Evening NEWS DIGEST
27 Oct. 2016: 25 Muharram 1438: Vol: 8, No:21
Supreme Court refuses to go
into permissibility of religion in political speeches
New Delhi: A 7-judge
Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday said it cannot be expected
to give an “exhaustive list” of dos and don'ts of political speeches. court
expressed its restraint even as 3 BJP-ruled States — MP, Gujarat and Rajasthan
— submitted that “religion can never be separated from society”.The
Constitution Bench, which is examining the 1995 ‘Hindutva’ judgement of the
apex court, said it’s mandate does not include going into the “permissibility
of using religion in political speeches”.Rather than a blanket bar on religion
in political speeches, Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, who is heading the
Bench, said political speeches should be judged in the context they are made.
Bench was replying to arguments made by senior advocate Indira Jaising,
representing social activist Teesta Setalvad, who sought a complete divorce of
politics from religion.“I know it is difficult to draw a line... I am also for
political freedom... but a line must be drawn on the basis of secularism,”
Ms.Jaising submitted. Justice Thakur said the Constitution Bench is not looking
into whether religion should be barred from political speeches. Instead, the
Bench is only determining whether the bar on invoking religion under Article
123 (3) of the Representation of People Act, 1951 in political speeches was
limited to only the religion of the candidate and his agent or to the religion
of the voters in general. Bench reserved the question for judgement.the hindu
Totally prohibit use of
religion for seeking votes; Kapil Sibal urges SC
New Delhi: Supreme Court on
Wednesday was told that a provision of the electoral law, prohibiting the use
of religion by a candidate for mobilising votes during elections should be seen
in the contest of enduring constitutional ethos and the changing
times.Referring to 19 provisions of the constitution dealing with different
aspects of society, senior counsel Kapil Sibal told a constitution bench that
"these elements of constitutional ethos have to be respected" while
interpreting Section 123(3) of Representation of Peoples Act, 1951.IANS
CPIM to intervene in SC
hearing on use of religion in polls
The CPI(M) on Thursday
became the first political party to intervene in the ongoing Supreme Court
hearing on whether seeking votes in the name of religion or caste amounted to
“corrupt practices” under the Representation of the People’s (RP) Act. The
party filed an application for intervention, through its General Secretary
Sitaram Yechury, saying it was an interested party in the case as it had
considerable stake in the democratic electoral process of the country. The case
is being heard by a seven-member Constitution bench.PTI
Zakir Naik's IRF to be
banned soon: Home ministry
New Delhi: An NGO promoted
by Zakir Naik will soon be banned under the anti-terror law, with home ministry
preparing a draft cabinet note for it. IRF will be declared an 'unlawful
association' under the UAPA after investigations by the home ministry found it
to be allegedly having dubious links with Peace TV, an international Islamic
channel, accused of propagating terrorism, an official source said.According to
the draft note, which is also based on the inputs from Maharashtra Police, Naik,
who heads IRF, has allegedly made many provocative speeches and engaged in
terror propaganda. Maharashtra Police has also registered criminal cases
against Naik for his alleged involvement in radicalisation of youths and luring
them into terror activities, a source said.Naik also transferred IRF's foreign
funds to Peace TV for making "objectionable" programmes. Most of the
programmes, which were made in India, contained alleged hate speeches of Naik,
who had reportedly "urged all Muslims to be terrorists" through Peace
TV, sources claimed.2 educational trusts run by Naik have also come under the
scanner of the home ministry and agencies are looking into their activities.
The draft note will soon be placed before the Union Cabinet, headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, for its approval, sources said.PTI
Zakir Naik inspiring Muslim
youth to commit terrorist acts:MHA report
Home Ministry moves against
Zakir Naik, calls IRF 'unlawful association', action soon: zee news
JNU teachers body objects
to admin report on Najeeb
New Delhi:Taking “strong
exception” to a 25-point bulletin prepared by the JNU administration on Oct.14
incident at Mahi-Mandavi Hostel, following which Najeeb Ahmad went missing, JNU
Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) Wednesday slammed the administration for not
including in it the “fact” that Najeeb was “beaten up by a group of
students”.While the university is still investigating the alleged violence on
the night of Oct.14, a note signed by wardens as well as the hostel president
on Oct.16, reads, “The decision taken on Oct.15 (to expel Najeeb) is deferred
till further notice. The warden committee called witnesses to the violence by a
group of students that ended in the brutal assault on Najeeb Ahmad.” “Wardens’
Committee resolves to identify the illegal residents involved in the violence
and make the hostel out-of-bounds for them,” it further reads.Taking “strong
exception” to the “omission”, JNUTA in a statement said, “Summary and update of
the events at Mahi-Mandavi hostel do not even mention the beating up of Najeeb
by a group of students, a fact which has not only been in the public domain but
is also categorically mentioned in the statement by the warden, who was an
eyewitness. Such omission appears to be deliberate and could put serious
questions on the objectivity of the inquiry process.”JNUTA office bearers said
they were “deeply worried over any attempt to give a clean-chit in advance to
those who are out there to bring mob-violence in JNU”.
#FindNajeeb: JNU students
march towards Police Station, all detained
Police manhandled us during
protest, claim JNU students
JNU student found dead: My
brother could not have killed himself
New Delhi:The family of the
JNU student who was found dead inside room number 171 of Brahmaputra hostel
late Tuesday night said he could not have committed suicide, but added that
they will rely on police investigations and the autopsy report. Body of JR
Philemon Chiru, 35,who was pursuing PhD in West Asian studies, was found after
other hostel inmates complained of a foul smell coming from his room. Police
said they recovered a bottle of alcohol from inside his room and are looking
into alcohol overdose as a possible reason for the death. indianexpress
KASHMIR
& SUOTH ASIA
Espionage case: India
declares Pakistan Mission staffer persona non grata
New Delhi:India on Thursday
declared a Pakistan High Commission staffer as persona non-grata for espionage
activities after he was caught red handed by Delhi Police with documents
relating to defence deployment. This was conveyed by Foreign Secretary S
Jaishankar who summoned Pakistan envoy Abdul Basit to his office following brief
detention of the staffer who was later released.“FS summons Pak High
Commissioner to convey that Pak High Commission staffer has been declared
persona non grata for espionage activities,” said Vikas Swarup, spokesman of
Ministry of External Affairs.Acting on inputs, Delhi Police crime branch took
the staffer identified as Mehmood Akhtar in custody after he was found in
possession of certain defence documents. Akhtar was released after questioning
as he enjoys diplomatic immunity, police said.The crime branch has also
arrested two persons, residents of Rajasthan, for allegedly passing on
sensitive information to Akhtar, they said.“The alleged spies are residents of
Rajasthan working for Pakistan’s ISI. They were in touch with the staff here at
Pakistan High Commission and were providing sensitive information,” said a
senior police officer.Those arrested have been identified as Maulana Ramzan and
Subhash Jangir, he said.PTI
Arrest of staffer violates
Vienna Convention, says Pakistan
Pakistan on Thursday
accused India of violating the international convention for protection of
diplomats after New Delhi briefly detained a staffer of the Pakistan High
Commission. High Commissioner Abdul Basit protested against the detention
during his meeting with Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar after the Ministry of
External Affairs called him to inform that the staffer has been declared a
persona non-grata."Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit strongly
protested with Indian Foreign Secretary at the detention and manhandling of
Pakistan High Commission staffer yesterday in violation of 1961 Vienna
convention and asked the Indian Government to ensure that such harassment
should not happen in future. The High Commissioner strongly rejected and denied
accusations of the Indian government," said a source from Pakistan High
Commission. The hindu
Charges against high
commission staffer ‘false and unsubstantiated’:Pakistan
MEA summons A. Basit over
‘discourtesy’ to Indian envoy
New Delhi: A day after the
Karachi Chamber of Commerce cancelled Indian High Commissioner Gautam
Bambawale’s event at the last minute, Secretary (West) Sujata Mehta expressed
New Delhi’s concern over the “discourtesy” to Pakistan High Commissioner to
India, Abdul Basit, on Wednesday, officials said. Basit is learnt to have told
Mehta that this was a private event and the Pakistan government did not have
any role in its cancellation. indianexpress
RAW, NDS 'patronising
terror groups' to attack soft targets in Pakistan: Pak NSA to US envoy
Islamabad: Alleging that
the terrorists who attacked the Quetta Police Training College were constantly
in contact with their leadership and handlers in Afghanistan, Pakistan NSA Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua on Wednesday
conveyed to US ambassador David Hale that India's RAW and Afghanistan's
National Directorate of Security (NDS) are "patronising terrorists groups
to attack soft targets" in the country.Janjua emphasised on the need to
break the nexus between terrorist groups operation under the supervision of NDS
and RAW and sought US assistance to tackle the situation in this regard,
reported the Dawn quoting a statement released by the office of the NSA.The
meeting, which was held in the backdrop of the Police Training College attack,
also discussed counter-terrorism operations and cross-border attacks.ANI
Asian Development Bank
refuses to fund Pakistan’s $14 bn Indus dam project in PoK:PTI
Islamabad;ADB has refused
to commit funds for Pakistan’s USD 14 billion dam project on Indus river in
Pakitan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), two years after the World Bank declined to fund
the project following Islamabad’s refusal to seek an NoC from India. “We did
not really make any commitment. This is a very big project,” Asian Development
Bank (ADB) president Takehiko Nakao said on Wednesday at a joint news
conference with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on the conclusion of the 15th
ministerial meeting of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC)
programme.
Yashwant Sinha-led
delegation winds up Kashmir visit
Srinagar: 5-member civil society
delegation led by senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha on Thursday completed its
three-day visit to Kashmir during which it met various stakeholders to
“understand the situation” and “share the pain” of the people. The delegation
will now discuss the future course of action after meeting in Delhi.“We came
here to understand the situation and share the pain of the people. We will sit
down (after going back to Delhi) and see how we can proceed further,” Sinha
told reporters after completing meetings with various sections in the valley,
including separatists.Sinha said the delegation, which does not have any
official status, met Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti yesterday and Governor NN
Vohra today.PTI
India slams Organization of
Islamic Cooperation for Kashmir references
New Delhi: India Wednesday
criticised the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for making “misleading
references” to the Kashmir issue during its conclave, saying the bloc has no
locus standi to comment on India’s internal matters.Earlier this month, a
meeting of Foreign Ministers of the OIC in Tashkent, in a resolution, severely
criticised India for the unrest in in the Kashmir Valley.“We note with extreme
regret that the OIC has again chosen to comment on India’s internal affairs,”
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
Kashmir is a matter for
India, Pak to sort out: British PM
London; British Prime
Minister Theresa May has said that the UK’s stand on Kashmir remains unchanged
and it is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan to address.The issue was
raised in the House of Commons during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions
session yesterday by Pakistani-born Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi, who asked if the
Kashmir issue would form part of May’s discussions during her visit to India
next month.“I take the same view as this government has since it came into
power, and indeed previously, which is that the issue of Kashmir is a matter
for India and Pakistan to deal with and sort out,” the British PM said in
Parliament, clearly indicating that Kashmir was unlikely to be on the agenda
during her bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when she visits
India between Nov.6 and 8.PTI
Infants’ deaths in Valley
SC asks J&K HC to form panel to examine hospitals
New Delhi:Concerned over
the deaths of infants in government hospitals in the Valley, the Supreme Court
has asked Jammu and Kashmir High Court to set up a panel of medical experts and
administrators for examining conditions of the hospitals and submit a report.
“The hospitals which are conducted by the state and by public agencies cater to
medical needs of the poorest strata of society. The need for ensuring proper
medical care of a requisite standard has to be duly addressed,” a bench led by
Chief Justice of India T S Thakur held. indianexpress
Boycott of Chinese goods:
China warns of impact on India-bound investments
New Delhi: Amid calls from
some quarters for boycott of Chinese goods in ongoing Diwali season, China on
Thursday said any such move will negatively impact the India-bound investments
from its enterprises and also the bilateral cooperation between the two
countries.China also asserted that any such boycott would not have much impact
on its exports, but "without proper substitutes, the biggest losers of the
boycott of Chinese goods will be Indian traders and consumers".Chinese
embassy said China is the world's largest trading nation in goods, with its
exports in 2015 amounted to $2276.5 billion."The exports to India
accounted for only 2 per cent of China's total exports and India's boycott of
Chinese goods will not have much impact on China's exports.PTI
PERSONAL LAW vs uniform
civil code
‘Muslim women enjoy lots of
powers,rights under Muslim Persona Law:’ When Muslim woman brilliantly defends
New Delhi:"In Hindu
society, a woman observes fast for her husband. But in the name of gender
justice, I would not ask why only she is fasting for him, why not he for her. I
respect her right to religious freedom. It is an article of faith for them. Our
religious issues are also articles of our faith. We respect all and we expect
the same from all," said Dr Asma Zehra here on Thursday while addressing a
press conference."We do not want to communalize things. Our country is
made of various religious entities. Followers of each religion love their
religion more than their life and they practice accordingly. We respect all and
we expect from all that justice should be done with us and there should not be
any bias," said Asma, Member, Executive Committee of All India Muslim
Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). Responding on the issue, Asma first categorically
denied that those (Muslim women) who have approached the Supreme Court over the
issue are representative of Muslim women. "We want to ask to them: who are
their bosses? Which madrasa or Aalim (cleric) is guiding them," she asked
and then termed the whole debate over the issue as a manufactured one.
"Triple Talaq is not the issue of Muslims, nor is it that of our country
India. This has been raised to malign Muslims and to display that position of
Muslim women is very weak. Today we want to tell the country through the media
that Muslim women are not weak in Muslim Persona Law. Rather, they enjoy lots
of powers and rights in it. Muslim law has given them rights and has provisions
for their protection," said Asma, who was accompanied with some other
women members of the board."It is wrong to say ratio of Talaq is high
among Muslims. As per Census 2011, the ratio of divorced, deserted and
destitute women is higher among other communities than Muslims," she
said.IndiaTomorrow
Interference in Muslim
Personal Law won't be tolerated: Woman member of AIMPLB Asma Zehra
‘Triple talaq a personal
issue, politicians shouldn’t interfere’
Bhopal: AIMPLB and Milli
Council members assert that triple talaq is a personal issue and politicians
should not interfere. “Every religion has its own set of traditions and
practices. And they are being created by responsible people. We should not
disturb them,” said Arif Masood leader of All India Milli Council in Bhopal.The
council will be holding a 2-day meeting in Bhopal on Friday and Saturday in
which 300 people including members of council, religious leaders and workers
will participate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, batting for women’s rights,
recently said triple talaq should not be made into a Hindu-Muslim issue and
people should work towards the protection of rights of the women.To this,
Maulana Ahmed, vice-president of the All India Milli Council, said, “He is just
polarising the matter to draw voters for upcoming elections. He did not choose
to speak over santhara practice, then why triple talaq. He does not interfere
in any other religion’s practices. He himself is politicising the issue. And,
in fact, there is no issue. If he demands for certain amendments in the
concerned law or practice, we will not accept. We will stick to our
stand.”Citing their reasons for standing up for practice, Maseeh Alam, member
of AIMPLB, said,“These are age-old practices. They have nothing to do with
rights. If a man does not want to live with a woman anymore, and vice versa, no
law should force them to be together. And as far as women’s right are
concerned, we have definite persons to deal with and counsel them. Things have
been smooth till now and they will be good further too. Islam respects women
and people who do not know about the religion and its practices should stop
talking about it.” hindustantimes
Women have the highest status
in Islam: Former CEC
New Delhi: Women have the highest status in
Islam and the Muslim community must see things with a liberal interpretation
now, former Chief Election Commissioner of India S.Y. Quraishi said on
Thursday. Speaking in the backdrop of the ongoing debate about Triple Talaq,
Quraishi said: "Muslim women have the highest status in Islam and no other
religion has such concept of equality." Giving examples of property rights
of women in Islam and right to education he said: "There is a perception
that women are suppressed. The government must think that the laws are sacred
within a community as they are seen with liberal interpretations now."
"We all (Muslims) should also unite together and not give anyone a chance
to interfere with our religious laws," Quraishi said. Speaking at a
function on the 96th foundation day of Jamia Milia Islamia, V-C Talat Ahmad
said there is a need to focus on education of minority communities in the
country, especially the Muslims, for them to progress in society. "The
community will progress only when everyone receives education." IANS
Saudi: In 'hub of polygamy'
with a population of 3.2 cr, over 5 lakh men have more than 1 wife
Mumbai: Saudi Arabia and
other Arab states have always been highlighted as 'Hub of Polygamy' - the
states where marrying more than one woman is a norm and widespread. Hollywood,
Bollywood and other media modes whenever shows an Arab, they show him with more
than one wives.However,a latest survey exposed this myth and concluded that
polygamy or marrying more than one woman, which though have been permitted in
Islam without any doubt, is not widespread."General Authority of
Statistics has revealed that over half a million of Saudis are married to more
than one wife", Saudi Gazette reported Wednesday quoting Makkah
newspaper.According to UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Population
Division, the total population of Saudi Arabia is 32, 529, 026, and with a sex
ratio of 1.233 (1233 males per 1000 feales) the country has a total of 17, 961,
878 (55.2%) males and 14, 567, 150 (44.80%) females.UN data also shows that
about 30% of the total Saudi population is of foreigners. Survey on polygamy
published by Makkah paper showed that younger men in the age-group of 15-19
have not been involved in polygamous marriages. But, as age increases rate of
polygamous marriages also increases."The statistics also show that 869 of
men aged 20-24 have two wives; 4,941 of those in the age bracket of 25-29 have
two wives and 505 of them have more than two wives."The statistics also
revealed that 18,246 of men aged 30-34 have two wives and 539 of them have more
than two wives. About 30,600 of men aged 35-39 have two wives and 2,668 of them
have more than two wives", the report said."Data also showed that
most men with two wives are aged 45-49 years old", it added. ummid.com
UCC not just Muslim issue,
north-east people will also oppose: Asaduddin Owaisi
AIMPLB should take younger
and educated Muslims into confidence
A petition ‘Justice for
Jashodaben’ floats in response to PM Modi’s triple talaq statement
Triple talaq in one sitting
is against Quran: Sareshwala
Digvijaya slams PM, BJP for
backing abolition of triple talaq
Gadkari opposes triple
talaq, backs uniform civil code
OTHERS
The Wire Revealed: How Ford
Foundation Got Modi Govt to Back Off From Its Expulsion Move
New Delhi: In the winter of
Dec.2014, months before the Modi government’s crackdown on over 13,000 NGOs
started, Ford Foundation’s offices in New Delhi learnt through informal sources
that its funding of an organisation run by activist Teesta Setalvad had drawn
the interest of Gujarat state police.Although the funds that were granted were
for routine activities related primarily to research and the building of
organisations dedicated to improving communal harmony – according to Ford
Foundation internal documentation of the affair – the language used in
Setalvad’s initial proposal regarding the 2002 Godhra violence kicked off a
series of events that plunged the foundation into a chaotic mess.The stakes
involved? According to the account pieced together by one of the world’s
wealthiest charity funding organisations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have
been initially tempted to send Ford Foundation “packing” from India.A set of
e-mails leaked by Wikileaks detail the developments after Dec.2014 from the
perspective of Ford Foundation officials – how they grappled with the impending
controversy, their view on the Modi government’s motivations, the allies they
recruited and the strategy they formulated.The e-mails are from the personal
inbox of John Podesta, campaign chief chairman to Hillary Clinton, and are
mainly from Darren Walker, president of Ford Foundation, as they troubleshoot
their way through the sticky situation of finding themselves on the ‘watchlist’
as part of the evolving criminal investigation against Setalvad. the wire
Show-cause notice sent to
AMU V-C
New Delhi: Ministry of HRD
has sent a show-cause notice to Aligarh Muslim University V0C Lt. Gen.
Zameeruddin Shah over allegations of administrative and financial
irregularities and asked him to respond to it within 30 days.“The notice was
sent on Tuesday. Once his response comes, the ministry will study it. If it is
not satisfied, an inquiry can be instituted after the President’s approval,”
said an official. thehindu
Bombay HC asks Bilkis Bano
to convert intervention plea into appeal
Mumbai: Bombay High Court has
rejected an intervention application filed by Bilkis Bano, a 2002 Gujarat riots
victim. A division bench of Justices V K Tahilramani and Mridula Bhatkar ruled
that the application cannot be allowed under the Criminal Procedure Code, but
as the court was inclined to hear Bilkis, she may convert her application into
an appeal.The appeal, however, cannot challenge the life sentence awarded to
the eleven convicts (to seek bigger punishment) in the case by the trial court
and only challenge the acquittal of five personnel of Gujarat Police, the judges
said.PTI
After Una incident, RSS
organises 200 sadbhavna meets
Ahmedabad: After Una Dalit
flogging incident, RSS organised over 200 sadbhavna and sant sammelans in
Gujarat to “restore peaceful environment in the society”, which it believed was
“shattered”. Gujarat RSS chief Mukesh Malkan said the outfit would hold 500
more such meetings in coming days.Malkan, addressing a press conference on the
Sangh’s recent all-India meet in Telangana, said: “There have been some
incidents in Gujarat which brought bitterness among societies and to bring
harmony and peace, over 200 meetings were held in Gujarat.”
RSS: Conversion of Dalits,
tribals not alarming, but need to reach out to them
Ahead of UP elections, RSS
hopeful Ram temple will be built
New Delhi:RSS is hopeful
that the Supreme Court will give an early verdict to pave the way for
construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader
said Thursday amid renewed focus on the issue in the run up to assembly
elections in UP.The Sangh also favours a ban on Pakistani artistes amid high
tensions along the borders. However, issues like prohibiting import of Chinese
products should be left to society, RSS’ Delhi state general secretary Bharat
Bhushan told mediapersons.“ Ram temple is central to our faith and a temple
should come up at Ram Janmabhoomi site, which has been made clear by the
Allahabad HC verdict. It is a matter of few days, months or years.PTI
Banaras Hindu University's
RSS Seminar Triggers Fight Between Faculty and VC
New Delhi: Banaras Hindu
University is holding an “international seminar” on role of ‘RSS in Nation
Building’ but the central university’s V-C who calls himself “a man of RSS” –
says he will take action against the Faculty of Social Sciences for including
his name as ‘chief patron’ without seeking his permission.V-C GC Tripathi said
that although he sees nothing wrong in a central university holding a seminar
on RSS, he wondered if the organisers were qualified enough to hold an
“international seminar”.The man behind the event, Professor KK Mishra, HoD of
political sciences in BHU, said he will go ahead with the seminar.Tripathi
called Mishra a “hooligan”, whom he has not met yet and said that he “keeps
holding seminars.”Mishra said that the idea of the seminar was to remove
prevailing “illusions” about RSS.News18
Tamil Nadu: Muslims in
Varanasipalayam seek permission to set up madrassa
Tirupur:Representatives of
Muslim community from Varanasipalayam in the city petitioned District Collector
S. Jayandhi seeking permission to set up a madrassa-cum-prayer hall in the
area.Sheik Jintha, head of Majeede Al Moomini Jamath, said the representation
was given since the madrassa-cum-prayer hall that they had set up earlier was
closed down on June 5 this year, based on instructions from Revenue Divisional
Officer.The reason he said was opposition from a segment of people against the
functioning of the facility in that locality. thehindu
Muslims will not support
‘unreliable’ political force: Azam
Lucknow:Senior party leader
and Cabinet Minister Azam Khan on Wednesday released a letter to the media
stating that Muslims are tense over recent political developments in the state
and country and find their future bleak. The letter also said that their
shattered dreams were visible to everybody.“Is samay pradesh aur desh ke
rajnaitik kram me sabse jyada Musalman pareshan hai kyunki unko apna bhavishya
bahut andhkarmay nazar aa raha hai. Unka toota bikharta sapna sabke saamne hai,”
it said.
Muslim voters anxious as
Samajwadi Party rift widens
World
Court upholds life in
prison for Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohamed Badie, 36 others
Cairo: An Egyptian court
today upheld life sentences to Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohamed Badie and 36
other members of the outlawed group for inciting violence in 2013. The Appeals
Court also confirmed death sentences for 10 others, who were being tried in
absentia, after rejecting an appeal by the defendants.The defendants were
accused of blocking a main road in Qalyoub city and inciting violence among
other charges. The incident took place following the dispersal of the two
Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins in Rabaa (in Cairo) and Nahda (in Giza). In 2014, a court had sentenced Badie, the
supreme guide of Muslim Brotherhood, and 36 others to life in prison besides
sentencing 10 defendants to death in absentia. Today's development comes a day
after Egyptian prosecutors recommended the cancellation of life sentences
handed down to Badie and former president Mohamed Morsi along with 15 other
leaders of the banned group in an espionage case.PTI
Israel recalls UNESCO
ambassador in protest at Jerusalem resolutions
Israel has recalled its
ambassador to UNESCO for consultations after the UN culture body adopted a
second resolution in two weeks that Israeli leaders said ignored Judaism’s
connection with one of Jerusalem’s holiest sites.According to a text provided
by Palestinian officials, the resolution adopted by UNESCO’s World Heritage
Committee in Paris refers to the compound – revered by Jews as Temple Mount and
by Muslims as the Haram Al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) – only as a “Muslim holy
site of worship”, just as a similar motion did on 13 October.The latest vote,
like the first, deals with the safeguarding of the city’s religious
heritage.“The theatre of the absurd continues,” Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said in a speech in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv. “We’ll decide what to
do, what our next steps will be, vis a vis this organisation.”At the Paris
meeting, Israeli ambassador Carmel Shama Hacohen dropped a copy of the
resolution into a trash bin.“This is history denial and history will render
this embarrassing decision as meaningless as previous ones,” Israeli Education
Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement.
middleeastmonitor
‘Israel recalls UNESCO
envoy after Jerusalem vote’
Muslim woman sues US firm
after being 'rejected employment due to hijab'
CHICAGO: A Muslim woman has
sued a security company in the US for discrimination, alleging that the firm
rejected her for employment because of her faith and her hijab.The Council on
American-Islamic Relations has filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of
Zahraa-Imani Ali, from St Louis County, Missouri, alleging that a nationwide
security firm discriminated against prospective Muslim employees.Securitas
Security Services refused to hire Ali, "at least in part, but likely
entirely, on the fact that Ms Ali wears the hijab as part of her adherence to
the Islamic faith," lawyer Robert West was quoted as saying by St. Louis
Post- Dispatch. The suit, filed on October 21, seeks monetary damages, costs
and attorneys' fees and seeks class-action status to represent other
applicants.PTI
Iraq: Thousands displaced
as battle for Mosul rages on
More than 10,000 Iraqis
have fled their homes since the start of an offensive to retake Mosul from ISIL
this month, according to the UN.That figure is just a fraction of the
displacement that aid groups expect to see when Iraqi forces reach the city
limits and some of the million-plus people thought to be inside attempt to
flee."As the fighting gets closer to more populated areas, we're starting
to see more and more families flee the fighting," Al Jazeera's Stefanie
Dekker, reporting from Erbil in northern Iraq, said. aljazeera
Kirkuk: Kurdish authorities
demolish Arab refugee homes
Activists and Iraqi human
rights organisations have confirmed that largely Arab refugees are being
forcibly deported from the oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk by Kurdish authorities
who are also destroying their homes.The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights
(IOHR) documented several cases of Arab residents and internally displaced
people (IDPs) being warned by the Kurdish security services, the Asayish, that they
had to depart the area in days. Middleeastmonitor
Iraq: Shia militias blow up
mosques in Rutba revenge attacks
Iraqi security and local
sources have confirmed that Shia militias from the government-aligned Popular
Mobilisation Forces (PMF) entered Rutba in western Iraq and used explosives to
destroy a mosque whilst also abducting civilians.Security sources confirmed to
Al Jazeera that the Abu Fadl Al-Abbas militia, one of the many militias in the
PMF, entered Rutba mere hours after it had been retaken from Daesh, who
captured the town and held it for approximately three days earlier this
week.The Shia militias then proceeded to desecrate the largest mosque in the
city before blowing it up.Following this, PMF militiamen abducted more than 20
locals and took them to an undisclosed location. According to security sources,
the abductions occurred as the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) looked on. middleeastmonitor
France: Russia or Syria to
blame for airstrike on school
Russia or the Syrian
government are responsible for an airstrike on Syria’s Idlib province that led
to deaths of 26 civilians, most of them school children, France’s Foreign
Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said earlier today.“Who is responsible? In any case
it is not the opposition because you need planes to launch bombs. It’s either
the Syrians – the regime of [President Bashar] Al-Assad – or the Russians,” Ayrault
told a news conference.“It’s yet another demonstration of the horror of this
war, which is a war against the Syrian people, which we cannot accept.” middleeastmonitor
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:26 PM)
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