Keeping Date With Tradition Of Muslims Hosting Ramlila In Muslim-Dominated Locality of Ayodhya For Over 62 Years
New Age Islam News Bureau
02 October 2025
· Keeping Date With Tradition Of Muslims Hosting Ramlila In Muslim-Dominated Locality of Ayodhya For Over 62 Years
· Bareilly On High Alert: Drones Deployed, Internet Suspended For 48 Hours
· Whether Religious Freedom of Muslim, Sikh, Jewish Military Personnel Will be Preserved Under ‘Beard Ban’: CAIR
· With Approval Of Arab, Islamic Regimes, Intel Conspiracy To Liquidate Palestinian Cause
· Munich Leaders Meeting Opens In Saudi Arabia To Discuss Gaza Peace Plan
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India
· Vande Mataram Plan Unease: Celebration Worries Some Historians, Muslim Outfits
· Malegaon Case: 19 Years On, Charges Framed Against 4; Hearing On Oct 29
· UP: Muslim Man Who Wrote ‘I Love Muhammad’ On His Chest Arrested In Shamli
· ‘Insult To The Constitution’: Congress And CPM Criticise Modi Over RSS Centenary Coin
· HQ of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Outfit Geelani Founded And Centre Banned 2 Decades Later, Attached By Police In J&K
· 'Any misadventure ...': Rajnath Singh flags Pakistan military build-up in Sir Creek; warns of ‘decisive response’
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North America
· CAIR-MI Calls for Stepped-Up Protection for Mosques After ‘I’m Going to Burn It Down’ Threat to Islamic Institution
· Chunk of NYC building collapses in possible explosion
· Trump Says Snubbing Him For Nobel Would ‘Insult’ US
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Mideast
· Conference On The Qur’an’s Role In Shaping Human Knowledge Kicks Off In Doha
· Islamist Detainees In Lebanon: Syrian Delegation Arrives In Beirut For Talks
· Yemeni Scholars Association Organizes Event At Great Mosque In Sana'a On Anniversary Of "Al-Aqsa Flood" Battle
· US Military Starts Drawing Down Its Mission In Iraq Countering The Daesh Group
· Israel issues ‘last’ warning for Gaza City residents to flee
· Israel stops 13 Gaza aid boats, sparking international criticism
· UN verifies 103 civilians killed in Lebanon since ceasefire
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Arab World
· Syrian officials attend Munich Security Conference in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla
· Saudi Health Ministry Wins 2025 UN Inter-Agency Task Force Award
· Saudi and Syrian foreign ministers hold talks during Munich Leaders Meeting in AlUla
· Royal Reserve Sheds Light On Saudi Arabia’s Historic Palaces
· Saudi Arabia gains its first Yellow Guide
· Saudi Arabia to host MONDIACULT 2029, UNESCO announces
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South Asia
· Telecom Firms in Afghanistan Confirm Internet Shutdown Was Ordered, Claim They Are Only Managing It
· Internet and Telecom Networks Restored in Afghanistan After 72-Hour Blackout
· Govt To Return Occupied Ground To Dhaka’s Alia Madrasah: Education Adviser
· No possibility of lifting ban on AL activities soon
· Tarique extends Bijoya Dashami greetings to Hindu community
· Qatar and Kazakhstan Envoys Discuss Cooperation on Afghanistan
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Europe
· Islamic School In Glasgow To Be Turned Into Housing
· Met Officers Who Showed ‘Support For Tommy Robinson And Sent Anti-Muslim Messages’ Are ‘Likely To Be Sacked’
· Interim Manager Appointed To Mosque Charity As Governance Probe Continues
· Refugees to face longer route to UK settlement rights
· Danish PM calls for strong answer from EU leaders to Russia's hybrid attacks
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Africa
· Kano Council Suspends Islamic Scholar Over Alleged Blasphemy
· Religious genocide: Of half-truths and half-lies
· Removing Corrupt Petroleum Subsidy Was A Tough, But Necessary Decision – President Tinubu Opens Up
· I Was Already Ambushed – Soyinka Speaks On Accepting National Theatre Renaming
· Sudan activist among human rights awardees
· Madagascar: Protests ongoing to demand president's resignation as police presence grows
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Southeast Asia
· All Mosques, Surau Under Jakim, Jawi To Hold Special Prayers For Safety Of Global Sumud Flotilla Activists
· Umno Youth urges government to cancel Trump’s visit over detained Malaysian flotilla activists
· Malaysia closely monitoring detention of volunteers in Gaza aid flotilla, says deputy foreign minister
· Five Malaysians, one Bruneian from Gaza flotilla support team flying home from Athens
· SNCC: Two of five Gaza Sumud Flotilla vessels carrying Malaysians have gone dark
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/muslims-hosting-ramlila-ayodhya-tradition/d/137078
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Keeping Date With Tradition Of Muslims Hosting Ramlila In Muslim-Dominated Locality of Ayodhya For Over 62 Years
Oct 2, 2025
Ayodhya: Sayed Majid Ali is a medical practitioner who runs a clinic in the Mumtaz Nagar area of Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram.
Despite his modest earnings, Ali remains a contented man throughout the year, except around Dussehra when he looks forward to a windfall.
As president of the Ramlila Ramayana Samiti, Ali needs money to host the Ramlila that this Muslim-dominated locality has been organising for over 62 years now.
"The tradition to organise a Ramlila in Mumtaz Nagar was started in 1963. The committee was constituted by Muslims of the area for the promotion of communal harmony. Most of the characters of the Ramayana, except the most revered ones of Ram, Sita, and Lakshman, are enacted by Muslim youths," said Ali.
Not just on stage, people like Jabir Ali, Shahid Ali, Mohammad Khaleel and Reyaz Ahmad run the show off-stage too by directing the epic and collecting funds for it.
"Members of the Muslim community proudly play the role of Ravan, members of Ravan Sena, and the role of some sadhus. They also become part of Ram Sena," Ali, a staunch proponent of the much-famed Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of Awadh, said.
Mumtaz Nagar has a population of around 1,000 people, with over 700 Muslims.
"We take pride in following such a tradition that exhibits communal harmony in a true sense. Every year when we organise the play, we get a unique feeling of serving, after all, our Hindu brothers are the creation of the same supreme power that has made us," said Mohammad Naseem.
"Irrespective of their financial situation, Muslims of the village make every effort to generously contribute for staging of the play. Those Muslims who cannot contribute anything for the play don't mind working as volunteers for the play," he added.
The Ramlila is staged here for 10 days, but this year, due to shortage of funds, it was conducted only for a week.
"The show began on Sept 27 and will continue till Oct 3. It is staged on an elevated cemented structure that was built by the Muslims when the first Ramlila was staged in 1963," said Naseem.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/keeping-date-with-tradition-of-muslims-hosting-ramlila/articleshow/124265836.cms
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Bareilly On High Alert: Drones Deployed, Internet Suspended For 48 Hours
By HT News Desk
Oct 02, 2025
Security personnel walk past during a route march on the eve of the Dussehra festival, in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.(PTI)
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A home department notification stated that mobile internet, broadband, and SMS services in Bareilly will remain suspended from 3 pm on Oct 2 to 3 pm on Oct 4.
Security across four districts of Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly division has been beefed up ahead of Dussehra celebrations, with police, PAC, and RAF personnel deployed on the streets and drones monitoring the skies.
The state government has also ordered a 48-hour suspension of internet services in Bareilly, news agency PTI reported citing officials.
The high alert comes after a September 26 clash in Kotwali, leading to stone-pelting after a protest over the “I Love Muhammad” poster.
A notification from the home department stated that mobile internet, broadband, and SMS services in Bareilly will remain suspended from 3 pm on October 2 to 3 pm on October 4.
Home secretary Gaurav Dayal explained the move, saying, “There is a possibility of social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp, and messaging services being misused to spread rumours and incite communal tension.”
“This step is being taken to maintain peace and public order,” Dayal added.
High alert across the division
Divisional Commissioner Bhupendra S Chaudhary, meanwhile, issued a high alert for Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Pilibhit, and Budaun districts. Police have been directed to remain vigilant at Ramlila grounds, Durga Puja fairs, and Ravan Dahan programmes, which attract large crowds, reported PTI.
Chaudhary warned, “All district magistrate, deputy collectors, police and administrative officials must discharge their responsibilities seriously. Any lapse will invite stern action.”
Officials said intelligence agencies have been put on alert, with teams deployed in the field.
An official added, "Armed police forces are being positioned at sensitive locations. We are ensuring foolproof arrangements so that the disturbances witnessed in Bareilly do not spill over to neighbouring districts."
‘I Love Muhammad’ row
The heightened vigilance follows a clash on September 26 between police and around 2,000 people outside a mosque in the Kotwali area after Friday prayers.
Unrest broke out in the city after crowds gathered in support of the “I Love Muhammad” campaign, called by Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan.
According to police, in the absence of the Maulana, the gathering turned violent, leading to the vandalism of shops and vehicles. Authorities responded with a lathicharge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Reports stated that 22 policemen were injured during the clashes.
In the aftermath, police registered 10 FIRs across multiple stations, naming 125 accused along with nearly 3,000 unidentified individuals. Maulana Tauqeer Raza has been named in seven of these cases.
Till Wednesday, 81 people had been arrested in connection with the September 26 violence.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bareilly-on-high-alert-drones-deployed-internet-suspended-for-48-hours-101759402845500.html
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Whether Religious Freedom of Muslim, Sikh, Jewish Military Personnel Will be Preserved Under ‘Beard Ban’
October 1, 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today sent a letter to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth asking him to clarify if the religious freedom of Muslim, Sikh and Jewish soldiers who wear beards for religious reasons would be protected under the new regulations banning beards for soldiers.
In its letter, CAIR said in part:
“As you know, the First Amendment guarantees military personnel the right to practice their faith, including the right of Muslim, Sikh, and Jewish service members to grow beards or cover their hair.
“Longstanding Pentagon policy has recognized these rights, and previous updates have expanded protections. For example:
In 2014, CAIR welcomed the Pentagon’s updated policy on religious accommodation, which broadened the rights of service members to wear beards, turbans, and other religious symbols.
In 2020, CAIR supported the Air Force’s new guidelines allowing requests for turbans, hijabs, and beards as a step toward inclusion for service members of all faiths.
“To better understand how the Department intends to implement the new directives, we respectfully request clarification on the following points:
Will the announced “no beards” policy include religious exemptions?
Will the Department affirm that religious rights and accommodations for all military personnel remain in place and fully protected?
“Ensuring that Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, and other religious personnel can continue to serve honorably without compromising their faith is consistent with both constitutional principles and established DoW policy.”
Yesterday, CAIR called on the Pentagon to affirm that it will protect the religious rights of all military personnel by maintaining religious accommodations for Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, and others.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-sends-letter-to-sec-hegseth-seeking-clarification-on-whether-muslim-sikh-jewish-religious-freedom-of-military-personnel-will-be-preserved-under-beard-ban/
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With Approval Of Arab, Islamic Regimes, Intel Conspiracy To Liquidate Palestinian Cause
01 Oct 2025
The criminal Trump's plan, announced in his recent speech at the United Nations, amounts to the liquidation of the Palestinian cause and the complete surrender and subjugation of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims to the Zionist entity after two years of rampage, criminality, and the violation of everything that affects life in the Gaza Strip and several Arab and Islamic countries.
It amounts to a declaration of a new Middle East, as the criminal Netanyahu spoke of. America, the Zionist entity, and Britain have worked for years to prepare the plan to be the final word for the Zionist right and to pave the way for the establishment of the so-called "Greater Israel" project.
The Trump plan does not include a clear commitment to halting the Zionist war and a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. It does not explicitly stipulate that the scenario of displacement will not be implemented, that the full release of Palestinian prisoners will not be implemented, that the siege on Gaza will not be lifted, and that it does not commit to establishing a Palestinian state, nor to compensating victims of the Israeli aggression or reconstruction.
This plan imposes an international occupation and Arab and Islamic guardianship over the Gaza Strip, dismantling and ending any current or future resistance to the Israeli occupation. It achieves the goals of the butcher Netanyahu and gives him what he failed to achieve militarily and through negotiations. It also aims to break the international isolation of the enemy entity, which has reached unprecedented levels, as acknowledged by war criminals Trump and Netanyahu.
Plainly speaking, the Trump plan is the largest conspiracy against the Palestinian people in their history, with dirty Arab and Islamic complicity. The plan, from A to Z, has been merely an obligation and a dictate for its implementation.
In his speech at the United Nations, Trump attempted to transform the protests, condemnations, and international isolation that America and Israel are experiencing into support and funding for their war crimes against the Palestinian people. He does this with cunning, trying to portray himself as a champion of peace, when in reality, he is a war criminal.
A close reading of the Trump plan confirms that he is attempting to impose a new colonial guardianship over the region. He is acting according to the plan as if he were the new colonialist present in dealing with the citizens of Gaza, as if the people of the Strip were mere residents with no connection to their occupied land. In other words, Gaza has become a property of the White House broker, "Trump."
A close reading of the plan and a deep understanding of its dimensions reveals the humiliation and inaction of Arab and Islamic leaders regarding an issue as important as the Palestinian cause.
American, Zionist, and Western intelligence agencies have succeeded in emptying Arab regimes of their content, making them obedient to instructions and orders coming from beyond the periphery, especially after the humiliating normalization of relations between many Arab and Islamic regimes.
Yemen's position is a firm and principled one, supporting the Palestinian cause and Gaza, and rejecting any plan, whether American or otherwise, that does not respect the rights of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state on national soil with al-Quds as its capital.
It can be argued that the plan will not succeed and will not be implemented in reality. Throughout their history of conflict with the occupying entity, the Palestinians have possessed a keen vision for achieving victory for their cause, and they will not be fooled by the tricks of Trump and the leaders of the Zionist entity again.
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3563260.htm
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Munich Leaders Meeting opens in Saudi Arabia to discuss Gaza peace plan
October 01, 2025
Saudi Arabia, hosting the international security conference for the first time, highlighted its role in facilitating regional dialogue and diplomacy. (SPA)
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ALULA: Senior officials from the Middle East and Europe convened on Wednesday in AlUla for the Munich Leaders Meeting (MLM), part of the Munich Security Conference, to discuss regional security and the US-backed Gaza peace plan.
The opening session brought together leaders from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and France, with a panel focused on President Donald Trump’s 20-point proposal for Gaza and broader efforts to stabilize the region.
Panelists included the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, as well as the French envoy to Lebanon.
Amira Saber Qandil, a member of Egypt’s Senate, called the discussion “very timely” as the region navigates a multipolar world.
When asked if the audience believed the US plan could be implemented, only about 10 percent raised their hands.
“With the US proposal on Gaza, there’s a glimmer of hope for a diplomatic solution. Many challenges remain, and hard diplomatic work will be required from all parties involved to build on this momentum,” chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger said.
The event brought together around 100 senior officials, with sessions focused on multilateral cooperation, regional diplomacy, and conflict resolution.
The agenda also included discussions on global food security, climate and energy security, alongside efforts to address these challenges.
Saudi Arabia, hosting the international security conference for the first time, highlighted its role in facilitating regional dialogue and diplomacy.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2617422/saudi-arabia
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India
Vande Mataram plan unease: Celebration worries some historians, Muslim outfits
Basant Kumar Mohanty
02.10.25
Information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday announced plans to celebrate 150 years of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Vande Mataram, the national song, triggering concern among sections of historians and Muslim outfits.
Vaishnaw said the cabinet had taken the decision. Several historians alleged the plan was to divide people on religious lines. Some minority outfits said the song had “anti-Muslim undertones”.
“Vande Mataram played an important role in India’s freedom movement. The song’s 150 years will be celebrated across the country. Youths and students, many of whom are not aware of history, will join the programmes to celebrate the original sentiment associated with this song,” Vaishnaw told a media conference.
The minister was asked whether the song would be celebrated in madrasas as well. “Sabko jodna chahiye (Everyone should take part),” he replied.
Vaishnaw was also asked whether only the two stanzas of the song that have been adopted as the National Song would be celebrated or the entire five stanzas would be sung.
“Bhavna ko dekhiye. Stanza baad mein gin lena. Please understand the spirit. Leave the stanzas for now,” he said.
Prof. Sugata Bose’s book The Nation As Mother says the song was composed by Chattopadhyay in 1875. It was used in his novel Anandamath in 1882.
The first two verses were adopted as the national song after Independence. It was written in Sanskrit but printed in the Bengali script in Anandamath. Vande Mataram literally means “I bow to thee, Mother”.
Prof. Nadeem Rezavi, secretary of the Indian History Congress and a faculty member at Aligarh Muslim University, said Vande Mataram “had references of Goddess Durga and was part of a book which has undisputed anti-Muslim undertones”.
“To a section of Muslims, it is sacrilegious to bow before anyone but God. Worship of a non-God is forbidden. So Vande Mataram by its very nature and provenance is unacceptable to many citizens of the country. Even Gandhiji and other nationalists were never in favour of making it ‘compulsory’, thus it was not chosen as the national anthem,” Rezavi said.
“There are many things chosen as “national”: national bird, national flower, national animal or a national song. Should all of them be treated on a par? This Hindutva dispensation derives itself from those who collaborated with our colonial masters who believed in divide and rule. Making such a controversial song compulsory reading is nothing but furthering the same policy of demonising certain communities,” Rezavi added.
57 KVs
The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to set up 57 Kendriya Vidyalayas over the next nine years.
The total estimated requirement of funds is ₹5,862.55 crore, spread over nine years from 2026-27. This includes a capital expenditure component of ₹2,585.52 crore and an operational expenditure of ₹3,277.03 crore.
These 57 KVs have been sanctioned with Balvatikas, which means three years of foundational stage classes.
DA hike
The cabinet has approved a hike of 3 per cent in dearness allowance (DA) to central government employees and dearness relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from July 2025. This will benefit about 49.19 lakh employees and 68.72 lakh pensioners.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/vande-mataram-plan-unease-celebration-worries-some-historians-muslim-outfits-prnt/cid/2125785
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Malegaon Case: 19 Years On, Charges Framed Against 4; Hearing On Oct 29
Oct 2, 2025
MUMBAI: Nineteen years after serial blasts left 31 dead in Malegaon, a special court Tuesday framed charges against four accused, paving the way for the trial to commence.
The accused — Lokesh Sharma, Dhan Singh, Rajendra Chaudhary and Manohar Narwaria — pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal conspiracy, murder and terror related charges under the UAPA. The matter will come up for hearing Oct 29.
In 2016, nine Muslim men arrested in the case were proved to be innocent and discharged. They were arrested by the first investigating authority, the ATS, in 2006. Subsequently, NIA took over investigations.
The four accused were arrested after the NIA alleged that the bombings were the doing of their group.
In 2007, a case was registered in the Mecca Masjid bomb blast. In that case, an accused, Swami Aseemanand, allegedly confessed that Sunil Joshi, an RSS functionary, had told him that the bomb blasts at Malegaon were the handiwork of his boys. He allegedly confessed that in June 2006 at the residence of Bharat Rateshwar at Valsad, a meeting was held where he had suggested that Malegaon has an 86% Muslim population and it should be chosen for first blast.
NIA was given charge of the case in 2011, following which the four accused were arrested between Dec 2012 and Jan 2013. The NIA chargesheet was filed against the four along with Joshi, Ramchandra Kalsangra, Ramesh and Sandeep Dange. Joshi was allegedly murdered on Dec 29, 2007.
The investigating agency alleged that the accused used to congregate at a house where the bombs were prepared between June and July 2006. The conspiracy, the NIA said, was made to cause bomb blasts at Malegaon in Muslim areas to cause death and injuries to people, to damage public property and cause communal riots. It further alleged that the group conducted a reconnaissance of the area three times before finally placing bombs on Sept 8, 2006.\
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/19-years-on-charges-framed-against-4-in-malegaon-case/articleshow/124267446.cms
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UP: Muslim man who wrote ‘I love Muhammad’ on his chest arrested in Shamli
Scroll Staff
Oct 2, 2025
The police in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli have arrested a Muslim man who wrote “I love Muhammad” on his chest and was seen waving the national flag, NDTV India reported on Wednesday.
Dilshad, a resident of the Kudana village in the district, was arrested after videos of him were circulated widely on social media platform Instagram.
A complaint in the matter was filed by a man named Nishikant, UP Tak quoted Shamli Deputy Superintendent of Police Amardeep Maurya as saying. The complainant alleged that Dilshad insulted Hinduism and hurled abuses at him, the official said.
“We are questioning him and looking into his motives,” Maurya told UP Tak.
The arrest comes amid a row that erupted in the state on September 4 when a group of Muslims held an “I love Muhammad” banner during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession in Kanpur. Hindu groups objected to the banner, claiming that a “new tradition” was being introduced at the procession.
The police had claimed that government rules prohibited introducing new customs into religious processions, and filed cases against 24 persons for allegedly disturbing communal harmony.
However, the police action sparked protests and processions with “I love Muhammad” banners in several districts of Uttar Pradesh and other states. Some of the protests led to clashes with the police, leading to cases being filed.
On Tuesday, the police in Bareilly shot the district president of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council in the leg after he allegedly fired at them when a team had gone to arrest him in connection with clashes linked to the “I love Muhammad” posters row that broke out after Friday prayers.
The Ittehad-e-Millat Council is a regional party in Uttar Pradesh led by local Muslim cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan, who was arrested on Saturday and sent to 14-day judicial custody.
The violence had broken out when a crowd carrying “I love Muhammad” posters clashed with police outside a mosque in the Kotwali area.
The unrest reportedly followed the last-minute cancellation of a protest called by Raza in support of the campaign. He said authorities had denied him permission for the demonstration.
Police alleged that Raza delivered speeches that provoked the crowd.
Since Raza’s arrest, authorities in Bareilly have also sealed and bulldozed several properties linked to his associates.
Source: scroll.in
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https://scroll.in/latest/1087213/up-muslim-man-who-wrote-i-love-muhammad-on-his-chest-arrested-in-shamli
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‘Insult to the Constitution’: Congress and CPM criticise Modi over RSS centenary coin
01.10.25
The release of a special postage stamp and a commemorative coin to mark the centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has sparked strong reactions from opposition parties, with Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of distorting history and undermining the Constitution.
On Wednesday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a post on X, reminded Modi of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s comments on the RSS, sharing extracts from a July 18, 1948, letter Patel had written to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
He shared extracts from a letter written by then home minister Patel to Mookerjee, in which he had said, "As regards the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha, the case relating to Gandhiji's murder is sub-judice and I should not like to say anything about the participation of the two organisations, but our reports do confirm that, as a result of the activities of these two bodies, particularly the former, an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible....
"The activities of the RSS constituted a clear threat to the existence of the government and the State. Our reports show that those activities, despite the ban, have not died down. Indeed, as time has marched on, the RSS circles are becoming more defiant and are indulging in their subversive activities in an increasing measure...."
In another post, Ramesh said, "Sardar Patel addressed a massive public gathering in Jaipur on Dec 19, 1948, and spoke forcefully on the RSS. Here is a report carried in the Hindustan Times the next day.
"It is our determined resolve that we will not allow RSS or any other communal organisation to throw the country back on the path of slavery or disintegration," Patel was quoted as saying in the newspaper report while addressing a gathering at Jaipur's Gandhinagar.
The CPI(M) called it a "grave injury and insult" to the Constitution, which the RSS had never accepted.
The party objected to the coin featuring the 'Bharat Mata' image promoted by the RSS and the stamp showing uniformed RSS volunteers at the 1963 Republic Day parade, saying it falsified history.
CPI(M) noted that evidence shows the parade was primarily a civilian gathering and that RSS participation, if any, was incidental and unreported.
The Left party accused the government of attempting to whitewash the RSS’s past, asserting that the organisation was distant from the freedom struggle and had strengthened British strategies of divide and rule.
It cited the RSS’s documented role in communal violence and alleged ongoing targeting of minority and marginalized communities.
CPI(M) said the Prime Minister’s actions undermined the dignity of his constitutional office. Party General Secretary M.A. Baby wrote that releasing the coin and stamp glorifying the RSS amounted to an insult to the Constitution and distorted India’s freedom struggle.
The Prime Minister earlier on Wednesday, lauded the RSS for its role in nation-building, highlighting the organisation’s support to freedom fighters and the sacrifices of its leaders during the struggle for independence.
Modi said the Sangh had always put the nation first and had faced multiple attempts to suppress it, including false cases and bans, without harboring bitterness. He praised the RSS for its contribution to society and its commitment to the principle of nation first.
The commemorative coin features the RSS motto "Rashtray Swaha, Idam Rashtraya, Idam Na Mama," translating to "Everything is dedicated to the nation, Everything is the nation's, Nothing is mine."
The stamp depicts RSS swayamsevaks’ participation in the 1963 Republic Day parade, underlining the organisation’s historic contributions, as presented by the government during the centenary celebrations.
Modi called the RSS an organisation that continued to serve the nation despite facing allegations, bans, and other challenges, stressing that it remained committed to national interest over bitterness.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/insult-to-the-constitution-congress-and-cpm-criticise-modi-over-rss-centenary-coin/cid/2125771
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HQ of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, outfit Geelani founded and Centre banned 2 decades later, attached by police in J&K
by Bashaarat Masood
October 2, 2025
Police in Jammu and Kashmir have attached the headquarters of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, which was founded by separatist patriarch Syed Ali Shah Geelani in 2004.
The office has been attached under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in an FIR registered at the Budgam police station last year.
“In a major action against secessionist and terrorist networks, Budgam police have attached the head office of the banned organisation Tehreek-e-Hurriyat at Rehmatabad, Hyderpora, under Section 25 of the UAPA,” the police said in an official release. “The attached property comprises a three-storey building, which was being used as the office of the banned outfit.”
The Tehreek-e-Hurriyat was founded by Geelani after he parted ways from his parent organisation, the Jamaat-e-Islami. In 2023, it was banned by the Centre as an unlawful organisation.
The head office of the organisation was housed inside the premises of Geelani’s residence at Rehmatabad in Srinagar’s Hyderpora.
After the passing of Geelani and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chief Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai – the latter died inside a jail in Jammu in 2022 – and its ban in 2023, the separatist organisation was virtually defunct. Most of the top and second-rung leadership of the outfit is in jail. Geelani (92), a former elected legislator, had been under house detention for more than a decade at the time of his death.
“Acting on collected evidence and with due approval from the competent authority, the property was attached as per legal provisions,” the police said. “This action marks a significant step in the ongoing investigation against unlawful and subversive activities and reflects the firm resolve of the police to neutralise threats to national security and maintain peace in the region.”
Police said they will continue to take strict measures against individuals and organisations engaged in activities detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/hq-tehreek-e-hurriyat-geelani-centre-banned-attached-police-jk-10281919/
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'Any misadventure ...': Rajnath Singh flags Pakistan military build-up in Sir Creek; warns of ‘decisive response’
Oct 2, 2025
NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday raised concerns over Sir Creek and blamed Pakistan’s intentions for stalled dialogue, even 78 years after independence.
The Sir Creek dispute is a long-standing boundary issue between India and Pakistan in the Rann of Kutch region, where the creek meets the Arabian Sea.
"Even after 78 years of independence, a dispute over the border in the Sir Creek area is being stirred up. India has made several attempts to resolve it through dialogue, but there is a flaw in Pakistan's intentions; its intentions are not clear. The way in which the Pakistan army has recently expanded its military infrastructure in areas adjacent to Sir Creek reveals its intentions," Rajnath said.
The defence minister added that the Indian Army is consistently protecting the borders and any attempt by Pakistan will be met with strong measures.
"The Indian Army and BSF are jointly and vigilantly protecting the borders of India. If any misadventure is attempted from the Pakistan side in the Sir Creek area, it will receive such a decisive response that both history and geography will change. In the 1965 war, the Indian Army had demonstrated the capability to reach Lahore. Today in 2025, Pakistan should remember that one route to Karachi passes through the creek," Rajnath said.
Rajnath Singh also hailed Operation Sindoor, complimenting its capability to neutralise enemies hidden anywhere at any time, and condemned Pakistan’s “failed” attempt to breach India’s defence.
"During Operation Sindoor, our armed forces demonstrated that the forces challenging India's sovereignty, no matter where they are hiding, we have the power to find them and eliminate them. No power in the world, if it challenges our sovereignty, will find India sitting silently. Today's India says that whether it is terrorism or any other kind of problem, we have the capability to deal with and defeat it. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan made a failed attempt to breach India's defence system from Leh to this area of Sir Creek. India's armed forces completely exposed the Pakistani air defence system and sent a message to the world that India's armed forces can inflict heavy damage on Pakistan whenever, wherever, and however they wish," said Rajnath.
He added that, despite India’s capabilities, escalating or waging war is not the nation's intention.
Rajnath said, "Despite our capabilities, we exercised restraint because our military action was directed against terrorism. Escalating the situation and waging war was not the objective of Operation Sindoor. I am pleased that Indian forces have successfully achieved all of Operation Sindoor's military objectives. However, our fight against terrorism continues."
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/any-misadventure-rajnath-singh-flags-pakistan-military-build-up-in-sir-creek-warns-of-decisive-response/articleshow/124270189.cms
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North America
CAIR-MI Calls for Stepped-Up Protection for Mosques After ‘I’m Going to Burn It Down’ Threat to Islamic Institution
October 1, 2025
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil right and advocacy organization, today called for stepped-up police protection for mosques and Islamic institutions in that state after law enforcement authorities identified a person of interest from Texas who allegedly made threatening calls to the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights.
Dearborn Heights Police chief Ahmed Haidar said: “An individual who doesn’t live in our community called here to the mosque and made some threats about maybe burning down the city of Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, a lot of Islamophobia threats that were on audio recording.”
The caller reportedly said: ‘I’m going to burn it down.'”
This incident comes just one day after CAIR-MI welcomed terrorism charges filed against a Virginia-based white supremacist who allegedly threatened to “kill Muslims” at a Michigan mosque.
In a statement, CAIR-MI Executive DirectorDawud Walid said:
“These threats targeting Michigan mosques reflect a disturbing national trend of emboldened anti-Muslim bigotry. No one should fear for their safety when attending their house of worship. We call on local, state, and federal authorities to provide increased security support to Islamic institutions across Michigan and to treat these threats with the urgency and seriousness they deserve.
“We also urge the public to stand in solidarity with the Muslim community – and all other minority communities – against hate and extremism. Now is the time for all Americans of conscience to speak out against the normalization of bigoted rhetoric and violence.”
Walid again urged community leaders to increase security protocols for all mosques and Islamic institutions.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR offers a “Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety” booklet to help keep religious facilities safe. The advice in the booklet is applicable to all houses of worship.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-mi-calls-for-stepped-up-protection-for-mosques-after-im-going-to-burn-it-down-threat-to-islamic-institution/
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Chunk of NYC building collapses in possible explosion
October 2, 2025
A section of a 20-storey residential building partially collapsed in New York City on Wednesday morning, and authorities say there are no injuries.
Firefighters and emergency responders searched into the afternoon for anyone who may have been trapped under the mounds of rubble outside the building, which is part of a public housing development in the Bronx.
"The whole building just - you heard a loud boom, and the thing just exploded, and it fell down just like that," said one witness who spoke with CBS News, BBC's US partner.
"Somebody in the building next to me, they said that their window even fell, and it's on the 16th floor," another witness told CBS.
The collapse seems to have originated from an explosion in the ventilation shaft of a boiler room, the city's fire commissioner Robert Tucker said in a news conference.
No apartments were damaged, but as a precautionary measure, some residents have been evacuated. Others were allowed to return, but the gas to the building has been shut off as authorities investigate.
That investigation will determine whether a gas leak caused the explosion, Mayor Eric Adams said. Utility provider ConEd has not returned a request for comment from BBC.
The New York City Housing Authority, which manages the complex, said in a statement that it is investigating the incident and still determining the extent of the damage. The building has a few open violations against it.
NYC Department of Buildings issued a partial stop work order, which is still active, on the building in June, according to public records. The order was related to a violation on plumbing that may have been defective, not working, or poorly maintained.
Two other violations on the property are still active, public records show. One from February 2024 concerns the building's failure to file a report on facade safety and inspection.
The other active violation deals with a NYCHA inspection report that found the building's facade to be unsafe.
The DOB's commissioner, James Oddo, said there are three open violations against the property that deal with non-safety issues on boilers. It's not clear how the violations he's referencing are related, if at all, to the active violations described in public records.
The partial collapse comes just a week after a fire in the same building left a teenage girl comatose and in critical condition, though her father told local outlet News 12 Long Island that she is now recovering.
"We were lucky that this emergency didn't result in a loss of life, that it didn't turn into a tragedy," Amanda Septimo, an assembly member who represents the building's district, said at the news conference.
"But we can't be relying on luck to keep our community safe."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8jp4y0jdmo
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Trump says snubbing him for Nobel would ‘insult’ US
1 Oct, 2025
US President Donald Trump has suggested that denying him the Nobel Peace Prize would amount to an insult to the United States.
Speaking to top military brass in Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday, Trump said he has repeatedly been overlooked for the award, even though he believes his record qualifies him.
The president pointed to his latest Middle East peace plan, claiming it was the eighth conflict he has helped resolve in as many months.
“We’ll have eight, eight in eight months… Will you get the Nobel Prize? Absolutely not,” he said, before adding, “They’ll give it to some guy that didn’t do a damn thing.”
Trump joked that the prize would likely end up going to a writer instead, insisting he wasn’t seeking personal recognition. “It’ll be a big insult to our country, I will tell you that. I don’t want it. I want the country to get it,” he said.
The US president has claimed he had ended conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, Congo and Rwanda, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as between Pakistan and India.
Trump's Nobel push received support from the leaders of Israel and Cambodia earlier this year. Pakistan also nominated Trump for the prize, crediting him with diffusing its conflict with India.
However, New Delhi has refuted claims of outside involvement in brokering the ceasefire.
Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia rose earlier this year but never devolved into open conflict, while the standoff between Egypt and Ethiopia over the latter’s hydroelectric dam on the Nile River also did not escalate into a war.
Trump’s attempts to settle the Ukraine conflict and reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have also proved unsuccessful so far.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/625719-trump-snubbing-nobel-insult-us/
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Mideast
Conference on the Qur’an’s role in shaping human knowledge kicks off in Doha
October 02, 2025
Qatar University (QU)’s Ibn Khaldon for Humanities and Social Studies Centre, in co-operation with the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs, has inaugurated the ‘1st Annual Conference on the Qur’an and Human Knowledge’, along with the ‘1st Forum of Ummah Writers’.
The opening was attended by HE the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ghanem bin Shaheen al-Ghanem; Dr Omar al-Ansari, president of QU; several vice-presidents; and senior officials from various ministries; as well as academic and governmental sectors.
Dr al-Ansari highlighted that the conference aligns with QU’s strategic plan and research priorities, which include emphasising research in the humanities and social sciences to foster scholarly focus on cognitive, human, social, and cultural issues, thereby promoting ethical, value-based development and sustainable growth in our societies. He also highlighted the conference’s role in cultivating human knowledge awareness in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Qur’an.
Sheikh Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ghanem al-Thani, director of the Department of Islamic Research and Studies at the Ministry of Endowments, also delivered a speech welcoming the attendees.
He emphasised the significance of the occasion, which combines the conference and the forum, stating that the conference is part of broader efforts to restore the important role that Qur’anic knowledge has historically contributed to guide human sciences and methodologies, as well as in connecting researchers to it in both approach and objective.
Sheikh Dr Ahmed also emphasised the significance of the ‘1st Forum of Ummah Writers’, which highlights the Kitab Al-Ummah series, a rich Qatari cultural and intellectual legacy that has been published for more than four decades since its inception.
During this time, it has strived to achieve its intended goals, including rebuilding the Muslim character, reviving the concept of ‘Fardh Kifayah’ (communal obligations) and the importance of specialisation, contributing to the development of a righteous elite, and promoting awareness of the significance of the approach that address’s the cosmos’ signs and laws using the knowledge of divine revelation as its primary reference and source.
Dr Badrane Benlahcene, director of the Ibn Khaldon Centre at QU, stated that the conference aligns with the centre’s dual objectives of bridging and localisation. Bridging aims to intellectually connect various disciplines to address human and social issues in an integrated and precise manner. Localisation, meanwhile, involves re-evaluating contemporary sciences, knowledge systems, and theories to ensure they align with religious and cultural identities and resonate with societal contexts, as well as methodological and practical requirements, thereby ensuring community benefit.
The conference aims to reaffirm the central role of the Holy Qur’an in shaping contemporary discourse on human and social knowledge. It seeks to bridge the gap between Islamic sciences and the humanities and social sciences by connecting researchers from diverse disciplines with the Qur’an, enabling them to utilise it as a framework for understanding and guiding various human and social phenomena.
Additionally, the conference encourages scholars in Islamic disciplines to engage systematically with the humanities and social sciences and to contextualise these fields while considering Qur’anic guidance.
Source: gulf-times.com
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https://www.gulf-times.com/article/711918/qatar/conference-on-the-qurans-role-in-shaping-human-knowledge-kicks-off-in-doha
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Islamist detainees in Lebanon: Syrian delegation arrives in Beirut for talks
1 October 2025
A Syrian diplomatic delegation arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday via the Masnaa border crossing in the Bekaa to discuss a number of key issues, including the fate of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, our correspondent in the region reports.
Around twenty relatives of detainees, holding signs with images of Lebanese Salafist sheikh Ahmad al-Assir and the flag of the Syrian revolution in the background, were waiting near the border crossing. However, the convoy reportedly continued on to Beirut without stopping, according to our correspondent.
Arrested in 2015 for leading deadly fighting in 2013 against the Lebanese Army in Abra, a suburb of Saida in southern Lebanon, Assir was sentenced to death for those acts and to 20 years of hard labor by the military tribunal for other clashes in North Lebanon.
The issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanon has become prominent again since the arrival to power in Damascus in December 2024 of a rebel coalition led by Ahmad el-Chareh.
In mid-September, two Lebanese delegations traveled to Damascus to discuss the matter, following a visit to Beirut on September 1 by a Syrian delegation that met with Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, marking the first such meeting since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government.
According to figures obtained by L'Orient-Le Jour in February from the Interior Ministry, 50 percent of detainees in Lebanon have yet to be tried. For Islamists, 55 percent are being held without a verdict. Mohammad Sablouh, an attorney defending several of them, also said in February that there are about 350 Islamist detainees in total: 180 Lebanese and 170 Syrians.
Calls for a general amnesty for these prisoners have been made several times. However, such a move carries the risk of incorporating Lebanon's confessional power-sharing arrangements into the process and could result in the simultaneous release of tens of thousands of people jailed for drug offenses or other crimes.
Source: lorientlejour.com
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https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1479353/islamist-detainees-in-lebanon-syrian-delegation-arrives-in-beirut.html
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Yemeni Scholars Association organizes event at Great Mosque in Sana'a on anniversary of "Al-Aqsa Flood" battle
01 Oct 2025
The Yemeni Scholars Association held an event today at the Great Mosque in Sana'a entitled "Al-Aqsa Flood ... The Battle of Steadfastness, Patience and the Sunnah of God in Victory" on the anniversary of two years since the start of the battle, in which I recalled the status of the event and preferred it as a miracle and a model of steadfastness.
Mufti Shams al-Din Sharaf al-Din, the secretary-general of the League, Taha al-Hadri, and others spoke, stressing the legitimacy and reasonableness of confronting the Palestinian resistance and praising it for its steadfastness, and warning against pressures and "false" promises for attempts to surrender like Trump's plan.
The event called for increased support and support for the Palestinian people and the resistance, and denounced the inaction of some Arab and Islamic regimes, and reiterated Yemen's firm position with Gaza and the Resistance Alliance, considering harming the weapons of the resistance as a betrayal and a service to the enemy.
Source: saba.ye
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US military starts drawing down its mission in Iraq countering the Daesh group
October 01, 2025
BAGHDAD: The US military has begun drawing down its mission in Iraq under an agreement signed with the Iraqi government last year, eventually reducing the number of American troops in the country focused on countering the Daesh group by about 20 percent, officials said.
Washington and Baghdad agreed last year under the Biden administration to wind down the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting Daesh by this September, with US forces departing some bases where troops have been stationed during a two-decade-long military presence in the country.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement late Tuesday that the US “will reduce its military mission in Iraq,” reflecting “our combined success in fighting Daesh.”
A senior defense official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements, said the military has begun to shift the burden for combating the Daesh group in Iraq from US and coalition forces to Iraqi troops who have been trained by the American military for about a decade.
The start of the drawdown in Iraq comes just months after the Trump administration also decided to withdraw about 600 troops from Syria, leaving fewer than 1,000 to work with Kurdish allies to counter the Daesh there. The militant group still carries out deadly attacks in both countries, and worries remain about Daesh following upheaval in Syria and wider turmoil in the Middle East.
US troops will be consolidated and largely moved to a base in Irbil, a city in the semiautonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, and fewer than 2,000 were expected to remain in Iraq once negotiations conclude, the official said. That would be a reduction from just over 2,500 service members there now, the official said.
That figure is just a small fraction of the troop levels historically in Iraq: Around 20,000 troops were deployed there a decade ago.
A senior Iraqi security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the US withdrawal began weeks ago from the other two areas where troops have been stationed: Baghdad and Ain Al-Asad air base in western Iraq. He said “a very small number of advisers” remain at the joint command.
Parnell’s statement said Washington will maintain close coordination with Baghdad and coalition partners to ensure a “responsible transition.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani told The Associated Press in an interview in July that the US and Iraq will meet by the end of the year to “arrange the bilateral security relationship.”
The senior defense official that spoke with reporters said Iraqi forces are now capable of handling the IS threat that still exists in the country.
BAGHDAD: The US military has begun drawing down its mission in Iraq under an agreement inked with the Iraqi government last year, officials said Wednesday.
Washington and Baghdad agreed last year to wind down the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Daesh group by September 2025, with US forces departing some bases where they have stationed troops during a two-decade-long military presence in the country.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement Wednesday that the US “will reduce its military mission in Iraq,” reflecting “our combined success in fighting Daesh.”
The move “marks an effort to transition to a lasting US-Iraq security partnership in accordance with US national interests, the Iraqi Constitution, and the US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement,” he said.
The statement added that Washington will maintain close coordination with Baghdad and coalition partners to ensure a “responsible transition.”
It did not give details on the number of troops that have withdrawn to date or when the drawdown would be completed.
A senior Iraqi security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the US withdrawal began weeks ago from Baghdad and from Ain Al-Asad base in western Iraq.
“Only a very small number of advisers remain within the Joint Operations Command,” the official said.
He added that some forces have redeployed to the city of Irbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, while others have left the country entirely, and that there is no accurate count of those who have withdrawn yet.
The official said the drawdown is proceeding according to agreed-upon schedules.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani told The Associated Press in an interview in July that the US and Iraq will meet by the end of the year to “arrange the bilateral security relationship” between the two countries.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israel issues ‘last’ warning for Gaza City residents to flee
October 01, 2025
NUSEIRAT, Palestinian Territories: Israel’s defense minister issued a final warning for Gaza City residents to flee south on Wednesday, as Hamas weighed US President Donald Trump’s plan to end nearly two years of war in the Palestinian territory.
Witnesses reported heavy bombardment in Gaza’s largest urban center, as Israel Katz warned the military was tightening its encirclement of the city.
“This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south and leave Hamas operatives isolated in Gaza City,” Katz posted on X, adding that those who remained would “be considered terrorists and terrorist supporters.”
Katz said the military had captured the Netzarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip through to the western coast, a move he said cut the north of Gaza off form the south.
He added anyone leaving Gaza City for the south would have to pass through Israeli military checkpoints.
The announcement came hours after the military said it was closing the last remaining route for residents of southern Gaza to access the north.
On the ground in Gaza City, 60-year-old Rabah Al-Halabi, who lives in a tent on the premises of Al-Shifa Hospital, described relentless explosions.
“I will not leave because the situation in Gaza City is no different from the situation in the southern Gaza Strip,” he told AFP by telephone.
“All areas are dangerous, the bombing is everywhere, and displacement is terrifying and humiliating,” he said.
“We are waiting for death, or perhaps relief from God and for the truce to come.”
‘Ceasefire at any cost’
The International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday said that intensified military operations in Gaza City had forced it to temporarily suspend its activities there, warning that “tens of thousands... face harrowing humanitarian conditions.”
It came days after medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had been forced to suspend its work there because of Israel’s offensive.
UN agencies and some aid organizations still operate in Gaza City.
Meanwhile, Hamas mulled a peace plan put forward by Trump and backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
A Palestinian source close to Hamas’s leaders told AFP that “no final decision” had been made and that “the movement will likely need two to three days.”
“Hamas wants to amend some of the items such as the disarmament clause and the expulsion of Hamas,” the source said.
They added that Hamas had informed mediators of the “need to provide international guarantees for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and guarantees that Israel will not violate a ceasefire through assassinations inside or outside Gaza.”
Gaza’s civil defense agency — a rescue force operating under Hamas authority — reported that Israeli strikes killed at least 13 people in Gaza City on Wednesday.
When asked by AFP, the Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense and the Israeli military.
Fadel Al-Jadba, 26, said he would not leave Gaza City.
He said tanks were in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood and that he “would not be surprised if they advance into Al-Rimal,” where he was sheltering.
“We want a ceasefire at any cost because we are frustrated, exhausted, and find no one in the world standing with us.”
‘Two opinions’ in Hamas
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that Hamas had “about three or four days” to accept his 20-point Gaza plan, later warning that the Islamist movement would “pay in hell” if it refused.
A source familiar with negotiations taking place in the Qatari capital Doha told AFP that “two opinions exist within Hamas.”
“The first supports unconditional approval, as the priority is a ceasefire under Trump’s guarantees, with mediators ensuring Israel implements the plan,” the source said.
“The second has serious reservations regarding key clauses, rejecting disarmament and the expulsion of any Palestinian from Gaza. They favor conditional approval with clarifications reflecting Hamas’s and the resistance factions’ demands,” the source added.
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 66,148 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.
These figures do not specify the number of fighters killed, but indicate that more than half of the dead are women and children.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israel stops 13 Gaza aid boats, sparking international criticism
October 02, 2025
Israeli foces have stopped 13 boats carrying foreign activists and aid bound for Gaza, but 30 boats are continuing to sail toward the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave, flotilla organizers said on Thursday.
A video from the Israeli foreign ministry verified by Reuters showed the most prominent of the flotilla’s passengers, Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers.
“Several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port,” the Israeli foreign ministry said on X. “Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla, transporting medicine and food to Gaza, consists of more than 40 civilian boats with about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists.
The flotilla put out several videos on Telegram with messages from individuals aboard the various boats, some holding their passports and claiming they were abducted and taken to Israel against their will, and reiterating that their mission was a non-violent humanitarian cause.
The flotilla is the most high-profile symbol of opposition to Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
Its progress across the Mediterranean Sea garnered international attention as nations including Turkiye, Spain and Italy sent boats or drones in case their nationals required assistance, even as it triggered repeated warnings from Israel to turn back.
Turkiye’s foreign ministry called Israel’s “attack” on the flotilla “an act of terror” that endangered the lives of innocent civilians.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the expulsion of Israel’s entire diplomatic delegation on Wednesday following the detention of two Colombians in the flotilla. Israel has not had an ambassador in Colombia since last year.
Petro called the detentions a potential “new international crime” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded the release of the Colombians. He also terminated Colombia’s free trade agreement with Israel.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla, adding Israeli forces had detained eight Malaysians.
“By blocking a humanitarian mission, Israel has shown utter contempt not only for the rights of the Palestinian people but also for the conscience of the world,” Anwar, whose country is predominantly Muslim, said in a statement.
Israel’s interception of the flotilla sparked protests in Italy and Colombia. Italian unions called a general strike for Friday in solidarity with the international aid flotilla.
Israel’s navy had previously warned the flotilla it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade, and asked them to change course. It had offered to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza.
30 boats sailing towards Gaza
The flotilla is the latest sea-borne attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, much of which has been turned into a wasteland by almost two years of war.
The flotilla’s organizers denounced Wednesday’s raid as a “war crime.” They said the military used aggressive tactics, including the use of water cannon, but that no one was harmed.
“Multiple vessels ... were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli Occupation Forces in international waters,” the organizers said in a statement.
The boats were about 70 nautical miles off the war-ravaged enclave when they were intercepted, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching. The organizers said their communications had been scrambled, including the use of a live camera feed from some of the boats. According to the flotilla’s ship tracking data, 13 boats had been intercepted or stopped as of early Thursday. Organizers have remained defiant, saying in a statement that the flotilla “will continue undeterred.”
Thirty boats were still sailing toward Gaza, flotilla organizers said in a post on Telegram early on Thursday, stating they were 46 nautical miles away from their destination.
The flotilla had hoped to arrive in Gaza on Thursday morning if it was not intercepted.
Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt.
“This systematic refusal (to hand over the aid) demonstrates that the objective is not humanitarian, but provocative,” Jonathan Peled, the Israeli ambassador to Italy, said in a post on X.
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007 and there have been several previous attempts by activists to deliver aid by sea.
In 2010, nine activists were killed after Israeli soldiers boarded a flotilla of six ships manned by 700 pro-Palestinian activists from 50 countries.
In June this year, Israeli naval forces detained Thunberg and 11 crew members from a small ship organized by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as they approached Gaza.
Israel began its Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive has killed over 65,000 people in Gaza, Gaza health authorities say.
Source: arabnews.com
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UN verifies 103 civilians killed in Lebanon since ceasefire
October 01, 2025
GENEVA: The United Nations said Wednesday it had verified the deaths of 103 civilians in Lebanon since the November 2024 ceasefire with Israel, demanding a halt to the ongoing suffering.
The UN Human Rights Office called for renewed efforts for a durable truce, more than 10 months on from the agreed ceasefire.
“We are still seeing devastating impacts of jet and drone strikes in residential areas, as well as near UN peacekeepers in the south,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
Israel has kept up near daily strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah operatives or sites, despite the truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities including two months of open war with the Iran-backed group.
“Families are simply unable to make a start on rebuilding their homes and their lives, and instead are faced by the real and present danger of more strikes,” Turk said.
“Hundreds of damaged schools, health facilities, places of worship, among other civilian sites, are still no-go zones, or at best, only partly useable.”
The Human Rights Office said that until the end of September, it had verified 103 civilians killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire.
There have been no reports of killings from projectiles fired from Lebanon toward Israel since the truce, it said.
Turk’s office said five people, including three children, were killed when an Israeli drone struck a vehicle and a motorcycle in the border area of Bint Jbeil on September 21.
Turk demanded an independent and impartial investigation into the incident, along with others he said raised concerns about compliance with international humanitarian law.
Lebanon’s health ministry said one person was killed and five others wounded in an Israeli strike on Wednesday on the country’s south, without specifying whether the casualties were civilians.
More than 80,000 people remain displaced in Lebanon as a result of ongoing violence, with around 30,000 people from northern Israel reportedly still displaced.
“At all times during the conduct of hostilities, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected and international humanitarian law fully respected, irrespective of claims of breaches of a ceasefire,” said Turk.
“Good faith implementation of the ceasefire is the only path toward a durable peace, and its terms need to be respected.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Arab World
Syrian officials attend Munich Security Conference in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla
October 01, 2025
ALULA: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani and intelligence chief Hussein Salameh participated Wednesday in the Munich Security Conference (MSC) leaders’ meeting in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
The opening session, titled “The Middle East in a Multipolar World,” examined the region’s role amid shifting global power dynamics, state news agency SANA reported.
The MSC, established in 1963, gathers senior government officials, security leaders, and policy experts to address international security and foreign policy issues.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi health ministry wins 2025 UN Inter-Agency Task Force Award
October 02, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health has won a 2025 UN Inter-Agency Task Force Award in recognition of its comprehensive and innovative policies to address obesity and noncommunicable diseases, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The award was given by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (UNIATF) at the 10th annual Friends of the Task Force Meeting in New York City, held during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Mentioned in the award were the MOH's Sehhaty app; Seha Virtual Hospital, the world's largest; community initiatives such as the Healthy Cities Program and Walk 30, which engaged more than 1 million citizens; nutrition policies imposing a sugar-sweetened beverage tax and eliminating industrial trans fats; and a ministerial committee for Health in All Policies to integrate health considerations across regulations.
"The recognition underscores rapid progress in the health sector and strengthens Saudi Arabia's role in efforts to prevent NCDs and advance health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," the SPA report said.
Saudi Arabia’s Seha Virtual Hospital has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest online medical initiative, leading the way in transforming healthcare accessibility and efficiency through digital innovation.
The facility, linked to over 200 hospitals across the Kingdom, is reshaping patient care by eliminating geographical limitations and integrating advanced artificial intelligence solutions.
Sixteen cities in the Kingdom have been designated as “Healthy Cities” under World Health Organization criteria, with Jeddah and Madinah standing out as the first cities in the Middle East with populations of 2 million or more to receive the accreditation.
The achievement is attributed to continuous improvements in safety, healthcare, infrastructure development, the provision of modern public facilities, and the city’s commitment to transforming developmental ambitions into tangible realities that serve both residents and visitors.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi and Syrian foreign ministers hold talks during Munich Leaders Meeting in AlUla
October 02, 2025
LONDON: The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and his Syrian counterpart, Assad Al-Shaibani, discussed ways in which relations between their countries might be enhanced during talks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Munich Leaders Meeting in AlUla.
They reviewed relations between Riyadh and Damascus, and discussed ways to bolster Syria’s security and economy to help fulfill the aspirations of its people, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
About 70 high-level participants from around the world have gathered in AlUla this week as Saudi Arabia hosts a Munich Leaders Meeting for the first time. It is organized by the Munich Security Conference, which was founded in 1963 and meets in February each year in Germany, bringing together senior government officials, security officials and policy experts to discuss international security and foreign policy issues.
Also at the Munich Leaders Meeting on Wednesday, Al-Shaibani took part in a panel discussion on the transition in Syria after the fall of President Bashar Assad, during which participants warned of the risks of foreign meddling and the resurgence of Daesh.
After 14 years of civil war, the Assad regime collapsed in December in the face of an offensive by the group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, ending a family dynasty that had ruled the Arab country for five decades. The subsequent appointment of a transitional government in the country was welcomed by other states in the region, in the hope it will bring stability and security to all Syrians.
Meanwhile, the Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel Al-Jubeir, joined a panel of fellow ministers from the region to discuss US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, unveiled in Washington on Monday after his meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. States in the region have backed Trump’s proposal for peace in Gaza after nearly two years of bombardment by Israeli forces.
The Munich Leaders Meeting in AlUla, which began on Tuesday and concludes on Thursday, is focusing on the security situation in the Middle East and its geopolitical implications.
The Munich Security Conference said Saudi Arabia “sits at the crossroads of many regional and international dynamics,” and so the gathering in AlUla is “timely,” given recent conflicts in the region and the Kingdom’s growing role as peacemaker.
“In recent months and years, (Saudi Arabia) has repeatedly been the scene of different diplomatic mediation efforts or initiatives,” it added.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said: “The Kingdom’s hosting of the conference underscores its commitment to the principle of international dialogue and to strengthening cooperation on regional and international issues.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Royal reserve sheds light on Saudi Arabia’s historic palaces
October 01, 2025
RIYADH: The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve Development Authority has opened its pavilion at International Restoration Week, which began on Wednesday and continues until Oct. 5 in the Jax District of Diriyah.
Organized by the Heritage Commission, the event features participation from a distinguished group of local and international organizations.
The authority’s pavilion highlights the historic palaces of King Abdulaziz located within the reserve, which date back more than 90 years.
The pavilion also features a presentation on the historic Darb Zubaydah, one of the most significant ancient pilgrimage routes stretching over 1,400 km from Kufa to Makkah, which passes through the reserve.
The display includes an overview of key sites along the trail within the reserve’s boundaries, such as ponds, dams, and reservoirs.
The authority’s participation in the event highlights its dedication to preserving the cultural significance of historic sites, and showcases the Kingdom's distinguished efforts in heritage restoration and preservation.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia gains its first Yellow Guide
October 01, 2025
RIYADH: The Culinary Arts Commission announced on Wednesday a landmark partnership with Gault&Millau, one of the world’s most respected authorities in gastronomy and hospitality, to bring the brand to the Saudi market officially.
As part of the collaboration, Gault & Millau will launch the Kingdom’s first Yellow Guide, a prestigious culinary reference that sets a benchmark for excellence.
The guide aims to uncover hidden gems, spotlight regional diversity and celebrate the rich tapestry of Saudi flavors, traditions and culinary innovation, the SPA reported on Wednesday.
The inaugural edition will focus on five key destinations: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, AlUla and Abha.
With a legacy spanning more than 50 years, a presence in over 20 countries, a global network of 400 expert inspectors, and a listing in excess of 13,600 restaurants, Gault&Millau’s entry into Saudi Arabia reflects a shared vision to elevate the Kingdom’s culinary landscape.
The partnership was announced at the Cultural Investment Conference in Riyadh, organized by the Ministry of Culture.
The initiative underscores a commitment to nurturing local talent and offering a trusted, independent guide for both local and international audiences.
The Culinary Arts Commission and Gault&Millau aim to empower Saudi culinary professionals, raise industry standards and foster global connections that will shape the future of the Kingdom’s vibrant culinary scene.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia to host MONDIACULT 2029, UNESCO announces
October 01, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is to host the World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development, otherwise known as MONDIACULT, in 2029, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has announced.
The announcement was made during the current edition of the conference in Spain, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan said the Kingdom was honored to have been chosen to host the conference. He reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s strong partnership with UNESCO, which continues to devote efforts to advancing cultural development.
MONDIACULT is a global forum aimed at promoting dialogue on culture and supporting cultural policies. The first edition of the conference took place in Mexico in 1982.
The Kingdom played a role in reviving the event by supporting Mexico’s hosting of the 2022 edition and by chairing the Arab region’s regional consultations at that time, the SPA said.
Hosting the conference in 2029 will bring broad benefits to the Kingdom by stimulating cultural innovation and creativity, as well as contributing to the development of future cultural policies.
The event builds on Saudi Arabia’s efforts at local, regional, and global levels to strengthen the role of culture in development.
Source: arabnews.com
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South Asia
Telecom Firms in Afghanistan Confirm Internet Shutdown Was Ordered, Claim They Are Only Managing It
By Fidel Rahmati
October 1, 2025
Telecom firms in Afghanistan confirmed the nationwide internet shutdown was officially ordered, stating they are only managing operations, as services collapse and daily life faces widespread disruption.
Afghanistan telecom companies have confirmed that the nationwide internet shutdown was carried out under direct orders from the country’s top leadership. They said they are merely “managing a sensitive and complex situation” and expressed hope that services may resume soon.
According to a report by Fox News on Tuesday, September 30, telecom operators told Reuters that the disconnection began last week in phases. What started as partial restrictions has now escalated into a complete shutdown of fiber-optic and mobile networks across Afghanistan.
The blackout has triggered widespread disruption. Flights from Kabul airport have been canceled, and the national banking system is struggling with serious technical difficulties, leaving financial transactions paralyzed.
Millions of Afghans have lost access to basic services and communication with the outside world. The shutdown has also crippled humanitarian operations, which rely heavily on digital coordination to reach vulnerable communities.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed grave concern, urging authorities to restore internet access immediately. It warned that the blackout has “cut Afghanistan off from the world” and placed people’s lives at serious risk.
Analysts warn that the blackout illustrates the fragility of Afghanistan’s infrastructure and the risks of political interference in critical services. The disruption has compounded existing social and economic hardships.
The UN stressed that restoring connectivity is vital not only for humanitarian relief but also for safeguarding Afghanistan’s already fragile stability and its links with the outside world.
Source: khaama.com
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Internet and Telecom Networks Restored in Afghanistan After 72-Hour Blackout
By Fidel Rahmati
October 1, 2025Internet and telecom networks were restored in Afghanistan after a 72-hour blackout, resuming gradually with slow speeds, technical restrictions, and concerns over future sudden disruptions.
Internet services in Afghanistan were restored on Wednesday after a nationwide blackout that lasted nearly 72 hours. The shutdown, ordered under senior leadership, caused severe disruption across the country.
Residents in several provinces, including Herat and Kandahar, Kabul confirmed that fiber optic and mobile networks had come back online. However, access remained limited, with slow speeds and technical restrictions still in place.
Users reported that social media platforms and news websites were once again accessible. Yet the connection was unstable, making it difficult to carry out daily activities online.
The blackout, which began on Monday evening, had paralyzed education and professional life. Schools, offices, and businesses struggled to operate without internet access.
Banking systems, customs offices, money exchanges, and airports were also heavily affected. Flights in and out of Kabul were suspended, while financial transactions and trade slowed to a near standstill.
Civil society activists warned that the disruption underscored the fragility of Afghanistan’s communications infrastructure. They urged authorities to recognize internet access as a basic right and to prevent sudden nationwide shutdowns.
The United Nations and human rights groups echoed these concerns, noting that extended blackouts isolate communities, hinder humanitarian aid, and risk worsening Afghanistan’s already fragile social and economic conditions.
Although services have returned, residents expressed cautious relief, hoping connectivity will remain stable. Many stressed that repeated disruptions would inflict lasting harm on education, business, and livelihoods across the country.
Source: khaama.com
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Govt to return occupied ground to Dhaka’s Alia Madrasah: Education adviser
Oct 1, 2025
Education Adviser Prof Dr Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar today said that the ground of Govt Madrasah-e-Alia in Dhaka's Bakshibazar area, previously occupied during the tenure of the former government, will be returned to the madrasah authorities.
"The process of returning the ground to its rightful authorities has already begun. The ground was taken over during the tenure of the previous government to set up a special court on the premises. It will be removed following due procedure," he said.
The adviser said this while addressing the 246th founding anniversary celebration of Govt Madrasah-e-Alia on the madrasah premises in Dhaka as the chief guest.
Abrar further said that special development projects have been taken up for three Alia madrasahs across the country, including Dhaka Alia, to improve their infrastructure and academic environment.
He also assured that effective steps will be taken to resolve the shortage of teachers and the residential problems of students at Dhaka Alia Madrasah.
Presided over by Principal of Dhaka Alia Madrasah Obaidul Haque, the event was also addressed, among others, by Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain, Madrasah and Technical Education Division Secretary Rafiqul Islam and Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board Chairman Professor Mian Muhammad Nurul Haq.
Source: thedailystar.net
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No possibility of lifting ban on AL activities soon
Oct 2, 2025
Law Adviser Asif Nazrul yesterday ruled out the possibility of lifting the ban on activities of Awami League anytime soon.
Speaking to journalists after visiting a puja mandap at Sankar Math in Barishal city, the adviser said, "When a party's activities are banned, the question arises whether the ban is permanent or temporary. I don't see any possibility that the ban on Awami League activities will be lifted soon."
He also confirmed that the next national elections are scheduled to be held in the first half of February 2026. Addressing questions on the recent incidents in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, Nazrul said the government would take stern action against those responsible.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Tarique extends Bijoya Dashami greetings to Hindu community
Oct 1, 2025
BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman today extended greetings to the Hindu community on the occasion of Sharadiya Durga Puja and Bijoya Dashami, a major Hindu festival celebrated annually at the conclusion of Durga Puja.
In his message, Tarique said, "On the occasion of the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community, Sharadiya Durga Puja and Bijoya Dashami, I extend my sincere greetings and congratulations to all followers of the Hindu faith. I wish them peace, happiness, and well-being."
He highlighted the country's tradition of religious harmony, saying, "For generations, people of different religions in this country have practiced their faiths with great enthusiasm and harmony. This is the beauty of Bangladesh's traditional religious, social values, and culture."
Emphasising the responsibility of every citizen to ensure the safety of others, BNP acting chairman said, "In a Bangladesh free of fascism, it is the natural duty and moral responsibility of every citizen to contribute to the safety and dignity of their fellow citizens. It is just and rightful to resist those who seek to destroy society and human civilization through oppression and vengeance, and who aim to establish misrule."
He called on law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant, adding, "I urge the law enforcement agencies of the country to stay alert and proactive so that no one can disrupt communal harmony or attempt to create insecurity during this Sharadiya festival, as was seen under fascist regimes."
Encouraging the Hindu community to celebrate Durga Puja with enthusiasm, joy, and confidence, he said, "Celebrate the festival across the country with enthusiasm, joy, and a sense of safety. Spread the message of harmony and goodwill."
"My party BNP and I firmly believe -- religion belongs to individuals, but the state belongs to all. Religion is personal, but the right to security is universal," he added.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Qatar and Kazakhstan Envoys Discuss Cooperation on Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati
October 1, 2025
Qatar and Kazakhstan envoys discussed political, security, and humanitarian issues in Afghanistan, stressing joint cooperation, regional coordination, and enhanced bilateral efforts to address crises and support stability.
Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Hanzab, Special Envoy of the Qatari Foreign Minister, met with Yerkin Tokumov, Special Envoy of the Kazakh President for Afghanistan, on Tuesday, September 30.
During their talks, the two envoys discussed the political, security, and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and stressed the importance of joint cooperation to address crises and improve conditions in the country.
Both sides emphasized the need for greater regional and international coordination to support the Afghanistan people, particularly in the areas of humanitarian assistance and education.
They also welcomed ongoing diplomatic initiatives and constructive dialogue aimed at strengthening stability and fostering peace across Afghanistan.
The Kazakh envoy highlighted the importance of security and stability in Afghanistan, calling for enhanced bilateral cooperation and information exchange to counter shared regional threats.
The meeting reflects growing regional engagement on Afghanistan, with Qatar and Kazakhstan signaling their readiness to collaborate more closely on humanitarian and diplomatic efforts.
Analysts note that such cooperation could play a significant role in addressing Afghanistan’s interconnected challenges, from humanitarian needs to regional security concerns, through stronger partnerships.
Source: khaama.com
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Europe
Islamic school in Glasgow to be turned into housing
02 October 2025
By Eszter Tárnai
An Islamic school in Glasgow's West End will be turned into flats.
A planning application has been approved to turn the Al Furqan Islamic School on Arlington Street into housing.
The nearly 200 sq ft, two-storey property will be transformed from having four meeting rooms, three bedrooms, two toilets and a kitchen to a four-bedroom home.
It is also proposed to have a family room, a living room, a dining room and a kitchen, while the two bathrooms will remain.
The property is located near Glasgow's Arlington baths and on the outside, no significant changes are planned.
Glasgow City Council planning officials approved the application with a few conditions, including that the development of the site starts in the next three years.
Source: glasgowtimes.co.uk
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Met officers who showed ‘support for Tommy Robinson and sent anti-Muslim messages’ are ‘likely to be sacked’
Margaret Davis
1 October 2025
A number of Metropolitan Police officers are facing the sack after a misconduct investigation alleged behaviour of discrimination and misogyny, with messages revealing support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson and anti-Muslim sentiment.
It comes ahead of a Panorama documentary on Wednesday evening which will expose a number of the officers who were based at Charing Cross Police station.
The head of Met Police has apologised for their behaviour, calling it “reprehensible and completely unacceptable”.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley spoke out ahead of the BBC programme, which is to be broadcast at 9pm on Wednesday, saying it is likely that all the accused serving officers will be sacked within weeks.
The Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents officers up to the rank of chief inspector in the force, said any officer facing allegations has a right to due process rather than trial by documentary, senior officers or politicians.
Nine serving officers, one ex-officer and a designated detention officer are all under investigation for gross misconduct, over allegations of use of excessive force and making discriminatory and misogynistic comments, and failing to report or challenge inappropriate behaviour.
Sir Mark said: “Officers behaving in such appalling, criminal ways, let down our communities and will cause some to question if their sons and daughters are safe in our cells, and whether they would be believed and respected as victims of crime.
“For that, I am truly sorry.
“In line with our uncompromising approach, within 48 hours of these allegations being received, nine officers and one staff member had been suspended, with two more officers removed from frontline duties.
“It’s my expectation that for those involved, where there is incontrovertible evidence of racism, misogyny, anti-Muslim sentiment or bragging about excessive use of force, they will be put on a fast-track hearing within weeks and on a path to likely dismissal.”
He has been backed by London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who said he has confidence in the commissioner’s efforts to kick wrongdoers out of the Met, and that he is “disgusted and appalled” by the alleged behaviour.
Sir Sadiq said: “Sexism, racism, misogyny and the excessive use of force have no place in the police. I have met with the commissioner to discuss directly the issues exposed by the BBC – and its impact on public confidence and trust in the police.
“A series of urgent changes have been put in place at Charing Cross police station and across the Met, with more to follow.
“I support the new approach to tackling misconduct set out by the commissioner. There must be zero tolerance to this kind of behaviour and no hiding place for officers who abuse their position of trust.”
On Tuesday, watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which has launched its own inquiry into the claims, said that 11 current and former officers were under investigation for potential gross misconduct.
One constable was also under criminal investigation, accused of perverting the course of justice.
The alleged incidents are said to have occurred while those said to have been involved were both on and off duty between August 2024 and January 2025.
Messages shared are understood to include support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson, and anti-Muslim sentiment.
he entire custody team at Charing Cross has been disbanded and moved elsewhere in the wake of the allegations, which emerged after an investigation by Panorama.
Nine officers at the centre of the claims have been suspended while the IOPC inquiry continues.
Sir Mark took up the post three years ago tasked with cleaning up the force at arguably one of the most troubled times in its history.
He vowed to kick wrongdoers out of the Met in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, and another being unmasked as a serial rapist who targeted victims over nearly 20 years.
Earlier this month the force said it was using “Al Capone” style tactics to root out wrongdoers and break-up cliques within the ranks.
Sir Mark added: “Having cleared out huge volumes of unsuitable staff over recent years, we are now probing deeper into the corrupt networks and cliques our actions have driven underground.
“We are hardening our policies, such as bringing membership of secret societies into the light, and deploying AI and analytical intelligence technologies to spot early signs and troubling trends in our staff’s behaviour.
“The vast majority of our people join policing with a vocational sense of public duty.
“We’ll support even more staff to report wrongdoing and we will equip and develop our leaders to help them succeed in driving lasting cultural change.
“Those who can’t or won’t improve should expect to leave.”
The force is consulting on plans to force officers to declare if they are members of the Freemasons.
Paula Dodds, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “The federation deplores any discriminatory behaviour in the strongest possible terms – such behaviour has no place in policing or society.
“If officers are proven to be guilty of criminal offences or serious gross misconduct, then we do not want these individuals in the job.
“But all police officers – like all people – have the right to representation and due process, and not trial by media or documentary. Or indeed senior officers or politicians.”
Separate, earlier allegations linked to Charing Cross police station led to Sir Mark’s predecessor, Dame Cressida Dick, leaving her job, after London mayor Sadiq Khan said he could no longer support her.
A 2022 report by the IOPC found officers had exchanged highly offensive messages, including repeated jokes about rape, domestic violence and violent racism, as well as homophobic language and derogatory terms for disabled people.
The IOPC took the unusual step of publishing the messages in full and said the behaviour it had uncovered was “disgraceful”.
Source: yahoo.com
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Interim manager appointed to mosque charity as governance probe continues
01 Oct 2025
An interim manager has been appointed at a London-based Muslim charity after concerns were raised about its trustee elections and governance.
The Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into Newbury Park Masjid, which exists to advance Islam amongst people living in Redbridge, in June 2024.
It has now decided to appoint an interim manager to tackle issues with Newbury Park Masjid’s governance, to the exclusion of the charity’s trustees.
The interim manager was appointed in early August and the commission confirmed that the inquiry into the charity remains ongoing.
The commission previously identified concerns about the charity’s governance and constitution in 2022 and issued it with an action plan and order to provide information to ensure its AGM and trustee elections were held lawfully.
However, the regulator said the charity failed to follow these actions and orders in full and went ahead with elections without acting on its advice.
The commission said at the time that it appeared most of the trustees listed on the public register remained in office longer than the constitution allows, meaning that the charity did not have enough properly elected trustees to make decisions.
Removed trustees ‘not happy’
A spokesperson for the charity said the trustees who have been removed are “not happy at all” and that they have “done nothing wrong”.
They accused the commission of making “factual errors” so an interim manager could be appointed and of misinterpreting the charity’s constitution.
The spokesperson also said one task of the interim manager is to recruit new members which they fear “has no knowledge about our locality”.
Source: civilsociety.co.uk
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Refugees to face longer route to UK settlement rights
02 Oct 2025
Damian Grammaticas
Refugees will have to wait longer than the current five years before they can apply to settle permanently in the UK, under changes the government has said it is planning to the asylum system.
It has also confirmed that the route enabling refugees to automatically bring close relatives to the UK - which was temporarily suspended in September - will be permanently scrapped.
Details of the new conditions refugees will have to meet in order to settle in the UK and be accompanied by family members will be set out later in the autumn.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer meets leaders at the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen where he will be discussing ways to tackle illegal migration.
Ahead of that meeting, the prime minister said "fundamental changes" were being made to the asylum system to show that "settlement must be earned by contributing to the country".
The changes are similar to those already being planned for people coming on legal visas, such as for work, many of whom will have to wait 10 years to settle here.
A government source said the UK had been "overly generous" towards asylum seekers and wanted to show "we get it, we will reduce the pull factors."
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "Tweaking family rules is another Starmer gimmick that will make no difference whatsoever."
The Refugee Council said the government's approach would not deter people trying to get to the UK but would instead push "more desperate people into the arms of smugglers in an effort to reunite with loved ones".
The government has been trying to reduce the numbers of people arriving in the UK on small boats crossing the Channel.
On coming to power in July 2024, Labour promised to "stop the chaos" of the "small boat crisis" but numbers remain at high levels.
Currently refugees can apply to settle in the UK - also called indefinite leave to remain - after five years, giving them the right to live, work and study in the country for as long as they want provided they meet certain conditions.
Under the forthcoming rules, the government says refugees will be offered a "package of core protection" but will face "a new, longer route to settlement requiring them to contribute, replacing the current five years".
Earlier this week, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out her plans to make it similarly harder for migrants to qualify for indefinite leave to remain.
Under the proposals, legal migrants will have to learn English to a high standard, have a clean criminal record and volunteer in their community to be granted permanent settlement status.
Reform UK has announced it would replace indefinite leave to remain with visas requiring migrants - including non-EU nationals who already have the status - to reapply every five years.
The Migration Observatory estimates there are about 4.5 million people who hold indefinite leave to remain, including roughly 430,000 non-EU citizens.
The expected changes to settlement rules for refugees will be accompanied by alterations to family reunion conditions.
In September, the then home secretary Yvette Cooper announced that she was pausing the scheme which allowed refugees to bring their family to the UK with "no conditions" attached.
She said new rules would be announced in the coming months but until then refugees would have to face the same restrictions as other migrants - for example earning at least £29,000 and being able to provide the relative with suitable accommodation.
Arguing that the change was needed, Cooper said it was "not fair" that refugees should face a lower bar than others.
She also said the levels were "not sustainable" and that some councils were "finding that more than a quarter of family homelessness applications are linked to refugee family reunion".
During Thursday's summit in Copenhagen, Sir Keir will meet Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen.
The two leaders are expected to announce £3m to encourage people from Western Balkan countries to stay in the region rather than migrate.
The UK government is also contributing up to £5.75m - up from £4m this time last year - to Italy's Rome Process, a scheme aimed at reducing the number of migrants crossing from Africa to Europe.
The government has said the prime minister will also discuss "how to go further" on changing the European Convention on Human Rights.
On Wednesday, Sir Keir told the BBC he did not want to "tear down" human rights laws but was ready to look again at article three of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects against torture and degrading treatment.
Sir Keir's comments come after a Labour Party conference dominated by efforts to confront Reform UK, which has been leading opinion polls in recent months.
The Conservative Party's conference in Manchester is due to start on Sunday.
Source: bbc.com
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Danish PM calls for strong answer from EU leaders to Russia's hybrid attacks
02 Oct 2025
Jessica Parker
EU leaders have met in Copenhagen under pressure to boost European defence after a series of Russian incursions into EU airspace, and days after drones targeted Danish airports.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters that "from a European perspective there is only one country... willing to threaten us and that is Russia, and therefore we need a very strong answer back".
The incursions have become most acute for countries on the EU's eastern flank such as Poland and Estonia.
A number of member states have already backed plans for a multi-layered "drone wall" to quickly detect, then track and destroy Russian drones.
"We meet at a time when Russia have intensified their attacks in Ukraine, where we have seen Russian airspace violations and unwanted drone activity in several European countries," Frederiksen told a news conference after the talks had concluded.
"They are threatening us and they are testing us and they will not stop."
She said the next steps would include stepping up military and financial support for Ukraine, rearming European countries, and strengthening the production of drones and anti-drone technology.
"We must provide the strongest of deterrents, at scale and at speed," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Denmark beefed up security for the summit, banning all civilian drone flights until Friday and placing heavy restrictions on traffic in Copenhagen.
Denmark is also hosting a broader European Political Community summit on Thursday and international allies have lent support to ensure both events pass without incident.
Copenhagen airport, followed by several Danish airports and military sites on the Jutland peninsula, faced drone disruption last week.
Ten allies are providing anti-drone and surveillance support, according to Denmark's military, which has highlighted an "increased presence of foreign troops and equipment".
Among the countries contributing are Poland, the UK, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and the US. A German frigate has also docked in Copenhagen.
As host to dozens of European leaders over two days, Denmark will want to fend off any more unwelcome surprises in its airspace.
Danish police have not found any evidence that Russia was behind last week's drone disruption, but Frederiksen linked it explicitly to other hybrid attacks such as Russia's drone incursion over Poland.
It was part of a pattern that had to be viewed from a European perspective, she told reporters on Wednesday.
"The war in Ukraine is very serious. When I look at Europe today, I think we are in the most difficult and dangerous situation since the end of the Second World War - not the Cold War anymore."
Sweden has loaned "powerful radar systems" to its neighbour for the week and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was sending a mission to Denmark for joint exercises to provide "Ukrainian experience in drone defence".
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said ahead of the summit that airspace incursions were getting worse and that it was "reasonable to assume the drones are coming from Russia".
Drones have been seen in recent days over Germany's northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, and flights have been delayed in the past week at Vilnius airport in Lithuania and at Oslo airport in Norway because of drone activity.
"We are not at war, but we are no longer at peace either. We must do much more for our own security," Merz told an event in Düsseldorf this week.
EPA/Shutterstock Von der Leyen wears a red jacket and white blouse with the blue and yellow flag of the EU in the backgroundKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was obvious Germany had long been "indirectly involved" in the war in Ukraine and rejected "unfounded accusations" of Russian involvement in last week's disruption in Denmark.
"Europe would be better off seeking dialogue on security issues rather than looking to build a divisive 'drone wall'," he said on Tuesday.
Such is the concern at Russian activity on Europe's eastern flank that Nato met for consultations twice in September under Article 4 of its treaty, first after drones violated Polish airspace and then when Russian MiG-31 war planes entered Estonian airspace for 12 minutes.
"We have to keep our skies safe," said Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who met Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on the eve of the Copenhagen summit.
The idea of a drone wall was raised a month ago by von der Leyen, and Rutte said it was "timely and necessary because, in the end, we cannot spend millions of euros or dollars on missiles to take out drones which are only costing a couple of thousand dollars".
A senior EU diplomat told the BBC that there were still questions over financing the plan and about command and control, but Europe's response to Russia's drone violations in Poland had led to some serious soul-searching: "We have to be more agile and find better tools."
A former brigadier general in the Danish military, Ole Kvaerno, told the BBC that the drone wall was "a political, very generic concept at the moment", but that last week's drone activity over his country had been a wake-up call for the authorities and the broader Danish population.
He warned that the target of the next attack might be different.
"It could be infrastructure like energy supply," said Kvaerno of the Danish Centre for Defence Robotics and Autonomy. "The nature of hybrid war is that it's intended to take us by surprise. So we're not done with operational shocks like this one."
Another flagship project, called Eastern Flank Watch, is aimed at fortifying the EU's eastern borders by sea, air and land to protect against so-called hybrid warfare, as well as from Russia's shadow fleet. Von der Leyen said the EU would have to collaborate on this with both Nato and Ukraine.
EU leaders will be shown plans for a "road map" aimed at bolstering defences and developing Europe's defence industries by the end of the decade to produce state-of-the-art military equipment. The plans will then be worked on with Nato before EU leaders meet again later this month.
According to the plans for being "2030-ready", Europe needs to move now so its capabilities are prepared for "the battlefields of tomorrow".
One of the core ideas is to increasingly focus on joint procurement. The EU has already backed proposals to raise up to €150bn (£130bn) on capital markets to help fund defence investment. The UK and Canada are likely to take part in the fund.
The EU's financial support for Ukraine will also be discussed, more than three and a half years into Russia's full-scale war.
Ukraine is also a candidate to join the EU, but is facing hardening opposition from Hungary and tensions along their shared border, after Kyiv accused Budapest of sending reconnaissance drones into western Ukraine.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is one of Russia's closest allies in the EU, claimed Ukraine was "not a sovereign country" as it was being financed by the West.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8jdene16ro
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Africa
Kano council suspends Islamic scholar over alleged blasphemy
Murtala Adewale, Kano
2 Oct 2025
Controversial Islamic scholar, Sheikh Lawan Abubakar, popularly known as Triumph, has been barred from preaching, pending the determination of the blasphemous allegation against him.
The popular Kano-based Imam is being accused of derogatory comments against Prophet Mohammad (SAW) during one of his preachments, thereby constituting a capital offence of blasphemy under the penal code.
Briefing journalists yesterday in Kano, Secretary of the Kano Shura Council, Shehu Sagagi, revealed that Sheikh Abubakar was directed to suspend all his Islamic propagation to allow him to defend himself.
Sagagi noted that the council, entrusted by the state government to investigate petitions and counter-reactions against the Islamic scholar, had also summoned him for inquiry.
He said: “Today, we reconvened to receive and review the allegations against Sheikh Lawal Shuaib Abubakar, popularly known as Triumph. We listened to and viewed both audio and video clips from him.
“In our deliberations, we carefully examined the issues, separating those supported by evidence from those without. We resolved that allegations lacking evidence should be set aside, while those with verifiable evidence have been duly recorded.”
“It was further agreed that a committee will invite Sheikh Lawal Shuaib Abubakar to appear and defend himself. A formal summons will be issued, and pending his defence, he is suspended from all teaching and preaching activities.”
Source: guardian.ng
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https://guardian.ng/news/kano-council-suspends-islamic-scholar-over-alleged-blasphemy/
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Religious genocide: Of half-truths and half-lies
2nd October 2025
The idea that Nigeria is an Islamic state where Muslims persistently persecute Christians is somehow prevalent in some circles. I have been in certain places where—after introducing myself as a Nigerian—I was confronted with well-meaning sympathies from those who imagined that we (my family members and I) face religious persecution. The narrative partly endures because accounting for the violence in some parts of Nigeria, especially where Christians have been routine victims, is easier to narrate to outsiders through the dialectic of “Muslims vs Christians” in almost the same way the “good vs evil” trope is fundamental to storytelling universally. The average Nigerian knows that the reality is a lot more complicated, but explaining the nuances to an inquiring foreigner would necessarily entail describing Nigeria’s history up to 1914. Not only would people end up confused, but the complexity of such accounts will also undermine the urgency of the situation.
Now, when the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, would respond to the foreign agents who portray the insecurity situation in Nigeria as a genocidal campaign against Christians, he claimed it was “a gross misrepresentation of reality”. He listed several instances of Nigeria’s defeat of key bandit figures and concluded, “These feats underscore the determination and success of our security forces and expose as unfounded the notion that Nigeria is passively tolerating religiously motivated terrorism.” Both the narrative and the official statement challenging it are examples of how half-truths and half-lies can travel together. Which is why, when asked to swear in the courts, we are supposed to tell the truth and “nothing but the truth”. Those who added that clause know that one can tell the truth and still tell something other than the truth.
First, the Nigerian state officially tolerates religiously motivated violence, and this has been serially demonstrated through the years. There are many instances of violent activities carried out by the maniacs that Nigeria spinelessly failed to confront over the decades for fear of triggering an irascible people. The more our leaders have hesitated to decisively confront those who think they can wield the power of life and death over their fellow citizens, the more implacable those fanatics have become. These people were the ones who agitated for Sharia as soon as Nigeria’s return to civil rule produced a Christian president, not because they cared to inscribe religious ethics to reform the country, but to mobilise their troops who could not bear the symbolic loss of political power. They tried to reassert themselves through violence and soon followed Sharia law with mass riots and massacres over even the most trivial of issues. In all of these, the government has typically done little to punish the perpetrators. They often chose the path of appeasement over legal redress, an attitude that makes it rational to conclude that the official state itself has been a collaborator in the spate of religious-based violence that has engulfed the country. Nigeria’s failure to put its constitutional foot down has allowed the excesses to metamorphose into the monstrosity of terrorism that now consumes everyone.
When Boko Haram started, the first targets of their terroristic attacks were Christians and churches. They viciously attacked churches. Some misguided Muslims, still sore from losing the presidency to a Christian southerner, thought Boko haram was their avenging angel. They imagined it as the radical strain of Islamism that would achieve what human rights activists would not let the Sharia courts do, and they passionately defended them. But weaponised violence almost always escapes the control of those who think they can monopolise it. It is only a matter of time before some other upstart contends for a portion of that authority and deploys the same means to stake their claims. Boko Haram has since fanned out into banditry, branching out into various locations from where violent criminals claim territories wherever they get a foothold. As they build their strongholds in multiple geographical locations, they have claimed just as many Muslim victims. The more precise religious lines that once defined those attacks have long blurred, but the westerners seeking to use the plight to redirect attention from Gaza are still stuck on the initial version.
Even with the monstrosity these people have become, Nigeria still moves on the spectrum from fighting them to mollycoddling them. We were here when a lawmaker stood up in their supposedly hallowed chamber to plead for amnesty for bandits, saying he could not wait to see them enter “politics”. There was no mention of justice for their victims, only redemption and rehabilitation for the perpetrators.
Governors openly talk of paying off bandits; the sense of propriety that should curtail a public admission of bribing killers has long died. It is, therefore, no surprise that we are now at a place where bandits openly flaunt high-grade weapons, take territories, and even announce fundamental human rights for people in the communities they have held captive. These are all the consequences of the state’s weakness and indecisiveness in confronting religious violence.
Nigeria’s tolerance of their violence is such that a random guy once petitioned the police to punish an atheist for posting an anti-Islamic diatribe. All he needed to do to get the police’s attention was to subtly hint at Muslims’ propensity for violence. The mere reminder of what they were capable of was enough to get security agencies to jump into their vehicles, race to arrest the atheist, put him through a sham trial, and have him sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment! There was no time that the thought of his individual right ever came up. I cannot imagine the circumstances under which the police would have responded similarly if a Christian wrote such a petition. It was the same cowardice the police manifested in Ilorin when some Muslims determined the Ìṣèṣe practitioners would not hold their festival. It was also the same moral failure exhibited when a man named his dog “Buhari” and they had him arrested because some Muslims threatened violence. In 2016, a Christian woman named Bridget Agbahime was lynched in Kano by fanatics who accused her of blasphemy, but the court acquitted her alleged killers because the state attorney-general could not procure enough evidence to ground a conviction. It occurred in broad daylight in the marketplace, but they were unable to find sufficient evidence. Then, there was the case of Deborah Samuel, whose killers audaciously put themselves on video yet were never convicted.
There are so many of these instances, and one cannot blame foreigners who look into the country from outside and conclude that Christians are victims of a genocidal campaign. They might not have an accurate picture of the general dysfunctionality that plagues the country, but what they have is not entirely false either. The selectivity of those who target Nigeria is not unfounded. Ghana, right there beside us, is also multi-religious but does not appear in international news for the same reasons as we do. We have organised our politics in such a way that nobody can stand up for what is right for fear of how these fanatics might react come the next election cycle. When a presidential candidate dared to condemn Deborah Samuel’s murder, they threatened his candidacy. He had to assuage them by taking down his post. Put all these together into a definite pattern and you will see that we have a problem because we have a government that passively and, in fact, actively tolerates Islamic violence.
Source: punchng.com
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https://punchng.com/religious-genocide-of-half-truths-and-half-lies/
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Removing Corrupt Petroleum Subsidy Was A Tough, But Necessary Decision – President Tinubu Opens Up
October 1, 2025
By Oladipo Abiola
President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, admitted that it was not an easy decision to end the controversial fuel subsidy regime in Nigeria.
He, however, added that it was a necessary and timely decision needed to save Nigeria’s economy from total collapse.
Naija News reports that President Tinubu made the acknowledgement during his nationwide broadcast to Nigerians on the occasion of the country’s 65th Independence Anniversary celebration.
It would be recalled that President Tinubu, on May 29, 2023, right from the venue of his inauguration, declared an end to the fuel subsidy regime, prompting an immediate rise in the price of petrol, heightened inflation and other economic pressures.
Addressing the issue during his speech on Wednesday, Tinubu stated that the fuel subsidy regime was a corrupt system that needed to be abolished. He added that since the removal of fuel subsidy, the accruing financial resources have been deployed to other areas of development in the country.
“As a new administration, we faced a simple choice: continue business as usual and watch our nation drift, or embark on a courageous, fundamental reform path. We chose the path of reform. We chose the path of tomorrow over the comfort of today.
“In resetting our country for sustainable growth, we ended the corrupt fuel subsidies and multiple foreign exchange rates that created massive incentives for a rentier economy, benefiting only a tiny minority. At the same time, the masses received little or nothing from our commonwealth,” he said.
The President explained that the money saved from subsidy removal was channelled to other key areas, education, healthcare, security, agriculture, and infrastructure, areas he said would improve the lives of Nigerians.
“Following the removal of the corrupt petroleum subsidy, we have freed up trillions of Naira for targeted investment in the real economy and social programmes for the most vulnerable, as well as all tiers of government.
“I have always candidly acknowledged that these reforms have come with some temporary pains. However, the alternative of allowing our country to descend into economic chaos or bankruptcy was not an option. Our macro-economic progress has proven that our sacrifices have not been in vain. Together, we are laying a new foundation cast in concrete, not on quicksand,” he said.
Tinubu boasted that the tough choices made by his administration have resulted in the availability of more resources for the government at all levels to care for the people and cater to developmental projects.
“As a result of the tough decisions we made, the Federal and State governments, including Local Governments, now have more resources to take care of the people at the lower level of the ladder, to address our development challenges,” the president noted.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/10/01/removing-corrupt-petroleum-subsidy-was-a-tough-but-necessary-decision-president-tinubu-opens-up/
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I Was Already Ambushed – Soyinka Speaks On Accepting National Theatre Renaming
October 2, 2025
By Justina Otio
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has opened up on why he accepted the renaming of the National Theatre, Lagos, after him.
According to him, he never believed that the monument could ever be revamped.
The author spoke at the reopening of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts (formerly National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos).
He stated that he accepted the honour with mixed feelings, despite being a critic of many past leaders, who appropriated public monuments.
“I have to stand up in public and watch my name being put up as yet another appropriator. It just didn’t seem very well for me,” he said.
Soyinka noted that he would accept eating his words if the monumental turnaround of the theatre complex was what he would get in return.
He explained that before the renovation of the edifice, he thought it was irredeemable, but the Bankers’ Committee “made me eat my words.”’
He applauded the Bankers’ Committee, maintaining that they had brought the edifice to global standards.
He said that with the recreation of the edifice, Nigerians can now watch Africa Theatre at home instead of travelling abroad.
The Bankers’ Committee committed ₦68 billion into the project.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the occasion, directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to float a National Arts Theatre Endowment Fund to ensure the maintenance of the national edifice.
Soyinka said, “And one of the reasons was I nearly electrocuted two of my actors. That is how they crept into my car. The roofs were leaking, so the pools of water were everywhere. And of course, there were electric wires also.
“One other reason is nostalgia. I remember this building when it was first erected, when we did it originally. I think we called it General’s Hat, because of the shape of the roof. There’s a constant re-conception very little of what I call the African architectural intelligence in it.
“Then there’s another reason why I thought I should accept.
“Well, I was already ambushed. They shaved my head behind me. I would have raised a squawk. But, then I decided, this building belongs to me. It belongs to me.”
Among the prominent persons at the event were First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso, who coordinated the Bankers’ Committee, Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi, who is a former CBN governor; Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/10/02/i-was-already-ambushed-soyinka-speaks-on-accepting-national-theatre-renaming/
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Sudan activist among human rights awardees
October 01, 2025
STOCKHOLM: The Right Livelihood Award was awarded Wednesday to activists from Sudan and Myanmar, where military and political violence devastates communities, to the Pacific Islands, where climate disaster threatens entire nations, and to Taiwan, which is the frequent target of threats and disinformation.
“As authoritarianism and division rise globally, the 2025 Right Livelihood Laureates are charting a different course: one rooted in collective action, resilience and democracy to create a livable future for all,” the Stockholm-based foundation said about the winners. It considered 159 nominees from 67 countries this year.
The youth-led organization Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change and Julian Aguon were awarded the prize “for carrying the call for climate justice to the world’s highest court.”
Justice for Myanmar was awarded “for their courage and their pioneering investigative methods in exposing and eroding the international support to Myanmar’s corrupt military.”
Audrey Tang from Taiwan won the prize “for advancing the social use of digital technology to empower citizens, renew democracy and heal divides.”
In Sudan, the Emergency Response Rooms network was awarded for “for building a resilient model of mutual aid amid war and state collapse that sustains millions of people with dignity.”
The Sudanese community-led network has become the backbone of the country’s humanitarian response amid war, displacement and state collapse. They helps includes healthcare, food assistance, and education, where many international aid organizations cannot reach, according to the foundation.
Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honors efforts that the prize founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes.
“At a time when violence, polarization and climate disasters are tearing communities apart, the 2025 Right Livelihood Laureates remind us that joining hands in collective action is humanity’s most powerful response,” said Ole von Uexkull, the nephew of the prize founder and the organization’s executive director.
“Their courage and vision create a tapestry of hope and show that a more just and livable future is possible,” he added.
Previous winners include Ukrainian human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk, Congolese surgeon Denis Mukwege and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Matviichuk and Mukwege received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 and 2018, respectively.
The Right Livelihood Award comes just a week before the Nobel Prizes. The 2025 laureates will be given their awards on Dec. 2 in Stockholm. The size of the prize amount was not announced.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2617469/middle-east
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Madagascar: Protests ongoing to demand president's resignation as police presence grows
October 2, 2025
It was another tense day of protests on the streets of Madagascar on Wednesday, as police presence intensified in an effort to quell the movement.
Security forces locked down the city centre of Antananarivo to prevent protesters from reaching the area known as Democracy Square,.
“What's happening now is that we want to go to Democracy Square in Ambohijatovo, and we're being blocked here. They're firing tear gas at us, and people are fleeing through the small alleys. The police are still here, in large numbers," one protester told Africanews.
On Tuesday, protesters were able to occupy Democracy Square in the centre of the capital.
But on Wednesday, the location was deserted. Demonstrators and journalists at the scene denounced an attack on their freedom of speech.
Gen Z-led demonstrations have been ongoing since Thursday and were prompted by anger over water and power shortages.
President Andry Rajoelina dismissed his government on Monday, in a failed attempt to appease protesters. They are now demanding this resignation.
“We are not afraid. We 're here because we are ready to fight. We are not going to run away, we are ready to fight to the end," said one protester.
Meanwhile, people close to the president have also called for action. On social media, they are inviting his supporters to come together to support and protect Andry Rajoelina.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2025/10/01/madagascar-protests-ongoing-to-demand-presidents-resignation-as-police-presence-grows/
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Southeast Asia
All mosques, surau under Jakim, Jawi to hold special prayers for safety of Global Sumud Flotilla activists
02 Oct 2025
PUTRAJAYA, Oct 2 — All mosques and surau under the purview of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) have been instructed to hold solat hajat (prayer of need) and recite Qunut Nazilah (a supplication for protection during times of calamity) for the safety of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) activists.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, in a statement, said this follows Israel’s interception of the GSF humanitarian mission to Gaza.
He said the prayers will be performed after the Maghrib prayer tonight and after the Friday prayer tomorrow, and that all mosques and Friday surau in the Federal Territories will also deliver a special Friday sermon on the Palestinian issue.
“I recommend that all mosques and Friday surau under the respective state religious departments also take similar steps.
“Let us all pray for the safety and protection of the Global Sumud Flotilla team, especially the Malaysians involved, and for the well-being of the Palestinian people,” he said.
The GSF, carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, was reportedly intercepted by Israel in international waters yesterday.
As of 7.50am Malaysian time, 12 Malaysians had been detained and five others were reported to have lost contact with the Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) after their ships were intercepted. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/10/02/all-mosques-surau-under-jakim-jawi-to-hold-special-prayers-for-safety-of-global-sumud-flotilla-activists/193149
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Umno Youth urges government to cancel Trump’s visit over detained Malaysian flotilla activists
theSun Webdesk
2025-10-02
PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth has demanded that the government withdraw its invitation to United States President Donald Trump if Malaysian activists detained in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) are not released by Israeli forces.
Its chief, Dr Akmal Saleh, said the wing will not hesitate to mobilise nationwide demonstrations during Trump’s visit to Kuala Lumpur should the government fail to act.
“If Malaysian activists are not freed, we demand that the government cancel Trump’s invitation. Otherwise, Umno Youth across the country will protest in front of him during his visit.
“Hurting them is the same as hurting all Malaysians. Free the flotilla activists now,” he said in a Facebook post.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim meanwhile said diplomatic efforts are underway to secure the release of detained volunteers, with 12 Malaysians confirmed in Israeli custody.
He assured that Malaysia is working with international stakeholders and promised regular updates on progress.
Anwar expressed solidarity with the families of those affected, urging the public to keep the activists in their prayers while the government pursues all avenues for their safe return.
Trump is scheduled to visit Kuala Lumpur this month to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit for high-level discussions on regional security, trade, and diplomatic cooperation.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/umno-youth-urges-government-to-cancel-trump-s-visit-over-detained-malaysian-flotilla-activists-HF15012885
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Malaysia closely monitoring detention of volunteers in Gaza aid flotilla, says deputy foreign minister
02 Oct 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry is closely monitoring the developments surrounding Malaysian volunteers detained by Israeli authorities following their participation in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) humanitarian mission to Gaza.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin said the ministry, also known as Wisma Putra, is currently gathering information and working closely with the Prime Minister’s Office to ensure proper help can be rendered to the affected Malaysians.
“Wisma Putra will continually monitor this development and obtain as much information as possible.
“We are also working with the Prime Minister’s Office to assist Malaysians who are involved in the mission,” he told reporters after “Forum on Asean: Shaping a More Inclusive and Sustainable Future” here, on Thursday.
He also gave assurance that the government would do its utmost to assist the families of the Malaysians involved in the mission.
“We are always monitoring the development from time to time. For now, we can only pray for the safety of our citizens,” he said.
Elaborating, Mohamad stressed that Malaysia is committed to opposing Israel’s brutality and defending the rights of the Palestinians at the global stage.
“Malaysia will not cease in making our stand known. We shall remain steadfast and committed. This is not a threat, but a warning that Malaysia will continue to stand with Palestine,” he said.
Mohamad said the government would always assist non-governmental organisations (NGOs) looking to contribute aid to Gaza, adding that these NGOs must always provide updates on their current situations and be on alert when in critical zones.
The GSF humanitarian mission with its team of international volunteers set sail for Gaza carrying supplies of basic humanitarian aid for Palestinians affected by the unrelenting attacks of the Zionist regime.
The flotilla is led by international activists and features five vessels, including one that carries Malaysian volunteers.
As of 7.50am Malaysia time, 12 Malaysians have been confirmed detained by Israeli forces after their vessels entered the R3 red zone, some 100 nautical miles from Gaza, last night.
In total, there are 10 vessels in the GSF mission carrying 23 Malaysian citizens to Gaza.
This was not the first time that Israel intercepted flotillas carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Prior to this, a few international flotilla missions also encountered similar obstacles despite only carrying humanitarian aid and unarmed volunteers.
Meanwhile, Mohamad said Asean must shoulder most of the responsibility towards regional peace, security, and stability, and not yield to the influences of super powers.
He emphasised that Asean continues to be guided by its foundational principles from six decades ago, namely resolutions through dialogues, diplomacy, and consensus. These principles have enabled the region to remain stable compared to many other places in the world.
According to Mohamad, the Asean principle of centrality is to ensure that the region remains free of foreign interference and enable all member states to contribute equally to the sustainable development agenda.
Mohamad calls on Asean to act with conviction and a common vision in the face of prevailing challenges, including climate change, geopolitics, and humanitarian issues such as refugees, to safeguard the peace and prosperity of the region. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/10/02/malaysia-closely-monitoring-detention-of-volunteers-in-gaza-aid-flotilla-says-deputy-foreign-minister/193147
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Five Malaysians, one Bruneian from Gaza flotilla support team flying home from Athens
By Malay Mail
02 Oct 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Five Malaysians and one Bruneian under the Sumud Nusantara Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) are expected to return home tomorrow evening.
They are scheduled to fly from Athens, Greece to Malaysia before resuming duties at the Sumud Nusantara Control Centre (SNCC) here, according to a report published today in Kosmo! Online.
One of them, Tuan Mohamad Asri Tuan Hussein, confirmed that he and the other participants would depart for Malaysia tonight.
“We are expected to arrive home tomorrow evening (Friday),” said Tuan Mohamad Asri, who is also Media Director of Muslim Care Malaysia.
He added that upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), the group would head directly to the SNCC Operations Centre.
Besides Tuan Mohamad Asri, the Malaysians being repatriated are Abdul Rahim Azhari, Muhammad Khairin Afiq Mohd Subkhi, Ahmad Safuan Ujar and Nur Ilham Fansuri Zainal Rashid, along with Bruneian national Rezahmaisalamah Md Yusof.
At a press conference earlier, SNCC Director-General Datuk Dr Sani Araby Abdul Halim said the repatriation was carried out with the government’s support through Wisma Putra.
“We are not alone in this situation, and the government, through Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as patron of Sumud Nusantara, has given its full commitment,” he said.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/10/02/five-malaysians-one-bruneian-from-gaza-flotilla-support-team-flying-home-from-athens/193133
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SNCC: Two of five Gaza Sumud Flotilla vessels carrying Malaysians have gone dark
02 Oct 2025
SEPANG, Oct 2 — Only three ships carrying Malaysians in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) mission to Gaza have been confirmed to be still sailing and in contact with the Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) as of 10 am today.
According to SNCC’s tracking system, the three vessels are Fair Lady, carrying Zainal Rashid Ahmad and Ustaz Muhammad Abdullah; Free Willy (Muhammad Hareez Adzrami and Dr Taufiq Mohd Razif); and Inana (Razali Awang).
The Estrella and Mikeno, which also had Malaysians on board, have lost contact, though it has not yet been confirmed whether they were intercepted and their occupants detained by Israeli forces.
Those on board the Estrella are PU Rahmat, Norhelmi, Mohd Asmawi and Norazma, while Ardell Aryana is on the Mikeno.
In total, 10 ships were carrying 23 Malaysians in the GSF mission.
As of 7.50 am Malaysian time, 12 of them have been confirmed detained by Israeli forces after entering the red zone R3, about 100 nautical miles from Gaza, last night.
Another four Malaysians are on board the Jong as observers outside the red zone: Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri Kamaruzaman, Mazian Seman, Serieffa Mushtafa Albakry and Ariff Budiman. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/muslims-hosting-ramlila-ayodhya-tradition/d/137078