5aaban

https://theprint.in/hoaxposed/mann-didnt-remove-maharaja-ranjit-singhs-portrait-viral-image-is-from-another-cmo-room/878405/ Mann didn’t remove Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s portrait, viral image is from another CMO room New Delhi: An image showing newly-elected Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann taking charge of his office in the Chief Minister’s Office in Chandigarh Wednesday has gone viral on social media while accusing him of removing the portrait of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh from the room. Several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders hit out at Mann for allegedly replacing Ranjit Singh’s portrait with pictures of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and social reformer B. R. Ambedkar.... Fact check The image that went viral on social media showing Mann with the portraits of Bhagat Singh and B.R. Ambedkar is from a different room in the CMO office. Mann did not remove any portrait of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In fact, ANI shared another post of Mann from his “maiden meeting” where the Sikh leader’s portrait can be clearly seen in the background. Several Twitter users came in support of the Punjab CM and demanded Preeti Gandhi delete her post. Twitter user Rahul Tahiliani asked the Punjab government to initiate legal action against Gandhi for “spreading fake news” and “damaging the social fabric” of the state.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-govt-cancels-cultural-event-at-kartapur-corridor/articleshow/90298943.cms Pakistan govt cancels cultural event at Kartapur Corridor Yudhvir Rana / TNN / Mar 17, 2022, 23:55 IST AMRITSAR: Succumbing to the pressure of Sikh bodies, Pakistan government has cancelled its five-day-long Jashn-e-Bharan (Spring festival), scheduled to be held at Kartapur Corridor in Narowal district from March 23 to 27. Talking to TOI on Thursday, Muhammad Latif, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Project Management Unit (PMU), which manages Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and Kartapur Corridor, said their very purpose is to ensure that “maryada (Sikh code of religious conduct)” is not violated here. “Since the Sikh bodies have objected on the festival, we have decided to do away with it and now we will have only one-day celebration on March 23, which will begin with the recital of gurbani.” Prominent among those who raised the objection is Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhk Committee (SGPC). SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami on Thursday said promoting Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib from a commercial point of view is not appropriate. “Only gurmat samagams (religious congregation) should be held there and in its close proximity. If this (Jashan-e-Baharan) programme takes place, it will not only seriously hit the concerns of maryada of the gurdwara but also hurt the sentiments of Sikh Sangat.” Stating that the gurdwaras were the centres of flourishing the Sikh faith, from where the message of the Gurus was given to all mankind, he said it is very important to maintain the entire environment around the gurdwara as per the Sikh maryada but the scheduled event of the Pakistan government is not as per the gurmat. The SGPC president has also asked the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) president Ameer Singh to take up the issue with the Pakistan government.BJP leader Sarhand Singh has also raised objections on the entertainment event scheduled by the Pakistan government. With an aim to attract the people to Kartpaur Sahib, the PMU had planned five days of musical event with folk songs of Arif Lohar and other singers, along with other attractions like dhol and horse dance show etc. near Gurdwara Darbar Sahib where Sikh’s first master, Guru Nanak Dev, had spent his last 18 years of life.The Kartarpur Corridor was constructed by India and Pakistan to enable Indian pilgrims to cross over the international border and return on the same day after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. Of late, the Pakistan government had started developing the Kartapur Corridor as a tourist attraction and had been holding various non-religious events, which invited the ire of the Sikh community.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/induct-muslim-face-morcha-379019 Induct Muslim face in Punjab Cabinet: National Minorities Reservation Morcha Chandigarh, March 19 The National Minorities Reservation Morcha has demanded the inclusion of a Muslim face in the newly formed Punjab Cabinet. Its president Parvez Siddiqui, in a press release, said Muslims had always got representation in the Cabinet, but this was for the first time that no Muslim was included in the 10-member Cabinet. Meanwhile in Mandi Ahmedgarh, AAP’s Muslim leadership has urged the party to nominate a Muslim leader to the Rajya Sabha, the elections for which will be held on March 31. Since the constitution of the Rajya Sabha, none of the ruling parties in the state has given representation to Muslims from erstwhile Malerkotla state, which is now a district. —

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/25000-govt-jobs-announced-after-bhagwant-mann-s-first-punjab-cabinet-meet-101647687107344-amp.html 25,000 government jobs - Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's first decision Bhagwant Mann chaired his first meeting after inducting ten ministers in his cabinet The Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab on Saturday passed a proposal of providing a total of 25,000 government jobs in its first cabinet meeting. Out of a total of 25,000 government jobs, a total of 10,000 vacancies are in the Punjab Police and the other 15,000 belong to other departments “This historic decision would open new vistas of employment for the youth by providing jobs to them in government sector through a transparent and merit-based mechanism,” the spokesperson of the chief minister's office said. “Out of the total 25,000 government jobs, 10,000 would be offered for various posts in Punjab Police whereas the remaining 15,000 jobs would be given in other departments. The process of advertisement and notification of these jobs would be initiated within a month,” the spokesperson added. Besides this, the Punjab government also gave the nod for the presentation of the statement of vote on account from April 1 to June 30 for the financial year 2022-23 to be presented in the Punjab Assembly. The state government also cleared the presentation of supplementary demands for grants for the year 2021-22 to be presented in the assembly session. This decision would provide budget for additional or excess expenditure incurred by various departments during the financial year 2021-22 to liquidate the pending liabilities. This is the first cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister after the formation of his cabinet. A total of ten ministers were inducted earlier in the day. Bhagwant Mann took oath as the chief minister of Punjab on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. The swearing-in took place days after the Aam Aadmi Party swept the assembly polls by winning 92 seats in the 117-member house and unseating the Congress from power.

2,000 Indian students scammed as 3 Canadian colleges shut after bankruptcy They are staging rallies to highlight their plight. Toronto: Over 2,000 Indian students, who face an uncertain future after three Montreal colleges closed last month by declaring bankruptcy, have demanded intervention by the Canadian government to give them justice. The CCSQ College, M. College, and CDE College had collected millions of dollars in tuition fees from these students before closing. The students, many of whom have moved to different cities to stay with friends or relatives, say they have been scammed. They are staging rallies to highlight their plight. As some of the impacted students and their supporters raised slogans for justice at a rally in the Toronto suburb of Brampton on Wednesday, anxiety was writ large on their faces. They shouted slogans seeking intervention by the Canadian government to help them complete their courses from other colleges. Those who were nearing completion of their courses must be allowed to finish on the basis of their old credits, they demanded. Many said they are running out of money as they cannot legally work for 20 hours a week – as allowed to international students. Manpreet Kaur, a student from Longowal in Punjab, said she had deposited over $14,000 annual fee at M. College and was waiting to start her classes in early childhood education in January when the college declared bankruptcy. “When I landed in Canada on October 9, I was told that since the college couldn’t find enough students the classes would start in January. But on January 6, students got an email about the college going bankrupt. It smacks of a scam,” said Manpreet who finished her masters in computers in India before coming to Canada. Vishal Rana, a student from Karnal who was studying at CCSQ college to become medical office specialist, said, “I had just four months left of my 16-month course when the college suspended studies. I don’t know where to go.” Rana had paid $24,000 in fees. Harwinder Singh, who came from Pehwa in Haryana to study a two-year business management course at M. College, said, “I deposited $21,500 for this course and I have finished only six months of my course. I am surviving on some money I saved while working. I don’t know what will happen.” Gurkamaldeep Singh, a student from Moga, said he would have finished his business management course from M. College by June. “Now my biggest worry is whether I have to redo my course. We are told that the government has given the colleges to find buyers so that studies can resume.” Gurkamaldeep said the students should be allowed to complete the remaining part of their courses at other institutions. “We should give us course completion letters so that we can join other colleges and also apply for work permits in order to survive,” he said. Over 700 students, who were taking online classes sitting in India, are among those who have been impacted by the closure of these colleges. https://www.siasat.com/2000-indian-students-scammed-as-3-canadian-colleges-shut-after-bankruptcy-2277258/amp/

Depends on type of schools. There are Punjabi-medium, Hindi-medium and English-medium schools. Some schools are also run by Christians where students can only speak English (no Punjabi or Hindi).

https://www.hindustantimes.com/elections/punjab-assembly-election/punjab-election-2022-result-live-updates-bhagwant-mann-charanjit-channi-navjot-sidhu-constituencywise-updates-101646873771326.html Mar 10, 2022 01:56 PM IST Punjab CM will work for Punjab, not for a party: Bhagwant Mann “CM will work for entire Punjab, not for a party. Every Punjabi will get benefit of governance. My first aim is to provide more employment opportunities. We will save youth of Punjab, which is frustrated due to unemployment,” Mann said. Mar 10, 2022 01:51 PM IST 'Bade Badal Sahib has lost…': Mann on the rout of the Punjab heavyweights “Bade Badal Sahib has lost, Sukhbir (Badal) has lost from Jalalabad, Capt has lost from Patiala, Sidhu & Majithia are also losing, Channi has lost on both the seats,” Mann's first address after victory

https://www.news18.com/news/politics/punjab-elections-results-2022-live-updates-punjab-vidhan-sabha-livenews-chunav-bhagwant-mann-charanjit-singh-channi-arvind-kejriwal-navjot-singh-sidhu-aap-congress-bjp-seats-livenews-4854524.html Punjab Election Results 2022 LIVE Updates: AAP Leads Zoom Past Majority Mark of 59; Heavyweights Channi, Sidhu, Amarinder, Badals Trailing; Bhagwant Mann Leading Punjab Election Results 2022 LIVE Updates: In a thrilling turn of events, major heavyweights like sitting Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal and his won Sukhbir Badal are trailing in their respective constituencies. AAP Punjab CM candidate Bhagwant Mann is leading in Dhuri, reflecting the party leads crossing the majority mark in Punjab Assembly.

Bigger population maybe UK: 67.22 million (2020) Canada: 38.01 million (2020) Australia: 25.69 million (2020) New Zealand: 5.084 million (2020)

https://7news.com.au/politics/law-and-order/australian-children-removed-from-harm-during-afp-global-child-sex-abuse-investigation-c-5897244 Australian children removed from harm during AFP global child sex abuse investigation More than 100 men have been charged with 1248 child abuse-related offences throughout the operation. Dozens of Australian children have been removed from harm throughout a global operation targeting the making and distribution of child abuse material. Operation Molto launched in 2019, co-ordinated by the Australian Federal Police-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) in collaboration with police across Australia’s states and territories. On Wednesday, the AFP confirmed the operation had been finalised. Over the three years, police executed 158 search warrants, charging 117 men with 1248 child abuse-related offences and removing 51 children from harm across the country. The alleged offenders range in age from 18 to 61 and arrests were made in every state and territory of Australia. The occupations of those charged include law enforcement, construction, transport and hospitality. A total of 23 children were removed from harm in Queensland, 10 in South Australia, eight in Victoria, five in the ACT, three in NSW and two in Tasmania. Investigations began in 2019 when the centre received New Zealand intelligence indicating thousands of offenders were using a cloud storage platform to share “abhorrent” child abuse material online. The operation has led to more than 150 children being removed from harm globally, including 79 in the UK, 12 in Canada and six in New Zealand...

Not the greatest idea. Looks like he’s taken inspiration from ‘Find Malik a Wife’. Except he at least prioritised his faith

https://kiddaan.com/22-yo-international-student-anmoldeep-singh-commits-suicide-in-canada/ 22 YO International Student Anmoldeep Singh Commits Suicide In Canada A piece of very heart-wrenching news has been making headlines recently. As an international student, Anmoldeep Singh aka Goldy who was 22 years old attempted suicide. A young man from Bhairupa district Bathinda who came to Canada to study has committed suicide by hanging himself in Brampton, Canada. Further, according to the Instagram page Troll Canada, it has been reported that the deceased youth came to Canada in August 2021. Police called the family last Saturday on 5 March and informed them about Anmoldeep’s suicide. When asked by the family about the reason, they unveiled, the young man had gone to Windsor to study but had been under mental stress for the past few months and had dropped out of school and was living in Brampton. It has also come to light that the deceased was the only son of his parents. While giving this vital information regarding the case, the page ended the caption by writing, ‘please tell someone if you are in tension. Those who are facing some issues shall share with someone as every day is not the same. Just have some patience and stay strong.’ More details and updates on the case are awaited.

Some 'Sikh' females can be too naive about the world. A lot don't know much about Sikhi (just like men) or they only know the very basics of it (langar, humans are one etc).

freepressjournal.in/mumbai/accused-tried-that-sikh-community-should-be-targeted Updated on: Sunday, March 06, 2022, 11:35 AM IST Bulli Bai App case: ‘Accused tried that Sikh community should be targeted’ While promoting the contentious app on social media, the accused persons had used twitter handles that deliberately portrayed that they belonged to the Sikh community, when in fact they did not Refusing bail to a 19-year-old woman accused Shweta Singh in the Bulli Bai hateapp case where Muslim women were virtually ‘auctioned’ early this year, a sessions court said in its detailed order that the accused tried getting the Sikh community targeted, and that here the larger interest of society is at stake. While promoting the contentious app on social media, the accused persons had used twitter handles that deliberately portrayed that they belonged to the Sikh community, when in fact they did not...

https://www.hindustantimes.com/elections/punjab-assembly-election/punjab-polls-just-57-young-first-time-voters-got-inked-101646510314363.html Punjab polls: Just 57% young first-time voters got inked Only 57% newly registered voters, aged 18 and 19, exercised their franchise during the Punjab assembly elections held on February 20, according to data sourced from the chief electoral office The turnout of young first-time voters turns out to be 15% lower than the overall voting in Punjab, which stood at 72%. (HT File Photo) Published on Mar 06, 2022 01:28 AM IST Only 57% newly registered voters, aged 18 and 19, exercised their franchise during the Punjab assembly elections held on February 20, according to data sourced from the chief electoral office. The turnout of these young first-time voters turns out to be 15% lower than the overall voting in the state, which stood at 72%. According to data, 3,48,836 first-time electors in the 18-19 age group were registered by the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of the elections in Punjab, but only 1,99,023 exercised their voting right across 117 assembly segments in 23 districts. Fatehgarh Sahib recorded the highest turnout, where 74.6% of 7,600 eligible voters in the 18-19 age group cast their ballot. Mohali lagged behind with just 32.1% voting seen in this age group, even as 10,651 teens had been issued voter cards. In terms of registrations, Ludhiana led with 36,096. At 57.1%, the district’s turnout was similar to the state’s average. Jalandhar followed with 30,918 young first-time voters, of whom 47.6% got inked, while Hoshiarpur stood third with 24,157 such eligible voters, of whom 66.7% turned up at polling booths. Even as the ECI and district administrations had taken up various initiatives on the polling day, including first-time voting certificates, selfie points and model polling stations, besides conducting many awareness activities ahead of the elections to encourage the young voters, the turnout remained poor. A deputy commissioner posted in Doaba Region, seeking anonymity, said the poor figures could be because many youngsters in the 18-19 age group are studying elsewhere and didn’t return to their home towns and villages to cast their votes. “Many times, families also avoid calling their kids for voting due to the fear of fights in the elections, especially in border districts,” said the senior official. Prof Ashutosh Kumar from the department of political science, Panjab University, attributed it to the “youth’s alienation from politics, parties and political class”. “Many youngsters have completely lost hope in the future of Punjab, and blame politicians and parties for it. They think why to vote as there is nothing for them in Punjab, and instead they all look forward to move abroad,” he said Even overall in 2022, Punjab registered the lowest footfall at polling booths after the 2002 state elections. Of 2.14 crore registered voters, only 1.54 crore (72%) voted, more than 5% drop in turnout since 2017, when it stood at 77.4%

It's good they're helping because the bushfires and floods were devastating and it helps Sikhs gain a good reputation. Most people who are aware of Sikhs tend to have a positive opinion and think they do a better job than the government. However, people will also forget the help quickly. When the Kirpaan issue emerged, most turned against Sikhs. And Sikhs should definitely not be doing things like this Darwin’s Sikh food charity helps Muslims break their fast during Ramadan in ‘drive-through, takeaway Iftar’

I believe a lot of these apply to Panjabi Sikhs as well. Challenges in the diaspora are loss of connections to ancestral land, identity, language and dispersed communities. Biggest challenges in Panjab include lack of justice and neglect by government.

Many Sikhs believe in the misconception/propaganda that Sikhs don't do Parchar/convert. Even some religious Sikhs believe in this! It's highly unlikely any Parchar is done during these aid events.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7643535/sikh-volunteers-hand-out-free-meals-to-the-city-that-survived-a-tsunami/ Lismore floods: Sikh volunteer handing out free meals in Lismore says the town survived a "tsunami" Sikh volunteers have said there is a lot more work to be done in Lismore after handing out 1500 meals in the flood-devastated town. Members of Sikh Volunteers Australia (SVA) were given a police escort around flooded roads to enter Lismore at 5pm on Wednesday after a 35-hour journey that began in Melbourne at 6am on Tuesday. The not-for-profit organisation was thanked by locals as they handed out meals of soy bean curry and rice, water and supplies on the street, at student accommodation and at evacuation centres. SVA spokesman Jaswinder Singh said he "has not seen anything of this scale" when describing the devastation in Lismore. "The water mark on the trees was sitting at somewhere between 20 to 25 feet [6 to 7.6 metres]. It was not just a flood, it was a tsunami," he said. Mr Singh said that Lismore locals are still in shock as they begin to clean up the flood damage. "I sensed that the people were in shock but they are very resilient and very strong people. They have witnessed the flood before but not this scale. So, it's a mixed feeling down in the town. People know that they have to recover from this but they really don't know how to do that," Mr Singh said. "They are doing the cleaning of the shops, of their houses. At the moment there is not much resources available for them to conduct this massive job but they are bouncing back." The SVA normally cooks in commercial-size kitchens but are currently living at a local person's house in Lismore, who is allowing them to use their home kitchen to cook their next batch of meals for Thursday. "We have three big burners, we have big pots, we have a lot of grocery supplies with us. We are like a mobile kitchen, you just give us a dry space and a gas connection and we are good to go," Mr Singh said. The volunteers prepared white chickpea curry and rice for the free meals they distributed at evacuation centres and on the street on Thursday. Mr Singh said the next challenge is getting more food and supplies delivered up to Lismore as their ingredient supply is likely to be depleted within the next two days. "We have arranged our own supply truck from Newcastle. But since this morning the situation in northern Sydney and Newcastle is not very good, so I don't know how long it will take, they say it could take a good eight to 10 hours to reach Lismore," he said. The long road to Lismore SVA members began driving from southeast Melbourne at 6am on Tuesday to arrive at the First Gurdwara of Australia in Woolgoolga on the NSW Mid North Coast at 4am on Thursday. After having a four-hour sleep, they got up to cook 1500 meals on Wednesday morning before getting back on the road at 12pm to travel to Lismore. But the volunteers faced road blocks in Grafton and were seemingly halted in their tracks until a highway patrol officer gave them a police escort to avoid flooded waters and arrive in Lismore at 5:30pm. Including driving, cooking and rests, it took the volunteers a total of 35 hours to travel from Melbourne to Lismore with 1500 hot meals, bottled water and supplies in tow. Mr Singh said two more volunteers are flying from Melbourne to Lismore on Friday to boost their numbers. "We will stay as long as it's required," he said. If you can help, call Jaswinder Singh on 0452 601 734 or those who want to donate to Sikh Volunteers Australia can do so on their website.

Russia’s Lavrov: A third world war would be nuclear, destructive Moscow put its strategic nuclear forces on alert last week amid the war in Ukraine, causing ripples across the globe.Lavrov said that Moscow would face a 'real danger' if Kyiv acquired nuclear weapons [File: Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP] 2 Mar 2022 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that if a third world war were to occur, it would involve nuclear weapons and be destructive, according to Russian media. The comments reported by the RIA news agency on Wednesday came a day after he told a Geneva disarmament meeting via video link that neighbouring Ukraine, which Russian invaded last week, had been seeking nuclear weapons. He did not provide evidence other than saying “Ukraine still has Soviet nuclear technologies and the means of delivery of such weapons.” Lavrov has also said that Russia would have faced a “real danger” if Ukraine acquired nuclear weapons. Nuclear forces on high alert Russian forces attacked Ukraine by land, air and sea, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War II. The move has been countered by the West with harsh economic sanctions on Russia as well as deliveries of arms and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The US government on Tuesday announced a ban on Russian flights in its airspace, following similar moves by the European Union and Canada. On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin put his strategic nuclear forces on alert, causing ripples across the globe and raising the threat the tensions could lead to the use of nuclear weapons. Putin said his decision came after leading NATO powers made “aggressive statements” while imposing hard-hitting financial sanctions against Russia and himself. US President Joe Biden played down the threat of Russia’s “dangerous” nuclear mobilisation. Asked if people in the United States should be worried about nuclear war, Biden gave a calm “no” in response. Russia, according to studies, commands the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has counted 6,255 Russian warheads against 5,550 for the US. China follows far behind with 350 and France with 290. These figures, although widely accepted, are nevertheless estimates, notably because not all nuclear-capable weapons systems actually carry nuclear warheads, a data which is mostly unclear. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/2/russias-lavrov-says-a-ww-iii-would-be-nuclear-and-destructive

(From Sikh Coalition Instagram) This week, the Indiana House of Representatives introduced and adopted a resolution recognizing the one-year anniversary of the Indianapolis #FedEx shooting on April 15, 2021, which took the lives of eight individuals and left a traumatic impact on countless others. The Sikh Coalition was proud to assist in facilitating this important recognition. In the weeks ahead, we will plan to amplify opportunities for Americans nationwide to honor the lives lost and those forever impacted by this tragedy.

She was from Kapurthala, Panjab. SikhPA tweeted funds collected will be used for her funeral, possible legal costs and to help her family travel from Panjab to Canada.

Will BJP & SAD ally again? Netas keep options open CHANDIGARH: BJP has neither accepted nor denied the possibility of a post-poll alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab, preferring instead to wait it out till the election results are out on March 10. The two parties ended their almost 24-year al-liance after SAD walked out over three contentious farm laws that kept the state on the brink for over a year “Let the public mandate come first. I am not saying yes or no to any possibility,” BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said on Sunday. He was reacting to a statement purportedly made by Bikram Singh Majithia, the SAD legis- lator and candidate for Amritsar East constituency. A media organisation quoted Majithia as saying that SAD will decide on forming an alliance with BJP after the poll results are out. Majithia later said he was misquoted. “Our alliance is with BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) only,” he said. Speculation about a possible BJP-SAD tie-up has been doing the rounds lately, with people citing PM Modi sparing the SAD first family (former CM Parkash Singh Badal and his son and party chief CM Sukhbir Singh Badal) in his speeches during his extensive campaign in the state before Sunday’s vote. He also called SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal after he tested positive for Covid in January. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/will-bjp-sad-ally-again-netas-keep-options-open/articleshow/89712484.cms

This was a well known case in Australia Gang rapist whose sickening crimes shocked Australia is seen for the first time in 21 years as he swaps prison for family home near the site of one of his atrocities - and he still refuses to apologise to the women he attacked Notorious Sydney gang rapist Mohammed Skaf has walked out of jail on parole and arrived at mother's house Skaf, 38, spent two decades in prison for his involvement in two rapes in 2000 and show no remorse His brother Bilal, now 40, is still behind bars for his role in the rapes and cannot be released before 2033 The pair and a dozen other young men raped at least six women in four attacks that terrorised Sydney Their sister said her family was excited and happy Mohammed was coming home after so long in jail Notorious pack rapist Mohammed Skaf has been released from prison after serving two decades behind bars to go home to his parents, with hopes of starting a family of his own. Skaf left Sydney's Long Bay correctional complex on Wednesday morning after spending most of his life in custody and having never publicly expressed remorse for his crimes. He walked from the Metropolitan Special Programs Centre about 9.45am wearing a white Hugo Boss top, black track pants, sunglasses and Covid-19 mask before stepping into a Toyota Corolla driven by a Corrective Services officer. Skaf wore an ankle monitor as he walked out of prison, as his strict parole conditions include 24-hour electronic tracking He was driven to his family's home at Greenacre in Sydney's south-west where he will live with his parents, sister and younger brother. Shouts of excitement could be heard from the house when he arrived and Skaf's mother embraced him after he walked through the front door. Three boxes of Skaf's belongings were carried inside by Corrective Services officers. Skaf has remained unrepentant during his time in custody. 'I'm not a rapist,' he said two years ago after yet again being refused parole. 'How can I have empathy for someone that wasn't raped by me? 'I've maintained my innocence for the last 19 years and I'll ­maintain my innocence until the day I die.' Skaf has supposedly accepted some responsibility for his actions since he made those comments and indicated a wish to get married, have children, find a job and study architecture. When he was first locked up as a teenager there was no Facebook or Instagram and no smart phones. The World Trade Centre was still standing and John Howard was not even halfway through his four terms as prime minister. 'The world has changed,' Skaf said in 2019. 'I'm still living in the early 2000s.' Skaf was one of gang of Lebanese-Australian youths led by his older brother Bilal who went on a rampage of pack rapes in Sydney's south-west in the weeks leading up to the 2000 Olympic Games. At least six women and girls were held against their will and repeatedly sexually assaulted in four attacks that shocked Australia and raised racial tensions to fever pitch in NSW. One woman was raped 25 times by 14 attackers at three locations as she was called an 'Aussie pig' in an ordeal that lasted six hours. Skaf, who was convicted in relation to two of the rapes, was 17 at the time of the offences and is now 38. His brother Bilal was almost 19 and is now 40. Original sentencing judge Michael Finnane, who jailed Mohammed for 32 years in October 2002, described the gang's crimes as 'worse than murder'. Following a series of further convictions and appeals that term was reduced to a maximum of 22 years, 11 months and 30 days. Skaf's non-parole period on 16 years, 11 months and 30 days expired on January 1, 2018, more than three and a half years ago. His maximum sentence does not expire until January 1, 2024 but due to due to Covid-19 restrictions he has been unable to complete pre-release external leave programs. If Skaf served his full term in prison authorities would have had no control over his reintegration back into the community when he finally got out. A decision was therefore made to grant Skaf parole so he could be closely supervised while living with his family.... https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10040371/Pack-rapist-Mohammed-Skaf-leaves-prison-21-years-without-expressing-remorse-crimes.html