New Age Islam News Bureau
25 November 2022
File Photo: PM Narendra Modi
- Imam Bukhari Is A Sexist; OK For Boys To Loiter, Not OK For Girls?
- Controversy As Kuwaiti Islamists ‘Move To Curb Social Freedoms’ By Constitution Amendments
- UK Aid Funded Police Corruption, Abuse In Afghanistan: Commission for Aid Impact Report
- Taliban’s ‘Injustice’; Women Lawyers and Judges Forced to Beg for Food: Rina Amiri, the US Special Envoy
- Long-Time Reformist Leader Anwar Ibrahim Is Malaysia’s 5th PM In Less Than 5 Years
India
- Little-Known Islamic Resistance Council Owns Up Mangaluru Auto Blast, Says Temple Was Target
- Succumbing To Widespread Criticism Jama Masjid Imam Recalls Order Banning Entry Of ‘Girls’
- BJP Slows Down Unaided Madrasas Action, Focuses On Pasmanda Muslim For UP Bypolls
- SC to set up fresh 5-judge bench to hear pleas challenging polygamy and ‘nikah halala’ among Muslims
- Narcotics Jihad: New threat to Indian society, secularism and national security
- ‘Our efforts to sanction perpetrators of 26/11 attacks blocked for political reasons’: India
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Arab World
- UN calls for ‘vital’ aid to Syria during winter
- Iraq summons Iran, Turkey amid border tensions
- Lebanon MPs fail for seventh time to elect president despite economic crisis
- Hopes of World Cup progress look brighter for Arab nations
- West pursuing war-mongering policies to maintain dominance, Assad tells Belarusian PM
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Europe
- UN Urges China To Release Uyghur Muslim Detainees In Xinjiang, Provide Reparations
- Dutch Airstrike of Afghanistan in 2007 Ruled ‘Unlawful’ by Court in the Netherlands
- UN rights chief says full-fledged crisis underway in Iran
- Putin discusses West’s oil price cap with Iraqi leader: Kremlin
- UN rights chief’s offer to visit Iran met with silence
- Türkiye has right to protect itself against terrorist attacks: Swedish premier
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South Asia
- Taliban Urges Afghan Refugees To Stay Away From Protests In Iran, Pakistan
- UN ask Taliban to end gender-based violence in Afghanistan
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Southeast Asia
- PBDS president wants PM Anwar to appoint non-Muslim MP from Sabah or Sarawak as DPM
- PM Anwar says Islam, Bumiputera rights will be upheld but no Malaysian will be marginalised under his watch
- Stats Dept: Higher number of marriages, fewer divorces recorded in 2021
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Mideast
- Saudi Arabia World Cup Feat Due To Support At Home Which Iran Lacked: Iranian Pundit
- Palestinian martyrs’ blood strengthens resistance fighters’ determination to tread path toward victory: Islamic Jihad
- Iran Arrests 61 Involved in Khuzestan Terror Attack
- Iran Denounces Biden’s Human Rights Gesture
- Mission to UN: Iran Left with No Option But to Use Military Force Against Terrorists in Iraq’s Kurdistan
- Nuclear Chief: IAEA Officials to Visit Iran Based on Schedule
- Israeli Far Right Politician Ben-Gvir To Be Police Minister In Coalition Deal
- Bloody footage shows Iranian forces shooting at Kurdish protesters
- Iran arrests footballer for supporting protests: State media
- Tehran slams UN rights council for establishing fact-finding mission on Iran protests
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Pakistan
- Pakistan Used Like ‘Hired Gun’ By US In War Against Terror: Imran Khan
- Ex-ISI head Lt Gen Asim Munir appointed new Pakistan army chief
- PM Shehbaz leaves for Turkiye on two-day official visit
- Pakistan taking up cross-border attacks with Afghanistan: FO
- Fazl accuses Imran of disrupting Saudi crown prince’s visit
- Restraint towards unwarranted criticism against army has its limits: COAS Bajwa
- Pakistan Taliban racketeering hits borderlands
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Africa
- Algeria Sentences Scores To Death Over Forest Fire Lynching: Media
- UAE President, Jordan’s King discuss expanding cooperation in Abu Dhabi
- Tunisia returns migrant toddler who reached Italy alone
- Sudan demonstrator shot dead in renewed protests for civil rule, justice
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North America
- Pakistan’s New Army Chief Needs To Restore Public Trust In Army: US Press
- Turkish defence chief receives US envoy for talks
- New lawsuit launched tied to case of Egyptian minister’s son Ramy Fahim in US
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/india-modi-saudi-mbs-khashoggi-immunity/d/128488
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India Fumes After US Draws Parallel Between PM Modi, Saudi Crown Prince To Grant Sovereign Immunity In The Civil Case Over The Murder Of Jamal Khashoggi to MbS
File Photo: PM Narendra Modi
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Anita Joshua | New Delhi
25.11.22
India on Thursday questioned the need for the US state department to cite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s example while justifying Washington’s decision to grant sovereign immunity to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salam Al Saud (MBS) in the civil case over the October 2018 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“I fail to understand how the comment on Prime Minister Modi was either relevant, necessary or contextual,” external affairs ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said at his weekly briefing. Bagchi underscored that the two countries enjoy a very special relationship.
Khashoggi, a critic of MBS, is said to have been killed by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Up against a barrage of questions on the US department of justice’s decision to grant sovereign immunity to the Saudi leader, state department principal deputy spokesman Vedant Patel had on Friday said: “This is not the first time that the United States has done this. It is a longstanding and consistent line of effort. It has been applied to a number of heads of state previously. Some examples: President Aristide in Haiti in 1993, President Mugabe in Zimbabwe in 2001, Prime Minister Modi in India in 2014, and President Kabila in the DRC in 2018. This is a consistent practice that we have afforded to heads of state, heads of government, and foreign ministers.”
As Gujarat chief minister, Modi had been denied a visa by the George W. Bush administration in 2005. The ban continued under the Barack Obama dispensation that followed, making it a bipartisan policy in view of the Gujarat riots of 2002. The US had also revoked an earlier visa issued to Modi in his personal capacity. But when the BJP won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections with Modi as its prime ministerial face, President Obama lifted the ban and during the congratulatory call invited him to visit Washington.
Religious freedom
India slammed the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for bringing out yet another report flagging violations in the country. “We consider these as biased and inaccurate observations about India by USCIRF. They have a tendency to consistently misrepresent facts. This shows a lack of their understanding of India, our constitutional framework, plurality and our robust democratic system. Given its past record, we are not surprised to see that USCIRF continues to be guided by its prejudices and pursues a motivated agenda that calls into question its own credibility,” Bagchi said.
Earlier this week, the USCIRF had come out with a country update for India. “This country update provides a broad overview of religious freedom conditions in India in 2021 and 2022. It examines how various policies adopted and implemented by the Indian government have cultivated an environment that is increasingly hostile toward religious minority communities. This trajectory, alongside an escalating government crackdown on civil society and dissent, is deeply alarming in a diverse, secular, and democratic country whose constitution is intended to protect religious freedom,” it said, listing a number of cases to back its assessment.
The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan, US federal government commission created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act that monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad. Successive governments, including those of the Congress-led UPA, have dismissed USCIRF reports that pointed out violations. For the past three years, the commission has recommended to the US state department that it place India on the list of “Countries of Particular Concern”.
Source: Telegraph India
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Imam Bukhari Is A Sexist; OK For Boys To Loiter, Not OK For Girls?
Imam Bukhari of Delhi’s Shahi Jama Masjid
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November 25, 2022
Press release
- Women have equal right to sacred spaces
- Open all mosques to Muslim women
Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) condemns the blatant sexism of Imam Bukhari of Delhi’s Shahi Jama Masjid, even as it welcomes his decision since to remove the boards prohibiting Muslim girls from entering the precincts of the mosque.
The earlier decision to put up the notice board was sought to be explained on the ground that Muslim girls ‘loiter’ around the mosque’s sprawling compound. Presumably it’s OK for boys to loiter, not OK for girls. Such an attitude reeks of a patriarchal mindset.
The imam has sought to clarify that the do-not-enter directive did not apply to women who were welcome as before to pray at the mosque. We appreciate the clarification since IMSD has consistently supported the right of women from all religions to equal access to all sacred spaces on par with men.
Muslim women have prayed inside the mosques in Mecca and Medina from the time of Prophet Mohammed. They continue to do so even today in Saudi Arabia and much of the Arab world, the land of Islam’s birth.
Given this, it is the height of irony that in much of the Indian sub-continent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) Muslim men have kept the doors of mosques shut for Muslim women. IMSD welcomes the fact that in recent years some Muslim religious bodies have started creating space for women inside mosques. It demands that ALL mosques open their doors similarly.
Statement issued by:
Javed Anand, Convener, IMSD
Feroze Mithiborwala Coconvener, IMSD
9870402556 (Javed) 9029277751 (Feroze)
javedanand@gmail.comImam
javedanand@gmail.com feroze.moses777@gamil.com
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Controversy As Kuwaiti Islamists ‘Move To Curb Social Freedoms’ By Constitution Amendments
At least 27 of 50 elected MPs have signed a request to amend Article 79 of the Kuwaiti constitution [Getty]
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24 November, 2022
Kuwaiti Islamists have proposed constitution amendments which critics say curb social freedoms, sparking controversy in the Gulf state.
At least 27 of 50 elected members of parliament have signed a proposal to amend Article 79 of the Kuwaiti constitution, to ensure laws may only be put into effect if they are “in accordance with Islamic law”, MP Muhammad Hayef Al-Mutairi announced last Thursday.
Al-Mutairi said the proposal would be submitted “soon, God willing”.
The article currently stipulates that “a law shall not be put into effect unless the National Assembly approves it and the Emir ratifies it.”
Al-Mutairi said that the amendment is a “legitimate” to protect Kuwaitis from “the danger of the spread of Western culture among Muslims” and to ensure Kuwaitis don’t “fall victim” to laws contradicting Islam.
“It is to protect society and protect Islamic identity and future generations from outside cultures and negative phenomena… we do not know what will happen after another 20 years from the change of cultures” he told The New Arab’s Arabic-language service Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
In order for the revision to be approved, two-thirds of the National Assembly must endorse it, and the Emir must ratify and issue it, according to Article 174 of the constitution – which Al-Mutairi believes is possible.
However, the proposal has received fierce pushback.
The Kuwaiti Progressive Movement called on Kuwaitis and “the vital forces in Kuwaiti society” , to “take clear positions in refusing to tamper with Article 79 of the constitution, and adhere to the foundations of the democratic system”.
The group cited “serious” fears that the revision would encourage “prejudice” and compromise principles of “freedom and equality”, accusing Islamist MPs of trying to establish “a legislative religious authority”.
The Kuwaiti Democratic Forum also issued a statement against the amendment of the article.
“We refuse to undermine our democracy and violate our constitution and its articles, whether by amending Article 79 of the constitution, or any other amendment that does not guarantee freedom and equality,” they said.
In addition, five Kuwaiti members of parliament have proposed that the Gulf state amend Article 198 of the penal code targeting transgender individuals, Kuwaiti National Assembly news network Al-Dustor reported.
The proposal by the Islamist MPs says that “whoever adopts an external appearance other than his innate gender” should be imprisoned for up to one year and/or receive a fine not exceeding 1,000 dinars, based on Islamic religious rulings.
Source: New Arab
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.newarab.com/news/kuwait-controversy-islamists-move-curb-freedoms
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UK Aid Funded Police Corruption, Abuse In Afghanistan: Commission for Aid Impact Report
Afghan security personnel pictured in Kabul on May 11, 2020. (AFP/File Photo)
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November 24, 2022
LONDON: British aid worth hundreds of millions of pounds went toward funding police corruption in Afghanistan, according to a report.
The UK’s Independent Commission for Aid Impact found that money sent to the country before it fell to the Taliban in August last year was spent on plans for nation-building and security that were not “realistic.”
Around £252 million ($305 million) was sent to Afghanistan in aid for police operations, as part of more than £3.5 billion in aid sent in total, which, the ICAI said, had funded “police corruption and brutality, including extortion, arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings.”
Theft of equipment purchased with British aid money was common, and police forces would routinely register “ghost officers” on their payrolls. There were also frequent reports of police officials using their positions of authority to sexually abuse young boys.
The ICAI’s report noted that efforts to block spending on police when the issues came to light were opposed at the “highest levels of the UK government.”
The ICAI added that a UK decision to transfer funds via the Afghan government had compounded corruption, denying regional authorities access to much-needed aid, but British schemes for women and girls focused on matters such as education and early motherhood had been relatively successful.
Hugh Bayley, the commissioner of the ICAI, said: “The international evacuation from Afghanistan marked the end of one of the most ambitious undertakings ever pursued by UK aid.
“It’s clear that the remarkable efforts by those working on the UK aid program made a significant difference to many people in Afghanistan, including women and girls.
“However, the way the UK pursued its primary objective of building a viable Afghan state contained key flaws that contributed to its ultimate failure, and there are questions around the appropriateness of using UK aid to fund Afghan counter-insurgency operations.
“It’s not clear if the gains made by the UK’s aid program, in improving literacy and reducing child mortality for example, will last under Taliban rule, and there are lessons that must be learned and used to guide future stabilization and state-building initiatives,” he added.
British Conservative MP Richard Bacon told The Telegraph: “Aid workers in Afghanistan are to be commended on the effective work they have delivered through individual programs.
“However, the long-term success of the UK aid program in Afghanistan is in doubt as a result of the failure to secure a viable Afghan state.
“The independent aid watchdog, ICAI, rates the UK’s development assistance to Afghanistan as unsatisfactory in most areas.
“It has found that decisions to fund police or other security agencies were ill-conceived. The ICAI states that in highly fragile contexts such as this, ministers must consider the prospects of viable political settlements in the sustained belief of a successful transition out of conflict.
“This review demonstrates that individual UK aid programming can succeed, but ministers must work out their priorities and direct UK aid to where it counts,” he added.
A British Foreign Office spokesman told The Telegraph: “UK aid improved health; increased school enrolment; provided humanitarian support to the most vulnerable; and led the way in clearing landmines and other unexploded munitions across the country.
“We welcome the commission’s report and will provide a formal response in due course.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2205506/world
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Taliban’s ‘Injustice’; Women Lawyers and Judges Forced to Beg for Food: Rina Amiri, the US Special Envoy
Rina Amiri, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights in Afghanistan/ Photo: The Khaama Press
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By Saqalain Eqbal
November 24, 2022
Rina Amiri, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights in Afghanistan, voiced concern about the “injustice” of the Taliban, claiming that since the Taliban marginalized women who practiced law, they are now forced to beg food for their families.
The US official wrote in a string of tweets on Wednesday, November 23, that “One year ago today, the Taliban dissolved the Afghan Independent Bar [Association] which was a model of gender inclusion.”
“Now women are sidelined from practicing law & many women judges & lawyers are forced to beg for food for their children rather than use their skills,” Rina Amiri slammed the Taliban saying “Such injustice.”
After the Taliban took control of the country last year, the group’s leadership dissolved the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association on the 23rd of November.
The Afghan Independent Bar Association sought to advance and defend social justice, the rule of law, and the application of Islamic law in Afghanistan and was founded to foster new generations of legal professionals, improve access to fair trials, and fight against administrative corruption.
The Bar Association of Afghanistan had over 6,000 members, with women making up almost a quarter of the members, according to one of the members.
Many defense attorneys said that the current administration had revoked their licenses and stressed that they are not permitted to work on legal or criminal cases until they receive a new license from the Taliban Ministry of Justice.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/talibans-injustice-women-lawyers-and-judges-forced-to-beg-for-food-47885/
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Long-Time Reformist Leader Anwar Ibrahim Is Malaysia’s 5th PM In Less Than 5 Years
Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of Malaysia’s Pakatan Harapan coalition
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Nov 25, 2022
The man who lend democracy it’s most stunning image in South East Asia in the late 90s as he led thousands on the streets of Malaysia against his sacking amid widely claimed “political conspiracy”, rose to the highest power seat of the country on Thursday, surging both the markets and people’s hopes.
Anwar Ibrahim, 75, was appointed the 10th PM of Malaysia — fifth in less than five years — in a national palace ceremony, ending the impasse caused by a hung parliament in the general elections. Markets surged on the end of political deadlock. The ringgit currency posted its best day in two weeks and equities rose 3%.
It was the culmination of a stunning comeback for Anwar, whose career has included a stint as deputy prime minister, two jail terms that were considered politically motivated, and, finally, the role of longtime opposition leader.
The multi-racial, and multi-ethnic nation of over 33 million, reeling under more than two years of political turmoil, economic hardships and corrupt leaders, waited with baited breath for King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah to select Anwar and his coalition Pakatan Harappan to lead the country. In accordance with the constitutional monarchy provisions, the king met all the royal heads of the nine states on Thursday and in consensus declared Anwar as the new PM. “The fact is, people cannot be burdened by endless political turmoil when what the country needs is a stable government that is able to stimulate the economic landscape and development of the country,” the palace said in a statement.
In his first news conference, Anwar said he would form a unity government comprising his Pakatan Harapan that won 82 seats, the National Frontwith 30 seats and a bloc from eastern Sarawak state with 23 seats. He said that would give him a majority of 135 seats, with other smaller blocs expected to join in. He also said his government will propose a vote of confidence when parliament reconvenes Dec 19. Anwar said he wishes his victory will bring new hope for Malaysians longing for a more equitable nation, and assured majority Malay Muslims that they have nothing to fear. He said his priority will be to strengthen the economy as it faces an expected slowdown next year and fight rising inflation.
Anwar rose to political prominence when he was part of the Malay nationalist UMNO, which has prioritised the indigenous Malay population over the country’s minorities. But after a falling out with the party, Anwar has called for equal treatment of its minorities, mainly ethnic Chinese and Indian. “Being a minority here, I feel like this is the one sliver of hope that we have left,” said Mahaysyhaa Shriedhaa A/P Gopal, a Malaysian of Indian descent, after she voted for Pakatan Harapan. Urbane and charismatic, Anwar speaks often about the importance of democracy and quotes from Gandhi as well as the Quran.
For years, Anwar was the heir apparent for Mahathir Mohamad, the long time leader of UMNO. But in the late 1990s, the relationship betweenthem deteriorated after Anwar criticised what he saw as a culture of cronyism within UMNO. Later, both men differed over the handling of the Asian financial crisis. “Here was a firebrand and dynamic young leader, hailing from a Muslim fundamentalist party but completely untainted, and helping the country tide over the Asian financial crisis as finance minister when he was unceremoniously dumped and even maligned. The nation was shocked,” said A Ravendiran Arjunan, a Malaysian Indian businessman, and vice president, GOPIO Malaysia, who, like many other Indians, rallied around Anwar when he was imprisoned. Interestingly, when Anwar formed his People’s Justice Party, popularly called the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), in 2003, nearly 60% of its members were Indians.
In 1998, Anwar was fired from the cabinet. He started a protest movement called Reformasi (Reform) that called for the end of corruption and greater social justice. Anwar served two lengthy stints in prison for sodomy and corruption. His first incarceration on September 20, 1998, under the Internal Security Act, gave rise to a spate of protests in the country. In 2008, another sodomy charge was slapped on him, leading to a round of jail terms. After his release from prison, Anwar taught abroad before returning home to run for office again. He won a by-election, trouncing UMNO, and was again arrested that year over sodomy charges, which he denies. In 2014, Anwar was sentenced to five years in jail. But Anwar was back in the orbit of the prime minister’s job in a few years. He had made up with Mahathir. They successfully ousted the UMNO government, which was led by Najib Razak, but had another falling out over succession plans. Now, Anwar is finally in the seat he has long sough
Source: Times Of India
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India
Little-Known Islamic Resistance Council Owns Up Mangaluru Auto Blast, Says Temple Was Target
Nov 25, 2022
MANGALURU: A little-known radical Islamic outfit has claimed responsibility for the Mangaluru auto rickshaw blast and said the target of the botched operation was a temple in the coastal city, even as the Karnataka government formally handed over the investigation of the blast case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday.
Mangaluru police said they would investigate the veracity of the note sent by Islamic Resistance Council (IRC). ADGP (law and order) Alok Kumar said the probe would also cover the activities and antecedents of the alleged organisation.
State home minister Araga Jnanendra, meanwhile, issued a statement saying the government had written to the Union home ministry recommending an NIA investigation. State DGP&IG Praveen Sood had said the NIA and other central agencies were working with state police on the case from day one.
In Mangaluru, police refused to confirm or comment on whether the accused had wanted to target places of worship in the city.
On November 19, an explosion occurred in an autorickshaw, leaving the passenger, identified as Mohammed Shariq (24), a key suspect in the case, and its driver with burns. They are being treated at a hospital in Mangaluru.
Source: Times Of India
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Succumbing To Widespread Criticism Jama Masjid Imam Recalls Order Banning Entry Of ‘Girls’
Nov 25, 202
NEW DELHI: Succumbing to widespread criticism, both in social media and from women’s organisations, the Jama Masjid management withdrew its controversial order banning entry of “unaccompanied girls” inside the mosque, except for prayers. Notices put up earlier regarding the ban were also taken off the entry gates.
The decision to withdraw the order came after Delhi lieutenant governor V K Saxena spoke to Jama Masjid’s Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari and requested him to rescind the order. Imam Bukhari agreed, with the request that visitors respect and maintain the sanctity of the mosque.
“Though we have removed the notices from the gates, our chowkidar will monitor all activities. Girls found indulging in undesirable activities will be stopped. Their parents will also be informed,” Bukhari told TOI.
He added that mosques are for offering prayers, not a meeting or a socialising point for anyone. “Only Muslims girls were caught loitering around,” he claimed, adding that there are no restrictions on them for offering prayers at the mosque.
The notice which was earlier put at the entry gates said, “Jama Masjid mein ladki ya ladkiyon ka akele daakhla mana hai (The entry of a girl, or girls, on their own is not permitted in Jama Masjid).
Earlier in the day, public relation officer of Jama Masjid Sabiullah said that the decision was taken after some undesirable incidents were reported in the premises of the mosque. “This is a religious place and people come here for worship, not for entertainment. This place is meant for offering prayers not for enjoyment, and restrictions are placed for them only,” he said. However, he had no answer as to why only girls had been banned and not boys.
The decision had evoked sharp responses from people on social media and they described it as regressive. Reacting on a decision taken by Jama Masjid authorities, Zakia Soman from Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) said that it showed the mindset of people occupying such a responsible position. “They do not accept women as human beings,” she said, adding that this is not only a religious place but also a heritage site and they can’t bar tourists visiting there. She further said that they think they can resolve all issues by imprisoning women.
Echoing similar views, Hasina Khan from Bebaak Collective said, “This is nothing new. Actually, the problem is in the thought process as they think women will make these pure places impure and that’s why they restrict their mobility.”
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal termed it a violation of women’s rights. In her tweet, she said, “I am issuing notice to the Imam of the mosque. No one has the right to ban entry of women.”
The notice stated that the commission had taken suo-motu cognisance of media reports of restriction on entry of women in the mosque. She strongly recommended the withdrawal of the ban. The commission also sought the reasons for prohibiting the entry of women and girls “without male companions” in Jama Masjid.
The commission has also sought details of persons responsible for restricting the entry of women and girls in the mosque and the steps being taken by authorities for removing the restrictions. The commission also sought an action taken report from Shahi Imam by November 28.
Maliwal said, “Jama Masjid in Delhi is a historical mosque and women have been going there to perform religious practices without any restriction for ages. Preventing women to freely enter and practice their religion in the mosque is highly discriminatory and an extremely regressive practice as a place of worship should be open to everyone, regardless of their gender. Such an order is clearly misogynistic and against the ethos of the Constitution of India. These guidelines must be withdrawn immediately. We have issued notice and shall take action.”
Source: Times Of India
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BJP slows down unaided madrasas action, focuses on Pasmanda Muslim for UP bypolls
Abhishek Mishra
Nov 25, 2022
For the first time in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party is aggressively wooing Muslim voters in the Rampur and Khatauli assembly bypolls to be held on December 5. The BJP leaders are engaged in wooing the Pasmanda Muslims in both these seats, for which the campaign and dialogue is in full swing.
While the Jaat and Muslim equation in Khatauli may give the party an advantage, in Rampur Sadar, a Muslim-majority constituency, 55 per cent of the nearly 3.80 lakh voters are from the Muslim community.
In this by-election, the party has deployed several Muslim leaders in its campaign, who are facing questions on Yogi’s decision to conduct a survey of madrasas in the state at the grassroots level. The Muslim community is asking questions about the survey of madrassas, when campaigners ask them to vote for the BJP and try to tell them that the BJP government is working for their welfare, they still seem to be confused about the government’s intention regarding the madrasa survey.
According to party sources, the workers have been asked to answer such questions calmly and explain to the voters that the survey is being done because the government wants madrasa students to get modern education and build their career. The state government on August 30 directed district magistrates to conduct a survey of unrecognized madrasas which began on September 10 and found around 8,500 madrasas functioning without obtaining recognition from the State Madrasa Education Board.
On the other hand, in the by-elections of Rampur and Khatauli, this time it is trying to bring its Pasmanda outreach program to the grassroots level for the socially and economically backward Muslim castes. BJP leaders are claiming that more than 3 crore Pasmanda Muslims have got free ration in UP, more than 1.25 lakh have got the benefit of Ayushman card, 75 lakh have got PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, more than 40 lakh free Electricity connection has been given, 20 lakh houses have been given.
The party even recently organized a convention of Pasmanda Muslims in Rampur, which was attended by UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, former Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of State in the UP government Danish Azad Ansari and the party’s minority wing president Kunwar Basit Ali. Speaking to India Today, Kunwar Basit Ali said that the BJP government has done maximum work for the Pasmanda Muslims and stating the same, there is an exercise to connect this community.
“More than 200 leaders of the wing from different districts are camping in the area and are campaigning door to door for the BJP candidate. We are sure that a good chunk of Muslim voters who are beneficiaries of government schemes will vote for the BJP in the bypolls. We are talking to them and answering their questions,” he added.
UP’s Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak, who is engaged in uniting Pasmanda Muslims, told India Today that this society has benefited the most from the schemes of the Modi and Yogi government and the government has worked for every section without discrimination.
“Where the previous governments used them only for political interest, the BJP wants to bring them into the mainstream and give them their rights, which is the concern of the opposition, who were using the Pasmanda Muslims as a vote bank. On the other hand, legal process will continue in the case of madrasas Survey,” said Pathak.
Whereas, Samajwadi Party has raised questions on this strategy and termed it as biased politics of BJP. SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand said that on the one hand BJP is suppressing Muslims by adopting tactics like Hindu-Muslim, Azhaan-Kirtan, Love Jihad and madrasa survey, while talking about the interest of Pasmanda Muslims, they are doing politics to get votes. “The aim of BJP is not to serve the interest of Pasmanda Muslims, but to move ahead by taking advantage of them in the elections, in which the action of madrassas will also gain momentum after the by elections,” said the SP spokesperson.
At the same time, the Congress party has termed it as dual face of BJP. Congress leader Surendra Rajput said that on the one hand the party campaigns for the welfare of the Pasmanda Muslims, while on the other hand it shows the double mindedness of the BJP by setting its agenda by showing fear of action on survey and unrecognized madrassas and spoiling the atmosphere of the state. The voter will not be confused, and BJP will not get any advantage of this strategy in the by-polls.
On this issue, political analyst Ratanmani Lal also believes that the by-elections of Khatauli and Rampur in UP are a big election for the Samajwadi Party as well as the BJP. In the recent days, after the way the survey of unrecognized madrassas was discussed, now in the by-election environment, the government and the administration seem to be taken a back on it, which can be understood that it will affect the equation on these two seats. Due to which the party is currently not ready to act against the madrassas. The decision seems to be on the backfoot.
While senior leaders and other activists of the minority wing have been assigned the responsibility of campaigning in Rampur and Khatauli, which is divided into four mandal units, the victory for both the Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha seats has given confidence of winning the bypolls. Now playing the card of party Pasmanda Muslim, BJP is trying to strengthen itself in these two seats.
Source: India Today
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SC to set up fresh 5-judge bench to hear pleas challenging polygamy and ‘nikah halala’ among Muslims
24th November 2022
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court said on Thursday it will set up a fresh five-judge Constitution bench to hear the pleas challenging the constitutional validity of polygamy and ‘nikah halala’ among Muslims.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices Hima Kohli and J B Pardiwala was urged by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, who has filed a PIL on the issue, that a fresh five-judge bench was needed to be constituted as two judges of the previous bench-Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Hemant Gupta- have demitted office.
“We will form a bench,” the CJI responded.
On August 30, a five-judge bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee, Hemant Gupta, Surya Kant, M M Sundresh and Sudhanshu Dhulia had made the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Commission for Women (NCW) and the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) parties to the PILs and sought their responses.
Later, Justice Banerjee and Justice Gupta retired on September 23 and October 16 this year respectively giving rise to the need for re-constitution of the bench to hear as many as eight petitions against the practices of polygamy and ‘nikah halala’.
Upadhyay, in his PIL, has sought a direction to declare polygamy and ‘nikah halala’ unconstitutional and illegal.
The apex court had in July 2018 considered the plea and referred the matter to a Constitution bench already tasked with hearing a batch of similar petitions.
The apex court had issued notice to the Centre on the petition filed by a woman named Farjana and tagged Upadhyay’s plea to a batch of petitions to be heard by the Constitution bench.
The lawyer’s petition sought declaring extrajudicial talaq a cruelty under Section 498A (husband or his relatives subjecting a woman to cruelty) of of the IPC.
It claimed nikah halala is an offence under Section 375 (rape) of the IPC, and polygamy a crime under Section 494 (Marrying again during life-time of husband or wife) of the IPC, 1860.
The apex court, which on August 22, 2017 banned the age-old practice of instant ‘triple talaq’ among Sunni Muslims, had on March 26, 2018 decided to refer to a larger bench a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of polygamy and ‘nikah halala’.
While polygamy allows a Muslim man to have four wives, ‘nikah halala’ is a process under which a divorced Muslim woman has to first marry another person, consummate it and get a divorce from the second husband, if the couple were to remarry after a compromise.
The pleas were referred to a larger bench by the Supreme Court after an earlier five-judge constitution bench in its 2017 verdict kept open the issue of polygamy and ‘nikah halala’ while quashing the practice of ‘triple talaq’.
It had also issued notices to the Law and Justice Ministry, the Minority Affairs Ministry and the National Commission of Women (NCW) at that time.
Some petitions have also challenged the practices of ‘Nikah Mutah’ and ‘Nikah Misyar’ — two types of temporary marriages where duration of the relationship is specified and agreed upon in advance.
In one of the petitions, a woman named Sameena Begum has said by virtue of the Muslim Personal Law, Section 494 of the Indian Penal Code (punishment for marrying again during lifetime of husband or wife) was rendered inapplicable to Muslims and no married woman from the community has the avenue of filing a complaint against her husband for the offence of bigamy.
Another plea was filed by Rani alias Shabnam who alleged that she and her three minor children were thrown out of the matrimonial home after her husband remarried.
She has sought the practices of polygamy and ‘nikah halala’ to be declared unconstitutional.
A similar plea was filed by Delhi-based Nafisa Khan seeking almost the same reliefs.
Source: New Indian Express
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Narcotics Jihad: New threat to Indian society, secularism and national security
November 24, 2022
Jihad is a buzz word which has increasingly gained ‘popularity’ in the political and national strategic-affairs lexicon. Literal meaning of Jihad is utmost-struggle. As per Islamic-theology, Jihad has two meanings: an inner struggle (the “greater Jihad“), and an outer physical struggle against the enemies of Islam (the “lesser Jihad“) which may take a violent or non-violent form. It stems from the philosophy enshrined in the holy Quran – “I have been commanded to fight until all religion is for Allah.” Simply speaking, Jihad is a call for religious war to fight till all non-Islamists are converted into Islam-religion.
Islam, as a religious-philosophy, is a world-view which dictates a Muslim religious follower from cradle to grave as enshrined in the holy Quran. Any devout Muslim is bound by the by religious laws known as Sharia which is derived primarily from the holy Quran.
‘Sharia-law’ prescribes and proscribes certain code of conduct to be followed religiously by a Muslim. The Islamist Law is hailed above the laws of nation like constitution or other civil and criminal laws. It also gives ‘do and do nots’ as to what the relationship between a Muslim and other non-Muslim fellow human being and how and what kind of personal, religious, political and social relationship a Muslim can have per se as well as his inter se relationship with fellows of other religions.
Ironically, the dictates of Islam also ordain a Muslim to not only spread Islam but fight and convert any non-Muslim (Kafir) to Islam by use of force or any other means also.
Islamist rightist is an extreme fundamentalism where the followers are bigot and communal-jingoist. They simmer communal-identity premised on the cultural identity that they subscribe to.
Over the nation, they give priority to religion. Rather, they want to grab the power of nation-state with an aim to propagate Islamic-extremism in the form of Jihad. Islamization is a fervent religious surge which aims to impose the tenants of Quran in India i.e Islamization of India. Their main proponents are the clergy-class (Mulalh and Mollavis) and some so called religious-influencers who claim to interpret the holy Quran from a ‘scientific-point’ of view. For them, loyalty to Islam is above the loyalty or feeling of nationalism or India-nation. These religious-bigots are not only zealously protecting their own Islamic-identity but also converting other religious communities and people in to their religion aggressively through use of all means at their disposal.
Since they are enjoined upon by their scripture to stop not till they have converted whole non-believers as Muslims, they are prescribed to wage a relentless, perpetual and all-means war against the opponents. This war may be Jihad through the use of violent terrorist activities or by non-war measures. The measures of Jihad can be following:
– Through the use of violent means like terrorism. It is aimed at wresting political-power so as to make that country an Islamic-country. This form of Jihad is followed by the likes of dreaded organisations like ISIS, Taliban, LeT.
– Love Jihad-by use of allurement and emotional black-mailing. In this form, girls from ‘non-believer’ faith are converted in to Islam through marriages.
– Narcotic Jihad– It is a new form of war in which the people of non-believer faith particularly its youth is targeted through inducement of drugs and narcotics to make them vulnerable to accept Islam.
Narcotic Jihad
This is one of the methods in which the non-believers are induced in to the fold of Islam through making them drug-addicts. This is using drug as a weapon for conversion. This type of hidden, clandestine method of conversion was already going-on at a large scale. It specifically targets the vulnerable people of non-Muslim faiths who are from the weaker economic-sections and are more susceptible.
Drug-money has been used for funding terrorist activities and fueling Islamic-extremism. However, in Narcotic Jihad instead of using drug-money as mere a source of terror-funding, the vulnerable and targeted people are directly exposed to drug and are made drug-addicts. This makes them vulnerable and easy victims of terror Jihad.
In comparison to Jihad terrorism, Narcotic Jihad is slow and perpetual war through which non-believers are intoxicated and thus indoctrinated.
Narco Jihad is quite an under-current in Kashmir. In Kashmir, as per the reports, the local terrorists are initially led into the path of extremism through drug addiction. Sometimes people who smuggle drugs are also engaged in terrorist activities. Recently, the NIA arrested four drug traffickers in Kashmir for their alleged involvement in smuggling heroin in huge quantities from Pakistan and supplying it in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country.
ISI controls the narcotics-trade and is well established in its hold on narcotic trade in Pakistan. The same drugs-terrorism nexus also exists within Pakistan, where jihadists are interlinked to the local population through drug supply networks. In essence, Pakistan is exporting an already well-functioning domestic industry into India.
Recently, Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, Bishop of the Palai diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala raised the twin issues of ‘love Jihad‘ and ‘narcotic Jihad‘ as the newest ways of Jihad and a newly emerging threat to young men and women of Christian and other non-Muslim faiths. For him, narcotics jihad is Muslims supplying drugs and making Christian youth “addicted” to them, targeting young people belonging to non-Muslim faiths. He further highlighted that Love-Jihad is forcing young women belonging to Christianity and other non-Muslim faiths are subjected to exploitation, forced religious conversion and terrorist activities.
The highly learned Bishop also said that “various types of drugs are being used in ice-cream parlours, hotels and juice corners run by hardcore Jihadis. They are using various types of drugs as a weapon to spoil non-Muslims”. Bishop further cautioned that “Jihadi extremists” have cast their “nets” at almost all places where people gather, including “schools, colleges, hotels, retail shops and training centres”, with the objective of “trapping girls”. As per him, it is “a method of destroying the lives of non-Muslims, especially youth, by making them addicted to drugs”.
As per report in ET, NIA will probe involvement of International Drug Cartel following the seizure of 301 Kgs of narcotics worth Rs 3000 kgs and arms and ammunition off Kerala Coast. There has been an increase in consumption and supply of drugs in Kerala.
Source: Firstpost
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‘Our efforts to sanction perpetrators of 26/11 attacks blocked for political reasons’: India
Nov 24, 2022
UNITED NATIONS: India has said its efforts to sanction perpetrators and facilitators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks have been blocked in the past for “political reasons”, enabling those responsible to walk free and organise further cross-border assaults against the country.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, said terrorism continues to pose a “grave threat” to international peace and security, as ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliated and inspired groups, particularly in Asia and Africa, continue to operate and target civilians and security forces.
“Lest we forget, in November 2008, 10 terrorists entered the city of Mumbai through sea route from Pakistan, ravaging the city for 4 days, killing 166 people, including 26 foreign nationals,” she said in her remarks to the UN Security Council Joint Briefing by the Chairs of the 1267/1373/1540 Committees to the Security Council.
“Our efforts to sanction the perpetrators and facilitators of these terror attacks were blocked in the past for political reasons. These actors continue to walk free and have been organising further cross-border attacks against my country,” she said, amid repeated holds by China on bids by India and the US to designate Pakistan-based terrorists and entities.
Since June this year, China, an all-weather ally of Pakistan, has put holds on proposals to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorists Hafiz Talah Saeed, Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Shahid Mahmood, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Sajid Mir, senior Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) leader Abdul Rauf Azhar and Abdul Rehman Makki under the Al Qaeda Sanctions regime.
India and the US had submitted proposals to designate the Pakistan-based terrorists and subject them to asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo, but they hit stumbling blocks when Beijing placed holds on the proposals.
The 15-nation UN Security Council heard briefings from Chairs of Subsidiary bodies of the Council – the Counter-Terrorism Committee chaired by India, 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee chaired by Norway and the 1540 Committee concerning non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction chaired by Mexico.
Kamboj had briefed the Council in her capacity as Chair of the 1373 Counter-Terrorism Committee.
Delivering India’s national statement at the briefing, Kamboj said the work of the 1267 Committee relies on that of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which in its recent report to 1988 Committee highlighted the continued threat posed by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
“We thank the team for its reports and hope that the team will continue to report the activities of these groups, including in its periodic reports to the 1267 Committee.
“While these entities were listed under the 1267 sanctions regime more than a decade back, there is a need to keep monitoring their activities as they have been allowed to operate under various aliases with state-sponsored hospitality,” Kamboj said, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.
As the Chair of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) for 2022, Kamboj said India made “all efforts” to ensure that the Committee is able to deliver its mandate effectively.
She said the Government of India “had the honour to host” special meetings of the CTC in Mumbai and New Delhi last month.
In Mumbai, the CTC members paid tribute to the victims of terrorist attacks, including the Mumbai terror attacks, and had the opportunity to listen to the victims’ experience of attacks, stories of their resilience and their expectation from the international community, including from the UN Security Council.
The meeting in New Delhi highlighted the threat posed by the use of new and emerging technologies such as social media, encryption messaging services, virtual currencies, blockchain technologies, mobile money wallets, and drones by terrorist groups and an urgent need for the Security Council to address this threat in a comprehensive and holistic manner, she added.
The Delhi Declaration, adopted at the culmination of the meeting, “embodies the Council’s collective determination to pay attention to this threat and further develop guidance for member states to address this threat,” Kamboj said.
She said India is confident that the UAE, as the incoming Chair of the CTC, would continue to build on these initiatives.
The CTC, in the past year, was able to underscore the risk posed by the existing as well as expanding terrorist threats in Asia and Africa, and the need for providing capacity-building assistance to risk-prone member states, as well as ensuring effective actions by member states to curb the activities of terrorist groups operating from the territories under their control.
“It is important that terror-risk prone jurisdictions bring their CFT (Combating Financing of Terrorism) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) frameworks at par with the international standards, including those standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF),” Kamboj said.
She said India commends CTC and CTED (Counter Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate) for their efforts to involve FATF and other such international financial ‘watchdogs’ in the activities of the CTC and CTED.
Kamboj recalled the clarion call of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to the Security Council last year through his 8-point action plan, which also highlighted the need for reform of the working methods of the Security Council Sanctions Committees in order to ensure greater transparency, accountability and effectiveness in the working of these Committees.
He had called for ending the practice of placing blocks and holds on listing requests without any rhyme or reason and ensuring that the listing and delisting of individuals and entities under the UN sanctions regimes is done objectively, based on evidence and not on political considerations.
The Council needs to pay attention to these action points, or else the credibility of these committees and our collective faith in them will only get gradually eroded, Kamboj said.
On the 1540 Committee, Kamboj said this is an important component of the global non-proliferation architecture aimed at curbing the threat posed by the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, as well as their means of delivery, and related materials, equipment, and technology, by non-State actors, including terrorist groups.
The Committee should also take into account the rapid evolution of proliferation risks, due to new and emerging technologies increasing the risks of WMD access, by terrorist groups and other non-state actors, she said.
Source: Times Of India
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Arab World
UN calls for ‘vital’ aid to Syria during winter
24 November ,2022
The United Nations on Thursday called for “life-saving” funding to help six million people in Syria survive winter, after more than 11 years of devastating conflict.
The relief money is “urgently needed to provide vital winter aid,” according to a statement issued by two senior officials from the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA.
The agency said it had received only 42 percent of its requested relief budget for Syria this year.
“This is the twelfth year of crisis and the twelfth winter of hardship for the Syrian population,” OCHA’s acting coordinator ElMostafa Benlamlih said.
In the statement, Benlamlih along with OCHA’s Syria coordinator, Muhannad Hadi, warned millions of Syrians – including displaced people living in camps – are living under “perilous” conditions and “will not be protected against the severe winter” without assistance.
Amid nationwide electricity rationing and chronic fuel shortages, many families are struggling to keep their homes warm this winter.
The UN officials said they were “particularly concerned about families who cannot afford electricity, to buy warm clothes or heating supplies.”
Syria’s civil war, which has killed nearly half a million people, has fragmented the country and caused economic collapse.
Ninety percent of the population now lives below the poverty line and 12.4 million people are food insecure, according to the UN.
Of the six million people in need of winter assistance, 2.5 million live in Syria’s northwest, in the last major rebel and extremist stronghold of the country.
The majority of the three million people living in these territories are displaced, according to OCHA.
Every winter in this region, heavy rains transform camps for displaced people into muddy swamps.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iraq summons Iran, Turkey amid border tensions
24 November ,2022
Iraq summoned Iran and Turkey’s ambassadors in Baghdad on Thursday following cross-border attacks on the country’s territory.
“These attacks by both Iran and Turkey distract the efforts of countering terrorism on regional level,” the spokesperson of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Ahmed al-Sahhaf, told The AP.
The Iraqi foreign ministry also confirmed it notified the UN Security Council about the latest border violations.
“It will raise the alert level and tension, and it will affect the nature of relations between Iran and Iraq, and Turkey and Iraq,” al-Sahhaf added.
On Tuesday, Iran launched a new round of strikes at Iranian Kurdish dissident groups based in Iraq’s northern, semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Some Iranian Kurdish groups have been engaged in a low-intensity conflict with Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and have sought refuge in neighboring Iraq where they established bases.
Iran alleges that these groups are inciting anti-government protests in Iran and smuggling weapons into the country, which the Iranian Kurdish groups deny. Iran has not provided evidence to back up the claims.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Lebanon MPs fail for seventh time to elect president despite economic crisis
24 November ,2022
Lebanese lawmakers failed for a seventh time Thursday to elect a successor to former president Michel Aoun, even though the vacancy is hampering efforts to rescue the stricken economy.
Parliament is split between supporters of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its opponents, neither of whom have a clear majority.
Lawmaker Michel Moawad, who is seen as close to the United States, won the support of 42 of parliament’s 128 MPs, but his tally fell well short of the required majority and was exceeded by the number of spoilt ballots cast by pro-Hezbollah lawmakers.
Moawad’s candidacy is opposed by Hezbollah, whose leader Hassan Nasrallah called this month for a president ready to stand up to the United States.
“This is not an electoral process, it’s a process of waiting for compromise that is to the detriment of the country, the people, the economy and the constitution,” said Christian MP and Moawad supporter Samy Gemayel.
There have been delays in electing previous Lebanese presidents.
Aoun’s own election in 2016 followed a more than two-year vacancy at the presidential palace as lawmakers made 45 failed attempts before reaching a consensus on his candidacy.
But the failure to elect a successor to Aoun before his mandate expired at the end of last month came with Lebanon mired in an economic crisis the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in modern history.
The country has also had only a caretaker government since May, despite warnings from creditors that sweeping reforms need to be enacted to clear the way for the release of billions of dollars in emergency loans.
“An unprecedented insti
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