MPLRAG Cautions Govt Against Implementing MMDA Reforms Motivated By Majoritarian Entitlement

MAY 31, 2019

The Muslim Personal Law Reform Action Group (MPLRAG) expresses concern over growing interest in reforms in the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, motivated by majoritarian entitlement amd crass opportunism aimed at capitalizing at a point when the Muslim Community is feeling vulnerable.

In a statement, the MPLRAG emphazises on the importance of ensuring that any reform to MMDA is focused on addressing the long-term grievances clearly articulated by Muslim women for over three decades.

“It should seriously consider what Muslim women have put forward as solutions based on their lived realities and their beliefs informed by faith, rights, and the constitution,” the statement notes.

The MPLRAG further cautions that any approach that does not take this into consideration will lead to further victimization and oppression.

“We do not consider All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) as representing the interests of the Muslim women and girls. Their past conduct demonstrates that they have contributed to the control and oppression in self-interest.”

We publish below the statement in full:

MPLRAG response to the public conversation on MMDA: The antidote to extremism is ensuring equality, rights and freedoms for all

After the tragic and dastardly Easter Sunday attacks of April 21, Muslim Personal Law Reform Action Group (MPLRAG) issued a statement of condolence and thereafter remained silent in our advocacy for the past month in memory of those who were killed. We wanted to respect and participate in the space for grieving by families and communities. The events of the past month have overwhelmed our nation and we call for more attention to be paid to all the families affected and to take much needed space and time for reflection and healing. 

Sadly, but predictably, we also saw forces of hatred and misogyny intensify and permeate the discussions in public and private places, print, air-waves and internet as well as in Parliament and policy spaces. We could hear the voices of sanity drowned out by those steeped in prejudice and sanctioned ignorance. We saw Muslims being forced into performative atonement and self-policing. We also saw prejudice and hate dictate regulations and attempting to dictate law. As expected, Muslim women are bearing the brunt of it. To the oppression from within the community, an oppression from the state was introduced. The lived realities of Sri Lanka’s Muslim women just got worse. 

Many eyes on MMDA

It is in this context that we have observed, with a great deal of anxiety, an increased attention among many to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) and particular attention to the lack of a minimum age of marriage for Muslims of Sri Lanka. The principled calls for reform of MMDA particularly by Muslim women spans over 30 years and has been more visible in the public domain at least for the last three years. We note with trepidation, that the current heightened interest towards reforms to the MMDA is motivated by prejudice, majoritarian entitlement and crass opportunism to capitalise at a time when the community is feeling vulnerable. 

We therefore demand that any reform to MMDA should focus on addressing the long-term grievances clearly articulated by Muslim women for over three decades. It should seriously consider what Muslim women have put forward as solutions based on their lived realities and their beliefs informed by faith, rights, and the constitution. 

We caution that any approach that does not take this into consideration will lead to further victimization and oppression. We do not consider All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) as representing the interests of the Muslim women and girls. Their past conduct demonstrates that they have contributed to the control and oppression in self-interest.

The best interest of the Muslim women and girls 

MMDA reform has been pushed into the government’s agenda in a policy environment that is emotionally charged for Muslim communities and driven by prejudice of certain non-Muslim quarters.  Therefore MPLRAG, which consists of lawyers, scholars, and activists, considers it imperative to raise its voice. The reform exercise must remain true to its principal constituency – Muslim women and girls. At this juncture, we will work to ensure that the reform conversation is not hijacked by those forces who are not interested in the wellbeing of the community nor leave it to be held in continuous hostage by anti-reform forces within the community. 

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Need a common guiding principle for all religious education

 The faithful of each religion would argue that their particular religion preaches a message of love and peace. While passages from Quran are often quoted to depict Islam as an intolerant or even a violent religion, some argue that the Bible has as many messages of intolerance as the Quran. The Buddhist scriptures have no room for hate or denigration of women, but Buddhism as practiced in Sri Lanka is ripe with discrimination by caste, race and gender – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

Friday, 31 May 2019 

After the evil Easter attack of 2019 by terrorists claiming to be Islamists, spotlight is on Islamic religious education in ‘madrasas’ and Islam-based higher education.

The decision to bring the proposed Batticaloa University College, feared to be a Sharia College, under the purview of the Ministry of Higher Education and the University Grants Commission is correct, but it begs the question why this was not done in the first place. The disarray in post-secondary education in Sri Lanka is a topic for another column.

As for religious education in other settings, conflicting measures are proposed. The Ministry of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs has submitted a draft Act to regulate madrasas. The Prime Minister recently spoke of bringing the madrasas under the Ministry of Education and have their curricula developed by the National Institute of Education (NIE). But what exactly is meant by a madrasa in the Sri Lankan context is not articulated.

Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Director M.R.M. Malik has said that there are 1,669 Islam ‘madrasa’ schools and 317 Arabic schools registered under the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs all over the country. How many of these are informal ‘Sunday schools’ and how many are full-time schools for the training for priesthood. What is the extent of oversight on them?

We have four main religions in this country – Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity – not counting various denominations in each. Religion is taught in three different settings – (a) as a subject in school (b) outside of school in ‘Sunday schools’ and (c) training for priesthood.

Any new legislation should take into account the full scope of religious education in this country and be guided by the fundamental rights and limitations to such fundamental rights that are already specified in the Constitution, and should not target any one religion unfairly.

Elements of intolerance in every religion

The faithful of each religion would argue that their particular religion preaches a message of love and peace. While passages from Quran are often quoted to depict Islam as an intolerant or even a violent religion, some argue that the Bible has as many messages of intolerance as the Quran. The Buddhist scriptures have no room for hate or denigration of women, but Buddhism as practiced in Sri Lanka is ripe with discrimination by caste, race and gender.

All in all, it is safe to assume that religious education has the potential to regress towards intolerance and we need to draft legislation of guidelines accordingly. The challenge is to curtail the spread of intolerance through religious education without taking away the fundamental rights of people to practice or learn their religion.

The Constitution

as a guide

towards tolerance
The right to practice one’s religion or manifest ones beliefs is guaranteed in Sri Lanka by Article 14(e) as, “Every citizen is entitled to the freedom, either by himself or in association with others, and either in public or in private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.”

This right is however tempered by Article 15(7) which states: “The exercise and operation of all the fundamental rights declared and recognised by Articles 12, 13(1), 13(2) and 14 shall be subject to such restrictions as may be prescribed by law in the interests of national security, public order and the protection of public health or morality, or for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others, or of meeting the just requirements of the general welfare of a democratic society”.

Taken together, these two clauses give a guiding principle for religious education in Sri Lanka, I believe.

A recent publication by Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain further expands and articulates these principles by bringing together the interests of parents and society as well as the interests of the children, as follows:

“Parents’ freedom to educate their children as they prefer should be constrained by (i) children’s interest in receiving their fair share of educational goods, and (ii) the wider society’s interest in the cultivation of educational goods such as democratic competence, tolerance and mutual respect (Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain, 2018).”

This articulation is also consistent with the national objectives of education identified by the National Education Commission of Sri Lanka in 1992 where the first three out of the eight national objectives embody principles of democratic competence, tolerance and mutual respect.

Religion as a subject in schools

Religion is a compulsory subject at school from Years 1-12 and is one of the core subjects compulsory for all children sitting for the GCE (O/L). The curricula for all four religions are developed by NIE and delivered by trained teachers. Most children also spend time in religious education classes outside of the school at least one-half a day a week, typically on Sundays, hence called ‘Sunday Schools’ as a catchall phrase.

The question whether ethics and citizen education should replace religion as a subject keeps appearing in the education policy landscape, but it is unlikely that any regime would want to touch the subject, at least in the near future, for fear of resistance from interest groups, the Buddhist clergy in particular.

Religion in ‘Sunday Schools’
The Vajirarama Temple of Colombo gives a useful distinction between religion taught in school and outside of school. They say that while schools teach facts of religion, Sunday schools are more about the practice of religion. However, by the school’s own admission, training students for examinations conducted by the Ministry of Buddha Sasana takes pride of place in the Daham Pasalas.

The concern today is the content of what is taught behind the doors in those schools, the Islamic schools in particular, but heavy-handed regulation of Sunday schools would be unwise and impractical.

Currently, the curricula for these schools are set by non-governmental religious bodies. In the case of Daham Pasals, the entity is the Young Men’s Buddhists Association (or YMBA) for historical reasons. In Christian schools, each church establishment is in charge.  Similarly, a mainstream Islamic organisation should be in charge of the curricula for Islamic Sunday schools, with all religious organisations mandated to abide by guiding principles to be declared by the Ministry of Education. Taking Sunday schools under the charge of the Ministry of Education and the NIE would over burden these institutions.

Schools for training in religion

Sri Lanka has a tradition of schools for the instruction of the Bhikkus since the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the 3rd Century BC. The Pirivena Education Act of 1979 formalised this system of preparation for Bhikkus. There are seminaries managed by various denominations of Christianity, but not much is known about preparation of Moulavis or Islamic priests.

Before a new Act to formalise Madrasas is enacted, it would be wise to survey the landscape of religious education in Sri Lanka, and as a first step, bring them all under a common guiding principle that their teachings abide by democratic values embodied in our Constitution.

Open data system of registered religious institution

This day and age where technology allows the availability of large amounts of information over the internet, the transparency afforded by such openness should be exploited to the maximum. The Muslim Affairs Ministry gives a list of various registration processes including the processes for registration of Mosques, Arabic Colleges, Ahadiyya (Dhaham) Schools, Hiflul Quran Madrasa, Islamic Associations Islamic Pre Schools and Islamic Priests (Moulavi).

If the listed institutions and individuals can be made publicly available, concerned public can be more vigilant on unauthorised institutions or individuals, or those that departure from guiding principles of religious education.

Going down the Bharatiya Road

• In India the tendency of criminals getting elected increases

• They all have their kith here too

31 May 2019

Indian elections for Lok Sabha that concluded last week, shattered all ‘independent and expert’ predictions leaving pro-BJP forecasts perfectly right. 
The BJP with Modi romped home with an historical win, backed by all Hindu segments of Indian society rallying around it. 
That left out Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra. All three in the Dravidian South of India. 
Numbers show, under Modi’s style of political Governance, there is a very conspicuous bundling together of ‘Hindu’ votes at every level of society.

Compared with the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that again was a stunner, the Modi-led DNA has this time improved further on the percentage of Scheduled Caste (SC) votes from 17.7 per cent to 34.3 per cent.  
Scheduled Tribes (ST) from 38.2 per cent to 42.2 per cent. From the poorest 20 per cent at the bottom from 31.9 to 39.2 per cent. 
The richest 20 per cent at the top, from 27.8 to 33.1 per cent. 
Considered the rich, urban middle class, the second 20 per cent at the top from 27.7 to 33.0 per cent. 
Modi increased his number of constituencies from 190 to 207 in rural India as well. 
These have all been increases from Hindu votes in all those social segments. 
Modi’s parental organisation the RSS and its extreme Hindu affiliates were used against marginalised communities including Christians and exclusively against Muslims to establish an aggressively dominant Hindutva Order in social life. 

Their anti-Muslim campaign was used as the binding factor in bundling the whole Hindu population of one billion into a single voting bloc. That includes 43 per cent of Hindus termed ‘Backward Class’ in India.
Presenting her Commission’s Annual Report this March, UNHR High Commissioner Ms Michele Bachelet said they have received reports of increasing violence against minorities, in particular against Muslims in India. 
The previous day, the Indian Chapter of the Amnesty International released their report that said, the number of hate crimes including assault, rape and murder against marginalised groups in 2018 were ‘disturbing’.
On February six this year, Modi’s Government was compelled to present details of religious violence to the Lok Sabha, which they termed ‘sectarian’ violence. Numbers revealed growing violence with the year 2016 recording 703 cases of violence accounting for 86 deaths and over 2,300 reported injured and in 2017 the numbers increasing to 822 cases of violence accounting for 111 deaths and over 2,380 reported injured. 

Violence was most witnessed in States where the BJP was in control. Uttar Pradesh in particular, where the overwhelming majority is Hindu and the BJP is heading the State Government, 195 cases of religious violence were recorded with 44 deaths and over 450 injured in the year 2017. 
Vinay Katiyar, a BJP Lok Sabha MP told media in New Delhi on February seven this year, Muslims had no business being in India and should go to Pakistan or Bangladesh.
Modi openly tagging his BJP with such ‘Hindutva’ extremists for this 2019 Lok Sabha elections was done with purpose. BJP fielded Pragya Singh Thakur a suspect facing criminal charges for her involvement in a series of bombings in 2008that left 06 people dead. She won the Bhopal constituency very comfortably. 
The tendency of ‘criminals’ coming in as candidates and getting elected had been in the increase at every election since India was opened to the global market economy. 
After the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, 34 per cent elected had criminal charges filed against them from extortion, rape, murder, attempted murder to kidnapping. This 2019 Lok Sabha elections have 233 (43 per cent) with criminal charges elected as MPs, an increase of 09 per cent from the previous Lok Sabha according to a study by National Election Watch (NEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). 

Of the 303 BJP MPs elected, 116 have criminal charges filed against them. All these numbers are indications of how much muscle power would have been used during election campaigning to boost Hindutva arrogance against Muslims and other minorities in their constituencies.
This criminalisation of Indian politics in the largest democracy on earth goes hand in glove with the free market economy and Modi’s Hindutva extremism. 
There is a political nexus between RSS and other extremist affiliates organising ‘vigilante groups’ in local areas and Hindutva Crorepatis getting into direct politics. 
This political nexus and the ‘neo Hindutva’ dominance that has emerged as a result, is the product of a reformed RSS and Sangh Parivar as politically active affiliates of the Modi Government. 

Their dominance at the local level with patronage from the Central government and from most State administrations has turned State authorities including law enforcement agencies into pro-Hindutva agents and a major reason for impunity. That is backed by the ‘neo Hindutva’ dominated media that was considered professionally independent and free, some time in history.
Once a freelance journalist for the ‘Pulitzer Centre for Crisis Reporting’ and a political observer of the Indian Sub-continent, Aman Madan wrote to ‘The Diplomat’ on 23 January, 2019 ‘…..today, the BJP has doubled down and transformed previously independent media outlets into State mouthpieces for the sake of minimizing criticism and disseminating their own narrative.’ Elaborating how the Hindutva ideology is being fostered Aman Madan writes” 
“While the systematic co-optation of the country’s media works in the BJP’s favour as the party prepares for elections in 2019, control over the country’s media is about something more sinister. Control over the nation’s press is an attempt to promote a Hindu nationalist or Hindutva agenda across all of India’s institutions. It is also an attempt to hegemonize its communal narrative in an officially secular country with a large Hindu majority.”

This is more revealing as to how the Modi government intrudes into the social psyche with its own 
fixed narrative. 
“In order to achieve this, the government relies primarily on one network: Republic TV. Republic TV began in 2017 and was anchored by one of Indian media’s most famous media personalities, Arnab Goswami. Republic TV appealed to the worst of the Indian media’s characteristics. It was loud, brash, and theatrics mattered more than civil discourse,” wrote Aman Madan in The Diplomat.
He also says ‘it is not uncommon for the various regional language channels to display a level of acquiescence to the Government’s communal narrative.’
It is not just the RSS, the Shiv Sena, the Sangh Parivar and other Hindu Parishads, cannibalising grassroots politics for Hindutva dominance that resulted in this unprecedented 2019 Modi victory. 

It is also the media, both nationally and regionally, that continued to create and socially cement the Hindutva fanaticism across India that helped Modi victory. 
Added is the seriously growing ‘criminal factor’ in local politics with the ‘filthy rich’ from a heavily corrupt free market economy taking to direct politics. 
This newly elected Lok Sabha has 88 per cent (475) Crorepatis sitting as MPs, higher than the 2014 Lok Sabha with 82 per cent and the 2009 Lok Sabha with only 58 per cent. Most of those 233 presently elected MPs with criminal charges are definitely within these 475 Crorepatis elected to the Lok Sabha proving Modi’s election victory is all about criminalising politics with a neo Hindutva nationalist cry against minorities and in 
particular the Muslims.

Interestingly, a ‘name change’ here with Sinhala Buddhist labels, would provide an insight into the unfolding anti-Muslim campaign begun in Aluthgama-Beruwala in June 2014 through Gintota, Ampara and to Digana in 2018 March. 
The same actors and sponsors are seen queueing up since the Easter Sunday attacks creating uncertainty and fear in Kurunegala district, once again focused on the Muslim community. 
The RSS, Shiv Sena and Sangh Parivar certainly have Sinhala Buddhist parallels. So is the co-opted Indian media and the Republican TV with its main anchor Arnab Goswami. 
They all have their kith here too. Then comes the ‘filthy rich’ that emerged with the free market economy getting into direct politics, bargaining for Sinhala Buddhist political power and the extent to which, local politics has been criminalised with impunity.
On impunity, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of SL after a field visit to badly affected areas in Kurunegala District, writes to the Acting IGP on May 24 thus
“In Bandara Koswatte, the mob attacked the main mosque despite Police and Army presence. In Kottampitiya, the villagers were asked by the Police to move off the main road because of possible attacks, but failed to prevent the mob from attacking the village.’ 
There are many complaints against Police and security forces over inaction and also questions on ‘release of suspects’. 

The letter says:
“Upon examining the records of the Bingiriya Police station, our Commission observed that, while the suspects had been taken in for engaging in communal riots (bailable only in exceptional circumstances by the High Court) they had been released on police bail for mischief.”
None different from allegations against law-enforcement and Hindutva racism under Modi government. 
None different from vigilante campaigns and attacks against Muslim communities under Modi rule. 
None different from media coverage that promoted the Hindutva agenda across all institutions in India. Coincidentally, a photo that went about projecting Modi as Mr Clean was one where Modi carries a Lotus flower. Here down the Bharatiya Road, it is still a Lotus Bud yet to bloom. 

Video: Ramadan in Gaza tainted with destruction

 28 May 2019

Ramadan in the Gaza Strip is different this year.

The fasting month for Muslims began with Israel’s assault, which killed more than 25 Palestinians.

Many who survived the attacks were left homeless after Israel demolished residential and commercial buildings.

“[The Israeli army] told us that within five or six minutes, not a single person should be in the building,” Majdi Dughmush told The Electronic Intifada. His home was destroyed during the attack on the Abu Qamar building in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City on 5 May.

“People were barely able to leave and alert each other to leave.”

“The joy of Ramadan is gone, the bombing left a huge impact,” Muhammad Zayda, another resident of Abu Qamar, told The Electronic Intifada.

“We had bought everything for Ramadan and it was all destroyed at the same time.”

Still, Palestinians in Gaza insist on resisting Israeli oppression by celebrating the arrival of Ramadan.

“We will celebrate Ramadan the way we do every year, with our religious tradition, with our customs,” said Ahmad al-Jaouni, who sells qatayif – cheese or nut-filled pastries traditionally eaten during the month.

“The Palestinian people were born amid challenges, born to challenge difficulties. We will overcome and victory is ours.”

Video by Ruwaida Amer and Sanad Ltefa.

Israel Is at Peace (With Itself)

The country can’t form a government, its peace process is permanently stalled—and things have never been better.

Israelis celebrate Jerusalem Day in Jeruslam's Old City on May 13, 2018. MEHAHEM KAHANA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

BY STEVEN A. COOK

 | MAY 30, 2019, 5:30 PM
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government on Wednesday, you could hear a collective groan from all 8.7 million Israelis at the thought of having to endure another election campaign this fall. But the exasperation was quick to dissipate. Israelis—at least Jewish Israelis—are at peace with themselves and aware they are enjoying an unreservedly good moment. “It could be worse,” declared a former Israeli official as we sipped coffee on a spectacular May evening overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate.

The country is clearly on a roll. Israel ranks as the 13th-happiest country in the world, its economy is steady at 4 percent unemployment, no one is afraid to board a bus, the tourists keep coming, relations with its neighbors are mostly good and growing, and no one (outside of the government) much cares about the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. On that May evening, one would have never known by the crowds on the beach south of Tel Aviv that Hamas and other extremist groups had recently poured rocket fire into Israel from Gaza or that the U.S. national security advisor was threatening war with Iran. The rockets had stopped, there was no war, and so things were good. They certainly “could be worse.”

Among the many benefits of personally visiting a given country is the chance to take all the chatter currently in circulation about it before separating the nonsense from the relevant parts. This is especially true in Israel’s case given the distortions and even outright lies that have become accepted facts about the country. The Israelis have a lot to answer for, including their slow-rolling, 52-year-long annexation of the West Bank; the terrible conditions they’ve allowed to fester in the Gaza Strip; and the so-called corporate Mossad that is doing everything from running hit squads for hire in Yemen to providing spyware to unsavory governments around the world. But Israelis do not harvest the organs of Palestinian prisoners, and they are not responsible for police brutality in the United States. On most of the crucial issues of the day, Israelis simply do not conform to much of the most widely prevalent reporting, analysis, and caricatures, both good and bad.

Now that the Israelis find themselves again waiting for a new government, the peace plan prepared by White House staffer Jared Kushner (if it even exists) will itself have to wait until at least September for its rollout. But the whole thing barely rates a mention among Israelis. They seem to be more interested in chatting about Israel’s domestic political dramas. Mostly they do not seem to care about foreign efforts to forge peace, because it has become an article of faith that the Palestinians cannot, will not, and do not want to negotiate in good faith. That there is “no partner” sounds like an excuse, especially because Palestinian security forces have worked hard to maintain security, but it speaks to the searing experience of the Second Intifada that ended almost 15 years ago.

The Israelis have managed to use technology, territory, power politics, and the success of Israel’s economy to minimize the pain to themselves of occupation. The one thing that the Palestinians can do that would make a difference is something they emphatically will not do: shut down the Palestinian Authority and make the Israelis pay an actual price for their occupation and annexation. Under these circumstances, the Israeli attitude seems to be, “Let Jared Kushner try to sell his plan—we have better things to do.”

Israel has always been a sort of regional Sparta—heavily militarized with steely national security focus—but it has also been more cautious than anyone gives it credit for.

If Israelis are feeling any sort of worry right now it’s over Iran—or rather, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Iran policy. Israel has always been a sort of regional Sparta—heavily militarized with steely national security focus—but it has also been more cautious than anyone gives it credit for. After years of sounding the alarms, raising red flags, and otherwise trying to get the attention of just about everyone concerning Iran—efforts that were almost always interpreted as warmongering—the Israelis are pleased that Trump understands the challenge the Iranians pose and like the squeeze Washington is putting on Tehran. That is a long way away from wanting war, however. The Israelis I met were worried about the price they and their kids would pay in the event of a conflict between the United States and Iran. No one believed National Security Advisor John Bolton’s saber-rattling was wise, and they certainly did not want it to be at their behest. Their lives were good, after all. Deterring the Iranians, like what the IDF has been doing in Syria, seems to be their preferred policy, particularly because the Iranian response has been weak.     
               
If not for Netanyahu’s legal troubles, he likely would have won April’s election in a landslide. Netanyahu tends to frame all discussion of politics among Israelis. That makes sense given how long he has been prime minister, but it also speaks to how dominant he and the right have become. The coalition of former generals (plus one TV anchor) known as Blue and White is not an opposition in terms of its conservative approach to policy, but rather personality. Taken together, Netanyahu has already won half the battle.
         
Between now and September a lot of smart analysts will game out the Israeli elections and inform their readers and listeners of all the different ways in which Netanyahu is vulnerable. But upon the dissolution of the Knesset, an Israeli interlocutor—someone who dislikes the prime minister—sent me a message saying he cannot be hopeful for a different outcome. That is because Netanyahu, for all his faults both real and perceived, has kept Israel prosperous and safe. And that is what Israelis seem to care about most and why heading into a long, hot summer of crazy politics and electioneering, the prime minister continues to have the electoral edge. If Netanyahu is interested in a new campaign slogan, he’d be smart to consider: It could be worse.

Pakistani army general given life sentence on spying charges

Pakistan's Army Chief of Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, arrives to attend the Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad, Pakistan March 23, 2019. Picture taken March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

MAY 30, 2019

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan’s army has sentenced a general to life imprisonment for spying and ordered the death penalty for a brigadier and a civilian officer convicted in the same case, a military statement said on Thursday.

Following a closed-door military trial, army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa endorsed the sentences on the three for “espionage (and) leaking sensitive information to foreign agencies in detriment to national security,” the statement said.

 

Retired Lieutenant General Javed Iqbal was jailed for a life term, meaning he will serve 14 years in prison under Pakistani law. Retired Brigadier Raja Rizwan was sentenced to death alongside Wasim Akram, a civilian doctor employed by an army organization.

The army did not give further details about the information that was allegedly leaked by the three men or say to whom it was disclosed. It was not clear if the two military officers had already retired from service before the case against them began.

Pakistan’s army has its own laws and courts, and military officers accused of wrongdoing are always tried behind closed doors. Rulings can only be challenged or reviews in accordance with military procedures.

Syria: At least 7 killed in Idlib as Turkey urges Russia to broker a ceasefire

Government bombings in Idlib province have killed 229 civilians since 28 April (Reuters/File photo)

By MEE and agencies-30 May 2019

Syrian air strikes on a militant-held enclave in northwest Syria have killed at least seven civilians, a UK-based war monitor said, as the death toll amid a wave of government attacks continues to mount.

The bombings on Thursday killed five civilians in the town of Maaret al-Numan on the western edge of Idlib province, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as reported by AFP.

A photographer with the news agency reported that air strikes hit a residential area, collapsing a building and killing some of those inside.

The body of a victim could be seen still in bed as rescue workers struggled to reach survivors trapped under the rubble, the AFP photographer said.

Russia and Turkey brokered a ceasefire deal in September to avert a government assault on Idlib that threatened to spark the worst humanitarian disaster of the eight-year war. 

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the ceasefire must be implemented to prevent more civilian deaths and an influx of refugees to Turkey, a statement from Erdogan's office said.

Syrian government increases deadly air strikes in northwest, seizes small town

Read More »

Erdogan told Putin over the phone that Syria needed a political solution, the statement added, as cited by Reuters news agency.

The Syrian government and its ally Russia have pummelled Idlib province and nearby areas over the past month. 

The bombardments have killed 229 civilians, wounded 727 others and forced more than 300,000 people to flee since 28 April, according to the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations (UOSSM), which provides assistance to health facilities.

Idlib province, as well as some surrounding areas, is mostly under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group dominated by former members of al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate.

Two weeks ago, the World Health Organization said that at least 18 different health facilities in Idlib had been attacked. 

Despite the surge in violence, the Syrian government has not announced an all-out offensive to retake the entire enclave. The conflict in Syria has killed more than 370,000 people since it started in 2011. 

Palestinians to be sacrificed for Israel-Gulf marriage

King Hamad of Bahrain and the Trump administration are planning an economic summit with Israel in Manama that Palestinians see as part of an effort to liquidate their rights. (Wikimedia commons)

Tamara Nassar - 29 May 2019

Ties between Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, and Israel are warmer than ever as the United States beats its war drums against Iran and prepares to reveal its so-called “Deal of the Century.”

President Donald Trump last pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear agreement, recently sent some 1,500 troops to the region and is imposing “tougher sanctions on Iran than ever before.”

This economic and political warfare is part of an escalating regime change effort led by the US, Israel and Gulf states following a Saudi-led campaign against Iran that spans more than a decade.

Palestinians are to be the sacrificial lambs at the Israel-Gulf wedding, as United Arab Emirates businessman Khalaf Al Habtoor made clear Wednesday in an op-ed in Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

Al Habtoor, who has been at the forefront of normalization efforts with Israel, urged Palestinians to attend the Trump administration’s planned economic conference in Bahrain next month.

“I long for the day when Israel and Arab states, in particular Gulf States, are able to normalize diplomatic and trade relations as Egypt and Jordan have done,” Al Habtoor writes, adding that “all share a common enemy”: Iran.

Al Habtoor characterizes Iran as an “existential threat,” and asserts that closer ties with Israel are the solution.

“However, normalization requires a satisfactory resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict – or, at the very least, for tensions to be reduced,” Al Habtoor explains. “Once achieved, we will be well placed to halt Tehran’s belligerent adventurism in its tracks.”

“Satisfactory” in this case does not mean satisfactory to Palestinians, but rather to Israel and its allies; the entire Palestinian body politic, including the Palestinian Authority, are refusing to participate in a summit they see as integral to the Trump administration’s effort to liquidate their rights.

While Trump claims that the US is not seeking regime change in Iran, but rather “no nuclear weapons,” Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif challenged the assertion, calling US sanctions a form of “economic terrorism.”

Javad Zarif

✔@JZarif

Ayatollah @khamenei_ir long ago said we're not seeking nuclear weapons—by issuing a fatwa (edict) banning them.#B_Team's #EconomicTerrorism is hurting the Iranian people & causing tension in the region. Actions—not words—will show whether or not that's @realDonaldTrump's intent

2,907

2:40 PM - May 27, 2019

Convincing the regional public that Iran is indeed a dangerous enemy is integral to Israeli, American and Gulf regime common interests.

“Since 2004, the Arab people have been subjected to an unprecedented chauvinistic campaign, which accuses Iran and Shiites of being the main enemy of all Arabs and that they, not Israel, deserve the anger and hatred of the Arabs,” Columbia University professor Joseph Massad writes this week in Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar.

“Fifteen years after its launch, this campaign has cost hundreds of thousands of Iraqi, Lebanese, Syrian and Yemeni victims who have been sacrificed on the altar of oil families,” Massad adds.

“Today, it is demanded of the Palestinian people that all their rights be renounced as a price to be paid to preserve their thrones.”

Manama conference

As Trump and his allies escalate their assault on Iran, they are also planning to launch the economic component of his administration’s so-called Deal of the Century between Israel and the Palestinians at a conference in the Bahraini capital Manama on 25 and 26 June.

Bahrain News Agency

✔@bna_en

Peace to Prosperity will facilitate discussions on an ambitious, achievable vision and framework for a prosperous future for the Palestinian people and the region.#Bahrain #bh #bnanews #bna #البحرين #بنا #وكالة_أنباء_البحرين

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2:20 PM - May 19, 2019

Bahrain, whose King Hamad has given Israel and its lobby a warm embrace, is a natural choice for a venue.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have reportedly confirmed their attendance.

That Qatar – which has been totally isolated and blockaded by Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the last two years – is attending, is a sign of how obedience to Washington, and by extension to Israel, is a common interest even among the most antagonistic Gulf regimes.

Since the Saudi-led blockade began, Qatar has been competing with its Gulf rivals for US affections, and like those rivals it views cultivating the support of Israel and its lobby as the fastest route to Washington’s heart.

In a sign of rapprochement, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz invited Qatari ruler Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to two Arab summits in Mecca this week.

Palestinian rejection of Trump deal

Even the Palestinian Authority, which normally cooperates closely with Israel, is refusing to go along with the Trump administration’s plans.

“Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’ will go to hell, as will the economic workshop in Bahrain that the Americans intend to hold and present illusions,” PA leader Mahmoud Abbas said earlier this week.

China and Russia will also be boycotting the conference, according to a PA official.

It is unclear, however, whether Jordan plans to attend.

Jared Kushner, son-in-law and senior adviser to Trump, will meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah on Wednesday, likely to pressure Jordan to attend the Manama meeting.

Moshe Kahlon, Israel’s finance minister, is expected to head the Israeli delegation to Bahrain.

The Trump administration is evidently trying to co-opt individual Palestinians into the normalization effort.

Palestinian businessman Abed Alkarim Ashour said on Facebook that he received an invitation from “the Americans and our brothers in Bahrain” who “seek to sell Palestine for a few dollars.”

He posted an image of a letter addressed to him from Steven Mnuchin, the US treasury secretary, inviting him to the so-called Peace to Prosperity workshop.

“You have sent the invitation to the wrong person and the wrong address,” Ashour added.

Opposition is also coming from within the host state.

The Bahraini Society Against Normalization with the Zionist Enemy asserted its rejection of the Manama meeting and called “on the Bahraini government to cancel this workshop, whose objectives include deepening normalization with the Zionist entity and cementing its alliances with some Arab regimes.”

Iranian judo set to normalize?

Despite Israel’s escalating animosity against their country, Iranian judo athletes will apparently no longer boycott their Israeli counterparts.

An agreement was reached between the International Judo Federation and Iran’s national Olympic committee earlier this month, conceding that the latter will “fully respect the Olympic Charter and its non-discrimination principle.”

The statement does not name Israel, but the move was understood by Israeli media as a response to Iranian judokas’ refusal to fight Israeli athletes and to forfeit matches instead.

Previously, Israeli culture minister Miri Regev extensively lobbied the president of the International Judo Federation, Marius Vizer, to exclude the UAE and Tunisia from judo events until they complied with normalization requirements.

Ali Abunimah contributed reporting.