The Muslim World

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has announced    it will launch a $10- billion Fund to fight poverty in the Muslim world. The fund was launched during the Annual Session of the governors of the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB), which began in Dakar, capital of Senegal (on May 29, 2007). Some 21 member Countries of OIC, which groups 57 Muslim nations, have so far extended their contributions to the Fund. Being the biggest contributors, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have given $1 billion and $300 million to the fund. The fund will be utilized to bring down the poverty level of member countries as well as to eradicate illiteracy and epidemic diseases such as Malaria, AIDS and Tuberculosis in addition to help accelerate growth and development of least developed member countries.

Haj Ministry recently put a three-year moratorium on issuing new Haj travel licenses due to capacity concerns, especially at the Mina encampment.


Hatim Qadi, first undersecretary at the Haj Ministry said, “Though the suspension of new licenses has been effective since last year the ministry renewed the order in order to avoid any inconvenience and embarrassment to the officials of the tourism companies the world over who seeks new licenses,” said Qadi.


There are currently approximately 2,000 foreign companies for Haj operations across the world. Al-Qarashi said the ministry has been trying its best to stem the problem of overcrowding of pilgrims in Mina and other places.

With the growing number of child sexual abuse cases in the Kingdom, it is not enough for parents to guard their children and lock them at home for providing them with security. Rather, children need to learn how to protect themselves and understand what sexual harassment actually is.


The Kindergarten Unit at the Educational Supervising Center in the Al-Nahda District of Riyadh recently held a workshop for children to help them identify sexual abuse. Using a doll, an illustrator highlighted those parts of the anatomy that should not be touched by anyone.


Suhaila Hammad, a senior member of the National Society for Human Rights, said that young children need to be aware of such issues, since they can be subjected to abuse anytime by anyone.


“Some people think that talking about these issues would open children’s eyes on those taboo topics although our religion tells us about those issues in the Qur’an. For example Allah mentioned the story of the nation of Prophet Lut,” she said. “Teachers must use methods that reach out to children. If they are abused then they must try to resist and tell their parents about the incident even if the perpetrator is a family member,” she said.


She added that if child abuse is not stopped in the beginning, children could become abusers themselves when they grow older.

Malaysia’s Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop in his speech at Young Leaders Forum called on Islamic countries to strengthen trade ties among themselves as a way to promote their development and prosperity. “The volume of trade in the 57 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) account for less than 10 percent of the world trade, although they are inhabited by 20 percent of the global population and holds 60 percent of the world’s natural resources. He made these remarks in his speech ahead of the two-day World Islamic Economic Forum, which began on the May 29, 07.


The minister said that a majority of Muslims live in poverty despite some Muslim nations being blessed with resources. About 24 percent of the Muslim population earns less than $1 per day, 39 percent live below the poverty line and in 45 OIC countries, and the people have an average annual income of less than $1000. According to the minister, trade has always been the cementing factor between Muslim countries. “The trade of the OIC countries with the non-OIC countries currently is eight times the size of the intra-OIC trade.

The Emirate will soon have six new schools to cater to the growing demand for quality education. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s (KHDA) newly formed agency, School Agency, unveiled the opening of the new schools for the upcoming academic year 2007-08.


According to KHDA, all the schools have applied for the international accreditation as per the directives of the School Agency. The School Agency’s accreditation procedure follows international guidelines from the Council of International Schools and other accreditation bodies.

Islamic insurance (takaful) has shown very impressive premium growth rates of about 20 percent since 2000 and is expected to reach $7.4 billion by 2015, according to Moody’s Investor Services. Total takaful premiums were about $2 billion in 2005. Moody’s attributes the rapid pace of growth of takaful to the difficulties that traditional insurers are facing in complying with Sharia as a result of their investment strategies.


A typical conventional insurer will commit a substantial portion of its investment portfolio, usually in excess of 80 percent to fixed-income securities that earn interest.


Under Sharia, riba (interest) is forbidden. This disqualifies conventional bonds - which usually comprise a substantial portion of an insurer’s investment portfolio - as an acceptable asset class,” said Timour Boudkeev, Moody’s vice-president in a report entitled Moody’s Approach to Analyzing Takaful Companies.


Last year alone, the IDB group gave $5.2 billion in loans to finance 361 operations. Of that amount $2.17 billion were given to finance development projects and $2.95 billion to finance trade. The bank has so far financed 746 educational and health projects of 67 Muslim communities. The bank’s executive directors also met in Dakar sand approved new finances worth $763.2 million. (Courtesy Hamad Ibrahim/ IINA)

The Board of Trustees of the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation approved yesterday its budget for the current fiscal year earmarking Dh 114 million for its various activities. The meeting presided by Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. The meeting was also attended by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs. The Board of Trustees also gave approval for helping and supporting a number of projects both in UAE and abroad, which included environmental preservation, medical education, care of orphans, renovation of mosques, care for persons suffering from autism and childcare.

With its plans for a grand mosque in London near the Olympics site met with bad publicity and ferocious smear campaigns, Tablighi Jamaat is trying to allay public fears, correct misinformation and clear stereotypes circulated by the media.


“Our role is to help put the planning arguments for a new mosque in the West Ham area to audiences including the local community, local and national politicians and leading stakeholders,” a spokesman for the Abbey Mills Mosque Project told IslamOnline.net.


“The proposed mosque will be able to accommodate 12,000, although as at present the regular weekly attendance for Thursday evenings is expected to be probably about half that figure.


Initial blueprints for the mosque, supposed to be built on an 18-acre site, envisaged a garden, playing field, school and a prayer space.


Twenty-five percent of the population in Newham, the mosque’s site and London’s most diverse borough, are Muslims.

Pakistan will help Afghanistan to establish rail link between the two countries besides helping the neighbor country to lay track up to Kandhar. This was stated by Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on 23rd May’07 to complete railway track between Chaman (Pakistan) and Spinbudlak (Afghanistan) in first phase. Afghanistan‘s Deputy Minister of Work Eng. Rasooli W.M. told media-persons that Afghanistan, being a landlocked country, was in dire need of having Railway system in the country and we are happy that work is being initiated on the project. (Courtesy IINA)

Imam-e-Kaaba Sheikh Abdul Rehman Al-Sudais on a recent visit to Pakistan said there was a need to present before the world the true and enlightened image of Islam that is for peace, tolerance and harmony.” We have to give a true message of Islam to the world and highlight its human-friendly and universal aspects”, Imam-e-Kaaba said.


At the completion of his visit to Pakistan, the Imam-e-Kaaba expressed his gratitude to the leadership and the people of Pakistan for the unprecedented expression of love and affection that he received throughout his stay in Pakistan. He said it was a memory that he would always treasure fondly.

The Makkah-based Muslim World League has announced the names of the winners of the Prophet of Mercy (Nabi Al Rahmat) International Competition. The first prize is shared by Dr. Faisal Ahmad Nadvi from India and Dr. Muhammad Raghib Al-Sarjani from Egypt. The second prize winners are Muhammad Hisamuddin Al-Khatib from Syria and Dr. Zaid Omar Al-Eis of Jordan, while Saudi Arabia’s Dr. Saleh ibn Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijeri and Maha bint Jarees Al-Jarees shared the Third prize. Dr. Al Turki said that researchers from 25 countries presented 430 papers to the competition under the program of “Supporting the Prophet of Mercy.”

In a bid to enhance university research and adapt it to development concerns across the Islamic world, the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW) - an affiliate of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) established the Prize for University Research 2007.


The research should be written in one of ISESCO’s working languages of Arabic, English or French. It should be sent to the following address:

The General Secretariat of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (ISESCO), Avenue des F.A.R. Hay Riyadh - Rabat - Kingdom of Morocco, P.O Box 2275. Post code 10104; Phone: (212) 37 56 60 52/53; Fax: (212) 37 56 60 12/13; Email: fumi@isesco.org.ma

The Bahrain based leading Islamic Bank Al Baraka Banking Group (ABG) achieved noticeable growth in its financing and investment assets and in shareholders’ equity during the first quarter of 2007.


Al Baraka Banking Group (ABG), which is a Bahraini Joint Stock Company listed on the Bahrain and Dubai stock exchanges, is a leading international Islamic bank with a Standard & Poors long-term rating of BBB- and a short-term rating of A-3.   ABG offers retail, corporate and investment banking and treasury services, strictly in accordance with the principles of the Islamic Shariah. The authorized capital of ABG is $1.5 billion, while the total equity amounts to about $1.2 billion. The Group has a wide geographical presence in the form of subsidiary banking units in ten countries, which in turn provide their services through more than 216 branches. (Courtesy IINA)

Non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia are free to practice their religion but must do so in private. “This matter is well known and doesn’t require reasserting - non-Muslims can conduct their religious ceremonies in secret but not in public,” said the head of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, Turki al-Sudairy.


International human rights groups say Saudi Arabia, which applies a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam, does not tolerate religious practices by non-Muslims. Sudairy stressed that allowing non-Muslims to openly practice their faith would conflict with the “religious politics of the kingdom” and “cause a number of problems, the most serious being preaching in the cradle of Islam”.

A show of sympathy for suicide bombers among some young, American Muslims has raised new concerns about homegrown extremism, but also is highlighting calls to engage the nation’s growing Muslim population.


A Pew Research Center poll released late last month found that, while U.S. Muslims are largely the picture of assimilation, about a quarter of Muslims ages 18 to 29 said the use of suicide bombing against civilian targets to defend Islam could be justified, at least on rare occasions.


The finding was described by some as a trouble spot, and even a hair-raising statistic, but many Muslim scholars had another reaction to the Pew report: What did you expect? “Given what’s happened in Iraq and Palestine, I would be shocked if there wasn’t discontent,” said Omid Safi, professor of Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


From the American Muslim perspective, the nearly six years since the Sept. 11 attacks have been a time of dealing with widespread mistrust of all the Islamic faithful, particularly the young. A report on Muslim youth released recently by the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council cites prejudice and discrimination against Muslims as a “root cause” of radicalization.


The report urges “fighting bad theology with good theology” and proposes solutions from forming a U.S. government advisory board of young Muslims to placing Muslim chaplains on every American college campus.


A closer look at the Pew report, meantime, shows that of the 26 percent of young Muslims who expressed sympathy for suicide bombers, nearly half of them said it is justified only in rare circumstances.

Prime Minister Tony Blair recently announced $2 million in funding to back Islamic studies at British universities, urging the public to listen to the religion’s moderate scholars rather than to its radicals.


Blair’s government hopes the funding will lead to a major shift of the focus of Islamic studies from an Arab and Middle Eastern perspective to that of the plural society in Britain. Blair told imams, scholars and clerics at a two-day conference in London that British Muslims “overwhelmingly” wanted to be “loyal citizens,” despite attention given to a small number of radicals.


The money is to be used to support recommendations of a report by Islamic scholar Ataullah Siddiqui that was commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills. The Siddiqui report warned that many university courses in Islamic studies focus too narrowly on the Middle East, failing to reflect the modern “realities” of Muslim life in multicultural Britain.


Siddiqui’s review was commissioned a year ago amid concerns that some students were being exposed to radical Muslim preachers on campus who condone terrorism.

Bashir Ahmed, the first Muslim was elected for the Scottish parliament last month. He represents the Scottish National Party and Holyrood constituency. Ahmed was born in India before partition of the subcontinent and reached England via Pakistan. He took his oath in Urdu. Beginning his career as a bus conductor, he ran hotels and restaurants.


The Welsh Assembly also got its first Muslim representative in Mohammad Asghar, 62. He was elected on the ticket from Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru(PC) from South Wales East seat.

On the occasion of 18th anniversary of the demise of Iran’s leader Imam Khomeini, an exhibition of his works was held in Oslo, capital of Norwa. According to a report of the Central Headquarters of Imam Khomeini Commemoration ceremony, the exhibition included films, painting contest, feature writing and other cultural contests.


There was also a translation of Imam Khomeini’s poems in the Norwegian language, IRNA reported. (Courtesy HA/ IINA)

In a victory for Islamic law, Malaysia’s highest court refused to recognize the conversion of a Muslim-born woman to Christianity, ruling that the matter was beyond the jurisdiction of the country’s civil courts and should be handled by religious authorities.


Muslims, who make up about 60 percent of Malaysia’s population, have co-existed with Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs for decades in this country, considered one of the world’s most progressive and modern Muslim democracies. But the ruling here reinforced the idea, widely held in many Muslim countries, that Islamic law should have primacy over secular laws in certain aspects of their lives.


The Malaysian chief justice, Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim, who read out his majority opinion in the packed but respectfully hushed courtroom, said the government agency responsible for identity cards had acted reasonably when it refused to change Joy’s religious status.


“She cannot at her own whim simply enter or leave her religion,” Ahmad said. “She must follow rules.”


The Malaysian Constitution declares Islam the official religion. The abandonment of Islam, or apostasy, is deplored by many Muslims and in some Malaysian states is punishable by fines and imprisonment. In order for Joy to officially change her religion, Ahmad said, she must offer proof from a special Muslim court that she has abandoned Islam. “The civil courts cannot interfere,” Ahmad said.

The Grand Mufti of Russia and President of the Ifta Council Sheikh Rawi Ainuddin announced the beginning of reconstruction works of the Jamia Mosque in Moscow. He said this while addressing a social forum on “New bridges for cultural interaction” here.


Sheikh Rawi Ainuddin said that the mosque reconstruction has been started with the support of Russian President Vladmir Putin. “The Moscow Municipality Okayed the project. We are collecting the fund for the construction, and the designing and geophysical works have already been completed. The mufti also praised the charity aid extended by the Russian parliament member Suleiman Karimov for the reconstruction


Sheikh Rawi Ainuddin expressed hope that the international Muslim community would come forward with financial assistance for implementing the project. After the construction, the mosque would have the capacity to accommodate more than 4000 worshippers,” he said adding that the mosque will have two minarets, each with a height of 75 meters. (Courtesy IINA)

The Third International Conference for Islamic Leaders will be held in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, next month. Prominent Islamic religious leaders and scholars from over 72 countries will attend the conference. This was disclosed by Hadji Tzali, head of the Social Development and Support wing of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council. “The event will play a vital role in improving the image of Ethiopia abroad,” he said.


According to Hadji Tzali, the conference will discuss a host of issues including poverty, AIDS, global peace in general and the situation of Muslims in Ethiopia and the activities of the Council in particular.


The Council has deliberated on projects that could help the Muslim community to actively participate in the Millennium Celebration. It is expected that as many as 25 heads of State as well as ministers and ambassadors will attend the celebrations. According to unofficial figures, there are over 40 million Muslims in Ethiopia.


(Courtesy AT/HA/ IINA)

The Vatican has restored power and prestige to the department that oversees dialogue with Muslims, almost a year after it was controver-sially downgraded. Officials from both sides yesterday praised the decision as a positive step toward improving relations. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said the dialogue office would again become “a separate depa-rtment”, local media reported.


“I think it’s a great idea,” Father Tom Reese, senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Woodstock Theological Centre and a world-renowned Vatican expert, said of the move to restore the inter-religious council. “I just hope they get the right man to head the department. In France, home to Europe’s largest Muslim minority, the priest in charge of relations with Islam said the change would help him in discussions and debates with Muslims. “This is a sign, to Muslims and people of other faiths, that the policies of Pope John Paul will continue,” Father Christophe Roucou said. (Courtesy HA/ IINA)

Home-grown imams are the favorite to the young Muslim generations in the US as they always have answers to many of their curious questions about life and religion. “The problem is that you have a young generation whose own experience has nothing to do with where its parents came from,” Hatem Bazian, a lecturer in the Near Eastern studies department at the University of California, Berkeley, who surveys Muslim communities, told The New York Times in a report published on Friday.


There are between six to seven million Muslims in the US, less than three percent of the country’s population of 300 million. Now the young Muslim generations are seeking homegrown imams as they can talk about a wide array of religious and social issues like Zakat, prayers, dating and drugs. “My main objective is to make Islam relevant,” Imam Yassir Fazaga told the newspaper. Every Friday, Fazaga dots his traditional Islamic code of dress to deliver his weekly sermon at the mosque in Mission Veijo, California. Asked by youths about Valentine’s Day, he talks about how the Noble Qur’an endorses love within certain ethical parameters.


The big problem is that homegrown imams are hard to find in the US.


Immigrant parents usually want their children to become doctors, engineers, computer scientists. Experts say that being imam needs thorough academic studies. “Ultimately, in the absence of trained imams, good religion in many American mosques has come to be defined through rigid adherence to rituals,” Khaled Abou El-Fadl, professor of Islamic law at the University of California, Los Angeles, said.

The Washin-gtonbased Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) welcomed a ruling by a North Carolina judge that any religious text, not just a Bible, may be used to swear in witnesses or jurors in that state’s courtrooms. “We welcome this ruling as an ex-pression of our nation’s constitutional commitment to religious diversity and tolera-nce,” said CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar.


In 2005, CAIR called on judges in North Carolina to allow use of the Qur’an, Islam’s revea-led text, when administering oaths.

The incorporation of shari’a as one source of legislation enjoys the support of a majority in the eight Muslim-majority nations surveyed. The only outlier is Turkey, where 57 per cent say that shari’a should not be a source of legislation.


But how is shari’a understood by the majority of Muslims? Does its inclusion mean a rejection of democratic values and a call for the absolute rule of an infallible clergy?


The findings suggest that this is not the case. The vast majority of those surveyed, in addition to their admiration for political freedom in the West, also said they support freedoms of speech, religion and assembly - as well as a woman’s right to vote, drive and work outside the home.


In comparison, another Gallup poll of American households, 46 per cent respondents say the bible should be a source, but not the only source, of legislation and 9 per cent more say the Bible should be the only source of legislation.


Interestingly, American views of the role of religious leaders almost exactly parallels those in Iran, with 55% of Americans and Iranians saying religious leaders should have no part in drafting a constitution for a new country, while the balance believes they should have at least some role.


Understanding this third model of government, one that embraces both religious principles and democratic values, may be America’s key to helping build authentic, popularly supported democracy in this region of the world.