PI Magazine May 2020 Issue by Shakir Ahmed

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Muslim charities, organisations and individuals all across the UK have been delivering food packs, essential items to most vulnerable and PPE equipment to the health service in the battle to help and fight Covid 19

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By Liberty

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Liberty calls on parliament to ensure human rights are at heart of coronavirus response

Liberty questions why public health crisis is being treated as a criminal justice issue New police powers have led to a heavy-handed and uneven approach across the country Rights of groups already marginalised put at further risk by crisis legislation Liberty, the human rights organisation, has called on parliament to ensure human rights are at the heart of the Government’s response to coronavirus as it returns from recess. The Coronavirus Act, which parliament passed on 25 March, dramatically reimagined our relationship with the State. While it was necessary to urgently address the coronavirus pandemic, the UK Government’s response now needs careful scrutiny with evidence to show whether these measures are necessary and proportionate. Liberty is particularly concerned by the new policing powers and will

be urging ministers to question why a public health crisis is being treated like a criminal justice issue. Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, is due to review some of these powers in the coming weeks, and must take into account the affect their regular misuse and heavyhanded enforcement is having on public trust in authorities. Liberty’s policy department will be providing detailed briefings to MPs and select committees to help them ensure that human rights are at the heart of the Government’s response to coronavirus. These briefings will also be available on Liberty’s website. Sweeping police powers created under the Coronavirus Act, as well as the subsequent policing regulations, need urgent review. Not only are they extremely broad, they have been repeatedly misused and this has made these powers particularly worrying for communities who are already over-policed. Crucial safeguards in mental health settings and social care have been suspended, putting rights in jeopardy for people already particularly at risk from the effects of

the pandemic and lockdown. The Government’s hostile environment policies have left undocumented people too afraid to seek medical care in the middle of a public health emergency in case they are faced with huge bills, detention and deportation. The hostile environment must be suspended and people released from immigration detention where they are at risk of contracting the virus. Proposals for even greater State surveillance as part of the coronavirus response are deeply concerning, particularly as they have been kept largely secret despite the implications for our rights. The Government has failed to show it appreciates the risks raised by projects such as the NHSX contact tracing app, and is yet to say what, if anything, it plans to do to address the dangers of exposing our deeply sensitive personal information. Martha Spurrier, Liberty director, said “Times of crisis can create the conditions for our rights to be swept away. We are asked to compromise, to trust in the State and submit to ever greater control. It is at these times, when some sacrifice can be justified, that we must be more vigilant than ever to ensure everyone in society is protected. “The Government has responded to the coronavirus pandemic by giving police sweeping powers resulting in some heavy-handed policing. This needs to be urgently addressed. “Our rights are hard won but easily lost. We at Liberty look forward to working with parliamentarians to ensure our rights are protected during this crisis and safeguarded for the world that emerges once it has passed.”

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Leading Muslims hit out at Trevor Phillips’s role in Covid-19

The selection of Trevor Phillips to investigate why Covid-19 is killing more Black, Asian and minority ethnic people has sparked a row after leading Muslims criticised his appointment as “insensitive”. Phillips, the former chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, was asked by Public Health England to provide expert support to an inquiry into why increasing numbers of victims of the coronavirus pandemic are from BAME backgrounds. Early evidence shows that black people are dying from the virus at almost twice the rate of their proportion of the population, according to analysis of NHS England data for the first 12,600 deaths from the virus in English hospitals. While black people account for 3.4% of the population,

they make up 6.4% of the deaths so far. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the umbrella group for leading mosques and other Islamic institutions, said the review into the deaths was urgently needed but have objected to Phillips’s appointment. They say it is inappropriate that a man recently suspended from the Labour party over allegations of Islamophobia, and who has a history of making controversial remarks about Muslims, should form part of the team leading the inquiry. Harun Khan, the secretary general of the MCB, said it was “wholly inappropriate to give that responsibility to someone being investigated. The decision is particularly insensitive given that British Muslims

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overwhelmingly come from BAME communities and so many Muslim doctors have died at the frontline of this pandemic”. Khan alleged that Phillips has a “consistent record in pushing the divisive narrative of Muslims being apart from the rest of British society”. “The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on BAME communities is a serious issue which has seen many Muslims lose loved ones.” This “sends a clear signal to British Muslims that Public Health England is not taking this matter seriously”, he said. Phillips’s appointment was also criticised by the Labour MP Naz Shah, who tweeted: “It’s an insult to the memory of the numerous Muslims who have lost their lives, and also an insult to those Muslims who continue to serve on the frontline.” The Labour party launched its own inquiry, asking Doreen Lawrence, mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, to examine why the virus seems to disproportionately affect people from certain minority backgrounds. Phillips, an anti-racism campaigner, was suspended from Labour pending an investigation into prior statements including a reference he made to UK Muslims being “a nation within a nation”. At the time he condemned the suspension, which he claimed was a form of political gangsterism from the party under Jeremy Corbyn, whom he had criticised.

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New mum dies with coronavirus days after giving birth In Case You Missed It

A mother who had just a few fleeting moments with her new-born baby held a picture of her son before she died in hospital with coronavirus. Fozia Hanif had just celebrated her 29th birthday when she started to develop symptoms and tested positive, forcing a premature birth of her boy, Ayaan, on April 2. Just six days later, Fozia’s family was told to come to Birmingham Heartlands Hospital to say their goodbyes to the new mother who had never met her baby. “She was really happy, she got the baby photo they (nurses) printed out for her,” her husband of nearly seven years, Wajid Ali, told ITV News. “She was holding and say ‘look it’s our baby’ and ‘we’re going to come home soon’… that’s the last

time I spoke to her.” Fozia, who worked at the probation service in a magistrate’ court, had been going to hospital for check-ups during her pregnancy. She developed a slight fever in March and hospital staff decided to keep her in for tests despite only showing mild symptoms. She tested positive for coronavirus but was soon released back home. But her condition quickly began to deteriorate, and she was back in hospital and on a ventilator and isolated from her family, who were last all together on her birthday, March 18. “From a joyous occasion, the next time we saw her she was struggling on a ventilator,” said her father Nabil Hanif.

“It was a painful experience when we walked into the hospital when they said they were going to turn the machine off and the ventilators and I said ‘no, don’t turn it off until we arrive. She’s a fighter, she can pull through’. “But when we walked in and we saw Fozia… we just kept praying.” Fozia died on April 8 - six days after her son Ayaan was born just 31 weeks into her pregnancy by C-section. While Ayaan has tested negative, he remains in hospital. Fozia’s sister, Sophia Hanif, said she would receive texts telling her how excited she was to finally meet her baby. “She was messaging us saying ‘oh I haven’t seen the baby yet’ and I said ‘don’t worry about it, when you come home you’re going to come home together and we’re all going to see him together’,” she said. Fozia, who died three weeks after testing positive, was in a coma when her family said farewell. Her family said they will have “so many things” to tell Ayaan - which means ‘gift from God’ - about his mother. “She was so wonderful, she always used to think about others she wouldn’t think about herself,” Wajid said.” Sophia said her smile “could light up a room”, while her dad described her as a “superstar”.

Ummah Welfare Trust £10 million covid-19 global help

Ummah Welfare Trust launched a £10 million appeal to support communities across the world who have been affected by Covid-19. Over the past few weeks, the charity has begun supporting hospitals, NHS Trusts, faith centres, funeral service providers and affected families across the UK through a £1 million fund with the following: - 22,560 full-face visors - 25,210 overalls - 70,000 3-ply face masks - 5,204 bottles of sanitizer - 20,200 vinyl gloves

- 20 ventilators - Financial grants and food supplies The charity’s efforts in the UK are benefiting the following organisations across 20 towns and cities of the UK: - 70 GP Surgeries - 65 care homes - 33 funeral services - 25 hospitals - 20 faith centres - 10 community groups - 5 homeless charities Ummah Welfare Trust is also supporting affected families across the world. The charity’s initiatives

include: - Testing facilities and food programmes in camps inside Syria for displaced families. - Cooked meals for labourers in India unable to return home, along with PPE for hospitals in Delhi. - Hygiene kits for families in Gaza. - Financial support for redundant teachers in Gambia and Sierra Leone and toiletries for poor families. - Food packs for affected families and children in Yemen, Pakistan and Philippines. Donate visit www.uwt.org

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A Ramadan like no other

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At a time when people should be getting together to celebrate, many are mourning the loss of loved ones. ITV News met British Muslims to find out about the different challenges they face during this testing period. Imam Khalil Ahmed from Newham in east London allowed ITV News to follow him for the day around Ramadan. His schedule has been so busy since the virus began that he has only been sleeping two or three hours a night. He was at the NHS Nightingale hospital in London to pick up what he said was “the first body” from the makeshift facility. As they unloaded the coffin into the mosque for ceremonial rituals ahead of the funeral, a colleague assisting Imam Ahmed, Imran Talati, said: “I think it (the crisis) is massive. “For the past few weeks, I probably can’t tell you how many bodies we’ve picked up, showered

(religious ritual), put a shrouding on and buried … it is very draining… emotional.” Imam Ahmed said: “We just want to be there for the families at a time when they need us. So for me that is how I have seen this crisis, is to be there for those that need us most.” He urged the community to abide by the Government guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic and said the spirituality of Ramadan can still be felt from home. Imam Ahmed added: “The message we are giving people is that spirituality is not connected to the mosque, you can do many things at home. Everyone has an emotional attachment to the mosque so it will be difficult in that regard.” ‘We haven’t been able to mourn as a family’: Covid-19 tears families apart during their time of need. Zac Hussain works as a charity manager and lost his mother to Covid-19 around three weeks ago. He now faces the prospect of a

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lonely Ramadan for two reasons. It will be the first time Mr Hussain won’t break his fast, or the first Iftar, at his mother’s home. Typically, it is a lively affair attended by her eight sons, their wives and grandkids, amounting to around 40 people. He said: “For me it’s going to be very, very different to be honest. “It’s a tradition within my family to come together during the first day of Ramadan so we can break fast together. “My mum would almost insist upon all her sons to come along with our families and our children, which equates to around 40 people under one roof, so we can all celebrate the start of Ramadan together.” Due to the social distancing measures in place in the UK, Mr Hussain has not been able to mourn his mother’s death with his loved ones. He said: “Unfortunately my mother passed away three weeks ago and in light of the current social distancing guidelines, we as a family haven’t been able to come together... we haven’t been able to mourn as a family.” He added: “This Ramadan where we haven’t been able to... come together under my mother’s request... but also it’s something she’d always look forward to. “We aren’t even going to be able to meet as a family.” While Ramadan is typically a time for celebration, Muslims across the UK are adapting to a new normal due to the impact of coronavirus on society.

HSBC to block donations to Interpal

Campaigners have demanded HSBC reverse its decision to stop processing standing orders to Palestinian aid group Interpal. A report by Middle East Eye revealed that the bank will stop payments to Interpal — one of Britain’s largest groups delivering aid to Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and in refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan from May 17. HSBC, one of the biggest banks in the world, did not give any specific reason for the decision. Interpal said in a statments that

the move will have a big impact on its aid work. “This step will, unfortunately, divert essential time and resources away from our focus on aid work to Palestinians in urgent need amidst a global pandemic, the month of Ramadan and an existing healthcare crisis in the region,” a spokesperson from the charity said. The move follows a relentless campaign against Interpal by Israeli lobby groups that have sought to disrupt its ability to raise funds and strip it of its charitable status.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) director Ben Jamal said: “Interpal has been the target, as have many solidarity groups, of illegitimate smears and attacks by pro-Israel groups in the UK. “What’s more, this decision during Ramadan when Interpal would be looking to process a larger volume of donations which are desperately needed to support its humanitarian work in Palestine is particularly grotesque. “HSBC must act immediately to reverse this decision.”

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British government to investigate why BAME community worst-hit by COVID-19

In the UK, figures suggest 28 percent of the most seriously ill COVID-19 patients needing hospital treatment are either black or Asian, despite making up only ten percent of the population. Among health and social care

workers it is the same. Of the 54 front line health and social care workers in England and Wales who have died because of COVID-19, 70 percent were black or from another ethnic minority. Despite only accounting for 13

percent of the population in England and Wales, nearly half of all NHS doctors and a quarter of nurses are from a BAME background. And hospitals aren’t the only place where minority deaths are happening: four of the five health trusts in England that have recorded the most deaths so far cover areas with some of the highest combined South Asian and black populations. Experts are warning that COVID-19 interacts severely with medication prescribed for high blood pressure, something many black Britons and Americans suffer from. Members of ethnic minority communities are twice as likely to be affected by poverty as well, and are often hit the hardest by disease. England is home to more than two and a half million Muslims, many of whom fall into the same category. In anticipation of a high death rate, rows of graves have been dug in advance for Muslim victims of COVID-19.

Makeshift mortuary set up in a mosque in Birmingham for Covid victims In the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust alone, 460 people have died who tested positive for Covid-19, 40% more deaths than at any other. At a makeshift mortuary set up by one mosque in south Birmingham, funeral directors told ITV News they were running out of caskets for Covid-19 patients, meaning the burials of some victims of the virus might be delayed. Burial should take place as soon as possible under Islamic tradition. “We’ve never seen anything like it not just in my short time as mayor but since the war,” says Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, who believes many people in his region only wised up to the threat

from coronavirus when lockdown measures were introduced. “It was a little bit like something that happened to other people, perhaps not here but in London.” Pockets of poverty and overcrowding appear to have exacerbated the outbreak in Birmingham. And the virus has spread in some neighbourhoods with the highest proportions of so-called “multigenerational households” where young people and elderly people share homes. A charity supplying food parcels to the poor says it is making as many as 40 times the deliveries it usually provides: “What I think has happened is

that before the lockdown occurred a number of clusters got established because of those features and we’ve seen them sadly come to maturity as we’ve gone through the lockdown,” Mr Street said. An NHS Nightingale Hospital has been built at the National Exhibition Centre on the outskirts of the city. Its halls, which normally host exhibitions and shows like Crufts, will be used to provide care for victims from across the region. No part of Britain has escaped the pandemic - but almost nowhere else is suffering as much as Birmingham.

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US board wants India on religious freedom blacklist

The U.S. State Department should add India to a blacklist of countries that have failed to uphold religious rights for their citizens, an American commission recommended. The congressionally-created US Commission on International Religious Freedom made the recommendation in its annual report, citing New Delhi’s “drastic turn downward” in religious freedoms in 2019, pointing in particular to religious minorities being “under increasing assault” with emphasis on India’s Muslim minority.

That resulted in the commission calling for the US regional ally to be placed on a list of countries “of particular concern” alongside China, Iran, Myanmar, Russia and Saudi Arabia for “engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations.” It took issue with the national government led by President Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) decision to implement a controversial citizenship law that allows non-Muslim immigrants within India and those from Afghanistan,

Bangladesh, and Pakistan to be placed on a fast-track for citizenship. Nationwide protests in opposition to the law faced a violent push-back from “police and government-aligned groups,” the report said. The commission counted nearly 25 people who lost their lives in attacks on protesters and universities in the northeastern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh alone, noting that reports indicate law enforcement there specifically targeted Muslims. It further cited a series of actions, including the citizenship law, enforcement of cow slaughter laws and a Supreme Court ruling in November that combined to create “a culture of impunity for nationwide campaigns of harassment and violence against religious minorities.” US President Donald Trump did not offer any criticism of India’s citizenship law when he visited in February, even as inter-communal violence between Hindus and Muslims was raging. Anurag Srivastava, the spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, blasted the report’s findings, and rejected what he said are misrepresentations of the facts.

EU mulls more Syria sanctions after chemical ruling In Case You Missed It

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for the first time explicitly blamed the Syrian regime for chemical attacks using sarin and chlorine in 2017. The EU welcomed a report by the global chemical weapons watchdog blaming the Syrian regime for toxic attacks, and said it was ready to consider further sanctions on Damascus. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for the first time explicitly blamed the regime of Bashar al Assad for

chemical attacks over the use of sarin and chlorine in 2017. The EU’s diplomatic chief Josep Borrell welcomed the report on behalf of the 27 members of the bloc. “We fully support the report’s findings and note with great concern its conclusions,” he said. “Those identified responsible for the use of chemical weapons must be held accountable for these reprehensible acts.” The probe found that in March 2017, Syrian fighter jets dropped the

nerve agent sarin on the northern village of Lataminah and a military helicopter dropped a barrel bomb full of chlorine on the same village. The OPCW said it could not identify the precise chain of command, but that orders for the attacks must have come from senior Syrian regime commanders. The report will now to go to the UN among others to decide what further action if any should be taken. Borrell said the EU was willing to consider expanding its sanctions against the Assad regime.

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Harassment of Indian Muslims rises over COVID-19 rumors

Indians are apparently looking for a coronavirus scapegoat as the country’s Muslim population is widely reporting that they are being harassed over rumors of spreading the new virus. Many people from the Muslim population said they are being harassed by both the police and people in the streets across the country, over the virus outbreak. India reported Friday 1,684 new cases of the coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19, over the last 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 23,077. Health officials said they recorded

37 deaths while 490 patients have recovered. The pandemic which has plagued the world since it emerged in China back in December has infected more than 2,710,264 people and killed 190, 896 worldwide. In the meantime, rumors, misinformation and videos are being widely shared on social media in India, claiming that Muslims are deliberately spreading Covid-19. Citing Hafez Mohammed Naseerudin, a Muslim Imam in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, CNN reported that he had been assaulted by police over the

allegation. “I am an Imam, so I look and dress very Muslim. I also have a long beard,” he said. “The cop started hitting me and saying that it is because of me and my community that this disease is spreading.” In Punjab, a state in northern India, Muslim milk producers said they have been threatened by villagers, their houses have been raided by police, and people are scared to buy their produce. “We have observed a deliberate pattern to delegitimize the community,” said local website, Alt News. “All these videos have been used to call for a boycott of the community, especially the lower economic sections of the society such as vegetable and fruit vendors. This act of communalizing a pandemic is disturbing as well as dangerous,” it wrote. “It is shameful that the safety of the Muslim community has been compromised during Covid-19,” said Wajahat Habibullah. “We should all work together to combat the disease, instead we are targeting a certain community,” he added. Muslims, who make up roughly 200 million of the country’s 1.3 billion population, have long come under attack by India’s Hindu nationalists.

Bosnian minister urges migrant deportation in virus crisis Bosnia is dealing with an influx of migrants trying to flee towards Western Europe, often ending up stranded in the country due to Croatia’s tight border control. Bosnia’s security minister proposed the deportation of migrants from the Balkan country, alleging that they pose a potential security threat and a severe

economic burden amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Fahrudin Radoncic also said migrants who could not provide passports or other identification documents should be imprisoned rather than accommodated in migrant camps in Bosnia. “(Migrants) who do not want to show their identity cards will not be

allowed any more to use our migrant and refugee camps,” he said. “They will go straight to jail. And we will keep them there for 1 year to 5 years until we can establish their identity — this is our proposal for a new law.” He provided no date for when the proposed legislation would be ready for debate in parliament.

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Haftar aims for military dictatorship in Libya: Turkey www.pi-media.co.uk

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In Case You Missed It

A US military spokesman called on the Taliban to stop attacking Afghan security forces and said American troops would continue to come to their aid in accordance with the agreement. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The peace deal is aimed at paving the way for the US to extricate itself from the 19-year war, America’s longest. The spokesman confirmed that Gen. Scott Miller met with the Taliban

“as part of the military channel established in the agreement” to discuss ways to reduce the violence, AP reported. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the meeting was held in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, where the group maintains a political office. Shaheen tweeted that the two sides held “serious” discussions. He said the Taliban called for a halt to attacks against civilians. The US military claims it does not target non-

combatants. The US-Taliban deal, touted as Afghanistan’s best chance at ending decades of war, is holding, but progress toward a broader political settlement has been slowed by squabbling within the Afghan government. That has frustrated Washington and delayed the start of the next phase of negotiations, among Afghans themselves. The Taliban say they have reduced their attacks on Afghan forces and have not attacked US or NATO troops since the agreement was signed on Feb. 29. Most of the recent Taliban attacks have been against Afghan forces posted in remote areas. The Afghan government meanwhile said its air force struck Taliban positions in the northeastern Badakhshan province, killing up to 27 members of the group. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said civilians were killed and wounded, blaming US and Afghan forces. The US military spokesman declined to respond to the allegation but said that the Taliban often falsely accuse the US of carrying out bombing raids launched by Afghan forces.

Israeli forces raid home of Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Israeli intelligence services threatened the Preacher of the AlAqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, after raiding his house in occupied East Jerusalem. The threat came after Sheikh Sabri said that he will reopen AlAqsa Mosque’s doors if occupation forces allowed settlers to storm the Muslim site. Sheikh Sabri told Anadolu Agency, “Israeli intelligence forces came to my house and threatened

me saying that they will hold me responsible for any tension in AlAqsa Mosque.” He continued, “I told them that suspending the reception of worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque does not mean in any way that it is permissible to the settlers to enter it. Therefore, if the occupation police decide to open the Mughrabi Gate unilaterally to the settlers, then we will open the rest of the mosque’s doors to worshippers.”

Sheikh Sabri stressed that “Israel should not be allowed to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic and attempt to impose new restrictions on Al-Aqsa Mosque.” The Islamic Endowments Department, in Jerusalem alQuds, announced last month that it had suspended the reception of worshippers to prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

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‘YouTube discriminating against Palestinians’ Study 16

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The findings of a new study have revealed that the US-based online video-sharing platform, YouTube, is grossly violating Palestinians’ rights, and is repeatedly and systematically discriminating against them. The research carried out by the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media (7amleh), whose results were released, found out that YouTube’s policies and practices are trampling on the digital rights of Palestinians. The study, conducted by 7amleh Center researcher Amal Nazzal through making use of interpretive qualitative research methods, included in-depth interviews with human rights defenders, activists and journalists. The findings of the research showed that there is an unclear definition of violence and what has been described as “graphic content” under the YouTube policies has resulted in the removal of many Palestinian videos.

Nazzal also found out that biased policies against Palestinian content comprise surveillance, suspension or termination of accounts and withholding monetization, which have subsequently led to the feelings of exclusion, anger and disappointment among Palestinians. The report then called on YouTube to ensure clarity and fairness with regard to its content policies, and to secure equal access to information, lower the use of erroneous fake intelligence to monitor Palestinian content, enable an appeals process and publish transparency reports. “This research is a call to encourage collaboration and mobilization both at the Palestinian and international levels to show how YouTube violates Palestinian rights and to resist it,” Nazzal said. “Contrary to YouTube’s promise to be a space, where every user has equal rights of participation and belonging, this research discloses

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how YouTube’s policies and practices are biased and discriminatory against Palestinians. “This discrimination includes techniques of high surveillance, which have resulted in instances of exclusion, isolation and demotivation,” the researcher concluded. Palestinian activists say there is a double standard regarding the enforcement of social media platforms’ policies. Back in September 2017, three Palestinian journalists launched a group called Sada Social, which aims to document “violations against Palestinian content” on social networks such as Facebook and YouTube, and to communicate with its executives to restore some of the pages and accounts that have been shut down. “There is a very big gap between Palestinians and Israelis,” Sada Social co-founder Iyad al-Refaie said at the time, explaining that the idea for such an initiative stems from what he sees as an imbalance in the way social networks deal with censorship in the Israeli-Palestinian context. “[Nothing happens] to Israelis who publish a status calling for killing Palestinians. But if Palestinians post any news about something happening on the ground or done by an Israeli soldier, Facebook [may] close the account or the page, or delete the post,” he noted. According to 7amleh, the Israeli regime has more than 200 criminal files against Arab and Palestinian activists, charging them with incitement on the internet, while “almost not a single case” has been opened against Israeli instigators.

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Teaching Quran translation becomes compulsory in universities in Pakistan’s Punjab

a seven-member committee of the VCs which will submit first draft recommendations by May 10 which will be transmitted to the VC of other public and private universities and ulema (scholars) in the province. He said the feedback from all quarters will be discussed on May 17, adding that the committee will submit final recommendations on May 22 which will be duly implemented across the province. www.pi-media.co.uk

Want to Advertise Governor of Pakistan’s Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar made teaching of the Holy Quran with translation compulsory in all provincial universities. He has also constituted a seven-member committee of vice-chancellors to submit its recommendations on how to make it part of the syllabus. Addressing a press conference after a meeting with vice-chancellors at Governor’s House in Lahore, he said it will be compulsory for students to attend the Quran with translation lecture, adding that Quran is a complete code of life and

its better understanding will help in winning favor of Almighty and becoming good human beings. Sarwar said that all universities should make teaching of Quran with translation part of their syllabus, adding that it is responsibility of universities to disseminate the knowledge of Quran to the younger generation. He said the Quran with translation classes will be compulsory for students and the requisite amendment will be made to the constitution, according to thenews.com.pk website. The Punjab governor constituted

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Palestine Israel’s seizure of $129mn of Palestinians’ tax revenues act of ‘piracy, theft’: Minister The Israeli regime has committed an act of “piracy and theft” by seizing around $129 million of Palestinians’ tax revenues, says a Palestinian minister. Hussein Sheikh, the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s Civil Affairs Commission, made the comment a few hours after Israel’s Central Court ruled the seizure of 450 million shekels (about $129 million) in tax revenue due to be paid to the Palestinian government. The court claimed that it had

ordered to withhold the money as compensation for the families of “Israeli victims” of purported operations that targeted Israeli interests, Palestine’s official Wafa news agency reported. “Such [Israeli] decisions bring us closer to decisiveness and the implementation of the decisions of the National & Central Councils,” Sheikh said in a tweet, referring to previous resolutions – currently put on hold – of the National Council and the Central Council of the

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on halting security coordination with the Israeli regime and suspending the agreements signed with Tel Aviv. According to the report, the Israeli regime is already withholding millions of dollars due to the PA under the pretext that the Palestinian government makes monthly payments to the families of the Palestinian inmates in Israeli prisons and those who have lost their lives by Israeli forces.

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Saudi takeover of Newcastle nears

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required by UK company law” and are applied “with equal rigour” to all clubs, and on an objective rather than subjective basis. Yasir Al Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi Arabian public investment fund (PIF) which will take an 80% stake in the club should the deal go through, would become chairman. Crucially though, it is understood there will be no knee-jerk decisions regarding other senior staff either on the business or the football side, which includes manager Steve Bruce.

The Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle could be completed within the next fortnight. The PA news agency understands the Premier League’s owners and directors test is the final hurdle to clear before the £300 million deal is complete. It is understood that despite letters being sent to the Premier League from Amnesty International and broadcaster beIN SPORTS within the last week that no one connected to the takeover has been asked questions by the league about the issues of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, ‘sport washing’ or

allegations of TV rights piracy linked to the Saudi state. Culture secretary Oliver Dowden told a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee hearing that the final decision on the takeover rested with the league, after calls from the committee to intervene. Without a sudden shift in UK policy towards Saudi Arabia at a political or international trade level it seems unlikely the takeover will be rejected. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, in a response to the letter from Amnesty, said the league’s processes “go beyond those

Managing director Lee Charnley will be leaving the club after a handover period. Supporters can expect significant investment in the playing staff but also in other areas, though the new owners are said to be very mindful of the requirements to meet financial fair play regulations both at domestic and European level. The current owner of Newcastle, Mike Ashley, has been paid a nonrefundable £17 million deposit from the new owners, with the remaining £283m due on completion. As well as the Saudi PIF, 10% of the club will be owned by PCP Capital Partners and the remaining 10% by the Reuben brothers.

Pakistan bans cricketer Umar Akmal for 3 years The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) slapped a three-year ban on middleorder batsman Umar Akmal for not reporting a spot-fixing offer earlier this year, a crime under the board’s anti-corruption code. “Umar Akmal handed three-year ban from all cricket by Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel Justice (retd) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan,” it said in a statement. The star batsman, whose stopstart career has been tainted with scandals and disciplinary violations,

was suspended from taking part in any kind of cricket-related activities in February during the Pakistan Super League, a professional Twenty20 cricket league. He was subsequently charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code on March 17, and a detailed hearing was held at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. “The PCB doesn’t take any pleasure in seeing a promising international cricketer being

declared ineligible for three years on corruption charges, but this is once again a timely reminder to all who think they can get away by breaching the anti-corruption code,” PCB Anti-Corruption and Security Director Lt Col Asif Mahmood was quoted as saying. The 29-year-old, who last played for Pakistan in October last, has played 16 Tests, 121 One-Day, and 84 T20 matches, scoring 1,003, 3,194 and 1,690 runs in the three formats respectively.

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Saudi Arabia Olympic committee reveals bid for 2030 Asian games

Saudi Arabia announced that it has submitted a letter of intent to hold the 21st Asian Games in 2030 in Riyadh, according to a statement. The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is the largest sporting event in Asia with all 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia eligible to participate. Saudi Arabia envisions 10,000 athletes from these nations

competing across 40 sports in Riyadh. “Bidding for the Asian in 2030 is part of our new SAOC strategy and is fully aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The interest shown by the public for the initial edition of the Saudi Games … [has] given us additional motivation to enter this exciting race,” said Prince Abdulaziz

bin Turki Alfaisal, President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee (SAOC). Plans are underway to turn the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh “into a megatropolis,” President of The Royal Commission for Riyadh City Fahd al-Rasheed told Al Arabiya English back in January. The plan calls for around an 8 percent growth in population every year, with infrastructure projects on the way to support this growth – such as the $27 billion Riyadh metro project. “By the year 2030, Riyadh will be among the most attractive cities in the world, the impact of sport seen in the whole society and our athletes ready to perform at their best and be part of an exciting journey of transformation that is ought to be shared,” said Prince Abdulaziz. A decision on the host for the 2030 Asian Games will be taken in November 2020 by the General assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia.

Liverpool stars donate food and money to fight Covid 19 Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have made generous donations within Egypt and Senegal amid Covid 19 crisis. Mohamed Salah sent out thousands of tons of food and fresh meat to residents of his hometown village Nagrig, near the city of Basyoun. The coronavirus has been spreading rapidly over the last few weeks as the total number of COVID-19 cases in Egypt has risen to 3032 cases. To support his hometown during the pandemic, Salah sent thousands of tons of food and fresh meat while offering advice on how to stop spreading the coronavirus.

Salah has been known for making big donations, as he had previously donated $3 million to the National Cancer Institute following a terrorist attack last summer. The 27-year-old also donated equipment worth EGP 12 million to Children’s Cancer Hospital, a piece of land to hometown in Egypt, and €30,000 to veteran Egyptian players. Sadio Mane has made a donation of 30 millions FCFA around 45,000 euros (£41,000) - to the national committee fighting against coronavirus in his home country of Senegal. The Reds’ player decided to make the donation “spontaneously

when he saw the evolution of the situation” with the increase of Covid-19 cases in Senegal, his agent said. Mane also shared a video on social media where he asked his compatriots to take coronavirus “extremely seriously”. The 2019 Caf African player of the year also gave his followers advice on preventive measures to apply like “disinfect or wash your hands for at least 30 seconds”. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Senegal has reached 27, but two of the them have returned to health, according to the Ministry of Health. www.pi-media.co.uk

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Let us fall in love with them again 22

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By Moulana Khalid Dhorat

How do you remember people whom you love? Well, Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor, built the “Jewel of Muslim Art in India” – the Taj Mahal, to celebrate the memory of the flame of his life, his third wife – Mumtaz Mahal – in Agra. Grief stricken at her death, he started the building in 1643 and only completed it 22 years thereafter. The Egyptians weren’t the only ones to build pyramids to celebrate their deified rulers whom they believed never really died. This tradition is found in China too. A massive greyish/greenish pyramid whose base is 375 m2 was built to commemorate Qin Shi Huang in Shaanxi province. Huang was the first Chinese Emperor to unify the nation in 221 BC and his people will never allow his memory to fade. Here in our Rainbow Nation, we do things a little differently. We rename

streets, hospitals and airports after those who fought for our freedom. HF Verwoerd Hospital was renamed after Steve Bhiko, Jan Smuts Airport was renamed after Oliver Tambo and DF Malan Drive was renamed after Beyers Naude. We Muslims in South Africa have much to thank our forefathers for having left their buffalo carts and paan dabbas (betel leaf containers) in India and coming to this wonderful land of BMWs and boerewors. How do we thank them? We thank them by building on the legacy they left behind. If they left the importance of business in their family, today all their offspring would be millionaires; if they left a legacy of religion in their family, today all their offspring would be Huffaz and ‘Ulema; and if they left a legacy of womanising, today all their offspring will be hopping around in

the townships waiting for government grants! My point is that no one forgets their legacy and no one divorces their past, especially if it was a golden past. More so when our ancestors were directly responsible for our present prosperity. Hundred years ago, if Baboo bhai didn’t scratch in his socks for all his rupees or sell his wife’s jewellery to buy a 3rd-class ticket for a ride over the rough sea to South Africa, today his grand-children would’ve been still wearing those same socks! For this, we will thank Baboo bhai for ever. Two types of Legacies As Muslims, we will always remember two types of people: those who were responsible for our material prosperity, and those who were responsible for our spiritual

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legacy. In fact, we are more indebted to the second category of people who are more important than our national heroes, our ancestors, or our adorable wives. These people were responsible for giving us the Muslim identity which we are so proud to practice today: they didn’t only give us the material opportunities of life, they gave us true dignity of life and also another life that extends far beyond this world. They were responsible for putting us on the path to paradise. They fashioned our thoughts and chiselled our behaviour. They showed us how to play and how to pray, how to do dress and who to bless, and what to buy and how to die. They also showed us the light of truth and how to uphold it, as well as what is evil and how to challenge it. And they didn’t do this via the internet, comfortably clicking away with a cup of milkshake on the side; or in an air-conditioned auditorium presenting some Islamic topic to 100 delegates who paid R500- each for the course, or by writing flowery articles for glossy magazines. No, we have the convenience of doing this, not them. They had to do it the difficult way – propagating in dangerous alleys, whispering in the ears of villains, venturing out in the burning mid-day heat, learning in secret in the dark of the night, sitting on harsh soil and pebbles, having a meal once in three days, and fighting on faraway battlefields with very little armour nor any backup. Who were they? Who are these people? Well, they were human beings, just like me and you. But, they were handpicked by the Almighty Himself – they were His elite forces in earth. They were ranked just an inch below the prophets, and for good reason too. Their purpose was to fulfil the commands of God, obey Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), and be the golden link between us and our noble Prophet. A spaza shop needs maybe 2 people to function, a corner shop maybe 5, a national corporation like Telkom maybe 200 000, a government the size of South Africa may need 2 million servant servants to run the civil and military administration, so how many people

do you think is needed to plant the seeds and propagate a UNIVERSAL religion? Could Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) achieve this alone? The answer is that he could’ve did it alone by the will of the Almighty, but then how many people would have felt part of Islam? How many people would’ve been emotionally attached to it and prepared to die for Islam if they didn’t have a stake in spreading it? Many of us have long-standing employees in our businesses and homes and many of us may be employees too. How many people really feel a part of the business in which they work? Wouldn’t many walk straight out of the door the minute they found a better job? Well, Islam did not take root in this way. It took root with an unbreakable emotional, spiritual, intellectual and physical attachment to it, and who were responsible for doing so? We may have disloyal workers, but never disloyal Muslims. These people were called the Sahabah (Companions), all 114 000 of them without exception. The Almighty peeked into the hearts of humanity, and only picked those most hardy and competent enough to perform this most difficult task on earth – to assist a Prophet in his mission. We, wrapped in thermal blankets on a winter day 1415 years down the line, were not picked for this difficult task. The reason is simple. If we can’t survive for 2 minutes without a cup of hot chocolate on a cold night in an enclosed home when Eskom has load shedding, how will we survive two months on a campaign in the burning dessert with only a date to live on a day? Without the Sahabah, there wouldn’t have been any Qur’an. Since Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) could not read nor write, he relied on one of dozens of Sahabah to transcribe the manuscript on his behalf. They are the only people whom we know are destined for paradise as the Almighty Himself had given them this certificate in this world already: “The Lord is happy with them, and they are happy with their Lord.”(100:8). The noble Master (peace be upon him) declared that none of them will enter hellfire simply

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because they seen him with the flame of faith in their hearts. The task of the Sahabah was to show us how to practice Islam. The Qur’an was not designed to be given to us in a manuscript or in PDF format, and allow us to interpret it according to our own fanciful desires. No, it was meant to be practiced by the Sahabah and this UNIFIED interpretation faithfully adopted by the later generations from heart to heart, not mind to mind. Remove the Sahabah, and we have no Qur’an, no tafseer (explanation) of the Qur’an and no Sunnah at all. Rather, we will make the tafseer of the Qur’an, but it will not be unified and in conformity with Islam. It will be rather a plate of salad for one, a glass of juice for another, and soccer ball for the third. Lastly, let us follow the example of the Rainbow Nation in remembering our noble Sahabah. Let us name our sons Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Abu Hurairah, Mu‘awiyah, Zubeir, Talha, Anas, Khubaib and Jabir. Our grandsons, in their turn, should be named Abu Bakr II and ‘Uthman II. Let us not consider oldfashioned names such as Fatimah, Ruqayyah, Aisha, Umm Kulthum, Zainub, Habeebah, Asma and Hafsah. Let us name our Masjids after that great warrior Sayyadina Khalid ibnul Waleed; after the trustworthy one, Sayyadina Abu ‘Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah and after Sayyadina Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari, the one whose voice was as melodious as Prophet Dawud. Let us name our bridges, streets, and buildings after the Sahabah. Housewives and shopkeepers, name cupboards, doors, windows and corners after the Sahabah. There is a choice of 114 000 names, so it will be exciting to choose. Lastly, if it wasn’t for the sacrifices of the Sahabah, we would have been still carving a wooden idol in the morning, offering a piece of bread to it in the afternoon which a stray dog would eat, allowing our children to play ring-a-ring-a-rosie with it in the evening, and burning it as firewood next day. So, let us all fall in love with them today all over again, never forget their kindness on us and never tolerate anyone to disrespect or speak ill of them in any way. wwww.pi-media.co.uk

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