Pope Francis is due to hold an inter-religious prayer service at the ancient Mesopotamian site of Ur when he visits Iraq next week – an event local archeologists hope will draw renewed attention to the place revered as the birthplace of Abraham. Popular with Western visitors in the 1970s and …
Read More »UN issues verbal warnings for military crackdown in Maynmar
Protesters opposed to Myanmarâs military coup blocked train services between Yangon and a southern city on Tuesday, hours after a U.N. envoy warned the army of âsevere consequencesâ for any harsh response to the pro-democracy demonstrations. Despite the deployment of armoured vehicles and soldiers in some major cities on the …
Read More »China installing QR codes on Uighur Muslim homes as part of mass security crackdown
China is installing QR codes on the homes of the Uighur Muslimcommunity in order to get instant access to the personal details of people living there, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The development comes as part of a mass security crackdownon minorities in Xinjiang province, the charity said, which includes arbitrary detentions, daily restrictions …
Read More »Reuters Journalists In Myanmar Convicted, Sentenced To 7 Years
A court in Myanmar sentenced two journalists to seven years in prison Monday for illegal possession of official documents. Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, both Myanmar nationals and journalists for the Reuters news service, were arrested for violation of the country’s Official Secrets Act, which dates back …
Read More »âPunish a Muslim Dayâ letters shock UK communities
The anonymous letters arrived this weekend in plain white envelopes with second-class stamps, and were sent to people in at least five communities in England. Inside was a message so hateful that it has sent ripples of alarm across the country and prompted a national counterterrorism investigation. The message says …
Read More »Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel: A âFifth Columnâ?
by Munshi Zubaer Haque Introduction: The creation of State of Israel in 1948 resulted in the formation of an ethnic and religious minority of Palestinian Arabs in the new country, who eventually became citizens of this nascent nation.70 years on, this involuntary minority within a Jewish majority is often …
Read More »Reuters report alleges murder, arson by Myanmar’s military
Reuters has published details of an investigation into a mass grave in Myanmar’s Rakhine State that led to the arrest of two of its journalists and potential charges under the Official Secrets Act. The report quotes a retired Myanmar Army soldier who claims he helped dig a mass grave for …
Read More »Trump ready to apologize for retweeting anti-Muslim videos from far right British group
President Trump said he was ready to apologize for retweeting anti-Muslim videos from a far right British group and reiterated that he was not a racist, in an interview with Good Morning Britain on Friday. Piers Morgan, the presenter, pushed him about the November retweet of three videos by Britain …
Read More »Pope Francis avoids the term Rohingya in Burma speech following meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi
Perhaps as important as what Pope Francis said during his key speech in Burma on Tuesday was what he didn’t say. Speculation had mainly circled around the question of whether the pope would use the term âRohingyaâ to describe the countryâs Muslim minority, which has been the target of a brutal military âclearance operation.â Rohingya Muslims are not officially recognized as …
Read More »Rohingya crisis: US calls Myanmar action ‘ethnic cleansing’
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Myanmar’s military action against the minority Muslim Rohingya population constitutes ethnic cleansing. He said the Rohingya had suffered “horrendous atrocities” and as a result the US was considering targeted sanctions against those responsible. In September, UN human rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein also …
Read More »Second judge rules against latest travel ban, saying Trumpâs own words show it was aimed at Muslims
A federal judge in Maryland early Wednesday issued a second halt on the latest version of President Trumpâs travel ban, asserting that the presidentâs own comments on the campaign trail and on Twitter convinced him that the directive was akin to an unconstitutional Muslim ban. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. …
Read More »Rights group accuses Myanmar of crimes against humanity
Myanmar is committing crimes against humanity in its campaign against Muslim insurgents in Rakhine state, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday, and it called for the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions and an arms embargo. A government spokesman was not immediately available for comment but Myanmar has rejected U.N. …
Read More »Suu Kyi silence on Myanmar ethnic cleansing charge draws cool response
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday condemned rights abuses in Rakhine state and said violators would be punished, but she did not address U.N. accusations of ethnic cleansing, drawing cool international responses and calls for action to help minority Muslims. Suu Kyi made the remarks in her first …
Read More »Myanmar says China endorses crackdown on Rohingya, branded ‘ethnic cleansing’ by U.N.
China endorses Myanmarâs offensive against Rohingya Muslim insurgents, Myanmar state media said on Thursday, as the U.N. secretary-general described the operation, forcing nearly 400,000 people to flee to Bangladesh, as âethnic cleansingâ. The Myanmar military offensive in the western state of Rakhine was triggered by a series of guerrilla attacks …
Read More »Rohingya violence a ‘textbook example of ethnic cleansing,’ UN chief says
The ongoing Myanmar military operation against the minority Rohingya people appears to be a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” the UN human rights chief said Monday. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said the full humanitarian situation in Rakhine state couldn’t be fully assessed due …
Read More »Is Trump âObjectively Progressive?â
What on earth does âobjectively progressiveâ meanâand how could Donald Trump be viewed as a âprogressiveâ of any kind? It may have been Karl Marx who first used the termâin a way that turns reality upside down. Basically it means that a leader or a political trend that clearly is …
Read More »China ‘prepares DNA testing’ of Muslims in Xinjiang
China appears to be laying the groundwork for the mass collection of DNA samples from residents of Muslim-majority Xinjiang amid human rights observers’ concern. China appears to be laying the groundwork for the mass collection of DNA samples from residents of a restive, largely Muslim region that’s been under a security crackdown, rights …
Read More »Uyghur leader questions Pakistan’s silence on Beijing’s Ramadan ban
Uyghur leader Dolkun Issa accuses Pakistan of turning a blind eye to the Muslims of Beijing. The Levant News — Uyghur leader Dolkun Issa has questioned Pakistan’s silence on the Beijing imposed ban on Xinjian’s Muslim population from observing Ramadan. In a statement which has been widely circulated across East …
Read More »Random Impressions from the Euro-Muslim Front
THE LEVANT NEWS — by Graham E. Fuller — Apologies to readers for some recent silences, but Iâve been away in Holland as a guest lecturer for three weeks at Leiden University in Holland, a charming and historic university town. During this period I worked to gain a few impressions …
Read More »2 million Muslims stone the devil during hajj
THE LEVANT – Two million Muslims ritually stoned the devil Saturday in the last major ritual of this year’s hajj in Saudi Arabia, while fellow believers around the world celebrated Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice. Two million Muslims ritually stoned the devil Saturday in the last major rite of …
Read More »Meet the Muslim-American Leaders the FBI and NSA Have Been Spying On
By Faisal Gill – The National Security Agency and FBI have covertly monitored the emails of prominent Muslim-Americansâincluding a political candidate and several civil rights activists, academics, and lawyersâunder secretive procedures intended to target terrorists and foreign spies. According to documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, the list of …
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