The Muslim World

Saudi Arabia will host the first international conference on “tourism and handicrafts in Islamic countries”. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz will open the conference scheduled to be held in Riyadh on November 7-14, according to Prince Naif, who is also chairman of the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT). Organised in association with the Istanbul-based Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), an affiliate of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Meet will be accompanied by a number of activities including a handicrafts show and a trade exhibition. An international forum on tourism in Islamic countries will take place in Jeddah on September 18-20 before the Riyadh conference.

The Makkah governorate, acting on a request from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has decided to prohibit the sale of pet cats and dogs. The Commission made the request after it noticed many young Saudis going out in streets with their pet dogs in violation of the Kingdom’s culture and traditions.


The municipality is dispatching special squads to close down such shops selling these animals. The growing trend in purchasing domestic pets has encouraged businessmen to open shops and clinics for such animals in Jeddah. Pet cats, too are not relegated to the countless street felines, but rather fancier breeds. These breeds of dogs and cats have been imported from the United States, Russia, Hungary, Ukraine and other European countries.

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Jeddah has banned the sales of green death shrouds that have sacred writing on them. The Commission’s move follows a recent edict (fatwa) clarifying that the practice of writing verses from the holy Qur’an, the names of Allah, or various kinds of prayers on the shrouds is against the basic principles of religious law. The Commission seized large quantities of prohibited shrouds from several shops in Bani Malik in central Jeddah during recent inspection operations. The religious scholars have noticed recently the increasing practice among several people, both Saudis and expatriates of covering the bodies of their relatives with holy verses, prayers and the various names of Allah in the hope of escaping punishment after death.

A debate is raging in Tanzania about an election pledge by the ruling party to introduce Muslim courts. The tribunals would only have the power to deal with social issues such as divorce, not criminal matters. Kadhi courts, as they are known, have operated successfully in neighbouring Kenya since independence.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said that the time has come for the country to amend the education system as the present system does not infuse the acquisition of knowledge and the application of the knowledge gained. He said this in his keynote address at the 35th International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO) World Conference and Exhibition 2006 on Training and Development at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here.


According to Mahathir, education did not just mean acquiring knowledge, but also knowing how to apply this knowledge as “it would be worthless for someone to acquire knowledge but not know how to apply the knowledge learnt”. “ The Germans with their Mercedes (Benz) and BMWs have beaten the British. This is because the Germans not only acquired knowledge, but also knew how to use this knowledge...this is the advantage of their education system,” he said.

Muslim men who divorce their wives may soon find the court order validating their divorce, packaged with another court order that requires them to pay maintenance for the divorced wife and children. Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the ministry was fed up with men who shirked their responsibilities towards their offspring and ex-wife.


“We have seen cases where the divorced woman cannot even afford to buy milk for her child,” she said in her speech at the “Defending the Woman’s Rights Through Understanding on Ownership in Islam” forum at the Institute of Islamic Understanding, Malaysia. “In such cases it is the children who become the victims. We can’t allow this to happen. So we have proposed to the Attorney-General that the Shariah Court order legitimising a divorce must be made simultaneously with a maintenance order for nafkah (alimony). After a man pronounces the Talak (divorce) on his wife, it has to be brought to the Shariah court by either party to have the divorce legitimised,” said Datuk Seri.

Malaysian authorities have published a list of undesirable titles to prevent parents giving their children names such as Hitler, smelly dog or 007. Such choices are not allowed, but there is a right of appeal. The list came as a response to the growing number of Malaysians who are applying to change their birth names.


Malaysia’s National Regis-tration Department made the decision after consulting with various religious bodies in the country. They represented the country’s Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist communities. Traditionally, some groups have given new-borns inauspicious names to ward off demons and evil spirits. Now names like the Hokkien, Ah Chwar, meaning snake and Khiow Khoo, meaning hunch-back, are being ruled out. Parents will not be able to call their babies after animals, insects, fruit, vegetables or colours. Numbers are also not allowed, so little James Bonds cannot flaunt their 007 status on their ID cards. Other restrictions stop parents giving children royal or honorary titles as names or calling their little ones after Japanese cars.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz asserted that the proposed Women Protection Bill will be in accordance with the directives of the Quran and Sunnah for the protection of women. It will be a symbol of women’s empowerment in the country. Shaukat Aziz said that Pakistan is proud to have the highest number of women parliamentarians in the world. He said the Opposition should not use the proposed legislation to gain political mileage. “This is a national responsibility on our shoulders and we all should play our role in empowering women and giving them the status they deserve according to Islam,” he added.

The Organ-isation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) will hold a conference in Pakistan in November this year to draft an action plan on refugees. “The OIC conference in November will provide an opportunity to strengthen our cooperation in addressing refugee issues,” said Fatma Bassiouni, spokeswoman for the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). The meeting to be held in cooperation with the UNHCR will discuss a so-called “Islamabad Declaration” which would be the first ever document to set out the OIC’s position on refugees.

The Second International Islamic Film Festival will be held in Kazan, capital of the Russian Muslim Republic of Tataristan. Some 70 films from about 20 countries will be displayed at the festival, which will start on September 10, 2006. The Russian Ifta Council President, Rawi Ainuddin who is the President of the festival said that the festival is aimed at displaying innovative achievements of Muslim cinema artists and present an objective picture about Muslims in addition to promoting moral and spiritual values as well as the Islamic cultural traditions.

Some of the leading British Muslims have urged Prime Minister Tony Blair to step up efforts in bringing an end to the Middle East violence, alleging that the Iraq war and UK’s “failure” to use its influence to end Israeli attacks on civilians are fuelling extremism at home. In an open letter to Blair, they charged that the current foreign policy of the government fans the flames of extremism and may put British citizens at risk of attack, both in the UK and abroad. “The debacle of Iraq and now the failure to do more to secure an immediate end to the attacks on civilians in the Middle East not only increases the risk to ordinary people in that region, it is also ammunition to extremists who threaten us all. We urge the prime minister to show the world that we value the lives of civilians wherever they live and whatever their religion,” the letter said adding that “Such a move would make us all safer.” Among the signatories are 38 Muslim organisations of Britain including the apex Muslim body Muslim Council of Britain and three MPs of the British Parliament, Sadiq Khan, Shahid Malik and Muhammad Sarwar.

Two Christian artists who have witnessed how Muslims survive marginalisation in this largely Catholic state have lent their voices to Filipino Muslims through a new documentary. “Muslims have struggled to live their lives in dignity despite experiences of prejudice and discrimination against them by their non-Muslim neighbours, colleagues, employers, teachers and classmates,” said Marites Guingona-Africa, founder and executive director of the Peacemakers’ Circle which put together the documentary.


“In the Light of the Crescent Moon” tells about the plight of Muslims in Metro Manila and gives voice to the Muslims in the metropolis whose voices are not often heard. “To this day,” Guingona-Africa said, “there is not much interest in the plight of Muslims in Metro Manila. As peacemakers who have borne witness to their struggles, we feel that if we are to be true to our calling as ‘peacemakers,’ we owe it to them and to ourselves, to help our fellow human beings tell their stories.” The Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation is a non-profit organisation composed of members of diverse religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions. Guingona-Africa hopes the documentary will inspire people of different faiths and cultures in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world to build relationships of peace through dialogue.

With the destruction and bloodshed of the month-long Israeli war expected to leave its psychological scars on innocent children, Lebanese artists are coming up with creative ways to help them. Director Sherif Abdel Nour set the stage for children to vent their anger on the Israeli offensive which claimed the lives of parents, relatives and friends. “The theatre therapy helped many children overcome their ordeals and cope with the new harsh reality,” said Nour. He said panicked children had ample room to speak their minds out and vent their anger and feelings of frustration on stage in front of a large audience of sympathizers. “They express themselves freely and say whatever they want,” said the director. Bomb-shocked children go to the theatre early at 10 am and start the day with a get-to-know-you session, then play whatever they want on stage. They then tell one another what they love and hate most. Accordingly, Nour singles out vulnerable children for special attention and care. The third stage is based on narration of some stories that instill courage and confidence into the traumatised children.

Britain’s fifth-biggest bank, Lloyds TSB, launched a Shariah-compliant account for Muslim university students, becoming the first to offer the service in the European country. “This student account is the first to have been designed with Muslims in mind,” said Paul Sherrin, head of Islamic financial services at Lloyds TSB. The new account would allow Muslim students to manage their money in compliance with Shariah in any of the bank’s 2,000 branches in England, Scotland and Wales. “The Islamic student account is designed to give Muslim students access to banking services that until now have been at odds with their beliefs,” the bank said in a statement. The student account will also be open to non-Muslims. Britain’s two million strong Muslim community is as young as it is fast growing, with more than half under the age of 25 and many of these are studying.