World Cup fans in Qatar ‘introduced’ to Islam (source: aa.com.tr, YouTube)
Qatar, which is hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has come under scrutiny for the various restriction and bans imposed at the World Cup stadiums. Besides, the Islamic country has been drawing flak for utilizing a variety of strategies to convert people to Islam who have come to the country to attend the World Cup. According to a recent report, the Katara Cultural Village Mosque in Doha, Qatar’s capital, has become a hotspot for the proselytization of non-Muslim visitors.
As per media reports, at the mosque, multilingual male and female preachersexplain Islam’s religion and ‘tolerance’ to tourists. Visitors are being encouraged to watch electronic boards on Islam which are on display in more than 30 languages and positioned in such a way that it allows visitors to view them on their phones. In addition, books ‘introducing’ Islam in different languages are being distributed amongst the visitors.
Furthermore, Qatar’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has erected a pavilion outside the 2022 World cup venue, where visitors are being ‘introduced’ to Islam and its teachings.
The report further suggests that the hadiths, which are words, actions, or habits of Prophet Muhammad, are found written on the walls of streets to attract non-Muslim tourists visiting Qatar to enjoy FIFA World Cup 2022.
Employees and preachers from the Qatar Guest Centre are stationed at the mosque’s entrance to promote Islam to the Eid Charity Foundation. They welcome non-Muslims and answer their queries about the mosque. They also arrange for visitors to enter the mosque after prayers in order for them to become acquainted with the inside ambience of a mosque.
Hotel rooms offering visitors QR codes to ‘learn’ about Islam
Qatar has also made an effort to feature Islam and Muslim culture throughout the first week of the tournament with sayings and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad posted around Doha and translated into multiple languages including English.
So much so that the FIFA World cup inaugural ceremony had also begun with a female vocalist dressed in a traditional burqa, a face covering outlawed in several European countries, reciting a Quranic verse.
According to several social media accounts, some hotel rooms in the country are also offering visitors QR codes to learn about Islam, and foreigners visiting Qatar for the tournament were invited to learn about Islamic attire.
In hotel rooms in Qatar, there is a QR code that introduces the teachings of Islam, hadiths, and a simple definition of our faith. pic.twitter.com/NcHge7L48x
How religion has grabbed the spotlight amid the football tournament can also be evidenced by the fact that the radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik has been reportedly ‘invited’ to preach Islam to football fans.
Recently, it was reported that Zakir Naik, the Islamic Preacher from India wanted for financial fraud and other crimes, reached Qatar to preach Islam. A video from 2016 went viral where he was seen converting people to Islam in Qatar. Though the video was old, there are speculations that his preaching on the sidelines of the FIFA World Cup 2022 may be directed at conversions of visiting football fans.
After concerns were raised by India, Qatar clarified that Naik was not extended any official invitation to attend the FIFA inaugural ceremony.
Football fans embrace Islam in Qatar
On November 22, several Islamist handles claimed in a tweet that over 500 people (apparently tourists visiting Qatar to enjoy FIFA World Cup 2022) have converted to Islam. In the tweet, a pro-ISIS Islamic activist Majid Freeman wrote, “Allahu Akbar! We’ve heard from local daees in Qatar that 500+ people have embraced Islam recently.” Though no official media reports were found to support the claims.
Furthermore, reports emerged that a Mexican fan embraced Islam in a mosque in the Katara cultural village in Doha, on the second day of the World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
On November 23, viral videos showed how a Brazilian family of six consisting of a father, mother, and four children (3 girls and a boy), was seen pronouncing Shahadah (testimony of faith), prompted by the preacher.
Qatar won the right to host the summer World Cup in December 2010 against all odds in 50 degrees celsius temperature, before FIFA moved the World Cup to winter for the first time in history to protect players from that heat. The tournament is now being held in the small Arabian country and about 1.2 million international visitors are expected in Qatar during the Nov 20- Dec 18 tournament.
It is notable here that Qatar has been linked with Islamic terrorism and has been accused of spreading Wahabism by many sources. Its links to numerous organisations that fund the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Al Qaeda etc have been highlighted in recent times.
Sweden’s newly elected center-right government is proposing to amend existing migration laws to change permanent residency given to migrants to temporary permits, local media reported on Friday.
The coalition agreement was signed by the Moderate party, the Christian Democrats, and the Liberals, and was approved by the Swedish Democrats, who are not a part of the government but offer a confidence and supply agreement. It pledged to abolish “the institution of permanent residence permits,” with plans plans to convert these to temporary, conditional passes.
The Tidö Agreement, a 60-page document outlining the agreed upon plans of the coalition government, included numerous pledges to tackle legal and illegal immigration into Sweden, including a requirement for “proposals to remove the system of permanent residence permits to be presented by 2024 at the latest.”
Additionally, the government vowed to “investigate whether to withdraw residence permits in several cases, including for those who no longer ‘meet the requirements for the permit.’”
Mikael Ribbenvik, the general director of the Migration Agency, told broadcaster SVT that “an investigation will look into under what circumstances existing permanent residence permits could be turned into temporary residence permits.”
“This would be the first time this has happened in Sweden. We haven’t had this before,” Ribbenvik added, explaining that once a permit is permanent, there are no further checks on the holder’s eligibility.
More than 300,000 migrants in Sweden currently hold permanent residence permits, and Ribbenvik told the Swedish broadcaster that he would be worried about the government’s plans if he was one of them.
“It says that they want to investigate whether they can convert permanent residence permits into temporary ones, so I would be worried about that,” he said.
New Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard added further clarity to the plans over the weekend, explaining that anyone who wants to stay in Sweden indefinitely should apply for citizenship and not remain a holder of a residence permit.
“You should not be here forever on a permanent residence permit. A clear path to citizenship is needed,” Stenergard was reported as saying in Svenska Dagbladet.
“I envision that you will receive individual plans for how to achieve this. Learn the language, earn a living, and have knowledge of Swedish society so that you can fully become a Swedish citizen,” she added.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó has emphatically forbidden lectures by the new US ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, on Hungarian foreign and energy policy.
In an interview with the US political magazine Politico, the US ambassador criticized that he was concerned when he saw “rockets flying from Moscow to the playgrounds in Kiev, while Hungary’s foreign minister flies to Moscow for live Facebook conferences “from Gazprom headquarters”.
Szijjártó reacted by stating that as Hungarian foreign minister he could only look after Hungary’s national interests. “I understand that the US ambassador assumes US interests, but I am acting in Hungary’s interests. Therefore, I think it is right that we do not comment on each other’s steps on the basis of mutual respect,” said the Hungarian foreign ministry chief. After all, he does not comment on the trips of the US Secretary of State and therefore expects the American ambassador not to comment on Hungarian political questions.
The Hungarian energy supply is also exclusively a Hungarian matter, Szijjártó continued. “So far, no proposal has been made by the American side as to how this energy security could realistically be achieved. Therefore, I think that the American ambassador has no right to criticize decisions made on the basis of the Hungarian national interest, not only politically, but also in the matter itself,” the minister said.
On the 27th of November 2022, IANS tweeted that the National Investigating Agency (NIA) had submitted the chargesheet in the case of Deepthi Marla, alias Maryam, granddaughter-in-law of former Congress MLA Late Idinabba from Dakshina Kannada district for running a terrorist network in Karnataka and recruiting gullible Muslim youths to terrorist outfit ISIS.
#NIA has submitted charge sheet against Deepthi Marla, alias Maryam, the granddaughter-in-law of former Congress MLA Late Idinabba from Dakshina Kannada district for allegedly running a terrorist network in Karnataka and recruiting gullible Muslim youths to terrorist outfit ISIS. pic.twitter.com/aBOG2qeUc2
It was in January 2022 that the NIA filed a charge sheet in the ISIS recruitment case. The charge sheet was filed against eight accused, including Deepthi Marla and Ammar Abdul Rahiman. Marla’s husband Anas Abdul Rahiman is the son of B M Basha, whose father Idinabba was a former Congress MLA. Idinabba died in 2009. Ammar Rahiman is Anas’s brother. Others charge sheeted in the case were identified as Mohd. Waqar Lone, Mizha Siddeeque, Shifa Haris, Obaid Hamid Matta, Madesh Shankar and Muzamil Hassan Bhat.
“Investigation has revealed that all eight accused charge-sheeted today are affiliated with ISIS and were involved in radicalising, recruiting, organising terror funds and grooming like-minded gullible Muslim youth through different secured social media platforms to perform Hijrat to ISIS-controlled territory for joining ISIS,” NIA said in January. “During the investigation, it has been revealed that after the decline of ISIS Caliphate in Syria/Iraq, Deepthi Marla and Mohd. Ameen had visited Kashmir in January and March 2020 for Hijrah (religious migration) and for engaging in terrorist acts and supporting the activities of ISIS,” the NIA added.
It is pertinent to note that Maryam was a Hindu earlier and had later converted to Islam after marrying Anas Abdul Rahiman. When she was arrested by the NIA in January, the NIA had said, “She is from a well-off family. Her name is Deepthi Marla. She has studied in the UAE. She was attracted towards Islam there, married a Muslim from her native place and converted later.”
One would imagine that a case as clear and grave as this one would inspire the media to talk about the threat of Love Jihad (Grooming Jihad) far more seriously. It is a fact that Hindu girls are being trapped by Muslim men who later either forcefully convert them to Islam, push them into terrorism, groom them or murder and rape them. There are thousands of cases that have been documented over the years. With the case of Maryam, who not only converted to Islam but also started recruiting for terror outfit ISIS, it becomes clear that Hindu women are on the target of Islamists and the threat posed by this menace is not simply a figment of the Hindu mind.
IANS, however, had different plans. Instead of reporting the case and talking about the threat posed by Love Jihad, they proceeded to cite the case of Maryam and whitewash crimes that are being committed against Hindu women.
On the 27th of November, IANS published a report headlined, “Hindu hotheads raise the ‘love jihad’ temperature”. This report was picked up by several media outlets, including the Muslim-centric newspaper Siasat.com, to whitewash crimes against Hindu women.
The report by IANS starts by citing 3 cases that were clearly targeting Hindu women. First was the case of Maryam, who converted and then became a recruiter for ISIS. While Maryam herself is the terrorist in this case, it is pertinent to note here that she became one after marrying her Muslim husband and converting to Islam. The second case cited by IANS was that of a 13 year old Hindu girl was raped and tortured. She was then forced to convert to Islam and marry the 25-year-old Muslim accused. In the third case, IANS writes, “Apoorva Puranik, who embraced Islam after marrying Mohammad Ejaj Shiroor in Hubballi was stabbed 20 times for seeking a divorce. She found that Ejaj was already married with two children. Investigations revealed that Ejaj, an auto driver, allegedly trapped the victim, a MBA graduate, took her private videos, blackmailed and coaxed her into marriage. The incident was reported in March in Hubballi”.
While these cases cited by IANS itself had a clearly religious angle, the report then goes on to demonise Hindus who were talking about being vigilant against the menace and provided a platform for others to blame Hindus for their own persecution.
After talking about Sri Rajashekarananda Swamiji of Vajradehi Mutt in Mangaluru and Shri Ram Sene planning to start task forces to protect Hindu women, IANS quotes certain “experts” who wish to blame Islamic fundamentalism on “Hindu majoritarianism” while Hindu girls get targeted.
The first “expert” IANS quotes is Basavaraj Sulibhavi. Basavaraj Sulibhavi is a “political thinker” who is often quoted by IANS to whitewash the crimes of the Muslim community and whip up propaganda furthering the Muslim victimisation trope. In the report by IANS, he says, “The system is a culprit here. It is the first culprit indeed. It is being done from both sides. Fundamentalism, practised by both majority and minority, is forming mindsets of individuals”. He continued, “As a result of this development, individuals become prey to such fundamentalism. There is of course politics. It cannot be stated that a particular religion or a set of individuals alone are responsible. The growth of minority fundamentalism is largely due to fundamentalism by the majority. We have to move forward keeping all these factors in mind.”
IANS essentially gave a platform to this alleged “political thinker” to say that it was the Hindu mindset which was responsible for the Muslim community becoming radicalised, because of which they were targeting Hindu women, essentially, blaming Hindus themselves for their own rape and murder.
Further, the “activist” said, “There is an incident of Hindu activist stuffing a body in a suitcase. All these cases should be seen at an individual level. There is an attempt to pin it on to a religion. There is systematic fundamental politics. Whenever there is an incident, there is an attempt to blame and use an individual’s religion.”
This is a trope that is often used by individuals who wish to delegitimise the hate and religious crimes that being perpetrated against Hindus by Islamists. It is indeed true that crimes are committed by barbarians regardless of religion. Nobody in their right mind can claim that Hindus do not commit heinous crimes and that it is only the Muslim community that produces criminals. However, the issue here is much deeper. In cases of Love Jihad (grooming jihad) there is a clear religious hate angle that cannot be simply written off – essentially, making these crimes hate crimes and not merely a heinous crime that the administration needs to curb.
Let us take a recent case for example – a few days ago, a Hindu woman was gang raped at gunpoint and the rapist’s sisters recorded the act. The recording was then used to blackmail the girl, feed her beef and convert her to Islam.
The girl said in her complaint, that Akleem Qureshi raped her at gunpoint while his two sisters Tarannum and Shabana drugged her and made a video of the act. The accused thereafter used the video to blackmail her into eating beef forcefully against her will and convert to Islam. Qureshi forcefully took her to places like Allahabad, Banaras, Akbarpur, Ajmer and Bihar from where she was brought to Agra. In Agra, the girl alleged, that Akleem and his two brothers Shadal and Visal took turns and raped her.
According to the officials, the girl, who lived in the Shahi police station area, used to run a beauty parlour in her home, which Tarannum and her friend Gazala frequented. The victim and Tarannum gradually became friends, and one-day Tarannum persuaded her to come to her house, to which the victim agreed. Tarannum brought the victim to her house and imprisoned her in a room where Akleem Qureshi had previously been hiding. The offender then raped the woman while holding a gun to her head. Tarannum and Shabana, Qureshi’s two sisters, filmed the act. The recording was then used to pressurise the victim into eating meat against her will, converting to Islam, and marrying Akleem Qureshi.
In this case, while the act of gang rape is heinous in itself and can be committed by criminals of any religion, there was a clear religious angle that makes it a hate crime. Therefore, to say that it should not be dealt with as a special class of crimes simply because other crimes happen too is a classic tactic to shield the Islamists and delegitimise the persecution of Hindus, especially Hindu women, purely on the basis of religious hate.
In the IANS report, Pramod Muthalik is quoted extensively talking about the menace of Love Jihad and how the need of the hour is to implement a strict law to protect Hindu girls. “This is evidence of how Hindu girls are used for terrorism. There are many cases. Hindu girls are sent to Syria after kidnapping and trapping them in ‘love jihad’.” “In the case of Deepthi Marla, a Hindu girl who is arrested for allegedly recruiting gullible Muslim youth to IS had 14 bank accounts in her name. There is enough proof.” He added that thanks to anti-conversation laws, “more than 3,000 Hindu girls, who were victims of ‘love jihad’ have been brought back into the fold of Hinduism”. He concluded by pointing out: “Though they faced threats in the initial days, we supported them and ensured their safety.”
IANS then goes on to cite the same “political thinker” to negate what Muthalik said.
“There is a political motive behind these narratives. Fundamentally, the citizens of this country, to whichever religion they belong to, once they attain majority, they can marry the person of their choice,” Sulibhavi said.
“The citizens have got the constitutional right to marry persons of their choice. Today, attempts are being made to take away this constitutional right. The casteist and traditional mindsets provoke religious feelings to divide people in the name of religion,” Sulibhavi added.
While conceding that forcing the partner to follow a different religion after marriage is “wicked”, Sulibhavi essentially whitewashed the crimes of the Islamists by claiming that the issue is political in nature and an attempt to tarnish all “inter-faith marriages”.
It can be said that IANS quoted both sides of the argument and left the decision to the readers, however, their headline, which was repeated by several media houses, points towards their inherent bias and their attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of their readers, insinuating that Love Jihad is a figment of the “Hindu hothead” imagination.
The vast majority of Germans do not want former German Chancellor Angela Merkel to become chancellor again, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported, citing the latest Civey institute poll.
Specifically, 71 percent reject a return of Merkel, while 23 percent of respondents would like to see the veteran politician at the helm of Germany again.
Merkel was chancellor of Germany for 16 years, but did not participate in last year’s elections. The former chancellor announced in 2018 that she would retire once her mandate expired. The 68-year-old former chancellor is currently spending her retirement years giving lectures and writing her political memoirs.
Although the poll shows that Germans do not want another Merkel era, they do not have a negative opinion of the former chancellor.
Forty-three percent of respondents said the former leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) did a better job than current Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with whom only 41 percent of respondents were satisfied.
The paper also pointed to the different perceptions of Merkel in the east and west of Germany. According to the poll, 52 percent of respondents in the east of the country prefer Merkel to Scholz, while in the west of Germany, the figure is only 42 percent.
On the party landscape, the latest polls show that the conservative CDU/CSU alliance is the most popular with 28 percent. In the current governing coalition, the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) is at 20 percent, the Greens (Grüne) between 17 and 20 percent, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) at 6 to 7 percent. The post-communist Left Party (Die Linke) is at 5 percent, while the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is at 13 to 15 percent.
The former German chancellor recently spoke about her departure in an interview with the magazine Spiegel. She said that she did not regret leaving office last year because, as she put it, her government had failed to achieve a breakthrough not only in the crisis in Ukraine since 2014 but also in conflicts in Moldova, Georgia, Syria, and Libya.
She added: “It is time for a new approach.”
The politician also admitted that she did not have enough power to prevent the war between Russia and Ukraine at the end of her term of office.
Lower Austrian FPÖ leader Udo Landbauer in Traiskirchen. Facebook
Against the background of the continuing mass influx of asylum seekers, the Austrian FPÖ presents itself again with a winning campaign to deal with the crisis. At a press conference on Wednesday, three leading FPÖ politicians gave more details – in Traiskirchen, Lower Austria, of all places, which is the seat of a large first reception center and has been a “hot spot” for the mass influx for months.
The ruling ÖVP is driving the “sell out of our homeland at the expense of our own population” and young male migrants are a “massive security risk for our own population”, stated the Lower Austrian FPÖ leader Udo Landbauer.
The asylum center in Traiskirchen is “symbolic of the total failure of the government,” said Landbauer. The FPÖ (Freedom Party) is the only party that stands behind the population on this issue. “When will the border fences that this country so desperately needs be built?”
The flood of asylum seekers has hit the population hard. “Soldiers and police officers are reaching their mental and physical limits, but Interior Minister Karner apparently sees no need for action.” The fight against illegal migration must be “ruthless”, the goal is “zero immigration”. All migrants who are currently coming are social and economic refugees, strangely enough they only ever lose their passports “but never their knives” at the border, he pointed out.
In the current year alone, 180 000 people have come to Austria to stay. That corresponds to the population of St. Pölten and the surrounding area. “Every assault, every rape, every harassment” made him more doubtful about the “poor migrant tale”, said Landbauer. He once again spoke out in favor of a significant tightening of the asylum law. In the case of the smallest irregularity or lie, the asylum status should be revoked or rejected.
The Salzburg FPÖ parliamentary group leader Marlene Svazek added: “We have taken in the city of Salzburg twice since 2015.” In the current year alone, 866 million euros have been spent on the procedures and care for asylum seekers. In view of the great wave of inflation, this was “unacceptable”. The Salzburg state government now wants to take in 60 people a week and distribute them to each municipality in Salzburg.
Mario Kunasek, former defense minister and head of the Styrian Freedom Party, recalled Austria’s overwhelming hospitality. With ten times the size, Germany has not even taken in twice the number of asylum seekers compared to Austria, with Italy and Spain even less.
Under the leftist black-green government, Austria has developed into a hotspot for illegal immigration. “There are 27 migrants per million inhabitants in Italy, 18 in France – and 452 in Austria,” said Kunasek.
When it comes to migration, Austrians trust the FPÖ
By the end of October, 89 867 asylum applications had been filed in Austria which is more than in the whole of 2015. In October alone, there were 17 982, more than in the whole of 2020 0r even 2019 or 2018. Citizens are hoping for solutions from the FPÖ.
The ÖVP has completely gambled away the trust of the Austrians. Nevertheless, Chancellor Karl Nehammer does not want to resign from government. Presumably, despite corruption scandals and poll losses, the People’s Party still considers itself fit to govern. On the issue of asylum, which previous Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had successfully hijacked from the FPÖ, citizens realise that nothing can be expected from the ÖVP except empty promises and announcements.
Polls show FPÖ as competent
When asked by pollster Peter Hajek “Which party has the best proposals on the subject of immigration?”, the Chancellor’s party comes in at a distant 10 percent. In contrast, 34 percent of the citizens see the FPÖ as the party with the greatest competence to deal with the flood of asylum seekers. In second place was the SPÖ, whose leader could not see any asylum crisis in the summer, when the numbers were already rising massively.
The president of the Red Cross, Gerald Schöpfer, also thinks the issue is “blown out of proportion” because his organisation profits from the care of migrants.
It is worse than 2015, when hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants stormed the borders of Europe. So far, 75 000 migrants have been apprehended at Austria’s borders alone. Citizens are massively unsettled and afraid as tent cities for the immigrants are springing up in the middle of towns.
“That’s more than in the years 2017 to 2021 combined,” said Gernot Gasser, military commander of Burgenland. And it is a sign of the complete failure of the black-green government. Austria’s eastern province has to bear the “brunt” of the “closed” Balkan route.
SPÖ mayor Roman Kainrath told the media, 30 to 40 so-called refugees arrived in his municipality every day. In Eisenstadt, even the prison is now overcrowded; instead of 175, there are usually 200 to 220 inmates and about 70 percent are serving time for smuggling.
Government does nothing
According to the military commander, the fact that between 2 800 and 3 000 migrants are apprehended in Burgenland every week is now beyond the capabilities of dedicated task forces. Even the main operations against smugglers are only a drop in the ocean. Because all arrivals are taken to asylum centres or are simply sent on in the hope that they will move on to Germany.
Although the asylum figures of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior for September are not yet available, August was already a record month with 14 240 asylum applications. Even in the critical months of 2015, there were at least 2 000 fewer applications.
Hundreds of military homes have been set aside for migrants, while at least 2,500 British veterans do not have a roof over their heads. The Government has been forced to look at the accommodation amid growing resistance to the use of hotels, B&Bs and holiday camps to house the backlog of 143,000 asylum seekers.
One proposal allegedly being actively considered is to utilise homes kept vacant for forces’ families as they move between bases.
Last night, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that 550 homes were earmarked for people who moved to the UK after the withdrawal from Afghanistan forced them from their homeland.
They arrived under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme, and their right to stay in this country has already been approved.
However, senior Home Office sources revealed that a separate proposal could lead to a further 500 military homes being used to help the Government fight the wider logjam of asylum seekers awaiting decisions on their claims.
The families would live rent-free while their applications are processed, with subsidised energy bills, mobile phones and £40 a week spending money for all adults. The MoD insists no meetings have taken place about extending the use of military accommodation to other migrants. A spokesman said: “There are no plans to house asylum seekers in defence accommodation, nor have any discussions taken place between the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office on this issue.”
But the insider said: “The migrant situation is the Home Office’s number one issue and, while there are several plans on the table, many have been reviewed and sunk.
“Putting migrants into empty MoD homes is considered a winner, if we can get support from other departments. We know there is likely to be a backlash from the public but our options are increasingly limited.”
Last night, forces charities reacted with fury and claimed the migrant crisis had led to war veterans being “sidelined”.
They argue that those who have served for the UK Armed Forces should be first in line for housing.
The No Homeless Veterans campaign, which is backed by former Olympic athlete and ex-Army sergeant Dame Kelly Holmes, estimates there are currently more than 2,500 homeless veterans. And the Royal British Legion says as many as six per cent of rough sleepers are veterans, which would make the tally as high as 4,000.
Steven Bentham-Bates, of the Help 4 Homeless Veterans charity, said: “The Government is spending £7million a day on people who have just arrived in this country, while charities like ours are forced to scratch around to help veterans who have put themselves in harm’s way and now find themselves homeless.
“If I was a veteran sleeping rough, I’d be thinking why on earth did I bother going to fight for a country which turns its back on me?”
Sources have told the Sunday Express that the disputed new plans centre around 500 empty military properties owned by Annington Homes.
Annington owns 37,620 military properties in England and Wales, of which 7,230 are vacant, ostensibly to meet the demands of service families moving from base to base. The properties are managed by the MoD.
Last week, figures revealed that 1.1 million long-term immigrants arrived in the year to June 2022, up 435,000 on the previous year. An estimated 504,000 more people came to the UK than left in that time.
While these figures – the highest since records began in 1964 – include 138,000 refugees under the Ukrainian, Afghanistan and Hong Kong visa schemes, they do not include 40,000 who have arrived via clandestine routes, such as on small boats across the Channel. Refugee charities say that whichever housing option is chosen, new arrivals need to be treated humanely.
Refugee Council spokesman Mark Davies said: “The UK is only the ninth most popular asylum destination, in part because it is so difficult to get here and apply. But the fact is that 77 per cent of all asylum seekers who did apply last year had their claims upheld.
“This is a global issue, and the Government has ignored repeated warnings and has failed to ensure that mechanisms were in place to deal with it.
“We believe that, after a period of six months, those still waiting for their applications to be processed should be allowed to find work. This would add £330million to the UK’s economy.
“And those with relatives here should be allowed to stay with them, which would alleviate the accommodation shortage.”
The crisis has been made worse due to the backlash against using tourist hotels to house migrants.
Last week, Great Yarmouth Borough Council won a High Court battle to stop migrants being placed in the Norfolk town’s 59 hotels, after arguing they should be kept available for tourists visiting the resort.
And in a heated town hall meeting about the same issue in the seaside resort of Skegness – currently housing 216 migrants from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Ethiopia in six hotels – Tory MP Matt Warman said: “The reality is that the Home Office doesn’t have alternative accommodation, and I’ve asked them to look at former military bases as a better way.”
As it strives to contain the crisis, however, the Government is stepping up action for veterans.
The Armed Forces Covenant, which was made law last week, offers priority housing for veterans who have been out of the Armed Forces for less than five years. But many overwhelmed councils are struggling to comply.
Help 4 Homeless Veterans says applications for its services have doubled over the past year.
While the Yorkshire-based charity, which helps veterans across England and Wales, said it is right that those on recognised migrant visa schemes are homed, it noted with irony that veterans who fought in Afghanistan and who now find themselves homeless are being sidelined for the very Afghans they had tried to help.
Mr Bentham-Bates said: “When I began working here years ago, we were averaging 58 veterans a year – around one application a week. In the last full 12 months we helped 99. And now, six months into our current year, we’ve already helped 70. These are people who have served their country. Many have been in harm’s way in Iraq or Afghanistan and had horrific experiences.”
Most applicants have been out of the Armed Forces for longer than five years and have suffered hardships such as the breakdown of a relationship or PTSD.
Unlike larger charities such as Stoll, which owns and operates properties in which it places veterans, Help 4 Homeless veterans rely on the private sector. But this has been made more difficult where schemes to house migrants by the Home Office – which can offer better terms to landlords – compete with charities for the same space.
Mr Bentham-Bates, a former Warrant Officer, said: “I’ve met with the MoD three times.
“How is it that the Government can find this magic money tree for asylum seekers when it has been left to charities like us to deal with homeless veterans for all these years?”
Last night, a Government spokesman said: “No one, not least those who have served this country, should be homeless.
“We remain steadfastly committed to our Ending Rough Sleeping For Good strategy, which
commits that no one who has served in the Armed Forces should sleep rough, and that is why we are investing £2billion over the next three years into tackling rough sleeping.
Metro stations were closed and streets blocked to limit the spread of the violence
Police used water cannons and teargas after coming under attack from football supporters who brought havoc to the center of Brussels on Sunday following Morocco’s 2-0 World Cup win over Belgium in Qatar.
Dozens of fans smashed shop windows, threw fireworks and torched vehicles. Even before the end of the match, “dozens of people, including some wearing hoodies, sought confrontation with the police, which compromised public safety,” Brussels police said in a statement.
A spokeswoman said some fans were armed with sticks and a journalist “was injured in the face by fireworks.”
Around a hundred police officers were mobilized while residents were warned to avoid certain areas of the city center. Metro stations were closed and streets blocked to limit the spread of the violence.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the incidents of this afternoon. The police have already firmly intervened. I therefore advise against fans coming to the city center. The police are doing all they can to maintain public order,” tweeted the mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close.
“I have ordered the police to carry out arrests of the troublemakers,” he added.
Morocco’s win over Belgium earlier today caused shock at Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar. Abdelhamid Sabiri scored the team’s first goal with 17 minutes left in the match, while Hakim Ziyech sealed the victory with a powerful strike during added time in the second half. The victory placed Morocco at the top of Group F, with Croatia and Canada to play later tonight.
