Egypt's Mufti Congratulates UN Envoy on Appointment to Combat Islamophobia
Egypt's Grand Mufti and President of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide, Dr. Nazir Mohammed Ayyad, congratulated Miguel Ángel Moratinos on his appointment as the UN Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, praising the move as a vital step toward promoting dialogue and countering hate.
The Grand Mufti expressed confidence in Moratinos' capabilities and affirmed Dar al-Ifta readiness to support the UN efforts in promoting the true image of Islam.
read more
Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685
NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria
Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO
Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided
News
Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks
News
Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank
News
Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region
News
One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid
News
Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers
Lifestyle
Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe
News
Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia
News
Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content
Arts & Culture
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized
Sports
Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer
Videos & Features
Bouchra Dahlab Crowned Miss Arab World 2025 .. Reem Ganzoury Wins Miss Arab Africa Title (VIDEO)
Sports
Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
News
Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies
Arts & Culture
New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
19 minutes ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Between Israel and Iran - World - Al-Ahram Weekly
Last week, the extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claimed that he had reached out to Gulf states, along with Germany, France, and the UK, seeking contributions to finance Israel's military campaign. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, took to X in response: 'The audacity of Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich has reached the point of calling for funding for Israel's war on Iran... Such a proposal is nothing but moral bankruptcy from an extremist who fails to grasp the consequences of escalation.' Gargash later deleted his post, saying that he realised that Smotrich's statements were taken out of context by media reports. But the initial reaction of the Emirati official was a rare open manifestation of the Gulf countries' anxiety over the Israeli war on Iran and later the American strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran responded to the Israeli bombardment of Tehran and other areas, along with the assassination of military leaders and nuclear scientists, by striking major Israeli cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa with drones and ballistic missiles. It also responded to the American strikes by targeting the major US military base of Al-Udeid in Qatar, in a carefully calculated and coordinated missile attack. Though anti-missile defenses downed Iranian missiles, it was the first time in this conflict the fire reaches a Gulf country. Due to early warnings from Tehran most Gulf countries closed their airspace for a short period, rendering the whole region around the Gulf a no-fly zone. Since Israel started bombing Iran and Iran retaliated with missile attacks, the Gulf Arab countries have been seriously seeking de-escalation despite Israeli claims that they were content with 'weakening' Iran. Even those countries that normalised relations with Israel in 2020, signing the so called Abraham Accords, were not supportive of war or the notion of regime change in Tehran. Many analysts and commentators noted the dangers of Iran being plunged into chaos, which could unleash a humanitarian crises and refugee flows that would be morally troubling and economically disastrous for the region. The Gulf is evidently not keen on regime change in Tehran, but views expressed in government-controlled media suggest there is interest in seeing a political transformation in Israel. According to Mira Al-Hussein of the University of Edinburgh, writing in The Conversation: 'It seems to me that the Gulf States would prefer neither Iran nor Israel to emerge as a decisive winner in this military confrontation. A prolonged war of attrition weakens both, reducing the threats they pose to Arab sovereignty and regional stability.' The mood in the Gulf is shifting. Dubai-based analyst Mohamed Baharoon told The Economist this week that Israel 'becomes the main source of instability in the region, a position it used to share with Iran'. Later Baharoon wrote on social media, 'hammer-wielding Israel will have very limited space in a region that seeks economic partnerships over security alliances.' Media reports in different outlets attributed US President Donald Trump's position of not committing to a full-scale war on Iran to Israel seeking Gulf diplomacy. Some commentators saw that as leverage. Gulf countries had to be able to influence American policy, contrary to Israeli lobbying. Some are intrigued by the shift in the Gulf position on Iran, since ten years ago the Gulf capital might have asked Washington to bomb Iran. As Andrew Hammond of Oxford University told Al-Ahram Weekly, the war on Iran 'confirmed in them [the Gulf] the view that they were right to make peace with Iran in recent years because it again became clear that the Americans have a limited stomach for war in the region. They gave up in Yemen because it was costing too much with no major result and now they did a quick attack of dubious value in order to keep the 'Israel Firsters' quiet. Trump is not going to war with Iran for Israel, that's the bottom line and everyone sees it.' Another factor behind the shift in the Gulf stance is that the Gulf has realised that Washington will only come to help Israel and not others in the region. When the Iran-backed Houthis of Yemen attacked Saudi oil facilities in 2019, Trump was in power and did nothing to defend Saudi allies. The same happened when the UAE was hit by Houthi missiles and drones in 2019 and 2022. One of the results of Gulf positions on the war, besides gaining Trump's ear and sharing his attention with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, is the possibility of reconciliation in Yemen. Hammond suggests that 'the Houthis might get less Iran support though it won't hurt them. What it will do is encourage Saudi Arabia even more overtly to be their sponsor.' Another outcome might be that Saudi Arabia will ask for more in return for normalisation with Israel. The director of regional security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Emile Hokayem wrote in The Financial Times that Gulf countries 'are more inclined to show patience and magnanimity these days. There will be political statements, visits (to Iran) and economic inducements, as well as greater criticism of the US and Israel. Ironically, Israel's success against Iran further reduces Saudi Arabia's already-waning desire to normalise with Israel.' This is a change of heart for those who have already normalised relations with Israel, but not for those who still take a strong stance objecting to it. A poll carried out by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy in the first months of the Gaza war revealed that 96 per cent of people in Saudi Arabia oppose normalisation with Israel. The vocal shift against Israel is similarly echoed across the gulf. Gulf relations with Washington are improving, without the need for an Israeli back door. The best bet for the region, in view of Gulf policy-makers, is de-escalation and prevention of another war. The Gulf Arab countries are wary of being sucked into regional war as they juggle relations with Washington, while seeking to improve ties with Tehran. * A version of this article appears in print in the 3 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
See - Sada Elbalad
an hour ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Pakistan Army Says 30 Militants Killed While Attempting to Cross From Afghanistan
Ahmed Emam The Pakistani military announced on Friday that its forces had killed 30 militants who were attempting to cross into Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan, according to Al-Qahera News. In a statement, the army said the armed group tried to infiltrate the border, prompting security forces to engage them in a clash. No details were provided about the identity of the militants or the specific location of the incident. The Pakistan-Afghanistan border has long been a hotspot for militant activity, with Islamabad accusing insurgents of using Afghan territory to stage attacks inside Pakistan. Tensions remain high as both countries face security challenges posed by various extremist groups operating in the region. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean
Al-Ahram Weekly
an hour ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Firms profiting from genocide of Palestinians: UN expert Albanese - War on Gaza
UN human rights expert Francesca Albanese on Thursday said dozens of companies are profiting from Israel's military occupation, apartheid, and genocide of Palestinians, in a damning report presented to the UN Human Rights Council. Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, said the report exposes 'the corporate machinery sustaining the Israeli settler-colonial project of displacement and replacement of the Palestinians.' She called on companies to immediately end all business activities that cause or contribute to grave human rights violations and international crimes. 'In Gaza, Palestinians continue to endure suffering beyond imagination,' Albanese told the Council, describing conditions in Gaza and the West Bank as 'apocalyptic.' Businesses — from weapons manufacturers to banks and supermarkets — have directly enabled what she described as a 'machinery of erasure,' facilitating the infrastructure of illegal Israeli settlements, supplying logistics and financing, and entrenching a system of apartheid. 'All have helped entrench apartheid and enable the slow, inexorable destruction of Palestinian life,' she said. Her remarks were met with applause in the chamber. Albanese does not speak for the United Nations as a whole but was appointed by the Council in her independent capacity. Israel's mission in Geneva rejected the report as 'legally groundless, defamatory and a flagrant abuse of office,' calling Albanese's work part of a 'hate-driven agenda to delegitimise the State of Israel.' Albanese has previously accused Israel of committing genocide and has faced a sustained campaign of attacks by Israeli officials and allied governments, who have called for her removal and accused her of antisemitism. Israel often uses allegations of antisemitism to smear its critics and silence legitimate condemnation of its occupation in the West Bank and its genocidal war in Gaza. Profiting from mass violence Albanese said she contacted all 48 companies named in her report, 'From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide.' Of those, 18 responded — but only a few engaged meaningfully. 'Most said there was absolutely nothing wrong,' she told journalists. 'There have been people and organisations who have profited from the violence, the killing.' 'My report exposes a system so structural, widespread and systemic that it cannot be fixed. It must be dismantled.' She said the first responsibility lies with states, but that companies and consumers also bear responsibility. 'We are part of a system where we are all entangled, and the choices we make... have an impact elsewhere,' she said. 'There is a possibility for consumers to hold these companies accountable — because we vote with our wallets.' Corporate responses Swiss mining and commodity giant Glencore, named in the report, dismissed the findings as 'unsubstantiated and devoid of any legal basis.' Other firms offered little or no comment. said its mission was to 'make it easier for everyone to experience the world' and that it does not believe it should 'decide where someone can or cannot travel.' Microsoft declined to comment. Volvo Group said it has no direct operations in either Palestine or Israel and sells through resellers. 'We obviously respect human rights in accordance with the United Nations framework,' a spokesman said. Danish shipping company Maersk said it disagreed with many of Albanese's conclusions but added: 'Since the war began, we have maintained a strict policy of not shipping weapons or ammunition to Israel.' 'Apocalyptic' toll in Gaza Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians since it began in October 2023, with women and children making up most of the dead, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Independent reports suggest the actual toll is likely higher. Nearly two years into the conflict, Gaza lies in ruins. Entire families have been wiped out by air strikes, and hundreds of thousands remain displaced, lacking food, shelter, or medical care. In just the past 48 hours, Israeli forces killed more than 300 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which accused Israel of 'committing 26 bloody massacres' during that period. On Thursday, Gaza's Health Ministry reported at least 118 Palestinians killed and 581 injured in Israeli attacks across the territory in the previous 24 hours. Meanwhile, violence has surged across the occupied West Bank, where Israel has maintained military control since 1967. Israeli settlers have launched sudden, violent raids on Palestinian towns—burning property, attacking residents, and attempting to drive them from their homes. At the same time, Israeli forces have relentlessly surrounded and raided refugee camps, forcing even more Palestinians from their homes and barring their return. Since the Gaza war began, Israeli forces have killed around 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
