The
note the unnamed customer left (L) for Khalil Cavil (R). Source: Khalil
Cavil/Facebook
------
‘We
Don’t Tip Terrorist’: Customer Refuses To Tip Waiter with ‘Muslim Name’
AIMPLB
Writes To Press Council of India for Banning Religious Debates on TV Channels
Ahmadis
Boycott Pakistan Poll over Discrimination
What
We Know About Indian Dawoodi Bohra Community and Their Egyptian Roots
Terror
Cell Founded In Wales 'Funded Islamic Extremists' Attacks in Bangladesh
Europe
‘We
Don’t Tip Terrorist’: Customer Refuses To Tip Waiter with ‘Muslim Name’
Muslim
French Footballers Embarrass Far-Right Rhetoric: Islamophobia Observatory
Department
Terrorism
not a clash between Christian West and Islam: David Cameron
Muslim
Couples Marry At Mass Religious Wedding
Muslim
community looking for answers after mosque set on fire
--------
India
AIMPLB
Writes To Press Council of India for Banning Religious Debates on TV Channels
Assam:
This Cachar Mosque Has A Library With Bibles, Vedas
Trust
Goes to HC Seeking Sanction to Give Preference to Sunni Muslim Students Lucknow
Banning
Of Islamic Channels Violates Freedom of Speech: J&K High Court Bar
Fatwa
against Triple Talaq Victim: Nobody Has Right to Dismiss Anyone from Islam,
Says UP Minority Panel
--------
Pakistan
Ahmadis
Boycott Pakistan Poll over Discrimination
‘Notorious
Militant’ Shafiq Mengal Aspiring To Be MNA
Pervez
Khattak, Ayaz Sadiq, Fazlur Rehman Served Notices For ‘Abusive Language’
Pakistan
cannot be intimidated by terror attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:
Dr Faisal
'Last
Jew of Pakistan' Bemoans Israel Travel Ban
I
don’t see political leaders coming together for country’s betterment, says
Nisar
SC
acquits three men convicted of terrorism in 2011
--------
Arab World
What
We Know About Indian Dawoodi Bohra Community and Their Egyptian Roots
Terrorists
Agree to Surrender Entire Quneitra to Syrian Army
Tens
of Bodies Killed in US Airstrikes Found in Raqqa
Syrian
Army Nearing End of Dara'a Liberation Operation
Kurdish
Forces Destroy Ankara-Backed Militants' Cache of Arms in Idlib
Hama:
Tens of Tahrir Al-Sham Terrorists Killed in Syrian Army Attacks
Syria
rebels agree to surrender frontier with Israel
Few
takers for Hezbollah offer to repatriate Syrian refugees
--------
South Asia
Terror
Cell Founded In Wales 'Funded Islamic Extremists' Attacks in Bangladesh
Rights
Group Details Lead-Up to Myanmar Attacks on Rohingya Muslims
24
militants killed, wounded in Kunduz operations
Official:
Taliban attacks kill 8 police in east Afghanistan
Border
police forces suffer casualties during the clashes close to Durand Line
Russia,
Tajikistan forces start drills amid growing instability in Afghanistan
--------
Southeast Asia
Chinese
'Muslim Re-Education Camps' In Spotlight at Kazakh Trial
Muslims
Should Have Integrated Long Ago: Politician
Malaysia
Arrests Seven People over Suspected Militant Links
Legislators
Approve Law for New Philippine Muslim Region
Preacher
Assures Muslims' Support for Peace and Order in Cordillera
Muslim
child marriages declining in Malaysia, stats show
--------
Mideast
Israeli
Footprints Found in Terrorists' Bases in Dara'a
EU,
Palestinians Rap Israeli Law Recognizing Jewish Supremacy
‘Racist’
Israeli homeland law ‘legalizes apartheid,’ say Palestinians
Yemeni
army foil repeated attacks by Houthi militias
Mossad
admits cooperating with MKO over anti-Iran plot
Israeli
airstrike kills young Palestinian man in southern Gaza Strip
--------
Africa
One
20-Year Term, 14 Acquittals in Senegal Jihadists’ Trial
Hundreds
Flee As Al Shabaab Militants Begin Recruiting Children
30
killed in raids on northwest Nigeria villages
President
of South Sudan says ready to accept peace deal
Senegal
convicts 13 suspected Boko Haram fighters
Boko
Haram dwarf reveals amount he got for each suicide bomb attack
Boko
Haram: Doctors Without Borders raise alarm over ‘deteriorating’ conditions of
IDPs
--------
North America
Muslim
Kids Summer Camp All about Balancing Religious and Canadian Identity
Police
Treating Attack on Toronto Muslim Man as Hate Crime
US
allows hundreds of Somalis to stay until at least March 2020
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/new-age-islam-news-bureau/‘we-don’t-tip-terrorist’--customer-refuses-to-tip-waiter-with-‘muslim-name’/d/115890
--------
‘We
Don’t Tip Terrorist’: Customer Refuses To Tip Waiter with ‘Muslim Name’
July
20, 2018
In
yet another example of how several continue to harbour stereotype-induced
hatred towards Muslims, a customer at a restaurant refused to tip the waiter
because of his name. Khalil Cavil, who lives in Texas, took to Facebook to
share the shocking words — “We don’t tip terrorist”, written by a customer on
the bill receipt for him. In addition to reaching out to Cavil for further
updates, indianexpress.com dug a little deeper on social media and it seems
that he happens to have a “Muslim name” but is a Christian, in fact. Yet, that
still is no justification for the customer’s illogical, strong sense of dislike
towards a particular religious community.
This
is what one Instagram user, commenting on the issue, wrote: “It was posted by
#khalilcavil yesterday on #facebook .He lives in #Texas #USA who was accused of
as a Terrorist by the customer he was serving. The irony is he is not even a
#Muslim. He simply happen to have a #Muslim name. This is sheer #racisim /
#xenophobic that still exist even to this day. When are we going to be more
civilized?”
“Last
night at work I received this note from one of my tables. At the moment I
didn’t know what to think nor what to say, I was sick to my stomach. I share
this because I want people to understand that this racism, and this hatred
still exists. Although, this is nothing new, it is still something that will
test your faith. All day I’ve had to remind myself that Jesus died for these
people too. I have decided to let this encourage me, and fuel me to change the
world the only way I know how. So to all the haters out there, keep talkin,
your only helping me step into my destiny!”
He
later took to Facebook again to thank all those who reached out to him and
spoke against racism and xenophobia.
“Once
again, I want to thank everyone for all of the loving support. Most of all I
want to thank my family who has stood by me during this hectic week. I want to
thank everyone who has messaged me over these past few days. There has been so
much support and encouraging messages that it’s been hard to keep up with all
of them. But to all of the people who have sent me money I want to thank you as
well. I want to make it very clear that this was never about the tip nor the
money. It was about shedding a light on racism and sharing the love of Jesus.
It was about igniting conversations because I believe real change happens when
we start talking about the issue and acknowledging its there. So thank you to
everyone who has invested in me over these past few days. With much prayer, I
have decided to put all of the funds I have received into missionary work
through my home church. This will help other people spread the Gospel of Jesus
Christ to different places around the world. Let’s make the enemy pay by
helping other people establish the Kingdom of God here on earth. Thank you!”
https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/this-is-serious/muslim-terrorist-wont-tip-a-waiter-5265724/
--------
AIMPLB
writes to Press Council of India for banning religious debates on TV channels
Jul
19, 2018
A
senior member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Maulana Khaid
Rashid Farangi Mahali has shot off a letter to the Press Council of India
Chairman to put a ban on debates on religious issues involving Islam and Sharia
on TV channels.
Maulana
Rashid said that in majority of these debates, Islam and Sharia are wrongly
portrayed and interpreted. “It results in hurting the religious feelings of
Muslims across the country and vitiate peace and communal harmony,” he said.
“The
agenda of all religious debates are pre-decided and deliberate attempts are
made during panel discussion to portray and interpret Islam and Sharia in wrong
way. This is leading to communal disharmony and widening the gulf between the
two communities,” he said.
Referring
to slapping incident of Mufti Aizaz Arshad Kasmi during a debate, Maulana
Rashid clarified that the Muslim Board has not authorized him to participate in
TV debates on its behalf. “The Board has constituted a three-member committee
which will submit its report to the Chairman who will decide a qualified person
to represent the Board in such debates, if needed,” said Maulana Rashid, who is
also Imam of Lucknow.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-aimplb-writes-to-press-council-of-india-for-banning-religious-debates-on-tv-channels-2639260
--------
Ahmadis
boycott Pakistan poll over discrimination
July
20, 2018
Pakistan's
minority Ahmadi community are boycotting the July 25 general election over a
discriminatory electoral list.
"Under
the current circumstances for Ahmadis to cast a vote, they first have to
distance themselves from the Holy Prophet of Islam and this is something that
no Ahmadi can countenance," Ahmadi spokesman Saleem ud Din said on July
18.
"Though
elections are ostensibly being held under a joint electoral system, there is,
however, a separate voter list for Ahmadis. The process for the registration of
votes and the preparation of voter lists is now completed. The forms issued for
the registration of votes include a religion box and an oath declaration."
He
said that a separate voter list prepared for Ahmadis based on religious
differences is an example of discrimination
"Currently
there is one voter list that includes all religious groups including Muslims,
Hindus, Christians, Zoroastrians and Sikhs, whereas in the case of Ahmadis a
separate voter list is being prepared bearing the titles Qadiani
Men/Women," the spokesman said.
"This
discriminatory treatment on the basis of religion is a deliberate attempt to
disenfranchise the Ahmadis of Pakistan from the electoral process by to all
intents and purposes denying them their right of vote.
"Such
prejudicial behavior is an open violation of Pakistani Ahmadis as citizens of
the state and goes against the vision of the founding father of the country,
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and contravenes both the constitution and the joint
electoral system."
Ahmadis,
who call themselves Muslims, have been declared non-Muslims under Pakistani
law. The legislation has seen the community subjected to persecution.
In
April, the Ahmadi community released an annual report detailing growing
hostilities against the minority sect.
It
said that 77 Ahmadis were booked under discriminatory religious laws in 2017
and nine were in prison on faith-related allegations. Four Ahmadis were
murdered in hate crimes last year.
Five
Ahmadis were shot and injured in incidents of violence in Punjab in July.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/ahmadis-boycott-pakistan-poll-over-discrimination/82869
--------
What
We Know About Indian Dawoodi Bohra Community and Their Egyptian Roots
19
July 2018
Last
week, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi received the Indian leader of
Dawoodi Bohra sect, Sultan Mufaddal Saifuddin. He was accompanied by his
brothers Prince Qusay and Fathi al-Din and Prince Ja’far al-Sadiq, Prince Taha
Saif al-Din and Hassan al-Buhara.
He
also donated EGP 10 million to the Tahya Misr (Long Live Egypt) fund, a
statement from el-Sisi’s office said. According to an al-Ahram report, he had
donated the same amount in 2014.
El-Sisi
stressed the historic ties between Egypt and the Bohra community and hailed the
sect’s constant openness to all religions and sects and the firm belief in the
importance of dialogue among different communities around the world.
The
Dawoodi Bohra community has funded the restoration of the famous Fatimid
al-Hakim Mosque, as well as the Juyushi Mosque, Aqmar Mosque and al-Lolola
Mosque in Cairo.
A
sect within
The
Dawoodi Bohras are a sect within the Ismaili Shiite branch of Islam. While
their population is concentrated in India and Pakistan, Egypt has been home to
a Dawoodi Bohra community since the 1970s.
Al-Buhara
is an Ismaili Shiite sect but differs from the well-known Nizari sect known as
Hashashin in the identity of the Imam. It believes in the primacy of Imam Ahmad
al-Musta’li Billah Al Fatimi.
Al-Buhara
believes that al-Musta’li, who ruled Egypt in the name of the Fatimids for over
seven years and died in 1101 AD, has greater place than his brother.
The
brothers were the sons of the Caliph al-Mustansir Billah al-Fatimi and there
was a dispute between the two, which led to the split of the sect into two,
after the takeover of al-Mustali in Cairo.
Conversion
to Islam
However,
the Buhara, who were known for their trade and commercial activities since time
immemorial, have spread in India, where many Hindus converted to Islam. India
has become the centre of the Bora Sultans after Egypt.
The
current Sultan of Bohra is Sultan Saif al-Din, the 53rd in the order of the
Fatimid “absolute preachers”, and there is great correlation between the family
and the doctrine of the Bohra.
The
current Sultan is the son of the former Sultan. The Sultans of the Buhara are
the leaders of the sect and the Sultan is called the absolute da’I (Preacher),
and they are below the imams in rank, but they believe in the stalemate of the
imams and the deputies of the imam who are the sultans.
Al-Buhra
holds some of their rites in al-Hakim mosque in Al-Mu’izz Street in Cairo. They
are noted for their discipline and commitment to a specific system, and a
specific dress code for both men and women.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/07/19/What-we-know-about-Indian-Dawoodi-Bohra-community-and-their-Egyptian-roots.html
--------
Terror
Cell Founded In Wales 'Funded Islamic Extremists' Attacks in Bangladesh
16
July 2018
A
terrorism network founded in Wales is suspected of a number of attacks in
Bangladesh, the BBC can reveal.
The
cell was started by respected south Wales businessman Siful Sujan, who had
companies based in Cardiff.
The
American military said he was a key figure in the so-called Islamic State,
before he was killed by a US drone strike in Syria in 2015.
It
is now claimed the work of his network continued, led by his brother Ataul
Haque, who had lived in Wales.
Haque
moved from Wales to Spain, and he was arrested in the town of Merida in
September 2017.
The
FBI says Sujan's Welsh company, Ibacstel Electronics, was sending money to the
USA to fund plans for a bomb attack there; and it was also buying
military-grade equipment which was being sent to Islamic State fighters.
The
officer investigating Haque agreed to be interviewed by the BBC on condition of
anonymity due to the nature of his work.
"On
the face of it Ataul's business was legal, but the destination of these
resources - or at least part of them - was destined to finance ISIS,
technologically and financially," said the officer.
"We
estimate that in December of 2015 Ataul Haque sent and co-ordinated a total of
$50,000 (£37,691) to Bangladesh. The destination of that money, according to
our Bangladeshi colleagues, was specifically "operational", to carry
out attacks."
Bangladeshi
journalist Tasneem Khalil pinpointed Siful Sujan as the man who helped set-up
ISIS there.
He
said the former Glamorgan University student who lived in Pontypridd, Rhondda
Cynon Taff, had recruited up to 50 Jihadi fighters in Bangladesh, and helped
fund terror attacks.
"Siful
Sujan was the architect, or one of the key architects, of the global money
moving operation of ISIS. We are actually talking about big sums of money,"
said Mr Khalil, who is now living in exile in Sweden.
"There
were a number of operations in the second half of 2015 which Bangladeshi
intelligence agencies believe were funded by Sujan's money."
It
is also suspected that the network established by Sujan - and then allegedly
run by his brother Ataul Haque - may have been involved in funding Bangladesh's
worst terrorist attack.
In
July 2016, 24 people were killed when a café in Dhaka was attacked by
terrorists armed with bombs and guns.
"Even
after his death, he remained very influential. There is a very high likelihood
that some of Sujan's money was used in those attacks also," said the
journalist.
The
police in Bangladesh declined to comment on terrorist attacks in the country.
Haque
is in jail in Madrid and is expected to be charged later this year. He denies
any wrong-doing, or being involved in the terrorism network.
The
BBC's investigation also examined the role of a Newport businessman, Abdul
Samad, who worked for Sujan's company.
Samad
was accused by the FBI of supporting the so-called Islamic State; facilitating
payments to an ISIS supporter in the USA; and involvement in purchasing
equipment for IS.
He
was arrested in south Wales on the same day that his former boss was killed in
Syria.
In
addition to the evidence gathered by the FBI, the BBC also discovered that
Samad set up a new company for Haque in Newport in September 2017 called
Isynctel.
It
is the same name as a Spanish company which Ataul Haque is accused of using to
fund terrorism.
Samad
declined to be interviewed by BBC Wales Investigates. He has denied any
wrong-doing, or involvement in a terrorism network, and denied holding
extremist views.
After
a 15-month investigation by counter-terrorism police, Samad was told the
"threshold" had not been met for him to be charged with any offences.
BBC
Wales Investigates, 20:30 BST on Monday, 16 July, on BBC One Wales.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-44823666
--------
Europe
Muslim
French Footballers Embarrass Far-Right Rhetoric: Islamophobia Observatory
Department
Jul.
19, 2018
CAIRO
– 19 July 2018: The fact that half of France’s World Cup winning team is
comprised of Muslims is a powerful response to the rampant Islamophobia in
France, Islamophobia Observatory Department, affiliated with Egypt’s Dar
Al-Ifta (House of religious edicts), stated Thursday.
In
a statement issued Thursday, the IOD contended that the Muslim players led the
French squad to win the title of the world’s most prestigious tournament. “Yet,
they exposed the double standards of the far-right rhetoric that antagonizes
Muslims.”
The
French national squad’s Muslim players, who are also of African descent, are:
Adil Rami, Djibril Sidibé, Benjamin Mendy, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté, Nabil
Fekir and Ousmane Dembélé.
The
statement further read that the above-mentioned fact did not grasp the
attention of the French media, which points an accusing finger at the
population of 1.8 billion Muslims whenever a terrorist attack takes place.
The
statement concluded with confirming that the Muslim players do not possess any
kind of advantage over their mates; however, the achievement they contributed
in is just a good message to the far-right discourse that conflates Muslims
with evil deeds.
France
managed to win the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, after the team gave a great
performance throughout the stages of the tournament, to be a second well
deserved World Cup for Les Bleus.
The
French president attended the final game between his national team and Croatia,
alongside 14 other world leaders, including Valdimir Putin and Croatia
President Kolinda Kitarovic.
In
1998, a group of French players of African descent led the French national team
to their first World Cup title at home.
One
of the prominent stars back then was Zinedine Zidane, who was born in France in
an Algerian family.
Zidane
scored two of France’s three goals at the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil
and since then he has been considered a beacon of hope for the African/ Muslim
immigrants.
https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/54338/Muslim-French-footballers-embarrass-far-right-rhetoric-IOD
--------
Terrorism
not a clash between Christian West and Islam: David Cameron
July
20, 2018
KOLKATA:
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday said terrorism should
not be seen as a battle between the Christian countries of the West and the
Islamic countries in the Middle East. It is all about identifying and wiping
out a small section that believes in extremism.
Criticizing
US President Donald Trump’s view on terrorism, he said it is more of an
intellectual battle against those who believe in the “perverted view” of the
Islamic religion.
“When
at times I listen to President Trump, it seems he thinks of terrorism like a
clash of civilizations between the Christian West and the religion of Islam,
which I think is completely wrong,” said Cameron, also the former Conservative
Party chief.
“What”s
happening now-a-days is a civil war in the Islamic states between a vast
majority willing to practice their religion peacefully and a very small
minority that have taken up a radicalized and perverted view of the religion
and turned it into a kind of belief.
“What
we have to do is recognize those who are involved in this,” he pointed out
while addressing the Annual General Meeting of the Indian Chamber of Commerce
here.
Mr
Cameron said the terrorist problems have surfaced not just in the Middle East
but also in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Britain in recent times, which
shows “we are involved in a big intellectual fight”.
He
said that in order to discourage the spread of radicalism among people, the
success of multi ethnic nations like India and Britain should be celebrated.
“We
should try to celebrate the multi cultural, multi religious, multi ethnic
countries like India and Britain. We should also help those countries in wiping
out the perverted practice of radicalism in the name of religion,” he said.
Talking
about the spread of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, he said such forces need to be
fought with fire to eliminate the extremists.
“Iraq
is a state that has been finding support for the Islamic State that actively
sends terrorists to other countries. Sometimes people are trained in Iraq and
sent to the European countries while at other times they are just radicalized
through social media.
“But
a large section of their people are willing to break free from the grasp of
this extremist group. We have to find a strategy to wipe out the extremist
forces and work with the locals,” Cameron said.
Full
report at:
https://www.siasat.com/news/terrorism-not-clash-between-christian-west-and-islam-david-cameron-1382821/
--------
Muslim
couples marry at mass religious wedding
JULY
19, 2018
SARAJEVO
(Reuters) - Sixty Bosnian Muslim couples held a religious wedding ceremony in
the capital Sarajevo on Thursday in what organizers said was one of the biggest
Islamic mass weddings in Europe, designed to make it easier for young people to
start families.
Bosnia
officially recognizes only civil weddings. The couples, who were already
legally married, attended the Muslim ceremony for religious or cultural
reasons.
“The
wedding is a special day for everybody but getting married in this way and with
so many couples around will be something we will remember for life,”
31-year-old Almin Cutuk told Reuters.
A
charity that helped organize the event provided tailored suits for the grooms
and pale purple gowns and white headscarves for the brides. The couples were
treated to a banquet and given a cash gift of 500 Bosnian marka (about $300).
Imam
Resul Alic, who led the service at the Istiklal mosque, said the aim was to
encourage Bosnians to start families at a time when many young people find it
too expensive to celebrate a wedding on their own.
“Matrimony
is the basis of humankind and any society. Our society and family in particular
are nowadays facing a number of challenges and fewer people are getting
married,” he said.
With
the economy still recovering from the 1992-95 war and unemployment in
double-digits, marriage and birth rates have been steadily falling in the
Balkan country, which has a population of just over 3.5 million, about half of
them Muslim.
From
a peak of nearly 24,000 marriages registered in 2007, the number of fell to
just 14,870 last year.
Bosnia’s
traditional form of Islam is moderate, shaped by long co-existence with other
faiths. Some Bosnians worry that more fundamentalist strains are on the rise,
arriving from the Middle East and threatening the country’s cosmopolitan
culture.
Full
report at:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bosnia-islam-wedding/sixty-bosnian-muslim-couples-marry-at-mass-religious-wedding-idUSKBN1K92MZ
--------
Muslim
community looking for answers after mosque set on fire
July
19, 2018
HARRIS
COUNTY, Texas – Members of the Muslim community in the greater Houston area are
looking for answers after a mosque was set on fire early Thursday morning.
The
Harris County Fire Marshal said the front doors of the Northshore Islamic
Center on Brownsville Street were set on fire around 4:30 a.m. Thursday.
The
suspect(s) also slashed the tires of the car belonging to the leader of the
mosque.
Thursday
morning, a maintenance worker heard an alarm in the building and was able to
put out the fire with water.
"I
feel very bad about what happened. What happened shouldn't be happening. I
don't know who did it and why they did it. It's just so bad." said
Mohammad Sitar, a member at the mosque.
The
security cameras on the side of the building weren't working at the time which
is making it more difficult for investigators who are trying to find the
arsonists.
The
Harris County Fire Marshal has alerted the ATF which will then refer the case
to the FBI. The FBI will decide if the fire qualifies as a hate crime.
At
the mosque, leaders are calling for the arsonist to come forward willingly to
put an end to the questions and the fear.
Full
report at:
https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/muslim-community-looking-for-answers-after-mosque-set-on-fire/285-575635969
--------
India
Assam:
This Cachar mosque has a library with Bibles, Vedas
Jul
20, 2018
SILCHAR:
On the second floor of the Jame Masjid, the main mosque in Assam’s Cachar
district, Sabir Ahmed Chaudhury pushes open a door to reveal a room with about
a dozen almirahs.
They’re
filled with more than 300 books in Bengali and English on Hinduism,
Christianity and Islam. Reading rooms and libraries are rare in mosques but
Chaudhury, the mosque’s secretary, is particularly proud of this one as it’s an
effort to educate people about other religions and philosophies.
Alongside
the Quran and books on Islam, are tomes on Christian philosophy, the Vedas and
Upanishads, biographies of Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda, and
novels by Rabindranath Tagore and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.
“I’ve
wanted to have a library in the mosque since it was built in 1948,” said
Chaudhury. Inspired by revolutionary and philosopher M N Roy, who said India is
an ancient country but its different religious groups barely know one another,
Chaudhury wanted to set up the reading room to help people understand one
another’s beliefs. “We will be happy if the library plays even a little role in
this direction,” he said.
“With
contributions from locals, the library and reading room came up in 2012,” said
Chaudhury, who is also head of the department of English at MCD College, Sonai.
The
library draws people of all ages, many of them worshippers at the mosque.
“The
crowd is more during Ramzan and on Fridays,” he said. Chaudhury said no other
mosque in the Barak Valley had a library.
“We
are pioneers in fostering a reading habit among people of all religions,” he
said.
It’s
no idle boast and a quote from Ramakrishna Paramahansa in the visitors’ book
seems to confirm what the library stands for:
‘Jato
mat tato path (there are as many ways as views)’.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/a-mosque-with-bible-vedas/articleshow/65061878.cms
--------
Trust
Goes to HC Seeking Sanction to Give Preference to Sunni Muslim Students Lucknow
JULY
19, 2018
The
High Court of Karnataka on Thursday reserved its verdict on a petition filed by
the Kanachur Islamic Education Trust seeking a direction to the State
government to allot students only from the Sunni Muslim community to the MBBS
seats in Kanachur Medical College, Mangaluru.
Contending
that it has been legally declared a religious minority educational institution
under the law and is managed by Sunni Muslims, the petitioner claimed that it
has the legal right to indicate the “choice of preference of the students” to
be allotted through the common counselling.
Claiming
that the institution was established for catering to members of the Sunni
Muslim community, the Trust questioned the July 4, 2018 decision of the
Department of Medical Education rejecting its plea on the same.
The
Trust had, in May this year, written to the department to preferably allot
students of Sunni Muslim community to 82 of 150 seats that fall under the
institutional/management quota seats for first year MBBS course for 2018-19. It
had said that it was open to admitting students of any religion or caste
through the 38 government quota seats (25% of the total seats).
Apart
from producing a religion certificate from the revenue authorities, the
students should be made to secure a certificate from the Sunni Jam Iyyathul
Ulama, Mangaluru, the Trust had requested.
According
to the petition, St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru, which is a Christian
minority institution, is being allowed to admit its “preferred students”. The
petitioner has also claimed that the Kerala government is permitting religious
minority institutions to do the same.
However,
the State government opposed the plea, claiming that the National Commission
for Minority Educational Institution has issued a certificate to the Trust
stating that it is a religious minority (Muslim institution), and hence it
could not insist on allotment of students belonging to only Sunni sect.
Full
report at:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/trust-goes-to-hc-seeking-sanction-to-give-preference-to-sunni-muslim-students/article24465057.ece
--------
Banning
Of Islamic Channels Violates Freedom Of Speech: J&K High Court Bar
Jul
20, 2018
Srinagar:
J&K High Court Bar Association Srinagar, on Thursday strongly condemned the
banning of 30 Islamic and other television channels in Kashmir, and describes
the same a blatant violation of the freedom of speech and expression.
According
to a statement, The Bar Association maintains that a District Magistrate, in
terms of Section 19 of the Cable Television Network (Registration) Act, 1995,
has the power to prohibit any cable operator from transmitting or
re-transmitting any programme or channel, if it is necessary or expedient in
public interest to do so but such an order can be passed by him, only if the
programme is not in conformity with the prescribed “Programme Code” or “Advertisement
Code”.
“Rule
6 of the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994, describes only those programmes
against “Programme Code”, which offend against good taste or decency, contain
criticism of friendly countries, contain attack on religious groups or promote
communal attitude, contain anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and
suggestive innuendos and half-truths or is likely to encourage or incite
violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order, or anything
amounting to contempt of court, or to denigrate women or children or injure
public morality or contain visuals of words, which reflect as slandering,
ironical or snobbish attitude in the portrayal of certain ethnic, linguistic
and regional groups, which none of the channels banned by District Magistrate,
Srinagar, have been accused of by the District Magistrate,” Bar said.
“The
channels which have been banned by the District Magistrate, are mostly
transmitting or re-transmitting the programmes based on philosophy of Islam,”
they said.
Full
report at:
https://kashmirreader.com/2018/07/20/banning-of-islamic-channels-violates-freedom-of-speech-bar/
--------
Fatwa
against triple talaq victim: Nobody has right to dismiss anyone from Islam,
says UP minority panel
Jul
19, 2018
Bareilly:
A two-member committee of the UP Minority Commission which is looking into the
fatwa against triple talaq victim Nida Khan has said that prima facie it
appears that injustice has been done to the woman.
Rumana
Siddiqui, one of the committee members, said, “Nobody has the right to dismiss
anyone from Islam. Any person who reads kalima with devotion can embrace Islam.
In India, we follow the Indian law and Constitution. If they want to run Sharia
courts, they shouldn’t only talk about property disputes and talaq, but should
also talk about other crimes such as rape and murder. The fatwa issued against
Nida Khan is illegal according to the Indian law.”
Meanwhile,
Nida has told the minority panel that she does not trust Bareilly police as
they have been supporting her husband’s family from the very beginning. She
said that she is worried that her father and brother may have to face the
consequences of her actions.
Another
member of the minority panel, Kunwar Iqbal Haider, said, “We have spoken to
Nida, her husband Sheeran Raza Khan, her in-laws, clerics at Dargah Aala
Hazrat, police and administration. We have recorded their statements and have
taken relevant documents from them. It is a fact that injustice has been done
to her. We will submit our report to the chairperson of the commission in
Lucknow on Friday after which a decision will be taken in the matter.”
Asked
if an FIR will be lodged against the cleric who issued the fatwa, Haider said,
“The commission will take appropriate action and the law of the land will
prevail.
On
the orders of the minority panel, police have tightened the triple talaq
victim’s security by providing her two gunners. “I have decided to submit a
written complaint with police against the fatwa on Friday. Though more security
has been provided to me, I am concerned about the impact of the fatwa on my
father and brother. What will happen when they go to the local mosque to offer
prayers on Friday? From the very beginning, police have been biased and have
supported my husband because he comes from an influential family,” Nida said.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/fatwa-against-triple-talaq-victim-nobody-has-right-to-dismiss-anyone-from-islam-says-up-minority-panel/articleshow/65060821.cms
--------
Pakistan
‘Notorious
militant’ Shafiq Mengal aspiring to be MNA
Jul
20, 2018
In
spite of his close links with the notorious terror outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi,
Shafiq Mengal is contesting the upcoming general election on Khuzdar’s National
Assembly seat as an independent candidate.
Shafiq’s
father Naseer Mengal was a former federal minister and has been in electoral
politics for over three decades.
Shafiq
Mengal, who allegedly formed Difa-e-Balochistan outfit, is accused of killing
and abducting the workers of Baloch nationalist parties; however, Mengal denies
these accusations.
Mengal’s
name also came to the fore when a mass grave was found in Khuzdar’s Tootak
area. According to the BBC, at least 20 eyewitnesses had told a judicial probe
that Mengal was responsible for the coldblooded murder of at least 17 persons,
whose bodies were found in the mass grave.
The
provincial government had established a judicial tribunal soon after the
recovery of the mass grave in Totak area of Khuzdar in January 2014, after
Balochistan’s then chief minister Abdul Malik named Mengal’s death squad for
the killings.
The
report, however, still needs to be released.
According
to a Reuters’ report, a would-be suicide bomber’s confession helped them
identify several key militants, including a suicide vest maker and the man who
oversees the network – Shafiq Mengal.
“Our
intelligence shows that he has 500-1,000 militants working under him and is
living in the mountains,” a senior police official was quoted as saying.
In
2014, he was booked for alleged involvement in the May 25 attack on Levies
check post in Khuzdar district. The assault led to the deaths of eight
Balochistan Levies personnel.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/07/19/notorious-militant-shafiq-mengal-aspiring-to-be-mna/
--------
Pervez
Khattak, Ayaz Sadiq, Fazlur Rehman served notices for ‘abusive language’
JULY
19, 2018
ISLAMABAD:
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued notices to former Khyber
PakhtunKhwa (KP) chief minister Pervez Khattak, former National Assembly
speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) leader Fazul Rehman over
their use of ‘abusive, insolent and derogatory language’ in public speeches.
The
action was taken on the basis of media reports suggesting the use of indecent
language by the mentioned politicians.
“This
behavior certainly constitutes a violation of a code of conduct for the
political parties and candidates notified by the ECP,” read the notice.
The
ECP directed the politicians to appear before it, either in personal capacity
or through their lawyers, on July 21 to explain their position.
Earlier,
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan’s counsel Babar Awan appeared
before the ECP to explain Khan’s position regarding the inappropriate language
he used to address PML-N workers.
Full
report at:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/270076/pervez-khattak-ayaz-sadiq-fazlur-rehman-served-notices-for-foul-language/
--------
Pakistan
cannot be intimidated by terror attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:
Dr Faisal
JULY
19, 2018
ISLAMABAD:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Dr. Faisal today said in a weekly
briefing that Pakistan will not be intimidated by terror attacks in Balochistan
and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the democratic electoral process will continue as per
schedule.
Dr.
Faisal also said that human rights violation in Kashmir has increased by the
Indian army and last week twenty-three Kashmiri citizens were killed.
He
further condemned the censorship of media in Kashmir and also spoke against
Aqib Javed’s unlawful inquiry by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He
also spoke a great deal against the one month judicial custody of Asiya
Andrabi.
Dr
Faisal also said the the United Nations report regarding the atrocities in
Kashmir by the Indian Army is an eye opener and wipes away all propaganda
projected by the Indian State. He urged the international community to take
notice of the findings of the aforementioned report.
Dr.
Faisal also prayed for the victims of the terror attacks in Mastung and thanked
Pakistan’s friends in the international community for extending condolences. He
said that the Mustang tragedy has left the country grief-stricken, but
Pakistan’s resolve has strengthened to fight for the free and transparent
elections.
Full
report at:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/270040/pakistan-cannot-be-intimidated-by-terror-attacks-in-balochistan-and-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-dr-faisal/
--------
'Last
Jew of Pakistan' bemoans Israel travel ban
July
20, 2018
Fishel
Benkhald, who regards himself as the "last Jew of Pakistan," says he
wants to go to Israel on a pilgrimage despite Pakistani law prohibiting
citizens from travelling to the Jewish state.
Writing
in Lahore's Daily Times, Benkhald, who lives in Karachi, bemoaned "the
widening divide" between Pakistan's Muslim majority and its religious
minorities owing to the spread of a more militant and intolerant stream of
Islamism across the violence-plagued nation.
He
also expressed a desire to observe the Passover Seder next year in Jerusalem.
"I
am stuck in a real-life conundrum," Benkhald, 31, wrote. "Being a
practicing Jewish man, I want the freedom to perform my religious duties, a
right granted to me and other minorities in the country by the
constitution."
Yet
despite that constitutional right, he is unable to practice his religion
freely. "The reality is that my Pakistani passport states that 'this
passport is valid for all countries of the world, except Israel,'"
Benkhald said.
"All
I simply want is to invoke my given constitutional right to perform a religious
pilgrimage without having the threat of criminal persecution from the state of
Pakistan hanging over my head. [There] is a flaw in the laws that govern the
state of minorities in the country."
Like
most predominantly Muslim nations, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has refused
to establish proper diplomatic ties with Israel out of solidarity with the
Palestinians. Israel is routinely denounced by Pakistani politicians for
committing human rights violations against Palestinians. The Jewish state has
in turn accused Pakistan of supporting Palestinian terror groups.
Benkhald
isn't the only Pakistani citizen who would like to travel to Israel.
"Israel is the Holy Land. Our Lord lived and died there," a Pakistani
Catholic asylum seeker in Bangkok who asked to remain anonymous told
ucanews.com. "We would love to go there on a pilgrimage, but we can't go
because of the political situation. In Pakistan, many people hate Jews and hate
Israel."
According
to official estimates by the Pakistani government, several hundred families
registered as Jewish continue to live in the country, the remainders of a once
2,500-strong expatriate community that inhabited what would become Pakistan
during the final years of the British Raj.
Benkhald
disputes those figures, however. He argues that at most only a handful of
people who identify as Jewish in some form remain in the country.
Ironically,
one of his brothers has openly disputed that Benkhald himself is Jewish,
telling a Pakistani newspaper that there was no evidence their late mother, who
Benkhald says was Jewish, did have Jewish ancestry.
Benkhald
was originally registered as a Muslim because his father was Muslim. Three
years ago, however, he underwent a months-long bureaucratic struggle to
reregister himself officially as a Jew. He also changed his original Muslim
name, Faisal Khalid, by adopting a new name.
"[People's]
attitude toward me changed completely after I got myself registered as a
Jew," he told a German news agency. "Even my four brothers disowned
me and declared me an apostate."
Religious
minorities, including Christians and Hindus, face various forms of
discrimination in Pakistan. They are regularly overlooked for better-paying
jobs and hundreds have been executed or sentenced to long prison terms for
violating strict blasphemy laws.
"Pakistan
is one of the worst countries to live in as a member of a religious minority
group due to the lack of human rights protection accorded to minority
communities," noted the Oxford Human Rights Hub, a publication by the
University of Oxford's faculty of law. "Recent years have seen an
intensification of violent persecution of religious minorities."
Religious
minorities regularly have their places of worship targeted by Islamist
militants. Occasionally Christians, Hindus and other minorities are lynched by
enraged mobs for allegedly insulting Islam or Muslims.
Benkhald,
who is a vocal advocate for minority rights and spearheads a one-man campaign
to preserve an old Jewish cemetery in Karachi, said he has experienced various
forms of discrimination. "When my landlord learned about my Jewish
identity, he asked me to vacate the apartment where I had been living for
months," he was quoted as saying.
In
2015, he was attacked by a mob of Muslim men who took issue with some of the
views he expressed on Twitter. The men began kicking and punching him before
police intervened and took him away. Benkhald managed to record some of the
attack on his mobile phone.
Full
report at:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/last-jew-of-pakistan-bemoans-israel-travel-ban/82864
--------
I
don’t see political leaders coming together for country’s betterment, says
Nisar
July
20, 2018
TAXILA:
Estranged PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan urged people not to vote for
PML-N candidates as that would lead to their votes going to waste.
Addressing
an election campaign rally in Taxila Cantonment on Thursday, the former
interior minister said: “I am saying this clearly. Nothing will come of [PML-N
candidates], not before the elections and not after”.
He
said the political careers of PML-N candidates were over and that they should
vote for the jeep instead of the lion or bat.
“We
can only get through this [critical juncture] by joining hands for the
betterment of the country. But I do not see that happening before or after the
general elections. Every political leader has their eye on the prize of
becoming the country’s prime minister,” he said.
Mr
Nisar drew parallels with 1971 when, he said, the leaders failed in taking the
nation into confidence.
“The
country was also divided before the elections then, leading to the loss of East
Pakistan,” he said.
Chaudhry
Nisar said 14 of the people who had formed PML-N had left Nawaz Sharif and that
the former premier had gotten into trouble due to his mistakes.
“I
have been by his side for 34 years and I advised him not to go after the
judiciary and armed forces,” Nisar said, adding that his counsel fell on deaf
ears as certain people told Nawaz that the best step will be confrontation.
“Look
where that policy has landed him now,” Mr Nisar said.
He
added that the party leadership had advised him to furnish an application for a
party ticket but he had refused and decided to contest the elections
independently.
He
said his performance is well known and that he has worked tirelessly for the
development of the area. He said he has always practiced politics with
self-respect and with his head held high.
Full
report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1421172/i-dont-see-political-leaders-coming-together-for-countrys-betterment-says-nisar
--------
SC
acquits three men convicted of terrorism in 2011
JULY
20, 2018
The
Supreme Court acquitted three men on Thursday after their conviction in a
terrorism case seven years ago. Rehmatullah, Murad Ali and Abdul Rehman were
sentenced for their alleged involvement in the killing of at least 12 bus
passengers in Sibi in 2011.
Heading
a three-member bench, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa observed that high courts have a
high level and wondered how such decisions by them can be given value. Justice
Khosa lamented how the high court, without examining anything, upheld the trial
court’s conviction. The court observed further that the investigation, trial
and subsequent decisions burnt everything to ashes, adding that the prosecution
had failed to establish a case against the suspects. The court then dismissed
the high court order which had upheld the suspects’ death sentences and life
terms, noting that they are being exonerated by giving them a benefit of doubt.
In April 2011, around 15 people were said to have been killed when unidentified
men set fire to a parked bus on the National Highway near Sibi. Police and
paramilitary forces had claimed to have arrested three suspects in raids after
the incident.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/270274/sc-acquits-three-men-convicted-of-terrorism-in2011/
--------
Arab World
Terrorists
Agree to Surrender Entire Quneitra to Syrian Army
Jul
19, 2018
The
Arabic website of SANA news agency reported on Thursday that the terrorist
groups in Quneitra have reached an agreement with the Syrian army to grant
amnesty to those who surrender and allow others to leave the region for Idlib.
It
added that based on the agreement, the Syrian army will be deployed in regions
that it lost in 2011 once again.
Sources
affiliated to the dissidents also reported that the terrorists in Quneitra have
reached the agreement with the army through Russian mediation.
The
Syrian army's full control over the strategic regions in Quneitra and the
extensive support of residents of these regions for the army started after the
terrorists' defense lines in Dara'a and parts of Quneitra collapsed completely.
In
a relevant development on Tuesday, the Syrian government forces continued their
advances against terrorists in Northwestern Dara'a, and were reportedly
preparing for an assault to drive terrorists out of Quneitra's border region
with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The
army soldiers, under cover by artillery and missile fire, stormed terrorists in
Northwestern Dara'a and managed to capture the town of al-Mall and its
surrounding strategic hills.
Also,
other units of the army engaged in fierce clashes with the terrorists and freed
the village of Aqraba and Tal al-Mahis region South of the town of Namer.
Field
source, meantime, said that the army has thus far liberated a large part of
terrorist-held regions in the Death Triangle in Dara'a province.
They
went on to say that the army soldiers are about to impose full control over the
Northwestern part of Dara'a province, adding that the army is readying to push
terrorists back from the borderline with the Golan Heights held by the
terrorists.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970428000403
--------
Tens
of Bodies Killed in US Airstrikes Found in Raqqa
Jul
19, 2018
Local
sources in Raqqa reported that more than 50 bodies of civilians killed in the
US raids were found in one of the buildings of Harat al-Baldou in Raqqa city,
adding that most of the dead are women and children.
Relevant
reports quoted forces affiliated to Raqqa civil council as saying on Wednesday
that at least 450 corpses were discovered in a mass grave near al-Forat stadium
in Southern Raqqa.
Most
of the bodies found in mass graves in Raqqa belong to the victims of the US
airstrikes and the attacks launched by Washington-backed Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF) when they were attempting to occupy the region as well as those
killed by the ISIL terrorist group.
Meantime,
a media outlet reported on Wednesday that a sum of 1,236 bodies of the victims
killed by US-led coalition air raids and Washington-backed militias were
discovered from three other mass graves in Raqqa city in Northeastern Syria.
The
Arabic-language al-Watan news website reported that a sum of 1,236 bodies of
civilians that had been killed in the US air raids and SDF attacks were
unearthed from mass graves in Panorama, al-Rashid Sports Stadium and the Zoo in
Raqqa.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970428000200
--------
Syrian
Army Nearing End of Dara'a Liberation Operation
Jul
19, 2018
The
army forces targeted the terrorists' remaining bases in Western Dara'a,
specially in Tal al-Jabiyeh and al-Naseriyeh fronts, on Thursday.
Meantime,
field sources reported that the army units could win back control of Um Houran
region North of the town of Nawa, Tal al-Hosh and Kasif al-Sin as well as
Brigade 112 region East of Nawa.
They
also captured the village of al-Tayyerah, al-Raba'ei checkpoint, Tal Ashtarah
and the village of Sheikh Sa'ad in Hoz al-Yarmouk region in Western Dara'a.
In
a relevant development earlier today, the terrorist groups agreed to give
control of their major stronghold in Western Dara'a to the Syrian army as the
latter continued military operations in the few regions still under terrorists'
control in the province.
Field
sources reported on Thursday that the terrorists in the town of Nawa in Western
Dara'a reached an agreement to surrender the region to the army.
Based
on the agreement, the terrorists will surrender their weapons to the army in
several stages and will receive amnesty from the government. Also, other
terrorists who are opposed to the peace plan will leave the region for Northern
Syria.
Meantime,
other field sources also said that the militants will deliver control of the
hills near Nawa to the army and will withdraw from the region.
The
agreement was made after the Syrian army forces' heavy attacks against the
terrorists in Nawa and the adjacent areas as well as their positions in Hoz
al-Yarmouk.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970428000620
--------
Kurdish
Forces Destroy Ankara-Backed Militants' Cache of Arms in Idlib
Jul
19, 2018
The
Kurdish-language Hawar news reported on Thursday that the Kurdish forces
launched military operations on a main base of the Ankara-backed Faylaq al-Sham
terrorist group in Atmeh region in Northern Idlib which was a main platform for
Afrin's occupation.
It
added that the Kurds could destroy a cache of weapons and ammunition and an
arms manufacturing plant in the operations, killing 6 and wounding 5 Faylaq
al-Sham militants.
A
sum of 12 Turkish troops and Ankara-backed militants were killed in clashes
with the Kurdish militias in Afrin region in Northwestern Aleppo last Tuesday,
a Kurdish media outlet reported.
Hawar
news quoted a source as saying that the Kurdish militias attacked the Turkish
army units and meantime detonated roadside bombs on the way of Ankara-backed
militants in the village of Baseleh in Shera region, destroying a military
vehicle and killing eight Turkish forces, including two army officers.
Hawar
news further said that a Turkish soldier and two members of Firqa al-Hamaza
military group were killed and a Turkish soldier was injured after a bomb went
off in their vehicle in the village off Kimara.
In
the meantime, Mohammad Abu Hamid, one of the commanders of Ankara-backed Faylaq
al-Sham, was killed in an ambush operation by the Kurds.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970428000450
--------
Hama:
Tens of Tahrir Al-Sham Terrorists Killed in Syrian Army Attacks
Jul
19, 2018
The
Syrian army's missile and artillery units heavily targeted Tahrir al-Sham bases
in Kafr Zita, al-Latamineh, Ma'arkabeh and Hasraya in Northern Hama.
Meantime,
field sources reported that the terrorists who had moved from Idlib and Jabal
al-Zawiyeh to Northern Hama sustained, at least, 54 casualties in the battle,
adding that the army also destroyed more than a dozen vehicles as well as
military equipment of the militants.
Also,
the Syrian army units continued purging operations in the farms of the town of
al-Aqrab in Southern Hama, discovering and seizing large volumes of different
types of weapons and ammunition, including mortars, artilleries, RPGs and
weapons made in Israel.
In
a relevant development on Tuesday, the Syrian army soldiers continued their
mop-up operation in Southern Hama, discovering a large arms and ammunition
depot of terrorists, including Israeli weapons.
The
army men found a large depot of terrorists' arms and ammunition in the township
of Aqrab in Southern Hama.
A
field source reported that a large volume of Israeli mortar shells, missiles,
machineguns, sniper rifles, communication devices and bombs were in the depot.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970428000358
--------
Syria
rebels agree to surrender frontier with Israel
July
19, 2018
BEIRUT:
Syrian rebels agreed to surrender their last pockets of control in southwest
Quneitra province to the government, state media reported Thursday, making way
for Damascus to re-establish its authority along the Israeli frontier.
The
deal, confirmed in its general outlines by a monitoring group and opposition
activists in Quneitra, will put the Syrian government face-to-face with Israel
along most of its frontier for the first time since 2011, when an uprising
against President Bashar Assad’s rule swept through Syria.
A
fleet of buses reached Quneitra on Thursday night to pick up fighters,
activists and other residents who refuse to accept the terms of surrender, and
evacuate them to rebel-held areas in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights monitoring group said.
An
affiliate of the Daesh group continues to hold a sliver of the frontier. The
group is not party to the agreement between the government and rebels.
Syria
and Israel fought two wars over their shared border, in 1967 and 1973, with
Israel occupying the Golan Heights in the Quneitra province in the former
confrontation.
But
Israel has refrained from taking sides in Syria’s seven-year-long civil war,
and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated he does not object to the
government’s return to southwest Syria — as long as Israel’s archenemies Iran
and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah stay clear of the frontier.
Delegations
from the government and rebels met several times over the last two days to
negotiate the terms of surrender, said opposition activist and photographer
Moaz Al-Assaad.
Thousands
of residents — including rebel fighters, media activists, medical workers and
civilians — may be heading to north Syria instead of staying behind in
Quneitra, according to Al-Assaad.
The
UN and human rights organizations have condemned such evacuations as forced
displacement. Few who have left are expecting to be able to return to their
homes in the near-term.
Earlier
on Thursday, a fleet of buses helped evacuate the last remaining residents from
Shiite, pro-government villages in northern Syria that endured three years of
rebel siege, to government territory in the nearby Aleppo province.
Some
7,000 people were evacuated from Foua and Kfraya, according to state media.
The
transfers — which have become a fixture of the war’s later stages — are a
conspicuous marker of the titanic shifts in Syria’s demographics.
Waves
of violence against civilians and unforgiving terms of surrender have resulted
in the reassortment of the Syrian population. The country’s majority Sunni
population has been pushed out of the cities and, disproportionately, into
camps and exile, while minorities have moved closer to the centers of
government control.
The
government was expected to release 1,500 militants and opposition activists
from its jails in exchange for the Foua and Kfraya evacuations, according to
Ahmed el-Shiekho, an official for the Syrian Civil Defense, a search-and-rescue
group aligned with the opposition.
But
it only released 200, el-Sheikho said, including many who were only picked up
in the last few months for minor criminal offenses — prisoners with no
connection to the ongoing political turmoil.
In
southern Syria, rebels have been powerless to stop a month of government
advances through southwest Syria’s Daraa and Quneitra provinces, facilitated by
a relentless Russian aerial campaign against towns and villages held by the
opposition.
Tens
of thousands of civilians have been displaced by the fighting, and the UN’s
children’s agency, UNICEF, appealed for access to reach some 55,000 children in
need of humanitarian assistance in Quneitra.
Earlier
this week, dozens of Syrians marched toward the frontier, pleading for help as
government forces, backed by Russia, stepped up airstrikes on Quneitra. Israel
has quietly treated thousands of displaced Syrians for wounds and illnesses
over the years.
Many
of those trapped by the Syrian government’s advances were hoping for relief
from Israel, or some sort of a safe zone there, said Areej Ghabash, a local
health worker in Quneitra.
“In
truth, we have more faith in Israel than the (Syrian) government,” she said,
adding she would leave Quneitra herself rather than surrender to the
authorities.
Al-Assaad
said a prisoner exchange involving an Al-Qaeda-linked group fighting alongside the
rebels in Quneitra was still to be negotiated before evacuations could start.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1341571/middle-east
--------
Few
takers for Hezbollah offer to repatriate Syrian refugees
July
20, 2018
BEIRUT:
More than 11 days have passed since Hezbollah opened reception centers in
Bekaa, a southern suburb of Beirut, and southern Lebanon where Syrian refugees
can apply to return to their home country. However, the number of applicants so
far has been rather small.
Many
of the refugees had one simple question for the Hezbollah officials at the
centers: “Will you take us to the Lebanese-Syrian border and dump us there or
will you take us to our houses, which you helped destroy, inside Syria?”
Hezbollah
opened the repatriation centers in response to the Iranian position, which was
later confirmed by Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the Iranian president’s special envoy
to Beirut. He said: “One of our top priorities at this stage is the issue of
Syrian refugees and ensuring their safe return to their homeland. We cannot
discuss a final solution to the Syrian crisis unless refugees are back in their
homeland, cities and villages.”
On
July 23, about 1,200 people will return from the Lebanese town of Arsal, near
the border with Syria, to their homes West Qalamoun.
Arsal
Mayor Basil Al-Hajjiri said that the return of this group, the third batch of
refugees to go home, comes within the framework of a reconciliation with the
Syrian authorities, and in coordination with Lebanese General Security.
He
added that it had been initiated by the refugees themselves.
“Most
of those refugees do not have identification papers to travel outside Arsal and
they acted before Hezbollah urged them to submit applications through the
party’s centers, and prior to Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil’s call,” said
Al-Hajjiri.
“They
have agreed to return in light of the developments in the areas surrounding
their homes. Neither Hezbollah nor minister Bassil can make them return if they
were not fully convinced of their ability to go back to their homes under safe
circumstances.”
A
source responsible for Hezbollah’s refugee application center in Hermel said it
had received telephone calls from Syrians in Wadi Khaled, northern Lebanon,
saying it was difficult for them to get to Bekaa to register but that they want
to return to their hometown of Talkalakh, having fled the fighting there.
A
Hezbollah official said: “Communicating with those refugees requires certain
arrangements on which we are currently working.”
But
what guarantees can Hezbollah offer refugees who wish to return?
The
official said: “Hezbollah’s mission in Syria has not yet been completed and as
long as the threat of terrorists lingers there, Hezbollah will stay no matter
the number of fighters.”
The
Hezbollah source in Hermel confirmed that they do not provide any reassurances
or guarantees to refugees about what might await them upon their return to
Syria.
“We
take individuals’ and families’ names and promise to secure the transportation
of all their belongings, but if their houses were destroyed, we cannot promise
to rebuild them,” he said. “We collect applications and submit them to the
concerned committee.”
Asked
how Hezbollah can reassure refugees of their safety even though the party’s
fighters are still operating inside Syria in support the regime against the
opposition, the Hezbollah official said: “People fought and reconciled
throughout the history of mankind. A reconciliation must take place and I
believe it is what refugees want.”
He
fears that if the Syrian refugees remain in Lebanon, they may cause a
demographic change, pointing out that each of the families that had registered
at the center included at least 10 members.
Former
member of Parliament Nawar Al-Sahili, who heads the committee formed by
Hezbollah to oversee the return of Syrian refugees, said the number of
registered families so far does not exceed 150.
“We
want to send people back to safe areas, not ones that are still undergoing
security developments; repatriation does not include returning to Idlib or Deir
Ezzor, for instance,” he said, adding that “the applications will be handed
over to the Syrian authorities to be approved.”
As
for what awaits refugees who return to Al-Qusayr and its countryside, given
that most of them are dissidents who took part in anti-regime demonstrations,
Al-Sahili said: “We must find a solution for this issue.”
Arsal
Mayor Al-Hajjiri said the information he has been given suggests the return of
refugees to Al-Qusayr has been postponed by the Syrian authorities and Hezbollah.
“There
is great destruction and people want guarantees that can only be provided by
those controlling the territory,” he said.
Al-Hajjiri
added that a number of refugees from the town of Flita were reluctant to return
after hearing of revenge incidents. He believes the return of refugees to
Al-Qusayr and its countryside will require not only a reconciliation but a
general amnesty.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1342001/middle-east
--------
South Asia
Rights
group details lead-up to Myanmar attacks on Rohingya Muslims
July
19, 2018
The
Myanmar military has systematically prepared for attacks on Rohingya Muslims,
confiscating knives and other sharp-edged tools, arming and training non-Muslim
civilians and forcing Rohingya families to remove protective fencing from
around their homes, the independent group Fortify Rights said Thursday.
The
report by the Southeast Asian human rights group documented evidence that
authorities prepared for a crackdown on the minority group living mostly in the
country’s western Rakhine state before a radical Rohingya group attacked
Myanmar security force posts in late August 2017. That attack was followed by
what the United Nations and U.S. officials say is an ethnic cleansing campaign
by the Myanmar government that has led about 700,000 Rohingya to flee to
Bangladesh under harrowing and violent conditions. The report, based on
extensive interviews, said that the Myanmar army began confiscating knives and
other items that could be used as weapons or for self-defence after a group of
Rohingya attacked police outposts in October 2016. That prompted army-led
attacks on dozens of villages that forced more than 94,000 people from their
homes, it said.
The
army also tore down or forced villagers to tear down fencing around their
homes. It also trained and provided weapons to non-Rohingya living in Rakhine,
suspended aid supplies and access by humanitarian groups to impoverished
Rohingya communities, the report says. “Taken together, these measures
demonstrate a level of preparation not previously documented with respect to
the Myanmar army-ed `clearance operations,”’ it said.
The
report said the civilians who participated in attacks on the Rohingya were not
vigilantes but were trained by the army, though they killed many unarmed Muslim
men, women and children. “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the
crimes perpetrated in all three townships of northern Rakhine state constitute
genocide and crimes against humanity,” it said.
The
report says top military and police officials should be held responsible. The
Myanmar military did not immediately comment on the report. It has denied
committing atrocities and blames the violence on Rohingya insurgents.
The
Rohingya face official and social discrimination in predominantly Buddhist
Myanmar, which denies most of them citizenship and basic rights because they
are looked on as immigrants from Bangladesh, even though many settled in
Myanmar generations ago.
https://indianexpress.com/article/world/rights-group-details-lead-up-to-myanmar-attacks-on-rohingya-5265861/
--------
24
militants killed, wounded in Kunduz operations
Jul
19 2018
At
least twenty four militants were killed or wounded during the operations in
northern Kunduz province of Afghanistan, the Afghan military said Thursday.
The
20th Pamir Division of the Afghan Military in a statement said the operations
were conducted with the help of airstrikes and artillery strikes in Imam Sahib
and Dasht Archi districts.
The
statement further added that two militants were killed and four others were
wounded during the operations involving artillery strikes and air raids
conducted in Qerghiz, Joi Begum, and Islam Qeshlaq villages of Imam Sahib
District.
At
least 9 militants were killed during the airstrikes conducted in Momin and Se
Rahi Mohammad Alam areas as well as Pahayi village.
According
to the 20th Pamir Division, at least 7 militants were also wounded and two of
their hideouts were destroyed during the same operations.
The
anti-government armed militant groups including Taliban militants have not
commented regarding the report so far.
Full
report at:
https://www.khaama.com/24-militants-killed-wounded-in-kunduz-operations-05624/
--------
Official:
Taliban attacks kill 8 police in east Afghanistan
July
20, 2018
KABUL:
A district governor in Afghanistan says Taliban fighters launched a wave of
attacks in eastern Ghazni province, killing at least eight police and wounding
seven others.
Saeeb
Khan Elham said Friday that insurgents launched a wave of attacks on compounds
and police security posts in the Qarabagh district late the night before.
He
said government forces meant to reinforce the district were attacked in a
Taliban ambush that included roadside mines and were unable to help.
Zabihullah
Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a
telephone interview with AP. He says 16 police were killed and a government
compound in the district damaged.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1342126/world
--------
Border
police forces suffer casualties during the clashes close to Durand Line
Jul
20 2018
The
soldiers of the Afghan Border Forces suffered casualties during the clashes
with the militants close to Durand Line in southern Kandahar province of
Afghanistan.
The
provincial government media office in a statement said Thursday that a group of
militants launched coordinated attack on security posts of the border forces in
Spin Boldak, near the Durand Line, late on Wednesday night.
The
statement further added that the attack was launched on security posts in Saro
Sagan area at around 10pm local time which lasted until 4am on Thursday.
According
to the provincial government, the Afghan forces responded to the attack of the
militants, leaving at least 7 of them dead and 9 others wounded.
At
least two Afghan border police forces also lost their lives during the clashes
and five others sustained injuries, the statement added.
The
anti-government armed militant groups including Taliban militants have not
commented regarding the report so far.
Full
report at:
https://www.khaama.com/border-police-forces-suffer-casualties-during-the-clashes-close-to-durand-line-05629/
--------
Russia,
Tajikistan forces start drills amid growing instability in Afghanistan
Jul
19 2018
The
Russian and Tajikistan forces have launched joint military exercises close to
the border with Afghanistan amid growing instability in the key northern
provinces of Afghanistan.
The
Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan has confirmed that the joint exercises have
been launched to prepare the armed forces to respond to possible threats from
the Taliban and other militants in Afghanistan.
According
to reports, at least ten thousand Tajikistani forces have participated in the
joint military exercises.
Around
400 Russian troops have also taken part in the military exercises with the
Tajikistani officials saying at least 80 military vehicles will also be used.
This
comes as the growing instability in the northern provinces of Afghanistan has
sparked concerns among the officials of Central Asian countries having borders
with Afghanistan.
Full
report at:
https://www.khaama.com/russia-tajikistan-forces-start-drills-amid-growing-instability-in-afghanistan-05622/
--------
Southeast Asia
Chinese
'Muslim re-education camps' in spotlight at Kazakh trial
19.07.2018
Secretive
"re-education camps" allegedly holding hundreds of thousands of
people in a Muslim-majority region in western China are the focus of an
explosive court case in Kazakhstan, testing the country's ties with Beijing.
On
trial is Sayragul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh Chinese national who is accused of
illegally crossing the border to join her husband and two children in
Kazakhstan. But it is the 41-year-old's testimony about her forced work in the
camp system in the Xinjiang region that has drawn the most attention.
Beijing
has stepped up a crackdown in Xinjiang against what it calls separatist
elements.
At
a public hearing, Sauytbay said she was granted access to classified documents
that shed light on the sprawling network of re-education centres.
China's
predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups are believed to make up the
majority of the camps' populations. Chinese authorities have denied the
existence of such facilities despite mounting evidence from both official
documents and testimonies from those who have escaped them.
Asked
under oath about a so-called "camp" where she worked as an employee
of the Chinese state, court spectators gasped when Sauytbay replied it held
some 2,500 ethnic Kazakhs.
"In
China they call it a political camp, but really it was a prison in the
mountains," she said.
Sauytbay
said authorities had told her she would never be allowed to enter Kazakhstan,
where her family had obtained citizenship.
"That
I am discussing this camp in an open court means I am already revealing state
secrets," said Sauytbay, who asked Kazakhstan not to send her back to
China.
Sauytbay
is one of many ethnic Kazakhs separated from relatives over the border after a
crackdown in Xinjiang, where authorities cite separatist and extremist threats
as justification for repressive policies.
There
are about 1.5 million ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang. They had however avoided
extreme state repression suffered by Uighurs, another mostly Muslim Turkic
group that forms a demographic majority in many parts of the region.
Unlike
Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs had long moved freely between China and their historic
homeland. About 200,000 of them became Kazakh citizens since the Central Asian
country's independence in 1991.
That
freedom disappeared, however, after a Chinese official known for his aggressive
surveillance and population control measures in Tibet took charge of the
nominally autonomous region in 2016, overseeing mass detentions and programmes
of re-education for Muslims.
In
late 2016 authorities took the unprecedented step of calling in Muslim
minorities' passports, forcing anyone needing to leave the country to file
official requests.
Sauytbay's
husband Wali Islam testified that for several months the family lost contact
with her, after she was reassigned to a re-education centre from a state
kindergarten. Sauytbay told the court she had been tricked into working at the
camps by authorities.
The
family was reunited only after she crossed the border this April. Kazakh
security services arrested her on 21 May.
Sauytbay's
lawyer Abzal Kuspanov said the testimony of his client – who briefly consoled
her 13-year-old daughter as she was ushered into the dock by police – was a
sufficient indicator as to what will await her if she returns to China.
"We
are not saying that she has not committed a crime by violating state borders
using false documents. We have admitted that to the court and we are prepared
to accept punishment," Kuspanov told journalists. "What we are saying
is – don't give her back to China. If we do send her back, this person will
simply disappear," said Kuspanov.
The
situation of ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang is embarrassing for Kazakhstan, which
is China's leading economic partner in Central Asia.
While
the government is hesitant to confront Beijing, it is under growing pressure to
speak out against the repression. China has enlisted oil-rich Kazakhstan as a
key partner in its trillion dollar Belt and Road initiative aimed at improving
overland trade routes between Europe and Asia.
So
far Beijing has kept silent on the allegations: two Chinese diplomats present
at the hearing refused to answer questions from activists and journalists.
Under
public pressure, Kazakhstan's foreign ministry has called for "an
objective and fair review" of detentions of Kazakh citizens in the region.
But Kazakhstan, which is seeking massive investments from China, is in a poor
position to lobby for the rights of Chinese citizens like Sauytbay.
Her
trial is a test "of the maturity of Kazakhstan-China relations", said
Serikzhan Mambetalin, a Kazakh political activist. But if Kazakhstan hands a
member of the diaspora back to China, "people will say the government
cannot protect its own people," he said.
(AFP)
https://en.qantara.de/content/chinese-muslim-re-education-camps-in-spotlight-at-kazakh-trial
--------
Muslims
should have integrated long ago: Politician
July
20 2018
In
Germany, Muslim communities have no problems integrating into society, but the
involvement of foreign countries, such as Turkey, in training imam sometimes
raises questions about the type of ideology they may bring to the country.
Consequently, a politician with the Green Party is saying Germany should have
taken care of its Muslim communities much earlier in its history.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/07/20/muslims-should-have-integrated-long-ago-politician.html
--------
Malaysia
Arrests Seven People Over Suspected Militant Links
July
20, 2018
Kuala
Lumpur. Malaysia has detained seven people for suspected militant-linked
activities, including a man who allegedly made death threats against the
country's king and prime minister, police said on Thursday (19/07).
The
Muslim-majority country has been on high alert since gunmen allied with the
Islamic State militant group carried out a series of attacks in Jakarta in
January 2016.
Four
Malaysians and three Indonesian men were arrested in four states between July
12 and 17, Royal Malaysia Police Insp. Gen. Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a
statement.
A
34-year-old unemployed man was arrested in the Malaysian state of Johor, north
of Singapore, for allegedly posting death threats on social media against
Malaysia's king, Sultan Muhammad V, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and the
minister in charge of religious affairs Mujahid Yusof Rawa.
Police
believe the threats were made based on the belief the targets were
"un-Islamic leaders, whose methods of ruling the country were not based on
shariah law," Muhamad Fuzi said.
A
42-year-old technician was picked up for allegedly making threats to launch
bomb attacks in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines after the Idul Fitri
holiday.
The
other Malaysian suspects were a man and a woman in their 20s. The woman
allegedly sent funds to a known Malaysian militant in Syria, while police
believe the man had planned to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State,
Muhammad Fuzi said.
One
of the Indonesians arrested had allegedly pledged allegiance to and received
military training from the Islamic State of Indonesia, a militant group in
Bandung, West Java.
Police
believe the 26-year-old man, married to a Malaysian woman, had also planned to
take his wife and step-children to Syria to join the Islamic State, Mohamad
Fuzi said.
Another
Indonesian suspect was allegedly linked to a member of Jemaah Ansharut Daulah
who was involved in the May 10 killing of a police officer at the Mobile
Brigade (Brimob) headquarters in Depok, West Java, Muhamad Fuzi said.
A
third Indonesian, who police said admitted to being a Islamic State member, was
detained for saving about 190 videos and photos of the militant group's activities
on his mobile phone, and uploading similar images to his Facebook account.
Malaysia
has arrested hundreds of people over the past few years for suspected links to
militant groups, but has never suffered a major attack.
Full
report at:
http://jakartaglobe.id/international/malaysia-arrests-seven-people-suspected-militant-links/
--------
Legislators
approve law for new Philippine Muslim region
July
19, 2018
A
congressional body in the Philippines tasked with drafting a law that would
create a new autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao approved the final version of
the legislation late on July 18.
After
a week of heated debate, the 28-member bicameral conference committee approved
the final version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which it is hoped will help end
decades of violence in the southern Philippines.
It
provides for a bigger regional government, a parliament, fiscal autonomy, and a
justice system for the proposed Muslim region.
Congress
will ratify it on July 23 before President Rodrigo Duterte signs it into law
later in the day.
Congresswoman
Amihilda Sangcopan, from the Anak Mindanao (Children of Mindanao) Party, said
Moro legislators had "fought hard for the passage of the peace bill."
"We
bore the moral obligations ... to push for a peaceful and just resolution to
almost half a century of struggle for self-determination," said Sangcopan.
She
said the Moro people of Mindanao "will have something better than the
status quo that is the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao [ARMM]."
The
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will replace the ARMM,
giving the region a greater say over its own affairs, and will be headed by a
chief minister and a ceremonial leader called a Wali.
The
new region BARMM will have a parliament of 80 members 50 percent of whom will
be party representatives, 40 percent district representatives, and 10 percent
sectoral representatives.
The
law also guarantees two reserved seats for "non-Moro indigenous peoples
and settler communities."
Under
the law, a 75-25 wealth sharing or 75 percent of the national taxes will go to
Bangsamoro and the remaining 25 percent will be left to the central government.
It
also grants an annual block grant of a five percent share of the national
internal revenue or an estimated US$1.1 billion to be given without any
conditions to the Bangsamoro region.
The
Bangsamoro region's police and military will still be under the control of the
national government and its Sharia or Islamic law, tribal and traditional, and
other relevant laws should be in consonance with the Philippine Constitution.
The
new region covers the current ARMM provinces of Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan,
Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur, while regional plebiscites are still to be
conducted.
These
will include six municipalities in Lanao del Norte and 39 villages of North
Cotabato province for inclusion provided there is a favorable majority vote.
The
cities of Cotabato and Isabela are also subject to a vote for inclusion in the
proposed region.
Legislators
said the votes for the new Bangsamoro region will be held not earlier than 90
days and not later than 150 days after Duterte signs the new law.
Government
peace advisor Jesus Dureza said the road toward achieving lasting peace in
Mindanao will not be easy and needs the cooperation of everybody.
"This
is a milestone," he said of the new law. "But [this is] still the
beginning of more work to bring sustainable peace," he said in a text
message to ucanews.com.
Full
report at:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/legislators-approve-law-for-new-philippine-muslim-region/82868
--------
Preacher
Assures Muslims' Support for Peace and Order in Cordillera
July
19, 2018
BAGUIO
CITY -- The Muslim community in Cordillera is one with police authorities in
keeping the peace and order situation in this upland region and in ensuring the
safety of all locals.
This
was the assurance made by Imam Bedijim Abdullah, a Muslim preacher living in
Baguio City and the vice chairman of the multi-sectoral Regional Advisory
Council (RAC) that helps the Police Regional Office in Cordillera (Procor),
particularly in its Crime Laboratory Service.
In
an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday, Abdulla said it
is in the Muslim community's interest to ensure the safety of all sectors,
since what threatens the city or the region also threatens them and their
livelihood.
“Our
businesses, our families, our children, and our people would all be affected if
we do not work together,” Abdulla said.
As
an official helping police authorities in Cordillera, Abdulla also visits
provinces in the region to check on the local situation.
The
Muslim leader also gave the same assurance of Muslims' cooperation with police
authorities during a press conference for the celebration of the Police
Community Relations Month at Camp Bado Dangwa in Benguet province.
Abdulla
said the Muslims support the Philippine National Police's campaign against
criminality and ensuring Cordillerans' safety, since their brothers also reside
in various parts of the region.
He
said he, himself, representing the Muslims, is in close coordination with the
authorities in the region to curb security threats from unscrupulous persons,
including those coming from the Muslim community.
“Every
time we, Muslims, are requested to appear in consultations, we always attend to
prove how supportive we are, and how committed we are for the betterment of
everyone,” he said.
He
said Muslims also join activities initiated by the police and the local
governments regarding peace and order.
He
added that Muslims also report crimes and the possible commission of crimes to
the authorities.
He
said as a Muslim teacher, he, for his part, is obliged to educate people, who
do not understand the teachings of Islam.
Abdulla
also serves as an Imam or preacher at the Baguio City Jail to help reform
fellow Muslims, who "have lost their path".
He
added that the Muslim community raises funds to help provide equipment that
would help cops do their work more efficiently. This, he said, is particularly
true for the equipment at the crime laboratory service, where he serves.
"I
have seen their condition. They are lacking equipment and other facilities that
are needed to do their jobs, so what we did was we conducted fund raising
events," he related.
Full
report at:
http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1041933
--------
Muslim
child marriages declining in Malaysia, stats show
20
July 2018
KUALA
LUMPUR, July 20 — Applications to Shariah courts for approval to marry underage
Muslims have been decreasing in recent years with less than 1,000 applications
filed last year, statistics showed.
According
to the Department of Shariah Judiciary Malaysia (JKSM), Muslims made 1,144
applications for child marriage in 2015, dropping to 1,019 applications in
2016, and further falling to 877 applications last year.
Up
to June 30 this year, 461 applications were made to the Shariah court for
permission to wed Muslim minors, making it a total of 5,823 applications in
five and a half years from 2013 to June 2018 throughout Malaysia.
In
2013, 1,192 such applications were filed, dipping to 1,130 applications in
2014.
“These
statistics do not depict the total number of underage marriages because there
are some cases where the court approved the applications, but the parties did
not follow through with marriage,” a JKSM spokesman told Malay Mail.
Malay
Mail had requested JKSM for statistics on the number of child marriages between
2007 and 2017, broken down according to state and the age of husband and wife.
But
JKSM merely provided figures on applications to Shariah courts for approval for
underage marriage from 2013 up to June 30 2018. JKSM also did not answer
queries on why child marriage applications have been dropping in recent years.
The
minimum legal age for Muslims to marry according to state Islamic family laws
is 18 and 16 for a male and female respectively, but children below these ages
can still wed if they get the consent of a Shariah judge.
The
Star reported in May 2016 then-Women, Family and Community Development deputy
minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun as telling Parliament that 1,090 Muslim child
marriages were recorded in 2013, followed by 1,032 in 2014 and 1,025 in 2015.
If
child marriage applications from 2013 to 2015 are compared with the actual
nuptials that took place in that period, the Shariah courts’ approval rate is
about 91 per cent.
According
to JKSM statistics, the top three states with the highest number of Muslim
underage marriage applications from 2013 up to June 2018 were Sarawak (974),
Kelantan (877) and Sabah (848).
Selangor
and Federal Territories saw 418 and 189 applications respectively, while Penang
recorded the lowest number of Muslim child marriage applications at 91.
A
parliamentary reply by then-Women, Family and Community Development Minister
Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim last November revealed 10,807 Muslim marriages
involving minors below 18 recorded from 2007 to October 2017, compared to 4,999
non-Muslim marriages involving girls below 18 documented in that period.
Under
the federal Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, the legal age of marriage
for non-Muslims is 18, but a girl aged 16 can be legally married if the state
chief minister/ mentri besar or in the case of the federal territories, its
minister, grants a license. Non-Muslims below 16 cannot get married according
to the law, but there is no written minimum age of marriage for Muslims.
Child
marriage has re-emerged as a hot-button issue since a Kelantanese imam recently
took an 11-year-old Thai girl as his third wife without the Shariah court’s
permission. The 41-year-old man reportedly said he had wanted to tie the knot
with the girl since she was seven years old.
Although
Pakatan Harapan controls the federal government and eight states, while its
ally Warisan is in power in Sabah, the new coalition has been slow to amend
legislation to ban child marriage.
Full
report at:
https://www.malaymail.com/s/1654107/muslim-child-marriages-declining-in-malaysia-stats-show
--------
Mideast
Israeli
Footprints Found in Terrorists' Bases in Dara'a
Jul
19, 2018
Field
sources in Northwestern Dara'a reported on Thursday that the Syrian army units
have found Israeli-made systems and foodstuff in the town of al-Tayheh which
has recently been liberated.
Meantime,
the terrorists in Dara'a al-Balad surrendered 5 military vehicles, including 3
tanks, 4 heavy artilleries, 3 mortar-launchers, a large number of machine-guns,
weapons and ammunition to the Syrian army under the surrender agreement between
the two sides.
In
a relevant development on Tuesday, the Syrian army soldiers continued their
mop-up operation in Southern Hama, discovering a large arms and ammunition
depot of terrorists, including Israeli weapons.
The
army men found a large depot of terrorists' arms and ammunition in the township
of Aqrab in Southern Hama.
A
field source reported that a large volume of Israeli mortar shells, missiles,
machineguns, sniper rifles, communication devices and bombs were in the depot.
In
the meantime, other units of the army discovered a large volume of weapons and
munitions in the terrorists' hideouts in the villages of Talaf and Khirbet
al-Jameh in Southern Hama.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970428000218
--------
EU,
Palestinians rap Israeli law recognizing Jewish supremacy
Jul
19, 2018
Israel's
adoption of yet another apartheid law -- which officially recognizes Jewish
supremacy over Arabs in the occupied territories -- draws sharp criticisms from
the European Union as well as senior Palestinians officials, who have blasted
the measure as "dangerous" and "racist."
Following
a stormy debate in the parliament (Knesset), Israeli lawmakers approved the
so-called "nation-state" bill with 62 votes in favor, 55 against and
two abstentions in the early hours of Thursday.
Turning
a blind eye to Israel's 1.8 million Arab population, the law asserts that
"the realization of the right to national self-determination in Israel is
unique to the Jewish people," which number around 9 million.
The
contentious law also includes clauses stating that "united" Jerusalem
al-Quds is the "capital" of Israel and strips Arabic of its
designation as an official language alongside Hebrew, downgrading it to a
“special status."
Reacting
to the law at a news briefing on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the EU's foreign
affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, said, “We are concerned, we have expressed
this concern and we will continue to engage with Israeli authorities in this
context."
“We’ve
been very clear when it comes to the two-state solution, we believe it is the
only way forward and any step that would further complicate or prevent this
solution of becoming a reality should be avoided,” she said.
'Racist
law par excellence'
Palestinian
officials with both the Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement and the
Palestinian Authority in Ramallah also joined voices to denounce the law,
describing it as a "racist" and "dangerous" measure.
In
Gaza, Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said on Thursday that the law formally
legalizes “Israeli racism” and constitutes “a dangerous attack on the
Palestinian [nation] and its historic right to its land.”
The
Hamas official further said “regional and international silence on the
occupation’s crimes" has emboldened the regime in Tel Aviv to pass one
"extremist" law after another.
“All
these laws and resolutions are baseless and they will not come to pass or change
anything on the ground. The Palestinian people will remain the sovereign of
this land,” he added.
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas also condemned the Israeli law, saying it "will
not change the historical situation of Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of the
occupied State of Palestine."
"No
peace or security will prevail unless the city remains as such," the
Palestinian Wafa news agency quoted Abbas as saying in a statement.
The
statement added that "the law will not discourage Palestinians from their
legitimate struggle to defeat the occupation and establish their independent
state."
In
a similar stance, top Palestinian Authority negotiator, Saeb Erekat, took to
Twitter on Thursday to censure the law, which he said "officially
legalizes apartheid and legally defines Israel as an apartheid system."
“[It
is] a dangerous and racist law par excellence. It denies the Arab citizens
their right to self-determination to instead be determined by the Jewish
population,” he said.
Hanan
Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive
Committee, also said the law breaches international regulations.
The
measure "gives license to apartheid, discrimination, ethnic cleansing, and
sectarianism at the expense of the Palestinian people. Such racist and
prejudicial legislation is illegal by all standards of international law,
democracy, humanity, justice, tolerance, and inclusion,” she emphasized.
The
newly-adopted measure is categorized as among Israel's so-called "Basic
Laws," which underpin the regime's legal system and are more difficult to
repeal than regular laws under its constitution.
Turkey:
Israel trying to form "an apartheid state"
In
a related development on Thursday, Turkey denounced Israel’s new law accusing
Tel Aviv of trying to form "an apartheid state."
Taking
to Twitter, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman called on the
international community "to react to this injustice happening in front of
the entire world's eyes."
Ibrahim
Kalin also criticized Israel’s "racist move that amounts to erasing the
Palestinian people from their homeland physically and legally."
In
a series of tweets, Kalin repeated Ankara's long-standing objections to the
construction of Jewish settlements on occupied territory, saying, "We
reject the Israeli government's efforts to form an apartheid state."
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/19/568599/Israel-Apartheid-Nation-State-law
--------
‘Racist’
Israeli homeland law ‘legalizes apartheid,’ say Palestinians
July
19, 2018
AMMAN:
Palestinians, Israelis and human rights activists have publicly denounced a
controversial law passed by the Israeli Knesset which declares that only Jews
have the right to self-determination in the country.
Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary Saeb Erekat said that the legislation
enshrines Israel as the national home of the Jewish people and “legalizes
apartheid.”
“The
‘Jewish nation-state’ (law) officially legalizes apartheid and legally defines
Israel as an apartheid system,” Erekat tweeted from the PLO Negotiation Affairs
Department account.
“It
is a dangerous and racist law. It denies Arab citizens the right to
self-determination to instead be determined by the Jewish population.”
International
law considers apartheid a crime against humanity.
Israel’s
parliament, the Knesset, passed the law after hours of heated debate with 62
lawmakers voting in favor, 55 opposed and two abstaining.
The
new law describes Israel as “the national home of the Jewish people” and says
the right to exercise national self-determination there is “unique to the
Jewish people.”
The
new law recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and calls for Jerusalem
to remain an undivided city.
Sama
Aweidah, director of the Women’s Studies Center in Jerusalem, told Arab News
that the racist nature of the law should be exposed.
“What
is expected of all the Palestinian missions abroad is to explain to the peoples
of the world and especially human rights organizations the true racist nature
of Israel.”
Discrimination
PLO
executive committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi said that the law gives “license
to apartheid, discrimination, ethnic cleansing and sectarianism at the expense
of the Palestinian people.”
She
also took a swipe at the Trump administration, saying: “Undoubtedly, the US administration’s
blind bias in favor of Israel and its total disdain for international law have
emboldened Israel to persist with such unlawful and immoral policies.”
Botrus
Mansour, director-general of the Baptist School in Nazareth, said that the law
reflects the absence of Israeli confidence.
“If
Israel needs to declare that it is ‘the national homeland of the Jewish people’
after 70 years of independence and tens of thousands of causalities, then that
reflects a lack of confidence and belief in their own ways.”
Mansour,
a member of the Israeli Bar Association, said that the new bill would have
little effect on the ground. “This is a declarative law created by a narrow
nationalistic agenda that doesn’t change anything on the ground except for the
exclusive rhetoric, hate speech and feelings of marginalization and added
alienations of the Arabs in the homeland that they and their ancestors have
been living in for centuries.”
Sharona
Weiss, director of international relations and advocacy at Yesh Din: Volunteers
for Human Rights, said that many Israeli and Palestinian human rights
organizations are deeply concerned about the bill and are examining its
legality.
“I
would not be surprised if eventually a few organizations petition the High
Court, once they have examined the details of the bill. However, it is always a
sensitive matter petitioning against a law passed in a democratically elected
parliament.”
Weiss
said that the law enshrined “the discriminatory and unjust practices that
Israel has been acting on for years, which actually could be a good thing, in
that the world can no longer ignore what’s happening and can no longer call
Israel ‘democratic.’ Israel’s true colors can be seen, which could be a
catalyst for real change.”
Thousands
of protesters marched through central Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest
against the controversial bill, calling it racist and discriminatory.
Under
the banner “This is home for all of us,” public figures, parliamentarians and
social activists addressed the demonstration, with participants marching from
Rabin Square to the Dizengoff Center.
Addressing
the crowd, M.K. Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Joint List, an alliance of four
Arab-dominated parties, said that what is most frightening to the right-wing
Israeli government is that Jews and Arabs can live together.
“The
nation-state bill won’t make us disappear, but it will massively harm
democracy,” he said.
Gershon
Baskin, an Israeli political scientist, described the passing of the law as
“the darkest day” of Israel’s already challenged democracy.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1341456/middle-east
--------
Yemeni
army foil repeated attacks by Houthi militias
19
July 2018
The
Yemeni National Army with the air support provided by the Coalition for the
support of legitimacy repulsed repeated attacks by Houthi militias and
inflicted heavy casualties on their ranks.
There
were also attempts to infiltrate by Houthi of militias into positions of the
army in the center of the directorate of Hodeidah.
According
to military sources, the army was able to break two attacks by the militias:
the first on the Aldrihami front tried to cut off the coastline linking the
cities of Mukha and Hodeidah in the Nekheila area.
The
second attack was aimed at the headquarters of the directorate of Tahita, but
was thwarted after a battle that lasted more than 10 hours, using various
weapons along with Apache helicopter fire by coalition forces.
Eyewitnesses
confirmed that the confrontations was concentrated in the areas of Suwaiq, and
Bani Nahari and Al-Mughars, and the army and the resistance managed to kill,
injure and capture dozens of militia elements.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/07/19/Yemeni-army-foil-repeated-attacks-by-Houthi-militias.html
--------
Mossad
admits cooperating with MKO over anti-Iran plot
Jul
20, 2018
Israel's
main spy agency Mossad has openly acknowledged that it cooperated with the
People's Mujahedin of Iran (MKO) terror group over a plot to implicate the
Islamic Republic in what it said would be a bomb attack in Paris.
Mossad
said it had worked with its Belgian, French and German counterparts to uncover
an alleged cell that was planning to bomb a June 30 conference in the French
capital organized by the MKO, Israeli website Headshot reported on Thursday.
According
to the report, the cell was led by an Iranian diplomat based in the Austrian
capital of Vienna. It was also consisted of two Belgian nationals and another
alleged member in Paris.
All
of the suspects, including the alleged diplomat and his wife, were arrested and
charged with plotting the attack.
The
MKO event went ahead as planned and was attended by some of the former US,
European and Saudi officials, including former Saudi spy chief, Prince Turki
al-Faisal, who also delivered a speech.
The
Mossad claim puts Israel next to Saudi Arabia, which Tehran says has been
colluding with the MKO and providing it with financial support since the Iraqi
imposed war on Iran in the 1980s.
Out
of the nearly 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist assaults since the victory of
Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, about 12,000 have fallen victim to MKO’s acts
of terror.
The
US State Department listed the MKO as a “terrorist organization” in 1997 only
to be removed from in 2012. The European Union dropped the terrorist
categorization for the group in 2008.
Mossad’s
alleged operation to protect the MKO occurred days ahead of a visit to Paris by
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif's for a meeting with his European
counterparts concerning the 2015 nuclear accord and its future.
On
May 8, US President Donald Trump pulled America out of the accord – technically
named as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It was an agreement
between Iran and the P5+1 group of nations -- the US, Britain, France, China,
Russia and Germany – the envisaged the removal of sanctions against Iran in
return for Tehran’s moves to restrict certain aspects of its nuclear energy
activities.
Trump's
decision did not go down well with the other signatories but Israeli and Saudi
officials have already expressed their satisfaction with the move.
In
an attempt to convince Trump and his European allies (the EU3) to quit the
JCPOA, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a live televised
presentation claimed that Israel had obtained access to what he described as
"stolen" evidence that proved Iran's attempts to produce nuclear
weapons. Iran strongly rejected Netanyahu’s allegations which it said were
based on “unsubstantiated” evidence.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/20/568648/Israel-Mossad-Iran-MKO-Paris-terror-plot
--------
Israeli
airstrike kills young Palestinian man in southern Gaza Strip
Jul
19, 2018
At
least one Palestinian man lost his life and three others sustained injuries
when an Israeli fighter jet launched an airstrike against an area in the
southern part of the Gaza Strip as the Tel Aviv regime continues with its acts
of aggression against the impoverished coastal sliver.
The
spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health, Ashraf al-Qidra, said in a statement
that 22-year-old Abdel-Karim Radwan succumbed to his severe injuries at the
European Gaza Hospital on Thursday afternoon.
Local
sources, requesting anonymity, said the Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a
group of young people near Sufa area, which is located southeast of the border
town of Rafah. Four young Palestinian men were injured as a result and one of
them later died from his injuries.
The
Israeli military later confirmed it had carried out the airstrike, claiming
that it targeted members of the Hamas resistance movement who were about to
launch incendiary balloons over the border into occupied territories.
Nearly
145 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces ever since the “Great March
of Return” began in the Gaza Strip on March 30.
A
total of 14,811 Palestinians have also sustained injuries of whom 366 are
reportedly in critical condition.
The
Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14, on the eve of the 70th anniversary
of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided this year with the US
embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.
On
June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, sponsored by
Turkey and Algeria, condemning Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the Gaza
Strip.
The
resolution, which had been put forward on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries,
garnered a strong majority of 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with 8
votes against and 45 abstentions.
The
resolution calls on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals
within 60 days “on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and
well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,”
including “recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism.”
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/19/568603/Israeli-jet-bombard-southern-Gaza-Strip-kill-Palestinian-youth
--------
Africa
One
20-Year Term, 14 Acquittals in Senegal Jihadists’ Trial
July
19, 2018
Dakar,
Jul 19 (AFP) The alleged leader of a jihadist cell was handed a 20-year term
with forced labour today in Senegal's largest terror-related trial, which also
saw 14 suspects acquitted.
A
Dakar court handed the term to Makhtar Diokhane, described as the ringleader of
a group that planned to wage jihadism in West Africa, while Alioune Ndao, who
had been accused of acting as coordinator, received a suspended one-month
sentence.
The
heavily-guarded proceedings, which started on April 9, are believed to have
been the first mass prosecution for alleged terror activities in Senegal.
The
majority-Muslim West African state has so far escaped major terror attacks.
The
29 suspects, three of them women, were accused of criminal conspiracy related
to financing a terror group, money laundering, acts of terrorism and funding
terrorism.
Most
were arrested in 2015 in Senegal, which prosecutors said was their planned
springboard to foment terrorism in neighbouring countries as well.
Diokhane,
31, was found guilty of criminal conspiracy to commit terrorist acts while Ndao
was convicted for possessing a weapon without authorisation.
Three
other defendants were sentenced to 15 years in jail with forced labour; six
were given 10-year terms; and three were given five-year sentences.
Fourteen
defendants, including two of Diokhane's wives, were acquitted.
Charges
against another defendant were dropped due to irregularities in the
proceedings, according to the judge on the case, Samba Kane.
The
public prosecutor had requested life sentences against 11 of the accused and a
30-year sentence against Ndao, a popular imam from the town of Kaolack in
central Senegal, as well as acquittals for eight other defendants.
The
group was accused of wanting to set up a jihadist base in Senegal and then
extend into neighbouring countries including The Gambia, Guinea and
Guinea-Bissau.
The
29 accused, some of which were said to have fought alongside Nigeria's Boko
Haram, were standing in the courtroom as the verdict was announced.
When
Ndao was handed a month-long suspended sentence -- after public prosecutors
requested a 30-year jail term -- cries of joy were heard in the courtroom.
"We
have been fighting for three years to save the dignity of Ndao, who is a role
model for this country," Moussa Sarr, Ndao's lawyer, told reporters.
"Despite
all the difficulties, we are proud of our justice system today," he added.
"If
Ndao has been found guilty, it would only be because there are no just men in
Senegal," one of his supporters told AFP.
Diokhane's
lawyer said he would appeal.
"I
have no intention of letting Makhtar Diokhane stay in prison for 20
years," attorney Alassane Cisse told AFP.
Senegal
has so far escaped the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist insurgency that has
destabilised neighbouring Mali, and seen attacks on other west African nations
including Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.
But
it has stepped up security outside hotels and publics buildings.
From
early morning, long lines of onlookers formed to get into the courtroom,
guarded by police checkpoints and metal detectors.
Senegalese
Muslims primarily follow Sufi strands of Islam mixed with local beliefs --
considered heretic by hardline Salafists -- while moderate Islamic brotherhoods
hold huge power in society.
Senegalese
imam Ibrahima Seye was sentenced on appeal to two years in prison in October
2016 for glorifying terrorism, one of several people accused by the state of
links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Islamic State group.
(AFP) SMJ SMJ
https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/one-20-year-term-14-acquittals-in-senegal-jihadists-trial-1290563-2018-07-19
--------
Hundreds
flee as Al Shabaab militants begin recruiting children
July
19th 2018
Hundreds
of local residents are fleeing their homes in Middle Shabelle region after
Al-Shabaab accelerated its child recruitment. According to news report from
Halbeeg News carried by Amisom Media Monitoring, heavily armed Al-Shabab
fighters have been engaging in gun battles with locals who recently turned down the group’s order to
recruit their children in Adale District.
Al-Shabaab
reportedly ordered elders and parents and other community members in rural
areas, to provide hundreds of children for recruitment. The development sparked
off clashes between Al-Shabaab militias and the locals in Gullane and Kadere
villages. A local resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said
Al-Shabaab had displaced hundreds of locals who refused to surrender their
children to fight for the group. “Many people fled from their homes after
Al-Shabaab started the aggressive child recruitment campaign. We call on the
government to intervene ,” he said adding that many parents and children have
fled homes to escape forced recruitment. The move comes months after a Human
Rights Watch report accused the group of targeting children in its listing of members.
Know if news is factual and true. Text 'NEWS' to 22840 and always receive
verified news updates. “Al-Shabaab’s
ruthless recruitment campaign is taking rural children from their parents so
they can serve this militant armed group,” Laetitia Bader, senior Africa
researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a report released in January. “To
escape that cruel fate, many children have fled school or their homes,” she
added. Over the past decade, Al-Shabaab has recruited thousands of children,
who have been indoctrinated and deployed to various battles.
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001288664/hundreds-flee-as-al-shabaab-militants-begin-recruiting-children
--------
30
killed in raids on northwest Nigeria villages
July
20, 2018
KANO
: At least 30 people were killed during raids on villages in northwest Nigeria
in the latest deadly attacks by cattle rustling and kidnapping gangs in the
restive region, residents told AFP.
Armed
bandits on motorcycles stormed five neighbouring rural villages in the Maradun
district of Zamfara state on Tuesday afternoon, firing indiscriminately and
stealing livestock.
“We
recovered 30 bodies from the attacks and we have so far buried 26 while four
are being prepared for burial,” said Jabbi Labbo, a community leader in Gyadde,
one of the villages attacked.
“Seven
persons were killed in Sakkida, four in Farin Zare, eight in Orawa, seven in
Gyadde and four in Sabon Gari,” Labbo said. Seven other people were missing and
presumed to have drowned in a nearby river while trying to “escape the
carnage”, said Orawa resident Sule Mada, who gave a similar toll.
“They
attacked the villages simultaneously and took away a lot of cattle, sheep and
goats,” Mada said.
The
police in Zamfara confirmed the attacks but said only three people were killed.
“Some
villages in Maradun local governments were attacked by bandits yesterday and
three people were killed,” Zamfara state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said.
In
Zamfara, cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom have been increasing in recent
years, with herding and farming communities targeted.
Full
report at:
https://nation.com.pk/20-Jul-2018/30-killed-in-raids-on-northwest-nigeria-villages
--------
President
of South Sudan says ready to accept peace deal
Jul
19, 2018
South
Sudan's President Salva Kiir said he is ready to accept a peace deal to end a
civil war and set up an inclusive new government.
The
deal being negotiated in Sudan would give the country five vice presidents and
also covers security and power sharing.
"The
people of South Sudan are looking for peace and if that arrangement can bring
about peace to the people of South Sudan, I am ready to take it," said
Kiir late on Wednesday at a swearing-in ceremony for his foreign minister.
"People
talk about exclusivity, nobody is to be left out of the government. I accept
it," he said.
South
Sudan erupted in conflict in 2013 because of a dispute between Kiir and his
former vice president Riek Machar. Tens of thousands have been killed, a
quarter of the population has fled their homes and the oil-dependent economy
has been wrecked.
A
2015 peace deal briefly halted the fighting but it fell apart after Machar
returned to the capital the following year.
The
conflict has mostly been fought along ethnic lines, pitting Kiir's dominant
Dinka tribe and its rival, the ethnic Nuer of Machar.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/19/568617/South-Sudans-president-Kiir-says-ready-to-accept-peace-deal
--------
Senegal
convicts 13 suspected Boko Haram fighters
Jul
20, 2018
Senegal's
criminal court sentenced 13 people to prison for attempting to establish a
homegrown cell modelled after Boko Haram in the West African country.
One
of those jailed by the Dakar court on Thursday was Makhtar Diokhane, described
as the ringleader of the group. He was handed a 20-year prison term.
"The
court was very heavy-handed in sentencing our client and we are going to
appeal," Diokane's lawyer Alassane Cisse told Reuters news agency.
Fourteen
people, including two of Diokhane's wives, were acquitted.
About
30 Senegalese were put on trial in April for their suspected involvement in the
cell after some spent time in Nigeria with the armed group Boko Haram.
Attacks
involving Boko Haram have displaced more than 1.8 million Nigerians in the
country's predominantly agricultural northeast over the last 10 years. An
estimated 20,000 people have been killed.
Moving
west?
Twenty-nine
other suspects, three of them women, were accused of criminal conspiracy
related to financing an armed group, money-laundering, and acts of terrorism.
The
public prosecutor had requested life sentences for 11 of the accused, and a
30-year prison term for Alioune Ndao - a popular imam from the town of Kaolack
in central Senegal - who was accused of acting as a coordinator. He received a
suspended one-month sentence.
Most
were arrested in 2015 in Senegal. Prosecutors said their plan was to foment
violence in neighbouring countries as well.
Senegal
has so far escaped the al-Qaeda-linked rebellion that has destabilised
neighbouring Mali along with attacks on other West African nations including
Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.
Full
report at:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/senegal-convicts-13-suspected-boko-haram-fighters-180719181459309.html
--------
Boko
Haram dwarf reveals amount he got for each suicide bomb attack
July
19, 2018
By
Don Silas
Abubakar
Kori, a dwarf, who facilitated the suicide bombing activities of Boko-Haram
insurgents, said he was paid not less than N5,000 for each suicide bomb attack
carried out in Maiduguri.
Kori,
25, is among the 22 people arrested by the police in Borno and Yobe for their
alleged involvement in suicide bombing activities carried out by the
insurgents.
“My
role is to keep the Improvised Explosive Device (IEDs) for onward delivery to
another person who will carry out the attack”, he told NAN.
“On
different occasions, two of my acquaintances gave a parcel to keep for
somebody, who will come and take it.
“I
normally kept the parcel in my duty post; the appointed person would come and
picked it; after successful delivery, they paid me N5,000.
“We
reside in the same neighborhood in Maiduguri; they always told me that the
parcel was given to them by one Ba’Adam, and asked me to keep it.
“They
introduced me to Ba’Adam, who is the mastermind of the attacks,” he revealed.
On
his part, Adam Mustapha, a.k.a Ba’Adam, admitted that he coordinated various
suicide bomb attacks, which resulted in the death of hundreds of people in
Maiduguri.
Ba’Adam,
20, narrated that he had coordinated several bomb attacks at Bulukuntu, Baga
road, 333 Artillery gate, Customs, Post Office and Muna Garage areas of
Maiduguri.
“On
two occasions, I was paid N200, 000 for the successful execution of bomb
attacks.
“Most
of the time, I had to pester them before payment could be made to me,” he said.
When
asked whether he had cause at any time to regret his actions, Ba’Adam said that
he was never remorseful at any given time.
Another
suspect, Ibrahim Mala, 48, also admitted to aiding suicide bomb attacks in
Maiduguri, sales of rustled animals and supply of logistics to the insurgents
in the bush.
Mala,
a butcher and resident of Dalori-Kakere village in the outskirts of Maiduguri,
revealed that the insurgents were supplying sheep and provided him with N180,
000 loans, to enable him to run his business.
“They
paid me N5, 000 for safe keeping of IEDs, and they also sent me on errands to
buy consumable items for them.
“I
bought the items at the market and kept it at my home; some persons would come
at night, pick and deliver same to members of the group hiding in the forest.
“Some
of the items included torch lights, matches, sandals, kola nuts, cubes and
clothing materials.
“I
saved money in dealing with the group and bought a plot of land worth over
N420, 000.
“I
know that they are Boko-Haram insurgents and my wife was not happy with my
dealings with them; she asked me to stop but it is too late,” he narrated.
Commenting
on the arrest, Mr Abba Kyari, the DCP, Intelligence Response Team (IRT), said
that the suspects were apprehended by the police in various communities in
Borno and Yobe.
Full
report at:
http://dailypost.ng/2018/07/19/boko-haram-dwarf-reveals-amount-got-suicide-bomb-attack/
--------
Boko
Haram: Doctors Without Borders raise alarm over ‘deteriorating’ conditions of
IDPs
July
19, 2018
By
Seun Opejobi
Luis
Eguiluz, the Head of mission for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without
Borders, MSF, in Nigeria has lamented what he termed the “deteriorating
situation” of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the North East.
Eguiluz
explained that IDPs were facing challenges while living in isolated enclaves
controlled by the military in the North East of the country.
In
an interview with DAILY POST, Eguiluz said, “The situation in northeast Nigeria
is deteriorating after years of conflict.
“It
may not have hit headlines in the same way as a few years ago, but the
humanitarian situation in northeast Nigeria, where about 1.7 million people
have been displaced, is deteriorating.
On
the current situation of things as it concerns the ongoing war and humanitarian
needs, he said, “The long-lasting conflict between non-state armed groups and
the military continues to displace more and more people, who are arriving to a
series of garrison towns with very limited capacity to absorb new arrivals. Security
perimeters in these enclaves remain very restricted, and while assistance
continues to be provided by aid organizations, it has been of low standards.
This has an even greater impact when you have more people in need.
“All
sectors of aid delivery have been affected, food distribution, water
availability and shelter capacity. Even health provision is fragile in some
locations. Some areas of the enclaves have problems with food supply, despite a
wide change from general to targeted distributions.
“Actors
who were key in the delivery of water have now quit and, overall, there is a
lack of senior humanitarian workers in the more remote locations.
“Donor
fatigue, however, does not seem to be the problem. Funding keeps coming and
nearly one hundred national and international NGOs are working in Maiduguri,
the capital of Borno state. The challenge for many organizations is to find
implementing partners and delivering programmes outside of the city.
Full
report at:
http://dailypost.ng/2018/07/19/boko-haram-doctors-without-borders-raise-alarm-deteriorating-conditions-idps/
--------
North America
Muslim
Kids Summer Camp All About Balancing Religious And Canadian Identity
Jul
17, 2018
At
one side of the building kids emulate their favourite World Cup stars, chasing
a soccer ball around a gym. It could be any summer camp taking place across the
city.
On
the other side, a small group of boys sit in a circle and quietly recite
passages from the Qur'an, guided by a young camp worker who talks with them
about what they're reading.
The
camp — run by the Muslim Association of Canada — is split between mainstream
summer camp activities and more religious and cultural programming at Calgary's
Al-Salam Centre.
There
are themed weeks like All About Canada, where kids learn about Canadian culture
and history, along with trips to Heritage Park and the Calgary Corn Maze, and
guest speakers covering topics like the environment and Indigenous issues.
"That
balance is important because a lot of us are children of immigrants," said
Immad Nayeem, a volunteer at the Al Salam Centre. "And immigrants crave
identity."
Nayeem
says newcomers are keen to explore what it means to be Canadian and be a part
of Canadian society while respecting their own culture and religions, and want
the same for their children.
"I
think it's important, not just shoving Islam down their throat, but learning
how to balance the two together," said another camp volunteer, Zamzam
Amin.
"We
merge the two, how Islamic values and Canadian values can work together instead
of it being a more conflicting thing," said Amin.
"I
graduated from an Islamic school and coming here I thought it would be the same
atmosphere but there's a big difference," Amin said, adding she sees a
push to merge the two worlds together at the camp.
"Growing
up I struggled with that. I thought Canadian identity and Muslim identity were
two separate things and I never really found the balance, but going into high
school I realized there is no splitting," said Amin.
Parents
like that balance, too.
Attendance
jumped from 40 kids last year to 70 this summer, with more and more registering
an interest, according to organizers.
"All
my kids are here," said Rasha Abuobayda, who says she likes the mainstream
activities that other Canadian kids experience, with a focus on Islamic values.
"They
don't feel they are separated from their society or communities," said
Abuobayda. "They are part of the community and I want them to be part of
the community, that's why they're in Canada," she said.
"This
will help our kids grow in the Canadian community. It's not only 'because I'm
Muslim I'm coming here,' it's 'because I'm a Canadian Muslim I'm coming
here'," Abuobayda said.
The
camp runs for six weeks till Aug. 10.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-summer-camp-muslim-canadian-1.4749152
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Police
treating attack on Toronto Muslim man as hate crime
Jul
18, 2018
An
attack on a Muslim man in a Toronto suburb is being investigated by police as a
hate-motivated crime.
Const.
Danny Marttini with the Peel Regional Police said Wednesday that Mohammed Abu
Marzouk was assaulted in a community-center parking lot by two men.
Janis
Corhamzic, 19, and brother Adem Corhamzic, 27, were arrested at the scene
Sunday and charged with one count each of aggravated assault and two of
assault.
Abu
Marzouk’s wife Diana Attar told Canada’s CBC in an interview that part of her
husband’s skull had to be removed by surgeons after the attack.
Peel
police said earlier this year that anti-Muslim incidents rose from five in 2016
to 57 a year later.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/police-treating-attack-on-toronto-muslim-man-as-hate-crime/story-sqnzNwTwTCVW3R8C6YDgRI.html
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US
allows hundreds of Somalis to stay until at least March 2020
19
Jul 2018
Nearly
500 Somalis who escaped terrorism and drought will be allowed to remain in the
US until at least March 2020, the US homeland security department announced on
Thursday.
Concerns
had been raised that the administration would cancel the temporary protected
status (TPS) program for Somalis because of Trump’s anti-immigrant policies and
the decision to end TPS status for more than 428,250 others. But the DHS
granted them permission to stay temporarily, owing to the “ongoing armed
conflict and extraordinary conditions” in Somalia.
This
decision is a relief for TPS holders such as Yasir, who fled Somalia after
being kidnapped and tortured by the al-Qaida-affiliated extremist group
al-Shabaab. “I’m scared of going back to Somalia and being killed by
al-Shabaab,” Yasir told the Guardian.
Yasir,
29, said that in 2008, he was walking in Mogadishu when two men came up behind
him and hit him. He was knocked unconscious. He woke up in a room with the two
men, who he said identified themselves as members of al-Shabaab and tried to
coerce him into joining their group.
“They
told me if I don’t work with them, they will kill me and they know where I
live,” Yasir said.
He
went into hiding while he tried to find a way out, occasionally dressing in
women’s clothes and covering his face in disguise.
An
aunt eventually gave him money so he could pay someone to get him out. He
doesn’t know how long it took him to get to the US, which he did by traveling
through several countries before crossing the border in 2009.
“I
was happy to be alive,” Yasir said. “I was happy to be somewhere where justice
means something.”
He
lived in the US undocumented until 2012, when Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
was redesignated for Somalia. TPS protects foreign nationals already in the US
when civil unrest, violence or natural disasters erupt in their home country.
TPS
can either be redesignated, which allows a new group of people to apply for it;
renewed, with allows people who already have it to stay longer; or terminated,
which typically gives people more than a year to find a way to stay in the US
or leave.
The
homeland security department renewed, but did not redesignate, TPS for Somalis
on Thursday. The homeland security department said in a statement it made this
decision because the “ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary
conditions that support Somalia’s current designation for TPS continue to
exist”.
With
TPS, instead of living in the shadows, Yasir was able to work, get a driver’s
license and open a bank account.
He
is now married to a US citizen and has a seven-year-old American son. He said
he doesn’t know what has happened to his family and friends in Somalia, and
whether they are dead or alive.
“I’ve
seen countries losing TPS and I’ve been scared I’m going to lose mine and be
deported back home,” Yasir said.
The
Trump administration has unleashed a torrent of measures to slow immigration
and remove people from the US, including terminating TPS for six of the 10
countries covered by it when he took office.
This
has left more than 428,250 people from countries including Nicaragua, El
Salvador and Sudan forced to find a way to stay in the US or return to their
home country as early as December of this year.
TPS
has been extended for more than 8,100 people from South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The
president insulted the largest Somali American community, in Minnesota, two
days before being elected president. “Everybody’s reading about the disaster
taking place in Minnesota,” Trump said at a rally in November 2017.
Despite
the escalating conflict with al-Shabaab, and the terrorist group’s targeting of
people who return to the country, the US has dramatically increased
deportations there since late 2016. In fiscal year 2016, 198 Somalis were
deported, rising to 521 in 2017.
And
in December, more than 90 Somali men and women were held shackled on an
airplane for nearly 48 hours during a failed attempt to deport them from the US
that went as far Dakar, Senegal, before returning to the US.
Full
report at:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/19/somali-asylum-seekers-fear-deportation-trump-administration
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