Saudi Arabia has banned foreign pilgrims from entering the kingdom to visit Islam’s holiest sites amid concerns over the coronavirus.

The ban potentially disrupts the plans of millions of people ahead of the holy fasting month of Ramadan and as the annual hajj pilgrimage looms.

The decision showed the growing worry across the Middle East about the strain of coronavirus – also known as Covid-19 – as Iran confirmed that infected cases in the country spiked by over 100, to 254 now. A total of 26 people have died so far in Iran, the world’s highest death toll outside of China, where the outbreak began.

Those with the virus in the Islamic Republic now include Iranian vice president Masoumeh Ebtekar, better known as the English-language spokeswoman “Mary” for the 1979 hostage-takers who seized the US Embassy in Tehran and sparked the 444-day diplomatic crisis, state media reported.

Saudi Arabia’s barring of pilgrims from Mecca, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims pray toward five times a day, and Medina appeared unprecedented in modern history. The kingdom’s Al Saud ruling family stake their legitimacy in overseeing and protecting the sites. Authorities also suspended entry to travellers from nations affected by the virus who hold tourist visas for the kingdom.

It appeared Saudi officials are worried about the risk of pilgrims spreading the virus as they had to Iran. The virus’ epicentre in the Islamic Republic is the holy Shiite city of Qom, where the faithful in reverence reach out to kiss and touch a famous shrine. That shrine and others have remained open, despite Iran’s civilian government calling for them to be closed.

The tiny, oil-rich nation of Kuwait announced a sudden jump to 43 cases from 26 on Thursday as well, all linked to travellers who recently came from Iran. There have been no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Saudi Arabia amid the outbreak.

“Saudi Arabia renews its support for all international measures to limit the spread of this virus, and urges its citizens to exercise caution before travelling to countries experiencing coronavirus outbreaks,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement announcing the decision. “We ask God Almighty to spare all humanity from all harm.”

News of the cancellation has shocked the Muslim world, as many save up for their entire lives for a chance to see the Kaaba and walk along the path of the Prophet Muhammad and visit his tomb in Medina.

Hundreds landed in Pakistan as the ban came into effect, while Indonesia and Turkey had to turn away thousands of pilgrims set to fly. Authorities at Cairo’s international airport said the Saudi decision created “intense confusion” and “extreme anger” among thousands of passengers waiting for flights. Security officials needed to call in reinforcements to control the crowd as news of the ban broke.

Disease outbreaks have always been a concern surrounding the hajj, required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their life, especially as pilgrims come from all over the world. The earliest recorded outbreak came in 632 as pilgrims fought off malaria. A cholera outbreak in 1821 killed an estimated 20,000 pilgrims. Another cholera outbreak in 1865 killed 15,000 pilgrims and then spread worldwide.

More recently, Saudi Arabia faced the danger from another coronavirus, one that caused the Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, which jumped from ill camels to humans. The kingdom increased its public health measures during the hajj in 2012 and 2013 and urged the ill and elderly not to take part in the pilgrimage.

Since September 2012, there have been nearly 2,500 cases of MERS reported, with 858 deaths attributed to the virus, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). However, the hajj itself saw no MERS outbreak. Saudi officials also instituted bans on pilgrims coming from countries affected by the Ebola virus in recent years.

Since the new coronavirus emerged in December in central China, there have been at least 82,000 cases globally, with more than 2,700 deaths.

The social polarisation of a globalised world continues. Toxic discourse around ethnicity, identity, citizenship, belonging and nationhood has led to the fracturing of communities along the lines of skin colour and accents rather than shared values. And although societies are far more conscious today to not tolerate racism, what is clear also is that fear and suspicion still breed ignorance, prejudice and bigotry. They become the stones that fuel xenophobic, populist movements rooted in reactionary politics.

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The far-right have returned to increasing prominence, their racism masquerading as faux liberalism. Pulsing darkly through their movements remains a deep-seated dislike of those they see as ethnically and culturally different. With politicians increasingly unsure of how to defeat them, we risk veering towards the creation of right-wing, authoritarian societies not wired with empathy but natural hostility towards others.

These movements are a sore test of the values cherished by Western liberalism. As this report will show, the far-right have tracked plenty of support that has frayed the social cohesion of different countries. In a time when immigration and globalisation has created discontent and resentment, the far-right have provided misleading and simplistic answers to deeply complex problems that cannot be resolved simply by banning immigration and turning away all Muslims. As Jose Zuquete explained, “the threat that the Crescent will rise over the continent and the spectre of a Muslim Europe have become basic ideological features and themes of the European extreme right. Thus, the concept of ‘Islam’ galvanizes group action: as the group rallies a ‘defence’ against Islamization.”

The focus of this report will be on Generation Identity, who they are and what they stand for. In the wake of a global refugee crisis triggered by conflicts in the Middle-East, far-right groups such as Generation Identity have emerged portraying immigration and multiculturalism as physical and moral threats to their ways of life.

‘The State’ was shown over 4 nights. The work of Peter Kosminsky, it is a harrowing insight into how faith is used and manipulated to create a framework of deadly destruction and intimidation and it also highlights the naivety of people caught up in a belief that the ‘Caliphate’ is finally here.

‘The State’ highlights a number of things which includes demonstrating how young people are manipulated and how for some, the journey ultimately leads to violence and a brutal death. For others, it shows a manipulation of their ‘ideals’ that they believe will be reached through groups like the Islamic State and which lead nowhere but to the brutalisation of others. Yet, the show also highlights something of importance – the chaos that has bred groups like IS in the Middle East and how within chaos, groups that promote nihilism and fear, can take root.

The show makes uncomfortable viewing. It is uncomfortable since it shows how faith can be manipulated, decontextualised and made devoid of any human spirit. It also shows how easy it is for people to be sucked into a cult, the cult of IS murder and death that was so evident in the show.

Finally, the ending where Shakira Boothe returns to the UK with her soon, Isaac, only to be detained, points to one single over-arching conclusion. However much Shakira tried to protect Isaac from harm, in the end, by taking him to the so-called Islamic State, she had put them both directly in danger. The ending where the intelligence officer says that she has been a bad mother sums up the reality. Any parent putting their child in direct danger, is in effect, neglecting their parenting duties and giving their children a potential death sentence. ‘The State’ was therefore a welcome addition to the ongoing public discussions around extremism.

Pope Francis called attention on Sunday to the plight of people affected by war and conflict in the Middle East as U.S.-backed forces close in on Islamic State militants in Iraq.

“So many innocent people are being sorely tested, be they Christian, or Muslim, or from minority groups like the Yazidi, who are suffering tragic violence and discrimination,” Francis said after his regular Sunday address in the Vatican.

“I encourage the different communities to follow the path of dialogue and friendship, to build a future of respect, security and peace, far from any sort of war.”

The battle for Mosul, the densely populated northern Iraqi city that Islamic State made its de facto capital, was approaching an end on Sunday after seven months of gruelling combat.

Many Yazidis, whose beliefs combine elements of several Middle Eastern religions, were persecuted and held in Mosul by Islamic State, which considered them devil-worshippers.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel this month, kicking off his first foreign trip, where he will work to reinvigorate traditional alliances in the region.

Trump said he would also visit the Vatican along with his swing through the Middle East before attending a NATO meeting in Brussels on May 25 and the Group of Seven summit in Sicily on May 26.

The maiden foreign trips of U.S. presidents often take on broader symbolic import, and by choosing the Middle East as his first stop, Trump will highlight his lofty promises to eradicate Islamic State insurgents and bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Trump cast his trip as an effort to build cooperation and support between Muslims, Christians and Jews for fighting terrorism.

“Our task is not to dictate to others how to live but to build a coalition of friends and partners who share the goal of fighting terrorism and bringing safety, opportunity and stability to the war-ravaged Middle East,” Trump said during a speech in the Rose Garden at an event on religious liberty.

Trump’s predecessor President Barack Obama had a testy relationship with both Israel and Saudi Arabia, whose leaders viewed him as being concerned less with traditional alliances than with negotiating a deal to rein in Iran’s nuclear programme.

Trump has been criticized for his “America First” mantra for national security issues, for challenging allies in NATO and the Middle East to do more to pay for their own defence, and for immigration policies that have been cast as anti-Muslim.

Even as he has described himself as a non-interventionist unwilling to be “the policeman of the world”, Trump has recently shown he is willing to engage militarily when he sees fit.

Last month, he ordered missile strikes on a Syrian airfield in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack that he blamed on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

IRAN AN IMPETUS

The idea to visit Saudi Arabia first came during conversations the Trump team held with Saudi officials after the November election, where Saudis sought a fresh start on areas of common interest, including tackling the causes of extremism and dealing with the destabilising activities of an emboldened Iran.

By choosing Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest shrines, as his first destination, Trump intends to send a message about how he wants to show leadership on global issues like the fight against Islamic State militants by strengthening alliances, senior administration officials told reporters.

“What he wants to do is solve the same problem that a lot of the leaders in the Islamic world want to do,” an official said during a briefing, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“We thought (going to Saudi Arabia first) was very important because obviously people have tried to portray the president in a certain way,” the official said.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir described Trump’s visit to the kingdom as a historic visit and one that would entail a bilateral summit, another one with Arab Gulf leaders and the United States and one with Arab and Muslim countries.

“It’s a clear and powerful message that the U.S. harbours no ill-will” towards the Arab and Muslim world, he told reporters in Washington. “It also lays to rest the notion that America is anti-Muslim.”

Saudi Arabia’s powerful Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Trump in Washington in March in a visit a senior Saudi advisor called a “historical turning point” in relations.

Trump complained in an interview with Reuters last week that Saudi Arabia was not treating the United States fairly and that Washington was losing a “tremendous amount of money” defending the kingdom.

“What we’ve done is come up with what we think will be some very exciting deliverables in the meeting,” one of the officials said, declining to provide details.

‘HUMILITY’ ON PEACE PROCESS

In meetings in Israel, Trump will discuss how he plans to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians, a goal that has evaded many previous administrations.

Trump has provided no concrete details on how he will revive long-stalled peace talks, but has asked Israel to limit its building of Jewish settlements on land the Palestinians want for a state.

He has assigned his son-in-law Jared Kushner to oversee efforts.

“We’ll approach it, I think, with a lot of humility,” a senior administration official told reporters during a preview of the meeting.

Trump met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House on Wednesday, and will meet with him again during the trip, the White House said.

Officials declined to say where Trump would meet with Abbas, and also said exact dates and other details of the trip would be provided later.

The Vatican said Pope Francis would meet Trump on May 24, a discussion that could be awkward given their opposing positions on immigration, refugees, and climate change.

The family of American journalist Marie Colvin, who died in Syria in 2012, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in a U.S. court, accusing the Syrian government of deliberately killing her.

Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs in 2012 while reporting on the Syrian conflict, now in its sixth year.

The lawsuit, filed in Washington on Saturday and seen by Reuters, said Syrian officials deliberately targeted rockets against a makeshift broadcast studio where Colvin and other reporters were living and working.

The suit alleged the attack was part of a plan orchestrated at the highest levels of the Syrian government to silence local and international media “as part of its effort to crush political opposition”.

The lawsuit included as evidence a copy of an August 2011 fax which it alleges was sent from Syria’s National Security Bureau instructing security bodies to launch military and intelligence campaigns against “those who tarnish the image of Syria in foreign media and international organisations”.

“This case is about carrying on Marie’s work,” plaintiff Cathleen Colvin, Marie Colvin’s sister, said.

“We are seeking truth and justice not just for her, but for thousands of innocent Syrians tortured or killed under the Assad dictatorship,” she said in a statement released by U.S. human rights group the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) which filed the case for the Colvin family.

Advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said it supported the lawsuit.

The group’s secretary-general, Christophe Deloire, said Reporters Without Borders “hopes these efforts will help to expose the truth, namely that these journalists were deliberately targeted and killed because they were providing information about the Syrian army’s crimes against civilians.”

A murder and attempted murder investigation was launched in France in 2012 into the death of Ochlik and wounding of another journalist, Edith Bouvier, in the same attack.

Reporters Without Borders, as an interested party in the case, said it will submit the Colvin family’s U.S. lawsuit to the judge in charge of the French investigation on Monday.

Colvin and Ochlik were both prize-winning reporters of wars in the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. The Britain-based Colvin, who lost an eye while working in Sri Lanka in 2001, was working for the Sunday Times at the time of her death.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry, to whom the lawsuit was addressed, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told a visiting group of European parliamentarians on Sunday that western governments’ support for opposition groups in Syria caused terrorism in Europe.

“The problems Europe faces today of terrorism, extremism and waves of refugees are caused by some western leaders’ adoption of policies which do not serve their people,” Assad told a delegation of members of the European Parliament headed by Javier Couso, vice chairman of its foreign affairs committee.

“Especially when those leaders give support and political cover to terrorist groups inside Syria,” Syrian state news agency SANA said in a summary of Assad’s comments.

The Syrian government, supported by Iran and Russia, refers to all groups fighting it in the five-year-old conflict as terrorists. Of such groups, the U.N. classifies only Islamic State and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front as terrorist.

A range of countries provide financial, logistical and training support to the many armed opposition groups in Syria, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Western and Gulf Arab countries which want Assad out of power blame him for the displacement of tens of thousands of Syrians, through air strikes on rebel-held areas that have killed thousands.

Opposition groups accuse the government of deliberately targeting civilians and breaching ceasefires. United Nations-brokered peace talks broke down in late April as violence escalated, without a set date to resume.

A Slovak far-right party demanded a minute’s silence in parliament on Monday to mark what it called the murder of the head of the Slovak wartime Nazi puppet state who was hanged for treason in 1947; the chamber’s head refused the move.

The People’s Party-Our Slovakia party shocked many in a March election when it won three times as many votes as expected to enter parliament for the first time, mirroring a rise in far-right support around Europe and becoming an unwanted partner for other Slovak lawmakers.

On Monday, the party led by Marian Kotleba called for a commemoration of the 1939-45 State president and Catholic priest Jozef Tiso in an open letter to the parliament’s chairman.

Tiso allowed tens of thousands of Slovak Jews to be deported to Nazi death camps and was tried for treason after the war.

“Today is the 69th anniversary of an abominable judicial murder (of Tiso) who is rightly seen by every patriot as a martyr of Slovakia’s sovereignty and a defender of Christianity against Bolshevism,” People’s Party-Our Slovakia said.

Parliament Chairman Andrej Danko denied the request, which was made as parliament began debate on the programme of a new four-party government led by Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Kotleba’s party, which is in the opposition, has rejected suggestion of links with Nazi ideology.

In the past, members of Kotleba’s former ‘Slovak brotherhood’ party, dressed in black uniforms reminiscent of the Nazi-era Hlinka guard and appeared at rallies commemorating the 1939-45 Slovak State. The party was disbanded for spreading hatred in 2006.

Support for the far right has risen in the European Union as the bloc lurches from crisis to crisis, including an influx of asylum seekers from war-torn regions of the Middle East, which topped 1 million people last year.

Slovakia has taken a tough stance against migration and quota systems to redistribute asylum seekers among member states.

Analysts say the far right has capitalised on concerns over immigration as well as corruption among mainstream parties and poor public services.

The post Far-right Slovak party urges remembrance of hanged Nazi-era president appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Panorama’s exposure this week of Anti-semitic and homophobic textbooks being used by a small number of Muslim pupils highlights a sickening attempt by so-called “holy” people abroad to manipulate young minds here in Britain.

Written by individuals who have been insulated from the diversity that we see around us and who see internal religious dilemmas as weaknesses and not strengths, they have left a legacy that is completely out of tune with where Islam and Muslims are today.

Any material that attempts to justify hate through religious texts or through Islam is doing injustice to a faith that is based four square on social justice and on compassion.

The past few years have seen some significant changes in the text books that are being circulated and used within British Muslim communities. Books funded and written by individuals in the Middle East are not taken up in the large numbers that when they were distributed for free and there were no British-based Muslim publishing houses.

Today, there are publishers like Amal Press who have a point of getting books out into Muslim communities that depict Islam in a modern British setting and offer deep insights into the huge narratives that make up Islamic jurisprudence and spirituality. They are an asset to the development of Muslim communities and a counter to those based overseas who have no understanding of the modern world.

In the past, lack of leadership within the Muslim community has made cohesive action very difficult. Times are changing and positive leadership is emerging but it now needs to step into the breach and make public our abhorrence towards such texts.

Source: The Jewish Chronicle Online. By Fiyaz Mughal. Faith Matters.