When people saw the pitch for the first Test match between Pakistan and England, there was unanimous agreement that a result will be impossible on that track. A pitch flatter than GT Road was served up for the series opener, and every expert anticipated a boring high-scoring draw. However, England had other ideas.
The pitch was considered so bad and so biased towards the batsmen that Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja deemed the pitch to be an embarrassment halfway through the Test match.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, England played a brand of cricket not seen before in Test matches. Starting from their openers, the much-maligned Zak Crawley and the returning Ben Duckett, every England batsman played with a very aggressive mindset. Maintaining a run rate well above 6 runs per over throughout their innings, England put on a mammoth 657 in their first innings.
Four English batsmen scored centuries, apart from the two openers mentioned earlier, wicketkeeper Ollie Pope and youngster Harry Brook also reached three figures, with Brook top scoring with a score of 153. Interestingly, apart from Duckett, all the other centurions scored above run a ball, with Brook again being the best with a strike rate of 131.90.
In response, Pakistan responded well with a huge score of their own putting up 579 on the board. Just like England, both Pakistani openers, Shafique and Imam Ul Haq scored centuries. Captain Babar Azam also added a century to propel the score over 550 and close to the English total.
That is when everyone thought the match is going to end up in a dull drab draw, but England had other ideas. With a lead of 78 in hand, England turned up in T20 mode in their second innings, scoring 264 in less than 36 overs. Without caring for their wickets, the English batsmen launched an all-out assault on Pakistani bowlers, with the youngster Harry Brook again being the standout batsman with a 65-ball-87.
With four sessions still left in the game, England shocked everyone by declaring with a lead of 342, deemed too low by all experts. However, England again proved all experts wrong as they romped home to victory by 74 runs dismissing Pakistan for 268 in their final innings.
Ever since the Kiwi Brendon McCullum has become the coach of England’s Test side, they have played a brand of positive cricket rarely seen in the format. Using this aggressiveness, England pulled off impressive wins against New Zealand and India, however, even by those standards, the batting in this Test match was astounding.
Brendon McCullum inspired a sea change in England’s limited overs cricket by inspiring them with the way his New Zealand side played in the 2015 World Cup, and now as their coach, he is changing England’s Test side as well. Traditional cricketing sense and experts all said that this should have been a dull draw, but England are not playing for that any longer, and Test cricket will be richer thanks to their approach.
The Supreme Court Monday criticised missionaries and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for carrying out forced religious conversion of individuals under the guise of helping them.
“The purpose of charity should not be conversion; every charity or good work is welcome, but what is required to be considered is the intention,” the court said as it rejected the plea challenging maintainability of the PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay.
#SupremeCourt says “good work” by Charities are welcome buy they cannot convert people on pretext of helping them. Top Court has asked Centre & States to file a detailed affidavit on the issue of forceful conversions
Upadhyay had filed a plea in the apex court seeking direction to the Centre and states to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversion by ‘intimidation, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits.’
Reiterating that forced religious conversion is a very serious matter, the court also called it unconstitutional.
When a lawyer questioned the maintainability of the plea, the bench said, “Do not be so technical. We are here to find a solution. We are here for a cause. We are here to set things right. If the purpose of the charity is good then it is welcome but what is required to be considered is the intention.
“Do not take it as adversarial. It is a very serious issue. Ultimately it is against our Constitution. When everyone stays in India, they have to act per the culture of India,” the bench observed.
The bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar asked the Centre and States to file a detailed affidavit on the issue of forceful conversions.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing on behalf of the central government, meanwhile, told the court that it is collecting information from states on religious conversion through such means and sought time to furnish detailed information on the issue.
“We are gathering information from the states. Give us a week’s time,” Mehta said. He said statutory the regime will determine whether a person is converting due to some change in belief.
The Supreme Court will now take up the case on December 12.
SC terms forced religious conversion a ‘very serious’ issue, warns difficult situation may emerge if practice not stopped
It may be recalled that during the last hearing on November 14, the SC termed the practice of forced religious conversion a ‘very serious’ issue and directed the Central Government to step in and make sincere efforts to check the practice. The Court also warned saying that a very difficult situation might emerge if the practice of forced religious conversion is not stopped.
“It is a very serious issue that affects the security of the nation and freedom of religion and conscience. Therefore, it is better that Union of India may make their stand clear and file counter on what further steps can be taken to curb such forced conversion,” the bench led by Justices MR Shah and Hima Kohli said on November 14.
Taking serious notice of religious conversion by deceit, allurement, and intimidation, the bench requested the Government to undertake action against it and asked Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta to list steps to limit the conversion practice happening through enticements.
The Supreme Court reprimanded the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government on Monday for the rampant production and sale of illegal liquor in the state, stating that the state’s drug and alcohol problem is a major concern. The top court observed that the Punjab government is only filing cases and further action is not being taken in any of the cases.
The court also asked the state administration to outline concrete efforts it is undertaking to combat the threat of illegal alcohol production. The court noted, “Punjab is a border state; if someone wants to finish the country, they would start with the borders.”
Supreme Court asks Punjab government to list out specific steps take to curb the menace of manufacturing illegal liquor; also says that Punjab is a border state if somebody wants to finish the country, they will start with the borders.
The court had earlier slammed the AAP government in Punjab for being lethargic in taking action against illegal alcohol manufacturing and drug menace. The Supreme Court also criticised the Punjab government’s lack of action in dealing with the liquor mafia and those accountable for the 2020 hooch tragedy in Tarn Taran, Amritsar, and Gurdaspur. The tragedy led to massive protests, some were even led by the current CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, against the previous Congress government led by Capt Amarinder Singh.
Following the remarks by the Supreme Court, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla stated that AAP has made Punjab & Delhi full of intoxication instead of making them free of this menace.
He took to Twitter and wrote, “AAP has made Punjab & Delhi Nasha Yukt instead of Nasha Mukt! Nasha Mafia has been given a free run perhaps because of the deal struck with them like they did in Delhi! AAP is Destroying Punjab Youth”
SC slams AAP Punjab Govt for increasing drug and alcohol problem- AAP has made Punjab & Delhi Nasha Yukt instead of Nasha Mukt ! Nasha Mafia has been given a free run perhaps because of the deal struck with them like they did in Delhi!
The situation in Punjab has been worsening for years when it comes to liquor and drugs. As per 2012 stats, the drug addiction rate in Punjab was 234% higher than the country’s average. A survey conducted by Punjab Opioid Dependence in 2015 also found that 230,000 people in the state were using drugs. Similar is the case when it comes to the sale and consumption of illegal liquor.
On Friday, December 2, 2022, the FBI, the United States (US) domestic intelligence and security service, filed an affidavit in Washington outlining horrifying accusations of incest, group sex acts involving adults and minor children, and child sex trafficking against a 46-year-old cult leader named Samuel Rappylee Bateman.
According to an FBI document obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune, Samuel Bateman “began to proclaim he was a prophet” after assuming control of roughly 50 followers in 2019. He also revealed his intention to marry his own teenage daughter.
According to media reports, Bateman married up to 20 women, many of whom were minors under the age of 15. He coerced them into heinous acts of incest, paedophilic group sex, and child sex trafficking.
Cult leader directed three followers to have sex with his daughters while he watched
The affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Dawn A Martin revealed that Bateman directed three of his male followers to have sex with his daughters, one of whom was only 12 years old, while he watched.
The affidavit also details video calls in which Bateman and everyone else on the call was allegedly naked and engaged in group sex actions. Bateman allegedly had sex with the spouses of his male followers in a so-called “Binding of Brothers” ritual while other men and underage girls watched on.
According to audio and video recordings referenced in the affidavit, on November 1, 2021, Bateman allegedly stated the “Heavenly Father” directed him to “gift the most precious thing he possesses, his ladies’ virtue,” to three of his male followers in a group sex act. One of the females was only 12 years old.
According to the reports, Bateman claimed the girls had “sacrificed their virtue for the Lord”, and that “God will fix their bodies and put the membrane back in their body.”
Bateman arrested while transporting minor girls across state borders
Bateman, the polygamous cult leader was apprehended by local police on September 6th of this year while transferring underage girls over state boundaries. A state trooper initially stopped him after noticing children’s fingers moving in the gap of the rear trailer door.
According to local media, his SUV included two women and two girls under the age of 15. Three females aged 11 to 14 were present in the trailer.
The affidavit says Bateman drove two Bentleys. Meanwhile, his underage wives were reportedly transported in a trailer with a bucket and trash bag as a makeshift toilet.
Bateman was arrested and charged locally with three charges of child abuse, but he was eventually released after posting bail.
He was arrested again by federal investigators, who charged him with three counts of deleting records after instructing followers to destroy conversations transmitted via an encrypted private messaging system.
Since then, the FBI has performed several raids on Bateman’s two residences and taken nine girls into protective custody. Meanwhile, US Magistrate Judge Camille Bibles ordered that Bateman remains in custody while the case is heard in court.
Bateman’s group began as an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints better known as FLDS Church, a bigger organisation led by Warren Jeffs, another convicted paedophile who is presently serving a jail sentence in Texas for sexually abusing two girls.
According to The Tribune, the rebel group considers itself different from Jeffs’ version of the FLDS church, despite the fact that a photo of the previous leader was discovered hanging in a bedroom in one of the houses raided by the FBI.
They have named themselves the Fundamental FLDS and have been referred to as the ‘Samuel Bateman group’ and ‘Samuelites’ by others. They see Bateman as their leader and address him as ‘father.’
Ashok Swain, an internet troll for whom spreading disinformation to defame India seems to be an integral part of his daily routine, recently took to Twitter to spread lies and undermine India’s communal harmony.
Sharing a video of a mob thrashing a person, Swain, who works as a Professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, gave a communal colour to the assault, insinuating that the man faced a near-fatal lynching attack for being a Muslim.
“Another day, another lynching! One more Muslim man being lynched in Maharashtra, India,” Swain tweeted.
Source: Twitter
In a subsequent tweet, Swain said the attack was brutal, but the man survived and was in the hospital.
However, contrary to what Swain would have his followers believe, the man seen in the viral video was not attacked because of being a Muslim. The mob thrashed him on suspicion of being a thief.
यह एक चोर है इसके बारे में पता लगाया गया है पेल्हार पोलिस अन्तर्गत 5 आरोपियों को अटेस्ट किया गया है FIR दाखिल हो गया है इस केस आयो 7588196180 अनिल मस्के है । यह जो मार खा रहा है यह एक चोर है पोलिस ने जान बचाया इसका और मारने वालो पर और मार खाने वाले के ऊपर FIR दाखिल हुवा है ।
The local police arrested 5 people involved in the incident after the video of the thrashing went viral on the internet. According to the police, the incident occurred on December 1 in the Pelhar region of Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, the police have also filed a case against the victim on theft charges.
“A thief was severely injured after people thrashed him in the Pelhar area of Nalasopara in Palghar, four days ago, the video is now viral over the Internet. A case has been registered against the victim on the theft charges, and five other people were also arrested for beating the thief,” the police said.
Nevertheless, the case underscores the perverse urge among the Left ideologues to paint any untoward incident involving a victim belonging to a minority community as religiously motivated, even though the victim’s identity had little to do with the attack against them.
In this case, the mob assaulted the man on suspicion of thievery, not because he was a Muslim, as alleged by Ashok Swain, who tweeted misleading claims about the incident that was shared thousands of times on Twitter, threatening to imperil India’s communal harmony and stoking unfounded fears among Muslims.
Ghaziabad fake ‘hate crime’ to defame ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants
The incident bears a stark resemblance to the Ghaziabad fake hate crime incident wherein a muted video of a Muslim man being roughed up had gone viral on the internet. Mohammed Zubair, Saba Naqvi, and many others shared the video claiming that the Muslim man was assaulted because of his refusal to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. It was later revealed that the man was assaulted over promises made over an amulet sold to one of the assaulters.
Zubair later shared another video of Abdul along with Samajwadi Party leader Umed Pehelwan where Abdul claimed he was forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by the mob and was beaten up. He had never mentioned the said ‘tabeez’ and subsequent reports by various propaganda outlets like The Wire have claimed that his family members deny any ‘tabeez’ claims.
These two videos activated the entire left lobby giving the incident a ‘communal colour’ after almost 10 days of the assault. Publications like The Wire, TheQuint, and Indian Express published reports on the basis of the victim’s statement in the Facebook live video, thereby, defaming the Hindu religious slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram.’
The video and the narrative soon went viral on social media, posing a threat to the law and order in the state.
On the very same day, Ghaziabad police uploaded a video apprising of the case giving relevant details and kept the social media users updated with the development thereon.
Taking cognizance of the matter, the Uttar Pradesh government filed an FIR on June 15 against Twitter for failing to flag the video with unverified claims as ‘manipulative’ and for lack of action.
Alt News co-founder Zubair, Rana Ayyub, The Wire, Salman Nizami, Maksoor Usmani, Sama Mohammad and Saba Naqvi have also been booked for spreading misleading and fake news.
SSP Amit Pathak in a press conference held on June 16 informed that some social media handles and media publications turned the entire incident of assault on an old man into a hate crime and deliberately tried to give it a communal colour.
Junaid Khan murder given a communal spin
Another incident where the left lobby bent over backwards to paint the country communal was in the Junaid Khan murder when the left-leaning liberals alleged that the man was lynched for being a Muslim.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, however, later observed that there was no religious angle involved in Khan’s murder and that he was killed in a spat that erupted over a train seat.
On Friday (December 2), a prominent Islamic cleric lashed out at the Kerala government for violating Quranic principles by allowing Kudumbashree volunteers to take oaths of equal rights over their father’s property.
The cleric, identified as Nasar Faizy Koodathai, is a member of the Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyathul Qutba Committee. He took offence at the pledge of the government’s Kudumbashree mission, which is constituted to promote gender equality and eradicate poverty in the coastal State.
The women-led mission in Kozikhode had come up with a pledge titled ‘Nai Chetna’, with the goal to ensure that a female member of a family gets an equal share over her father’s property. This, however, did not sit well with the Islamic scholar.
Nasar Faizy Koodathai hit out at the government, asserting that the pledge was in contravention of the right to religious freedom guaranteed by the Indian constitution.
In a Facebook post, he claimed, “There is a proposal (in the circular) to take a pledge in the gender resource meeting in Kudumbashree during the fourth week. In the last portion of the pledge, it asks women members to say – We will give property rights to sons and daughters equally.”
While quoting the Quran, he said that a female member of a family cannot inherit equal property as that of a man and that she is allowed half of what a man receives from the father’s property. He said that Islamic principles could not be classified as an ‘act of discrimination.’
Quranic verse and the objections of the cleric
In the Quran, Surah 4 (Al Nisa), Verse 11 of the Holy Book says:
Allah commands you regarding your children: the share of the male will be twice that of the female. If you leave only two ˹or more˺ females, their share is two-thirds of the estate. But if there is only one female, her share will be one-half. Each parent is entitled to one-sixth if you leave offspring. But if you are childless and your parents are the only heirs, then your mother will receive one-third. But if you leave siblings, then your mother will receive one-sixth —after the fulfillment of bequests and debts. Be fair to your parents and children, as you do not ˹fully˺ know who is more beneficial to you. This is an obligation from Allah. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Nasar Faizy Koodathai objected to the gender-neutral pledge of the Kudumbashree Mission and said that a man inheriting a disproportionate share of his father’s property is justified in light of the responsibilities that he bore in the family.
“It is a man who has to bear all the expenses of a woman’s life. Even if the husband is poor and the wife is rich, it is the husband’s responsibility to bear their expenses and that of the children,” he claimed in his Facebook post
He also warned that the oath by Kudumbashree volunteers would invite the wrath of those opposed to the idea of gender neutrality. The Islamic cleric, later backed by Jamaat-e-Islami, also claimed that the Kerala government was helping the Union government in implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Confusion persists over the status of the gender-neutral pledge
As per a report by The Hindustan Times, the Social Welfare Ministry of Kerala gave in to the demand of Nasar Faizy Koodathai and directed Kudumbashree to not take the oath of gender neutrality in property rights.
The news publication also quoted an anonymous official of the self-help group as saying, “We have directed the Kudumbashree units to not go ahead with the pledge.” The official told Hindustan Times that a ‘correction version’ of the pledge would be available soon.
While slamming the Kerala government for giving in to regressive demands of Islamists, Kerala BJP Chief K Surendran said, “Where is the renaissance movement and the human chain the government had floated in the wake of Sabarimala agitation?”
“Thousands of pilgrims were attacked and police helped two women activists to enter the temple also. Why is the spirit missing this time?” he further questioned.
However, on Sunday (December 4), the executive director of Kudumbashree Jafar Malik ‘dismissed’ media reports about the government backtracking on the gender-neutral pledge.
As per a report by The Times of India, Kudumbashree officials in Kozikhode were informally told to not recite the gender-neutral pledge for the time being.
Gireesan PM, the district mission coordinator, informed, “The pledge sparked controversy at many places. So, we have asked ayalkoottams not to recite the pledge for the time being.”
It now appears as if the government had indeed directed the self-help group to abstain from reciting the pledge but later took a U-turn in light of vehement criticism by the BJP.
On December 5, The Wire’s senior editor Arfa Khanum Sherwani said in a tweet that she was invited by the University of Massachusetts (UMass), Boston, to deliver a lecture on “India at 75: The downgrading of India’s democracy and role of the Press”. Arfa also shared the poster of the event. However, she skipped mentioning a few details about the event.
Tweet shared by Arfa Khanum Sherwani. Source: Twitter
The poster Arfa shared was cropped conveniently leaving the information about the sponsors of the event. The event which has been organised by the UMass Boston History Department is sponsored by four organisations that are Asian Studies Department, Political Science Department, the Boston South Asia Coalition, and the Indian American Muslim Council.
Complete Poster of the event. Source: UMass Boston History Department FB page
Indian American Muslim Council
The Indian American Muslim Council is a radical Islamist group that has alleged links with banned terror organizations such as the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and has a long history of lobbying against India. IAMC claims to be the “largest advocacy organization of Indian Muslims in the US” and often advocates for Sharia courts and peddles misinformation against India.
A detailed report by Disinfo Lab has exposed its links with the terror outfit Jamat-e-Islami. IAMC founder Shaik Ubaid and member Abdul Malik Mujahid have headed the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), the US front for Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan.
According to DisInfo Lab, ICNA has established links with Pakistan-based terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Rasheed Ahmed, who heads the IAMC currently was the former executive director of the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA). IMANA’s Director of Operations is Zahid Mahmood an ex-Pak Navy official.
IAMC has been caught spreading fake news and misinformation to further the Islamist cause in India. It was also slapped with UAPA in 2021.
The Wire and fake news
It is notable here that the far Left portal The Wire, where Arfa Khanum works as an editor, had recently published multiple reports warning of a danger to India’s democracy by attributing some technological superpowers to BJP’s Amit Malviya and an imaginary app called Tek Fog. Both the claims were found to be baseless and full of lies. The Wire had to retract both stories after they got slammed for making false claims.
Information about the event is missing from University’s website
OpIndia checked Facebook pages and event sections of the Asian Studies Department, Political Science Department, Boston South Asia Coalition and History Department at UMass Boston. Only the History Department has announced the event on its Facebook page but the information was not available on the website of the University. Generally, if an event is being organised by the University with proper permissions in place, an announcement is made on the website which was not the case.
Event information was not available on UMass’s website. No information was available on the Departments’ events pages as well. Source: UMass Boston Website
OpIndia has contacted the History Department and the person whose contact information was available in the portion of the poster that Arfa decided to snip off before sharing it on her social media accounts. We will update once more information on the event comes in.
The ‘downgrading of India’s democracy’
In the last couple of years, some foreign organisations have claimed that because of the current regime in power at the centre of India, democracy in the country is at stake. In March this year, V-Dem institute downgraded India’s democracy ratings. Last year, Freedom House did the same.
A number of Western organisations with dubious funding sources, often release their version of grades and ranks for other nations. Their methodology and parameters have been criticised by many. For example, the Sweden-based V-Dem institute had recently ranked India below Afghanistan and Pakistan in Academic Freedom Index. The report was ridiculed widely.
the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute ranked India in the top ten autocratic countries in the world. Continuing with baseless anti-India propaganda by western organisations, they have also stated that the country’s democratic orientation will deteriorate.
According to the Swedish Institute’s research, India is in the bottom 40% to 50% of countries on V-Dem’s Liberal Democracy Index (LDI). According to the research, 15 nations are seeing a fresh wave of democratization, while 32 countries are experiencing autocracy. Last year, the institute classified India as an “electoral autocracy.”
V-Dem Institute and the Democracy Report
V-Dem is for Varieties of Democracy, and the Institution was created in 2014 by Professor Staffan I. Lindberg as an independent research organization. It promises to be a new way of thinking and assessing democracy. It provides a variety of studies that rate the countries on a variety of topics.
The Democracy Report is one among the reports published by V-Dem. V-Dem claims to be able to measure hundreds of distinct aspects of democracy and to open up new avenues for research into the nature, causes, and outcomes of democracy in all of its facets.
Who funds V-Dem Institute?
As the V-Dem institute claims to be an independent research organization, they are funded by many other institutions and governments. The contributors of funds to the institute range from the Canadian International Development Agency to the World Bank Group.
Surprisingly, the Open Society Foundation, which is led by George Soros, also funds the institute. Soros is a self-proclaimed philanthropist and Hungarian-American investor who has sworn to ‘fight nationalists’ and conservative governments throughout the world, which he commonly refers to as ‘authoritarian governments.’
George Soros’ sponsorship of the V-Dem Institute reveals a lot about the organization’s intentions toward India. Soros has publicly expressed his hatred for India and has often denounced the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His support for an organization that ranks India as a dying democracy highlights the hollowness of the institute’s findings.
About Open Society Foundation and George Soros
In 1999, the Open Society Foundation began activities in India by providing scholarships and fellowships to pursue studies and research at Indian colleges. Through the OSF, George Soros made significant contributions towards the spread of instability in India.
By actively supporting anti-India groups operating within India, the left-wing international organization led by Soros stretched its claws across the country under the pretext of undertaking humanitarian initiatives. Since its inception in India, OSF has attempted to meddle in the country’s internal affairs through a wide and linked network of organizations sponsored by George Soros. These organizations play a critical role in distorting the actual narrative and using the judiciary and the media to obstruct the national interest.
About Freedom House
US-based Human Rights ‘watchdog’, Freedom House has downgraded India from ‘Free’ to ‘Partly Free’. According to the watchdog, “India’s status declined from Free to Partly Free due to a multiyear pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided over rising violence and discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population and pursued a crackdown on expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society groups, and protesters”.
Citing “key developments” in 2020 that contributed to the ‘downgrading’ of India, the report says that in February 2020, more than 50 people, mostly Muslims were killed in the communal violence that followed the protests related to Citizenship Amendment Act. Interestingly, the report classifies CAA as a change in Indian citizenship law without really mentioning that the citizenship rights of Indian citizens, whether Hindus or Muslims, were not affected by the law. The CAA was meant for persecuted minorities from neighbouring Islamic nations to get Indian citizenship in an expedient manner. Further, the report completely misses the established fact that the Delhi Riots were not spontaneous in nature.
Freedom House – Funded almost wholly by the US government, acting as a policy arm of the US establishment
According to its website, “Freedom House’s programs support human rights and democracy advocates in their efforts to promote open government, defend human rights, strengthen civil society and facilitate the free flow of information and ideas”. From the mere wording of it, Freedom House seems like any other liberal advocacy group that is heavily funded to interfere in the domestic politics of countries around the work.
According to its 2016 financial statement, Freedom House generated 86% of its revenue from the US government itself.
While claiming that the Freedom in the World report received no government funding, it discloses that the report is made possible by the ‘generous support’ of the National Endowment for Democracy, among other donors.
A look into NED shows that the claim by Freedom House, that the report receives no government funding, is misleading.
On their website itself, it is mentioned that NED receives massive grants from the US government.
The connection to George Soros
Open Society Foundation, run by notorious billionaire George Soros also lists Freedom House as one of their allies.
On its website, the Open Society Foundation says, “Partnerships with other donors contribute significantly to the work of the Open Society Institute and the Soros foundations network. In some instances, these partnerships involve explicit agreements with other donors to share costs. At other times, they take place informally when another donor determines to support a project OSI has initiated or, conversely, when we build upon another donor’s initiative. In some cases, other donors contribute directly to one of the Soros foundations in support of a particular project”.
Therefore, it seems clear that Freedom House is an arm of the US establishment and has a connection with the US State Department, so much so, that without that funding, Freedom House would seize to exist. Further, as elucidated above, Freedom House is often described as an arm of the US foreign policy that carries out the tasks that the US government cannot do itself explicitly.
It also has ties to George Soros, who had explicitly declared war against nationalist governments and leaders, specifically naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi as one of his targets. Therefore, it would not be far-fetched to say that Freedom House itself acts as a propaganda arm to effect illegal regime change around the world.
Kashmir Fight blog, the mouthpiece of The Resistance Front (TRF), Pakistan’s new terror outfit and an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, has issued threats and released a so-called ‘hitlist’ with the names of 57 Kashmiri Hindus. These Kashmiri Hindus are employees working as teachers under the Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package (PMRP) in the Kashmir Valley.
Notably, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid had called ‘The Kashmir Files’ film, based on the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus, vulgar propaganda. Despite widespread outrage, the Israeli filmmaker stuck to his comments calling the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus vulgar propaganda.
In an open letter, the Islamic terror organisation pledged to continue targeting Kashmir’s Hindus. They ranted about how the non-locals and Kashmiri Hindus were stealing employment and land from Kashmir. The terror group further stated that Delhi is imposing a ‘fascist’ Hindutva ideology on Kashmir and Kashmiris, which they will not tolerate. TRF also vowed to continue attacking Hindus who are “maligning the atmosphere of the valley.”
“We once again want to warn such elements not to become pawns of Delhi Regime and don’t become the carriers of their filthy and fascist agenda,” read the threat letter.
Excerpt from Kashmir Fight blog, the mouthpiece of The Resistance Front (TRF)
The warning letter targeting these employees has instilled fear among the remaining Kashmiri Pandits working in various government departments, prompting them to stage a protest.
Various Kashmiri Pandit organisations have expressed grave concern over these threats, which have been issued in the aftermath of the killings of 24 Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri Hindus by terrorists in the Valley during the last year.
Kashmiri Pandit organisations have demanded a high-level investigation to find out how employees’ names were provided to the terrorist organisation.
The BJP has also sought an investigation into the leak of the list, which was widely disseminated on social media after being published by a site associated with the terrorist organisation.
BJP spokesperson (J&K) Altaf Thakur expressed serious concern over the threat given by a militant outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF) to the KP employees working under Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package (PMRP).
“It is surprising to see the fresh list of 56 Kashmiri Pandit +
Altaf Thakur, the BJP spokesperson, has urged the police to investigate how the list was leaked and has asked the administration to protect the safety and security of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley.
“This is a security breach as militants have a clear idea who is posted where. Government must take strong note of it and find out who has leaked the list at a time when targeted killings are taking place in the Valley,” Thakur said.
The Kashmir Files director blames IFFI for providing ‘ideological support’ to the terrorist organisation
Meanwhile, sharing the details about this so-called ‘hitlist’ released by the Islamic terror outfit TRF on Twitter, National Award-winning director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri squarely blamed the recent IFFI controversy for providing a platform to Islamist terrorists by openly supporting their extremist ideologies.
“In less than a week, after Islamist terrorists were given ideological support openly from GOI’s platform #IFFI2022, the Resistance Front (a front of LeT) has issued a list of Kashmiri Hindus to be targeted by its terrorists. Pl save this tweet,” tweeted The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri.
The common narrative between Lapid’s remarks and The Resistance Front’s threat is this:
He added, “The common narrative between Lapid’s remarks and The Resistance Front’s threat is this: FASCIST HINDUS.”
In his subsequent Tweet, the agitated director wrote, “If any Hindu is targeted in Kashmir after this, you know who has the blood on his/her hand. Pl save this tweet.”
If any Hindu is targeted in Kashmir after this, you know who has the blood on his/her hand.
On November 29, Israeli filmmaker and International Film Festival of India (IFFI) jury chairman Nadav Lapid called filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s film ‘The Kashmir Files’ “vulgar” and “propaganda”. During his closing remarks at the festival, he said he was “shocked” and “disturbed” by the inclusion of the film in the competition section.
The Resistance Front – TRF, the new terror outfit of Pakistan
Last year, intelligence agencies flagged the new Pakistan-based terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF) controlled by three top handlers of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan. TRF was reportedly launched in late 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370 which made Jammu & Kashmir an integral part of India without any riders attached. According to Indian security officials, the Lashkar leaders formed the core of the group and handled it from Pakistan. Sajad Jatt for South Kashmir, Khalid for Central Kashmir, and Hanzala Adnan for North Kashmir were named in the security report, a report by Hindustan Times stated.
Several journalists in Kashmir resign after receiving anonymous online threats from The Resistance Front
It is notable here that several Kashmir-based journalists resigned after a so-called ‘hitlist’ with their names was circulated on several social media channels last month. The threats had come from Pakistan-funded terror groups The Resistance Front (TRF) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). 11 journalists were named as ‘collaborators’ and ‘traitors’ in the hit list.
Mukhtar Baba, a Pakistan-funded terror operative who had earlier worked as a journalist in Jammu and Kashmir is found to be the mastermind behind the plot to issue threats to local journalists, and then highlight their resignations to peddle an anti-India narrative.
E-commerce giant Amazon may lay off close to 20,000 employees, including top managers, in the coming months, a report published by Computerworld said. The company is expected to discharge workers belonging to the distribution centre, technology and corporate wings.
Amazon categorises employees from Levels 1 to 7, and the layoff is likely to affect employees at all levels, as per sources with direct knowledge of the matter, who spoke with Computerworld requesting anonymity.
The retrenchment follows an unprecedented hiring spree during the pandemic when e-commerce companies had witnessed remarkable growth thanks to stay-home orders issued by countries around the globe.
Earlier last month, the New York Times reported that Amazon is planning to lay off up to 10,000 employees.
However, the new report suggests that the condition at Amazon may be direr than expected as it suggests that the cloud computing giant may be looking at laying off its 20,000 employees.
As per reports, the company had reportedly asked managers to identify employee performance problems. 20,000 employees amount to nearly 1.3 per cent of the company’s total workforce of 1.5 million globally. This includes employees in non-permanent categories too.
OpIndia cannot independently verify the report.
The Computerworld report said Amazon employees will receive a 24-hour notice and severance pay if they were laid off. It would be the largest layoff in the company’s history.
“There is no specific department or location mentioned for the cuts; it is across the business. We were told this is as a result of over-hiring during the pandemic and the need for cost-cutting as the company’s financials have been on a declining trend,” a source told Computerworld.
US-based Islamist outfits, such as Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) have cried foul after a mobile billboard truck displayed images of the 26/11 terror attack in New Jersey.
On the 14th anniversary of the dastardly attack on the Indian financial capital Mumbai, Indian Americans took out demonstrations outside the Pakistan Community centre in New Jersey. A total of 165 people died on November 26, 2008, after Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists from Pakistan went on a killing spree in Mumbai.
United States | Indian Americans & South Asian Diaspora protested against the 26/11 #MumbaiTerrorAttack in front of the Pakistan Consulate in New York. Demonstrations also took place in front of the Pakistan Consulate in Houston, Chicago & Pakistan Community Centre in New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/iuWRhnnvUe
As per an article in the Middle East Eye, the New Jersey unit of CAIR has alleged that a mobile billboard truck, broadcasting images of the Mumbai terror attack, entered the parking lot of the New Brunswick Islamic Center and the Muslim Center of Middlesex County.
The Islamist outfit also claimed that the vehicle stopped outside the Muslim Community of New Jersey Masjid. CAIR took offence at the display of the names of the LeT terrorists (referred to as ‘suspects’ in the article) and scenes from the deadly terror attack.
While calling the movement of the vehicle ‘deliberate and well co-ordinated’, CAIR criticised the broadcast of 26/11 footage as ‘messages of hate.’ This was despite the fact that the mobile billboard truck did not display anything contentious but the truth.
“Mumbai 26/11: We won’t forgive. We won’t forget,” read one sign on the truck. Another sign emphasised, “Men, women, and children or elderly, no one was spared by LeT terrorists who entered India via sea on a boat.” The Council for American Islamic Relations was quick to jump on the bandwagon of Islamophobia.
Screengrab of the article by Middle East Eye
CAIR’s communication manager, Dina Sayedahmed, claimed, “The perpetrator of this designed anti-Muslim posters, rented a truck with an electronic billboard to display them, and then drove to at least two Islamic centres, displaying these vile and anti-Muslim messages both at the Islamic centers as well as on the road.”
Executive Director (CAIR- New Jersey) Seladin Maksut also cried foul, “While everyone – even bigots – have the right to free speech, no one has the right to target religious minorities, especially at their houses of worship, with acts of perceived intimidation and harassment.”
CAIR remained fixated on the broadcast of 26/11 footage instead of condemning the actual terror attack, perpetrated by Islamic terrorists from Pakistan. It has been vehemently pushing Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu propaganda in the US.
Interestingly, ‘Journalist’ Asad Essa who authored the Middle East Eye article also tried to downplay the severity of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He did so by labelling convicted terrorists as ‘suspects’ and dubbing the terrorist organisation, Lashkar-e-Taiba as a “Pakistan-based group.”
