Zambia’s Muslims have joined hundreds of millions of coreligionists around the world in celebrating Eid al-Fitr, but with a special view of reaching out to their non-Muslim countrymen. “As part of Eid celebration, we will share food and drink with our neighbours and we shall give gifts to those who are in need, without considering the religion they belong to,” National Coordinator of the Zambia Islamic Council Judas Adam Phiri was reported as saying on 29 July.
By doing so, Phiri hopes, the spirit of the Eid would help boost the country’s sense of unity and harmonisation, especially with the nation celebrating the 50th anniversary of independence from Britain next October. “Unity is our strength. We have been united all along. We have to do all it takes to remain united as Zambians,” he said. Reflecting on the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Phiri seemed quite satisfied at a tendency among the country’s Muslims to dedicate part of their prayers for the nation and for its well-being.
MALAWI MUSLIMS PRAY FOR PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE
Thousands of Muslims on 28 July gathered for the prayer of Eid al-Fitr, amid calls for peaceful co-existence among religions. “We want peace in the world. Where people have differences, peaceful means should be employed to resolve the differences,” former transport minister Sadik Mia, a devout Muslim, said. Held under the theme “Islam for peace and coexistence”, thousands of Muslims gathered for the prayer at the Chichiri Stadium Upper Ground in the commercial city of Blantyre. Mia, a local business magnate, said Islam is a religion of peace.
“Muslims must lead by example and preach peaceful coexistence among religions,” he said. The ongoing Israeli offensive on the blockaded Gaza Strip also dominated the Muslim prayer.
MUSLIMS PRAY FOR S. SUDAN PEACE
Thousands of South Sudanese Muslims converged on 28 July for the prayer of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadhan. Addressing worshippers at the Al Zarah playground in Juba, Sheikh Juma Said Ali, the chairperson of Central Equatoria Muslim Council, called for peace and stability in South Sudan. “We, Muslim communities in South Sudan, support peace and condemn the killings among South Sudanese,” he told the congregation.
“This is a time to work together as South Sudanese to build a strong nation,” he said. The Muslim leader also called for rallying efforts to fight hunger in the world’s nascent state.
ISIS LEADER ABU BAKR AL BAGHDADI TRAINED BY ISRAELI MOSSAD, NSA DOCUMENTS REVEAL
The former employee at US National Security Agency (NSA), Edward Snowden, has revealed that the British and American intelligence and the Mossad worked together to create the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), reports said on 16 July. Snowden said intelligence services of three countries created a terrorist organisation that is able to attract all extremists of the world to one place, using a strategy called “the hornet’s nest”. NSA documents refer to recent implementation of the hornet’s nest to protect the Zionist entity by creating religious and Islamic slogans. According to documents released by Snowden, “The only solution for the protection of the Jewish state “is to create an enemy near its borders”. Leaks revealed that ISIS leader and cleric Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi took intensive military training for a whole year in the hands of Mossad, besides courses in theology and the art of speech.
MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS MARCH AGAINST ISIL IN BAGHDAD
A mixed group of more than 200 Muslims and Christians marched on 20 July in the Iraqi capital to protest against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) rebel group, which banish Christians from the city over the weekend. Gathering in front of the Catholic church in Baghdad, where both Muslims and Christians sang the national anthem and offered prayers together.
“Our dignity is being defiled because there is no unity government and when groups such as Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds who are the heavyweight sides in Iraq are not reconciling,” Father Maysar Bahnam of Mar Korkis Catholic Church told Al Arabiya, adding “even imams were executed by ISIL in Mosul because they did not obey the militant group orders.”
“There was a man who was escaping Mosul with his elderly handicap mother, but he was forced to give his car and her medicine to ISIL. He had to carry his mother on his back,” Father Maysar Bahnam explained. “Unfortunately this creates a bad image for Muslims,” he concluded.
BENGHAZI FIGHTING CONTINUES, MORE DIPLOMATS FLEE LIBYA
After a fortnight of the worst fighting since the 2011 war that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, most Western governments have followed the United States and United Nations pulling their diplomats out of the North African country, reports said on 30 July. The French government said it had temporarily closed its embassy on 30 July, and evacuated 30 French nationals from Tripoli just a few days after the U.S. embassy evacuated its staff under heavy military escort across the Tunisian border.
Except for sporadic shelling away from the ceasefire zone around the fire near the capital’s international airport, Wednesday (30 July) was the quietest day in the capital Tripoli for two weeks, with less smoke seen from the blaze.
MORE THAN 2,300 SYRIANS KILLED DURING RAMADHAN
More than 2,300 people were killed by fighting in Syria during the holy month of Ramadan, a human rights group has reported. The London-based Syrian Network for Human Rights said that of the 2,378 deaths it had recorded, 1,932 were attributed to forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, including 350 women and children and 142 people subjected to torture. ISIL militants were responsible for 273 deaths, including 21 women and children and 62 civilians, the network reported, and another 19 died in fighting between rival rebel groups.
Other opposition fighters killed 98 civilians, including 46 women and children, the statement added, giving no further information on the outstanding 416 deaths. The network says more than 126,000 – of which 106,000 were civilians – have been killed since the conflict began. The United Nations’ last verified count in July 2013 put the toll at 100,000.
BELGIUM SEEKS TO LABEL PRODUCTS FROM ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS
Belgium on 29 July advised retailers to clearly label the origin of products made in Israeli settlements that are in occupied territories of Palestine. The non-binding recommendation has nothing to do with escalating conflict between Israel and Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip, the Belgian Economics Ministry said, noting that Britain and Denmark already had similar labelling in place.
The labels Belgium has in mind would mainly apply to fruit and vegetables grown in Jewish settlements in the Jordan Valley of the West Bank. But they could include products such as sparkling water made by SodaStream and cosmetics by Ahava which both have production facilities in the West Bank.