NEWS DIGEST, MID-DAY
13 Aug 2018:01 Zilhajja 1439: Vol: 10, No:87
INDIA
NU student leader Umar Khalid shot at in Delhi high-security area, escapes unhurt
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/jnu-student-umar-khalid-shot-at-in-high-security-central-delhi-area-escapes-unhurt-1899707
New Delhi: 2 days ahead of Independence Day, JNU student leader Umar Khalid was shot at by an unidentified man at the Constitution Club near Parliament, currently under a thick security cover. Khalid escaped unhurt, police said. Investigations are underway. The popular student leader was at the venue to attend an event "Khauff Se Azaadi", put together by an organisation named 'United Against Hate'. "There is an atmosphere of fear in the country, and anybody who speaks against the government is threatened," he said after the attack.According to an eyewitness who was with Umar Khalid, at least 3 men approached them and fired twice. "We were at a tea stall when a man in white shirt opened fire at him. Khalid lost his balance, fell down and was saved.The man then escaped and left behind his pistol," he said.Fellow JNU student and activist Shehla Rashid was shocked and worried. "Shocking and highly condemnable.I spoke to Umar. He's okay, but we should be very very worried about his safety," she tweeted. Police are trying to locate the attacker. "Somebody pounced on Umar Khalid and pushed, thereafter he tried to fire at Khalid. But the person immediately couldn't fire. People started chasing him thereafter according to Khalid the attacker fired in the air,"Madhur Verma, DCP said. Khalid had filed a complaint alleging death threats in June and said he was on "hit list"."Filed a complaint with @DelhiPolice regarding Ravi Pujari's death threat to Jignesh and me. He said that I am on his HIT LIST! I have asked for police protection, given the fact that this is the same person who had previously also issued similar threats of killing me in Feb 2016 (sic)," he had tweeted.In 2016, Khalid's father Syed Qasim Illyas Rasool had filed a police complaint, claiming he received a phone call "threatening to kill" his son if he doesn't leave the country. The threat came around the time when the police were looking for Khalid in connection with the sedition case filed against him, ex JNUSU head Kanhaiya Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya for allegedly organising an event on Afzal Guru.ndtv
Umar Khalid claims he was attacked, Delhi Police checking if shots were fired at Constitution Club
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/umar-khalid-shot-constitution-club-of-india-delhi-unhurt-5304467/
I thought of Gauri Lankesh: Khalid after escaping bullet
https://www.thequint.com/news/india/man-open-fires-jnu-student-umar-khalid
Minutes after JNU student leader Umar Khalid escaped unharmed after being shot at by an unknown assailant outside the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, he told The Quint that at that moment, he thought his “Gauri Lankesh” moment had arrived." I was very scared at that moment when he pointed that gun at me. That moment I was being reminded of what happened to Gauri Lankesh. I thought that moment has arrived. I am very thankful for my friends who overpowered him and my life was saved," said Khalid. He said although the attempt to kill him ahead of an event organised against hate crimes was “ironic”, it was not surprising. Umar Khalid says "For the last 2 years, there has been such disinformation, propaganda and a hateful campaign that has been spread across by certain media houses and troll armies of the ruling government, where anyone who opposes the present govt or questions the policies of the present government is branded anti-national."He said the primary motive of the gathering was to demand freedom from terror in the form of lynchings and hate crimes.Khalid was there to attend a rally to protest against lynchings and crimes against women.thequint
Khalid: ‘I thought my moment had come after Lankesh’
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/umar-khalid-i-thought-my-moment-has-come-after-gauri-lankesh
Murder attempt on me result of hateful disinformation campaign by media, BJP’S troll army: Umar Khalid
http://caravandaily.com/portal/murder-attempt-on-me-result-of-hateful-disinformation-campaign-by-media-bjps-troll-army-umar-khalid/
Jignesh Mevani blames BJP, RSS for attack on Khalid
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/watch-gujarat-mla-jignesh-mevani-blames-attack-on-jnu-student-umar-khalid-on-bjp-rss-khalid-shot-at-in-delhi
Shortly after a gun shot was fired at JNU student Umar Khalid in the heart of Delhi today, Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani took to Twitter to say “No one other than people from BJP and RSS can attack Umar Khalid”.“They were making him vulnerable. This is because there has been attack on Umar Khalid today. I clearly believe that this act has been carried out by the same people who killed Gauri Lankesh, Dabholkar ji, Pansare and Kalburgi. No one other than people from BJP and RSS can attack Umar Khalid. I not only condemn this, but our respected Prime Minister should speak about it and provide police protection. Last month, for four day continuously, I have received death threats which also included the names of Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid. Despite this, our police protection has not been improved. This means that our government and BJP and Sangh want people like us to be killed,” said Mevani in his video message.nationalheraldindia
Shocked reactions at attempt on Umar Khalid’s life
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/jnu-student-umar-khalid-shot-at-escapes-bid-on-life-in-heart-of-central-delhi-constitution-club
People reacted with shock on Twitter as news came in of the attempt of Umar Khalid’s life, that too in high security Central Delhi near MP’s residential quarters and within a stone’s throw of Parliament.Ex-J&K CM Omar Abdullah pointed a finger at media, blaming them for the attack on Khalid. “Wage a motivated hate campaign against individuals & sooner or later someone will feel emboldened enough to take the law in to their own hands. The attack on @UmarKhalidJNU is the direct result of the relentless hate campaign using both social & mainstream media. Glad he’s well,” tweeted Abdullah.CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar tweeted, “Constitution is burnt on Parliament Street, activists are being shot at outside Constitution Club - fascists go berserk as election approaches and defeat looms large! Khalid shot at outside Constitution Club!” Teesta Setalvad tweeted, "Umar Khalid attached. How many death threats? Govt Ignores these. No respect for young lives @UmarKhalidJNU @kanhaiyakumar." nationalheraldindia
Centre planning NRC for all states?
https://deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/130818/national-register-of-citizens-plan-for-all-states-on-the-anvil.html
Guwahati: The ministry of home affairs has started working out a strategy to propagate the idea of issuing “biometric work permit” to all those who, out of 40 lakh, will be declared “illegal foreigners” in the ongoing process of updating NRC in Assam. Disclosing that the home ministry may also propose Assam like NRC in all the states of the country, security sources told this paper that successful publication of NRC in Assam has strengthened the confidence of the government, in spite of the security challenges involved.Informing that the political leadership has to take a call on implementing NRC in all the states, sources in the ministry of home affairs said that their immediate challenge is to take a decision on fate of those tagged as “illegal foreigners” in Assam. Admitting that it was not possible to deport lakhs of people likely to be tagged as “illegal foreigners”, security sources said that home ministry was of view that it would also not be a practical solution to confine such huge number of people into the detention camps. Asserting that “biometric work permit” may help in keeping track of such illegal foreigners, security sources said that home ministry is looking into all these aspects as Supreme Court may ask the government about their action plan to tackle the people declared as “illegal foreigners”.Apart from disenfranchising them, security sources said that home ministry would also push for depriving them of right to buy immovable property in the state.Informing that home ministry was keeping a close watch on the situation in Assam, security sources said that there have been attempts to create law and order problem in the state after the publication of the final draft of NRC.Sources said Union home minister Rajnath Singh has taken up the issue of influx from Bangladesh with Dhaka, but it was told that it is not possible for a sovereign country to take back lakhs of immigrants.Deccan Chronicle
NRC will be implemented across country after 2019 polls: BJP vice president
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/nrc-will-be-implemented-across-country-after-2019-polls-bjp-leader-5303712/
Jaipur:BJP national vice-president Om Mathur said that the country would not be allowed to become a ‘dharamshala’ and that NRC would be implemented throughout the country after the 2019 general election.The entire country is suffering from the problem of Bangladeshi infiltrators. There is not a single city or town which is not suffering from the problem of Bangladeshi infiltrators, Mathur told reporters in Jhunjhunu district today.“The country will not be allowed to become a dharamshala and NRC will be implemented across the country after 2019,” he said. He asserted that BJP would form the government after 2019 general election and NRC would be implemented across the country.PTI
Implement NRC across India: VHP
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/implement-nrc-across-india-vhp-5303610/
Ahmedabad:In the wake of over 40 lakh people being left out in the first draft of NRC in Assam, VHP has demanded application of NRC all across the country to “drive intruders away from everywhere”. At a meeting near Kankariya, the national joint general secretary of the outfit, Surendra Jain, said that with some political leaders and parties opposing the ouster of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims from the country was danger. “Because of this, Muslim population will increase in the country in the future, posing danger to sovereignty and geographical and cultural integrity of the country. Therefore, they need to be found out from every nook and corner of the country and driven away,” Jain said.indianexpress
Many left out from NRC for failing to give birth certificates
https://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/many-left-out-for-failing--to-give-birth-certificates.html
Laruajan:Poor rate of institutional delivery, particularly in remote areas of Assam, is one of the reasons behind non-inclusion of names of many genuine Indian citizens in the draft NRC, which was published by the Assam Government on July 30.Some of the young people in remote areas, particularly in Muslim-dominated Goroimari revenue circle in Assam’s Kamrup district, have failed to find their names in NRC despite living in the villages for generations.“Neither I nor three of my brothers and two sisters have birth certificates. My mother gave birth to me and my siblings at home and hence there is no document like birth certificate to prove our identity,” said Abdul Kasem (29) of Laruajan village under Goroimari revenue circle in Kamrup district of Assam, located only about 70 km from State’s Capital town Guwahati.In the absence of birth certificate issued by the local hospitals many of the genuine Indian citizens living in these areas submitted self declaration and documents issued by the Gaon Burhas (village heads), which were, however, rejected by NRC authorities.dailypioneer
Hapur lynching: SC issues notice to UP govt, orders Meerut IG to submit report
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/hapur-lynching-sc-issues-notice-to-up-govt-orders-meerut-ig-to-submit-report-5304144/
New Delhi : The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government in the Hapur lynching case during a hearing on a plea filed by a witness seeking protection. Fixing the next date of hearing on August 28, the apex court ordered the Meerut range Inspector General to submit a complete report of the incident.A cattle-trader was beaten to death and a 65-year-old man was severely injured by a mob allegedly in a “cow-related matter” while police insisted that it was the fallout of a road rage incident.Qasim (45) was beaten to death by a mob at a sugarcane field in Hapur’s Pilakhuwa and 65-year-old Samiuddin was injured in the incident. indianexpress
Withdraw triple talaq bill or send it to select committee: AIMPLB official
https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/withdraw-triple-talaq-bill-or-send-it-to-select-committee-aimplb-official-118081200637_1.html
Bhopal:A senior All India Muslim Personal Law Board functionary today said the triple talaq bill should either be withdrawn or sent to the select committee of Parliament and the opinion of Islamic scholars be sought on it."Our stand on the triple talaq bill is clear. Either the Centre should withdraw this bill or it should be sent to the Select Committee (of Parliament). The Select Committee should take the opinion of scholars of Islamic law," Mohammed Umrain Mahfooz Rahmani, secretary and social media desk in-charge of AIMPLB, said here today. He said "in the entire world" the opinion of a community is taken whenever a law related to them is enacted."In our country, the (Muslim) community was not consulted before such a move. They are trying to impose their opinion," Rahmani claimed.He also claimed that amendments regarding the provision of bail for men found guilty under the provisions of the triple talaq bill were "inadequate" and would not benefit women.PTI
People misusing Halala should be charged for rape:Mahali
https://www.news18.com/news/india/people-misusing-nikah-halala-should-be-charged-for-rape-says-aimplb-1843171.html
“Some people are misusing the practice of ‘halala’ and they should be punished. After the Supreme Court terming the triple talaq illegal, the question of Halala should not arise,” Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, member of AIMPLB said.Referring to the recent case of halala in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly where a woman was forced to consummate marriage with her father-in-law, Mahali said that it is illegal under the Islamic rules as well to marry the father-in-law. “A woman cannot be forced to sleep with anyone. Rape charges are likely to be slapped against the woman’s in-laws,” he said.Mahali added that AIMPLB, highest decision making body on Muslim affairs, is running awareness campaigns for men and women about the nikaah halala so that the practice is not misused for vested interests.news18
District officials has no authority, UP govt to take final call on Muzaffarnagar riot cases : Accused BJP MP Balyan
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/dist-officials-have-no-authority-up-govt-to-take-final-call-on-muzaffarnagar-riot-cases-balyan/articleshow/65378188.cms
Muzaffarnagar:A day after Muzaffarnagar district administration refused to recommend withdrawal of the 184 cases related to 2013 riots, local BJP MP and former Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, who is an accused himself, said the district officials had no authority in the matter and UP government will take the “final decision”.“District administration has no right to take any decision in the matter of withdrawal of the Muzaffarnagar riot cases. The decision of UP government will be final,” Balyan told reporters outside the BJP’s state executive meeting here. Months after the state government had sought its opinion on withdrawal of the riot cases in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, the district administration in a letter advised the government that it couldn’t be done. Muzaffarnagar DM Rajeev Sharma told TOI, “A letter in this regard was sent 10 days ago. I have advised the government that withdrawal of the riot cases can’t be recommended.” Out of 184 cases, report on as many as 87 cases was sent to the state government. In the remaining cases, while closure reports in 61 cases had been filed, 26 cases were found registered twice and 10 cases had been disposed by courts, police sources said. “There is a procedure in CrPC, wherein anyone who is booked under a criminal case, has to apply to the state government for withdrawal of his case. The government then seeks a report from the district administration – which is prepared after close examination of reports that we receive from the police and prosecution. After this, a report citing our opinion is sent to the government. In this case too, we were asked to send a report, which we have already sent,” DM said. Sources said that the state government had sent a letter to the district administration on Jan.17 seeking details of cases, including two cases of hate speech against local BJP MP Sanjeev Balyan, Sadhvi Prachi, BJP’s Bijnor MP Kunwar Bharatendra Singh and BJP MLAs Umesh Malik, Sangeet Singh Som and Suresh Rana. Meanwhile, riot victims and social groups working for them welcomed the district administration’s decision and said that they see a ray of hope for justice.Chandrveer Singh, a senior lawyer, said, “It was a political stunt. There is no way that the government can withdraw the cases, which are under trial.”TOI
Kasganj Riots: High Court Grants Bail, DM Slaps NSA
https://www.newsclick.in/kasganj-riots-high-court-grants-bail-dm-slaps-nsa
Despite Allahabad High Court granting bail to the 3 accused – Nasim Javed, Salim Javed and Wasim Javed – arrested in connection with the Kasganj violence that took place on Jan.26, 2018, the UP police have invoked the stringent NSA against them when they were about to walk free. Their family members and counsel are puzzled at the development, which took place over seven months after the incident that claimed one life and ripped apart the social fabric of the western UP district.The ground the district magistrate of Kasganj – RP Singh – has given in 11 pages for invoking the NSA makes it seem like the violence in the “unauthorised” ‘Tiranga Rally’ was orchestrated by the minority community, and what followed after that was just a natural reaction.He alleged that the three brothers, along with his accomplice, got upset with the chanting of slogans ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ (Long live motherland) and ‘Vande Mataram’ (Mother, I bow to thee) on the occasion of the Republic Day, and chose the path of violence to disrupt the ‘Tiranga Rally’ with an aim to create fear and hegemony. “By disrupting the rally, you fanned communal atmosphere tension that resulted in large scale violence. Because of your act, the state government had to bear a huge financial loss,” Singh said in the ground cited for invoking the NSA. newsclick
Tribals who convert to other religions will continue to get quota benefits: Union tribal affairs minister Oram
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/tribals-who-convert-to-other-religions-will-continue-to-get-quota-benefits-jual-oram/articleshow/65379249.cms
BALLIA: The Centre has no plans to deprive Scheduled Tribe people, converted to Hinduism, Islam or Christianity of the reservation benefits, said Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram. Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Oram said, "At a meeting of BJP ST Morcha held in Delhi a few days back, it was demanded that the people of Scheduled Tribes, who get converted to Hinduism, Islam or Christianity should not get the benefits of reservation. But, the Centre's stand is clear on this, he said. The tribals, who get converted to various religions, will continue to get the reservation benefits, he added. PTI
Why silent over pro-Khalistan rally in London, Congress asks Modi govt
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/aug/13/why-silent-over-pro-khalistan-rally-in-london-congress-asks-narendra-modi-government-1857171.html
New Delhi: Describing the pro-Khalistan rally in London by the Sikhs as a conspiracy to divide the country, the Congress on Monday questioned the Modi-led government's silence on it."As a sinister conspiracy is hatched to revive militancy in Punjab, why are BJP-Akali Dal mum? Why has the 56' Modi government been stunned into a conspiratorial silence? Isn't it a conspiracy to break the country? Why silence then?" Congress spokesman Pradeep Singh Surjewala said in a tweet attaching a news report about the pro-Khalistan rally.The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a human rights advocacy group with radical leanings, held what it calls a "London Declaration" on an independence referendum for Punjab at Trafalgar Square in London on Sunday.Thousands of Sikhs and their supporters gathered to demand a 'Referendum 2020' campaign in Punjab.They also brandished banners reading "Free Punjab, End Indian occupation", "Punjab Referendum 2020 for Khalistan" and "We will re-establish Punjab as an independent country".newindianexpress
After Karunanidhi's Death, Succession War in DMK as Alagiri Claims Supremacy Over Stalin
https://www.news18.com/news/politics/week-after-karunanidhis-demise-dmk-headed-for-succession-war-as-alagiri-claims-supremacy-over-stalin-1842609.html
Chennai: It’s been a week that DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi breathed his last after leading the party for five lengthy decades. On Monday, the party was headed for a bitter succession war between his two sons, heir apparent MK Stalin and estranged MK Alagiri.Former Union minister in the Manmohan Singh government, Alagiri on Monday morning visited his father’s grave at the Marina Beach and made his intentions clear to not let go of the party without a fight. He claimed all party workers are with him.The rift widened a day ahead of the crucial executive committee meeting of the party that is likely to anoint Stalin as the party chief after the demise of Karunanidhi at the age of 94 on August 7.Karunanidhi had expelled Alagiri and his supporters from the party in 2014 at the height of his fight with his younger brother MK Stalin over establishing supremacy in Tamil Nadu's main opposition party.Stalin is now the working president of the DMK and looks set to assume its reins. "All the true and loyal supporters of Thalaivar, Kalaignar are with me, they are supporting me... time will provide the answer," Alagiri, who has been leading a life away from the media glare in Madurai since his expulsion, told reporters.He said he prayed at his father's grave over his "grievances and frustration" about which the media would not know now.When asked if those related to the family or the party, Alagiri said it was the latter.The development came a day ahead of the DMK's executive committee meeting that has been ostensibly convened to condole Karunanidhi's death but where a decision may be taken about summoning the party's general council for putting its seal of approval on Stalin's elevation.When asked to comment on the meeting, Alagiri said," I am not in the DMK. Do not ask me about it." "I don't know," was his terse reply to a question about whether he would be back in the party again.Alagiri and Stalin have been at loggerheads for years over who will inherit Karunanidhi's legacy.News18
Marathas may join hands with Dhangars, Muslims to press for quota
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/marathas-may-join-hands-with-dhangars-muslims-to-press-for-quota-5303570/
Pune :Sambhaji Brigade, one of the outfits under the Maratha Kranti Morcha, is planning to raise the reservation demand jointly with the Dhangar and Muslim communities that have also raised the pitch for quota. The organisation said that the chorus demanding reservation will help get justice as it will lend strength and weight to the voices.“We have been discussing the issue among ourselves. A consensus is emerging that if we raise our voices jointly in association with the Dhangar and Muslim communities, it will have a greater impact,” said Santosh Shinde, the president of the Pune unit of Sambhaji Brigade. “It will be called the Maratha-Muslim-Dhangar reservation conference.”The organisation plans to hold a joint conference early next month. “We are looking for discussions among leaders, intellectuals and thinkers from the Maratha, Dhangar and Muslim communities on how to go about achieving the goal of reservation. We are confident that there will be several solutions that would come up during the discussion,” Shinde said.He said leaders in Pune will soon take up the issue with the leaders of the Dhangar and Muslim communities. “We have spoken to some leaders informally and there has been a positive response. We will soon speak to them formally and finalise the schedule for the conference,” Shinde said.Dhangar is a shepherd community and most of the members live in western Maharashtra and Marathwada. They make up about a crore of Maharashtra’s roughly 11.25 crore population (9 per cent).MIM MLA Imtiaz Jaleel said the Muslim community is ready to jointly raise the demand. indianexpress
Loudspeakers of 7 mosques in Delhi on NGT radar; inspection ordered
https://www.siasat.com/news/loudspeakers-7-masajid-delhi-ngt-radar-inspection-ordered-1391294/
New Delhi:NGT has ordered an investigation of loudspeakers of, Sunahri Masjid of Jagatpur, Eik Minar Masjid of Laxmi Nagar, Anarkali masjid of Kishan Bagh, Bismillah Masjid of Shastrinagar, Jama Masjid of Bihari Colony and Madhuvihar Masjid. The sound coming from loudspeakers of mosques in Delhi will be investigated and if they are found to be creating noise pollution action will be taken against them under environmental laws.NGT ordered Delhi govt and Pollution Control Committee to inspect loudspeakers of 7 mosques located East Delhi. Akhand Bharat Morcha filed a complaint and alleged that 7 mosques of the loudspeaker are misused. It is having a negative effect on people’s health. siasat
Those who create hatred against Muslims are not aware of Islamic history: Acharya Pramod Krishnam
https://www.siasat.com/news/those-who-create-hatred-against-muslims-are-not-aware-islamic-history-acharya-pramod-krishnam-1391336/
New Delhi: Islam is the religion of love, integrity, culture and brotherhood. Those who create hatred against Islam and Muslims are not aware of the history of Islam. Such people are neither loyal to their religion nor to their country. Acharya Pramod Krishnam expressed these views on the occasion of jashn-e-deedar-e-haram programme held for Hajj pilgrims.Acharya asked Maulana Ansar Raza to convey his salaam at the Holy site and pray for that the cosmopolitan culture of the country should remain unharmed. He said the India which people see on television is not the real India; if one wants to see the real India he should see jashn-e-deedar-e-haram where an Acharya has come to congratulate hajj aspirants for their Holy pilgrimage. He said the Prophet (pbuh) did not come for only a single religion or tribe, but he came as Rahmatullil Aalameen (Mercy to the Worlds). siasat
Govt should consider Muslim participation in both policy making & power:students group
https://theprint.in/governance/govt-should-consider-muslim-participation-in-both-policy-making-power/97680/
New Delhi: Muslim Students Organisation of India (MSOI), a conglomerate of Muslim students and youths in India, appealed to the government to involve the community’s youth in national security policy and cautioned about certain extremist ideologies which led to terrorism.At a day-long conference held here yesterday, Muslim scholars and youths deliberated about the issues faced by the community, stressing that efforts should be made to maintain social harmony. They also favoured the implementation of the Sufi spiritual experiments in this context, a release issued by the MSOI said.Mufti Ashfaq Hussain, the president of Tanzeem Ulama-E-Islam and the president of the assembly, said the country and the world were under serious threat from certain extremist ideologies which led to terrorism.Syed Muhammad Qadri, chief speaker and ex head of the organisation, said India was a pluralistic country and the youths could play the most important role in maintaining its unity.PTI
Terror suspects arrested in Hyderabad: After counselling, he had assured parents ‘he would be a good son’: Indian Express report
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/terror-suspects-arrested-in-hyderabad-after-counselling-he-had-assured-parents-he-would-be-a-good-son-5303525/
Hyderabad:Mohammed Abdullah Basith, 24, who was arrested by NIA on Sunday for allegedly planning to carry out IS activities in India, had undergone several rounds of de-radicalisation counselling that involved hours of discussions with Telangana police counsellors and his father M.Abdul Arif.“After he was arrested from Nagpur while he was trying to go to join IS for the second time, he promised me and his mother that he will give up. He assured us that he won’t follow the radical route and be a good son,’’ Arif had told The Indian Express in Dec.2015. He had said he tried his best to prevent his son from straying, especially after police contacted him in July 2014 when Abdullah applied for a Turkish visa. The Turkish consulate had tipped off Telangana Police who confiscated Abdullah’s passport.Telangana police detained Abdullah in Sept.2014 and brought him and five others back from Malda in West Bengal. The youths, led by Abdullah, were on their way to Dhaka from where they wanted to go to Afghanistan “to wage Jihad”. The police had then counselled the youths and let them off.On Dec.24, 2015, Abdullah was arrested from Nagpur airport with his cousins Maaz Hassan and Syed Omer Farooq Hussaini while they were trying to catch a flight to Srinagar from where they wanted to go to Syria to join IS. Abdullah was put through a rigourous deradicalisation programme at Central Crime Station after his arrest.While out on bail, Abdullah was shown in a purported sting operation by Republic TV, pledging allegiance to IS and stating that he will do anything to join the group. He was also heard saying that “no one can prevent me from waging Jihad” and that he “rejects democracy” and “fight to establish Sharia law in India”.An official who questioned Abdullah after his arrest in 2015 said, “I think he had read manuals on how to hoodwink counsellors, police and parents. He appeared to repent and regret, but we had doubts. He proved our suspicions right when he was shown pleading alliance to IS in the sting operation.”indianexpress
20 students injured after high tension wire fall down on madrasa in UP
https://www.business-standard.com/multimedia/video-gallery/general/20-students-injured-after-high-tension-wire-fall-down-on-madrasa-in-up-69180.htm
Amroha: Nearly 20 students injured after a high tension wire fall down on madrasa in Uttar Pradesh's Amroha on Sunday. The injured students were immediately rushed to the nearby hospital for the treatment.However, the concerned department has been told to take strict action so that such incidents don't occur in future.ANI
Somnath Chatterjee, ex Lok Sabha Speaker, Dies At 89
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/somnath-chatterjee-former-lok-sabha-speaker-dies-at-kolkata-hospital-he-was-89-1899454
Somnath Chatterjee is no more. The former Lok Sabha Speaker and expelled member of the CPM died just after 8 am today at a hospital in Kolkata. He had been in and out of hospital since June-end after suffering a stroke. Mr Chatterjee had celebrated his 89th birthday on July 29.Lok Sabha Speaker from 2004 to 2009, Mr Chatterjee was a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for 40 years since 1968, represented the party 10 times in parliament, and was acknowledged as one of its most brilliant ever.He may have owed his oratorical skills to his training in England where, after a Masters in Law from Cambridge University, he was called to the bar from Middle Temple in London.NDTV
WORLD
Egypt: HRW demands probe of 2013 'Rabaa massacre'
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/egypt-rights-group-demands-probe-2013-rabaa-massacre-180813104539004.html
Human Rights Watch called for an international inquiry into a deadly crackdown on supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood during a 2013 protest in Egypt.Human Rights Watch said on Monday that Egyptian authorities have failed to investigate or prosecute a single member of the security forces responsible for the assault on Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya Square. The rights group said the attack on the sit-in demonstration killed more than 800 protesters in a matter of hours in "the largest mass killing in Egypt's modern history"."Five years on from the Rabaa massacre, the only response from authorities has been to try to insulate those responsible for these crimes from justice," said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's director for Middle East and North Africa."The response from Egypt's allies to the crimes at Rabaa and to the lack of justice for the victims has been complete silence."The bloody dispersal came weeks after Mohamed Morsi was ousted following mass protests against his one-year rule.Since then hundreds of protesters, including leaders of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, have been convicted at mass trials. An Egyptian court in July sentenced 75 people to death for participating in the protest.aljazeera
Muslim Brotherhood leader Badie receives life term in Egypt retrial
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/muslim-brotherhood-leader-badie-receives-life-term-egypt-retrial-2009214574
An Egyptian court has sentenced to life in prison the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme guide, Mohamed Badie, and four other leaders in a retrial on accusations of inciting street violence, their lawyer said.Defence lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maksoud identified the others as Mohamed al-Beltagi, Essam al-Erian, Safwat Higazi and El-Husseini Antar. State news agency MENA said another defendant was jailed for 15 years and three others for 10 years.The Brotherhood was designated a terrorist organisation in Egypt in December 2013, after the military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July of that year amid mass protests against his rule."We will appeal the sentences within 60 days," the lawyer told AFP. Badie is facing charges in more than 35 trials, according to his lawyers. Egypt's court of cassation, whose rulings cannot be appealed, last November upheld another life sentence against Badie.Badie, 74, was the eighth leader of Muslim Brotherhood, becoming head of the organisation in 2010, according to EgyptToday. Badie and the other defendants were convicted of incitement to violence on 15 July 2013, when 5 demonstrators were killed and 100 injured during protests in an area in Giza known as al-Bahr al-Azim, Reuters said.middleeasteye
Egypt court jails Muslim Brotherhood chief Badie for life
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/204920/egypt-court-jails-muslim-brotherhood-chief-for-life
Afghanistan: 20 civilians, 100 security forces killed in Taliban's Ghazni offensive
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/afghanistan-20-civilians-100-security-forces-killed-ghazni-180813085039974.html
A Taliban assault on the Afghan strategic city of Ghazni has entered its fourth day, with the death toll climbing above 300, including at least 20 civilians, according to government officials.Defence Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami said on Monday "about 100 security forces" were killed in the intense fighting, as well "between 20 and 30 civilians".Speaking at a press conference in the capital, Kabul, Bahrami said 194 Taliban fighters, including 12 of their "key commanders" had also been killed, mostly by US air raids.According to the US military headquarters in Kabul, US aircraft conducted at least nine air raids over Saturday and Sunday.Afghan forces are battling the Taliban after the group stormed Ghazni city, the capital of the province with the same name and a strategic point linking Kabul with southern Afghanistan - on Friday.Information coming out of the city remains patchy and difficult to confirm after fighting destroyed most of the telecoms masts and local news media stopped broadcasting.Roads in and out of the city have been damaged and obstructed by Taliban forces to prevent Afghan reinforcements arriving but residents who escaped the violence on foot have described seeing dead bodies in the street and buildings on fire.The attack comes as a severe blow to President Ashraf Ghani and has dampened hopes of possible peace talks with the Taliban to end the nearly 17-year-old war.Government officials in Kabul admitted to having been taken by surprise by the attack but insisted on Monday that Ghazni would not fall to Taliban and that Afghan forces remained in control of key government positions and other institutions there.Najib Danish, the Interior Ministry's spokesman, said reinforcements have been sent Ghazni and were trying to clear it of Taliban.Previous reinforcements have fallen prey to Taliban ambush and Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said on Twitter that Taliban forces are blocking all roads to Ghazni. The United States have also sent military advisers to aid Afghan forces and are conducting air strikes to support Afghan troops on the ground.aljazeera
Syria: 39 Including kids killed in arms depot blast in Idlib
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/39-including-children-killed-in-arms-depot-blast-in-syrias-idlib-1899341
Beirut: An explosion at a weapons depot in a terrorist-held town in northwest Syria killed at least 39 civilians including a dozen children on Sunday, a monitor said.An AFP correspondent at the site in Sarmada in Idlib province near the Turkish border said the explosion of unknown origin caused two buildings to collapse.Rescue workers used a bulldozer to remove rubble and extract trapped people, the correspondent said.Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, said a previous toll of 12 civilians killed increased after more bodies were retrieved from the rubble."Explosion occurred in a weapons depot in a residential building in Sarmada," said the head of the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.But the cause of the blast was "not yet clear", Abdel Rahman added.He said most of those killed were family members of fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance led by terrorists from Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, who had been displaced to the area from the central province of Homs.A rescue worker carried the motionless body of a small child from the wreckage to an ambulance, AFP correspondent said. ndtv
Explosion kills dozens, including children, in Syria's Idlib
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/explosion-kills-dozens-including-children-syria-idlib-180813054135131.html
Israel detains 520 Palestinians last month
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-detains-520-palestinians-last-month/1230015
RAMALLAH:Israeli forces rounded up 520 Palestinians in raids carried out across the occupied West Bank last month, according to Palestinian NGOs on Monday. “Sixty-nine minors and nine women were among those arrested,” read a joint statement issued by the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners Society, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights. According to the statement, Israeli forces detained five Palestinian journalists in the occupied territory last month. Anadolu agency
Israel awaits outcome of talks before hitting Hamas leadership
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180813-israel-awaits-outcome-of-talks-before-hitting-hamas-leadership/
To deter the ongoing Great March of Return protests that started on 30 March, Israel’s occupation army and Shin Bet intelligence agency prepared to assassinate senior Hamas leaders, Haaretz reported on Sunday. This was, apparently, preferable to a wide-scale offensive on the Gaza Strip, revealed an Israeli defence source.According to the newspaper, the Israeli military decided to wait for the outcome of the ongoing Egyptian and UN-brokered talks being conducting behind closed doors between the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement — Hamas — and Israel.Commenting on the Haaretz report, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who is a member of the high-level security cabinet, told the Kan public broadcaster, “Toppling Hamas is an option, and we are closer to it than ever.” If there had been a plan to kill Hamas leaders, though, why did Israel not implement it?Speaking to MEMO, political analyst Dr Saleh Al-Naami stressed that this is not the reality on the ground. “Even if this was a real plan, it would have been ineffective because the Israeli military does not take any action without the approval of the political Israeli leadership,” explained the specialist in Israel Studies. “This might be a manoeuvre targeting the Israeli public which was clearly angry with a ceasefire before hurting Hamas’s power.” He noted that the Israeli leadership has been facing much “embarrassment” in this regard.middleeastmonitor
Iran's Khamenei bans holding direct talks with US
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/irans-khamenei-bans-holding-direct-talks-united-states-2037744643
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned holding any direct talks with the US, state TV reported, rejecting an offer last month by US President Donald Trump for talks with no preconditions with Tehran."I ban holding any talks with America ...America never remains loyal to its promises in talks ... just gives empty words ... and never retreats from its goals for talks," Khamenei was quoted as saying by TV.'He also accused the Iranian government of economic mismanagement and said it needed to improve its performance to help the country better weather newly reimposed US sanctions. Washington reimposed strict sanctions against Iran last Tuesday and Trump has threatened to penalise firms from other countries that continue to operate in the Islamic Republic. Iran has denounced sanctions as "US unilateralism".middleeasteye
Arabic press review: Well-known cleric latest arrest in Saudi
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/arabic-press-review-245844928
Saudi authorities have arrested a university professor and well-known Islamic cleric in the kingdom, adding another person to the list of prisoners of conscience in the kingdom that has witnessed a widescale campaign of arrests for months, according to al-Quds al-Arabi.London-based newspaper confirmed the arrest last Tuesday of Sheikh Nasser al-Omar, a former professor at Imam Mohammed bin Saud University, and pointed out that he stopped tweeting since his arrest.Omar’s arrest comes as part of an ongoing wave of detentions of prominent Saudi clerics, writers, thinkers and activists. Last September, the Saudi authorities interrogated Omar, and he has pledged not to interfere in political issues or allude to them.Abdullah al-Odah, the son of Sheikh Salman al-Odah, one of the most prominent detainees in Saudi Arabia, told the paper that Omar was arrested in Mecca on Tuesday.One of Saudi Arabia's most popular Twitter accounts, which usually publishes intrigue about the royal family, reports of an unprecedented "medical alert" declared over King Salman, aged 82.On Sunday, the "Mujtahid" Twitter account wrote: "A sudden state of alert has been declared at the level of the medical staff taking care of the king. The image has not been clear about the reasons for such state, whether it was precautionary or therapeutic."There are doubts, he wrote, about King Salman's ability to participate in various receptions to welcome delegations during the pilgrimage season which begins in Mecca in a few days.He added: "Family circles are talking about more than that," referring indirectly to a possible deterioration of the king's health.middleeasteye
Pak Jamaat leader shot dead in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
https://www.dawn.com/news/1426264/ji-leader-shot-dead-in-karak
KARAK: A local leader of Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan was killed and 2 passers-by were injured when unidentified assailants opened fire on him in Takht-i-Nusrati area in Karak district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, police said on Friday. They said that the victim, Nasir Mehmood, member of the district executive council of the JI, was in the Takht-i-Nusrati Bazaar when the attackers opened fire on him. He died on the spot. 2 passers-by also sustained bullet injuries in the incident. They were taken to a local hospital wherefrom the doctors referred them to a hospital in Peshawar in precarious condition. According to locals, the slain Mehmood was brother of JI tehsil president Tufail Mehmood. Police claimed that there had been a land dispute between Nasir Mehmood and some local people.The police registered FIR against unknown persons and started further investigations. Dawn
Tunisian president Backs Equal Inheritance for Women in Break With Region
https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/2018/08/13/tunisia-backs-equal-inheritance-for-women-in-break-with-region#gs.r9srwnw
Tunisia’s president backed a call for women to be granted equal inheritance rights, breaking with a legal code followed in many Muslim nations that strongly favors male heirs and has been at the center of a wider debate about modernizing Islam.The proposal, laid out by Beji Caid Essebsi in a televised address marking national women’s day, was first suggested by a committee which had deliberated on the issue for about a year. The recommendation angered Islamist groups, though, and in a nod to their influence that could undermine any eventual legislation, the president said those who wanted to abide by established Islamic inheritance doctrine should be allowed to do so.Bloomberg
China's state media defends Xinjiang Muslim crackdown
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/china-state-media-defends-xinjiang-muslim-crackdown-180813055304359.html
An official Communist Party newspaper said China's campaign of pressure against its Uighur Muslim minority has prevented the Xinjiang region from becoming "China's Syria" or "China's Libya." Global Times editorial on Monday came after a UN anti-discrimination committee raised concerns on Friday over China's treatment of Uighurs, citing reports of mass detentions that it said "resembles a massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy". More than one million Uighur Muslims are estimated to be in detention in "counter-extremism centres" in China's far western region, said Gay McDougall vice chairperson of a UN anti-discrimination committee.Following attacks by separatists, members of Uighur and Kazakh Muslim minorities in Xinjiang have been arbitrarily detained in indoctrination camps where they are forced to denounce Islam and profess loyalty to the party.Global Times said the intense regulations in the region were merely "a phase that Xinjiang has to go through in rebuilding peace and prosperity".The editorial did not directly mention the existence of the internment camps.Denouncing what it called "destructive Western public opinions", the paper said, "peace and stability must come above all else".When UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination started reviewing China's report in Geneva on Friday, Chinese delegation leader Yu Jianhua highlighted economic progress and rising living standards among other things.aljazeera
Turkey's central bank launches economic-stability plan
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/turkey-central-bank-launches-economic-stability-plan-180813052613141.html
Turkey's central bank on Monday announced it was taking all necessary measures to ensure financial stability after the collapse of the lira, promising to provide "all the liquidity the banks need". The Turkish currency reached a new record low of 7.24 against the US dollar in Asia Pacific trade when markets opened on Monday morning. The lira pared some of its losses after the central bank's announcement, but it was still down more than seven percent on the day.The currency has lost more than 45 percent of its value this year.Worries about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's influence over the economy, including his repeated calls for low interest rates in the face of high inflation, and Turkey's worsening ties with the United States have contributed to the steep decline.aljazeera
Turkish Lira woes hit Indian markets, rupee hits record low
https://www.thehindu.com/business/markets/turkish-lira-woes-hit-indian-markets-rupee-hits-record-low/article24675563.ece
Uncertainties in Turkey which is adversely impacting it's currency also impacted financial markets in India with the rupee plunging to all time low of 69.62 a dollar and the Sensex tumbling over 250 points.Turkish Lira came under pressure following challenges faced by the economy but more importantly due to its deteriorating relationship with the United States. Currency dealers said the sharp volatility in the rupee may have prompted the commercial banks to sell dollars on behalf of RBI which helped the domestic unit trim some losses which was trading at 69.53 at 10.32 a.m.thehindu
FLASH VIEWS & NEWS
What explains the Muslim silence in the face of BJP’s aggressive Hindutva?HILAL AHMED, The Print
https://theprint.in/opinion/what-explains-the-muslim-silence-in-the-face-of-bjps-aggressive-hindutva/97576/
Brajesh Thakur:Too Sick to Be in His Jail Cell, But Not Too Ill to Rape and Torture:The Citizen Editorial
http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/2/14659/Brajesh-MathurToo-Sick-to-Be-in-His-Jail-Cell-But-Not-Too-Ill-to-Rape-and-Torture
Imran Khan's ambition to establish an Islamic welfare state might produce more religious agenda than welfare:Ayesha Siddiqa researcher, University of London, Indian Express
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-risk-in-imran-khans-pakistan-pti-nawaz-sahrif-5303408/
Indian forex reserves under new pressure as rupee crashes to all-time low:Mahua Venkatesh, The Print
https://theprint.in/economy/indian-forex-reserves-under-new-pressure-as-rupee-crashes-to-all-time-low/97863/
Modi govt pushed for a ‘uniform cattle protection law’ after rollback of animal market rules:Sanya Dhingra, The Print
https://theprint.in/governance/modi-govt-pushed-for-a-uniform-cattle-protection-law-after-rollback-of-controversial-rules/97618/
Is Islamophobia becoming more acceptable in UK politics?by Sonia Gallego , aljazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/islamophobia-acceptable-uk-politics-180813050709061.html
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:40 PM)
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