Day: June 28, 2024

NABLUS: Extremist Israeli colonists today set ablaze Palestinian-owned lands in the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, according to security sources.

Sources told WAFA that several colonists, from the illegal Itamar colony, attacked the western area of the town of Beit Furik, setting fire to citizens’ land.

Colonists’ violence against Palestinians and their properties has dramatically increased since the onset of Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people on October 7th, 2023.

The indiscriminate violence by Israeli colonists against Palestinian civilians and their properties has been widely condemned.

Several countries have imposed sanctions against Israeli colonists accused of committing acts of violence against the Palestinian people in the West Bank.

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

GAZA: The Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) mourned today the passing of its veteran journalist in Gaza, colleague Zakaria Al-Madhoun, who died this morning at the age of 55 after a prolonged battle with cancer.

His health deteriorated sharply after being deprived of further medical treatment due to the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, now in its ninth month.

Minister Ahmad Assaf, the General Supervisor of Official Media and Chairman of the Board of Directors of WAFA, extended his deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of the deceased and to the journalistic community.

Born in 1969 in the al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City, the late colleague Zakaria Al-Madhoun (known as Abu Mohammed) was married and had 6 children. He worked in the field of media since the 1980s in local newspapers and media outlets prior to the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority.

He joined WAFA” Agency in 1996 and is considered one of the founding members of the agency’s Gaza offic
e.

Known for his dedication, love for work, professionalism, and commitment to journalism, he leaves behind a legacy for generations in the field of journalism.

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

BETHLEHEM: Israeli occupation forces today ordered the demolition of a kindergarten and the stop on the construction of other structures in al-Jaba’ village, southwest of Bethlehem, according to a local official.

Head of al-Jaba’ Village Council, Dhyab Masha’la, said that the occupation forces barged their way into the southern occupied West Bank village, where they handed orders not only for the demolition of a 110-square-meter kindergarten, but also for a halt on the construction of a public park as well as a car wash shop that belongs to him.

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

The Royal Referral to the Higher Council of Ulema regarding some proposals of a religious nature, submitted to the High Appreciation of His Majesty King Mohammed VI by the Body in charge of revising the Family Code, reinforces Morocco’s role as a beacon of moderate Sunni thought based on Ijtihad and openness.

This Royal Initiative, which aims to check and strengthen the legal basis of these proposals reflects the Kingdom’s position as a leading country in this area.

It is a dynamic, open, inclusive and forward-looking approach to issues relating to religion, which reinforces Morocco’s position as a unique country that has always advocated a moderate interpretation of Islam, taking into account the virtues of Ijtihad to serve the interest of the family.

The Royal Referral, which draws its essence from the prerogatives of the Commandership of the Faithful Institution, stems from the Sovereign’s concern to broaden the institutional consultation process relating to the revision of the Family Code, to meet the
expectations of Moroccan citizens.

It is meant to highlight the importance of Ijtihad in understanding situations arising from the evolution of society and to underline the ability of legal prescriptions of a religious nature to adapt to new realities.

The Sovereign’s Initiative also refers to the central role of Moroccan scholars, renowned for their competence and moderation, in respecting religious precepts and supporting societal developments.

ROYAL REFERRAL, ENSHRINING THE CHOICE OF OPEN AND CONSTRUCTIVE IJTIHAD

By referring the matter to the Higher Council of Ulema, His Majesty the King enshrines the choice of open and constructive Ijtihad, illustrating once again the High Royal solicitude towards the family, this pillar of the national community.

Indeed, through the far-sighted Royal Initiative, which is part of the constitutional prerogatives of the Sovereign, in His capacity as Commander of the Faithful and Chairman of the Higher Council of Ulema, this Institution is called upon to issue a collec
tive Fatwa, which will strengthen the proposals submitted by the Body in charge of revising the Family Code and consolidate the use of Ijtihad to improve the fate of all members of the family.

Moroccan scholars are thus called upon to issue an opinion in accordance with the values of Islam while respecting the purposes of religion and their change over time.

His Majesty the King ensures, through this Referral, to involve scholars and their constitutional institution in the collective reflection on the revision of the Family Code, which stands out from other legal texts since some of its provisions have a religious reference. The aim is to check and strengthen the legal basis of some proposals of the Body in charge of revising the Family Code with regard to religion through Ijtihad.

Through this reform, Morocco, under the far-sighted leadership of His Majesty the King, intends to successfully complete this major societal project, which will meet the aspirations of the whole society and enshrine the full rig
hts of Moroccan family components.

The Royal Referral also supports the social proposals and demands expressed, in a renewal-oriented consensual framework, taking into consideration the interest of the family, the stability of marital relations and the sustainability of tranquility and affection between all family components.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

Morocco’s Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Samir Addahre, and UNESCO’s Deputy Director-General, Xing Qu, signed an agreement in Paris on Friday on the organization in the Kingdom of the 36th session of the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (ICC-MAB).

This session, to take place on July 1-5 in Agadir, will be held in partnership with the Agence nationale pour le Développement des Zones Oasiennes et de l’Arganier (ANDZOA).

The Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme is an intergovernmental scientific programme that aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments. It combines the natural and social sciences with a view to improving human livelihoods and safeguarding natural and managed ecosystems, thus promoting innovative approaches to economic development that are socially and culturally appropriate and environmentally sustainable.

On 1 July, the MAB-ICC will welcome a one day Conference on soil
and its crucial role in supporting biodiversity and ecosystems and the cycling of nutrients. This conference, entitled “Rooted in Resilience: Unearthing the importance of soil in Sustainable Development”, aims to discuss activities to measure soil-health in UNESCO designated sites, engage stakeholders for capacity building in sustainable soil usage, and empower development of lighthouse projects demonstrating best practices.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

The Royal Referral to the Higher Council of Ulema, to contribute to the collective reflection on the Family Code review, stands out for its inclusive, moderate and consensual nature, with a view to follow societal development.

Driven above all by the will to protect the well-being and stability of the family, the approach of HM King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, leads the way to constructive Ijtihad so as to bring forward legislation that will meet the expectations and needs of all family components.

Scholars, through their Higher Council, the institution exclusively empowered by the Constitution to issue Fatwas, are thus invited to examine and deliver their opinion on the proposals with a religious nature put forward by the body in charge of revising the Family Code and submitted to the High Appreciation of the Sovereign.

“The Family Law was a major step forward. However, it is no longer sufficient”, the Sovereign stated in the 2022 Throne Speech.

In this respect, HM the King has called for al
l the players and institutions concerned to be involved in the reform process, including the National Council for Human Rights, the Government Authority in charge of Solidarity, Social Integration and the Family and the Higher Council of Ulema, while opening up to civil society, researchers and specialists in family issues.

In other words, the Kingdom is preparing not only to take a new step in the overhaul of the Family Code, but also to redefine the outlines of a society in harmony with societal developments and changes.

PUTTING IJTIHAD IN THE SERVICE OF FAMILY

There is no doubt that the referral of this matter to the Higher Council of Ulema is in line with the Royal ambition to meet the demands of society and keep pace with new social circumstances, within a renewal-oriented consensual framework that focuses on the stability of marital relations and enduring affection between all components of the family, the basic unit of society.

The Council is invited to issue a collective Fatwa to stop the various
individual interpretations that are out of step with the reality of Moroccan society, while respecting the values of religion and taking account of the virtues of Ijtihad in the interests of the Moroccan family.

The future Family Code shall therefore be in line with the development of Moroccan society, and the Royal Referral is perfectly in keeping with this spirit, to support the proposals and social demands expressed, taking into consideration the interests of the Family and the stability of marital relations.

This bold approach shapes a resolutely forward-looking path, not only to build a dynamic society driven by the vigor and diversity of all its components, but also to make this new reform a catalyst for development.

Women’s rights and family issues in general are at the top of HM the King’s priorities, as demonstrated by the letter sent by the Sovereign to the Head of Government concerning the Family Code review.

In line with the High Royal Directives, consultations on this subject have embodied th
e innovative participatory approach that the Sovereign has called for, so as to respond eloquently to the expectations expressed by various social sensitivities, without exception.

Enshrining this dynamic, inclusive, open and forward-looking approach, the Royal Referral is governed by well-defined limits reminding the Higher Council of Ulema of Fatwa foundations based on the principles and rules of Islam and its purposes, as well as the content of the Royal Letter to the Head of Government, in which the Sovereign advocates the use of moderation and open and constructive Ijtihad to successfully revise the Family Code.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse