Day: March 1, 2024

The tribe of Thaqeef remained hostile to Islam for a long time. It was one of the most important tribes in Arabia, living in Taif, where they were virtually immune from attack, as they lived high up in a mountainous area. Three years before he fled to Madinah to escape a plot by the Makkans to kill him, the Prophet aimed at Taif to win a new base for Islam, but they gave him a very hostile reception, hurling stones at him.

The Thaqeef tribe remained hostile to Islam even after Makkah had surrendered to Islam. The Prophet laid siege to Taif for over a month. He was informed that its people could easily withstand a yearlong siege. He then decided to end his siege, trusting that in time, Thaqeef would have no option but to turn to Islam.

A few months later, Thaqeef began to realize that their situation was getting more critical, with most of Arabia joining Islam. They felt that they might soon be facing the whole of Arabia in war. They decided to send emissaries to the Prophet, When they expressed their tribe’s willingness to accept Islam, they tried to demand certain conditions. Their main concern was that they should be allowed to continue to worship their main idol, Al-Lat, for three years. The Prophet refused.

The Thaqeef tried hard to persuade him to agree, reducing the period to two years, then to one, then a few months, before insisting on a grace period of just one month. The Prophet refused to accept this condition for any set period whatsoever. Needless to say, the compromise they tried to strike is against the most central Islamic belief in God’s oneness. It could never be accepted, not even for an hour.

The Thaqeef also asked that they should not be made to destroy their idols with their own hands, and further requested that they should be exempted from prayer. The Prophet said to them: “As for destroying your idols with your hands, we will not ask you to do that.” 

Obviously the important point is that the Thaqeef people would see that those idols were useless, as they could not prevent their own destruction, regardless of the identity of the people carrying out the destruction. If the Thaqeef people felt it hard for them to destroy objects they used to worship, the task could be carried out by others.

The Thaqeef tried to place other conditions including that “they should not be required to fight in jihad, pay one tenth of their money in zakah, or be required to offer prayers.” The Prophet accepted the first two conditions, but as for prayers he said: “A religion that does not require its followers to pray is of little benefit.” He told his companions: “If these people accept Islam, they will in time fight for it, and they will pay their required charity.”

It should be noted that Zakah is one of the five pillars of Islam, yet the prophet did not require it of them in order to facilitate their conversion to Islam. This flexibility in encouraging people to convert to Islam is very different from the way Orthodox Rabbis make the conversion process long and difficult.

Unlike Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, Judaism does not have a missionary impulse. That is why there are so few Jews in the world. Mormons, who very actively seek converts, already outnumber Jews even though Mormons have been around less than 200 years; compared to more than 3,500 years for Jews.

Judaism teaches that the Jewish way is right for us, but good people in other religions also have a place in the world to come. Correct behavior in society is more important than correct beliefs about God. Thus, while Jews should welcome non-Jews to join us, many Jews, including some rabbis, see no reason to encourage conversion; and so do not welcome interested non-Jews who desire to become Jewish.

Lacking the missionary impulse of more universalistic religions, Jews react to potential converts in varied ways, ranging from wariness to encouragement. Practical community concerns guided many of our Sages. Some like Rabbi Helbo said that converts are an irritation like an itch, a sore or a scab.

Perhaps Rabbi Helbo felt that the enthusiasm and idealistic expectations of converts irritated too many born Jews, who take their Jewishness much more casually. Or maybe he agreed with Rabbi Isaac who said “Evil after evil comes upon those who receive converts”. 

Both these rabbis lived in the early 4th century when the Church was vociferously attacking pagans who choose to become Jews rather than Christians. Perhaps they feared Christian anti-Semitism if Jews were openly receiving converts.

On the other hand, Rabbi Simon ben Lakish proclaimed that a convert is more beloved to God than all the Jews who stood at Sinai. This seems rather extreme. Perhaps he was reacting to those who claimed Jewishness was in their noble genes.

Equally amazing were Rabbi Eleazar ben Pedat and Rabbi Yohanan who both taught that the forced exile of the Jewish people among the Gentiles was really a God given opportunity to influence Gentiles to become Jewish.

Some rabbis tried to test the sincerity of potential converts by making great demands of time and effort from them. Opposing this Rabbi Johanna advises that you should push potential converts away with your left hand and draw them close with your right hand. Since most people are right handed if you actually push away more than a few non-Jews you are being too negative.

Rashi, the greatest of our Bible commentators, taught that Jews started seeking converts from the very beginning, when he interpreted a verse that states that Abraham made souls in Haran, to mean that Abraham and Sarah made converts.

And the Talmud (Sanhedrin 99b) condemns those who push potential converts away by relating that Isaac and Jacob pushed away Timna the sister of Lotan who wanted to become Jewish. She then married a son of Esau. One of her descendants was Amalek who attacked Israel shortly after they escaped from Egypt. If, instead of being pushed away, Timna had become Jewish, Amalek would have been on our side, and not one of our enemies. A more practical view is hard to imagine.

Indeed, Rabbi Yohanan says the Jews were oppressed and enslaved in Egypt because Abraham didn’t try to influence some captives that he rescued to become Jewish. Even failing to encourage potential converts is wrong according to Rabbi Yohanan. And several of our rabbis felt that discouraging converts in the past had brought troubles upon us.

These are practical, not theological, reasons to seek converts; and not to push away those who might be interested. Rabbis today should welcome potential converts and not discourage them. We may not be saving souls, but we should not be making future enemies by rejecting people who want to be Jewish.

The Talmud says Jews suffered the great damage of being enslaved in Egypt because Abraham failed to give some non-Jews an opportunity to convert. (Neddarim 32a) “Rabbi Abbahu said in Rabbi Eleazar’s name: Why was our Father Abraham punished and his children doomed to Egyptian servitude for two hundred and ten years?… R. Yohanan said: Because he prevented people from entering beneath the wings of the Shechinah (converting to Judaism), as it is written, ‘The king of Sodom said to Abraham: Give me the people, and take the property for yourself’ (and Abraham agreed). (Genesis 14:21)

Thus, when Rabbi Yohanan says the Jews were oppressed and enslaved in Egypt because Abraham didn’t try to influence some captives that he rescued to become Jewish, he means that even failing to encourage potential converts is wrong. These are practical, not theological, reasons to seek converts and not to push away those who might be interested.

All rabbis today should welcome potential converts and not discourage them. We may not be saving souls, but by rejecting people who want to be Jewish, we may be making them or their descendants into future enemies, at a potential great cost to our own descendants.

Just the other day, a young Pakistani girl in the city of Lahore went to an eatery wearing a modest dress embellished with the Arabic word ‘halwa’ all over in elegant calligraphy. As this word is used to denote something that’s sweet/beautiful, she wouldn’t have ever dreamt that her attire could possibly offend the religious sensitivities of anyone.

However, she ended up being surrounded by a menacing mob of men who, mistaking the Arabic word printed on her dress for verses from the Holy Quran, accused her of blasphemy and started baying for her blood.

Luckily, timely action by the local police prevented this incident from turning ugly and this saved the poor girl’s life. In videos of this incident, a mortified girl can be seen cowering as a huge mob of incensed people subject her to a verbal tirade.

The disturbing fact is that the large crowd of men offended by the Arabic calligraphy on the girl’s dress who were ready to take law into their own hands were so ignorant that they couldn’t even differentiate between Quranic Ayats [verses] and a completely unrelated single word in Arabic!

Though the poor girl who was targeted by the overzealous mob luckily emerged physically unscathed, her being made to record a public apology must have definitely left scars on her psyche and this sorry state of affairs proves that ultimately it were her hecklers who won!

However, such incidents of religious overreach aren’t limited to Pakistan alone. The advent of Pakistan sponsored terrorism in J&K during the late eighties saw a concerted effort by terrorists and the pro-Pakistan lobby to destroy the pluralistic Kashmiri culture by imposing fundamentalist ideology on the people. Cinema halls were bombed and self proclaimed ‘mujahids’ [Holy warriors] threw acid at the faces of women not wearing veil. 

In his well researched book The Shadow War: The Untold Story of Jihad in Kashmir Arif Jamal has quoted senior Hizbul Mujahideen [HM] commander Ghulam Rasool Dar while speaking about these acid attacks proudly mentioning that “We will make their faces so ugly that they will wear the veil even when they sleep.” [Emphasis added]. In 2001, Lashkar-i-Jabbar terrorist group which had very close links with senior Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani took responsibility for an attack on two women not wearing veils and warned that it had started a campaign to prevent “immodest dress among Kashmiri women.”

Instead of condemning these outrageous attacks, Asiya Andrabi, founder of Dukhtaran-i-Millat [Daughters of the Nation], an ultra-conservative Islamic group praised the assailants by saying, “We are indebted to these courageous men who have started a campaign for the veil in Kashmir.” While acid attacks did terrorise Kashmiri women, this highhanded and brutal approach to impose the veil on them caused such widespread resentment that it forced terrorists to discontinue such attacks. However, attempts to infuse fundamentalist ideology into Kashmiri society didn’t cease completely.

A decade ago, Kashmir Valley was once again shamed when an all girls’ three member band named Pragaash [Kashmiri word for ‘first light’ was forced to call it quits after their very first performance due to pressure from separatists and some religious preachers.

Hurriyat [G] chairman Syed Ali Geelani’s spokesperson Ayaz Akbar outrightly lambasted this band saying, “there are some values a citizen has to adopt to safeguard the ethical, moral and religious traditions.“ Though completely misplaced, such grave accusations of being responsible for moral and religious degeneration must have definitely terrorised the teenage girls of the band.

Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Bashiruddin Ahmad went a step further by terming music as un-Islamic and issuing a fatwa [religious decree] against the all girls’ band said, “Such trivial acts (singing and playing instruments) never develop society but are a first step to demolish its moral fabric. I am happy that the new generation has attained a pro-development and pro-religion stance but there are some girls treading on the path of destruction.”  [Emphasis added].

And herein lies the paradox!

Singing and music has been part and parcel of Kashmiri culture from time immemorial and many Kashmir women singers of yester years like Raj Begum, Naseem Akhter and Zoon Begum have done the community proud. So, by targeting Pragaash band, the separatists and some members of the clergy exposed their motivated agendas and abominable design of destroying Kashmir’s age-old pluralistic culture by unfairly drawing arts into the political and religious arena. 

Thanks to the resilience exhibited by locals, attempts to polarise Kashmir Valley through radical ideology haven’t succeeded. While the situation in the Kashmir Valley has since improved a lot, unfortunately one still witness’s sporadic cases of motivated acts aimed at polarising society by arousing communal passion. 

One such unfortunate incident occurred last Monday in Government Degree College in Doda district of J&K during a lecture on ‘motivation and women empowerment’ by local speakers organised by the Indian army. When one of the motivational speakers requested four boys and four girl volunteers to come on the stage for an interactive session, no burqa clad girl came forward.

To encourage girls wearing burqas to join-in, the speaker jokingly queried whether their hesitation was due to lack of confidence. His off-the-cuff remark made in the lighter vein succeeded in getting burqa clad girls to come on the stage amidst loud clapping from the audience. Moments later, a person running an obscure NGO who was present in the audience interrupted the interaction session and in a brazen attempt to give the proceedings an anti-Islam spin, by accusing the speaker of “targeting the burqa.”

However, to the interrupter’s chagrin, his plan to disrupt the programme by instigating a backlash from the audience failed miserably. As he was twisting facts and pretending to be fighting for those wearing burqas, a female in the audience shouted, “Sir, we can speak for ourselves. You don’t have to speak on our behalf.” [Emphasis added]. To add to the agent provocateur’s woes, the speaker asked the audience if they agreed with the allegation on the burqa issue being leveled by this person, the reply that came in unison was a big ‘No’, and this royal rebuff forced the embarrassed trouble maker to quietly leave the venue.

It’s unfortunate that some people with vested interests continue to incite fissiparous tendencies in Kashmir by poisoning young and impressionable minds to further their motivated agendas. We must guard against radicalisation so that Kashmir doesn’t go the Pakistan way where accusing innocent people like the girl in a dress with an innocuous Arabic inscription in Lahore for blasphemy without even caring to investigate is commonplace, thanks to self-serving politicians, religious leaders and the Pakistan army under Gen Zia ul Haq who mainstreamed fundamentalism for their respective gains.   

The heartening part is that the youth in Kashmir is today more discerning and hence less likely to get emotionally blackmailed and fall prey to fundamentalism. And the exceptionally mature response of Doda’s young audience to the burqa ‘red herring’ thrown-in by a spoiler with dubious antecedents is rightfully worthy of a big salute.

Russia is understood to have the world’s “Second-best Army”, after that of the US, and has had victories. When Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine on 24^th February 2022, many Western observers and governments expected a quick Russian victory but that did not happen. But as the war with Ukraine continues, Putin’s presumptuous plans to seize Kyiv and replace President Zelenskyy’s government have failed to be executed. Now the Ukraine war has entered the 3^rd year and Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) continue to stand and fight! So, what makes them fight against a superior and larger Russian Army in all respects?

What makes UAF Fight? 

A former literature teacher, who volunteered to fight pro-Moscow separatists in 2014 and now serves in southern Ukraine sums it all; “I consider Self-Sacrifice and Motivation of Our Military’s main advantage…The factor that everyone understands that this is, first of all, a Fight for our native land, our home, for the future of their children,” she told Al Jazeera. Soldiers battling the invasion have more to fight for than their Russian rivals, so morale is higher. Ukrainian men and women of all walks of life volunteered to join the army or paramilitary units, often paying for their arms and equipment. UAF remains focused on the main goal: Russia’s defeat.

Ukrainian Media and Zelensky Blitzkrieg. The influence of the Ukrainian information media on Western institutions and media has resulted in a successful mobilization of support from the West. As a result, the West sees the war and its implications almost exclusively through a Ukrainian viewpoint, instead of its own.   This makes the EU’s decoupling from Russia and President Zelensky has been instrumental in putting across his view viewpoint to the Western leaders traveling across during the war and making the Western leaders visit Ukraine during the conflict. President Zelensky has projected himself as a War Hero standing up to the Russian might. The UAF continues to demonstrate high levels of operational flexibility, motivation, and capability. The UAF appears committed to capitalizing on Russian military shortfalls and demonstrating to foreign audiences its ability to retake territory. And the US-NATO based on this premise continues to support Ukraine leading to high levels of morale and motivation of the UAF and its citizens who know fully well that at the moment the US, NATO and EU are there to back them up. Whereas Russia fights on its own capability with the West combine wanting to weaken it to the extent never to invade any other country!

The Cossacks Warriors Factor. Since Russia’s full-scale Invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian army has proven itself mighty and tenacious to an international community that may have previously thought them quiet and unassuming. But the fierce Ukrainian army has an historical prototype in the Zaporizhian Cossacks, a daring and fearsome people of the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries, whose adventures fill Ukrainian folklore and inspire an enduring Ukrainian spirit of Independence. For Ukrainians, the Cossacks, or Kozaks, are such figures, emphasized and even romanticized in artistic and historical accounts over the centuries. Living in quasi-democratic communities in what is now central Ukraine, Cossacks elected their leaders, perfected cavalry tactics and repelled attempts of Poland, Ottoman Turkey, and Russia to conquer them. The term Cossack comes from a Turkish word meaning ‘Free Man.’

The enduring mythology of the Cossacks paints them as semi-nomadic, semi-militarized bandits. They lived around the lower bends of the Dnieper River, near Ukraine’s most fertile Lands.  Although they exercised democratic self-rule, much of their attention went to defending their fertile and resource-rich land against invasion. By shaping the identity of the Ukrainian region, the Cossacks lay the groundwork for it to become the independent nation it is today. So, this is also about centuries-old, clash-of-civilizations-like confrontation, as well as the demographics of the warring sides – as other factors contributing to Ukraine’s resilience. They were devoutly Orthodox Christian.

Ukrainian National Anthem. The Ukrainian national anthem, whose lyrics were written by Pavlo Chybynsky in 1862, amidst growing nationalism when Ukraine was under the control of the Russian Empire, says: “Soul and body shall we lay down for our freedom / And we will show, brothers, that we are of the Cossack nation!” The reference to the Cossacks in the anthem still sung today solidifies the significance of these people in Ukraine’s ongoing self-identity and fight to maintain sovereignty. Ukrainian national anthem helps understand how proud Ukrainians are of Cossacks, a caste of medieval frontier warriors somewhat similar to the cowboys of the Wild West.

Eventual Subjugation of Ukraine

In 1654, Ukraine made a pact with Moscow – the only independent Orthodox state at the time and that paved the way to the eventual subjugation of Ukraine. Cossacks spearheaded Russia’s conquest of Siberia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, winning “their way to the dominion of Eurasia.” Cossacks were elite cavalrymen, while czarist infantry consisted of peasants, slave-like Serfs who were forcibly drafted, and were often used as cannon fodder. 

Russian Forces Low Morale

Western and Ukrainian media appears to have exaggerated stories of low morale and lack of motivation. However, there are reasons to believe. Ukrainian soldiers are Fighting for their native land, their home and for the future of their children and wonder what motivation is there for the Russian troops? The “People’s Militias” in Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk have had to resort to heavy-handed tactics to fill their ranks, amid reports that men in those territories injure themselves or pay bribes to avoid being sent into combat.

Signs of War Fatigue. There have been signs of war fatigue inside Russia as well. The relatives of soldiers have been increasingly vocal with calls to bring their loved ones home, while a wave of significant protests swept the Bashkortostan region in January, fueled at least in part by the widespread belief that families from non-Russian ethnic minorities are bearing a disproportionate share of the war’s burden. Captured Russian servicemen and conscripted men from separatist areas have said many were duped into signing contracts to fight in Ukraine. 

The Levada Center’s survey revealed that people in the 18-24 age range, are least likely to identify military service with being a “Real Man”. They are also most likely to agree with the statement that “Military service is senseless and dangerous and should be avoided at all costs”. Hundreds fled the country to avoid being sent to fight in Ukraine.

Newly mobilised soldiers complain about the lack of training and equipment they are given before facing combat. This dissatisfaction has led to angry confrontations between soldiers and their commanders. There are reports that soldiers are being punished for refusing to fight. These tensions in the ranks have serious implications for morale. 

Putin hesitated to give the order for a general mobilisation, reportedly fearing a public backlash against the war and mass resistance to the call up. Russia needs to regain the trust and goodwill of its soldiers. 

Mercenaries and Convicts. Russia reportedly employs hundreds of battle-tested mercenaries with the notorious Wagner company who fought in Ukraine’s Donbas in 2014 and Syria and were instrumental in the takeover of the southeastern Luhansk region. Yevgeny Prigozhin the owner of the Wagner private army, is said to have recruited hundreds of inmates in Russian prisons, promising them hefty salaries and amnesty if they survived six months of combat, with payments promised to their families if they were killed. This strategy filled the ranks for a time, but the flow of volunteers dried up as reports of the high casualty rates made their way back to prisons. Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death in a private plane crash is also shrouded in mystery.

Ukrainians are Fighting for their Homeland. The contrast with the high levels of motivation among Ukrainian soldiers is striking as they have a cause to defend their country. Ukrainian soldiers are Fighting for their native land, their home and for the future of their children. The Cossacks remain symbols of Ukraine’s ongoing fight for sovereignty, as well as their military might that is not to be underestimated. This invasion made Ukraine, West, US, NATO and the EU united like never before.

“Do not let your beautiful mind become a battlefield. Just because someone has shown you their weapons does not mean you have to accept the war. Those who try to break you are expecting you to be in fight mode. Conquer them with Peace.” — Della Hicks-Wilson

Sources: Open-Source Intelligence

Despite the fact that Thailand and India were reluctant partners during the Cold War, this relationship has grown incrementally over the past three decades. A huge Indian diaspora, cultural and religious connections have been the bulwark for strengthening ties between our two nations.

Ever since 2012, when Yingluck Shinawatra, the then Prime Minister of Thailand visited India, there has been a significant growth momentum in bilateral ties. Both nations view each other as valuable partners not only in regional groupings as the East Asia Summit (EAS), (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) BIMSTEC and Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC), and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF)but also as friends who carry no historical baggage of distrust or hostility. Thailand acknowledges India’s rising regional and global stature and as a burgeoning manufacturing hub with emerging opportunities for Thai investors and entrepreneurs. The Prime Minister of Thailand, Srettha Thavisin, himself, in a statement to the National Assembly on September 11, 2023, hailed India as the new market for Thailand. 

Notably, 2024 began a vision for the highest level of fortification of Bangkok’s ties with New Delhi. The near simultaneity of several events which have lent optimism include, among others, a rare appearance of the Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin at a reception to celebrate India’s 75th Republic Day hosted by the Indian Embassy in Bangkok, official participation of the Royal Thai embassy at an International Conference in New Delhi on India@2030: Third largest economy on January 29-30, the Namaste Thailand festival held on February 24-25, the visit of the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow Phuangketkeow to India on February 26 for strengthening bilateral ties in trade, technology, defense and other areas of mutual cooperation, preceded by the enshrinement of holy relics of Lord Buddha in Bangkok for 26 days. These positive developments were in complete contrast to the remarks of Thailand’s ambassador to WTO at Abu Dhabi on February 29, 2024. Evidently, neither India nor Thailand could permit a dent in this promising strategic partnership, which is purposed with an imperative for building strategic ties for a stable Indo-Pacific. 

The fact that no stumbling block can deter this partnership is manifest in the decision of the Thai government to immediately replace its Ambassador to WTO Pimchanok Vonkorpon Pitfield on her remarks on India’s rice procurement programme. In her statement at the World Trade Organisation’s 13th ministerial conference (MC), she criticised India’s policy of Minimum Support Price (MSP), alleging that this was meant not for the public distribution system (PDS) but for capturing the export market. India was quick to lodge a stern protest against her statement. India formally lodged its protest with the Thai government and expressed dissatisfaction to various entities, including WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the agricultural committee chair of Kenya, and the UAE.

An official statement by the Royal Thai Government was released shortly after the protest lodged by India. The statement read, “The Thai Ambassador has been replaced. She has ridiculed India’s public stockholding programme,” the source said. Moreover, Pitfield has been asked to report back to Thailand after the 13th ministerial conference and would be replaced by the Thai Foreign Secretary.

Evidently, Thailand’s ambassador was unaware that India has not yet lifted the ban on exports of rice, which was imposed for domestic compulsions in mid-2022, followed by further restrictions in July 2023. In fact, Thailand has benefitted in terms of rising export earnings from rice, the price of which has risen by 22% since India’s export ban on non-basmati white rice took effect. However, as the second largest exporter of rice in the world, Thailand is justifiably concerned not only for its exports, but also for its own food security. The country has also been suffering from droughts caused by the El Niño weather event, which is drying up land for the growth of key crops in the country’s farmlands. 

According to IFPRI, the ban by India is resulting in stresses for developing countries. However, India has been exporting rice to countries as Bhutan, Nepal and UAE among others who have placed such requests with the Indian Government. As a credible and leading Voice of the Global South, India has never faltered in reaching out to nations in times of any crisis; be it saving lives of civilians or sailors. 

An IFPRI paper by Glauber and Mamun contextualises the issue of rice production and expresses optimism for a positive turnaround. The authors state, “Global rice markets have been in a state of flux, as impacts of El Niño reduced production in South and Southeast Asia and India reduced exports by half. Rice-importing countries in sub-Saharan Africa have felt the greatest impacts, scrambling to find alternative sources, even as global rice prices have risen more than 20% since India imposed its restrictions. But forecasts projecting that the current El Niño will wane over the next few months offer some hope for improved future production prospects.” 

Such an improved situation will help steer India’s policy on rice exports. The challenge of food security cannot be dismissed by any nation; let alone a nation that feeds over 1.4 billion people. Thailand is also keen that India joins the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the largest free trade area in the World. However, when India decided to steer clear of the RCEP in 2019, there were clear justifications for the decision. Both countries underline the significance of domestic obligations. While Thailand’s Self-sufficiency economy model is embedded within the fundamental principle of Thai culture, India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat  is enshrined with a vision for making the nation and its citizens independent and self-reliant in every possible way.  Hence, there is conviction, both in New Delhi and in Bangkok that remarks on rice cannot checkmate the India-Thailand partnership, one which is meant for posterity.

On 1^st March 2024, the French daily newspaper Le Monde published an article on the Mozambique LNG project. The questions posed by the journalists were answered in detail. However, given the limited use of our responses in the article and in the interest of transparency, the Company has decided to publish its exhaustive answers.

Q1: On February 7^th in London, during the presentation of the group’s 2023 results, Patrick Pouyanné announced that the Afungi site would be operational again this. Why such progress?

How claim that the situation has returned to normal when there are still terrorist attacks occurring in the region, including one as recent as February 9^th
 
The Mozambique LNG project has been under force majeure since April 2021. Responsibility for restoring security lies with the government of Mozambique, which is a sovereign state prerogative.

Below are Patrick Pouyanné’s exact words on this matter pronounced in the course of the “2023 annual results presentation” held on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 (see also pages 13 and 27 for the full script available here). He gave an outline of the status of the various components of the project (engineering, relations with subcontractors and financing), highlighting what remained to be achieved before project could be relaunched and further stating that the security situation was being closely scrutinized.

• “In Mozambique, we get security reports and human rights reports. Right now, we are remobilizing the contractors and I think we are not far off from having everything lined up with them. The last issue is the financing of this mega-project, which, I would say, was put on hold when the events occurred in 2021. So, now, we are in the process re-engaging with all the financial institutions involved around the world. Once that is completed, we will re-start the project”.

• “As regards Mozambique LNG, we are permanently monitoring the situation on the ground. As you know, the Mozambique state is receiving support from another African state, namely Rwanda, to keep on top of the situation. Most importantly for us, the civil population has come back to the region, life is back to normal. A few incidents occurred recently linked to the Gaza tensions. We can see, almost everywhere in the world, that Daech cells are being reactivated – not only there in Mozambique but in a large number of countries, you are yourselves no doubt aware of this. It is unfortunate, there is a link, so we have to keep a watchful eye on all that. However, today, the bottom line is that we need to focus on getting the contracts back up and running, there are still some engineering works to be done, and that’s part of the whole thing. I hope that the construction works will be able to kick off again some time half-way through the year. We are keeping a close eye on the situation. Again, what I want to avoid at all costs is to decide to bring people back on-site and then have to get them all out again. That would a very complex situation to handle. But again, today, we have re-engaged a lot with the suppliers and the different contractors and made significant headway: in a positive manner, including on cost issues which gave rise to a lot of discussions. They heard us though and are willing to resume their contracts. The final point, again, is to put the international financing back on the rails– All that is Jean-Pierre’s job, with our support of course. The CAPEX is massive and we need to get all that up and running again. We are working on it. It should be coming back on stream some time over the next few months.”

Q.2 What is the progress of the Pamoja Tunaweza foundation announced in April 2023 to help develop the province?

Mozambique LNG set up a dedicated foundation to play a role in the socio-economic development of the entire province of Cabo Delgado, with the purpose of sharing prosperity, before any production revenues arise during the production phase of the project. This is an unprecedented initiative by a project of this kind. The Pamoja Tunaweza Foundation was officially registered at the end of 2023 and its Chief Executive has been appointed. The Foundation is now operational and has begun the process of engaging with all its stakeholders in order to roll out its actions in the best possible way, which involves working closely with other persons or entities fostering development. 

Q.3 How have the displaced people benefited from the project?

To construct the onshore LNG facilities, the Area 1 and Area 4 concessionaires were granted a license (DUAT a license to use the surface areas) over a 6,000 Ha area on the Afungi peninsula by the Mozambican authorities. 

The implementation of such right required a relocation plan for 657 households situated within the area of the DUAT. 

Their relocation was carried out in compliance with the highest national and international standards, including the IFC’s PS5, which requires that affected individuals be provided with a new home, restored livelihoods and access to essential services such as education, healthcare and places of worship. The plan was implemented and completed in 2023.

Q4 According to sources, some people working as subcontractors for Total have already returned. How can their safety be guaranteed? 

Owing to the force majeure situation, Mozambique LNG is currently not engaging in any construction activities on the site related to the LNG plant. However, in order to provide support to neighboring communities and help stabilize the area (at large), the project is continuing to engage in local socio-economic development activities alongside its partners. Such socio-economic programs for the benefit of Cabo Delgado are all part of the Pamoja Tunaweza initiative. Moreover, in 2023, Mozambique LNG also launched and completed construction of the village of Quitunda to accommodate residents of the Afungi site. 

Q.5 Is Jean Christophe Ruffin back in Mozambique and can you give us a new update on the humanitarian situation? What is his assessment of the situation since the 2023 report?

Following Jean-Christophe Rufin’s December 2022 mission to provide an independent assessment of the humanitarian situation in the Cabo Delgado province, TotalEnergies published in May 2023 both his report and the action plan defined by Mozambique LNG’s partners in the light of his recommendations. All the plan’s actions have been launched and, for the most part, completed. As announced in May 2023, a follow-up mission by Jean-Christophe Rufin to check implementation of the action plan was launched in January 2024 and is now underway. 
 
Q.7 Our sources have confirmed that TotalEnergies helps families in the region. Can you give us figures on your subsidies and the number of families receiving your help?

The suspension of industrial operations at the Afungi site did not lead to the suspension of initiatives to support local economic development. 

Here are a few key figures of the Pamoja Tunaweza (Together We Can) program led by Mozambique LNG:

• About USD40 million was invested in 2022/2023.
• More than 40 programs generating revenues, diversifying the local economy and promoting human rights have been launched. 
• More than 6,000 jobs have been created since 2021 to contribute towards a return to normaland rebuild the lives of impacted individuals. The objective is 10,000 by the end of 2025. 
• According to Mozambique’s national statistics, creating a job for one person has an impact on around five people. Using the same source, the average number of people per family in Mozambique is five. By creating 6,000 jobs, therefore, we can potentially reach 30,000 beneficiaries. 
• Around 5,000 farmers have benefited from aid through agricultural programs. 
• 894 young people have received qualifying training and 120 are in learning courses. The target is to train 2,500 young people in five years. 
• 1,200 hectares of mangroves have been restored and nearly 70,000 fruit trees replanted.
• More than 35,000 people have benefited from health information and awareness campaigns and medical advice. More than 25,000 have received medical assistance from 188 mobile brigades.

In addition to this, in 2022, Mozambique LNG also supported local traders from Mocimboa da Praia with 120 tons of food and house building materials to help revitalize localbusiness.

Uzbekneftegaz plans to produce 29.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2024. The company’s indicators in this regard have been decreasing for 3 years in a row, Azernews reports, citing Kun.uz news agency.

Why Does Azerbaijan Force Armenia to Negotiate without Any Mediators?  The Armenian Mirror-Spectator

Also in Yerevan, #Russian and #Armenian citizens said goodbye to #Russia‘s most prominent opposition figure Alexei #Navalny.#Armenia #Yerevan #Putin pic.twitter.com/wtXKLWjqgv

— Robert Ananyan (@robananyan) March 1, 2024

Also in Yerevan, #Russian and #Armenian citizens said goodbye to #Russia‘s most prominent opposition figure Alexei #Navalny.#Armenia #Yerevan #Putin pic.twitter.com/wtXKLWjqgv

— Robert Ananyan (@robananyan) March 1, 2024

Iran elections: Low turnout in parliamentary vote – DW – 03/01/2024  DW (English)