Muslim Woman, Attacked For Running Cow Shelter
Appeals To PM For Help
Madya Pradesh, July 01: Mehrunisa Khan, the state president for National Cow Service Corps in Madhya Pradesh, is being threatened not just by outsiders, but her family has also turned against her.
A Muslim woman from Madhya Pradesh, who was assaulted in Bhopal today for running a cow shelter, fears that her attackers might use acid next time. "They came prepared. They threatened to kill me. They tried to kidnap me. I am scared," she said.
Mehrunisa Khan, the state president for National Cow Service Corps in Madhya Pradesh, is being threatened not just by outsiders, but her family has also turned against her. She alleged that she was thrashed by her in-laws, who warned her against working towards the protection of cows. Her parents and daughter, too, have refused to support her, she says.
"They (the attackers) are threatening me on WhatsApp. They have sent me photographs of severed heads and said that one of those could be mine soon. Either kill me or save me," she said.
She has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for help.
"I was thrashed and abused by my in-laws for being associated with cow protection and for speaking against triple talaq. It has been four months since I filed a complaint, but the police aren't helping. They are calling it a 'family matter'. I appeal to the Chief Minister and Prime Minister to help me," she told news agency ANI.
Ms Khan runs a cow shelter in Neemuch, about 500 kms from her home. Threats have become an everyday occurrence. She lives in the goshala (cow shelter) when she is on a visit and recently rented a room in Bhopal as she has nowhere to go, she said.
"From the day I joined this cause, I have been receiving death threats not just from outsiders but my own family as well. Even after moving away from them, they keep telling me to leave all this as it is bringing bad name to the family. I don't understand how working for animals who cannot even speak is ruining their reputation," she said.
However, nothing can stop her from working towards cow shelters and speaking her mind, she says.
Meanwhile, Madan Ojha, a retired teacher who helps Ms Khan run the cow shelter, said cow protection should not be turned into a communal issue.
"I hope that the shelter becomes an example for all those who want to spread hate. We don't feel any religious difference here since everyone is dedicated to a noble cause. Now that Mehrunisa madam has joined, I feel that this cow shelter will grow and become an example of peace for the whole country," he said.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
