Foreign News

Asia’s biggest Islamic real estate fund has been established through a joint partnership between Singapore-based Pacific Star Group and the Kuwait Finance House.The companies said the Baitak Asia Real Estate Fund would be worth $600 million once fully invested, with its focus on prime residential and commercial sites throughout, mainly South-east Asia. Pacific Star’s fund activities manager, Benett Theseira said the fund would have a particular focus on property in Malaysia.There were very few real estate funds established in Asia to cater for Islamic laws, with the Baitak Asia fund the biggest in terms of equity. Pacific Star has completed real estate deals worth over $1.6 billion, mainly in Singapore and China, since its inception in 2001.


Kuwait Finance House, which is 49 per cent owned by the Kuwaiti government and listed on the nation’s stock exchange, is involved in a wide range of corporate, consumer and investment banking services in Kuwait that are all conducted in strict compliance with Shariah law.

The first sign language translation of the meanings of the first and last chapters of the holy Qur’an will soon be published by the King Fahd Qur’an Printing Complex in Madinah, and will be paid for by the Saudi Government, according to the Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Swaleh Aal-Alsheikh, who added that the task took a year to complete. The objective is to make it possible for the hearing and speech-impaired, to understand at least some of the meanings of the holy book.

The Sultanate of Oman is the only Arab state taking part in a cultural programme organised in Washington to highlight popular ways of life in countries around the world. Oman Centre for Traditional Music, affiliated to the Ministry of Information, is participating in the 2005 popular festival currently taking place in Washington. Oman’s participation, under the theme “Oman: The Desert, The Oasis and the Sea”, portrays Oman’s heritage and culture. It depicts the diversity of Oman’s popular life influenced by the folklore and craft industries reflecting the people’s activities in three main ecological areas: The desert, The oasis and The sea.

Writing a new chapter in the Muslim history of mountaineering, two Iranian women climbers conquered the top of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak last month. These are the first Muslim women to reach the summit of Everest. Farkhondeh Sadegh, a 36-year-old graphic designer from Tehran, and Labeh Keshavarz, 25, a dentist from Zabedan, scaled the 8,850-metre (29,035-feet) mountain from the Nepali side of the mountain that straddles the border with China. The Iranian women’s feat is the first in 30 years since Junko Tabai, a diminutive Japanese housewife, became the first woman to scale Everest.

Iran has embarked on producing Islamic cartoon films on a large scale in a bid to challenge the cultural onslaught from the West. The animated films depict incidents and episodes from the Islamic Revolution in Iran and portray characters in Islamic attires. The film titled Shaheed Bahonar depicts the life of an Iranian child who aspires to become the prime minister of Iran. Film Ashuraiyan is portrayal of the life and martyrdom of Imam Hussain, (peace be upon him). Al-Rasheed’s Children is another animated film which depicts an Israeli commander’ secret parleys with an Arab informant. Several of these films have been produced by Saba TV, a subsidiary organisation of the Government owned Iranian TV network. Cartoon film producer Yaghmaian says the cartoon films must depict the local cultures and ethos and thereby act as a bridge between different culture through exchange of these films.

A mosque in Jubail in the Eastern Province has announced a reward for young men and boys who come on time for the Fajr (dawn) prayer. The reward — a trip to the neighbourhood swimming pool, has encouraged many youngsters to pray the first prayer of the day in the mosque. The mosque has made a list of young people who are participating. They are asked to log in whenever they come to the house of prayer.

The British Football Association has amended the rules to allow fasting Muslim players to take off during Ramadan. The Association amended the rules following removal of teams from the League matches where players took off during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The Association known by its abbreviation FA, had removed the team Abraham Moos Warriors from Lancashire League Matches following refusal of its players to play in the mornings during Ramadan and had slapped penalties on them. The FA amended the laws last month in order to accommodate needs of the multi-cultural society shaping in Britain.

The Qul Sharif Mosque, Europe’s largest mosque, was opened last fortnight in Kazan, capital of the former Soviet republic of Tatarstan, marking the celebrations of the 1000th anniversary of the establishment of the Tatar capital. The mosque is built on the site of the old eight-minaret Qul Sharif mosque in the capital Kazan. The old mosque was destroyed by the Russian troops who stormed the city in 1552 completing the annexation of the Kazan Khanate to the Russian Empire. Prominent Muslim scholar Qul Sharif was killed during the siege of the city and his name was given to the re-built mosque.

Parween Warsi, dubbed ‘Samosa Queen’ in Britain was honoured at the confederation of British Industries (CBI) First Women’s Award ceremony in London in the first week of June. A businesswoman from Bihar in India, with a food and catering empire serving some of the busiest supermarkets in Britain was named among Britain’s 10 most remarkable women. Born in 1956, in Muzaffarpur, Warsi owns S&A Foods and is among the busiest businesswomen in the Midlands. She figures high among the list of Britain’s top entrepreneurs and is also among the richest businesswomen in the country.