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By Liberty
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UK u-turn on torture inquiry ‘disgraceful’
David Lidington tells commons that government will not allow a judgeled inquiry into uk’s complicity in detainee abuse during us-led torture programme. Responding to an announcement from the Government saying it will not be establishing an independent judge-led inquiry into UK involvement in rendition and torture that took place after 9/11, Amnesty International and Liberty have branded the move “disgraceful”. Speaking in the House of Commons, David Lidington, the de facto deputy prime minister, ruled out the long-delayed inquiry, originally promised by David Cameron’s coalition government in 2010. Last year, the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee published two damning reports into the UK’s involvement in numerous cases of rendition and torture. The
committee identified hundreds of cases where UK personnel were involved in torture carried out by other countries, including at least 13 occasions where UK personnel witnessed ill-treatment first-hand. However, the committee also said it had been blocked by the Government from accessing all the necessary evidence and prevented from conducting a credible, thorough inquiry. In response, Amnesty and Liberty reiterated their longstanding call for a full judge-led inquiry into the issue, something the Government said it would consider. This announcement is the Government’s long-delayed response to last year’s revelations. Martha Spurrier, Liberty director, said: “The Government has committed a disgraceful U-turn on its commitment to hold an independent judge-led inquiry into UK complicity in
torture and rendition post-9/11. “The fact this comes almost a year after a decision was promised, only adds insult to injury. “Such a brazen rejection of the principles of transparency and accountability flies in the face of the UK’s claim to be human rights leader. The UK is at risk of repeating the failures of the past. “Furthermore, the revised version of the torture guidance lacks the teeth to prevent the UK from future complicity in torture and other ill-treatment – in fact, the new version may make this more likely. The policy will only be effective if it explicitly states that Ministers can never authorise torture or other ill-treatment, and requires UK personnel to publish their internal documents.” The Government also published its replacement for its “Consolidated Guidance on intelligence sharing”, following a review by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner. Amnesty and Liberty are seriously concerned by the revised guidance. The two organisations stressed that the revised version actually made the UK’s involvement in torture and other abuse more likely, or does nothing to prevent it.
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England’s world cup winning captain Eoin Morgan hailed for combating Islamophobia Continued from front page
The Cricket world cup final was the most tense and exciting match ever played as excitement grew and the nation got behind England, you did not need to be a cricket fan to enjoy the highs and lows of the ‘super over’ climax, as England triumph and for the first time lifted the cricket world cup the headlines slowly turned to an amazing post match interview by the world cup winning captain Eoin Morgan. When he was asked by a journalist “Do you think the luck of an
Irishman got England over the line?” his response was brilliant. “We had Allah with us as well,” said Morgan. “I spoke to Adil (Rashid), he said Allah was definitely with us. I said we had the rub of the green. “It actually epitomises our team. It has quite diverse backgrounds and cultures... to actually find humour in the situation that we were in at the time was pretty cool.” Rashid and Moeen Ali are two Muslims who featured in England’s
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World Cup triumph, while the team includes several players who were born in other countries. His response has since gone viral on social media and the muslim community have congratulated him for his comments. In the meantime his comments have helped tackle Islamophobia and mosques around the country has expressed that non Muslims have entered the mosques to find out more about Islam. Mr Rashid, who is a trustee at a north London mosque, told PI that “We have had many non Muslims come into our Mosque after England won the world cup and said that they wanted to know more about Islam because they heard the England captain mention Allah. “I am so happy that the captain said those words, we need more people like him in this world who can help combat negativity and hate”.
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MCB clears up confusion over halal vaccine In Case Y Missed ou It
The Daily Telegrapgh last month ran a story with regards to Muslim Council of Britan (MCB) issuing a ruling that flue vaccine is not halal as it contains gelatine, MCB have now issued a statement to clarify the matter. “The Daily Telegraph states incorrectly on its front page that the Muslim Council of Britain has ‘ruled’ flu vaccines for children to be forbidden in Islam. The story went on to say ‘Muslim parents across the country have been told that the Fluenz spray is not permitted because it contains gelatin derived
from pigs, which are considered unclean.’ Yet, the Muslim Council of Britain does not and has never issued Islamic rulings, that is the job of scholars who have a diversity of views. On flu vaccines, the Muslim Council of Britain conveys the views of a diverse range of scholars: that vaccines containing porcine are not permitted in Islam UNLESS lives are at risk and there are no alternatives. Our view is not that Muslims should automatically refuse such treatment. Health is paramount,
anyone concerned about the use of gelatin in vaccines must consult a medical practitioner and make an informed decision. The Muslim Council of Britain has, since its inception, campaigned to improve health in British Muslim communities. When this first became an issue of concern for many Muslim parents in 2014, the MCB facilitated a discussion between Public Health England, scholars, representatives from local and specialist Muslim groups. In Scotland concerns were addressed by the public health authorities agreeing to offer the alternative injectable vaccine to children whose parents did not wish to take the nasal spray vaccine. We understand that Public Health England has not considered offering the injectable vaccine to all children, but is doing so for children at risk. In short, we have never advised against the flu vaccines but have sought clarity from health authorities so that parents can make informed choices. This was stated repeatedly to the Daily Telegraph. We will be referring the paper to IPSO in due course. www.pi-media.co.uk
Police figures show race hate offences doubled in six years Racially and religious-aggravated offences recorded by police in England and Wales have doubled in the space of six years, according to the latest Home Office figures. Some 60,763 offences were recorded in 2018/19, up just over 100% on the 30,238 offences recorded in 2012/13.
The figures, released on Thursday, cover five categories of offence, all of which are defined as hate crimes. They include racially or religiously-aggravated assault, harassment and criminal damage. Three-quarters of police forces in England and Wales, 33 of 44,
recorded a rise in these offences from 2017/18 to 2018/19. The remaining 11 all recorded a drop. The total 60,763 offences recorded in 2018/19 is the largest number for any 12-month period since these categories of offences were established in April 2012.
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Report suggest to define anti-Muslim prejudice
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The Government should adopt a definition of anti-Muslim prejudice and commission an independent review of its Prevent programme to help Muslims integrate into British society, a new report has found. More formal partnerships and events across communities are also called for by a major new
commission chaired by former Attorney General Dominic Grieve. The commission found a strong sense that Muslims and Islam are “unfairly targeted”, with the fear of discrimination putting off young British Muslims from engaging in politics and other aspects of public life.
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The anti-extremism Prevent programme was also raised as an issue in every one of the 11 cities the commission visited to gather evidence. The commissioners believe that tackling extremism and radicalisation would be “better achieved with a programme that has greater trust, particularly from the UK’s Muslim communities”. The report, titled The Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim Potential for the Benefit of All, calls on ministers to come up with a definition of anti-Muslim prejudice across Government, in the same way anti-Semitism was formally defined last year. As well as an independent review into Prevent, the commissioners also believe press watchdog the Independent Press Standards Organisation should consider providing guidance for the media when reporting on Muslim issues. The report was organised by community charity Citizens UK.
UK High Court rejects human rights challenge to bulk snooping powers
Civil liberties campaign group Liberty has lost its latest challenge to controversial U.K. surveillance powers that allow state agencies to intercept and retain data in bulk. The challenge fixed on the presence of so-called “bulk” powers in the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act (IPA): A controversial capability that allows intelligence agencies to legally collect and retain large amounts of data, instead of having to operate via targeted intercepts. The law even allows for state agents to hack into devices en masse, without per-device grounds for individual suspicion. Liberty, which was supported in the legal action by the National Union of Journalists, argued that
bulk powers are incompatible with European human rights law on the grounds that the IPA contains insufficient safeguards against abuse of these powers. Two months ago it published examples of what it described as shocking failures by U.K. state agencies — such as not observing the timely destruction of material; and data being discovered to have been copied and stored in “ungoverned spaces” without the necessary controls — which it said showed MI5 had failed to comply with safeguards requirements since the IPA came into effect. However the judges disagreed that the examples of serious flaws in spy agency MI5’s “handling
procedures” — which the documents also show triggering intervention by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner — sum to a conclusion that the Act itself is incompatible with human rights law. Rejecting the argument in their July 29 ruling, they found that oversight mechanisms the government baked into the legislation (such as the creation of the office of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner to conduct independent oversight of spy agencies’ use of the powers) provide sufficient checks on the risk of abuse, dubbing the regime as “a suite of inter-locking safeguards.” Liberty expressed disappointment with the ruling and said it will appeal.
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UK media’s portrayal of Muslims ‘misleading and negative’: study
Media reports on Muslims are contributing to a rise in Islamophobia with most British news outlets giving a “negative and misleading” coverage of the community, a first of its kind study has found. The study, published by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), said far-right leaders and commentators used TV debate programmes to propagate stereotypes about Islam and Muslims. The study analysed more than 10,000 news articles and broadcasts in the UK from 2018 and identified “serious problems” in the way British media reports about Islam or Muslims, its authors said. In print media, the study found
that 59 percent of the articles analysed associated Muslims with negative behaviour, while more than a third “misrepresented or made generalisations” about the community. The study said 78 percent of the stories in the Mail on Sunday newspaper featuring Islam or Muslims living in the UK had a negative coverage of the community. On the other hand, it said the Guardian, the New Statesman and the Independent had the least negative portrayal of Muslims. In television, Sky News had the highest proportion of misleading coverage, with 14 percent of its clips rated “very biased”, the study said.
Harrow Council has adopted a working definition of Islamophobia, despite opposition concerns that the wording is not “widely accepted”. The debate on whether to adopt the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) definition of Islamophobia split the council chamber but was pushed through by the majority Labour Group. All councillors agreed that there is no place for anti-Muslim beliefs and behaviours in Harrow and
beyond, and accepted Islamophobia is present and a problem in society. But the borough’s Conservative Group suggested that the council should wait and “work through the problems” associated with the APPG definition. “This is an incredibly serious motion – anyone who behaves in an Islamophobic way is a despicable person,” said Cllr Paul Osborn, leader of Harrow Conservatives. “I’m deeply proud of Harrow
It said that regional TV broadcasters presented a more supportive coverage of Muslims, with the ITV’s regional channels having no content they could call “very biased”. The study said Muslim women were either “othered” through misrepresentative choices of images, or silenced through a general lack of due prominence. Other anti-Islam tropes the study said it found in the British media included the faith being “inherently anti-Semitic”. It said news reports conflated support for Palestinians with anti-Semitism and portrayed Muslim solidarity with Jews as unusual. The report said far-right figures were given prominent positions in TV debates, which helped them in normalising their propaganda. The study, conducted by the MCB’s Centre for Media Monitoring, said its methodology was verified by Professor Paul Baker, an expert in critical discourse analysis at Lancaster University. “As the first in a series of quarterly reports, the Centre for Media Monitoring hopes that by highlighting examples of coverage on Muslims and Islam, it can serve as a valuable resource for journalists,” said the study’s co-author Faisal Hanif. www.pi-media.co.uk
Council adopts working definition of Islamophobia
– the amount of faiths living and working together is a great thing. But we should work through the problems with this definition because, so far, it is not widelyaccepted. It would be premature for us to support it at this current state.” The National Secular Society wrote to all Harrow councillors before the debate urging them to reject the APPG definition. www.pi-media.co.uk
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GCHQ recruiting “covert online operators” In Case You Missed It
Britain’s primary signals intelligence organization, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), is actively recruiting for what it calls “Covert Online Operators”. GCHQ recruiters are vague about the role, describing potential applicants as people who are
“passionate” about the online world and are dedicated to using it to achieve “real world” results. The successful applicant is expected to confront what is billed as Britain’s “adversaries” in an online setting with a view to delivering “endto-end” results. The job description mentions “scoping” as well as
working with “behavioural scientists” to achieve “operational objectives”. Despite going to great lengths to present the job as high-end and sophisticated, nonetheless there are give-aways which reveal the real nature of the work. Foremost, successful applicants only require A-levels or a university degree in any subject and then only at 2:2 level. The relatively low-level entry threshold is in stark contrast to the stringent entry requirements for mainstream national security-related jobs which typically require high level academic achievements. The job description has led British political analysts to speculate on whether GCHQ is looking to employ trolls or social media disruptors whose job it is to identify and harass critics and opponents of British government policy online. Britain employs thousands of skilled personnel in cyber offensive roles and the government readily admits to a £1.9 billion national cyber security strategy.
London cyclists ride to support Palestinians
Several hundred cyclists have taken to the streets of London to protest the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to raise money for a Palestinian charity. The ride has been an annual event in London since 2015. They’re gathering to ride 36 miles across the city, bearing Palestinian flags and ringing their bike bells as they go. The annual “Big Ride for Palestine” attracts Londoners from all walks of life. Now in its fourth year, the ride is both an act of protest and a fundraiser.
Before hopping on their bikes, the riders hear speeches from activists and volunteers. One of the speakers is Palestinian national football team player Mahmoud Sarsak, who went on a three-month hunger strike while being detained by Israeli authorities. “(It is) my dream, to take this ride one day to start from Rafah to end in the north of Palestine in Acre, with raising our Palestinian flag to show the people that we still have hope,” he tells the crowd. The riders take a circuitous route, starting in North Kensington
and roaming through north and central London to Bethnal Green in the city’s east. In Bethnal Green, the riders dismount and gather on the steps of St John on Bethnal Green church. They shout slogans and hold banners to raise awareness of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since the Big Ride started it has raised more than £130,000 (161,000 US dollars) for Palestinian charities. Organizers say this year the crowd was double the size of last year’s, and think they may have raised a record amount.
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Restaurants in China orders Muslim symbols taken down 12
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Authorities in the Chinese capital have ordered halal restaurants and food stalls to remove Arabic script and symbols associated with Islam from their signs, part of an expanding national effort to “Sinicize” its Muslim population. Employees at 11 restaurants and shops in Beijing selling halal products and visited by Reuters in recent days said officials had told them to remove images associated with Islam, such as the crescent moon and the word “halal” written in Arabic, from signs. Government workers from various offices told one manager of a Beijing noodle shop to cover up the “halal” in Arabic on his shop’s sign, and then watched him do it. “They said this is foreign culture
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I August 2019
and you should use more Chinese culture,” said the manager, who, like all restaurant owners and employees who spoke to Reuters, declined to give his name due to the sensitivity of the issue. The campaign against Arabic script and Islamic images marks a new phase of a drive that has gained momentum since 2016, aimed at ensuring religions conform with mainstream Chinese culture. The campaign has included the removal of Middle Eastern-style domes on many mosques around the country in favour of Chinesestyle pagodas. China, home to 20 million Muslims, officially guarantees freedom of religion, but the government has campaigned
to bring the faithful into line with Communist Party ideology. Beijing is home to at least 1,000 halal shops and restaurants, according to the Meituan Dianping food delivery app, spread across the city’s historic Muslim quarter as well as in other neighborhoods. It was not clear if every such restaurant in Beijing has been told to cover Arabic script and Muslim symbols. One manager at a restaurant still displaying Arabic said he’d been ordered to remove it but was waiting for his new signs. Several bigger shops visited by Reuters replaced their signs with the Chinese term for halal - “qing zhen” - while others merely covered up the Arabic and Islamic imagery with tape or stickers. The Beijing government’s Committee on Ethnicity and Religious affairs declined to comment, saying the order regarding halal restaurants was a national directive. The National Ethnic Affairs Commission did not respond to a faxed request for comment. While most shopkeepers interviewed by Reuters said they did not mind replacing their signs, some said it confused their customers and an employee at a halal butcher shop accused authorities of “erasing” Muslim culture.
security and civilian control and where its settlements are located. It accounts for more than 60 percent of the West Bank, the Palestinian territory that would form part of a future Palestine state under the socalled two-state solution. It was not immediately clear if all of the homes will be new construction or if some already exist and are receiving retroactive approval. Settlements are illegal under
international law and are major stumbling blocks to an IsraeliPalestinian peace agreement. They are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state. More than 600,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, which is seen as a major obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. They live alongside some three million Palestinians. www.pi-media.co.uk
Israel approves 6,000 new homes for Israeli settlers in West Bank
Israel approved the construction of 6,000 new homes for Israeli settlers and 700 new homes for Palestinians in an area of the occupied West Bank where it has full control. The announcement by an unnamed Israeli official came ahead of an expected visit to Israel by United States envoy Jared Kushner to discuss a White House plan for an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. The approvals are for the West Bank’s Area C, which is under Israeli
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India criminalises Muslim practice of instant divorce www.pi-media.co.uk
The Indian parliament has approved a bill to end the Muslim practice of instant “triple talaq” or divorce two years after the Supreme Court said it violated the constitutional rights of Muslim women. The upper house of parliament, Rajya Sabha, passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill with a 99-84 approval, making the practice punishable with up to three years in jail. The passage of the bill was a victory for India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said the bill “corrects a historical wrong done to Muslim women” even
as the opposition objected, saying it could be used to harass Muslim men. “An archaic and medieval practice has finally been confined to the dustbin of history!” Modi posted on Twitter. “This is a victory of gender justice and will further equality in society. India rejoices today!” Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the bill’s approval by the upper house of parliament reflects the empowerment of women and India’s changing profile. The more powerful lower house, called the Lok Sabha, had approved the bill. It will become law after
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India’s president approves it, which is a formality. “Triple talaq” is a practice under which a Muslim man can divorce his wife by simply uttering “talaq” the Arabic word for divorce - three times. It is prevalent among India’s Muslims, a majority of whom follow the Hanafi Islamic school of law. The mode of divorce is not universal among Muslims across the world, as many other Islamic schools of thought prefer the divorce process to be deferred, in many cases over a period of three months. Most of the 170 million Muslims in India are Sunnis governed by the Muslim Personal Law for family matters. More than 20 countries, including neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, have banned the practice. Indian Muslim groups have said instant divorce is wrong, but believe the practice should be reviewed by community leaders rather than the government. Critics have long accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of a bias against the minority Muslims.
Afghan president launches re-election bid In Case You Missed It
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani launched his re-election campaign, promising to start peace talks with the Taliban after decades of war and to transfrm his nation into a trade hub. The 70-year-old, US-trained former World Bank official came to power in 2014 after winning a bitterly disputed election marred by accusations of cheating. Having taken office as most foreign troops were leaving, with a much-reduced NATO alliance mission focused mainly on training local forces, his government has
struggled to combat a growing Taliban insurgency. Tens of thousands of soldiers, police and civilians have been killed in the last five years, leaving Afghans weary of endless violence and widespread corruption in public life. Underlining the threat, a powerful blast hit Kabul on Sunday evening, killing one person and wounding a dozen more. Ghani’s vice-presidential running mate Amrullah Saleh was injured. As campaigning began for the September 28 vote, Ghani had told a
crowd: “Peace is coming and talks will definitely begin. We want to end this bloodshed. “Why I am running again is because I want to turn Afghanistan into a regional hub for trade and a center of civilization,” he added, pledging that Afghanistan would eventually shake off its dependence on foreign aid. The election has become inextricably linked with the peace process, which has grabbed headlines for months but is yet to produce a major breakthrough.
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Dutch state accepts partial liability for Srebrenica deaths
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The Dutch government accepted that the state was partially liable for the deaths in 1995 of 350 Muslim males who were expelled from a U.N. base and killed by Bosnian Serb forces at Srebrenica. The Supreme Court of the Netherlands upheld a previous ruling against the Dutch state and set its liability at 10% of the overall loss
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suffered. “The government accepts the verdict of the Supreme Court,” the defence ministry said in a statement. “The state thereby accepts liability for the damages as determined by the Supreme Court.” The Dutch ruling paves the way for payments to the families of victims and survivors of the killings
at Srebrenica, when around 8,000 Muslim men and boys in all were taken away and murdered in what was the worst mass slaughter on European soil since World War Two. It was recognised as a genocide by the International Court of Justice. The adjudication of 10% liability means claimants are only likely to receive around a few thousand euros in compensation. However, the case could still set an international legal precedent for states’ liability when they contribute troops to peacekeeping operations. During the Bosnian conflict in 1995, several hundred outgunned Dutch peacekeeping troops had been assigned to protect a U.N.designated “safe area” where thousands of Muslims had sought refuge from Bosnian Serb forces among them 350 men who made it into the Dutch base. The Supreme Court found that the Dutch forces could have allowed those men to stay in the base and that, by handing them over, they had knowingly and unlawfully sent them to possible abuse or death at the hands of the Bosnian Serb troops.
links. “The ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers who resigned recently were sworn in before the president last night,” a statement from the president’s office said. A spokesman for the lawmakers said they decided to accept their old portfolios after police cleared them of any links with extremists involved with the bombings. Muslim leaders had said their community -- which makes up 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s 21 million population – were victims of violence, hate speech and harassment after the attacks.
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem said his community had cooperated with security forces but faced collective victimization. In the wake of the bombings, anti-Muslim riots spread in towns north of the capital, killing one Muslim man and leaving hundreds of homes, shops and mosques vandalized. Sri Lanka is under a state of emergency since the Easter attacks. Police and troops have been empowered to arrest and detain suspects for long periods. www.pi-media.co.uk
Muslims rejoin Sri Lanka cabinet after Easter bombings Sri Lanka’s Muslim ministers who resigned en masse in the wake of the deadly Easter Sunday bombings have rejoined the government, officials said after police cleared them of any involvement with extremists. Nearly 100 people linked to a local extremist group were arrested after the April 21 attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels that killed 258 people. Nine government legislators, several of them cabinet ministers, resigned in early June after a Buddhist lawmaker demanded their sacking and accused them of terror
Malaysian PM: Israel main cause of terrorism in world 16
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Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad stated that the occupation of Palestinian territories as part of attempts to form an illegal entity, called Israel, has been the main cause of terrorism in the world. In remarks quoted by Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency, Mahathir stressing that if the causes of terrorism were not dealt with, then it would be difficult to put a stop to them. “The main thing that we think we should always stress is the causes of terrorism. Today, there is already a consensus almost to blame terrorism
on Muslims,” said the Malaysian premier who was in Turkey on an official visit. “But the fact you said, after the seizure of Palestine, and the disregard of international law by Israel, this has led to so-called acts of terrorism. But in order to get rid of terrorism, we need to know the reason why they terrorize unless you treat the causes of terrorism, you are not going to be able to stop terrorism,” he added. Mahathir called on the Tel Aviv regime to allow Palestinians to return back and reclaim their property,
or at least agree on stopping the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements. “And if we know, beside this, the causes for terrorism, and we treat them, we take action to stop this injustice perpetrated on the Palestinians, I think there will be less terrorism or no terrorism all over the world,” he stated. Mahathir has previously dubbed Israel as “a state of robbers”, saying his country enjoys friendly relations with every country in the world except Israel. About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds. Some 7,000 Palestinians are currently behind bars in 17 Israeli prisons and detention centers, according to reports. Jerusalem al-Quds remains at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestinians hoping that the Eastern part of the city would eventually serve as the capital of a future independent Palestinian state. www.pi-media.co.uk
A right-wing Hindu group known for its audacious, attention-grabbing behavior has demanded that the Indian government ban the Quran, claiming that the Islamic holy book incites violence and constitutes a major threat to national security. Hindu Sena’s president Vishnu Gupta wrote to the Indian Home Ministry, saying the Quran threatens India’s national security. The group’s founder suggested the radical move after reading the holy book of Islam, which he purchased at a bookstore in New Delhi. “I found therein (in book) many
contradictions and shocking instances of violence on nonMuslims and ex-Muslims as well as bribing people to enjoy an imaginary Islamic Paradise,” Gupta has stated in his letter to the Home Ministry, Sputnik reported. Earlier this year, the group had urged the government to ban burqas and veils in the wake of the growing menace of terror and impending danger of further attacks following the recent bombings in Sri Lanka, in which 253 people were killed and hundreds of others injured. The group gained national recognition in 2016 after it
celebrated the birthday of US President Donald Trump and prayed to god for his victory in the US presidential election. Founded by Vishnu Gupta in 2011, the Hindu Sena group keeps drawing public attention with unusual acts, such as by paying tribute to Queen Victoria on her 118th death anniversary, saying that she “freed India from the autocratic rule of the Mughals”. Despite being a Hindu-majority country, India is home to more Muslims than any other nation on Earth aside from Indonesia.. www.pi-media.co.uk
Right-wing Hindu group urges banning Quran in India InMCisasseedYItou
US approves $125m for Pakistan military support www.pi-media.co.uk
I August 2019
The United States approved $125 million for Pakistan to provide technical support to its fleet of F-16 aircraft, official media reported. The announcement came just days after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s first official visit to Washington. “The US State Department has approved $125 million to provide technical assistance to Pakistan for its F-16 aircraft,” a state-run PTV News reported. Pakistan earlier had requested
the US for continuation of technical support services and other related elements of logistic support to assist in the oversight of operation in support of Pakistan peace drive advanced F-16 program. In May 2018, the US State Department suspended most of the security aid, delivery of military equipment or transfer securityrelated funds to Pakistan after claiming that Pakistan provides safe havens to terrorists in Afghanistan, which Islamabad had denied.
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US President Donald Trump told reporters after his meeting with the Pakistani premier at the White House that his country has a better relationship with Pakistan now. “To be honest, I think we have a better relationship with Pakistan right now than we did when we were paying that money,” stated Trump, referring to the roughly $1 billion in security assistance to Pakistan he cut off last year, blaming Islamabad for not doing enough to fight extremism. “But all of that can come back depending on what we work out,” he said, adding, “We are working on things that are very, very important.” Later, Khan also thanked Trump for his warm hospitality during his stay in Washington. “I want to thank President Trump for his warm & gracious hospitality, his understanding of Pakistan’s point of view & his wonderful way putting our entire delegation at ease. Appreciate the President taking out time to show us the historic White House private quarters,” Khan tweeted. Khan also assured Trump that his country will do everything within its power to facilitate the Afghan peace process. www.pi-media.co.uk
India inks $215m contract with Russia to buy missiles
India signed $215 million deal with Russia to purchase of around 300 R-73 extended range air to air missile for its frontline fighter jet Su-30MKI, ANI reported citing government sources. “A contract has been signed with Russia for acquisition of R-73E air to air missile to be fitted on the Su30MKI combat aircraft,” government sources stated. The R-73 has a cryogenic cooled seeker and uses thrust vectoring for maneuvering giving it a substantial off-boresight capability.
The missile weighs 105 kg, has a length of 2.93m, a diameter of 165mm, and carries a 7.4 kg warhead. The missile can engage targets at heights ranging from 200-m to 20-km, maneuvering at up to 12g. India is planning to integrate the missile with its multi-role Rafale fighter jet and it is already in negotiations with France’s Dassault to make the Rafale compatible with the R-73E. India has also been in talks to conclude a contract for 400
medium-range RVV-AE air-to-air guided missiles. The order includes a Russianmade radar-jamming missile, the X-31. In March, the Russian missile maker Vympel, which is part of Russia’s consolidated JSC Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV), offered a range of missiles to the Indian Air Force with the promise of a an improved range to the technology that India is currently using. www.pi-media.co.uk
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Rohingya Muslims refuse to return to Myanmar without recognition
Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh refused to return to Myanmar unless they are recognized as an ethnic group with full rights and safety in their home country, where they have faced several decades of persecution. Rohingya leaders told visiting Myanmarese officials that they wanted Myanmar to recognize them as an ethnic group with the right to citizenship before they returned to their native state of Rakhine, presstv reported. “We told them we won’t return unless we are recognized as
Rohingya in Myanmar,” said Dil Mohammed, a Rohingya leader who met with the Myanmarese officials. Myanmar refuses to recognize the Rohingya as citizens, and officials even refrain from using the word Rohingya, which means a native of Rakhine, where they had lived for centuries before state-sponsored genocidal violence began in 2017. Mohammed also stated that the refugees would not return to Myanmar unless demands for justice, international protection, and the ability to go back to their original villages and lands were met.
“We want citizenship, we want all our rights. We don’t trust them. We will return only if international protection is in place,” he added. But he stressed that their ultimate aspiration was to return, noting, “We will return to our own land ... (we) don’t want to end up living in camps.” The Myanmar delegation, led by Permanent Foreign Secretary Myint Thu, held talks with 35 Rohingya leaders in Bangladesh’s Southeastern border district of Cox’s Bazar. The United Nations (UN)’s refugee agency and aid groups are also doubtful about about any return as they fear for the safety of the Rohingya in Myanmar. Myanmar’s Western Rakhine State came to global attention in 2017 when the Myanmarese military and Buddhist mobs started killing, raping, and torturing the minority group. Thousands were killed in that crackdown and hundreds of thousands of others fled to across the border into Bangladesh. Last year, a UN fact-finding mission said the campaign against the Rohingya was orchestrated with “genocidal intent”. The Rohingya had inhabited Rakhine for centuries. www.pi-media.co.uk
Australia to bar return of citizens who fought for ISIS
Australia is poised to bar its citizens who have fought for ISIS terrorist group from returning home for up to two years, under new laws discussed in parliament. The controversial legislation would give hardline Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton the ability to invoke “exclusion orders” to prevent suspected terrorists from returning to the country, AFP reported. It is based on similar legislation introduced in the United Kingdom,
where a judge is tasked with deciding whether to impose an exclusion order. Dutton told parliament in early July the Bill targets 230 Australians who travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for ISIS, 80 of whom he said were still in active conflict zones. Concerns have been raised that the Australian proposal could be unconstitutional and places too much power in the minister’s hands, with the opposition Labor
Party calling for it to be referred back to a parliamentary intelligence and security committee for further consideration. However, shadow home affairs minister Kristina Keneally said in a statement the opposition would support the Bill but wanted a scheme that was “constitutional, keeps Australians safe and that withstands High Court challenges”. www.pi-media.co.uk
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I August 2019
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Turkey opposed to any supporter of Israel: Erdogan
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed a recent wave of terror and bloodshed waged by Israel against the Palestinians, saying Ankara will oppose anyone who supports the Tel Aviv regime. “Whoever is on the side of Israel, let everyone know that we are against them,” said Erdogan while addressing senior provincial
officials from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara. The remarks came amid a new wave of Israeli crackdown in the occupied Palestinian territories as regime forces continue with demolition of the Palestinian houses in occupied areas in the West Bank and in the Jerusalem al-Quds. Israel came under renewed
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international criticism last month after its forces stormed a neighborhood of the Sur Baher village in the West Bank and destroyed Palestinian homes. Tel Aviv claims the buildings had been constructed illegally and built too close to Israel’s apartheid wall in the region. Palestinians, however, say Israel is using security as a pretext to force them out of the area as part of longterm efforts to expand settlements built on occupied Palestinian land and roads linking them. Governments and rights campaigners have slammed the demolitions as a serious blow to international efforts to reach peace in the occupied territories. Erdogan said Turkey will continue to promote the Palestinian cause regardless of efforts to undermine it mainly by supporters of the Israeli regime. “We do not approve of silence on the state terror that Israel blatantly carries out in Palestine,” said the Turkish president. www.pi-media.co.uk
Muslims urge removal of ‘offensive’ artwork in Norwegian city InMCisasseedYItou
The Muslim Joint Council, which numbers some 8,000 members, has called for a plate set up in Norway’s third-largest city of Stavanger to commemorate Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus to be removed from the ground. The rationale is that the award winner shares names with Islam’s holy prophet, and trampling upon the holy man’s name is a sign of utter disrespect. The Bronze plate to honour Muhammad Yunus, who won the 2006 Peace Prize for his pioneering work with microcredit loans, was set up seven years
ago. Similar installations exist in Stavanger in honor of fellow peace prize winners Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama and Al Gore. “Here it lies on the ground, people step on it, and no one sees what it is,” Summer Ejaz, spokesperson for Muslim Joint Council Rogaland, told national broadcaster NRK, calling the name Muhammad “respectable and gracious”. Criticism from fellow Muslims has been pouring in for several years, together with calls to elevate the bronze plate from the ground to eye level, he said. “Stavanger is a diverse city
with inhabitants from 200 different countries. It is therefore important that the municipality safeguards the minority population’s feelings in this matter. It has to do with well-being and people’s mental health,” Ejaz explained. 79-year-old Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist, and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance, that is, loans given to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans.
UK’s first female Muslim jockey riding high 20I
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In Case You Missed It
Khadijah Mellah, Britain’s first female Muslim jockey, made history as she won her debut race at Glorious Goodwood. The 18-year-old from Peckham rode Haverland in the Magnolia Cup, a women-only charity race, and beat the likes of Olympic champion cyclist Victoria Pendleton and model Vogue
Williams. Mellah raced less than four months after first sitting on a racehorse and is the first person in the UK to ride a competitive race while wearing a hijab. The rookie jockey is set to study mechanical engineering at university in September.
The charity race, a five-furlong and 110-yard flat race, was held on the third day of the meet to raise funds for Wellbeing of Women. She said ahead of the race: “It’s crazy to think of my journey over the last couple of months but a big part of my life has been proving people wrong,” she said. “There are definitely a fair few guys out there who would struggle to do what I am doing and I am thrilled that I am part of shift in social understanding of what women can achieve and what they can be good at. “There’s quite a stereotype around Muslim girls and them ‘not being able to follow their sporting passions and dreams’. “I want to be a role model to anyone who wants to do something that they wouldn’t initially believe was in their comfort zone and allow people to follow their aspirations and dreams.” www.pi-media.co.uk
Mount from Batley crowned as ‘best Asian cricket club’ at prestigious sporting awards
Last month Mount Cricket Club from West Yorkshire won the ‘best club’ award at the 4th Asian Cricket Awards ceremony held at the Houses of Parliament. The awards aim to increase the awareness of the positive impact made by Asians within the cricket industry and showcase the best to help improve representation at all levels of the game, from grassroots to the professional game. The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as part of their South Asian Strategy & 11 Point Action Plan state that cricket is overwhelmingly popular with South Asian communities, contributing
18% of the cricketing economy and their participation in recreational cricket is 30%. In attendace to receive the award was Abdul A Ravat (Club’s Development Officer) and Tracy Brabin, Batley & Spen MP & Shadow Minister for Early Years, Abdul A Ravat said “On behalf of everyone associated with Mount Cricket Family, the Chairman, players, volunteers, partners, supporters and stakeholders this is yet another great occasion for us all. “Our hard work in serving our community to promote sport and community cohesion has been recognised with this great honour.
“The benefits are considerable to a small club like ours in that: its national exposure and recognition of excellence and impact, generated powerful publicity for Asian cricket, allows us to enhance our fund raising credibility which we desperately need to improve our facilities at the Field of Dreams and above all it help build community pride. “We do what we do on a shoe string budget with the basic of facilities, but imagine what could be delivered if we had the facilities we crave and desperately require for the betterment of our community”. www.pi-media.co.uk
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Euro T20 slam player draft launches in style www.pi-media.co.uk
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The player draft for the inaugural edition of the Euro T20 slam took place last month in London. England’s ICC Cricket World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan joined a host of dignitaries and owners from each of the six franchises, including Indian great and one of the Board Members of league’s advisory committee Anil Kumble, Pakistan’s Babar Azam, Afghanistan leg-spin star Rashid Khan, England’s Tymal
Mills and South African leg-spin star Imran Tahir, for the tournament which will take place in the Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland from 30th August until 22nd September. Meanwhile, all six jerseys were unveiled on behalf of the official kit supplier TYKA, ahead of the draft. South Africa’s Imran Tahir, one of the greatest leg-spinners to ever play the limited over format with 38 T20 Internationals and 107 ODI’s to
his name to date, echoed Morgan’s comments and said that he was excited to embark on a new chapter in his career. Imran Tahir commented: “There’s a real buzz around the Euro T20 Slam and I can’t wait to get started with Amsterdam Knights. I’ve been fortunate enough to play in numerous leagues throughout my career, but there’s something special about playing in a new competition. “It’s clear how ambitious the organisers are to get the tournament off on a high note, and speaking to my team-mates and opponents over the last few weeks, everyone’s incredibly excited to play in Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Dublin. It will be a new horizon for cricket in Europe and I’m relishing the chance to join my new teammates and get started.” Euro T20 slam teams are, Amsterdam Knights, Belfast Titans, Dublin Chief, Edinburgh Rocks, Glasgow Giants, Rotterdam Rhinos. Tickets for the Euro T20 Slam will go on sale on Ticketmaster by the start of August. www.pi-media.co.uk
Discrimination in both professional and grassroots football rose significantly in the 2018/19 season with reports up by 32 per cent, new figures show. Statistics from Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion organisation, show reports rose to 422 in 2018/19, up from 319 in the previous year. Alarmingly, incidents of racism continue to rise. It remains the most common form of discrimination in both professional and grassroots football, constituting 65 per cent of reports – a 43 per cent rise from
2017/18. Although an increase in reports could highlight a more confident approach to reporting incidents, the leap in reports could also identify that discrimination across the game is still an issue which needs ongoing and constant education and the application of appropriate sanctions. Faith-based discrimination, which includes Islamophobia and antisemitism, rose higher than any other across this period, with reports increasing by 75 per cent from 36 to 63. Discrimination related to sexual
orientation increased by 9.7% per cent from 62 to 68. Reports related to gender remained at the same level (eight), while disability discrimination reports dropped from 15 to nine. In the overall figures, which include social media incidents, discrimination reports increased to 581, a 12 per cent rise from the season before (520). The FA have not informed Kick It Out of the outcome in seventy-nine per cent of the 109 cases reported in grassroots football. www.pi-media.co.uk
Islamophobia in football rise 75% in new Kick it out statistics
Backstabbing From the Front
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I August 2019
By Moulana Khalid Dhorat
due to their parent’s poverty, ‘Ulema who give fatwas based on who feeds them prawns daily or who can give them the brightest spotlight, and employers who give promotion to bootlickers who can prostrate to them the longest. Indeed, the people closest to you are your biggest enemies. Don’t even reveal your secrets to your shadow in the night, because it may just be somebody else’s!
I’m from the privileged few who have been sent a copy of the 2015 edition of the Oxford Dictionary for proofreading. Whilst flipping through the pages, I came across some strange words never seen before: “Frenemmy: an enemy who pretends to be a friend;” “Colour Washing: to confuse someone to such an extent that he doesn’t know which girlfriend to visit that day;” and “Front Stabbing: to betray a close friend right under his nose.” The best entry, however, was “Fiety: using your piety and angelic appearance to commit fraud, spread lies, legalise the prohibited and run others down.” Now I’m sure the authors of the Dictionary must be aware of these sicknesses in society, and seek to find the appropriate words to describe this abnormal behaviour. Is there a person in this world who was not betrayed by his family, friends or colleagues? If robberies are common in our homes from external elements, then for every one robbery, we have
hundred internal “thefts” where people are defrauded, cheated and swindled by their own associates. Our sitcoms and movies would not be the same if there isn’t a woman tripledating men from one family, or a bag of cash stolen in a bank robbery and the robbers all trying to take all the loot for themselves! Indeed, being crooked has become fashionable nowadays. The problem of betrayal is an age-old one. The handsome Prophet Yusuf was thrown into the well by his own brothers in order to get the attention of their father, and then treacherously thrown into prison for refusing to fornicate with his master’s wife! Then we had Qabil who killed his own brother Habil, both sons of Prophet Adam, over who to marry. Problems stemming from the evil mind and the plotting hand have only become worse today. We have parents who split their own family by favouring one child over the next, teachers who victimise their students
Lack of Trustworthiness As Muslims, we should always have good thoughts of people, and never be suspicious. However, in today’s times, good-hearted people always feel the bite of their innocence and clean-heartedness. There is hardly a casual function or a formal meeting, even of two people, after which one’s words are not carried to a third person. This also applies to private BBM or WhatsApp chats. One’s words are then “munched” and misconstrued, resulting in huge misunderstandings – simply because no one knows what is the meaning of safeguarding a person’s secrets, honour or dignity anymore. We are definitely living in the time in which our Noble Prophet Muhammad (May peace be upon him) predicted that it would be difficult to find even a handful of trustworthy people in an entire nation. Money will become the determining factor in everything, to the extent of even selling one’s religion, values, and one’s own mother too. Gone are the days when you see a smiling person and say: “He seems like a good guy.” Now, it’s a time to be cautious and say: “Let’s
www.pi-media.co.uk I August 2019 see what his got up his sleeves!” are no friends anymore, only wolves One of the reasons for betrayal in sheep’s clothing.” Never show in our society is the way we have anybody four things: your wealth, structured our friendships and your wife, your weapons and your relationships. Given our own happiness. The person may seem behaviour, it’s becomes a matter happy for you, but he will try to of who betrays who first! People deprive you of all these bounties. befriend a lawyer to get free legal Betrayal starts when things are advice, a doctor to get special revealed, and only ends when they rates, a Maulana to get a corrupt are stolen. fatwa, a neighbour to borrow his Now, when there are only wolves car when your car is out of order, a around, you will find betrayal, teacher to favour your child in class, cheating, fraud, lying and deception a businessman to get a discount becoming common. All of these are on your grocery purchases and not sins committed by an average policeman or a judge to get you out person. It takes a cunning and of prison when you are arrested. So, intelligent person to plot and plan. the day when the teacher gives your Being sinister and deceptive is the child bad marks or you don’t get a hallmark of the devil himself, of a discount from the supermarket, they person with a blackened soul and a suddenly go from “sweet to sour”. deadened heart. The devil knew his As no one will be willing to play the eventual destination will be hellfire, subservient role for ever, sooner so he asked God for permission or later, the friendship will turn into to mislead the people by stealth enmity. so that those who follow him, will Worse still is when you have the also accompany him in hellfire. wrong friends, for the wrong reasons. Betrayal is his hallmark, and abuse People befriend gangsters and thugs, of intelligence is his weapon. The the rich and the influential, politicians hypocrites of Madinah were the first and judges, computer hackers and in this ummat to be guilty of this. sorcerers, just to bail them out of Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, trouble when they do land into it. whilst speaking of the various types Both the friend and the befriended of sin, has said: “Human beings are crooked. Can such friendship have numerous qualities and result in anything but problems? characteristics, but there are four Hardly anyone has friends main impulses to commit sin: nowadays solely for the sake of the 1) Godly Attributes: Pride, selfAlmighty. It’s always: “I scratch your praise, and desire for recognition are back, you scratch mine!” Our intimate all the attributes of the Almighty, but relationships too are sometimes very are destructive for mankind. These superficial. We marry for beauty, are mostly committed by the saintly money or prestige. When these are and the accomplished; no more achieved in the marriage, 2) Devilish Attributes: Hatred, then the cheating starts! And malice, plotting, deceit, fraud, nowadays, betrayal is no more done propaganda, slander and lying all secretly. It’s done openly because make up the devilish character. people are more inclined towards These are mostly committed by the wrongdoing, rather than justice. intelligent, hypocrites, the selfish Treachery has a tongue, whilst and those who do not worry of the justice lacks one. It’s called “Front Hereafter; Stabbing.” 3) Animalistic Attributes: The golden rule is: Don’t trust Satisfying oneself fully, fornicating, anybody, even after ten years of bribery, drinking, gambling and friendship. Rather be alone than be homosexuality. These are mostly with a bunch of hypocrites who only committed by the rich and influential; worship your pocket or your power. 4) Jungle Attributes: Anger, Over 950 years ago, Imam Abu oppression, killing, robbery and Hamid Al-Ghazali told us: “There genocide, like animals of prey, These
FEATURED I 23 are mostly committed by the powerful and the tyrants.” Today, the world is filled with misery, hate and propaganda. It indicates that the devil is at an alltime high. Those who are fulfilling his mission, locally in the form of every type of corruption, or internationally in the form of mass propaganda and murder, will all share his fate in the Hereafter.
Who to be Careful of? It is narrated that Sayyadina ‘Umar said: “Almighty says that He has created such people whose words are sweeter than honey, but whose hearts are more bitter than aloes. I swear by My Honour and Grandeur, I will involve them in such trials which will even perplex the patient amongst them. Are they deceived by my mercy or are they just brazen in challenging Me.” (Tirmidhi) Be very careful of people who are extra sweet on your face. However, don’t return betrayal with betrayal, deceit with deceit and lies with more lies. You can never beat the devil at his own game. Rather ask the Almighty for protection and have trust and patience in His plan. The truth has a way of eventually coming out. Lastly, it may sound strange, but betrayal is actually a positive learning experience. The pain of betrayal makes you wiser and serves as a filter for your happiness. It sifts your good apples from the rotten one’s and allows you to have a more authentic living experience. It also forces you to choose your words wisely, your battles prudently and your friends cautiously. It teaches you who you can depend on and on whom you cannot, who will help you without eating your dignity and who will. Most importantly, it teaches you that NO MAN OR SCHEME ON EARTH can be dependable. You will always be disappointed in man, but never in the Almighty, the AllPowerful, Most-Compassionate. So make the Almighty your ONLY true friend, and you will never experience a single betrayal in your life again. Guaranteed.
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