Paris attack: Gunman wearing bomb vest ‘beheads teacher outside school’ after he showed kids Prophet Mohammed cartoon
Britta Zeltmann, The Sun
16 Oct 2020, 20:01
A GUNMAN thought to be wearing a bomb vest has been shot dead by cops near Paris after allegedly beheading a school teacher with a knife.
The victim was said to be a history teacher who previously angered parents by displaying cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed to pupils.
A picture of a body lying in the road was shared on Twitter after French anti-terror prosecutors confirmed a man
had been decapitated Credit: LCI
The suspected terrorist, who is said to have shouted Allahu Akbar at the time, was reportedly an 18-year-old Chechen man born in Moscow.
He was believed to be furious that the children had been shown the cartoons.
A source told Le Parisien: "The victim had recently given a lesson to his students on freedom of expression and had shown the caricatures of Muhammad."
It led to a parent confronting the teacher with a kitchen knife before cutting his head off, the source reportedly said.
I don't think he was a parent. If so, he wasn't likely 18 years old. If he had a child in school, and in a class old enough to be taught freedom of expression, it was likely his brother or sister.
The first bloodbath took place near a school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a suburb some 25 miles from the centre of the French capital on Friday.
French anti-terror prosecutors confirmed they were investigating an attack in which a man was decapitated on the outskirts of Paris. An investigating source said: "The body of a decapitated man was found at around 5.30 in the afternoon.
"When police arrived, the person thought to be responsible was still present and threatened them with his weapons."
'WAVING A GUN'
The unidentified killer is said to have fled to the nearby town of Eragny-sur-Oise, around two miles away, where he refused to surrender.
"He was waving a gun by this time and further threatened officers," the source said.
"This is when he was shot dead by police. Around ten shots were heard."
Anti-terrorist prosecutors immediately began investigating the incident, the source said, adding that the attacker was being viewed as a "suspected terrorist".
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin was "making his way to the scene of the attack," said a spokesman for his ministry, who also confirmed as a terrorist enquiry.
If confirmed as being terror related, today's incident would be the 33rd terror attack in France since 2017.
It follows a terrorism enquiry being launched in Paris last month after two news agency staff were stabbed outside the former offices of Charlie Hebdo – the magazine where staff members were murdered in 2015 after publishing cartoons mocking the Prophet.
Those on trial (for the original Charlie Hebdo attack - which also had to do with Mohammed cartoons) range in age from 29 to 68, and are charged with providing logistics to the terrorists, including cash, weapons and vehicles.
Paris-born brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi murdered 12 people in the Charlie Hebdo offices using Kalashnikovs, before escaping in a stolen car, and later being killed by police.
A third terrorist, Amedy Coulibaly, gunned down four shoppers in a kosher supermarket and a policewoman during three days of carnage before he too was killed.
Charlie Hebdo now produces its magazine from a top-secret location, and in September re-published the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed which had provoked outrage in the Muslim world.
Yemen: Man guns down 12 family members
Dead include one-month-old baby; shooter later killed in security raid
Published: October 13, 2020 17:15
Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent, Gulf News
The man, identified as Amar Lajdah, went on a shooting rampage Monday evening in the house of the family of his estranged wife. The dead included a one-month-old baby, according to the report. Picture for illustrative purpose only.
Cairo: A man had shot dead 12 members of his family in Yemen in a crime that has shocked the nation, a media reported said Tuesday.
The man had also injured with his gun three soldiers who attempted to arrest him in Yemen’s central governorate of Al Bayda, the Yemeni online newspaper Adan Al Ghad said.
He was later shot dead in a security raid, the paper added, quoting local sources.
The man, identified as Amar Lajdah, went on a shooting rampage Monday evening in the house of the family of his estranged wife. The dead included a one-month-old baby, according to the report.
Yemen has been in the grip of devastating war since late 2014 after Iran-aligned Al Houthi militia toppled the internationally recognised government and seized parts of the impoverished country including the capital Sana’a.
‘I am not holding on to power’: Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov resigns after a chaotic October of post-election turmoil & protests
15 Oct, 2020 10:44
FILE PHOTO © Sputnik / Maxim Blinov
Kyrgyzstan’s President Sooronbay Jeenbekov announced on Thursday that he will resign, after ten days of civil unrest, explaining that he wishes to see the end of violence on the streets of the country’s capital, Bishkek.
Following a disputed election on October 4, Kyrgyzstan has seen protesters clash with law enforcement, with thousands taking to the streets to demand Jeenbekov’s resignation. Last week, the president declared his intention to resign once a new vote had taken place. On Thursday, the Kyrgyz leader changed his mind, opting to quit immediately.
Writing on the official presidential website, Jeenbekov explained that the “socio-political situation” in the country remains tense, despite his promise to leave. “I am not holding on to power. I do not want to go down in the history of Kyrgyzstan as a president who shed blood and shot at his own citizens,” Jeenbekov wrote. “Therefore, I decided to resign.”
Jeenbekov also called on Prime Minister Sadyr Zhaparov to withdraw his supporters from the streets and return the country to peace. Zhaparov, forcibly freed from prison last week by members of the street movement, was yesterday elected by the country’s parliament as PM. Upon his election, he immediately called for Jeenbekov to leave office.
Following Jeenbekov’s resignation, supporters of Zhaparov gathered on the streets to demand the dissolution of parliament and the ouster of its speaker. According to the Kyrgyz constitution, Zhaparov would then become the most powerful man in the country.
Unrest in Bishkek first began on October 4, following the country’s parliamentary elections.
Supporters of some of the country’s opposition parties refused to accept the result, taking to the streets. Protesters broke into the White House, Kyrgyzstan’s presidential residence, and also managed to release former president Almazbek Atambayev from prison.
On Wednesday evening, Moscow business daily RBK, citing a source, claimed that Russia would be suspending its financial support for Kyrgyzstan until the political situation in the country stabilizes. In 2019, Moscow donated $30 million to Bishkek, and in the last 15 years has written off more than $700 million-worth of debts.
Egypt outraged after girl is dragged to death
The 24-year-old victim was killed following a drive-by theft while on her way home
Published: October 15, 2020 16:56
Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent, Gulf News
Cairo: An Egyptian girl had been dragged to death in a drive-by theft in Cairo, an incident that has triggered massive outrage in the country.
The 24-year-old girl identified as Mariam Mohammed was walking with another on a street in the Cairo southern quarter of Maadi where a person sitting next to a driver of a speeding minibus tried to snatch her bag, witnesses said.
The girl clung to her bag as the vehicle sped off, the public prosecution said, citing an eyewitness. The victim later lost her balance and her head crashed into the front of a parked car.
“The two offenders escaped with the bag,” the prosecution added in a statement.
Video clips retrieved from surveillance cameras at the scene showed that the minibus had passed on the road at high speed, according to prosecutors.
Police investigations revealed that the offenders’ vehicle had dragged Mohammed who was returning home from work for several metres, local media reported. She worked at a state-owned bank.
Maadi prosecutors today ordered two arrested suspects in the incident remanded for four days pending further questioning on charges of murder and forced thievery, legal and security sources said.
If convicted, the accused could face life imprisonment or death penalty, according to law experts.
A hashtag reading in Arabic “The Girl of Maadi” has been trending in memory of Mariam. Commentators have posted tributes to the victim and raised questions about street safety for women.
“How long will the killing, harassment and insecurity of girls continue? RIP Mariam,” a woman named Salma Elsafty tweeted.
“Veiled girl walking Maadi didn’t reply, got killed & still people say verbal assault is harmless & still people say it’s the clothes. How long will the killing, harassment & insecurity of girls continues for God’s sake?” Manar, another commentator, tweeted in English.
In recent years, Egypt has stepped up a crackdown on harassment of women and toughened legal penalties against offenders.
Saudi Arabia: Man arrested for harassing female motorist
Put her life at risk by blocking her car and made “inappropriate” hand gestures
Published: October 15, 2020 12:22
Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent, Gulf News
Cairo: Saudi traffic authorities have arrested a male accused of harassing a woman who was driving on a road in the holy city of Mecca.
The arrest came after the woman had posted a complaint on the Saudi Traffic’s official Twitter along with a video allegedly showing the man blocking her way putting her life and those of other passengers inside her car at risk.
In her tweet, the woman said that she was accompanied by a number of family members including a baby at the time of the incident. She also accused the purported harasser of making “inappropriate” hand gestures.
In response, traffic authorities said that the suspect had been arrested.
In 2018, Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, as part of dramatic social and economic reforms championed by young Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Saudi media has since reported several incidents targeting female motorists.
Obviously, some Saudi men feel threatened by the idea of women driving. How pathetic some men are.
Tanishq controversy: Is being secular in India dangerous?
I’m living on the edge. I’m in an inter-faith marriage. I’m Indian.
Published: October 15, 2020 19:00
Anupa Kurian-Murshed, Senior Digital Planning Editor, Gulf News
DUBAI: On October 9, Indian jewellery brand Tanishq released an ad as part of their ‘Ektavam’ or "oneness" concept — a Hindu daughter-in-law was being given a traditional baby shower by her Muslim mother-in-law.
In the India of my mother-in-law, or ‘Ma’ to me, and my mother, whom I call ‘Amma’, this is part of the socio-cultural ethos of a land that is thousands of years old. It does not strike them as something different. And that is the India I inherited.
On October 11, the Tata Group, which owns Tanishq, pulled the ad. 48 hours — a giant conglomerate succumbed. Why? A massive social media hate campaign led by right-wing Hindu nationalists placed their store staff under physical threat. #BoycottTanishq
Looks like being secular in India is now a dangerous proposition. You dare suggest ‘unity in diversity’ and the troll army will descend, foaming and fuming — screaming ‘love Jihad’ in this case. Do they even understand what the word ‘jihad’ truly stands for or what the Indian Constitution means?
I’m a Christian married to a man with a Hindu mother and a Muslim father.
I was born into a democracy, an Indian citizen with the "Haq" or "right" to practise my faith while living in respect of others. Today, I feel like I’m a refugee in Tagore’s land, where I once walked with my head held high. You see, I’m a Christian married to a man with a Hindu mother and a Muslim father.
I’m not unique, there are millions like me across the length and breadth of India. Indian social media has been witness to these accounts of inter-faith marriages ever since the Tanishq controversy erupted. So, I do the only thing I can — add my voice to that wave of secularism and say to each of those who screamed #BoycottTanishq, all you really did was remind us that India is confluence.
Silence us – you will not. Welcome to life on the edge.
Kuwait court sentences Egyptian Imam to life in prison for joining terrorist group Daesh
Former imam convicted of attempting to kill US soldiers and damaging an army vehicle
Published: October 16, 2020 12:53
Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent, Gulf News
Cairo: Kuwait’s top court has upheld an earlier verdict sentencing an Egyptian expatriate to life imprisonment for joining the terrorist Daesh group and attempting to kill five US soldiers, according to Al Rai newspaper.
The convict was also charged with deliberately damaging a US army vehicle by ramming a cleaning truck he was riding into a vehicle carrying five US servicemen in an area south of the capital Kuwait City.
He was arrested in 2016 and later handed down the life imprisonment by a lower court. The Interior Ministry said at the time that police had found in the defendant’s truck a piece of paper written by him indicating his embracing of Daesh ideology, pledging allegiance to the militant group and a suspected explosive belt suggesting his intention to carry out a terrorist act.
The 32-year-old defendant, an ex-mosque imam, was injured in the 2016 collision.
Arab Youth Survey is an eye-opener
Published: October 16, 2020 10:29
Osama Al Sharif, Special to Gulf News
The findings of this year’s Arab Youth Survey, conducted annually since 2008 by ASDA’A BCW, a Dubai-based PR agency and published earlier this month, present some disturbing indicators compounded by the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey covered 17 Arab countries, conducting 4000 interviews of Arab youth, split equally between males and females, in the 18 to 24 age group — it is the only poll of its kind that delivers crucial findings about what half of the Arab population, almost 200 million, think, believe in and hope for in the MENA (Middle East - North Africa) region.
In presenting this year’s findings, Sunil John, president of ASDA’A BCW, wrote that “several of our surveys did predict future events, including the Arab Spring. The continued discontent on the street among young Arabs — especially their sense of economic, political and social marginalisation..” Aside from the importance of delving into the mindset of an important demographic component of Arab societies, the survey provides ample data that no government can do without while drawing future strategies and correcting current trajectories. It is an understatement to say that Arab youth make up the critical mass that determines the future path, politically, economically and socially, that each Arab country is destined to take.
With almost 30 per cent youth unemployment in the MENA region, one of the highest rates in the world, it is no wonder that a majority of young Arabs feel desperate about the future. One of the most disturbing findings of the survey is that more than four in 10 people aged 18-24 have considered emigrating from their home countries. About 42 per cent of all Arab youth surveyed had considered emigrating to another country, with 15 per cent actively trying to leave. This was evident especially in the Levant region, compared to the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries, where the rate of young people hoping to emigrate jumped to more than 60 per cent.
Even before the pandemic most Arab countries were still recovering from the seismic events that accompanied the 2011 Arab Spring. The issues that triggered the Arab Spring remain the same: poor leadership, rampant corruption and deteriorating economy. The COVID-19 has amplified the state of despair that young Arabs are feeling. The pandemic has had a dire effect on local economies across the region. In most Arab countries, especially in the Levant and North Africa, unemployment rates have spiked and the category that was most affected is youth. With unemployment come poverty, crime and social instability. Lebanon today is a stark example of a perfect storm where a political impasse, deepening an economic free fall amid wide corruption and mismanagement, has driven a majority of young Lebanese to actively seek emigration. According to the survey’s findings economic factors and corruption are the two strongest drivers of emigration among Arab youth.
With general disregard to the suffering of youth it is no wonder that a majority of young Arabs support antigovernment protests as is the case in Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan and Algeria. In war-torn Libya more than 85 per cent of youth surveyed expect antigovernment protests to break out. Drivers for protests include bad governance, corruption, lack of social justice, lack of political reforms, unfair taxation and lack of human rights, among others.
An alarming 77 per cent of all Arab youth report there is government corruption in their country. This is probably the single most dangerous malaise that constitutes a major driver for public despair, anger, extremism and readiness to disengage and leave. Iraq is a clear example of widespread and institutional corruption that has alienated the youth and driven many to embrace extremism.
Aside from corruption, dire economic conditions are seen as a crucial factor for Arab youth discontent. Between 2015 and 2020 those who suffered from the burden of personal debt had risen from 15 per cent to 35 per cent. About 34 per cent of Arab youth in the Levant described their current personal financial situation as pretty bad and poor. One-third of young Arabs say their household debt has increased since the pandemic. The COVID-19 effects on local economies are yet to be determined and its reverberations will be felt for many years to come. A number of vital sectors that usually employ the young, like tourism, aviation and services have been damaged as a result of the pandemic. While some governments, especially in the GCC, have been able to reduce and contain the negative effects of the pandemic, others have not.
A staggering 87 per cent of those surveyed say they are concerned about unemployment while 51 per cent say they are not confident in their national government’s ability to deal with unemployment.
There is a wealth of data to be examined in the findings of the survey. Arab governments will do the right thing by looking into such data in order to reset and adjust policies. Governments that ignore what the most active sector of the population think and believe in will continue to move in the wrong direction. The general picture is not promising and is a cause for concern but understanding the problems and acting accordingly is a small step in the right direction.
Osama Al Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.
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