VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume 209, November 13, 2011
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful

(www.xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com)

EDITORIAL:

In this E-Zine, we started highlights about the positive news, followed by Islam in Europe and Extremism.

PART I

POSITIVE NEWS:

PART I-a

(ED NOTE:

Below program is yet another excellent program run in mosque that is aimed to steer young people away from crime, drugs and gangs. As we indicated in our earlier issue, although Mosque is primarily meant for prayers, it could be open for multi-purpose use that could go a long way to benefit not only the Muslims but the community at large. In the process it could also enhance partnership with other faiths and other private and public entities for the benefit of the local community. We applaud the superb work done by our Muslims in below Mosque and ardently hope that other Mosques not only across the UK but across the world emulate the same in what ever ways feasible).

YORKSHIRE:
PROGRAM IN MOSQUE AGAINST CRIME, DRUGS AND GANGS
October 14, 2011
(www.islamineurope.blogspot.com)

Via Dewsbury Reporter:

A BID to steer young people away from crime, drugs and gangs is being run in mosques.The ‘cutting edge’ talks are also a response to a Dewsbury councillor’s claim that some communities are living in fear. Coun Karam Hussain recently told the Reporter some Asian youths were creating a climate of fear with violent burglaries. Speaking after a member of his own family was targeted, Coun Hussain said some residents in Ravensthorpe were too frightened to report problems to the police.

Originally aimed at the aftermath of the summer riots, the talks, delivered by youth services officer PC Pete Whitehouse, are a partnership between police, Kirklees Faith Network and Street Chance Dewsbury.

PART I-b

SWEDEN:

ICE MOSQUE PLANNED FOR LAPLAND

October 19, 2011

By Richard Orange in Malmö

Sweden's Muslims are planning to build an 'Ice Mosque' in Jukkasjärvi, the Lapland home of the country's famous Ice Hotel.The Ice Hotel includes an ice church, where around 150 couples are married each winter

Photo: The Ice Hotel

Imam Mahmoud Aldebe, head of the Swedish Muslim Association, said that the mosque would be an opportunity to tell tourists about Islam."It would be a new way of seeking dialogue between different cultures and religions," he told Norrländska Socialdemokraten, a local paper."It's not actually such a controversial idea. It has been received well with everyone we have spoken to."

Each winter, Ice Hotel founder Yngve Bergqvist, oversees the sculpting of a giant 5,500 square metre complex, using ice cut from the local Torne river

PART I-c

(ED NOTE:

Below is yet another excellent initiative in Finland by bringing new textbooks for Islam class in Public Schools. In particular we like the message it conveys of being tolerant to people of other religions and customs. How awesome would it be if the same message of being tolerant is also introduced in Madrassas and other Islamic schools specially in Muslim countries. The very fact that there would be significant opposition to such initiative reflects that we really have a long way to go to put in practice what ISLAM ALREADY STANDS FOR - TOLERANCE).

FINLAND:

NEW TEXTBOOKS FOR ISLAM CLASS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

October 14, 2011

(www.islamineurope.blogspot.com)

Tundra Tabloids points out that the book is part of a program for Muslims.

Via OnIslam:

Seeking to teach younger generations about Islam, Finland has introduced textbooks about the Islamic faith and Muslim traditions in public schools." The stories are set in Finland so that the events would have resonance with the lives of the pupils,” Suaad Onniselka, an author of the textbook, said, reported Ahlul Bayt news agency.

The new book, tilted “Salam – islamin polku (Salam – the Path of Islam), teaches pupils about the Islamic calendar and Muslim traditions.

It also teaches young Finnish about other religions and the importance of tolerance for others. The book features two Finnish Muslim children, Fatima and Adam, who visit a forest, a grandmother’s farm, and bake wheat buns.

“The status of Islam as a minority religion is reflected in the fact that the stories also teach how it is possible to live along with other people even though the religion and customs are different,” said Onniselka, who teaches Islam at the lower level comprehensive school in Vesala in the east of Helsinki.

PART I-d

UNITED KINGDOM:

ABDUL ARAIN COULD BECOME THE FIRST MUSLIM CHANCELLOR OF CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY SWEEPING ASIDE CENTURIES OF TRADITION

(www.islamineurope.blogspot.com)

Reporter Raymond Brown spoke to the Mill Road trader about his bed for the prestigious position.

The names of some of its colleges, Jesus, Christ’s, Trinity, Magdalene, St John’s, are straight out of the Bible. And a succession of princes, earls, dukes, and lords have assumed the largely ceremonial position of Chancellor down the ages. But on Sunday night, after the votes are counted, the institution may have a Muslim community leader at its helm for the first time.

The owner of Al-Amin grocery store – which means ‘just or fair one’ and was the nickname given to Mr Arain by his father – says his faith and candidature is simply a reflection of a diverse community.

He said: “I think it will be good for Cambridge and the varied and diverse community it has.“What I’d say is that I believe in God and share the values of the Christian and Jewish faiths, which come from the same roots as the Muslim faith. We pray to the same God.“I will not have any problem attending any Christian ceremonies or going to church if that is what the duties will involve.“The Muslim community in Cambridge have been very supportive and encouraging.”

PART II

ISLAM IN EUROPE

PART II-A

(ED NOTE:

There is lot of emphasis on both the Holy Quran and the Hadith of seeking knowledge. We believe that seeking knowledge is not confined only on Islamic matters but encompasses all available knowledge that could be accessed for the betterment of humanity. It is definetely NOT new information that physical abuse of children is widespread across the globe specially in the underdeveloped and developing world. There is no question that the incidence of physical abuse of children in the Western countries is lower compared to non-western countries. Unfortunately many immigrants who have settled down in the western countries have not let go of the outdated mode of discipline that they learnt as kids while they were in their home countries which primarily involves physical abuse of the children as a way to change their child's behavior.

Several research studies have clearly indicated that physical abuse as a disciplinary measure is not as effective as other non-aggressive behavioral forms of discipline. The above problem is two fold. First, even if the parents want to abstain from physical abuse of the child as a form of discipline, many of them are not aware of concrete alternative forms of discipline that are free of physical abuse. Therefore they continue to perpetuate the ONLY FORM of discipline they experienced in their own childhood. Second, there is no program in 99.99 percent of the Masjids or local Muslim organizations to educate them on such forms on non-aggressive disciplinary techniques. FOR SOME REASON THE GLOBAL UMMAH HAS FAILED TO IMPLEMENT THE ISLAMIC EMPHASIS ON SEEKING KNOWLEDGE TO APPLY IN THIS AREA OF DISCIPLINING CHILDREN.

Here again the role of Muslim psychologists and social workers to educate the local Muslim Ummah on the various non-aggressive forms of discipline cannot be overemphasized. The PRIMARY PROBLEM continues to remain in most local Muslim communities in terms of absence of an organizational structure to HOST, CONDUCT WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS et.c. by both Muslim and non-Muslim professionals specialized in this field to educate parents and school teachers on the latest non-aggressive techniques and interventions that are available to successfully disciplining children.

We not only agree with the below title of Child Abuse in the Madrassas being the "tip of the iceberg" but go one step further to state that even within certain Muslim families (not all families), the problem of physical abuse of children and wife remains a silent and often ignored problem. It is easy to call the Police or local CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES HOTLINE. But once the father is in jail, who is going to support the family ? This remains the MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION that unfortunately prevents many from reporting and as a result in many cases, it remains unreported and the problem possibly continues unabated)

UNITED KINGDOM:

CHILD ABUSE CLAIMS AT MADRASSAS "TIP OF ICEBERG"

October 23, 2011

(www.islamineurope.blogspot.com)

Via the BBC (h/t EuropeNews):

Britain's madrassas have faced more than 400 allegations of physical abuse in the past three years, a BBC investigation has discovered.But only a tiny number have led to successful prosecutions.The revelation has led to calls for formal regulation of the schools, attended by more than 250,000 Muslim children every day for Koran lessons.The chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board said he would treat the issue as a matter of urgency.Leading Muslim figures said families often faced pressure not to go to court or even to make a formal complaint. A senior prosecutor told the BBC its figures were likely to represent the tip of an iceberg.

PART II-b


NORWAY: 25 % THINK THERE ARE TOO MANY MUSLIMS

October 27, 2011

Via NRK (Norwegian):

Norstat recently conducted an opinion survey for Norwegian broadcaster NRK to check the attitudes of Norwegians towards Islam. 65% said they don't have a Muslim among their acquaintances. 42% were OK with a family member marrying a Muslim, compared with 21% who weren't.25% agreed with the statement that there were too many Muslims in Norway, 49% disagreed. 24% thought Islam is a threat to Norwegian culture, while 54% disagreed.

The opinion poll shows signs of change in Norwegian's attitudes towards Islam. Anders Ravik Jupskås of the Department of Political Science at Oslo University says that this "shows a kind of July 22 effect, in which we maybe see a more positive attitude towards a multicultural Norway." Men were more skeptic towards Islam than women, and those with a low-education level were more skeptic than those with a hgiher-education level. There were also regional differences. 6% of Oslo residents very much agreed with the statement that Islam is a threat to Norwegian culture, compared with 20% in the Sørlandet region.

EXTREMISM RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN:

PART III

(ED NOTE:

As we had indicated earlier, we oppose forcing one's values on other adults. We believe the youth in below incident had no right to threaten to kill another man for not fasting on Ramadan and such behavior falls into the category of extremism)

AMSTERDAM:

POLICE LOOKING FOR YOUTH WHO THREATENED TO KILL A MAN FOR NOT FASTING ON RAMADAN

October 31, 2011

Via De Pers (Dutch):

The Amsterdam police published photos of a group of youth who threatened to kill a man in Amsterdam-West last August because he did not fast on Ramadan. The group shouted at the man that they'll shoot him in the head, the police reported Monday.

The man was called a 'filthy homo who doesn't comply with the Ramadan". The youth also told him that they've been very clear and that next time they'll catch him and kill him 'after which you'll go to hell'. The police tried solving the case on their own, without success. They did not publish the photos earlier because for privacy reasons they don't put everything on the internet, according to a police spokesperson.

It's unclear whether this is a homophobic crime. "That they called him 'gay' doesn't mean that he is. For us it doesn't matter in any case if it is or not. What these people did is criminal and therefore they must be caught." Jupskås points out that the trend is for people who know some Muslims to be more positive than those who don't know any. He says similar polls in other European countries show that a higher proportion of Muslims doesn't necessarily lead to more prejudices.

THE END