Flashes from the Muslim World

Abdul Raheem Quraishi, Assistant General Secretary and spokesperson of the All India Muslim Personal law Board (AIMPLB), died recently in Hyderabad. He was 82. Quraishi was President of the Majlis-e-Tameer-e-Millat, a socio-religious organization working for the social, educational and cultural uplift of Muslims. He headed the group for over two decades. Muslim leaders condoled the death of Quraishi.

Bangladesh Ambassador, Golam Moshi, announced that his country has joined the 34-member Islamic Military Coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The envoy was speaking at the commemorative meeting of the 44^th anniversary of the Victory Day of Bangladesh held at the Chancery premises in Riyadh. Gholam Moshi said that terror in all its forms should be eradicated for people to enjoy an independent life. We will cooperate with the coalition to combat the menace to society which has killed innocent people and caused severe damage to persons and properties.

Qatar remains a rich, prospering nation and boasts of the highest GDP per capita in the world. No surprises then when we find that some of the best assets in the world are owned by Qatari nationals. In England alone, Qatari investors own 20% of Camden markets, high-end store, Harrods, 87 stories of EU’s tallest building, the Shard, the London Olympic Village, almost 50% of the most expensive apartments block in the world located at 1, Hyde Park, the Chelsea Barracks site, as well as the US embassy building. These monolithic investments provide an insight into the power and wealth of Qatari investors, and the affluence is evident on the country’s streets as well. Qataris enjoy one of the best standards of life in the world and, generally, rub shoulders with the Who’s Who of the world. The Qatari real estate market is also thriving. Buoyed by the upcoming FIFA 2022 World Cup, the reality sector is seeing a massive surge in activity in both residential and commercial segments.

Major commercial stores in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have removed products linked to United States businessman-turned-politician, Donald Trump, for seeking a ban on Muslims entering the US. The move continues the backlash against Trump’s business interests in the Middle East, where his brand has grown toxic as a result of his anti-Muslim comments. Recently, in Dubai, a real estate firm building a USD6 billion golf complex with Donald Trump stripped the property of his and his daughter’s images, replacing them with generic photos of the project’s planned homes.

Award winning author,HajeraMemon, is winning little hearts all over the world through her creative story-telling of some of the most glorious, historical, and timeless events from the Holy Qur’an. She is the founder of publishing house, Shade 7 Limited, and author of the first Islamic pop-up book, The Story of the Elephant, which tells the story behind the Qur’anic chapter,Surah al-Feel. Wanting to pursue a career where she could learn more about her faith and make it accessible and enjoyable for others, Hajera started her publishing business after resigning as a finance lawyer in London. According to Hajera, “The goal for all publications is to inspire children to learn more about Allah (swt), about the Holy Qur’an, its people and their incredible stories to develop and strengthen their faith.” Shade 7 has published two titles so far, the first, The Story of the Elephant, the second title is color-changing bath-book called,My First WuduBook. The project has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents all over the world, according to Hajera.

The longest serving Muezzin of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Mohammed SirajMa’arof, died recently at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital. He took over the job after the death of his father 34 years ago. He was buried at the Al-Ula Cemetery in Makkah after Fajr prayer.

Saudi Arabia has been ranked as the world’s third happiest nation and ninth as the hopeful country with the economic future. The Kingdom is also ranked sixth concerning this year being a better one. The ranking is based on a poll conducted byWayne Gallup International for Independent Research. According to the poll, the happiest country in the world is Colombia and the unhappiest country is Iraq. Bangladesh, China, Nigeria, Fiji and Morocco are the most hopeful nations, while Italy is the least hopeful.

Eight distinguished scholars from various parts of the world, including a top Saudi scholar,won the prestigious King Faisal Prize in different categories. The glittering event was held under the patronage of Prince Khaled al-Faisal, Makkah Governor and Chairman of the King Faisal Foundation, who delivered the welcome address. The awards were in five categories: Service to Islam, Arabic language and literature, Islamic studies, medicine and science. The King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam was awarded to Grand Mosque Imam and former Shoura Council Chairman, Saleh bin Humaid. Humaid is a consultant at the Saudi Royal Court, a member of the commission of Senior Scholars and President of the Jeddah-based International Islamic Fiqh Academy. He has put forth a strenuous effort, profound wisdom, deep vision, and positive influence in dealing with contemporary Fiqh issues. Prof.Abdulllah bin Yousifal-Ghunaim, President of the Kuwaiti Studies and Research Center, was the winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies.

A total of 24 Muslim reverts of various nationalities – mainly from the Philippines – Sri Lanka and India were honored by MoulanaHifzurRehmanSeoharvi Academy at its annual program in Jeddah recently. The reverts narrated their stories of how they were attracted to Islam,and also the opposition and atrocities they faced in their families for their decision. In his Presidential address, Sheikh Salman said people are accepting Islam because it is a religion of peace, and are inspired by the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Egyptians made the highest number of visitors to Madinah during this Umrah season, followed by pilgrims from Pakistan, Indonesia, India and Malaysia. There have been 565,363 people from all over the world who have entered the Kingdom to perform Umrah so far, 91% by air. This number is likely to double in the next two weeks, according to a Haj Ministry report quoted by a local publication.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned protesters in Iran for attacking Saudi Arabia’s missions, but has indicated it would do everything possible to ensure the stand-off between the two countries can be resolved on a diplomatic level.TareqBakheit, the OIC’s Director of Political Affairs, said the organization would be prepared to play the role of mediator if asked to do so. Bakheit said that since its establishment, the OIC has played an important role in solving conflict in several member countries in accordance with approved resolutions from previous Islamic summits.

The King Salman Center for Humanitarian Works (KSCHW) has sent seven trucks to deliver 230 tons of aid as part of a program to help citizens of Tajikistan return to normal life. This aid was given to help the country which was hit by a 4.2 magnitude earthquake on 7^thDecember 2015. Dr.Abdullah bin al-Rabiah, the Center’s general supervisor, said that the Center had also been distributing humanitarian aid that includes food, clothing, and medicine in the far-flung areas of war-ravaged Yemen.

[Compiled by: Syed NehalZaheer]