The Saudi Mufti Prohibits giving money for Iftar charity, legitimizes slavery

The Saudi Mufti Prohibits giving money for Iftar charity, legitimizes slavery

    Monday, April 08, 2024   No comments

Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority, issuing a religious decree concerning the practice of giving Iftar sadaqa in the form of cash (money), provided reference that can be seen as legitimizing slavery despite its abolition all around the world and despite the evidence in the Quran that designated slavery as evil and encouraged Muslims to free slaves when unable to fast, break an oath, or commit other moral or legal infractions. The Fatwa comes in a time when more than 2 million people in Gaza are starved to death and could need cash provided to them through aid organizations who can only receive money from the world community.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom said, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars and Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Fatwa, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh, issued a ruling that giving Zakat al-Fitr in money is not valid “because that is contrary to the Sunnah of the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him. May God bless him and grant him peace and the Rightly Guided Caliphs who used to remove it from food.”

The Saudi Mufti added that “Zakat al-Fitr has been prescribed for all Muslims, males and females, old and young, free and slaves.”

It should be noted that other Sunni schools of law consider giving iftar charity in the form of cash (or anything of value), to be valid.

The kingdom has been run through an arrangement that granted Wahhabi scholars from Al Sheikh clan, religious power in return for their blessing of the form of governance in the kingdom under the control of the Al Saudi clan. Saudi Arabia’s official religious practices are derived from the Wahhabism, the strictest religious sect in Islamic societies and Wahhabi religious figures use textual evidence irrespective of rational facts and changed circumstances. The same sect is followed by members of al-Qaeda and the “Islamic State”.

China condemns Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus: it is a grave violation of the UN Charter and international law

China condemns Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus: it is a grave violation of the UN Charter and international law

    Wednesday, April 03, 2024   No comments

"This is a grave violation of the UN Charter and international law and a breach of the sovereignty of both Syria and Iran. This attack is of an extremely vicious nature... 25 years ago, China's embassy in Yugoslavia was bombed by a US-led NATO airstrike... we feel the grief and pain of the Iranian government and people...

To allow impunity for such reckless acts would send a seriously wrong signal and would encourage even more risky acts... the red line of international law and the basic norms of international relations has been breached time and again, and the moral bottom line of human conscience has been crushed time and again."

Why does it take the killing of non-Gazans for the West to see war crimes?

Why does it take the killing of non-Gazans for the West to see war crimes?

    Wednesday, April 03, 2024   No comments

Politico reported that the US and other Western governments were “outraged” by the “devastating” attack that killed 7 workers from the World Central Kitchen, just another a war crime. Ironically, these governments do not seem to be outraged by the fact that these seven aid workers were killed because they were in Gaza feeding 2 million people starved by a war that is enabled by them. 33,000 civilians killed in Gaza, 70% of whom are children and women, did not cause outrage to summoned Israel diplomats. But this incident does.

The news outlet reported that

 "Israel’s strike against aid workers trying to get food to residents in Gaza reverberated across Washington on Tuesday, particularly resonating because of the American death and the connections the group’s founder — José Andrés — has to the capital. Administration officials lashed out at new levels, and Israel was left struggling for damage control."

Western media provided extensive coverage as if these are the only seven uninvolved civilians killed by Israelis strikes in the past 6 months. 

For the first time in 20 years, Erdogan's party loses elections to opposition party in Turkiye

For the first time in 20 years, Erdogan's party loses elections to opposition party in Turkiye

    Sunday, March 31, 2024   No comments

According to preliminary data, the opposition party is leading ahead of the ruling party for the first time in 20 years in Turkey, and opposition mayors of major cities – Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir – have retained their positions.

Erdogan acknowledged that the ruling party did not achieve the desired results in the municipal elections, the outcomes of which indicate shortcomings at the local level.

Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and the candidate of the opposition Republican People's Party, announced that he had won a new term, and his colleague, the mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavaş, announced his victory in the elections, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that these elections are "not the end of the road."

Opposition candidates advanced in the three largest Turkish cities (Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir) after about 90% of the votes were counted in the municipal elections held on Sunday.

The Turkish President said in a speech he delivered from the balcony of the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party after midnight, "The municipal elections are not the end of the road, but they are a turning point."

He added, "The people have their say through the fund and send their warning to politicians through the fund, and this is a success for our democracy."

Erdogan pledged to analyze the results of the municipal elections frankly, and said, "We will review ourselves through constructive criticism."

Earlier, Ekrem Imamoglu announced that he had won a new term as mayor of Greater Istanbul, noting that he had an advantage of more than a million votes over his rival, Murat Kurum, the ruling party’s candidate.

Mansur Yavaş, the candidate of the opposition Republican People's Party, also announced that he had won a new term as mayor of Ankara.

According to the results published by the official Anadolu Agency, Imamoglu received 50.9% of the votes, compared to 40% for his competitor, after 94% of the votes were counted.

In Ankara, Yavaş obtained 59.7% compared to 32% for his competitor, after counting about 88% of the votes.

In all Turkish states, the Republican People's Party obtained 37.4% after counting more than 93% of the votes.

The ruling Justice and Development Party received 35.7%, while its ally, the National Movement Party, received 4.9%.

The Peoples' Democratic Party received 5.6%, and the Good Party received 3.7%.

Has US threat to force Qatar to expel Hamas out of Doha collapsed the Ceasefire negotiations?

Has US threat to force Qatar to expel Hamas out of Doha collapsed the Ceasefire negotiations?

    Sunday, March 31, 2024   No comments

Although the US has warned the leaders of Qatar as early as October that they will need to reconsider the presence of the leaders of Hamas in Doha, the US wanted to use their presence there to strike deals that it wanted. However, with the negotiations for a ceasefire going nowhere, the US administrations wanted to leverage Qatar hosting of Hamas leaders to force them to accept a proposal the Biden administration formulated. 

CNN reported recently that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “delivered a stern message to Qatar earlier this month: Tell Hamas that they must deliver on a hostage and ceasefire deal that would halt the war in Gaza or risk getting kicked out of the Qatari capital of Doha.” That threat appears to have failed to achieve its goal and worse, it may have backfired.

First, Hamas leaders are now saying that there is no negotiation because their last counteroffer was not responded to by Israel in a way that will allow them to go on negotiating. Hamas and other Palestinian factions insist that there will be a deal only when a permanent ceasefire is approved and guaranteed by the mediators, when aid is delivered to all the people in Gaza, and when Israel forces leave Gaza, when people who lost their homes are sheltered. 

Second, Hamas and other Palestinian resistance leaders took the threat of being kicked out of Doha, the same way they way forced out Turkey, and offered a demonstration of what will happen if they are forced out of Doha: they will settle in Iran. Iran seems to be willing to not only host Hamas leaders, but to host them in a formal manner—something no other host nation has done for Hamas since their days in Syria pre-2012.

Just after the conclusion of the Persian new year celebrations, leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad were received by the highest officials of the Iranian government, including a couple meetings with the supreme leader. The message is clear: you can kick us out of Qatar and when you do, we will find home in a country that recognizes us as official representatives of the Palestinian peoples. That means, if Israel or the US wants to negotiate with Hamas, they will have to find someone else other than Qatar or Egypt to mediate. China and Russia willingness to receive Hamas leaders as official representatives of the Palestinian people make Iran's move less problematic.

Based on events on the ground, Hamas leaders having to leave another country to find refuge in Iran will only make Arab countries, like Qatar and Jordan look week. The daily denotations that are growing by the day in Jordan are a good indication of this trend.

Pro-Palestinian protesters in Jordan, March 30, 2024.

Demonstrations in Morocco are escalating and demanding an end to the siege, starvation, and killing of civlians in Gaza by Israel's armed forces

Demonstrations in Morocco are escalating and demanding an end to the siege, starvation, and killing of civlians in Gaza by Israel's armed forces

    Saturday, March 30, 2024   No comments

Demonstrations and marches in support of Gaza continue in dozens of Moroccan cities, as demonstrators demand an end to the siege, starvation, and killing practiced by the Israeli occupation against the residents of the Gaza Strip for nearly 6 months.

During the solidarity march called for by a number of local non-governmental bodies, including the Moroccan Authority for Supporting the Nation’s Issues, on Friday evening, the participants denounced the continued Israeli aggression against Gaza, which they described as “contrary to all human rights and international standards.”

According to a statement by the Moroccan Authority for Supporting the Nation's Issues, the demonstrators demanded that the government stop normalization with Israel once and for all, denouncing international silence and complicity, and Arab and Islamic failure to support Palestine.

The demonstrators considered that "Israel's challenge to all humanitarian laws and standards, in light of Western support for it," is unacceptable, and demanded that the residents of Gaza be protected and that "Israel" be prevented from displacing them from the Strip. They stressed that the Rabat march is considered a continuation of the activities in support of Gaza, in parallel with the occasion of commemorating “Land Day.”

The statement added that participants in the marches raised Palestinian flags and chanted solidarity slogans in support of Gaza, such as “The people want to liberate Palestine,” “Palestine is a trust... and normalization is treason,” “We are going to Jerusalem... martyrs in the millions,” and “Despite the bombing and siege. “Free Gaza will not collapse” and others.

They called for immediate and urgent intervention and pressure to stop the war, open the crossings, and lift the siege on the Palestinians.

It should be noted that calls are continuing to organize new protests in various regions in the context of support and support for Palestine, the resistance and Gaza, in the context of the protest activities witnessed by the Moroccan street since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa flood on October 7, 2023.

The statement of the “Moroccan Authority for Supporting the Nation’s Issues” pointed out that 100 demonstrations in support of Palestine were organized in 52 Moroccan cities, explaining that “more than 100 demonstrations were organized on Friday, in 52 cities, in support of Gaza, which presents honorable images of steadfastness and struggle,” according to the statement of the authority. .

The statement also indicated that marches and demonstrations spread across dozens of cities and regions in Morocco, most notably in Tangier, Sidi Yahya, Kenitra, El Jadida, Tetouan, Beni Mellal, Chefchaouen, Chaouen, Azrou, Casablanca and Agadir.

Today, Saturday, marks the anniversary of “Land Day,” when Israel occupied vast areas of Arab population’s lands in 1976.

Palestinians everywhere in the world commemorate “Land Day,” which falls on March 30 of each year, by launching several activities in solidarity and support for Palestine and the cause.

This year's anniversary comes amid the escalation of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since last October 7, and the escalation of the settlement attack in the West Bank.

It is noteworthy that tens of thousands of Moroccans demonstrated last February in the main roads of the capital, Rabat, in rejection of the Israeli genocide against the people of the Gaza Strip, demanding an end to the normalization of relations between Morocco and “Israel.”

The demonstrators raised banners in front of the Parliament building in the center of the capital, reading: “Stop the massacre,” “Normalization is treason,” and “No embassy, no ambassador.” They also set fire to the Israeli flag.