, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/economy/20201112STO91445/
Saudi Arabia has used the Muslim Brotherhood to exploit the religion of Islam
Last week, Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Scholars issued a defamatory statement against the Muslim Brotherhood, claiming that the movement is one of the worst organisations and a threat to Islamic orthodoxy. The Brotherhood, claimed the Saudi scholars, “…is a terrorist group that does not represent the approach of Islam… It is a perverted organisation that disobeys legitimate rulers, stirs up discord, conceals foul doings under the cover of religion and practices violence and terrorism. The brotherhood did not show keenness to follow the teachings of Islam or the Sunnah and hadith, but aimed rather to reach power.”
At the same time, the statement accused what is quite possibly the most moderate Muslim organisation in the world of being the incubator for many “terrorist” organisations. Even after Muslim scholars around the world expressed their shock at the statement, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, insisted that what was mentioned in the statement is accurate, and claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood “is a stray group”.
Unsurprisingly, the movement denied these outrageous allegations. “The Brotherhood… is far from acts of violence and terrorism, and the dissemination of division within the [Muslim Ummah],” said spokesman Talaat Fahmy. “It is a reformist advocacy group that calls for obedience to Allah through sharing wise and pious advice without excess or negligence.”
In response to the statement of the Saudi Arabian scholars and Al-Sheikh’s remarks, activists circulated a fatwa (religious opinion) of the late scholar Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz (1910-1999), who was the respected Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Iftaa in Saudi Arabia: “The most righteous Islamic groups and the closest to the teachings of the Prophet are Ahl Al-Sunnah, including Ahl Al-Hadith, Jamaat Ansar Al-Sunna and then comes the Muslim Brotherhood.”
READ: Israel hails Saudi ‘terror’ label of Muslim Brotherhood
Bin Baz’s opinion represented the view of the official religious bodies in Saudi Arabia and thus the official view of the Kingdom itself about the Muslim Brotherhood. So too, does the statement of the Council of Senior Scholars, so why is it so negative today when it was extremely positive in the past?
In 1936, the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Al-Saud, agreed with Imam Hassan Al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, that the organisation should take responsibility for reforming the religious principles of the new Kingdom and lay down the curricula for schools and universities. At that time, the tribal religious principles proved to be insufficient for the foundations of a modern nation state.
King Abdulaziz also needed the Muslim Brotherhood’s scholars to gentrify the tribal mentality of the Saudi citizens in order to be able to deal with the modern life of the Kingdom after the discovery of oil. The King mobilised his followers against the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century using the religious legacy of the companions of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and wanted to show his people that he was still committed to such principles while parts of the Arab world were plagued with different ideologies which blamed Islam for the difficulties in the region.
Taking up such an important responsibility in the new Kingdom was not free of obligations. King Abdulaziz set his conditions which led, during the reign of one of his many sons, for example, to the Muslim Brotherhood being asked to provide its expertise to help in the recruitment, fundraising and organisation of the Mujahideen who were encouraged by the United States and Saudi Arabia to fight the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan. According to Amin Mohammad Habla, the movement responded to this request “enthusiastically” on the basis of honouring their principle of Islamic “brotherhood”.
READ: Muslim Brotherhood responds to Saudi Council of Senior Scholars
According to Habla, this made the Brotherhood very well respected in the Kingdom, which received its leaders and members warmly, many of whom had been released from Egyptian prisons during the rule of Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Al-Sadat.
In a paper for the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy, Mohamed Qandil wrote: “Saud Bin Abdulaziz followed the same path as his father, while the Brotherhood’s second Supreme Guide Mohammed Al-Hudaybi followed in Al-Banna’s footsteps, and the close relations between the two institutions continued. Those relations were clearly manifested in Faisal Bin Abdulaziz’s position in the organisation, as the king and his ‘Islamic unity’ project were in direct confrontation with ‘Pan-Arab nationalism’ and Nasserist ideology.”
The honeymoon did not last. After the assassination of King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz, the relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood was shaken as rulers of the Kingdom saw that the outcomes of the school and university curricula did not keep up with their ambitions. They wanted absolute obedience to the ruler, but the Brotherhood brought up generations on the principles of freedom of religious beliefs and expression, including being able to express opposition to those in government.
Researchers and observers more or less agree that the opposition of the Muslim Brotherhood to the Kingdom’s request for American help to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein in 1990, and the letter to King Fahd Bin Abdulaziz on this issue by the prominent late Saudi Scholar Sheikh Safar Al-Hawali, were the main reasons for the start of the demonisation of the movement. By then the Brotherhood had become the umbrella group for most of the moderate Muslim scholars around the world.
READ: Muslim Brotherhood urge incoming US administration to end support for dictatorships
At the beginning of the 21st century, these doubts were translated into action. Under a lot of pressure, Saudi Arabia was obliged to change its policy with the Muslim Brotherhood after the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington. The pressure came from other Arab leaders who already suppressed the group, as they claimed that the Brotherhood was responsible for the existence of Al-Qaeda, which was accused of carrying out the terrorist attacks.
The Saudi government cracked down on the Brotherhood’s funding sources and closed its charitable organisations. The then Saudi Interior Minister, Prince Nayef Bin Abdulaziz, had the responsibility of fighting Al-Qaeda in the Kingdom as part of the US “war on terror”, and claimed in an interview with Kuwait’s Al-Siyasa newspaper that the Muslim Brotherhood “is the source of the crisis.”
Saudi Arabia continued to distance itself from the movement when the Brotherhood came to global prominence after the rise of the Islamists in Turkey and Palestine, who won majorities in free and fair elections.
“After the spread of the 2011 Arab revolutions, the kingdom [under King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz] began to adopt a new approach towards the Brotherhood,” wrote Qandil, adding: “During this period, some demands for reform were adopted by Brotherhood affiliates, which pushed the Saudi regime to turn against them. This was especially the case regarding neighbouring Egypt, where the kingdom applauded the removal of the Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi and supported the current regime’s firm stance against them.” Following the 2013 coup against Morsi, Egypt blacklisted the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. Saudi Arabia took the same baseless decision.
After the death of King Abdullah in 2015, his aging brother Salman took the throne. He continued the same hostile approach towards the Muslim Brotherhood even though the late Saud Al-Faisal, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, said soon after Salman’s accession: “We do not have any problem with the Muslim Brotherhood. Our problem is only with a small group affiliated with this organisation. They are the ones who bow their heads in homage to the Supreme Guide.”
Saudi Arabia’s King Salmanin Abdulaziz Al-Saud in Saudi Arabia on 1 June 2019 [Bandar Algaloud/Anadolu Agency]
That was the core of the issue. The Saudis used the Muslim Brotherhood to exploit religion when it suited them, and then wanted the movement’s affiliates to obey the government in Riyadh.
The movement’s affiliates in Yemen, who were strong on the ground during the revolution against the regime, were basically ordered to kneel down before the Saudi-led coalition which was interfering in the country. The Kingdom invited a number of Muslim Brotherhood officials, including the then leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, and asked them to mediate with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Al-Islah Party in Yemen on behalf of the Saudi-led coalition.
Following this, the now de facto ruler of the Kingdom, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, declared that the time for religious restrictions on Saudi life has ended so “the harmonious period between the Brotherhood and the Kingdom has [also] ended.”
READ: Egyptian opposition groups must take every opportunity to engage with Biden
When the Muslim Brotherhood was needed, it was praised and when it was not needed, it was demonised. This is the reason why the top religious institution in the Kingdom is defaming the moderate group in order to justify the open war against it. This approach has been hailed by Israel, which said, “We are in need for such approach.”
According to the Secretary General of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, it is “impossible” that the aforementioned statement was issued by a religious commission. “It must have been issued by the interior ministry and signed by the religious commission,” insisted Dr Ali Al Qaradaghi.
There, in a nutshell, is the malaise affecting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under Bin Salman. Religion has become a tool to stay in power, and if that means denigrating organisations like the Muslim Brotherhood, so be it. Nothing must get in the way of the Crown Prince being able to befriend the Zionist enemies of Islam in the West and, increasingly, across the Arab world.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
Buddhist Times News – Switzerland needs to include concerns of Tibetans, Uyghurs in its policy on China’
Representative ImageBy — Shyamal Sinha
Tibetans have even fewer civil and political rights than Chinese people also ruled by the Chinese Communist Party.
The Chinese government enforces its control on Tibet through the threat and use of arbitrary detentions and punishments, at times including severe violence. Any act deemed to threaten its rule can be made a criminal offence.
Amid rising criticism of China over its human rights abuses in Tibet, the Tibet Bureau Geneva has said that Switzerland needs to take a stronger stance on Tibet and include the concerns of Tibetans and Uyghurs in its Foreign Policy Strategy on China 2021-24.
Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic-speaking minority ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China .
According to a report by Tibet Bureau Geneva, Switzerland’s State Secretary Krystyna Marty held political dialogue via videoconference with China’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang on November 9 focusing on economic relations, human rights situation in China as well as COVID-19 pandemic situation in a bid to foster “sustainable relations” between the two countries as noted in the press release.
During the discussions, Switzerland tabled its concerns about the “lack of respect for human rights in China”, especially the manner of treatment of Tibetans by the Chinese authorities.
The discussions were held in the backdrop of China-based Swiss Ambassador Bernardino Regazzoni’s visit to Tibet between September 7 and 11, which was the first official Swiss visit since 2017.
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said in its statement that the Ambassador along with other 10 diplomatic missions visited Lhasa and Shigatse wherein they addressed issues such as human rights situation with the local government.
Expressing concern over the human rights situation in Tibet, the Foreign Affairs Department had assured that “the free access of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Tibet and the protection of Tibetan human rights defenders remain core demands of Switzerland”, the Central Tibetan Administration said.
The Tibet Bureau Geneva has welcomed Switzerland’s move to include the promotion of human rights as a key component of the political dialogue and for raising the human rights situation in Tibet issue.
Switzerland is one of the first countries granting asylum to Tibetans fleeing China’s brutal annexation of Tibet. Switzerland has also been a supporter of dialogue between the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and China.
The Tibet Bureau Geneva has, however, opined that Switzerland needs to take a stronger stance on Tibet and include the concerns of Tibetans and Uyghurs in its Foreign Policy Strategy on China 2021-2024. Further, Switzerland needs to consider the calls against China hosting the Winter Olympic Games of 2022, dubbed as “Genocide Games” by Human Rights activists.
Despite reassurances by the authorities of non-implementation against Tibetans, Tibetans in Switzerland are concerned by the Swiss “secret-deal” on asylum and migration with China as under this agreement, Switzerland can invite Chinese officials to interview persons of Chinese origin to facilitate their deportation to China, the Tibet Bureau said.
It further said that this deal coincides with Switzerland’s change of stance in categorising Tibetans as “Chinese” nationals and the rejection of around 300 asylum applications by Tibetans.
Meanwhile, these asylum-seekers are also facing difficulties in their “hardship-case” applications despite submitting identity cards issued by the Central Tibetan Administration proving their ethnicity, Tibet Bureau added.
Since its forceful settlement of Tibet, the Chinese Communist Party has relentlessly pushed for the persecution of religion, especially Tibetan Buddhism. By employing its state machinery, it has executed campaign after campaign to meet its objective, each more brutal and oppressive than the last.
Tibetan Buddhism spread outside of Tibet primarily due to the influence of the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), founded by Kublai Khan, which ruled China, Mongolia and parts of Siberia. In the modern era it has spread outside of Asia due to the efforts of the Tibetan diaspora (1959 onwards).
In the recent past, there have been reports of incidents of surveillance and censorship on Tibetans living in Switzerland by the Chinese authorities. This has been the case in New York and Sweden as well.
source – ANI
Samsung Bioepis and Biogen Announce FDA Filing Acceptance of SB11, A Proposed Biosimilar Referencing Lucentis® (ranibizumab)
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Opening remarks by Commissioner Gentiloni at the read-out of the College meeting and press conference on the European Semester Autumn Package
European Commission Speech Brussels, 18 Nov 2020 Good morning. Our Autumn Package is based on the economic forecast we presented a couple of weeks ago.
Our view is that we are not having a “v-shaped&rdqu…
Opening remarks by Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis at the read-out of the College meeting and press conference on the European Semester Autumn Package
European Commission Speech Brussels, 18 Nov 2020 Now that Europe is caught up in the second wave of the pandemic, we are again facing a very deep socio-economic impact.
It is a difficult time for everyone. All…
REACT-EU: additional support of €47.5 bn agreed to address impact of COVID-19 | News | European Parliament
, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20201113IPR91597/
Backed by space technology, Asia-Pacific countries power sustainable development
Released on Wednesday, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) report Geospatial Practices for Sustainable Development showcases examples from the region’s countries employing applications of space technology to advance sustainable development.
“Night-light” satellite images monitoring the impact of lockdowns, “heatmaps” to chart out communities vulnerable to the pandemic and its socio-economic consequences, real-time situational analysis, and dashboards integrating a wide gamut of critical information to support decisions are some of the practices cited.
The examples, according to the report, show how space applications and geospatial data have played an important role in providing essential location-based and temporal data to make an “overall data map” and snapshots on the COVID-19 pandemic for policymakers and the public.
Strengthening resilience
In addition, combining spatial data from contact tracing, quarantining, and social distancing with digital solutions and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven risk analytics can help enhance community resilience.
Such applications can also help in the recovery phase to build back better, by providing an evidence base for decisions on the easing of lockdown and the resumption of economic and social activities, the report added.
“The effective integration of geospatial data, with existing statistics and ground-based information, will be key to delivering the timely data needed for governments, businesses, communities and citizens to make evidenced-based decisions”, said Armida Salsiah Alisjahjabana, Executive Secretary of ESCAP.
The report, issued two years after Asian and Pacific countries endorsed an ambitious plan of action on use of space technologies to support sustainable development also provides a baseline for assessing future progress in the region.
Importance of partnerships
In addition to presenting an overview of the status along thematic areas such as disaster risk, natural resource management, connectivity, social development, energy, and climate change, the report also highlights the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships.
“Many regional and country-based efforts are sparking innovations that attract both public and private capital, supporting start-ups and spinoffs from space applications research and pilots,” said ESCAP.
The report outlined seven key recommendations for policymakers to integrate applications of geospatial information into their planning and actions towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These include investments to cultivate national experts; incorporating geospatial information into national institutions and platforms; integrating geospatial data with other data sources; employing geospatial data to create, implement and monitor policies; ensuring privacy, safety and ethics of data; providing open data access; and encouraging local to international collaborations.
South Sudan: European Union boosts resilience in Northern and Western Bahr el Ghazal states
JUBA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a €6.1 million contribution from the European Union to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities in Northern and Western Bahr El Ghazal states.
The funds will provide a four-year project to transform the livelihoods of 10,000 vulnerable households through capacity building and providing agricultural inputs and tools to increase production, reduce food losses and enhance access to markets.
“The EU infrastructure development programme, for which the EU has mobilised a total of €16 million under the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, complements and builds synergies with previous and current EU-funded interventions in the mentioned states, where priority rural infrastructures have been already constructed and are in use,” said European Union Ambassador Christian Bader.
“This programme not only addresses connectivity and food security, but also fundamental values and issues critical for a sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development such as: promotion of social cohesion, peacebuilding, gender equality, human rights protection, job creation for youths and women, enhanced incomes for poor vulnerable households and, last but not least, environmental safeguards,” he added.
“We are grateful to the European Union for its commitment to supporting vulnerable communities. The empowerment of smallholder farmers is integral to fighting food insecurity and driving economic development,” says Matthew Hollingworth WFP Country Director in South Sudan.
WFP fights food insecurity, restores livelihoods of rural populations, eliminates isolation and inequity in South Sudan through resilience building programmes such as Smallholder Agriculture Market Support (SAMS). SAMS increases agricultural production and productivity, reduce food losses and boost farm-to-market access in areas with agricultural potential and to improve rural connectivity to social services.
In the 2019-2020 harvest, WFP trained more than 10,500 smallholder farmers— 35 percent of whom were women—and distributed over 30,000 post-harvest handling materials. WFP also bought over 677 metric tons of maize, valued at over US$250,000, directly from smallholder farmers.
The European Union is a long-standing WFP partner, supporting its emergency and development work in South Sudan. It has contributed €152 million to WFP’s operations in the country over the past five years
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
Follow us on Twitter @WFP_SouthSudan and @WFP_Africa
For more information please contact (email address: [email protected]):
Marwa Awad, WFP/Juba, [email protected] Mob. + 211 92 622 1460
EU court cuts Lithuanian Rail’s EU antitrust fine by a third
BRUSSELS, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Lithuanian Rail on Wednesday had its 27.9 million euro ($33 million) EU antitrust fine cut by a third though Europe’s second-top court backed EU enforcers’ ruling that it had hindered competition by removing a track running to Latvia.
The European Commission in its 2017 decision said it was unacceptable that the operator removed the 19-kilometre (12 mile) stretch of track in 2008 after Polish oil company PKN Orlen wanted to redirect its freight to Latvian ports from its refinery in Lithuania by using another rail operator and a short route to the border.
Lithuanian Rail subsequently challenged the ruling at the Luxembourg-based General Court. Judges took the EU competition enforcer’s side.
“The Commission made no error in determining that removal of a railway track before the renovation works had even begun constituted highly unusual conduct in the rail sector,” the court said.
It however cut the fine to 20.07 million euros, citing its jurisdiction in this area and the gravity and duration of the operator’s wrongdoing.
$1 = 0.8418 euros Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Louise Heavens
