| Islamic World News | |
| 25 Aug 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Islam Says No to Terrorism, Great imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestine | |
| Malaysia delays caning of woman model who drank beer Malaysia Islamist party protests concert, cites morals Afghan Cabinet Minister Claims Karzai Victory Many Western Muslims won't put their faith in a 'Wazir of Oz' 30 years of New Zealand Islamic federation - a good time for soul-searching Burqinis: Now Muslims Know How Michael Phelps Feels Muslim slurs against Sikhs? permlink By Razib Khan Iraqi 'bomber confession' aired Terrorist suspect was former Justice Party branch chairman Muslims press schools on getting holidays off Hamas Woos Gaza Kids from UN Camps to Join 'Fun with Terror'by Yehudah Lev Kay First Islamic Ramadan tent opens in Gaza Focus on Islamic credential is both exclusive and plastic politics 'Things NEVER to Say to Muslim Coworkers' Has DiversityInc Readers Divided Lawmakers Begin Review of Cabinet Nominees By MICHAEL SLACKMAN Iran mulls special budget to disclose U.S. human rights violations Compiled by Aman Quadri URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1674 ------------
Islam Says No to Terrorism Ismoko Widjaya 24 Aug, 2009 Terrorism acts in Indonesia are categorized wrongdoings: a misinterpretation on jihad. VIVAnews - Great imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestine, Dr Sheik Mohammad Mahmud Shiyam, stated that acts of violence in Indonesia claiming as part of religious jihad are deemed forbidden. Islam never teaches such action to the believers. "Setting off terrorism acts in such Muslim majority country as Indonesia is totally disallowed. It will only cause the Muslim community suffer the more," said the sheik at Al-Wasyi'i Mosque in Lampung, Sumatra, on Sunday, August 23. The man, who is also President of Gaza University, Palestine, also revealed that violent acts which tend to be considered terrorism are like two sides of the coin. "It can be either deemed as hideous or acceptable," he said. According to him, terrorism is regarded agreeable if there are tangible enemies that commonly exist in conflicting areas like Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. "There are real enemies in the said regions such as the Zionists in Palestine and US troops in Iraq. However, it doesn't apply in such a peaceful country as Indonesia," he said. He further noted that terrorism acts in Indonesia are categorized wrongdoings: a misinterpretation on jihad. Moreover, the sheik cited Prophet Mohammad's hadith saying that the Muslim have to take care of any foreigner coming into their country with fine purpose. Translated by: Bonardo Maulana Wahono Source: http://en.vivanews.com/news/read/84795-islam_says_no_to_terrorism -------- Malaysia delays caning of woman model who drank beer By MARK D. BAKER, 24-08-09 KARAI, Malaysia – Malaysia abruptly granted a Ramadan reprieve to the first Muslim Malay woman to be sentenced to caning for drinking beer, but insisted Monday the thrashing would still take place after the Islamic holy month of fasting. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a 32-year-old mother of two, had been en route to a women's prison for the caning when Islamic officials who took her into custody drove her back home and released her. Mohamad Sahfri Abdul Aziz, a state legislator in charge of religious affairs, later said the Attorney General's office advised that the caning should be delayed for compassionate reasons until after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began Saturday. "The sentence is not being canceled," Mohamad Sahfri told The Associated Press. Amnesty International condemned the sentence, and many critics had said the caning would harm Malaysia's reputation as a moderate Muslim-majority country. Kartika was arrested in a raid for drinking beer at a hotel lounge in December 2007 and accused of breaching Malaysia's Shariah law, which forbids Muslims from consuming alcohol. The law provides for a three-year prison term and caning for Muslims caught drinking, but most offenders are fined. Drinking is legal for non-Muslims. Full Report at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090824/ap_on_re_as/as_malaysia_caning_for_beer ----- Malaysia Islamist party protests concert, cites morals Aug 24, 2009 KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's opposition Islamist party protested on Monday against a pop band's upcoming concert in the mostly Muslim country, branding it a "grave insult" to Muslims who are observing the fasting month of Ramadan. The youth wing of the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) slammed the government for approving the concert by Danish band Michael Learns to Rock scheduled for Sept. 5. "This concert will certainly bring idle people out and destroy their morals," PAS Youth chief, Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi, said in a statement. Religious authorities in Malaysia on Monday postponed the caning of a Muslim woman convicted of drinking alcohol until after the holy month of Ramadan. The planned caning of 32-year-old mother of two Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno has drawn criticism from rights groups concerned by the rise of Islamic laws in this traditionally moderate country, even though Kartika had accepted the punishment. Full Report at: http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-41940020090824 -------- Many Western Muslims won't put their faith in a 'Wazir of Oz' Aug. 24, 2009 In the West, a growing divide between those who run the mosques and those who attend Sheema Khan In a study sponsored by the Institute for Research on Public Policy, Carleton University professor Karim Karim found bifurcations between Muslims acclimatized to the West and imams "imported" from the Middle East and South Asia. The result of the study, in which interviews were conducted with 56 Muslims in Canada, Britain and the United States, was not altogether surprising. Many Islamic centres employ an imam from abroad to minister to the spiritual needs of a diverse, complex community. Some imams don't speak English very well, or at all. But the biggest disconnect, according to the study, is a lack of cultural familiarity. One Montreal participant summarized: "My ultimate fantasy would be to find an imam who gives a [sermon], who … goes out to work from 9 to 5, takes the bus, is dealing with his kid who is picking up a marijuana joint at the age of 13. This is the kind of person I want instructing me on Friday, not speaking to me about the battles [Muslims] won 1,200 years ago." This disconnect is being played out in Ottawa, where the city's largest mosque has been embroiled in controversy as it searches for a permanent imam. The mosque's directors initially sought an imam familiar with Western culture. Instead, they chose one from Cairo's al-Azhar University, paid for by the Egyptian government. As a result, many mosque members revolted. This episode, along with the IRPP study, also points to a growing divide between those who run the mosques and those who attend Full Report At:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/many-western-muslims-wont-put-their-faith-in-a-wazir-of-oz/article1260437/ ------- Abdullah Drury: 30 years of New Zealand Islamic federation - a good time for soul-searching Aug 24, 2009 This year the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand has celebrated 30 years of existence. When it began in 1979 the Muslim minority here consisted of only 2000. It has grown dramatically since then, due almost entirely to immigration, to more than 36,000 at the last Census count in 2006 and possibly more than 40,000 today. This diverse community encompasses more than 50 different nationalities, several languages and races, and many different classes - immigrants, refugees and even local converts to the faith. However, as in 1979, the Muslim minority remains distinctly heterogeneous with no single ethnic component or social group constituting an overall majority. As a result there is no pronounced common cultural psyche or deeper indigenous traditions. The federation of 1979, with which Mazhar Krasniqi, Hajji Abdul Rahim Rasheed, Dr Ashraf Choudhary and others hoped to establish a national Muslim minority organisation, presented unique challenges. It was formally set up when Krasniqi, of Panmure, was appointed the first president. Regional Muslim community leaders from Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington had had two meetings in 1978, including one at Choudhary's home in Palmerston North. Full Report At:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10592699 _____ Burqinis: Now Muslims Know How Michael Phelps Feels August 24, 2009 At the recent World Swimming Championships, officials announced that competitors would soon be banned from using the new record-smashing, limit-testing buoyant high-tech polyurethane bodysuits. I'm sure Michael Phelps and his friends are bummed out. As a former record-setting competitive swimmer who used to shop for tight racing suits in the "infant" apparel section to score an advantage, I can attest to the desire to push the limit with one's aquatic apparel. So can Muslims, apparently. Bans on their traditional burqas are sweeping Europe, so now they're making them into "burqinis" and arguing that since they have an aquatic spin, the attire should be exempt from the rules. Italy banned the Islamic headscarf in July 2005 as part of its anti-terrorism package. The penalty for breach was set at two years in jail and a $3,200 fine. This week, the northern Italian town of Varallo Sesia banned the burqini from public pools, complete with a $700 fine for violation. In 2004, France banned the headscarf in state schools, and the country is currently debating a widespread burqa ban in parliamentary committee. The French have seen the burqa take to the water in self-defense, as well. A French convert to Islam was booted from a French swimming pool earlier this month for wearing the jogging suit and veil outfit. Full Report at: http://www.northstarwriters.com/rch037.htm ------ UK Sikhs accuse BBC of racism Muslim slurs against Sikhs? By Razib Khan August 23, 2009 UK Sikhs accuse BBC of racism: "We should not be paying a licence fee for promoting the ignorance-based ramblings of those bent on self-promotion who sneer at Asian religion and culture," said Hardeep Singh, a spokesman of the Sikh Media Monitoring Group, which accused BBC's Asian Network of being insensitive towards listeners from the minority community. The Sikh Group has written to the BBC asking for a full transcript of Adil Ray's show, which was removed from their website after threats from angry Sikh listeners who accused the popular Muslim presenter of denigrating the "kirpan" dagger - an important religious symbol and one of five ceremonial symbols that baptised Sikhs are expected to wear at all times, The Independent newspaper said today. Members of the Sikh community complained that Ray, in the show broadcast by the Birmingham-based network on Thursday August 6, had been disparaging about whether Sikhs really needed to carry kirpans. The complaint was based on Ray's discussion of the cancellation of a Punjabi music concert in Canada where police had banned Sikhs who refused to remove their "kirpan", the British daily reported. Full Report at: http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2009/08/muslim_slurs_against_sikhs.php?utm_source=sbhomepage&utm_medium=link&utm_content=channellink ------ Iraqi 'bomber confession' aired 24 August 2009 Iraqis walk past the scne of the vast bombings of Wednesday 19 August The bombings on Wednesday were the worst in Iraq for 18 months Iraqi TV has broadcast what it says is the confession by a former policeman to recent devastating bombings in Baghdad. The man said he had orchestrated the attacks with a Syrian-based leader of the outlawed Baath party. The blasts at two ministries and other attacks in Iraq's capital killed at least 95 people on Wednesday. Senior Iraqi officials have said that members of the Iraqi security forces may have collaborated with the attackers in the bombings. Correspondent say officials and members of parliament have traded blame for the bombings and the failure in security measures. US forces pulled back from Iraqi cities at the end of June, handing responsibility to Iraqi security forces. Full Report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8217879.stm ------- Terrorist suspect was former Justice Party branch chairman 08/24/2009 Muhammad Syahrir, a terrorist suspect in the JW Marriot and Ritz-Carlton bomb blasts, once chaired the Teluknaga branch of the Justice Party (PK), now known as the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Tangerang regency, Banten. "In 1998, Syahrir was the chairman of the PK branch in Teluknaga before resigning in 1999," PKS Tangerang branch deputy chairman Ruhammaben said Monday. "He did not like democracy." The PK transformed into the PKS following its failure to meet the electoral threshold in 1999, kompas.com reported. Ruhammaben said terrorist suspects Syahrir and Syaifuddin Zuhri were siblings of Anugrah, the PKS legislator at Tangerang regency legislative council from 2004 to 2009, but Syahrir and Syaifudin had not visited Anugrah between 2000 and 2009. ------- Muslims press schools on getting holidays off September 08, 2009 Calculus and chemistry are among the pressures awaiting Mesuka Akter, a senior at Long Island City High School in New York City. But unlike in past school years, this year Akter, a Muslim, will not have to choose between missing school and missing the two holiest days on the Islamic calendar. Provided an early or late moon does not change the Islamic lunar calendar, Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, is expected to take place September 20, a Sunday. Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, is expected to come on Thanksgiving Day or the Friday after. "It feels great to know that I'll be home, hopefully, with my family," said Akter, who has two younger brothers. "But you also have to keep working to change things, because this will be a problem again next year." Akter belongs to the Coalition for Muslim School Holidays, a group of more than 80 religious and ethnic organizations lobbying to have the two Eid holidays designated as days off in New York City schools, in which 10 percent of the 1.1 million students are Muslim, according to a study published last year by the Teachers College at Columbia University. The city's school calendar already recognizes Christmas and the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Full Report at: http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=7782 ------- Hamas Woos Gaza Kids from UN Camps to Join 'Fun with Terror' by Yehudah Lev Kay August 24, '09 (IsraelNN.com) Hamas has embarked on a massive campaign this summer to woo Gazan children away from UNWRA (United Nations Works and Relief Association) summer camps to its own camps. At Hamas summer camps, kids learned to wage war against Israel and were indoctrinated with Islamic ideology. Hamas has run 700 summer camps throughout Gaza in 2009 at a budget of $2 million, which were attended by 100,000 children. according to a research report by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. In contrast, UNRWA ran camps that wereattended by between 200,000 to 250,000 kids. Fatah, Islamic Jihad, and other Islamic groups also run Gaza summer camps. Leading up to the summer, Hamas embarked on a massive advertising campaign which included a designated website designed to encourage parents to send their children to Hamas camps instead of the UNWRA camps. Hamas council member Younis al-Astel repeatedly lambasted the UNWRA camps for being coeducational, and claimed that campers there used drugs, learned how to dance, and worst of all, were taught about reconciliation between Gaza and Israel. Full Report at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/133062 ------ Focus on Islamic credential is both exclusive and plastic politics 24 August 2009 A contest between PAS and Umno within conservative Malay settings is more likely than not a race to the bottom. It inevitably degenerates into a deplorable inquiry regarding which between the two political parties is more Islamic than the other. While doing so, PAS effectively resorts to exclusive politics that is clearly inconsistent to its assertion that PAS is for all. If the Islamist party is really for all, it needs to adopt a more inclusive approach in engaging Umno. In the past, the question of who could enter heaven became a campaign material. Back in January 2009 during the Kuala Terengganu by election, the implementation of hudud gained currency as an election issue. The most recent example of exclusive politics happened when the top leader of the party, Nik Aziz Nik Mat labelled Islam as practiced by Umno as plastic. ------ First Islamic Ramadan tent opens in Gaza 2009-08-24 GAZA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- A pro-Hamas charity opened a Ramadan tent Monday to host moderate Islamic entertainment in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The tent "observes the moderate, medial ideology to protect the youths from wrong behavior and destructive ideas," said Ahmed Elaian, head of the Islamic Society which sponsors the event. In the Arab world, opening a Ramadan tent means 30 nights of party, music, dancing and hookah smoking from sunset to sunrise. Such tents no longer existed in Gaza Strip where Hamas had been holding sway for more than two years. Ramadan tents usually open after the Palestinians finish their longest fifth prayer in early evening. There, people can listen to Islamic music, see theater shows and attend political seminars which mostly focus on Hamas' history, activities and leaders. Full Report at: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/24/content_11937685.htm ------ 'Things NEVER to Say to Muslim Coworkers' Has DiversityInc Readers Divided August 24, 2009 Also read: things not to say, religion, Muslim, Islam, religious discrimination Our article "5 Things NEVER to Say to Muslim Coworkers" has readers talking--about religion in the workplace, customs, attitudes and accommodations. Read a sample of these comments here. For best practices and legal advice on religion in the workplace, check out our upcoming webinar on faith. Want to read more in-depth information on religion in the workplace? Visit our diversity-management web site, DiversityIncBestPractices.com. I worked with a family from Kosovo. They practiced Ramadan. They asked no favors, and accepted that sometimes they would run into a lunch or AFTERNOON MEETING that had food. they made no conditions. if only the middle eastern Muslims would be so accommodating. i have great respect for my central European friends. Respect for true Islam. it is hard to tolerate the insincere one's. Just like catholics, protestants, evangelicals and jews. That want tolerance for themselves, and have none for others. --Joseph Mcgrath Full Report At: http://www.diversityinc.com/public/6166.cfm ----- Iranian Lawmakers Begin Review of Cabinet Nominees By MICHAEL SLACKMAN August 23, 2009 CAIRO — Iran's Parliament began formally reviewing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nominees for his cabinet on Sunday in a process that has highlighted deep divisions among Iran's leaders and the president's own diminished standing. But while the parliamentary vetting of Mr. Ahmadinejad's 21 nominees has proved contentious, it may also serve the political needs of a leadership that has struggled since a disputed presidential election in June to maintain credibility for the Islamic Republic's system of government, political analysts said. The hope, political analysts said, is that public confidence can be restored for the theocratic system by showcasing hearings and by Parliament's insistence that it will reject nominees whose only qualification is political loyalty. Millions of people protested in the streets in June, charging that Mr. Ahmadinejad and his allies stole the election through vote rigging and fraud. The government responded with force, widespread arrests and show trials. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/world/middleeast/24iran.html ------ Iran mulls special budget to disclose U.S. human rights violations 2009-08-23 TEHRAN, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iran's parliament Sunday decided to debate a bill of allocating budget to disclose U.S. human rights violations, the local ISNA news agency reported. The lawmakers will discuss a bill of earmarking 20 million U.S. dollars "to confront unjust monopolization of information technology by the United States and other Western countries, and to disclose various examples of human rights violations in the United States," the report said. If the bill is approved, a team including officials from Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Telecommunication and from Islamic Culture and Relations Organization will decide the spending of the budget, according to the report. "The Americans passed several bills to assist the oppositions of the Islamic Republic. The latest one was a 55-million-dollar bill allocated (to Iranian oppositions) by U.S. Senate," Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a senior Iranian lawmaker, was quoted as saying. Full Report at: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/23/content_11932478.htm -------- URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1674
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