OIC SUSPENDS SWEDEN’S SPECIAL ENVOY STATUS
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on July 23 said that it has informed the government in Stockholm that it has suspended Sweden’s special envoy status to the organisation after the desecration of copies of the Holy Qur’ān by protesters in the North European country. The OIC has 57 Muslim-majority countries in its membership. The general secretariat of the organisation said that this step comes in line with the recommendations of the final communique issued by the OIC Executive Committee’s extraordinary meeting held on July 2. OIC Secretary-General H.E. Hissein Brahim Taha welcomed the measures taken by some of the organisation’s member states to protest against the recurrence of attacks on Islamic sanctities. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry on July 22 summoned Denmark’s ambassador to Tehran Jesper Vahr and conveyed Tehran’s objections to the desecration of the Qur’ān in Danish capital of Copenhagen. It called for accountability for both the perpetrators and governments allowing such actions to take place.
TURKISH PREZ MARKS 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF LAUSANNE TREATY
Türkiye’s president on July 24 marked the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne, the landmark 1923 pact recognizing the modern Turkish state. “Today is the 100th anniversary of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, which constitutes one of the turning points in our history,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a statement. “Our honourable nation’s will for full independence showed itself very strongly during the negotiation and signing process of the Lausanne Peace Treaty. Despite all the poverty and impossibilities, this will, which led our War of Independence to victory, still guides us, illuminates our path, and gives the determination to struggle in the face of difficulties.” Türkiye will continue its efforts to establish peace, stability and security in the region, he added. The Treaty of Lausanne – signed by Türkiye on one side and Britain, France, Italy, Greece, and their allies on the other – recognised the modern Turkish state and replaced the 1920 Treaty of Sevres, an unfair pact imposed on the Ottoman Empire after World War I.
KENTUCKY DETENTION CENTRE CHANGESHIJAB REMOVAL POLICY
Following intervention by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Kentucky’s Fayette County Detention Centre has decided to establish policies accommodating religious attire after a Muslim doctor detained over a minor issue was refused the right to wear her Islamic headscarf, or hijab. The detention centre said in a statement: “Current policy does not address religious head coverings at time of booking and is in need of revision to include provisions allowing the wearing of religious head covering at the time someone is taken into custody.” Roula Allouch, the doctor’s attorney and former CAIR national board chair, said, “While we remain deeply troubled by the mistreatment this Muslim woman experienced, we applaud the decision to protect detainee religious rights going forward.” CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said, “We welcome the Fayette County Detention Centre’s pledge to establish a religious accommodation policy to ensure that people of faith who wear religious clothing, including hijabs, can do so in that facility,” said. “We urge other facilities nationwide to ensure their policies similarly protect the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of all detainees.”
27 MEN, 3 TEENS BURIED ON 28TH ANNIVERSARY OF SREBRENICA GENOCIDE
Thousands of mourners from across Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad gathered in the eastern town of Srebrenica on July 11, to bury the recently identified 27 men and three teenage boys killed in the 1995 genocide. Muslim Bosniak civilians slain by forces of the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Bosnian War were reburied in an ever-expanding memorial cemetery just outside Srebrenica, which also houses 6,721 additional victims. An estimated 100,000 people were killed and 2.2 million were displaced and 50,000, mostly Bosniak, women were raped during the Bosnian War between April 1992 and December 1995. The burials were attended by several thousand state officials, foreign dignitaries, and Bosnians and were preceded by a 68 miles peace march, a three-day hike with 6,000 participants. Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, and Turkish Minister for Family and Social Services, Mahira Özdemor Göktaş, were among those in attendance. “The genocide must never be denied. The truth sets you free, and I believe that when we all accept the truth, the region will take a different path, the path of reconciliation and progress,” said Abazović.
TÜRKIYE-UAE ECONOMIC PACT TO CREATE 100,000 JOBS IN TÜRKIYE
The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement will create 100,000 jobs in Turkiye, according to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador in Ankara. “Hopefully, this agreement will employ a total of 125,000 people, including 100,000 in Türkiye and 25,000 in the UAE,” Saeed Thani Hareb Al Dhaheri told the press at the UAE Embassy in Ankara. Dhaheri added that the agreement is expected to come into force on September 1. The agreement facilitates the dialogue between private companies and will also be an opportunity regarding customs tariffs, he added. The UAE gives great significance to “mutual dialogue and communication,” he said, adding that the strategic location of the UAE and Turkiye plays a very important role geographically. The Turkiye-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was signed on March 3 in Abu Dhabi, to lay the foundations for boosting the non-oil trade volume between the countries.
LEBANON POLITICIANS SCRAMBLE TO AVOID CENTRAL BANK VACUUM
Lebanese officials were in a last-minute scramble on July 26 to avoid leaving the crisis-hit country’s Central Bank without a leader when Governor, Riad Salameh’s 30-year tenure ends next week. The prospect of a vacuum at the top of the Central Bank has added to concerns about the further fragmentation of the State as it barrels towards a fifth year of financial turmoil. Even as the clock winds down, politicians remain split over whether to appoint a successor or allow the Bank’s first Vice Governor to take over as laid out in law, reflecting wider divisions that have also left the presidency vacant and the country without a fully empowered cabinet for over a year. Powerful Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, and its Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, are against appointing a new governor, while Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, and caretaker premier, Najib Mikati, are spearheading efforts to name one.
EDITOR OF THE MUSLIM NEWS BESTOWED FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF LONDON
Editor and founder of The Muslim News, Ahmed JafferaliVersi, received the Freedom of the City of London on July 18 for his contributions to journalism, the British Muslim community, and an outstanding contribution to London at London’s Guildhall. It is the highest honour the City of London can bestow. Among the many prominent recipients of the Freedom of the City are 12 members of the royal family, including Princess Diana in 1987 and Prince Edward in 2011, as well as 10 previous Prime Ministers, including Winston Churchill in 1943 and Margaret Thatcher in 1989. “I was very humbled, honoured, and incredibly proud to have been awarded the Freedom of the City and recognised by the city I live in and love,” said Versi after receiving the accolade.