The Muslim World

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) signed an agreement with the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and Cambridge Overseas Trust to launch a scholarship program to help talented students in IDB member countries pursue higher studies at Cambridge University.

The IDB-Cambridge International Scholarship Program is launched within the scope of the IDB Merit Scholarship Programme for Science and Technology to place meritorious students from IDB member countries and Muslim communities in non-member countries to do a three-year doctoral study at the university.

“This partnership with an outstanding institution of knowledge would help build future leaders in developing countries,” IDB President Ahmed Mohamed Ali said after signing the agreement at Trinity College in the presence of Professor Alison Richard, vice chancellor of Cambridge, the world’s second most famous university.

The IDB has been providing scholarships for over 15 years with the objective of developing human resources in science and technology, which are crucial for sustainable development. Ali congratulated the university’s authorities on celebrations marking the university’s 800 years.
Malek Shah bin Mohammed Yusoff, head of the IDB Scholarship Program Office, said the joint program is a huge step forward for the IDB in its drive to further internationalize its scholarship program. “Similar programs with other top universities in Europe, the US and Australia are in the pipeline,” he said.

Under the agreement, IDB scholars will also get a 50 percent tuition fee concession.
IDB’s undergraduate scholarship program covers more than 9,000 medical and engineering students in 58 nonmember countries every year. “Since its inception in 1983, more than 6,700 students benefited from the program,” Saeed-uz-Zafar, program officer, told the media.

Salaam Halal insurance, the UK’s first Shariah-compliant motor insurance provider, has launched exclusively on moneysupermarket.com, giving both Muslims and non-Muslims the opportunity to compare prices of Halal insurance with conventional motor insurance.

Prior to Salaam Halal insurance’s launch in July 2008, British Muslims didn’t have the option of buying a car insurance product aligned with their faith. The launch of Salaam Halal insurance on money supermarket.com means that people in Britain will now be able to compare the cost of Shariah-compliant motor insurance to over 60 conventional motor insurance products, addressing concerns that Islamic insurance is more expensive than conventional insurance.

Halal insurance, also known as Takaful, prohibits investment in non-ethical industries, e.g alcohol and tobacco, and is based on mutual cooperation.

As well as receiving competitively priced insurance, Salam Halal insurance policyholders also benefit from the unique nature of Halal insurance.

Unlike conventional insurance, surplus funds are distributed back to the Policyholder in the form of a Participation Discount on the next year’s premium in addition to any conventional No Claim Discount.
Andy Leadbetter, Managing Director for insurance and home services at money supermarket.com commented: “We are pleased to offer the Salaam Halal insurance product exclusively on money supermarket.com.

Technology

Sun Dial is a mobile application that uses images to alert users to the five daily prayers of Islam. Credit: Susan Wyche

Sun Dial is a mobile application that uses images to alert users to the five daily prayers of Islam. Credit: Susan Wyche.

Muslims typically pray five times daily in a routine based on the sun’s position. But in cloudy weather, or indoors, keeping the schedule can be tricky.

Washington: A new mobile phone application developed at Georgia Institute of Technology reminds users when it is time to pray. Though similar devices existed before but they were based on emission of audio prompts saying “Pray Now”. The new device called Sun Dial uses audible prompts combined with graphics of the sun and green circles that show a direction for prayer and suggest a general time.

The software is based on what Muslim focus groups said they wanted.

“Unlike similar systems, ours relies on graphics rather than text and graphs to communicate prayer times,” said Susan Wyche, doctoral candidate in the University’s computing department. “Users drove this choice by telling us that tracking the sun was the most religiously valued method to determine prayer times.”

The product has been tested in the Atlanta area and is being refined to include a digital clock and a vibration alert. The plan is to make it available as a download. (Source: Live Science)

More than half of Americans lack a basic understanding of Islam, while a sizeable number hold negative views about the faith. Most Americans think President Obama’s pledge to ‘seek a new way forward’ with the Muslim world is an important goal, even as good amount of that number say that even mainstream adherents to the religion encourage violence against non-Muslims, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News Poll.

The survey showed that 55 per cent of those polled said they are without a basic understanding of the teachings and beliefs of Islam, and most said the do not know anyone who is Muslim. While awareness has increased in recent years, underlying views have not improved. About 48 per cent said they have an unfavourable view of Islam, the highest in polls since late 2001. nearly three in 10, said they see mainstream Islam as advocating violence against non-Muslims; although more, 58 per cent said it is a peaceful religion.

Muslims make up about one per cent of all US adults.

Sharjah: Eight students of the American University of Sharjah have made a solar-powered car named as ‘Sunchaser’ in collaboration with German multinational company Siemens. This is the first solar powered car built in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The students set out to build the car as their undergraduate project after a sponsorship agreement between Siemens and the AUS. The Sunchaser is a 1.5 horsepower car capable of running at the speed of 100 kmph. It harnesses its power from the sun through a series of 740 cells arranged on the body.

Saudi Arabian Justice Minister Mohamed Al-Issa has said that the Kingdom plans to regulate the marriage of young girls following a judge’s refusal to annul the marriage between an 8-year old girl and a 47-year old man. This is the second time that such a refusal has been made by a judge.
The Justice Ministry aims “to put an end to arbitrariness by parents and guardians in marrying off minor girls,” Al-Issa was quoted as saying in the local media.

The judge in Onaizah, Sheikh Habib Al-Habib, upheld his decision again after an appeals court in Riyadh sent the eight-year-old girl’s case back to him for review a second time. He maintains that once the girl attains puberty (the age of adulthood in Islam), she can decide for herself whether she wants to be married to the man or begin the divorce proceedings.

The judge also ordered the man not to engage in sexual relations with the girl until then.
A relative speaking anonymously said the girl’s mother is determined to pursue the case despite the verdict. An appeals court is reportedly scheduled to review the case again next month.

The case first received local and international media attention in December when Al-Habib decided against annulling the marriage.

The mother’s lawyer, Abdullah Al-Jutaili, said the judge ruled that the mother, who is divorced from her father who married off his girl to settle a debt, is not the legal guardian and therefore cannot petition for a separation.

Underage marriage has been a hot subject especially following remarks in January by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh who declared that it is not against Shariah to “marry off girls who are 15 and younger.”

“We hear a lot in the media about marriage of underage girls,” Al-Sheikh said. “We should know that Shariah law has not brought about injustice to women.”

Shariah permits women to marry Muslim men of good standing, and the father plays an important role in determining this quality. However, fathers cannot force daughters to marry, and the marriage must be consensual.

Dowry is also the property of the woman being married, not of her father.

Financial considerations could prompt some Saudi families to wed their underage daughters to much older men. “For them this is allowed by Islamic law,” lawyer Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem said.

Iran has announced that it will unveil new arms and equipment in the near future. Speaking on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting, Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said on April 22, “We have moved beyond the ‘Shahab’ missiles by producing the new ‘Sejjil’ missile to augment Iran’s defence capability,” Fars News Agency reported.

He vowed that Iran’s military will respond firmly to any threat against nation’s integrity. The military industry has manufactured artillery systems to help Iran’s military self-reliance campaign aimed at enhancing the country’s defence power in the face of threats.

The surface-to-surface ‘Sejjil’, the long-range ‘Shahab-3’ ballistic missile along with ‘Zelzal’ and ‘Fateh’ missiles are among the better known weapons. ’Shahab-3’ reportedly has a range of up to 2,000 km (1,250 miles) and is capable of carrying a 1,000-760 kg warhead.

The Charity Commission has published the first detailed survey of over 700 mosques in England and Wales. The survey shows that mosques contribute to their local communities through a wide range of services and activities in addition to providing space for worship, from sport and leisure activities to healthy living programmes and assistance for senior citizens.

34 per cent (255) of mosques contacted responded to the telephone survey. The findings show that most mosques are well-established, with 83 per cent of those surveyed being in existence for over ten years. The average number of attendees at Friday prayer meetings is over 400, rising to over 600 for Eid, and on average, the mosques surveyed reported that their estimated annual income is 233,452 sterling pounds.

The independent regulator of charities in England and Wales commissioned the new survey as part of its wider work with faith-based charities. Around 1 in 5 of the 190,000 charities on the Register of Charities either advance religion, which is a charitable purpose, or have a faith-based motivation. Many mosques are already registered charities.

The independent survey was prepared by BMG Research and commissioned by the regulator’s Faith and Social Cohesion Unit (FSCU) to provide key information on mosques which has not been gathered before. The report provides a better understanding of the range of organisations that exist, and shows that mosques which have engaged with the Charity Commission are more likely to have proper policies in place.

Other key findings of the survey of 255 mosques across England and Wales revealed that 94 per cent deliver educatinal programmes for children and young people; eight out of 10 mosques carry out fundraising for the relief of poverty and hardship; three in five carry out women’s group activ-ities, almost half deliver sports and leisure activities; and almost one-third deliver health/healthy living activities; and nearly one in three deliver activities for senior citizens.

The survey also shows that on average, mosques have 11 people on their trustee board or equivalent. In terms of the number of people in the mosques who are trustees, management committee members or equivalent, young people are well-represented, with over 52 per cent of mosques having people aged between 18-30 with manag-ement respon-sibility and 15 per cent of mosques having women with management responsibility.

Over the first year of its work, FSCU has hosted events and consultations as well as embarked on an extensive outr-each progra-mme, and by collaborating with 30 organis-ations has run nearly 100 even ts and nearly 300 face-to-face visits to mosques since May 2008.

A World Bank report blames Palestinian mismanagement and Israeli restrictions for severe water shortages in Palestinian areas.

Palestinians get only a quarter of the water Israelis have access to, BBC reported.
The existing problems affect not just daily supply but the development of water resources, water uses and wastewater management.

“Water-related humanitarian crisis are in fact chronic in Gaza and parts of the West Bank,“ says the report.

For their water, Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are completely dependant on scarce resources controlled by Israel.

This has led to “systematic and severe constraints on Palestinian development of water resources“, says the report.