dinsdag 30 september 2003

Sharia News Watch 73 Sharia News Watch 73 : a collection newsquotes on Sharia, for research & educational purposes only. [*]  Shortcut URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shariawatch/message/73 The Sharia Newswatch provides a weekly update of news quotes on Sharia (Islamic Law) & related subjects, as appearing on the major news- searchengines. All editions : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shariawatch/ AFGHANISTAN Theological 'Iron Curtain' Descending in Afghanistan    - 16 Sep 03 http://www.afgha.com/?af=article&;sid=37354  [CBN News] .. D.C.-based human rights expert Nina Shea .. worries that in addition to investing in the political and economic reconstruction of Afghanistan, the U.S. is overseeing the creation of hard-line Islamic jurisprudence.  Shea continued, "There is a theological iron curtain descending on Afghanistan under our auspices. We are spending billions of dollars to reconstruct this country but yet we are poised to promote a constitution that would install a 7th century version of Islam."  A kind of law where those who dissent or criticize Islam are subject to blasphemy or apostasy charges, "which can carry the death penalty in Islamic jurisprudence," she said. .. According to Shea, [Chief Justice Mullah Fazul] Shinwari recently spoke with a U.S. delegation of religious freedom advocates. Shea says he told them, "We will no longer have public spectacles in the sport stadium of people being flogged and stoned to death, that will be done privately." Afghanistan to Unveil Constitution Draft  - 28 Sep 03 http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3202627,00.html .. A draft of Afghanistan's proposed constitution declares the country a Muslim state but does not impose Islamic Shariah law - the topic of heated debate, an official said Sunday.  .. The document's preamble declares, "Afghanistan is an Islamic state'' and says its laws must be in accordance with Islam, but it stops short of imposing Shariah, the official said. .. Even though the 35 members of the Constitutional Review Commission have finally agreed to the wording of the text, it is far from certain whether members of the loya jirga [grand council] will reach a consensus. Many of the council's members are warlords and may feel their authority will be undermined by a strong national constitution. Afghan Insurgents Burn Down Girls' School - 28 Sep 03 http://news.findlaw.com/ap_stories/i/1104/9-28-2003/20030928023009_04.html .. The single-story Shaga Primary School was left in ruins after the arson attack late Saturday in the Dara-e-Noor district of Nangarhar province, information ministry official Zubair Khaksar said in a telephone interview from the province's capital of Jalalabad. The attackers tied up the school's guard and set the building on fire before fleeing, Khaksar said. "This is the work of the Taliban," he said. "Nobody else burns schools." .. Fighters from Hezb-e-Islami, the Taliban and al-Qaida are believed to have stepped up attacks against government troops, aid workers and schools, especially in the east and south of Afghanistan where the country borders Pakistan. On Wednesday, an Afghan aid worker was killed and his driver was wounded in an ambush in the southern province of Helmand. Earlier this month, suspected Taliban fighters burned down an elementary school for boys and girls in Mughal Khil, south of the Afghan capital, Kabul. .. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&;art_id=qw106481466097B212 .. Two tents housing schools for girls in the Charar Bolak district in Balkh province were destroyed in the blaze late on Sunday, said Abdul Sabur Khan, a local military official. It is the first such attack in the Balkh province, considered a stronghold of the anti-Taliban northern alliance that helped an American-led force oust the hardline Taliban militia and their al-Qaeda allies in 2001. Kylie rides Kabul airwaves   - 28 Sep 03 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3521201 .. Two years ago, Massood Sanjer was reading the news in English for the Taliban's Radio Shariat. Today he is one of Kabul's hippest disc jockeys, broadcasting from a studio adorned with posters of Shakira and Destiny's Child. Sanjer works for Arman FM, the nearest thing the Afghan capital has to MTV, with a mix of music, chat and jokes. For a country starved of entertainment through years of war and repressive Taliban rule, Arman FM is like a breath of fresh air. .. But what makes Arman FM even more exceptional in this conservative Muslim land is that half its presenters are women -- Sanjer shares his morning show with Zarlasht Madad, a soft-spoken young women recently voted the station's most popular. .. The Mohsenis put up half of the $500,000 (315,000 pounds) to launch Arman -- the name means Hope in the Dari language. The other half was supplied by USAID, the development arm of the U.S. government. .. In the early days, Arman was criticised because some of its presenters used the slang Dari of the streets rather than the formal language used by broadcasters in the past. Its irreverent attitude and jokey manner also alienated some people. "The criticism is like a drop in the ocean," Sanjer insists. "It was the first time Afghans listened to a radio station with men and women chatting and laughing, but now they have got used to it. We don't get criticised any more." BRUNEI DARUSSALAM Close watch on banned sect   - 23 Sep 03 http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Sept03/230903/Closebann.htm .. Relevant authorities in Brunei will continue to keep a close watch on any religious deviationist movement, including the banned Al-Arqam*) group in the country. .. The relevant authorities, including the Akidah and Syariah Control Unit, a kind of religious police tasked to safeguard the eminence and purity of the Islamic faith, are however keeping a close watch on any telltale sign of the existence of these undesirable elements. .. Malaysia is reportedly taking the opportunity to seek cooperation from member countries of MABIMS, including the Islamic leaders from Thailand and the Philippines to curb an attempt banned Al-Arqam group to revive the Malaysian-grown religious movement. .. Brunei, a strong proponent of the Ahli Sunnah Wal Jemaah is particularly very strict on monitoring such kind of religious deviation. .. *)  Ethnicity And Religious Issues: Experiences from Brunei Darussalam http://seacsn.csps-ugm.or.id/papers/regionalws1/latif.html .. In fact Brunei Darussalam was the first country in the region to ban the spread of 'Jemaah Al-Arqam' which originated in Malaysia. The teaching of 'Jemaah Al-Arqam' clearly created conflict and confrontation within the family members on what actually is the real teachings of Islam.  According to the Kadhi Court and Islamic Religious Council Enactment, those who teach or conduct activities against the teachings of Islam in public would face a fine of B$2000 [EUR 1.000,-] or three months imprisonment. In an effort to curb undesirable public lectures or illegal religious activities, a free lance religious missionary (Pendakwah Bebas) must first get approval from the Islamic Religious Council before being allowed to preach or organize religious activities.  .. Al-Arqam Controversy  - 03 Aug 94 http://www.hamline.edu/apakabar/basisdata/1994/08/03/0006.html CANADA Muslim student's expulsion prompts human-rights probe   - 23 Sep 03 http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=canada_home&;articleID=1416010 .. The Quebec Human Rights Commission said Tuesday it has launched an investigation after a private school expelled a 16-year-old Muslim student who refused to remove her Islamic head scarf. The commission says it's not yet clear whether Charlemagne College's expulsion of Irene Waseem, 16, violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Waseem was barred from the secular private school on Sept. 2 after she showed up wearing the scarf, called a hijab. She had chosen not to wear the hijab to school in previous years.  Waseem was told the scarf violated the west-end school's dress code. .. The commission will decide whether the right to religious expression overrides the right of private schools to impose a dress code. The commission ruled in 1995 that public-school dress codes which ban the hijab violate the charter. But l'Heureux said private schools may not be similarly bound. "The charter opens a door to the idea that (some) associations can adopt certain regulations that would otherwise be discriminatory," said l'Heureux. Toronto Shariah Program - Brothers Program / Sister's Program http://www.shariahprogram.ca/  - 19 Sep 03 .. The Toronto Shariah Program offers, for the first time in North America, a traditional course of instruction in the Shariah sciences aimed at English speakers. Using classical texts in their original Arabic, and based on the proven Dars Nizaamie curriculum in use at madrassas worldwide, the 5 year course is aimed at anybody desiring an in-depth introduction to the Shariah which will allow them to practice their deen correctly and open the doors to more advanced study. .. Although the language of instruction is English, the texts employed are all studied in their original Arabic. Thus the emphasis in the initial 5 months is on mastering the fundamentals of Arabic grammer, morphology and vocabulary that is needed to understand the texts. Only then does the course move on to the Fiqh, Aqidah, Hadith, Tafseer and other Shariah sciences. .. http://www.shariahprogram.ca/outline.html - 01 Sep 03 .. The Part-Time Course in Uloom ash Shariah (PTCUS) is designed to make available .. the content of the world famous Dars Nizaamie course operating in thousands of madrasahs world wide. CHINA China set to crack down on Muslim northwest - 24 Sep 03 http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK95192.htm China's Uighur Muslims Feel Alienated  - 28 Sep 03 http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9&;section=0&article=32732&d=28&m=9&y=2003 EGYPT A few years ago, a brief nude scene in "American Beauty"...- 28 Sep 03 http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/breaking_news/6883744.htm .. A few years ago, a brief nude scene in "American Beauty" that made it past Egypt's censors prompted some moviegoers to stand up and shout in protest. So theater owners cut the scene themselves. With Egyptians becoming increasingly religious - and socially conservative - it's not just government officials who see censorship as necessary. Even some artists, who traditionally bemoan infringements on their creativity, say censorship may be the only way to cope with conservative Islam. .. What happens here has far-reaching repercussions. Egypt is home to the Middle East's biggest film industry and countries all over the region show Egyptian movies and TV shows. It's not just sexual themes that draw attention.  In June, censors banned the international hit "The Matrix Reloaded," saying it questions the nature of God. The movie's setting in a fictional place known as Zion may have been a factor, too - the first Matrix film was shown in Egypt but was criticized by some Islamic newspapers that claimed it espoused Zionism. The Arab confrontation with Israel often is portrayed as a moral issue by Islamic conservatives. A passing reference to Israel was snipped from Mel Gibson's "What Women Want." .. Egypt's censors - and its people - were not always so uptight. In the 1960s and '70s, movies shot here were much more daring, often featuring scantily clad women and more overt references to sex. "Until around 1975 there was a high degree of freedom," said Ali Abu Shadi, former head of the Egyptian Censorship Board.  "But then religious fundamentalism set in ... and things really have not changed much since then. In the back of every censor's mind is society. The state itself seems to be unable to deal with society right now. The level of conservatism is very high." .. In this climate, Egyptian newspapers have been quick to criticize overt sensuality and intimacy in movies, with columnists and critics castigating actresses who dare to appear on screen in bikinis and other attire that challenge Islam's requirement of female modesty. The result has been many moviemakers avoiding risque material and producing what has become known as "clean cinema."  Foreign movies are readily available uncut on satellite TV, over the Internet or as bootleg videos or DVDs on the streets of Cairo. But few Egyptians can afford them. GAMBIA Veil Saga Still Refuses to Die    [The Independent - Banjul] http://allafrica.com/stories/200309191091.html  - 19 Sep 03 .. Students of The Gambia Senior Secondary School who are at the heart of the veil controversy earlier this week stormed the offices of The Independent, saying the school's authorities are threatening them with expulsion if they ever enter the school ground dressed in veils. The students who appear both jittery and angry, said that this was a case of discrimination and injustice, which needed to be addressed before the school year begins in earnest. The school authorities referred the students to pronouncements by President Jammeh, which they said put pay to the long running controversy over the veil. The president had declared in a July statement that the veil should not be worn in school. In a later pronouncement to religious leaders at State House, Jammeh had changed tack, saying that the veil cannot be worn in Christian mission schools. GERMANY Muslim Teacher Wins Headscarf Case  - 25 Sep 03 http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=69381&;region=3 .. Muslim women in Germany have had a legal win after the country's highest court ruled that a female teacher has the right to wear a traditional headscarf at school. School authorities in Stuttgart had barred Afghan-born Freshta Ludin from a teaching job in 1998. However, the Constitutional Court on Thursday found that wearing a hijab in the classroom, would not violate laws requiring religious neutrality. .. http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=132&;fArticleId=243142 .. However, the court pointed out that individual states may pass new laws to outlaw religious dress in public schools.  ..  The Central Council of Muslims in Germany - which represents more than 3-million Muslims - blasted the decision as opening the door for states to issue blanket bans on teachers wearing headscarves. .. Ludin's case was the second the constitutional court has handled in as many months. In August, it ruled that Muslim shop assistants could not be fired for wearing a headscarf, despite managers' complaints that they put off customers. INDIA [Andhra Pradesh] A fatwa for women, by women     - 28 Sep 03 http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_393689,0008.htm .. Dar-ul-Iftah, a collegium of muftias (women muftis or religious teachers) [jurisconsults] formed for the first time in the country in Hyderabad this week, has issued a fatwa, stating that patronising beauty parlours is un-Islamic. They declared that while the Shariat permits women to wear make-up to look beautiful, it does not allow them to remove hair by waxing or bleaching and wear men's clothes or coloured contact lenses. They issued the fatwa after a  woman, Juveria Fathima, sought their "guidance" on fashion trends. .. The muftias, armed with a reference library and a PC with Internet access, are available for consultation two hours a day. They can also be reached on www.jamiatul-mominath.com, an Urdu website what will be up soon.  Queries are trickling in. A young woman wants to know if she can cut her nails during her periods. Another wants to know if Islam permits test-tube babies. .. But can they enforce fatwas? Replies a muftia: "We give guidance and it's up to people to implement it. This is not an Islamic country, where violation of a fatwa invites reprisals. Allah will punish them for their sins." IRAN Iran to stop executions of 15-18 year-olds-reports       - 28 Sep 03 http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters09-28-095232.asp?reg=MIDEAST .. Iran's judiciary has drafted a bill which would raise the minimum age for death sentences to 18 from 15, newspapers reported on Sunday. The proposed bill, which will be sent shortly to parliament, also excludes under-18s from receiving life jail terms or lashes, newspapers quoted Alireza Jamshidi, secretary of the Supreme Council for Judicial Development. .. An Iranian newspaper reported last year that Tehran had stopped the use of stoning as a form of capital punishment, in an apparent bid to ease European Union concerns over human rights in Iran and to facilitate talks on a trade deal. IRAQ US troops face discipline for bloody flag incident in Baghdad - 26 Sep http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030926115304.n2mfs3q7.html .. US soldiers are facing disciplinary action for an incident last month when a helicopter tried to remove a religious flag here and triggered a clash that left an Iraqi dead, the US military said Friday. A statement issued in reply to a query by AFP said an investigation into the August 13 incident in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad concluded that "poor judgment was employed by those soldiers implicated in the action." American-sponsored group discusses new Iraqi constitution in Bahrain http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=98233 - 22 Sep 03 .. The Iraqi group included judges, lawyers and representatives of several non-governmental organisations, he said. In addition to officials from the ABA [American Bar Association] and the embassy, legal experts from Germany and Austria also took part in the discussion, Al Shibli said. A statement issued by the US Embassy said the participants were not playing an official role nor did they engage in drafting an Iraqi constitution. .. He said the participants in the meeting have "anonymously" agreed that the constitution would stipulate that Islam is the "state religion" and that the Islamic Sharia is "a main source of legislating." Najaf's Spirituality Gives Way to Strife  - 22 Sep 03 http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/6831313.htm .. For more than a week afterward [the car bombing], Najaf appeared to teeter on the brink of civil strife. Hundreds of armed militiamen from rival Shiite factions took over the city, manning checkpoints and patrolling the streets. They attacked suspected members of Saddam's Baath party and Sunni extremists. That convinced U.S. officials to help create the new police force - the only one of its kind in Iraq - with members picked by local tribal leaders to maintain law and order in and around the shrine. KENYA Constitutional Review - Kadhis' courts retained in draft   - 23 Sep 03 http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/Today/News/Review_News2309200330.html .. Delegates defeated a motion seeking to remove the proposal to protect kadhis' courts in the draft constitution. Members of the Judiciary committee voted to retain the courts in the draft after a heated debate. MALAYSIA   Going after promoters of get-rich-quick scams - 23 Sep 03 http://penang.thestar.com.my/content/news/2003/9/23/6334943.asp .. A Bill aimed at penalising the promoters of get-rich-quick schemes will be tabled in Parliament soon and once passed, would help protect the interest of consumers.  Domestic Trade and Consu-mer Affairs parliamentary secretary Wong Kam Hoong said the Government was concerned about consumers falling victims to such scams. .. He was commenting on Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai's statement in a Chinese daily over the re-issuing of the licence of a company promoting a pyramid sales system.  He said the new management of the company had asked the Government to allow it to continue its operations to repay customers who have invested in the company. Wong said that the Government was aware that direct selling companies were a major contributor to the economy and had encouraged these companies and given tax exemptions to some who export their products, especially halal goods to Indonesia and the middle-east countries. .. "There were more than 1,300 companies operating under the pyramid sales system. However we have got rid of those who have deviated and have reduced it to about 400," he added. Proposal for prenuptial courses for non-Muslims - 23 Sep 03 http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/National/20030923074813/Article/ .. The Government will study whether to make it compulsory for non-Muslim couples to attend courses before allowing them to register their marriages. .. "New provisions in the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, which regulates non-Muslims marriages, also need to be included," [Women and Family Development Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Mastika Junaidah Husin] said at the Parliament lobby. Mastika said it was already a must for Muslim couples to attend courses before their marriages could be solemnised. "Islam is a State matter and the religious authorities make it prerequisite for couples to attend such programme." Earlier during a question-and-answer session, Mastika told the House that there were 3,793 divorce cases among non-Muslims last year, up from 1,613 cases in 2000.  Among the Muslims, she said the number of divorces were 11,004 last year, down from 13,536 cases in 2000. Kelantan's move to prevent the exploitation of women in advertising http://rsi.com.sg/english/newsline/view/20030924164058/1/.html ..      - 24 Sep 03 Malaysia's Kelantan state has introduced a new ruling effective next year, that bans women from being depicted on billboards and TV commercials. Parti Islam SeMalaysia, or PAS, the fundamentalist Islamic party that rules Kelantan, has said that the reason for the move is to prevent the exploitation of women in advertising. .. http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,211247,00.html? .. The latest ruling, described by the state opposition Umno party as 'rubbish', replaces a decree by the Kota Baru Municipal Council last year that made it compulsory for billboards to show only women who wore headscarves. .. The rules will also apply to cinema advertisements, with the new guidelines specifying that only text can be used in any form of advertisement, apparently to prevent women from being shown. For small advertising posters, such as beer ads sometimes seen in Chinese restaurants, specific guidelines have been introduced which prevent the display of women in tight or thin clothing, or women with their thighs or hands exposed. Pictures of women standing next to men are also out. .. However, he added the rules would not prevent women from being depicted in advertisements that promote family values and culture. [Kelantan] Admit error, Pas leaders urged - 25 Sep 03 http://beta.yellowbrix.com/pages/beta/Story.nsp?story_id=42008044 ..      [New Straits Times] PAS leaders must admit that the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment 11 is defective because there is no provision to act against husbands who sodomise their wives. Parliamentary Secretary in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Noh Omar said Pas MPs were now claiming that the State could rely on the Syariah Criminal Enactment 1, which was passed in 1985 when the Barisan Nasional was in power. "Pas criticised the old law when it was in the Opposition. Now their leaders claim any shortcomings in the new law can be cured by relying on the 1985 legislation," he said at the lobby. Terengganu to gazette hudud law next month - 27 Sep 03 http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=21870 .. The Terengganu Syariah Criminal Enactment (Hudud and Qisas) will be gazetted next month and enforced immediately, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said Friday. .. He said the state government was restructuring the courts, including making new appointments and giving training to syariah judges in foreign countries on the implementation of the enactment. .. On the enforcement aspect, Hadi said the police would be vested with the powers to investigate and assist the People’s Consultative Committee in carrying out operations. .. Whipping, stoning, amputation - Terengganu to go ahead   - 28 Sep 03 http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4386,211981,00.html .. Datuk Abdul Hadi reminded Muslim journalists pointedly that it would be a sin to spread negative remarks about the laws, the New Straits Times reported.  'Going against the law is like criticising the true teachings of Islam,' he said. MOROCCO Court seeks death penalty for two extremist Muslim preachers http://infobrix.yellowbrix.com/pages/infobrix/Story.nsp?story_id=41989536 ..     - 24 Sep 03 The state prosecutor at the trial of two Muslim preachers implicated in the deadly May suicide bombings in Casablanca demanded the death sentence early Wednesday for the defendants, calling them the "brains'' behind the attacks.  Hassan Kettani and Abdelwaheb Rafiki, also known as Abu Hafs, have been portrayed during the trial as ideologists of the Salafiya Jihadia, a clandestine Muslim extremist movement which the Interior Ministry says has "organizational links'' to the al Qaida terror network. .. The defendants were on trial on a series of charges, including attacking state security, inciting hate and violence, constituting a criminal band and acts of sabotage. Defense lawyers abruptly bowed out of the case on Tuesday, claiming the prosecution had failed to show material evidence linking the defendants' with the suicide bombings and considering the trial a charade. .. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3143688.stm   - 26 Sep 03 .. a court has given long jail sentences to two men described as "theoreticians" of the Islamist group, Salafia Jihadia, which has been blamed for the May bombings. .. Salafi Jihad http://rantburg.com/thugburg/dOrg.asp?ID=125 NIGERIA [Bauchi] Sharia Court Sentences Man to Death By Stoning  - 25 Sep 03 http://allafrica.com/stories/200309250804.html  [Daily Trust Abuja] ..        A forty-three-year-old man, Jibrin Babaji has been sentenced to death by stoning, following his conviction by a Sharia court sitting in Bauchi for sodomy in contravention of section 133 of the Sharia penal code Bauchi, and chapter 11 verse 82 of the Holy Qur'an [and section 354 of the Hadith]. The judge, Mallam Sani Jibrin Darazo while delivering the judgment explained that the conviction of Mallam Babaji was sequel to his acceptance of the offence by admitting publicly to the police and the court. .. After listening to the prosecution witnesses and asking the convict whether what was said was the truth, which he answered in the affirmative, the judge further asked him whether he was a Muslim and he also said yes.  The judge then ruled that he was convinced that Babaji commited the offence since he accepted his guilt, and his confession was superior to any witnesses' testimony and ruled that he should be stoned to death. .. The judge sentenced the victims to six strokes of the cane each for accepting the N10 [7 EURO-cent] the convict had offered them, pointing out that all the convicts had a right to appeal within 30 days of the ruling. Mallam Babaji was the second man to be sentenced to death since Sharia legal system was introduced in Bauchi State two years ago. The first was a Mallam Rafin Kiyawa who was sentence to death by stoning following his conviction for eloping with a married woman in Ningi town. [Bauchi] Sharia Commission Moves to Decongest Prisons - 22 Sep 03 http://www.thisdayonline.com/news/20030922sta04.html .. Chairman, Bauchi State Sharia Commission, Alhaji Mukhtar Ahmed, has disclosed that the commission was working out modalities that would help decongest prisons in the state soon. Ahmed,  ..  said that the commission had concluded arrangements to hold dialogue and consultation with judges, magistrates and sharia court judges as well as stakeholders with the aim of releasing some inmates who were on the awaiting trial list. According to him, "efforts would also be made to free inmates who were unjustly detained and those with good character who are about completing their prison terms," stressing that "we are working out modalities to decongest prisons in the state." He stressed that prisons were supposed to serve as reform homes but, however, regretted that "due to their deplorable condition, they have become breeding ground for hardened criminals." In his speech, the state Controller of Prisons, Mr J. P. Joshua, said the number of inmates awaiting trial, almost doubled those that had been convicted, and therefore, enjoined the authorities to address the situation. [Kaduna] Police Keep Vigil on ABU Campus - 29 Sep 03 http://www.thisdayonline.com/news/20030929news17.html .. The Kaduna State Police Command has deployed a detachment of anti-riot policemen to the Samaru main campus of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria following an aborted religious conflict in the school on Tuesday. THISDAY checks in Zaria indicated that two female students had engaged in a discussion over religion when one of them (a Christian) allegedly uttered words said to be uncomplimentary to Islam. According to eye-witness accounts, the news had spread like wild fire with the muslim community in the school protesting the alleged blasphemy. However, it took the intervention of the Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, to restore order. Makarfi, along with the Emir of Zazzau, Dr Shehu Idris as well as the Commissioner of Police (CP), Mohammed Yesufu, had to pay an unscheduled visit to the school, to calm the students. Confirming the incident in his office in Kaduna, the CP said, "we were able to avert another religious crisis in Zaria. Thing have normalised now and I have deployed policemen to the school and environs." [Katsina] Sharia Court Frees Amina Lawal  -  26 Sep 03 http://allafrica.com/stories/200309260210.html [Daily Trust - Abuja] .. In upholding Amina's appeal, the four Khadis, whose (majority) decision was read by Honourable Khadi Ibrahim Mai'unguwa Umar, agreed with her counsel who faulted the judgement of the two lower courts on the three grounds of: withdrawal of confession by accused; illegality of the trial by only one Khadi at the Bakori Sharia Court and the problem of delayed pregnancy (Kwantacchen ciki) suffered by the accused. The majority decision of the Sharia Court of Appeal supported the argument of the Aliyu Musa Yauri led team of Amina's lawyers that the Bakori Sharia Court, in accepting her confession, did not give her a chance to consider the implication of her confession and that the court ought to have considered her withdrawal of the confession. They also faulted the judgements of the Bakori Sharia court and the Funtua Upper Sharia court on the ground that only one Khadi tried the case at the lower court without the assistance of at least two other Khadis as provided by the Katsina State Sharia law. They also agreed with Amina's counsel that the lower courts in Bakori and Funtua failed to take into account the problem of delayed pregnancy suffered by Amina, who was divorced two years before the pregnancy and the fact that the Islamic legal system recognised that it was still possible for a woman to give birth for the husband she left even five years after being divorced. Quoting copiously from the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith (sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (P.B.O.H.) as well as the Sharia law of Katsina State, Khadi Mai'unguwa Umar, who described the case as a problematic one also faulted the prosecution for its inability to prove its case convincingly. He questioned why the police who reported the illicit sexual liaison between Amina and Yahaya Mohammed (who denied the allegation) did not report the matter until 11 months after even though they claimed to know about the affair all along. But in his minority report, the dissenting judge, Khadi Sule Sada Kofar Sauri dismissed the appeal of Amina against the sentence of death passed on her by the Bakori Sharia court and upheld by the Funtua Upper Court on the grounds that up to two grounds for conviction were fully established when only one of three grounds was sufficient.  He argued that Amina's wilful confession of committing the illicit sexual act with Yahaya Mohammed and the fact of the pregnancy and the subsequent delivery of a baby girl (now 20 months old) were sufficient grounds to condemn Amina to death by stoning (Haddi) even without the support of the evidence of three eye witnesses to the commitment of the act. Amina Lawal : Sex, Pregnacy and Muslim Law By Sanusi Lamido Sanusi http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/articles/amina_lawal.htm * Hudood punishements in northern Nigeria A Muslim Criticism by Sanusi http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:3F7KnzKWEbwJ:www.karamah.org/images/pdf_doc/international.doc [Photo] Alhaji Aminu Katsina (R), the Grand Kadi and top Islamic legal http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&;u=/030925/241/5dxra.html authority in Katsina state leads the way with other Kadis towards the courtroom of the Katsina State Sharia Court. Sharia still wrenches Nigeria    - 29 Sep 03 http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0929/p01s03-woaf.html .. In elections held earlier this year and undermined by allegations of widespread ballot-rigging, Olusegun Obasanjo, the reelected president, scored heavily in the country's south but saw his share of the vote dip below 25 percent in several sharia states. His Peoples Democratic Party lost the governorship of the northern heartland state of Kano to Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigeria People's party, who is seen as an enthusiast for strict Islamic law. The governors' emphasis on sharia and law-and-order issues has a street-level appeal in a country suffering from mass poverty, entrenched corruption, and a federal judicial system notorious for its slowness and unfairness. .. In the minds of many observers, the new sharia punishments are seen as particularly stark and brutal manifestations of the huge inequalities and abuses of power that exist throughout Nigerian society. PAKISTAN Federal Shariat Court dismisses appeal -  23 Sep 03 http://www.dawn.com/2003/09/23/local41.htm .. A three-member bench of Federal Shariat Court, comprising Chief Justice Chuadhary Aijaz Yousuf, Justice Dr Fida Muhammad Khan and Justice Saeedur Rehman Farrukh, dismissed appeal of Amjad Pervez in dacoity [gang robbery] case and converted Hudood sentence into 10 years rigorous imprisonment (RI). The appellant had been punished with imputation of right hand from wrist and left foot from ankle under section 17(3) EOH 1979 by additional district and session judge on charge of committing dacoity on March 3, 2003.  ..  The court while dismissing the appeal converted Hudood sentence into Tazir under section 397 Pakistan Penal Code and sentenced appellant to 10 years RI. [Northern Areas] Gilgit: Students block Karakoram highway - 27 Sep 03 http://www.dawn.com/2003/09/27/local22.htm .. Hundreds of students and teachers belonging to different Madaris in Diamer district blocked the Karakoram Highway on Thursday at Thour Nalah against the construction of Diamer (Bhasha) dam , NGOs and proposed plan for change in the existing curriculum, police sources said on Friday. They said that over 500 students belonging to Sunni Madaris took out a rally in Thour Nallah, 200kms south of Gilgit, and blocked the Karakoram Highway for half an hour. The sources said the protesters were demanding to roll back the projects of International Fund for Agriculture Developlment (IFAD) and UNDP in Diamer which they termed haram (prohibited) to utilize their funds according to their school of thought. They also chanted slogans against the construction of Bhasha dam as the chairman of Water and Power Development Authority Lt Gen Zulfiqar Ali Khan (Rtd) arrived at the scene.  The protesters contended that a large chunk of Diamer district would be inundated with the construction of Bhasha dam due to its upstream and its royalty would go to the people of NWFP. Judicial body discusses ways to clear cases - 28 Sep 03 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_28-9-2003_pg7_33 .. The meeting approved various measures to strengthen the capacity of courts, including an increase in the number of judges, the provision of necessary equipment, court staff and judicial reforms to speed up trials.  .. It also considered a proposal put forward by the Ministry of Information and Technology to provide computers to district courts and district bar associations. It said district judiciary and members of the bars would be offered free Internet service to compile judicial data in a digital format. PALESTINE Permission to narrate: Edward Said, Palestine, and the Internet http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1975.shtml  - 26 Sep 03 QATAR Indians help compatriot pay blood money to Afghan's kin - 25 Sep 03 http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&;month=September2003&file=Local_News200309256494.xml .. Murugan Mani, an Indian expatriate who was charged by the Shariah Court for his involvement in the accidental death of an Afghan worker early last year, has paid the blood money of QR100,000 [EUR 24.000] to the relatives of the deceased.  Murugan, a Tamilian, and the deceased, Sangi Gul Ilm Gul, are employed by the Sky Trading and Contracting Company in Qatar.  The court had set September 15 as the deadline for paying the blood money. The Qatar Tamizhar Sangham (QTS), an organisation of expatriates from India's Tamil Nadu state, had launched a campaign to raise donations for Murugan. A special account was opened at the Qatar Islamic Bank to collect donations. SOUTH AFRICA [Photo] Demonstration for Amina Lawal - 18 Sep 03 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&;u=/030918/168/5azlk.html .. Members of the African National Congress Women's League protest in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2003. The women are calling for the South African government to intervene to save Nigerian Amina Lawal, on poster, top left and right, who is sentenced to die by stoning for adultery. The Sharia Court of Appeal in Katsina, Nigeria, is expected to announce its verdict next week. SRI LANKA Sri Lankan Muslims To Fight For Their Rights - 26 Sep 03 http://www.islamonline.org/English/News/2003-09/26/article05.shtml SWEDEN Swedish TV says YES to Islamic veil  - 22 Sep 03 http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=259179&;lang=e&dir=news .. A Muslim veiled woman has been successfully able to work as a TV announcer in Sweden and appear in her Islamic clothing before millions without fearing discrimination or harassment of any sort, such as what Egyptian announcers are currently going through.  This followed the official Swedish TV decision that has been taken recently to the effect that Sweden respects cultures and religions and that religious freedom is guaranteed to all under the Swedish law. .. Nadia Gabriel, a Swedish woman of Palestinian origin, worked on Swedish TV with the "Mosaic" program team, which focuses on issues of expatriates living in the Swedish community. Gabriel had fought for her right to wear the traditional hijab, and eventually, the young woman got what she wanted. .. According to Swedish laws, any veiled woman, who is exposed to any racial or religious discrimination due to her veil, shall have the right to sue her employer who treated her badly because of it. It should be noted, in addition, that Swedish and non-Swedish women have the right to get official passports and identity cards, without having to remove their veils, as all government levels accept veiled women in Sweden without any problems. USA CIA paid mullahs to spread moderate message, says book  - 23 Sep 03 http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_387158,001100040004.htm .. The CIA paid mullahs and created fake Islamic religious leaders to preach a moderate message and counter anti-American sentiment in the Arab world after the September 11 attacks, a new book said on Monday. In 'The CIA at War', Ronald Kessler, an investigative reporter and author of several books about the CIA and the FBI, also detailed espionage activity in Iraq that supported the March invasion that toppled President Saddam Hussein. .. "In Islam, as in many other religions, anyone can call himself a religious leader," he said in the book. "So, besides paying mullahs, the CIA created fake mullahs -- recruited agents who would proclaim themselves clerics and take a more moderate position about non believers."  "We are taking over radio stations and supporting clerics," a CIA source was quoted as saying. "It's back to propaganda. We are creating moderate Muslims."  Kessler said the CIA also paid for mullahs to issue fatwas, or religious edicts, urging Iraqis not to resist American forces. He did not specify the countries this took place in. .. Kessler said the CIA used operatives from intelligence services in Arab countries including Jordan, Syria, and Egypt to infiltrate Al Qaeda, develop intelligence, but also sow suspicion so members of the network would kill each other, the book said. Al Qaeda was blamed for the attacks. Arrest prompts new request for probe of clerics - 23 Sep 03 http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0903/23chaplain.html?urac=n&;urvf=10643311884680.6852444592756095 .. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Monday renewed his request for an investigation into two institutes that train Islamic chaplains for the military in light of the Sept. 10 arrest of Army Capt. James "Yousef" Yee, an imam who ministered to detainees held at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Six months ago, Schumer asked the Pentagon to launch an internal review of the way the military determines the reliability of Muslim clerics in the armed services, but so far no such effort has been undertaken, officials said Monday. Two Pakistani American sisters making waves - 25 Sep 03 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_25-9-2003_pg9_1 .. A young Pakistani-American woman is making waves with the opening earlier this month of her play 'Barriers' in San Francisco after a successful run in New York.  Rehana Mirza's play is about the 9/11 tragedy and how it affected the lives of Muslims in America. She says her play’s themes – grief and loss and how families deal with them – go beyond the events of September 11. Her sister Rohi Mirza is the play's producer. Barbie given a run for her money  - 25 Sep 03 http://english.eastday.com/epublish/gb/paper1/1036/class000100006/hwz161666.htm .. At first glance, this new girl on the block wouldn't give Barbie much of a run for her money. After all, Barbie is everything Razanne is not - curvaceous, flashy and loaded with sex appeal. But that's exactly why many Muslim Americans prefer the newer doll. With her long-sleeved dresses, hijab or Muslim head scarf and, by her creator Ammar Saadeh's own admission, a less-than-flattering bust-line, Razanne is all about modesty and piety. .. The Michigan-based company, founded about seven years ago, sells the Razanne doll and a number of other toys geared toward Muslim children. .. While barbie has a curvaceous figure, Razanne was designed with the body of a preteen. Her aspirations are those of a modern Muslim woman. On the drawing board for future dolls are Dr Razanne and possibly even astronaut Razanne. There's also Muslim Girl Scout Razanne, complete with a cassette recording of the Muslim Scout's oath. .. Laila, the Arab League's answer to Barbie, offered girls of the league's 22-member states a culturally acceptable alternative to Barbie's lifestyle. But she never made it to store shelves. Sara and Dara were launched a couple of years ago - Iran's version of Barbie and her beau, Ken. The two were offshoots of a children's cartoon in Iran. But Saadeh said those dolls are more "cultural and don't have mass appeal in the Middle East." In the United States, Mattel, which makes Barbie, markets a Moroccan Barbie and sells a collector's piece named Leyla in the Girls From Around the World collection. Leyla's elaborate costume and tale of being taken as a slave in the court of a Turkish sultan are intended to convey the trials and tribulations of one Muslim girl in the 1720s. .. Razanne's launch five years ago met with success, Saadeh said. While declining to give specific sales figures, he said the doll is marketed and sold throughout the United States, Canada, Singapore and Germany and soon will be sold in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. YEMEN Controversial Fatwa Seeks Easier Life For Muslim Lovers  - 18 Sep 03 http://beta.yellowbrix.com/pages/beta/Story.nsp?story_id=42015338 .. The fatwa in effect gives young Muslims living in Europe and the United States the option of a boyfriend and girlfriend living under the same roof as a married couple. Sheikh Abdul-Majeed Al-Zindani, head of the al-Eman religious university in Yemen, and head of the Shura (consultation council) of the Islamic party Islah, says his fatwa comes in response to a call from Arab communities living in the West who are seeing their children adopt a "boyfriend and girlfriend" culture. The fatwa means a young Muslim going out with another can marry, but continue to stay with their parents. They can, of course, meet freely. Under Islamic requirements, an unmarried woman is not allowed to be alone with a man who is not her father, grandfather, brother or uncle. "Why don't we make 'married friends' instead of 'girlfriends' and 'boyfriends'," al-Zindani says in his fatwa. The present conditions for Muslims living in the West are "unpleasant", he said, because they find it difficult to hold strictly to their religion and traditions. .. Clerics at al-Azhar have strongly condemned the fatwa. "Through the issuance of such a fatwa, al-Zindani is calling for the enjoyment of all the benefits of marriage according to Shariah, but in a temporary form," says Dr Abdul-Sabour Shahin from al-Azhar. He accuses al-Zindani of failing to finish his studies at al- Azhar. Dr Nasser Farid Wasel, the former head mufti in Egypt said al-Zindani's fatwah is illegitimate. "Allah legalises marriage for humans as a solid and sacred relationship between man and woman, a relationship that is based on stable and perpetual love and mercy," he said. "The Islamic Shariah law is comprehensive, timeless and universal," he said, "and so it has no exceptions whatsoever, and a Muslim must not abandon Islamic teachings whenever and wherever he or she might be. Such a marriage would lead to demoralisation, the mixing up of kinship, infringing on the Shariah and committing immoral crimes and sins." Al-Zindani defended his fatwa against such charges. "The fatwa aims at saving progeny and keeping oneself away from sins," he said at a press conference. "Moreover it is an initiative to solve a critical and ethical problem facing Muslims in America and Europe." The fatwa is based on the regular pillars of marriage, he said, namely two witnesses, a marriage contract and agreed dowry. "It is for the period of unavailability of a residence, which is temporary, until the husband is ready to maintain a new home," he said. .. Many see this as a solution to the practice of secret marriages spreading in the Arab world. Secret marriages are considered un-Islamic, and do not guarantee women's rights as provided by Islam. A man could walk out on his wife and the wife could hardly go to court because the marriage itself would be considered illegal. .. Those who have married like this blame parents for making huge money demands a precondition to marriage. "Society and family say secret marriages are against Islamic rules," says Adel Abdulmalik, 32 and single. "Yes, they are, but they never admit that they make marriages so expensive. That also is against Islamic rules." [*]  Copyright: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 - http://liimirror.warwick.ac.uk/uscode/17/107.html - this material is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this list for purposes that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. [USA:  http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html]   9:08:31 PM    comment []