Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the International Women and Justice Summit said that in some international meetings some “friendly nations” leaders’ had offered paths to reconciliation with Egyptian President Sisi but he had rejected these, a report said on 24 November.
Erdogan said that three thousand people had died in one day, and that this was unheard of in recent world history. Egypt has lived this. No other Egyptian leader has done this. They came to power because they overthrew the people’s vote. What did the current democratic governments do in response? Did they raise their voice against this? Did they ask, what are you doing? And still they espouse what they are doing, and still arguing its legitimacy”. Even if you accept it as legitimate, we will not accept it.
In this particular speech, Erdogan said, “At this point in time 300,000 people have been killed in Syria. The world remains silent. I continue to speak up about it, but nothing has been done. There is no sensitivity to their suffering, there is only sensitivity to petrol”. Erdogan also said on Monday that the main reason for global problems was “lack of justice”.
RIGHTS CONF. COMMEMORATES MARTYRS KILLED IN EGYPT PRISONS
Participants attending a conference on deaths in detention due to torture or medical negligence strongly condemned what they see as a form of ‘pre-meditated murder’, which has already claimed the lives of more than 88 inmates including Dr. Tarek Ghandour (physician), Abu-Bakr Al-Qadi (accountant), Mohamed Ramadan (student) and Zaki Abul-Magd (agricultural engineer).
In a statement on 25 November, conference participants said, “What is happening in Egyptian prisons is a moral and human rights crime that will not be forgotten by the Egyptian people, who led the revolutionary struggle in an exemplary resilient and peaceful manner. The current regime’s persistence in brutal repression, human rights abuse and the torture and killing of Egyptian men and women, old and young, and the imposition of the security grip on the people of Egypt in this barbaric way, which violates the most basic democratic and human rights principles, will push this country into a dark tunnel, and threaten the security and stability of the homeland.”
‘ISRAEL DOES NOT RESPECT MUSLIM HOLY PLACES’
Palestine’s former Justice Minister thinks Israel does not show respect to the holy places of Muslim people, a report said on 24 November. Ali Hassan said the Palestinian government respects all religions – particularly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. “I believe that there will be no conflict, if there is no further invasion by settlers,” Hassan said. “The attack on the synagogue is not acceptable,” he added, “We respect all religions, however Israel does not show any respect to the holy places of Muslim people.”
The former minister pointed out that the Israeli soldiers attacked not only churches and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, but they destroyed more than 45 mosques, an action that is little known outside the country. Last month, Israeli authorities had sealed off access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, before they reopened the site once again later in the day.
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WILL RECOGNISE PALESTINE
The ex-minister also said that a new process has begun, and European countries have started to recognise Palestine as a nation – it is hopeful that many more will follow. Late last month, Sweden announced its decision to officially recognise the State of Palestine. The move, having been made by a EU member state, was widely seen as a watershed. Other EU member states – including Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – had recognised Palestine previously, but did so before joining the European fold.
“Now a new and good process has started for us. Lots of European nations have started to figure the situation out,” Hassan said. “They gave enough time to Israel to change its policies for Palestine. The Europeans now see that there is no choice but to recognise Palestine as a state.”
JORDAN SUMMONS ISRAEL ENVOY OVER ‘ABUSES’ REMARKS
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry on 25 November summoned Israel’s ambassador in Amman Daniel Nevo over what it described as “offensive” remarks he had made against Jordanian lawmakers. “The [foreign] ministry expresses an absolute rejection of the fallacies uttered by Nevo about the Lower House of Representatives,” ministry spokesperson Ashraf Khasawneh said in a statement.
“The Israeli ambassador was alerted and told that the content and the manner in which he gave his statements stand rejected, and that those statements are unacceptable and have no justification,” Khaswaneh said.
SYRIAN REFUGEES STAGE HUNGER STRIKE IN ATHENS
About 500 Syrian refugees, including women and children, have staged their sixth day of a hunger strike in front of Greece’s Parliament House in Athens, a report said on 25 November. The hunger-strikers, who reached Greece from Turkey in inflatable boats, called on the Greek government to observe their rights as refugees and held placards reading: “We escaped from death in Syria to vagrancy in Greece.” The refugees said they would continue their silent demonstration until their demands were heard by Greek officials.
Khalsa, a 40-year-old woman who had been in Greece for almost two months, was reported as saying: “We are seeking asylum and some decent treatment. My four children and husband are still in Syria.” She said she had lost all contact with her family since she had arrived in Athens.
TURKEY MOVES TO HELP 300 UIGHURS IN THAILAND
Three hundred Uighurs from China have been caught in Thailand with fake passports – if charged they will be faced with the death penalty. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Turkey has moved to enable them to return to Turkey. In case the Uighurs are not accepted into Turkey, they will either be given death penalty; if they escape, they may possibly be victims of human kidnapping or organ trafficking.
With their land taken away from them and persecuted for their religious beliefs, the Uighurs have had no choice but to seek refuge in Turkey. Having lived in the Thai forests under difficult conditions for the past few days, the 300 people from East Turkestan who escaped Chinese persecution sought refuge in Turkey.
TURKEY TO OPEN MOSQUES IN ALL UNIVERSITIES
Catering to the needs of hundreds of thousands of students, Turkey’s top religious body has announced plans to construct a mosque in every state university, making it easier for Muslim students to observe their prayers. “Mosques are under construction in over 80 universities,” Mehmet Gormez, the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, known as Diyanet in Turkish, was quoted as saying on 23 November. “Fifteen of them have been opened for prayers and we will open at least 50 more in 2015.”
The decision to construct the new mosques was seen as an attempt to reach out to millions of young Turkish students. “There are 20 million young people in our country and we would like to reach out to each one of them,” he added. “We attach great importance to mosques in city universities. They are the only way to bring mosques back into the lives, the cities and the hearts of our people,” Gormez added.
BJI CHIEF FILES APPEAL AGAINST DEATH PENALTY
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami has challenged the death penalty awarded to him by a war crimes tribunal, a report said on 23 November. The defence lawyer filed an appeal against the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-1) verdict against the Jamaat chief. Advocate Md Shishir Manir, on behalf of Mujaheed, filed the appeal in the Supreme Court.
On 29 October, the ICT-1 had handed down capital punishment to Jamaat chief for alleged war crimes which include the killings of intellectuals. The ICT-1 judge panel explained the 16 charges levelled against the 71-year-old Jamaat President Nizami, who is now behind the bar.