Leicestershire, England (IINA) - Leicestershire Police's Chief Constable Simon Cole said he was open to allowing the traditional Islamic dress (burka) to become part of the female officers' uniform.On Thursday, Cole said: 'We have been made aware of discussions in other police forces regarding incorporating burkas into police uniform. 'It is not something that Leicestershire police has been asked to consider by an officer or a potential recruit, Mail Online news. 'If such a request was made, it would be considered in line with the requirements of policing, and the need to ensure officers have uniform that is fit for purpose.' He was supported by Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach who said he would be 'sympathetic' to the idea of the garment, which covers the face and body. It came after West Midlands Police said it was considering employing staff who wear a burka as the force looks to increase the number of black and ethnic minority officers.However, Colin comments attracted criticism from public figures in Leicestershire, with some saying speaking to an officer 'behind a mask' would not be the same as face-to-face contact. President of the Leicester Secular Society Gush Bhumbra, said: “If I've been the victim of a crime or an accident and an officer behind a mask would not do that for me as much as normal face-to-face contact”On the other side, Spokesman for the Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organizations Suleman Nagdi said common sense was needed when considering the proposal. He added: “I'm not convinced whether it would work well with the kind of job we're talking about. Identification is crucial and this would cause difficulties for members of the public.” “Of course, I welcome the fact it is being considered. But I'm also trying to be practical,” he noted.A spokeswoman for Leicestershire police said there had been no requests by staff to add the veil to their uniform. The acting Chairman of the force's Association of Muslim Officers, the official body that represents Leicestershire's Muslim police, said he was not in a position to comment.West Midlands Police Chief Constable David Thompson was blasted earlier this month after he refused to rule out allowing female recruits to wear the burkas.He said his force would have to consider any requests to wear the burka, which covers both the face and body, and the full-face niqab, which leaves the eye area clear.The decision was met with outrage from MPs and public figures and was even slammed as a bad idea by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).West Midlands Police has already approved hijab-wearing officers and currently allows Sikhs to replace their helmet with a turban.The hijab, which cover the head and neck but leaving the face clear was approved after being requested by a number of Muslim women.The Metropolitan police introduced it a decade ago and the hijab is now successfully integrated into several forces across the UK most recently in Scotland. Currently no serving officers wear the burka.
Kozhikode (IINA) – An entire village and members of a family in the southern Indian state of Kerala are euphoric over the assumption of duty by Lt. Gen. P.M. Hariz as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command of the Indian Army. Banners congratulating the ‘great son of the village’ were raised in the village of Kuttikadavu, Cheruppa, 16 km from the city of Kozhikode, after news about Hariz assuming command of the largest geographical formation of the Indian Army recently. Lt. Gen. Hariz took over the post from Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat, who has proceeded to Delhi to assume duties of Vice Chief of Army Staff, Saudi Gazette newspaper reported.Speaking to the newspaper, many family members and neighbors of Lt. Gen. Hariz said that his new position gave them big joy and excitement, and they are proud of his dedicated service at such a senior level in one of the largest armies in the world. Lt. Gen. Hariz is the eldest son of Pattiarimmal Mohamed Ali, who died in 2009 after retiring from service as Communications Officer of Trichy airport in the state of Tamil Nadu. His mother Amina, daughter of late Mammumaster of Poolakkadavu, Kozhikode, was a teacher who expired early in 1962. His father Mohammed Ali later married Fathima, who hails from Mathilakam of Trichur District. Late Fathima Mohammed Ali had served as Superintendent of Women Vigilance Homes in Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Department.Zarina Hariz, daughter of Late Col. E.P.M. Rahman from Wandoor in the Malappuram district, is his wife. Zarina is closely associated with activities of Army Welfare Association and is actively involved in empowerment of women with special emphasis on education and healthcare. The couple have one son and daughter — Zoheb and Shaistha. Zoheb is a commissioned officer in a Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Indian Army, while Shaistha is a special educator in the British Council School, New Delhi. She will be going to UK for her Master’s degree in special education at University College of London. Hariz has two siblings; his sister Adv. Shameem has been practicing for more than 30 years and is currently a senior lawyer at Bandra Family Court in Mumbai. Younger brother Arif had served in the Indian Navy as a Commander and after taking voluntary retirement now works with Crimson Energy Experts Pvt. Ltd as Senior Engineering Consultant while his wife Sahana Arif from Kodungallur is the principal of Vidyashilp Public School Pune.Speaking to Saudi Gazette over phone from Mumbai, Shameem said that the entire family was extremely excited and jubilant over the new appointment of her elder brother. She said, “He is a role model for our family. His best quality is his down-to-earth character and maintaining close association with family members. His qualities of professionalism, hard work, dedication, honesty, perseverance, and high spirit of patriotism have enabled him to scale the ladder of success. In spite of his success he is humble and empathetic to one and all, and has maintained very good rapport with his kith and kin.” She added that her entire family feels honored having presented a great son to serve the army of this great nation.Shameem lives in Mumbai along with her husband Dr. Syed Ismail, who is an engineer and is now engaged in business. The couple have a daughter Jennifer who is doing her MBA at the University of San Diego. “My brother has a residential apartment in Kozhikode where he stays whenever he comes on leave. During all his visits, he and his wife Zarina always visit their family members and relatives. Last year, during his visit in Ramadan, he organized an iftar party for family members with whom he always maintains close contacts,” she added.Nelluli Subair, additional sub inspector of Police at Kozhikode Medical College station, and cousin of Hariz, says that the new appointment is a matter of immense pride and delight to the entire family and to his native village of Kuttikadavu, Cheruppa. “Almost on a daily basis, he keeps in touch and sends messages with inspiring and motivational quotes. He used to call daily to know the condition of my mother Fatima, who is his paternal aunt, since her condition had worsened over the last few days. Fatima passed away on Sunday.” Subair said he got inspired from his cousin and hence he also had a passion to join the Indian Army. “Even though I was selected to the Madras Regiment, being the only son, my mother was against me joining the Army. However, I later joined the Kerala police service.”Other family members of Lt. Gen. Hariz also expressed their happiness over the remarkable achievements made by him. “Coming from a humble background, his grandfather Pattiarimmal Abdurahman was a farmer and participated in the freedom struggle. His father, Mohamed Ali was a self-educated man, who initially worked as a teacher and later joined the Royal Indian Airforce. After partition, he along with many others were demobilized and laterally inducted into the Civil Aviation Ministry, where he worked in the Communication Department, and retired as an Assistant Communications Officer,” said M.M. Mohammed Abdul Razaq, who married Asia, sister of Mohamed Ali. “Mohamed Ali worked hard to educate his three children,” said Abdul Razaq who retired from the Kerala police force after serving for about 35 years.Aminakutty and Mariyakkutty teacher, other sisters of Mohammed Ali, also expressed their happiness over the great successes made by their nephew. Mariyakkutty, who retired from service as headmistress of an elementary school in the nearby village of Kuttikkattur, said that Hariz maintains close contact with his relatives. “He is fond of maintaining intimate contacts with us and finds time to meet his relatives frequently. It is a matter of great pride and honor to our family and village that one of our family members has attained such an important appointment and responsibility,” she said while praising and applauding the efforts of Hariz. Mariyakutty’s son Ashraf is an engineer in Kerala State Electricity board and Aminakutty’s son Abdulsalam is the senior inspector of RPF, who were also highly elated about their cousin’s elevationThe family members of Zarina Hariz, including her mother Khadeeja, brother Asif Elat, and sister Farida were extremely ecstatic over the elevation of Lt. Gen. Hariz while M.M. Hajjarah, a cousin of Hariz, spoke of his affectionate and innocent nature, and pleasing character even while holding key army posts. “He showed keen interest to visit us at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands even in the midst of a hectic schedule,” said Hajjarah, who has been working as a teacher of biology at the Government Model Senior Secondary School in Port Blair for nearly 30 years. Ashraf Kakkodi, a footballer turned industrialist, said that Hariz has become a big source of inspiration for their family members. Hariz’s son, Zoheb is married to Farah, daughter of Ashraf Kakkodi, a former player of Kerala state football team.After assuming command on Thursday, Lt. Gen. Hariz laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in Pune and paid homage to the martyrs. Thereafter, he was given a Guard of Honor. Prior to the current appointment, he was general officer commanding in chief at Army Training Command in Shimla. Hariz did his schooling from Sainik School, Amravati Nagar in Tamil Nadu. He is an alumnus of the National Defense Academy, Khadakwasla. On completion of basic military training from Indian Military Academy in Dehra Dun in 1978, he was commissioned into 12 Mechanized Infantry Battalion, and later commanded 19 Mechanized Infantry Battalion (Recce and Support). Later, he attended all the mandatory army courses, including the prestigious Staff Course at Camberly (UK), Higher Command Course at Mhow and National Defense College at Delhi.Lt. Gen. Hariz has a vast experience of serving on prestigious staff and command appointments. He also has the unique distinction of holding various United Nations appointments, including a combined tenure as Military Observer, Chief Personnel Officer, and Regional Commander in Angola. He served as instructor at Infantry School in Mhow and also at the prestigious Defense Services Staff College in Wellington. He has commanded a Battalion, Brigade, Division and Corps in the Western Sector. He also commanded an operational sub-area and has been on staff appointments at various levels at the Integrated Headquarters (Army) in New Delhi. The officer was decorated with Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal.
Aleppo (IINA) – Warplanes mounted a new wave of heavy air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Saturday pressing on with a major offensive by the Russian-backed Syrian military to take back the entire city.The attacks came as a UN official said nearly two million people in Aleppo are without running water as security conditions deteriorate. Residents of rebel-held eastern Aleppo say it has been subjected to the most ferocious bombardment of the war since the government declared a new offensive that has killed dozens of people in the last three days. "Unfortunately it continues. There are planes in the sky now," Ammar al-Selmo, head of Civil Defense in the opposition-held east, told Reuters news agency.Rebels said air strikes on Saturday morning hit at least four areas of the opposition-held east, home to more than 250,000 people. The attack has drawn on ordinance more destructive than anything previously used against the area, and many buildings have been entirely destroyed, residents say. "They are using weapons that appear to be specifically for [bringing down] buildings," said a senior official in an Aleppo-based rebel faction, the Levant Front. "Most of the victims are under the rubble because more than half the civil defense has been forced out of service." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based organization that reports on the war, said at least 50 people had been killed on Saturday. "The raids are intense and continuous," said Syrian Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman. The Syrian army said it is targeting rebel positions in the city and denied hitting civilians.Hanaa Singer, UNICEF representative in Syria, said intense attacks damaged the Bab al-Nairab station that supplies some 250,000 people in rebel-held eastern parts of the contested city with water. Singer said in retaliation, the Suleiman al-Halabi pumping station, also located in the rebel-held east, was switched off - cutting water to 1.5 million people in government-held western parts of the city. "Depriving children of water puts them at risk of catastrophic outbreaks of water-borne diseases," Singer warned in her statement released late Friday.Residents say more than 150 air strikes have been launched, crushing emergency service structures, as well as underground shelters used by civilians to hide from bombings. At least 30 neighbourhoods were targeted. Three centres for a volunteer rescue group known as the White Helmets were also hit, Al Jazeera reported. The Syrian military, which is backed by the Russian air force, said it was starting a new operation against the rebel-held east. The Syrian defense ministry has called on residents to move to government-held areas, adding there would be "no detention, or inquiry to any citizen" who reached the checkpoints that divide the city.A high-ranking military source confirmed the intense bombardment was in preparation for a ground assault. "We have begun reconnaissance, aerial and artillery bombardment," he told the AFP news agency, adding the strikes could "go on for days" before the ground operation starts. Aleppo was once Syria's commercial and industrial hub but has been ravaged by fighting and roughly divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east since mid-2012. The announcement of the new Syrian army offensive on Thursday came as international powers failed to revive a collapsed ceasefire during diplomatic talks in New York. The Syrian war has seen more than 400,000 people killed and almost 11 million Syrians - half the country's prewar population – displaced.
Cairo (IINA) – The death toll from a refugee boat sinking off Egypt’s coast has risen to 162, as rescuers recovered more bodies from the Mediterranean Sea. Survivors have said up to 450 people were on board the overcrowded fishing vessel that was heading to Italy from Egypt when it capsized off the port city of Rosetta on Wednesday.The bodies of 162 people had been pulled from the waters off the Egyptian coast, Mohammed Sultan, the governor of Beheira province, where Rosetta is located, told the Associated Press on Friday. An earlier official toll on Friday had put the number of dead at 148. The military said that it had rescued 163 survivors, and recovery attempts were continuing. There are fears the death toll could rise further, with rescuers focusing their efforts on the boat's hold where witnesses said around 100 people had been when the vessel flipped over.In a new report on Friday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that "as many as 240 [people are still] unaccounted for or presumed missing" from the shipwreck. "Normally in such situations, 'missing' migrants are presumed drowned, their remains never recovered," it said. The IOM said most of those rescued were Egyptians, but also included Sudanese, Eritreans, a Syrian and an Ethiopian. Authorities arrested four suspected on Thursday over the incident, the latest in what the UN refugee agency expects to be the deadliest year on record for the Mediterranean.The accident comes months after the EU border agency Frontex warned that growing numbers of Europe-bound refugees were using Egypt as a departure point for the dangerous journey. People-traffickers often use barely seaworthy vessels and overload them to extract the maximum money in fares from desperate refugees. The IOM reported on Friday that 300,450 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2016 through 21 September, arriving mostly in Greece and Italy. Some 166,050 people have arrived in Greece and 130,567 in Italy during 2016.Total arrivals for the entire month of September last year were 518,181 - nearly 50 percent higher than 2016's totals, with slightly over a week remaining before the start of October. Deaths, however, are considerably higher than last year's total of 2,887 on this date. According to the IOM's Missing Migrants Project, this year's deaths stand at 3,501, including the people who died in the latest tragedy off Egypt.
Sydney, (IINA) – An Australian far-right anti-Islam leader has come under fire for attempting to 'school' a Muslim lawyer on the teachings of Islam during a heated debate on Australian patriotism.United Patriots Front (UPF) member Blair Cottrell appeared on ABC2's The Hack on Thursday night and began to quote the teachings of Islam, including telling panelist Lydia Shelly living by Australian standards meant a person was kafir.Shelly fired back and told Cottrell she had not known he was a 'scholar of Islam' and she did not need to be 'schooled' by him on her faith, Mail Online news reported. 'If you're going to live by Australian standards, you're Kafir,' Cottrell told the audience before Shelly cut in.'Am I? You're a scholar of Islam and I didn't even know it,' she responded.The UPF leader then addressed host Tom Tilley, saying the culture of Australia is an 'expression of the people' and is 'not Islam'. Fellow panel member Sara Gadalla and Andrew Fox Lane was also left unimpressed by Cottrell's views.
Melbourne, Australia, (IINA) - Politicians are not doing enough to change the anti-Islam public discourse in Australia, say two of the nation's leading Muslim figures, Turkish Daily Sabah news reported.Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Thursday in response to a poll that showed 49 percent of Australians support a ban on Muslim immigrants, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils' President Keysar Trad and Mariam Veiszadeh, founder and president of the Australian Islamophobia Register, condemned politicians for allowing an environment of anti-Muslim sentiment to thrive.Trad said he was "heartbroken" and "devastated" by the poll finding, underlining that "irresponsible politics" are in part to blame."Australians are being led through fear politics to project a different image to the one we really are. By nature we are a generous and hospitable and welcoming people," he stressed."Politicians have created an invasion anxiety," he said, pointing to the fact that the poll results come shortly after right-wing One Nation leader Pauline Hanson called for a ban on Muslims entering Australia during her maiden speech in Parliament last week.Hanson, who shot to fame for her attacks on Asian immigration as an MP in the 1990s, returned to Parliament in July."We are in danger of being swamped by Muslims, who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own," she said during her speech mid-way through which Greens lawmakers walked out of the chamber in disgust."I call for stopping further Muslim immigration and banning the burqa, as they have done in many countries around the world," she continued.Veiszadeh, founder of the Islamophobia Register, has been tracking anti-Muslim hatred for two years. "Based on what we're seeing Islamophobia is on the rise to the point it's becoming normalized and that doesn't happen in a vacuum," she says. "It takes place in an environment and political landscape in which xenophobia has been allowed to flourish. Part of that is due to a failure of our senior leadership."Veiszadeh argues that the failure of politicians to adamantly oppose the sorts of views espoused by Hanson, whose speech in the Senate was endorsed by one government MP with a hug, is leading to "irreparable damage to our social cohesion and a political climate that allows groups like One Nation to take firm hold and impact on the public discourse around Australian Muslims"."They say that the standard you walk past is the standard you accept," Veiszadeh added.Trad maintains that an increasing number of politicians are using "the race and xenophobia card when they want to divert attention from another issue". This troubles him greatly because he says "there is an element in the Muslim society in Australia that tells young people they will never be accepted and unfortunately more young people are believing them".Trad told Fairfax that besides Hanson, other politicians such as Cory Bernardi, George Christensen and Jacqui Lambie should also bear responsibility for fanning Islamophobia, which Veiszadeh told Anadolu Agency, is escalating.
Washington (IINA) – Police searched Saturday for a gunman who opened fire in the makeup department of a Macy’s store at a mall north of Seattle, killing four women, authorities said.
Washington State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mark Francis said police were seeking a Hispanic man wearing black and armed with a rifle last seen walking toward Interstate 5. “We are still actively looking for the shooter,” Francis said at a news conference. “Stay indoors, stay secure.” Authorities say the motive for Friday night’s shooting which also left a male critically wounded was unknown. The FBI was assisting local authorities as dozens of police officers searched for the suspect. The FBI’s Seattle office said on Twitter that it “has no information to suggest additional attacks planned” in Washington state but did not elaborate.
The deadly shooting happened in the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Seattle. Francis said the “lone shooter” attacked the victims with a “hunting type rifle.”
Authorities initially reported four people were killed, then said three were dead, before revising the number again. Francis said the number fluctuated as authorities searched the shopping center. Tari Caswell told the Skagit Valley Herald she was in the Macy’s women’s dressing room when she heard “what sounded like four balloons popping.” “Then I heard seven or eight more, and I just stayed quiet in the dressing room because it just didn’t feel right. And it got very quiet. And then I heard a lady yelling for help, and a man came and got me and another lady, and we ran out of the store,” Caswell told the newspaper.
Stephanie Bose, an assistant general manager at Johnny Carino’s Italian restaurant near the Macy’s store at the mall, said she immediately locked the doors to the restaurant after hearing about the shooting from an employee’s boyfriend.
“He was trying to go to the mall and people were screaming,” she told The Associated Press. “It was frantic.” She said he could see police at the doors with assault rifles and said they were no longer guarding the doors as of 9:30 p.m. Francis said at about 8:30 p.m. that the mall had been evacuated and emergency medical personnel were cleared to enter. Francis said authorities were still doing a “final clear” of the 434,000-square-foot (40,319-square-meter) mall late Friday night. He said 11 search teams and two K9 units were involved.
The parking lot was closed and emergency management officials told people they would be able to retrieve vehicles Saturday. Gov. Jay Inslee said tragedy had struck the state. “We urge residents to heed all safety and detour warnings. Stay close to your friends and loved ones as we await more information and, hopefully, news of the suspect’s capture,” Inslee said in a statement. The Cascade Mall is an enclosed shopping mall that opened in 1990, according to the mall’s website. It features J.C. Penney, TJ Maxx, and Macy’s stores, among other stores, restaurants and a movie theater.
On Sept. 17 a man stabbed 10 people at a Minnesota mall before being shot and killed by an off-duty police officer. Authorities say Dahir Ahmed Adan, 20, stabbed the people at the Crossroads Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
