roundtable to study syariah-based diyat as a faster, fairer compensation mechanism for road accident victims and their families.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) has initiated a study into implementing a *diyat* system for road accident compensation.
A roundtable discussion was held today in collaboration with the Federal Territories Mufti Department and related agencies to examine the proposal.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan said the roundtable was a strategic step to strengthen social justice. He stated it aligns with the Malaysia MADANI framework through a syariah-compliant and progressive approach.
“Today’s roundtable serves as a key platform for experts from government agencies, the judiciary, and the syariah and legal fields, along with other stakeholders, to exchange views and ideas,” he said in a statement.
The discussions aimed to examine the proposal’s feasibility and assess its legal implications. They focused on *diyat* as a restorative, humanitarian form of compensation based on Islamic principles.
Zulkifli emphasised that *diyat* is not merely financial compensation. He described it as a mechanism with moral dimensions that upholds accountability and protects victims’ rights.
He said it could offer substantive justice, complementing existing civil and insurance or takaful claims. This would directly benefit accident victims and their families.
The minister highlighted that some victims still face long delays and high costs despite existing claims. This underscores the need for a faster and fairer alternative mechanism.
“This issue underscores the need for an alternative mechanism that is faster, fairer and protects victims’ welfare,” he said.
He stressed his department is committed to reviewing all proposals carefully before any new policy is introduced. Stakeholders’ views will be fully considered in this process.
Zulkifli expressed hope that the roundtable is a starting point for a more effective compensation system. He said it should be guided by *maqasid syariah* and the goals of Malaysia MADANI.
The outcomes from the discussion will guide the government in shaping future accident compensation policies. “We want to ensure that any decisions made truly reflect justice and compassion for all Malaysians,” he said.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/malaysia-explores-islamic-diyat-system-for-road-accident-compensation/
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'If polls are free and fair, we will accept the verdict,’ says Bangladesh Jamaat ameer
11 Feb 2026
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman today expressed hope that his party would form the government through the voters’ mandate.
He made the remarks after casting his vote at around 8:30am at the Monipur High School And College polling centre.
“If the voting is held in a free and fair manner, we will accept the results. Others should also accept the verdict of the people,” he told reporters.
He also urged voters to go to polling centres and cast their ballots.
“After being deprived of voting for nearly a decade and a half, I finally got the opportunity to cast my vote today. I could not vote in the elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024 as I was in jail during those times. After missing three consecutive elections, Alhamdulillah, Allah has given us the chance to vote today,” the Jamaat ameer said.
Expressing his gratitude to the Almighty, he prayed that through this election, a new chapter begins in Bangladesh. “I believe not only I, but especially the youth—many of whom have never been able to cast a single vote in their lives—had been eagerly waiting for this day, he said.
“We pray that this election is peaceful, fair, free from violence and occupation, and acceptable to all. Through this vote, we hope a government will be formed that does not belong to any individual, family, or party, but to the 180 million people of this country,” he further said.
“We are hopeful about forming such a government,” he added.
“With casting my vote here today, we have begun our journey. I will visit other centres later and observe the situation. I seek everyone’s cooperation. This country belongs to all of us; we must build it together, hand in hand,” Shafiqur said.
“After casting my vote at this centre, I will visit other centres and monitor the situation across the country. If there are minor issues, we will ignore them. But if there are major irregularities, we will not let them pass and will take necessary action,” he said replying to a query.
“We do not want people to be deprived of their right to vote. If the election is held in a fair and neutral manner, we will accept the result—and others must accept it too. That is the beauty of democracy,” he further said.
He called upon everyone across the country to cast their votes peacefully.
In response to a question, he said not all media outlets present the same news in the same way. Even within the media, the same news can be portrayed differently.
“If anyone commits a crime—even if it is me—I stand against that crime. But turning something that is not a crime into one is an even greater wrongdoing. Such practices exist in our country,” he added.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/national-election-2026/news/if-polls-are-free-and-fair-we-will-accept-the-verdict-says-jamaat-ameer-4104271
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India
'Sectarian agenda': Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind chief criticises government’s mandate on Vande Mataram
Feb 12, 2026
NEW DELHI: President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Arshad Madani on Thursday strongly criticised the Union Government’s decision to make all six stanzas of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ compulsory at schools, colleges, and official functions, saying it reflects “electoral politics and a sectarian agenda.”
In a post on X, Madani said, “The Central Government’s unilateral and coercive decision to make ‘Vande Mataram’ the national song and to mandate all its stanzas in all government programmes, schools, colleges, and functions is not only a blatant attack on the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution of India but also a systematic attempt to curtail the constitutional rights of minorities.”
He added that the move contradicts the fundamental belief of monotheistic religions and “forcing” a Muslim to sing the song is a clear violation of Article 25 of the Constitution.
“Muslims do not prevent anyone from singing or playing ‘Vande Mataram’; however, some verses of the song are based on beliefs that portray the homeland as a deity, which contradict the fundamental belief of monotheistic religions. Since a Muslim worships only one Allah, forcing him to sing this song is a clear violation of Article 25 of the Constitution and several judgments of the Supreme Court. Making this song mandatory and attempting to impose it on citizens is not an expression of patriotism; rather, it reflects electoral politics, a sectarian agenda, and a deliberate effort to divert public attention from fundamental issues,” he added.
His remarks came after the Union home ministry directed that all six stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, shall be sung first whenever the national song and the national anthem Jana Gana Mana are played together.
In an order dated 28 January, the home ministry issued the first set of protocols for singing the national song, specifying that all six stanzas, lasting 3 minutes and 10 seconds, shall be performed at official functions such as the arrival of the President, the unfurling of the national flag, and governors’ speeches.
“When the national song and the national anthem are sung or played, the national song will be sung or played first,” the order stated. It also said that the assembly shall stand at attention when the national song is performed.
“Whenever the official version of the national song is sung or played, the audience shall stand to attention. However, when the national song is played as part of a newsreel or documentary, the audience is not expected to stand, as doing so may interrupt the screening and create disorder rather than add to the dignity of the national song,” it added.
The directives further specify that in schools, activities should begin with the playing of the national song.
The move coincides with the 150th anniversary of the creation of Vande Mataram.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sectarian-agenda-jamiat-ulama-i-hind-chief-criticises-governments-mandate-on-vande-mataram/articleshowprint/128245017.cms
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Muslims form bulk of SIR ‘logical discrepancy’ in south Kolkata seats, says study
Feb 12, 2026
KOLKATA: A study of EC’s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has found that Muslim voters form a disproportionately large share of those flagged under the “logical discrepancy” category in two politically significant assembly constituencies in south Kolkata, triggering fresh questions over the system-driven scrutiny process.
According to research by Sabar Institute, Muslims account for about 52% of voters marked with “logical discrepancies” in Bhowanipore, a central-south Kolkata constituency around the city’s traditional commercial and political hub, and nearly 78% in Ballygunge, an adjoining upscale residential area in south Kolkata.
In Bhowanipore, 7,846 of the 15,145 voters whose enumeration forms were flagged for “logical discrepancies” are Muslims, the study shows. In Ballygunge, 23,256 of the 30,008 voters in the same category belong to the minority community.
The skew stands out when compared with other categories of deletions or corrections. “In Bhowanipore, Muslims form only 22.7% of voters marked as ‘absent, shifted or dead/duplicate’ (ASD) and about 26% of unmapped voters,” said Ashin Chakraborty, who conducted the study with Souptik Halder and Sabir Ahamed. “Those figures broadly match the Muslim population share of around 20% in the constituency, as per the 2011 Census. But under ‘logical discrepancy’, the proportion jumps sharply to 52%.”
A similar pattern emerges in Ballygunge, where Muslims account for about 44% of ASD voters and 42% of unmapped voters, close to their estimated 50% population share in the constituency. EC officials rejected allegations of bias. An EC official said the electoral roll does not record religion and the commission maintains no religion-wise voter data.
Political reactions were sharp. Political analyst Udayan Bandyopadhyay alleged the artificial intelligence programme used for SIR had been “intentionally designed” to harass minority voters, particularly women. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh accused BJP of using voter list revisions to target Muslim-majority areas.
The findings add a new layer of controversy to the SIR exercise in Kolkata, with demands growing for an audit of the software-driven “logical discrepancy” filter to ensure the revision process does not disproportionately affect any community.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/muslims-form-bulk-of-sir-logical-discrepancy-in-south-kolkata-seats-says-study/articleshowprint/128235376.cms
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‘Hum do, hamare do darjan’: AIMIM’s UP leader Shaukat Ali urges Muslims to have more babies
Feb 12, 2026
BAREILLY: AIMIM's Uttar Pradesh president Shaukat Ali sparked controversy by saying that the party's "new slogan" was "Hum do, hamare do darjan" (we two, our two dozen), urging Muslims to have more children. He was addressing a public meeting in Moradabad recently.
"Children are a gift from Allah. When Allah is giving, one should accept it," Ali said. Drawing a comparison with China, he argued that a growing population would strengthen the country. "People are worried that our numbers are rising, but a larger population makes a nation stronger," he said.
The statement drew sharp reactions from rival parties, with critics terming it "provocative" and "irresponsible". The remarks also triggered intense debate on social media. AIMIM did not issue any clarification.
Ali further raised concerns over mob lynching and the safety of Muslims, claiming that members of the community often felt insecure while travelling by train or bus. He alleged harassment incidents involving Muslim women and criticised what he described as "stigmatisation" of madrasas. Referring to recent administrative actions, Ali claimed that around 100 madrasas in Moradabad were shut, alleging that they were unfairly labelled as hubs of extremism.
He also referred to communal riots during past Congress govts, claiming that a large number of Muslims lost their lives.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/hum-do-hamare-do-darjan-aimim-leader-urges-muslims-to-have-more-babies/articleshowprint/128219576.cms
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TMC-BJP war of words as Kabir starts building his ‘Babri masjid’
Feb 12, 2026
Rejinagar/Kolkata: Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir, recently suspended from Trinamool, began the construction of the much-hyped ‘Babri Masjid-style' mosque in Murshidabad, prompting a war of words between TMC and BJP. Kabir, who recently floated the Janata Unnayan Party, announced that the mosque at Rejinagar would be completed within two years and would cost around Rs 50-55 crore.
Calling Kabir a "BJP puppet", TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: "Where was his love for Babri Masjid when he took the flag of those who demolished it and fought on a BJP ticket in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls? BJP employs such puppets on poll eve to split votes, but people in Bengal know who fights for them. These political antics should be ignored. These antics coinciding with board examinations in Bengal is deplorable politics."
BJP, on the other hand, targeted TMC. Speaking to reporters in Kolkata, Union minister Bhupendra Yadav said, "The construction of Babri Masjid is illegal. Such illegal activities cannot happen without a nod from the CM. This is part of her appeasement politics."
"Kabir cannot be seen to be separate from TMC. He is part of TMC's plan B. The CM is silent on the issue of appeasement, but the nation is not ready to accept that. This election will unite the forces against separatist sentiments in Murshidabad," said Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya.
State Congress also questioned Kabir's motives, saying he was trying to fan a Trinamool-BJP binary. Bengal president Subhankar Sarkar said: "Kabir's moves are part of the binary TMC and BJP are trying to create. Congress is the only party in India that thinks about the development of Hindus and Muslims without indulging in ‘mandir-masjid' diatribe." CPM's Sujan Chakraborty said, "I find no reason to attach any more importance to Humayun Kabir."
As hundreds began the brick-laying for the mosque around noon, Kabir said, "To those who are opposing, I would say, step aside. People are free to follow their own religion and build temples, churches, or whatever they wish. I will not oppose anyone. My efforts are only to perform my devotion. I don't intend to impose anything."
He added that the scheduled ‘Babri Yatra' — a scheduled 235-km rally — will be on hold. Instead, Kabir would hold a 22-km march from Nadia's Palashi to Murshidabad's Beldanga.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/tmc-bjp-war-of-words-as-kabir-starts-building-his-babri-masjid/articleshowprint/128222517.cms
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American Youtuber Alex Stein mocks Hindus with cow urine slurs at event; angry Indian-Americans walk out
Feb 11, 2026
A satirical speech delivered by US comedian and YouTuber Alex Stein at a meeting of the Plano City Council stirred a row after he mocked Hindu religious beliefs and practices, with some members of the Indian-American community leaving the premises and staging a walkout.
Stein is a conservative media personality known for provocative satirical content. He appeared at the council meeting dressed in Indian attire. He wore a yellow kurta, black shorts, slippers, and a red tilak on his forehead.
He introduced himself as an Indian boy and then made comments that mocked Hindu traditions. He repeatedly mentioned cow worship and the use of cow dung and urine in a sarcastic way. He also talked about Indian-origin FBI Director Kash Patel, saying that the Indian-American community feels proud of his appointment.
Greeting Plano mayor John B. Muns he claimed to be in a difficult situation as he was being targeted by the Muslim Brotherhood for eating and drinking things that in Western culture are not respected but are revered in the Indian culture for having a lot of healing properties.
He quickly digressed into thanking US President Donald Trump for appointing Kash Patel as the FBI director, appreciating Patel's relationship with country music star Alexis Wilkins and hoping for their "authentic Indian marriage." "He has beautiful, beautiful country music sensation as his future bride, and I hope one day to have an authentic Indian marriage and go to their ceremony," he said.
Identifying as a young boy from the "holy land of India far, far away" he trolled the Hindu culture's worship of cows and the use of its urine and dung as 'healing products'. "I worship cows but cow is not no ordinary animal, cow is divine mother, he milk is amrit (divine nectar from heaven), her urine, gomutra is the purest form of medicine straight from the gods and her dung, gobar, is holy gold, a blessing for health and prosperity."
Continuing his mockery, he went on to complain about the HOA in the "beautiful city of Plano" that was behaving like "total narcs" and that the Muslim brotherhood in his neighbourhood was also "bullying" him nonstop. "They come into my house, knocking at my door, shouting at me: stop drinking cow pee, stop eating cow poop, they think my holy practices is dirty and filing police complaints on me, and my HOA will fine me."
He concluded by asking whether Plano was still “the land of freedom and freedom of religion,” framing his performance as a plea for religious tolerance. Lastly, he took a jibe at Indian-Americans supporting Patel, saying "He's protecting Epstein victims, but you know, so what, at least we got an Indian out there."
Young Indian boy begs the Mayor of Plano for help stop the attacks from the Muslim Brotherhood and his HOA association pic.twitter.com/CPmGX7tpfr
The video, captioned with: "Young Indian boy begs the Mayor of Plano for help stop the attacks from the Muslim Brotherhood and his HOA association" also showed some Indian members in the audience leaving the meeting in between, possibly due to Stein's mocking of the country and its culture. It was shared on his X account, 'After Hours with Alex Stein #99' and has since drawn sharp criticism online, with many users condemning it as racist and deliberately offensive.
The comedian's skit comes as anti-Indian hate is increasing in the United States, especially among the MAGA circles. Donald Trump's imposition of stricter immigration laws aimed at tackling illegal immigration in the country has worsened it, with GOP supporters claiming Indians come and steal American jobs for much less pay. However, over the course of his term, it has transformed into community call-outs and social media trolling of Indian-Americans residing in the country. Even the leaders in top positions were not spared. Vivek Ramaswamy, Kash Patel, and Nikki Haley have all been victim of some xenophobic remarks.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/american-youtuber-alex-stein-mocks-hindus-with-cow-urine-slurs-at-event-angry-indian-americans-walk-out/articleshowprint/128206113.cms
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UK-based Muslim preacher voted in UP polls after quitting Indian citizenship: ED
Feb 12, 2026
A UK citizen and Islamic preacher allegedly cast his vote in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections despite having renounced his Indian citizenship in 2013, sources told India Today.
Investigators said the preacher, Maulana Shamsul Huda Khan, travelled from the United Kingdom to India to vote, raising serious questions over identity verification and electoral roll scrutiny, and underscoring the need for more robust voter identification mechanisms.
According to officials, Khan acquired British citizenship in 2013 after formally relinquishing his Indian nationality. Despite this, he allegedly continued to draw a government salary until 2017 and received pensionary benefits until 2023. He had been associated with a madrasa in Uttar Pradesh as a preacher and teacher from 1984 to 2013.
The details emerged amid a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Lucknow into his financial dealings. On Tuesday, ED officials conducted searches at two residential premises linked to Khan under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The action followed a case initiated on the basis of FIRs registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police, alleging offences including fraud, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The ED alleged that after acquiring UK citizenship, Khan concealed his foreign nationality, misrepresented his citizenship status and unlawfully continued to receive government salary and retirement benefits. He is also accused of routing illegal funds through NGOs under his control in the guise of donations, allegedly using the money to construct madrasas and acquire immovable properties.
Financial analysis during the probe revealed that more than Rs 5.28 crore was received between 2013 and 2017 in bank accounts linked to Khan and entities controlled by him. Of this, Rs 3.83 crore was credited directly to his personal accounts. Around Rs 1.72 lakh was deposited in the account of his NGO, Raza Foundation, while approximately Rs 1.43 crore was credited to another entity, Kulliyatul Banatir Razvia.
The ED said the transactions were routed through accounts maintained with top banks and investigators claimed the financial trail reflected substantial transactions between 2007 and 2025, including the alleged unlawful receipt of salary and pension despite the cessation of Indian citizenship.
Investigators also found that Khan travelled to Pakistan, Bangladesh and several other Islamic countries. Agencies are examining whether funds collected domestically and abroad were diverted for personal gain.
During the searches, officials seized documents related to 17 immovable properties allegedly amassed by Khan. While the declared purchase value of these properties is around Rs 3 crore, investigators estimate their current market value at approximately Rs 20 crore. The seized documents are now under detailed scrutiny to determine the full extent of the alleged proceeds of crime.
Source: indiatoday.in
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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/uk-citizen-maulana-shamsul-huda-khan-illegal-voting-up-assembly-elections-2017-ed-probe-2867088-2026-02-12
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Simple issue relating to encroachment removal, passions should not be heightened, says Delhi HC on demolition near Turkman Gate
Sohini Ghosh
Feb 12, 2026
Hearing a plea seeking directions to curb the “misuse” of public interest litigations (PIL), Delhi High Court, while referring to the demolition of illegal structures around the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque near Turkman Gate, said on Wednesday that it is a “simple issue relating to encroachment removal, passions should not be heightened”.
A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia was dealing with a petition filed by Mohd Kamran, a resident of Turkman Gate area. Kamran was seeking the court’s directions to frame or update guidelines on filing PILs in the HC to curb their alleged misuse by NGO Save India Foundation, which he claimed was “selectively targeting Muslim religious structures”, constituting discrimination on grounds of religion and abuse of law.
Kamran, through his counsel, submitted that the NGO, in the name of removal of encroachment, has targeted the graveyard beside the mosque, which has been used by the community for decades. He submitted that Save India Foundation’s petitions, by targeting specific religious structures, is “creating law and order situation”.
CJ Upadhyaya, addressing the petitioner, remarked orally, “No encroachments can be permitted around any religious structures, on government land, and land belonging to the public… If any action is intended, opportunity is to be given to the persons concerned… The difficulty is, the masjid committee has perhaps not taken appropriate steps for securing its own property, its own structure. The survey report has been in the public domain since long…”
Addressing Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, representing the Centre, the HC remarked, “The difficulty is this. These are the areas which are infested with encroachments, since long, more than 100 years perhaps. The area is very densely populated… so far as such encroachments are concerned, say the baratghar or the clinic, they must be immediately removed…”
“But if there is a graveyard, that concerns the community… these structures that are standing, whether they are graveyards or not, that needs to be decided. Graveyard does not concern only the masjid committee, it concerns the entire community. So that’s the only concern… And we would also urge, it is a simple issue relating to encroachment removal, passions should not be heightened.”
Disposing the plea, the division bench noted that Delhi HC already has framed rules on filing PILs and in view of these rules, Kamran’s request need not be considered further. It, however, granted Kamran permission to request before the concerned court to join as a party in the already pending petition moved by the masjid committee.
The MCD, on January 6 – following a Delhi HC order directing for removal of illegal encroachments – had removed some structures adjoining the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque on Asaf Ali Road. The HC order had come while it was hearing a PIL filed by Save India Foundation. The MCD action triggered violence; local residents allegedly threw stones, and police responded with mild tear gas. An FIR was registered and 20 people were arrested.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/encroachment-removal-passions-heightened-delhi-hc-demolition-turkman-gate-10527929/
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Exclusive | Central Vista upgrade: After assurance in High Court, Krishi Bhawan mosque not in new building plan
Damini Nath
Feb 12, 2026
When the Delhi High Court dismissed the Delhi Waqf Board’s petition in 2024 seeking protection for six mosques in the Central Vista area that’s undergoing redevelopment, it did so after the government told the court, in 2021, that there were no plans at the time to affect the structures. Last month, a tender floated by the Central Public Works Department for the redevelopment of Krishi Bhawan and Shastri Bhawan, puts a question mark over one of those mosques: the Qadeemi Masjid, dating over 100 years, in the open court in Krishi Bhawan.
This mosque does not figure in the list of structures to be removed. But in detailed drawings attached with the tender, the mosque does not appear at its site in the map of the proposed new building.
The Qadeemi Masjid is used primarily by Central government employees to offer prayers, said its imam. The mosque is not a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India but figures in a list of Waqf properties published in the Delhi Administration’s gazette of 1970.
The CPWD, under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), floated a tender on January 19 for construction of Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings 4 and 5, at the site of the Krishi Bhawan and Shashi Bhawan.
Under the larger Central Vista redevelopment plan, 10 CCS buildings are to be constructed, after demolishing existing government office blocks. So far, three buildings have been constructed and the remaining are either under construction or in the planning/tendering stage.
The MoHUA did not respond to a request for comment.
Mosque, temple removed earlier
The Indian Express visited the mosque and found about 30-40 worshippers offering prayers around lunch time. There is a dedicated space for women to offer prayers in the basement of the mosque.
Incidentally, the removal of a religious structure during the Central Vista redevelopment isn’t new. A mosque and a temple located on the premises of the erstwhile official residence of the Vice-President at 6, Maulana Azad Road, were removed as part of the Central Vista redevelopment.
The Delhi Waqf Board had moved the High Court in 2021 seeking protection of six Waqf properties that could be affected by the Central Vista redevelopment project: Masjid Zabta Ganj on Mansingh Road; Jama Masjid on Red Cross Road near Parliament; Masjid on Sunehri Bagh Road; Mazar on Sunehri Bagh Road; Masjid inside Krishi Bhawan and Masjid inside 6, Maulana Azad Road.
Apart from the last two, the other mosques/mazar are not located within the plots of the proposed new buildings.
‘Krishi Bhawan Masjid over 100 years old’
As regards the Krishi Bhawan Mosque, the Waqf Board said it was “more than 100 years old, operational and in good condition” and that it was “older than the said government building”.
“The petition is instituted with a limited objective to ensure that the religious / Waqf properties, which are also of historical importance, subject matter of the present petition are preserved and protected in (the) redevelopment process. It may not be out of place to state that the petitioner is constrained to file the present petition only on account of the fact that the several representations made by it seeking clarification and assurances from the respondent have gone unheard and without any response,” the Waqf Board’s petition said.
During the hearings, the government told the court that no action was being taken with respect to the six religious structures at that time.
Representing the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said on December 1, 2021, that it was a long-term project. “Nothing is happening to these properties. We are before your lordships. It (the project) is a very long plan and we have not reached anywhere near it,” he said.
Mehta did not respond when reached for a comment.
The court eventually dismissed the Waqf Board’s petition on July 22, 2024, saying it could approach again “in case the petitioner realises any threat to the Waqf property in the Central Vista Redevelopment Project”.
Waqf Board term ended in 2023
The last Waqf Board’s term ended in 2023 and it has not been reconstituted after that. Chairman of Delhi Waqf Board at the time of the High Court hearing Amanatullah Khan told The Indian Express: “The government had said in court that the mosques would not be affected. If they are now going to demolish it, it is wrong.”
The CCS 4 and 5 project is estimated to cost Rs 3,006.07 crore and take 24 months. The CPWD has invited bids till February 13. CCS 4 and 5 buildings will be spread over 3.04 lakh sq m, with seven floors each.
“The work shall be carried out within a designated land parcel currently housing the buildings of Shastri Bhawan and Krishi Bhawan, located at plot No.120 Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi, after dismantling the existing buildings,” the bid document said.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/central-vista-upgrade-after-assurance-in-high-court-krishi-bhawan-mosque-not-in-new-building-plan-10527519/
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From invisible life to national probe: Inside India’s first ricin ‘bioterrorism’ case
Brendan Dabhi, Nikhila Henry
Feb 12, 2026
In the quiet, middle-class lanes of Fort View Colony, Rajendra Nagar, near Hyderabad’s Golconda Fort, life is staid and unhurried. In these narrow and rambling lanes, with independent houses, two- and three-storeyed apartment buildings and the occasional kirana store, almost everyone knows everyone else. But mention Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, and you’re likely to get a nervous glance and the defensive turn of the head.
To most people here, Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed might as well have been invisible. A 35-year-old general physician, he was married but estranged, lived with his family, mostly kept to himself, and wasn’t associated with any hospitals or clinics, instead offering online consultations to his patients.
So, when the police came to search his home days after his arrest on November 7, the neighbourhood suddenly — and rudely — became aware of his presence. “We know there’s a case, because the police came. But we have no clue who the accused is,” a neighbour tells The Indian Express.
Last month, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) handed over what it describes as a bioterrorism case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The development came two months after Saiyed and two other men — Azad Suleman Sheikh, 20, and Mohammad Suhail Mohammad Saleem Khan, 23 — were arrested in what is being seen as India’s first bioterrorism plot involving the deadly ricin toxin.
For investigators, the handover marks another turn in a case that took them across four states — Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana — and allegedly led them to uncover a home-grown laboratory, a cross-border weapons-smuggling network, a possible international terror link and an alleged bioterrorism plot. At the centre of it all, investigators say, was Saiyed.
Meanwhile, the family and his lawyer deny the allegations, saying he was “framed and misled”. They also claim that he was “never in touch” with the two others arrested with him.
From a very quiet life in Hyderabad to a national probe: Inside India’s first ‘ricin bioterrorism’ case Items allegedly seized from Saiyed’s home included a barrel of “hazardous” liquid, several chemicals, and six bottles of acetone.
K V Dastoor, Saiyed’s advocate on record, says: “His version has been that he was lured into the business of making castor oil by someone, an unknown someone, who promised him money. In the conversations he has had online with this person he was never instructed to extract ricin. He was not found in possession of ricin.”
The unravelling
Ricin is a protein that can be extracted from the castor bean, grown industrially for castor oil production in countries such as India, Brazil and China, and is fatal to humans even in minor doses. It is listed as a Schedule 1 toxin under the Chemical Weapons Convention — substances that pose the highest risk of being used as chemical weapons.
There is currently no antidote for ricin poisoning. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons notes that ricin has never been used as a military weapon, although limited weaponisation was achieved during World War II.
There is no recorded instance of ricin being used in a mass-casualty event, either in war by a state entity or for bioterrorism by a rogue actor. However, ricin has previously been used in targeted assassinations, with reports of accidental exposure linked to illegal production, arrests for possession, and the infamous “ricin letters” — packages containing traces of the toxin sent to President Barack Obama in 2013, the Pentagon in 2018 and President Donald Trump in 2020 — all of which were intercepted at the mail-sorting stage.
This, according to experts, is largely due to difficulties in producing it at scale, the lack of an effective delivery mechanism, and the quantity required for aerosolisation — dispersing it into the atmosphere. However, a 2018 case in Cologne, Germany, where suspects managed to isolate ricin before being arrested, offers a rare precedent.
The plot allegedly began to unravel on the morning of November 7, 2025, when Deputy Superintendent of Police S L Chaudhary of the Gujarat ATS received confidential information that Saiyed was in Gujarat with the alleged intention of “carrying out a terrorist attack”.
That set the ball rolling. Police tracked Saiyed’s mobile phone and found that he had driven from Telangana to Gujarat in a silver Ford Figo and would, by evening, reach the Adalaj toll plaza from Kalol. A town between Gujarat’s financial capital Ahmedabad and political capital Gandhinagar, Adalaj is where National Highway 147 forms a bow tie, with the north-western end extending to Kalol and on to Mehsana.
The Adalaj toll plaza, where Saiyed was allegedly intercepted, lies 6 km from Adalaj town and 10 km from Kalol.
Armed with this intelligence, one police team was allegedly dispatched to Adalaj while another tracked Saiyed’s movements. That evening, police stopped and searched the vehicle at the toll plaza, allegedly finding three pistols, 30 live cartridges, and four litres of liquid in a 10-litre plastic jar, later confirmed through forensic tests to be castor oil.
Saiyed, police said, was on his way back to Hyderabad after picking up the weapons from a “dead drop” near Kalol in rural Gandhinagar. A dead drop is a delivery — often illicit — made anonymously to ensure the sender, courier and recipient never meet, making the supply chain harder to trace.
At a press conference on November 9, 2025, Gujarat ATS Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sunil Joshi said Saiyed had been in contact with a foreign national called Abu Khadija — allegedly known to the suspect as “Aamir” — “to carry out terrorist activities in India”. His alleged handler, Aamir, is believed to be part of the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), the Central Asian branch of the militant Islamic State.
While examining Saiyed’s phone, police allegedly found numbers they traced to Sheikh and Khan, both from Uttar Pradesh. Sheikh is a tailor from Shamli, while Khan is a student from Lakhimpur Kheri.
Investigators allege it was these two men who picked up the weapons later found in Saiyed’s car from a dead drop in Rajasthan’s border district of Hanumangarh and brought them to Gujarat. Soon after, the ATS arrested the two men from Gujarat’s Banaskantha district.
When asked about their arrest, an ATS officer declined to comment. At the press conference, however, DIG Joshi said the two men “harboured extremist ideology” and had disclosed during questioning that their handler “had sent the arms consignment to Hanumangarh district in Rajasthan, via a drone across the international border from Pakistan”.
The suspects, he claimed, had planned to use ricin as a bioterrorism weapon. “We believe he [Saiyed] was attempting to isolate the chemical toxin ricin, which is more toxic than cyanide and even a small amount is enough to kill a large number of people. He was developing the toxin at his workshop in Hyderabad and it is in powder form,” Joshi said.
Asked whether the border in Hanumangarh had previously been used as a weapons dead-drop route, IG Vikas Yadav of the Rajasthan ATS denied knowledge, telling The Indian Express earlier: “The Gujarat Police have said what they did, it is their investigation”.
Making ricin using AI
On November 13, days after Saiyed’s arrest, the Gujarat ATS released photographs of items seized from his home, including a blue barrel filled with liquid, several chemicals, and at least six bottles of acetone — an industrial solvent that can be used to extract and purify ricin from castor bean waste mash left after oil extraction. Police also allegedly found several kilograms of castor bean waste mash, an oil press machine, and equipment such as sieves, funnels and a mixer.
According to a senior official, the blue drum contained a “hazardous substance” that was transported unopened to the ATS headquarters in Ahmedabad and then sent to a forensic science laboratory. Officials said the seizures suggested a “home laboratory” and, taken together with the raw materials sourced and Saiyed’s AI searches, indicated that “he was trying to formulate ricin”.
Investigators, however, believe Saiyed had neither successfully isolated Ricin nor identified an effective delivery mechanism. As a result, while forensic reports that came in at the end of December allegedly detected “traces of ricin”, it was found to be mixed with acetone.
Meanwhile, the two other suspects — Sheikh and Khan — were allegedly tasked with scouting locations for possible terror attacks. Police said the men had surveyed at least three sites: the office of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Lucknow, the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Delhi’s Azadpur, and the fruit market in Ahmedabad’s Naroda.
On November 8, 2025, Saiyed, Sheikh and Khan — along with the suspected handler and a wanted accused, Abu Khadija — were booked under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the Arms Act. Police also seized the arms and castor oil found in Saiyed’s possession, along with four mobile phones, two laptops and the car he was driving.
Subsequent raids allegedly led to the seizure of a black flag with Arabic inscription from Khan’s home. While the ATS has denied finding conclusive evidence linking the three Indian suspects to any terror outfit, the flag — along with a virtual flag found on one of Saiyed’s social media accounts and the suspected affiliation of the foreign handler — has led investigators to probe a possible ISKP connection.
The ATS is also examining literature on how to evade detection that it allegedly seized from Saiyed.
When contacted, a senior officer said all terror cases were transferred to the NIA as a matter of routine. Regarding the flag, an investigator said: “It’s a flag with religious connotation. It has to do with the belief, an interpretation of a hadith (quotes of Prophet Muhammad) that there will be a ghazwa-e-hind (battle in the Indian subcontinent) where the righteous will ride horses and carry black flags. This concept is frequently invoked by multiple terror groups”.
The family of one of the arrested suspects, Sheikh, declined to comment.
Meanwhile, a Hyderabad Police officer says Saiyed appeared to be working alone. “In Hyderabad, there was no one to support him. It’s not a module,” an intelligence source told The Indian Express.
On November 18 — 12 hours after the suspects were transferred to Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad — Saiyed, Khan and Sheikh were attacked by three inmates inside their cell. The attack took place at 7 am.
According to an FIR in Ahmedabad’s Ranip Police Station, Saiyed was wounded in one eye and required treatment at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. While the investigation is ongoing, police suspect the men were targeted because they were terror accused. “All three have been moved to a high-security cell,” prison superintendent Gaurav Agrawal told The Indian Express.
The ‘invisible man’
In their house in the by-lanes of Hyderabad’s Fort View Colony — with its low-rise buildings and kirana shops — Saiyed’s family is still struggling to come to terms with what has happened. Originally from Telangana’s Khammam, about 200 km from Hyderabad, the family moved here after Saiyed’s parents separated two decades ago, leaving his grandfather, a government school teacher, to support them.
The eldest of six siblings, Saiyed studied medicine in China. He got married in 2021 but later separated from his wife.
At the family home, his younger brother describes a different man: a loving and responsible sibling, warm, gentle, affable and studious, whose online medical consultations were a major source of income for the family.
“He was ordinary, like anyone else in the neighbourhood. He was [frequently] seen reading books and manuals of medical research,” his brother said. “Anyone in our family and friends’ circle would say he cared about everyone, regardless of their religion. We just can’t believe that this [radicalisation] is possible.”
The family believes he was framed by someone he trusted. “He went to Gujarat for a business deal. We did not know anything more about this,” the brother said, adding: “We don’t think he is capable of plotting a terror strike.”
His lawyer, K V Dastoor claims this was a case of a person being “lured with money”, and that Saiyed had “no idea” of the weapons and cartridges found in a “sealed case” in his possession.
“He thought he was doing the business of castor oil for money and repeatedly asked the person who lured him about payment. But he was given different tasks for which he was not paid. He was desperately doing those tasks as he was waiting for his payment.
But the arrest and subsequent raids have left the neighbourhood uneasy. In one corner, a group of youngsters stood chatting quietly. Mention the case, and the conversation stops. “We too are curious to know what happened,” a lanky 20-year-old said after a pause. “We can’t believe there was a terrorist in our midst.”
Source: indianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/long-reads/from-invisible-life-to-national-probe-inside-indias-first-ricin-bioterrorism-case-10527483/
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Delhi Confidential: AICC neta’s support for Deepak’s gym; Speaker Birla soft on errors in opposition’s notice for no confidence motion against him
Feb 12, 2026
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav took the Bollywood route to confront UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his recent “qayamat ka din kabhi nahin aayega (doomsday will never come)” remark aimed at those still “dreaming of Babri mosque structure”. As Akhilesh concluded a press conference at the party office on Wednesday, a song from 1967 Bollywood movie ‘Bahu Begum’ — ‘hum intzaar karenge tera qayamat tak, khuda kare ki qayamat ho aur tu aaye…’ — was played on a TV screen. Akhilesh said it was his response to the Chief Minister [Yogi Adityanath] for “spoiling” the word ‘qayamat’.
Taking Notice
The Opposition notice for a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday had some errors on the basis of which it could have been rejected. But Birla learnt to have directed the Lok Sabha Secretariat to amend the ‘defective’ notice that mentioned 2025 instead of 2026 on four instances. The Opposition later withdrew the notice signed by 118 Opposition MPs and replaced it with a fresh one with correct dates, which was accepted. According to sources in Lok Sabha Secretariat, Birla had given instructions to accept and proceed with the new notice.
Building Bond
Uttarakhand resident Deepak Kumar, who lost many of his gym members after he stood up to a group of Bajrang Dal members for a 70-year-old Muslim man, is getting support from Congress. An AICC leader is planning to direct leaders and members of state unit to buy membership for his gym. The move is intended to send a message that the party is behind a man who took a stand on a communal issue. Some party members in Kotdwar town have already been directed to buy membership of the gym run by Kumar.
Source: indianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/delhi-confidential/akhilesh-yadav-yogi-adityanath-qayamat-ka-din-comment-10527558/
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North America
CAIR-NJ Calls On Delaney Hall ICE Detention Facility to Make Ramadan Accommodations
February 11, 2026
The New Jersey Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, calls on Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey to prepare accommodations for its Muslim detainees ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
CAIR-NJ also welcomed the recent release of a detainee earlier this month. This detainee was actively working through the steps of completing their permanent residency process and was detained by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and sent to Delaney Hall in early December. Their green card was processed while at Delaney Hall and was released in early February.
The detainee described troubling conditions at Delaney Hall. The detainee also reports that despite their repeated requests, Muslim detainees within Delaney Hall did not have basic accommodations such as access to religious materials like prayer mats, Qur’ans, or prayer beads.
In a statement, the anonymous detainee said:
“Being unable to pray and our lack of access to an Imam at Delaney was difficult on the Muslim detainees. I encourage officials to speak up and call on the facility to prepare better for the holy month of Ramadan.”
NOTE: The former detainee fears reprisal via an appeal of their green card and wishes to remain anonymous.
In a statement, CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said:
“As we approach the holy month of Ramadan — a sacred period of fasting, prayer, and spiritual reflection for Muslims — Delaney Hall and other ICE detention facilities across our nation have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that detained Muslims can practice their faith with dignity. This includes granting them access to prayer space, Qur’ans, religious literature, prayer mats, chaplaincy services, and appropriate meals before dawn and after sunset.”
“We are calling on Delaney Hall to immediately correct these failures and on New Jersey’s congressional delegation to use its oversight authority to ensure that religious freedom does not stop at the doors of a detention facility.”
With the holy month of Ramadan starting on Feb 17th officials at the facility need to act quick to accommodate the need. CAIR-NJ is committed to advocating for the religious rights and accommodations of Muslims detained within Delaney Hall and stands ready to serve as a partner in that effort.
CAIR-NJ and local partners launch fundraising campaign to purchase religious items for Delaney Hall Muslim detainees.
“Detention often strips people of comfort, routine, and connection. For Muslim detainees, the ability to pray properly, read Qur’an, and observe their faith provides solace, structure, and hope. These items offer more than religious observance; they are a source of peace, identity, and strength in the face of uncertainty,” Maksut added. “Through this fundraiser, we aim to ensure that Muslims detained at Delaney Hall are not forced to practice their faith without the tools they need.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-nj-calls-on-delaney-hall-ice-detention-facility-to-make-ramadan-accommodations/
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CAIR Commends Bipartisan Defense of Religious Freedom During Failed ‘Sharia Hoax’ Hearing
February 11, 2026
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today commended the bipartisan defense of religious liberty mounted during the House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing‘s anti-Muslim hearing meant to hype the “sharia hoax” that anti-Muslim politicians have been pushing in recent months.
During the hearing, witnesses with a history of expressing anti-Muslim bigotry and conspiracy theories called for an unconstitutional ban on the practice of Islam in America.
CAIR notes that the hearing room itself was nearly empty, with only a small number of attendees present, many of whom were members of the Muslim and Jewish communities who came to oppose the hearing’s premise.
During the hearing, Ranking Subcommittee Member Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Ranking Judiciary Committee Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Tom McClintock (R-CA), among others, underscored that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land, protects religious freedom for all Americans, and prevents any community from imposing their faith on others.
CAIR also commended Professor of Law at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University Ilya Somin, whose testimony reaffirmed the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution and warned of the constitutional dangers inherent in singling out one religion for legislative action.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw, who attended the hearing in person and formally submitted CAIR’s statement for the record, said:
“We commend Representatives Scanlon, Raskin, and McClintock, as well as Professor Somin, for standing up for the Constitution and making clear that religious liberty applies to Muslim Americans just as it does to every other faith community. Their bipartisan defense of the First Amendment was principled and necessary.
“We must be honest about what this hearing represents. Rep. Roy’s so-called anti-Sharia caucus is, in effect, an anti-Muslim hate group dedicated to expelling or even exterminating mainstream Muslims. When lawmakers build a political movement around branding Islam incompatible with the Constitution and the American way of life, they are not debating policy during this hearing, they are laying the groundwork to criminalize, expel, or erase Muslim Americans for practicing our faith and living by our religious principles.
“History teaches us that campaigns of persecution do not begin with mass violence. In Nazi Germany, Jewish citizens were first branded as incompatible with the nation’s laws and identity. They were portrayed as a civilizational threat, unfit to belong. That rhetoric normalized exclusion and discrimination long before it enabled atrocity.
“When elected officials like Rep. Roy and members of his Exterminate Muslim caucus question whether American Muslims are compatible with the Constitution, we recognize that pattern. Religious freedom is not conditional, and Muslim Americans are not strangers to our own Constitution.”
The hearing was convened by Subcommittee ChairChip Roy (R-TX) and was framed around the premise that “Sharia-based institutions” pose a threat to American law. However, witnesses were unable to identify concrete examples of any systemic effort to override the Constitution.
Prior to the hearing, CAIR provided preparatory briefing materials to members of the House Judiciary Committee, released a memorandum documenting the history of anti-Muslim rhetoric expressed by several invited witnesses, submitted an official statement for the hearing record, and distributed an educational fact sheet explaining how Sharia functions in American life within the bounds of U.S. law.
Scheduled witnesses at the hearing included Stephen Gelé, who, according to the New York Times, represented a nonprofit organization that promoted legislation by notorious anti-Muslim bigot David Yerushalmi that would have made “adherence to Islam” a “felony punishable by 20 years in prison.” Gelé was also reportedly involved in a previous effort to promote anti-Islam laws in states nationwide.
Another witness, Robert Spencer, was once a key leader in the anti-Islam hate movement in the United States. In 2013, Spencer was banned from entering the United Kingdom because his views “foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence.” His recommended reading list has included racist books such as Jean Raspail’s 1973 “Camp of the Saints,” which depicts France being overrun by non-white immigrants from India.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) labeled Spencer an “anti-Muslim extremist.” The SPLC labeled Spencer as part of the “Anti-Muslim Inner Circle,” a core group of 10 individuals responsible for the “surge in popular anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States.”
Another hearing witness is Krista Schild of the RAIR Foundation, which the SPLC identified as part of a broader network of anti-Muslim hate groups that promote conspiracy theories and vilify American Muslim communities. CAIR’s Islamophobia project has also documented RAIR Foundation as having been accused of spreading Islamophobic and antisemitic hate and aligning itself with known-white supremacist groups and individuals since at least 2013.
Anti-Muslim bigots have recently revived a decades-old manufactured “anti-sharia” hysteria designed to frighten voters into backing Islamophobic candidates and political leaders.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-commends-bipartisan-defense-of-religious-freedom-during-failed-sharia-hoax-hearing/
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CAIR-Alabama Backs Calls for Gov. Ivey to Spare Charles Burton from Execution
February 11, 2026
Muslim civil rights group joins jurors and daughter of victim in calling for cancellation of March 12 execution
The Alabama chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AL), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today joined calls for Governor Kay Ivey to grant clemency to Charles Burton, a 75-year-old incarcaree, youth mentor and prison faith leader facing execution on March 12 for a murder he did not personally commit.
CAIR also reiterated its calls for Alabama to cease using the nitrogen gas for state executions, which has repeatedly resulted in botched and painful executions.
Last month, the Alabama Supreme Court authorized Burton’s execution for his role in a 1991 robbery during which another man shot and killed a store clerk. Burton is scheduled for execution despite the fact that he was not the one who killed the victim. The actual shooter was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The victim’s daughter and former jurors have asked for clemency. Burton, 75, is in poor health and uses a wheelchair.
While in state custody, Burton changed his life, converting to Islam, devoting his time to mentoring younger incarcerees, and advocating for religious equality for all incarcarees. Granting Burton clemency would pose no threat to public safety.
[NOTE: Last year, CAIR-AL called on the State of Alabama to drop the use of nitrogen gas as an execution method after incarcaree Anthony Boyd was reportedly conscious and visibly suffering for as long as 15 minutes.]
In a statement, CAIR-AL Staff Attorney Britton O’Shields said:
“We join other civil rights groups, the daughter of the victim, and the jurors who oversaw Mr. Charles Burton’s case in calling on the State of Alabama to grant him clemency.
“Although Mr. Burton was involved in an armed robbery in 1991, he did not personally harm anyone and he has paid dearly for his crime spending the last 35 years of his life behind bars. Mr. Burton poses no threat to public safety and serves as a mentor to others at his facility.
“Whereas Mr. Burton’s transformation and commitment to change serve as an example of how people can change their lives for the better, Mr. Burton’s potential execution reminds us of the pervasive and systemic failures that prevent true restorative justice. Mr. Burton’s sentence should, at the least, be commuted to a life sentence.”
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
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Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-alabama-backs-calls-for-gov-ivey-to-spare-charles-burton-from-execution/
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CAIR Report on Islamophobia and Free Speech Rates Columbia U., CUNY as Most Hostile Campuses
February 11, 2026
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released “Designated: CAIR’s 2025 Hostile Campus Ratings Report,” evaluating 51 campuses that have engaged in the suppression and targeting of Muslim, Palestinian, Arab, and allied students speaking out against genocide from October 2023 to December 2025.
Columbia University and CUNY received the lowest scores at 2%, with the University of Michigan, the University of Chicago, and Case Western Reserve University also ranking among the most hostile campuses.
No campus of the 51 investigated and reported to CAIR by students and faculty earned an “Unhostile” rating. Six campuses were placed “Under Watch,” led by the University of Alabama at 87%. The average score was 37.92%, and nearly 75% of campuses scored below 50%. More than half failed to explicitly identify Islamophobia or anti-Muslim bias in their discrimination policies.
Twelve campuses adopted the controversial IHRA antisemitism definition, which critics say chills legitimate criticism of Israel’s genocide. About half of the campuses faced Title VI complaints. More than 75% called the police on Gaza protesters after October 2023. Ninety percent implemented major policy changes without input from students or faculty.
“University administrators failed to uphold their stated commitments to free speech and academic freedoms at many of the campuses we investigated,” said CAIR Research and Advocacy Specialist Dr. Maryam Hasan. “Our hope is that this report inspires reform. If not, then those who value critical thought and free expression are informed by this report of the campuses they should avoid.”
“Many of the institutions our team reviewed self-selected to be instruments of repression when it came to Muslims and others who held anti-genocide viewpoints,” said CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor. “This report is a warning to potential students and staff that these places will take your money and then punish your viewpoints.”
A project of CAIR’s Unhostile Campus Campaign, the report evaluates Islamophobia on campus and administrations’ responses to activism, particularly anti-genocide speech.
CAIR has newly designated each of the following schools as a “Hostile Campus” for targeting anti-genocide voices. For the full list of designated ‘Hostile Campuses,’ see the report or visit: https://islamophobia.org/hostile-campuses/
University of Missouri
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Oregon
University of Texas at Dallas
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin
Virginia Commonwealth University
Yale University
Georgetown University
Montana State University
Ohio State University
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Francisco
University of Kentucky
University of Minnesota
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-report-on-islamophobia-and-free-speech-rates-columbia-u-cuny-as-most-hostile-campuses/
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CAIR Joins USCMO in Encouraging Mosques Nationwide to Host Ramadan Interfaith Dinners
February 11, 2026
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today joined the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) in announcing the launch of Ramadan Interfaith Iftars 2026, a nationwide initiative encouraging mosques across the United States to host interfaith iftar dinners during the holy month of Ramadan and invite neighbors of all faiths and backgrounds to participate.
During Ramadan 2026, participating mosques plan to open their doors to community members to share a meal at sunset, learn about the meaning of Ramadan, ask questions about Islam, and build personal connections with their neighbors of various faiths.
USCMO is providing mosques with a toolkit with editable resources, including:
Tips with do’s and don’t for a successful dinner
Editable social media graphics
Sample invite for the general public
Sample invite for elected officials
Sample dinner program schedule for guests
Sample press release/announcement
“At a time when anti-Muslim hate and misinformation continue to rise, opening our doors and breaking bread together is one of the most powerful ways to build understanding and solidarity,” said USCMO Secretary-General Oussama Jammal. “Ramadan Interfaith Iftars 2026 is an opportunity for mosques to transform fear into familiarity and strangers into neighbors. Interfaith iftars remind us that our shared values as Americans, people of faith, and human beings — compassion, service, and community — are stronger than the hateful forces trying to divide us.”
Ramadan is a sacred month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and charity for Muslims worldwide. The daily fast is broken at sunset with a meal known as iftar. By inviting the broader community to these meals, mosques help demystify Islam, foster interfaith friendships, and strengthen local bonds.
USCMO plans to maintain a national listing of registered interfaith iftars and share event details with the public to encourage widespread participation. Mosques are asked to submit the following information for each event:
Date
Time
Location
Mosques can register their iftar events here.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-joins-uscmo-in-encouraging-mosques-nationwide-to-host-ramadan-interfaith-dinners/
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Trump tells Netanyahu Iran nuclear talks must continue
February 12, 2026
Daniel Bush
US President Donald Trump said he insisted talks with Iran continue during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but warned he may take action against Tehran if a nuclear deal is not reached.
The leaders met at the White House as tensions continue to rise across the Middle East and negotiations intensify over curbing Iran's nuclear weapons programme.
Netanyahu was expected to press Trump to pursue a deal that would not only halt Iran's uranium enrichment, but cut its ballistic missile programme and support for proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iran has suggested it is ready to limit its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief, but has rejected other demands.
Ahead of the White House meeting, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned his country would "not yield to their excessive demands".
Netanyahu's visit marks his sixth trip to the US since Trump's return to office - more than any other world leader.
The leaders spoke for nearly three hours in an unusually low-key meeting in which Netanyahu was brought in through a side entrance, out of view of the cameras.
Trump did not hold a press conference with him afterwards.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the meeting between the leaders had been "very good".
"There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated," he said.
He added a deal was his "preference" but if one could not be reached "we will just have to see what the outcome will be".
Netanyahu's office said the leaders had discussed "the security needs of the State of Israel in the context of the negotiations" and agreed to continue their "close coordination and relationship".
A close Trump ally, Netanyahu has long argued that Iran represents an existential security threat to Israel and has pushed the US to curb Tehran's influence in the region.
"The prime minister believes that any negotiations must include limiting ballistic missiles and ending support for the Iranian axis," Netanyahu's office said in a statement ahead of his trip.
After arriving in Washington on Tuesday, Netanyahu met Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The pair "provided an update on the first round of negotiations they held with Iran last Friday", according to the prime minister's office.
Netanyahu's visit comes as the US increases its military presence in the Middle East, with Trump warning Tehran of strikes if it fails to reach a deal on its nuclear programme and to stop killing protesters.
On Tuesday, the president said that he was "thinking" about sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was sent to the region last month after Trump threatened to strike Iran to stop a government crackdown on mass protests in which thousands of people were killed.
"We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going," Trump said in an interview with Axios. He said Iran "wants to make a deal very badly", adding that a diplomatic solution remained possible.
Trump told Fox Business that a good deal would mean "no nuclear weapons, no missiles".
In a speech at a rally in Tehran on Wednesday marking the 47th anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution, Pezeshkian said: "Our Iran will not yield in the face of aggression, but we are continuing dialogue with all our strength with neighbouring countries in order to establish peace and tranquillity in the region."
The Iranian president also reiterated that his country was "not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons". "We have stated this repeatedly and are ready for any verification," he added.
Israeli officials have also said their country reserves the right to take military action against Iran if it does not reach a nuclear agreement with the US.
Netanyahu is under pressure from far-right allies in his government to use his ties to Trump to push for a wide-ranging US-Iran deal that meets the Israeli government's security concerns, experts say.
"Israel is concerned that in the haste to get a deal with Iran, the president might embrace a deal that doesn't address Iran's missile programme or support for proxy groups, or that allows it to have some remnant of its nuclear programme," said Daniel Byman, a professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.
"One worry Israel and other allies have about the US under Trump is that he wants a deal more than he wants a particular outcome," added Byman.
Analysts say Iran's leaders are in a weaker position now after the mass protests and a 12-day air campaign by the US and Israel last year, during which Iranian nuclear and military sites were bombed.
"The Iranian regime today is really vulnerable," said Mohammed Hafez, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School and expert on Middle Eastern politics. "The US and Israel feel they hold all the cards, Iran is on its back foot, and they can make these maximalist demands."
Trump withdrew the US from an Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran in his first term in office and reinstated sanctions that have severely strained its economy. The administration restarted talks last year to reach a new deal before the war between Israel and Iran.
Despite this heightened rhetoric in recent weeks, Trump might still wish to avoid a direct military conflict with Iran if the nations cannot strike a nuclear deal, former US officials said.
"I don't think Trump wants a major military confrontation with Iran going into an election year," said James Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq and Turkey. "And I think the Iranians know that."
The visit also comes as the Trump administration presses Israel and Hamas to implement the next phase of their ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to sign up as a member of Trump's Board of Peace.
A White House spokesperson said Israel "has had no better friend in its history than President Trump".
"We continue to work closely with our ally Israel to implement President Trump's historic Gaza peace agreement and to strengthen regional security in the Middle East," said Anna Kelly, the spokesperson.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last October, ending a two-year war started by the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack inside Israel. Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in the attack. Israel's military campaign in response has killed more than 71,000 people, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of frequent violations of the ceasefire since the first phase of the deal went into effect.
The sides have not made much progress in moving to the second phase in the ceasefire deal, which calls for the disarmament of Hamas, a full withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza, and reconstruction of the coastal territory.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0k1j2j4607o
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US House votes to overturn Trump's tariffs on Canada
February 12, 2026
Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
The US House of Representatives has voted to rescind US President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods.
In a 219 to 211 vote, six Republican lawmakers joined Democrats to back a resolution that seeks to end the tariffs Trump imposed on Canada last year.
The vote is largely symbolic as it will still need to be approved by the US Senate and then approved by Trump, who is very unlikely to sign it into law.
Since his re-election, Donald Trump has imposed a series of tariffs on Canada, recently threatening a 100% import tax in response to Canada's proposed trade deal with China.
As the vote was taking place on the House floor, Trump posted on Truth Social: "Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time."
"TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege," he added.
The vote came after US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump ally in Congress, unsuccessfully tried to block discussion on the chamber's floor by lawmakers on Trump's tariffs.
With Republicans holding a thin majority in the US House, the six Republican defections along with a near-united front from Democrats was enough to secure the votes.
The measure had been introduced by Democrat Gregory Meeks who said that Trump had "weaponized tariffs" against allies and destabilized the global economy.
"Not only have these tariffs done immense harm to our relationship with Canada, pushing them closer to China, they have driven up prices here at home," he said before the vote.
Representative Don Bacon from Nebraska was one of the six Republicans who crossed the aisle to join Democrats in approving the measure. Before the vote, he said "tariffs have been a 'net negative' for the economy and are a significant tax that American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers are paying."
The bill now heads to the US Senate where Republicans also hold the majority. Even if it cleared that hurdle, it is unlikely to be signed into law.
Separately, Trump's tariffs are also facing legal scrutiny as the US Supreme Court is set to rule soon on a case questioning the president's legal authority to impose the levies.
Meeks, the top Democrat on the US House Foreign Affairs committee, said the measure on Canada is the first of several bills he plans to introduce that aim to roll back Trump's signature trade action.
"Our fight doesn't stop here," he said in a video posted online before the vote. "I have resolutions also to end trump's tariffs on Mexico, on Brazil, and on his Liberation Day global tariffs."
Source: bbc.com
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Trump threatens US lawmakers with ‘consequences’ over tariff pushback
February 12, 2026
US President Donald Trump has warned Republican lawmakers that they will face political “consequences” after the House of Representatives voted to roll back some of his tariffs on Canada.
In a pair of posts on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of the US and defended tariffs as a key pillar of his economic and national security strategy.
“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!” Trump wrote.
The House voted 219–211 to pass a resolution aimed at ending sweeping tariffs imposed on Canada under an “emergency” declaration supposedly related to fentanyl trafficking across the border. Six Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure, which challenges Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Even if the measure clears the Senate, Trump is expected to veto it, and supporters lack the two-thirds majorities needed in both chambers to override it.
Trump declared the fentanyl emergency last year to justify 35% tariffs on Canadian goods under IEEPA. Canada is also subject to separate sector-specific tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles, and lumber imposed through other presidential authorities.
The House vote followed a procedural shift that forced lawmakers to take up the issue after months of avoiding direct votes on Trump’s tariff policies. It also comes as the US Supreme Court weighs the legality of the president’s continued reliance on IEEPA, with several justices expressing skepticism during a hearing last November.
The clash over tariffs is the latest flashpoint in increasingly strained US–Canada relations. Earlier this week, Trump threatened to block the opening of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge between Ontario and Michigan unless the United States receives partial ownership of the crossing. He has also warned of steep tariffs on Canadian-made aircraft and punitive measures if Ottawa deepens trade ties with China.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected claims that Canada is pursuing a free trade agreement with Beijing and has urged Washington to respect his country’s sovereignty.
Source: rt.com
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Mideast
Turkiye’s foreign minister says the US and Iran showing flexibility on nuclear deal, FT reports
February 12, 2026
The United States and Iran are showing flexibility on a nuclear deal, with Washington appearing “willing” to tolerate some nuclear enrichment, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the Financial Times in an interview published Thursday.
“It is positive that the Americans appear willing to tolerate Iranian enrichment within clearly set boundaries,” Fidan, who has been involved in talks with both Washington and Tehran, told the FT.
“The Iranians now recognize that they need to reach a deal with the Americans, and the Americans understand that the Iranians have certain limits. It’s pointless to try to force them.”
Washington has until now demanded Iran relinquish its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent fissile purity, a small step away from the 90 percent that is considered weapons grade.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Iran would continue to demand the lifting of financial sanctions and insist on its nuclear rights including enrichment.
Fidan told the FT he believed Tehran “genuinely wants to reach a real agreement” and would accept restrictions on enrichment levels and a strict inspection regime, as it did in the 2015 agreement with the US and others. US and Iranian diplomats held talks through Omani mediators in Oman last week in an effort to revive diplomacy, after President Donald Trump positioned a naval flotilla in the region, raising fears of new military action. Trump on Tuesday said he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, even as Washington and Tehran prepared to resume negotiations.
The Turkish foreign minister, however, cautioned that broadening the Iran-US talks to ballistic missiles would bring “nothing but another war.”
The US State Department and the White House did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
Source: arabnews.com
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US forces withdraw from Syria’s Al-Tanf base: Syrian military sources
February 11, 2026
DAMASCUS: US forces have withdrawn to Jordan from Syria’s Al-Tanf base, where they had been deployed as part of the international coalition against the Daesh group, two Syrian military sources told AFP on Wednesday.
One source said “the American forces withdrew entirely from Al-Tanf base today” and decamped to another in Jordan, adding Syrian forces were being deployed to replace them.
A second source confirmed the withdrawal, adding the Americans had been moving equipment out for the past 15 days.
The second source said the US troops would “continue to coordinate with the base in Al-Tanf from Jordan.”
During the Syrian civil war and the fight against Daesh group, US forces were deployed in the country’s Kurdish-controlled northeast and at Al-Tanf, near the borders with Jordan and Iraq.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had been a major partner of the anti-Daesh coalition, and were instrumental in the group’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
However, after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar Assad over a year ago, the United States has drawn closer to the new government in Damascus, recently declaring that the need for its alliance with the Kurds had largely passed.
Syria agreed to join the anti-Daesh coalition when President Ahmed Al-Sharaa visited the White House in November.
As Al-Sharaa’s authorities seek to extend their control over all of Syria, the Kurds have come under pressure to integrate their forces and de facto autonomous administration into the state, striking an agreement to do so last month after losing territory to advancing government troops.
Since then, the US has been conducting an operation to transfer around 7,000 suspected jihadists from Syria — where many were being held in detention facilities by Kurdish fighters — to neighboring Iraq.
Following the withdrawal from Al-Tanf and the government’s advances in the northeast, US troops are mainly now based at the Qasrak base in Hasakah.
Despite Daesh’s territorial defeat, the group remains active.
It was blamed for a December attack in Palmyra in which a lone gunman opened fire on American personnel, killing two US soldiers and a US civilian.
Washington later conducted retaliatory strikes on Daesh targets in Syria.
Source: arabnews.com
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UN agency begins clearing huge Gaza City waste dump
February 11, 2026
CAIRO, GAZA: The UN Development Programme began clearing a huge wartime garbage dump on Wednesday that has swallowed one of Gaza City’s oldest commercial districts and is an environmental and health risk.
Alessandro Mrakic, head of the UNDP Gaza Office, said work had started to remove the solid-waste mound that has overtaken the once busy Fras Market in the Palestinian enclave’s main city.
He put the volume of the dump at more than 300,000 cubic meters and 13 meters high.
It formed after municipal crews were blocked from reaching Gaza’s main landfill in the Juhr Al-Dik area — adjacent to the border with Israel — when the Gaza war began in October 2023.
The area in Juhr Aal-Dik is now under full Israeli control.
Over the next six months, UNDP plans to transfer the waste to a new temporary site prepared in the Abu Jarad area south of Gaza City and built to meet environmental standards.
The site covers 75,000 square meters and will also accommodate daily collection, Mrakic said. The project is funded by the Humanitarian Fund and the European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
Some Palestinians sifted through the garbage, looking for things to take away, but there was relief that the market space would eventually be cleared.
“It needs to be moved to a site with a complex of old waste, far away from people. There’s no other solution. What will this cause? It will cause us gases, it will cause us diseases, it will cause us germs,” elderly Gazan Abu Issa said near the site.
Source: arabnews.com
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UN rights chief warns Israeli land-control moves in West Bank amount to unlawful annexation
EPHREM KOSSAIFY
February 11, 2026
NEW YORK CITY: The UN’s high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, on Wednesday condemned recent decisions by Israel’s Security Cabinet to expand the expropriation of land in the occupied West Bank.
He described the moves as a step toward unlawful annexation, and a violation of the right of Palestinians to self-determination.
The measures, approved on Sunday, expand Israeli civilian authority in parts of the West Bank, known as “Areas A and B” under the Oslo Accords, in which certain powers are currently exercised by the Palestinian Authority.
“This is yet another step by the Israeli authorities toward rendering a viable Palestinian state impossible, in violation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination,” Turk said.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, the package of measures alter existing legal arrangements to allow Israeli authorities and individuals to acquire land in those areas, a move Turk said violates the laws of occupation.
“If these decisions are implemented, they will undoubtedly accelerate the dispossession of Palestinians and their forcible transfer, and lead to the creation of more illegal Israeli settlements,” he said.
“This will also further deprive Palestinians of their natural resources and restrict their enjoyment of other human rights.”
The measures would “further cement Israel’s control and integration of the occupied West Bank into Israel, consolidating unlawful annexation,” Turk added.
The decisions also strip the Palestinian Authority of certain planning and building powers in parts of Hebron, including the area around the Ibrahimi Mosque, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, and establish Israeli administrative control over Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem, he said.
“This not only violates the land rights of Palestinians, but also their cultural rights in respect of sites of particular significance,” he added.
Turk’s comments came amid what the Human Rights Office described as a broader pattern of increasing attacks by Israeli settlers and security forces against Palestinians in the West Bank, including reports of forced transfers, evictions, home demolitions, land seizures and restrictions on movement.
“We are witnessing rapid steps to change permanently the demography of the occupied Palestinian territory, stripping its people of their lands and forcing them to leave,” Turk said.
The measures were “supported by rhetoric and actions by senior Israeli officials” that violated Israel’s obligations as an occupying power to preserve the existing legal order, he warned.
“These decisions must be overturned,” Turk added. “The settlements must be evacuated. The occupation must end. Now.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Turkish, Greek leaders voice desire to resolve issues
February 11, 2026
ANKARA: The leaders of Turkiye and Greece voiced their desire to resolve longstanding maritime disputes hobbling ties during discussions in Ankara on Wednesday, as the NATO allies and historic rivals try to build on warming relations.
The neighbors have been at odds over a range of issues for decades, primarily maritime boundaries and rights in the Aegean, an area widely believed to hold energy resources and with key implications for airspace and military activity.
Following years of heightened tensions, a 2023 declaration on friendly relations prompted a thaw in rhetoric, though their maritime issues have remained unresolved and the two sides still disagree over regional matters.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said they had discussed their issues in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean “in an open and sincere way” during the talks.
“While the issues may be thorny, they are not unsolvable on the basis of international law. I saw that we were in agreement with my friend Kyriakos,” Erdogan said.
He added that the two countries would continue working to achieve their goal of reaching $10 billion in bilateral trade.
Mitsotakis said he hoped circumstances would allow the sides to solve a dispute on the demarcation of maritime and exclusive economic zones in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
If not now when?
“It is time to remove any substantial and formal threats to our relations, if not now, when?” Mitsotakis said.
“Destiny has appointed us to live in the same neighborhood. We cannot change geography, but we can make it an ally, choosing convergence, dialogue and trust in international law... to build a future of peace, progress and prosperity for our people.”
Despite the positive tone, Greece’s foreign minister earlier said Athens planned to extend its territorial waters further, including potentially in the Aegean.
Shortly after, Ankara said it had issued a maritime notice urging Greece to coordinate research activities in areas of the Aegean that Turkiye considers part of its continental shelf.
In 1995, Turkiye’s parliament declared a casus belli — a cause for war — should Greece unilaterally extend its territorial waters beyond six nautical miles in the Aegean, a stance Athens says violates international maritime law. Greece says it wants only to discuss demarcation of maritime zones.
Migrant flows
Mitsotakis also said the flows of migrants in the Aegean Sea had decreased by almost 60 percent last year due to cooperation between the two countries, adding this should be strengthened.
Fifteen migrants died in a shipwreck off the Greek island of Chios last week after their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel and sank in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast.
Turkiye is a transit country for migrants seeking to reach the European Union via Greece. Ankara says the EU has not fully delivered on commitments under a 2016 migration deal and Athens wants Turkiye to do more to curb irregular crossings.
Source: arabnews.com
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Syrian aid convoy supports bakeries in Sweida
February 11, 2026
LONDON: A convoy of 31 trucks delivered 503 tonnes of flour, diesel fuel, and other supplies to Sweida on Wednesday, aiding local bakeries and providing essential goods as part of a combined effort from the government of the Syrian Arab Republic and international partners.
The delivery was coordinated between the Sweida Governorate and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, with support from the World Food Programme, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
The aid aims to improve the supply of essential goods, including bread, for the residents of Sweida Governorate, which has a population of about 480,000 people.
Some 402 tonnes of flour were delivered to Sweida city in January as part of ongoing efforts to provide essential supplies, the SANA added.
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EU rejects new Israeli West Bank land rules it says violate international law, destabilize region
EPHREM KOSSAIFY
February 11, 2026
NEW YORK CITY: The EU on Wednesday criticized newly approved Israeli legislation that tightens control over the occupied West Bank, warning that the move was incompatible with international law and risked undermining efforts to stabilize the region.
Israel’s Security Cabinet approved new rules on Sunday designed to strengthen its control over the territory, make it easier for Israeli settlers to buy land there, and give officials greater powers to enforce laws on Palestinians. Arab and Muslim nations condemned the measures as a step toward illegal annexation.
In a joint statement, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, and European Commissioners Dubravka Suica and Hadja Lahbib warned that the measures breach international law and could damage prospects for peace.
“The new steps approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet for the West Bank are counterproductive and incompatible with international law,” they said, and “risk undermining ongoing international efforts aimed at stabilization and the advancement of peaceful efforts in the region.”
The EU reiterated its long-standing position, in line with UN Security Council resolutions, that it does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over territories occupied since June 1967.
The bloc also voiced concern that any decisions that affect implementation of the Hebron Protocol, a 1997 agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority governing security and administrative arrangements in the West Bank, could endanger the status quo at sensitive religious sites.
The EU reaffirmed its support for a negotiated two-state solution as the only viable path to lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
It said it remains committed to efforts to achieve a “lasting and sustainable peace in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, on the basis of the two-state solution,” which envisions Israel and “an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign and viable State of Palestine living side-by-side in peace, security, and mutual recognition.”
The EU said it would continue to work with international partners, including through the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, and called on all involved to avoid any inflammatory action.
“We urge all parties to refrain from unilateral measures which increase tensions and further erode the chances of a negotiated solution,” the officials said.
Restraint was particularly important “at a time when coordinated international efforts are underway to advance peace and stability in the region,” they added.
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Palestinian leader Abbas urges ‘firm’ US response to Israel’s West Bank plan
February 11, 2026
OSLO: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called Wednesday for a “firm response” from the United States and the international community to Israel’s plan to tighten its control of the occupied West Bank.
During a visit to Oslo, Abbas said he had discussed the issue with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, as well as those of Israeli settler violence and Israel’s freezing of “$4 billion” intended for the Palestinian people.
“These serious violations require a firm response from the US administration and the international community because they hinder (US) President (Donald) Trump’s efforts and constitute a violation of international law,” Abbas told reporters.
On Sunday, Israel’s security cabinet approved a series of measures that would allow Israel to expand its control in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo accords in place since the 1990s.
The plans, which have sparked international outrage, would also allow Jewish Israelis to buy West Bank land directly and allow Israeli authorities to administer certain religious sites even when they are located in areas under Palestinian Authority control.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts across the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.
Around three million Palestinians live in the territory.
Source: arabnews.com
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Arab World
Saudi Arabia champions AI and sustainable growth at UN tourism meeting in Kuwait
February 12, 2026
KUWAIT CITY: Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb has called for stronger international cooperation to build a tourism ecosystem that is integrated, resilient, and future-ready, the Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday.
In a opening address at the 52nd UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East in Kuwait City, he noted that tourism is “no longer a peripheral activity but a massive engine of economic development.”
“With an estimated contribution exceeding $10 trillion to global GDP, tourism today accounts for approximately 10 percent of the world economy,” said Al-Khateeb, speaking as president of the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly. The three-day conference opened on Feb. 10.
He pointed to the Middle East’s exceptional recovery, which recorded a 39 percent increase in international arrivals in 2025 compared to 2019, welcoming nearly 100 million visitors last year.
The minister highlighted Saudi Arabia’s driving force behind these regional statistics, noting that the Kingdom now represents approximately 30% of the Middle East tourism market in both visitor numbers and spending.
“We are proud that Saudi tourism’s uninterrupted growth has become a driving force for regional tourism, and we look forward to continuing our close cooperation with UN Tourism to share our expertise with the world,” he said.
Focus on AI
Addressing the meeting’s central theme of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Al-Khateeb emphasized the need for responsible innovation. He described AI as a key enabler for growth but stressed that the “human touch” defining the hospitality sector must be maintained and the workforce protected.
On the sidelines of the regional commission, the minister met with counterparts from across the region to explore ways to promote regional cooperation and alignment to enhance resilience and build tourism industries that can drive inclusive economic and social development.
Al-Khateeb also met with leading investors from Kuwait to discuss investments in the Kingdom’s tourism sector and explore new opportunities to leverage Saudi Arabia’s integrated investment ecosystem, designed to enable regional and international investors to achieve sustainable, long-term value.
The 52nd UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East is the first held in the region since the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly, hosted in Riyadh last November.
That assembly resulted in the historic “Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism,” which established a global consensus on sustainability, inclusive growth, and the responsible adoption of human-centric AI for the next fifty years.
Source: arabnews.com
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Japan’s embassy marks emperor’s birthday in Riyadh
DIANA FARAH
February 11, 2026
RIYADH: The Embassy of Japan in Saudi Arabia held a reception in Riyadh on Feb. 10 to mark the 66th birthday of Japan’s emperor, with senior Saudi officials and members of the diplomatic corps in attendance.
The event, hosted by Japanese Ambassador Yasunari Morino at his residence, was attended by Dr. Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudairy, deputy governor of the Riyadh region, who represented the Saudi government. Diplomats and other dignitaries were also present.
During the reception, Morino extended greetings ahead of Ramadan and congratulated Saudi Arabia on the occasion of Founding Day.
The ambassador referred to bilateral relations between Japan and Saudi Arabia, highlighting 2025 as marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties. He also noted Japan’s hosting of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, describing the event as a platform for cultural and economic exchange.
Morino emphasized the participation of Saudi officials and the Saudi Pavilion at the Expo, and said Japan was prepared to share its experience in the lead-up to Expo 2030 Riyadh.
Morino also pointed to cultural exchanges between the two countries, including a Japan Festival organized by the embassy last year. Looking ahead, he mentioned the upcoming Asian Games and Asian Para Games scheduled to take place in Nagoya, Aichi, later this year, expressing hope that the events would contribute to regional engagement.
The ambassador further addressed economic cooperation, citing the growing presence of Japanese companies in the Kingdom and the expansion of collaboration beyond the energy sector. He said the embassy would continue to support business and investment links between the two countries.
The reception featured cultural and sports elements, including a judo demonstration by Saudi youths trained by Japanese coaches. Japanese companies also displayed products and technologies related to sports, health and food.
Source: arabnews.com
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International brands turn to Riyadh to expand cooperation
RAHAF JAMBI
February 11, 2026
RIYADH: Riyadh is cementing its role as a rising hub in the global defense industry, and the World Defense Show has attracted international brands eager to showcase advanced technologies and expand partnerships in the Kingdom and beyond.
Held under the patronage of the Saudi leadership, the show — which runs until Feb. 12 — has brought together defense manufacturers, technology innovators and government representatives from around the world.
Arab News spoke to several international exhibitors who underscored the show’s growing importance as a gateway to pursue regional and global cooperation.
Among the returning participants is Passtech Machine Tools, represented by Syed Zahid, its sales manager.
The company collaborates with various international brands, providing tools, machines and gauges, including advanced CNC (computer numerical control) machinery from South Korea.
For Zahid, WDS has proved to be a strategic platform, and he said: “This is our third time. We see it as very, very useful.”
From China, Jihua Group Co. Ltd. showcases advanced navigation devices and integrated systems. Peter Wang, its senior product manager, expressed optimism about expanding cooperation.
At the company’s booth, Arab News was introduced to several technologies, including what Wang described as a “true-color navigation device.”
Highlighting a wearable system, Wang said it was designed to enhance mobility and operational efficiency.
He emphasized the diversity of visitors and the potential for cross-border cooperation, and added: “I meet different countries’ customers here. I’m very happy and I want to get some opportunities for cooperation.”
Turkiye is also represented at the event. Masttech, which is attending WDS for the first time, is showcasing its products for visitors.
Deputy General Manager Sitki Tuzun said: “We are here to show all our products. We are producing electromechanical, mechanical and pneumatic mast systems here.”
While the company does not yet have Saudi clients, Tuzun made it clear that the show was a strategic leap toward entering the market.
“We are here for connection and new business cooperation,” he said.
The World Defense Show has demonstrated its increasing influence as a platform from which global brands meet regional opportunity.
Beyond static displays, the show serves as a dynamic networking arena, connecting manufacturers, suppliers, and defense stakeholders under one roof.
As Saudi Arabia accelerates efforts to localize its defense industry and invest in advanced technologies, WDS continues to facilitate partnerships, technology transfer and international collaboration — reinforcing Riyadh’s emergence as a central node in the global defense ecosystem.
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Saudi foreign minister receives written message from Russian counterpart
February 11, 2026
LONDON: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a written message from his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, regarding relations between the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The message was received on behalf of Prince Faisal by Waleed Al-Khuraiji, the Saudi deputy minister of foreign affairs, during a meeting with Sergey Kozlov, the Russian ambassador to the Kingdom, in Riyadh on Wednesday.
During the meeting, officials discussed Saudi-Russian relations and ways to enhance ties in various fields, the SPA added.
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Saudi Arabia and Britain declare 2029 as cultural year
February 11, 2026
LONDON: The Saudi Ministry of Culture announced that 2029 will be designated as the “Saudi-British Cultural Year,” in partnership with the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The announcement on Wednesday coincides with Prince William’s visit to the Kingdom this week. The declaration highlights the strong bond between the two kingdoms, which is rooted in over a century of diplomatic relations, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The Saudi-British partnership in 2029 will emphasize culture, education, and innovation, as well as collaborative efforts in heritage conservation, visual and culinary arts, and architecture.
In 2029, the emphasis will be on celebrating creative dialogue and cultural heritage to strengthen ties between Saudi Arabia and the UK for future generations, the SPA added.
Separately, Saudi Arabia will also host the next session of the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT) in 2029. This global platform for cultural dialogue was first held in Mexico in 1982.
The initiatives are part of Vision 2030 and reflect Saudi Arabia’s latest efforts on national, regional, and international levels to reinforce the role of culture in sustainable development.
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Saudi Arabia’s minister of economy and planning meets German delegation, Ecuador minister
February 11, 2026
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim has met a high-level delegation from the German private sector at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh.
The parties focused on “strategic partnerships, investment opportunities in the Kingdom, human capital development, and other topics of mutual interest,” the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
Alibrahim recently met Sariha Belen Moya Angulo, Ecuador’s minister of economy and finance, to discuss enhancing economic collaboration, and other topics of mutual interest.
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Saudi minister highlights major healthcare gains
February 11, 2026
RIYADH: Minister of Health Fahad AlJalajel recently attended the third Saudi Model of Care Forum, aimed at improving the quality and accessibility of services.
AlJalajel highlighted the significant impact of the local healthcare model, noting a 40 percent reduction in mortality from chronic diseases and a 60 percent decrease in road traffic fatalities, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He also pointed out a 50 percent reduction in deaths from infectious diseases and 30 percent decrease in deaths from other injuries, emphasizing that life expectancy in Saudi Arabia has now risen to 79.7 years.
The two-day forum, which concluded in Riyadh on Wednesday, showcased advancements and innovations in the Saudi healthcare model while providing a platform to exchange expertise and strengthen collaboration among service providers.
These efforts enhance the efficiency and sustainability of the system and solidify the Kingdom’s role as a global leader in healthcare development, the SPA reported.
The forum featured scientific sessions that addressed innovation within the healthcare system and reviewed the latest studies and research aimed at enhancing disease prevention and improving public health.
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Europe
Police confirm Kingsbury school stabbing suspect 'former pupil' as mosque arrest 'coincidence'
Rafi Mauro-Benady
11 Feb 2026
A Counter Terror police chief has clarified it is purely a ‘coincidence’ that the suspect arrested over the Kingsbury High School double stabbing was found in a mosque. Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan from Counter-Terrorism Policing London said the 13-year-old had zero connection to the mosque, nor did he pose a threat to it.
Worshippers dialled 999 solely because the teenager looked distressed. He was arrested at about 4.50pm yesterday (Tuesday, February 10) after police confirmed a former Kingsbury High School pupil arrived on-site at about 12.30pm yesterday and went up to a first floor classroom.
The suspect then allegedly sprayed a liquid at a pupil. They weren’t hurt and the substance is not thought to have been noxious. A 13-year-old boy was stabbed in the classroom and a 12-year-old boy was stabbed on the ground floor of the school.
Police have searched three premises, two connected to the suspect and the mosque they were arrested at, reports PA. They’re also interviewing around 30 to 40 witnesses after the secondary school stabbing. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and is in custody.
‘An extremely delicate process’
DCS Flanagan said: “Police were called by a member of the public at approximately 4.50pm over concerns of a child that had seen at a mosque in north west London. Officers attended shortly after and arrested a 13-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted murder, and he remains in custody.
“At this point we do not believe the suspect to have any particular connection to that mosque, and at this stage, we think that it may have been coincidental that he ended up in that area, and all of those at the mosque have been incredibly supportive of this investigation.
“At this time, the incident has not been declared a terrorist incident.” She added: “This is an extremely delicate process given the young ages of many of the witnesses from the school and we are using highly trained and specialist officers to carry out these interviews.”
Source: mylondon.news
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https://www.mylondon.news/news/north-london-news/police-confirm-kingsbury-school-stabbing-33407739
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Road rage incident outside Mosque on Brearley Place, Batley
11TH FEBRUARY
A MAN was seriously injured after a 'road rage' incident outside a Mosque.
The incident took place just before 7pm on Friday, February 6 on Brearley Place in Batley.
Following a minor collision between two cars, both drivers got out of their vehicles to exchange details.
West Yorkshire Police then say one assaulted the other so badly that the victim had to be taken to hospital.
In the meantime, the suspect fled the scene, leaving the victim in a bad way.
The victim was treated for multiple leg fractures.
What the police said in their appeal
A spokesperson for the force said: "We are appealing for any witnesses or footage after a man was seriously assaulted in an apparent road rage incident in Batley.
"It happened shortly before 7pm on Friday, February 6 on Brearley Place when it was reported that two cars had been involved in a minor collision outside the mosque.
"When the victim got out of his car to exchange details, the driver of the other vehicle assaulted him.
"The suspect then drove away and the victim was taken to hospital where he was treated for multiple leg fractures.
"Officers are continuing to investigate and are appealing to anyone who was in the area of Brearley Place or Purlwell Lane between 6.30pm and 7pm who may have seen the assault or may have relevant dash cam footage.
"It is described as possibly being a black Kia."
Police are urging any witnesses to contact them online or by calling 101 quoting reference 13260074919.
Alternatively, readers can call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Source: thetelegraphandargus.co.uk
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https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/25847489.road-rage-incident-outside-mosque-brearley-place-batley/
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Preston mosque seeks approval for listed building changes to 'lower bills'
Paul Faulkner
11 Feb 2026
A mosque in Preston has asked planners to allow it to retain a suspended ceiling installed inside its Grade II-listed building.
City Mosque, on North Road, says the ceiling above the main prayer hall was fitted to “lower fuel bills by reducing the total volume of air that needs to be heated”.
In an application to Preston City Council seeking retrospective 'listed building consent', the mosque explained: “By creating a lower, secondary ceiling, the occupied space has become smaller, allowing room to warm up faster and more economically”.
The building has been used as a mosque since 2016.
Originally constructed in 1838 as a Wesleyan Methodist Church, it later became the North Road Pentecostal Church before its current use.
Alongside the ceiling, the mosque is also applying for permission for further renovation works, including upgrades to its washing (ablution) facilities.
The toilets were last refurbished in 2014, when the council’s conservation officer noted they contained “no historic fabric”.
The plan now is to replace the brick partitions between each of the cubicles with acrylic ones, along with the installation of new doors.
The changes would create an easier-to-clean, and more hygienic space, the application explains.
Work to repair two of the mosque’s pews and some damaged plaster on the first floor has also been applied for.
Source: lancs.live
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https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/preston-mosque-seeks-approval-listed-33405610
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Russian strike kills 3 Ukrainian toddlers and father, with pregnant mother injured
12 Feb 2026
Claire Keenan
An overnight Russian drone strike has killed three toddlers and their father and also injured their pregnant mother in Ukraine's north-eastern Kharkiv region, local officials say.
Regional head Oleh Synegubov said Ivan and Vladyslav, two-year-old twin boys, and their one-year-old sister Myroslava died when their house was hit in the town of Bohodukhiv. Their father was named as Hryhoriy, aged 34.
The toddlers' mother Olha, 35, had minor burns - but survived.
Russia has renewed its almost daily drone and missile strikes after a week-long pause earlier this month that Donald Trump had asked Vladimir Putin to observe as a fierce cold swept Ukraine.
In a statement on social media, Synegubov described the Russian attack on Bohodukhiv as "brutal".
He said that the family that was in the hit house had recently evacuated from a town near the Russian border, trying to escape constant shelling.
"It was their first night in the new place," the regional head added.
Bohodukhiv, north-west of Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv, has been under almost daily Russian attack in recent days.
On Monday, a 41-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy were killed in the town, local officials said.
Russian forces also dropped seven bombs on the city of Slovyansk on Tuesday, Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram. Three people, including an 11-year-old girl, were killed.
Moscow has increased pressure on the area by targeting transport and energy infrastructure with a record number of ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
A state of emergency has been declared over the energy situation in the Kharkiv region by local authorities.
It comes after a so-called "energy truce", which was meant to allow Ukraine's energy sector a reprieve during -20C (-4F) temperatures, expired last week.
Tens of thousands of people across Ukraine are experiencing severe power cuts, and many households have no running water or heating.
Zelensky has said the US wants the war with Russia to end by June, and that both sides had been invited to the US for talks next week.
Meanwhile, a massive attack by Ukrainian drones on Volzhsky, in the Volgograd region in Russia, was reported on Wednesday night.
Regional Governor Andrei Bocharov said an apartment was damaged in the strike and a fire broke out at a factory.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crm820dp0yro
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What’s behind von der Leyen’s two-tier EU plan?
11 Feb, 2026
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants groups of EU countries to pass ambitious economic reforms without the consent of the entire bloc. The move is about trade, regulations, and – of course – Ukraine.
EU leaders will meet in Belgium’s Alden Biesen castle on Thursday to discuss the bloc’s moribund economy. The meeting comes two years after former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi released a report calling on Brussels to slash regulations and invest up to €800 billion annually, or face “slow agony” as the economies of China and the US pull ahead.
Von der Leyen immediately opposed borrowing Draghi’s recommended €800 billion, given that her EU member underlings have yet to come up with the €90 billion to be borrowed for Ukraine that was announced last December. However, in a letter to the bloc’s leaders on Monday, she proposed a “deep house cleaning” of red tape and regulations, new trade deals along the lines of the one signed with India this month, and the elimination of remaining trade barriers between member states.
One paragraph in the letter stands out: “Our ambition should always be to reach agreement among all 27 Member States. However, where a lack of progress or ambition risks undermining Europe's competitiveness or capacity to act, we should not shy away from using the possibilities foreseen in the treaties on enhanced cooperation.”
In a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, von der Leyen made her position even more clear. The commission, she said, will "crack down" on "unnecessary" national laws standing in the way of her reforms.
What is enhanced cooperation?
The EU’s Amsterdam and Nice treaties allow a minimum of nine member states to cooperate on certain policy initiatives without the consent of the rest of the bloc. According to the EU’s legal database, “the procedure is designed to overcome stalemate where a particular proposal is blocked by one or more Member States who do not want to take part. It does not, however, allow for an extension of powers outside those permitted by the EU Treaties.”
Member states cannot veto the establishment of enhanced cooperation groups, except on matters of defense and the bloc’s common foreign policy.
What is the letter really about?
According to von der Leyen, her proposed reforms are so important that they risk delay or dilution if subjected to the bloc’s normal unanimity requirement. However, her letter neglects to mention a key European industry that would benefit from “enhanced cooperation”: the weapons industry.
Last month, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil proposed creating “a Europe of two speeds,” in which Germany, France, Poland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands – the so-called ‘E6’ – would collaborate on defense spending, lobby for increased military expenditure in the EU’s next multiannual budget, and raise money to turn “defense into an engine for growth.”
“Europe has to become stronger and more resilient,” Klingbeil said in a letter to his French counterpart, Roland Lescure. “Work towards this goal needs to be sped up in all dimensions. Continuing as before is not an option.”
Klingbeil’s proposal would likely face staunch opposition from Europe’s dissident center. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis have all spoken out against the EU’s increased militarization. By recruiting three more countries and using the mechanisms of enhanced cooperation, the E6 could bypass this opposition and form an ideologically-aligned bloc within the bloc.
Why is this important for Germany?
Strengthening the European arms industry is an existential matter for Germany. Berlin’s decision to abandon Russian gas imports has left the country reeling, with its economy contracting in 2023 and 2024, and flatlining last year. Industrial giants such as BASF, Bosch, and Volkswagen have closed factories in Germany, but the weapons sector is booming.
Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest defense contractor, has seen its stock rise more than 1,750% since January 2022, largely on the back of massive orders of 155mm ammunition and Leopard tank components for Ukraine. Airbus and Thyssenkrupp, both of which have substantial defense divisions, are up around 200%. Rheinmetall is now Germany’s sixth-largest company by market capitalization, outranking Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW.
According to some estimates, defense spending has accounted for as much as 20% of total EU economic growth since 2022.
Where does Ukraine come into the picture?
Ukraine benefits in material terms from every Rheinmetall shell it fires and tank it repairs at the company’s facility near Lviv. Kiev also benefits from any political decision that lets its most fervent supporters in Europe – namely the European Commission, France, Germany, and Poland – act without interference from the rest of the bloc.
For example, when the European Commission proposed a €90 billion debt-funded loan to Ukraine last year, it was opposed by Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. The EU Council used enhanced cooperation to issue the loan last month, with the first payment to Kiev expected in April.
The bottom line
Von der Leyen has used the Ukraine conflict to dramatically centralize power in the EU. Aside from using enhanced cooperation to issue a loan that Kiev will never be able to repay, the EC president has proposed an end to the unanimity requirement for foreign policy and defense decisions, and until this week planned to create a dedicated intelligence unit under her control, citing the supposed threat of Russian “hybrid warfare.”
Now that the EU economy is buckling under the weight of the commission’s decisions, namely its abandonment of cheap Russian oil and gas, von der Leyen is yet again tearing up the rulebook to achieve her goals. Ahead of Thursday’s meeting in Belgium, it seems that the much-vaunted unity of the bloc is of little concern to her if it stands in the way of her ambitions.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/632275-von-der-leyen-two-speed-eu/
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Russian military adapting faster than NATO – admiral
11 Feb, 2026
The Russian military is probably faster at adapting to rapidly evolving battlefield technologies than NATO, Admiral Pierre Vandier, the US-led military bloc’s top commander for technical transformation, has said.
European NATO countries have increasingly justified massive military spending packages using a perceived threat from Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained that the claims are a pretext being used to “indoctrinate” European taxpayers with “fears of an inevitable confrontation with Russia” to justify a military buildup.
Speaking at the National Press Club Live on Tuesday, Vandier said that NATO lags behind the pace of technological adaptation that the Russian military has shown in the Ukraine conflict.
“Russia is very good at adapting and probably better than we are today,” the French admiral said, calling on bloc members to invest more in military technologies. “We have been very static, very predictable.”
Western European nations have increasingly pumped money into the EU military-industrial complex in order to send arms to Kiev, in what Moscow has long described as a NATO proxy war.
However, the cash-strapped EU nations’ latest hundred-billion-euro cash commitments came mostly in the form of borrowing. Last month, European Stability Mechanism Director Pierre Gramegna suggested that bloc members could reach into their economic bailout reserves to mobilize €500 billion ($594 billion) more for arms expenditures.
Despite massive financial injections, the EU arms manufacturing industry has seen repeated shortfalls in plans to provide Ukraine with artillery ammunition. As of October, the commitment was around 300,000 shells short, according to the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas.
Russia sees the EU as one of the main obstacles to a diplomatic settlement in the Ukraine conflict, arguing that continued arms supplies encourage Kiev to make unacceptable demands.
A peace deal was feasible after the summit between Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska last August but was effectively “undermined” by Kiev’s European NATO backers, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.
Russia has argued that the bloc’s eastward expansion is one of the underlying causes of the Ukraine conflict, and has pushed for Kiev renounce NATO membership ambitions as one of its key peace demands.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/632327-russia-adapting-faster-nato/
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Russian energy cut key to EU economic woes – Macron
11 Feb, 2026
The EU has entered “emergency mode” over soaring energy costs after cutting back on Russian pipeline gas supplies and becoming increasingly dependent on the US, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned.
The bloc has seen a surge in energy prices since scaling back Russian oil and gas imports after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Moving away from relatively cheap Russian pipeline gas has forced it to rely more heavily on energy supplies from the US.
Speaking at the European Industry Summit in Belgium on Wednesday, Macron said that the EU remains dangerously exposed to energy shortages and market volatility. He explained that a combination of high costs, disrupted supply chains, and growing dependence on external partners signals that economic challenges are likely to persist.
“In fact, cheap Russian energy came to an end in 2022. And there’s no going back,” Macron stated, adding, “We haven’t really sorted out this issue up to now.”
Before the Ukraine conflict, the EU imported 45% of its gas from Russia – its largest foreign supplier since the end of the Cold War. Western sanctions and sabotage of key infrastructure have slashed Russian gas deliveries, although purchases of Russian LNG by EU countries remain significant. New legislation passed last month requires member states to stop all Russian energy imports by the end of 2027, further increasing what Macron described as the bloc’s “dangerous” exposure to supply risks.
The French president also warned that pressure from Washington is compounding the EU’s economic strain, saying the bloc is “clearly in emergency mode” as the US approach becomes “more and more confrontational.”
US President Donald Trump has used energy as leverage in trade talks, with the EU agreeing last July to buy $750 billion of American energy by 2028 to avoid higher tariffs.
”The fact that the United States is slapping tariffs and cohesion mechanisms on our economy is a game changer,” Macron said. “It’s not a temporary shock, it’s clearly a structural turning point.”
Macron added that the EU can no longer rely on China as a key export market, warning that surging Chinese shipments to the bloc have reversed long-standing trade balances.
Industry leaders have urged Brussels to “take urgent measures,” warning that the EU “is losing industrial capacity at a speed we have never seen before.”
Moscow has said Western nations are hurting their own economies by choosing costlier and less reliable alternatives.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/business/632329-macron-eu-russian-energy/
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Africa
External religious influence on Nigerian culture
12 Feb 2026
There is no doubt that religion and language are great manifestations of a people’s culture. In the case of Nigeria this is much so. Adherents of the two monotheistic religions of Islam and Christianity dominate the world affecting global culture particularly its literature, way of marriage, birth ceremonies and funeral ceremonies thereby covering man’s life experiences, material culture particularly architecture, social and spiritual content of man’s culture. In other words it is difficult to discuss a man’s culture outside his religion.
In the case of Nigeria, one can identify external influences of Islam and Christianity on the culture of the people in their different ethnic beliefs of God and lesser gods and the hereafter but the impacts of both Islam and Christianity on the cultures of the people has become so dominant and dramatic that the imposition of the external on the primordial is clear. Both Christianity and Islam are so globally important that even in Asia where the native religions of Hinduism and its variants have not gone unchallenged by Islam and Christianity, places like China, India and Japan have hundreds of Muslim and Christian populations. It is therefore possible for one to write about Islam and Christianity in South East Asia and Mainland China, Korea and Japan of course with their essential differences from these two religions in other places in the world. In this same manner we can discuss the two religions of Islam and Christianity and their peculiar African characteristics and differences while retaining the universality of the two universal religions.
Nigerian Muslims must at least be close to 70 or 80 million out of a total Nigerian population of about 150 million. This is to say they constitute 50 per cent or more of Nigeria’s population. This has implication on Nigerian culture. Islamic culture of dressing, greeting, worship, marriage, burials and Koranic schools can be found all over Nigeria particularly in the north and in the southwest of the country. Nigerian Islam is largely Sunni but with a few adherents of the Shia tradition. Nigeria shares in its religious tolerance with Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world.
Apart from the Satiru revolt of 1906 in Sokoto, no anti-west tradition exists in the Islamic part of Nigeria. When during the First World War, the Islamic caliphate of the Ottoman Empire tried to raise the flag of jihad in Northern Nigeria, it failed miserably. In fact, the British colonial authorities had done everything to harmonise their interests with those of the emirs who were the political and religious leaders in the Islamic emirates of Northern Nigeria. With the exception of Hugh Clifford and Donald Cameron, almost every governor-general of Nigeria saw it as his duty to protect Northern interest in the emerging state of colonial Nigeria. In almost racist terms, they saw it as a duty to preserve the North as they met it without allowing in the material development which they, willy-nilly, encouraged in the South to become a directive policy of theirs in the North.
They forbade Christian proselytization in the North including even in the non-Muslim North and they prevented southerners settling in any Birnin (Walled City) in the North. Rather, southerners were consigned and confined to the Sabon gari (new town) so that they would not contaminate the northerners with their ideas of equality of all races since northerners somehow deferred unquestionably to the bature (white man).
Even when northerners settled in the south, they were set apart in Sabon garis. This led to physical separation of northerners and southerners thus creating a feeling of two nations, a feeling which still exists even up till today. The Sabon garis however were not totally separated from the Birane (walled cities) and in fact northerners and southerners invariably intermingled in them thus defeating the purpose of creating two cultures in one country.
The point however needs to be made that Islamic culture in Nigeria is reasonably tolerant of western culture. The Southwest of the Yoruba presents an interesting example of co-habitation between Christians and Muslims because sometimes within the same extended family, one finds adherents of the two religions. This is not so in the North and there, Muslims and Christians are sometimes at daggers drawn ready to pounce on each other at the slightest provocation.
The Islamic militancy in several parts of the North occasioned by poverty sometimes erupts in millenarian or “Mahdist” movement with an “Imam of the age” appearing and leading his followers to challenge constituted authority and sometimes fellow Muslims usually with dire consequences. However, there was little support for foreign-based militant Jihadist organizations such as Bin Laden’s al Qaeda in spite of the recent arrest of a young Nigerian, Abdul Muttalab who wanted to bomb an American plane over Detroit in December, 2009.
However, the recent militant appearance of Boko Haram which is a rejection of western education and ISWAP and other variants of jihadist groups linked to external sources is presenting concerns not only for local authorities but for foreign governments. The recent eruption of jihadist militancy is not new because in the 1980s, the Maitasine and Bulunkutu rebellions were a precursor of what we are now witnessing.
Islam did not penetrate the forests of Benin and the Southeast generally. But contact with European slave traders radically transformed the south too. Participation in the odious trade destabilized the polities and brought insecurity to the lives of the people thus retarding the physical progress of the area affected by it. The importation of guns through the coast particularly the Niger-Delta area brought lethal efficacy to military campaigns unseen before. Contact with Europeans also brought new taste in ‘trade gin’ and western ways of dressing and naming of individuals. This was most noticeable among the Ijo (Izon) and the Itshekiri who adopted western names in preference to their African names.
Even the much larger Benin Empire adopted Christian symbols of the cross in the accoutrement of their Oba. The coming of Christian missionaries in the 19th century led to a radical revival of Christian influence on Nigerian culture. Just like Islam, Christianity came with a cultural baggage of monogamy unlike the African religions which allowed men to marry many wives. Naming ceremonies was invariably affected by the Bible. Burials also became increasingly influenced by Christian mode of burials. Marriage, childbirth and burial are the most important landmarks in any person’s life and were also one of the social manifestations of one’s culture. These were radically transformed at least among the elite class. Since the elite were copied by the unlettered classes of people, our culture in this regard became diluted.
Christianity also led to a different worldview from the then existing one. It promotes individuality and self-help and enterprise unlike the previous emphasis on predestination common among our people. Just like Islam, Christianity led to covering of the nakedness of some of our people and the development of new forms of trades and expansion of previous ones such as weaving and dyeing.
Western education and the use of English spread first along the coast and gradually to the interior parts of the country especially along the towns on the railway lines. The development of a new language of Pidgin English began in the same way to the extent that by the beginning of the 20th century, Pidgin English had become some kind of lingua franca in the Niger-Delta and among small ethnic groups in the south. Language of course is a very important aspect of culture and this new medium of expression was later to spread to many parts of the country especially to the Igbo-speaking areas.
The ramifying influence of American especially black American music, religious worship and the Pentecostal mode of worship have swept through the southern and the Middle belt of Nigeria challenging in the process the orthodox mode of worship.
Source: thenationonlineng.net
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https://thenationonlineng.net/external-religious-influence-on-nigerian-culture/
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Kwankwaso, others may face US visa ban over religious freedom violations
February 11, 2026
The United States has proposed targeted measures, including visa bans and asset freezes, against individuals and groups accused of involvement in religious freedom violations in Nigeria, according to the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026.
On Tuesday, US Congressman, Rep. Riley Moore (R‑West Virginia) announced via X the introduction of the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, co-sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R‑New Jersey).
The bill specifically names the former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as well as Fulani-ethnic nomad militias and associations such as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
The bill partly read, “The United States should deliver humanitarian assistance, co-funded by the Government of Nigeria, through trusted faith-based and nongovernmental organisations in Nigeria’s middle belt states; the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury should impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, on individuals or entities responsible for religious freedom violations, including (A) Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria, (B) Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor (C) Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and (D) Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.”
The legislation directs the US Secretary of State to determine whether certain Fulani militias qualify as foreign terrorist organisations under US law, while also calling for humanitarian aid delivery in Nigeria’s Middle Belt through trusted faith-based and non-governmental organisations.
Moore wrote on X, “Today, I am proud to introduce the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 with Rep. Chris Smith.
“The US is a Christian nation. As such, we must stand with persecuted Christians around the world.
“Our legislation will build upon the momentum of President Trump designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and the recent US-Nigeria security framework agreement.”
According to Moore, the legislation builds on previous US measures, including Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” and the recent US–Nigeria security framework agreement, reinforcing America’s stance on protecting persecuted Christians and other vulnerable communities in the country.
Tensions over religious freedom in Nigeria have escalated amid persistent violence by armed groups in the country’s Middle Belt and northern regions.
In late 2025, US President Donald Trump re‑designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for severe violations of religious freedom, a status reflecting allegations of systematic attacks on communities, particularly Christians.
The characterisation rejected by the Nigerian government, which says the security crisis is multifaceted and not a religious war.
The security situation has also drawn direct US military involvement.
In December 2025, the United States carried out airstrikes against Islamic State‑linked militants in northwest Nigeria in coordination with Abuja, part of broader counter‑terrorism cooperation and intelligence sharing.
Meanwhile, the US has expanded training support and military supplies for Nigerian forces.
Source: punchng.com
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https://punchng.com/kwankwaso-others-may-face-us-visa-ban-over-religious-freedom-violations/
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Muslim Congress decries Kwara, Katsina killings, rejects ‘jihadist’ narrative
by Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan
February 11, 2026
The national headquarters of The Muslim Congress (TMC) has condemned the recent coordinated attacks in Kwara and Katsina states that claimed more than 200 lives, describing the incidents as a disturbing sign of the growing normalisation of mass killings in Nigeria.
The Nation reports that in Woro community, Kwara state, at least 170 people were reportedly killed in what TMC described as a methodical assault that virtually wiped out the community.
In a related attack in Katsina State, no fewer than 21 residents were killed in their homes.
TMC said the victims were not mere statistics but families, communities and futures violently cut short.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its Amir, AbdulWasi’i Bangbala, the organization acknowledged and commended President Bola Tinubu for his swift condemnation of the attacks and the immediate deployment of an army battalion to the affected area.
Bangbala noted that the response aligns with the administration’s broader security measures, including the declaration of a nationwide security emergency, increased police recruitment and intensified operations that have helped stabilise some regions.
He however stressed that the scale of the killings demands more than reactive measures.
The group called for a strengthened national security architecture, including improved intelligence gathering, faster response mechanisms and clear performance benchmarks for security agencies, particularly in vulnerable communities.
The organisation also rejected claims portraying the attackers as jihadist preachers, describing the Kwara incident as a calculated act of terrorism rather than a religious mission.
According to Bangbala, the attackers’ military-style operation, the siege of the village and prior alerts to security agencies indicate a premeditated massacre, with the narrative of “preaching” used as a cover for violence against civilians.
He further expressed concern over what it described as a muted response to the killings, especially from sections of the international community, parts of the mainstream media and some religious bodies.
The group said the limited global attention contrasts sharply with reactions to similar tragedies elsewhere, raising questions about selective outrage and the unequal valuation of human lives.
Describing repeated calls for government action as “exhausting and heartbreaking,” TMC said Nigerians deserve sustained and effective protection rather than periodic condolences.
The group urged citizens to unite against insecurity, noting that violence threatens all Nigerians regardless of religion or background.
Bangbala urged the federal government to use the Kwara and Katsina tragedies as a decisive turning point by adopting a comprehensive security strategy that tackles not only violent extremism but also its underlying causes, such as poverty, poor access to education and systemic injustice.
He concluded that only such a holistic approach can guarantee lasting peace and prevent further loss of lives.
Source: thenationonlineng.net
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https://thenationonlineng.net/muslim-congress-decries-kwara-katsina-killings-rejects-jihadist-narrative/
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2027: ACF Knock Politicians As Terrorism, Banditry Worsen In The North
February 12, 2026
By Richard Ogunsile
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has raised fresh concerns over escalating insecurity across Northern Nigeria, warning that terrorism, banditry, insurgency and kidnapping are tightening their grip on communities and pushing the region toward a deeper humanitarian crisis.
The forum said the persistent violence has triggered mass displacement, forced school closures and crippled rural livelihoods, stressing that urgent action is needed to prevent the situation from worsening.
Speaking at the 79th National Executive Committee meeting of the forum in Kaduna on Wednesday, ACF Chairman, Mamman Mike Osuman, said the security situation had deteriorated sharply since the group’s last meeting in August 2025.
He noted that new attacks had been recorded in Kwara, Southern Kaduna, Katsina, Benue and other states, leaving a trail of destruction.
“The consequences have been devastating,” Osuman said. “Families and communities have been violently uprooted and displaced.”
He added that repeated attacks had forced residents into overcrowded camps and informal settlements with limited access to food, healthcare and other essential services, thereby increasing the risk of malnutrition and death.
The ACF chairman further lamented that schools had been shut in several affected communities, while farming, travel and access to healthcare had been severely disrupted by fear and insecurity.
According to him, rural economies are collapsing as residents abandon their homes and means of livelihood.
“Insecurity has deepened to such an extent that external military assistance has been required,” he said, describing the situation as a grave and expanding crisis.
Knock On Politicians Over 2027 Politics
Osuman criticised political actors whom he accused of prioritising strategies for the 2027 general elections over pressing issues such as hunger, poverty, out-of-school children and recurring attacks.
“This election season has produced convoluted groups whose focus is not on out-of-school children, hunger, poverty, frequent attacks by kidnappers, banditry or terrorism, but rather on repositioning ahead of 2027,” he said.
He urged elected and appointed officials to reconnect with realities on the ground and align more closely with efforts to restore peace, stability and rehabilitation in affected communities.
The forum also tasked its state chapters to move beyond rhetoric and adopt more proactive measures in engaging governments at all levels to push for urgent security reforms and civil rehabilitation programmes.
“Our existence must not be merely ceremonial or rhetorical,” Osuman said. “It must be principled, sincere, sacrificial and action-driven.”
Beyond security concerns, the forum proposed the establishment of a nine-member Code of Conduct and Ethics Committee, to be chaired by constitutional law expert and legal consultant to the National Assembly, Prof. Nuhu Jamo, as part of efforts to strengthen its internal governance.
As the country approaches another election cycle, Osuman stressed the importance of peaceful and credible elections, urging citizens to uphold civic responsibility while demanding accountability and practical solutions from leaders.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/02/12/2027-acf-knock-politicians-as-terrorism-banditry-worsen-in-the-north/
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We Are Not Terrorists – Miyetti Allah Fires Back At US Over Sanctions Threat
February 12, 2026
By Justina Otio
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders have rejected their inclusion in the United States list of religious freedom violators in Nigeria.
Naija News reports that US lawmakers proposed visa bans and asset freezes against ex-Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore over alleged violations of religious freedoms in Nigeria.
Reacting to the development during an interview with Punch, the National President of Miyetti Allah, Baba Ngelzarma, described the allegations as unfounded, insisting the association is not a terrorist organisation.
“In the past, when this report first came out, we had a series of engagements with the American embassy, with contingents of the Congress, and the rest. So, we have reacted verbally, and we have reacted with documentation and everything. We are not a terrorist group,” Ngelzarma said.
He maintained that the Nigerian government is fully aware of the association’s activities and its legal status.
“The Nigerian government knows much about the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association. We have never been involved in any form of terrorism. We have never taken responsibility for any form of terrorism,” he said.
Ngelzarma explained that the association, registered 42 years ago, represents cattle breeders across religious and ethnic lines and does not shield criminal elements.
He expressed surprise that the group was still being linked to terrorism despite previous engagements with international bodies.
“We represent the peaceful herders who are doing their peaceful and legitimate business. We don’t represent any criminal in the country. So, we are still surprised that this thing, despite all this thing, that this thing is still going on,’’ he added.
According to him, Miyetti Allah has held consultations with various international organisations, including humanitarian and interfaith groups, to clarify its position.
“We have had a series of engagements with international agencies such as the National Corps, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Interfaith Radiation Centre, and many other international agencies. We are never a terrorist group,” he added.
On the proposed visa bans and sanctions, Ngelzarma argued that the association does not deserve such punitive measures.
“Do we even deserve to be sanctioned? We don’t deserve to be sanctioned because we are not a criminal group. We don’t even deserve to be sanctioned. So, for what reason can you sanction us?” he queried.
He called on the Nigerian government to intervene diplomatically.
“We are citizens of Nigeria; we are under the Nigerian government. This association is under the Nigerian law, and this association has been issued a registration to operate legally. So, we deserve to be protected by our own government here at home. Whatever that should be with the Americans should be with the Nigerian government,” he said.
Ngelzarma urged the FG to engage the US government to address what he described as “misconceptions surrounding the security crisis in Nigeria.”
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/02/12/we-are-not-terrorists-miyetti-allah-fires-back-at-us-over-sanctions-threat/
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‘Commander-in-Chief’ – Sowore Vows To ‘Lead’ War Front If He Becomes President
February 11, 2026
By Richard Ogunsile
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, on Wednesday said he would personally take charge of Nigeria’s security operations and overhaul the country’s security architecture if elected president.
Naija News reports that Sowore made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television while speaking on the worsening security situation and what he would do differently from the current administration led by President Bola Tinubu.
The activist said he would fully embrace the constitutional responsibilities of the office, particularly as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“If I’m the president today, as I’ve always said, the part of the presidency that says you are the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces is something that I’d take very seriously, and that will push me to the war front,” he said.
He clarified that his involvement would not mean carrying weapons but taking direct leadership of security operations.
“There will be front and back of every operation in the country. I’m not saying I’m going to carry a gun, but I want to see my National Security Adviser every morning. I want to see all the army generals. I want to talk to them and motivate them,” Sowore added.
Sowore stressed that transparency and accountability would guide defence procurement under his leadership, noting that he would personally verify military equipment purchases.
“I want to ensure that the equipment that we say we have purchased, I want to see them physically. If I can’t see them physically, I want to see them virtually. I want to see that they are being put to use,” he said.
The AAC flagbearer in the previous elections also said competence and energy would be key criteria in appointing security chiefs, promising to avoid recycling retired officers.
“I want to make sure that all the security chiefs are competent. I would never use an IG of police that’s retired and tired who has nothing else to do. I look for younger, highly motivated, well trained people to start the process of taking the security of the country seriously,” he stated.
According to Sowore, a shift in leadership style and security philosophy would immediately influence criminal activities across the country.
“Even when criminals know that you have changed your security architecture, you have changed the mentality and the philosophy, and they are hearing from the Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces in charge, because we don’t have anybody in charge of the Armed Forces as a Commander-In-Chief right now, you will see that things will start changing,” he said.
Insecurity Tied To Economy, Social Welfare
The activist emphasised that security challenges cannot be separated from Nigeria’s economic and social realities, calling for a comprehensive approach.
“In addition to that, and I must say this, is that this cannot be divorced from other insecurities. So, there has to be social security. You have to provide employment for young people. You have to make sure that our education system are active and absorbing young people,” he said.
Sowore also advocated increased investment in critical social sectors.
“You have to invest in sports, in health. You have to invest across board, in processes that can engage people, that can bring about life that is suitable for people, so that they can value even life in general,” he added.
Sowore further linked rising crime to poor living conditions and lack of opportunities.
“You cannot have a police, for instance, where every time we are just shooting ourselves, you don’t have employment and you expect this will end,” he said.
He listed the absence of functional factories, quality schools, accessible healthcare and safe roads as factors contributing to insecurity, stressing that “all of these cannot be divorced from the general insecurity in the country.”
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/02/11/commander-in-chief-sowore-vows-to-lead-war-front-if-he-becomes-president/
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Nigerian Army Repels Midnight ISWAP Attack In Borno, Kills 16 In Counter-Strike
February 11, 2026
The Nigerian Army have neutralised 16 insurgents, rescued 11 hostages and arrested suspected terrorists and drug suppliers in Borno State.
The Media Information Officer, Joint Task Force, Northeast Operation Hadin Kai, Lt Col Sanni Uba, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, February 11.
According to him, the 16 terrorists were neutralised on February 9, when troops, in synergy with the Civilian Joint Task Force, launched a counter-offensive along the Komala axis in Konduga Local Government following an earlier attack on a military base on February 5.
The statement reads “Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI have once again demonstrated exceptional resolve and operational superiority by swiftly repelling an ISWAP attack, and launching a devastating follow-on counter-offensive.
“This decisive action has significantly degraded terrorist capabilities, disrupted their logistics, and reaffirmed OPHK’s unwavering commitment to dismantling terrorist networks across the North East region.”
Sanni explained that “On 5 February 2026, at approximately some minutes to midnight, ISWAP terrorists conducted a failed attack on Forward Operating Base Auno. Troops of Sector 1 thwarted the assault with disciplined firepower and tactical precision.
“Capitalising on this success, on 9 February 2026, troops, in synergy with the Civilian Joint Task Force, launched a bold counter-offensive along the Komala axis in Konduga LGA. The troops engaged the retreating terrorists up to the Gidan Kaji axis, neutralising sixteen (16) terrorists, forcing scores to flee in disarray with severe injury.”
According to him, the troops recovered over twenty bicycles, a large cache of logistic items, weapons, and other supplies critical to terrorist operations.
In a separate operation, he said troops arrested suspected ISWAP logistics suppliers conveying a large quantity of drugs meant for terrorists around the Bukarti axis on the same day.
“Relatedly, on the same day, troops foiled a terrorist kidnap attempt along the Buratai-Kamuya road. After the detection of terrorist activities, troops swiftly pursued, compelling the terrorists to abandon their victims and withdraw into the bushes. Two (2) victims, Mallam Idris Adamu and Mallam Muhammadu Safiyanu, were rescued and safely reunited with their families in Buratai.
“Furthermore, in response to a distress call along the Chibok-Damboa axis on 9 February 2026, troops rescued 9 kidnapped victims successfully,” he said.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/02/11/nigerian-army-repels-midnight-iswap-attack-in-borno-kills-16-in-counter-strike/
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US deploys 200 troops to Nigeria to combat Islamist militants
February 11, 2026
The United States is set to deploy around 200 troops to Nigeria to assist in training the country’s military to combat Islamist militant groups, according to a U.S. official on Tuesday.
This move comes weeks after President Donald Trump authorized airstrikes targeting what he described as Islamic State positions in the region.
Last week, the U.S. military confirmed the presence of a small team in Nigeria, though it did not disclose the size of the deployment. The announcement represents the first official acknowledgment of American forces on the ground following Washington’s Christmas Day air raids.
The additional troops are intended to support a limited number of U.S. personnel already in the country, who have been working with Nigerian forces to strengthen counterterrorism operations. U.S. Africa Command has yet to comment on the latest troop movement.
The U.S. has reportedly applied pressure on Nigeria, alleging that authorities have failed to protect Christian communities from Islamist militants in the northwest. Nigerian officials reject claims of targeting specific religious groups, emphasizing that military operations are aimed at armed factions threatening both Christians and Muslims.
The country has faced a persistent threat from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), whose attacks on military convoys and civilians have escalated in recent months. The northwest continues to be a hotspot in Nigeria’s 17-year struggle against Islamist insurgency.
Nigeria’s population exceeds 230 million, with Christians concentrated mainly in the south and Muslims predominantly in the north, reflecting the nation’s diverse religious landscape.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2026/02/11/us-deploys-200-troops-to-nigeria-to-combat-islamist-militants/
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Southeast Asia
Over 377,000 asnaf eligible for RM36m Ramadan aid, says Zakat Selangor
11 Feb 2026
KUALA LANGAT, Feb 11 — The Lembaga Zakat Selangor (Zakat Selangor) will distribute RM35,983,800 in aid to 78,656 heads of households across the state beginning on the first day of Ramadan, which falls on Feb 19.
Zakat Selangor chief executive officer Mohd Khaizir Shahari said RM13.18 million would go to 27,815 asnaf fakir (hardcore poor) households, RM21.36 million to 44,943 asnaf miskin (poor) families, and RM1.56 million to 4,898 mualaf (converts to Islam).
He said recipients in the hardcore poor category would receive at least RM350, while those in the poor category would get a minimum of RM300, with assistance capped at RM1,000 depending on the number of dependants.
“Recipients comprise 8,414 in Gombak (RM3.84 million), 12,217 in Hulu Langat (RM5.65 million), 6,717 in Hulu Selangor (RM3.08 million), 13,167 in Klang (RM6.03 million), 6,296 in Kuala Langat (RM2.92 million), 7,329 in Kuala Selangor (RM3.29 million), 14,778 in Petaling (RM6.79 million), 5,809 in Sabak Bernam (RM2.53 million) and 3,929 in Sepang (RM1.81 million),” he said.
He said this at a press conference following the launch of the Ramadan and Aidilfitri 1447H/2026 aid programme at the KSL Convention Centre here today, attended by Selangor deputy Mufti Datuk Dr Miszairi Sitiris.
He added that the aid would be distributed via bank transfers to recipients or heads of households, e-wallets, v-cash (Bank Islam cash vouchers), or, in certain cases, cash, ensuring faster, safer, and more accessible support for the needy.
“We are enhancing the distribution process through the EZO (EZakat Online) system to ensure transparency, efficiency, and easy access for recipients to track their aid.
“This multi-channel payment approach is also designed to ensure no asnaf is left out, especially in rural areas or where access to banking is limited,” he said.
Mohd Khaizir said all eligible recipients would be notified via SMS to their registered numbers and could also check their aid status at ezo.zakatselangor.com.my.
He said Zakat Selangor is committed to getting aid to recipients early, helping them plan for Ramadan and Aidilfitri.
He added that the distribution is not just financial aid but a form of social intervention to ease the rising cost of living while safeguarding the welfare of the needy.
“Zakat Selangor will continue to enhance zakat governance to ensure its benefits reach the needy and support their socio-economic well-being.
“Our (Zakat Selangor) focus is to make sure the aid reaches those who need it most, based on each district’s poverty profile, while also improving post-distribution monitoring,” he said.
Earlier, Mohd Khaizir witnessed Public Islamic Bank Berhad presenting a replica of a RM50,000 corporate Wakalah cheque, followed by necessities aid presented to 60 families by the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPS). — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Sabah PAS rep moots temporary surau at Ramadan bazaars to ease Maghrib prayers
11 Feb 2026
KOTA KINABALU, Feb 11 — Sabah PAS Commissioner Datuk Dr Aliakbar Gulasan called on local authorities to establish temporary surau or designated prayer spaces at Ramadan bazaars.
He said such initiative is a significant step toward integrating spiritual observance with economic activity.
“By transforming these bazaars into platforms that uphold Islamic syiar (symbols), the community can ensure that the hustle of trade does not overshadow religious obligations,” the Karambunai assemblyman said.
Aliakbar said Ramadan bazaars are high-traffic hubs where both traders and visitors spend significant time during the hours leading up to iftar (breaking of fast).
Providing on-site prayer facilities, he said will ensure that the Maghrib prayer and other religious duties can be performed promptly and comfortably.
This removes the need for individuals to rush away from their stalls or search for distant mosques, fostering a more organized and serene environment, he explained.
According to him, while bazaars are vital economic centers, they also serve as a reflection of community values.
“Incorporating prayer spaces sends a powerful message that worldly pursuits and spiritual growth can coexist harmoniously.”
As noted by Aliakbar, a blessed state is defined not just by the volume of business, but by the collective obedience to divine commands.
For traders, Aliakbar said having a nearby space to pray allows for better time management and peace of mind, leading to a more “worship-friendly” business model.
On the part of visitors, he said it will also ensure they can complete their shopping and still fulfill their prayers without stress.
This holistic approach sets an example of inclusive management that prioritizes the well-being and piety of the public health stressed adding implementing the facilities encourages the practice of Islamic values in public spaces, making the Ramadan experience more meaningful.
“It transforms the bazaar from a simple marketplace into a venue where the spirit of the holy month is tangibly felt through communal prayer and shared values of piety and discipline,” Aliakbar emphasised. — Daily Express
Source: malaymail.com
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Foreign Halal Certificates Should Only Be Valid for A Year, Indonesia’s BPJPH Says
Jayanty Nada Shofa
February 11, 2026
Jakarta. The Halal Product Assurance Body (BPJPH) said Wednesday that Indonesia should cut the lifespan of foreign halal certificates from having no expiry date to just a year to prevent businesses from exploiting the current regulatory loopholes.
Indonesia’s mandatory halal certification will enter into force on Oct. 18, 2026. The policy aims to reassure Indonesian Muslims that the production process of goods — including food and beverages — sold in the market meets Islamic law. Ahead of its entry into force, BPJPH has already struck mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) with 106 foreign halal certifiers, many of whom are in Asia. Under the deal, Indonesia acknowledges foreign-issued halal certificates and vice versa, thereby streamlining export-import activities. However, the fact that these documents are now valid for life in Indonesia has rattled BPJPH.
According to BPJPH deputy Chuzaemi Abidin, halal certificates used to be only valid for 4 years, until the 2023 Job Creation Law removed this expiry date. In the 2023 document, the certificate will remain valid as long as there are no changes to the product’s composition. However, BPJPH cannot rest easy. The agency fears foreign businesses will not lose their access to Indonesia — the world’s largest Muslim-majority country — even if there is a slip in the halal compliance, especially with an MRA already in place.
“If it’s valid for a lifetime, how can we assure its compliance? We don’t have enough resources if we have to keep an eye on [the foreign bodies] to see if they stay compliant. That’s why there needs to be an expiry date. … Our chief Haikal [Hassan Baras] wants the certificate to only be valid for a year, so there won’t be any businesses that will try to deceive [us],” Chuzaemi said on the margins of Investor Daily Ekonomi Syariah 2026 conference.
Chuzaemi claimed foreign halal certifiers — especially those that had inked the MRAs — would not mind if they had to update their certificates each year.
“They [the foreign bodies] are actually on board [with this plan] because their certificates do have expiration dates. Some of them even require certificates per shipment. Their certificates are also usually valid for 2 years,” Chuzaemi said.
The Jakarta Globe asked Chuzaemi whether the countless agreements could translate into an influx of imported halal goods. Chuzaemi highlighted the need to halal-certify Indonesia’s small enterprises lest they fail to compete with the imports.
“Because we cannot simply block [imports] or we will get sued at the World Trade Organization [WTO]. … Beyond halal certificates, we need to help our small enterprises in improving their packaging and making them more export-ready,” Chuzaemi stated to the Globe.
Anggito Abimanyu, who chairs the Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS), pushed for more halal certification MRAs earlier that day, although he did not comment from a lifespan standpoint.
“Perhaps we can do a regionwide [pact] with ASEAN. … Indonesia is too exclusive. … Because wouldn’t it be burdensome [without such agreement] since Indonesia is not only a consumer but a producer? Let’s say Vietnam sells us some goods, but we don’t accept it as halal even though the product is already acknowledged by the local certifier [in Hanoi],” Anggito told Investor Daily Roundtable.
Source: jakartaglobe.id
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https://jakartaglobe.id/business/foreign-halal-certificates-should-only-be-valid-for-a-year-indonesias-bpjph-says
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JAKIM monitoring viral Shia video with police, MCMC
11 Feb 2026
JAKIM is tracking a viral video linked to Shia practices, collaborating with police and MCMC to prevent its wider spread and recruitment efforts.
BANGI: The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) is monitoring the circulation of a viral video allegedly linked to Shia practices on social media.
Director-general Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee said the department is working closely with the Royal Malaysia Police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission on the matter.
He said JAKIM is aware the video allegedly occurred within certain groups or at specific premises.
The department has also received information that its circulation is currently limited to members only.
“What we are trying to prevent is wider dissemination, attempts to recruit new members or spread its influence,” Sirajuddin told reporters after an engagement session here.
The video shows a group of men, believed to be Pakistani Shia followers, chanting religious verses while dancing at a premises in the capital.
Monitoring is being carried out continuously by JAKIM and state Islamic authorities.
In a separate statement, JAKIM said checks found the issue has drawn widespread attention from netizens.
The video has been reshared by local religious figures, it added.
In comment sections, netizens tagged various government agencies and leaders urging immediate action.
JAKIM reiterated that Shia teachings have been declared contrary to the creed of Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah.
This includes a ruling by the Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia in 1996.
Nearly all states have issued fatwas prohibiting the dissemination of Shia teachings among Muslims.
These include Selangor, the federal territories, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Kelantan.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/people-issues/jakim-monitoring-viral-shia-video-with-police-mcmc/
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Indonesian govt rebuilds religious facilities after Sumatra disasters
February 12, 2026
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar confirmed ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction of disaster-affected educational and religious facilities in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, noting that many have been restored.
“It is evident that we have been working to gradually rehabilitate 650 madrasahs (Islamic schools), and that learning and teaching activities have partially resumed,” he said in a statement cited in Jakarta on Thursday.
He emphasized that the Ministry of Religious Affairs shares responsibility for supporting the recovery of religious schools and houses of worship damaged by deadly floods and landslides in late November 2025.
The ministry recorded damage to 773 madrasahs, 1,173 pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools), 1,593 houses of worship, and 102 Religious Affairs Offices (KUAs).
Umar said the most severely affected facilities included 123 madrasahs, with 13 requiring relocation, 107 pesantrens, 16 mosques, 24 churches, and one KUA.
To support recovery efforts, the ministry has proposed allocating Rp85.5 billion (US$5 million) for severely damaged madrasahs, Rp74.1 billion (US$4.4 million) for heavily affected pesantrens, Rp20 billion (US$1.1 million) for damaged houses of worship, and Rp3 billion (US$178,000) for the affected KUA.
“We are collaborating with the Ministry of Public Works on the renovation and reconstruction of madrasah buildings,” the minister added.
Umar also reported that at least 1,066 pesantrens have resumed operations, along with 1,553 houses of worship and 101 KUAs.
“The government has deployed heavy machinery and equipment, and we are working tirelessly to achieve this significant progress. In fact, we have re-equipped affected mosques with pulpits, sound systems, electricity, and other essential facilities,” he said.
He expressed appreciation to members of the public for their active role in supporting the government’s disaster recovery efforts in the three affected provinces.
Source: antaranews.com
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https://en.antaranews.com/news/404102/indonesian-govt-rebuilds-religious-facilities-after-sumatra-disasters
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Nusantara's State Mosque opens for 2026 Ramadan programs
February 12, 2026
Nusantara (ANTARA) - The State Mosque of Indonesia's future capital city, Nusantara (IKN), in East Kalimantan, has been prepared to host activities during Ramadan, according to the Nusantara Capital City Authority (OIKN).
"We are developing religious facilities to complement basic infrastructure in IKN, including the State Mosque," OIKN Director of Basic Services Suwito remarked in Sepaku, North Penajam Paser, on Thursday.
He confirmed the international-standard mosque would serve as a religious and social hub starting this Ramadan, which begins in mid-February.
Construction has reached 98.4 percent, making the facility ready for daily obligatory prayers, Friday prayers, and religious discussions.
"Starting this year, the IKN State Mosque can also host Tarawih and Eid al-Fitr prayers," Suwito added.
The mosque, which accommodates over 60,000 people, features a 99-meter minaret and a 32,125-square-meter floor area. It is equipped with a digital library, meeting rooms, and a commercial area for local micro, small, and medium enterprises.
OIKN has planned various events, including a bazaar, collective iftar feasts, and a culinary festival.
The mosque will also host Quran recitations and an event commemorating Nuzulul Quran.
Beyond the State Mosque, Suwito confirmed Ramadan activities will proceed at 12 other mosques and 37 prayer facilities across Nusantara.
Source: antaranews.com
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https://en.antaranews.com/news/404126/nusantaras-state-mosque-opens-for-2026-ramadan-programs
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State government halts pig farming, industry to import pork for Selangor market, says MB
12 Feb 2026
SHAH ALAM, Feb 12 — The Selangor State Government has agreed that the industry will be responsible for importing all pork needed for the state market, in line with the royal decree of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the matter was decided by the State Executive Council (MMKN), with the issuance and approval of import licences to be referred to the federal government.
He noted that currently, 70 per cent of the non-Muslim community’s pork supply is sourced from other states.
“This decision was made to address the community’s concerns over the environmental impact of these farms, including odour pollution,” he said in a statement today.
Amirudin said that since January, the state government had stopped issuing pig farming licences and was now focusing on clearing the existing farm site in Tanjong Sepat.
“For the pig farms currently in operation, the areas will be closed in stages with the cooperation of the Selangor State Veterinary Services Department,” he said.
Amirudin also expressed hope that any polemics over the issue would cease and not be prolonged by any party so as to maintain harmony among Selangor’s multi-racial and multi-religious community.
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had previously said that he had not granted permission for pig farming to be carried out in any district in Selangor, citing the risk of pollution that could adversely affect surrounding communities.
The Sultan’s private secretary, Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, in a statement, said that His Royal Highness was of the view that pig farming could lead to air pollution from foul odours and contaminate river water sources due to the discharge of animal waste and effluent. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/02/12/state-government-halts-pig-farming-industry-to-import-pork-for-selangor-market-says-mb/208967
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Malaysia’s main interfaith group urges PM to clarify directive to local councils on unauthorised places of worship
11 Feb 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 — The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to clarify his statement directing local councils to “clean up” areas where houses of worship were built without approval.
In a statement, the council cited a Free Malaysia Today report on February 9, in which Anwar said enforcement must be carried out in accordance with the law and that local councils must ensure unauthorised places of worship do not continue to operate.
MCCBCHST said the prime minister’s statement appeared overly general, potentially applying to all non-compliant places of worship, including those built decades ago.
The council highlighted that many temples and other houses of worship were established during the colonial era, before Malaya gained independence in 1957.
At that time, there were no local councils or the National Land Code, which was only passed in 1965. MCCBCHST said categorising these historic places of worship — some over 100 years old — as “illegal” is arbitrary and unjust, especially since they were built with the tacit approval of British authorities.
MCCBCHST also noted that guidelines issued by the Selangor state government in 2008 allowed places of worship older than 100 years to remain in their original locations.
These guidelines, the council said, were later adopted by other states, and the Cabinet had stated that no decades-old place of worship should be demolished without consultation with authorities and the provision of a suitable alternative site.
The council urged the prime minister to clarify whether his directive includes places of worship established before independence and to specify how existing policies protecting historic sites would be upheld.
MCCBCHST warned that the current wording of the statement could encourage individuals to stir racial and religious tensions by calling for demolitions.
It also called on state governments to review restrictive land allocation policies for non-Muslim houses of worship, noting that some decades-old temples and gurudwaras have repeatedly applied for land allocation but were consistently rejected.
“This will reduce the construction of unauthorised places of worship and ensure equitable treatment,” the council said.
The MCCBCHST urged the government to adhere to its election pledges and policies regarding relocations, stressing that lawful access to land would prevent the need for building without approval.
The statement was signed by its president Venerable Seck Chaio Ying, deputy president Bishop Dr T Jeyakumar, and other office‑bearers representing the Malaysian Buddhist Association, Christian Federation of Malaysia, Federation of Taoist Associations Malaysia, Malaysian Gurdwaras Council and Malaysia Hindu Sangam.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/02/11/malaysias-main-interfaith-group-urges-pm-to-clarify-directive-to-local-councils-on-unauthorised-places-of-worship/208885-
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South Asia
Pakistan Envoy, UN Rapporteur Discuss Afghanistan Human Rights
By Fidel Rahmati
February 11, 2026
Pakistan’s special envoy met the UN human rights rapporteur to discuss Afghanistan’s situation, including security challenges and concerns about Afghan refugee deportations.
Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, met UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett to discuss the human rights situation in Afghanistan.
Sadiq Khan said discussions also covered security challenges and regional developments linked to Afghanistan during the meeting held in Pakistan on Wednesday.
Richard Bennett recently visited Lahore to attend the Asma Jahangir Conference, where officials and rights groups discussed regional human rights concerns and migration issues.
At the conference, Bennett warned that forced deportation of vulnerable Afghan refugees could expose them to serious risks, urging Pakistan to respect international obligations.
Bennett called on Pakistani authorities to avoid forced returns of individuals facing threats, stressing refugee protection remains a key international responsibility.
However, Pakistani authorities continue detaining large numbers of undocumented Afghan migrants as part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown on illegal residency.
The meeting highlights continuing tensions between migration management policies and international calls for stronger protection of Afghan refugees facing uncertain conditions back home.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-envoy-un-rapporteur-discuss-afghanistan-human-rights/
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Pakistan May Act Against Militants in Afghanistan Before Ramadan, Minister Warns
By Fidel Rahmati
February 11, 2026
Pakistan’s defense minister warns possible action against militants in Afghanistan before Ramadan, citing rising cross-border attacks and mounting domestic security concerns in the country.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told ARY News that Pakistan may take action against militants operating from Afghanistan if security threats continue unchecked.
He said some level of contact with Taliban authorities remains in place, but militant activity targeting Pakistan has not declined despite ongoing discussions.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused militant groups based in Afghanistan, particularly the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), of carrying out cross-border attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilians.
Security incidents have increased in Pakistan in recent months, including deadly attacks on security forces and religious sites, raising concerns about worsening domestic instability.
A recent suicide bombing targeted a Shiite mosque in Islamabad during Friday prayers, killing at least 31 worshippers and injuring more than 160 others, according to Pakistani authorities. Officials said the attacker opened fire on security personnel before entering the mosque and detonating explosives inside the crowded prayer hall.
The attack follows a series of recent militant incidents across Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, where security forces and civilians have faced repeated assaults, raising concerns over a renewed surge in extremist violence nationwide.
Asif warned that if authorities across the border remain passive, responsibility for consequences would fall on them, stressing Pakistan still prefers dialogue over escalation.
Source: khaama.com
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Zabul Holds Seminar to Enhance Journalism Standards, Media-Government Coordination
February 12, 2026
KABUL: A one-day training seminar for media officials, journalists, and press officers from various government departments has been held in Zabul to strengthen journalistic standards and improve coordination between the media and government institutions.
The seminar was designed to promote professional journalism principles, enhance collaboration among media representatives, and increase the effectiveness of information dissemination, the Ministry of Information and Culture said in a statement on Wednesday.
Participants were encouraged to report based on facts, contribute to societal progress, and work together to prevent the spread of misinformation or enemy propaganda, the statement said.
During the event, officials highlighted the critical role of journalism in an Islamic society, emphasizing its value in informing the public accurately and transparently.
Press officers from government institutions were also urged to share timely updates and achievements from their departments to ensure that the system’s accomplishments are effectively communicated to the public.
The seminar concluded with a call for ongoing cooperation between media outlets and government bodies to ensure the dissemination of reliable and constructive information, reinforcing the role of journalism in supporting societal development and stability.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/zabul-holds-seminar-to-enhance-journalism-standards-media-government-coordination/
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Building Afghanistan Collective Responsibility for All Citizens, Minister
February 12, 2026
KABUL: The country’s Minister of Water and Energy, Mullah Mohammad Younus Akhundzada, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting domestic and international investors, emphasizing that the development of the country is a shared responsibility that requires the participation of all citizens.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of five major power generation agreements in Kabul, the minister highlighted that Afghanistan is a shared home for all its people, and ensuring its prosperity depends on collective effort, cooperation, and national unity, according to a statement from the ministry on Wednesday.
“The Islamic Emirate welcomes investment that contributes to economic growth, strengthens energy security, and helps the country move toward self-sufficiency,” Akhundzada said, stressing that supporting investors particularly in the energy sector is not only a governmental priority but also a national obligation.
The minister noted that the newly signed power projects reflect the government’s focus on expanding domestic electricity production and reducing Afghanistan’s reliance on imported power.
He added that investments in renewable and thermal energy will play a vital role in industrial development and improving public access to electricity.
Akhundzada also reiterated that all Afghans, regardless of their background or profession, have a role in contributing to the country’s reconstruction and long-term progress, saying that development cannot be achieved by the government alone but requires cooperation from communities, investors, and skilled professionals across various sectors.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/building-afghanistan-collective-responsibility-for-all-citizens-minister/
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Afghan Ambassador Attends Ceremony Marking 47th Anniversary of Iranian Revolution
February 12, 2026
TEHRAN: Mawlavi Fazl Mohammad Haqqani, the Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to Tehran, participated in a ceremony commemorating the 47th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.
The event was attended by Iran’s President, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, senior government officials, and ambassadors of various foreign countries, the embassy said in a statement on wednesday.
The participation signaled continued diplomatic engagement between Kabul and Tehran and highlighted Afghanistan’s presence in regional political and ceremonial events.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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DABS, Azizi Company Sign Contracts for Five Major Power Projects Worth $463 Million
February 12, 2026
KABUL: In the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Beradar Akhund, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) and Azizi Energy Investment Company signed contracts worth $463 million to officially launch five major power-generation projects with a combined capacity of 845 megawatts.
Under the agreements, Azizi Energy Company will undertake the construction of several major renewable and coal-based power projects across multiple provinces, the office of the Deputy PM for Economic Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.
The company is set to build a 100-megawatt solar power plant in Naghlu of Kabul Province, another 100-megawatt solar facility in Barikab of Parwan, and a 130-megawatt solar plant in Ghazni, the statement said.
In addition to these renewable projects, Azizi Energy will also develop a 165-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Takhar and a larger 350-megawatt coal-fired plant in Baghlan.
The solar projects are expected to be completed within two years, while the coal-fired power plants will require approximately three years to finish, the statement added.
Once implemented, the projects are anticipated to substantially increase domestic electricity production, lessen Afghanistan’s reliance on imported power, and enhance long-term energy security for millions of citizens.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Regional Momentum Grows Toward Islamic Emirate Recognition
February 12, 2026
The Islamic Republic of Iran has stated that there are no remaining barriers to the recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and that a formal decision may be announced at an appropriate time in the near future. According to diplomatic sources in Kabul, Tehran is carefully pursuing a legal and multilateral approach aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and expanding constructive engagement between the two neighboring countries.
In recent years, Afghanistan has repeatedly emphasized that its foreign policy is based on balanced and positive interaction with regional and international partners, in line with national interests and the principles of mutual respect. The Islamic Emirate has consistently stated that Afghan soil will not be used against any other country and that it seeks stability, security, and economic cooperation throughout the region. Iran’s recent remarks reflect a growing regional understanding that a stable Afghanistan benefits all neighboring states.
Tehran has also expressed concern about external interference in Afghanistan’s affairs, particularly by actors who may seek to undermine stability or use Afghan territory to harm the interests of others. Addressing such concerns, regional observers note, requires close cooperation among neighboring countries and continued dialogue rooted in trust and non-interference. The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly called for exactly such a framework, one that prioritizes sovereignty, regional solutions, and shared security.
On bilateral matters, including border management and water rights, both sides have adopted a good-neighborly approach. Border-related issues are reportedly being addressed through constructive discussions aimed at modernizing management mechanisms and preventing misunderstandings. This practical cooperation demonstrates that longstanding challenges can be transformed into opportunities when handled through dialogue and mutual understanding.
The broader regional context also shows signs of cautious but positive engagement. Alongside Iran, other neighboring countries are assessing their relations with Kabul within the framework of their own national interests. Tajikistan, for example, has indicated that it is prepared to engage in beneficial interaction with the Islamic Emirate in line with its national priorities. Such developments highlight an emerging regional consensus that cooperation, rather than isolation, serves the interests of stability, trade, connectivity, and security.
The Islamic Emirate has consistently encouraged Afghans to contribute to the rebuilding and development of their homeland, emphasizing that nationwide security has been restored. As regional countries move toward pragmatic engagement, opportunities for economic growth, transit cooperation, and mutual prosperity are expanding.
Taken together, these diplomatic signals point toward a gradual normalization of Afghanistan’s regional relations. Through respectful dialogue, adherence to sovereignty, and a commitment to shared interests, Afghanistan and its neighbors can lay the foundation for long-term stability and constructive partnership.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/regional-momentum-grows-toward-islamic-emirate-recognition/
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