Miracle 540-March 12, 2021

Volume 21 Issue 540-Rajab 28, 1442 H, March 12, 2021 $1

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5 Masjid Al Aqsa: The In-

07 B.C. opening vaccine

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12 Buckingham Palace says

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6 8

credible: Night Journey

royal family is saddened 14 Let’s Rise above Judgement

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booking for those 85 B.C. plane crash: Decision to continue 3rd Annual Love Where you Live Clean

Govt candidates emerge victorious in WHO’s Covid-19 pandemic response: Canada entered expanded COVID-19

Canadians’ impressions of federal, pro- 30m families to get direct subsidy from June: PM vincial vaccine rollout improving: Nanos

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TTAWA -- Compared to January, Canadians overall perceptions of the federal and provincial governments’ vaccine rollout strategies are improving, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted by Nanos Research and commissioned by CTV News, asked more than 1,000 Canadians between Feb. 28 and March 4 to rate the job of both entities on a scale of zero to 10, where the former is considered “a very poor job” and the latter is deemed a “very good job.”

Canadians ranked the job of their provincial governments at 6.4, up from a score of 5.5 in January. At the national level, Canadians’ impressions climbed from 4.7 in January to 5.7 a month later.

Notably, this survey was conducted immediately following Health Canada’s approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Feb. 26 and prior to the regulatory

body’s approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on March 5.

Quebec residents recorded their provincial g o v e r n m e n t ’s performance most favourably at 8; followed by Atlantic Canada at 7.3; B.C. at 7; the Prairies at 5.7; and Ontario at 5.4.

“Canadians rate the job their provincial government (mean score of 6.4 out of 10) is doing with the vaccine rollout higher than they do the Government of Canada (mean score of 5.7 out of 10),” reads the survey.

GETTING VACCINATED The number of Canadians who report they will definitely receive the COVID-19 vaccine is also on the rise.

Seventy-one per cent of Canadians say they will get the shot when it’s made available to them, up from 68 per cent in December, 2020. Meanwhile, the percentage of Canadians who say they will definitely not take it, has gone up by one per cent, now hovering at 6 per cent.

“Canadians from Ontario (75 per cent) and B.C. (74 per cent) are more likely to say they will definitely take the vaccine when it is available compared to residents from the Prairies (65 per cent) and the Atlantic provinces (66 per cent),” reads the survey.

To that end, older Canadians are more

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a.m. on March 14,

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SLAMABAD: Realising the pace at which inflation has been rising in the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday announced that the government would initiate a revolutionary programme of direct subsidy to 30 million families — around half of the country’s population — from June to enable them to get essential food items.

The prime minister made the announcement while addressing a ceremony held to launch the ‘Koi Bhuka Na Soye’ (No one goes to bed hungry) programme, under which the poor and labour classes will be provided free meal boxes twice a day through mobile trucks at various points of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Under the programme, he said, a concept of mobile kitchens (kitchens on trucks) had been introduced which would be plied all over the country to provide free meal to the needy and hungry people.

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To be Continued at page 4

To be Continued at page 7

COVID-19 restrictions: Outdoor gatherings permitted in B.C. ahead of spring break

ANCOUVER -- After months of severe COVID-19 restrictions limiting social gatherings in B.C., the province’s top doctor announced Thursday that the rules are relaxing slightly. Dr. Bonnie Henry made the announcement during a COVID-19 modelling update, where she reflected on the past year of the pandemic in the province. Henry said even though daily case counts have increased slightly in recent days, hospi-

“Koi Bhuka Na Soye programme is the beginning of Pakistan’s transformation into a welfare state,” the prime minister said at the launching ceremony during his visit to an Ehsaas Langar Khana in the federal capital.

Launches ‘Koi Bhuka Na Soye’ programme for poor, labourers PM Khan said that through the subsidy programme, to be carried out under the umbrella of Ehsaas, amounts would be directly credited to the accounts of poor people, enabling them to buy basic items like wheat flour, sugar, ghee, pulses, etc.

He said the government would launch a similar programme for farmers to help them get fertiliser and other agricultural inputs on subsidised rates.

The prime minister said that with 70 per cent of work already completed on the direct subsidy programme, progress on the remaining 30pc was under way.

He appreciated Ehsaas and Baitul Mal

talizations and deaths are decreasing.

“We know where the riskiest settings are. We know that it is when we’re indoors, when we’re (in) crowded situations, when we’re close to others,” Henry said. “That has been the focus of … the measures we have in place in many indoor settings.” Under the updated restrictions, which were announced just two days before spring break begins for most B.C. schools, small outdoor gatherings are permitted, but with no

Inshaallah You will get Miracle’s hard copy from March 26, 2021 edition more than 10 people and people should still keep their distance.

Henry said those 10 people must remain the same and that gatherings have to be outside, adding “smaller is better.”

“I recognize the transmissibility decreases, we’re hoping that that continues through the spring,” Henry said.

“Outdoors is where we need to focus

right now. So being able to have those important connections that we need, but do them in a way that’s not going to put people at risk.”

Earlier this week, CTV News Vancouver spoke with a Canadian epidemiologist who said researchers have found it “very hard” to find even a single case of To be Continued at page 7

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Rajab 28, 1442 March 12, 2021

PAKISTAN

PM formally inaugurates Al-Qadir Govt scores major victory in Senate as Sanjrani, University at Sohawa Afridi win chairman, deputy chairman posts

Prime Minister Imran Khan terming education vital for national development has said that preparing a lot of knowledgeable and talented youth with moral strength is need of the hour.

Addressing a ceremony at Al Qadir University in Sohawa today (Friday), he emphasized on an education system that act as means of self-development and a source of bringing positive change in the society.

Imran Khan said knowledge is the main element that distinguishes between humans and animal species, and emphasized on the significance of literacy meeting the needs of both contemporary world and the hereafter.

He stressed academic research at university with a purpose to benefit the humanity and

said it is time to prepare the youth to adopt best learning practices of international standards to acquire knowledge.

He said he wants to transform the system of Al Qadir University similar to that of Egypt’s Al Azhar University, a prestigious institution of the world.

He desires introduction of scholarships for hardworking and brilliant students at AlQadir University to help them carry out studies and contribute to development of country. development of country.

Besides taking inspiration from the West in technological development, the Prime Minister said, there are several aspects of their culture such as truth and honesty that merited replication. Source: geo.tv

Pakistan’s daily Covid tally crosses 2,000 for first time since Jan as 3rd wave imminent

A day after the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) re-imposed restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the country, Pakistan reported more than 2,000 virus cases for the first time since January.

According to official data, Pakistan has reported 2,258 cases in the last 24 hours, marking the first time the country has reported over 2,000 infections since January 29, when 2,186 cases were recorded.

An NCOC press release stated that 42,164 tests were conducted on March 10, which translates into a positivity rate of 5.3 per cent, while the total number of active cases in the country is 17,627 as of March 11.

Breakdown of cases reported during last 24 hours: Punjab: 1,290 cases, Islamabad: 350 cases Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 289 cases, Sindh: 256 cases, Azad Jammu and Kashmir: 57 cases Balochistan: 16 cases With the new cases, the national tally has risen to 597,497.

The NCOC also shared the percentage of ventilators occupied in four major areas of the country. According to the breakdown, Lahore has the rate of ventilator occupancy at 39 per cent.

Highest ventilator occupancy rates Lahore: 39pc, Islamabad: 37pc Peshawar: 24pc, Multan: 21pc Furthermore, another city in Punjab — Gujrat — has the highest rate of oxygen beds currently occupied at 94pc, highlighting a worsening situation in the province.

Source: dawn.com

Sadiq Sanjrani defeats Yousaf Raza Gillani in Senate chairman election.

Sadiq Sanjrani receives 48 votes, while Yousaf Raza Gillani receives 42 votes, says the presiding officer.

Government’s candidate Mirza Mohammad Afridi has won the election for the deputy chairman of the Senate.

The much-awaited Senate chairman election concluded on Friday evening, with governmentbacked candidates Sadiq Sanjrani and Mirza Mohammad Afridi emerging as the victors.

In the race for chairman, Sadiq Sanjrani defeated Opposition candidate Yousaf Raza Gillani with 49 votes, while Gillani received 42 votes.

On the other hand, government candidate Mirza Mohammad Afridi won the election for the deputy chairman of the Senate with 54 votes, defeating Opposition’s Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, who grabbed 44 votes.

The presiding officer rejected seven votes cast for Yousaf Raza Gillani as, according to him, the

stamps were not placed correctly on the ballot paper. Once the winner was announced, however, Opposition members of the Senate protested the decision of the presiding officer to reject the votes, saying that no instructions had been provided to the voters as to where the stamp should be placed.

Adamant that Gillani is the “actual winner,” of the election, the Opposition has decided to take the matter to the election tribunal.

The polling for the Senate chairman’s post started at 3pm, presided over by officials from the Senate Secretariat. The process of voting completed at 4:40 pm, but counting started after the official time, i.e. 5pm. The polling time for the election of the deputy chairman of the Senate was completed at 6:59pm, while the results were announced at 7:08pm.

Earlier in the day, the newly-elected members of the Upper House had taken their oath of office shortly after the session began at 10am.

Source: geo.tv

Senate chairman election has been stolen, says Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari KARACHI: PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said Friday the Senate chairman election 2021 “has been stolen”.

“The PDM has defeated the [PTI] government in the National Assembly and the Senate,” he claimed, referring to the Opposition parties’ anti-government coalition under the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) banner.

“Their bias and their biased, illegal decision is right in front of you. Seven votes for the chairman of the Senate of Pakistan were cast in favour of Yousaf Raza Gillani.

“Those votes were cast properly, legally, constitutionally, but seven senators of the Senate of Pakistan were purposefully disenfranchised and Gillani sahab, despite winning,

has still not sat on that seat.

“Those seven votes were in line with whichever Supreme Court precedents you wish to bring up or the stance or position of the Election Commission [of Pakistan (ECP)], they were legal votes.” Source: geo.tv

tion in NA-75 (Daska) constituency from March 18 to April 10 after the Punjab government sought time to fill the vacant positions of administrative officers in the region where the polls will be held.

The ECP had last month voided the by-election held in NA-75 on February 19 — which was marred by deadly clashes between workers of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) and PML-N, the mysterious disappearance of around 20 presiding officers and suspected tampering with results — and ordered re-polling in the entire constituency on March 18.

The commission had also ordered the transfer of the Gujranwala Division commissioner and suspension of the Sialkot deputy commissioner as well as other senior administrative and police officers. A statement issued by the ECP on Wednesday said it had changed the date of polling to “make the holding of elections transparent and make

administrative affairs fool-proof ”.

It said the Government of Punjab had drawn the commission’s attention to the fact that the officers newly appointed after the suspension and transfers of all district and divisional officers “require some time to understand and fully control the administrative situation”. “After deliberation, the ECP issued the directions that the Punjab government immediately appoint administrative officers on vacant positions on a permanent basis and decided that polling in NA-75 (Daska) Sialkot will now be held on Saturday, April 10, 2021,” the press release added.................Source: dawn.com

ECP reschedules Daska re-election to After pigeons, India takes PIA balloon April 10 on Punjab govt’s request The Election Commission of Pakistan on into custody in occupied Kashmir Wednesday changed the date of the re-elecIn a bizarre turn of events, authorities in Indian-occupied Kashmir have seized a planeshaped balloon bearing the name of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Indian news agency ANI reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, the balloon featuring the name, logo and livery colours of the national flag-carrier was found in Sotra Chak village of Hiranagar sector on Tuesday evening.

The report said that it was initially spotted by locals in the village who informed the police.

Authorities have seized the balloon, while the matter is under police investigation.

It wasn’t immediately known where the balloon came from.

With ties between Pakistan and India at a particularly low point, objects and animals crossing over the border have been seized by Indian authorities in recent years, who view them with suspicion.

In 2015, a pigeon was captured by Indian

forces for crossing the Indo-Pak border into India’s Pathankot area.

Last year in May, Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) claimed to have captured another “Pakistani spy pigeon” and handed it over to police in occupied Kashmir. A Pakistani villager later said he was the owner of the pigeon and refuted the allegation of it being “a spy or a terrorist”. Source: dawn.com

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Rajab 28, 1442 March 12, 2021

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India’s illiberal ‘democracy’

N Friday, the US-based think tank Freedom House released its annual report ranking countries based on their fulfillment of and support for democratic principles such as freedom of speech, belief, thought, access to government institutions and political participation. One of the surprises in this year’s report was that India, ranked as a free country until now, was demoted to 111th place among 162 countries and was now only “partly free”.

The report went to some lengths to explain why India had been demoted to a partially free country. They include the widespread crackdown on dissent and discrimination against Muslims that has been a hallmark of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. The report noted that things had gotten progressively worse since the re-election of the Modi government in 2019. Since then, the state had been involved in a crackdown on journalists reporting on the farmers’ protests, using the colonial-era sedition laws.

The journalists included major media personalities such as Rajdeep Sardesai, a well-known anchor, Vinod Jose, executive editor of the Indian political and literary magazine Caravan, and also noted legislator and historian Shashi Tharoor. The Modi government has alleged that the journalists provoked the crowd for their own personal or political gain by spreading false and misleading information on the internet. Anand Sahay, the president of the Press Club of India, noted it was no coincidence that the charges against the journalists had only been registered in states that are ruled by Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

Continued from Page 1

A similar crackdown is also being waged against climate activists; the 22-year-old climate campaigner Disha Ravi was arrested simply for editing and developing a ‘tool kit’ that was tweeted by climate activist Greta Thunberg.

In 2020, the report states, hundreds of journalists were also arrested for their reporting on the coronavirus pandemic because they were not toeing the line and pushing propaganda.

So successfully has the Modi administration demonised Muslims that it has adopted similar tactics against the Sikhs.

Then there is the demonisation of minorities. The Freedom House report notes that the government has been spreading false information during the Covid-19 pandemic by saying that Muslims were somehow responsible for transmitting the disease. The report takes particular notice of the ‘love jihad’ laws that have been designed to victimise Muslim men under trumped-up charges of forcibly converting Hindu women. In Uttar Pradesh, where the laws are in effect, several Muslim men have been arrested on dubious charges.

In essence, the laws exist as a tool to further demonise Indian Muslims on the whim of BJP operatives wielding state power.

Even bigger problems have been created by the new citizenship laws, which use clever documentary requirements to prevent poor Muslim minorities in border states from retaining Indian citizenship.

So successfully has the Modi administration demonised Muslims in India that it has adopted the same sort of tactics against the Sikh population. Even though the farmers’ protests

have been directed at three different laws related to how farmers sell their products, the government line has been that the Sikh farmers are really separatists demanding secession. The government has even alleged that Ravi, the climate activist booked on sedition charges, had connections to these secessionist groups among the protesting farmers.

The shocking thing is that all these authoritarian power grabs in India have gone unchallenged. One reason for this is that the Modi administration has worked systematically to erode the very constitutional checks and institutions that would have helped prevent such abuse of power. The Modi government’s support for Hindu supremacy has relied on the fact that 80 per cent of Indians are Hindu and that attaching privileges to that religion would be popular with them. This might explain the enduring support for Modi and his party among a large segment, even though the administration has not been able to deliver on promises of economic prosperity and global ascendancy.

This last bit about India’s aspirations to global ascendancy is the reason why India’s demotion is worthy of discussion. When Prime Minister Modi came into power, India was doing well and was expected to outperform China in the march towards superpower status, not least because unlike China it was seen as having a robust liberal democratic and constitutional government. With so much of its future relying on these sorts of global perceptions, it seems antithetical that the Modi government has chosen to transform India into an illiberal democracy.

Some respite from being judged

harshly for being an illiberal democracy may have been provided to India during the tenure of the Trump administration.

Like Modi, Trump was no fan of liberal or constitutional norms or checks on his power. That era is over, and in its place has come the Biden administration, which, given its own problems dealing with the detritus left behind by the Trump administration, will only look harshly on wannabe fascists.

It is notable that unlike the Trump administration, which regularly allied with IndianAmericans who supported the far-right Hindutva movements, Biden’s Indian Americans, from the surgeon general Vivek Murthy to the associate attorney general Vanita Gupta, do not have such connections, nor do the Kashmiri-Americans who have also been nominated for important posts in the administration.

Reports like the one published

by Freedom House are hardly the last word on which countries are free. However, quibbles with the report would have more credence if India had not been so proud of its ranking in earlier years. In the end, it appears that the Modi administration made the fatal mistake of putting Modi first and India second.

The consequence is a weakened country used to being told lies about its own progress with an authoritarian leader who has neutralised all those who would dare criticise him. India may not find this shameful, but the rest of the democratic world is likely to feel quite justified in looking down on a country that was once completely free.

The writer is an attorney teaching constitutional law and political philosophy.

Courtesy by: Rafia Zakaria

30m families to get direct subsidy from June: PM

the mobile trucks or vans carrying scheme in Punjab, Khyber Pakh- PBM Managing Director Aon Ab-

teams for the successful launch of the programme and said the provision of free meal would help the poor, deserving, labourers and daily-wagers save their hard-earned money to fulfil the needs of their children and families.

The prime minister directed the officials concerned to particularly take care of the self-respect of poor people benefiting from the government-sponsored facilities of Panahgahs (shelter homes), Langars (free meals) and Kio Bhuka Na Soye. He said

food should especially visit the localities of the poor and labourers to ensure that free meals reached the deserving people.

Mr Khan said the programme was initially being launched in Rawalpindi and Islamabad so that the government could learn about the issues and problems and improve the programme before its extension to other cities. He said it was his dream to extend the ‘Koi Bhuka Na Soye’ programme to the whole country and “Insha Allah we will do it”.

Mr Khan said a large number of philanthropists in the country desired to participate in such programmes and he believed that the success of pilot project in the twin cities would help win their trust in contributing to its extension across Pakistan. He also mentioned with pride his government’s health card

tunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, under which each family is entitled to medical treatment worth Rs1 million from any public or private hospital.

The prime minister, during a briefing on the occasion, was informed that after extensive deliberations on different avenues, Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) had initiated a ‘Meals on Wheels’ programme to tackle the extended demands of Panahgahs.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar said the programme was aimed at providing hygienic packed food twice a day — lunch and dinner — to the needy individuals through real time mobile kitchens in urban and rural areas of Islamabad. The project would be later scaled up to other areas of the country.

bas said that at present two Ehsaas food trucks were serving free quality cooked food at various points in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, including hospitals, bus stations and public places with utmost dignity.

As per estimates, each food truck will feed two meals to around 2,000 people daily and will target those who cannot reach Panahgahs for food.

To make the programme more financially stable, the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division had constituted a ‘Donor Coordination Group’ which will serve as an Ehsaas channel to engage with the private sector. Pledges and commitments by the private sector, international agencies, philanthropists, civil society and individuals will be overseen by the coordination group. Source: dawn.com

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Rajab 28, 1442 March 12, 2021

f ait h

Anas ibn Malik reported: Fifty prayers were obligated upon the

Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he was taken on his night journey. Then, it was reduced until it was set at five and an announcement was made, “O Muhammad, My word is never changed, so these five prayers will be counted as fifty.”Sunan al-Tirmidhī 213

Masjid Al-Aqsa: The Incredible Night Journey

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sra and M i’r aj , a l s o known as Al Isra’ wal Miraj, is observed on the 27th day of the month of Rajab, the seventh month in the Islamic c a l e n d a r.

This event marks the night that Allah (God) took Mohammad (also known as Mohamed or Muhammed) on a journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to heaven. xcerpt from Khutba about Masjid alAqsa and Palestine, with a focus on the incredible night journey, ‘Al isra wa al mi’raj’: Surah al-Isra Glory be to He Who did take His Servant for a Journey by night, from the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) to the Farthest Mosque (Masjid al-Aqsa), Whose precincts We did Bless, in order that We Might show him some Of Our Signs: for He Is the One Who heareth And seeth (all things). (Quran 17:1) The blessed Masjid al-Aqsa has been referred to in the Quran and hadith, as a land which Allah (swt) placed special blessings upon. In our search for knowledge and our desire to follow in the footsteps of the righteous and rightly guided, the land of Palestine and the sanctuary of the al-Aqsa cannot be stressed enough.

• Abu Dharr reports that the Messenger said, “One night I was asleep, in the Makkan Sacred Precinct (al-Haram) near the Ka‘bah when I was woken by Jibra’il. He informed me of the divine will and took me to the well of Zamzam, where upon he opened my chest and poured wisdom and faith into it. Then he sealed it. I was then presented with the beautiful Buraq. This is an animal larger than a mule but smaller than a horse. I mounted it...”

• Anas Ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah said: “He (the Buraq) puts its hoof wherever its eyesight ends.” He said, “I rode it (and started the journey) until I arrived at Bayt al-Maqdis.” He continued, “Then I tied it to a ring that the Prophets used to tie their animals on.” He said, “Then I entered the Masjid, and I prayed two units of prayer, then I went out, so Jibra’il brought me a cup of wine and a cup of milk. I chose the milk, so Jibra’il said, ‘You chose the fitrah (natural goodness, good instinct),’ then we were raised to heaven…”

• The Night Journey (al-Isra’) of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Jerusalem and the subsequent Heavenly Ascent (al-Mi‘raj) was one of the most incredible and fantastic events in the history of humanity. This journey represented both a turning point in the prophethood and challenged conventional science.

• Allah swt, with His Might and Majesty folded time and space into one plane and took the Prophet through it while the time on Earth stood still. The Prophet then journeyed the earth whilst mounted on the Buraq, a horse-like creature capable of travelling cosmic distances in short periods of time.

The Prophet journeyed through space, and again time stood still. He witnessed heaven and hell, and saw the future and past, experiencing phenomena beyond anything of this

E

world. While such events are undoubtedly beyond scientific comprehension, for Allah swt, the Creator of the universe and of time itself, this was His will and He made it happen through His power.

• Ibn Kathir states, “As for the report of al-Isra’, all Muslims unanimously concur upon it and only heretics and atheists have denied it.”

• By acknowledging the journey the believer (mu’min) testifies to the will and limitless power of the Almighty, making firm their faith in Him. As for recognizing the experience of the Prophet in al-Mi‘raj, one testifies to the life of the hereafter and the Day of Judgement.

• Al-Isra’ and al-Mi‘raj, therefore, holds fast the faith of a person and consolidates the very central tenet of Islamic teaching - that we are here for a temporary period; created by the Lord, whose powers are limitless; and after death we will be resurrected and judged according to our deeds.

• The greatness of al-Isra’ thus goes beyond the narrow confines of breaking physical barriers and transcends into believing that the Creator is “He, Allah the One and Only; He is the Eternal and Absolute, He begets none, nor is He begotten, and there is nothing that could be compared to Him.”; and thus facilitates one’s submission to the greatness of the Lord.

The significance of Masjid al-Aqsa in the Night Journey • All-Knowing, the Creator, mentions both Masjid al-Haram in Makkah and Masjid alAqsa in Jerusalem, by name in the first verse of Surah al-Isra’. In this way, Allah swt honors them, and calls them both His ‘Masjid’.

• These “Masajid” were not physical buildings but rather it is the land on which they stand which Allah has blessed. Thus, with or without any buildings, they can be regarded as a Masjid. When al-Isra’ and al-Mi’raj took place, there were no complete buildings within the Noble Sanctuary of al-Aqsa; the only building present was the surrounding wall and perhaps a few ruins.

• Muslims consider al-Aqsa to have been built first by Prophet Adam (as).

• Abu Dharr reported that he asked the Prophet (saw), “O Prophet of Allah, which Masjid was built first on earth?” The Prophet replied, “The Sacred Masjid of Makkah.” Abu Dharr again asked, “Which was next?” The Prophet said, “The Masjid al-Aqsa.” “How long was the period between them?” Abu Dharr asked. The Prophet said, “Forty years.

Apart from these, offer your prayers anywhere when it is time to pray, although excellence is in praying in these Masajid.”

• Imam al-Qurtubi (Allah have mercy on him) says, “There are different opinions regarding the construction of Masjid al-Aqsa.

Some assert that Adam (as) established Masjid al-Haram in Makkah and then proceeded to build Masjid al-Aqsa forty years later. Others assert the angels laid the foundation of Masjid al-Haram and after forty years established Masjid alAqsa. There are a lot of possibilities and Allah knows best.”

• Allah swt has designated Masjid al-Aqsa and its surrounding area as “blessed”. The “blessed land” under the Islamic ethos means land associated with barakah — the land over which Allah swt has endowed spiritual and physical blessings from which all of humanity and Allah’s creation can derive benefit. This barakah also extends to the people residing within this land, on the condition that they abide by the commands of Allah swt and more specifically, that they practise Islam.

The Night Journey

• Anas ibn Malik narrates, “The Prophet (saw) was offered a drink of water, milk, or wine…

Then Adam and all the other Prophets were resurrected and the Messenger of Allah led them (in prayer) that night.”

• Ibn Kathir (Allah have mercy on him) narrates a hadith, “Then I left and it was not more than a little while when a lot of people gathered, and someone called for the prayer and the prayer was established.” He (the Prophet ) continued, “So we stood in lines waiting for someone to come and lead us, then Jibra’il took my hand and asked me to lead the prayer, and I did. After the end of the prayer Jibra’il asked me, ‘O Muhammad, do you know who prayed behind you?’ I said, ‘No’. He said, ‘Every Prophet sent by Allah swt prayed behind you.’ Then Jibra’il took my hand and we ascended to heaven.”

• The Prophet’s praying in al-Aqsa consolidates this bond between the first two places of worship built on earth. It also provides alAqsa with special significance as this is the only place known to us on earth where all the Prophets of Allah prayed together at one given time led by the final Prophet Muhammad (saw). The fact that all the Prophets were assembled together in al-Aqsa on this special night indicates the inclusive nature of Islam attested to by the Qur’an ; “Say (O Muslims!), ‘We believe in Allah and in that which has been

revealed to us; in that which was revealed to Ibrahim, Isma‘il, I s h a q , Ya‘q u b , and their descendents; in that which was given to Musa and ‘Isa; and in that which was given to the Prophets from their Lord’; We do not make any distinction between any of them…” (Quran 2:36) • The fact that Prophet Muhammad (saw) led all of the other Prophets in prayer is a clear indication of his being a leader of all the Prophets and therefore a salient call to all humanity and the People of the Book to now come under the guidance of the final Prophet, Muhammad (saw).

• For Muslims, the prayer by Prophet Muhammad (saw) in al-Aqsa declares the connection, firstly, between the Ka‘bah and al-Aqsa, and secondly, between the Prophet (and thereby all Muslims) and al-Aqsa. Leading the Prophets in prayer in al-Aqsa further signifies inheriting the legacy of the other Prophets, and the leadership of humankind.

Praying in Al-Aqsa

• Abu Darda’ relates that the Prophet said, “A prayer in Makkah is worth 100,000 times; a prayer in my Masjid (in Madinah) is worth 1,000 times; and a prayer in al-Aqsa is worth 500 times more than anywhere else.” [Al-Tabarani, al-Bayhaqi and al-Suyuti] • Anas ibn Malik relates that the Prophet said, “The prayer of a person in his house is a single prayer; his prayer in the Masjid of his tribe has the reward of twenty-five prayers; his prayer in the Masjid wherein the Friday prayer is observed has the reward of five hundred prayers; his prayer in Masjid al-Aqsa has a reward of five thousand prayers; his prayer in my Masjid (the Prophet’s Masjid in Madinah) has a reward of fifty thousand prayers; and the prayer in the Sacred Masjid at Makkah has a reward of one hundred thousand prayers.” [Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah] Source: islamicity.org

Prayer Schedule in Greater Vancouver March 12-26, 2021, Rajab 28-Shabaan 12,1442 H

Isl. Dt. Day Date Fajar

28 29 30 *1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thus Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thus Fri

Sunr

Zawal Dhuhr Dhur Asar Shafi / Asar Hanfi Maghrib

Isha

For such Prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times: Quran ,n 4:103 Source: BCMA

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Biden signs $1.9 trillion COVID-19 Parliament votes to declare entire pandemic relief bill EU an LGBT ‘freedom zone’

President Joe Biden, riding high on a significant legislative victory in the US Congress, signed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill at the White House on Thursday, marking one year of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. “This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country,” Biden said in the Oval Office before signing the bill. The new law provides for distribution of $1,400 in direct payments to 160 million US citizens, among other provisions, to help defray costs during the pandemic and stimulate the economy. The US Treasury Department will begin sending out those cheques as soon as the weekend, a White House spokesman said. The Democratic president plans to deliver a prime-time speech on Thursday night commemorating losses from COVID-19 while expressing hope for the future as vaccinations increase.Biden intends to convey fresh hope even as he urges people to continue to be cautious to prevent further flare-ups. It is a shift in tone from the president who has been warning Americans since taking office in January that more deaths and

In the year since the World Health Organisation (WHO) first described the Covid-19 outbreak as a pandemic, it has faced towering criticism, but has also been showered with praise. Here is an overview of the main criticisms and plaudits the United Nations health agency has faced since the Covid-19 outbreak first surfaced in China in December 2019.

Acted too slowly From the very start, the WHO faced criticism that it was mishandling the crisis.

Some accused it of taking too long to recognise that the virus was easily transmitting between humans. But most of the criticism has focused on its initial reluctance to declare a global health emergency, and in particular to utter the word “pandemic”.

The WHO learned on December 31, 2019 of a mysterious pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan and has repeatedly insisted it immediately jumped into action.

But it was not until January 30, 2020 that

pain were coming.

In the past year, 530,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the US, one-fifth of all deaths worldwide from the virus. Now, with one out of 10 Americans fully vaccinated, infections and hospitalisations have been declining. “But more importantly, I’m going to talk about what comes next. I’m going to launch the next phase of the COVID response and explain what we will do as a government and what we will ask of the American people,” Biden said. Biden secured an early legislative victory this week as the Democratic-led Congress passed his $1.9 trillion pandemic-related stimulus bill, which his administration plans to highlight in coming weeks before pushing more of his campaign-trail “Build Back Better” plan.... Source:aljazeera.com

BRUSSELS -- The European Parliament has overwhelming adopted a resolution declaring the entire 27-member European Union a “freedom zone” for LGBT people, an effort to push back on rising homophobia in Poland and elsewhere.The parliament announced Thursday that there were 492 ballots in favour of the resolution and 141 against in a vote that came after a debate in a session of parliament in Brussels on Wednesday. The resolution came largely in reaction to developments over the past two years in Poland, where many local communities have adopted largely symbolic resolutions declaring themselves free of what conservative authorities have been calling “LGBT ideology.”

These towns say they are seeking to protect traditional families based on unions of men and women, but LGBT rights activists say the designations are discriminatory and make gays and lesbians feel unwelcome. The areas have come to be colloquially known as “LGBT-free zones.”Polish President Andrzej Duda won re-election last summer after a campaign in which he spoke out often against the LGBT rights movement, depict-

ing it as a threat to families. In once instance, he described it as an “ideology” more dangerous than communism.The resolution is the work of a cross-party group in the European Parliament, the LGBTI Intergroup.

The text refers to “growing hate speech by public authorities, elected officials -- including by the current President” of Poland.But it also mentions that discrimination remains a problem across the EU. The Polish government has denounced the resolution. It argues that Poland, as a sovereign nation and a society more conservative than many Western European countries, has the right to defend its traditional family values based on a long attachment to Roman Catholicism. Source:ctvnews.ca

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) — the highest level of alarm under international health rules.

Top WHO experts had gathered a week earlier, but initially failed to agree on whether the PHEIC label was warranted at a time when, outside China, there were fewer than 100 Covid-19 cases and no deaths.

And while the PHEIC technically is the highest level of alarm, many countries did not spring into action until Tedros finally used the word “pandemic” on March 11.

The word, which does not feature in the official international health alert system, appears to have more aptly conveyed the urgency of the situation, sending large swathes of the planet into lockdown.

Kowtowing to China From the start, the UN health agency met criticism for its over-the-top praise of Beijing’s early response to the crisis.

It was also lambasted for allowing more than a year to pass before managing to send in a team of international experts to investigate the origins of the virus, and was accused of allowing China to dictate the parameters of their mission..Former US president Donald Trump slammed the WHO as a “puppet” of Beijing, which his administration and others accused of covering up the start of the outbreak and allowing the virus to spread around the entire world... Source: dawn.com

UN special rapporteur suggests ‘crimes against humanity’ being committed; calls for sanctions on military-owned enterprises.

The UN special rapporteur for Myanmar slammed the country’s military for the killing of at least 70 people since protests erupted against its power grab in February, citing growing evidence of crimes against humanity – including murder, persecution and torture.

Talking about “a horrible truth”, human rights investigator Thomas Andrews told the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday that “the country of Myanmar is being controlled by a murderous, illegal regime”.

“There is extensive video evidence of security forces viciously beating protesters, medics, and bystanders. There is video of soldiers and police systematically moving through neighbourhoods, destroying property, looting shops, arbitrarily arresting protesters and passersby, and firing indiscriminately into people’s homes,” he said.

Andrews called for multilateral sanctions to be imposed on senior military leaders and on the country’s major sources of revenue, “including military-owned enterprises and Myanmar’s oil and gas enterprises”, he said.

“It should come as little surprise that there is growing evidence that this same Myanmar military, led by the same senior leadership, is now engaging in crimes against humanity.”

Police beat a protester during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon [AFP] ‘Utmost restraint’

A few hours later, Myanmar rejected the accusations. “Authorities have exercised the utmost restraint to deal with the violent protests,” said in a video message Chan Aye, the permanent secretary of the ministry of foreign affairs.

His written statement – the video was cut short – also said Myanmar was undergoing “extremely complex challenges” and facing a “delicate situation”, and insisted the military leadership did not want to stall a budding democratic transition.

“In this respect, Myanmar would like to seek the understanding from the United Nations and international community on its efforts to maintain sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity, national unity and social stability throughout the country,” it said.

Myanmar has been in chaos since its military toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. The power grab triggered huge protests nationwide.

The army has justified the coup by saying the election, won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, was marred by fraud – an assertion rejected by the electoral commission. Source: aljazeera.com

representation and stifling political debate,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told a news briefing.China’s parliament on Thursday approved a draft decision to change Hong Kong’s electoral system, further reducing democratic representation in the city’s institutions and introducing a mechanism to vet politicians’ loyalty to Beijing.

Price said the US would be frank in telling China how its actions challenge US values when Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with top Chinese officials on March 18 in Alaska, the first high-level in-person contacts between the two sparring countries under the Biden administration.

Price said the US would be frank in telling China how its actions challenge US values when Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with top Chinese officials on March

18 in Alaska, the first high-level in-person contacts between the two sparring countries under the Biden administration.

“There will be some difficult conversations I would expect,” he said. “We will certainly not pull any punches in discussing our areas of disagreement,” Price said, urging Beijing to play its part in improving the frayed relationship. “We are looking for Beijing … to demonstrate that seriousness of purpose, to demonstrate that it seeks to live up to its own oft-stated desire to change the tone of the bilateral relationship.” President Joe Biden’s administration has committed to reviewing elements of US policies towards China, as the world’s two largest economies navigate relations that sank to their lowest depths in decades during Donald Trump’s presidency.

Source:aljazeera.com

WHO’s Covid-19 pandemic Myanmar military ‘murdered’ at least response: from criticism to Nobel?

70 since coup: UN

Uighur, Hong Kong issues to make for ‘difficult’ US-China talks

In advance of what the United States is forecasting will be “difficult” talks with Chinese diplomats next week, the White House said Thursday that US officials will address the “genocide” of China’s Muslim Uighur minority.Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet their Chinese counterparts on March 18 and 19 after their first overseas trip to Japan and South Korea.UN experts and rights groups have said China has detained more than a million Uighurs and other minorities there, actions the US has deemed a genocide. Beijing has denied abuses, saying facilities in the region are for vocational training to counter the threat of terrorism. Meanwhile, the US condemned China’s moves to change Hong Kong’s electoral system, calling it a continuing assault on democracy in the territory and

predicted “difficult” talks with China’s top diplomats next week.

“The changes approved by the National People’s Congress today on March 11 are a direct attack on Hong Kong’s autonomy, its freedoms and democratic processes, limiting political participation, reducing democratic

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COVID-19 restrictions: Outdoor gatherings permitted in B.C. ahead of spring break the current restrictions on indoor gatherings, those are the things we need to pay most attention to,” she said.

“The restrictions that we have in bars and restaurants and pubs remain in effect. All of the restrictions that we need and we know work in our retail settings in all of the businesses that are open, those we need to adhere to, more than ever right now.”

On Monday, Henry said the resumption of sports and certain religious events could also happen in the coming weeks. Though she did not provide a firm timeline then or on Thursday, she’d previously suggested people could be sitting in pews for Easter.

Continued from Page 1

outbreaks starting from outdoor exposure.

But in spite of these relaxed rules, Henry also announced Thursday that temporary measures will be in place to curb transmission St. Patrick’s Day festivities. Those include stopping liquor sales as of 8 p.m. on March 17 until 9 a.m. on March 18. Henry said there will be some caveats around full meal provision, similar to the rules introduced around New Year’s Eve. Henry said besides on St. Patrick’s Day, rules at restaurants and pubs will stay the same.

“I’d like to be clear, there are no changes to

“We have a number of important celebrations coming up and how can we, given where we are right now and the situation we have with this pandemic, how can we have safe remembrances or celebrations of these important events,” Henry said.

With spring break ahead, Henry encouraged families to enjoy their community and stay local, adding there are some rare circumstances where families could visit their cabins if they stay self-contained and don’t travel from a high-risk area to a low-risk area.

“Find ways to go explore in your neighbourhood. Find ways to go to a park with some friends, to connect in ways that aren’t going

to make things difficult,” Henry said.

“But then focus again when you’re back indoors on the things we know will prevent spread … remember, if we’re not feeling well, stay home.” Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

Canada entered expanded COVID-19 vaccination phase this week: Fortin Continued from Page 1 likely to say that they will definitely take the shot and perceive the shot as safe.

Ninety-one percent of those aged 55 and older say the vaccines are safe or somewhat safe, while 84.9 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 feel the same, and 77.1 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 agree.

METHODOLOGY

Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame der using the latest Census information (land-and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and the sample is geographically stratified

to be representative of Canada.

The margin of error for this survey is ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

This study was commissioned by CTV News and the research was conducted by Nanos Research.

Source:ctvnews.ca

and an online random survey of 1,016 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between Feb. 28 to March 4, 2021 as part of an omnibus survey. Participants were randomly recruited by telephone using live agents and administered a survey online. The sample included both land-and cell-lines across Canada. The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gen-

Surrey launches educational campaign to help reduce recycling contamination Surrey, BC: Not everything can be put into the blue bin for recycling. In an effort to curb recycling contamination, the City of Surrey has started an educational campaign to remind residents what is accepted in the blue bin and what items are not.

“When non-recyclable items are improperly placed in the blue bins, it has the opposite effect intended by increasing the amount of waste in our landfills,” said Mayor Doug McCallum. “That’s why it is important that only items that can be recycled be placed in the blue bins. I urge everyone to do their part to ensure that items placed in the curbside

recycling collection belong there. This simple step will help to keep Surrey as a green, clean and thriving city.”

Non-recyclables mistakenly placed in blue bins have to be manually sorted in order to ensure that the properly placed items are recycled into quality products. Surrey has launched a Waste Wizard to make it easier for residents to determine if an item should be recycled, donated, taken to a recycling depot, or put in the waste bin.

Accepted items that can go in the City of Surrey’s blue bins:

• paper products and packaging • plastic packaging • metal containers and packagings • plastic bags/film plastics • hazardous materials (sharp items, gas canisters, batteries, etc.)

• personal hygiene products • foam • scrap metal (pots/pans) • small electronics (toasters, blenders, etc.)

• clothing Amber Stowe • books Communications and Media Lead • Tupperware containers Office of Mayor

B.C. opening vaccine booking for those 85 and older on Thursday .VANCOUVER -- The B.C. government is expanding the number of seniors eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment earlier than expected. People who are 85 and older will be able to register for their vaccination beginning at noon on Thursday, according to Health Minister Adrian Dix. The minister said major issues with the Telus call centre servicing the Vancouver Coastal Health region have been resolved, and that 37,661 appointments were made across the province by 4 p.m. Wednesday. “There’s lots of space on the lines and there has been all afternoon,” Dix said.

The government previously criticized the service contracted from Telus after only 369 appointments were booked under Vancouver Coastal Health on Monday. Dix confirmed there are now 7,343 appointments scheduled in the health authority region, and praised the telecommunications company for the quick turnaround.

“I want to thank everyone involved, everyone has stepped up,” he said. “All of that work is appreciated.”

Some 15,855 appointments have been booked in the neighbouring Fraser Health region.

Dix said most B.C. seniors who are 90 years

old and older have now scheduled an appointment, allowing the province to begin taking requests from the next age group down the list.

Previously, the plan was to begin taking bookings from people born as recently as 1936 on Monday.

“This is, I think, a positive evolution,” Dix said. “I invite everybody in B.C. (who is eligible) to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Officials said there are just under 50,000 B.C. residents who are 90 and older, and that 21,600 have already been immunized.

Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

Coronavirus infections over 119 million worldwide Coronavirus Cases:

Deaths:

Recovered:

94,897,192

Last updated:

March 12, 2021, 16:31 GMT www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?

119,320,273

2,645,012

Coronavirus Cases:

Deaths:

Recovered:

CANADA Last updated:

Coronavirus Cases:

Deaths:

Recovered:

BC;CANADA Last updated:

899,757 86,219

22,371 1,397

846,714 79,829

March 12, 2021, 16:31 GMT

March 12, 2021, 16:31 GMT

https://experience.arcgis.com/

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Canada entered expanded COVID-19 B.C. plane crash: Decision to continue in vaccination phase this week: Fortin bad weather led to 4 deaths, TSB says

OTTAWA -- With 3.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses delivered to date and weeks coming where there will be more than a million doses landing at a time, Canada has entered the much-anticipated ramp-up phase in the national mass immunization campaign.

That’s according to Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, the military general in charge of the logistical end of the vaccine rollout.

“It was identified in our plan that there would come a point that might align with Q2, that the second phase of our distribution or immunization plan would kick in, and that second phase is characterized by additional vaccines coming online and volume, a significant increase in quantities into the million a week. That’s very much where we are at this week,” Fortin said.

“I would carefully say that we’re stepping into Phase 2 today.”

At a technical briefing updating the status of Canada’s vaccination effort, Fortin outlined the details of the coming shipments from the currently approved vaccine manufacturers.

Pfizer-BioNTech: • 444,600 doses being delivered next week • Nearly 1.2 million doses the weeks of March 22 and March 29 • Just over one million doses the weeks of April 5 and April 12 • Moderna: • 846,000 doses the week of March 22

• •

855,000 doses the week of April 5 More than one million doses the week of April 19 Through India’s Serum Institute, Canada will be receiving one million AstraZeneca Covishield doses sometime in April as well as 500,000 doses sometime in May to complete that contract for a total of two million doses.

More AstraZeneca shots should start to roll off the production line and into Canada from the separate Oxford-AstraZeneca contract for 20 million doses sometime in April as well as the 1.9 million shots through COVAX. Timing and size of shipments of the recentlyapproved Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine have yet to be confirmed as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday the federal government’s been warned of production issues. Source:ctvnews.ca

. VANCOUVER -- The decision to continue flying despite bad weather is being blamed for a fatal plane crash off the B.C. coast in 2019.A report issued Wednesday by the federal Transportation Safety Board outlined the findings of an investigation into the crash on Addenbroke Island.

The Cessna 208 Caravan floatplane left Richmond, B.C., on the morning of July 26, 2019. One pilot and eight passengers were on board the flight bound for a popular fishing lodge near Port Hardy, off the northeastern end of Vancouver Island. About 90 minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed into a hillside on the island. The Seair Seaplanes pilot and three passengers died of their injuries.Four of the other passengers had serious injuries, and one passenger’s injuries were described as minor. They were rescued by the Air Force.

The plane was destroyed in the crash.

In its report, the TSB wrote that the pilot chose to leave the airport that morning despite forecast conditions near the fishing lodge that were below the requirements for the flight.“After encountering poor weather conditions, the pilot continued the flight in reduced visibility, without recognizing the proximity to terrain, and subsequently impacted the rising terrain of Addenbroke Island,” the report said

The plane was equipped with advanced avionics devices, the TSB said, but they were set up in a way that “made the system ineffective at alerting the pilot of the rising terrain ahead.”

And according to the TSB, the pilot was likely experiencing some level of fatigue, though the report did not say how investigators came to that conclusion. Additionally, the TSB wrote, Seair had not established a flight data monitoring program, despite having the necessary equipment on the aircraft involved. The TSB says this type of program can help operators detect safety issues before an accident occurs.

The company wasn’t required to, and Transport Canada didn’t conduct any surveillance or targeted inspections.

Source: ctvnews.ca

TORONTO -- As vaccine rollout continues to ramp up in Canada and the United States, some American politicians are calling on the Biden administration to reopen the Canada-U.S. land border by this summer. In a letter addressed to U.S. President Joe Biden, Rep. Brian Higgins of New York asked that Biden work with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for “a partial re-opening of the Northern Border by Memorial Day of this year with a full re-opening by July 4.”

Higgins, who also chairs the congressional Northern Border Caucus, wrote that the current border restriction between the two countries “tears at the fabric of our community and is a critical problem for individuals, families, and businesses.” ”Given the economic and social costs the border closure has had on the region, we must prioritize efforts to expand essential traveler exceptions and plan for an incremental reopening now,” Higgins wrote.

The request comes after Biden announced last week that every American who wants a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to get one by the end of May. Higgins told CTV News’ Washington correspondent Richard Madan that vaccination numbers should align with the lifting of public health measures, including border restrictions.“Sometimes you have to push,

and there’s a lot of priorities. My job is to make opening the U.S.-Canadian border a number 1 priority for this administration,” Higgins said.

Higgins previously co-signed a letter with 23 other members of Congress in January, asking that the Biden administration start developing a plan to reopen the CanadaU.S. border to non-essential travel.

However, Canada says it is too soon.

A top official with the Prime Minister’s Office told CTV News “we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we’re not there yet.” Trudeau and Biden had their first faceto-face virtual meeting on Feb. 23, where the two leaders agreed to prioritize the fight against COVID-19 and economic recovery, among other issues, in a new “Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership.”.......

Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

Indonesia bus carrying students U.S. congressman asks Biden to fully plunges into a ravine, killing 27 reopen Canadian border by July 4

JAKARTA, INDONESIA -- A tourist bus plunged into a ravine on Indonesia’s main island of Java after its brakes apparently malfunctioned, killing at least 27 people and injuring 39 others, police and rescuers said Thursday.The bus was carrying a group of Islamic junior high school students, teachers and parents from the West Java province town of Subang when the accident happened late Wednesday on a winding road, said local police chief Eko Prasetyo Robbyanto.

He said the bus was on its way back to Subang from a pilgrimage site in the province’s Tasikmalaya district when it plunged into the 20-metre (65-foot) -deep ravine after the driver lost control of the vehicle in an area with a number of sharp declines in Sumedang district.Police were still investigating the cause of the accident, but survivors told authorities that the vehicle’s brakes apparently malfunctioned, Robbyanto said.

Bandung search and rescue agency chief Deden Ridwansah said the 27 bodies and 39 injured people were taken to a hospital and a nearby health clinic, including a body of a young boy who was pinned under the overturned bus and pulled from the wreckage Thursday morning.

Thirteen of the injured were treated for serious injuries, Ridwansah said. The driver was among those killed.

Television video showed police and rescuers from the National Search and Rescue Agency evacuating injured victims and carrying the dead to ambulances. Grieving relatives waited for information about their loved ones at Sumedang’s general hospital, others tried to identify the bodies laid at a morgue.

Road accidents are common in Indonesia because of poor safety standards and infrastructure.

In December 2019, 35 people were killed when a passenger bus fell into a 80-metre (262-foot) -deep ravine and crashed into a fast-flowing river on Sumatra island. In early 2018, 27 people killed after a packed tourist bus plunged from a hill in West Java’s hilly area.Source: ctvnews.ca

Virtual ‘melting pot’ helps Asian Quebecers vent about racist attacks d’Entraide contre phone interview on Tuesday. Her group’s for Research-Action on Race Relations; the

SASKATOON -- In the face of ongoing antiAsian attacks, nearly 6,000 Asian Quebecers are heading online to vent, comfort and even hold regular online classes tackling microaggressions and racism.

The booming Facebook community “Groupe

le racisme envers les asiatiques au Québec” is a public, large-scale version of the countless private chat groups many Asians across the country have turned to over the past year.

“We are all volunteers trying to do our best to help our communities in our own way, and the best way is online,” Vietnamese Montrealer Laura Luu, who created the group last March, told CTVNews.ca in a

name is translated to: “Mutual Aid Group Against Racism Against Asians in Quebec.”

It began a place where those in Quebec and Ontario with Asian roots could vent about anti-Asian attacks and landmarks being defaced. In 2020, reported attacks have spiked across the country, including in Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa.

Julie Tran, one of the group administrators, likens it to a grassroots “melting pot of different Asian people,” where they celebrate difference but also tackle common challenges in an informal way.

The platform doesn’t track anti-Asian attacks in Canada, like Montreal-based Center

Chinese Canadian National Council — For Social Justice (CCNC-SJ) or Project 1907.

Although Luu supports those efforts, her group functions more as an outlet for people to give testimonials on how they’re feeling; anonymously describe racism they’ve experienced, and find formal places where those with racism-related mental trauma could go.

“We try to raise awareness with mental health because it’s very taboo in the Asian community,” Luu said, noting that younger generations though are more likely to want to face racism head-on rather than ignore it.

Source: ctvnews.ca

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‘This needs to end’: PM on latest Forces misconduct, harassment allegations

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada’s major institutions aren’t doing enough to prevent toxic and unsafe workplaces, including the Canadian Armed Forces, which today ushered in the first-ever female second-in-command.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trudeau said recent reports from various federal entities are “really troubling,” and in light of that, he welcomes the new appointment of Lt.-Gen. Frances J. Allen as Canada’s next vice chief of defence staff.

“I’m very pleased to see a strong woman in the vice chair position for the first time in Canada’s history and obviously the task of everyone in senior leadership in our military

is to move forward on ending the challenges of harassment and discrimination in the military and other systems as well as ensuring that anyone who comes forward to share stories or allegations is given the support and resources they need,” he said.

His statements come against the backdrop of ongoing investigations into the behaviour of two top military leaders – former chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance and his successor Admiral Art McDonald.

Military police launched an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Vance in early February, 2021, following his retirement. CTV News has not independently verified these allegations. Shortly after, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced that McDonald was “voluntarily” stepping aside while an investigation into unspecified allegations of misconduct against him is ongoing.

“I think what we’re seeing over the past days, weeks, and months is a really troubling pattern in Canada, whether we talk about the news coming out of the Canadian Armed Forces, whether we talk about the [Michel] Bastarache report into the RCMP, or even recent reports coming out Correctional Service Canada,” he said.

“This needs to end.”

Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner, Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement, issued the following statement about the new recommendation to delay the second Pfizer vaccine dose for four months: “Today, Conservatives learned that Pfizer was not consulted on the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s (NACI) recommendation to push the advised time between doses of COVID-19 vaccines from three weeks to four months. This recommendation sets a new precedent in the delay between doses, going against the schedules of other countries around the world.

“When asked about whether partial immunity from a four-month delayed second dose creates the conditions for vaccine-resistant strains to emerge, experts expressed concerns. This is a significant issue, and the federal government has yet to tell Canadians how they plan to prevent this in our country, given that their new advice is not backed by data.“We know from academic reports that the emergence of vaccine-resistant variants could become a concern if Canadians are only partially immunized from incomplete vaccination. The government must immediately explain how they plan to address these concerns in their vaccine rollout strategy, especially as it could lead to vaccine hesitancy.

“Pfizer Canada President Cole Pinnow said that the advice goes against Pfizer’s monograph guidance for optimal, safe, and effective use of the drug, saying it ‘creates concern, confusion, and potentially, hesitancy.’

“While Conservatives are relieved that vaccines are beginning to arrive in Canada, the delays caused by the government mean that Canada is behind other countries in its plan to reopen the economy.“We want the government to succeed in getting COVID-19 vaccines to Canadians, but, like the President of Pfizer, Conservatives are concerned that the Liberal government’s inability to explain their decision-making could lead to further vaccine hesitancy. This government

OTTAWA -- NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will vote against changes to a bill that would expand access to medical assistance in dying.

The vote on Bill C-7, expected in the House of Commons today, has been bogged down in debate since returning from the Senate with substantive amendments.

These include allowing advance requests for assisted deaths and imposing an 18-month time limit on the bill’s proposed blanket ban on assisted dying for people suffering solely from mental illnesses.

The government has been trying since then to get the Commons to agree to a motion laying out its response, which rejects advance requests and agrees to a two-year time limit on the mental illness exclusion.

Singh said he opposes the motion on the grounds that unelected senators should not rewrite legislation passed by MPs. “We don’t believe that the Senate should be doing the work of elected officials,” he said.

The minority Trudeau government, backed by the Bloc Quebecois, has given notice it will impose closure to ensure the bill comes to a final vote in the House before a courtordered deadline in two weeks, and it would pass with the support of those two parties.

The bill is a response to a 2019 Quebec Superior Court ruling that struck down a provision in the law that allows assisted dying only for intolerably suffering people whose natural deaths are “reasonably foreseeable.”

The government has sought and received four extensions to the court-imposed dead-

line for bringing the law into compliance with the ruling. The latest -- and very likely the last extension, the court has warned -expires March 26.

Some disability-rights groups argue that Bill C-7 discriminates against people with disabilities, fearing they will be pressured to prematurely end their lives rather than live in poverty, without adequate health care and support services.

Singh suggested earlier this week he would be open to cutting short debate on the bill if the government pledged more support for people with disabilities.

“We’ve proposed a solution to increase the help that goes to people living with disabilities to $2,000 a month, something that would give dignity and support to people

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is calling for an entirely independent investigation into the Vance and McDonald allegations and a freeze on all promotions and salary increases for the general and flag ranks.

“It’s a historic institution for our country.

There is eroding trust right now and we have to save it. It’s not going to be from some press release from the current minister, we have to show swift and serious action for the men and women wearing uniform,” he said during a press conference on Tuesday.

“So far I’ve seen the Liberals more worried about avoiding responsibility than showing that the Canadian Armed Forces needs to be an institution that is preserved and respected.”

O’Toole also welcomed Allen to her new role, adding that he “served alongside some incredible women during my time in the Canadian Armed Forces.”

Allen had been seen as a possible contender to take over from Vance as Canada’s first female defence chief, before McDonald was selected for the job.

She most recently served as Canada’s military representative to NATO headquarters in Brussels and is the second woman to have attained the rank of lieutenant-general in the Armed Forces.

She’s taking over as vice-chief from Lt.-Gen. Mike Rouleau, who had been in the running for the acting chief of defence staff position, a job ultimately given to Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre.

The senior leadership shuffle was announced

by Eyre Tuesday morning.

“Each leader will go on to represent Canada, whether at home or abroad, in key decision making positions,” he said in a statement.

“The responsibilities of shaping the CAF of the future are great.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also weighed in on Allen’s historic appointment stating that while it has an “incredible positive impact” for representation in the military, one single appointment won’t alone create systemic change.

“It can’t just be brushed aside and it goes right to the top, it goes to the prime minister as well. It’s his responsibility to make sure women are safe in the military and that is the opposite of what’s happened so far, “ said Singh on Tuesday.

The House of Commons national defence committee is also conducting a study into sexual misconduct in the Armed Forces.

With files from The Canadian Press.

Source: ctvnews.ca

Conservatives raise concerns about lack of clarity on 4-month delay for second Pfizer vaccine dose

has left health officials scrambling to extend the time between limited doses – will Canadians be the ones to pay the price?”

Office of the Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner,

NDP to vote against changes to bill on medical assistance in dying

that are facing challenges, but just need extra support to be able to overcome those challenges,” he told reporters Thursday.

Source: ctvnews.ca

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Rajab 28, 1442 March 12, 2021

M I DDL E

EAST

US, Israel hold talks on Iran nuclear diplomacy, security threats

Bilateral talks come as Biden seeks to restore the 2015 UN-backed Iran nuclear deal abandoned by Trump.

Officials from the United States and Israel met by video conference Thursday to discuss the two countries’ security challenges in the Middle East, as well as the Biden administration’s plan to re-engage diplomacy with Iran on nuclear weapons.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben-Shabbat, took part in the first US-Israel bilateral security meeting since President Joe Biden took office in January.

Is the 2015 Iran nuclear deal worth saving?

Iran nuclear deal 5 years on: Uncertainty after US withdrawal It came as the Biden administration was seeking a return to a 2015 nuclear deal that saw Iran agree to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of international sanctions.

“It’s vital to the president, to the administration that as we are looking ahead to approaching diplomacy and moving toward a diplomatic track to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon” that Israel be briefed on the plans, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. Israel for years has

criticised and sought to derail that international accord, from which former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 in favour of his administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy against the Iranian government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had campaigned against the 2015 United Nations-backed agreement, recently hinted that Israel might resort to military action against Iran, The Associated Press reported.

“We are not pinning our hopes on any agreement with an extremist regime such as yours,” Netanyahu said in a recent speech directed at Iran. “With or without agreements – we will do everything so that you will not arm yourselves with nuclear weapons.”

Senior Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz, have said Israel is upgrading contingency plans to attack Iran if it

appears to be escalating its nuclear activities.

Psaki said Biden is committed to “a diplomatic path” with Iran and administration officials believe earlier Israeli opposition to diplomacy had “quieted a bit” after Iran demonstrated – while the deal was still in effect – that it was complying with limits imposed on its enrichment of uranium.

“There was a recognition of the benefit of visibility on the ground. We don’t have that now.

We haven’t had it since the Trump administration pulled out of the deal,” Psaki said.

“We are very familiar with the concerns Israel has expressed and that’s one of the reasons we engage them so closely around this and many other issues,” she said.

While the US and Israel have been staunch allies for decades, the bilateral relationship reached new heights under Trump.

Source: aljazeera.com

Video shows Israeli troops detaining Palestinian children

Israeli forces detained five Palestinian children for several hours after they were confronted by Jewish settlers while gathering wild vegetables near a settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli human rights group said on Thursday.

B’Tselem released video of the arrest in the southern Hebron Hills, in which heavily armed Israeli soldiers can be seen dragging the children away.

EU calls for probe into Palestinian teen’s killing by Israel Footage shot earlier shows the children gathering akoub, a plant similar to artichoke, when two masked settlers emerge from a grove of trees near the

illegal settler outpost of Havat Maon.

The outpost is located near Masafer Yatta, a collection of about 19 Palestinian hamlets. The area is a frequent target of assaults by the Israeli military and settlers.

“This is another example of the absolute disregard on the part of Israeli authorities and forces on the ground to the wellbeing and rights of Palestinians, no matter how young or vulnerable,” B’Tselem spokesman Amit Gilutz said.“The youngest boy from yesterday’s incident is eight years old,” he added.

The children, whose ages range from eight to 13, were held for about five

hours at a police station in the settlement of Kiryat Arba, according to Gaby Lasky, a human rights lawyer who is representing them. The two eldest, who are 12 and 13, were ordered to return next week for more questioning as, under Israeli military law, they are deemed old enough to face charges.

The Israeli military said “a number of suspects” were detained after they “infiltrated into a house’s private property.” It said they were transferred to the Israeli police, who released them to their parents.

Source:dawn.com

Pope ends historic Iraq visit with messages of coexistence

Pope Francis leaves Iraq after touring four cities in the first-ever papal visit to the Middle Eastern country.

Pope Francis has ended his historic tour of Iraq, departing the capital Baghdad after visiting conflict-torn cities, meeting Muslim and Christian leaders and preaching peace and coexistence over war.

On Monday, Francis waved one last time before boarding the plane to the Vatican after Iraqi President Barham Salih accompanied

the 84-year-old pontiff down a red carpet to his flight. In his addresses, he delivered messages of peaceful coexistence, urging coexistence and safety for all.

Intense security surrounded his trip to Iraq.

Military pick-up trucks, mounted with machine guns, escorted his motorcade and plainclothes security men mingled in Mosul, the butts of their guns peeking out of black backpacks slung around the front of their bodies. In the pope’s Mosul mass on Sunday, Muslim and Christian residents in the ruined Iraqi city spoke of their lives under the brutal rule of ISIL. Francis saw the ruins of homes and churches in a square that was the old town’s thriving centre before Mosul was occupied by ISIL from 2014 to 2017, its fighters ravaging northern Iraq, killing Christians as well as Muslims who opposed them.

He sat surrounded by skeletons of buildings, dangling concrete staircases, and cratered

ancient churches, most too dangerous to enter. Much of the old city was destroyed in 2017 during the bloody battle by Iraqi forces and an international military coalition to drive ISIL out.

“How cruel it is that this country, the cradle of civilization, should have been afflicted by so barbarous a blow, with ancient places of worship destroyed and many thousands of people – Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and others – forcibly displaced or killed,” he said.

“Today, however, we reaffirm our conviction that fraternity is more durable than fratricide, that hope is more powerful than hatred, that peace more powerful than war.”

In an apparent direct reference to ISIL, Francis said hope could never be “silenced by the blood spilled by those who pervert the name of God to pursue paths of destruction”. Iraq’s Christian community, one of the oldest in the world, has been devastated by the years of conflict, falling to about 300,000

from about 1.5 million before the US invasion of 2003 and the brutal ISIL violence that followed.

On Sunday, Francis also flew by helicopter to Qaraqosh, a Christian town that was overrun by ISIL fighters, and visited a church whose courtyard was used by fighters as a shooting range.

He then celebrated Mass in Erbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdish region, where thousands packed a stadium to attend.

He received the most tumultuous welcomes of his visit in Qaraqosh and Erbil, where most people were not wearing masks or practicing social distancing despite a rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

At the end of the Mass, the last official event of his visit, Francis told the crowd: “Iraq will always remain with me, in my heart”.

He closed by saying “salam, salam, salam” (peace, peace, peace) in Arabic.

Source:arabnews.com

testimonies from 1,900 youths between the ages of 13-17 in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and the Netherlands.

While one in three displaced children inside Syria would rather be living in another country, 86 percent of refugees interviewed said they would not want to return home.

schools and toys. It’s not safe here, the sound of dogs scares me and the tent is not safe,” she said. Idlib, the last rebel-held bastion in the country’s northwestern region, was dubbed a “dumping ground” for evacuees who fled government offensives in other parts of Syria. Similarly, 12-year-old Nour* in northeast Syria was forced to flee her hometown in Aleppo during the war, and was out of school for several years.

“War made me reach the age of 11 without knowing how to read or write,” she said from al-Hol camp, the largest in the war-torn country with more than 60,000 people, according to UN figures. More than 80 percent of its inhabitants are women and children.

Those displaced inside Syria also felt the least connected to their communities, the report said. They were “significantly more likely to report having experienced discrimination”

than their peers in Jordan or Lebanon, despite being in their country of origin.

In Syria and Lebanon, young girls specifically spoke about “general injustice” in society that leads to discrimination and inequality and mentioned the need for “stronger legislation” to ensure people are treated equally, the report added.

Source:irishtimes.com

‘It’s not safe’: Report finds children want life away from Syria

Displaced children in Syria and abroad cite discrimination, poverty as reasons for not envisioning a future in Syria, new report finds. Hundreds of Syrian children say they cannot imagine leading a life in their wartorn country, with many citing discrimination and poverty as main factors, a new report says.The 40-page study, released on Tuesday by Save the Children, comes as Syria marks 10 years since the beginning of its bloody war, now widely seen as a proxy conflict.

The war began shortly after Syrians in 2011 joined a wave of anti-government Arab Spring uprisings taking place across the region. In response, authorities launched a brutal crackdown on dissent.

Millions fled the country, and hundreds of thousands have since been killed.

The report, Anywhere but Syria, includes

‘All about war’

Those who fled their homes are struggling to feel safe where they are now, with many reporting feeling discriminated against and left without adequate education. According to the report, many feel they have no say over their future.

Lara*, a seven-year-old girl who fled her home in Idlib’s Maarat al-Numan three years ago, now lives in an overcrowded camp with her family. She says her future became “all about war”.“I wish to live in any country other than Syria, where it’s safe and there are

11

Rajab 28, 1442 March 12, 2021

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12

Rajab 28, 1442 March 12, 2021

HEALTH

Let’s Rise Above Judgement

Judging a child with special needs does not define who they are... It defines who you are.

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arents of children with special needs are judged for their child’s behaviour.

They are judged for their response.

They are even judged for having the temerity to be out and about with their children, trying to live their own lives.

They are judged for the decisions they make, their education choices, therapy options, medical interventions and lifestyle. They are judged for doing things differently. For not pushing their children enough, and again when they push them too far.

It’s not just about why they are judged, but

rather, it is the fact that they are judged by everyone – family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers on the street.

When we see a child running around, not listening to their parents in a mall, restaurant, at a wedding or any other public place, our initial reaction or judgement would be to assume that it is bad parenting, they are ill-mannered children, or maybe to socially boycott that family.

Parents of children with disabilities often get stares, and this may make them feel that people are pitying them. If a child has an invisible disability, it is harder for people to accept this and in turn tend not to believe the parents’ struggles. They may also label them as “bad parents”.

It’s very easy for us to say, “just don’t worry about what other people think”, but it’s not that simple, especially for those who are dealing with this every single day.

Not everyone knows the situation that these parents are in. Only those in the same situation could possibly understand what they deal with each and every day. We can only imagine how the visible judgement of others pushes these parents’ self-esteem even

Empowering Autism and other Disabilities #2

lower.

As members of a strong and inclusive community, lets remind ourselves that we must take the initiative to do things differently. Tell yourself that it is okay if your parenting style is different than others’. Accept that being different is not wrong, but rather something to be celebrated.

Here are some things that we can do to support a family that has a child with special needs: - If appropriate, ask the parents if there is anything you can do to help. Offer this help in a kind tone and an open mind.

Be prepared for the other parent to say no, and do not take it personally if they start to feel defensive. This may just be a natural reaction.

- Teach your own children to be inclusive and invite everyone to play without judgement.

- If you are available and are comfortable, help other parents with their children. Offer babysitting, child-minding or

respite.

- Do not judge! You wouldn’t want people to judge you if your child was having a bad day and you were struggling, so don’t do it to anyone else.

Remember!!!!

“Inclusive Communities are the strongest communities.” -

Huma Shoaib

Behavioural Therapist Founder of Empowering Autism

Can vaccinated people still spread the coronavirus?

1. Does vaccination completely potentially transmit it. But a vaccine will re- that vaccines are less effective against certain duce the chance of this happening. prevent infection?

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he short answer is no. You can still get infected after you’ve been vaccinated. But your chances of getting seriously ill are almost zero.

Many people think vaccines work like a shield, blocking a virus from infecting cells altogether. But in most cases, a person who gets vaccinated is protected from disease, not necessarily infection.

Every person’s immune system is a little different, so when a vaccine is 95% effective, that just means 95% of people who receive the vaccine won’t get sick. These people could be completely protected from infection, or they could be getting infected but remain asymptomatic because their immune system eliminates the virus very quickly. The remaining 5% of vaccinated people can become infected and get sick, but are extremely unlikely to be hospitalized.

Vaccination doesn’t 100% prevent you from getting infected, but in all cases it gives your immune system a huge leg up on the coronavirus. Whatever your outcome – whether complete protection from infection or some level of disease – you will be better off after encountering the virus than if you hadn’t been vaccinated.

An electron microscope scan of the coronavirus Vaccines prevent disease, not infection. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, CC BY

2. Does infection always mean transmission?

Transmission happens when enough viral particles from an infected person get into the body of an uninfected person. In theory, anyone infected with the coronavirus could

ones, like the B1351 variant first identified in South Africa.

Every time SARS-CoV-2 replicates, it gets new mutations. In recent months, researchers have found new variants that are more infective – meaning a person needs to breathe in less virus to become infected – and other variants that are more transmissible - meaning they increase the amount of virus a person sheds. And researchers have also found at least one new variant that seems to be better at evading the immune system, according to early data.

So how does this relate to vaccines and transmission?

For the South Africa variant, vaccines still provide greater than 85% protection from getting severely ill with COVID–19. But when you count mild and moderate cases, they provide, at best, only about 50%-60% protection. That means at least 40% of vaccinated people will still have a strong enough infection – and enough virus in their body – to cause at least moderate disease.

If vaccinated people have more virus in their bodies and it takes less of that virus to infect another person, there will be higher probability a vaccinated person could transmit these new strains of the coronavirus.

If all goes well, vaccines will very soon reduce the rate of severe disease and death 3. What about the new worldwide. To be sure, any vaccine that recoronavirus variants?

New variants of coronavirus have emerged duces disease severity is also, at the popuin recent months, and recent studies show lation level, reducing the amount of virus

In general, if vaccination doesn’t completely prevent infection, it will significantly reduce the amount of virus coming out of your nose and mouth – a process called shedding – and shorten the time that you shed the virus. This is a big deal. A person who sheds less virus is less likely to transmit it to someone else.

This seems to be the case with coronavirus vaccines. In a recent preprint study which has yet to be peer reviewed, Israeli researchers tested 2,897 vaccinated people for signs of coronavirus infection. Most had no detectable virus, but people who were infected had one-quarter the amount of virus in their bodies as unvaccinated people tested at similar times post-infection.

Less coronavirus virus means less chance of spreading it, and if the amount of virus in your body is low enough, the probability of transmitting it may reach almost zero.

However, researchers don’t yet know where that cutoff is for the coronavirus, and since the vaccines don’t provide 100% protection from infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people continue to wear masks and social distance even after they’ve been vaccinated.

A family wearing masks walking past a sign about social distancing, mask-wearing and hand-washing.

New, more infectious and transmissible variants of the coronavirus might limit the effectiveness of current vaccines. AP Photo/ John Raoux

being shed overall. But because of the emergence of new variants, vaccinated people still have the potential to shed and spread the coronavirus to other people, vaccinated or otherwise. This means it will likely take much longer for vaccines to reduce transmission and for populations to reach herd immunity than if these new variants had never emerged. Exactly how long that will take is a balance between how effective vaccines are against emerging strains and how transmissible and infectious these new strains are.

Editor’s note: So you’ve gotten your coronavirus vaccine, waited the two weeks for your immune system to respond to the shot and are now fully vaccinated. Does this mean you can make your way through the world like the old days without fear of spreading the virus?

Deborah Fuller is a microbiologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine working on coronavirus vaccines. She explains what the science shows about transmission post-vaccination – and whether new variants could change this equation.

Beth Daley Source: theconversation.com

3rd annual Love Where You Live clean up & beautification initiative gets underway next month

Surrey, BC – For the third year in a row, the City of Surrey’s Love Where You Live campaign is set to officially launch on April 22. The city-wide clean up and beautification initiative has proven to be popular with 7,000 bags of litter collected and more than 24,000 trees and bulbs planted since the campaign’s inception.

“Since Love Where You Live was introduced in 2019, the results have been nothing short of remarkable,” said Mayor Doug McCallum. “It’s abundantly clear that Sur-

rey residents and business owners not only take great pride in their city but have also stepped up to ensure Surrey stays clean and beautiful. I have no doubt Love Where You Live will be even more successful this year as more and more people take part in this great initiative. You don’t have to wait until April to get started. You can begin today by joining the 20 Minute Clean Up Challenge for your neighbourhood. It’s amazing how much we can accomplish when we all pull together with a common goal and I look

forward to an even better year for our Love Where You Live campaign.”

Here are some of the Love Where You Live programs and initiatives that will take place this year: • 20 Minute Clean Up Challenge • Large Item Pick-up • Neighbourhood beautification and enhancement grants of up to $3000 Oliver Lum Senior Manager, • Storefront enhancement grants Communications & Media Relations • Park cleanups Office of the Mayor

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Rajab 28, 1442 March 12, 2021

women/LIFESTYLE & CULTURE

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By: Asma Shums, ince 1911, Int e r n at i o n al Women’s Day has been celebrated around the world highlighting achievements by women in all walks of life and industries. It’s generally a call to action for gender equality and celebration of accomplishments by women in social, economic, and political platforms.

This year’s theme is aptly labeled as Choose to Challenge. The idea is that change can only come through challenge and this theme is a reminder that major changes need to happen to make our world more equal.

Many things have changed and made things more inclusive but have been done because of strong women speaking out and having both men and women supporting the cause.

Instead of liking photographs on social media and beyond speaking with our friends, there are many situations where women are

International Women’s Day

still facing challenges.

to share their entire income for the family

Women still hold disproportionally smaller positions of power. From office boardrooms, courts, political platforms, or professional designations, there are fewer women making decisions. We need inclusive voices making decisions in homes, corporate offices, or on large-scale platforms dealing with issues such as labour laws, humanitarian crisis’, or policies relating to medical practices. The sooner we understand the impact the lack of female voices have on our society, the faster we can implement policies or create a community where no one group feels unrepresented.

tations. All of us might know families who tend to marry the girls in their family prior to them finishing post-secondary education.

Women are more likely to not pursue higher education and many don’t even have opportunities to finish their primary education.

This restricts them find sufficient employment, have finances, or have any opportunity to escape dangerous domestic situations which further perpetuates a cycle of dependence.

So in a world where 95% of the world leaders are men, it’s clear that half of the world population do not have adequate representation for their rights and needs. Although great progress has been made, we must look for these major issues that have yet to be solved. It might seem demoralizing seeing these issues continue to plague our society, so what can you do?

Raise your voice. Support the women

Positions of Power and Gender Equality whereas men aren’t held to the same expec-

Access to Education and Employment Opportunities

It is a common phrase heard by most women that women earn only $0.77 for every $1.00 earned by women. In reality, global pay scale gaps are even wider. Women earn significantly less than men and are expected

Join Anita Bathe in supporting Influential Women in Business International Day, March 8.

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around you by accepting them and listening to them. Share the responsibility of creating an equal world. Get involved with commitments to change policies that affect women’s rights. Educate your children and family.

Know your rights and sincerely know that many women don’t feel like they have the same rights and opportunities. Give to the cause such as organizations that do the heavy lifting in fixing these urgent issues.

The list is endless and not comprehensive. Do the things you know will make a change for the next generation of women we are raising.

Email info at: asmashums@gmail.com

worry guys Men’s Today is “International “International Day” is coming April 1st.

Women’s Day”, but don’t By: Asma Shums,

Women’s

he awards recognize B.C.’s most outstanding business women and CBC Vancouver is proud to return as the exclusive media partner of this inspirational virtual event.

Each year, honourees who have helped influence and shape policy at some of CanaCBC Vancouver’s Anita da’s largest public and private Bathe companies are celebrated for returns as co-host of Busi- their successes and contributions to the broader B.C. business in Vancouver’s online Influential Women ness community. .......

Source: cbc.ca/news in Business Awards on

My Take On: Feminism In Islam By: Khadija

Nadeem Gr 9

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eing raised in such modern times, I was well aware of the concept of feminism and fully supported it until recently learning about its relation to Islam.

I now recognize that I can’t be a feminist and a Muslim, let me explain. Feminism defines “equal” rights according to humans, men and women. However Islam defines “equal” rights according to the

will of Allah, God. Deciding where you stand means deciding who is superior. Islam honoured women 1400 years ago and gave women rights long before feminism was ever even introduced to the modern world. Regardless of how Muslims choose to follow Islam, our religion has always empowered and honoured women. There are multiple instances in our Islamic history that represent and recognize strong independent women, one of them being the Prophet (PBUH) him self ’s wife Khadija (RA). Using marriage as an example, here are some rights Islam gives women.

In Islam, marriage is seen as a mutually beneficial contract and women have the right to choose their own husband. They are also free to require a prenuptial agreement which not only

includes money she will receive in the event of a divorce, but also contains any Islamic rights she wishes to enforce for herself. This includes the right to a divorce, the right to keep custody of her children if there is a divorce, the right to an education, the right to work, the right to wear a head-covering and multiple other issues that concern her.

So if all these rights are given in Islam, why are so many women just in Islam still oppressed? This is where culture gets mixed in. Often the lines between culture and religion get blurred, and it isn’t Islamic laws that oppress women, but usually Muslim men. But the freedom of will granted

by Islam carries a great responsibility. And Muslim women must educate themselves and understand their rights in order to reclaim them.

On International Women’s Day, we recommit to a recovery with equity: BCFED

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oday, all over the world, we celebrate the accomplishments and progress of women. We acknowledge the courageous work being done by so many in the struggle for justice and equality. And we rededicate ourselves to the work of true gender equity, as we recognize the long road still

ahead of us.

This pandemic has both exposed and deepened inequities for women, gender-diverse individuals, Indigenous, Black and other people of colour, and people with disabilities. Many of them have been on the front lines, getting us through this pandemic even while they were among those most exposed to its dangers. Thousands of others saw their jobs disappear almost overnight. And with the disruption of schools and child care, countless families were left balancing work and child care — a responsibility that fell overwhelmingly to women.

It’s clear we need to do more to support women through this pandemic. Perhaps even more important, as our province reo-

pens and recovers, we must make the very most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a province that truly upholds our values of equity and justice.

Last year, we crafted a course for recovery charted through an intersectional gender equity lens. It includes specific actions that range from pay equity legislation and an anti-racism strategy to additional investments in childcare and support for programs that lift up women and other underrepresented groups in the workplace.

That’s a start. But no recovery can really succeed without far more representative participation in the rooms where decisions are discussed and made. That means including women – and particularly Indigenous wom-

en, Black women and women of colour – and gender-diverse people at decision-making tables in all levels of government and within our organizations. And for those of us in the labour movement, even as we celebrate the remarkable progress we’ve made in recent years, we embrace our responsibility not to close the door behind us — but to open it wider. To claim power so we can share it. To make this movement bigger and broader by opening it to all who share a commitment to justice and equality.

To all who share that commitment, here in British Columbia and around the world, a very happy International Women’s Day.

Rob Cottingham

Director, Communications (interim)

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Rajab 28, 1442 March 12, 2021

HISTORY

Islamic Republic Pakistan Day (Yume Pakistan)(March 23)

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akistan Day is a public holiday in Pakistan to remember the Lahore Resolution on March 23 each year. The word “Pakistan” was never used but the Lahore Resolution is considered a major milestone in the Muslim struggle for an independent state in undivided India.

The Lahore Resolution (Qarardad-e-Lahore commonly known as the Pakistan ResolutionQarardad-e-Pakistan),was a formal political statement adopted by the Muslim League at the occasion of its three-day general session on 22–24 March 1940 that called for greater Muslim autonomy in British India.

This has been largely interpreted as a demand for a separate Muslim state, Pakistan. The resolution was presented by A. K. Fazlul Huq. Although the name “Pakistan” had been proposed by Choudhary Rahmat Ali in his Pakistan Declaration in 1933, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other leaders had kept firm their belief in Hindu-Muslim unity. However, the volatile political climate and religious hostilities gave the idea stronger backing.

The session was held between 22 March and

24 March, 1940, at Manto Park (now Iqbal Park),Lahore. The welcome address was made by Nawab Sir Shah Nawaz Mamdot.

In his speech, Jinnah recounted the contemporary situation, stressing that the problem of India was no more of an inter-communal nature, but manifestly an international. He criticised the Congress and the nationalist Muslims, and espoused the Two-Nation Theory and the reasons for the demand for separate Muslim homelands. According to Stanley Wolpert, this was the moment when Jinnah, the former ambassador of HinduMuslim unity, totally transformed himself into Pakistan’s great leader.

Sikandar Hayat Khan, the Chief Minister of the Punjab, drafted the original Lahore Resolution, which was placed before the Subject Committee of the All India Muslim League for discussion and amendments. The Resolution text unanimously rejected the concept of a United India on the grounds of growing inter-communal violence and recommended the creation of an independent Muslim state.

After the presentation of the annual report

by Liaquat Ali Khan, the Resolution was moved in the general session by A.K. Fazlul Huq, the Chief Minister of undivided Bengal and was seconded by Choudhury Khaliquzzaman who explained his views on the causes which led to the demand of a separate state. Subsequently, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan from Punjab, Sardar Aurangzeb from the North-West Frontier Province, Sir Abdullah Haroon from Sindh, and Qazi Esa from Baluchistan, and other leaders announced their support. In the same session, Jinnah also presented a resolution to condemn the Khaksar massacre of 19 March, owing to a clash between the Khaksars and the police, that had resulted in the loss of lives.

known as Allama Iqbal) and Muhammad Ali Jinnah (commonly known as Quaid-i-Azam or the Supreme Leader), followed by garlands being laid.

A main feature of Pakistan Day celebrations is a parade at Constitution Avenue in Islamabad. An award ceremony is organized where the president gives military and civilian awards to recognize recipients’ achievements and contributions to Pakistan.

Pakistan Day festivals, parties, national songs and debate competitions are featured throughout the day, which sees many people spend time with families, friends and loved ones. Pakistan Day specials are broadcast on radio and TV. Special prayers are offered for peace and prosperity.

Public Life

Pakistan Day is a public holiday in Pakistan on March 23. Government offices, banks, post offices, educational institutions and businesses are closed, except for some multinational organizations.

Public transport is also limited on this day, and may be completely unavailable on certain routes. Many people visit recreational spots on Pakistan Day, so traffic congestion is common in big cities.

Background

Pakistan’s national flag is hoisted on public and governmental buildings at dawn on Pakistan Day. A 31-gun salute in Islamabad and a 21-gun salute in provincial capitals are fired. A change of guard occurs at the mausoleums of Muhammad Iqbal (commonly

The roots of the struggle for independence of British India can be traced back to the uprising of 1857 which started off as a rebellion of the British East India Company soldiers but soon took the shape of a freedom struggle and caused a major threat to Company Raj (Company Rule) in an undivided India.

Leaders such as Sir Syed Ahmed Khan worked tirelessly for the political, social and economic uplifting of Muslims that comprised of 25 to 30 percent of the total population of British India. In a Muslim League annual session in 1930, Muhammad Iqbal, a poet and philosopher, put forward the ideal of Muslims being a separate nation. Iqbal is accredited for weaving the Two-Nation theory, an ideology that eventually made the creation of Pakistan possible.

The Two-Nation theory stated that Hindus

ing the allegations of racism and Meghan’s admission that she felt suicidal during her first pregnancy -- have the potential to deeply impact the royal family’s reputation and have left a cloud of suspicion over some of its members.

The family waited to respond until the interview had aired in the UK, to allow viewers in the country to watch it first, a royal source told CNN. The source added that it was important for Buckingham Palace to carefully consider their response before issuing the statement.

During the interview Harry and Meghan cited a lack of support over invasive press coverage and the royal institution’s decision not to give their son Archie a title -- and with it his eligibility for protection -- as the basis for their decision to relocate from the UK. The royal source told CNN that at the heart of a matter was a family, which should be given the opportunity to address these issues privately.

The source also suggested that a conversation between the royal family and Meghan and Harry should have taken place privately to address the issues raised by the couple instead of in a broadcast interview.

Diversity, equality, inclusion and mental health are important issues and highlighting

that has formed part of the work of members of the family for many years, the source added.

The statement on behalf of the Queen made no mention of an investigation into Harry and Meghan’s allegations.

Last week, however, the palace promised an investigation after a UK newspaper published allegations that Meghan had bullied several staff members -- a report dismissed by the Sussexes as “a calculated smear campaign.”

Prince Charles appeared in public earlier on Tuesday for the first time since the seismic interview and did not respond to a question on the furor surrounding his family.

“Sir, what did you think of the interview?” an off-camera journalist asked Harry’s father and the heir to the British throne, as he visited a Covid-19 vaccination center in London.

Harry told Winfrey that his father had briefly stopped taking his calls after the couple announced they were stepping back from the royal family last January.

What Do People Do?

and Muslims were from two different nations. Muslim culture, tradition, religion, ideology, morals and language were all distinctly different from Hindu ideals. Both nations (Hindus and Muslims) shared mutually contradicting beliefs. Therefore, an autonomous state consisting of Muslim majority areas of British India was demanded to protect Muslims’ political, social and cultural rights.

In a Muslim League general session from March 22 to March 24, 1940, Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other party leaders unanimously rejected the idea of united India, endorsed the Two-Nation Theory, and called for a separate Muslim homeland. The Lahore Resolution was supported by all major Muslim Leaders of the time.

Pakistan gained independence from British rule on August 14, 1947. Nine years after Pakistan’s creation, the first constitution was implemented on March 23, 1956. March 23 was initially meant to celebrate the adoption of the country’s first constitution and its transformation as a republic. The constitution of 1956 was annulled by the military government of Ayub Khan in 1958 and March 23 became a day to commemorate the Lahore Resolution of 1940, which eventually led to the creation of Pakistan.

Symbols

Minar-e-Pakistan (Pakistan Minaret) is a minaret (a type of tower) in Iqbal Park in the city of Lahore. It was built to venerate the Lahore Resolution. The minaret is constructed where the Lahore Resolution was passed. This monument symbolizes a blossoming flower and reflects the blissfulness of independence. Sources: pakbee.com/ & www.timeanddate.com

Buckingham Palace says royal family is ‘saddened’ in first statement since Harry and Meghan interview

B

By Max Foster, CNN uckingham Palace broke its silence Tuesday evening over Harry and Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying in a statement on behalf of the Queen that allegations of racism made by the Sussexes were concerning and being “taken very seriously.”

“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the statement reads.

“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

The statement adds: “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.”

The Sussexes do not plan to comment on the Tuesday statement, a spokesperson told CNN. Buckingham Palace’s response comes more than 36 hours after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a series of damning accusations in their first sit-down interview since stepping back from life as senior royals and moving to the US last year.

The interview plunged the royal household into a crisis. Some of the claims -- includ-

However, the Duke added that repairing the relationship in time will be “one of my priorities.”

He also suggested that his relationship with his brother, Prince William, had taken a hit, saying “the relationship is space, at the moment.”

Harry and Meghan also discussed their new life in California with Winfrey. The couple are expecting their second child, a girl, this summer.

CNN will soon launch Royal News, a weekly newsletter bringing you the inside track on the royal family, what they are up to in public and what’s happening behind palace walls. Sign up here.

Source: cnn.com

15 PAKISTAN Khaksar Martyrs’ Day Rajab 28, 1442

March 12, 2021

By Nasim Yousaf

artyrs’ Day is observed on March 19th to pay homage to the Khaksars who were injured or sacrificed their lives to free Muslims and non-Muslims from British rule.

March 19, 1940 was a black day in the history of the Indian subcontinent and cannot be forgotten. On this day, police opened fire and mercilessly injured and killed innocent Khaksars.

The day began with a peaceful march in Lahore by 313 Khaksar members of Allama Mashriqi’s private army. The Khaksars were marching in protest of the Government’s prohibition on their activities; the Government had imposed the ban because the British rulers considered the Khaksar Tehrik’s military style undertakings as a threat to their rule.

In order to stop the Khaksar parade, Donald Gainsford (Superintendent of Police), accompanied by P. C. D. Beaty (Deputy Superintendent of Police), F.C. Bourne (District Magistrate), a City Magistrate, and heavily armed policemen arrived on the scene. The Khaksars were ordered to immediately abandon the protest march, but they brushed aside the instruction. Not to be defied, Gainsford slapped the leader of the Khaksar contingent. This resulted in a “SERIOUS CLASH BETWEEN KHAKSARS AND POLICE” (The Tribune, March 20, 1940). The police’s indiscriminate firing took over 200 Khaksar lives (though officially reported figures falsely stated a lower number) and an even larger number were injured. According to the register of the Moharir (record keeper) of the district police, 1,620 rounds had been issued to the police at the start of the day and only 1,213 were returned, meaning 407 bullets were fired.

The dead and injured Khaksars were brutally dragged, kicked, and humiliated by the police. The slaughter was the bloodiest and most ruthless killing since the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar by General Dyer on April 13, 1919. The people of the nation were outraged by the massacre and the treatment of the Khaksars. In Lahore, the military was called in; curfew, press censorship, and Section 144 were also imposed.

The news flashed not only in British India, but was also reported by print media as well as radio in many parts of the world. Due to Government propaganda, the killed Khaksars were not declared heroes or martyrs, but rather labeled as rebels and fascists.

On the day of the tragedy, Mashriqi, his two sons, and a large number of Khaksars were arrested. The police and military jointly raided the Khaksar Tehrik Headquarters

and Mashriqi’s adjoining house. Mashriqi’s brilliant son, Ehsanullah Khan Aslam, was injured by the police. Aslam died on May 31, 1940 due to fatal injuries; over 50,000 people gathered near Sunehri Masjid (Golden Mosque) in Lahore to attend his funeral. It is believed that this was the largest funeral for any child in the history of the region. Both men and women were emotionally charged and some of them cried hysterically or fainted. Ehsanullah Khan Aslam’s martyrdom at the age of 16 brought tremendous resentment against British rule. Mashriqi, who was in Vellore Central Jail in Madras (South India), was denied permission to travel to Lahore to take a last glimpse of his beloved son and to bury him. Also see my article entitled, “Allama Mashriqi, His Family & the Khaksars Paid the Price for Freedom.” The treatment of Mashriqi, the killing of his innocent child, and the brutal murder of the Khaksars brought new fuel to the freedom movement.

Three days after the tragedy, the All-India Muslim League held its session in Lahore (from March 22 to 24, 1940) at Minto Park (now Iqbal Park and the site of the Minare-Pakistan monument). The Khaksar massacre was still fresh in people’s minds and tens of thousands thronged to the venue and demanded an inquiry into the barbaric killing along with the release of Mashriqi, his sons, and the Khaksars, and the removal of the ban on the Khaksar Tehrik. As a result of the fierce public pressure, the Muslim League passed the Khaksar Resolution on March 24, 1940 (not March 23rd as is usually reported) along with the Lahore Resolution (later Pakistan Resolution). Regrettably, no information about the Khaksar Resolution is mentioned at the site of the Minar-ePakistan monument.

Based on intense public demand, an inquiry committee was formed by the Punjab Government to investigate the firing of the Khaksars. The committee was headed by Sir Douglas Young (Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court). Upon completion of the investigations, a report was submitted to the Government. However, the findings of the report were never released - the Government should make them public now.

The first Martyrs’ Day was observed in British India on March 19, 1941. Sir Henry Duffield Craik (Governor of Punjab) confirmed the occasion in a letter (dated April 28, 1941) to Lord Linlithgow (Viceroy of India), informing him that the Khaksars observed “Martyrs’ Day” in remembrance of the massacre on March 19, 1940 and distributed black flags.

The rulers resented honoring the martyrs.

A United States-based female activist of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) is allegedly planning assassinations to trigger sectarian violence and chaos in Karachi, officials said on Thursday.

Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Omar Shahid Hamid and Colonel Shabbir from Rangers held a press conference in Karachi during which they showed journalists a video in which a woman is seen giving instructions to an unidentified target killer and promising payment upon successful completion of

the assassination.

She told the individual to “send his love” to the target and demanded confirmation of the assassination attempt, adding that “our life depends on it.”

In the video, she provides details of the payments to be made to the hitman and arrangements for his security and transport while adding that he would be flown abroad after the successful kill.

DIG Hamid and Col Shabbir then identified the woman as a US-based MQM-L activist, Kehkashan Haider. According to DIG Hamid, she has been based in Texas since the 1990s and has remained a close aide of MQM founder Altaf Hussain.

“The MQM-L’s Coordination Committee member, Kehkashan Haider, has established target killer groups in collaboration with India’s RAW and anti-Pakistan Sindhi and Baloch groups to target law enforcement

M

Yet from 1941 onwards, Khaksar Martyrs’ Day was solemnly and regularly observed by the Khaksar Tehrik nearly every year across British India. The somber occasion not only reminded people to remember the martyred, but greatly bolstered the freedom movement. The Khaksars’ martyrdom did not go to waste and, within seven years of the bloodbath on March 19th, two hundred years of British rule in India came to an end.

Unfortunately, after the partition of India in 1947, Jinnah’s Government confiscated Mashriqi and the Khaksar Tehrik’s extensive literature. Since Mashriqi and the Khaksars fought for a united India and did not support the creation of Pakistan, the new Pakistani Government sought to suppress their voice in history. Similarly, in India, Jawaharlal Nehru, who was Mashriqi’s classmate at Cambridge University, did not want Indians to know of Mashriqi’s leading role in the freedom movement. Thus, Nehru not only banned the Khaksar activities, but also seized Mashriqi and the Tehrik’s historical documents. The idea behind seizing Mashriqi and the Khaksars’ papers in both countries was not only to deny Mashriqi’s role in the freedom movement, but also to hide the fact that the leaders who endorsed partition had actually collaborated with the British to divide India for their own as well as British political and economic interests. This suppression of history continues in both countries even today.

With these actions, Pakistan and India continue to teach a distorted history and only recognize those leaders who worked with the British rulers. I have demanded via open letters (available on the internet) to Pakistan, India, and the United Kingdom’s Governments to declassify Mashriqi and the Khaksar Tehrik’s materials (confiscated during the pre- and post partition era), but thus far nothing has come from this effort.

Although some files from the Government of British India are available on the Khaksar Tehrik, they only represent the British Government’s version of events. Writers have used this one-sided view of history to tarnish Mashriqi’s image.

Despite no official recognition in Pakistan and India, Mashriqi’s supporters and the Khaksar Tehrik in Pakistan have continued to observe the Khaksar Martyrs’ Day for decades. Each year, a ceremony is held at the

Khaksar Tehrik Headquarters at 34-Zialdar Road in Icchra, Lahore (where Mashriqi is buried). This year, the Khaksar Tehrik has already announced that the day will be observed across Pakistan. The day will include speeches to remember the departed souls and their contributions toward freedom shall also be shared with the attendees. Mashriqi’s supporters and the Khaksars’ shall visit Miani Sahib graveyard to offer Fateh and lay flowers on the graves of martyred Khaksars.

In other cities of Pakistan, apart from paying homage, prayers for the departed souls shall also be held.

These martyrs deserve to be remembered, as they sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and people of other faiths living in British India and for their future generations. Historically, freedom from strong and oppressive rule does not come via constitutional fights, table talks or other passive methods alone; it demands constant resistance subverting activities, and deep sacrifices such as those made by the Khaksars. This was also the case in the freedom of British India.

To conclude, people of the sub-continent should remember that they have freedom today as a result of the Khaksars’ martyrdom and unwavering defiance of the colonial rulers. The Governments of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan should officially declare March 19th “Khaksar Martyrs Day.” In addition, these Governments should issue instructions to museums to include artifacts from Mashriqi and the Khaksar Tehrik’s fight for freedom. The authorities in Pakistan should also ensure that the Khaksar Resolution is inscribed at the Minar-e-Pakistan site and a memorial is built at the location where the Khaksars were ruthlessly injured or killed.

The nations must honor the Khaksar heroes of the past, whose sacrifices brought freedom to the region and cannot be erased from history.

Nasim Yousaf, a grandson of Allama Mashriqi, is a researcher based in the USA. He has presented papers at academic conferences, published many books, compiled a digital version of his historic works (“Al-Islah” weekly journal), and contributed articles to prestigious and peer-reviewed encyclopedias and academic journals. His works have been published in newspapers in both the East and West.

Copyright © 2021 Nasim Yousaf

agencies, police and political and religious leaders in Pakistan, particularly in Karachi,” Hamid said.Colonel Shabbir said their targets had been individuals whose deaths held potential for creating sectarian strife in the city while DIG Hamid added that other targets were politicians of the city. He refused to share any further details about the targets, citing “concerns about their safety”.

DIG Hamid said details of the alleged plot to target these personalities were uncovered by the CTD and the Pakistan Rangers after interrogation of recently arrested alleged hitmen affiliated with the MQM-L from Karachi and other parts of Sindh. The interrogations revealed that targeted killing teams had been re-established under directions of the MQM-L chief.

“These new targeted killing teams were being patronised by Kehkashan Haider,” he said.The CTD has registered a case against Haider under Sections 11-H and 11-N of Anti-Terrorism Act of Pakistan pertaining to terror financing, DIG Hamid said.

“This has always been a purpose of the MQM-L that terrorism is spread in Karachi [...] so there is no doubt that it is a constant effort of theirs to once again plant feet in Karachi.”He said it was “alarming” that a woman based in the US was coordinating such illicit activities in Karachi “like a mafia don”.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be approached to “take up this matter with the relevant law enforcement institutions of the US government”, according to the police officer.“A clear line of financial transactions is appearing when we traced bank accounts and transactions,” he said, adding that the evidence of financial transactions for terror financing made Pakistan’s case stronger.

“If there is any aspect of money laundering in this, [then] it will be investigated according to the Anti-Money Laundering Act and looked at by the FIA [Federal Investigation Agency].”

He gave assurances that investigations into the case would be impartial and would not target any political party, referring to the MQM-Pakistan and Pak Sarzameen Party.

US-based MQM-L activist planning killings to trigger sectarian rift in Karachi: officials

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Pakistan Last updated:

March 12, 2021, 16:31 GMT