PI Magazine December 2019

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Issue: 140

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December 2019

UK Election

Muslim Voters Could Swing 31 Marginal Seats

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Muslim voters could affect the outcome in more than 30 marginal constituencies in the general election, according to research published.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) released a list on marginal seats in

which Muslim voters could have “high” or “medium” impact.

Top of the list is Kensington in west London, where the Labour candidate, Emma Dent Coad, is defending a majority of 20 against a strong challenge

from the Liberal Democrat candidate, Sam Gyimah. Nine per cent of the constituency’s voting age population is Muslim – estimated at 5,431, or 271 times Dent Coad’s majority.

Also on the list of seats where

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By Islamic Human Rights Commission

Rabbi’s election intervention throws minorities under the bus

The call by one of Britain’s most influential rabbis for Jews to effectively abandon the Labour Party in the upcoming general election on account of the alleged scale of antiSemitism within the party.

In condemning Labour as trenchantly as he has and effectively saying the party isn’t fit to form the next government, Ephraim Mirvis has all but in name endorsed Jeremy Corbyn’s rivals, foremost among whom is the incumbent prime minister Boris Johnson, In fact, so forceful is his intervention that we read it as a call to the community to do everything in its power to prevent Labour coming to power.

While we acknowledge the disturbing rise of all kinds of racism in Britain, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in Britain, we also

believe that all minorities have a duty to stand and fight this growing menace together and not allow any single community to be put at risk with their political stance.

Rabbi Mirvis’ intervention against just one party leader effectively exonerates Johnson for a litany of racist abuses against Muslims and people of colour. Johnson infamously referred to Muslim women wearing the burkah as resembling bank robbers and “letter boxes”, a remark for which he was referred to the Equalities Commission, and referred to black people as “piccaninnies” with “watermelon smiles”.

No less a figure than the former chair of the Conservative Party, Baroness Warsi, has condemned the rampant Islamophobia in her party, accusing it of failing to tackle racism at every level.

The Rabbi’s omission, which is deliberate, is further proof that the issue of anti-Semitism has been weaponised by supporters of Israel in order to damage Labour’s electoral prospects. The intervention is not even about protecting Jews in Britain from racism, it is all to do with protecting the position of the rogue Zionist state and opposing Labour’s commitment to recognising Palestinian statehood.

It is disappointing that a spiritual leader with a duty to provide moral guidance should be so selective in imparting advice.

In ignoring the runaway racism and Islamophobia in the Conservative Party, which is the only real alternative to Labour, Rabbi Mirvis has effectively thrown all minority communities of colour and faith under the proverbial bus.

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Muslim voters could swing 31 marginal seats

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I December 2019

UK NEWS

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Continued from front page

Muslim votes could have high impact is Dudley North, where the former Labour party member Ian Austin, who has a majority of 22, has called on voters to back Boris Johnson; and Richmond Park, where the Conservative Zac Goldsmith is defending a majority of 45. In both constituencies, 4% of the voting age population is Muslim, or more than 70 times the majority of the sitting MP. Fourteen of the 31 seats are held

by Labour, 14 by the Conservatives and three by the SNP. The MCB,

the main representative body for Muslims in the UK, is non-partisan.

Among the seats is Finchley and Golders Green, where the Conservative Mike Freer is being challenged by the Lib Dem Luciana Berger, who left the Labour party earlier this year over antisemitism.

Much of the focus of candidates’ campaigns has been on the local Jewish population – 20% of the total – but according to the MCB data, 8% of voters are Muslim, translating to 3.5 times Freer’s majority.

Harun Khan, the MCB’s secretary

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general, said: “As active participants in our society, Muslims – in all their diversity – can play a significant role in what may become a close election, and we hope that the parties listen and reach out to Muslim communities across the country to engage on issues of concern.”

The MCB said it was focusing on increasing Muslim voter participation and encouraging communities to engage with the election debate. www.pi-media.co.uk

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I December 2019

Muslim woman praised for defending Jewish children

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A Muslim woman who defended a Jewish family from abuse on the London underground said she was overwhelmed by the response she received after footage of the incident was shared on social media.

London mother Asma Shuweikh confronted a man who aggressively read Bible passages at two children in skull caps and their father.

Ms Shuweikh was filmed by another commuter stepping in as the

man went on an anti-Semitic rant, accusing Jewish people of being “imposters” who started the slave trade.

The man threatened a commuter who tried to intervene before Ms Shuweikh, wearing a hijab, confronted him. He abused her for wearing trousers.

“As a Muslim woman and mother, I know what it’s like to be attacked and dehumanised for my faith and

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I couldn’t just watch this happen to another family with young children,” she told IlmFeed.

Throughout the abuse, the father appears calm and at one point comforts his young son, saying “just ignore it”.

British Transport Police said they had arrested a man in Birmingham on suspicion of a racially aggravated offence.

“I just kept saying, ‘Shall I say something?’” Ms Shuweikh told Sky News. “But London’s my city. I can’t allow this to happen.

“My husband keeps warning me to be careful, especially with all the racial attacks towards Muslim people, but I’m that type of person. If I see something wrong, I have to say something. I can’t sit there and say nothing.”

Chris Atkins, who filmed the incident, said she was “incredibly brave”.

“In this day and age we are told how intolerant everyone is and all religions hate each other, and there you had a Muslim woman sticking up for some Jewish children,” Mr Atkins told PA.

First Islamic State orphans returned to the UK In Case You Missed It

Orphaned British children who were taken to IS territory in Syria have been returned home to Britain.

The BBC reported the British children, who are all from one family, were asked to be brought back by the UK High Court. It is the first time unaccompanied British children have been returned from IS-held territory by the Foreign Office.

The children arrived in London and were reportedly happy after meeting with members of their family who had remained in the UK during the children’s ordeal.

The British children were brought back after they had been put under the protection and supervision of the

court.

The return of the children comes after a complicated push and pull at the highest levels of the British government.

It was reported in October that British aid agencies were working to secure the return of dozens of children from areas formerly under the control of ISIS during a relative lull in fighting between the Syrian Kurds and Turkish forces in northern Syria.

However, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel blocked their return saying the children posed a possible security risk. She was at odds with British Foreign Secretary Dominic

Raab who said the safety of the children should be prioritised.

Mr Raab said the “innocent” minors should “never have been subjected to the horrors of war”.

“We have facilitated their return home because it was the right thing to do,” he said. “Now they must be allowed the privacy and given the support to return to a normal life.”

The mother and her children have reportedly been held at the notorious Al Hol camp in northern Syria since December 2018.

The camp, which is run by the Kurdish YPG militia, hosts more than 70,000 refugees from Iraq and Syria.

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‘Operation Muslim Vote’ seeks to unseat Johnson

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A UK-based Muslim group has just launched its new campaign, ‘Operation Muslim Vote’, to oust candidates who don’t represent their constituents, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The campaign is aimed at encouraging Britain’s Muslim population to vote in the upcoming general election to oust candidates

who don’t represent their Muslim constituents. The first target of the campaign is to ensure that Boris Johnson doesn’t win his seat.

The leader of Britain’s Conservative Party Boris Johnson is seeking re-election as a member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip - a seat he hopes to hold as his party battles Jeremy Corbyn’s

UK NEWS

Labour Party for power in the UK. In response to Johnson’s campaign, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK have sprung into action, taking to the streets of Uxbridge and Ruislip, in an attempt to mobilize the Muslim vote of the area in order to unseat Johnson and urge Muslims to vote Labour.

The MPAC campaign has been dubbed ‘Operation Muslim Vote’ and its first target of many to come is Johnson who once described Muslim women as letterboxes and bank robbers.

Although Johnson did not previously have a majority and is expected to hang onto his seat this time due to the support of many Tory voters in the area, the Muslim vote that has been previously absent may just tip the seat in favor of Labour’s Parliamentary candidate Ali Milani.

If Johnson does lose his seat and Operation Muslim Vote claims its success, his divisive rhetoric and support for wars that target Muslim majority nations certainly will have come back to bite him. www.pi-media.co.uk

Britain considered sending 2,000 troops to Syria after US withdrawal Britain and France considered sending up to 1,000 troops each to Syria after US President Donald Trump announced a sudden withdrawal of American troops from the wartorn country last December, a new report has revealed.

Mr Trump announced the planned US withdrawal in a tweet on December 19, 2018.

“After historic victories against ISIS, it’s time to bring our great young people home!” he tweeted, in a move in line with one of his campaign promises.

The deployment of troops, if enacted by the two European neighbours, would have replaced

2,000 US troops stationed in Syria.

An investigation by British newspaper The Telegraph that surfaced found that then British Prime Minister Theresa May thought that Mr Trump’s announcement would increase the threat of ISIS, as the terror group had not yet been defeated. It wasn’t until March this year that the last ISIS stronghold in Syria was taken by Kurdish forces assisted by the US. The paper reported that Mrs May changed her mind about the plan after she doubted the US would provide air cover and the logistical support required for the deployment.

The UK premier also feared that she

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would not be able to pass the motion through Parliament.

The report said many ministers weren’t briefed about the plans and only a small number of advisers and cabinet ministers were notified.

Mrs May’s defence secretary Gavin Williamson was apparently briefed and was supportive of the plan.

“It was properly thought about.

It wasn’t just a one-off idea,” one UK source directly involved in the deployment discussions told The Telegraph.

Another UK defence source told the paper it was intended to be “a like-for-like” replacement. www.pi-media.co.uk

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ICC on the verge of launching formal investigation against UK

The United Kingdom may be investigated for possible war crimes, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has said.

The ICC’s statement comes on the heels of a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and the BBC’s Panorama programme.

The joint investigation unearthed evidence of war crimes by British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The year-long investigation has reportedly discovered evidence of murders by British Special Forces serving in the notorious Special Air Service (SAS).

It also unearthed evidence of deaths in custody, beatings, torture and sexual abuse of detainees by the Black Watch, arguably the most important infantry battalion in the British army.

Despite the production of new evidence, and the ICC’s apparent willingness to admit the evidence as part of an official investigation, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to deny what it calls “allegations”.

If the ICC decides to launch a formal investigation, it will count as the first time the UK has been officially accused of war crimes.

Established in 2002, the ICC is an international tribunal headquartered in the Dutch city of The Hague. The ICC should not be confused with the International Court of Justice, which also sits in The Hague.

In addition to the MoD, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also reacted to the latest findings into possible war crimes committed

by British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, told the BBC that the government had looked at all the “allegations” that had “evidence”.

Investigators have consistently accused the British government of covering up war crimes by British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

EU net migration to UK at lowest level since 2003 Net migration from the EU to the U.K. is at its lowest level since bloc was expanded in 2003, according to the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.

The difference between the arrival and departure of EU nationals in the year ending June 2019 was 48,000, according to ONS, showing the lowest level since EU8 countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) joined to the bloc in 2003.

“The fall in immigration for work has mainly been because of a decrease in EU citizens coming to

the UK looking for work, particularly those from the EU8,” said ONS in a statement.

“While there are still more EU citizens moving to the UK than leaving, EU net migration has fallen since 2016, driven by fewer EU arrivals for work,” said ONS spokesperson while commenting on the latest figures in the statement.

“In contrast, non-EU net migration has gradually increased for the past six years, largely as more non-EU citizens came to study,” the statement added.

The U.K. decided to leave the bloc in a June 2016 referendum.

The country has negotiated a withdrawal agreement under previous Prime Minister Theresa May which failed to receive the green light from parliament in a series of votes.

Replacing May, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reached a revised deal with the EU, but he failed to receive support to legislate it after MPs voted against his proposal to fast-track it to leave the union on the Oct. 31 deadline.

The EU has granted a threemonth extension until the end of January 2020 after Johnson was forced to request one by parliament.

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Non-Muslims are opting for Islamic banking in UAE 10

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Islamic banking continues to maintain its appeal not just among the Muslim residents but also among the nonMuslims in the UAE, according to Islamic Banking Index 2019 released.

“Islamic banking is on the rise in the UAE as three out of five respondents now have at least one Shari’a-compliant product — 60 per cent — up from 55 per cent in 2018.

The use of conventional

banking products has rallied by two percentage points since 2018, but has fallen overall by five percentage points since 2015, while Islamic products have grown by 13 percentage points during the same period,” said Wasim Saifi, deputy CEO for consumer banking and wealth management at Emirates Islamic bank, which conducted the survey in conjunction with YouGov.

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I December 2019

The survey found that better rates and pricing, and better customer service were among the key factors influencing shift to Islamic banking among non-Muslim respondents.

The survey found that that the penetration among non-Muslims grew from 40 per cent in 2018 to 45 per cent this year while penetration in conventional banking increased by just one per cent to 72 per cent.

It found that the use of Shariahcompliant products has increased faster since 2015 for non-Muslims than Muslims, from 31 per cent to 45 per cent.

The survey found that Islamic banking penetration reached its highest level since the inception of the index five years ago.

The number of respondents who say they would subscribe to an Islamic banking product in the next six months has remained consistent since 2018 at 80 per cent.

“Interest by non-Muslim customers surveyed, in Islamic products, has seen a significant increase in all areas since 2018. www.pi-media.co.uk

India Muslim groups to challenge Babri Mosque ruling In Case You Missed It

Two leading Muslim groups said they will file petitions in India’s top court challenging its decision to award Hindus control of the historical site of the early 16th century Babri Mosque.

The Supreme Court ruled on Nov. 9 that the holy site in Ayodhya, where Hindu mobs destroyed the 460-year-old mosque in 1992, must be managed by a trust to oversee the construction of a Hindu temple.

The apex court also ruled that a “suitable plot” of land measuring 5 acres would be allotted to the Sunni Waqf Board either by the central government or provincial government to construct a mosque.

But the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and the Muslim scholar organization Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, which were not part of the Nov. 9 ruling, said they would contest the judgment.

AIMPLB “will file a review petition in the #BabriMasjid case due to the apparent errors in the supreme court verdict,” it tweeted.

“We have decided to file a reconsideration petition before Dec. 9 in Ayodhya dispute case,” Zafaryab Jilani, the secretary of the board, was quoted as saying after a board meeting in the weekly news magazine India Today. www.pi-media.co.uk

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TRAINING SESSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE INDOOR AT THE AL HIKMAH CENTRE, BATLEY

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UNSC Members condemn US support for Israeli settlements

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The European Union, Russia, China and other members of the UN Security Council strongly opposed the US announcement that it no longer considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank to be a violation of international law.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, opened the Security Council meeting, expressing “regret” at the US action and reiterating the UN position that settlements under a December 2016 council resolution “are a flagrant violation under international law.”

Indonesian Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, whose country has the world’s largest Muslim population, called the US announcement “irresponsible and provocative,” saying it “incontrovertibly constitutes a de facto annexation and is a barrier to peace efforts based on the two-state solution.”

Following the Security Council meeting, ambassadors from the 10

non-permanent council members who serve two-year terms stood before reporters while Deputy German Ambassador Jurgen Shultz read a critical joint statement.

“Israeli settlement activities are illegal, erode the viability of the two-state solution and undermine the prospect for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace” as affirmed by the 2016 council resolution, the statement said, according to Press TV. It also called on Israel to end all settlement activity and expressed concern at calls for possible annexation of areas in the West Bank. Kuwaiti Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi, the Arab representative on the council, then told reporters that 14 countries agreed in the private session on the press statement.

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour also said he was grateful to the 14 council nations and their commitment to international law, saying that all 193 UN member nations are required to implement

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all Security Council resolutions, including on the illegality of all settlements.

“The US administration once again makes another illegal announcement on Israeli settlements in order to sabotage any chance to achieve peace, security and stability in our region and for our people,” Mansour said.

“We strongly reject and condemn this unlawful and irresponsible declaration; we consider it to be null legally, politically, historically and morally.”

Before the meeting, British Ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce had told reporters that “all settlement activity is illegal under international law and it erodes the viability of the two-state solution and the prospects for a lasting peace.”

She was speaking on behalf of Germany, France, Poland, Belgium and Britain, the EU’s current Security Council members.

The meeting was held two days after an announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reversed a four-decade-old US position on illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The move was welcomed by Israel but drew condemnation from Palestinians and Arab leaders.

The shift has been widely interpreted as a green light for Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

Meanwhile, several Palestinian organizations in Jerusalem al-Quds, including a television channel, were closed by Israeli authorities, according to media reports.

One Million visit Dubai’s Quranic park since Its launch The Dubai Municipality has celebrated the arrival of one million visitors to the Quranic Park since it opened in April, the civic body said.

The success of the project, which cost more than Dhs200 million, comes amid several successful tourism projects of Dubai Municipality, it said, according to the daily Gulf News.

Dawoud Al Hajri, director general of Dubai Municipality, said the opening of the Quranic Park coincided with the Year of Tolerance.

“It reinforces the cultural and civilizational role as the park contains cultural elements that bring civilizational interaction between different cultures and

religions and shows the value of tolerance in Islam and in the UAE society.”

The Quranic Park in Al Khawaneej is the first major park Dubai that doesn’t charge an entrance fee. However, Dh10 is charged for the Cave of Miracles and the Glass House inside the park.

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I December 2019

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Myanmar rejects ICC probe over crimes against Rohingya Muslims

Myanmar struck back on November 15 after a surge of global legal pressure over its alleged crimes against the Rohingya, branding an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) “not in accordance with international law”.

On November 14 the ICC approved a full probe into Myanmar’s 2017 bloody military crackdown against the minority Muslim group.

The decision came after rights groups filed a separate lawsuit in Argentina in which former democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi was personally named and further submission of a genocide case at the UN’s top court.

Two years ago some 740,000 Rohingya fled over the border into sprawling camps in Bangladesh in

violence UN investigators branded as genocide.

Myanmar has repeatedly defended the crackdown as necessary to stamp out militants and has long refused to recognise the authority of the ICC - a position it reiterated.

“The investigation over Myanmar by the ICC is not in accordance with international law,” said government spokesman Zaw Htay at a press conference November 15.

Even though the country has not signed up to the court, the ICC ruled last year it has jurisdiction over crimes against the Rohingya because Bangladesh, where they are now refugees, is a member.

Zaw Htay repeated that Myanmar’s own committees would

investigate any abuses and ensure accountability if needed.

“Myanmar and the government are neither in denial nor closing our eyes,” he said. Critics deride the domestic panels of whitewashing atrocities.

The ICC decision came after West African nation The Gambia launched a separate case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s top court, also based in The Hague.

The Gambia, acting on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), accuses Myanmar of genocide.

The first hearings are scheduled for December.

The ICJ normally deals with more legalistic disputes between states but also rules on alleged breaches of UN conventions.

Human rights groups submitted the lawsuit under “universal jurisdiction”, a legal principle that some crimes are so horrific, they can be tried anywhere.

The lawsuit demands top leaders -- including army chief Min Aung Hlaing and civilian leader Suu Kyi -- face justice over the “existential threat” faced by the Rohingya.

Myanmar’s government spokesman offered no comment on the lawsuit. www.pi-media.co.uk

US court to hear Trump appeal over Muslims put on ‘No Fly List’

The US Supreme Court on agreed to hear the Trump administration’s appeal in a case involving three Muslim US residents who say FBI agents placed their names on the federal government’s “no fly list” because they refused to spy on their fellow Muslims.

The men sued the FBI agents over what they say was an unlawful abuse

of a federal watchlist that prohibits suspected terrorists from air travel from, to or over the United States.

Their refusal to become government informants in terrorism-related investigations was based at least in part on their religious beliefs.

The justices agreed to hear the Trump administration’s appeal of a ruling by a New York–based federal

appeals court. That court ruled in 2018 that the men could sue under a 1993 statute called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The Justice Department, on behalf of the Trump administration, asked the Supreme Court to find that the federal law does not permit lawsuits seeking money damages against individual employees of the federal government.

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Kuala Lumpur summit to discuss Muslim world Issues

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In Case You Missed It

Five countries ― Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan ― will attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit to discuss the Muslim world issues, said Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir, who is also Kuala Lumpur Summit chairman, said the heads of state from Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan have agreed to attend the 2019 summit from December 18 to 21 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 will discuss on the Muslim ummah’s issue based on the seven pillars namely development and sovereignty; integrity and good governance; culture and identity; justice and freedom, he said.

The other three pillars are peace,

security and defense; trade and investment; and technology and internet governance, he said at the soft launch of Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019.

Mahathir said other countries also had requested and expressed interest to attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019.

“Obviously, we need to have Muslims supporting this initiative but to begin, we have to do it in a small way, and I hope that we can carry this message all over the world,” he said.

With the theme, “The Role of Development in Achieving National Sovereignty”, the summit would be attended by 450 Muslim leaders, thinkers, intellectuals and scholars from all over the world.

On the selection of five countries namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan to be the nucleus or core group of the summit, Mahathir said: “We need to keep the group small initially.”

Mahathir said a lot of Muslim countries were preoccupied or facing civil war.

“So we (the summit) select small countries that will have the time and effort to find solutions that is why we choose these five countries.

“It is not they do not have problems, but their problems is not as big as other countries. But I hope later on, others will join,” he said.

Mahathir when asked if the summit was an alternative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the betterment of Muslim ummah, said: “OIC is a very big organization. It is very difficult for us to have such a big organization to the conference.

“That is why we started with five countries and we do hope over time the other members of OIC will join in,” he said.

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Protesters in Canada’s Montreal decry Quran desecration in Norway

Dozens of protesters, many of Pakistani origin, rallied at Parc métro station in Montreal, Canada to protest against a recent act of Quran desecration in Norway.

Ilyas Butt, a spokesperson for the event, said the act, committed during an anti-Islam rally in the city of Kristiansand, showed there must be limits on freedom of speech to combat hate toward Islam.

“It hurts Muslim people around the world,” he said of the burning of a copy of the Quran in Norway, which was captured on video.

It shows a youth jumping over a fence and kicking the person burning the Quran. The incident drew widespread condemnation across Pakistan, with many people praising the youth as a hero for defending the Quran.

“Islam is a peaceful religion,” said Butt, who called for stricter guidelines in western countries to prevent such incidents.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Norway’s ambassador to convey Pakistan’s deep concern over the burning.

“Such actions hurt the sentiments of 1.3 billion Muslims around the world,” it said in a statement.

Attacked pregnant Muslim woman calls for solidarity 16

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WORLD NEWS

A heavily-pregnant Sydney woman who was the victim of a raciallymotivated attack called on all Australians to protect innocent people from racial and religious attacks.

Rana Elasmar, who is 38-weeks pregnant was with friends at a Parramatta eatery when a man approached their table and spoke to them.

The man then allegedly leaned over and punched Ms Elasmar, 31, several times in the head and upper body, causing her to fall to the ground as her friends tried to hold him back. He then allegedly stomped on her head.

Ms Elasmar, who is a Muslim, was wearing a hijab and police are looking at Islamophobia as a potential motive.

It’s been reported the man made anti-Muslim comments to Ms Elasmar.

In a post to Facebook, Ms Elasmar identifies herself as a Muslim and points out that she was “born and raised in Sydney, Australia”.

She goes on to say aid she has experienced verbal abuse and hate in the past but never thought “physical abuse of this nature could happen to me”.

The verbal abuse was “already too much,” a feeling which Ms Elasmar said the Islamic community shares.

“It is NOT ok. How somebody feels like they have the right to abuse another human being baffles me. It shows a lack of humanity. It shows weakness,” the mum-to-be says in the post.

The man who attacked her “verbalised his hatred of Muslims prior to hitting me (but) he neither knows me, nor my religion,” she alleges in the post.

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I December 2019

“I do not want this attack to happen to anyone ever again. I want to see a world where people defend one another against cowardly acts like this and band together to protect the victims.

“We cannot allow behaviour like this to become the norm and sit silent.”

Ms Elasmar, who suffered bruising and swelling as a result of the attack, goes on to thank everyone who reached out to offer support.

“The overwhelming support I have received is a reflection that this was a story that many can relate to,” Ms Elasmar said.

“We are mothers, wives, daughters and we deserve to feel safe wherever we go. We deserve a night out to unwind without being fearful of an attack like this happening again.

“I fear for the world our children will grow up in, if this issue is not addressed.

“I call all Australians, Muslim or non-Muslims, of all faiths and cultures to come together, as you have already done for me, and voice your solidarity in protecting innocent people from any future racial/ religious attacks.”

The attack came days after a Charles Sturt University report into Islamophobia in Australia prompted fears abuse was spilling into the open. www.pi-media.co.uk

Luxembourg FM calls for EU recognition of Palestine

Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn is in favour of the European Union recognizing Palestine as an independent state.

He stated this in an interview published n the German newspaper Tagesspiegel am Sonntag.

In this way, in his opinion,

Brussels could be a counterbalance to Washington and US President Donald Trump’s Middle East policy.

“The recognition of Palestine by the whole EU would be a signal that the Palestinians have a need for a homeland, a state, just like the Israelis,” he insisted.

“Failure to comply with the provisions of international law will result in at least 5 million additional refugees in the Middle East,” Asselborn concluded. “It cannot be in Israel’s interest.”

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I December 2019

WORLD NEWS

I 17

Turkish President calls for solidarity day against Islamophobia In Case You Missed It

The Turkish president called on the UN, international and regional organizations to designate March 15 as International Solidarity Day Against Islamophobia.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks came at the opening ceremony of 35th Ministerial Meeting of the

Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC).

“Those who claim defending democracy and human rights play ostrich when it comes to Muslims, and migrants are abused in their

own lands,” Erdogan said, Anadolu Agency reported.

On March 15, at least 50 Muslims were killed and as many injured when a terrorist shot worshippers in cold blood at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Erdogan also said Israel is not respecting Palestinians’ right to life, property and work, and jeopardizing future of all world together with regional countries.

“Those who are trying to turn Jerusalem, which is a sacred city for three religions, into a center of their beliefs by looting it are making a big mistake,” he said.

The Turkish president stressed that the Western countries were “spoiling Israel knowingly or unknowingly”, which was just fueling tensions.

“Turkey is resolute to continue defending the rights of our Palestinians brothers and sisters in all platforms,” he added.

Bomb threat sent to Berlin Mosque Suspected far-right extremists emailed a bomb threat to Berlin’s prominent Sehitlik Mosque.

Mosque officials said they immediately informed the police after receiving an e-mail from the far-right terrorist group Combat 18, which claimed that the group had planted plastic explosives in the mosque complex.

Rifki Olgun Yucekok, the Turkish consul general in Berlin, urged German authorities to take stronger measures to protect the mosques.

“This may turn out to be a hoax, but still it’s an attempt to disrupt peace, social cohesion,” he

stressed, adding that they expect German authorities to identify those behind such threats and bring them to justice.

The Sehitlik Mosque, which belongs to the Turkish-Muslim organization DITIB, is a well-known Muslim place of worship in the German capital.

In recent months, dozens of mosques across Germany received bomb threats, sparking worries among the country’s Muslim population.

The country has witnessed growing Islamophobia in recent years, triggered by the propaganda

of far-right parties.

Last year more than 100 mosques and religious institutions were attacked.

Police recorded 813 hate crimes against Muslims last year, including insults, threatening letters, and physical assaults. At least 54 Muslims were injured in the attacks.

Germany, a country of over 81 million people, has the secondlargest Muslim population in Western Europe after France.

Among the country’s nearly 4.7 million Muslims, 3 million are of Turkish origin. www.pi-media.co.uk

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www.pi-media.co.uk I December 2019

Pakistan stands by decision to host Bangladesh series on home ground

PSL’s fifth edition will be played completely in Pakistan. Players from different countries such as Australia, England, West Indies, Ireland, Afghanistan and South Africa have also been invited to play in Pakistan.

“Our plans may backfire if in such a situation we play the home-series abroad,” the source said. The two Test matches set to be played against Bangladesh are part of International Cricket Council’s World Test championship. If they refuse to play, their points will be deducted.—APP

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reiterated that they want the home series against Bangladesh to be played on Pakistan’s home ground after conducting the two scheduled Test matches against Sri Lanka in December.

“We stand by our policy of not playing any home series fixtures abroad,” a PCB spokesperson told Geo News.

“Initial plans regarding Bangladesh’s upcoming tour have been sent to them (Bangladesh management). Venues and dates are yet to be finalised,” said the PCB representative.

The two Test matches are scheduled to be played in the firstphase of the series, while three T20I fixtures are set to be held in the second phase.

Pakistan will host Bangladesh men’s cricket team between January to February in 2020. The Bangladesh

women and Under-16 team recently toured in Pakistan hosted.

The women played a series of ODI and T20I matches at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore while the youngsters played the series in Rawalpindi.

Prior to the teams’ visit, a security delegation from Bangladesh Cricket Board visited Pakistan and went through the security plans of all the three series.

“It is not possible that one half of the series is played in one place, and the other half in another. It’s not even possible to think about that anymore, because if that happens, then PSL and any future series to be played in Pakistan will be negatively affected,” said a source within the PCB. “PCB feels that there should be no issue for the men’s team to visit now as two teams from the country (Bangladesh) have already been hosted by us,” the source added.

Eliud Kipchoge, a marathon runner of Kenya, and Dalilah Muhammad, a U.S. hurdler, were named athletes of the year at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco.

35-year-old Eliud Kipchoge

scooped the male athlete of the year for the second time in a row.

He became the first athlete to finish a marathon in under two hours, running the 26.2 miles (42.2 km) in one hour 59 minutes 40

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Eliud Kipchoge, Dalilah Muhammad named world athletes of year seconds at Vienna in October.

Dalilah Muhammad, 29, was selected as the female athlete of the year who won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2019 World Championships.

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I December 2019

SPORT I19

Rugby team crusaders keep name but change logo in wake of terror attack

Super Rugby’s most successful team the Canterbury Crusaders said they will retain their name but change the logo of a sword-wielding knight following a brand review in the wake of a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch in March.

The March 15 shooting in the team’s home city killed 51 people and prompted calls for changes to the branding and name, which are associated with religious wars between Christians and Muslims in the Middle Ages.

The team, who won their third successive title and 10th overall earlier this year, announced a review in June and said at the time

they would drop the knight logo but keep the Crusaders name for the 2020 Super Rugby season due to commercial and licensing agreements that could not be altered.

The review was initiated to determine if they retained the name into the 2021 season, when Super Rugby is being reduced to 14 teams and a new broadcasting agreement takes effect.

“While the main focus of the brand review was not the club’s name, it did consider whether alternative name options would more accurately reflect the club’s identity and story,” the team said in a statement.

“Ultimately, it was decided that no name better represented the club’s commitment to living its values crusading for social improvement and inclusiveness, and crusading with heart for our community and for each other - than Crusaders did.”

The team would introduce the new logo in 2020 “as much as is practically possible”, it added.

A new Maori-inspired logo with the Crusaders name was published earlier on Friday on New Zealand’s Intellectual Property Office website.

Crusaders Chief Executive Colin Mansbridge said the new logo, a stylized red and black ‘C’, represented the entire region and not just Christchurch, and reflected the Maori heritage of the South Island.

“We believe that the logo we have launched today is a much more fitting representation of this team, organization and its supporters,” he said.

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Spanish Super Cup tournament to be played in Saudi Arabia in 2020 Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia will compete in Jeddah in January 2020 The Spanish Super Cup tournament will be played in Saudi Arabia in January 2020, it has been announced.

The national football association (RFEF) said the four-team event will feature Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia at

the 62,000-capacity King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah from January 8-12.

The three-year deal with the RFEF is the latest move by the kingdom which has sought to stage sporting and entertainment events in a bid to attract visitors and move away from its oil-dependent economy.

An RFEF statement said the

tournament would “ease fixture congestion” and allow clubs “to be able to better plan their preseasons”.

“The internationalisation of the competition will increase its value and contribute to raising our visibility and improving our image ahead of our bid to host the 2030 World Cup,” added RFEF. www.pi-media.co.uk

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I December 2019

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I 21

Lack of Chemistry and Energy in a first meeting www.pi-media.co.uk

I December 2019

FEATURED

I 21

By Nadia Mohammed, Personal Match UK, Director

So, this is one of the many topics that I feel there isn’t enough content about in regards to supporting single Muslims. When a couple meet for the first time, there are a lot of different factors to consider.

Within this specific article we are focusing on the Energy and Chemistry of a couple that has met for the first time. Its a known fact amongst my team that a persons mindset can have the biggest affect on their relationship life. Finding two people who are not only mentally, emotionally and physically compatible but they must also be at the right place in life ... at the same time.

Some feel that there should be ‘Chemistry’ from the off-set. In reality it doesn’t usually happen like that.

There can be a basic connection at the beginning but as for a long lasting one you need to consider a few things.

Take yourself for example, have you ever met a person and initially thought wow this person is so easy to speak to? Probably, and this is a sign of good energy.

The point I’d like to make is, it’s easy to have good chemistry when you’re not truly being yourself.

By this is mean, how you are with your match isn’t how you would normally be with your best friend or family.

It can take a few meetings with the same person to open up and let more of yourself out, once you do this and the same connection is still there then I would class this as having chemistry.

As your chat progresses past pleasantries and you discuss a topic or subject that is quite deep/specific you should look to too see if you have received a positive response, this will determine compatibility providing the subject.

What is Chemistry? * The good and bad balance out. * Two people finding common ground Open minded to each other’s lifestyles, even if they didn’t have that in common * Physical attraction plays a part of this – sometimes not initially but builds as the conversation grows.

“I thought she wasn’t my type but as we spoke more, I think we connected.”

Speeds up a reaction A catalyst speeds up a reaction, it’s good to think of this in terms of your match.

If you have chemistry initially which we have already identified means you both balance each other’s personalities and have a flexible approach to each other’s ideas and lifestyle then this will allow your relationship to progress at a much faster rate and successfully.

You Miserable Spoiled Brat

22

I FEATURED

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I December 2019

By Moulana Khalid Dhorat

The over-protective attitude of a mother, the doting behavior of a granny, or a father’s habit of buying everything his son wants – all these may just be the reason for today’s spoiled generation. A father may discipline his growing son: “Ahmed, you need to eat the crust of the bread too, and make sure you come home early tonight,” but Ahmed’s mother will interject: “Leave my darling Ahmed alone. He is not homeless so as to eat the crust of the bread, and when he becomes big, he can clock in with his wife on time.

For now, let him enjoy his childhood.” A daughter will throw a tantrum at her mom in the supermarket to buy her an expensive

Barbie doll. Her mother will refuse, but naani or daadi will buy it for their favourite grand-daughter behind her mom’s back!

Today, we mistakenly think that by giving in to the demands of our children and fulfilling their every whim and desire, by giving them all the comforts and luxuries of this world that we were deprived of as children, and by shielding them from the harsh realities of this world, we are loving, cherishing and giving them a good home.

Quite the contrary, we are doing nothing more than destroying their future, clipping their wings, and raising misfits who will not be able to survive a relationship, job or even a

simple friendship inn future. These young children grow up to be illdisciplined disjointed adults, having an “entitlement” attitude, who refuse to make any sort of sacrifice, who eventually turn to drugs and booze if they can’t cope with life, and a huge burden to society.

Admittedly, it’s hard work to discipline a child, and easy to spoil them when young, but the price parents and society will pay thereafter in the form of grief, sorry and aggravation is just not worth it.

We should love our children, but also know that disciplining them is a higher form of love.

We have forgotten to proven recipe: “You need to be cruel to be

www.pi-media.co.uk I December 2019

kind at times.” So what are the tell-tale school not because they deserved it, signs that our children are spoiled? but because their parents complained Here are a few: and their teachers didn’t want to • The surest sign of a spoiled child deal with unrealistic parents. Some is one who frequently throws temper kids even got participation medals tantrums, both in public and at home. for coming in last in sports and They demand from their parents, and competitions. This group has now get their way over and over again. entered the real world. In an instant, Spoiled children often don’t delineate they find out they are not special, their between their peers and adults, mom’s can’t get them a promotion, expecting both to listen to them at all and you can’t have your way simply times. because they want it that way. In • Such children aren’t ever an instant their entire self image is satisfied, even if they possess the shattered. entire world. If they see someone else The other problem with this group with something, they will want that is that they grew up in the artificial instead. digital world of Whatsapp, Facebook, • They aren’t helpful or courteous and Instagram. They are very good to people at all. They think the world at putting filters on things - showing revolves around them. The world people that life is amazing even can suffer, as long as they are though their life is falling apart. They comfortable. Sharing is a difficult sound tough online, that they have it concept for them to master; all figured out, but the reality is there’s • No child likes to clean up, but very little toughness and most don’t once the toddler years have passed, have it all figured out. In the real s/he should be willing to help with world, they have absolutely no clue smaller tasks, such as cleaning up the how to get the job done. Their mom toys and putting shoes away. could do a puzzle for them back then, • A slipup here and there is normal, but now she surely has no clue how to but when a tot purposely embarrasses do a complicated internal audit!! his parent in public for the sake of This group is addicted to modern attention, the situation moves beyond gadgets. Over indulgence with social an isolated event. media releases a “happy hormone” • Spoilt children have to be begged called dopamine. or bribed all the time to do something.

That’s why when you get a text They are attention-seeking monsters. message - it feels good. In a 2012 They are on good terms with you if study, Harvard research scientists you fulfill their demands, but they will reported that talking about oneself totally ignore you if you tell them “no”. through social media activates a According to Simon Sinek, there pleasure sensation in the brain. It’s is a group of people now called why we count the likes, it’s why “Millennials” who have confounded we go back ten times to see if the the workplace. Millenials are those interaction is growing on Facebook, born post 1984, are the product of and if we becoming more popular on “failed parenting strategies,” and Instagram, the trauma for kids to be have now entered the real world. unfriended is too much to handle.

This lot is a handful to manage.

We have age restrictions on They are accused of being entitled smoking, drinking and gambling but (automatically deserve whatever they we have no age restrictions on social want), narcissistic, self interested, media and cell phones. This is the unfocused and lazy. equivalent of opening up the liquor Millennials are provided with a cabinet and saying to our teenagers: good job and good pay, but are never “Hey by the way, if this adolescence satisfied with anything. These people thing gets you down - help yourself.” were told as children that they were An entire generation now has special all the time, and that they can access to an addictive, numbing have anything they want in life, just chemical called dopamine, through because they want it. cellphones and social media. As Some of them were promoted in youngsters, the only approval

FEATURED I 23 we needed was the approval of our parents, but these millennials now need the approval of their “digital” peers too. As they become increasingly hard-wired to the screen, they fail to form deep, meaningful relationships. Many millenials now openly admit that many of their relationships are superficial. They cannot depend on their friends, only have fun with them.

They also know that their friends will cancel them out when something better comes along. Millenials also don’t have the coping mechanisms to deal with stress. So when significant stress begins to show up in their lives, they’re not turning to a person, but to a device.

“If you are sitting at dinner with your friends, and you are texting somebody who is not there - that’s a problem. That’s an addiction. If you are sitting in a meeting with people you are supposed to be listening and speaking to, and you put your phone on the table, that sends a subconscious message to the room “you’re just not that important.” If you wake up and you check your phone before you say good morning to your spouse, you have an addiction.

And like all addictions, in time, it will destroy relationships, it will cost time, it will cost money and it will make your life worse,” says Sinek.

Millenials are used to instant gratification, but this can’t be found in professions, jobs, and long-term relationships.

These are slow, meandering, uncomfortable, and difficult processes.

And so the intelligent millennials who have just entered the work place are asked: “How’s it going?” and they scream: “I think I’m going to quit.” And they have been only at work for six months!

They have a slight argument with their spouse and are ready to throw in the towel. They lack the basic ingredient of life called patience.

Our children are our future. Let us stop spoiling their future by depriving them of essential life skills like bravery, hard work, sacrifice, difficulty and patience. Spoil them now, and you are only giving them their own spade to dig their own grave.

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