Islam In Media Roundup | 20 July – 26 July 2020

What Will Hajj Be Like During The Pandemic?

The Islamic ritual of Hajj is expected to begin on July 29 but in the midst of a global pandemic, it will look unlike anything the Muslim world has seen before.[media_roundup title="Would The Prophet Muhammad Convert Hagia Sophia?" source="NY Times" image="https://themaydan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/25.jpg" url="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/20/opinion/hagia-sophia-mosque.html"]
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Would The Prophet Muhammad Convert Hagia Sophia?

The recent decision by the Turkish government to reconvert the majestic Hagia Sophia, which was once the world’s greatest cathedral, from a museum back to a mosque has been bad news for Christians around the world. They include Pope Francis, who said he was “pained” by the move, and the spiritual leader of Eastern Christianity, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who said he was “saddened and shaken.” When contrasted with the joy of Turkey’s conservative Muslims, all this may seem like a new episode in an old story: Islam vs. Christianity.
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Widespread Criticism Over Rationale For New Law To ‘Protect’ Islam

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet stated: “An environment has been created in the Parliament, particularly in the Punjab Assembly, where every [other] member comes up with a motion on a daily basis warning that Islam will be in danger if it is not passed. This is a dangerous trend and it will plunge us deep into sectarianism and religious extremism.”
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U.S. Sends Envoy To Press For Peace Talks In Afghanistan

Washington has dispatched a special envoy for Afghanistan to press for peace talks between the government and Taliban fighters, with the diplomat scheduled to visit Kabul on a trip with stops in five nations, the U.S. State Department said on Saturday.
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Afghanistan’s Gen Z Is Fighting Back

Kabul, Afghanistan—There were few things that scared Fatima Khalil, a 24-year-old human rights activist who torpedoed her way across an increasingly volatile and patriarchal landscape of Afghanistan. One of them, Lima Ahmad, her older sister, told me in July, was “that Afghanistan will take away her happiness; it was something she always talked about.” Ahmad is now picking up the remnants of a life after Khalil was killed in an attack on her vehicle in Kabul on June 27.
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Preacher Demands Algeria-Turkey Coordination To Bring Peace To Libya

Libyan writer and Islamic historian, Ali Al-Sallabi, who is a member of the International Association of Muslim Scholars (IAMS), warning against effort to arm Libyan tribes.
Al-Sallabi stressed the importance of adhering to a political solution in Libya and called for the need to develop this position in order to stop violence.
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Myanmar Joins Band Of Asian Nations Launching Satellites

Myanmar is preparing to launch its first-ever satellite, joining an unlikely coalition of nascent space nations aiming to protect millions from environmental disasters.
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Japan: Cancel Financial Grant To Myanmar Police

The Japanese government should immediately cancel plans to donate money to purchase vehicles and communications equipment for the Myanmar police force, Human Rights Watch said today. The police force, which operates under the auspices of the military, outside the control of the civilian government, has a well-documented record of serious human rights violations.
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Egypt’s Legendary Goalkeeper Essam El Hadary Retires At 47

Essam El Hadary, Egypt’s legendary goalkeeper, brought an end to his glittering career on Thursday announcing his retirement from football during a live television show.
El Hadary’s last club was Nogoom, an Egyptian second division club based in Giza. He said the game was in disarray with a lot of infighting at the top level.
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For The First Time In Africa And The Middle East, Egypt Launches ‘Closing Gender Gap Accelerator’

Egypt’s Ministry of International Cooperation, the National Council for Women (NCW), and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have launched the ‘Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator,’ a national public-private collaboration model that allows governments and businesses to take decisive action to close economic gender gaps.
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Trump Mulls Withholding Aid To Ethiopia Over Controversial Dam

The Trump administration is weighing withholding some aid to Ethiopia over a Nile dam project that has severely strained its relationship with downstream countries Sudan and Egypt, six officials and congressional aides familiar with the matter told Foreign Policy.
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How The Murder of an Ethiopian Singer Triggered an Uprising Against a Disintegrating Democracy

The June 29 murder of Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, singer and activist, has triggered a popular uprising in Ethiopia. TIME columnist Ian Bremmer described the protests in a recent piece; since he wrote it the death toll has risen to at least 289, with over 7,000 detained. Internet services were shut down within hours of the assassination, and were only restored after four weeks.
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Animal Sacrifice On Bakri Eid Prohibited In Public Places: Ahmedabad Police

The Ahmedabad city police on Sunday evacuated a makeshift animal market held at the Ravivari bazaar (Sunday market) on the Sabarmati Riverfront ahead of Bakri Eid even as Ahmedabad city police commissioner Ashish Bhatia passed an order under Section 144 prohibiting animal sacrifice in public places or animal processions in Ahmedabad city.
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Floods In India, Nepal Displace Nearly Four Million People, At Least 189 Dead

Nepal (Reuters) – Nearly four million people in India’s northeastern state of Assam and neighbouring Nepal have been displaced by heavy flooding from monsoon rains, with dozens missing as deaths rose to at least 189, government officials said on Sunday.[media_roundup title="Indian Matchmaking' Presents Painful Truths About Skin Color And Love In Indian Culture But Does Nothing To Challenge Them" source="CNN" image="https://themaydan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/12.jpg" url="https://www.cnn.com/style/article/indian-matchmaking-netflix-intl-hnk-beauty/index.html"]
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Coronavirus In India: 'Pm Modi, Please Make Men Share Housework!'

Housework in India usually involves a lot of heavy lifting. Unlike in the West, few Indian homes are equipped with dishwashers, vacuum cleaners or washing machines.
So, dishes have to be individually cleaned, clothes have to be washed in buckets and hung out to dry, and homes have to be swept with brooms and mopped with rags. Then there are children to be looked after and the elderly and infirm to be cared for.
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Indonesia Kindergarten Explores New Ways To Teach During Pandemic

As schools struggle to keep pupils engaged during the pandemic, a kindergarten on Indonesia’s Java island is getting pupils back in the classroom using makeshift transparent cubicles and also sending teachers on home visits with social distancing barriers.
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Indonesia Frees Australian From Prison After Yearlong Sentence For Drugs

Indonesia on Saturday released an Australian man from prison on the tourist island of Bali after he served one year for cocaine possession in a nightclub.
William Cabantog and club manager David van Iersel were arrested in July of last year after a police raid at the Lost City Club in the island’s Canggu neighborhood.
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Kidnapped German Curator Hella Mewis Freed By Iraq Military

Mewis is a prominent figure in the Iraqi art scene and a known supporter of the widespread demonstrations that erupted last year against the Iraqi government, which some critics accuse of being corrupt and too close to Iran.
Her abduction sparked concern among other foreigners and activists living in the country and authorities have not given any information about who was behind her disappearance.
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Libya Receives Invitation To Participate In Fifa-Backed Pan-Arab Tournament 2021 In Qatar

The tournament will be a preparatory event before the 2022 World Cup and will take place at the same stadiums developed for the 2022 World Cup, according to Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC); the local organizing wing of Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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Matiullah Jan: Pakistan Anger As Video Shows Reporter's Abduction

Matiullah Jan is an outspoken critic of the military establishment.
A video purported to be of the kidnapping sparked an outcry on social media, with many pointing fingers at the Pakistani secret services.

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Pakistan Issues ‘Final Warning’ To Tiktok And Blocks Bigo App Over ‘Immoral, Obscene, And Vulgar Content’

Pakistan has blocked the Bigo Live streaming app and issued a “final warning” to ByteDance’s TikTok over “immoral, obscene, and vulgar content” on the apps.
The nation’s telecom authority said it had received a number of complaints from various segments of society over the nature of videos that circulate on Bigo and ByteDance’s app and how it is impacting “society in general and youth in particular.”
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Facts About Islam In Russia You Probably Didn’t Know (Video)

Islam is among the most important religions in Russia – with the greatest number of adherents after Orthodox Christianity. So how did that happen?
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Syrian Tycoon Says Front Companies Used To Dodge Sanctions As Rift With Assad Widens

Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf revealed on Sunday he had set up a web of offshore front companies to help President Bashar al Assad evade Western sanctions, in a social media post blasting the government for investigating his business empire.
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Three Decades After His Coup, Sudan’s Former Ruler Is Held To Account

Three decades ago, a little-known army officer named Omar Hassan al-Bashir seized power in Sudan, ushering in a long period of brutal rule that would push the sprawling African country into a series of destabilizing wars, cripple its economy and result in humiliating international isolation.
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Muslims To Mark 2nd Holiest Day On Islamic Calendar By Gathering In Cars For Prayer On Grounds Of Big E

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Muslims here will celebrate the second holiest day on the lunar-based Islamic calendar by gathering to pray together on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition Friday, while observing social distancing regulations during the coronavirus pandemic.
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