Pakistani Shia scholars urge govt to arrest Allama Irfani’s killers

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PARACHINAR, Pakistan – Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Hundreds of people including Shia leaders and clerics criticised the government for its failure to arrest the killers of Parachinar central Hussainiya, Sheikh Allama Nawaz Irfani. The renowned cleric was shot dead by as yet unidentified assailants in Islamabad on November 26.

At an event on Tuesday to commemorate his first death anniversary at Parachinar Parachinar central Hussainiya, Shia scholars paid rich tributes to Allama Nawaz Irfani. Allama Arif Hussain, Allama Mohammadi, Allama Hameed Imami, former Senator Khurshid Anwar Jawadi and Ali Irfani, son of the late cleric all urged the government to arrest the culprits and bring them  to justice.

They said Irfani was not only a leading religious scholar but had opposed extremism and terrorism at each and every forum.

The speakers added the government has not taken effective measures to nab his murderers, which shows its lack of commitment to maintain peace in the region.

Irfani’s martyrdom anniversary was observed at an earlier date in respect for Chehlum (40th).

Meanwhile, foolproof security arrangements were in place in Parachinar and its surrounding areas. Shopping centres and bazaars remained closed and entry of vehicles into the city was banned to avoid any untoward incident.

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Iran slams terrorist bombing in Beirut

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Condemning Thursday night’s terrorist bombing in Beirut, Iranian FM spokesman offered condolences to the people and government of Lebanon over the bitter incident.

Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari strongly condemned the terrorist bombing in Beirut which led to the death and injury of several innocent civilians in Lebanon.

He offered condolences to the Yemeni government and people as well as the families of martyrs and the injured.

Aansari expressed hope towards the provision of proper grounds for effective confrontation with extremist and terrorist groups as well as maintenance of the Lebanese diverse community as a symbol of coexistence and cohesion which demands solidarity of the nation, resistance of the Lebanese army and the international community’s determination in the fight against terrorism.

Following the suicide attacks in Beirut leading to at least 43 martyrs and 239 injuries, the Lebanese government declared Friday as a national mourning day.

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UN officials condemn attack in Beirut

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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Representative in Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, have strongly condemned the terrorist attack today in the Beirut suburb of Burj al-Barajneh.

“He is deeply saddened at the reported high numbers of fatalities and injured, and extends his condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and Government of Lebanon. He wishes a speedy recovery to those injured, said Mr. Ban in a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York.

In the statement, Mr. Ban reiterated the support of the United Nations for Lebanon’s institutions, including the Lebanese Armed Forces and security services, in their efforts to safeguard the security of Lebanon and its people.

“He trusts they will not allow this despicable act to destroy the relative calm that has prevailed in the country over the past year,” the statement added, also reiterating the need for all parties to continue to work to preserve Lebanon’s stability and security, as called for by the Security Council.

“The Secretary-General calls for those responsible for this terrorist act to be swiftly brought to justice,” the statement concluded.

Earlier in the day, Ms. Kaag also strongly condemned “the heinous” deadly attack.

“Lebanon’s unity, stability and security need to be supported and shielded at all times,” she said in statement on the attack, in which according to media reports at least 37 people were killed and more than 181 wounded by suicide bombers.

“The international community stands by Lebanon,” she added, voicing profound condolences to the families of the victims, and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

She stressed the need for those responsible for terrorist acts to be brought to justice, and expressed her strong support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and the security services.

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Twin suicide blasts kill 43 in Hezbollah area in Beirut + pics

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Twin suicide bombings rocked a busy shopping street Thursday in a Beirut stronghold of Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah, killing 43 people and wounding more than 239 in the worst such attack in years.

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour, speaking from the scene on a street of shops where vendors also sell from stalls, said many of the injured were in serious condition.

The army said the body of a “third terrorist” was found at the scene of one of the blasts after he apparently failed to blow himself up.

The attacks were the deadliest to hit a Hezbollah stronghold since the group entered the conflict in neighbouring Syria in 2013 in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

A string of them targeted areas where the group is popular throughout 2013 and 2014. In the most recent one in the southern suburbs of Beirut in June of last year, a suicide car bomb killed a security officer.

Police said two men on foot set off suicide vests Thursday in Burj al-Barajneh, a largely impoverished suburb of the city home to a mostly Shiite Muslim population.

The neighbourhood is bordered by the Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp.

There was blood on the streets, and security forces were trying to cordon off the scene and keep people from gathering.

Local television stations showed footage of wounded people being carried away by emergency services and civilians.

“I’d just arrived at the shops when the blast went off. I carried four bodies with my own hands, three women and a man, a friend of mine,” a man who gave his name as Zein al-Abideen Khaddam told local television.

– ‘Thought world ended’ –

Another described the sound of the blasts.

“When the second blast went off, I thought the world had ended,” he said.

The wounded were evacuated to several hospitals in the area, including the Bahman hospital in neighbouring Haret Hreik.

“We’ve received dozens of wounded people and they’re continuing to arrive,” a doctor there said.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam announced a national day of mourning for Friday, local media reported.

And former premier Saad Hariri, who leads a political bloc opposed to Hezbollah and its allies, condemned the blast as “vile and unjustified”.

Between July 2013 and February 2014, there were nine attacks on Hezbollah throughout Lebanon, mostly claimed by ISIS extremist group.

Despite ostensibly targeting Hezbollah, the victims of the attacks have been overwhelmingly civilians.

The deadliest in southern Beirut was in 2013, when 27 people were killed by a car bomb in the Rweiss district.

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Afghan spy agency freed another eight Shiite kidnapped victims

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Kabul, Afghanistan – Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Afghanistan’s spy agency freed eight people who were among a large group of ethnic minority Hazara Shias kidnapped earlier this year, the agency said.

The five men, two women and a teenager were freed Tuesday in Ghazni province, the National Directorate of Security said in a statement, reports AP.

The NDS said they were among 31 Shia Muslims abducted earlier this year, but gave no further details.

A group of 31 Hazara Shias, believed at the time to be men, were forced off buses in Ghazni in February. Of the abductees, 19 were freed in May and the rest remain unaccounted for. Senior government officials said at the time that the so-called Islamic State group was behind the abductions.

The NDS statement made no comment on who was responsible, referring only to “terrorists.”

Hazaras, who are predominantly Shiite, have been targeted in several large-scale kidnappings this year, prompting demonstrations and sit-ins in the capital Kabul and elsewhere.

The beheaded bodies of seven Hazaras were found in Zabul, neighboring Ghazni, on Saturday. The four men, two women and a child had been kidnapped up to six months ago, officials said.

The NDS disissed Taliban claims that IS was responsible for the beheadings. Rival Taliban factions have been fighting in the region for days.

The bodies were being transported from Ghazni to Kabul, ahead of a demonstration planned for Wednesday near the presidential palace, according to an organizer, Daud Naji.

About 100 people gathered in a Kabul park yesterday demanding a day of mourning for the Zabul victims. President Ashraf Ghani condemned the killings and vowed to track down the perpetrators.

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Photos: Ashura procession in Zurich, Switzerland

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Catholic Church Bans Teaching Islam in UK Schools

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The Catholic Church in Britain has become embroiled in controversy after it effectively banned schools from teaching students about Islam as part of religious studies on Sunday, Express newspaper reported.

Under new General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) reforms, UK schools are required to teach more than one faith in religious studies, which came as part of a governmental plan to integrate students from different religious backgrounds, and it is intended to drive extremism out of classrooms.

The education reforms were drawn up after the ‘Trojan Horse’ plot, in which individuals were found to have been introducing fundamental Islamic teaching into Muslim schools in Birmingham. However, Muslim leaders have said the plan hasbackfired as Catholic schools have ruled out teaching Islam to students. Catholic schools have opted to only teach students about Judaism alongside Christianity. This decision effectively rules out teaching about the world’s second biggest religion.

Iqbal Sacranie, the former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that this decision has undermined Pope Francis’s message of greater tolerance between the faiths. He urged Catholic leader Cardinal Vincent Nichols to think again.

Paul Barber, director of the Catholic Education Service, said that teaching about the Jewish faith would ensure pupils are given a solid grounding in Christianity. He continued that students could learn about other religions during typical religious education lessons.

It is noteworthy that critics say that a significant numbers of pupils who attend Catholic Church schools in Britain come from an Islamic background and that the Catholic Church has more than 2,000 schools under its domain in the country.

“This is not a good decision. It does not reflect well on the messages that are coming out from the Church for greater tolerance of other faiths”, said Sacranie. “This is a difficult time for religions, and the last thing you would expect is a major faith making such a statement”.

Rabbi Jonathan Romain, the minister of Maidenhead Synagogue in Berkshire, said: “I urge all religious authorities to allow individual heads the freedom to decide what is best for pupils”.

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Ashura ceremony at Khatam al-Nabieen school of Kabul, Afghanistan / Photos

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Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Ashura mourning ceremony held at Khatam al-Nabieen school of Kabul capital of Afghanistan. Renowned politician such as Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, engineer Muhammad Khan, executive vice president of the National Unity Government, Minister of the Interior, Head of the Department of National Defence, senior scholars, and other important figures participated in the ceremony.

Imam Hussein (the grandson of Prophet Muhammad) and his companions were martyred on Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram (Lunar month), which falls on 24th October 2015 this year. Muharram ceremonies symbolize the eternal and unwavering stance of truth against falsehood and humanity’s struggle against tyranny, the cause for which Imam Hussein was martyred.

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