Showing posts with label Islamic Societies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Islamic Societies. Show all posts

Monday, November 25, 2024

Morocco's Islamist Benkirane: The role of Islamists is not to seek power

    Monday, November 25, 2024   No comments

Morocco is a country of political contradiction, and the interview with a former head of government show how and why.

Former Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane stated in an interview with Aljazeera that he has a philosophy that others do not agree with him on, as he does not believe in the saying that “Islam is the solution.” In this context, he considers that the saying “Islam is the solution” contains a contradiction, and asks, “Why is Islam the solution? People’s problems are related to housing, good education, good health services, and other demands.” Benkirane opposed the idea that Islamists can dispute power and rule according to Islamic law, and this is in his view a “dead end,” adding that “what Islamists say is not what they call for: Islam is the solution.” 

Former Moroccan Prime Minister, who was a guest on the program “Al-Muqabla,” confirmed that he has a philosophy that others do not agree with him on, as he does not believe in the saying that “Islam is the solution.”

Benkirane, who is the Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party, considers “the conflict between Islamists and the ruling authority a sin,” because it leads Islamists into the labyrinths of seekers of authority throughout history, and whoever seeks authority and rule will either be killed, imprisoned, marginalized, or victorious and ruled. Benkirane believes that the Islamists made another mistake when they interpreted what happened to them in the way of seeking the Sultan as a trial for the sake of God, and he says that this prevented them from paying attention to their mistakes.

The former Moroccan Prime Minister stresses that the role of Islamists is not to seek the Sultan and rule, proving his position by saying, “I did not find in the Holy Quran or in the hadith of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, anything called seeking the Sultan or rule,” and he noted that he only found the saying of God Almighty: “I only want reform as much as I am able,” meaning that the role of the Muslim is to contribute to reform.

On the other hand, the former Moroccan Prime Minister addresses the issue of normalization between Morocco and the Israeli occupation in his speech on December 10, 2020.

Benkirane responded to a question about the signing of the normalization agreement by an Islamist party (the Justice and Development Party): “We were surprised, as was the whole world, by the signing of Saadeddine El Othmani (the Prime Minister), and none of us had any knowledge, and I personally did not know.”

On the other hand, the Moroccan Islamist described the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation as “a gift from God Almighty,” because “the Palestinian cause was almost over and Al-Aqsa Mosque was almost lost,” and he considered that the lessons of the Al-Aqsa Flood are endless. Benkirane also reviewed his political career that began in the sixties and seventies, where he began this path in the ranks of the left, then joined the “Islamic Youth” organization in 1976, from which he separated in 1981, to establish with others the “Islamic Group,” and among those who were with him were Mohamed Yatim, Saadeddine Othmani, and Abdullah Baha, leading to the establishment of the “Islamic Group Association” in 1983.

Although politicians who participate in the political process in the country perpetuate the myth sharing political power or the power of the people derived from "elections", the reality points to the fact that all power rests with the King. As colloquial language in Morocco shows, the King's palace is the store of power, makhzen, and the power of the king comes from God, which explains why a 10 year old son of the king is more powerful than an elected head of government: Moroccans bow and kiss the hand of the child future king, and that includes the head of the government who also must bow and kiss the hand of the child.

Aware of problem of seeing a child's hand kissed by everyone including elected leaders, but still wanting to benefit from the gesture of obedience at the same time, the King's Palace launched a PR campaign claiming that the prince does not want to have his hand kissed. If that was the case, the Palace could have made it against protocol to even attempt to kiss the hand. But then, that would force the King to give up a source of power. So, instead, they decided on having their cake and eating at the same time... a common strategy that has been used by the monarch in Morocco to continue to rule and force Moroccans to submit to his rule.


Monday, November 18, 2024

Media Review: Malaysia will not recognize the occupation entity under any circumstances

    Monday, November 18, 2024   No comments

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim affirmed his country's full commitment to supporting the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people in various international forums, stressing that Malaysia will not recognize the occupation entity under any circumstances.

Ibrahim indicated - in an interview with Aljazeera Mubasher - that he was subjected to great pressure due to his declared positions against Israel, but he stressed that his country will continue this approach without change.

In the context of his speech, the Malaysian Prime Minister likened the path of the former heads of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, to the path of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, who struggled to liberate his country from the apartheid regime.

Ibrahim called for the necessity of expelling Israel from the United Nations, noting that Malaysia is currently working on a draft resolution to submit to the United Nations General Assembly in light of the continued Israeli crimes against the Palestinians, including targeting civilians and hospitals. Malaysia has also submitted a request to the International Court of Justice to hold Israel accountable for its crimes in the Gaza Strip, stressing that it will continue its legal and diplomatic efforts in all regional and international forums.

Ibrahim said, "We have not left any international or regional forum without raising our voices loudly in it to support the rights of the Palestinian people and establish their independent state and work to end their tragedy."

Malaysia's Position

At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru, Ibrahim expressed his country's support for Palestine to US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, but noted that they "did not listen."

The prime minister accused these countries of colluding with Israel by remaining silent on the ongoing crimes in the Gaza Strip and the occupied territories since October 7, 2023. He wrote on the "X" platform that the West "continues to turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed by Israel, which makes it a de facto partner in these crimes against humanity."

Ibrahim stressed that his country continues to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, including treating wounded women and children in Malaysian hospitals. He also praised the role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in providing humanitarian relief, noting that Malaysia will continue to support its activities in the sector.

At the end of his speech, the Malaysian prime minister sent a message of solidarity to the Palestinian and Lebanese people, calling on them to stand firm in the face of challenges. "Stand firm, we are with you, we support you and we pray for your victory," he said.

In December 2023, Malaysia announced a ban on ships flying the Israeli flag and preventing ships heading to Israel from loading goods at its ports. The government explained that these measures come in response to Israel's continued violations of international law and humanitarian principles.

This position comes after a similar one was declared by Saudi Arabia, which stated that "normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel is not on the table until the "two-state solution" is achieved and a Palestinian state is established.

Friday, November 08, 2024

Indonesia and China relations: Prabowo visits Beijing for first state visit, as Singapore connects its economy to China

    Friday, November 08, 2024   No comments

At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Prabowo will pay a state visit to China from Friday to Sunday. President Xi will hold a welcoming ceremony for him, and the two heads of state will hold talks. Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, will meet with him respectively, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport, China, at 6:25 p.m. local time on Friday for his inaugural state visit, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

Accompanied by his son, Didit Hediprasetyo, Prabowo disembarked from the Boeing 737-700 BBJ presidential aircraft and was greeted with a guard of honor performed by the People’s Liberation Army. A young girl then presented the Indonesian head of state with flowers.

Chinese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Han Jun, received Prabowo and his officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, at the airport.

Spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, said earlier that Prabowo's decision to choose China as the first stop on his inaugural overseas tour reflects the importance of Indonesia-China bilateral ties.

Another neighbor to China, and significant Muslim influence, Singapore, is also strengthening relations with China. The Singapore Business Federation (SBF) organized the 7th Singapore-China Trade and Investment Forum (SCTIF) in Shanghai on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE), with 15 memorandums of understanding valued at more than S$60 million ($45.26 million) signed, setting the stage for new growth opportunities and strengthening bilateral partnerships. 



Saturday, October 26, 2024

Macron to Netanyahu: Defending civilization is not about sowing barbarism

    Saturday, October 26, 2024   No comments

10/25/2024 : French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's description of the war on Gaza and Lebanon as a "war of civilization," saying that "defending civilization is not done by sowing barbarism."

The tension between Netanyahu and Macron continues to escalate after the latter called for an arms embargo on Israel.

In a speech he delivered in Paris during the opening of the international conference in support of the people and sovereignty of Lebanon, on Thursday, Macron responded to Netanyahu's description of the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon as a "war of civilization against barbarism."

Macron said: "Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the war of civilizations or civilizations that must be defended, but I do not believe that civilization is defended by sowing barbarism."

In an interview with French media on Wednesday, Netanyahu said that "Israel is waging a war of civilization against barbarism."

He continued: "We are not only fighting for ourselves, but for you as well."

Previously, Macron called on Israel to stop killing Gaza's women and babies.


Related, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, warned the world of a "big fire, after losing its humanity by ignoring the conflicts in the Middle East." Borrell said that "the world is on the brink of a big fire, and as long as the war continues in Gaza and Lebanon, we will remain on the edge of a spark that ignites a bigger fire."

Borrell's statement came to the Spanish radio "RNE", commenting on the genocide committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip for more than a year, and its aggression on Lebanon since September 23. The European official pointed out that the United Nations confirms that the Gaza Strip is witnessing the most violent and dangerous humanitarian crisis the world has witnessed since World War II. Borrell added, "What is happening in the Middle East shows that we have lost our humanity."


An Arab country with a peace treaty with Israel just blasted the government of Israel for statements made by one of its ministers. Jordan condemned, the extremist efforts of the Israeli government to change the status of the occupied Palestinian territories, the latest of which was the call by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to apply Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.


On Sunday evening (Oct. 27), Smotrich called during a conference held in occupied Jerusalem to apply Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

He said in a video clip he shared on Monday via the "X" platform that "the land division agreements did not succeed and will not succeed, simply because they want the whole country," referring to the Palestinians.

He added that "Palestinians who agree to adopt the decision (annexing the West Bank and Gaza) will be granted the benefits of Israeli citizens," and "whoever refuses this will be displaced, and whoever refuses both will be treated as a terrorist."

In response, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it "condemns in the strongest terms the extremist racist provocative statements made by Smotrich, calling for the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories, expanding settlements therein, and displacing Palestinians from them."

The ministry considered these statements "a flagrant violation of international law and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent, sovereign state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

It stressed "the Kingdom's rejection and condemnation of these provocative settlement calls, in a blatant violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution 2334, which condemns all Israeli measures aimed at changing the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem."

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry stressed that "the racist ideology evident in the statements of the Israeli Finance Minister is an extension of the extremist policy of the Israeli government, which continues its aggression on Gaza, besieges the northern part of the Strip and prevents the entry of food and medicine to its residents in an attempt to displace them from their homes."


 [This news story was update to include related developments]

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Indonesia's new government is introduced with emphasis on diplomaticy

    Wednesday, October 23, 2024   No comments

With President Prabowo inaugurating 48 cabinet ministers in his new government, the Indonesian foreign ministry, the country's agency responsible for connecting Indonesia to the world, will be run head by Sugiono and bolstered by three deputy foreign ministers--Anis Matta, Arrmanatha Nasir, and Arif Havas. 

Anis Matta, who is tasked with handling Indonesian diplomacy with the Islamic world, said that the Palestine issue would be his main focus.

"We have a Constitutional mandate to help Palestine's independence, and I think all our efforts as the Indonesian nation—both political diplomacy and humanity—will be demonstrated to help Palestine's independence," he said in a statement released on Tuesday.

"The war in Palestine will be a game changer. The final result of this war will change the constellation not only in the Middle East but at the global level," he added.

President Prabowo Subianto officially appointed Sugiono, the deputy chairperson of the Gerindra Party, as Indonesia's new foreign minister, replacing Retno Marsudi.



Friday, July 12, 2024

Imran Khan's party's presence in parliament gains strength months after the elections

    Friday, July 12, 2024   No comments

Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan is eligible for 23 additional seats in parliament, adding pressure on the country's weak coalition government.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party ran as independents in the Feb. 8 election after being barred from taking part, and won the most seats, but the Election Commission said independents were ineligible for the 70 seats reserved for political parties only.

On Feb. 20, two major parties, the military-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), announced they had reached a power-sharing deal that would return Shehbaz Sharif to the premiership after this month's election failed to produce a clear winner.

The committee ordered the reserved seats to be distributed to other parties, most of which belonged to the ruling coalition parties.

The reallocation of the 23 reserved seats does not affect the parliamentary majority of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government, but the decision strengthens the political position of Khan’s supporters, who have accused the Election Commission and the interim government that oversaw the elections of rigging the elections to deny them victory.

Under Pakistani electoral rules, 70 seats are allocated to parties, 60 to women and 10 to non-Muslims, in proportion to the number of seats won by each party. This brings the total number of seats in the National Assembly to 336.

Khan was ousted from power in 2022 after falling out with the country’s powerful military leaders, while the military denies interfering in the country’s politics.

It is noteworthy that Imran Khan has been behind bars since August 2023, after he was arrested by the police, as he faces long sentences on corruption charges, but he says there are political motives behind the charges, aimed at removing him from power.


Followers


Most popular articles


ISR +


Frequently Used Labels and Topics

40 babies beheaded 77 + China A Week in Review Academic Integrity Adana Agreement afghanistan Africa African Union al-Azhar Algeria Aljazeera All Apartheid apostasy Arab League Arab nationalism Arab Spring Arabs in the West Armenia Arts and Cultures Arts and Entertainment Asia Assassinations Assimilation Azerbaijan Bangladesh Belarus Belt and Road Initiative Brazil BRI BRICS Brotherhood CAF Canada Capitalism Caroline Guenez Caspian Sea cCuba censorship Central Asia Chechnya Children Rights China CIA Civil society Civil War climate colonialism communism con·science Conflict Constitutionalism Contras Corruption Coups Covid19 Crimea Crimes against humanity Dearborn Debt Democracy Despotism Diplomacy discrimination Dissent Dmitry Medvedev Earthquakes Economics Economics and Finance Economy ECOWAS Education and Communication Egypt Elections energy Enlightenment environment equity Erdogan Europe Events Fatima FIFA FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup Qatar 2020 Flour Massacre Food Football France freedom of speech G20 G7 Garden of Prosperity Gaza GCC GDP Genocide geopolitics Germany Global Security Global South Globalism globalization Greece Grozny Conference Hamas Health Hegemony Hezbollah hijab Hiroshima History and Civilizations Human Rights Huquq Ibadiyya Ibn Khaldun ICC Ideas IGOs Immigration Imperialism india Indonesia inequality inflation INSTC Instrumentalized Human Rights Intelligence Inter International Affairs International Law Iran IranDeal Iraq Iraq War ISIL Islam in America Islam in China Islam in Europe Islam in Russia Islam Today Islamic economics Islamic Jihad Islamic law Islamic Societies Islamism Islamophobia ISR MONTHLY ISR Weekly Bulletin ISR Weekly Review Bulletin Japan Jordan Journalism Kenya Khamenei Kilicdaroglu Kurdistan Latin America Law and Society Lebanon Libya Majoritarianism Malaysia Mali mass killings Mauritania Media Media Bias Media Review Middle East migration Military Affairs Morocco Multipolar World Muslim Ban Muslim Women and Leadership Muslims Muslims in Europe Muslims in West Muslims Today NAM Narratives Nationalism NATO Natural Disasters Nelson Mandela NGOs Nicaragua Nicaragua Cuba Niger Nigeria Normalization North America North Korea Nuclear Deal Nuclear Technology Nuclear War Nusra October 7 Oman OPEC+ Opinion Polls Organisation of Islamic Cooperation - OIC Oslo Accords Pakistan Palestine Peace Philippines Philosophy poerty Poland police brutality Politics and Government Population Transfer Populism Poverty Prison Systems Propaganda Prophet Muhammad prosperity Protests Proxy Wars Public Health Putin Qatar Quran Rachel Corrie Racism Raisi Ramadan Regime Change religion and conflict Religion and Culture Religion and Politics religion and society Resistance Rights Rohingya Genocide Russia Salafism Sanctions Saudi Arabia Science and Technology SCO Sectarianism security Senegal Shahed sharia Sharia-compliant financial products Shia Silk Road Singapore Slavery Soccer socialism Southwest Asia and North Africa Space War Sports Sports and Politics State Terror Sudan sunnism Supremacism SWANA Syria Ta-Nehisi Coates terrorism Thailand The Koreas Tourism Trade transportation Tunisia Turkey Turkiye U.S. Foreign Policy UAE uk ukraine UN under the Rubble UNGA United States UNSC Uprisings Urban warfare US Foreign Policy US Veto USA Uyghur Venezuela Volga Bulgaria Wadee wahhabism War War and Peace War Crimes Wealth and Power Wealth Building West Western Civilization Western Sahara WMDs Women women rights Work World and Communities Xi Yemen Zionism

Search for old news

Find Articles by year, month hierarchy


AdSpace

_______________________________________________

Copyright © Islamic Societies Review. All rights reserved.