Hindu Group Finds Staircase To Basement In Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque
New Age Islam
News Bureau
04 April 2024
Bhojshala-Kamal
Maula Mosque. (Image: Wikipedia)
-----
·
Hindu
Group Finds Staircase To Basement In Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque
·
Aceh Ulema
Council Urges Acehnese To Uphold Human Values In Dealing With Rohingyas
·
US Says
Palestinian Statehood Should Be Done Through Direct Negotiations Not UN Venue
·
Israel
Has Killed More Aid Workers In Gaza Than Have Died In Rest Of World Combined In
Any Of Last 30 Years: Report
·
‘Some
Were Extremely Hostile’: Once Geert Wilders’ Right-Hand Man Turned To Islam
----
India
·
No Indian
Muslim Will Lose Citizenship, Says Rajnath At Ghaziabad Rally
·
Maharashtra
Govt Mapping Madrasas During Ramadan, SP MLA Questions Its Purpose
·
Nuh
Violence Accused Cow Vigilante Bittu Bajrangi Thrashes Man, Taking Him As A
Muslim, In Police Presence
·
India
says inclusive government in Afghanistan is top priority for SCO
----
Southeast
Asia
·
Food
Delivery Rider Deliberately Placed Pork On Shelf At Mosque Entrance, Jailed 12
Weeks
·
Sultan
Yussuf Mosque Holds Funeral Prayers In Absentia For Megat Ashman Aqif
·
King
presents letters of appointment to 23 members of FT Islamic Religious Council
·
Ministry
encourages children's positive activities during Ramadan
·
Baznas
distributes clean water to Palestinians in Gaza's Rafah
-------
North
America
·
Biden
Urged To 'Reverse Course' On Gaza By 80 Muslim American Groups
·
US could
remove Houthis from terror list in exchange for Red Sea quiet - report
·
US ally
Jordan rocked by pro-Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood protests over Gaza war
·
Muslim
advocacy group says Biden responsible for Israel's destruction at Al-Shifa
Hospital
·
US Senate
majority leader supports early Israeli elections as 'right thing to do’
·
Iran,
Syria owe family of American slain by Hamas $191 million in damages, US
district court rules
·
Palestinian
American doctor explains why he walked out of meeting with Biden and Harris
------
Mideast
·
Israeli
Oppressive Policies In West Bank Target Not Only Muslims But Also Christians,
Says Clergyman
·
Israel
Will Receive Slap In The Face For Syria Attack: Leaderof the Islamic Revolution
·
Patients
of destroyed Gaza hospital at risk of death without evacuation, warns WHO chief
·
Hamas
says Israel aims to terrorize aid workers as Gaza faces famine
·
Israel
has arrested 66 journalists in West Bank since Oct. 7: NGO
·
Turkish
president vows to eliminate terrorism threat not only in Türkiye but in region
----
Europe
·
UK Prime
Minister Facing Pressure Over Arms Sales To Israel After Death Of WCK Aid
Workers
·
Spain
Says Israel’s Response To Killing Aid Workers ‘Insufficient, Unacceptable’
·
UK
Charities Urge Government To Welcome Gazans With Family Ties In Britain
·
Poland
ups pressure on Israel after losing a citizen in bombing of Gaza aid workers
·
Prison
Staff Fear Being Called Racist If They Challenge Muslim Gang Dominance, Warns
Former Prison Boss
----
South
Asia
·
Afghan
Journalist AhamdHanayeshSurvives Assassination Attempt In Pakistan
·
Millions
in Afghanistan affected by poverty, seeking work on streets
·
Over one
million Afghan refugees forcibly expelled from neighbouring countries: Official
·
Poetry
Program in Nangarhar Supports Palestine
·
With
UNAMA, No Other UN Representative Needed: Shaheen
·
Pakistan
Plans to Deport 67,000 Afghan Migrants After Eid al-Fitr
·
Work for
people, don’t lose their trust, PM tells public representatives
·
Deputy PM
Hanafi Meets Media Activist to Discuss Social Situation and Media Affairs
------
Africa
·
Hunger,
Insecurity, Corruption Doesn’t Know Religion, Labour Party Flag Bearer Tells
Fasting Muslims
·
Mutfwang
Breaks Fast With Plateau Muslim Ummah, Drums For Peace
·
Stop
Illegality, Return Lagos Muslim Prayer Ground, MURIC Tells Tinubu
·
DSS gets
court’s nod to detain suspected ISIS member for 60 days
·
Gov Yusuf
Flags Off 4th Ramadan Palliatives Distribution, Warns Against Diversion
----
Pakistan
·
Jammu,
Kashmir Is An Internationally Recognised Disputed Territory, Pakistan Tells UN
·
Rs1.2m
Monthly Expenditure On Imran In Jail, LHC Informed
·
Cipher
case: Imran, Qureshi disclosed nothing in their statements, says IHC judge
·
Court
seeks arguments on Imran’s acquittal plea
·
IK
production order: Another notice issued to Adiala jail authorities
------
Arab
World
·
70 New
Archaeological Sites Documented In Saudi National Antiquities Register
·
Return of
displaced Gazans key issue blocking truce deal: Qatar PM
·
Amir,
Spanish PM review ties; stress Gaza aid delivery, de-escalation
·
Saudi
authorities, volunteers provide smooth experience for disabled pilgrims
·
Media
minister reviews Umrah season coverage at Grand Mosque media headquarters
------
Australia
·
Israeli Explanation
For Aid Workers Deaths ‘Not Good Enough’, Australia PM Says
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hindu-bhojshala-kamal-maula-mosque/d/132083
-----
Hindu Group Finds Staircase To Basement In
Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque
Bhojshala-Kamal
Maula Mosque. (Image: Wikipedia)
-----
Apr 4, 2024
Bhopal: A representative of a Hindu outfit has claimed
that signs of a staircase leading to a basement have been discovered at the
controversial Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in the Dhar district of
Madhya Pradesh. The representative was present during the Archaeological Survey
of India's (ASI) investigation at the site. The survey is now in its 13th day
as of Wednesday.
Gopal Sharma, a spokesperson for the Hindu outfit,
shared findings from the ongoing ASI survey, stating, "Signs of a basement
and staircase were found in the Bhojshala complex during the current ASI
survey." He added that three steps of the staircase-like structure had
already been unearthed by the survey team.
To get a clear picture of the complex's historical
background, ASI teams are carrying out excavations at three locations within
the complex. The excavations aim to gather samples for carbon dating to
ascertain whether a mosque was constructed on the site by demolishing a temple.
The ASI's involvement in the survey of this
12th-century monument follows a directive from the Indore bench of the Madhya
Pradesh High Court. The court instructed the ASI to investigate the 'nature and
character' of the protected monument, responding to a petition filed by a Hindu
group seeking clarification on whether the mosque's construction involved the
demolition of temples.
The court has set a deadline of six weeks for the ASI
to submit its report.
Recently, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking a
halt to the ASI survey in the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex. The complex
holds significant religious significance for both Hindus and Muslims, with
Hindus regarding it as the 'Vagdevi' (Saraswati) temple, while Muslims view it
as a mosque
In an attempt to resolve this contentious issue, the
ASI had previously permitted Hindus to worship in the temple every Tuesday and allowed
Muslims to offer Friday prayers in the mosque situated within the complex.
Source:
asianage.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/040424/hindu-group-finds-staircase-to-basement-in-bhojshala-kamal-maula-mosque.html
------
Aceh Ulema Council Urges Acehnese To Uphold Human
Values In Dealing With Rohingyas
File - Rohingya refugees
wait in a truck after attempts to relocate them were rejected by local residents
in Ladong, Aceh Besar, Aceh, on December 11, 2023. (ANTARA FOTO/Irwansyah
Putra/Spt
------
April 3, 2024
Meulaboh, Aceh (ANTARA) - A respected ulema has
appealed to the people of Aceh to remain wise and uphold human values in
responding to Rohingya refugees' presence in the province.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, chairperson of the
West Aceh Ulema Consultative Council (MPU), Teungku Mahdi Kari Usman, said
residents also need to practice the teachings of Islam in accepting the
refugees' presence.
He noted that the refugees' arrival in the West Aceh
region has invited resistance from several members of the local community and
urged locals to keep calm and remain wise in responding to the Rohingyas.
Islam teaches the values of brotherhood and assisting
Muslims in dire need of help, like the Rohingyas, who are predominantly Muslim,
Usman said.
He also highlighted the importance of humanity and
solidarity among members of interfaith communities.
"Therefore, in facing this situation, we urge
West Aceh residents to uphold the human values that our religion has taught us.
We help and protect our Rohingya Muslim brothers and sisters," he added.
Usman further said that while maintaining law and
order in West Aceh, the local government and humanitarian agencies have pledged
to cooperate to provide the Rohingya with assistance and protection.
The synergistic collaboration of the local government
with residents and humanitarian agencies would make West Aceh a safe place for
Rohingya refugees, he said.
"We, however, must also maintain a sense of
harmony and diversity in our community," Usman added.
ANTARA previously reported on local opposition to
sheltering the refugees at a designated campsite in December 2023.
As a result, the refugees could not be sheltered at
the campsite. Instead, they were sent back to the Aceh Governor's office.
According to Fakhrurrazi, a member of the Indonesian
Inter-Residents Radio (RAPI) Task Force, before they could be transported to
the Pidie campsite, two of the refugees tried to escape.
Their attempt was foiled by local police officers, who
reunited them with other refugees. The refugees arrived on Blang Raya Beach on
a vessel on December 10, 2023.
The local authorities' previous efforts to place the
refugees at temporary shelters in Lamreh and Aceh Besar also failed due to
rejection from the locals.
Foreign Minister RetnoMarsudi recently called for a
political solution to the Rohingya issue, which is considered an inseparable
part of resolving the Myanmar crisis.
During a meeting on the Rohingya issue on the
sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the
United States, Marsudi underlined that the future of Rohingya refugees remains
uncertain.
At the same time, the global situation and the
conditions in Myanmar have made the issue more difficult to resolve.
"Resolving the Rohingya issue should be part of
resolving the political crisis in Myanmar," she said.
Source:
antaranews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://en.antaranews.com/news/309969/ulema-urges-acehnese-to-uphold-human-values-in-dealing-with-rohingyas
----
US Says Palestinian Statehood Should Be Done Through
Direct Negotiations Not UN Venue
Palestinian President Mahmud
Abbas arrives to give a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Feb.
27, 2017,
------
04 April 2024
After vowing to block a push by Palestine to become a
full member of the United Nations, the United States says the world body is not
an appropriate venue to negotiate Palestinian statehood.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told
reporters on Wednesday that although Washington does “support the establishment
of an independent Palestinian state”, the venue through which the Palestinian
statehood should be discussed would not be the UN.
“That is something that should be done through direct
negotiations through the parties, something we are pursuing at this time, and
not at the United Nations,” he stressed.
Miller, however, did not explicitly say that
Washington would veto such a bid if it reaches the UN Security Council.
He also said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
had so far tried his best to help establish what he called “security
guarantees” for the Israeli regime as part of the groundwork for a Palestinian
state.
Miller’s comments came just a day after Robert Wood,
the US deputy ambassador to the UN, vowed to block a new attempt by the
Palestinians for full membership in the UN.
Supporters of the Palestinians’ request for full
membership in the United Nations asked the UN Security Council on Tuesday to
revive their application for admission submitted in 2011.
The fresh bid, addressed to the UNSC president,
included the names of 140 countries that have recognized a Palestinian state,
including members of the 22-nation Arab League, the 57-nation Organization of
Islamic Cooperation, and the 120-member Nonaligned Movement.
“Our position has not changed,” Wood stressed,
reiterating Washington’s stance which claims that a full UN membership for
Palestine should follow a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the
Palestinians.
Back in September 2011, President Mahmoud Abbas failed
in his attempt to make Palestine the 194th member of the UN as he could not get
the required support of nine of the UNSC’s 15 members.
Even if he had managed to get the required support at
the time, the US had promised to veto any UNSC resolution endorsing Palestinian
membership.
However, Palestinians succeeded by more than a
two-thirds majority in having their status raised from a UN observer to a
non-member observer state in November 2012.
Under longstanding legislation by Congress, the US is
required to sever financial support for UN agencies that give full membership
to a Palestinian state.
Wood stressed that once the UN agrees to make
Palestine its new member, “funding would be cut off to the UN system, so we’re
bound by US law.”
“Our hope is that they don't pursue that, but that's
up to them,” he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has for
decades opposed the Palestinian statehood.
Source:
presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/04/723028/Palestine-Israel-Palestinian-statehood-UN-membership-US-Mahmud-Abbas
-------
Israel Has Killed More Aid Workers In Gaza Than Have
Died In Rest Of World Combined In Any Of Last 30 Years: Report
A person holding a placard
picturing Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom marches to the Parliament of
Victoria during a a pro-Palestinian demonstration, in Melbourne. / Photo:
Reuters
-----
Alperen Aktas
04.04.2024
Israel has killed more aid workers in the Gaza Strip
than have died in all of the countries in the rest of the world combined in any
of the last 30 years, according to a report by the Aid Worker Security Database
(AWSD).
Since the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the
Palestinian group Hamas, launched a comprehensive attack on Israel on Oct. 7
last year, at least 203 aid workers have been killed in Israeli attacks, the
report said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the
situation is "unconscionable."
Last week, Guterres had expressed concerns about UN
aid workers being continually prevented from carrying out their duties in the
besieged Gaza Strip, particularly in the northern part of the enclave.
On Tuesday, the US-based food charity World Central
Kitchen (WCK) confirmed that seven of its humanitarian aid workers were killed
in an Israeli strike Monday in the Gaza Strip.
The workers were nationals of Australia, Poland, the
UK and Palestine as well as US-Canadian dual citizen.
The UN said it is suspending nighttime movements for
its personnel for at least 48 hours following the attack.
German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer
said that Berlin "expects the Israeli government to adapt its operations
so that civilians are better protected, and this of course applies in
particular to female and male humanitarian aid workers."
“The Israeli government must investigate this terrible
incident quickly and thoroughly,” Foreign Minister AnnalenaBaerbock also wrote
on X.
Canada condemned the attack on the WCK aid workers and
demanded a full investigation.
"I am horrified to hear reports of the IDF strike
taking the lives of 7 World Central Kitchen employees in Gaza yesterday,
including a Canadian citizen," Foreign Minister Melanie Joly wrote on X.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese demanded
accountability from Israel over the incident.
"Australia expects full accountability for the
deaths of aid workers, which is completely unacceptable," he said.
The US expressed sorrow and urged Israel to swiftly
investigate.
"Humanitarian aid workers must be protected as
they deliver aid that is desperately needed," said White House National
Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
Poland demanded an explanation from Israel over the
deadly attack on the aid workers, including a Polish citizen.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski “immediately
contacted the Israeli ambassador and demanded explanations,” said Deputy
Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna.
He recalled a UN Security Council resolution adopted
last month demanding an immediate cease-fire for the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan and the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian
assistance to the Gaza Strip.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Israel has both
the "intention and the ability" to comply with international
humanitarian law and stressed that he has made it clear to his Israeli
counterpart Prime Benjamin Netanyahu that "there have been too many
civilian deaths in Gaza."
"We're asking Israel to investigate what happened
urgently, because clearly there are questions that need to be answered,"
said Sunak.
Source:
aa.com.tr
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-has-killed-more-aid-workers-in-gaza-than-have-died-in-rest-of-world-combined-in-any-of-last-30-years-report/3183069
----
‘Some Were Extremely Hostile’: Once Geert Wilders’
Right-Hand Man Turned To Islam
The main goal is to take
away misconceptions and promote empathy,’ says Van Klaveren. Photograph: Sopa
Images Limited/Alamy
------
4 April 2024
He was once Geert Wilders’ right-hand man, crafting
Freedom party (PVV) messaging that described Islam as a “lie” and pushed for
the Qur’an and mosques to be banned in the Netherlands.
One decade on, Joram van Klaveren is a Muslim convert
– the second politician from the far-right PVV to convert – and actively
working to dismantle the myths he once peddled.
“The things that I helped them develop are still
there; they’re still using the tools I gave them,” he told the Guardian. “I
literally hear them say things that I made up.”
His work has taken on renewed importance in recent
months, as the PVV emerged as the party with the most votes in the recent Dutch
elections, echoing a Europe-wide surge in nativist and populist platforms. “I
was in anti-Islam politics for altogether 12 years, so I have to counter this
narrative for at least 12 years to make it even, so to speak,” said the
45-year-old.
Raised in a deeply religious Protestant family in
Amsterdam, Van Klaveren said his initial wariness of Islam was influenced by
his church. His stance hardened in the wake of the September 11 attacks and the
murder of the film-maker Theo van Gogh by a man who described himself as a
jihadist, spurring Van Klaveren to sign up for Wilders’ party in 2010.
He rose swiftly up the ranks. “I did everything. I
tried to ban mosques; I tried to ban the Qur’an, shut down Islamic schools,
forbid the Arabic language in public,” he said. “Back then, I thought it was a
good thing because we were fighting Islam.”
Van Klaveren broke with Wilders in 2014 after a rally
in which the PVV leader asked supporters if they wanted “fewer Moroccans” in
the country. For Van Klaveren, it seemed a step too far. “I thought, well, I
must leave because now it’s becoming an ethnic thing.”
He set up his own party, but failed to secure a single
seat in the national election. He quit politics, instead setting his sights on
finishing a book he had started to write years earlier, envisioning it as an
academic tome that would lay bare the threat posed by Islam.
He threw himself into the task but as he learned more
about Islam he said he found himself becoming increasingly intrigued.
His interest, however, jarred with his day job at an
evangelical radio station. As he grappled with being simultaneously drawn to
Islam and his status as the voice of conservative Christians, he abandoned his
book and crammed the many volumes that had fuelled his research on to a
bookshelf in his home.
He readily admits that what he says came next defies
belief. “It sounds a little bit like a fairytale, but it really happened,” he said.
His heaving bookshelf collapsed, he said, its contents
tumbling to the floor. As he picked up a copy of the Qur’an that had fallen, he
said he glanced at where his finger had landed. “It said in the translation:
‘It’s not the eyes that are blind, but the hearts,’” he said.
“And I thought: ‘Well, yeah, this is really my
problem.’”
In 2019 he went public with his conversion, urged on
by a local imam who explained that it was an opportunity to set the record
straight. “He said you have a responsibility as well. Because you incited hate,
in a way,” said Van Klaveren.
The news made headlines across the country, breaking
just as Wilders was live on TV. Reporters plied the PVV leader with questions.
“I didn’t see this coming,” Wilders said, likening Van Klaveren’s decision to a
“vegetarian going to work in a slaughterhouse”.
Another who chimed in was Arnoud van Doorn, a former
Hague-based city councillor for PVV who converted to Islam in 2013. “I never
thought that the PVV would become a breeding ground for converts,” Van Doorn
wrote on social media at the time.
Among Van Klaveren’s followers – many of whom had
voted for him – there was a deep sense of betrayal.
“Some people were extremely hostile. I got over 2,000
death threats,” he said. “It was really extreme. People saying they were going
to rape my wife, kill my children, and they sent the address of the school to
me, so as to intimidate me.”
Things have since calmed, allowing Van Klaveren space
to contemplate all that once drew him to the party – and how to counter this
appeal.
In 2020 he joined several others in launching a
Muslim-led foundation in the Netherlands to introduce people to the faith and
history of Islam. After visiting more than 200 schools the foundation opened a
museum in Rotterdam in June called the Islam Experience Centre.
“The main goal is to take away misconceptions and
promote empathy,” he said. “When I was in the Freedom party, we always said
Islam is alien to us; Islam has nothing to do with Europe. And of course, when
you look at Spain, for example, at Andalucía, it is nonsense.”
Asked whether he felt guilt or regret over his actions
during his time with the PVV, Van Klaveren said: “Of course I feel ashamed
because of what I said. I had plans, but Allah is the best of planners and my life
took another direction.”
Van Klaveren estimates that about 12 of the 37 seats
won by the PVV in its surge at the last election could be attributed to those
who are staunchly opposed to Islam. The rest, he said, were probably a result
of voters who had become disillusioned with mainstream parties over their
failure to tackle the soaring cost of living, the erosion of the welfare state,
and rocketing housing prices.
“If you really have no money and you see people
getting a house that you were on a list for for 10 years, whether they are
immigrants or not, you feel like: ‘I’m just not important enough,’” said Van
Klaveren.
But as countries across Europe wrestle with the rise
of the far right, he called for people to fight back with “mature” reactions,
citing an incident in the Dutch city of Arnhem, where the leader of the Pegida
movement recently held a Qur’an burning.
Muslim groups responded by handing free Qur’ans to
anyone interested. “Every time he burns one Qur’an, we give away a thousand,”
said Van Klaveren. With a laugh, he added: “So, I don’t know if he will be
burning Qur’ans anymore.”
Source:
yahoo.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/were-extremely-hostile-dutch-far-230002741.html
-----
India
No Indian Muslim will lose citizenship, says Rajnath
at Ghaziabad rally
Apr 04, 2024
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that
no Indian Muslim will lose his or her citizenship due to the implementation of
the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA.
Addressing an election rally in support of legislator
Atul Garg, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Ghaziabad
parliamentary constituency, Singh said the BJP does not engage in politics on
the basis of caste, creed and religion.
“We said that if our government is formed, we will
make a citizenship law. And I want to tell you that after becoming the home
minister (in 2014), I started this process by talking to the Prime Minister but
due to a lack of clear majority in the Rajya Sabha, that bill could not be
passed there whereas it was passed in the Lok Sabha,” Singh said.
“Muslims living in India are not going to lose their
citizenship. This kind of confusion is being created by our opponents. You go
and tell our Muslim sisters and brothers about this,” the BJP leader told the
gathering.
The senior BJP leader heaped praises on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and said it was a ‘Modi miracle’ that helped elevate the
country’s economy from rank 11 in 2014 to among the top five in the world in
2018-19.
Talking about the party’s decision to not field the
sitting MP Gen (retd) VK Singh, the BJP leader said that the party changed
candidates because “others too needed to be given an opportunity”.
“What happens in Meerut and Ghaziabad has effects
across the country... You helped Gen VK Singh (retd) become an MP from
Ghaziabad twice. But, the party takes decisions about candidates and they can
be changed so that others too can be given opportunity,” he said.
Speaking about his Ghaziabad connection, he told the
gathering at the Ghanta Ghar Ramlila Ground that he won his first Lok Sabha
election from Ghaziabad in 2009.
“That time (in 2009), our leaders told me that
Ghaziabad was a “lost seat” and I should not contest from there. But I went
ahead as I was hopeful of a big victory. It happened as I thought. In 2014,
circumstances changed when PM Modi decided to contest from Kashi (Varanasi) and
the party decided that I should contest from nearby Lucknow. This time, too, I
decided that if I will start campaigning, I will do it from Ghaziabad,” the
senior BJP leader said.
Reacting to Rajnath’s speech, the Congress claimed
that the BJP is inviting its senior leaders in the first leg of campaigning
itself as they fear that they may lose the Ghaziabad seat. “The BJP has lot of
answers to give when it comes to corruption. The details of the PM Cares fund
are not public while those of the electoral bonds were made public only after
the Supreme Court intervened,” said Vinit Tyagi, district president, Congress.
Source:
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/noida-news/noindian-muslim-will-lose-citizenship-says-rajnath-at-ghaziabad-rally-101712169161270.html
-----
Maharashtra Govt Mapping Madrasas During Ramadan, SP
MLA Questions Its Purpose
April 3, 2024
Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh has claimed the
Maharashtra government is conducting the mapping of madrasas in the state
during the holy month of Ramadan and questioned the purpose of such an
exercise.
Shaikh, the MLA from Bhiwandi in Thane district, in a
statement also asked the government why the community was not consulted or
taken into confidence before carrying out such exercise.
While the election code of conduct is in force, the
education department, zillaparishads and municipalities across districts are
working on mapping madrasas to collect information about the Muslim and
non-Muslim students studying in them, he claimed.
Video Player is loading.This is a modal window.HLS
playlist request error at URL:
https://h5.vdo.ai/media_file/v-indianexpress-v2/source/uploads/videos/17050425068565a0e24ab5cf0.
“While on one hand, the government is implementing the
Dr Zakir Hussain Madrasa Modernization Scheme, on the other, it is carrying out
the mapping of the madrasas. During the holy month of Ramadan, the education
department employees are harassing the madrasa directors for information,”
Shaikh further claimed.
He demanded that the exercise be immediately stopped
in the month of Ramadan and the government communicate with the community on
the matter.
Source:
indianexpress.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/sp-mla-maharashtra-govt-madrasas-ramadan-questions-9248910/
---
Nuh Violence Accused Cow Vigilante Bittu Bajrangi
Thrashes Man, Taking Him As A Muslim, In Police Presence
3rd April 2024
Faridabad: Cow vigilante Bittu Bajrangi, who was also
accused in Nuh violence, was caught on camera thrashing a man with a stick
while a policeman watched, police said on Wednesday.
They said Bajrangi has been booked and they are
considering suspending the policeman.
In his complaint, the victim Shyamu said that he was
thrashed because Rajkumar Panchal, also known as Bittu Bajrangi, thought he was
a Muslim.
Shyamu said he was taking a girl to buy chocolates
when he was picked up by some men and taken to Bajrangi’s house.
A video of the incident surfaced on the internet
showing Bittu Bajrangi, a cow vigilante, along with some other men thrashing
Shyamu, a tenant residing in Sanjay Enclave of Faridabad.
Cow vigilante Bittu Bajrangi who already has several
FIRs against him can be seen thrashing a man in front of the police. The
policeman seen in the video (deployed for Bittu's security) is calmly watching
instead of stopping. @FBDPolice @DGPHaryana pic.twitter.com/Ms5pdpTZzF
According to the complaint filed by Shyamu at the
Saran Police Station, the incident occurred on Monday when he was on his way to
a shop with a girl to buy chocolates.
He said some men caught him and took him to Bajrangi’s
house where they pinned him down, thrashed him with sticks and threatened to
kill him.
“That girl is like my daughter but due to some
misunderstanding, they took me to Bittu Bajrangi, who without any reason
assaulted me assuming that I am from the Muslim community,” he said in the
complaint.
Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered on
Wednesday against Bajrangi and his associates under the Indian Penal Code
section 323 (causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal
intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common
intention).
“An FIR has been registered and a recommendation for
the suspension of the policeman has also been sent to senior officials. We are
investigating the matter and the accused will be arrested soon,” said the
Station House Officer SangramDahiya. Bajrangi, who was arrested in a case of
violence in Haryana’s Nuh last year, has been out on bail.
Source:
siasat.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.siasat.com/nuh-violence-accused-bittu-bajrangi-thrashes-man-in-police-presence-3003280/#google_vignette
---
India says inclusive government in Afghanistan is top
priority for SCO
Fidel Rahmati
April 3, 2024
The National Security Advisor of India stated on
Wednesday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting that the
formation of an inclusive government and the protection of women’s and minority
rights are immediate priorities of this organization in Afghanistan.
The National Security Advisor of India, Ajit Doval,
speaking at the meeting held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, added that
providing humanitarian assistance and combating terrorism and drug trafficking
are other priorities of this organization.
Meanwhile, he added that his country is concerned
about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
He stated that India, as a neighboring country to
Afghanistan, has legitimate security and economic interests in the country.
Ajit Doval, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
meeting, referred to the indiscriminate attacks by terrorist groups and stated
that such attacks, regardless of the group, motive, or location, are
unjustifiable.
This senior security official of India emphasized the
need to avoid double standards and hold financial backers and facilitators of
terrorism accountable, stating, “Effective and swift action must be taken
against terrorism, including those involved in cross-border terrorism.”
India has consistently accused Pakistan of supporting
terrorist groups responsible for several bombings and attacks on Indian soil.
However, Pakistan denies these accusations and, conversely, accuses Delhi of
supporting terrorist groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Referring to the deadly Moscow attack, the issue of
the continued threat posed by various terrorist groups in the region, including
Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, ISIS and its branches, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and
Jaish-e-Mohammad, was raised by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Meanwhile, Doval stated that India has invested three
billion dollars in Afghanistan and has also provided assistance such as 50,000
tons of wheat, 250 tons of medical supplies, and 40,000 liters of Malathion
pesticide to combat the locust threat in Afghanistan.
Source:
khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/india-says-inclusive-government-in-afghanistan-is-top-priority-for-sco/
---
Southeast
Asia
Food Delivery Rider Deliberately Placed Pork On Shelf
At Mosque Entrance, Jailed 12 Weeks
04 Apr 2024
Koh Wan Ting
SINGAPORE: A food delivery rider stole two cans of
pork from a supermarket and placed them on a shelf at the entrance of a mosque.
Ian Poh, 30, did so deliberately, knowing that Muslims
are forbidden from eating pork and that his actions would anger the community
at Masjid Al-Ansar.
Poh was sentenced to 12 weeks' jail on Thursday (Apr
4) after he pleaded guilty to one count each of theft and committing an act
which he knew was prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different
religious or racial groups.
On May 15 last year, Poh walked out of a Sheng Siong
Supermarket at Upper Changi Road without paying for two cans of pork worth S$9.50
(US$7.05)
He then cycled to Masjid Al-Ansar in Bedok North at
about 10pm and placed the two cans of pork on a shelf outside meant for food
delivery items.
"The accused had done so knowing that the
consumption of pork was forbidden in Islam. He further knew that his actions
would cause anger amongst the Muslim community in Masjid Al-Ansar," court
documents stated.
The next day, at about 4.30am, the first congregants
to the mosque arriving for morning prayers discovered the two cans of pork on
the shelf.
"They were shocked and offended, and immediately
took a picture of the two cans of pork, before throwing them into the rubbish
bin nearby," according to court documents.
The congregants raised the matter to mosque staff and
news of the pork spread among other congregants, who told staff that they were
offended and insulted.
They added that this was an insensitive act to do at a
place of Muslim worship.
The police were informed about the incident later that
day. After investigations, police officers identified Poh on May 17 and
arrested him.
Poh told the investigation officer that he thought
that his actions would enrage the Muslim community and hence spur officers to
investigate what he called "the voices he heard in his head".
Poh was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health
from May 19 to Jun 1, 2023, for psychiatric observation and evaluation.
His psychiatric report stated that Poh had previous psychiatric
episodes in June 2021 and again in April 2022. On both occasions, Poh had heard
voices which told him, among other things, to kill himself.
He also had a history of substance abuse for sniffing
glue, consuming cough syrup and using methamphetamine.
Poh was diagnosed with substance-induced psychotic
disorder and the report found that his psychotic symptoms had contributed to
his offences. However, he was found to be of sound mind and fit to plead
guilty.
The court had ordered Poh to be assessed for his
suitability for a mandatory treatment order (MTO) ahead of his sentencing. An
MTO directs an offender suffering from certain treatable psychiatric conditions
to undergo psychiatric treatment.
Referring to the MTO report on Thursday, Deputy Public
Prosecutor CheahWenjie said that Poh had been found unsuitable for two reasons:
Poh was not keen to take follow-up action for his substance abuse and lacked a
supervisory figure who could help him.
Mr Cheah also pointed out that Poh's psychotic
episodes were induced by the substances he took voluntarily, and that Poh knew
that consuming drugs would cause him to hear voices.
Poh's voluntary consumption of substances, even
knowing that the effects might be dangerous and dire, was an aggravating
factor, Mr Cheah said.
Turning to the offences, Mr Cheah said that Poh had
defiled a place of worship and displayed a "pattern of threatening to use
pork to insult Muslims".
He cited Poh's reports, which disclosed that Poh had
previously threatened to put pork at the flat of his Muslim ex-girlfriend, and
mentioned throughout their one-year relationship that he would do the same at
the mosque, which he then did.
District Judge Kenneth Chin described the
circumstances of Poh's offence as "highly aggravated" as they involved
deliberate offensive conduct to a place of worship.
Religious and racial harmony is essential to
Singapore's social fabric, with effort and progress made in maintaining the
harmony not to be taken for granted, the judge said.
"Offences that jeopardise the foundation of such
harmony should be firmly dealt with," he added, noting that Poh's actions
had disturbed the congregants.
Addressing Poh, the judge then said: "I hope that
you have learned your lessons from this episode and please stay (away from)
trouble upon your release."
For committing an act that is prejudicial to the
maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups, Poh could
have been jailed for up to three years, or fined, or both.
For theft, he could have been jailed up to seven
years, and fined.
Source:
channelnewsasia.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/food-delivery-rider-jailed-placed-pork-mosque-4241986
----
Sultan Yussuf Mosque holds funeral prayers in absentia
for Megat Ashman Aqif
03-04- 2024
IPOH: About 100 congregants of the Sultan
YussufRapatSetia Mosque performed the funeral prayer in absentia for the late
Megat Ashman AqifMegatIrmanJefni, 21, a Malaysian student who died in a road
crash in Lake Tekapo, New Zealand on Saturday (March 30).
The prayer was led by the mosque’s imam, Muhammad
Shamsuddin, and was also attended by Megat Ashman’s grandfather,
MegatKhashusainiMegat Abd Rahman, 85, and other family members.
MegatKhashusaini when met said he was grateful that
his late grandson was safely buried at the Muslim Cemetery in Bromley,
Christchurch.
“We are thankful, Alhamdulillah, that the burial
arrangements for my grandson have been completed safely around 9 am today, New
Zealand time.
“Thank you to all who prayed and sent their
condolences. May the soul of my grandson be blessed by Allah,“ he said when met
here today.
MegatKhashusaini added that he accepted the decision
to bury his grandson in New Zealand.
“I am content with him being buried there, even though
previously his father intended to bring his son’s remains back to be buried in
Perak.
“May the soul of my grandson and that of another
victim who perished (in the crash) be blessed and placed among the righteous
believers,“ he said.
In the incident on March 30, another Malaysian
student, Wan Nur Adlina Alisa from the University of Canterbury was also
killed.
Three other students were injured in the same
accident, namely Nur FirasWafiyyah and LyaIssableAnak Walton from the same
university, and Muhamad FarisMohdFairusham from Victoria University of
Wellington.
Source:
thesun.my
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thesun.my/local_news/sultan-yussuf-mosque-holds-funeral-prayers-in-absentia-for-megat-ashman-aqif-AI12295511
----
King presents letters of appointment to 23 members of
FT Islamic Religious Council
03 Apr 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim
Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia presented letters of appointment to 23 members
of the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) at Istana Negara
here today.
At the ceremony held at the Dewan Seri Maharaja, the
presentation started with His Majesty presenting letters of appointment to
MAIWP chairman Syed Kamarulzaman Syed Kabeer, followed by his deputy Datuk
HakimahMohdYusoff for the term 2024/2026.
Also receiving their letters of appointment were MAIWP
members Datuk AwangAlikJeman, Datuk Anas Ahmad Zaki, Police Commissioner Datuk
Seri Azri Ahmad, Datuk Prof Madya Luqman Abdullah, Datuk Seri Kamarulzaman Mat
Salleh and Tan Sri KhairulAdib Abd Rahman.
Others in the list were Tan Sri Syed Zainal Abidin
Syed Mohamed Tahir, Datuk Lt Kol (K) Anwari Suri, Prof Datuk Taufiq Yap Yun
Hin, Datuk Nooh Gadut, Datuk Seri AmrinAwaluddin, Datuk Seri Yusof Ismail,
Datuk HussamuddinYaacub, Datuk Mohamad S. Ahmad Prof Madya Datuk
MohdIzharAriffMohdKashim, Datuk DayangSadiahAbgBohan, Prof DatinRusni Hassan,
Prof Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman, ZuriZabuddinBudiman, Ahmad Fauwaz Ali and Datuk
MohdAjib Ismail.
Present at the ceremony were Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk MohdNa’im Mokhtar, his deputy
Prof Zulkifli Hasan and MAIWP action chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Nizam
Yahya.
After the presentation, His Majesty and Her Majesty
Raja ZarithSofiah Queen of Malaysia, joined students from the MAIWP
Institution, asnaf children , MAIWP leaders and representatives of religious
agencies to break fast and later joined the congregation to perform the Maghrib
prayers.
The King and Queen also presented contributions to the
students and asnaf children. — Bernama
Source:
malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/04/03/king-presents-letters-of-appointment-to-23-members-of-ft-islamic-religious-council/127165
---
Ministry encourages children's positive activities
during Ramadan
April 3, 2024
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Women's Empowerment and Child
Protection (PPPA) Ministry encouraged children to be involved in positive
activities during the month of Ramadan, in addition to maintaining a healthy
lifestyle.
"Behind the obligation to fast and refrain (from
temptation), children can do many useful activities during the month of
Ramadan," the ministry’s Deputy for the Fulfillment of Children's Rights,
Pribudiarta Nur Sitepu, stated here on Wednesday.
Sitepu cited as an example that parents can encourage
children to join activities held in mosques, such as reciting the Quran and
call to prayer once a week.
He noted that according to the 1945 Constitution,
Article 28B, every child has the right to live, grow, and develop, and have the
right to protection from violence and discrimination.
The government has determined that one of the national
priorities is to improve the quality and competitiveness of human resources.
Meanwhile, Sitepu explained that the Child Protection
Index (IPA) managed to increase to 63.30 in 2022. However, in the last two
years, the IPA achievement has been unable to meet the national medium-term
development plan (RPJMN) target.
"We identified which cluster is the lowest,
namely education, leisure utilization, and cultural creativity. These aspects
were the most disturbed by the COVID-19 pandemic and has not experienced
significant changes in the last two years," he explained.
To that end, he said, the PPPA Ministry held a
discussion with several parties and conveyed various information related to
education and health to ensure that children can grow up and develop well.
Hence, with optimal development, children can grow
healthy towards realizing the “child-friendly Indonesia” vision in 2030.
Source:
antaranews.com/
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://en.antaranews.com/news/309960/ministry-encourages-childrens-positive-activities-during-ramadan
---
Baznas distributes clean water to Palestinians in
Gaza's Rafah
April 3, 2024
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian National Alms Agency
(Baznas), in collaboration with the Palestinian institution Althouri Women's
Center (AWC), distributed clean water to Palestinian people taking shelter at
three refugee camps in Rafah, Gaza Strip.
"Alhamdulillah (thank God), the assistance
donated through Baznas reached Palestinian refugees," Head of Baznas Noor
Achmad said in a statement from his office on Wednesday.
He said that Baznas has distributed clean water to
refugees currently taking shelter in three camps in Rafah.
The people currently living in refugee camps in Rafah
are in dire need of clean water to maintain their health and hygiene during the
Ramadan holy month, he added.
A sufficient supply of clean water is expected to
protect the refugees from the threats of diseases stemming from contaminated
water, he underlined.
Achmad stated that the alms agency would continue to
facilitate Indonesian people to deliver their donations to help Palestinians in
need.
"We would like to extend gratitude to all donors
and Indonesian people for distributing assistance to Palestinian people through
Baznas," he added.
He expressed hope that the distributed aid would
genuinely help Palestinians, especially children, women, and the elderly.
"Hopefully, our efforts will lead to improvements
in the living conditions of Palestinian refugees, although they are still
facing extremely tough challenges," he noted.
Achmad earlier stated that Baznas and AWC had also
been working hand in hand to distribute food aid worth Rp2 billion (around
US$126,000) to refugees in Rafah during the fasting month.
He also noted that Baznas is distributing the aid
collected from Indonesian people while ensuring compliance with applicable
regulations and Islamic law as well as the security of Indonesia.
"This humanitarian act is in line with the
mission of Baznas to reach a broader population and bring about positive
impacts on their lives," he concluded.
Source:
antaranews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://en.antaranews.com/news/309957/baznas-distributes-clean-water-to-palestinians-in-gazas-rafah
---
North
America
Biden urged to 'reverse course' on Gaza by 80 Muslim
American groups
04.04.2024
Eighty Muslim, Palestinian and allied groups have sent
a letter to US President Joe Biden to object to his decisions to transfer
additional weapons to Israel and "falsely" certify that the Israeli
government's brutal war on besieged Gaza complies with US law.
"Your administration is publicly discouraging
Israel from launching a full-scale invasion of Rafah unless there is a plan to
somehow protect civilians, but that caveat is essentially a green light for
Israel to ethnically cleanse Rafah and then reduce the city to rubble like it
has done elsewhere," the organisations wrote in the letter on Wednesday.
The Biden administration refuses to take "any
concrete action" to force Israel to stop starving and bombing the civilian
population, it said.
"The decisions to flout US law by falsely
certifying Israel's compliance and ship more weapons to the [Prime Minister
Benjamin] Netanyahu government represent the latest examples of this
pattern."
"The American people do not want a change in
rhetoric. The American people want a concrete change in policy," it added.
The letter came one day after the White House was
forced to scale back plans for a Ramadan iftar after Muslim American leaders
declined to attend.
Dozens of Muslim American community members and their
allies braved rain, wind and frigid temperatures on Tuesday to stage a
fast-breaking protest outside the White House and demand the president call for
an immediate permanent ceasefire to halt the bloodshed in the besieged Gaza.
'We urge you to listen to voices of reason'
The groups urged Biden in the letter to recognise that
Israel's actions in Gaza violate US law and to suspend the transfer of all
weapons to Israel.
They also asked Biden to use American leverage to
secure an "immediate, permanent" ceasefire, the "unimpeded"
opening of all land crossings for humanitarian aid, the release of all captives
and political prisoners, and to pursue a "just and lasting peace through
an end to the Israeli occupation and apartheid policies."
"We urge you to listen to voices of reason and
morality inside and outside of the administration."
"Risking your presidential legacy and the
reputation of our nation around the world to enable the Netanyahu government's
genocide has been a disastrous decision. We implore you to reverse course
before thousands more die," they added.
Following Hamaz blitz on October 7 last year, Israel
has killed nearly 33,000 Palestinians and wounded 75,300 so far in the
blockaded enclave amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International
Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to do more to prevent starvation
crisis in Gaza. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights
situation in the Palestinian territories, said recently there were reasonable
grounds to believe Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Albanese also addressed allegations that Hamas
fighters used rape during their attack on Israel, saying there was an absence
of convincing evidence to support the claims.
"What I am very disturbed by was the
weaponisation of anything that happened on 7 of October," she said.
"Personally, I have not received information. I have read reports that had
been written, and I didn't find any convincing evidence."
Source:
trtworld.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.trtworld.com/us-and-canada/biden-urged-to-reverse-course-on-gaza-by-80-muslim-american-groups-17637964
---
US could remove Houthis from terror list in exchange
for Red Sea quiet - report
LEON KRAIEM
APRIL 4, 2024
The United States is open to removing the Ansar Allah
movement, more commonly known as the Houthis, from its list of designated
terrorist organizations if the Iranian-backed jihadist group ceases its attacks
on cargo ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis are currently holding captive the 25 crew
members of the Japanese cargo ship the Galaxy Leader, which the group hijacked
in November.
Tim Lenderking, the United States special envoy for
Yemen, said to reporters on Wednesday that releasing the sailors would
"show good faith" and an "intent to de-escalate" on the
part of the Houthis, according to Bloomberg News.
"My hope," Lenderking is quoted as saying,
"is that we can find diplomatic off-ramps." The envoy also reportedly
said that the United States "would certainly study" removing the
Houthis from its list of designated terror organizations, "but not assume
it's an automatic thing."
The comment is in line with US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken's statement in November upon re-designating the Houthis as a
terrorist organization. "This designation seeks to promote accountability
for the group's terrorist activities," Blinken said at the time. "If
the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and [the] Gulf of Aden, the
United States will reevaluate this designation."
Biden administration removed Houthi terror listing
Then-US president Donald Trump originally designated
the Houthis a terrorist organization in January 2021, in one of his last acts
in office. The Biden administration later reversed this decision, citing the designation's
likely exacerbating effect on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
In Yemen, tens of thousands— 50,000 children in
2017, according to an estimate by Save
the Children— have died of extreme hunger or disease as a consequence of the
war.
Israel designated the Houthis a terrorist group on
Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
The Houthis, which have been at war with Yemen's
internationally recognized government for a decade, launched a campaign of
attacks on merchant ships following the outbreak of war upon Hamas's October 7
attack on Israel.
Throughout the campaign, which has included drone and
missile attacks as well as hijackings and hostage-taking, the Houthis have
killed three sailors, one of whom was Vietnamese and the other two Filipino,
and wounded eleven more, six of whom were Egyptian and five of whom were
Filipino.
The United States, United Kingdom, and allies launched
a military campaign, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, in December 2023 to
protect shipping in the Red Sea. In addition to patrolling the region and
intercepting aerial attacks, the coalition has launched retaliatory strikes on
Houthi targets inside of Yemen.
Source:
jpost.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/us-could-remove-houthis-from-terror-list-in-exchange-for-red-sea-quiet-report-795268
---
US ally Jordan rocked by pro-Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood
protests over Gaza war
April 4, 2024
One of the U.S.'s closest Mideast allies, Jordan, has
been hit by demonstrations that, according to some analysts, have spilled over
into a serious threat to the Hashemite Kingdom with open declarations of
support for the Hamas terrorist organization.
Jordan’s government has been one of the most vocal
opponents of Israel’s war to root out Hamas terrorists from Gaza after the
jihadi movement slaughtered 1,200 people on Oct. 7, including many Americans.
Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
Ayman Safadi declared in November that "Hamas is an idea and ideas do not
die." Jordan’s Queen Rania cast doubt in a CNN interview on whether Hamas
really committed atrocities on Oct. 7.
Veteran experts on Jordan view King Abdullah II and
his inner circle as contributing, directly and indirectly, to the unrest that
could potentially dislodge his regime.
The former Israeli ambassador to Jordan, Jacob Rosen,
told Fox News Digital that "Jordan is walking on a very tight rope. The
authorities let the Muslim Brotherhood under whatever cover they operate to
voice out their message, but they disperse any demonstrations [that]] may go
‘wrong’ or to turn against the government itself."
Rosen, who speaks fluent Arabic and is a leading
expert on the Hashemite Kingdom, added that Jordan "operates for some
years a military hospital in Gaza, which has no choice but to be in contact
with whoever is in control there. There is also a sizable contingent of Gazans
in Jordan (at least 300,000), which has to be considered."
"Parallel to that, the minister of foreign
affairs, Ayman Safadi, has a free hand with anti-Israeli rhetoric accusing
Israel of genocide and warning against ethnic cleansing. But in any case,
Jordan cannot condemn Hamas directly but let some publicists or ex-ministers to
do that."
Last week, protesters chanted, "We are your men,
Sinwar." YehyaSinwar is the Hamas mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attack and
is believed to be hiding in Gaza’s vast underground tunnel system.
Walid Phares, an expert in foreign policy, told Fox
News Digital, "What is happening in Jordan now, while it appears as chaotic,
is in fact tightly organized by Hamas, the larger Muslim Brotherhood network
and the Iran regime. The protests against the Israeli Embassy and spillover in
Amman's streets are the result of tightly coordinated moves by the Iran and
Ikhwan networks, with the real target being the Hashemite Kingdom itself."
The term "Ikhwan" is an Arabic word that
refers to the Muslim Brotherhood. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and
Egypt have classified the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist
organization.
Indeed, just this week, the former Jordanian minister
of information, Samih Al-Maaytah, said on the Saudi Arabian TV network Al
Arabiya, "The Hamas leaders in Qatar have incited the Jordanian public,
and they are inciting the tribes, inciting people to take to the streets and to
chant new [anti-Jordanian] slogans. They are trying to say to Jordan, ‘We own
the Jordanian public.'" The U.S.-based Middle East Media Research
Institute first located and translated Al-Maaytah’s comments.
It was also reported in Israeli media that Al-Maaytah
told another Saudi channel, AlHadath, that Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was
sowing discord among Palestinian clans in the kingdom. Al-Maaytah suggested
that Meshaal be stripped of his Jordanian citizenship as well as those stoking
conflict.
Phares, the author of "Iran: An Imperialist
Republic and U.S. Policy," said, "Some in Israel and the U.S. assert
that the queen and foreign minister ‘contributed’ in encouraging demonstrations
against Israel. But an examination of the domestic situation in Jordan shows
that the royal government had to show that they are in solidarity with the
Palestinian people as a way to avert an intifada waged by Hamas, precisely.
Jordanians argue that had the U.S. administration not been so attached to the Iran
deal, Hamas wouldn't have been encouraged to attack Israel, and Arab allies
would have acted differently and earlier."
He continued, "Hence, we know that Tehran and
Damascus have been targeting the Hashemite Kingdom for years, and now it looks
like they've unleashed their supporters against the regime."
The fragility of Jordan’s kingdom has made it a target
for past efforts to oust the king. The nation does not have an oil and gas
industry. The unemployment rate is more than 20% and the kingdom has made no
real effort to heighten awareness about the need for peace with Israel’s
population following the 1994 peace accord between the Jewish state and Amman.
Phares said that "Almost half of the Jordanian
population is of Palestinian descent, and an attempt by Yasser Arafat and the
PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), backed by the Assad regime [in Syria],
to take over the country was averted by the loyal Jordanian armed forces."
"The more Israel closed in on Hamas the more the
Islamists of Jordan closed in on the Jordanian government," he continued.
"Obviously, the best gate for Iran and the Brotherhood – read, Hamas – to
ignite an intifada in the kingdom is a series of violent protests against the
Israeli Embassy to appear in sync with the protests everywhere else. But the
second stage is in the form of clashes with Jordanian security forces. This old
Bolshevik and later jihadi tactic aims at putting large segments of society
against their own armed forces, which I believe is the ultimate goal of the Iran
axis. It is about taking out Jordan as a Western ally and spread chaos, leading
to sending militias across the borders."
Jordan's King Abdullah II shakes hands with President
Biden at the White House in February. The leaders discussed the war between Israel
and Hamas as well as how to achieve peace in the region. (AP/File)
President Biden met with Abdullah in February at the
White House, where the leaders discussed the war in Gaza. King Abdullah said,
"We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah," adding that "It
is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe." The last vestiges
of Hamas’ battalions are in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is also
holding more than 100 hostages who are believed to be in Rafah.
Biden thanked Jordan at the meeting for its
humanitarian aid to Gaza, stating, "We're grateful to our partners and
allies like the king who work with us every single day to advance security and
stability across the region and beyond. It's difficult times like these when
the bonds between nations are more important than ever."
Biden said at the meeting with the king that a
Palestinian state could lead to stability and peace with Israel’s Arab
neighbors.
"That effort was underway before the Oct. 7
attacks," Biden said, adding, "It's even more urgent today."
The mood in Israel, however, largely contradicts
Biden’s optimism, as most Israelis see the two-state solution as a kind of
dead-man-walking idea after more than 70 years of failed attempts.
An unnamed Jordanian official condemned the protests
by saying, "Hamas is inciting and trying to ignite unrest inside the
kingdom. We will not allow it to achieve its goal."
The growing Iranian threat to Jordan’s government
further surfaced when a security official from the pro-Iran regime militia said
about intervention in the Hashemite Kingdom: "The ‘Islamic Resistance in
Iraq’ is ready to meet the needs of 12,000 fighters ... so that we can stand
united in defending our brothers in Palestine."
The security situation for Jordan appears to be raising
alarm bells within the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank (known as Judea
and Samaria in Israel).
"The President of the PA, Mahmoud Abbas, spoke
with King Abdullah II on Tuesday and reiterated during the call Palestine’s
stand in solidarity with the Kingdom of Jordan, headed by King Abdullah
II," according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency. WAFA also wrote,
"President Abbas stressed the complete rejection of all attempts to tamper
with Jordan's security and stability or attempts to exploit the suffering of
the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip to tamper with the Jordanian arena,
affirming the rejection of any external interference in the internal Jordanian
affairs."
The external interference is an apparent reference to
the pro-Iranian regime proxies in Iraq.
A Jordanian government spokesperson had "No
comment" when asked by Fox News Digital about the recent unrest in Amman,
anti-Israel rhetoric from the government, and whether Hamas and the Muslim
Brotherhood should be designated as terrorist organizations.
Source:
foxnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-ally-jordan-rocked-pro-hamas-muslim-brotherhood-protests-gaza-war
---
Muslim advocacy group says Biden responsible for
Israel's destruction at Al-Shifa Hospital
3/04/2024
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the
largest Muslim civil rights advocacy organization in the US, said President Joe
Biden bears responsibility for the destruction and civilian deaths caused by
Israeli raids around the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza and its vicinity.
Israeli forces on Monday withdrew from Al-Shifa
Hospital after a two-week raid that left the major medical complex in ruins.
“Through his unceasing rhetorical, political and military
support for the genocidal campaign being carried out by the forces of the
far-right Israeli government in Gaza, President Biden bears direct
responsibility for the mass slaughter, widespread destruction and torture of
civilians at and near Al-Shifa Hospital," Nihad Awad, executive director
of CAIR, said in a statement on Monday.
The official called on Biden to press for an end to
what he called "genocide" of Palestinians by Israel.
“He must finally act to end the genocide, ethnic
cleansing, wholesale destruction of homes and infrastructure, torture, ‘kill
zones,' and forced starvation that his administration has supported and
excused," he said.
- 'Toothless, useless response'
The organization also condemned the Biden
administration's "toothless, useless" response to the Israeli killing
of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in Gaza earlier this week.
The World Central Kitchen said its convoy was hit
while leaving a warehouse in the southern Gazan city of Deir al-Balah, where
the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid. It has since
paused its operations in the region.
"White House spokesman John Kirby, while
condemning the massacre, refused to admit that Israel's actions were deliberate
or to change the Biden administration's policy of sending arms to Israel,"
CAIR said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The Biden administration should be ashamed of itself
for its feckless, toothless and useless response to the Israeli government's
brazen, deliberate murder of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including
an American citizen,” said CAIR's National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed
Mitchell.
“This Israeli government massacre of humanitarian aid
workers occurred because the Biden administration has spent months making it
clear that the United States will not hold Netanyahu's government accountable
for any war crimes it commits," Mitchell added.
"By now calling once again for Israel to
investigate itself and preposterously claiming that there's no evidence of the
deliberate targeting of these aid workers as they traveled in three different
clearly-marked cars, the Biden administration is giving the Israeli government
a green light to kill many more innocent people.”
Israel has waged a military offensive on the Gaza
Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which
claimed around 1,200 lives.
At least 32,916 Palestinians have since been killed
besides causing mass destruction and displacement.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the
Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on
the verge of starvation.
Source:
yenisafak.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/muslim-advocacy-group-says-biden-responsible-for-israels-destruction-at-al-shifa-hospital-3680589
----
US Senate majority leader supports early Israeli
elections as 'right thing to do’
DiyarGüldogan
03.04.2024
The US Senate majority leader supported remarks from a
top Israeli official Wednesday who called for new elections in Israel.
"When a leading member of Israel’s war cabinet
calls for early elections and over 70% of the Israeli population agrees
according to a major poll, you know it’s the right thing to do," Chuck
Schumer wrote on X.
His remarks came after Israeli War Cabinet Minister
Benny Gantz called for elections in September.
"We must agree on a date for elections in
September, about a year from the war,” Gantz said in a televised briefing,
according to the media reports. "Setting such a date will allow us to
continue the military effort while signaling to the citizens of Israel that we
will soon renew their trust in us."
Schumer previously urged new elections in Israel and
harshly criticized the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Democrat leader said he believed Netanyahu had
"lost his way" by allowing his political survival to take precedence
over the best interests of Israel.
"Israel cannot survive if it becomes a
pariah," he said last month. "As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it
has become clear to me that Netanyahu’s coalition no longer fits the needs of
Israel after Oct. 7.”
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the
Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed less than
1,200 people.
Nearly 32,800 Palestinians have since been killed and
75,300 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has
imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population,
particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population
into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and
medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or
destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International
Court of Justice (ICJ), which on Thursday asked Tel Aviv to do more to prevent
famine in Gaza.
Source:
aa.com.tr
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/us-senate-majority-leader-supports-early-israeli-elections-as-right-thing-to-do-/3182922
---
Iran, Syria owe family of American slain by Hamas $191
million in damages, US district court rules
APRIL 4, 2024
HANNAH SARISOHN
A US district court in DC found Iran and Syria liable
for the 2018 death of American Ari Fuld who was fatally stabbed by a Hamas
terrorist in the West Bank, according to court documents obtained by the
Jerusalem Post.
Judge Royce Lamberth determined Iran and Syria owe
Fuld's family a total of $191 million for their material support of Hamas.
On Sept. 16, 2018, Fuld was shopping in the Gush
Etzion Junction in the West Bank when he was targeted by a Hamas terrorist
wielding an eight-inch blade, court documents said. After stabbing Fuld
multiple times in the back and neck, the teenage terrorist attempted to harm a
woman at a nearby shop. However, Fuld managed to chase and shoot the terrorist,
according to court documents.
The court said it found satisfactory evidence to
establish that Hamas was responsible for the attack that killed Fuld, including
online posts in which Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The court
also found the terrorist sought out an "English-speaking Israeli soldier
of American origin."
Iran and Syria "intentionally supported and
encouraged a proxy actor who specifically sought to inflict violence upon
innocent civilians," Lamberth wrote.
In a statement, Richard Heideman, senior counsel of
HdidemanNudelman&Kalik PC, said it's poorly understood in a post October 7
context how Hamas specifically targets Americans and English speakers, not just
Israelis.
"Israel-bashers want the world, including
Americans, to believe that when Americans or Westerners are killed, injured or
taken hostage in Israel, it is simply a by-product of the conspiratorial lie
that
Hamas’s conduct is merely ‘justified resistance’. It
is not." Heideman said in the statement. "The conduct of Hamas and
its patrons, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Syrian Arab Republic and others
who provide fuel for their terror is reprehensible and violative of
international law.”
Source:
jpost.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-795272
---
Palestinian American doctor explains why he walked out
of meeting with Biden and Harris
April 4, 2024
Jordan Freiman
A Palestinian American doctor who walked out of a
meeting with President Biden and other Arab and Muslim leaders and activists on
Tuesday said he left "out of respect for my community."
Dr. Thaer Ahmad, an emergency physician from Chicago
who traveled to Gaza earlier this year, told "Face the Nation"
moderator Margaret Brennan the White House meeting was the first time Mr. Biden
heard directly from people who had been on the ground in Gaza since Oct. 7. He
said the president asked him to speak first and he detailed his experiences in
Khan Younis and Rafah, telling Mr. Biden there was no way Israel could safely
invade the southern Gaza city where more than one million Palestinians have
fled since the war began.
"And then I asked to be excused, out of respect
for my community who's mourning, who's grieving, who has really wanted to be
heard and has felt silenced and excluded this entire time," Ahmad said.
Before leaving, Ahmad said he gave Mr. Biden a letter
from an 8-year-old orphan in Rafah, asking the president not to allow an
invasion.
Ahmad said he accepted the invitation because "I
think there's a lot of us right now that have a serious sense of urgency and
panic about what's taking place in Gaza, and specifically about the looming
Rafah invasion that could take place."
Source:
cbsnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thaer-ahmad-palestinian-american-doctor-biden-interview/
---
Mideast
Israeli Oppressive Policies In West Bank Target Not
Only Muslims But Also Christians, Says Clergyman
Qais Omar Darwesh
03.04.2024
Since the beginning of attacks on the Gaza Strip on
Oct. 7, Israel has increased its oppressive policies throughout the occupied
West Bank, targeting not only Muslims but also Christians.
"My life, like that of other Palestinians, has
become a nightmare as a result of Israel's actions after October 7,"
Father Talat Avad, a priest at the Church of the Virgin Mary in Abud village in
the west of Ramallah, told Anadolu.
Avad said the entrance to their village following the
Gaza attacks, forced them to rely on dirt roads for commutation and
transportation.
"We are suffering greatly as a result of the
closure of the village entrance and constant searches at checkpoints. We waste
a lot of time as a result of Israeli (security force) treatment. The village's
entrance is secured by an iron gate. We can't even approach the gate for fear
of being shot at by Israeli security forces at the checkpoints," he
explained.
'I have never felt such oppression in my life’
Avad said villagers who used to travel different
routes to reach the village now use a dirt road on the western side.
The road, which runs alongside an Israeli wall built
to protect a nearby Jewish settlement, poses significant risks and raises
tensions among its users, according to him.
Despite the road's unsuitability for vehicle passage,
he insisted that long trucks, transport vehicles, and buses use it due to
potholes, rocks, and soil partitions.
He also expressed concern over the potential for
Jewish settlers to stone villagers' vehicles on the road.
"Only God knows the best. Today they are throwing
stones at vehicles; tomorrow they may use the weapons provided by their
ministers," he said.
"I have never felt such oppression in my
life," the Palestinian priest said, emphasizing that the Palestinians' suffering
is unparalleled.
One of the oldest 3 churches in the world
They prayed for peace, Avad said, adding that they
have no ill will toward anyone and that "even Israel despises what they
do."
He said his church, one of the three oldest in the
world, has been in continuous worship for 1,700 years.
Their village is home to 2,300 Palestinians, half of
whom are Christians, he said, emphasizing that Christians and Muslims can
coexist peacefully with anyone who seeks peace, regardless of religion or
ethnic origin.
Permission not granted for Christian faithful
With Israel's current oppressive tactic, the priest is
concerned that Israel will impose restrictions on Christians visiting churches
during Easter festivities.
He said crowded Christian groups will be denied entry
into Jerusalem due to security concerns.
"If permission is not granted for worship, it
would not be acceptable. Roads should be opened for those who want to
worship," said the priest, noting that Muslims are also barred from
entering Jerusalem to worship at the Al-Aqsa mosque.
1,156 attacks in West Bank, with 140 security
checkpoints
On March 30, MueyyedShaban, president of the Anti-Wall
and Settlement Committee affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO), reported 1,156 attacks in the West Bank since the Gaza attacks began,
resulting in 12 Palestinian civilian deaths.
Shaban added that the current situation has forced
1,277 people from 220 Palestinian families, including 25 Bedouin communities,
to migrate since the Gaza attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
According to him, over the last six months, Israel has
seized 27,000 dunams (27 square kilometers) of Palestinian land in the West
Bank under the guise of securing Jews.
Shaban cited Israeli occupation forces as destroying
9,600 trees, mostly olive trees, fragmenting Palestinian lands in the West
Bank, and setting up 840 military barriers or checkpoints along transit routes,
140 of which were established after Oct. 7.
Source:
aa.com.tr
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-oppressive-policies-in-west-bank-target-not-only-muslims-but-also-christians-says-clergyman/3182946
---
Israel Will Receive Slap In The Face For Syria Attack:
Leaderof the Islamic Revolution
03 April 2024
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali
Khamenei says the Israeli regime will receive a slap in the face for an attack
on the premises of the Iranian embassy in Syria’s capital earlier this week.
In an address to officials of the Iranian
administration and other branches of government on Wednesday, the Leader said
the attack would fail to save Israel from its defeat in Gaza where it has been
engaged in nearly six months of aggression against the Palestinians.
“The cowardly efforts by the Zionist regime like the
one they carried out in Syria will not save them from defeat. They will of
course receive a slap in the face for this move,” he said.
“The Zionist regime’s defeat in Gaza will continue and
this regime will approach demise and collapse,” said Ayatollah Khamenei.
He said that demonstrations planned for this year’s
Quds Day, which will be marked on April 5 on the last Friday of the holy month
of Ramadan, will mobilize supporters of Palestine not only in Muslim countries
but in non-Muslim countries who have been pushing for an end to the Israeli
aggression on Gaza.
“This year’s Quds Day will be an international revolt
against the usurper Zionist regime,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei described the crimes committed by
the Israeli regime in Gaza as “unprecedented in history” and said the scale of
crimes even caused uproar among people who have been brought up in the Western
culture.
He said the Zionists failed to achieve any of the
objectives they had declared in the onset of the war on Gaza in October despite
enjoying military, financial and political support of the United States.
“We hope that our youth would see a day when the Holy
Quds is controlled by the Muslims and they pray in it and the world of Islam
celebrates the annihilation of the usurping regime,” said Ayatollah Khamenei.
Iran is undertaking ‘vast infrastructure’ endeavors
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader touched upon
Iran’s current economic situation and said that the country is undertaking some
vast economic infrastructure endeavors that will pay off in the future.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran has been going
through some “sweet and bitter” economic experiences in recent years as he
insisted that more work is needed to be done to improve the country’s economic
situation.
“The sweet part of the economy entails the vast
infrastructure activities which will bear results in the middle run and in the
not-so distant future,” he said.
Hijab unrest planned outside Iran
The Leader also pointed to the issue of dressing code
for women, known as hijab, which caused a period of unrest in Iran in 2022,
saying the issue has been turned into an “imposed challenge” for the country
because of the conspiracies and plots hatched by people based outside Iran.
“Directing and planning for opposition to hijab was
mainly carried out from outside of the country, a reality that needs the
attention of our wise and learned ladies,” he said, adding that hijab is
mandatory for everyone based on the law of the country.
Source:
presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/03/723005/Iran-Leader-remarks-Israel-attack-Syria-punishment
----
Patients of destroyed Gaza hospital at risk of death
without evacuation, warns WHO chief
04 April 2024
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has
warned that failure to quickly carry out medical evacuations following the
destruction of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza could lead to further fatalities.
TedrosAdhanomGhebreyesus at a media briefing on
Wednesday commented on the destruction of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City
following the Israeli army’s two-week raid, saying “the situation looks
disastrous.”
The urgency to speed up the evacuation process was
emphasized by the WHO chief, as he expressed concerns about the potential loss
of numerous lives if action is not taken promptly.
“The people who need medical evacuation will increase,
and medical evacuation is already slow,” Tedros said, adding that “people will
die because they will not get the services either from Shifa or because of slow
evacuation, because they cannot be evacuated.”
He also added that he is “appalled” that the al-Shifa
hospital has been put out of action and that much of it has been badly damaged
or destroyed.
Al-Shifa was the largest hospital and main referral
center in the Gaza Strip, with 750 beds, 26 operating rooms, 32 intensive care
rooms, a dialysis department and a central laboratory.
Israel claims Hamas fighters operate from in and
around hospitals, which the Palestinian resistance movement and medical staff
reject.
Tedros reiterated his call for hospitals in Gaza to be
“respected and protected” and “not be used as battlefields.”
The WHO chief also said that only 10 of Gaza’s 36
hospitals are still able to function even partially and that WHO will continue
to support those hospitals to deliver services as best they can.
He added that the UN agency is seeking to visit the
location where Al-Shifa stood in order to engage with the staff and assess the
extent of salvageable resources.
According to WHO, since the Israeli assault on Gaza on
October 7, 906 attacks on health care in Gaza, the West Bank, the occupied
territories and Lebanon have been verified, resulting in 736 deaths and 1,014
injuries.
Horrific killing of aid workers highlights dangers in
Gaza
In the same address, the WHO chief praised the seven
aid workers who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza on Monday,
for their service in Gaza and for putting themselves in harm’s way to help others.
“Delays and denials of humanitarian missions not only
prevent us from reaching those in need, but also impact other operations and
deliveries by diverting scarce resources,” he said.
Tedros added that the “horrific” killing of the aid
workers highlights “the extreme danger” under which humanitarians operate in
Gaza.
More than 180 days into the war, the regime has
achieved no objectives despite killing at least 32,975 people in Gaza and
injuring 75,577 , mostly women and children.
Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity
to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.
Last month, the United Nations warned that in the
absence of any changes in the war, Gaza was on course to experience all-out
famine.
Source:
presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/04/723030/patients-Gaza-hospital-risk-death-evacuation-WHO-chief
---
Hamas says Israel aims to terrorize aid workers as
Gaza faces famine
03 April 2024
Hamas says Israel targets aid distribution sites to
terrorize humanitarian organizations in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian resistance movement said in a
statement on Wednesday, “We call on the international community and the UN
Security Council to denounce this heinous act.”
Hamas also urged the international community to “move
towards putting an end to the occupation’s crimes and aggression against our
people in the Gaza Strip.”
A group of US humanitarian experts says famine has
already strained parts of the Gaza Strip and the pace of hunger-related deaths
will “accelerate in the weeks ahead.”
The group underscored the need for an “immediate and
substantial flow of food, health, nutrition and [sanitation] assistance.”
It said “expanded humanitarian access and safe
unimpeded passage for humanitarian workers is paramount to addressing famine
conditions in Gaza.”
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has said Israel continues to block its aid workers
from bringing food and other aid into northern Gaza.
The amount of aid entering the besieged Palestinian
territory as a whole has remained low with an average of 161 aid trucks
reaching the territory per day throughout March, well below the target of 500,
according to UNRWA.
Israel stands accused of using starvation of
Palestinians as a method of warfare.
The UN agency also said three more UNRWA members have
been killed in Gaza since October. The latest figure brought the total number
of UNRWA’s staff killed since October to 176.
On Monday, Israeli forces attacked a convoy of
international aid workers with the World Central Kitchen (WCK), killing seven
aid workers. The attack drew international condemnations and mounted calls for
an urgent investigation.
At least 196 humanitarian aid workers have been killed
in Gaza since the regime started its savage campaign in October 2023.
Source:
presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/03/723015/Hamas-Israel-terrorize-aid-workers
---
Israel has arrested 66 journalists in West Bank since
Oct. 7: NGO
Anadolu Staff
04.04.2024
Israel has arrested 66 journalists in the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem, since the beginning of its war on the Gaza Strip on
Oct. 7 last year, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said Wednesday.
This came after Israeli authorities arrested
32-year-old journalist Asmaa Nuh Hreish at her home in Ramallah in the central
West Bank on Wednesday morning.
The non-governmental organization, which was established
in 1993 to support political prisoners in Israeli occupation jails, said in a
statement that “the number of journalists detained from the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem, since Oct. 7 reached 66, with the occupation keeping
45 of them detained, including four female journalists, the latest being
journalist Asmaa.”
It noted that her arrest “adds to the arrest of her
father Nuh and her brother Ahmed.”
The NGO said this escalation “comes within the
framework of wide-ranging arrest campaigns carried out by the occupation army
since Oct. 7, including the notable recent increase in the arrest of women.”
The Palestinian Prisoners Club reported that “23 of
the detained journalists have been transferred to administrative detention
(without charge) under the pretext of having a (secret file), including
journalists Ikhlas Sawalha and Bushra al-Taweel.”
As for the majority of the remaining detained
journalists, “charges related to incitement (against Israel) on social media
platforms or by media outlets” were directed against them, it said.
The organization said “the occupation has, over the
past decades, pursued a policy of arresting journalists alongside a range of
policies, crimes and violations against them in a continuous attempt to silence
their voices and fight the Palestinian narrative.”
It renewed its call on international human rights
institutions to “assume their necessary responsibilities in light of the
continuation of genocide against our people in Gaza and the targeting of all
segments of Palestinian society through wide and systematic arrest operations.”
According to the Prisoners Club, the total number of
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons until the end of March exceeded 9,400,
including 3,661 administrative detainees.
Tensions have been running high across the West Bank
since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after
a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
More than 456 Palestinians have since been killed and
around 4,750 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory,
according to the Health Ministry.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International
Court of Justice (ICJ), which last week asked it to do more to prevent famine
in Gaza, where nearly 33,000 people have been killed.
Source:
aa.com.tr
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-has-arrested-66-journalists-in-west-bank-since-oct-7-ngo/3183054
----
Turkish president vows to eliminate terrorism threat
not only in Türkiye but in region
Gizem Nisa Çebi
03.04.2024
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his
determination on Wednesday to eliminate the threat of terrorism not only in
Türkiye but throughout the region in the future.
"We are determined to show that terrorism has no
place in future of Türkiye and the region. With the recent elections, this
determination has been further strengthened," Erdogan said during his
speech at iftar (fast-breaking dinner) with security officials in the capital
Ankara.
He also emphasized that terrorism is a nonpolitical issue
that should be treated differently.
Erdogan said all terrorist groups, including the PKK,
FETO, ISIS, and DHKP-C, are "enemies" of the Turkish people.
In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye,
the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU –
has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women,
children, and infants.
FETO and its US-based leader Fethullah Gulen
orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 252 people
were killed and 2,734 wounded.
Source:
aa.com.tr
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkiye/turkish-president-vows-to-eliminate-terrorism-threat-not-only-in-turkiye-but-in-region/3182921
---
Europe
UK prime minister facing pressure over arms sales to
Israel after death of WCK aid workers
04 April 2024
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing mounting
pressure over the country’s arms sales to Israel following the death of seven
aid workers of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an Israeli strike in the Gaza
Strip.
In a letter signed on Wednesday, more than 600
prominent figures, including lawyers, academics and retired senior judges,
urged Sunak to end arms sale to Israel as a measure to prevent genocide in
Gaza.
They described the present situation in Gaza as
“catastrophic,” warning that the UK government is breaching international law
by continuing to arm the occupying regime.
“While we welcome the increasingly robust calls by
your government for a cessation of fighting and the unobstructed entry to Gaza
of humanitarian assistance, simultaneously to continue (to take two striking
examples) the sale of weapons and weapons systems to Israel and to maintain
threats of suspending UK aid to UNRWA falls significantly short of your
government’s obligations under international law,” the signatories wrote.
The 17-page letter further called for the government
to work towards a permanent ceasefire and to impose sanctions “upon individuals
and entities who have made statements inciting genocide against Palestinians.”
It also stressed that restoring funding to the UN
Relief and Works Agency is necessary for “effective entry and distribution of
the means of existence to Palestinians in Gaza, and by extension the prevention
of genocide.”
The letter further emphasized that the International
Court of Justice’s (ICJ) conclusion that there exists a plausible risk of
genocide in Gaza has placed London on notice that weapons might be used in its
commission and that the suspension of their provision is thus "a ‘means
likely to deter’ and/or ‘a measure to prevent’ genocide.”
Meanwhile, Tory MPs have piled pressure on Sunak over
the country’s arms sales to Israel, saying the UK should stop exporting arms to
Tel Aviv following the strike on the WCK aid convoy.
The Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party (SNP)
and a former UK national security adviser have also called for arms sales to
Israel to be suspended.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has also urged an
immediate end to arms sales from the UK to Israel in a letter to Sunak.
The Labour Party has not called for a suspension, but
is urging the government to publish internal legal advice on whether Israel is
in breach of international law.
On Tuesday, Gaza’s Government Media Office said at
least seven foreign aid workers of WCK had been killed in an Israeli airstrike
in Dayr al-Balah in the central part of the Gaza Strip.
It said the foreigners included citizens of Australia,
Britain, and Poland.
The British victims were identified as John Chapman,
James Henderson and James Kirby, who were all military veterans.
Speaking to the Sun newspaper, Sunak described the
deaths as "an awful tragedy," saying the UK wanted to see "a
dramatic increase in the amount of aid getting into Gaza".
He also called for an independent investigation into
the Israeli strike, but stopped short of saying arms sales should end.
Source:
presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/04/723029/UK-MPs-lawyers-urge-Rishi-Sunak-end-arms-sales-Israel--strike-WCK-aid-convoy
---
Spain says Israel’s response to killing aid workers
‘insufficient, unacceptable’
03 April 2024
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has denounced
Israel’s “insufficient and unacceptable” explanations about killing aid workers
in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Sanchez made the comment during a visit to Qatar on
Wednesday. He said the world demands more clarifications regarding the shocking
attack.
“That is unacceptable and insufficient, and we are
awaiting a much stronger and more detailed clarification, after which we’ll see
what action to take.”
On Monday, Israeli forces conducted a fatal strike on
a clearly identified convoy of international aid workers in Gaza. It was a convoy
of the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK). Three British nationals, an
Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a
Palestinian were killed. The attack drew international condemnations and
mounted calls for an urgent investigation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted
that the occupation forces had killed the humanitarian workers, claiming that
Israeli forces had “unintentionally harmed non-combatants” and that “It happens
in wartime.”
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the
human rights situation in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, said on Tuesday that
the Israeli military had “intentionally killed” the WCK aid workers.
Late last month, Albanese revealed she had received
threats throughout her mandate of compiling a report about Israel’s genocide in
the besieged Gaza Strip.
Polish prime minister: Deadly strike against WCK
triggers ‘understandable anger’
As Netanyahu claimed the strike on the WCK was
“unintentional” and Israel's ambassador to Poland YacovLivne said Poland was
“accusing Israel of intentional murder,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said
the appalling attack and Netanyahu’s response caused “understandable anger.”
“The tragic attack on volunteers and your
(Netanyahu's) reaction arouse understandable anger,” Tusk wrote on X on
Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej
Szejna said he had summoned Livne to discuss the death of the Polish aid
worker, Damian Sobol, who was killed in the Israeli strike.
“I want to talk to the ambassador about the new
situation in Polish-Israeli relations and about the moral, political and
financial responsibility for the event that recently took place in the Gaza
Strip”, Szejna told the Polish state news agency PAP.
Source:
presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/03/723016/spain-pedro-sanchez-israel-gaza
---
UK charities urge government to welcome Gazans with
family ties in Britain
GIANLUCA PACCHIANI
04.04.2024
Sixty British organizations and law firms that have
coalesced under the “Gaza Families Reunited” initiative addressed a letter to
the UK Home Secretary James Cleverly on Tuesday to call for the creation of a
visa program for Gazans with family in the United Kingdom.
The program would be similar to one created for
Ukrainian refugees, and it is based on the premise that “existing immigration
routes are insufficient and not working,” the letter reads. It would “enable
family members of Palestinians in the UK to reunite with their loved ones and
offer temporary sanctuary until it is safe to return.”
The initiative comes in light of the worsening
humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has seen the death of more than 32,000
people so far according to Hamas’s Health Ministry, a figure that cannot be
independently verified and includes some 13,000 Hamas terrorists Israel says it
has killed in battle.
The war against Hamas was launched after the terrorist
army infiltrated southern Israel on October 7 in a brutal massacre of 1,200 in
which it also took 253 hostages to the Gaza Strip, where some have been
reportedly tortured and sexually assaulted.
The letter to Cleverly points out that the crisis may
become exacerbated if Israel proceeds with its “threatened ground assault on
Rafah – formerly claimed as a ‘safe zone’ for civilians – in spite of
widespread international outcry, including on the part of the British
government.”
Under the current system, Palestinians need to submit
their biometric data to file an immigration application to the UK, but the only
visa application centers are in neighboring Egypt, which charges exorbitant
fees to allow Palestinians to exit the Strip.
The letter charges that in light of this difficulty,
“two people have been killed while waiting for a decision on their family
reunion visa under existing routes.”
???? We have coordinated a letter to the Home
Secretary @JamesCleverly signed by 60+ organisations & law firms calling
for the introduction of a Gaza Family Scheme. Letter in thread below. https://t.co/VL27JTU24O
The “Gaza Families Reunited” campaign was recently
backed by Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, whose wife’s family was trapped
in Gaza at the outbreak of the war and was only able to leave in January thanks
to Turkey’s intervention.
Many Gazans in the diaspora have resorted to online
crowdfunding to raise the sums needed to evacuate their families to Egypt,
which can reach up to $10,000 per adult. Fundraisers on GoFundMe have raised
tens of thousands of dollars in donations from around the world so that Gazan
expatriates can have their relatives’ names inserted in the daily lists of 300
people approved for travel outside the Strip by Egyptian authorities.
While tens of thousands of Gazans have managed to
cross the Rafah border into Sinai, the vast majority of them are stranded in
Egypt, and very few have been given asylum in other countries.
Canada announced in January that it would open a
temporary residence pathway for 1,000 Gazans who have family members who are
Canadian citizens or permanent residents and will be able to support them for a
year.
The US has not announced any measures to resettle
Palestinian refugees in the country. Republican lawmakers have even introduced
bills to prevent any holder of a Palestinian Authority passports\ from entering
the US.
A bipartisan initiative submitted to the US Congress
in late November called for conditioning American aid to a number of Arab
countries on their willingness to accept refugees from Gaza, according to a
report in the Israel Hayom daily.
Arab countries have also not shown any willingness to
give asylum to desperate people fleeing the war. Leaders of both Egypt and
Jordan, two countries that share borders with Israel and the Palestinian
territories, have adamantly refused to take any refugees in. Jordan is the only
Arab country to have ever given citizenship to Palestinian refugees, who today
make up more than half of its population.
Hamas-supporting Muslim countries such as Turkey,
Qatar, Algeria and Malaysia have also not shown any intention of opening their
doors to Gazans. Turkey is home to a large Palestinian diaspora and thousands
more are thought to have reached the country over the past six months.
As for Europe, two Israeli lawmakers have called on
countries to accept a limited number of Gazan refugees, citing the examples of
past wars in the former Yugoslavia, Syria and Ukraine, during which European
countries opened their borders to millions of refugees.
Since the outbreak of the war against Hamas, asylum
applications by Palestinians (including from the West Bank) in EU countries
have surged, reaching a peak of 1,700 in November, according to Eurostat, the
European Union’s statistics agency. For comparison, in September, before the
October 7 onslaught, the monthly figure stood at 1,175.
The country that has registered the highest number of
asylum applications from Palestinians is Greece (1,340 in November, 945 in
December and 605 in January), representing the bulk of the applications,
followed by Belgium (230 in November, 360 in December, 345 in January). France,
Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden and Romania only received asylum requests in the
dozens.
Asylum applications by Palestinians have among the
highest rates of acceptance, at 96.8%, according to the EU Agency for Asylum.
But some European countries with right-wing
anti-immigration governments have expressed outright disdain for the idea of
accepting Gazans. At a European Union summit in Brussels in October, Hungarian
Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned that “those who support migration also
support terrorism,” and shortly after, Italian Prime Minister GiorgiaMeloni
announced that her country would be tightening its border control policies.
In addition, Haaretz reported in January that since
October 7, at least 71 Gazans with family ties to Israeli citizens have found
shelter inside the Jewish state.
Source:
timesofisrael.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-charities-urge-government-to-welcome-gazans-with-family-ties-in-britain/
----
Poland ups pressure on Israel after losing a citizen
in bombing of Gaza aid workers
3 April 2024
Countries of the seven aid workers killed by an
Israeli strike in Gaza ratcheted up their criticism against Israel on Wednesday
and demanded an investigation into the incident.
The World Central Kitchen aid group on Tuesday named
those killed in the incident the day before as SaifeddinIssamAyadAbutaha, 25, a
Palestinian; Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, 43, an Australian; John Chapman, 57,
James (Jim) Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, Britons; Damian Sobol, 35, a
Pole; and US-Canadian Jacob Flickinger, 33.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday that
the strike, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reaction, sparked
“understandable anger” and strained relations between the two countries.
Netanyahu had said on Tuesday that the airstrike was
tragic and unintended, adding, “This happens in war,” while Israel’s Ambassador
to Poland YacovLivne said in a post on social media platform X that the
“extreme right and left” in Poland were accusing Israel of intentional murder,
adding that “antisemites will always remain antisemites.”
Tusk wrote on X: “Mr. Prime Minister Netanyahu, Mr.
Ambassador Livne, the vast majority of Poles showed full solidarity with Israel
after the Hamas attack (on October 7).
“Today you are putting this solidarity to a really
hard test. The tragic attack on volunteers and your (Netanyahu’s) reaction
arouse understandable anger.”
Netanyahu had also said Israel was conducting a
thorough inquiry and would do everything to avoid a recurrence of the incident.
In a post on X following Tusk’s comments, Livne said
Israel had “repeatedly expressed our deep regret, sorrow, and condolences over
the tragic loss of life of @WCKitchen workers.”
Prosecutors in the Polish city of Przemysl, which
identified Damian Sobol, told the state news agency PAP that they had launched
an investigation into his death.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “shocked and
saddened” after learning that British nationals were among those killed.
He spoke to Netanyahu and told the Israeli leader that
“he was appalled by the killing of aid workers,” a Downing Street spokesperson
said in a statement.
The UK summoned the Israeli ambassador to express its
“unequivocal condemnation.”
All our thoughts are with the families of those killed
in this shocking strike, including three British aid workers.
Israel must explain how this tragic incident happened
and take immediate steps to protect aid workers and facilitate vital
humanitarian operations in Gaza. https://t.co/ncGBMtCsMn
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese slammed the
“completely unacceptable” attack, called it a “tragedy that should never have
occurred,” and offered “sincere condolences” to the family of Australian
volunteer Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom, who was killed in the strike.
“She just wanted to help out through this charity.
That says everything about the character of this young woman,” Albanese said.
I expressed Australia’s anger and concern at the death
of ZomiFrankcom to Prime Minister Netanyahu in a phone call this morning.
We have called for full transparency and
accountability, and for aid to reach Gaza unimpeded and in large quantities.
pic.twitter.com/B5MfACGteO
Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Tuesday
condemned the strike and called for a full investigation.
“I am horrified to hear reports of the IDF strike
taking the lives of seven World Central Kitchen employees in Gaza yesterday,
including a Canadian citizen,” said.
“We condemn these strikes and call for a full
investigation. Canada expects full accountability for these killings and we
will convey this to the Israeli government directly. Strikes on humanitarian
personnel are absolutely unacceptable,” she said on X.
1/2 I am horrified to hear reports of the IDF strike
taking the lives of 7 World Central Kitchen employees in Gaza yesterday,
including a Canadian citizen.
Joly’s comments are some of the harshest that Canada
has directed against Israel since the start of the Gaza conflict.
US President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and
heartbroken” by the deaths and charged that Israel “has not done enough to
protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians.”
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen.
HerziHalevi said Tuesday that the strike was “a mistake that followed a
misidentification — at night during a war in very complex conditions. It
shouldn’t have happened,” and announced an independent investigation into the
attack.
Footage of the aftermath showed a vehicle with the
charity’s logo printed across its roof to make it identifiable from the air. A
projectile had blasted a large hole through the roof. Two other vehicles in the
convoy were incinerated and mangled, indicating multiple hits.\
Source:
timesofisrael.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/poland-ups-pressure-on-israel-after-losing-a-citizen-in-bombing-of-gaza-aid-workers/
---
Prison staff fear being called racist if they
challenge muslim gang dominance, warns former prison boss
04/04/2024
Georgia Pearce
A former Prison Governor has said that frontline
prison staff do not have the experience or support to challenge controlling
behaviour and fear being called racist if they do challenge Muslim gangs.
Former Head of Security and Operations at Wormwood
Scrubs Vanessa Frake-Harris said there was “strong evidence” prisoners convert
to Islam because of power dynamics inside prisons.
Speaking on GB News, Vanessa Frake-Harris said: “This
isn't a new thing. It has been going on for quite a while and that's probably
because of the number of Muslims that are coming into custody and there is
quite a high proportion of Muslim prisoners.
“There is strong evidence to suggest that because they
do convert to Islam as a response to controls of power and space in a jail,
particularly in the high security estate.
“I think when you've got large numbers of male
prisoners entering into custody searching for a meaning, and a certain
belonging, that gangs enable this sort of thing, and it does go on.
“I think [prison] usually mirrors society so in an
inner-city jail, like in London or Birmingham, yes, [dominant Muslim gangs]
would be prevalent, that's just natural.
"But I think, unfortunately, the frontline staff
to deal with this lack a religious competence, they lack the leadership support
and authority to spot and challenge behaviour and control issues like this,
with obviously a fear of racism following them around.
“That is worrying and I think we should be concerned
with that.”
Source:
gbnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.gbnews.com/news/prison-staff-fear-being-racist-muslim-gang-dominance
---
South
Asia
Afghan Journalist AhamdHanayesh survives assassination
attempt in Pakistan
Fidel Rahmati
April 4, 2024
The Afghan Journalists Association in Exile has
reported another instance highlighting the ongoing vulnerability of Afghan
journalists, this time in Pakistan. An Afghan journalist was targeted,
sustaining injuries to both his foot and head as a result of the attack.
The organization known as “Afghan Journalists in
Exile, in Europe and North America,” citing Ahmad Hanayesh’s family members,
stated that the journalist’s condition deteriorated after the attack, and he is
scheduled for surgery.
Details of the targeting of this Afghan journalist are
unclear. The Afghan Journalists Association in Exile stated that he was
attacked by unidentified individuals yesterday in Islamabad.
Some media outlets have described Hanayesh’s health
condition as “satisfactory” and, according to their sources, he has regained
consciousness and is under special care.
It is reported that the wounds to his head are not
severe, with the bullet grazing the surface. Surgery will be performed to
remove another bullet from his foot.
The Afghan Journalists Association in Exile continues
to report similar incidents, expressing concern over the lack of safety for
journalists in Pakistan and Iran.
In a statement, the organization said: “In recent
weeks, Mr. MirwaisKhawarin, the former head of the Afghan Senate’s television,
was also seriously injured in an attempted assassination in Islamabad,
Pakistan, by armed individuals.”
Source:
khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-journalist-ahamd-hanayesh-survives-assassination-attempt-in-pakistan/
---
Millions in Afghanistan affected by poverty, seeking
work on streets
Fidel Rahmati
April 3, 2024
Poverty is a destructive phenomenon that has affected
millions of people in Afghanistan under current living conditions. It has led
many individuals, including elderly people like Saifullah, to seek work in the
streets of Kabul and other provinces.
Saifullah, a 65-year-old laborer in Kabul, struggles
to provide for his family of six with insufficient wages and faces the
hardships of working on Kabul’s roads.
Saifullah, the elderly 65-year-old man, considers his
worn-out hands from laboring in Karachi as his only capital. He wanders the
streets of Kabul from morning till evening, striving to find a piece of bread
for his children.
According to Saifullah, he earns between 50 to 100
Afghanis daily, often returning home empty-handed, spending nights hungry or
with just bread and tea.
He finds unemployment, poverty, and being penniless
agonizing and can barely endure days when he returns home empty-handed.
He remarks, “I can only buy bread with my earnings
while people pass by with hands full of fruits, flour, and oil, leaving me
astonished with empty hands.”
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported an
increase in the scope of poverty and food insecurity in Afghanistan in its
annual report for 2023. According to this report, 15.8 million people in
Afghanistan, approximately 40 percent of the population, experienced acute food
insecurity from November 2023 to March 2024, with 2.8 million of them facing
emergency levels of food insecurity.
Alongside Saifullah, another elderly man named Mullah
Mohammad sits by the roadside, with no solution other than seeking work and
income, as he claims.
Mullah Mohammad says that despite poverty and old age
making him incapable, he is the sole breadwinner and caretaker of his family of
ten.
According to this 60-year-old man, he is currently
living in a rented house, with several months’ worth of rent still due.
He adds, “I am not at the age to work now; I have
become very weak and feeble, but if conditions for work improve, I want to work
to get out of this situation.”
Mullah Mohammad says he can barely afford to provide
for himself for one meal a day and has spent many nights without bread.
It’s not just Saifullah and Mullah Mohammad who work
alongside the roads in Kabul; there are dozens of other elderly men who,
despite lacking the ability to work, are seeking livelihoods.
It should be noted that the United Nations report also
indicates an increase in poverty and unemployment in the country, revealing
that out of every 10 households in Afghanistan, 9 households face difficulties
in providing sufficient food.
According to the United Nations World Food Programme,
Afghanistan’s situation last year was characterized by severe humanitarian
crises, accompanied by economic downturns, climatic adversities, political
complexities, increased returning migrants, and internal displacements, along
with political instability and constraints on women. These factors have
contributed to the escalation of poverty and food insecurity.
Source:
khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/millions-in-afghanistan-affected-by-poverty-seeking-work-on-streets/
----
Over one million Afghan refugees forcibly expelled
from neighboring countries: Official
Fidel Rahmati
April 3, 2024
The Deputy of the Prime Minister of the Taliban stated
in a meeting with representatives and ambassadors of countries in Kabul that in
recent times, over one million Afghan migrants have been forcibly expelled from
neighboring countries.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday, Abdulsalam
Hanafi, the second deputy of the acting Prime Minister of the Taliban, raised
this issue during an iftar dinner held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
headquarters. Referring to the negative impacts of the forced expulsion of
Afghan citizens from various countries, he mentioned that this action does not
contribute to bilateral and neighboring relations.
As per the statement, officials and representatives
from various countries, diplomats, and UNAMA officials attended this iftar
dinner.
Hanafi urged all regional and extra-regional countries
in this meeting to curtail drug trafficking and ensure stability in Afghanistan
to prevent the migration of youth to other countries. He emphasized aligning
major development projects such as the Afghanistan Trans, Herat-Bulldak,
Chabahar Port, Lajward Road, Khan Corridor, and TAPI investment in Afghanistan
to achieve this goal.
He emphasized that security in Afghanistan is not only
important for the country’s citizens but also crucial for the interests of all
regional countries. Therefore, investment in various sectors is essential for
the continuation of stability in Afghanistan.
However, since the Taliban took over the country, they
have imposed several strict restrictions resulting in the violation of human
rights and women’s rights and have failed to form an inclusive government.
The Taliban’s oppressive policies have led to a dire
humanitarian crisis in the country. According to UN reports, over 28 million
people needed aid assistance in 2023, and the ongoing crisis has been
exacerbated by the forced deportation of Afghan migrants by neighboring
countries.
Source:
khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/over-one-million-afghan-refugees-forcibly-expelled-from-neighboring-countries-official/
---
Poetry Program in Nangarhar Supports Palestine
Sadaqat Ghorzang
April 4, 2024
A poetry program titled "We Have Not Forgotten
the People of Gaza" aimed at supporting the people of Gaza, has been
launched in the city of Jalalabad, Nangarhar province.
This program, initiated by the Nangarhar Department of
Information and Culture to empathize and share the grief with the people of
Palestine, saw the participation of a number of poets, cultural figures, and
writers.
Sajid Khogyani, the head of Nangarhar's Information
and Culture, said: "In sympathy and to share the grief with the oppressed
people of Palestine, we have dedicated this poetry night to them. Poets from
the east and various provinces have gathered here and express their solidarity
with the people of Palestine through poetry."
Some poets in the program, in addition to expressing
sympathy with the people of Gaza through poetry, condemned the Israeli attacks
on the Palestinian people.
Ziauddin Hemat, a poet, said: "Karbala is
reenacted there, where they are bombarded; children, elders, and women are
killed. From the heart of every poet here flows blood."
Abdul Hadi Farhang, a poet, said: "A poet must be
the poet of all humanity, and we have gathered here in solidarity with the name
of humanity and to share the grief with the martyrs of Gaza."
This poetry event in support of the people of Gaza was
launched in Nangarhar province at a time when people in some other provinces of
the country had also demonstrated against the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Source:
tolonews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://tolonews.com/index.php/arts-culture-188149
----
With UNAMA, No Other UN Representative Needed: Shaheen
April 3, 2024
The head of the Islamic Emirate’s political office in
Doha, Suhail Shaheen, has called the appointment of a special United Nations
representative for Afghanistan an unnecessary step.
In response to the remarks of Vanessa Frazier,
permanent representative of Malta and President of the Security Council,
Shaheen said that there is no need for the appointment of a special
representative under the current circumstances and taking into account the
presence of UNAMA.
Suhail Shaheen told TOLOnews: "We want engagement
with the international community and the resolution of issues in the light of
our own interests and principles, but since the United Nations representation
in Afghanistan exists under the name of UNAMA, therefore, we do not see the
necessity for another representative."
Recently, Vanessa Frazier, Permament Representative of
Malta and President of the Security Council, expressed concern in a press conference
that no new steps have been taken so far regarding the appointment of a special
representative for Afghanistan.
Frazier said: “We definitely support, are supporters
of the independent review that was carried out by ambassador Feridun, and we
support the plan that’s outlined in his review, which would eventually (lead
to) normalization but there has to be steps ... to be taken for that and we
look forward also to the appointment of the special envoy but we haven’t heard
anything about it, unfortunately. But the sooner it’s done, the sooner the work
can start.”
The new rotating President of the Security Council
also stated that gender discrimination in Afghanistan should be included in the
Convention on the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity.
She added: “We really do believe that it is impossible
to have a country where 50% of the population is completely marginalized and we
think that the situation is to be rectified.”
“Introduce internal reforms, reopen schools and
universities for girls, draft a constitution, undertake economic activities,
make credible changes in the cabinet, and address all the issues that the world
is concerned about, and maybe they will win the election,” said Najibullah
Jami, a political analyst.
The United Nations General Assembly held the sixth
committee session of this organization on April 1-2, in which discussions on
the drafting of reforms and adjustments in the Convention on the Prevention of
Crimes against Humanity, including the criminalization of 'gender apartheid,'
were held.
Source:
tolonews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-188136
---
Pakistan Plans to Deport 67,000 Afghan Migrants After
Eid al-Fitr
April 3, 2024
A number of Pakistan’s media outlets reported that
Islamabad plans to deport about 67,000 Afghan migrants after Eid al-Fitr.
According to the reports, the Interior Minister of
Sindh province has ordered Pakistan’s police to cooperate in implementing the
second round of the plan to return Afghan migrants to Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, some Afghan migrants once again complained
of the mistreatment by Pakistani police and the challenges in that country.
According to them, Afghan citizens cannot freely move
around and are at risk of deportation despite having legal documents.
Afghan migrants in Pakistan demand the interim
government of Afghanistan and the Government of Pakistan address these
challenges.
"Despite having legal POR and ICC cards, Afghan
migrants have spent a long time in fear and dread. It is regrettable that
Afghan migrants residing in Pakistan constitute a significant portion of the
host country's economy, yet they occasionally fall victim to bilateral
policies," Atiqullah, an Afghan migrant in Pakistan told TOLOnews.
"They are threatened and pressured by the real
estate agents and by the Pakistani police. They suffer every moment. The real
estate agents pressure them and force them to leave their homes,” said
Faizullah, another Afghan migrant in Pakistan.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations called
Pakistan's decision to start the second round of deportations unilateral and
not in the interest of both countries.
Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, a spokesman for the Ministry of
Refugees and Repatriation, told TOLOnews: "We are ready to cooperate with
them and deliver them to their areas."
Activists of migrant rights said that the
implementation of the second round of Afghan migrants' deportation from
Pakistan will add to the challenges of migrants.
"It can really create many problems for the
migrants. We also ask the Islamic Emirate to have a meeting as soon as possible
with the high-ranking officials of Pakistan and with the office of the United
Nations and the immigration rights department so that they can find a solution
for their problems," said AlirezaKarimi, an activist for migrant rights.
Earlier, Mohsin Raza Naqvi, the Interior Minister of
Pakistan, announced the start of the second round of the deportation of Afghan
migrants in less than a month.
Source:
tolonews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-188139
---
Work for people, don’t lose their trust, PM tells
public representatives
Apr 4, 2024
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asked public
representatives of local government bodies to work with utmost sincerity for
the welfare of the people.
"Don't lose public trust and confidence in any
way. So, work for the people accordingly, standing by them," she said.
The premier was addressing the oath-taking ceremony of
newly elected mayors of Cumilla and Mymensingh city corporations and chairmen
of five zillaparishads, and councillors of Mymensingh City Corporation at
Shapla Hall of her office in the morning.
She said her government made development in every area
of the country and the grassroots people are in the focus of the development
works.
"Every village would be transformed into a
township. A radical change has already been there, which you can see," she
said.
The prime minister asked the public representatives to
work for the continuation of the current development trend by keeping the
promises they made to the people.
She cited that Bangladesh would finally be graduated
as a developing country in 2026.
"In this context, I'm urging you to stand beside
the people with sincerity, serve them and work for them in a bid to continue
the current trend of socio-economic development," she said.
Earlier, she administered oaths to the first female
mayor-elect of Cumilla City Corporation Tahsin Bahar Suchona and elected mayor
of Mymensingh City Corporation Ekramul Haque Titu.
The PM also administered oaths to the newly elected
chairmen of five ZilaParishads -- Kurigram, Thakurgaon, Sirajganj, Brahmanbaria
and Habiganj – in the same function. The five chairman of ZilaParishads are ANM
Obaidur Rahman of Kurigram, Abdul Majid of Thakurgaon, Shamim Talukder of
Sirajganj, Billal Miah of Brahmanbaria and Aleya Akhter of Habigan
Source:
thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/5-security-personnel-hurt-attempted-robbery-rampal-power-plant-3581881
---
Deputy PM Hanafi Meets Media Activist to Discuss
Social Situation and Media Affairs
2024-04-04
KABUL(BNA): The Deputy Prime Minister for
Administrative Affairs met with a media activist.
ARG reported in a statement, Mawlavi Abdul Salam
Hanafi, Deputy PM for Administrative Affairs, held a meeting with Mohammad
Hashem Alokozay, a media activist.
In this meeting, Mohammad Hashem Alokozay provided
information regarding the social situation, national security, and media
affairs in the country.
“All media outlets in the country continue their
activities within the framework of the freedoms defined in the principles of
Islam and national interests.” He added.
In response, Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Deputy PM
for Administrative Affairs, emphasized that the authorities of the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan have a responsibility to seriously consider improving the
social and economic conditions of the people and supporting media activities
within the framework of Islamic principles and national interests.
He further stated that the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan is actively involved in utilizing its resources to enhance social
conditions and implement development projects.
Source:
bakhtarnews.af
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/deputy-pm-hanafi-meets-media-activist-to-discuss-social-situation-and-media-affairs/
----
Africa
Hunger, Insecurity, Corruption Doesn’t Know Religion,
Labour Party Flag Bearer Tells Fasting Muslims
Apr 4, 2024
Benneth Joshua
ABUJA – Labour Party presidential flag bearer in the
2023 election, Peter Obi, has reminded Muslims observing the Ramadan fast in
Anambra State that the social ills troubling the country must be ended.
Obi said this in Awka, the state capital, when he visited
Muslim faithful.
The former Anambra State governor explained that “the
hunger we experience, the insecurity that ravages our nation, the corruption
that pervades every aspect of our national existence, and the poverty that has
continued to spread through the country are all affecting every one of us
irrespective of our religion or tribe.”
In a series of Tweets on his official X handle, the
2023 presidential contestant stated “Yesterday, I continued my fraternal visit
to the Muslim Communities as their fasting enters the last lap. I was in Awka,
Anambra State capital, where I interacted and enjoyed their conviviality.
“This is a routine I started since my days as the
Governor of Anambra State and have maintained. I shared in the blessings of the
Ramadan fasting and prayers while enjoining them, and every Nigerian, to
continue to pray for the nation, especially as we are now in the last 10 days
of the Ramadan season, which are very significant.
“I encouraged them, and every Nigerian, not to be
dispirited by the present myriad of challenges facing the nation, but, in love
and unity, continue to work together for the progress of the nation.
“The hunger we experience, the insecurity that ravages
our nation, the corruption that pervades every aspect of our national
existence, and the poverty that has continued to spread through the country are
all affecting every one of us irrespective of our religion or tribe.
“Only by a collective resolve to move our nation from
consumption to production, can we triumph over our many challenges. This we
will do by cultivating the vast arable lands in the North, which will enable us
to feed ourselves and export food to the world.
“Building a highly productive nation remains our firm
commitment to the New Nigeria which is now more possible than ever before. I
thank the Muslim Community and their leaders, for their warm hospitality,
prayers, and encouragement. The New Nigeria is POssible In shaa Allah.”
Source:
independent.ng
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://independent.ng/hunger-insecurity-corruption-doesnt-know-religion-obi-tells-fasting-muslims/
----
Mutfwang Breaks Fast With Plateau Muslim Ummah, Drums
For Peace
OnojaAudu
Apr 3, 2024
In a display of unity, the Muslim Ummah in Plateau
State joined Governor Barr Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang at the New Government House
in Little Rayfield Jos to break their fast during Ramadan.
Governor Mutfwang, in his address at the event,
emphasized the significance of the gathering in fostering mutual understanding,
strengthening bonds of brotherhood, and collectively working towards a
peaceful, united, and prosperous Plateau.
He underscored the importance of transcending
differences in faith, ethnicity, or status to combat the common challenges facing
the state, emphasizing that decades of violence have benefitted no one. He
called for a return to the spirit of love and brotherhood practiced in the
past.
Governor Mutfwang expressed gratitude to the Emir of
Keffi, His Royal Highness Alh. Dr. ShehuChindoYamusa, the Emir of Borgu, Alh.
Muhammed Sani Haliru, and other Islamic leaders for their presence at the
event, noting that their participation will help to foster cohesion and
enduring friendships across divides.
He remarked, “I am delighted that we have gathered
tonight in this welcoming atmosphere to share a meal without fear or suspicion.
Plateau belongs to all of us, and it is our choice whether to unite as wise
individuals or perish as fools.”
Governor Mutfwang highlighted the ample reasons for
the citizens of Plateau State to coexist harmoniously and strive towards a
state where all citizens can conduct their affairs without fear.
He urged the Muslim Ummah to view their gathering as
the beginning of positive developments for the state and a solid foundation for
Nigeria’s unity and peace.
“We are committed to making Plateau a role model for
Nigeria, exemplifying inclusiveness, justice, and fairness. As your Governor, I
continually pray for the wisdom to lead Plateau aright.”
The Emir of Keffi, Dr. ShehuChindoYamusa, and the Emir
of Borgu, Alh. Muhammed Sani Haliru, commended Governor Mutfwang’s commitment
to justice, fairness, and inclusive governance in Plateau State.
They prayed for Governor Mutfwang to be endowed with
more wisdom, knowledge, and strength to further elevate Plateau, citing
evidence of a promising start and urging citizens’ support for the
administration.
Chairman of Jama’tulNasri Islam, JNI, Plateau State
and Emir of Wase, Alh. Muhammadu Sambo Haruna, expressed gratitude to Governor Mutfwang
for supporting the Muslim community in Plateau.
He noted that 70 percent of road rehabilitation and
repairs in the Jos metropolis were within the Muslim community.
He dispelled rumors about the Governor’s stance
towards Muslims, citing Governor Mutfwang’s tangible efforts to develop the
Muslim community in less than a year, surpassing the achievements of previous
administrations.
He urged the Muslim Ummah to support Governor Caleb
Manasseh Mutfwang’s administration for the peace, unity, and progress of
Plateau and the greater good of the Ummah.
Source:
independent.ng
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://independent.ng/mutfwang-breaks-fast-with-plateau-muslim-ummah-drums-for-peace/
---
Stop Illegality, Return Lagos Muslim Prayer Ground,
MURIC Tells Tinubu
Popoola Yaqoub
Apr 3, 2024
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has sent a Save Our
Soul (S.O.S) message to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the continued seizure of
the Muslim praying Ground at Obalende, Lagos, despite an order by former
President Muhammadu Buhari that the place should be returned to the Lagos
Muslim Community who are the rightful owners.
The Islamic advocacy organization, in a statement made
available to journalists on Monday, by the Executive Director of MURIC,
Professor Ishaq Akintola, described the continued seizure of the praying ground
as illegal, unjust and the mother of all impunities.
“The Lagos Muslim Community is now left without a
befitting praying ground for its Salah (‘Id) prayers. Its only known praying
ground at Obalende has long been seized by the Nigerian security agencies who
have refused to vacate the place even after ex-President Muhammadu Buhari
issued an order to that effect.
“The land was initially given to the Lagos Muslim
Community by the fourth colonial Governor General of Nigeria, Sir Donald
Cameron (1931 – 1935), through an Indenture on August 9, 1931, ‘to HOLD the same
unto, and to the use of the Grantees forever, free from all encumbrances.’
“However, the praying ground was commandeered by the
army and other security agencies during the military era and the Muslim
rightful owners were denied access even on Salah days. This compelled the Lagos
Muslim Community to look for uncomfortably small empty spaces around Lagos
Island. It created a lot of discomfort.” the statement reads in part.
“This situation informed MURIC’s intervention and its
resultant press statement captioned ‘Don’t Commandeer Obalende Praying Ground:
MURIC Tells Army, LASG’ which was issued on 27th April, 2022.
“Seeing that the security agencies did not shift
ground, a delegation of the Lagos Muslim Community met former President
Muhammadu Buhari at the Villa on March 22nd, 2023 to table their request.
Thereafter, the ex-President constituted a powerful five-man committee to
investigate the matter and report back to him.
Source:
independent.ng
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://independent.ng/stop-illegality-return-lagos-muslim-prayer-ground-muric-tells-tinubu/
----
DSS gets court’s nod to detain suspected ISIS member
for 60 days
Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
April 4, 2024
AFederal High Court in Abuja has granted an order
allowing the Department of State Services (DSS) to detain for 60 days a
Nigerian, Emmanuel Osase, accused of being a member of the Islamic State in
Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Justice InyangEkwo gave the order yesterday while
ruling in an ex parte motion filed by the DSS.
Moving the motion, DSS’ lawyer A. A. Ugee said the
motion was brought pursuant to Section 66(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and
Prohibition) Act 2022.
Ugee said the motion was filed to obtain the court’s
order to detain Osase for 60 days pending the conclusion of an ongoing
investigation in a case of terrorism involving the suspect.
In his ruling, Justice Ekwo said: “Upon studying the
averments in the affidavit, I hereby grant the relief as prayed.”
The judge adjourned till June 3 for report of further
development in the case.
According to a court document filed by the DSS, Osase
was arrested on March 11 and was accused of propagating the messages of ISIS,
opposing the democratic system of government in Nigeria and calling for
terrorist attacks on Nigeria and its symbols of sovereignty.
It added: “The respondent was arrested by a team of
personnel from the applicant’s office for alleged membership and propagation of
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist messages, including opposition
to the democratic system of government and the call for staging terrorist
attacks against Nigeria state and its symbols of sovereignty.”
The DSS alleged that Osase was jailed for five years
for terrorism-related offences in France and was deported after the completion
of his sentence.
It added: “Preliminary investigation revealed that the
respondent, who is an ex-convict, still engages in terrorist activities which
previously led to his conviction in France.
“The respondent appeared not to have renounced his
terrorist ideologies, as he continues to engage with the proscribed pro-ISIS
online media group known as ‘al-Alawn Media Foundation’ whose main objectives
is the creation and dissemination of terrorist content and the promotion of
terrorist attacks against democratic systems of government, such as Nigeria and
the Western governments, including their interests across the globe.
“The respondent, who was born in the Federal Capital
Territory, left Nigeria for France and never returned to Nigeria until his
deportation after the completion of a five-year jail term in France for acts of
terrorism and an attempt to join the Islamic State (IS) linked terrorist group,
Friqat Al-Ghuraba (Group of Foreigners) in Syria.
“The respondent, at the point of arrest, formatted his
mobile device to factory settings upon sighting security agents, ostensibly to
wipe out any suspicious contents on the device and cover up his nefarious
activities.
“The activities of the respondent constitute a potent
threat to national security and corporate existence of Nigeria…”
Source:
thenationonlineng.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thenationonlineng.net/dss-gets-courts-nod-to-detain-suspected-isis-member-for-60-days/
---
Gov Yusuf Flags Off 4th Ramadan Palliatives
Distribution, Warns Against Diversion
April 3, 2024
Abdullahi Yusuf
April 3, (THEWILL) – Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State
has flagged off the fourth distribution of Ramadan palliatives to the needy and
the vulnerable in the 44 Local Government Areas of the state, with a warning
against diversion of the foodstuff.
Yusuf launched the exercise on Wednesday, at the
Tiamin Rice Mill in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of the state.
He warned that any of those in charge of the
distribution of the palliatives found diverting them would be dealt with
according to the law.
“I swear to God that anyone found diverting the
palliatives will be dealt with decisively and according to the law. This
Government will not allow anyone to sabotage this exercise”, he said.
The Governor said the palliatives were made of 25
kilogramme bags of rice meant to ease the hardships being faced by the intended
beneficiaries, during the current Ramadan fasting.
He said a total of 224,440 bags of the commodity would
be distributed to the three senatorial districts in the state for onward
sharing to the target beneficiaries.
He apologised to the people of the state for their
patience as the rice was being processed and bagged for distribution.
Yusuf said that his administration would continue to
intervene “until hunger is eradicated among our people.”
He thanked the Aliko Dangote Foundation, other groups
and individuals for distributing their palliatives to the needy during the Holy
month and prayed to Allah to reward them abundantly.
The Governor also thanked the people of the state for
their support and prayers, especially during the 2023 governorship election and
the ensuing legal battles “which to the glory of God, we won emphatically.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the state Palliatives
Distribution and Compliance Committee, Dr AbdullahiBaffaBichi, said today’s
exercise was the fourth in the series of distribution of palliatives to the
people.
Bichi, who is also the Secretary to the State
Government, commended Governor Yusuf, for the gesture, which he said would
immensely alleviate their hardships.
Source:
thewillnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thewillnews.com/gov-yusuf-flags-off-4th-ramadan-palliatives-distribution-warns-against-diversion/
---
Pakistan
Jammu, Kashmir is an internationally recognised
disputed territory, Pakistan tells UN
2024-04-04
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has stated that grave human rights
situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, massive arms build-up
by India, its aggressive war posturing and war-fighting doctrines directly
impact regional and global peace in South Asia and thus are completely relevant
to the work of the UN Disarmament Commission.
Gul QaiserSarwani, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission
of Pakistan to the UN, stated this in his right of reply (RoR) to comments by
India's delegation during the general debate of the UN Disarmament Commission, Pakistan’s
Permanent Mission to the UN in New York said in a statement.
It added that Sarwani categorically asserted that
Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised disputed territory and is
not, by any means, a so-called integral part of India.
The Pakistani diplomat said that his country faces a
significant threat of terrorism, which is orchestrated, supported and financed
by its eastern neighbour, a well-known state sponsor of terrorism whose
terrorist network has gone global, reaching countries far beyond its borders.
Sarwani reiterated Pakistan's stance on the
longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute, emphasising that it remains on the
agenda of the UN Security Council for over 75 years. He underscored that the
final disposition of Jammu and Kashmir should be determined by its people
through a United Nations-supervised plebiscite, as mandated by Security Council
resolutions, to which India is bound to comply under Article 25 of the UN
Charter.
On the draft programme of work of the Conference on Disarmament
(CD), Sarwani expressed Pakistan's concerns over India's emphasis on the
Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), which disproportionately affects
Pakistan's national security interests. He urged for flexibility and compromise
from all delegations to break the longstanding deadlock in the CD.
“Failure to achieve consensus in the CD also
reflects on the lack of sincere and inclusive efforts by the President to bring
all member states on board,†he said.
Concluding his statement, the Pakistani representative
called upon the international community to address attempts to undermine
regional peace and security, emphasising their direct impact on prospects for
disarmament at both regional and global levels.
Source:
brecorder.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40297137/jammu-kashmir-is-an-internationally-recognised-disputed-territory-pakistan-tells-un
----
Rs1.2m monthly expenditure on Imran in jail, LHC
informed
April 04, 2024
LAHORE: The Punjab advocate general has informed the
Lahore High Court that around Rs1.2 million are being spent on the PTI founder
in jail.
A petition seeking complete security provisions for
the PTI founder in jail was brought before the Lahore High Court (LHC) on
Wednesday. Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan presided over the hearing of
the petition filed by Afzal Azeem Pahat, president of the PTI Lawyers Forum.
The petitioner argued that the jail authorities have
imposed restrictions on meetings with the PTI founder for security concerns.
The PTI founder faces a life threat in jail; hence, an order should be issued
to provide full protection for his life.
During the hearing, the counsel for the petitioner
mentioned that the AG had graciously promised to provide updates on this
matter.
The AG informed the court that he had gathered the
necessary information. He revealed the PTI founder has been kept in a cell with
six cells allocated around for security. Additionally, seven cells have been
designated for the PTI founder’s use.
The AG said that while there is typically one security
guard for every 10 people in Adiala jail, they have deployed 14 security guards
specifically for the PTI founder.
Moreover, the PTI founder’s meals are prepared in a
special kitchen exclusively for him, with no meals cooked for anyone else in
that kitchen.
The counsel for the PTI founder expressed satisfaction
with the measures outlined by the AG. The AG said that CCTV cameras have been
installed for the PTI founder at Rs500,000 with monthly expenses amounting to
Rs1,200,000 being incurred on his security.
PTI counsel Asad Manzoor highlighted that no one is
currently allowed to meet the PTI founder, and his wife has filed a petition
regarding this matter.
The CJ remarked on the importance of the issue and
said that discretion is crucial in such matters, emphasizing that not everyone
can be allowed to be involved.
The CJ further expressed respect for petitioner Afzal
Pahat and acknowledged the political landscape.
The court adjourned the hearing of the petition
seeking full security for the PTI founder in jail until after Eid.
Source:
thenews.com.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1175495-rs1-2m-monthly-expenditure-on-imran-in-jail-lhc-informed
---
Cipher case: Imran, Qureshi disclosed nothing in their
statements, says IHC judge
April 04, 2024
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Miangul
Hasan Aurangzeb has observed in the cipher case that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
founder Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had not
disclosed anything in their statements.
The court observed on Wednesday that on the one hand,
the government opted for a demarche, and on the other hand, it did not want to
spoil its relationship with a country. “You put a former prime minister in jail
so as to not spoil the relationship with that country.”
“If you have already pulled out the elephant, pull out
the tail too,” remarked IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.
Chief Justice Farooq and Justice Aurangzeb made these
observations as they heard the appeals against the convictions of Khan and
Qureshi in the cipher case.
Barrister Salman Safdar said the cipher was not read
out in the public. He submitted that the trial court should conduct the trial
with care when the case was remanded back twice. He said Qureshi was convicted
without recording his statement under the law.
The counsel submitted that after their final
statements, the appellants were asked two questions each, and were immediately
convicted.
The counsel submitted that the trial court wrote in
the order that the trust of the state had been killed and the appellants did
not deserve any concession. The lawyers said the rules that were made for the
enemies of the state like Kulbhushan Jadhav or Abhinandan had been used against
a political adversary.
Justice Aurangzeb remarked that the impression he had
got from the judgment was that if a foreign state had done something offensive
and it was told to the government in a cipher, then such information should
never be made public just because it came in a cipher. The IHC inquired as to
what would have happened if such information had not come in the form of a
cipher and sent publicly.
Safdar said there had been no recovery from both the
appellants, and no copy of the cipher was recovered from them. He said the FIA
had made a false case and the trial court also wrongly convicted the
appellants, adding that till date, no one had been prosecuted and punished on
such allegations.
He submitted that the trial court judge sometimes
mentioned political motives and sometimes economy in the decision.
The IHC chief justice said there was a part in the
statement of the accused that the judge left the court immediately after
pronouncing the sentence. “Are you saying that the requirements of fair trial
have not been fulfilled?” he asked.
Justice Aurangzeb said the trial judge gave the
finding in the judgment that Pakistan-US relations had ended, and asked on what
basis he wrote that.
To this, Safdar replied that the trial judge wrote
that on the basis of the statement of Asad Majeed, then Pakistani ambassador to
the US.
The IHC observed that the allegations against the PTI
founder were that he had disclosed secret documents and then lost them.
Safdar said that the trial court judge did not even
consider his oath while hearing this case. He said Asad Umar was not made an
accused because he announced leaving the politics and Azam Khan was also let go
after he gave a “desirable” statement. He added that Qureshi was punished with
the PTI founder because he was not ready to leave the PTI.
The lawyer asked which the enemy state was and what
benefit was given to it. He argued that a mockery had been made of the law and
frivolous prosecution was carried out. He said the cipher was not brought
forward because it would favour the accused.
He said the cipher text did not appear in the plain
text either and it was not the case that the cipher had been lost as it was
still there in the building of the Foreign Office.
He said a case was made when only one copy of the
cipher was not returned and asked when nine other copies of the cipher had not
been returned, why the only case was registered against the PTI founder.
Justice Aurangzeb remarked that two-year imprisonment
was handed down as the appellants did not return something they were supposed
to return. The IHC asked the counsel to argue on the allegation of failure to
return the cipher’s copy on the next hearing on April 4.
Source:
thenews.com.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1175496-cipher-case-imran-qureshi-disclosed-nothing-in-their-statements-says-ihc-judge
---
Court seeks arguments on Imran’s acquittal plea
April 04, 2024
ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate has sought arguments
on May 15 on a petition seeking acquittal of PTI founder Imran Khan in a case
related to the May 9 incidents.
The acquittal plea was filed by lawyer Naeem Panjutha.
A case registered against Imran in connection with the May 9 incidents at the
Police Station Khanna came up for hearing on Wednesday.
Judicial Magistrate Sohaib Bilal inquired if the case
challan against the PTI founder had been filed. He asked how many more cases
against him are there.
Panjutha told the court that the sentence of PTI
founder in the Toshakhana case had been suspended. The conviction in Nikah
during Iddat and cipher cases still remains there. His bail in 190-million
pound scandal is yet to be obtained.
Source:
thenews.com.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1175499-court-seeks-arguments-on-imran-s-acquittal-plea
-----
IK production order: Another notice issued to Adiala
jail authorities
2024-04-04
ISLAMABAD: A local court, on Wednesday, issued another
notice to Adiala jail authorities regarding the production order of Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan in a judge-threatening case.
Judicial Magistrate Mureed Abbas, while hearing the
case, issued another notice regarding the production of Khan to Adiala jail
authorities. PTI founding chairman’s lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha appeared
before the court.
Panjutha, while arguing before the court, said that
jail authorities use various excuses when the court issues a production order
for his client. Despite security issues, Khan appeared before the courts
located at the district court in the past, he said.
He requested the court to summon Adiala jail
superintendent for not producing Khan before the court. He also pleaded to
start contempt of court proceedings against the Adiala jail superintendent.
Panjutha said that in the past whenever we raised the
issue of security in the past, the other day warrant of arrest was issued for
him.
The judge said that so far jail authorities have not
submitted any report. He said that further action would be taken after Adiala
jail superintendent submits his report regarding the production order.
Panjutha said that he had never seen such a long
adjournment of the case over the production order. The court took a break till
the report of superintendent Adiala Jail on the production of PTI's founding
chairman.
The court resuming hearing after the break again
issued notice to the superintendent Adiala jail regarding the production order
of Khan. The court adjourned the case till April 27.
Source:
brecorder.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40297127/ik-production-order-another-notice-issued-to-adiala-jail-authorities
---
Arab
World
70 new archaeological sites documented in Saudi
National Antiquities Register
April 03, 2024
RIYADH — The Saudi Heritage Commission has approved
the documentation of 70 new archaeological sites in the National Antiquities
Register.
This brings the total number of the registered
archaeological and historical sites to 8,917 in various regions of the Kingdom.
These sites in their entirety represent a heritage that reflects the historical
and cultural richness of the country, the commission said in a statement on
Tuesday.
According to the commission, the documentation in the
registry goes through a set of procedures, starting with the discovery of the
site and then its inspection by specialists to verify its archaeological value,
and ending with the preparation and writing of the necessary scientific and
technical reports about it.
The newly discovered sites spread over various regions
across the Kingdom. The southern Asir region topped with 14 sites, followed by
Al-Jouf with 13, Hail 12, Jazan 11, Al-Qassim 7, Madinah 6, as well as two
sites in the Riyadh region, and one each in the Eastern Province and Makkah.
The commission confirmed that documentation of archeological
sites continues throughout the year, and includes all regions of Saudi Arabia.
“It is based on the ‘Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage,’ and in
accordance with the decision of the commission’s Board of Directors, which
includes authorizing the CEO to approve registration.
The commission called on citizens, expatriates and all
interested people to report explored archaeological sites so as to register
them through the “Balagh” platform, and the commission’s official X account on
social media, as well as through contacting its branches across the regions of
the Kingdom. The commission highlighted awareness of the citizens and their
role as an essential partner in preserving and developing the national
heritage.
Source:
saudigazette.com.sa
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/641792/SAUDI-ARABIA/70-new-archaeological-sites-documented-in-Saudi-National-Antiquities-Register
----
Return of displaced Gazans key issue blocking truce
deal: Qatar PM
April 03, 2024
DOHA: Israeli objections to the return of displaced
Gazans to their homes is the key issue holding up negotiations for a ceasefire
in the Israel-Hamas war, mediator Qatar said on Wednesday.
“The return of the IDPs (internally displaced people)
to their homes, which the Israelis didn’t agree to yet... is the main point we
are stuck in,” Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin
Abdulrahman Al-Thani told a press conference.
Another outstanding issue pertains to the number of
Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in exchange for each hostage
freed by Hamas, Sheikh Mohammed said, noting however, that he believed this
“can be bridged.”
Qatar, alongside the United States and Egypt, has been
engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks in a bid to secure a truce in the
Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian
prisoners being held in Israeli jails.
The mediators had hoped to secure a ceasefire before
the start of Ramadan, but progress stalled and the Muslim holy month is nearly
over.
The major sticking points remain the same as those
that stymied a deal during negotiations in Paris in February, Sheikh Mohammed
said.
“Unfortunately, the points that we were stuck in when in
February we were negotiating in Paris are basically the same points we are
(still) stuck in,” he told reporters.
“We are trying our best to introduce solutions, we are
trying our best to make sure that... there are some middle grounds being
created,” the Qatari official said at a joint press conference with the
visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Talks were to resume in Cairo last Sunday, Egyptian TV
channel Al-Qahera reported, two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu gave approval for fresh negotiations.
Israel and Hamas have traded blame for the failure of
negotiations.
Netanyahu on Sunday accused Hamas of “hardening its
positions” in the talks, while on Wednesday Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said
Israel “continues to procrastinate” in the negotiations.
The war began when Hamas launched an unprecedented
attack on Israel that resulted in about 1,160 deaths, mostly civilians,
according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s military has waged a retaliatory offensive against
Hamas that has killed at least 32,975 people in Gaza, most of them women and
children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and
foreign hostages during the October 7 attack on Israel, but dozens were
released during a week-long truce in November.
Source:
arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2487676/middle-east
---
Amir, Spanish PM review ties; stress Gaza aid
delivery, de-escalation
APRIL 04, 2024
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani
met at his office in Lusail Palace Wednesday with Prime Minister of the Kingdom
of Spain Dr Pedro Sanchez.
During the meeting, they discussed the friendship and co-operation
relations between the two countries. They also discussed regional and
international developments, especially those related to the developments in the
occupied Palestinian territories and the Gaza Strip.
In that regard, His Highness the Amir and the Prime
Minister of Spain stressed the need to make efforts to reduce the escalation
and spare civilians from the consequences of the fighting, open safe corridors
in Gaza for relief and humanitarian efforts, and ensure that the violence does
not expand regionally.
The meeting was attended by HE Chief of the Amiri
Diwan Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, HE Minister of State at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohamed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, and a number
of senior officials.
On Spain's side, the meeting was attended by Secretary
of State for Economic Affairs and G20 Manuel de la Rocha, Secretary General of
Foreign Affairs Emma Aparici, and a number of senior officials.
Source:
gulf-times.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.gulf-times.com/article/680123/qatar/amir-spanish-pm-review-ties-stress-gaza-aid-delivery-de-escalation
---
Saudi authorities, volunteers provide smooth
experience for disabled pilgrims
April 03, 2024
MAKKAH: The Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s
Mosque in Madinah take great care to meet the needs of pilgrims with
disabilities, ensuring all pilgrims enjoy a memorable experience.
A dedicated team is on hand to guarantee pilgrims a
smooth experience when performing religious rituals, with prayer rooms, doors,
bridges and elevators adapted to accommodate their unique requirements.
The General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand
Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque declared its commitment to meet the needs of
individuals with disabilities, from their arrival at the Grand Mosque
courtyards to the completion of their religious duties.
Speaking to Arab News, authority representatives said
they had prayer areas specifically designed for those with visual, hearing, and
physical disabilities. These areas are managed by a team from the Grand
Mosque's General Administration for Persons with Disabilities.
Specific prayer spaces have been allocated for
worshippers in expansion areas at both mosques. These areas provide services to
meet the health and security requirements of visitors. The administration
ensures that ramps, stairs, elevators, slopes and specially equipped bridges
meet their needs. Sign language is used at the Grand Mosque to help the hard of
hearing.
Friday sermons are translated into sign language in
the prayer areas, and there are Braille Qur’ans, flexible Qur’an holders and
Zamzam water. Islamic books in Braille are also available. A volunteer
healthcare team is on hand to attend to the needs of worshippers. There are
golf carts in the Grand Mosque courtyards exclusively for individuals with
disabilities, easing their movement from the courtyards to designated gates.
The authority also highlighted the preparation of 32
gates with ramps to ease entry and exit. Certain gates, including numbers 68,
74, 79, 84, 89, 90, 93, and 94, are exclusively for peoples with disabilities.
Key bridges such as Ajyad Bridge, Shubaika Bridge and Marwah Bridge have been
upgraded to provide suitable services.
Electric stairs, elevators, and bridges are clearly
marked to aid movement, while restroom facilities are equipped to cater for
those with disabilities.
Yahya Al-Harbi, a sign-language interpreter, ensures
that the weekly Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah are accessible to
the deaf and mute community.
Al-Harbi enjoys helping those with impaired hearing
and meeting their needs within the religious setting. He translates Friday
sermons and handles educational sessions and religious inquiries, particularly
for those coming from abroad.
Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, a sign-language expert, emphasized
Saudi Arabia’s commitment to support those with disabilities, particularly in
the grounds of the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
Al-Ghamdi noted the presence of specialized
professionals and trainers within the precincts of the Grand Mosque to assist
visitors with disabilities at all times. These experts ensure that facilities
such as gates, bridges, and transport services are available even at times of
peak congestion.
He also identified the many volunteers who serve
people with special needs, using sign language to ease their movements, meet
their requirements, and address their religious and service-related inquiries.
The volunteers respond swiftly to pilgrims’ needs,
ensuring their spiritual pilgrimage is an unforgettable experience.
Source:
arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2487731/saudi-arabia
----
Media minister reviews Umrah season coverage at Grand
Mosque media headquarters
April 03, 2024
MAKKAH — Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosary conducted
a visit to the radio and television headquarters in the Grand Mosque, Makkah,
on Tuesday.
The visit aimed to assess the progress of work and the
performance efficiency during the Umrah season's coverage in Ramadan.
Among the visited sites was the headquarters of the
Holy Qur’an Channel, where Al-Dosary was welcomed by the channel's director,
Saleh Al-Ahmadi, along with the channel's staff, including administrators and
technicians.
During his visit, the minister was introduced to the
transmission studios, their cutting-edge technologies, and the channel's
efforts to provide live broadcasts to millions of viewers worldwide during
Ramadan.
He commended the media role of Saudi channels and
radio stations in providing extensive coverage of various occasions and events,
emphasizing the significance of keeping pace with media coverage needs.
The Holy Qur’an Channel offers a 24-hour live feed
from the Grand Mosque to a global audience, utilizing over 40 modern high-tech
cameras operated by more than 80 highly skilled Saudi professionals.
This visit underscores the importance of ensuring
high-quality media coverage during one of the most spiritually significant
times of the year for Muslims worldwide.
Source:
saudigazette.com.sa
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/641791/SAUDI-ARABIA/Media-minister-reviews-Umrah-season-coverage-at-Grand-Mosque-media-headquarters
---
Australia
Israeli explanation for aid workers deaths ‘not good
enough’, Australia PM says
04 Apr 2024
SYDNEY, April 4 — Israel’s explanation for the deaths
from an air strike in Gaza of seven aid workers, including Australian woman
ZomiFrankcom, was “not good enough”, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
said today.
Israel said on Tuesday it mistakenly killed workers of
charity World Central Kitchen, drawing widespread condemnation from the United
States and several allies. The dead included citizens of Australia, Britain and
Poland as well as Palestinians and a dual citizen of the US and Canada.
“We need to have accountability for how it has
occurred, and what is not good enough is the statements that have been made,
including that this is just a product of war,” Albanese said during a press
conference in Sydney.
Albanese seemed to be referring to comments from
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video message on Tuesday in
which he said that “this happens in war” as the Israeli military promised an
independent investigation.
Celebrity chef Jose Andres, the founder of World
Central Kitchen, told Reuters yesterday that the Israeli attack had targeted
his workers “systematically, car by car.” He said the World Central Kitchen
workers in Gaza had clear communication with the military, which knew their
movements.
Albanese said Frankcom was travelling in a vehicle
clearly identified as an aid vehicle and it should not have been at risk. He
demanded full accountability on a call with Netanyahu yesterday.
“They have committed to a full and proper
investigation. I want that to be transparent and I want those findings to be
made public so that we find out how exactly this can occur,” he said. — Reuters
Source:
malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www. malaymail.com /news/world/2024/04/04/israeli-explanation-for-aid-workers-deaths-not-good-enough-australia-pm-says/127235
---
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hindu-bhojshala-kamal-maula-mosque/d/132083