Religion and Culture, emerging Chechen Islam': Muslims in Russia bring home an Olive Tree linked to the Prophet Muhammad and produce the first hand-written Quran

Religion and Culture, emerging Chechen Islam': Muslims in Russia bring home an Olive Tree linked to the Prophet Muhammad and produce the first hand-written Quran

    Wednesday, July 27, 2022   No comments

The president of the Republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, visited the Mufti of the Republic, Salah-Khadji Mezhiev. The visit, the president said, "is undertaken when wise guidance is needed. He shares his knowledge with me, gives advice, tells a lot of interesting things about our religion. For me such meetings are very valuable."

He learned that after performing the Hajj, the Mufti visited Jordan for an olive tree sprout, "under which the venerable Prophet Muhammad ﷺ rested." Through the efforts of Sheikh Salah-Khadji, "a piece of this beautiful, centuries-old tree is now in our republic. Without any doubt, his work for the benefit of the Muslims of the Chechen Republic is noble and priceless," said Kadyrov.

The Mufti also shared with the president the result of the painstaking work of the renowned Syrian calligrapher of Chechen origin, Shukri Kharacho, who was tasked by the president to create a handwritten Quran, designed in Chechen styles. Shukri Kharacho managed to realize the unique style of Arabic writing and at the same time maintain simplicity for reading. After authority checks and reviews by an independent commission, this work will go into mass printing, the president explained.

Since the end of the war and the election of the first Kadyrov to the presidency, officials have embarked on two-track strategy: economic development and spiritual growth. Both plans involved support from the federal government of Russia. In order to limit influx of youth joining the Wahhabi-Salafi fighters, the leaders realized that they need to provide economic opportunity while redefining Sunni Islam in a way that does not conflict with local customs and historical legacies.

Ten years ago, Ramzan Kadyrov, during a meeting with religious leaders, he stressed the need to match spiritual development to the pace of economic development:

"The republic's economy is developing, cities and villages have been restored, but without a spiritually developed and highly moral society, the republic cannot have a future. Spiritual and moral education should be a priority for you. Therefore, you need to clearly coordinate your work and involve public organizations in it."

The level of growth in both areas is stunning as these images illustrate.

  

Heads of Caspian Sea states agree to use the sea for peaceful purposes; Putin: Joint exploitation of oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea is already underway; Raisi: Cooperation between Caspian countries is of increasing importance due to international developments

Heads of Caspian Sea states agree to use the sea for peaceful purposes; Putin: Joint exploitation of oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea is already underway; Raisi: Cooperation between Caspian countries is of increasing importance due to international developments

    Wednesday, June 29, 2022   No comments

The Caspian Sea heads of state agreed, during their sixth summit, held in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat, today, Wednesday, to use the Caspian Sea for peaceful purposes and to provide security in the region.

In the statement of the summit, the presidents reaffirmed that the activities of the riparian states of the Caspian Sea will be carried out on the basis of the following principles: "Using the Caspian Sea for peaceful purposes, transforming it into an area of ​​peace, good neighbourliness, friendship and cooperation, and solving all issues related to the Caspian Sea by peaceful means."

An agreement was also reached on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, sovereign equality of states, non-use of force or threat of force, mutual respect, cooperation and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, as well as on ensuring security and stability in the Caspian Sea region. .

In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his participation in the sixth summit of the countries bordering the Caspian Sea, referred to his country's call to deepen partnerships between the five Caspian countries, stressing that "the joint exploitation of oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea is already being implemented." ".

Putin explained that "deepening partnerships between the five countries includes the policy and security sectors, and the five Caspian Sea regions should increase cooperation in rapid response to natural and other man-made emergencies," adding: "I propose to invite countries participating in the Tehran Agreement, which aims to to the protection of the Caspian Sea to the Conference".

Among Putin's proposals is the establishment of the Caspian Sea Film Festival.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Ashgabat to participate in the Sixth Caspian Sea Summit, at the invitation of the President of Turkmenistan, Sardar Berdymukhamedov.

Also participating in the summit are the presidents of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Iran's Ibrahim Raisi, and the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The meeting is held in accordance with the agreement, which was reached in light of the results of the previous summit in Aktau, Kazakhstan in August 2018.

On June 27, the Russian President's Assistant, Yuri Ushakov, announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, during their participation in the Caspian Sea Summit scheduled for June 29.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi welcomed the initiatives presented by the heads of states bordering the Caspian Sea, to develop economic cooperation in the fields of transportation, shipping, investment, tourism, and other economic activities, in particular, the need to strengthen cultural relations and protect the fragile environment of the Caspian Sea.

In his speech at the Sixth Summit of the Caspian Sea Countries, in Ashgabat, today, Wednesday, Raisi stressed that relations between Iran and Turkmenistan have always been expanding, pointing to the availability of opportunities and energies in order to raise the level of bilateral cooperation.

He declared his country's readiness for comprehensive cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit.

Media coverage: More evidence suggest that Aljazeera and the government of Qatar enabled war crimes in Syria

Media coverage: More evidence suggest that Aljazeera and the government of Qatar enabled war crimes in Syria

    Sunday, December 18, 2016   No comments

More evidence suggest that Aljazeera and the government of Qatar, and other states supporting the armed groups in Syria including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, enabled and Qatar promised to continue to enable war crimes in Syria.

With armed groups and their families being evacuated out of Aleppo, the process and aftermath reveal, with undeniable certainty, that these groups have committed war crimes in the city and the areas they control. The process also exposed the supporters of groups like the Idlib-based Fath al-Sham (aka Nusra, al-Qaeda affiliate), like Qatar and its mouthpiece Aljazeera. 

Aljazeera failed to report that Fath al-Sham burned buses that were supposed to evacuate the injured and civilians from Shia towns in Idlib endangering the lives of pro-rebel Sunni civilians still trapped in east Aleppo. This callous act, blocking the evacuation of civilians and injured individuals, prompted armed groups and civilians in Aleppo to appeal to “mujahideen to let civilian leave.”

Images out of east Aleppo also reveal that armed groups used mosques, including the historical one—Umayyad Mosque, as military bases. These acts, using civilians as human shields, preventing the evacuation civilians, the evacuation of the injured and sick, holding civilians as hostage, and the use of religious sites for military purposes, all are war crimes.

 

Armed groups used the mosque as military base.

 

 

   

     Aljazeera not reporting the fact that Nusra burned the buses to block the evacuation of civilians, injured, and sick individuals as part of a deal struck between Turkey and Russia.

     Aljazeera lack of coverage of the burning of the buses in Idlib, Syria.

 BBC coverage of the burning of the buses in Idlib, Syria.

Reuters coverage of the burning of the buses in Idlib, Syria.

#IslamicSocietiesReview: ISIL's cruelty as catalyst for positive social change in Syria and Iraq

#IslamicSocietiesReview: ISIL's cruelty as catalyst for positive social change in Syria and Iraq

    Thursday, May 12, 2016   No comments

They share little more than an enemy and struggle to communicate on the battlefield, but together two relatively obscure groups have opened up a new front against Islamic State militants in a remote corner of Iraq.

The unlikely alliance between an offshoot of a leftist Kurdish organization and an Arab tribal militia in northern Iraq is a measure of the extent to which Islamic State has upended the regional order.

Across Iraq and Syria, new groups have emerged where old powers have waned, competing to claim fragments of territory from Islamic State and complicating the outlook when they win.

"Chaos sometimes produces unexpected things," said the head of the Arab tribal force, Abdulkhaleq al-Jarba. "After Daesh (Islamic State), the political map of the region has changed. There is a new reality and we are part of it."

Saudi Arabia threatens U.S. over 9/11 legislation: will sell $750 billion worth of assets held inside U.S.

Saudi Arabia threatens U.S. over 9/11 legislation: will sell $750 billion worth of assets held inside U.S.

    Saturday, April 16, 2016   No comments

Saudi Arabia threatens to sell off US assets if Congress passes 9/11 bill
Officials in Saudi Arabia have reportedly told the Obama administration they will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars of American assets if Congress passes a bill that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible for any role in the September 11 attacks.

On the eve of President Barack Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the New York Times said the White House had been lobbying Congress to block the bill’s passage and that the threat from Saudi Arabia had been the subject of intense talks.

For a self-declared mere "servant" of holy places, the Saudi king makes his state visit to Turkey in Style: 500 luxury cars, 450-square meter King Suite with bullet proof windows

For a self-declared mere "servant" of holy places, the Saudi king makes his state visit to Turkey in Style: 500 luxury cars, 450-square meter King Suite with bullet proof windows

    Monday, April 11, 2016   No comments

For a self-declared "servant" of holy places, the Saudi king makes his state visit to Turkey in Style: 500 luxury cars, 450-square meter King Suite, with bullet proof windows

A week of intense preparations in Ankara for Saudi King Salman has been completed, with extraordinary security measures marking the king’s two-day visit upon the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The windows of the 450-square meter King Suite in the JW Marriot in Ankara have been covered with bullet-proof glass while the walls of the suite have been covered with bomb-resistant cement.
...
The hotel has been booked for the king for three days, and a team of 300 Saudi officials arrived there a few days ago to coordinate private preparations. It is reported that the total cost of preparations at the hotel was around $10 million.