Sharia News Watch 104 : a collection newsquotes on Sharia, for
research & educational purposes only. [*] Shortcut URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shariawatch/message/104
The Sharia Newswatch provides a regular 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/
BAHRAIN
Bahrain quietly pushes reforms, democratisation as new order emerges
in the region - 13 Feb 04
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=110756
CUBA
Muslims awaiting approve for mosque construction - 12 Feb 04
http://www.islamicnews.org/english/en_daily.html#_Toc64365892
..
The Muslims of Cuba are still awaiting approval for the construction
of a mosque in which they could perform their worship, notwithstanding
the fact that permission for the construction of a number of churches
has already been given during the last few years. So far, the Cuban
Government has turned down all such requests from the Makkah-based
Muslim World League (MWL), as well as from the Latin American Islamic
Organization. At present the Muslim are meeting for prayers at the
Arab House, an Arab cultural center in the capital, Havana, or in
their homes. There are around 1,000 Muslims in Cuba, out of a total
population of 11,000,000.
CHECHNYA
Saudi warlord leads Russian bombers - 08 Feb 04
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,1-993767,00.html
..
Abu-al-Walid al-Ghamidi, 36, has been identified by the FSB, the
Russian intelligence service, as one of the most powerful figures in
the Chechen rebel leadership. As the commander of several hundred
Arabs fighting alongside the rebels, he is thought to have been
responsible for a wave of suicide bomb attacks that have killed more
than 200 people in just over a year.
..
Amir Abu al-Walid and the Islamic component of the Chechen war
http://www.religioscope.info/article_88.shtml - 26 Feb 04
EGYPT
Unwanted life - 11 Feb 04
http://www.cairotimes.com/content/archiv07/abortion0747.html
..
On 6 January, Al Azhar released a fatwa which said that "it is
impermissible for the mother to induce abortion if it is proven that
the fetus is deformed or suffers from mental retardation... It is not
a justifiable excuse." This fatwa only adds to the already existing
religious doctrine that forbids abortion. However, these religious
rulings, compounded by cultural traditions, have not stopped
abortions. They have only made them unsafe.
..
Another study by the Population Council, an international public
health research group, extrapolated the rate of post-abortion
treatment in Egyptian public hospitals to find the overall abortion
rate. After studying over 22,000 admissions to hospital gynecology
departments, the researchers found that out of every 100 pregnancies,
15 were ended by induced abortion. Nearly all of these abortions are
done illegally. Egypt's prohibition on abortion stems from a verse in
the Quran that forbids parents from killing their children. It is
reinforced by a hadith that details the stages of pregnancy.
The hadith says that 120 days after conception, God sends an angel to
breathe life into the fetus, giving it both a heartbeat and soul.
"The legal position on abortion is very clear," says Makram Nasif, a
lawyer with the Court of Cassation. He says they are illegal from the
moment of conception and are only permitted when the woman’s life is
in immediate danger. The illegality of abortion in Egypt is a
relatively recent phenomenon, however. According to the authors of the
landmark book Planning the Family in Egypt, medieval Muslim texts
contain "descriptions of female contraceptive methods and
abortificants," suggesting that the practices were once widespread. In
addition, there was popular acceptance of abortion in Egyptian society
until it was outlawed by Muhammad Ali in the 1830s in order to
increase the male population available for his armies.
..
The rate of post-abortion treatment in hospitals shows just how
dangerous these [illegal abortion] methods can be. More than half of
all admissions to gynecology wards in Egyptian public hospitals are
for post-abortion care.
..
In addition to health problems, unwanted pregnancies and abortions
bring shame to the family name. In the case of unwed mothers, the
father of the household is often blamed for not properly raising or
controlling his daughter. .. Unwanted pregnancies are often the
result of rape or incest. But even in these cases, abortion is not
permitted. If a woman has an abortion after being raped, "she will be
responsible for this crime before God," says Nasif.
..
Only education about contraceptives and reproductive health, she says,
can reduce abortion rates. Breaking through the religious and cultural
barriers is not easy, however. "Virginity belongs to the family," she
says, not to the woman. "The key question is 'who controls a woman's
body?' " According to Islam, the human body belongs to God, and
according to tradition, a woman belongs to her father before marriage
and her husband after marriage. "It is this sense of family honor,
which comes from our blend of Islam and Arab and African culture that
prevents women from understanding their own bodies," says Bibars.
"The problems we have with abortion, the problems with promoting
contraception and women's health, these are all symptoms of this
obsession with honor. It's so stupid," she adds under her breath.
..
There are no groups in Egypt that currently deal specifically with
abortion. "It is impossible for NGOs to take on the issue," says
Bibars. "There will be too many obstacles. You would be terrorized by
everyone, and probably shut down in the end." Instead, groups like
ADEW [Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women] focus
on educating women about contraceptive methods as a way to reduce
unwanted pregnancy and the resulting abortions.
FRANCE
Ban on Religious Apparel Advances in France - 10 Feb 04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/10/international/europe/10CND-FRAN.html
..
The vote [in parliament] by a 494-36 margin, with 31 abstentions, came
hours after Minister of National Education Luc Ferry said that the law
will stretch much further than religious symbols and require all
students to attend physical education classes and accept what is
taught on the Holocaust and human reproduction.
..
The draft law bans "ostensibly" religious signs that have been defined
by President Jacques Chirac and a blue-ribbon governmental advisory
commission as Islamic head scarves, Christian crosses that are too
large in size and Jewish skullcaps. Sikh turbans are also likely to be
included. But the legislation also includes a lengthy preamble that
demands that public schools must be "protected" and guarantee total
equality including "coeducation of all teachings, particularly in
sports and physical education." Schools, it said, are "the best tool
for planting the roots of the republican idea." Today, Mr. Ferry made
clear that religious beliefs could not be used as an excuse to avoid
gym or biology classes and that questioning the veracity of the
Holocaust would not be tolerated.
..
The law does not specifically deal with the issue of students'
behavior, but Mr. Ferry said that the preamble would require students
to follow the official curriculum that is used throughout France.
In the Europe 1 interview, Mr. Ferry did not single out Muslims for
censure, but he did not have to. Most Orthodox Jewish schoolchildren
who would object to mixed-sex gym and biology classes, for example, go
to private Jewish schools that are already sex-segregated, keep kosher
kitchens and teach the Torah. The first -- and only -- private Muslim
high school in all of France opened last fall in Lille.
..
Former Education Minister Francois Bayrou, head of the small,
center-right Union for French Democracy, abstained, as did most of his
party, saying it would be difficult to enforce. As minister, Bayrou
wrote an advisory ruling for school principals urging them to deal
with Muslim headscarves on a case-by- case basis. Alain Madelin, one
of the few members of Mr. Chirac's governing Union for a Popular
Movement, to vote no, said in an interview published today in the
popular Tablois Le Parisien, "At best it's a useless law; at worse
it's a dangerous law."
..
in a telephone interview, Dalil Boubakeur, the head of the Paris
Mosque and an umbrella organization of Muslim groups in France,
praised today's vote as "impressive" and a "buffer" against Muslim
fundamentalists intruding into French secular institutions. "Those who
wanted to Islamize the institutions like schools or hospitals have
been stopped," he said. "Those who wanted to import a non-secular
vision will now bump against this secular law. It's a buffer."
GERMANY
[Hesse] German State Proposes New Hijab Ban - 12 Feb 04
http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2004-02/12/article08.shtml
..
The dominant party in a German state has proposed a ban on Muslim
civil servants wearing hijab, claiming that the covering is a
political rather than religious statement, according to a press
report. The conservative Christian Democrats' leader in the state
legislature, Franz-Josef Jung, argued that the headscarf is a
political rather than a religious signal and a symbol of repression,
The Guardian reported Wednesday, February 11. The party, which has a
majority in Hesse, hopes to push its so-called "bill to secure state
neutrality" through by the summer. The measure, the paper said, goes
further than three other states' proposals to outlaw hijab for public
school teachers.
INDIA
[Mumbai] Muslim priest bans music in marriages - 14 Feb 04
http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/feb/14muslim.htm
..
[Zafar Ahmed, the imam of Juma Masjid, Cheetah Camp] has clout that
very few imams can boast off in the metropolis. Reason? He gave a call
six months ago to ban music in Muslim marriages in the Cheetah Camp
area. Other maulvis in the area have also issued similar fatwas though
they are from different sects of Islam, -- Deobandi, Barelvi, Shahfi
and Al Hadees. Result: For the last six months, music has been absent
at all Muslim marriages in the area and no one is complaining. Cheetah
Camp is located in northeastern Mumbai and has a population of around
150,000 people, nearly 80 per cent of who are Muslims working as
either artisans or daily wage workers. "We found that our Muslim
brethren were creating too much of noise by playing music on
loudspeakers. This is un-Islamic and at the same time disturbs the
entire neighbourhood. So we issued a fatwa stating that maulvis from
our area won't conduct Muslim marriages if they play music," says
Ahmed.
..
Asked didn't he feel that this was Talibanisation and a threat to
Muslims who want to celebrate their marriages with music, Ahmed says,
"We are not like the Taliban. We are not boycotting such families
socially. We only boycott their marriages. This is mentioned in our
hadith and shariah (Islamic law) that music should be not played
during marriages, which are supposed to be very simple affairs and
without wasteful expenditure. So, we are only propagating the view of
our religion." A staunch follower of the Deobandi school of thought,
which does not believe in playing music or watching television, Ahmed
has never watched television and prevents his six children also from
doing so.
..
Ahmed believes the media has blown their diktat out of proportion and
is misreporting the entire event. "They wrote that we are giving
instructions like Al Qaeda to our Muslim brothers. This is not true.
The change at the ground level has been tremendous in the last six
months ever since the ban was imposed. We have small lanes and bylanes
in our area. The houses are very close to each other. People don't
quarrel with their neighbours at the time of weddings as they used to
do earlier. So in our locality is peaceful during weddings," he adds.
IRAQ
U.N. Team, Cleric at Odds Over Iraq Vote - 12 Feb 04
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V5152.AP-Iraq.html
..
U.S. officials say they're willing to adjust the caucuses plan but
oppose any delay in the handover [of power]. Al-Sistani calls the
caucuses undemocratic and says it's possible to properly organize a
ballot before the deadline. Officials in al-Sistani's office refused
to comment on Wednesday's meeting. The Arab newspaper Al-Hayat cited
sources close to al-Sistani saying that if experts feel elections can
be properly organized within 10 months, he is willing to delay the
handover of sovereignty--or to carry out just a partial handover--long
enough to allow the vote to take place. If 10 months were not enough
for a fair vote, al-Sistani proposes a system of proposing candidates
to be put to a referendum, Al-Hayat said.
U.S. May Veto Islamic Law in Iraq - 16 Feb 04
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/sns-ap-iraq-women,0,3224402.story
..
The top U.S. administrator in Iraq suggested Monday he would block any
interim constitution that would make Islam the chief source of law, as
some members of the Iraqi Governing Council have sought.
L. Paul Bremer said the current draft of the constitution would make
Islam the state religion of Iraq and "a source of inspiration for the
law" -- as opposed to the main source.
..
Bremer used the inauguration ceremony at a women's center in the
southern city of Karbala to argue for more than "token" women's
representation in the transitional government due to take power June
30.
..
Mohsen Abdel-Hamid, the current council president and a member of a
committee drafting the interim constitution, has proposed making
Islamic sharia law the "principal basis" of legislation. The phrasing
could have broad effects on secular Iraq. In particular, it would
likely make moot much of Iraq's 1959 Law of Personal Status, which
grants uniform rights to husband and wife to divorce and inheritance,
and governs related issues like child support. Under most
interpretations of Islamic law, women's rights to seek divorce are
strictly limited and they only receive half the inheritance of men.
Islamic law also allows for polygamy and often permits marriage of
girls at a younger age than secular law. In December, the council
passed a decision abolishing the 1959 law and allowing each of the
main religious groups to apply its own tradition -- including Islamic
law. Many Iraqi women expressed alarm at the decision, and Bremer has
not signed it into law.
Iraqi Ulemma issue fatwa against violence - 14 Feb 04
http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/archives/2004_02_01_healingiraq_archive.html#107678180312859737
..
Several Iraqi Muslim clerics, from both the Sunni and Shi'ite sects,
issued a collective fatwa against inter-Iraqi violence,
asssasinations, and terrorist attacks.
..
"Unity between all Muslims is a legal duty above all others, and that
any statement or action which may result in weakening or dividing the
Umma is absolutely prohibited legally, and that a Muslim's blood is
haram (forbidden) on his brother Muslim, according to the honourable
Hadith: "A Muslim is haram on a Muslim: his honour, his possessions,
and his blood". Therefore, any attacks or aggressions against Iraqis,
their scientists and intellectuals, their mosques and holy places are
legal sins which no true Muslim should commit. It is our legal duty as
Ulemma and heralds of the Umma to emphasize the spirit of tolerance,
unity, and harmony, and to warn against division and dispersion, and
any statement or deed which may lead to them, not taking into
consideration the interest of the Umma.
Shia Building Economic Power - 14 Feb 04
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-woshia0215,0,1491281.story
..
Ahmed's friend and business partner, Mahmoud Khozai, 40, explained
that the Shia business community must rely on good relations with
leaders of the sect's religious hierarchy. "The businessman needs the
religious powers to support him," said Khozai, who is starting work on
setting up an airline for ITI. "They need the ayatollahs. For people
to trust these business people they need good relations with the
ayatollahs." Iraq's powerful Shia clergy have something to gain from
the businessmen, too: Shia tradition holds that a man must give 20
percent of his income to the poor, usually through the clergy. One
Shia imam in Baghdad was cagey about whether the 20-percent donations,
known as khoumous, have increased since the end of the war but implied
that they have. "When there is little money, there is little
khoumous," said Sayed Muslim Sayed Taher al-Haidar, of the Husseinia
Albu Jumaa mosque in the Karada neighborhood. "When there is a lot of
money, a lot of people will pay khoumous." During the Hussein years,
the regime expelled Shia businessmen, seized their property and
divided up the most lucrative businesses among members and friends of
Hussein's family and tribe. Now many of those regime-era Sunni
businessmen have fled the country or are no longer able to divvy up
the Iraqi economy as they once did. Into that gap are stepping Kurdish
and Shia businessmen who are beginning to take advantage of the newly
open market and the large reconstruction projects under way in Iraq.
Unemployed plan Protests - 12 Feb 04
http://www.juancole.com/2004_02_01_juancole_archive.html#107657558182476098
..
Al-Zaman reports that the Union of Unemployed Workers has decided to
begin its demonstrations outside the headquarters of the Coalition
Provisional Authority and the Interim governing Council again on the
coming Sunday. These demonstrations were common last fall, and
sometimes turned a bit violent. Although estimates for Iraqi
unemployment have fallen, the rate is still extremely high. (In the
Great Depression in the US, 25 percent of workers were unemployed. In
Iraq now it is probably 45 percent). In the meantime, the Iraqi
ministry of labor has issued a report saying that 5 million Iraqis, or
20 percent of the population, are living in dire poverty.
[weblog] Where is Raed ? :: Tuesday, February 10, 2004 ::
http://dear_raed.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_dear_raed_archive.html
..
I walked thru Karada street [Bagdad] last night only to be surprised
by men standing in the middle of an intersection giving away sweets
and candy to people in cars and a couple of kids with what was
supposed to be fireworks. Karada (which is a predominantly Shai
neighborhood) was full of signs congratulating the Shia nation on the
occasion of the Eid al-Ghadeer (Eid is a religious celebration). Not
wanting to look like an idiot I took the candy, shook hands with the
nice gentlemen and ran home to my in-house Shia expert, my Mom. She
gave me the strangest answer ever: "oh yes, Ghadeer, of course. You
have to go find and kiss 7 [illwiya]s. It will bring you good luck" –
illwiya is a female descendant from the family of the prophet.
..
They were the people who have and are still trying to assert the right
of the Prophet’s descendents to lead the Muslim community. And Eid al
Ghadeer is a big thing because they plaster the streets that bit from
Muhammad’s speech “Man Kuntu Mowlahu fa haza Aliyun Mowlahu - this Ali
is the mawla of all those of whom I am mawla”.
..
On the long list of things that I have not seen or experienced before
the fall of Saddam I can now add a new item, Eid al-Ghadeer. Happy Eid
al-Ghadeer to you all.
..
Every year right after the Haj ceremonies the Saudi Government make
sure that the pilgrims from Shia nations are on the move and not
anywhere near the Ghadeer where that speech took place. Just imagine
it, A celebration of Shia legitimacy in a Sunni country;
Advertising boards spring up in Baghdad - 13 Feb 04
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/business/?id=8876
..
A panoply of advertising boards have sprung up in Baghdad in recent
weeks, a sign of the growing liberalisation of the economy after
decades of state control under Saddam Hussein's Baath party.
..
Another source of revenue comes from the abolition of the ban on
advertising tobacco, alcohol and women's garments that were imposed by
the ousted regime.
..
The old regulations also stipulated that Arabic should be the main
language used in ads, said Ibrahim, whose office is full with posters
of trade-mark signs and projects for shop-front advertising in
English. "Every street corner or building wall is now used," while in
the past the location was subject to specific approval. "I'm ready to
print anything," he said. Contracts are also flowing into his office
because local television and press advertising is still embryonic.
..
The four local television companies, run by the Kurds, Christians,
Islamic groups and the US-led coalition "don't have the means or the
will to relaunch small-screen advertising," he said.
Basra's musicians fight Shiite radicals - 10 Feb 04
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/culture/?id=8829
..
Famous across Iraq for their mesmerising sea shanties, musicians in
southern Iraq's Basra port who have endured conflict and poverty under
Saddam Hussein are facing a new threat from Islamic radicals who want
to silence their instruments. Grenade attacks blamed on Shiite
extremists have already targeted the cluster of shops crammed with
drums, lutes and trumpets in the backstreets of old Basra's Semar
district, where musicians meet to practice and take bookings. Concert
halls and clubs in the city have also been shuttered by religious
leaders in the city, which lies in Iraq's Shiite Muslim heartland,
flexing their muscles after years being held back by Saddam's largely
secular regime.
..
Denied public performances, Nasrir's 15-man Al-Suror, or Happiness,
band and some 130 other singers and musicians in Basra must now rely
for business on weddings and birthday parties held in private homes.
Although there have been no official proclamations to stop their work,
the performers fear the worst, with several closing down their
businesses.
..
Dozens of Shiite movements have sprung up in and around Basra, which
has remained largely free of the violence still gripping much of Iraq.
The Shiite political groups have taken much of the credit for
maintaining law and order, with several deploying their own militias
to deter criminals and ensure the will of the newly-powerful clerics.
Abdullah al-Faisal, general secretary of the Organisation of Islamic
Bases, one of the most feared Shiite political militia groups in
Basra, denied that intimidation tactics were being used, blaming
"enemies of Iraq" for attacks on musicians and minority Christian
alcohol vendors.
KENYA
No extra roles for Kadhis courts - 13 Feb 04
http://www.eastandard.net/headlines/news1302200429.htm
..
Kadhis courts will not be entrenched in the new Constitution if the
Bomas Constitutional Conference accepts the recommendations of the
drafters. According to the drafters and the Final Technical Committee,
who have been meeting in Mombasa, Kadhis courts should retain the
legal status they enjoy today. Their recommendations are, however, not
final and will be tabled before the Bomas plenary on Thursday for
further deliberations. Named Draft Zero, it has been prepared by the
convenors and drafters who concluded their work at Leisure Lodge in
the South Coast yesterday. The suggestion that there be Kadhis Courts
of Appeal has also been removed from the final draft. Similarly
omitted from this document, are suggestions by Muslims that those to
be appointed to the Kadhis courts be graduates with higher Islamic
education. According to the recommendations, the Kadhis courts will
remain subordinate courts, dealing only with issues of personal status
such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and succession among Muslims.
There have been suggestions that the jurisdiction of Kadhis courts be
widened to include issues such as crime among Muslims. But the draft
proposes the creation of a Supreme Court, which will be the highest
court in the land.
KUWAIT
Writer jailed for private lecture on Islamic Studies - 12 Feb 04
http://www.indexonline.org/indexindex/20040212_kuwait.shtml
..
A one-year prison sentence was handed down to writer, journalist and
researcher Yasser al-Habib on 20 January 2004, when he was reportedly
convicted of 'questioning the conduct and integrity of some of the
companions of the prophet Muhammad' in a lecture he had delivered.
Al-Habib, who has worked for several Arabic-language newspapers,
including the monthly al-Menbar (The Pulpit), was abducted in Kuwait
City on 30 November 2003 by unknown individuals and taken away in an
unmarked vehicle. His family was not informed that he had been
detained by security forces until the following day. Al-Habib was
reportedly arrested in connection with an audio cassette recording of
a lecture he gave to a small audience in a private lecture on Islamic
historical issues. His research is believed to have relied heavily on
Wahhabi references and texts, and is said to have angered hardline
Wahhabi groups who have used their influence within the establishment
to bring about the maximum punishment against al-Habib. .. Al-Habib
has reportedly been subject to several orchestrated violent attacks in
prison by Wahhabi inmates.
MALAYSIA
[Selangor] Sisters in Islam sets up legal clinic in PJ [Petaling Jaya]
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/2/16/nation/7325131
.. - 16 Feb 04
Sisters in Islam (SIS) has set up a legal clinic to help communities
who would be affected by legal and policy reform. Ever since SIS
started a legal column in Utusan Malaysia in April 2002, they have
received many enquiries and requests for assistance. "Women have been
approaching us for help because we are active in promoting women's
rights in Islam."
..
"Some clients had gone to the religious departments or other bodies
for assistance but they came back to us for further clarification,"
said SIS legal officer Nora Murat at the launch of the clinic on
Friday. She said SIS did not give counselling but focussed on telling
their clients their rights and how they could obtain legal redress.
..
The SIS office, which has moved from Kuala Lumpur to No 25, Jalan 5/31
here, had handled 600 such cases last year. Nora said that most of the
women seeking help were married and wanted to know their rights in
cases of divorce, division of property, and custody and maintenance of
children.
[Perak] Do not celebrate Valentine's Day, Muslims warned - 13 Feb 04
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/2/13/nation/7304892
..
Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Harrusani Zakaria has warned Muslims that they
can be considered apostates if they celebrate Valentine's Day, Utusan
Malaysia reported. Quoting Harrusani, the daily said those who
celebrate Valentine's Day could be considered as apostates based on a
hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad), which states that "one who
follows the acts of another, would belong to the other group (Sesiapa
yang melakukan perbuatan yang menyerupai sesuatu kaum itu, maka ia
turut termasuk bersama golongan tersebut)." Harrusani also said the
act of celebrating Valentine's Day was against Islamic teachings,
particularly if it was related to commemorating, as stated in ancient
Rome history, the death of a priest. "We Muslims do not need such a
culture or practice, which is clearly against the teachings of our
religion, Furthermore, the teachings of Islam is complete, perfect and
credible," he added. Harussani was commenting on the attitude of many
Muslims youths in the country, who are still inclined to celebrate
Valentine's Day although many views had been given by the ulama on the
matter.
[Terengganu] Imams can make political speeches in Friday sermons
http://beta.yellowbrix.com/pages/beta/Story.nsp?story_id=46949129
.. [New Straits Times] - 11 Feb 04
An imam is allowed to make disparaging remarks on individuals who have
sinned and can take to the pulpit to deliver political speeches in his
Friday sermons, Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said today.
He said a sermon was a medium to propagate a better understanding of
Islam in its entirety and should not be restricted to the religious
aspects. Hadi, who is Terengganu Menteri Besar, said this in an
apparent reference to an alleged incident in Permatang Pauh, Penang,
recently where a preacher ridiculed the death of rape-cum-murder
victim Nurul Huda Gani in his Friday sermon.
..
Hadi said Pas would not sack any imam who used Friday sermons to
spread party influence or who made remarks on individuals. "Our guide
is solely based on Islamic teachings. We know what is right and wrong.
We are unlike the Federal Government who will sack an imam it believes
had caused disunity," he added.
MALI
Mali: Snippet on spread of Islam in cities - 13 Feb 04
http://www.islamicnews.org/english/en_daily.html#_Toc64453370
..
Timbuktu is among a number of cities in this country that have
contributed to the development of Islamic civilization, and to the
strengthening of the Islamic identity among the various communities
and tribes of this country. It is recorded that Mali was among the
countries that saw the dawn of Islam since the eighth century of the
Gregorian calendar, when Arab caravaneers started to visit the
country, many of eventually opted to settle in it. Islam first took
root in some of Mali’s important cities, such as Timbuktu, Janat, and
others, which still bear Islamic characters and landmarks, but later
it started to spread to other parts of the country. The Niger River
was of great help in moving goods and people to various parts of the
country, and this enabled Timbuktu, situated on the banks of the
river, to transform itself from a point of rest and relaxation to a
trading post of substantial significance, where goods of various kinds
were exchanged. These included ivory, gold, hides and skins, and
others, mostly destined for the Egyptian and Moroccan markets. This
trade exchanging had been going on since 1322 AD, during the era of
Emperor Kankan, the era in which Timbuktu prospered. Then Timbuktu
went on to develop as a center for education and learning, to which
many students, from various parts of West and North Africa came, and
at one time there were 120,000 students and 180 Qur’an Madrasas in the
city, says the historian Leon the African.
..
There are a number of other cities in Mali that have, over the years,
developed into centers of Islamic learning and bear landmarks of
bygone Islamic eras and their cultural impact on their people.
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand: Snippet on Islam - 12 Feb 04
http://www.islamicnews.org/english/en_daily.html#_Toc64365890
NIGERIA
[Bauchi] Nigerians charged with removing boy's eyes - 11 Feb 04
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2811618a12,00.html
..
Four Nigerian men have been charged with plucking out the eyes of a
13-year-old schoolboy for use in witchcraft, the state news agency
reports. They face charges ranging from criminal conspiracy to
grievous bodily harm and permanent disfigurement for the attack on the
boy, who was taken to hospital in the northeastern state of Bauchi.
Police suspect the attack was commissioned by one of the defendants to
make a charm believed to make people invisible. The case will be heard
by an Islamic court in Bauchi on February 18, the News Agency of
Nigeria said today (NZT). If found guilty, the defendants could have
their own eyes removed under the Islamic sharia code, the agency
added.
[Bauchi] Sharia Commission Issues Ultimatum to Liquor Dealers - 11 Feb
http://allafrica.com/stories/200402110645.html [P.M. News - Lagos]
..
Bauchi Sharia Commission has given liquor dealers in the state a
one-week ultimatum to either close their businesses or face the wrath
of the law.
..
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that in spite of the several
efforts made by the Commission to stop the liquor dealers from their
trade they are still turning deaf ears to it. NAN also learnt that the
dealers were recently given a soft loan of N25 million by the state
government to undertake new businesses. NAN, however, gathered that
most of those who collected the loan have continued with their liquor
businesses, in spite of repeated warnings. More than half of the 300
liquor dealers who benefitted from the loan had since fled the state.
[Kano] Amnesty International told to 'stop interfering' - 11 Feb 04
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=31026
..
The warning by the Jama'atu Nasril Islam (JNI), the umbrella body for
Nigeria's Muslims, followed Tuesday's report by Amnesty condemning the
use of the death penalty in 12 northern Nigerian states where the
Sharia legal system is in operation. JNI spokesperson Zubairu Jibrin
told a local radio in a report monitored in Kano that the rights group
is hiding under the guise of human rights to attack Islam or the
Sharia legal system.
[Katsina] Sharia: Hotels, Brothels Ordered Shut - 13 Feb 04
http://www.thisdayonline.com/news/20040213sta05.html
..
The Katsina State Government has ordered all Local government chairmen
to close down all hotels and brothels within their local councils in
compliance with the full implementation of Sharia in the state. The
order to close down hotels and brothels in the sixty four local
councils in the state was given by the state acting governor, Alhaji
Abdullai Aminchi following complaints received from local committees
of sharia implementation during the monthly meeting of the committee
chaired by the state deputy governor on Tuesday. According to the new
order, the committees have been mandated to monitor the food vendors
who usually use their abode to commit all sorts of atrocities which
runs counter to sharia code in the state. The meeting agreed to set up
a six-man committee to put into writing the sharia code in Hausa
language and Aljemir Islamic words and to circulate it round the local
councils to enable people to know all the offences the sharia code
forbids. The meeting also condemned the playing of local cha-cha in
which some of the players used money in exchange of such things which
the meeting believed is contrary to sharia code in general.
PAKISTAN
Loopholes in law helping honour killing' - 13 Feb 04
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_13-2-2004_pg7_32
Govt undecided on Hudood laws - 11 Feb 04
http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en53468&;F
..
With the controversial Hudood Ordinance completing 25 years of their
enactment on Tuesday, the federal government is yet to adopt a firm
stance on the fate of the laws. Five Hudood laws were introduced on
Feb 10, 1979, by the then Zia regime that had enacted various other
laws for "Islamizing the criminal justice system".
..
These laws are: Offence Against Property (Enforcement of Hudood)
Ordinance, 1979. It deals with crimes of theft and armed robberies.
Offence of Zina Ordinance deals with the offences of rape, adultery,
fornication, etc. Offence of Qazf Order relates to false accusation of
Zina. The Prohibition Order deals with the manufacture, possession
and use of intoxicants, including alcohol and narcotics. The Execution
of Punishment of Whipping Ordinance prescribes the mode of whipping
for those convicted under the Hudood laws. Though the laws remained
controversial throughout their existence, yet none of successive
governments, including those of PPP and PML-N, tried to either repeal
these laws or to amend them for removing controversial provisions,
said a local NGO activist.
..
The issue has come under limelight again after the NCSW recommended
recently repeal of these laws. The commission had set up a committee
in 2002 after the famous case in which an additional district and
sessions judge in Kohat had sentenced Zafran Bibi to death by stoning
under the Zina Ordinance.
..
Musharraf wants open debate on hudood law - 11 Feb 04
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_11-2-2004_pg1_1
..
President Musharraf also called for debate on the country's Hudood
Ordinance, which mostly deal with crimes of adultery and rape and are
widely considered discriminatory towards women. The laws were
introduced by late military dictator general Ziaul Haq as part of an
Islamisation drive during the 1980s and Islamists stridently support
them as sacred laws. Under the laws, a rape victim has to produce four
witnesses in court to testify that they saw the woman being assaulted;
otherwise she can be tried on charges of wilful adultery while the
rapist goes free. "It's not a question of violating the Quran and
Sunnah, but there is a need for their correct interpretation. The
Hudood Ordinance is our creation. It was created during the Zia
regime," he said. He asked why Pakistanis were not willing to openly
debate the Hudood Ordinance. "Why this taboo? We must show ourselves
as a progressive Islamic society and develop consensus by following
Ijma (consensus) and Ijtehad (reasoning)," he said urging female
lawmakers to take up the matter at appropriate forums.
LHC validates love marriage - 14 Feb 04
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_14-2-2004_pg10_2
..
Lahore High Court on Friday validated a marriage that took place
without the permission of the wife’s parents. Fatima Hasan and Ahmed
married on December 13, 2003, but the parents of Ms Hasan lodged a
criminal case saying the consent of the parents was necessary for the
marriage. The court declared the marriage legal and directed Okara
Sadar Police to quash the case registered under the Hudood Ordinance
against the couple. In another case, the LHC on Friday validated the
marriage of Gull Naz and Faqir Wasif who married each other on
November 6, 2003 without the permission of the parents of Ms Naz. Her
parents had lodged a criminal case saying the consent of the parents
is necessary.
PALESTINE
Palestinian journalists protest attacks on them by "Fatah gunmen"
http://beta.yellowbrix.com/pages/beta/Story.nsp?story_id=46853301
.. [The Jerusalem Post web site on 8 February]
Alarmed by a rise in the number of attacks on journalists, the
Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate and human rights groups have once
again appealed to the Palestinian [National] Authority to take stiff
measures against perpetrators. The journalists are also planning a
one-day strike later this week to protest against the attacks, all of
which have been carried out by Fatah gunmen.
Mufti shoulders Israeli authorities responsibility for road collapse
http://www.islamicnews.org/english/en_daily.html#_Toc64707400
.. - 16 Feb 04
Sheikh Ikrima Sabry, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, who
is also the head of the Supreme Islamic Commission, has said that the
Israeli authorities should be held responsible for the collapse of a
portion of the road that leaders to the Moroccan Gate, one of the
pathways leading to the Aqsa Mosque. He attributed this to the
unending excavations that are being carried out by the Israelis on
that road. He said on several occasions he had issued such a warning
about the dangers paused by these excavations, adding that the Israeli
authorities and the extremist Jews do not hide their intention of
wanting to demolish the Aqsa Mosque.
"Martyr" faces haunt West Bank print shop - 09 Feb 04
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&;storyID=454545
..
The grimy, dimly-lit shop is one of two in Jenin that print what are
known as "martyr" posters, which eulogise Palestinians who have killed
or been killed in the conflict with Israel and cover almost every wall
in town.
..
Since then, Abu Hamza, 24, has printed posters commemorating the
deaths of more than 100 of his neighbours, some of them friends or
acquaintances. Fearing reprisals, he agreed to be interviewed only if
an alias was used to hide his identity. He offers one-stop shopping, a
necessity considering the posters have to be up within hours to meet
Islamic rules for quick burial. "Sometimes gunmen call me out of bed."
..
If the dead person is a militant, his faction commissions the work. Al
Aqsa is his biggest repeat customer. It picks the photo. The family
has no say. When a non-combatant is killed, a coalition of local
Islamic charities pays for the print run.
..
In his work, he draws no distinction between suicide bombers who
target Israeli civilians, gunmen killed fighting Israeli soldiers and
unarmed bystanders shot dead during tank raids. "Each one is a sacred
'shahid'," Abu Hamza said, using the Arabic word for martyr, defined
by Islam as one who dies during "jihad", or holy war, a guarantee of
instant entry to paradise.
[Gaza] Al-Aqsa explodes in bomb plotter's face - 08 Feb 04
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&;cid=1076233681027
..
Shokeh was believed to be head of Hamas's military wing in Central
Gaza. He was also the lover of suicide bomber who blew herself up at
the Erez Checkpoint, killing three soldiers and one civilian and
leaving behind two children. After Reem Salah al-Rayashi's husband
discovered the affair, her erstwhile lover apparently supplied her
with explosives and chose the place where she should kill herself and
any Israelis she could take along with her. Hamas said that an Arab
Israeli who had supplied Shokeh with an army uniform gave him a model
of Al-Aqsa Mosque as a gift. A few hours later, the model exploded,
killing its new owner.
SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia Says Valentine's Day Incurs God's Ire - 13 Feb 04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=4353365
..
Saudi Arabia's religious authorities have ordered Muslims to shun the
"pagan" holiday of Valentine's Day so as not to incur God's wrath, the
local al-Riyadh newspaper said Friday. "It is a pagan Christian
holiday and Muslims who believe in God and Judgment Day should not
celebrate or acknowledge it or congratulate (people on it). It is a
duty to shun it to avoid God's anger and punishment," said an edict
issued by Saudi Arabia's fatwa committee published in the
Arabic-language daily. "There are only two holidays in Islam -- Eid
al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha -- and any other holidays, whether to
celebrate an individual, group or event, are inventions which Muslims
are banned from," said the committee, headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh
Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh.
Saudi clerics discuss "martyrdom", jihad on TV talkshow - 12 Feb 04
http://beta.yellowbrix.com/pages/beta/Story.nsp?story_id=47034545
..
"The lawful shedding of blood" in Islam and how its relation to
"martyrdom" operations was the topic of discussion on Saudi TV's "With
the events" programme broadcast on 10 February. The guests were
Ministry of Islamic Affairs preacher Shaykh Muhammad Ibn-Ahmad
al-Fayfi and Riyadh's Khalid Ibn-al-Walid Mosque preacher and imam
Shaykh Sultan Ibn-Abd al-Rahman al-Id. The presenter was Dr Muhammad
al-Uwayni. [..]
SINGAPORE
Azhar Shiekh Supports Singapore's Hijab Ban - 12 Feb 04
http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2004-02/12/article01.shtml
..
Continuing a trend deemed controversial by many and one that exposed
him to bitter criticism, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohammad Sayed
Tantawi has said that Singapore has the right to force a ban on hijab
in the country's schools. "Singapore has the right to impose a unified
code of dress, which also bars students from wearing hijab," Tantawi
said after a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Tong in Cairo
Wednesday, February 11.
..
Tantawi, the head of the world's largest Sunni refrence, had earlier
sparked outcry among world Muslims after saying in December that
France had the right to ban hijab in state schools and Muslim women
living in France can take it off if forced by the necessity.
UGANDA
Scribes Welcome Supreme Ruling [The Monitor - Kampala]
http://allafrica.com/stories/200402120133.html - 12 Feb 04
..
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously yesterday that Section 50, which
criminalises publication of false news, was inconsistent with the 1995
Constitution. "Now it's official," Niju's Nabusayi said in a statement
yesterday, "Section 50 of the Penal Code Act must be struck off the
law books." The journalist said the media has jumped the first major
battle and opened the way for professionals to unite and fight the
restrictions to press freedom. Niju is the umbrella body for all
journalists in Uganda. The secretary general of the Uganda
Journalist's Association, Haruna Kanaabi, who was sentenced to a year
in jail in 1995 under the law while editor of the Shariat newsletter,
said: "It is a big achievement for journalists to challenge the law
that Parliament had failed to remove from the law books."
USA
A mosque proposal frays interfaith relations in Illinois - 15 Feb 04
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/02/15/a_mosque_proposal_frays_interfaith_relations_in_illinois/
[New Jersey] N.J. defers on defining halal - 13 Feb 04
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/7941920.htm
..
New Jersey has decided not to involve itself in a dispute over what
type of food should be considered acceptable under Islamic dietary
laws, leaving that decision to consumers. The state has reworked its
regulations governing halal food by requiring businesses to complete
disclosure forms outlining how they prepare and store their food
products. Consumers then can decide whether those procedures are
acceptable under Islamic dietary law. For many New Jersey Muslims, the
issue is second in importance only to civil-rights concerns in the
aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. New Jersey passed a halal food law
three years ago, but critics said the bill lacked teeth, including
criteria that could be used to enforce it. About a week ago, the state
Division of Consumer Affairs disclosed its latest proposal. The Majlis
Ash-Shura of New Jersey, the state's council of mosques, had wanted
the law to spell out what could be labeled and sold as halal. Council
chairman Yaser El-Menshawy said the compromise was probably as far as
state regulators could go. .. The disclosure regulations will become
effective this year.
WORLD REGIONS
U.S. Working Paper For G-8* Sherpas - 13 Feb 04
http://english.daralhayat.com/Spec/02-2004/Article-20040213-ac40bdaf-c0a8-01ed-004e-5e7ac897d678/story.html
..
The Greater Middle East [i] (GME) region poses a unique challenge and
opportunity for the international community. The three "deficits"
identified by the Arab authors of the 2002 and 2003 United Nations
Arab Human Development Reports (AHDR) - freedom, knowledge, and
women's empowerment - have contributed to conditions that threaten the
national interests of all G-8 members. So long as the region's pool of
politically and economically disenfranchised individuals grows, we
will witness an increase in extremism, terrorism, international crime,
and illegal migration.
..
While the U.S., the EU, the UN, and the World Bank have already
undertaken numerous initiatives to promote legal and judicial reform,
most are working at the national level in areas such as judicial
training, judicial administration, and legal code reform. A G-8
initiative could complement these efforts by focusing at the
grassroots community level, where the true perception of justice
begins. The G-8 could establish and fund centers at which individuals
can access legal advice on civil, criminal, or Sharia law, and contact
defense attorneys (which are very uncommon in the region). These
centers could also be affiliated with law schools in the region.
..
[i] The "Greater Middle East" refers to the countries of the Arab
world, plus Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and Israel.
..
* G8: France, Canada, USA, UK, Germany, Russian Federation, Japan,
Italy.
Religion guides views of fertility treatment in Middle East - 4 Feb 04
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/uom-rgv021104.php
..
Inhorn, an associate professor of health behavior and health education
and of anthropology, presents a talk titled "Finding 'Culture' in
Science and Biotechnology: Perspectives From Medical Anthropology" at
the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science Feb. 14. In qualitative, ethnographic interviews with nearly
400 patient couples, Inhorn has identified major differences in
cultural attitudes toward reproductive technologies between Shi'ite
Muslims in Lebanon and Sunni Muslims in Egypt. Results of her work in
Egypt are part of a 2003 book, "Local Babies, Global Science: Gender,
Religion, and In Vitro Fertilization in Egypt."
Egypt's first fatwa, or religious proclamation, on medically assisted
reproduction came in 1980, not long after the first IVF baby was born
in England. More than 90 percent of Egypt's citizens practice Sunni
Islam. Sunni religious rules state that IVF is allowed, but that since
marriage is a contract between a husband and wife, no third party
should intrude into procreation, thus prohibiting such things as sperm
or egg donation. Most leaders of Shi'a Islam, the minority branch of
Islam found in countries including Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan
and India, concur with Sunni religious authorities about the strict
prohibition on third-party donation. But in the late 1990s, an Iranian
leader issued a fatwa stating egg donation "is not in and of itself
legally forbidden." Inhorn notes that Shi'ites practice a form of
individual religious reasoning called ijtihad, in which various
Shi'ite religious leaders come to their own conclusions.
Shi'ites who are strict in their interpretation of a third-party
donation in IVF believe the couple should get approval from a
religious court first, and the husband needs to do a muta'a, or
temporary, marriage with any egg donor so the child is not born out of
wedlock. However, since a married Shi'ite Muslim woman cannot marry
another man sperm donation from a man other than her husband is akin
to adultery. Middle Eastern societies expect all married couples to
produce biological children, since legal adoption as it is practiced
in the West is prohibited in both Sunni and Shi'a Islam. In the
absence of adoption and gamete donation, infertile Muslim couples in
countries such as Egypt have no choice but to turn to in vitro
fertilization using their own gametes.
FINANCE
First timeshare property in Saudi on way - 16 Feb 04
http://www.tradearabia.com/routes/sections/News.asp?Article=64609&;Sn=REAL
..
The first timeshare property in Saudi Arabia is being built in the
holy city of Mecca, next to the Grand Mosque, it was reported. The Zam
Zam Tower Complex will offer leases ranging from royal suite to studio
for periods of one or two weeks over 24 years, Arab News said.
..
The project, which enjoys official backing, is funded by Sharia-
compliant finance based both on an Islamic bond, Sukuk Al Ijara, and
on a Sukuk Al Intifaa or timeshare bond. Bondholders may trade their
stake via the Internet, the daily said. Interest in the timeshares has
been so strong that plans for similar projects in Medina are underway,
it added. The Waqf religious authorities who own the land adjacent to
the mosques in Mecca and Medina leased the land for 28 years to the
giant Binladen Construction Group on a Build-Operate-Transfer
agreement involving a shopping centre, four towers and a hotel.
The Binladin Group in turn leased the project to the Kuwait-based
Munshaat Real Estate Projects KSC. Munshaat in December issued a
$390-million sukuk, which, according to Munshaat managing director
Meshal Al Ameri was oversubscribed within the first two weeks.
[*] 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]
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