بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Headline News 06/08/2018
Headlines:
Emirates Not Fit to Teach Islam: Ethiopian PM’s rebuke at Crown Prince
No Place for Nepotism in Saudi Arabia
Imran Khan Tells Britain to Return Looted Money
Details:
Emirates Not Fit to Teach Islam: Ethiopian PM’s rebuke at Crown Prince
Newly elected Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said he rebuked Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, in a recent debate on Islam and the Middle East. Addressing the American-Ethiopian Muslim community in Virginia during his first trip to the United States on July 27, Ahmed said the Crown Prince offered “to teach them Islam” but he replied it would not be possible because the UAE had “lost the religion.” “We need to learn Arabic quickly, so we could better understand the religion and teach it to you, and return you to it,” the prime minister quoted himself as saying to the crown prince. A video showing Ahmed telling the anectode went viral on social media in Turkey on July 31. [Source: Hurriyat Daily News]
Both Ahmed and Nahyan are unfit to talk about Islam. Allah (swt) says:
[أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُواْ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ يُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَحَاكَمُواْ إِلَى الطَّاغُوتِ وَقَدْ أُمِرُواْ أَن يَكْفُرُواْ بِهِ وَيُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُضِلَّهُمْ ضَلاَلاً بَعِيدًا]
“(O Messenger!) Have you not seen those who claim to believe in the Book which has been revealed to you and in the Books revealed before you, and yet desire to submit their disputes to the judgement of taghut (the Satanic authorities who decide independently of the Law of Allah), whereas they had been asked to reject it.91 And Satan seeks to make them drift far away from the right way.” [TMQ Al Nisa: 60]
No Place for Nepotism in Saudi Arabia
When the government began rounding up businessmen and public figures for corruption and crimes against the state last November, it was like a blessing. No longer did the common man have to put up with the corrupt and underhand deals that deprived them of basic services. That was indeed a positive and encouraging move by the government, an act that was well received by much of the public who have endured years of suffering by certain sections of the civil sector under inefficient bureaucracy. Bureaucrats in many sectors may take heed that this proactive move is just the beginning. Ineffectual heads of public sector units have been put on notice that there is going to be a measure of accountability, and that they can no longer treat their sectors as a personal fiefdom to indulge in personal growth, riches and ambition at the expense of the public. And there are many other public service sectors that the government should be looking at. Transportation, communication, health and education come to mind. It goes without saying that the public service rendered in Saudi Arabia in this time and age is wasteful. Some of the public service sectors are infested with personal ambition and nepotism. And all of this at the expense of the common man whom these officials are supposed to serve. Treating government agencies as if they were the personal empire of a section of the bureaucrats must end now. Unless the needs of the public are met in accordance with established standards and norms, the heads of these sectors must be removed immediately. With Vision 2030 in mind, the government no longer has any patience for ineffectual performance. [Source: Gulf News].
How can one talk about nepotism without mentioning the efforts of Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to plunder and steal billions from his fellow country men? Corruption is rife at the top of the Saudi family, but how many are willing challenge MBS.
Imran Khan tells Britain to Return Looted Money
Imran Khan, the newly elected Pakistan PM, has said Britain must return looted money to his country which is allegedly being stashed by corrupt Pakistani politicians in London. The former international cricketer used his first meeting with British officials since his election win, to tell the UK that he wants to secure the return his nation’s laundered money, reports the Telegraph. In the meeting with Thomas Drew, the UK’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Khan said it was “our firm resolve to bring back to the country the money laundered to the UK.” Khan swept to power on a populist anti-corruption ticket and did not hold back in attacking Pakistan's establishment. He has been scathing of the political class for siphoning off money from key public sector institutions and contracts before whittling away their wealth overseas. The issue of extracting wealth and sending it abroad has dominated Pakistan's politics since the infamous Panama Papers leak that linked former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's family to offshore companies and four high-end London flats. Sharif has subsequently been sentenced to 10 years in jail on corruption charges relating to the purchase of the London flats. Expensive property acquired through shell companies in weakly regulated jurisdictions has long been a favourite way to hide ill-gotten wealth for the likes of kleptocrats and mafia members. New UK anti-corruption legislation, created to target oligarchs and international criminals, could be utilized to freeze or seize property and assets if there is evidence it was bought with illegal or unidentified wealth. A spokesman for the British High Commission said: “Tackling corruption is a UK government priority and we will continue to work constructively with Pakistan on this issue.” [Source: Russia Today]
Imran Khan has again got his priorities wrong. Corrupt businessmen, politicians and generals have usurped billions of rupees over the years. A 50% wealth tax on these people as well as the top 1% in Pakistan will net the treasury billions of rupees. There is no need to waste time in chasing peanuts in Britain or borrowing from the IMF. But does Imran Khan possess the courage to tax his crony friends?