Iran Vows Response to Airstrike on Consulate in Damascus
Following an airstrike that destroyed Iran’s Consulate in Damascus, Iran has pledged to retaliate against the attack, which resulted in the deaths of 12 individuals, including two Iranian generals and a member of Hezbollah. The strike, widely attributed to Israel, also claimed the lives of four Syrian citizens.
Hezbollah's Response
Hezbollah, a key ally of both Syria and Iran, has vowed "punishment and revenge" on Israel, emphasizing the escalating tensions in the region. Israel, known for targeting Iranian officers in Syria and Lebanon, has not officially confirmed its involvement in the recent attack.
Escalating Conflict
Iran's support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and other Palestinian militant groups has fueled clashes with Israel, particularly along the Israeli-Lebanese border. The recent airstrike has prompted Iran's Supreme National Security Council to consider a response, raising concerns about a potential confrontation with Israel and the U.S.
International Reactions
While the U.S. denied any role in the airstrike, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed determination to hold those responsible accountable. Syrian President Bashar Assad condemned Israel's actions and expressed condolences to Iran.
Humanitarian Impact
The airstrike resulted in the deaths of prominent Iranian and Hezbollah figures, as well as Syrian nationals. Rescue efforts are ongoing to locate additional victims under the rubble of the consulate building.
Regional Concerns
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, Iran's proxies have intensified attacks, leading to heightened tensions with Israel. The Houthis in Yemen, backed by Iran, have also targeted Red Sea shipping, adding to the volatile situation in the region.
Global Response
The international community, including the U.N. Secretary-General and Gulf monarchies, has condemned the airstrike, emphasizing the need to respect diplomatic premises and prevent further escalation of conflict. The Arab League criticized Israel for its actions, warning of potential chaos in the region.
Continued Hostilities
Amidst ongoing drone attacks and missile launches, Israel has expressed readiness for a full-fledged war, highlighting the complex security challenges in the Middle East. The U.S. has also been actively monitoring and responding to threats in the region.
Diplomatic Efforts
Efforts to address the aftermath of the airstrike include diplomatic messages exchanged between Iran, the U.S., and other involved parties. The situation remains fluid, with the potential for further military engagements.
Conclusion
The recent airstrike on Iran's Consulate in Damascus has reignited tensions in the region, prompting calls for de-escalation and diplomatic solutions to prevent further violence and instability.
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“Suhoor Stories”…a government radio program that introduces the Dutch to the lives of Muslims | Lifestyle
Dutch actress of Moroccan origin, Nora Akshar, became the presenter of a radio talk show an hour before the dawn call to prayer, entitled “Suhoor Stories.”
The program, which is broadcast live and presented by seven Dutch Muslim women, seeks to demystify the month of Ramadan for non-Muslim audiences in the country.
“Suhoor Stories” is the only daily radio and television program in Europe that is broadcast during Ramadan on the Dutch public broadcaster (governmental), reaching all parts of the country.
According to what the British newspaper “The Guardian” reported on Tuesday, Akshar seeks, through the program’s women’s line-up, to remove the negative stereotypes that have long prevailed in the Netherlands and the West about Muslim women, saying, “We have power and we are rewriting stories in our own way.”
The program is an opportunity to achieve greater understanding in a country shaken by the victory of the far-right, anti-Islam and anti-immigrant Freedom Party, led by Geert Wilders, in the elections held in November 2023.
Wilders previously stated in his election speech that mosques, Islamic schools, and the Holy Qur’an do not belong to the Netherlands. He also promised to impose a ban on wearing the hijab in official circles.
For her part, Akshar says, “It’s difficult now in the Netherlands. What did I do wrong at all? I always try to be a nice being, and then 2.5 million people went and voted for Geert Wilders. Maybe I know some of these people.”
Through the airwaves, “Suhoor Stories” reaches a wide segment of Muslims in the Netherlands, amid the ongoing controversy after the elections over the formation of the next government, in an attempt to get Muslims to resist the growing extreme right in the Netherlands.
“Suhoor Stories”…a mixture of nostalgia and inspiration
“Suhoor Stories” deals with current affairs through the eyes of ordinary Muslims. For example, it hosts a businessman who makes halal sausages, and a Dutch language teacher turned voice actor. Guests also share their memories and provide unique suhoor recipes.
According to the British newspaper, the program attracted about 16,000 listeners daily in major cities and the countryside and sometimes received “racist” comments, but in general it received widespread praise because it opened new horizons in government-funded media.
There is no doubt that the Moroccan-born theater actress and film producer is aware of the demonization faced by immigrant families who have long lived in the Netherlands.
Akshar said that it is difficult to ignore the constant stigmatization of Muslims in the media landscape, which portrays them as “predators or criminals” on screens.
Akshar hopes to change this stereotype through her radio show, “For too long, societal problems such as terrorism or crime have been told through a white lens, ignoring the lived experience of communities stigmatized by those same acts.”
She concluded her speech by saying, “Film directors like to make me, as a Muslim woman, resist the way I was raised and nothing more. But I am the one who will tell my story. We are sending a message because we have to fight on many levels. We are tired of saying that we are good people.”
Akshar’s contributions in cinema and drama
Akshar is known for the film “Meskina,” which was released in 2021, and embodies a Moroccan-Dutch family’s view of their single daughter in her thirties as “poor” (an unfortunate condition), as they desperately want to marry her.
In addition to “Poor Woman,” the actress of Moroccan origin played the role of the girl “Hajar Al-Kobikhi” in the famous Dutch television series “Mocro Mafia,” in 2018, which some criticized for allegedly giving a negative image of Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands and the West.
Akshar also participated in the TV series “Vakkenvullers” in 2018.
Muslims in the Netherlands
According to the Dutch Statistics Center “CBS” in 2019, the number of Muslims in the Netherlands is approximately 850 thousand people, which represents about 5% of the population of about 17 million people, most of whom are Turks and Moroccans.
In 2011, a number of Dutch Muslims filed a legal complaint against the government with the United Nations Human Rights Committee, accusing it of abandoning the protection of its citizens of foreign origins from the attacks of the far-right party headed by Geert Wilders.
In her book “Islamophobia and Discrimination,” which she presented at the Academic Forum at the University of Amsterdam in 2012, a Dutch researcher found the absence of strict legislation and laws aimed at confronting anti-Islamic phenomena and targeting mosques.
Researcher Ainke Vander Valk, a specialist in sociology, explained that the incidents witnessed by mosques in the Netherlands between 2005 and 2010 amounted to 117 incidents.
According to the researcher, the incidents varied between arson, vandalism, and graffiti, in addition to mail bombs, threats over the phone, hanging a dead sheep on a pole and writing the phrase “No to building a mosque” on it, placing a pig’s head, or smearing blood on the wall.
Source: Al Jazeera + British press + social networking sites
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But no merger of kath.ch with swiss-cath – kath.ch
The two Catholic online portals continue to go their separate ways. The report of a merger that kath.ch published on Monday at 2 p.m. was an April Fool’s joke. This was sometimes well received, sometimes clumsy, sometimes even as “actually Catholic normality”.
Regula Pfeifer
The April 1st joke was received differently by kath.ch readers. “Good April Fool’s joke,” wrote emeritus community leader Monika Schmid on the kath.ch Facebook page. Jakob Scheidegger also found: “We can no longer get cruder April Fools’ jokes.”
Andrea Erkel corrected kath.ch’s self-praise: “Historic April 1st????” she wrote, followed by two laughter emojis. Hardly anyone would meet for such an exchange on an evening after work, she adds with a contemptuous “Tztz kath.ch…”.
Kon-Fusion mit Hase
Some spread the merger story further. So Abbot Urban Federer offered to support the aforementioned joint dinner. Lenz Faber commented on the story with “Kon-Fusion” and added a picture showing the Bishop Emeritus of Vaduz, Wolfgang Haas, and an Easter bunny.
Others took the matter as an opportunity to plead for unity within Catholics: “What is meant here as an April Fool’s joke would actually be Catholic normality,” writes Heinz Meier. “With a little decency and tolerance, the poles of opinion could present themselves more credibly as believers in God and forget about the blows below the belt.”
Treat one another in an Easter-brotherly manner
© Caro Rutz/Le Matin Dimanche
“Abuse in the church – the tip of the iceberg”: cartoon by Caro Rutz
The nun Johanna Jessica adds: “That moment when you hope that an April Fool’s joke isn’t an April Fool’s joke, but that Christian siblings could/would/should actually treat each other in an Easter-brotherly way…”
Daniela Di Luzio also found a merger a “good idea… stay in balance, centered, grounded, neither far left nor far right…” Hansjörg Grolimund contradicted this: “Unfortunately, such caricatures will no longer be published, it’s a shame if everything then goes in that direction conservative and backward contributions are possible.” He also posted a picture of the abuse cartoon that kath.ch recently reported on.
© Catholic Media Center, April 2, 2024
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