Islam - MENA > Crackdown on Islamic Hysteria in Iraq; Saudis host UN peace talks; Bomb in Tel Aviv; Iranian prophecies on Israel and Mecca; Dress code for women making Umrah; Tunisia cracks down on migrants

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Iraq court jails 18 cops for failing to halt torching of Swedish embassy

over Qur’an burning

SEP 15, 2023 8:00 AM BY CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS

This is an unexpected turn of events, as the Iraqi court is showing more grit than most Western authorities in standing up to the rioting and thuggery that has followed desecration of the Qur’an.

While the West refuses to hold Muslims who resort to violence and barbarism accountable, “a government source confirmed the jail terms and said the verdict showed the Iraqi state was committed to holding people accountable for the violence.”

Good news for a change.

A contrasting example out of Denmark: Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard recently stated that Qur’an burnings “harmed Denmark and risked the safety of Danes.” He missed the boat by not recognizing that it is those Muslims who riot in the wake of Qur’an burnings who are imperiling the safety of citizens and the rule of law in Denmark. Weakness and appeasement only enables such people.

Iraq jails police for failing to halt torching of Swedish embassy after Quran burning

Reuters, September 13, 2023:

An Iraqi court sentenced 18 police officers to prison after they were found guilty of failing to prevent protesters from setting fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in July over a planned Quran burning in Stockholm.

A Baghdad court passed the sentences, ranging from 18 months to three years, on Tuesday, according to a copy of the judgment obtained by Reuters and confirmed by two interior ministry officials.

It says the officers were convicted of “abstaining from their duties to protect the Swedish embassy and to stop the persons who stormed and set fire to it.”…

A government source confirmed the jail terms and said the verdict showed the Iraqi state was committed to holding people accountable for the violence.

Hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in July and set it on fire over a planned Quran burning in Stockholm….

Strange! A Muslim country cracking down on Islamic hysteria while European countries acquiesce to it.

Saudis co-hosting UN event aimed at revamping Israeli-Palestinian

peace process, without Israel or Palestinians

by Jacob Magid, Times of Israel, September 14, 2023:

Saudi Arabia will be co-hosting an event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week focused on revamping the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, three UN diplomats told The Times of Israel on Thursday.

The event, titled “Peace Day Effort for Middle East Peace,” will take place on Monday and is being put on by Saudi Arabia along with the Arab League and the European Union in cooperation with Egypt and Jordan, one of the diplomats said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be the keynote speaker.

Neither the Israeli nor the Palestinian missions were invited to the event, the UN diplomat said, explaining that it is focused on congregating important global stakeholders on the issue in order to “reinvigorate” the peace process.

The current hardline Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to entertain the notion of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, instead moving to radically expand Israel’s footprint in the West Bank. The PA supports a two-state solution, but its leadership is marred by charges of corruption and President Mahmoud Abbas was roundly criticized last week for a speech employing a range of antisemitic tropes. Both Netanyahu and Abbas will be at the UN next week.

The PA supports a two-state solution... where did this notion come from? The PA wants nothing less than the annihilation of Jews from the Holy Land.

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Terror thwarted: Explosion in Tel Aviv park, terror suspects caught

World Israel News, September 15, 2023:

Following an explosion in the Yarkon Park in central Tel Aviv on Friday, three terror suspects were arrested.

An explosive device was planted next to a tree, according to initial reports. Noticed by a passerby, it was immediately reported to police. There were no casualties.

Several hours later, plainclothes officers from the Shin Bet, Israel’s national security agency, detained the suspects in Ramla, near Tel Aviv, blocking a major highway. No explosives were found in the vehicle.

During questioning, one of the suspects acknowledged responsibility, the Shin Bet said.

Of major interest is whether the explosive devices originated from Iran. At a conference on Sunday, Mossad spy chief David Barnea said that the Islamic Republic was “relentless” in its efforts to attack Israelis and Jews around the world….

Gholamreza Qasemian, Director Of The Iranian Majles’s Library, Museum, And Archives: Israel Will Self-Destruct Within Three Years; After That, We Will Fight Saudi Arabia And Conquer Mecca

MEMRI, August 26, 2023:

Gholamreza Qasemian, who is the head of the library, museum, and archives of the Iranian Majles, said in a lecture posted on August 26, 2023 by Sarcheshmeh Nour on Aparat (Iran) that Israel will self-destruct within three years, and that this will be followed by a “final war” in which Iran will confront Saudi Arabia and conquer Mecca. He added that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has said that it is not a problem that Saudi Arabia is accumulating weapons, since the mujahideen will capture them.

Gholamreza Qasemian: “It is really how the Leader has said that we have reached a pinnacle. I will give you a bargain. Israel only has three years left to exist. There is even no need for a war. [The Quran says:] ‘They destroy their homes with their own hands.’ [Israel] will self-destruct. There are now all kinds if signs of its [imminent] annihilation. What on Earth do we do when this happens?

“There are Quranic issues that should not be discussed openly. Only between us, I can confirm that the Arbaeen [Pilgrimage] at that time will be extraordinarily glorious, and will get worldwide attention. Who will we face at the final war? The Hejaz. Saudi Arabia, which is the America of the Arabian [Peninsula]… This will lead to the conquest of the main Qibla and the Hidden Imam will reappear there.

“Since they know this, they have snipers all around the Masjid Al-Haram. The Leader [Khamenei] said this somewhere, but never repeated it. He said that it was not a problem that the Saudis are buying lots of weapons, because these weapons will be captured by the mujahideen.”

Saudi authorities set dress code for women making Umrah pilgrimage

The attire must be loose fitting, free of ornaments and cover the body

Published:  September 15, 2023 13:49

Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent

Gulf News

Women worshippers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Cairo: Saudi authorities have set a dress code for Muslim women while performing Umrah or lesser pilgrimage at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

The kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said female worshippers are entitled to wear the attire they like during the rituals, provided they comply with certain rules.

The attire must be loose fitting, free of ornaments and cover the woman’s body, the ministry posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In other words, "We don't care what you wear as long as you are invisible."

The rules were highlighted as the Umrah season picks up momentum in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia expects around 10 million Muslims from abroad to make Umrah pilgrimage at the Grand Mosque in Mecca during the current season that got underway almost two months ago. The season began after the end of the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage that around 1.8 million Muslims attended for the first time in three years after pandemic-related restrictions were lifted.

Muslims, who cannot physically or financially afford Hajj, go to Saudi Arabia to make Umrah pilgrimage.

In recent months, Saudi Arabia has unveiled a host of facilities for overseas Muslims to come to the country to do Umrah.

Muslims holding different types of entry visas such as the personal, visit and tourist visas are allowed to undertake Umrah and visit Al Rawda Al Sharifa, where the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is located at the Prophet’s Mosque after booking an e-appointment.

Saudi authorities have extended the Umrah visa from 30 days to 90 and allowed holders to enter the kingdom via all land, air and sea outlets and leave from any airport. Women pilgrims are no longer required to be escorted by male guardians.

The kingdom has also said that expatriates residing in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are eligible to apply for a tourist visa, regardless of their profession, and be able to perform Umrah.

Tunisia expels hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants amid crackdown

Tunisian authorities expelled hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants from the port of Sfax Sunday after they were thrown out of their homes during unrest in July, a rights group said.

Issued on: 17/09/2023 - 18:18; 1 min

A migrant collapses due to exhaustion and dehydration upon his arrival in an uninhabited area near al-Assah on the Libya-Tunisia border on July 30, 2023. © Mahmud Turkia, AFP

By:NEWS WIRES

"The security forces on Sunday evacuated a square where some 500 migrants were assembled in the centre of Sfax," Romdane Ben Amor, spokesman for the FTDES non-government organisation, told AFP.

He said the migrants were "dispersed in small groups towards rural areas and other towns".

Since Saturday, authorities in Tunisia have been cracking down on illegal migrants, most of whom are from sub-Saharan African countries.

According to authorities, around 200 migrants "who were preparing to make the clandestine boat trip" towards Europe were arrested.

Tunisia is a major gateway for migrants and asylum-seekers attempting perilous sea voyages in hopes of a better life in the European Union.

Racial tensions flared in Tunisia's second city of Sfax after the July 3 killing of a Tunisian man following an altercation with migrants.

Humanitarian sources say that at least 2,000 sub-Saharan Africans were expelled or forcibly transferred by Tunisian security forces to desert regions bordering Libya and Algeria.

Xenophobic attacks targeting black African migrants and students increased after an incendiary speech in February by President Kais Saied.

He alleged that "hordes" of illegal migrants were causing crime and posing a demographic threat to the mainly Arab North African country.

Hundreds of migrants lost their jobs and housing after his remarks.

At least 27 people died and 73 others were listed as missing after being expelled into desert areas bordering Libya in July.
(AFP)

UNESCO lists ancient ruins near West Bank city of Jericho

as World Heritage Site

A U.N. conference voted Sunday to list prehistoric ruins near the ancient West Bank city of Jericho as a World Heritage Site in Palestine, a decision likely to anger Israel, which controls the territory and does not recognize a Palestinian state.

Not just Israel, but anyone with a functioning brain. Jericho was the first city in the Holy Land to be captured by the Hebrews with the spectacular help of God, as documented in both the Christian and Hebrew Bibles. That was 3,400 years ago. Palestinians have only existed for a little over one hundred years.

Issued on: 17/09/2023 - 18:31; 3 min

Tell es-Sultan archaeological near Jericho, West Bank, site is seen Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. 

© Mahmoud Illean, AP

By:NEWS WIRES

Jericho is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities on earth, and is in a part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank that is administered by the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. The listing refers to the Tell es-Sultan archaeological site nearby, which contains prehistoric ruins dating back to the ninth millennium B.C. and is outside the ancient city itself.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the U.N. World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the auspices of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.

Israel quit UNESCO in 2019, accusing it of being biased against it and of diminishing its connection to the Holy Land. Israel also objected to UNESCO's acceptance of Palestine as a member state in 2011. But Israel remains a party to the World Heritage Convention, and it sent a delegation to the meeting in Riyadh.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. Israel views the West Bank as the biblical and cultural heartland of the Jewish people.

There have been no serious or substantive peace negotiations in over a decade, and Israel is currently led by the most nationalist and religious government in its history, making any move toward Palestinian statehood nearly unimaginable.

The modern city of Jericho is a major draw for tourism to the Palestinian territories, both because of its historical sites and proximity to the Dead Sea. In 2021, the Palestinian Authority unveiled major renovations to one of the largest mosaics in the Middle East, in a Jericho palace dating back to the 8th century.

Tell es-Sultan, an oval-shaped mound, contains evidence of one of humanity's first-known villages and an important Bronze-Age town dating back to 2600 B.C. It is around 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the remains of the first city of Jericho, which contains ruins of importance to Jewish history, including a synagogue dating back to the first century B.C.

UNESCO, which refers to the site as Ancient Jericho/Tell es-Sultan, took pains to clarify that the two are distinct.

“The property proposed for nomination is the prehistoric archaeological site of Tell es-Sultan located outside the antique site of Jericho,” Ernesto Ottone, UNESCO's assistant director general, said during the meeting to discuss the site.

“Later historical developments, which span over millennia and are demonstrated by material remains beyond the boundaries of Tell as-Sultan, constitute a rich cultural context, worth of historical interest and preservation, covering among others, Jewish and Christian heritage. However, this is not the focus of the proposed nomination.”

Historical heritage has long been among the many flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides using archaeology and conservation to demonstrate what they say is their own unique connection to the Holy Land.

The Palestinian Authority, recognized a decade ago by the United Nations as a nonmember observer state, welcomed the designation of Tell es-Sultan.

President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement that it “testifies to the authenticity and history of the Palestinian people," adding that “the state of Palestine is committed to preserving this unique site for the benefit of mankind.”

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Paris-based UNESCO began the World Heritage List in 1978. It includes a broad array of over 1,000 sites — from the Acropolis in Athens to the Great Wall of China — nominated by their respective nations.

(AP)