Tunisia football coach responds to criticism for reading Quran at World Cup match
The head coach of Tunisia's football team has responded after facing criticism for reading Quranic verses with players before a game at the World Cup in Russia.
Nabil Maaloul made the strong retort in an interview with Tunisian state-run television on Wednesday.
"I have one thing to say in regards to the criticism… anyone who has attacked me for reading the fatiha needs to seek medical treatment for themselves," Maaloul said, referring to the first chapter of the Islamic holy book.
"We have grown up with the Quran and the fatiha. When we had exams in school our mothers would read the chapter for us. The fatiha is said in all of our prayers from dawn until dusk," the coach added.
A video of Maaloul and his team reading the fatiha in the changing rooms ahead of their first World Cup game against England gained traction on social media last week.
Courtesy: TheNewArab
بقراءة الفاتحة والصلاة على النبي..
— التلفزيون العربي (@AlarabyTV) June 18, 2018
شاهد كيف يستعد #نسور_قرطاج لبدء مشوارهم في نهائيات #كأس_العالم في روسيا.#روسيا2018 #تونس #تونس_إنجلترا pic.twitter.com/yb3PSqMllP
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Trump’s fresh threat to bomb Iran amid reports of deal to end war
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," Trump said.
According to Axios, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the US agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It said many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped, but nothing is truly resolved.
