Photo:
A Muslim woman wears the Kippah during a demonstration against antisemitism (
AP )
Three
Muslim men accuses Taj Group hotel of ‘religious profiling’
Bangladesh
officials learn countering violent extremism in Australia
Unity
must to ensure peace and stability: AJK speaker
Europe
Religious
hate crime has risen by 40 per cent in the last year – and Muslims like me can
help to stop it
Muslim-led
arts initiatives tackling Islamophobia, promoting interfaith harmony among UK
children
Religious
Hate Crimes In England And Wales Mostly Target People Thought To Be Muslim
UK
home secretary attacked for being a Muslim
Was
sent 'Punish a Muslim Day' letter: British home secretary
Pope
Francis receives the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar
Grand
Mufti challenges gay teachers’ rights to work in Islamic schools
Britain
secretly training Saudi air force: Report
Senior
Russian officials meet bin Salman to discuss Syria
Security
fears as UK extremist leader Anjem Choudary set for freedom
More
money for British mosques amid rise in hate crime
--------
India
Three
Muslim men accuses Taj Group hotel of ‘religious profiling’
Kashmiri
students demand withdrawal of sedition charges
Church
schools in India among those that 'should not exist'
A
votary of Hindu-Muslim unity
3
militants killed in Srinagar encounter, policeman martyred
Militants’
funeral: AMU revokes suspension of two Kashmiri students
AMU
revokes suspension of Kashmiri students charged with sedition
--------
South Asia
Bangladesh
officials learn countering violent extremism in Australia
Over
30 Afghan policemen killed in Taliban attack
Raid
on militants' hideout in Bangladesh kills 2
Taliban
warn teachers, students to avoid Afghan polls
Bangladesh
to sign MoU with Saudi Arabia on military cooperation during Hasina’s visit
UN
Security Council asked to hear from UN mission on Myanmar atrocities
4
suicide bombers among 30 dead, wounded in U.S. airstrikes
--------
Pakistan
Unity
must to ensure peace and stability: AJK speaker
S.
Arabia agreed to end Umrah tax on Pakistanis, Senate panel told
Former
Pakistani diplomat Haqqani slams China's deputy envoy in Islamabad for
'undignified' trolling
Interim
bail of ex-president Zardari, others extended for third time
ISI
given another month to complete ‘minor work’ to clear Khayaban-i-Suharwardy
Pakistan
elected as OIC Water Council member for two-year tenure
14
Iranian security personnel ‘kidnapped’ near Pakistan border
US
must stay in Afghanistan until peace is achieved: army
UK
MPs briefed on Pak anti-terror role
--------
North America
Saudi
Arabia is the centerpiece of US Empire’s Mideast foreign policy: Analyst
US,
Saudi trying to ‘whitewash’ Khashoggi murder: Fmr. US diplomat
America’s
Dilemma: Censuring M.B.S. and Not Halting Saudi Reforms
Guilty
until proven innocent: Trump defends Saudi Arabia
Pompeo
meets King Salman, son over Khashoggi, thanks them for ‘strong partnership’
--------
Mideast
Iranian
President Asks for Europe's Serious Action against Terrorists
Israeli
policewoman shoots, seriously injures Palestinian for ‘fun’
UN
to allow Palestinians to have more of a full member capacity in 2019
Israeli
defense minister: Now’s the time to strike Hamas
Istanbul
conference on Muslim Ummah concludes
Terrorists
Trading Idlib Civilians' Body Organs in Turkey
Israel
strikes Gaza, closes both border crossings after rocket attack
Yemen
minister: Houthis forcing female teachers to take part in armed protests
Mastermind
behind Ahvaz terrorist attack killed in Iraq’s Diyala, IRGC says
Israeli
warplanes conduct deadly airstrikes on blockaded Gaza Strip
--------
Southeast Asia
China
Breaks Silence on Muslim Detention Camps, Calling Them ‘Humane’
Buddhist
dad wins bid to annul kids’ conversion to Islam
'United'
Muslim, Christians mark Marawi's liberation
The
mosques that survived Palu's tsunami and what that means
China
rolls out PR push on Muslim internments
Amid
global outcry, China defends internment camps of minorities in Xinjiang
No
sabotage in French terror suspect’s death, says IGP
House
approves religious schools draft bill
--------
Arab World
Muslims
defied the Islamic State to save two ancient Christian manuscripts in Mosul
450
jihadists killed in Egypt Sinai offensive: army
US-Backed
Militants Blackmailing Civilians to Allow Exit from Al-Tanf Region
Are
ex-ISIS fighters joining Popular Mobilization Unit militias in Iraq?
Saudi-led
military aggression left over 15,000 civilians dead: Rights group
Turkish
Army Dispatches New Military Convoy to Northern Syria
US
Army Retreats towards Deir Ezzur Energy-Rich Fields after ISIL Kidnaps American
Soldiers
Iran
says it has carried out 700 drone attacks in Syria
Arab
Coalition refers Yemen’s Jabal Ras incident to assessment team
Russia:
Deal on Syria’s Idlib going ahead despite missed deadline
--------
Africa
US
airstrike in Somalia kills around 60 al-Shabab fighters
Two
million dual nationality Algerians are well integrated in France
Boko
Haram kills second kidnapped aid worker in Nigeria: Red Cross
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: http://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/new-age-islam-news-bureau/religious-hate-crime-has-risen-by-40-per-cent-in-the-last-year-–-and-muslims-like-me-can-help-to-stop-it/d/116651
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Religious
hate crime has risen by 40 per cent in the last year – and Muslims like me can
help to stop it
Oct
17, 2018
Last
week a Labour councillor in Tower Hamlets, Mohammed Pappu, was forced to resign
from the local Labour Party after admitting that he was responsible for a
series of antisemitic remarks which appeared on his Facebook page. Although
this is unacceptable behaviour by anyone using social media, and especially
from an elected representative (he remains an independent councillor), the row
over the remarks was exacerbated by the fact that, as a youth worker in the
local area, Pappu was using his Facebook account as an information point for
children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and more specifically, for updates on
events organised by the charity Soul, of which he is a trustee and former
chairman.
Sadly,
this instance is not unique. New figures published today by the Crime Survey
for England and Wales show that religious hate crime rose by 40 per cent
between 2016-17 and 2017-18. Could this partly be attributed to the conduct of
those in positions of authority, who influence our young people, when just a
few words can trigger a powerful reaction?
Pappu’s
conduct demonstrates exactly why education in religious tolerance should be a
fundamental requirement for everyone in a position of trust working with young
adults. It is the only way to reduce racial bias and improve acceptance of all
faiths, regardless of one’s own personal religious views.
It
is also a stark reminder that hate crime is not only suffered by religious
minorities but can be perpetrated by them as well.
Earlier
this year, Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Matters, said: “We Muslims need to
talk about Muslim antisemitism.” In demonstrating how crucial it is to educate
our young people, he went on to say that in the “mind of the perpetrators of
such hate, the world is bipolar, with Muslims and Jews at opposite ends; and it
is people like this who are winning the hearts and minds of many young,
disaffected people in the UK”.
It
is not always easy for young people exploring their personal identities to know
what it is and isn’t acceptable to say about religion in modern Britain, and
the language they can use to express themselves. Some expressions that have
been used for decades − and with absolutely no racist meaning intended at all −
are now no longer permitted.
In
Tower Hamlets, Pappu shared an image which accused Britain of attacking Syria
“to install a Rothschild bank”. How can it be that none of his friends – on
Facebook or in real life – pointed out to him the offensive nature of this
baseless allegation?
As
a Muslim, I have often been told that soon all UK banks will be controlled by
Sharia law. Remarks like these are just as offensive to me as the comments
about a "Rothschild bank" are to a member of the Jewish faith. There
is no difference in the hurt caused or the hatred spread.
As
Muslims, we have a collective responsibility to recognise this equality of
hate. Young Muslims in particular should be educated in antisemitism and learn
how to address it in their own community.
In
2013, when the English Defence League attempted to march through Tower Hamlets,
my friend, Leon Silver, the president and senior warden of East London Central
Synagogue, stood together with our local Muslim community to condemn
Islamophobia. He spoke passionately, standing up for his Muslim brothers and
sisters: we must do the same when Jewish people are attacked and feel
persecuted.
It
may not be possible to change the views of some older adults, but it is
possible to educate children at the most impressionable time of their lives.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/religious-hate-crime-anti-semitic-islamophobic-jews-muslims-uk-brexit-stop-a8586396.html
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Three
Muslim men accuses Taj Group hotel of ‘religious profiling’
Oct
16, 2018
GUWAHATI:
Three Muslim men, including a member of the Army Medical Corps in Guwahati,
were allegedly subjected racial profiling and harassment by the management of
Taj Vivanta hotel during their stay there.
The
three men identified as Sahab Uddin, Zahid Islam Barbhuiyan and Dr Imran
Hussain Laskar. Sahab and Zahid are educationists and social activists whereas
Dr Imran worked as a dental hygienist in the Army Medical Corps (AMC) in
Imphal.
The
trio was from Barak Valley in southern Assam had checked in to the four-star
Taj Vivanta hotel on Friday after they missed their Delhi-bound flight.
The
trio checked in at 2:00 pm and paid Rs 2,000 for the additional bed and went
out. When they returned at 4 pm, they find the hotel “full of security
personnel” watching their movements.
A
foul language with indecent words was used by hotel staffs who also allegedly
misbehaved with them.
Speaking
to News18, Laskar said, “They put us through the security check, luggage check
and there were some people constantly following us everywhere. Is this right;
what they have done to me? Is this how they treat a soldier?”
“They
confined us in a room and cornered us with a volley of questions. There were a
number of security personnel who surrounded us and we were mentally tortured,”
said Zahid, a teacher by profession, also an activist and columnist.
“They
checked his (Laskar’s) mobile and found an old video of (AIMIM MP) Asaduddin
Owaisi and surmised he was a radical. They confiscated Laskar’s identity card,
detained him and sent us to our room,” The Hindu quoted Zahid as saying.
“‘You
keep AIMIM videos in your phone? Do you listen to (Asaduddin) Owaisi? Why do
you have triple talaq debates?’ General Manager Ashwani Anand questioned asked
upon seeing the videos in Laskar’s gallery and gave me dirty looks,” Laskar
alleged.
The
police after keeping them under scrutiny for about six hours, thanks to the
three hapless colleagues for their cooperation and left around midnight after
they realised that were not extremists.
Social
media users reacted angrily to the alleged treatment and have been tagging
Ratan Tata on Twitter urging him to intervene.
One
user wrote, “Ratan Tata sir it’s your esteemed organisation n we can’t expect
such act from your organisation. Will you please come forward to assure us what
happened will not be repeated.” Another user asked, “Whats wrong with
#tajhotel?U may disagree with owaisi but FYI he is an MP. How can u
discriminate if someone just watching oswaisi’s video?”
Another
user, Sajid, wrote, “Muslims should avoid visiting such hellish Hotels and I
believe anyone who really cares about humanity and believes in secularism should
boycott Taj Group Hotels untill those mentally retards working in Vivanta by
Taj -Guwahati are Kicked out.”
In
the Facebook post, the victims of the incident can be seen speaking about the
agony and pain they went through.
https://www.siasat.com/news/three-muslim-men-accuses-taj-group-hotel-religious-profiling-1420992/
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Bangladesh
officials learn countering violent extremism in Australia
2018-10-17
Australian
High Commissioner Julia Niblett has hosted a networking event to celebrate the
achievements of nearly 80 alumni who have completed courses on Countering
Violent Extremism under the Australian government’s ‘Australia Awards’
programme.
The
government officials, from a range of agencies including police, and home, law,
and finance ministries, completed the course at the University of Queensland.
The
course provided practical skills and knowledge to deal with cyber threats, to
detect, investigate and disrupt the financing of terrorism.
It
also enabled scholars to analyse international legal frameworks and compliance
mechanisms, according to the Australian officials.
Over
the last five years, Australia has supported more than 200 officials from
Bangladesh to strengthen their skills and knowledge to counter violent
extremism and to connect them with the relevant institutions in Australia.
The
high commissioner said violent extremism is a global and “a shared challenge
that affects us all.”
“Australia
is pleased to provide capacity building through this course as an important
element of our contribution to countering violent extremism in Bangladesh,”
Niblett said.
Additional
Commissioner of Police and Chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational
Crime Unit Monirul Islam represented the Bangladesh delegation.
He
thanked the Australian government for its support to build capacity of
individuals and intuitions to counter violent extremism in Bangladesh.
The
Australia Awards are international scholarships funded by the Australian
government.
Australia
has been offering university scholarships to Bangladesh since 1972.
In
addition to the long-term scholarships, since 2015 Australia has been offering
targeted scholarships for mid-senior level professionals to participate in
short-term study courses to enhance professional skills.
In
2018-19 Australia will provide approximately 100 short-term scholarships to
Bangladeshi nationals.
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2018/10/17/bangladesh-officials-learn-countering-violent-extremism-in-australia
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Unity
must to ensure peace and stability: AJK speaker
October
17, 2018
MUZAFFARABAD:
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir has
stressed the need for forging unity in order to thwart nefarious designs of the
enemy and establish peace and ensure stability in the country.
“Pakistan
is a great gift by Allah Almighty for us and we all are obliged to protect it
against all odds,” he told the inaugural ceremony of a workshop titled
‘Reconstruction of Inclusive Islamic Society in Pakistan’ held at the Azad
Jammu and Kashmir University, Muzaffarabad.
The
event organized in collaboration with the Islamic Research Institute, Islamic
International University Islamabad, was attended by a huge number of faculty
members, ulema, scholars, civil society activists and students.
Addressing
the ceremony, organized as part of the Paigham-e-Pakistan initiative of the
Government of Pakistan, the AJK speaker said religious groups have a big role
to play in the society. “The joint decree issued by ulema belonging to all
schools of thought under the Paigham-e-Pakistan initiative is a guarantee to
peace and stability in the country,” he said. “The institution of mosque should
be strengthened. Mosque should act as centre of training for the youth,” he
said, adding that those criticising the religious seminaries are oblivious of
the fact that these madaris are providing shelter, food and education to
hundreds of thousands of poor children. “Providing jobs to youth graduating
from these madaris is the responsibility of the State,” he said. “State can’t
discriminate between those graduating from universities and the ones getting
education from madaris,” he said.
The
AJK speaker said sacrifices of security forces in the ongoing war against
terrorism are matchless. “But, it is unfortunate that we expect army to fulfill
each and every responsibility that a State needs to do instead,” he said,
adding the resolution of Kashmir issue is guarantee to peace in the country as
well as the whole region.
The
AJK speaker also called upon religious scholars to forge unity among their
ranks. “Ulema and masses got united in Bangladesh for the sake of development
of their country, which resulted in growth and progress there,” he said, adding
that extremism can bring no good to anyone. Islamic Research Institute Director
General Dr Zia ul Haq said a nation decays when its leadership is not able to
take right decisions at the right time. “Paigham-e-Pakistan is a document
wherein religious scholars belonging to all schools of thought have rejected
extremism and terrorism in all its forms. Suicide bombings have been declared
forbidden in it,” he said, adding that minorities are free to spend their lives
according to their will and practice their religion. “Islam makes it obligatory
for the men to respect women and giving them due rights,” he added.
Convener
of the workshop Prof Nisar Hamdani said, “We must protect our values to rid the
country of injustice, fear and crisis. Prejudices give birth to sectarianism
and ethnic divisions. Everyone wishes justice and prosperity in the society and
the State is responsible to ensure it.”
The
two-day workshop will be followed by National Youth Conference, a workshop on
‘Role of Youth in Reconstruction of National Culture’, a session on ‘Role of
Youth as Ambassadors of Peace’ and a discussion on ‘Environmental Challenges:
Water Crises, Clean and Green Pakistan’.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/381709-unity-must-to-ensure-peace-and-stability-ajk-speaker
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Europe
Muslim-led
arts initiatives tackling Islamophobia, promoting interfaith harmony among UK
children
30
September, 2018
A
record number of anti-Muslim attacks and incidents of abuse were reported in
the United Kingdom last year, according to monitoring group Tell Mama in its
annual report released in July.
Many
were triggered by four incidents between March and June 2017, which a police
review said “were the most deadly terrorist attacks on British soil since the
7/7 London tube and bus bombings of July 2005.” Three attacks targeting public
places in London and Manchester were perpetrated by Muslims who were mostly
British, and the fourth was carried out by a non-Muslim Briton on a London
mosque.
A
year later in April, a three-day festival of culture and ideas dedicated to
Muslim communities was held at the British Library in London. In November, a
ten-day event will open in Manchester. Both aim to bridge cultures and tackle
Islamophobia.
REACHING
COMMUNITIES, YOUNG PEOPLE
MFest
in London and the Muslim Art and Cultural Festival (MACFest) in Manchester are
big multi-day, multi-arts events in the two cities directly affected by last
year’s four terrorist attacks. Where MFest was held at central London
institution The British Library and targeted the general public, the much
bigger MACFest will be more widely distributed and also involve museums, galleries,
universities and schools.
“The
reason why I wanted to [have some events] in schools is because with the rise
of extremism, there’s been a lot of negative backlash and children suffer in
schools if they are Muslims because they get bullied,” critically-acclaimed
novelist Qaisra Shahraz, who is founder and curator of MACFest, told Salaam
Gateway.
The
rationale behind this aspect of Shahraz’s MACFest programming is backed by
data. Tell Mama’s report found that 72 percent of the perpetrators of reported
anti-Muslim incidents last year were white men, with younger men, including
teenagers, being some of the main perpetrators. There’s clearly a need to reach
young people with issues related to Islam and Muslims.
“I
want these [Muslim] children to feel proud of who they are. And for the
children who bully them to learn that those are the actions of extremists – the
rest of us are normal peace-loving people,” said Shahraz, whose community
involvement includes being a trustee of Manchester Multi Faith Centre, Vice
Chair of Faith Network 4 Manchester and Executive Member of the Muslim Jewish
Forum of Greater Manchester.
MFest
and MACFest are not by any means the first focusing on Islam and Muslims in the
UK. Shemiza Rashid, a social and cultural entrepreneur working in the
interfaith, Asian, and Islam and Muslim creative industries, pointed out
smaller community arts and cultural events that have been organised in recent
years.
“A
lot of Muslim arts organisations across the country are reaching out and working
alongside non-Muslim galleries to help make Islam more accessible,” said
Rashid, who hosts a faith-inspired creative arts and lifestyle show for a
community radio station based in Luton, a town just northwest of London.
“Events
like the Kinara Festival [in July 2016] by the Love & Etiquette Foundation
and Milton Keynes Eid in the Park hosted by Milton Keynes Islamic Arts,
Heritage and Culture (MKIAC) have successfully reached out to communities
around them to share and bridge an understanding. More festivals are emerging
with a similar theme,” said Rashid. Kinara Festival was based in East
Lancashire in the northwest of England and Milton Keynes is around 70
kilometres north of London.
The
impact of such initiatives is tremendous, said Rashid, not only for Muslim
children but also for non-Muslims and adults. However, more needs to be done to
truly bring Islamic art and literature to a mass audience - more investment and
mainstream partners, she said.
“It
is vital that creativity in Islam is nurtured to regenerate and recharge the
values, and to adapt to new eras and landscapes. Islam is pure in its essence;
it’s people who change with the times. So it’s about making sure we keep that
connection thriving,” said Rashid.
MAKING
CONNECTIONS
One
book recently made those connections and caused a ripple effect in bridging
cultures and promoting interfaith harmony among children.
Hats
of Faith started out as an illustrated children’s book that looks at nine
different head coverings, including a turban, hijab, a Rastafarian hat, and an
African head wrap.
The
book has spurred a series of school workshops since its release in August 2017.
“We’ve
teamed up with international charity Penny Appeal to develop a UK-wide school
workshop tour,” the book’s publisher Hajera Memon of Shade 7 Publishing told
Salaam Gateway.
“We’re
hitting the road [with Penny Appeal on a bus] to deliver our hour-long,
interactive sessions to curious minds in nurseries, kindergartens and primary
schools across the country,” she said.
“So
far, we’ve delivered workshops in Scotland, London, Luton, Sheffield, Norwich,
Yorkshire and Leeds to name a few, and have more due to take place in the new
school year across Manchester, Kent, Birmingham and others.”
The
educational workshops involve book readings and discussions, as well as an
opportunity for children to try on the head coverings. They are developed by
Hats of Faith author Medeia Cohan and children’s literacy specialist Emily
Guille-Marrett.
According
to Cohan, it took over a year to determine which head coverings to include and
to ensure the factuality of the book’s contents. The research led her and Memon
to places of worship around the world, from a local Sikh gurdwara, to the
Church of Haile Selassie to discuss everything about Rastafarian hats.
“Feedback
has been incredible, with children learning lessons of respect and acceptance,
and teachers using our materials in their classrooms and integrating them into
their lesson plans well beyond the workshops. We’ve had many schools inviting
us back to deliver the same workshop next year,” said Memon.
MUSLIM,
BRITISH IDENTITY
Recent
initiatives like Hats of Faith are creating a ripple effect as participants get
to experience a taster of Islam from a non-invasive distance, according to
Rashid.
“It’s
helping build and heal communities. We can walk and live together. It’s so
important to build a lasting confidence in such testing times for our children
to take pride in their identity– to be able to fuse their British Muslim
identity comfortably with British values and answer any question that is posed
to them,” she said.
Many
other British Muslims are finding ways to engage children. For example, author
Zainab Mian uses Islamic themes in her mainstream children’s books, while
Chickpea Press uses the 99 names of Allah to connect with young readers. Tiny
Mu'mins uses puppetry and song to explore the stories of the prophets, and
nasheed artist Khaleel Muhammad breaks down religious stereotypes through his
children’s book Muslim All-Stars: Helping the Polonskys.
“[W]e
are now able to find innovative ways to introduce Islam into our children’s
lives. We, alongside our children, are learning together. So much knowledge is
yet to be sought,” said Rashid, who is a mother of six children aged under 15.
‘SHARED
LAUGHTER’
Other
initiatives have been around for much longer. Khayaal Theatre, a two-decade-old
Luton-based arts company, promotes interfaith awareness by adapting works of
Muslim and non-Muslim literature.
Luqman
Ali, Khayaal’s artistic director and co-founder, told Salaam Gateway the
company’s approach to promoting interfaith harmony is twofold. Firstly, it
showcases stories of wonder, wisdom and humour from Muslim heritage literature
through live performances and workshops in schools, museums and communities. Secondly,
it also highlights stories from other faiths, currently Hinduism, Judaism and
Christianity, as a way of demonstrating shared heritage or values.
The
use of humour is essential in Khayaal’s storytelling as it helps bring together
people who initially believed they had nothing in common.
“Shared
laughter is the lubricant which melts away our fear-based resistances to allow
for a fun and enriching encounter. We’re finding that our book of Joha stories
serves this purpose with children especially, to the extent that it has brought
together two school boys, one of whom used to bully the other,” Ali told Salaam
Gateway.
13th
century storyteller Mullah Nasruddin is known as Joha in the Arab world.
Khayaal recently contributed to a collection of tales, entitled Riding a Donkey
Backwards, about the iconic comic figure variously known as Joha, Afandi and
Hodja across a range of Muslim cultures.
This
year, the company performed its Joha stories as part of MFest and the Edinburgh
International Book Festival. It has also been touring primary schools in the
counties of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire for the second year with a workshop
exploring wisdom tales from Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
In
late October, Khayaal will be staging performances of tales from Muslim
cultures during the opening of the British Museum's newest permanent gallery,
Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic world.
“We
believe the flip-side of the negative stereotypes and portrayals of Muslims
that are standard fare in Western media, is a sustained and burgeoning interest
in alternative perspectives on Islam and Muslims, especially those coming from
Muslims themselves,” said Ali.
“So
alongside the challenges of hostility, suspicion and reservation generated by
lurid headlines, there are huge opportunities that we strive to seize in order
to balance the equation.”
https://www.salaamgateway.com/en/story/muslimled_arts_initiatives_tackling_islamophobia_promoting_interfaith_harmony_among_uk_children-SALAAM30092018112544/
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Religious
Hate Crimes In England And Wales Mostly Target People Thought To Be Muslim
Oct
17, 2018
Religious
hate crimes have spiked dramatically in England and Wales over the past year,
according to newly released data from the U.K.’s Home Office.
Police
in England and Wales recorded 8,336 hate incidents that appeared to be
motivated by the victim’s religion between April 2017 and March 2018 ― a 40
percent rise from the previous fiscal year, the BBC reports.
More
than half of those religion-based hate crimes (52 percent) were directed at
people who were perceived to be Muslims.
This
is the first time that the annual U.K. government study, published on Tuesday,
has included data about the perceived religion of hate crime targets. The Home
Office started requiring police officers to collect this information in 2017,
realizing that a victim’s perceived and actual religion may not always be the
same.
Harun
Khan, secretary general of the umbrella group Muslim Council of Britain, said
that the new figures should prompt the government to take meaningful action
against Islamophobic attacks. “No longer can the Government sit back and watch
as the far-right rises, Islamophobia is mainstreamed and vulnerable Muslim
communities are attacked,” Khan said in a statement.
The
Home Office report suggested that the surge in reported hate crimes was driven
by improvements in the way these crimes are identified and recorded by police.
But the study also noted that, based on monthly data, hate crimes appeared to
spike following the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester in 2017 and the
U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union in 2016.
Those
spikes seem to support advocacy groups’ claims that attacks on minorities
increase after national news events that stimulate public discourse on
immigration.
After
Muslims, Jews were the next most commonly targeted religious group in England
and Wales. Twelve percent of the religiously motivated hate crimes were aimed
at people perceived to be Jewish, according to the report.
Both
of those groups are the victims of much greater percentages of religious hate
crimes than their actual shares of the population in England and Wales. Only
about 5 percent of people in those countries identify as Muslim, and a mere 0.5
percent identify as Jewish.
While
the rise in hate crimes motivated by religion was the most dramatic, the Home
Office also recorded significant upticks in crimes motivated by bias involving
gender identity, disability and sexual orientation.
Overall,
police recorded 94,098 hate crimes in England and Wales, an increase of 17
percent compared to the previous fiscal year. Religious hate crimes accounted
for 9 percent of the total. The overwhelming majority of the hate crimes (76
percent) were motivated by race, the report found.
The
government noted that it’s possible for a hate crime to have more than one
motivating factor and a single hate crime could be filed under multiple
categories.
Also
on Tuesday, the Home Office released a separate study called the Crime Survey
for England and Wales. It was based on face-to-face interviews with victims and
meant to give a broad overview of crime in that region. The report suggested
that hate crime incidents had dropped 40 percent over the past decade, as crime
overall fell 39 percent. The survey did not look at crimes against children
under 16, businesses and certain households.
The
Home Office announced Monday that it plans to review its definition of a hate
crime. The review will help determine if crimes motivated by ageism, bias
against punk and goth subcultures, misogyny and misandry (prejudice against
men) should be classified as hate crimes.
Khan
said that more needs to be done.
“There
has been little action against bullying of Muslim children, minimal funding for
security for Muslim institutions (and only during specific periods) and no
support to Muslim communities to encourage reporting of hate crime,” he said.
“And the list of inaction continues.”
FBI
statistics published last November indicate that hate crime reports have also
been rising across the pond. Based on data voluntarily submitted by about 15,000
law enforcement agencies in the U.S., the FBI documented 6,121 hate crime
incidents in 2016, up 5 percent from the previous year. About 21 percent were
prompted solely by religious bias, most of it targeted toward Jews and Muslims.
Full
report at:
https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/religious-hate-crimes-muslim-england-wales_us_5bc61a9ce4b0a8f17ee6907e
--------
UK
home secretary attacked for being a Muslim
October
17, 2018
LONDON:
Home Secretary Sajid Javid has told of being a victim of hate crime as he vowed
to tackle intolerant behaviour, international media reported. The UK politician
said he had been called names such as "a coconut, Uncle Tom and much
worse" since taking on his Cabinet post earlier this year. His revelations
come as ministers prepare to publish a new blueprint aimed at improving the
response to and raising awareness of offences that target a victim because of
personal characteristics such as race, religion or sexual orientation. Writing
in the Daily Telegraph, Javid said he had also been sent a "Punish a
Muslim Day" letter. "No matter who you are, these attacks have a
personal effect," he said. "Sadly, we still hear incidents of
intolerance, whether it's a migrant being told they don't belong, a disabled
child being verbally abused, a Muslim woman having her veil torn off or
anonymous keyboard cowards infecting the internet with hatred." Promising
his commitment to "stamping out this sickening behaviour", the MP
added: "It is the responsibility of us all to tackle intolerance so that
we can live our lives in this great, vibrant country." The new government
clampdown will see taxi drivers and door staff given guidance on spotting hate
crime, while the Law Commission will carry out a review to explore how to make
current legislation more effective.
Spikes
in reports of hate offences have been registered following events such as the
Brexit vote in June 2016 and the Westminster terror attack last year.
Full
report at:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/381898-uk-home-secretary-attacked-for-being-a-muslim
--------
Was
sent 'Punish a Muslim Day' letter: British home secretary
Oct
16 2018
LONDON:
British Home Secretary Sajid Javid recently disclosed that he has been a victim
of hate crime.
Writing
in the Daily Telegraph, Javid said he had also been sent a "Punish a
Muslim Day" letter. He further remarked that hate crime leaves a personal
effect 'no matter who you are.'
The
politician further stated that it was regrettable to hear reports of hate crime
in this day and age. "Incidents of making fun of a differently-abled child
or forcefully removing the veil of a Muslim woman are often reported," he
said.
Javid
said he had been called names such as "a coconut, Uncle Tom and much
worse" after he assumed office earlier this year.
"It
is the responsibility of us all to tackle intolerance so that we can live our
lives in this great, vibrant country," he said.
Full
report at:
https://www.geo.tv/latest/214984-was-sent-punish-a-muslim-day-letter-british-home-secretary
--------
Pope
Francis receives the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar
Oct
17, 2018
VATICAN
CITY: Pope Francis received the Grand Imam of the prestigious Muslim al-Azhar
Mosque of Egypt, Prof. Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyib, in a private visit, Tuesday
afternoon, at the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican, the Holy See’s Press Office
said in a brief note.
The
two spiritual leaders have met a few times before, most importantly when the
Pope visited Egypt, 28-29 April, 2017, on the invitation of the Grand Imam.
During
that visit, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam spoke at the closing of an
international peace conference organized by the Al-Azhar University.--Vatican
News
http://www.heraldmalaysia.com/news/pope-francis-receives-the-grand-imam-of-al-azhar/44689/4
--------
Grand
Mufti challenges gay teachers’ rights to work in Islamic schools
OCTOBER
15, 2018
Australia’s
Grand Mufti has signalled open hostility to gay teachers in Islamic schools in
defiance of Bill Shorten’s proposed changes to discrimination laws, saying they
engage in “abnormal practices that contradict nature” and suffer from “mental
illness”.
The
intervention from Sheik Taj El-Din Hilaly, whose standing as Grand Mufti is
disputed by the Australian National Imams Council, comes amid splits in the
Coalition over how religious freedom protections should apply to teachers.
In
the wake of the leaking of the Ruddock review into religious freedoms last
week, the Opposition Leader has demanded the removal of legal exemptions
allowing faith-based schools to discriminate against teachers on the basis of
sexual orientation
The
push from Mr Shorten comes ahead of the crucial weekend by-election in
Wentworth, which is home to one of the largest LGBTI communities in Australia.
Labor’s
proposal would require Scott Morrison to expand his pledge to shut down laws,
introduced by Labor in 2013, allowing students to be expelled from religious
schools for being gay.
Mr
Shorten’s proposal faces the prospect of opposition from some Islamic leaders,
with nine of the 12 Sydney seats that voted against same-sex marriage being
held by Labor MPs, including the electorates of Labor frontbenchers Chris
Bowen, Tony Burke and Jason Clare.
Sheik
Hilaly yesterday told The Australian that homosexual teachers should “not
impose their lifestyle on the rest of society, especially schools which are
supposed to provide an environment of learning and culture and not a club for
those seeking to satisfy their desires”.
While
Christian leaders have also defended the right of faith- based schools to hire
staff who uphold their religious teachings and values, Sheik Hilaly yesterday
demonstrated a stronger reluctance towards having gay teachers in Islamic
schools.
Sheik
Hilaly, whose reappointment as Grand Mufti of Australia last month by Imam
Abdul Taub Raza at Logan Mosque in Queensland has been challenged, yesterday
said gay people suffered from a “mental illness”.
Speaking
through a translator, he told The Australian: “We are a free democratic society
that believes in diversity and human rights and we reject constrictions on the
rights of others even if they are afflicted with abnormal practices that
contradict nature.
“In
such cases, we must respect their humanity and deal with the issue as a mental
illness that requires care and treatment.”
Josh
Frydenberg, a prominent Jewish politician, yesterday suggested the government
was open to accepting the push by Labor to introduce extra protections for gay
teachers, a position the Prime Minister would not endorse when grilled in
question time by Mr Shorten. “I don’t think there’s any room for discrimination,
be it a student or against a teacher,” the Treasurer told ABC radio. “But that
being said, we need to work through this process with the Labor Party and
ensure that we provide front to the country.”
The
Australian understands Mr Morrison will not move to extend additional
protections to gay teachers, but will focus on closing the exemption for
students. The treatment of teachers will instead be unveiled when the
government delivers its considered response to the review of religious freedoms
led by former Liberal attorney-general Philip Ruddock.
Addressing
Labor in parliament yesterday, Mr Morrison said the government did not “take
kindly to being lectured on these issues when you created the laws which
created the discrimination”.
Nationals
MP Andrew Broad, in a sentiment shared by other conservative Coalition MPs,
also argued in favour of the ability of non-government schools to discriminate
against gay teachers if they did not uphold the key values of the school.
“If
a parent sends their child to a school and they are paying for that school,
then they expect that school in their leadership, in their teaching faculty, to
uphold the values that they believe in,” he said.
“The
school needs to be able to employ people that hold the values the parents
expect.”
Mr
Shorten said he was “pleased both sides of politics are now united in the
view that exemptions allowing religious schools to discriminate against
children should be removed”.
“I
believe we can use this goodwill to go further and remove the exemption that
would allow a teacher or school staff member to be sacked or refused employment
because of their sexual orientation,” he said.
Labor
MPs also spoke out yesterday, defending the ability of faith-based schools to
hire staff who supported the key tenets of their religion.
NSW
MP Chris Hayes, who holds the western Sydney seat of Fowler, which recorded a
63.7 per cent no vote against same-sex marriage, said: “Having a close
association with religious schools, I know that there’s some teachers who are
in same sex relationships.”
“I
don’t think that’s the issue. I think a good teacher is a good teacher. I think
the issue may be if someone decided to go out and expand upon or promote their
relationship. That might be seen to be acting against the principles of the
(school’s) faith. That could be seen as a different thing.”
Victorian
Labor senator Kimberley Kitching said religious schools should be able to fire
teachers if they did not teach the “ethos” of the school, including on same-sex
marriage.
“That
is different from the removing of the discrimination of the sexual orientation
of the teacher,” she told Sky News.
Labor
frontbencher Michelle Rowland, whose northwest Sydney seat, Greenway, voted
against same-sex marriage, said the issue of allowing religious schools to ban
gay teachers was “vexed”.
Full
report at:
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/grand-mufti-challenges-gay-teachers-rights-to-work-in-islamic-schools/news-story/106fa1e353f71557b678fc7726c5a6a7
--------
Britain
secretly training Saudi air force: Report
Oct
17, 2018
Britain's
Royal Air Force (RAF) has been training Saudi Arabian air force crew over the
past four years as part of a secret deal, a report says.
The
Daily Mail can disclose that 111 RAF personnel have been seconded to BAE
Systems to train Royal Saudi Air Force aircrew and provide engineering support,
including 21 sent during the first five months of this year.
In
2015, 34 RAF personnel were sent there, with 30 the following year and 26 in
2017, the report added.
“These
personnel were all seconded to BAE Systems to provide training support to Royal
Saudi Air Force aircrew and routine aircraft engineering support,” British
defense minister Guto Bebb said in a written statement.
In
addition, high-ranking British military advisers are in their control rooms to
assist the Saudi-led coalition, which has been bombing Yemen since 2015,
killing thousands of civilians.
BAE
sources, however, have denied any involvement in military operations.
Some
UK officers have also been sharing targeting techniques for several years and,
according to Riyadh, they have access to the “target list.”
According
to a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, “All UK military personnel in Saudi
Arabia are under UK command and control.
“We
have an ongoing and wide- ranging defense engagement relationship with Saudi
Arabia, which has included the provision of training courses and advice and
guidance.”
In
March this year Britain and Saudi Arabia signed a controversial aid agreement
worth £100 million.
London
is already the target of strong criticism from rights groups for its
multibillion-pound arms sales to Saudi Arabia, during the kingdom’s deadly war
on Yemen.
The
new revelation comes amid international condemnation over the alleged murder of
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the country's consulate in Istanbul,
Turkey earlier this month.
Khashoggi,
a prominent critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and a US resident,
disappeared on October 2 after visiting the consulate. Turkish authorities
believe he was tortured and killed inside the building by a team of Saudi
operatives who removed his dismembered body.
On
Tuesday, Tory MP Crispin Blunt said the UK Government should reconsider its
relations with the Saudis following the disappearance of Khashoggi.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/17/577220/UK-Royal-Air-Force-Saudi-Arabia
--------
Senior
Russian officials meet bin Salman to discuss Syria
Oct
16, 2018
A
high-level Russian delegation has traveled to Saudi Arabia and met with Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the crisis in Syria.
The
Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the delegation, including senior
foreign and defense ministries officials, had been in Saudi Arabia on October
14 and 15.
The
Russian team also held talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed
al-Jubeir.
“There
was a detailed exchange of views on the situation in the region of the Middle
East and North Africa with an emphasis on the development of events in Syria,”
the ministry said.
“A
common understanding was expressed of the need to finally eliminate the hotbeds
of terrorism in this country, the importance of speeding up a reliable and
long-term political settlement of the Syrian crisis,” it said.
Russia,
along with Iran, has been helping the Syrian government its efforts to liberate
the country of the terror groups.
The
foreign-backed militancy in Syria seems to be nearing an end as Syria and its
allies are preparing to liberate Idlib Province, the last terrorist bastion in
the country.
Damascus
and its allies are now involved in diplomatic efforts with Turkey to retake the
city from militants without any military operations.
Many
of the terrorists in Syria are either supported by Riyadh or inspired by
Wahhabism, a Takfiri ideology dominating Saudi Arabia and freely preached by
its clerics.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/16/577157/Russia-Syria-Saudi-Arabia-bin-Salman
--------
Security
fears as UK extremist leader Anjem Choudary set for freedom
October
16, 2018
Britain’s
most notorious hate preacher is set for imminent release from prison, giving
the authorities a major security headache as they try to curb extremist
violence.
Officials
will impose crippling conditions on Anjem Choudary's release to stop him
returning to lead the extremist organisation Al Muhajiroun that was left
rudderless after he and his deputy were arrested for promoting ISIS in 2015.
Sources say Choudary is unrepentant about his extremism and is planning to
write a book.
Choudary's
speeches inspired some of the UK’s most dangerous terrorists. Nearly 70
followers of his group were convicted of terrorist-related offences between
1998 and 2015, according to research by the Henry Jackson Society think tank.
Followers
of his group were linked to:
The
2005 suicide attack on London's transport network that killed 52 people
The
murder of British soldier Lee Rigby who was run over and stabbed by two men
ISIS
executions in Syria of “spies” for Britain
The
2017 London Bridge attack when extremists killed eight people after mowing down
pedestrians with a van
Choudary
is expected to be released this week. It is understood he will be forced to
live in a probation hostel in London but away from his former stronghold in the
east of the capital.
He
was once a rallying point at protests and rallies for disaffected young men who
flocked to events he hosted with Al Muhajiroun’s spiritual leader and
co-founder Omar Bakri Mohammed, a former Hizb ut-Tahrir activist deported from
Saudi Arabia in 1985. He is said to have inspired dozens to travel to Syria to
join ISIS.
But
documents seen by The National suggest Choudary, 51, will face more than 20
restrictions for the next two-and-a-half years. These are likely to limit his
contacts with like-minded extremists. The restrictions could include curfews,
bans on attending some mosques, a ban on most telephone and internet
communication and a bar on leaving the UK.
Police
will also have to protect Mr Choudary from far-right activists trying to hunt
down the most recognisable figure in British extremism.
“They
face a balancing act to ensure that he doesn’t pose a threat with his hate
preaching, while keeping him and his family safe from people who want revenge
for everything he’s said,” said Harry Fletcher, an expert in criminal justice
and victims’ rights. “If they turn up at his door, they’ll be moved straight
away.”
Choudary,
a former lawyer, was Al Muhajiroun’s main leader from 2005 when Bakri fled to
Lebanon and was barred from returning. His inflammatory sermons – combined with
his legal knowledge of how to stay on the right side of the law – ensured his
pre-eminent status.
Under
his leadership, the group built a network across Europe, the Middle East, Asia
and the Americas. Affiliated fighters travelled to Syria, Indonesia, Somalia,
Yemen and Afghanistan, according to researchers.
Once
considered a figure of fun at the head of a rag-bag organisation of misfits, Al
Muhajiroun and its successors became a fertile seedbed for terrorism after the
September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
“The
lesson learned from Anjem Choudary is that extremism cannot be given any
space,” said Fiyaz Mughal, the founder of Faith Works which charts anti-Muslim
violence. “It must be disrupted, challenged and pushed out of the public space
at every point.”
Al
Muhajiroun was not proscribed until 2006, two years after Bakri publicly
disbanded the group in an attempt to stave off a government ban. It re-emerged
under a series of names such as Islam4UK, Al Ghurabaa and The Saved Sect.
Choudary’s
release after serving half of his five-and-a-half-year jail term coincides with
his number two, Mizanur Rahman, also being freed. A dozen former members who
have served time for terrorist offences are also likely to be out in the coming
months. Another senior member, named in court documents only as LF, had strict
conditions on his freedom removed last week, leading to concerns that the group
could become a renewed force under Choudary’s leadership after 2014's
crackdown.
The
crackdown followed a series of high-profile stunts by the group including a
rally in London to call for Queen Elizabeth II to convert to Islam and plans
for a conference a year after the September 11 attacks to celebrate the
“Magnificent 19” who carried out the plot.
Choudary
led the group in protests against returning British soldiers from wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. His activists burned poppies – the symbol of the war dead –
during annual Remembrance Day commemorations.
The
protests triggered a response from a resurgent far-right.
Prisons
minster Rory Stewart said security officials would be watching Choudary “very,
very carefully” on his release.
Full
report at:
https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/security-fears-as-uk-extremist-leader-anjem-choudary-set-for-freedom-1.781176
--------
More
money for British mosques amid rise in hate crime
October
16, 2018
Britain
will spend almost £1 million (Dh4.85m) to protect dozens of places of worship
to tackle a continued rise in hate crime.
Sites
including nine churches, 22 mosques and 12 Sikh gurdwaras will receive
£800,000, while a programme to take on hate crime will provide £1.5m to groups
that challenge prejudice.
A
review launched on Monday by the law commission will also consider widening the
offence to include ageism, misogyny and misandry, or hatred towards men.
The
UK reported a 17 per cent increase in hate crimes over the past year, with
94,098 incidents recorded by police, up from about 40,000 reported in 2012.
The
increase is in part due to “certain events such as the EU referendum and the
terrorist attacks” last year, the report said.
Some
really interesting detail on the nature of hate crime coming out of today's big
report from the Home Office. This chart neatly confirms the point that hate
crimes spike in relation to moments of national tension or international
crisis: pic.twitter.com/C7SFthpDlD
—
Dominic Casciani (@BBCDomC) October 16, 2018
The
government said Muslims were disproportionately the focus of hate crimes, with
about 52 per cent of incidents aimed at the community.
“Hate
crime goes directly against the long-standing British values of unity,
tolerance and mutual respect – and I am committed to stamping this sickening
behaviour out,” said Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary. “Our refreshed action
plan sets out how we will tackle the root causes of prejudice and racism,
support hate crime victims and ensure offenders face the full force of the
law.”
Mr
Javid said he had been the victim of hate crimes, even after taking office.
“I
have been called a coconut, an Uncle Tom and much worse,” he wrote in a
newspaper article.
“I
was sent a ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ letter. No matter who you are, these attacks
have a personal effect.”
Days
earlier, a man pleaded guilty to sending such letters to mosques and Muslim
public figures, including MPs, over summer.
It
is hoped the plan will encourage those more likely to be the targets of such
crimes to recognise and report them, especially taxi drivers and door staff.
There
are five types of hate crime under British law – race, religion, sexual
orientation, transgender identity and disability.
The
minister for communities, James Brokenshire, said the funding was aimed at
solving underlying causes of prejudice.
Labour
MP David Lammy tied the rise to political rhetoric, citing former foreign secretary
Boris Johnson’s recent comments over the burqa.
"The
extent to which hate crimes have risen in recent years is shameful. It comes
from the very top. Divisive, xenophobic rhetoric from politicians and leaders
trickles down into abuse and violence on our streets,” he said.
Full
report at:
https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/more-money-for-british-mosques-amid-rise-in-hate-crime-1.781171
--------
India
Kashmiri
students demand withdrawal of sedition charges
October
16, 2018
New
Delhi: Hundreds of students at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Tuesday held
a protest march demanding the withdrawal of suspension and sedition charges
against three Kashmiri students who held a prayer meeting for slain militant
Mannan Wani.
The
students marched outside AMU campus carrying placards, which read: “Being a
Kashmiri is not a crime.”
Aligarh’s
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajai Sahni said police booked the three
students after a video surfaced showing them offering ‘namaz’ and raising
anti-India slogans after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant Wani
last week.
“The
students were booked for raising anti-India slogans and trying to hold a prayer
meeting for Hizbul Mujahideen commander Manan Bashir Wani on October 12. We
have filed an FIR against Wasim Malik, Abdul Mir and one unnamed person. They
have been identified on the basis of a video recording,” Sahni said.
AMU
spokesman Shafay Kidwai, however, denied the charges of harassment made by
Kashmiri students on Tuesday.
“We
are not against students. No innocent would be framed. But the students should
be mindful of the fact that there is zero tolerance for any anti-national
activity on AMU campus,” Kidwai said.
Wani,
27, was pursing a PhD course in Allied Geology at AMU. In January this year, he
quit the university and joined HM. He was killed last week in an encounter in
Handwara, Kashmir.
The
All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) slammed the ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) for targeting “innocent Kashmiri youth.”
“The
Kashmiri students should not be seen as anti-national for holding
‘Namaz-e-Janaja’ for their friend Manan Wani. When it comes to Aligarh Muslim
University, BJP makes a mountain out of a molehill. Students should be seen as
students. If they make a mistake, it should be viewed as a mistake by a
student,” AIMPLB leader Zafaryab Jilani said.
Kashmiri
students have threatened to abandon studies at AMU if charges against the
students were not dropped.
“If
this vilification does not stop, more than 1,200 Kashmiri students will leave
for their homes in Kashmir Valley on October 17. The sedition charges against
Kashmiri students are nothing but a vendetta. It is very unfortunate and highly
deplorable that universities are now being turned into war zones,” former vice
president of AMU students’ union Sajjad Rathar wrote in a letter to University
Vice Chancellor.
He
said the option of holding ‘Namaaz-e-Janaza’ in absentia was dropped after AMU
authorities did not give the permission.
“If
no prayer meeting was held as confirmed by all official agencies, the slapping
a case of sedition against Kashmiri students is simply harassment and denial of
justice,” Rathar added.
https://gulfnews.com/news/asia/india/kashmiri-students-demand-withdrawal-of-sedition-charges-1.2290580
--------
Church
schools in India among those that 'should not exist'
October
16, 2018
Muslim
and Christian leaders in India see danger in a pro-Hindu group's demand that
the government revoke a policy allowing minority groups to own and manage
educational institutions in the country.
A
report released Oct. 10 by the Centre for Policy Analysis, a think tank of
hard-line Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, stated that allowing
religious minority groups to have institutions for their own people was
tantamount to "compartmentalization" that works against the unity of
India.
"There
is no rationale for the existence of a separate wing for education of
minorities such as [the] National Commission for Minority Educational
Institutions in the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Aren't such types
of national level regulating bodies compartmentalizing education on religious
lines and weakening the national mainstream?" asked the report.
The
Centre for Policy Analysis wants the government to discontinue the National
Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, a legal body that advises the
federal and state government on issues related to minority institutions.
Archbishop
Thomas D'Souza of Calcutta, who chairs the Indian bishops' office for
education, said the demand goes against the provisions of the Indian
constitution that allows religious minorities to establish and administer
educational institutions of their choice to help advancement of their community
members.
"In
effect, they are asking to change the Indian constitution," the archbishop
told ucanews.com.
Technically,
the Hindu group has only asked to close down the National Commission for
Minority Educational Institutions. But by de facto the demand is to remove the
provision to have minority institutions as the commission is the authority to
grant minority status to an educational institution.
Established
in 2004, the commission functions under the Ministry of Minority Affairs which
this year has allocated 2.4 billion rupees (US$ 337 million) for educational
reforms, including special grants and scholarships.
"All
Indians, particularly religious minorities, should be afraid about such
demands," Archbishop D'Souza said.
Some
220 million people or 18.4 percent of 1.2 billion Indians are officially
considered part of a religious minority. Some 140 million Muslims, the largest
minority, constitute 13.4 percent of the population, while 27 million
Christians (2.3 percent) are the second largest minority group. Other religious
minorities are Sikhs (1.9 percent) Buddhists (0.8 percent) and Parsis (0.07
percent) of the country's total population.
Molvi
Javaid Ahmad, a Muslim cleric who runs a Madrassa in India's northern state of
Jammu and Kashmir, said educating and empowering people "isn't an act of
charity. It's a governmental duty to ensure that communities are uplifted and
allowed to prosper."
Ahmad
said official censuses have shown that Indian religious minorities are
educationally poor. "In order to make India a developed nation, it has to
facilitate the education of these disadvantaged communities," he said.
The
2011 national census report showed that only 53 percent of Indian Muslims are
literate, against the national average of 74 percent. The literacy rate is 68
percent among Sikhs, 72 among for Buddhists and 74 percent for Christians.
Christian
leader Joseph Dias based in western Mumbai city told ucanews.com the think
tank's report is aimed at "polarizing people" on religious lines
ahead of the national elections due in next May.
"Catholic
institutions keep a high standard … And, a huge majority of students in them
are non-Christians. So doing away with such institutions will hit the majority
community more than minorities," Dais said.
The
country needs such skilled and professional educational institutions, he said.
"Unless there is any parallel infrastructure of that level, it is futile
to even discuss anything like this," Dais added.
Full
report at:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/church-schools-in-india-among-those-that-should-not-exist/83634
--------
3
militants killed in Srinagar encounter, policeman martyred
October
17, 2018
Three
militants were killed Wednesday in an encounter in Srinagar. A policeman was
martyred.
The
encounter took place in Fateh Kadal, where two National Conference workers were
killed earlier this month.
Over
160 militants have been killed in Kashmir since January. A total of 213 were
killed last year.
Last
Thursday, two militants, including a former scholar at the Aligarh Muslim
University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh, were killed.
Two
AMU research scholars were suspended for allegedly participating in an aborted
prayer meeting for the scholar-turned-militant -- Manan Bashir Wani. Their
suspension was revoked Tuesday.
Full
report at:
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/srinagar-encounter-jammu-and-kashmir-1369566-2018-10-17
--------
Militants’
funeral: AMU revokes suspension of two Kashmiri students
by
Manish Sahu
October
17, 2018
The
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Tuesday revoked the suspension of two Kashmiri
students who allegedly attempted to offer funeral prayers for a former
student-turned-militant killed by security forces in north Kashmir last week.
The police investigation into the case is still on.
The
decision to revoke the suspension of Waseem Ayub Malik and Abdul Haseeb Mir
came after a three-member committee looked into the matter.
“The
suspension of both students have been revoked after committee submitted its
report today stating that they did not find any reason to continue their
suspension. The committee based its decision on facts available,” said AMU
Registrar Abdul Hamid.
Also
Read | Scholar-turned-militant among two killed in J&K encounter
The
committee comprised Deputy Proctors Prof Mahmood S Khan and Prof Rashid Umar,
and Assistant Proctor Dr Mohsin.
In
connection with Thursday’s incident on campus, AMU had also issued showcause
notices to seven persons alleged to have participated in incident. While
studying their responses, the committee found that three of them were former
students.
“The
committee is studying their reply and will decide accordingly,” said M Shafey
Kidwai, AMU’s public relation in-charge.
Police,
meanwhile, said the AMU decision will not affect their investigation into an
FIR that names Malik and Mir and which includes charges of sedition.
Full
report at:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/militants-funeral-amu-revokes-suspension-of-two-kashmiri-students-5405413/
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AMU
revokes suspension of Kashmiri students charged with sedition
October
16, 2018
The
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) administration on Tuesday revoked the
suspension of the two Kashmiri students, who were earlier charged with sedition
along with another student, ANI reported. The three students were booked on
Friday for allegedly raising “anti-India” slogans and trying to hold ‘namaz-e-janaza’
(prayer meeting) for Hizbul Mujahideen commander Manan Bashir Wani who was
killed in a gun battle with security forces in north Kashmir’s Handwara
district.
“A
three-member committee had been constituted to look into the matter, which
concluded that the ‘suspension will be harsh for their act and conduct’. Based
on the evidence found by the committee it was decided that the suspension order
be revoked,” Aligarh Muslim University PRO Omar Peerzada told ANI.
On
Monday, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had demanded the
withdrawal of sedition charges against the three students while also asking the
Centre to intervene in the matter. The AMU students also staged a protest in
the campus, with over 1,200 Kashmiri students threatening to leave for their
homes on October 17, if the sedition charges against the three were not
dropped.
The
students also handed over a letter to the Proctor of AMU, stating that “no
prayers or any relevant activity was observed” and they strongly condemn the “fabricated
allegations and a systematic vilification campaign” against the students and
the university.
The
students also said that the cases laid against them threaten to jeoperdize
their career and that they are law abiding people and did not breach the
guaranteed freedom of speech, or act.
Full
report at:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/amu-aligarh-muslim-university-revokes-suspension-of-kashmiri-students-charged-with-sedition-manan-wani-5405213/
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South Asia
Over
30 Afghan policemen killed in Taliban attack
October
17, 2018
MOSCOW/Kabul
- Over 30 Afghan police officers have been killed in a Taliban attack in the
north of Afghanistan, Afghan media reported on Tuesday, citing a local source.
The
militants attacked security checkpoints located in the province of Samangan,
namely its Dara-i-Sauf Payeen district, at 11 p.m. local, according to the
Pajhwok news agency.
Taliban
members reportedly killed the deputy police chief of Samangan, among others,
and seized eight police pickups, two trucks, weapons and ammunition.
Afghanistan
has been suffering from an unstable political and social situation for years,
with the government forces engaged in fight against the Taliban radical
movement and various terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State
(banned in Russia), which are attempting to gain control over the country.
16
security personnel killed in other offensives
About
16 Afghan security personnel were killed and 17 others wounded in separate
militants' attacks in two provinces, officials said Tuesday.
In
one incident, eight national army troops, three policemen and two local
uprising personnel were killed and 13 others wounded after Taliban militants,
equipped with guns and heavy weapons attacked security posts in Kijran district
of central Daykundi province on Monday evening, Ali Akbar Nateqi, the
provincial government spokesman, told Xinhua.
He
said the militants have also seized some government forces' equipment and
destroyed the remaining, after they took control of several security
checkpoints in the district.
Elsewhere
in the western Farah province, three national army troops were killed and four
others wounded in areas close to the provincial capital Farah city, spokesman
of 207-Zafar Corps, Nurul Haq Khaleqi confirmed, adding that seven militants
were also killed and 11 others wounded in the clashes.
The
violence has been on the rise as Afghan security forces struggle against a
surge in attacks by militants when the country is preparing for parliamentary
elections scheduled for Saturday.
During
the upcoming polls, nearly 9 million registered voters, including 3 million
women, will cast their ballots to elect members of the 249-seat lower house of
parliament for a five-year term.
Election
officials recently cancelled district councils election which was expected to
be held together with the parliamentary polls.
Meanwhile,
at least seven militants have been confirmed dead and six others injured as
government forces stormed Taliban positions outside Kunduz city, the capital of
northern Kunduz province, an army spokesman said Tuesday.
The
government forces, backed by fighting aircraft, targeted Taliban hideouts in
Zarkharid and Taluka neighborhoods outside Kunduz city Monday night, killing
seven insurgents on the spot and wounding four others.
Blast
wounds 5 children
Five
people were injured in a blast that rocked Faizabad district in Afghanistan's
northern Jawzjan province on Tuesday, a police official Kamaludin Yawar said.
"Five
innocent children were passing a street in Faizabad district this morning when
a mine planted by militants went off and injured the innocent children,"
Yawar told Xinhua. Without providing more details, the official said that an
investigation was underway. Taliban militants who are active in the area and are
largely relying on the suicide and roadside bombings haven't commented on the
incident.
7
police officers killed in clashes
At
least seven Afghan police officers were killed following clashes with Taliban
militants in northern province of Samangan overnight, local police said
Tuesday.
"Deputy
provincial police Chief Khawani Tahari and six police officers were killed
following a Taliban ambush attack in Dara-i-Suf Payyan district Monday
night," provincial police spokesman Munir Rahimi told Xinhua.
The
police unit was travelling to provincial capital Aybak city after inspecting
security checkpoints in Dara-i-Suf Payyan but the clashes took place after the
unit came in contact with the militants in Zarakai locality of the district,
the spokesman said, adding that three policemen were also injured in the
gunfight.
More
than 30 Taliban militants were also killed and injured after the fighting, he
added.
Moreover,
three civilians were killed as a bomb blast rocked Pul-e-Khumri city, the
capital of Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province on Tuesday, provincial
police spokesman Zabihullah Shija said.
"The
blast orchestrated by the anti-government rebels in Kartai Itefaq neighborhood
of Pul-e-Khumri city claimed three lives, including former anti-Taliban
commander Faizullah today," Shija told Xinhua. All the victims were
civilians, the official said. Taliban militants are yet to make comment on the
attack.
https://nation.com.pk/17-Oct-2018/over-30-afghan-policemen-killed-in-taliban-attack
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Raid
on militants' hideout in Bangladesh kills 2
October
16, 2018
Two
bodies suspected to be of militants were found on Tuesday after Bangladeshi
security forces stormed a hideout of the Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)
members in the country's Narsingdi district, the police said.
Monirul
Islam, counter-terrorism unit chief of the Bangladesh police, told the media
that the security forces surrounded two houses in two separate places in the
district since Monday night, Xinhua news agency reported.
After
the first operation on Tuesday, "two bodies were found scattered at the
first militant den", Islam said, adding that one of the dead was a woman.
No
further details were available.
Security
has been tightened in Bangladesh since militants attacked a Spanish cafe in
Dhaka's affluent neighbourhood of Gulshan on July 1, 2016, killing 22 people,
mostly foreigners.
Full
report at:
https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/raid-on-militants-hideout-in-bangladesh-kills-2-118101601001_1.html
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Taliban
warn teachers, students to avoid Afghan polls
October
17, 2018
KABUL,
Afghanistan: The Taliban have warned teachers and students not to participate
in Afghanistan’s upcoming parliamentary elections and not to allow schools to
be used as polling centers.
The
insurgents said in a statement Wednesday that they will target the Oct. 20
elections, which they view as illegitimate, but that they do not want to harm
civilians.
The
Taliban are opposed to democratic elections, viewing them as an imposition by
foreign powers. The group has been fighting Afghan and NATO forces for more
than 17 years in hopes of restoring its brand of harsh Islamic rule.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1389251/world
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Bangladesh
to sign MoU with Saudi Arabia on military cooperation during Hasina’s visit
October
17, 2018
DHAKA:
Bangladesh is set to sign a deal to enhance military cooperation with Saudi
Arabia during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s four-day visit to the Kingdom,
Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister A. H. Mahmood Ali said on Monday.
Hasina,
along with her entourage, left Dhaka on Tuesday on a special Biman Bangladesh
flight. The premier is visiting the Kingdom on the invitation of King Salman.
The
memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation between the two countries is
scheduled to be signed during the meeting of Sheikh Hasina and the Saudi king
on Wednesday in Riyadh.
The
foreign minister did not give further details of the deal.
Security
analysts in Dhaka expressed their high expectations and welcomed any military
cooperation with the Kingdom.
Maj.
Gen. (retired) Abdur Rashid, a renowned Bangladesh security analyst, told Arab
News that any deal with Saudi Arabia will bring Bangladesh closer to the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) nations and during any emergency it will
enable the country to seek military assistance from friendly countries,
including Saudi Arabia.
“On
the Rohingya issue, Bangladesh is receiving direct support from the OIC
countries on different regional and international platforms. So this kind of
military agreement with Riyadh will definitely help Bangladesh to gain more
support from the Saudi-bloc countries in the Middle East to resolve the
crisis,” Rashid added.
He
said Saudi Arabia had been building a military alliance with Muslim countries
in recent years and, especially after the Yemen crisis, this demand is now felt
even more than before.
“Any
military cooperation deal should be based on a win-win situation, and if
Bangladesh signs the agreement with Saudi Arabia, it will increase the capacity
of the military alliance led by Saudi Arabia, since Bangladesh is one of the
largest Muslim nations in the world,” Rashid added.
Saudi
Arabia holds a very strong military might among the Middle Eastern countries,
and when the country goes for any up-gradation in its military power, it may
share the military logistics with Bangladesh, which will eventually strengthen
the latter’s military capacity. Rashid considers that this military deal will
give Bangladesh a “strategic advantage” in the defense arena.
As
an expression of brotherhood, Bangladesh has stood beside the Kingdom on
several occasions at different forums. This year, it participated in a
23-nation joint military exercise led by Saudi Arabia.
Hasina
visited the Kingdom in April to witness the final march of the joint military
forces.
During
her visit, the Bangladesh; premier will also sign another deal on cooperation
in the information and communications technology sector. She is also scheduled
to attend a business seminar in Riyadh organized by the Council of Saudi
Chambers.
Golam
Moshi, Bangladesh’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said: “The Bangladesh PM will
focus on increasing the labor migration in Saudi Arabia. She will also ask for
more investments from Saudi Arabia in solar power, cement, special economic
zones, and the oil-refining sector of Bangladesh.”
Hasina
will inaugurate the newly built permanent Chancery building of the Bangladesh
Embassy in Riyadh on Wednesday.
She
will also lay the foundation stone of the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah on land
Bangladesh bought recently. Hasina will perform the Umrah in Makkah on Thursday
and is scheduled to return home the next day.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1389016/saudi-arabia
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UN
Security Council asked to hear from UN mission on Myanmar atrocities
17
Oct 2018
NEW
YORK: The United States and eight other countries on Tuesday requested a United
Nations Security Council meeting on Myanmar to hear from a UN fact-finding
mission that has accused the country's military of atrocities against Muslim
Rohingyas.
The
request is likely to run into opposition from China, which has friendly ties
with Myanmar's military and has sought to shield Myanmar from action by the
Security Council.
In
a joint letter seen by AFP, the nine countries said the mission's chairperson
should brief the council to allow it to "receive further information on
this situation and its implications for international peace and security."
The
UN fact-finding mission released an explosive report last month that called on the
council to refer the Myanmar situation to the International Criminal Court in
The Hague, or to create an ad hoc international criminal tribunal, as was done
with the former Yugoslavia.
The
fact-finding mission said that Myanmar's top generals, including
Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing must be investigated and prosecuted for
genocide in Rakhine State.
Myanmar
has rejected accusations that its military committed atrocities in the
crackdown last year that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee over the
border to Bangladesh.
MYANMAR
OBJECTS
In
a separate letter to the council, Myanmar's Ambassador Hau Do Suan said his
government "strongly objects" to the request to hear the fact-finding
mission.
The
ambassador repeated Myanmar's complaints that the report was
"one-sided", based on "narratives and not on hard
evidence".
"Putting
accountability above all else without regard to other positive developments is
a dangerous attempt that will face utter failure," he warned in the letter
obtained by AFP.
Britain,
France, Peru, Sweden, Ivory Coast, the Netherlands, Poland and Kuwait jointed
the United States in requesting the meeting to be held during the month of
October.
Support
from the nine countries for the request means that China would likely fail to
block a meeting through a procedural vote. Nine votes are required at the
15-member council to approve an agenda item and vetoes do not apply.
Myanmar
maintains that the violence in Rakhine was triggered by Rohingya extremists who
attacked border posts in August 2017.
But
the fact-finding mission said there were reasonable grounds to believe that the
atrocities were committed with the intention of destroying the Rohingya,
warranting the charges of "genocide."
Full
report at:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/un-security-council-rohingya-myanmar-10835078
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4
suicide bombers among 30 dead, wounded in U.S. airstrikes
Oct
17 2018
At
least 30 militants including 4 suicide bombers were killed or wounded in
separate airstrikes carried out by the U.S. forces in southeastern Ghazni
province of Afghanistan.
The
203rd Thunder Corps of the Afghan Military in the Southeast in a statement said
the coalition forces carried out an airstrike targeting a mini-van of the
militants in Qurban area of Qarabagh district, leaving four suicide bombers
dead.
The
statement further added that the coalition forces also carried out airstrikes
against the Taliban targets in Chori Kali area of Aab Band district, leaving at
least 19 militants dead and 7 others wounded.
According
to 203rd Thunder Corps, the militants killed or wounded during the airstrikes
belong to Zarif Kochi group of Taliban.
Full
report at:
https://www.khaama.com/4-suicide-bombers-among-30-dead-wounded-in-u-s-airstrikes-06168/
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Pakistan
S.
Arabia agreed to end Umrah tax on Pakistanis, Senate panel told
October
17, 2018
ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs was informed on Tuesday that
Prime Minister Imran Khan had requested Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman
Al Saud to waive 2,000 riyals tax imposed by the Saudi government on Pakistanis
performing Umrah every year.
The
committee, presided over by Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, was briefed
about the problems faced by Pakistanis while performing Haj and Umrah.
The
chairman of the committee said he had received several complaints about the
Saudi government imposing a tax of 2,000 riyals on pilgrims performing more
than one Umrah within two years.
“I
have been informed that this was some kind of a discriminatory tax on Pakistanis
and the government should do something about it,” Senator Haideri said.
Secretary
of Religious Affairs Muhammad Mushtaq said that the rationale behind the Saudi
move was to discourage repeated Umrah by a few people only and the tax had not
been levied on Pakistanis only but it had recently been imposed on anyone
coming from any country of the world.
“However
this new tax of 2,000 riyals on people performing more than one Umrah within
two years has been abolished for the people of Egypt and Turkey after requests
were made by governments of these countries to the Saudi government,” Mr
Mushtaq said.
He
said that the matter had been taken up with the Saudi authorities in Islamabad
and it was suggested that Prime Minister Imran Khan should make the request to
the Saudi crown prince for the tax waiver.
“The
prime minister during his visit to Saudi kingdom took up the matter with the
Saudi crown prince and he has agreed to abolish the tax,” the secretary said,
adding that it was a matter of time and the Saudi government would notify the
waiver soon.
Some
senators, however, criticised the prime minister’s move saying it would benefit
only a few rich people who wanted to perform Umrah every year.
The
committee was informed about Haj operations 2018 and was told that the ministry
of religious affairs would start preparations for Haj operations 2019 in
January.
Senator
Sajid Mir demanded that the draft of Haj Policy 2019 should be presented to the
committee first, but Minister for Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri
said that the committee could only forward its suggestions to the government as
amendments to the Haj Policy of 2018.
Several
senators criticised arrangements made by the government for Haj pilgrims last
year.
The
chairman of the committee, Senator Haideri, told the meeting that he had
performed Haj almost every year on a special quota granted by the Saudi
ambassador.
“I
have seen more mismanagement only on Pakistan’s side than any other country,”
he said.
He
also asked the religious ministry to explain the reason why only army men were
required for medical care of Haj pilgrims during Haj.
He
suggested the religious ministry to seek applications for the medical mission
from provinces and the federal government also.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1439531/s-arabia-agreed-to-end-umrah-tax-on-pakistanis-senate-panel-told
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Former
Pakistani diplomat Haqqani slams China's deputy envoy in Islamabad for
'undignified' trolling
Oct
16, 2018
WASHINGTON:
Pakistan's former top diplomat to the US Husain Haqqani has slammed China's
deputy ambassador in Islamabad Lijian Zhao for his "undignified"
trolling after the ex-envoy shared a story about the Chinese government's
treatment of minority Uyghur Muslims.
Over
the past few days, Haqqani has been involved in a public spat with Lijian which
started over a tweet.
Haqqani,
62, tweeted a London Times article which said that "China demands the
Uighur Muslims eat pork".
Lijian,
instead of responding to the shared article, criticized Haqqani for the tweet.
"Joke
of the day. A person without soul and nationality is joining a groundless
attack against China. What a pity!" he said.
Responding
to the criticism, Haqqani said diplomatic courtesy usually required diplomats
not to attack people of the country where they are serving and certainly not by
attacking their patriotism towards their own country.
"I
respect Lijian Zhao's rights to defend China and China's policies, but for him
to act as a troll on behalf of those in Pakistan who called me names was very
undignified," Haqqani told PTI on Monday.
Haqqani,
who is critical of the Pakistani Army and the fundamentalist groups, has a
considerable following in Pakistan.
The
former envoy said Monday that he will continue to write, tweet and say what he
believes.
"I
am not somebody who is going to toe the line of either the Pakistani
establishment, the civilian Pakistani government or Mr Lijian Zhao, who until a
few months ago was known as Muhammad Lijian Zhao," he said, adding that he
had never met the Chinese diplomat.
Earlier,
after Lijian questioned Haqqani's nationality, the ex-envoy responded saying,
"Pitiful act of the day: a Chinese diplomat who dropped 'Muhammad' from
his name attacks me for tweeting an article rather than denying the article
from the Times".
"How
much are they paying you? You're lying like this and attacking China. I
respected you as a former Ambassador, but no more from now on," Lijian had
hit back.
"I
just tweeted an article from the London Times with a question mark. And the
article said that Uighurs in a re-education camps in China were being forced to
eat pork. It was a news story that has appeared in many other newspapers. He
decided to attack me for tweeting it and by calling me a person without a
nationality and a soul," Haqqani said on Monday.
"Firstly,
I do have a nationality and secondly, as far as having soul is concerned, I
thought atheist didn't believe in the notion of soul," said Haqqani who is
now associated with the Hudson Institute, a top American think-tank.
Over
the past few days, the Chinese diplomat has been slammed on twitter for
attacking Haqqani and not responding to the news story on Uighurs.
"He's
a Pakistani national, which is a sovereign country. What kind of a diplomat
gives out statements against the citizens of a host country? Kindly respond to
the queries raised on your country's policies without insulting Pakistani
citizens. We are a nation with diverse views," tweeted a user Marvi
Sirmed.
"PRC
ambassador to Pakistan attacking senior Hudson Institute researcher/former
Pakistan ambassador to the US for retweeting story about PRC forcing Uighurs to
eat pork," tweeted another follower Matt Schrader.
Around
one million minority Uighur Muslims have reportedly been sent into detention
and indoctrination centres in Xinjing region during a surveillance and security
campaign run by the Chinese government.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/former-pakistani-diplomat-haqqani-slams-chinas-deputy-envoy-in-islamabad-for-undignified-trolling/articleshow/66232499.cms
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Interim
bail of ex-president Zardari, others extended for third time
October
17, 2018
KARACHI:
A banking court extended for a third time the interim pre-arrest bail of former
president and Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Zardari and his sister
Faryal Talpur in a money laundering case on Tuesday.
The
bail of 11 other suspects was also extended till Nov 13.
Both
Mr Zardari and Ms Talpur appeared before the banking court. Former Pakistan
Stock Exchange chairman Hussain Lawai was also produced from prison.
The
Federal Investigation Agency booked them along with several bankers and
businessmen in a case pertaining to money laundering of Rs4.14 billion through
‘fake’ bank accounts in the Summit Bank, Sindh Bank and United Bank Limited.
The
link judge while adjourning the matter extended the interim bail granted to Mr
Zardari, Ms Talpur and around 11 others, including Zain Malik, the son-in-law
of real estate tycoon Malik Riaz and three sons of Anwar Majeed, till Nov 13.
The
court also reissued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of five absconding
suspects, including UAE national Nasser Abdulla Hussain Lootah, directing the
investigating officer to arrest and produce them on the next date of hearing.
Earlier,
the PPP co-chairman and his sister reached the court amid tight security. Other
party leaders including Imtiaz Shaikh, Nasir Shah, Nadia Gabol and others were
also present.
The
jail superintendent informed the court that another detained banker, Taha Raza,
could not be produced since he had got his right knee fractured as he slipped
in the prison on Oct 12.
He
further informed the court that detained businessman Anwar Majeed, who is
widely believed to be a close friend of Mr Zardari, could also not be produced
since he had been shifted from jail to a hospital because of his ailment.
Defence
counsel Shaukat Hayat complained that suspect Raza had been examined by a team
of orthopaedic surgeons of the Civil Hospital Karachi, who had suggested his
immediate surgery, but the prison authorities were not shifting him to the
hospital outside the jail due to which his condition was deteriorating.
Initially,
the FIA detained Lawai and Raza in July for allegedly facilitating opening of
29 ‘fake’ bank accounts in three private banks. One such bank account
maintained in Summit Bank was used for suspicious transactions to several
business entities, including M/s Zardari Group, M/s Omni Group and others.
Full
report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1439458/interim-bail-of-ex-president-zardari-others-extended-for-third-time
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ISI
given another month to complete ‘minor work’ to clear Khayaban-i-Suharwardy
Nasir
Iqbal
October
17, 2018
ISLAMABAD:
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been given another four weeks to clear a
blocked portion of Khayaban-i-Suharwardy in front of its headquarters.
The
direction was issued by a three-member Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice
Man Saqib Nisar, after Director Legal Defence Brig Falak Naz sought time,
saying that while the major work of removing infrastructure and sensitive
devices had been completed, minor work still required more time.
On
July 6, the SC granted two months to open the road at the Aabpara junction. The
ISI had closed off the road in 2008 after terrorist attacks on several
important government buildings.
The
chief justice recalled that ISI Counter Intelligence Director General Gen Faiz
Hameed had appeared in person and assured the court that the encroachments
would be cleared in two months. He observed that the ISI was an organised
institution and should have cleared the road by now.
Justice
Nisar also cited an example of a statue of Gandhi that was erected at such a
place that it obstructed traffic. The Indian Supreme Court had intervened and
ordered the removal of the statue to clear the road.
“Such
is the sanctity of the right to movement,” he observed, adding that he needed
to see the road restored.
He
also asked Mr Naz to establish a bombproof edifice around the ISI headquarters,
or move them elsewhere. He recalled an earlier SC direction to remove
encroachments from all the roads in the capital, and observed that the court
would ensure the supremacy of the law at all costs.
In
response to Mr Naz’ statement that the majority of the work had been carried
out and time was needed for minor things, the chief justice asked what good an
empty road served if it could not be used.
In
its order, the SC recalled that the counter intelligence director general
appeared before the court and undertook to remove the encroachments in eight
weeks, and stated that Mr Naz had assured the court that substantial progress
had been made including the removal of security walls. The court then granted a
month for removal.
Banigala
The
same bench also said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Imran Khan would be the
first to pay the penalty when his Banigala residence is regularised, and called
him a whistle-blower who highlighted unchecked construction in the area.
The
chief justice also ordered the constitution of a high-powered committee
consisting of Capital Development Authority Chairman Latif Akbar, the housing,
environment, interior, local government and climate change secretaries and the
Environment Protection Agency director general to devise a solution to
regularise unchecked construction in Banigala.
Justice
Nisar observed that almost 50 days have passed since the new government was
formed, and the regularisation of the area should have been carried out on a
war footing since Mr Khan, being the head of the executive, was in charge.
He
said it was not the courts’ task to intervene in every matter, and regretted
the lack of town planning that has resulted in unchecked housing societies
discharging effluents and sewage into Rawal Lake and nearby nullahs.
For
illegal construction on the bed of Korang Nullah, the SC ordered the regularisation
of compoundable infrastructure, but not that which was constructed on the
riverbed in violation of the law.
Additional
Attorney General Nayyar Abbas Rizvi told the court that a 12 kilometre wall
will be constructed around Banigala, 4km of which has already been built. It
will be expanded by another 4km by November, and 100,000 saplings have also
been planted, he said.
Funds
to complete the wall have not been released, Mr Rizvi said, adding that five
companies were responsible for encroachment in the area.
The
Banigala case was taken up on a letter written by Imran Khan inviting the
court’s attention towards unchecked and unplanned construction in the area,
massive denuding due to large-scale tree felling and pollution of Rawal Lake by
sewage.
Mr
Khan had said that in the 15 years he had lived in Banigala, the botanical
gardens from the Korang Road side had been nearly halved because of unchecked
encroachment and the rapid depletion of greenery, as well as a number of
multi-storey commercial buildings.
Full
report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1439478/isi-given-another-month-to-complete-minor-work-to-clear-khayaban-i-suharwardy
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Pakistan
elected as OIC Water Council member for two-year tenure
Oct
17, 2018
SLAMABAD:
The Conference of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ministers
for Water during its fourth session held at Cairo on Tuesday elected Pakistan
as a member to the OIC Water Council for the years 2019 and 2020.
Pakistan
was also elected as vice chairman to the Islamic Conference of Ministers
Responsible for Water (ICMW) Bureau, a message received here from Cairo on
Tuesday said.
In
his statement to the plenary session, Ambassador of Pakistan to Egypt, Mushtaq
Ali Shah highlighted the importance that the government of Prime Minister (PM)
Imran Khan attached to sustainable water management and conservation and
reaffirmed the country’s desire to share its expertise and experience with
brotherly Islamic countries.
The
conference called upon member states and their research institutions to share
their respective experiences in the field of water resource management and also
encouraged other OIC organs such as the IDB to promote cooperation with member
states.
The
participating delegates pointed out the various challenges facing their
countries and the measures taken to address those challenges as well as, their
expectations from effective and expeditious implementation of the OIC Water
Vision.
Full
report at:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/10/16/pakistan-elected-as-oic-water-council-member-for-two-year-tenure/
--------
14
Iranian security personnel ‘kidnapped’ near Pakistan border
Oct
17, 2018
TEHRAN:
Fourteen Iranian security personnel, including Revolutionary Guards
intelligence officers, were allegedly abducted near the Pak-Iran border on
Tuesday, as Pakistan’s Foreign Office said that Pakistan Army was working with
Iranian forces to recover the abductees.
The
border guards were “abducted between 4am and 5am in the Lulakdan area of the
border by a terrorist group”, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Lulakdan
is a small village 150 kilometre southeast of Zahedan, capital of the province
of Sistan-Balochistan.
Of
the 14, two were members of the elite Revolutionary Guards intelligence unit,
and seven were volunteers in the Basij militia involved in “a security
operation”.
The
rest were regular border guards, according to the Young Journalists’ Club, a
state-owned news website.
The
reports did not name a specific group as a suspect in the abduction.
Expressing
concern over the abduction, Pakistan’s Foreign Office in a press release said
Pakistan will spare no effort in assisting Iran to recover the guards.
“Pakistan
has noted with concern the reports of abduction of 12 Iranian border guards
from Iran. Both militaries, under a joint mechanism established since last
year, are working to ascertain the whereabouts of Iranian guards,” the press
release stated.
Full
report at:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/10/16/14-iran-security-personnel-kidnapped-near-border-reports/
--------
US
must stay in Afghanistan until peace is achieved: army
OCTOBER
17, 2018
Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor Tuesday
said Pakistan wants US forces to stay in Afghanistan until complete peace is achieved
in the war-torn country.
“Peace
in Afghanistan is imperative for lasting peace in Pakistan and the whole
region,” the ISPR chief, who arrived in United Kingdom last week as part of a
military delegation headed by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa,
said in his address at the University of Warwick here. The world would not have
been able to defeat al Qaeda without Pakistan’s support, he said, adding that
the international community must thank Pakistan for elimination of terrorism.
Full
report at:
https://dailytimes.com.pk/311266/us-must-stay-in-afghanistan-until-peace-is-achieved-army/
--------
UK
MPs briefed on Pak anti-terror role
October
17, 2018
LONDON
– Inter Services Public Relations Director General Major-General Asif Ghafoor
here on Tuesday visited British Parliament and briefed the parliamentarians
about the Pakistan Army’s role in war against terrorism. He visited the British
Parliament at the invitation of the parliamentarians of House of Commons and
House of Lords, a statement of Pakistan
High
Commission said.
The
parliamentarians highly appreciated the role of Pakistan in war against
terrorism. Lord Nazir Ahmed and Baroness Syeeda Warsi were also present on the
occasion.
Earlier
addressing at the Warwick University here, ISPR DG said there was a significant
decrease in terrorist activities due to effective operation of Pakistan Army.
He
said it was the desire of Pakistan that United States should stay in
Afghanistan till restoration of complete peace there.
He
said Malala Yousufzai, a children education activist and the Nobel Peace Prize
winner, was attacked in Swat by terrorists who were against the education of
girls.
He
said world would have not defeated the Al-Qaeda without the help of Pakistan.
The
ISPR DG said world should be thankful to Pakistan for eliminating terrorism,
reminding that his country had rendered unmatched sacrifices for achieving
peace in the region.
Asif
Ghafoor stressed that stability in Afghanistan was imperative for durable peace
in Pakistan and the region.
Monitoring
Desk adds: Asif Ghafoor said that without Pakistan peace cannot be established
in the region or the world.
Full
report at:
https://nation.com.pk/17-Oct-2018/uk-mps-briefed-on-pak-anti-terror-role
--------
North America
Saudi
Arabia is the centerpiece of US Empire’s Mideast foreign policy: Analyst
Oct
16, 2018
Saudi
Arabia has been the centerpiece of the American Empire’s foreign policy in the
Middle East region for ever, according to Daniel Patrick Welch, an American
writer and political analyst.
On
Sunday, Saudi Arabia warned against threats to punish it over the October 2
assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Istanbul
consulate, saying oil could hit $200 “or even double that figure.”
On
Monday, US President Donald Trump, who had threatened “severe punishment” if it
turned out Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, backtracked on his statement,
suggesting the kingdom might not be responsible for the fate of Khashoggi.
Trump
told reporters at the White House that "rogue killers," and not Saudi
officials, may have gotten to Khashoggi.
“Of
course, this would be laughable if it wasn’t so predictable and cynical. I mean
the kingdom of Saudi Arabia says that they’re going to retaliate and oil can go
to $200 a barrel and immediately Trump says, ‘Oh they must be some rouge
killers. It couldn’t been our dear friends, the Saudis,’” Welch said.
“But,
it shows the fight for what it is. You have either opposition, so-called
opposition of politicians in Washington, any sort of cry from the human rights
crowd trying to say, ‘Oh, well we have to do something. This is outrageous. All
this stuff,’” he added.
“What
did they think was going to happen? KSA has been the centerpiece of the
Empire’s foreign policy in the region forever. This is their forward base since
Carter sold AWACs, or Reagan, I don’t know,” the analyst said, referring to the
sale of AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) surveillance planes
(pictured below) to Saudi Arabia by the administration of President Ronald Reagan
in the 1980s.
“I
don’t remember it anymore because it never changes,” Welch added.
“The
people who thought that either Trump, the new regime you know, was going to
present some sort of anti-imperialist or anti-war sentiment was just totally
wishful thinking. He’s constantly saber rattling against Iran, against China,”
the commentator said.
“On
the other hand anyone who thinks that resistance to this is voting for the
war-mongering Democrats who all voted for this war budget – the $600-700
billion war budget which doesn’t count the interest on the military debt and
all that,” he said.
“I
mean this is strangling, or keeping afloat -- depending on your perspective –
the US economy. It is the absolute driver of everything that makes any
difference in Washington which therefore is around the world the world. This is
the US’s never-ending war policy," he added.
'US
has had the same president for 40 years'
“So
there really is no escape from this duopoly that doesn’t involve countering the
system itself -- the system of imperialism, the system of constant war, and the
economic basis on which it depends,” he noted.
“The
House of Saud has been linked at the hip with the president going back to
Bushes and before. So the real problem is that the US has had the same president
for 40 years. Not that this one president is worse than any other, of course,”
he observed.
“Successively,
I’d say that every president is worse than the previous one because we’re
watching this in end stage capitalist crisis, and the horrific choices that the
US is going to make to sustain its domination around the world. And those are
dangerous no matter who is in power. But of course the focus now is on the
Trump regime, and it’s just a sickening show to watch,” the commentator concluded.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/16/577179/Saudi-Arabia-is-the-centerpiece-of-US-Empires-Mideast-foreign-policy
--------
US,
Saudi trying to ‘whitewash’ Khashoggi murder: Fmr. US diplomat
Oct
16, 2018
The
administration of US President Donald Trump is trying to “whitewash” Saudi
Arabia’s murder of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a former American
diplomat says.
Speaking
to Press TV on Tuesday, Michael Springmann, a former US diplomat in Jeddah,
said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia was an
attempt by President Donald Trump to gloss over Saudi Arabia’s deeds.
“This
is absolutely astonishing, astounding, outrageous… you name the superlative,”
Springmann said. “The Americans are obviously working to keep the Saudis close
to them and the Saudis are working to keep the Americans close to them.”
“It
is scarcely conceivable that the president of the United States would send his
secretary of state over to Saudi Arabia and not talk tough with them,” he said.
Khashoggi
went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey’s Istanbul on October
2. Turkish and American intelligence communities agree that he was murdered
there and his dismembered body was sent back to Saudi Arabia.
Having
promised to “punish” the perpetrators while saving ties with Saudi Arabia,
Trump sent Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Riyadh in an attempt to put off
international pressure over his lackluster reaction to Khashoggi’s
disappearance.
After
arriving in Riyadh earlier in the day, Pompeo met with Saudi King Salman and
MBS, where he hailed strong ties between the sides.
Pompeo’s
complimentary tone with the Saudi king further confirms the Trump
administration’s lack of enthusiasm to get to the bottom of issue.
Trump
has pledged to “punish” Saudi Arabia if it turns out that Khashoggi was indeed
murdered at the consulate. But there is a catch.
The
American head of state has also made it clear that whatever those punishments
are, they would not endanger ties with Riyadh, particularly the $110 billion weapons
deal that he signed with the kingdom during his maiden foreign visit last year.
The
reason, according to Springmann, was that neither the White House nor American
and Saudi “weapons merchants” wanted the profitable military ties between the
two sides to be jeopardized.
Springmann
said Khashoggi was not the first dissident to be taken out by the Saudi regime.
“He
supported the Saudi government until he picked the wrong prince,” he said. “He
is not the first of the people to disappear the Saudis have a long history of
executing people, diverting people and hiding them in prisons.”
Since
rising to power last year, bin Salman has been going after billionaire Saudi
princes as well as dissident scholars and activists in an attempt to cement his
standing.
The
Riyadh regime has bagged over $100 billion by forcing some princes to buy their
freedom. It has also issued numerous death sentences for dissident activists.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/16/577207/US-Saudi-Khashoggi-murder-whitewash-Pompeo-Trump-bin-Salman
--------
America’s
Dilemma: Censuring M.B.S. and Not Halting Saudi Reforms
By
Thomas L. Friedman
Oct.
16, 2018
I
have three thoughts on the Jamal Khashoggi saga.
First,
I can’t shake the image of this big teddy bear of a man, who only wanted to see
his government reform in a more inclusive, transparent way, being killed in
some dark corner of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by a 15-man Saudi hit team
reportedly armed with a bone saw. The depravity and cowardice of that is just disgusting.
Second,
I do not believe for a second that it was a rogue operation and that Saudi
Arabia’s effective ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is very hand’s
on, had no prior knowledge, if not more. And therefore, not as a journalist but
as an American citizen, I am sickened to watch my own president and his
secretary of state partnering with Saudi officials to concoct a cover story.
The long-term ramifications of that for every journalist — or political critic
in exile anywhere — are chilling. By the way, I don’t think they will get away
with it.
This
leads to my third point: How should America think about balancing our values
and our interests going forward? The best way to answer that, for me, is to go
back to the basics. I always knew that M.B.S.’s reform agenda was a long shot
to succeed, but I was rooting for its success — while urging the Trump
administration to draw redlines around his dark side — for a very specific
reason. It had nothing to do with M.B.S. personally. Personally, I don’t care
if Saudi Arabia is ruled by M.B.S., S.O.S. or K.F.C.
It
had to do with how I defined our most important national interest in Saudi
Arabia since 9/11. And it is not oil, it’s not arms sales, it’s not standing up
to Iran. It’s Islamic religious reform, which can come only from Saudi Arabia,
the home of Islam’s holiest cities, Mecca and Medina.
By
pure coincidence my first job as a foreign correspondent was in Beirut in 1979.
The first two big stories I covered were the Iranian revolution and the takeover
of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by an ultra-fundamentalist Saudi extremist
preacher who claimed that the al-Saud family members were corrupt, womanizers
and Westernizers.
That
Mecca takeover terrified the Saudi ruling family. So, to shore up its religious
credentials and protect itself, it made a sharp religious right turn in 1979,
letting clerics impose much tighter religious controls on the society and
expand exports of their puritanical Salafi Sunni brand of Islam abroad —
building mosques and schools from London to Indonesia and from Morocco to
Kabul, funded by higher oil prices.
This
had a hugely negative effect on education and women’s rights and political
freedom throughout the Arab-Muslim world — and the most extreme version of this
fundamentalism, Salafi jihadism, also inspired the hijackers of 9/11 and ISIS.
I
believe 9/11 was the worst thing to happen to America in my lifetime.
We
can debate what was the right response to the attacks — Afghanistan, Iraq, the
global war on terrorism, the Department of Homeland Security, or metal
detectors everywhere. But we cannot debate the costs.
We
have spent thousands of lives and some $2 trillion trying to defuse the threat
of Muslim extremists — from Al Qaeda to ISIS — dollars that could have gone to
so many other needs in our society.
And
I believe that the roots of 9/11 came from two terrible bargains. One was that
bargain between the Saudi ruling family and the kingdom’s religious
establishment, where each blessed the other. The other was America’s cynical bargain
with the Saudis, which went like this: “Guys, just keep your oil pumps open,
your prices low and don’t bother the Israelis too much, and you can do whatever
you want out back — preach whatever hate you want in your mosques, print
whatever conspiracy theories you want in your papers and treat your women
however you want.”
On
9/11 we got hit with the distilled essence of everything that was going on out
back. Which is why this column, since 9/11, had been highly critical of Saudi
leaders for not reforming their version of Islam, something that would require
economic and social modernization as well. They would arrest religious
extremists, but Saudi leaders almost never engaged them in a public war of
ideas.
And
so what most caught my eye about M.B.S. and made me most hopeful was his
tentative willingness to engage in a war of ideas with his religious
hard-liners, declaring publicly: “Do not write that we are ‘reinterpreting’
Islam — we are ‘restoring’ Islam to its origins.” He argued publicly that Islam
in its origins was tolerant of others faiths and empowering of women and open
to new ideas.
He
seemed to be aiming to replace Saudi fundamentalist Islam, and its clerics, as
the primary source of his regime’s legitimacy with a more secular Saudi
nationalism — one, to be sure, that had a strong anti-Iran and anti-Qatar
tenor.
Hey,
maybe it was all just a fake to cover for a power grab and win Western support.
But a lot of young Saudis I spoke to thought it was real and wanted more of it.
On this question of Saudi Arabia’s most toxic export that had affected America
and the whole world — jihadi Islamism — M.B.S. was doing and saying stuff that
had real promise.
As
veteran U.S. Middle East negotiator Dennis Ross recently pointed out in an
essay in The Washington Post: “M.B.S.’s appointment of Muhammad al-Issa as the
head of the World Muslim League has sent a powerful new message of tolerance
and rejection of radical Islamist teachings. His visit to the U.S. Holocaust
Museum, his commitment to interfaith dialogue and his calls for peace mark a
significant departure from his predecessors.”
But
now M.B.S.’s government also has Jamal’s blood on its hands. Should we all
overlook that as President Trump is doing? We must not, and, in fact, we
cannot.
For
starters, I believe that the promise of M.B.S., however much you did or did not
think he could bring social, economic and religious reform, is finished. He’s
made himself radioactive — absent a credible, independent exoneration for
Jamal’s disappearance and apparent murder. M.B.S. may be able to hold onto
power in Saudi Arabia, but his whole reform program required direct foreign
investment — and money has been flowing out of Saudi Arabia for months, not in.
Now it will get worse.
Yes,
I covered the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre. I know that money has
a short memory. But Saudi Arabia is not China. There has been just way too much
craziness coming out of the M.B.S. government for many investors to want to
make long-term bets there today, which is too bad. It will weaken any hopes of
future reform.
And
here’s one more complication. Even if M.B.S. were pushed aside, if you think
there are a 100 Saudi royals with the steel, cunning and ruthlessness he had to
push through women driving, removing the Islamic police from the streets and
reopening cinemas, you are wrong. There are not. All of these reforms had
intense conservative opponents. This is not Denmark, and yet, without sweeping
social, economic and religious reforms, Saudi Arabia could well become a huge failed
state. Remember, one of ISIS’ biggest sources of young recruits was Saudi
Arabia.
And
by the way, if you think M.B.S. had a dark side, you ought to look under some
rocks in the kingdom. You will find some people there with long beards who
don’t speak English who believe the most crazy stuff about Shiites, Jews,
Christians, Hindus, America and the West. And right now, trust me, they are
applauding Jamal’s assumed murder.
So,
once again, what do we do? I don’t have a simple answer. It’s a mess. All I
know is that we have to find some way to censure M.B.S. for this — without
seeming to attack the whole Saudi people and destabilize the country. And we
have to make sure that the social/religious reform process in Saudi Arabia
proceeds — whoever is in charge there. Because that is a vital U.S. interest.
Full
report at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/opinion/jamal-khashoggi-saudi-mohammed-bin-salman.html
--------
Guilty
until proven innocent: Trump defends Saudi Arabia
Oct
17, 2018
US
President Donald Trump has once again risen to the defense of the Saudi
government over the mysterious disappearance of dissident journalist Jamal
Khashoggi, saying that pinning the blame on Riyadh before knowing all the facts
is yet another case of "guilty until proven innocent.”
Trump
Tuesday criticized people blaming Saudi Arabia for the disappearance of the
US-based journalist and accused them of prejudging the case.
"Here
we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent. I don't like
that," Trump said during an interview with The Associated Press.
The
US president likened the global outcry against the Saudi government to the
controversy surrounding Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was
implicated sexual assault during his confirmation process.
"We
just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was innocent all the way
as far as I'm concerned," Trump said. "So we have to find out what
happened."
Khashoggi,
a prominent critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and a US resident,
disappeared on October 2 after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Turkish authorities believe he was tortured and killed inside the building by a
team of Saudi operatives who removed his dismembered body.
'Answers
will be forthcoming shortly'
Earlier
in the day, Trump wrote in tweets that he had spoken to the Saudi crown prince
on the phone and that bin Salman had "denied any knowledge" of the
fate of the missing Washington Post columnist.
The
American head of state said bin Salman had agreed to "expand" an investigation
into Khashoggi’s disappearance and that "answers will be forthcoming
shortly.”
Trump
told AP that he hopes the Saudi investigation concludes in “less than a week.”
The
tweets came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was meeting with Saudi Arabia's
King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and senior Saudi officials in
Riyadh. The US State Department said Pompeo had called for a “thorough,
transparent and timely” investigation during the discussions.
The
comments mark the second time in two days Trump has vouched for Saudi Arabia's
denials of knowledge about the fate of Khashoggi.
Speaking
to reporters following a phone call with King Salman on Monday, Trump suggested
that “rogue killers” may be responsible for whatever happened to the missing
Washington Post columnist.
But
in an interview aired late on Tuesday on Fox Business channel, Trump said it
would not bode well Saudi leadership if it is found they were involved in
Khashoggi's case.
"It
depends on if the king or the crown prince knew about it in my opinion,"
he said. "If they knew about it, that would be bad."
Since
Khashoggi’s disappearance, many members of the US Congress have issued strong
criticism of the kingdom and pressured Trump to punish Riyadh, which is one of
the United States' closest allies in the Middle East.
Senator
Lindsey Graham vowed to "sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia" while
blaming the crown prince for Khashoggi's disappearance.
“Nothing
happens in Saudi Arabia without MbS knowing it,” he said in an interview with
Fox News, abbreviating the crown prince’s name.
“I’ve
been their biggest defender on the floor of the United States Senate,” said
Graham. “This guy is a wrecking ball. He had this guy murdered in a consulate
in Turkey and to expect me to ignore it. I feel used and abused. The MbS figure
is to me toxic. He can never be a world leader on the world stage.”
Intelligence
intercepts show that Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi mission in
Istanbul two weeks ago, was murdered on bin Salman’s direct order.
Turkish
officials have also obtained recordings that prove he was indeed murdered at
the hands of Saudi killing squads. There are also reports that bin Salman’s
personal guard carried out the murder and took Khashoggi’s dismembered body
back to Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh,
however, has firmly denied any knowledge of the journalist’s fate.
Those
responsible will be 'held to account'
US
Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump administration has also demanded
answers in the disappearance of the Virginia-based journalist, pledging that
those responsible for what happened to the Saudi dissident would be "held
to account."
"We’re
going to get to the bottom of it. It’s important that the world know the
truth," Pence said.
"If
in fact Mr. Khashoggi was murdered, we need to know who was responsible ... and
it’s even more important that he was a member of a free and independent
press," Pence added. "Any loss of life is grievous. Any act of
violence that claims a life is to be condemned, but this was also an assault on
a free and independent press. So, we’re going to demand answers. The world
deserves answers."
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/17/577217/Donald-Trump-Saudi-government-Jamal-Khashoggi-guilty
--------
Pompeo
meets King Salman, son over Khashoggi, thanks them for ‘strong partnership’
Oct
16, 2018
US
State Secretary Mike Pompeo has met with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to discuss
the mysterious disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as
both sides face international pressure over the fate of the US-based
commentator who is believed to have been murdered at the Saudi consulate in the
Turkish city of Istanbul.
Pompeo
arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday and sat down with the king for a short talk before
attending a dinner meeting with his son, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
"Thank
you for accepting my visit on behalf of President [Donald] Trump," Pompeo
said upon meeting the king. The details of the meeting were not available
immediately.
US
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Pompeo "thanked the King
for his commitment to supporting a thorough, transparent, and timely
investigation."
The
top diplomat also thanked the monarch “for Saudi Arabia’s strong partnership
with the United States,” Nauert added.
Crown
Prince hails US ties
Upon
welcoming Pompeo, bin Slaman, the kingdom's putative king, hailed
"strong" ties with Washington.
"We
are strong and old allies so we face our challenges together," he said.
"Absolutely,"
responded Pompeo.
Saudi
Arabia and Turkey are jointly investigating the issue but Turkish officials
have complained about reluctance on Riyadh’s side.
Turkish
investigators were finally allowed into the consulate on Monday, roughly two
weeks after Khashoggi was last seen entering the complex on October 2.
Pompeo’s
complimentary tone with the Saudi king further confirms the Trump
administration’s lack of enthusiasm to get to the bottom of issue.
Many
American lawmakers have so far called on the White House to use its economic
and political means to pressure Riyadh over the issue.
In
response, Trump has pledged to “punish” Saudi Arabia if it turns out that
Khashoggi was indeed murdered at the consulate. But there is a catch.
The
American head of state has also made it clear that whatever those punishments
are, they would not endanger ties with Riyadh, particularly the $110 billion
weapons deal that he signed with the kingdom during his maiden foreign visit
last year.
Pompeo’s
visit came at Trump’s request, who talked to King Salman over the phone on
Monday. Trump said Salman had "firmly denied any knowledge of"
Khashoggi’s fate.
The
Washington Post, to which Khashoggi was a contributor, revealed days ago that
according to US intelligence intercepts bin Salman had personally ordered an
“operation” on him.
Khashoggi
was a close friend to the young prince before turning against him.
UN
demands ‘transparent’ probe
Earlier
on Tuesday, the office of Michelle Bachelet, the United Nation’s High
Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement that she wanted Saudi officials
to “reveal everything they know” about the incident.
“Under
international law, both a forced disappearance and an extra-judicial killing
are very serious crimes, and immunity should not be used to impede
investigations into what happened and who is responsible,” Bachelet said.
“Two
weeks is a very long time for the probable scene of a crime not to have been
subjected to a full forensic investigation,” she added.
Noting
there was clear evidence proving that Khashoggi had entered the Saudi mission,
she said, “the onus is on the Saudi authorities to reveal what happened to him
from that point onwards.”
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/16/577187/US-Saudi-Arabia-Pompeo-King-Salman-Khashoggi-Riyadh-meeting
--------
Mideast
Iranian
President Asks for Europe's Serious Action against Terrorists
Oct
16, 2018
"Unfortunately,
a number of individuals who have admitted responsibility for the terrorist
attack (in Ahwaz) are living in Europe and we hope that the European countries
adopt the necessary measures in this regard and undoubtedly, such a move will
be highly effective in mutual confidence-building and more intimacy between the
two sides," President Rouhani said during the meeting in Tehran on
Tuesday.
He
underlined the necessity for all-out campaign against terrorism, and said,
"Today, terrorism is not only a big problem for the region but also a
problem for the world and therefore, all states are necessitated to make
serious efforts against it after understanding the dangers of this big problem."
Werner,
for his part, submitted his credentials to President Rouhani, and said,
"The Dutch government fully supports implementation of the 2015 nuclear
deal and is determined to enhance banking ties with Iran, along with
strengthening the EU's financial institutes, and does not allow the sanctions
to leave negative impacts on economic relations between the two
countries."
He
said that the Dutch government strongly condemns the terrorist attack in
Southwestern Iran, and added, "We, in Europe, will also take action to
chase the culprits behind the terrorist act."
26
people were killed and 69 others were wounded in an attack by al-Ahwaziya
terrorist group, whose leaders live in a number of European states, during the
nationwide military parades in the Southwestern city of Ahwaz on September 22.
The
terrorists attacked the bystanders watching the annual Armed Forces' parades,
marking the start of the Sacred Defense Week, commemorating Iranians'
sacrifices during the 8 years of the Iraqi imposed war on Iran in 1980s, in
disguise of the IRGC and Basij (volunteer) forces, killing and wounding several
people, including innocent women and children.
In
response, the IRGC fired 6 ballistic ground-to-ground missiles and launched
drone attacks on terrorists' positions in Eastern Euphrates region in Eastern
Syria.
During
the operations codenamed Zarbat-e Moharram (Blow of Moharram) carried out at
2:00 AM (local time) October 1 against the headquarters of Takfiri terrorists
near Albu Kamal region in Eastern Euphrates was attacked from Kermanshah
province in Western Iran, 570km away from the targets.
General
Hajizadeh announced later that the missile and drone strikes against the
terrorist targets in Syria killed 40 ISIL commanders and smashed all targets.
Later
reports said that the IRGC had used the home-made drone, Saeqeh (Thunderbolt),
for pounding the command center of the terrorists in Eastern Syria.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970724000844
--------
Israeli
policewoman shoots, seriously injures Palestinian for ‘fun’
Oct
16, 2018
An
Israeli policewoman has been arrested on suspicion of opening fire at a
Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank, and critically wounding him as a
“dubious form of entertainment.”
The
judge at a hearing in the Jerusalem al-Quds Magistrate’s Court said on Tuesday
that the unnamed suspect, who is said to be in her 20s, fired a sponge-tipped
bullet at the back of the Palestinian man, without any apparent operational
reason, near the al-Za'im checkpoint in East Jerusalem in May.
The
policewoman is also suspected of obstructing justice, since she allegedly told
her friend—an Israeli soldier who knew about the investigation and was summoned
by the Police Investigation Unit to testify—she did not know anything about the
incident.
Itzik
Cohen, the Israeli policewoman's defense attorney, denied the charges against
his client, asserting she is innocent.
“The
policewoman categorically denies that she fired a sponge-tipped bullet at the
Palestinian man. Needless to say that the defendant's face does not appear in
the video obtained by the Police Investigation Unit, and nor does her voice,”
Cohen said.
“The
real reason for the defendant's arrest is an attempt by the Police
Investigation Unit to break her spirit and make her confess to an act she did
not commit, apparently because she was unwilling to implicate others to save
herself,” he added.
Tensions
continue in the occupied Palestinian territories in the wake of US President
Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital.
The
dramatic shift in Washington’s policy vis-à-vis Jerusalem al-Quds on December 6
last year has triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories,
Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim
countries.
On
December 21 last year, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted
in favor of a resolution that calls on the US to withdraw its controversial
recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israeli “capital.”
In
an attempt to prevent the passing of the resolution, Trump threatened reprisals
against countries that backed the measure, which had earlier faced a US veto at
the UN Security Council.
On
June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, sponsored by
Turkey and Algeria, condemning Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the
Gaza Strip.
The
resolution, which had been put forward on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries,
garnered a strong majority of 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with eight
votes against and 45 abstentions.
The
resolution called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals
within 60 days “on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and
well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,”
including “recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism.”
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/16/577172/Israeli-policewoman-shoot-seriously-injures-Palestinian-for-fun
--------
UN
to allow Palestinians to have more of a full member capacity in 2019
17
October 2018
The
193-member United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday allowed the Palestinians
to act more like a full UN member state during meetings in 2019 when they will
chair the group of 77 developing nations.
The
United States, Israel and Australia voted against the move, which won 146 votes
in favor. There were 15 abstentions and 29 countries didn’t vote.
“We
cannot support efforts by the Palestinians to enhance their status outside of
direct negotiations. The United States does not recognize that there is a
Palestinian state,” US Deputy UN Ambassador Jonathan Cohen told the General
Assembly.
The
Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and
East Jerusalem. Israel captured those territories in the 1967 Middle East war
and annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally.
“We
strongly oppose the Palestinians’ election as chair of the G77 as well as this
so-called enabling resolution,” he said. “Only UN member states should be
entitled to speak and act on behalf of major groups of states at the United
Nations.”
In
2012, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the de facto recognition
of the sovereign state of Palestine when it upgraded the Palestinian
Authority’s UN observer status to non-member state - like the Vatican - from
entity.
The
status upgrade has allowed them to participate in some General Assembly votes
and join some international bodies. However, as a non-member state the
Palestinians cannot speak in meetings until after member states, diplomats
said.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/10/17/UN-to-allow-Palestinians-to-have-more-of-a-full-member-capacity-in-2019-.html
--------
Israeli
defense minister: Now’s the time to strike Hamas
16
October 2018
Israel's
defense minister says the time has come to deliver a "heavy blow" to
Gaza's militant Hamas leaders, after weeks of border violence.
Avigdor
Lieberman says he'll recommend doing so when Israel's security Cabinet meets
the following day. The minister spoke on Tuesday during a visit to a military
base near the border.
He
says it's "the only way to lower the level of violence to zero or close to
zero."
Since
March, 155 Palestinians were killed during the protests. Israel says it's defending
its border.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/10/16/Israeli-defense-minister-Now-s-the-time-to-strike-Hamas.html
--------
Istanbul
conference on Muslim Ummah concludes
16.10.2018
ISTANBUL
A
three-dy conference titled “The Muslim Ummah,” using the Arabic word for
community, concluded in Istanbul on Tuesday.
The
conference organized by the Center for Islam and Global Affairs of Istanbul's
Sabahattin Zaim University was themed "Fault lines and perils facing
Muslim societies: The challenges of sectarianism, secularism, nationalism, and
colonialism".
It
brought together 20 international scholars.
The
closing session titled "The future of Muslim societies in a Global World:
Conversation with scholars” was moderated by Sami A. Al-Arian, the center's
director.
He
asked a question on Turkey's economy to Mehmet Bulut, the university's rector.
Bulut
said: “Turkey has some aims for 2023, 2053, 2071, a millennial
perfective."
He
was referring to specific goals and targets set by Turkey that include major
improvements in the economy, energy, healthcare and transportation for 2023,
which marks the centenary of the Republic of Turkey, and 2053 that will mark
the 600th anniversary of Istanbul’s conquest and 2071 that marks the 1,000th
anniversary of Malazgirt Battle.
The
Battle of Malazgirt, also known as Battle of Manzikert, of Aug. 26, 1071 saw
Seljuk Turks led by Sultan Alparslan defeat a Byzantine army and open up
Anatolia for Turkish domination.
“Turkey
for the first time maybe after 2002 has experienced a stable situation compared
to the other Muslim countries,” he said.
“It
seems that this new presidential system will give some strong support to
realize these aims for Turkey,” he added.
Mujeeb
R. Khan of University of California, Berkeley said: "What the U.S. is
uncomfortable is the fact that Turkey [is] asserting a regional leadership
role.”
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture-and-art/istanbul-conference-on-muslim-ummah-concludes-/1283655
--------
Terrorists
Trading Idlib Civilians' Body Organs in Turkey
Oct
16, 2018
Syria's
Arabic-language al-Mahaver news website reported that body organ trading by
terrorists has intensified in Idlib city and other militant-held regions in the
Northwestern province.
It
further said that the terrorists kidnap several civilians in the militant-held
regions in Idlib each day to excise their organs in dreadful operations and
send them to Turkey by certain groups that are running operations in both
countries.
The
civilians go under illegal surgery and their body organs are taken out and sold
at high prices, the news website said, adding that people in the Northeastern
city of Idlib have "called on the Syrian Army to enter their region and
save them from the terrorist groups' brutalities".
Director-General
of the Syria Coroner's Office Hossein Noufel disclosed in November 2016 that
the body organs of thousands of Syrian civilians were sold in the international
black markets over the past six years.
"We
have accurate information that over 25,000 surgical operations have been
conducted in the refugee camps of the neighboring countries and in the
terrorist-controlled areas in Syria since 2011 to take out the body organs of
15,000 Syrians and sell them in the international black markets," Dr.
Noufel said.
He
pointed to the high prices of human body organs in the black markets, and said,
"A kidney is sold $10,000 in Turkey while the same kidney is sold for
$1,000 in Iraq, but in Lebanon and Syria the price of each kidney is
$3,000."
Dr.
Noufel said that other human body organs such as spleen and cornea are also
sold in the black markets.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970724001060
--------
Israel
strikes Gaza, closes both border crossings after rocket attack
17
October 2018
Defence
Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered the closure of both of Israel's border
crossings with Gaza on Wednesday after a Palestinian rocket attack hit a
southern city prompting air strikes.
Lieberman
ordered the closure of the Kerem Shalom goods crossing and the Erez crossing
for people, and the reduction of the permitted fishing zone along the Gaza
coast to three nautical miles, the defense ministry body responsible for
Palestinian civil affairs, COGAT, said.
Israeli
jets struck targets in the Gaza Strip early after a rocket fired by Palestinian
militants enclave struck a house in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, the
Israeli military said.
A
medical official told Israel Radio that three people were taken to hospital
after the rocket struck the house. Residents in the Gaza Strip said jets had
targeted eight locations. The military said another rocket had been launched
from Gaza, falling into the sea.
Health
ministry officials in Gaza said three people were wounded in an Israeli air
strike against an armed training camp in Rafah, in the south of the coastal
strip. There were no reports of serious injuries in Israel.
Tensions
along the Israel-Gaza border have been simmering for months amid weekly border
protests and the launching by Palestinian militants of incendiary balloons and
kites across the border fence.
Israeli
leaders have warned that they are prepared to escalate military action on Gaza
to curb attacks and protests. Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, fought a
war in 2014.
Around
200 Gazans have been killed by Israeli troops since the border protests began
on March 30, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures.
The
Israeli military said the demonstrators last Friday hurled rocks, explosive
devices, firebombs and grenades. Gaza health officials said seven Palestinians
were killed when Israeli troops opened fire on a group that broke through the
fence.
Israel
has drawn international condemnation for its use of deadly force, but says it
is protecting its borders and civilian population.
After
the latest strikes, video footage from Beersheba, about 40 km (25 miles) from
the Gaza Strip, showed extensive damage to a concrete and stone house in a
residential street.
Still
photos aired on Israeli Channel 2 showed large black plumes of smoke rising from
various locations in the Gaza Strip
An
Egyptian security delegation was visiting the Gaza Strip to try to restore
calm.
Israel’s
military chief cut short a visit to the United States and was returning home,
and schools were to be shut in Beersheba for the day, the reports said.
Israeli
reports said Israel had closed the commercial and pedestrian crossing in and
out of the Gaza Strip and had cut the fishing limit to three miles.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/10/16/Iraqi-parliamentary-blocs-exerting-pressure-on-PM-designate-over-cabinet-formation.html
--------
Yemen
minister: Houthis forcing female teachers to take part in armed protests
16
October 2018
Houthi
militias have forced teachers from Ma’ain district of Sanaa to attend an armed
protest on Tuesday, according to Yemen’s information minister.
“The
militia prepared a program for the armed protests, which included female
participants, in districts and governorates under their control for one month.
The female teachers were told to participate otherwise they would be dismissed
from their jobs,” Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani said on
Twitter.
“The
practices of the Iranian-backed militia against the citizens in their areas of
their control and the destructive policies of the educational process in detail
reveal their true intentions toward Yemen and Yemenis,” he added.
The
Houthi militias’ military recruitment of children has increased after many of
their members have been killed and many others refuse to fight on their
frontlines and on behalf of Iran.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/10/16/Yemen-minister-Houthis-forcing-female-teachers-to-take-part-in-armed-protests.html
--------
Mastermind
behind Ahvaz terrorist attack killed in Iraq’s Diyala, IRGC says
Oct
16, 2018
Iran’s
Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says a high-ranking commander of the
Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, who apparently masterminded the recent deadly
terror attack in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz, has been killed in
Iraq’s eastern province of Diyala.
The
IRGC public relations department announced in a statement released on Tuesday
evening that the high-profile militant, better known by the nom de guerre Abu
Dhoha, was killed along with four assistants in an ambush carried out by the
Iraqi pro-government Popular Mobilization Units – commonly known by the Arabic
word Hashd al-Sha’abi.
On
October 1, the IRGC rained surface-to surface ballistic missiles on the
positions of Daesh in eastern Syria, which along with the al-Ahwazia separatist
group took responsibility for the September 22 terrorist attack in Ahvaz.
The
IRGC announced in a statement that the missiles were launched at 2 am local
time (2230 GMT September 31) from the western Iranian city of Kermanshah.
The
statement added that drones bombarded Daesh positions after the missile
strikes.
On
September 22, four gunmen attacked a military parade in Ahvaz, killing at least
25 people and wounding 69 others. A four-year-old boy was among the fallen
victims.
Leader
of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the following day
that the attack had been carried out by the same cowards funded by regimes in
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
A
number of countries denounced or offered condolences over the terrorist attack
in Ahvaz.
“France
deeply condemns Saturday terrorist attack in Ahvaz,” the French Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.
The
statement also sympathized with victims of the attack, saying France is
following up developments through its diplomatic mission in Tehran.
The
Indonesian Foreign Ministry offered condolences over the deadly attack in a
message of condolences.
“Indonesia
expresses its deepest condolences and sympathy to the victims and their
families.
“Indonesia
condemns the terror attack in Ahvaz that resulted in deaths and injuries
including children… the Indonesian Embassy in Tehran continues to closely
follow the development,” the message read.
The
Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement also denounced the attack in a
statement.
Belarusian
President Aleksandr Lukashenko in a message to his Iranian counterpart Hassan
Rouhani condemned the terrorist act, and expressed condolences to the families
of the victims.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/16/577208/Mastermind-behind-Ahvaz-terrorist-attack-killed-in-Iraqs-Diyala-IRGC-says
--------
Israeli
warplanes conduct deadly airstrikes on blockaded Gaza Strip
Oct
17, 2018
Israeli
warplanes have carried out fresh aerial assaults on Gaza in yet another act of
aggression against the blockaded coastal enclave, killing at least two
Palestinians.
Gaza
residents said Israeli jets targeted three locations throughout the Gaza Strip
on Wednesday.
Several
Gazans were also wounded in the Israeli strikes, the Gazaalan news website
reported.
Separately
on Wednesday, Israel closed both border crossings with Gaza amid rising
tensions.
The
Israeli army claimed in a statement that its fresh air raids came “in response
to the rockets fired from Gaza” onto occupied territories overnight.
The
claim was, however, rejected in a joint statement by Gaza-based Palestinian
resistance groups.
It
further said that one of the Gaza rockets had hit the city of Beersheba in the
Negev Desert and the second had landed in the sea.
Meanwhile,
a medical official told Israel Radio that three people had been taken to
hospital with injuries after the alleged rocket attacks from Gaza.
The
Israeli military ordered schools to remain closed in Beersheba on Wednesday.
Studies were also delayed until 10 a.m. local time in areas near the Gaza
Strip.
The
Tel Aviv regime carries out regular attacks on the blockaded coastal sliver
under the pretext of hitting positions belonging to the resistance movement
Hamas, which runs the Palestinian territory.
The
coastal strip has been under a crippling Israeli siege since 2007 and witnessed
three wars since 2008. It has also witnessed a fresh wave of tensions since
March 30, which marked the start of “The Great March of Return” protests.
More
than 200 Palestinians have been killed and some 21,500 others wounded in
renewed Gaza clashes, according to the latest figures released by the Gaza
Health Ministry.
Israel
threatens Hamas
On
Tuesday, the Israeli minister of military affairs said that the regime must now
decide if it is headed toward another war against Gaza.
Speaking
during a visit to the Israeli army’s Gaza division headquarters, Avigdor
Lieberman called on the so-called Israeli security cabinet to order a “strong
blow” against Hamas “even at the price of moving to a wide-scale
confrontation.”
“We
have exhausted all other options in Gaza,” he said. “Now is the time to make
decisions.”
“My
opinion is very clear. We must land a strong blow against Hamas. That’s the
only way to lower the level of violence to zero or close to zero,” he added.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/17/577224/Israel-Gaza-Strip-Avigdor-Lieberman
--------
Southeast Asia
China
Breaks Silence on Muslim Detention Camps, Calling Them ‘Humane’
By
Chris Buckley
Oct.
16, 2018
BEIJING
— Under mounting international criticism, China has given its most extensive
defense yet of its sweeping campaign to detain and indoctrinate Muslims, with a
senior official on Tuesday describing its network of camps in the far west as
humane job-training centers.
Rights
groups, American lawmakers and a United Nations panel have assailed the
“transformation through education” camps holding Uighurs and members of other
Muslim minority groups in China’s far northwestern Xinjiang region. Hundreds of
thousands have been held in the camps — one estimate says a million — and
former inmates who have fled abroad have described them as virtual prisons that
engage in harsh brainwashing.
But
the chairman of Xinjiang’s government, Shohrat Zakir, himself an ethnic Uighur,
called the camps a “humane” and lawful shield against terrorism in an interview
published by China’s official Xinhua news agency. He said the facilities gave
Uighurs and other Muslims courses in the Chinese language and taught them to be
law-abiding citizens. They also receive training in job skills such as making
clothes, e-commerce, hairdressing and cosmetology, Mr. Zakir said.
Mr.
Zakir said that “students” in the facilities were provided with free meals,
air-conditioned dormitories, movie screenings and access to computer rooms.
“Xinjiang
has launched a vocational education and training program according to the law,”
Mr. Zakir said. “Its purpose is to get rid of the environment and soil that
breeds terrorism and religious extremism.”
Mr.
Zakir did not say how many Muslims had been sent to the camps, but he appeared
to acknowledge for the first time that people were being held against their
will in the facilities for months or years at a time.
He
said the program dealt with people suspected of wrongdoing that fell short of
requiring criminal convictions, and that they received “graduation
certificates” only after signing agreements and meeting certain criteria. Some
detainees, he said, were being prepared for release and assignment to jobs at
the end of 2018.
Mr.
Zakir suggested the campaign would continue for many years. The
“deradicalization” program is showing results, he said, “but the duration,
complexity and intensity remain acute, and we must maintain high vigilance.”
Omurbek
Eli, a businessman who has described his time held in a camp in 2017, scoffed
at Mr. Zakir’s description of the indoctrination centers as “colorful” places
where students play basketball, watch movies and join in singing contests. His
experience, he said, was far harsher, involving long days of marching, singing
patriotic Chinese songs and memorizing Chinese laws.
“They’re
full of nonsense,” Mr. Eli, who is originally from Xinjiang and obtained Kazakh
citizenship, said by telephone. “They say that these camps are to eradicate
terrorism, but inside I saw lawyers, doctors, intellectuals, even officials who
had nothing to do with extremism,” he said. “They call these vocational
training centers, but it was really a prison.”
The
publication of the interview with Mr. Zakir confirmed a shift in China’s public
relations strategy over the camps, from silence to an unapologetic defense. Mr.
Zakir even cited a United Nations resolution on fighting terrorism to justify
them.
As
criticism of the detentions grew throughout this year, the government first
stayed silent. Then it gave sparing acknowledgments of the camps’ existence.
Appearing before a United Nations panel in Geneva in August, a senior official
in the Chinese delegation defended the government’s measures yet denied that
they amounted to mass detention.
But
Mr. Zakir’s comments marked the first full-throated defense of the
indoctrination program, which grew out of policies launched by Xi Jinping,
China’s president and Communist Party chief.
Last
week, the Xinjiang government issued amended rules for its “deradicalization”
program that for the first time gave clear public authorization for the
indoctrination camps.
On
Tuesday evening, China’s main state television network, CCTV, broadcast a
current affairs program in prime time that praised the camps and depicted them
as caring, happy places. It showed a class of Uighur students reading out a
Chinese lesson titled, “I am a law-abiding citizen.”
“After
a year plus of denial, the Communist Party has decided to get out in front of
the story, and put forward its own view over the legality and the nature of
these detention camps,” James Leibold, an expert on Xinjiang at La Trobe
University in Australia, said by email. “The party’s central leadership now
seems determined to ‘standardize’ and ‘legalize’ their approach.”
Mr.
Zakir’s comments appeared to be part of China’s preparations for an
international meeting that could put the camps under further scrutiny. At a
meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in early November, foreign
governments will have a chance to question officials from Beijing about the
detention program and other intrusive security measures affecting Muslim
minorities.
“This
meeting is a very important occasion to raise the camp issue,” Dolkun Isa, the
president of the World Uyghur Congress, an exile group based in Germany, said
by telephone. (Uyghur is an alternative spelling of Uighur.) “China has denied
the camps, but now it’s something that they just cannot hide.”
Western
governments have indicated that Xinjiang will be a priority at the Human Rights
Council meeting in Geneva.
“We
are deeply concerned by credible reports pointing to a serious deterioration of
the human rights situation” in Xinjiang, Federica Mogherini, the European
Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, told the
European Parliament earlier this month.
Last
week, a bipartisan panel in Washington issued a report condemning the
indoctrination camps. Lawmakers on the panel, including Senator Marco Rubio,
proposed legislation that would punish China for the detention program.
“In
China, the government is engaged in the persecution of religious and ethnic
minorities that is straight out of George Orwell,” Nikki Haley, who recently
announced that she was stepping down as the United States ambassador to the
United Nations, said on Monday, according to Fox News. “It is the largest
internment of civilians in the world today.”
But
Mr. Zakir’s account indicated that China would maintain that the camps have
strong backing in law. Up until 2014, China was beset by a string of violent
attacks and riots involving discontented Uighurs.
“Now
Xinjiang is not only beautiful,” Mr. Zakir said, “it’s also very safe and
stable.”
Still,
Chinese officials have not given foreign diplomats or journalists access to the
camps, nor have they said how many people they hold. Hu Xijin, a prominent
editor of Global Times, a brashly nationalist Chinese newspaper, said on Monday
that he knew the number, and denied it was a million.
Rights
groups said the existence of the camps exemplified the Communist Party’s use of
legal justifications as a sweeping cloak for measures that betray China’s own
guarantees of rights and procedural protections, as well as international law.
“The
Xinjiang authorities’ clumsy justifications for these camps only serve to
illustrate what ‘the rule of law’ in China means,” said Maya Wang, a China
researcher for Human Rights Watch. “The party bends it to its will and uses it
as a weapon against perceived political enemies.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/world/asia/china-muslim-camps-xinjiang-uighurs.html
--------
Buddhist
dad wins bid to annul kids’ conversion to Islam
Ho
Kit Yen
October
16, 2018
KUALA
LUMPUR: The High Court here today allowed a Buddhist father to quash the
unilateral conversion of his children to Islam by their mother.
Justice
Azizah Nawawi, in a brief judgment, said the court was bound to revoke the
children’s conversion to Islam based on the ruling on kindergarten teacher M
Indira Gandhi earlier this year.
Indira
had succeeded in her bid to annul the conversion of her three children to Islam
by her former husband, a Muslim convert.
Azizah
made no order to costs in the case today.
The
court also dismissed a stay bid by Sulaiman Abdullah, the lawyer for the
Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department’s (Jawi) registrar for new
converts, to halt the annulment of the children’s conversion certificates.
“I’m
sorry, there is no legal basis for a stay,” Azizah said.
The
father in question filed a legal challenge in 2016, seeking to quash the
unilateral conversion of his two children to Islam.
He
also sought a declaration that the children’s certificates of conversion to
Islam were null and void, and that they were unlawfully converted.
He
claimed his former wife had converted the children to Islam with the intention
of getting custody of them.
The
woman converted to Islam in December 2015 while she and her former husband were
in the midst of a divorce.
She
converted the children at the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department
in May 2016.
The
divorce proceedings were finalised in April this year.
The
mother initially obtained custody of the children but was ordered to surrender
them to their father last month by the Court of Appeal.
Speaking
to reporters outside the court, lawyer Zulkifli Che Yong, who is appearing for
the Jawi muallaf registrar, and the mother’s lawyer, Rohani Ibrahim, said they
would be appealing against the decision to revoke the children’s conversion to
Islam.
Rohani
also said the mother had filed an application for leave to appeal to the
Federal Court on losing her custody rights over the children.
Full
report at:
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/10/16/buddhist-dad-wins-bid-to-annul-kids-conversion-to-islam/
--------
'United'
Muslim, Christians mark Marawi's liberation
October
16, 2018
Last
year's five-month conflict in the southern Philippine city of Marawi destroyed
structures, but not relationships between Christians and Muslims.
This
was the assurance Catholic and Muslim leaders gave the people of Marawi as they
marked the first anniversary on Oct. 15 of the city's liberation from extremist
gunmen.
"The
conflict has actually strengthened the bond among the people," said Father
Ramonito Torres, vicar-general of the Prelature of St. Mary's in Marawi.
The
priest said the conflict brought Christians and Muslims "closer"
because of the "mutual feeling of having gone through the same
struggle."
The
people, however, are appealing to the government to listen to the communities
still displaced as a result of the fighting.
"Let
our voices be heard," said Jalilah Hadji Sapiin, a community leader in the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
"What
do we want as people of Marawi? We want to go home," she said.
Sapiin
decried what she described was the "lack of a solid framework" for
the rehabilitation of the devastated city.
"[The
government] doesn't have a concrete plan," she said. "I don't
understand. It always asks us what we want ... but what we say is not heard,"
she said.
Almost
half a million people were displaced by the conflict that erupted in the
predominantly Muslim city last year after gunmen claiming to be members of the
so-called Islamic State occupied the city.
Father
Torres, meanwhile, said the Catholic prelature in Marawi was continuing a
program to help both Muslims and Christians through the development of
shelters, food aid, and other interventions.
"Even
if the extremists try to 'clean' Marawi of Christians, Marawi will always have
a Christian population," said the priest.
Bishop
Edwin dela Pena of Marawi has issued instructions to take care of the needs of
people before any plans to reconstruct structures are implemented.
St.
Mary's Cathedral was one of the buildings severely damaged during the fighting.
An
estimated 75 Christian families continue to live in temporary shelters around
the city, said Father Torres. An estimated 35,900 Catholics reside in the
prelature.
The
government has announced that groundbreaking rites that will signal the start
of the rehabilitation of ground zero in the war-torn city will be held on Oct.
17.
Eduardo
Del Rosario, head of the body tasked with rehabilitating the city, said the
groundbreaking will begin with the clearing of debris from the worst affected
areas.
"After
debris clearing, we will undertake road network construction with underground
facilities," he said.
The
construction of 320 classrooms, 24 village centers, a convention center, grand
central market, parking areas, among others will then follow.
The
government aims to complete the rehabilitation by the fourth quarter of 2021.
Full
report at:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/united-muslim-christians-mark-marawis-liberation/83639
--------
The
mosques that survived Palu's tsunami and what that means
October
16, 2018
(The
Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and
commentary from academic experts.)
Jennifer
Nourse, University of Richmond
(THE
CONVERSATION) In the devastation that followed the earthquake and resulting
tsunami in the Indonesian city of Palu in Central Sulawesi, many Muslim
religious sites were destroyed.
Two
mosques, however, survived, with little to no damage to their structure.
In
a province where 85 percent of the 3 million residents are Muslims, the
survival of these particular mosques and not others has started a discussion
about the very nature of Islam.
Mosques
of Palu
I
came to know Palu well while doing fieldwork in Central Sulawesi in 1984 as
part of my research on “traditional rituals.” Palu is the administrative and
cultural hub for the whole Sulawesi province.
Of
the 24 mosques, 20 were severely damaged in the tsunami. The worst hit was the
Baiturrahman Mosque, where 300 people were killed during evening prayers.
However,
the Alkhairaat Mosque, and the Arkham Babu Rahman Mosque, known locally as the
Floating Mosque survived. The Floating Mosque dominated the Palu Beach with its
dramatic walkway from the shore to mosque. After the tsunami, the mosque’s
access from the shore has been cut off and it is now literally floating in Palu
Bay.
Though
it is partially submerged, its structure remains intact. Palu residents,
commenting on Facebook in the first few days after the tsunami, noted how “it
remained miraculously untouched.”
At
a time when people are trying to make sense of the death and destruction, the
survival of Alkhairaat and Arkham Babu Rahman is seen to be a sign of saintly
power and the mercy of Allah. Thousands have turned up to pray at Alkhairaat
Mosque and walk reverently past the mosque floating in water.
The
mosques that survived
The
history of the Floating Mosque is dedicated to the 17th-century founder of
Islam in Palu, Datuk Karama. Karama came from the western island of Sumatra and
preached Islam to the people of Palu.
The
Alkhairaat mosque was erected by a Yemeni merchant
Sayyid
Idrus Al-Jufri in 1930. Al-Jufri also founded religious schools after
discovering upon his arrival that many people did not have basic education. The
first school eventually became the Alkhairaat University.
The
tombs of Al-Jufri and Datuk Karama are located near their mosques, and people
seek spiritual guidance from them. The street where Alkhairaat Mosque is
located as well as the airport in Palu have been named after him.
What
it means to Palu survivors
In
private comments on Facebook’s instant messenger, people have asserted that the
Alkhairaat Mosque and the Floating Mosque
survived
because of the mystical power of the saints who “guard” these mosques.
These
comments have revealed tensions between what people refer to as “old Islam” and
“reformist Islam.” In Palu, reformist Islam includes beliefs of Salafis and
Wahhabis, who want to go back to a purer form of Islam. They see the belief in
saints as a “recent” addition to the original Islam that was revealed to Prophet
Muhammad in the 7th century A.D.
In
fact, during the early 2000s, some of the more radical Wahabi and Salafist
sects used extreme, violent methods to convince Central Sulawesians to change
their beliefs in the mystical power of saints or “old Islam.”
The
educational institutions led by the Alkhairaat Foundation have played a
considerable role in fostering the old Islamic beliefs. The foundation runs 43
boarding schools, and 1,700 religious schools across Eastern Indonesia and a
large university in Palu. All emphasize tolerance.
However,
Saudi funding, starting in the 1990s has promoted Salafi and Wahabi schools.
These schools argue that the tolerance taught by Alkhairaat was the “wrong kind
of Islam.”“
In
2000, Alkhairaat students at a school in Poso, a port town near the southern
coast of Central Sulawesi were targeted by terrorists. The region’s 14 percent
minority Christians have also been under attack.
Since
2010 there has been no violence, but even as recently as 2016, the Indonesian
government has been searching for terrorist cells in the mountain jungles of
Central Sulawesi.
Palu’s
future
Despite
the reformists’ activity, Alkhairaat’s influence in Palu remains strong. As a
major philanthropic organization in Palu and beyond, with many graduates of Alkhairaat
University serving in government and private sectors, Alkhairaat has helped
counter hate rhetoric and actions.
Some
of the comments on Facebook reveal survivors’ loyalty to Alkhairaat values.
Post-tsunami, however, Alkhairaat’s resources are likely strained, as graduates
say in private conversations on Facebook with me.
The
question is will this tragedy bring outside funds that once again disturb the
internal harmony among Muslims? If so, will Palu sustain its spirit of
tolerance?
Full
report at:
https://www.indiatvnews.com/ap/world-news-the-mosques-that-survived-palu-s-tsunami-and-what-that-means-472631
--------
China
rolls out PR push on Muslim internments
Oct
16, 2018
BEIJING:
China on Tuesday issued an ardent defence of the alleged mass internment of
minorities in its far west Xinjiang region, with a regional official insisting
that authorities are preventing terrorism through "vocational
education" centres.
Beijing
has sought to counter a global outcry against the facilities with a series of
op-eds and interviews and a roll out of new regulations that retroactively
codify the use of a system of extra-judicial "reeducation" camps in
Xinjiang.
Up
to one million ethnic Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic minorities are
believed to be held in such centres, according to estimates cited by a United
Nations panel.
Former
inmates have said they found themselves incarcerated for transgressions such as
wearing long beards and face veils or sharing Islamic holiday greetings on
social media, a process that echoes the decades of brutal thought reform under
Mao Zedong.
The
programme has come under increasing fire from the international community,
receiving particular censure from the United States and the UN Committee on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Chinese
authorities initially denied the existence of the facilities. But they have
changed their tune as satellite imagery and documents issued by their own
government have made that position untenable.
In
recent weeks the story has shifted from outright dismissal to acknowledgement
that the camps exist, with the caveat that they are being used primarily for
"vocational education" in a bid to halt separatist sentiments and
religious extremism.
In
a rare interview with China's official Xinhua news service published Tuesday,
the chairman of Xinjiang's government, Shohrat Zakir, defended the use of the
centres, saying that the region was now "safe and stable".
The
official did not say how many people were being held in the centres.
"Through
vocational training, most trainees have been able to reflect on their mistakes
and see clearly the essence and harm of terrorism and religious
extremism," he said.
Zakir
said the facilities were intended to improve job skills and Mandarin abilities
among minorities with "a limited command of the country's common language
and a limited sense and knowledge of the law".
Those
who struggled to find work as a result, he added, were "vulnerable to the
instigation and coercion of terrorism and extremism."
He
said that the "free" programmes were limited in duration,
"trainees" signed a contract with the centres that laid out a clear plan
of study and included a stipend.
Asked
about the future of the programmes, Zakir said "some trainees" were
"expected to complete their courses successfully by the end of this year.
The
comments follow weeks of efforts by Chinese officials and state media to defend
China's actions in Xinjiang, where riots and attacks led to hundreds of deaths
in recent years.
Op-eds
by Chinese diplomats have appeared in newspapers around the world, arguing that
the programme is an effective means of eliminating the threat posed to the
region by religious extremism.
An
editorial in the nationalist tabloid the Global Times warned foreign
governments on Tuesday not to meddle in Xinjiang's affairs.
"Obviously
vocational education is a periodic and temporary plan aimed at eradicating
extremism," it said, adding that criticism was "just messing up the
whole thing and creating a narrative against China."
Taking
to Twitter -- a social media platform that is blocked in China -- the paper's
editor-in-chief Hu Xijin said officials had told him the official figures for
the number of people in "vocational education" were "much fewer
than the '1 million or so' speculated by the outside world."
"Chinese
officials didn't reveal the true number to avoid falling into the stats trap,
giving Western media another excuse to hype up the issue," he added.
The
positive image of the centres portrayed in the PR drive is belied by
testimonies from former detainees who describe harsh treatment in the
facilities.
Large
numbers of families outside of China say their relatives in Xinjiang were
spirited away by police never to be heard from again.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/china-rolls-out-pr-push-on-muslim-internments/articleshow/66234305.cms
--------
Amid
global outcry, China defends internment camps of minorities in Xinjiang
October
16, 2018
China
on Tuesday issued an ardent defence of its alleged mass internment of
minorities in far west Xinjiang region amid a global outcry, with a regional
official insisting that authorities are preventing terrorism through
"vocational education" centres.
Beijing
has sought to counter criticism with a series of op-eds and interviews and a
rollout of new regulations that retroactively codify the use of the system of
extra-judicial "re-education" camps in Xinjiang.
Up
to 1 million ethnic Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic minorities are
believed to be held in such centres, according to estimates cited by a United
Nations panel.
Former
inmates have said they found themselves incarcerated for transgressions such as
wearing long beards and face veils or sharing Islamic holiday greetings on
social media, a process that echoes the decades of brutal thought reform under
Mao Zedong.
The
programme has come under increasingly heavy fire from the international
community, with particularly heavy censure from the United States and the UN
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Chinese
authorities initially denied the existence of the facilities.
But
they have changed their tune as satellite imagery and documents issued by their
own government have made it increasingly difficult to maintain that position.
In
recent weeks the story has shifted from outright dismissal to acknowledgement
that the camps exist, with the caveat that they are being used primarily for
"vocational education" in a bid to halt separatist sentiments and
religious extremism.
In
a rare interview with China's official Xinhua news service published on
Tuesday, the chairman of Xinjiang's government, Shohrat Zakir, defended the use
of the centres, saying that the region was now "safe and stable".
The
official did not say how many people were being held in the centres.
Zakir
said the facilities were intended to improve job skills and Mandarin abilities
among minorities with "a limited command of the country's common language
and a limited sense and knowledge of the law".
"They
often have difficulties in finding employment due to limited vocational skills.
This has led to a low material-basis for residents to live and work there,
making them vulnerable to the instigation and coercion of terrorism and
extremism," he said.
He
said that the programmes were limited in duration, "trainees" signed
a contract with the centres that laid out a clear plan of study and included a
stipend.
Asked
about the future of the programmes, Zakir said he expected that "some
trainees" were "expected to complete their courses successfully by the
end of this year".
The
comments follow weeks of efforts by Chinese officials and state media to defend
China's actions in Xinjiang, where riots and terrorist attacks led to hundreds
of deaths in recent years.
Op-eds
by Chinese diplomats have appeared in newspapers around the world, arguing that
the programme is an effective means of eliminating the threat posed to the
region by religious extremism.
An
editorial in the nationalist tabloid the Global Times warned foreign
governments on Tuesday not to meddle in Xinjiang's affairs.
"Obviously
vocational education is a periodic and temporary plan aimed at eradicating
extremism," it said, adding that criticism was "just messing up the
whole thing and creating a narrative against China".
Full
report at:
https://nation.com.pk/16-Oct-2018/amid-global-outcry-china-defends-internment-camps-of-minorities-in-xinjiang
--------
No
sabotage in French terror suspect’s death, says IGP
16
October 2018
KUALA
LUMPUR, Oct 16 — There are no elements of sabotage in the accident of a police
van, which resulted in the death of a Frenchman, suspected to be involved in
Salafi Jihadi ideology, at the Sungai Buloh Hospital on Sunday.
Inspector-General
of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the van in which Mickael Alain
Louvier was travelling with several policemen went out of control when its tyre
burst at KM428.3 of the North-South Expressway, Bukit Beruntung near here on
Friday. “The accident caused the policemen and the suspect to be thrown out of
the van and the suspect who was treated for his injuries could not be saved.
“Allegations
that there was an element of sabotage are not true,” Mohamad Fuzi said in a
press conference held after witnessing the signing ceremony of a memorandum of
understanding between Bank Muamalat Berhad and Yayasan Pengaman Malaysia here
today.
Bank
Muamalat Berhad was represented by its Chief Executive Officer Datuk Mohd Redza
Shah Abdul Wahid while Yayasan Pengaman Malaysia was represented by its Deputy
Chairman Tan Sri Hussin Ismail.
Commenting
further, he said the suspect was being taken in the van by the police for
further questioning.
“We
needed him to conduct investigations to obtain evidence and a search and other
things,” he said, adding that police had solid proof that the suspect was
involved in the spread of the Salafi Jihadi and Islamic State ideologies.
On
September 24, the suspect was among eight men who were detained in an
operations in Perlis on suspicion of taking action which jeopardised public
order and safety by spreading the ideology.
Asked
if the police had detected the spread of the Salafi Jihadi and Islamic State
ideologies elsewhere besides Perlis, Mohamad Fuzi said further investigations
were being conducted on this.
Full
report at:
https://www.malaymail.com/s/1683586/no-sabotage-in-frenchmans-death-says-igp
--------
House
approves religious schools draft bill
October
16, 2018
A
House of Representatives plenary meeting approved on Tuesday the draft bill on
boarding schools and religious education.
“The
boarding schools and religious education bill has officially been established
as a House initiated bill,” House Deputy Speaker Utut Adianto said.
The
bill, which was proposed by the Islam-based United Development Party (PPP) in
2013, comprises 10 chapters and 169 articles that regulate religious-based
educational institutes across the country.
PPP
lawmaker Achmad Baidowi, one of the drafters of the bill, said the bill would
also stipulate the budget allocation for Islamic boarding schools and other
religious institutes.
“The
country should put more emphasis on the religious institutes, particularly
regarding the budget allocation,” Baidowi said.
To
date, Islamic boarding schools are regulated in accordance with Religious
Affairs Ministerial Regulation No. 13/2013, while other religious-based
educational institutes are governed in accordance with Government Regulation
No. 55/2007.
Baidowi
said the new bill, if passed, would provide a stronger legal basis than
existing regulations.
He
went on to say that the House will soon set the timeline for the bill's
deliberation.
Full
report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/10/16/house-approves-religious-schools-draft-bill.html
--------
Arab World
Muslims
defied the Islamic State to save two ancient Christian manuscripts in Mosul
10/09/2018
Mosul
(AsiaNews) – A Muslim family hid for three years two ancient Syriac Orthodox
books in Mosul during the city’s occupation by the Islamic State (IS) group to
prevent their destruction at the latter’s hands. They did so, putting their own
lives at risk. Their courage and action show that Mosul and Iraq can be rebuilt
and reborn on the basis of unity and coexistence of its various groups, above
all Christians and Muslims.
Upon
the city’s liberation, the manuscripts’ protectors handed them over to a representative
of the Chaldean community in Erbil but asked that their identity be protected
because “sleeper cells” still exist in the city, ready to exact vengeance.
Fr
Paulos Thabit Mekko spoke to AsiaNews about this story. He is now the
repository of the two precious manuscripts (pictured) until they can be
returned to their rightful owners.
"Recently
a Chaldean from Mosul contacted me saying that he had a Muslim neighbour from
the time he lived in the city 20 years ago,” said the priest. The family of the
Muslim man, who can trace his ancestry back to ancient Mesopotamia, and his
“have been friends for a long time” despite the distance and the violence by
IS.
In
2015, when the city was under the latter’s control, the Muslim man, who is the
head of the family, went with a relative to an area near the Chaldean monastery
of St Michael.
"One
day the man saw a lorry dump some rubbish. He was in the area looking for some
wood to cook and heat his home. Among the refuse, he found a couple of
manuscripts in ancient Syriac script and thought they might be of some value.”
Despite
the danger, he took them and hid them in his home. “He was scared because he
knew he could be killed if he were found out,” said the Chaldean priest.
After
the liberation of Mosul, he decided to visit his friend and former Christian
neighbor in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, where the latter had sought refuge to
escape IS.
"He
told him that he had some ancient Christian manuscripts at his home and if he
knew a priest or a trusted man to whom he could hand them over. Someone who
would not try to make money from them."
"I
went to Mosul a few days ago where I met the two former neighbours, the
Christian and the Muslim. The latter entrusted me with the two tomes. They
contain the offices of the morning and evening prayers in Syriac Antiochene
Orthodox rite."
Upon
seeing them, Fr Paulos realised from where the manuscripts were stolen: the
"the Syriac Orthodox Church of the Immaculate, which was completely
bulldozed by the Jihadis." As soon as possible, "I want to go to the
area to see if there are any other ancient texts in the rubble".
"As
he said goodbye after giving me the manuscripts, the Muslim man wanted to give
me a message: not all Muslims are with IS. Many consider Christians like
brothers and are ready to put their lives at risk to save a Christian text.
What great courage!"
For
over four years, IS controlled Mosul, the largest city in northern Iraq. During
its reign, it burnt building, books and more. It banned music, art and books
other than the Qurʾān.
In one case, it beheaded a 15-year-old boy for listening to Western pop music.
For
this reason, the economic, social and cultural rebirth of the city requires the
restoration of its the artistic and intellectual heritage, which some people,
often at their own risk, managed to salvage during those years.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Muslims-defied-the-Islamic-State-to-save-two-ancient-Christian-manuscripts-in-Mosul-45163.html?fbclid=IwAR1Xk-x0fBpOYSrhbhnZfxIgEUMD2DlLEIud7mOn9rBX6vh6HCXlJALoHCE
--------
450
jihadists killed in Egypt Sinai offensive: army
October
17, 2018
CAIRO:
The Egyptian army said Tuesday that 450 jihadists are estimated to have been
killed in its eight-month offensive against the Islamic State group in the
Sinai Peninsula.
The
military launched a large-scale operation dubbed “Sinai 2018” in February to
rid Sinai of IS jihadists after an attack on a mosque in the north of the
peninsula that killed more than 300 people.
Since
the start of the campaign, 450 jihadists were presumed to have been killed “in
the north and the centre of Sinai by (soldiers) and police,” army spokesman
Tamer al-Rifai told AFP.
According
to army figures, around 30 soldiers have been killed during the operation.
Jihadists
began an insurgency in Egypt after the 2013 ouster of Islamist president
Mohamed Morsi, who was forced out by the military in the face of mass protests
against his rule and that of his Muslim Brotherhood.
The
army on Tuesday rejected criticism from rights groups over the impact on
civilians of its campaign in Sinai.
It
says that people in the peninsula support its operation and receive
humanitarian aid.
“All
air strikes are carried out by the army outside residential areas,” Rifai said
on Tuesday.
Journalists
are barred from going to areas targeted in the Sinai 2018 campaign, although
the army organised a rare visit to the North Sinai capital El-Arish in July.
A
countrywide state of emergency was imposed in April last year, following two
suicide bombings at churches which were claimed by IS.
Full
report at:
https://www.nst.com.my/world/2018/10/421873/450-jihadists-killed-egypt-sinai-offensive-army
--------
US-Backed
Militants Blackmailing Civilians to Allow Exit from Al-Tanf Region
Oct
16, 2018
The
Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted the sources as reporting that tens of
refugees in al-Rukban camp that is near the US-run al-Tanf base at the border
with Iraq have fled towards their villages and towns in Eastern Homs.
It
went on to say that the fleeing refugees have paid $2,000 to the US-backed
militants to be allowed to leave the camp and move towards the army positions.
The
report further said that the army has sent several vehicles to the point 55km
away from the US base to relocate fleeing refugees of al-Rukban.
Almost
80,000 refugees in al-Rukban are living under very bad living situation and are
actually hostage of the US forces and their allied militants.
The
Arabic-language al-Watan, a state-run daily, quoted well-informed sources as
reporting earlier today that the "US occupiers" in al-Tanf base at
border with Iraq have started recruiting a large number of young men from
al-Rukban refugee camp.
It
went on to say that the US move is aimed at stretching a security belt around
al-Tanf base and al-Rukban camp, adding that a sum of $600 monthly salary has
been promised to the fresh forces.
The
paper further said that the US forces will train the newly-recruited men who
will later wear US military uniform.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970724000937
--------
Are
ex-ISIS fighters joining Popular Mobilization Unit militias in Iraq?
16
October 2018
A
few ex-ISIS fighters joined the Popular Mobilization Unit militias (PMU) in
Iraq, according to a report by Foreign Policy. As the first anniversary of the
Iraqi forces victory against ISIS nears, the terrorist organization’s remnants
are trying to exploit security gaps in some areas that are not very far from
the capital Baghdad.
ISIS
fighters were welcomed back by PMU militias, whose factions, the Badr
Organization and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, took in 30 and 40 ISIS fighters from the
Jalawla town in the Diyala governorate, the American magazine reported.
Enemies
in the past have joined forces now, with both parties seemingly benefiting, but
according to Foreign Policy, the end result is likely to be bad for Iraq.
Shouldthese forces join, factions of the PMU militias get
to expand into Sunni areas, while ISIS fighters get to re-enter Iraqi society.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/10/16/Iraq-Are-ex-ISIS-fighters-join-Popular-Mobilization-Forces-.html
--------
Saudi-led
military aggression left over 15,000 civilians dead: Rights group
Oct
16, 2018
The
Legal Center for Rights and Developments in Yemen says the ongoing Saudi-led
military campaign against the impoverished and conflict-plagued Arab country
has claimed the lives of more than 15,000 civilians.
The
center, in a statement released on Monday, announced that the aggression has
resulted in the death of 15,185 civilians, including 3,527 children and 2,277
women.
A
total of 23,822 civilians, among them 3,526 children and 2,587 women, have also
sustained injuries, and are currently suffering from the lack of medicine,
medical supplies and poor treatment due to the crippling Saudi siege.
The
center further noted that the Saudi military aggression has also caused the
death of nearly 2,200 Yemenis from cholera.
It
highlighted that aerial assaults being conducted by the Saudi-led alliance have
resulted in the destruction of 15 airports and 14 ports, and damaged 2,559
roads and bridges in addition to 781 water storage facilities, 191 power
stations and 426 telecommunications towers.
The
statement went on to say that the incessant Saudi-led bombardment campaign has
destroyed more than 421,911 houses, 930 mosques, 888 schools, 327 hospitals and
health facilities plus 38 media organizations, halted the operation of 4,500
schools and left more than 4 million people internally displaced.
In
addition, the Saudi-led coalition has targeted 1,818 government facilities, 749
food storehouses, 621 food trucks, 628 shops and commercial compounds, 362 fuel
stations, 265 tankers, 339 factories, 310 poultry and livestock farms, 219
archaeological sites, 279 tourist facilities and 112 playgrounds and sports
complexes.
The
Legal Center for Rights and Developments in Yemen then called on the United
Nations to shoulder its responsibilities concerning protection of human rights
and the rules of international humanitarian law in Yemen.
It
also called on the international community to take on its legal, moral and
humanitarian responsibilities, stressing the need for urgent international and
regional actions to end the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen.
The
center finally asked the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to conduct
a professional and impartial investigation into the crimes being perpetrated
against civilians in Yemen.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/16/577209/Saudiled-military-aggression-leaves-over-15000-civilians-dead-Rights-group
--------
Turkish
Army Dispatches New Military Convoy to Northern Syria
Oct
16, 2018
The
army sent a convoy of 10 military, armored and ordonnance vehicles to Northern
Idlib via Bab al-Hawa border-crossing.
In
the meantime, local sources reported that terrorists of Faylaq al-Sham were
accompanying the Turkish convoy, adding that the convoy headed towards
monitoring posts run by the Ankara forces.
The
Turkish army's move to dispatch more troops to Syria came after the terrorist
groups refrained from complying with the Sochi Agreement and leave the
demilitarized zone in Northeastern Lattakia, Southern Idlib and Western Aleppo
before the October 15 deadline.
A
field commander claimed earlier today that the Syrian government troops are
preparing for military operation against terrorists in Northern and
Northwestern Syria after terrorists refused to comply with the Sochi Agreement.
Mohand
Ali al-Haj Ali, a military commander and a member of the Syrian Parliament,
told the Arabic-language website of Sputnik that based on reports from Idlib,
only a part of heavy weapons of the terrorists and almost 1,000 militants have
been withdrawn from the demilitarized zone, adding that tens of thousands of
terrorists are still in the zone.
The
news agency further reported that the Turkish side is showing off its
compliance with the Sochi Agreement, adding that the Syrian Army has been
preparing to kick off the liberation of occupied lands after the deadline.
Al-Haj
Ali told Sputnik that the army is planning to launch its operation from Western
Aleppo where the terrorists of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation
Board or the Al-Nusra Front) have been conducting missile attacks on
residential neighborhoods.
He
further said that Idlib is a highly populated province, enabling the terrorists
to use people as human shield, adding that the army will use new weapons and
elite forces to counter the terrorists with the least number of human
casualties.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970724000988
--------
US
Army Retreats towards Deir Ezzur Energy-Rich Fields after ISIL Kidnaps American
Soldiers
Oct
16, 2018
The
Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted well-informed sources as reporting
that the US army and other foreign forces, deployed in Eastern Deir Ezzur, have
limited their presence in Konico and al-Umer oilfields.
It
further said that the move came after ISIL ambushed the US forces and their
allies near al-Umer and in an SDF attack in al-Bahrah region and managed to
capture four US soldiers and a number of SDF militias.
The
Arabic Sputnik further said that ISIL has recaptured the regions they lost to
the SDF in Southeastern Deir Ezzur in the last few days.
Meantime,
the state-run news agency reported on Monday that the US-led coalition fighter
jets targeted the town of Hajin in Southeastern Deir Ezzur by internationally
prohibited bombs in the last few days under the pretext of campaign on ISIL.
It
further said that the fighter jets targeted a number of Hajin's neighborhoods,
located 110 km East of Deir Ezzur city, by white phosphorous bombs that are
international prohibited.
Full
report at:
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970724000603
--------
Iran
says it has carried out 700 drone attacks in Syria
16
October 2018
Iran’s
Revolutionary Guards have carried out 700 drone strikes against forces of ISIS
in Syria, its aerospace chief told conservative news agency Fars on Tuesday.
“Our
bomber drones have carried out 700 military operations using smart bombs
against Daesh,” said Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh, using the Arabic
acronym for ISIS.
“They
were used in eliminating tanks, personnel carriers, cars used for suicide
attacks and 23- millimeter cannons -- these were targets prized by Daesh and we
significantly turned the tide of battle,” he added.
The
guards most recently used military drones against ISIS targets in Syria on
October 1, in retaliation for a deadly attack in September on a military parade
in Iran’s southwest claimed by the militant group.
Seven
military drones as well as six ballistic missiles struck the “ISIS
headquarters” in the eastern Syrian town of Hajin, about 24 kilometres (15
miles) north of Albu Kamal bordering Iraq, state TV reported.
Iranian
media said published images indicated the drones were locally-produced
“Saegheh” craft, reverse-engineered from a US RQ-170 Sentinel captured by Iran
in 2011.
Iran’s
armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, said at the time
that the strikes were the first time the drones had “crossed multiple countries
and reached their targets.”
It
was also the first time Iran had officially announced it was using combat
drones outside of its borders, the conservative Tasnim news agency said.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2018/10/16/Iran-says-it-has-carried-out-700-drone-attacks-in-Syria-.html
--------
Arab
Coalition refers Yemen’s Jabal Ras incident to assessment team
17
October 2018
The
Jabal Ras incident that occurred in Yemen, which was aimed at a legitimate
Houthi military target, will be referred to the Joint Incidents Assessment Team
to consider the possibility of an accident happening and citizen casualties
occurring because of it, Arab Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said
on Tuesday.
Maliki
stressed the coalition’s commitment to abide by rules of engagement and the
manner in which use of force is implemented.
At
the weekly press conference held in Riyadh, Maliki reviewed the coalition’s
efforts and the efforts of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center
in Yemen’s al-Mahrah governorate which was ravaged by floods due to a tropical
storm that caused heavy rainfall on coastal cities since Sunday.
Maliki
added that a crisis management unit was formed to manage the crisis, and aid is
being brought to the areas inflicted by air.
Maliki
also said that the Yemeni army was able to seize a large amount of weapons from
the Iran-backed Houthi militias, adding that the coalition forces target a
missile launch pad in Saada as well as militiamen in Hajjah who were launching
an unmanned aircraft. A warehouse used to store weapons by the Houthis was also
targeted in the Bajil district, as well as militiamen in Kitaf and Baqe’a.
“Saudi
Arabia provided 90 security vehicles to local authorities in al-Mahrah, in
addition to operations restoring hope which includes restoring stability in
liberated governorates, and providing financial support, training and necessary
weapons to security forces for the purpose of maintaining security and
stability,” Maliki said.
Maliki
added that a medical center was established in the province of Hajjah stressing
that this comes within the process of restoring stability, and that assistance
will continue to be provided in all areas in Yemen whether it’s under the
control of the Houthis or the legitimate government.
Maliki
stressed that the Houthi militias are preventing vessels carrying relief
materials, petroleum derivatives from entering the country, even though these
shipments were given permits by the coalition. He added that the Houthis thrive
off of black markets and use the humanitarian situation as “a cover in front of
the international community.” He said that the total number of permits between
2015 to 2018 amount to 32,445.
Maliki
also showed videos of Houthi militias violating international humanitarian laws
by using mosques and schools to protect themselves from being targeted. He also
showed how they plant mines on public roads and residential areas.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/10/17/Arab-Coalition-refers-Yemen-s-Jabal-Ras-incident-to-Joint-Incident-Assessment-Team.html
--------
Russia:
Deal on Syria’s Idlib going ahead despite missed deadline
Oct
16, 2018
The
Kremlin says a deal brokered by Russia and Turkey, which aims to create a
demilitarized zone in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib and has so far
held off a government offensive on the last major terrorist stronghold in the
country, was going ahead, despite foreign-sponsored militants failing to leave
the zone the day before.
“According
to the information we are receiving from our military, the memorandum is being
implemented and the military are satisfied with the way the Turkish side is
working,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
“Of
course one cannot expect everything to go smoothly with absolutely no glitches,
but the work is being carried out,” he added.
Under
a deal reached following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort city
of Sochi on September 17, all militants in the demilitarized zone, which
surrounds Idlib and also parts of the adjacent provinces of Aleppo and Hama,
must pull out heavy arms by Wednesday, and Takfiri groups must withdraw by
October 15.
The
National Front for the Liberation of Syria is the main Turkish-backed militant
alliance in the Idlib region, but the Takfiri Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
terrorist group, which is a coalition of different factions of terror outfits,
largely composed of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Takfiri terrorist group formerly
known as al-Nusra Front, holds a large part of the province and the zone.
The
HTS, which is said to be in control of some 60 percent of Idlib province, has
yet to announce its stance on the buffer zone deal.
It
is estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 members of different factions of
armed groups, which Syria, Russia and Turkey consider terrorists, are active in
the volatile province, which is home to around three million inhabitants.
Russia
believes that a buffer zone would help stop attacks from Idlib-based militants
on Syrian army positions and Russia's military bases in the flashpoint region.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/16/577213/Russia-Deal-on-Syrias-Idlib-going-ahead-despite-missed-deadline
--------
Africa
US
airstrike in Somalia kills around 60 al-Shabab fighters
16
October 2018
The
US military on Tuesday announced its deadliest airstrike against the al-Shabab
extremist group in Somalia in nearly a year, killing about 60 fighters.
The
US Africa Command said Friday’s airstrike occurred near the community of
Harardere in Mudug province in the central part of the country. According to
its assessment no civilians were injured or killed, the statement said.
It
was the largest US airstrike since one on Nov. 21, 2017, killed about 100
al-Shabab fighters. The statement gave no further details about what was
targeted in this latest strike and the US Africa Command did not immediately
respond to questions.
The
US military has carried out more than two dozen airstrikes, including drone
strikes, this year against the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab, the deadliest
extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa.
Somalia
on Sunday marked the first anniversary of al-Shabab’s deadliest attack, a truck
bombing in Mogadishu that killed well over 500 people. It was one of the
world’s deadliest attacks since 9/11 and the worst extremist attack ever in
Africa.
The
United States, which also has targeted a small number of fighters linked to
ISIS in northern Somalia, has increased its military presence in the
long-chaotic Horn of Africa nation since early 2017 to about 500 personnel
after President Donald Trump approved expanded military operations.
Al-Shabab,
which seeks to establish an strict Islamic state in Somalia, continues to hold
parts of the country’s south and central regions after being chased out of
Mogadishu several years ago. The group, estimated at several thousands of
fighters, still carries out deadly attacks against high-profile targets such as
hotels and checkpoints in the capital and other cities. It also remains a
threat in parts of neighboring Kenya.
While
some observers have questioned the effectiveness of airstrikes by the US and
Kenya and raised concerns about civilians being killed, the US military
maintains that they “reduce al-Shabab’s ability to plot future attacks, disrupt
its leadership networks and degrade its freedom of maneuver within the region.”
Somali
forces in the next few years are expected to take over responsibility for the
country’s security from an African Union peacekeeping force, which already has
started withdrawing hundreds of personnel.
The
US says it continues to support that transfer even as some US military
officials have joined AU officials and others in expressing concern that
Somalia’s forces are not yet ready.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2018/10/16/US-airstrike-in-Somalia-kills-around-60-al-Shabab-fighters.html
--------
Two
million dual nationality Algerians are well integrated in France
October
17, 2018
Former
French Interior Minister Jean-Pierre Chevènement, current President of the
Foundation for Islam in France, and Head of the France-Algeria Association said
that the Algerian community in France is well integrated in France despite some
difficulties it is facing. He pointed out that there are 2 million dual
nationality Algerians in France, and stressed that Paris should give Algeria
special position in its foreign dealings.
Jean-Pierre
Chevènement also explained in an interview with Echorouk and a number of
national media outlets in Paris that: “The Algerian community is the closest to
the French people out of all communities, especially since it is well
integrated despite some difficulties.”
Chevènement
considered that the Algerian community in France succeeded in proving itself
and it is currently constituting a middle class where Algerians are educated,
successful in their studies, and performing responsibilities and own companies
and institutions.
Chevènement
pointed out that Islam has not been a big problem for the Algerians in France,
especially since Algeria adopts the Sunni Islam. However, the Salafist movement
has affected Islam in France and even in other countries.
Chevènement
believes that the failure of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) in
performing its tasks is firstly due to the very low budget that does not exceed
30 thousand Euros per year.
The
second reason is what the interviewee called the conflict between Algeria and
Morocco on this regard. Moroccans are considered to be more connected to Islam,
for they apply traditional Islam and are influenced by the royal palace and the
ruling party. Chevènement believes that the Algerian-Moroccan relationship is
like the relationship between two brothers, but these two brothers are always
in conflict.
Chevènement
described the French-Algerian relationship as unique, and France should give
Algeria a special position in its foreign dealings and relations.
Full
report at:
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181017-two-million-dual-nationality-algerians-are-well-integrated-in-france/
--------
Boko
Haram kills second kidnapped aid worker in Nigeria: Red Cross
October
16, 2018
ABUJA:
Daesh-allied Boko Haram militants have killed another kidnapped female Red
Cross worker in northeast Nigeria in a “despicable act of cruelty,” the agency
said on Tuesday, a month after militants murdered one of her colleagues.
Three
female health workers were kidnapped on March 1 during a Boko Haram raid on the
remote town of Rann, in Borno state, that killed three other aid workers and
eight Nigerian soldiers.
Two
of the kidnapped women, Hauwa Liman and Saifura Khorsa, worked for the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), while the third, Alice Loksha,
worked for the UN children’s agency, UNICEF.
The
ICRC said on Tuesday it had received information Liman had been killed by her
captors, without giving further details. The government had also earlier
announced news of the second killing.
“The
news of Hauwa’s death has broken our hearts,” ICRC’s Regional Director for
Africa, Patricia Danzi said in a statement.
“We
appealed for mercy and an end to such senseless murders. How can it be that two
female health care workers were killed back-to-back?“
There
had been no news of the trio until last month when the ICRC said it had
received footage of Khorsa’s killing from a Boko Haram faction.
The
faction then threatened to kill Liman and Loksha, as well as a 15-year-old
Christian schoolgirl Leah Sharibu who was kidnapped from the town of Dapchi, in
Yobe state, in February.
The
ICRC last weekend appealed for their release underscoring that they were “doing
nothing but helping communities” in the conflict-riven region.
But
Nigeria’s Information Minister Lai Mohammed earlier announced the latest death
as a deadline expired and said the government was “shocked and saddened” at the
killing, calling it “dastardly, inhuman and ungodly.”
He
did not initially identify the victim but later added in a tweet that he
“commiserated with the family of Hauwa Liman.”
“It
is very unfortunate that it has come to this. Before and after the deadline
issued by her abductors, the federal government did everything any responsible
government should do to save the aid worker,” he said.
“As
we have been doing since these young women were abducted, we kept the line of
negotiations open all through. In all the negotiations, we acted in the best
interest of the women and the country as a whole.”
He
said officials continued to work to free the others from captivity.
More
than 27,000 people have been killed in northeast Nigeria since the Boko Haram
insurgency began in 2009, while nearly two million others remain homeless due
to the conflict.
Nigeria’s
military and government maintain the extremist rebels are weakened to the point
of defeat but fighters from the Daesh-backed faction have conducted repeated
raids on military bases in recent months.
The
faction split from the faction led by long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar
Shekau in August 2016 in protest at the latter’s indiscriminate targeting of
civilians in raids and suicide bombings.
Analysts
say they believe the switch by militants from attacking “hard” government and
military targets to killing hostages is the result of a hard-line takeover of
the Daesh-backed faction.
Boko
Haram has used kidnapping as a weapon of war during the conflict, abducting
thousands of women and girls, and forcing young men and boys to fight in their
ranks.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1388986/world
--------
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