Bogus and Impersonating Voting Is Forbidden In Islam, Fatwa Issued by Hyderabad-Based Seminary

Saudi
journalist Jamal Khashoggi
----
Bogus
and Impersonating Voting Is Forbidden In Islam, Fatwa Issued by Hyderabad-Based
Seminary
Saudi
Dedicates Two Hours for Differently-Abled to Circumambulate Mecca’s Kaaba
Human
Rights Official: Khashoggi Killed After Trump's Green Light
Islam,
Constitution of Pakistan Respect Other Religions: Fawad
UK
Home Secretary Says He Had Been Bullied, Like the Syrian Boy
India
Bogus
and Impersonating Voting Is Forbidden In Islam, Fatwa Issued by Hyderabad-Based
Seminary
Muslim
Nations Must Learn About Religion from India: Dalai Lama
Word
‘Muslim’ Will Not Be Removed From AMU: General Secretary JDU
Muslims,
Settlers to Play Key Role in Polls in Hyderabad Region: Experts
Hindus
deserve respect because they are natives invaded by Muslims: RSS leader
Dialogue
Best Solution to Ayodhya Issue: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
--------
Arab World
Saudi
Dedicates Two Hours for Differently-Abled to Circumambulate Mecca’s Kaaba
Source:
Washington Sheltering ISIL Commanders at Iraq-Syria Borders
Tahrir
Al-Sham Drives Rival Terrorists out of Several Regions in Northwestern Syria
Syrian
Army Fends off ISIL's Offensive in Homs Desert
Kurdish
Militias Intensify Attacks on Ankara Forces in Northern Syria
Kurdish
Militia's Senior Commanders Killed in Bomb Attack, Gun Fire in Northeastern
Syria
Tough
Battle Reported Between two Main Terrorist Groups in Northwestern Syria
Assad:
Steadfastness of independent states can restore balance to international arena
Saudi
Cabinet welcomes creation of supreme council with Algeria
OPEC
to convene amid concerns over consensus and Qatar's looming exit
--------
North America
Human
Rights Official: Khashoggi Killed After Trump's Green Light
GOP
Senators Rip Saudi Crown Prince after CIA Chief's Briefing
Trump's
friends adopt tougher tone on Saudi prince amid Khashoggi fallout
US
aircraft carrier coming to Persian Gulf in show of force against Iran: Report
Terror-related
deaths decline worldwide for third straight year: report
White
House ‘strongly’ supports Israel action against Hezbollah tunnels
--------
Pakistan
Islam,
Constitution of Pakistan Respect Other Religions: Fawad
Journalist
Sees Imran as India’s ‘Best Bet’ In Terms Of Bilateral Progress
No
progress in Maulana Samiul Haq murder investigation
Pakistan
assures US of support in settlement of Afghanistan
Serving
humanity vital lesson of Islam, says CM
Peace
only course for Pakistan, India: Fawad Ch
President
Trump compelled into reality check after PM Khan's response to offensive
tweets: Pakistan minister
War
not a solution to Kashmir issue: Imran Khan
Pakistan
wants to see peace beyond borders: army
Call
to expose anti-Pakistan Baloch elements before world
--------
Europe
UK
Home Secretary Says He Had Been Bullied, Like the Syrian Boy
Farage
Resigns from UKIP over Party’s Anti-Muslim Policies
Russia
receives 1,000 requests from Daesh widows for return: Official
As
A Survivor of the Rotherham Grooming Gang, I Am Scared By Racism And Hate Crime
In Brexit Britain
MHP
chair slams German Islam Conference
--------
Africa
South
African-Indian Muslims Open First Prayer Facility in National Game Reserve
Rwanda:
Police in New Campaign against Radicalism
US
re-establish permanent diplomatic presence in Somalia
Sudan
lawmakers back amendment to let Bashir stand again
Warning
of possible Islamic State holiday terror attacks in SA carries little weight
Nigeria
confirms eight soldiers killed in Boko Haram attack
Boko
Haram: Buhari gives matching order over welfare of troops
--------
Mideast
Europe’s
Non-Stop Appeasing Of Iran’s Clerics
Israel
Predicts Win for UN Resolution Condemning Hamas
Israel
launches operation to destroy Hezbollah tunnels
Houthi
militias, UN envoy arrive in Sweden for peace talks
US
urges UN to condemn Iran missile test
Yemen
government delegation leaves for UN peace talks in Sweden
Houthi
Ansarullah delegation departs Yemen for peace talks in Sweden
Turkish
Police Detain Dozens of Suspects Over Affiliation To Gulen Movement
--------
South Asia
Myanmar
Religion Minister Says Rohingya 'Brainwashed' To 'March' On The Country
Cardinal
Tagle visits Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
Bangladesh:
A secular icon seeks to bring down PM Hasina
U.S.
envoy for Afghan peace meets Pakistani officials in Islamabad
District
police chief killed in Taiban attack in Sari Pul
--------
Southeast Asia
Watch
Your Language, Muhyiddin Tells Anti-ICERD Demonstrators
Rohingya
migrant boat lands in Indonesia
Dr
Wan Azizah to deliver keynote address at WMLF
Go
ahead and sue me, Ibrahim Ali dares Waytha
Indonesia
rescues 20 Muslim Rohingya adrift off Aceh
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/new-age-islam-news-bureau/bogus-and-impersonating-voting-is-forbidden-in-islam,-fatwa-issued-by-hyderabad-based-seminary/d/117073
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Bogus
and Impersonating Voting Is Forbidden In Islam, Fatwa Issued by Hyderabad-Based
Seminary
Dec
05, 2018
Hyderabad:
The community, Muslims in particular, must refrain from casting bogus votes in
the upcoming election. Bogus and impersonating voting is forbidden in Islam,
according to a fatwa issued by centenary old Hyderabad-based seminary Jamia
Nizamia. Fraud is forbidden in Islam, it stated.
Addressing
the media during a press conference at Media plus Auditorium on Tuesday,
Khairuddin Ali Sufi of All India Sufi Ulema Council said, “Muslim votes are
important and can help in selecting the right candidate.”
Muslims
must also use their votes with precision and use it wisely to vote for the
right candidate. Do not vote for candidates for their powerand charisma, he
said. Vote on merit and do justice to your vote and rights, he added.
https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Telangana/2018-12-05/Fatwa-issued-against-voter-fraud/452522
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Saudi
Dedicates Two Hours for Differently-Abled to Circumambulate Mecca’s Kaaba
4
December 2018
The
Holy Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque were dedicated to people with special
abilities for two hours on Monday, as part of the International Day of Persons
with Disabilities.
The
deputy head of the Holy Mosque’s affairs, Mashhour al-Minami said that “the
initiative reassures our care for those people who are dear to all of our
hearts, and it sheds light on their rights of equality with the rest of the
society.”
In
the beginning, the visitors listened to an explanation of Umrah, and they also
received some books and catalogs about it.
The
presidency of the Holy Mosque’s affairs, represented by the general
administration for social services and the unit specialized in people with
special abilities, also prepared a special prayer room for the deaf-mute
equipped with sign language translators and teachers.
Visually
impaired people have also been provided with white canes which lead them to
their specialized prayer rooms, in addition to a special suit case that
contains a Quran, books, and maps for the Holy site in the Braille writing
system and a watch that notifies them with prayer times.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/12/04/Islam-s-most-holy-site-dedicated-to-people-with-special-abilities-for-two-hours.html
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Human
Rights Official: Khashoggi Killed After Trump's Green Light
Dec
04, 2018
TEHRAN
(FNA)- Secretary of Iran's Human Rights Council Mohammad Javad Larijani argued
that prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a victim of internal
conflicts and feuds between the US democrats and was killed only after Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman received a green light from President Donald
Trump.
"Khashoggi
had important information which was harmful to the US, including Trump and his
family's economic relations with Mohammed bin Salman," Larijani said on
Tuesday.
He
noted that US President Donald Trump had felt danger from the side of Khashoggi
as American Democrats had decided to use his information to their benefits in
election campaigns; "hence, Trump told bin Salman that they should get rid
of Khashoggi".
Larijani
also said that the Saudis had been taught by the US security firms, including
Blackwater, on how to kill Khashoggi, noting that Trump is now trying to
whitewash the crime.
Khashoggi,
a Washington Post columnist known for his criticism of Saudi policies,
disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi
Arabia's acknowledgement that the journalist had been killed in a fight inside
the consulate came after two weeks of denials and growing pressure from Western
allies to provide explanations.
On
October 26, the Saudi prosecutor general acknowledged that the journalist's
murder was premeditated. However, Riyadh maintains that the killing had nothing
to do with the Saudi Royal family, describing it as a rogue operation.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970913000996
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Islam,
constitution of Pakistan respect other religions: Fawad
Imaduddin
December
5, 2018
ISLAMABAD:
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Tuesday said
Islam and constitution of Pakistan respected other religions and establishment
of Kartarpur corridor brought the message of peace.
Talking
to a delegation of an organization ‘Sikh of America’, the minister said peace
was the only course for Pakistan and India, and they could get rid of poverty
by treading on this path.
The
arrival of Navjot Singh Sidhu in Pakistan to attend the swearing in ceremony of
Prime Minister Imran Khan created history, he said, adding spilling of blood
could only increase hate, not peace and the peace lovers across the border
should play their role in this regard.
The
members of the delegation thanked the government of Pakistan and Prime Minister
Imran Khan for opening of Kartarpur corridor and provision of facilities at the
religious site.
They
said, “We have come with best wishes in response to the goodwill shown by
Pakistan. No gift for a Sikh can be bigger than access to Darbar Sahib of
Babaji Guru Nanak.”
They
expressed the wish that Kartarpur corridor should prove to be a corridor of
peace and love.
The
delegation included Chairman Sikh of America Jasdeep Singh and Chairman
Pakistan Sikh Council Ramesh Singh.
Member
Pakistan Bar Council Ahsan Bhon and leader Republican Party Sajid Tarar were
present in the meeting.
https://www.brecorder.com/2018/12/05/456745/islam-constitution-of-pakistan-respect-other-religions-fawad/
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UK
home secretary says he had been bullied, like the Syrian boy
4
December 2018
British
home secretary Sajid Javid said he had been bullied and "punched to the
ground" at the age of 11 because he was Asian on Monday to BBC Radio 4.
He
said the attack on a 15-year-old Syrian boy, which widely spread on social
media, "reminded" him of his time being bullied.
"Obviously
I hated it and I thought how that young boy must feel," Javid told BBC
Radio 4's Today program. "Those memories flooded back for me."
A
shocking clip that went viral in the UK shows the victim with his arm in a
cast, being squirted in the face with water after being dragged to the floor by
his neck, as his attacker says “I’ll drown you.”
The
video, filmed in a lunch break at Almondbury Community School, in Huddersfield,
on 25 October, has been condemned by leading politicians, including Theresa May
and Jeremy Corbyn.
"I
saw the video like anyone else and part of me was clearly absolutely outraged
and, to be frank, it reminded of an incident I had myself when I was 11 at
school," said Javid.
He
said his first reaction to the attack had been "How can this kind of thing
still be going on in our country?" he said.
Javid,
whose parents emigrated to the UK from Pakistan in the early 1960s, said he had
been involved in a "very similar" incident shortly after he had
started at a comprehensive school in Bristol, where he grew up.
A
16-year-old older boy is to be charged with assault in connection with the
incident. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will appear at youth
court "in due course".
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2018/12/04/UK-home-secretary-says-he-had-been-bullied-like-the-Syrian-boy.html
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India
Muslim
nations must learn about religion from India: Dalai Lama
December
4, 2018
Tibetan
spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Tuesday said Muslim countries like Bangladesh,
Pakistan and Syria should learn about religion from India so that there is
peace in the world.
“There
are various religions and traditions in India having a population of over 125
crores. Muslim countries should learn from India so that there is peace. There
is coordination among all the religions here and due to non-violence principle,
modern India is developing,” the Dalai Lama told reporters during a brief
interaction here.
Asked
about Doklam dispute, the spiritual guru only said, “Both the countries should
sit and resolve the issue. The slogan of ‘Hindi-Chini bhai bhai’ should be
relevant.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/muslim-nations-must-learn-about-religion-from-india-dalai-lama-5478444/
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Word
‘Muslim’ Will Not Be Removed From AMU: General Secretary JDU
Dec
04, 2018
New
Delhi: Member of AMU Court and General Secretary Janata Dal United KC Tyagi
after his visit to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) said the proposal to remove
the word ‘Muslim’ from Aligarh Muslim University and the word ‘Hindu’ from
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is uncalled for. He said the tradition by the
founders of both AMU and BHU should be retained in the educational
institutions. It must be noted that the Janata Dal (United) is the alliance
partner of BJP-led NDA.
It
must be recalled that a UGC panel last year had recommended that words such as
‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ be dropped from the Banaras Hindu University and the
Aligarh Muslim University respectively as they do not reflect their secular
character. The proposal was strongly opposed by AMU registrar a few months ago.
He had said that such type of thinking violates the purpose behind the
establishment of the institutions.
https://www.siasat.com/news/word-muslim-will-not-be-removed-amu-kc-tyagi-1441284/
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Muslims,
Settlers To Play Key Role In Polls In Hyderabad Region: Experts
December
04, 2018
HYDERABAD:
Muslims and the "settlers" from the coastal and Rayalaseema regions
of Andhra Pradesh are likely to play a crucial role in the electoral fortunes
of the candidates in 24 constituencies falling under the Greater Hyderabad
Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
In
the 2014 Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had won
nine seats, Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)
seven, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) five and Telangana's ruling party
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had won three seats.
The
TDP and the BJP were in an alliance in 2014. For the upcoming Telangana
Assembly polls, the N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP has struck an electoral pact
with the Congress.
In
the December 7 election, all the nine MLAs of the TDP, who had left the party
subsequently, are contesting on TRS tickets.
Mr
Naidu has been campaigning vigorously in the region for the candidates of the
Congress-led "Praja Kutami" or the grand alliance, also comprising
the TDP, the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and the Communist Party of India
(CPI).
Mr
Naidu has also addressed poll meetings along with Congress president Rahul
Gandhi in the GHMC areas, which have over 40 lakh voters.
The
AIMIM, which counts the old city as its stronghold, has fielded eight
candidates in the region and is supporting the TRS in the remaining seats.
The
K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS has described the AIMIM as a "friendly
party" and said it would have "friendly contests" in the seats
where the Owaisi-led party has fielded its nominees.
AIMIM
MLC Syed Aminul Hasan Jafri said Muslims constituted 12.7 per cent of
Telangana's population and in the 24 constituencies in the GHMC areas, it was
30 per cent.
"The
Congress's tie-up with the TDP, which was a BJP ally until recently, may not
gel well with the Muslim voters. Not only that, since the beginning, not many
members of the minority community have voted for the TDP.
"Constituencies
like Rajendranagar, Maheswaram, Serilingampalli, Kukatpally, Kutbullapur,
Malkajgiri, Uppal and LB Nagar have large numbers of minority voters who
certainly have a say," he told PTI.
Most
of the constituencies located in the GHMC area have a large number of people
from Andhra Pradesh, also called the "settlers", accounting for about
20 per cent of the total votes.
The
TDP, which is being projected by the TRS as an "Andhra party", is
contesting in some of the key constituencies in the area such as
Serilingampalli, Kukatpally and Uppal.
Mr
Naidu's party, which largely banks on the votes of the "settlers",
has fielded party founder NT Rama Rao's granddaughter Nandamuri Suhasini from
Kukatpally.
Political
analyst and former MLC Nageswar said the "settlers" would certainly
play a decisive role in the electoral outcome in these seats, but they might
not vote en masse for any particular party, given the "diverse social
structure".
He
pointed out that the TRS had won 100 seats in the GHMC polls largely due to the
votes of the "settlers".
"They
(settlers) may not vote for the TRS now, unlike the way they had done in the
GHMC polls. At the same time, they may also not vote for the TDP en masse. A
particular community, which has got the backing of the TDP, may vote for it,
but there are other influential communities which may desist it," Mr
Nageswar said.
Full
report at:
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/telangana-assembly-election-2018-muslims-settlers-to-play-key-role-in-polls-in-hyderabad-region-says-1957787
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Hindus
deserve respect because they are natives invaded by Muslims: RSS leader
Siraj
Qureshi
December
5, 2018
Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Suresh Joshi stoked controversy on Tuesday
saying the primary goal of the Hindu outfit is to keep the Indian culture alive
at all costs and that Hindus should prevent marrying their girls into other
communities.
Talking
to India Today TV in Agra, Joshi alias Bhaiyya Ji said that the primary goal of
the RSS is to keep the Indian culture alive and the BJP government at the
Centre has been instrumental in doing so.
Talking
about the workings of RSS, he said that the RSS transforms the mind, body and
soul of the person who joins the organization. "Anyone who sincerely attends
a few 'shakhas' will become a completely different person from what he
was," said Joshi.
He
added that to keep the Indian culture alive, the number of 'swayamsevaks' will
have to be increased while more and more people will need to be involved with
the social work that the RSS has been doing in the country since its inception.
He
added that since the society has started becoming "free of corruption and
the number of aspiring volunteers from the Dalit and backward communities has
been increasing, the Sangh will also have to work on the upliftment of these
communities".
"The
RSS workers will have to work as 'karsevaks' at the houses of the poor, Dalits
and backwards in order to bring them into the mainstream of the Indian society
through mutual cooperation and sharing of resources," said Joshi.
He
urged Sangh volunteers and office-bearers to ensure that if there are any house
warming ceremonies at their new residences, the first meal should be offered to
the labourers who helped build that house as social equality will only arrive
in the country when the leaders go beyond getting their pictures clicked with
statues of Dalit and backward leaders.
Later,
Bhaiyya Ji Joshi advised young Hindus to prevent the marriages of Hindu girls
with men from other communities, especially Muslims and said that care must be
taken to ensure that the Hindus to not become a minority in their own country
within a few decades.
He
urged the Hindus to bear more children and grow their families as the growth
rate of Hindu families had come down in the past decades.
Full
report at:
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/hindus-deserve-respect-because-they-are-natives-invaded-by-muslims-rss-leader-1402654-2018-12-05
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Dialogue
Best Solution To Ayodhya Issue: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
December
04, 2018
GANDHINAGAR:
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Tuesday said that a constructive
dialogue between the opposing parties was the best solution to the vexed Ram
Mandir issue.
"I
believe in dialogue," the spiritual guru told IANS on the sidelines of the
first convocation ceremony of the Karnavati University on the outskirts of the
Gujarat capital.
Ravi
Shankar, who has been mediating between the All India Muslim Personal Law Board
and the Hindu groups in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue, reiterated his
view that "the best solution to the issue can come only by dialogue".
The
spiritual guru has been maintaining that the grieving parties should go in for
an out-of-court settlement, which could work out to a win-win situation for Hindus
and Muslims.
"We
believe in dialogue and we hope the issue will be sorted out peacefully,"
he said.
Earlier,
the Art of Living mentor exhorted students of the Karnavati University to try
and convert "stumbling blocks into stepping stones".
Just
as the first class of the private university, set up in 2008, graduated, the
spiritual guru advised the students: "Don't think your exams are over.
Exams actually start after the university. This is just a preparation."
Full
report at:
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/dialogue-best-solution-to-ayodhya-issue-sri-sri-ravi-shankar-1957831
--------
Arab World
Source:
Washington Sheltering ISIL Commanders at Iraq-Syria Borders
Dec
04, 2018
The
Arabic-language al-Ma'aloumeh news website quoted Hashem al-Moussavi as saying
on Tuesday that a number of ISIL leaders have been sheltered at Iraq's border
with Syria to survive current attacks by the Iraqi security forces and Hashd
al-Shaabi.
He
added that Syria's al-Tanf base is the main stronghold of the terrorists and
supplies the ISIL remnants with weapons, military equipment and intelligence,
noting that Washington aims to use the ISIL commanders as a leverage to
pressure Baghdad and Damascus.
Al-Moussavi
said that the Iraqi security forces and Hashd al-Shaabi are at present trying
to cleanse Wadi Houran region in al-Anbar (at the borders between Iraq and
Syria) from terrorists, adding that the US fighter jets often provide a cover
to the ISIL moves between Iraq and Syria.
The
US-led coalition has long been suspected of colluding with the ISIL terrorist
group in Eastern Syria for quite a few years now. Experts believe the US needs
to keep a contained group of ISIL terrorists operating in the region in a bid
to justify its buildup in Eastern Syria.
Relevant
reports said late in November that the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
and ISIL had been in secret talks on the latter's withdrawal from Deir Ezzur to
Iraq's desert.
Orient
news reported that the talks were underway between the SDF and the ISIL to
conclude an agreement similar to the one
on Raqqa to relocate the terrorists from Deir Ezzur to Iraq's desert.
It
further said that the US-led coalition air force, according to the talks, would
provide a cover for the terrorists to move to Iraqi territories 60km from the border
with Syria.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970913000965
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Tahrir
Al-Sham Drives Rival Terrorists out of Several Regions in Northwestern Syria
Dec
04, 2018
Tahrir
al-Sham engaged in fierce clashes with rival terrorists of Ahrar al-Sham in
al-Ghaab Plain in Northwestern Hama and al-Roj Plain in Southwestern Idlib,
seizing control over the small towns of Zizoun, al-Sahan, al-Laj and most of
regions in al-Roj Plain.
A
tough battle is still underway between the rival groups in the village of
Qastoun in Northwestern Hama.
The
infighting has inflicted major casualties on both warring sides and also on
civilians.
Informed
sources said last week that Tahrir al-Sham Hayat and Ahrar al-Sham terrorist
groups resumed and intensified their clashes over a strategic road in the
Southern part of Idlib province.
Heavy
clashes broke out between Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham militants on the
outskirts of Ma'arat al-Nu'aman in Southern Idlib, field sources reported.
The
sources noted that the infighting broke out after Tahrir al-Sham entered Heish
region controlled by Ahrar al-Sham and set up an inspection post there. Ahrar
al-Sham also targeted and pounded Tahrir al-Sham's post and put their forces on
alert.
Tahrir
al-Sham also hit the military posts of the National Liberation Front in Babolin
area in Heish region, they added.
The
sources also pointed to the preparations by Tahrir al-Sham Hayat to launch a
large-scale military operation in the region, and said Tahrir al-Sham aims to
seize control of the international highway passing through Ma'arat al-Nu'aman
city.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970913000814
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Syrian
Army Fends off ISIL's Offensive in Homs Desert
Dec
04, 2018
The
army men engaged in heavy fighting with ISIL in Humeimeh region in Eastern Homs
and managed to repel their attack after inflicting major losses on the
terrorists.
The
remaining pockets of the terrorists retreated after their failed attack.
In
the meantime, the army's air force bombed several times ISIL's movements in
al-Sukhnah desert in Eastern Homs and near T2 Oil Pumping Station in
Southwestern Deir Ezzur, killing and wounding a number of terrorists.
Last
month, the army soldiers engaged in a tough battle with a group of ISIL
terrorists that tried to attack the government forces in the Southeastern
direction of Homs desert from the Northeastern direction of Aweiraz Dam,
killing and wounding a number of terrorists and destroying their military
equipment.
The
army further warded off the attack and forced the remaining pockets of ISIL to
retreat from the battlefield.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970913000909
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Kurdish
Militias Intensify Attacks on Ankara Forces in Northern Syria
Dec
04, 2018
The
sources said that the Kurdish units fired a thermal missile on a group of
Turkish soldiers and their allied militants in the village of Deir Mashmash in
Afrin, killing over 10 of them and injuring several more.
A
military vehicle of the Ankara forces was destroyed in the attack too.
In
the meantime, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)
reported that a commander of Ankara-backed militants was killed and two of his
forces were injured in the Kurdish missile attack in Basalhaya region in Afrin.
It
further said that the Kurdish forces' attack on a base of Ankara-backed Firqa
al-Hamza in al-Mahmoudiyah district in the town of Afrin sparked fierce clashes
between the two sides.
Hawar
news reported on Wednesday that the Kurdish militia blasted a military vehicle
of Ankara-backed Firqa al-Hamzah militants in Afrin on a road between the
center of the town and the village of Basoutah in Shirawa, killing 4 terrorists
and severely wounding 2 others.
They
also targeted a vehicle of al-Shamiyah Front terrorist group in the village of
Koubleh near Afrin, destroying the car and killing one militant inside.
Meantime,
the Kurds' operations against Faylaq al-Sham terrorists on the road linking
Borj Heidar in Shirawa region killed two militants.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970913000706
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Kurdish
Militia's Senior Commanders Killed in Bomb Attack, Gun Fire in Northeastern
Syria
Dec
04, 2018
The
sources said that Forat Hasaka, a senior SDF commander, was killed after
unidentified raiders opened fire at his vehicle along a road between Hasaka and
Tal Barak on Monday.
They
further said that a bomb-laden vehicle went off in al-Masaref district in the
border town of Qaishli in Northeastern Hasaka on Monday, killing a number of
the SDF gunmen, including their Commander Houzan Abu Akeed.
The
sources went on to say that a number of SDF gunmen were also killed in another
blast near Bolqar camp East of the town of al-Shadadi in Southern Hasaka.
A
militant-affiliated website reported last month that Arab tribes in Hasaka
province in Northeastern Syria demanded the Syrian Army to deploy its guards at
border with Turkey after the Ankara forces' threats to launch an imminent
large-scale operation against the Kurds on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates
River.
Zaman
al-Wasl reported that the Kurdish militias try to hold different meetings with
Arab tribes in Hasaka, Raqqa and Aleppo provinces to persuade them to join them
in battle against the Turkish troops.
It
further said that the Kurds had several meetings with Arab tribes in al-Safir
region in the town of Ra'as al-Ein in Northwestern Hasaka, adding that all
tribal elites called on the SDF to hand over border control to the Damascus
force to deter a Turkish invasion.
In
the meantime, local sources in Hasaka province pointed to the Kurdish concerns
about the Turkish troops' operation, and said that the Kurds have transferred
prisoners and detainees from their Alaya jail in the town of Qamishli in
Northeastern Hasaka to their central jail in Hasaka city.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970913000767
--------
Tough
Battle Reported Between two Main Terrorist Groups in Northwestern Syria
Dec
04, 2018
Tahrir
al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham, affiliated to the Free Army, exchanged heavy fire in
Jadraya and Anab in Southern Idlib and other fronts in Jozef and Mahmabal
regions in al-Ghaab Plain in Southwestern Idlib.
In
the meantime, Tahrir al-Sham recaptured the villages of Jadraya and Anab in the
clashes.
The
clashes inflicted a number of casualties on both warring side, as at least 10
Tahrir al-Sham members were killed.
Several
more gunmen from both sides were wounded or captured.
A
field sources said that both Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham have put their
fighters on alert, and said that Ahrar al-Sham has forwarded a long military
convoy to al-Ghaab Plain in Northwestern Hama that is connected to al-Roj Plain
in Southwestern Idlib.
The
sources said that the infighting came after differences over the shares from
the railway lines looted by the terrorist groups from the small town of
Harbanoush in Northern Idlib.
Informed
sources said last week that Tahrir al-Sham Hayat and Ahrar al-Sham terrorist
groups resumed and intensified their clashes over a strategic road in the
Southern part of Idlib province.
Heavy
clashes broke out between Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham militants on the
outskirts of Ma'arat al-Nu'aman in Southern Idlib, field sources reported.
The
sources noted that the infighting broke out after Tahrir al-Sham entered Heish
region controlled by Ahrar al-Sham and set up an inspection post there. Ahrar
al-Sham also targeted and pounded Tahrir al-Sham's post and put their forces on
alert.
Tahrir
al-Sham also hit the military posts of the National Liberation Front in Babolin
area in Heish region, they added.
The
sources also pointed to the preparations by Tahrir al-Sham Hayat to launch a
large-scale military operation in the region, and said Tahrir al-Sham aims to
seize control of the international highway passing through Ma'arat al-Nu'aman
city.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970913000506
--------
Assad:
Steadfastness of independent states can restore balance to international arena
Dec
4, 2018
Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad says independent countries are capable of changing
the international arena and restoring balance to it by remaining steadfast in
their battle against Western plots.
Speaking
in a meeting with the visiting North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho in
Damascus on Tuesday, the Syrian leader said that despite the difference in the
forms of wars and pressure to which Syria and North Korea have been exposed,
their essence and purpose is the same: to weaken the countries that have an
independent goal and stand in the face of Western projects.
President
Assad further said such wars are not just about Syria and North Korea, but for
redrawing the map of the world, adding that the US hostility towards all the
independent states of the world, including Syria and the North, knows no
geographical limits.
Ri,
for his part, relayed to the Syrian president and people a verbal message from
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, expressing Pyongyang’s firm support for
Damascus and offering congratulations over the victories the Syrian army has so
far achieved in its years-long fight against terrorists, including the Takfiri
Daesh terrorist group.
The
North Korean foreign minister also briefed the Syrian president about the
North’s foreign policy, noting that the enemy which North Korea, Syria, and all
other independent and independence-seeking countries have in common is hegemony
and foreign interference, which requires increasing coordination among those
countries to confront foreign plots.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/04/581996/assad-Syria-north-Korea-
--------
Saudi
Cabinet welcomes creation of supreme council with Algeria
December
04, 2018
JEDDAH:
The Saudi Cabinet on Tuesday reviewed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s tour
of Arab countries and the Kingdom’s participation at the G20 Summit in
Argentina.
The
Cabinet welcomed the Kingdom’s decision to host the G20 summit in 2020. It also
welcomed the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Algeria to establish a supreme
council to enhance cooperation in politics, security, anti-terror activities,
the economy and culture.
The
ministers lauded the crown prince’s meetings with world leaders at the G20
summit.
The
Cabinet reviewed regional and global developments and approved a number of
memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with several countries on various issues.
The
ministers approved the extension of an agreement between Saudi Arabia and
France to avoid double taxation on income and inheritance etc.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1415801/saudi-arabia
--------
Opec
to convene amid concerns over consensus and Qatar's looming exit
December
5, 2018
Opec
and its allies led by Russia are set to convene in Vienna on Thursday amid a
cloud of uncertainty over a decision to trim production and the future of the
organisation.
The
exporters’ group and its allies, known as Opec+, see themselves at the same
juncture they did in 2016. However, this time there is less certainty of a
consensus to cut amid the exit of Qatar on January 1. Qatar was on board in
2016 when Opec
agreed
to reduce inventories by slashing 1.2 million barrels per day out of its
production. On top of that, allies cut 600,000 bpd.
"Our
baseline scenario is that Opec+ is likely to favour supporting prices over
market share and collectively act by cutting production between 1 to 1.4
million bpd to curb the current oversupply in the market,” said Ehsan Khoman,
Mena research head at Japan’s MUFG Bank said.
Opec,
led by Saudi Arabia, and the producers outside of the group headed by Russia
were widely expected to institutionalise their two-year co-operation at this
meeting.
But
a decision to trim output seems less definitive than last month when Saudi
energy minister Khalid Al Falih said the alliance could trim up to 1 million
bpd next year if needed.
In
an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday, Mr Al Falih said Moscow backs output
curbs “in principle,” but it’s “premature” to say what they will agree in
Vienna this week.
Opec+
had earlier in May reversed the production cuts that have been in place since
January last year to steady prices, which had rallied around three-year highs
of $75 per barrel for Brent for much of the summer, eventually peaking at $86
in October. However, Brent soon crashed, losing 30 per cent of its value in a
month as record-high US production and limited impact of US sanctions against
Iran began to materialise.
Opec+
is also grappling with pressure from the US administration under President
Donald Trump, who wants to see prices go even lower, tweeting last month that
he saw the slip in prices as a “tax cut” for “America and the world”.
MUFG
anticipates the alliance to display “constructive ambiguity” through a
“carefully drafted, worded declaration of characteristic Opec diplomacy” to
manage external pressures, notably from President Trump.
"As
such, this likely thinly veiled message will quietly inform markets that Opec+
will cut to raise oil prices on the front end, without explicitly drawing
attention to risk President Trump’s wrath,” said Mr Khoman.
The
upcoming meeting however would certainly test the current bond between Saudi
Arabia and Russia, possibly revealing a divergence of interest. Moscow is
seemingly aligned with the US, in its aspiration for a lower Brent than Saudi
Arabia’s preferred range of $75 per barrel, he added. Russian producers would much
prefer Brent trending around $60 to $65 per barrel. However, many see Russia’s
alliance and the meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and
President Vladimir Putin at the G20 meeting as an indication that the two may
come to an agreement after all.
Another
cloud over the Vienna event would be Qatar’s exit after 57 years of Opec
membership, a move that Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix said could allow small
producing states to question the benefits of remaining within the group.
“The
decision making is now concentrated in the hands of Saudi Arabia and Russia,”
said Mr Jakob.
"We
think that it will be important to closely follow the developments in the US of
the 'No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act' (NOPEC). If momentum grows in
the US for such legislation, then the smaller Opec countries might decide that
the risks and costs of staying formally in Opec outweigh the benefits,” he
added.
Full
report at:
https://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/opec-to-convene-amid-concerns-over-consensus-and-qatar-s-looming-exit-1.799095
--------
North America
GOP
senators rip Saudi crown prince after CIA chief's briefing
Dec
4, 2018
US
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Gina Haspel has briefed Senate
leaders on the death of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who several
Senators believe was killed at the order of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman (MBS).
Haspel
briefed members of the Foreign Relations, Armed Services and Appropriations
committees on Tuesday.
Following
the briefing, two Republican senators said they were more certain than ever
that bin Salman was culpable in the killing of Khashoggi.
"You
have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was
orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS," Senator
Lindsay Graham told reporters.
"He
murdered him. ...No question in my mind," retiring Sen. Bob Corker
(R-Tenn.) said of the Saudi crown prince. "I had almost no question
before, I have no question whatsoever now."
US
Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week
briefed the whole Senate on US-Saudi relations in the wake of the murder of
Khashoggi, who was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in the Turkish
city of Istanbul on October 2.
The
senators, however, found the presentation unconvincing and were also upset at
the CIA chief’s absence. The lawmakers wanted to directly hear from her the
CIA’s opinion on the Khashoggi death.
The
CIA has reportedly concluded that bin Salman ordered the killing.
US
President Donald Trump has so far resisted growing calls from both sides of the
isle in Congress for a strong response to Khashoggi’s murder, arguing that
doing so would endanger deep financial and political ties between the two sides
and push Riyadh towards Russia.
Trump’s
reluctance to go after bin Salman became clearer after he undermined the CIA
assessment that the prince was indeed aware of the murder, despite Riyadh’s
denials.
But
the biggest reason is perhaps the risk that losing Saudi Arabia’s services
would pose to Israel, Trump has admitted.
A
top Democratic senator said on Sunday the United States should maintain its
strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia while he held bin Salman responsible
for the murder.
Senator
Ben Cardin said he had no doubt that the Saudi crown prince, also known as MBS,
was involved in the murder of Khashoggi.
But
the Trump administration has publicly pushed back on those claims. Pompeo told
reporters following the Senate briefing that there is no “direct reporting”
connecting MBS to the killing.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/04/581942/CIA-chief-to-brief-US-Senate-leaders-on-Khashoggis-murder
--------
Trump's
friends adopt tougher tone on Saudi prince amid Khashoggi fallout
Dec
5, 2018
Top
Republicans in the United States are attacking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman for ordering the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the
Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul in October.
"I
think Prince Mohammed gave the order, or at least he knew about it, to butcher
Khashoggi. Prince Mohammed ... he really was the original El Chapo,
literally," said Louisiana Senator John Kennedy on Tuesday as US President
Donald Trump was under pressure for maintaining support for the murderous
prince.
Joaquín
"El Chapo" Guzmán is the former Sinaloa Cartel leader facing trial in
New York City.
Jamal
Khashoggi was reportedly tortured, murdered and then dismembered via a bone saw
by Saudi operatives at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
Other
senators emerging from a briefing with CIA Director Gina Haspel also blame the
Saudi de facto ruler for the murder despite Trump’s unwavering support for the
prince in the wake of his arms deal with Riyadh.
“There’s
not a smoking gun, there’s a smoking saw,” South Carolina Senator Lindsey
Graham said, referencing Trump administration comments that there is no
“smoking gun” showing bi Salman ordered the killing.
“You
have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was
orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS and that he was
intricately involved in the demise of Mr. Khashoggi,” Graham added.
There
was “zero question” that the young prince was behind the assassination,
according to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, a
Republican from Tennessee.
"I
have zero question in my mind that the crown prince directed the murder and was
kept apprised of the situation all the way through. I have zero question in my
mind," said the lawmaker. "I think temperatures are up by all
involved … so figuring out something that can pass overwhelmingly still is
going to be difficult because some people want to tie the Yemen piece into the
Khashoggi piece.”
The
Senate could take a vote on proceeding to the Yemen resolution next week.
Illinois
Republican Senator Dick Durbin also predicted that after the briefing, “the
sentiment to continue this effort is stronger now than ever.”
There
were also complains from some senators, wo were not allowed into the briefing.
“While
I will not discuss the content of the Haspel briefing, it reinforced the need
for a strong response to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Schumer said
Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer in a statement. "CIA Director
Haspel should brief the full Senate without delay."
Haspel
reportedly did not try to change the lawmakers’ mind about the matter, yet the
hearing led to a more outspoken stance from the senators.
“All
evidence points to that all this leads back to the crown prince,” said, Alaska
Republican Senator Richard Shelby, calling the murder a “reprehensible
conduct.”
Senator
Graham is also introducing a separate resolution to officially blame the Saudi
crown prince for Khashoggi’s death.
Saudi
Arabia has acknowledged the murder, yet left many questions unanswered.
Turkish
intelligence intercepts reportedly show that Khashoggi, who was last seen
entering the Saudi mission in Istanbul on October 2, was murdered on a direct
order from Saudi de facto ruler bin Salman
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/04/582000/The-original-El-Chapo-Top-GOPers-rip-Saudi-prince-
--------
US
aircraft carrier coming to Persian Gulf in show of force against Iran: Report
Dec
4, 2018
The
United States is sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East in
a show of force against Iran, US military officials have revealed.
The
USS John C. Stennis and its accompanying ships, which are currently moving
through the Indian Ocean, will arrive in the Persian Gulf by the end of this
week, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing unnamed military
officials.
If
true, this will be the first time in eight months that the US steps up its
military presence in the region to such levels, the officials said. That’s the
longest period Washington has gone without an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf
in the past two decades.
The
naval deployment is a direct response to Iran’s influence in the region, the
officials noted.
US
President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May, saying
he would subject Tehran to a series of tough economic sanctions unless the
Islamic Republic agrees to stop supporting anti-terror groups in Syria, Iraq,
Lebanon and Yemen.
He
has also called on Iran to scrap its development and testing of ballistic
missiles.
On
Monday, the Trump administration asked Europe to impose new sanctions on Iran
after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed Iran had test-fired a
medium-range ballistic missile.
In
order to persuade his European peers, Pompeo said the missile was considered
capable of carrying nuclear warheads and could reach parts of the Europe.
Iran,
however, said its missile program was “defensive” in nature and Tehran had
every right to develop and test its missiles under the UN Security Council
Resolution 2231, which endorse the nuclear deal.
USS
Stennis would also provide support to the ongoing US military interventions in
Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
The
strike group is scheduled to spend most of its two-month deployment in the
Persian Gulf, a presence that unnamed officials said “certainly provides a deterrence”
against Tehran.
The
arrival of the warship “provides a lot of great flexibility,” another defense
official said.
US
aircraft carriers have long been patrolling the Persian Gulf, carrying
thousands of personnel and dozens of fighter jets, missiles and other weapons.
But
the deployments stopped in March after the USS Theodore Roosevelt left for the
Pacific, as part of the Trump administration’s shift of strategy to focus more
on China and Russia.
As
a result of the new approach, Washington also pulled a number of Patriot
missile systems out of Persian Gulf countries Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Officials
stressed that, despite escalating tensions, the carrier deployment had been
previously scheduled.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/04/581959/US-Iran-Persian-Gulf-aircraft-carrier-USS-Stennis
--------
Terror-related
deaths decline worldwide for third straight year: report
Dec.
5, 2018
WASHINGTON
— Terror-related deaths have fallen for the third consecutive year around the
globe, while far-right political terrorism is on the rise in North America and
Western Europe, according to a report released Wednesday.
After
peaking at about 34,000 deaths in 2014, terrorism-related deaths fell by 44
percent last year to 18,800, according to Steve Killelea, Executive Chairman of
the London-based Institute of Economics & Peace, which publishes the annual
Global Terrorism Index.
Military
defeats of the Islamic State, or ISIS, in Iraq and Syria, and the Nigerian
government “breaking the back” of Boko Haram are seen as the main reasons why
there was a significant drop in deaths related to terrorism, Killelea said.
Afghanistan recorded the highest number of terror-related deaths among all
countries.
Iraq,
the country where ISIS first emerged, saw a 56 percent decline in
terror-related deaths from 7,368 to 3,554, marking the largest year-to-year
reduction of a single country and the lowest number of deaths from terrorism
the country has seen since 2012.
Overall,
deaths at the hands of ISIS dropped by 52 percent in 2017, according to the
report. Killelea predicts that the group will no longer rank as the deadliest
terrorist organization in 2018.
“I
think if there’s one thing which I’d have people to take away from the study,
it would be simply that the back of ISIL is broken,” Killelea said, referring
to ISIS by a common acronym that stands for the Islamic State in Iraq and the
Levant. “And that doesn’t mean that it’s the end of terrorism. Because Al Qaeda
is still highly active.”
With
ISIS collapsing in Iraq and Syria, say the report’s authors, the group is
moving to countries in the Maghreb and Sahel regions of Africa, such as Libya,
Niger, and Mali, and to Southeast Asia.
Islamic
terrorism is "incredibly fluid," Killelea said, noting that groups
splinter, merge, and form new groups, based on differences in ideology or
differences in strategy and tactics.
"And
that’s very, very difficult for intelligence agencies to really track and stay
on top of it," Killelea said.
While
more than 99 percent of all deaths from terrorism happened in countries mired
in violent conflict or high levels of political terror, the report found that
social alienation, lack of economic opportunity, and involvement in an external
conflict are major factors behind terrorism in economically-developed areas
like North America and Western Europe, which have witnessed a rise in far-right
terrorism.
In
the four years between 2013 and 2017, far-right groups and individuals were
responsible for 66 deaths in Western Europe and North America. There were none
in 2013 compared to last year, which saw 17. That same year, the United States
had 30 attacks resulting in 16 deaths.
The
report’s authors found that lone actors with white nationalist, far-right, or
anti-Muslim beliefs were responsible for the majority of attacks in North
America and Western Europe.
“Part
of it is a reaction to the immigration flows, which have been appearing in
Europe, with the result of the wars in the Middle East,” Killelea said. “And
also it’s a reaction against the terrorist attacks, which have occurred back in
the U.S. and in Europe by violent jihadist or violent extremists, violent
Muslim extremists.”
Other
key takeaways from the report:
Five
countries—Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia and Syria—saw more than 1,000 deaths
from deaths from terrorism. And 19 countries saw more than 100 deaths.
67
countries suffered at least one death from terrorism in 2017.
46
countries saw lower scores and 96 countries improved—the highest number to
report a year-to-year improvement since 2004.
The
biggest jumps in deaths from terrorism were in Egypt and Somalia, which saw 123
percent and 93 percent increases, respectively.
Total
year-to-year deaths fell by 75 percent in Europe, making for the biggest rate
of improvement.
Full
report at:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/12/05/terrorism-deaths-islamic-state-boko-haram-terror-isis/2206299002/
--------
White
House ‘strongly’ supports Israel action against Hezbollah tunnels
4
December 2018
The
White House gave full backing Tuesday to an Israeli army operation to destroy
tunnels built under the border with Lebanon by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
President
Donald Trump’s national security advisor John Bolton said that “the US strongly
supports Israel’s efforts to defend its sovereignty.”
“More
broadly, we call on Iran and all of its agents to stop their regional
aggression and provocation, which pose an unacceptable threat to Israeli and
regional security,” Bolton said.
The
surprise announcement came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels over regional
dangers, with both having repeatedly warned about the activities of Iran.
Netanyahu
said he discussed the operation with Pompeo and called the tunnels a violation
of a UN resolution aimed at ending a 2006 war between Israel and Shiite
militant group Hezbollah.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/12/04/White-House-strongly-supports-Israel-action-against-Hezbollah-tunnels.html
--------
Pakistan
Journalist
sees Imran as India’s ‘best bet’ in terms of bilateral progress
December
05, 2018
KARACHI:
If there is to be incremental progress between India and Pakistan that have
fought four wars, Prime Minister Imran Khan is presently “India’s best bet”,
according to a Washington Post opinion piece written by Indian journalist
Barkha Dutt.
On
completion of 100 days in office and inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor,
the premier had met a group of visiting Indian journalists in Islamabad.
“Imran
Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister, seems transformed by the burden of his post. I
met him in Islamabad on the day he completed his 100th day in office. He
appeared so much more reserved, circumspect and formal than I remember him,”
wrote Ms Dutt, who was among the 22 Indian journalists who had been invited to
Pakistan (at the invitation of Khan’s government) to report on the opening of a
visa-free corridor for Sikh pilgrims in the border village of Kartarpur.
“I
came away with the impression that there is no chance for any immediate
breakthrough for India and Pakistan,” she said. “But if there is to be even
incremental progress between the two nuclear-armed nations that have fought
four wars, Khan is presently India’s best bet,” the journalist added.
Referring
to the opening of the corridor, she termed it to be a “joyous celebration of
anti-imperialism”.
“A
corridor for the free movement of pilgrims into Pakistan should have been a
brief moment of reconciliation in a severely damaged relationship,” the report
added.
Unfortunately,
she regretted, controversial statements on both sides of the border led to a
downward spiral. “In Pakistan, the Indian ministers likened opening the
pilgrimage route to the fall of the Berlin Wall, while in Delhi, the foreign
minister ruled out any resumption of dialogue.”
On
Nov 28, Prime Minister Imran Khan performed the groundbreaking of 4km-long
corridor which would connect Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Narowal with
Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur district. The government had announced
that it aimed to open the visa-free corridor on Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth
anniversary next year.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1449497/journalist-sees-imran-as-indias-best-bet-in-terms-of-bilateral-progress
--------
No
progress in Maulana Samiul Haq murder investigation
Mohammad
Asghar
December
05, 2018
RAWALPINDI:
One month on, the police have not made any progress in the investigation into
the murder of Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam Sami (JUI-S) chief Maulana Samiul Haq.
However,
an interim charge sheet of the case was submitted by the police in the court of
an additional session judge on Monday.
The
interim charge sheet contains the statements of the victim’s son and a report
on more than 12 individuals, the mobile phone data of the JUI-S chief, the
preliminary statement given by the victim’s secretary and a police
investigation report.
However,
it does not identify a prime accused. The police was to submit an interim
charge sheet for the murder case within 14-days of the incident.
The
police have been waiting for the DNA report of the samples taken from the
victim’s body and those taken from elsewhere at the crime scene.
The
police have been reluctant to share details of their investigation with the
deceased’s family nor have they made the details public. No cash reward has
been offered for information that could lead to the murderer.
“We
cannot say anything at the moment because we are still investigating into the
murder,” a police official close to the investigation said.
The
police’s attempts to exhume Maulana Sami’s body for a post-mortem have also
been unproductive after the concerned court of law as well as the family
refused permission for the exhumation.
The
request was made to the additional session judge by the Rawalpindi police which
was forwarded to the concerned court in Nowshera which rejected it.
JUI-S
leader Maulana Samiul Haq was killed in a Safari Villa in Bahria Town on Nov 2
when his secretary, Syed Ahmed Shah had gone to get water from a nearby
filtration plant.
Mr
Shah, who is considered the prime witness, was allowed by the police to attend
the funeral but he did not turn up and has been missing since.
Full
report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1449527/no-progress-in-maulana-samiul-haq-murder-investigation
--------
Pakistan
assures US of support in settlement of Afghanistan
Dec
05,2018
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has assured the United States of its complete support in facilitating
a negotiated settlement in war-torn Afghanistan.
The
assurance was given during a meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood
Qureshi and US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad who arrived in
Islamabad on Tuesday to hold meetings with Pakistan’s political and military
leadership about bringing the Afghan Taliban to peace talks.
According
to a statement issued by the Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal,
Khalilzad called on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and reiterated US
President Donald Trump’s desire to seek Pakistan’s cooperation for peace and
stability in Afghanistan.
Qureshi
has assured the US side of Pakistan’s steadfast support for a negotiated
settlement in war-torn Afghanistan, the FO said.
The
visit comes a day after Trump wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan,
seeking Islamabad’s “assistance and facilitation in achieving a negotiated
settlement of the Afghan war”.
In
his first letter to PM Khan, President Trump sought “Pakistan’s full support”
for the US-led peace process in Afghanistan and for his special envoy’s trip to
the region.
Khalilzad
will also travel to Afghanistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belgium, the
United Arab Emirates and Qatar in a stepped-up effort to find a peaceful end to
the Afghan war.
“He
will meet with Afghan government officials and other interested parties to
support and facilitate an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan, empowering
the Afghan people to decide their nation’s fate,” read a press release by the
US Department of State.
Meanwhile,
Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari, in reply to Khalilzad’s tweet
regarding his regional visit, asked the special envoy to “bring a less arrogant
and hostile mindset when you visit Islamabad [this time]”.
Dr
Mazari is considered a hawk in the PTI government on relations with the US and
has in the past called out Trump over his tirade against Pakistan.
Khalilzad
has a prickly relationship with Pakistan, having often accused Islamabad of
fomenting violence in Afghanistan by supporting the Taliban.
Full
report at:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/12/04/us-envoy-zalmay-khalilzad-arrives-in-islamabad/
--------
Serving
humanity vital lesson of Islam, says CM
December
5, 2018
LAHORE:
Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said volunteers perform their
duties during natural calamities with commitment and in return have no expectations
or financial interest which is a good thing.
In
his message on Calamity Day issued here on Tuesday, the CM said volunteers rise
above the geographical limitations and cultural and language barriers to serve
the humanity with passion and commitment. The role of voluntary organisations
and people is of exemplary importance in society and the damages of untoward
incidents can be minimised by providing professional trainings to the
volunteers. He said serving ailing humanity is high moral value and an important
lesson of Islam.
Full
report at:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/401919-serving-humanity-vital-lesson-of-islam-says-cm
--------
Peace
only course for Pakistan, India: Fawad Ch
Dec
05,2018
ISLAMABAD:
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Tuesday,
while talking to a delegation of an organisation ‘Sikhs of America’, said that
peace was the only course for Pakistan and India, and that both countries could
get rid of poverty by treading on this path.
He
also said Islam respects other religions and the Constitution of Pakistan
represents that in true sense. The info minister said that the establishment of
Kartarpur corridor has brought a message of peace for the region.
The
arrival of Navjot Singh Sidhu in Pakistan to attend the swearing in ceremony of
Prime Minister Imran Khan created history, he said, adding that peace lovers
across the border should play their role in this regard.
The
members of the delegation thanked the government of Pakistan and Prime Minister
Imran Khan for opening Kartarpur corridor and provision of facilities at the
religious site.
They
said, “We have come with best wishes in response to the goodwill shown by
Pakistan. No gift for a Sikh can be bigger than access to Darbar Sahib of
Babaji Guru Nanak.”
They
expressed the wish that Kartarpur corridor should prove to be a corridor of
peace and love.
The
delegation included Chairman Sikh of America Jasdeep Singh and Chairman
Pakistan Sikh Council Ramesh Singh.
Full
report at:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/12/04/islam-pakistan-respect-all-religions-fawad-ch/
--------
President
Trump compelled into reality check after PM Khan's response to offensive
tweets: Pakistan minister
Dec
4, 2018
ISLAMABAD:
A senior Pakistani minister and top aide of Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday
claimed that US President Donald Trump was "compelled" to do a
"reality check", days after his offensive tweets against Islamabad
for failing to help America in combating terrorism.
Taking
to Twitter a day after Khan said the US president has written a letter to him,
the Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said Trump was compelled to seek
help from Pakistan in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table to end the
brutal war in Afghanistan which has been going on for 17 years.
Last
month Trump also said Pakistan does not do "a damn thing" for the US,
saying Islamabad helped al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden hide near its garrison
city of Abbottabad.
Mazari,
known to be a hawk, in a series of tweets, said, "PM Imran Khan's response
to Trump's offensive tweets against Pakistan compelled Trump to do a reality
check and write to PM Khan asking for help in bringing peace to
Afghanistan!"
"So
much for those in Pakistan who were quivering after Imran Khan's tweets went
out!" she added.
In
response to Trump's anti-Pakistan comments, Khan had hit back, advising
Washington to assess its efficiency in the war on terror instead of making
Pakistan a scapegoat for its failure.
Meanwhile,
Mazari also criticised US State Department's Special Representative for
Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad for his approach towards Pakistan.
She
advised tough-talking Khalilzad to bring a "less arrogant and hostile
mindset" during his ongoing visit to Islamabad.
Khalilzad,
the veteran US diplomat tasked with making efforts to end the bloody war in
Afghanistan, is known as a blunt negotiator.
Although
both the US and Pakistan now have a commonality of views on seeking a political
solution to the Afghan problem, the trust deficit between the two is the real
stumbling block. Relations between the two countries are tense despite recent
efforts to reset the troubled ties, the Express Tribune reported.
At
the heart of their stalemate is the US insistence on Pakistan to do more to
bring the Afghan Taliban on to the negotiating table. Washington still believes
that Islamabad holds a considerable sway over the insurgent group.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/president-trump-compelled-into-reality-check-after-pm-khans-response-to-offensive-tweets-pakistan-minister/articleshow/66938979.cms
--------
War
not a solution to Kashmir issue: Imran Khan
Dec
4, 2018
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said war is not a solution to the
Kashmir issue, which can be resolved through talks.
In
an interview to a group of television journalists here, Khan said unless there
was a dialogue, various options on resolution of Kashmir cannot be discussed.
When
asked about the formula to resolve the Kashmir issue, Khan said there were two
or three solutions, which have been in discussions.
He,
however, refused to share more details, saying it was "too early to talk about
them".
Khan
claimed he was informed by late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former
foreign minister Natwar Singh during a conference that Kashmir would have been
resolved if the BJP had not lost the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
"It
shows that there is a solution of Kashmir and both countries were close to
resolve it," the Pakistani prime minister insisted.
Ruling
out the possibility of any war with India, he said two nuclear armed countries
would not fight because "there are always unintended consequences".
Asserting
that Pakistan was serious to develop peaceful ties with all its neighbours,
Khan claimed India was not ready to hold talks with the country due to the
upcoming general elections.
Replying
to a query on his views on the military's role in shaping of foreign policy in
every country, including the US, he said, "Advice from the establishment
is taken in those issues where security situation is involved."
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/war-not-a-solution-to-kashmir-issue-imran-khan/articleshow/66927739.cms
--------
Pakistan
wants to see peace beyond borders: army
DECEMBER
5, 2018
Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor
Tuesday said that Pakistan wanted to see peace beyond its borders, especially
in Afghanistan.
He
was talking to a group of Pakistan-based foreign journalists wherein he briefed
them about the security situation and ongoing stability operations in the
country, an ISPR statement said. “Matters related to Pak-Afghan border and
situation along Line of Control (LoC) were also discussed,” said the statement.
The
DG ISPR told the foreign correspondents that Pakistan’s security situation had
largely improved due to “successful clearance operations”, adding that the
country was now heading towards stability.
“Having
restored peace [at home,] Pakistan wishes to see peace beyond borders
especially [in] Afghanistan,” the statement quoted the military media wing’s
director general as saying. BBC correspondent Secunder Kermani, who was among
the journalists present at the meeting, shared other details from the
interaction on Twitter. According to Kermani, when asked whether the Pakistan
Army was in direct touch with the Afghan Taliban regarding the peace process,
Maj Gen responded that it was the “intelligence services” of any country that
maintained such contacts. However, Maj Gen Ghafoor added that Pakistan’s
influence [on the Afghan Taliban] was no longer “as effective as it was [in]
1979″, according to the BBC correspondent.
Kermani
said the ISPR chief had stated that he [Ghafoor] was not aware if a delegation
from the Taliban’s political office in Qatar had arrived in Pakistan, as was
reported by some foreign news outlets.
According
to the ISPR press release, Maj Gen Ghafoor during the meeting said that the
international community saw Pakistan through their reporters based in Pakistan
and that he expected the foreign journalists to highlight improving peace and
stability in Pakistan, which offers economic opportunities for foreign
investors”.
“Media
has a very important role to project the true positivity of Pakistan,” he said
during the interaction. Kermani said that the ISPR DG was also asked about the
notices reportedly sent to a number of critics of the military by Twitter,
saying the microblogging site had received “official correspondence” that the
critics’ accounts violate Pakistan’s laws.
In
his response, Ghafoor said the military had made “no complaint to Twitter”
regarding such accounts, according to Kermani.
Full
report at:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/329920/pakistan-wants-to-see-peace-beyond-borders-army/
--------
Call
to expose anti-Pakistan Baloch elements before world
DECEMBER
5, 2018
Balochistan
Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Overseas Pakistani Baloch Unity (OPBU)
founder Dr Jumma Khan Marri have agreed to step up efforts to expose before the
world the so-called Baloch leaders who are involved in various terrorist
activities inside Pakistan on the behest of the enemies.
At
a meeting in Moscow, the two leaders discussed important issues concerning
Pakistan, especially the recent attack by Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on
the Chinese consulate in Karachi.
Dr
Marri suggested that Pakistan government should raise the issue with the United
Kingdom demanding that it must stop providing a ‘safe haven’ to BLA commander
Hyrbyair Marri. He also emphasised that steps should be taken to raise the
issue at the platform of the United Nations (UN). He promised to voice his
concerns regarding the issue in the European Union Parliament.
Jam
Kamal and Dr Marri vowed to raise further awareness among Pakistani community
residing in Europe about these so-called leaders who are actively involved in
various terrorist activities inside Pakistan on the behest of the enemies.
On
the occasion, Dr Marri invited the chief minister to the launching ceremony of
Overseas Pakistani Baloch Unity’s Europe chapter which is expected to be held
in near future. During the upcoming ceremony, a few prominent Baloch
personalities are expected to join the mainstream Pakistani politicians by
declaring their disassociation with the anti-Pakistani forces. The chief minister
applauded Dr Marri’s efforts in this regard and promised complete support from
the government.
Full
report at:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/329885/call-to-expose-anti-pakistan-baloch-elements-before-world/
--------
Europe
Farage
resigns from UKIP over party’s anti-Muslim policies
Dec
5, 2018
Former
UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage has announced his resignation
from the right-wing party after 25 years over its anti-Muslim positions.
Farage
handed in his notice on Tuesday and said the party had become unrecognizable
due to its “obsession” with the anti-Muslim policies under current leader,
Gerard Batten.
“And
I – with a very heavy heart, given how much I’ve cared for this party, the
people within it – have reached, I think, a very sad decision, certainly very
sad for me, that I simply can’t go on with it,” Farage said on a radio show.
“I
don’t recognize the party as being the one I helped to found and fought for all
of those years,” he added. “I believe the brand has been so damaged, so tarnished,
that it’s not able to pick up and won’t be able to pick up the political
opportunity that’s there, staring it in the face. So with very great reluctance
I have, as of now, resigned my membership with UKIP.”
Farage
played a key role in leading the successful "Brexit" push for the UK
to leave the European Union, but he has become critical of UKIP since he
stepped down from leadership.
The
Brexit campaigner blasted Batten, saying that the current party leader was
“obsessed with the issue of Islam," as well as far-right activist Tommy
Robinson, who was recently appointed as an adviser.
“Things
couldn’t be better for UKIP, but unfortunately we’ve gone in this direction of
street activism and turning a blind eye to extremist politics,” he said,
pointing to an anti-Brexit demonstration set for next Sunday in London at which
Batten and Robinson will speak.
“The
image that will give of what Brexit stands for is something that our enemies
will use against us, for perhaps many years to come," he said.
"Damaging UKIP is one thing, damaging the Brexit cause is even
worse."
Batten
had previously libeled Islam as a “death cult” and called for radical policies
against its followers, including Muslim-only prisons.
Anti-Muslim
hate crimes and incidents have been steadily rising across the United Kingdom
in recent years, particularly since the Brexit vote in 2016.
In
October, the British government officially admitted a significant rise in hate
crimes against religious minorities, especially Muslims, saying that such attacks
had increased in number by almost 40 percent over the past two years.
Britain’s
Home Office (interior ministry) attributed the spike in hate crimes against
religious people to terrorist attacks in London and Manchester last year.
Terrorists
linked to groups like Daesh, which used to wreak havoc in the Middle East with
an alleged Islamic mission, claimed responsibility for attacks in Westminster
and Manchester arena, which took place in March and May 2017 and killed dozens
of people.
The
ministry also said a referendum in June 2016 in which British voters decided
for their country to leave the EU had a role to play while better police record
keeping was also a factor.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/05/582012/UKIP-Nigel-Farage-resignation-antiMuslim-positions
--------
Russia
receives 1,000 requests from Daesh widows for return: Official
Dec
4, 2018
Russian
Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova says Moscow has received hundreds
of requests from the widows of Daesh Takfiri terrorists, who were slain either
in Iraq or Syria over the past few years, to return home.
Speaking
at a conference in the Russian capital city of Moscow on Tuesday, Moskalkova
said over 1,000 requests have been submitted to Russian authorities, adding
that the women have “sustained an unimaginable violence.”
She
further noted that the repatriation of the Daesh widows is a difficult process,
given the fact that they have been involved in acts of terror and their return
could pose a threat to the safety of Russian citizens.
On
April 29, the Central Criminal Court of Iraq, which is the country's flagship
criminal justice institution, found 19 female Russian citizens guilty of
“joining and supporting Daesh” and handed down life sentences to them.
The
court issued the verdicts as women, all accompanied by small children, attended
the hearing.
Ziyad
Sabsabi, a Russian senator and Deputy Chairman of the Senate's Foreign
Relations Committee, had earlier warned that the Russian women would face death
penalty, noting that most of them had denied their charges.
He
pointed out that there were children, less than three years of age, who were
kept in jail along with their mothers.
Earlier
this year, Iraqi authorities extradited four women and more than two dozen
children from the families of Daesh militants to Russian officials.
“Iraq
has handed over four women and 27 children from the families of those who have
been brainwashed to join Daesh,” Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network
quoted Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Mahjoub as saying on February 22.
“There
was no proof that those extradited had been involved in terrorist operations
against Iraqi civilians or security forces,” he said, adding, “They will be
prosecuted in Russia for illegally entering Iraq.”
According
to a report published by Iraq’s Arabic-language al-Mashriq newspaper, more than
1,500 women and children from the families of Daesh militants are currently
being held in the conflict-stricken Arab country, and that the Baghdad
government is coordinating with their respective countries to decide their
fate.
Former
Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi declared the end of military operations
against Daesh in the Arab country on December 9, 2017.
On
July 10 that year, he had formally declared victory over Daesh in Mosul, which
served as the terrorists’ main urban stronghold in Iraq.
In
the run-up to Mosul's liberation, Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer Hashd
al-Sha’abi fighters had made sweeping gains against Daesh.
Iraqi
forces took control of eastern Mosul in January 2017 after 100 days of
fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19 last year.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/04/581962/Russia-receives-1000-requests-from-Daesh-widows-for-return-Official
--------
As
a survivor of the Rotherham grooming gang, I am scared by racism and hate crime
in Brexit Britain
December
5, 2018
As
a Rotherham grooming gang survivor I’ve watched the events of the past few
weeks with interest and rising concern. The public’s response to the Brexit
negotiations has focused on issues of immigration. At the same time, the
All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims has announced a
proposed definition of Islamophobia.
Since
the news of the Rotherham child abuse scandal broke in 2014, there has been a
flood of reports from victims with similar experiences to me. The list of
prosecutions of Muslim Pakistani men in towns including Huddersfield, Oxford
and Telford keeps getting longer. I’ve watched with alarm the public response
to these revelations, with a rising anti-Muslim and anti-immigration sentiment,
and the appearance of some far-right extremists and self-styled neo Nazis in
the UK and Europe. Experiences like mine are being used to fuel this anger, and
with the uncertainty posed by Brexit uncertainty and an increasing militancy on
the far left of politics, emotions are running high on all sides.
The
Brexit Betrayal march, planned for 9 December at Downing Street, could result
in a dangerous clash between pro-Brexit protesters, who feel the deal does not
go far enough to protect Britain from what is seen as a dangerous religious
invasion of immigrants, and anti-Brexit campaigners who are angry at proposed
limitations to freedom of movement after Britain’s departure from the European
Union, as well as the massive financial impact it will have on the UK economy.
Some far-left counter-protesters are are agitating for violence towards a
popular movement that they see as based in racism and anti-immigrant sentiment,
and Islamophobia more specifically.
Social
media is advising pro-Brexiteers to stock up on yellow jackets – emulating the
recent riots in France, where cars were set on fire and the Arc de Triomphe was
vandalised, resulting in more than a hundred people being injured.
As
tensions boil in the run up to a parliamentary decision on Brexit, the APPG on
British Muslims’s report, titled ‘Islamophobia Defined’, states clearly:
“Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets
expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”
As
a grooming gang survivor who has seen a lot of the backlash towards Muslims, I
welcome this definition of Islamophobia. Although I prefer the term
“anti-Muslim hate”, the word Islamophobia exists and so it needs a working
definition. Of course Islam is not a race, but it’s understandable that victims
of Islamophobic attacks feel exactly like victims of racism; their core
identity has been attacked. Having been a victim of profoundly racist abuse
myself, I understand how they feel.
Gang
grooming isn’t like any other type of sexual abuse, because there is a large
element of racist and religious abuse involved too. Thankfully the APPG report
acknowledges that it is absolutely not Islamophobic to condemn atrocities like
the ones I, and other survivors, experienced – one of extremist-related sexual
violence carried out in the name of religion.
But
this does raise one question for me: in this environment, what do we call other
types of religious and racial hatred not covered by these definitions? As grooming
victims, my friends and I were called vile racist names such as “white trash”
and “kaffir girl” as we were raped. Our Sikh and Hindu friends who were also
targeted by Muslim Pakistani gangs were disparagingly called “kaffir slags”
too. Muslim rape victims were called “coconuts” for acting “white” (which means
brown on the outside, white on the inside – a term that is racist to both brown
and white people at the same time).
There
are also examples of racist attacks on Muslims carried out by other Muslims,
such as the murder of 71-year-old Jalal Uddin in Rochdale in 2016, reportedly
killed by Isis supporters who claimed he wasn’t Muslim enough. And former
Muslims are attacked daily for having left the faith.
People
like these need to be able to report the hate crimes they suffer because of
their perceived lack of Muslimness. Accurate information is important in
developing government policy to tackle all kinds of hate crimes. In order to
prevent racist and religious abuse, we need to teach that hatred towards
non-Muslims is just as unacceptable as hatred towards Muslims. A healthy
society needs to counteract fear, prejudice or hostility towards people who are
perceived to lack sufficient Muslimness – especially when perceived to be a
threat towards an ideology, way of life or a proscribed moralistic view.
Perhaps
a working definition could read something like this: “Non-Muslim hate is rooted
in racism, and is a fear, hatred or hostility towards non-Muslims or those with
a perceived lack of Muslimness.” As with the definition of Islamophobia,
aligning non-Muslim hate with racism is likely to be helpful because people
intuitively understand racism, and the majority deem it to be unacceptable in
today’s Britain. And although we don’t necessarily self-identify as
“non-Muslims”, victims recognise that is how we are viewed by perpetrators of
such hate crimes.
Full
report at:
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-deal-racism-hate-crime-rotherham-grooming-gang-child-sex-abuse-islamophobia-definition-a8666416.html
--------
MHP
chair slams German Islam Conference
December
04 2018
The
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader on Dec. 4 called the German Islam
Conference (DIK) held last week “a scandal.”
Addressing
his party’s parliamentary group meeting, Devlet Bahçeli recalled that the
conference was opened by German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, “who said
that Islam does not belong to Germany.”
“The
conference which convened with the slogan of ‘Islam in Germany and for Germany’
is a scandal, it is carelessness and an insult on our belief,” said Bahçeli.
He
also criticized the choice of food being served at the conference, namely
sausage made of pork.
“What
does ‘Islam for Germany’ mean? What does pork have to do in a conference on
Islam?” he said, adding that Islam “does not belong to any country.”
The
4th German Islam Conference was held on Nov. 28 in the capital Berlin.
In
2006, the German Islam Conference opened the first institutionalized dialogue
between representatives of the German government and of Muslims in Germany.
According
to the German government, roughly 4.5 million Muslims are living in Germany,
accounting to about 5.5 percent of the total population.
‘US
is indifferent to code of alliance’
Bahçeli
also criticized the U.S. plan to place observation posts in the east of the
Euphrates River in northern Syria.
He
said that the alliance between Turkey and the U.S. requires “reciprocally ethic
and legal responsibility” of the parties.
“However,
the U.S. is indifferent to the code of alliance. They are always side by side
with terror organizations,” said Bahçeli.
He
described the U.S. action to set up observation posts in northeastern Syria --
along Turkey’s southeastern border -- as “scandalous.”
Full
report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mhp-chair-slams-german-islam-conference-139444
--------
Africa
South
African-Indian Muslims open first prayer facility in national game reserve
December
5, 2018
The
first Muslim prayer facility in a national game reserve in South Africa has
been officially opened after concerted efforts over several years by a local
Indian group to convince the authorities of its necessity.
"This
project was facilitated by the (Indian members of the) South African National
Parks Honorary Rangers Johannesburg South (SHR), who within a very short space
of time, raised the funds required for the development," Glenn Phillips,
Managing Executive of the Kruger National Park, said.
The
Kruger National Park is the largest national park in South Africa and is
visited by more than a million local and international tourists each year.
Phillips
recalled how in the apartheid era there were only a few small huts reserved for
the Indian community in the world-renowned game reserve.
He
also highlighted how, despite access to all facilities at the park for all
communities since the advent of a democratic order under President Nelson
Mandela in 1994, the Muslim community still had difficulty in fulfilling their
five daily obligatory prayers.
Reacting
to comments that other religious groups might also demand their own prayer
facilities in the park, Phillips said a church had been in existence for a long
time already and requests from any other religious communities would also be
considered as his organisation continued its plans to transform its game reserves
from its once whites-only status.
SHR
chairman Yusuf Dockrat, recalled how as a young child he used to join his
uncle, who bore the same names, on regular visits to the park after he became
the first Indian Honorary Ranger in the country.
Thanking
the donors who had reacted swiftly to a call for funding the 850,000 rand
project, Dockrat made a plea to those who would be using the facility in the
future to take care of it.
"Please
utilise these facilities for the purpose that they have been built, which is to
perform salaah (prayer) only. This is a place of worship and should be treated
as such," he said.
Plans
are already underway to construct similar facilities at a four other camps in
the Kruger National Park.
https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/south-african-indian-muslims-open-first-prayer-facility-in-national-game-reserve-118120500089_1.html
--------
Rwanda:
Police in New Campaign Against Radicalism
3
DECEMBER 2018
Rwanda
National Police (RNP) on Sunday launched a nationwide campaign against
radicalism and efforts to cement the community policing ideology against the
transnational organised crime.
The
campaign conducted simultaneously in the five districts of Nyarugenge, Gasabo,
Kicukiro, Kamonyi and Gastibo, seeks to educate the young people particularly
the Muslim faithful, against extremism.
The
young people, especially of the Islamic faith, are mainly targeted by jihadist
groups for radicalization.
Commissioner
of Police (CP) Denis Basabose, the Commissioner for Counter-Terrorism in RNP,
observed that the Islamic faith is very important, adding that it greatly
contributes to the national values.
He
was speaking to Muslim youth, teachers as well as Islamic leaders at Magengo
Mosque in Nyarugenge, where he urged them to desist and condemn jihadism.
"Don't
associate yourselves with such evil-minded people that use the Islamic name for
their criminal ends," Basabose told the youth.
He
observed that some unsuspecting Muslim youth were in the past misguided and
radicalized by self-seeking charismatic Muslim into terror activities.
He,
however, commended the role of Muslim leadership in Rwanda in educating Islamic
community on the true meaning of their faith and mindset change.
"A
careful interpretive analysis of the jihadi groups' literature reveals that
their major concerns are not religious, but political but expressed in
religious language," Basabose said.
"What
makes people susceptible to the violent extremist ideology of the jihadi groups
is lack of knowledge; don't fall for their propaganda," he added.
He
was, however, happy to note that cases radicalism are rare and urged members of
the Muslim faith never to drift from the cause of further making Rwanda free
from extremists.
The
Imam of Kigali, Sheikh Musa Sindayigaya reiterated the commitment of Muslim
community to work with security organs to front the ideals of building a safer
country.
Sheikh
Sindayigaya urged the youth to join hands with other Rwandans to fight anything
that can destabilize their country, and engage in income generating activities.
He
noted that extremism is against the Islamic faith.
Sheikh
Sindayigaya appealed to them to disassociate themselves from such criminal
tendencies and instead report anyone that attempts to radicalise them.
About
two years ago, security organs unearthed some terror oriented programmes among
Muslims where some faithful were using religious gatherings and literature to
persuade people into acts of terror.
The
Muslim leadership has since been working with security organs to uproot such cells
and this led to several prosecutions.
The
accused include four juveniles who have since been tried under specialized
chamber for juveniles at Gasabo Intermediate Court, which handed them varying
sentences and have since appealed.
Full
report at:
https://allafrica.com/stories/201812030588.html
--------
US
re-establish permanent diplomatic presence in Somalia
December
04, 2018
WASHINGTON:
The United States has reestablished a permanent diplomatic presence in Somalia
nearly three decades after it closed its Mogadishu embassy in January 1991, the
State Department said Tuesday.
“This
historic event reflects Somalia’s progress in recent years and is another step
forward in formalizing US diplomatic engagement in Mogadishu since recognizing
the Federal Government of Somalia in 2013,” State Department spokeswoman
Heather Nauert said in a statement.
“Our
return demonstrates the United States’s commitment to further advance
stability, democracy, and economic development that are in the interest of both
nations,” Nauert added.
The
US diplomatic mission for Somalia in recent years has been attached to the US
Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
But
a US ambassador to Somalia, career diplomat Donald Yamamoto, has just taken
office.
“Ambassador
Donald Yamamoto and his team look forward to working closely with the people of
the Somali federal government to strengthen our already strong bilateral
relationship,” Nauert said.
The
embassy was closed and American diplomats evacuated during the civil war in
early January 1991 in the face of violence and the collapse of the Somali
government.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1415831/world
--------
Sudan
lawmakers back amendment to let Bashir stand again
December
04, 2018
CAIRO:
Sudan’s long-serving President Omar Bashir came closer on Tuesday to another
term in office after a majority of lawmakers backed a constitutional amendment
to extend term limits that would have required him to step down in 2020.
Unless
the constitution is changed, Bashir, in power since 1989, is not permitted to
stand again when his present term ends, having won two elections since a 2005
constitutional amendment took effect imposing a two-term limit.
Parliament
speaker Ibrahim Ahmed Omar said he had received a letter signed by a majority
of lawmakers backing an amendment that would extend the limit.
“Today
I received a memorandum from 33 parties representing 294 deputies to amend the
constitution with regard to the number of times the president’s candidacy is
allowed,” he told reporters. “I will abide by the constitutional and legal
steps and the regulations necessary to discuss these amendments in parliament
for it to take any decision on them.”
Sudan’s
ruling National Congress Party announced earlier this year it was nominating
Bashir for president in 2020.
“We
agreed to amend the articles after we collected 294 deputies’ signatures,” said
party head Abdurrahman Mohamed Ali.
“The
parties saw that President Omar Al-Bashir is the protector of the people of
Sudan in the coming period.”
Bashir,
a former army officer, came to power via a military coup. He won elections in
2010 and 2015 after the constitution was changed following a peace agreement
with southern rebels, who later seceded forming South Sudan.
Bashir
is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes after being
indicted in 2008 over killings and persecution in Sudan’s Darfur province
between 2003 and 2008.
The
National Congress Party and its allies have an overwhelming majority in
parliament. Prominent opposition parties and armed movements boycotted the
presidential and legislative elections held in 2015.
The
proposed constitutional changes would also give the president the power to sack
elected governors. Last month, parliament passed a law that will see governors
elected directly instead of being appointed by the president, as previously.
Under
the Sudanese parliament’s regulations, a proposal to amend the constitution
should be submitted by the president or via a memorandum submitted by at least
one-third of the members of the 581-seat parliament.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1415806/middle-east
--------
Warning
of possible Islamic State holiday terror attacks in SA carries little weight
By
Jasmine Opperman
5
December 2018
The
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued global travel advice for several
countries, including South Africa, on 3 December 2018 warning of terror attacks
this holiday season. The travel advice identifies that the primary “security
threat” emanates from South African Islamic State fighters who have returned
from Syria, Iraq and Libya. The statement is at best vague and begs for
accurate contextualisation.
IS
changes the pattern of ‘travelling for jihad’
The
phenomenon of travelling for jihad, commonly referred to as Hijrah, completely
changed with the Syrian and Iraq battlefield. First, it attracted more foreign
fighters from a vast array of nations that hadn’t participated in the calls to
jihad for Afghanistan or Bosnia. Second, it attracted a “tourist jihadi” who
went for the fun of fighting rather than because of a devotion to the cause.
But, perhaps more uniquely, the battlefield of ash-Sham attracted entire
families.
While
previous jihads involved solo males — either single or having left their family
behind — the Syrian and Iraq wars saw men bringing young children and wives to
live in compounds with other foreign fighters. And while many of those who went
to Syria and Iraq originally went to join various groups, many ended up
pledging allegiance to Islamic State. Thus, Islamic State had more foreign
nationals than any other group fighting in ash-Sham.
Top
locations
Fast-forward
to 2017/18. With the Caliphate collapsing, new patterns began to emerge.
Similar to professional military personnel redeployed on a second tour, IS
foreign fighters are choosing to travel to another Islamic State stronghold
instead of returning home from ash-Sham.
To
date, the Terrorism, Research & Analysis Consortium has pinpointed five
locations where foreign nationals are travelling for a “second Hijrah”. South
Africa is not one of these destinations.
Originally,
many thought that the back door from ash-Sham would be Libya because at one
time it was Islamic State’s largest secondary stronghold. For several reasons
that was not the case and instead the top two destinations by far for IS
foreign fighters to redeploy to are Afghanistan (ISK) and Philippines (ISEA).
Role
of the Islamic State’s external operations branch
The
concept of a second deployment raises the question of how much organisational
planning is coming directly from the Islamic State Central Command versus
foreign fighters deciding for themselves that they would like to continue their
jihad in another location.
The
question also arises of how much the Islamic State’s external operations branch
— better known as the Emni, or Amn al-Kharji, who are known for their assembly,
funding and dispatching of cells to attack soft targets — are involved in the
second Hijrah for these foreign fighters.
After
the collapse of Islamic State’s Caliphate, the concern is what the foreign
fighters will do. It is a categorical mistake to believe that these foreign
nationals are in desperate need to find new hideouts. Concerns range from
foreign fighters returning to their states of origin to execute attacks, to
staying put in Iraq and Syria to continue insurgency warfare. But a second tour
of duty hasn’t been considered by many.
The
continued presence of foreign fighters in Islamic State will provide a
convenient feeding stream to Islamic State franchises. It really doesn’t matter
if these fighters moved willingly or were commanded to move by IS central
leadership — their effect will be the same in their new locations.
They
are battle-hardened fighters who not only serve as inspiration to local
recruits, but offer training and tested techniques to their new location. Any
foreign nationals killed during counterterrorism operations will provide
inspiration to local fighters.
Significance
for South Africa
About
128 South Africans have joined the Islamic State, of which 75 returned to South
Africa from the Caliphate. But equating their presence with that of Afghanistan
(ISK), Philippines (ISEA), Libya (ISL) and Somalia (Islamic State in Somalia)
is a complete oversimplification.
The
fighters, relentless in their allegiance to the Islamic State, prefer areas
where the group is actively engaged in an insurgency or there are notions of an
expanded presence in their countries of origin.
France.Info
reported in August 2017 of the risk of returning foreign fighters, more
specifically in the Sahel and Maghreb, with the purpose of establishing “new
strongholds” in Africa. Yet these regions are known for deep-rooted extremist
insurgency by groups such as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and
al Qaeda-aligned Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM).
In
August 2018, a Somali Military court found Mahad Abdi “Abu Yassin” and Daud
Warsame guilty of being members of ISIS, with each receiving a 15-year life
sentence. Abu Yassin was working at a chemist in South Africa before settling
in Somalia to join al-Shabaab and later the Islamic State. The preference to
move to areas of conflict in support of fighting for an extremist ideology is
noticeable.
On
28 November 2018, Al Battar Media Foundation released a propaganda poster
titled: Strategy in Africa (Everywhere But Nigeria) Advocating Lone Wolf
attacks and Complete Media Secrecy in the Region, referring to West Africa.
Again South Africa is not mentioned in this specific poster:
Propaganda
material remains geographical, confined to areas regarded as a main enemy (for
example the US, EU and of late Australia), where pro-Islamic State groups are
engaged in an insurgency, or where regional proximity could allow for
expansion. One gets a sense of South Africa in propaganda material as “oh and you
too, you’re a target as well” — as a postscript.
South
Africa is most likely to be confronted by returning supporters who acknowledged
being Islamic State members, but who set out to distance themselves from the
group, a trend noteworthy among families. That returning Islamic State
supporters have indicated a willingness to be interviewed by the State Security
Agency on their return to the country is indicative of such acknowledgement.
Caution
must be applied to returning members’ concealed intent to import a wider
Islamic State jihadist support base. However, with the lack of substantive
information on the existence of cells and groups willing to execute attacks,
this remains a possibility confined to initiatives by individuals.
South
Africa’s vulnerability to terrorism requires factual and in-depth
contextualisation. Terrorism threats accentuated by travel warnings relying on
vague references contain a far greater risk of creating panic, incorrect
prioritisation of national security priorities or a complete disregard of
factual realities.
Full
report at:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-12-05-warning-of-possible-islamic-state-holiday-terror-attacks-in-sa-carries-little-weight/
--------
Nigeria
confirms eight soldiers killed in Boko Haram attack
2018-12-05
The
Nigerian army on Tuesday said eight soldiers have been confirmed dead in a Boko
Haram attack on a military base over the weekend in the country's restive
northeast.
Gunmen
from the self-styled Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction of Boko
Haram attacked the base in Buni Gari village, in Yobe state, on Saturday.
Military
sources initially said two soldiers and six insurgents were killed. Earlier on
Tuesday, they told AFP the toll had risen to eight.
"Eight
of our gallant troops paid the supreme price while over 10 Boko Haram
terrorists were killed by the troops during the encounter," army spokesman
Brigadier General Sani Usman told AFP by text message.
A
senior officer, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to
speak to the media, said six bodies had been taken to the Yobe state capital,
Damaturu.
A
civilian militia member assisting the military in the counter-insurgency
confirmed the recovery.
"All
the eight dead soldiers are now in the morgue at the State Specialist Hospital
in Damaturu," he said, also on condition of anonymity for fear of
sanction.
The
insurgents destroyed an armoured vehicle and stole a truck during the attack.
Sources
said air support and reinforcements from a military base in the nearby town of
Buni Yadi helped push the militants out.
Buni
Yadi district is a known ISWAP stronghold.
The
faction has in recent months intensified attacks on military targets in Yobe
and neighbouring Borno state, prompting questions about the military's grip on security.
Since
July, AFP has reported at least 19 attacks on military bases and positions in
Borno and Yobe. ISWAP had claimed responsibility for most of them.
The
Nigerian miliary has hit out at media reporting of the attacks and even
threatened legal action against organisations for publishing unofficial
casualty figures.
Borno
and Yobe, along with nearby Adamawa state, have borne the brunt of nine years
of jihadist violence that has claimed 27 000 lives and devastated the remote
region.
Full
report at:
https://www.news24.com/Africa/News/nigeria-confirms-eight-soldiers-killed-in-boko-haram-attack-20181204
--------
Boko
Haram: Buhari gives matching order over welfare of troops
December
4, 2018
By
Seun Opejobi
President
Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the enhancement of the welfare of troops fighting
insurgencies and criminal agents across the country.
The
Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, made the disclosure yesterday in a
statement signed by Tukur Gusau, the public relations officer to the Minister.
Dani-Ali
also directed the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai to remain in the
North-East until the security situation in the region improves.
The
Minister also directed the General Officer Commanding 8 Division to relocate
the tactical headquarters from Sokoto State to Zamfara, to oversee the conduct
of Operation Sharan Daji.
Dani-Ali
said, “The President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has also directed
the emergency procurement of critical equipment for the armed forces in line
with the Federal Government policy of procuring equipment from Original
Equipment Manufacturers through government to government basis.
Full
report at:
http://dailypost.ng/2018/12/04/boko-haram-buhari-gives-matching-order-welfare-troops/
--------
Mideast
Europe’s
non-stop appeasing of Iran’s clerics
5
December 2018
The
distance Europe is going, aiming to preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, can be
described as shameless. While disturbing to admit, it is a stark reminder of
how British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain fell to Hitler’s knees in the
late 1930s, only to pave the path for World War II.
One
would think the Green Continent would have learned its lesson, especially after
the death of over 60 million people. Unfortunately, Europe’s policy vis-à-vis
the Iranian regime is mirroring the shame witnessed 80 years ago.
Appeasement
and short-term economic interests are blinding Europe to the extent that senior
officials are neglecting the very dangerous security terrorist threats posed by
Iran’s regime, being the number one state sponsor of terrorism.
Denying
reality
While
the United States re-imposed crippling oil/banking/shipping sanctions against
Iran on November 5, and considering the exodus of international firms pulling
out of Iran, the Europeans are relentlessly preserving a highly flawed nuclear
deal crafted by the pro-appeasement Obama administration.
The
main initiative floats around a so-called special purpose vehicle through which
companies would avoid the US financial system and prolong business relations
with Tehran. It has been weeks now that European governments are playing “hot
potato,” refusing to host the circumventing apparatus. Austria and Luxembourg –
and Belgium, according to some reports – have rejected the burden.
After
failing to convince any smaller European partner to do their dirty work, France
and Germany feel compelled to take on the burden, mainly to save face and avoid
humiliation in the case of complete failure. Keep in mind the threat of damning
US penalties hangs over their heads.
Consequences
It
actually remains unknown if the Europeans have seriously weighed the national
security threats resulting from their ongoing efforts. The SPV would provide
the Iranian regime another channel to garner revenue for the malign purposes of
funding terrorists and militaristic objectives across the Middle East.
The
cash Iran received under the 2015 nuclear deal can most certainly be presumed
to have ended up in the pockets of the Assad regime in Syria, Houthi militias
in Yemen, Shiite extremist groups in Iraq, the Lebanese Hezbollah, and Hamas
and Islamic Jihad in Palestine, to name a few. Iran’s notorious Revolutionary
Guards (IRGC) plays a leading role in this campaign.
Furthermore,
it is interesting how Europe is neglecting the threats on its own soil. Newly
provided revenue, thanks to the hard efforts of EU foreign policy chief
Federica Mogherini and company, will most likely fund Iran’s future terror
plots even in their own backyard.
In
2018 alone, European authorities have been busy foiling numerous plots. The
first in March, targeting members of the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin
Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Albania; a highly dangerous bomb plot in
June targeting an opposition rally near Paris; and an October assassination
plot in Denmark.
All
this was in parallel to similar schemes in Turkey and the Netherlands, as
Iran’s spies also sought “capture and kill” initiatives targeting Iranian
opposition figures in the US.
Interesting
is how the Europeans are falling over themselves to preserve economic benefits
for a regime that continues such measures across the continent and has showed
no sign of slowing down its malign activities. This was demonstrated vividly in
the most recent ballistic missile test by Iran made known to the world by US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Correct
course
It
has become quite embarrassing to witness European policymakers be so utterly
determined to literally fund the clerics ruling Iran. All the while, the
Iranian people are braving all odds in voicing their abhorrence of this regime.
The
mentality of allowing the Iranian regime profit from international trade with
the hope of turning it away from its menacing nature has proven to be wishful
thinking.
In
fact, the Obama-era showed how the Iranian regime took full advantage of this
foolish fantasy and wreaked havoc across the region, never stopping their
proliferation of menace after the Obama-blessed nuclear deal.
Europe
must learn from the mid-20th century and modern history, and finally bring an
end to its humiliating indulging of Iran’s terror-fueling regime. Tehran’s
malign activities must not go ignored, including human rights violations, the
proliferation of ballistic missiles and a very suspicious nuclear program while
sitting on an ocean of crude oil and natural gas.
Iran’s
regime will soon be obligated to set aside its bellicosity or face dire
consequences, especially as a restive nation continues to chip away at its
foundation.
Europe
should decide to stand on the right side of history and prevent a 21st century
Chamberlain catastrophe.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/12/05/ANALYSIS-Europe-s-non-stop-appeasing-of-Iran-s-clerics.html
--------
Israel
predicts win for UN resolution condemning Hamas
December
04, 2018
UNITED
NATIONS: Israel’s UN ambassador is predicting that a US-sponsored resolution
condemning the militant Islamic group Hamas, which controls Gaza, for launching
rockets into Israel will be approved by the General Assembly.
Danny
Danon told reporters Tuesday that he believes “we will get a majority no matter
what.”
The
193-member General Assembly is scheduled to vote on the US draft resolution on
Thursday afternoon.
It
was amended to gain support of the 28-member European Union, adding a reference
to “relevant UN resolutions,” though not specific ones.
Kuwait’s
UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said Arab nations will seek to have the
resolution approved by a two-thirds majority rather than a simple majority.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1415856/middle-east
--------
Israel
launches operation to destroy Hezbollah tunnels
December
05, 2018
Jerusalem
- Israel’s army said Tuesday it has discovered Hezbollah tunnels infiltrating
its territory from Lebanon and launched an operation to destroy them, a move
likely to raise tensions with the Iran-backed group.
The
surprise announcement came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels over regional
dangers, with both having repeatedly warned about the activities of Iran, Israel’s
main enemy. Netanyahu said he discussed the operation with Pompeo and called
the tunnels a violation of a UN resolution aimed at ending a 2006 war between
Israel and Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
“Whoever
tries to harm Israel’s security will pay dearly,” Netanyahu said in a
statement.
“We
will continue with further activities, covert and overt, to ensure Israel’s
security.”
US
President Donald Trump’s White House gave its full backing to the operation,
with National Security Adviser John Bolton saying “we call on Iran and all of
its agents to stop their regional aggression and provocation.”
Israeli
army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the “attack tunnels”
were not yet operational. He declined to say how many were detected, when they
reached Israeli territory and how they would be destroyed.
Later
the military specified it had located one such tunnel dug from a home in the
area of Kafr Kela in southern Lebanon that crossed into its territory and was
working to “neutralise” it.
The
tunnel stretched some 200 metres (660 feet), at a depth of around 25 metres,
Conricus said.
The
area around the Israeli town of Metula has been declared a closed military
zone, with the army distributing images of heavy machinery digging into the
ground.
Israel
labelled the operation “Northern Shield” and said all activities would take
place within Israeli territory, though they still raised the risk of a response
from Hezbollah.
A
UN peacekeeping force which monitors the border region said it had increased
patrols but noted the area remained calm.
Lebanon’s
army also said it was monitoring the situation closely, while Hezbollah had not
reacted.
According
to Conricus, the tunnels were part of a Hezbollah plan from 2012 to “shift the
battlefield to Israel” and “conquer the Galilee” in a future conflict by
infiltrating its territory.
In
2013 the army acted on reports Hezbollah was digging tunnels, but failed to
locate any, he said.
Following
the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza, in which Islamist movement Hamas used
cross-border attack tunnels, the army said it found “Hezbollah and Hamas share
knowledge” and soon after began intensive work to prevent tunnels from Lebanon.
The
military has used various means to collapse or fill in tunnels from the Gaza
Strip.
No
tunnels from Lebanon include exit points within Israel, the army said.
Conricus
said that while the army has enhanced its presence in the north, it has not
summoned reserve soldiers.
He
said the military “holds the Lebanese government responsible for all activities
perpetrated in Lebanon towards Israel.”
Netanyahu
has spoken of a sensitive security situation in recent days without providing
details, particularly after defence minister Avigdor Lieberman quit over a
controversial Gaza ceasefire last month.
Lieberman’s
resignation threatened to provoke early elections, but Netanyahu has held his
coalition together and is clinging to a one-seat majority in parliament. The
prime minister, who has since assumed the role of defence minister, said at the
time that holding elections would be “irresponsible” due to the undefined
security threats.
His
comments were seen by some as an attempt to save his government, with polls
showing wide disapproval among the Israeli public of his handling of the Gaza
flare-up in November.
Netanyahu
is also facing further political pressure after Israeli police on Sunday
recommended he and his wife Sara be indicted for bribery, the third such
recommendation against the premier in recent months.
Conricus
rejected suggestions of politics influencing the announcement.
Netanyahu
has pledged to stop Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria and to
keep it from transferring advanced weapons to its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.
There
has been increased attention in Israel in recent days over Israeli officials’
concerns regarding Iranian activity in Lebanon.
Israel
has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria against what it says are
Iranian military targets and deliveries of advanced arms to Hezbollah.
However,
a friendly fire incident in Syria in September that led to the downing of a
Russian plane by Syrian air defences during an Israeli strike has complicated
Israeli operations there.
Full
report at:
https://nation.com.pk/05-Dec-2018/israel-launches-operation-to-destroy-hezbollah-tunnels
--------
Houthi
militias, UN envoy arrive in Sweden for peace talks
4
December 2018
A
plane carrying a delegation of Houthi militias accompanied by UN peace envoy
Martin Griffiths arrived in Sweden late Tuesday for high-stakes talks with the
government aimed at ending the Yemeni conflict, the United Nations said.
Government
officials are due to arrive on Wednesday, it said, for the first peace talks
since 2016. Although no date has been announced for the start of the
negotiations, Yemeni government sources say they could begin on Thursday.
The
head of the so-called Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, had
confirmed participation in Sweden’s peace talks, while the leader of the
militias Mohammed Ali al-Houthi announced that their delegation would arrive in
Sweden on December 3, which makes their departure on the evening of the fourth,
a late one.
But
the head of the delegation of the Houthis and their spokesman Mohamed Abdel
Salam doubted the ability of the UN's special envoy to Yemen to hold these
talks.
For
its part, the Yemeni legitimate government announced that its delegation will
only travel to Sweden after the arrival of the Houthi delegation there.
Speaking
to Al Arabiya, Yemeni writer and journalist Ezzat Mustapha describes Tuesday’s
efforts by Griffiths as a “bold step” at a crucial time.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/12/04/Houthis-delegation-and-the-UN-envoy-leave-Sanaa-for-Sweden-peace-talks.html
--------
US
urges UN to condemn Iran missile test
5
December 2018
The
United States on Tuesday urged the UN Security Council to condemn Iran’s
ballistic missile test, which it described as “dangerous and concerning” and a
violation of a UN resolution.
The
council met behind closed doors at the request of France and Britain which
along with the United States have accused Iran of test-firing a ballistic
missile on Saturday.
France
and Britain maintain that missile launches are inconsistent with the UN
resolution that endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal while the United States has
taken a harder stance and maintains it is an outright violation.
“Iran’s
recent ballistic missile test was dangerous and concerning, but not
surprising,” US Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement.
“The
international community cannot keep turning a blind eye every time Iran
blatantly ignores Security Council resolutions.
“If
the Security Council is serious about holding Iran accountable and enforcing
our resolutions, then at a minimum we should be able to deliver a unanimous
condemnation of this provocative missile test,” she said.
Iran
has neither denied nor confirmed the launch that US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo said involved a missile of a medium range, capable of carrying multiple
warheads and striking parts of Europe and the entire Middle East.
The
UN resolution calls on Iran to refrain from testing missiles capable of
carrying a nuclear weapon, but does not specifically bar Tehran from missile
launches.
Iran
has long maintained that its missile program is defensive in nature and not
aimed at ensuring the delivery of a nuclear weapon, a stance supported by
Russia at the Security Council.
“This
is inconsistent behaviour with (resolution) 2231 and it concerns the council,”
British Ambassador Karen Pierce told reporters ahead of the meeting.
“We
need to know exactly what happened and then we will reach a judgment about how
we want to characterise it,” she said.
The
United States decided in May to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal and
reimpose sanctions on Iran, to the dismay of its Europeans allies.
The
nuclear deal provides for a lifting of sanctions against Iran in return for
curbs on its nuclear activities.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/12/05/US-urges-UN-to-condemn-Iran-missile-test.html
--------
Yemen
government delegation leaves for UN peace talks in Sweden
5
December 2018
A
delegation representing the legitimate Yemeni government is expected to arrive
in Sweden on Wednesday, in preparation for the start of the UN peace
consultations expected on Thursday.
Yemeni
Minister of Sports, a member of the government delegation, Hamza al-Kamali,
told Russian news agency RIA Novosti that they will leave early morning
Wednesday for the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
Dr.
Abdullah al-Alimi, heading the Yemeni presidential office and a member of the
negotiating delegation, said that the delegation of the Yemeni government will
carry the hopes of the Yemeni people to achieve sustainable peace based on
ending the coup and eliminating all the reasons that led to it.
He
added: “In implementation of the directives of the President of the Republic of
Yemen, the government’s delegation will put the concerns and aspirations of the
Yemeni people at the top of its priorities and will make every effort to ensure
the success of the consultations, which we consider a real opportunity for
peace.”
Al
Arabiya news channel correspondent revealed on Monday that the Yemeni
government delegation headed by Yemeni Minister of Foreign Affairs, Khaled
al-Yamani will leave for Sweden on Wednesday (December 5) after confirming the
arrival of the Houthis.
The
correspondent said that the consultations (indirect as planned so far) will
begin on Thursday, December 6, or maximum on Friday, December 7, and is
expected to be confidence-building measures.
The
release of prisoners and detainees which will be the first achievement of these
consultations, as both the parties had earlier on Monday agreed on the
prisoners’ exchange deal, which was negotiated by UN special envoy to Yemen
Martin Griffiths .
Tough
talks
It
was earlier repoorted that the delegation of the Houthis arrived Tuesday
evening in Stockholm. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Marc
Lokoc, has said that the talks are not likely to be easy or quick.
On
Tuesday evening, the United States welcomed the upcoming Yemeni peace talks,
calling it “a necessary and vital first step,” calling on all parties to engage
fully and “stop any hostile actions under way.”
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/12/05/Yemen-s-government-delegation-leaves-to-Sweden-for-UN-peace-talks.html
--------
Houthi
Ansarullah delegation departs Yemen for peace talks in Sweden
Dec
4, 2018
Delegates
from the Houthi Ansarullah movement, escorted by United Nations Envoy to Yemen
Martin Griffiths, have flown from the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a to Sweden
to attend UN-sponsored peace negotiations with representatives from the
administration of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
The
Houthis left aboard a Kuwaiti airliner on Tuesday, one day after 50 wounded
fellow fighters were allowed to fly to neighboring Oman for treatment in a
major boost to peace efforts.
An
unnamed senior United Nations official said Griffiths offered to accompany the
Ansarullah delegates after they voiced fears that the Saudi-led military
coalition, which has imposed an aerial blockade on Yemen and is conducting a
devastating aerial bombardment campaign against the impoverished Arab country,
might intercept the flight.
Mohammed
Abdul-Salam, the spokesman and chief negotiator for the Ansarullah movement,
wrote on his official Twitter page that the Houthis “will spare no effort to
make a success of the talks to restore peace and end the aggression.”
Ansarullah
officials said that preliminary consultations with Saudi-backed Hadi loyalists
could begin as early as Wednesday.
Although
no date has been announced for the start of the talks, there are reports they
could begin on Thursday.
Britain
has presented a draft UN Security Council resolution on Yemen, and called on
parties involved in Yemen’s crisis to restart peace negotiations.
“The
conflict in Yemen can only be resolved though an inclusive political process,”
the draft resolution said.
The
draft sets a two-week deadline for warring Yemeni parties to remove all
barriers to humanitarian aid, halt attacks on civilian areas and allow
unhindered access to the strategic port city of Hudaydah.
Also
on Tuesday, tens of Saudi-backed militiamen after Yemeni army troopers,
supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, thwarted their offensive
on al-Qatab area in the Nihm district of Yemen’s province of Sana’a.
Moreover,
a young girl lost her life after Saudi military forces and their mercenaries
targeted residential buildings in the al-Durayhimi district of the western
Yemeni province of Hudaydah with a barrage of artillery rounds and mortar
shells.
Saudi
Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating military
campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the government
of Hadi back to power and crushing Ansarullah movement.
According
to a new report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED),
a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi-led war has so far
claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis.
The
Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure,
destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has already said that a
record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million
threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering
from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/04/582003/Houthi-Ansarullah-delegation-departs-Yemen-for-peace-talks-in-Sweden
--------
Turkish
police detain dozens of suspects over affiliation to Gulen movement
Dec
4, 2018
Turkish
security forces have arrested more than a hundred people on suspicion of
affiliation to a movement led by US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom
the Ankara government accuses of having masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt
against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey’s
official Anadolu news agency reported that 137 suspects were detained in 24
provinces across the country, including Izmir and Mugla on the Aegean coast in
addition to Ordu and Zonguldak on the Black Sea.
The
arrests came after prosecutors in the country’s largest city of Istanbul as
well as the capital Ankara issued 267 arrest warrants as part of different
investigations into followers of the Gulen movement.
During
the 2016 botched putsch, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had
seized control of the country and the government of Erdogan was no more in
charge. The attempt was, however, suppressed a few hours later.
Ankara
has since accused Gulen of having orchestrated the coup. The opposition figure
is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to topple the
government via infiltrating the country’s institutions, particularly the army,
police and the judiciary.
Gulen
has denounced the “despicable putsch” and reiterated that he had no role in it.
“Accusations
against me related to the coup attempt are baseless and politically-motivated
slanders,” he said in a statement.
The
77-year-old cleric has also called on Ankara to end its “witch hunt” of his
followers, a move he says is aimed at “weeding out anyone it deems disloyal to
President Erdogan and his regime.”
Turkish
officials have frequently called on their US counterparts to extradite Gulen,
but their demands have not been taken heed of.
Turkey,
which remains in a state of emergency since the coup, has been engaged in
suppressing the media and opposition groups suspected to have played a role in
the failed coup.
Tens
of thousands of people have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of having
links to Gulen and the failed coup. More than 110,000 others, including
military staff, civil servants and journalists, have been sacked or suspended
from work over the same accusations.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/04/581981/Turkish-police-detain-dozens-of-suspects-over-affiliation-to-Gulen-movement
--------
South Asia
Myanmar
religion minister says Rohingya 'brainwashed' to 'march' on the country
04
Dec 2018
YANGON:
Myanmar’s Minister for Religion on Tuesday (Dec 4) said Rohingya Muslim
refugees living in neighbouring Bangladesh are being "brainwashed"
into "marching" on the Buddhist-majority nation, amid a diplomatic
feud over the fate of the persecuted minority.
More
than 730,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state in the wake of a brutal army
crackdown last August, UN agencies say, and are now living in crowded
Bangladeshi refugee camps. UN investigators have accused Myanmar soldiers of
carrying out mass killings, rapes and burning hundreds of villages with
"genocidal intent". Myanmar denies most of the allegations.
Thura
Aung Ko said Bangladesh was "not letting them return", referring to
the Rohingya as "Bengalis", a term commonly used in Myanmar to imply
that they are recent interlopers from Bangladesh. Rohingya say they are native
to Rakhine state.
"If
release them, the population will drop," he said in a video shared by
NewsWatch, a news website. "And then, they, at the camps, also feed and
brainwash Bengali youths to truly march. They will march on Myanmar. The future
goal of those over populated Bengalis is to march on Myanmar."
Plans
to repatriate an initial group of 2,260 Rohingya from the camps last month were
scuppered after none of the refugees agreed to go back, saying they wanted
guarantees of safety and citizenship.
Thura
Aung Ko, a former general who was appointed to the cabinet by Myanmar leader
Aung San Suu Kyi after she came to power in 2016, was expanding on comments he
made at the funeral of a prominent monk last week. On Nov 27, he expounded on
birth rates among members of an unnamed "extreme religion" and the
threat it posed to Buddhism in Myanmar.
"While
we Buddhists practise monogamy and have only one or two children, an extreme
religion encourages to have three or four wives and give birth to 15 to 20
children," he said in a video published by Radio Free Asia. "After
three, four, five decades in this Buddhist country, the Buddhist community will
certainly become the minority."
On
Tuesday, he clarified: "In fact, ‘other religion’ means Bengalis."
San
Aung, the chairman of an Islamic society based in Yangon, said by phone the
comments were "very sad".
"As
a minister for religion he shouldn’t speak irresponsibly," he said.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/myanmar-religion-minister-says-rohingya--brainwashed--to--march--on-the-country-10996604
--------
Cardinal
Tagle visits Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
December
4, 2018
Cardinal
Luis Antonio Tagle, president of Caritas Internationalis, the global federation
of the Catholic charity, visited a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh and
called on the international community to continue to help the beleaguered and
displaced Muslim minority.
Cardinal
Tagle, 61, the archbishop of Manila, kicked off his two-day visit to Bangladesh
on Dec. 3 by visiting refugee families, aid workers including Caritas staff and
government officials in Cox's Bazar district.
Cox's
Bazar in southeast Bangladesh accommodates more than one million Rohingya
Muslims, most of whom fled deadly persecution in Myanmar's Rakhine State in
2016 and 2017.
Cardinal
Tagle spoke to several families at Kutupalong refugee camp, the largest of the
30 refugee shelters in Cox's Bazar. He visited aid distribution points,
child-friendly spaces and model houses set up by Caritas.
He
then talked to aid workers and volunteers including those from the United
Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and also made a courtesy call on Muhammad Abul
Kalam, head of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), the main
government body that oversees refugee and relief operations.
The
visit has brought both joy and sadness for Cardinal Tagle, who has "seen
news and footage of the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people"
and his heart "bled for their suffering."
"Now,
coming to the camp, a part of me rejoices that they are given the attention,
especially the dignity, they deserve. But at the same time a part of me
continues to be sad because I wonder if this is a permanent of state of life
for them or if this is temporary," Cardinal Tagle told ucanews.com.
"I
cannot imagine how parents would respond if their children asked them what is
their future. If I had a child here, I would not know how to give an
answer."
Refugee
couple Jahid Hossain, 35, and Rehena, 30, said they were glad to see Cardinal
Tagle.
"We
have told him that we are glad to see him. We shared with him our story of pain
and suffering, and we asked for help so that we can return home one day as
citizens of Myanmar," Hossain told ucanews.com.
Cardinal
Tagle said he appreciated Caritas' support for the refugees.
"I
am very happy to see the work of Caritas Bangladesh is excellent. It really
embodies what Caritas is all about. But I am also happy to see that Caritas
Bangladesh, which is very small, is able to do its mission because of the
collaboration of many other Caritas members. This really gives me hope that if
we come together we can make a difference," he said.
Caritas
has operated in Kutupalong camp since the latest influx of Rohingya started
arriving in August 2017.
It
has so far spent about 750 million taka (US$8.92 million) in helping refugees
from its emergency appeal fund created with donations from Caritas members
across the globe. It has also received and spent 8 million taka from UNHCR.
The
Joint Response Program of Caritas has focused on comprehensive support for the
Rohingya, said James Gomes, regional director of Caritas Chittagong.
About
40,000 households or 240,000 refugees have benefited from Caritas food support,
while 10,000 families have received non-food items and constructed more than
1,000 shelters, he said.
Caritas
has also distributed gas cylinders and stoves to 20,000 families to reduce the
need to cut trees for cooking, and it has given tree and vegetable saplings to
more than 26,000 refugee families.
Full
report at:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/cardinal-tagle-visits-rohingya-refugees-in-bangladesh/84025
--------
Bangladesh:
A secular icon seeks to bring down PM Hasina
Dec
05,2018
A
secular icon who drafted Bangladesh's constitution has emerged as the face of
an embattled opposition seeking to end the decade-long rule of Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina, who has been accused of authoritarianism.
In
a general election due at the end of this month, Hasina's ruling Awami League
(AL) will be fighting to retain power against a new alliance led by Kamal
Hossain, an Oxford-educated international jurist and a former foreign minister,
whom Hasina grew up calling "kaka", or uncle.
The
82-year-old lawyer activist joined hands with the main opposition Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) and two other parties to form the Jatiya Oikya Front
(National Unity Front) in October.
The
BNP is hoping the alliance will help boost its support and move on after a
series of setbacks, including the jailing of its leader former Prime Minister
of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia for corruption in February and the sentencing of
exiled acting leader, her son, in October.
BNP
Standing Committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed said his party joined hands
with Hossain for "strategic reasons".
"Our
[of Jatyio Oikya Front] goal is the same, to free the country of tyranny,"
he told Al Jazeera.
The
octogenarian - a former comrade of Hasina's father in the country's
independence struggle - says his decision to forge an alliance with the BNP was
critical to restoring democracy in the country.
Hasina,
the daughter of independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is the longest-serving
leader in its short history.
'Joined
hands with killers'
She
began a second straight term in power in 2014 after an election boycotted by
the BNP and shunned by international observers, with more than half the seats
uncontested.
"What
has happened in the last five years is unprecedented," Hossain told
Reuters news agency. "We have never had a government for five years that
was unelected."
Hasina
and BNP chief Zia share a long and bitter rivalry and have alternated in power
for most of the past three decades.
Siding
with the BNP, though, sets Hossain up as a target for Hasina. The BNP has ties
with the banned Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed independence from
Pakistan in 1971 and several of whose members have been sentenced to death for
committing war crimes.
Days
after the new coalition was announced, Hasina declared that Hossain had
"joined hands with killers".
Jamaat
has since been banned from participating in the elections, but analysts say
many of its cadres are likely to back the BNP candidates.
AL
praesidium member Faruq Khan dubbed the Jatyio Oikya Front an "alliance of
war criminals".
"The
Oikya Front is not a political alliance, rather it is an alliance of war
criminals and militants who don't believe in the democratisation of the
country," Khan told Al Jazeera.
He
said the people of the country haven't forgotten the last BNP-Jamaat government
from 2001-2006.
"The
country was a failed state back then."
Hossain
admitted some of the mistakes committed by the BNP in the past.
"Yes,
the BNP did a lot of things I never appreciate," said Hossain. "They
injected a degree of communalism into politics, which is very regrettable."
But
he said the coalition would be secular and have nothing to do with groups such
as Jamaat.
Alliance
contradictions
Analysts
have raised doubts about the future of the coalition as its main constituents
come from different ideological backgrounds. Also, there is no clarity on who
will be the prime minister if the alliance wins the polls.
When
asked who will be the "prime minister" if Oikya Front emerges
victorious, BNP's Ahmed said: "It's a strategic decision which we, at this
point, haven't decided yet."
"Hossain
has already talked about the draft election manifesto of Oikya Front. All I can
say that we don't believe in the centralisation of power any more," he
said.
He
also said if elected, they would ensure that "the same person could not be
the prime minister for more than two terms consecutively."
The
BNP's participation in the general election scheduled for December 30 was in
doubt until last month, when it announced the formation of the new alliance,
helmed by Hossain, who runs a group called Gano Forum, or People's Forum.
The
AL said that the BNP was trying to use Hossain's reputation to get back to
power, but added that "it will fail miserably".
AL
Joint Secretary-General Mahbubul Alam Hanif said Hossain's party Gono Forum had
never managed to secure a seat in the parliament. "It proves he is not a
people's person and his party doesn't have the support of a large
population."
Hossain
walks with a stick and says he is not seeking to become prime minister as he is
too old.
But
some in the coalition, he said, privately compare him with Mahathir Mohamad,
the Malaysian prime minister who took power at the age of 92 in May, after
defeating a predecessor mired in corruption allegations.
"Maybe
his health is better than mine," quipped Hossain.
Some
political analysts predict a strong anti-incumbency sentiment in the election.
Media
gagged?
Besides
detaining scores of opposition members on charges the BNP terms politically
motivated, Hasina's government has also gone after critics such as prominent
photographer Shahidul Alam, who was arrested for comments he made on social
media.
Hossain's
daughter Sara is a well-known lawyer who helped secure Alam's bail last week.
Hasina
has introduced laws that rights groups say give her sweeping powers to go after
dissenters and gag the media.
The
veteran leader called them a "preplanned effort" to create "not
even a one-party state, but a one-person state."
"The
real danger of having an authoritarian government like the present one is, God
forbid if it survives the next election, many of us will not be able to remain
in the country," said Hossain in reference to his fears that critics will
be targeted by the government.
The
AL has denied trying to curb free speech or media freedom and called cases
filed against BNP members legitimate.
Hossain
was born to a physician father under British rule in what is now Kolkata in
eastern India. That was before the division into India and Pakistan, out of
which Bangladesh was carved following a war in 1971.
He
was jailed alongside Hasina's father and later served him as the country's
first law minister.
He
went on to work in various roles at the United Nationsafter quitting the AL in
the early 1990s to form the rival People's Forum.
BNP
insiders say his international standing and image as a freedom fighter were
reasons behind bringing him into front the alliance.
But
some question whether Hossain has the characteristics needed for the uglier
side of Bangladeshi politics.
"He
is not a rebellious leader, he is a classic constitutional lawyer," said
Shahdeen Malik, a Supreme Court advocate and a professional acquaintance.
"Intuitively, he would do things by the book, and in our politics that can
be a disadvantage - that to me is his main weakness."
Political
analyst Afsan Chowdhury told Al Jazeera that Hossain's association with the
alliance will benefit the BNP. "I don't know how much it will improve
BNP's vote bank but it certainly has uplifted BNP's image," he said.
Full
report at:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/bangladesh-secular-icon-seeks-bring-pm-hasina-181128065451050.html
--------
U.S.
envoy for Afghan peace meets Pakistani officials in Islamabad
Dec
05 2018
The
U.S. Special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad
met with the Pakistani officials in Islamabad to discuss reconciliation efforts
in Afghanistan.
A
spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Dr. Mohammad Faizal
said the U.S. Special Representative Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad called on the
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi during his visit to Islamabad.
Dr.
Faisal further added that Ambassador Khalizad reiterated President Trump’s
desire to seek Pakistan’s cooperation for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
In
his turn, foreign minister Qureshi assured the US side of Pakistan’s steadfast
support for a negotiated settlement, he added.
Dr.
Faisal also added that Ambassador also held a meeting with Foreign Secretary
Tehmina Janjua.
Full
report at:
https://www.khaama.com/u-s-envoy-for-afghan-peace-meets-pakistani-officials-in-islamabad-02879/
--------
District
police chief killed in Taiban attack in Sari Pul
Dec
04 2018
The
district police chief of Sayad was killed in an attack by Taliban militants in
northern Sari Pul province of Afghanistan, the local officials said Tuesday.
Provincial
governor’s spokesman Zabiullah Amani said the district police chief of Sayad
Abdul Malik Nezami was killed in a coordinated attack by Taliban on Monday
night.
Amani
further added that two of the security guards of Nezami were also killed in the
attack.
The
anti-government armed militant groups including Taliban have not commented
regrding the killing of Sayad police chief so far.
Sari
Pul has been among the relatively calm provinces in North of Afghanistan but
the security situation in some of its districts has started to deteriorated
during the recent years.
Full
report at:
https://www.khaama.com/district-police-chief-killed-in-taiban-attack-in-sari-pul-02875/
--------
Southeast Asia
Watch
your language, Muhyiddin tells anti-ICERD demonstrators
04
December 2018
KUALA
LUMPUR, Dec 4 — Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today warned those
planning to join a demonstration this Saturday against the United Nations
treaty ICERD to be careful with their language.
The
Pagoh MP pointed that the situation in the country was relatively tense after
riots at a Hindu temple in Subang that left some in fear.
“We
have given various views and advice. Most importantly, if they want to go with
it, they must mind their language. The language used, so as to not provoke
anger, or invoke more tension,” Muhyiddin said in a joint press conference with
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun that was broadcast
live on Facebook.
“Especially
when we know, we are still not done settling the temple issue, and issues are
still cropping up and in places where people are worried about the trend.
“So
if the ICERD gathering does not take into concern the current situation, and
(demonstrators) do what they wish, by spitting words which can provoke feelings,
racial and religious sentiment, I find that that is very irresponsible, and
must be avoided, rightfully.”
ICERD
refers to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination (ICERD), a United Nations treaty, which Malaysia planned
to sign, but has since backtracked after uproar from right-wing Malay-Muslim
groups, who feared that the treaty would result in loss of Malay special
privileges and rights.
In
the press conference, Muhyiddin also cautioned parents against bringing
children and exposing them to such events.
He
said that the police have beefed up their on-duty personnel for the December 8
rally.
The
rally was initially planned as a protest against Putrajaya’s bid to ratify
ICERD, but has morphed into a “thanksgiving” rally after the government decided
against the ratification.
Authorities
have repeatedly urged organisers not to go ahead with the event, saying it was
now moot.
Yesterday,
the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) gave its approval for the organisers to use Jalan
Raja for the event, with the police following suit.
https://www.malaymail.com/s/1700006/watch-your-language-muhyiddin-tells-anti-icerd-demonstrators
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Rohingya
migrant boat lands in Indonesia
Dec
05,2018
A
boat carrying 20 men believed to be Rohingya migrants landed in Indonesia
yesterday, the authorities said, the latest group of the Myanmar minority to
reach the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation.
The
men arrived in Aceh province on Sumatra island in a rickety wooden boat,
according to a local official who said he thought the men were the persecuted
Muslim Rohingya.
"We
can't communicate with them because they don't speak Bahasa Indonesia, Acehnese
or English. So we don't know much about them," said the head of Idi Rayeuk
district, Mr Iswanti who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name.
It
is not known where the group, aged around 20 to 40, set off from. However, in
recent weeks, the authorities in both Myanmar and Bangladesh, where around a
million of the Muslim refugees are living in camps, have stopped boats of
fleeing Rohingya migrants headed mainly for Malaysia.
It
has been rare for Rohingya migrants to attempt the sea routes south since the
Thai authorities clamped down on regional trafficking networks in 2015,
sparking a crisis across South-east Asia as large numbers were abandoned at
sea.
That
year, hundreds of Rohingya came ashore in Aceh, where they were welcomed in the
staunchly conservative Islamic province.
But
there have been concerns that the desperate community might start taking to the
high seas again after mainly Buddhist Myanmar launched a new military crackdown
last year that forced about 700,000 members of the Muslim minority to flee to
Bangladesh.
In
April, about 80 Rohingya in a wooden boat landed in Aceh, just weeks after
dozens had arrived in neighbouring Malaysia.
Full
report at:
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/rohingya-migrant-boat-lands-in-indonesia
--------
Dr
Wan Azizah to deliver keynote address at WMLF
December
5, 2018
LONDON:
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will be
delivering the keynote speech at the World Muslim Leadership Forum (WMLF) 2018
during her three-day official visit to United Kingdom.
Dr
Wan Azizah, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister begins
her visit to UK today, which is her maiden official visit to the country after
being appointed to the Malaysian cabinet on May 21 following Pakatan Harapan’s
victory in the country’s 14th general election.
Being
the first Malaysian woman leader to give a speech at the prestigious biennial
forum on Thursday, her presence is expected to greatly enhance the forum as
Malaysia’s number two leader and the country’s role in empowering women in all
sectors, social, economic, administrative and political.
Malaysian
High Commission Charge d’Affaires ad interim Mohd Suhaimi Jaafar said the
forum, among others, aims to gather Muslim leaders from different corners of
the globe to explore key issues, address challenges, and provide innovative
solutions in delinking associations made to terrorism and Islam.
Briefing
the Malaysian media covering her visit here, he said Dr Wan Azizah’s keynote
speech at the fourth WMLF entitled “The Role of Women and Girls in Achieving
the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030”.
Mohd
Suhaimi said the deputy prime minister’s keynote address will among others
highlight on ensuring healthy life, ending poverty, closing gaps on gender and
disability, recognising the role of women, promoting of rights of women and
girls as well as to optimise their contributions while balancing their
responsibilities.
To
be held at the Lambeth Palace and at the House of Commons, Westminster, the
two-day forum carries the theme ‘The Role of Muslim Leadership in Rebuilding
Islam’s Global Image’, which will focus on four critical aspects, namely
creating a new narrative about Islam; strengthening Muslim leadership at all
levels of socio-economic and political landscapes; women empowerment and the
role of women in re-shaping the new Islamic narrative.
The
forum also aims at creating platforms for Muslim leaders to offer solutions to
current problems such as youth education, entrepreneurship and advocacy for
sustainable development.
Mohd
Suhaimi said Dr Wan Azizah is also scheduled to visit Oxford Centre for Islamic
Studies (OCIS), which is about a two-hour drive from metropolitan London, and
participate in a discussion with scholars.
In
Oxford, the deputy prime minister will visit Worcester College, University of
Oxford and the Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, a world-class venue for conferences
and event facility at the college.
Having
a tight schedule, Dr Wan Azizah will also be meeting with Malaysians residing
in UK at a dinner to be held at the Malaysian High Commission here.
On
Friday, the deputy prime minister is scheduled to meet Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon,
who is also the Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations
and the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
Dr
Wan Azizah will also participate in a roundtable discussion session with
prominent investors and British companies, which will be organised by Asia
House.
Other
programmes scheduled for the deputy prime minister include visiting the East
London Mosque and meeting with local Muslim scholars.
“The
visit is expected to further strengthen the bond of friendship and reflect our
keenness to work with the UK to increase cooperation in new areas between the
two countries,” said Mohd Suhaimi.
Full
report at:
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/12/437331/dr-wan-azizah-deliver-keynote-address-wmlf
--------
Go
ahead and sue me, Ibrahim Ali dares Waytha
December
4, 2018
KUALA
LUMPUR: A defiant Ibrahim Ali has refused to retract allegations he made
against a minister who has since threatened to haul the Perkasa president and
an Umno MP to court for defamation.
“I
am not going to apologise. If he wants to sue, go ahead. I won’t retract my
statement,” he said, referring to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P
Waytha Moorthy.
Earlier
today, Waytha, who is in charge of national unity and social well-being, gave
Ibrahim and Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman 24 hours to retract their
“various false and defamatory” statements which insinuated that he had insulted
the Malay and Muslim community.
If
they fail to do so, he said he will sue them for defamation.
“These
wild allegations and hate speeches by these two leaders are to rile up the
people to attend the PAS-Umno-organised anti-ICERD rally scheduled for this
Sunday,” he said in a statement, referring to the United Nations’ International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Waytha
said the statements by Ibrahim and Tajuddin were not appropriate in a
multiracial, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation like Malaysia.
Today,
Ibrahim demanded Waytha retract his claim that police had arrived late at the
scene of the riots on Nov 26.
“He
never apologised to the police for this although he had subsequently praised
them and that’s why I say he is irresponsible.”
Full
report at:
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/12/04/go-ahead-and-sue-me-ibrahim-ali-dares-waytha/
--------
Indonesia
rescues 20 Muslim Rohingya adrift off Aceh
December
4, 2018
KUALA
IDI, Indonesia — Indonesian fishermen rescued a wooden boat carrying 20 hungry,
weak Rohingya Muslims on Tuesday after it was found adrift off Indonesia’s
northernmost province of Aceh, an official said.
The
group of men and boys was discovered on the rickety boat about 3 kilometres
(1.8 miles) off the coast, said Syahrial, the head of East Aceh’s local
disaster mitigation office.
Syahrial,
who goes by a single name, said it wasn’t clear where the group had travelled
from or where they were heading.
An
outbreak of violence that began in 2012 prompted thousands of Rohingya to flee
Myanmar by sea to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. A fresh crisis last year
sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing by land to Bangladesh.
The
people who were found Tuesday were brought ashore and placed in a navy shelter
house in the Kuala Idi fishing port of East Aceh district while awaiting
identification by Indonesian immigration officials.
The
group, ranging in age from 14 to 28, were weak from hunger and dehydration
after a 15-day voyage, Syahrial said, adding that villagers donated clothes,
food and drinking water.
“We
could not yet communicate much with them as none of them speak English or
Malay,” Syahrial said.
Full
report at:
https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/indonesia-rescues-20-muslim-rohingya-adrift-off-aceh
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