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☆ Raisi says hijab is the law in Iran as unveiled women face 'yoghurt attack'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 1 (Reuters) - President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that the hijab was the law in Iran after a viral video showed a man throwing yoghurt at two unveiled women in a shop near a holy Shi'ite Muslim city. They were also the subject of arrest warrants for flouting Iran's strict female dress rules, state media reported. Videos of unveiled women resisting the morality police have flooded social media. Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei earlier threatened to prosecute "without mercy" women who appear in public unveiled, Iranian media reported. It urged citizens to confront unveiled women.

☆ Factbox: Legal hurdles faced by LGBT+ people in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Africa accounts for nearly half of the countries worldwide where homosexuality is outlawed, according to the review, which was last updated in December 2020. - Life imprisonment is the maximum penalty for same-sex relations in Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, while jail terms of up to 14 years are possible in Gambia, Kenya and Malawi. - Broad protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation exists in three countries: Angola, Mauritius and South Africa. - South Africa is the only African country where gay marriage is legal and where the constitution protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, South Africa has high rates of rape and homophobic crime.

☆ Most Gulf markets gain as fears about rapid Fed hikes, bank crisis ease
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Reserve is seen raising its benchmark rate a quarter of a percentage point next week and again in May. Most Gulf currencies are pegged to the dollar, and Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates usually mirror any monetary policy change in the United States. But the index's gains were limited by a 1.5% fall in oil giant Saudi Aramco (2222.SE) as the stock went ex-dividend. The Qatari benchmark (.QSI), however, traded 0.2% lower, dragged down by a 5.8% slide in utility firm Qatar Electricity and Water Co (QEWC.QA) as the stock went ex-dividend. Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi MajumdarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Three dead after African peacekeeping mission helicopter crashes in Somalia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOGADISHU, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Three people died and eight others were injured when a helicopter operated by the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed on Saturday in the country's Lower Shabelle region, the mission said in a statement on Sunday. In the statement the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said the helicopter, carrying eleven passengers including soldiers from Somalia military, was participating in training drills for casualty evacuation when the crash occurred. Eight injured officers have been evacuated to Mogadishu for urgent medical attention," ATMIS said in the statement. ATMIS is assisting Somalia's central government in its war against the Islamist al Shabaab insurgency. The al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab group has been fighting for more than a decade to topple Somalia's government and establish its own rule based on its own strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

☆ 8 incredible things Jimmy Carter, the longest-living American president, did well into his 90s that prove age is just a number
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Mariam Sharia | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former President Jimmy Carter is 98, making him the longest-living American president in history. The 39th president has been active in humanitarian work well into his 90s. On Saturday, February 18, 2023, the Carter Center announced that the former president entered hospice care. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers." Here are some incredible things Carter has been doing in his 90s.

He added that a government committee was looking into adding secular subjects to madrasas alongside religious study, a development that hasn't been previously reported. Other students and teachers said Islamic education played an important role in their lives, though they hoped to be able to study secular subjects too. He didn't elaborate on the government's plans for religious schools. Reuters was unable to determine the current number of madrasas, and Taliban authorities have not provided figures. "There's deep-seated mistrust of the formal education sector, despite the fact that it too incorporates Islamic education."

☆ Fact Check-Photo of Peter Obi with Hero Beer has been doctored
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image purportedly showing Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi drinking Hero Beer, which has gathered a lot of traction online, has been doctored. Social media users shared a photo of Obi at a restaurant appearing to dine beside two bottles of Hero Beer here and here . The image, however, has been doctored, and Obi was not pictured with the drink. The presidential candidate’s face has been superimposed on to the individual’s, the colour of his shirt has been changed from orange to yellow and bottles have been replaced with Hero Beer. The image of Peter Obi with two bottles of Hero Beer has been edited.

☆ Pakistan's Musharraf, military ruler who allied with the U.S. and promoted moderate Islam
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] Pakistan's former President, Pervez Musharraf, addresses his supporters after his arrival from Dubai at Jinnah International airport in Karachi March 24, 2013. Musharraf, 79, died in hospital after a long illness after spending years in self-imposed exile, Pakistan media reported on Sunday. His father served in the foreign ministry, while his mother was a teacher and the family subscribed to a moderate, tolerant brand of Islam. Musharraf also successfully lobbied then-President George W. Bush to pour money into the Pakistani military. In 2006, Musharraf ordered military action that killed a tribal head from the province Balochistan, laying the foundations of an armed insurgency that rages to this day.

REUTERS/Antony NjugunaJUBA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will lead prayers at the mausoleum of South Sudanese liberation hero John Garang on Saturday, an acknowledgement of the importance for the world's youngest nation of perhaps the one leader who could ensure unity. The mostly Christian and animist south voted in a referendum six years later to secede from the mostly Muslim north. When South Sudan became independent on July 9, 2011, tens of thousands flocked to Garang's mausoleum in the new capital of Juba to celebrate. Garang rallied South Sudan's disparate ethnic groups behind a common cause. Garang's widow, Rebecca, is one of South Sudan's five vice presidents, along with Machar, in a unity government formed after the 2018 peace deal.

☆ Aramco-backed fintech opens bank branch in London to help Muslims invest
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Islamic fintech startup Wahed has opened its first physical branch on Baker Street in London. An investing platform backed by the likes of oil giant Saudi Aramco and French soccer player Paul Pogba is launching a novel proposition in the U.K.: a physical branch and bank accounts backed by gold. It is located on Baker Street in central London, just opposite a branch of U.K. banking giant HSBC. "In the United Kingdom, [the Muslim community is] actually one of the lowest socio-economic segments of the country," Wahed's boss said, with "low incomes or financial literacy." "I think it really fits with the Muslim community and what their needs are," Wahedna said.

☆ At least five injured after blast at mayor's office in Mogadishu
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Somali policemen prepare to take their positions near the mayor's office following a blast in Mogadishu, Somalia January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Feisal OmarMOGADISHU, Jan 22 (Reuters) - At least five people were injured in a blast on Sunday at the gates of the mayor's office in Somalia's capital Mogadishu and gunfire continued to sound, a member of the ambulance service and a witness said. Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Aamin Ambulance Services, told Reuters that ambulance staff had so far evacuated five injured people from the scene of the blast. "We were in the office and we were deafened by a blast, we ran out, gunfire followed," Farah Abdullahi, who works in the mayor's office, told Reuters. The mayor's office is located in the local government headquarters building in a well guarded area of Mogadishu.

☆ Taliban asks to keep getting UN aid money despite ending education for women
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Taliban in Afghanistan recently banned women from universities, and working with NGOs. In response, the UN has said it cannot continue to supply the Taliban with humanitarian aid. But the Taliban still asked for support, arguing humanitarian aid shouldn't be "linked" to politics. Then, less than a week later, it banned women from working for non-governmental organizations. UN flights carrying stacks of cash for humanitarian aid into Kabul had already been suspended, he said.

☆ Top Iranian Sunni cleric says torture of protesters un-Islamic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A top dissident Iranian Sunni cleric on Friday denounced as un-Islamic Iran's alleged use of forced confessions to convict detained protesters, as weekly demonstrations continued in the county's southeast. Meanwhile, the authorities' crackdown following nationwide protests continued with arrests, including that of a celebrity chef and a prominent journalist. "If someone does not accept the accusation, they torture him to accept it. After the sermon, demonstrators marched in Zahedan, chanting "Death to the Islamic Republic", according to videos posted on social media. Officials are yet to announce the reasons for the detention of Beik, who had interviewed relatives of arrested protesters.

☆ Most Gulf markets subdued on economic concerns; Dubai gains
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Ateeq Shariff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dubai's main share index (.DFMGI) added 0.3%, ending three sessions of losses, helped by a 1.3% rise in sharia-compliant lender Dubai Islamic Bank (DISB.DU). Among other gainers, Islamic Arab Insurance (SALAMA) (SALAMA.DU) advanced 3.9%, after saying it is considering a proposal to acquire the insurance portfolio of Dubai Islamic Insurance and Reinsurance (Aman) (DNIN.DU). The benchmark index (.QSI) in Qatar - among the world's top exporters of liquefied natural gas - retreated 1.2%. Most stocks on the index were in negative territory including Qatar Islamic Bank (QISB.QA), which was down 2.4%. Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index (.EGX30) climbed 1.2%, with El Sewedy Electric (SWDY.CA) surging 8.1%.

☆ Most Gulf markets fall in early trade; Dubai gains
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 26 (Reuters) - Most stock markets in the Gulf fell in early trade on Monday, with modest trading volumes in absence of many foreign investors for the Christmas holidays. Saudi Arabia's benchmark inex (.TASI) eased 0.1%, hit by a 0.6% fall in Retal Urban Development Co (4322.SE) and a 1.1% decline in the kingdom's biggest lender Saudi National Bank (1180.SE). However, Yanbu National Petrochemicals Company (2290.SE) gained 0.8% after it proposed half-yearly dividend of 1.25 riyal. Dubai's main share index (.DFMGI), however, rose 0.5%, helped by a 1.3% rise in sharia-compliant lender Dubai Islamic Bank (DISB.DU). Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taliban ban women from working for domestic, foreign NGOs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Taliban government on Saturday ordered all foreign and domestic non-governmental groups in Afghanistan to suspend employing women, allegedly because some female employees didn't wear the Islamic headscarf correctly. It was not immediately clear if the order applies to all women or only Afghan women working at the NGOs. More details were not immediately available on the latest Taliban ban amid concerns that it could be a stepping-stone to more restrictive measures against women in Afghanistan. Also Saturday, Taliban security forces used a water cannon to disperse women protesting the ban on university education for women in the western city of Herat, eyewitnesses said. Afghan women have since demonstrated in major cities against the ban, a rare sign of domestic protest since the Taliban seized power last year.

☆ Saudi Arabia and Turkey condemn Taliban university ban for women
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

In another sign of domestic opposition, several Afghan cricketers condemned the university ban. The latest condemnations of the university ban came from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi foreign ministry expressed “astonishment and regret” at Afghan women being denied a university education. Another show of support for female university students came at Nangarhar Medical University. Local media reported that male students walked out in solidarity and refused to sit exams until women’s university access was reinstated.

☆ Female students turned away as Taliban fighters enforce university ban
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The country’s Taliban rulers a day earlier ordered women nationwide to stop attending private and public universities effective immediately and until further notice. Rahimullah Nadeem, a spokesman for Kabul University, confirmed that classes for female students had stopped. Taliban fighters stand guard at the entrance gate of a university in Jalalabad on Wednesday. AFP - Getty ImagesMembers of an activist group called the Unity and Solidarity of Afghanistan Women gathered outside the private Edrak University in Kabul on Wednesday morning, chanting slogans in Dari. AFP - Getty ImagesQatar and Pakistan, both Muslim countries, have expressed their disappointment at the university ban and urged authorities to reconsider their decision.

☆ Women banned from universities in Afghanistan by the Taliban
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, Afghanistan — Women are banned from private and public universities in Afghanistan with immediate effect and until further notice, a Taliban government spokesman said Tuesday, the latest edict cracking down on their rights and freedoms. Despite initially promising a more moderate rule and women’s and minority rights, the Taliban have widely implemented their harsh interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia. They have banned girls from middle school and high school, restricted women from most employment and ordered them to wear head-to-toe clothing in public. Women are also banned from parks and gyms. The university ban comes weeks after Afghan girls took their high school graduation exams, even though they have been banned from classrooms since the Taliban took over the country last year.

☆ Most Gulf markets ease on economic worries, volatile energy prices
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Major stock markets in the Gulf fell in early trade on Tuesday, with the Saudi index falling the most on economic concerns and volatile energy prices. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (.TASI) declined 1.3%, with Retal Urban Development Co (4322.SE) losing 1.6% and Dr Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Services (4013.SE) dropped 4.6%. Last week, the U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank raised interest rates and promised more, adding to concerns of a global economic downturn. Dubai's main share index (.DFMGI) eased 0.1%, weighed down by a 1.8% fall in sharia-compliant lender Dubai Islamic Bank (DISB.DU). The Qatari index (.QSI), however, added 0.2%, helped by a 1.3% rise in Qatar Islamic Bank (QISB.QA).

☆ In Nigeria's long war, a young woman is brutalised by both sides
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

It was a pleasant evening in the summer of 2014, in her Nigerian village near the Cameroon border. Reuters could not reach representatives of Boko Haram or its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, for comment. But by October 2014, the militants were enforcing extreme sharia law in her village, Aisha said. Boko Haram men often came looking for them, knocking on their door and forcing them to hide. But she did not believe she could do so with Bana, as boys were particularly valued in the Boko Haram community.

☆ Most Gulf markets in red on weak oil, Fed policy jitters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Ateeq Shariff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Fed is widely expected to raise rates by 50 basis points at its last meeting of 2022 on Wednesday. Investors will also focus on the central bank's updated economic projections and Fed Chair Jerome Powell's press conference. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (.TASI) dropped 1%, hitting its lowest since April last year, with Retal Urban Development Co (4322.SE) shedding 3.5%. Last week, Brent fell to its lowest since December 2021 amid concerns a possible global recession will hit oil demand. Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index (.EGX30) gained 0.9%, bolstered by a 1.8% rise in top lender Commercial International Bank (COMI.CA).

☆ The Taliban has reintroduced public floggings and executions in Afghanistan, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Taliban have reintroduced public floggings and executions in Afghanistan under sharia law. On Wednesday, the Taliban performed the first public execution since seizing Kabul in August 2021. Girls attend class at a secret school on August 14, 2022 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo by Nava Jamshidi/Getty ImagesAn Afghan woman spoke to Al Jazeera about her experience living under the Taliban regime and her fear of public floggings or execution. Sadaf told Al Jazeera she was sentenced to a public flogging and whipped around 30 times until she passed out.

☆ Iran's Raisi promises to pursue crackdown on protesters; cleric critical of execution
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Molavi Abdolhamid, a Sunni cleric in the Shi'ite-ruled Islamic Republic, criticized the death sentence, according to his website. Human rights groups said Shekari was tortured and forced to confess. In Geneva, U.N. Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Turk called the execution “very troubling and clearly designed to send a chilling effect to the rest of the protesters." Britain announced sanctions on Friday against 30 people worldwide, including officials from Russia, Iran and Myanmar it deems responsible for human rights abuses or corruption. Molavi Abdolhamid made his critical comments from Zahedan, the capital of restive Sistan-Baluchistan province, home to Iran's Baluch minority who have faced discrimination and repression for decades, according to human rights groups.

☆ Taliban carry out first public execution since Afghan takeover
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

ISLAMABAD — The Taliban authorities on Wednesday executed an Afghan convicted of killing another man, the first public execution since the former insurgents took over Afghanistan last year, a spokesman said. The execution, carried out with an assault rifle by the victim’s father, took place in western Farah province before hundreds of spectators and many top Taliban officials, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, the top Taliban government spokesman. The executed man, identified as Tajmir from Herat province, was convicted of killing another man five years ago and stealing his motorcycle and mobile phone. Taliban security forces had arrested Tajmir after the victim’s family accused him of the crime, said a statement from Mujahid, the spokesman. During the previous Taliban rule of the country in the late 1990s, the group carried out public executions, floggings and stoning of those convicted of crimes in Taliban courts.

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