Latest news with #Islamists
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Israel & US Ally ‘HUMILIATES' Netanyahu For ‘DRAGGING' Gaza War; 1000s Throng Morocco Streets
Tens of thousands of Moroccans flood Rabat's streets, demanding justice for Gaza and calling for the end of Morocco's normalization with Israel. United across ideological lines, protesters decry the humanitarian crisis, urging immediate aid flow and condemning continued violence. The rare coalition of Islamists and left-wing groups signals growing national outrage as the war in Gaza enters its 22nd month.#MoroccoProtests #FreePalestine #GazaCrisis #NoToNormalization #RabatMarch #JusticeForGaza #PalestineSolidarity #EndTheSiege #GazaUnderFire #HumanRightsNow Read More
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
A week of violence in Syria's Druze heartland: What we know - Region
Syria's Druze heartland saw a shaky calm on Sunday after a week of violence in Sweida province that killed more than 1,000 people, the latest sectarian bloodshed since Islamists ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. The Druze and Sunni Bedouin rivals have been at loggerheads for decades, but clashes that erupted last Sunday quickly spiralled, drawing in the Islamist government and armed tribes from other parts of Syria, and sparking a regional crisis as Israel intervened. Syria's Islamist authorities, who toppled Assad in December, have been accused of not doing enough to protect the country's religious minorities, particularly after massacres in Syria's Alawite coastal heartland and previous violence involving the Druze. Israel says it seeks to defend the Druze and has said it would not accept the presence of forces of the Islamist-led government in the country's south. It bombed government forces this week in Sweida and Damascus to force their withdrawal. Witnesses, Druze factions and a monitor have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida days ago. Ceasefire deal Early Saturday, US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa had "agreed to a ceasefire" backed by neighbours Turkey and Jordan, urging "Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons". Hours later, Sharaa in a televised address announced an immediate ceasefire in Sweida and renewed a pledge to protect Syria's minorities. The ceasefire involves the deployment of government security forces to Sweida province, and the opening of humanitarian corridors. It also includes "work to secure all detained Bedouin residents in areas controlled by outlaw groups", the interior ministry said, referring to Druze fighters, as well as the exchange of detainees. On the ground On Sunday, AFP correspondents outside Sweida city and medics inside the provincial capital reported hearing no clashes. The interior ministry said overnight that the city was "evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighbourhoods were halted". Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa told a press conference on Saturday evening that the deployment of security forces inside Sweida city would happen at a later stage. Death toll The Observatory said the death toll in the week of violence had topped 1,000, including 336 Druze fighters and 298 civilians from the religious minority group, 194 of whom were "summarily executed by defence and interior ministry personnel". The dead also included 342 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians "summarily executed by Druze fighters". Another 15 government forces were killed in Israeli strikes, the Observatory said. The United Nations migration agency said the violence had displaced more than 128,000 people. International actors The US administration has forged ties with the new Islamist president despite his past links with Al-Qaeda, and has been critical of its Israeli ally's recent air strikes on Syria, seeking a way out for Sharaa's government. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday called on the Syrian government's security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and "carrying out massacres" in the south. He called for the government to "hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks". Israel, which has its own Druze community, has presented itself as a defender of the minority, though it has recently been involved in indirect dialogue with Syria's authorities, despite the two countries being technically at war. Israel on Saturday dismissed Sharaa's renewed pledge to protect minorities, and a day earlier said it was sending aid to the Druze community in Sweida, including food parcels and medical supplies. The European Union on Saturday welcomed the US-brokered ceasefire, saying "now is the time for dialogue and for advancing a truly inclusive transition." France urged "all parties to strictly adhere" to the ceasefire. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Ceasefire order fails to halt fighting in Syria's Druze heartland
Syrian Bedouin and their allies fought Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland for a seventh day on Saturday (July 19, 2025) despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a U.S.-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. Clashes were reported in the west of the provincial capital as Druze fighters battled armed Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from other parts of Syria. The Interior Ministry announced that internal security forces had begun deploying in Sweida province, and AFP correspondents saw them manning checkpoints trying to prevent more people from joining the fighting. Israel had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians during their brief deployment in the southern province. More than 900 people have been killed in Sweida since Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin drew in the Islamist-led government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. Druze fighters said those who arrived to support the Bedouin were mostly Islamists. One armed tribesman, who identified himself only as Abu Jassem, told AFP that "we will slaughter them (the Druze) in their homes". U.S.-brokered deal The deal between the Islamist-government and Israel was announced by Washington early on Saturday Damascus time. U.S. pointman on Syria, Tom Barrack, said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "have agreed to a ceasefire" negotiated by the United States. Mr. Barrack, who is U.S. ambassador to Ankara, said the deal had the backing of Turkey, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan. "We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours," he wrote on X. The U.S. administration, which has sided with Turkey and Saudi Arabia in forging ties with the Islamist president despite his past links with Al-Qaeda, was critical of its Israeli ally's air strikes on Syria earlier this week and had sought a way out for his government. Sharaa followed up on the U.S. announcement with a televised speech on Saturday in which he renewed his pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities. "The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country... We condemn all crimes committed" in Sweida, he said. The president paid tribute to the "important role played by the United States, which again showed its support for Syria in these difficult circumstances and its concern for the country's stability". The European Union welcomed the deal between Syria and Israel, saying it had been "appalled" by the deadly sectarian violence of recent days. But Israel expressed deep scepticism about Sharaa's renewed pledge to protect minorities, pointing to deadly violence against Alawites as well as Druze since he led the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December. In Sharaa's Syria "it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority -- Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian", Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X.
The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Bangladesh's Islamist party projects force with a big rally in Dhaka
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party rallied in the capital on Saturday to show their strength before an election expected next year, as the South Asian nation stands at a crossroads after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. An interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus said that the next election would be held in April. But his administration didn't rule out a possibility of polls in February, which has been strongly demanded by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies. Jamaat-e-Islami, which had sided with Pakistan during Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971, had said that it would mobilize 1 million people on Saturday. While Hasina was in power from 2009 until she was toppled in student-led protests last year and fled to India, top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were either executed or jailed on charges of crimes against humanity and other serious crimes in 1971. In late March 1971, Pakistan's military had launched a violent crackdown on the city of Dhaka, which was then part of East Pakistan, to quell a rising nationalist movement seeking independence for what is today known as Bangladesh. Islamists demand free and fair elections The party on Saturday placed a seven-point demand on the Yunus-led administration to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election; justice for all mass killings; essential reforms and the proclamation and implementation of a charter involving last year's mass uprising. It also wants the introduction of a proportional representation system in the election. Thousands of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami had spent the night on the Dhaka University campus before the rally. On Saturday morning, they continued to stream toward Suhrawardy Udyan, a historical site where the Pakistani army had surrendered to a joint force of India and Bangladesh on Dec. 16, 1971, ending the nine-month war. 'We are here for a new Bangladesh, where Islam would be the guiding principle of governance, where good and honest people will rule the country, and there will be no corruption,' Iqbal Hossain, 40, told The Associated Press. 'We will sacrifice our lives, if necessary, for this cause.' Many young supporters in their 20s and 30s were also present. 'Under Jamaat-e-Islami, this country will have no discrimination. All people will have their rights. Because we follow the path of the holy book, Quran,' said Mohidul Morsalin Sayem, a 20-year-old student. 'If all the Islamist parties join hands soon, nobody will be able to take power from us.' The party's chief, Shafiqur Rahman, said that the struggle in 2024 was to eliminate 'fascism' from the country, but this time there will be another fight against corruption and extortion. Rahman, 66, fainted twice as he addressed his supporters, but quickly returned to continue to speak surrounded by other leaders on the stage. 'How will the future Bangladesh look like? There will be another fight … We will do whatever is necessary and win that fight (against corruption) collectively by uniting the strength of the youth to eliminate corruption,' Rahman said. It wasn't immediately clear why he fainted. He was later taken to a hospital for tests. The event was the first time that the party was allowed to hold a rally at the site since 1971. To many, the decision signaled a shift supported by Yunus' government in which Islamists are gaining momentum with further fragmentation of Bangladesh's politics and the shrinking of liberal forces. Hasina's Awami League party, in a statement on X, reacted sharply for allowing it to hold the rally on that politically sensitive site. It said that the move 'marks a stark betrayal with the national conscience and constitutes a brazen act of undermining millions of people — dead and alive — who fought against the evil axis (in 1971),' the statement said. Tensions between parties over Yunus' reforms Hasina, whose father was the independence leader and the country's first president, is a fierce political rival of Jamaat-e-Islami. The party is expected to contest 300 parliamentary seats and is attempting to forge alliances with other Islamist groups and parties in hopes of becoming a third force in the country behind the BNP, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and Hasina's former ruling Awami League party. The party had previously shared power with the BNP, and it had two senior Cabinet members under Zia in 2001-2006. After Hasina was ousted, tensions grew between parties over reforms agenda undertaken by the Yunus government, which is facing challenges to establish order in the country. The government has been criticized by Hasina's party and others for using force in a confrontation with protesters in a Hasina stronghold on Wednesday, where four people died. Their families complained that authorities didn't conduct autopsies and hurriedly buried or cremated their relatives. Yunus' office said that the government was doing everything lawfully in Gopalganj, the district where the violence occurred. Jamaat-e-Islami has now established close ties with a new political party formed by students who led the anti-Hasina uprising. Both Jamaat-e-Islami and the students' National Citizen Party also promote an anti-India campaign. The Yunus-led administration has banned the Awami League, and Hasina has been in exile in India since Aug. 5. She is facing charges of crimes against humanity. The United Nations said in February that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the anti-Hasina uprising in July-August last year.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bangladesh's Islamist party projects force with a big rally in Dhaka
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party rallied in the capital on Saturday to show their strength ahead of elections expected next year, as the South Asian nation stands a t a crossroads after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. An interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus said the next election would be held in April but his administration did not rule out a possibility of polls in February as strongly demanded by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies. Jamaat-e-Islami, which had sided with Pakistan during Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971, said earlier it would mobilize 1 million people on Saturday. While Hasina was in power from 2009 until she was toppled in student-led protests last year and fled to India, top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were either executed or jailed on charges of crimes against humanity and other serious crimes in 1971. In late march in 1971 Pakistan's military had launched a violent crackdown on the city of Dhaka, then part of East Pakistan, to quell a rising nationalist movement seeking independence for what is today known as Bangladesh. Islamists demand free and fair elections The party on Saturday placed a seven-point demand to the Yunus-led administration to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election, the trial of all mass killings, essential reforms and proclamation and implementation of a charter involving last year's mass uprising. It also wants the introduction of a proportional representation system in the election. Thousands of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami had spent the night on the Dhaka University campus before the rally. On Saturday morning, they continued to stream toward the Suhrawardy Udyan, a historical ground where the Pakistani army had surrendered to a joint force of India and Bangladesh on Dec. 16 in 1971, ending the nine-month war. 'We are here for a new Bangladesh where Islam would be the guiding principle of governance, where good and honest people will rule the country, and there will be no corruption,' Iqbal Hossain, 40, told The Associated Press. 'We will sacrifice our lives, if necessary, for this cause.' Many of the young supporters in their 20s and 30s were also present. 'Under Jamaat-e-Islami, this country will have no discrimination. All people will have their rights. Because we follow the path of the holy book, Quran,' Mohidul Morsalin Sayem, a 20-year-old student, said. 'If all the Islamist parties join hands soon, nobody will be able to take power from us.' It was the first time the party was allowed to hold a rally on this ground since 1971. To many, the decision signaled a shift supported by Yunus' government in which Islamists are gaining momentum with further fragmentation of Bangladesh's politics and shrinking of liberal forces. Tensions between parties over Yunus' reforms Hasina, whose father was the independence leader and the country's first president, is a fierce political rival of Jamaat-e-Islami. The party is expected to contest 300 parliamentary seats and is attempting to forge alliances with other Islamist groups and parties in hopes of becoming a third force in the country behind the BNP, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and Hasina's former ruling Awami League party. The party had previously shared power with the BNP, and it had two senior Cabinet members under Zia in 2001-2006. After Hasina was ousted, tensions grew between parties over reforms agenda undertaken by the Yunus government, which is facing challenges to establish order in the country. The government has been criticized by Hasina's party and others for using force in a confrontation with protesters in a Hasina stronghold on Wednesday, where four people died. Their families complained that authorities did not conduct autopsies and hurriedly buried or cremated their relatives. Autopsies are part of an investigation in any violence. Yunus' office said the government was doing everything lawfully in Gopalganj, the district where the violence occurred. Jamaat-e-Islami has now established close ties with a new political party formed by students who led the anti-Hasina uprising. Both Jamaat-e-Islami and the students' National Citizen Party also promote anti-India campaign. The Yunus-led administration has banned the Awami League and Hasina has been in exile in India since Aug. 5. She is facing charges of crimes against humanity. The United Nations said in February that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the anti-Hasina uprising in July-August last year.
