VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume 120, February 28, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

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

WHY IT IS A DISSERVICE TO THE PEACE LOVING RELIGION OF ISLAM AND WRONG TO CLASSIFY A CRIMINAL AS AN EXTREMIST MUSLIM?

It is common sense and we don’t need a Ph.D in Islamic Studies or a Fatwa to confirm that when a Muslim involves in killing innocent women and children, he is no longer a practicing Muslim because of his DEVIATED and ANTI-ISLAMIC act. Holy Quran clearly states that when a person kills another person, it is as if he killed all of humanity. How could one be called a practicing Muslim when a criminal has, as a result of his terrorist actions killed multiple innocent victims, literally per above Quranic teaching “killed humanity several times” ? If this clearly is not a deviation from mainstream Islam, then what else is ? Both Holy Quran and Prophet's teaching are totally against suicide.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "be moderate in your religious deeds and do what is within your ability. NONE OF YOU SHOULD WISH FOR DEATH, for if he is a doer of good, he may increase his good deeds, and if he is an evil doer, he may repent to God." - Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith 577

In Islam one is allowed to start a fight ONLY IF ATTACKED. The criminals are fighting contrary to the above condition. When the public is carrying on their day to day life either in the market place or praying in the House of Allah, then such criminals deceptively concealing their evil design enter into a gathering and then blow themselves up UNPROVOKED. It is really a insult to Islam to call them EXTREMIST MUSLIMS. "Extremist criminals" would be more appropriate term for them.

In the U.S constitution, the second amendment refers to the right to bear arms and there are millions of patriotic Americans who would do everything possible to preserve above Constitutional right to bear arms. Further if one is attacked and he or she uses the weapon for self-defense, in most cases, it is understandable and he or she may not be punished. However if the same person takes the weapon and kills other fellow Americans indiscriminately on the streets for whatever political or other reasons, it is to be noted that he or she is NOT called a "EXTREMIST AMERICAN PATRIOT" who is attempting to exercise his constitutional right TO THE EXTREME. In above case, the positive LABEL of PATRIOT is removed and his actions are seen as BREAKING THE LAW and he or she is perceived as a CRIMINAL.

But if a Muslim deviates from Islam in a totally wrong direction from the peaceful teachings of Islam and involves in bloodshed, he wrongly is called an "EXTREMIST MUSLIM" . It is wrong because, the POSITIVE label of MUSLIM still is attached to his criminal action. We argue that the word of MUSLIM need to be removed because of the fact that he has broken a major Islamic value of sanctity of life and is no longer a PRACTICING MUSLIM as regard to his criminal actions.

In above case of the Patriotic American, it is clear that he or she has broken the law and committed a crime. The same applies to Muslims in the Islamic context. It is mind boggling that a Muslim criminal who so blatantly violates the Quranic code of sanctity of life, is still viewed as a Muslim who is practicing Islam to the extreme. Dear brothers and sisters, the fact is that he has DEVIATED AWAY FROM ISLAM.

We appeal to one and all, Muslims and Non-Muslims, please understand the criminal act involved and label the act according to the action and PLEASE do not add ISLAMIC or MUSLIM label to such criminals. It is totally unfair. If anything, by calling such criminals MUSLIM EXTREMISTS, you are basically giving them legitimacy and protection under the umbrella of Islam, which they DO NOT DESERVE in the first place. Further it also adds to their delusional belief that they have the support from the world Muslims and that they indeed are practicing Islam to the extreme, which we know is totally false and baseless. Many of such criminals blow themselves up in the process of taking down the lives of others around them and as a result these criminals cannot even be subjected to the normal process of legal proceedings. However those criminals that do survive because their destructive means did not go off, or they were apprehended way before they attempted to blow themselves up, then in such cases, they should be subjected to the legal proceedings and if convicted, punished to the fullest extent of the law.

TRUE MEANING OF AN MUSLIM EXTREMIST:

A Muslim extremist is someone who practices Islam to the extreme. For example he or she may do prayers excessively more than what is minimally required. He or she may fast for many more days or even additional months (besides the one month of fasting during Ramadan) all for the sake of Allah. He or she may repeat Allah’s name or other divine words hundreds or even thousands of times a day on a continual basis by using his rosary on a regular basis et.c .

As long as the MUSLIM in question is not violating ISLAMIC LAWS in terms of involvement in killing and instead is excessively practicing Islam in a spiritual or ritualistic manner, then it is only RIGHT to call such a MUSLIM a MUSLIM EXTREMIST for the fact that he or she is practicing Islam in extreme manner (way beyond what is minimally called for). It is to be noted that our loving Prophet Mohamed (SAW) was against extremism and advocated moderation as indicated in examples below.

PROPHET'S TEACHINGS AGAINST EXTREMISM:

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The deen(religion) is easy. Anyone who makes the deen too hard on himself will find it becomes too much for him. So aim for what is right, follow a middle path, accept the good news of the reward for right action, and seek help (to reach your goal by being constant in worshipping) in the morning, evening and some of the night." (al-Bukhari)

ADOPT A MODERATE COURSE

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "DO GOOD DEEDS PROPERLY, SINCERELY AND MODERATELY...ALWAYS ADOPT A MIDDLE, MODERATE, REGULAR COURSE, WHEREBY YOU WILL REACH YOUR TARGET (OF PARADISE) Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 470

Abu 'Abdullah Jabir ibn Samura said, "I used to pray the prayers with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his prayer was of medium length and his khutba (speech) was of medium length." (Muslim)

QURAN'S EMPHASIS ON MODERATION IN WORSHIP:

Almighty Allah says, "We did not send down the Qur'an to you to make you miserable" (20:1)
Further Almighty Allah says, "Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire difficulty for you." (W2:184; H2:185)

MODERATION IN ALL THINGS:

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once asked a companion: "(Is it true) that you fast all day and stand in prayer all night?" The companion replied that the report was indeed true. The Prophet then said: "DO NOT DO THAT" Observe the fast sometimes and also leave (it) at other times. Stand up for prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you and your wife has a right over you." Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith 127

Anas said, "Three people came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to ask about how the Prophet worshiped ? When they were told, it was as if they thought it was little and said, 'Where are we in relation to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who has been forgiven his past and future wrong actions?'

The first male said, "One of them said, 'I will pray all of every night.'

The second male said, 'I will fast all the time and not break the fast.'

The third male said, "I will withdraw from women and never marry.'

The Messenger of Allah came to them and said, 'Are you the ones who said "such-and-such" (the above three wishes) ? By Allah, I am the one among you with the most fear and awareness of Allah, but I fast and break the fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry woman. Whoever disdains my Sunna is not with me.'

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger as saying: Observe moderation in deeds (and if it is not possible, try to be near moderation) and understand that none amongst you can attain salvation because of his deeds alone.

There was also another incident of a man who was in the Mosque all day remembering and praying to Allah. Hazrath Umar Al-Khatab confronted him and told him to leave the Mosque and return back to his family and work and provide sustenance to his family.

Above examples emphasize moderation in practice of Islam and are against EXTREME forms in terms of practicing Islam.

At what point in history, did above interpretation of EXTREMIST MUSLIMS get twisted to include Muslims who clearly and unequivocally DEVIATED AWAY from PEACEFUL TEACHINGS OF ISLAM and began their involvement in killing innocents is not clear ?

Unfortunately for the common man, having heard, read and seen news repeatedly connecting violence, bloodshed, killings with extremist Muslims, it would be hard to accept our different interpretation as explained in detail above. It is but understandable that repeated exposure may make one to believe it to be the right connection.

LINGUISTICALLY SPEAKING, the same applies to the concept of MIDDLE EAST which to the world immediately means the area inhabited by Israel and the other surrounding Arab countries. The origin of the word MIDDLE EAST came from England because to them rightly so, the mostly Arab inhabited area was from their (British) location in the world, MIDDLE of the EASTERN REGION OF THE EARTH. But today everybody uses the world MIDDLE EAST including the Chinese, Korean and Japanese for whom Israel and the Arab Countries are definitely not in the MIDDLE of their Eastern Region. Instead to them it should be Middle West, because it is in the MIDDLE of their WESTERN Region from their location.

We are aware that old habits die hard, but in the case of our earlier point, hundreds if not thousands of innocent lives may be on the line in the near future, if we continue to legitimize harboring the criminals/terrorists under the umbrella of Islam. We all collectively need to build consensus and perceive them and treat them as criminals and subject them to the normal legal procedures and if convicted, punish them to the fullest extent of the law. Above change should first begin within the Muslim community at all levels – Local, State, National and International.

These criminals have already disabled, killed hundreds if not thousands of our innocent brothers and sisters, women and children and they should be reminded of their violations of Quranic teachings in terms of taking away innocent lives. Every attempt should be made to get them out of their fantasy world of being a martyr or having the support of the global Muslim community, for the truth is that THEY INDEED HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME AND VIOLATED THE TEACHINGS OF HOLY QURAN BY LITERALLY KILLING THE ENTIRE HUMANITY TIME AND TIME AGAIN.

ASIA
www.malaysianews.net

Feb 23, 2010

Malaysia To Host International Conference On Caning of Women

Kuala Lumpur, Feb 23:

An international conference on comparative studies by Muslim nations on whether it is the norm for Muslim women to be caned for an offence under the Shariah law will be held in Malaysia. Malaysian Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil hoped the conference could be held in three months to address the issue. "I will bring this up with the Cabinet as soon as possible," The Star quoted Jalil, as saying. She said the ministry will organize the conference through the Secretariat for the Defence and Empowerment of Women, adding that Ulamas and NGOs would also have their forums at the conference.

The initiative for the caning comes after caning of three Malaysian women, who were found guilty of committing illicit sex in violation of Shariah law, caught immediate international reaction and interest, with a number of foreign media running articles and commentary on the issue. The three women were sentenced to be whipped under Section 23(2) of the Federal Territory Shariah Criminal Offences Act 1997 (Illicit Sex) for engaging in illicit sex. Several organizations in Malaysia, including Sisters in Islam (SIS) had earlier said the three cases constituted further discrimination against Muslim women in Malaysia. Bar Council chairman Ragunath Kesavan urged the Government to abolish whipping and to comply with international norms and principles on it.

AUSTRALIA

Controversial Muslim scholar visits Australia
ABC Radio Australia
Feb 25, 2010

Progressive American Islamic scholar Dr Amina Wadud is visiting Australia to talk about her main academic interests - Islamic identity and the struggle for women's rights within Islam. Amina Wadud was born Mary Teasley but changed her name in 1974 after she converted to Islam. In 2005, she became the target of death threats after she led Friday prayers in a Catholic Church in New York against the accepted ban on women as imams. But Doctor Wadud has another passion in the Asian region: Indonesia, where she's lived and taught. She's also taught in Malaysia but it's Indonesia she describes as uniquely hopeful, though not without potential fractures.

EUROPE

Halal Burger 'Discrimination' Stirs Debate in France

www.time.com
Bruce Crumley (condensed version)
(Feb 24, 2010)

Perhaps it's time for France to take a deep breath. First the country went through histrionics as parliamentarians bustled to ban the niqab - the face-covering garment that only a few hundred Muslim women wear in this nation of 65 million people. Then came President Nicolas Sarkozy's push for a debate on national identity, a move that critics claimed stigmatized immigrants and Muslims. Now France is demonstrating what looks like a neurotic obsession with Islam - if not outright Islamophobia - as it frets over the halal hamburgers that are sold in a handful of the 362 French affiliates of Franco-Belgian fast-food chain Quick.

The latest brouhaha was sparked by René Vandierendonck, the socialist mayor of the northern city of Roubaix, who this month railed against his local Quick outlet over its Nov. 30 decision to remove bacon burgers from its menu and replace them with a version using halal beef and a slice of smoked turkey. "It's discrimination" against non-Muslim customers, Vandierendonck said. The mayor has filed charges with justice authorities against Quick for what he says is prejudicial religious catering. He has also lodged a complaint with France's main anti discrimination authority on the matter. "Yes to diversity, no to exclusion," Vandierendonck told Le Monde's website last week. "I congratulate Quick for adapting its offer to consumers by providing halal, but it goes too far when they propose only that."

Critics of Vandierendonck point out that Roubaix's Quick outlet is one of just eight in France to adapt its menu to its predominantly Muslim customers and claim that the controversy, coming after those about Muslim dress and religious symbols, is evidence of a deep prejudice against Islam. "Would there have been all these resounding denunciations had Quick decided to position itself in, say, the biological food niche rather than halal?" asks Muslim consumer blog Al Kanz. "Would thematic Quick menus offering only Mexican or Chinese food make such noise in the media? No, assuredly not."

Mayors in cities where other Quick restaurants have gone halal say the move provoked no problem or debate. Socialist politicians say Vandierendonck's theatrics are of a type with the divisive grandstanding they accused conservatives of using in the recent identity debate. Many French commentators note that fast-food diners can't tell whether the meat they're eating is halal, kosher or blessed by voodoo priests unless they're specifically told - making the beef over halal burgers seem a tad overdone. French KFC affiliates mostly buy halal-slaughtered birds, but there has been no controversy about that. And if people are really annoyed about bacon being dropped from a menu, they can always take their business to one of France's many other fast-food outlets.

NORTH AMERICA

MUSLIM WOMEN IN OLYMPICS:

(One of the reasons I'm so happy about being here is to be a role model
Marjan Kalhor)

Iran's role model and inspiration - on skis
By Marcus George (condensed version)
BBC News, Feb 24, 2010

Iranian Skier Marjan Kalhor at Winter Olympics

Marjan hopes that taking part in games will encourage other Iranian women

The first Iranian woman to take part in the Winter Olympics says she hopes she will be able to inspire Muslim women all over the world to get involved in sport.

Marjan Kalhor has overcome conservative opposition to her participation in the games by wearing a headscarf under her skiing helmet.

This week the 21-year-old is thousands of miles away in Vancouver preparing for her debut in the Winter Olympics.

When she lines up on Wednesday to cross the start line of the giant slalom, she will be the first Iranian woman to ever participate in the games. While nobody is expecting her to win a medal, she says she has already achieved her greatest ambition by participating, and she hopes it will encourage other Iranian women.



"The number of women who are interested in skiing is increasing fast. And I'm so happy about that," she says. "The next generation and my own, are thinking about competing, not just having fun.

"And one of the reasons I'm so happy about being here is to be a role model for all of them." The Iranian delegation at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics 10 February 2010.

But if some have questioned her participation, many more will be cheering her on and hoping against all the odds for an Olympic medal returning to Iran.

UNITED STATES:

Muslim Women Protest Policies At Islamic Center Of Washington
February 22, 2010(www.wamu.org)
By Kavitha Cardoza

Fatima Thompson led a protest against women having to pray in an area other than the main prayer hall in a Northwest D.C. mosque. Courtesy of: Kavitha Cardoza

Washington DC:
Some women who protested at the Islamic Center of Washington, wanting to be able to worship in the main prayer hall with their male counterparts, were asked to leave by the police. But they say their struggle will continue.

Carpets with intricate designs cover the floors of the main prayer hall and turquoise tiles line the walls. But the source of contention is a small room created with seven foot high wooden walls. Jannah B'int Hannah describes how she feels in there where she cannot see the imam, or leader of the mosque, speak.

"Boxed in, stifling, suffocating and totally a second class citizen," says Hannah.

Over the weekend, Hannah and approximately 20 other women prayed in the main hall, but D.C. police were called. They asked them to leave or be arrested.

Syed Burmi, the imam of Islamic Society of Western Maryland, says the physical separation helps maintain women's privacy and modesty as well as keeps the focus on prayer.

"If I stand next to a lady or a woman stands next to me, maybe the focus will change and no longer be on God the Almighty. So that's why we put the partition," says Burmi. In two out of every three American mosques, women of separate prayer spaces around the country. Asra Nomani is a leading Islamic feminist who led a similar protest in West Virginia.

"We have this generation of American muslim women who are saying look you want us to go to Harvard, to rise to the highest level of Wall Street firms and you want us to sit where in the mosque?," says Nomani.

Women activists say they will continue to try to pray in the main hall until this policy changes.

DISCRIMINATION & EXTREMISM RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN

(ED NOTE: Technologically, the diverse global population is getting closer and closer through ongoing hitech means of communication. However socially, many of us still continue to have the mentality of US versus THEM. We appeal to all citizens of the PLANET EARTH to join us to work towards world peace. You don't need a Ph.D to recognize injustice, discrimination and extremism. Below are samples of above negative aspects that we all must work towards significantly reducing if not eliminating).

NIGERIA

Muslim Mob Burns Down Eight Churches:
(www.persecution.org) Feb 23, 2010

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on February 21 a Muslim mob burned down several Christian shops and eight churches in Kazaure, northern Nigeria...... a Muslim mob attempted to attack the police station but was chased away by the police. Enraged, the mob turned their attention instead on one of this region's most vulnerable targets-Christian churches and shops. The mob burned down the following churches: Deeper Life Bible Church, Catholic Church, Apostolic Church, ECWA Church, Redeem Christian Church, Anglican Church, Word of Faith, and Assemblies of God Church all in the city of Kazaure.

United Kingdom

Michael Gove Opposes Mosque

(Guardian, Feb 13, 2010)

The construction of a mosque is opposed by the EDL and other right-wingers, a Conservative MP agrees with them. (via Islamophobia-Watch)

Michael Gove Opposes Mosque at Center of ‘Inflammatory Campaign’

A Conservative frontbench spokesman, Michael Gove, has opposed plans to build a mosque in his constituency after it became the target of an “inflammatory and offensive” online campaign.

The shadow schools secretary, who warned that the west was facing a “total war” from Islamists in his book Celsius 7/7, had initially refused to take sides in the dispute over proposals to build a mosque next to Sandhurst barracks in Camberley, Surrey. But this week he said he had been convinced that the strength of feeling was threatening the area’s “good community relations” and called on local Muslims to withdraw the application.

“The issue has become a flashpoint and people from inside and outside the community were making statements that I did not think would further community relations,” he said. “It struck me that it was best to ask the Bengali Welfare Association to withdraw the application and to consider how to improve the facilities for worship for the Muslim community in a calmer environment.”

A Facebook group set up to oppose the mosque has 6,834 “fans” and was criticised by one local organisation opposing the mosque as “inflammatory and offensive”. The Facebook group is supported by the far-right English Defence League.

The local Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, Alan Hiliar, said Gove had “lost all respect” over the issue. “I reject Michael Gove’s decision to ask the community to withdraw their application on the ground that it’s ‘divisive’. To ask the Muslim community to withdraw the application is simply kicking the issue into the long grass; it resolves nothing.”

LIBYA

Kadhafi Calls For Jihad Against Switzerland Over Minaret Ban
www.brietbart.com
Feb 25, 2010

Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi called on Thursday for jihad (holy war) against Switzerland over the ban adopted last year on the construction of minarets in the country.

"It is against unbelieving and apostate Switzerland that jihad ought to be proclaimed by all means," Kadhafi said during a speech in the Mediterranean coastal city of Bengazi to mark the birthday of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed.

"Jihad against Switzerland, against Zionism, against foreign aggression is not terrorism," Kadhafi said.

"Any Muslim around the world who has dealings with Switzerland is an infidel (and is) against Islam, against Mohammed, against God, against the Koran," the leader told a crowd of thousands in a speech broadcast live on television.

UNITED STATES:

CALIFORNIA MUSLIM EMPLOYEE FIRED FOR REFUSING TO REMOVE SCARF IN PUBLIC

(SANTA CLARA, CA, 2/24/10) - The San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) is calling on Abercrombie & Fitch customers who value diversity and inclusion to contact the company to express their concerns about a Muslim employee who was fired for refusing to remove her hijab.

CAIR-SFBA announced today that it has filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint against Abercrombie & Fitch on behalf of the Muslim employee.

The Muslim worker reported to CAIR-SFBA that she was hired as a stockroom worker in October of last year at the Hollister outlet in San Mateo, Calif. She says she was told at that time that she could wear her scarf if it was in a color that matched the company's brand identity.

Hollister is a division of Abercrombie & Fitch. Ohio-based Abercrombie & Fitch operates more than 1100 stores worldwide.

Recently, a district manager visited the store and noticed that the Muslim employee was wearing a head scarf. The district manager then reportedly initiated a conference call with the company's human resources department during which the Muslim worker was told that scarves and hats are not allowed in the "look" policy. Despite informing company managers that she wears her scarf for religious reasons, the Muslim employee was sent home immediately.

This week, she was told she must remove her scarf during work hours. When she refused to violate her religious beliefs by removing her scarf in public, she was fired.

"This unconscionable and apparently illegal action by company managers violates not only federal civil rights law as it relates to religious accommodation in the workplace, but also violates Abercrombie & Fitchs own stated commitments to diversity, inclusion and ethical business practices," said CAIR-SFBA Programs and Outreach Director Zahra Billoo. "We urge Abercrombie & Fitch customers who value diversity and inclusion to contact the company to express their concerns about this violation of religious freedom."

She said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religion in hiring, firing and other terms and conditions of employment. The act also requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of an employee, unless doing so would create an "undue hardship" for the employer.

In 2008, the EEOC issued new guidelines on accommodating religious beliefs and practices in the workplace. The guidelines offer protection for workers who wear religious attire such as hijab.

Billoo said CAIR's Oklahoma chapter filed a similar complaint against Abercrombie & Fitch in 2008 on behalf of a Muslim applicant in that state who was denied a job because of her hijab. In September of 2009, the EEOC filed a discrimination suit against the company on behalf of the Muslim applicant.

EGYPT:

During an interview with Egyptian Cleric Wagdi Ghoneim, that was aired on Al-Aqsa TV on February 14, 2010 above Cleric Stated: " We Pray to Allah That We Be Terrorists, If Terror Means Jihad," (Source: MEMRI)

UNITED STATES:

David Horowitz Says Palestinians Are Nazis

25 February 2010
(loonwatch.com)

David Horowitz

David Horowitz, the former Marxist turned neo-Conservative was at UMass where he faced strong opposition from students. He ended up calling Palestinians Nazis, said Islam is worse and more dangerous than Nazism and other crazy stuff.

CAIR Thanks Fla. Sheriff for Response to Anti-Islam E-Mail

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 2/23/10) - A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization today thanked a Florida sheriff for his "prompt and professional" response to the circulation of an anti-Islam message by members of his department using official e-mail addresses.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it received a complaint that two staffers of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office forwarded an e-mail urging "patriotic Americans" to protest a U.S. Postal Service "Eid" stamp marking the two major Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha at the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca. (The Eid stamp was first issued in 2001 and was re-issued several times as prices increased. The 44-cent version was issued last September.)

The e-mail, with the subject line "DO NOT BUY THIS STAMP," falsely claims the stamp is new and that its creation was ordered by President Obama. It also states: "REMEMBER to adamantly & vocally BOYCOTT this stamp, when you are purchasing your stamps at the post office...To use this stamp would be a slap in the face to all those AMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this stamp honors."

Sheriff Donald F. Eslinger today told CAIR that the anti-Islam message is not representative of his department and that the staffers in question have been reminded of the policy prohibiting such actions.

"We thank Sheriff Eslinger for his prompt and professional response to this incident and for his rejection of intolerance," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "Our research and experience show that the best way to challenge anti-Islam stereotyping and falsehoods is through education and outreach."

He added that a copy of the Quran, Islam's revealed text, will be sent to Sheriff Eslinger for use as a reference by department personnel.

Hooper said the gift to the sheriff's office is part of CAIR's "Explore the Quran" campaign designed to distribute free copies of the Quran to 100,000 local, state and national leaders. To date, tens of thousands of copies of the Quran have been sponsored and are being delivered to leaders nationwide.

Last year, CAIR sent a copy of the Quran to a Tennessee mayor who circulated the same e-mail. Copies of the Quran were also sent to the city council.

CAIR will also send Sheriff Eslinger copies of its "Law Enforcement Officials Guide to the Muslim Community," which outlines basic information about Islamic beliefs that are relevant to law enforcement agencies. The booklet cover issues such as the rights of Muslim law enforcement officers, religiously-sensitive techniques for body searches, etiquette for entering Muslim homes, and advice on outreach to the Islamic community.

A recent survey showed that more than 4 in 10 Americans admit to anti-Muslim prejudice.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

SAUDI ARABIA:

Saudi Cleric Backs Gender Segregation With Fatwa

(www.inreuters)

Feb 23, 2010

RIYADH (Reuters)

A prominent Saudi cleric has issued an edict calling for opponents of the kingdom's strict segregation of men and women to be put to death if they refuse to abandon their ideas.

Shaikh Abdul-Rahman al-Barrak said in a fatwa the mixing of genders at the workplace or in education "as advocated by modernisers" is prohibited because it allows "sight of what is forbidden, and forbidden talk between men and women".

"All of this leads to whatever ensues," he said in the text of the fatwa published on his website (albarrak.islamlight.net).

"Whoever allows this mixing ... allows forbidden things, and whoever allows them is an infidel and this means defection from Islam ... Either he retracts or he must be killed ... because he disavows and does not observe the Sharia," Barrak said.

"Anyone who accepts that his daughter, sister or wife works with men or attend mixed-gender schooling cares little about his honour and this is a type of pimping," Barrak said.

PAKISTAN

Three Sikhs beheaded by Taliban in Pakistan

Feb 22, 2010 (www.economictimes.indiatimes.com)

NEW DELHI: In what threatens to cast a shadow on the upcoming Indo-Pakistan talks scheduled for February 25, three Sikh youths were beheaded by the Taliban in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) region after they allegedly refused to convert to Islam. Their severed heads were dumped at a gurudwara in Peshawar.

The Sikh youths — identified as Jaspal Singh, Sarabjit Singh and Baronat Singh — had gone to realise the money owed to them by some people in the FATA region adjoining Afghanistan, when they were abducted by the Taliban militia. They were allegedly told by the Taliban to embrace Islam or face death. When the Sikh youth refused, their heads were chopped and sent to the Bhai Joga Singh Gurudwara in Peshawar.

SWEDEN

Jews Leave Swedish City After Sharp Rise In Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes
(telegraph.co.uk)
By Nick Meo in Malmo, Sweden
21 Feb 2010

Sweden's reputation as a tolerant, liberal nation is being threatened by a steep rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes in the city of Malmo.

When she first arrived in Sweden after her rescue from a Nazi concentration camp, Judith Popinski was treated with great kindness.

She raised a family in the city of Malmo, and for the next six decades lived happily in her adopted homeland - until last year. "I never thought I would see this hatred again in my lifetime, not in Sweden anyway," Mrs Popinski told The Sunday Telegraph. "This new hatred comes from Muslim immigrants. The Jewish people are afraid now."

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE
(Relax and de-stress yourself)

Thanks to Dr. Lewis for forwarding below information.

(A) This is a translation of women's words that I got from a female spy.

(A) NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) FINE: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) FIVE MINUTES: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game (in TV) before helping around the house.

(3) NOTHING: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in "FINE" (see #1 above)

(4) GO AHEAD: This is a dare, NOT permission. Don't do it!

(5) LOUD SIGH: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about NOTHING. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of NOTHING)

(6) THAT'S OKAY: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) THANKS: A woman is thanking you, do not question or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' . That will bring on a 'WHATEVER' (see below).

(8) WHATEVER: Is a woman's way of saying F-- YOU! (forget you)

(9) DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, I GOT IT: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

* Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology.

* Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, because they know it's true!!!

(B) NON-LIVING THINGS HAVE GENDER TOO:

FREEZER BAGS:
They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.

PHOTOCOPIERS:
These are female, because once turned off, it takes a while to warm them up again. They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong Buttons.

(c) THE SILENT TREATMENT:

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, 'Please wake me at 5:00 AM...' He left it where he knew she would find it.

The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.

The paper said, 'It is 5:00 AM. Wake up.'

MEN ARE NOT EQUIPPED FOR THESE KINDS OF CONTESTS.

THE END

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

Volume 119, February 21, 2010

St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin

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

(Ed Note: Special thanks to Sr. Jabeen Mobasheshera from Los Angeles, California for forwarding below picture which has never been seen by most Muslims).

PLEASE RECITE DAROOD-E-SHAREFF

This is view of Rauza e Rasool (P.B.U.H), which is not open for visitors/Zayeriens perhaps not even 0.1% Muslims had the opportunity to see this view. Please pass it to all you know for spiritual benefits. May ALLAH bless all of us.( Ameen )

CONTENTS:

(1) Letter to Editor

(2) Editorial

(3) Three Global Hot spots - Afghanistan/Palestinians Continuing Their Struggle/Kashmir, India

(4) AFRICA:
Wanted: A New Egyptian President

(5) ASIA:

(5a) MALAYSIA:

Malaysian Court Canes Three Women for sex out of wedlock

Malaysian Women say Caning Was Good For Them (They were not masochist, just spiritual self-realization)

Malaysian Woman Sentenced to Caning After Being Caught Drinking Beer in a Hotel Bar.

(5b) INDONESIA: The changing Dynamics and Impact of Fatwas

Aerobics Contrary to Islam, Provokes Lust, Sumatra Leader Says

Fatwa Against Women's Hairdos and Pre-marital Photos

(FINALLY A COMMON GROUND): Ulema and Feminists Against Polygamy Club

Ulemas and Government Agree on Prison and Fines for Common Law Couples

Jakarta Taxes Marriages With Foreigners (500 million Indonesian Rupiah or US $50,000) to marry Indonesian Women

(5c) SAUDI ARABIA:
Saudi Arabia Closes Illegal Women's Fitness Centre

(5d) BURMA (Mayamar): Rohingyas: The Forgotten Muslims

(5e) LEBANON: Arab Unity
Do Traitors Deserve Death Sentence

(5f) INDIA: Extremists in Action Over a Movie: "MY NAME IS KHAN"

(6) AUSTRALIA: A Peek Outside our Islamic Faith

(7) EUROPE:

(7a) NORWAY: Our Norwegian Sister in Humanity

(7b) KOSOVO: The Third Muslim Country of Europe, where the natives are White Muslims

(7c) GERMANY:

Far Right Rhetoric Fuels Opposition to Minaret in German Town

German Dentist Refuses to Treat Muslim Teen (Because of his name "Cihad" which is close to Jihad - Holy War)

(7d) FRANCE:

Mob of 80 Muslims attack ("IMAM OF THE JEWS") Hassen Chalghourmi in a Mosque in Paris

Election Candidate - Muslima Ilham Mousid in Headscarf Causes an Uproar in France

French Fast Food Chain Makes their Menus HALAL

(7e) ENGLAND:

Anti-Muslim Racists Arrested in Wales

Domino Pizza Outlet Bans Pork in Favor of Halal Menu

(8) NORTH AMERICA:

(8a) CANADA: Ottawa Imam Issues Fatwa Against Credit Cards

(8b) UNITED STATES: NASA plans More Outreach to Muslim Countries

(9) NEWS OF THE WEIRD

(10) ON THE LIGHTER SIDE LIFE: 92 year old man marries a 89 year old woman.

(1) Letter to Editor:

"This is with reference to Blog No 115, (Global Ummah) which prodded me to express my views on the matter I read. First of all I wish to thank the editor for acquainting me with current issues relating to Muslims in particular and all others in general.

To begin with I can easily relate to the evils of dowry which is prevalent in India and to Indian communities in adopted countries like UK, USA etc. The easiest way the parents can get back the expenses they have incurred to educate their son is by demanding hefty dowry. This evil has pervaded all sections of society in varying degrees. Dowry menace has led to harassment and murder or marriage breakdown. I feel counseling should be done to prospective bridegrooms so that their transition from bachelorhood to matrimony would be smooth.

Another point I would allude to is about the most powerful man in this world namely the American President. With great power lies greatness to establish peace and bring new order, which is beneficial to all nations. He can do a lot to quell the myth that all terrorists are Muslims and go deep into the mire to grapple successfully with this bane of mankind, which is a cancerous growth leading towards chaos and catastrophe. The solution lies in brokering lasting peace in the Middle East between the Arab world and Israel , which will slowly end the ultimate cause for terrorists to fight in the name of Jihad. The reality is Jihad has no track with mindless violence.

I would encourage the readers to voice out their opinions by which we can interact as an online community through this blog and last, but not the least my hats off to the editor Br. Ziauddin for his innovative idea of including counseling online. .

Allahafiz
Nazia Sultana

(2) EDITORIAL:

World peace is still NOT a dream and we believe that in the 21st century if we work hard enough we can come close to achieving it. One of the most important step is for all of us to work together to achieve it despite our differences in religion, nationality, ethnicity and cultural differences. We believe that it is not hard for all of us to recognize what an injustice is. We must as a collective group of human beings work towards injustice both at the micro and macro levels.

Working towards fairness and justice starts from home, first towards our own loved ones, relatives and friends and then progressively to larger groups or bigger issues. Look around your own immediate social circle and recall those who wronged you.

As a religious group, people of all faiths must NOT downplay injustice caused by their own faith members and must act actively to fight against such injustice. The guiding force should be "Let's clean up the wrongful actions perpetrated by people of our own faith first, before we point fingers at people of other faiths". We need to strive to be exemplary role models and prove in actions the loving gems of Islam. If we do it as good practicing Muslims, then non-Muslims will on their own be inspired and possibly be more inclined to be supportive of us. Honestly, we do have a problem with anyone trying to force their values on others.

This is one of the few E-Zines where as Muslims we do not hesitate to point out the injustice committed by our own fellow Muslims. Holy Quran strongly encourages us to fight for injustice and NOWHERE does it exempt us from fighting for injustice if it is perpetrated by fellow Muslims.

In short we would like to address injustice perpetrated by all faiths and communities. While most of the world are peace loving global citizens, threats to peace are primarily coming from extremists from all religions and a fairly new growing force that was incubating all along has finally begun to raise its ugly head and they are the right wing extremists from Europe.

The longest running injustice at the present time is against the Palestinians perpetrated by Israel. We hope and pray that a day will soon come, when they have their own single homeland. We grieve for the deaths of thousands of innocent men, women and children who became victims during the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, Kashmir-India, Gaza, West Bank et.c. and hope their soul rests in peace. We will continue to condemn all attacks against Christians whether by Muslims (Indonesia, Egypt) or Hindus (India) or Buddhists (Sri Lanka). The deviated Muslim groups such as the Taliban and Al-Queida are a black mark on the peace loving religion of Islam and Allah willing their cancerous growth will be significantly reduced if not eliminated.

Below are pictures that highlight some of the hot spots of the world and complex issues pertaining to the Global Ummah in terms of Fatwas and discrimination against Muslims in Europe. Put on your cyber seat belt and go ahead with your cyber cruise into the current complexities of the Muslim world.

(3) THREE GLOBAL HOT SPOTS IMPACTING THE UMMAH

Afghanistan:

(ED NOTE:
Allah has declared in the Holy Quran, that those Muslims who do not follow his guidance, Allah will replace them with a new group of Muslims. We are now seeing Allah's promise implemented in action in Afghanistan. Inshallah the deviated Taliban who have created turmoil will be totally defeated and will be replaced by Muslims who will implement Prophet Mohammed (SAW) advice on moderation. Enough is enough, with Afghan women having the highest suicide rate in the world, we Muslims can no longer tolerate continued violations of Islam as it pertains to injustice, depriving them of their Islamic educational right by Taliban and oppression of women through various non-Islamic cultural practices.

It is to be noted, that while we condemn the death of innocent women and children due to the terrorist attacks by the Taliban, we equally condemn the deaths of women and children by the attacks by NATO and American forces. We urge them to be extremely careful in their military operations. We definitely do not want the Taliban to capitalize on their strategic errors).

(yahoo.news.photos)

An Afghan soldier attempts to break open a door as U.S. Marines look on during an operation to search for weapons in the town of Marjah, in Nad Ali district of Helmand province February 17, 2010. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/Files

PALESTINIAN'S CONTINUED STRUGGLE:

(ED NOTE: If the majority of the Global Ummah cannot speak up against the injustice of fellow Muslims, we cannot expect the majority of Jews in Israel to speak up against the injustice perpetrated by their fellow Jews and their Government whom they elected to lead them. We call upon all peace loving Muslims, Jews and Christians to step up to the plate and come together to work for peace in resolving the the current world's longest conflict of 60 plus years)

(yahoo.news.photos)

An undercover Israeli police officer (R) scuffles with a Palestinian youth in the West Bank February 9, 2010. Anyone who thinks the world would rally to Israel's side if it pulled out of the West Bank might as well believe in the tooth fairy, PM Benjamin Netanyahu's closest adviser said. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/Files

(yahoo.news.photos)

A Palestinian youth prepares to hurl a stone towards an Israeli border police vehicle in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh near Ramallah February 19, 2010. Israeli border police used tear gas to disperse some 150 Palestinian protesters and foreign activists during a violent protest over a land dispute with Jewish settlers in the area. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

(yahoo.news.photos)

Protesters march towards the controversial Israeli barrier during a protest in the West Bank village of Bilin, near Ramallah, February 19, 2010. Israeli border police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse some 1,000 Palestinian protesters and foreign activists during a protest marking the 5th anniversary of their campaign against the controversial Israeli barrier in the village. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

(yahoo.news.photos)

An Israeli soldier throws a stun grenade to Palestinians demonstrators, not seen, during a protest over water supplies in the West Bank village of Nabi Salah, Friday, Feb. 19, 2010. The water supply is used by Jewish settlers from the nearby settlement of Halamish and is claimed by both sides. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

(yahoo.news.photos)

Palestinian, foreign and Israeli left-wing activists try to break down a section of Israel's separation barrier during a protest to mark the fifth anniversary of protests against Israel's West Bank separation barrier in the West Bank town of Bilin near Ramallah, Friday, Feb. 19, 2010. Israel says the barrier is needed for security, but Palestinians consider it a land grab. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)

(yahoo.news.photos)

Palestinians use slings to hurl stones toward Israeli border police in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh near Ramallah February 19, 2010. Israeli border police used tear gas to disperse some 150 Palestinian protesters and foreign activists during a violent protest over a land dispute with Jewish settlers in the area. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

(yahoo.news.photos)

Protesters try to pull down a section of the controversial Israeli barrier during a protest in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah February 19, 2010. Israeli border police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse some 1000 Palestinian protesters and foreign activists during a protest marking the 5th anniversary of their campaign against the controversial Israeli barrier in the village. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

(yahoo.news.photos)

A protester climbs on a section of the controversial Israeli barrier as protesters try to pull it down during a protest in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah February 19, 2010. Israeli border police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse some 1000 Palestinian protesters and foreign activists during a protest marking the 5th anniversary of their campaign against the controversial Israeli barrier. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

KASHMIR, INDIA

(ED NOTE: Has the world ignored the injustice perpetrated by the Indian Government against our Kashmiri brothers and sisters? Many of the soldier rapists of our Kashmiri sisters are still scott free and the repression from the Indian military continues unabated. Having addressed the above issue, we still oppose any Kashmiris who involve in terrorist actions resulting in death of innocents).

(yahoo.news.photos)

Kashmiris shout slogans during a protest against the killing of teenager Zahid Farooq on the outskirts of Srinagar on February 7. Indian security forces said Wednesday they may have been responsible for the shooting death of a teenage boy in revolt-hit Kashmir that has sparked days of demonstrations. (AFP/File/Rouf Bhat)

(yahoo.news.photos)


(yahoo.news.photos)

Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front activists shout pro-freedom slogans during a protest in Srinagar on February 11. A security lockdown and general strike crippled life in Indian Kashmir on Thursday, on the anniversary of the execution of a prominent Muslim separatist. (AFP/Tauseef Mustafa)

(4) AFRICA:

WANTED: A NEW EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT:

(ED NOTE: Respected President Hosni Mubarak, you have ruled Egypt for close to 30 years, and we understand that you are now grooming your son to replace you. We never knew that monarchy system existed in Egypt. In the best interests of the repressed Egyptian masses, please open the doors for future leadership to all interested candidates including ex-IAEA chief Mohamed El Baradei. If you really want to prove that democracy still exists in Egypt allow the people to decide their next leader by removing various restrictions imposed on who could run as potential candidates)

(yahoo.news.photos)

Women supporters of former United Nations nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei, hold his portrait, as they prepare to give him a hero's welcome at Cairo, airport, Egypt, Friday, Feb. 19, 2010. ElBaradei was returning home for a visit, expressing high hopes he might challenge longtime president Hosni Mubarak for power, and usher in an era of democratic reform in the country. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

(5) ASIA

(5a) MALAYSIA:
(SIA News, Feb 18, 2010)

MALAYSIAN COURT CANES THREE WOMEN:
By James Hookway (Condensed version)

Malaysian authorities said Wednesday that officials caned four Muslim men and, for the first time, three Muslim women this month after being found guilty of having sex out of wedlock.

(yahoo.news.photos)

Journalists (facing camera) interview three women who were caned for having sex out of wedlock, at a prison in Kajang outside Kuala Lumpur February 18, 2010. REUTERS/The New Straits Times Press/Mokhsin Abidin

The move to cane the women under the country's Islamic Shariah laws has raised fresh concerns about the growing political and judicial influence of Islam in what traditionally has been one of the world's more moderate Muslim nations.

"I hope this will not be misunderstood, so that it defiles the sanctity of Islam," Mr. Hishammuddin said. "The punishment is to teach and give a chance to those who have fallen off the path to return and build a better life in the future."

Two of the women and the four men were struck six times, while the other woman was struck four times.

Mr. Hishammuddin said that a doctor was present at the canings, which took place in male and female prisons, and that the offenders weren't tied. The women were seated while they were struck, and no injuries were reported. The idea, the officials previously have said, is to humiliate rather than injure—unlike the canings administered to drug pushers and other violators of civil laws, which can sometimes leave deep scars.

The offenders, Mr. Hishammuddin said, were then "advised on ways to repent and to get closer to Allah."

msnbc.msn.com

Malaysian Women Say Caning "Good" For Them

By David Chance
Feb. 18, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR - Three Malaysians who became the first women to be caned under the country's Islamic laws said they "deserved" their punishment and that it would help stem sex outside marriage.

The three women were caned for having sex out of wedlock in a move that has angered human rights activists and some lawyers who say the punishments are illegal in this mainly Muslim country that runs parallel civil and Islamic justice systems.

"I deeply regret my actions as I should have married before having sex," the New Straits Times newspaper quoted one of the women who it said was aged 17, as saying in its Friday edition.

The newspaper did not reveal the womens' real names and a picture showed the three clad in traditional Malaysian dress and headscarves seated before reporters.

The 17-year old said that she had become pregnant and gone into labor while at school, losing the baby, and then had turned herself in to the authorities last December.

A second woman said she had to support her family after her father left home and had a three-year-old daughter out of wedlock. She said that she too turned herself in due to feelings of guilt.

All three women were caned on February 9 and the punishments were announced by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Wednesday.

Hishammuddin said they were "carried out perfectly."

The punishment of six strokes of the rattan is carried out while the women are fully clothed and while they are seated. The person administering the punishment is not allowed to raise their arm above shoulder level.

"Even though the caning did not injure them, the three women said it caused pain within their souls," Hishammuddin said.

POLITICAL STRESS

The caning has received widespread support from Muslim groups in this Southeast Asian country of 27 million people where around 55 percent of the population is Malay and Muslim.

"The guilty have also repented and there is no proof of injuries at all. What is the problem now?" Fadhalina Sidek, vice president of the Islamic Youth Movement was quoted as saying on the Malaysian Insider website (www.themalaysianinsider.com).

Caning is used in Malaysian prisons for other crimes.

(MALAYSIAN MUSLIMA SENTENCED TO CANING AFTER BEING CAUGHT DRINKING BEER IN A HOTEL BAR).

online.wsj.com (Wall Street Journal) Feb 18, 2010

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno is hugged by well wishers in her father's home in Sungei Siput, about 300km (186 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia's state of Perak August 24, 2009 as she prepares to go to prison to be caned. REUTERS/Zainal Abd Halim/Files

A Shariah court last year sentenced Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, right, to be caned after she was caught drinking beer in a hotel bar. The sentence hasn't been carried out.

(5b) INDONESIA

(Ed Note: Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world. With all the different fatwas being issued to regulate human behavior, is it truly reflective of what Islam should ideally stands for, in the backdrop of teachings mentioned in the Holy Quran and the Hadith ?)

THE CHANGING DYNAMICS AND IMPACT OF FATWAS

AsiaNews.Net

Aerobics Contrary to Islam, Promotes Lust, Sumatra Islamic Leader Says
(condensed version)

by Mathias Hariyadi (Feb 15, 2010)

AsiaNews

Ulema chief in Palembang says exercises and garments worn by women are haram. Clothing is too provocative and leads men astray. Women respond saying the Ulema organisation lacks arguments when it tries to address the “problems raised in modern society.”

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – “Sexy attire” used by women during aerobics class is “against the spirit of Islam,” said the Indonesian Islamic Ulemas Council (MUI) in Palembang, South Sumatra province. The statement comes only a few weeks after the agency in charge of public morality and the defense of Islamic values had issued a similar fatwa concerning hairdos and pre-marital photos. In its recent pronouncement, it targeted sexy outfits that “provoke lust in men.”

For the MUI, it is wrong especially for young women to wear “improper” garments during aerobic exercises in gyms or in the open air, because of their effect on men. Aerobic exercises early in the morning, especially during weekends, have become a regular activity for thousands of women of all ages.

Kiai Hajj Sodikun, MUI leader in Palembang, said women should wear more chaste clothing so as not to arouse men. Because of this, unduly sexy gym suits or physical exercises and movements that excite men “should be considered haram (morally illicit)”.

Mr Kiai does acknowledge the importance of physical exercises for human health, but insists that they must be practiced with the appropriate clothing.

FATWA AGAINST FANCY WOMEN'S HAIRDOS AND PRE-MARITAL PHOTOS

by Mathias Hariyadi

AsiaNews
(1/18/10)

Fancy perms and photo albums made before marriage are ‘haram’, i.e. contrary to Islamic religion and morality. Two East Java educational institutions issue the ruling in order to preserve the “purity” of customs. Indonesia’s Ulema Council describes the fatwa as “exaggerated”.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Wearing elaborate hairdos and being photographed before one’s wedding are haram, against the Islamic religion and morality. Two all-female educational institutions (pesantren) issued a fatwa to that effect. In doing so, they add more fuel to an already heated debate over bans.

In fact, a ban has been imposed on smoking in public places and on women wearing tight jeans or traveling on motorbikes.

The controversial ruling on women’s hairdos comes from the All-Girl Islamic Educational Institutions Forum of East Java Province. Fussing over one’s hair, getting a perm, having one’s hair curled too much or coloured are deemed “morally illicit” and contrary to the principles of Islam. Premarital photos are also condemned as haram because they favour “extra-marital relations”, and give photographs the opportunity to retouch female bodies to show them in storefronts in order to “attract new customers”.

The fatwa was issued during 12th Female Bahtsul Masail Forum held at the Lirboyo pesantren in Kediri (East Java). Its purpose, activists believe, is to preserve the “purity” of marriage between bride and groom by helping them avoid morally unacceptable behaviour. Iswatun Hasanah, who chairs the forum, said that the ruling was “to prevent extra-marital relations” before the marriage, and applies to bride and groom, photographers, clothes designers and make-up artists. Physical contacts during photo shoots, kissing on the lips, walking hand in hand are unacceptable behaviours because” the people involved “are not yet married.”

Photographers are guilty of accentuating the “sensuality” of their subjects and of manipulating the pictures shown in public in order to attract new customers.

AsiaNews

In the last few years, thousands of couples have had photo albums about themselves made and handed them out to family and friends on their wedding day. This has generated business worth millions of rupees and attracted a growing number of customers.

Indonesia’s Ulema Council (MIU) has reacted to the fatwa by downplaying the whole matter. MUI leader Cholil Ridwan said that the fatwa against hairdos is exaggerated, especially since it is addressed to women who do not wear the hijab or Islamic headscarf.

ULEMA AND FEMINISTS AGAINST POLYGAMY CLUB

by Mathias Hariyadi 10-27-09

AsiaNews

Many Muslim authorities calling for a fatwa to ban the spread of this practice. According to the promoters polygamy nears one to "love of God." But according to women the practice humiliates wives and is a source of domestic violence and abuse. Ex-President Suharto was anti-polygamy, but initial Ex-President Sukarno had many women.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Groups of Muslim leaders are furious with a club that promotes polygamy and has asked the National Council of Ulema (MUI) to issue a fatwa banning it. Even the Indonesian feminists are up in arms against the club because polygamy “is a violence against women".

The Global Ikhwan polygamy Club was opened on 18 October in Bandung (West Java) in the Grand Aquila Hotel, with the participation of 150 guests. Among the guests was the founder of the club in Malaysia, Chodijah Binti Am. The purpose of the club is to promote and disseminate polygamy. The theme of the evening was in fact "Polygamy, a powerful solution to meet the love of God." "By adhering to the philosophy of the club and practicing polygamy - explained Am - people experience the merciful love of God When the wives are not good, they will pray to ask God's help. If a woman is married to a polygamist, the use of praying for God's help will be continuous”.

Such affected religiosity is unconvincing for Muslim leaders. Kiai Hajj Bunyamin, Bandung Islamic leader, says that the club of Malaysian origin is "immoral" because its purpose is to "inflate carnal desire among males”. "I am totally opposed to the club," he said. The Head of Ulema of West Java, Kiai Hajj Hafidz Usman asks "What is the benefit of this controversial club "; academic Jujun Junaedi, warns against instrumental use of Islam made by the club.

"According to me - he says - the Ulema Council should block it”. The polygamy club of in Bandung was founded by Mohammed Umar, of Malaysian nationality, according to whom the club just wants to "promote the moral value of the practice of polygamy."

To find new members, the club has opened an account on Facebook, with 302 new members so far, 32 other Indonesian families intend joining.

There are three directors of the club: Mohamad Safir, Latifah Abd Al Qohar and Andrew Fah Tan. They require only one condition from new members: the wives of polygamists should not be more than four.

ULEMAS AND GOVT AGREE ON PRISON AND FINES FOR COMMON LAW COUPLES

AsiaNews
by Mathias Hariyadi
02/16/10

Common law and polygamous couples could get up to three months in jail and fines of up to US$ 535,000. Religious Affairs Ministry drafts bill, backed by powerful Ulemas Council. Whilst legal in Islam, polygamy is seen as “bad” and a sign of selfishness.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Indonesia’s Ministry for Religious Affairs, backed by the powerful Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI), plans to introduce a bill that would include jail time and fines for common law couples. The government also plans to crack down on contract marriages and polygamy—the latter is allowed in Islam but rejected by most people in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world. Should the bill become law, violations could entail up to three months in jail and fines of up to 5 million rupiahs (US$ 535,00o).

Maaruf Armin, a prominent MUI official, said that his organisation has backed the Ministry’s proposal since 2005. He said he wants to see the draft bill against unregistered marriages turned into law. Common law couples deserve to go to jail because of their “illegal” behaviour, he said.

JAKARTA TAXES MARRIAGES WITH FOREIGNERS: FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS (500 million Indonesian rupiah) TO MARRY INDONESIAN WOMEN
02/20/2010
by Mathias Hariyadi
www.asianews.it

The law aims to "protect" wives and children in cases of abandonment. The bill is supported by the Indonesian Council of Ulema and the money will be paid to Islamic banks. However, it does not apply to foreign women married to Indonesians.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Foreigners will have to pay at least 500 million Indonesian rupiah - about 50 thousand US dollars - to marry a woman of the archipelago. The sum of money, payable to one of Islamic banks in the country, will serve to "protect" wives and children in divorce cases. This is spelled out in a bill currently before Parliament and strongly supported by the powerful Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). The norm, however, does not apply to the Indonesian men who marry foreign women.

After the controversy that erupted in recent days about the proposal to punish unmarried couples and polygamy, although permitted in Islam, with prison and fines, comes another provision intended to provoke a fierce debate in Indonesia. The goal, explains the signatories of the Act, is to "ensure" a financial income to women and children, where the husband wishes to separate.

According to the bill the money is to be paid "to an Islamic bank" - the Syariah banks - and "will be given to the women should the husband abandon his wife and children for unspecified reasons." The amount, says the text, shall be withdrawn only at the time of separation and help to ensure the survival of the family and children until they reach the 21st birthday.

(5c) SAUDI ARABIA:

(Ed Note: Is Saudi Arabia moving in the wrong direction by closing down Women's Fitness Centers ?)

Jan 21, 2010 www.arabianbusiness.com

Saudi officials close 'illegal' women's fitness centre
by Elsa Baxter

Health officials have closed down an “illegal” women’s fitness centre attached to a hospital in Jeddah, it was reported on Wednesday. Gyms or fitness clubs for women continue to be illegal in the kingdom, despite the growing popularity of underground venues. “Anyone who violates regulations governing the running of health facilities would be punished severely because this involves people’s health,” Muhammad Abdul Jawad, director of the Medical Licensing Administration, told Arab News.

He warned clinics and hospitals that officials regularly inspect health facilities to make sure they are following regulations. Saudi’s municipal and rural affairs ministry recently closed two other gyms in Jeddah and one in Dammam, in eastern Saudi Arabia.

There is no rules in Islam that prohibit women from going to exercise to stay fit and healthy. In the history records about Prophet Mohammed and how he treated females in his family (wives and daughters) clearly shows that he well treated them, protected them, and took care of them. In his last words before he passed away he clearly asked all Muslim to take care of women and protect them. From records we know that he used to take his wives for walk (this is fitness), he raced with them, he helped them in cleaning the house. There are wealth of stories about him cooking by himself for his guests, serving food with his hands etc. Clearly there is a confusion between how to execute the responsibility to take care of women/females and to abuse them created by the confusion between what is a rule of Islam and what is a rule of social conduct.

(5d) BURMA (MAYAMAR): Rohingyas: The Forgotten Muslims

(ED NOTE: Bangladesh is a Muslim country and the Rohingyas are Burmese Muslims persecuted in Burma by the brutal non-Muslim Burmese military. The Rohingyas escaped Burma and came to Bangladesh seeking protection and refuge from their neighboring Muslim country. But what they get from their fellow members of UMMAH is further violence. We appeal to the Bangladesh Government to please stop such violence against this helpless muhajareen).

(yahoo.news.photos)

Rohingya refugees are seen at a camp in Kutupalong, Bangladesh in 2009. Bangladesh has unleashed a crackdown of unprecedented violence against Muslim refugees from neighbouring Myanmar, a report by humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres has said. (AFP/File/Munir Uz Zaman)

(yahoo.news.photos)

Medecins Sans Frontieres -provided video footage shows stateless ethnic Rohingya refugees living at a makeshift camp in Bangladesh after fleeing their homes in Myanmar. They say they have been persecuted by the Myanmar regime, but life is little better in Bangladesh where they say they are beaten and harassed by officials. (AFP/MSF)

(yahoo.news.photos)

A Rohingya refugee child stands in the doorway of a shelter in an unregistered camp southeast of Dhaka in 2009. Bangladesh has unleashed a crackdown of unprecedented violence against Muslim refugees from neighbouring Myanmar, a report by humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres has said. (AFP/File/Munir Uz Zaman)


(5e) LEBANON

ARAB UNITY:

(yahoo.news.photos)

A picture released by the offical Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra shows Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa giving a press conference after his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman at the presidential palace of Baabda. Mussa said that Arab countries would stand by Lebanon if it were attacked by Israel, adding that the situation between the two countries is tense. (AFP/Dalati and Nohra)

DO TRAITORS DESERVE DEATH SENTENCE ?

(yahoo.news.photos)

Lebanese internal security forces parade with their armoured personnel carriers (APCs) just north of Beirut, in 2009. A retired member of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces was sentenced on Thursday to death for having spied for Israel and for his involvement in the murder of two Palestinian militant leaders. (AFP/File/Anwar Amro)

(5f) INDIA - EXTREMISTS IN ACTION

(ED NOTE: We rarely endorse seeing a movie but for those who champion the cause of multiculturalism, interfaith unity, inter-ethnic and inter-race unity and those that are against racial profiling, discrimination & stereotypes, we recommend seeing below movie "My Name is Khan". We saw it and found our valuable time well spent)

According to en.wikipedia.org:

My Name Is Khan (Hindi: माय नेम इज़ ख़ान) is a 2010 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar...and starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol. It ...will be distributed by FOX Star Entertainment, which bought the rights for the film for the sum of Rs. 100 crores, thus becoming the SECOND MOST EXPENSIVE BOLLYWOOD FILM, behind Blue.

My Name is Khan debuted in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 10 February 2010. It released globally in theaters on 12 February 2010. It will also be screened as part of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival's Official Selection that same month.

UPON RELEASE, THE FILM BROKE BOX OFFICE RECORDS FOR AN INDIAN FILM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

IT GROSSED THE HIGHEST OPENING WEEKEND AND OPENING DAY OVERSEAS FOR A BOLLYWOOD FILM.

IT ALSO GROSSED THE HIGHEST WORLDWIDE OPENING WEEKEND, SURPASSING RECORD HELD BY "3 IDIOTS"

AND THE HIGHEST NET COLLECTION IN THE FIRST WEEK FOR A BOLLYWOOD FILM.

IN THE UNITED STATES, IT GROSSED $ 18 MILLION

Shiv Sena supporters tear a poster for Shahrukh Khan's new film My Name Is Khan. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

Indian Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party activists burn posters of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan at a protest in New Delhi on Feburary 7. Security will be increased at cinemas for the Indian release of the latest Khan film after a row between the actor-producer and a hardline Hindu nationalist party, police said Tuesday. (AFP/File/Manpreet Romana)

Indian Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party activists hit an effigy of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan with their shoes at a protest in New Delhi on Feburary 7. Security will be increased at cinemas for the Indian release of the latest Khan film after a row between the actor-producer and a hardline Hindu nationalist party, police said Tuesday. (AFP/File/Manpreet Romana)

Shah Rukh Khan at a press meeting for 'My Name is Khan' in Mumbai in August 2009. Security will be increased at cinemas for the Indian release of the latest Shah Rukh Khan film after a row between the actor-producer and a hardline Hindu nationalist party, police said Tuesday.(AFP/File)

According to REUTERS: .. more than 1,800 people have been arrested in Mumbai for vandalising cinemas advertising Shahrukh Khan's latest movie, My Name Is Khan.

This weekend, 21,000 special police will protect cinemagoers, and there will be security checks at the box office. "This is not Shahrukh, but the Khan in him that's saying all this", said a spokesman for the Shiv Sena, the militant Hindu nationalist organisation in Maharashtra which is behind the trouble.

The Sena told Khan – an Indian Muslim – to move to Pakistan, and issued a threat: "There will be dire consequences if Shahrukh defies the orders of the Sena chief."

(6) AUSTRALIA

A PEEK OUTSIDE OUR ISLAMIC FAITH

Australian embassy-handout shows a painting of Australian nun Mary MacKillop. The country is preparing to celebrate ahead of the expected announcement that a rebel nun who was once excommunicated from the church, is to become the country's first saint. (AFP)

(7) EUROPE:

(7A) NORWAY: OUR NORWEGIAN SISTER OF HUMANITY:

(ED NOTE:
Our deepest condolences to the family of Ms. Martine Vik Magnussen. Like any other student, Ms. Martine may have had her own dreams of pursuing higher education, career, having a family et.c. All her dreams have been shattered due to the anti-islamic & criminal actions of a wealthy Yemeni man resulting in her death. We urge the Yemeni Govt to track down the alleged rapist and murderer and extradite him to Norway to stand trial for the allegations. We acknowledge that many would consider above urging as our "wishful thinking". The alternative option is for the Yemeni Govt with cooperation of the Norwegian authorities try the alleged criminal inside Yemen itself for his crimes, and if convicted implement the punishment to the fullest extent of the Yemeni law. Some would argue that above alternative may also be "wishful thinking" given the realities of the Yemeni political situation today. As Muslims, what are we talking of fighting for JUSTICE IN ISLAM when a Muslim country is harboring a criminal who is alleged to have raped and murdered a innocent student ?)

(yahoo.news.photos)

Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen, seen here in this undated family handout. Police vowed they would never give up trying to extradite a wealthy Yemeni man whom they suspect raped and murdered a Norwegian student, even though it could take a decade. (AFP/HO/SCANPIX/File)

(7B) KOSOVO:

(The Third Muslim Country of Europe Whose Natives are White Muslims)

According to religioustolerance.org, in KOSOVO, the religious affiliation of the approximately 1.9 million residents of Kosovo, includes on the order of: Muslims: 1.6 million, Serbian Orthodox: 150,000 and Roman Catholics: 60,000

(ijtema.net) Let us welcome the freedom of Kosovars from tyranny. Let us also thank the United States for ensuring that Kosovars are safe from human rights violations, at least for now. Kosova is also unique in some sense in that this majority Muslim population is pro-US. Much of the freedom struggle was funded by the Saudis- with support from US.

Mosque in Pristina, Kosovo cache.virtualtourist.com

(ijtema.net)

(IJTEMA.NET IS A CONGREGATION OF MUSLIM BLOGGERS)




(www.kosovo.life.com)

A woman walks past Albanian national flags which have been put up ahead of the second anniversary of Kosovo's independence in the town of Kacanik, southeast of the capital Pristina February 16, 2010. Two years after Kosovo's independence from Serbia, increasingly wary Western donors are keen to wean the country from foreign aid and take more resolute steps to fight poverty, crime and corruption. The landlocked country of 2 million people, mostly ethnic Albanians, is among the poorest in Europe, swallowing 4 billion euros in aid since the war with Belgrade ended in 1999. REUTERS/Hazir Reka

(7C) GERMANY:

Far-Right Rhetoric Fuels Opposition to Minaret in German Town
Spiegel
Feb 5, 2010

A small Muslim community in a western German town would like to build a minaret on its mosque. But the plan has triggered passionate opposition from locals, many of whom rely on rhetoric from the extreme right in railing against the “symbol of Islam’s quest for power.”

Elsewhere in the city – particularly in the quarter known as Wehrden – Muslim immigrants may not feel quite as welcome. A small mosque on the banks of the Saar River there has applied for a permit to build a small minaret on its roof – triggering a wave of at-times vehement protest reminiscent of the fuss surrounding the November 2009 referendum in Switzerland to ban minarets in the country.

The debate in Völklingen is once again showing how quickly right-wing rhetoric can cross over into the mainstream when it comes to debates on Islam in Europe. Local right-wing extremists – two of whom are in the Völklingen city council – have argued that minarets are “symbols of Turkish dominance.”

Minaret opponents are now looking into the possibility of holding a referendum on the issue in Völklingen.

German Dentist Refuses to Treat Muslim Teen
Spiegel,
February 5, 2010

An orthodontist in the state of Baden-Württemberg has reportedly turned a 16-year-old boy out of her practice because she was offended by his name – “Cihad,” an alternate spelling for “Jihad,” which she interpreted to mean “holy war.”

The doctor in Donaueschingen told local daily Schwarzwälder Bote on Friday that she believed his name was a declaration of war against all non-Muslims and refused to treat him.

(7d) FRANCE:


Mob of 80 Muslims attack Hassen Chalghoumi’s mosque in Paris suburb
By Gavin Mortimer
Jan 27, 2010

Should the burka be banned from French society? It’s a contentious issue, and in some cases a dangerous one, too, as Hassen Chalghoumi discovered this week.


( Confident, liberal West shouldn’t need a burka-clad scapegoat)
www.thefirstpost.co.uk

Chalghoumi, at 36 one of the younger and certainly one of the most liberal imams in France, told Le Parisien last week that he supported "a legal ban of the burka, which has no place in France, a country where women have been voting since 1945".

(www.csmonitor.com)

The imam, whose mosque is in Drancy, a north-eastern suburb of Paris, also criticised those Muslims who advocated the wearing of the burka, saying they "belong to a tiny minority tradition reflecting an ideology that undermines the Muslim religion. The burka is a prison for women, a tool of sexist domination and Islamist indoctrination.” ,....,....

Chalghoumi’s comments were designed to provoke discussion among the Muslim community in France, but a small minority of radicals considered his pronouncements so insulting that on Monday evening they stormed Chalghoumi’s mosque and threatened to kill him.

He was chairing a meeting of the Conference of Imams, a body established in 2009 to promote better relations between France’s faiths, particularly Jews and Muslims, when a mob of 80 men forced their way into the building. There was a brief scuffle between the two groups, ending in a handful of invaders grabbing the microphone. "They started to cry Allah Akbar and God is great," recounted Chalghoumi. "Then they insulted me, my mosque, the Jewish community and the [French] Republic. They left after an hour and a half."

According to a member of the Conference of Imams, the mob condemned Chalghoumi as an apostate and threatened him with "liquidation, this imam of the Jews". ,..... As for Chalghoumi, he is now under police protection, as is his mosque, and he is promising to press charges against his aggressors.

While he has received support from the Christian and Jewish communities throughout France, the reaction from many of his fellow Muslims has been luke-warm.

Fouad Alaoui, president of the Union des Organisations Islamiques de France (UOIF), said he "wasn't surprised" at the incident. "We've warned him several times to moderate his words because he risks to attract these sort of reactions."

"Election Candidate (Ilham Moussaid) in Headscarf Causes Uproar in France"

(www.telegraph.co.uk)
Feb 15, 2010


(yahoo.news.photos)
Ilham Moussaid

These two statements from Ilham are amazing and I think many Western Muslims can find resonance in what she says,

“Try as I might to explain that I am not oppressed and that it shows, there’s still a lack of understanding,” she told today’s Le Monde.

In a statement to local party members at the weekend she wrote: “It is with great sadness that I watch … my life reduced to my headscarf. It is with great sadness that I hear that my personal beliefs are a danger to others while I advocate friendship, respect, tolerance, solidarity and equality for all".

Olivier Besancenot, the postman-turned-revolutionary at the helm of France’s anti-capitalist movement, has been fiercely criticised from all sides of the political spectrum for fielding a headscarf-wearing candidate in forthcoming elections.

Ilham Moussaid, a 21-year-old Muslim woman who describes herself as “feminist, secular and veiled”, is running for the far-left New Anti-Capitalist party (NPA) in the south-eastern region of Avignon.

But, despite her insistence that there is no contradiction between her clothing and her political role, Moussaid’s candidacy in the regional vote due in March has angered other feminists and politicians.

In an echo of the controversy raised by recent moves to ban the full, face-covering veil in public places such as schools, hospitals and buses, critics have said that the young activist’s headscarf, which conceals only her hair, goes against values of laïcité – secularism – and women’s rights.

Today, in a sign of how deep concerns are running, a leading feminist group announced it would file an official complaint against the NPA’s list of candidates in the Vaucluse département to protest against what it called an “anti-secular, anti-feminist and anti-republican” stunt.

“In choosing to endorse ‘open’ laïcité, the NPA is perverting the values of the Republic and suggesting we reread them in a manner which conforms with regressive visions of women,” said the Ni Putes Ni Soumises (Neither Whores Nor Submissives) association in a statement.

Others have expressed their shock at Besancenot’s attempt to field a candidate who sees no problem with making an overt statement about her religion in the public sphere, a practice considered taboo.

Moussaid’s candidacy has been considered all the more surprising because she is running for a party with far-left leanings traditionally seen as hostile to religion and pro-women’s rights. Socialist MP Aurélie Filippetti advised Besancenot to “reread Marx” in order to understand why the headscarf was unacceptable.

The government is attempting to wrap up a “great debate” on national identity, which many people believe has caused Islamophobia. It is reminiscent of the controversy in 2004 when headscarves and other conspicuous religious symbols were banned from state schools.

French Fast Food Chain Makes Menus Halal
By Henry Samuel in Paris
Feb 15, 2010

QUICK, one of France's most popular fast food chains, has taken pork off the menu at eight of its restaurants, turning them into halal-only outlets.

The chain has replaced bacon with smoked halal turkey in restaurants in three branches in a Paris suburb, two in Marseille, and the remainder in Toulouse, Villeurbanne, near Lyon, and Roubaix, northern France – all of them areas with high Muslim populations.

These restaurants now serve only halal food, seen as permissible according to Islamic law...

(7e) ENGLAND:

walesonline.come Feb 10, 2010

Anti-Muslim Racists Arrested in Wales

Five men have been arrested after a Facebook site was set up declaring “all Muslims should be thrown out of Wales”.

Around 150 people joined the group on the social networking site claiming they would march through the Rhondda Valleys to make their feelings known. But South Wales Police have now stepped in and arrested five men for religiously aggravated public order offences.

It is one of the first occasions people have been arrested over comments posted on Facebook. The group has also been removed from the site. Police now believe the march will not go ahead, but they will be on standby in case anyone turns up.

Members of the group, which was entitled Rhondda March, said they would walk from Treherbert down to Pontypridd on February 28. And the organisers declared: “We Dont Want Musslims in our country move them out they are takeing over.”

The group’s message board was inundated with comments including “ai im in, gona put sum nails in a stick 4 the f******” and “Got my steel toe caps ready, wot a craking idea”. Another reads: “send the f****** bk. Join us u now u want 2 stand up tall”. A further message said: “Move these musslims back home”. And another read: “yeah support our local buissnes not forgin ones. Im in”.

Domino's Pizza Outlet Bans Pork in Favour of Halal Menu

Meat pizza: Halal items on the menu include halal spicy beef sausage, roast and tandoori chicken, halal pepperoni and halal cured turkey Photo: GETTY

A Domino's Pizza outlet has infuriated locals after becoming the first in the country to take pork off the menu and offer only halal food.

By Nick Britten
11 Feb 2009

Meat pizza: Domino's Pizza outlet bans pork in favour of halal menu

The takeaway has told customers in the mixed-race area of Hall Green, Birmingham, that if they want ham or pork on their pizza they will have to go elsewhere.

Chris Yates, 29, a hospital worker living in Moseley, Birmingham, said he was told he couldn't have a 'Meteor' pizza, topped with pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, ground beef and smoky bacon, when he called up at the weekend.

Halal items on the menu include halal spicy beef sausage, roast and tandoori chicken, halal pepperoni and halal cured turkey – all produced and stored within the Halal Food Authorities guidelines. The change intends to appeal to the area's Muslim customers.

A worker at the store said: "The store wasn't doing very well so we had to do something – we needed people who weren't getting halal options to come to us.

"It's been like this for four weeks and business has picked up a little."

A spokesman for Dominos, who recently announced their profits were up 33 per cent, said: "In that particular area of Birmingham there are a large number of Muslims so there is naturally more of a demand for halal based products.

"We appreciate we cannot please everybody but there are alternatives, such as turkey ham, and we have thought long and hard about this decision and we are sure it is the right one."

Masood Khawaja, President of the Halal Food Authority, said: "It's good news for Muslims, with changing palates, who want a bit of variety in their diet. This is only the beginning and we are delighted that Domino's has participating in this trend."

(8) NORTH AMERICA:

(8a) CANADA:

Ottawa Imam Issues Fatwa Against Credit Cards

'Demeaning To People'

Jennifer Green, Canwest News Service
February 18, 2010

In an economy awash in easy credit, Ottawa's leading imam is definitely swimming against the tide.

Imam Khaled Abdul-Hamid Syed has issued a fatwa against credit cards, even if they are paid off every month.

"I conclude that it contains usury ... which is forbidden in Islam, so it should not be used," Imam Syed said in a mass email to members of the city's main mosque.

Islam has always banned interest for the same reason usury is condemned in other faiths: It can sink debtors, even whole economies, as recent years have shown.

"It's to protect people from falling in a lot of debt," the imam said in an interview.

"Interest is demeaning to people," added Ismail Barreh, an MBA student at the University of Ottawa who sat in on the conversation. "They are in need, and then you can take advantage of them."

There are two schools of thought about credit cards among Islamic scholars. Some argue they are permissible as long as no interest is accrued, meaning bills must always be paid in full.

Others disagree, quoting one of the earliest religious authorities, Ibn Mass'ood: "Allah has cursed the one who consumes Riba [usury or interest], the one who gives it to others, the one who records it and the one who witnesses it.... All of them are equal in sin."

This group believes anyone who signs a contract for the card "is ready to pay interest, thus he freely approves of dealing with interest."

A young Ottawa woman heard on a Saudi television broadcast that any credit card was forbidden, even if no interest was incurred, so she wrote the imam for clarification. "Do you advise me to get rid of my ... card? I only have one for emergencies and when I travel ... can you give me some advice please, should I cancel it and rely on Allah ... or is having it an exception to living in this society?"

Imam Syed replied in the mass email that she should rely instead on a prepaid credit card that can be loaded with set amounts. Cardholders can only spend what is on the card, and no interest is incurred.

In the interview, the imam stressed the fatwa is not binding, nor would every imam hold the same opinion.

"A fatwa is a religious decision, to tell people what their God loves, and what makes their God angry with them.... It is a religious decision to the person who asked."

So, while Islam has a general principle forbidding interest, each situation would call for a slightly different decision. For instance, another member of the mosque needed to buy groceries and other necessities as he awaited his monthly paycheque. For him, the card is allowed.

(8 b) UNITED STATES:

NASA Plans More Outreach to Muslim Countries
blogs.orlandosentinel.com

Mark Matthews on February, 16 2010

WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said Tuesday that President Barack Obama has asked him to “find ways to reach out to dominantly Muslim countries” as the White House pushes the space agency to become a tool of international diplomacy.

“In addition to the nations that most of you usually hear about when you think about the International Space Station, we now have expanded our efforts to reach out to non-traditional partners,” said Bolden, speaking to a lecture hall of young
engineering students.

Specifically, he talked about connecting with countries that do not have an established space program and helping them conduct science missions. He mentioned new opportunities with Indonesia, including an educational program that examines global climate change.

“We really like Indonesia because the State Department, the Department of Education [and] other agencies in the U.S. are reaching out to Indonesia as the largest Muslim nation in the world. We would love to establish partners there,” Bolden said.

As a presidential candidate, Obama espoused a space program that invited more participation from the international community and Deputy NASA Administrator Lori Garver said recently that the next time NASA lands on the moon it would be part of an international exploration effort.

(9) NEWS OF THE WEIRD:

A Muslim woman wearing a niqab. An Arab ambassador called off his wedding after discovering his wife-to-be, who had worn a face-covering veil whenever they met, was bearded and cross-eyed, the Gulf News reported (AFP/File/Philippe Desmazes)

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE:

(Thanks to Dr. Lewis for forwarding below joke)

Getting Married

Jacob, age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, are all excited about their decision to get married.

They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding, and on the way they pass a chemist. Jacob suggests they go in.

Jacob addresses the man behind the counter: "Are you the owner?"

The pharmacist answers, "Yes."

Jacob: "We're about to get married.. Do you sell heart medication?"

Pharmacist: "Of course we do."

Jacob: "How about medicine for circulation?"

Pharmacist: "All kinds "

Jacob: "Medicine for rheumatism?"

Pharmacist: "Definitely."

Jacob: "How about suppositories?"

Pharmacist: "You bet!"

Jacob: "Medicine for memory problems, arthritis, and Alzheimer's?"

Pharmacist: "Yes, a large variety. The works."

Jacob: "What about vitamins, sleeping pills, Geritol, antidotes for Parkinson's disease?"

Pharmacist: "Absolutely.."

Jacob: "Everything for heartburn and indigestion?"

Pharmacist: "We sure do."

Jacob: "You sell wheelchairs and walkers and canes?"

Pharmacist: "All speeds and sizes."

Jacob: "Adult incontinance pants?"

Pharmacist: "Sure."

Jacob: "WE HAD LIKE TO USE THIS STORE FOR OUR WEDDING PRESENTS LIST".

THE END