'Use The Word Muslim', Genuine Leadership Requires Emotional Courage: Congress Worker's Open Letter To Rahul Gandhi On Sambhal Killings
New Age Islam News Bureau
30 November 2024
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.File | Express
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India
· Shahi Imam Of Jama Masjid Delhi Urges PM To Intervene, Address Concerns Of Community
· Will Move Court To Be Party To Dargah Case: Ajmer Clerics
· Ajmer Shrine Survey: J&K Parties, Religious Leaders Express Concern
· From Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz raises Sambhal killings, Ajmer Sharif row
· Sambhal Mosque Row: Ensure Peace, SC Tells UP Govt, Orders To Keep Survey Report In Sealed Cover
· Archaeological Body Flags Alterations To Sambhal Mosque, Hurdles In Inspection
· FIR Registered Against Karnataka Seer Over Remarks On Voting Power To Muslims
· J&K LG Manoj Sinha sacks two more govt employees over terror links
· J&K HC sends notice to ECI on plea seeking to declare Chenani assembly poll null and void
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South Asia
· BFIU Freezes Bank Accounts Of 17 Associated With ISKCON, Including Chinmoy
· VOA Survey: 64pc Bangladeshis Think Minorities More Protected Now
· Attack on Protests: Five Mohila AL leaders arrested in capital
· Acting Commerce Minister Urges Traders in Turkey to Return Country
· Afghanistan Ambassador Requests Support for Nationals in Meeting with UAE President
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Pakistan
· 'Protesters Deaths': PTI Vows To Register FIR Against Top Officials Including PM
· PM Shehbaz green-lights legal action against Bushra, Gandapur
· Peace eludes Kurram as 7 more killed in clashes
· FO dismisses foreign criticism of law enforcers’ crackdown on PTI protests
· PPP opposes resolution in Punjab Assembly calling for ban on PTI
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Mideast
· Israelis Are Wary Of Returning To The North Because They Don’t Trust The Ceasefire With Hezbollah
· Israeli Settlement Plan to Turn Ibrahimi Mosque into National Heritage Site
· As Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo, army closes airport and roads, sources say
· Iraq tries to stem influx of illegal foreign workers
· Hezbollah pledges to help army build Lebanon’s defensive capacities
· The diplomatic push that took Lebanon from Armageddon to ceasefire
· Jihad & Popular Front bless shooting operation in settlement of "Ariel"
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Africa
· Muslim Rights Concern Warns GOTV To Stop Airing Christian Programme On Prime Channel
· Nigerian Army Kill Boko Haram Commander In Yobe
· Court Strikes Out Terrorism Charges Against 50 Suspected IPOB Members
· South Africa poised to take over the leadership of the G20 on Sunday
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Arab World
· How Researchers In Saudi Arabia Are Turning Desalination Waste Into Valuable Resources
· Saudi Heart Association teams up with Bayer to enhance cardiac care
· Japanese Orchestra Meets Video Gaming In Riyadh
· KsRelief Conducts Medical Outreach In Yemen, Djibouti And Bangladesh
· Visionary eight-year-old Saudi wins global competition with glasses for blind
· King Salman Center for Disability Research signs agreements
· KSrelief’s Masam Project clears 840 mines
· Authorities enforce ban on non-compliant trucks
· Heritage Commission, KSGAAL Launch Global Blog To Preserve Cultural And Linguistic Heritage
· Saudi, Japanese agencies agree to cooperation on humanitarian work
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Europe
· Former Head Of Muslim Police Group Sentenced Over £8,000 Embezzlement
· France Admits Colonial 'Massacre', Says Senegal's Leader
· Fezan Hussain detained in secure unit over mosque attack
· Chad cuts military agreement with France
· British spy chief admits ‘covert action’ in Ukraine
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North America
· Young Muslims in Scotland disillusioned by politics but politicized in other ways
· Trump top spy pick faces fresh scrutiny over Syria visit and Russia comments
· Hitman offered $71,000 for Canadian reporter's assassination
· Major Canadian news outlets sue OpenAI
· Canada town council gets alternative after refusal to take King's oath
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Southeast Asia
· At Bersatu AGM, Muhyiddin Stresses Multiracial Vision, Assures Non-Malay Rights
· Sultan Nazrin: Corruption, leakages and abuse of power are akin to cancerous cells in nation’s anatomy
· Police: Downtown Kota Baru under 2m water after hit by overflow from Sungai Kelantan
· Ampang police debunk social media claims of shooting in Taman Mulia Jaya
· Federal Court to hear Perlis govt’s review bid on Muslim status of Hindu mum Loh’s kids on Feb 20
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/word-muslim-congress-sambhal-killings/d/133880
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''Use The Word Muslim', Genuine Leadership Requires Emotional Courage: Congress Worker's Open Letter To Rahul Gandhi On Sambhal Killings
29 Nov 2024
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.File | Express
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Congress worker Radhika Barman, in an open letter to party MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, criticized the engagement (or the lack of it) of the grand old party when it comes to issues relating to the Muslims.
In the letter posted on X and dated November 26, Barman said that the Congress party seems "hesitant" to address Muslim issues.
"Engagement seems limited to a few tweets, and even those are not consistent. While it is unfair and illogical to expect you to respond to every incident, some situations demand decisive action, especially from someone in your position as the Leader of Opposition," she stated.
The letter, in the context of the recent violence in Sambhal, urged Gandhi to make bold and courageous interventions.
"The recent massacre in Sambhal, where five Indian Muslims lost their lives, is one such incident. This is not merely violence; it is a massacre. It deserves a bold and courageous response from you as a leader who represents an alternative vision for India," the letter read.
Five Muslims, including a minor, were killed on Sunday as UP police allegedly opened fire on people protesting the survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in Kot Garvi area of Sambhal. An initial survey of the masjid was carried out on November 19, hours after a Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) ordered the constitution of an "Advocate Commission," with local leaders and opposition parties alleging an "unusual haste" from the part of the administration.
The court ordered the survey after hearing the petition filed by Gopal Sharma, who claimed that a Harihar temple was at the site where the Jama Masjid now stands.
Criticising the lack of clarity in Gandhi's language while addressing such issues, Barman urged him to use the word "Muslim" instead of "minority" and refrain from differentiating between "Hinduism and Hindutva in this context."
"While many understand the distinction, using this differentiation in the aftermath of such a tragedy could feel insensitive and unstrategic. The focus should remain on constitutional values and human dignity. Do it using word Muslim instead of minority. Jain is a minority community but do they share the same oppression? Thus, specification is important," she stated.
"Perhaps, a sense of collective guilt for the oppressor is from our ascribed status if not the same political ideology. If we don't like this then we have to change this episode," she added.
The Congress worker urged Gandhi and the party to take some immediate steps to address the killings in Sambhal:
"1. Visit Sambhal and offer your condolences to the grieving mother.
2. Provide legal aid to the victims’ families to ensure they receive justice and are not pressured into out-of-court settlements.
3. Demand financial compensation for the victims from the Government of India.
4. Form a fact-finding committee of ten members, including both Hindus and Muslims, to track the case and update the public.
5. Engage directly with the local Muslim community, share their stories through social media, and raise their struggles in Parliament during the winter session."
Stating that these are not just the demands from the Muslim community but also from secular Hindus like her, Barman stressed that people voted for INDIA alliance "to ensure that issues affecting every community are addressed boldly and without hesitation."
She stated that the Congress party's engagement in these issues must be centred on "love and empathy" and not merely on "strategy."
"As a Gandhian, you represent an antithesis to the divisive politics of Hindutva. The Congress party must lead with love and empathy, not just political correctness," she said.
"Diplomacy can be done by anyone, but genuine leadership requires emotional courage. This is a fight for survival, and it needs a narrative driven by compassion, not mere strategy," she added.
Barman also urged Gandhi to not shy away from taking the risk of being " temporarily unpopular" by addressing the issues faced by Muslims.
"Taking these steps might make you unpopular temporarily, but secularism itself demands courage and risks," she said.
She noted that actions that would stem from such interventions, including arrests, will only amplify Congress's commitment to justice.
"Being anti-Modi is not an achievement in itself; taking bold, proactive actions that challenge the status quo is what defines true leadership. If these actions lead to backlash, including arrests, it would only amplify your moral authority and the party’s commitment to justice," the letter stated.
Concluding the letter, Barman stated that she has raised these concerns using her privilege as a secular Hindu, on behalf of the "Muslims who cannot speak as freely as a Hindu in today's India."
"A Hindu woman has more power than an average Muslim man," she said adding many within the Congress party share these thoughts but lacks a platform to express them.
"I hope you will listen to this collective voice and act decisively," she said.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Nov/29/use-the-word-muslim-congress-workers-open-letter-to-rahul-gandhi-on-sambhal-killings
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IEA Ministry: Modern Science Serves As Contributor To Religious Teachings
November 30, 2024
Earlier the Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Education said that the Islamic Emirate pays serious attention to modern sciences, besides promoting religious teachings all over the educational centers. Besides pledging to print millions of textbooks to address the challenges faced by the students countrywide, the Minister of Education said his-led ministry was committed to pursuing modern sciences. It is to be noted that the people of Afghanistan have already realized the fact that the Islamic Emirate, soon after its power takeover of the country, wants to promote modern and contemporary sciences. The country’s Minister of Education rejected any propaganda that the Islamic Emirate is neglecting the modern sciences, while it is making efforts to further encourage and promote them. Muslims around the world should be strengthened with powerful modern techniques to avoid the harm expected by the enemy of the country’s territorial integrity and national unity. As witnessed, all Islamic countries advanced due to being equipped with modern sciences. They have both religious and modern sciences developed nationwide and both the students of religious and modern sciences schools are shoulder to shoulder working for the balanced development of their religion and country. This is a clear fact that modern sciences play a key role in the development of the world’s nations and a nation can reach the highest apex of progress with modern sciences, which is highly recommended by the holy religion of Islam. The holy prophet of Islam has even ordered the believers to study sciences, learn the languages of different tribes, and get educated in modern sciences to not become in need of others in their daily lives. The youths of the country, both boys and girls are also advised to shine well in both areas; religious and modern sciences, as a Muslim is obliged to get religious teachings whether he/ she wants to become an engineer, physician, or a religious scholar in the future. For any of his/her future ambitions, a Muslim has to remain a whole by being both religiously and contemporarily educated individual. In our country, under the Islamic system, there should be no difference between schools and madrassas because religious teachings can be served and strengthened by modern sciences, and modern sciences can be the most important and contributing techniques to religious education. To conclude, I would like to suggest that the Ministry of Education should do more for the quality of the textbooks’ contents because, as is seen, many of the currently distributed and studied textbooks across the country’s schools have both grammatical and spelling errors. These errors can highly confuse students between correct and incorrect texts of the books particularly the students of primary schools.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/modern-science-serves-as-contributor-to-religious-teachings/
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Islamabad reiterates clear stance against TTP talks
By Web Desk
November 30, 2024
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch is addressing her weekly press briefing in Islamabad on August 29, 2024. —Screengrab via YouTube/ Geo News
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Islamabad has firmly reiterated that no talks are being held with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), emphasising that there is no proposal for engagement with the proscribed outfit on the agenda between Pakistan and China.
"First of all, there is no dialogue taking place between the government of Pakistan and TTP," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, addressing a weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Friday.
"The position of Pakistan with regards to the dialogue with the TTP is very clear and has been reiterated on several occasions. Secondly, Pakistan has said on a number of occasions that the proposals to initiate talks with TTP, wherever they may come from, are an affront to the families of thousands of victims of terrorism."
"Thirdly, there is no such proposal on the agenda between Pakistan and China with regards to engagement with TTP," she emphasised.
In March this year, at least six people, including five Chinese nationals, were killed after a suicide bomber rammed into a bus transporting staff working on the Dasu hydropower project in Besham, Shangla district.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) found the TTP behind the attack and arrested its four key terrorists.
This was the second attack in the last three years on Chinese engineers working in the area.
In July 2021, 13 people, including 9 Chinese nationals, two Frontier Constabulary personnel, and two locals, were killed when their coach was bombed in the Dasu area of Kohistan.
Replying to another question regarding a meeting between Pakistan’s Chargé d’Affaires to Afghanistan and Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob in Afghanistan, the FO spokesperson said that Pakistani diplomats keep in constant touch with the Afghan officials.
"It is the responsibility of our diplomats based in Afghanistan to engage with the officials and leadership of the Afghan interim government and the meeting of our head of mission in Kabul with the Defense Minister of Afghanistan was in this context," she stressed.
The two sides discussed matters of mutual interest, she said, noting however, "I do not believe that we should be sharing details with the media about the discussions that took place in this meeting."
Speaking on the visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, she highlighted that the trip, made at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, resulted in several comprehensive agreements.
The two leaders signed several agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) focusing on cooperation in environmental protection, disaster management, halal trade, financial intelligence sharing, vocational education and science & technology, Baloch remarked.
A key outcome of the visit was the signing of the "Roadmap for Comprehensive Cooperation between Pakistan and Belarus for 2025-2027", she added.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1256535-islamabad-reiterates-clear-stance-against-ttp-talks
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Israel criticized for ‘provocative actions’ in Lebanon despite ceasefire agreement
NAJIA HOUSSARI
November 29, 2024
General Joseph Aoun (R), the Lebanese Army Chief of Staff, arrives to attend a handover ceremony organised by the Lebanese Armed Forces of four A-29 Super Tucano aircraft given by the US at Hamat airbase, north of Beirut on June 12, 2018. (AFP file photo)
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BEIRUT: Israel was criticized on Friday for provocative actions in Lebanon, despite the ceasefire agreement currently in force.
The Israeli military said Lebanese residents were prohibited from moving south to a line of villages and their surroundings until further notice.
The army continued its operations in the border area it had advanced into and where it is still present, continuing actions which included uprooting olive trees, damaging structures, and even firing on mourners at a funeral.
On the third day of the ceasefire, security reports — primarily from the Iran-backed Hezbollah — highlighted what were described as “provocative Israeli violations.”
The US general tasked with leading the ceasefire monitoring committee and its members began meetings in Beirut on Friday with the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces Gen. Joseph Aoun to discuss the implementation of the agreement.
Meanwhile, Al-Manar TV reported that Israeli forces “advanced into the town square of Markaba … and began bulldozing operations and blocking roads.”
The Israeli army also opened fire on residents in Khiam, who said that they had obtained permission from the Lebanese military, in coordination with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, to enter the town for a funeral.
Footage captured by the mourners, who numbered no more than five or six, showed two of them injured in their legs by Israeli gunfire.
The mourners said that they left a woman’s body on the ground after an artillery shell struck nearby. The incident forced them to flee.
They also reported that the Israeli army seized the vehicles they had traveled in.
Israelis fired machine guns toward Aitaroun and demolished a playground in Kfarkela.
The army claimed on Thursday that the areas it had moved into in southern Lebanon were not included in the ceasefire agreement.
The deal, which was approved by both Lebanon and Israel on Tuesday, went into effect on Wednesday morning.
The Israeli army called on the Lebanese “not to cross into a line of towns specified by name to enter the border area, extending from Shebaa through Habbariyeh, Arnoun, Yohmor, Qantara, Shaqra, Baraashit, Yater, and Mansouri,” as anyone crossing these towns would endanger themselves.
The Israeli army said that it had 60 days to accomplish a “complete withdrawal from these areas” under the agreement.
The Israeli army has advanced into settlements extending 3 km from the border, an area which includes about 20 villages and Bint Jbeil.
Israeli forces have also prohibited Lebanese residents in the restricted area from moving around between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Eyewitnesses spoke of attacks on “olive groves in Kfarkela, where bulldozers are uprooting olive trees near the Al-Abbara area.”
Meanwhile, four Israeli tanks ventured into the western neighborhood of the town of Khiam. An artillery shell fell on the town and the Israeli army conducted occasional sweeping operations with machine guns.
Israeli artillery shelling also targeted the outskirts of the towns of Markaba and Tallousa in the Marjayoun district while Israeli drones continued to fly over the western and central sectors.
The Lebanese army, which continues to deploy in the areas south of the Litani River and away from the Israeli incursion, blocked the roads leading to the restricted area.
Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces Party, said that “Hezbollah’s war in support of Gaza destroyed both Gaza and Lebanon,” and criticized the “unity of battlefields that Hezbollah called for.”
He was speaking after a meeting held by the Lebanese Forces’ parliamentary bloc and executive body.
Geagea added: “Hezbollah usurped the Lebanese people by starting this war and took Lebanon to war while the majority of the people were against it.
“Hezbollah committed a great crime against the Lebanese people. We could have avoided the martyrdom of 4,000 people and all the displacement and destruction.
“(But) despite all these disasters, Hezbollah MPs are still claiming victory, which is a strange and completely unrealistic logic.”
Geagea said that the ceasefire approved by Hezbollah “is the biggest proof of the illegitimacy of the party’s weapons,” and called on Hezbollah to “meet with the army command and develop a plan to dismantle its military presence north of the Litani River.
Meanwhile, the municipality of Mays Al-Jabal has warned residents returning to their town of the presence of “landmines, explosives and unexploded shells.”
It confirmed that it “is following up with the Lebanese army and relevant authorities to facilitate the safe return of people on time.”
The municipality warned that “entering the town at present is dangerous as the enemy is firing and launching artillery shells into the town’s neighborhoods and streets to target any civilian movement in the area.”
It added: “Due to the presence of landmines, explosives, and unexploded shells in homes and neighborhoods, and given that some houses are still rigged with explosives and might detonate at any moment, as well as the town’s streets being blocked with rubble and obstacles, we urge you and rely on your awareness to refrain from heading to our town at this time, and await further instructions.”
The Israeli army published a summary and data on Friday about the military operations carried out in the last two months against Hezbollah on the northern front.
It added that “orders preventing the return of residents to open areas north of Western Galilee and Upper Galilee remain in effect."
The Israeli army claimed that more than 12,500 targets were attacked, including more than 1,600 military headquarters and more than 1,000 ammunition depots.
The Israeli operations included “more than 14,000 flight hours for fighter jets and about 11,000 targets for attacks.”
The army’s statement claimed that “more than 1,500 offensive infrastructures, about 160 military headquarters, and about 150 ammunition depots were destroyed in the operation against the Radwan Force.
“About 2,500 high-ranking fighters were eliminated, causing significant damage to Hezbollah’s force.”
The Israeli army added that it estimated that Hezbollah had less than 30 percent of the drones it had possessed on the eve of the conflict.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2581228/middle-east
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GOTV Forcing Christianity on Nigerian Muslims — Muslim Rights Concern
November 29, 2024
By Favour Olekanma
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has issued a warning to the international cable television network, GOTV, urging it to stop airing the Christian televangelism programme Faith on its main channel.
This was contained in a statement signed by MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Friday, who described the decision as “offensive, nauseating, and denigrating” to Nigerian Muslims.
According to a press statement, the Faith programme, which focuses on Christian televangelism, now occupies the top channel on GOTV, a slot that was previously used for advertisements of other programmes.
MURIC argues that this change forces viewers to watch Christian content by default when they turn on their televisions, regardless of their religious beliefs.
The organisation claims this action imposes Christian religious content on the Muslim population, equating it to “religious apartheid.”
MURIC argued that GOTV’s choice to feature Faith on such a prominent channel infringes on the rights of Muslim viewers, violating their freedom of choice and their right to select television programming without being confronted with unwanted religious content.
The group maintains that this practice is divisive and unjust to Muslims in the country.
In light of this situation, MURIC has demanded that GOTV promptly relocate the Faith programme to a different channel and restore the first channel to its original function.
They also warned that if their request is not fulfilled within a week (by December 9, 2024), they may consider peaceful actions, including urging Muslims to unsubscribe from the service.
“Meanwhile, MURIC appeals to Nigerian Muslims to continue to exercise patience and to remain peaceful and calm. We must not give in to provocation, lawlessness and violence.
“The law is on our side and we have the right to reject a service provider that has no respect for our faith or for its Muslim customers.
“GOTV will also do better by returning to its original practice whereby the last station watched by consumers opens immediately they switch on their television sets.
“Nigerians are going through enough stress and GOTV has no right to escalate tension in the nation’s anatomy,” the statement concluded.
Source: dailypost.ng
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https://dailypost.ng/2024/11/29/gotv-forcing-christianity-on-nigerian-muslims-muric/
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India
Shahi Imam Of Jama Masjid Delhi Urges PM To Intervene, Address Concerns Of Community
Nov 29, 2024
New Delhi: The Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Delhi, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene to stop "one-sided actions" against Muslims and Islamic places of worship.
In his sermon before the Friday prayer, Bukhari said the motive of surveys of age-old mosques and dargahs and the way in which they were carried out seemed intended to disturb communal harmony by a handful of people. He urged PM Modi to intervene to restore the confidence of Muslims.
Citing the recent violence in Sambhal, Bukhari said the actions of authorities were against the spirit of Constitution and law and order. When the survey was cordially conducted once, where was the need for another survey, he wondered. "Along with officials, there were people who had no relation to the activity. They entered the mosque, raising provocative slogans. It was clear their intention was to cause a riot," he alleged.
Bukhari rued that Muslim youths felt helpless after recent events. "Youngsters worry will there be freedom to practise their religion..."
Stressing that Muslims are being punished for no fault of theirs, Bukhari said PM was their only hope. If needed, he offered to work with govt to address all misconceptions and concerns about the community. "As a citizen, there is no one other than PM we can reach out to. If needed, govt can form a three-member committee of Muslims and have a three-member committee from other communities. We can sit under a minister's supervision to have an open discussion and end all discords once and for all," he suggested.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/shahi-imam-calls-on-pm-modi-to-address-muslim-community-concerns-amid-rising-tensions/articleshow/115818171.cms
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Will move court to be party to dargah case: Ajmer clerics
Nov 30, 2024
AJMER: The hereditary khadims (caretakers) of Ajmer Sharif Dargah broke their silence Friday on a Hindu organisation's lawsuit seeking an ASI survey to establish the purported existence of a Shiva temple at the site, saying it was a travesty to question the antecedents of a shrine revered by people of all faiths and drag it into a legal battle.
Anjuman Syedzadgan, which represents the khadims of Sayyid lineage tasked with conducting the religious affairs of the shrine to Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, said it would petition the Ajmer munsif court to make it a party to Hindu Sena's suit.
Syed Sarwar Chishty, the committee's secretary, said the dargah's importance should not be compared with historical landmarks like Taj Mahal and Red Fort.
This is a place where every PM, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, offered a chaddar during the annual Urs. It represents the ethos of India's Constitution without discrimination. Hindu kings historically contributed silver and gold for its decoration," Chisti said. "The dargah remained untouched even during Maratha rule in Ajmer."
Syed Naseeruddin Chishti, successor to the dewan (head) of Ajmer dargah, issued a statement the previous day, dismissing the lawsuit as an attempt to gain "cheap popularity". Syed Sarwar accused Vishnu Gupta, the Hindu Sena president, of misinterpreting history based on former judicial officer and academician Har Bilas Sarda's 1911 book Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive.
He referred to a 1921 civil suit in which Sharda acknowledged the khadims as being the traditional caretakers of the dargah. "This is a place where people of all religions gather. Food cooked in the dargah is free of garlic and onion as a mark of respect for religious sentiments. Ajmer symbolises communal harmony and pluralism. We will participate in Hindu Sena's civil suit to present the facts."
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/will-move-court-to-be-party-to-dargah-case-ajmer-clerics/articleshow/115824510.cms
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Ajmer shrine survey: J&K parties, religious leaders express concern
November 29, 2024
Several political and religious leaders of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday (November 28, 2024) continued to express their anger over a court survey of the Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti shrine in Rajasthan’s Ajmer.
Warning of disturbances akin to the Partition of 1947, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said the recent violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, where several innocent lives were lost, if unchecked, could push the nation towards chaos.
Ms. Mufti advocated that the status of religious places, whether temples or mosques, should be maintained as was in 1947 and should not be altered. “Unfortunately, the judgment of the former Chief Justice of India has opened a path where controversies over religious sites are escalating,” she said.
Suit claims Shiva temple in Ajmer dargah; notices issued
She also highlighted that the Ajmer shrine was “a site revered by people of all faiths, including Hindus, and remained a symbol of harmony with a history spanning over 800 years.”
CPI(M) leader and legislator M.Y. Tarigami said the decision of a civil court in Ajmer, Rajasthan, to ascertain if there was a temple beneath was “unwarranted and without legal standing”. “It goes against the provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. Asking for surveys through petitions of religious places like Dargah Ajmeer Sharif is unacceptable and should be discouraged by the government,” Mr. Tarigami said.
‘Deliberate pattern’
Speaking during the Friday (November 29, 2024) congregation at Jama Masjid, Srinagar, chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said, “There seems to be a deliberate pattern where first doubts are raised, then the court orders surveys, and then majority claims have to be satisfied. This is an extremely disturbing and serious issue for the Muslims of not only India and Kashmir but the subcontinent and the world over.”
He said such actions backed by the judiciary and the government deeply undermine the religious sentiments of crores of Muslims living in this part of the world. “If India is a secular state as per its preamble, run by a Constitution which includes the Places of Worship Act, then why are such issues allowed to be raked up and entertained continuously?” the Mirwaiz said.
Anjuman-E-Sharie Shian president Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi Al-Safavi said these claims undermine the law and the Constitution. “After claims on Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, Shahi Eidgah in Mathura, Bhojshala Mosque in Madhya Pradesh, Teele Wali Masjid in Lucknow, and Sambhal Sama Masjid, a claim has now been made on the historic Ajmer Dargah. I appeal to the Chief Justice of India to take immediate suo motu action in this matter and direct lower courts to refrain from entertaining further disputes,” he said.
Source: thehindu.com
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ajmer-shrine-survey-jk-parties-religious-leaders-express-concern/article68928337.ece
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From Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz raises Sambhal killings, Ajmer Sharif row
by Naveed Iqbal
November 30, 2024
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Jamia Masjid, Sambhal killings, Ajmer Sharif row, Waqf amendments, All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Indian express news, current affairsAll Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
Expressing concern over the proposed Waqf amendments, All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said that the Muttahida Majlis-E-Ulema – a conglomerate of religious organisations representing the Muslim community in J&K – has sought an urgent meeting with Jagdambika Pal, the chairman of the joint committee of Parliament (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, to discuss the matter.
Addressing the Friday congregation at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz said the issue of the Waqf amendments was worrying for Muslims.
He also brought up the issue of the recent violence in Sambhal. “As you are aware, five Muslim youths were killed in police firing during the survey of the 500-year-old Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. The survey was ordered by the court. The killing of these youths in discriminatory police action is very distressing and condemnable,” he said.
He also mentioned the Ajmer court order on the survey of the iconic Ajmer Sharif Dargah. “Before that, the Gyanvapi mosque was being surveyed under court orders. There seems to be a deliberate pattern where first, doubts are raised, then the court orders surveys, and then majority claims have to be satisfied,” he said.
He said that such actions “backed by the judiciary and government, deeply undermine the religious sentiments of crores of Muslims” living in this part of the world.
He also criticised the actions of the police who allegedly barred the entry of media persons into Jamia Masjid.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/from-srinagars-jamia-masjid-mirwaiz-raises-sambhal-killings-ajmer-sharif-row-9697933/
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Sambhal mosque row: Ensure peace, SC tells UP govt, orders to keep survey report in sealed cover
November 29, 2024
Parmod Kumar
The Supreme Court, on Friday, asked the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh to ensure “peace and harmony” in Sambhal and directed the trial court not to proceed with the suit against the Shahi mosque till the petition is filed by the Masjid Committee against the survey order is listed for hearing by the Allahabad High Court.
Stating that “We don’t want anything to happen. Peace and harmony have to be maintained”, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar ordered a pause to the trial court proceedings and directed that the report of the advocate commissioner, if any, who was asked to survey the mosque, should be kept in a sealed cover and should not be opened in the meantime.
Ordering that the report submitted by the advocate commissioner, if any, will be kept in a sealed cover and will not be opened, the top court said that any further proceedings in the suit before the Sambhal court would be subject to the order passed by the High Court.
At the outset of the hearing, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna said, “Peace and harmony have to be maintained. We don’t want anything to happen… We have to be absolutely, totally neutral and ensure nothing wrong is done.”
As senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the mosque committee, sought to address the bench on the challenge to the November 19, order, the top court expressing reservation on the Sambhal court order said that the petitioner committee has to approach the High Court or any other appropriate judicial forum, instead of directly approaching the Supreme Court.
“We have some reservations against the order, but still you have to approach the appropriate forum,” the bench told senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi while keeping the petition pending.
“We feel that the petitioner, …, must challenge the order dated 19.11.2024 before an appropriate Court/forum as per law, including theprovisions of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, and the Constitution of India”, the bench said in its order.
The November 19, 2024 order on the survey of the Shahi mosque was passed by the Civil Judge (Senior Division), Sambhal at Chandausi, in Civil Suit No. 166/2024.
Having asked the petitioner to approach the high court, the top court ordered, “We also observe that, in case any revision petition/appeal/miscellaneous petition is preferred before the appropriate Court/forum, the same will be listed within a period of three working days after the date of its filing.”
The top court paused further proceedings of the Chandausi (Sambhal) court till the matter was heard by the high court after it was informed that the matter is listed for hearing on January 8, 2025.
“We are told that the matter is fixed before the Court of the learned Civil Judge (Senior Division) on 08.01.2025. The learned Civil Judge will not proceed with the matter till the revision petition/appeal/miscellaneous petition to be filed by the petitioner, is listed before the High Court/appropriate Court/forum,” the top court said in its order.
Posting the matter for hearing on January 6, 23025, the court clarified that it has not expressed any opinion on the merits of the matter.
Source: thestatesman.com
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https://www.thestatesman.com/india/sambhal-mosque-row-ensure-peace-sc-tells-up-govt-orders-to-keep-survey-report-in-sealed-cover-1503370443.html
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Archaeological body flags alterations to Sambhal mosque, hurdles in inspection
Nov 30, 2024
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), in an affidavit, has highlighted the challenges faced in inspecting the Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, which was recently rocked by violence following a court-mandated survey of the mosque. The affidavit, accessed by India Today, also highlights several modifications done to the Jama Masjid, which is an ASI protected site.
The affidavit was filed by VS Rawat, Superintending Archaeologist (Meerut circle), before the local court in Sambhal that commissioned a fresh survey of the mosque following claims that it was built after demolishing a temple that stood there. The survey on November 19 triggered massive violence in Sambhal that left five people dead and 20 police officers injured.
The ASI affidavit mentioned that the Mughal-era mosque, declared a protected monument in 1920, has undergone several unapproved modifications. The affidavit also said that the masjid management committee conducted various additions and modifications to the structure over time.
The affidavit claimed that even ASI officers were often barred from entering the site for inspections. Despite the challenges, the ASI, with the support of the district administration, managed to inspect the site in 1998. Another inspection was carried out on June 25, 2024, which revealed further modifications to the monument.
The affidavit further stated that whenever unauthorised modern interventions were noticed, complaints were filed with the local police, and showcause notices were issued to the violators.
However, restrictions on regular inspections made it difficult for the ASI team to ascertain the extent of violations or the current status of the monument accurately, the affidavit said.
On Friday, the Supreme Court asked the trial court in Sambhal not to proceed with the mosque survey case till the masjid committee moves the High Court. The top court also directed that the report of the advocate commissioner, who conducted the survey of the mosque, should be kept in a sealed cover and should not be opened in the meantime.
Source: indiatoday.in
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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/sambhal-jama-masjid-survey-asi-affidavit-modifications-mosque-committee-2642670-2024-11-30
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FIR Registered Against Karnataka Seer Over Remarks On Voting Power To Muslims
November 29, 2024
An FIR has been registered against Vishwa Vokkaliga Mahasamastana Math seer Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swamiji for his remarks on voting power to Muslims, police said on Friday.
He made the statement during a protest meeting organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh here on Tuesday against notices issued by Karnataka’s waqf board.
Urging everyone to unite to protect farmers and their land, Swamiji said that a law should be brought in where Muslims community don’t have the voting power.
Stating that it should be ensured there is no Waqf board, he said someone taking away someone else’s land is not “Dharma".
“…everyone should fight against injustice being caused to farmers…it is said that the Waqf board can claim anyone’s land. It is a big injustice…someone taking away someone else’s land is not Dharma… So, everyone should fight to ensure that farmers’ land remains with them," the seer had said.
However, on Wednesday, Swamiji expressed regret over his statement, calling it a “slip of tongue".
He said Muslims are also citizens of this country, and they too have voting rights like others.
Based on the complaint by a social worker, the FIR was registered against him on Wednesday at Upparpet police station here, police said.
“We have registered a case against him (Swamiji) under section 299 (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita," a senior police officer said.
Source: news18.com
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https://www.news18.com/india/fir-registered-against-karnataka-seer-over-remarks-on-voting-power-to-muslims-9139675.html
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J&K LG Manoj Sinha sacks two more govt employees over terror links
Nov 30, 2024
NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR: J&K LG Manoj Sinha on Friday ordered the dismissal of two employees of UT govt, a pharmacist Naika and a teacher Zahir Abbas, over their alleged involvement in terrorist acts including murder of a politician and leaking critical information about movement of security forces to Pakistan-based handlers.
Though the terminations are latest in a series of over 70 dismissals ordered by the LG since 2020, this is the first time he has exercised these exclusive powers after installation of an elected govt in J&K last month.
The dismissals are seen as a signal to the Omar Abdullah govt that Centre and LG, with "exclusive charge of policing and security matters in J&K, shall continue to practice zero-tolerance to terrorism and terror ecosystem". "Thrust will remain on uprooting terror elements that have infiltrated J&K administration and are abetting terrorism while drawing salary at taxpayers' expense," a J&K govt functionary told TOI.
Dismissal of Naika and Abbas, both of whom are currently lodged in Jammu's Kot Bhalwal jail on terror charges, came after agencies confirmed their terror background. Sources said the two continue to engage in radicalisation from behind the bars.
Naika's links with Hizbul Mujahideen were unearthed when police started probing killing of local politician Ghulam Hassan Lone while Abbas was held for harbouring three Hizbul terrorists in Kishtwar.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jk-lg-manoj-sinha-sacks-2-more-govt-employees-over-terror-links/articleshow/115824828.cms
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J&K HC sends notice to ECI on plea seeking to declare Chenani assembly poll null and void
Nov 30, 2024
JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has sent notices to the Election Commission of India, chief electoral officer, and the J&K govt, among others, on a petition filed by National Panthers Party (India) candidate Harsh Dev Singh seeking to declare the 2024 assembly election at Chenani null and void.
Singh, who heads the party, lost to BJP’s Balwant Singh Mankotia by a margin of 15,611 votes. Singh alleged malpractice during electioneering. He claimed Mankotia had launched a malicious, highly malevolent and pernicious vilification campaign against him.
Mankotia, through his social media posts and interviews, gave the impression that he was a nationalist, while Singh was an anti-national and supporter of terrorists, the NPP (India) head complained.
Arguing his case, advocate Aseem Sawhney said Chenani assembly election had been vitiated due to large scale corruption and concealment of material facts in the affidavit.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jk-hc-sends-notice-to-eci-on-plea-seeking-to-declare-chenani-assembly-poll-null-and-void/articleshow/115818193.cms
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South Asia
BFIU freezes bank accounts of 17 associated with ISKCON, including Chinmoy
Nov 29, 2024
Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), a wing of the country's central bank, has directed banks to freeze the accounts of 17 people with "interests associated" with ISKCON, Bangladesh.
The name of former ISKCON leader Chandan Kumar Dhar, also known as Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, was among the 17.
A source at the Bangladesh Bank confirmed the matter to The Daily Star today.
The other people are Kartik Chandra Dey, Anik Pal, Soroj Roy, Sushanta Das, Biswha Kumar Singha, Chandidas Bala, Jaydev Karmakar, Lipi Rani Karmakar, Sudhama Gaur Das, Lakkhan Kanti Das, Priyatosh Das, Rupan Das, Rupan Kumar Dhar, Ashish Purohit, Jagadish Chandra Adhikari and Sajal Das.
As per the directive of the BFIU, all types of transaction on the bank accounts of these individuals will be suspended for 30 days.
The letter from the BFIU states that, under the powers granted by section 23(1)(c) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2012, transactions in the accounts (excluding the accounts of import and export companies) operated in the name of ISKCON and its related entities and their owned establishments are instructed to be suspended for 30 days.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/bfiu-freezes-bank-accounts-17-associated-iskcon-including-chinmoy-3764501
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VOA Survey: 64pc Bangladeshis Think Minorities More Protected Now
Nov 30, 2024
A survey by Voice of America (VOA) conducted in late October, found that 64.1 percent of 1,000 respondents think the interim government is offering greater protection to religious and ethnic minorities than the previous administration.
In contrast, 15.3 percent believe the situation has worsened, while 17.9 percent feel it remains unchanged.
It, however, says that the perceptions of security vary between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Notably, 92.7 percent of respondents identified themselves as Muslims.
The sample was evenly split between men and women. Slightly over half of the respondents were under the age of 34, and about a quarter resided in urban areas.
The survey revealed a divide in perceptions of safety between Muslims and minorities. Among Muslim respondents, only 13.9 percent felt the situation had worsened under the caretaker government. However, 33.9 percent of minority respondents believed their security had declined.
The VOA survey found that while 66.1 percent of Muslim respondents believe that the interim government is providing more security to minorities than the Awami League government, 39.5 percent of respondents from religious minorities agree with this notion as well.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/voa-survey-64pc-think-minorities-more-protected-now-3764921
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Attack on Protests: Five Mohila AL leaders arrested in capital
Nov 30, 2024
Five Mohila Awami League leaders were arrested on Thursday in connection with an attack on anti-discrimination student protests in Dhaka's Pallabi.
Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of DMP, confirmed the information.
The arrestees are Babli Begum, 43, a leader of the Pallabi Thana Ward-6 unit of Mohila Awami League; Sabina Yasmin Juthi, 38, general secretary of the same unit; Rita Akhter, 40, organizational secretary; Nazma Akhter Sathi, 30, vice-president; and Khadija Begum, 34, assistant organisational secretary.
According to Pallabi police, the incident occurred on August 4, 2024, near Mirpur-10's Popular-2 Diagnostic Center.
Victim Md Abid, joining a protest demanding the government's resignation, was severely injured when Awami League activists attacked the demonstrators using firearms and other weapons.
Abid was shot in his right eye and later treated at the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital.
Following a complaint by Abid's brother, Zinnat Sayeedi, a case was filed on November 12.
Police used CCTV footage to identify and arrest the suspects, and sent them to court.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/attack-protests-five-mohila-al-leaders-arrested-capital-3764981
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Acting Commerce Minister Urges Traders in Turkey to Return Country
2024-11-30
KABUL (BNA): The Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, in a meeting with Afghan traders residing in Turkey, invited them to return to Afghanistan and invest in the country.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, the Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, during his visit to Turkey, met with Afghan traders residing there in the presence of Afghanistan’s Consul General.
In the meeting, Azizi provided information on investment opportunities in Afghanistan and the nationwide security situation, urging them to return to Afghanistan and invest in its development.
The Acting Minister also asked Afghans residing in Turkey to share their issues and challenges with him through the Consulate General of the Islamic Emirate in Turkey.
During the meeting, some traders committed to transferring their capital to Afghanistan, while others expressed their readiness to return to the country.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/acting-commerce-minister-urges-traders-in-turkey-to-return-country/
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Afghanistan Ambassador Requests Support for Nationals in Meeting with UAE President
2024-11-30
KABUL(BNA): Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Mawlawi Badruddin Haqqani, met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, discussions focused on Afghanistan’s general situation, recent developments, and emerging opportunities.
During the meeting, Ambassador Haqqani requested the facilitation of visas for Afghans, the transfer of Afghan prisoners back to Afghanistan, and assistance in resolving challenges faced by Afghan residents in the UAE.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan assured cooperation on these matters and emphasized Afghanistan as a brotherly nation, reaffirming the UAE’s commitment to deep and ongoing collaboration.
Notably, Ambassador Haqqani had presented his credentials to the UAE President during an official ceremony on November 8, 2024.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/afghanistan-ambassador-requests-support-for-nationals-in-meeting-with-uae-president/
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Pakistan
'Protesters deaths': PTI vows to register FIR against top officials including PM
By Web Desk
November 29, 2024
Accusing the incumbent government of "concealing the facts" regarding the late-night crackdown against the protesters, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has vowed to lodge first information reports (FIRs) against the government’s hip-ups, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, over "party workers deaths".
"FIRs will be registered against PM Shehbaz, Interior Minister [Mohsin Naqvi] and Information Minister [Attaullah Tarar]," PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said while addressing a press conference in Peshawar.
The development comes as nearly 1,000 PTI workers, as per the party's claim, were arrested by the law enforcers in the late-night crackdown against the crowd that had gathered in Islamabad's D-Chowk as part of their "do-or-die" protest to secure party founder Imran Khan's release who remains incarcerated for more than a year.
The Imran Khan-founded party has claimed that hundreds of protesters were shot resulting in casualties ranging from anywhere from eight to 40.
However, the government has categorically denied direct firing and has ruled out any fatalities during the action to disperse the PTI marchers.
Slamming the government for "denying the facts", Akram — in today’s presser — said that they have video evidence, of how many bullets were fired. "At least 12 people were killed on the spot and the bodies were not handed over to the relatives," he claimed.
He alleged that the incumbent rulers pressurised Polyclinic Hospital in Islamabad and concealed its lists, which he claimed contained details of killed and injured protesters. "Many of our missing workers and supporters in their [police] possession."
Furthermore, the spokesperson said that PTI’s legal teams were assisting the arrested protesters, adding that they were not "terrorists but peaceful protesters".
Akram also criticised the Punjab government’s actions, alleging that the authorities barged into every provincial MNA’s residence and vandalised it.
In response to a question, he said that the imposition of governor rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be the "worst of stupidities".
He further lambasted the authorities for passing a resolution regarding a ban on the PTI in the Balochistan Assembly, saying that they will table a resolution in the KP assembly seeking a ban on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Responding to a question, Akram said that KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur honoured the prestige of Pashtuns by saving Bushra Bibi, the wife of Imran Khan, from arrest.
Gandapur for speedy completion of missing, deceased workers' lists
Meanwhile, KP CM Gandapur had called for prioritisation of expedited completion of the list of PTI workers who are missing or have died during the party's latest Islamabad protest.
"Our priority should be to finalise the lists of party workers who were killed, arrested or still missing after the law enforcement agencies' crackdown on our peaceful sit-in in the federal capital," said the provincial chief executive while speaking in a meeting attended by party leaders.
"Once these lists are completed, we will distribute compensation of Rs10 million each to the families of the deceased, and legal proceedings will begin to secure the release of arrested party workers and office-bearers."
He added that the PTI's legal team had been tasked with preparing necessary formalities to lodge a first information report (FIR) against law enforcement agencies for allegedly directly targeting peaceful workers and party leaders during the crackdown.
Gandapur, who had already announced that the ongoing protest would continue until Khan was released but called it off, assured attendees that party workers would not be abandoned at this critical time.
"Our party workers are assets who have stood firm against unprecedented persecution to secure their leader Khan's freedom. We will never leave them alone during this difficult period," he reiterated.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1256352-protesters-deaths-pti-vows-to-register-fir-against-top-officials-including-pm
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PM Shehbaz green-lights legal action against Bushra, Gandapur
Syed Irfan Raza
November 30, 2024
• PM’s aide says govt ‘seriously considering’ imposing Governor’s Rule in KP, but PPP has reservations
• PTI termed party of ‘anarchists and saboteurs’
• Task force set up to identify those behind violent protests
ISLAMABAD: Describing the PTI as a party of ‘anarchists and saboteurs’, the government on Friday decided to tighten the noose around the opposition party and further strengthen institutions to prevent ‘anti-state protests’ in the future.
It was decided that cases would be registered against Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who were leading the PTI’s march that started from Peshawar and ended in Islamabad after violent demonstrations that left several people dead, including four security personnel.
The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, federal ministers, Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir and senior security officials.
Friday’s was the third huddle in as many days held on the law and order situation against the backdrop of PTI’s march on Islamabad aimed at forcing the government to release ex-PM Imran Khan.
Significant decisions were taken at the meeting, including registration of cases against PTI leaders and workers who were allegedly responsible for the killing of security personnel and attack on the federal capital when Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko was on an official visit to the country, a source, who attended the meeting, told Dawn.
The prime minister formed a task force headed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The task force will identify the people who were involved in the violent protest. Other members of the force are: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and officials of security departments.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif established a task force under the chairmanship of Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi to identify the people involved in spreading chaos and violence in Islamabad earlier this week and take strict action against them,” said an official press release issued by the Prime Minister Office.
The premier also decided to set up a Federal Riot-Control Force to prevent future attempts to spread chaos and violence in the country.
The force will be provided with professional training and necessary equipment, on the lines of international standards.
The meeting also decided to set up the Federal Forensic Lab in which modern technology will be used to investigate and collect evidence of such incidents.
It was also decided to modernise the Islamabad Safe City project besides strengthening the federal prosecution service. It has been learnt that the quality of the project is so pathetic that its cameras cannot recognise people, especially at night and those travelling in vehicles.
PPP opposition to Governor’s Rule
Separately, a senior government functionary confirmed that the federal government was actively considering the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but wanted to take the PPP onboard, as the government-allied party had reservations over the move.
The debate over Governor’s Rule was sparked by a ‘surge in terrorism’ in the province, as well as the PTI-led provincial government’s persistent ‘invasions’ of the federal capital.
Calling it a party of miscreants that had tried to mar the stability of Pakistan by creating chaos at the time of many international visits and agreements, PM Shehbaz said that a handful of disruptors did not represent the honourable and respectful Pakhtun community.
The PPP, one of the main allies of the ruling PML-N, does not seem prepared to go ahead with the move.
Their buy-in is important as it is a PPP man, Faisal Karim Kundi, who currently serves as the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In a recent presser, Governor Kundi had asked for convening a multi-party conference (MPC) on the situation in the province, which would also decide whether Governor’s Rule should be imposed, or not.
“In the last federal cabinet meeting (that held on Nov 26) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took a sense of the cabinet regarding governor rule and sought opinions from all its members. Most of them were of the view that governor rules should be imposed in KP at once,” PM Adviser Barrister Aqeel Malik, the PM’s aide on legal affairs, told Dawn on Thursday.
He said that although the federal government was seriously considering the idea, the PPP was not in favour of it, adding that the move was not possible without the ally’s support.
According to Barrister Aqeel, before starting the process of imposition of Governor’s Rule, a resolution had to be passed, either by the provincial or National Assembly.
“The law and order situation [is fragile] in Parachinar and Kurram Agency, as well as other pockets due to a rise in terrorism, but the KP chief minister is paying no heed,” he added.
Speaking to DawnNewsTV’s Nadir Guramani, he said that the “imposition of governor rule is very much on the cards” as a short-term measure, as it could not go beyond six months, but could be extended for two months.
“If the resolution is not passed by the provincial assembly, President Asif Ali Zardari, on the advice of the prime minister, can impose Governor’s Rule in KP and its proclamation can be sought through joint session of the parliament,” he clarified.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1875659/pm-shehbaz-green-lights-legal-action-against-bushra-gandapur
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Peace eludes Kurram as 7 more killed in clashes
November 30, 2024
KURRAM: The death toll in days-long clashes in Kurram has reached almost 100 as even a ceasefire agreement failed to stop hostilities between warring sides.
Officials told Dawn that seven more people lost their lives in clashes on Friday, taking the death toll to 97.
The clashes continued between warring tribes belonging to the Bagan, Talo Kunj, Badshah Kot, Irfani Kilay Jalamy and Chadrewal areas.
According to officials, Ishaq Hussain, a close associate of a top commander of a militant organisation, was killed in the clashes.
A day ago, 12 persons were killed and 18 others injured as intermittent firing continued in upper and lower parts of the district, officials said.
On the other hand, a jirga tasked with mediating the peace process was yet to visit the district. The Kurram deputy commissioner said the visit would soon take place.
Armed clashes started in the district last week when a convoy of passenger vehicles came under attack in Lower Kurram, killing more than 40 people.
Life has since come to a standstill in the district. The volatile situation has also resulted in a shortage of essential items and medicines in the district.
Schools were still closed across the district, which has also been without cellular service since clashes ensued last week.
On Tuesday, the warring sides in Kurram had agreed to extend the week-long tenuous ceasefire, ending on Nov 30, for another 10 days despite sporadic incidents of violence.
Following talks held by a jirga in the Alizai area, the Kurram deputy commissioner, Javedullah Mehsud, announced the ceasefire extension for another 10 days.
Under the agreement, both sides were supposed to vacate the trenches on Thursday, which will be taken over by army and paramilitary forces. During
the ceasefire period, the two sides would exchange bodies and hostages.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1875654/peace-eludes-kurram-as-7-more-killed-in-clashes
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FO dismisses foreign criticism of law enforcers’ crackdown on PTI protests
Baqir Sajjad Syed
November 30, 2024
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Friday dismissed international criticism of the crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protests as ill-informed, but refrained from directly addressing comments by the European Union’s envoy regarding the arrest of journalist Matiullah Jan and the charges against him.
“We have seen some external commentary on recent developments in Pakistan. We believe that much of this commentary is based on an inaccurate and incomplete understanding of the situation,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during the weekly media briefing in response to journalists’ questions.
Security forces, on the night of November 26, quelled PTI protest in the federal capital’s centre, allegedly using excessive force. The PTI claimed that several of its workers were killed during the operation.
Initially, ministers denied any fatalities, but Rana Sanaullah, an adviser to the prime minister, later confirmed in a television interview that five protesters had died.
Amnesty International has since called for a “prompt, thorough, impartial, effective, and transparent” investigation into the deaths, injuries, and alleged unlawful use of force by security personnel. These incidents have also intensified criticism of Pakistan’s political and human rights record, particularly among US lawmakers.
In response to the international concern, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, speaking to foreign media in Islamabad on Thursday, defended the crackdown, asserting, “a procession of armed men engaging in violence couldn’t have been welcomed with a red carpet”.
Domestically, there has been little media scrutiny of PTI’s claims about lethal force and the deaths of its workers.
Matiullah Jan, a journalist investigating these claims, was detained by security personnel on Tuesday night from a city hospital. He was later formally arrested and charged with possessing narcotics and committing terrorism.
Jan’s arrest sparked widespread outrage within Pakistan and abroad, with political leaders, human rights activists, and organisations denouncing the charges as baseless.
In a rare move, EU envoy Riina Kionka weighed in on the issue, citing Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to “seek, receive, and share information and ideas through any media.” She tweeted, “Where is @Matiullahjan919?”
Interestingly, Kionka also referenced the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), a trade incentive programme that grants Pakistan preferential access to EU markets. Pakistan, the largest beneficiary of GSP+, exported goods worth over nine billion euros to the EU under the scheme. To maintain this status, Pakistan is required to implement 27 international conventions, including those related to human rights.
The programme was renewed in 2023 for another four years. However, the fourth biennial review, held last year, raised concerns about the shrinking space for freedom of expression and reported a disturbing trend of violence, disappearances, and curbs on journalists, political activists, and human rights defenders.
The spokesperson, who had a few weeks back sharply reacted to Chinese envoy’s concerns about the security of Chinese citizens, avoided directly responding to Kionka’s comments. Instead, Baloch suggested that the Ministry of Information would be better suited to address Mr Jan’s arrest.
On a separate note, Baloch commented on the arrest of Afghan nationals allegedly involved in the PTI protest, stating: “The participation of foreign nationals in any political activity in Pakistan is unacceptable. We expect all foreigners in Pakistan to respect local laws and customs”. The government claims to have detained 37 Afghan nationals in connection with the protest.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1875651/fo-dismisses-foreign-criticism-of-law-enforcers-crackdown-on-pti-protests
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PPP opposes resolution in Punjab Assembly calling for ban on PTI
Amjad Mahmood
November 30, 2024
LAHORE: The PPP, an ally of the ruling PML-N, has opposed the idea of proscribing the PTI and has instead urged the government to take steps for mainstreaming the opposition party after a resolution was submitted with the Punjab Assembly seeking a ban on the PTI.
“We are not in favour of banning the PTI or sidelining it. Rather, the government should take the initiative to bring the PTI into the national mainstream,” Punjab PPP general secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza said.
“There has been no discussion with us regarding proscribing the PTI. When they (the government) contact us, we will take a decision considering the entire context,” he told a press conference here on Friday.
The government must engage the PTI through a fresh dialogue offer instead of going for any negative tactics, he added.
The PTI, with all-out support from its government in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has repeatedly marched on Islamabad. At least five officials of security forces were killed and scores of others injured in the recent episode that ended after an operation clean-up by the law enforcers during the night between Nov 26 and 27.
While the federal government mulled the option of imposing Governor’s Rule in KP the other day, the Balochistan Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday calling for banning the PTI.
The motion, accusing the party of fanning unrest and targeting state institutions, like May 9, 2023 riots, was tabled by the PML-N parliamentary leader in the house Saleem Khan Khoso. It was also signed by PPP parliamentary leader Mir Sadiq Umrani and backed by other allies, including ANP.
A similar resolution has been submitted with the Punjab Assembly by PML-N MPA, Uzma Kardar.
The resolution chided the PTI for nationwide riots on May 9 and again committing acts of violence in Islamabad this week.
It said that the KP chief minister, laced with state machinery and other resources, marched on the federal capital twice in violation of the Islamabad High Court orders, disallowing the protest, which caused financial damage worth Rs190 billion on a daily basis to the country.
The resolution said that the ‘fitna’ party created chaos each time some international event was happening in the country, including visit of Chinese President Xi, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit and visit of Belarus president, to block direct foreign investment here.
It called for immediately banning the PTI by the federal government to save the country from further damage.
Mr Murtaza said that while the situation was not ideal in Islamabad, it was necessary to rid the nation of discord. He criticised Ali Amin Gandapur for storming Islamabad with the former first lady instead of addressing the sufferings of people in Kurram Agency and Parachinar, where dozens of people have been killed in clashes between two groups.
He said that Bushra Bibi’s control of the party during the so-called protest march depicted dynasty politics in PTI.
Meanwhile, former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has called for initiation of a political dialogue.
In a statement, he said banning a political party was also no solution as it emerges with a different name.
“We should learn from history. NAP and the Communist Party of Pakistan were banned but to what effect?” he asked.
Source: dawn.com
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Mideast
Israelis are wary of returning to the north because they don’t trust the ceasefire with Hezbollah
November 29, 2024
KIBBUTZ MALKIYA, Israel: Dean Sweetland casts his gaze over a forlorn street in the Israeli community of Kibbutz Malkiya. Perched on a hill overlooking the border with Lebanon, the town stands mostly empty after being abandoned a year ago.
The daycare is closed. The homes are unkempt. Parts of the landscape are ashen from fires sparked by fallen Hezbollah rockets. Even after a tenuous Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire designed to let Israelis return to the north, the mood here is far from celebratory.
“The ceasefire is rubbish,” said Sweetland, a gardener and member of the kibbutz’s civilian security squad. “Do you expect me to ring around my friends and say, ‘All the families should come home?’ No.”
Across the border, Lebanese civilians have jammed roads in a rush to return to homes in the country’s south, but most residents of northern Israel have met the ceasefire with suspicion and apprehension.
“Hezbollah could still come back to the border, and who will protect us when they do?” Sweetland asked.
Israel’s government seeks to bring the northern reaches of the country back to life, particularly the line of communities directly abutting Lebanon that have played a major role in staking out Israel’s border.
But the fear of Hezbollah, a lack of trust in United Nations peacekeeping forces charged with upholding the ceasefire, deep anger at the government and some Israelis’ desire to keep rebuilding their lives elsewhere are keeping many from returning immediately.
When the truce took effect, about 45,000 Israelis had evacuated from the north. They fled their homes after Hezbollah began firing across the border on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with its ally Hamas in Gaza. That triggered more than a year of cross-border exchanges, with Lebanese villages in the south and Israeli communities facing the border taking the brunt of the pain.
During the truce’s initial 60-day phase, Hezbollah is supposed to remove its armed presence from a broad band of southern Lebanon where the military says the militant group had been digging in for years by gathering weapons and setting up rocket launch sites and other infrastructure. Under the ceasefire, a UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL and a beefed-up Lebanese army presence are supposed to ensure Hezbollah doesn’t return.
Many residents of northern Israel are skeptical that the peace will hold.
Sarah Gould, who evacuated Kibbutz Malkiya at the start of the war with her three kids, said Hezbollah fired on the community up to and just past the minute when the ceasefire took effect early Wednesday.
“So for the government to tell me that Hezbollah is neutralized,” she said, “it’s a perfect lie.”
Residents fear for their safety in the far north
In Gaza, where Israel is pushing forward with a war that has killed over 44,000 Palestinians, Israel’s goal is the eradication of Hamas. But in Lebanon, Israel’s aims were limited to pushing Hezbollah away from the border so northern residents could return home.
Israeli critics say the government should have kept fighting to outright cripple Hezbollah or to clear out the border area, which is home to hundreds of thousands of Lebanese.
“I won’t even begin to consider going home until I know there’s a dead zone for kilometers across the border,” the 46-year-old Gould said.
Some wary Israelis trickled back home Thursday and Friday to areas farther from the border. But communities like Kibbutz Manara, set on a tiny slice of land between Lebanon and Syria, remained ghost towns.
Orna Weinberg, 58, who was born and raised in Manara, said it was too early to tell whether the ceasefire would protect the community.
Perched above all the other border villages, Manara was uniquely vulnerable to Hezbollah fire throughout the war. Three-quarters of its structures were damaged.
In the kibbutz’s communal kitchen and dining hall, ceiling beams have collapsed. The uprooted floorboards are covered with ash from fires that also claimed much of the kibbutz’s cropland.
Rocket fragments abound. The torso of a mannequin, a decoy dressed in army green, lies on the ground.
Weinberg tried to stay in Manara during the war, but after anti-tank shrapnel damaged her home, soldiers told her to leave. On Thursday, she walked along her street, which looks out directly over a UNIFIL position separating the kibbutz from a line of Lebanese villages that have been decimated by Israeli bombardment and demolitions.
Weinberg said UNIFIL hadn’t prevented Hezbollah’s build-up in the past, “so why would they be able to now?”
“A ceasefire here just gives Hezbollah a chance to rebuild their power and come back to places that they were driven out of,” she said.
The truce seemed fragile.
Associated Press reporters heard sporadic bursts of gunfire, likely Israeli troops firing at Lebanese attempting to enter the towns. Israel’s military says it is temporarily preventing Lebanese civilians from returning home to a line of towns closest to the border, until the Lebanese military can deploy there in force.
Even in less battered communities, no one returns home
Though the atmosphere along the border was tense, Malkiya showed signs of peace. With Hezbollah’s rockets stopped, some residents returned briefly to the kibbutz to peer around cautiously.
At a vista overlooking the border, where the hulking wreckage of Lebanese villages could made out, a group of around 30 soldiers gathered. Just days ago, they would have made easy targets for Hezbollah fire.
Malkiya has sustained less damage than Manara. Still, residents said they would not return immediately. During a year of displacement, many have restarted their lives elsewhere, and the idea of going back to a front-line town on the border is daunting.
In Lebanon, where Israeli bombardment and ground assaults drove some 1.2 million people from their homes, some of the displaced crowded into schools-turned-shelters or slept in the streets.
In Israel, the government paid for hotels for evacuees and helped accommodate children in new schools. Gould predicted residents would return to the kibbutz only when government subsidies for their lodging dried up — “not because they want to, but because they feel like they can’t afford an alternative.”
“It’s not just a security issue,” Gould said. “We’ve spent more than a year rebuilding our lives wherever we landed. It’s a question of having to gather that up and move back somewhere else, somewhere that’s technically our old house but not a home. Nothing feels the same.”
It’s unclear if schools in the border communities will have enough students to reopen, Gould said, and her children are already enrolled elsewhere. She’s enjoyed living farther from the border, away from an open war zone.
There’s also a deep feeling that the communities were abandoned by the government, Sweetland said.
Sweetland is one of roughly 25 civilian security volunteers who stayed throughout the war, braving continual rocket fire to keep the kibbutz afloat. They repaired damaged homes, put out blazes and helped replace the kibbutz generator when it was taken out by Hezbollah fire. They were on their own, with no firefighters or police willing to risk coming, he said.
“We didn’t have any help for months and months and months, and we pleaded, ‘Please help us.’”
Sweetland said he will keep watching over the hushed pathways of the once-vibrant community in hopes his neighbors will soon feel safe enough to return. But he predicted it would take months.
Weinberg hopes to move back to Manara as soon as possible. On Thursday, she spotted a former neighbor who was about to leave after checking the damage to her home.
Weinberg grasped her hand through the car window, asking how she was. The woman grimaced and began to cry. Their hands parted as the car slowly rolled out through the gates and drove away.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israeli Settlement Plan to Turn Ibrahimi Mosque into National Heritage Site
November 29, 2024
DayofPal– Israeli media has unveiled a controversial new settlement plan that threatens the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, West Bank, aiming to drastically alter the mosque’s status.
Supported by Israeli ministers and Knesset members, the proposal emerges amid the ongoing atrocities in Gaza and at a time when global attention is fixed on the results of the US elections, further intensifying the already volatile situation.
The Hebrew news outlet Zman Israel has revealed that the plan will reframe the Ibrahimi Mosque as a settler “national heritage site.” This would involve the appropriation of the mosque, transforming it into a space resembling the Buraq Wall Plaza in Jerusalem.
The initiative has gained support from prominent US figures, including officials linked to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
The head of the Kiryat Arba settlement council near Hebron said ministers in Netanyahu’s government promised major changes for settlers. These include allowing the expanded rituals time inside the mosque for settlers.
He criticized existing arrangements imposed after the 1994 massacre at the site, which divided the mosque between Muslims and settlers. “How can Arabs pray inside while we stand outside under the open sky?” he asked.
Thousands of settlers gathered inside the mosque last Saturday for celebrations attended by Israeli ministers. Far-right figures like Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, and Orit Strock were also present. Discussions during the event focused on altering the mosque’s current status.
Likud Knesset member Avihai Boaron called Trump’s election a “golden opportunity” to seize the mosque from Islamic authorities. He advocated for turning the site into a modern prayer facility to address “overcrowding issues.”
Another Knesset member, Tzvi Sukkot, said settlers currently use 35% of the mosque’s space for prayers, saying this as unacceptable and vowed to expand their access to the entire Muslim site throughout the day.
Zman Israel warned that these politically charged moves could ignite severe tensions between Muslims and Jews as the Ibrahimi Mosque is among the most sensitive religious sites in the region.
The plan, backed by Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich, aligns with a broader push for annexing the West Bank by 2025, and the mosque would serve as a central focus in this initiative.
Source: daysofpalestine.ps
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As Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo, army closes airport and roads, sources say
November 30, 2024
AMMAN: Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city on Saturday, three military sources told Reuters, as rebels opposed to President Bashar Assad said they had reached the heart of Aleppo.
The opposition fighters, led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, carried out a surprise sweep through government-held towns this week and reached Aleppo nearly a decade after having been forced out by Assad and his allies.
Russia, one of Assad’s key allies, has promised Damascus extra military aid to thwart the rebels, two military sources said, adding new hardware would start arriving in the next 72 hours.
The Syrian army has been told to follow “safe withdrawal” orders from the main areas of the city that the rebels have entered, three army sources said.
The rebels began their incursion on Wednesday and by late Friday an operations room representing the offensive said they were sweeping through various neighborhoods of Aleppo.
They are returning to the city for the first time since 2016, when Assad and his allies Russia, Iran, and regional Shiite militias retook it, with the insurgents agreeing to withdraw after months of bombardment and siege.
Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish Al-Izza rebel brigade, said their speedy advance this week had been helped by a lack of Iran-backed manpower in the broader Aleppo province. Iran’s allies in the region have suffered a series of blows at the hands of Israel as the Gaza war has expanded through the Middle East.
The opposition fighters have said the campaign was in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air force on areas in rebel-held Idlib, and to preempt any attacks by the Syrian army.
Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkiye, which supports the rebels, had given a green light to the offensive.
But Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on Friday that Turkiye sought to avoid greater instability in the region and had warned recent attacks undermined de-escalation agreements.
The attack is the biggest since March 2020, when Russia and Turkiye agreed to a deal to de-escalate the conflict.
CIVILIANS KILLED IN FIGHTING
On Friday, Syrian state television denied rebels had reached the city and said Russia was providing Syria’s military with air support.
The Syrian military said it was fighting back against the attack and had inflicted heavy losses on the insurgents in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib.
David Carden, UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, said: “We’re deeply alarmed by the situation unfolding in northwest Syria.”
“Relentless attacks over the past three days have claimed the lives of at least 27 civilians, including children as young as 8 years old.”
Syrian state news agency SANA said four civilians including two students were killed on Friday in Aleppo by insurgent shelling of university student dormitories. It was not clear if they were among the 27 dead reported by the UN official.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow regarded the rebel attack as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty.
“We are in favor of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible,” he said.
Source: arabnews.com
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Iraq tries to stem influx of illegal foreign workers
November 29, 2024
KARBALA: Rami, a Syrian worker in Iraq, spends his 16-hour shifts at a restaurant fearing arrest as authorities crack down on undocumented migrants in the country better known for its own exodus.
He is one of hundreds of thousands of foreigners working without permits in Iraq, which, after emerging from decades of conflict, has become an unexpected destination for many seeking opportunities.
“I’ve been able to avoid the security forces and checkpoints,” said the 27-year-old, who has lived in Iraq for seven years and asked that AFP use a pseudonym to protect his identity.
Between 10 in the morning and 2 a.m. the next day, he toils at a shawarma shop in the holy city of Karbala, where millions of pilgrims congregate every year.
“My greatest fear is to be expelled back to Syria, where I’d have to do military service,” he said.
The Labor Ministry says the influx is mainly from Syria, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, also citing 40,000 registered immigrant workers.
Now, the authorities are trying to regulate the number of foreign workers as the country seeks to diversify from the currently dominant hydrocarbons sector.
Many, like Rami, work in the service industry in Iraq.
One Baghdad restaurant owner admitted that he has to play cat and mouse with the authorities during inspections, asking some employees to make themselves scarce.
He said that not all those who work for him are registered because of the costly fees involved.
Some of the undocumented workers in Iraq first came as pilgrims. In July, Labour Minister Ahmed Assadi said his services investigated information that “50,000 Pakistani visitors” stayed on “to work illegally.”
Despite threats of expulsion because of the scale of the issue, the authorities, at the end of November, launched a scheme for “Syrian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani workers” to regularize their employment by applying online before Dec. 25.
The ministry says it will take legal action against anyone who brings in or employs undocumented foreign workers.
Rami has decided to play safe, even though “I want” to acquire legal employment status.
“But I’m afraid,” he said. “I’m waiting to see what my friends do, and then I’ll do the same.”
Current Iraqi law caps the number of foreign workers a company can employ at 50 percent, but the authorities now want to lower this to 30 percent.
“Today we only allow qualified workers for jobs requiring skills” that are not currently available, Labor Ministry spokesman Nijm Al-Aqabi said.
It’s a sensitive issue — for the past two decades, even a foreign workforce has dominated the robust oil sector. But now the authorities are seeking to favor Iraqis.
“There are large companies contracted to the government” which have been asked to limit “foreign worker numbers to 30 percent,” said Aqabi.
“This is in the interests of the domestic labor market,” he said, as 1.6 million Iraqis are unemployed.
He recognized that each household has the right to employ a foreign domestic worker, claiming this was work Iraqis did not want to do.
One agency launched in 2021 that brings in domestic workers from Niger, Ghana, and Ethiopia confirms the high demand.
“Before, we used to bring in 40 women, but now it’s around 100” a year, said an employee at the agency.
The employee said it was a trend picked up from rich countries in the Gulf.
“The situation in Iraq is getting better, and with higher salaries, Iraqi homeowners are looking for comfort.”
A domestic worker earns about $230 a month, but the authorities have quintupled the registration fee, with a work permit now costing more than $800.
In the summer, Human Rights Watch denounced what it called a campaign of arbitrary arrests and expulsions targeting Syrians, even those with the necessary paperwork.
HRW said that raids targeted both homes and workplaces.
Ahmed — another pseudonym — is a 31-year-old Syrian who has been undocumented in Iraq for the past year and a half.
He began as a cook in Baghdad and later moved to Karbala.
“Life is hard here — we don’t have any rights,” he said
“We come in illegally, and the security forces are after us.”
His wife did not accompany him. She stayed in Syria.
“I’d go back if I could,” said Ahmed. “But life there is very difficult. There’s no work.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Hezbollah pledges to help army build Lebanon’s defensive capacities
November 29, 2024
BEIRUT: Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Friday vowed to cooperate with the Lebanese army and help build the country’s defense capacities amid efforts to implement the terms of a ceasefire with Israel.
Qassem was speaking for the first time since the start of the ceasefire on Wednesday that envisions both Hezbollah and the Israeli military withdrawing from south Lebanon and the Lebanese military deploying there alongside UN peacekeepers.
“We will work to... strengthen Lebanon’s defensive capacities,” said Qassem, who succeeded Hezbollah’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah after he was killed in a massive Israeli air strike on south Beirut in September.
“The resistance will be ready to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of Lebanon’s weakness along with our partners... first and foremost the army,” he added in a televised speech.
“The coordination between the resistance and the Lebanese army will be at a high level to implement the commitments of the agreement,” Qassem continued, adding that “no one is betting on problems or disagreements” with the army.
Qassem also declared that his group had achieved a “great victory” against Israel that “surpasses that of July 2006,” referring to the last time Hezbollah went to war with Israel.
“We won because we prevented the enemy from destroying Hezbollah... (and) from annihilating or weakening the resistance.”
Qassem vowed that “our support for Palestine will not stop and will continue through different means.”
The truce ended a conflict that began the day after Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, when Hezbollah began a low-intensity exchange of cross-border fire in solidarity with their Palestinian allies.
In late September, Israel intensified its campaign against Hezbollah, launching fierce air strikes and later sending in ground troops.
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 3,961 people have been killed in the country since October 2023 as a result of the conflict, most of them in recent weeks, while 16,520 were wounded.
On the Israeli side, the hostilities with Hezbollah killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities there say.
Earlier Friday, the Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon after detecting militant activity in the area.
“A short while ago, terrorist activity and movement of a Hezbollah portable rocket launcher were identified in southern Lebanon,” the army said.
“The threat was thwarted in an (Israeli Air Force) strike,” it added in a statement that featured a video of the air strike on a slowly moving truck.
Israel has vowed to continue acting against any threats even after the ceasefire.
The military also announced a nighttime curfew in south Lebanon for the third day in a row, warning residents they are “strictly forbidden to move or travel south of the Litani River” between 5:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Friday and 07:00 AM (0500 GMT) the following day.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israeli troops will hold their positions but “a 60-day period will commence in which the Lebanese military and security forces will begin their deployment toward the south,” a US official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
Then, Israel should begin a phased withdrawal without a vacuum forming that Hezbollah or others could rush into, the official said.
Source: arabnews.com
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The diplomatic push that took Lebanon from Armageddon to ceasefire
November 29, 2024
PARIS/WASHINGTON/BEIRUT: The ceasefire deal that ended a relentless barrage of Israeli airstrikes and led Lebanon into a shaky peace took shape over weeks of talks and was uncertain until the final hours.
US envoy Amos Hochstein shuttled repeatedly to Beirut and Jerusalem despite the ructions of an election at home to secure a deal that required help from France — and that was nearly derailed by international arrest warrants for Israel’s leaders.
Israel had signalled last month that it had achieved its main war goals in Lebanon by dealing Iran-backed Hezbollah a series of stunning blows, but an agreed truce remained some way off.
A football match, intense shuttle diplomacy and pressure from the United States all helped get it over the line on Tuesday night, officials and diplomats said.
Longstanding enemies, Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting for 14 months since the Lebanese group began firing rockets at Israeli military targets in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Escalations over the summer drew in Hezbollah’s main patron Iran and threatened a regional conflagration, as Israel refocused its military from the urban ruins of Gaza to the rugged border hills of Lebanon.
Israel stepped up its campaign suddenly in September with its pager attack and targeted airstrikes that killed Hezbollah’s leader and many in its command structure. Tanks crossed the border late on Sept. 30.
With swathes of southern Lebanon in ruins, more than a million Lebanese driven from their homes and Hezbollah under pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated in October there was “a window” for a deal, a senior US administration official said.
Although some in Israel sought a more comprehensive victory and an uninhabited buffer zone in Lebanon, the country was strained by a two-front war that had required many people to leave their jobs to fight as reservists.
DIPLOMACY
“You sometimes get a sense when things get into the final lane, where the parties are not only close, but that the will is there and the desire is there and the stars are aligned,” the senior US administration official said in a briefing.
Officials of the governments of Israel, Lebanon, France and the US who described to Reuters how the agreement came together declined to be identified for this story, citing the sensitivity of the matter.
Hezbollah did not immediately respond to a request for comment about how the deal was negotiated.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah was still fighting but under intense pressure, and newly open to a ceasefire that was not dependent on a truce in Gaza — in effect dropping a demand it had made early in the war.
The Shiite group had in early October endorsed Lebanon’s veteran Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, its longtime ally, to lead negotiations.
With Hochstein shuttling between the countries, meeting Israeli negotiators under Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and reporting back daily to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, France was also in the picture.
Paris had been working with Hochstein on a failed attempt for a truce in September and was still working in parallel to the US
Lebanese officials had made it clear to the US that Lebanon had little trust in either Washington or Netanyahu, two European diplomats said.
France had been increasingly critical of Israel’s military campaigns, and Lebanese officials regarded it as a counterweight in talks to the US, the Western diplomat said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited the region in early November at Israel’s request despite tensions between the countries.
He held long talks with Dermer on the mechanics of a ceasefire with a phased approach to redeployments, with the two delegations poring over maps, two sources aware of the matter said.
As things worsened for Lebanon, there was frustration at the pace of talks. “(Hochstein) told us he needed 10 days to get to a ceasefire but the Israelis dragged it out to a month to finish up military operations,” a Lebanese official said.
VIOLATIONS
The deal was to be based on better implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Both sides complained of repeated violations of that deal and wanted reassurances.
The main sticking point was Israel’s insistence on a free hand to strike if Hezbollah violated 1701. That was not acceptable to Lebanon.
Eventually Israel and the US agreed a side-deal — verbal assurances according to a Western diplomat — that Israel would be able to respond to threats.
“The two sides keep their right to defend themselves, but we want to do everything to avoid them exercising that right,” a European diplomat said.
Israel was also worried about Hezbollah weapons supplies through Syria. It sent messages to Syrian President Bashar Assad via intermediaries to prevent this, three diplomatic sources said.
It reinforced the message by ramping up air strikes in Syria, including near Russian forces in Latakia province where there is a major port, the three sources said.
“Israel can almost dictate the terms. Hezbollah is massively weakened. Hezbollah wants and needs a ceasefire more than Israel does. This is finishing not due to American diplomacy but because Israel feels it has done what it needs to do,” said a senior Western diplomat.
OBSTACLES The talks intensified as the Nov. 5 US presidential election loomed and reached a turning point after Donald Trump won the vote.
US mediators briefed the Trump team, telling them the deal was good for Israel, good for Lebanon and good for US national security, the senior US administration official said.
A potential new flashpoint endangering the critical role of Paris in the negotiations emerged as an Israeli soccer team traveled to France after violence had engulfed Israeli fans in Amsterdam.
However, with French authorities averting trouble, French President Emmanuel Macron sat next to the Israeli ambassador in the stadium. “The match was so boring that the two spent an hour talking about how to calm tensions between the two allies and move forward,” the source aware of the matter said.
At this key moment the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant.
Netanyahu threatened to cut France out of any deal if Paris abided by its Rome Statute obligation to arrest him if he went there, three sources said. That could in turn torpedo Lebanese agreement to the truce.
US President Joe Biden phoned Macron, who in turn phoned Netanyahu before Biden and Macron spoke again, the US official said. The Elysee eventually settled on a statement accepting the ICC’s authority but shying away from threats of an arrest.
Over the weekend US officials then ramped up pressure on Israel, with Hochstein warning that if a deal was not agreed within days, he would pull the plug on mediation, two Israeli officials said.
By Tuesday it all came together and on Wednesday the bombs stopped falling.
Source: arabnews.com
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Jihad & Popular Front bless shooting operation in settlement of "Ariel"
30 Nov 2024
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine blessed the qualitative operation carried out by the Qassam martyr Samer Mohammed Hussein near the settlement of "Ariel" established on the occupied lands of Salfit, which led to the injury of nine Zionist settlers.
The movement confirmed in a statement that the operation confirms the Palestinian people's continued adherence to the approach of resisting the occupation.
Source: saba.ye
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Africa
Muslim Rights Concern Warns GOTV To Stop Airing Christian Programme On Prime Channel
November 29, 2024
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a prominent Islamic human rights organization, has warned the international cable television network, GOTV, urging it to cease broadcasting the Christian televangelism programme Faith on its prime channel.
The complaint, which has garnered widespread attention, was made by MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, who labelled the move as “offensive, nauseating, and denigrating” to Nigerian Muslims.
According to the press release, the Faith programme, a Christian channel dedicated to televangelism, now occupies the first channel on GOTV, which was previously used to feature advertisements for other programs.
This shift, MURIC argues, forces GOTV viewers to watch Christian content by default when they turn on their television, regardless of their religious affiliation.
The organization asserts that the action represents an imposition of Christian religious content on the Muslim population, claiming it amounts to “religious apartheid.”
MURIC contends that GOTV’s decision to place Faith on such a prominent channel infringes on the rights of Muslim viewers, claiming it violates their freedom of choice and their right to navigate television programming without being subjected to unwanted religious content.
The group insists that the practice is divisive and unfair to Muslims in the country.
In response to the development, MURIC has demanded that GOTV immediately move the Faith programme to a different channel and return the first channel to its original use.
The group also warned that if the request is not met within a week (by December 9, 2024), they may initiate peaceful actions, including encouraging Muslims to unsubscribe from the service.
“Meanwhile, MURIC appeals to Nigerian Muslims to continue to exercise patience and to remain peaceful and calm. We must not give in to provocation, lawlessness and violence.
“The law is on our side and we have the right to reject a service provider that has no respect for our faith or for its Muslim customers.
“GOTV will also do better by returning to its original practice whereby the last station watched by consumers opens immediately they switch on their television sets.
“Nigerians are going through enough stress and GOTV has no right to escalate tension in the nation’s anatomy,” the statement concluded.
Source: politicsnigeria.com
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Nigerian Army Kill Boko Haram Commander In Yobe
29 November 2024
By Rachel Okporu Fadoju
A Boko Haram commander, Abu Shekau, has reportedly been killed during an attack on the Sabon Fagi community in Gujba LGA of Yobe state.
Naija News reports that a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, in a post via X, noted that the terrorists invaded the community on Friday.
According to the publication, troops of the Nigerian Army killed four Boko Haram fighters during the gun duel that ensued, stressing that some insurgents escaped with bullet wounds.
Makama added that the troops recovered several weapons from the insurgents.
The post read, “Troops of Sector 2, Operation Hadin Kai, in collaboration with local vigilantes, successfully repelled an attempted attack by Boko Haram terrorists on Sabon Fagi community in Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.
“Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack, which occurred at approximately 11:00 p.m., resulted in a fierce gun battle that left four insurgents dead, including a notorious Boko Haram commander identified as Abu Shekau.
“The troops recovered weapons from the insurgents after engaging them with superior firepower, forcing others to flee and securing a decisive victory for the security forces.
“Abu Shekau, a staunch loyalist and admirer of the late Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, was considered a significant figure within the terror group.
“Abu Shekau (Father of Shekau) had named his son after Abubakar Shekau as a mark of reverence for the group’s former ruthless leader.”
Source: naijanews.com
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Court Strikes Out Terrorism Charges Against 50 Suspected IPOB Members
29 November 2024
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has acquitted and released over 50 individuals accused of being members of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on charges related to terrorism.
In his ruling on Friday, Justice Omotosho determined that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) did not successfully present a case against the 50 defendants, which included four women.
The judge supported the defendants’ no-case submission, stating that the prosecution failed to provide any credible evidence linking the accused to the charges brought against them.
Naija News reports that as a result, the judge dismissed the three-count charge filed against the defendants.
It is worth noting that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, initiated the case against the 50 individuals.
The charges, dated January 10 and filed on February 9, claimed that on or around December 12, 2023, in Umunze Village, Uga Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra, the defendants were intercepted and arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Anambra State Command, led by Collins Eruogwu, along with a local vigilante group.
They were accused of gathering inside a 911 truck with registration number XA-139 BDN to discuss matters related to terrorism.
Additionally, it was claimed that they were found in possession of 48 black caps, 25 red caps, and six orange caps, all adorned with the IPOB emblem and infused with varying levels of charms, which they acknowledged possessed the spiritual ability to render them invisible during their illicit activities.
The police further asserted that their assembly aimed to foster unlawful actions intended to intimidate the residents of Anambra State, thereby constituting an offence that is both contrary to and punishable under Section 12 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2024/11/29/court-strikes-out-terrorism-charges-against-50-suspected-ipob-members/
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South Africa poised to take over the leadership of the G20 on Sunday
30 November 2024
South Africa is poised to take over the leadership of the G20 on Sunday.
This is the first time an African country is taking the presidency of a Group of 20 countries.
Johannesburg will be tasked to lead the group until the end of 2025 when the United States will take over the helm of G20 leadership.
The G20 group is targeting to address inclusive growth and climate change risks bumping up against the hard reality of trade wars and diplomatic tensions.
Leaders of the world's 20 major economies had gathered in November and made several declarations.
The document, which includes calls for a global pact to combat hunger, more aid for Gaza and the end of the war in Ukraine, was heavy on generalities and short on specifics.
The joint statement was endorsed by group members but fell short of complete unanimity. It also called for a future global tax on billionaires and reforms allowing the eventual expansion of the U.N. Security Council beyond its five permanent members.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2024/11/29/south-africa-poised-to-take-over-the-leadership-of-the-g20-on-sunday/
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Arab World
How researchers in Saudi Arabia are turning desalination waste into valuable resources
TAMARA ABOALSAUD
November 29, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has established itself as a global leader in the rapidly advancing water desalination market, doubling its production capacity, while developing new technology to repurpose the harmful byproduct of the process — brine.
While desalination is effective for achieving water sustainability, producing drinking water from sea water in arid regions, it leaves behind a highly concentrated saline fluid. If this brine is disposed of back into the sea without treatment, it poses a potential danger to marine ecosystems.
Simply put, brine is highly concentrated seawater that contains contaminants, including chemicals used during the desalination process.
“The chemicals should be all neutralized,” said Noreddine Ghaffour, a research professor at the Water Desalination and Reuse Center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
He told Arab News that “there is no reason to dump chemicals into the sea, because they are all negatively affecting marine life, including chlorine and antiscalants.”
Water desalination scientists in Saudi Arabia have developed technologies to neutralize chemicals in brine before discharge and to disperse salt over a radius of up to 2 km when reintroduced into the sea.
Ghaffour, who was granted Saudi citizenship for his work and expertise on desalination, said that researchers and industry experts believe the future of the process is in recovering minerals, while treating the brine and achieving zero liquid discharge.
While around 70 percent of Earth is covered in water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh, of which 1 percent is easily accessible, according to the National Geographic website.
Water desalination separates salt ions from sea water to make it safe for consumption. Salinity levels vary by body of water; for example, the Red Sea has 40 grams of salt per liter, while the Arabian Gulf’s salinity is 45 grams per liter.
The three main water desalination technologies employed in Saudi Arabia are: multi-stage flash distillation, a thermal process using evaporation and condensation; multiple-effect distillation, which uses electrical energy to break down water ions; and reverse osmosis, which separates water molecules through a semipermeable membrane.
All three technologies produce brine, but reverse osmosis plants generate lower quantities compared with the other two methods.
Reverse osmosis, according to Ghaffour, uses a method called membrane separation, where osmotic pressure is overcome by a semipermeable membrane that filters out salt ions, allowing only water molecules to pass through.
Ghaffour explained that although the semipermeable membrane effectively filters out about 99 percent of salts, some still manage to pass through, producing brine.
Moreover, osmotic pressure — the force applied to a solution to prevent a solvent from passing through a semipermeable membrane — requires a lot of electrical energy.
“Electricity is one of the most expensive energy forms… the main problem with (reverse osmosis) is that we do this under pressure,” the KAUST professor said.
He added: “The more salt, the higher the osmotic pressure. In order to pass only water molecules through the membrane, we need to apply a pressure which is higher than the osmotic pressure.
“And the osmotic pressure in Red Sea water, for instance, is 30 bar… so we need a pressure higher than 30 bar, which is a very high pressure.”
He also explained that “recovery” refers to “how much water we recover from the sea,” adding that “if the recovery is 50 percent, this means that salt contents are doubled.”
Ghaffour said selecting the correct location for a desalination plant is highly important. Authorities must choose sites with a reliable water intake that will not disrupt marine ecosystems or impact densely populated areas.
According to the UN Environment Programme, unless waste water is properly treated and dispersed, it may form a dense plume of toxic brine, which can degrade coastal and marine ecosystems.
Increased salinity and temperature can reduce dissolved oxygen levels and contribute to the formation of “dead zones” — areas where few marine species can survive.
Ghaffour said that while brine is bad for the environment, it has not caused significant global environmental harm. Over the past 30 to 40 years, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region have experienced few negative side-effects from the desalination process, he said.
Concern over waste water from desalination returning to the sea at a higher temperature is less of an issue with the reverse osmosis method, Ghaffour said. “We have the same temperature as sea water, maybe one degree more, which is affordable.”
Researchers are determined to achieve zero liquid discharge, which involves treating brine until only solids remain. However, this process also concentrates all the salts in the same place.
To remove salt ions from brine, a complex and costly process called mineral recovery is used.
The challenge in mineral recovery lies in the fact that high-value minerals, such as lithium, rubidium, and uranium, are present in brine at very low concentrations.
To make the process efficient and economically viable, further technological advancements are needed.
Currently, “there are no technologies to handle this huge volume,” Ghaffour said. “We are talking about huge volumes of water, like 1 million tons of water (recovered) every day, it’s higher than a river.”
Several technologies have been developed for mineral recovery on a smaller scale. One method involves chemical treatments that precipitate different salts in stages, starting with calcium carbonate and ending with lithium.
Another mineral recovery method involves the use of ion exchange membranes or absorbents designed to capture specific minerals, such as lithium.
One of the largest areas of current research is the magnesium hydroxide family, particularly for its applications in the cement and concrete industry.
Saudi Arabia is already using nanofiltration technology to produce magnesium from magnesium-rich waters, with the next step being the extraction of magnesium hydroxide for cement production.
Expensive and critical minerals like rubidium — which costs around $3,000 per kilo — as well as uranium and lithium, are of great interest, but are costly to extract due to their low concentrations, requiring significantly more energy in the process.
From a commercial perspective, businesses prefer to purchase lithium from produced water — a byproduct of oil and gas production — rather than from brine.
Brine can also be repurposed to enhance the efficiency of the desalination process. Due to its high osmotic potential, brine can be used for energy production.
Ghaffour said that several companies are utilizing reverse electrodialysis to generate energy, which is then used to power the reverse osmosis process.
In addition, to achieve a circular carbon economy, reverse electrodialysis can be combined with brine dilution for mineral recovery, allowing part of the brine to be reused in an efficient closed-loop system.
“This is what I call a seawater factory,” Ghaffour said. “We take seawater and we produce everything from seawater without polluting back.
“Many experts are saying that in the future, desalinated water, which is what we need most, will itself be a byproduct, because we will have so many more valuable products from the sea. Then this desalinated water will be just one of the byproducts.”
However, he believes that turning this vision into reality will take time.
“We have to distinguish between two things. One is science and the second one is technology scale-up.”
In September 2024, Lihytech, a KAUST startup, announced a partnership with Aramco to strategically collaborate on recovering lithium from oilfield brines using direct lithium extraction technology and a membrane developed at KAUST.
Ghaffour is also collaborating with a Singaporean company, MediSun Energy, to integrate desalination with energy and mineral production, aiming to optimize these processes as a whole. A pilot facility has already been installed in China, with plans for another installation in Saudi Arabia.
“The whole world is working on this (mineral recovery and optimizing desalination). We will see a lot of developments in this, in my opinion,” he said.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Heart Association teams up with Bayer to enhance cardiac care
RASHID HASSAN
November 29, 2024
RIYADH: The Saudi Heart Association has entered a partnership with healthcare leader Bayer to enhance cardiac care and educate Saudi healthcare professionals on cardiovascular disease to reduce mortality and improve heart health.
“We are proud to announce a new partnership between Bayer and the SHA aimed at advancing cardiovascular care in Saudi Arabia, focusing on improving early detection and prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” Bayer, a global leader in life sciences with a strong emphasis on healthcare and nutrition, posted on X.
“The goal of the partnership is to strengthen bilateral cooperation to improve cardiac care in Saudi Arabia in alignment with Vision 2030. The agreement will prioritize early detection of at-risk patients of cardiovascular diseases who exhibit a combination of modifiable risk factors (such as hypertension, smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity, high cholesterol) and non-modifiable risk factors (such as age, family history, gender, and genetic predisposition),” a statement from Bayer said.
CVDs are a major health concern globally. In 2016, more than 200,000 Saudi citizens were living with CVD and the current prevalence of CVD in Saudi Arabia is expected to be significantly higher, given the rise of CVD risk factors in the country (obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension and others).
Saudi Vision 2030 aims to reduce the clinical and economic burden of CVD and scale up vitality and longevity in a new era of comprehensive healthcare.
From a health economics standpoint, CVDs are a burden on healthcare systems directly through expenditure and indirectly through years living with the disease, low productivity, premature morbidity and mortality.
Under the terms of the partnership, Bayer and the SHA will seek to advance educational initiatives for healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Throughout the partnership, emphasis will be on delivering educational lectures and hands-on workshops for healthcare professionals, introducing them to the latest diagnostic tools that streamline early CVD detection in a cost-effective manner.
Additionally, the partnership will promote evidence-based early risk management local guidelines and strategies in clinical practice, aligning resources to achieve superior patient outcomes.
Elaborating on the partnership, Maged ElShazly, managing director, Bayer Saudi Arabia, and country commercial lead for Bayer Consumer Health, said: “This partnership marks a significant step forward in advancing cardiovascular health in the Kingdom. Aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, our goal is to collaborate closely with the SHA to support the government’s efforts in reducing CVD mortality and morbidity, improving heart health, and enhancing the quality of life for individuals at high risk.
“Additionally, this collaboration with SHA will further propel our efforts to develop and implement local guidelines for effective CVD management, ensuring long-term impact and sustainability in healthcare practices across the Kingdom,” ElShazly said.
Bayer will support SHA with two main initiatives — a key opinion leaders’ engagement campaign to promote early CVD risk management among healthcare professionals and a media campaign to raise public awareness about CVD risk factors, early detection, and prevention strategies.
Source: arabnews.com
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Japanese orchestra meets video gaming in Riyadh
SULAFA ALKHUNAIZI
November 29, 2024
RIYADH: What does video gaming and the orchestra have in common? Collaboration, immersive experiences, and the art of storytelling at its finest.
The world-renowned Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra spoiled guests with two nights of concerts powered by Qiddiya Gaming at Princess Nourah University’s Red Hall on Thursday and Friday.
Producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV Naoki Yoshida and renowned sound editor and composer Masayoshi Soken took the opportunity to introduce themselves to a full house of fans, wearing traditional Saudi thobes.
Arab News had the opportunity to interview Yoshida, Soken, senior story designer Natsuko Ishikawa, and localization supervisor Michael-Christopher Koji Fox.
Yoshida expressed his gratitude toward the game’s loyal fans in the Middle East, saying: “I’m really appreciative of the fans in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia that have loved the Final Fantasy franchise.
“We are finally here to give back to the community that’s loved us and supported us for so long. To be able to bring them the excitement, we are bringing them sound and music.
“We don’t envision this as the end; we envision this as something that’s going to connect us into the future.”
In the first part of the concert, the orchestra performed works like “Victory Fanfare” and “Moebius.”
In order to give gamers a true gaming experience, Soken had the idea of creating the same in-game pause during the orchestra’s performance to reflect the battle in the game.
Soken said: “During that battle, there’s an in-game mechanic where time stops and the player stops, so when playing that song in concert we want the players to feel like that in music; the game experience and their memories of the game are connected in that way.
“We wanted to figure out a way to recreate that time stop while being played in the concert by an orchestra. So the idea we came up with is if time stops in the game, how about making the concert stop?”
Soken’s idea was turned into reality and the crowd was in awe as the orchestra paused for a few seconds.
In charge of creating graphics and videos, Ishikawa said her job was about picking scenes that resonated with the players.
She said: “What we created here feels like it was created by the Final Fantasy development team, even though it’s a concert.”
Unlike a typical concert, in which each song evokes different emotions to each individual, Soken said gaming concerts created a joint emotional experience.
Soken said: “With a game concert, everyone is experiencing the same thing because they experienced the same game, so everyone shares that excitement.”
More than 100 musicians traveled from Japan, accompanied by vocalists, to bring the soundtrack from Final Fantasy XIV to life.
Soken said: “We know that Saudi Arabia and Japan have a long history of friendly collaboration but there has not been a lot with music, and there’s probably been nothing with gaming music.
“The people that experience (the concert) will be able to go home and tell their friends how exciting an experience it was and how these people from Japan brought this great thing that we have never seen before.”
The event also offered fans a dedicated merchandise area featuring exclusive items and other products shipped directly from Tokyo.
Diamond ticket holders also had the opportunity to meet Yoshida, Soken, Ishikawa, and Fox, receiving a signed poster and photo.
With over 30 million total registered players, Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most popular MMORPG games today, while Qiddiya, which was launched in 2018 under the leadership of King Salman, is an emerging capital for entertainment, sports and culture that aims to enhance the quality of life of visitors and residents.
Source: arabnews.com
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KSrelief conducts medical outreach in Yemen, Djibouti and Bangladesh
November 30, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) conducted various medical activities in Yemen, Djibouti and Bangladesh in cooperation with volunteer organizations and specialists.
In Yemen’s Socotra, 16 specialist volunteers successfully completed a project involving specialized and general pediatric surgeries. During the campaign from Nov. 16 to 23, KSrelief’s medical team conducted 404 examinations, performed 60 surgeries, and provided medicine for 208 patients.
In Djibouti, the aid agency launched on Wednesday a cardiac catheterization surgery project – with seven specialists in the team – and has successfully performed four procedures since.
In Bangladesh’s city of Rangpur, KSrelief implemented the Saudi Volunteer Project to combat blindness and its contributive diseases. The center’s volunteer medical team examined 5,082 cases, performed 456 specialized eye surgeries, and distributed 1,454 eyeglasses from Nov. 22 to 26.
Source: arabnews.com
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Visionary eight-year-old Saudi wins global competition with glasses for blind
AFSHAN AZIZ
November 29, 2024
JEDDAH: An eight-year-old inventor from Saudi Arabia won an international competition for designing a pair of glasses that aim to help blind people navigate the world safely.
Lama Al-Badin, from Dammam, won an $800 cash prize for her Vision Friend design after beating nearly 1,000 entries from 19 countries in the “Glasses of the Future” competition.
Organized by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, the competition challenged children worldwide to reimagine eyewear to support eye health and accessibility.
Al-Badin’a design impressed the jury with its cameras and sensors that would detect obstacles and alert blind and visually-impaired users of dangers through various alarm sounds and vibrations.
“I always have scientific discussions with my family at home, which often spark various ideas that serve life in meaningful ways,” Al-Badin told Arab News.
“When I learned about the competition through a school announcement, the idea for the glasses emerged. I envisioned them as a companion to help people face road dangers through sensor systems. I wanted to add warning tones to enhance their auditory sensitivity and active awareness.”
Her design incorporates eco-friendly materials such as bamboo and recycled plastic, and includes cutting-edge features like sensors, an alarm system, and a multi-functional charging case.
Despite her young age, Al-Badin demonstrated resourcefulness throughout the competition. She acknowledged the challenges she faced during the design phase and said, “embarking on a new experience was an exciting challenge for me.
“During the design phase, the main challenge was translating my idea and vision from paper into a digital design. At that point, I sought help from my older sister because I hadn’t yet learned this type of drawing.”
Winning the competition has brought immense pride to her family and the country. She said: “I feel happy and proud. Winning is a motivation for me to develop further and achieve more accomplishments.
“I feel proud and hope to be an active member in the development and building of my beloved country.”
Her family, too, played a pivotal role in her journey. “They were very happy with this wonderful achievement. My family is my primary supporter, and I thank them.
“They have been my source of inspiration and encouragement. Praise be to God, I live in an aware family. At home, we love exchanging information and brainstorming solutions to all kinds of problems.”
Al-Badin’s design resonated with Caroline Casey, president of the IAPB and a member of the competition jury.
“The thing that stood out the most was how conscious and aware Lama was about her role in protecting the planet that she lives on and her ability to see how technology can be an enabler,” she told Arab News.
“In her mind, there were no barriers in the way of creating a product that was friendly to the planet and friendly to humans. When you consider her glasses, you’d think, ‘Yeah, why aren’t I doing it?’”
She continued: “A young person’s imagination doesn’t seem to focus on what we can’t achieve but on what is possible. I just love her approach and can’t wait to wear a pair.”
Casey also underscored the broader impact of initiatives like the “Glasses of the Future” competition. She said: “I want every child to be able to ‘see their future,’ both literally and metaphorically. Ensuring that every single child on this planet has access to affordable, accessible eyecare and health determines the future potential of our global citizenship and planet.”
Alongside Al-Badin, five-year-old Grace Rita from Kenya won the Younger Kids category for her vibrant and imaginative glasses, A Friend for My Eyes.
Rita’s design focuses on making eyewear fun and approachable for children with features like glow-in-the-dark frames and customizable lenses.
Besides Casey, the competition’s judging panel was composed of a global jury of experts, including Jo Frost, parenting expert and TV personality, and Dr. Prabha Choksi, ophthalmologist and founder of the Dr. Choksi Vitiligo Foundation.
Frost told Arab News: “I was truly impressed by the creativity and innovation of these little geniuses, each design brought a big smile of joy. We can all agree that eye health is often overlooked in our busy day-to-day lives of raising children, despite its importance to a child’s development and future.
“However, with Lama’s design’s inclusiveness, scientific aspects, and Grace’s bright and inspiring colors, these designs not only demonstrate the need to engage children in the global conversation about eye health but also empower eyewear wearers around the world.”
The competition also comes on the heels of critical research by the IAPB, which revealed that children with low vision learn only half as much as their peers with good or corrected vision in school.
This study, released in collaboration with the Seva Foundation on World Sight Day, underscores the profound impact of early interventions like eye exams and prescription glasses.
Source: arabnews.com
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King Salman Center for Disability Research signs agreements
November 29, 2024
RIYADH: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology signed an agreement on Thursday with the King Salman Center for Disability Research aimed at enhancing collaboration between the two parties in diagnosing, managing, and treating disabilities.
The agreement was signed in King Abdullah Economic City by Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, special advisor to King Salman and chairman of the board of trustees of the King Salman Center for Disability Research, and KAUST president Prof. Edward Byrne.
Prof. Imed Gallouzi, chairman of the Center of Excellence for Smart Health at KAUST, emphasized the significance of the new partnership with the King Salman Center for Disability Research.
Source: arabnews.com
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KSrelief’s Masam Project clears 840 mines
November 29, 2024
ADEN: The Masam Project, an initiative launched by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, successfully dismantled 840 mines across various regions of Yemen during the third week of November, including 29 anti-personnel mines, 129 anti-tank mines, and 682 unexploded ordnances.
The Masam team successfully cleared four unexploded ordnances in Zinjibar in the Abyan Governorate, and 162 in Aden Governorate. Two anti-tank mines in Al-Khawkhah and one unexploded ordnance in Hays, in Al-Hudaydah Governorate, were also removed. The team cleared one anti-personnel mine and one unexploded ordnance in the Qataba district of Al-Dhale Governorate.
The team successfully removed 14 unexploded ordnances from Al-Waht district and 22 from Al-Madaribah in Lahj Governorate, while in Marib Governorate four unexploded ordnances were cleared in the Al-Wadi district, along with 12 anti-personnel mines and 120 anti-tank mines in the Marib district.
Source: arabnews.com
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Authorities enforce ban on non-compliant trucks
November 29, 2024
RIYADH: The Transport General Authority has announced the seizure of many foreign trucks found violating transportation regulations and legislation while transporting goods between cities in the Kingdom.
This initiative, undertaken in collaboration with relevant authorities, reflects the authority’s commitment to regulating the sector, promoting compliance, ensuring fair competition, enhancing the security and safety of transportation services, and preserving public resources and road infrastructure.
The authority said that the mechanism adopted to control foreign truck transport operations — in coordination with various government entities — prohibits traders, factories, importers, institutions and companies from contracting with non-Saudi vehicles.
Foreign trucks are restricted to transporting goods from abroad to designated delivery points in Saudi cities or on their way back to their country of origin. This return must originate from the same delivery point or from any city along the return route. Such operations also require a permit issued by the authority.
Source: arabnews.com
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Heritage Commission, KSGAAL launch global blog to preserve cultural and linguistic heritage
HEBSHI ALSHAMMARI
November 29, 2024
RIYADH: The Saudi Heritage Commission, in collaboration with King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language, or KSGAAL, launched the Naqsh blog on Thursday on the sidelines of the Saudi International Handicrafts Week exhibition.
The Naqsh blog aims to preserve Arab cultural and linguistic heritage, providing a reliable source for researchers and those interested in archaeology, history, the Arabic language and comparative studies, an official statement said.
The blog also seeks to enhance the scientific reference for trustworthy Arabic data and develop AI models for analyzing and interpreting inscriptions, in alignment with the objectives of the Human Capital Development Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 initiatives, and the National Culture Strategy.
Abdullah Al-Washmi, secretary-general of KSGAAL, said that the path of linguistic blogs served related scholars and researchers and was an integral part of the academy’s linguistic work, projects and institutional initiatives.
Naqsh is a visually documented linguistic blog for Arabic inscriptions found on stones, tablets, rocks or any other artifacts in the Kingdom.
The blog includes commemorative, religious, literary and commercial inscriptions that reflect the cultural and social conditions throughout the ages, he said.
The blog highlights the historical and linguistic significance of Arabic inscriptions, understanding the linguistic and cultural development in the region, and also serves as a crucial source for studying the evolution of writing and Arabic calligraphy through the ages, he said.
In early 2024, KSGAAL launched the “Falak” platform for linguistic databases, which includes several linguistic platforms featuring advanced computational tools.
These tools facilitate text analysis and linguistic data tagging and enable Arabic language enthusiasts to collaborate in the field of Arabic language computing.
The “Falak” platform also aims to enhance the scientific reference for reliable Arabic linguistic data. It is one of the academy’s prominent initiatives in the field of linguistic computing, containing more than 1.5 billion words.
Sami Al-Mukhayzim, chairman of the Saudi Historical Society, told Arab News that the Naqsh blog serves as a highly significant historical resource.
Inscriptions are among the oldest tools documenting vivid and accurate information about ancient civilizations. These inscriptions contribute to illustrating the development of writing, ideas, beliefs and the daily interactions of those civilizations, he said.
Abdullah Al-Khuzam, a craft trainer at the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts, said that documenting human heritage was one of the fundamental administrative and civilizational methods and an essential enabler for building a growing future grounded in a distinctive historical and archaeological depth.
The Naqsh blog will serve as a reference for future generations, providing them with a foundation as they venture into new and contemporary horizons, drawing inspiration from heritage to develop ideas in a modern form that suits today’s world, he said.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi, Japanese agencies agree to cooperation on humanitarian work
ARAB NEWS JAPAN
November 29, 2024
Saudi aid agency KSrelief and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have agreed to cooperate on humanitarian work.
KSrelief director of partnerships and international relations, Hana Omar, and JICA’s representative from its Yemen office Kato Ken met on the sidelines of the International Conjoined Twins Conference in Riyadh.
They discussed humanitarian relief affairs, topics on the agenda of the conference, and prospects for cooperation between the two organizations, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
JICA praised the Kingdom’s humanitarian and relief programs.
Source: arabnews.com
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Europe
Former head of Muslim police group sentenced over £8,000 embezzlement
29 NOV 2024
Asma Ali, 47, of Glasgow, stole that sum from the SMPA and used the money to pay for flights and rail travel to London as well as hotel stays and a shopping trip to Harrods.
She was sentenced at Glasgow Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to a charge of embezzlement. She was also ordered to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work within a 12-month period under supervision.
The offences took place between March 2017 and June 2019.
Fraser Gibson, procurator fiscal for Glasgow and Strathkelvin, said: “Asma Ali flagrantly abused the trust placed in her by the members of the Scottish Muslim Police Association (SPMA) to look after their interests.
“Instead, she used her position to embezzle funds that should have been set aside to help the association and used that money for her personal use. This case demonstrates that those who seek to exploit others for their own personal gain will be held to account for their crimes.
“We will always prosecute in such cases when it is in the public interest and where there is evidence to do so.”
The court heard how Ali, a founding member of the organisation which was based at Maryhill Police Station in Glasgow, was elected as chairperson in 2016. In 2017, she proposed a procedural change which would allow cheques to be issued with a single signature.
At the same time, a facility was set up allowing the SPMA bank account to be managed through online banking. Between 2017 and 2019, several association officials raised concerns over the organisation’s finances after two treasurers had stepped down.
These concerns centred on a high volume of payments made directly from the association’s account to Ali without receipts or vouching.
In August 2019, Ali stepped down from her position as chairperson and 11 days later SPMA officials alerted Police Scotland’s head of professional standards over her management of the organisation.
An investigation then revealed £8,000 had been transferred from the SPMA’s account into a Bank of Scotland account belonging to the accused.
An analysis of Ali’s bank transactions showed she was heavily in debt.
Source: scottishlegal.com
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https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/former-head-of-muslim-police-group-sentenced-over-ps8000-embezzlement
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France admits colonial 'massacre', says Senegal's leader
30 NOV 2024
France has for the first time acknowledged that its soldiers carried out a "massacre" in Senegal in which dozens – perhaps hundreds – of West African troops were killed almost exactly 80 years ago, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has said.
Those who died were part of the Tirailleurs Senegalais unit, recruited at the start of World War Two to help defend France, the colonial power.
On returning to Senegal in 1944 many protested about their pay, historians say, which led to a brutal response.
The killings have been a point of contention between Senegal and France and their reported acknowledgement by Paris comes as Faye is talking about a reassessment of the countries’ relationship.
Those who joined the Tirailleurs Senegalais not only came from Senegal but also from across France’s African empire, including what is now Mali, Guinea, Niger, Benin and Chad.
They were sent to France and many were captured by Germany during its successful invasion of the country. Liberated in 1944, the soldiers were taken back to Senegal and housed in the Thiaroye military camp, 15km (nine miles) from the capital, Dakar.
Even before leaving France, many had been complaining about the pay they were set to receive and the fact that it was not the same as other French troops, historian Armelle Mabon says. Anger over the money grew once at Thiaroye, which the colonial authority viewed as a mutiny.
On 1 December, the French violently brought an end to the protests. At the time it was said that 35 of the tirailleurs were killed, but some have put the death toll as high as 400.
"France must recognise that on that day, the confrontation between soldiers and riflemen who demanded their full legitimate wages be paid, triggered a chain of events that resulted in a massacre," the AP news agency quotes a letter from French President Emmanuel Macron to Faye as saying.
Previously, in 2014, then President François Hollande had called what happened a "bloody repression".
Senegal is due to mark the 80th anniversary of the shootings on Sunday.
In his response to Macron’s letter, Faye is quoted by AP as saying that his French counterpart’s acknowledgement would "open the door" so the "whole truth about this painful event of Thiaroye" can be discovered.
"We have long sought closure on this story and we believe that, this time, France’s commitment will be full, frank and collaborative," he added.
He also indicated that he might be asking for an apology.
Sixty-four years after Senegal's independence, France still has a military presence in the country, but speaking to the AFP news agency on Thursday, Faye, who was elected in March, said that France should close its base there.
"Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country," he is quoted as saying.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg725vk174o
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Fezan Hussain detained in secure unit over mosque attack
29th November
A PARANOID schizophrenic who carried out a machete attack in a crowded Bradford mosque has been detained in a secure unit for the protection of the public.
Fezan Hussain bought the small machete by mail order, which he then concealed in his trousers before going to the Madni Masjid Islamic Centre on Newton Street in May 2022 to join in Eid celebrations.
Whilst worshippers were greeting and hugging one another he stabbed a former childhood acquaintance in the stomach and then attempted to push the blade in further.
His victim was left with severe injuries including damage to his liver and required a blood transfusion.
Hussain, 29, formerly of Radfield Road, off Rooley Avenue, was restrained as his victim collapsed onto the floor.
He was initially charged with attempted murder after being arrested from his home later that day, but due to severe mental health difficulties was unfit to plead or stand trial.
On Thursday, Hussain appeared via video link from Newton Lodge Medium Secure Unit in Wakefield for a sentencing hearing at Bradford Crown Court that heard doctors had said he had made “significant improvement” whilst receiving treatment in hospital.
However it remained the case that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and so a hospital order was required.
His Honour Judge Jonathan Rose made a restriction order under the Mental Health Act so that Hussain’s progress and consideration of release could be monitored and controlled “in the interests of your own health and safety as well as the protection of other persons.”
He said: “I accept the findings of the medical experts. Your disorder is of a nature which makes it appropriate that you receive treatment in hospital.
“The risk of your committing further offences of the most serious degree is such as requires that the public can only be protected from serious harm if you are subject to a restriction order.
“This order is made both to ensure proper treatment of your severe psychiatric condition and for the protection of the public. Under this order you will not be released until such time as it is concluded that you pose no risk of serious harm to members of the public.”
He said making a hybrid order allowing Hussain to be transferred to prison to serve his sentence was not appropriate having regard to the severity of his mental illness.
He added: “It is in my view highly likely that that illness alone was the motivator, driver, and sole reason for the offence.”
He ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the machete that Hussain used in his attack
Source: thetelegraphandargus.co.uk
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https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/24759589.fezan-hussain-detained-secure-unit-mosque-attack/
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Chad cuts military agreement with France
30 NOV 2024
Chad has said it is terminating a key defence cooperation agreement with France, raising questions about Paris’s waning influence in Africa's embattled Sahel region.
Chadian Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said it was time for his country to "assert its full sovereignty".
The announcement came just hours after Koulamallah's French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, met Chad's President Mahamat Deby.
Chad is a key partner in the West's fight against Islamist militants in the West African Sahel region.
But prior to the presidential election in May, Chad's authorities ordered the withdrawal of US troops from the country, signalling a distancing from the country's traditional Western allies.
France currently has about 1,000 troops in the Central African country providing intelligence and logistical assistance to the Chadian military from their bases, including in the capital N’Djamena.
France, Chad's former colonial ruler, had signed a revised version of the military and security agreement in 2019.
Chad is just the latest nation in Central and West Africa to sever its security agreements with Paris.
Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have all ended deals with France and other Western nations in recent years, turning to Russia for support instead.
But Koulamallah told the AFP news agency that Chad's decision did not mark a "break with France, like Niger or elsewhere".
In other statements on Thursday, Koulamallah said France was an "essential partner" but that Chad must "redefine its strategic partnerships according to national priorities".
The authorities insisted the move would not affect Chad's relations with France in other areas.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7042v17kjqo
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British spy chief admits ‘covert action’ in Ukraine
29 Nov, 2024
British Secret Intelligence Service agents have been involved in covert operations against Russia on behalf of Ukraine, SIS head Sir Richard Moore has said.
The SIS was created by the WWII-era Special Operations Executive and is also known as MI6. Moore made the admission in a speech at the British Embassy in Paris on Friday at the reception for his French counterpart, Nicolas Lerner of the DGSE.
“We cherish our heritage of covert action which we keep alive today in helping Ukraine resist the Russian invasion,” Moore said at one point.
His admission came just a day after former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson openly declared that Ukraine is a proxy of NATO in a war against Russia.
“Let’s face it: We’re waging a proxy war but not giving our proxies the ability to do the job,” Johnson told the Daily Telegraph, arguing that “the problem has not been escalation; the problem has been the failure to escalate fast enough.”
Russia has long known about the role of British – and American – intelligence operatives in Ukraine. Last month, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, told the Security Council that “Western intelligence agencies, primarily the British MI6, have systematically prepared Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups to organize provocations at nuclear power plants in Russia.”
According to Ukrainian media, the UK has also pushed Kiev into military adventures such as the Krynki bridgehead, where hundreds of elite marines perished trying to create a foothold on the other bank of the Dnieper. British mercenaries have also taken part in the Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region.
In February, the New York Times revealed an almost decade-long effort by the CIA to shape Ukraine into a weapon against Russia, implicating several allied intelligence services as well. The current head of Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR), Kirill Budanov, is among the operatives trained by American spies.
The CIA and the MI6 were on the ground in Ukraine as early as 2014, former Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) employee Vasily Prozorov testified in March 2019. Speaking in Moscow, Prozorov named some of the British agents who visited the front line in Donbass, as well as the special forces training grounds in Berdichev.
In his speech in Paris, Moore insisted that France and Britain are “united and unflinching in our determination to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” arguing that NATO can prevail because it has “many times Russia’s GDP and defense budget.”
“We should never doubt that our alliance has strength in numbers, both economic and military, and our unity of purpose makes that count,” the British spymaster claimed, adding that “Our democracy is our strength.”
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/608431-mi6-covert-action-ukraine-russia/
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North America
Young Muslims in Scotland disillusioned by politics but politicized in other ways
NOVEMBER 29, 2024
Young Muslims are less interested in national politics in Scotland and instead are increasingly involved with local and global issues, research led by Newcastle University shows.
Researchers spoke to young Muslims aged 14–18 who lived in Glasgow to understand their engagement with politics and the extent to which this was shaped by their own personal experiences.
The research took place as a follow up to a similar study in 2017 which found that while young Muslims participated in politics in some form, and some had been inspired by Scottish nationalism, there was a concern about media and political representations of Muslims. There was also a recognition that everyday experiences of Islamophobia made participation in public life a challenge for many.
In this latest study, which was carried out with the Institute for Economic and Social Inclusion at the University of Sunderland, Scottish politics and Scottish independence were less of an issue although there was a generally positive view of more Muslim politicians in leading roles in Holyrood.
However, many participants doubted whether it would make a difference, and were unsure that taking part in elections could bring about lasting change. They also felt that work in areas such as anti-racism or public safety had stagnated since 2014.
Instead, young people talked about playing an active role in their local communities, with some involved in fundraising for issues ranging from cystic fibrosis research to disaster relief following the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, while others took part in awareness raising in relation to anti-racism, migrant rights and Islamophobia. This was often done through their local mosques, schools or community groups, and was seen also as an opportunity for activities that celebrate different cultural identities.
"This research found that young Muslims felt global politics was threaded through their lives through their own identity and family background," said Professor Peter Hopkins, professor of social geography at Newcastle University.
Awareness and interest in global issues had also increased, and most participants expressed particular concern over events in Palestine in particular. Several related their interest in global politics to the personal experiences of friends and family members, connecting experiences of fleeing war and seeking asylum to ongoing conflicts.
Many young Muslims were also critical of what they saw as a racist double standard in much media coverage of the war in Palestine and felt that there was negative, unbalanced and unsympathetic reporting of Muslims in mainstream media outlets.
Although some recognized that social media platforms also could not be trusted, many said they did get most of their information online, from sources such as Reddit, TikTok, or Instagram. The fact that young people have grown up with social media helps them to recognize what's true, some said.
Personal experiences of Islamophobia and racism was a continuing issue, the research highlighted. Young female participants said that they had experienced Islamophobic bullying at school—often related to religious clothing such as headscarves and hijabs. And many voiced frustration about the scarcity of education about racism and Islamophobia in schools, where they argued anti-racist rhetoric was not combined with enough action.
Professor Hopkins said, "This research took place against the backdrop of Black Lives Matter, the pandemic, the cost of living crisis and increased global instability, so it was not surprising that young Muslims felt that global politics was threaded through their lives through their own identity and family background."
Dr. Robin Finlay, Partnerships Manager and Research Associate in the Institute for Economic and Social Inclusion, University of Sunderland, added, "Comparing this report to our 2017 research highlights the evolving nature of young Muslims' political interests. In 2017, many young people were strongly motivated by the prospect of Scottish independence, whereas our recent findings reveal a declining engagement with independence debates. Nonetheless, the research underscores the enduring issue of Islamophobia in the everyday lives of young Muslims."
Dr. Joel White, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Newcastle University noted, "Our research demonstrates that many young Muslims in Scotland feel let down by mainstream political parties and those in power, particularly in terms of the gap between political rhetoric around anti-racism and the lack of concrete actions to address this in their schools and communities. They connected this to what they saw as a shameful political silence around Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which for many of them represented a key formative moment of engaging in protest and activism."
The report was launched at an event hosted by Community Policy Forum and attended by key figures including Dr. Zabir Ahmed, MP for Glasgow South West, and Linsay Taylor, Chair of Interfaith Scotland and Trustee of the Muslim Council of Scotland.
Source: phys.org
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https://phys.org/news/2024-11-young-muslims-scotland-disillusioned-politics.html
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Trump top spy pick faces fresh scrutiny over Syria visit and Russia comments
30 Nov, 2024
Former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard's controversial 2017 meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and past statements on Russia's invasion of Ukraine have drawn fresh scrutiny after President-elect Donald Trump picked her to oversee America's spy agencies.
If confirmed as US director of national intelligence (DNI), Gabbard would act as a steward of the nation's most important secrets, oversee 18 US spy agencies and serve as a close adviser to the president.
But former US national security officials and lawmakers have raised concerns that the choice of Gabbard - a fierce opponent of America's involvement in foreign wars and whom critics accuse of echoing Kremlin narratives - could negatively affect intelligence co-operation.
Lewis Lukens, a retired diplomat who served as the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in London during the first Trump administration, told the BBC that Gabbard's "dubious judgement" could give allies "reason to question how safe it is to share intelligence with the US".
Gabbard, who recently joined the Republican Party, has previously said her detractors are "warmongers" who seek to smear any critic of Washington's establishment.
Trump has also defended his pick, saying that Gabbard - a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who deployed to Iraq and Kuwait - “will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community”.
But in an odd twist for a DNI appointment, Russian state media praised the Gabbard choice, which only added to the alarm among national security officials in the US capital.
Prominent talk show host Olga Skabeyeva said on 14 November that "virtually from the first days of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, she [Gabbard] explained its reasons, criticised the actions of the Biden administration, and also personally met none other than Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and supported his fight against terrorists."
For as long as she has been in politics, Gabbard's positions have earned her praise and scorn from Democrats and Republicans alike.
Her views have been generally anti-war, opposed to American intervention and deeply critical of the US intelligence community.
But it was her January 2017 "fact-finding" trip to Syria as a congresswoman that first sparked outrage - particularly when she later raised doubt about the US intelligence assessment that Assad's forces had used chemical weapons on civilians.
After the Trump administration launched a series of strikes on Syria in April that year following a chemical attack that killed more than 80 people, Gabbard called the strikes "reckless and short-sighted", saying they would escalate the civil war and hamper the collection of evidence about what had happened.
The US launched missiles at a Syrian Air Force base where the Pentagon said a warplane had taken off before dropping bombs filled with the nerve agent sarin on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun.
A UN panel later came to the same conclusion as the US, saying it was confident that the Syrian government was responsible for the release of sarin in the town.
Assad's government and its ally Russia rejected the report and alleged that the Syrian Air Force strike hit a rebel depot full of chemical munitions.
Gabbard's comments, and her controversial meeting with Assad, hung over her run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019.
Defending her actions, she told an interviewer that Assad, who is also backed by Iran, was "not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States".
The Trump transition team has not responded to a request for comment from the BBC.
She drew further attention during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when she made statements seen by some as echoing Putin's justifications for the war.
Gabbard said that the war could have been avoided if the Biden administration and the Nato military alliance "had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns" about Ukraine eventually becoming a member.
Weeks later, she released a video commenting that US-funded biolabs in Ukraine could be breached and "release and spread deadly pathogens". It came as Russia, defending its invasion, spread unevidenced claims that the US was helping Ukraine to develop biological weapons.
In response, Republican Senator Mitt Romney posted on social media that Gabbard was "parroting false Russian propaganda" and spreading "treasonous lies". Gabbard sent a cease-and-desist letter to Romney over his remarks.
And during the 2024 presidential campaign, Gabbard alleged that Vice-President Kamala Harris was the "main instigator" of the conflict in Ukraine for having supported Kyiv's Nato aspirations.
Nikki Haley, Trump's UN ambassador during his first term and a politician who challenged him for the Republican nomination in the 2024 election, said recently that Gabbard could not be entrusted with such a high-level intelligence role.
“This is not a place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathiser,” Haley said.
Questions for foreign allies
Some worry that Gabbard taking the position could affect trust between US intelligence agencies and their foreign counterparts.
A former senior White House official said Gabbard's appointment could have "real effects on our ability to have intelligence diplomacy with close allies".
"It certainly will raise real questions in the minds of foreign counterparts if the person sitting across from them - Tulsi Gabbard - has fundamentally differing assumptions about Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin," the official told the BBC.
A former Nato official in London echoed that concern, saying that Gabbard's nomination would raise serious questions about how the UK and other American allies approach the US intelligence community under Trump.
"I think there's an extreme level of discomfort because why would you appoint somebody who has got no background and wacky views to such a responsible position?" the former official said.
But others did not expect any change to their country's intelligence relationship with the US.
Duncan Lewis led Australia's domestic spy agency - the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation - through the early years of the first Trump administration. He said he did not know Gabbard, but stressed that the Australian-American alliance was more powerful than any individual.
"Our bilateral security relationship is strong and long-standing, and I expect that to continue," he told the BBC.
Gabbard's path to confirmation
Each morning the DNI oversees what is included in the president's daily briefing, giving them power to shape the US leader's perceptions of the world and its threats.
That is something that US senators will keep in mind when they consider Gabbard's nomination, and that is what could make her Senate confirmation process contentious.
Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA officer and Democrat who served with Gabbard in the House of Representatives, told media outlet Puck that Trump's DNI nominee "has expressed views that seem to preference adversaries".
"Certainly, it gave me pause, when I heard the nomination," added Slotkin, who will vote on Gabbard's confirmation as a newly-elected Michigan senator.
James Lankford, a Republican who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has said that he and other senators will have many questions about Gabbard's past comments, and the Assad meeting.
But another Republican senator, Eric Schmitt of Missouri, said some of the criticism of Gabbard from Democratic colleagues - including that she was "compromised" - had been "totally ridiculous".
“It’s insulting. It’s a slur, quite frankly. There’s no evidence that she’s a asset of another country,” he told NBC.
And Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin said that Gabbard was a "solid choice", whom allies would find "extremely capable".
"There’s some questions on the Republican side; there’s some questions on the Democrat side," he told the BBC.
"What I’ve been telling everybody is just sit down and talk to her."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14l6jpykmjo
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Hitman offered $71,000 for Canadian reporter's assassination
30 Nov, 2024
Holly Honderich
A hitman offered C$100,000 ($71,400; £56,000) for the assassination of a crime reporter at Montreal newspaper La Presse, the outlet has reported.
Convicted killer Frédérick Silva confessed to La Presse that he had offered the contract to anyone willing to carry out the hit on Daniel Renaud, who was covering his trial for three murders and an attempted murder in 2021.
Silva was convicted in 2022 and became a police informant.
Quebec Premier François Legault condemned the plot. "It makes no sense that in Quebec – we are not in a movie – there is a contract placed on the head of a journalist because he does his job," he said.
"This is not the Quebec we want," he said, adding that the province's police must continue to target organised crime.
In order to become an informant for the authorities, Silva had to confess his entire criminal history, La Presse reported. The outlet said it had learned of the plot against Mr Renaud after reviewing the confession Silva had made to police.
Silva admitted to contacting two influential organised crime figures about assassinating Mr Renaud while being held on trial in 2021.
According to Silva, the figures were hesitant, saying it was a bad idea to target a journalist.
The "contract" was in place for roughly two months, but was never carried out, La Presse reported. Silva eventually cancelled the order, he said, because he had "more important issues to deal with".
Silva is now serving a life sentence in prison.
Mr Renaud told La Presse he was "shaken" by the revelations.
"I don't censor myself, but I always exercise restraint so I don’t reveal details about the private lives of criminals and avoid putting lives in danger. So I never thought that I could have ended up the subject of a contract like this," he said.
Vincent Marissal, a former colleague of Mr Renaud’s who is now an elected provincial politician with the left-wing Québec Solidaire, called the journalist a “very rigorous person - not the type of guy who makes a lot of noise in the newsroom but apparently he can cause a lot of bother.
“That means he's doing his job, but that's certainly no reason to see a price put on his head.”
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7747l84xp1o
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Major Canadian news outlets sue OpenAI
30 Nov, 2024
Holly Honderich
A coalition of Canada's biggest news outlets is suing OpenAI, the maker of artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, alleging the company is illegally using news articles to train its software.
News organisations including the Toronto Star, Metroland Media, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press and CBC have all joined the suit, reportedly the first of its kind in the country.
“Journalism is in the public interest. OpenAI using other companies’ journalism for their own commercial gain is not. It’s illegal,” the media organisations said in a joint statement.
OpenAI says its models are "trained on publicly available data".
The software is "grounded in fair use and related international copyright principles that are fair for creators and support innovation", the company said in an statement to the BBC.
"We collaborate closely with news publishers, including in the display, attribution and links to their content in ChatGPT search, and offer them easy ways to opt out should they so desire."
In its 84-page filing, the Canadian media coalition accuses OpenAI of ignoring safeguards like paywalls or copyright disclaimers meant to prevent the unauthorised copying of content.
"OpenAI regularly breaches copyright and online terms of use by scraping large swaths of content from Canadian media to help develop its products, such as ChatGPT,” the companies said.
The group, which includes the publishers of Canada's top newspapers, is seeking punitive damages of C$20,000 ($14,300; £11,000) per article they allege was used to illegally train ChatGPT - a sum that could add up to billions of dollars in compensation.
The news organisations are also requesting an order that would force the company to share profits made from using their articles, as well as an injunction prohibiting OpenAI from using them in future.
While the lawsuit against OpenAI is a first for Canadian publishers, it follows a similar action in the US launched by the New York Times and other publishers last year. In April, lawyers for the Times accused OpenAI of erasing evidence they needed for trial.
In another case, the Authors Guild and a group of major writers including John Grisham also claimed copyright infringement.
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI was valued at C$219bn after its latest round of fundraising from investors.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm27247j6gno
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Canada town council gets alternative after refusal to take King's oath
30 Nov, 2024
Nadine Yousif
A Canadian territory has changed its rules for elected municipal officials, allowing them to take an oath pledging allegiance to the country's constitution instead of the British Crown when they are sworn in.
The change comes after the newly-elected council of Dawson City, Yukon, refused to take the King's oath in solidarity with an indigenous council member who raised concerns about the Crown’s history in Canada.
The protest delayed their confirmation and placed the town's governance at a standstill.
On Friday, the territory announced that they have adjusted the law to give the option of taking one of the two oaths.
Richard Mostyn, Yukon’s minister of community services, said the change “allows elected municipal officials to take the Oath of Allegiance in a way that aligns with society’s broader values and cultural identities”.
In Canada - a Commonwealth country and former British colony - most elected officials have to take an oath in which they swear or affirm they "will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III" and his "heirs and successors according to law".
Questions had swirled about whether Dawson City's new council, which was elected in late October, would be able to sit if they refused to take the oath.
Under Yukon law, a newly- elected official must take it within 40 days of their election or else their win “shall be considered null”.
This gave officials a 9 December deadline to come up with a solution.
Councillor Darwyn Lynn, a member of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, said he was hesitant to take the oath because of Canada’s fraught history with indigenous peoples.
“I read it probably about 15 times, and it didn’t get any easier to do,” said Lynn at the press conference announcing the change.
“With the history that the Crown has had in Canada and other places, I thought that there may be another option.”
By questioning the requirement, a “wonderful conversation” on Canada’s history was sparked in Dawson City, a town of 2,400 people, as well as in the broader Yukon territory, he said.
That conversation was “very balanced”, he said, with some people supporting an alternative and others hesitant over its removal.
“Everybody has the right to have their opinion and option, and that is the great part of our country,” said Lynn.
He and the other Dawson City councillors will take the oath of their choice in the coming days.
This is not the first time that a Canadian province or territory had amended the requirement of the Oath of Allegiance.
In 2022, the French-speaking province of Quebec passed legislation that ended the requirement to have elected officials take an oath to the monarchy. One lawmaker called it “a relic from the past”.
The oath, however, remains a requirement for members of Canada's national parliament and for most members of provincial legislative assemblies.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm272nglelqo
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Southeast Asia
At Bersatu AGM, Muhyiddin stresses multiracial vision, assures non-Malay rights
By Muhammad Yusry
30 Nov 2024
SHAH ALAM, Nov 30 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has assured non-Malay communities in Malaysia that their rights, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, will continue to be upheld should the party form a future administration in Putrajaya.
Addressing over a thousand delegates at the party’s annual general meeting, Muhyiddin emphasised the need to broaden the party’s appeal among non-Malay voters in order to realise its vision of forming a multiracial government.
“I acknowledge that the non-Malay community remains hesitant to support Bersatu. In recent by-elections and state elections, the victories of Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional were largely driven by strong support from Malay and Bumiputera voters. While there is some support from non-Malays, it still needs to be strengthened further.
“Therefore, as a party that champions a new nationalism for Malaysia, Bersatu cannot rely solely on Malay and Bumiputera support to form a government. The government formed by Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional will be multiracial.”
“To that end, I want to reassure the Chinese, Indian, Sikh, and other communities in Malaysia: do not worry. Your rights, as outlined in the Federal Constitution, will continue to be upheld. Your welfare as Malaysian citizens will remain protected. Look at our track record when we were in government. Not a single right of the non-Malay communities was taken away or sidelined,” he said in his policy speech.
Muhyiddin then recalled his time as prime minister during the Covid-19 pandemic, noting that his government distributed aid regardless of race or religion.
“My Perikatan Nasional government Cabinet members and I did not consider colour or creed when providing assistance. I never asked whether someone was Malay, Chinese, or Indian before giving aid.
“All citizens were helped, irrespective of racial or religious differences. What is important is that all people in this country respect each other’s rights and dignity, living together in peace and harmony,” he added.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/11/30/at-bersatu-agm-muhyiddin-stresses-multiracial-vision-assures-non-malay-rights/158469
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Sultan Nazrin: Corruption, leakages and abuse of power are akin to cancerous cells in nation’s anatomy
30 Nov 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — The prevalence of corruption, mismanagement, abuse of power, and breaches of trust are akin to cancerous cells eroding the nation’s anatomy, placing immense burdens on its people, said the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah.
He said to address this disorder, the administrative systems, governance, and management practices must be anchored in values, principles, and trustworthiness, transcending ethnic, religious, social, and economic status.
“At present, the nation is greatly embarrassed, and the people are very concerned on the prevalence of corruption, mismanagement, abuse of power, and breaches of trust that have been reported,” he said at the First Session of the 64th Universiti Malaya (UM) Convocation Ceremony, here today.
Sultan Nazrin, who is also the Chancellor of UM, said the university’s responsibility is not complete if it simply produces a large number of graduates, but rather that the university is also responsible for shaping the character and building the human soul of its graduates as a whole.
His Highness said that a more important aspect is the university’s success in cultivating and instilling noble values in each graduate so that they have inner strength and understand the aspects of ethics, morality, accountability and integrity entrusted.
The 64th Universiti Malaya Convocation Ceremony, involving 16 sessions, will take place from today until December 8.
A total of 9,253 graduates who have met the academic criteria are eligible to be awarded degrees and diplomas; 598 graduates will receive Doctor of Philosophy, 3,079 graduates will receive Master’s degrees and Postgraduate Diplomas, 4,241 graduates will receive Bachelor’s degrees, and 1,335 graduates will receive Executive Diplomas and Diplomas.
Universiti Malaya has successfully advanced to the top 60 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2024, in addition to occupying 12th place in Asia, and continues to excel as the best university in Malaysia. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Police: Downtown Kota Baru under 2m water after hit by overflow from Sungai Kelantan
30 Nov 2024
PASIR MAS, Nov 30 — Downtown Kota Baru is submerged in approximately two metres of water after Sungai Kelantan overflowed at Tambatan D’Raja.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said the water level of the river, which started overflowing at midnight, is continuing to rise.
He announced that the police are prepared to evacuate affected individuals should the floods head toward the Temporary Relief Centres (PPS).
“The overflow occurred due to high tide in other areas, which converged with water from Sungai Kelantan,” he said during a special press conference at the Disaster Operations Control Centre at the Repek Police Station today. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Ampang police debunk social media claims of shooting in Taman Mulia Jaya
By Malay Mail
30 Nov 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — No shooting incident took place in Ampang, Selangor, last night, despite claims circulating on social media.
Ampang Jaya District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Mohd Azam Ismail, confirmed to Utusan Malaysia that no gunfire was exchanged between officers and suspects.
Instead, he said the incident, which occurred around 10pm, involved police pursuing a suspect.
The 47-year-old man, driving a silver Proton Waja, had failed to stop when instructed by officers on patrol.
“The suspect was arrested to assist in the investigation, and a press statement will be issued later,” he said.
He added the man was found in possession of a toy pistol, and a urine test revealed he was positive for drugs.
Earlier, a TikTok user uploaded a video claiming a shooting had occurred between the police and criminals.
The video, filmed in Taman Mulia Jaya, Ampang, alleged that six gunshots were fired, and two suspects had fled the scene.
The case is being investigated under Section 186 of the Penal Code.
Source: malaymail.com
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Federal Court to hear Perlis govt’s review bid on Muslim status of Hindu mum Loh’s kids on Feb 20
29 Nov 2024
PUTRAJAYA, Nov 29 — The Federal Court has set February 20 next year to hear the Perlis Government’s application to review the court’s previous decision, in an attempt to reinstate the Muslim religious status of Loh Siew Hong’s three children.
Loh’s lawyer A. Srimurugan confirmed with Bernama the hearing date after the case management before Federal Court deputy registrar Wan Norazimin Kassim today. Also present was lawyer Daniel Farhan Zainul Rijal representing the Perlis Government.
On October 30 the Perlis government filed the review application with the Federal Court, requesting the top court to set aside its earlier decision that denied the leave to appeal brought by the state government and three others.
The state government contends that the previous ruling had severely compromised their right to be heard. They are seeking a rehearing of the leave to appeal application.
Loh, meanwhile, filed an affidavit opposing the review application.
The application to seek leave to appeal was dismissed on May 14, preventing the applicants including the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPs), the Perlis Registrar of Converts, and Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin from proceeding with their appeals against the Court of Appeal’s decision.
Earlier on January 10, the Court of Appeal nullified Loh children’s conversion to Islam and declared them as Hindus. This decision overturned the 2023 High Court ruling that had initially dismissed Loh’s judicial review to annul her children’s conversion.
The 37-year-old single mother filed the judicial review on March 25, 2022, seeking a declaration that her three children are Hindus and asserting that her ex-husband, M. Nagahswaran, who converted to Islam, lacked the legal capacity to register their children as converts without her consent.
The three children, who were initially placed under the care of the Social Welfare Department, were returned to Loh on February 21, 2022, after the High Court granted her habeas corpus application. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/word-muslim-congress-sambhal-killings/d/133880