Hindus Worship At Gyanvapi Complex, Sang Bhajans On Second Morning, Muslims Call For Varanasi Bandh
New Age Islam News Bureau
02 February 2024
Hindus Worship At Gyanvapi Complex,
Sang Bhajans
-----
·
Hindus
Worship At Gyanvapi Complex, Sang Bhajans On Second Morning, Muslims Call For
Varanasi Bandh
·
Hindu
American Group Welcomes Court Allowing Puja In Gyanvapi Mosque Basement
·
Top UK
Diplomat Says Britain Could Recognize A Palestinian State Before A Peace Deal
With Israel
·
UN
Experts: Al-Qaeda Messaging Increasingly Focusing On Al-Aqsa In Wake Of Oct. 7
·
‘Illegal’
Nikah Case: Imran, Bushra Have Row With Bushra Bibi’s ex-Husband Manika In
Courtroom
-----
India
·
Allahabad
High Court Adjourns Hearing On Plea Of Gyanvapi Management Against Hindu
Prayers In Mosque Cellar
·
Uttarakhand
Madrasas To Teach Ramayana, Darul Uloom Strongly Opposes Decision
·
Uttar
Pradesh: Bajrang Dal Leader Among Four Arrested For Killing Cow To Implicate Muslim
Man
·
Kerala
Congress ally Indian Union Muslim League seeks caste census in state
·
Police Hold
Flag Marches In Varanasi Ahead Of Friday Namaz
·
Karnataka:
Youth arrested after garlanding of Tipu Sultan statue with slippers
-----
North America
·
CAIR
Condemns Israeli ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ Policy of Burning Unoccupied Gaza Homes
·
Biden
Visits Michigan As Arab-American Anger Over Gaza Grows
·
Islamophobia
'Has No Place' In Canada - Trudeau Condemns Mosque Attack
·
Biden
sanctions four Israeli settlers who attacked Palestinians in the West Bank
·
Canadians
And Palestinians Coalition Threatens Court Action If Canada Continues Military
Exports To Israel
·
US House
Moves To Expand Ban On Entry Of Palestinian Officials To US
·
CAIR-Philadelphia
to Join ‘Pilgrimage for Peace’ from Philadelphia to D.C. Demanding Gaza
Ceasefire
·
Half of US
adults say Israel has gone too far in war in Gaza, AP-NORC poll shows
----
Europe
·
Ireland
Seeking Review Of EU-Israel Agreement Over Human Rights Concerns
·
UK’s Sunak
Says Attacks That Led Pro-Israel MP To Step Down ‘An Attack On Democracy’
·
Britain
says priority to achieving Gaza cease-fire
·
‘Unimaginable
pain’: Palestinian man in UK mourns his family, fights for others in Gaza
·
Pro-Palestine
stance: Artist Laurie Anderson withdraws from German university professorship
-----
Mideast
·
Turkish
President Erdoğan Says Hostility To Sharia Is Hostility To Islam
·
International
Union of Muslim Scholars calls for ‘peaceful’ demonstrations during Jerusalem Week
·
Turkey
frees seven hostages taken by pro-Gaza gunman at factory near Istanbul
·
Turkiye
arrests 25 suspects over church shooting — minister
·
Humanitarian
Catastrophe Deepens In Gaza Amid UNRWA Funding Suspensions
·
Iranian FM
hails Palestinian resistance over past 4 months
·
Thousands
of displaced Gazans lack food, water in Khan Younis, Health Ministry warns
----
Pakistan
·
Pakistan
To Continue Support Peaceful Settlement Of Kashmir Dispute: FO
·
90 Killed,
135 Hurt In 93 Militant Attacks During Jan 2024
·
Imran, Qureshi
compromised Pakistan’s standing, says judge
·
Pakistan
urges Kabul to deliver ‘Terrorist Group Leader’ to Islamabad
·
Islamabad
asks Kabul to extradite TTP leaders
·
Pakistan
urges ICJ Gaza ruling’s full compliance
·
‘OIC
Ombudsmen’s summit to have far-reaching results’
·
Sunni
Tehreek announces to support MQM-P in Hyderabad
-------
South Asia
·
Kabul
Reacts to UNSC Report, Saying Counter Terrorism Main Principle
·
Efforts
Ongoing to Strengthen Country’s Borders: Mujahid
·
Islamic
Emirate Pledges Balanced Development Across the Country
·
Country
saw 752 incidents of polls violence: HRSS
·
Go for
digital publications to promote Bangla globally
----
Southeast Asia
·
Water
Recreation Park Raises Eyebrows With ‘Strictly For Muslims’ Policy
·
China Backs
UN Agency In Palestine, Urges US, Others To Reconsider Suspension Of Funds
·
Johor
Regent to perform Friday prayers at Abu Bakar Mosque tomorrow
·
Aminuddin:
Civil servants prime movers of Malaysia Madani agenda
·
Tuan
Ibrahim denies rift among Hadi, Muhyiddin amid rise of Ahmad Samsuri
·
Over 100
Rohingya refugees flee Malaysian detention camp
-----
Africa
·
Former
Ghanaian President Opposes LGBTQ Practices, Stating Religious Beliefs
·
We
Fingered Religious Sects Leaders In N7billion Investigation Not A Church,
Mosque – EFCC Clarifies
·
Burkina
Faso defends ECOWAS exit
·
‘I’m
puzzled’ – Bashir Ahmad slams Islamic scholars for not speaking against bandits
·
‘Why so
much secrecy?’: Fears as Kenya break ranks with neutral East Africa for
anti-Houthi bloc
·
At least
two dead, over 200 injured in massive fire in Kenyan capital
-----
Arab World
·
Saudi
Arabia, UN Vow To Work Together To Stop Land Degradation Around The World
·
US, UK
strikes not to change Yemen's stance: Ansarullah
·
Missile
reportedly fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen explodes near ship in Red Sea
·
Yemen
strikes British merchant ship in support of Gaza
·
2nd
Islamic Arts Biennale to be held in Jeddah next year
·
Saudi
Arabia’s AlUla commission launches cultural and civilizational heritage
awareness
·
campaign
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hindus-worship-gyanvapi-bhajan-muslims/d/131643
------
Hindus Worship At Gyanvapi Complex, Sang
Bhajans On Second Morning,Muslims Call For Varanasi Bandh
Hindus Worship At Gyanvapi Complex,
Sang Bhajans
-----
Feb 2, 2024
Devotees gathered at the Gyanvapi
complex in Varanasi and sang Bhajans on Friday morning following court orders
allowing the resumption of a practice said to have been discontinued three
decades back. On Wednesday, a Varanasi court granted permission for puja in the
'Vyas ji ka Tehkhana'.
Heavy security was also deployed around
the premises to maintain the law and order situation, as the Anjuman Intezamia
Masjid Committee has appealed to Muslims to keep their shops and businesses
closed on Friday and offer special "Juma" prayers in their respective
cities and areas.
Prayers Performed At Gyanvapi Complex:
The Latest
Hindu devotees on Friday performed
prayers at the Gyanvapi complex for the second day, amid heavy security
arrangements. Initially, midnight aarti and puja were performed on Thursday,
after a Varanasi court granted permission for puja in the 'Vyas jikaTehkhana',
on Wednesday.
Speaking to news agency ANI, advocate
Sohan Lal Arya said, "With the order of the district judge, 'Vyas
jikatehkhana' was opened and prayers are being offered there. This is the
second day of prayers. There is great enthusiasm among the devotees."
Not pleased with the Hindu worship in
the Vyas basement of Gyanvapi, the Muslim side has announced a 'bandh' today in
Varanasi, saying that they will also hold peaceful protests.
In view of Friday and special
"Juma" prayers, the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee has appealed
to Muslims to keep their shops and businesses closed. On Thursday evening, the
general secretary of the organisation, Abdul Batin Nomani, urged Muslims across
the country to make arrangements for special prayers in their respective cities
and areas.
During this period, complete peace and
order should be maintained, the appeal said, adding that a Muslim should go to
the same mosque where he usually goes to pray and offer Friday Namaz. Muslim
women have been asked to pray at home and an appeal has also been made to
organise wedding ceremonies and other events with simplicity.
Source: indiatoday.in
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/gyanvapi-premises-hindu-prayers-muslim-side-challenges-court-order-heavy-security-vyas-ka-tekhana-2496628-2024-02-02
----
Hindu American Group Welcomes Court
Allowing Puja In Gyanvapi Mosque Basement
Hindu
American group lauds court order allowing puja at Gyanvapi mosque complex
(Photo: PTI)
------
02.02.24
An eminent Hindu American group on
Thursday welcomed the Varanasi district court order that allowed Hindu prayers
before idols in a cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.
Joined by over half a dozen Hindu
American groups, Vishva Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) in a statement
described it as a "historic ruling".
The VHPA expresses deep appreciation for
the thoughtful and just decision of the honourable court. This landmark ruling
restores the rights that were unlawfully taken from Hindus in November
1993," a media release said.
A puja was held in the mosque's southern
cellar on Wednesday night, about eight hours after the Varanasi district judge
order allowing the resumption of Hindu prayers in the cellar, a practice said
to have been discontinued three decades back.
Hours later, the mosque committee
approached the Supreme Court and the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on
that order.
"The VHPA underscores that this
case is fundamentally about property rights and not a conflict against any
minority group. The decision, grounded in irrefutable evidence presented by the
Hindu side, aligns perfectly with the principles of justice," it said.
The VHPA said the extensive
archaeological surveys conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
have previously unearthed undeniable evidence, indicating that the Gyanvapi
mosque was constructed following the demolition of a Hindu temple.
"The VHPA applauds the court for
recognizing the significance of this evidence," the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Indian American Muslim
Council strongly condemned the court order allowing Hindu devotees to worship
in the basement of Varanasi's Gyanvapi Masjid.
"We vehemently stand against any
effort to erase our history and heritage, as well as the manipulation of
religious narratives for political ends. This court decision represents a
significant injustice and constitutes another assault on the rights of India's
200 million Muslims," said IAMC executive director Rasheed Ahmed.
On Thursday, the Gyanvapi mosque
management committee approached the Supreme Court seeking an urgent hearing,
challenging the district court order. But the apex court asked the committee to
move the Allahabad High Court, which it did later in the day.
Except for the headline, this story has
not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a
syndicated feed.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/hindu-american-group-welcomes-court-allowing-puja-in-gyanvapi-mosque-basement/cid/1997805
----
Top UK Diplomat Says Britain Could
Recognize A Palestinian State Before A Peace Deal With Israel
Foreign Secretary David Cameron
-----
02 Feb 2024
RIYAK: Britain’s top diplomat said
Thursday that his country could officially recognize a Palestinian state after
a cease-fire in Gaza without waiting for the outcome of what could be yearlong
talks between Israel and the Palestinians on a two-state solution.
Foreign Secretary David Cameron,
speaking to The Associated Press during a visit Thursday to Lebanon intended to
tamp down regional tensions, said no recognition could come while Hamas
remained in Gaza, but that it could take place while Israeli negotiations with
Palestinian leaders were continuing.
U.K. recognition of an independent state
of Palestine, including in the United Nations, “can’t come at the start of the
process, but it doesn’t have to be the very end of the process,” said Cameron,
a former British prime minister.
“It could be something that we consider
as this process, as this advance to a solution, becomes more real,” Cameron
said. “What we need to do is give the Palestinian people a horizon towards a
better future, the future of having a state of their own.”
That prospect is “absolutely vital for
the long-term peace and security of the region,” he said.
Britain, the U.S. and other Western
countries have supported the idea of an independent Palestine existing
alongside Israel as a solution to the region’s most intractable conflict, but
have said Palestinian independence should come as part of a negotiated
settlement. There have been no substantive negotiations since 2009.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, for his part, has publicly rejected the creation of an independent
Palestinian state after the war, and has even boasted in recent weeks that he
was instrumental in preventing Palestinian statehood.
A move by some of Israel’s key allies to
recognize a Palestinian state without Israel’s buy-in could isolate Israel and
put pressure on it to come to the table.
Cameron said the first step must be a
“pause in the fighting” in Gaza that would eventually turn into “a permanent,
sustainable cease-fire.”
He added that in order for his country
to recognize a Palestinian state, the leaders of the Hamas militant group would
need to leave Gaza “because you can’t have a two state solution with Gaza still
controlled by the people responsible for Oct. 7,” referring to the deadly Hamas
attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Hamas has so far taken the position that
its leaders would not leave the enclave as part of a cease-fire deal.
Cameron said his country is also
proposing a plan to deescalate tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border, where the
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been trading fire
near-daily for the past four months, sparking fears of a wider war.
The plan would include Britain training
Lebanese army forces to carry out more security work in the border region, he
said.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Feb/02/top-uk-diplomat-says-britain-could-recognize-a-palestinian-state-before-a-peace-deal-with-israel
-----
UN Experts: Al-Qaeda Messaging
Increasingly Focusing On Al-Aqsa In Wake Of Oct. 7
Tens of thousands of Muslim worshipers attend the last Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, April 14, 2023. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
------
February 02, 2024
Al-Qaeda has changed its messaging since
Hamas’s October 7 attacks to focus on “the sanctity” of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa
mosque, UN experts said in a new report to the UN Security Council circulated
on Wednesday.
The panel of experts noted in the
23-page report that al-Qaeda has improved its media productions, which appeared
aimed at restoring the extremist group’s credibility, attracting recruits, and
filling the void over its inability to announce a new leader.
But that messaging changed after Hamas’s
grisly October 7 massacres, the experts said, when some 3,000 terrorists burst
across the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people —
most of them civilians, slaughtered amid executions, the burning of bodies,
rapes and other atrocities — and seizing over 250 hostages, some 130 of whom
are still held.
In response to the onslaught — referred
to by Hamas as “Operation Al Aqsa Flood” — Israel vowed to destroy the terror
group and launched a wide-scale offensive in Gaza which the Hamas-run health
ministry says has killed over 27,000 people. These figures cannot be
independently verified, and are believed to include both civilians and Hamas
members killed in Gaza, including as a consequence of the terror groups’ own
rocket misfires. The IDF says it has killed over 10,000 operatives in Gaza, in
addition to some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
The experts said Al-Qaeda has focused on
the mosque, the third holiest site in Islam which is on the Temple Mount in the
Old City of Jerusalem, the holiest site for Jews, with some communications stressing
“an obligation for individuals to take action to the limits of their own
ability.”
“Member States are concerned that it
(al-Qaeda) could exploit the situation to recover relevance and tap into
popular dissent about the extent of civilian casualties, providing direction to
those keen to act,” the panel said, and they “are concerned that the renewed
narrative could inspire self-initiated attacks globally.”
The report, which covered the period
until December 16, 2023, also said that the terrorist threat from al-Qaeda, the
Islamic State group and their affiliates remains high in conflict zones in
Africa and in Afghanistan – and threat levels have risen in some regions
including Europe.
The panel of experts said the
relationship between Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and al-Qaeda remains close,
and unnamed member states report that “the high concentration of terrorist
groups” in the country is undermining the security situation in the region.
The greatest threat within Afghanistan
still comes from the Islamic State “with its ability to project into the region
and beyond,” the experts said in the report. Regionally, they pointed to a
succession of attacks in neighboring Iran and Pakistan and threats in Central
Asian nations.
The panel said, however, that while none
of the al-Qaeda affiliated groups have recovered the capability to launch
long-range operations, “they harbor global ambitions.” And it said “covert and
calibrated efforts to rebuild capability” have been reported.
The Islamic State group broke away from
al-Qaeda over a decade ago and attracted supporters from around the world.
Despite its defeat in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later. The panel said
the combined IS strength in the two countries is still between 3,000 and 5,000
fighters. In Iraq, they are carrying out “a low-intensity insurgency with
covert terrorist cells” while in Syria attacks have intensified since November,
the experts said.
The panel said the three-month delay in
naming the current IS leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi, following the
death in fighting of his little-known predecessor “is judged indicative of
internal difficulties and security challenges”
Some unnamed UN member nations have
assessed that serious pressure from counter-terrorism operations in Syria and
Iraq raises the possibility that the Islamic State could move its leadership
and “center of gravity” to Africa or Afghanistan, with Africa more likely, the
experts said.
In West Africa and the Sahel, the panel
said, “violence and threat have escalated again” in conflict zones, raising
concerns among UN member nations. The experts point to “a deficit in
counterterrorism capabilities,” which Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliated
groups are continuing to exploit.
“The situation is becoming ever more complex
with the conflation of ethnic and regional disputes with the agenda and
operations of these groups,” they said.
In East Africa, the experts said, the
Somali government is continuing its military offensive against al-Shabab, an
al-Qaeda affiliate, but they said UN member nations assess that despite
significant losses from air strikes and military operations, “al-Shabab remains
resilient. It has an estimated 7,000 to 12,000 fighters, and an estimated $100
million annual income, mostly from illegal taxation in the capital Mogadishu
and southern Somalia, they said.
Across Europe, the experts said, “formal
terrorist threat levels have risen … following fatal attacks in late 2023 in
France and Belgium, in addition to numerous non-lethal terrorist incidents and
arrests in several European countries.”
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-experts-al-qaeda-messaging-increasingly-focusing-on-al-aqsa-in-wake-of-oct-7/
-----
‘Illegal’ Nikah Case: Imran, Bushra Have
Row With Bushra Bibi’s ex-Husband Manika In Courtroom
Imran Khan's
wife Bushra Bibi is seen in this photo with ex-husband Khawar Maneka. — Photo
via author
------
February 02, 2024
Khalid Iqbal
ISLAMABAD: The courtroom looked like a
battlefield on Thursday where the PTI founding chairman Imran Khan and his wife
Bushra Bibi were seen fighting and dressing down Khawar Manika during the
hearing of illegal marriage case in the Adiala Jail.
It seemed the court had concluded the
case for final decision but Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah adjourned further
hearing till Friday (today).
The case proceedings continued for ten
and a half hours. The court recorded the statements of three witnesses.
Bushra Bibi’s lawyer completed
cross-examination of the statements of Aun Chaudhry and Khawar Farid Manika.
Bushra’s lawyer Usman Gul will complete cross-examination of the statements of
two witnesses, Mufti Saeed and Muhammad Latif, on Friday (today).
Imran Khan’s lawyer Salman Akram Raja
will also cross-examine the statements of witnesses today.
Bushra’s lawyer Usman Riaz Gul also
fought with Manika during the cross-examination. Usman charged towards Manika
to punch him.
“I will pick you up and throw you out,”
Gul threatened Khawar.
“We both are ready to take oath on the
Holy Quran but Khawar Manika should also do the same,” Imran said while addressing
the judge. He told the court that he saw Bushra on the day of their marriage.
“You are lying. Fear God. You have
ruined my house,” Khawar Manika retorted.
The court told the PTI founder that
after taking the oath, his right of cross-examination will be over. The court
wrote the order that the right of cross-examination of the accused will end
after taking the oath on the Holy Quran.
Imran refused to take oath and said, “We
will take oath and we will also be interrogated.”
“You cannot take an oath. You have
offered to take an oath to a witness,” the judge said.
The court order was withdrawn from the
PTI’s lawyers.
After the interrogation was over, the
PTI founder once again demanded oath on the Holy Quran for himself and Bushra
Bibi.
“I want to put my hands on the Holy
Quran and say that I have never had an illicit relationship with Bushra Bibi. I
want to clear my wife,” said Imran.
“The court cannot take any decision and
pronounce sentence without my statement. A hypocrite and satan have been called
evil in the Holy Quran,” Bushra Bibi said.
Khawar Manika also came before the judge
and locked in a bitter conversation with Bushra. “The children are tired of
asking questions but you did not answer. The little daughter wakes up at night
and cries. They destroyed my home and children,” Manika cried.
Meanwhile, in her first-ever talk with
the media on the jail premises, Bushra said she had made no deal and submitted
no request for her transfer from Adiala Jail to Banigala.
The former first lady said she was told
that they were taking her to a rest house.
“I was ready to be taken where the
authorities concerned wanted me to. I myself surrendered to the authorities by
coming to the jail. I am no coward. We’re brave, courageous people. I am a firm
believer in God. It does not bother where they want to keep me. Banigala has
been made a sub-jail, which is no hotel. I still insist, if somebody still
thinks it’s part of the deal, then they can revoke it,” said Bushra.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1153691-fur-flies-as-imran-bushra-lock-in-tiff-with-khawar-manika-in-court
----
India
Allahabad High Court adjourns hearing on
plea of Gyanvapi management against Hindu prayers in mosque cellar
02.02.24
The Allahabad High Court on Friday
adjourned till February 6 hearing on an appeal filed by the Anzuman Intezamia
Masjid Committee challenging an order of the Varanasi court allowing Hindu
devotees to offer prayers in the cellar of Gyanvapi mosque.
Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal passed the
order while hearing an appeal filed by the committee, which looks after the
affairs of the mosque.
The committee had moved the high court
within hours of the Supreme Court refusing to hear their plea against the
Varanasi district court's order and asking them to approach the high court.
The Varanasi court had ruled on
Wednesday that a priest can perform prayers before the idols in the southern
cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.
Except for the headline, this story has
not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a
syndicated feed.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/allahabad-high-court-adjourns-hearing-on-plea-of-gyanvapi-management-against-hindu-prayers-in-mosque-cellar/cid/1997892
----
Uttarakhand madrasas to teach Ramayana,
Darul Uloom strongly opposes decision
01 Feb 2024
DEHRADUN: The Chairman of the
Uttarakhand Waqf Board Shadab Shams has announced plans to incorporate lessons
on the Ramayana into the curriculum of madrasas. While some Muslim
organizations have supported this proposal, the Waqf Board is facing strong
opposition from the Darul Uloom regarding this proposal.
During the consecration of the Shri Ram
temple in Ayodhya, the announcement made by Shadab Shams, Chairman of the
Uttarakhand Waqf Board, garnered significant attention. He declared that
lessons from the Ramayana would be incorporated into the curriculum of madrasas
under the Waqf Board's jurisdiction.
Furthermore, Shams emphasized the
importance of understanding the life journey of Shri Ram, whom he referred to
as 'maryadapurushottam', for all sections of society. This stance has received
backing from the Minority Commission as well.
On the other hand, the maulvis of the
Darul Uloom madrasas in Uttarakhand strongly opposed this decision, stating,
"Those who want to study the Ramayana and the Vedas can enroll in other
schools. We will not teach these subjects." Maulana Mohammad Arif, the
President of Darul Ulema in Uttarakhand, said he himself is a principal of a
madrasa and will not allow this to happen under any circumstances.
The President of the Aam Aadmi Vikas
Party, Akeel Ahmed, told The New Indian Express, "Leaders like Shadab
Shams make such controversial statements to benefit from the BJP government and
to remain in the limelight. If they have such socialist thinking, then they
should also advocate for the teaching of the Quran in Gurukuls."
The Deputy Chairman of the Uttarakhand
Minorities Commission Majhar Naeem Nawab affirmed the idea of teaching the
Ramayana in madrasas, stating, "If English and Sanskrit can be taught in
madrasas, then why not the Ramayana? There should be no objection to studying
the Ramayana."
Naeem told The New Indian Express,
"People from the Congress only oppose it for political reasons." He
said, "Studying the Ramayana in madrasas provides knowledge of other
religions." Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Uttarakhand Madrasa Board,
Mufti Shamun Qasmi, has also supported the idea of teaching Vedas and Puranas
in madrasa education.
The Chairman of the Madrasa Board Mufti
Qasmi said, "In the 417 madrasas of Uttarakhand, the NCERT curriculum is
being taught, which includes extensive information about the Vedas, Puranas and
the Gita, as well as the subject of Lord Ram. Lord Ram is revered by us and is
also our ideal."
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Feb/01/uttarakhand-madrasas-to-teach-ramayana-darul-uloom-strongly-opposes-decision
-----
Uttar Pradesh: Bajrang Dal leader among
four arrested for killing cow to implicate Muslim man
Feb 2, 2024
A Bajrang Dal leader was among four men
arrested on Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district for allegedly
slaughtering cows to implicate a Muslim man in a false case, reported The
Indian Express.
According to the police, one of the arrested
men, identified as Shahabuddin, took the help of Bajrang Dal leader Monu
Bishnoi, and his aides Raman Chaudhary and Rajiv Chaudhary to execute the
crime. Bishnoi is the Moradabad district president of the Hindutva group.
The first incident occurred on January
16 when the head of a cow was found at Kanwar Path, a road that is mostly used
by Hindu pilgrims who visit Haridwar annually to fetch water from the Ganga.
The police had then lodged a first
information report against unidentified persons under Uttar Pradesh’s law
against cow slaughter.
The case seemed suspicious as the person
who reported the incident to the police said that he had not spotted the head
of the cow ten minutes before he passed the area, Moradabad Senior
Superintendent of Police Hemraj Meena said at a press conference on Thursday.
The second incident was reported on
January 29, when the police received information of a cow being slaughtered in
the forest area of the Chetrampur village. “This time, a track pant was found
from the spot which was lying next to the cow carcasses,” Meena said. “It had
some cash in the pockets, along with a phone number of one Mehmood written in a
diary, and his picture too. Police searched Mehmood and interrogated him.”
The police said Mehmood, on being interrogated,
said he had an enmity with some people from his village. “He also took names of
Shahabuddin and Jamshed and alleged that they took the help of Bishnoi, Rajiv
Chaudhary and Raman Chaudhary to send him to jail,” the senior superintendent
of police said.
The three have been booked for criminal
cases in the past as well, Meena added.
Bishnoi, along with Rajiv and Raman
Chaudhary had also allegedly executed a similar crime on January 14 to put
pressure on police. They had paid Rs 2,000 to a man identified as Naeem, an
associate of Shahabuddin, and told him to bring the head of a cow from
somewhere and keep it in Chhajlait police station area, Meena said.
“It was planned that they [Bajrang Dal
members] would protest against police for failing to control crime in the first
case, on January 16, but things did not go as per their plan,” Meena said.
“Hence, the second cow was killed for the purpose.”
Given the suspicious nature of the two
crimes, the police formed an investigation team and obtained the call details
of Shahbuddin, along with his mobile phone’s locations. After interrogation, he
confessed how he had sought the Bajrang Dal leader’s help to frame Mehmood.
The police have booked the four men
under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 211 (false charge of offence made
with intent to injure), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 457 (house-trespass or
house-breaking) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the Indian
Penal Code. They have also been booked under the UP Prevention of Cow Slaughter
Act.
Source: scroll.in
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://scroll.in/latest/1063086/uttar-pradesh-bajrang-dal-leader-among-four-arrested-for-cow-slaughter-to-implicate-muslim-man
----
Kerala Congress ally Indian Union Muslim
League seeks caste census in state
02.02.24
K.M. Rakesh
The Opposition in Kerala has demanded an
extensive caste census in the state to identify the socially, economically and
educationally backward sections as the Left government dithers on any such
exercise in the near future.
M.K. Muneer of the Indian Union Muslim
League (IUML), a Congress ally, made the demand on Thursday by way of a calling
attention motion in the Assembly, citing the state government’s recent
affidavit in the Supreme Court ruling out any such exercise for now.
The state government had on Monday filed
the affidavit in the apex court in response to a contempt petition filed by the
Minority Indians Planning and Vigilance Commission Trust that accused the Union
and state governments of ignoring court orders to revise the backward classes
list.
The state had informed the Supreme Court
that the Kerala-specific contents of the 2011 caste census data it had secured
from the Centre were not helpful at all in determining the backwardness of
various castes and communities. The matter has been posted to February 6.
Minister for the welfare of Scheduled
Castes, Scheduled Tribes and backward classes K. Radhakrishnan, in his reply to
Muneer, said that the government had no immediate plans to conduct a caste
survey and a decision would be taken only after the Supreme Court verdict on
the pending case.
However, Muneer contended in the
Assembly that the state government was not exercising its responsibility
although it is now empowered to conduct a socio-economic survey. He pointed out
that the 105th Constitutional Amendment Act allows states to maintain their own
list of backward classes which may be different from the central list.
He reminded the Left Democratic Front
government that it often repeats its commitment to safeguard the interests of
every community but what it must do is
uphold the rights of the people. “What
you need to understand is that giving us our rights is more important than
merely promising that you are there to protect us,” said the former minister.
His assertion was apparently based on
the Congress’s promise to conduct and implement caste census wherever it is in
power.
“Rahul Gandhi had said that every
Congress state is duty-bound to conduct a caste census. (Bihar chief minister)
Nitish Kumar did it because of the Congress. But now that he has gone with the
BJP, the caste census (of Bihar) will go into cold storage,” said Muneer.
The lawmaker reminded the Left
government that it was the Congress-led UDF government helmed by OommenChandy
that held the first-ever caste census in Kerala in 2012. But that census was
binned after a controversy over its allegedly erroneous method of data
collection.
The demand by a Congress ally in Kerala
comes at a time the party’s government in Karnataka is gearing up to release
the socio-economic and education survey.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/kerala-congress-ally-indian-union-muslim-league-seeks-caste-census-in-state/cid/1997731
-----
Police hold flag marches in Varanasi
ahead of Friday namaz
1st February 2024
Varanasi : Police held flag marches in
sensitive areas of Varanasi ahead of Friday namaz, a day after the Varanasi
district court allowed puja in a cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque here.
A large number of people offer Friday
namaz in the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
As a precautionary measure, security has
been beefed up in the city in view of Friday namaz with police force conducting
flag marches in sensitive areas, said Pragya Pathak, Assistant Police
Commissioner of Dasheshmegh area. ( with PTI inputs )
Source: muslimmirror.com
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https://muslimmirror.com/eng/police-hold-flag-marches-in-varanasi-ahead-of-friday-namaz/
------
Karnataka: Youth arrested after
garlanding of Tipu Sultan statue with slippers
2nd February 2024
Neha Khan
Raichur: Karnataka police have arrested
an accused in connection with the case of garlanding Tupu Sultan’s statue with
slippers in Raichur district, police said on Friday.
The accused is identified as 23-year-old
Akash Talwar, a resident of Sirivara town in Manvi taluk. Police explain that
following the incident, Nikhil B. had formed two special teams following the
incident.
The police have also gathered CCTV
footage in the region and took three persons into custody. The accused was one
among them and confessed to the crime after being grilled by the police.
The accused has been sent to judicial
custody. Karnataka’s Sirivara town was tense following the violation of the
statue of the erstwhile ruler of Mysuru, Tipu Sultan on January 31.
The statue of Tipu Sultan was found
garlanded with slippers in the wee hours of Wednesday and the people came to
know about it in the morning, leading to widespread anger.
A large number of people have come out
in the open condemning the incident and are staging a protest at the Tipu
Circle.
They had also blocked the road and
torched tyres at the protest site, demanding immediate arrest of the people
behind the vandalism. Sirivara police have registered a case in this regard.
Source: siasat.com
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https://www.siasat.com/karnataka-youth-arrested-after-garlanding-of-tipu-sultan-statue-with-slippers-2969599/
------
North America
CAIR Condemns Israeli ‘Ethnic Cleansing’
Policy of Burning Unoccupied Gaza Homes
Ismail Allison
February 1, 2024
The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy
organization, today condemned a newly-revealed policy of the far-right Israeli
government to carry out its ethnic cleansing of Gaza by burning unoccupied
Palestinian homes from which residents have been forced to flee.
Haaretz reports says it has obtained
exclusive information detailing how Israeli army commanders have been ordering
the destruction of unoccupied Gaza homes. Haaretz said: “After the structure is
set on fire along with everything inside it, it is allowed to burn out until it
is rendered useless.”
The Israeli newspaper cited three army
officials who confirmed that this is a common practice. This report follows
admissions from Israeli officials that they seek a “buffer zone” around Gaza,
the creation of which involves the destruction of whole residential areas.
In a statement, CAIR National
Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said:
“The far-right Israeli government’s
campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza is obvious for all who wish
to see, as evidenced by this newly-revealed policy of intentional burning of
homes. The Biden administration must end its complicity in this clear campaign
of ethnic cleansing by demanding a permanent ceasefire and a just resolution to
the conflict based on freedom, justice and dignity for the Palestinian people.”
Hooper said that yesterday, CAIR said
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should add a reported massacre of
Palestinians in Gaza to South Africa’s charge of genocide against the far-right
Israeli government.
He noted that CAIR recently called on
President Biden to personally condemn an Israeli massacre of Palestinian
civilians in Gaza who were waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City.
In December, CAIR called Israel’s
massacre of at least 70 people in a strike on Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp and
murdered a number of pregnant women.
Also in December, CAIR calls for a
United Nations investigation of allegations that Israeli forces in Gaza carried
our summary executions of unarmed Palestinian men in front of their family
members.
Last week, CAIR welcomed a preliminary
ruling ICJ, the UN’s principal judicial body, that declares South Africa’s
charge of genocide against the Israeli government plausible.
Earlier this week, CAIR condemned the
Biden administration’s “morally depraved and glaringly inconsistent” decision
to engage in collective punishment against Palestinians by cutting funding the
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in response to unsubstantiated
and suspiciously timed allegations made by the Israeli government.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-condemns-israeli-ethnic-cleansing-policy-of-burning-unoccupied-gaza-homes/
-----
Biden visits Michigan as Arab-American
anger over Gaza grows
February 01, 2024
HARPER WOODS, United States: US
President Joe Biden campaigned Thursday in the crucial swing state of Michigan,
where growing Arab-American anger at his pro-Israel policies threatens to cut
into already tight margins of support.
Biden was welcomed to the Midwestern
state in part by pro-Palestinian protesters accusing him of supporting a
“genocide” in Gaza, with a demonstration taking place near his meeting with
members of the United Auto Workers union, whose leadership recently endorsed
him.
As the Israeli military keeps pounding
Hamas in Gaza in retribution for the group’s October 7 attacks, and the
civilian death toll keeps rising, Biden is finding himself confronted regularly
at public events by protesters and hecklers demanding a ceasefire.
The Democrat began his Michigan visit by
chatting with diners in a restaurant popular with African Americans — another
demographic whose support he needs as he seeks reelection and the defeat of his
likely challenger Donald Trump.
However, he risks losing the votes of
the state’s sizeable community of Muslims and people of Arab heritage this
November. That could be a problem in an election decided by tiny margins.
Michigan is one of a handful of swing
states that could go either way in November, playing a decisive role in the
electoral math during a close election.
Biden only beat Trump narrowly there in
2020.
Illustrating the tension, Biden’s
campaign manager went last week to Dearborn — home to the largest concentration
of Arab Americans in the United States — only to be snubbed by the Detroit
suburb’s mayor.
Apparently hoping to wrong-foot
protesters on Thursday, the White House did not say ahead of time which town
Biden would be visiting — only that it was in the Detroit area.
Biden didn’t meet with any
representatives of the Arab-American community while in the state, though senior
administration officials will visit Michigan to do so shortly, the White House
said.
The president has asked Congress for
billions of dollars in additional military aid to Israel and his government has
vetoed multiple UN Security Council calls for a ceasefire in the conflict,
leaving many Muslims and people of Middle Eastern heritage feeling betrayed by
the Democratic Party, traditionally their political home.
They accuse the 81-year-old of
sacrificing civilians in Gaza, which is facing a serious humanitarian crisis,
in the name of supporting Israel.
But White House spokeswoman Karine
Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that Biden was “heartbroken by the suffering of
innocent Palestinians.”
Before leaving Washington for Thursday’s
trip, Biden announced sanctions against four hard-line Israeli settlers accused
of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank.
Biden said the situation there was “a
serious threat to the peace, security and stability.”
“The situation in the West Bank — in
particular high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of
people and villages, and property destruction — has reached intolerable
levels,” Biden said in his order announcing the sanctions.
The current fighting in Gaza was
triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths
of around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on
official figures.
Following the attack, the deadliest in
Israel’s history, its military launched a withering offensive that has killed
at least 26,900 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to
the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
On Wednesday a group of Dearborn
organizations called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The city’s mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, had
earlier written on X, formerly Twitter, that he refused to meet with Biden’s
campaign manager.
“I will not entertain conversations
about elections while we watch a live-streamed genocide backed by our
government,” he said.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2452366/world
-----
Islamophobia 'Has No Place' In Canada-
Trudeau Condemns Mosque Attack
FEBRUARY 02, 2024
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
on Thursday (Feb 1) condemned an attack against a mosque in the city of
Mississauga in Ontario province, which is being probed as a hate crime and
which rights advocates described as being part of a rise in Islamophobia.
Police said someone threw two rocks
through the window of a Mississauga mosque on Sunday, on the eve of the
anniversary of a mosque attack in Quebec city that killed six people in 2017.
CBC News said no one was injured in the incident.
"Islamophobia has no place in any
of our communities," Trudeau said on X, formerly called Twitter.
"The attack against a Mississauga
mosque earlier this week — on the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec
City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia — is cowardly, disturbing,
and unacceptable. I condemn it in the strongest terms possible," he said.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims
said the attack was "part of an alarming rise in Islamophobic hate across
the country".
In November, authorities in Toronto said
the number of antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes in Canada's largest city
had spiked significantly since the start of the Gaza conflict.
Rights advocates have noted a rise in
antisemitism and Islamophobia in many parts of the world since Oct 7 when
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel and killed 1,200, according to
Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel has militarily
assaulted the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip, killing 27,000, according to Gaza's
health ministry, and flattening most of the densely populated enclave where
nearly all of the 2.3 million population is displaced.
Source: asiaone.com
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https://www.asiaone.com/world/trudeau-condemns-mosque-attack-says-islamophobia-has-no-place-canada
----
Biden sanctions four Israeli settlers
who attacked Palestinians in the West Bank
February 01, 2024
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on
Thursday issued an executive order that targets Israeli settlers in the West
Bank who have been attacking Palestinians in the occupied territory, imposing
financial sanctions and visa bans in an initial round against four individuals.
Those settlers were involved in acts of
violence, as well as threats and attempts to destroy or seize Palestinian
property, according to the order. The penalties aim to block the four from using
the US financial system and bar American citizens from dealing with them. US
officials said they were evaluating whether to punish others involved in
attacks that have intensified during the Israel-Hamas war.
Palestinian authorities say some
Palestinians have been killed, and rights groups say settlers have torched cars
and attacked several small Bedouin communities, forcing evacuations.
Biden is facing growing criticism for
his administration’s strong support of Israel as casualties mount in the conflict,
which began when Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, attacked Israel on
Oct. 7.
His order is a rare step against
America’s closest ally in the Mideast who, Biden says, has the right to defend
itself. But the Democratic president has pressed Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to show greater restraint in its military
operations aimed at rooting out Hamas.
Biden has spoken out against retaliatory
attacks by Israeli settlers and pledged that those responsible for the violence
will be held accountable. He said in late October that the violence by
“extremist settlers” amounted to “pouring gasoline” on the already burning
fires in the Middle East. “It has to stop. They have to be held accountable. It
has to stop now,” Biden said.
Israel Defense Forces stepped up raids
across the West Bank after the war began. Hamas militants are present in the
West Bank, but largely operate underground because of Israel’s tight grip on
the territory. Palestinians have accused the Israeli military of not preventing
attacks by settlers or, at times, of even protecting those settlers.
White House national security adviser
Jake Sullivan met on Wednesday at the White House with Ron Dermer, Israel’s
minister of strategic affairs. US officials said the Israeli government was
notified in advance of the sanctions.
The order will give the Treasury
Department the authority to impose financial sanctions on settlers engaged in
violence, but is not meant to target US citizens. A substantial number of the
settlers in the West Bank hold US citizenship, and they would be prohibited
under US law from transacting with the sanctioned individuals.
US lawmakers have zeroed in on the role
of Americans or dual citizens in the settler violence and intimidation. In a
letter last month, Sen. Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, asked the White House to take action against any US citizens
involved in attacks against Palestinians. He said that could include criminal
charges and financial sanctions.
“There’s got to be a strong message
against the extreme activities taken by some settlers on the West Bank,
jeopardizing the lives of Palestinians as well as the peace in the region,”
Cardin, D-Md., told reporters Thursday.
Biden’s order was first reported by Politico.
Officials said there are no plans to
penalize far-right Israeli ministers who have defended the violence by Israeli
settlers and have called for the expansion of settlements.
The new executive order comes as Biden
was set to visit Michigan on Thursday to rally support from union members in a
key presidential battleground state. The Democratic president has faced sharp
criticism from Arab and Muslim leaders over his handling of the war with Hamas,
and the shadow of the conflict has some Democrats worrying that it could have a
major effect on the outcome in the November election.
The president’s campaign team has
already seen alarming signs of the growing rift with Michigan’s Arab American
community.
Last week, the president’s campaign
manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez traveled to suburban Detroit and found a number
of community leaders unwilling to meet with her. Some frustrated by Biden’s
Israel policy are working to discourage voters from supporting the president in
the general election.
The State Department announced in
December it would impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in
a rash of recent attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The department did not announce
individual visa bans. But officials said at the time the bans would cover
“dozens” of settlers and their families, with more to come if the violence
continued.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2452311/middle-east
-----
Canadians And Palestinians Coalition
Threatens Court Action If Canada Continues Military Exports To Israel
Barry Ellsworth
01.02.2024
A coalition of Canadians and
Palestinians threatened court action if Canada does not stop military exports
to Israel, according to media reports.
Spearheaded by the Canadian Lawyers for
International Human Rights, the coalition argues that the practice poses a
“substantial risk” to women and children and in doing so violates Canadian and
international law.
The threat of legal action is contained
in a letter dated Jan. 30 to Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.
The letter demands, “that the federal
government immediately halt all exports and transfers of Canadian military
goods and technology to Israel.”
The coalition consists of Canadian
Lawyers for International Human Rights, Al-Haq – Law in the Service of Man,
Ayman Oweida, a Ramallah-based non-governmental organization, and a
confidential Palestinian asylum seeker.
It argues that “the Export and Import
Permits Act prevents Canada from issuing permits to Canadian companies to
export military goods and technology to Israel due to the substantial risk that
they could be used to commit serious violations of international law and
serious acts of violence against women and children.”
It goes on to demand a response from the
government within 14 days that it has stopped the shipments to Israel or “the
coalition will consider its legal options.”
“We are calling on Foreign Affairs
Minister Joly to comply with the law and halt all military export approvals to
Israel,” it said.
The letter said the Israeli military is
killing an average of 250 Palestinians a day and has “deliberately imposed a
humanitarian crisis upon the 2.3 million Palestinian residents of Gaza.”
To date, there has been no official
response from Joly.
Israel launched a deadly offensive on
the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, killing at least 27,019 Palestinians and injuring
66,139. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas
attack.
The Israeli offensive has left 85% of
Gaza’s population internally displaced 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.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/coalition-threatens-court-action-if-canada-continues-military-exports-to-israel/3125226
----
US House moves to expand ban on entry of
Palestinian officials to US
01.02.2024
The US House of Representatives on
Tuesday passed a bill to expand the ban on entry into the US for officials of
the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), in addition to Hamas and Islamic
Jihad movement members.
Under the bill, which still needs
approval from both the Senate and the president to become law, “members of
Palestinian Islamic Jihad or Hamas or who participated in or otherwise
facilitated the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel may not be admitted into the
United States,” according to Congress.
“The bill also expands an existing
admissions bar against officers, representatives, and spokespersons of the
Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Under this bill, all PLO members are
barred from admission into the US,” Congress said on its website.
“The bill also prohibits any non-US
national who participated in or otherwise facilitated the October 7, 2023,
attacks from seeking any immigration-related relief or protections, including
protection from being deported to a country where the individual's life or freedom
would be threatened, or asylum in the US,” it added.
Israel launched a deadly offensive on
the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, killing at least 27,019 Palestinians and injuring
66,139. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas
attack.
The Israeli offensive has left 85% of
Gaza’s population internally displaced 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.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/us-house-moves-to-expand-ban-on-entry-of-palestinian-officials-to-us/3125082
----
CAIR-Philadelphia to Join ‘Pilgrimage
for Peace’ from Philadelphia to D.C. Demanding Gaza Ceasefire
Ismail Allison
February 1, 2024
The Philadelphia chapter of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) today announced that it is
joining a coalition of faith leaders, artists, and activists on the “Pilgrimage
for Peace” to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
From Feb. 14 to 21, pilgrimage
participants will march from Independence Hall in Philadelphia to the White
House in Washington, D.C., to urge President Biden call for a ceasefire.
Organizers of the pilgrimage stated: “We
urge President Biden and Congress to halt weapons funding to Israel and,
instead, channel efforts towards increasing humanitarian aid to Palestine. It
is our collective responsibility to advocate for a peaceful resolution and
uphold the principles of justice and compassion.”
Partnering Organizations Include:
Faith for Black Lives, National Council
of Churches of Christ USA, Rabbis for Ceasefire, Hindus for Human Rights, The
Pennsylvania Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-Philadelphia), Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Black Church Center for Justice
and Equality, Until Freedom, Kairos Center, Freedom Church of the Poor and
more.
In a statement, CAIR-Philadelphia
Executive Director Ahmet Tekelioglu said:
“We urge community members of all faiths
and background to join in this effort to bring peace and justice to the people
of the Middle East. For too long, our nation has contributed to the
continuation of the conflict, instead of taking measures – such as recognizing
the humanity of the Palestinian people – that would bring it to an end.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil
liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of
Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American
Muslims.
La misión de CAIR esproteger las
libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y
empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-philadelphia-to-join-pilgrimage-for-peace-from-philadelphia-to-d-c-demanding-gaza-ceasefire/
----
Half of US adults say Israel has gone
too far in war in Gaza, AP-NORC poll shows
February 02, 2024
WASHINGTON: Half of US adults say
Israel’s 15-week-old military campaign in Gaza has “gone too far,” a finding
driven mainly by growing disapproval among Republicans and political
independents, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for
Public Affairs Research.
Broadly, the poll shows support for
Israel and the Biden administration’s handling of the situation ebbing slightly
further across the board. The poll shows 31 percent of US adults approve of
Biden’s handling of the conflict, including just 46 percent of Democrats. That’s
as an earlier spike in support for Israel following the Hamas attacks Oct. 7
sags.
Melissa Morales, a 36-year-old political
independent in Runnemede, New Jersey, says she finds herself watching videos
and news from Gaza daily. Images of Palestinian children wounded, orphaned or
unhoused by the fighting in Gaza make her mind go to her own 3-year-old boy.
“I just can’t even imagine, like, my son
roaming the streets, wanting to be safe. Wanting his mom. Or just wanting
someone to get him,” she said.
Israel’s offensive has gone too far,
Morales says, and so has the Biden administration’s support for it. Biden has
supported Israel militarily and diplomatically since the first hours after the
Hamas militant group’s Oct. 7 attacks, which Israel says killed 1,200 people.
The US has become increasingly isolated
in its support of Israel as the Palestinian death toll rises past 27,000, with
two-thirds of the victims women and children. The Biden administration says it
is pressing Israel to reduce its killing of civilians and allow in more
humanitarian aid.
“These kids ... they’re needing the end
of this,” Morales said. “It’s such an unfair fight.”
John Milor, a cybersecurity expert in
Clovis, California, who describes himself as a Republican-voting independent,
says he remains “100 percent” behind Israel.
But Milor notices more young people in
his circle speaking out against Israel. A visit to a family friend led to Milor
being aghast when the man’s stepson denounced Israelis as “warmongers.”
“And I’m like, ”You’re kidding, right?“’
Milor recounted.
‘’It’s not like they asked to be
attacked, you know,” Milor said by phone this week. “And they still have
hostages over there.”
The poll shows 33 percent of Republicans
now say Israel’s military response has gone too far, up from 18 percent in
November. Fifty-two percent of independents say that, up from 39 percent.
Sixty-two percent of Democrats say they feel that way, roughly the same
majority as in November.
In all, 50 percent of US adults now
believe Israel’s military offensive has gone beyond what it should have, the
poll found. That’s up from 40 percent in an AP-NORC poll conducted in November.
The new poll was conducted from Jan. 25
to 28. That overlapped with the killing of three US troops in Jordan, the first
deaths among American service members in what’s been widening regional conflict
since Oct. 7. US officials blamed a drone strike by a Hamas-allied militia.
The new poll’s findings include more
worrying news for President Joe Biden when it comes to support from his own
political party.
Fracture lines are growing in his
Democratic base, with some key Democratic blocs that Biden will likely need if
he’s going to win a second term unhappy with his handling of the conflict.
About 6 in 10 non-white Democrats
disapprove of how Biden is approaching the conflict, while about half of white
Democrats approve.
Notably, about 7 in 10 Democrats under
45 disapprove. That’s the opposite of the attitude of older Democrats, among
whom nearly 6 in 10 approve.
Sarah Jackson, a 31-year-old
professional closet designer in Chicago, is a Democrat. She says Biden has been
about right in his level of support for both Israel and the Palestinians.
But as Israel’s air and ground offensive
goes on, Jackson’s thoughts turn to finding the best way to phase down US
support for it, she says.
“At first I was very supportive, because
I did believe they need some type of help,” Jackson said.
“But yes, as it goes on, I do become
more worried,” she said. That includes worrying a new leader will take office
here, and phase down support for Israel too abruptly, she says.
About 7 in 10 of the Democrats who
disapprove of Biden’s handling of the conflict say it’s extremely or very
important for the US to help negotiate a permanent ceasefire.
The poll also shows about half of US
adults are extremely or very concerned that the latest war between Israel and
Hamas will lead to a broader conflict in the Middle East.
About half have heard “a lot” or “some”
about the airstrikes from the United States and British militaries against
Yemen’s Houthi rebels. About 4 in 10 US adults approve of the airstrikes,
including about 6 in 10 of those who say they’ve heard a lot or some about
them. About an additional 4 in 10 say they neither approve nor disapprove, and
about 1 in 10 disapprove.
The poll shows 35 percent of US adults
now describe Israel as an ally that shares US interests and values. That’s back
in line with the views from before the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, after
a brief increase in November to 44 percent.
Thirty-six percent of US adults say the
US is not supportive enough of the Palestinians, up slightly from 31 percent
December.
About 6 in 10 call recovering hostages
being held by Hamas an important US priority, but only about 3 in 10 say it’s
highly important to provide aid to Israel’s military to fight Hamas.
A similar share of US adults say that
about negotiating the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
“If Hamas were in charge, absolutely
not,” Milor said on the subject of an independent Palestinian nation. He said
he worried that any Palestinian state would become a base for broader attacks.
But Morales, the woman from northwest
New Jersey, said Palestinians should have a safe state, or at least a safe
community.
“Everyone deserves a safe space where
they can just be. Without interference because of who they are,” she said.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2452601/world
------
Europe
Ireland seeking review of EU-Israel
agreement over human rights concerns
02 Feb 2024
BRUSSELS, Feb 2 — Ireland is in talks
with other EU members who want a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement
on the basis that Israel may be breaching the agreement’s human rights clause,
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters in Brussels yesterday.
A number of EU states are also talking
about a possible joint recognition of a Palestinian state after the current
conflict, he said.
“EU-Israeli relations are founded on an
agreement which has a human rights clause, and a lot of us believe that Israel
may be in breach of it,” Varadkar told reporters following an EU summit.
“That’s something we’re talking about.”
“There isn’t full agreement, but it’s
something I called for today, and I called for last December.”
Ireland has long been a champion of
Palestinian rights, and ministers have repeatedly said the government is
considering recognising a Palestinian state. Speaking at the end of the EU
summit, Varadkar said there were a lot of “very like-minded countries” around
the EU table.
“Another thing we are talking about is
recognition. That a number of EU states acting together to recognise Palestine
could allow a more equal negotiation to happen after the war has ended in Gaza
in and around a two-state solution,” he said. — Reuters
Source: malaymail.com
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----
UK’s Sunak says attacks that led
pro-Israel MP to step down ‘an attack on democracy’
1 February 2024
LONDON — UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
on Thursday said a lawmaker who represents a mainly Jewish area had effectively
been hounded out of office after he announced he would not seek re-election.
Conservative MP Mike Freer’s decision
not to stand again in an election expected this year comes amid a surge in
antisemitic incidents since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Freer, 63, is not Jewish, but his
Finchley and Golders Green constituency in north London is home to one of the
country’s biggest Jewish communities.
Keep Watching
Locals say they have been subject to
verbal abuse by some pro-Palestinian supporters since the October 7 terror
onslaught carried out by Hamas in southern Israel and the subsequent war
against the terror group in Gaza.
In a letter to his local constituency
group, published online late on Wednesday, Freer said he has had “several
serious threats” to his personal safety, including an arson attack on his
office.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Sunak
stressed that, “No elected representative deserves to be abused or intimidated
and the attacks and abuse that Mike Freer references are clearly deeply
distressing.”
“They’re not just an attack on him but
an attack on British democracy… people are free to debate issues passionately
and have robust debate. Intimidation and abuse is simply unacceptable,” he
added.
Since Freer was first elected in 2010,
he has been targeted by Muslims Against Crusades, a radical Islamist group that
the UK government banned as a terror organization in 2011.
Freer told the Daily Mail in an
interview on Thursday that the group had first threatened him the same year it
had been defined as a terror organization, posting a photo of him online with
the caption “Let Stephen Timms be a warning to you,” referring to a Labour MP
who had been stabbed by an al-Qaeda supporter a year earlier.
In a separate incident, members of the
group interrupted an event Freer was holding at a local Mosque, calling him a
“Jewish homosexual pig.”
The targeted harassment he has endured
over the years, combined with the October 2021 murder of fellow Conservative MP
David Amess by an Islamic State follower, has placed “intolerable stress” on
his husband and wider family, Freer wrote.
Amess’s killer Ali Harbi Ali, who is
currently serving life in prison, had visited Freer’s constituency office a
month prior, but the lawmaker was not there.
Freer told the Daily Mail that the arson
attack in his office on December 24 was “the final straw.”
“Obviously your husband or your family’s
views have to carry a lot of weight. And when someone worries that, ‘Are you
going to come home at night,’ you have to take that seriously,” he said, adding
that his husband had become “incredibly jittery” at the thought of him being
outside alone.
A man and a woman appeared in court on
Thursday in relation to the arson attack on Freer’s office and are scheduled to
stand trial later this year. Police say they are not treating it as a hate
crime.
Freer told the Mail that hostility
towards members of Parliament was “par for the course” but added: “You
shouldn’t really have to think, ‘Am I going to survive the day?'”
He has previously stated that he and a
number of other MPs now wear stab vests when meeting constituents.
In addition to the murder of Amess in
2021 and the attack on Timms in 2010, Labour MP Jo Cox was killed in a combined
shooting and stabbing attack carried out by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair in 2016.
House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle
has promised to improve safety for MPs, and told ITV on Thursday: “We all get
death threats. But Mike really has been targeted.”
He also urged lawmakers to “turn down
the heat.”
“People reflect how we treat each other,
and that’s why I want us to have a nicer politics within the House,” he told
Sky News.
Freer was first elected as the MP for
Finchley and Golders Green in 2010, and has been reelected in every election
since. While he isn’t Jewish himself, a 2021 census showed that over 50 percent
of Golders Green’s population is Jewish and over 30% of Finchley’s is as well.
He told The Daily Mail that he believes
his stance on Israel to be the reason he has been targeted so frequently over
the years, saying that while he’s a “strong supporter of the two-state
solution” and isn’t uncritical of Israel, he does “support the Israeli
government on the eradication of Hamas, very firmly and very robustly.”
Freer is a member of Conservative
Friends of Israel. In 2014, he resigned as parliamentary secretary so he could
vote “No” on a non-binding resolution to recognize the state of Palestine.
At the time, Freer said the two-state
solution “should be the end, not the start of the process.”
Source: timesofisrael.com
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---
Britain says priority to achieving Gaza
cease-fire
WassimSeif El Din
01.02.2024
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron
said Thursday that priority should be given to achieving a cease-fire in the
Gaza Strip “as a precursor to advancing subsequent stages of resolution."
Cameron made the statement during a
meeting with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut in the
capital Beirut.
Both officials discussed de-escalation
efforts in southern Lebanon and ways of reaching political and diplomatic
solutions, Mikati’s office said in a statement.
Mikati underlined Lebanon's commitment
“to peaceful resolutions in the region and emphasized the pivotal role of
British support in advancing this direction," the statement said.
He also reiterated his country's
"adherence to international resolutions, notably Resolution 1701, and the
importance of continued cooperation between the Lebanese army and UN
peacekeeping mission UNIFIL.”
On Aug. 11, 2006, the UN Security
Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1701, which calls for a complete
cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel.
The UN resolution calls for Israel to
withdraw behind the Blue Line and disarmament of the region between this line
and the Litani River in Lebanon, allowing only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to
possess weapons and military equipment in the area.
Tension has flared along the border
between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchange of fire between Israeli
forces and Hezbollah since October, in the deadliest clashes since the two
sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.
The border tension comes amid an Israeli
military offensive in the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, which
left at least 27,019 Palestinians dead and 66,139 others injured. Israel says
nearly 1,200 people have been killed in the Hamas attack.
Source: aa.com.tr
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------
‘Unimaginable pain’: Palestinian man in
UK mourns his family, fights for others in Gaza
BurakBir
01.02.2024
A 32-year-old Palestinian did not know
that he would never see his brother and mother again, that he would keep
worrying about the safety of his wife and 6-month-old daughter day and night
when he left Gaza just before Oct. 7.
DalloulNeder is one of the thousands of
Palestinians whose loved ones have been killed amid ongoing Israeli attacks
across Gaza where he left on Sept. 21 last year, some 15 days before the
beginning of the "unbelievable destruction" of the besieged enclave.
He moved to the UK in 2017 and lives in
Manchester, North West England. Neder was running a restaurant until he had to
close it due to the loss of his family, as he said he "couldn't be able to
manage it anymore."
On Dec. 3, his mother, two nieces,
brother, and brother's pregnant wife were killed in an Israeli attack while
they were staying at their home in northern Gaza.
Neder is not only mourning for them but
he is also worrying about safety of many others as 20 of his family members,
including his wife and 6-month-old daughter were also injured in the same
attack.
He is grieving but Neder has also been
fighting for other Palestinian families who have lost their loved ones in Gaza.
He attends marches and campaigns and holds speeches to call for a cease-fire in
the face of atrocities that Palestinians are suffering right now in Gaza.
"We need to build a pressure on the
government to take serious action to stop the genocide and demand whole
nations, Western countries to make a pressure rather than supporting and
providing Israel with the weapons," Neder said in an interview with
Anadolu.
He said they also demand the
international community to ask for a cease-fire immediately to save these lives
in Gaza, noting that there has not been any serious action until now.
"I lost five members of my family
in Gaza but we are fighting for the rest of people, not only for my family. My
family members were a part of 25,000 that have been killed up to now in
Gaza," added Neder.
'World never act seriously to stop this
genocide'
Neder said he was recently able to speak
with his wife and brother who are currently in North Gaza, where he said the
situation is "catastrophic."
"It is already famine there that
people couldn't find the food, water and electricity. That's obviously since
7th of October, they couldn't manage to get electricity," he noted.
He added that his family finally managed
to get potatoes and tomatoes after days, defining the desperate hunger as a
"weapon" used by Israel.
"Up to now, we haven't seen any
food trucks or humanitarian aid trucks crossing to north Gaza where thousands
of people are suffering, struggling for food, electricity, and medical
treatment in north Gaza," he said, referring to insufficient volume of aid
that is not meeting the need of Gazans in the north.
International community, including UN
agencies, has repeatedly called for more aid flow into Gaza, while Israel
continues to attack starving Palestinians awaiting the aid trucks.
"When I see the photos and the
footage for Jabalia where I grew up, I couldn't realize that my house used to
be this. The house has been demolished completely. This is something
indescribable, unbelievable, unimaginable," said Neder.
He added: "You will never imagine
the pain in this thing until you go and see by yourself. It is really
unbelievable, the amount of the destruction and the atrocity the Palestinians
are suffering right now in Gaza."
"The history did not start on Oct.
7," said Neder, recalling that Palestinians have been suffering under
occupation for decades since 1948.
"We have been humiliated,
slaughtered, killed, massacred by the Israeli government and the world (has)
never acted seriously to stop this genocide," he said.
Rather, Neder said, Oct. 7 just
"opened the eyes" for the rest of the world to let them know about
the Israeli atrocities on the Palestinians in Gaza.
Dragged out of Labour meeting
He recently made the headlines after
being forcefully dragged out of a Labour Party meeting in Stockport, near
Manchester. After entering the venue, he talked about his loss and criticized
the Labour party for not calling for a cease-fire.
The footage shows Neder, saying: "I
have lost my family in Gaza," while holding photos of them.
"They have been in the same path
and the same, the same strategies with the Conservative Party," said
Neder, referring to the Labour Party's stance on Gaza.
Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the
Labour party, was among the participants in the meeting where she remained
silent while Neder was dragged out.
He said people cannot put pressure on
the government to call for a cease-fire if Labour Party, as the main
opposition, is not doing so.
"I have received lots of messages,
lots of support from the community from the whole people around the
world," he said, thanking everyone who have expressed sympathy with him.
"My message to the rest of the
world is to keep fighting and make pressure as much as they can, ... to make
things happen and to make (sure) the cease-fire (is) taking place," said
Neder.
He also called on everyone to keep
boycotting all the Israeli products, adding that they need to make pressure in
every single way.
Israel launched a deadly offensive on
the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, killing at least 27,000 Palestinians and injuring
over 66,000. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the
Hamas attack.
The Israeli offensive has left 85% of
Gaza’s population internally displaced 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.
Source: aa.com.tr
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-----
Pro-Palestine stance: Artist Laurie
Anderson withdraws from German university professorship
02 Feb 2024
DUBAI: US musician and artist Laurie
Anderson has withdrawn from a professorship at Germany’s Folkwang University of
the Arts over a 2021 letter she signed in support of Palestine, according to
Arab News.
The artist was a signatory on an open
“letter against apartheid“ written by Palestinian artists in 2021 that followed
a new wave of violence that erupted in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of
Sheikh Jarrah.
The decision, according to The Guardian,
announced days before Anderson is due to receive a lifetime achievement award
at this year’s Grammys, adds to the wave of cultural events that have been
scrapped in Germany after artists expressed views deemed by officials to be
anti-Israel.
In a press release issued by the
university, representatives of the academic establishment said “discussion and
dialogue are indeed key pillars in the general philosophy of the Folkwang
University of the Arts. However, art, culture and science should remain places
where the boundaries of dialogue are open and expansive as a matter of
principle, and where contentious issues are kept in check. The university
strictly rejects any form of antisemitism, misanthropy or racism,” the Arab
News added.
In the same release, Anderson said: “For
me, the question is not whether my political views have changed. The real
question is, why is this question even being asked? Against this background, I
am withdrawing from the project.”
Source: newindianexpress.com
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-----
Mideast
Turkish President ErdoğanSays Hostility
To Sharia Is Hostility To Islam
February 1, 2024:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
has sharply criticized what he described as “hostility towards Sharia,” the
religious law that is part of the Islamic tradition, equating it with hostility
towards Islam.
Erdoğan made the remarks during a
graduation ceremony for religious scholars.
Erdoğan pointed to a two-pronged
campaign that he said is being waged against Turkey — one that promotes a
secular Turkish identity devoid of Islamic values, and another that harbors
hostility toward Sharia, the Islamic legal system.
He condemned efforts to separate Turkish
identity from its historical and cultural Islamic roots, describing such
attempts as efforts to “put the Turkish nation in a museum.”
The president took aim at opposition
figures and groups expressing unease about religious symbols and criticizing
religious education for children, calling such statements foolishness.
In particular he criticized the leader
of the country’s second largest political party for calling religious education
for children a “medieval way of thinking” without naming the person. The
criticism seems to have been directed at Republican People’s Party (CHP)
chairman ÖzgürÖzel, who is known for his secular stance.
Erdoğan emphasized the negative effects
of ignorance and misunderstanding of Islamic principles and lamented the
prevalence of such attitudes in certain parts of Turkish society. However, he
expressed confidence that joint efforts could overcome this “darkness of
ignorance.”
The president emphasized the broader
role of religious officials who go beyond their duties in mosques and Quran
classes, calling on them to act as leaders and role models in their communities
to guide, preach and defend their faith.
The results of a study by the Economic
Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) indicate that the Turkish
population favors a secular and democratic government. In 2016, 75 percent of
participants expressed a desire to live in a secular state, a figure that rose
to 81 percent in 2020. Similarly, a significant proportion of the population is
satisfied with living in a democratic country. The proportion of those who
prefer a legal system based on Sharia law fell from 22 percent in 2016 to 17
percent in 2020.
Source: turkishminute.com
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------
International Union of Muslim Scholars
calls for ‘peaceful’ demonstrations during Jerusalem Week
Ali Altunkaya
01.02.2024
The International Union of Muslim
Scholars called for "peaceful" demonstrations Thursday in support of
Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip as part of events during the World Jerusalem Week
from Feb. 2 to 9.
A news conference in Qatar at the
group’s headquarters, included the head of Union, Ali Muhyiddin al-Qaradaghi,
General-Secretary Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi and several scholars and academics.
Al-Qaradaghi emphasized in a statement
Israel's intense attacks and blockade for the past 118 days against Gaza and
urged the world to raise their voices against the tragic events in the enclave
and Palestine, where Palestinians are fighting for their freedoms and a saga of
heroism and liberation is unfolding.
Islamic formations, movements and
institutions in many countries in the Islamic world will organize events during
World Jerusalem Week, it said.
It emphasized the expectation of
sensitivity from Muslims.
The statement urged humanity to support
the freedom of occupied Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the immediate end to pressure
and isolation in Gaza, demanding the lifting of the blockade.
It encouraged discussions about
Jerusalem during sermons on Friday and peaceful marches to seek the support of
the free world and demand justice for Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa issues.
"Jerusalem is calling out to you,
Al-Aqsa is calling out to you, and the children of Gaza still under the rubble
are appealing to the conscience of the entire world. After Friday prayers, we
urge everyone worldwide to fill the squares and participate in protests against
the occupying Israeli regime," it said.
The group is an independent organization
that includes tens of thousands of scholars and thinkers from 57 countries.
Established in 2004, it aims to preserve
Islamic identity, address internal and external threats and adapt Islamic
practices to different times and places.
Currently headquartered in Doha, the
Union is led by al-Qaradaghi, elected during its sixth general assembly.
- World Jerusalem Week
Jerusalem, holding the distinction of
being the first qibla, or direction for Muslims to pray, was liberated from the
Crusader occupation on the 27 of Rajab 583, according to the Hijri calendar.
World Jerusalem Week is designated to
encompass the historical date when Jerusalem was conquered.
Israel has been occupying East Jerusalem
since 1967, and despite successive protests by Islamic organizations since
2003, it allows Jewish settlers to carry out raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Source: aa.com.tr
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----
Turkey frees seven hostages taken by
pro-Gaza gunman at factory near Istanbul
1 February 2024
ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkish police on
Thursday released seven workers taken hostage by a pro-Palestinian gunman at a
plant near Istanbul owned by US consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble in
protest at the war in Gaza.
Local officials said police staged a
raid nearly nine hours into the standoff when the lone gunman took a bathroom
break.
The man was detained unharmed, local
governor SeddarYavuz told reporters.
Earlier, P&G had said in a statement
that “Earlier today, we evacuated our Gebze facility and are working with local
authorities to resolve an urgent security situation.
“The safety of P&G people and our
partners is our top priority,” the Cincinnati, Ohio-based company added.
Photos and videos of the assailant
shared online by one of the hostages and verified by AFP showed a man — his
face hidden by a Palestinian scarf — holding a gun with what appeared to be a
suicide vest strapped to his chest.
He was standing next to a drawing of the
Palestinian flag and the words “the door will be opened for Gaza” painted on
the wall in red.
Asked to confirm media reports of the
attack being linked to Gaza, a police spokesman said “it is true” that this was
the motive for the attack.
Footage from the scene showed police
setting up a cordon around the sprawling plant, and fire trucks and ambulances
rushing in.
Erdogan’s criticism of Israel
The war in Gaza was triggered when
thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst through the Gaza border into Israel on
October 7, launching assaults on more than 20 communities. Some 1,200 people
were slaughtered, including 360 at an outdoor music festival, thousands were
injured and 253 people were dragged to Gaza as hostages.
Of those taken hostage, 132 still remain
in Gaza, not all of them alive. Hamas has also been holding the bodies of
fallen IDF soldiers OronShaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two
Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to
be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015
respectively.
Following the deadliest attack in
Israel’s history, the country vowed to eradicate Hamas from the Palestinian
enclave and launched an aerial operation and subsequent ground invasion.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza
has said that more than 27,000 people have been killed since the start of the
Israeli offensive, a figure that cannot be independently verified and includes
some 10,000 Hamas operatives Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also
says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
has emerged as one of the Muslim world’s harshest critics of Israel for its
campaign in Gaza, which the UN estimates has displaced around 85% percent of
the Strip’s 2.3 million residents.
He has branded Israel a “terrorist
state” and compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.
Erdogan has also accused the United
States of supporting “genocide” in Gaza due to its backing of Israel and the
military aid it has provided.
Erdogan’s comments reflect widespread
anger across the predominantly Muslim but officially secular country at the
United States for its traditional support for Israel.
Hundreds of protesters stormed a
southeastern Turkish air base used by US and British forces on the eve of US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Ankara in November.
Source: timesofisrael.com
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----
Turkiye arrests 25 suspects over church
shooting — minister
February 02, 2024
ISTANBUL: Turkish authorities have
formally arrested 25 suspects in connection with the shooting of a man during a
service at a church in Istanbul last weekend, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said
on Friday.
Among the 25 remanded in custody were
the two suspected gunmen, previously captured by police, who are believed to be
tied to Daesh, Tunc said on the social media platform X.
The two main suspects were foreign
nationals, one from Tajikistan and the other Russian, Interior Minister Ali
Yerlikaya said previously.
Daesh claimed responsibility for the
attack in a statement on Telegram, saying it was in response to a call by the
group’s leaders to target Jews and Christians.
Tunc said the 25 suspects were charged
with membership of an illegal organization and aggravated intentional homicide,
adding that another nine suspects were released pending trial.
The attack took place on Sunday morning
at the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church in Istanbul’s Sariyer district. One
Turkish citizen — who was targeted by the gunmen — was killed while attending
the service.
The murdered man had gone into the
church while out for a walk and had no political or religious affiliations, his
cousin has said. Authorities have said the attack could have been deadlier if
not for a jammed weapon.
CCTV footage from the inside of the
church, verified by Reuters, showed the masked gunmen entering the building and
shooting the man who was walking in front of them.
Daesh has conducted numerous attacks
across Turkiye, including on a nightclub in Istanbul on Jan. 1, 2017, in which
39 people were killed.
Turkish authorities have detained 2,086
people suspected of ties to Islamic State since June 2023, Yerlikaya has said.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2452566/middle-east
----
Humanitarian catastrophe deepens in Gaza
amid UNRWA funding suspensions
February 01, 2024
LONDON: The humanitarian catastrophe
which is affecting more than 2 million people in Gaza is at risk of further
deterioration following the withdrawal of financial support by 16 donor
countries to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near
East, the organization said on Thursday.
Israel’s bombardment and escalating
military operations in Khan Younis have forced tens of thousands of
Palestinians to flee to southern Gaza, exacerbating overcrowding in the Rafah
Governorate, where more than 1.4 million are already struggling for survival.
Most displaced individuals are
sheltering in temporary structures, tents, or in the open, fearing the loss of
vital food and aid from UNRWA.
“Rafah has become a sea of people
fleeing bombardments,” Thomas White, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, said.
Most of those fleeing Khan Younis have
already been displaced several times, and many have been forced to leave Khan
Younis Training Centre, the largest UNRWA shelter.
UNRWA staff, who are themselves among
the displaced, continue to deliver food and tents to those newly displaced
around them.
The reliance on UNRWA in the Gaza Strip
for fundamental needs such as shelter, food, and healthcare is paramount,
especially among its residents, most of whom are women and children.
Humanitarian conditions have
deteriorated as the war has continued, and humanitarian access remains largely
restricted due to Israel’s siege of the strip.
UNRWA has had limited access to the
north, where famine is looming, since the beginning of the war.
White said: “UNRWA received reports that
people in the area are grinding bird feed to make flour. We continue to
coordinate with the Israeli army to be able to go to the north, but this has
been largely denied.
“When our convoys are finally permitted
to go to the area, people rush to the trucks to get food and often eat it on
the spot.”
UNRWA, the largest humanitarian
organization in Gaza, employs around 13,000 staff, of which more than 3,000
remain actively involved in the agency’s humanitarian efforts despite the
challenging conditions.
White added: “It’s difficult to imagine
that Gazans will survive this crisis without UNRWA.”
Several nations, including Austria,
Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK, have followed
the lead of the US in suspending funding to the agency.
Source: arabnews.com
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-----
Iranian FM hails Palestinian resistance
over past 4 months
Feb 1, 2024
TEHRAN, Feb. 01 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign
Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held separate phone calls with Ismail
Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Hamas, and Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the
leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Thursday.
"The immediate cessation of the
Zionist regime's crimes against the homeless people of Gaza is the key to
establishing stability and peace in the entire region" َAmir-Abdollahian said in phone call with Haniyeh.
Admiring the Palestinian nation for
their heroic resistance over the past 4 months since the Zionist Israeli
regime's aggression on Gaza, Amir-Abdollahian emphasized that "only the
Palestinian nation, as the main owners of the Palestine land, have the right to
decide their future, and no party can impose their will and political plans on
them."
The head of the political bureau of
Hamas, for his part, presented a report on the indescribable stability of the
Palestinian nation and Resistance groups in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,
and the plans and political initiatives proposed to stop the crimes of the
Zionist regime in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of prisoners, and emphasized
that the Resistance groups maintain unity and integration abd only if the
highest interests of the Palestinian nation are secured, they will pay
attention to the proposed initiatives.
Iranian FM hails Palestinian resistance
over past 4 months
In the phone call with Nakhala, the
Iranian foreign minister also stressed the necessity of continuing Palestinian,
regional and international efforts and actions to immediately stop the Zionist
regime's crimes against the homeless people of Gaza, provide humanitarian aid
to the Palestinian people, and oppose the forced displacement of Palestinians.
He also praised the Palestinian people's
resistance and stressed again that the Palestinian people must decide their own
future.
Appreciating the support of the Islamic
Revolution Leader, the president, the government and the people of Iran for the
cause of freedom for Palestine and the holy Quds, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
secretary general, for his part, presented a report on the heroic resistance of
the Palestinian people and groups in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and
emphasized that the Palestinian people and Resistance will be the final winners
of the current battle, and the Zionist occupation will have no choice but to
surrender to the resolve of the Palestinian people.
Source: mehrnews.com
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https://en.mehrnews.com/news/211573/Iranian-FM-hails-Palestinian-resistance-over-past-4-months
-----
Thousands of displaced Gazans lack food,
water in Khan Younis, Health Ministry warns
Rania R.a.Abushamala
01.02.2024
More than 30,000 displaced Palestinians
lack food, water and medicine in the southern city of Khan Younis, Gaza’s
Health Ministry warned on Thursday.
The Israeli army has slapped a
tightening siege around the Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Amal Hospital in Khan
Younis since last week as part of an Israeli offensive in the city.
“More than 30,000 displaced people in
schools near the Nasser Medical Complex lack water, food, baby formula, and
medicines,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement.
He appealed to the UN agencies “to take
urgent actions to provide the living and health needs for the displaced
people.”
Israel has mounted a deadly offensive on
the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, killing at least 27,019
Palestinians and injuring 66,139, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to
have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The Israeli offensive has left 85% of
Gaza’s population internally displaced 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.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/thousands-of-displaced-gazans-lack-food-water-in-khan-younis-health-ministry-warns/3125254
----
Pakistan
Pakistan to continue support peaceful
settlement of Kashmir dispute: FO
February 02, 2024
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra
Baloch has said Pakistan will continue to extend moral, political and
diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people for the just and peaceful settlement
of Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.
Addressing news briefing in Islamabad,
she said Kashmir Solidarity Day will be observed on Monday to express
solidarity with Kashmiri brethren.
The spokesperson said elaborate programs
have been outlined to mark the day.
Source: radio.gov.pk
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https://www.radio.gov.pk/02-02-2024/pakistan-to-continue-support-peaceful-settlement-of-kashmir-dispute-fo
----
90 killed, 135 hurt in 93 militant
attacks during Jan 2024
February 02, 2024
Muhammad Saleh Zaafir
ISLAMABAD: At least 93 militant attacks
across the country took place in the last one month (January 2024), killing 90
persons and causing 135 injuries. Also 15 individuals were abducted.
The alarming statistics have been
released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS),
an Islamabad-based think tank here on Thursday. As Pakistan gears up for the
impending general elections, the first month of the year has witnessed a
disconcerting surge in militant activities, with a staggering 102 percent
increase compared to the last month of 2023.
The statistics indicated that despite
the rise in attacks, the impact on human losses was somewhat mitigated. A 15
percent increase in resultant deaths and a 19 percent rise in injuries were
reported. Among those killed, the victims included 41 civilians, 37 security
forces personnel and 12 militants. The injured comprised 81 civilians and 54
security forces personnel.
The PICSS says the province of
Balochistan bore the brunt of the onslaught, with 33 reported attacks leading
to 31 deaths and 50 injuries. Mainland Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) experienced 30
attacks, resulting in 17 fatalities and 21 injuries.
Former Fata (the newly-merged districts
of KP) witnessed 24 attacks, claiming 36 lives and injuries to 57. Sindh faced
four militant attacks, causing five deaths and six injuries. Punjab and
Islamabad each reported a solitary attack with no significant casualties.
As the electoral landscape heats up,
attacks against election-related activities, including the targeting of
candidates, have surged. The PICSS recorded 21 such attacks in January,
claiming 10 lives and injuries to 25. Notably, two candidates lost their lives
– Rehan Zeb Khan, a prominent youth leader and a local leader from Bajaur, and
an independent candidate from Mir Ali in North Waziristan.
Several candidates narrowly escaped harm
in these attacks. In a countermeasure, Pakistani security forces successfully
thwarted numerous attacks, eliminating at least 32 suspected militants while
apprehending nine others. The report didn’t cater to the exact number of
attacks foiled by the forces.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1153836-90-killed-135-hurt-in-93-militant-attacks-during-jan-2024
-----
Imran, Qureshi compromised Pakistan’s
standing, says judge
2024-02-02
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) founder and former premier Imran Khan in connivance with the accused,
Shah Mahmood Qureshi has compromised Pakistan’s international standing, the
credibility and standing of our diplomats, says the special court judge in the
detailed judgment of cipher case.
Special court judge, AbualHasnat
Muhammad Zulqarnain, in its 77-page detailed judgment of the cipher case
against Khan and former foreign minister Qureshi, says that it is quite clear
from the evidence brought on record that by compromising the integrity of
cipher communications system of Pakistan, the accused, Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi,
in connivance with the accused, Shah Mahmood Qureshi has compromised Pakistan’s
international standing, the credibility and standing of our diplomats and
diplomacy with adverse implications for our future diplomatic reporting
culture.
The judgment says that Pakistan has
faced the consequences of this. Pakistan has faced serious economic,
diplomatic, and political consequences due to the offences committed by accused
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, which in turn weakened
Pakistan’s economy thus, adversely affecting the national security. “Pakistan’s
standing at various international organizations was adversely affected by the
offences committed by the accused and has benefited foreign powers, who are not
necessarily friendly towards Pakistan,” it says.
The special court judgment said in the
light of the statement of Azam Khan, the then SPM unauthorized retention of the
cipher even after his advice, negligent handling of the telegram containing the
cipher message is also proved. The prosecution has become successful in proving
the charges leveled in the light of charges against the accused Imran Ahmad
Khan Niazi and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, it says.
The judgment noted that this court holds
that Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi and Shah Mahmood Qureshi are guilty u/s 5(3)(a),
5(1)(c) punishable u/s 5(3)(b) of Official Secret Act (OSA), 5(1)(d) punishable
u/s 5(3)(b) of OSA, and Section 9 of OSA read with 34 PPC. Moreover, the
accused Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi is held guilty. Given the foregoing evidence
available on record which is unrebutted, it is clear that due to advertent and
willful acts of accused persons, the accused Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi is held
guilty in the light of charge u/s 5(3)(a) of the OSA, 1923 and he is convicted
and sentenced u/s 5(3)(a) of the OSA, 1923 and punished with rigorous
imprisonment for a term of 10-years, it says.
The judgment further says the accused
Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi is also held guilty in the light of charge u/s 5(1)(c)
and he is convicted and sentenced u/s 5(3)(b) of the OSA, 1923 and punished
with rigorous imprisonment for a term of 2-years and with a fine of Rs0.1
million.
It says that the accused former premier
is held guilty in light of charge u/s 5(1)(d) of OSA, 1923 he is convicted and
sentenced u/s 5(3)(b) of OSA, 1923 and punished with rigorous imprisonment for
a term of 2-years and with a fine of Rs0.1 million. Both the accused are held
guilty in light of charge u/s 5(3)(a) of the OSA, 1923 read with Section 34 PPC
and are convicted and sentenced u/s 5(3)(a) read with Section 34PPC and are
convicted and sentenced u/s 5(3)(a) read with section 34 PPC and punished with
rigorous imprisonment for a term of 10-years, each.
Source: brecorder.com
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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40286986/imran-qureshi-compromised-pakistans-standing-says-judge
-----
Pakistan urges Kabul to deliver
‘Terrorist Group Leader’ to Islamabad
Fidel Rahmati
February 1, 2024
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry
spokesperson, Zura Baloch, has once again urged the Taliban to take “immediate
and effective” steps against “terrorist” groups.
Ms. Baloch made this request during a
press conference on Thursday, February 1st, asking the Taliban to deliver the
leaders of these groups to Islamabad.
Pakistan has expressed concerns about
terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan and has raised these concerns with
the Taliban.
Islamabad is currently demanding the
Taliban to hand over “leaders of terrorist groups” as violence in various parts
of the country, particularly Baluchistan, has surged ahead of the upcoming
general elections.
On Thursday, a blast in Quetta, Pakistan
resulted in at least one fatality and another person injured.
In recent days, Baloch insurgents have
launched coordinated attacks in several areas of Baluchistan, resulting in
significant casualties.
Express Tribune reported that Pakistan
experienced 27 separate attacks in January 2024, with no group claiming
responsibility for these incidents.
The Pakistani newspaper stated that the
Pakistani Taliban (TTP) agreed to a verbal ceasefire with Islamabad through the
mediation of the Afghan Taliban, during the election period.
The situation highlights Pakistan’s
persistent security challenges, particularly concerns regarding cross-border
terrorism. Cooperation with the Taliban is seen as crucial to tackling these
issues, and Baloch’s call for action underscores the urgency of addressing the
terrorist threat and ensuring regional stability.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-urges-kabul-to-deliver-terrorist-group-leader-to-islamabad/
----
Islamabad asks Kabul to extradite TTP
leaders
February 2, 2024
Baqir Sajjad Syed
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday
reiterated its demand for Afghanistan to extradite the leaders of banned
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a designated terrorist group, while
underscoring the need for bringing to justice those responsible for terrorism
and maintaining regional security.
“We urge Afghanistan to take immediate
and effective action against these terrorist entities, hand over their
leadership to Pakistan, and those individuals who have been involved in
terrorist activities inside Pakistan,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra
Baloch said at the weekly media briefing.
Her comments came in the backdrop of the
thirty-third report submitted to the United Nations Security Council Committee
by the militant Islamic State (IS) group and Al Qaeda/Taliban Monitoring Team,
which showed that besides the patronage of Taliban administration,
Afghanistan-based TTP enjoys the backing of Al Qaeda and also has links with
East Turkestan Islamic Movement and Majeed Brigade.
“We have shared concrete evidence with
regards to their involvement with Afghan authorities,” the spokesperson said
and added that Pakistan government was “very concerned” that TTP is given a
free hand to attack Pakistan, and to sponsor terrorist activities inside Pakistan.
FO says border with Afghanistan is an
internationally recognised, legally valid reality
Ms Baloch, meanwhile, emphasised that
Pakistan-Afghanistan border is an internationally recognised and legally valid
reality.
Her statement came in response to remarks
by Noorullah Noori, the acting Taliban Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs,
who referred to the Durand Line as an “imaginary line” and contested the
clarity of the border between the two countries. The Durand Line has long been
a subject of contention, with Afghanistan historically disputing its legitimacy
as a border.
The FO spokesperson stressed the
non-negotiable status of the border’s validity, stating that it has “never been
on the agenda between Pakistan and Afghanistan and will never be.”
Playing down Indian allegations of
terrorism against Pakistan, she said, those were “neither new nor credible”.
She further observed that Delhi recklessly levels terrorism charges against
others and does not even spare individuals supporting opposing teams in cricket
matches.
However, she reminded that the
allegation levelled by Pakistan last week that India was involved in
assassinations in Pakistan has not been denied by Delhi. “In our statement made
by the Foreign Secretary, we provided credible evidence of India’s involvement
in extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings in Pakistan,” Ms Baloch
maintained.
“The reality is that India is involved
in terrorist incidents inside Pakistan and it has been involved in such
terrorist incidents and extra-judicial killings and extra-territorial killings
in countries around the world. And it is not just Pakistan which has made these
claims. These claims are now coming from other countries with frequency,” she
added.
Negating the impression that the cypher
episode, involving former prime minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister
Shah Mehmood Qureshi in which both had been sentenced to 10 years in prison,
compromised the entire cypher security system of the state and secret
communication, the spokesperson said that the communication system remains
secure.
“We have recently done an audit of our
communication systems and we are reassured that these systems as per our recent
audit are safe and protected,” she said.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1810542/islamabad-asks-kabul-to-extradite-ttp-leaders
-----
Pakistan urges ICJ Gaza ruling’s full
compliance
February 02, 2024
ISLAMABAD:Pakistan on Thursday called
for full implementation of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ)
provisional judgment on Gaza, requiring an immediate and unconditional
ceasefire and urged the United Nation Security Council to play its mandated
role on the crisis.
At her weekly press briefing, Foreign
Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch expressed deep concerns over the
ongoing oppression of Palestinian people and condemned an Israeli attack inside
the Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin which, she said, fell in the category of war
crimes.
“Pakistan also calls for the full
implementation of ICJ’s provisional judgment to uphold human rights, dignity,
and identity of the Palestinian people as per the UN Charter, relevant
resolutions, and international law,” Baloch said.
“The implementation of these provisional
measures requires an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to bring about an
end to the suffering faced by the people of Gaza,” she said. “These ongoing
atrocities go against the spirit of the provisional measures decided by the ICJ
to protect the people of Gaza.”
Baloch stressed that the suspension of
funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
in the Near East (UNRWA) also went against the spirit of the ICJ's provisional
measures. She called for reconsidering the decision of suspending the UNRWA
funding.
The spokesperson said that on February
5, the government and the people of Pakistan would observe the Kashmir
Solidarity Day to reaffirm their solidarity with the Kashmiri people in their
just struggle for the realisation of their inalienable right to
self-determination.
"Pakistan will continue to extend
political, diplomatic and moral support to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters
for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in
accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions," the spokesperson
reiterated.
Baloch said that Caretaker Foreign
Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani attended the Third European Union (EU)-Indo-Pacific
Ministerial Forum in Brussels, where he also held bilateral meetings with a
number of EU officials. Jilani, she added, will also attend a session on
‘Economic Resilience and Investment’.
She informed the media persons that
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Islamabad on January
29 and held in-depth talks with Foreign Minister Jilani, and met with Prime
Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir.
The two sides agreed to immediately
appoint liaison officers in Turbat and Zahedan, besides establishing a joint
coordination mechanism at the foreign ministers level to oversee and steer
progress on a common agenda for prosperity and development, she added.
Baloch reiterated that Pakistan shared
credible evidence linking Indian agents to extra-territorial and extra-judicial
killings of two Pakistani nationals on the Pakistani soil, which contained
striking similarities with the pattern observed in other countries, including
Canada and the United States.
As part of a proactive diplomacy and
deepening engagement with Small Island Developing States, the spokesperson
said, Pakistan formally established diplomatic relations with St Kitts &
Nevis in the Caribbean and the Marshall Islands in the Pacific.
Source: tribune.com.pk
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2455225/pakistan-urges-icj-gaza-rulings-full-compliance
-----
‘OIC Ombudsmen’s summit to have
far-reaching results’
2024-02-02
KARACHI: Federal Insurance Ombudsman
(FIO) Dr Muhammad Khawar Jameel has said that the 10th annual meeting of the
Board of Directors of the OIC Ombudsman Association held in Islamabad will
prove to have far-reaching results.
He said that meetings held on January
29th and 30th were presided over by Chief Ombudsman of Türkiye SerefMalkoç.
Dr Muhammad Kahwar Jameel said the
Ombudsmen’s from Indonesia, Morocco, Bahrain and Azerbaijan received
information regarding the performance of the Federal Insurance Ombudsman in
Pakistan. He said that next meetings of OIC Ombudsmen’s will be held in Morocco
at the end of this year and in Iran next year.
He said the Ombudsmen from Islamic
countries have called the need of the hour to increase the scope of the
association and benefit from each other’s experiences.
Source: brecorder.com
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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40286937/oic-ombudsmens-summit-to-have-far-reaching-results
----
Sunni Tehreek announces to support MQM-P
in Hyderabad
February 02, 2024
HYDERABAD - The
leader of MQM-Pakistan and candidate for NA-220 Syed Waseem Hussain has said
that today is an important day as MQM and Sunni Tehreek were moving forward by
forgetting the bitterness of the past. He expressed these views while
addressing a joint press conference along with Pakistan Sunni Tehreek Sindh
President Imran Seharwardi. He thanked the leadership of the Sunni Tehreek for
supporting MQM-P candidates and expressed hope that this support will continue
for the development and prosperity of the city.
Addressing the press conference, the
provincial president of Sunni Tehreek Imran Seharwardi said that seat-to-seat
adjustment is being made with like-minded parties across Sindh and Sunni
Tehreek has also announced its support for MQM Pakistan in Hyderabad. He said
that the Sunni Tehreek declares support for the nominated candidates of
National and Provincial Assembly of MQM-P in Hyderabad and we have declared
support for MQM-P in the interest of the people of Hyderabad.
On this occasion, the nominated
candidates of MQM-P for National and Provincial Assembly Professor Abdul Aleem
Khanzada, Naseem Akhtar Sahar, Rashid Khan Advocate, Engineer Sabir Hussain
Qaim Khani, Kamran Shafiq Qureshi, Nasir Hussain Qureshi and Sajid Mari while
the Provincial President of Sunni Tehreek Pakistan, Imran Seharwardi,
Divisional President Hyderabad Allama Talat Awan and District President Bachal
Baloch and other officials were also present.
Source: nation.com.pk
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https://www.nation.com.pk/02-Feb-2024/sunni-tehreek-announces-to-support-mqm-p-in-hyderabad
----
South Asia
Kabul Reacts to UNSC Report, Saying
Counter Terrorism Main Principle
February 1, 2024
The Islamic Emirate in reaction to the
United Nations Security Council’s report said that counterterrorism is the main
principle of the interim Afghan government.
This comes as the UNSC in its recent
report said al-Qaida was reported to have established up to eight new training
camps in Afghanistan, including four in Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan and Uruzgan
Provinces, with a new base to stockpile weapons in the Panjshir Valley.
“The greatest threat within Afghanistan
still comes from ISIL-K, with its ability to project into the region and
beyond,” the report said. “Overall, ISIL-K targeting patterns were directed
first against the Shia, then the Taliban, and ultimately civilians.”
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman
Zabiullah Mujahid meanwhile denied the report and said: “From the address of
the United Nations, a regular slander program has been created against the
Islamic Emirate, and they always spread propaganda against them." He said
in an audio recording that there is no Al-Qaeda base in Afghanistan.
“The stance of the UN is misused. We
call on the countries who are members of the UNSC but have good relations with
Afghanistan to not allow the reputation of the organization to be harmed,” he
said.
“The world says that there are TTP
[Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan] and al-Qaida groups but the Taliban says they do not
exist. But both sides neither provide evidence nor take any action,” said Aziz
Maarij, a former diplomat.
According to the report, “the Taliban
are generally sympathetic to TTP aims.”
“Besides supplying weapons and
equipment, Taliban rank and file, Al-Qaida core and AQIS fighters assisted TTP
forces in cross-border attacks,” the report cited. “Despite the Taliban
instructing TTP fighters not to participate in operations outside Afghanistan,
many had done so with no apparent consequence. Some Taliban members also joined
TTP, perceiving a religious obligation to provide support. Interlocutors
reported that TTP members and their families receive regular aid packages from
the Taliban.”
But Mujahid said that serious fighting
took place against Daesh.
“Fighting against Daesh is important for
the security of Afghanistan. There has been serious fighting and all of them
were eliminated,” he said.
“If they have any allegation they should
share it with the Islamic Emirate, media of Afghanistan or at least their own media,”
said Abdul Hai Qanat, a political analyst.
Since its arrival to power in
Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate within nearly the past three years has
repeatedly assured the international community that the Afghan soil is not a
threat to any country.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-187236
-----
Efforts Ongoing to Strengthen Country’s
Borders: Mujahid
2024-02-01
KABUL (BNA): Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob
Mujahid, the Acting Minister of National Defense, has expressed determination
to strengthen the country’s borders during a meeting with Abdul Salam Azizov,
the head of intelligence and border guards of Uzbekistan.
The discussion covered border issues,
strengthening bilateral relations, economic and transit cooperation, and other
topics.
Mujahid emphasized the enhancement of
relations between the two neighboring and Muslim countries, stating that
significant progress has been made on the country’s borders over the past year,
and more actions are planned for the future.
He also assured his Uzbekistani
counterparts that the defense and security forces of the Islamic Emirate are
ready to collaborate on developmental projects and regional investments.
Uzbekistan reciprocated by emphasizing
the strengthening of relations with the Islamic Emirate and assuring continued
cooperation in various sectors for the people of Afghanistan.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/efforts-ongoing-to-strengthen-countrys-borders-mujahid/
-----
Islamic Emirate Pledges Balanced
Development Across the Country
2024-02-01
KABUL (BNA): Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, the
Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, has stated that the Islamic
Emirate is committed to balanced development across the country, with no
distinction between deprived and non-deprived districts or regions.
During a meeting with scholars and
elders from the Naki district in Paktika province, they assured their
collaboration with the Islamic Emirate and expressed their responsibilities
towards supporting the Islamic system and fulfilling Afghan aspirations.
They also requested support for land
distribution, establishment of health centers, creation of schools, and
construction of roads in their district, highlighting the neglect they
experienced under past governments.
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir emphasized that the
Islamic system does not discriminate based on region, language, or ethnicity,
and that special attention is given to remote areas.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/islamic-emirate-pledges-balanced-development-across-the-country/
----
Country saw 752 incidents of polls
violence: HRSS
Feb 2, 2024
At least 752 incidents of electoral
violence took place across the country centring the 12th parliamentary
election, according to a report by Human Rights Support Society.
In the incidents, 17 people were killed
and at least 2,534 injured, while more than 450 homes and businesses were
attacked, the report said.
HRSS prepared the report based on the
incidents that took place between November 15 and January 31, said the report,
signed by its executive director Ijajul Islam.
In the pre-election violence, at least 7
were killed, while at least 1,681 were injured in at least 379 incidents. More
than 50 homes and businesses were vandalised, while over 40 polling stations
were attacked.
Three people were killed in Munshiganj,
Barguna, and Cumilla, and more than 150 were injured in violence on the polls
day, said the report.
Candidates, polling agents, and
presiding officers also came under attack. Over 30 journalists were attacked,
assaulted, and threatened while performing their duties on January 7. There
were also incidents of ballot snatching, the report added.
After the election, there were clashes,
killings, and vandalism in at least 41 districts, where seven people were
killed and at least 696 injured, and more than 400 homes and businesses were
vandalised and looted.
There have been incidents of attacks,
torture, repression, threats, vandalism, and looting of houses and businesses
of minority communities in at least 12 districts.
The main reason for this violence is
whether or not to vote for a particular party or in response to favouring any
particular candidate. Most of those involved in these attacks are associated
with the ruling party, it said.
The HRSS urged the government and law
enforcement agencies to take cognizance of all incidents of electoral violence
and conduct a speedy and impartial investigation to identify the culprits and
bring them to justice.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/country-saw-752-incidents-polls-violence-hrss-3534306
-----
Go for digital publications to promote
Bangla globally
Feb 2, 2024
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday
stressed the need for digital publication of books and their translations to
promote Bangla language, literature, and culture throughout the world.
"If we want to spread our language,
literature and culture massively, we should keep up with the times. So, I would
like to request the publishers to publish digital books also," she said.
The premier was speaking at a programme
on the Bangla Academy premises marking the opening of the Amar EkusheyBoi Mela.
The Bangla Academy is organising the
country's largest annual book fair on its premises and the adjoining SuhrawardyUdyan.
Talking about the publishers, Hasina
said if they become digital publishers, their books can be reached to all
people abroad. "People speaking other languages would be able to read the
books."
She directed the Bangla Academy to
launch a web portal with the digital versions of its published books for online
readers.
Alongside the printed books, it is
essential to make audio version of books available in the libraries, the PM
added.
Thanking the Bangla Academy for its
contribution to translation literature, Hasina said once many people demanded
foreign literature not be translated.
"But I favour translation. How can
we know other nations, countries and cultures if literature of other languages isnot
translated?"
The more Bangla literature will be
translated into other languages, the more speakers of different languages will
get the scope to read Bangla literature, Hasina added.
"If we can translate our books into
other languages, we will be able to advance our mother language Bangla,
literature, and culture throughout the world even faster. So, we need to make
it happen," she said.
Referring to her government's
Vision-2041, the premier said Bangladesh would be a smart country in future by
making its population, government, economy and society smart.
"If we want to build a smart
society, we will have to enrich everything like language, literature and
culture," she said.
Noting that book fairs are now held in
districts, the PM said the government would organise book fairs in upazilas in
phases.
Mentioning that Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman delivered his speech in Bangla at the United Nations General
Assembly in 1974, Hasina said Bangabandhu had taken Bangla to the international
stage.
At the function, the PM unveiled covers
of two books titled "Collected Works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman:
Volume-2" and "PranerMelay" (written by Sheikh Hasina),
published by Bangla Academy.
She also distributed the Bangla Academy
Sahitya Puroshkar-2023 among the 16 recipients under 11 categories. Each
awardee received a cheque for award money, a crest, and a certificate.
Later, the PM visited some stalls at the
book fair.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/go-digital-publications-promote-bangla-globally-3534176
-----
Southeast Asia
Water recreation park raises eyebrows
with ‘strictly for Muslims’ policy
02 Feb 2024
A WATER park near Sungai Petani has
generated ripples of interest not only for its recreational attractions but
also due to an odd feature – it limits the use of its pools to Muslims only.
After The Vibes was alerted to comments
on social media about this alleged policy, a call was made to the theme park,
which is a 30-minute drive from the commercial centre of the blue-collar town
in southern Kedah.
A staff member, who asked not to be
named, was cordial and friendly in responding. He confirmed that the pools are
restricted to Muslims.
He reasoned that the facility is small
and the management caters to local villagers in the nearby Kuala Muda area who
are predominantly Muslims.
The employee said that non-Muslims are
welcome to patronise but not to use the pools because there is a limit on the
number of persons allowed in.
"We are a small outfit and we
mostly only cater to the villagers," he said, referring to residents in
nearby vicinities.
The Berangan Aqua Park is located at
Kampung Kelang Makau, which is surrounded by tranquil padi fields and cottage
homes.
It is classified as a tourism product on
the Internet. Netizens have also apparently branded it as "Muslim
only".
A check on Google this morning showed
that the "Muslim only" label that appeared via a search on the
platform and on Google Maps has been removed.
A video posted on YouTube to promote the
park describes it as 'Taman Tema Air Muslim Pertama di Utara Semenanjung
Malaysia' (first Muslim water theme park in northern Peninsular Malaysia).
The water park was launched in 2021. It
was reported in September that year that the facility was designed to handle up
to 50,000 visitors annually.
The owner was a diversified local
company called the Berangan Group. The chairperson BadrulhishamBahasar
reportedly told SinarHarian that the daily capacity was about 100 to 130
persons whereas during the Covid-19 pandemic it was restricted to 30 and 50
persons daily.
The theme park is nestled in a
semi-rural village setting.
In a short review published on
Top-Rated.online last year, one patron had remarked via Google that she was
confused over the policy.
"This place is strictly for
Muslims. I don't know what's the real reason behind this policy,” she wrote.
“I suggest to put up a signboard 'no dog
allowed', 'no pork/alcohol allowed', 'no bikini' instead of saying Muslims only."
Another patron posted that it was a
“Muslim-friendly” facility.
When sought for comments, a travel trade
player said that the park may be a private entity, like a club, which can
impose conditions on the type of visitors it receives.
"But if it is mooted as a tourism
venture, it is difficult to impose conditions such as (on the basis of) Muslim
and non-Muslim unless they (patrons) have documentation to prove they belong to
which religion," he said. "Such personal matters are not usually
disclosed in the open."
An Indian may be a Muslim or a
non-Muslim, likewise a Chinese, the member said.
Attempts were made to contact the Kedah
state executive councillor in charge of tourism Datuk MohdSallehSaidin for him
to offer his perspective on the matter.
Kedah DAP chairman Tan KokYeow said that
he was unaware of such a theme park.
A local hotelier based in Sungai Petani
said that the facility seems to still be under development with phase one being
the theme park.
Lawyer S. Raveentharan, founder of civil
rights group Lawyers for Justice, said that a theme park area is usually
gazetted as a public recreational site.
If it is restricted to Muslims only, it
goes against the spirit of the formation of Malaysia as a multi-ethnic nation
with strong tolerance and understanding, he said.
It also goes against the spirit of
'Madani' espoused by the Malaysian government which promotes understanding and
goodwill, but perhaps the management has valid reasons, said Raveentharan.
Comments posted on social media show
that more people have become aware of the ruling. – The Vibes, February 2, 2024
Source: thevibes.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/100827/water-recreation-park-raises-eyebrows-with-strictly-for-Muslims-policy
----
China backs UN agency in Palestine,
urges US, others to reconsider suspension of funds
Riyaz ul Khaliq
01.02.2024
Extending support to the UN agency for
Palestinian refugees, China on Thursday called on the US, UK and others to reconsider
their decision of suspending funding to UNRWA.
The agency has “made important effort in
easing the humanitarian situation in Gaza, playing an indispensable and
irreplaceable role,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press
briefing in Beijing.
“We call on the international community,
especially major donors, to prioritize the lives of the people in Gaza,
reconsider the decision to suspend funding, and continue to support the work of
UNRWA,” he said, stressing that “collective punishment” against the people in
Gaza should be avoided.
The agency's funding crisis was sparked
by Israeli allegations that some of its employees in the Gaza Strip took part
in the Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel. Several countries have since then
suspended funding for the agency, which was established in 1949 to help
Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.
“Under the current circumstances,
there’s no other choice than a cease-fire that can deescalate the crisis and
there’s no other task that is more pressing than protecting civilians,"
the spokesman stressed.
He said China supports the UN in
“conducting an independent, just and objective investigation” into the
allegations by Tel Aviv.
The spokesman argued that ensuring the
"normal and orderly operation of UNRWA means preserving the most basic
life guarantee for the people in Gaza and the last string of hope for the
almost desperate refugees."
Beijing’s backing of the UNRWA came as
Palestinian death toll from Israel's offensive against the Gaza Strip crossed
27,000, besides mass displacement, destruction and conditions for a famine in
the blockaded enclave.
Time to reinforce not to weaken UNRWA
In a separate statement, UNRWA chief
Philippe Lazzarini said a number of donor countries suspended $440 million worth
of funding to the agency as the war in Gaza continues unabated.
“At the time the International Court of
Justice calls for more humanitarian assistance, it is the time to reinforce not
to weaken UNRWA,” he said on X. “We are the largest aid organization in one of
the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world."
"I echo the call of the UN
Secretary General Antonio Guterres to resume funding to UNRWA. If funding
remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by
end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region,” he added.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/china-backs-un-agency-in-palestine-urges-us-others-to-reconsider-suspension-of-funds/3125306
----
Johor Regent to perform Friday prayers
at Abu Bakar Mosque tomorrow
01-02- 2024
JOHOR BAHRU: The Regent of Johor
TunkuMahkota Ismail Sultan Ibrahim will perform the Friday prayers with the
people at the Abu Bakar Mosque here tomorrow.
According to a post on The Royal Johor
Facebook, it will be the first time TunkuMahkota Ismail performs the Friday
prayers with the subjects in His Highness’ capacity as the Johor Regent.
It said the Raja Muda of Johor Tunku
Iskandar Tunku Ismail will also be in attendance.
TunkuMahkota Ismail was appointed the
Johor Regent on Jan 28 following His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim’s ascension to the
federal throne.
Sultan Ibrahim took the oath of office
as the 17th King of Malaysia at Istana Negara yesterday.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/local_news/johor-regent-to-perform-friday-prayers-at-abu-bakar-mosque-tomorrow-IG12053856
----
Aminuddin: Civil servants prime movers
of Malaysia Madani agenda
01-02- 2024
REMBAU: Negeri Sembilan MenteriBesar,
Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (pix) described civil servants as the collective
prime movers of Malaysia Madani and called on them to always facilitate better
understanding among the community to achieve the aspirations of the agenda at
the state and national levels.
He suggested that leaders of state and
federal government departments should strategically promote competitive human
dignity values within their organizations through the state-level Madani
Mobilisation Programme.
“We hope that the participants can
strengthen their understanding of Malaysia Madani and its connection to state
and national planning policies and their implementation.
“This Madani culture agenda was
initiated in September last year...it started with the Madani Generation Camp
involving Form 4 students from all over the state,“ he said during the state
Madani Mobilisation Programme (Heads of State Government and Federal) at the
Wawasan Negara Ulu Sepri Camp.
Also present was Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim to inaugurate the programme which was attended by 120 state
and federal civil servants.
He said so far three cohorts of 360 Form
4 students have been involved in the programme, which was conducted at the
Pusako Camp in BatuKikir, and the National Character Building Programme
involving Pre-University students (Forml 6).
Aminuddin said the state government has
allocated RM 500,000 for the National Character Building programme this year.
“The next target group is government
employees. We have successfully implemented the Madani Mobilisation Programme
Series-1 involving 120 participants comprising grade 44 to grade 52 state
government employees from Dec 13 to 15 last year,“ he said. –Bernama
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/local_news/aminuddin-civil-servants-prime-movers-of-malaysia-madani-agenda-BG12054500
----
Tuan Ibrahim denies rift among Hadi,
Muhyiddin amid rise of Ahmad Samsuri
02 Feb 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 —
PerikatanNasional’s (PN) top duo Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and Tan Sri Muhyiddin
Yassin remain close contrary to claims that both leaders were at odds, a senior
PAS leader has reportedly said.
PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan
Ibrahim Tuan Man said Muhyiddin’s position as PN chairman is undisputed despite
the rise of Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar’s candidacy as the pact’s
potential prime minister.
“The relationship [between Hadi and
Muhyiddin] is very close. We just held a meeting of the PN Supreme Council and
the PAS president frequently meets and discusses matters with Muhyiddin.
“The question of the prime minister
candidate also does not arise, because all main issues are discussed within
PN,” Tuan Ibrahim was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.
According to the news outlet, it was
recently reported that the relationship between Abdul Hadi and Muhyiddin turned
cold following the latter’s “U-turn” on defending his presidency at the party
polls, thereby scuttling PAS’ plans to push Ahmad Samsuri as the Opposition’s
prime minister candidate in the next general election.
It is understood that Muhyiddin’s
decision is seen as an attempt to consolidate the coalition’s chairmanship and
appointment as the next PM should PN win.
The report also said both men had not
been seen together since PAS’ annual congress or “muktamar” held last October.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/02/02/tuan-ibrahim-denies-rift-among-hadi-muhyiddin-amid-rise-of-ahmad-samsuri/115950#google_vignette
----
Over 100 Rohingya refugees flee
Malaysian detention camp
02 Feb 2024
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 100 Rohingya
refugees escaped a detention centre in Malaysia after a riot broke out, with
one man killed after being hit by a vehicle on a highway as he fled, police
said Friday.
The Rohingya experience persecution in
their predominantly Buddhist homeland, with many fleeing to affluent,
Muslim-majority Malaysia or refugee camps in Bangladesh.
They often endure harrowing, months-long
sea journeys to arrive in Malaysia by boat or sneak into the country via its
porous border with Thailand.
If caught, they are often sent to
detention centres that rights groups say are typically overcrowded and filthy.
A total of 115 Rohingya migrants and 16
others -- all of them men -- rioted in their detention building before escaping
the Bidor temporary immigration depot in northern Perak state late Thursday,
local police chief Mohamad Naim Asnawi confirmed to AFP.
Police and officers from other agencies
are searching for the missing detainees, Naim said.
He said one unidentified refugee had
been killed on the North-South highway after being hit by a passing vehicle in
the dark.
Police said the cause of the riot and
break-out are under investigation.
More than 100,000 Rohingya live on the
margins of society in Malaysia, working illegally in construction and other
low-paid jobs.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Feb/02/over-100-rohingya-refugees-flee-malaysian-detention-camp
----
Africa
Former Ghanaian president opposes LGBTQ
practices, stating religious beliefs
01.02.2024
Ghana's ex-president and main opposition
figure, John DramaniMahama, has voiced his opposition to LGBTQ practices,
citing conflict with his Christian faith. According to reports from Reuters,
Mahama stated, "The faith I have will not allow me to accept a man
marrying a man, and a woman marrying a woman."
Addressing a gathering of Ghanaian
religious leaders on Wednesday, Mahama expressed skepticism towards gender
identity transitions, saying, "I don't believe that anybody can get up and
say I feel like a man although I was born a woman and so I will change and
become a man."
The LGBTQ rights debate has intensified
in Ghana, with the country's parliament currently deliberating a controversial
anti-LGBTQ bill. If passed, the legislation will impose severe penalties on
LGBTQ community members.
Provisions include forbidding Ghanaians
from identifying as LGBTQ and increasing the maximum sentence for same-sex
activities from three to five years. Additionally, the bill prohibits
advocating for LGBTQ rights.
Ghana already criminalizes gay sex,
carrying a three-year prison sentence. The anti-LGBTQ bill has sparked
widespread discussion and concern within the country.
John DramaniMahama, who served as
Ghana's president from 2012 to 2017, lost his bid for a second term in the 2016
elections to current President Nana Akufo-Addo. The 65-year-old is now vying
for re-election in the upcoming December presidential elections, representing
the main opposition party National Democratic Congress.
Source: africanews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.africanews.com/2024/02/01/former-ghanaian-president-opposes-lgbtq-practices-stating-religious-beliefs/
----
We Fingered Religious Sects Leaders In
N7billion Investigation Not A Church, Mosque – EFCC Clarifies
Mathew Ogune Abuja
02 February 2024
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) has insisted that it only fingered religious sects in an
investigation involving over N30billion fleeced from Nigerians where it traced
over N7billion to a particular religious body.
EFCC in a statement by its Spokesperson,
Dele Oyewale said its attention was drawn to some misleading reports,
commentaries and analyses by sections of the media, (Not The Guardian),
regarding the disclosure by its Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede about money
laundering practices involving some religious sect leaders in Nigeria.
Statement reads: “At the Commission’s
public engagement on Youth, Religion and the Fight Against Corruption on
Wednesday, January 31, 2024 in Abuja, the Chairman had frowned at the conduct
of some religious sect leaders whom he accused of being complicit in money
laundering.
“As I’m standing before you, there is a
matter we are handling, a pyramid scheme that involves over N30billion fleeced
from Nigerians.
Along the line, some people died, some
victims collapsed and all of that. We were able to trace over N7billion to a
particular religious body and I said, write a letter to the leader of that
religious sect, and we did.
The next thing we saw was a restraining
order. We got a restraining order restraining us from recovering the money.
Meanwhile, people have died along the line. Money traced directly to your body,
and that is what we are battling. Of course, we have appealed, and this is the
situation that is facing us, religious leaders”, he had said.
He equally disclosed that, “when I was
the Chief of Staff, we investigated an issue of money laundering, somewhere in
this country. There is a particular religious sect that laundered money for
terrorists. These are the problems we are battling with”.
Oyewale said Olukoyede neither mentioned
a Church, Mosque nor any particular religious entity and regretted that his
comments have been twisted with mischievous connotations.
“The groups fingered by the EFCC chair
are religious sects, not a church or a mosque.
“Those subjecting this disclosure to
sinister interpretation are on to mischief and should be ignored.
“The EFCC’s boss is focused on his
assignment of tackling all shades of economic and financial crimes and would
not be distracted.” He added.
Source: guardian.ng
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https://guardian.ng/news/we-fingered-religious-sects-leaders-in-n7billion-investigation-not-a-churche-mosque-efcc-clarifies/
----
Burkina Faso defends ECOWAS exit
01.02.2024
Since Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger
announced they would quit ECOWAS, the move has prompted various reactions.
It didn't come as complete surprise
though, especially after the Niger coup last July.
The Burkinabe PM justified the decision
in Ouagadougou on Thursday (Feb.01st).
"On January 28th, Burkina Faso,
Mali and Niger took the historic decision to withdraw from the Economic Communitiy
of est African States ECOWAS, it is a carefully considered decision which came
after a thorough analysis of the institution and the potential consequences of
a withdrawal," Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla said.
Authorities believe ECOWAS doens't meet
the aspirations of the Sahelian peoples anymore rendering the AES alliance
necessary.
Premier ministre Apollinaire Joachim
Kyélem de Tambèlacondems ECOWAS sanctions against his country, Mali and Niger
and also accused the bloc of failure to assist its member states.
"Instead of an ECOWAS of the
people, the organization has become a technocratic tool which that ultimately
deviated from the legitimate aspirations of the west African peoples."
"For proof, we have noted ECOWAS's
indiference when our vallient peoples were massacred, or as our fellow citizens
endure humanaitriancrise , or in the face of the numerous destabilization
attemps our states have encountered," he said.
Burkina Faso says it has notified the
15-nation bloc of its decision.
AES countries have called on their
populations to mobilize in support of the move in coming days.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2024/02/01/burkina-faso-defends-ecowas-exit/
----
‘I’m puzzled’ – Bashir Ahmad slams
Islamic scholars for not speaking against bandits
February 2, 2024
John Owen Nwachukwu
Bashir Ahmad, a former special assistant
on Digital Communications to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari has berated Islamic
scholars for not being vocal on the issue of banditry in many parts of the
North.
The Northern part of the country,
especially the North West has witnessed consistent attacks from organized
criminal gangs involved in large-scale cattle theft, sexual violence,
extortion, kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery.
Ahmad said he is “puzzled as to why our
Islamic scholars aren’t vocal in denouncing any association between Islam and
banditry.”
He went on to explain that the bandits
have no connection to Islamic faith.
“Their actions contradict the teachings
of our religion. Statistically, they have harmed more Muslims and Hausas than
any other religious or ethnic group, with attacks constantly in Sokoto, Kebbi,
Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, etc.,” Ahmad wrote on X.
“However, the lack of strong
condemnation from our scholars often leads to the misconception that those
barbaric acts of banditry are linked to Islam.
“The actions of those bandits are purely
acts of terrorism, and they should be recognized as terrorists by everyone.
They do not represent us or our religion,” he added.
Source: dailypost.ng
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https://dailypost.ng/2024/02/02/im-puzzled-bashir-ahmad-slams-islamic-scholars-for-not-speaking-against-bandits/
-----
‘Why so much secrecy?’: Fears as Kenya
break ranks with neutral East Africa for anti-Houthi bloc
Andrew Wasike
01.02.2024
While its Horn of Africa neighbors stick
to their position of neutrality, Kenya has openly aligned itself with the
US-led coalition against Yemen’s Houthi group.
The Houthis have been targeting shipping
in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November, saying the attacks are a
response to Israel’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip.
The US set up a multinational force in
December to counter the threat and has been carrying out strikes in Yemen
against Houthi targets.
The coalition started off with 10
confirmed members, but the Pentagon and US President Joe Biden said later in
December that more than 20 nations have agreed to take part.
Last week, the White House put out a
joint statement endorsed by 23 nations, announcing new strikes against Houthi
targets, condemning the Yemeni group and “those who supply the Houthis with the
weapons to conduct these attacks.”
Among the signatories were just two
African nations – Guinea-Bissau and Kenya.
For Kenya, analysts say the alignment
with the US-led bloc is an outcome of recent visits by top American military
leaders.
On Jan. 22, Gen. Michael Langley, head
of US Africa Command, and Sgt. Maj. Michael Woods, the command’s senior
enlisted leader, undertook a strategic visit to Nairobi.
This was after the Jan. 16 meeting
between CIA Director William Burns and Kenyan President William Ruto.
While the details of these discussions
remain undisclosed, Kenyan authorities hinted that they revolve around matters
of regional security.
The Kenyan government and officials have
been tight-lipped over the matter, with several Anadolu requests for comments
met with silence.
‘Calculated move’
Analysts suggest that this strategic
alignment not only reflects Kenya’s departure from its traditional neutral
stance, but may also indicate a tacit show of support for Israeli actions in
Gaza.
George Musamali, a prominent regional
security expert in East Africa, stressed that Kenya has long stood with the US
and its allies, particularly on the issue of Palestine.
“Kenya, as much as we talk about it
being a non-aligned country, has always sided with the Israelis, the Americans
and the UK, especially on this issue of the Palestinians and their
independence,” he told Anadolu.
He said this longstanding allegiance has
not been without consequences for Kenya, emphasizing that the country has “been
hit directly … because of our union with the Israelis and the Americans when it
comes to matters of security in the Middle East.”
He said the recent visit by the CIA
chief was directly “directly linked to the war in the Middle East.”
“So, for Kenya, allying with the US and
the Israelis is not a surprise because we’ve been taking that stand,” he added.
Midamba Noah, a foreign policy and
diplomacy professor, views Kenya’s current stance “as a departure from its
traditional neutral stance.”
However, he believes that this is “a
calculated move to enhance its security and gain geopolitical leverage.”
“The Red Sea’s significance in global
trade and energy routes is driving Kenya’s involvement. By supporting the
anti-Houthi campaign, Kenya aims to safeguard its economic interests and assert
influence in a region undergoing significant geopolitical shifts, potentially
aligning with Israel’s concerns in the process,” he explained.
Public opinion
Kenya’s divergent stance in a largely
neutral neighborhood has cast a shadow over regional unity and raised concerns
among the public about the country’s own security.
“We need clarity on why Kenya is
entangling itself in these conflicts. It affects us, and we deserve to know the
reasons behind these decisions. Why is there so much secrecy?” Jane Mwangi, a
Nairobi resident, told Anadolu.
David KamauNjuguna, another citizen,
echoed similar concerns.
“Our government needs to be transparent
about its foreign policy choices, especially when it involves military
alliances. We want to understand the implications for our nation and the East
Africa region,” he said.
Analyst Musamali also pointed to the
manner in which Kenya’s position was disclosed to the public, saying the matter
only came to light when the White House issued that joint statement that had
Kenya among the countries.
Alex Mulwa, an international relations
student, was particularly wary of a potential effect on regional cohesion.
“The secrecy surrounding high-profile
meetings suggests delicate diplomatic maneuvering and, for me, all this is
raising questions about Kenya’s long-term strategic goals and its impact on
regional dynamics,” he told Anadolu.
Source: aa.com.tr
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----
At least two dead, over 200 injured in
massive fire in Kenyan capital
02 Feb 2024
NAIROBI, Feb 2 — At least two people
were killed and more than 200 injured in a massive fire when a truck laden with
gas exploded in the Kenyan capital, a government spokesman said today.
The explosion ignited a “huge ball of
fire that spread widely”, Isaac MaiguaMwaura said on social media platform X.
“Consequently, the inferno further
damaged several vehicles and commercial properties, including many small and
medium sized businesses,” he said, adding that “residential houses in the
neighbourhood also caught fire, with a good number of residents still inside as
it was late at night.”
At least two people died from their
injuries and another 222 were rushed to various hospitals in the capital, the
government spokesman said.
Earlier, the Kenya Red Cross had
reported nearly 300 injured.
At around 7.00am local time (12.00pm
Malaysian time), firefighters were still working to bring the blaze under
control, according to an AFP journalist.
Large columns of black smoke were seen
billowing from the area even as police secured the scene.
‘Huge explosion’
The fire broke out late last night in
the Embakasi neighbourhood southeast of the capital.
Images broadcast by local media showed a
huge fireball close to several homes.
According to an AFP journalist, many
houses and vehicles were burned.
“We were in the house and heard a huge
explosion,” James Ngoge, who lives across the street from where the fire broke
out, told AFP.
“The whole building was shaken by a huge
tremor, it felt like it was going to collapse. At first, we didn’t even know
what was happening, it was like an earthquake.
“I have a business on the road that was
completely destroyed.”
Many of the area’s residents spent the
night outside.
Police have cordoned off the affected
area, but some people could be seen collecting their belongings and surveying
the damage.
“The scene has now been secured and a
command centre is now in place to help coordinate rescue operations and other
intervention efforts,” said Mwaura.
In 2018, a fire at Nairobi’s Gikomba
market killed 15 people and injured at least 70. — AFP
Source: malaymail.com
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-----
Arab World
Saudi Arabia, UN vow to work together to
stop land degradation around the world
February 02, 2024
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia and the United
Nations underscored the importance of achieving harmony between countries and
working together to stop land degradation around the world in order to live on
one land.
Both sides reiterated this during a
dialogue session held within the ceremony organized by the Ministry of
Environment, Water and Agriculture, on the occasion of the signing of an
agreement to host the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP 16) in December in
Riyadh.
Deputy Minister of Environment Dr. Osama
Faqeeha and Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Andrea Meza attended the session, titled “The
Road to Riyadh COP 16,” along with the CEO of the National Center for
Meteorology Dr. Ayman Ghulam.
Saudi Arabia and the UNCCD signed an
agreement to host the 16th session of the Convention’s Conference of the
Parties, COP16, in Riyadh from Dec. 2-13, 2024. The Riyadh COP16 will be the
largest-ever meeting of UNCCD’s 197 Parties, the first to be held in the Middle
East region and the largest multilateral conference ever hosted by Saudi Arabia.
The conference, with a focus on land degradation and drought issues, is set to
bring together world leaders, environmental experts, and policy-makers to
tackle some of the most pressing environmental challenges.
In his address, Dr. Fakeeha said that the
Kingdom has plans and strategies to preserve the environment and find a balance
between achieving development and preserving natural resources. He noted that
the Kingdom is also working to achieve its ambitious goals to reduce land
degradation, by launching several initiatives, most notably the Saudi Green
Initiative, which aims to cultivate 14 million hectares of land over the coming
decades. “These efforts are not limited to the local level only. Rather, it
includes working to achieve environmental goals at the international level,
through the international initiatives that the Kingdom had launched, such as
the Middle East Green Initiative and the Global Initiative to Reduce Land
Degradation that the Kingdom announced during its presidency of the G20 summit,”
he said.
Dr. Fakeeha said that the Kingdom’s
plans to host the COP 16 are related to continuous interaction and preparation
for it along with international stakeholders. “We work with the United Nations,
environmental experts, in addition to engaging youth, non-profit organizations,
and the private sector. This is done by holding continuous meetings and
workshops,” he said while pointing out that the Kingdom now has 40
international events on its calendar, in addition to its participation in 16
international conferences.
Dr. Fakeeha also stated that the Kingdom
is working to reduce food waste rates to preserve natural resources, contribute
to achieving environmental and economic goals, in addition to improving
agricultural production and reducing water consumption in agriculture by
recycling and reusing them.
In her address Andrea Meza stressed the
necessity of working together to protect the earth, saying, “we cannot achieve
the goals of climate indicators unless we talk about the earth.”
Meza described the Kingdom's efforts in
the field of environmental protection as a great thing. “There are wonderful
opportunities to achieve harmony with the environmental agenda, by working to
reclaim 30 percent of the land, which contributes to achieving food and water
security, drawing attention to the fact that talking about frameworks of
harmony and consensus that we are talking about it, which is evident in the
presence of environment, water, and agriculture in one single ministry in the
Kingdom,” she said.
Meza underlined the need to empower
youth and women, through developing modern technologies, innovation, and
artificial intelligence, in addition to creating green jobs for young people,
to achieve harmony, prosperity, inclusivity, and land management.
On his part, Dr. Ayman Ghulam said that
Saudi Arabia is taking proactive steps in response to climate situations,
through the work of the Regional Center for Climate Change and the National
Center of Meteorology. “The climate change affects various circles of environmental
change, which changes the climate at frequent intervals. The Kingdom launched
the early warning system for sandstorms, and established the regional sandstorm
early warning center, which is the fourth of its kind in the world, and works
to predict storms 10 days before they occur, with an accuracy of up to 95
percent,” he pointed out.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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US, UK strikes not to change Yemen's
stance: Ansarullah
Feb 2, 2024
TEHRAN, Feb. 01 (MNA) – The leader of
Yemen’s Ansarullah movement says US and UK strikes are futile and have no
impact on Yemen's stance, rather they will only cause the country to enhance
its military capabilities.
SeyyedAbdulmalik al-Houthi made remarks
about the latest developments in the region on Thursday.
He noted that patients in Gaza are
suffering as Israel targets hospitals in horrific criminal acts which only
shows the regime’s moral and political bankruptcy.
The world has remained silent and just
watched as the people of Gaza suffer Israeli atrocities and are deprived of
medicine and even oxygen capsules, he noted.
The leader of the Ansarullah movement
pointed out that the occupiers were killing children and women with American,
British, and German missiles and ammunition in Gaza.
He underlined that as the severe
blockade of the Gaza Strip continues, some displaced Palestinians are dying of
starvation.
In addition to the killings,
destruction, and displacement, the enemy targets the United Nations Agency for
Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), al-Houthi pointed out.
It is clear to all that international
bodies are largely under American influence, he said, noting that because of US
intervention, the Zionist regime is excluded from almost all the decisions and
resolutions by international bodies.
The Leader of Ansarullah expressed hope
for spreading awareness in Western, Arab, and Islamic societies about
Palestine, adding that publishing a clear picture of the oppression of the
Palestinian people and their suffering affects all freedom-seeking people.
Referring to the US and UK aggression on
Yemen, he highlighted that the US wanted to show strength by attacking Yemen,
but along with the UK, they were defeated and could not even ensure the
security of their own ships.
Pointing to the recent rocket attacks by
the Palestinian Resistance movement, Hamas, he described the recent attack on
Tel Aviv by al-Qassam Brigades as a very important achievement.
As long as the Israeli aggression
against Gaza continues, Yemen will continue its actions in support of the
Palestinian people, he said.
The Zionist regime waged the Gaza war on
October 7 after the Palestinian Resistance movement, Hamas, carried out a
surprise operation into the occupied territories in retaliation for the
regime’s ceaseless atrocities against the Palestinian people over the past
seven decades.
With the Israeli war continuing unabated
and amid a rising civilian death toll in Gaza, Resistance movements and groups
in the region, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Ansarullah, and Iraq’s
combatants launched strikes against US and Israeli interests in an effort to
exert pressure on the regime to end its genocidal war.
Source: mehrnews.com
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Missile reportedly fired from
Houthi-controlled Yemen explodes near ship in Red Sea
February 01, 2024
SAEED AL-BATATI
AL-MUKALLA: A missile reportedly
launched from a Houthi-controlled military base in Yemen on Thursday is thought
to have exploded close to a ship in the Red Sea.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency
was alerted to the offshore blast 57 nautical miles (106 km) west of Hodeidah.
Eyewitnesses in Yemen’s Ibb province,
which is controlled by the militant group, claimed the missile had been fired
from the Al-Hamza military facility in Al-Sabrah region on Thursday afternoon.
An alert sent to the UKMTO described “an
explosion a distance off the vessel’s starboard side. Vessel and crew are
safe.”
On Jan. 26, the Houthis launched a
missile from the same location, but it missed its target and detonated near the
launch site.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Houthis
detained four civilians in Ibb’s Al-Maitam on suspicion of photographing their
operatives prepping rockets to fire.
On Thursday morning, the US military
launched strikes on Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, targeting 10 drones
about to be fired at ships.
The US Central Command reported that its
forces had destroyed a “Houthi UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) ground control
station and 10 Houthi one-way UAVs” that were deemed a threat to commercial
vessels and US Navy ships in the area.
In a statement, CENTCOM said: “US forces
subsequently struck and destroyed the UAV ground control station and 10 one-way
attack UAVs in self-defense.”
And three drones and a ballistic missile
fired by the Houthis from Yemeni areas under their control were intercepted by
the USS Carney on Wednesday evening.
The Houthis said recent US strikes had
hit Al-Jabanah in Hodeidah’s west and Saada, the militia’s heartland in the
north.
Over the past three months, the Houthis
have seized a commercial ship and fired dozens of missiles and drones at
commercial and navy vessels in the Red Sea, Bab El-Mandeb (the strait that
connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden), and the Gulf of Aden in an attempt
to prevent Israel-linked ships from using maritime shipping lanes off Yemen and
pressure Israel into lifting its siege of Gaza.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said
that 165,429 Yemenis who had graduated from military training courses in the
last two months would be sent to fight against Israel in Palestine. He also
pledged to continue assaults on commercial and naval ships operating off Yemeni
shores.
In a broadcasted speech, he claimed that
American officials had sought help from China in trying to urge his group to
stop its Red Sea attacks.
Al-Houthi said: “One indication of
America’s failure is its effort to seek aid from China to mediate and persuade
us to suspend our actions in favor of the Palestinian people.
“The American and British attacks are
ineffective and will not diminish our military capability.”
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin
Mubarak on Thursday called on the EU to designate the Houthis as a terrorist
organization. During a meeting with members of the EU Political and Security
Committee in Brussels, he noted the Iran-backed group’s derailment of
UN-brokered peace efforts in Yemen, and crimes against Yemenis.
The minister reportedly encouraged the
EU to form a “complete” collaboration with the
Yemeni government to assist in the
restoration of peace and stability in the war-torn country.
Source: arabnews.com
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Yemen strikes British merchant ship in
support of Gaza
02 February 2024
Yemen's Armed Forces say they have
targeted a British merchant vessel heading towards the occupied territories in
continued support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who are enduring a
genocidal Israeli war.
"The naval forces in the Yemeni
Armed Forces targeted a British commercial ship in the Red Sea that was headed
to the ports of occupied Palestine with appropriate naval missiles," the
forces announced on Thursday.
The forces have been conducting many
such operations against Israeli vessels or those heading towards the occupied
Palestinian territories' ports.
The operations have been described as a
response to an October 7, 2023-present war and siege that the Israeli regime
has been waging against Gaza following an operation carried out by the
Palestinian territory's resistance movements.
Nearly 27,000 Palestinians, mostly
women, children, and adolescents, have died in the war so far.
The United States and the UK have also
conducted several missile attacks against Yemeni targets in response to the
Yemeni operations.
The Yemeni forces said the strike
targeting the British ship was also carried out "as part of the response
to the American-British aggression against our country."
The forces said they would keep up their
operations "until the cessation of [the Israeli war of] aggression and the
lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip."
Also on Thursday, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi,
who is a member of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, refuted allegations by
the American and British officials, who have claimed that the Yemeni operations
had "endangered" marital navigation.
"Passage of 4,874 ships through the
Red Sea without any objection confirms that American and British claims are
false," he said.
"The US's problems stem from its
desire to maintain hegemony over the region," he added, noting that
Washington was rather seeking "to contain any reaction against the
genocidal crimes they (the Israelis) are committing in Gaza."
Source: presstv.ir
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2nd Islamic Arts Biennale to be held in
Jeddah next year
February 01, 2024
RIYADH: The Diriyah Biennale
Foundation’s second Islamic Arts Biennale will be held next year in the Western
Hajj Terminal at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, from January to
May.
Rakan Al-Touq, vice chairman of the
foundation’s board of trustees, highlighted the success of the first edition of
the event.
He said: “(The biennale) continues its
mission in terms of shedding light on the treasures of the Islamic culture and
its history and celebrating the institutions dedicated to it as a way to
appreciate the role they are undertaking to preserve Islamic heritage.
“The second edition of the biennale will
see the return of an expanded version of Al-Madar exhibition and forum, which
includes some of the largest local and international institutions that are
concerned with Islamic arts and will showcase their valuable collections.
“The exhibition also features two
separate pavilions for Makkah and Madinah, which will highlight the ancient
history of the two holy sites.
“This stresses the biennale’s ongoing
commitment to enriching dialogue and building bridges between the past and
present, under the supervision of local and international experts who will
present the people visiting the biennale from inside and outside the Kingdom
with an impactful and beautiful exhibition of which we are proud,” Al-Touq
added.
Foundation CEO, Aya Al-Bakree, said:
“The foundation was keen to choose a team of creative art curators. This stems
from its commitment to organizing and managing international art and cultural
exhibitions and constitutes a continuation of the successful journey started by
the biennale’s first edition.
“The diverse expertise found within the
artistic team will contribute to putting forward a renewed artistic vision,
along with encouraging constructive dialogue in the fields of Islamic arts
between the different bodies and visitors at the local and international
levels.”
The event will be supervised by several
international art curators, including artistic director Dr. Amin Jaffer, the
director of Al-Thani Collection, whose academic and artistic work focuses on
the intersections between European and Asian cultures.
Jaffer will be supported by artistic
director Dr. Julian Raby, former lecturer in Islamic arts and architecture,
former director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art,
and a member of the art curatorial team of the Islamic Arts Biennale’s first
edition; writer and historian Dr. Abdulrahman Azzam, adviser of Al-Madar (The
Orbit) exhibition and forum during the first biennale; and contemporary art
curator MuhannadShono, who also participated in the first event.
The second edition of the exhibition
will feature for the first time the Al-Musalla Award, an international
architectural design competition. Participants will be invited to submit a new
design for a temporary mosque, with the winning entry being built on the
biennale grounds.
The priority in the competition will be
given to designs showing the best environmental sustainability standards. More
details regarding the competition, including the names of the jury members,
will be announced over the coming weeks.
The first edition of the biennale was
held last year under the slogan “Awwal Bait,” meaning “First House.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia’s AlUla commission launches
cultural and civilizational heritage awareness campaign
February 01, 2024
Officials from the Royal Commission for
AlUla on Thursday launched a month-long campaign aimed at raising awareness
about the importance of preserving cultural and civilizational heritage and
historic sites.
The “Our Heritage Is Our Responsibility”
initiative was unveiled in cooperation with the people of AlUla through a
series of student events and workshops.
As part of the campaign, the commission
will organize workshops for students and run several social projects at
archeological sites in AlUla.
Commission chiefs working with locals
and a team of international experts aim to make the destination the largest
living museum in the world, in the process boosting tourism, job opportunities,
and the area’s contribution to Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product.
AlUla consists of several historic sites
including the ancient city of Hegra, Dadan, once the capital of the kingdoms of
Dadan and Lihyan, the old town, Qurh (now Al-Mabiyat), and thousands of ancient
landmarks and inscriptions, in addition to natural landscape features.
Source: arabnews.com
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hindus-worship-gyanvapi-bhajan-muslims/d/131643