Witch hunt' fears as US may outlaw Muslim Brotherhood
US civil liberties groups have slammed plans by members of Congress to proscribe the Muslim
Brotherhood as a terrorist group.
The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the legislation, tabled by Republican senators Ted Cruz and Mario Diaz-Balart and supported by the Trump administration, could lead to a "witch hunt".
The bill, titled the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, was submitted in January shortly before President Donald Trump took power.
It accuses the group of plotting a "grand jihad" to destroy Western civilisation from within.
"This potent threat to our civilisation has intensified under the Obama administration due to the wilful blindness of politically correct policies that hamper our safety and security," Cruz said in statement accompanying the bill.
He further accused the former US president of overseeing a "detente" with the group, which has renounced violence.
The bill has been submitted to the State Department, headed by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, which will decide on whether or not to designate the group.
Tillerson compared the Muslim Brotherhood to al-Qaeda in his confirmation hearing .
Al Jazeera approached members of the Brotherhood for comment on the move but they did not respond.
CAIR spokesperson Corey Saylor told Al Jazeera the ban was "highly probable given the number of Islamophobes who are directly advising Trump".
He said CAIR, which Cruz accuses of being affiliated to the Brotherhood , had no connection to the group but that he feared Muslim civil society groups could be targeted regardless if such measures passed.
"You have radical Republicans and extreme Islamophobes deciding US policy right now and I think that every minority is in for a very rough ride over the next few years," Saylor told Al Jazeera.
"Every Muslim organisation in the US has been subjected to extreme vetting at this point under both Bush and Obama. If they start coming after us, then the public should know that it's a witch hunt and nothing else. It has been investigated before."
Hugh Handeyside of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the move was part of a "long articulated plan by extreme Islamophobes to target and stigmatise American Muslims".
“
Those laws sweep up innocent individuals and organisations, and lack due process safeguards....it could have a tremendous effect on freedom of speech. ”
Hugh Handeyside, ACLU
Fringe anti-Muslim groups had not succeeded in passing such measures under the Bush or Obama administrations but had found a willing ear in Trump, he added, further warning that ordinary Muslims may fall foul of the designation.
"Any move to designate the Muslim Brotherhood could enable the Trump administration to attack American Muslim civil society because that designation would open the door to using overbroad and unfair laws related to designated entities.
"Those laws sweep up innocent individuals and organisations, and lack due process safeguards ... it could have a tremendous effect on freedom of speech."
Conspiracy theories
The Muslim Brotherhood has long featured in the far-right discourse in the US that places it at the centre of a conspiracy to infiltrate government institutions.
Prominent Trump supporters, including members of Congress, have accused Hillary Clinton's close confidante Huma Abedin of secretly belonging to the Brotherhood .
Another adviser to Trump, Frank Gaffney, claims the Brotherhood has infiltrated the US federal government and that senior members of the Obama administration, including former CIA chief John Brennan, were complicit in helping to spread Shariah.
The move against the Muslim Brotherhood comes amid a Trump-initiated crackdown on Muslims entering the US.
Nationals of seven Muslim-majority states have been banned from entering the country even if they possess valid residency permits and visas.
UN: 5 killed in attack along Cameroon-Nigeria border
The United Nations is strongly condemning an attack along Cameroon's border with Nigeria that killed a
UN independent contractor and four others.
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the UN secretary-general's special representative for West Africa, said in a statement on Wednesday that the attack took place near Kontcha, Cameroon.
The contractor's nationality was not released.
Three Nigerians and one Cameroonian also were killed in the Tuesday afternoon attack.
Several others were wounded.
The UN says the group was part of a technical monitoring team carrying out a field mission related to border demarcation.
There are no immediate claims of responsibility, and it is not known which armed group was responsible.
The Nigeria-based Boko Haram Islamic insurgency has spilled across borders into neighboring countries including Cameroon.
SOLDIER GETS 7-YEAR JAIL TERM FOR KILLING CIVILIAN IN BORNO
(GCM), after he was found guilty of manslaughter
 Adamu was said to have shot one Umar Alka to death, following a disagreement at the Monday market in Maiduguri on December 23, 2015.
Witnesses told the court that the victim died at the spot. Father of Alka, Abubakar Abacha said he received a distress call that a soldier killed his son. He said he found his son dead with a deep hole in his chest.
Brigadier general Olusegun Adeniyi announced the sentence. “Having found you guilty of the offence of manslaughter and having listened to the plea by the defence counsel, looking at the punishment provided by sections 105 and 119 of the armed forces Act cap A20, laws of the federation, the court, hereby, sentences you to seven years imprisonment,” Adeniyi held.
“The sentence is, however, subject to confirmation by the confirmation authority as provided by Section 152 sub-paragraph 1A of the Armed Forces Act.”
NAVY SEIZES N420BN WORTH OF STOLEN CRUDE OIL, ILLEGALLY-REFINED DIESEL
in 2016. It said 810,725 metric tonnes of stolen crude were seized and 181 illegal refineries were destroyed last year.
Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Ibok Ekwe-Ibas, gave the figures at the National Assembly in Abuja when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Navy to defend the NN’s 2017 budget proposals.
Ibas put the total worth of the seized crude oil and diesel at N420.1billion. Ekwe-Ibas said 38 barges and 263 wooden boats were destroyed.
He added that 53 other boats were arrested; 784 suspects were arrested; 145 outboard engines were confiscated; and 135 speedboats arrested.
Other seizures and arrests were, “2,97 drums; 4,753 jerry cans; 27 trucks; 47 vehicles; 15 motorcycles; 139 geepee tanks; and 224 surface tanks.” In addition, the CNS said 468 arms and 1,659 ammunition were seized.
Beyoncé Pregnant With Twins: PHOTO
Beyoncé is pregnant with twins, she has confirmed.
Posting a stunning photo on social media, she says:
"We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. - The Carters".
Here is that post:
Beyonce and her husband Jay Z (real name Shawn Corey Carter) have a daughter called Blue Bell, age 4.
CONGRATS!
Posting a stunning photo on social media, she says:
"We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. - The Carters".
Here is that post:
Beyonce and her husband Jay Z (real name Shawn Corey Carter) have a daughter called Blue Bell, age 4.
CONGRATS!
CUSTOMS DECLARE 2 OFFICERS WANTED OVER SEIZED RIFLES
the container laden with 661 pump-action rifles in Lagos.
The wanted officers are Abdullahi I, with service number 44483 ASC, and Odiba Haruna Inah, with service number 133386.
 It was learnt that both of them fled after the weapons were discovered by the operatives of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja.
Three suspects – Oscar Okafor (importer), Mahmud Hassan (clearing agent) and Sadique Mustapha (escort) have already been arrested in connection to the ammunition.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.) said investigations has started while disclosing that some other customs officers have been arrested.
Spokesperson for the FOU, Jerry Attah said the officers were declared wanted for their roles in the incident. He said, “Immediately the weapons were uncovered, they took to their heels and that is why we are declaring them wanted.
They were the ones that examined and checked the container at the Apapa port. “The other suspects, including three other officers, are still in our custody pending the conclusion of investigations. There will be no half measures. We will get to the root of the case.”
Customs officers on patrol along the Mile 2 Apapa Expressway had intercepted a container with 49 boxes stuffed with 661 pump-action rifles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)