Muslim Man Can't Have Multiple Wives If He Can't Maintain Them: Kerala High Court
New Age Islam News Bureau
20 September 2025
The observation was made by Justice PV Kunhikrishnan
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· Muslim Man Can't Have Multiple Wives If He Can't Maintain Them: Kerala High Court
· JeM, Hizbul Mujahideen Shift Bases To Khyber Pakhtunkhwa From Pok Following Operation Sindoor: Sources
· Paramilitary Drone Attack On A Mosque In Sudan Kills At Least 70 People, Army Says
· India, Iran, China, and Kyrgyzstan Call for Constructive Engagement with Islamic Emirate at UN Security Council
· More Americans Say Israel Has Gone Too Far In The Gaza Conflict
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India
· India Cautions Saudi To Respect 'Mutual Interests And Sensitivities' After Riyadh Signs Defence Agreement With Pak
· Muslims in UP observe ‘Youm-e-Dua’ for protection of Waqf properties
· Ahead Of BTC Polls, Bodoland Imam Council Asks Minorities To Shun Communal Parties
· ‘Sabka Saath’ Or ‘Paaijaan’? Assam BJP’s Anti-Muslim Video Contradicts PM Modi’s Message
· Jammu and Kashmir: Soldier martyred in Udhampur gunfight as search for terrorists resumes
· Pahalgam attack: Jammu NIA court extends custody of two accused arrested for harbouring Pakistan terrorists
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Africa
· Significant rise in civilian killings in Sudan war this year, says UN
· Tinubu unveils Tantita projects at Kaduna’s central mosque
· Opposition party demands probe into Yaya Dillo's death amid assassination allegations
· France expels Malian diplomats, ends anti-terror cooperation
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South Asia
· PR Adoption In Polls Will ‘Shut The Door To Fascism’: Jamaat Leader Helal
· Mujahid Strongly Condemns UN Secretary-General’s Irresponsible Remarks
· Islamic Emirate Has No Military Agreements with Any Foreign Country, Defense Minister Says
· Afghanistan A 'Promising' Market For Bangladesh, Islamist Leader Mamunul Says After Taliban Meeting
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Mideast
· Gaza civil defense says 450,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City
· French Daesh suspects transferred from Syria to be tried in Iraq
· Iraq nears deal to restart pipeline oil exports from Kurdistan to Turkiye, sources say
· Iraq says senior Daesh leader killed in Syria
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Europe
· Accused French Islamic State Members Held In Syria Sent To Iraq For Trial
· Son Of British Couple Held By Taliban 'Ecstatic' As They Return To UK
· Migrant returned to France after government wins court challenge
· Suspect in 1982 attack on Jewish restaurant in Paris arrested in West Bank
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Arab World
· Saudi Delegation Departs For New York To Attend UNGA80
· Saudi economy minister meets German counterpart in Berlin
· Military uniform factory to be privatized in Saudi Arabia
· Saudi Ministry of Culture selects 20 research proposals
· Saudi Arabia elected to IAEA Board of Governors
· Al-Balad vibrant with visitors amid National Day festivities
· Can Riyadh’s hotel boom set a global standard for sustainability?
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North America
· Andrew Cuomo Heckled By Protesters In Mamdani Gear During Mosque Visit
· The Islamophobic biker gang running Gaza aid sites is just the U.S. empire in a leather jacket
· Sikh granny's arrest by US immigration sparks community anger
· US prosecutor resigns after Trump says 'I want him out'
· US ‘making money’ from Ukraine conflict – Trump
· US wants key Afghan air base back
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Southeast Asia
· Noticing Malaysia’s Blessings — Ashurov Sharofiddin
· Selangor Sultan’s Office reports misuse of Tengku Permaisuri’s image on fake TikTok account
· Singapore’s DSTA unveils Gaia, a generative AI tool to revolutionise defence capabilities
· Libat urus RUU Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan masih dijalankan - Mohd Na’im
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslim-man-multiple-kerala-high-court/d/136917
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Muslim Man Can't Have Multiple Wives If He Can't Maintain Them: Kerala High Court
Sep 20, 2025
The observation was made by Justice PV Kunhikrishnan
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The Kerala High Court has observed that it cannot accept multiple marriages of a Muslim man when he has no capacity to maintain his wives, and one of them approaches the court claiming maintenance.
The observation was made by Justice PV Kunhikrishnan when a 39-year-old Perinthalmanna native approached the court seeking a monthly maintenance of Rs 10,000 from her husband, who survives by begging.
Earlier, the petitioner had approached a Family Court, which dismissed her plea, stating that her 46-year-old husband from Kumbadi, Palakkad, who was surviving on begging, cannot be directed to pay maintenance.
The court, in a satirical manner, referred to a Malayalam phrase implying: "Don't put your hand into a begging bowl".
The judge noted that the husband was also not a saint. "Even though he is blind and a beggar, as stated by the petitioner, who is his second wife, he has been threatening her that he will soon enter into a third marriage with another woman," the court observed.
The court perused the petition and found that the respondent was receiving an income of Rs 25,000 from various sources, including begging, and that the petitioner had sought Rs 10,000 per month as maintenance. The respondent currently lives with his first wife.
The court also noted that it could not digest the contention of the wife that her blind husband regularly assaulted her.
However, while highlighting the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, the court said that judges are not robots. "Admittedly, the respondent belongs to the Muslim community, and he is taking the benefits of his customary law, which, according to him, allows him to marry twice or thrice. A person who has no capacity to maintain a second or third wife cannot marry again, even as per the customary law of Muslims," the court observed.
The court further said that successive marriages of the man, when he was only a beggar, cannot be accepted even under Muslim customary law. "These types of marriages happen in the Muslim community because of the lack of education, lack of knowledge of the customary law of Muslims. A court of law cannot simply recognise the first, second or third marriage of a Muslim man when he has no capacity to maintain his wives and one of the wives approached the court with a petition claiming maintenance," it noted.
Referring to verses of the Quran, it said the holy text propagates monogamy and treats polygamy as only an exception. "If a Muslim man can give justice to his first wife, second wife, third wife and fourth wife, then only marriage more than once is permissible," the court said.
According to the court, a majority of Muslims follow monogamy, which reflects the true spirit of the Quran, while only a small minority practise polygamy, forgetting its verses. They must be educated by religious leaders and society, it said.
Taking up the respondent's situation, the court said begging cannot be recognised as a livelihood and that it is the duty of the state, society, and judiciary to ensure that no one resorts to it. It stressed that the state must provide food and clothing to such persons.
The court also referred to Sree Narayana Guru's Daivadasakam, a collection of ten verses on God.
"If a blind man who is begging in front of the mosque and marrying one after another without even knowledge of the fundamental principles of Muslim customary law, he should be counselled appropriately. It is the duty of the state to protect the destitute wives who are victims of polygamy in the Muslim community," the judge said.
The court directed that a copy of its order be given to the Secretary of the Social Welfare Department for appropriate action. "The department should provide counselling to the respondent, assisted by the competent counsellors, including religious leaders," it ordered.
Regarding the plea for maintenance, the court reiterated the Family Court's earlier stance. "I am of the considered opinion that this court cannot direct a beggar to pay maintenance to his wife. However, the government should ensure that the petitioners' wives are also provided with food and clothing," he court ordered.
Source: ndtv.com
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https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/muslim-man-cant-have-multiple-wives-if-he-cant-maintain-them-kerala-high-court-9311865
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JeM, Hizbul Mujahideen shift bases to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from PoK following Operation Sindoor: Sources
20.09.25
File picture
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Pakistan-based terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) have begun relocating their bases to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir in the wake of India's Operation Sindoor, sources in the defence and military establishment said on Friday.
The decision reflects a significant "tactical adaptation" by these groups, which now view Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) as vulnerable to Indian strikes, while KPK offers greater depth due to its proximity to the Afghan frontier, they said.
Under Operation Sindoor, India destroyed terrorism centres in Bahawalpur, Muridke, Muzaffarabad and several other places.
In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan.
The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.
"The inputs indicate that this movement by the terror groups is being conducted with full awareness and direct facilitation of Pakistan's state structures," said one of the sources The sources also cited holding of JeM gatherings in certain places in Pakistan recently under police protection and the "tacit involvement" of political-religious outfits like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI).
These details are part of a dossier prepared jointly by several Indian security and intelligence agencies.
The most significant development uncovered occurred in Garhi Habibullah town of Mansehra district in KPK, where JeM staged a public recruitment drive roughly seven hours before the start of the India-Pakistan cricket match on September 14, the sources said.
The event was a coordinated mobilisation effort led jointly by JeM and JUI in the presence of Mulana Mufti Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, alias Abu Mohammad, a senior JeM leader for KPK and Kashmir, they said.
Ilyas Kashmiri is a high-value target wanted in India, and he is closely connected to JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar.
His presence at a public rally guarded by both JeM cadres armed with M4 rifles and local police officers reflects the Pakistan state's support for JeM, the sources said.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/jem-hizbul-mujahideen-shift-bases-to-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-from-pok-following-operation-sindoor-sources/cid/2124041
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Paramilitary drone attack on a mosque in Sudan kills at least 70 people, army says
September 19, 2025
Sudanese women wait for their turn to receive humanitarian aid at a centre run by international organisations in the Hatana district of northern Khartoum. (AFP)
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CAIRO: A drone attack blamed on Sudan’s paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces struck a mosque during prayers Friday, killing at least 70 worshippers in the North Darfur region, aid workers and the Sudanese army said.
The strike in the besieged city of El Fasher completely destroyed the mosque, and the death toll would likely go higher because bodies still were buried in the rubble, said a worker with the local aid group Emergency Response Rooms. The worker spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation by the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.
Sudan’s army, which has been fighting against the RSF in escalating violence since April 2023, said in a statement that it was mourning the deaths of at least 70 victims in the attack.
“Targeting civilians unjustly is the motto of this rebel militia, and it continues to do so in full view of the entire world,” the statement read.
Further details of the attack were difficult to obtain because it happened in an area where many international organizations have pulled out due to security risks in the crossfire of battles between the RSF and the army.
The fight between the two sides has erupted into a civil war that has killed at least 40,000 people, according to the World Health Organization, displaced as many as 12 million others and pushed many to the brink of famine.
The Resistance Committees in El Fasher, a group of local activists who track abuses, posted a video Friday reportedly showing parts of the mosque reduced to rubble with several scattered bodies. The Associated Press could not independently verify the footage.
The Darfur Victims Support Organization, which monitors abuses against civilians, said the attack happened at a mosque on the Daraga Al-Oula street at around 5 a.m. local time, citing witnesses.
The latest in a series of attacks in El Fasher
The drone strike was the latest in a series of attacks over the past week during heavy clashes between the two sides in El Fasher.
Satellite imagery posted Friday by the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University showed signs of drone activity and the impact of explosions in the El Fasher area earlier in the week.
The images showed damage to several structures in the famine-stricken Abu Shouk refugee camp, Located outside El Fasher, the camp houses 450,000 displaced people and has been repeatedly attacked throughout the war.
“El Fasher is falling to RSF forces,” who now control the Abu Shouk camp and have overrun the local operational headquarters of the army, the Yale-based group said.
The Resistance Committee in El Fasher said in a statement Thursday that the RSF had targeted several unarmed civilians, including women and older adults, in displacement shelters in the city.
On Tuesday, the Sudan Doctors Network had said that the RSF killed 18 people and kidnapped 14 others, including three girls, in El Fasher in what it said was a surge in kidnappings.
Thousands in the region have died, UN says
A Friday report by UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) recorded the deaths of at least 3,384 civilians in Sudan, mostly in Darfur, between January and June, nearly 80 percent of the number of civilian casualties recorded in 2024. The real death toll is likely significantly higher.
By early April, fighting in El Fasher over the control of the city and surrounding areas in North Darfur had intensified. More than 400 civilians have been killed in RSF attacks in the area since Apr. 10. The majority were killed in a major offensive that seized the nearby Zamzam displacement camp. The camp was turned into an RSF military base used to launch assaults on El Fasher, according to the report.
RSF offensives have left many wounded and involved sexual violence, summary executions of residents and humanitarians, and attacks on civilians hiding in improvised bomb shelters or attempting to flee, according to OHCHR.
Residents under El Fasher siege lack health care
Healthcare remains largely inaccessible under siege of El Fasher, said Dr. Ezzeldin Asow of El Fasher South Hospital in a voice recording posted by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
He said patients are being brought on foot or by donkey carts, while medical workers continue saving lives despite risking their own. El Fasher South Hospital is the only working hospital offering surgery in the city.
UN Human Rights Office’s representative for Sudan, Li Fung, at a UN briefing in Geneva on Friday warned that the situation in El Fasher “continues to rapidly deteriorate” as the ongoing siege causes severe shortages in food, water and medicine.
“The reality on the ground in El Fasher is horrific,” Fung said. “We continue to receive reports of civilians being killed, abducted or subjected to sexual violence while attempting to leave El Fasher.”
“There are no safe exit routes out of the city, and civilians are trapped in a situation of impossible choice — either stay in El Fasher and risk bombardment, starvation and atrocities if the RSF overrun the city, or flee and face the risk of summary execution, sexual violence and abduction.”
Source: arabnews.com
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India, Iran, China, and Kyrgyzstan Call for Constructive Engagement with Islamic Emirate at UN Security Council
September 20, 2025
KABUL: During a recent United Nations Security Council meeting, representatives from key regional and global powers, including India, Iran, China, and Kyrgyzstan, voiced strong support for positive engagement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, emphasizing dialogue over pressure. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, highlighted the historic and civilizational ties between India and Afghanistan, stating: “India and Afghanistan share a deep-rooted friendship spanning centuries. We believe continued engagement with the Afghan people is essential for lasting peace and regional stability.”Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing that engagement is not a choice but a necessity. “Constructive and practical engagement is essential to address the ongoing humanitarian and economic challenges. We stress that humanitarian aid must remain impartial and not be politicized,” he stressed. China and Kyrgyzstan also reaffirmed their commitment to regional cooperation and dialogue with the Islamic Emirate, highlighting the importance of stability in Afghanistan for broader regional peace and economic connectivity.
Russia’s representative acknowledged the efforts of the current Afghan authorities in maintaining internal stability while encouraging continued focus on counter-terrorism and governance improvements.
The overall tone of the meeting reflected a growing consensus that sustainable peace and development in Afghanistan require engagement, not isolation, marking a shift toward more realistic and inclusive international policy regarding the country.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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More Americans say Israel has gone too far in the Gaza conflict
September 19, 2025
Palestinians from Gaza City move southwards with their belongings, on the coastal road near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on September 19, 2025. (AFP)
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WASHINGTON: At a moment of growing international alarm about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, more US adults view Israel’s military action in the Palestinian territory as excessive than at the beginning of the war, according to a new poll.
About half of Americans say the military response from Israel in the Gaza Strip has “gone too far,” according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s up from November 2023, when 40 percent said Israel’s military action had gone too far. That AP-NORC poll was conducted shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.
But at the same time, Americans overall, particularly Republicans, are less likely to say that negotiating a ceasefire should be a high priority for the US government than they were just a few months ago when the US was holding ceasefire talks with Hamas.
The shift in American attitudes about Israel’s actions comes as Israel begins an expanded ground offensive on Gaza City. Israel is facing increased international scrutiny over its conduct in Gaza, with a team of independent experts commissioned by the UN’s Human Rights Council this week announcing it has concluded that Israel is committing genocide.
“The level of innocent women and children suffering,” said Renee Hollier, of Lafayette, Louisiana, who described herself as a political independent and mother of a toddler.
“There’s just no justification for this kind of suffering to continue.”
The poll found a bipartisan uptick in Americans finding Israel’s military response has “gone too far.”
About 7 in 10 Democrats say this now, up from 58 percent in November 2023. And roughly half of independents say the same, compared with about 4 in 10 in the earlier measure.
Republicans have also moved slightly, from 18 percent to 24 percent.
Concern about overreach from Israel was high in January 2024, when 50 percent of US adults said Israel had “gone too far,” but that fell slightly as the war continued.
And 45 percent of US adults now say it’s “extremely” or “very” important for the US to provide humanitarian relief to Palestinians in Gaza, similar to Americans’ views at the start of the war but up slightly from 41 percent in March.
Miguel Martinez, 55, of Miami, said it remains critical for the Republican administration to prioritize humanitarian relief even as it backs the Israeli military’s effort to defeat Hamas.
Martinez supports Israel’s aim to defeat Hamas, but he’s concerned that the conflict is dragging on.
“Not everyone there is the enemy,” said Martinez, a Republican who said he broadly approves of Trump’s handling of the conflict. “Those people need help.”
In interviews, Americans across the political spectrum were dour about the prospects of the US mediating a lasting ceasefire.
“There’s an all-or-nothing attitude on both sides,” Martinez said of Israel and Hamas.
“Any resolution, any ceasefire, it’s hard to see it being anything more than temporary.”
Democrats are more likely to prioritize negotiations on an independent Palestinian state
Larry Kapenstein, 71, a Democrat from Middletown, Pennsylvania, said he’s worried about the conflict’s long-term ramifications for Israel’s economy and standing in the world.
“I side with Israel, and I think they’re in the right in this, but I think Netanyahu has just taken this too far,” Kapenstein said. “There’s got to be a better way.”
About 3 in 10 US adults said it is “extremely” or “very” important to negotiate the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, unchanged from January 2024. But that belief is especially pronounced among Democrats: About half now say this is highly important, up from 41 percent in 2024. That compares with 19 percent of independents and 14 percent of Republicans.
The survey also found slightly less support for military aid for Israel.
About 2 in 10 US adults said it is “extremely” or “very” important for the US to provide aid to Israel’s military to fight Hamas, down from 36 percent at the war’s start. The decline has been particularly dramatic among Democrats, from 30 percent at the war’s beginning to 15 percent now.
Source: arabnews.com
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India
India cautions Saudi to respect 'mutual interests and sensitivities' after Riyadh signs defence agreement with Pak
19.09.25
India on Friday said it expects Saudi Arabia to keep in mind "mutual interests and sensitivities" in the wake of Riyadh sealing a strategic defence pact with Pakistan.
The agreement states that "any aggression against either of the two countries shall be considered as an aggression against both".
"India and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership that has deepened considerably in the last few years," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We expect that our strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities," he said.
Jaiswal was responding to a question at his weekly media briefing.
The "Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement" was signed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday.
Sharif, accompanied by Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, was on a visit to Saudi Arabia.
The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia joint statement said the new defence agreement reflects the "shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security" and it "aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression."
Pakistan has been a key ally of Saudi Arabia and both sides have a relationship in the defence sector.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/india-cautions-saudi-to-respect-mutual-interests-and-sensitivities-after-riyadh-signs-defence-agreement-with-pak/cid/2123961
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Muslims in UP observe ‘Youm-e-Dua’ for protection of Waqf properties
September 19, 2025
On the appeal of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Muslims across Uttar Pradesh observed today (Friday) as Youm-e-Dua — a Day of Prayer — for the protection of Waqf properties and the success of the case in the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025.
Delivering the Friday sermon at Jama Masjid Eidgah, Lucknow, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali stated that Waqf is an integral part of Islam, as mentioned in the Quran. He emphasized that the Prophet of Islam, his companions, and other Muslims donated their personal properties in the name of Allah, which is known as Waqf.
Maulana further stated that the Constitution of India guarantees religious freedom under Articles 25 and 26, which ensures the right to manage religious institutions and places of worship. The AIMPLB, he added, had submitted a detailed representation to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), pointing out that many of the new amendments violate Articles 14, 15, 16, 25, and 26 of the Constitution.
He informed that the case is currently being contested in the Supreme Court, and in a recent interim order, the Court has provided some relief. He expressed hope and confidence that the final judgment would ensure complete justice for the Muslim community.
Following the Friday Namaz, special prayers (Dua) were offered in almost all mosques across Uttar Pradesh and the country, seeking divine help for a favorable outcome in the case.
Source: thestatesman.com
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https://www.thestatesman.com/india/muslims-in-up-observe-youm-e-dua-for-protection-of-waqf-properties-1503488758.html
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Ahead of BTC polls, Bodoland Imam Council asks minorities to shun communal parties
September 19, 2025
The Bodoland Imam Council has urged Muslim voters across the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) to avoid voting for political parties with a communal agenda.
The Imam council’s president, Hafiz Qutubuddin, told journalists in western Assam’s Kokrajhar on Friday (September 19, 2025) that divisive politics was threatening the unity and harmony of the diverse Indian society.
“India is like a beautiful garden where people of diverse faiths and ethnicities bloom like flowers. We must oppose parties pursuing communal politics, which is harmful for this garden,” he said.
Describing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Maulana Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front as communal forces, he advised the minority community to opt for the more secular regional parties.
“Only the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) present credible alternatives. The former has ensured an unprecedented reign of peace and has shown a secular face,” Mr. Qutubuddin said.
“Muslims and other minority communities should elect the leaders of the party that is sincere about protecting their rights,” he said.
The elections to the Bodoland Territorial Council, comprising 40 constituencies across the BTR, are scheduled on September 22. The campaign for the election ends at 4 p.m. on Saturday (September 20, 2025).
The Pramod Boro-led UPPL heads the coalition government in the BTR. Its allies are the BJP and the Gana Suraksha Party.
The BPF, headed by extremist-turned-politician Hagrama Mohilary, ruled the BTR for 17 years from 2003 to 2020. It is a former ally of the BJP.
Source: thehindu.com
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/assam/ahead-of-btc-polls-bodoland-imam-council-asks-minorities-to-shun-communal-parties/article70069845.ece
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‘Sabka Saath’ or ‘Paaijaan’? Assam BJP’s anti-Muslim video contradicts PM Modi’s message
AMANA BEGAM
19 September, 2025
Earlier this week, BJP Assam’s official X handle posted an AI-generated video showing a Muslim-majority Assam, with the caption: “Assam without BJP.” It sends a message that reduces an entire community to a threat in a generalised way, and tells people that the very existence of an entire group means danger. Technology here is being used not to imagine a better future, but to rehearse the same old fears in sharper, shinier form.
As expected, the video has sparked controversy, with the state Congress even filing a police complaint on Thursday. Meanwhile, Assam government spokesperson Pijush Hazarika rushed to defend it, claiming it was only about the “threat of illegal immigrants” and their impact on Assam’s demography. But if that’s really the case, why not look into it when people call out the communal undertones?
If the issue is illegal migration, then the message should have been clear and direct, without dressing it up in imagery that paints an entire community as a menace. The defence collapses the moment you look at the content itself—it doesn’t feel like a message about illegality, it feels like a message about identity.
The official BJP Assam handle has not stopped at one video. More clips have followed, this time with the tag “Paaijaan” and flashing images of minority communities at Congress rallies, as if their very presence were a threat. Another shows a Muslim pretending to be a Hindu. This is the party’s own verified account pushing a communal agenda in plain sight.
And maybe that is the point. Because let’s be honest: if the intention were only to warn about illegal migration, the BJP has the machinery and media to convey that without ambiguity. What speaks louder is what they actually chose to post. It’s less about solving the issue, more about feeding their base. After all, what easier way to hold on to power than to remind voters of a fear, draw a line between “us” and “them,” and present yourself as the only barrier? It’s not a promise to deliver, it’s a promise to protect from an enemy.
What NRC numbers really show
Here is the real question—when the talk is about illegal immigrants in Assam, why does the imagination of BJP Assam’s account immediately stop at Muslims? Even the National Register of Citizens (NRC) data tells a different story.
Out of the nearly 16 lakh names excluded from the state’s draft citizens’ list, around 7 lakh were Muslims, yes, but 5 lakh were Bengali Hindus, 2 lakh Assamese Hindus, and even 1.5 lakh Gorkhas.
Yet the message that comes out is singular, one-dimensional, and deliberately narrows the “problem” to one community. What does that say? Either they don’t want to deal with the complexity of the issue, or worse, they believe their voters don’t want to hear it.
I don’t know what the sadder part is—that this came from the official Assam BJP account, not some fringe element, or that it reflects a calculated political strategy.
Fear and division are often the quickest ways to consolidate a base, especially in regions where communal identities are politically salient. The handlers of these accounts seem to understand that highlighting a perceived threat resonates more immediately with voters than any nuanced discussion of migration or policy complexity. It is not just a moral failing, but a tactical choice rooted in the realities of electoral politics.
Modi’s message vs ground realities
While Prime Minister Modi keeps promising “sabka saath, sabka vikas”—a message of inclusion without discrimination—BJP’s regional units often fall back on overt communal rhetoric that runs completely against this vision.
Is it due to lack of coordination within the party, or do regional leaders believe it is the quicker route to power? Either way, it seems the pursuit of votes outweighs the national interest.
There seems to be an unspoken conflict within the BJP itself— between Modi’s carefully polished image of inclusive nation-building and the rhetoric of some regional leaders who appear more interested in playing the old communal card. While Modi speaks of unity, development, and India’s global rise, leaders on the ground often reach for fear and division to secure their base. The contradiction raises a deeper question: is this a clash of visions within the party?
At the end of the day, politicians will keep playing the same game if they believe this is what wins them votes. But responsibility also lies with the voters.
If citizens keep rewarding or turning a blind eye to the generalised othering of a community, that is all they will ever be offered. But if people demand better—real governance and development—the message cannot be ignored. Until voters demand more than fear and division, politicians will keep trading in the easiest currency: the prejudice of the crowd.
Source: theprint.in
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https://theprint.in/opinion/sabka-saath-or-paaijaan-assam-bjps-anti-muslim-video-contradicts-pm-modis-message/2746263/
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Jammu and Kashmir: Soldier martyred in Udhampur gunfight as search for terrorists resumes
20.09.25
A soldier, who was critically injured in a gunfight with terrorists, succumbed to his injuries as the Army and police resumed a joint hunt for terrorists in a remote forest area in the higher reaches of the Udhampur district early Saturday, officials said.
The soldier was injured late Friday evening when terrorists opened fire on the joint search party of the Army and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Seoj Dhar forest border in the Dudu-Basantgarh area of Udhampur and Bhaderwah in Doda, the officials said.
They said the soldier was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The area around the scene of the encounter was kept under tight cordon during the night and the joint search operation resumed on Saturday morning, the officials said, adding that two to three terrorists are believed to be hiding in the forest area.
Reinforcements equipped with drones and sniffer dogs were rushed from both Udhampur and Doda sides and a massive search operation was underway when last reports were received, the officials said. However, there was no fresh contact with the terrorists so far, they added.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/soldier-martyred-in-udhampur-gunfight-as-search-for-terrorists-resumes/cid/2124043
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Pahalgam attack: Jammu NIA court extends custody of two accused arrested for harbouring Pakistan terrorists
Sep 20, 2025
JAMMU: A special NIA court in Jammu has extended by 45 days the custodial remand of two accused arrested on charges of harbouring Pakistani terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Special judge Sandeep Gandotra on Thursday extended the remand of Pahalgam locals Bashir Ahmad Jothat and Parvaiz Ahmad, who hail from Baisaran and Batkote, respectively, beyond the stipulated 90-day period to allow the NIA more time to complete its probe into the massacre of 26 people, after public prosecutor Chandan Kumar Singh submitted that the investigation was at a crucial stage, and several witness statements yet to be recorded.
The investigating agency also stated that crucial evidence was still awaited, including analysis of mobile phone data linked to Pakistani numbers, forensic reports from CFSL Chandigarh and NFSU Gandhinagar, and DNA profiling of seized blankets, shawls and bedsheets to establish links with the slain terrorists. Arms and ammunition recovered in a July 28 encounter were also under forensic analysis, the prosecution said.
The two accused were arrested on June 22, and have been in judicial custody at Amphalla district jail in Jammu. Their 90-day remand was set to expire on Sept 19.
Opposing NIA’s application for extension of remand, defence counsel Ashwani Kumar countered that the accused had already been in custody for two months without conclusive evidence, and the agency had failed to complete investigation within the time granted.
Rejecting the defence plea, the court noted that the allegations were grave and directly linked to national security, and granted 45 days’ extension while directing the investigating officer to complete the probe expeditiously.
In another case, the same court dismissed the bail application of Tanveer Ahmed Wani, former chief of the LoC Traders Association, who is accused of channelising funds from Pakistan to strengthen the network of the Hizbul Mujahideen.
Wani, a resident of Pulwama, was arrested in Feb 2020. According to the NIA, he had strong links with Pakistan-based Hizbul leadership and personally handed over cash to terrorists. He also facilitated meetings and maintained an over-ground worker network to route money for terror activities.
After hearing the prosecution and the petitioner’s counsel, judge Gandotra noted that the accusations were serious and directly linked to national security. The gravity of charges under IPC and UAPA barred bail at this stage, he ruled.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pahalgam-attack-jammu-nia-court-extends-custody-of-two-accused-arrested-for-harbouring-pakistan-terrorists/articleshow/124006055.cms
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Africa
Significant rise in civilian killings in Sudan war this year, says UN
September 19, 2025
GENEVA: Sudan has seen a significant rise in civilian killings during the first half of this year due to growing ethnic violence, largely in the western region of Darfur, the UN human rights office said on Friday.
The conflict that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has unleashed waves of ethnically-driven killings, caused mass displacement, and created what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
At least 3,384 civilians were killed between January and June, mostly in Darfur, according to a new report by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights. The figure is equivalent to nearly 80 percent of the civilian casualties in Sudan documented last year.
Throughout the war, casualty numbers have been hard to track because of the collapse of local health services, fighting, and communications breakdowns, among other reasons.
“Every day we are receiving more reports of horrors on the ground,” OHCHR Sudan representative Li Fung said in Geneva.
The majority of killings resulted from artillery shelling as well as air and drone strikes in densely populated areas, the report said.
It noted many deaths occurred during the RSF’s offensive on the city of El-Fasher, the last holdout of its rivals in Darfur, as well as on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps for displaced people in April.
At least 990 civilians were killed in summary executions in the first half of the year, the report found, with the number between February and April tripling. That was driven mainly by a surge in Khartoum after the army and allied fighters in late March recaptured the city previously controlled by the RSF, the OHCHR said.
“One witness who observed SAF search operations in civilian neighborhoods in East Nile, Khartoum, between March and April, said that he saw children as young as 14 or 15 years of age, accused of being RSF members, summarily killed,” OHCHR spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said.
Fung said ethnicity was a motivating factor for violence, which she described as very concerning.
She explained that certain ethnic communities were being targeted because they are associated with the leadership of the SAF and RSF, building upon decades of discrimination and division between different groups and identities in the diverse nation.
Both sides in Sudan’s war have repeatedly denied deliberately attacking civilians.
The humanitarian situation in Sudan was dire and worsening, said Patrick Youssef, Africa regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
Sudan faces its worst cholera outbreak in four years across the country, with 2,500 cases reported in Khartoum since June, he said.
“We really pray that it’s contained within days or weeks ... My worst nightmare would be a bigger spread in Khartoum, if the populations want to return back to Khartoum,” he said.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2615999/middle-east
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Tinubu unveils Tantita projects at Kaduna’s central mosque
19th September 2025
By Godwin Isenyo
President Bola Tinubu on Friday inaugurated a set of modern facilities at the historic Sultan Bello Mosque, Kaduna, sponsored by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited in a ceremony that blended religious significance with corporate philanthropy.
The newly inaugurated projects include a state-of-the-art ablution centre, 50 restrooms with VIP sections, and a massive 300,000-litre overhead water tank designed to serve both worshippers and the wider Ungwan Sarki community.
Speaking at the event, Tinubu, who was in Kaduna for the wedding of the son of a former Zamfara State Governor, Abdul’Aziz Yari, hailed the gesture as “a shining example of unity and corporate responsibility that transcends regional and religious divides.”
He noted that beyond the spiritual value, the project demonstrated how private-sector players could complement government efforts in delivering critical social infrastructure.
Before the intervention, the Sultan Bello Mosque, founded in 1962 and regarded as one of Northern Nigeria’s most prominent Islamic centres, relied on a small, ageing ablution facility grossly inadequate for the large congregation, especially during the weekly Juma’at prayers.
With the new ablution centre, over 300 worshippers can now perform ablution simultaneously, while the 300,000-litre water tank guarantees an uninterrupted water supply to the mosque and surrounding homes.
Residents of Ungwan Sarki say the project has brought relief to a neighbourhood long plagued by water shortages.
“For years, we struggled, especially on Fridays when thousands came to pray. The old ablution spot could not cope with the numbers.
“Now, with this big facility and steady water, things will be much easier for everyone,” Aminu Bello, a resident.
Tantita Security Services is chaired by ex-militant leader Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.
The firm, best known for its oil pipeline surveillance contracts in the Niger Delta, has in recent years expanded its corporate social responsibility portfolio beyond the South-South region.
According to the site engineer, Abba Mubashir, the company spared no expense in ensuring quality delivery.
“From the foundation to the final touches, everything was done to the highest standards. The ablution area is spacious, the restrooms are modern, and the 300,000-litre tank now supplies water to the mosque and the community,” Mubashir told journalists.
He revealed that Tantita had also sponsored projects in other parts of Kaduna, including the construction of an Islamic school in Ambushia and a Christian school in Sabo.
“This shows that the company’s commitment goes beyond religious or regional lines. It is about uplifting communities wherever help is needed,” he added.
The Chief Ladan of Sultan Bello Mosque, Malam Abdurrahman Abdulhamid, described the project as a long-awaited dream finally realised.
“Alhamdulillah, this project was initially started by Jack Rich but was abandoned for over three to four years,” Abdulhamid said.
“Tantita came in and completed it. Now, 300 people can perform ablution at once, we have 50 toilets including VIP sections, and the 300,000-litre tank will serve both the mosque and the entire Ungwan Sarki area.”
He offered prayers for Tantita Security Services and urged other corporate bodies to emulate its example by investing in social projects that directly impact communities.
The commissioning underscored a growing trend where private-sector actors intervene to fill infrastructure gaps traditionally left to government agencies.
Source: punchng.com
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https://punchng.com/tinubu-unveils-tantita-projects-at-kadunas-central-mosque/
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Opposition party demands probe into Yaya Dillo's death amid assassination allegations
September 19, 2025
The Chadian opposition party, Socialist Without Borders, is demanding an inquest into the death of their leader, Yaya Dillo. The call for investigation follows allegations of government involvement in his assassination.
Dillo was killed on February 27, 2025, at the party's headquarters in N'Djamena during a violent raid by armed men said to be associated with Chad's state security services.
In a press conference, the lawyer for Dillo's family raised serious concerns about the circumstances surrounding his death, stating that the building was destroyed shortly after the incident and that no proper autopsy was conducted.
"Yaya Dillo was assassinated on February 27, 2025, in N'Djamena while he was at the headquarters of his party. This building was stormed by armed men belonging to the Chadian state security services. This is a fact universally acknowledged. And within 24 hours, the building was razed and Mr. Yaya Dillo was buried without any expert assessment or legal autopsy," said Charles-Stéphane Marchiani, the family's lawyer.
Opposition leader and Secretary-General Robert Gam also spoke out, criticizing the government's actions over the past 19 months:
"Only in Chad does the government shoot at its people, kidnap citizens, and sequester and kill opponents who defend justice without international partners being concerned."
Amnesty International has joined the call for action, urging the Chadian authorities to release ten associates of Yaya Dillo who were recently acquitted but remain in detention. The organization highlights that this continued detention violates human rights and calls for clarity regarding the situation of other individuals connected to this case.
Samira Daoud, the Regional Director of Amnesty, remarked on the troubling conditions many detainees are facing, including minors and those with health issues.
Additionally, Robert Gam himself was arrested in September 2024 and is reportedly being held without communication, while another member, Abakar Torabi, spent nine months in detention without charges before being released. Amnesty International is urging the government to either formalize charges against Gam or release him entirely.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2025/09/19/opposition-party-demands-probe-into-yaya-dillos-death-amid-assassination-allegations/
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France expels Malian diplomats, ends anti-terror cooperation
September 19, 2025
The suspension follows the arrest a month ago by Malian authorities of a French national accused of complicity in a coup attempt against Bamako's junta.
Mali said the man named Yann Vezilier was acting on behalf of France's spy agency.
He was arrested alongside two army generals and eight other people.
France protested his arrest saying Vezilier was an accredited member of its embassy in Bamako and that accusations against him were "unfounded".
Paris' foreign ministry added that Vezilier’s arrest was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
On top of halting counterterrorism cooperation, France has also expelled two Malian diplomats. They have until Saturday to leave the country.
Mali retaliated by expelling five staff of the French embassy. The individuals left Bamako on Sunday, The New Republic reported citing a French diplomatic source.
In 2022, Mali cut military ties with former colonial power, France, and has turned instead to Russia for support.
The country, alongside neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, is fighting off a violent Islamist insurgency in its north. In recent weeks, the insurgents have attempted to impose an economic blockade by attacking a key supply route to Senegal, Mali's main gateway to the sea.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2025/09/19/france-expels-malian-diplomats-ends-anti-terror-cooperation/
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South Asia
PR adoption in polls will ‘shut the door to fascism’: Jamaat leader Helal
Sep 19, 2025
Jamaat-e-Islami central leader Advocate Moazzem Hossain Helal today said the adoption of proportional representation (PR) in elections would "shut the door to fascism" in Bangladesh.
He urged the interim government to hold elections in accordance with the July Charter.
Helal, Jamaat's central assistant secretary general, made the remarks while addressing a protest rally at Shaheb Bazar Zero Point in Rajshahi this afternoon. The rally was organised to press home the party's five-point demand.
The Jamaat leader said, "If elections are held under the existing state structure, it will only give birth to another fascist regime and another Hasina government."
He said Jamaat-e-Islami has always wanted the country to move forward through an acceptable election. But it is evident that due to the influence of a certain political party, the government is failing to ensure a level playing field.
"On August 5 this year, the chief adviser presented the July Declaration. That draft, influenced by a vested group, included many anti-people elements. We had asked that these be corrected. If these are not corrected before the election, the country may face a major disaster," said the Jamaat leader.
He further said, "Since the July Charter has not been given a legal basis, a level playing field cannot be ensured. Many people are asking us why we are moving to the streets even while being part of discussions. The reason is that despite holding discussions, no solution is emerging. Under various pressures, the government is moving toward deception. Our movement is part of politics."
The rally was presided over by Dr Mawlana Keramat Ali, member of the party's central working committee and amir of Rajshahi city unit.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/pr-adoption-polls-will-shut-the-door-fascism-jamaat-leader-helal-3989856
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Mujahid Strongly Condemns UN Secretary-General’s Irresponsible Remarks
September 20, 2025
KABUL: Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, in a statement the other day, strongly condemned recent remarks made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in which actions related to women in Afghanistan were described as “stupid.”
“We firmly reject and condemn such irresponsible and inappropriate statements,” Mujahid said.
The spokesman emphasized: “The head of an international organization like the United Nations must understand the weight and implications of his words and refrain from using reckless language.”
He further stressed that all policies and regulations concerning both women and men in Afghanistan are based on Islamic Sharia law.
“If anyone lacks knowledge or understanding of Sharia, that is their own shortcoming. Instead of issuing baseless accusations, they should seek to educate themselves properly.”
Afghanistan calls on all international figures and institutions to show respect for religious values and national sovereignty, and to avoid making offensive or uninformed judgments, the spokesman concluded.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/mujahid-strongly-condemns-un-secretary-generals-irresponsible-remarks/
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Islamic Emirate Has No Military Agreements with Any Foreign Country, Defense Minister Says
September 20, 2025
KABUL: Mawlavi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the country’s Minister of National Defense, has stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that the Islamic Emirate currently holds no military agreements with any foreign country.
Mawlavi Yaqoob reaffirmed the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to the Doha Agreement, emphasizing that Afghan soil will not be used against any country.
Addressing concerns about potential threats, he said, “No country can present evidence that any threat has emanated from Afghanistan.”
Mujahid further noted that the Islamic Emirate’s current focus is on political and economic matters, particularly the removal of international sanctions.
He also highlighted that the Ministry of Defense has extensive plans to rebuild and professionalize the Islamic Army, with large numbers of personnel regularly graduating from training programs and joining the military ranks to serve the country.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/islamic-emirate-has-no-military-agreements-with-any-foreign-country-defense-minister-says/
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Afghanistan a 'promising' market for Bangladesh, Islamist leader Mamunul says after Taliban meeting
19 Sep 2025
A delegation of Bangladeshi clerics led by Maulana Mamunul Haque has reportedly held talks in Kabul with Mullah Abdul Manan Omari, brother of late Taliban founder Mullah Omar and Afghanistan’s incumbent minister for labour and social welfare.
In a Facebook Live broadcast from Kabul on Thursday night, Mamunul, the chief of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, said the hour-long session took place earlier in the day at the ministry.
He described the minister as “very modest, humble, and a wise scholar”, saying his demeanour showed “the peak of humility”.
Omari is the younger brother of Mullah Omar, the founder and spiritual head of the Taliban, serving as chief of the movement’s first government in 1996. Omar’s son, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, is Afghanistan’s defence minister.
According to the Middle East Institute, Omari had been minister of public works from September 2021 before being appointed minister for labour and social welfare in January 2023. He also took part in Taliban delegations at the Doha talks with the former Afghan government in 2020 and 2021.
The seven-member delegation from Bangladesh is currently staying at Kabul Star Hotel in the Afghan capital. Alongside Mamunul are his party's deputy chief Maulana Abdul Hamid, Maulana Abdul Awal, Maulana Abdul Haque, Maulana Habibullah Mahmud Qasemi, Maulana Monir Hossain Qasemi and Maulana Mahbubur Rahman.
In his live stream, Mamunul said the clerics had travelled via Dubai after performing Umrah in Makkah. He called Thursday “the first official day” of their visit, during which they focussed on scholarly exchanges, strengthening ties between clerics in the two countries, and broader unity across the Muslim community worldwide.
“We also held discussions in a sincere fashion about the current crises facing the Muslim ummah,” he said, adding that Afghanistan’s director general for labour and social welfare was present at the meeting.
LABOUR AND TRADE OPPORTUNITIES
Mamunul said the Afghan authorities were seeking skilled manpower from abroad, especially in engineering, technology and medical sciences. He said the minister hoped Bangladesh would assist “as a Muslim country” in these sectors.
“In healthcare, the labour market, and in trade and commerce, Afghanistan can be a potential partner,” Mamunul said. He described Afghanistan as a “very promising” labour market for Bangladesh, but noted that bilateral trade in the last fiscal year amounted to only $50 million.
Highlighting Bangladesh’s healthcare advances, he said Afghan people had “enormous” medical needs.
“Through proper diplomatic ties, we can send our medical professionals. This would not only bring foreign currency to Bangladesh, but also allow us to serve millions of deprived Afghans,” he said.
CALL FOR UNITY
Mamunul also pointed to the recent defence pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, calling it an inspiration for the “entire Muslim ummah”.
“The time has come for Muslim unity. At a time when Palestinians in Gaza face brutal oppression, attacks, and atrocities backed by Western powers, the Muslim leadership must stand beside them.”
He added that the delegation planned to hold further bilateral meetings with officials from other Afghan ministries, and would also visit areas affected by a recent earthquake.
During the trip, the clerics toured the Mullah Omar Jame Mosque, built in the style of Al Aqsa on Wazir Akbar Khan Hill, as well as Afghanistan’s largest national flag, 40 metres long and inscribed with the kalima, which flies on a tall minaret beside the mosque.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis said the delegation was visiting at the invitation of the Afghan government. Mamunul explained that the trip was organised by a UK-based group called Prosper Afghanistan, which, he said, supports disadvantaged Muslim communities with a focus on Afghanistan.
“With their support, and at the invitation of the Afghan Ministry of Interior, our week-long trip is under way,” he said.
By Friday afternoon, Mamunul’s Facebook Live video had been viewed nearly 149,000 times, drawing more than 2,500 comments and over 10,000 reactions.
Source: bdnews24.com
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https://bdnews24.com/politics/8c79008a1fa2
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Mideast
Gaza civil defense says 450,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City
September 19, 2025
GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defense agency said Friday that 450,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City since Israel began its offensive to seize the territory’s largest urban center.
“The number of citizens displaced from Gaza to the south has reached 450,000 people since the start of the military operation on Gaza City in August,” said Mohamed Al-Mughayir, an official of the rescue force, which operates under Hamas authority
The Israeli military, which has called on residents to evacuate as it presses its ground assault, had told AFP that it estimated “approximately 480,000” people had fled the city.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2615997/middle-east
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French Daesh suspects transferred from Syria to be tried in Iraq
September 19, 2025
Security services also had documentary evidence and testimonies from Iraqi suspects
“They will be tried under Iraqi law,” the official said
BAGHDAD: Iraqi intelligence services are questioning 47 French nationals, recently transferred from Syrian Kurdish custody, over their alleged involvement in crimes committed in Iraq by the Daesh group, officials said Friday.
“Iraq received 47 French nationals over a month ago from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and they are currently under investigation,” an Iraqi security official told AFP on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to brief the media.
“They belong to Daesh,” he said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
The official said the security services also had documentary evidence and testimonies from Iraqi suspects that implicated the French nationals in “crimes against Iraqis.”
“They will be tried under Iraqi law,” the official said.
Iraq’s National Intelligence Service confirmed that the French nationals would face trial in Iraq.
It said the suspects were “wanted by the Iraqi judiciary for their involvement in terrorist crimes committed in Iraq” after the group captured swathes of the country in 2014.
Some of them were involved “in activities that threatened Iraqi national security from outside the country,” it added.
Iraqi courts have handed down hundreds of death sentences and life prison terms to people convicted of “terrorism” in trials some human rights groups have denounced as rushed.
Iraqi courts sentenced 11 French nationals to death in 2019, all of whom remain on death row.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2615974/middle-east
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Iraq nears deal to restart pipeline oil exports from Kurdistan to Turkiye, sources say
September 19, 2025
BAGHDAD: Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer, has given preliminary approval to a plan to resume pipeline oil exports from its semi-autonomous Kurdistan region through Turkiye following delays to a hoped-for restart, sources familiar with the talks told Reuters.
The deal between Iraq’s federal government, the Kurdistan Regional Government and international oil companies could add at least 230,000 barrels per day of fresh supplies at a time OPEC producers are raising output to regain market share.
Iraq exports around 3.4 million barrels of oil per day from its southern ports, but the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline in the north has been shut since March 2023 after an arbitration court ruled that Turkiye should pay $1.5 billion in damages for unauthorized exports between 2014 and 2018. Turkiye is appealing the ruling.
Ankara has since said it is willing to restart exports, but the flows remain suspended because of ongoing legal and political disputes between Baghdad, the Kurdistan Regional Government in Irbil, and the international oil companies.
Iraq’s cabinet has given preliminary approval to a plan to resume exports, and international oil companies operating in Kurdistan have also tentatively agreed, two sources familiar with the talks said.
APIKUR, a group representing firms including Genel Energy , DNO and Gulf Keystone, declined to comment, citing ongoing negotiations.
“Discussions have intensified and we’re closer to a tripartite agreement... than we’ve ever been, as all are showing flexibility,” an executive from one of the international oil companies said.
Under the preliminary plan, the KRG would commit to delivering at least 230,000 bpd to Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO, while keeping additional 50,000 bpd for local use.
An independent trader would handle sales from Ceyhan using SOMO’s official prices.
For each barrel sold, $16 would be transferred to an escrow account and distributed proportionally to producers. The remainder of the revenue would go to SOMO.
The draft plan also does not specify how or when producers will receive about $1 billion in unpaid arrears, accumulated between September 2022 and March 2023.
Luke Clements, CFO of Genel Energy, told a conference in Oslo last week that there had been significant progress made in drafting agreements to restart pipeline exports.
“But it still needs to get over the line,” he added.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2615948/middle-east
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Iraq says senior Daesh leader killed in Syria
September 19, 2025
BAGHDAD: The Iraqi counterterrorism service said on Friday that a senior Daesh leader was killed in a security operation in Syria carried out in coordination with the US-led international coalition.
The commander, Omar Abdul Qader Bassam, known as “Abdul Rahman Al-Halabi,” was the group’s head of external operations and security, the service said.
He was accused of overseeing attacks in multiple countries, including the bombing of Iran’s embassy in Lebanon, and planning other operations in Europe and the United States that were ultimately foiled through intelligence work, it added.
US Central Command has carried out a series of strikes targeting Daesh figures in Syria. US officials have warned the group is hoping to stage a comeback in the country following the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad last December.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2615940/middle-east
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Europe
Accused French Islamic State members held in Syria sent to Iraq for trial
19 September, 2025
Forty-seven French citizens who had been held in detention in northeast Syria on suspicion of being members of the Islamic State group have been handed over to Iraq for prosecution, Iraqi security officials said.
Three Iraqi security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly told The Associated Press on Thursday that the French prisoners will be tried on terrorism charges in Iraq.
They had been held in one of a network of detention centers in northeast Syria housing some 9,000 accused IS members guarded by the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, before they were handed over to Iraq a month and a half ago, the officials said. Their transfer had not been previously reported.
French officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
It's not the first time French citizens accused of being IS militants have been sent from Syria to Iraq for trial. In 2019, 13 suspected French militants were transferred to Iraq from Syria for trial. Thousands of Iraqi citizens detained in Syria have also been extradited for trial.
In total, the Iraqi officials said, 3,192 inmates have been handed over to Iraq by the SDF, of whom 724 were sentenced to death and 1,381 to life imprisonment.
The question of the fate of the detention centers in northeast Syria - as well as that of the al-Hol and al-Roj camps that house tens of thousands of people with alleged ties to IS, most of them wives and children of militants - has loomed large since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December.
Under a deal inked in March between the SDF and the new authorities in Damascus, the SDF is supposed to eventually turn over management of the camps and detention centers to Damascus, but progress on implementation has been slow.
The US military has been pushing for years for countries who have citizens at the camps and detention centers to repatriate them.
On Wednesday, France announced that it had returned three French women and ten children who were in camps in northeastern Syria.
Source: newarab.com
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https://www.newarab.com/news/accused-french-islamic-state-members-sent-iraq-trial
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Son Of British Couple Held By Taliban 'Ecstatic' As They Return To UK
September 20, 2025
Chris Graham
The son of an British couple detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly eight months has said he is "overwhelmed" by their release.
Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, who lived in Afghanistan for nearly two decades, are due to fly to the UK on Saturday after being reunited with their daughter in Qatar.
Jonathan Reynolds told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he was "ecstatic and massively grateful" to those who were involved in securing their release.
The Taliban, who detained the couple on their way home on 1 February, said the pair had broken Afghan laws and were released after judicial proceedings - but the Islamist group has never disclosed a reason for their detention.
There were emotional scenes on Friday as the couple's daughter, Sarah Entwistle, met her parents as they stepped off the plane in Doha.
"We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens," Barbie told Agence France-Presse at Kabul airport after Qatar-brokered negotiations for their release.
Their son Jonathan echoed those hopes, saying "their desire would be to carry on living there and to do the work they were doing".
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised the "vital role" played by Qatar in securing their release.
Peter and Barbie Reynolds married in Kabul in 1970 and spent the past 18 years running a charitable training programme that had been approved by local Taliban officials when the armed group reclaimed power in 2021.
"They have not just a heart for the people of Afghanistan, but they have strategy as well, and the work they've been doing has been very fruitful and has a massively positive impact," Jonathan told the BBC.
He said a few weeks ago he had managed to share the results of "really encouraging" reports about their programmes with his parents over the phone.
He said Barbie's initial reaction had been that they had "more work to do".
"But how do you do that in a country where you're not welcome," Jonathan added.
Their affection for Afghanistan was demonstrated by their decision to remain in Bamiyan province after the authoritarian regime seized control in August 2021, while many other Westerners left.
The couple's release follows months of public lobbying by their family, who have described the harrowing conditions of their detention.
Jonathan said in July that his father had been suffering serious convulsions and his mother was "numb" from anaemia and malnutrition.
A Qatari official told the BBC the couple were moved from Kabul's central prison to a larger facility with better conditions during the final stage of negotiations over their release.
Taliban officials maintained they received adequate medical care during their detention and that their human rights were respected.
The couple were receiving medical checks in the Qatari capital, Doha, before leaving for London. They will arrive on a commercial flight on Saturday morning, AFP reports.
The UK does not recognise the Taliban government and closed its embassy in Kabul when the group returned to power.
The Foreign Office says support for British nationals in Afghanistan is therefore "severely limited" and advises against all travel to the country.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly6ve2dg66o
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Migrant returned to France after government wins court challenge
September 20, 2025
Dominic Casciani
An Eritrean man has left the UK under the government's "one in, one out" deal with France, after a last-minute court bid to delay the departure failed.
The Home Office tightened rules around human trafficking claims to win Thursday's case - the first time ministers won a legal challenge that led to an immediate removal under the scheme.
On Friday, Home Office sources said an Iranian male had also been returned to France after crossing the Channel in a small boat.
Earlier this week, the removal of another migrant was temporarily blocked, though later an Indian national did become the first person to be sent to France under the pilot scheme, in a case without a legal challenge.
The UK and France have agreed a year-long scheme of exchanges of migrants to deter small boat crossings - although three more boats were seen leaving France on Friday morning as winds eased.
The UK expects to receive the first asylum seekers under the scheme next week.
The Eritrean man was accompanied by Home Office officials on an Air France flight from Heathrow Airport and handed over to police in Paris.
He told BBC News he felt "very bad" to be back in France and he did not know what he would do now before being led away to a different part of the airport.
French officials told the BBC he would be taken to a migrant accommodation centre. Under French rules, he will have eight days to either claim asylum in France or return to his home country.
The "one in, one out" deal is intended to deter people from turning to smugglers to cross the Channel because of the risk they could be sent back.
It proposes that, for each migrant the UK returns to France, another migrant with a strong case for asylum in the UK will be allowed to come in return, the first of whom is expected in the coming days.
Trade Secretary Peter Kyle told BBC Breakfast this week's removals were "the first steps and we will be ramping up from here".
But he refused to comment on how many people the UK hoped to remove, saying: "We're not going to put a number that would cap our ability to get a grip on this situation."
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the government's removal of two migrants under the returns deal was "pathetic" and that "boasting about it is absurd".
"Hundreds of illegal immigrants crossed the Channel today alone and Labour want applause for removing just two - both of whom will be replaced," he said.
The Eritrean man removed on Friday arrived in England on a small boat in August, and told an emergency High Court hearing he had fled his home in 2019 because of forced conscription.
He said he spent time in Ethiopia, South Sudan and Libya before coming to Europe, where he slept rough in France before making his way to Dunkirk.
His removal is legally far more significant for the government's strategy than the failure on Tuesday to win permission for a flight to leave.
In that case, a 25-year-old Eritrean man won a temporary reprieve because the Home Office slavery assessment team, who rejected his case, said he could make further representations.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood then told officials to make clear that anyone who has been turned down for protection as a victim of slavery could continue their claim after being put on a flight to a safe country.
That saw the court rule there was no reason to stop Friday's removal flight. The judge, Mr Justice Sheldon, said France was a safe country abiding by the same safeguards as the UK under the European Convention of Human Rights.
He said there was no evidence that a migrant sent there would be treated unfairly - and if he were, he had a legal route to return to the UK by continuing his claim from there.
The ruling was in stark contrast to the failed £700m Rwanda plan under the last government, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the African country could not be considered to be safe at all, because of human rights abuses.
The judge then added that it was in the public interest for the flight to depart because it was part of a policy to disrupt criminal smuggling gangs who were posing a serious risk to life.
His ruling strengthened the Home Office's hand, after a separate unreported case concerning a stateless Palestinian fighting removal. A specialist immigration tribunal judge said there was no evidence France would not properly treat and care for victims of trafficking.
On Thursday, Donald Trump - during a press conference with Sir Keir Starmer - suggested using the military to combat small boat crossings to the UK.
In response, Sir Keir highlighted the UK had "a number of cooperation deals with other countries" in place and said that the government is taking the issue "incredibly seriously".
Kyle said the UK military was focused on defending the nation rather than stopping asylum seekers crossing the channel.
Neither the UK or French governments have suggested the plan will smash the crossings on its own.
Around 100 men are currently in immigration removal centres near Heathrow under the scheme. Each one was detained after arriving in the UK on a small boat and told they were potentially eligible to be returned to France.
Around 5,590 migrants have reached the UK since the scheme came into effect at the start of August.
Source: bbc.com
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Suspect in 1982 attack on Jewish restaurant in Paris arrested in West Bank
September 20, 2025
Ruth Comerford and Hugh Schofield
A man wanted over a deadly attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris more than 40 years ago has been arrested by Palestinian authorities in the occupied West Bank.
Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra - who went by the name Hicham Harb - is suspected of directing the August 1982 gun and grenade assault on the Jo Goldenberg restaurant on Paris's Rue des Rosiers, which killed six people and left at least 20 injured.
News of the arrest comes just days before France plans to formally recognise the state of Palestine.
President Emmanuel Macron said he welcomed the "excellent co-operation" between France and the Palestinian Authority in a post on X.
"We are working together to ensure his swift extradition," he added.
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said it had been informed by Interpol of the arrest by Palestinian authorities, under a 2015 international warrant.
Adra faces charges of terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder.
The prosecutor's office declined to comment on the exact circumstances and date of his arrest.
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the arrest had been made possible by President Macron's decision to recognise an independent Palestinian state, enabling an extradition request.
Along with France, countries including Australia, Belgium, the UK and Canada are expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state on Monday before the annual leaders' gathering at the UN General Assembly - a move strongly contested by Israel and many French Jews.
Adra is suspected of leading the assault and operating as one of the gunmen who shot at diners.
To date, no one has been punished for the attack, which took place on the busy Rue des Rosiers on 9 August 1982 in the predominantly Jewish Marais quarter.
In July, French judges ordered the trial of six people, including Adra, for murder and assault in a special terrorism court for the historic attack.
Another suspect, Abu Zayed, is in custody in France having been extradited from Norway, along with another suspect. Three other suspects are still at large, believed to be hiding in Jordan and the West Bank.
A trial is expected early next year, with three of the six defendants expected to be present and the others tried in absentia.
Adra is believed to have been a member of dissident Palestinian faction the Abu Nidal group, which was active in the 1970s and 80s.
The group split from Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organisation and is blamed for a series of violent attacks across the world that killed at least 900 people.
Macron added in his tweet: "France does not forget. It always enforces and punishes. Justice will prevail."
Yohann Taïeb, a spokesman for some of the victims of the attack, said on X that it was a "significant step" and urged Macron to secure Adra's extradition "as quickly as possible".
Source: bbc.com
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Arab World
Saudi delegation departs for New York to attend UNGA80
September 20, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s minister of foreign affairs departed for New York on Friday to head the Kingdom’s delegation participating in the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s delegation includes Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Saudi ambassador to the US; Adel bin Ahmed bin Al-Jubeir, minister of state for foreign affairs and envoy for climate; Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim, minister of economy and planning; Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, director general of the Saudi aid agency KS Relief; Abdulrahman Al-Rassi, deputy minister for international multilateral affairs and general supervisor of the public diplomacy deputyship; and Saudi Ambassador to the UN Abdulaziz Alwasil.
On the sidelines of UNGA80, the Kingdom will host a number of initiatives and meetings aimed at strengthening regional and international security and stability and advancing diplomatic humanitarian, and development efforts, the statement said.
Saudi Arabia will also chair the high-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution at the leaders’ level, as well as the high-level ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementing of Two-State Solution.
Prince Faisal and his delegation will also participate in the UN’s commemoration of its 80th anniversary, in addition to a range of official meetings to bolster multilateral cooperation, review regional and international developments, support efforts to promote international peace and security, and coordinate joint work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi economy minister meets German counterpart in Berlin
September 19, 2025
BERLIN: Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al-Ibrahim met with German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche during his visit to Germany.
The two ministers discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Germany, as well as the latest global economic developments of mutual interest.
Source: arabnews.com
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Military uniform factory to be privatized in Saudi Arabia
September 19, 2025
RIYADH: The Military Industries Co., in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and the National Center for Privatization, announced on Thursday the launch of the expression of interest and request for qualification phases for the privatization of the Military Uniform and Accessories Factory in Al-Kharj.
Local and international investors are invited to visit the NCP website to review further information and details of the EOI and RFQ. The deadline for submission is Oct. 16.
The privatization will be executed through a purchase agreement, transferring full ownership from MIC to the private sector.
The transfer of ownership will ensure compliance with military industry regulations and licensing requirements set by the General Authority for Military Industries.
It will also sustain and enhance production capacity for military and non-military uniforms and accessories while enabling the development of new business opportunities, including entry into business-to-business markets and export growth.
In addition, the process will support a smooth transition of operations, workforce, and supply-chain management under private ownership.
The step highlights the Kingdom’s commitment to building a competitive, sustainable, and innovative defense industry ecosystem while strengthening the overall industrial base.
It also creates new opportunities for private-sector participation across strategic sectors in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Ministry of Culture selects 20 research proposals
September 19, 2025
RIYADH: The Ministry of Culture has announced the selection of 20 research proposals under the Saudi-Chinese cultural relations research grant, launched as part of the Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year 2025.
The grant, developed in cooperation with the China-Arab Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Research Center, supports rigorous academic studies exploring cultural ties between Saudi Arabia and China.
The scientific committee overseeing the program selected the final 20 proposals from among multiple submissions from individual scholars and research groups from across the globe.
The selected researchers include seven from Saudi Arabia, seven from China, and six from other international institutions, reflecting a diversity of perspectives and methodologies.
The selected studies will be presented in academic symposiums in Riyadh and Beijing, providing a platform for scholarly dialogue and exchange.
The chosen research proposals address five thematic areas outlined by the grant: history and cultural heritage, visual and performing arts, literature and translation, cultural economy and creative industries, and the role of digital platforms in contemporary cultural exchange.
The studies highlight the long-standing connections between Saudi Arabia and China while contributing new insights into evolving cultural interactions.
In parallel with the grant, the ministry is preparing a reciprocal research fellowship program to expand opportunities for knowledge exchange.
Through this initiative, Chinese scholars will be hosted at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, while Saudi scholars will participate in research activities at Beijing University.
This exchange strengthens institutional partnerships and furthers academic collaboration between the two nations.
The Ministry of Culture launched the research grant to encourage the production of high-quality academic studies to enrich the field of Saudi-Chinese cultural relations and foster broader understanding.
The initiative demonstrates the ministry’s commitment to advancing international cultural exchange and academic cooperation.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia elected to IAEA Board of Governors
September 19, 2025
VIENNA: Saudi Arabia was elected to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during the organization’s 69th General Conference in Vienna on Friday.
The Kingdom will serve as a member of the 35-member Board for the next term, running until 2027, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The IAEA board is a key decision-making body, overseeing sensitive issues such as safeguards, which involve verifying the peaceful use of nuclear energy by States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The board also reviews the agency’s program, budget, and financial statements, and makes recommendations to the General Conference.
Saudi Arabia previously held a seat on the Board from 2022 to 2024.
Its election reflects international confidence in the Kingdom’s constructive role in promoting global cooperation and using atomic energy to support development and peace, SPA added.
Source: arabnews.com
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Al-Balad vibrant with visitors amid National Day festivities
SALEH FAREED
September 19, 2025
JEDDAH: Ahead of Saudi National Day, the walkways of Jeddah’s old district, Al-Balad, are buzzing with visitors, as many are choosing the city’s popular historical landmark to enjoy the festivities.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Al-Balad has been transformed for the occasion with flags and National Day decor and, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, a series of cultural activities rooted in Saudi history, including traditional performances, will be held.
Al-Sharbatly Cultural House, in collaboration with Johnson Controls Arabia, presented on Thursday night several entertaining events in celebration of Saudi Arabia’s 95th National Day, which comes this year under the theme “Our Pride Lies in Our Nature.”
The engaging two-day event’s celebrations began with a live performance by a band, filling Al-Balad with the rich sounds of Saudi traditional music.
Visitors also had the chance to explore traditional Saudi crafts, such as painting pottery with patterns inspired by the diverse regions of Saudi Arabia and crafting wooden puppets dressed in traditional Saudi attire.
Nada Al-Shehri, who unveiled a stunning National Day artwork at the event, told Arab News that she is proud to showcase her creativity and be part of this celebration.
“It is our duty to express our love to our country in any way we can. I am here to show my string art, which I learned at university, and feel delighted to demonstrate my pride and loyalty to my country through this art,” she said.
Attendees described being deeply moved by the patriotic atmosphere.
Fatima Mohammed, a resident of Jeddah who came out to Al-Balad with her family, told Arab News: “We really enjoyed the performance art parade, family events and kids experiences. I think we will be coming to Al-Balad for the next few days.”
Meanwhile, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, another resident, said it only made sense to come to a setting such as Al-Balad to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s National Day, adding that the plethora of entertaining events rendered it even more special.
He said: “You can feel the celebration is filled with pride and patriotism.”
Like others, Hassan Al-Harbi and Mohsen Al-Attass also expressed great enthusiasm at joining the celebration, adding that they spent most of their night touring Al-Balad and enjoying the festive atmosphere.
Source: arabnews.com
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Can Riyadh’s hotel boom set a global standard for sustainability?
GHADI JOUDAH
September 19, 2025
RIYADH: Against a skyline dotted with construction cranes, Riyadh is racing to add 360,000 new hotel rooms by 2030 — a $1 trillion push aimed at cementing Saudi Arabia’s place as a global tourism hub.
This rapid expansion raises a critical question: Can desert hospitality lead the world in sustainable innovation while advancing the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and net-zero 2060 goals?
The operational blueprint is unfolding at King Abdullah Financial District, where over 40 LEED Silver or Gold-certified buildings achieve 10–15 percent energy savings through high-efficiency appliances and smart climate control.
These structures recycle wastewater using advanced treatment systems, supporting Riyadh’s city-wide goal to reuse 100 percent of treated water for irrigation and greening — mirroring capabilities at facilities like the Manfouha plant.
Abdulrazaq Alreshaidan, an expert on sustainability and safety issues, emphasized to Arab News the comprehensive nature of this evolution:
“Progressive developers now integrate carbon accounting from initial excavation through decades of operations while implementing sophisticated water conservation systems and advanced waste management techniques across all project phases,” he said.
Riyadh’s hospitality expansion is tightly interwoven with the city’s sustainability strategy, forming a unified framework for ecological transformation.
The blueprint sets ambitious targets: a 50 percent citywide reduction in carbon emissions, driven by energy-efficient building codes and renewable energy adoption in the tourism sector. Hotels are also expected to achieve a 94 percent waste recycling and conversion rate by redirecting food and packaging waste into circular systems, cut water consumption by 57 percent through advanced conservation mandates, and lower urban temperatures by 1.5°C–2°C via strategically expanded native green corridors irrigated with recycled water.
Addressing extreme water scarcity remains paramount. At Shebara along the Red Sea coast, 73 prefabricated villas operate with near-zero marine impact through solar-powered reverse-osmosis desalination that meets 100 percent of freshwater needs, while enforcing strict circular economy protocols that eliminate single-use plastics through reusable container partnerships with local suppliers.
Similarly, Dar Tantora in AlUla features 30 mud-brick guest rooms using ancient thermal-mass principles for natural temperature regulation, alongside a zero-waste restaurant initiative that trains regional farmers in precision-drip irrigation and regenerative agriculture to rebuild topsoil season after season.
“Leading properties now implement intuitive material reuse stations with multilingual signage,” said Alreshaidan. He highlighted hotels like The Valley Resort, which transform 12 tonnes of monthly organic waste into nutrient-dense compost for extensive native-species gardens — creating on-site closed-loop ecosystems.
Energy innovation is also taking center stage. Six Senses Southern Dunes — Saudi Arabia’s first off-grid LEED Platinum property — runs entirely on photovoltaic arrays with battery storage, while Desert Rock Resort uses subterranean geothermal engineering to cut conventional cooling needs by over 40 percent.
“Visionary developers actively pursue certifications like LEED because they understand these credentials validate operational excellence while strengthening brand reputation and investor confidence quantifiably,” Alreshaidan said.
He added that material sourcing remains a challenge: “You might notice some sustainable materials are higher in price than others.” Many hotels accept these higher costs as “long-term investment rather than short-term cost.”
The Saudi Investment Recycling Co., a Public Investment Fund subsidiary, develops and operates recycling infrastructure across all waste types. Alreshaidan emphasized material sustainability: “Companies like SIRC guide others to utilize recycled materials and waste from construction is utilized where materials came 100 percent from recycled sources.”
He specifically spotlighted SIRC’s conversion of demolition debris into certified concrete aggregates used in landmark projects.
Verification gaps present another complexity: “The absence of Saudi and GCC-authorized accreditation bodies for auditing recycled content percentages creates vulnerability to greenwashing claims without standardized chain-of-custody documentation,” said Alreshaidan.
With LEED Silver certification now mandatory for major developments, Riyadh’s hotel construction wave is creating 360,000 real-world laboratories for sustainable innovation.
As Expo 2030 approaches, transformative solutions — from AI-managed water recovery networks to SIRC’s circular economy platforms — position Saudi Arabia to lead global sustainability standards tailored for hyper-arid regions.
Saudi Arabia is fundamentally reimagining how environmental resilience is embedded in every operational variable. Alreshaidan concluded optimistically: “Comprehensive solutions are materializing precisely where most critically needed to harmonize growth with planetary stewardship.”
Source: arabnews.com
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North America
Andrew Cuomo heckled by protesters in Mamdani gear during mosque visit
By ANNIE MCDONOUGH
SEPTEMBER 19, 2025
Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani didn’t claim the protesters who wore T-shirts with his name on them as they heckled his opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, during a mosque visit in Queens on Friday.
“We did not orchestrate this protest,” Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, told reporters on Friday, following allegations from Cuomo’s campaign suggesting as much. Some of the protesters – who yelled “shame on you” and “you are a criminal” at Cuomo as he entered the Masjid Mission Center in Jamaica – wore T-shirts and pins bearing Mamdani’s campaign logo and also yelled “vote Zohran.” They continued some of that heckling during Cuomo’s remarks inside the mosque, video from Pix11’s Henry Rosoff shows.
“The bearing of the name of our campaign – on T-shirts, clothes, hats – these are things that have been created by many across the five boroughs,” Mamdani said Friday afternoon.
Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi called Mamdani “a liar,” and slammed the protest as disrespectful. “It’s insulting that they desecrated a sacred space during their day of prayer in order to do this silly political stunt.”
But Mamdani said that Cuomo, who is running as an independent in November’s election, has real questions to answer to the city’s Muslim communities. “The question he should be asking is, why are so many Muslim New Yorkers infuriated by his belated arrival to meeting with the community,” Mamdani said. “The answer is a record of engaging in Islamophobic rhetoric, a campaign where he sought to paint myself – as the first Muslim Democratic nominee in the history of this city – as someone to be feared.” Mamdani highlighted as one example a leaked ad that was drafted for a pro-Cuomo super PAC – which they rejected and didn’t send out – which lengthened and darkened Mamdani’s beard. Mamdani said the image played into racist tropes.
Mamdani also said that Cuomo has to answer for volunteering last fall to join the legal defense of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – whom Mamdani has pledged to arrest if elected mayor, citing a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed in Gaza.
This week, Cuomo issued his most blatant call for ending the war in Gaza, while still avoiding criticizing Netanyahu. Cuomo’s support for Israel and pledge to fight antisemitism figured heavily during his campaign in the Democratic primary.
Last week marked Cuomo’s first visit to a mosque since entering the mayoral race last spring. The New York Times reported that Cuomo received a “lengthy and warm” reception from a leader of the Futa Islamic Center in the Bronx but fumbled over the Arabic greeting “Assalam Alaikum” and made a mixed impression on congregants.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, meanwhile, hosted a celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday at City Hall earlier this month, billing it as an endorsement event. Several of the attendees told reporters they were not there to endorse the mayor for reelection.
Azzopardi said that Friday’s mosque visit won’t be Cuomo’s last during the campaign. “We’ll see you out there,” he said.
Source: cityandstateny.com
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https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/09/andrew-cuomo-heckled-protesters-mamdani-gear-during-mosque-visit/408249/
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The Islamophobic biker gang running Gaza aid sites is just the U.S. empire in a leather jacket
BENJAMIN ASHRAF
SEPTEMBER 19, 2025
At Gaza’s “aid” lines, where bread is rationed in blood, American contractors reveal Crusader crosses and “Infidel” tattoos beneath their fatigues. They move in formation, veterans of Iraq with Gaza cast as the next crusade.
They call themselves Infidels MC, a biker gang turned militia — bodies for hire and insignia for sale. Last week, the BBC reported that seven members hold leadership roles in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s checkpoints. At those sites, an average of 22 Palestinians are killed each day.
This is no coincidence. Infidels MC is not rogue, but the inevitable product of the “War on Terror,” its creed taught in manuals, sanctified from pulpits, and carried out on civilians.
That Infidels MC was born as Iraq burned should not surprise us. It stands in the lineage of Erik Prince’s Blackwater, where “security” meant gunning down 17 Iraqis — or ‘hajjis’ in mercenary slang — in Nisour Square, and whose Christian Zionism compelled him not only to play God, but to believe he was fulfilling prophecy.
Infidels MC is Blackwater reborn in leather. As Jeremy Scahill writes, Erik Prince casts himself as “a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and Islam globally.” That same genealogy runs straight to Gaza, where Infidels MC leader, Johnny “Taz” Mulford, boasts a “1095” tattoo across his chest — the year Pope Urban II summoned Christendom to holy war against Islam.
Eighteen years ago, Blackwater could be shrugged off by the media as an aberration. But the case of Infidels MC shows it was always a prologue, the next chapter in a “clash of civilizations” festering for decades.
Today, that worldview sits at the heart of Washington. Pete Hegseth — Iraq War veteran and Fox host who once defended Nisour Square as a “tough call” — is now Secretary of Defense and commands the Pentagon’s $850 billion arsenal. And like Infidels MC, he has “Infidel” tattooed on his skin.
Islamophobia is the blueprint
The danger is to dismiss these ideas as detritus of Fox News or MAGA, or to read them as conspiratorial. Both would be errors of judgment. In the canon of the U.S. empire, Islamophobia has long been institutionalized across parties, red and blue.
In 2011, under Robert Mueller — later lionized as Trump’s prosecutor — the FBI circulated training slides that described mainstream Muslims as terrorist sympathizers, called the Prophet Muhammad a “cult leader,” and argued that the more devout a Muslim, the more likely they were to be violent.
The training slides are not a relic of the post-9/11 era, but a leaked blueprint of how the U.S. empire continues to operate. Its assumptions, that Muslims are suspect and that piety is pathology, remain policy — Trump’s travel ban case in point.
Even the exhausted response of Muslim civil society repeats. The FBI manual and Infidels MC, fourteen years apart, mirror each other: two separate incidents and two different civil society groups using the same analogy to sound the alarm.
When the FBI manual leaked in 2011, Abed Ayoub of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said it was “like asking the Ku Klux Klan to train agents on racial sensibility.” Last week, in the BBC’s report on Infidels MC, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said: “Putting the Infidels biker club in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza is like putting the KKK in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Sudan.”
This is no coincidence, either. The same architecture exposed in 2011 is repackaged in Gaza and met with the same, almost verbatim, response.
Doomsday theology and perpetual war
Such a throughline, from Gaza mercenaries to FBI manuals, is not conjured overnight. To really capture American hearts and minds, you need scripture. The same logic that carries Infidels MC to Pete Hegseth, biker gang to Secretary of Defense, is carried by the doomsday theology of Christian Zionism.
For over 30 million Christian Zionists in the United States, Israel is not just an ally but sets the stage for Christ’s return: Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the Temple, and the Second Coming itself. Nearly 80 percent of white evangelicals in the U.S. believe Israel’s “hand of God” hastens the apocalypse. More Christian Zionists believe that God gave the Jewish people Israel than American Jews themselves.
Islam is not, therefore, merely a false faith, but the sworn enemy of God’s chosen people, the obstacle to prophecy fulfilled. Al-Aqsa becomes the final blocker, Palestinians the last force stopping Christ’s return.
Christian Zionism never stayed in the pews. The U.S. ambassador to Israel is occupied by Mike Huckabee, who likened Islamic prayer to pornography and called Islam “the antithesis of the gospel of Christ.” And when Wired toured Blackwater’s compound in 2007, Erik Prince was building a chapel with a staff chaplain of his own.
Prince’s chapel and Huckabee’s career are built on the foundations laid by figures like John Hagee, the preacher Huckabee calls a “prophetic voice.” Hagee’s bestseller Jerusalem Countdown echoes FBI manuals in branding Islam as a death cult — sycophancy that Netanyahu and company keenly lap up while Palestinian Christians lie buried under rubble. As Reverend Isaac Munther reminds us: “had Jesus Christ been born today, he would be born under the rubble and [under] Israeli shelling.” A reality men like Huckabee choose to ignore.
Piece it together and you’re left with only one conclusion: America’s vision of “security” was never stability — only the Orwellian ideal of perpetual war. Funded by U.S. bombs and carried out by the state that, for over 30 million people, brings about the apocalypse, the so-called liberal order lies in Gaza’s ruins.
Infidels MC makes visible what Washington once tried (poorly) to obscure: that an Islamophobic pulse underwrites and anchors the American empire. And, in true American fashion, even genocide becomes merch. The biker gang now sells it with a smirk: “Surf all day, rockets all night, tattoos and TBI’s: Gaza Summer 2025.”
Source: mondoweiss.net
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https://mondoweiss.net/2025/09/the-islamophobic-biker-gang-running-gaza-aid-sites-is-just-the-u-s-empire-in-a-leather-jacket/
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Sikh granny's arrest by US immigration sparks community anger
September 20, 2025
Savita Patel
The visiting room of the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Centre in Bakersfield, California, is small, loud, and crowded. When Harjit Kaur's family arrived to see her, they could barely hear her - and the first words they caught shattered them.
"She said, 'I would rather die than be in this facility. May God just take me now'," recalled her distraught daughter-in-law, Manjit Kaur.
Harjit Kaur, 73, who unsuccessfully applied for asylum in the US, and has lived in California for more than three decades, was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on 8 September, sparking shock and sympathy from the Sikh community across the state and beyond.
Harjit Kaur had filed several asylum appeals over the years which were rejected, with the last denial in 2012, her lawyer said.
Since then, she had been asked to report to immigration authorities every six months. She was arrested in San Francisco when she had gone for a check-in.
It comes amid a wider crackdown by the Donald Trump administration on immigration, and especially alleged illegal immigrants in the US.
The issue is a sensitive one - the country is grappling with how to deal with the hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers who arrive at its borders every year. More than 3.7 million asylum cases are pending in immigration courts. An increased budget for immigration enforcement means ICE is now the highest-funded federal law enforcement agency.
Trump has said he wants to deport the "worst of the worst", but critics say immigrants without criminal records who follow due process have also been targeted.
"Over 70% of people arrested by ICE have no criminal conviction," said California State Senator Jesse Arreguin in a statement demanding Harjit Kaur's release. "Now, they are literally going after peaceful grandmothers. This shameful act is harming our communities."
US Congressman John Garamendi, who represents the Californian district where Harjit Kaur lives, has submitted a request to ICE for her release.
"This administration's decision to detain a 73-year-old woman - a respected member of the community with no criminal record who has faithfully reported to ICE every six months for more than 13 years - is one more example of the misplaced priorities of Trump's immigration enforcement," a spokesperson said.
In an emailed statement, ICE told the BBC that Harjit Kaur had "exhausted decades of due process" and that an immigration judge had ordered her removal in 2005.
"Harjit Kaur has filed multiple appeals all the way up to the Ninth Circuit Court of appeals and LOST each time. Now that she has exhausted all legal remedies, ICE is enforcing US law and the orders by the judge; she will not waste any more US tax dollars," it added.
Harjit Kaur came to the US in 1991 with her two minor sons after the death of her husband, her lawyer Deepak Ahluwalia told the BBC. Her daughter-in-law Manjit Kaur said that the young widow wanted to shield her sons from and escape the political turbulence in India's Punjab state at the time.
Over the next three decades, she worked modest jobs to raise her sons, one of whom is now a US citizen. Her five grandchildren are also US citizens.
Harjit Kaur, who lives in Hercules city in the San Francisco Bay Area, was working as a seamstress at a sari store for the past two decades and pays her taxes. Asylum applicants across the US are allowed to live, work and pay taxes legally once their claim is officially filed and in process.
Even after her final asylum appeal was rejected in 2012, her job permit was renewed every year.
After the rejection, her deportation seemed imminent, but she didn't have the right documents to travel to India.
Indian missions in the US issue emergency certificates - a one-way travel document - to Indians of invalid status to enable them to return. This would require verifying Harjit Kaur's origin and identity in Punjab through photos, cross-checking with relatives or acquaintances or finding old records, which would take at least a few weeks.
More than a decade since the rejection, neither Harjit Kaur nor US immigration officials have been able to get a travel permit for her. Manjit Kaur said they visited the Indian consulate in San Francisco in 2013 for this but didn't succeed. India's Consul General at San Francisco K Srikar Reddy told the BBC they had no record of Harjit Kaur applying for travel documents to India.
ICE did not respond to a question about why it did not get a travel permit in the past 13 years.
Mr Ahluwalia said he is following up with the Indian consulate for the documents which "ICE was unable to procure for the last 13 years". The consulate says they are "facilitating all necessary consular assistance".
Harjit Kaur's family, meanwhile, say she never questioned her deportation and should not have been detained.
"Provide us the travel documents and she is ready to go," Manjit Kaur said. "She had even packed her suitcases back in 2012."
Right now, their immediate concern is getting her out of the detention centre.
"You can put an ankle monitor on her. We can check in with immigration when you want," said Manjit Kaur. "Just get her out of the facility and when you provide us the travel documents, she will self-deport to India."
Her lawyer said that when he met Harjit Kaur on 15 September, she had not been provided with her regular medication. He alleged that she had been "dragged by guards", "denied a chair or a bed" and was "forced to sit on the floor" for hours in a holding cell despite having undergone double knee replacement.
He also alleged that she was "explicitly refused water" and not provided a vegetarian meal for the first six days.
ICE did not respond to specific questions on these allegations, but had earlier told BBC Punjabi that "it is a long-standing policy that as soon as someone comes into ICE custody, they are given full health care".
Detainees have access to "medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care" and no-one "is denied essential care at any time during detention", it added.
Kulvinder Singh Pannu, president of the gurdwara committee at The Sikh Centre in San Francisco Bay Area, says that Bibi Harjit (a respectful way to refer to an elderly Punjabi woman) is well-liked in the area.
"She always helped people in our community with whatever she had financially," he said.
"A couple of hundred people turned up by themselves to protest against her arrest," he said, referring to a 12 September agitation outside the Sikh temple in California.
As the uncertainty continues, Harjit Kaur's supporters are planning to hold more protests, including in other US cities, with many saying they are touched by her plight.
A single mother, Harjit Kaur had formed deep roots and relationships in the US over the past 30 years. Her parents and siblings in India are no longer alive, says Mr Ahluwalia.
"She has no-one, no home, no land to return to."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgq63lgn7zo
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US prosecutor resigns after Trump says 'I want him out'
September 20, 2025
Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
A Virginia prosecutor has resigned under pressure from President Donald Trump after his investigation into allegations of mortgage fraud against a political adversary of the White House failed to bring criminal charges.
Erik Siebert informed staff he would resign shortly after Trump told reporters on Friday: "I want him out."
The Trump administration has accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of falsifying records to receive better mortgage deals. Siebert reportedly expressed doubts about the strength of the case.
James, a Democrat who won a civil fraud suit against Trump in 2023, has previously denied the allegations as "baseless" and motivated by "revenge".
Siebert had been acting attorney for the prestigious Eastern District of Virginia office since January, and his nomination was pending confirmation in the US Senate.
"This evening, I submitted my resignation as Interim US Attorney for EDVA," he wrote in an email to staff on Friday.
"For the last eight months, I have had the pleasure of leading the finest and most exceptional of DOJ employees who care deeply about our nation and our EDVA community."
"Thank you for the lessons you have taught me, the sacrifices you have made, and the pursuit of justice you strive for every day."
Administration officials with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) allege James falsified bank and property records to receive better loan agreements for a home in Norfolk, Virginia.
The New York Times reported Siebert told senior justice department officials their investigations hadn't unearthed enough evidence to prosecute James. The Associated Press reported Siebert had been told to resign or be fired.
When asked about Siebert and the case, Trump told reporters he had not been following it closely.
"It looks to me like she's very guilty of something, but I really don't know," he told reporters referring to James.
The Republican president said he wanted to fire Siebert because Virginia's two Democratic senators had supported the attorney's nomination.
"When I saw that he got two senators, two gentlemen that are bad news, as far as I'm concerned, when I saw that he got approved by these two men, I said, 'pull it,' because he can't be any good," the president told reporters, referring to senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.
"When I learned that they voted for him, I said, I don't really want him," the president added.
In May, Kaine and Warner wrote a joint statement saying they would vote for Siebert's confirmation, describing him as someone who has "dedicated his career to protecting public safety".
The Eastern District office is also investigating James Comey, the former FBI director who was fired by Trump during his first term in office.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62n74wr6vpo
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US ‘making money’ from Ukraine conflict – Trump
20 Sep, 2025
US President Donald Trump has said that his country is profiting from the Ukraine conflict, contrasting his approach with the unconditional military aid provided to Kiev by the previous administration.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump praised the deal he signed in July under which the US sells weapons to fellow NATO members, which then deliver them to Ukraine.
“We’re not spending any more on the war. You know, we’re being paid for everything we’ve sent, unlike Biden. He gave them $350 billion, and it was shocking,” Trump said, stressing that “the war is being funded by NATO.”
“In fact, I don’t want to make money on that war, but we are actually making money on that war because they are buying our equipment, as you know,” the president added.
Trump has frequently criticized former US President Joe Biden for approving large military aid packages for Kiev and described Vladimir Zelensky as “the greatest salesman on earth.” He also insisted that NATO members in Europe should bear the primary burden of supporting Ukraine.
The US president reopened direct negotiations with Russia earlier this year but recently acknowledged that mediating an end to the conflict has been more difficult than he initially anticipated.
Moscow has maintained that no amount of Western weapons could deter its army from victory, arguing that the NATO countries are de facto participants in the conflict.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/624938-trump-making-money-ukraine/
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US wants key Afghan air base back
20 Sep, 2025
US President Donald Trump has said he wants to regain control of Bagram Air Base in northeastern Afghanistan.
American troops hastily evacuated the base in July 2021, a month before Taliban militants seized Kabul, toppling the UN-backed government and ending the 20-year US occupation of the country.
“We should have never given it up,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Friday. He added that during his trip to the UK the previous day, the US was negotiating the issue with the new Afghan government. “We want that base back,” he said.
“One of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he said Thursday during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Photos and videos of the looted base and abandoned military equipment became symbols of the failure of the US war in Afghanistan.
Although Trump had negotiated the withdrawal of troops during his first term, he blamed the fall of Kabul on former US President Joe Biden, calling the chaotic departure of the last American soldiers “a disgrace.”
Zakir Jalaly, an Afghan Foreign Ministry official, wrote on X on Thursday that the people of Afghanistan would reject the return of American troops.
“Afghanistan and the US need to engage with one another, and can have economic and political relations based on mutual respect, without the US maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan,” he said.
Following the US withdrawal, the originally Soviet-built airfield came under the control of Afghanistan’s Taliban-led defense ministry. Trump has repeatedly alleged that the Chinese are using the base, but this claim has been rejected by Kabul and lacks credible evidence.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/624942-trump-base-afghan-bagram/
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Southeast Asia
Noticing Malaysia’s blessings — Ashurov Sharofiddin
20 Sep 2025
SEPTEMBER 20 — Having lived in Malaysia for nearly two decades, I have witnessed a remarkable journey of nation-building. Since 1957, the country has successfully preserved Islamic values while embracing modernisation, fostering economic growth, and promoting inclusivity toward non-Muslim citizens. Striking this balance is no simple task, especially in the context of post-colonial societies, yet Malaysia offers an inspiring case study for both scholars and policymakers on how diversity, values, and progress can be intertwined into a shared national identity.
The recent emphasis on the Madani concept further elevates Malaysia’s trajectory as a model of holistic development. Madani encapsulates the delicate balance Malaysia has pursued for more than six decades, as it is rooted in Islamic principles yet framed in universal terms such as sustainability, compassion, and respect. I speak as a guest who calls Malaysia home to reflect on its politics, economy, and social dimensions and to highlight a Muslim majority model of governance while acknowledging the challenges that remain.
Political foundations: Islam and inclusivity
Malaysia’s political foundation rests on a constitutional compromise that simultaneously establishes Islam as the religion of the Federation and protects freedom of religion for non-Muslims. Article 3 of the Federal Constitution provides Islam with a central role, yet the same document guarantees minority rights and religious freedom. This dual framework has allowed Malay Muslim leadership to preserve Islamic identity without isolating other communities.
The “social contract,” whereby Malays received recognition of their special position while granting citizenship to non-Malay communities, was a pragmatic solution. Over the years, successive governments have reinforced political stability through coalition politics, which balances communal representation while avoiding dominance by any single ethnic or religious bloc.
Critics may argue that Malaysia’s politics has occasionally leaned towards ethnic segmentation, particularly in times of electoral competition. Yet, compared to other plural societies in Asia and beyond, Malaysia has managed to avoid prolonged ethnic conflict and state failure. This political resilience is one of its greatest achievements and underpins its reputation as a peaceful Muslim-majority country.
Economic transformation: Equity and growth
Post-independence Malaysia inherited a colonial economy structured around ethnic divisions: Malays were largely rural farmers, Chinese dominated commerce, and Indians worked in plantations. To address these disparities, the government launched the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971, with the twin aims of eradicating poverty and restructuring society to reduce ethnic economic imbalances.
The NEP remains controversial. While critics claim it entrenched ethnic preferences, defenders argue it was essential for national stability and Malay upliftment. Statistically, it succeeded in reducing poverty and creating a sizeable Malay middle class. At the same time, Malaysia managed to industrialise, diversify its economy, and attract foreign investment. It also avoided the “resource curse” that has afflicted other countries rich in natural resources.
A particularly significant achievement is the development of Islamic banking and finance, where Malaysia has emerged as a global leader. The country has successfully introduced pioneering instruments such as Sukuk (Islamic bonds) and created globally recognized institutions like the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) and the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM), positioning itself as a hub for Shariah-compliant finance. Beyond finance, Malaysia has also led initiatives in Halal industry development, establishing the Halal Development Corporation and comprehensive Halal certification standards that are now benchmarks for many nations. Additionally, its Islamic capital market framework is one of the most advanced in the world, attracting global investors seeking ethical and Shariah-compliant investments. Together, these efforts demonstrate Malaysia’s ability to integrate Islamic identity into modernisation, creating systems that are both competitive and ethically grounded.
Towards a Madani state
The concept of Malaysia Madani seeks to consolidate these achievements into a forward-looking framework. Defined by values of sustainability, compassion, trust, respect, and prosperity, Madani represents a vision of development rooted in Islamic ethics yet resonant with universal principles.
For the Malay Muslim community, Madani reinforces the importance of being the guardians of both faith and national unity. For non-Muslims, it promises inclusivity and dignity within a shared national project. For the world, it offers an example of how Islamic governance and modern pluralism can coexist in harmony.
Internationally, Malaysia is often cited as one of the most successful Muslim-majority states not because it is without flaws, but because it has managed to combine stability, development, and moderation in a way that is both authentic and pragmatic.
Conclusion
After 18 years of living and researching in Malaysia, I am convinced its story deserves greater global recognition. While not without political and socio-economic challenges, Malaysia stands out among Muslim-majority nations as proof that Islam can be preserved without exclusion, modernisation can coexist with faith, and multiculturalism can strengthen national identity.
Anchored by the Malay Muslim model of governance, Malaysia has managed to turn the complexities of pluralism into a source of resilience. As it advances toward the Madani ideal, its experience offers valuable lessons for both domestic policy and the wider world: peace, prosperity, and pluralism are achievable when guided by justice, moderation, and mutual respect. With such an extensive and successful model, Malaysia should also be regarded as a potential peacemaker, both regionally and internationally.
We do not always notice our blessings. Peace. Safety. Opportunity. Prosperity. Malaysia holds these today. I hope Malaysians cherish this and protect it; I also pray for Malaysia’s continued success.
*Ashurov Sharofiddin is an associate professor at the IIUM Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance, International Islamic University Malaysia. Hailing from Tajikistan, he went through his postgraduate studies in Malaysia and has been working here ever since.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2025/09/20/noticing-malaysias-blessings-ashurov-sharofiddin/191719
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Selangor Sultan’s Office reports misuse of Tengku Permaisuri’s image on fake TikTok account
19 Sep 2025
SHAH ALAM, Sept 19 — The Selangor Sultan’s Office has filed a police report over a fake TikTok account that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate and misuse the image of Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin.
The fraudulent account reportedly also misuses images of other individuals and public figures, suspected to be part of scam activities, according to a statement on the Selangor Royal Office’s official Facebook page.
“The public is urged to remain vigilant and verify information before being misled by such fake accounts on social media,” the statement said.
The office also advised users to report suspicious accounts immediately to platform operators.
Shah Alam police chief ACP Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim confirmed the report has been received by authorities. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/09/19/selangor-sultans-office-reports-misuse-of-tengku-permaisuris-image-on-fake-tiktok-account/191686
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Singapore’s DSTA unveils Gaia, a generative AI tool to revolutionise defence capabilities
By Malay Mail
20 Sep 2025
SINGAPORE, Sept 20 — Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) is set to enhance its focus on drones, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI), having developed its proprietary generative AI tool.
The tech is named Gaia, short for Generative AI assistant.
It aims to bolster the nation’s defence capabilities by leveraging cutting-edge technologies.
DSTA said in a statement: “Built with flexibility and scalability in mind, Gaia allows us to swop between different LLMs (large language models) so that we can use the model that best suits each use case.”
The move comes as part of Singapore’s ongoing efforts to integrate advanced tech into its defence strategy, a process that has seen the incorporation of various sophisticated tools and systems in recent years.
This push mirrors global military trends, where technology plays an increasingly vital role in operational efficiency and strategic advantage.
DSTA’s foray into generative AI reflects a broader commitment to digital innovation within Singapore’s defence sector, aiming for enhanced operational processes and decision-making capabilities.
With this development, Singapore joins a select group of nations that are pioneering the military application of generative AI technologies.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2025/09/20/singapores-dsta-unveils-gaia-a-generative-ai-tool-to-revolutionise-defence-capabilities/191766
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Libat urus RUU Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan masih dijalankan - Mohd Na’im
theSun Berita
20 Sep 2025
SHAH ALAM: Sesi libat urus membabitkan Rang Undang-Undang (RUU) Mufti (Wilayah-Wilayah Persekutuan) 2024 masih dijalankan menurut Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Hal Ehwal Agama) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.
Beliau berkata arahan telah dikeluarkan kepada Jabatan Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan supaya usaha itu dipergiatkan bagi memastikan kefahaman yang lebih meluas mengenai tujuan serta objektif RUU terbabit.
“Keperluan dalam konteks Kabinet adalah supaya lebih banyak libat urus diadakan dengan pihak-pihak yang berkaitan dan pihak berkepentingan untuk diberi penjelasan.
“Kita akan terus (lakukan libat urus) sampai satu waktu yang kita rasa sesuai, RUU itu masih ada lagi di Parlimen dan tidak ditarik balik atau dibatalkan, jadi yang penting ialah memberikan kefahaman yang jelas sebab banyak kekeliruan timbul dan memerlukan penjelasan,” katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian ketika ditemui selepas menghadiri Karnival Keluarga Sejahtera 2025 di sini hari ini.
Pada 29 Ogos lepas, media melaporkan perbahasan untuk meluluskan RUU berkenaan ditangguhkan buat kali keempat sejak rang undang-undang itu dibentangkan bagi bacaan kali pertama di Dewan Rakyat pada Julai tahun lepas.
RUU itu antara lain bertujuan mengadakan peruntukan bagi perkara yang berhubung dengan mufti serta penentuan perkara mengenai hukum dan doktrin syarak.
RUU itu turut memperincikan fungsi dan peranan mufti dalam membantu dan menasihati Yang di-Pertuan Agong berkenaan dengan semua perkara hukum syarak, tatacara mengeluarkan fatwa, pendapat berhubung dengan hukum syarak di mahkamah serta penentuan arah kiblat.
Rang undang-undang itu juga memperincikan penubuhan Jawatankuasa Fatwa Wilayah-Wilayah Persekutuan, Jawatankuasa Falak Syarie, Jawatankuasa Rukyah Hilal, Jawatankuasa Pengawasan Pengajaran Agama Islam dengan dipengerusikan mufti. – Bernama
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/cerita/berita/libat-urus-ruu-mufti-wilayah-persekutuan-masih-dijalankan-mohd-na-im-HP14933499
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslim-man-multiple-kerala-high-court/d/136917