TÜRKIYE STRONGLY CONDEMNS ANOTHER ATTACK ON THE QUR’ĀN
Türkiye, on April 14, strongly condemned the recurrence of a “vile attack” on the Muslim Holy Book, the Qur’ān, and a Turkish flag in Denmark. “It is unacceptable to allow these vile attacks under the guise of freedom of expression,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, pointing out that the act was allowed despite several warnings by Ankara. Danish Ambassador, Danny Annan, was summoned to the Ministry and Türkiye’s stance on the issue was conveyed to him, the statement said.
The Ministry stressed that Turkiye will continue its efforts, both on multilateral platforms and at the bilateral level, against such “vile attacks” and “hate crimes”.
Such incidents are examples of the alarming increase in Islamophobia and xenophobia in Europe, it said. The Ministry called out Denmark for its “insensitive attitude on this issue” and for ignoring the sentiments of Muslims around the world. The Ministry reiterated its request that Denmark take measures to prevent such provocations, most especially during the current Muslim holy month of Ramadhan. Recent months have seen several acts of Qur’ān burning, or attempts to do so, by Islamophobic figures or groups in northern Europe and Nordic countries.
MINNEAPOLIS ALLOWS ALL 5 MUSLIM CALLS TO PRAYER
Minneapolis has become the first major US city to allow all five Muslim calls to prayer, or adhans, to be played on loudspeakers. The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously 12-0 to allow the adhan to be played from mosques. The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Muslim advocacy group said the decision “is a historic victory for religious freedom and pluralism”. “We thank the members of the Minneapolis City Council for setting this great example, and we urge other cities to follow it,” CAIR’s State Director, Jaylani Hussein, said in a statement welcoming the decision. CAIR had urged the Council to approve the measure.
Observant Muslims pray five times a day, and are alerted to prayer times by a muezzin, who issues the adhan at daybreak, at noon, in mid-afternoon, at dusk and, again, later at night. The speaker often sings “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is great” in Arabic. Mosques will now be allowed to issue the adhan from 3:30 a.m. until 11 pm.
ICC URGED TO TAKE ISSUE OF ISRAEL CRIMES SERIOUSLY
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) on April 11 called for the ICC Prosecutor to carry out a “serious” investigation into Israeli crimes against Palestinians. This came one day after the Israeli occupation forces shot dead Palestinian minor Mohammad Awadat, 17, in the refugee camp of Aqabat Jabr in the occupied West Bank city of Jericho. In a statement, the PCHR said: “The crime committed by the Israeli occupation in which a Palestinian child was killed and three others were wounded in Jericho came as part of the Israeli war crimes and crimes resulting in excessive use of force.”
Defence for Children International –Palestine (DCIP) said in a report: “Israeli forces entered Aqbat Jabr refugee camp around 9:40 am that morning, and while withdrawing from the camp, fired live ammunition indiscriminately, striking Mohammad in his head, chest, abdomen and pelvis.”
It added: “A Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulance transferred Mohammad to Jericho government hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 11:30 am.”
Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability programme director at DCIP, said: “Systemic impunity creates an ultra permissive context where Israeli forces know no bounds and routinely shoot to kill Palestinian children in circumstances where there is no imminent threat to life.”
He added: “Unlawful killings of Palestinian children have become the norm as Israeli forces become increasingly empowered to use intentional lethal force in situations that are not justified. In short, these are war crimes with no consequence.”
The PCHR called for the international community to immediately move and stop the Israeli occupation crimes and stop its policy of double-standards when dealing with Israeli crimes.
Awadat is the 18th Palestinian child killed by Israeli forces in 2023, according to DCIP.
IRAN EMBASSY IN RIYADH OPENS GATES FOR FIRST TIME IN YEARS
Iran’s Embassy in Saudi Arabia reopened its gates on April 12 for the first time in seven years under a deal to re-establish ties that could ease a long-standing rivalry that has helped fuel conflicts around the Middle East. The heavy gates of the Iranian Embassy’s compound were open in Riyadh with a team inspecting its premises, a report said. A white truck was seen arriving at the gate. The diplomatic mission opened hours after the Iranian Foreign Ministry said a technical delegation arrived in the Kingdom. “The Iranian delegation will take the necessary measures in Riyadh and Jeddah to set up the Embassy and Consulate General,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said in a statement. The mission had been closed since Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016, after its embassy in Tehran was stormed during a dispute between the two countries over Riyadh’s execution of a Shia cleric. The Kingdom subsequently asked Iranian diplomats to leave within 48 hours, while it evacuated its embassy staff from Tehran.
Last month, they agreed to end their diplomatic rift and reopen their diplomatic missions in a deal brokered by China. Both countries’ foreign ministers met in Beijing earlier this month for the first formal gathering of their top diplomats. Saudi officials also arrived in Iran to discuss procedures for reopening Riyadh’s Embassy in Tehran and Consulate in Mashhad, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.
QATAR, BAHRAIN AGREE TO RESUME DIPLOMATIC TIES
Qatar and Bahrain have agreed to resume diplomatic ties, the countries’ state news agencies reported on April 12. The announcement came after the second meeting of the Bahraini-Qatari Follow-up Committee at the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) General Secretariat in the Saudi capital Riyadh. During the meeting, the Qatari delegation was headed by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi while the delegation from Bahrain was headed by Undersecretary for Political Affairs Sheikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. The delegations discussed the topics on the agenda and reviewed the outcomes of their first meeting, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported. The two sides decided to restore diplomatic relations while affirming that this step stems from the mutual desire to develop bilateral relations and enhance Gulf unity and integration according to the GCC Charter, it added. The agreement came over two years after the AlUla Declaration in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 5, 2021 which ended the four-year boycott of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
2023 FIRST QUARTER DEADLIEST FOR MIGRANTS CROSSING MEDITERRANEAN: IOM
The United Nations International Organisation for Migration (IOM) described the first three months of 2023 as the “deadliest” for migrants crossing the central Mediterranean since 2017. In a report released on April 12, IOM said delays in State-led rescue responses and hindrance to search and rescue (SAR) operations carried out by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have contributed to the rise in deaths. IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has documented the deaths of 441 migrants along the dangerous sea route between North Africa and the southern shores of Europe during this period, noting that the true toll is likely to be higher.
Commenting on the newly released figures, IOM’s Director-General, António Vitorino, said “the persisting humanitarian crisis in the Central Mediterranean is intolerable”. “With more than 20,000 deaths recorded on this route since 2014, I fear that these deaths have been normalised. States must respond. Delays and gaps in State-led SAR are costing human lives,” he added.