PI Magazine April 2020

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By Liberty

Human Rights Organisation

New law is biggest restriction on our freedom in a generation

- New powers of detention - Lower care standards and vital safeguards removed - Powers could be in place for more than two years Liberty will be closely monitoring and scrutinising a new law brought in as part of the Government’s response to COVID-19.

Analysis of the legislation, which was passed on 25 March 2020, shows that despite the six-month sunset clause, some of these powers could remain in place for longer.

The new law also gives Government the power to renew any part of this legislation for up to six months.

Given that Public Health England doesn’t expect this crisis to extend beyond spring 2021, it’s deeply worrying that these powers could be invoked beyond two years.

Liberty’s Director Martha Spurrier said: “This new law is without doubt the biggest restriction on our individual and collective freedoms in a generation.

“What people may not realise is the extent of its powers, and how long they can be in place for.

“It gives the authorities new powers to detain any one of us that they believe could be infected with the coronavirus.

“It also removes vital safeguards in care standards, leaving many people who are already at risk, such as disabled people, at further risk,

not only of poor care but also of potentially inhumane treatment.

‘While change is necessary, and some of the measures outlined in this legislation are entirely sensible, others are overbearing and, if left unchecked, could create more problems than they solve.

“The breadth of this legislation is also extraordinary. It runs to more than 300 pages and includes some spectacular restrictions, including powers to rearrange or cancel elections.

“We’ll beat this virus, but these measures must be a last resort in that battle and these powers must be removed as soon as possible. We cannot and must not sacrifice all of our hard-won rights and freedoms.” www.pi-media.co.uk

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Imam wins defamation case from Mail

A British Pakistani Imam and British government advisor on Islamophobia has been awarded damages and a full public apology after the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online falsely accused him of supporting Tehreeke-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) leader Khadim Rizvi’s November 2017 Faizabad dherna and the hanging of Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi.

Qari Muhammad Asim, who is a senior Imam at Leeds Makkah Mosque and Chair of Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board, won apology from the Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) at the London High Court after suing the publishes of Mail newspapers.

Speaking to Geo and The News, Qari Asim confirmed that publishers of Mail Online and Mail on Sunday have paid him libel damages as well as his legal costs.

The Mail on Sunday claimed in an article - ‘Revealed: government advisor on Islamophobia and cleric who called for hanging of Christian’ - published on 6 April 2019 that Qari Asim supported Khadim Rizvi’s Faizabad dherna after a Statement was issued by British Muslim Scholars (supported by a number of British Imams) asking the Pakistani

government to avoid violence and resolve the dherna issue.

The statement by British Muslim scholars expressed hope that “through dialogue a swift and sustainable resolution is achieved between the parties so that any civil unrest and violence can be avoided”, as there was concern that violent clashes had begun between the government and the protestors.

Qari Asim told Geo News: “I shared the statement which called for peaceful resolution of Faizabad sit-in to avoid loss of lives. I didn’t support Khadim Rizvi or his demands and have never supported him. I have always worked for peaceful coexistence in the UK and for the projection of Holy Prophet’s (Peace Be Upon Him) message of peace, religious harmony and human fraternity. What the Mail article said was opposite to what I stand for. The allegations were shocking, baseless and damaged my reputation.”

The Mail publishers admitted in the court that the allegations made were false and Qari Asim MBE publicly and vociferously condemned both these crimes. The Associated Newspapers withdrew the false allegations and issued a full apology

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to Qari Asim.

The apology has also been published on MailOnline, on the MailOnline App, and in the print edition of the Mail on Sunday as part of the settlement.

Qari Asim, who is also a commercial lawyer said: “I am pleased with the outcome of the case against Mail on Sunday. The allegation made against me in the Mail on Sunday was fundamentally incorrect. A cursory look on the internet would have confirmed to The Mail that I actually hold completely the opposite views than those alleged in their article on 6 April 2019.

“There is no one single statement of myself supporting Mr Khadim Rizvi’s extreme views, yet despite lack of factual evidence, Mail on Sunday decided to publish a story linking me to Mr Khadim Rizvi. The inaccurate reporting about me is yet another example of the plethora of inaccurate, myth-making stories reported about British Muslims in sections of the media in recent years.”

Qari Asim blamed a section of right-wing media for constantly publishing anti-Muslim stories which are at the root of anti-Muslim hate in the UK and other western countries.

He said: “Journalism plays a vital role in society and democracy. Lazy journalism, erroneous reporting or even fake news about Muslims is extremely reckless and dangerous; such incorrect reporting painting overwhelmingly negative picture about Muslims fuels prejudice and hatred against Muslims in society. It also tars the diligent work by many journalists across the country. I believe the religious and cultural literacy of journalists also needs to be improved.”

Amir Khan offers £5m wedding venue to NHS

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In a post, Amir said: “I am aware of how difficult it is for the public to get a hospital bed in this tragic time.

“I am prepared to give my 60,000 square foot 4 story building which is due to be a wedding hall and retail outlet to the @NHSuk to help people affected by the coronavirus.

“Pls keep safe.”

The total number of deaths in Greater Manchester now stands at 23.

At least 146 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Greater Manchester, although the real number is thought to be much higher.

Amir Khan has pledged to give his £5m wedding venue in Bolton to the NHS to help those affected by the coronavirus.

The Bolton boxer made the announcement on Twitter.

The 33-year-old said he is prepared to offer up the four-story building as he is “aware of how difficult it is for the public to get a hospital bed at this time”.

Plans were first submitted for

the 60,000 square-foot building, in Washington Street, Deane, back in 2013.

It was proposed the building would be turned into a wedding venue, banqueting suite and function hall.

The development will incorporate a restaurant and bar, VIP restaurant and roof terrace.

It is now understood the site would also include a retail outlet.

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British forces to begin their final retreat from Afghanistan After nearly two decades of military intervention in Afghanistan, the UK finally looks set to depart the country following the US peace deal with the Afghan Taliban.

According to the Times newspaper, “hundreds” of British troops are set to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by “mid-July” as part of the “first phase” of the US-Taliban peace deal.

Altogether, 330 British soldiers are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by the end of the summer. Currently there are 1,100 “regular” UK military personnel stationed in Afghanistan,

most of them in and around Kabul.

The full evacuation of the British troops, as part of the “second phase” of the drawdown, is dependent on the sustainability of the volatile peace agreement between the US and the Taliban leadership.

The Times defence editor, Lucy Fisher, tweeted that there is “doubt” about durability in view of the Taliban’s propensity to engage in further resistance against US and UK forces.

Crucially, it is not clear at this stage if British Special Forces,

notably soldiers from the Special Air Service (SAS) and its sister unit the Special Boat Service (SBS), will be withdrawn in tandem with regular forces.

Currently SAS and SBS soldiers are embedded with US forces in areas well beyond Kabul, notably in the southern Helmand province.

News that British forces are finally retreating from Afghanistan will come as a big disappointment to military families, particularly those who lost loved ones in the conflict. n within our communities in Britain.” www.pi-media.co.uk

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UK broke law over IS ‘Beatles’ by passing information to US

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Britain acted unlawfully by sharing evidence with the United States about two members of an alleged ISIS assassination squad operating in Syria that could have caused them to face the death penalty, the UK’s highest court ruled.

The legal victory for the mother of one of the four-strong squad – dubbed the Beatles by their captives because of their British accents – means they are now more likely to stand trial in the UK than the US over claims they beheaded 27 hostages.

El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey were captured in January 2018, sparking a dispute over where they should be tried for crimes that the court called the “worst of the worst”.

The pair, who have both been stripped of their British citizenship, were held in Syria, then transferred to US custody after Turkey launched its assault on Kurdish-held territory.

But Britain’s Supreme Court ruled on that the former home secretary, Sajid Javid, breached laws on data protection by providing information that could have led to a death

sentence. His decision was based on “political expediency”, the ruling found.

The victims of the brutal group included US citizens James Foley, Steven Sotloff and Peter Kassig and Britons David Haines and Alan Henning.

“These killings came to global attention by all, except one, being filmed and posted on the internet,” said Lord Kerr, one of the seven judges. “It is difficult to imagine more horrific murders than those which Mr Elsheikh and Mr Kotey are alleged to have carried out.”

They are said to have worked with another Briton, Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, who was killed in a US air strike and Aine Davis, who is in a Turkish jail.

The current whereabouts of Mr Elsheikh and Mr Kotey have not been disclosed and it was not immediately clear how Washington would respond to the ruling.

Before they were moved to a “secure location” controlled by the US, Mr Elsheikh told British broadcasters he wanted to stand trial

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in the UK. “If the UK wants to put me on trial, then I will defend myself with what I can,” he said. “I will admit to what I admit to and defend myself on what I defend myself on.”

British prosecutors had said there was insufficient evidence to put the pair before a UK court and sought to have them put on trial in the US. Mr Javid passed 600 pages of police-compiled witness statements to the US but his decision sparked a political firestorm after he was accused of reneging on the UK’s commitment to oppose the death penalty anywhere in the world.

The UK government considers the death penalty both “immoral and unacceptable”, the ruling said.

Lawyers for Mr El Sheikh’s mother, Maha Elgizouli, had argued that her son should stand trial in the UK as prosecutors now had evidence to put both men before a British court.

Ms Elgizouli said British prosecutors were expected to complete a review by next month that would decide whether the UK could hold the trial, said a statement released by her lawyers.

“She has always expressed her belief that her son, if accused, should face justice; and that any trial should take place in the UK,” it said.

British officials shifted the country’s stand over three months in 2018, after their ambassador in Washington warned that Donald Trump could “hold a grudge” if the UK refused to allow its intelligence to be used for death penalty cases, a previous hearing was told.

Coronavirus Bill passed to stop cremation against Muslim families’ wishes

The Government has amended its Coronavirus Bill to address concerns raised over the prospect of forced cremations which are against religous beliefs.

However, it states in the bill that the person who dies of corona virus has to leave a written direction to

the contrary.

When it was unveiled as part of the Government’s emergency legislation to help tackle the spread of Covid-19, the Bill over-ruled the law that made it illegal for local Authorities to cremate bodies against their or their family’s wishes.

Naz Shah managed to change this, with the help of Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and other MPs through a petition against this section. It has been re-written to take into account the strict laws regarding burial in the Jewish and Muslim faiths.

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UK airport police admits wrong doing in forcing Muslim woman to remove hijab

A Muslim woman who was forced to remove her hijab under terror laws at London Heathrow Airport has won a “substantial damage payment” from the police.

The woman, known as Asiyah, pursued a judicial review after she had to take off her hijab under a Schedule 7 stop and search in October 2018.

The anti-terror law allows police and border guards to detain people without suspicion and hold them for up to nine hours at airports, ports and international rail stations.

Asiyah, who won £15,000 from London’s Metropolitan Police in an out of court settlement, said that “no

Muslim woman should ever have to face this violation.

“Being forced to remove my hijab was the most dehumanising and embarrassing experience of my life.

“I was made to feel worthless—I felt that my honour had been violated.

“The fact that the police can behave in such a way without any repercussions is frightening.”

A transcript of an interview with Asiyah shows that police told her, “We can take photographs that we need by force.

“You might end up being arrested because you wouldn’t let us take a photograph of your hair.”

Asiyah won her case with the support of detainee rights’ group Cage and Birnberg Peirce solicitors.

Its director Muhammad Rabbani said, “It is clear the police knew they were discriminating against Muslim women.

“And therefore opted to settle in order to avoid the case setting a precedent for other women that have had their hijab forcibly removed.

“It’s high time Schedule 7 is scrapped.” He called for the AllParty Parliamentary Group on British Muslims to “take immediate steps to investigate the Home Office over its discriminatory ­operation of Schedule 7 powers”.

Cage previously revealed that “potentially close to one million” people—88 percent of them Muslim—have been stopped under Schedule 7.

Summayah, another Muslim woman who was forced to remove her hijab at London’s Gatwick Airport, said she was “mistreated” despite being chronically ill.

“Border Police removed me from the disabled cart and placed me in a glass room in view of everyone,” she said.

“I wasn’t aware of my rights and the police took full advantage.”

British parliament to start serving halal food The House of Commons announced it will start serving halal and kosher meals at the parliamentary cafeteria following a request from Muslims and Jewish members.

The step will be on a trial basis for three months. If successful, with enough demand for the meals, the measure will be put in place permanently.

The decision came into action following a joint letter with the request from Jewish Labour MP Charlotte Nicols and Muslim Labour MP Zarah Sultana.

There are currently 19 Muslim MPs in the House of Commons, the UK parliament’s lower chamber, as well as other parliamentary staff and workers of the same faith who

will benefit from this decision.

The cafeteria will serve halal/ kosher sandwiches and hot meals for £5.25 during the trial, according to thenational.ae.

The menu of the meals has not been shared yet.

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New Zealand mosque killer switches plea to guilty in surprise move

instead move directly to sentencing Tarrant on all 92 charges. It did not provide a date for that sentencing and Tarrant was remanded in custody until May 1.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has stuck by a pledge to not name the gunman in public, said she let out “a massive sigh of relief” when she heard of the guilty pleas.

“The whole nation, but particularly the Muslim community, has been spared a trial that could have acted as a platform,” Ardern said.

Aarif Rasheed, a lawyer working with some victim families, said they were not given any indication of why Tarrant changed his pleas from not guilty.h the real number is thought to be much higher.

An Australian man accused of killing 51 Muslim worshippers in New Zealand’s worst mass shooting changed his plea to guilty in a surprise move.

Brenton Tarrant, who appeared by video link, admitted to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act in a hastily called Christchurch High Court hearing.

“He has been convicted of each and every one of those charges,” presiding judge Justice Cameron Mander said in minutes of the

hearing released by the court.

“The entry of guilty pleas represents a very significant step towards bringing finality to this criminal proceeding.”

Tarrant has been in police custody since March 15, 2019, when he was arrested and accused of using semiautomatic weapons to target Muslims attending Friday prayers at two mosques in Christchurch. The attack was streamed live on Facebook.

Tarrant’s guilty plea makes a six-week trial that was due to begin in June redundant. The court will

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Govt plans not to prosecute acts of torture after 5 years

The Government last month published legislation which would create a presumption against prosecution for any acts of torture undertaken by UK personnel which took place more than five years ago.

Amnesty International UK, Freedom From Torture, Liberty, REDRESS, the Rendition Project, Reprieve, and Rights Watch UK, issued the following joint response: “It cannot be right that the UK will not prosecute acts of torture if they took place more than five years ago.

“For decades the UK military has opposed the use of torture and enshrined this in the army field manual and MoD doctrine.

“The UK and its armed forces helped establish standards like the Geneva Convention after the atrocities of world war two and the horrors of the holocaust, and every day British personnel risk their lives to uphold these standards.

“The erosion of global rules against torture would put UK personnel at risk by endangering

British soldiers detained by foreign forces overseas.

“Any perceived license to torture will compromise our cooperation with military allies who maintain categorical opposition to such abuses.

“The Government should act on the suggestion in its previous consultation on this issue, and make clear there will be no quarter or concession for those who engage in torture.” www.pi-media.co.uk

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With Mosques shut, Muslims turn to technology for their spiritual Needs

The spread of the coronavirus has affected Muslims across the world, with religious leaders making adjustments to longstanding traditions to contain the spread of the disease.

Saudi Arabia, home to the Muslim world’s two holiest sites, banned worshippers from visiting the Grand Mosque in Mecca towards which all Muslims face in prayer.

Meanwhile in Kuwait, a muezzin amended the adhan (call to prayer) from the usual ‘hayya alas-salah’ or ‘come to prayer’ to ‘al-salatu fi buyutikum’ or ‘pray in your homes’.

“I keep thinking about all the times I could’ve gone to the mosque when it was open,” Imam Omar Suleiman said in a virtual sermon on Friday from his home in Dallas, Texas.

Suleiman told those watching his livestream that his sermon was not meant to be a replacement for the Friday prayer, but a way to share spiritual advice for those staying at home amid the pandemic.

Attendance for Jum’ah (Friday

prayers) is considered mandatory for Muslim men and optional for women and children according to the majority of Muslim scholars. But during times of plague and other calamities, it is permissible according to Shari’ah (Islamic law) to suspend the practice.

Most mosques across the US began shutting down following advice from local and state governments to limit public gatherings.

With little information available, worshippers have been distraught about how to satisfy their spiritual needs.

A prominent imam within the US, Suleiman has been trying to fill the gap for worshippers who are obliged to stay home, beginning virtual sermons every week until the mosques re-open.

There is a saying that in testing times, God closes one door with his wisdom and opens two doors with his mercy.

“I had imagined giving this khutbah (Friday sermon) in the masjid (mosque), about how this

might be our last time being able to pray Jum’ah (Friday prayers),” Suleiman said.

“And here I am doing this in my home office right now.”

Naeem Baig, who leads a weekly gathering of Muslim millennials in the Washington DC area, said he had mixed feelings about the switch to digital.

The central point of his gathering, called Chit Chai, are the connections made between people sharing the same physical space.

While the sessions are usually comprised of group conversation and breakout sessions, the latter could not be achieved online. There were also problems with microphones and webcams as well as bad internet connections.

“Chit Chai, in essence, is a discussion circle centered in community building and focused on coming closer to Allah,” he told Middle East Eye. “Those primary aims are lost online.”

Baig said that if a person’s first Continued on page 13

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exposure to the gathering was online and not in person, they would feel as if they were attending a lecture, not a communal conversation, and thus the community-building aspect would be lost.

“I think the only reason we’re doing this is out of necessity,” he added.

The Muslim American Society (MAS), a non-profit with 50 chapters of Muslim community centers across the US, created a daily webinar with some of the most recognizable scholars and imams in the country.

Every day at 9pm Eastern Time, the organization hosts talks and spiritual advice, as well as Quranic recitations and communal supplications.

Wafa Manasrah, the operations

manager at MAS, said the organization saw a void amid the pandemic and found a way to fill it.

Unlike Baig’s Muslim millennial meetup that aims to have conversations, the sessions at MAS are designed to be in the format of a lecture, where spiritual knowledge is delivered to an audience.

In this way, the transition to the online format has not only been quite intuitive, it has also begun to solve problems that the organization has been working on for the past year.

“We are reaching an audience that we wouldn’t normally be able to reach,” Manasrah said.

By having an online format, where anyone is able to tune in and watch, the daily sessions are able to reach Muslims in the country that do not

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necessarily have a mosque in their community.

As the coronavirus epidemic continues to grow in the US, mosques around the country are facing difficult questions concerning practices during the holy month of Ramadan.

During the month, Muslims fast between dawn and dusk and mosques see high numbers for night prayers and other communal activities.

While congregational prayers cannot be completed virtually, Manasrah said MAS’ virtual programming would continue as the organization had been able to successfully deliver online services.

“I think that this is an opportunity and we should build on it,” she said.

Imam Omar Suleiman has had to resort to doing virtual sermon on Friday from his home in Dallas

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Palestine slams Israeli bills on land grab, death penalties www.pi-media.co.uk

The Palestinian Authority (PA) warned the Tel Aviv regime against approving bills that seek to annex most of the occupied West Bank, including the Jordan Valley, and pave the way for death penalties for Palestinian prisoners.

In a statement, the PA’s Foreign Ministry strongly denounced the Israeli bill that would permanently annex the Jordan Valley, the northern Dead Sea and the Hebron (al-Khalil) desert in the occupied West Bank to Israel, Qatar’s al-Sharq paper reported.

Another bill also authorizes issuing death penalties for the Palestinian prisoners accused of carrying out anti-Israeli operations, it added.

The statement said although the submission of this hostile plan comes at a time of internal party strife in the occupied territories, it is a direct fulfillment of the promises of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.

The statement further called on the international community to help block this anti-Palestine plan.

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It further said that the move would undermine efforts to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and would be a final death to the peace process.

The bills were submitted to the Israeli Knesset (parliament) last month by the right-wing Israeli lawmaker Miki Zohar, who heads the Likud party in the Knesset.

In September 2019, right before the last elections, Netanyahu vowed that if re-elected, he planned to annex additional “vital” parts of the West Bank beyond the Jordan Valley and the major settlement blocs, and do so in coordination with the United States.

The cabinet agreed to turn the wildcat settlement of Mevoot Yericho in the Jordan Valley into an official settlement.

Shortly afterwards, however, the Israeli prime minister said that he had been told by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit that a transition government could not make such a move so close to an election.

The Jordan Valley is a fertile strip of land that accounts for roughly one quarter of the West Bank.

Approximately 70,000 Palestinians and some 9,500 Israeli settlers currently live in the Jordan Valley.

Turkey to keep border open for migrants trying to travel to Europe Turkey will keep its border open for migrants trying to travel to Europe until the European Union (EU) meets Ankara’s expectations over a 2016 migration deal, President Tayyip Erdogan said.

Tens of thousands of migrants have been trying to get into EU member Greece since Turkey said on Feb. 28 it would no longer keep them on its territory as agreed under the deal with Brussels in return for EU aid for the refugees.

Greece has used tear gas and

water cannon to prevent migrants crossing the border and Erdogan condemned the actions of Greek security forces after showing a video of scenes at the border as he made a speech to his party’s lawmakers in parliament.

“There is no difference between those images on the Greece border and what the Nazis did,” he said, Reuters reported.

Greece has dismissed Turkish accusations that its forces have opened fire and killed several

migrants at the border, accusing Ankara of spreading fake news.

“Until all expectations are met in a concrete way, we will continue our current practice at our borders,” Erdogan said, referring to aspirations including an update of Turkey’s customs union with the bloc, a revival of its stalled EU accession process and financial aid.

He said Turkey would submit proposals to the bloc by the time of an EU summit. www.pi-media.co.uk

Afghan govt to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners 16

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Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree promising to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners.

A recent peace deal signed between the United States and the Taliban called for the release of up to 5,000 prisoners ahead of the much sought-after negotiations.

There was no official response from the Taliban, but AP saw a letter that Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, the head of the Taliban’s Prisoners Commission, sent to the prisoners, their families and Taliban leaders promising there would be no talks until all the prisoners are released.

The letter says the Taliban would verify that each prisoner released is among those on the list given to an

American delegation.

However, the presidential decree went on to say the first round of 1,500 prisoners will be selected based on age, health and the length of their sentences already served.

The released prisoners, who will be biometrically identified, will also have to give a written guarantee that they will not return to the battlefield.

The remaining 3,500 prisoners will be released after negotiations begin and 500 will be released every two weeks providing the Taliban reduce violence on the battlefield, Mr Ghani’s decree said.

However, even if the Taliban agree to start negotiations, Kabul’s political turmoil and relentless

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bickering between Mr Ghani and his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, who has also sworn himself in as Afghanistan’s president, have left Kabul struggling to come up with a united negotiating team.

Mr Ghani’s decree came as the US State Department issued a statement saying that the level of violence is “unacceptable” and that while the Taliban have stopped attacks against the US-led coalition forces and in Afghan cities, the violence in the countryside remains too high.

The statement also said Afghanistan’s “presidential electoral crisis” has delayed the establishment of a national negotiating team and the start of peace talks.

Despite the political chaos in Kabul and increased violence on the battlefield, the United States has started withdrawing its troops in keeping with the deal it signed on February 29 with the Taliban. In the first phase, Washington will reduce its troops contingent to 8,600, down from the current 13,000.

If the Taliban adhere to their commitments to deny terrorists safe havens in Afghanistan, Washington will withdraw the remainder of its troops over 14 months, according to the agreement.

Zionist forces arrest Al-Aqsa Palestinian figure In Case You Missed It

The Zionist regime’s forces arrested a senior Palestinian Muslim official in Jerusalem al-Quds.

The Israeli forces raided the home of Sheikh Najih Bakirat, deputy of the custodian of the Al Aqsa mosque compound, and arrested him, Palinfo news website reported.

He was taken to an interrogation center, the report added.

Palestinian activists in occupied Jerusalem al-Quds warn that the Zionist regime is using prevention of spread of the novel coronavirus as a pretext to close al-Aqsa Mosque and detain Palestinian religious figures in a bid to carry out its Judaization measures.

Located in east Jerusalem al-Quds, al-Aqsa Mosque was occupied by Israel in the 1967

Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognized by the international community.

The site is the third-holiest in Islam and a focus of Palestinian aspirations for statehood. Muslim access to Al Aqsa and the adjoining Dome of the Rock is controlled by Israeli security forces. www.pi-media.co.uk

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Russia strongly condemned Israel’s plans to build new settlements in the occupied West Bank.

At a news conference in Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Israel’s plans for new settlements “clearly” violate international law.

“The plans [for new settlements in the occupied West Bank] … clearly contradict the international legal basis for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement. Their implementation will make impossible the territorial continuity of this zone, which is an

essential condition for the viability of a future Palestinian state,” she said.

Zakharova called the construction work on occupied Palestinian territory “one of the main obstacles” for relaunching direct IsraeliPalestinian talks and stressed that Israel’s actions have no legal basis.

“The establishment of settlements

by Israel in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem (al-Quds), has no legal force, and is a violation of international law,” she said. www.pi-media.co.uk

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US forces to withdraw from 3 bases in Iraq: report The US military plans to withdraw forces from three bases in Iraq, a report said.

According to the BBC report, they include the al-Qaem Base in the west of al-Anbar province.

The base, located near the Iraq-Syria border, will be officially handed over to the Iraqi army in a ceremony.

Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United States from the country following the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, along with the deputy head of the PMU,

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and their companions in US airstrike authorized by President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport two days earlier.

Former Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi called on the United States to dispatch a delegation to Baghdad tasked with formulating a mechanism for the move.

Contact: Editorial Team on 07506 466385, email: info@pi-media.co.uk

Ajax footballer Abdelhak Nouri awakes from coma

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Abdelhak Nouri, a midfielder for Dutch football giants Ajax, has woken from a coma after two years, eight months and 19 days.

The player’s brother Abderrahim said the 22-year-old woke up and showed signs of life, Dutch daily De Telegraaf reported.

“It is going well with Appie [Abdelhak]. Yes, what is good? He’s

awake, he’s asleep, he’s eating, he’s burping, but he’s not getting out of bed,” Abderrahim told the Amsterdam-based newspaper.

“At good times there is a form of communication, then he moves his eyebrows. He just can’t keep it up for long, that seems to be top sport for him,” he said, adding that Nouri was at home with his family and “aware of

Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has affected the entire world, former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has urged people to help each other rising above religion and economic status.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Akhtar also requested to work as a “global force” and adhere to the guidelines issued by the authorities.

“Request all my fans all across the globe. Coronavirus is a global crisis and we have to think as a global force, rise above religion.

Lockdown is happening so that the virus does not spread. If you are doing interaction and meeting in places, it will not help,” Akhtar.

“If you are hoarding things, please think about the daily wage workers. Stores are empty. What is the guarantee that you will live after three months? Think about the daily wage worker, how will he feed his family? Think about people, time to be a human, not Hindu, Muslim.

People will have to help each other, collect funds. Stop hoarding.

“Rich will still survive; how will the poor survive? Have faith. We are living like animals, live like humans.

Try to be helpful, please stop storing stuff. It is the time we look after each other. No time to be divided, we have to live as humans,” he added.

Earlier, Akhtar had lashed out at those responsible for making

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where he is”.

The Dutch-Moroccan midfielder collapsed during a friendly match between Ajax and Germany’s Werder Bremen on July 8, 2017 in Austria due to a cardiac arrest, which caused serious brain damage.

Amsterdam-based Ajax were later forced to admit that their onfield treatment of the player was inadequate. Club doctor Don de Winter was fired.

Winter is believed to have deviated from UEFA’s guidelines, beginning resuscitation attempts too late. Ajax Chief Executive Edwin van der Sar said at the time a defibrillator should “have been used sooner”.

“Had this happened, it’s possible that Abdelhak would have come out in a better condition,” Van der Sar had said in a statement.

“This isn’t certain, but it’s a possibility.

“We recognise our responsibility and liability for the consequences of this.” www.pi-media.co.uk

Time to be human, not Hindu & Muslim, says Shoaib Akhtar

the coronavirus infect humans and blamed China solely for the outbreak.

“I don’t understand why you have to eat things like bats, drink their blood and urine and spread some virus across the globe...I’m talking about the Chinese people.

They have put the world at stake.

I really don’t understand how you can eat bats, dogs, and cats. I’m really angry,” Akhtar had said in an earlier video posted on his Youtube channel.

“The whole world is at risk now.

The tourism industry has been hit, the economy is badly affected and the whole world is going towards a lockdown.

UFC confident to host April blockbuster

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I April 2020

Despite the Coronavirus pandemic having brought the sporting world almost to a standstill, including postponement of major events like the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, UFC boss Dana White is adamant that it will not disrupt the franchise’s forthcoming schedule of fights.

April is a major month for the UFC with a blockbuster fight between reigning, undisputed lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and challenger Tony Ferguson being penciled in for the 18th - with Abu Dhabi being mentioned as a possible venue.

The huge UFC 249 event in New York has been in serious doubt following the outbreak, which has already led to the cancellation of three UFC events in March. White, however, stressed that the event would go on behind closed doors for a TV audience and in a new location (country).

“Healthy and safety is something we’ve been doing long before the

coronavirus and we’ll be doing it long after the coronavirus is gone,” he said. “This is just normal for us.

“I will get this done.”

The boast came during an Instagram live chat with MMA Junkie, one of the most popular sites for the rapidly spreading sport.

“I do (know where it is),” he said.”But I’m not ready to tell you yet. I know lots of things. There’s not going to be any fans there. It’s going to be a closed event.

“Trust me, Khabib has been telling me every day, ‘Send location’,” White told ESPN. “I have it. It’s 99.9 per cent. On April 18, we are having this fight.”

White also revealed that UFC 249 will feature a full card of 13 fights with Russia, Mexico and even Abu Dhabi - the UAE capital which hosted the UFC title-fight between Khabib and Dustin Poirier, being touted as venues.

Khabib’s coach Mendez said: “I do see a probable scenario, like

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Khabib’s father said and that’s fighting in Abu Dhabi. We haven’t been prepared for it but if that’s where it goes it makes sense.”

This may seem like wishful thinking on the part of the Nurmagomedov camp, given the ultra-tight restrictions having been imposed the UAE governement which also led to the cancellation of the $35 million Dubai World Cup meeting.

White acknowledges that it will need a miracle to pull off UFC 249 but remained adamant in his stance to prove that the Ultimate Fighting Championships has more resilience than the COVID-19.

And he’s taking every precaution to ensure that if it happens, it will, without an incident. “Everybody who is going to be involved in this thing is going to be because they want to be, not because they have to be or they have to do anything,” he said on the Instagram chat.

“Believe me: We didn’t just start thinking about safety when the coronavirus popped up. Health and safety, these are things that normal businesses that are out there right now don’t necessarily have to think about on a daily basis.”

Among the other fights scheduled for UFC 249 is the exciting comain event women’s bout between Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas.

Top UFC match-ups between Magomed Ankalaev versus Ion Cutelaba, Islam Makhachev versus.

Alexander Hernandez and Jeremy Stephens versus Calvin Kattar and also scheduled. www.pi-media.co.uk

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Seeking perfection in an imperfect world

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By Moulana Khalid Dhorat

Everyone grows up thinking that the world is a perfect place. How wrong we all are! In our innocence, we think that everybody is fair to each other, and if anyone is wronged, justice will be served. In this fairy-tale world of ours, people are happy for each other, and if someone else has more than you, you will be happy that the Distributor of Goodness, the Almighty, was fair to me and I’m happy at His decision. There is no deliberate wars and arguing, just misunderstandings and genuine mistakes. There’s always a happy ending. However, when matters are not settled, we fight to believe that things will come right, sooner or later. But, this sometimes never happens.

Most of us have goodness in our hearts, and we think that goodness is in everything. But, we are overlooking a fundamental truth about this life. In our childish idealism, we fail to understand that this world is inherently imperfect, and our goodness too, is imperfect. We, as humans, are inherently imperfect.

We must by default, always mess things up, knowingly or unknowingly.

And in those mess-ups, we will

inevitably hurt others, intentionally or unintentionally. The world is seen differently by seven billion people, and the goodness of one may be harm for the next. In our eagerness, how many times haven’t we hurt our partners or failed our children and society? We do one good act for the Almighty, but then do ten evil ones thereafter.

If mankind has been made to mess things up and never reach perfection, does this mean that we must stop struggling against injustice, stop aiming for inner purity, or just give up on the Truth? Of course, not. It simply means that we must not hold this world, its people and its systems, to an unrealistic standard.

We must learn to let go of the pain of betrayal and the sorrow of parting.

But this is not always easy. How do we live in a world where people betray us and let us down, including our own family and friends? Hardest of all, how do we learn to forgive when we have been wronged?

How can we be the better party, even if we have the capacity to take revenge? How do we become strong, without being hard; and remain soft,

without being weak? How do we become compassionate, with being gullible, or cheerful, without being remorseful? When do we hold on, and when do we let go? When does caring become too much? Is there such a thing as loving more than we should, without being loved in return?

All of us understand the game of football and cricket. If we pass the ball to a player, it comes back; but life is not like this. If you pass the ball, it sometimes never return.

It’s now time to leave the stadium of sports, and sit in the stadium of life. We must find some answers to these mysteries of life. We need to reflect as the why pain is such an important part of life, of growing and maturing. Life is conceived in pain, and life is taken in pain. What is the significance of pain?

To find these answers, we have to first study the lives of the almostperfect (ma’sum), the Apostles of God, or the near-perfect (mahfuz), the Companions of these Apostles.

We need to examine whether we are the first or the last to feel pain or be wronged. We need to look at those who came before us – those much more superior and exalted than us – and study their struggles, and their triumphs. When we do so, we realize that growth never comes without pain, and success is always a product of struggle. Struggle almost always includes withstanding and overcoming the harms inflicted by others. Success comes by not only striving towards goodness, but overcoming and withstanding the pressures within too.

Recalling the shining examples of the glorious Apostles of God will remind us that our pain is not isolated. In fact, our pain is nothing compared to their pain. Remember that Prophet Noah (may peace be upon him) was abused by his people for 950 years. The Qur’an tells us that his nation openly insulted him

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thus: “Here is one possessed!” The more the pain, the more the gain!

If 100 people insult us five times a day with “you are mad,” we will most probably throw ourselves down the next cliff. But this remarkable Prophet tolerated this for 346 750 days! Imagine his mental strength and tolerance!

Let us call to mind how our Noble Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) was utterly humiliated in Ta’if by being pelted with stones by small children and street vendors, until his shoes were filled with his blessed blood? Even the angels understood this diabolic aspect of human nature, and knew that such a despicable act cannot go unpunished. When the Almighty told the angels that He would create mankind, their first question was about this harmful potential of humans: “Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?’” (Qur’an, 2:30) If the people of Ta’if did not repent thereafter, me and you would’ve probably killed their descendants today, but the Noble Prophet (may peace be upon him) forgave them and attributed their insolence to his own weakness.

In reality, forgiveness is the highest form of good, and revenge is the highest form of evil. Forgiveness needs traits of nobleness, and revenge needs traits of evil, and Prophets are free from any traits of evil. The Angel of the Mountain offered Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) to crush the people of Ta’if for their misdeeds, but Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) was not looking at them.

He was looking at their ignorance and misguidance. He needed to give them a second chance. It was not about him, it was about Islam. He overlooked his pain, for the gain of those people. And it paid handsome dividends.

The potential of humanity to commit horrific crimes against each other is a sad reality of life. You have to feel pain at the hand of another, whether you like it or not.

You may never see justice in this world, whether you like it or not.

And yet many of us are so blessed

in this regard. In South Africa, land of Braaivleis and Biryani, most of us have not had to face the type of calamities that others have endured throughout time. I hope that day never comes, but most of us never watched our families being bombed or tortured, like in Palestine and Bosnia. None of us seen our children buried alive or our pregnant mother’s belly gutted like sheep. None of our mothers fleeing a warzone with four children had to leave two of their children at the wayside to die of starvation because of lack of food, and no father has yet committed suicide in South Africa because of his inability to feed his family. Yet, there are few of us who could say that they have never been hurt, in one way or another. Most of us will know what it means to cry from a wounded heart.

Is it possible to avoid pain?

Perhaps not, but we can limit its effects to some degree. By adjusting our expectation, our response, and our focus, we can avoid much depression and devastation. We have to learn that putting our entire trust, reliance, and hope in another person is plain foolish. We have to remember that humans are fallible and therefore, our ultimate trust, reliance, and hope should only be upon the Almighty. He is the only handhold that never breaks, and He will save us from much unneeded disappointment. It is He Who put us through this experience, and it’s He who is holding our hands throughout this ordeal. Are we letting go of this support, or are we clinging on to it?

This is not to say that we should not love or that we should love less, that we should lose our zest for life and faith in humanity. No, but it’s how we love and react to situations that’s important. Situations are never in our control, but our reaction to it, are. Nothing should be our ultimate object of love, except the Almighty.

He alone can return love, and none else. Nothing should come before the Almighty in our hearts. We should never come to a point where we love something other than Him, in such a way that it becomes impossible to continue life without it. This type of ‘love’ is not love, but actually worship and it causes nothing but pain.

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Don’t we worship money, fame, our partners, actors, our desires? How many times did they already let you down?

But what happens when you’ve done all the above, and you still feel wronged? How can we mend our scars and continue being good to people, even when they are not good to us? In the story of Sayyadina Abu Bakr (may God be pleased with him), is a beautiful example of exactly that.

After his daughter was slandered in the worst way, he found out that the man who began the rumor was Mistah, a cousin whom he was supporting financially. Naturally Abu Bakr withheld the charity, but soon thereafter, the Almighty revealed: “Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means, resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen, those in want and those who migrated in the path of God. Let them forgive and overlook. Do you not wish that God should forgive you?” (Qur’an, 24:22) Upon hearing this verse, Abu Bakr resolved that he did want the Almighty’s forgiveness, and so he not only continued to give the Mistah money, but he gave him more.

Man forgives if the culprit acknowledges his wrongs, but God forgives in a way that He never seen our sins. And so the ability to readily forgive should be driven by an awareness of our own flaws and imperfection. Most of all, our humility should be driven by the fact that we wrong the Almighty every single day of our lives. Who are we compared to Him? Who are we to withhold forgiveness if we hope to be forgiven by the Almighty? Isn’t this duplicity of our own principles?

To enter the perfection of the Afterlife and eternal Paradise, you have to forgive. After all, isn’t one of the greatest attributes of God, Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem (The Most Compassionate and Merciful)?

So the next time someone harms you, send him a plate of mithaai (sweetmeats) as he has contributed towards your spiritual growth, and don’t forget to send for me a plate too! wwww.pi-media.co.uk

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