Pakistan Distorts Meaning Of The Quranic Phrase ‘Bunyan Al-Marsoos’ To Justify Military Escalation
New Age Islam News Bureau
10 May 2025
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi
PTI
-------
· Pakistan Distorts Meaning Of The Quranic Phrase ‘Bunyan Al-Marsoos’ To Justify Military Escalation
· India-Pakistan Escalation: Special Prayers Offered At Mosques In Madhya Pradesh For India's Victory
· Saudi Arabia Making Efforts To De-Escalate India-Pakistan Tensions
· Pope Leo XIV Calls Church 'A Beacon To Illuminate Dark Nights' In First Mass
· YouTube Geo-Blocks At Least Six Bangladeshi TV Channels In India
--------
India
· India's Eastern Sector, Encompassing International Borders With China, Bangladesh, Bhutan And Myanmar On Toes Amid Escalating India-Pakistan Tensions
· 300-400 Turkish Drones Across 36 Locations: India Flags Pakistan Attack On 'Civilian Infrastructure'
· Press Information Bureau Debunks Fake Video Claiming Indian Muslims Are Committing Arson In Delhi
· Aligarh Muslim University Shows Support To Indian Soldiers With Solidarity
· Missile Debris Found In Haryana's Sirsa, Punjab's Jalandhar; Tension Prevails In Border Districts
· Border Areas Of Gujarat On High Alert, Indian Army Downs Suspected Pakistani Drone At Kutch
· Blackout, sirens as drones are engaged over Jammu, Samba, Pathankot
· Srinagar among 26 Pakistan drone targets, officials say incursions 'effectively repulsed'
· Grand Library In Tirunelveli Will Be Named After Yesteryear IUML Leader Quaid -E-Millath: CM Stalin
· Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed Vows To Sacrifice Life For India, Repeats 'Suicide Bomber' Remark
-----
Arab World
· Hail’s ancient legacy of life and language etched in stone
· Saudi Arabia takes part in Doha International Book Fair 2025
· Saudi science and engineering team heads to US for ISEF 2025 competition
· Gates Foundation ‘appreciates’ Saudi Arabia’s leadership amid global aid funding cuts
· Hajj 2025: ‘Mecca Route’ gives extra care to elderly pilgrims
------
Europe
· Islamic Convert, Swanley Teenager, Leo Walby, Jailed For Four-And-A-Half-Years For Sharing Terror Videos
· 2 Bangladeshis arrested for terrorism in Palermo
· Zia Yusuf: the British Muslim driving Reform’s transformation into an election winner
· ‘If it isn’t recorded it will disappear’: the Muslim photographer shining a light on Bradford’s Jewish community
· The Muslim Vote-endorsed candidates who scored numbers at the polls say they're just getting started
-----
South Asia
· Shahbagh blockade continues as protesters demand ban on Awami League
· Minister of Communications Emphasizes AI Development in Afghanistan
· US extends Temporary Protected Status for Afghan Refugees by 60 days
· 90% Afghan households hit by Economic Shock last year: UN Report
-----
Mideast
· UN Committee Warns Of ‘Another Nakba’ In Palestinian Territories
· OIC Condemns Zionist Enemy's Closure Of UNRWA Schools In Quds
· UN’s top anti-racism body calls for immediate Gaza aid access
· Iran, US to resume nuclear talks on Sunday after postponement
· Kurdish PKK says held ‘successful’ meeting on disbanding
· Tens of thousands perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque
· Massive rallies in Al-Dhale' under title: "To Support Gaza… By Allah’s Strength, we defeated America & will defeat Israel"
-----
North America
· CAIR Supports Western Kentucky U. Muslim Students’ Request for Prayer Space
· Media Advisory: CAIR, Advocates to Speak Out Against Threat of Renewed Muslim Ban at SF Hearing
· Sen. Cornyn: DOJ Probe Opened Into Planned Muslim Texas Town
· New Jersey mayor arrested in protest at migrant centre
· Turkish Tufts University student released from immigration facility
-----
Africa
· 315 Muslim Pilgrims Airlifted To Mecca In Inaugural International Flight At Imo Airport
· Drone strikes hit Port Sudan for sixth straight day: army source
· Matawalle donates N5m, food items to family of slain Imam of Maru
· Terror attacks continue in northern Mozambique
· Lagos Muslim community felicitates Catholics on new Pope
------
Southeast Asia
· Selangor Ends Middle East Sponsorships For Islamic Undergraduate Studies, Shifts Focus To Local Universities
· BPKH urges international collaboration to bolster Islamic economics
· Indonesian Muslims Urged to Use Official Visas for Hajj Pilgrimage
· Siti Nurhaliza pays courtesy call on PM Anwar, talks arts, youth and cultural relevance
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistan-quranic-military-escalation-justify/d/135495
-----
Pakistan Distorts Meaning Of The Quranic Phrase ‘Bunyan Al-Marsoos’ To Justify Military Escalation
10.05.25
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi
PTI
---------
Pakistan launched a pre-dawn missile and drone offensive on India from Friday night to early Saturday morning, calling it "Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos" — a military campaign that Islamabad says is its major retaliatory strike.
The name, drawn from a Quranic verse, appears to have been selected by Pakistan to project an image of resilience and unity, portraying its forces as an impregnable front fighting for a cause.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi accused Pakistan of distorting the meaning of the Quranic phrase Bunyan al-Marsoos to serve its own political narratives.
“They are deliberately misinterpreting the essence of Bunyan al-Marsoos and ignoring the core message of the Quran,” Owaisi said. “The verse preceding Bunyan al-Marsoos clearly states: ‘Why do you say that which you do not do?’ Yet, Pakistan chooses to overlook this and instead twists scripture to justify its stance.”
He further alleged that Pakistan’s selective reading of religious texts is not new. “When Pakistani forces bombed Bangladeshi Muslims during the 1971 war, did they forget the spirit of Bunyan al-Marsoos then?” Owaisi asked, referring to the brutal military crackdown in East Pakistan. “Their popular leader at the time, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, referred to Bangladeshi Muslims as ‘pigs'.
The New York Times reported, the operation’s name translates to “solid wall of lead” or a “firm and compact structure.”
The verse, cited by Al Jazeera, reads: “Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure.”
While India has stated that it did not target any civilian infrastructure or facilities, Pakistan's deputy PM and foreign minister Ishaq Dar, in an interview with Geo News, said, “This operation that we started today, it will all end in some way. It all depends on what India wants.”
In the attack late Friday, Pakistan reportedly used drones and missiles, including the Fattah-1 missile, after it claimed India struck three Pakistani air bases—Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Murid (Chakwal) and Rafiqui (Shorkot in Jhang district)—on the night of May 9-10, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Addressing the media in a news conference held at 4 am in Islamabad, Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry confirmed the Indian strikes but asserted, “All assets of the Air Force remain safe.” He claimed India had used air-to-surface missiles in the offensive.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/asaduddin-owaisi-accuses-pakistan-of-quranic-verse-misuse-to-justify-military-escalation/cid/2098556
-------
India-Pakistan escalation: Special prayers offered at mosques in Madhya Pradesh for India's victory
May 10, 2025
Across Madhya Pradesh, special prayers were held in mosques on Friday for India's triumph in the ongoing conflict with Pakistan
--------
BHOPAL: Special prayers were offered at several mosques across MP on Friday for India's victory in the ongoing military conflict with Pakistan.
Among other places, the Taj-ul-Masajid here, known to be the largest mosque in country, saw prayers being offered for India's victory and Pakistan's defeat after the Friday Namaz.
Effigies and flags of Pakistan were also burnt and the Indian tricolour was waved in some parts of the state. "All of us have unanimously prayed today after the Jumma (Friday) Namaz for India's victory and Pakistan's defeat," All India Ulema Board's state unit chief Qazi Syed Anas Ali Nadwi told PTI over phone. "I had issued an advisory for the prayers," the cleric added.
Outside the Taj-ul- Masajid, Muslim faithful raised slogans "Hindustan Zindabad" and "Pakistan Murdabad".
'Havan' rituals were also conducted at many temples in the state for India's victory.
"We have conducted 'victory havans' in 26 havan kundas in Agar Malwa to pray for immense power to our armed forces, and their victory," said Pandit Manohar, a priest.
Source: indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/india-pakistan-escalation-special-prayers-offered-at-mosques-in-madhya-pradesh-for-indias-victory/articleshow/121047690.cms
---------
Saudi Arabia making efforts to de-escalate India-Pakistan tensions
May 10, 2025
Saudi Arabian Flag
-----------
Amid rising military tensions between India and Pakistan, Saudi Arabia has stepped in to mediate and urge de-escalation. In a statement released early Saturday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry confirmed that Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir visited both India and Pakistan on May 8 and 9 as part of the Kingdom’s diplomatic initiative to reduce hostilities and encourage dialogue.
Acting on directives from Saudi leadership, Al-Jubeir’s mission aimed to “de-escalate tensions, end current military confrontations, and promote the resolution of all disputes through dialogue and diplomatic channels.” The diplomatic effort comes at a time when the region is witnessing some of the most serious cross-border hostilities in recent years.
Tensions have escalated dramatically following India’s precision strikes on terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early Wednesday. These strikes were launched in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which India has linked to cross-border terrorist infrastructure.
On Thursday, Al-Jubeir met with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi, where they discussed the regional security situation following India’s strikes. A day later, he traveled to Islamabad for talks with Pakistan’s top leadership, signaling Riyadh’s commitment to engage both sides in pursuit of peace.
The Saudi initiative was announced just hours after Pakistan accused India of launching missile and drone attacks targeting three key airbases: Nur Khan (Rawalpindi), Murid (Chakwal), and Rafiqui (Shorkot). Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry held a press conference at 4 a.m. on Saturday to confirm the attacks.
Shortly after, state-run PTV reported that Pakistan had launched a retaliatory military operation dubbed “Bunyan al-Marsous” (Iron Wall). The operation marks a significant escalation in military engagement between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
On Friday night, Pakistan reportedly carried out drone strikes on 26 locations across India, from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat. The Indian Defence Ministry stated that it had successfully intercepted multiple threats and thwarted attempts to damage vital infrastructure, including air bases and airports.
The situation remains volatile, with regional and international observers closely monitoring developments. — With Agencies Inputs
Source: muslimmirror.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://muslimmirror.com/saudi-arabia-making-efforts-to-de-escalate-india-pakistan-tensions/
--------
Pope Leo XIV calls Church 'a beacon to illuminate dark nights' in first Mass
May 10, 2025
Watch: Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Mass in the Vatican
----------
The new Pope, Leo XIV, has called in his first Mass at the Vatican for the Catholic Church to "desperately" counter a lack of faith.
Speaking the day after he was elected as the 267th Pope and first US leader of the Church, he warned that people were turning away from faith and instead to "technology, money, success, power, or pleasure".
Leo said he had been elected to be a "faithful administrator" of a Church that would act as a "beacon that illuminates the dark nights of this world".
The ascension of Robert Francis Prevost has been celebrated by the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, with joyous outbursts in his US homeland and in Peru, where he served for 20 years.
In his sermon on Friday, the new Pope said there were many settings where the Christian faith was considered "absurd" - with power, wealth, and technology dominating - but it was precisely there that missionary outreach was needed.
"A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society," he said in the address delivered in Italian.
Pope Leo, 69, wore a white papal robe trimmed in gold as he addressed the seated cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, an event broadcast live by the Vatican administration.
In an unscripted introduction before the homily, Leo also called on Church unity from his cardinals, telling them in American-accented English: "I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me".
Following weeks of anticipation, the previously-unknown Prevost was introduced as the new Pope to the world on Thursday evening in St Peter's Square.
Tens of thousands of worshippers in the square burst into cheers when white smoke curled out of the Vatican's chimney on the second day of the conclave's voting.
Shortly after, the Chicago-born Prevost appeared on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica. In his first words to the crowds he outlined a vision of a "missionary" Church which "builds bridges, which holds dialogues, which is always open".
He echoed his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, in calling for peace.
"Help us, and each other, to build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace," he said.
World leaders have rushed to congratulate Prevost on his election, pledging to work with him on global issues amid uncertain times. US President Donald Trump called it a "great honour" to have the first American pope.
Prevost, who had previously been the Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, was only made an archbishop and then cardinal in 2023. He was elected by his fellow cardinals in what is believed to be four rounds of voting in the secret conclave that took place two weeks after Francis died.
He is seen as being aligned with the progressive late Pope, who was viewed as a champion of human rights and the poor and celebrated for his charismatic style that sought to make the Catholic Church more outward-facing.
Vatican watchers have noted that Francis appeared to have brought Prevost to Rome in recent years, perhaps to set him up as a potential successor.
The Augustinian missionary worked for decades with the poor and marginalised in Peru, where he obtained nationality in 2015.
In his previous role as Cardinal Prevost, he had also expressed or amplified criticism of the US administration under President Trump, including its anti-immigration policies.
On an X account under his name, he had criticised Vice President JD Vance in February. Vance, who is a Catholic convert, had said Christians should love their family, neighbours, community and fellow citizens in that order. Prevost had written: "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others".
As Pope now, he faces a momentous task in leading the Church in a time of significant global conflicts. Observers have expressed hope that he can offer a counterpoint to more divisive voices on the world stage.
His next appearances, at Sunday's midday Regina Coeli prayer in St Peter's Basilica and a Monday news conference with journalists, will be closely watched for signs as to which direction he intends to lead the Church and what kind of Pope he will be.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g3dydj3e3o
--------
YouTube geo-blocks at least six Bangladeshi TV channels in India
May 10, 2025
Photo: Dismislab
-----------
YouTube has restricted access to at least six Bangladeshi television channels in India following a takedown request from the Indian government, citing concerns related to national security and public order.
The affected channels are Jamuna TV, Ekattor TV, DBC NEWS, SOMOY TV, BanglaVision NEWS, and Mohona TV. Users attempting to view these channels from an Indian geo-location receive a message stating, "This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order."
The restriction appears to have been implemented in phases, with four channels becoming inaccessible yesterday.
Two additional channels—DBC News and Somoy TV—were added to the block list today.
These Bangladeshi channels are among the most-viewed Bengali-language news outlets, five of which have over a million subscribers. Jamuna TV and SOMOY TV, both dedicated news broadcasters, have over 25 million subscribers each, while Ekattor TV (14M), BanglaVision News (7.9M), and DBC News (7.32M) also have significant viewership.
Jamuna TV confirmed to Dismislab that they received official notifications from YouTube regarding the blocking.
Geo-block confirmed through VPN testing and local confirmation
Dismislab conducted the verification by first connecting to an Indian VPN server. The team confirmed the connection by visiting browser-based IP checker "What's My IP Address" to ensure the virtual location was identified as India.
After establishing the Indian IP, Dismislab accessed YouTube's official site and manually checked each of the 38 Bangladeshi news and media channels on its list. Four of these channels—Jamuna TV, Ekattor TV, BanglaVision, and Mohona TV—were found to be inaccessible, showing a notice citing government orders related to national security or public order.
To validate these findings, Dismislab sent the links of the four blocked channels two journalists based in New Delhi and Kolkata. The journalists, who requested anonymity, confirmed that the channels could not be accessed from within India. One of them sent a screen recording confirming the findings.
On May 10, Dismislab conducted a second round of VPN testing and found that two additional channels, DBC News and Somoy TV, had also been blocked, bringing the total to six.
Jamuna TV confirmed Dismislab receiving an official notice from YouTube, stating that the channel had been blocked in India following a government request. The notice added that all future uploads on the channel would also be restricted from Indian viewers.
"We received an order from the government related to national security or public order regarding your content… Future uploads on this channel will also be blocked," the notice from YouTube said.
Regional Tensions Fuel Digital Takedowns
Geo-blocking refers to restricting access to content based on a viewer's geographical location. In this case, the affected Bangladeshi channels remain accessible globally, but their content has been hidden from users in India.
The geo-blocking of Bangladeshi news channels comes amid heightened regional tension following Operation Sindoor, launched by Indian armed forces on the night of May 6–7. The cross-border strikes, targeting alleged terror camps in Pakistan, triggered an outpouring of hyper-nationalist coverage in several Indian news outlets.
Amid this charged atmosphere, The Wire, a prominent independent Indian news outlet, reported on May 9 that its website had been blocked nationwide. In a post on social media, The Wire stated: "In a clear violation of the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press, the Government of India has blocked access to thewire.in across India."
A day earlier, X (formerly Twitter) disclosed that the Indian government had ordered the blocking of over 8,000 accounts, including those of independent media outlets such as Maktoob Media, The Kashmiriyat, and Free Press Kashmir.
In April, India banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading provocative content. Access was also restricted to the Instagram account of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, as well as several Pakistani celebrities and athletes, including cricketers Babar Azam and Shahid Afridi and Olympian Arshad Nadeem.
Last week, Bangladeshi blogger Asad Noor, who has been living in exile in India, claimed on X that his YouTube channel Asad Noor had been blocked in India on national security grounds. However, the restriction was later lifted.
YouTube is required to comply with India's Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Under Section 69A of the IT Act, the Indian government has the authority to order the blocking of online content it deems a threat to national security, sovereignty, or public order. Such directives may be issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) or other authorised bodies.
The Indian government's increased scrutiny has led to a significant rise in content removal requests. For instance, from January to June 2023, Google received 2,191 content removal requests from the Indian government, with an additional 1,677 requests in the latter half of the year. Over the past decade, approximately 115,500 pieces of content have been requested for removal from Google's platforms, including YouTube, highlighting the escalating trend of digital content regulation in India.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/youtube-geo-blocks-least-six-bangladeshi-tv-channels-india-3891176
----------
India
India's Eastern Sector, Encompassing International Borders With China, Bangladesh, Bhutan And Myanmar On Toes Amid Escalating India-Pakistan Tensions
May 10, 2025
GUWAHATI: India's eastern sector, encompassing international borders with China, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar, is under heightened security and surveillance following Operation Sindoor against Pakistan and the need to ramp up preparedness for a multi-front threat.
A top security source said the current situation along Northeastern borders presents a complex security landscape where China's threat, while serious, is more about strategic encirclement and military posturing. By contrast, Bangladesh's ISI-backed terror modules appear to pose a more direct threat to Northeast's security due to proximity, historical precedent, and ongoing activities.
"Operation Sindoor has escalated tensions, creating a volatile environment where Pakistan may seek to exploit Bangladesh as a proxy to pressure India, particularly in Northeast," the military source said. The LAC with China remains calm but tense, with no major escalations since 2020 Galwan clash.
Meghalaya's West Jaintia Hills district administration Thursday imposed night curfew along the Bangladesh border, saying this stretch was unfenced and highly prone to infiltration by illegal migrants. These could include members of organised crime rings with links to anti-national elements, including militant groups, who could gather in large numbers near the border at night to continue their nefarious activities.
In Assam, police in all districts bordering Bangladesh have been on high alert."We are keeping watch. Earlier attempts by JMB (Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh), ABT (Ansarullah Bangla Team) modules to enter Assam have been broken," a top police official said.
Source: indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/eye-on-bangladesh-china-eastern-sector-on-toes-amid-escalating-india-pakistan-tensions-operation-sindoor/articleshow/121046441.cms
--------
300-400 Turkish drones across 36 locations: India flags Pakistan attack on 'civilian infrastructure'
Imran Ahmed Siddiqui
10.05.25
India on Friday accused Pakistan of targeting its “cities and civilian infrastructure” apart from military establishments at 36 locations the previous night with missiles and “Turkish” drones, which were “effectively repulsed”.
It also said Pakistan continued shelling Jammu and Kashmir’s border areas.
Thousands of people living near the Line of Control in three border districts of Kashmir have been evacuated following heavy shelling by Pakistani troops. Many residents of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts have been shifted to bunkers or other locations, officials said.
The government admitted to an undisclosed number of army casualties while saying India had responded “proportionately, adequately and responsibly”, causing “major losses” to Pakistan and destroying an air defence radar.
A defence ministry statement said: “Alarmingly, Pakistan kept its civil airspace open during the assault, endangering civilian flights.”
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri told a news conference: “These provocative and escalatory actions taken by Pakistan last night were targeted at Indian cities and civilian infrastructure in addition to military establishments. Indian armed forces responded proportionately, adequately and responsibly.”
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh told the news conference that Pakistan had on May 8-9 night carried out “large-scale violations of Indian airspace, attempting to target military infrastructure with 300-400 drones across 36 locations from Leh to Sir Creek”.
“Indian forces neutralised many using kinetic and non-kinetic means,” Singh added.
“The possible purpose of these large-scale aerial intrusions was to test air defence systems and gather intelligence. Forensic investigation of the wreckage of the drones is being done. Initial reports suggest that they are Turkish Asisguard Songar drones.”
The Songar is Turkey’s first indigenously developed armed drone system, produced by the Ankara-based defence company Asisguard, sources said.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi told the news conference that an armed UAV had attempted to target the Bhatinda military station but was detected and shot down.
“In response to the Pakistani attack, armed drones were launched at four air defence sites in Pakistan. One of the drones was able to destroy an air defence radar,” she said.
India, she said, also responded strongly to Pakistan’s ceasefire violations across the LoC.
“Pakistan also carried out artillery shelling across the Line of Control using heavy-calibre artillery guns and armed drones which resulted in some losses and injuries to Indian army personnel. Pakistan army also suffered major losses in Indian retaliatory fire,” she said.
Responding to a question at the media briefing on how India would respond to Pakistan’s latest attacks, Misri said the action taken by New Delhi had been “responsible and sufficient”.
Sources said India had activated its air defence network, including S-400 Triumph systems, Barak-8 and Akash missiles, and the DRDO’s anti-drone technologies.
They said eight missiles were fired from Pakistan towards Kashmir and they were all “intercepted and blocked by air defence units”. The attacks, they said, were directed at the towns of Satwari, Samba, Ranbir Singh Pura and Arnia.
India had on Thursday hit Pakistani air defence radars and systems at several locations, including Lahore, hours after thwarting Pakistan’s attempted strikes on 15 Indian military installations.
New Delhi had said the air defence system in Lahore was “reliably learnt to have been neutralised”.
India had struck nine terror bases in Pakistan and PoK in the early hours of Wednesday in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
PM meet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a high-level meeting with the three service chiefs (army, air force and navy), defence minister Rajnath Singh and national security adviser Ajit Doval to “strategise over the future course of action”.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/300-400-turkish-drones-across-36-locations-india-flags-pakistan-attack-on-civilian-infrastructure-prnt/cid/2098446
--------
Press Information Bureau Debunks Fake Video Claiming Indian Muslims Are Committing Arson In Delhi
May 09, 2025
The Press Information Bureau's fact-checking unit has debunked a fake video going viral on social media, which claims that Indian Muslims have started a fire in Delhi.
In a post on X, the PIB's fact-checking account shared the video and said, “A video going viral on social media is falsely claiming that Indian Muslims have started arson in Delhi. This video is actually of the massive fire that broke out at Delhi Haat market in INA area of ??Delhi on the evening of April 30, 2025.”
They added, “This is part of a well-planned propaganda campaign aimed at mislead the public and disturb communal harmony. Please trust only verified information from government and official sources.”
The video which shows shops on fire in Delhi Haat was shared with the caption, “Indian Muslims have started setting fires in Delhi. The time has come to destroy India.”
The fact-checking unit has been active on social media pointing out fake videos and propaganda that has been circulating related to Operation Sindoor and its effects.
Earlier today, the Press Information Bureau also fact-checked a video that claimed Pakistan had struck a military base in Amritsar. The video being shared was from a wildfire in 2024.
Operation Sindoor was conducted after 26 civilians died in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. India has accused Pakistan of involvement in the act of terrorism, a charge which Pakistan has denied.
Since then, Pakistan has resorted to heavy shelling across the Line of Control, wrecking havoc on villages in border districts.
On Thursday night, India's air defence system foiled an attack by Pakistan's military on 36 locations across the country, including several military installations.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pib-debunks-fake-video-claiming-indian-muslims-are-committing-arson-in-delhi-101746794739464.html
---------
Aligarh Muslim University shows support to Indian soldiers with solidarity
09.05.25
Students and teachers at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Friday held a march on campus to demonstrate solidarity with Indian soldiers fighting on the borders to safeguard the nation's honour and sovereignty.
The show of support comes amidst the ongoing Operation Sindoor, India's response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
In a statement, AMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Naima Khatoon lauded Operation Sindoor as a befitting response to the barbaric attack on innocent persons in Pahalgam last month.
The Vice-Chancellor emphasised that the AMU community stands firmly behind the brave soldiers displaying "unparalleled valour and tactical brilliance" during this critical time.
Meanwhile, in several places across the state, members of the Muslim community held special Friday prayers for the Indian soldiers.
In Saharanpur, scenes of unity and patriotism played out as members of the community waved the Tricolour after Friday prayers.
Speaking to PTI Videos, a local Muslim man said, "Pakistan is defaming Islam through its un-Islamic activities. We stand firmly behind our Army and pray for their victory over Pakistan." Similar sentiments echoed in Ayodhya. "We prayed for the safety of our nation, for our forces to hoist the Tricolour over Islamabad, and take strong action against Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism," said Ali Sayed Khan, a local.
In Gorakhpur, Iqrar Ahmad, president of Mubarak Khan Shaheed shrine, said that special prayers were offered during Friday namaz for India's victory and prosperity on all fronts.
He expressed satisfaction with India's offensive move, deeming it a "necessary step taken on time against terrorism and Pakistan's support for it." Meanwhile, in Basti district, Member of Parliament Jagdambika Pal stated that the Pahalgam incident had deeply affected the entire nation. He lauded the swift and decisive response of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, noting that "Pakistan is trembling due to Operation Sindoor." PTI COR CDN RUK RUK
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/aligarh-muslim-university-shows-support-to-indian-soldiers-with-solidarity/cid/2098428
---------
Missile debris found in Haryana's Sirsa, Punjab's Jalandhar; tension prevails in border districts
Harpreet Bajwa
10 May 2025
CHANDIGARH: The remnants of missile-like objects were found at two places in the fields of Sirsa in Haryana after possible air strike attempt by Pakistan was thwarted. Also missile-type objects were found at many places in Jalandhar in Punjab.
Meanwhile many drones were neutralized in Amritsar.
Sources said that debris of missile-like objects were found at two places namely, Rania Chungi Khajakhera and Firozabad Chaksaheba in the fields near the Air Force station in Sirsa district.
The teams of Indian Air Force and district police reached both the spots, collected the debris and took it away.
In Firozabad, the pieces were found near a gurdwara. The debris found at both sites resembled broken metallic parts, and both locations are about 16 km apart.
The local people claimed that on Friday night they reportedly saw an object descending from the sky before a sudden explosion. The officials are tight-lipped on the issue and have not provided any further details yet.
A loud explosion was heard past Friday midnight around 12:15 am thus triggering panic among residents. Soon after the blast, an increased activity of the Indian Air Force and police teams was observed across the city.
Adding to the confusion, another loud blast was heard in Sirsa around 8 am on Saturday morning.
While the residents of Kangniwal village near Adampur in Jalandhar of Punjab woke up around 1:30 am by hearing a loud sound. They claimed that when they went outside, they saw debris of missile like objects. A car parked outside a house was damaged, and a water tank in another house developed cracks.
Also, debris were found at Rampur Khalian village near Phagwara, where an 8-foot-deep crater was created in the fields and at Mand Maur village near Kartarpur this morning.
An official said that the Jalandhar administration was on red alert all night as many objects were seen and were neutralized by the armed forces.
Also explosion-like sounds were heard in Pathankot district early on Saturday morning, amid the ongoing conflict.
The blast sounds were heard around 5 am. There was no official word in this regard.
There was a blackout in Pathankot on Friday night and administration urged residents to stay indoors.
Security forces thwarted multiple attacks by Pakistani drones in Punjab's Ferozepur, Pathankot, Fazilka, and Amritsar districts yesterday evening as per officials.
Meanwhile many drones were neutralized in Amritsar. The residents of the Khasa near Amritsar claimed to have seen several drones being neutralised mid-air by the air defence system. Localssaid they heard explosions around 5 am. "We saw red streaks in the sky that burst in the air with explosions,’’ said one of them.
Similar, explosions were also heard in the nearby Chheharata area. Then the district administration advised people to stay indoors. The officials remained tight-lipped over the development. In a statement the army stated, "In one such incident, today at approximately 5 am, multiple enemy armed drones were spotted flying over Khasa Cantt, Amritsar. The hostile drones were instantly engaged and destroyed by our air defence units. “
Also explosions heard in Gurdaspur and there were craters in the fields at few places in Gurdaspur, as per claims by locals.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/May/10/us-secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-dials-pakistan-army-chief-urges-de-escalation
---------
Border areas of Gujarat on high alert, Indian Army downs suspected Pakistani drone at Kutch
Dilip Singh Kshatriya
10 May 2025
AHMEDABAD: A wave of tension gripped the Kutch border since early morning on Saturday as the Indian Army shot down a suspected Pakistani drone over an empty plot in East Kutch, scattering debris across the fields.
Authorities are investigating whether the object was a drone or a missile, deepening concerns along the volatile frontier.
Hours after the kutch village incident, three more drones were sighted near Sir Creek in Nights, escalating fears. The situation intensified the following evening, as a complete blackout was enforced across Kutch in Night, and fresh drone sightings were reported along the border on May 9.
In the Lakhpat area, three drones were seen approaching Indian territory, detected by alert security agencies, with video footage of the sightings quickly circulating. Although the drones later vanished, additional movements were reported near another sector of the border, culminating around 11 p.m. when drones were again spotted near the northern edge of Kutch — the very site where the earlier drone was shot down.
Now on May 10, again drone shot down by Indian Army near Kutch border in the morning.
Amid mounting anxiety, the Kutch Collector issued an urgent advisory via social media platform X, urging residents to stay indoors during the day, avoid unnecessary outings, and observe a voluntary blackout at night to enhance security measures.
Following the initial drone strike, panic buying swept Kutch, forcing many shops to close early as residents rushed to stock up on essentials. With vegetable supplies heavily reliant on shipments from Ahmedabad, Rajkot, and northern Gujarat, the scramble for staples like onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and chilies surged, as fears of supply disruption loomed.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/May/10/border-areas-of-gujarat-on-high-alert-indian-army-downs-suspected-pakistani-drone-at-kutch
--------
Blackout, sirens as drones are engaged over Jammu, Samba, Pathankot
by Arun Sharma
May 9, 2025
A day after India intercepted several missiles over its skies, Jammu again saw a blackout and sirens ring out on Friday night. Around 8.30 pm, explosions were also heard in the city as well as in the Samba sector.
Defence sources said drones had been sighted in Jammu, Samba and Pathankot and were being engaged.
“Blackout in Jammu now. Sirens can be heard across the city,” J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah posted on X. He is currently in Jammu. “Intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery, can now be heard from where I am,” he posted.
Residents told The Indian Express that the blackout was enforced a little after 8 pm. In parts of Srinagar, too, a blackout was enforced and loud sounds were heard from near Badamibagh cantonment.
According to officials, Pakistani troops were resorting to ceasefire violations in the Rajouri and Poonch sectors. The Indian Army was retaliating effectively, officials said.
“It’s my earnest appeal to everyone in and around Jammu, please stay off the streets, stay at home or at the nearest place you can comfortably stay at for the next few hours,” Omar wrote.
The development comes a day after Pakistan attempted to attack military installations in Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur, which was repelled by the Indian side.
Jammu had seen a blackout lasting hours on Thursday night too, as missiles streaked across the sky. After an initial attack from the Pakistani side a little before midnight, it had made another attempt around 3.50 am on Friday.
The following day had been fairly routine Jammu, with commercial establishments, banks and government offices open as usual all through Friday.
However, educational institutions such as schools and colleges, except for medical colleges, were shut as the government ordered their closure until May 12.
Source: indianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/blackout-jammu-sirens-heard-across-city-9993336/
----------
Srinagar among 26 Pakistan drone targets, officials say incursions 'effectively repulsed'
Muzaffar Raina
10.05.25
A swarm of drones targeted high-profile installations in Kashmir, including Srinagar airport and the Awantipora airbase on Friday night, marking Pakistan’s first attempt to extend its UAV forays to the Valley.
The attacks coincided with similar attempts across 26 locations ranging from Baramulla in Kashmir to Bhuj in Gujarat. There were drone incursions in Jammu city as well as Rajouri and Katra, all of which had been “effectively repulsed”, officials said.
Three persons were injured when debris from a Pakistani drone fell on a house in Punjab’s Ferozepur, police said.
Reports of multiple explosions near Srinagar airport, the Awantipora airbase in Pulwama and vital installations in Baramulla suggested the army was neutralising the drones.
Earlier, flashes in the sky signalled a third wave of drone attacks on an edgy Jammu city since Thursday night while sirens blared in parts of Srinagar, triggering fears of another scary night in the twin capitals of Jammuand Kashmir.
Officials confirmed drone sightings also in Pathankot, Punjab, and said they were being engaged.
The Army said the attacks across 26 locations by “suspected armed drones posed potential threats to civilian and military targets”.
The locations also include Awantipora, Nagrota, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala.
“Regrettably, an armed drone targeted a civilian area in Ferozpur, resulting in severe injuries to members of a local family. The injured have been provided medical assistance and the area has been sanitised by security forces,” the army said.
Ferozepur senior superintendent of police Bhupinder Singh said the crashing projectile from a Pakistani drone, destroyed by the army air defence system, landed on a house at Khai Pheme Ke village, setting it on fire.
Lakhwinder Singh, his wife and his brother Monu Singh were identified as those injured. Lakhwinder is said to be critical.
“The armed forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems. The situation is under close and constant watch, and prompt action is being taken wherever necessary,” the army said.
“Citizens, especially in border areas, are advised to remain indoors, limit unnecessary movement, and strictly follow safety instructions issued by local authorities. While there is no need for panic, heightened vigilance and precaution are essential,” it added.
Two killed
Heavy Pakistani shelling throughout Thursday night and Friday in both the Kashmir and Jammu regions killed a man and a woman.
Nargis Bashir, 38, of Rajarwani in Uri — apparently killed while fleeing the shelling in a car — became the first civilian casualty in Pakistani firing in the Kashmir region since the Pahalgam attack. Three of her family members were injured.
Mohammad Abrar was killed and three others, including his wife, were injured in the Loran area of Poonch. The district has lost 14 civilians, including children, to Pakistani shelling so far since Pahalgam.
The shelling prompted fresh migrations from border areas for the third consecutive day, with people leaving for safer areas in hordes.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah, who is camping in Jammu, said late in the evening that the city was under a blackout. “Sirens can be heard across the city,” he said on X, posting a picture showing lights flashing in the sky.
“Intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery, can now be heard from here.”
Omar issued an appeal: “It’s my earnest appeal to everyone in & around Jammu please stay off the streets, stay at home or at the nearest place you can comfortably stay at for the next few hours. Ignore rumours, don’t spread unsubstantiated or unverified stories & we will get through.”
Pakistan had, after Thursday night’s barrage, launched its second drone attack on Jammu city before dawn on Friday but this was neutralised by India’s air defence system. Late in the afternoon, the Jammu deputy commissioner asked people to “stay alert and vigilant”.
While there were visible signs of panic till morning, the situation appeared largely normal during the day in the city.
Omar had earlier on Friday said the second drone attack on Jammu had taken place around 4.30am. He spoke of an attempt to hit an ammunition depot in Anantnag, Kashmir.
“What happened last night, around 9pm and then at 4.30am, it is obvious Pakistan was escalating. They will suffer most in such an escalation. They should use (their) brains and de-escalate,” Omar had told reporters in Jammu during a visit to meet border migrants.
He faced criticism for failing to visit Poonch, which has recorded the highest casualties.
“The way they targeted civilians, the way they carried out a drone attack in Jammu, I think Jammu city has been targeted for the first time after the 1971 war,” Omar said.
“But credit goes to our defence forces; they neutralised the drones. Not one drone reached the target.”
The relentless Pakistani shelling targeted security camps in Kupwara and Poonch but the damage, if any, could not be ascertained.
Apart from killing Nargis, cross-border shelling injured four others in the Uri sector of Baramulla on Friday morning, sources said.
“The woman (Nargis) and her family had boarded a vehicle to flee the area. While she died, three other family members were injured,” the source said.
The death toll from the Pakistani shelling in Jammu and Kashmir since Wednesday is now 18.
Sources said some 50 structures were damaged in the Baramulla and Kupwara districts. Explosions were heard in Baramulla town.
Pakistani shells landed in several villages in Kupwara including Chowkibal, Panzgam, Soonthipora, Dolipora, Batpora, and Rawathpora, forcing residents indoors.
The BSF claimed to have foiled an infiltration bid in Samba at 11pm on Thursday. Media reports from Delhi quoted a BSF spokesperson as saying that seven militants were killed.
But the BSF’s official X handle mentioned no casualties. No evidence of the recovery of militants’ bodies was offered, either.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/srinagar-among-26-pakistan-drone-targets-officials-say-incursions-effectively-repulsed-prnt/cid/2098448
----------
Grand Library In Tirunelveli Will Be Named After Yesteryear IUML Leader Quaid -E-Millath: CM Stalin
May 09, 2025
A grand library to be established by the State government in Tirunelveli will be named after yesteryear leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) Quaid-E-Millath, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced in Tiruchi on Friday.
Inaugurating the ninth World Islamic Tamil Literature conference organised by the Islamic Literary Society, Mr.Stalin conceded another demand, raised at the conference, to establish a chair on Islamic Tamil literature in University of Madras. “I assure you all steps will be taken to establish the chair,” he said.
The DMK government, Mr. Stalin said, had always been a “protective rampart” for the minorities and continues to raise its voice to protect their rights. “You all know how much concern I and the DMK have for the minorities. This has been a long-standing relationship. The DMK government has not only been a protective rampart but has always been in the forefront in protecting your rights and extending benefits to you,” he said.
Over the past four years, the DMK government had been implementing various welfare schemes for the socio economic and educational development of minorities. The recent government decision to establish a Haj House at Nanganallur in Chennai has been largely welcomed.
Commending the motto of the conference, ‘Integration through literature,” Mr. Stalin said integration was the need of the hour. “Integration is essential not only in literature but also for hearts. Such conferences will foster such integration. Tamil and literature will unite us,” he said.
Mr. Stalin showered praised on the IUML national president K.M. Kader Mohideen on whom he conferred the Umaru Pulavar Award on the occasion. “Mr. Kader Mohideen was a close friend of Kalaignar (former Chief Minister Karunanidhi) and he is one of my guides. He always thinks of the welfare of society and the State,” Mr. Stalin said.
Mr. Stalin presented the Kalvikko Award to S. Sathik, former Vice-Chancellor of University of Madras on the occasion, and Ilakkiya Kavalar Awards to 10 persons.
Source: thehindu.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/grand-library-in-tirunelveli-will-be-named-after-quaid-e-millath-cm/article69558200.ece
---------
Karnataka minister Zameer Ahmed vows to sacrifice life for India, repeats 'suicide bomber' remark
May 09, 2025
Amid escalating tensions with Pakistan following India’s decisive military response under ‘Operation Sindoor’, Karnataka Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan made a dramatic statement on Friday, declaring he would willingly become a "suicide bomber" against Pakistan if given permission by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government.
“I am ready to sacrifice my life for the country. If the central government and the Prime Minister approve, I will go to Pakistan as a suicide bomber,” said Khan, reiterating his firm stance against terrorism. He also distanced Indian Muslims from Pakistan, stating emphatically, “We Indian Muslims have nothing to do with Pakistan. In fact, we hate it. The BJP always tried to link Indian Muslims with Pakistan."
Not the first time for Zameer Ahmed Khan
This not the first time for Khan to make similar statements. Earlier too, he said that he would like to become a suicide bomber and attack Pakistan, if PM Modi and Amit Shah allow him.
Khan’s remarks come in the backdrop of heightened national security concerns following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that left 26 Indian tourists dead. In retaliation, India carried out airstrikes on nine terror-linked locations inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s attempted retaliation triggered a high-level security review chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at South Block in Delhi. The meeting was attended by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, along with the three service chiefs and Defence Secretary RK Singh.
According to the Indian Army, Pakistani forces attempted a large-scale drone strike and carried out multiple ceasefire violations along the western border and the Line of Control (LoC) during the intervening night of May 8 and 9. The attacks were swiftly countered. “All nefarious designs will be responded to with force,” the Army said in a statement, reaffirming its commitment to protect India’s territorial integrity.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bengaluru-news/karnataka-minister-zameer-ahmed-vows-to-sacrifice-life-for-india-repeats-suicide-bomber-remark-101746791956498.html
----------
Arab World
Hail’s ancient legacy of life and language etched in stone
TAREQ AL-THAQAFI
May 10, 2025
MAKKAH: Carved into the rocks of Hail, across its mountains and plateaus, Thamudic inscriptions stand as enduring testaments to a civilization that flourished over thousands of years ago.
More than mere markings, these inscriptions form a visual archive that offers rich insights into the lives, beliefs, customs and language of ancient Arabs, preserving their names, expressions, and everyday experiences.
Mamdouh Al-Fadel, a researcher into the history of Hail and ancient Thamudic Arabic inscriptions, told Arab News that Thamudic script was one of the most important early forms of Arabic writing.
“These inscriptions offer detailed insights into both religious and social life. They preserve a vivid record of names and ancient Arabic vocabulary.
“And portray animals that inhabited the region at the time, such as camels, ibex, gazelles, lions, cheetahs, and ostriches, helping to paint a comprehensive picture of the desert environment and way of life during that period.”
Al-Fadel said that among the most significant sites preserving these rock arts and inscriptions are Jabal Umm Sinman in the city of Jubbah, as well as the sites of Yatab, Janine Mountain, Al-Tuwal Mountain, Al-Julf, Habran, Al-Musma, and Arnan.
He said the rich vocabulary and the diversity of names found at these sites reflect the depth and complexity of social and cultural life during that era.
He highlighted the significant global impact of these discoveries, which have turned the inscription sites in Hail into important destinations for researchers and visitors from around the world.
Several of these locations, such as Jubbah, Jabal Al-Manjor, and Jabal Raat at Shuwaymis are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, reflecting their profound archeological significance and cultural value on the global stage.
Al-Fadel said the Ministry of Culture is preserving these ancient petroglyphs by documenting archeological sites, conducting regular inspections, and fostering continuous research and academic studies.
When asked about the most striking aspects of life portrayed in the inscriptions, Al-Fadel explained: “They reveal a wealth of information about religious rituals, diverse hunting techniques, and the tools used, such as bows and arrows, spears, and even boomerangs.
“The inscriptions also depict clever hunting strategies, festive occasions like wedding dances, methods of adapting to the desert environment, the domestication of animals, and scenes of horse and camel racing, all illustrated with remarkable realism and detail.”
The Thamudic inscriptions in Hail stand as timeless historical treasures that transport us to the far reaches of antiquity, placing the Kingdom among the earliest cradles of human civilization.
Saad Al-Sharif, a researcher in ancient Arabic inscriptions, notes that the Thamudic script is among the oldest and most significant writing systems used in the Arabian Peninsula.
It has been found across many regions, particularly in the north, including Hail, Tayma, Tabuk and AlUla.
He said that the script is not directly attributed to the Thamud tribe, but scholars had adopted the term “Thamudic” as a convenient label to categorize it.
The script encompasses thousands of inscriptions written in various ancient Arabic languages and dialects.
Al-Sharif said Thamudic inscriptions are a vital source for understanding the linguistic evolution of Arabic, acting as a transitional link between ancient scripts such as Lihyanite and Nabataean and the modern Arabic script.
He underscored the importance of continued research and exploration in this field to deepen understanding of the Arabian Peninsula’s history.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600169/saudi-arabia
---------
Saudi Arabia takes part in Doha International Book Fair 2025
May 09, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, represented by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, is participating in the 34th Doha International Book Fair 2025, being held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center May 8-17.
The Saudi delegation, headed by the commission, includes prominent literary and cultural figures including representatives from the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, the King Abdulaziz Public Library, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, the King Fahd National Library, Nasher Publishing and Distribution Co., and the Publishing Association.
The Saudi pavilion features a rich and diverse array of cultural and literary content that reflects the vibrant creative landscape of the Kingdom.
Dr. Abdullatif Al-Wasel, CEO of the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, emphasized that the Kingdom’s participation in the Doha International Book Fair stems from the strong cultural ties between the Kingdom and Qatar.
He explained that the commission seeks, through this participation, to enhance joint cooperation in the fields of literature, publishing, and translation, given the flourishing cultural movement and intellectual advancement witnessed in the Kingdom and Qatar.
He noted that the exhibition represents a supportive opportunity for the publishing market, allowing Saudi publishers to connect with their counterparts from around the world.
The book fair serves as an important platform to boost the Kingdom’s presence on the international stage, opening doors for knowledge exchange and fostering engagement with intellectuals and publishing houses from around the world, embodying cultural integration that enriches both parties and enhances intercultural dialogue.
Through its participation in the fair, Saudi Arabia aims to provide visitors from various countries with the opportunity to see the extent of the cultural progress and transformation taking place in the Kingdom under Saudi Vision 2030, particularly in the literature, publishing, and translation sectors.
The Doha International Book Fair launched in 1972, and organized by the Ministry of Information and Culture, was transformed into an international exhibition in 1982.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600118/saudi-arabia
---------
Saudi science and engineering team heads to US for ISEF 2025 competition
May 09, 2025
RIYADH: A Saudi science and engineering team left the Kingdom today, heading to Columbus, Ohio to compete at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair 2025, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The event, the world’s largest scientific platform for research and innovative projects for pre-university students, will take place May 10–16, with the participation of more than 1,700 students representing 70 countries.
According to SPA, the Kingdom, represented by Mawhiba and the Ministry of Education, has participated annually in this fair since 2007, winning 160 awards in total — 110 grand prizes and 50 special prizes.
The Saudi team includes 40 students participating in distinguished projects in promising scientific fields, selected from among the top winners of the grand prizes in the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity, or Ibdaa 2025. These finalists were chosen from a competitive pool of 200 students whose projects qualified for the last round of the Olympiad, which is one of 20 programs that Mawhiba offers annually for gifted students.
In late 2024, the organizing body of ISEF announced an increase in the number of Saudi projects participating in the 2025 fair to 40, up from 35 in previous editions.
Engineer Anas Al-Hunaihan, director of research programs and innovation development at Mawhiba, explained that three key factors contributed to this expanded participation were: “The demonstrated excellence of Saudi projects at past international competitions, significant growth in the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity registration numbers, and broader student engagement in both regional and central educational exhibitions throughout the Kingdom.”
According to SPA, more than 291,000 students registered for Ibdaa 2025, submitting 23,000 projects across 22 scientific categories. These projects underwent competition and selection through various stages to advance to the Ibdaa Science and Engineering Fair, which was hosted by Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh last February.
Prior to their departure, the team members completed comprehensive training regimens spanning an entire year implemented by Mawhiba, aimed at developing their scientific and research skills and preparing them to represent the Kingdom in global forums.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600115/saudi-arabia
--------
Gates Foundation ‘appreciates’ Saudi Arabia’s leadership amid global aid funding cuts
JONATHAN LESSWARE
May 09, 2025
LONDON: Saudi Arabia is playing a “growing global leadership role” as the US and European countries drastically cut foreign aid and development funding, the Gates Foundation CEO told Arab News on Thursday.
Speaking as his organization announced a new strategy to give away $200 billion over the next 20 years, Mark Suzman said a planned regional office in Riyadh would help the foundation achieve its long-term goals.
He said the foundation, which is chaired by the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, would continue pursuing the eradication of polio, a campaign that Saudi Arabia has pledged hundreds of million of dollars toward.
The Gates Foundation “deeply appreciated” the leadership shown by the Kingdom “as some of the traditional donors are pulling back,” Suzman said.
The foundation’s new timeline was decided long before the Trump administration radically cut foreign aid spending in January, followed by the UK, France and other European countries.
In light of those cuts, the foundation is “very strongly making the case, whether it’s in Washington, D.C., or London, or Paris, or Berlin, that with the resources that are still focused on development, it is imperative that they get applied to the highest impact opportunities,” Suzman said.
Those opportunities include the Gavi Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria — two programs that are estimated to have saved at least 80 million lives in the last 25 years.
Suzman said both programs needed replenishing in the coming months and that he hoped even with the fiscal challenges those governments are facing they would still provide funding.
“At the same time, though, we are really appreciative of the way in which not just Saudi Arabia but other countries in the Gulf have been leaning in and showing a much bigger global leadership role,” he added.
Another key area the foundation will continue to focus on is polio vaccination campaigns. Last year Saudi Arabia pledged $500 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which is heavily supported by Gates.
Suzman said he hopes that within three to five years, polio, which is now only endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, will become the second disease after smallpox to be eradicated.
“For us, it’s full steam ahead, and we actually hope that will then free up resources, not just from us, but from growing development partners like the Kingdom or like others in the Gulf, such as the UAE and Qatar.”
He said those resources could then be reallocated to other areas of global health and development, including agricultural and financial inclusion.
During the announcement of the polio campaign funding in April last year, the foundation also said it would open a new Middle East office in Riyadh at the Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City.
Suzman said the decision to open a Saudi office was due to the polio partnership but also other areas of cooperation with the Kingdom.
The office, which is expected to open early next year, would be part of a growing global network that builds partnerships intended to focus on “long-term health and development goals,” he said.
The foundation also partners with Saudi Arabia on the Lives and Livelihoods Fund, which aims to reduce poverty in Islamic countries.
In November, Gates and the Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation, known as Misk, announced the Challenge for Change program to support nonprofits and social enterprises in the Kingdom.
A Gates Foundation announcement on Thursday said Bill Gates would dramatically speed up the disbursement of almost all of his fortune.
The organization aims to distribute $200 billion by 2045 in what it described as the largest philanthropic commitment in modern history. The foundation would then come to an end.
“People will say a lot of things about me when I die, but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them,” Gates said as he marked the foundation’s 25th anniversary.
He also warned that decades of progress in reducing death rates from disease and poverty would be reversed due to the cuts in aid funding by governments in the US and Europe.
“It’s going to be millions more deaths because of the resources,” Gates told Reuters.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600111/saudi-arabia
--------
Hajj 2025: ‘Mecca Route’ gives extra care to elderly pilgrims
May 10, 2025
Cairo: A Saudi scheme, offering Hajj-related facilities to pilgrims coming from specific countries, is giving special attention to the elderly faithful.
Under the “Mecca Route” Initiative, designated tracks, expedited procedures, transportation to the waiting lounges before boarding Saudi Arabia-bound flights are provided for the elderly and infirm pilgrims at the departure airports in their home countries.
Staff are regularly on hand to receive the elderly pilgrims and complete the necessary travel procedures for them.
Now in its seventh year, the scheme secures fast-track services to pilgrims from seven countries, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Morocco, Bangladesh, Turkey and Cote d’Ivoire at 11 airports in the beneficiary countries.
The initiative aims to provide high-quality services to the pilgrims from these countries by finalising their procedures in the homeland, starting with taking their biometrics and issuing Hajj visas electronically through completing passport measures after verifying all health requirements.
Other facilities include tagging and sorting out luggage at the departure airports.
On arrival in Saudi Arabia, those pilgrims head directly to their residences in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina aboard buses moving on designated routes while their luggage are delivered right to their residences.
Several Saudi government agencies join hands in implementing the scheme. They include the ministries of interior, health, Hajj, and information, as well as the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, and the General Directorate of Passports.
Source: gulfnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/hajj-2025-mecca-route-gives-extra-care-to-elderly-pilgrims-1.500121952
--------
Europe
Islamic Convert, Swanley Teenager, Leo Walby, Jailed For Four-And-A-Half-Years For Sharing Terror Videos
9 MAY 2025
A teenage Muslim convert has been jailed for four-and-a-half years after sharing so-called Islamic State (IS) videos and propaganda on Telegram and TikTok. Leo Walby, 19, from Swanley, told police officers in October 2024 that he had created the accounts because he saw others doing it and wanted to join the trend, having converted to Islam 18 months earlier.
Walby, who was assessed as mildly autistic, was referred to the Government's anti-terror programme, Prevent, in 2017, but the case was closed without any engagement with his family, the Old Bailey heard on Friday. Judge Anthony Leonard KC, sentencing, said the defendant's posts were "intelligently and carefully planned" after he was "sucked into extremism".
On Walby's Telegram account were posts requesting donations to support an IS fighter, videos of suicide bombings, footage of a Western soldier being killed by an explosion, and a poem which praises martyrdom in support of jihad and fighting non-believers, prosecutors say. He also used the black IS flag as the logo for the channel, the court heard.
Among the posts on his TikTok account, which had more than 1,500 followers, were videos saying "only true Martyrs' fight for Allah's cause" and that "Muslims will fight and trade their lives for paradise", prosecutors said. He also posted a speech from Abdullah Yusuf Azaam who the court heard "is known as the father of global jihad" with links to Osama bin Laden.
In the video it is said: "Let the East and West know that we are terrorists and that we strike fear." Walby had admitted six charges of dissemination of a terrorist publication on dates between July 10 and August 20 last year and a further offence of failing to comply with a Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) notice by refusing to provide a password.
Source: kentlive.news
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/islamic-convert-19-jailed-four-10170483
-------
2 Bangladeshis arrested for terrorism in Palermo
09 May 2025
Two Bangladeshi citizens were arrested in Palermo on terror charges Friday after allegedly calling for jihad on social media, police said.
The Palermo prosecutor's office, coordinated by Maurizio de Lucia, has ordered the arrest of the pair, accused of apology and incitement to commit crimes related to terrorism.
The two, aged 21 and 18 respectively, have allegedly spread Islamic State propaganda material and praised jihad, martyrdom and the use of violence.
The investigating judge has ordered both to be placed under house arrest with the obligation to wear an electronic bracelet.
Source: ansa.it
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2025/05/09/2-bangladeshis-arrested-for-terrorism-in-palermo_66ec9dfd-b2ec-44e9-b1fc-6c3f45558146.html
--------
Zia Yusuf: the British Muslim driving Reform’s transformation into an election winner
9 May 2025
Reform’s success at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives in recent local elections has triggered speculation that it is on course for significantly more representation in parliament at the next general election.
This is a remarkable position for such a young party to be in. And perhaps just as remarkable is the fact that the chairman of a party defined by identity politics and opposition to immigration is a Muslim son of Sri Lankan immigrants.
Zia Yusuf is credited with professionalising Reform. Under his watch a number of constitutional changes have been made, including granting the party chair the authority to revoke membership, take disciplinary measures against and suspend candidates, as well as growing and building a national level party infrastructure.
Given the constant battles of the past – the candidates accused of racist comments at the 11th hour, for example – these election results suggest this professionalisation drive has paid off. The numbers are impressive, Reform has surpassed 230,000 members, leads ten councils, has 799 councillors, five MPs and two regional mayors.
Ben Habib, former co-deputy leader of Reform, has called for Yusuf to be removed over a dispute that erupted earlier this year that resulted in the suspension of Rupert Lowe, one of the Reform MPs elected in July 2024.
Senior-level party in-fighting persists, albeit increasingly behind closed doors (like the traditional parties). The Lowe row initially looked like it could end the way so many other such incidents have, but was quickly neutralised. Lessons have been learned.
Yusuf’s rise
Now a millionaire businessman, Yusuf was born in Scotland, to parents who migrated to the UK in the 1980s. He calls himself a “British Muslim patriot” and has been one of Reform’s biggest donors. Introducing himself at the Reform rally in Birmingham in June 2024, (a speech he described as a love letter to Great Britain), Yusuf said he became a Reform donor because “I love Britain, I love my country.”
Reform took 4 million votes in the last general election but came away with just five parliamentary seats. Lessons, again, were learned. In these local elections, Reform was on almost every ballot paper, the focus was on getting out the activists, running local campaigns that could deliver every vote in the first-past-the-post system.
Luke Campbell, a former professional boxer and now Reform’s mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire’s Facebook campaign exemplifies the blending of local issues (a long-broken water fountain in Hull city centre) with incumbent party performance and national accountability: “If the Lib Dems can’t fix a water fountain, how can they fix a region?”
Momentum is clearly behind Reform. It has become the de facto home of many disaffected, defecting Conservative councillors and has attracted some big names from the Conservative party. These include former government minister Andrea Jenkyns (now a Reform mayor), and Tim Montgomerie, a Conservative party member for over 30 years and one-time adviser to Boris Johnson.
And in a major coup for Yusuf, Reform now has former Conservative party donor and billionaire Nick Candy as its treasurer. Candy, for the moment appears happy with a backstage role, raising funds. Yusuf however, has been public facing, on the campaign trail, at the counts, doing the media circuit.
A delicate path
Yusuf’s appointment as Reform’s chairman did not go uncontested and he has faced racist and Islamophobic abuse, including from Reform supporters. A sample of the kind of rhetoric swirling around opposition to Yusuf could be found on X. As one user reportedly said: “I voted Reform to get Britain back for the British, not for it to be led by a Muslim. I will be resigning my membership tomorrow.”
We of course don’t know if they saw through on that threat, and judging by Reform’s current membership numbers, few people voted against Yusuf with their feet. However, as another X user’s view suggests, he occupies a difficult position in a rightwing party: “I personally don’t buy the ‘good Muslim’ line. If he believes in the Qur’an, and is still chairman at the next election, I won’t be voting Reform again.”
Laurence Fox, the actor turned political activist, stated on his X account: “There cannot be a valid opposition party in the UK with @ZiaYusufUK anywhere near it. A Britain focused party cannot have a Mohammedan as the chair. Islam is not your friend if you believe in free speech, family and British culture. You cannot buy us.”
Meanwhile conspiracy theories have emerged claiming Yusuf is a plant trying to damage the party from the inside.
No doubt Yusuf’s position is at times an uncomfortable one. Yet he insists the response to his appointment has been “overwhelmingly positive”.
Farage himself has a complicated relationship with Islam. In May 2024, he said a growing number of young Muslims in the UK loathed much of what Britain stands for. Yet he left UKIP, the party he once led, because the new leadership was: “pretty obsessed with the issue of Islam, not just Islamic extremism, but Islam, and UKIP wasn’t founded to be a party fighting a religious crusade”.
Given some of the comments on social media by Reform supporters, it’s clear that not everyone is convinced that it’s possible to be a British Muslim patriot. Yusuf himself remains steadfast in the face of personal abuse. He continues to stand behind the party leader who has never publicly called out the racism and Islamophobia he faces.
Yusuf has ploughed his money and his time into Reform because, he insists, of his love for Britain and his belief that the country gave his immigrant parents the chance to start a new life when they needed it – a country that he now thinks needs him to stand up and defend it against what he sees as open borders and uncontrolled immigration.
On this, Yusuf mirrors the sentiments in my forthcoming research with colleagues on British Muslims and Brexit. We’re finding that Muslim Leave voters were similar to mainstream Leave voters in wanting to reduce immigration, which they believed threatened the British way of life.
Yusuf, it seems, is on a personal mission to show that being the son of immigrants doesn’t exclude him from his beloved country. Perhaps he feels he has to be more vocal about his love of country, more attuned to British values and more anti-immigration to prove that love.
So far, he has proven valuable in mainstreaming the Reform party. Now that the party is on the up, he may be more valuable than ever.
Source: yahoo.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/zia-yusuf-british-muslim-driving-123355230.html
--------
‘If it isn’t recorded it will disappear’: the Muslim photographer shining a light on Bradford’s Jewish community
Graeme Green
9 May 2025
In April 2013, Nudrat Afza, a Muslim woman from Bradford, gave her 90-year-old Jewish friend Lorle Michaelis a lift to the local Orthodox synagogue. “As Lorle got out of the car, she told me it would be the last service,” Afza recalls. “There were no longer enough people to run them. I was shocked. I knew the building would be sold or demolished.”
Afza got out of the car and took a few quick photos of the synagogue’s exterior. Months later, she happened to be passing when the caretakers were coming out. “I put my foot in the doorway and took some pictures inside, to quickly record what was there,” she says. The Orthodox synagogue was sold and redeveloped in 2015. Afza didn’t know it at the time but the photos were the start of a multi-year project to document Bradford’s declining Jewish population. “I grew up looking at pictures of the 1960s civil rights movement in the US, the Vietnam war and other political struggles in Britain and south Asia,” Afza explains. “I saw the importance of documenting something before it disappears.”
It had previously looked as though the Bradford Reform Synagogue, in the diverse inner-city area of Manningham where Afza lives, might also go the same way. In 2011, the Grade II-listed building needed extensive work to fix a leaking roof. When the synagogue’s remaining few members couldn’t afford repairs, the Muslim community stepped in to donate funds, which was followed by a £103,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant. Built in 1880-1881, the Reform Synagogue is now the only remaining synagogue in Bradford, with about 30 members.
Related: Say a prayer: the Muslim woman who photographed Bradford’s last synagogue
Afza’s photos from the synagogues and Scholemoor Cemetery, all shot on film using vintage cameras, are collected together in her new book, Kehillah (Hebrew for “congregation” or “community”). She’s keenly aware that “a Muslim woman taking photographs of the Jewish community” might jar with the common narrative that Jews and Muslims don’t get along. “In Bradford, people from different communities respect each other,” she tells me. “When I came to Bradford, when I was 10, I was aware of other religions, as well as my own, and we had nothing but respect for that. I was aware I was an outsider, so I was sensitive to what I did and how I did it.”
Kehillah has an elegiac quality. “A lot of the people have died since the photographs were taken,” says Afza. “When I came on the scene, you could count on your fingers the Jewish people at Bradford Reform Synagogue’s Saturday services. I felt that if it wasn’t recorded, it would disappear.”
Born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in 1955, Afza moved to Bradford in 1965. By chance, she picked up a camera in the mid-1980s. Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind The Full Monty and Slumdog Millionaire, later saw Afza’s Salon series – a project documenting the final year of a local establishment, Kenmore Salon, before it was sold in 2012 – and got in touch to offer his support. “[Beaufoy] told me that I have talent and gave me a Hasselblad XPan camera.”
Afza’s documented others slices of northern life, including female football fans in Bradford City’s stadium (City Girls), derelict buildings (Ruins Oof Bradford) and a personal project, Cancer: Shadow Aand Light, which followed her sister Sairah’s treatment for breast cancer. Afza’s work was produced during tightly restricted intervals: a mother of two, she spent more than three decades as a full-time carer for her daughter, Khadijah, who was born with a life-threatening liver condition. “With the Salon pictures, the hospital was right across the road from the salon, so I’d leave my daughter in hospital and say, ‘I’ll be right back’, and go off and take some photos.” Khadijah died in January 2025, aged 35. “With my first pictures that I took, she was in my arms, very poorly, in hospital,” Afza remembers. “I’m a bit of a recluse, so whenever I got my contact sheets, she was always the first person who saw them. She would look at them and tell me which ones she liked.”
This year, Bradford is the UK city of culture. The place has been known in the past for racial tensions but Afza hopes it’s on the up. “I love Bradford,” she says. “There’s a wide range of communities today and they do their best to work together and make the most of things. It just needs a lot of money pumped into it: schools, hospitals … Looking after my daughter in the hospital, we were on the receiving end of a lack of resources and expertise. Despite that, I’m optimistic for Bradford.”
True faith: six images from the book
Chanukah Service
Bradford Reform Synagogue, Bradford, 2018
This is a photograph of Suzie Cree, the chair of trustees at the Bradford Reform Synagogue, taken at the end of a Chanukah service. It was taken very late in the evening. Everybody else had gone home. I saw Suzie come to blow the candles out. The photo captures a moment in time and resonates with the decline in numbers of Jewish people in Bradford.
Covered
Bradford Reform Synagogue, Bradford, 2018
“The men do this when they come to the synagogue. They’re covered by the Tallit prayer shawl, as a way of expressing reverence and awe of God during prayer. It’s put right over the head and a blessing is recited: ‘Blessed are you, Adonai, ruler of the universe who has commanded us to wear the Tallit,’ which is then lowered to the shoulders. I think it’s an image that the outside world doesn’t see.”
Jewish Burial Space
Jewish burial space in Scholemoor Cemetery, Bradford, 2018
“The cemetery contains the tombs of Jewish people from many generations who lived in Bradford. The picture is just so evocative. I like the shape of the photograph, with the ground covered in frost, the trees with their branches and leaves, and the mist creating an eerie atmosphere. It’s quite a mournful image. It looks beautiful and haunting at the same time.”
Tablet
Bradford Reform Synagogue Bradford, 2018
“I took this as I was walking past the two children – just one snap. Initially, when you look at the image, your reaction is that they’re praying. But, in fact, they have a modern gadget and they’ve both got earphones in – they’re watching or listening to something on their tablet.”
Torah
Bradford Reform Synagogue, Bradford, 2018
”This is the Torah being unrolled to select the reading for the Shabbat service. The Torah is the Jewish sacred text. This Torah is about 150 years old. Its staves are made of wood and the scroll is adorned with silver. As a photographer, I wanted to capture these details.”
Day of Atonement (main image)
Bradford Reform Synagogue, Bradford, 2018
”I absolutely love this picture. It’s taken on the Day of Atonement or, in Hebrew, Yom Kippur. There’s modern and old mixed together – you have the old architectural details in the background and the electric menorah on the right-hand side, which gives a surreal feel to the picture. It’s not posed or contrived.”
Source: yahoo.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/isn-t-recorded-disappear-muslim-120003731.html
---------
The Muslim Vote-endorsed candidates who scored numbers at the polls say they're just getting started
9 May 2025
Labor may have retained the Western Sydney seats of Blaxland and Watson with comfortable margins, but a closer look at the results reveals the party has lost some support.
While the federal election was fought on many fronts including the housing crisis, cost of living and migration, the issue of Gaza loomed large in the two seats, where the highest concentration of Australian Muslims live.
Independents endorsed by The Muslim Vote campaign secured enough of the primary vote to edge out the Liberal candidates and come second in the two-party preferred vote behind Labor frontbenchers Tony Burke and Jason Clare.
The Muslim Vote formed less than two years ago with a mission to unify Australian Muslims as a voting bloc to back independent candidates sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
The Muslim Vote has consistently accused the Labor government of complicity in the destruction of Gaza and attacks on its people.
In Blaxland, independent Ahmed Ouf averaged 20 per cent of the primary vote across the electorate.
ABC analysis of booth data reveals Mr Ouf dominated in suburbs like Guildford and South Granville with almost 46 per cent of first preferences.
In Auburn Central he got as high as 46.6 per cent of the primary vote.
Mr Ouf managed to bite into Education Minister Jason Clare's margin which went from 55 per cent at the 2022 election to about 46.5 per cent last Saturday.
He seems to have also siphoned a similar percentage of primary votes from the Liberal Party, which had just over 27 per cent in 2022 but around 19 per cent this year.
Independent Ziad Basyouny in Watson also chipped away at Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's primary vote, which was down from 51.9 per cent in 2022 to about 48.5 per cent.
Political scientist and the Centre for Western Sydney executive director Andy Marks said there was "no question" that Gaza and geopolitics played an outsized role in Western Sydney and the vote overall.
"This is the kind of surge you would expect to see over four or five election cycles, typically," Professor Marks said.
"For them to poll so strongly early on, I think says something about the broad base of their appeal."
The Labor Party, Mr Burke and Mr Clare declined to comment.
Source: abc.net.au
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-09/federal-election-results-western-sydney-muslim-vote-independents/105273452
--------
South Asia
Shahbagh blockade continues as protesters demand ban on Awami League
May 10, 2025
The blockade at Shahbagh intersection continued for the second consecutive day today with demonstrators holding their ground and reiterating their demand for a ban on the Awami League.
While regular traffic remained suspended, emergency vehicles such as ambulances were allowed to pass through the protest site, our DU correspondent reports from the spot.
Different political parties, student organisations and protesters injured in the July uprising were among those present at the site.
The organisers have said that the blockade will continue until the interim government issues an official notification banning the Awami League.
A mass rally has been announced at Shahbagh at 3:00pm today, while similar gatherings are scheduled in locations associated with the July uprising across the country.
Hasnat Abdullah, chief organiser of the National Citizens' Party (NCP) for the southern region, in a verified Facebook post around 4:00am today, urged supporters to refrain from enforcing blockades on highways elsewhere in the country.
"Apart from Shahbagh, do not blockade highways in Dhaka or across the country. Organise spontaneous gatherings and rallies in districts, but withdraw any existing blockades," his post read.
Demonstrators stayed at Shahbagh overnight, chanting slogans and holding signs.
Earlier yesterday, activists from the NCP and several other political organisations had gathered in front of the chief adviser's residence in Jamuna and erected a stage at the Minto Road intersection before moving to Shahbagh, where they began the blockade.
According to the organisers, this marks the beginning of what they described as a "second phase" of the July uprising.
The demand for banning the Awami League gained renewed momentum following the departure of former president Abdul Hamid from the country late Wednesday night.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/meghalaya-imposes-night-curfew-along-unfenced-border-bangladesh-3891146
-------
Minister of Communications Emphasizes AI Development in Afghanistan
2025-05-09
KABUL(BNA): Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Mawlavi Najibullah Hayat Haqqani, in a meeting with General Director of the Chinese company MCC, highlighted the rapid development of artificial intelligence and its potential applications in the country.
During the discussion, Minister Haqqani emphasized the opportunities for technological growth in Afghanistan and the ministry’s commitment to enhancing technology development with regional cooperation. He noted that the global acceleration of AI development presents significant opportunities for the effective execution of various tasks.
Wang Jicheng shared insights about MCC’s ongoing Mes Aynak project in Mohammad Agha district, expressing optimism about improved communication services in the area. He revealed that the company has been sending Afghan professionals to China for training in management and artificial intelligence, aimed at enhancing the oversight and development of mining activities.
Concluding the meeting, Minister Haqqani assured MCC of the ministry’s support in addressing communication challenges in the Mes Aynak region, fostering a collaborative environment for technological and infrastructural development in Afghanistan.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/minister-of-communications-emphasizes-ai-development-in-afghanistan/
---------
US extends Temporary Protected Status for Afghan Refugees by 60 days
By Fidel Rahmati
May 10, 2025
The U.S. has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan refugees by 60 days, preventing deportation for thousands.
The head of AfghanEvac in the United States announced that the federal government has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan refugees by another 60 days.
According to Shawn VanDiver, this decision, announced today, Saturday, May 10, will temporarily prevent the deportation of approximately 14,600 Afghan refugees and 7,900 Cameroonian refugees. The extension comes in response to growing concerns about the conditions facing displaced populations from both countries.
However, VanDiver emphasized that the U.S. government has not yet made any statements regarding future extensions of the TPS status. The decision provides temporary relief for thousands of refugees, many of whom have been living in the U.S. under TPS since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a program that allows nationals from countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters, or extraordinary conditions to live and work temporarily in the U.S. The extension ensures that refugees from Afghanistan and Cameroon will not face immediate deportation while the U.S. government evaluates the evolving situation in both countries.
In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had announced that the conditions in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer met the criteria for continued TPS. As a result, the program for nationals from these two countries was scheduled to be terminated in May 2025, putting around 14,600 Afghan refugees at risk of deportation.
This decision sparked widespread reactions from refugee advocacy groups, who have expressed concerns about the safety of individuals who could be sent back to volatile regions. The latest extension provides some temporary relief but uncertainty remains about the future of TPS for these refugees.
The extension also highlights the ongoing humanitarian challenges faced by displaced people in conflict zones and the role of the U.S. in offering temporary sanctuary. As diplomatic efforts continue to address the situation in Afghanistan and Cameroon, many hope for further extensions or a long-term resolution that allows for safe resettlement options.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/us-extends-temporary-protected-status-for-afghan-refugees-by-60-days/
---------
90% Afghan households hit by Economic Shock last year: UN Report
By Fidel Rahmati
May 9, 2025
A UNDP report reveals 90% of Afghan households faced economic shocks in 2024, exacerbating the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.
A recent report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) highlights that 90% of Afghan households are facing an economic shock in 2024 due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis. The report indicates that 65% of households have been directly impacted by this shock, with a 35% increase compared to 2023. The report warns that Afghanistan is sliding deeper into socio-economic crises, with widening inequalities, especially for women and rural areas.
The European Union’s delegation in Kabul also expressed concerns, noting that the restrictions imposed on women and girls between 2024 and 2026 could cause a loss of over $920 million to Afghanistan’s economy. These limitations continue to exacerbate the country’s economic and social challenges, further undermining progress in key sectors.
According to the UN report, 9 out of 10 Afghan households have lost their productive assets, income sources, livelihoods, and job opportunities. This widespread loss has led families to cut down on daily consumption and reduce expenditures, decreasing their resilience to future shocks and deepening their vulnerability.
In addition to these challenges, Afghanistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) saw a modest growth of 2.7% from 2023 to 2024, marking the first positive growth since 2019. However, the report highlights that Afghanistan’s economy remains fragile, with a significant trade deficit of $6.7 billion in the first three quarters of 2024, up from $5.1 billion during the same period in 2023.
The UNDP also emphasizes that Afghanistan remains heavily reliant on imports and international aid, with 75% of the population facing food insecurity in 2024. This figure represents a 6% increase from 2023, with rural areas—home to 71% of the population—continuing to suffer from a lack of essential services, including healthcare, sanitation, and sustainable livelihoods.
As the situation in Afghanistan continues to worsen, the UNDP urges international actors to increase support to help mitigate the devastating impact of the ongoing crisis. The report also highlights the critical need for targeted assistance for women-headed households, rural communities, and internally displaced populations, who have been hit hardest by the economic downturn.
The report further stresses the importance of addressing gender disparities, with women continuing to face increasing poverty and social isolation due to the continued restrictions on education and employment opportunities. The future of Afghanistan’s economy and society depends on effective, inclusive policies and inclusive government and international cooperation to address these persistent challenges.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/90-afghan-households-hit-by-economic-shock-last-year-un-report/
--------
Mideast
UN committee warns of ‘another Nakba’ in Palestinian territories
May 09, 2025
GENEVA: The world could be witnessing “another Nakba” expulsion of Palestinians, a United Nations committee warned Friday, accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing” and saying it was inflicting “unimaginable suffering” on Palestinians.
For Palestinians, any forced displacement evokes memories of the “Nakba,” or catastrophe — the mass displacement in the war that accompanied to Israel’s creation in 1948.
“Israel continues to inflict unimaginable suffering on the people living under its occupation, whilst rapidly expanding confiscation of land as part of its wider colonial aspirations,” warned a UN committee tasked with probing Israeli practices affecting Palestinian rights.
“What we are witnessing could very well be another Nakba,” it said, after concluding an annual mission to Amman.
During the 1948 war, around 760,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes in what became known as “the Nakba.”
The descendants of some 160,000 Palestinians who managed to remain in what became Israel presently make about 20 percent of its population.
The UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories was established by the UN General Assembly in December 1968.
The committee is currently composed of the Sri Lankan, Malaysian and Senegalese ambassadors to the UN in New York.
“What the world is witnessing could very well be a second Nakba. The goal of wider colonial expansion is clearly the priority of the government of Israel,” they said in their report.
“Security operations are used as a smokescreen for rapid land grabbing, mass displacement, dispossession, demolitions, forced evictions and ethnic cleansing, in order to replace the Palestinian communities with Jewish settlers.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600137/middle-east
-------
OIC Condemns Zionist Enemy's Closure Of UNRWA Schools In Quds
09 May 2025
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the decision of the Zionist enemy authorities to close six UNRWA schools in the occupied city of Quds.
In a statement, the organization considered this to be part of illegal measures and policies targeting the agency's presence and role, particularly in Quds, as part of its unacceptable attempts to liquidate the Palestinian refugee issue and their inalienable right of return.
It emphasized that this decision constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and its relevant resolutions, including Resolution 302, which established the mandate granted to the agency.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3478543.htm
---------
UN’s top anti-racism body calls for immediate Gaza aid access
CASPAR WEBB
May 09, 2025
NEW YORK CITY: The UN’s top anti-racism body has called for immediate humanitarian access to Gaza in a bid to avoid “catastrophic consequences” for its civilian population.
The statement by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — comprised of independent experts — came hours after the World Central Kitchen charity said it was forced to end operations in Gaza due to a lack of food.
It also follows a commitment by Israel to “conquer” almost all of the enclave, as well as disputes involving Israel, the UN and US over the appropriate way to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians there.
The CERD committee is convening in Geneva for its latest session, ending today.
Gaza’s civilian population, “especially vulnerable groups such as children, women, the elderly and persons with disabilities,” are “at imminent risk of famine, disease and death,” the committee said.
The warning follows an earlier appeal by the World Food Programme, the UN’s food agency, which said that almost all food aid operations in Gaza had collapsed.
Late last month, the agency announced that the entirety of its food reserves in the enclave had been depleted.
Since March, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid into Gaza in a bid to build pressure on Hamas, which still holds Israeli hostages.
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator, said last week: “Two months ago, the Israeli authorities took a deliberate decision to block all aid to Gaza and halt our efforts to save survivors of their military offensive.
“They have been bracingly honest that this policy is to pressurize Hamas.”
Expanded military operations by Israel in Gaza over the past two months “have dramatically worsened the humanitarian crisis and severely endangered the civilian population,” Friday’s CERD statement said.
The committee called on Israel to “lift all barriers to humanitarian access, allow the immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid, and cease all actions obstructing the provision of essential services to the civilian population in Gaza.”
The statement also highlighted worsening conditions across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including in East Jerusalem, where Israel closed six UNRWA schools this week.
Philippe Lazzarini, the Palestinian refugee agency’s chief, reacted with fury over the move, describing it as an “assault on children.”
The CERD statement called on all UN states to “cooperate to bring an end to the violations that are taking place and to prevent war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, including by ceasing any military assistance.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600143/middle-east
--------
Iran, US to resume nuclear talks on Sunday after postponement
May 09, 2025
DUBAI: Iran has agreed to hold a fourth round of nuclear talks with the United States on Sunday in Oman, Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said on Friday, adding that the negotiations were advancing.
US President Donald Trump, who withdrew Washington from a 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers meant to curb its nuclear activity, has threatened to bomb Iran if no new deal is reached to resolve the long unresolved dispute.
Western countries say Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran accelerated after the US walkout from the now moribund 2015 accord, is geared toward producing weapons, whereas Iran insists it is purely for civilian purposes.
“The negotiations are moving forward, and naturally, the further we go, the more consultations and reviews are needed,” Aragchi said in remarks carried by Iranian state media.
“The delegations require more time to examine the issues that are raised. But what is important is that we are on a forward-moving path and gradually entering into the details.”
The fourth round of indirect negotiations, initially scheduled for May 3 in Rome, was postponed, with mediator Oman citing “logistical reasons.”
Aragchi said a planned visit to Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Saturday was in line with “continuous consultations” with neighboring countries to “address their concerns and mutual interests” about the nuclear issue.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600131/middle-east
---------
Kurdish PKK says held ‘successful’ meeting on disbanding
May 09, 2025
ISTANBUL: The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) held a “successful” meeting this week with a view to disarming and dissolving, the Kurdish agency ANF, which is close to the armed movement, announced on Friday.
The meeting resulted in “decisions of historic importance concerning the PKK’s activities, based on the call” of founder Abdullah Ocalan, who called on the movement in February to dissolve.
The congress, which was held between Monday and Wednesday, took place in the “Media Defense Zones” — a term used by the movement to designate the Kandil mountains of northern Iraq where the PKK military command is located, the agency reported.
The PKK will share “full and detailed information with regard to the outcome of this congress very soon,” it said.
In February, Ocalan urged his fighters to disarm and disband, ending a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
In his historic call — which took the form of a letter — Ocalan urged the PKK to hold a congress to formalize the decision.
Two days later, the PKK announced a ceasefire, saying it was ready to convene a congress but said “for this to happen, a suitable secure environment must be created,” insisting it would only succeed if Ocalan were to “personally direct and lead it.”
The PKK leadership is holed up in Kurdish-majority mountainous northern Iraq where Turkish forces have staged multiple air strikes in recent years, targeting the group which is also blacklisted by Washington and Brussels.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600114/middle-east
--------
Tens of thousands perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque
09 May 2025
Tens of thousands of worshippers performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, despite the obstacles and restrictions imposed by the occupation.
The Quds Islamic Endowments Department reported that tens of thousands of worshippers performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, mourning the souls of the martyrs of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The Palestinian Safa News Agency reported that Israeli occupation forces were deployed in the streets of Quds, around the Old City, and at Al-Aqsa Mosque, and were positioned at the iron barriers.
The agency added that the occupation forces imposed restrictions and obstacles on the entry of young men to Al-Aqsa Mosque, after stopping them and checking their IDs.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3478545.htm
---------
Massive rallies in Al-Dhale' under title: "To Support Gaza… By Allah’s Strength, we defeated America & will defeat Israel"
09 May 2025
Al-Dhale’ province witnessed massive public rallies on Friday in the districts of Damt, Al-Husha, Jubin, and Qa’taba under the slogan: "To Support Gaza… By Allah’s Strength, we defeated America and will defeat Israel," in solidarity with Gaza and in celebration of America’s defeat.
Participants in the rallies, led in Damt by Acting Governor Abdul Latif Al-Shaghdari, raised the Yemeni and Palestinian flags, chanting slogans denouncing America, Israel, traitors, agents, and spies. They affirmed their continued mobilization, steadfastness, and support for the Palestinian people, defying the Zionist enemy.
A statement issued during the rallies and vigils blessed the decisive victory achieved by Leader Abdul Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, the Armed Forces, and all the nation’s free people, as well as the failure of the American aggression, the collapse of its objectives, and its abandonment of the Zionist enemy.
The statement expressed gratitude to Allah Almighty for His support, which broke the hands of American evil through the Mujahideen and ended its aggression against the Yemeni people. It renewed the disavowal of agents, traitors, and mercenaries of aggression, calling on everyone to report any suspicious activities by traitors and collaborators to the security agencies and relevant authorities.
The statement reaffirmed unwavering support for Gaza and the Palestinian resistance, celebrating the Armed Forces’ operations against the American and Zionist enemies, most notably the targeting of Lod Airport in the heart of the occupying entity.
It called on the Armed Forces to escalate operations against the Zionist enemy in support of Gaza and to respond appropriately to the recent aggression that targeted civilian sites and service facilities.
The statement emphasized confronting the criminal Zionist enemy with full determination, without hesitation or retreat, at the highest level of readiness to face any new aggression against Yemen.
It highlighted that no matter how costly the confrontation with enemies may be, the price of surrender is far greater and more dangerous. The sacrifices made by the Yemeni people , the suffering they endure are in the path of Allah, and the fruits of these sacrifices will be goodness, honor, and dignity for the nation.
The statement lamented the positions of Arab and Islamic regimes that have moved beyond inaction to conspiring against their own peoples, while praising Oman’s stance in supporting peace among the nation’s peoples.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3478536.htm
-------
North America
CAIR Supports Western Kentucky U. Muslim Students’ Request for Prayer Space
May 9, 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed its support for a request by Muslim students at Western Kentucky University (WKU) for a space to pray.
The Muslim Student Association at WKU chapter has been requesting an easily accessible campus prayer space since its founding in 2019. Six years later, however, they have still not been given a prayer space.
“Every student deserves a place to practice their faith,” said CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison. “We urge the WKU administration to ensure that Muslims on campus receive the same rights accorded to students of other faiths and receive a suitable place to pray.”
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-supports-western-kentucky-u-muslim-students-request-for-prayer-space/
---------
Media Advisory: CAIR, Advocates to Speak Out Against Threat of Renewed Muslim Ban at SF Hearing
May 9, 2025
On Monday, May 12, a representative from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will testify at a San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission hearing addressing growing concerns over the potential return of the discriminatory travel ban that previously targeted Muslim-majority and African nations.
The hearing will feature testimony from community leaders and advocates and will conclude with a Commission vote on a resolution opposing any effort to reinstate such a ban.
The threat of a renewed travel ban has sparked fear and concern across Muslim, African, and immigrant communities in the Bay Area. Such a policy would once again threaten to separate families, restrict freedom of movement, and send a dangerous message of exclusion. The hearing will revisit the harm caused by the previous ban, examine the implications of a renewed version, and urge city leaders to take a strong stand in opposition.
CAIR San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/media-advisory-cair-advocates-to-speak-out-against-threat-of-renewed-muslim-ban-at-sf-hearing/
---------
Sen. Cornyn: DOJ Probe Opened Into Planned Muslim Texas Town
09 May 2025
The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into EPIC City, a proposed Muslim community in Texas, according to Sen. John Cornyn, who requested the probe.
"I am grateful to Attorney General Bondi and the Department of Justice for hearing my concerns and opening an investigation into the proposed EPIC City development in North Texas," the Texas Republican said in a statement shared with Newsmax Friday.
"Religious discrimination and Sharia Law have no place in the Lone Star State. Any violations of federal law must be swiftly prosecuted, and I know under the Trump administration, they will be," he said.
EPIC City is a proposed development by the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC), which plans to build almost 1,000 homes, a mosque, and a faith-based primary school on 400 acres of land in Josephine, Texas.
The development has been protested by not only Cornyn, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, and local residents who say they are concerned that civil rights laws protecting Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslim groups will be violated.
Community Capital Partners, the project's developer, denied any violations and said it wants a community where "people of every background, faith, and culture can live together in harmony," but said Islam will be at the center of the development.
The company has hired Texas attorney Dan Cogdell to represent the project as the calls for investigation grow.
Cogdell has accused Abbott and other opponents of spreading lies about the Islam-centered community's planning.
"To have people who are of a different faith than some folks to be basically terrorized because of false information put out by the governor is an insult," he said during a press conference, reports CBS News. "It's a shame, and it needs to stop."
He said EPIC and Community Capital Partners have received death threats because of the planned community.
"These aren't foreign adversaries," he said. "These are Texans. These are Americans. These are United States citizens."
Cornyn, in his letter last month to Bondi and Dhillon, said that the "community of thousands of Muslims" could violate the rights of Christians and Jews by preventing them from living in EPIC City and discriminating against them.
"I further encourage the Department to investigate whether Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslim minorities would receive equal protection under the law in this new community. Religious discrimination, whether explicit or implicit, is unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments," he wrote. "Religious freedom is a cornerstone of our nation's values, and I am concerned this community potentially undermines this vital protection."
Cornyn also called for "appropriate steps should be taken to ensure that this community does not run afoul" of its obligations on freedom of religion.
"It may also be appropriate for an investigation to explore whether the proponents of the proposed development are abiding by existing federal and state prohibitions on the enforcement of sharia law," Cornyn said in the letter.
Meanwhile, Abbott last month slowed the city's developers by announcing that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) found that EPIC and other affiliated did not obtain the authorizations or permits to start the project.
"The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found that the group behind the proposed EPIC compound did not submit the required permits to begin construction," Abbott said. "The State of Texas will enforce its laws and protect our communities from unlawful actions or threats posed by EPIC or its affiliates."
Source: newsmax.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.newsmax.com/us/john-cornyn-epic-city-texas/2025/05/09/id/1210269/
--------
New Jersey mayor arrested in protest at migrant centre
May 10, 2025
The mayor of New Jersey's largest city has been released following his arrest on Friday after allegedly trying to force his way into a migrant detention facility.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka "committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings" to leave Delaney Hall, a facility being run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to acting US attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba.
Baraka was accompanied by three Democratic members of Congress who were not arrested. They say they were there to conduct "oversight" to ensure the facility was not violating any building safety ordinances.
Baraka told CNN he did not break any laws and was "exercising my right and duty as an elected official".
He has been charged with one count of trespassing.
Ms Habba, who previously worked as a personal lawyer for US President Donald Trump, wrote on X on Friday that Baraka "committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center".
"He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state," her statement added.
A separate statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that a group of protesters, which included the Democrats, "stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility" as a bus containing illegal migrants was being brought inside the fenced perimeter.
"These members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and the detainees at risk," the statement added.
Baraka told CNN on Friday night that he did not enter the 1,000-bed facility unlawfully. He said he was there for a news conference with the three members of Congress who had been granted entry into the facility.
Videos posted online of the arrest show a chaotic scene as protesters and officers physically clash and Baraka, who is also running to be New Jersey governor, is led away in handcuffs.
Shortly before he is arrested, the footage shows officers telling Baraka he will not be allowed inside. At one point he is told: "That is the last warning. You will be placed under arrest."
New Jersey's Democratic Governor Phil Murphy said he was "outraged" by Baraka's arrest.
Baraka was taken to a DHS detention centre. When he was released after a few hours, he told supporters who had gathering outside the facility: "We didn't do anything wrong."
Earlier this year, Newark filed a lawsuit attempting to block use of the facility, which has become a flashpoint over the Trump administration's deportation policies.
City officials allege the private firm that signed a contract with ICE to operate the facility did not obtain proper permits and blocked necessary inspections. The firm has told media they have the proper permits, while the DHS has said all permits and inspections were up to date.
New Jersey Democratic lawmakers Rob Menendez Jr, Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver were also present during the protest.
Earlier on Friday, Watson Coleman posted on social media: "We're at Delaney Hall, an ICE prison in Newark that opened without permission from the city & in violation of local ordinances.
"We've heard stories of what it's like in other ICE prisons. We're exercising our oversight authority to see for ourselves."
In another post, McIver said that Baraka "did nothing wrong" and had already left the facility when he was arrested.
The move comes as federal agencies continue their crackdown on illegal immigration, following up on a key campaign promise made by Trump.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy904elvxj3o
----------
Turkish Tufts University student released from immigration facility
May 10, 2025
Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk has been released from an immigration detention facility in Louisiana, hours after a federal judge ordered her to be freed.
"Thank you so much. I am a little bit tired, so I will take some time to rest," she told reporters and supporters who were crowded outside the facility.
US District Judge William Sessions said the student met all the conditions needed for release and lambasted the government's case against her.
Ms Otzurk, a doctoral student from Turkey, co-authored an opinion piece in her campus newspaper that was critical of Israel's war. Her arrest follows the White House's crackdown on what it has classified as antisemitism on US campuses.
"Her continued detention chills the speech of millions in this country who are not citizens," the judge said on Friday as he ordered her release.
Ms Ozturk walked out of the detention facility after six weeks in custody and was greeted by cheers and with her hands on her heart.
She had been detained since March, when US immigration officials arrested her on the streets in Massachusetts.
Videos of the arrest showed masked plain-clothes officers surrounding her after a Ramadan celebration, handcuffing her and then taking her into an unmarked car. Her detention sparked nationwide protests.
The US Department of Homeland Security had accused Ms Ozturk of "engag[ing] in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans".
After the judge's ruling, a DHS spokesperson responded: "Visas provided to foreign students to live and study in the United States are a privilege not a right.
"The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country."
Earlier this week, the judge ordered that Ms Ozturk be transferred by 14 May to immigration authorities in Vermont, where she was last held before she was moved to Louisiana.
On Friday, Judge Sessions said that she should be released immediately without travel restrictions, so she can go to Vermont or Massachusetts, where Tufts is located, as needed.
He heard from a number of witnesses in the case, including Ms Ozturk, her doctor and a Tufts University professor. The government did not call any witnesses during Friday's hearing.
During her testimony, which she offered virtually, Ms Ozturk told the court about her Fulbright scholarship and her PhD work. She said her asthma had worsened during her detention, and at one point she had to take a short break after suffering an asthma attack on camera.
Judge Sessions said Ms Ozturk had raised "very substantial" claims that her First Amendment right to free speech and her due process rights were violated. He said the only evidence the administration had against Ms Ozturk was her op-ed.
"That literally is the case," he said, according to court reporters. "There is no evidence that she has engaged in violence or advocated violence."
In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is representing Ms Ozturk, said they were "delighted" by her release.
"Rümeysa can now return to her beloved Tufts community, resume her studies, and begin teaching again," said Noor Zafar, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU.
"Today's ruling underscores a vital First Amendment principle: no one should be imprisoned by the government for expressing their beliefs."
A spokesman for Tufts said the university is "pleased" with the judge's ruling, adding: "We look forward to welcoming her back to campus to resume her doctoral studies".
The Trump administration has detained several international students - some legal residents - who have organised in support of the Palestinians.
Last week, a judge ordered the government to release Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi after immigration officials detained him during a naturalisation interview.
The 34-year-old permanent resident was raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank and had been held at a facility in Vermont.
One of the highest profile cases thus far involves Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist, who remains in a Louisiana detention facility without charges.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3nd0dwlpgo
--------
Africa
315 Muslim pilgrims airlifted to Mecca in inaugural international flight at Imo Airport
May 10, 2025
History was made in Imo State on Friday as the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, for the first time, hosted international flights from the airport, lifting initial three hundred and fifteen (315) intending pilgrims to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
This was disclosed by the Imo State governor’s Chief Press Secretary/ Special Adviser, Media Oguwike Nwachuku in a statement.
According Nwachuku, the excitement that heralded the inaugural flight and formal flag off ceremony of the 2025 Hajj Operations reverberated everywhere in Imo State with encomia pouring in for Governor Hope Uzodimma from the high and mighty, particularly from Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, both of who took active part in the inaugural ceremony.
Speaking during the flag off ceremony at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, the Vice President who commended Governor Uzodimma for exhibiting high sense of patriotism and religious tolerance noting that the governor is a bridge builder.
He equally described Governor Uzodimma as a man who “radiates hope for the nation,” and has an “overall interest of Ndigbo to heart.”
His words: “Governor Uzodimma radiates hope of the nation. He is a bridge builder and has a wonderful destiny. The President has a defender, goalkeeper, attacker and goal scorer in Governor Uzodimma.”
The Vice President who sought a resounding ovation from the crowd for Uzodimma noted that Ndigbo had always been at the centre of unity and development of the nation, as critical stakeholders.
He reassured the Igbo of the love of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying that the “Igbos remain in the heart of the federal government.”
He reminded the intending pilgrims of the spiritual essence of Hajj exercise and the need to abide by the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia while remaining ambassadors of Nigeria during the pilgrimage.
Source: thenationonlineng.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thenationonlineng.net/315-muslim-pilgrims-airlifted-to-mecca-in-inaugural-international-flight-at-imo-airport/
-------
Drone strikes hit Port Sudan for sixth straight day: army source
May 09, 2025
PORT SUDAN: Drone strikes hit Port Sudan for a sixth straight day Friday, an army source said, blaming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, at war with the regular army since April 2023.
“Our air defenses intercepted some of the enemy drones which were targeting sites in the city,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Witnesses reported strikes across Port Sudan, seat of the army-backed government and the country’s main aid hub.
The port city, which had been seen as a safe haven from the devastating conflict between the army and the RSF, has been hit by daily drone strikes since Sunday.
The long-range attacks have damaged several key facilities, including the country’s sole international airport, its largest working fuel depot and the city’s main power station.
The port city is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Sudan, and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the attacks “threaten to increase humanitarian needs and further complicate aid operations in the country,” his spokesman said.
More than two years of fighting have killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million in what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600112/middle-east
--------
Matawalle donates N5m, food items to family of slain Imam of Maru
May 9, 2025
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has condoled with the family of the late Chief Imam of Maru Central Juma’at Mosque, Alkali Sulaiman, where he donated N5 million, 10 bags of rice and other foodstuffs.
The late cleric was abducted by bandits who later killed him alongside two of his children.
This is contained in a statement issued in Gusau on Friday by the State APC Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris.
According to Mr Idris, the minister was represented at the condolence visit in Maru town by a delegation led by the State Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ibrahim Dangaladima.
Mr Matawalle prayed Allah to forgive the deceased and give his immediate families as well as the people of Maru town and Maru Emirate the fortitude to bear the loss.
He announced the cash donation, 10 bags of rice, 10 cartons each of spaghetti and macaroni to the bereaved family.
Mr Matawalle lamented how banditry was recently taking a new dimension in the state where religious leaders were being targeted.
He assured that his ministry would continue to deploy more personnel to the state in order to completely eliminate the criminals.
The minister said that rhe Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu was taking all the necessary steps to end banditry in the North-West region.
He further explained that the resident had provided all the necessary equipment to the military, vowing, “soon, we will ensure the return of peace in the region.”
Mr Matawalle called on the citizens to assist the security agencies with accurate intelligence in order to win the war against banditry and other criminalities.
He said that security required every well-meaning citizen’s support irrespective of political or religious inclinations.
Mr Matawalle emphasised the need for synergy with state governments in the North-West region with the Federal Government to bring total shutdown against the bandits and their terrible inhumane activities.
Receiving the delegation, the Emir of Maru, Abubakar Gado-Maigari, described the minister’s visit and gesture as a great relief to the deceased’s family and the people of the emirate.
Mr Gado-Maigari thanked the minister for his magnanimity to the people of the state and urged him not to relent in doing so.
Source: dailynigerian.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://dailynigerian.com/matawalle-donates-n5m-food-items-to-family-of-slain-imam-of-maru/
---------
Terror attacks continue in northern Mozambique
9th May 2025
The exit of the SAMIM southern African regional bloc peacekeeping mission from Mozambique last July did not see hostilities ending in its Cabo Delgado province with FADM (Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique) supported by elements of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) still battling jihadists.
Reports from the east African country, some unverified, point to recent killings and beheadings as well as, in one instance, an attack on a South African managed hunting concession, by Islamist militant groups including factions associated with ISIS.
The Mozambique Conflict Observatory, monitoring political violence in the country under the umbrella of ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data), Zitamar News and Mediaco-op, has it in an update there were multiple attacks by insurgents in April, with Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) remaining active in the south of Cabo Delgado province to Nangade in the north.
On 13 April, insurgents attacked and burned the village of Ncole before doing the same to the village of Ngura the next day. Islamic State claimed responsibility for both incidents, saying it wounded several members of the “Mozambican militia,” set fire to two churches and “dozens” of homes in Ncole, and burned another 60 houses in Ngura. Other villages were attacked in April along with FADM patrols, and at least one civilian was killed by insurgents.
In Nampula province’s Malema district, the conflict observatory notes further “security forces killed at least five self-styled Naparama militiamen on 17 April during an alleged attempted assault on a Defence and Security Forces (FDS) camp in Mutuali. According to police, the group — armed with machetes, sledgehammers and other blunt instruments — tried to overrun the position before being repelled by the FDS. Six suspects were arrested and authorities say investigations are underway to identify additional members”. Mozambican Defence Minister Cristóvão Chume reportedly dismissed those killed as “criminals,” saying the real Naparama are on the side of the FDS ruling out any link between the Naparama and the insurgents.
Mozambique Times reported insurgent activity in northern Mozambique intensifying, with two attacks recorded in Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces, targeting the RDF and a South African-funded tourism investment.
The most recent incident on 3 May saw three RDF soldiers killed and nine others injured during a clash with insurgents in Ntotwe village, Mocímboa da Praia district of Cabo Delgado.
Mozambique Times has it further insurgent attack frequencies on villages in Cabo Delgado are increasing “demonstrating greater boldness by targeting more complex sites – significantly raising the level of the terrorist threat in northern Mozambique”.
Shortly before the Ntotwe attack, a group of some 40 insurgents raided the hunting area of Chapunga-Kambako Safaris within the Niassa Special Reserve, near the Cabo Delgado border. The assault, which took place on 19 April, resulted in the deaths of two workers, who were reportedly shot and later decapitated. Four other lodge staff members were taken hostage, with the insurgents demanding a ransom, that was refused by the camp’s management.
The attackers subsequently set fire to the main camp, destroying facilities, vehicles, fuel, food supplies, and essential equipment for the upcoming hunting season.
The Niassa Reserve has until now been largely spared from the violent insurgency that has hit Cabo Delgado since 2017.
Source: defenceweb.co.za
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.defenceweb.co.za/african-news/terror-attacks-continue-in-northern-mozambique/
---------
Lagos Muslim community felicitates Catholics on new Pope
9th May 2025
The Lagos State University Muslim Community has felicitated Catholics on the successful election of a new Pope, describing his position as a symbol of world peace.
LASUMC also said that 14-year sojourn of the new pontiff among the most vulnerable and in the poorly developed part of Peru prepared him for the onerous task.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the 267th Pope on Thursday. He adopted the title, Pope Leo XIV.
In a congratulatory message on Friday in Lagos, the LASUMC Chief Imam, Prof. Amidu Sanni said, “On behalf of the Muslim community of LASU, I send a goodwill message to the 1.4 billion catholic faithful on the successful selection of Cardinal Robert Prevost as the 267th Pontiff.”
Sanni said that the Pope had a rich background of an uncommon rapprochement with the poor and ordinary priests.
“Pope Leo’s first public address as the first American Pontiff strikes a philosophical note if juxtaposed with the world perception of the current leadership in the U.S. as he also advocates peace over power.
“His call for disarmament and reconciliation in all conflict zones of the world also strikes a moral chord in a tumultuous world that is bedevilled by violent conflicts, fear, trade wars, deep political divides, nuclear threats, and disrespect for human dignity.
“Let me use this opportunity to call on African leaders to imbibe this new spirit of love and public good which is being engendered by the new pontiff in order to create a new regime of trust and goodwill between the leadership and the followership,” he said.
NAN reports that Pope Leo XIV emerged in a second round of ballots on Thursday after the first ballot on Wednesday failed to produce a new pope.
A total of 133 cardinals elected the new Pope, who is the first Pope born in the U.S. and the first North American Pope.
He was born on Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Pope Leo XIV holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics (1977), a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union, Chicago (1982), and a Licentiate and Doctorate in Canon Law from Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome (1984, 1987).
Source: punchng.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://punchng.com/lagos-muslim-community-felicitates-catholics-on-new-pope/
--------
Southeast Asia
Selangor ends Middle East sponsorships for Islamic undergraduate studies, shifts focus to local universities
10 May 2025
SHAH ALAM, May 10 — The Selangor government and the Selangor Zakat Board (LZS) will no longer sponsor students for undergraduate studies in the Middle East starting this year.
Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) director Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad, in a statement on Jais’ Facebook page today, said sponsorships will now focus on local institutions such as Universiti Islam Selangor (UIS) or other universities in Malaysia.
However, sponsorships for master’s and doctoral studies in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco will continue.
“This decision aims to reduce the risk of students being influenced by elements that could affect their thinking and identity, especially among those pursuing Islamic studies in the Middle East,” he said.
Private students who are not accepted locally or choose to study abroad may still pursue undergraduate Islamic studies in Egypt, Jordan, or Morocco. These cases will be fully managed by Jais.
Mohd Shahzihan said this move is to ensure students are well-prepared, have strong character, are fluent in Arabic, and possess the skills needed to cope with the academic environment and challenges overseas.
He added that offering sponsorships for undergraduate studies at UIS helps strengthen Jais’ long-established religious education system, which begins from primary school level.
“UIS, under the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais), has proven its ability to produce graduates who are knowledgeable, well-mannered, and job-ready,” he said.
Mais and the state government also welcome applications from students who have completed undergraduate Islamic studies and wish to pursue postgraduate studies in Egypt, Jordan, or Morocco under LZS and state sponsorship.
“Applications for both local undergraduate sponsorships and overseas postgraduate sponsorships will open in June 2025.
“Interviews will be held to select eligible candidates,” he added. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/05/10/selangor-ends-middle-east-sponsorships-for-islamic-undergraduate-studies-shifts-focus-to-local-universities/176220
---------
BPKH urges international collaboration to bolster Islamic economics
May 9, 2025
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Hajj Fund Management Agency (BPKH) called for international collaboration to strengthen Islamic economics at the Global Islamic Financial Institutions Forum 2025 in Dubai.
"BPKH showed its presence as a key player in the global Islamic financial ecosystem through its significant participation in the global Islamic financial forum," Chief of the Executive Board of BPKH Fadlul Imansyah noted in his statement on Friday.
Imansyah was among the speakers at the CEO panel discussion session themed "Bridging borders, fuelling growth: The next era of cross-border in Islamic banking."
The discussion highlighted the urgent need for international cooperation to reinforce the foundation of Islamic banking and streamline the mobility of the Muslim community's funds worldwide.
He emphasized that BPKH's participation in this forum, organized by global bank Standard Chartered, is tangible evidence that the Hajj funds managed by the agency are not only guaranteed in terms of safety but are also allocated productively and have a positive impact.
Imansyah expressed his appreciation to the market players attending the forum for providing valuable insights for BPKH to increase the value of the benefits of Hajj funds.
He also highlighted the strategic role of BPKH Limited, a subsidiary of BPKH, as a representation of collaboration that should be continuously developed to optimize the management of Hajj funds.
He ensured that the BPKH would continue to innovate in managing Hajj funds by upholding Islamic principles, transparency, and accountability.
The BPKH also remains open to various strategic cooperation opportunities with various parties at the international level.
Meanwhile, CEO of Standard Chartered Islamic Banking, Khurram Hilal, invited Islamic economics players in Indonesia, including the BPKH, to build strategic partnerships with global Islamic financial institutions, especially those in the Middle East.
This step is expected to further strengthen Indonesia's position as one of the centers of the world's Islamic finance.
Source: antaranews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://en.antaranews.com/news/354605/bpkh-urges-international-collaboration-to-bolster-islamic-economics
---------
Indonesian Muslims Urged to Use Official Visas for Hajj Pilgrimage
Rino Fajar Setiawan
May 9, 202
Jakarta. Indonesian Muslims planning to perform the Hajj pilgrimage must obtain the proper visa, a senior official warned on Friday, stressing that failure to do so could result in deportation by Saudi authorities.
Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Muhammad Syafi’i urged citizens not to be misled by offers to undertake the Hajj using non-Hajj visas, such as tourist or visit visas, which violate Saudi immigration regulations and official pilgrimage procedures.
The warning came after 30 Indonesian nationals were detained at Jeddah Airport for attempting to enter Saudi Arabia with visit visas, allegedly intending to perform the Hajj without proper authorization.
"This warning has been issued many times: do not fall for offers to perform Hajj using a visit visa. It carries serious risks and could lead to legal trouble," said Syafi’i.
He emphasized that the Saudi government has tightened surveillance during the Hajj season, allowing only pilgrims with officially issued Hajj visas to access designated pilgrimage areas.
“Monitoring is extremely strict. Without the appropriate visa, individuals will be denied entry to the Hajj zones. These unofficial offers can be deceptive,” he added.
Syafi’i urged all Indonesian Muslims to follow official Hajj registration and visa procedures to avoid complications abroad.
“Taking the legal and proper route is the only way to ensure a smooth and meaningful pilgrimage,” he stressed.
He also noted that similar incidents have occurred in previous years, with Indonesian pilgrims facing deportation, detention, or being barred from performing Hajj due to visa violations.
"In past cases, some were deported, others were detained, and some were forced to miss the entire pilgrimage season. It’s a heartbreaking consequence of taking the unofficial path," he said.
Source: jakartaglobe.id
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesian-muslims-urged-to-use-official-visas-for-hajj-pilgrimage
--------
Siti Nurhaliza pays courtesy call on PM Anwar, talks arts, youth and cultural relevance
09 May 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today received a courtesy visit from Biduanita Negara Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin and discussed various topics related to the arts.
Anwar said the courtesy call, held at his office in Putrajaya, was also attended by Siti Nurhaliza’s husband, Datuk Seri Khalid Mohamad Jiwa, who represented Yayasan Nurjiwa.
“Various topics were discussed, including the crucial role that Siti Nurhaliza can play in educating and serving as a role model for today’s young entertainers and artistes.
“We also touched on the importance of diversity in artistic performances so that they are always relevant to the changing times and the needs of the new generation,” he posted on Facebook.
Last year, the country’s number one singer received the 2024 Biduan Negara Award at the National Art Awards (ASN) ceremony, becoming the third woman to be given the honour after the late Puan Sri Saloma in 1978 and the late Datuk Sharifah Aini in 2006.
Siti Nurhaliza first ventured into the entertainment industry in 1995 and throughout her involvement, she has won over 300 awards from within and outside the country, including 42 awards at the Music Industry Award; Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian (25); Anugerah Planet Music (28); MTV Asia Award (four) as well as the Malaysia Book of Records recognition twice.
She has also recorded more than 200 songs in 20 albums, held over 60 concerts locally and internationally and was listed as one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World as well as having held a solo concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2005. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/05/09/siti-nurhaliza-pays-courtesy-call-on-pm-anwar-talks-arts-youth-and-cultural-relevance/176194
----------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistan-quranic-military-escalation-justify/d/135495