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Deadly blasts hit Yemen mosque during Eid prayers

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At least 25 dead, dozens wounded as two suspected suicide bombers attack Shia mosque in Yemen’s capital Sanaa.

The capital is controlled by Shia Houthis who have driven out Yemen's government [Khaled Abdullah/Reuters]

The capital is controlled by Shia Houthis who have driven out Yemen’s government [Khaled Abdullah/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Suicide bombers have struck a mosque in Yemen’s capital in an attack targeting Shia worshippers that killed at least 25 people and wounded dozens, medics and witnesses said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Sanaa has been shaken by a string of bombings by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in recent months targeting Shia Muslims.

Thursday’s blast ripped through the Balili mosque where Houthi Shia rebels who control Sanaa go to pray, according to witnesses. It came as worshippers marked Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, the most important holiday of the Islamic calendar.

Witnesses reported that after a first blast inside the mosque, a second suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt at the entrance as worshippers rushed outside.

ISIL, a Sunni Muslim group which controls swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, considers Shias to be heretics.

ISIL bomb attacks targeting several Shia mosques in Sanaa on March 21 killed 142 people. The group has also claimed attacks on mosques in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The capital of Sunni-majority Yemen has been under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the past year. The Houthis have also expanded their grip to other parts of the country.

Extremists exploit chaos

Pro-government forces backed by air strikes and troops provided by a Saudi-led Arab coalition have recently managed to wrest back some southern provinces, including the second city of Aden.

After six months in exile in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi returned to Aden on Tuesday with a vow to liberate the country from the Houthis.

The Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against the rebels on March 26, and began a ground operation in July.

Hadi loyalists began an all-out offensive against the Houthis in the oil-rich Marib province east of Sanaa earlier this month, aiming to retake the capital.

The United Nations says around 5,000 people have been killed and 25,000 wounded, many of them civilians, since late March in Yemen.

Yemen has descended into chaos since the 2012 ouster of longtime strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, and security has broken down since Houthi militiamen swept unopposed into the capital a year ago.

ISIL and the Yemen-based branch of its rival Al-Qaeda have exploited the turmoil to boost their activities in the impoverished country on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

Al-Qaeda has long been a dominant force in Yemen, located next to oil-flush Saudi Arabia and key shipping lanes, but experts say ISIL is seeking to supplant its rival.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) controls parts of the vast southeastern province of Hadramawt, including the provincial capital Mukalla, which it is seized in April.

It has distanced itself from ISIL’s tactics, saying that it avoids targeting mosques to protect “innocent Muslims”.

Russia opens huge new mosque ahead of Eid holiday

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Moscow’s new main mosque opens doors after 10 years of construction work, offering prayer space to 10,000 Muslim.

An estimated two million Muslims live in Moscow [Maxim Shemetov/Reuters]

An estimated two million Muslims live in Moscow [Maxim Shemetov/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been joined by the Turkish and Palestinian leaders at the ceremonial opening of the Russian capital’s new main mosque after 10 years of construction work.

The $170m mosque – entirely funded by private donations – unveiled on Wednesday, the eve of Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha that is known as Kurban Bairam in Russia.

Putin, who has been fighting Muslim rebels in south Russia since coming to power in 1999, used his speech to emphasize the challenge of preventing Muslim radicalisation, praising the collaboration of the religious leaders of the country.

“Muslim leaders of Russia are courageously using their authority to resist the extremist propaganda. I’d like to express huge respect to these people who are carrying out a really heroic work…” he said.

Islam is the second largest religion in Russia, home to 23 million Muslims. The majority of them live in the country’s North Caucasian republics.

An estimated two million Muslims live in Moscow, which has seen an influx of people from the North Caucasus, Azerbaijan and the former Soviet states in Central Asia.

The new mosque – built on the site of a smaller, more than 100-year-old mosque destroyed in 2011 – can accommodate 10,000 worshippers, but it is still one of only six mosques in the city.

Calls from Muslim religious leaders to build more mosques have met with opposition from city officials and residents.

India’s goat sellers flock to internet this Eid

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Increasing number of traders and customers head online for “hassle-free” transactions of livestock to slaughter for Eid.

Farmers said they were increasingly moving to India's popular online classified portals, like Quikr and Olx [Al Jazeera]

Farmers said they were increasingly moving to India’s popular online classified portals, like Quikr and Olx [Al Jazeera]

by Al Jazeera

After decades of flocking to traditional livestock markets in the run-up to Eid, an increasing number of breeders and buyers in India are now heading online to haggle a good price for their prized animals.

Goats, sheep and cows are slaughtered worldwide to celebrate the major Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, which starts on Thursday this year.

Muslims sacrifice livestock on Eid and share the meat with family, friends, and the poor to commemorate the Prophet Ibrahim’s (Abraham) willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) at God’s request.

India’s markets have long been bursting with breeders and buyers in the run-up to Eid, with feverish negotiations for the thousands of specially bred animals.

 

Hassle free

But farmers said they were increasingly moving to India’s popular online classified portals, like Quikr and Olx, for easier and stress-free sales.

“I am getting 10 to 15 calls every day,” Qaiser Khan, from the northern state of Rajasthan, told AFP news agency.

Khan said he usually travelled to markets throughout Rajasthan in the lead-up to Eid, keeping him away from home for weeks. But this year, he has sold half a dozen goats online, including one for $3,800.

“This is also hassle-free for customers. We deliver to their doorstep. Most of my friends are selling their livestock online,” Khan said, adding that his most prized goat has been fed almonds and milk for the last year.

A search of the sites shows a multitude of photos of “premium” and “big black” goats offered.

Those camped out at a traditional market in New Delhi’s old city shrugged off the online competition, saying customers preferred to see animals in the flesh before choosing one.

‘Lacks charm’

“Sales are yet to pick up, but there will be no impact on our business,” Juma Shah, from northern Moradabad city, told AFP.

“The goats sold online are costlier than [those at] this market,” he added.

Altamash Qureshi, who is selling four goats for a whopping $60,600 in total, said online shopping lacked the charm of traditional markets.

“The market has got its own charm, and nothing can match it. I am getting customers for the goats amid this muck and foul smell,” he said.

Avoid cow slaughter in larger interest, Ulema tells Muslims

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Beef

by Mohammed Shafeeq

Hyderabad: With the ban on beef in some states and the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha triggering a fierce debate on cow slaughter across the country, a group of Islamic scholars in southern India has appealed to Muslims to avoid sacrificing cows, bulls and bullocks in the community’s larger interest.

The scholars have advised Muslims to show pragmatism in the prevailing situation and instead opt for alternate animals permitted by the Sharia to ensure that peace is maintained and there are no impediments in their larger duty of “dawat-e-deen” of introducing Islam to non-Muslims.

Backed by all schools of thought, the group has taken up the campaign through social media, meetings, pamphlets and Friday sermons in mosques in different states of southern India.

“Our message is that Muslims should not take law in their hands but desist from sacrificing cow, bulls and bullocks for maintaining peace. This will also help in introducing Islam to others,” Syed Hussain Madani, an Islamic scholar heading the campaign, told IANS.

The scholar has suggested that the community should avoid sacrificing cows to protect life and property. People trading in cows, bulls and bullocks have been suffering loss of life and property and sometimes ending up harming others.

Madani quoted ‘Hadith’, or the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, that “There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm.”

Noting that the Prophet sacrificed two sheep on Eid-ul-Azha, he said: “Since the Prophet Muhammad is the best model for us, we should follow him. Sacrificing cow is allowed but it is not ‘afzal’ (preferable),” he said.

Every year, hundreds of bulls and bullocks are brought to the city for sacrifice on Eid day. Such animals are in huge demand because seven people can have share in each. At Rs.2,500 to Rs.2,800 each share, this works out more economical than Rs.6,000 to Rs.7,000 for a goat or sheep.

The scholars pointed out that sacrificing per se is not “farz” (obligation) but “sunnat” (practice of the Prophet). “Allah doesn’t burden more than one can bear. There is ample room to avoid this (sacrifice of cow) in the prevailing situation when there are legal restrictions and communal disharmony over the issue,” said Madani.

As many families take a share in such animals to distribute meat among the poor, Madani said that the poor may be helped in many other ways.

The ulema, while noting that slaughter of cow, bulls and bullocks are linked to the livelihood of a group, argue that the interest of the entire community should get priority.

“Prevention of means of ‘fasad’ (mischief) is better than the benefits we may get from certain things,” said Madani.

The scholars are also of the opinion that the misconceptions about cow slaughter and the misinformation spread by some elements affects “Dawate-e-deen” and since this is an obligatory duty of every Muslim, it should get priority over sacrificing cow, bulls or bullocks.

“Some miscreants themselves sell cows and strengthen their economy but take legal action against those who buy cows and sometimes even kill the buyers. Desisting from the sacrifice of such animals will deny them an opportunity to indulge in mischief,” added Madani.

Well-known personalities like Mohammed Abdul Raheem Qureshi, president of the Majlis-e-Tameer-e-Millat and assistant secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, Moulana Aneesur Rehman Azmi of Chennai, Moulana Mufti Nassem Ahmed Ashrafi, and Moulana Mufti Mahboob Shareef Nizami are backing the initiative.

The appeal also has the backing of Muslim political leaders and legal experts. It also made reference to a suggestion by some political leaders that giving up eating of beef for a couple of years will show its impact on the economy and those opposing it will be forced to amend the legislation.

(IANS)

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