THE MUSLIM WORLD

France's immigration minister proposed a national debate on French "national identity," saying it should not include face-covering Muslim veils.

"For me, no burqas on the street," Eric Besson said on LCI television on October 25, referring to the all-encompassing veils such as those worn in Afghanistan. But he didn't directly suggest a ban, saying it was up to lawmakers to decide whether that would be the most effective measure.

"The burqa runs counter to national values," he said, saying such veils are an affront to women's rights and the French commitment to equality.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the burqa imprisons women and is not welcome in France, and a parliamentary commission is holding six months of hearings that could lay the groundwork for a law banning Muslim women from wearing head-to-toe and face-covering veils in public.

Besson suggested a 2 1/2-month-long "great debate on national identity" on the theme "What does it mean to be French?" The idea is "to reaffirm values of national identity and pride in being French," he said.

The idea of a national debate on French identity is likely to rankle immigrants' and minority rights groups who say Sarkozy's government is too intolerant of outsiders. Himself the son of a Hungarian immigrant, Sarkozy has sought to crack down on illegal immigration, focusing on skilled immigrants instead.

Besson defended a government decision to send illegal Afghan immigrants back to Kabul on charter flights last week.

The head of France's largest Muslim body, Mohammed Moussaoui, told the parliamentary panel earlier this month that the full-body veil-worn by a small minority of Muslims in France-is an "entry way" to radical Islam, but that the national debate over whether to ban it is stigmatizing the entire Muslim community.

With an estimated 5 million Muslims, France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe. Islam is the second religion in France after Roman Catholicism.

“Everybody's talking about peace, but we cannot have peace without justice,” This is how former US President Jimmy Carter remarked while talking to a select gathering in Jeddah on October 25. “But justice cannot be done without mercy and mercy cannot be given without knowledge,” he said.
Former US President Jimmy Carter visited Jeddah to share his vision of the future of cross cultural and interfaith relations and peace in the Middle East with an invited audience.

Sami Angawi, director for an architect and a graduate of London University, who hosted the event, greeted the 39th US president who has devoted his life to building understanding between peoples and offering practical medical help to millions of the poor across the world through the Carter Center.

He added that diversity exists within unity and unity accommodates diversity and this was what brought us together as mankind.

Carter said that his return to Saudi Arabia reminded him that the Kingdom represented the common aspirations of many human beings.

Carter recalled a schoolteacher from his youth whom he quoted at both his inauguration as president and on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

“He said that we must accommodate changing times but cling to unchanging principles. We must be flexible in modern days recognizing the diversity of the hopes and dreams of all people but I also think that principles never change. Justice, peace, humility, service, forgiveness, compassion and love. So, we have no separation among us.”

The EURISLAM Network, based at the University of Strasbourg will organize a seminar on 'Muslims and Political Participation in Europe' in collaboration with the Centre for European Islamic Thought (CEIT), based at the University of Copenhagen on April 21-22, 2010. It has called for papers on 1. The processes and realities of Muslim participation in local and national politics: Voting patterns and representation in local and national assemblies; the place of Islam as an identifying factor - do candidates highlight or marginalize their 'Muslimness' (and what is 'Muslim' in this context?); the relationship between Muslim and ethnic identities in the political processes. 2. Internal Muslim debates about political participation in Europe and 3- Public discourses about Muslim participation.
Scholars wishing to present a paper should send an abstract and a brief CV to the address below as soon as possible and not later than 1 February 2010 to Prof. Jřrgen S. Nielsen: jsn@teol.ku.dk, as soon as possible or before Feb. 1, 2010. Paper presenters will have to bear their own travel cost but will be offered local hospitality. n

France’s first Muslim cemetery has opened in Strausbourg. Roland Ries, mayor of Strasbourg, will sign the contract for the cemetery with Mohamed Moussaoui, President of the French Council for the Muslim Faith and Driss Ayachour, President of the Regional Council of the Muslim Faith.

In 1973, spaces for those who wished to be buried in the Muslim tradition were created within existing cemeteries in Strausbourg. But as more Muslims migrated to the area, needs outgrew the space.

In 2003 the town’s Conseil of Muslims proposed a plan to create an all-Muslim cemetery, but it was not until summer 2008 when Roland Ries put together a working group that real progress was made to make it happen.

Ries worked together with representatives of Muslim associations in the town: Deputy Mayor Delegate of the civil state Anne-Pernelle Richardot, and Deputy Delegate of Culture Olivier Bitz to create a plan. Eighteen months later, a contract was drawn up and was signed on Wednesday, October 7.

Rules and regulations governing the space are similar to those used for cemeteries of other religions. Care for graves/tombs will rest with the families. (Source: SaphirNews.com la Croix)

Alwashem Economic Consulting Services (AECS), Kuwait, in co-ordination with BEDA Promosindo from Indonesia is organizing an Islamic Finance Seminar to be held from December 9 to 11 this year in Bali, Indonesia.

The seminar aims at raising awareness of the diverse global interests of members of the Islamic Finance industry and to promote greater participation in international dialogue and exchange of information and, by doing so aim at strengthening the finance industry systems at the national levels and globally.

The focus of the seminar will be “Islamic Finance – Outlook and Reality.” Findings, conclusions and action plans resulting from the seminar – and many others being held across the region will contribute directly to a stronger financial global community.

Some topics that will be covered are as : 1- Shariah and legal frame work for Islamic financial institutions, 2- Financial accounting aspects of Islamic Institutions, 3- The role of the Shariah committees in the development of the Finance Industry, 4- Marketing Strategies for Islamic Products and Services., 5- Recent development in the regulatory and supervision Issues for Islamic Finance institutions, 6- Growth and development of the Islamic Finance Industry, 7- Financial crisis impacts on the Islamic Financial institutions.

Some of the speakers from around the world who are likely to participate are: Sheikh Abdullah Bin Suleiman Al-Manea – Saudi Arabia, Dr. Muhammad al-Bashir Muhammad al-Amine - Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr. Farid Kourtel – Algeria, Bernardo Vizcaíno – Singapore, Ayad Al-Mutairi – Saudi Arabia, Azmat Rafique – Qatar, Lindsey Rogerson – United Kingdom.

Persons wishing to participate can register on-line at www.aecs-kuwait.com. Email: register@aecs-kuwait.com

Phone: 1-336-710-7075, Fax: +96612376805, Post: Alwashem Economic Consulting Services, P.O. Box 125538 Riyadh 11791

Tanzeemul Mohsinath and other Muslim women NGOs will host an interaction with the team of British Muslim visiting the City on Monday, November 9, at 11 am at Hotel Monarch, Infantry Road, Bangalore. The 4-member team from the UK is likely to have two women members. More information can be had from Ms. Sajida Begum, secretary, Tanzeemul Mohsinath, Ph: 98453-83905.

The Al-Ameen Education Society would arrange an interaction with Bangalore prominent citizens and the visiting team of British Muslims at the Al-Ameen College on Sunday, November 8 evening. The two sides would discuss issues of mutual interest.

The British Government is sending a delegation of leading Muslim citizens to India which will visit Bangalore, Bhopal, Delhi and Mumbai in the second week of November. According to British High Commission sources in New Delhi, the delegation would deliver positive messages about Islam overseas and help setup a permanent network between mainstream British Muslims and counterparts in the Muslim world and encourage mainstream British Muslims to assume enhanced leadership roles within UK Muslim communities and in the UK media. It will clear misconceptions about UK Muslims and highlight their contribution to the development and life in the United Kingdom.
In an earlier exercise, another such delegation had visited New Delhi, Hyderabad and Lucknow in 2006.

It is part of an overall counter-terrorism exercise undertaken by the British foreign relations department which places India in the 'Prevent' category implying that Indian Muslim community requires 'preventive' measures, rather than 'curative' or ''Pursuit' (of terrorists) category.
The delegation is billed to have following members drawn from various walks of life: Mr. Asad Ahmad, BBC news presenter and journalist (he was earlier a foreign exchange dealer in London and also worked as a researcher in the House of Lords); Amin Mawji, President of the UK Ismaili Council, partner at Ernst & Young and is member in several official panels related to finance and development; Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Maters working on reducing extremism, founder trustee and treasurer of the Jerusalem interest-free Microfinance Fund Ltd and a councillor in Haringey and an ex-councillor of Oxford; Azeem Ibrahim, a finance wizard (he was the youngest member of the Bank of Scotland Asian Power 100 produced by Carter Anderson, and has been inducted as a member of the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy's Dean's International Council; Dr. Haseena Lockhat, psychologist, one of the youngest consultant child Clinical Pyschologists in the UK at Worcestershire Primary Care Trust (she is also the chairpersons of Govt's Community Cohesion Panel's Health & Social Care Committee, governor of University of Worcester and members of a number of health panels); Ms. Farmida Bi, Lawyer, partner in the globally acclaimed Islamic finance group of leading International law firm, Norton Rose LLP, (she is also founder of Progressive British Muslims) and a trustee of Three Faith Forum; Iftah Nawaz, lawyer and president of the The Association of Muslim Lawyers, UK since 2002 (and is on several Government and independent law panels); and Ms. Wasfi Kani OBE, chief executive Grange Park Opera (she is a member of the board of the Theatre Royal Stratford East (Wasfi was conferred Order of British Empire (OBE) by the Queen for her services to music in 2002 and has an honorary doctorate of Music in 2007.

However, a couple of members may drop out as availability is not certain while these lines are being written, a High Commission official who visited Bangalore told Islamic Voice.

An interaction with a group of leading representatives of Bangalore Muslims and VIPs from among non-Muslims is scheduled to take place at Al-Ameen College Seminar Hall on November 8th evening. Thereafter, the members would also interact with a group of Muslims women and may have a meeting with office-bearers of faith based groups in the city.

(With inputs from Maqbool Ahmed Siraj in Bangalore)

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has responded to claims by four right-wing members of Congress that the council has been trying to plant spies as interns on Capitol Hill.

Rebutting the charges, CAIR said on October 15 that anti-Islam activists have vowed to destroy American Muslim groups and asked for support in empowering Muslims and standing up for their constitutional rights.

Four House Republicans held a press conference on October 13 and charged the CAIR of planting Muslim interns on national security committees. They also accused CAIR of illegal lobbying practices and asked for an investigation of Muslim “spies” on Capitol Hill.

The accusations came in advance of a book titled Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld that's Conspiring to Islamize America. A co-author of the book, P. David Gaubatz, is known as an anti-Islam activist who wrote last year that “a vote for Hussein Obama is a vote for Sharia Law.”

Ýbrahim Hooper, the communications director for CAIR, defended his council, saying they would love to help people find jobs on Capitol Hill. “Is all they can come up with is that we are politically active? Is the terror threat that Muslims are politically active?” he asked. CAIR also said one of its directors received a death threat after the Wednesday launch of the “Muslim-bashing” book.

Democrats weren't amused by the accusations, and Rep. Loretta Sanchez said she was “appalled” by the situation.

“I urge the rest of my colleagues to join me in denouncing this witch hunt, which is clearly intended to create fear and distrust in our Capitol Hill community,” Sanchez said in a statement.

Muslim protestors raised slogans against Geert Wilders, the Dutch populist politician known for his anti-Islam remarks, and production of film 'Fina' when he arrived here on Friday, October 16. The UK Immigration Department which had earlier banned his arrival, had overturned the ban.

The travel ban was imposed on Wilders in February because some in the British government were concerned that his presence could trigger violence. Wilders traveled to London to discuss a possible showing of his film "Fitna" in parliament. The politician sought to visit the UK for a screening of his 15-minute film, "Fitna," a film which seeks to prove that the Koran incites Muslims to violence. In the past, he has compared the Koran to Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf."He came to London on the invitation of UK Independence Party peer Lord Malcolm Pearson.

"I have nothing against Muslims, I know the majority of Muslims in our society are law-abiding people," he insisted at the press conference.

Tajikistan will build Central Asia's biggest mosque, BBC online reported in the last week of October. The report said on completion it can provide space for 150,000 persons to pray at a time. One square block of stone has been laid by Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmon to signal the start of construction.

The mosque is all likely to dwarf Turkmenbashi mosque in neighbouring Turkmenistan, which can hold 10,000 people. It will include tall minarets and painted columns that are to symbolise the world and the seven gates to paradise. There will be fountains to represent Tajikistan's large water reserves as well as a museum, library and conference halls. But with the capacity to hold 150,000 worshippers in a city of just over 700,000 people, critics are saying the mosque is an extravagance and that the money would be better spent on poverty reduction, the BBC report said while quoting critics.

Tajik state media say that the multi-million dollar project will not cost the cash-strapped country anything, because the government of Qatar has agreed to foot the bill as part of what it calls its commitment to Islam.

On the streets of Dushanbe, one resident said he liked the idea of having the biggest mosque in the region, especially if it is free. Sobit Valiev, 70, says the country may as well be a record-breaker in some field.

"Why shouldn't we", he says. "At the end of the day, it's not our money, is it? If I am alive in five years time, sure I will go there and pray, the report quoted.

Ismail, a driver, thinks the mosque is a good idea, but he is worried that there will be corruption.
"I am sure there will be a few officials who are going to get richer. It is a big project and big money."

While some Tajiks seem to welcome the plan, others are more critical.

Salohiddin, a 34-year-old from Dushanbe says helping the many poor would be a better way to spend the money.

"It's one of the biggest values of Islam, isn't it? So many people are homeless and barely making ends meet. Why don't they build several houses for those needy people?”

London-Based Gatehouse Bank, the latest Islamic bank to be authorized by the UK's Financial Services Authority (FSA), has become the first Islamic bank to join Paris Europlace, an organization that promotes Paris as a financial center. Paris Europlace has over the last two years also started to focus on the Islamic Finance sector and established an Islamic Finance Commission in December 2007.

Gatehouse Bank will, in fact, participate in the work of this Commission which supposedly acts as a focal point for the Islamic financial community in France and whose opinion is listened to by the French government. Commission is akin to the Islamic Finance Committee of the UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), the UK government entity that supports companies trading internationally and overseas enterprises seeking to locate in Britain.

The bank's membership of Paris Europlace is also a statement of intent about its perception of the French market and opportunities there, including Shariah advisory services, real estate, wealth management, asset management, treasury, capital markets and off balance sheet investments.

Richard Thomas, CEO of Gatehouse Bank, stressed that "Islamic Finance has a bright future in France with its large Muslim population and trade links with many Islamic economies. The support of the French government and championing by Paris Europlace will help the development of a French Islamic financial infrastructure."

Thomas is under no illusion that passporting Islamic financial services from London into France will be that simple. "We are keeping a close eye on developments in France, although the French have still got a long way to go in achieving their objectives. We have an ambitious French project underway which is looking at France as a jurisdiction for Islamic Finance to internationalize the reach of Islamic Finance as a mode of finance," he explained in a recent interview.

Gatehouse Bank has appointed Antoine R. Chemali, associate vice president, to coordinate its French strategy. French banks, funds and private offices, said Chemali, are already showing interest in Islamic capital markets and syndicated financings, institutional wealth management, treasury products, real estate and Shariah advisory services. Gatehouse Bank is already in negotiations with some of them who are interested in the bank's specialized products concepts such as the first Islamic water fund and London Office Recovery Fund.

The White House on October 23, highlighted a new multi-million-dollar technology fund for Muslim nations, following a pledge made by President Barack Obama in his landmark speech to the Islamic world, according to an AFP report.

The White House said the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) had issued a call for proposals for the fund, which will provide financing of between 25 and 150 million dollars for selected projects and funds.

The Global Technology and Innovation Fund will "catalyze and facilitate private sector investments" throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa, the White House said in a statement.

Eligible projects would advance economic opportunity and create jobs in areas like technology, education, telecoms, media, business services and clean technology, the White House said.
OPIC said sample projects could help foster the development of new computer technology or telecommunications businesses, or widen access to broadband Internet services.

Proposals must be submitted by the end of November, and managers of funds that make a final short list will make presentations in Washington in January.Final selections will be announced next June.
In his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo last June, Obama argued that "education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century" and that under-investment was rife in many Muslim nations.
As well as the fund, Obama also said he will host a summit on entrepreneurship this year to deepen ties between business leaders in the United States and Muslim communities around the world.

In his speech on June 4, Obama vowed to forge a "new beginning" for Islam and America, promising to purge years of "suspicion and discord."

In what may be one of the defining moments of his presidency, Obama laid out a new blueprint for US Middle East policy, pledged to end mistrust, forge a state for Palestinians and defuse a nuclear showdown with Iran.

Mevlana Jalal al-Din Rumi's Masnavi will be published in Chinese, Kazakh and Greek languages. The metropolitan municipality of Konya, where Mevlana's tomb is located, has announced plans to get the book translated into these languages in an effort to promote Mevlana and his works, Konya Mayor Tahir Akyurek said.

Akyurek said Masnawi would be published in these languages in a month. He also said that the book would be translated into Korean and Azerbaijani languages soon. Masnawi has so far been published in 17 languages, including English, German, Spanish, French, Arabic and Dutch.

Mevlana was born on September 30, 1207 in Balkh in present day Afghanistan. He died in Konya on December 17, 1273. He was laid to eternal rest beside his father and over his remains in a splendid shrine that was erected in Konya.