MPS FROM 50 COUNTRIES GATHER IN ANKARA FOR JERUSALEM
Parliamentarians from 50 countries from across the world gathered in the Turkish capital Ankara to show solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the occupied city of Jerusalem. Organised by the League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds, the conference was attended by lawmakers from Turkey, Arab and African countries as well as legislators from Europe and South America. In his opening speech, Yemeni MP Hameid al-Ahmar, who chairs the pro-Jerusalem league, said the two-day event was held under the theme “Jerusalem is Our Red Line.” “This conference aims at proposing ideas to institutionalising our efforts to serve the Palestinian cause,” al-Ahmar said. “We have gathered here today to mobilise a relentless support to serve the struggle of the Palestinian people,” he added.
MALAYSIA REFUSES TO ALLOW ISRAELI PLAYERS AT WORLD SQUASH
Malaysia has refused to grant visas for Israeli players to participate in a major squash tournament next month, the sport’s governing body says, sparking anger in the Jewish state. Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel. The World Team Championship for men is due to take place in Kuala Lumpur from December 7-12, with 26 squads participating. The tournament was earlier this year moved to Malaysia from New Zealand because of coronavirus-related travel restrictions. In 2019, Malaysia was stripped of the right to host the World Para Swimming Championships for threatening to refuse Israeli athletes. And in 2015, Israeli windsurfers had to pull out of a competition on the island of Langkawi after being refused visas.
ISRAEL PLANS TO BUILD 17,000 SETTLEMENT UNITS IN JERUSALEM
A Palestinian official said Israeli authorities are working to build more than 17,000 settlement units in different parts of Jerusalem. In a statement, Jerusalem Affairs Minister Fadi al-Hadmi described the Israeli settlement plan as a ‘crazy tsunami’. He said the acceleration in the construction of settlements through a series of projects eliminates “any possibility of a two-state solution.” Al-Hadmi added: “The Israeli government is progressing toward implementing a series of major settlement projects in the north, south, and east of the city, with the aim of isolating it completely from its Palestinian surroundings in the West Bank.” The Palestinian minister said the projects include a plan to build 10,000 housing units on the land of Jerusalem International Airport, in Qalandia, in the northern part of the city.
TURKEY RESCUES 29 ASYLUM SEEKERS PUSHED BACK BY GREECE
Turkey rescued 29 asylum seekers who were illegally pushed back by Greece into Turkish waters in the Aegean Sea. The asylum seekers, who were in a life raft, were taken ashore near the Cesme district of Izmir province, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said in a statement. Twenty-one irregular migrants were also rescued from a rubber boat that experienced engine failure in Dikili province. All occupants were later taken to the provincial migration office. Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution. It already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any country in the world, and is taking new security measures on its borders to humanely prevent a fresh influx of migrants.
£100,000 RAISED IN MEMORY OF MUSLIM HERO IN LONDON
Over £100,000 has been raised in memory of a young Muslim man of Somali heritage who is being hailed a hero after he died protecting a grandmother from a knifeman in west London. Ali Abucar Ali, 20, was stabbed to death by a stranger after stepping in to help 82-year-old Betty Walsh. The widow had been punched and knifed outside a kebab shop near her home. Basketball coach Ali collapsed in Albany Parade, Brentford, on the evening of November 12. Walsh, a mother of six, was seriously injured but is no longer in a critical condition after kidney surgery. As of November 19 crowd-funding page for Ali has raised £103,358 and over 200 donors paid tribute to Ali. On the GoFundMe page, well-wishers called Ali a ‘brave young man’ and an ‘upstanding member of our local community’.
INCREASING MUSLIM PARTICIPATION IN MAINSTREAM POLITICS
Community Voice Campbelltown in Australia organised a ‘Meet the Press’ event at their campaign office at Minto on November 29. It is participating in the upcoming local government election, with the objective to carry the community’s voice to the Council and help the Council become more effective in doing its job for the benefit of all its residents instead of implementing any political party’s agenda. Community Voice Campbelltown is a panel of 10 candidates running in the upcoming local government election on December 4. The candidates are Khalil Muhamad Masud, Halabi Khaled, Karki Sajjan, Jaber Bellal, Khan Morsheda, Sofiuzzaman Md, Hossain Khurshida, Nasrin Sultana, Sultana Sharmin and Chowdhury Afzal. The participation of Community Voice in the Campbelltown local council election demonstrates the increasing participation of local Muslims in Australian mainstream politics.
MALIKAH SHABAZZ, DAUGHTER OF MALCOLM X, DIES AT 56
Malikah Shabazz, daughter of the late civil rights leader Malcolm X, was found dead in her Brooklyn home on November 22, reports said on November 23. She was 56. Police officials said she was found unconscious and unresponsive by her daughter. A medical examiner responded to the scene and said the incident did not appear suspicious. The cause of death has yet to be determined. Shabazz and her twin sister Malaak are the youngest of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz’s six children. Betty Shabazz died in 1997. The news comes in the wake of new developments in the murder case of Malcolm X. Last week, two of the men convicted of killing Malcolm X – Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam were exonerated.