The English website of the Islamic magazine - Al-Mujtama. A leading source of global Islamic and Arabic news, views and information for more than 50 years.
February 10, 2025
Staff
Police, prisoners wounded in fresh clash at riot-hit Ecuador prison
October 04, 2021At least one police officer and four prisoners were injured during a security operation at an Ecuadorian prison on Saturday, police and local media said.
Elite police teams entered the Litoral prison in Guayaquil after a new clash between prisoners. At least 118 people were killed in a riot between rival gangs just days earlier in the prison, and the operation is underway to regain its full control.
Police said arms, ammunition and cell phones were also seized during the operation.
The government has declared a 60-day state of emergency across Ecuador's prisons to prevent further clashes, and allow searches and other surveillance measures.
Bolivar Garzon, the director of Ecuador's prison agency SNAI, said in a press conference on Friday that 2,000 elderly, disabled and terminally ill prisoners will be pardoned and prison infrastructure will be built nationwide to reduce overcrowding.
Ecuador is suffering a wave of violence at its prisons. As many as 79 people were killed in February and 22 in July./aa
Algeria condemns French president’s remarks on colonial past
October 04, 2021Algeria on Saturday issued a statement that condemned the French president’s remarks on the colonial past.
The statement by the Algerian Presidency that was broadcast on state television said, “Macron’s remarks are an unacceptable insult to the memory of over 5.63 million martyrs who sacrificed themselves with a valiant resistance against French colonialism (between 1830-1962).”
It said numerous colonial crimes committed by France is a genocide against the Algerian people and noted statements attributed to Macron were not officially denied.
It said Algeria rejects interference in its internal affairs and the Algerian Ambassador to Paris Mohammed Anter Davud has been recalled for consultations.
Macron made a remark about Algeria on Thursday and blamed the country for hatred against France.
“Was there an Algerian nation before French colonization? That is the question,” he said./aa
Hitler teen fanatic arrested in France for planning terror attack
October 04, 2021A Hitler teen fanatic in France was arrested for planning to attack a high school and a mosque, media reports said Saturday.
French daily Le Parisien said the 19-year-old, who the newspaper called “Simon,” planned his attack at the high school where he was a student and a nearby mosque in the Seine-Maritime region in the northwest of the country.
He was detained a few days ago by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) and brought before an anti-terrorism judge on Oct. 1.
The paper said Simon planned the attack for April 20, Hitler's birthday, and before the second round of presidential elections in France.
It said there were 20 knives, at least three guns and 20 notebooks named after Hitler's book, Mein Kampf, or My Struggle, at Simon’s house.
The student described himself as "an extremist who favored Hitler's political line" in notes, it said.
The teen planned a much larger attack than the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton in the US state of Colorado on April 20, 1999, said Le Parisien. That attack killed 13 people.
It said Simon planned the attack because he was repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed by classmates at a young age and he had a list of 30 people targeted.
Simon also accused the government of not fighting “radical Islam” adequately in his plea to police, said the report./aa
Trump ask court to reopen his Twitter account
October 04, 2021Former US President Donald Trump asked a federal court to force Twitter to reopen his account, according to media reports Saturday.
Trump's lawyers filed an injunction against Twitter and CEO Jack Dorsey in a federal court in the state of Florida.
Twitter "exercises a degree of power and control over political discourse in this country that is immeasurable, historically unprecedented, and profoundly dangerous to open democratic debate," said his lawyers.
The account actively used by the Taliban administration in Afghanistan was mentioned in the petition as an example of how the company selectively applies rules.
Twitter, YouTube and Facebook permanently suspended Trump's accounts on Jan. 6 due to allegations that he contributed to the riot at the Capitol building and irregularities in the US’ 2020 presidential election./agencies
Kuwait Launches Tree-planting Campaign to Address Climate Challenges
October 03, 2021Kuwait launched on Sunday a tree-planting campaign in the Capital Governorate in an endeavor to address climate challenges.
The campaign was organized by the Kuwait Public Authority Of Agriculture Affairs And Fish Resources (PAAF). Dozens of volunteers participated in planting trees in median strip of Jamal Abdul Nasser Street.
Sheikh Mohammed Al-Yousef, head of PAAF, said in a statement that the tree-planting initiative and green border areas is a priority due to its great importance in protecting the environment and mitigating the sandstorms that usually hit Kuwait from neighboring countries.
The authority launched the campaign as an awareness event, especially for youth, to educate them about the importance of afforestation and agriculture and introducing its important role in addressing environmental issues, he added./agencies
French Islamophobia and the problem of modernity
October 03, 2021The modern French republic has a long history of attempting to Francize Islam according to the French prejudice and understanding of the principles of secularism or laicite, equality, and the French concept of refinement. Historically, such attempts have either resulted in the ostracization of Muslims or in the abuse of executional powers like denying the right to practice Islam and develop the intellectual and cultural identity of Muslim.
The infamous experiments by the French republic include former presidents and prime ministers demanding the re-edition of the Quran, the ban on the veil, and Niqab in public places.
And statements like “Islam is in global crisis” made by the incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron along with the French government’s decision to proscribe the preeminent Islamic publishing institution, Nawa Editions, are the recent additions to the French Islamophobia.
France’s right-wing interior minister, Gerald Darmanin tweeted against a Muslim publication house, Nawa Editions, alleging it of selling books that promote Islamic history through Muslim figures who fought in the name of faith, like the biography of the seventh-century Muslim military commander Khalid-Ibn-Al-Walid. He also accused Nawa Edition’s editorial to be “Anti-Universalist and in direct contestation of western values.”
In response, Nawaeedition’s statement condemned the “purely political” decision by the state and expressed their alarm at the “drift” of the French political model “towards executive dissolutions of Muslim organizations without due process.”
There have been consistent efforts by the French government to debilitate the French Muslim community and their efforts to empower the French Muslim community on all facets. During a high-profile speech on secularism and Islam last October, French President Emmanuel Macron said that “ Islam is a religion which is experiencing a crisis today, all over the world”, and there was a need to “free Islam from France from foreign influences.”
Two months later the French government unveiled draft legislation to combat what it terms “Islamist separatism” or the ideological enemy of the republic. The bill gives the government and the executive unilateral powers to shut down Muslim establishments, institutions, and to detain any person without judicial scrutiny on firsthand.
While discussing the series of efforts made by the French authorities and public figures to Francize or modernize Islam, it is quintessential to critically examine the segregating nature of French modernity and its attempt to de-authorize the Islamic intellectual and their cultural agency. And how this impacted Muslim life and its apparent involvement in the global discourses on the question of justice must be studied.
It would be insurmountable to understand the basis of this violent and unjust treatment of Muslims, blacks, and other indigenous civilizations in Europe without scrutinizing the cultural and ideological ideals of European refined white-man-centric modernity. And for this, the nature of the modern French republic must be analysed along with their attempts to de-authorize and modernize Islam, which eventually leads to the exclusion of Islamic culture and expatriation of the Muslim population.
In this circumstance, we start by examining the nature of modernity and precisely what the French modern republic means by using the terms liberty, freedom, and secularism. And while interpreting this question, it’s predetermined to examine whether the non-white cultures and their mode of knowledge productions come under the ambit of the terms secularism and liberty.
Winin Pereira in his celebrated work, The Global Parasites, points out that the basic principles which stand as the fundamental base work of European modern nations such as liberty, equality, fraternity, secularism, and democracy, functions by centering refined people according to the concept of liberal humanism and its understanding by the European renaissance. In other terms, the concept of secularism, liberty, freedom, equality, and democracy has never been a right or privilege of the people who choose to follow a non-white centric philosophy or civilization, and neither the concept of natural justice is rendered for their intellectual and historical attempts to re-define the concept of civilization and justice.
This observation made by Winin Pereira is crucial because it gives us an insight into the basic nature and structure of modern European nation-states. While Islam has always been a critic of modernity’s concept of civilization and justice, the European modern nation-states have always been reluctant to accept the political and intellectual agency of Islam and Muslims as a democratic counter-narrative and decried the political intelligentsia of Muslims. Apart from Islam, it is worth to point that, European nation-states have always been reluctant to accept any other cultural and intellectual contributions and have been harsh towards their attempt to assert their cultural identity-related symbols as normal and the injustice they suffered from European white Man’s “Universal Culture and its expressions as well as from their criminal justice system.”
While discussing the centuries-old forms of racial violence in the European continent, American historian Matti Bunzl observes that during the period of world wars and also in the contemporary period, the fundamental nature of the right to freedom which is exercised in Europe has been intolerant towards the oriental and African cultural expressions, especially towards Jews until the defeat of Nazi Germany in world war II, and has been violent towards Islamic community and towards their demand for justice, and since after the 9/11 attack, the European and American governments have gained tremendous recognition for suppressing Muslim political and social engagements and have successes in terrorizing the Muslim academics involvement and have initiated large scale attempts to erase the Islamic spiritual texts and the Muslimness it produces.
The recent decision made by the French government should be seen from this angle, which is conspicuously an attempt to erase the religious and cultural identity and Muslimness of French Muslims. To succumb before such a nefarious experiment would mean that such experiments are efficient to suppress the political spirituality and the empowerment of Muslims, and would set a precedent before the world which would be fuel to the Islamophobic experiments worldwide./ maktoobmedia
Animosity towards Islam to grow in post-corona era, Erdogan says
October 03, 2021Erdogan received Chairman Köksal Kuş of the Union of International Democrats and the delegation accompanying him at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Office in Istanbul.
“The damages caused by the pandemic have started to become visible along with the normalization. The scenes seen at petrol stations and markets in the UK in the past several days are just a few examples of the failure the pandemic caused in the supply chain. It is highly probable that similar problems will emerge in other countries as well in time. Xenophobia and animosity towards Islam will become more widespread as economic hardships increase in the post-Corona era. The oppression you come under, the complaints conveyed to our missions abroad, and the statistics on hate speech demonstrate the alarming levels of animosity towards Islam and Turks has reached. With its relevant institutions, our state will of course continue to follow this issue, which directly threatens the peace, security, and welfare of yours, our citizens,” Erdogan said in his speech at the meeting.
“Cultural racism is a universal problem”
Underscoring that cultural racism is a universal problem that adversely affects not only Turkish citizens but also all the foreigners and migrants in Europe, Erdogan stated: “Our non-governmental organizations taking initiative and concerning themselves with the issue will further consolidate the basis of our cooperation with other Islamic and migrant communities. In this regard, I consider it to be highly beneficial for the Union of International Democrats to get more engaged with this issue and intensify its efforts.” (ILKHA)
Cultural racism 'universal problem': Turkish president
October 03, 2021Turkey's president said on Friday that cultural racism is a "universal problem" that adversely affects all foreigners and migrants.
"Cultural racism is a universal problem that affects not only us and our citizens but also all foreigners and all migrants in Europe," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at Dolmabahce Presidential Office in Istanbul, meeting with the Union of International Democrats (UID) delegations.
Non-governmental organizations' taking the initiative and embracing the issue will also strengthen the cooperation with other Muslim and immigrant communities, Erdogan added.
"In this respect, I see huge benefit in the UID's intensifying its work by further putting this issue on its agenda," he added.
Xenophobia and Islamophobia will become more widespread with the increasing economic difficulties in the post-pandemic period, Erdogan noted./aa
“Israeli” army arrests 2 Palestinians on Gaza border
October 03, 2021“Israeli” forces on Saturday arrested two Palestinians for allegedly attempting to cross into “Israel” from the Gaza Strip, according to the military.
A military statement said the two were caught in possession of a bag of hand grenades and were being interrogated by Israeli security forces.
The “Israeli” army bans Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from entering the 300-meter area adjacent to its border with the enclave and shoots or arrests anyone who breaches it.
In recent months, the “Israeli” army has made several announcements of arresting Palestinians along its border with Gaza for allegedly attempting to sneak into its territory.
More than 2 million Palestinians live in Gaza under poor living conditions as a result of the Israeli blockade imposed on the territory since 2007./agencies
Global climate strikes, environmental protests in September 2021
October 03, 2021Strikes, demonstrations and protests for the environment continued across the globe in September, with protesters demanding more decisive action to tackle climate change.
Activists and citizens continued online campaigns and street protests while maintaining social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Events included Fridays for Future protests launched in 2018 by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, and worldwide campaigns against anti-environmental practices and attitudes, including this year's global climate strike as well as several virtual climate strikes.
Below is a timeline of protests and demonstrations compiled by Anadolu Agency:
Sept. 3
- On the first Fridays for Future strike of the month, climate activists and environmental protesters say climate crisis is a symptom of the broken profit-oriented system.
- Young climate activist from Sierra Leone Brima Hawanatu holds #schoolstrike4climate for the 11th week.
Sept. 7
- Greta Thunberg criticizes fossil fuel-sponsored climate events.
Sept. 10
- Second #FridaysforFuture strike in September, climate activists and environmental protesters getting ready for the Global Climate Strike on Sept. 24.
- Climate and environment activists in New Zealand complete their 106th week of a climate strike in front of parliament.
Sept. 14
- Drawing attention to the impact of climate change, German activists enter day 16 of a hunger strike in front of the German Chancellery in Berlin.
Sept. 15
- Nine days before the Global Climate Strike, Fridays for Future movement urges everyone to join the struggle and "#UprootTheSystem with us."
Sept. 17
- Fridays for Future holds third strike of the month with climate activists and environmental protesters raising awareness about climate change and environmental issues.
Sept. 21
- Four activists from Youth for Green Communities hold a climate strike, marching for 25 kilometers (16 miles) in Uganda to raise awareness on investing in clean energy, as well as demanding the government pass a climate bill.
Sept. 23
- Environmentalists mark Loss and Damage Awareness Day to criticize using fossil fuels. The Fridays for Future movement says "This #COP26 can only be successful with the creation of a #LossAndDamage fund."
- Eight Indonesian activists arrested for protesting the UN Food Systems Summit in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta.
Sept. 24
- Tens of thousands of climate activists around the world demonstrate as part of Global Climate Strike.
Greta Thunberg leads the rally in Berlin, which demands politicians to take stronger action to curb climate change. According to a statement, over 800,000 people take part in over 1,500 locations.
Sept. 25
- Around 35,000 protesters in front of Argentina's national congress hold demonstrations, demanding "climate justice and social justice."
- Environmentalist Remy Zahiga from the Democratic Republic of Congo shares video footage on Twitter, calling "Save Congo rainforest," seen as one of the most important wilderness areas left on Earth.
Sept. 28
- Activists, including Great Thunberg attend pre-COP meetings in Milan, Italy. She censures global leaders over their promises to address the climate emergency, saying their action amounted “blah, blah, blah.”
- The Fridays for Future movement announces next Global Climate Strike on Oct. 22, saying: "But we're not yet done. We strike again this October 22 to keep the pressure up on world leaders!"/aa
