France: Hijab ban victim files complaint with UN
A Muslim student, who had been turned away from school for wearing a kimono, a Japanese garment, in France on September 5, has filed a complaint with the UN over being “discriminated against” due to her religious affiliation, Anadolu Agency reported on September 22. The controversy over the French government’s stance against hijab in schools continues with many students being turned away for wearing loose over-garments.
The 15-year-old girl, living in the French city of Lyon, has sent a complaint to Ashwini K.P, special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, over “discrimination she faced on the grounds of her religious affiliation.”
Her complaint has been sent to the UN via her lawyer Nabil Boudi who released a statement on Friday.
Criticizing the abaya ban introduced by French Education Minister Gabriel Attal, the complainant said they think that the French government has not taken the necessary steps to prevent all kinds of discrimination against women. Earlier, the female student also filed a complaint with the Lyon Public Prosecutor’s Office on the grounds that she was “discriminated against due to her religious affiliation.”
6 female university students abducted by bandits rescued in northern Nigeria
The Nigerian forces rescued six female university students abducted by bandits in Zamfara state of northern Nigeria, Anadolu Agency reported on September 22. In a statement, army spokesman Capt. Ibrahim Yahaya confirmed the rescue of students of Federal University Gusau, saying the troops pursued the abductors who took the students to the forest.
According to him, a rescue operation was launched after the abduction of about 24 female students from their rented hostels at Sabon-Gida which is a few meters away from the university.
Yahaya said the bandits invaded the student hostel of Federal University Gusau at about 3 a.m. on Friday. Three hostels were attacked and all the students were abducted, according to a report by a local newspaper, Daily Trust.
Guantanamo ‘forever prisoner’ files lawsuit against CIA torture architects
Lawyers for one of Guantanamo’s “forever prisoners” have filed a lawsuit against the two psychologists who helped conceive the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques, which have been widely seen and condemned as torture, reported Middle East Eye on September 20.
In a federal court in the US state of Washington, lawyers representing Abu Zubaydah, whose given name is Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, filed the lawsuit against James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, who were recruited by the CIA in 2002 to design and help conduct interrogations on suspects captured in Afghanistan and elsewhere. “In proposing the program to the US government, Mitchell and Jessen misled officials regarding the scope and severity of the tactics that they would ultimately use on Abu Zubaydah,” reads the lawsuit, which was filed on September 18.
Turkish, Malaysian leaders condemn Quran burnings, hate speech incidents
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim strongly condemned the recent burnings of the Quran and populist discourse that incites hate speech against Islam, reports Anadolu Agency. In a joint statement issued on September 20 after the leaders’ meeting in New York on the margins of the 78th UN General Assembly, they also expressed concern over the emergence of a “new form of racism” characterized by xenophobia, negative profiling and stereotyping of Muslims.
The leaders condemned “in the strongest terms the recent incidents of the burning of copies of the holy Quran witnessed in several European countries under the guise of freedom of expression as well as populist discourse that incites abuse, hate speech and aggression against Islam and Muslims,” it said.
President Erdogan and Ibrahim also expressed “deep concern” about “the trend of increasing hatred, intolerance, discrimination and acts of violence against Muslims and their sanctities that has reached an alarming level in many parts of the world, especially in Europe.”
Rising Islamophobia, distrust in Netherlands
Muslims in the Netherlands reacted to the state’s secret investigation of Muslims and Islamic institutions, Anadolu Agency reported on September 23. Muhsin Koktas, head of the Contact Body for Muslims and Government (CMO) in the Netherlands reportedly said he was not surprised by the secret investigations after the increase in Islamophobia and racism in the Netherlands and Europe after 2010.
“It is not in vain that Muslims’ distrust toward the government has been increasing steadily recently, and it seems that the state does not trust Muslims either, which is why they conducted these investigations,” said Koktas.
Stating that Islamophobia and racism can be observed in all government institutions, Koktas said: “While the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is working on regaining the trust of Muslims and holding discussions, on the other hand, the Minister of Justice and Security, Dilan Yesilgoz, says that there is no place for headscarves in police uniforms and bans them. Incidents of racism in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, systematic discrimination scandal at the tax office. These are just some of the racism and discrimination incidents in many government institutions.” Koktas said due to racism and discrimination in government institutions, the trust of Muslims in the state has been seriously undermined.
Jordan King Abdullah warns of excluding Palestine in peace deal
King Abdullah II has warned of excluding Palestinians in any possible peace deals in the region, Jordanian TV channel Al-Mamlaka reported on September 22. According to the Jordanian TV channel, this came during The Middle East Global Summit in New York on September 20.
Effort is being exerted by the US to reach a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel that: “Might lead to a new horizon in the region, but the Palestinians must not be ignored in any peace deal.”
The King said there are demands for Saudi Arabia, Israel and the US: “But the benefits for the Palestinians and the region also must not be ignored – everyone is interested in this issue.” King Abdullah said the Israeli government believes it can exclude the Palestinians and Arabs, stressing: “This could not happen and will not lead to a real peace.” The King suggested that a new generation of Palestinians should lead the Palestinian people and their cause: “This is one of the issues that we must understand – where are the Palestinians heading?”
114,000 Sudan citizens displaced in 1 week: UN
The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on September 22 announced that more than 114,000 people were displaced during the past week in Sudan. UNOCHA shared in a report on developments in the humanitarian situation in Sudan that, given the continued fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces since last April, around 5.3 million people have fled their homes within Sudan or neighbouring countries.
“Within Sudan, more than 4.2 million people have been displaced to 3,929 locations across all 18 states,” noted the report, adding: “This includes about 114,700 people who were displaced over the past week alone.” According to the report: “Over one million people have crossed into neighbouring countries as of 13 September, including the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan.”
The report stated: “The UN-led humanitarian appeal remains woefully underfunded – at about 31 per cent of what is needed – and Sudan’s warring parties continue to undermine efforts to deliver aid safely.”