MAIL Online: A Labour Muslim minister has warned that Islamic law is too unsophisticated for Britain.
Sadiq Khan said women could be ' abused' by sharia courts, which may give unequal bargaining power to the sexes. He said: 'The burden is on those who want to open up these courts to persuade us why they should.'
Mr Khan, who was made a community cohesion minister in this month's Government reshuffle, rejected the argument that the courts could operate in the same way as the Jewish Beth Din courts.
He said Muslim life in Britain was not advanced enough to run a similar religious legal system.
The MP for Tooting in South London added: 'I would be very concerned about sharia courts applying in the UK.
'I don't think there is that level of sophistication that there is in Jewish law.'
He also said that sharia courts would discourage Muslims from developing links with other cultural and ethnic groups.
In February Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, gave his support for the courts in Britain, saying that the legal recognition of them 'seems unavoidable'.
Mr Khan, who is a human rights lawyer and one of only a handful of Muslim MPs, said: 'The requirement to learn English is not colonial. English is a passport to participation in mainstream society - jobs, education and even being able to use health services.
Photo of Imran Khan at Brisbane's Eidfest courtesy of Courier Mail
COURIERMAIL.COM.AU: IN a speech in Brisbane Imran Khan has attacked Western leaders for linking Islam and terrorism to create hatred - and Muslim leaders for allowing them to do so.
The Pakistani cricketer-turned-political leader made an impassioned plea for Queensland's Muslim community to spread the true message of their religion to the broader society.
In a speech at Brisbane's Eidfest – celebrating the end of Ramadan – Mr Khan said: "After 9/11, suddenly Islam and terrorism have become synonymous. It's partly the fault of Muslim leadership and partly it's the fault of a well-planned conspiracy through which a new imperialist agenda has been pushed under the smokescreen of fighting Islamic terrorism.
"Everyone must understand terrorism is never caused by religion. The roots of all terrorism lie in politics and so do the solutions.
"When (US President) George Bush and (former British prime minister) Tony Blair talk about radical Islam . . . the man in the street in the West is suspicious of all Muslims." Imran Khan Says Islam Is Not the Enemey >>> Daryl Passmore | October 11, 2008
Papa: Con l’islam dialogo nel rispetto dignità persone
LAREPUBBLICA.IT: Il Papa auspica "un sincero impegno nel favorire un reciproco dialogo" fra cristiani e musulmani "nel rispetto della dignita di ogni persona umana". Lo afferma in un messaggio inviato in occasione dell'incontro a Castel Gandolfo tra cristiani e musulmani promosso dal Movimento dei Focolari sul tema "Amore e Misericordia nella Bibbia e nel Corano". Nel telegramma inviato tramite il cardinale Tarcisio Bertone, il Papa "invoca Dio altissimo e misericordioso perche' continui a guidare sempre cammino umanita' su via giustizia e pace". [Fonte: La Repubblica] 11.10.2008
TIMESONLINE: A woman leading Muslim prayers? Why not, says the head of an education centre in Oxford. Much that is 'forbidden' is not outlawed by the Koran
British Muslim history will be made in an Oxford hall next Friday. For the first time in Britain, a woman Muslim scholar will publicly lead men and women in prayers, and deliver the khutba, or sermon.
Taj Hargey, the chairman of the group sponsoring the event at the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford (Meco), fully expects controversy. “This is going to be a major step forward in women’s rights,” he said in an interview at Wolfson College, Oxford, of which he is a member. “But it will provoke discontent from conservatives — from the Wahhabis and their fellow travellers.
The literalists interpret certain Hadith, sayings of the Prophet, as meaning that women can’t lead a community. But for us, the golden rule of Islam is that whatever is not specifically prohibited is permitted.”
He is right to expect a storm: three years ago, when Amina Wadud, the American Muslim professor due to speak on Friday, led a mixed prayer service in New York, she faced criticism and death threats. Next week, the topic of Wadud’s sermon will be justice, and it is justice that Meco seeks in promoting the event.
“Since the criterion for leading prayers is knowledge of the Koran, there’s no reason \ [sic] Amina Wadud shouldn’t do it,” Hargey said. “Her Koranic knowledge is superior to that of most men.”
From Inayat Bunglawalla, of the Muslim Council of Britain, the response to the forthcoming prayer service is a terse “No comment”. And he questions how representative Hargey is. “We have no dealings with Taj Hargey,” Bunglawalla said. “His organisation has no affiliation with mainstream groups in this country.” Liberal Taj Hargey Dares to Challenge Prohibitionist Islam >>> Carla Power | October 11, 2008
The Archdhimmi of Canterbury to Join Christian and Muslim Scholars in Cambridge for the Promotion of Peace!
SUNDAY EXPRESS: The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams is to join Christian and Muslim scholars for the start of a conference aimed at promoting understanding between the two faiths.
Dr Williams and the Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Ali Gomaa will be among those addressing A Common Word, a conference at Cambridge University involving academics from around the world.
The event coincides with the first anniversary of the publication of A Common Word Between Us and You, a letter from 138 Islamic scholars, clerics and intellectuals.
Addressed to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders, the letter warned that the survival of the world could be at stake if Muslims and Christians could not make peace with each other.
"If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace. With the terrible weaponry of the modern world - with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before - no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world's inhabitants.
"Our common future is at stake," the letter said. "The very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake."
The scholars also used quotations from the Bible and the Koran to illustrate similarities between the two faiths, such as the requirement to worship one God and to love one's neighbour.
In a letter of response published earlier this year, Dr Williams welcomed the document as a "significant development" in relations between Christians and Muslims. Faith Leaders Promote Peace >>> | Sunday October 12, 2008
US: Muslim Candidate for Irvine City Council Gets Death Threat
LA TIMES: Attorney Todd Gallinger says the threat was sparked by his opponent, Councilman Steven Choi, who has tried to link an Islamic civil rights group to terrorism. Gallinger has worked for the group.
A Muslim candidate for the Irvine City Council said Thursday that a councilman's comment linking an Islamic civil rights group to terrorism has led to a death threat against him. Police said they are investigating.
Attorney Todd Gallinger, a Muslim convert, said a man called his office Tuesday, about three weeks after Councilman Steven Choi spoke at a forum and urged voters not to support a candidate who worked for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The council, which has 35 offices in the United States and Canada, is "a dangerous Islamic organization," Choi told 150 business leaders. Although he did not name Gallinger, the comment was clearly aimed at the 29-year-old lawyer, who has done legal work for the council's Southern California chapter in Anaheim.
Gallinger said the caller thought he was talking to him but told an employee, "I want to cut off your head just like all the other Muslims deserve."
"It's clear that the person was motivated by the political attacks against me by my opponent," Gallinger said.
Police spokesman Rick Handfield confirmed Thursday that the department is investigating the alleged threat.
On Thursday, Choi said he was surprised that someone would threaten Gallinger but did not believe it was inspired by his remarks at the Sept. 19 forum. Gallinger earlier that month had been interviewed about his association with the council on a KUCI-FM radio show.
"It's a ridiculous question," Choi said when asked if the caller was acting because of his comments. "Am I responsible for someone else making a threat to him? No. This is not my intent at all."
He said the media had "escalated the problem" by publishing his remarks, which he said were directed at the council and not individual Muslims. Muslim Candidate for Irvine City Council Gets Death Threat >>> By H.G. Reza and Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer | October 10, 2008
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Gordon Brown's new minister for race relations has attacked sharia courts, insisting that the Muslim community in Britain is not “advanced” enough to have its own legal system.
Sadiq Khan, whose comments will have added impact because he is a Muslim himself, has also warned that the growing number of tribunals based on Islamic codes could entrench discrimination against women.
Khan, who became minister for community cohesion in the government reshuffle this month, said: “The burden is on those who want to open up these courts to persuade us why they should do it.”
His comments contrast with those of figures such as Lord Phillips, the lord chief justice, who said in July that Islamic law could be used to settle marital and financial disputes.
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has said the establishment of sharia courts in the future “seems unavoidable” in Britain.
In a wide-ranging interview on race and immigration, Khan, 38, the Labour MP for Tooting, south London, also: Warned that an economic downturn could fuel ethnic tensions. Demanded an increase in benefits for immigrants with larger families.
Admitted that government antiterror laws had caused “problems” in race relations. Called on public bodies to cut translation services to encourage immigrants to learn English.
Khan’s outspoken remarks on sharia courts are likely to cause the most controversy.
The Sunday Times last month revealed that the government had quietly sanctioned a network of sharia judges, empowering them to issue legally binding rulings on disputes including finance, divorce, inheritance and domestic violence. Muslims Rebuffed over Sharia Courts >>> Jonathan Oliver, Political Editor | October 12, 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: Joerg Haider, the veteran leader of Austria's far right, was killed in a car crash today, police said.
Mr Haider, 58, who earned worldwide notoriety for making statements sympathetic to Hitler's Nazi regime, suffered fatal head and chest injuries after the car he was driving plunged down an embankment near his home town of Klagenfurt.
Detectives are still investigating the cause of the crash, but said he was driving alone at the time in a government-owned vehicle.
The death of Mr Haider, who was governor of Carinthia province in southern Austria, comes less than a fortnight after a major resurgence in the far right's political support in the country, riding on a wave of anti-immigrant and anti-European Union sentiment.
At parliamentary elections last month, Mr Haider's Alliance for the Future of Austria polled 11 per cent of the vote, while the similarly-aligned Freedom Party, which Mr Haider founded but then split from, polled 18 per cent. The results meant nearly in three Austrians had voiced support for far-right movements, dismaying the country's liberal politicians.
Mr Haider's death may prompt concerns that political support will pass from him to the current Freedom Party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, who is seen as a much more hardline figure. Mr Haider was originally Mr Strache's political mentor, but the two fell out as Mr Haider chose to pursue more moderate policies in recent years.
Mr Haider's spokesman, Stefan Petzner, said that he had been heading to a town near Klagenfurt for a gathering of his family to mark his mother's 90th birthday.
To his supporters Joerg Haider was a patriot who dared to speak uncomfortable truths.
His critics saw him as an ambitious, racist opportunist who used anti-immigrant and pro-Nazi rhetoric to stir up populist sentiment.
What is doubtless is that Haider - whose death in a car crash at the age of 58 leaves a widow and two daughters - had charisma.
Commentators said he worked a room like former US President Bill Clinton, embracing supporters and using the familiar "du" form of address.
Born in the Upper Austrian town of Bad Goisern in 1950, Joerg Haider's parents were very early members of the Nazi party, who moved to Germany where they became party officials.
After the war, they were punished for their affiliations and forced to take up menial work.
Critics say Haider's views were shaped by this background, although he said his family seldom discussed the past. >>> | October 11. 2008
Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann und BZÖ-Chef hat sich am Samstag in den frühen Morgenstunden mit seinem Dienstwagen überschlagen und erlag wenig später seinen Verletzungen.
Jörg Haider ist tot. Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann kam in der Nacht mit seinem Wagen von der Loiblpass-Bundesstraße in der Ortschaft Lambichl ab und erlitt bei dem Unfall tödliche Kopf- und Brustverletzungen. Nach Angaben der Ärzte hatte er keine Überlebenschance. Haider wurde 58 Jahre alt, er hinterlässt eine Frau und zwei Töchter. >>> | 11.10.2008
Der Tod Jörg Haiders hinterlässt ein politisches Vakuum in Österreich
Jörg Haider war ohne Zweifel jene Figur auf der politischen Bühne Österreichs, die im In- und Ausland am meisten polarisiert hat: Charismatisch, intelligent, aggressiv – aber zugleich unberechenbar, unstet und rasch beleidigt. Ein «political animal» mit ausgeprägten Instinkten für die Medien: Für ihn war es völlig egal, ob die News schlecht oder gut waren, Hauptsache man war auf der Titelseite. Für Schlagzeilen war ihm alles recht – auch enge Kontakte zu zwiespältigen nahöstlichen Potentaten. Jörg Haider war ebenso brillant wie hochgefährlich. Virtuos spielte er auf dem Klavier der österreichischen Seele: Das mehr als zwiespältige Verhältnis zu den Jahren 1938 bis 1945, die Verdrängung der NS-Verbrechen, an denen sich Österreicher überproportional beteiligt hatten, das jahrelang gepflegte Selbstverständnis Österreichs als «erstes Opfer Hitlerdeutschlands», das schäbige Verhalten gegenüber den Opfern in der Nachkriegszeit – Haider machte sich diese zwiespältigen Gefühle zunutze, mit Auftritten vor Kameradschaftsverbänden alter Kämpfer der Waffen-SS («anständige Menschen, die Charakter haben und ihren Überzeugungen bis heute treu geblieben sind») und gezielt verharmlosenden Äusserungen zur NS-Zeit oder antisemitischen Witzeleien, wie sie an manchen Stammtischen goutiert werden.
Haider profitierte gleichermassen von ganz anderern Regungen: Dem Neid und Hass der Zukurzgekommenen, dem Argwohn des Kleinbürgers gegen «die da oben» und dem Misstrauen des Provinzbewohners gegen das weit entfernte, als überheblich und elitär empfundene «Wien». Seinen grössten Erfolg verzeichnete Haider bezeichnenderweise in den 90er Jahre, als seine Freiheitliche Partei (FPÖ) vom allgemeinen Überdruss gegen die Erstarrung und Verkrustung in der grossen Koalition profitierte. Meinungsforscher sprechen von einem «Dejà vu» – aus den Nationalratswahlen vor zwei Wochen sind die beiden Rechtsparteien nach dem Scheitern der letzten grossen Koalition siegreich hervorgegangen. >>> Von Charles E. Ritterband, Wien | 11. Oktober 2008
NZZ Online: Österreichischer Bundeskanzler über Tod Haiders bestürzt
Gusenbauer kondoliert den Hinterbliebenen des Politikers
Der österreichische Bundeskanzler Alfred Gusenbauer ist nach eigenen Worten «sehr betroffen» über den Unfalltod des Kärntner Landeshauptmannes Jörg Haider. Haider habe die gesamte innenpolitische Landschaft Österreichs über Jahrzehnte hinweg geprägt, erklärte Gusenbauer in einer ersten Stellungnahme. >>> (ap) | 11. Oktober 2008
TAGES ANZEIGER: Haider war unterwegs zum Geburtstag der Mutter
Der Rechtspopulist Jörg Haider ist tot. Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann kam in der Nacht auf heute mit seinem Auto von der Strasse ab und überschlug sich mehrmals. Österreichs Politiker sind bestürzt.
Der 58-jährige Haider wollte ins Bärental, um den 90. Geburtstag seiner Mutter zu feiern. Am Samstag, kurz nach Mitternacht, verlor er am Ortsausgang von Klagenfurt die Kontrolle über den Wagen und verunglückte tödlich. Politiker aller Couleur trauerten in Österreich um Haider und sprachen der Familie ihr Beileid aus.
Haider war nach dem Unfall eingeklemmt und erlitt schwerste Kopf- und Brustverletzungen – wahrscheinlich war auch die Halswirbelsäule gebrochen; der linke Arm war fast vollständig abgetrennt. Weil noch ein Funken Überlebenschance bestand, ordnete die Notärztin die Einlieferung ins Spital Klagenfurt an. Noch auf dem Weg gegen 1.30 Uhr verstarb Haider im Alter von 58 Jahren.
Der Kärntner Landeshauptmann hatte dieses Wochenende ganz für seine Familie reserviert. Alle zusammen wollten den 90. Geburtstag von Haiders Mutter feiern, wie der «Kurier» in seiner Onlineausgabe schreibt. Seinen letzten Termin absolvierte Jörg Haider am Abend in Velden, wo ein neues Gesellschaftsmagazin vorgestellt wurde. Etwa eine halbe Stunde nach Mitternacht verabschiedete sich der Landeshauptmann: «Fahr nach Hause, du hast frei», sagte er noch zu seinem Chauffeur Friedl Schager. >>> | 11. Oktober 2008
leJDD.fr: Jörg Haider est mort
Le leader de l'extrême droite autrichienne s'est tué dans un accident de voiture dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi, près de sa ville natale de Klagenfurt. Jörg Haider, qui avait conduit l'extrême droite au gouvernement dans la cadre d'une coalition avec les conservateurs, avait effectué un retour spectaculaire sur la scène nationale lors des élections législatives du 28 septembre.
"C'est pour nous comme la fin du monde". L'extrême droite autrichienne est endeuillée, comme en témoignent ces propos tenus par l'un de ses dirigeants, Stefan Petzner. Son leader charismatique, Jörg Haider, s'est tué dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi dans un accident de voiture, près de sa ville natale de Klagenfurt. Agé de 58 ans, le dirigeant populiste a perdu le contrôle de son véhicule. Haider, qui était seul dans la voiture, a été mortellement touché à la tête et au torse. Il se rendait à une fête de famille à l'occasion des 90 ans de sa mère. Selon les premiers éléments de l'enquête, il roulait "nettement plus vite" que les 70km/h autorisés à cet endroit. Le président autrichien, Heinz Fischer a salué "un homme politique de grand talent", qui a, à la fois, ravi et ulcéré ses contemporains. >>> Par Marianne ENAULT (avec Reuters) | Samedi 11 Octobre 2008
Al-Jazeera: On Jörg Haider’s Death
WASHINGTON POST: Obituaries: Jörg Haider Made Far-Right Party A Force in Austria
Jörg Haider, a divisive Austrian political figure who rose to prominence as the leader of a far-right movement that was often seen as sympathetic to the country's shadowy Nazi past, died Oct. 11 in a car accident near the southern Austrian city of Klagenfurt. He was 58.
Mr. Haider was passing another car when his Volkswagen Phaeton left the road, struck a pillar and overturned. He died on the way to a hospital. There was no immediate suspicion of foul play.
The charismatic Mr. Haider single-handedly made the ultra-conservative Austrian Freedom Party a force in national politics with his fiery rhetoric against immigrants, the European Union and the euro, the EU's continent-wide currency. He led the most successful far-right party in Europe, far outpacing the political success of France's National Front.
Handsome, photogenic and perpetually tanned, Mr. Haider was known to his supporters as the "Alpine Rambo," partly for his prowess as a mountain climber and skier and partly for his confrontational style.
Mr. Haider's parents had been members of the Nazi party, and he sometimes praised aging Third Reich soldiers at their reunions. But he also mixed easily with a younger generation in nightly visits to discos to recruit new party members.
His rallies attracted throngs of young people who responded to Mr. Haider's pleas to banish immigrants and to challenge Austria's two long-reigning parties, the Social Democrats and the more conservative People's Party.
"People are fed up with the old parties that never live up to their promises," he said in his campaigns. "They want action on everyday problems, whether it is job security, housing or uncontrolled immigration."
At times, Mr. Haider's followers would start singing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," an anthem from the musical "Cabaret" that symbolized the Nazi takeover of Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. >>> By Matt Schudel, Washington Post Staff Writer | Sunday October 12, 2008
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Jörg Haider Was Speeding at Twice the Limit
VIENNA, Austria — Far-right politician Joerg Haider was speeding at more than twice the posted limit before the car crash that killed him, investigators said Sunday as his grief-stricken party appointed a successor.
Flowers, notes and other tributes piled up at the scene of the crash that killed the former leader of the Freedom Party, whose anti-immigration stance and provocative praise of the Nazi era once led the European Union to slap Austria with diplomatic sanctions.
Police reconstructing Saturday's accident in the southern province of Carinthia, where Haider was governor, said the speedometer in the wreckage of Haider's high-powered Volkswagen Phaeton limousine was stuck at 142 kph (88 mph).
The speed limit at the crash site is just 70 kph (43 mph), and it drops to 50 kph (31 mph) just 100 meters (yards) further down the road in the direction Haider was heading.
Prosecutor Gottfried Kranz said the high speed appeared to be the main factor in the crash that killed the 58-year-old politician.
"Any speculation about other causes of the accident is weak," Kranz said, adding that the car was technically sound and police had no reason to suspect foul play. >>> William J Kole, AP | October 12, 2008
THE EARTH TIMES: Stefan Petzner Named as Successor to Jörg Haider
Vienna - Austria's right-wing populist Alliance for the Future of Austria party on Sunday named Stefan Petzner as it new leader following the death of Joerg Haider on Saturday, the Austrian news agency (APA) reported. Petzner, 27, had been Haider's spokesman since 2004.
…
"They are big shoes to fill, but I will keep moving, not stumble," Petzner was quoted as saying. On Saturday he had reacted to the news of Haider's death, saying, "For us, this is like the end of the world." >>> DPA | October 12, 2008
DEUTSCHE WELLE: Haider's Death Unlikely to Reunite Austrian Right
Austria's right-wing populist Alliance for the Future of Austria party named a new head. But experts say the change in leadership probably won't lead to a political shake-up in the Austrian right in the near future. >>> | 12.10. 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: Obituary: Jörg Haider
Austrian politician whose populism exploited his nation’s latent passions and earned him international notoriety
Jörg Haider , who died in a car accident on Saturday aged 58, was a Right-wing Austrian politician whose notoriety far exceeded his influence on national events.
Despite the fact that he never held office in an Austrian government, Haider’s gift for self-publicity, and his willingness to venture into territory that others saw as taboo, ensured that he became better known outside his own country than any Austrian politician of his generation.
Precisely what he stood for, however, never became entirely clear. In essence Haider was a populist, appearing to exploit whatever latent passions, fears and insecurities he could detect in his fellow countrymen at any given time. But he did so without much regard for that vital ingredient, judgment.
Thus he was able to describe the Nazi concentration camps as “penal camps” and SS officers as “upstanding men of character”. Although he later recanted, it was no wonder that he was vilified as a “fascist”, a “racist” and a “neo-Nazi”. He was often accused of anti-Semitism, and he formed a friendship with Saddam Hussein.
That he survived as a political figure was due to his boundless ambition allied to a considerable personal charm. Haider had been a talented actor in his youth, and he developed into a master showman who constantly reinvented himself: the clean-cut young man; the Porsche-driving playboy dressed by Armani; the honest son of the soil. >>> | October 13, 2008
Even the Politically Correct Swiss Fall Foul of Libyan Authories
Photo of Hannibal Gaddafi, Colonel Gaddafi’s son, courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Libya is to withdraw assets from Swiss banks, estimated at $7bn, as a diplomatic row over the arrest of the Libyan leader's youngest son escalates.
Hannibal Gaddafi and his wife were detained in Geneva for assault in July, but the charges were later dropped.
The state-run news agency Jana also said that Libya was halting oil shipments to Switzerland.
An unnamed foreign ministry official said it was for the "poor treatment of Libyan diplomats and businessmen".
All kinds of economic co-operation with Switzerland are to be stopped until Geneva clarifies its motives, Jana quotes him as saying.
Compensation
The BBC's Rana Jawad in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, says Libya had previously demanded an apology from Swiss authorities for the arrest of Muammar Gaddafi's son. Libya ‘to Pull Swiss Bank Assets’ >>> | October 10, 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: The world's first Islamic helpline has opened in Abu Dhabi, to help Muslims solve their religious dilemmas.
A team of 48 muftis man the telephones from 8am until 8pm delivering fatwas, or formal rulings based on Islamic law.
The service is used by Muslims all over the world, and organisers say it takes about 3,700 calls a day, including queries from Britain.
Mufti Abdulrahman Ammoura, 48, is more accustomed to dispensing advice at a mosque, but he joined the helpline staff to reach a wider audience.
He said: "The hardest questions I am asked involve sex. I feel shame, but I have to answer the questions because it is my duty."
One recent dilemma came from a married woman whose alcoholic husband had turned violent, hitting her and forcing her to have sex. She wanted to know if she should seek a divorce.
Mr Ammoura told the Times: "I said, 'No - it is better for him to find help'. A woman living alone with children could face too many problems."
His advice now counts as an official fatwa in the United Arab Emirates, under new rules issued by the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments.
The UAE Government established the call centre three months ago in an attempt to root out extreme interpretations of Islam.
Morocco's King Launches Offensive against Radical Islam
THE EARTH TIMES: Rabat, Morocco - Islamic law allows men to wed girls as young as nine years, because marriages to younger women often work out better - or so claims Moroccan theologist Mohammed Maghraoui. The fatwa (opinion on religious law) issued by Maghraoui in Marrakesh in early September confirmed what King Mohammed VI already knew: that Islamist fundamentalism was on the rise in the traditionally relatively liberal north African country.
The Superior Council of Ulemas (Islamic scholars) condemned the fatwa, and Maghraoui's website as well as dozens of Koranic schools linked to him were closed.
Some weeks later, just as Moroccans were marking the revelation of the Koran to Prophet Mohammed at the close of the holy month of Ramadan, King Mohammed launched his second religious reform.
The faith of Moroccans needed to be preserved from "extremist impulses," the monarch said in the northern city of Tetouan, announcing a string of measures towards that end.
As the Amir al-Mu'amin or Commander of the Faithful, the 45-year-old king, who is believed to descend from Prophet Mohammed, is the official leader of Moroccan Muslims.
The new reform followed an initial one carried out after Islamist militants killed 45 people, including 12 suicide bombers, in Casablanca in 2003.
That reform restructured the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in an attempt to place preachers at the country's 40,000 mosques under tighter control.
SCOTSMAN: THE Church of Scotland last night welcomed the possibility of introducing sharia law courts in Scotland.
Rev Ian Galloway, convener of the Church and Society Council, said sharia courts had been unfairly portrayed following the Archbishop of Canterbury's comments in February that it "seems unavoidable" that parts of Islamic sharia law would be adopted in the UK. Church of Scotland Backs Islamic Sharia Law Courts >>> | October 10, 2008
Nicolas Sarkozy Affair Revealed in Notes of Ex-spy Chief Yves Bertrand
Photo of Nicolas Sarkozy courtesy of the Times Online
TIMESONLINE: President Sarkozy had an affair with the wife of one of his present Cabinet members about four years ago, when he was serving as Interior Minister, according to the former head of French police intelligence.
The alleged episode was one of a multitude of damaging secrets reported yesterday from the private notebooks of Yves Bertrand, who was central director of the powerful Renseignements Généraux (RG) spy agency for 12 years until 2004.
The police chief, whose shadowy service had long been a political tool for French rulers, also recorded in 2003: “Chirac has been for a facelift in Canada.”
The diaries, packed with potentially explosive accounts of drug-taking, illicit sex, blackmail and corruption among French leaders, were seized by judges recently as part of an investigation into dirty tricks. They were leaked to Le Point, a news magazine.
Mr Bertrand, 63, also recorded intimate details of the private life and family of Lionel Jospin, Prime Minister and candidate against President Chirac in the election in 2002.
His regular informants included journalists who were paid, said Le Point. “These notebooks are a terrifying journey under the skirts of the Republic,” said the magazine, which quoted only edited excerpts.
“One could laugh if this exercise in underhand police work had not sometimes broken careers, thwarted democracy and sometimes destroyed lives,” it said.
Key names were omitted by Le Point, but its summary of the notebooks appeared to confirm an assumption that after 2002 the RG was working for President Chirac to undermine Mr Sarkozy when he took over the Gaullist movement and made a bid for the presidency.
MAIL Online: The BBC has been flooded with 145 complaints after screening a gay kiss on EastEnders before the 9pm watershed.
The 'offensive' scenes were screened on Tuesday's episode of the soap and showed Christian Clarke (John Partridge, 36) and Lee Thompson (Carl Ferguson, 27) engage in a passionate kiss.
In a statement the BBC defended itself by saying it was down to parents to decide whether the content of the show was suitable for children to watch.
But some viewers were left deeply unimpressed.
One viewer wrote on the BBC’s Points Of View internet messageboard: 'I am appalled by the display of homosexual kissing before the watershed shown on EastEnders.
NZZ Online: In der nordisraelischen Stadt Akko, in der sowohl jüdische als auch arabische Bürger leben, ist es am Jom Kippur, dem jüdischen Buss- und Bettag, an dem Gläubige weder essen noch trinken, zu massiven Ausschreitungen zwischen den beiden Bevölkerungsgruppen gekommen. Ausschreitungen in Nordisrael: Zusammenstösse zwischen jüdischen und arabischen Jugendlichen>>> gsz. Jerusalem | 9. Oktober 2008
From the Religion of Infinite Pleasure and Fun: Salsa Dancing Violates Shari’ah
AL ARABIYA NEWS CHANNEL: RABAT - Marrakesh will host its first international salsa festival amid controversy as officials and religious leaders expressed dismay over the city’s hosting of a festival devoted to the sexy Latin dance.
The festival, which runs Oct. 8-12, features 100 dancers from Cuba, Mexico, Los Angeles, New York, Oslo, Milan, including Francisco Vasquez and Alex da Silva, choreographers for Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. The contestants will also give salsa classes to students of Moroccan universities.
But some locals voiced objections that the dance is un-Islamic and violates local social norms.
One Islamic scholar said the salsa festival violates sharia Islamic law. Mohamed Al-Taweel, pprofessor of jurisprudence at the University of al-Karaouine said that the festival is sinful for a number if reasons, no the least of which is the mingling between men and women.
Parents Outraged Over Baby Doll They Say Mumbles Pro-Islam Words
FOX NEWS: A doll some are claiming utters pro-Islam and even satanic words has outraged some parents in Oklahoma.
People insist they can hear Fisher-Price's "Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo" mumbling "Islam is the light" and "Satan is king," according to KJRH.com.
"There's no markings on the box to indicate there's anything Islamic about this doll," said Gary Rofkahr of Owasso, Okla., who was at work when another man brought the toy in to show his colleagues.
Rofkahr said he found various versions of the doll at local Target and Wal-Mart stores, which have since pulled the toys from their shelves, reported KJRH.com.
Fisher-Price and parent company Mattel didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. A Target representative said the company has no plans to recall the doll completely. [Source: Fox News] | October 9, 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: Talking Fisher-Price ‘Little Mommy Cuddle 'n Coo’ Dolls Accused of Promoting Islam
Image of the ‘Little Mommy Cuddle ‘n Coo Doll’ courtesy of The Telegraph
The Fisher-Price Little Mommy Cuddle 'n Coo is meant to make realistic baby sounds and occasionally cry out for its "mama".
But some parents claim that one of its noises sounds just like "Islam is the Light", and have complained to Mattel, which owns Fisher-Price.
Some shops in the US have removed the doll from shelves after complaints from customers, according to reports. It is available in Britain for £19.99.
A spokesman for Fisher-Price insisted that the doll was not pushing pro-Islamic messages, adding that the sound some parents were hearing was caused by an accidental distortion of the doll's soundtrack. >>> By Matthew Moore | October 13, 2008
ASSOCIATED PRESS: VIENNA, Austria — Human rights experts on Tuesday expressed concern about a special facility holding suspected criminal asylum seekers in the mountains of southern Austria.
Joerg Haider, right-wing governor of Carinthia province, said Monday that the facility in a former childrens' home was a security measure to protect the people of Carinthia.
The building houses five men, but has a capacity of 50 and has been in use for about a week, his office said.
Conviction was not a "mandatory prerequisite" for being sent to the facility, Haider's spokesman Stefan Petzner said. The inmates would be "under constant observation so that no criminal acts can be committed," he added.
But he said no one's rights were being violated.
He would not provide specific details on the five in the facility, but confirmed a media report that the men are asylum seekers from Georgia, Kazakhstan and Gambia. He did say some in the group had been convicted, but did not say of what.
"With this security precaution, we are protecting the Carinthian population," Haider said at a news conference Monday. He added that the number of criminal asylum seekers was on the rise. Carinthia currently has about 900 asylum seekers.
The building is in a secluded pasture at an altitude of about 3,900 feet (1,200 meters).
"It's a perfectly normal establishment far away from civilization in a secluded area so they can't get up to anything," said Petzner. "You shouldn't think of this as a prison surrounded by barbed wire."
AFTENBLADET.NO: The police department is considering whether the head-wear, hijab [,] should be allowed to be [sic] work with the police uniform. The Police Joint Union says the hijab doesn’t belong with the uniform.
“We have very stringent regulations. It is not allowed to wear personal items that signify political or value-related standpoints. Use of the hijab would be in conflict with this principle,” says Arne Johannessen, leader of the Police Joint Union to NRK.
The question of use of the hijab in the police was raised a week ago. A 23-year old woman from Sandnes in Rogaland wrote a letter to the Police department, asking how this would be viewed, were she to wear a hijab with the police uniform.
The armed forces allow use of the hijab. It is also used in conjunction with the police uniform in Great Britain and USA.
Johannessen admits that use of the hijab might make it easier for the police in their contact with muslim women, but thinks this argument doesn’t hold its ground against the principle of the matter. [Source: Aftenbladet] | October 8, 2008
