Muslim World League chief leads religious diplomacy push at Geneva summit

MWL Secretary-General Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa delivered the forum’s opening speech. (SPA)
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Updated 14 June 2022
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Muslim World League chief leads religious diplomacy push at Geneva summit

  • Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, called for support of medical workers to help them carry out their duties in saving the lives of refugees and displaced persons

GENEVA: The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League has taken part in a summit of major international organizations to coordinate responses to accelerating global challenges.

The forum, held in Geneva, Switzerland, was launched under the title: “Cooperation between International Organizations in the Humanitarian Fields.”

It included — in addition to the MWL and the World Council of Churches — the World Health Organization, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Food Programme and a group of prominent international leaders in humanitarian work.




Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general

MWL Secretary-General Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa delivered the forum’s opening speech.

He expressed appreciation for the outstanding humanitarian efforts carried out by WHO in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other international governmental and nongovernmental organizations that carry out pioneering humanitarian work.

However, he expressed his regret that “humanitarian work has not reached the required level of solidarity and sympathy, and the gap between the rich and the poor remains wide, despite the existence of one international system.”

Al-Issa added: “We do not object to the existence of the rich and the poor, as this is the nature of life, but we call on the rich to alleviate the suffering of the poor by supporting them, especially with the necessities of life such as food, medicine and education.




Kelly T. Clements

“It is painful, for example, to see the rich obtain a COVID-19 vaccine while the poor do not get it, or do not get it until late, or get only some doses.

“There is also another reason that drives and even motivates humanitarian work, which is the religious aspect.”

The MWL chief described the religious motive “as one of the strongest, most vital and sustainable motivators of humanitarian action.”

He stressed that it is a faith motive linked to heaven, “and everything related to the creator, glory be to him, has a strong cord that is not affected by any emergency and cannot be severed.

“This is why we believe that voluntary work is one of the strongest pillars of the work of humanitarian organizations around the world, the most important of which is what is based on a religious motive related to the creator. Honest and abstract religious feelings heal wounds, quench thirst, feed the hungry, educate, train and sponsor orphans and widows.”

Al-Issa said: “It should be noted that it is important for the relevant international organizations to have performance measurements for countries in the field of humanitarian work, and they should honor public and private institutions, and individuals who have outstanding efforts in humanitarian work, whether in the field of food, health, education, training or others, including helping the marginalized and the abused, and those subjected to forced labor, particularly human trafficking crimes.”

He reviewed the efforts of the MWL in humanitarian work around the world, stressing that its premise is “faith and humanity without any discrimination,” religious or otherwise. He announced the MWL’s plan to launch an international award to promote the most important efforts in service of humanitarian work.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, called for support of medical workers to help them carry out their duties in saving the lives of refugees and displaced persons.

He said: “I grew up in a war zone, and the smell, sounds and scenes of war dominated my senses. I recall these painful memories every time I’m visiting a combat zone, and I wish that would stop immediately.”

The UNHCR speech, delivered by Kelly Clements, emphasized that peace is the “permanent cure for the displacement crisis,” as well as the cure for many of the hardships facing human beings today. Clements warned that the crisis of displaced people in the world is so huge that no organization can handle it alone.

Secretary-General of the WCC Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca said that despite the importance of the work of international humanitarian agencies, national and local faith-based organizations are the vanguards and long-term foundations of humanitarian relief and development. He said that church members do not carry out humanitarian work for the sake of evangelization or other agendas, but to pursue their identity as Christians.

Jagan Chapagain, secretary-general of the IFRC, said that the availability of local leadership for humanitarian work is a vital issue, “and we saw how closures for health reasons and travel restrictions tied our hands in organizations, and the only bet was on local associations.”

He added that the challenges facing humanitarian work are not limited to wars and conflicts, but include climate change, economic collapse and discrimination in all its forms, in addition to the effects of COVID-19.

WFP Executive Director David Beasley warned that rising food prices and inflation have pushed more than 48 countries around the world into situations of instability, political unrest, rioting and protest.


Clashes in Mozambique after opposition leader calls for protest

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Clashes in Mozambique after opposition leader calls for protest

MAPUTO: Police in Mozambique fired tear gas and deployed dogs to disperse protesters in the capital Maputo on Thursday, after the opposition called a demonstration against the contested election results.
The southern African nation has been rocked by violence since the Oct. 9 vote won by the Frelimo party, which has been in power for almost 50 years.
Leading opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, who says the results were false and that he won, called for a mass protest on Thursday, saying in an interview that it was a “crucial moment” for the country.
“I feel that there is a revolutionary atmosphere ... that shows that we are on the verge of a unique historical and political transition in the country,” said Mondlane, speaking from an undisclosed location.
The 50-year-old former radio presenter said he could not reveal his whereabouts other than to say he was not in Africa.
Several thousand people took to the streets on Thursday to protest the election result, some throwing rocks and setting up barricades using burning tires and bins. “This is not so much about Venancio (as Mondlane is popularly known). It’s more about change,” said Richard, a protester who asked to be identified only by his first name.
The uprising was to reflect “the voice of the people,” he added.
“Either they change and think about the people, or the country doesn’t move forward.”
Heavily armed riot police and soldiers flanked by tanks dispersed the crowds with tear gas, according to reporters at the scene.
“It’s scary ... we’re all here shaking from time to time, we run away, but it’s going to be worth it,” said Vadi, a woman who also only gave her first name. “We want change, that’s all.”
Shops, banks, schools, and universities were closed in the coastal city, which had around 1 million people.
“Our first objective ... is certainly the restoration of electoral truth,” Mondlane said.
“We want the popular will expressed at the polls on Oct. 9 to be restored.”
He was “waging a struggle” with “national” and “historical purpose,” he added.
“People have realized that it wasn’t possible to bring profound change in Mozambique without taking risks,” he said.
“Now they have to free themselves.”
Mondlane has used social media to rally supporters onto the streets on several occasions for demonstrations that have led to clashes with police.
At least 18 people have been killed in the post-electoral violence, according to Human Rights Watch.
One local NGO, the Center for Democracy and Human Rights, has put the toll at 24.
A police officer was also killed in a protest at the weekend, Defense Minister Cristovao Chume said on Tuesday, warning the army could intervene “to protect the interests of the state.”
“There is an intention to change the democratically established power,” he added.
President Filipe Nyusi is expected to step down early next year at the end of his two-term limit, handing over to Frelimo’s Daniel Chapo, who won the presidential election with 71 percent of the vote, according to the electoral commission.
Mondlane, who has lodged a case at the Constitutional Council to request a ballot recount, said that he was “open to a government of national unity.”
The authorities have restricted access to the internet across the country, which HRW said was an apparent effort to “suppress peaceful protests and public criticism of the government.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has warned against “unnecessary or disproportionate force.”
Police should “ensure that they manage protests in line with Mozambique’s international human rights obligations,” he said.
The Southern African Development Community has called for an extraordinary summit between Nov. 16 and 20 in part to discuss developments in Mozambique.
Mondlane left the country last month following the unrest.
He initially said he would be at Thursday’s march but on Wednesday told AFP he wouldn’t return after all due to safety concerns.
“I wanted so much to be in Maputo with my people. But unfortunately, I received more than 5,000 messages ... Ninety-nine percent discouraged me from going to Maputo,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to be there.”

Russian attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia kills four, wounds 40

Updated 3 min 27 sec ago
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Russian attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia kills four, wounds 40

  • Russian forces have stepped up their attacks in Zaporizhzhia in recent days
  • “The death toll as a result of Russia’s strikes on Zaporizhzhia has risen to four,” the emergency services said

KYIV: Russian aerial attacks on the frontline city of Zaporizhzhia on Thursday killed at least four people and wounded another 40, including children, officials said.
Another two were killed in a separate attack on the eastern Donetsk region, strikes that followed a wave of overnight drone attacks, including on the capital Kyiv.
Russian forces have stepped up their attacks in Zaporizhzhia in recent days and are making rapid advances in the industrial territory of Donetsk, both of which the Kremlin says are Russian territory.
“The death toll as a result of Russia’s strikes on Zaporizhzhia has risen to four,” the emergency services said in a statement on social media.
“Forty were wounded, including four children,” governor Ivan Fedorov said in a separate statement.
Officials said earlier that a hospital had been damaged in Zaporizhzhia, which had a pre-war population of more than 700,000 people and lies around 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the nearest Russian positions.
A four-month old girl and boys aged one, five and 15 were wounded in the attacks, Fedorov said.
Officials posted images showing rescue workers pulling victims from the rubble and holding back distressed locals from getting to the destroyed buildings.
The strikes later in the Donetsk region killed two people and wounded five more in the village of Mykolaivka, the region’s governor Vadym Filashkin announced on social media.
“One of the shells hit a five-story building and four buildings nearby were damaged,” he wrote on social media.
He posted a photo of a Soviet-era residential building on fire, dozens of its windows blown out with debris littering the ground beneath it.


Grenade attack targeted Israeli embassy in Denmark: report

Copenhagen Police investigated two explosions near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen last month. (AP)
Updated 36 sec ago
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Grenade attack targeted Israeli embassy in Denmark: report

  • The grenades landed on the terrace of a house adjacent to the embassy
  • Two Swedes aged 17 and 19 have been detained

COPENHAGEN: Israel’s embassy in Denmark was likely the target of grenades thrown nearby last month, Danish media reported Thursday, citing the pre-indictment of two teenage suspects detained in the case.
Two Swedes aged 17 and 19 went before a judge in Copenhagen who remanded them for another 20 days.
Their pre-indictment, citing investigations, said they were suspected of violating terrorism laws by “throwing hand grenades at the Israeli embassy in Denmark on October 2,” the Ritzau news agency reported.
The grenades landed on the terrace of a house adjacent to the embassy, where they exploded, causing no injuries.
The two suspects were arrested at a Copenhagen railway station hours later initially on suspicion of violating gun laws.
They have since been accused of a terror offense and police, who have arrested a man in his fifties in connection with the incident, are also looking for other accomplices.
“It makes no sense to imagine this is an act they committed alone. There must be accomplices,” Ritzau quoted prosecutor Soren Harbo as saying at the start of the hearing.
The teens deny the accusations.
The case comes against a backdrop of severe tensions in the Middle East, with conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as increasing gang violence with Danish criminal gangs suspected of recruiting underage Swedes to settle scores.


Renowned Indian scholar, philanthropist Dr. Syed Shah Khusro Hussaini dies aged 80

Updated 23 min ago
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Renowned Indian scholar, philanthropist Dr. Syed Shah Khusro Hussaini dies aged 80

KALABURAGI, India: Dr. Syed Shah Khusro Hussaini, a prominent scholar, educationalist, philanthropist and chancellor of Khaja Banda Nawaz University in India’s Karnataka state, died on Wednesday evening aged 80.

Funeral prayers were held on Thursday evening at the Sharif Mosque. He is survived by his wife, two sons and three daughters.

He completed a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies at McGill University in Canada and was awarded a Ph.D. from Belford University, US, for his research work.

Since 2007 he brought significant changes to the Khaja Education Society on the organizational, administrative and functional levels. He also expanded existing institutions and was instrumental in establishing Khaja Bandanawaz Institute of Medical Sciences at Kalaburagi in 2000.

Through perseverance, he established Khaja Bandanawaz University in August 2018. As vice-president of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board and chancellor of Khaja Banda Nawaz University, he played a vital role in promoting modern and Islamic education in India.

In addition to his administrative skills, Hussaini was known for his deep and scholarly understanding of Sufism. He was awarded the prestigious Karnataka Rajyotsava Award for excellence in education by the government of Karnataka in 2017.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and other political leaders expressed their condolences over his death.

Putin congratulates Donald Trump on his election victory in first public comments on US vote

Updated 53 min 12 sec ago
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Putin congratulates Donald Trump on his election victory in first public comments on US vote

  • The Kremlin earlier welcomed Trump’s claim that he could negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine
  • ″I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president,” Putin said

SOCHI, Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on winning this week’s US presidential election and said on Thursday he was ready to speak to Trump, as any ideas on facilitating an end to the Ukraine crisis merited attention.
Putin said he was impressed with how Trump, who decisively defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to secure his return to the White House, handled himself in the moments after an assassination attempt in July, describing Trump as a brave man.