Posts
Evening NEWS DIGEST
21 Sept. 2017: 29 Zilhajja 1438:Vol:8, No:283
INDIA
Setback for Mamata: Calcutta HC allows Durga idol immersion on all days, including Muharram
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/mamata-banerjee-durga-puja-west-bengal-durga-idol-immersion-muharram-calcutta-high-court-hindu-muslim-4854331/
Calcutta High Court on Thursday struck down West Bengal Govt’s order prohibiting immersion of Durga idol after 10 PM on Sept 30 and Oct. 1 on account of Muharram. In its order today, the court allowed the immersion of idol till 12 am on all days including Muharram. It also asked the police to ensure routes are designated for immersion and Tazia, ANI reported. Reacting to the order, CM Mamata Banerjee said, “Someone can split my throat but no one can tell me what to do. I will do what I can to keep peace,” as reported by ANI.The order came a day after the HC slammed the Mamata Govt for hindering a citizen’s right to practise religion on the basis of a mere assumption of law and order disruption and said that it must provide sound reasons for doing so. “Let them (Hindus and Muslims) live in harmony, do not create a line between them,” Acting Chief Justice Rakesh Tiwary said, asking the Govt to provide a “concrete ground” for its decision. “People have the right to practise their religious activities, whichever community they may be of, and the State cannot put restrictions, unless it has a concrete ground to believe that two communities cannot live together,” acting chief justice said on Wednesday.indianexpress
Mamata slams Court's Durga order: Slit my throat but don't tell me what to do
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mamata-banerjee-calcutta-high-court-durga-puja-muharram/1/1053087.html
New Delhi:Slamming the Calcutta High Court order on Durga idol immersion , West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee today said someone can slit her throat, but not tell her what to do. "Someone can slit my throat but no one can tell me what to do," Banerjee said in Kolkata, shortly after the court allowed immersion of Durga idols on all days from Vijayadashami on Sept 30, including on Muharram, and directed her Govt to make necessary security arrangements. Strongly countering allegations of appeasing the minority community, Banerjee said such comments against her are "deeply insulting". "I do not believe in appeasement. These comments are deeply insulting. I believe in the religion of humanity that talks about the harmony among all religions," Banerjee said while inaugurating a Durga Puja in south Kolkata. "Centre hatches several conspiracies against us. They take help of different agencies from time to time. But I am strong believer in divine powers. I believe we will demolish all conspiracies," she said. Banerjee said she observes the rituals of all the communities with equal enthusiasm but nobody raises the question of appeasement when it comes to a non-Muslim festival. "If I go to Muslim festival, people terms it as appeasement. But when I go the Chhath Puja celebrations or observe Buddha Purnima, does anybody ask whom am I appeasing? When I go to the temples or be present in the midnight prayer on Christmas, does anyone raise the question of appeasement?" she asked. "It is not the custom to immerse the goddess on a Saturday or on Akadoshi (day after Dussehra). So where was the problem? Some people are trying to demean the festival. They are trying to disrupt peace," Banerjee alleged. Issuing a stern warning, she said those who are conspiring to create unrest in the state would have to take responsibility for it.IndiaToday
Lawyer for slain prisoners calls report on Bhopal jail break encounter a 'whitewash'
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/09/21/lawyer-for-simi-calls-report-on-bhopal-jail-break-encounter-a-whitewash_a_23217368/?utm_hp_ref=in-homepage
Bhopal:Almost 9 months after jailbreak in Bhopal Central Jail and the subsequent encounter that led to killing of 9 persons and a jail guard, the judicial commission that was constituted to look into the matter has submitted its report. The panel headed by a retired high court judge of MP, SK Pandey, submitted the report on the incident to the state home dept. Lawyer of the slain SIMI men and their kin, Parvez Alam, said that it was hardly an inquiry. "There was no probe. We were not given any documents, not even a copy of FIR registered with the Gunga police station after the encounter though it is a public document. The copies of the post-mortem reports were not given to us either," he said.According to Alam, the panel didn't give them an opportunity to present the facts and tell their side of the story, which, he claims, would have punctured the police's narrative."There were so many loopholes. Even ATS chief said that these youths were not armed, though IG claimed they were — a major contradiction," he added.Several other questions stand out as well."Why were particular cameras in one area of the jail not working in such a high-security jail?" Alam asked."Inquiry is nothing but an attempt to whitewash [truth]. What about the toothbrushes which, as officials themselves claimed, were used to open locks?"he added, referring to state minister Bhupendra Singh's statement after the jailbreak."So many things needed a proper probe," Alam went on to elaborate."From how 8 persons were wearing new clothes and shoes to how they managed to scale the huge walls, dodging all the security personnel."HuffPost India
'There's No Justice', Says Jalaluddin, Father Of Junaid Khan, Who Was Stabbed To Death By Train Mob
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/09/20/theres-no-justice-says-jalaluddin-father-of-junaid-khan-who-was-stabbed-to-death-by-train-mob_a_23216395/?utm_hp_ref=in-homepage
Jalaluddin Khan says his world is falling apart — he has lost a son, his wife is ill and still in shock, he's depressed and having to attend court dates, his sons are recuperating from a vicious knife attack on a train, and the family is surviving on donations. Father of 16-year-old Junaid Khan, who was stabbed to death by a mob on a train at Ballabhgarh in Haryana on 22 June, is recovering from an operation. He was brought to Noida's Metro Hospital on Monday night after he suffered a heart attack — which he says was brought on by the loss of his young son and the constant worrying about the bail granted to some of the accused in the lynching.Junaid's brothers told Hindustan Times that the attackers repeatedly called them "anti-nationals" — a term BJP supporters on social media regularly use to brand anyone whose political opinion differs from their's.HuffPost
Want implementation of UNSC resolution on Kashmir: Pak
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pakistan-wants-implementation-of-unsc-resolution-on-kashmir-says-zero-military-role-for-india-in-afghanistan/story-AOhPZvhrp5LVqJAfoToJ7K.html
New York:Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has demanded the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution on Kashmir, asserting that his country will continue to support the right of self-determination in the restive state.“I think the basic issue is Kashmir. The implementation of the Security Council resolution will be a great starting point that will help address each other’s concerns and provide peace to the region and between Pakistan and India. That’s the core issue between the two countries,” Abbasi said at an event organised by Council on Foreign Relations in New York.Abbasi was responding to a question from Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who sought to know from him what India and Pakistan needed to do to achieve peace.Abbasi, who is in New York to attend the annual UNGA session and will deliver his speech on Thursday, asked the world community to honour and defend the fundamental right to self-determination of the people of J&K.“We fully support the right to self-determination. We’ve fully supported that at every forum since 1948, and we continue to support that. And that issue should be resolved as per the UNSC resolutions. There are no two opinions about that. We fully support the self-determination rights of the Kashmiri people, and we ask the world community to honour and defend that,” he said. Abbasi said the 2 neighbours need to engage on core issues and that he wants “normal relation” with India.“Those have to be resolved first, and Kashmir is the basic core issue there. But unfortunately, in the recent past, the aggression from India has continued unabated, and that is not acceptable. And we want normal relations with India, but on the basis of trust and respect,” he said in response to another question.He also said he saw “zero” political or military role for India in Afghanistan, remarks that came weeks after US president Donald Trump sought more help from New Delhi to bring peace and stability in the war-torn country.PTI
Short-range nuclear weapons to counter India’s ‘cold start doctrine’: Pak PM Abbasi
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pakistan-pm-says-have-developed-short-range-nuclear-weapons-to-counter-india-s-cold-start-doctrine/story-LAZUtNffLIT33Q02WEaKJL.html
New York:Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said his country has developed short-range nuclear weapons to counter the ‘cold start doctrine’ adopted by the Indian Army.Abbasi was also assertive of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals being safe and secure.“We have a very robust and secure command-and-control system over our strategic nuclear assets. Time has proved that it’s a process that is very secure. It’s a process that has complete civilian oversight through the NCA,” Abbasi said in response to a question at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank.Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) of Pakistan is the authority responsible for command, control and operational decisions regarding the country’s nuclear arsenals.“As far as tactical nuclear weapons (are concerned), we do not have any fielded tactical nuclear weapons. We have developed short-range nuclear weapons as a counter to the Cold Start doctrine that India has developed. Again, those are in the same command-and-control authority that controls the other strategic weapons,” he said.PTI
J&K: 2 killed, PWD minister escapes unhurt in attack
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/tral-grenade-attack-live-updates-pulwama-jammu-and-kashmir-police-4854061/
Srinagar:2 civilians were killed and nearly 30 injured, including policemen, when an unidentified person hurled a grenade on the cavalcade of a state minister in Tral of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. The locals said the grenade was hurled at a cavalcade of Roads and Building Minister, Nayeem Akhthar who was there to inaugurate a project in town.The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital. The victims have been identified as, Gh Nabi Parag, Iqbal Khan and Pinty Kour. Senior police officers rushed towards the spot after the attack took place. indianexpress
Ready for dialogues with every stakeholder in Kashmir:BJP
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ready-for-dialogues-with-every-stakeholder-in-kashmir-ram-madhav/story-GQu6Gi9Ph8VxZ80EaEA6mN.html
Centre and J&K Govt are ready to hold dialogues with every stakeholder, including separatists, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said on Thursday.Madhav during a visit to J&K told reporters that from the outset the Govt had been stating that its door was open for all the stakeholders of the state.“They are welcome to come and have a dialogue with the state Govt as well as the central Govt. We are open to dialogue,” he said.Madhav said question should be asked to those who did not want to take part in the dialogue.His statement comes less than a week after separatist leadership – Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik-- announced that they never opposed a “sincere, meaningful and result-oriented dialogue” among the “3 parties” to the Kashmir dispute.HT
‘US should resist itch to mediate between India and Pak’
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-should-resist-itch-to-mediate-between-india-and-pakistan/story-CgHKwtB71I3UntzJjNlZ6N.html
US should not entertain thoughts about inserting itself into the India-Pakistan conflict with a misplaced expectation of effecting a benign result, and should give up routinely exhorting the two South Asian neighbours to talk, a leading South Asia expert has suggested.If it “must inject itself” into the situation, it “should lean on Pakistan to rid itself of its jihadi instruments so that the US does not become an accessory to Rawalpindi’s strategy of extortionary engagement”, Ashley Tellis said in a new report, referring to the city that hosts Pakistani military’s headquarters. In the report, Tellis talks constantly about two centres of power in Pakistan, the other being Islamabad, home to civilian authority that has been held by men in uniforms for long enough to be called Rawalpindi Extension.hindustantimes
Mass grave at Dera Sacha Sauda's Sirsa HQRS has 600 skeletons, Gurmeet's aide reveals to SIT: indiatoday
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gurmeet-ram-rahim-dera-sacha-sauda-sirsa-skeletons-mass-grave/1/1051851.html
Dirty and horrific secrets from Gurmeet Singh's Dera Sacha Sauda's closet are tumbling out on a daily basis. The latest: nearly 600 skeletons are buried inside the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. The dreadful revelation has been made by a trusted aide of Gurmeet Ram Rahim during probe by SIT. Ex-Dera vice-president Dera Sacha Sauda Dr PR Nain, who is being quizzed by SIT along with Dera chairperson Vipassana Insan, also submitted relevant documents in support of his claim regarding a mass grave inside the Sirsa HQRS.Dr PR Nain also told SIT that Dera started planting saplings on the land where the skeletons were buried on the advice of a German scientist.A woman follower of Ram Rahim, who is serving 20-year-term in Rohtak's Sunaria jail, has claimed that her been child has missing from Dera HQRS in Sirsa since last 12 years. Panipat woman alleged that she donated her 2-month-old kid to Dera after being persuaded by Gurmeet Ram Rahim to do so through an advertisement.The woman said she was a staunch supporter of Dera Sacha Sauda and was lured by an advertisement in newspaper published by the Dera itself which urged supporters to donate their kids for service at HQRS.
Another Godman Set to Bite the Dust as Girl Files Rape Charges: BJP Worried About Impact on Alwar ByPoll
http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/NewsDetail/index/1/11795/Another-Godman-Set-to-Bite-the-Dust-as-Girl-Files-Rape-Charges-BJP-Worried-About-Impact-on-Alwar-ByPoll
New Delhi: Is rape accused Kaushlendra Prapannacharya, known as “Falahari Baba” (name inspired by a diet of fruits) close to BJP? The question inspires a resounding ‘yes’ in Alwar, where his ashram has grown in stature since the BJP Govt came to power. And the self styled godman reportedly makes no secret of his political affiliations.Inspired by the two sadhvis who pursued Gurmeet Singh for rape until he landed in jail, a young woman decided to go public with her experience in Alwar at the hands of 70 year old ‘Falahari baba’ who raped her when she visited him to donate money. The 21 year old law intern, whose parents are his devotees, came to the ashram to hand over the money. According to her report filed with the Chhatisgarh police as she is a resident of that state, Falahari asked her to wait, raped her and threatened her to keep silent. She did until the Gurmeet Singh case encouraged her to break her silence and report the rape that all had advised her to keep silent about.Kaushlendra Prapannacharya Falahari,clearly panic stricken,has admitted himself in a hospital with “high blood pressure’, as soon as the rape case was filed by her. His aide and a Alwar district BJP leader have both alleged a “‘conspiracy”’ against Falahari.“"There is a conspiracy to defame saints, I cannot say anything on the charge. Babaji is currently hospitalized," his main aide said. THE CITIZEN
Hypersensitivity in religious matters has to be discouraged:SC
https://thewire.in/179302/hypersensitivity-religious-matters-discouraged-says-supreme-court/
New Delhi: In the course of hearing an appeal against the ban on Kannada book, Basava Vachana Deepthi, imposed by the Karnataka Govt in 1998, the Supreme Court bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and L. Nageswara Rao on Tuesday observed that hypersensitivity in religious matters has to be discouraged.The bench was responding to an observation by the senior counsel for the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha – an intervener in the case – R. Basant. Defending the ban on the book, Basant argued that since India is a multi-plural faith society, the responsibility is on the state to prevent writings that have the potential to outrage religious feelings.The appellant in the case, who is the author of the banned book,Mate Mahadevi, is a scholar, mystic, writer and the first woman Jagadguru of the Lingayat community installed in 1970. She is the head of Basava Dharma Peetha and has been seeking independent religious status for the Lingayat sect. She began writing vachanas – a form of didactic poetry. Mahadevi maintains that Lingayat is a religion by itself, free from Hindu doctrines.Among her many books is Basava Tatva Darshana, on the life and teachings of Basava, a 12th century social reformer and philosopher who fought against the caste system. She has also been insisting that Veerashaiva Lingayat is one among the several sub-castes of Lingayat dharma. Her view was shared by rationalist M. M. Kalburgi, who was killed by assailants in 2015. Kalburgi had argued that the Lingayat tradition is non-Hindu in spirit.Mahadevi has also opposed the proposal to declare Bhagavad Gita a national text. She had said that the constitution, which promises justice to all, is the supreme document of the country and there was no need to declare any particular document or book the national text.THE WIRE
Teach IIT students about ‘Indian who invented plane’: Minister Satyapal Singh
http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/teach-puranas-mythology-to-engineering-students-minister-satyapal-singh/story-qa4dokHfQjHvpqnGut6YaL_amp.html
Teach them about the Indian who invented the aeroplane eight years before the Wright brothers. And tell them about the ‘Pushpak Vimaan’, a flying chariot mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana.For the country’s junior HRD minister Satya Pal Singh – an MPhil in Chemistry and former Mumbai Police commissioner – the best lessons for the country’s future engineers lie in ancient Indian scientific “discoveries” and “inventions”.“Why are students not taught that before the Wright brothers, an Indian called Shivakar Babuji Talpade was the first to invent the airplane. This person invented the plane eight years before the Wright brothers. Are our students taught these things in IITs or not? They should be,” he said on Tuesday at an award ceremony for first AICTE-ECI Chhatra Vishwakarma Award.Singh also wants engineering students to learn about Vishwakarma, a Hindu deity, worshipped by craftsmen and engineer community.Singh, however, is not the first BJP leader to promote ideas which experts say don’t have scientific validation. A Rajasthan minister had earlier said cows are the only animals which inhale and exhale oxygen, drawing ridicule from the scientific community. hindustantimes
Couples Hug In Public As If They Will Eat Each Other, Put Them Behind Bars:BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/couples-hug-as-if-they-will-eat-each-other-put-them-behind-bars-says-bjp-mp-saks/302000
BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj on Wednesday said couples displaying affection in public should be put behind bars."Be it a motorcycle, car or park, couples can be seen behaving in a vulgar fashion. They hug each other as if the girl will eat the boy or the boy will eat the girl," MP said.Maharaj said, "It will be appropriate to take action and put such couples behind bars before anything wrong occurs." outlookindia
BJP Women’s Wing President caught on camera slapping girl for sipping tea with Muslim friend
http://www.jantakareporter.com/videos/bjp-leader-slapping-girl/150385/
A video of BJP lady slapping a girl because she had chosen to have tea with her Muslim friend in Aligarh has gone viral on social media platforms. The lady in question is a ‘BJP Neta’ from Aligarh, while the girl is an adult. According to reports, the BJP leader slapped her because she did not condone the girl enjoying tea with a Muslim friend.Throughout the video, BJP leader can be heard shouting in anger, “you have grown so old, don’t you understand he is Muslim”.Janta Ka Reporter has learnt that lady in question is Sangeeta Varshney, President of Women’s Wing, BJP Aligarh.People who have viewed this video have started tagging UP Police and BJP Lucknow handles, demanding her immediate arrest.Janta Ka Reporter
Brawl between youths in Gujarat's Mehsana turns into communal clash
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/sep/20/brawl-between-youths-in-gujarats-mehsana-turns-into-communal-clash-1660324.html
Mehsana: An altercation over a minor accident triggered a clash between two communities in Nagalpur area of the city on Wednesday, leaving two people injured and as many vehicles charred, police said.People from 2 communities fought pitched battles, hurling stones at each other and setting fire to vehicles near a college close to Valinath chowk."It was a personal issue between some youths which resulted in a clash between the people from two communities.At least 2 persons have received minor injuries during the clash. 2 vehicles were also torched by the mob. The situation is now under control," said Mandlik.He said cross complaints have been filed by the two sides. No arrests have been made so far.PTI
Prosecution to push for invoking UAPA against accused murder of Riyaz Moulavi in Kerala
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/prosecution-to-push-for-invoking-uapa-against-accused/articleshow/60770918.cms
Kozhikode: Prosecution in the case related to the murder of Riyaz Moulavi in Kasaragod has decided to raise the demand for invoking UAPA against the accused once again. The Govt has unheeded the demand though the relatives of the Moulavi and the members of the mosque committee had approached CM shortly after the murder. Riyaz Moulavi, madrassa teacher at the mosque at Choori in Kasaragod, was murdered inside the mosque on March 21, 2017, allegedly by RSS men. 3 RSS activists -- Ajesh, Nithin and Akhikesh -- were arrested a few days after the murder. The move is taken against the backdrop of the acquittal of the accused in majority of communal murder cases in Kasaragod."The accused in the Muhammad Sinan case were acquitted because of the faults on the part of the investigating officers. Accused in the murder of Rishad were also acquitted in the same way in 2013. We do not want similar things to happen in the Moulavi case," said advocate C Shukkur, who will be assisting the prosecution in the case.TOI
Ex-IPS Bhatt says woman journalist covering Gujarat made to dilute book on riots in honeytrap double-cross
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gujarat-riots-woman-journalist-narendra-modi-book-ex-ips-officer-sanjiv-bhatt/1/1051425.html
Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt has made explosive allegations against a journalist stating that she made compromises to dilute the role of then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots.In a Facebook post titled 'A little known story from Gujarat', Sanjiv Bhatt alleged that young investigative journalist was forced into changing the script of her book for fear of getting shamed publicly for her amorous relationship with an IPS officer.Bhatt has not mentioned anyone's name in his post. He wrote: "CBI investigations into Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati encounters were at their peak. The fates of the then Home Minister and the then CM were hanging fire."Sanjiv Bhatt, who was dismissed from service in 2015, said, "A young investigative journalist was tasked by her magazine to cover the CBI investigations and look for a story that would sell. She came to Ahmedabad and tried tapping sources in the Police and CBI."Bhatt said unfortunately for the journalist, information from the Gujarat Police or the CBI was not very forthcoming. Subsequently, she tried her luck with an Ahmedabad-based lawyer activist who was pursuing the fake encounter cases in court."The lawyer activist fell easy prey to the charms of the dusky chain smoking journalist and was more than happy to share juicy case details with her. Stories started taking shape," he said.IndiaToday
Hours After Sardesai Nails Arnab’s ‘Lie On Covering Gujarat Riots’, YouTube Video Removed
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/hours-after-sardesai-nails-arnabs-lie-on-covering-gujarat-riots-youtube-video-re/301944
Just hours after senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai on Tuesday called out his former colleague and Republic TV’s managing director Arnab Goswami’s claim in a YouTube video that his car was attacked by Saffron goons while covering Gujarat riots in 2002, video has been taken down from YouTube. Goswami in the video claims his car was attacked while covering Gujarat riots, but Sardesai who was his colleague disputed it saying Goswami hasn’t covered Gujarat riots.The video of Goswami’s speech that Sardesai, currently a consulting editor at India Today TV (and formerly at NDTV with Goswami), used to rip him apart on Twitter is an old one. The anecdote being told by Goswami though, is straight out of Sardesai’s book written in the aftermath of the 2014 general polls .n one of the tweets Sardesai said, "Wow! My friend Arnab claims his car attacked next to CM Res in Guj riots!Truth:he wasn't covering Ahmedabad riots!!" outlookindia
Rajdeep calls Arnab a liar on Gujarat riots coverage
http://www.sify.com/news/rajdeep-sardesai-calls-arnab-goswami-a-liar-on-gujarat-riots-coverage-news-national-rjunhkcbgheeg.html
2 clerics visit Ayodhya, extend support for construction of Ram temple at dispute site
http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-ayodhya-dispute-two-prominent-muslim-clerics-support-construction-of-ram-temple-at-disputed-site-402437
2 Muslim clerics visited Ayodhya on Wednesday and discussed ways to resolve the long-pending dispute with the saints of the area. In a positive gesture, the saints welcomed the Muslim clerics by garlanding them.The two Muslim clerics- AIMPLB member Maulana Kalbe Jawad and Maulana Abdul Mannan- met Mahant Janmejaya Maharaj and underlined the need to find mutually acceptable solution to the dispute.Adopting a conciliatory note, Maulana Kalbe Jawad said that nobody has any problem with the construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site.“ If the mosque was forcibly built at that place then it’s a sin to offer namaz there. Only a temple should be constructed at that place,” Maulana Jawad said.Supporting Maulana Jawad, Maulana Abdul Mannan said that the dispute can be resolved only by evolving a consensus. After talking to the two Muslim clerics, Mahant Janmajeya Maharaj said that the two Maulanas are in favour of the construction of the Ram
temple at the disputed site.India TV News
After India Today story, Govt gets into action mode after Waqf land grab expose
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-today-impact-waqf-land-grab-expose-mukhtar-abbas-naqvi/1/1051883.html
New Delhi:India Today's report exposing the illegal sale of Waqf properties in UP has sent shockwaves all around.Ministry of Minority Affairs has taken note of the investigation that shows custodians of Waqf properties, referred to as auqaf, blatantly selling them away when they are not authorised to do so.Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said he found it unfortunate that such incidents were coming to light."We have told the state Govt (UP) and Waqf board to take appropriate action. These are illegal transactions,"he said.India Today pointed out to the minister the investigation has revealed that Waqf board members could be colluding with these "custodians" in pawning off Waqf's charitable assets. "Yes, we have received several complaints about involvement of people from within the Waqf board and we are taking appropriate action against them," he admitted. India Today
Time for India to review its electoral system: ex Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi
http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/time-for-india-to-review-its-electoral-system-says-former-chief-election-commissioner-sy-quraishi/864456/
New Delhi:It’s high time India reviewed its first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system that is increasingly emerging as flawed and imperfect, ex-Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi has said. “Till a few years back, I would defend the FPTP as a simple, practical system that has stood the test of time. But after the 2014 elections, I had to change my position. Why? Because in 2104 the party which got the third-largest vote-share got zero seats. That is BSP,” Quraishi said. “Around 20% of the UP voters voted for the BSP, but they could not elect an MP. Now this is very unfair to those 20% voters, besides the party. The voters feel cheated. This is surely a flaw in the system,” he said.He said that the system is also being debated in Britain — from where India adopted it. “British parliament is discussing FPTP yet again. In India, too, a Parliamentary Standing Committee is already examining the issue and has written to all parties to give their views. So I think time has come for us to look at an alternative system,” ex-CEC said. What other options do we have then? “I strongly suggest that we can follow the German model of a mixed system, albeit with some modification. In Germany, every voter casts two votes — one for a candidate in his constituency and the other for a party. “So if a party gets, say, 15% votes, this percentage is adjusted over entire parliament.But it is a little complicated. I say the Nepal model is simpler. Some seats are filled through direct election, some are given to parties,” he said.IANS
Am Finally Congress-Mukta, Says Narayan Rane, No Comments On Joining BJP
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/am-finally-congress-mukta-says-narayan-rane-no-comments-on-joining-bjp-1753448
Mumbai: Declaring himself "Congress-Mukta", senior politician and former Maharashtra CM Narayan Rane has quit the party after 12 years, saying that "I'll show Congress what my true power is. I'll be travelling across the state from tomorrow." Along with him, his son Nilesh has also exited Congress and Nitin is expected to quit."I have sent my resignation letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi. I was promised the post of CM 4 times, but it was not honoured by the party," Rane said today at a press conference in the Sindhudurg district, which is in the Konkan region where the politician was once very powerful. Though his hold in the area has declined, he could be key for the BJP in expanding its draw in a zone that is seen as sweet on the Shiv Sena, its cantankerous ally. ndtv
Muharram 2017 moon sighted; Islamic New Year 1439 begins in India, Pakistan from Friday
http://www.ummid.com/news/2017/Sept /21.09.2017/muharram-moon-2017-sighted-in-india.html
The new moon of the month of Muharram-ul-Haram has been sighted in various parts of India and Pakistan today i.e. Thursday Sept 21, 2017 corresponding to 29th of Dhul Hijjah. Accordingly, Friday Sept 22 will be the first day of the new month and the New Islamic Year 1439 Hijri."The moon of the Islamic month of Muharram was sighted today. Accordingly, the first day of the Islamic Year 1439 will be on Friday Sept 22, 2017", Rooyat e Hilal Commitee, Imarate Sahriat, New Delhi said in a statement released today."Youm-e-Ashura i.e. 10th of Muharram will be on Sunday Oct. 01, 2017",he said.Imarat-e-Sharia Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Phulwari Sharif, Patna also released a statement announcing that the moon of the month of Muharram-ul-Haram has been sighted. Accordingly, the statement said, the first day of the new month will be Friday Sept 22, 2017.Similar statements have also been issued by Moon Sighting Committees in Mumbai, Nashik, New Delhi, Hyderabad and other places. ummid
ROHINGYA ISSUE
Bengal Commission for Child Rights moves SC against Rohingya deportation
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/bengal-commission-for-child-rights-moves-sc-against-rohingya-deportation/article19722147.ece
West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) has filed a writ petition to the Supreme Court against the Centre’s notification to the State Govt s to deport all Rohingyas from the country. The development comes after the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju stated to Parliament earlier this month that the Union Govt has directed the State authorities to identify and deport illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas.“WBCPCR has filed a writ petition to the Supreme Court of India against the notification of the Govt of India to identify and deport all the Rohingyas from our country,” stated a release issued by WBCPCR on Wednesday. TMC MP Kalyan Bandyopadhyay will represent WBCPCR in case. Alleging that the Rohingyas are being “systematically tortured and killed in Burma,” WBCPCR pointed out that the United Nations has described them as the “most persecuted community in the world.”WBCPCR dubbed the Centre’s notification as “not only inhuman but anti-human”. It further stated that, “in this situation, deporting the Rohingya children and their mothers staying in the different shelter-homes and correctional homes of West Bengal means to throw them into the jaws of death.” Thehindu
Bihar: Muslim organisations stage protest in support of Rohingyas, raise slogans against PM Modi
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bihar-muslim-organizations-stage-protest-in-support-of-rohingyas/1/1052467.html
Patna:Several Muslim organisations in Bihar today came out in support of Rohingyas after an affidavit was filed by the Centre on Tuesday wherein it was mentioned that the community is a threat to the internal security. The community is alleged to have links with Pakistan-based terror organisations.Hundreds of Muslim protestors carried out a protest march in Darbhanga under the banner of Jamiat Ulema-E-Hind and raised slogans against PM Modi.The protestors demanded that PM Modi should break his silence on the contentious issue of sending back 40,000 Rohingya Muslims belonging to Myanmar back to the country. These Rohingya refugees have been living in various parts of the country for last several years.They demanded that PM Modi should also intervene in the issue of genocide of Rohingya Muslims taking place in Myanmar."If PM Modi does nothing on this issue then we will not sit silent. We will take our movement to Delhi and raise our voice at the United Nations," said a protestor.Muslim organisations carried out a protest march in Darbhanga under the banner of Jamiat. Rohingya supports asserted that the Buddhists community who were considered to be peace lovers were indulging into killing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Muslim bodies also alleged that Centre was conspiring to throw 40,000 Rohingyas out of the country by linking them to terror organizations. indiatoday
Thousands Protest in Delhi against Persecution of Rohingya
http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/thousands-protest-in-delhi-against-persecution-of-rohingya-in-myanmar
New Delhi:Thousands of people held a massive protest demonstration on Thursday against the ongoing persecution and exodus of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Maulana Mahmood Madani, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind, was leading the protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar near the Parliament House."We have gathered in solidarity with the oppressed and to oppose the oppressors," said Madani while addressing the massive gathering."Rohingya's persecution is equal to ethnic cleansing of Jews that happened in Germany," he said. Leaders from other Muslim organizations including Navaid Hamid, President, Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat were also there to raise their voice along with Jamiat.IndiaTomorrow
Rohingya are not refugees, nor have they taken asylum… They are illegal immigrants, says Rajnath Singh
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/rohingya-are-not-refugees-nor-have-they-taken-asylum-they-are-illegal-immigrants-says-rajnath-singh-4854030/
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that criticism against the government for deporting the Rohingya living in the country was uncalled for as the Myanmar government itself was willing to take them back. Rajnath Singh was referring to Myanmar Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s remarks that the country will allow the Rohingya to return after a due verification process.On India’s decision to deport Rohingya, Rajnath said, “Rohingya are not refugees, nor have they taken asylum. They are illegal immigrants.” The minister was addressing a seminar organised by NHRC. He also said that India would not violate any international law by deporting the Rohingya as it was not a signatory to UN Refugees Convention 1951.indianexpress
Rohingyas are illegal immigrants, not refugees: Rajnath
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rohingyas-illegal-immigrants-not-refugees-rajnath/article19726476.ece?homepage=true
Rohingya issue has to be seen from security angle:BJP
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rohingya-issue-has-to-be-seen-from-security-angle-says-ram-madhav/article19729013.ece?homepage=true
Rajnath's statement on Rohingyas 'disingenuous':Owaisi
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/rajnath-singhs-statement-on-rohingyas-disingenuous-says-asaduddin-owaisi/articleshow/60780761.cms
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday termed as "disingenuous" the statement by Home Minister Rajnath Singh that Rohingyas who have entered India after fleeing Myanmar were not refugees but illegal immigrants who need to be sent back.Owaisi said a majority of the Rohingyas who are in India have cards issued by the UNHCR.Owaisi said Chakmas had from Bangladesh similarly and they were given Indian citizenship. He claimed that Tamils from Sri Lanka also came to India in a similar manner.IANS
NDA govt looking at foreigners’ permanent stay in India through prism of religion: Asaduddin Owaisi
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/nda-govt-looking-at-foreigners-permanent-stay-in-india-through-prism-of-religion-asaduddin-owaisi-4854985/
Myanmar army chief urges internally displaced to return to Rakhine
https://in.reuters.com/article/myanmar-rohingya-commander/myanmar-army-chief-urges-internally-displaced-to-return-to-rakhine-idINKCN1BW1H7
Myanmar’s army chief called on Thursday for people internally displaced by violence in Rakhine State to go home and rebuild communities, but he made no mention of 422,000 Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh to escape his force’s operations.General Min Aung Hlaing, in a major speech on his plans for Rakhine state on his first visit there since the latest strife erupted, said the military had handled the situation as best as it could. Hlaing did not mention the accusation of ethnic cleansing in his speech to business people, officials and some of the displaced, in Sittwe, the state capital.“Regarding the rehabilitation of villages of our national races, for the national races who fled their homes, first of all they must go back to their places,” he said.“National races” is a Myanmar term referring to members of officially recognised indigenous ethnic groups who make up the diverse nation.Reuters
Buddhist mobs throw petrol bombs to stop aid shipment to Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/buddhist-mobs-throw-petrol-bombs-stop-aid-shipment-rohingya-muslims-rakhine-1640274
Buddhist protesters in Myanmar are reported to have tried to stop humanitarian aid headed for Rohingya Muslims, tens of thousands of whom have been fleeing to Bangladesh, by throwing petrol bombs at a shipment.The shipment was bound for the north of the Rakhine state, which has seen a spate of violence since 25 August, forcing over 420,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee their homes in Myanmar.According to local media reports, around 300 men started throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at a boat that was being loaded with about 50 tonnes of bottled water, food, blankets, mosquito nets, and other supplies for the Rohingya.The ship was docked in the Rakhine state capital of Sittwe, local Govt information office said.Relief supplies came from the International Committee of the Red Cross and some of its workers loading the boat suffered injuries, Reuters reported a witness as saying. ibtimes
China offers humanitarian aid to Myanmar to help displaced in Rakhine: Xinhua
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-09/21/c_136627151.htm
Chinese embassy to Myanmar has offered humanitarian aid to the Myanmar Red Cross Society in Yangon to help the displaced people in Rakhine State."China and Myanmar are close and good neighbors. When the neighbor meets with difficulties, China always gives a helping hand immediately," Chinese envoy Hong Liang said at the donation ceremony.He hoped that under the leadership of the Myanmar Govt and with the support from all walks of life in the country and good neighbors, the displaced people will live a good life soon.
Saudi offers aid to Rohingya refugees within hours
https://www.thenational.ae/world/gcc/saudi-arabia-offers-aid-to-rohingya-refugees-within-hours-1.630122
Saudi Arabia said it would deploy a humanitarian relief team to Bangladesh “within hours” to help Rohingya Muslim refugees there urgently in need of aid.Abdullah Al Rabeeah, adviser at Royal Court and general supervisor of the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Work, said that King Salman has allocated US$15 million to ease the suffering of Rohingya fleeing Myanmar amid a military crackdown.The National
Bangladesh to provide birth control kits to Rohingyas
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/bangladesh-to-provide-birth-control-kits-to-rohingya-refugees-4854768/
Dhaka;Bangladesh will launch a birth control campaign among the Rohingya Muslims amid fears that the refugee population could rise sharply with the influx of the ethnic minority Myanmar nationals, a minister said. Plans are being chalked up to motivate the Rohingyas to keep their family size small alongside providing them with kits containing birth control pills and other contraceptives also to prevent outbreak of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), officials said.PTI
Rohingya Hindu women share horror tales
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/south-asia/2017/09/19/rohingya-hindu-horror-myanmar-military/
Over 500 Rohingya Hindus have crossed over to Bangladesh to escape military persecution of the minority group in Rakhine, Myanmar that began in late AugustThe morning of August 27 started as any other for Anika Dhar, 18, a resident of Fakira Bazar village in the Maungdaw area of Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state.Her husband Milon Dhar, a barber who worked at a salon in the nearby market, was preparing to go to work when a group of men wearing black uniforms burst into their home. They were armed to the teeth with guns and long knives, Anika said.“They looted our house, then marched us with more than a hundred of our neighbours to a secluded spot,” she told the Dhaka Tribune. “They had dug holes in the ground. They shot and stabbed people and dumped the bodies into the holes.”Milon was among those killed by the militiamen dressed in black. Over one hundred people were killed that day, according to Anika.Anika said she was able to escape in the confusion and friendly people helped her get across the river Naf to Bangladesh.Anika is among a small group of Hindu Rohingya who have fled to Bangladesh along with their Muslim neighbours, Rohingya Hindu men have also been killed by the Myanmar security forces during its latest crackdown on the Rohingya in Rakhine state, human rights activists say, but the number has yet to be confirmed.Such accounts are consistent with the stories brought by the mainly Muslim Rohingya, who accuse the Myanmar military and Rakhine militias backed by the army of carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya.At least eight Hindu women refugees, who fled to Bangladesh from Rakhine in the last few weeks, said armed men killed their husbands in front of them.Promila Sheel, 25, said she decided to flee to Bangladesh after her husband was killed by militia.Like Anika Dhar, Promila has found shelter at Kutupalong’s Hindu camp with roughly a hundred other families.Anika, who is expecting a baby, said her husband Milon worked at a salon in Maungdaw’s Fakira Bazar.“They shot him dead,” she said. “I joined the Muslims and escaped with them.”Many of these refugees said their houses were attacked, looted and set afire by the security forces.About 30,000 Arakanese Buddhists, Hindus and Arakanese sub-ethnic residents fled violence apart from the Rohingya, according to Myanmar-based media The Irrawaddy.dhakatribune
Rohingya crisis: Hindus fleeing Myanmar violence hope for shelter in Modi's India
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rohingya-hindu-crisis-myanmar-violence-bjp-Govt -security-threat/1/1051940.html
We are not here as terrorists, say Rohingyas in Hyderabad
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/634217/we-not-here-terrorists-say.html
‘NHRC taking up Rohingya issue on humanitarian ground’
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/nhrc-taking-up-rohingya-issue-on-humanitarian-ground-dattu-4854360/
New Delhi:(NHRC on Thursday said it has taken up the issue of the Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds but refused to comment on the Govt ’s assertion that the “illegal immigrants” would be deported.“We are taking up the case of Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds. I can’t comment on the Govt line,” chairman of the NHRC Justice (retd) H L Dattu said.PTI
WORLD
22 killed in air strikes by Syria, its ally Russia:monitor
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/22-killed-in-air-strikes-by-syria-its-ally-russia-britain-based-monitor/story-y3NtzZmU5jc1Ukdrwi0FkM.html
Beirut:At least 22 civilians have been killed in 48 hours of heavy air strikes by Syria’s regime and its ally Russia in northwestern Syria,monitor said Thursday.The strikes hit areas in the provinces of Idlib and Hama, where an internationally agreed truce zone is meant to be in place, and come in response to an offensive launched Tuesday by jihadists.Idlib, along with parts of neighbouring Hama and Latakia provinces, forms one of 4 so-called de-escalation zones agreed last May by regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel backer Turkey.The deal has brought relative calm to the regions involved, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported dozens of raids on Hama and Idlib since Tuesday, when jihadists began attacking Govt positions.“ Russian and regime aircraft are practically not leaving the sky over Idlib and Hama,” the Britain-based monitor said.On Thursday, at least four people including a father and his two daughters were killed in Russian raids on the town of Khan Sheikun in Idlib, the monitor said, raising the civilian death toll in 48 hours of strikes to 22. AFP
Russia warns US it will target US-backed fighters in Syria if provoked
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/russia-warns-us-it-will-target-us-backed-fighters-in-syria-if-provoked/story-n0mmMEa8exb2eoQNn9PA7K.html
Russia said on Thursday it had warned the US it would target areas in Syria where US special forces and US-backed militia were operating if its own forces came under fire from them, something it said had already happened twice.Russia was referring to SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias fighting with the US-led coalition, which Moscow said had diverted from the battle to take Raqqa to Deir al-Zor, where Russian special forces are helping the Syrian army push out Islamic State militants. Russian Defence Ministry said the SDF had taken up positions on the eastern banks of the Euphrates with U.S. special forces, and had twice opened fire with mortars and artillery on Syrian troops who were working alongside Russian special forces.Reuters
Raqqa faces deadly 'barrage' from US-led coalition
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/raqqa-faces-deadly-barrage-led-coalition-170920192052894.html
Every 8 minutes last month, a bomb, missile or shell was fired on the Syrian city of Raqqa by a US-led coalition battling ISIL, resulting in at least 433 likely civilian deaths, according to a report released by a UK-based monitor. Airwars, a group tracking civilian deaths in Russian and US-led coalition air raids in Syria and Iraq, said on Wednesday that the US-led forces dropped a total of 5,775 bombs, shells and missiles in support of an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters on the ground advancing into the city."What we are seeing now is really a devastating coalition barrage on the city," Chris Woods, director of Airwars, told Al Jazeera."More munitions were dropped on Raqqa in August than even during the heaviest fighting in west Mosul," he added, referring to a major offensive to recapture the northern Iraqi city from ISIL earlier this year."And the effects on civilians trapped in the city have been equally devastating."Airwars said at least 433 Raqqa civilians likely died last month as a result of coalition actions, bringing the total since the anti-ISIL assault began on June 6 to more than 1,000. Al Jazeera
Iran, US intensify efforts to stop Kurdish referendum
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170921-iran-us-intensify-efforts-to-stop-kurdish-referendum/
Senior US and Iranian officials have made separate last minute attempts to find alternative to planned Kurdish independence referendum which is due to take place on Monday, Kurdish sources have said.Head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force, General Qassem Soleimani and the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh at the US Department of State, Brett McGuck, separately made several shuttle trips between Baghdad, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah last week.A source familiar with Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) told Al-Monitor news site that Iranians and Americans both agree that the referendum should either be postponed or cancelled altogether. According to the source, Soleimani warned that “Iran has so far prevented the Popular Mobilisation Forces from launching an attack,” adding that he “will not bother to do that anymore”. aljazeera
Venezuela's president says Trump is 'the new Hitler'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-venezuela-new-hitler-nicolas-maduro-comments-attack-president-latest-un-assembly-a7956376.html
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called Donald Trump “new Hitler” of international politics, responding to the US President's call for world leaders to help restore democracy in the South American country. Trump had used a portion of his stark address to the UN General Assembly to single out Maduro's Govt, which the US leader has called a “dictatorship”. “Magnate thinks he is the owner of the world, but no one threatens Venezuela,” said Maduro, who did not attend the annual gathering of world leaders and diplomats.independent
Musharraf says Zardari involved in assassination of Benazir, Murtaza Bhutto
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/zardari-involved-in-benazir-bhutto-s-murder-says-former-pakistan-prez-musharraf/story-xfTUag73s1ftTiaQmdIyUP.html
Islamabad: Pervez Musharraf on Thursday accused Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari of being involved in the assassination of both his wife Benazir Bhutto and her brother Murtaza Bhutto.Musharraf’s claim, made in a video message, came three weeks after an anti-terrorism court declared him a fugitive in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case. The former army chief is currently in self-exile in Dubai and was allowed to leave the country in 2016 for medical treatment while awaiting trial in several cases. He was earlier formally charged for failing to provide security to Bhutto in the days before she was killed in a suicide attack in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007. “The one responsible for all miseries of the Bhutto family as well as the assassination of Benazir and Murtaza Bhutto is Zardari,” Musharraf said, addressing the three Bhutto-Zardari children in the video message. “Zardari did nothing to investigate the murders of Benazir and Murtaza Bhutto as he enjoyed his stay in the presidency for five years.” hindustantimes
Palestinians submit Israel 'war crime' evidence to ICC
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/palestinians-submit-israel-war-crime-evidence-icc-170920115342560.html
4 Palestinian human rights groups have submitted a 700-page communication to the International Criminal Court (ICC), alleging that high-level Israeli officials have been complicit in committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Groups urged the ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to "urgently open a full investigation into the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory" as a "necessary step to ending the culture of impunity that has long prevailed in regard to Israeli crimes and to hold high-level political and military officials accountable".The groups that submitted the dossier are al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Aldameer Association for Human Rights - all based in the occupied territories. aljazeera
Israel bans head of Al-Aqsa authority from accessing mosque
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170921-israel-bans-head-of-al-aqsa-authority-from-accessing-mosque/
Israeli occupation police yesterday banned Sheikh Najeh Bkeerat, the director of Waqf Property in Al-Aqsa Mosque, from accessing the Muslim holy site for three months, Quds Press reported. Sheikh Bkeerat said that Israeli police had summoned and investigated him in Al-Qashleh detention centre in Hebron Gate, west of Jerusalem.After he was investigated, said, Israeli occupation police handed him over the deportation order.He reiterated that the Israeli occupation “wants to create a vacuum in Al-Aqsa Mosque,as well as to undermine the education process inside it.” middleeastmonitor
Israel fixes times for members of the Knesset’s incursions at Al-Aqsa Mosque
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170921-israel-fixes-times-for-mks-incursions-at-al-aqsa-mosque/
Israeli Govt has fixed the times for members of the Knesset (MKs) to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, Quds Press reported on Wednesday.The Govt made the move in response to a petition submitted to the Israeli Supreme Court by far-right MK Yehuda Gluck. The extremist parliamentarian has called on the court to overturn a ban on MKs’ and ministers’ incursions at the Noble Sanctuary.When the Israeli Govt allowed extremist MKs to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque last month it was interpreted widely as a test to measure Palestinian and Arab reactions. It followed a ban imposed by PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Oct. 2015 in an effort to reduce the tension triggered by Israeli settlers’ incursions at the mosque. middleeastmonitor
Netanyahu: Quickly start construction across Jerusalem
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170921-netanyahu-quickly-start-construction-across-jerusalem/
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has called for construction across occupied Jerusalem as quickly as possible, Israel’s Jerusalem Net magazine reported.According to the weekly publication, Netanyahu made the calls during a meeting with the leader of Likud’s Jerusalem branch, contractor Ilan Gordo, last Thursday, shortly after attended the opening of the first phase of the Begin Highway and the Rosmarin Interchange in Gilo settlement.The Israeli PM called for construction to begin quickly at Givat HaMatos, near Beit Safafa, where the plans have changed over the years, despite permits having been already obtained. According to the magazine, this is due to the disputes regarding the percentage of the construction allotted to the Jews. middleeastmonitor
Palestinian female prisoners tortured at Israeli Damon lock-up
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2017/9/20/Palestinian-female-prisoners-tortured-at-Israeli-Damon-lock-up
Ramallah, (PIC) Palestinian female detainees at the Israeli Damon jail have been enduring dire detention conditions and subjected to harsh torture tactics, a human rights body has warned.According to lawyer Hanan al-Khatib, from the Prisoners’ and Ex-Prisoners’ Commission, Palestinian women and girls at Damon prison have been made to endure excruciating psycho-physical torture.The lawyer said the Israeli prison authorities continue to exert every possible effort to isolate the detainees and sever their ties with the outside world by preventing them from reaching out to their families and denying them prison visits.The lawyer also sounded the alarm over the strip-searches, verbal assaults, exhausting transfers to courts, medical neglect, and overcrowding, among others policies perpetrated against the Palestinian female detainees. 22 Palestinian women and girls are incarcerated in two cells in Damon lock-up.
China bans use of anti-Islam words on social media
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/china-bans-use-of-anti-islam-words-on-social-media/articleshow/60778028.cms
Beijing: "Islamophobic" terms used by Chinese internet users to stigmatize Muslims have been blocked by authorities to prevent bias against Islam, official media reported on Thursday.China has over 21 million Muslims mostly the Uyghurs in Xinjiang and Hui community in Ningxia province, according to unofficial accounts."The Islamophobic terms invented by Chinese Internet users to stigmatize Muslims have been blocked by authorities on Chinese social media despite criticism from the netizens that such a ban overtly favourable to Muslim minorities," state-run Global Times reported.China is currently carrying out massive crackdown against the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in the volatile Xinjiang province where Uygurs who formed majority were restive over the increasing settlements of Han community, the majority ethnic group constituting over 90 % of the country's population.ETIM is blamed by China for a host of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang and other parts of China. Reports from the province said a large number of youth were fighting along with Islamic State in Syria.As a result of the ban, searches for "green religion" and "peaceful religion", often used by Internet users to refer to Islam and to circumvent censorship of inappropriate online speech, showed no results on China's Weibo microblog yesterday, the report said.PTI
Officially atheist China protects Muslim residents’ rights, blocks ‘Islamophobic’ terms from social ...
http://www.indialivetoday.com/officially-atheist-china-protects-muslim-residents-rights-blocks-islamophobic-terms-from-social-media/201659.html
Two in five European Muslims have felt discriminated against – survey
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/21/two-in-five-european-muslims-have-felt-discriminated-against-survey
Discrimination against Europe’s Muslims is increasing, with two in five (40%) saying they have faced unfair treatment when job- or house-hunting or accessing public services such as education or healthcare, according to the first report of its kind in a decade.Nearly 30% of respondents in a survey said they had been insulted or called names and 2% had been physically assaulted in the previous 12 months.The survey was carried out in late 2015 and early 2016 by the EU’s fundamental rights agency and involved 10,500 Muslims in 15 countries including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK. theguardian
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Is Delhi Police’s Spl Cell Using an ‘Al-Qaeda Recruiter’ as a Pawn to Vilify Rohingya in India?Bibhu Prasad Routray
https://thewire.in/179445/saimum-rahman-rohingya-threat-special-cell/
With Prices Rising Post-GST, Has the Govt Taken the Public for a Ride?BY ARUN KUMAR
https://thewire.in/179281/gst-and-price-rise-public-taken-for-a-ride/
What Amit Shah’s Testimony in Maya Kodnani Trial Means:The Wire
https://thewire.in/179421/looking-into-amit-shahs-testimony-in-the-maya-kodnani-trial/
How Delhi excludes the disabled, single women, & Muslims from a regular existence:Rajanya Bose, NC Saxena
https://scroll.in/article/851313/how-delhi-excludes-the-disabled-single-women-and-muslims-from-a-regular-existence
Centre plans to loosen fiscal deficit target for spending ₹50,000 cr. more
http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/india-considering-77-bln-stimulus-spending-in-17-18-govt-sources/article19728707.ece?homepage=true
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 9:05 PM)
