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Compiled by: Syed Nehal Zaheer
INDIA
Majlis-e-Tahaffuz-e-Nabuwwat Meetings Organized in and Around Delhi to Expose Qadiyani Doctrine Tenets
RINA International Service: After a meeting of Ahmadiya Jama’at in Delhi, a number meetings were held in mosques and Madrasas and on open grounds outdoors in, and around, Delhi by a number of local office-bearers and preachers with the mutual cooperation of Jamiatul Ulama Hind and Tahaffuz-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, Deoband as a result of which Ulema and intellectuals of the community from all parts of Delhi participated in the campaign with great fervor in a quest to ensure protection of Islamic tenets and emblems among people affected by Qadiyani doctrine. Recall that Ahmadiya believes in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani as their prophet and denies the coming of the Messiah. On account of their denial of this basic tenet, all four schools of Islamic Fiqh have unanimously declared them apostates and infidels and, therefore, their presence in Delhi is a cause of concern for Muslims. In order to make maximum number of peoples aware of the false beliefs of Ahmadiya Jama’at through preaching and distribution of literature related to this injurious dissension during the present campaign, Delhi was divided into four zones. These booklets shall also be distributed on the occasion of Id prayers in order to crush this trouble. Jafarabad, Simapuri, Mustafabad, Usmanpur, Ghonda, Loni and Babarpur are some of the areas in Trans Yamuna where these were held. Hazrat Maulana Qari Syed Usman of Darul Uloom Deoband and Jamiatul Ulama Hind’s general secretary, Maulana Mahmood Madani patronized this awakening campaign in Sangam Vihar, Khanpur, Chandan Bola, Nagloi, Trilokpuri, Khora Coloney, Kalyanpuri etc.
Closed Circuit TVs Installed in Kanpur Mosques and Idgah Cameras to Keep Eye on Miscreants
RINA International Service: To deal with any eventual sabotage on the occasion of Id-ul-Adha, special security arrangements have been made in mosques, including Id-gah, at Kanpur (U.P.). The management of Id-gah and these mosques has started installing secret cameras so that troublemakers could be watched. Haji Mohammad Alam, Mutawalli of Kanpur’s Bari Dargah and its managing committee members advocate Rais Ahmad and Nawab Bhai told that the management committee itself has taken the initiative to install cameras so that mischief-makers could be kept under vigil. Id-gah management committee has appealed to police for necessary assistance so that no untoward mishap would occur on the occasion of Id-ul-Adha
Babri Masjid Demolition Story as Told by CBI Witness
RINA International Service: In the court of chief judicial magistrate Hans Raj, a special CBI Court at Raebareli set up to hear into Babri Masjid Demolition Case, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) brought in R. K. Swami, deputy commander of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), as its second witness in the case on Thursday, December 13, 2007. RK Swami was there on duty in the last phase of the demolition on December 6, 1992 in the afternoon at about 5:00 p.m. He recorded his six page long statement in the court. RK Swami told that CRPF placed in the disputed compound was equipped with modern weaponry. He said he saw there a crowd of about 30,000 karsewaks who were advancing to storm the Babri Masjid. To review the situation, CRPF commander had arrived there at 10:30 a.m. on December 6, 1992. RK Swami told he sought permission to use force against karsewaks from district magistrate, RN Srivastava, and police captain who were sitting idly in Sita Rasoi (Sita’s kitchen) along with the forces but both these officers refused to grant permission to stop karsewaks or use force against them. RK Swami also revealed in his statement that he heard senior BJP leaders like Lal Krishna Advani, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharati and Sadhavi Rithambara addressing the crowds from the dais though their words were not perceptible to him. According to R K Swami, karsewaks had started attacking Babri Masjid at about 1:45 p.m. He said that, following instructions given by the civil magistrate, CRPF Jawans baton-charged karsewaks and several CRPF Jawans and karsewaks were injured in this action. When karsewaks did not disperse at any rate, DIG CRPF OPS Malik ordered to intensify baton-charge but karsewaks overwhelmed them and they had to seek refuge here and there from the karsewaks’ wrath. Advani’s pleader RK Sood has commenced cross-questioning RK Swami and further proceedings shall be resumed in the next hearing on December 22, 2007.
Muslim Students’ Sentiments not Respected in Government Schools?
RINA International Service: Delhi government surely claims respecting religious sentiments of minorities but its Department of Education is belying this claim. In fixing schedule for half-yearly examinations, the State Department of Education has completely ignored its Muslim students studying in government schools. In examinations that commenced from December 12 this year, Muslim students were not given any concession even for observing Friday prayers. On Friday, December 14, 2007, Muslim students of government schools remained deprived of their right to observe Friday prayers, as they were kept busy in writing their examination papers. Muslim teachers were also ignored when the timetable for the examinations was prepared. As they were entrusted with invigilation duties, they could not go to mosques to observe Friday prayers. Several teachers have protested against it, expressing their anguish. Parents from the walled-city say this is our democratic country and all religions are given due regard in any government task but it is regrettable that state Department of Education, while preparing examination schedule for government schools, totally forgot how Muslim students shall attend Friday prayers. Some students complain that when they asked for permission to leave for prayers during their examination, their teachers refused to grant any permission saying that rules and regulations set for examinations do not allow this. Further, the authorities have set a paper the day immediately following Id-ul-Adha whereas it is well known that this festival is celebrated here for three days, especially in the walled-city. Parents complain that this will mar festivities, as their children will have to prepare for examinations even on the very day of Id-ul-Adha
After Attack on its Activists, Mushawarat Demands Ban on Shiv Sena.
RINA International Service: All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) has expressed regret over no action being taken so far against those Shiv Sena workers who openly attacked Mushawarat activists peacefully sitting on Dharna here at Jantar Mantar on December 6, 2007, and demanded immediate ban on Shiv Sena on this ground. A press statement issued here by general secretary of Delhi Pradesh Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Mohammad Mohsin Israi’li, says that a meeting of the executive council was held here to deliberate on the issue wherein regret was expressed over government’s inaction regarding the Shiv Sena workers involved in the attack and the guilty policemen even after so much lapse of time. In the press statement, the executive council queried: ‘What guarantee could be fetched for security of Muslims living in far flung areas of the country, if peaceful Muslims sitting on Dharna in the heart of Delhi can be attacked?’ The statement demands the union government to immediately take action against the culprits so that Muslims’ confidence in government could be restored. The statement further says that Shiv Sena is hell-bent to vitiate the atmosphere of peace and goodwill in the country and, therefore, immediate ban should be enforced against it.
Immolation Animals Target of Fascist Communalists
RINA International Service: Considering the communal atmosphere in the state, the Maharashtra government has announced that it will not allow harassing traders bringing immolation animals to Mumbai and no organization shall be allowed to take law in its hands. Maharashtra chief minister, Vilas Rao Deshmukh, gave this assurance to the office-bearers of Muslim organizations on December 14, 2007. In view of Id-ul-Adha, the chief minister had called a meeting of government officials in which state home minister RR Patil, D.G. (Police) Dr. P.S. Paricha and chief secretary were also present. Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi, secretary, Ulema Council, Maulana Ejaz Kashmiri, Farid Sheikh, President, Mumbai (Peace) Committee and a number of office-bearers of several organizations of Qureshi community had complained that Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists harass the traders, especially when they bring the animals to the city and forcibly extort money. They complained before the chief minister that in the garb of animal friendly organizations, these activists of communal organizations snatch away their animals and do many illegal things. On this occasion, Maharashtra’s food minister, Bab Ziauddin Siddiqui, told that the state government had amended the law related to motor vehicles last year to allow carrying more animals in a carriage but police department is not following it strictly which is adding to traders’ harassment. Some others also placed other related complaints before the chief minister who issued appropriate orders then and there. Finally, he warned government officers that they will be sternly punished if there occurs any illegal activity hindering in immolation practices.
Memo for Opening Shaji Masjid at Safdar Jang Mausoleum for Daily Prayers
RINA International Service: It is well known that archaeological department had stopped observance of Namaz in the Shahi Masjid of Safdar Jang Mausoleum mosque long back. In 1983, Muslims started their struggle against this prohibition. Every Friday, they used to come in buses and throng at Safdar Jang Mausoleum’s Shahi Masjid where heavily flanked armed police stopped them from going inside and, therefore, they had to go through Friday sermon and prayer on the road in a peaceful manner and return back. After a long struggle, erstwhile Indian Prime Minister, the late Indira Gandhi, paid attention to this issue and prohibition of Namaz in this historical mosque was revoked on March 3, 1984. Then a joyful swarm of ten thousand Muslims observed Friday prayer in the lead of Maulana Nawabuddin Naqshbandi on the advice of senior Ulema of the Millat. Friday and Id prayers were being observed regularly in this mosque till 1997 when notorious of archaeology department interfered in Namaz but hundreds of Muslims entered into the mosque and observed prayers whereupon the officer registered a false complaint and involved the Imam and ten other Muslims in a false case. The case still lingers on. However, permission was recently granted to observe Id-ul-Adha prayers on December 21, 2007, at Shahi Masjid of Safdar Jang Mausoleum and Madrasa Abul Mansoor
AMU’s Dr. Raza Bags Surgical Award
RINA International Service: Dr. Mohammad Habib Raza, senior reader in surgery department of Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College at Aligarh Muslim University has been awarded ‘Young Outstanding Surgical Teacher Award’ for 2007 at the 23rd annual conference of UP Chapter of Association of Surgeons of India held at Banaras Hindu University. The award was presented to him by Michel Alexander, chief surgeon at Scholds Hospital in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Raza also presented his paper on endoscopies in the conference and presided over the Conference’s two sessions on ‘Coming Trends in Hand and Neck Cancer’ and ‘Management of Neck in Oral Cancer’. Dr. Raza is also joint editor of UP Chapter’s research journal that was released in this conference.
Scholar Calls for Drive Against Extremism
A prominent Indian scholar has called for an effective campaign to counter extremism and suicide attacks. “Suicide bombings are against the basic principles of Islam. They are anti Islamic. We need to enlighten Muslims about the negative effects of extremism,” said the secretary of All India Jamiyyathul Ulema. He further said that the Ummah should whole heartedly embrace the message of unity and solidarity that is so beautifully conveyed through Hajj. He underlined the importance of preaching love among people, particularly when the world is facing terrorism and atrocities. He also reminded Muslims that their actions must be motivated by the love of Allah and His Messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He said that extremism and suicide attacks would not resolve any of the problems faced by Muslims
PAKISTAN
Islamic Bank to Bolster Network in Pakistan
Al Baraka Islamic Bank, one of the units of Bahrain headquartered Al Baraka Banking Group (ABG), is keen to bolster its branch network in Pakistan with a projection to increase the network to 30 from the existing 18 by the end of this year. The bank, in a statement, said its operations in Pakistan achieved a substantial growth in 2007 in terms of revenue, operation and branch network. The financing operations of the bank witnessed an increase in the number and diversity of its consumer finance products leading to an increase in financing to USD207 million at the end of 2007
SRI LANKA
Lanka to Utilize Full Hajj Quota in Future
Sri Lanka, whose 5,500 pilgrims performed Hajj this year, hopes to utilize its full Hajj quota in the coming years. “We have a Hajj quota of 7,000 and we hope to bring more pilgrims next year,” the minister of petroleum and petroleum resources development, told Arab News at a community reception in Jeddah. He thanked the Kingdom for the excellent Hajj arrangements and hospitality. There has been a 29 percent jump in the number of tourists coming from Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East to Sri Lanka. Tourism now accounts for the country’s fourth source of revenue after exports of manpower, garments and steel.
TAIWAN
Da’wah Work Strong in Taiwan
Several international Da’wah workers are active in Taiwan spreading the message of Islam, the leader of Taiwenese Hajj mission said recently. He said that more than 100,000 foreign Da’wah workers, mostly Indonesian and the rest from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, are in Taiwan. Da’wah work is in full swing. Taiwan has been hosting summer camps for youth leaders from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. The camps have been focusing on the true image of Islam that is being misconceived and misrepresented after 9/11. Taiwan, which has a population of 23 million, including 60,000 Muslims, has also been conducting seminars every three months, with the participation of scholars from Indonesia and other countries
MALAYSIA
Weekly Told to Drop use of `Allah`
A Catholic weekly newspaper in Malaysia has been told to drop the use of the word “Allah” in its Malay language section if it wants to renew its publishing permit, a senior government official said recently. The Herald, the organ of Malaysia’s Catholic Church, has translated the word God as Allah, but it is erroneous because Allah refers to the Muslim God, said a senior official at the Internal Security Ministry’s publications control unit. The weekly should instead, use the word “Tuhan”, which is the general term for God, he said. The Herald, which has a circulation of 12,000 copies for its members, publishes reports in four languages – English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. Religious issues are extremely sensitive in Malaysia, where about 60 percent of the 27 million people are Malay Muslims
THAILAND
SE Asia Can Teach West to Reconcile With Islam
Southeast Asia can teach the West how to reconcile with Muslims, the new secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said in his first public appearance. “Come here and see how we manage”, said a Muslim former academic and one time Thai foreign minister. “Can we convince the West… that the road to reconciliation between the West and the Muslim world runs through Southeast Asia? The answer, he said is “yes.” Rather than force, rather than suppression, rather than violence, I think there is a unique model in Southeast Asia how we manage the Muslim community”, he told AFP later. “Yes, we have extremists; yes we have problems; yes, we have pockets of violence including southern Thailand but on the whole it is much, much more manageable than Muslim communities outside the region,” he told the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Regional Outlook Forum. The region includes Indonesia, which has the world’s biggest Muslim population, as well as Muslim majority Malaysia. There are also Muslim minorities in the southern Philippines and southern Thailand, areas which have been plagued by violence.
PHILIPPINES
Change to Allow Muslim Federal Region
The Philippine government will ask congress to amend the country’s constitution to allow the creation of a Muslim federal region in the south - a key step aimed at breaking an impasse in talks with an Islamic militant group. The Malaysian brokered talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front hit a snag in December when rebel negotiators walked away from a Kuala Lumpur meeting. The MILF, which the military says has 11,000 fighters, is the largest group battling for self rule. A peace accord with the MILF is expected to lead to economic growth in Mindanao.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
UAE to Have Women Judges Soon
Women in the United Arab Emirates will soon be allowed to become judges, breaking a male monopoly over the profession in the country, the justice minister was quoted as saying. Women are currently being trained at the Judicial Institute to become judges and prosecutors, across the UAE once the law is amended, the English language Daily Gulf News reported. “At present the law states that only a Muslim man is entitled to assume the position of a judge,” he said. He did not say when the law will be changed. The proposed law, which should cover the judiciary in the seven member federation, would make the UAE the second Gulf country after Bahrain to allow women to become judges.
Dubai Plans World’s Largest Islamic Bank
Dubai plans to create the world’s largest Islamic bank within five years, spending as much as USD1 billion on individual acquisitions in countries as far apart as Indonesia, Egypt and Britain, Noor Islamic Bank said. Noor, which is 25 percent owned by the government of Dubai and 25 percent by the emirate’s ruler, plans to spend between USD 500 million and USD 1 billion each time on a few acquisitions in Europe, Asia and North Africa. The Chief Executive Officer informed that they aim to be the largest Islamic bank within five years. Islamic lenders controlled assets worth about USD 750 billion at the end of 2006, a figure which may rise above USD 1 trillion by 2010 as the industry expands.
BAHRAIN
Islamic Banking Industry Set to Rise 20 Percent
The Islamic Banking industry is set to grow 20 percent annually in the year 2008 and beyond posing many challenges to the policy makers and regulators that how to create sustainable Islamic financial industry. The impressive year on year growth of Islamic finance augurs well for the future viability of the sector. Despite the absence of empirical research on market size, the sector is estimated by some to grow at a robust 20 percent per annum over the next few years. With financial globalization, whether in the conventional or Islamic financial sectors, comes innovation and financial engineering. The pace of innovation is so rapid.
SAUDI ARABIA
USD 9.6 bn Revenue from Pilgrims Generated
The private sector in the Kingdom made a revenue of USD 9.6 billion during the last Hajj and Umrah seasons, according to estimates given by an economic study. Pilgrims spent nearly SR 8 billion (USD 2.1 billion) on gifts and souvenirs. Pilgrims from the Gulf topped the list of spenders followed by those from the US, Europe, Canada, Australia and South Africa.
Former Priest Describes His Spiritual Journey
Many new Muslims came to perform Hajj this year (last year) to strengthen their faith by undertaking the spiritual journey. Ali Guatemala, a former priest, came to perform Hajj along with 17,000 other US Muslims. According to a report in Asharq Al Awsat newspaper, he was attracted to Islam after he read the opening verse in the chapter Al Baqara (The Cow) of the Holy Qur’an. He said that his conversion to Islam had changed his whole life. Three former African priests also performed Hajj last year. They converted to Islam after they understood the truthfulness of the religion during a debate. The debate, attended by 5,000 people, led to 147 people embracing Islam, according to Al Jazirah Arabic daily.
Makkah Mosque to have room for 500, 000 more after New Expansion
The coming expansion of the Grand Mosque in Makkah will facilitate the accommodation of an additional 500,000 worshippers, according to Makkah Mayor. This is one of the largest development projects related to the Grand Mosque and will change the face of Makkah. The expansion will create more prayer space on the northern and northwestern parts of the mosque. Informed sources said that the demolition of old buildings in the area would be completed within 60 days so that the new project would begin. Further the Shoura Council called for the modernization of machinery and equipment at the mosque and the Ka’ba Cover Factory.
IDB Bankrolls IIFTC Projects
The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) will give USD 1 billion to support the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (IIFTC), the bank said recently. The fund will enable the corporation to launch its activities this month. It also approved new finances worth USD 354.7 million for projects in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Iran and Djibouti as well as grants to three Islamic organizations in India, Nepal and Kenya.
Proxy Umrah a Booming Trade in Makkah
Substitute Umrah, or performing Umrah on behalf of other people, is becoming a booming business in Makkah these days. Many Saudis and non-Saudis alike are known to walk around the Grand Mosque offering to perform Umrah on behalf of pilgrims loved ones in return for money. Islam permits people to perform Umrah and Hajj on behalf of the sick, who are unable to perform it, or the dead. However many local people feel that the habit of taking money to perform pilgrimage is wrong. They believe that religious practices should not become profit making ventures. People who are performing Umrah or Hajj on behalf of other people should do it only seeking reward from God
Worshippers Enraged Over Use of Carpet
A local imam enraged his congregation when some of the members learned that he had removed the carpet inside the mosque and used it to help protect his herd of sheep from the unusually cold winds that have been blowing in the Kingdom in the past few days. According to Okaz newspaper, local worshippers were outraged over the use of carpet for a windscreen and have called authorities to investigate the imam for insubordination. The livestock, on the other hand, were probably more appreciative of the imam’s gesture.
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TURKEY
Rally Against Head Scarf Reform
A top Turkish court prosecutor condemned as unconstitutional plans the Prime Minister to end a ban on the Islamic head scarf in universities, rekindling tensions over the role of religion. The head scarf is a highly sensitive issue in Muslim but secular Turkey, pitting the Prime Minister Islamist rooted government against the secular elite including judges and army generals who see the garment as a threat to separation of state and mosque.
GERMANY
Anti Foreigner Drive Angers Muslims
German Muslim groups accused a senior politician in the Chancellor’s conservative party of stirring up hostility against the foreigners in a bid to win a regional election. A candidate unveiled a program to crack down on youth crime, which included plans to change the law to make it easier to deport young criminals. “He needs attention to grab attention and is playing the foreigner card but it’s damaging as he is reinforcing negative clichés,” said one of the member of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany.
UNITED KINGDOM
Renaissance Could not Have Happened Without Muslim Input
The history of science and civilization, as taught by many institutions in the West, often fails to include more than 1,000 years of Islamic heritage and civilization, according to the UK based Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilization. In the West, there’s total ignorance of the contributions of other civilizations. Did modern civilization really rise from nothing? It has been explained as to how many Western discoveries are of Muslim origin. There was a lost age of Muslim innovation and invention that Muslims are not communicating to the West. Prince Charles said in a public speech at the Oxford Center of Islamic Studies that if there was much misunderstanding in the West about the nature of Islam, there was also much ignorance about the impact of Western culture and civilizations on the Islamic world. “It is a failure which stems, I think, from the straitjacket of history which we have inherited. The medieval Islamic world from Central Asia to the shores of the Atlantic, was a world where scholars and men of learning flourished,” said Charles, “but because we have tended to see Islam as the enemy of the West, as an alien culture, society and system of belief, we have tended to ignore or erase its great relevance to out own history.”
UNITED STATES
Rights Group to Appeal Judges Ruling Against Muslim Scholar
A civil liberties group said it will appeal a US judge’s ruling that upheld the federal government’s decision to deny entry to a prominent Europe based Muslim, a move that promises to extend a legal battle US officials have cast as part of the fight against terror. The American Civil Liberties Union had sued the government on behalf of a Swiss citizen and visiting fellow in Oxford, England, arguing that US officials excluded him from the country because of his opposition to the Iraq war and other sympathies. The scholar has spoken at Harvard and Stanford universities in the US, has opposed the US invasion of Iraq and said he sympathizes with the resistance there and in the Palestinian territories. He also has said that he has no connections to terrorism, opposes Islamic extremism and promotes peaceful solutions.
US Court Overturns Ruling Against Muslim Charities
A US court overturned a ruling that ordered Muslim charities with alleged links to the Palestinian Hamas movement to compensate the family of a US teenager killed in the West Bank. A federal appeals court ruled that the group’s role was not fully established. It ordered a new trial to examine more closely the links between the organization and the boy’s death. A leading US Muslim rights group, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), welcomed the appeal court’s decision. “This landmark ruling is a strong rejection of the recent disturbing trend of political lawsuits against American Muslims who have committed no crime other than providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians,” it said.
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