MALAYSIA, INDONESIA TO DEVELOP MUSLIM-FRIENDLY TOURISM
Malaysia is keen to collaborate with the travel industry in Indonesia and Thailand to develop a common set of Muslim-friendly tourism standards in hopes of attracting more Muslim travellers to the destinations. The initiative, proposed by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), would enhance cooperation within the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT). The three countries had the potential to appeal to a greater segment of Muslim tourists – Malaysia and Indonesia ranked among the top five Muslim-friendly tourist destinations in the Global Muslim Travel Index 2021, while Thailand was among the top five non-OIC countries deemed Muslim-friendly. ITC (Islamic Tourism Centre), an agency of MOTAC, has developed a halal standard for Muslim-friendly accommodations and is working towards establishing similar standards in other areas such as spas, tour packages and healthcare.
CHINA, JAPAN COMPETING OVER INDONESIA’S CAR INDUSTRY
Chinese carmakers are making quick inroads into Japan’s long-standing dominance of the Indonesian auto market. After competing over high-speed rail, China and Japan are now increasingly competing with each other over Indonesia’s growing automotive market. Last week it was reported China’s Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. has announced that it is ready to re-enter Indonesia this year, after an abortive attempt to break into the market in the early 2000s, this time with a promise of fresher and more sophisticated products. Chery is not the only Chinese auto manufacturer to make inroads in Indonesia. Wuling and Dongfeng Sokonindo (DFSK) are also increasingly prominent in the nation’s car market. Wuling’s cars are now sold through more than 100 dealer networks across the nation.
INDONESIAN POLICE ARREST CHRISTIAN YOUTUBER FOR BLASPHEMY
Indonesian police have arrested a Christian YouTuber after a series of complaints were filed by Muslims accusing him of blasphemy. Muhammad Kace, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, is accused of insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. “Kace was arrested in Bali,” said Agus Andrianto, head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police. He said police had discovered he had uploaded at least 400 videos on YouTube insulting Islam. Indonesia’s top Muslim scholars body, the Indonesian Ulema Council, called on people to let the law deal with Kace. “He has insulted God, the Qur’ān and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, so there is a clear case against him,” the council’s deputy chief Ikhsan Abdullah said.
ISRAELI TROOPS KILL 1 PALESTINIAN, WOUND 15 DURING PROTESTS
Israeli soldiers opened fire on demonstrators at the Gaza border who were protesting against the 15-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, killing one Palestinian and wounding 15 others. According to a statement by Gaza’s Health Ministry, the soldiers used live bullets and tear gas against the protesters as they gathered on Gaza’s eastern border. Twenty-six-year-old Ahmed Mustafa Salih from the Jibaliya Refugee Camp in the north of Gaza was killed by Israeli fire. Children were among the 15 wounded. The Ministry said Palestinian medics rushed the seriously injured young man to the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia city, but he succumbed to his wounds despite all efforts to save his life. Medical sources said the soldiers fired live rounds and high-velocity gas bombs at Palestinian protesters along the perimeter fence, in the eastern parts of the Gaza Strip, wounding 15 Palestinians, among them five children including one who sustained life-threatening wounds.
UK’s MP APSANA BEGUM CLEARED OF FRAUD
UK’s Labour MP Apsana Begum was cleared of housing fraud on July 30. Begum, 31, who represents the constituency of Poplar and Limehouse, was accused of three counts of making dishonest applications for council homes to Tower Hamlets Council. She told Snaresbrook Crown Court her “controlling” husband was in charge of her finances and she was “shocked” to discover the paperwork was in her name. Begum said the accusations had been “driven by malicious intent.” Labour MPs swiftly rallied to Begum’s defence, saying she had endured heightened criticism during the court battle due to her sex and religion. Jon Trickett, another former frontbencher, said there were “serious questions about this flawed prosecution” that needed answering in light of Begum being cleared of wrongdoing. Nazir Afzal, a former regional chief prosecutor, also said Begum had confided in both him and the council that she was the victim of domestic and “honour”-based abuse, but that the local authority’s decision to proceed with the case had been proven to be “a waste of public money.”
UNNO TAKES BACK REINS WITH SABRI YAAKOB AS NEW PM
As the king picked Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the country’s next prime minister, it has become a major reversal of fortunes for the decades-old United Malays National Organisation (Umno) following its fall from grace in the 2018 election. Sabri is Malaysia’s ninth prime minister, and the third national leader since the shock ousting of Najib Razak in the watershed vote three years ago.
FIRST ARAB ISRAELI GOLD MEDALIST AS PARALYMPIC SWIMMER
Israeli swimmer Iyad Shalabi, 34, won a gold medal on the first day of competition in Tokyo. He made history as the first Arab Israeli to achieve that feat. He won his 100-meter backstroke final with a time of 2:28.04, after no preliminary rounds were held due to the low number of participants. Silver was taken by Anton Kol of Ukraine and bronze by Italy’s Francesco Bettella. Shalabi finished fourth in Beijing 2008 and in London 2012, narrowly missing out on medals in both Games. Shalabi was born deaf-mute to a Muslim family from Shfaram and is paralysed in all four limbs following an accident at age 13. He competes in disability classification S1, reserved for those with the most severe activity limitations.