Headline News 19/07/2019

Headlines

• Boris Johnson Faces More Accusations of Islamophobia

• Tickets to Saudi Arabia’s Biggest Music Festival Sell Out in Four Hours

• Pakistan Completes Homework for PM’s US visit

Details

Boris Johnson Faces More Accusations of Islamophobia

Boris Johnson, the overwhelming favorite to take over as Britain's prime minister next week, is facing renewed accusations of Islamophobia after claiming in a newly-unearthed 2007 text that the religion has left Muslim countries "centuries behind" the Western world. In an updated version of "The Dream of Rome," a book he wrote on the ancient capital, Johnson argued that "bitterness and confusion" had spread throughout Muslim nations, prompting their involvement in "virtually every" outbreak of global conflict. In the chapter, brought to light by The Guardian, he added that "there must be something about Islam" that has prevented the Muslim world seeing a period of modernization as Christianity did from the 16th century, and that "there are many shameful things about modern interpretations of Islam." Comparing the evolution of Christian societies in Europe with Islamic countries in the Arab World, he added: "There must be something about Islam that indeed helps to explain why there was no rise of the bourgeoisie, no liberal capitalism and therefore no spread of democracy in the Muslim world ... Something caused them to be literally centuries behind." Last year, he was condemned for likening Muslim women wearing veils to "letter boxes" and "bank robbers." He has also called people from the British Commonwealth "flag-waving piccaninnies," referred to the "watermelon smiles" of people from the Congo, and suggested that former US President Barack Obama held an "ancestral dislike of the British Empire" because he was "part-Kenyan." [Source CNN]

Johnson’s Islamophobia is no secret and he is likely to lead a party that is also Islamophobic. This development is troublesome for Muslims of the UK and is likely to precipitate a huge backlash against them in the not too distant future.

Tickets to Saudi Arabia’s Biggest Music Festival Sell Out in Four Hours

Tickets to Saudi Arabia’s biggest music festival, Jeddah World Fest, sold out four hours after going on sale, the festival tweeted on last Tuesday. A video posted on Jeddah Season’s Twitter page showed crowds rushing into one of Virgin Megastore’s branches in the city when they went on sale. The music festival, featuring a selection of top international performers, is set to take place at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. UK singer Liam Payne and American DJ Steve Aoki are among the event’s headliners who will take the largest stage ever produced in the Middle East, according to the festival’s website. The performances will mark the end of the “Jeddah Season: Sea & Culture” entertainment festival. The six-week event, taking place from June 8 to July 18, offers visitors an array of activities, performances, events, and culinary experiences with the aim of boosting the city’s tourism. [Source: Al Arabiya]

Under Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has gone from the bastion of Wahhabism to liberalism in a matter of months. Where are the Ulema of Wahhabism? Why don’t they stand up to stop the spread of filthy western culture in the heart of Islam.

Pakistan Completes Homework for PM’s US visit

Pakistan has completed the homework ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s much-awaited visit to the United States where he will meet President Donald Trump on July 22. Senior officials at the foreign ministry told The Nation that Pakistan had prepared a good case to present to the US during Imran Khan’s visit. “We have given good support (to the US) for the Afghan peace process, the ties with India have improved and trust level with the US is also much better than the past,” he counted. Another official said the US had already acknowledged Pakistan’s role in Afghan peace process. “We are on the same page with the US about the regional peace. We have tried to improve relations with India and Afghanistan.

Relationship with Iran is also good,” he added. Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who left for the US yesterday, said Pakistan was mindful of the US priorities. The minister said Pakistan and the US must realise common objectives of peace and security in the region and bring prosperity to the people of South Asia. He said it was natural for Islamabad and Washington to work for broader engagement from Afghanistan to bilateral economic cooperation and trade cooperation to peace and stability in South Asia. [Source: The Nation]

Any solid homework undertaken would make the following demands of America: Return $100b lost due to America’s war on terror; complete withdrawal of US forces and personnel from both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and end to all hostilities against both countries. These are minimalistic demands that the secular nationalistic Prime Minister of Pakistan should demand, but he won’t. Instead he will beg for more money...