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Evening NEWS DIGEST
11 Sept. 2017: 19 Zilhajja 1438:Vol:8, No:275
OTHERS
SC Orders Replacement of 2 Judges Posted as Observers at Babri Masjid Site
https://thewire.in/176500/supreme-court-orders-replacement-of-two-judges-posted-as-observers-at-babri-masjid-site/
Ayodhya : The three judge special bench of the Supreme Court has ordered to replace the 2 judges posted as observers at the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya. Hearing the plea moved by the Allahabad high court seeking to replace the two judges appointed to ensure status quo at the Babri site, the 2 judges – T. M. Khan and S. K. Singh – were appointed by the Allahabad high court in March 2003, during the excavation conducted by archaeological survey of India (ASI) at the disputed site.These observers were appointed by the Allahabad high court after complaints filed by Muslim parties against the ASI team for malfunctioning and the non-maintenance of status quo as ordered by the Supreme Court.The special bench of the Supreme Court constituted to hear the title suit of Babri Masjid/Ram Janmabhoomi – Chief Justice of India Deepak Mishra, Justice S. Abdul Nazeer and Justice Ashok Bhushan passed the order accepting the plea of the high court and the bench ordered the chief justice of the Allahabad high court to appoint two judges of district judge/additional district judge rank posted in the surrounding districts of Ayodhya-Faizabad within the next ten days.Senior advocate of Allahabad high court, Rakesh Diwedi, on Sept. 4 had informed the Supreme Court about the two appointed judges – Singh had been elevated to high court and Khan had retired.The three judges special bench of the apex court will start the hearing in the case on December 5, 2017, the eve of 25 years of the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 in Ayodhya.Reacting to the judgement, Zafaryab Jilani, the convener of the Babri Masjid Action Committee, said, “there was no need of removing the two judges, Singh and Khan, as both were having depth knowledge of status quo and under the supervision of both judges the business at the disputed site was going through,” adding, “The new judges who will be appointed as observers, if we find any partiality in their work, we will then definitely go to the SC.” thewire
Babri site: SC asks Allahabad HC’s chief justice to nominate two additional district judges as observers
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ayodhya-site-sc-asks-allahabad-hc-s-chief-jutice-to-nominate-two-additional-district-judges-as-observers/story-KJDCjxjLK0hwcxRGOjhqVP.html
UN rights chief deplores India's move to deport Rohingya refugees amid ongoing Myanmar violence
http://www.firstpost.com/world/un-rights-chief-deplores-indias-move-to-deport-rohingya-refugees-amid-ongoing-myanmar-violence-4032659.html
Geneva: UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein on Monday flayed any attempts by India to deport Rohingyas to Myanmar when the ethnic minority community is facing violence in their country.Speaking at the opening of a Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Zeid also referred to the killing of activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh, observing that she "tirelessly addressed the corrosive effect of sectarianism and hatred.""I deplore current measures in India to deport Rohingyas at a time of such violence against them in their country," Zeid said. UNHRC noted Rijiju had reportedly said that because India is not a signatory to Refugee Convention it "can dispense with international law on the matter, together with basic human compassion.""However, by virtue of customary law, its ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the obligations of due process and the universal principle of non-refoulement, India cannot carry out collective expulsions, or return people to a place where they risk torture or other serious violations," the UN human rights chief said.Touching upon cow vigilantism in India, Zeid said:"The current wave of violent, and often lethal, mob attacks against people under the pretext of protecting the lives of cows is alarming.""People who speak out for fundamental human rights are also threatened," he said.Lankesh was gunned down last week in Bengaluru. Unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen pumped bullets into 55-year-old Gauri as she left her car after reaching her home.Zeid said he was "heartened by the subsequent marches calling for protection of the right to freedom of expression, and by demonstrations in 12 cities to protest the lynchings."PTI
UN rights commissioner flays India over Rohingya refugees, Gauri Lankesh murder
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/rohingya-issue-india-myanmar-flayed-at-un-human-rights-meet/story-XUSuIv73CgWEDbZuJ80yFJ.html
SC to hear on Sep 18 plea of Rohingyas against deportation
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sc-to-hear-on-sep-18-plea-of-rohingyas-against-deportation/1/1045699.html
New Delhi;The Supreme Court today fixed Sept.18 for hearing a plea challenging Govt’s decision to deport illegal Rohingya Muslim immigrants back to Myanmar.A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud considered the submission ASG Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, to defer the hearing."As prayed for by Tushar Mehta, Additional Solicitor General, let the matter be listed on Sept. 18," the bench said.The apex court had earlier asked the ASG to take instruction from the Centre about its response to the petition challenging the decision on various grounds, including that it violated international human right conventions. The plea, filed by 2 Rohingya immigrants, Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir, who are registered refugees under the NHCR, claimed they had taken refuge in India after escaping from Myanmar due to widespread discrimination, violence and bloodshed against the community there.Ex-RSS ideologue and Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan leader K N Govindacharaya has recently moved the apex court seeking to make him a party in the case filed by the two Rohingya Muslims.PTI
Hyderabad erupts in protest over Myanmar Govt's ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/city-erupts-in-protest-over-myanmar-govts-ethnic-cleansing-of-rohingyas/articleshow/60456982.cms
Hyderabad: Thousands of people participated in a massive protest here to condemn the killings of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. The protesters gathered at the Exhibition Grounds at Nampally in the city in response to a call given by an all-party solidarity committee. Protests were also held in different parts of the old city. Women and students turned up in large numbers. Public meetings and rallies were also held. Local political leaders also participated in the protest, which was organised by the Telangana and Odisha zone of the Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH). "UN should intervene and stop the genocide," said Mohammed Abdul Majeed, media secretary of the origination.An appeal for help has also been made to deputy CM Mohammed Mahmood Ali, who attended the programme. "Around 40 doctors from Doctors' Association for Relief & Education (DARE) are ready to provide medical aid to the victims in Bangladesh and Burma. We have requested the deputy CM to escalate the issue with the Govt and help them in securing visas, "said Jamaat-e-Islami Telangana and Odisha president Hamid Mohammed Khan.TOI
Triple talaq case: Critical of govt, Muslim Personal law board will not file review
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/triple-talaq-critical-of-govt-muslim-law-board-will-not-file-review-muslim-islam-4837620/
New Delhi:All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) executive committee meeting on Sunday did not discuss filing a review petition against the Supreme Court order holding instant triple talaq illegal. Sources said during informal discussions it was felt that a review plea may throw open more religious practices like polygamy to judicial scrutiny.It was the first meeting of the AIMPLB’s highest decision-making body since the Supreme Court order. The board had maintained studied restraint on it and there was speculation that the executive committee could decide on a review petition.At the marathon meeting in Bhopal on Sunday, AIMPLB again accused the Govt of attempting an attack on Muslim personal laws, and welcomed the court order for not going in that direction.Putting this one positive takeaway from last month’s triple talaq judgment — the majority verdict upholding personal laws based on religion — in jeopardy would not be a sensible move, many in the topmost echelons of the board felt. The executive committee, however, resolved to set up a panel to examine the judgment to find any inconsistencies with the Shariah. The board also recorded its “commitment to carry forward largescale reforms”.In a statement issued after the meeting, the board said, “The Govt had laid bare its intention in the form of the Attorney General’s submissions in the Hon’ble Supreme Court that all forms of dissolution of marriages without intervention of the court should be declared as unconstitutional. We register our displeasure and consider it as attack on personal law of Muslims. This stand of the present Govt is contrary to protection guaranteed by the Constitution of India. We make (a) categorical statement that the Community cannot and shall not tolerate such attack on personal law of Muslim community.”Kamal Faruqui, a member of AIMPLB executive committee, said, “The matter of a review petition was absolutely not discussed at the meeting. Whoever thought we would be doing so was merely imagining things. We have always advocated a reasonable line, we are not in favour like some other organisations of taking to the streets at the slightest pretext.We try to steer clear of adopting a confrontational attitude because there are many other issues of Muslims, like education, that need attention. We will stand up against anyone when it is required, but now is not the time. We are not emphasising it, but we did win a major victory when the SC upheld personal laws; we are not talking because we do not want it to be politicised again.”Board insiders say the matter of a review petition was discussed in informal deliberations over the past 20-odd days, but most felt that the risks of such a move far outweighed its potential benefits. Things have changed since the last order, there is a new CJI there will be a new Bench looking at it. What if they do not feel the same way about personal laws? What if they want to examine other practices like polygamy, nikah halala etc, like the original two-judge Bench had wanted examined? We would end up opening more fronts than we would like to. That is why the review petition never came up in the executive committee.” At its Sunday meeting, AIMPLB executive committee also expressed its surprise over the Supreme Court’s decision to begin hearing the Babri Masjid case on a daily basis. Noting that the court had previously found it impossible to speed up the hearing because it had to go through a lot of documents, the board said it would abide by whatever the court decides, “but the process has to be judicial without bringing politics into it. It’s related to property, it’s a title suit.”AIMPLB said the court had now given very little time to the two parties, and that there was not enough time to translate all the documents. Saying “we would do our best”, the board said, “We feel this may be used as a plank by a certain political party. We want the might and respect of the court should not be compromised. Court is our last resort.”It added that its president and general secretary would come out with a detailed observation at a later stage talking to lawyers.Indian Express
In Wake of Triple Talaq Verdict, Muslim Board Decides to Launch Nationwide Community Reform Programmes
http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/in-the-wake-of-triple-talaq-verdict-muslim-law-board-decides-to-launch-nationwide-community-reform-programmes
Writer Kancha Ilaiah lodges police complaint after threat calls, says fears for his safety
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/kancha-ilaiah-lodges-police-complaint-after-threatening-calls-says-fears-for-his-safety-4838283/
Hyderabad: Writer and intellectual Dr Kancha Ilaiah lodged a complaint at Hyderabad’s Osmania University Police Station on Monday, after allegedly receiving threatening calls from unknown persons. Ilaiah claimed he has been receiving them since Sunday afternoon and that callers have threatened to cut off his tongue.“Since yesterday many unknown phone calls kept coming and when I answered they abused me. The International Arya-Vysya Sangham headed by K Ramakrishna condemned my writings on a TV channel. Someone threatened to cut my tongue. My effigies have been burnt. I feel terribly threatened by their abuses, phone calls and messages. If anything happens to me they will be responsible,” Ilaiah said. Vysya associations are upset with Dr Ilaiah for his book titled ‘Samajika smugglurlu komatollu‘(Vysyas are social smugglers). Vysya associations are complaining that the title and some contents of the book are derogatory and offensive to the community. They are demanding the book be withdrawn immediately. J Venkateshwar, president of AP Arya Vysya Mahasabha, said they are lodging a police complaint against Dr Ilaiah. indianexpress
Book on Arya Vysyas lands Kancha Ilaiah in trouble
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/110917/book-on-arya-vysyas-lands-kancha-ilaiah-in-trouble.html
Telugu writer under fire for terming trading community ‘social smugglers’
http://www.hindustantimes.com/andhra-pradesh/telugu-writer-under-fire-for-terming-trading-community-as-social-smugglers/story-FJSdihvSsMqlUE7pkfiAcL.html
Jaipur Firing: Govt. Accepts Demands, Family Allows Post-mortem, Burial of Youth
http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/jaipur-firing-govt-accepts-demands-family-allows-post-mortem-burial-of-youth
Jaipur: The family of the youth killed in police firing Friday night allowed his post-mortem and burial Monday morning only after the state Govt accepted their demands. Govt has promised inquiry against the police official who resorted to firing. It has also promised Govt job to one member of the family. Besides, as the family and community had demanded, Govt has assured not case will be filed against the protesters. As for monetary compensation, the Govt has agreed to give Rs 10 lakh. The family had demanded Rs one crore. State minister Yunus Khan conveyed the Govt 's assurances to the family and the local community.Mohammad Raees alias Adil was killed when police opened fire at a crowd who was protesting against alleged thrashing of a couple outside the Ramganj police station Friday night. The crowd torched various vehicles and pelted stone on the police personnel.According to media reports, during a routine check-up in the city on Friday evening, police tried to stop a bike rider and when he did not stop, the police hit the pillion rider who was a woman and took the couple to the local police station. As the news spread, a huge crowd gathered at the police station to seek release of the couple.After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the family. Funeral prayer was offered here Monday noon and the youth was buried in the local graveyard.On Sunday, to press with the demands, leaders of Rajasthan Muslim Forum, an umbrella body of Muslim organizations, had held a press conference with family members of the victim. They demanded suspension of the police personnel involved in the firing, Rs one crore as compensation to the victim family and Govt job to one family member. The family had said they would not allow post-mortem and burial unless Govt accepted the demands.Curfew was imposed and internet service was suspended following the violence Friday mignight. After the situation returned to normalcy on Monday, the internet service has been restored. However, curfew has not yet been lifted.IndiaTomorrow
Violence: As tensions continue in Rajasthan's capital, Muslim organisations prepare to stage dharna today
http://www.firstpost.com/india/jaipur-violence-as-tensions-continue-in-rajasthans-capital-muslim-organisations-prepare-to-stage-dharna-today-4030521.html
Jaipur under curfew: Body of boy buried under security cover
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/632622/jaipur-curfew-body-22-year.html
SC notice to EC on PIL seeking Nitish’s disqualification; he says all done by the book
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sc-notice-to-ec-on-pil-seeking-nitish-s-disqualification-he-says-all-done-by-the-book/story-xtN7IZ0JCPjhs6fqlqbmgK.html
Patna: The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Election Commission of India, in response to a PIL seeking disqualification of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar from the membership of Bihar legislative council.In his PIL, Delhi lawyer ML Sharma has sought Kumar’s disqualification as an MLC for allegedly hiding his “criminal records” while filing election affidavits since 2004, except for 2012.In the petition, it has been alleged a criminal case was pending against JD (U) leader wherein he was accused of killing a Congress leader, Sitaram Singh, and injuring four others in the Pandarak police station area, ahead of 1991 Lok Sabha by-poll to Bihar’s Barh constituency.The petitioner has argued that in light of this, the EC must cancel Kumar’s membership as per its 2002 order which said it was mandatory for candidates to disclose criminal cases against them while filing the nomination papers for an election. The SC directed the EC to file a reply within 4 weeks. hindustantimes
Jaypee insolvency case: SC asks holding company to deposit Rs 2,000 crore
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/jaypee-insolvency-case-sc-asks-holding-company-to-deposit-rs-2-000-crore-says-we-are-concerned-about-homebuyers/story-geV4EQ4Qb81yXYCb0KXCtM.html
New Delhi:The Supreme Court asked real estate firm Jaypee to deposit Rs 2,000 crore before Oct.27 and asked for a plan within 45 days on how it will protect homebuyers’ interest.The court also restrained directors and managing director of Jaypee Infratech and its holding company, Jaypee Associates, from travelling abroad.The holding company will have to deposit the money.“We are not concerned about the company, we are only concerned about homebuyers,” Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said, handing over the management of Jaypee Infratech to insolvency resolution professional. hindustantimes
Won’t go against sentiments of Kashmiris on Article 35A: Rajnath
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/won-t-go-against-sentiments-of-kashmiris-on-article-35a-rajnath-singh/story-PMoqIDpAdmQy3pKBxAvi3N.html
Srinagar:Union home minister Rajnath Singh said BJP-led Govt at Centre will not go against the wishes of the people of J&K on constitutional provisions that guarantee special privileges to the restive state, amid a debate over articles 35A and 370. Singh is on a 4-day visit to the state which comes at a time when the valley is experiencing agitation against attempts to abrogate Article 35A of the Constitution, which gives special rights to the permanent residents of the state, and the arrest of seven separatist leaders by NIA in alleged terror-funding cases.“ Govt did not initiate anything on this or go to court. I assure Govt would never take any step which will hurt the sentiments of people of J&K ,’’ he said.Singh called it a “non-issue’’ and said it was being raised by people who have nothing “else to talk about’’.He said “his assurances have come as a home minister of India’’ after he was asked about the individuals or organisations challenging these constitutional provisions were affiliated to RSS, BJP’s ideological mentor.“I don’t want to comment on who is saying what but I am talking as a leader of the BJP and home minister of India,’’ he added.
Strategic partnership with Afghanistan article of faith for India: Sushma
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/strategic-partnership-with-afghanistan-article-of-faith-for-india-sushma/story-6ZlDMybPMFamam8OO9SHiP.html
New Delhi:India’s strategic partnership and friendship with Afghanistan is an “article of faith” for it and “not just another relationship, but a spiritual and civilisational connect”, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday.Issuing a joint statement with her Afghanistan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani, Swaraj said their bilateral relations are not important for just the two nations but for the entire region.Without naming Pakistan, Swaraj said that India and Afghanistan “will remain united in overcoming the challenges posed by cross-border terrorism and safe havens and sanctuaries”.She announced that “116 new high impact development projects would be jointly implemented that would bring socio-economic and infrastructure development”, especially in the suburban and rural communities in 31 provinces of Afghanistan.“India has been and will continue to work with people of Afghanistan in their effort to build a secure, stable, peaceful, prosperous, united and inclusive Afghanistan,” Swaraj said.IANS
Pak calls for regional consensus over Afghanistan issue
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan-calls-for-regional-consensus-over-afghanistan-issue/story-6LBU3CtJDtL7gpCMed8wAN.html
Tehran:Pakistan’s foreign minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday urged regional countries to reach a consensus that could lead to the best solution to the Afghanistan problem.Asif made the remarks in an interview with Iran’s official IRNA. “Basically my main purpose of the visit to Iran is to evolve some consensus among the neighbours of Afghanistan, because peace in Afghanistan will have a comprehensive effect on the rest of the region,” Asif said.IANS
Centre plans 'crackdown' on PFI over alleged terror links:PTI
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/centre-plans-crackdown-on-popular-front-of-india-over-alleged-terror-links/articleshow/60465817.cms
Union Home Ministry is contemplating a "crackdown" on Kerala-based Popular Front of India (PFI) and mulling a ban on it for its alleged links with terror activities, a charge strongly denied by the outfit.The move comes after NIA submitted a report on the PFI to the ministry claiming that the group has been involved in terror acts, including running terror camps and making bombs, and it was a fit case to be declared banned under UAPA, a home ministry official said today.The home ministry official said there have been enough documents regarding PFI's involvement in terror activities in South India and the central Govt cannot remain a mute spectator."The time has come to act and carry out crackdown on PFI before it gets too late," the official said.The official refused to elaborate the kind of action the home ministry was contemplating against the PFI but its action may include declaring the outfit as banned under the UAPA.PFI's national executive council member P Koya strongly refuted the NIA claims, saying the agency had never approached the outfit to know about its activities, if there has been any investigation at all."The activities of PFI were not anti-national but more nationalistic. We have never run any terror camps nor involved in any terror act. There is no reason to call us a terror group unless you want to label us a terrorist organisation," he told PTI over phone.Koya said there have been just 10 cases against PFI in its 25 years of existence and it was "normal" for any organisation.He claimed that at least 100 people were killed in the clashes between the RSS and CPI-M in Kerala in recent times yet the two groups were never called as anti-national.PTI
Asaram, Ram Rahim, Rampal, Radhe Maa: 14 fake babas put on boycott list
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/asaram-gurmeet-ram-rahim-on-fake-baba-list-meet-the-14-faces-hindu-sadhus-want-boycotted/story-JYEQQkSYOOBFFQzKfbD7UP.html
New Delhi:Prompted by recent controversies surrounding self-styled godmen, the apex body of Hindu sadhus -- Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad – has released a list of 14 ‘fake babas’ and demanded a crackdown on “rootless cult leaders” by bringing in a legislation.Giving out the list, the parishad’s president Swami Narendra Giri said: “We appeal to even the common people to beware of such charlatans who belong to no tradition and by their questionable acts, bring disrepute to sadhus and sanyasis.”Here are the 14 fake babas on the parishad’s list:Asaram Bapu (Asumal Sirumalani), Radhe Maa (Sukhwinder Kaur), Sachchidanand Giri (Sachin Datta), Gurmeet Singh, Swami Omji (Vinodanand Jha), Nirmal Baba (Nirmaljeet Singh), Ichchadhari Bhimanand (Shivmurti Dwivedi), Swami Aseemanand, Narayan Sai, Rampal, Acharya Kushmuni, Brahaspati Giri, Om Namah Shivay Baba and Malkhan Singh.HT
Imam Bukhari Sends Notice to Arnab’s ‘Republic’ for defaming Jama Masjid
http://theindianawaaz.com/imam-bukhari-sends-notice-to-arnabs-republic-for-defaming-jama-masjid/
New Delhi:Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Imam of Jama Masjid Delhi has sent a Legal Notice to Arnab Goswami’s ‘Republic’ TV for Running what he called ‘False and malicious’ Story about the historic mosque.Bukhari claimed that the story run by ‘Republic’ recently was false, baseless, defamatory and malicious and was done to defame him and Jama Masjid as the power of mosque was never cut by the electric supply department.Bukhari in a strong-worded legal notice to the channel’s promoters and editor Arnab Goswami asked them to tender unconditional apology, and to remove the content of the story from the channel’s website within 15 days. He warned the channel of defamation case, if it fails to comply with the notice. Under the caption, “Power cut at Jama Masjid”, the channel on August 30, 2017, had repeatedly aired the story that ‘because of non-payments of bills, Jama Masjid’s power was snapped by the Delhi Electricity Department”. The channel also tweeted this on its official Twitter handle the same day “Imam Bukhari has money to buy luxurious cars but can’t pay electricity bills?” Bukhari said he was shocked to see the false and baseless news report being telecast on Republic TV under the caption, “Power cut at Jama Masjid”. “I came to know from my acquaintances that Republic TV has been telecasting a report regarding me and the Jama Masjid. I see a design in it as it was telecast on the very day when the supporters of Baba Gurmeet Singh alias Ram Rahim had unleashed a reign of terror after he was convicted by a special court on rape charges,” he said. theindianawaaz
Gurugram school murder: Top Ryan officials held; murdered student's father moves SC seeking CBI probe
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/gurugram-school-murder-top-ryan-officials-held-murdered-students-father-moves-sc-seeking-cbi-probe/articleshow/60465394.cms
Gurgaon: Two top officials of the Ryan International School were arrested on Monday and the acting principal detained for questioning following the gruesome murder of a seven-year-old student on campus, even as the victim's father moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe.Ryan International Group CEO Ryan Pinto and his parents, who are its founders, approached the Bombay High Court today to seek anticipatory bail in connection with the child's murder in the chain's Gurgaon school.SHO of Sadar Police Station on Sohna Road in Gurgaon was meanwhile suspended over a baton-charge on protesting parents, as well as journalists, outside the school premises. Protests continued at other places with the parents of children studying in Ryan International School's Noida and Greater Noida branches seeking an assurance regarding safety of their wards.Gurgaon police chief Sandeep Khirwar told PTI that the school's Legal Head, Francis Thomas and HR Head, Jeyus Thomas were arrested on Sunday night following interrogation."Acting principal Neerja Batra has been detained and is being questioned. She is likely to be arrested soon," Khirwar said.Acting on the report of a three-member panel that had indicated lapses, the two top officials of the school management were arrested under section 75 of the Juvenile Justice act, police officials said.PTI
Buddhist woman’s wedding with Muslim sparks tension in Ladakh: hindustantimes
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/buddhist-woman-s-wedding-with-muslim-sparks-tension-in-ladakh/story-gsHijp23F7O4Ck79U0Bt6I.html
Srinagar:A marriage between a Buddhist woman and Muslim man has stoked tensions in J&K ’s Ladakh, with the region’s apex religious body threatening communal unrest unless the woman is “brought back”. Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) has written to CM Mehbooba Mufti, asking for an annulment of the marriage between local-born 30-year-old Shifah, formerly called Stanzin Saldon, and her 32-year-old husband Murtaza Aga of Kargil. Woman converted to Islam in 2015. She married Aga, an engineer, last year. “Young girls are being lured by Muslim boys to marry and finally convert them to Muslim... we have repeatedly asked the Muslim community leaders... to sensitise their communities to stay away from such wicked and depraved act which otherwise will lead to communal unrest, and the district administration will be solely responsible,” reads the letter, dated Sept. 7.The letter, signed by LBA president Tsewang Thinles of which HT has a copy, also urged the state Govt to intervene immediately and make arrangements to “bring back the girl” before “peace, tranquillity and communal harmony takes an ugly turn”. Repeated phone calls to Thinles and vice-president PT Kunzang went unanswered.
Hadiya case: NIA seeks details on ‘forced conversions’
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/nia-seeks-details-on-forced-conversions/article19656998.ece
New Delhi: NIA has asked the Kerala Police for the details of “alleged forced conversions” at Therbiyathul Islam Sabha in Kozhikode, a religious centre authorised by the Kerala Govt .In a status report filed before the Supreme Court and accessed by The Hindu, the NIA said it had sought information on the activities of the Kozhikode-based organisation. It was at this Islamic centre that Akhila Asokan alias Hadiya, a 25-year-old Hindu girl, converted to Islam and later married a Muslim man. Her parents moved the Kerala High Court alleging that she was radicalised and converted to Islam and forcibly married to a Muslim. The court annulled the marriage and Akhila’s husband Shafin Jahan moved the SC, which asked the NIA to investigate the ‘love jihad’ case. thehindu
Muslim women in mosque committees of Kerala shatter the myths built by right-wing media
http://twocircles.net/2017sep10/416393.html
In 2011, women were part of the Mahallu executive committees only at Sivapuram in Kozhikode district while the system was introduced in 2015 at Santhapuram in Malappuram district. Chennamangaloor Mahallu in Kozhikode district joined the new trend in June 2017 by offering seats to 3 women in 15 members executive committee. Mahallu refers to the area, which comes under the care of a mosque. Both Santhapuram and Sivapuram have increased the women quota. The first has 20 women members in 90-member Council while the latter has allocated three seats for women in 18 member executive committee. At Shanthapuram, 6 of the 20 women are part of 31-member Mahallu executive committee.Women members in these Mahallus are now mainly active in empowering Muslim women in the Mahallu limits apart from various works ranging from family counselling to welfare schemes. Mosques here, according to Shanthapuram Mahallu committee functionary K V Ishaqali, women were elected to the executive committee in order to ensure effective intervention of committees in women and familial issues.“Unlike men, women have no limitation in working with women. We are allowed access up to the kitchen of every house in our jurisdiction. And women too are reluctant to frankly speak about their woes to the male members of the mosque committees,” P Fathima Teacher, Shanthapuram Mahallu committee executive member. TCN
Adityanath cabinet's lone Muslim face elected to UP legislature unopposed
http://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/adityanath-cabinet-s-lone-muslim-face-elected-to-up-legislature-unopposed-117091100980_1.html
Lucknow :Mohsin Raza, the lone Muslim face in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet, was elected unopposed to the Vidhan Parishad, Upper House of the UP legislature.The 49-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was among the four other state cabinet members, including Yogi, who had been nominated by the ruling BJP to contest the recent Vidhan Parishad polls to fill five vacant seats.While Adityanath, two deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, apart from UP transport minister Swatantra Dev Singh were declared elected unopposed to Upper House on Sept. 8, Raza was given the certificate of the election this afternoon. business standard
Case registered against Sangh Parivar leader Sasikala for hate speech
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/case-registered-against-sangh-parivar-leader-sasikala-for-hate-speech/article19660644.ece?homepage=true
Kochi: A Sangh Parivar outfit leader was on Monday booked for allegedly making a hate speech at a public function near here on Friday.Addressing a function organised by the “Hindu Aikyavedi” at North Paravur, the outfit’s Kerala president K.P. Sasikala had allegedly urged secular writers to conduct “Mrityunjaya Homam” at Lord Shiva temples to save them from meeting a fate similar to that of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh.The 55-year-old Left-leaning journalist, Lankesh, a fierce critic of Hindutva politics, was shot dead at the doorstep of her house in Bengaluru while she was returning from her office on Sept. 5.PTI
Only those who clean the country can chant Vande Mataram: PM Modi
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/no-right-to-chant-vande-mataram-if-you-don-t-respect-women-care-about-cleanliness-pm-modi/story-LYVjHVtXdaNW2VY0r3wYTJ.html
A person has no right to chant Vande Mataram if he does not care about cleanliness and disrespects women, PM Narendra Modi said as he urged people to fight against social evils.PM underlined the need for social changes and said, “follow the rule and India will rule” during a students’ convention marking 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago address and Deendayal Upadhyaya’s centenary. “People often say Vande Mataram. But we should ask ourselves, do we respect women? I know it will hurt many people but do we have the right to say it? Think 50 times if we have the right,” he said.“We chew paan and then spit on Mother India and then can we say Vande Mataram? Throw all waste on Mother India and then say Vande Mataram?” asked Modi. hindustantimes
Genocide of Rohingya Muslims
UN human rights chief sees textbook example of ethnic cleansing in Myanmar
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/rohingya-seemingly-face-ethnic-cleansing-says-un-human-rights-chief/article19660354.ece?homepage=true
United Nations human rights chief, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, on Monday said the violence and injustice faced by the ethnic Rohingya minority in Myanmar, where U.N. rights investigators have been barred from entering, “seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”Speaking at the start of the U.N. Human Rights Council session, Zeid first recognised the Sept. 11 attacks anniversary, then chronicled human rights concerns over Myanmar.He also spoke about rights concerns in Burundi, Venezuela, Yemen, Libya and the US, where he expressed concerns about the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle protection for younger immigrants, many of whom have lived most of the lives in the U.S.Mr. Zeid, who is a Jordanian prince, denounced how “another brutal security operation is underway in Rakhine state this time, apparently on a far greater scale.” He noted the U.N. refugee agency saying that 270,000 people from Myanmar have fled to the neighboring Bangladesh in the last three weeks, and pointed to satellite imagery and reports of “security forces and local militia burning Rohingya villages” and committing extrajudicial killings.“Myanmar Govt should stop pretending that the Rohingyas are setting fire to their own homes and laying waste to their own villages,” he said. He called it a “complete denial of reality” that hurts the standing of Myanmar, a country that had until recently by opening up politics to civilian control enjoyed “immense good will.”thehindu
UN warns of 'ethnic cleansing' of Myanmar's Muslims
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/un-warns-of-ethnic-cleansing-of-myanmars-muslims/articleshow/60464536.cms
Bangladesh offers land to shelter fleeing Rohingyas
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/bangladesh-offers-land-to-shelter-rohingya-fleeing-myanmar/story-aFNkEl8Jt2xfMkmhNI7zDO.html
Cox’s Bazar:Bangladesh has agreed to free land for a new camp to shelter some of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled recent violence in Myanmar, an official said Monday.The new camp will help relieve some pressure on existing settlements in the Bangladeshi border district of Cox’s Bazar, where nearly 300,000 Rohingya have arrived since Aug. 25.“The 2 refugees camps we are in are beyond overcrowded,” said UN refugee agency spokeswoman Vivian Tan.Other new arrivals were being sheltered in schools, or were huddling in makeshift settlements with no toilets along roadsides and in open fields. Basic resources were scarce, including food, clean water and medical aid.Still, more refugees were arriving. An AP reporter witnessed hundreds streaming through the border at Shah Puri Dwip on Monday.“Tomorrow we are expecting an airlift of relief supplies for 20,000 people,” Tan said.PM Sheikh Hasina had offered 2,000 acres near the existing camp of Kutupalong “to build temporary shelters for Rohingya newcomers,” according to a Facebook post Monday by Mohammed Shahriar Alam, a junior minister for foreign affairs.AP
Bangladesh FM: Violence against Rohingya 'is genocide'
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/bangladesh-fm-violence-rohingya-genocide-170911023429604.html
Bangladesh's foreign minister has said that "a genocide" is being waged in Myanmar's violence-hit Rakhine State, triggering an exodus of nearly 300,000 Rohingya to his country. "International community is saying it is a genocide. We also say it is a genocide," AH Mahmood Ali told reporters after briefing diplomats in Dhaka on Sunday.Ali met Western and Arab diplomats and the heads of UN agencies based in Bangladesh to seek support for a political solution and humanitarian aid for the Rohingya.He told the diplomats that some 300,000 Rohingya had fled to Bangladesh in the past two weeks, taking the total number of such refugees in the country to more than 700,000."It is now a national problem," Ali said.Ali's comments come as chair of Bangladesh's National Commission for Human Rights said leading figures in Myanmar could face trial for "genocide" at an international tribunal.aljazeera
Rohingya crisis: Myanmar mob stones Muslim home
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/rohingya-crisis-myanmar-mob-stones-muslim-home/story-MYwX4juMRtZcKm8yTvRJhL.html
Yangon:Police fired rubber bullets to break up a mob that stoned the home of a Muslim butcher in central Myanmar, authorities said on Monday, as religious tensions rise amid a surge of violence in the west.The mob attack on Sunday night in Magway region of the mainly Buddhist nation was fuelled by anger over the deepening crisis in the western state of Rakhine, according to a Govt press release.Those tensions bubbled over in Taung Twin Gyi township on Sunday night when dozens of villagers in a 400-strong crowd sang the national anthem and lobbed rocks at the home of a Muslim butcher before marching over to the local mosque, where police dispersed the mob.Police have arrested five people, including 30-year-old Hnin Ko Ko Lin, who said the group acted because “they could not accept the things that happened in Rakhine”, according to a statement posted by the Govt ’s information committee.Min Thein, a lower house MP for the township, confirmed to AFP that the butcher was Muslim.AFP
Muslim nations condemn Myanmar’s ‘brutal acts’
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/rohingya-crisis-muslim-nations-condemn-myanmars-brutal-acts-4837537/
Astana :Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned Myanmar for “systematic brutal acts” against its Muslim Rohingya minority and asked it to accept international monitors. 57-member OIC, meeting in Astana, expressed “serious concern about recent systematic brutal acts committed by the armed forces against the Muslim community of Rohingya in Myanmar.” It urged Myanmar to accept UN monitors to carry out “a thorough and independent investigation of all established violations of international human rights.. and bring those responsible to justice”.AFP
‘Some hacked to death, some shot dead by army’: Rohingya Muslims recount Myanmar village massacre
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/while-fleeing-some-hacked-to-death-some-shot-dead-by-army-rohingyas-relive-village-massacre-in-myanmar/story-Iqc2FxvmffHg6jzlobey9H.html
Balukhali:Myanmar soldiers barred the entrance to the mosque, men arrived with machetes and petrol cans and then, according to Rohingya Muslim eyewitnesses, the killing began.“Those that ran were hacked to death. Others that got away were shot by the army,” said Master Kamal, a 53-year-old teacher, and one of the survivors of the massacre in Aung Sit Pyin in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.“They were burning houses. We fled to save our lives.” Kamal told AFP he saw three neighbours -- including a father and son -- butchered as he fled, making a 10-day trek across monsoon-drenched hills, rivers and fields to Bangladesh.Interviews with about 10 people from the village who found refuge at Balukhali camp in Bangladesh revealed horrific details of the events in Aung Sit Pyin on August 25.AFP
Buddha would have helped the Rohingya Muslims, says the Dalai Lama
https://scroll.in/latest/850218/buddha-would-have-helped-the-rohingya-muslims-says-dalai-lama
Dalai Lama expressed concern over the violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. “Those people...harassing some Muslims...should remember, Buddha definitely would have helped those poor Muslims,” the spiritual leader said. “I feel...so very sad.” scroll
WORLD
Leading Saudi dissident clerics Salman al-Odah and Awad al-Qarni among 20 arrested:reports
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/two-prominent-saudi-dissident-clerics-prince-others-arrested-770745310
2 prominent Saudi Islamic scholars, Salman al-Odah and Awad al-Qarni, have been arrested, according to multiple unidentified sources and tweets by rights organisations, journalists and others, in what appears to be a crackdown on Islamists seen as critics of the kingdom's absolute rulers.Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd al-Saud, a son of former King Fahd, was also detained, according to some of the sources.#SaudiArabia arrests Clerics Salman al-Ouda & Awad bin Mohammed Al-Qarni according to #Saudi opposition twitter accounts.In all, about 20 people have been arrested in the past 24 hours, according to the sources.Odah, an influential cleric who was imprisoned from 1994-99 for agitating for political change and who has 14 million followers on Twitter, was allegedly detained because of a tweet he sent supporting mediation to settle a bitter diplomatic row that began in June between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to Saudi human rights group AlQST. Odah was arrested on Saturday night at his home by three members of the security apparatus following his tweet praying for Saudi and Qatar to make amends for the sake of their nations.The tweet was sent in reference to a phone call made between the Qatari emir and the Saudi crown prince, which ended up sparking yet another row and led to Saudi suspending all talks. "May God harmonise between their hearts for the good of their people," Odah had written on Twitter. HuffPost Arabic and Reuters also reported that al-Qarni, another prominent cleric with 2.2 million Twitter followers, had been detained.The ruling al-Saud family has always regarded Islamist groups as the biggest internal threat to its rule over a country where appeals to religious sentiment can never be lightly dismissed and where Islamist militants have previously targeted the state.A decade ago, it fought off an al-Qaeda campaign of attacks targeting officials and foreigners that killed hundreds. In the 1990s, the Sahwa (Awakening) movement inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood demanded political reforms that would have weakened the ruling family.Reports of the arrests coincided with widespread speculation, dismissed by officials, that King Salman intends to abdicate in favour of Crown Prince Mohammed.Asked about the reasons for the arrests, a Saudi analyst speculated: "[To] crush the Muslim Brotherhood or scare others if their plan is for him [Crown Prince Mohammed] to be king." middleeasteye
Al-Qaradawi removed from Interpol’s ‘wanted’ list
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170911-al-qaradawi-removed-from-interpols-wanted-list/
Interpol has removed Yousef Al-Qaradawi from its “wanted” list, Arab Organisation for Human Rights (AOHR) announced on Sunday, Anadolu has reported. The head of the Doha-based International Union of Muslim Scholars was placed on the list following the claim by the Egyptian authorities that he was responsible for a number of crimes — including murder and theft — in the wake of the 2013 military coup.In its statement on Sunday, the UK-based AOHR said that the international police agency had concluded that the prominent Muslim scholar had not been in Egypt at the time of the alleged crimes, thus proving his innocence. The rights group went on to point out that Interpol now has “more information” regarding events in post-coup Egypt. All but one person accused by Cairo is now believed to be innocent of any criminal wrongdoing. According to AOHR chairman Mohamed Jamil, Interpol’s findings are a victory against Egypt’s post-coup regime. “Govt in Egypt has murdered Egyptians and arrested scores of people on trumped-up charges, often extracting ‘confessions’ through torture,” he explained. middleeastmonitor
Qatar presses UN to take action against blockade
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/qatari-fm-doha-ready-dialogue-blockade-170911111044486.html
Qatar's foreign minister says the blockade by neighbouring Gulf countries violates international law and human rights and the United Nations needs to take action against the Saudi-led bloc. Speaking at a UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva on Monday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar faced numerous challenges because of the "illegal imposition" by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain after accusing Doha of funding "terrorism".Qatar has vehemently rejected the allegations.The foreign minister said there are currently about 26,000 cases filed with Qatar's National Human Rights Committee over the blockade. He said he is looking forward to having "measures taken against the blockading countries" by the international community. aljazeera
Militants attack convoy in Egypt’s Sinai, kill 18 police officials
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/militants-attack-convoy-in-egypt-s-sinai-kill-18-police-officials/story-uDBVGzZGhTfRiU4smRqVyO.html
Ismailia:Islamic State militants ambushed a police convoy in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Monday, killing 18 police and wounding seven others in one of the deadliest attacks this year in the restive region bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip.Police and military officials said roadside bombs destroyed and set ablaze four armoured vehicles and a fifth one carrying signal jamming equipment. Gunmen later opened fire with machine guns and commandeered a police pickup truck.Among those killed were two police lieutenants. The wounded included a police brigadier general. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a brief item carried by its Aamaq news agency.AP
Iraq holding 1,400 foreign 'ISIL wives, children': aljazeera
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/iraq-holding-1400-foreign-isil-wives-children-170911073249739.html
Iraqi authorities are holding about 1,400 foreign wives and children of suspected ISIL fighters in a camp after Govt forces expelled the group from one of its last remaining strongholds in Iraq, security and aid officials said.Many of them say they are from Russia, Turkey and Central Asia, but there are also some from European countries, the officials said. They have mostly arrived at the camp south of Mosul since August 30.An Iraqi intelligence officer said they were in the process of verifying the nationalities of the wives and children with their home countries since many of the women no longer had their original documents. A senior security officer said the authorities were trying to find a safe place to house the families while negotiating with embassies for their return home. They are not allowed to leave the camp.Turkish, French and Russian were among the languages spoken.Aid workers and the authorities are worried about tensions between Iraqis, who lost their homes and are also living in the camp, and the new arrivals.
Iraqi HRC sues international coalition for killing 2,000 civilians in Mosul
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170911-iraq-sues-international-coalition-for-killing-2000-civilians-in-mosul/
The Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights yesterday filed a lawsuit against the US-led international coalition for killing more than 2,000 civilians in the northern city of Mosul.Member of the commission Wahda Al-Jumaili said in a statement that the international coalition fought Daesh and explosives destroyed everything in the western part of Mosul including homes, buildings and residential and commercial structures.Al-Jumaili added that nearly 2,000 bodies have been recovered from the rubble and that the number could increase. middleeastmonitor
Barzani accuses successive Iraqi Govt s of suppressing Kurds
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170911-barzani-accuses-successive-iraqi-Govt s-of-suppressing-kurds/
Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani yesterday accused the successive Iraqi Govt s of suppressing the Kurds and pushing them to vote in a referendum on independence from Iraq.Barzani said in a statement that “the Kurds have experienced 100 years of suffering with the Iraqi Govts.”“ Kurds decided to hold the referendum in order to avoid war, reach peace and achieve independence,” he said, adding that this is their right and its implementation does not mean antagonising any component in Iraq.Barzani concluded by pointing out that Iraq must realise that the Kurdish people are not the reason that the country’s unity would be dismantled. middleeastmonitor
Several dead as al-Shabab storms military base at Somali border town
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/dead-al-shabab-storms-somalia-border-town-170911055926717.html
Heavy fighting erupted on Monday in the Somali border town of Balad Hawo near Kenya after al-Shabab detonated a suicide car bomb and then stormed the military base there, the spokesman of al-Qaeda-linked group told Reuters. Al-Shabab, which wants to impose its strict interpretation of Islam in Somalia, has carried out frequent past attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere in its bid to topple the Western-backed Govt and drive out African Union troops."First, a mujahid with a car bomb rammed into the military base and then we stormed it," the spokesman, Abdiasis Abu Musab, said. Group also said 24 Somali soldiers were killed in the raid, but a Somali military official put the figure at about 10 dead soldiers. aljazeera
Israel teams with US officials to dissolve UNRWA
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170911-israel-teams-with-us-officials-to-dissolve-unrwa/
Israeli Govt ministers are teaming up with US officials in their efforts to dissolve the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) during next week’s UN General Assembly meeting in New York.Israel’s deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely is reported to have headed to Washington DC today for a meetings with Trump administration officials and members of Congress in a bid to end UNRWA’s nearly 70 year role as the main relief agency for more than five million Palestinian refugees. Hotovely is said to be working closely with the US Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, to purse Israel’s ongoing campaign against the humanitarian agency which was set up in 1949 by the international community following the expulsion of over half the Palestinian population from their homes by Jewish para-military forces. middleeastmonitor
Israel builds first new West Bank settlement in 25 years
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170911-israel-to-build-first-new-west-bank-settlement-in-25-years/
Israel today began building its first new settlement in the occupied West Bank since 1992. It will be inhabited by 200-300 Jewish settlers from the unofficial Amona settlement, which was evacuated in Feb.Israel’s Channel 7 reported that Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has informed those responsible for the Amona settlement that all legal measures have been completed and that construction of the settlement, which will be called Amichai, will begin in occupied Nablus. The Israeli Govt agreed on 3 Sep to allocate $16 million for its construction. Haaretz said on 11 July that evidence and expert opinions shows that parts of the new settlement will be built on private Palestinian property. According to the paper, Palestinians filed a complaint to the Israeli Supreme Court against the new settlement being built on 14 acres of their land. Evidence provided by experts, in the form of satellite pictures, showed that land was owned by Palestinians, who had been farming it between 1997 and 2002. Palestinians presented papers from the time of Ottoman Empire proving their ownership.Israeli court has not yet responded to the complaint.middleeastmonitor
Israel demolishes parts of Palestinian cemetery in Jerusalem: middleeastmonitor
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170911-israel-demolishes-parts-of-palestinian-cemetery-in-jerusalem/
Israeli forces this morning demolished parts of the outer wall of a Palestinian cemetery in occupied East Jerusalem, according to local sources.Bulldozers escorted by officers of Israel’s Nature And Parks Authority (INPA) demolished the western section of the Al-Shuhada cemetery, which is an extension of the Al-Yusifiya cemetery located at the Lion’s Gate entrance of the Old City, Mustafa Abu Zahra, head of the committee for the preservation of Islamic cemeteries in Jerusalem, told Ma’an.
WHO: Israel hinders 40% of Gaza patients’ access to health care abroad
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170911-who-israel-hinders-40-of-gaza-patients-access-to-health-care-abroad/
Israeli authorities delayed or denied two out of every five patients in the Gaza Strip’s access to medical care outside of the besieged coastal enclave in July, WHO said Friday.During that period, 2 Palestinians – a five-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man – died while waiting to receive permission to leave the blockaded territory for treatment. Yousef Zourub, a 22-year-old man with Gaucher’s disease, had a severe case of pneumonia and missed several appointments at Makassed Hospital in occupied East Jerusalem after his application for an Israeli exit permit was delayed. middleeastmonitor
PA warns Israel against permanent closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque gate: middleeastmonitor
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170911-pa-warns-israel-against-permanent-closure-of-al-aqsa-mosque-gate/
Palestinian Authority warned Israel on Sunday against the permanent closure of Al-Rahma Gate, one of the entrances to Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem, Quds Press has reported. A statement from the PA Foreign Ministry said that the closure recommendation by Israeli Police Inspector Roni Al-Sheikh “aims to change the status quo on the ground.”The building at Bab Al-Rahma houses the office of the now defunct Heritage Committee, which used to organise cultural and social events before 2003, since when it has been closed by an Israeli order which is renewed periodically. According to the ministry, the measure is part of Israel’s attempts to change the historical and legal situation at Al-Aqsa Mosque and gradually absorb any possible reactions.
Hamas says relations with Cairo have passed tense stage
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170911-hamas-says-relations-with-cairo-have-passed-tense-stage/
A senior Hamas official said that Ismail Haniyeh’s visit to Cairo is part of the movement’s policy to seek “good” and “balanced” relations with the Arab and Islamic world, Quds Press has reported. “The visit to Cairo is the completion of several steps taken by the movement within a couple of months in the context of improving its relationship with Cairo,” explained Osama Hamdan. “Such a visit brings to an end the stagnation stage of relations between us during which suspicions were aroused by different sides aiming to connect Hamas to the security issues in Egypt.” Hamas, insisted the movement’s senior official in Lebanon, has succeeded in passing the tense stage in its relations with the Govt in Cairo after demonstrating that accusations of interference in Egypt’s internal affairs are untrue. “Although we are still not at the desired level in our relationship,” he pointed out, “the visit by the head of the Hamas Political Bureau to Egypt represents a great development, regardless of the relations between us.” middleeastmonitor
Irma death toll rises to 38 in Caribbean
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/irma-weakens-category-1-storm-poses-threat-170911062917420.html
Hurricane Irma has killed at least 10 people in Cuba over the weekend, the authorities say, bringing the death toll in the Caribbean to 38 as the weakened storm moves up the US state of Florida.Cuba's civil defence authorities said in a statement on Monday that the victims perished due to various causes such as accidents, collapsed buildings and not heeding orders to evacuate in the four provinces of Havana, Matanzas, Sancti spiritus and Ciego de Avila.Irma, which was downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday, is centred about 170km north-northwest of Tampa area of Florida, with sustained winds of about 110km/h as of 9:00 am local time
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya tries to malign Ravish Kumar by sharing a mischievously edited video clip: Pratik Sinha, altnews.in
https://www.altnews.in/bjp-cell-head-amit-malviya-tries-malign-ravish-kumar-sharing-mischievously-edited-video-clip/
Can BJP’s ‘Freedom of Speech’ excuse cover up for PM following people who insult the dignity of women?By Pratik Sinha -
https://www.altnews.in/can-bjps-freedom-speech-excuse-cover-pm-following-people-insult-dignity-women/
There is waning of debate, dignity, justice. For vigilantes, “achhe din” are here:Kapil Sibal
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/achhe-din-gauri-lankesh-vigilantism-farmer-suicides-agrarian-crisis-casteism-rule-of-the-ugly-indian-4837599/
Mayawati needs to frame new vocabulary to combat BJP-RSS overtures to Dalits:Badri Narayan
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/mayawati-will-need-to-reorganise-her-party-and-frame-a-new-vocabulary-to-combat-bjp-rss-overtures-to-dalits-4837598/
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 10:12 PM)
