Headlines:
- British People Hugely Overestimate the Number of Muslims in the UK
- Raheel likely to be made Defence Advisor of Saudi-led Military Alliance
- Pakistan’s Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, Built with China’s Assistance, goes Online
- Saudi Budget 2017
- Russian Plane Crashes
- UN Palestinian Vote
British People Hugely Overestimate the Number of Muslims in the UK
British people have a heavily skewed perspective on the reality of life in the UK, a new survey suggests – but are still more accurate in their evaluations than the populations of most countries. The poll reveals Britons hugely overestimate the number of Muslims in the UK, think people are unhappier than they really are and believe homophobia is more widespread than it is. IPSOS Mori’s ‘Perils of Perception’ survey found people’s answers were closer to the mark when they were asked about inequality in the UK and the size of the country’s population. British people were especially far from the mark when asked what proportion of the UK population is Muslim. The real answer is just one in twenty – but Britons believe it to be almost one in six. That would mean there were almost 10 million Muslims in the UK when in reality there are 2.8 million. Britons also think the UK’s Muslim population is growing much faster than it is. Those surveyed believed 22 per cent of the population will be Muslim by 2020 – suggesting they expect the number of Muslims in the UK to increase to 14 million in the next three years. This was a common mistake across the world, with many countries significantly overestimating their Muslim population. French people think 31 per cent of their country is Muslim while Americans believe the figure for the US is 17 per cent. The real numbers are 7.5 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. Britons are much more accurate when asked about inequality. People guessed the least wealthy 70 per cent in Britain own just 19 per cent of the country’s wealth. The real figure is only slightly higher, at 21 per cent. [Source: The Independent]
The diet of Islamophobia fed by the media is responsible for the inflated perceptions about Islam and this is likely to worsen as the economic situation deteriorates.
Gen. Raheel Likely to be made Defence Advisor of Saudi-led Military Alliance
Former Chief of Army Staff, General (ret) Raheel Sharif is expected to be appointed defence advisor of Saudi Arabia-led military alliance of 39 Muslim countries to fight terrorism. Raheel Sharif, who recently retired as Pakistan’s Army Chief, has arrived in Saudi Arabia as a Royal Guest in a special plane. A grand reception is hosted in his honour in Riyadh, the capital of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It will also be attended by the members of Saudi Royal family. The Joint Command Centre, headquarters of the military alliance is located in Riyadh. The coalition was formed by the efforts of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef. According to Saudi Arabia, the alliance is formed to fight Daesh and other militant outfits. At the time of its constitution, there were 34 countries in the alliance which has raised to 39. The countries include Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Sudan, Malaysia, Egypt, Yemen and others. There are also reports that Oman has also has joined the Saudi-led coalition of Muslim countries. The sultanate indicated its willingness to take part in the alliance in a letter to Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, the sources said. [Source: News International]
The Saudis want Sharif to advise the new Islamic force under the pretext of fighting counterinsurgency operations to prevent the establishment of Khilafah Rashidah (Caliphate) upon the method of the Prophethood. No doubt the Saudis want the new force to protect their throne from being overthrown.
Pakistan’s Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, Built with China’s Assistance, goes Online
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday inaugurated power production from 340 megawatt Chashma-III nuclear power plant ‘C-III’ near Mianwali, Radio Pakistan reported. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the prime minister slammed the opposition, calling on them to refrain from ‘sabotaging’ Pakistan’s national interests. “We shouldn’t waste our time launching unnecessary protests,” he said. “Ending loadshedding is one of our top priorities,” he said, reiterating his government’s commitment to end loadshedding by 2018. The power project is a joint collaboration between the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and China National Nuclear Corporation. It was executed by the PAEC under the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency. PM Nawaz said the Chashma-III nuclear power plant will add 600MW to the national grid, adding that it will also help PAEC in achieving the overall target of 8,000MW. He also directed the PAEC to accelerate the production of nuclear power plants. The Chashma-III nuclear power plant was preceded by the Chashma-I and Chashma-II power projects. Another unit of the same capacity, Chashma-IV, is expected to be completed in the coming year. The premier expressed hope that the Chashma-IV would be completed before its deadline. Additionally, the Karachi nuclear power projects K-II and K-III are expected to add a total of 8,800MW electricity to the national grid by 2030 as a mid-term target for the PAEC. The prime minister said that timely completion of the K-II and K-III nuclear power plants will strengthen bilateral relations with China. He invited Chinese investors to invest in various sectors in projects that are mutually beneficial. [Source: Dawn]
The real culprit behind load shedding is the protection afforded to Independent Power Producers via international agencies. IPPs only produce power at a certain profitable rate, and if the cost of raw materials increase, the IPPs expect the Pakistani government to step in and make up the shortfall. Without addressing this mechanism, load shedding will remain.
Saudi Budget 2017
Saudi Arabia revealed its much anticipated fiscal plans for the new year this week. Ever since oil prices took a turn for the worst, Saudi Arabia’s oil based economy tanked, putting great pressure on national expenditure and growth. From a budget surplus to a deficit, the government has pledged to cut its fiscal imbalance by 33% to 196 billion riyals. Furthermore there have been little cuts to public spending except that fees are imposed to help gain some revenue. It has been made clear that a great deal of their projections are contingent on rising oil prices, which has induced a host of skepticism in the international market. With oil at a low for many years, there is no strong evidence to suggest that it will certainly rise to the levels that Saudi desire, for the purposes of balancing their books. “While there is a real desire among senior officials to address structural problems, the budget reveals the government’s willingness to use higher projected crude export revenues to drive growth through expansionary spending,” Crispin Hawes, London-based managing director at Teneo Intelligence, said in an e-mail. “In relative terms, oil revenues will remain the dominant line in fiscal accounts for the foreseeable future.” Thus it is clear, Saudi is still aiming for an oil based recovery and future, which will put it in a serious fiscal predicament in the long run.
Russian Plane Crashes
An ageing Tu-154 airliner came down off the Russian coast with the loss of all 92 passengers and crew on 25 December 2016. But this was no ordinary flight. The plane belonged to the Russian defence ministry and was en route from Moscow to Syria, where the Alexandrov Ensemble was due to perform for soldiers stationed overseas. Russia had been recently conducting indiscriminate attacks on Aleppo which has led to the slaughter of men, women and children and hospitals and anything that moved. The members of the flight were meant to be motivating the troops in Syria on Christmas Day for the actions in the name of Russia.
UN Palestinian Vote
14 UN Security Council members voted for an Egypt-drafted resolution on 23rd December. The US abstained, defying calls from the Jewish entity and Donald Trump, US president-elect, to block the text. The resolution demanded that Jewish entity “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem” and said the establishment of settlements it has “no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law”. “This historic decision expresses the consensus of the international community on the illegality of Zionist settlements and reaffirms the Palestinian people’s historic right [to live] in Jerusalem and its historic lands,” Mohammad al-Momani, Jordan’s information minister said. The chances of the Jewish entity abiding by this resolution are very slim considering it never follows any laws. The differences between Obama and Netanyahu is what looks as though led to the US to not participate, but President elect Donald Trump criticised the resolution, which means its unlikely anything will change.