PI Magazine August 2020 Issue

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PM Boris Johnston government announced late on eve of Eid reinforcing lockdown in parts of northern England has been criticised for the impact on the UK’s Muslim community - and likened to “cancelling Christmas”.

The Health Secretary tweeted the news at 9.16pm on Thursday and quickly faced accusations that the “last-minute” action is aimed at derailing Eid celebrations.

The Muslim community were appalled by the timing of the announcement of the lockdown and argued the point that the announcement could have been made much earlier in the week.

The measures were introduced hastily at the start of the annual Eid al-Adha “feast of sacrifice”, with people in the areas affected told not to socialise with other households at home or in gardens.

The areas affected by the restrictions are Greater Manchester, Pendle, Hyndburn, Burnley, Rossendale, Blackburn with Darwen, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leicester City. y rtified b

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Senior MPs: Govt must repatriate British families in Syrian camps

Four senior Conservative MPs have called on the UK Government to repatriate British families held in detention camps in northern Syria.

The MPs, Andrew Mitchell, David Davis, Tom Tugendhat and Tobias Ellwood, addressed their concerns to the Attorney General, Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary, in an open letter.

“We are concerned that their current indefinite detention in increasingly precarious Kurdish detention camps poses a significant security challenge to the UK, as well as significant harm to the children involved,” they wrote.

“We urge you to ensure that these individuals are brought back to the UK so that any adults accused of crimes can be fairly prosecuted

with due process, and the children’s safety is ensured.”

“We believe that a policy of family separation would undermine any prospect of reintegrating returning children into UK society, while doing nothing to resolve the risk of losing track of the adults in north-east Syria, or secure justice for any crimes they may have committed.”

Many of the women in the camps were trafficked to Syria by older male relatives or abusive partners at a young age. The letter continues: “Whilst some of these young women may have criminal charges to answer, their cases undoubtedly sustained abuse and exploitation, and to leave them in indefinite detention, or to face torture and the death penalty in Assad-controlled

Syria or Iraq, would fly in the face of the fact that they are also victims of trafficking and gender-based violence.

The complex dynamics of their situation are best dealt with by the UK authorities, and not by leaving them in this unsustainable and precarious position.”

Reprieve Director Maya Foa said: “Many of these women are victims of serial abuse. Targeted because of their vulnerability, trafficked into Syria by coercive men, and now their own government has abandoned them.

The government must urgently bring them back to the UK, and if there are charges to answer they must be dealt with by the British justice system.” www.pi-media.co.uk

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MI6 admits to interfering in judicial matters

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“Please accept my apologies for any misunderstanding that may have arisen as a result of the approach made to the Tribunal”, the MI6 manager wrote back to Cobb.

However, MI6’s admission of wrongdoing hasn’t assuaged stakeholders in the original IPT case who are now calling on the tribunal to investigate broader interference in judicial proceedings by the intelligence services.

The call for a wider investigation has been made by lawyers for the campaign groups involved in the case, including Reprieve, Privacy International and the Pat Finucane Centre.

The Secret Intelligence Service (better known as MI6) has been forced to apologize after it was established the agency had tried to interfere in judicial matters.

According to legal papers, officers from the UK’s foreign intelligence service had tried to prevent sensitive documents reaching one of the country’s top judges.

MI6 had tried to interfere in the work of the semi-secret Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) into criminal activity by intelligence agents.

On March 05, 2019, two MI6 officers made contact with the secretary of the IPT, Susan Cobb, and falsely informed her that the Tribunal should not have been provided with copies of secret

documents which were potentially relevant to the case.

The officers specifically told Cobb the documents should not be passed to Lord Justice Singh, other members of the tribunal or the senior lawyer advising them.

Cobb wrote back to MI6 complaining that the phone conversations amounted to “inappropriate interference”.

“It was inappropriate for your staff to seek to intervene in ongoing legal proceedings in the way that they sought to do … The Tribunal is an independent judicial body”, Cobb wrote to MI6.

Subsequently, a senior MI6 manager replied to Cobb admitting to the wrongdoing.

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Banksy triptych raises £2.2m for Palestinian hospital In Case Y Missed ou It

A triptych of a Mediterranean shipwreck donated by British street artist Banksy raised nearly £2.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction held to raise funds for a Palestinian hospital in the West Bank.

The trio of highly stylised paintings by the mysterious artist shows orange life vests and an oar washed up on a rocky shore.

They first appeared in the Walled

Off Hotel that Banksy helped set up in the Israeli-occupied city of Bethlehem in 2017.

The “Mediterranean Sea View 2017” was seen as Banksy’s stern judgement on Europe’s hesitant response to the migrant crisis that peaked some five years ago.

Tens of thousands are thought to have died as European countries on the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas

turned away people fleeing violent conflicts across North Africa and the Middle East.

“This work juxtaposes an historic fine art genre with grim contemporaneity,” Sotheby’s said in its sales listing for the work.

“Though posing as eighteenth or nineteenth-century paintings of the ‘Natural Sublime’, the present work undermines and subverts the viewer’s expectations to broach a difficult contemporary issue.”

It officially raised £2,235,000 ($2.9 million, 2.5 million euros) - well shy of the record £9.9 million set for a Banksy in October when his “Devolved Parliament” painting went under the hammer in the middle of Britain’s Brexit struggle with the EU. Banksy donated the triptych to raise money for a new stroke unit and to buy children’s rehabilitation equipment at the Bethlehem hospital.

“We’re often led to believe migration is a drain on the country’s resources, but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian immigrant,” he said in a rare public comment on the piece.

“Apple is the world’s most profitable company... and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs”.

Muslim groups do not receive the same support as mainstream charities, says report Volunteering and charitable work carried out by Muslim organisations does not receive the same “appreciation and support” as that done by mainstream charities, according to a new report.

The report, The Neighbours Next Door: The Story of Muslim Organisations Responding to Covid-19, was published by the Muslim Charities Forum (MCF).

MCF has been carrying out a mapping exercise capturing the work that is being done nationwide.

The report says: “Volunteering and charitable work within the Muslim community does not receive the same appreciation and support in comparison to the mainstream civil society groups.”

It adds that this “applies particularly Muslims working or volunteering within mosques, Islamic organisations/charities or cultural organisations”.

Only 16% of Muslim-led local charities have so far received institutional funding for their Covid-19 response.

The report states that “there has been poor outreach and little effort made by institutional funders” and that “this has been a historical issue”.

This concern has been raised with the National Emergencies Trust and UK Community Foundations, “which, to their credit, have taken this into account”, MCF says. As a result, there has been greater

consultation with BAME-led groups, which has now resulted in small to medium-sized BAME-led groups accessing some funding.

The report adds that there are some organisations within the Muslim community which do not engage enough with the wider community and therefore do not access mainstream support.

There is also an issue of capacity and expertise. The report states that often the right people are not available within the organisation to facilitate outreach. This can occur within mosque structures, where it is the elderly in the community that lead the institution. www.pi-media.co.uk

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Study shows British Muslims prefer Halal meat that is not stunned

A recent study that was conducted by Bristol University into the Halal meat market attained responses from 250 Muslims into their buying behaviours as well as their Halal meat & poultry preferences.

The report concluded that 70% of Muslims prefer to buy meat/poultry that is non stunned. Among the respondents who said they preferred meat from stunned animals, 46% (100) said they were unsure of the Halal status of this meat, while around a quarter (24%; 52) said

they sometimes ate meat from animals that had been stunned in the absence of an alternative. The report also outlined that chicken was the most consumed meat and 50.8% of respondents consumed meat at least once a week.

Awal Fuseini, one of the researchers said “The data indicates that the majority of respondents prefer Halal meat from animals slaughtered without stunning.

Furthermore, the data revealed that over 90% of Muslims consume meat

As part of their drive to enforce lockdown and broader coronavirus containment measures, police forces across England and Wales have disproportionately targeted Black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) people.

According to figures released by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), people of BAME background are 1.6 times more likely to be fined than white people on the grounds of breaching coronavirus restrictions.

However, a more detailed breakdown of the figures reveals an even starker reality: men of BAME background are four times more

likely to be fined than young white males.

In real terms, that means a group that represents only 14 percent of the population is at the receiving end of 57 percent of fines.

The figures released by the NPCC are based on analysis by government statisticians of 17,039 fixed penalty notices imposed over a two-month period between March and May in England and Wales.

Reacting to the figures, NPCC chairman, Martin Hewitt said: “While it is a complex picture, it is a concern to see disparity between white and black, Asian or ethnic minority people”.

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at least once a week, this clearly emphasises the significance of the Halal sector to the UK economy.”

HMC since its inception has adopted a complete non-stunned policy across all Halal species due to the risks associated with stunning animals and the results from this study echoes the voice of the British Muslim community of their aspiration to consume meat and poultry that has not been stunned. With 80% of animals being stunned here in the UK destined to be purchased by the Halal consumer, this small sample study is truly an eye opener for all.

Nadeem Adam of HMC said “The Halal sign whether in Arabic or English is a sign of confidence similar to a “V” sign for a person following a vegetarian diet and therefore there needs to be more clearer and transparent labelling.”

The report is very clear that consumers preference is to purchase meat and poultry that has not been stunned but they are not able to make an informed choice when making their purchase. HMC has always been clear in its labelling and we urge consumers who prefer to eat non-stunned Halal meat and poultry to choose HMC as their preferred Halal choice.

Ethnic minority groups ‘disproportionately’ se You punished for Covid-19 breaches InMCaisse d It

“Each [Police] force [in England and Wales] will be looking at this carefully to assess and mitigate any risks of bias - conscious or unconscious - and to minimize disproportionate impact wherever possible”, Hewitt added.

The latest set of statistics pointing to discrimination come in the wake of multiple reports establishing that Covid-19 has disproportionately affected ethnic minority communities across Britain.

Overall, these statistics are potentially politically sensitive especially in light of recent protests over institutional racism in the UK. www.pi-media.co.uk

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New Delhi police failed to protect Muslims in February riots: report

The Indian police has failed to protect Muslims campaigning against a new citizenship law during violent riots in New Delhi this year, says a government-appointed commission promoting the rights of India’s religious minorities.

At least 53 people, mostly Muslims, were killed and more than 200 were injured in the worst communal violence in the Indian capital for decades.

The clashes erupted amid an

outcry over a new law laying out the path to citizenship for six religious groups from neighboring countries except Muslims. Critics said the law was discriminatory and flouted India’s secular constitution.

The Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) said Muslim homes, shops and vehicles were selectively targeted during the rioting that erupted in northeast Delhi in February when protests against the new Citizenship Amendment Act

(CAA) broke out across the country.

In all, 11 mosques, five madrasas or religious schools, a Muslim shrine and a graveyard were attacked and damaged, a team from the commission said in the report released last month.

Recommendations made in the commission’s report to safeguard minority rights are not binding.

“Seemingly, to crush the protests, with support of the administration and police, a retaliatory plan of proCAA protesters was worked out to trigger violence at a large scale,” it said.

The commission said police had charged Muslims for the violence even though they were the worst victims.

Delhi police spokesman Anil Mittal rejected the allegation of bias and said police had acted fairly.

The New York Times in a report earlier this year said that the Indian police had directly engaged in violence against Muslims and actively helped Hindu mobs during anti-Muslim violence in New Delhi, in February.

US withdraws troops from five bases in Afghanistan

The US Defense Department announced withdrawal of US forces from five bases in Afghanistan.

“US forces in Afghanistan remain in the mid-8,000s and five bases formerly occupied by US forces have been transferred to our Afghan partners,” Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement on Press TV. The withdrawal comes in the wake of a US-Taliban deal aimed at winding down the war.

“We maintain the capabilities and authorities necessary to protect ourselves, our allies and partners, and US national interests,” Hoffman

said. “We will continue to execute our counterterrorism mission while simultaneously supporting the 38-nation NATO Resolute Support Train, Advise, Assist mission and Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) as they work to secure peace in the country.”

In a recent tweet, US special representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said the USTaliban deal has entered the “next phase,” even though the militant group appeared to be ramping up violence.

Under the agreement, the

US is supposed to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, and the Taliban is to refrain from attacking international occupying forces. The militants have made no pledge to avoid attacking Afghan forces and civilians.

Violence has surged despite the deal between the Taliban and the United States, which was signed in February.

Official data shows that Taliban bombings and other assaults have increased 70 percent since the militant group signed the deal. www.pi-media.co.uk

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Austrian govt to launch Muslim profiling scheme

The center-right People’s Party (OVP) and Green Party government in Austria is preparing to institute a controversial surveillance program on Muslims in the country in a supposed bid to fight against so-called “political Islam.”

In the initiative announced by the government in January, various groups continued to push back against the continued pursuit of antiMuslim and foreign policies that had begun under the previous far-right government.

The OVP announced that a planned documentation center would be established for “combating anti-Semitism, racism and religionmotivated extremism” and would only carry out suspicionless surveillance on elements of “political Islam.” The announcement drew much criticism from academics, rights groups and coalition partner Green Party lawmakers.

With these centers, the government, which plans to observe all Muslim associations, mosques and cultural activities, will decide which institutions to cooperate with.

The first and only documentation center was established in Austria in

1963 to combat Nazism and conduct research on Neo-nazi formations.

The move has been denounced by various circles, which said it placed Nazism and Islam on the same scale.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, political scientist from Georgetown University, Farid Hafez said Austrian Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz was known to cite supposedly academic research in a bid to bolster his political goals. Hafez said the center would conduct “scientific” studies to serve his government.

Warning that the government intentionally avoided sufficiently grounding its concept of “political Islam” to make it a more useful tool against Muslims, he noted that previous mosque closures and headscarf bans had also been associated with political Islam.

With this logic, any institution, person or religious activity could be associated with political Islam and subjected to various restrictions and obstacles, added Hafez.

He pointed out that Lorenzo Vidino, one of the experts leading the documentation center, defined supposed “political Islamists” as

non-violent groups, acting under the law but in a way that was harmful to society.

The fact that Muslims have any independent or self-managed institution or organization in their field is considered dangerous by Sebastian Kurz and his team, said Hafez, adding that the government wanted Muslims to be dependent on elements controlled by the state and should not create anything new themselves.

Social Austria of the Future (SOZ) party chairman Hakan Gordu also said the documentation center would attack Islamic values and be led by purely biased experts, adding that it was established to serve activities that would lay the groundwork for Kurz’s political goals.

Gordu said the government could easily label a person or institution with “political Islam”.

“A person who is interested in politics and defends the rights of Muslims can be considered as a manifestation of political Islam in their eyes. It is a very dangerous situation to be used to silence and suppress these people.”

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Israel to demolish more Palestinian facilities in West Bank In Case You Missed It

The Zionist regime of Israel ordered the demolition of several more Palestinian facilities, including a number of homes, in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian media says.

The Palestinian Information Center reported that Israeli forces delivered demolition notices and ultimatums in al-Walaja village, which is located west of Bethlehem city.

The threatened structures include three homes, a number of cattle shelters, one water well and a

farmland.

Palestinian residents possessed documents proving their ownership of the lands located near an Israeli settlement in the area, the report said.

Israeli authorities usually demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, claiming that the structures have been built without permits. They also sometimes order the Palestinian owners to demolish their own homes or pay the demolition costs to the municipality if they do not.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he would start plans for annexing more areas in the occupied West Bank, in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” scheme, further infuriating Palestinians.

Trump officially unveiled his scheme in January at the White House with Netanyahu on his side, while Palestinian representatives were not invited.

The proposal gives in to Israel’s demands while creating a Palestinian state with limited control over its own security and borders, enshrining the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds as “Israel’s undivided capital” and allowing the Tel Aviv regime to annex settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.

Trump’s highly provocative scheme, which further denies the right of return to Palestinian refugees, is also in complete disregard of UN Security Council resolutions and rejected by the vast majority of the international community.

Israel’s unlawful annexation push has drawn widespread criticism from the entire international community, including the regime’s closest allies. www.pi-media.co.uk

Egypt parliament approves troop deployment in Libya The Egyptian parliament has unanimously approved the deployment of troops outside the country, laying the groundwork for a possible military intervention in Libya.

In a statement, the parliament said members of the Egyptian armed forces can be sent on combat missions outside Egypt’s borders to defend Egyptian national security to fight “criminal militias and terrorist groups”.

The decision comes after President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi warned Cairo could intervene in neighboring Libya across Egypt’s

western border.

The move could bring Egypt and Turkey, both US allies that support rival sides in Libya’s chaotic war, into direct confrontation.

Forces of Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord are moving closer to the strategic city of Sirte, which Sisi described as Cairo’s red line.

Libya has been beset by chaos since the overthrow and killing of its long-serving ruler Muammar Gaddafi following a NATO operation in 2011.

The conflict has escalated into a regional proxy war fueled by foreign

powers pouring weapons and mercenaries into the country.

Tensions escalated further last year after the Libyan National Army under renegade general Khalifa Haftar moved toward Tripoli to seize the city.

The UN-backed government in Tripoli has the support of Turkey, while the LNA based in Benghazi is supported by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

A big escalation in Libya could risk igniting a direct conflict among the foreign powers that have poured in weapons and fighters in violation of an arms embargo.

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Mosque in Russia makes into Guinness Book of Records

The mosque’s architecture is Turkish style and it has a minaret and a central dome.

A very large Muslim diaspora lives in Norilsk. Almost a third of Norilsk are Muslims, the main representatives of whom are Azerbaijanis, Tatars, Chechens and nationalities of Dagestan.

There are also nationals of the countries of Central Asia, such as Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Moreover, there are Russians who have converted to Islam.

The largest mosque in the city of Norilsk, Russia, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most northerly-situated mosque in the world.

The Nord Kamal Mosque was built by businessman Mukhtad Bekmeyev, an ethnic Tatar native of Norilsk, who named it after his father Nuritdin and mother Gaynikamal.

The construction work began in 1993 and its doors were opened to worshippers in 1998.

A very large Muslim diaspora

lives in Norilsk. Almost a third of Norilsk are Muslims. The main representatives of which are Azerbaijanis, Tatars, Chechens and nationalities of Dagestan. As well as residents of the countries of Central Asia, such as Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. There are Russians who converted to Islam also.

It is a Sunni mosque but it also welcomes Shia Muslims and hosts followers of other faiths on some occasions as well.

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Islamic Awakening Assembly hails reopening Hagia Sophia as Mosque

The World Assembly of Islamic Awakening welcomed a move by Turkey to convert Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia into a mosque again, describing it as brave and praiseworthy.

In a statement, the secretariat of the assembly deplored the destruction of Muslim sites and Islamic civilization’s heritage during the Crusades and noted that Muslims, however, did not turn the heritage of the Western world’s civilization into ruin after conquering them but saved them as places of Islamic worship, thus contributing to cultural interaction and continuation

of human civilization.

It further referred to the recent move by Turkey to reconvert Hagia Sophia into a mosque and said it was a courageous and praiseworthy step in seeking to revive the Islamic identity and return the Islamic heritage to the Muslim world.

The assembly also called on all Muslims in the world to support and acclaim the “smart” decision by the Turkish government.

The first official prayers at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia complex took place on Friday after it was converted back into a mosque. Thousands flocked to the site to attend the

prayers including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The iconic site, now officially known as the Great Mosque of Ayasofya, was constructed in the 6th century AD as a cathedral, during the Byzantine Empire, but was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.

In 1934, Turkey’s cabinet declared it a museum. However, on July 10, Turkey’s Council of State, which is the highest administrative court in the country, annulled the 1934 decision, saying the move had been unlawful. www.pi-media.co.uk

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US House of Representatives votes to repeal Trump’s controversial travel ban

The US House of Representatives passed legislation to repeal President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban in a 233-183 vote along party lines.

The legislation — spearheaded

by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and backed by 219 co-sponsors — includes language aimed at reining in the president’s ability to impose travel restrictions on citizens from other countries and bars religious discrimination in immigrant-related decisions.

Under the NO BAN Act, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security would have to consult with Congress before imposing a restriction, otherwise the directive would be immediately terminated. Individuals “unlawfully harmed” by such restrictions would be able to sue in federal court.

Proponents of the legislation argue it’s a necessary step to overturn policies they view as discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Trump first issued the travel ban

in 2017, suspending entry to those coming from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia — all predominantly Muslim countries.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (DNY) described the bill, formally titled the “National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act,” as “critical legislation that will stop executive overreach, defend Congress’ role in establishing our nation’s immigration laws, and right one of the original sins of the Trump administration — the Muslim ban.”

“When the Trump administration issued its first version of the ban in January 2017, it was immediately apparent it was unconstitutional, discriminatory and morally reprehensible. Its chaotic rollout undermined the cruelty of this policy,” he said on the House floor.

Republicans have slammed the bill, which is unlikely to be taken up in the GOP-controlled Senate, as “reckless,” “irresponsible” and a

threat to US national security. Critics of the measure say it would limit the president’s ability to stop immigration during the coronavirus pandemic, the Hill reported.

“We are spending our time with this bill that would limit it and make it more difficult for the president of the United States — any president, just because some people don’t like this president, they are going to make it harder for any president — to keep Americans safe, whether it’s from terrorists abroad or whether it’s for health pandemics that might break out again in the future. This is lunacy,” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) said during debate.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Monday vowed to overturn the travel ban if elected.

“Muslim communities were the first to feel Donald Trump’s assault on Black and brown communities in this country with his vile Muslim ban,” the former vice president said during Emgage Action’s virtual Million Muslim Votes Summit.

“That fight was the opening barrage in what has been nearly four years of constant pressure and insults and attacks against Muslim American communities,” Biden said. www.pi-media.co.uk s

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Muslims urged to condemn Israeli conversion of Mosques into Synagogues

A number of Malaysian Islamic bodies in a statement underlined the need for Muslims worldwide to denounce Israeli moves to convert mosques in the occupied territories into synagogues.

It came after a study published by a High Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel Kamal Khatib, revealed that the Israeli authorities have turned 15 mosques into Jewish synagogues.

The study also showed that 40 mosques were either destroyed, closed, or abandoned, while 17 others were turned into barns, bars, restaurants, or museums.

Following is the Malaysian Islamic bodies’ statement, according to the New Straits Times: We call on all Muslims to strongly condemn the conversion of mosques into synagogues and bars by Israel.

This comes after reports of a Tiberias mosque, also known as the Zaydani mosque, being converted into a synagogue.

According to Anadolu Agency, Kamal Khatib of the High Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel said that like most Palestinians, the Tiberias residents had fled to Syria and Lebanon following the Nakba.

He said the Zaydani family had asked the Israeli authorities to give them permission to renovate the Umari mosque.

“The Tiberias Municipality, however, refused, arguing that it would renovate it, but nothing happened,” “Even since, the mosque has been closed with Israeli authorities banning worshippers and visitors from entering it,” he was reported as saying.

The report stated that a study showed that 40 mosques were either destroyed, closed, or abandoned, while 17 others were turned into bars, restaurants, or museums.

As an example, it said the AlAhmar Mosque in the northern town of Safed was turned into a concert hall, while Al-Jadid Mosque in the city of Caesarea was converted into a bar.

Khatib also said that mosques in the pre-Nakba era were teeming with worshippers.

“After the Nakba, however, mosques were destroyed, particularly those in villages. Other mosques were either turned into synagogues, bars, museums, cafes or restaurants.”

Even cemeteries were not spared, Khatib added.

Now, he said the Israeli authorities have enacted legislation to confiscate the property of Palestinians, who had fled their homes.

“The Knesset (Israel’s parliament) passed the law of absentees, under which Israel confiscated buildings and property of Arab citizens [who left their homes to other areas].”

We urge Muslim leaders to raise their voice and condemn these assaults on mosques.

All mosques must be protected while those destroyed and converted for other purposes must be reclaimed, compensated and restored. www.pi-media.co.uk

Ethiopian researcher collects rare Islamic manuscripts An Ethiopian researcher has collected some rare Islamic and Arabic manuscripts dated back to the 14th century.

According to al-ain.com, Hassan Mohammad Kav says Ethiopia has a rich heritage of Arabic manuscripts dating back to the 14th century which represent the deep relation of the African country with the Arab world.

Since Ethiopia hosted the companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) at the time of Hijrah (Prophet Mohammad’s migration

(622 AD) from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina)) it has a lot of Islamic treasuries some of which are kept at Bilal Museum of Addis Ababa, he adds.

The researcher says there are thousands of rare and precious Islamic manuscripts in different parts of the country most of them written in Arabic.

The Islamic texts, including the Holy Quran’s verses, interpretation of Quran, Hadiths and religious injunctions, written by Muslim Ethiopian scholars on the skin of

animals are not only in Arabic but 11 local Ethiopian languages.

Islamic medicine, Islamic sciences, astronomy, and literature are the main theme of the collected manuscripts which have attracted many scholars and researchers from different countries, he notes.

The manuscripts are also an evidence of the powerful trade between Ethiopia and Arab countries particularly Yemen and Egypt, according to the researcher. www.pi-media.co.uk

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Some 3,500 Afghan civilians killed or injured in first half of 2020: UN

More than 1,280 Afghan civilians have been killed in the first six months of the year as fighting rages in Afghanistan despite a pact between the United States and the Taliban, the United Nations said.

The violence killed 1,282 and injured 2,176 for a tally of 3,458 civilian casualties, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report.

“The reality remains that Afghanistan continues to be one of the deadliest conflicts in the world

for civilians,” it said in the mid-year report, according to Reuters.

Despite a drop of 13 percent in casualties from the corresponding period last year, UNAMA said the Taliban continued to cause the majority of civilian casualties, mainly through use of explosive devices, abductions and summary executions.

The Taliban were responsible for 43 percent of all civilian casualties and government forces caused 23 percent, chiefly from air strikes

and indirect fire during operations, it added.

The UNAMA attributed the 13 percent drop to fewer operations by international forces, as well as fewer attacks by Daesh terrorists.

In February, the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement in Doha, laying out plans for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees from the group.

However, fighting has spiked in recent weeks, prompted by differences over an exchange of prisoners between the Taliban and Afghan government, as Kabul proved reluctant to free hundreds of jailed militants.

The Doha deal provided for the government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for hundreds of Afghan troops, the main plank in starting peace negotiations between the two sides in the effort to end the 18-year-old war.

While the Afghan government has released more than 4,000 Taliban prisoners, it has refused to release another 600, saying they were involved in murder, illicit drug trafficking and major attacks.

Missing Rohingya refugees found alive on Malaysian Islet

Twenty-six Rohingya refugees, who had been feared drowned while trying to swim ashore on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi, were found alive hiding in the bushes on a nearby islet, a senior coastguard official.

Malaysia does not recognize refugee status, but the Muslimmajority country is a favored destination for Rohingya Muslims seeking a better life after escaping a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar and, more recently, refugee camps in Bangladesh.

One Rohingya swam ashore from a small boat off Langkawi’s west coast. Officials had feared that

the rest of the group had drowned while trying to reach the beach, but they were later discovered on an islet just off the coast.

“They were found hiding in the bushes on the island,” Mohd Zubil Mat Som, director-general of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a text message, Reuters reported.

Authorities have detained the refugees. Two more Rohingya migrants have also been arrested for suspected trafficking in connection with the people found, Mohd Zubil said.

The refugees were believed to have transferred to a small boat to

sneak into Malaysia, having traveled on a “motherboat” carrying hundreds of Rohingya from Bangladesh, the coastguard official said. Last month, Malaysia had detained 269 Rohingya who arrived in Langkawi on a damaged boat.

Mohd Zubil had said at the time that dozens of people on the boat were believed to have perished during a voyage that lasted four months.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said last month Malaysia was unable to take in any more Rohingya, citing a struggling economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic. www.pi-media.co.uk

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No evidence of corruption in 2011 World Cup final, says Intl Cricket Council

The International Cricket Council will not be launching a formal investigation into alleged corruption around the 2011 World Cup final following claims by a former Sri Lanka sports minister that the national team deliberately lost the match to India for money.

The governing body’s integrity unit looked into allegations by

Mahindananda Aluthgamage that Sri Lanka “sold” the final, the ICC said.

Aluthgamage didn’t offer proof in his claims on a local TV station.

He had said players were not responsible for the alleged fix, instead blaming “certain other sections” without elaborating.

“At this time, we have not been presented with any evidence

that supports the claims made or which would merit launching an investigation under the ICC anticorruption code,” said Alex Marshall, general manager of the ICC’s anticorruption unit.

Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara, who played in the final in Mumbai, was among three highprofile officials or players questioned by police about the corruption claims, along with 2011 chief selector Aravinda de Silva and opening batsman Upul Tharanga.

“There is no record of any letter regarding this matter sent by the then-Sri Lanka sports minister to the ICC and senior ICC staff at the time have confirmed they have no recollection of receiving any such letter which would have led to an investigation,” Marshall said.

“We have no reason to doubt the integrity of the ICC men’s Cricket World Cup Final 2011.”

Marshall said the ICC will review its position should it receive any more evidence.

India won the final by six wickets with 10 balls to spare.

Latvian weightlifter becomes Muslim Latvian weightlifting star Rebecca Koha has announced on the social network “Instagram” that she has become a Muslim woman.

With the announcement of her conversion to Islam, the athlete has deleted from social networks all the pictures that were related to her life so far.

Koha has left only a series of

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four photos showing hijab.

The 22-year-old athlete said: “Dear friends, my followers and everyone else! I have made a big decision in life. I am happy and grateful for it and I think I am doing the right thing. The only thing I ask is respect – if you have nothing good This is a special day for me because I became a Muslim.”

She performed the Shahadah ritual, thus converting to Islam, mbs. news reported. “I believe that a new and beautiful chapter in my life can begin,” added the athlete.

Rebecca Koha asked others not to share public photos showing her hair or other parts of the body – arms, legs, neck. www.pi-media.co.uk

IPL to start in September in UAE, says chairman

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I August 2020

The star-studded Indian Premier League cricket will start on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates, its chairman told AFP, adding that players may need to undergo quarantine.

Although India’s cricket authorities are still awaiting government approval, Brijesh Patel said the world’s richest cricket tournament will

be played for 51 days with the final on November 8.

Under current UAE coronavirus rules, all travellers must selfisolate for two weeks after arriving.

“Whatever are the UAE rules for tourists will be followed by everyone,” Patel told AFP. “The IPL will take place between September 19 to November 8. This

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is confirmed and the rest we will decide in the (IPL) governing council meeting.”

Top stars ranging from England’s Ben Stokes to Australians Steve Smith and David Warner have been lined up by the eight IPL teams on lucrative contracts. Any quarantine period could clash with domestic seasons.

Patel said the Board of Control for Cricket in India will prepare operating procedures to combat the virus threat during the tournament.

“It is going to be a full-fledged 51-day IPL. We are in touch with the ECB -- Emirates Cricket Board. And we will get clearance from the Indian government soon,” he said.

The 13th year of the IPL was meant to have started in March but has been repeatedly postponed because of the pandemic. Dates were finally set after the T20 World Cup, which was scheduled to start in Australia in October, was postponed this week.

The IPL is the BCCI’s main revenue earner. It has said it would lose more than $500 million if this year’s tournament had not gone ahead.

Saudi Arabian woman wins world FIFA 20 e-Football tournament

A Saudi Arabian woman has won the FIFA 20 e-Football World Championship after beating her Brazilian competitor 8-0 in the finals of the Playstation competition, according to the Saudi Gazette’s coverage of the event.

Najd Fahd was crowned world champion after defeating Cristina Batista Pereira 8-0.

The tournament, which pitted players against each other on the popular PS4 football simulation game FIFA 20, was the first of its kind organized by the International

Federation of University Sports.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app Fahd is a student at AlImam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh and represented Saudi Arabian universities alongside Abdul Aziz Al Wahhabi, who was entered in the male tournament.

The tournament began on July 6 and featured male and female leagues.

Twelve women took part in

the women’s league, divided into two initial groups of six before a knockout stage.

In the group stage, Fahd attracted attention when she beat her Australian opponent 5-1.

The Saudi Gazette newspaper hailed her as “Saudi Arabia’s daughter” after her victory and said that the tournament had been an opportunity for students from across the world to connect despite social distancing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. www.pi-media.co.uk

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A casual stroll through the gardens of Jannat

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I FEATURED

By Moulana Khalid Dhorat

Our All-Compassionate Lord fashioned three things with His own Hand, not through a process of cause and effect, like everything else.

These are His eternal masterpieces which mankind will never cease to admire. They are Prophet Adam, Paradise, and the Taurat (Old Testament).

Paradise is a place beyond thought or imagination.

Brief descriptions of it have reached us via the Qur’an and Sunnah, but just like listening to the commentary of soccer giants Manchester and Liverpool over the radio cannot capture the spirit of the game, likewise experiencing the delights of paradise cannot be felt without being physically there. My aim of this article is to get the mouth of all my readers watering for this reality to come, and to realise that making an effort towards paradise is a worthwhile effort beyond any other effort. So, put on your 3D goggles and enjoy.

You have just passed over the bridge over hell, a 1 500 year journey which has drained you mentally and physically, and have joined the excited crowd of people queuing to

enter paradise. Impatiently, you wait your turn. There are eight doors of paradise, each as wide as a 40-year journey, and named as follows: “Salat (prayers), Jihad (Striving in God’s way), Sadaqah (Charity), Rayyan (Fasting), Hajj (Pilgrimage), Kazimin al-Ghaiz wal Aafeen (Those who drank their Anger and Forgave), Al-Ayman (Those of the Right-Hand, who will be saved from Reckoning due to their Reliance), and Dhikr (Remembrance of their Lord).” Upon which door do you think your name will be inscribed?

As you envy Sayyadina Abu Bakr for being called by all eight doors of paradise, your name is finally called from one door. You present yourself, like a small child waiting for candy floss from his teacher, and meet Ridwan, the most handsome and adorable angel, tasked with admitting people in to paradise. With a huge smile, he gives you the following certificate: “Peace be upon you and congratulations. Enter herein forever and ever.” In this world, even the best-paid jobs and the best of mansions come with a time-limit.

Here we have been assured of entering a place of eternal bliss, with no time limit, no feelings of insecurity

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and anxiety, and no fear of ever being expelled.

As you enter, guided by another angel, you are given your first meal before being shown your place. This is a meal of fish-liver and bread.

The food and drink of paradise only resemble the food and drink of this world in name, but in shape, form and taste, they are different. Each bite from the dates, olives, grapes, figs, bananas and pomegranates of paradise will taste differently, and from each a different aroma will be emitted. A bunch of grapes will be equal to 12 arms, having a thornless stem of pure gold and silver. These fruits, as well as all foods, will be available at any time.

Their availability will not depend on seasons or production. There will also be no pits or peels to disturb you, and no garbage cans around. In fact, there is no hunger in paradise and you will never worry about punishing yourself by dieting or weight-loss again! Rather, people will eat out of enjoyment, and every meal will last up to 40 years! The food of paradise does not have to be prepared or cooked, so our wives will not spend half their lives in the kitchen! The food does not rot, nor does it cause food-poisoning, and nor is it transformed in to waste in our bodies. Rather, the food will be expelled by fragrant burps, and the drinks by means of sweet perspiration.

As you enjoy your first meal, you somehow notice that your hands are different. You then realise that you have been given a flawless body, with no disabilities or sickness. You will not be visiting Dr George any time soon who gave his patient six months to live. After six months, his patient didn’t pay him, so he gave him another six months! You will also find yourself to be as tall Prophet Adam at 90 feet, as handsome as Prophet Yusuf – but with no facial or body hair except a fine crop

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I August 2020

of hair on your head, having the melodious voice of Prophet Dawud, the same age of Prophet Isa at 33, and the noble character of the Best of Creation, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all).

After a brief enquiry, you learn that paradise has 100 stages, the lowest of which is Jannat ul-Mawa, the middle of which is Jannatul Adan and the highest Jannatul Firdauws.

Every stage can accommodate the entire mankind, and the distance between each is the distance between the earth and the sky. The garden of lowest ranking inmate will be ten times the size of this world.

Having satisfied yourself with your initial meal, you are now taken – on a winged pearly-coated horse, – to your final abode. You will not worry of visas, airports, long queues and the exorbitant price of tickets anymore.

You will then notice flashes of gentle lightning in the clear sky, and will ask in wonder: “What are those lights?”

“Don’t you know?” your usher will answer: “They are the anticipative smiles of your houris.”

Although this will be your first trip in paradise, the road will seem familiar to you. As you travel, wondering which garden is yours, you will notice that the sand is not made up of dirt. It is pure saffron. The gravel is made of pearls and rubies, and the buildings of transparent gold and silver. Even the richest man on earth could not have purchased a single brick of paradise with all the money in the world! Those who think that paradise is an Alice in Wonderland fairy-tale have not even felt ½ % of the Grace of the Almighty.

If you deny His paradise, then the only place for you in the hereafter is Hellfire.

As you start developing an emotional connection to the ultimate source of true pleasure, you pass mountains made of pure musk. You notice rivers of pure milk whose source is not a diary cow, rivers of pure honey whose source is not a bee, rivers of unintoxicating wine whose source is not fruit, and rivers of sparkling water. All these emanate directly from beneath the throne of the Almighty, Most Magnanimous.

You may request a stop and drink

from these refreshing springs, but you will be told: “Have patience, for you also own a few of these.”

When you finally reach your garden, you will see a most charming woman – a woman whose essence is of saffron – washing from a pure stream. She will have 70 sets of clothing upon her, but all will be delicate and weightless to the degree of transparency. She will be so beautiful that you will see the blood throbbing through her veins right through her ivory-like complexion.

Further, you will see within her heart, and witness the waves of love throbbing in it for you. They will never lose their virginity, will never experience monthlies, nor their timeless beauty. As you stand there stunned, she will be joined by many more – a minimum of 72. Each one of them will have separate grand pavilions alongside your rivers.

Then the most gorgeous woman will arrive, the likes of which you will have never seen, and you will forget all those 72 houris and turn to her. She will be your earthly wife, surpassing the beauty of a million houris, returning to your arms. And why shouldn’t she be more beautiful for didn’t she engage herself in devotions in this world, and she patiently tolerated her husband’s moods in this world? There, a single man will be granted the strength of a 100 men. He will adorn himself with lavish jewellery like crowns and bracelets. Women, on their part, will not be given a currency called dollars or pounds, nor a credit card with a measly R100 000- limit, but an unlimited currency called “Desire.” Whatever they desire, they will get … beautiful handbags, manicures, pedicures, fluffy kittens and even obedient husbands who will become just as she likes him to be in appearnacde and character. There will be no hijab in paradise, and also no lust. No one will fear extra-marital affairs or even contemplate evil.

An ordinary palace will be a huge pearl 60 meters tall, carved out from within, having 70 000 rooms, and built in such a way that every room will be completely private. The silken couches will be elevated – the ultimate lazy boy, – and hundreds

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of young lads will be there to serve you with thousands of glasses in their hand, each holding a different liquid, and bringing whatever you desire at a mere thought. No such remote control has ever been created in the world! All traces of jealousy, malice, envy and pride will be removed from everyone in these huge social gatherings. There will be no problems, anxiety, back-stabbing, break-ups, divorces or any kind of relational tension in this “Pearl of Peace.” The best part is that there is no waking up in the morning to rush to work in order to clock in on time, to meet your monthly commitments or to stomach the nonsense of your boss. In fact, in paradise, there is neither fatigue, sleep, nor night.

Paradise will not be lit by a sun giving off nuclear rays, but by the shimmering light of the ‘Arsh (Grand Throne) itself. It will be as gentle as the rays just before dawn.

The best part of paradise is that you will be with everyone you love, past and present, have anything you want with no fear of death for anyone, nor scarcity of pleasures.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the Almighty Himself will ask you: “Do you want anything more?” and everyone will express their gratitude at the bounties beyond their expectation. Then the Almighty will grant every inmate the ULTIMATE glory – a bounty that not even a zillion years of prostration can buy: He will reveal Himself to everyone.

This grand sight will cause everyone to fall in prostration and will only increase them in beuty. There is no moment better than this moment and no pleasure that can ever surpass this privilege in one’s entire existence.

Paradise is a pure place, reserved only for the pure. It is reserved for those who do not seek loftiness or power in this world, who have iman (faith), piety and good character, and who realise that the ticket to paradise is undergoing the temporary hardships of this world. Thus advised the Best of Creation, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “If you need to ask for anything, ask for Jannat ul-Firdaus.” www.pi-media.co.uk

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