ROHINGYA FACE DISCRIMINATION, HOSTILITY IN MALAYSIA
Thousands of Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority group who fled religious persecution in Myanmar to seek refuge in Malaysia, continue to face various forms of discrimination. The plight of the Rohingya community was highlighted at a workshop. It drew representatives from the Rohingya Women’s Development Network (RWDN), the Consultative Council of Malaysian Islamic Organisations (MAPIM). Cik Syaedah, an activist with RWDN, said the Rohingya community suffered severely during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many were rendered jobless and left without any means to support their families due to the restrictions on movement imposed by the government. The RDWN is helping the hapless Rohingya with food aid and alternative jobs such as sewing face masks, said Syaedah, who has been living in Malaysia for about two decades. Cikgu Mohd Azmi, president of MAPIM, pointed out that most Rohingya in Malaysia lack proper documentation and end up being denied welfare services, livelihoods, education for children, health services and accommodation.
ISRAELI FORCES KILL 4 PALESTINIANS IN JENIN REFUGEE CAMP
Four Palestinians were killed when Israeli forces opened fire at residents of a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces stormed a refugee camp overnight in Jenin, located in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, Akram Rajoub, the city’s governor, told the official Voice of Palestine radio. The four slain Palestinians have been identified as Nour Abdullah Jarrar, 19, Saleh Ahmad Ammar, 19, Raed Ziad Abdul-Latif Abu Saif, 21, and Amjad Eyad Husseiniyya, 20. Witnesses reportedly said that Israeli soldiers fired live bullets and tear gas at Palestinians who confronted them at the refugee camp. The Palestinian Authority (PA) condemned the killings by Israeli forces as a “heinous crime.”
RAID ON WEST BANK NGO, UN URGES TO PROBE CHILD KILLINGS
UN human rights experts called on the Israeli government to immediately return confidential documents and office equipment its military seized from the offices of an NGO fighting for children’s rights in the occupied West Bank. “We are deeply concerned by the Israeli military’s interference with the human rights work of a well-known and well-regarded NGO,” said the experts. Computers, hard drives, binders, and other material were taken from the offices of the Defence for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) in Al-Bireh during a night-time raid. They said in recent years, the children’s rights group had reliably reported on patterns of arrests, maiming, and killings of Palestinian children by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza. The silencing or hindering of these activities violates the fundamental human rights of expression and association.
ALGERIA: DEATH TOLL FROM FOREST FIRES RISES TO 69
The death toll in Algeria from wildfires has risen to 69, according to a local official, while France has announced plans to help the North African country contain the flames. At least 69 people, including 28 soldiers and 41 civilians, have died in the fires, Abdulkadir Umeyrush, chief prosecutor of the judicial council of northern Tizi Ouzou province, told reporters. Algeria has signed an aircraft leasing agreement with the European Union to support its fight against the blazes, the Algerian Prime Ministry said in a statement. The two planes hired from the EU were previously used in firefighting operations in Greece and will be used to contain forest fires in Algeria, the statement said.
US STEPS UP PRESSURE ON BUSINESSES OVER FORCED LABOUR IN CHINA
U.S. lawmakers and Biden administration officials are stepping up pressure on American businesses to stop imports from the Western Chinese region of Xinjiang as Beijing’s alleged use of forced labour emerges as a top item on their bilateral trade agenda. Western officials say the Chinese government uses forced labour of Uyghur and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, the world’s leading producer of cotton and raw material used in solar panels. Beijing strongly denies the claim. Imports of cotton and tomato products have already been effectively banned since January, and penalties on purchases of some solar material were implemented in June. Tougher restrictions are afoot. Congress is expected to approve legislation later this year that would prohibit imports of all products from Xinjiang unless the importer can prove their items are free of forced labour.
MALAYSIAN PM RESIGNS, NEW PM APPOINTED
Malaysia’s Muhyiddin Yassin stepped down as prime minister after months of political turmoil culminated in the loss of his majority. Muhyiddin’s resignation ends a tumultuous 17 months in office, the shortest stint of a Malaysian leader. The King Al-Sultan Abdullah, invoking his constitutional power to appoint a prime minister, named former Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the country’s new Prime Minister. Ismail Sabri’s appointment is expected to reclaim the position of his party – the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) – three years after it lost an election over graft and scandal accusations.
MALAYSIA GRANTS DR. AL-ISSA THE PROPHET’S HIJRA AWARD
The State of Malaysia granted His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, Chairman of the Organisation of Muslim Scholars, the highest Malaysian Award to Muslim scholars in the world. He was granted the Prophet’s Hijra (Migration) Award for the most influential Muslim Personality worldwide. The Award was in recognition for his efforts in highlighting the true image of Islam, its principles, noble values and great humanitarian message to the world in addition to his convincing contribution in enhancing harmony among the followers of religions and cultures, and his role in spreading world peace. The ceremony was held during the major traditional celebration of the advent of the new Hijri year, in the presence of His Majesty Sultan Abdullah bin Sultan Ahmed Shah, the King of Malaysia.