Islamophobia: French Government Is Responsible For Protecting Religious Minorities, Islam and the West, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam and the West

Islamophobia: French Government Is Responsible For Protecting Religious Minorities

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am fully aware that coming here to tell you about violations of Muslims’ rights living in France can appear inadequate.

It is true that every day, thousands of people are detained, killed, tortured throughout the world, because of their religious, political beliefs, their sexual orientation, or colour of skin.

On the other hand, France, the country of my ancestors, has always claimed to be the champion, not to say the inventor of human rights.

French diplomacy has excelled in giving lessons in this issue.

However, we are facing important movements is Islamophobia, characterized by violence especially conducted towards Muslims.

That is why, just like many citizens, we were first surprised than astonished by what happened during the period from May 2003 to March 2004.

It is during this time that a so-called debate took place on the national level leading to the adoption of the 15th March 2004 law banishing in state schools the wearing by pupils of religious sings showing ostensibly a religious belonging, also called (anti- veil law).

http://newageislam.com/islamophobia--french-government-is-responsible-for-protecting-religious-minorities/islam-and-the-west/d/2743

Quran verses as ringtone ‘improper’: Grand Mufti of Egypt, Islamic World News, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic World News

Quran verses as ringtone ‘improper’: Grand Mufti of Egypt

Cairo: With thousands of Egyptians choosing Quranic verses as their mobile ringtones, the Grand Mufti of Egypt has condemned the practice terming it as "improper" as it compromises the sacredness of the religious scriptures.

"Using the Quran as ringtones is improper because it compromises the sacredness of the verse," Grand Mufti of Egypt Ali Jumah said on Wednesday.

Quranic verses are used as ringtones by young Egyptians as a declaration of identity and by the old Egyptians as a respectful tone far from pop songs.

The other expected reaction on the issue is by a cultural elite who believe he should be issuing religious points of view on more important topics such as corruption or embezzlement.

But for the time being those who are really worried about how many will buy into the fatwa are those making millions of pounds from selling ring tones to devoted Muslims. —PTI

http://newageislam.com/quran-verses-as-ringtone-%E2%80%98improper%E2%80%99--grand-mufti-of-egypt/islamic-world-news/d/2406

Blair denies 'covert' deal with Bush to invade Iraq, Islamic World News, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic World News

Blair denies 'covert' deal with Bush to invade Iraq

Tony Blair poses the '2010 question' to the Iraq inquiry

Tony Blair has denied striking a "covert" deal with George Bush to invade Iraq at a private meeting in 2002 at the US president's ranch.

He told the Iraq inquiry there was no secret about what was said - that Saddam Hussein had to be dealt with and "the method of doing that is open".

The former prime minister was also quizzed about the claim Saddam could launch weapons at 45 minutes' notice.

He said "it would have been better" if headlines about it had been corrected.

Mr Blair used the morning session to mount an impassioned defence of the decision to go to war, telling the inquiry: "This isn't about a lie or a conspiracy or a deceit or a deception.

"It's a decision. And the decision I had to take was, given Saddam's history, given his use of chemical weapons, given the over one million people whose deaths he had caused, given 10 years of breaking UN resolutions, could we take the risk of this man reconstituting his weapons programmes or is that a risk that it would be irresponsible to take?"

'Not dissembling'

Sometimes it is important not to ask the "March 2003 question" but the "2010 question", said Mr Blair, arguing that if Saddam had been left in power the UK and its allies would have "lost our nerve" to act.

Quoting frequently from his own speeches and statements, Mr Blair answered questions about his working relationship with George Bush, the intelligence used to justify to the public and the unsuccessful diplomatic efforts at the UN aimed at averting it.

http://newageislam.com/blair-denies--covert--deal-with-bush-to-invade-iraq/islamic-world-news/d/2431

An Israeli View of Iranian Democracy, Islam and Politics, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam and Politics

An Israeli View of Iranian Democracy

By Uri Avnery

Some years ago, the Saudi security forces in Mecca opened fire on unruly pilgrims. In Saudi Arabia, there are never protests against election results -- simply because there are no elections.

In Iran, however, there are elections, and how! They are more frequent than elections in the US, and Iranian presidents change more often than American ones. Indeed, the very protests and riots show how seriously the citizens there treat election results.

OF COURSE, the Iranian regime is not democratic in the way we understand democracy. There is a Supreme Guide who fixes the rules of the game. Religious bodies rule out candidates they do not like. Parliament cannot adopt laws that contradict religious law. And the laws of God are unchangeable - at most, their interpretation can change.

All this is not entirely foreign to Israelis. From the very beginning the religious camp has been trying to turn Israel into a religious state, in which religious law (called Halakha) would be above the civil law. Laws "revealed" thousands of years ago and regarded as unchangeable would take precedence over laws enacted by the democratically elected Knesset.

To understand Iran, we have only to look at one of the important Israeli parties: Shas. They, too, have a Supreme Guide, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who decides everything. He appoints the party leadership, he selects the party’s Knesset candidates, he directs the party faction how to vote on every single issue. There are no elections in Shas. And in comparison with the frequent outbursts of Rabbi Ovadia, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a model of moderation.

http://newageislam.com/an-israeli-view-of-iranian-democracy--/islam-and-politics/d/1522

OBAMA’S WAR ON TERROR IN PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN, War on Terror, NewAgeIslam.com

War on Terror

OBAMA’S WAR ON TERROR IN PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN

Strategic Divergence: The War Against the Taliban and the

War Against Al Qaeda

Washington’s attention is now zeroing in on Afghanistan. There is talk of doubling U.S. forces there, and preparations are being made for another supply line into Afghanistan — this one running through the former Soviet Union — as an alternative or a supplement to the current Pakistani route. To free up more resources for Afghanistan, the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq probably will be accelerated. And there is discussion about whether the Karzai government serves the purposes of the war in Afghanistan. In short, U.S. President Barack Obama’s campaign promise to focus on Afghanistan seems to be taking shape.

We have discussed many aspects of the Afghan war in the past; it is now time to focus on the central issue. What are the strategic goals of the United States in Afghanistan? What resources will be devoted to this mission? What are the intentions and capabilities of the Taliban and others fighting the United States and its NATO allies? Most important, what is the relationship between the war against the Taliban and the war against al Qaeda? If the United States encounters difficulties in the war against the Taliban, will it still be able to contain not only al Qaeda but other terrorist groups? Does the United States need to succeed against the Taliban to be successful against transnational Islamist terrorists? And assuming that U.S. forces are built up in Afghanistan and that the supply problem through Pakistan is solved, are the defeat of Taliban and the disruption of al Qaeda likely?

http://newageislam.com/obama%E2%80%99s-war-on-terror-in-pakistan-afghanistan--/war-on-terror/d/1151

'There is no room for suicide in Islam': Al Qaeda's racist attack on Obama signals the death of jihad, Radical Islamism and Jihad, NewAgeIslam.com

Radical Islamism and Jihad

'There is no room for suicide in Islam': Al Qaeda's racist attack on Obama signals the death of jihad

London: With both countries facing the common threat of suicide bombings, India-born inter-faith champion Lord Khalid Hameed says a recent British exercise in bringing Muslim and Jewish students together holds important lessons for India.

"There is absolutely no room for suicide in Islam," said Hameed who has been visiting top British universities along with a group of like-minded parliamentarians, addressing challenging religious issues.

Their visits follow reports of campus tensions between Muslim and Jewish students in Britain.

Lord Hameed is British Asian of the year 2007

"I'd say the same thing to Muslim youth audiences in Britain and in India," the Lucknow-born Hameed, who was honoured with a Padma Shri in 1992 for services in the field of medicine, said.

"You need to come out of the margins and participate in nation-building. Be non-violent, go in for education and put in hard work. At the end of the day, the solution is education, education and education.

"The problem is that Muslims lack credible, sincere and honest leadership. There are no leaders - the community is like a ship with no anchor and no captain, travelling in all directions in turbulent waters," he said.

http://newageislam.com/-there-is-no-room-for-suicide-in-islam---al-qaeda-s-racist-attack-on-obama-signals-the-death-of-jihad/radical-islamism-and-jihad/d/1023

Muslim Women of power and influence, Islamic Society, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Society

Muslim Women of power and influence

Badriya Yasmeen Dowe

August 29, 2008 - Issue: (1185), Volume 16

Today, the view held by many in the West is that Muslim women are second-class citizens, trapped in their homes and hidden behind the veil. While this latter view is true in certain countries, it is by no means the norm as often the oppression of women is due to cultural rather than religious traditions.

Since the beginning of Islam, women have played important roles in society. Khadijah, Prophet Muhammad’s first wife, was the first convert to Islam. His third wife, Aisha, was a great contributor to the sayings of the Prophet (hadith), which went on to become a component of the shar’ia (Islamic law).

The deeds of these women secured them a place in the annals of Islam and it would be hard to find a single Muslim that did not know who they were.

Unfortunately, the same acknowledgment has not been extended to the many women who were able to attain the exalted position of sovereign. Occasionally, in Islamic history, women ruled jointly with their husbands, but they have also governed their own territories outright, having their names mentioned in the Friday khutba (sermon), and inscribed on coins.

http://newageislam.com/muslim-women-of-power-and-influence/islamic-society/d/666