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Saudi writer calls for removal of Hadith books from heritage
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191128-saudi-writer-calls-for-removal-of-hadith-books-from-heritage/
“A Saudi writer has called for the removal of books of Ahadith (Prophetic narrations) and Fiqh (Jurisprudence) from Islamic heritage because the Qur’an alone is sufficient according to him.
Abdul Rahman Al-Ahdal from Dammam, who regularly tweets about religious and social reform in the Middle East, questioned “If we erased all the jurisprudence and hadith books, and remained only on the book of God, would Islam lack anything?”
Taking a Quranist approach, which rejects following Ahadith and views guidance and sources of religious law to be exclusively based on the Qur’an, Al-Ahdal also quoted scripture, “If you are in a state of major impurity, cleanse yourselves” adding: “These four words [in Arabic] are sufficient to teach you the necessity of purification. The problem is you see volumes of books whose contents people cannot verify and which are attributed to God and his messenger.” However, he stopped short of explaining how one would adhere to or implement such commandments, which the vast majority of Muslims would argue are comprised in the Ahadith.
“So, who is more unjust than the one who fabricates a lie against Allah in order to misguide people without knowledge?” he said quoting further verses, “Tell me where is the [Quranic] verse ‘now whoever so wills may believe and whoever so wills may deny‘ being implemented? Is it being practiced by the people who recite the Qur’an or the others?” in reference to some Muslims not adhering to principles of freedom of religion.
His views were not without their supporters, however some did bring forth the argument that without the Prophet’s narrations, one would not know how to perform religious obligations including wudu (ablution) and prayer.
However, there is a rich history in scrutinising and criticism of Hadith in early and late Islamic history, including those volumes classified as “Sahih”, or authentic. Researcher of the primary sources of Islam, especially hadith, Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq explains:
“Given the fact that except a few (less than a dozen) hadith that are mutawatir (yielding certainty of knowledge), almost all hadiths, including the sahih ones, are probabilistic in yielding knowledge. [his emphasis]”
“Hence, it is much desired that hadith is used more as a source of information as well as moral inspiration and wisdom.””
Turkey signs maritime boundaries deal with Libya amid exploration row
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191128-turkey-signs-maritime-boundaries-deal-with-libya-amid-exploration-row/
“Libya’s internationally recognised government and Turkey have signed an agreement on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea that could complicate Ankara’s disputes over energy exploration with other countries, Reuters reports.
Turkey, which announced the accord and a deal on expanded security and military cooperation on Thursday, gave no details of their memorandum of understanding and did not specify where Turkish and Libyan waters meet.
Libya’s neighbour Egypt dismissed the deal as “illegal”, and Greece said any such accord would be geographically absurd because it ignored the presence of the Greek island of Crete between the coasts of Turkey and Libya.
Tensions are already running high between Athens and Ankara because of Turkish drilling in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of the divided island of Cyprus, and the European Union has prepared sanctions against Turkey in response…”
UPDATED: Egypt condemns MoUs signed between Turkey, Libyan PM
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/356811/Egypt/Politics-/UPDATED-Egypt-condemns-MoUs-signed-between-Turkey,.aspx
“Egypt condemns the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MoU) by the Turkish and Libyan prime ministers on maritime borders and security, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
“The two memoranda of understanding have no legal effect, they cannot be officially recognised in light of the Skhirat Agreement’s Article 8, which stipulates that the [Libyan] government or the cabinet, not the prime minister, have the authority to sign international agreements,” the Egyptian foreign ministry said.
Earlier on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognised government Fayez Al-Serraj signed two MoUs on security and maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean.
“It is well known that the current Libyan cabinet lacks ministers and representation of different Libyan regions, and thus the role of the prime minister is limited, and so making agreements with other countries is considered a blatant violation of the Skhirat agreement,” the ministry said.
“These two agreements do not have any effect or impact on the rights of the countries on the Mediterranean or maritime borders in the Mediterranean region,” the ministry added.
The foreign ministry called on the international community to oppose this “negative move,” which comes at a critical time amid international efforts to facilitate a comprehensive solution to the Libyan crisis in a way that protects the country’s unity and restores its national institutions.
The ministry also expressed Egypt’s concern over how such agreements could impact the Libya talks in Berlin.
Talks with the foreign ministers of Greece and Cyprus
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoury discussed on Thursday the signing of the MoUs in phone calls with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias and Cypriot FM Nikos Christodoulides.
Shourky and his counterparts agreed that the MoUs have no legal standing and that PM Saraj exceeded his authority as prime minister and violated the Skhirat Agreement.
They also agreed that these agreements will not affect the countries of the Mediterranean in any way.”
Egyptian court jails 44 defendants in 2013 Al-Fath Mosque violence retrial
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/356800/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-court-jails–defendants-in–AlFath-Mosque.aspx
“A Cairo criminal court on the terrorism circuit on Thursday sentenced 44 defendants to jail terms ranging between three and ten years, in a retrial on charges related to the Al-Fath Mosque clashes in Cairo in August 2013.
The court sentenced four defendants to ten-year terms, five to seven years, 32 to five years, and three to three years.
Four other defendants were acquitted of the charges.
The convicted defendants were charged with murder, attempted murder, desecrating and vandalising the mosque, endangering the public, destruction of public property, obstructing traffic, and possession of firearms and ammunition on 16 and 17 August 2013 the mosque in central Cairo, in relation to events that occurred in the aftermath of the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi.
In September 2017, a Cairo criminal court sentenced 22 of the defendants in the case to life in prison.
The court also sentenced 21 others to life in prison in absentia.”
Spain Warns Citizens of Terrorism Threats in Tindouf Camps
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/11/287761/spain-citizens-terrorism-threats-tindouf-camps/
“Spain has warned Spanish citizens active in the Polisario-run Tindouf camps in Algeria of the high risks of terrorist attacks. In a radio interview earlier today, Margarita Robles, the Spanish Interior Minister, urged Spanish citizens already in the camps to be vigilant, saying that the region is the target of “serious” terrorist threats.
“This is about a real threat, confirmed by foreign secret services working in the region,” the Spanish minister said in the interview with Cadena Ser, a private radio channel in Spain. “The risk of terror strikers is imminent in these camps and we are very preoccupied by this alarming situation.”
The statements are a follow-up to an earlier message from the Spanish foreign affairs ministry. That message, issued on a day before Robles’ interview, on November 27, called on Spanish citizens to refrain from travelling to the camps “because of heightened instability in Northern Mali and an increase in terrorist activities in the region.”
Rising levels of insurgencies and combat in the Sahel region, added the statement from the Spanish foreign ministry, have resulted in extremely “high risks of kidnappings and terrorist strikes in the region.”…”
Morocco’s UN Ambassador: We Welcome Foreigners Looking for Refuge
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/11/287730/morocco-un-ambassador-foreigners-refuge/
“Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN Omar Hilale has extended a Moroccan welcome to asylum seekers and “foreigners wishing to find refuge.”
Hilale spoke on Wednesday, November 27, at a conference in Rabat on the “Challenges to Humanitarian Law” in honor of the 70th anniversary of the ratification of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Hilale reminded attendees of Moroccan hospitality to refugees in the past, reported Maghreb Arab Press, highlighting the time when Morocco welcomed the hundreds of thousands of Jews and Muslims whom Spain had expelled in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Today, the ambassador noted, Morocco welcomes its “African brothers” who are “in search of a better life in Europe.”
For centuries the kingdom has cultivated its culture of humanism and hospitality, Hilale said….”
Turkey wants to join EU, says presidential spokesperson
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-wants-to-join-eu-says-presidential-spokesperson-149212
“Turkey is a strong member of NATO with its second-largest army and wants to join the EU as a full member, Turkish presidential spokesperson ?brahim Kal?n said on Nov. 26.
Allies must take threats against Turkey’s national security seriously and work in partnership to overcome them, he said in a program in Berlin co-organized by the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum and the Korber Foundation.
Kal?n also stressed Turkey’s determination in fighting terrorism.
Meanwhile, former Spanish prime minister on Nov. 27 said Turkey must be within the EU.
“Turkey is a significant power and it has a high capacity for bringing the west and the east together,” former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told the 10th Bosphorus Summit in Istanbul.
He said Turkish people experienced some disappointments but they should get closer to the EU.
All countries should make efforts for the peace settlement, and the current positions of the global powers are worrying, he noted.
“We should resist the nuclear armament as all countries, we cannot take chances,” the former minister added.
Saying that the east and the west should be balanced, he noted that summits such as G20 and Bosphorus are positive steps in this process.
Improvements in technology, communication and transportation devices are significant leverages for development, he added.
He also said improving communication among people brings successful results.”
Migrants: ‘EU must do more to help Greece’ – Grandi (UNHCR)
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2019/11/28/migrants-eu-must-do-more-to-help-greece-grandi-unhcr_fc019e11-2c4d-4fe7-b81a-6dfbe28ab745.html
“The UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi believes that the European Union must do more for Greece to help with the ongoing refugee crisis, while Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated the need for the EU-Turkey agreement on refugees to be “strictly honored”. Grandi is in Greece for a two-day visit as he gets up to speed with the latest developments. The Italian visited the island of Lesvos on Wednesday and met in Athens with Mitsotakis to discuss plans to deal with the burning issues.
And Grandi’s message was a welcome one for Greek ears as the country struggles to deal with an escalating crisis that threatens to return to the levels of 2015.
“Europe needs to do more for Greece, which is part of the European Union,” said Grandi. “And I’m speaking here from the perspective of a fellow European, not just as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.” He added: “We need to do more for the reception centers where all these people are staying, in Greece and in all hosting coutries, such as Italy, Malta, and Spain. Today, Greece is the country most affected by the crisis. So, my message is that we need more resources to provide solutions.” This was Grandi’s second visit to Lesvos. “The influxes of people are not quite what they were from 2015-2016, but they are definitely much larger than last year. And the living conditions of the people who are arriving in Lesvos are very bad. The numbers of Afghans and Syrians are mainly increasing again.” NO CHILD ALONE In their meetings, Grandi and Mitsotakis discussed the support of the UNHCR office in Athens and the Asylum Service, including the work being done by the latter’s staff in order to process a backlog of thousands of asylum applications.
Also in attendance were Greece’s UNHCR representative Philippe Leclerc, the UNHCR’s Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe, Pascale Moreau, and cabinet ministers.
Mitsotakis also briefed Grandi on a special initiative for unaccompanied children, called “No child alone”, which aims to provide housing for vulnerable minors, with the help of the EU, UNHCR and the Citizens Society.
But the most important point Mitsotakis and his government emphasized was the need for Turkey to strictly adhere to and respect the EU-Turkey Joint Agreement of March 2016 on migrants.
OPPOSITION TO NEW “CLOSED CAMPS” In related developments, the North Aegean Regional Council on Wednesday backed the decision of Lesvos council to reject the government’s proposal to create a new “closed pre-departure center with a capacity of 5,000 on the island, as well as similar centers proposed or Samos and Chios.
As part of their decision, which came via a landslide majority, the regional council also called for the immediate decongestion of the North East Aegean islands by speeding up transfers and relocating migrants on the mainland, boosting security forces, and supporting local communities.
This latest development complicates the Greek government’s plans which were announced only last week – to open a total of five new “closed pre-departure centers” for refugees and migrants on the Aegean islands of Samos, Chios, Lesvos, Kos and Leros in an effort to ease the overcrowding .
The new camps in theory would host between 1,000 and 5,000 people, and the aim is for the new facilities to replace the current open camps such as Moria on Lesvos and Vathy on Chios, where living conditions have become squalid due to mass overcrowding.
But it remains to be seen what the state will put forward now in the wake of such comprehensive opposition at local levels.”
Italian-made bombs helped kill 12,000 Yemeni civilians-Oxfam
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2019/11/28/italian-made-bombs-helped-kill-12000-yemeni-civilians-oxfam_49e1942f-7878-48a2-8185-cf0f742ce7d4.html
“The conflict in Yemen has caused around 100,000 deaths in four years including 20,000 this year alone, according to Oxfam.
The international humanitarian organization has been working in Yemen for decades. Since 2015, Oxfam said, some 12,000 civilians have been killed including 8,000 that died as a result of bombs dropped by Saudi Arabia that had for the most part been made in the UK, the US, France, Iran, or Italy.
In Yemen, several intertwined conflicts have been underway for years, with both local armed groups and regional and international powers involved. The war refered to in the latest Oxfam report is one that has been underway since 2015 between the international Saudi-led Arab Coalition and Houthi rebels, who are close to Iran.
Oxfam added that in over one third of the cases, these bombings killed women or children as ”collateral damage” and that there had been attacks on refugee camps, populated areas, schools, and hospitals. The international organization added that, over the past three months, the number of civilians killed had risen by 25%. Since the beginning of the year over 1,100 civilians have bene killed and 12,000 since 2015.”
Germany boosts resources to fight far right
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-boosts-resources-to-fight-far-right/a-51458345
“The assassination of a politician from Angela Merkel’s party and the anti-Semitic attack in Halle shocked German lawmakers. Authorities hope money and personnel will help confront increasing far-right radicalization.
Top of the agenda at this week’s meeting of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in Wiesbaden was the increasing prevalence of hatred and violence in German society — especially from right-wing extremists.
The recent wave of violence now poses a “threat to democracy itself,” according to BKA President Holger Münch. In October, a suspected anti-Semitic neo-Nazi extremist attempted to storm a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle, killing two people during the ensuing rampage. And in June, the pro-immigration regional politician Walter Lübcke was shot and killed by a neo-Nazi extremist.
There has also been a rise in right-wing extremists individuals who authorities suspect may be planning deadly terror attacks. In 2012, the BKA had been monitoring four such individuals, but today it is keeping tabs on 46. Münch warned that “the far right poses a pernicious and growing threat,” adding that statistically, there are three acts of far-right violence every day.
Horst Seehofer, who as Germany’s interior minister is in charge of the BKA, did not attend the summit. He was in Berlin this week for 2020 state budget discussions in the German parliament, the Bundestag. There, Seehofer managed to convince lawmakers to provide Germany’s security apparatus with extra funding and personnel. The federal police, domestic intelligence service (BfV) and BKA will benefit most from this extra money. The latter, in particular, will receive an additional €65 million ($71.5 million), boosting its total budget to €800 million, which will allow it to hire 810 new staffers.
Halle attack came ‘out of the blue’
Many of them will now be tasked with monitoring and combating Germany’s far-right. BKA President Münch said that increasingly, right-wing extremists are committing acts of violence “seemingly out of the blue,” without previously having aroused the suspicion of German authorities. The Halle attacker, for instance, had never been their radar. Many individuals like him are radicalized online, anonymously and globally. That’s why German security agencies want to expand their cooperation with their foreign agencies.
Mike Bush, New Zealand’s Commissioner of Police, spoke at the BKA conference about how the Australian Christchurch attacker had gone online to prepare for his massacre at two mosques — which he then livestreamed. The parallels with the Halle attack, where the uniformed perpetrator also livestreamed his actions, are striking.
Münch hopes to thwart attacks like these by being able to “swiftly launch in-depth investigations” online. Just like police officers patrol streets, Münch wants his agents to also “patrol” the internet.
But that could prove an almighty undertaking in the short term, as one IT expert at the conference made clear. Just 1% of German security officials are tasked with monitoring cybercrime — in the Netherlands, by contrast, 4% of officers are scanning the net for criminals and extremists.
Seehofer means business
Münch nevertheless expressed optimism, saying the planned increase in funds and personnel would allow his agency to better tackle hate crime and violence. And while he was elaborating on his strategy for achieving this, Interior Minister Seehofer received cross-party support for his tough stance on far-right extremism.
Konstantin von Notz, a security expert with Germany’s opposition Green party, sided with Seehofer, arguing that “we need to take action.” He urged the Interior Ministry to create a special task force to address the far-right danger. Indeed, Seehofer himself already suggested something along these lines in cooperation with the Justice Ministry and the Family Affairs Ministry after the Halle attack, when he presented a nine-point plan to combat far-right extremism.”
UN refugee agency rejects ‘starving migrants’ claim
https://www.france24.com/en/20191128-un-refugee-agency-rejects-starving-migrants-claim
“The UN refugee agency said Thursday it was encouraging migrants to leave a severely overcrowded Tripoli centre, but rejected as “offensive” a British daily report alleging it was “starving” asylum-seekers to force them out.
“I find that accusation offensive,” UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi told reporters in Athens.
“I don’t know where you read that report. Us, starving refugees and migrants in Libya? When my colleagues, day in, day out, risk their lives to access people that are often detained by criminal gangs?” he said.
The Guardian daily earlier Thursday said it had seen a document circulated among UN staff saying that UNHCR would “phase out” food catering in a Tripoli centre under its supervision from 31 December.
The Guardian said it had spoken to an aid worker who said “they’re just trying to starve them to motivate them to leave” and that hundreds “have apparently been without food for weeks”.
Late Thursday, the UN agency confirmed that catering at the so-called Gathering and Departure Facility (GDF) would be gradually halted as of the end of the year.
– ‘Unsustainable’ –
It explained that it was instead boosting its assistance in urban areas in Libya, which is a major transit route for migrants, because the situation at the centre had become “unsustainable”.
The centre, which was opened a year ago as a transit centre for vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers who were destined to be transferred out of Libya, had become “severely overcrowded” since July when hundreds of people arrived from a bombed-out detention centre, it said.
Some 400 more had come from another detention centre, and another 200 from urban areas, meaning that the centre with a capacity to host 600 people was now hosting nearly double that number.
UNHCR said the overcrowding was hampering its “ability to evacuate the most acutely vulnerable refugees, for whom solutions outside of Libya have been found, out of detention centres and to safety.”
UNHCR’s chief of mission for Libya, Jean-Paul Cavalieri, stressed in the statement that the agency welcomed that asylum-seekers and refugees had been released from detention by Libyan authorities, and said it would expand its programme supporting them “in urban areas so that they can get the help they need.”
According to UNHCR, some 40,000 refugees and asylum-seekers already live in urban areas in Libya, which has been mired in chaos since the 2011 uprising that killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
“We hope that the GDF will be able to return to its original function as a transit facility for the most acutely vulnerable refugees, so we are able to evacuate them to safety,” Cavalieri said.
He acknowledged though that the facility had basically become an “open centre” for urban migrants and asylum-seekers, and said that the agency would continue to provide medical assistance and sanitation services there “for the foreseeable future, based on available resources.”
But UNHCR said it would “phase out food catering at the GDF in the New Year,” but would inform people who entered the centre “informally” about the urban assistance package.
“Those with a valid claim for international protection are being offered the urban assistance package to help them move out, including emergency cash for an initial two months, relief items, access to primary health care and medical referrals,” it said.
The agency said 40 people had already agreed to this option, which did not rule out their eligibility to be evacuated or resettled outside of Libya.”
Sudan approves law to ‘dismantle’ former regime, seize property: state TV
https://www.france24.com/en/20191129-sudan-omar-al-bashir-abdalla-hamdok-transitional-military-council
“Sudanese transitional authorities approved a law on Thursday to dissolve the former ruling party and repealed a public order law used to regulate women’s behaviour under ex-president Omar al-Bashir, the justice minister said.
The two measures responded to key demands by a protest movement that helped overthrow Bashir in April.
Their implementation will be a crucial test of how far transitional authorities are willing or able to go to overturn nearly three decades of rule by Bashir, who took power in a 1989 coup and whose Islamist movement penetrated deep into Sudan’s institutions.
The law to dissolve Bashir’s National Congress Party (NCP) also allows for the party’s assets to be seized, Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdelbari said. State TV described it as a measure to “dismantle” the former regime.
The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which spearheaded the protests against Bashir, welcomed the law.
“It is an important step on the path to building a democratic civilian state,” the group said in a statement.
The law was passed during a marathon, 14-hour meeting of Sudan’s sovereign council and cabinet. The meeting saw disputes over an article that bans people who took leading posts in the former regime from practicing politics, sources with knowledge of the proceedings told Reuters.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said on Twitter that the measure was not an act of revenge, but was rather aimed at preserving the “dignity of the Sudanese people”…”