Category: World

SRINAGAR: Free video-sharing website, YouTube has terminated the official archive of Dr Israr Ahmad, a Muslim scholar for its “anti-Semitic content” that could otherwise have spread hatred against Jews. Various Jewish sites are celebrating the happening, reports appearing in various media suggest.

The deletion coincided with the Muslim holy month of fasting, during which the site was getting maximum traffic.

“Upon review, we removed the channel belonging to Israr Ahmad for violating our hate speech policies and a further eleven videos have been removed either as a result of this circumvention or for violating our violent extremism and hate speech policies,” YouTube was quoted as saying in some media.

Confirming the removal of the channel, Tanzeem-e-Islami, a movement initiated by Dr Israr Ahmad condemning the act. The organization believed the deletion was driven by Islamophobia. The channel had had around three million subscribers and was maintained by the late scholar’s son, Asif Hameed.

The channel was revered by Muslims across the world as it contained a good deal of Islamic knowledge that has caused a great loss to the Muslim community.

While denouncing the devastating step taken by the tech-giant YouTube, reports appearing in Pakistan media said the Pakistani Telecommunications Authority (PTA) termed it a ‘unilateral shutdown’ and has sought its unblocking.

Reports appearing in the media said that the YouTube decision came in response to the complaint that Jewish Chronicle, a London-based weekly, had lodged in 2021. It was why; the reports added that the Jews celebrated the YouTube decision.

“YouTube has finally removed two channels linked to notorious hate preachers including one whose antisemitism inspired a British Islamist to travel to the US to take Jews hostage at gunpoint,” the Jewish Chronicle wrote. “After weeks of pressure from the JC, the tech giant today removed the channel of Israr Ahmed, and on Wednesday removed the channel of Wagdy Ghoniem. Between them, they had a combined total of more than 3.5 million subscribers.” Ghoniem is an Egyptian scholar.

Dr Israr Ahmad was born in undivided India and later moved to Pakistan. He died in 2010. He is one of the most popular scholars of Islam in the region, despite his death. His channel has almost 4000 videos. A medical doctor since 1954, he has been known as a preacher scholar, especially after 1965.

Pakistani Prime Minister disclosed the worst kept secret when his tongue slipped and named the country that wants to topple his government through a vote of no confidence.

During his address to the nation, Khan named the US though he later tried to eschew his words. However, by then the damage was already done and the cat was out of the bag.

Khan and his cabinet colleagues have been talking about the letter they received from a foreign country with a clear message that the PTI government was not mending ways and need to go home. Even Khan waved the supposed letter during his public meeting on Sunday.

“I am here today because on March 8 or 7, the United States … not the US … we got a message. For a free country, a message like this is [not only] against its prime minister but is also against the country [itself],” he said

“They knew beforehand that a no-trust move was coming. The no-trust motion was not even submitted [at the time]. It means that they (the opposition) were connected with these people abroad, They say they are angry with Pakistan … they make this excuse. They say they will forgive Pakistan if Imran Khan loses in the no-trust move, but if the move fails, Pakistan will have to go through a difficult time.”

“In an official document, it was said that ‘if Imran Khan remains the prime minister, our ties will suffer and you will face difficulties.’”

“I am telling my nation today that this is our status. We are a nation of 220 million and another country — and they are not giving any reason — [is issuing threats]. They said that Imran Khan decide to go to Russia on his own even though the Foreign Office and the military leadership were consulted.

“Our ambassador told them that the decision [to visit Russia was made after consultations] but they are denying it and saying that ‘it was only because of Imran Khan and that our ties cannot be good if he stays.’ What they are saying is that they have no issue with the people who will replace Imran Khan,” he said.

“The most disturbing thing is that they (foreign forces) have links with the people through whom the conspiracy happened, They are stooges, and stooges means loyal slaves.”

The Prime minister was originally expected to address the nation yesterday. However, the address was postponed without providing any reason.

The development comes as the prime minister is facing a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly. Yesterday, the MQM-P — the government’s main ally in the Centre announced that it would support the joint opposition in the no-trust resolution.

The MQM-P has seven seats in the NA and after it decided to part ways with the government, the opposition has gathered the support of 177 MNAs, five more than the 172 required to gain a majority.

Chances of sighting Ramazan moon bright as clear skies expected in most parts of the country on April 2, says PMD

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Wednesday said that the Ramazan moon was likely to be sighted on Saturday, April 2 and the holy month would commence from Sunday, April 3.

It said chances of sighting the Ramazan moon were bright as clear skies were expected in most parts of the country on April 2 while cloudy weather can be witnessed in some areas.

The Meteorological Department further said that Eid-al-Fitr will like to be celebrated on May 3 in Pakistan

The holy month of Ramazan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and signifies a month devoted to worship, fasting and reflection in the Islamic faith.

The month commemorates the first revelation to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and the annual month-long fast forms one of the five pillars of Islam.

Fasting from sunrise to sunset during the holy month is obligatory on all Muslims.

With input from Agencies

The registration for I’tikaf in the Two Holy Mosques has begun for Ramadan 1443.

The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques opened registration on 25 Sha’ban which will continue until 10th of Ramadan.

The Presidency will allocate lockers and spaces to the applicants from 16 Ramadan 1443.

The registration portal can be accessed from within Saudi Arabia

Masjid Al Nabawi, Madinah: https://bit.ly/3IQQYPg

Masjid Al Haram, Makkah: https://bit.ly/3qIx6HU

RIYADH: The Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has asked citizens and residents in the Kingdom to search for the crescent of Ramadan 1443 on the evening of Friday, 29th Sha’ban 1443 according to Umm Al Qura Calendar corresponding to April 1st, 2022 and report any sightings to their nearest court.

The Supreme Court’s special session will sit and deliberate on Friday evening the results of the crescent search and will issue a decision shortly after Isha Prayers.

The Kingdom’s main observations are made from Sudair and Tumair and sightings from these cities are part of the official decision.

The Royal Court makes the official announcement on State Television however in this era of Social Media, the sightings leaked and spread.

Authorities in Bahrain have shut down an Indian restaurant for allegedly denying entry to a woman wearing a veil, news website GDN Online reported.

The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority has begun an investigation into the matter. The alleged incident took place at the Lanterns restaurant, located in the Adliya area of Bahrain’s capital Manama.

The BTEA said that restaurants should avoid enforcing policies that violate the country’s laws, according to The Daily Tribune. “We reject all actions that discriminate against people, especially regarding their national identity,” it said.

The authority added that it has closed the restaurant in accordance with Decree Law Number 15 of 1986, which pertains to tourism-related establishments.

On Thursday, the Lanterns restaurant said that a manager who is said to have barred the woman from entering its premises is being suspended “as this does not represent who we are”.

“Everyone is welcome to Lanterns as how it has been for more than 35 years that we have been serving all nationalities in the beautiful Kingdom of Bahrain,” the restaurant said on Instagram. It invited Bahraini citizens to have complimentary food at the restaurant on March 29 “as a goodwill gesture”.

The incident in Bahrain took place amid the ban on the wearing of the hijab in educational institutes in Karnataka.

For several weeks in February, Hindu students and mobs of men protested against Muslim women wearing hijabs to schools and pre-university colleges in the state. At some colleges, Muslim students were heckled, while in another case, some men climbed up a flagpole to plant a saffron flag and broke into classrooms.

IANS

Pakistan’s military showcased multi-dimensional capabilities and highlighted key inductions, including the Chinese-made SH-15 self-propelled howitzer, during the Pakistan Day parade, the media reported.

The modern artillery is fully capable to hit at a greater distance and is mounted on 6×6 Shaanxi truck chassis with an armoured cabin at the front and one 155 mm gun-howitzer mounted at the rear of the vehicle, said the Daily Pakistan report.

SH-15 is said to be a supreme ‘shoot and scoot’ artillery weapon for the use of nuclear shells, the report said.

Pakistan Army acquired the wheeled self-propelled howitzer amid a major programme to modernise its artillery forces, as it is lighter than a tracked howitzer and can be more easily deployed in the mountainous region.

The weapon system has a maximum firing range of 20 km with standard ammunition and 53 km with a rocket-assisted artillery projectile.

Pakistani armed forces have nearly 500 tracked self-propelled howitzers including 200 American-made M109A2, 115 M109A5, 123 M109L, and 203mm 60 M110/M110A2 mounted on tracked chassis.

Besides the Chinese state-of-the-art howitzer, the Pakistan Day parade also featured a fly-past by newly inducted Chinese Chengdu J-10 (J-10C) fighter jets for the first time. (IANS)

The anthem ‘Hum Mustafavi Hain’ sung by Pakistani singer Ali Zafar has been launched by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting | Image Credit: YouTube

Gulf News

Islamabad: Pakistan has released the official anthem of the 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers to be held in Islamabad on March 22-23.

“The song is a tribute to Pakistan’s strong commitment and affiliation with OIC and the Muslim Ummah,” Pakistan foreign office said. The video begins with visuals of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the iconic Badshahi Mosque and later shows Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan meeting the key leaders of the Muslim world including the leadership of UAE and Saudi Arabia.

New anthem, same theme

The anthem ‘Hum Mustafavi Hain’ sung by Pakistani singer Ali Zafar has been launched by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The anthem, originally sung by Mehdi Zaheer and written by Jamiluddin Aali on the occasion of the 2nd Islamic Summit Conference in Lahore in 1974, had touched the hearts of Muslims all over the world and was declared the official anthem of the OIC.

The anthem brings back old memories and emotions, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said at the launch ceremony at the ministry of foreign affairs. “It has the same old theme, lyrics and composition,” he said.

Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain who also joined the ceremony said that each stanza of the song is inspired from Quran. The theme of the anthem is to “hold firmly to the rope of Allah and do not be divided,” he said quoting a verse from chapter Al Imran of the Holy Quran.

Partnering for unity and development

Pakistan’s foreign minister said it was “an honour for Pakistan” to host the OIC foreign ministers’ conference for the second time after the OIC extraordinary session on Afghanistan in December 2021. “This session is special for us as it coincides with the 75th Pakistan Day. We have invited all the visiting guests to attend the national parade of Pakistan,” he said.

Pakistan will seek to build bridges of cooperation and partnerships amongst OIC member states and beyond, focusing on the theme of the 48th session of OIC-CFM which is ‘Partnering for Unity, Justice and Development.’ Qureshi said that the summit would help nations chart out a way forward to deal with multiple challenges including climate change and the economic difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The OIC session is likely to adopt over one hundred resolutions. Islamophobia would be one of the topics of discussion as the member states would gather after United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on March 15 unanimously adopted a “landmark resolution” introduced by Pakistan on behalf of OIC countries.

Nearly 50 nations to attend summit

Representatives of nearly 50 Islamic countries have so far confirmed their participation in the 48th OIC foreign minister’s conference that coincides with the Pakistan Day parade held on March 23. The OIC foreign ministers have been invited as “guests of honour” at the parade. Pakistani prime minister will deliver a keynote address at the inaugural session.

Pakistan has previously hosted four sessions of the OIC-CFM. The OIC is the second-largest intergovernmental organization in the world after the UN with 57 Muslim member states spread across four continents.

With inputs from the Gulf News

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) 

“We are not reopening the schools to make the international community happy, nor are we doing it to gain recognition from the world,” said Aziz Ahmad Rayan, a ministry spokesman.

• Date is anniversary of infamous New Zealand mosque attacks that killed over 50 worshippers
• Pakistani envoy: ‘Islamophobia is a reality. Its manifestations are proliferating in several parts of the world’

Arab News

The UN has adopted a resolution proposed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Pakistan to designate March 15 the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

The resolution was adopted two years to the day since a right-wing extremist murdered over 50 Muslims in a New Zealand terror attack on two mosques.

It means that the day will be cemented as an annual reminder of the need to combat Islamophobia.

The resolution was introduced on Tuesday by Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, on behalf of the OIC.

“Islamophobia is a reality. Its manifestations — hate speech, discrimination, and violence against Muslims — are proliferating in several parts of the world,” he said.

“Such acts of discrimination, hostility and violence towards Muslim individuals and communities constitute grave violations of their human rights and violate their freedom of religion and belief. They also cause great anguish within the Islamic world.”

Akram cited the words of the UN’s special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, who said: “Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, institutional suspicion and fear of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim has escalated to epidemic proportions.”

Women and girls have often found themselves at the sharp end of this hatred, said Akram, adding: “The gender aspect of Islamophobia is also gaining prominence, with girls and women being targeted due to mode of their dress and the general notion that Muslim women are oppressed and thus must be liberated.”

He warned that Islamophobia is a “poorly understood” phenomenon that often intersects with anti-immigrant and anti-refugee sentiment.

As such, he said, it is “essential” to promote information about this “disturbing global trend” that can reach the very top of governments in many parts of the world.

The adoption of the resolution follows years of discussion about the need for an international day to combat Islamophobia, initiated in Makkah in 2019 following the New Zealand mosque attacks.

At that time, OIC members, including Saudi Arabia, “stressed the necessity to combat hate and fear of Islam and Muslims.”