vrijdag 3 oktober 2003

Sharia News Watch 74 : a collection newsquotes on Shariah, for research & educational purposes only. [*]  Shortcut URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shariawatch/message/74 The Shari'ah Newswatch provides a weekly update of news quotes on Shari'a (Islamic Law) & related subjects, as appearing on the major news searchengines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shariawatch/ AFGHANISTAN Jailed Afghan women have a taste of liberty - 30 Sep 03 http://www.nni-news.com/current/world/news-04.htm .. A few Afghan women and girls were released from jail [in Kandahar] for a day to attend a recent conference on women's rights in the new Afghan Constitution, and their stories brought home the need for change in a country where 95 percent of women are illiterate. .. Addressing the most difficult issues, the women called for criminal charges to be brought against men for domestic violence, sexual harassment and for abuse. They demanded a ban on the practice of giving women or girls as compensation for crimes committed by one family against another. They called for a minimum marriageable age of 18 for girls (it is currently 16, but many girls marry in their early teens), for the right to marry and divorce in accordance with Islam, and for a reduction in time that women have to wait to remarry when their husbands disappear. .. But as all the women at the Kandahar conference acknowledged, the law is one thing on paper; practices around the country, especially in the conservative tribal areas of southern and eastern Afghanistan, are quite another. Diplomats are worried that change will be harder to carry out if Islamists succeed in making Shariah, or Islamic law, binding in the constitution when it is adopted at a loya jirga, or grand assembly, due in December. Afghanistan's proposed constitution to enshrine women's rights http://beta.yellowbrix.com/pages/beta/Story.nsp?story_id=42267535 .. "No other Islamic country has a constitution that is so liberating for women,'' said Fatima Gailani, a member of the Constitutional Review Commission. "Men and women are equal. In Afghanistan's history, this is totally new.'' .. The draft document says the government must provide women with education and health care equal to men. It also will mandate additional care for pregnant women and extra education for widows whose husbands were killed during the last two decades of war. .. A 10-day meeting of a 500-member loya jirga, or grand council, is to convene in December to debate and ratify the document. Implementing a constitution is crucial for Afghanistan as it lays the foundations for its first democratic elections in decades, scheduled for June 2004. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM Couple out on bail    - 03 Oct 03 http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/fri/oct3h13.htm .. Following a tip-off, the eight enforcement officers conducted a spot check on a business premise in Mukim Tanjong Maya and detained the couple for close proximity or 'khalwat' which is an offence under Chapter 77, Amendment 1984 of the Religious Council Act and Kadhi Court. The couple was later released on bail under Chapter 77 Amendment 1984, Section 177 (1) and (2) of Kadhi Court. The woman was released on bail of $500 [EUR 250,-] while the man was released on a $1,000 bail. The man was again ordered to be present at the Religious Office in Tutong District on Oct 7, 2003 for investigation. EGYPT New Mufti : Islamic Scholar  - 30 Sep 03 http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,212234,00.html? .. Egypt's president has appointed a prominent Islamic studies professor to become the country's top Muslim cleric. Mr Ali Gomaa, 51, yesterday took up the post as mufti of the Cairo-based Al-Azhar University, the Sunni Muslim world's foremost institute. President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday issued the decree appointing Mr Gomaa to replace former mufti Sheik Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb. Sheik el-Tayeb has been appointed Al-Azhar University president, taking over from Mr Ahmed Omar Hashim [who has completed his statutory eight-year role in the position]. Foremost among Mr Gomaa's responsibilities will be to issue religious edicts, which sanction or prohibit acts according to Islamic syariah law. Criminal courts also cannot carry out death penalties without consulting the mufti. .. http://beta.yellowbrix.com/pages/beta/Story.nsp?story_id=42137823 .. A regular commentator on Arab satellite TV stations, Gomaa is also a member of a North American Islamic organization that issues fatwas. He has written more than 30 books on Islam and attended many international Islamic conferences. Egyptian Imam Sues State for Interference in Sermons   - 11 Sep 03 http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2003%20News%20archives/September/11%20n/Egyptian%20Imam%20Sues%20State%20for%20Interference%20in%20Sermons.htm .. A Muslim preacher is filing a lawsuit against the Egyptian government for interfering in his sermons, demanding two million dollars in compensation. Ibrahim Al-Kholi, imam at a mosque in the Cairo suburb of Helwan, asked the courts to order the Ministry of Religious Affairs to stop interfering in his sermons. [Kholi is professor at Al-Azhar]. .. An official at Al-Azhar, a prestigious mosque and university which serve as the leading authority for Islam worldwide, said Egyptian authorities have for two months been debating “the question of sermons” at Friday prayers. A source close to the project said the aim was to prevent extremists from giving sermons or inciting people to rise up against the government. FRANCE Islam Not A Threat To Secularism: French Orientalist - 30 Sep 03 http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2003-09/30/article08.shtml INDIA [Tamil Nadu] Muslim meet wants sacrifice ban to go    - 30 Sep 03 http://in.news.yahoo.com/030930/54/283wa.html .. An Islamic Shariat Protection and Awakening Conference held here recently has requested the government to lift the ban on animal sacrifice in temples as, it said, this interfered with an individual's right to worship. The conference demanded reservation in jobs for Muslims in Tamil Nadu on the lines of the system in Kerala and Karnataka. It also demanded appointment of Arabic and Urdu teachers in schools in Tamil Nadu. It wanted the Anti-Conversion Law to be dropped and it registered its opposition to a common civil code. Women to be blamed for violence against them: Scholar  - 30 Sep 03 http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&;subsection=Qatar+News&month=September2003&file=Local_News2003093022032.xml .. Women themselves are to be blamed for the increasing crimes against them. If they dress and behave decently, incidents of violence against them would dramatically come down, according to Farhath Naik, a noted woman Islamic scholar from India. Farhath, president of the women's wing of Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and the principal of Islamic International School, both based in Mumbai, was speaking at a seminar on "Women in the 21st Century" held jointly by the Qatar Indian Islahi Centre and Qatar Guests Centre at the Prestige Restaurant on Sunday. .. The speaker said that 2,317 cases of rape are reported daily in America. If every women adopts the Islamic dress code, the crimes against women will decrease on a larger scale, she observed. INDONESIA Indonesia poised to outlaw sex before marriage - 29 Sep 03 http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2126906 .. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, is drafting regulations that could outlaw sex before marriage, living together outside wedlock and homosexuality, an official said today. Abdul Gani Abdullah, director general of legislation at the ministry, said the draft revisions would also ban witchcraft. Muslim leaders, including experts in Islamic Sharia law, had been consulted over the draft revisions, he added. But certain criteria would need to be met before a crime was committed under the revisions, he said. "If society chooses not to do anything and has no objection to any cohabitation for example, then it is not a crime," Abdullah said by telephone, adding the idea was that people would need to lodge complaints before authorities reacted. .. http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,212215,00.html .. Under proposed amendments to the country's criminal code, a couple found guilty of cohabitation could be jailed for up to two years. A man who makes a woman pregnant but refuses to marry her could spend a maximum of five years in prison. .. Sodomy and oral sex would be punishable by between three and 12 years in jail and homosexual sex would result in jail terms of between one and seven years. A 'witch doctor' or his client found guilty of using black magic to hurt other people could get up to five years' jail. AFP quoted another official as saying that ministry experts were still debating ways to obtain evidence. .. http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&;storyID=3524963 .. Beliefs in witchcraft and mysticism are still widespread, especially on the main island of Java. And many Indonesians are also generally relaxed about homosexuality. Abdullah said the revisions were part of efforts to revise sections of the criminal code still largely based on laws of former colonial ruler the Netherlands. .. http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20031001.C01&;irec=0 .. A copy of the revised KUHP shows that among the new articles are those relating to casual sex, witchcraft or black magic, Marxism-Leninism, contempt of court, oral sex and sodomy. .. Justice and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra is the chairman of the Crescent Star Party (PBB), which has long fought for the inclusion of sharia (Islamic laws) into state legislation and the Constitution. Noted lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution [said] "The inclusion of articles bearing the influence of certain religious teachings into the KUHP will go against the universal principles of criminal codes adopted by almost every country in the world." Indonesian Islamic authority condemns Jemaah Islamiyah - 03 Oct 03 http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2003/October/theworld_October90.xml&;section=theworld&col= .. Indonesia's Islamic authority on Friday denounced the Jemaah Islamiyah extremist network, which is blamed for the Bali bombings and a string of other attacks, and voiced support for the government's efforts to root out terrorism.  .. Indonesian Islamic leaders had previously refused to directly condemn the group. Legality of trial on Tanjung Priok case questioned    - 30 sep 03 http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20030930.A05&;irec=8 .. Lawyers for the 11 military personnel accused of committing gross human rights violations in the 1984 Tanjung Priok massacre questioned on Monday the legality of the ongoing trials against their clients, arguing that the families of the victims and the military had reached an out-of-court settlement in the case. .. "Both the families of the victims and the military have signed an islah (traditional Islamic peace settlement) and declared a reconciliation during a gathering at Sunda Kelapa mosque in Central Jakarta in March 2001. .. Relatives of the late Amir Biki, a Muslim cleric killed in the bloodshed, and former Jakarta Military commander Try Sutrisno, who was in charge of security in the capital at the time of the incident, played a prominent role in promoting the islah. However, not all victims or their families accepted the out-of-court reconciliation. Among those opposing the settlement is legislator A.M. Fatwa of the Reform faction. Also, the Attorney General's Office once ruled that the court proceedings would continue despite the islah. Muslims tell it like it is for 'unloved' Americans - 30 Sep 03 http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,212254,00.html? .. A group of Indonesian Muslims, handpicked by the US Embassy here for their moderate views, told an expert panel from Washington in plain terms last week why America is unloved in the Islamic world. The problem is policy, not public relations, said Ms Yenni Zannuba Wahid, 28, daughter of former president, Abdurrahman Wahid. Ms Wahid has been studying at Harvard university for the past year. .. 'The perception in the Muslim world is that the problem is the policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iraq,' said Ms Wahid. It would help to alleviate, but not close, the distance between the Muslim world and the US if Washington would explain its policy. Another panelist criticised America's preoccupation with Islamic fundamentalists. 'Every country has fundamentalists,' said Muslim magazine publisher Zaki Mansoer. .. America's standing was damaged most by the perception that the Indonesians the US 'picked on' were fundamentalist believers in Islam, the panel was told. These people had a right to practise that form of their religion just as fundamentalist Christians did in America. IRAQ Climate of constant fear for Iraqi women  - 02 Oct 03  [Irish Times] http://beta.yellowbrix.com/pages/beta/Story.nsp?story_id=42252826 ..      A UNICEF-funded programme that might have saved children like Zeina was shut down after the UN's headquarters at the Canal Hotel was bombed on August 19th. Mr Birmingham is also attempting to help some of the thousands of Baghdad families who are being evicted by landlords hoping to make a quick buck from the city's sudden conversion to capitalism. "They hire criminal gangs, 10-strong, many of them convicts who were freed by Saddam Hussein last year," he explains. "Several women have told me the gangs came to their apartment. They threaten to rape the women and kill the men if they don't leave." The combination of lawlessness, Islamic fundamentalism and tribalism in post-war Iraq is making life even more dangerous for the weakest members of society - girls and women. Though it is impossible to obtain reliable statistics, Ms Leila Mohammed, the director of the Organisation for Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), which is affiliated to the Communist party, estimates at least 400 women have been kidnapped, raped or murdered across the country since the US invasion. Sheikhs in the Shiite district of Ath-Thawra have threatened her and other feminists, and Ms Mohammed is accompanied everywhere by two pistol-bearing bodyguards. .. OWFI's newsletter relates terrifying stories of violence against women. One young woman was kidnapped from a beauty salon near the Swan Lake Hotel in middle-class Karrada as she was having her hair done for her wedding. She, like chubby-faced Ms Ammouda Haddi Hassan (33) simply disappeared without trace. Ms Hassan went out one morning to buy groceries, wearing a black Islamic robe and headscarf, and was never seen again. .. In another article, a taxi driver recounts a wild car-chase through the streets of Baghdad, as a mini-van filled with gunmen attempted to kidnap a pretty passenger. The driver had the presence of mind to go to a political party office surrounded by armed guards, and the gunmen gave up. .. "Saddam never did anything for them. As his regime crumbled, he tried to exploit religious feeling. The 1991 family code deprived women of free choice in marriage and freedom to travel. It legalised polygamy. In the mid-90s, Saddam declared that women should stay home and raise children, and that jobs should be reserved for men. After the 2001 law on the public execution of prostitutes, more than 200 women were beheaded with swords across Iraq by Fedayeen Saddam. Some of them were not prostitutes, just women who annoyed Baathist officials." Duel for Leadership of Shiite Muslims  - 03 Oct 03 http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&;section=0&article=32943&d=3&m=10&y=2003 .. Ever since the fall of Saddam Hussein, many people had expected it to happen: a theological duel between Najaf, in central Iraq, and Qom, south of Tehran, over the leadership of the world's Shiite Muslims. .. The issue that triggered it is one connected with lifestyle: Does Islam permit smoking? The question was put to the two clerics by the Islamic Students Association, a pro-reform movement based in Tehran. .. [Ayatollah Nasser Makarem] Shirazi [Qom] is categorical in declaring that smoking tobacco in any form and under any circumstances and by anyone is a sin. He uses the term “haram” (forbidden). Shirazi bases his position on verse 195 of the surah Al-Baqara in the Qur'an which admonishes Muslims not to lead themselves to destruction. The verse, however, has hitherto been interpreted as a command to believers not to take suicidal action in war. [Grand Ayatollah Ali-Muhammad] Sistani's fatwa says that smoking is not forbidden as such but anyone who knows that it is harmful to his or her health should refrain from doing so. He regards the issue of smoking as one to be settled by human reason and individual choice, not through anathema and interdict. In doing so, Sistani shows that in most issues concerning human existence, "reason' must prevail over dogma. The "texts" should be used for graver issues that fall beyond fallible human reasoning. The two schools of "Ijtihad" could lead to two different forms of social and political organization. Shirazi uses words such as "must" and "obligatory". This means that the clergy should exercise authority over society, and that their edicts should leave no room for individual choice and judgment. That position is based on the claim that a majority of the believers are incapable of knowing right from wrong and need the guidance of the clergy. Shirazi's ideal society is ultimately Platonic: The government of the elite over the ignorant populace. Its Khomeinist version is "wilayt al-faqih". Sistani uses such words as "recommended" or "preferable". He casts the clergy into the role of "advisors" and "ethical counselors" of society. The ultimate decision is made by the individual on the basis of reason, which is the most precious gift from God to man. Sistani"s vision is ultimately Aristotelian. His ideal society is one in which rulers are ordinary pious citizens. Because the concept of an intercessor is alien to Islam, Sistani rejects the idea that an individual could escape the consequences of his deeds by simply following the clergy. There are other differences between the two schools. For Shirazi every issue under the sun is theological. Sistani, however, allows for public and private spaces in which theology would intervene by invitation only, and then as one voice among many. In this view science, politics, literature, art, and culture in general, are independent entities not mere branches of theology. The re-emergence of Najaf as a center of "Ijtihad" is the best news for Shiism in more than half a century. Competition between Najaf and Qom could enrich Shiite theology and benefit both centers. This is one duel that should be welcome, because it is one of ideas. KURDISTAN Islam religion and honour killings in the Kurdish society  - 01 Oct 03 http://mywebpage.netscape.com/KO%20News/2-10-03-opinion-simko-islam-honor-killings.html ..     [KurdistanObserver] Although it is not easy to pinpoint the root causes of honour killings committed by Kurdish men, nevertheless, very few could argue against the impact of Islam religion on such criminal behaviour. The fact that males "only" have the right to have multiple spouses by itself, is enough proof to refute all the claims that Islam religion does not undermine the status of women, discriminate against them and subject them to aggressive dominance of men. The sense of females being independent entities equal to men is almost non-existent amongst those who strictly abide by the doctrines of Islam. .. Considering the tight ring of Islam that has developed over many centuries around the conscience of many Kurds, largely any attempt to loosen and/or remove this ring has been a taboo. The more affected are those who lack proper education, as well as those closed minded and hard-headed individuals who are too proud to give up their old believes for something new and different. They have convinced themselves that Allah will punish them if they make changes to the way the Mullahs or other religious authorities have taught them and/or it comes in contrast to what is written in the Quran or Hadith. .. In Kurdistan, Mullahs continue to be the teachers and enforcers of the Islam religion and its moral codes. Considering the importance of such a delicate role, it should not stay in unreliable and unqualified hands. Mullahs and the mosque system have to undergo some serious changes to be brought in line with the concept of a civil society. Kurds cannot claim a state of democracy while they tolerate the Mullahs to continue preaching 1500 years old Arab desert social values. MALAYSIA 20 divorce-via-SMS cases heard in Selangor Syariah court since 1999 http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Frontpage/20031003081705/Article/ Jakim keeping tabs on activities of deviationists - 02 Oct 03 http://beta.yellowbrix.com/pages/beta/Story.nsp?story_id=42237340 .. The Islamic Development Department is monitoring the activities of 10,000 followers of 24 deviationist groups nationwide including those belonging to the Shia sect.   [New Straits Times] .. Some 1,000 M'sians Practise Shiite Ideology - Noh    - 01 Oct 03 http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=20244 .. About 1,000 Malaysians from various groups are believed to be practising the Shiite ideology, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Noh Omar said Wednesday. He said there were also lecturers who practised the teachings and ideology which have been decreed to be opposed to Malaysia's Sunni sect. The Research Unit of the Islamic Advancement Department of Malaysia (Jakim) had detected the followers of the Shiite ideology believed to be preached by those who returned to the country from abroad, he told reporters at Parliament lobby. .. He said the authorities detected Shiite teachings in Malaysia since 1984 and the religious ruling on it was issued in the same year. In 1986, the Penang Fatwa Council also issued a religious ruling that the teachings and ideology of the Shiite sect were opposed and deviated from the Sunnah sect. It also posed a threat to Muslims' unity and the country's peace, he said.   An offence to conceal info of child being abused or neglected - 29 Sep http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=21912 .. Anyone found concealing information from the relevant authorities of any child being abused or neglected risks a hefty fine of RM 5,000 [EUR 1.125,-] or two years' jail, or both, under the Child's Protection Act 2001. They should immediately alert the authorities concerned if they have knowledge of a child being subjected to physical or sexual abuse, or even emotional trauma such as being neglected or abandoned by their mother, father or guardian. Those having direct contact with the victim, such as family members, neighbours, child minders and even medical officers, will not be spared, as they are obliged to lodge a report. This reminder came from lawyer Hajah Mariati Robert in her presentation Child's Protection Act 2001 (Interpretation, Issues and Challenges) at a three-day paralegal seminar here, which ended on Sunday. Excessive sex 'ground for divorce' - 30 Sep 03 http://penang.thestar.com.my/content/news/2003/9/30/6384830.asp .. Muslim women can file for divorce if their husbands make extreme demands, in-cluding excessive sex, a syariah court judge said. Kuala Lumpur-based judge Abas Nordin said this during a talk at a workshop on Response To Violence Against Women, organised by the Women's Centre for Change (WCC) here yesterday.  Asked to elaborate on the points he raised, he told reporters later that there were husbands who demanded sex from their wives as often as 10 times a day. [Sabah]  Muslim wives can claim conjugal rights - 02 Oct 03 http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=21985 .. A Muslim wife whose husband neglects his family, including his conjugal duties as a spouse, can apply to the Syariah Court for him to return home and discharge his obligations and responsibilities accordingly.  Claiming this conjugal right from the husband is permitted under Section 125 of the Sabah Muslim Family Law Enactment (EUKINS) 1992, said Sabah Muslim Women Lawyers Association (Salwa) President, Fatmah Wattie Haji Abu Bakar. .. Fatmah said when the court grants the wife’s application, the husband would be obliged to return home and perform his conjugal duties accordingly. If he (the husband) fails to fulfil his obligations sufficiently to his wife and children, he would be committing an offence under Section 131 of the Sabah Muslim Family Law Enactment (EUKINS) 1992. In addition, she stressed that when the husband chooses to ignore or refuse to comply with the court order, his action is deemed to be in contempt of court and risks a fine of up to RM1,000 or a maximum of six months' jail, or both, under Section 131(3) of the same enactment, following a report lodged by the wife with the Enforcement Unit of State Islamic Affairs Department. .. "The wife can file for a divorce in the Syariah Court on the grounds of neglect by her husband towards to his matrimonial home, as permitted under Section 53(1)(d) of EUKINS 1992," she asserted. [Terengganu]Lawyers: Pas' hudud will be illegal when gazetted in State http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/20031002073635/Article/ ..     - 02 Oct 03 The implementation of Pas' hudud in Terengganu will be illegal even if gazetted in the State, legal practitioners said. .. "They (Terengganu Government) could as such face claims and awards of damages in relation to assault and battery, wrongful arrest and imprisonment, defamation, among other things." On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was quoted as saying that no parties should implement laws beyond the framework of the Federal Constitution as it would have an adverse effect on national unity. .. On Friday, Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said the State Syariah Criminal Enactment (Hudud and Qisas) would be gazetted next month. Universiti Teknologi Mara academician and legal adviser Prof Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi said the people of Kelantan and Terengganu could go to court and ask for a judicial review of the proposed law. He said under the Federal Constitution, State assemblies were given limited power to enact Islamic criminal laws except in those areas assigned to the Federal list. He said Kelantan and Terengganu were pretending as if the entire field of Islamic law was covered under the State's jurisdiction. "The States are going beyond their jurisdiction. It's like a silent re-writing of the Federal Constitution. "When the States want to enact any criminal laws, they have to get the permission of the Federal Court." Kelantan Umno liaison committee deputy chairman Zaid Ibrahim said the implication of hudud without taking into consideration the Federal Constitution would cause serious problems that affect unity. Jakim uncovers halal food certificate scam - 30 Sep 03 http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2003/10/1/nation/6391029&;sec=nation .. The Islamic Advancement Department (Jakim) has uncovered a syndicate whose members posed as its officers to con businessmen into paying exorbitant sums to get halal food certificates for their premises. Jakim deputy director-general (operations) Che Min Che Ahmad said apart from charging up to RM 1,800 [EUR 400,-] for each certificate, the syndicate was also believed to be involved in collecting donations from companies already issued with the certificates. .. In the extortion case, he said, the syndicate members would visit companies who were already issued with the halal certificate and asked them for a RM 1,000 donation which they claimed to be "compulsory". NIGERIA [Zamfara] Sharia Court Orders Woman to Receive 30 Lashes for Arson http://allafrica.com/stories/200310020579.html  - 02 Oct 03 ..      [Daily Trust - Abuja] An Upper Sharia court in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, has ordered a housewife, Shafaiatu Tukur, to receive 30 strokes of the cane and pay N 8,000 [EUR 53,-]  fine for burning the home of her mate. The court also gave Shafaiatu, 45, an option of five years imprisonment. .. Delivering judgement last Friday, the judge, Malam Idris Usman, ordered Shafaiatu to pay her mate, Saadatu Tukur, N 69,950 [EUR 460,-] as compensation for the valuable items she lost in the incident. Usman, however, advised housewives to always fear God because they would be asked to give account for all their deeds after death. PAKISTAN [Balochistan] Gunmen attack Pakistani mosque, 31 killed http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/04pak1.htm  - 04 Oct 03 .. Three gunmen attacked a Shiite mosque in Quetta, Pakistan, on Friday, killing 31 worshippers and injuring 30. The toll is likely to go up, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in Islamabad. The attack triggered riots in Quetta, the capital of the southwestern Baluchistan province, as the Hazara community, which was targeted, took to streets and burnt vehicles and shops. 7 killed, 5 injured in sectarian violence in Karachi - 03 Oct 03 http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/oct/03pak2.htm .. Seven persons were killed and five injured when motorcycle-borne gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Shiite Muslims to a mosque in Karachi for Friday prayers, killing seven and injuring five others, police said. The two gunmen carrying AK 47 guns fired at the bus using when it had stopped for a signal at a traffic intersection. The victims were employees of a defence department research body Space and Upper Atmospheric Research Organisation (SUPARCO). Police suspect it could be a sectarian terrorist attack as all the dead were minority Shia Muslims. SAUDI ARABIA [healer] Al-Ayed Explains Quran's Healing Powers      - 03 Oct 03 http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&;section=0&article=32939&d=3&m=10&y=2003 Saudi women join call for reform  - 02 Oct 03 http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,212598,00.html .. Several women in Saudi Arabia have, for the first time, signed a petition calling for radical reform to tackle growing extremist Muslim influence in the country. The document called 'In Defence of the Nation' and signed by more than 300 intellectuals and professionals, including 51 women, was handed to Crown Prince Abdullah last week. .. The BBC noted that it was unprecedented for such a petition to be signed by women, putting new pressure on both the religious conservatives, the ulama, and the ruling princes. 3 Years in Prison for Attacking Religious Police in Yanbu  - 30 Sep 03 http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&;section=0&article=32803&d=30&m=9&y=2003 ..  A court has sentenced two men to three years in jail and 3,000 lashes for attacking members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. The two men were arrested after they and 11 others attacked members of the commission in order to rescue two girls and two men from their custody. One of the girls escaped. After their arrest the two men alleged members of the commission had been beating and pulling the hair of one of the girls they had earlier arrested on the beach on suspicion of not being related to the men in their company. The commission denies any wrongdoing.   16 Expats Arrested for Practicing Sufism   - 29 Sep 03 http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&;section=0&article=32746&d=29&m=9&y=2003 ..  The Kingdom's religious police have arrested 16 expatriate workers [foreigners] after raiding a house in Sakaka, the capital of the northern Al-Jouf region, for allegedly practicing sufism, Al-Madinah reported yesterday. .. Al-Madinah said it learned that the religious police had arrested the leader of the group and confiscated a picture of him which his supporters venerated. The group has lived in the area for several years and has been in the habit of distributing sufi writings among the expatriate community. Men Must Accompany Pregnant Women in Clinics  - 30 Sep 03 http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&;section=0&article=32816&d=30&m=9&y=2003 ..  Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Qassim Al-Qasabi has issued a directive to all hospitals advising that they should admit pregnant women only if they are accompanied by men who are prepared to take responsibility for both the mother and child. .. The directive, which is to be implemented immediately, says that the man accompanying the woman must supply a photocopy of his Saudi identification card, which is to be placed in the woman's medical file, and also sign a document accepting responsibility for the mother and child. In the event that a woman is admitted to a hospital's emergency room and is not accompanied by a man, she is to be held at the hospital in specially designated rooms to prevent her escape.  The mother is to be placed under surveillance in the hospital until a man comes forward and takes responsibility for the well-being of mother and child. SINGAPORE [Nilufer Gole] Shift from a Muslim to an Islamist identity - 30 Sep 03 http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/commentary/story/0,4386,212249,00.html .. a process of de-institutionalisation of religious experience is also taking place within Islam. The politicisation of Islam is displacing the authority of Islam's religious classes, the ulama. As in the West, Islamic religious experience is becoming more personal. The interpretation of religious texts by individual Muslims, including political militants, intellectuals and women, is one result. Another is the vulgarisation of religious knowledge, with the Quran's teachings abused and taken out of context to support political ends. .. Nowadays, activism and terrorism provide, or rather impose, a new source of legitimacy. So, lay people decide what Islam does and does not mean, without the authority of religious schools and specialised training. Indeed, Islam today is primarily interpreted through political actors and cultural movements, not religious institutions. This de-institutionalisation has enabled Islam to move from being a local and national social bond to forging imaginary ties between all Muslims, everywhere, who feel oppressed or displaced. Thus, Islamism can unite adherents who previously were deeply divided: spiritual Sufi and canonised Shariat Muslims; Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims; conservative Saudi Arabia and revolutionary Iran. .. through migration, Muslims experience a sense of distancing, if not an outright break, from their social origins. So their religious experience is of a new kind, bereft of theological, community or state institutions. Religious experience instead becomes a form of social imagination within which they reconstruct a sense of belonging to Islam in new and strange surroundings. It is not distance from modern life, but proximity to it that triggers a return to religious identity. Indeed, most radicalism arises in groups which, by their experience of mobility and displacement, are acquainted with secular Western ways of political thinking and urban living. Disoriented by unfamiliar surroundings, Islam becomes their anchor. .. Being a Muslim and being an Islamist are not the same thing. What we are witnessing today is a shift from a Muslim identity to an Islamist identity. The religious self for individual Muslims is being shifted from the private to the public realm. The question for everyone is whether that search for identity can be satisfied with headscarves and wide public acceptance of Islamic religious practice, or if positive affirmation of Islam demands a more fundamental renunciation of modernity. [Nilufer Gole is directeur d'etudes, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris]. SYRIA Islamic resurgence under way in Syria    - 03 Oct 03 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/03_10_03/art18.asp .. Although the Syrian government is deeply hostile to Islamic extremism, analysts and diplomats believe that moderate Islamic groups could play an increasingly influential role. Young Syrians are filling mosques, many women have taken to wearing the headscarf, or the hijab, and underground women's religious discussion groups are increasingly popular despite a ban imposed last year by authorities. .. "The Islamic Awakening dominates conservative neighborhoods in cities and small Sunni towns," said Samir al-Taqi, a political analyst. "In Damascus, through a network of mosques, they dominate between 60 to 65 percent of pious Muslims … I see many secular people, including Communists, turning to religion."  Analysts say the "Sahwa Islamiya" or Islamic Awakening is a reaction to the American-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the continuing violence between Israelis and Palestinians and faltering domestic reforms. The authorities permit some religious freedom while keeping a close eye on the phenomenon. .. Syria has a long, bloody history combating Islamist movements, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. A campaign of bombings and assassinations of Baathist officials by the brotherhood in the late 70s and early 80s came close to destabilizing the regime until it was crushed in 1982. .. However, Qaqa's dream of establishing an Islamic state in Syria has a long way to go. The Islamic awakening's populist agenda has won it the support of poorer Muslims at the expense of the merchant and business classes, once important financial supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. UK UK Muslims condemn honour killings  - 29 Sep 03 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3150142.stm .. British Muslims do not condone so-called honour killings, community leaders have said. On Monday a Kurdish Muslim father, Abdalla Yones, was convicted [for life] of murdering his 16-year-old daughter Heshu after she formed a relationship with a Christian boyfriend. Radical Islamic Group Warns Muslims against Helping British or American Military    - 30 Sep 03 http://mensnewsdaily.com/archive/newswire/nw03/mnd/newswire093003.htm .. A radical London-based Islamic sect that described the September 11 hijackers as the "magnificent 19" is warning all Muslims, particularly those in Iraq, not to offer support to either the British or American troops in the region. A so-called "fatwa," or Islamic decree, issued by Omar Bakri Muhammad's self-titled Shariah Court of the UK talks against offering "any support, morally or financially or militarily or physically in their onslaught against Islam and Muslims in the region, though they attempt to take the Muslims onto their side." The document says that those Muslims who do decide to offer help will become a legitimate target for the mujahideen( Muslims who consider themselves warriors for the faith). British Muslims lean toward Islamic courts  - 01 Oct 03 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0310010289oct01,1,5518719.story? .. Two years ago, Mahmood Khawel, a 34-year-old financial consultant and devout Muslim from the Midlands city of Peterborough, wanted a quickie divorce. So he went to an Islamic court in London where he performed the divorce ritual known as talaq. Standing before a judge, he declared three times in succession that he was repudiating his wife. Judge Omar Bakri Muhammad, an expert in Shariah, the sacred law of Islam, granted the divorce on the spot. But now Khawel and his wife have changed their minds. They want to reconcile. Last week, Khawel was back in Muhammad's courtroom, asking for an annulment of the talaq.  "OK, brother, don't worry," Muhammad told him. The judge explained that while some schools of Islamic law accepted a triple repudiation performed all at once, most preferred that the repudiations be spread over two or three menstrual periods. On that technicality, Muhammad said he could release Khawel from the original talaq. .. During the past decade, a parallel universe of Islamic jurisprudence has sprouted across Britain. Shariah courts can be found in almost every large city. In London, different Muslim immigrant groups - the Somalis in Woolwich, for example - have established ad hoc courts that cater to their community's needs. No one knows how many of these courts are operating in Britain. Because of their informal nature, reliable statistics do not exist. .. the faithful who fill the makeshift courtroom above a North London sweatshop care little about Muhammad's politics. They come here because they believe he is uniquely qualified to settle their marital disputes, sort out their business partnerships and decide the amount of blood money that should be paid to compensate the victim of a crime. In his white gown, white skullcap and beard, Muhammad is an imposing figure behind the cluttered table that serves as his bench. Justice is rendered with swift certainty, and many pleadings are handled via the Internet. Divorces form the bulk of his caseload. For men, getting a divorce is simple. For women, it can be more problematic. Usually, women have to buy their way out of an unhappy marriage. They also have to give up custody of their children and forfeit their property rights. USA Sharia Law, Its Practices and Problems - 30 Sep 03 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec03/sharia_9-29.html .. While critics of Sharia are calling for the separation of mosque and state in some Islamic countries, critics of Western legal systems also question the separation of church and state in countries including England, which has a state church. Some critics of America's use of the death penalty, including the United Nations and many European countries, argue that capital punishment is based on the biblical notion of "an eye for an eye." During a 2002 discussion on religion and the death penalty, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who supports the death penalty, pointed out that, historically, people in Western societies believed that governments were empowered by God and therefore had the right to impose harsh penalties.  "The core of [St. Paul's] message is that government, however you want to limit that concept, derives its moral authority from God. It is the minister of God with powers to revenge, to execute wrath, including even wrath by the sword, which is unmistakably a reference to the death penalty," he said. In arguing for the morality of the death penalty, Scalia said, "In the words of one of the Supreme Court's religion cases in the days when we understood the religion clauses better than I think we now do - we are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a supreme being." Scalia added that the emergence of democracy - which heralded the idea of the separation of church and state - challenged traditional ideas of government and its ability to enforce harsh punishment. Investigation of 'Terrorist Recruitment' Concerns Muslims  - 29 Sep 03 http://www.townhall.com/news/politics/200309/PEN20030929a.shtml .. Following the arrests of a Muslim chaplain and an Arabic translator for suspected spying at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility, two senators are calling for a full investigation of terrorists' attempts to recruit members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Muslim-American groups fear the investigation may become a "witch hunt" for followers of Islam. WORLD What Islam Says on Vegetarianism     - 01 Oct 03 http://www.islam-online.net/fatwaapplication/english/display.asp?hFatwaID=20496 .. First of all, it should be clear that one should not think that it is better to abstain from eating meat, that doing so will be rewarded, or that being a vegetarian is closer to Allah than not, and so on. It is not permitted to draw closer to Allah in this way. (Based on a Fatwa given by Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid). .. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi : Muslims are not vegetarianists. However, if someone prefers to eat vegetables, then he is allowed to do so. Allah has given us permission to eat meat of slaughtered animals, but He has not made it obligatory upon us.” YEMEN Yemen brings in Imams from al-Azhar to fight Islamic extremism - 03 Oc http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031003/2003100330.html .. Minister of religious affairs in Yemen Hammoud Abbas said yesterday that the government, in its effort to fight islamic extremism, brought in some 36 Egyptian Imams from al-Azhar to qualify its own Imams. The state run al-Wahda newspaper quoted Abbas as saying that the Imams have arrived in Yemen and will supervise the qualification of some 200 Yemeni clerics in all parts of the country. FINANCE Differences with conventional banks in joint-financed deals   - 02 Oct http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=99171 Qatar launches Sukuk Islamic Bond worth $700 million  - 01 Oct 03 http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&;month=October2003&file=Local_News200310013434.xml [Iraq] StanChart to set up shop in Baghdad next week   - 03 Oct 03 http://66.234.3.46/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/business/2003/October/business_October75.xml&;section=business .. He explained that as part of the Trade Bank Iraq consortium, Standard Chartered Bank would first be concentrating on opening letters of credit so to allow the inflow and outflow of funds for imports. This involved the installation of the SWIFT payments system and I.P. addresses for the first customers are already assigned, he added. "We will be assisting with treasury functions, Islamic banking and barter deals, indeed anything that will develop the flow of business. The two local banks are working very hard and we will work closely with them." GCC nations need to integrate into global economy: Expert - 01 Oct 03 http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Business_News&;month=October2003&file=Business_News2003100123041.xml .. The region and the [Gulf] GCC countries need to integrate into global economy to cope with huge investment requirements that has to be provided, .. Hisham Abdul Razzaq Al Razooqi, CEO, Gulf Investment Corporation said yesterday.  In a paper he presented at the ongoing seminar, he said the region is witnessing an increasing birth rate and a very high percentage of a young population averaging 15 years of age accounting for 40-45 per cent of the total population. Rating of Islamic Banking in Indonesia - 30 Sep 03 http://www.modalonline.com/mod.php?mod=publisher&;op=viewarticle&artid=98 .. MODAL magazine working together with Karim Business Consulting (KBC) made sharia banks rating 2003. This rating is based on the banks performance and their progress on first semester 2003. This time, there are three categories on rating. First, the most profitable sharia bank. Second, the fastest growing sharia bank. And, third, the most innovative sharia Bank. [..] Bahrain Grants License for KFH Arm  - 01 Oct 03 http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=Cp3Prqaicqu0TqKLAlujssuvguW .. Bahrain has granted a licence to Kuwait Finance House to operate an in-house investment consultancy firm, Baytik Investment Advisory. It becomes the first investment advisory service to be established in Bahrain by an Islamic bank. Hundreds of Indonesians Studying Shariah Banking in Middle East http://www.antara.co.id/e_berita.asp?id=106471&;th=2003 - 30 Sep 03  .. Indonesia has sent hundreds of students to Islamic countries in the Middle East to become Islamic banking experts.  "The students have been sent among others to the Al Azhar University in Cairo, in an effort to prepare experts in the shariah banking system which is expected to play an important role in the future," Religious Affairs Minister Said Agil Al Munawar said when dedicating a branch office of Bank Shariah Mandiri here on Tuesday. He said the government had also entered into cooperation with the governments of Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen and Lebanon in the effort. Zeti: Malaysia needs more retakaful players       - 30 Sep 03 http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2003/9/30/business/6386183&;sec=business .. There is still a dearth in the number of players providing the retakaful facility, resulting in takaful operators ceding to conventional reinsurers, Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said.  "While this has become a common practice, ideally more competitive retakaful operators who provide reinsurance in accordance with Syariah principles need to be established so that the takaful industry would not be dependent indefinitely on conventional reinsurance as the conduit to which they can mitigate risk," she said. Zeti said this in her keynote address at the International Conference on Islamic Insurance (Takaful) in London last Friday. Her speech text was released in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Al-Watania strengthens presence in Africa - 02 Oct 03 http://www.ameinfo.com/news/Detailed/28916.html .. Following its successful entry into Sudan in March 2003, Al-Watania Poultry – the largest poultry project in the Middle East and one of the largest of its kind in the world- announced that its volume of exports to Sudan has tripled from 20 to 60 metric tonnes of frozen chicken per month. .. Al Watania Poultry project is the largest of its kind in the Middle East and one of the world's biggest projects in poultry and related products domain. Operating out of Qassim in KSA and employing 6,500 people, Al Watania Poultry enjoys a 40% market share in the KSA, producing 500,000 chickens a day and 1 million eggs a day. Al Watania chicken are naturally fed and halal slaughtered according to the Islamic Sharia'a laws. [*]  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] 10:03:37 PM    comment []