Archive for month: October, 2015

A group of Bahraini scholars have issued a statement condemning the attacks on mourners attending Muharram ceremonies in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and emphasized that the lovers of Imam Husayn will never retreat from his path.

In statement released, a group of prominent Bahraini Shi’ite clerics have condemned the recent terrorist attack against Shi’ite mourners in the Saudi Arabian city of Sayhat and the shootings in two husayniyah’s in the Bahraini towns of al-Hamalah and Dumistan, in which the Takfiri terrorist group ISIL claimed responsibility for.

These attacks came as Shi’ite Muslims were mourning the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Husayn.

The statement said that throughout the year, the spirit of Imam Husayn, which is embodied by the meaning of sacrifice in the path of Islam, continues through the awakening of souls and enlightening minds to the principles of truth, justice, good values and the path of Imam Husayn in its various dimension with passion, vitality and without the slightest pause and weaknesses.

The statement added that groups of mourners, enthusiasts and lovers of the Ahlul-Bayt, with their eyes full of tears due to the depth of their regret and sorrow over the tragedy of Imam Husayn and with the heavenly ascent of the pure souls of these lovers of the Infallible Family of the Prophet Muhammad will continue on the path of reviving the rituals of Imam Husayn so that they can announce to all that the bloodstained convoy of martyrdom has not stopped and the victory of the oppressed over the oppressors will continue in perpetuity.
The Bahraini scholars noted that with their simple-mindedness, the Yazid’s of the present era assume that through acts of terrorism, crime and the killing of mourners they can intimidate the lovers of Imam Husayn and compel them to retreat from the revival of the lofty Husayni rituals. However, the lovers of Imam Husayn will never do such. As the Prophet Muhammad said: “Surely there exists in the hearts of the believers, with respect to the martyrdom of Husayn, a heat that never subsides.”

Referring to the attack on the mourners at the Haydari husayniyah in Sayhat, Saudi Arabia and the subsequent martyrdom of dozens of mourners there, the Bahraini scholars added that this brutal crime was in line with the corrupted thoughts of the extremely degraded and villainous Takfiri groups who lack all Islamic and human values. The attack on those mourning for Imam Husayn will not prevent these lovers from performing their rituals in remembrance of Imam Husayn, but rather it will make them more steadfast on this path.

The Bahraini scholars offered their condolences to the families of the martyrs and prayed for the speedy recovery for those injured in the attacks. They also stressed the need to confront Takfiri terrorism and to dry up the roots of this cancer. They demanded severe punishments for the perpetrators of these terrorist incidents on the Muharram mourning ceremonies in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

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Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said Iran backs the Russian bid to fight terrorism because Tehran thinks Moscow move is based on a legal request by the Syrian government.

He made the remarks here on Wednesday before leaving Tehran for the Russian city of Sochi where he is scheduled to take part in the Annual Meeting of the International Debating Club ‘Valdai’.

He said the meeting will focus on a number of most significant threats the world as well as the region face.

Given the many important crises in the region, the meeting is naturally going to discuss the chaotic security situation in the region, the settlement of which calls for convergence and active participation of countries.

He said he will use the meeting to explore regional issues with other officials participating in the event.

The Speaker stressed Iran’s support for Russia’s anti-Daesh campaign and said fighting terrorism is not a matter of short-term and tactical operations but rather an issue which demands a well-calculated plan.

Larijani left Tehran on Wednesday for the Russian city of Sochi which is hosting the 12th annual meeting for states engaged in peace and conflict situation.

He is accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular and Parliamentary Affairs Hassan Qashqavi during the one-day trip.

Sochi is hosting the first day of the Annual Meeting of the International Debating Club ‘Valdai’. This year the forum is titled “War and Peace. The Individual and the State. The Threat of Large Conflict in the 21st Century’.

The Valdai International Discussion Club is a meeting of international experts focused on Russia and its role in the world. Based on its work, the non-profit Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club was established in 2011 to conduct research and outreach work, and lead regional and general programs.

The meeting is taking place from October 19th to 22nd 2015, with the participation of nearly 130 people.

According to the chairman of the board of the Development Fund and Support for the International Debating Club ‘Valdai’, Andrei Bystritsky, 129 people are expected to participate, including 88 foreigners and 41 from the Russian side’.

Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the Black Sea coast near the border between Georgia, Abkhazia and Russia.

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The Saudi fighter jets bombed several residential areas across Yemen, reports said Wednesday.

Saudi airstrikes destroyed residential buildings in the province of Sa’ada.

Meanwhile, Saudi warplanes also bombed several areas in Ma’rib province.

On Tuesday, Saudi warplanes bombed a residential area in the Razeh district in the province of Sa’ada, killing two civilians.

Earlier, Saudi fighter jets pounded the Dar al-Shoja’ area in the Mokha port city, situated 346 kilometers (214 miles) South of the capital, Sana’a, though no reports of casualties were available.

Saudi Arabia has been striking Yemen for 210 days now to restore power to fugitive president Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh. The Saudi-led aggression has so far killed at least 6,691 Yemenis, including hundreds of women and children.

Hadi stepped down in January and refused to reconsider the decision despite calls by Ansarullah revolutionaries of the Houthi movement.

Despite Riyadh’s claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi warplanes are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

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The Western Australia state’s capital, Perth, has hosted the secret launch of the Australian Liberty Alliance, a right-wing anti-Islam political party.

The party was inducted into the Australian politics during an inaugural ceremony at a private home on Tuesday after state officials begrudged it a public venue.

Its agenda features efforts aimed at introducing a ban on face veil across Australia and stemming the flow of Muslims into the country, where adherents to the faith comprise 2.4 percent of the population.

Andrew Horwood, the party’s director, alleged that Australians sympathized with its cause.

“Islam in its current form doesn’t fit with Australian values and if we want to retain the gift of living in the greatest country in the world and passing it onto the next generation, we need to be able to have these honest and frank discussions,” he claimed.

The alliance also defended having held its inauguration ceremony in secret, alleging it had to ensure the safety of the event’s keynote speaker, controversial far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders, who is widely known for inciting hatred against Muslims and spreading Islamophobia.

The politician, who is the founder and leader of the anti-Islam Party for Freedom in his home country, addressed the event, saying, “Let us reclaim our countries. Stop the mass immigration from Islamic countries. We say no more to the governments and the Islamization process.”

West Australian Premier Colin Barnett had banned state-owned venues from hosting Wilders. “I do not support him and I do not support the things he says,” Barnett said, noting, “He can say what he wishes to, but he will not have any support from the West Australian government at all.”

The Australian party has registered with the Australian Electoral Commission and plans to field candidates in the 2016 federal election.

One Nation, a similar Australian right-wing party secured nine percent of the national vote at its peak in 1998, winning one seat in the Senate, which it lost in later years.

Earlier in the year, different locations across the country played host to far-right anti-Muslim protests and counter-rallies supporting multiculturalism.

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A Kurdish security source announced on Tuesday, that ten members of ISIS had been killed in a shelling by the international coalition on ISIS sites east of Mosul (405 km north of Baghdad).

“the international coalition aircraft launched this morning massive air raids targeting ISIS gatherings in Shakholi village in Khazar area (45 km east of Mosul),” pointing out that, “The raids resulted in killing ten elements of the organization” the source said.

The source, who asked to remain anonymous, also added: “The raid caused big losses in the ranks of the organization”.

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