Miracle 565-Feb 25, 2022(21st Anniversary edition) by Mohammad Naseer Pirzada

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Russian forces attack Ukraine as UN meets

ussian president approves ‘special military operation’ as UN Security Council holds second emergency meeting in a week. Biden said the White House will target two financial institutions, VEB – Russia’s state development corporation – and its military bank, as well as Russian sovereign debt.“That means we’ve cut of Russia’s government from Western financing. It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade its new debt on our markets or European markets either,” he said. Sanctions against Russia’s “elites and their family members” will be announced Wednesday. The Canadian government will also ban Cana-

dians from purchasing Russian sovereign debt and will impose sanctions on two state-backed Russian banks. These measures will remain in place until the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine is restored, the prime minister said. “It is not too late for Russia to seek a diplomatic resolution and re-establish a pathway to peace. But it is also clear that Russian actions violate international law and threaten international peace and security,” he said. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees ordering troops into the newly To be Continued at page 4

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rime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Moscow late on Wednesday on a two-day visit to push for the construction of a long-delayed, multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline to be built in collaboration with Russian companies. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov welcomed the prime minister upon arrival in Moscow. He was also presented with a guard of honour. The prime minister’s trip to meet President Vladimir Putin and discuss issues including economic cooperation comes hours after a

number of Western nations hit Russia with new sanctions for its military deployment into parts of eastern Ukraine. “Both countries are eager to launch the project at the earliest,” Pakistan’s energy ministry spokesman told Reuters about the Pakistan Stream gas pipeline. He confirmed that Energy Minister Hammad Azhar is accompanying the PM on the visit. The Prime Minister’s Office also confirmed that Azhar was accompanying the premier To be Continued at page 4

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f a i t h Good deeds also carry a heavier weight and earns great rewards during Rajab. “ He (Allah) also made righteous good actions to be the greatest in them.” stated by Ibn Abbas (ra).

Miracle at Hudaybiyyah: Prophet’s Visionary Decision

BY: MANSOOR ALAM he Prophet (PBUH) saw a dream that he was performing ‘Hajj. When he mentioned this to his companions, they (around 1400 of them) gladly agreed to join the Prophet for ‘Umrah. This was the sixth year after Prophet’s migration to Medina. The Prophet (PBUH) and his companions started on this long journey from Medina to Makkah and camped near the town of Hudaybiyyah on the outskirts of Makkah. The Prophet (PBUH) sent an emissary to Quraysh to let them know that they have come just to perform ‘Umrah; that there was no other intention behind this visit; so, the Quraysh should let them do the ‘Umrah peacefully and should not create any hindrance in this pilgrimage. The Prophet (PBUH) did this despite the fact that there was established tradition among the Arabs that people can freely come to perform ‘Umrah or ‘Hajj during the sacred months and they do not have to inform the Quraysh about it. But the Quraysh, instead, sent an army to Hudaybiyyah. The companions of the Prophet (PBUH) told them that we have not come to fight but only to do ‘Umrah peacefully, and return to Medina. The Prophet (PBUH) dispatched Othman (R) to Makkah to tell the Quraysh that they should let the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions perform ‘Umrah peacefully. But then the news spread that the Quraysh had taken Othman (R) into custody. The Prophet (PBUH) told his companions: This is now the moment to renew the

agreement with Allah for being a Momin as the Quran clearly spells out: (9:111) – BEHOLD, God has bought of the believers their lives and their possessions, promising them paradise in return [Asad]. Accordingly, the companions gladly started renewing their contract with Allah. Meanwhile the news came that the Quraysh had released Othman (R); and that they are coming to negotiate a treaty with the Prophet (PBUH) and not to start a war. The Quraysh asked the Prophet (PBUH) to agree to their demands. The gist of the treaty was: The Muslims shall return this year without performing ‘Umrah; that in the coming year, the Prophet (PBUH) may come with his companions; that if a Quraysh’s person comes to Muhammad (i.e., after accepting Islam) without the permission of his guardian, then Muhammad shall return him to them, but if one of the Muhammad’s persons come to the Quraysh, he shall not be returned to Medina. The Prophet (PBUH) accepted the demands of the Quraysh, which is commonly referred to as the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah. If we think about this agreement, it appears to be in favor of Quraysh, but, in reality, it proved that the Prophet (PBUH) was an extraordinary visionary and a great statesman. The agreement – that a Quraysh’s person who goes to Medina must be returned to the Meccans while the Quraysh will not return a Muslim from Medina who comes to Mecca – sounds in favor of the Quraysh but it actually turned out to be in favor of the Prophet (PBUH). Some of the companions even thought that this was a weak agreement executed by the Prophet (PBUH). But history proved that this agreement, in fact, was not weak but it was strong for the Prophet (PBUH) in the long run because it opened the door for further

Significance of Shaaban

By: Samar Yahya, Saudi Gazette Shaaban, the eighth month of Islam’s Hijri or lunar calendar, and the month that precedes the holy month of Ramadan was the most beloved month to Prophet Mohammed.Shaaban is significant for many reasons. First, it is the time that Muslims start getting ready for the month of Ramadan. It was in the middle of the month of Shaaban when Muslims believe that God ordered Prophet Mohammed to change the Qiblah, the direction towards which Muslims face when they pray, from Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to the Holy Kaabah in Mecca.Al-Aqsa Mosque had been the Qiblah for thirteen years in Mecca, and for nearly eighteen months after Prophet Mohammed migrated to Madinah. Verses from the Quran were revealed to Prophet Mohammed, instructing him and all Muslims to turn towards the Kaabah in Mecca when they pray. Most interpretations date this incident to the middle of the month of Shaaban.

victories.his event happened in year sixth all the claims made by the Prophet (PBUH) Hijrah. After this the Prophet (PBUH) led were true. The elites of Mecca were standthe expedition of Khyber and finished the ing before the Prophet (PBUH) in submismachinations of internal rebellion by the sion after the victory of Mecca. These were hypocrites of Medina. Then Muslims pro- the same people who made the life of the gressed further and grew stronger and the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions a Prophet (PBUH) gathered an army of ten living hell. They did not leave any stone thousand volunteers in the eighth Hijrah to unturned, in order to inflict every possimarch on Mecca. When this army reached ble harm and hardship in the path of the the outskirts of Mecca, the Meccans surren- Prophet (PUBH) and his companions. dered before any fighting. Thus, the treaty Othman Ibn Talha Shaibi was also standof Hudaibiyyah became the precursor and ing among the crowd of Quraysh before a pillar for the victory of Mecca. The Quran the Prophet (PBUH). Everyone was waitsays:(48:1) – VERILY, [O Muhammad,] We ing eagerly to find out who will be the lucky have laid open before thee a manifest vic- person whom the Prophet (PBUH) will tory. [Asad] give the key of Kaaba. The Prophet (PBUH) A decisive revolution took place after this. went to Shaibi and handed over to him the When the Prophet (PBUH) went to do Hajj key of Kaaba. The world has seen many victhen there were more than hundred thou- tories but where has it seen such a miracusand Muslims in ‘Arafat. This was a mani- lous victory? The Prophet (PBUH) gave the fest victory for the Prophet (PBUH) and his key to Othman Ibn Talha Shaibi and the companions. key is continuing to be in his family because An incident in the life of the Prophet the Prophet (PBUH) said that no one can (PBUH) is quite instructive. The Prophet take it away from his family until the Day (PBUH) wanted to do Tawaaf (circumam- of Judgment. bulation) of Kaaba before he started on Enemies of the Prophet (PBUH) were his night journey of migration to Medina. standing in front of him. He asked them He went to Othman Ibn Talha Shaibi and what punishment you deserve. They said: asked him to open the gates of Kaaba but We know you are a just and moral person. Shaibi refused. The Prophet (PBUH) told So, do justice with us; punish us accordingly. Shaibi: You didn’t open the gate, but a time But the Prophet said: (12:92) – No reproach will come when I will have its key in my shall be uttered today against you. [Asad] hand and whomever I will give the key it This was not a struggle for acquiring power will remain in his family until the Day of and authority. This was a struggle for winJudgment. ning hearts and minds. This was an unparAlthough the Prophet had firm conviction alleled victory achieved by exemplary peron the truth of his message, but the Mec- sonality and high moral character. This was cans used to make fun of him and attach a victory of Truth over Falsehood:(17:81) derogatory labels on him – that he was cra- – And say: “The truth has now come [to zy; that he was poet, etc. light], and falsehood has withered away: However, after the manifest victory peo- for, behold, all falsehood is bound to wither ple saw the result. All the derogatory la- away!” [Asad] (33:56) – Verily, God and His bels that they used to attach to the Prophet angels bless the Prophet: [hence,] O you (PBUH) were cast away by the victory and who have attained to faith, bless him and conquest of Mecca. They accepted the fact give yourselves up [to his guidance] in utter that he was neither illusionist, nor crazy, self-surrender! nor soothsayer, nor poet. Every success SOURCE: ISLAMICITY and every victory provided the proof that narrated, “I said to the Prophet,’ O Messenger of God! I did not see you fasting in any month as you do in the month of Shaaban.’ The Prophet said, ‘People neglect this month which is between Rajab and Ramadan; in this month the actions of the people are presented to God, so I like my deeds to be presented while I am fasting.’”Though fasting is made obligatory in Ramadan, Muslims believe fasting in Shaaban is beneficial in a number of ways as it offers a chance to start preparing for Ramadan.In Shaaban, many Muslim scholars and others used to consistently recite and read the Holy Quran along with fasting, which also helps in getting our routines of worship in place for the coming month of Ramadan.Muslims believe that if they begin increasing acts of worship in Shaaban, they will enjoy the fruits of their efforts in the holy month of Ramadan. Source: english.alarabiya.net/

Traditions of Prophet Mohammed show that it is recommended to fast during Shaaban.Well-known companion of the prophet Anas bin Malik reported that Prophet Mohammed was asked: “Which fast is the most meritorious after the fasting of Ramadan?” Prophet Mohammed replied, “Fasting of Shaaban in honor of Ramadan.” Fasting in Shaaban is like mental and physical training for fasting in Ramadan. Feb 25-March 11, 2022, Rajab 24-Shabaan 10,1443H Many Muslims may experience difficulty when they start the fast in Ramadan, but if Isl. Dt. Day Date Fajar Sunr Zawal Dhuhr Dhur Asar Shafi / Asar Hanfi Maghrib Isha they started fasting a few days in Shaaban, 24 Fri their bodies may get used to fasting and not 25 Sat feel so lethargic and weak when Ramadan 26 Sun comes. 27 Mon Shaaban is like an introduction to Rama28 Tue dan and it has some things in common with 29 Wed Ramadan, such as fasting, reciting Quran 30 Thus and giving to charity. Aisha, the wife of Prophet Mohammed is 1 Fri narrated to have said, “The Messenger of 2 Sat God used to fast until we thought he would 3 Sun never break his fast, and not fast until we 4 Mon thought he would never fast. I never saw 5 Tue the Messenger of God fasting for an entire 6 Wed month except in Ramadan, and I never saw 7 Thus him fast more than he did in Shaaban.”The 8 Fri prophet’s adopted son Usamah ibn Zaid For such Prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times: Quran ,n 4:103 Source: BCMA

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Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021

E D IT O R A L

Digital media has prevalently negative effects on Muslims

he media is such a powerful source of information but what it holds more strongly than information, is power. Depending on how that information is portrayed, that’s how the media sways its audience to hold one opinion or the other, which I believe is true power. Holding someone’s will in the palm of your hand. In the ink of your pen. In your click of a button. Especially because of a fast-growing transition to digital media, the minds of the masses are deftly held by whatever content can be consumed quickly and concisely. Unfortunately, in this new manner of consumerism, many things can be lost in translation. So what does this mean for Muslims? Well first and foremost, misinformation is one of the greatest causes of Islamophobia. Many people oppose Islam because of what they think it stands for, regardless of its accuracy. In an age of digital media, it’s easy to misinterpret

information presented specifically for consumers to intake and move on from, not necessarily providing you with something to think and reflect on. Digital media, in comparison, to print media, including primarily, newspapers, is unable to give the full picture nowadays because no one expects or wants that from it anymore. In print media, because of the way it is formatted, it is designed to give consumers a clear and detailed form of whatever information is being presented which separates it from the age of online news. Another reason digital media has prevalently negative effects on Muslims is because of the light we are painted in. Biased journalism is quickly becoming normalized and when a majority audience reacts violently to a piece of content regarding Muslims negatively, pieces similar to that will continue to be published regardless of their authenticity. In print media,

everything is final and permanent and so the vetting process for all the content is vigorous in contrast to digital media, which can be transported to every end of the earth by the quick and virtually impermanent press of a button. Unfortunately, the only way to truly represent Islam is for the information to come from Islamic sources. As Muslims, we’re legally entitled to proceed in an organized manner to protect our faith, and our media is equally entitled to publish literature that provides an authentic representation of our religion to the general public. But an inadequate presence of Muslim media adds fuel to the fire that burns with our desperation for a seat at the table. Although Muslim media has significantly increased in the last 5-10 years, the number still pales in comparison to overall sources and even then, only in digital media. Print media, which is arguably more ac-

curate and authentic than digital media, is slowly going out of date making those who’ve made serious progress in getting their perspectives out in the community forced to uproot and relocate to the competitive domain of digital media and start completely over. Beyond any doubt, media, through radio, television, newspaper, or the internet, has the potential to connect and bridge communities. Digital media is a doorway to a gold mine of accessibility, capable of enriching the minds of consumers. Who uses it and how is what determines the public’s outlook on a range of topics, including Muslims. So despite what anyone else may be saying, it’s important for Muslims themselves to stand up for truthful representation, even if that requires us to do it personally. By: Khadija Nadeem Laysa Lil Insana illa ma’ sa’aa That man can have nothing but what he strives for.

PM announces ‘first round’ of sanctions against Russia, troop deployment to Latvia

News Cont from Pg 1

recognized regions under the premise of “peacekeeping”. Russian lawmakers and members of the Federation Council also gave Putin permission to use military force outside of the country in a unanimous vote Tuesday, formalizing a military deployment. These moves have prompted world leaders to announce a swath of sanctions against Russia. Russian forces have attacked Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin announced he had authorised a “special military operation” in the country’s east at the same time as the United Nations Security Council met for its second emergency meeting this week. Russian media on Thursday reported President Putin saying he had approved a “special military operation” in the Donbas region of Ukraine, where Moscow ear-

lier recognised rebel-held territories in Luhansk and Donetsk and said they had asked for its “help”. Clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces were only a matter of time, he added. Shortly after Putin spoke, Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, who is in Kyiv, said there were explosions in the capital and power had been cut. It appeared to be a “full-scale attack”, targeting the airport and key buildings, he said. There was “chaos” in the city centre, he added. Explosions also rocked the breakaway eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk and civilian aircraft were warned away, while there were reports of naval landings at Odesa in Mariupol Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a brief national address to say that he was declaring martial law and that Ukraine would “win”. “Putin has just launched a

alongside Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, Commerce Adviser Abdul Razak Dawood, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf and MNA Amir Mahmood Kiani. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill had arrived in Moscow ahead of the premier’s visit. In an interview ahead of his trip, PM Imran had expressed concern about the situation in Ukraine and the possibility of new sanctions and their effect on Islamabad’s budding cooperation with Moscow. It is unclear how the latest sanctions will affect the project, which would deliver imported Liquified

Natural Gas (LNG) from Karachi to power plants in Punjab. The project is important for Pakistan — particularly the power sector — as the country’s dependence on imported LNG grows in the face of dwindling indigenous gas supplies.. The pipeline project has already suffered delays because of earlier sanctions. “This North-South pipeline suffered, one of the reasons ... was the companies we were negotiating with, turned out that US had applied sanctions on them,” PM Imran told Russia Today on Tuesday. “So, the problem was to get a company that wasn’t sanctioned,” he said of the project. Pakistan-Russia collaboration on pipeline project In 2015, Russia and Pakistan

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full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. “Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes. This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.” US President Joe Biden, in a phone call with Zelenskyy, condemned the “unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces”, the White House said. Biden said in a statement he briefed Zelenskyy on Washington’s and its allies’ planned next

steps against Russia, including “severe sanctions”. In an impassioned appeal, UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned Russia’s actions. “In the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia,” he said. “In the name of humanity, do not allow a war to start in Europe which could be the worst war since the beginning of the century with consequences not only devastating for Ukraine, not only tragic for the Russian Federation but with an impact we cannot even foresee.”Source: ljazeera.com

PM Imran arrives in Moscow on two-day visit to advance gas pipeline project Cont. from Pg 1

THE

agreed in principle to build a 1,100 km-long pipeline to deliver imported LNG from Karachi to power plants in Punjab. The pipeline’s designed annual capacity stands at 12.4 billion cubic metres (bcm), with the possibility to be increased to 16bcm. The cost will require investments of between $1.5bn, according to Russia, to as much as $3.5bn, estimated by Pakistan, with 26 per cent of it to be financed by Moscow and the remaining 74pc by Islamabad. The project was to be launched in 2020, but Russia had to replace the initial participant after the company was hit by western sanctions not related to the Pakistan Stream project. Currently the pipeline, a rare example of Russian participation without state gas company

Gazprom, involves the Eurasian Pipeline Consortium, steel pipe maker TMK, which produces steel pipelines for the energy sector, and Operational Services Centre run by the Russian Energy Ministry.Russian shareholders expect to return their investments from gas shipping fees. Currently, feasibility studies are taking place on the project but there is no firm date set for the launch. According to Russian media reports, shareholder agreement for the Pakistan Stream should be signed this month. On May 28, 2021, Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov and Pakistan’s ambassador in Moscow Shafqat Ali Khan signed an agreement on behalf of their countries to build the Pakistan Stream gas pipeline.. Source: dawn.com

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‘Immediate emergency situation is over’: PM Imran raring for TV debate with Modi between the neighbouring countries could PM Trudeau revokes Emergencies Act be resolved through a debate.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government will end the use of the Emergencies Act after it was invoked just over a week ago in response to the ongoing trucker convoy blockades and protests. Trudeau made the announcement on Wednesday alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Justice Minister David Lametti, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair. “Today, after careful consideration, we’re ready to confirm that the situation is no longer an emergency. Therefore, the federal government will be ending the use of the Emergencies Act,” the prime minister said.

Trudeau added while the “immediate emergency situation is over” the issue itself “won’t go away.” “We need to constantly work to defend and improve our democracy at home and around the world,” he said, speaking to reporters. The House of Commons passed a motion on Monday confirming the timelimited emergency powers, which included sweeping financial tools to cut the convoy’s funding. The Act was set to expire after 30 days had it not been revoked. Lametti said any violations of the law that occurred during the 10 days the measures were in place will continue to be followed up on through the justice system. With regards to the financial tools employed, the RCMP has already begun to unfreeze accounts attached to those affiliated with the convoy.However, Freeland noted there will be some bank accounts that will remain frozen. “Not because of the emergency measures,” she said, speaking in French. “There will be other orders, court orders, and others, and because of these orders the bank accounts may be frozen.” .....Source: ctvnews.ca

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed his desire to engage Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a television debate. Mr Khan made the remarks during an interview with Russia’s state-run television network Russia Today on the eve of his two-day visit to Moscow. “I would love to debate Narendra Modi on TV,” Mr Khan said in response to a question during the interview recorded prior to the first visit to Russia by a Pakistani premier in over two decades.He said he would love to talk to his Indian counterpart and it would be great if differences were resolved through dialogue. A news agency quoted Mr Khan as saying that it would be great for over a billion people of the subcontinent if differences

Interestingly, Mr Modi is not known to engage in TV debates and hasn’t held a formal news conference since coming to power in 2014. Mr Khan also expressed the hope that one day the Indian government would concentrate on pulling Indians out of poverty rather than focusing on race superiority. Mr Khan recalled that when his party came into power in 2018, he tried to resolve longstanding issue of Occupied Kashmir with Indian through dialogue. However, he regretted that India did not respond positively to his overtures. India that once used to be regarded as a secular country has now been taken over by “mad and racist ideologies”, said Mr Khan. “What is happening in India, is not what Indians are like, this is not India of Nehru and Gandhi,” he said. In response to a question, the prime minister said he would love to emulate China in terms of bringing people out of poverty. The prime minister said that developing countries learned from developed societies and his country was doing the same. “The nation we can learn the most from is China.” Source: dawn.com

PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb on Wednesday stressed that the timing of the no-confidence motion against the government would be jointly decided by the opposition and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). The remarks from the PML-N came hours after by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry dismissed the opposition’s attempts at moving a no-trust motion as insignificant and ruled out its chances of success. “I dare the opposition to table a no-confidence motion within 24 hours,” the minister said at a presser earlier in the day. Responding to the minister’s challenge, Aurangzeb said that the opposition was hopeful of emerging victorious in the parliamentary battle to oust the government “because our goal is based on honesty and to rid the people of inflation caused by the incompetent government”. The PML-N leader said an im-

portant meeting of opposition leaders was underway and a joint statement would be issued later about the decisions taken. She also rejected the information minister’s claims that three PTI lawmakers had been offered bribes to switch their loyalties. “No one needs to bribe legislators, especially at a time when the PTI has already lost the trust of its party members,” she said while speaking to the media in Lahore.. Source: dawn.com

PM announces ‘first round’ of sanctions against Timing of no-trust move to be decided after consensus, says PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb Russia, troop deployment to Latvia

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled Canada’s “first round” of economic sanctions against Russia for its recognition of independence of two non-government controlled Eastern Ukraine regions and the ordering of troops there. Trudeau said the government is banning Canadians from all financial dealings with the “so-called independent states” of Donetsk and Luhansk and will sanction members of the Russian parliament who voted in favour of declaring the regions as independent. The government has also approved a de-

ployment of up to 460 Canadian Armed Forces troops to Latvia as part of Operation REASSURANCE to “reinforce” Canada’s commitment to NATO. “This recognition is a violation of Russia’s obligation under international law and the Charter of the United Nations. Canada also denounces Russian military actions, including orders to move into Ukraine which is a clear incursion of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Trudeau said. “Make no mistake, this is a further invasion of a sovereign state and it is completely unacceptable.” U.S. President Joe British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced sanctions on five Russian banks as well as three wealthy individuals with close ties to Putin.Meanwhile Germany said it would freeze the certification of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline project that was designed to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany. U.S. President Joe Biden said the White House will target two financial institutions, VEB Source:ctvnews.ca

Canadian military got 360 phone calls asking them to protect trucker protesters from police

A pair of phone lines for the Canadian military received more than 300 phone calls over the weekend from convoy supporters urging the military to protect the protesters in Ottawa from police operations. Department of National Defence spokesperson Dan Le Bouthillier told CTVNews.ca that the military media phone line received about 360 calls from people primarily urging the military to intervene with the police operation in downtown Ottawa and“protect the peaceful protests.” “Of course, I tried to listen to several of the very passionate callers and recommend they contact their members of Parliament to voice their concern,” Le Bouthillier wrote in an email. “None of the calls I took were rude or mischievous. All the calls were very cordial, just perhaps misplaced through the media relations office.” The flood of calls appears to have originated from a video posted to Facebook from Feb. 19, alleging that police intervention in the protests last weekend was illegal and that the protesters needed military help. The post includes the phone numbers of the military’s media line and the military’s Ottawa office, where supporters were asked to call and “ask for intervention.” The person in the video states the phone number several times, but only refers to it as the number for “national

PDM to table no-trust motion against govt, says Fazl

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced on Friday that the opposition alliance had decided to move a no-confidence motion against defence.” The video has been viewed more the prime minister and would contact the PTI than 6,400 times, with more than 900 shares. This is not the only bit of misinformation stemming from the protests in downtown Senior PPP leader and former senator Rehman Malik passed away on Wednesday in Ottawa over the weekend. A viral TikTok claimed that a plane with Islamabad due to coronavirus-related complications, his spokesperson Riaz Ali Turi United Nations decals sitting in North Bay, confirmed. He was 70.“Deeply devastated to Ont.’s Jack Garland Airport had brought in say that former interior minister [and] PPP’s troops from other countries to break up the senior leader, Abdul Rehman Malik, passed protests in Ottawa. North Bay is nearly 360 away,” he tweeted. kilometres away from the capital. In reality, Earlier this month, Malik was put on a venthe plane had been in North Bay for several tilator after his health deteriorated due to weeks as part of a “routine aircraft main- Covid-related complications. tenance heavy check event,” according to Malik had tested positive for the coronavirus Vyageur Airways, which has a maintenance in January. At that time, his spokesperson facility at the airport.“It just goes to shows said the former senator had initially been how quickly one video can go viral with shifted to the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Islamabad after his condition demisinformation,” North Bay Deputy Mayor teriorated. However, his condition had conTanya Vrebosch told CTV News Northern tinued to worsen and doctors subsequently Ontario at the time. Source: ctvnews.ca put him on a ventilator on February 1.

government’s allies in the centre for this purpose.He was talking to reporters alongside PML-N leaders Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz after a meeting of the PDM’s constituent parties in Lahore. “All parties in the PDM have agreed on bringing a no-confidence motion against these illegitimate rulers and contacting the government’s allies in this regard,” he said. Fazl said the PDM would approach the government’s allies and ask them to end their association with the government. ”[We will ask them] to have mercy on this country and nation, considering their impoverished condition,” he added. “[We will tell them] that remaining an ally of such a government is not politically and economically beneficial for the country.” .. Source: dawn.com

Senior PPP leader Rehman Malik passes away

The spokesperson said the virus had affected Malik’s lungs and the former senator had been complaining of breathing problems after contracting Covid. Talking to the media, Malik’s nephew Waqas Malik said the former senator’s funeral prayers would be held at the mosque in Islamabad’s H-8 sector at 2:30pm tomorrow... Source: dawn.com

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US, allies sanction Russia over Ukraine Turkey asks UAE to repatriate mob

World leaders sought on Wednesday to back up their tough words over Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, announcing financial sanctions, trade and travel bans and other measures meant to pressure Moscow to pull back from the brink of war. Even as they ramped up penalties, however, nations in Asia and the Pacific also prepared for the possibility of both economic pain, in the form of cuts to traditional energy and grain supply lines, and retaliation from Russian cyberattacks. “We can’t have some suggestion that Russia has some just case here that they’re prosecuting. They’re behaving like thugs and bullies, and they should be called out as thugs and bullies,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said while announcing targeted financial sanctions and travel bans as a first step in response to Russian aggression towards Ukraine. The possibility of imminent war in Ukraine has raised fears not only of massive casualties but of widespread energy shortages and global economic chaos. The punitive actions in Asia followed sanctions levied by US President Joe Biden and European leaders against Russian oligarchs and banks in response to Russia massing

leader Peker: State-run media

150,000 troops on three sides of Ukraine. While the larger army has yet to move, Russian forces have rolled into rebel-held portions of eastern Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised those areas’ independence. The US moved to cut off Russia’s government from Western finance, sanctioning two of its banks and blocking it from trading its debt on American and European markets. The Biden administration’s actions hit civilian leaders in Russia’s leadership hierarchy and two Russian banks considered especially close to the Kremlin and Russia’s military, with more than $80 billion in assets. That includes freezing all of those banks’ assets under US jurisdictions. Source: aljazera.com

Anadolu says Interpol issued a red notice for convicted Turkish mob boss Sedat Peker, who made videos accusing some Turkish officials of various crimes. Turkey has sent a request to the United Arab Emirates to detain and repatriate Sedat Peker, a convicted Turkish mob boss, after Interpol issued a red notice for him, according to the state-owned Anadolu news agency. The agency said on Wednesday that the country’s ministry of justice made the move after the notice was issued by the international organisation on February 1. Peker, 50, rose to prominence in the 1990s as a gang figure and was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2007 for crimes including form-

ing and leading a criminal gang. He was released several years ago. Turkish authorities began another investigation into Peker in April last year. Soon after, he drew millions of viewers on YouTube when he began sharing videos in which he made corruption and criminal allegations against top officials in the Turkish government. Ankara has denied the allegations. The videos were filmed in the UAE, with which Turkey has recently worked to mend long-strained relations, after being on the opposite sides of a number of regional issues in the last decade. Peker was questioned by Dubai police in June but was later released. He has not posted any videos since last summer, saying that the UAE had asked him to refrain from doing so. Although he was active on Twitter even after the videos stopped, Peker has not tweeted since the end of November. Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was welcomed with a large ceremony in the UAE as he visited the Gulf country to mark an end to the period of animosity. The countries signed a flurry of economic agreements during his trip. Source: aljazera.com

. The United States has issued fresh sanctions on alleged members of an illicit network financing Yemen’s Houthi rebels, citing the group’s involvement in the continuing war in Yemen and recent drone and missile attacks on Washington’s Gulf allies. In a statement on Wednesday, the US Department of the Treasury said the network “has transferred tens of millions of dollars to Yemen via a complex international network of intermediaries in support of the Houthis’ attacks”.The new sanctions target alleged front companies and ships that the US says worked with a branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to smuggle petroleum and other commodities around the Middle East, Asia and Africa to help fund the Houthis. “Despite pleas to negotiate an end to this devastating conflict, Houthi leaders continue to launch missile and unmanned aerial vehicle

attacks against Yemen’s neighbors, killing innocent civilians, while millions of Yemeni civilians remain displaced and hungry,” Treasury Under-secretary Brian E Nelson said in the statement. The Houthi rebels have ramped up their missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia and started directly targeting the UAE in recent weeks, but the penalties appeared to fall short of the tougher measures that the Saudis and Emiratis, key strategic partners of the US, had sought from the Biden administration..Source: aljazera.com

Ukraine leader pleads for peace, US issues new sanctions on alleged Houthi financing network warns of ‘major war’: Live News President Zelenskyy says Russia’s Putin ignored his invitation for talks and that Ukraine ‘will fight back’ if needed. • Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian President Vladimir Putin had not replied to his invitation to hold talks • Kremlin says Ukraine separatists have asked Moscow for “help” against Kyiv. • Ukraine imposes a nationwide state of emergency amid fears of Russian invasion. • White House says it is in touch with Ukrainian authorities over their cyber security needs in wake of reports of a fresh cyber attack against the country. • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tells the General Assembly the world is “facing a moment of peril” over the Ukraine-Russia crisis. • European Union sanctions against Russia take effect. Airlines should stop flying over all of Ukraine’s airspace – conflict zone monitor Airlines should stop flying over any part of Ukraine because of the risk of an unintended

shootdown or a cyber attack targeting air traffic control amid tensions with Russia, a conflict zone monitor has said. Safe Airspace, which was set up to provide safety and conflict zone information for airlines after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, said it had increased its risk level to “do not fly”. “Regardless of the actual movements of Russian forces into Ukraine, the level of tension and uncertainty in Ukraine is now extreme,” Safe Airspace said on its website. “This itself gives rise to significant risk to civil aviation.” Source: aljazera.com

.Ukrainian government announces compulsory military service for all men of fighting age as Moscow evacuates Kyiv embassy. Ukraine has imposed a state of emergency and told its citizens in Russia to leave immediately, as Moscow began evacuating its Kyiv embassy in the latest ominous signs of an allout Russian military onslaught. Shelling intensified on Wednesday at the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, where Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised the independence of two Moscow-backed rebel regions this week and where he has ordered the deployment of Russian troops as “peacekeepers”. But there was still no clear indication of whether he plans to follow that up with a

massed assault on Ukraine involving the tens of thousands of troops he has gathered near his neighbour’s borders. “Predicting what might be the next step of Russia, the separatists or the personal decisions of the Russian president – I cannot say,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Later on Wednesday, Ukraine’s parliament overwhelmingly approved Zelenskyy’s decree that imposes a state of emergency for 30 days starting Thursday. The state of emergency allows authorities to impose restrictions on movement, block rallies and ban political parties and organizations “in the interests of national security and public order.” The Ukrainian government has also announced compulsory military service for all men of fighting age.Ukrainian government and state websites, which have experienced outages in recent weeks blamed by Kyiv on cyberattacks, were again offline on Wednesday. Ukraine’s parliament, cabinet and foreign ministry websites were affected. Moscow denies planning an invasion and has described warnings as anti-Russian hysteria. But it has taken no steps to withdraw the troops deployed along Ukraine’s frontiers. Source:aljazera.com

Ukraine imposes state of emergency, summons citizens home

UAE to order L15 planes from China as it diversifies suppliers

by Yemeni rebels. The UAE defence ministry said it intended to sign a contract with China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) to buy 12 of the L15 training and light combat aircraft, with the option for 36 additional jets of the same type, the official Emirati news agency WAM reported Wednesday. “We have reached the final stage in our talks with the Chinese side. The final contract will … be signed soon,” Tareq Al-Hosani, CEO of Tawazun Economic Council – the Emirates’ The United Arab Emirates has said it plans to defence and security acquisitions authority buy a dozen Chinese L15 aircraft, as it seeks – was quoted as saying. .. Source: aljazera.com to bolster its defences after a series of attacks

Saudi Aramco closes $15.5BN BlackRock-led gas pipeline deal

Saudi Aramco closed a deal to sell a stake in its natural-gas pipelines for $15.5 billion and entered into a pact with BlackRock Inc. to explore low carbon energy projects. An investor group, led by BlackRock, acquired a 49% stake in Aramco Gas Pipelines Co. in a lease and leaseback deal in December, according to a statement. The consortium also comprised Keppel Infrastructure Trust, Silk Road Fund, China Merchants Capital, and Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Hassana Investment Co. BlackRock’s investment comes even as Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink puts pressure on firms to boost environmental, social and governance, or ESG, standards. Gas is a cleaner

fuel than crude oil but still contributes to heating the plant. “Getting to a net zero world will not happen overnight,” Fink said in the statement. “It requires us to shift the energy mix in incremental steps to achieve a green energy future. Bold, forward-thinking incumbents like Aramco have the technical expertise and capital to play a crucial role in this transformation.”...Source:aljazera.com

Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021 m

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I am so pleased to be able to send my heartfelt congratulations to The Miracle newspaper on your 21st anniversary. The impact of the publication throughout Metro Vancouver’s Muslim , community cannot be underestimated. There is real power in providing coverage, discussion and analysis in both English and Urdu, rendering The Miracle as an immense pillar behind the sense of togetherness amongst community members. I would also like to acknowledge the tireless work of the paper’s dedicated staff and contributors, who have not only weathered the difficulty that all media have encountered in recent times, but thrived beyond all expectations. You should be proud of this momentous accomplishment and look towards to an even brighter future in the coming decades. liwal, M.P. Thank you for your long record of community service. ewton Sincerely,

Sukh Dhaliwal, M.P. Surrey-Newton

Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021

BC,

L O CA L

B.C. budget 2022-23: Province’s books improving, but still in the red

B.C.’s NDP government is projecting deficits for the next several years, due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic, while the forecast shortfall for the current budget year has dropped by more than $9 billion. Due to better than expected economic growth, fueled by an astonishing turnaround by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia and a sizzling real estate industry, the 2021-22 budget is forecast to end with a deficit of $483 million, down from a projection of $9.698 billion last year. The 202223 budget is expected to have a deficit of $5.461 billion. In addition, billions of dollars are set aside in contingencies.

The government is expecting $2.5 billion in revenue from the property transfer tax in 2022-23 and $327 million from ICBC. Finance Minister Selina Robinson laid out Budget 2022-23 with a theme of “Stronger Together,” which promises supports for child care, funding for health care, to address climate change, and supports for those at risk of homelessness and for sexual assault survivors. Robinson told reporters Tuesday during the budget lockup that parents can expect to pay about $20 per day on average for child care by the end of 2022. She said the province planned to create 40,000 more child-care spaces over the next seven years, and would also fund more inspectors to make sure the spaces were up to standard. She said $100 million is being provided to reduce surgical and diagnostic wait times. In addition, there’s a vow to create 10 more urgent and primary care centres, plus an additional 15 specifically for those from First Nations. As reports of understaffing and long wait times continue to plague emergency response agencies, the province said it also planned to hire 125 paramedics and

30 dispatchers to make up for the shortage. Another $30 million is set aside for cancer care. The province is providing $2.1 billion for fire and flood prevention and recovery. $1.5 billion is set aside to rebuild from 2021’s devastating fire and flood seasons. Another $600 million is for prevention, including funding staff at the B.C. Wildfire Service year-round. Another $1 billion is set aside in new funding for CleanBC, the province’s climate action plan. That includes funding to remove the PST on used zero-emission vehicles and rebates for ZEV chargers and vehicles. The finance minister also outlined a number of supports to “prevent” homelessness. Those currently housed in hotels are being promised rent subsidies to move into more permanent housing, and money is being pledged to help youth aging out of care avoid being out on the streets. The province claims more than 32,000 homes are underway as part of its 2018 promise to build 114,000 new affordable rental homes. Of those, 6,300 are complete,

with another 4,500 expected to be built by the end of the fiscal year. For the first time since 2002, sexual assault centres will be provided operational funding. Another $25 million is set aside to help the tourism industry with pandemic-related impacts.The province has also pledged to set up a secretariat that will ensure government policies are in line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. A record $27.4 billion is allocated over the next three years for capital projects including expanding the SkyTrain from Surrey to Langley. The third quarterly forecast shows ICBC is expected to bring in $1.9 billion in revenue for the 2021-22 year. That’s a $1.2 billion increase from the initial projection. Just years ago, the auto insurer’s finances were described as a “dumpster fire” and taxpayers footed a $1 billion bailout. Property transfer taxes from home sales are also four times more than what was expected at the beginning of the year. Government is raking in $3.25 billion from above-average sale volume that is up more than 30 per cent Source: bc.ctvnews.ca.

B.C. residents - particularly those ages 70 and older - will soon have far greater access to at-home rapid tests for COVID-19 than they had earlier on in the pandemic. The provincial government announced Wednesday that it will soon begin providing rapid antigen tests to pharmacies for free distribution to B.C. seniors living in the community. Roughly 865,000 tests have been provided to pharmacy distributors, and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry

and Health Minister Adrian Dix’s presentation during a news conference Wednesday afternoon indicated that they could begin appearing in pharmacies around B.C. by Friday. Henry stressed that rapid tests are “a red light,” not a green light. People should only test themselves for COVID-19 if they have symptoms, and should not consider a negative result a licence to ignore pandemic guidelines, the provincial health officer said. The tests will be available free of charge for B.C. residents, though initially only those ages 70 and older will be able to pick up a pack of five tests.The province plans to expand availability to younger age groups over time, with an estimated 12 million more tests expected to arrive in the province over the next four weeks. Henry said she expected the availability of tests would be expanded to people of all ages over that time period, as long as the tests ar-

rive as scheduled. “We know there will be a lot of people who want them now, and as we get more and more available, they’ll be available to everybody, but we want to make sure it’s easy for those who are most at risk to get them first,” Henry said. She stressed that no one experiencing symptoms right now should be going into a pharmacy to get their tests. Other avenues for getting tested with a PCR test exist for those with symptoms who qualify. “These are for people to have at home to use when they need to make a decision about what to do when they have symptoms in the future,” Henry said. The tests will be packaged for athome use, and residents will need to show their BC Services Card at the pharmacy to get their tests. A list of pharmacies distributing tests will be available on the BC Pharmacy Association’s website, according to the province.

Each person will be limited to one package of five tests every 28 days, to ensure access to the tests for as many B.C. residents as possible. Picking up tests on behalf of another person will be allowed, according to the presentation, but the person picking up the tests must provide the intended recipient’s name and date of birth, and have that person’s BC Services Card on hand. In Langley, Brookswood Pharmacy co-owner Shrief Ahmed said the business placed its order for the government-funded tests this week. “Hopefully, they’re going to be here by the end of the month,” he said. “So, we’ll see what demand is going to be like when those come out.” Ahmed said the pharmacy typically gets multiple calls each day asking about rapid tests, and though demand has waned a little, this past Saturday the store sold 34 boxes in seven hours. Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

The B.C. government announced one death related to COVID-19 on Wednesday, as the number of test-positive patients in hospital continued to decline.The single death represents a significant drop from the province’s rolling weekly average of 8.7 deaths per day. Over the Family Day long weekend, an average of 11 deaths were attributed to COVID-19 per day. The number of hospitaladmitted patients with COVID-19 also decreased to 653, including 108 who are in intensive care. The total includes both patients suffering from severe COVID-19 illness and those who tested positive incidentally af-

ter being admitted to hospital for unrelated reasons. Hospitalizations have dropped by nearly 40 per cent since reaching an all-time high of 1,054 at the end of January, including incidental COVID-19 patients. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said if the situation continues to improve, the government may be in a position to remove more restrictions soon. “We’re continuing to see this steady decline, and these are positive and encouraging trends,” she said at a news conference earlier in the day. “We have committed to reviewing things in the next few weeks with the goal of remov-

ing additional measures as soon as we possibly can.” Several COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed or lifted last week, allowing people to return to crowded nightclubs and dance over the weekend. It’s unclear whether those relaxed measures will have a noticeable impact on transmission.The Ministry of Health reported 799 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, which includes 97 cases from the Northern Health region that are included “due to data corrections for historical cases reported between April 2021 and February 2022.” Daily infection numbers have not been

considered an accurate measure since B.C. stopped testing most people, though officials believe transmission is declining based on test-positivity rates and other metrics. Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

A life-saving service for drug users on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is in desperate need of a new home.The Overdose Prevention Society is losing it’s outdoor location next month, leaving staff worried about where they’ll go next. “Overdose Prevention Society provides a space where (drug users) can come, safely use here,” said manager Trey Helten. “We have 15 picnic tables for people to come and chill out and get off the street.”

Helten said the space also reduces the number of people “passed out” on the sidewalk: “They can come in here and we can keep an eye on them,” he said. OPS moved into the site at 99 West Pender in February 2021. It’s an Impark parking lot owned by Kenstone Properties. Helten said the site is the only safe consumption location in the downtown core where users can smoke their drugs, in addition to other forms of consumption. According to BC Assessment, the land is valued at $25,654,000. On March 31, the lease agreement expires, meaning OPS will have to leave the premises. In an emailed statement to CTV News, Kenstone Properties said OPS was not being forced out of the site. “This was a lease with a negotiated fixed

term that is coming to its natural end date,” the statement said. “This was always meant to be a temporary arrangement during the pandemic. We need to proceed with environmental drilling and testing as part of our listing of the site.” Helten said his team is now “clamouring” to find another location, especially now that capacity limits on bars and nightclubs have been lifted - meaning the site is busier than ever. “We’ll get people from the bars on Friday and Saturday night coming in here to safely use from the club scene,” he said. “It’d be really nice if we could just have a permanent location that the city provided for us where we wouldn’t be in this situation of negotiating lease agreements.” The City of Vancouver said plans are already

in the works to find another site. Mary Clare Zach, the city’s managing director of social policy, said OPS was “too important a service” to lose. “We are trying our hardest and we are hopeful,” Zach said, adding the city is calling for anyone who knows of a suitable site with outdoor space to get in touch. “If they (the public) know of anyone who has property in the downtown eastside that might be vacant, we know there are vacant sites there, to please contact us,” she said. Last year was B.C.’s deadliest in the ongoing drug crisis, with an average of 6.1 people dying each day of an illicit drug overdose. Many died alone at home. Helten said giving people somewhere to go is why sites like OPS are so important. Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

B.C. to begin offering free at-home COVID-19 rapid tests for residents 70 and older

B.C. reports 1 COVID-19 death as hospitalizations continue to decline

Vancouver overdose prevention site losing its outdoor location

Community Office:MLA Raj Chouhan, Raj Chouhan,Edmonds MLA BurnabyBurnaby Edmonds Parliament Buildings 5234 RumbleBC Street Victoria, V8V 1X4 Burnaby, BC V5J 2B6Rajab 25,1443

Febuary 25, 2021

Legislative Office: Raj Chouhan, MLA Burnaby- Edmonds Parliament Buildings Victoria, BC V8V 1X4

m i r a c le ’ s

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Community Office: Raj Chouhan, MLA Burnaby Edmonds 5234 Rumble Street Burnaby, BC V5J 2B6

February 2022

Legislative Office: Raj Chouhan, MLA Burnaby- Edmonds Parliament Buildings Victoria, BC V8V 1X4

February 2022

A Message from Hon. Harry Bains, MLA for Surrey-Newton

Greetings and Congratulations to The Miracle Newspaper

Greetings and Congratulations The Miracle Newspaper I bring my warm greetings The MiracletoNewspaper, BC’s first Muslim bilingual newspaper, along with my congratulations in celebrating 21 years of publication. February 2022

On February 23rd we celebrate the 21st Anniversary of The Miracle. I extend

I bring my warm greetings The Miracle Newspaper, BC’s first Muslim bilingual newspaper, along my warmest greetings to all those who have contributed to the success of Journalism from diverse communities is so important to bring people together and encourage Congratulations The Miracle, and to the readership. with my congratulations inGreetings celebrating and 21 years of publication. to The Miracle Newspaper

participation in our democracy.

Diversity and multiculturalism remain a focus for our Government, and we I bring from my warm BC’s first Muslim bilingual newspaper, along Journalism diversegreetings communitiesThe is soMiracle importantNewspaper, to bring people together and encourage with my celebrating years ofof publication. I send mycongratulations best wishes forinthe continued21success The Miracle Newspaper for many years toappreciate the supportive role that print media plays. As the MLA for participation in our democracy. Surrey-Newton, I can proudly say that The Miracle has given many of my

come. Journalism from diverse communities is so important to bring people together and encourage

constituents access to news in both English and Urdu. The Miracle has

I send my best wishes continued success of The Miracle Newspaper for many years to participation in for ourthe democracy. served the Muslim community for over 2 decades now, and continues to do come. Yours sincerely, I send my best wishes for the continued success of The Miracle Newspaper for many years to important work in connecting communities through news and reporting. come.

Yours sincerely,

On behalf of the constituents of Surrey-Newton and myself, congratulations on your outstanding achievement!

Hon. Raj Chouhan, MLA

Hon. Raj Chouhan, MLA Burnaby-Edmonds Hon.Speaker Raj Chouhan, MLA Burnaby-Edmonds Burnaby-Edmonds Speaker Speaker

Harry Bains, MLA Surrey-Newton

PH- 604-597-8348

105- 7327 137 Avenue Surrey, BC V3W 1A4

Harry.Bains.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021

P O L ITIC S

U.S. files formal objections to Canada’s proposed digital tax WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Trade Representative’s office on Tuesday submitted formal comments to the Canadian government urging Ottawa not to adopt a proposed digital services tax and threatening to examine potential tariff retaliation if it does. In the comments, USTR said that it understands that the Canadian DST proposal would duplicate “most aspects” found discriminatory against U.S. firms in similar taxes adopted by Britain, France, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. “The United States found these DSTs (and others) to be actionable under

Section 301 of the United States Trade Act of 1974 and concluded that these DSTs are discriminatory and burden U.S. commerce. Any tax adopted by Canada would be assessed against the same standard,” USTR said. The trade agency readied Section 301 tariffs on products from these countries, but agreed not to proceed with them as part of a settlement agreement on the implementation of a 136-country tax deal that prohibits new unilateral digital services taxes. Canada is a signatory to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development deal, which reallocates some taxing rights on large, highly profitable firms, including large technology platforms, to market countries. “Instead of pursuing a counterproductive unilateral measure that risks encouraging other countries to follow suit, thus undermining the ongoing negotiations, Canada can focus efforts on engaging constructively in the multilateral OECD negotiations – ensuring that its unilateral measure proposal is unnecessary and that Canadian interests are protected,” USTR said. Source: ctvnews.ca/

Canada supports over 150 new homes for seniors in Vancouver VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 23, 2022 /CNW/ - Everyone in Canada deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that affordable housing is key to Canada’s recovery, including in communities such as Vancouver. Government of Canada logo (CNW Group/ Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) Government of Canada logo (CNW Group/ Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, alongside the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, the Honourable Hedy Fry, Member of Parliament

for Vancouver Centre, Melanie Mark, MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, Garth Frizzell, past president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and William Azaroff, Brightside Community Homes Foundation, announced a federal investment of $44.5 million dollars to redevelop two buildings to create 157 units of housing, primarily intended for low and moderate-income seniors and people with physical disabilities. BC Housing has also provided $2.6 million in pre-development financing towards this project, which has been repaid in full. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is investing $10 million. Located at 1425 and 1451 East 12th Av-

Businesses that used the federal government’s wage subsidy program were less likely to close during the first year of the pandemic, with those in accommodation, food, entertainment and the arts benefiting the most, a new study shows. The study, released Wednesday by Statistics

Canada, found the likelihood of closure for a business that used the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) between March and September 2020 was 6.9 percentage points lower in the following six months, compared to businesses that did not use it. Although businesses generally saw an 8.9 per cent decline in the number of their employees between February 2020 and the average of the last three months of that year, those that used the wage subsidy saw a five percentage point higher cumulative employment growth rate. The federal government introduced the subsidy during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to help cover a portion of employee wages for businesses that saw a certain drop in revenue. Between March and September 2020, 41.6 per cent of all employer businesses, active

enue, the two new Passive Housing certified buildings will be operated by Brightside Community Homes Foundation. The project will be purpose-built to facilitate seniors’ ability to age in place and will accommodate residents’ accessibility needs by designating 20% of the homes for residents with mobility challenges, as well as accessible common areas and amenities designed to facilitate and enhance community interaction. Brightside will also offer part-time supports

and community programming. The project is expected to be complete by spring 2024. This investment by the Government of Canada is made possible by the National Housing Strategy’s (NHS) National Housing Co-investment Fund (NHCF) and through the Green Municipal Fund’s Sustainable Affordable Housing initiative delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Source: newswire.ca

Federal wage subsidy tied to fewer business closures, greater employment growth: StatCan in February 2020, used the subsidy at least once, StatCan says. Businesses in accommodation and food services, arts, entertainment and recreation saw a much higher uptake at 66.7 per cent. The subsidy ended on Oct. 23, 2021 and has been replaced by two new programs. “A key challenge in estimating the relationship between the use of the CEWS program and business closure and growth is that businesses that used the program are different from those that did not,” the report says. “Moreover, businesses that expected to benefit the most were more likely to apply for support.”The report says the results account for pre-pandemic factors such as indebtedness, profitability, liquidity, productivity, size, industry and province, as well as the use of any other support programs.

Based on these factors, the report found businesses with a higher risk of closure and those in the accommodation and food services, arts, entertainment and recreation industries saw the strongest association between the use of the CEWS, survival and employment. Businesses considered highest risk were 12.1 percentage points less likely to close, while the probability for those in accommodation and food, arts, entertainment and recreation was between 18.5 and 19.2 points lower depending on their risk. The wage subsidy had a much smaller impact for businesses with higher productivity and profitability, lower debt and greater liquidity before the pandemic, with the probability of closure only 2.4 points less likely. Source: ctvnews.ca/

NDP asks Liberals to drop appeal of tribunal ruling in EI mat leave case OTTAWA -- The federal New Democrats are asking the country’s employment minister to drop the government’s appeal of a decision that found employment insurance rules discriminatory against new mothers. In his letter to Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, NDP critic Daniel Blaikie says an appeal of the tribunal ruling would only prolong access to justice for new parents

who lose their jobs. Instead of challenging the ruling from a federal tribunal, he is asking Qualtrough to introduce the necessary legislation to amend the social safety net program. In January, the Social Security Tribunal ruled that sections of the Employment Insurance Act violated women’s constitutional rights to equality under the law. It did so in a case brought by six women

who lost their jobs while on, or just after, parental leave and had their EI claims rejected because they hadn’t worked the minimum number of hours needed to qualify for benefits. The tribunal’s ruling noted that it was up to the government to resolve the situation, and Blaikie is offering his party’s support to pass by summer any bill the Liberals introduce.Source: ctvnews.ca/

OTTAWA -- The Canadian military’s limits are set to be tested, experts say, with tradeoffs likely needed to offset the deployment of hundreds of additional troops to reinforce the NATO military alliance’s confrontation with Russia in eastern Europe.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Canada will deploy an additional 460 Canadian troops to help NATO in its standoff with Russia, including an artillery unit, a naval frigate and a surveillance aircraft. The pledge came days after Defence Minister Anita Anand acknowledged concerns about stretching the military too far given its numerous existing commitments at home and abroad, aging equipment and a growing shortage of personnel. Retired lieutenant-general Guy Thibault, who previously served as vice-chief of the defence staff, said he has “no doubt the Canadian Armed Forces is strained” from all its competing demands in Ukraine, Latvia and elsewhere. And while there may be some flexibility, Thibault said the emergence of

the crisis in eastern Europe as Canada’s top international commitment means other missions “may well need to be reassessed as we look at what can be sustained.” The deployment of a second frigate to Europe, where Canada already has one positioned on a more or less permanent basis, will almost certainly put additional pressure on the navy, said defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. That’s because the navy is dealing with a shortage of about 1,000 sailors at the same time as Canada’s 12 Halifax-class frigates are starting to show their advanced age, with part of the fleet in dock for maintenance and upgrades at any given time. “We only have five or six of them at any given time that are really able to deploy in-

Canadian military’s limits to be tested as fears of war with Russia mount ternationally â€¦ so that’s a big chunk of our fleet, especially when we’re still trying to send two frigates each year over to Asia,” Perry said of basing two frigates in Europe. “So the math on just the availability of people and availability of deployable ships starts to get tapped out relatively quick when you have a fleet the size of ours.” The Royal Canadian Navy did not immediately respond to questions on how it planned to sustain the deployment of a second frigate to Europe, including whether there were any plans to scale back its operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Canada currently has only one frigate, HMCS Montreal, deployed abroad. It is currently operating off the coast of Italy with NATO. Source: ctvnews.ca/

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The Miracle journey continues!!! From the pen of the Founding & former Chief- Editor of ‘The Miracle’. Sqn. Ldr. Nusrat Hussain (R)

edia was known as “an intervening agency, means, or instrument” and was first applied to newspapers two centuries ago. Later it developed into the means of communication, as radio, television and magazines. Invention of the internet accelerated the distribution time of information to public. Introduction of Social media has revolutionized news travel time where, any information can instantly be disseminated to an entire world by a soft touch on a cell phone screen. In the year 2001 before the advent of social media, newspaper was considered a powerful medium because instead of cell phone, people had newspapers to read at any time of their own choice. Present day cell phone can be compared with the newspaper of that period, but at that time there wasn’t any newspaper belonging to the Muslim community of British Columbia. There were many successful Muslims in different fields of business as well as some important government and public offices. There were also different religious, welfare and social work organizations serving all Muslims as a community. It was a regular feature to hold grand community events celebrating Eid- parties, national holidays and

many activities of getting together under one roof. In an extremely friendly diverse Canadian society, there were many mediums of mass communications like, newspapers, radio and television owned by other communities living in Vancouver mainland area. It resulted in a perception of a nonexistent Muslim community to mainstream public of British Columbia. In the absence of a Muslim media, any concern of Muslim issue was not conveyed in a desired manner to the mainstream public of Canada. A friend of mine suggested of starting a Muslim newspaper. With a diploma and a degree of Journalism under my belt and my writing passion, I was compelled to take up the project. With limited finances as well as business experience in any field, I took a challenge of launching the first Muslim newspaper of B.C. and first copy of ‘The Miracle’ was published on 23rd February 2001. ‘The Miracle’ soon became a household item benefitting Muslim businesses and political activity. ‘The Miracle’ served promoting different businesses, community events and concerns. Main points of distribution for The Miracle were mosques where the paper was personally distributed by me or could be picked up after Jumah Prayers. The Miracle became an independent strong voice to publish issues

of Muslim concern within the community as well as outside. There was a strong reaction by the right wing Muslim community when religious dogmas and taboos were challenged in The Miracle. It became a common practice by the members belonging to extreme right wing of stealing and throwing in garbage many bundles of the newspaper placed inside the mosques. People having a balanced approach respecting Canadian laws of freedom of speech confronted the extreme ideas. This brought some commotion as well as a platform to discuss different ideas was provided by the Miracle. We published every letter and article without any prejudice. Once, an article written against the Jewish community by an extremist writer was published in The Miracle. There was a huge uproar from many quarters and The Miracle from a small community newspaper came under the spotlight of Canadian National media. The Miracle was taken under investigation by the hate crime unit of Canada. However, The Miracle was honorably acquitted after an investigation of one year. It wouldn’t be fair if it is not mentioned that I, as the chief editor took responsibility of publishing the article and also apologized for hurting feelings of the Jewish community. There was a blessing in disguise to this

more Muslim community members in various fields including religious scholars, political participants in Civic, Provincial and Federal elections, advertisers, prominent community members of past and present, and various media groups, which I was unable to include in 20th Anniversary edition. The Miracle newspaper aims to provide a broad overview of the world through articles and images. Over the years, we have covered around 5400 events from all communities in efforts to keep up with our slogan, “Bringing Harmony to all the Communities”. We are also proud that for those who are not Muslims, our Newspaper serves as a gateway to learn more about Islam as well as the local and international Muslim community. The Miracle cares and respects all community members irrespective of ethnicity and faith. Our journey over the past 21 years has been quite an experience. On Feb 23, 2001, Mr. Hussain launched the first Muslim Newspaper on a biweekly basis and his family’s and his day and night struggle gave a voice to the community. While I joined as Managing Editor in 2002, I was handed over the responsibility to run this show alone from Jan 2007. How successful my entire team and I have been in achieving these tasks? Well, the Miracle’s readers are the best judges. The Miracle became synonymous with events for much of its publication life. We conducted many successful Election Forums on Civic, Provincial, and Federal Elections debates. In the 2013 Provincial Elections, Miracle Media did a vital role to conduct Surrey Candidates’ grand debate with collaboration of Pakistan Canada Association(PCA) in Pakistan House Surrey. In the 2011 and 2015 Federal Elections, Miracle Media did another dynamic role to conduct Surrey MPs Candidates’ grand debate with joint venture of PCA and BC Muslim Print Media in Pakistan House and Afghan Chopan Banquet Hall Surrey. In the 2016 BC Provincial election, the Miracle media covered the candidates’ nomination meetings, election campaigns, press conferences, community forums of many candidates and their profiles. We held three times Qirat and Hamad o

Naat competitions in 2007, 2010 and 2011. Many times awarded for Miracle Youth, Advertisers, Sponsors, and Writers. Miracle Media also conducted twice 5- 6 hours long exciting Musical Competition programs for tributes the legendry Pakistani Singers Mehdi Hassan, “Malika e Taranum” Madam Noor Jahn 2010& 2015 and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in 2011, Mixed Pakistani songs, these programs engaged children, youth, adults, and seniors of all communities. In 2019 Miracle Media was the partner of “ I AM PAKISTAN “ Worldwide Movement for Diamer Basha & Mohmand Dams Fundraising Dinner on March 24, 2019. We also became a Member of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC). The Miracle Media has been part of the Canadian Muslim Media Club (CMMC) and as part of CMMC, has been arranging social and political gatherings both in person and virtually. While we continued publishing our paper in print till Nov 20, 2020, the realities of Covid-19 pandemic, we had to halt the printing for only 3 months . However, we have kept going in our digital format and the readers are still enjoying the newspaper on their screens on the Miracle Website, Facebook , Instagram, Twitter as well as hard copy of Miracle biweekly basis. Miracle is the only one who have a credit to act on business ethics in print paper at its designated date and day, not a single time Alhamdulillah’s in 21 years we missed our paper at due date. Like other businesses, this year has hurt Miracle deeply as our advertisers are struggling but we aim to carry-on with our limited resources and stay with our readers, writers and advertisers during this difficult time. Feel free to comments on this issue about Miracle’s Historical 21 years journey, as your concerns and suggestions are highly appreciated for improving our quality in the future. In the end, I will not be honest if I do not appreciate the efforts of my Miracle’s family Ms. Khadija, Ms. Misbah, and others. Keep up the good work not only for the Miracle but for all the Community. I thank everyone who took the time and sent their messages at Miracle’s 21st Anniversary, including PM Justin Trudeau, BC Premier John Horgan, BC Caucus,

episode which was an increase in dialogue and interaction amongst the Jewish and the Muslim communities. Being the only Muslim newspaper and a bold stance on issues made The Miracle a controversial and a popular newspaper. The Importance of newspaper in the present era is reduced many times. Reading a paperback newspaper is the last source of information or interest for a majority of people. Thanks to my friend and a dedicated Naseer Pirzada that the newspaper is in business till today and celebrating its 21st anniversary today. I wish you all the best Pir Saheb. May Allah Paak accept your great effort of continuing to serve the Muslim community of B.C. Long Live ‘The Miracle’.

Celebrating Miraculous 21st Anniversary

lhamdulillah, it is a superb occasion in the Miracle Media Group Inc.’s history as it has completed 21years -a long journey that began on Feb 23rd, 2001. I want to thank the supporters and great well-wishers of ‘The Miracle’ for providing continuous support through advertisements of their businesses, sharing their thoughts in writing with our readers, especially Mr. Shams Jilani, Mr. Aslam Hayat, Mrs. Shamim Karim, Mrs. Alam Ara, Ms. Asma Shums, Mrs. Nafisa Siddiqi, Ms. Khadija Nadeem, Mr. Zafar Alam, Mr. Asad Syed and many others. The Miracle Media is proud that having the biggest Writers Team of nine writers despite of any local Community Paper in BC. In the past twenty four months, everyone has had life experiences that were never known to them. The Miracle family experienced immense losses during this time as our Senior Editorial board members Br. Azhar Syed, passed away on August 13 followed by the death of our first Chief Urdu editor Br. Mohammad Rafiq on Jan 9, 2021, Maulana Abdul Latif Naumani, on January 28, 2022, and one more die heart Miracle supporter as well as a famous Social community figure, Mr. Liaqat Ali Bajwa on February 6, 2022. All four were pioneers in British Columbia and pillars of our communities. The Miracle family prays to Almighty Allah(SWT) for His mercy upon them and grant them forgiveness, reward them with the best place in paradise, and give patience to the families (Ameen). In this special 21st Anniversary edition we are acknowledging the services of our

Politicians, Consul General of Pakistan, advertisers, Organizations, and wellwishing individuals from the community. May Allah (SWT) accept your prayers for our success and may He help us in serving the community.. Jazaakumu Allahu Khairan. (Ameen)

Mohammad Naseer (Editor-in-Chief) Miracle

Pirzada

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Conflict in Ukraine

Recent Developments

i n t . pol i t i c s

hile the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine transitioned to a stalemate after it first erupted in early 2014, shelling and skirmishes still regularly occur, including an escalation of violence in the spring of 2021. In October 2021, Russia began moving troops and military equipment near the border with Ukraine, reigniting concerns over a potential invasion. Commercial satellite imagery and social media posts from November and December 2021 showed armor, missiles, and other heavy weaponry moving toward Ukraine with no official explanation. By December, more than one hundred thousand troops were in place near the border and U.S. intelligence officials warned that Russia may be planning an invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. In mid-December 2021, the Russian foreign ministry issued a set of demands which included a ban on Ukraine entering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and a reduction of NATO troops and military equipment in eastern Europe in order for its military forces to be withdrawn. The United States and other NATO allies rejected these demands and have warned Russia of retaliation if Ukraine is invaded, including economic sanctions, and other assistance has been deployed to Ukraine, including small arms and other defensive weaponry. In early February, Biden ordered nearly three thousand U.S. troops to bordering NATO countries Poland and Romania. The Biden administration has said the deployment is intended to be temporary and that

U.S. troops will not enter Ukraine. Satellite imagery showed the largest deployment of Russian troops to its border with Belarus since the end of the Cold War. Tensions remain high as negotiations between Russia and the United States and other European powers–including France and Germany– continue without any apparent progress toward a formal agreement.

Background

The crisis in Ukraine began with protests in the capital city of Kyiv in November 2013 against Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to reject a deal for greater economic integration with the European Union. After a violent crackdown by state security forces unintentionally drew an even greater number of protesters and escalated the conflict, President Yanukovych fled the country in February 2014. In March 2014, Russian troops took control of Ukraine’s Crimean region, before formally annexing the peninsula after Crimeans voted to join the Russian Federation in a disputed local referendum. Russian President Vladimir Putin cited the need to protect the rights of Russian citizens and Russian speakers in Crimea and southeast Ukraine. The crisis heightened ethnic divisions, and two months later pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine held a referendum to declare independence from Ukraine. Violence in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatist forces and the Ukrainian military has by conservative estimates killed more than 10,300 people and injured nearly 24,000 since April 2014. Although Moscow has denied its involvement, Ukraine and NATO have reported the buildup of Russian troops and military equipment near Donetsk and Russian crossborder shelling. In July 2014, the situation in Ukraine escalated into an international crisis and put the United States and the European Union (EU) at odds with Russia when a Malaysian Airlines flight was shot down over Ukrainian airspace, killing all 298 onboard. Dutch

air accident investigators concluded in October 2015 that the plane had been downed by a Russian-built surface-to-air missile. In September 2016, investigators said that the missile system was provided by Russia, determining it was moved into eastern Ukraine and then back to Russian territory following the downing of the airplane. Since February 2015, France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine have attempted to broker a cessation in violence through the Minsk Accords. The agreement includes provisions for a cease-fire, withdrawal of heavy weaponry, and full Ukrainian government control throughout the conflict zone. However, efforts to reach a diplomatic settlement and satisfactory resolution have been unsuccessful. In April 2016, NATO announced that the alliance would deploy four battalions to Eastern Europe, rotating troops through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland to deter possible future Russian aggression elsewhere in Europe, particularly in the Baltics. These battalions were joined by two U.S. Army tank brigades, deployed to Poland in September 2017 to further bolster the alliance’s deterrence presence. Ukraine has been the target of a number of cyberattacks since the conflict started in 2014. In December 2015, more than 225,000 people lost power across Ukraine in an attack, and in December 2016 parts of Kyiv experienced another power blackout following a similar attack targeting a Ukrainian utility company. In June 2017, government and business computer systems in Ukraine were hit by the NotPetya cyberattack; the

crippling attack, attributed to Russia, spread to computer systems worldwide and caused billions of dollars in damages. Security assistance to Ukraine increased further during the Donald Trump administration, alongside continued pressure on Russia over its involvement in eastern Ukraine. In January 2018, the United States imposed new sanctions on twenty-one individuals, including a number of Russian officials, and nine companies linked to the conflict. In March 2018, the State Department approved the sale of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, the first sale of lethal weaponry since the conflict began. In October 2018, Ukraine joined the United States and seven other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries in a series of large-scale air exercises in western Ukraine. The exercises came after Russia held its annual military exercises in September 2018, the largest since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Concerns

The conflict in Ukraine risks further deterioration of U.S.-Russia relations and greater escalation if Russia expands its presence in Ukraine or into NATO countries. Russia’s actions have raised wider concerns about its intentions elsewhere in Eastern Europe, and a Russian incursion into a NATO country would solicit a response from the United States as a NATO ally. The conflict has heightened tensions in Russia’s relations with both the United States and Europe, complicating the prospects for cooperation elsewhere including on issues of terrorism, arms control, and a political solution in Syria. Source: cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker

Reckless actions By: Mahir Ali

BARELY a day after the prospect arose of a Russian-US leaders’ summit to thrash out their differences over security arrangements in Europe and the Ukraine situation in particular, Vladimir Putin escalated the mounting tensions by formally recognising the independence of the self-declared ‘people’s republics’ of Donetsk and Luhansk. He immediately followed it up by ordering ‘peacekeeping’ Russian troops into the two regions. That suggests all bets are off, and it’s likely some form of Western sanctions will have been triggered by the time this comment is published. It does not necessarily follow that large-scale hostilities are now inevitable, but the probability of conflict has been enhanced. Perhaps the biggest question is whether it will be contained within the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine or extend farther across the country, and or even beyond. It is a dreadful prospect. The worst-case scenario is the risk of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s warning about Europe becoming embroiled in a maelstrom of violence of a variety not witnessed since 1945 turning into a self-fulfilling prophecy. The concept of never letting a crisis go to waste has worked admirably for Johnson — his potentially illegal indiscretions at Downing Street are out of the headlines amid almost daily outbursts of neo-Churchillian outrage, even as his foreign secretary makes a fool herself on the international stage.

They are playing a screeching second fiddle to Uncle Sam, whose undiplomatic declarations may well have helped to goad Putin towards precipitate action. Russia and the West should stop toying with Ukraine. If Joe Biden had devoted half as much of his meagre energies to his administration’s domestic legislative agenda on a range of key issues — from diminishing voting rights to social security and climate change initiatives — the Democrats might have made some headway. Instead, the US president emerges at least once a day from his stupor to remind the world that Putin is poised to launch a fullfledged invasion at any moment, and that the consequence will be crippling Western sanctions. Even a date was picked: Armageddon was supposed to kick off last Wednesday. And the diplomatic skills of Secretary of State Antony Blinken are not particularly superior to those of his UK counterpart Liz Truss. The constant barrage of dire prognostications made any kind of backing down by Putin less likely, given it would instantly have been trumpeted as a triumph for Western deterrence, and a reminder of the Russian leader’s weak hand. After 23 years at the helm, perceptions of weakness are the last thing Putin is willing to tolerate. After all, it was largely to reverse the trajectory of post-Soviet Russia’s frailty that he effectively seized power at the turn of the century. His predecessor was in no position (or con-

dition) to challenge the expansion of Nato to Russia’s doorstep. Boris Yeltsin was beholden to the US for helping to sustain him in power — and possibly oblivious of the extent to which his champions in the West had helped to destroy Russia’s economy — through self-serving ‘assistance’ and neoliberal ‘advice’ rather than sanctions. Putin wasn’t initially hostile to the West — remember when George W. Bush gazed into his eyes, allegedly glimpsed his soul, and claimed to be satisfied with what he saw? But the Russian leader’s personal predilections as well as the confused and occasionally humiliating Western reaction to him — after his devastating assault on Chechnya was applauded — have led to a kind of new Cold War. That’s partly because the original Cold War concluded with an outburst of western triumphalism — and hardly any sign of the ‘peace dividend’ that was supposed to follow. Instead, the West was desperate for other enemies to defeat. Saddam Hussein offered a target, followed by the war on an abstract noun, ‘terror’, which included elements the West had enthusiastically nurtured not long

before. Once that threat receded, Russia and China have returned to the radar as old/new bêtes noires, offering a fresh lease of life to the indispensable military complex. This is not to endorse the game Putin and Xi Jinping are playing, but merely to point out that the hostility they encounter day in and day out is unlikely to improve their behaviour. Putin’s distortion of Ukraine’s past in his speech on Monday, effectively denying it an identity outside Mother Russia, reflects precisely the kind of ‘Great Russian chauvinism’ Vladimir Lenin warned against 100 years ago from his deathbed. Ukraine, like all former Soviet states, was shaped — including territorially — by its decades-long role in the experiment known as the USSR. It is perfectly understandable why Russia would resent being hemmed in on its western flank — twice violated in the 20th century — by a hostile military alliance. But tinkering with the political geography on its periphery is hardly the answer. Now is the time to intensify, rather than abandon, diplomacy. Source; dawn.com

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Community members Messages at Miracle’s 21st Anniversary As salaam u alaikum,

By Peer Afzal Ahmed Naqasbandi President Bullah Shah Academy, Surrey

We, the board of directors congratulate to Br. Naseer Pirzada and The Miracle media’s team for successfully completing 21 years in media business. We are fortunate to have a bilingual, biweekly newspaper dedicated to the community for last 21 years; we witnessed your commitment and courage to maneuver this newspaper during difficult circumstances. We are very grateful to Br. Naseer for the coverage of our masjid’s events, programs and fundraisers. Your news and coverage was unbiased, your newspaper is one of the sought after newspaper among the people. We wish you all the success and more popularity in the future. May Allah SWT safeguard you and the newspaper and grant great success. Respectfully,

his is great an opportunity for me to write something about Miracle on its 21st Anniversary. I appreciate Miracle’s Media Group of its services. It is a strong Muslim community media voice, and build up good ties with each community. Miracle is the number one Pakistani community biweekly and bilingual newspaper since 21 years for its local political, religious, cultural, fundraising and social events coverage. It credit goes to Editor-in-chief Mr. Naseer Pirzada, who take care of all faiths and give balance coverage in his paper. I pray for his health and best wishes for Miracle’s future. Long live Miracle to serve the community. Ameen By: Molana Saadat Mohammed As salaam u alaikum, Congratulations Br. Naseer Pirzada, much delighted to know that The Miracle biweekly newspaper is successfully completing its 21 years as community newspaper. I know completing the long and testing journey of these many years is not easy, there might be challenging phrases but Allah The Almighty bestowed upon you and you are still in the media business. First of all, I congratulate Br. Naseer for By Tariq Mian . former member of his commitment and his team of dedicated editorial board Miracle Media Vancouver workers for this achievement. ongratulation on 21st anniversary: I also pray that may Allah SWT give Br. Against all the odds, a bi-weekly, a Naseer good health as well as strength and bi-lingual MiracleNews media has passed courage to carry on the great thing he is dothrough infancy, childhood, teen age and ing, and also make this newspaper source of finally it has begun enjoying an adult life- reliable information religiously and worldly. style with excellent professionalism, indeed. Was salaam, The vulnerable media has successfully dealt with all challenges. I am confident It would continue to maintain its reputation as one of the most dependable Print & Electronic media. ....

HAPPY 21 ANNIVERERY

FROM THE DESK OF THE CONSUL GENERAL MESSAGE FOR THE MIRACLE As Miracle Media Group Inc. celebrates its 21st anniversary, I feel privileged to felicitate Mr. Naseer Pirzada and his team for its dedication and commitment to make the Group a success story. Despite limitations of the ethnic media, The Miracle has transformed into vibrant and dynamic medium by providing invaluable information on political, social and cultural issues.It has also been helping in providing entertainment and promoting businesses. The Urdu and English Sections of the Magazine reflecting on the current situation covering local, regional and international news has made it accessible to a broader range of people. Besides being a strong voice of the Pakistani community, projecting Pakistani cultural heritage and issues of importance to the community. It also reflects on regional politics and cultures, making its readers attached to their roots which are in accordance with Canadians values, underscored by multiculturalism. The formation of a Canadian Muslim Media Club (CMMC) and The Miracle being part of it would afford it an opportunity to further enhance its outreach to the mainstream community. On behalf of the Consulate General of Pakistan and on my own behalf, I would like to congratulate the entire team of The Miracle on the occasion of its 21st anniversary. I wish the Miracle Media Group go from strength to strength and continue to play its role in providing information and bridging the communication gap.

Consul General of Pakistan

the same euphoria that I had when I read the articles, so what really drove me was the intention to nurture a beautifully cultural and religious space in the newspaper for younger kids to find a place to look for information. I believe I’ve been pretty successful in my pursuit of that and I still work hard to maintain it. My experience with the Miracle has been very welcoming, the team as well as the community audience are all extremely friendly and cordial. I think it’s truly amazing that a platform such as the Miracle exists for those in our community to share our thoughts and beliefs and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to be part of that.

By Asad Syed, White Rock

By: Haider Khan

I like to congratulate on 21st anniversary of the Miracle, first Bilingual news paper of BC, Miracle is the great example of determination, hard work, and faith on Allah for which Mr. Naseer Pirzada and his team deserve all the credit and praises, best wishes

On behalf of my entire team of Jamia Masjid Aulia Allah and myself congratulate you and your team on this great achievement of completing 21 years Miracle Newspaper publication. Not only that we must acknowledge the dedicated service you have provided to our community. Personally me and my mother had always enjoyed reading your editorials and articles written by Respected Shamus Jilani Sahib and Respected Aslam Hayat Sahib. We all pray for your success in the future May Allah SWT bless you and your team with many more successful years. Please keep up the good work. Jazak Allah Khair Haider Ali Khan

By: Khadija Nadeem

and prayers for him and his team.

By: Janif Mohammed President, Masjid Al Noor

Ever since I was a kid, the Miracle has been a constant and familiar part of my life. I grew up looking through the pages and stopping to read the youth section. Then as I grew older, I decided I wanted to be part of such an important part of our community as well. I began to write for the youth column in 2018, when I was eleven, and tried to create content that I believed others would enjoy. I wanted to give the kids of our community

Janbaz Khan

Miracle’s Review about Ms. Khadija

Khadija is a 10th grade high school student who has been working with the Miracle Media Group for about 5 years now. Growing up as a Muslim teenager in Surrey, Khadija has a keen interest in community development and leadership. Her involvement quickly turned in to something regular and now she’s an active, contributing member to the newspaper. Her position as Youth Columnist and Assistant Editor requires her to oversee the community’s youth’s interest as well as take feedback and input from the whole of the community and report and write about their concerns which is something she’s passionate about. Khadija is an avid reader and finds solace in learning new information but also exploring fictional worlds through reading. Additionally, she’s a writer who submits compositions for magazines and other platforms when she has time, but primarily writes for her own enjoyment. Khadija’s a huge fan of theatre and although her productions had been cut short

due to Covid-19, she’s excited to finally get back in to acting and directing.

By: Nafisa Siddiqui

Miracle Newspaper is celebrating its 21st anniversary. Since its first publication on February 21st, 2001, it has consistently provided high quality coverage of the events occuring within our Muslim community of greater Vancouver and up to date information of Pakistani events. Throughout its 21 years of runtime, Miracle Newspaper has positively connected to other communities and has taken it upon itself to bring our community’s collective voices to the forefront. All of the writers who contribute their words to the paper have thoroughly covered different fields and categories and have effectively made this bilingual newspaper rich with stories from within our community. Though the current pandemic has greatly and tragically affected all of us, Miracle News has valiantly pushed onwards and its continued success is a result of the sheer amount of care and dedicated work that has been put in by Mr. Pirzada and his team. I also want to thank all of the different writers who contribute articles to the newspaper and to the Urdu writers who make the effort to keep the Urdu language alive and well. Miracle Newspaper has an amazing group of contributors and an diverse readership, and I hope to see it continue to flourish. Congratulations to Mr.Pirzada and team miracle news paper you all deserve appreciation and encouragement from all of us. Congratulations and happy anniversary to Miracle Newspaper.

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iracle Media Acknowledges all recently deceased community members, who served day and night for building up Muslim community in this region. The Miracle Media offers its condolences to Br, Azhar Syed, Br, Mohammad Rafiq and Molana Abdul Latif Naumani’s families.

Miracle’s Writers and Advertisers Awards at 21st Anniversary by Zoom

y the grace of Allah(SWT), the Miracle completed twenty one years of journalism on Feb 23, 2022. All the readers along with and my family have been with me in this incredible yet sometimes difficult journey. We are fortunate in that our sincere and faithful loving benefactors have accompanied us every step of the way in this journey. On Feb, 19, a ceremony was held on the occasion at Zoom. It was in honor of those who take their precious time and send their writings to Miracle. In the last two years of Miracle’s editorial board members, we have lost some of our closest friends. On August 13, 2020, Mr. Azhar Syed passed away. He was a pillar of our advisory board. He was very close and stood by us. Then at the beginning of 2021, on January 9, the first editor this world for the journey to the Hereafter. After that on Jan, 28, 2022 Maulana Latif Ahmed Nomani, a member of Miracle’s Advisory board, also passed away. We were still trying to fathom this grief when another friend of ours, Mr. Liaqat Ali Bajwa, a well-known social worker and a renowned personality of cultural circles also left for the Hereafter. Earlier, Mr. Ashraf Waraich Sahib, another benevolent and compassionate person, and one of most loyal Miracle readers, had passed away. It is a natural process to remember your loved ones and well-wishers when there is a special occasion. So we have missed them a lot. May Allah forgive them all and raise their ranks in Paradise. Ameen. The anniversary was an opportunity to pay tribute to those who had passed and also appreciate our companions who are with us on this journey namely, Mr. Shams Jilani, Mr. Aslam Hayat, Ms. Shamim Karim, Ms. Alam Ara, Ms. Nafisa Siddiqui, Ms. Asma Shams, Mr. Zafar Alam, Mr. Asad Syed, Ms. Khadija Naseer and Khadija Nadeem, the representative of our young generation. We sincerely pray for the health and well-being of and other occasional writers. May Allah keep your friendship with us and keep the caravan going. Ameen. The virtual event was moderated by Assistant editor of Miracle, Ms. Misbah Naseer. Arhum Arslan began the event with the Recitation of the Holy Quran. Mr. Nusrat Hussain, Miracle’s Founder shared the history of the Miracle’s humble beginnings and the hurdles in Miracle’s life. This was followed by a Multimedia Presentation on Journey of Miracle by Farwah Arslan. After that

Editor-in-Chief Mohammad Naseer Pirzada reviewed the past year and his dedication to publishing the newspaper as a biweekly paper even during the pandemic. He held a moment silence for making Duaa for deceased members of editorial board and others and made dua Duaa of sabr-e-Jameel (patience) for their family. He said that his work with the Miracle is an Ibadah and that Ibadah is pure if you will do it by heart, with dedication, honesty, respect, punctuality, hardwork, and follow the ethics of the Services. Mr. Pirzada and Misbah then hosted the awards for the writers, asking each award recipient to summarize their views about Miracle within two minutes. In addition to awarding the columnists, community awards were given to Maulana Latif Nomani to his family and Mr. Liaqat Ali Bajwa’s WAS awarded to Mr. Shafqat Ali Bajwa for his contribution to Miracle’s contribution help. Community awards will be given to Mr. Azhar Syed and Mr. Mohammad Rafiq at a future date. After the writers and community awards, few Messages were delivered by political leaders and dignitaries. The First message was from the Prime Minister of Canada Hon. Justin Trudeau and read by Mr. Bilal Cheema. Mr. Cheema also shared his own experiences with Miracle. MP Surrey-Newton Hon. Sukh Dhaliwal also attended the event and expressed his views and Miracle’s support throughout his career in politics. The Message from BC Premier Hon. John Horgan read by MLA Surrey-Newton and Labor Minister Hon. Harry Bains. He acknowledged the newspaper for community services. Misbah Naseer read the Message from Consul General of Pakistan Vancouver Hon. Janbaz Khan. MLA Jagrup Brar also joined the event virtually. After, the Miracle gave special appreciation awards to advertisers who continued to advertise during the pandemic and supported the Miracle for Miracle, the situation was as difficult as any other newspaper. Some newspapers closed and some published after a month or a month and a half instead of two weeks and also reduced the number of pages. One such supportive advertiser who has been with the Miracle through thick and thin is Mr. Massood Joomratty. Mr. Joomratty, an immigration lawyer, offered some wonderful words of support and encouragement to the Miracle team and shared some of his own experiences as the lawyer who incorporated the Miracle Media Group 21 years ago.

The pandemic has hit all business hard. The Miracle has persevered and not reduced its publication. We continue to publish regularly every two weeks with full vigor. Because Miracle is not a business, it does its job as a community service. Our goal is to provide the Muslim community with a platform where they can present their issues, ideas and writing skills and the Muslim business and community can use our pages to promote their business. Praise be to Allah. We have succeeded in this to a great extent. May Allah keep Miracle steadfast and may we continue to be successful in our work, Ameen. He requested everyone for their prayers and cooperation. After Advertisers awards, a Community Roundtable session was held on views about the Miracle. Print, Electronic and Social Media was represented by Mr. Jafar Bhamji(Al-Ameen Post), Mr. Tarik Kiyani(Sohni Derthi of Pakistan), Mr. Intikhab Ahmed (Dil Apna Pakistan), Mr. Naveed Waraich President of PCCA, CMMC and

host of Vancouver with Naveed) Tv Show, and Mr. Shahzad Nazir Khan (Mera Paigham Pakistan) Radio Show. They all congratulated the Miracle for this amazing feat and expressed their solidarity with their fellow media. After Media views, Community Association representatives and community leaders also offered their views about the Miracle’s journey including Mr. Malik Irfan(BC Muslim Association),Mr. Haroon Khan (Pakistan Canada Association), Mr. Haider Khan(Jameh Masjid Aulia Allah), Dr. Babra Rana(PCWS), Mr. Abdul Rauf Khan (Friends of Pakistan). All offered valuable suggestions for Miracle in future and requested the community to support Muslim media too. At the end Misbah and Mr. Pirzada thanked everyone who gave their precious time and to celebrate this important milestone with the Miracle team. Mr. Pirzada made the Duaa for Miracle and all Muslim Ummah. Reported by: M.N.Pirzada

February 17, 2022 M. Naseer Pirzada Editor-in-chief Miracle Media Group Inc. 9160-136A Street, Surrey, BC V3V 7Z8 February 17, 2022 Attention: Mr. Mohammed Naseer Pirzada M. Naseer Pirzada LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS Editor-in-chief Miracle Media Group Inc. Dear Mr. Mohammed Naseer Pirzada, 9160-136A Street, Surrey, BC V3V 7Z8 On behalf of the Dawoodi Bohra Community of Vancouver, I write to say Mubarak and to congratulate you and your team on celebrating 21 years of Miracle Media and wish you Attention: Mr. Mohammed Naseer Pirzada continued success going forward. It is a wonderful achievement and all the very best for your upcoming virtual ceremony. LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS

We hope to have the opportunity to collaborate further in the coming years. When you have Dear Mr. Mohammed Naseer Pirzada, time, we would like to invite you to our Markaz in Surrey for a socially-distanced meeting in which we can update you on some of the many ways that we have been contributing to the local On behalf of the Dawoodi Bohra Community of Vancouver, I write to community in recent months as well as learn more about Miracle Media’s achievements and congratulate you and your team on celebrating 21 years of Miracle initiatives. continued success going forward. It is a wonderful achievement and all upcoming virtual ceremony. In the meantime, please find attached a short newsletter of the 2021 events in which the Vancouver Dawoodi Bohras participated over the course of the year. We hope to have the opportunity to collaborate further in the coming time, we would like to invite you to our Markaz in Surrey for a socially-dist Please do not hesitate to reach out to us should there be any opportunity for the Dawoodi Bohras we can update you on some of the many ways that we have been co in Vancouver to assist you in any way. community in recent months as well as learn more about Miracle Med initiatives. Yours sincerely,

In the meantime, please find attached a short newsletter of the 202 Vancouver Dawoodi Bohras participated over the course of the year. Shk. Huzeifa Aftab Please do not hesitate to reach out to us should there be any opportunity President and Aamil Saheb, in Vancouver to assist you in any way. Anjuman-e-Jamali Vancouver Jamaat email: vancouvermasool@alvazarat.org 1-236-863-5253 Yours sincerely, www.canada.thedawoodibohras.com/vancouver Twitter @bohras_canada Shk. Huzeifa Aftab President and Aamil Saheb,

Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021 m

i r a c le ’ s

jOURNEY

Miracle’s 21st Anniversary Writers and Advertising Ceremony at Zoom

Awards to Miracle Media Awards by Miracle Media

Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021

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Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021

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Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021

women / you t h

What makes people happy? By: Asma new house. Although these things can give point is that you have to feel like you are imyou temporary feelings of happiness, they proving and getting better as a human being Shums,

o what makes people happy? Will more money do it? We have all heard people who have a fortune but ended up committing suicide. Will fame do it? How many celebrities have you heard turning to drugs and going in and out of rehab all the time? How about having the perfect body? Having the perfect job? If you ask people what makes them happy, you will probably get a ton of different answers but there are two fundamental things that will ensure happiness. The first is knowing that they are growing mentally, spiritually, etc. The second is feeling that they are making a difference. Many people will make the mistake of thinking that happiness comes from something external. They think that new sports car will make them happy or that raise or getting a

are short-lived. Think about the time you bought your first home or car. You were probably excited. How did you feel several years later? Probably not as excited since you got used to it right? Many people would be overjoyed if they can make a $100k a year. People who made that income for the first time were thrilled but after doing it for so long, year after year, it just becomes the norm, another paycheck. So the first part of what makes people happy, as mentioned earlier, is growth. When you feel like you are improving your life, that’s when you are happy. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to constantly buy bigger and better things. It’s much deeper than that. You need to feel like you are growing on a personal level. You need to know that the essence of who you are is continually improving in some way. If you want to know how to find happiness, look within. Work on yourself, your goals, and your dreams. Keep looking for ways to make yourself better today than you were last year. This can mean different things to different people but the

as time goes by. The second part of what makes people happy is that sense of contribution. Everyone wants to believe that they were put here to do something great. You don’t have to do something that will change the world though. As long as you know that by you being here, by doing what you are doing, you are helping someone somewhere, it will bring you happiness. For some people, being a parent is happiness because they brought a new life into their world and they are responsible for its happiness. What makes people happy at work? Not a paycheck, as mentioned before, after a while, the excitement goes away. It’s that sense of making a difference. It’s that sense that you are a part of something much larger than yourself. This is what makes people happy in life. Being a part of or creating something that will outlast them. It’s doing something that will make some sort of a difference in other people’s lives. This is why you will often see people who have all the money in the world want to give it away. They realize that

money alone doesn’t bring happiness. Contribution does. These are two ways of how to find happiness. Are these the only answers to what makes people happy? That depends on how you define happiness. You can be happy just to be alive. You can be happy just to be able to see. You will be happier the moment you stop making being happy so hard. It’s a feeling that you create. That being said, personal growth and contribution is two strong

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Youth Charged with a Crime: Most Common Youth Offences in Canada

20 September, 2021 riminal activity by Canadian youth has significantly declined both yearover-year and over the past decade, according to the latest Statistics Canada examination of police-reported crime. According to the report—“Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2020”—58,516 youth (ages 12-17) were accused by police of a Criminal Code offence in 2020, almost 26,000 fewer than the 84,139 reported in 2019. “Between 2010 and 2020, the rate of youth accused of crime fell 63% and the [Youth Crime Severity Index]—which measures both the volume and severity of crime involving youth accused (charged and not charged)—fell 53%,” according to the report. In Ontario, the Youth Crime Severity Index declined by 55% from 2010 to 2020, giving the province a current score of 36.6. This puts Ontario lower than the national score of 42.3, and lower than all provinces except British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The index ranks Ontario as seventh lowest in violent crime severity, but only second lowest in non-violent crime severity. This latter measure suggests that, other than Nova Scotia, Ontario has the lowest rates of non-violent crime in the country.

Youth Crime Decline More Dramatic Than Overall Declin

While youth crime rates have been on a somewhat steady two-decade downward trend, overall (youth and adult) crime rates had registered five consecutive years of annual increases until 2019. This, despite a 2010 Statistics Canada finding that the rate of those accused of a criminal offence peaked at 18 years of age and then noticeably decreased with increasing age. In fact, in 2010 the overall crime rate for those ages 17 and 18 was more than twice that for all ages over 30. Thus, with a steady decline in youth crime rates, one might be tempted to assume that overall rates should decline, as well. However, this wasn’t the case for most of the latter half of this decade. The 2019-2020 crime rate declines were far more dramatic for youth than the overall population. The overall total violent crime rate declined 2%, while the youth rate declined by 24%. The overall property crime rate dropped by 13% for the year, but the youth rate decline was far more substantial at 40%. Other noteworthy declines included: • Robbery—Overall, -18%; Youth, -31% • Breaking and entering—Overall, -16%; Youth, -25% • Theft under $5,000—Overall, -20%; Youth,-44% • Shoplifting under $5,000—Overall, -36%; Youth, -64% • Administration of Justice (failing to comply with legal orders)—Overall, -17%; Youth, -31% • Simple Assault—Overall, -7%; Youth, -27% • Sexual Assault level 1—Overall, -9%; Youth, -13%

the large year-over-year decline in youth crime across Canada, it also lauded the Youth Criminal Justice Act for its apparent role in longer-term reductions in youth crime rates. It should be noted that a key focus of the Act is to divert youth away from the criminal justice system whenever possible. However, this does not affect the statistical reporting, as it is based on youth criminal incidents reported by police, whether the offender was actually charged or, instead, diverted from the formal criminal justice system. The annual report highlights which criminal offences are most prevalent among Canadian youth, assuming that arrest rates are at least somewhat proportional to the rates of actual activity. From a pre-pandemic perspective, simple assault, shoplifting under $5,000, mischief, and administration of justice violations were the four most common youth offences. Rates ranged from 514 per 100,000 for simple assault to 372/100K for administration of justice violations. Subsequent pre-pandemic common youth offences included:

• •

• Report Highlights Most Com- • • mon Youth Offences in Canada • While the report suggests that the impacts of • the COVID-19 pandemic likely influenced •

While the rates for all of these offences dropped in 2020, the order of their prevalence remained the same, with two exceptions: shoplifting under $5,000 dropped below administration of justice violations, while breaking and entering dropped below robbery. Some youth crime rates are similar to the overall rate, though there are some distinct differences depending upon the crime. For example, rates for the different types of assault, all levels of sexual assault, child pornography, arson, weapons, and firearms violations are fairly similar for youth and overall. Likewise, with uttering threats and, at least pre-pandemic, shoplifting under $5,000. Overall crime rates tend to be distinctly higher than those of youth crime rates for the majority of listed crimes. Notable exceptions include: • Sexual violations against children • Robbery Non-consensual distribution of intimate images • Overall crime rates that significantly exceed youth crime rates include: • Breaking and entering • Motor vehicle theft • Theft over $5,000 • Theft of $5,000 or under • Total drug offences • Fraud • Identity theft • Mischief Uttering threats—209/100K • Disturbing the peace Assault with a weapon or causing bod- • Impaired driving ily harm—181/100K • Administration of justice violations Theft of under $5,000—163/100K • Criminal harassment Breaking and entering—134/100K • Indecent or harassing communicaRobbery—125/100K tions Sexual assault—95/100K Source: masstsang.com Disturbing the peace—91/100K Total drug offences—91/100K

Integration in Canada: A systematic review of the youth experience Highlights

• Immigrant youth are integrating successfully into Canada. • Immigrant youth face systematic and interpersonal discrimination. • More focus is needed on immigrants’ cultural and social contributions. • Current research and policy often promote assimilation. • Inclusion and multiculturalism are required for integration. Abstract

lthough there is substantial research examining adult perspectives of immigration and integration, there is notably less data on youth attitudes and experiences. When youth are surveyed, a preliminary review of the existing literature reveals that non-immigrant voices are very rarely included. This systematic literature review (a) identifies the major themes and summarizes the findings of existing research; (b) determines gaps in the existing literature and; (c) proposes recommenda-

tions for future integration research, policy, and interventions. Ultimately, this paper finds that integration policy and research in Canada tends to focus on the changes required by immigrant youth but rarely discuss the cultural adaptation and inclusion required by settled Canadians. A paradigm shift in research, settlement practice, and policy is necessary to better reflect the bi-directional cultural exchange and the mutual responsibilities of integration. Source: sciencedirect.com

Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021

h e a l t h

Ways To Wake Up Early Even If You’re A Night Owl

By:John H. Ostdick t’s difficult to be a night owl in a world that caters to and honors early risers. The school day begins at 8:00 a.m. 9-5ers all get up about the same hour. Even if you work in cemeteries or have a flexible schedule, most businesses and banks close in the afternoon. With the exception of 24-hour convenience stores, petrol stations, and night school, it appears as the whole world operates on an early-bird schedule. Is there any hope for us night owls who consider waking up at 12 a.m. a major miracle? Is there anything other than the old adage of “early to bed, early to rise” that works for waking up early?

Get up and shine!

What It Really Means to Be a Morning Person?

Oriented around an early “productive” start to the day, morning people are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (although they, like everyone else, aren’t immune to wake-up grogginess, aka sleep inertia), ready to go from just about the jump, even when the sun isn’t fully up yet. Society’s daily clock averages 24 hours. But if you are an early chronotype, your clock is shorter than 24 hours and skews toward an earlier sleep and wake time.

Being a Morning Person:

The Chronobiology For simplicity, we often group chronotypes (i.e., natural tendencies for sleeping and waking) into early birds and night owls. But the reality is that science measures chronotypes on a continuous scale, with 351 genetic variations associated with being a morning person alone.Your chronotype is specific to your genetics, age, and relative light exposure. The Center for Environmental Therapeutics provides a survey for helping you find your chronotype.

Three factors determine when you go to bed and wake up:

Your circadian rhythm (the body’s internal clock) interacts with sleep homeostasis (the process in which sleep pressure builds up during wakefulness) to regulate your sleepwake cycle. To learn more about this twosystem interaction, check out the Two Laws of Sleep in our Sleep Guide. Light exposure is the most significant factor that starts and stops your circadian clock. Melatonin is a sleep hormone naturally produced in your body that predictably follows exposure to light (which is why light matters so much). That said, melatonin can also

Pink Shirt Day in Aotearoa

ink Shirt Day aims to reduce bullying in Aotearoa by celebrating diversity in all its forms and supporting workplaces, communities and schools to be safe, supportive, welcoming and inclusive of all people. While all people can be the target of bullying, some groups or individuals experience more bullying than others. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and other sexuality and gender diverse identities (LGBTQIA+) people experience higher levels of bullying. Pink Shirt Day started

BC Liberal statement

VICTORIA (February 23, 2022) − Kevin Falcon released the following statement for Pink Shirt Day:“Fifteen years ago, a single act of kindness created a global movement against bullying. Today, our BC Liberal team is proud to continue the tradition of wearing pink shirts and standing with British Columbians to bring awareness to inclusive anti-bullying efforts. “One in five children experience bullying.

be used as a supplement to help influence your circadian rhythm. There are 13 proven methods for getting up early that actually work. 1. Ask Yourself Why You Want To Wake Up Early In The First Place Let’s be honest for a moment. You won’t be able to persuade yourself to get up early just because. It’s not as simple as turning off the lights and retiring to bed early to learn how to get up early. It’s also vital to consider the psychology underlying it. Ask yourself this question before you go to bed tonight: “What would I get if I woke up early?” Make sure you actually want anything you say since you’ll use it to persuade yourself to get out of bed when your alarm goes off. 2. Apply Early To Bed Early to Rise In Increments Train your body to look forward to sleeping. Yes, by sleeping and waking up at the same time every day, you can achieve this. If you’re a nite owl, tho, sleeping in at 8 a.m. every day won’t help. It’s also impossible to wake up at 6 p.m. and then attempt furiously to fall asleep by 12 a.m. Instead of sleeping at the same time every day, such as 8 a.m., sleep 15 minutes earlier and wake up 15 minutes earlier. Unlike other methods for waking up early, this one is particularly sustainable because it just requires a slight adjustment. You won’t notice the 15-minute time change! The next day, you can move your sleep back 15 minutes, resulting in a 30 minute earlier wake-up time. If you keep doing this, you’ll become a pro. 3. Manipulate The Environment To Your Advantage Block all sources of light, including the small red light that indicates your television is switched off. Put your electronics away and turn off the television at least one hour before bedtime, as the blue light from these screens interferes with the production of melatonin, the hormone that governs your sleep cycle. Use an actual book and a night light if you wish to read. Maintain a pleasant temperature in your bedroom. If you live in a busy area, consider insulating your room or downloading a calming sound app to block out the noise. 4. No Napping After 7 Hours Of Waking Up If you’re tired, take a nap as soon as possible—no later than 7 hours after you wake up. After that 7-hour period, napping will

throw off your sleep rhythm, causing you to sleep late and wake up late. 5. Go Camping For A Week Researchers discovered that if you spend a week without artificial light, you can synchronize your body’s sleep rhythm with the dawn and sunset. Try going camping for a week and leaving all of your electronics at home, or at the very least not using them after sundown. There are no torches allowed, either, because whether you’re drowsy or not, the lights must be turned off! You can be an early riser after 7 days. 6. Read Fiction Instead of Reading Self-Help Books, News Or Emailing An email will remind you of work, the news will worry you out, and self-help books will energize and stimulate your mind, but none of these will help you sleep. Instead, read fiction, especially short pieces that don’t pique your interest or books that you’ve already read. 7. Create A Wind Down Routine Your body’s sleep trigger is what you do before night, so keep these activities calm and stick to them like a pattern. For example, before bedtime, you could take a cold shower and then read for 15 minutes. If you adhere to this schedule for long enough, your body will learn that these activities signal the end of the day and that it’s time to unwind. It’s also crucial to complete these tasks in the same order and at around the same time each day. 8. Eat A Heavy Lunch Dr. Kenny Pang, an ENT who specializes in sleep disorders, recommends eating a large lunch, a little lighter breakfast, and dinner. 9. Invest In Smart Lights Or Automatic Curtain Opener When you wake up to a bright, sunny room, you will feel less groggy and more attentive. Purchase an automated curtain opener and set it to open the drapes at least 30 minutes before you intend to wake up. If your bedroom does not have a window or if your window’s view is obscured, you can also utilize a smart light, such as. 10. Trick Your Brain To Get Up When your alarm goes off, what is your first reaction? Isn’t it true that you can just hit snooze and go back to sleep? You can use the snooze button for this advice, but instead of going back to sleep, get up—but only for 10 minutes or however long the snooze is set. An inverted snooze is what it’s called. Rather than forcing yourself to get up straight

away, barter with yourself and tell yourself, “Stick it out.” It’ll only take ten minutes.” It’s up to you what you do with those ten minutes, but you can’t go back to bed—or sleep on the sofa. You can open the windows, make a cup of coffee, or watch TV. When your alarm clock goes off again, you’ll be fully awake and unlikely to use the snooze button. 11. Use Your Pet As An Alarm Clock Animals make excellent alarm clocks, especially if their feeding time is scheduled early in the morning. They’ll pound on your door and climb in your bed to wake you up until you give them food since they’re consistent, noisy, and persistent. Of course, if you love your pets, you’ll find this adorable, but some of you may find it irritating at first, especially if you’re not used to waking up to such a commotion. 12. Don’t Allow Your Brain To Deceive You If you’re a night owl, your brain will most likely reject any attempts to wake up early by convincing you that sleeping in is preferable. Don’t surrender! You’ll never be an early bird if you let your brain rationalize with you. 13. Resist The “5 More Minutes” Urge You wake up 5 minutes before your alarm, by some cruel twist of fate. So, what exactly do you do? Isn’t it true that you should sleep for the remaining 5 minutes? Wrong. Returning to bed may not be worth the extra 5 minutes because it may put you in a deeper sleep cycle, making it more difficult to wake up when your alarm goes off. That’s why when individuals click snooze and go back asleep for another 5-15 minutes, they think the time has flown by. Are you a night owl trying to make it in a world of early risers? Take a look at these suggestions and see how they work for you. Don’t give up if you’ve tried everything, including everything on this list and heaps of advice from a sleep professional. Nobody said being an early bird necessitated getting up at 5 a.m. Source:...

History of Pink Shirt Day

Pink Shirt Day began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying after a new Year 10 student was harassed and threatened for wearing pink. These students bought dozens of pink shirts and distributed them to their classmates to wear the next day. The word got out online and hundreds of students showed up in pink, some from head-to-toe, to stand to-

gether against bullying. It has been celebrated in fakaleiti (Tongan). New Zealand since 2009. Why reduce bullying? PSD Suzy and kids Bullying can have serious and ongoing impacts on people’s mental health and wellbeing. Many studWhat do we mean by LGBTQIA+? LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, ies that show that people who are bullied are more transgender, queer, intersex, asexual or other likely to experience mental health issues, such as sexuality and gender diverse identities. It’s impor- depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts. As tant to note the ‘+’ in this acronym acknowledges with any health condition, mental health problems anyone that does not identify with these terms can affect a person’s work and cause substantial (Te Kete Ipurangi, 2018). We understand the lan- costs to organisations (BusinessNZ, 2013). For guage and definitions are constantly evolving. workplaces, it’s their legal responsibility under There are many different cultural understandings the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 to manand terms for sexuality and gender diversity such age risks to mental health and wellbeing just like as takatāpui, whakawāhine, and tangata ira tāne they do any other health and safety risk (Māori), hijra (Bengali), fa’afafine (Samoan), and (Wellplace.nz).Source: pinkshirtday.org.nz

Whether it occurs in schools, workplaces, homes, or online, many people face the physical, emotional, and mental impacts of bullying, harassment, and intolerance. “We all have a role to play in ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for British Columbians. The past two years during the pandemic have come with additional challenges for us all, but especially for children and youth. “It is now more important than ever to provide students with the supports and resources they

need to feel safe and thrive. Through education and practicing kindness in our daily lives, we can strive for a world without bullying. “This year’s theme is ‘Lift Each Other Up’ and as we consider the mental and emotional recovery that will be required for so many in a postpandemic world, it is going to take a collective effort to support our friends, neighbours, and loved ones.“With our province’s diversity, we support all British Columbians in embracing their cultures, identities, and true selves. To-

because people wanted to stop homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, and this remains a strong focus of Pink Shirt Day in Aotearoa.

Origins of Pink Shirt Day

gether, we can continue to teach, share, and celebrate our collective diversity for the betterment of all communities. “On Pink Shirt Day, and every day, our BC Liberal team remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that everyone who calls this province home can live, work, learn, and play without fear of bullying and intimidation.” By: Andrew Reeve

Media Relations Lead & Communications Manager

Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021

L O CA L

Vancouver Bohras Inspire Young Women to Study Science

he Dawoodi Bohra Community of Vancouver hosted a virtual conference on Saturday 12 February to mark the United Nations’ International Day of Women and Girls in Science and to raise awareness among young women and girls about the incredible career opportunities in STEM subjects. Zainab Mantri B. Eng, an Implementation Specialist, is passionate about the environment and helps organizations manage their data so they can transition from paper to paperless. She spoke of being the behind-thescenes engineer who makes an impact in her daily activities. Dr. Larissa Vingilis-Jaremko is the President of the Canadian Association for Girls in Science, an organization for girls interested in Science, Trades, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). She demonstrated how Science can be fun and led an ice cream making class for the girls. Uzma Ali B.Eng. MSc, a Business Intelligence Architect Lead and passionate data

scientist, spoke about different computer languages and how big data can be used to track global warming. Dr. Vingilis-Jaremko of CAGIS offered a free CAGIS Virtual session to each participant of the event. She commented, “It is wonderful that the Dawoodi Bohras of Vancouver are celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science by providing inspiring role models in STEM fields.” On being asked by our Miracle Media reporter, about the steps taken to overcome the barriers and stereotypes in a predominantly male field, Uzma spoke about standing your ground and being confident in your skills. Zainab talked about focusing on bettering your performance and the results will provide the courage to face any such challenges. Larissa added that it helps to have awareness of existing stereotypes and spreading the message to educate people on it. The Dawoodi Bohras of Vancouver are grateful to their speakers for their inspiring contributions.

Islamophobia is rising in all parts of the world where the Muslims are in Minority.

here are worldwide hate spread against Islam and the Muslims after 9/11.It is not in Europe or America but in South Asia Burma, Sri Lanka and India are also targeting Muslims and on daily basis we see incidents occurring on different parts of the world. The questions is how we tackle this situation. I will say awareness to Muslims and NonMuslims both. Muslims to understand that what is Islamophobia and what should they do if they targeted and also spread true and clear image of Islam practically, involve themselves to different volunteer works supporting different communities not only Muslim. It will highlight the many everyday positive roles of Muslims in the society. We should use word Islamophobia whenever there is hate crime or speech against Islam and Muslims. To make this term uniform as the term “anti-Semitism” is used in English. We should discuss to non-Muslim friends about the Islamophobia to bring them on board and do not hesitate to ask

their support. Distribute Islamic books to non-Muslims so they have understanding of Islam. True and clear picture of Islam and its rules are the best answer for all those who have negative thought about Islam. We can do it by keeping simple and good English books about Islam in Library. On different occasions we should talk about the values of the Islam and discuss examples of the holy prophet. Interfaith projects can work well to spread awareness and bring all on the same page. Encourage people to talk against Islmophobia to spread positive message in the society. We should all make efforts to ensure that all Councillors, MLAs and MPs have better knowledge of Islamophobia. Presentation of common and targeted topic of Islam could be highlighted when they come in Muslim gathering. Bring it up to the Govt. agencies and make them clear that for a just and peaceful society Islamophobia should be controlled by law.

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VICTORIA (February 17, 2022) – s Canada’s most secretive government — John Horgan’s NDP — exempting its failing InBC program from Freedom of Information (FOI) scrutiny because they are considering selling the personal health data of B.C. cancer patients for investment purposes? The Official Opposition has obtained documents that hint at what activities the new Crown Corporation might get up to, and they reveal the following: “A couple of our participants highlighted data assets as a unique opportunity. They told us that the BC government has access to incredible data sets, including in the forestry and mining sectors, as well as via the BC Cancer Society. If there was a permissible way to allow that data to be accessed and monetized, they believe this could be a huge draw to getting companies to come to BC and that this is a particular competitive advantage for the province.” “The Minister Responsible, Ravi

Kahlon, must explain why he is considering selling personal health data from the BC Cancer Society for investment purposes — and tell British Columbians what other kinds of their data he might do the same with,” says Todd Stone, Opposition Critic for Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. “This is a $500 million high-risk taxpayerfunded venture capital scheme that the NDP has chosen to exempt from FOI, on top of passing harmful legislation that expands the data-linking powers of government and reduces oversight. British Columbians deserve to know what this government is doing with their data, and the NDP must come clean to them today.” More than a year since this scheme was announced, InBC still hasn’t hired a Chief Investment Officer; hasn’t published its investment criteria, hasn’t published a business plan; and hasn’t pushed a single dollar out the door for economic recovery.

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Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021

By: Yunan Saad

Leading Atheists in Muslim History

ost people probably do not know that Arab and Islamic history has its fair share of atheists and skeptics of Abrahamic religions. The official narrative was only concerned with documenting the history of Islamic civilization as a history of faith, while ignoring the skeptics at times, or defaming them at others. Consequently, the majority of their writings were either burned or disappeared. In his book The History of Atheism in Islam, author Abdel Rahman Badawi has attempted to gather the stories and thoughts of atheists in Islamic history from different sources. Concerned neither with defending nor attacking these thinkers, the book attempts instead to document their existence as agents within this rich civilization. These were people who both affected and were affected by this civilization, having formed a movement within it that influenced even those who defended religion. These thinkers pushed clerics and public speakers to develop their discursive tools in order to suit modern science and philosophies, and be up to date with the spirit of the age. This was ultimately beneficial to these religious figures, and enriched the civilization. The atheism to which Abdel Rahman Badawi refers is different from the prevalent definition of atheism: i.e. denying the existence of a deity. He distinguishes between the atheist movement as it exists in this part of the world from that which developed in the West, wherein Western atheist thinkers sought to undermine the central tenet upon which religiosity is built, which is the existence of a god. Conversely, Badawi postulates that Arab atheists sought to question and discredit the idea of prophethood, on the basis that religiosity in the East is primarily built on this principle. So what was it that drove these thinkers to critique religions in general, to the point that they would not submit to a single one of the beliefs prevalent in this part of the world? And what were their objections to them? These are the most vital beliefs that they held, with no attempt to place judgment on their validity or lack thereof. Perhaps the most renowned of these thinkers was Ibn al-Rawandi, who questioned prophethood, rejected the Abrahamic religions, and sharply criticized the Quran and the Sunnah. He is considered the most famous atheist in Islamic history, specifically because his ideas reached us through books in which the authors sought to refute these very ideas. We have dedicated an entire article to al-Rawandi here on Raseef22.

Ibn al-Muqaffa’

h i s t ory

bn al-Muqaffa’ was not an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of god or the resurrection, and nearly everything that was attributed to him in this regard can be found in a single chapter of the renowned collection of tales Kalila wa Dimnah, which he translated himself from Farsi to Arabic. Much of the speculation around this particular chapter, known as “Borzuya, as translated by Ibn Khalkan,” contends that Ibn al-Muqaffa’ wrote this chapter himself and attributed it as part of the book in order to clandestinely put forth his skeptical thoughts towards religions. It is said that the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mahdi (158 - 169 AH) claimed that there is no disbelief that cannot be traced to this chapter that was written by Ibn al-Muqaffa’. It is this same chapter that led to the accusation of Ibn al-Muqaffa of infidelity (or political intrigue), and then to the amputation of his limbs and the burning of his body parts in front of his eyes until he died. In a segment of this chapter, Ibn al-Muqaffa’ tells the tale of Persian physician Borzuya’s journey with religions, wherein he begins with doubting the religion he has inherited from his parents, and so tries to find

a replacement. He reaches the point of condemning all religious people who are born with their parents’ religion, without considering the veracity of their beliefs or its lack thereof. Above all, he condemned inter-religious disputes with each party claiming the truth of their beliefs. He insisted that there is no inherent reason to submit to one religion over another, concluding that it is sufficient to treat people well and withhold from harming anyone.

Abu Bakr Muhammad Bin Zakaria al-Razi

here is perhaps more room here to discuss al-Razi’s philosophy rather than reciting his achievements in medicine and physics. Among the most important of his philosophical works are On Divine Science and The Miracles of the Prophets. However, most of what we know about him came through the books of those who responded to his claims. Al-Razi did not believe in prophethood, and took it upon himself to prove the contradictions within holy books, beginning with the Torah, and moving on to the Bible and then the Quran. He soon moved on to dealing blows to the remaining oriental religions, such as Zoroastrianism and Manicheanism. Al-Razi believed that the role of prophethood and the prophets is confined to the value of the mind, contending that as long as God had granted people minds and distinguished them from the rest of creation by providing them with the ability to discover good and evil, people did not need prophets to teach them laws and morals. Al-Razi believed that the human mind was capable of comprehending the existence of God through creation, and as such there is no need to send a prophet to teach people the way to God. He attempted presented counter-arguments to his own claims, for instance, in light of God’s wisdom and justice, which religious people believe in, it is imperative to provide his creation with equal capacity to discover good and evil. This same argument states that if God were to distinguish between people in this regard, this would create discord between them, which is what we witness between those of different religions and sects, with dispute, conflict, and bloodshed. In al-Razi’s opinion, the cause of this is not a lack of understanding among religious people, but rather a problem within the idea of prophethood itself. In his opinion, prophets preach laws and ideas that are not open for discussion on the basis that they are divine in nature, and as such are sanctified. He considered that

much of the messages relayed by prophets contradict human nature, and the ideal of peace between humanity. The idea that each religion claims to the only one who has the truth, naturally led to discord and sparring between sides attempting to monopolize the concept of truth. He also argued that religious people see people within a hierarchy, where some are more favored than others. Within this hierarchy, prophets are the most noble and are entitled to their place above all others. However, in al-Razi’s eyes, this did not evince prophethood, as he viewed people as equal in their capacity for knowledge, with the only thing distinguishing them being their diligence in seeking knowledge, as well as their personal capacity in utilizing their minds. Al-Razi also explored the differences between the prophets themselves in terms of the beliefs they hold, whereby some deify Christ, while others believe him to be human, and others, such as jews, see him as an infidel. As such, al-Razi questions how God could send prophets with such contradictory messages. Finally, al-Razi did not see any justification in the attempt to explain people’s beliefs through prophecy to validate them. People submit to their inherited beliefs and do not bother to examine them. They submit to those beliefs out of habit, until these beliefs become instinctual and second-nature to people with the passing of generations. People fear the assault of religious figures and their authority, or are deceived by the attractive appearance of preachers. For Al-Razi the large numbers of believers does not validate the belief. Among al-Razi’s objections to the holy books was his opposition to the passages in the Torah in which God commands the Jews to kill and legitimates the bloodshed of other peoples. He also expresses objection to drawing comparisons between the divine figure of God with a person who enjoys the smell of grilled meats and sacrifices, or the comparison to an old man with greying hair, stating that this contradicts the Prophet Moses’ affirmations that God is older than time, was not created, and can neither be benefited nor harmed. Al-Razi further objects to Christ’s statement: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them,” [Matthew 5:17] in which he refers to Moses’ Torah. Al-Razi observes that Jesus Christ then goes on to negate most of the laws that came in the Torah, from the sanctification of the Sabbath, to the act of vengeance, and so on. Through this, he attempts to prove the contradictions of the Bible, and does not stop

there, but also attacks the Doctrine of Trinity and Unity in Christianity, considering them to be incoherent and contradictory. He then criticizes Islam, for what he perceives to be the personification of the divine figure in verses such as “The Most Merciful sat on His Throne,” and “eight angels will, that day, bear the Throne of your Lord above them.” He also denied the linguistic inimitability of the Quran, responding to these claims by questioning whether anybody could find works comparable to those of Galen and Ptolemy. In doing so, he attempted to draw forth the idea that a person’s linguistic style is like a fingerprint, and differs according to the speaker or writer. Abdel Rahman Badawi believes that al-Razi disregarded the claims of the Mu’tazila school of theology who argued that these verses had esoteric interpretations different from their apparent meanings, thereby denying the idea of personification or comparison. Al-Razi believed these to be merely attempts to rectify the status of these verses. He also critiqued the abundance of stories about the Prophet Muhammad in the Hadiths, hypothesizing that if a single person in the long chain of the Prophet’s storytellers were to make one slip of the tongue, the entire story would in turn fall apart. As such, he believes that this led to a large degree of contradiction in the stories about the prophet, exempting himself from taking the Hadiths at face value.

Abu Alaa al-Ma’arri

escribed as the poet of the mind in the history of Arab literature, he was known for upholding the value of the mind over customs and traditions, and his faith in people’s ability to distinguish between good and evil, without the need for religion. He wrote: But some hope a divine leader with prophetic voice Will rise amid the gazing silent ranks. An idle thought! There’s none to lead but reason, To point the morning and the evening ways. He went as far as to deny the holy books of the Abrahamic religions: Religion and disbelief; news enlightens Amid testaments of the Torah and the Bible, Each generation condemned by untruths, Will guidance one day find a generation? He appears to have wavered between doubt and faith in numerous stages. Yet, he never doubted the existence of God, and always spoke of his blessings and characteristics. Taha Hussein wrote in his book ,“together with Abi El Alaa in his Prison” that al-Ma’arri believed in God’s existence and spoke of him in the manner of an observant, ascetic, and truthful believer.

Jaber bin Hayyan

aber bin Hayyan was a great chemist. Abdel Rahman Badawi mentions that Orientalist historian Paul Kraus recognized bin Hayyan’s great contributions to the study of chemistry in Greece, having formulated a scientific methodology comparable to those developed by modern scientists in Europe. Based on his achievements in this field, he arrived at the belief that chemistry is capable of creating lifelike creatures, almost as a forbearer of modern attempts at artificial intelligence. His belief caused him to be perceived as a non-believer and an atheist.

The Ribald (Mujaan) Poets

his group of poets came to be known as the Ribald, or Mujaan Poets. The most notorious of whom was Abu Nawas. They lived under the second caliphate of the Abbasid Empire, and do not seem to espouse a clear ideology toward religion. The majority of the literature on them suggested a disdain for religious commandments among these poets, and that they attached human happiness to material things, rather than spirituality and divine concepts. Source: raseef22.net/

Rajab 25,1443 Febuary 25, 2021

P A K I S TA N / spor t s

By: Fahd Husain

aux confidence before the vote of confidence is not a rarity. But this time it’s hard to tell which side is exuding more of it. Prime Minister Imran Khan couldn’t care less. Or so he would like us to believe. He’s jetted off to Moscow — and into the eye of a geo-political storm — without having too many worries about the impending attack from the opposition. There are his chief ministers and assorted ministers to hold the fort while he’s out there meeting Vladimir Putin. Troubles in Moscow and troubles in Islamabad can be dealt with simultaneously. Or so he would like us to believe. His cabinet colleagues are putting up a brave face. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry is content mocking his opponents though he knows well that mocking is hardly a plan of action. Many other ministers in the cabinet are also displaying classic symptoms of faux confidence while having hilarious meltdowns against journalists. Cold sweat is shimmering across their creased brows. They know that numbers don’t lie. Till they do. The figure of 178 that the PTI boasted on recent occasions can suddenly shear itself down below the

precipice of 172. Danger lurks in Punjab where the chief minister has now been tasked with addressing the grievances of all those parliamentarians who could disturb these numbers. Not many are holding their breath for the CM’s success. Those among the aggrieved treasury members are less concerned about today and more about the future. They need to know where to invest their political capital in order to get healthy electoral dividends. The beleaguered PTI government can give them funds, but can it give them electoral success? Unless, of course, they know that the ruling party can somehow heal its self-inflicted wounds and stitch them up with guarantees that may hold. There is something afoot here. PM Khan may yet have a card or two up his sleeve. The fence-sitters among his parliamentarians and allies are watching closely. Very closely. They need to sense which way the wind is blowing. A nod, a wink, a whisper — anything that might show which side of the fence has greener grass. Which is why the opposition leaders too are slapping it on so thick. The hustle and bustle in Lahore is heavy on optics and symbolism. A meeting here, a dinner there — Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman are ramping up the hype that they’ve got the numbers. Or are real close to getting them. But they also know, if Red Zone insiders are to be believed, that dribbling your way into the ‘D’ doesn’t guarantee a goal. Especially if it’s a moving goalpost. With so many parallel plots unfolding in this thrilling mini-series, it is often times hard to grasp the subtleties of the script. This is why quasi-confusion continues to mar the situation at hand. Part of this confusion is

RED ZONE FILES: Numbers never lie?

deliberate (keep them guessing and play a deceptive hand, says the logic) and part is a by-product of the organic ambiguity at play. Some key players are genuinely undecided. There is a third factor: the sheer complexity of the plot itself. What happens after the day it all happens? And the day after that? Navigating a way through this thicket of competing interests and agendas is proving to be quite a challenge. The Red Zone is unsettled. Everyone is trying to read everyone else and coming up blank. Mostly. The only way to bring some clarity is to stack up various elements of this high drama in a neat pile. Talk to insiders and they provide a perspective that often goes contrary to what other insiders are peddling. But there are some commonalities. Here goes: The government: Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken charge. His faux confidence hides the fact that he realises the danger he is in. According to insiders, he is now leading from the front to galvanise efforts aimed at blocking the opposition’s impending assault. There is a realpolitik streak in his recent moves. He knows which factor needs to be addressed first, and how. Will it work? Ah, therein lies the rub. Plan B is also in the works. But it entails huge risks. It is a closely guarded secret — for obvious reasons — but of one thing there is little doubt: there will be a season 2 of this series if the first one ends with a successful no confidence vote. Political war-gaming is at its peak. This is making many people inside the ruling party very nervous. Speaker Asad Qaisar is a busy man. So is his staff. Laws, rules and regulations governing

People want Pakistan to be a welfare state

the running of the National Assembly (down to the minutest detail) will play a key role if and when the motion to de-seat the leader of the house is tabled. Combine this with the timing (long marches, OIC meeting, Pakistan Day parade with visiting dignitaries) and you get a sense of how crucial the Speaker’s state of play will be. Opposition: The faux confidence may have an escape hatchet. What if the numbers — and others — betray them? Insiders say they would rather step back from the move then proceed and lose. And how would they justify their U-turn? “Oh, ‘they’ weren’t neutral,” would be the justification. Live to fight another day? Having formed a joint committee for the big move on Wednesday, the opposition now has gone into higher gear to home in on the specifics of the numbers game. Which is why negotiations with the Jahangir Tareen group are so crucial. He has his eye on the big picture beyond the current picture. The big picture entails not just what set-up replaces the present one if the no confidence move succeeds, but what will that set-up be tasked to do under what timeline. The big picture also includes the timing of the general elections and the conduct of them in the context of the 2018 polls. This will require inter-institutional consensus — even of a rough kind — and the mode of guarantee to ensure its implementation. Oh, and of course, how to deal with a de-seated Imran Khan. And who will deal with him? These are weighty matters marinated in multiple complexities. Which is why most people inside the Red Zone are reminding themselves of a grim reality: Numbers never lie. Except when they do.Source: dawn.com

By:Zafar Alam fare state for Muslims by peaceful means he advocated the cause of Pakistan and its through unity of masses. masses. The use of the Islamic idiom was Sarwar, Surrey.

Miracle’s Writer ajority of people say they have played and watched so many games of politics, but the net result has been negative, that needs to be positively fruitful.“We want direct democracy, we want to choose our president and our prime minister directly so that we’ve the Pakistan the father of the nation had envisioned in the national interest.” The people, whether middle or lower, say they believe the Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah struggled for an independent wel-

“In fact”, they say, “he was dedicated to the cause of the downtrodden, and at the same time he reminded his supporters the motto of faith, unity and discipline to attain progress and prosperity.” Ask any educated citizen he will say the first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious belief of its subjects are fully protected by the State. The citizen remembers the Quaid said: “If we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous we should wholly concentrate on the well-being of the people, especially of the masses and the poor.” The fact is the founder of Pakistan believed in Islamic principles and democracy and

not limited to confrontational situations involving India but extended to domestic reconstruction. College boys, like city olds, reproduce the Quaid’s words: “It is my belief that our salvation lies in solving the golden rules of conduct set for us by our great law giver, the Prophet of Islam. Let’s lay the foundations of our democracy on the basis of truly Islamic ideal and principles.” The educated unemployed youths say they too have a dream and visualize a welfare state. They ask the olds: Didn’t the Quaid conceive Pakistan based on the foundations of social justice and Islamic socialism, which stress equality and brotherhood of man?

LAHORE: Just when Fakhar Zaman was threatening to take the game away from them, Multan Sultans took a strategic timeout. Shahnawaz Dahani, who was going to bowl the over that resumed play at a roaring Gaddafi Stadium, was given instructions by fast bowling coach Ottis Gibson. An animated Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan was taking consultations from head coach Andy Flower and spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed. The discussions in that three-minute break

turned the game back in favour of the holders, taking them into Sunday’s final and silencing the capacity crowd rooting for the Qalandars. Source: dawn.com

Was the architect of Pakistan not concerned with the problem of poverty and backwardness among Muslim masses for the eradication of which they looked, on the one hand, to the urges of dynamism, struggle and creativity in Islam and, on the other, to the Islamic principle of distributive justice? The youths, inspired by the vision of the founder of Pakistan, always waited for an honest and selfless leadership to emancipate them from exploitation, poverty and soaring prices. Has that leader arrived now? Em:zasarwar@hotmail.com

HBL Pakistan Super League: Shahnawaz powers Sultans past Qalandars, into final United lock horns with Zalmi in do-or-die encounter.

clash in Eliminator 1 here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. Feb 25, 2022

Note: This Match Result will com during Miracle’s printing on Feb 25th.

While Islamabad United got a big boost of their key batter Alex Hales, Peshawar Zalmi trio of leg-spinner Usman Qadir, all-rounder Ben Cutting and fast bowler Sohail Khan are out of action after having tested positive for Covid-19 the other day as both the teams

Amir Khan considering retirement after crushing defeat against Kell Brook

British boxer Amir Khan suggested that he is considering retirement from the sport after suffering a comprehensive defeat with a sixth-round technical knockout at the hands of Kell Brook on Saturday. The 35-year-old Khan was outclassed by compatriot Brook from start to finish and looked to be in dire straits before the referee stepped in to save him from any more punishment.Brook had courted a showdown against an opponent he has come to despise for several years only to be constantly rebuffed, but after being given an opportunity, he grasped it with both hands in the 149-pound catchweight bout at Manchester’s AO Arena.Brook shrugged off being

vociferously jeered to the ring by a crowd largely in support of Bolton-born and raised Khan and repeatedly left his foe on rubbery legs with countless punishing shots to the head.Khan refused to buckle and stayed upright throughout but he absorbed some vicious blows and his face was heavily marked when referee Victor Loughlin stepped in to wave off the fight 51 seconds into the sixth round. Khan, fighting at the venue where he first won a world title in 2009, only showed flashes of the form that saw him become a unified light-welterweight champion more than a decade ago as his fellow countryman claimed the bragging rights.

He said he was hoping to spend more time with his family. “It’s something to think about, definitely,” Khan told reporters when he was asked about a potential retirement. “I’ve always said I never want boxing to retire me, I want to retire from boxing. “Punishment like that sometimes in boxing, I know I showed a big heart and took some big shots today, but sometimes too much of that can be harmful in the future. “I’ve done more than I ever expected. Maybe I peaked too early, I was at the Olympics at 17, I won the world title at 22. I’m 35 now, I’ve been in the game a very long time, I’m an old man. I want to spend time with

my kids and my family.” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said he was looking forward to Khan’s win but said it was “nonetheless a great fight”. He wished the athlete best of luck for next time. Source: dawn.com

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