New Zealand = Empathy

(Subair Saqafi, Imam of Imam Tawa Islamic Centre, New Zealand, on  terrorist attack) 

          ‘Assalamu Alaikum’ – It was with this Islamic salutation that Jacindra Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, began her soulful speech in parliament after a while-supremacist terrorist mowed down 50 men and women assembled for prayer at Al Noor mosque in Chrischurch.  “Everyone was in tears listening to the speech. Infact, the session began with the recitation of verses from Quran”.

“Love and concern are pouring in from every corner of the country.You might have seen prime minister Jacindra interacting with relatives of the victims wearing hijab.Not just that.Women government officials, too, are wearing the Islamic dress to express solidarity with us and greet us with salaam.This is overwhelming.”

The entire Muslim community panicked after the tragedy.No one could imagine that such a horrendous incident can happen in Ne Zealand.But the reaction from the government and the peoplewas awesome.When we go out, people rush to us, hug us and declare we are one.Some days there was shortage of flowers because people were queuing up to buy them and place them before mosques.You can rarely see such wonderful people, so caring and loving.”

“I am a citizen of New Zealand. In all these years, I have never come across anyone who nurtures hatred towards Muslims.I move around in my Islamic dress and headgear and no one looks at me with suspicion or hatred.We have full freedom in practisingand propagating our religion.Christian missionaries have come to my house for religious discussions.”

Andern proved that she is a capable leader. A tragedy of such magnitude could have triggered violentreaction from a part of the Muslim community and that may have been theintention of the attacker.But the successful intervention of the prime minister pre-empted that, Saqafi believes.In every speech, she insisted that “we are one and we are with you.”

“Now all mosques except the two that were attacked are open.Armed guards give protection for mosques when namaz is performed.At some places, even ordinary people stand around the mosques as guards.We are slowly returning to normal life.Now we feel safe and the reaction of the people reconfirmed our faith in the country.”-Saqafi says.                             From Prasanth, T O I

Saudi Arabia = Annihilation

          Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia authorised a secret campaign to silence dissenters – which included the surveillance, kidnapping, detention and torture of Saudi citizens – more than a year before the killing of Jamal  Khshogg-a dissident journalist living in the U.S who  wrote for the Washington Post- according to US officials who have read classified intelligence reports about the campaign.

The rapid intervention Group was authorised by Crown Prince Mohammed.

At least some of the clandestine missions were carried out by members of the same team that killed and dismembered Khashoggi in Istanbul in October, suggesting that his killing was a particularly egregious part of a wider campaign tosilence Saudi dissidents.

Members of the teamthat killed Khashoggi, which US officials called the Saudi Rapid Investigation Group, were involved in at least a dozen operations starting in 2017, the officials said. This Group was authorised by Crown Prince Mohammed.

A spokeman for for the Saudi Embassy in Washington said the Kingdom takes any allegations of ill treatment of defendants awaiting trail orprisoners serving their sentences very seriously.

The Saudi government insists thatthe killing of Khashoggi was not an assassination ordered from Riyad.Turkey and U.S intelligence agencies say the killing was premeditated.

Some of the operations involved forciblyrepatriating Saudis from other Arab countries and detaining and abusing prisoners in palaces belonging to the crown prince and his father, King
Salman, the officials and associates said.

One of the Saudis detained by the group, a university lecturer in Linguistics who wrote a blog about women in Saud Arabia, tried to kill herself last year after being subjected to psychological torture, according to US intelligence reports and other briefed on her situation.

The rapid Intervention Group also appears to have been involved in the detention and abuse ofabout a dozen women’s rights activists, who were detained last spring and summer.

                                                                                                                    From Mark,ben- NYT news