MUMBAI: Leaders of prominent Islamic groups and mosques in India appealed to fellow Muslims on Monday to suspend plans for protests against derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) made by two members of the ruling Hindu-nationalist party.
The message to avoid big gatherings was circulated after demonstrations took a violent turn last week, leading to the death of two Muslim teenagers and the wounding of more than 30 people, including police.
“It is the duty of every Muslim to stand together when anyone belittles Islam but at the same time it is critical to maintain peace,” said Malik Aslam, a senior member of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a Muslim organization that operates in several Indian states.
Early this month, two senior members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made remarks that offended Muslims. A party spokeswoman made the offending comment in a television debate and a party spokesman on social media.
The party suspended both of them and said it denounced any insult toward any religion, and police have also filed cases against the two, but that did not stop enraged Muslims taking to the streets in protest.
Police arrested at least 400 suspected rioters during unrest in several states and curfews were imposed and Internet services were suspended in some places.
Many Muslims in India have been questioning their place in society since Modi came to power in 2014, playing down his roots in a powerful Hindu-nationalist group to which his party is affiliated.
Critics say his BJP has pursued a confrontational line, promoting the idea that India is a Hindu nation and rounded on “anti-national” opponents, which many Muslims see as an attempt to marginalize them, a community that makes up 13 percent of India’s billion plus population.
Authorities in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday demolished the home of a Muslim man linked to the riots, drawing condemnation of the state government, led by the BJP, from constitutional experts and rights groups.
Muslims and rights groups interpreted the destruction of the house as punishment for the riots but state authorities said it was because it was illegally built on public land.
“We are not demolishing houses to stop Muslims from protesting as they have all the right to take to the streets,” an aide to the state’s hard-line Hindu leader told Reuters.
Modi has not commented on the anti-Islam remarks that sparked the protests even as condemnation grew abroad.
Countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Iran, important trade partners for India, have lodged diplomatic protests.
Indian Muslim groups urge followers to shun protests over anti-Islam comments
https://arab.news/j5f4a
Indian Muslim groups urge followers to shun protests over anti-Islam comments
- Muslims in India have been questioning their place in society since Modi came to power in 2014
- Indian authorities demolished the home of a Muslim man, drawing criticism from rights activists
India is undergoing transformative change, says Indian CG in Republic Day message
- India celebrates 76th Republic Day on Sunday
- Relationship between Saudi Arabia and India continues to thrive
On the occasion of the 76th Republic Day of India, I extend my warmest greetings to all Indian nationals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to our esteemed friends in the country.
Republic Day is a time to reflect on the values that shape India, honor the sacrifices of our forebears, and celebrate our continued progress as a nation.
The Constitution of India beautifully outlines the principles that form the foundation of our nation’s remarkable journey. It is a source of pride for every Indian to be part of this ongoing story, one of hope, resilience and success.
Today, India is undergoing transformative change, with significant progress in infrastructure, technology and industrial development. Our economy, now the fifth-largest globally, is poised to become the third-largest in the next few years. We are expanding connectivity, supporting innovation and building a future-driven workforce, all while navigating global challenges.
The bilateral relationship between India and Saudi Arabia continues to thrive, with high-level bilateral visits and engagements becoming increasingly frequent; growing cooperation across trade, energy, defense, and cultural domains; and many new opportunities for collaboration.
We extend our sincere gratitude to King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the nation’s government and its people for their care and the warm hospitality extended to the 2.5 million Indians living in the Kingdom. The Indian community remains a vital bridge between our nations, contributing significantly to Saudi Arabia’s growth and prosperity.
We also express our sincere appreciation for the cooperation in facilitating the safe and enriching experiences of Indian pilgrims during Hajj and Umrah. We look forward to further strengthening this partnership to ensure the best experience and safety for our pilgrims during the upcoming Hajj 2025.
As we celebrate the 76th Republic Day, let us continue to work toward a future of peace, prosperity and deeper ties between India and Saudi Arabia.
Happy Republic Day to all. Jai Hind!
— Fahad Ahmed Khan Suri is India’s consul general in Jeddah.
Elon Musk addresses German far-right rally by video link
- Musk told a gathering of thousands of AfD supporters in the eastern city of Halle that their party was “the best hope for the future of Germany“
- “The German people are really an ancient nation which goes back thousand of years“
HALLE, Germany: US tech billionaire Elon Musk gave a video address to a campaign rally of Germany’s anti-immigration AfD party Saturday, his latest show of support ahead of the country’s election next month.
Musk told a gathering of thousands of AfD supporters in the eastern city of Halle that their party was “the best hope for the future of Germany.”
Musk has raised concern from some mainstream leaders who have accused him of interfering in European politics with comments on his social platform X about politicians in countries including Germany and Britain.
He also drew criticism this week for making a public hand gesture that was seen by some as resembling a straight-armed Nazi salute.
“The German people are really an ancient nation which goes back thousand of years,” he said in Saturday’s address.
“I even read Julius Caesar was very impressed (by) the German tribes,” he said, urging the supporters to “fight, fight, fight” for their country’s future.
He said the AfD wanted “more self-determination for Germany and for the countries in Europe and less from Brussels,” a reference to European Union authorities.
Musk is a close associate of US President Donald Trump, who has appointed him to head a new department of “government efficiency” in his administration.
Like Trump, the AfD opposes immigration, denies climate change, rails against gender politics and has declared war on a political establishment and mainstream media it condemns as censorious.
Ahead of Germany’s February 23 elections, it is polling at around 20 percent, a new record for a party that has already shattered a decades-old taboo against the far right in post-war Germany.
The mainstream conservative grouping CDU/CSU leads on about 30 percent.
Hegseth sworn in as US defense secretary
- Hegseth pledges to “restore the warrior ethos” in the Pentagon
- Former Fox News personality narrowly won Senate confirmation amid concerns over inexperience
WASHINGTON: Former infantryman and Fox News personality Pete Hegseth was sworn in as US defense secretary Saturday, having narrowly won Senate confirmation despite allegations of alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct and concerns over inexperience.
Pledging to “restore the warrior ethos” in the Pentagon, Hegseth in brief remarks thanked President Donald Trump for selecting him and Vice President JD Vance for his tie-breaking vote in the Senate that allowed his nomination to pass.
Vance’s vote Friday evening was only the second time in history a vice president had to intervene to save a cabinet nominee and came after three Republicans — including former leader Mitch McConnell — cast ballots against Hegseth.
The razor-edge result underscored concerns about Hegseth, who takes over the Pentagon with war raging in Ukraine, the Middle East volatile despite ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza, and as Trump expands the military’s role in security on the US-Mexico border.
The 44-year-old is a former Army National Guard officer and Bronze Star recipient with previous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Until recently, he worked as a co-host for Fox News — one of Trump’s favored television channels.
Hegseth has a combative media personality, fierce loyalty and telegenic looks — common hallmarks in Trump’s entourage.
Supporters say Hegseth’s deployments give him the insight to run the Defense Department better than more experienced officials who would normally be considered for the job.
Speaking Saturday after his swearing in, Hegseth said he was thinking of “the guys that I served with on the battlefield, the men and women who I locked shields with and put my life on the line with.”
“We’re going to think about those warriors with every single decision that we make,” he said.
In confirming him, Republicans brushed aside his lack of experience leading an organization anywhere near the size of the Defense Department — the country’s largest employer with some three million personnel.
They also approved Hegseth despite allegations of financial mismanagement at veterans’ nonprofits where he previously worked, reports of excessive drinking, and allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in California.
Trump has stood by him, telling reporters on Friday that he’s “a very, very good man.”
Asked during his confirmation hearing last week about criticism he has faced, Hegseth said there was a “coordinated smear campaign” against him, and that he is “not a perfect person, but redemption is real.”
The thrice-married father of seven has frequently proclaimed his Christian faith, and began his remarks Saturday by saying “All praise and glory to God, his will be done.”
He credited his successful nomination to “Jesus and Jenny” — his wife.
Rescue teams empty 1,500 tons of oil from Russian tanker
- The mishap resulted in a devastating oil spill that damaged miles (kilometers) of coastline along the Black Sea
- Two Russian ships, the Volgoneft-239 and the Volgoneft-212, were badly damaged in stormy weather in December
MOSCOW: Rescue workers have successfully removed almost 1,500 tons of oil left onboard a tanker that ran aground last year in southern Russia, officials said Saturday.
The mishap resulted in a devastating oil spill that damaged miles (kilometers) of coastline along the Black Sea.
Two Russian ships, the Volgoneft-239 and the Volgoneft-212, were badly damaged in stormy weather in December resulting in thousands of tons of low-grade fuel oil called mazut spilling into the Kerch Strait.
A crew from Russia’s Marine Rescue Service siphoned away the remaining 1,488 tons of oil left in the grounded Volgoneft-239 in a six-day operation, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev said Saturday in a post on the Russian government’s official Telegram channel.
Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov announced that the damaged tanker would be drained earlier this month but workers found it was continuing to leak oil into the water.
The Volgoneft-239 will now be cleaned and prepared for being dismantled, Savelyev said. The fate of the second tanker, the Volgoneft-212, remains undecided after the boat sank beneath the waves.
So far, oil from the spill has washed up along beaches in Russia’s Krasnodar region, as well as in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Crimea and the Berdyansk Spit, some 145 kilometers (90 miles) north of the Kerch Strait. President Vladimir Putin earlier in January called the spill “one of the most serious environmental challenges we have faced in recent years.”
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said Saturday that more than 173,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil have so far been collected by the weekslong cleanup effort, with thousands of volunteers joining the operation.
Zelensky expresses hopes US, Europe will be involved in Ukraine peace talks
- Zelensky said Ukraine also needed to be involved in any talks about ending the war
KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes Europe and the United States will be involved in any talks about ending his country’s war with Russia, he told reporters on Saturday.
At a joint news conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Zelensky said Ukraine also needed to be involved in any talks about ending the war for such negotiations to have any meaningful impact.
