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Muslim charities could close as bank halts transactions outside EU
Charities could be forced out of business by a bank’s ban on sending money outside the European Union, the Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) has warned. The Al Rayan Bank, which offers Sharia-compliant banking to many Muslim charities, has told those charities that international payments to partners outside the EU will be banned after November. MCF says that it is raising the issue with the Charity Commission. 60 days’ notice The letter, first reported by the 5Pillars news website, was sent to dozens of charities, and said that Al Rayan Bank has decided to “amend the international payments feature we offer on your account”. It continued: “Whilst you will still be able to make international payments through Al Rayan Bank to beneficiaries within the European Union, you will no longer be able to make international payments to any beneficiary outside of the EU. This letter is our formal notification to you of this change.
“In line with our Business Banking Terms and Conditions, we are giving 60 days’ notice of the change to our international payment facility.” Al Rayan Bank has declined to say why it is bringing in these rules. Charitable aims at risk Fadi Itani, chief executive of MCF, told Civil Society News that some charities “will go out of business” as a consequence of the new rules, because they will no longer be able to fund their development work in countries around the world. Itani said that many Muslim charities had chosen to use Al Rayan “as a last resort”, after growing frustrated with the way they were treated by mainstream banks. ‘The bank was supposed to understand the client’ Al Rayan Bank offers specialist Sharia-complaint services, “which is a big incentive for a lot of Muslim charities and individuals to bank with them”, Itani said. “For some of us it is an ethical issue, a theological issue. And the bank was supposed to understand
the client.” He added: “At the end of the day, the loss is on the people who desperately need the help.” Transferring funds is like ‘chasing ghosts’ Itani said that the announcement is the latest challenge facing Muslim charities in the UK, which he says are being “scapegoated” because of new restrictions on all businesses and charities transferring donations between international accounts. Tracking money sent to help people overseas is “like chasing ghosts”, he said. “You have got three to six months where you are stuck chasing where the money has gone. Your bank says it has transferred the money but the other bank says it has not received it.” Itani said: “If you have a Muslim name, or it is a Muslim country the money is going to, or if it is clearly a Muslim charity, it is obvious you are going to have issues transferring the money.” Al Rayan Bank did not answer questions about the reasons for changing their policies or how many charities might be affected. A spokesperson said: “We regularly review the accounts, products and services that we offer to our customers. “Following a recent review, we have taken the decision to amend the international payments feature we offer on these accounts. “Customers can still make international payments through Al Rayan Bank to beneficiaries within the European Union but are no longer able to make international payments to any beneficiary outside of the EU.” Lloyds Bank, which provides clearance facilities for Al Rayan, said that it would not comment on how Al Rayan chooses to work with its customers.
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MI5 given ‘legal’ authority to plan and commission crimes
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In an unprecedented move undercover agents working for the British Security Service (MI5) and the police are to be given legal permission to commit crimes by way of maintaining their covers. Under the legislation, MI5, the police, the National Crime Agency and other agencies that employ undercover informants will be able to explicitly authorise them to commit crimes in order to progress a secret operation. The decision to place MI5 criminality on a legal footing follows a major court ruling last year which found that the Security Service had an “implied” power to authorize crimes, even though those involved were not necessarily immune from prosecution.
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statement: “We are seriously concerned that the bill fails to expressly prohibit MI5 and other agencies from authorising crimes like torture, murder and sexual violence”. Despite the extreme legal anomaly – creating legislation to enable criminality – the new law will merely be acknowledging what has been going on for decades. In his landmark book “spy catcher” (1987), former dissident MI5 officer, Peter Wright, wrote that the Security Service had “bugged and burgled” its way across London in the 1950s in its relentless pursuit of Soviet spies.
That convoluted judgement – which only narrowly leaned toward the government’s position – prompted the decision to introduce fresh legislation. The new law will require MI5 officers and agent handlers to demonstrate that the authorized crime is “necessary and proportionate”. However, the law will not specify which crimes can be committed thus prompting fears MI5 could potentially authorize the most extreme crimes, including murder and rape, to protect agent cover and progress secret operations. Maya Foa, director of Reprieve, a legal and human rights campaign group that challenged the secrecy around the rules, made the following
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Muslims feel supermarkets have outdated halal campaigns
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Mud orange, the award-winning creative agency helping brands to connect with diverse audiences, launched the findings from its first m.economy research on food and drink. The never previously explored insights reveal British Muslims’ motivations, behaviours and attitudes towards dining, grocery shopping, alcohol-free drinking and more. The findings also explore how British Muslims culture and lifestyle choices are rapidly shifting and how brands can play a role in developing deeper relationships with them. The research shows that food and drinks brands and supermarkets need to develop authentic creative campaigns, content and design that resonates with the four million Muslims living in Britain, especially during Ramadan and Eid. The survey conducted with over 1,000 Muslims aged 18 – 45 living in Britain, found that they want brands to recognise their modern social
and cultural contexts by meeting their demands for broader and more varied food and drink experiences, beyond the typical Arab and Indian options. According to the research, on average British Muslims are willing to travel up to 22 minutes more to a supermarket that stocks a better halal range. When you consider that £3.5 billion is spent on halal certified food across Britain each year, there is a huge opportunity for supermarkets. With larger disposable incomes and strong intent, Muslims in the UK remain a relatively untapped consumer group in need of effective brand engagement. The research revealed that 63% of British Muslims feel supermarkets continue to deploy outdated activations across stock, content and design and 69% of British Muslims feel that supermarkets and grocery brands don’t understand them or their
People from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are less likely to be successful when applying to become a judge, and only 9% are senior barristers, official figures show. A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) report said BAME people are “overrepresented in applications for judicial appointment” but are “less likely to be successful”. It comes as industry leaders say the legal profession must diversify to better represent the public and prompted the Government to announce plans to encourage
more women, disabled and BAME people to become judges by offering flexible working hours and reviewing eligibility criteria. The figures published were based on data for 16,946 barristers, including 1,904 of the most senior, known as Queen’s Counsel (QCs), 148,284 solicitors, 8,109 chartered legal executives, 3,174 court judges and 1,826 tribunal judges in post as of April 1 2020. It also looked at information from 37 selection exercises run by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) in 2019-20, which had 8,258
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families, highlighting a huge gap between brand activations and consumer relevancy. The research revealed that many British Muslims feel that supermarkets struggle to keep up with modern Muslim customers. Efforts to target Muslims, especially during Ramadan and Eid still are stereotypical and campaigns around these religious celebrations follow a homogenous design and product approach which often feels imported, ethnic specific and culturally disconnected from modern British Muslims. In addition, British Muslims want a progressive and relevant product range that goes beyond typical Asian and Arab cuisines and widens their choices in ready meals and halal produce. The research revealed that British Muslims want their British and Muslim identities to complement one another and they are keen to expand their food experiences, since it’s a pivotal part to most social and family occasions. 78% of British Muslims under 35 regularly look for new cuisines and meals to try, whether eating out, ordering in, or cooking and many during Ramadan want convenience and ease. 71% of British Muslims said they look to meal kits and cooking sauces to rustle something up and 81% of British Muslims who work full-time during Ramadan will order a takeaway for iftar (the evening meal) more than twice a week.
BAME people less likely to be successful in judicial appointment applications
applicants and 959 recommendations for roles. The figures showed candidates for judicial appointment identifying as BAME accounted for 25% of applicants, 14% of those shortlisted and 12% of those recommended for appointment. The report, which the MoJ said was the first of its kind providing the most complete picture ever of diversity in the legal system, said: “Overall, compared to the pool of eligible candidates, success rates for BAME candidates were an estimated 17% lower than for white candidates.”
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Home Office plans to evict asylum seekers despite warning of second wave of covid
Thousands of asylum seekers currently accommodated in hotels across the UK are becoming homeless despite warnings of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Those who have claimed asylum in Britain, but had their cases refused, will begin receiving notices to leave within 21 days, according to a letter from the Home Office, seen by the Independent. This comes in spite of Boris Johnson announcing that the UK is “now seeing a second wave” of coronavirus and that it was “inevitable” that the country would be hit by the pandemic again. Meanwhile, charities and MPs described the move as “reckless and irresponsible,” arguing it would put both asylum seekers and the public at risk. They also accused the government of making already cashstrapped local authorities and third
sector groups responsible for its actions. The Home Office has made the decision despite its March announcement that asylum seekers would not be asked to evict their accommodation once their claim or appeal had been decided, as a protective measure against the infections disease. The director general of UK Visas and Immigration said, in a letter to charities, that individuals with negative decisions would be served eviction notices “with immediate effect” in England. The Home Office has recently closed one immigration detention center, Morton Hall, and is using Yarls Wood, another center, to process asylum seekers who arrive from northern France. The move was “completely out of line” with the wider messaging from central government about the importance of safety precautions
amid the pandemic, said Renae Mann, national director of the No Accommodation Network (NACCOM), which supports destitute migrants in the UK. Mann also said the move ignored the reality for the charity sector, which she said would “bear the impact” of asylum seekers being removed. “Over the last few months our members have told us how they are having to either shut down or rethink services entirely because of the pandemic. There was never enough capacity to meet the need before the pandemic – the gap now is starker than ever,” she said. “Against such a backdrop, it is profoundly unreasonable to think that the voluntary sector and local authorities could meet people’s needs and fix the problems that the Home Office has created with this decision. Our message could not be clearer: this decision needs to be reversed if we are to avoid a devastating return to destitution on the streets of our towns and cities.” Stuart McDonald, SNP MP, called the decision “utterly appalling,” saying that “making people homeless and destitute as the pandemic continues is especially shocking when that pandemic is known to be of particular danger to those very populations and indeed BAME people.”
One in three pupils have heard someone being racist in school says new poll
Nearly a third of young people have heard someone be racist at school and 24% have noticed a rise in bullying around race just before and during lockdown, a survey suggests. The research by the Diana Award found that half of parents believe racism is a problem in schools but more than two in five (41%) of parents have not discussed racism with their child recently. It comes as celebrities – including England defender Tyrone Mings and football manager Gareth Southgate – will come together to host a virtual anti-bullying assembly for primary schools. In the survey – of 1,000 parents
and 1,000 young people, aged six to 16 – 32% of pupils said they have heard someone be racist at school. More than a quarter (28%) of parents think the Covid-19 lockdown will have a negative impact on the way children behave towards each other when they return to class. Mings said: “I feel like everybody’s differences should be celebrated, there’s no shame or harm in being different so that’s why I’m putting my hand up to commit to putting an end to bullying.” Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Education can play a pivotal role in tackling discrimination.
It is through education that we can start to build a truly inclusive society. It is through education that we can discuss and challenge prejudice. “Schools have a vital role to play in this work – not just through lessons but in everyday activities and special focus events like this assembly. “It is important for all children to have positive role models from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnicities. This helps to break down stereotypes and prejudice, and encourages children to broaden their horizons and ambitions and fulfil their educational potential.”
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British child repatriated from North East Syria camp
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An unaccompanied British child has been repatriated from a detention camp in North East Syria, it has been reported. Reprieve estimates that there are a total of 14 British adult women detained in the camps along with their children. There are an estimated 8 British men also held in prisons in the region. The UK government is currently refusing to repatriate the small number of British women who are held with their children in the camps in North East Syria. This refusal stands in stark contrast to the actions of other governments – including
the US government – who have repatriated their nationals from North East Syria. Legal action charity Reprieve, along with NGOs such as Save the Children, are campaigning for B ritish families to be brought back to the UK. British adults who have committed crimes should be prosecuted through the British courts , and children should be provided with the support they need to reintegrate into society. Former MI6 Counterterrorism Director Richard Barrett has argued that it is more dangerous to leave adult Britons
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called for punishment of those behind desecrating Islamic sanctities. In a statement delivered on behalf of OIC, Pakistan’s Ambassador Khalil Hashmi said the Jeddah-based organization remains “deeply concerned” on the growing incidents of xenophobia, Islamophobia and religious intolerance, resulting in denigration
of venerated religious personalities and symbols. “Recent incidents (re-publication of caricatures by Charlie Hebdo) and burning of the religious text and ridiculing religious personalities constitute grave incitement to violence,” he said while commenting on the report of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on the situation of human rights in the world.
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in North East Syria than to bring them back for prosecution, and that it would be “wrong to separate children from their mothers”, urging the Government to solve this serious security problem and repatriate the small number of British families in the camp. A group of Senior Conservative MPs recently wrote to the UK Attorney General asking that British women and children currently detained in the camps be repatriated, pointing out that many of the women were trafficked into going to Syria. Maya Foa, Reprieve’s Interim Executive Director, said: “The British Government has shown that it is capable of repatriating Brits from the camps in North East Syria. Now it needs to do the sensible thing and repatriate the remaining British families – including women who may be victims of trafficking and innocent of any crime. Our justice and security systems are well-equipped to handle the small handful of British adults held in North East Syria, and we have an obligation to bring the British children home and help them rebuild their lives.”
OIC urges bringing to justice those desecrating Islamic sanctities
There was no justification for such acts, invoking the right to freedom of expression, he said. “The OIC calls upon all stakeholders to speak out against these deliberate acts of provocation that have no basis under international human rights law. Culprits behind such acts must be held to account and brought to justice,” Hashmi said. www.pi-media.co.uk
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UAE, Bahrain to pay price for ‘humiliating’ normalization deals
The Secretary General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening warned the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain that they will pay the price for their “humiliating” move to normalize relations with Israel. Ali Akbar Velayati made the remark at the 13th meeting of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening held via video conference and attended by participants from some 50 Muslim countries. The conference was held to discuss the recent normalization of ties between Israel and the two Arab states. Velayati condemned the normalization of relations between certain Arab countries and the Zionist regime as “a malicious scheme” and “a prelude to the full implementation of the ‘deal of the century’ and a publicity stunt.” “Instead of relying on divine promises, the unity of word, the will of the people and the unparalleled capacities of the Islamic world, some Persian Gulf vassal states have pinned their hopes on nothing and built a house of cards so that they should pay the price for and suffer the consequences of this humiliating compromise and normalization from their countries’ national and spiritual assets,” Velayati added. Velayati described the Palestinian issue as the top priority of the Muslim
world over the past seven decades, and said “The [so-called] deal of the century, as a complementary measure to compromise moves, removed the mask of hypocrisy from the arrogant face of those seeking and advocating compromise] with the Israeli regime, he added. He said that enemies of the Islamic resistance in the region and on the international scene have, in recent decades, planned and implemented various scenarios in order to shield their arrogant and exploitative interests.” He added that the enemies have been making efforts over the last 70 years to gradually wipe out Palestine from the map of the region and to replace it with the fake occupying regime of Israel, stressing that the global arrogance hatches various conspiracies and plots in a bid to remove this pivotal issue off top priorities of the Islamic world, Press TV reported. He pointed to several rounds of so-called peace talks to resolve the Palestinian issue and said not only the negotiations failed to achieve anything for the oppressed people of Palestine, but they also resulted in excessive demands by Israel, its continued settlement construction activities, and more concessions in favor of the Tel Aviv regime.
Velayati, who is also a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, described unity, coherence and resistance of the Islamic Ummah in the face of the excessive demands and malicious plans by the enemies and the reinforcement of the Islamic resistance front as the sole way to realize the Palestinian cause. The UAE and Bahrain signed the controversial normalization agreements with Israel at the White House, amid outrage across Palestine and the Muslim world at the Arab regimes’ betrayal of the Palestinian cause. The deals were signed between Emirati and Bahraini Foreign Ministers, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. US President Donald Trump also penned his blessing into the accords. The US-brokered deals make the UAE and Bahrain the third and fourth Arab states to take such steps to normalize ties since Israel signed treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. ‘Normalization of relations with Israel will result in nothing but humiliation, shame’ At the end of the meeting, a statement was issued that stressed “the passivity and hypocrisy of some mercenary rulers” in normalizing relations with Israel will bring about “no result but humiliation and disgrace” for the Arab regimes seeking normalization with Tel Aviv, and will lead to the collapse of the rulers who, like their tyrannical ancestors, tied their destiny to the shaky fate of the Zionist regime. While condemning so-called deal of the century and the normalization of relations between the states affiliated with the Zionist regime, the statement said, the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening calls on all peoples, groups, parties and movements, Islamic states, freedomseeking and justice-seeking nations to fully support the Palestinian cause until ultimate victory and the total eradication of the usurping, and oppressive Zionist regime. www.pi-media.co.uk
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Nine serbs detained over 1992 Bosnia killing of Muslims In Case You Missed It
Bosnian police arrested nine ethnic Serbs on suspected of taking part in the killings of 44 Muslim civilians in a village at the start of the 1990s war, prosecutors said. The nine men, mostly former soldiers and two police commanders, are suspected of having “planned, organized and taken part” in the
killings and persecution of Muslim civilians in the area of Sokolac in eastern Bosnia in September 1992, a prosecutors’ statement said. When the Bosbian Serb army attacked the village of Novoseoci, men were separated from women and children before being taken to a rubbish dump and shot, the
Indian court acquits all in razing of Babri mosque An Indian court has acquitted all 32 people who had been accused of crimes in a 1992 attack and demolition of a 16th century mosque that sparked Hindu-Muslim violence leaving some 2,000 people dead. Four senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party had been among the accused at the trial that languished in India’s sluggish legal system for almost 28
years. The four party leaders were accused of making inflammatory speeches that incited followers ahead of the attack. The four have said that the mosque’s demolition was spontaneous. The verdict follows a ruling by India’s Supreme Court last year favouring the building of a Hindu temple on a disputed site in Ayodhya.
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statement said, Arab News reported. The victims, aged between 14 and 82, were buried there while women and children were expelled from the village. After the executions, a village mosque was destroyed and its debris brought to the dump and thrown over the victims’ remains. All but one of the victims, which include one woman, were exhumed and identified after the 1992-1995 war. Former Bosnian Serb general Radislav Krstic, serving a 35-year jail term handed down by a UN court for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, is also a suspect in the case and will be questioned, the statement said. Another suspect is currently in Canada and his extradition will be sought, it added. Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war between its Croats, Muslims and Serbs claimed some 100,000 lives.
German court ends ban on call to prayer A German court in the western city of Munster has given permission to a local mosque to perform the call for prayer -- or adhan -- saying it is “religious freedom”. The rule followed a prior court decision in 2018 after a Christian couple living 900 meters (2,952 feet) from the mosque made a complaint about adhan, saying it intruded on their religious freedom. The court in Munster did not agree with the previous decision in 2018 that the call to prayer violated the religious freedom of those who heard it. The call to prayer is not an imposition that all people need to obey, the judge said.
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Muslim doctor put in prison for raising his voice in India
An Indian doctor who was jailed for more than seven months for criticizing a controversial citizenship law was released last month after a court in northern Uttar Pradesh state called his incarceration “illegal”. Dr Kafeel Khan told Al Jazeera he was physically tortured while in captivity, which included him being stripped of his clothes and beaten and deprived of food for days. “It was very hard for the whole family. My 65-year-old mother was forced to visit the courts during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic,” he said. Dr Khan was arrested in January
for a speech made a month earlier that authorities in Uttar Pradesh (UP), governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), deemed incendiary. He was later charged under the National Security Act (NSA), which stipulates that a person can be held without charge for a year. His speech focused on major issues facing the country of 1.4 billion people such as malnutrition, lack of health facilities and unemployment crisis. But Khan’s criticism of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which bans Muslims from
neighboring South Asian countries from gaining Indian nationality, seemed to have earned him the government’s ire. The passing of the law in December sparked nationwide protests led mostly by Muslims India’s largest minority. Yogi Adityanath, who is UP’s chief minister and known for his anti-Muslim statements, ordered a crackdown against anti-CAA protests in the northern state. More than two dozen Muslims were killed in police action that was condemned by Amnesty International India. Critics and family members say the 38-year-old pediatrician was targeted because he chose to speak up against the law, which the United Nations dubbed “fundamentally discriminatory”. The UP police department in its complaint accused Dr Khan of “sowing seeds of discord towards other religious communities”. But the Allahabad High Court last month disagreed with the police, saying “a complete reading of the speech also nowhere threatens peace and tranquility of the city of Aligarh [located in UP]”. Khan has temporarily moved to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state, where he has been reunited with his family, including his two children, wife and brother.
Christchurch Mosque attack victims remembered with plaque unveiling The prime minister of New Zealand unveiled a plaque at Al Noor Mosque commemorating the victims of the Christchurch terror attack. The black plaque, inscribed in gold, shows two hands in prayer and reads “we surely belong to Allah and to him we shall return”. Following the unveiling, a member of the mosque threw flower petals in the air, saying “we received bullets and we still threw flowers”.
Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister, was warmly greeted by families before speaking to them privately inside the mosque. Ardern said she was pleased to see the survivors again but nothing would undo the harm caused by the massacre. The Imam of the Al Noor Mosque, Gamal Fouda, says the plaque marks the legacy of that day and the country’s response.
While the terrorist has been sentenced, achieving full justice is up to all New Zealanders, Fouda says. Fouda also wants an annual conference to “document the tragedy and its painful repercussions and to explain the danger of hate speech. “New Zealand mosques will have to have the Islamic awareness day taking place on 15 March in memory of this tragedy. We need to tell our story to our future generations.”
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Algeria again rules out normalization of ties with Israel In Case You Missed It
Algeria once again rejected any normalization of relations with the Israeli regime, saying that Algiers is prepared to host a meeting of Palestinian factions as part of its efforts to support the Palestinian cause. Ammar Belhimer, the Algerian minister of communication and the government spokesman, told Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen TV channel that the cause of Palestinian nation is the top issue of Algeria. “The Palestinian nation’s cause is a sacred one. Algeria considers it as its most important cause. This is a matter of fairness, and our position is clear, straightforward, and fixed on it,” he said. The spokesman said Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has on various occasions stressed the country would not welcome and support normalization of relations with Israel.
In his virtual address to the 75th General Assembly of the United Nations, the Algerian president said the right of the Palestinian people to have a state with Jerusalem alQuds as its capital cannot be traded away. “Once again, we express our firm support for the Palestinian people and their inalienable and non-negotiable right to establish their independent, sovereign state with alQuds as its capital,” Tebboune said, stressing that the Palestinian cause remained a “sacred cause for Algeria and its people”. In his comments, the Algerian spokesman echoed the president’s remarks and said, “Algeria’s position is always clear and transparent, and that is non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and [finding] a peaceful and internal solution to settle the crises.” The spokesman expressed
his country’s preparedness to invite all Palestinian groups to a comprehensive meeting in Algeria considering the amicable ties it has with them. He also reiterated his country’s call on the Arab League to revise its structure and mechanism so that its operation would become more effective and serve the interests of all countries without any exception. Palestinian factions have praised President Tebboune for his government’s strong opposition to any bids aimed at establishing ties with Israel, calling on Arab rulers to follow suit and reject normalization. The factions, in a joint statement, lauded Algeria’s stance as “the authentic Arab position that embraces and supports the Palestinian cause,” al-Mayadeen reported. Tebboune strongly criticized the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain over signing normalization agreements with the Tel Aviv regime at the White House. The Algerian president emphasized that his country would never be part of an agreement to normalize relations with the Tel Aviv regime.
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South Jersey Mosque reaches $550,000 settlement in case
A Muslim group has reached a $550,000 settlement in its discrimination case against a South Jersey city accused of preventing the expansion of a mosque, according to its attorney. The nonprofit Garden State Islamic Center and the City of Vineland, in Cumberland County, settled the 2017 case in August and recently finalized terms of the agreement, said Aymen A. Aboushi, the group’s attorney. There was no admission of wrongdoing by the city,
he said. Besides the financial settlement, the city agreed to issue a certificate of occupancy needed to open the second floor of the mosque, Aboushi said. The mosque, which has about 220 members, had been unable to operate fully without the use of the second floor, he said. Aboushi said the mosque opened last month after receiving the certificate of occupancy. That document enabled it to fully provide congregational and educational
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programs and child-care services, he said. “They’re ecstatic to have this behind them, and practice their faith and enjoy their civil liberties as Americans,” Aboushi said Thursday. “The case is resolved to our satisfaction.” City Solicitor Rick Tonetta and Mayor Anthony Fanucci did not respond to requests seeking comment. The settlement ends litigation spanning more than a decade between Vineland and Garden State Islamic Center that began when the group first sought permits in 2009 to build the mosque. At issue in the latest case was a debate over sewage and water usage.
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Malaysian centre urges more Mosques to transform into green Mosques More mosques in Malaysia are urged to take part in the Green Mosque program which focuses on water and electricity saving and recycling. Malaysia Green Technology and Climate Change Center (MGTC) CEO Shamsul Bahar Mohd Nor said the program will lead to electricity and water saving among mosques for a dynamic environment. He said this will also allow mosques to cut costs, ultimately benefitting all parties. “MGTC also encourages companies to apply for the Green Technology Financing Scheme
(GTFS) with an allocation of RM2 billion to take part in the Green Mosque program. “For example, a company that wishes to install a solar panel, which can save 40% on electricity bills, can apply for GTFS and enjoy a 2% interest-rate reduction,” he told reporters. MGTC advises companies to discuss with the mosque’s management team to find the right option for them. The two-year scheme offers a 2% interest or profit rate subsidy for the first seven years with 60% government guarantee on the
financing. MGTC held an exchange of cooperation agreement documents with Masjid Al-Hasanah, Bandar Baru Bangi in Selangor. This bilateral agreement marks the mosque as the program pioneer, where it aimed at inculcating green lifestyle values to mosque and surau goers. Meanwhile, Environment and Water Minister Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said 10 mosques will take part in the Green Mosque program this year as a step to cut carbon emissions. www.pi-media.co.uk
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China denies think-tank claims of Xinjiang Mosque destruction
China’s foreign ministry denied claims from an Australian think-tank that it had destroyed thousands of mosques in its western Xinjiang region, and said there are over 24,000 mosques there, “more mosques per capita than many Muslim countries.” The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) had released a report which estimated that about 16,000 mosques in Xinjiang have been destroyed or damaged as a result of government policies, mostly since 2017.
The estimates were made using satellite imagery and based on a sample of 900 religious sites prior to 2017, including mosques, shrines and sacred sites. “The Chinese government has embarked on a systematic and intentional campaign to rewrite the cultural heritage of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region... in order to render those indigenous cultural traditions subservient to the ‘Chinese nation’,” said the ASPI report. “Alongside other coercive
efforts to re-engineer Uighur social and cultural life by transforming or eliminating Uighurs’ language, music, homes and even diets, the Chinese Government’s policies are actively erasing and altering key elements of their tangible cultural heritage.” In response to the report, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called it “nothing but slanderous rumors” during a press conference on Friday, and said the ASPI had received foreign funds to “support its concoction of lies against China.” “If we look at the numbers, there are more than 24,000 mosques in Xinjiang, which is over ten times more than in the US,” said Wang, Reuters reported. “It means there is a mosque for every 530 Muslims in Xinjiang, which is more mosques per capita than many Muslim countries.” China has come under scrutiny over its treatment of Uighur Muslims and claims of alleged forced-labor abuses in Xinjiang, where the United Nations cites credible reports as saying one million Muslims held in camps have been put to work. China has denied mistreating Uighurs, and say the camps are vocational training centers that are needed to tackle extremism. www.pi-media.co.uk
Sisi warns of instability after protest
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned against attempts to stoke instability in the country, following a recent spate of scattered and small-scale anti-government protests. “Some people have been trying in recent weeks to take advantage of the tough measures we are taking,” Sisi said at a ceremony to inaugurate an oil refining complex north of Cairo, AFP reported. “They choose the hard conditions to harm and cast doubts among Egyptians over what we do.” Dozens of people took part in rare protests in recent days in
several villages in Egypt, according to videos shared widely on social media, especially by sympathizers of the Muslim Brotherhood, an outlawed group. The small-scale demonstrations come amid mounting anger, particularly in rural and lowincome areas, against sweeping government campaigns to stop illegal construction, which have required people to pay fines to legalize home-ownership. Exiled businessman Mohamed Ali, who has urged anti-Sisi protests since last year, has intensified his calls in online videos, calling on
Egyptians take to the streets against the government. During his speech, Sisi thanked Egyptians for not heeding the calls, saying the government was undertaking the measures as part of reforms. Prominent rights lawyers also reported on Facebook the arrest of more than 150 people in the demo. Protests have been effectively banned in Egypt since 2013. A renewable state of emergency has been in place since 2017, a measure that rights groups say has allowed the government to crush dissent..
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Teen makes history to become first Muslim girl to play for Burton Albion
A Burton girl has put her name in the history books as the first Muslim girl to sign for Burton Albion. Hajrah Mahmood, 16, has been playing football since her primary school days and has had a spell at Derby County Ladies, but now she joined her home town club. Hajrah, a sixth form pupil at Paget
High School, wants become a professional player and study sports science in the future. She plays in central midfield and has ambitions to make it into the ladies’ first team. Farzana Hussain, Hajrah’s mother, said: “I’m very proud of Hajrah and it’s a very proud moment for my family. “Hajrah has always wanted to play football for as long as I can remember and my husband and I never discouraged her and let her enjoy playing the game she loves. “Coming from an Asian Muslim background, you don’t see many girls playing football and this is something I want to highlight. “There are some talented girls across the country, but due to the culture and lack of support they tend to lose their interest in the sport and find a career in something else. “Supporting Hajrah is a fulltime job, but I really enjoy it and I want other parents to feel the same joy we do. “I drive her to training three times a week, as well as taking
her to her matches and, because of this, I’ve developed an interest in the game of football. “We hope to see more Asian girls playing not just football, but sports in general. “There will be other girls like Hajrah and I think it’s very important for family and friends to support them and let them enjoy whichever sport they want to participate in.” Hajrah, who, as well as the Brewers, supports Manchester United, said: “I’ve loved playing football from a very young age. “My passion for the game grew with me and I was lucky enough to be selected for Derby County at the age of 11. “Since then, the game has built my confidence in many ways, both on and off the pitch. “Not only does sport keep you fit, but helps you gain confidence and teamwork skills, which are required in all aspects of life. “I hope to encourage other Muslim girls to take up sport and I want to carry on playing for as long as possible and become a professional one day.”
Arrests for racist and indecent chanting doubled last season Arrests for racist and indecent chanting more than doubled last season compared to the campaign before despite severe restrictions on fan attendance, a Home Office report states. There were 35 such arrests in 2019-20 compared to 14 in 201819, even though 546 matches were either cancelled or played behind closed doors last season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Manchester City were the club with the highest number of this type of arrest – six – with Cardiff recording five. For the first time, the 2019-20
report also logged every hate crime incident – whether online or in person – which had been reported to the UK Football Policing Unit by anti-discrimination body Kick It Out or the Football Association. It found there were hate crime incidents related to 287 matches, a figure which the UK’s football policing lead described as “incredibly concerning”. The incidents reported often included more than one form of discrimination. The report said 214 featured discrimination by race, 78 referenced sexual identity, 23 mentioned religion, three related to
disability and one to gender identity. Other areas of concern were the number of reports of assaults on stadium staff and police officers, which were only just below 201819 levels despite the impact of Covid-19 on fan attendance. There were 120 reports of stadium staff being assaulted in 2019-20, only five fewer than in 2018-19, while there were 46 reports of police officers being attacked, compared to 57 in 201819. The Home Office data also looked at banning orders and other football-related arrests.
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US Muslim athlete disqualified from volleyball match for wearing hijab
A Tennessee high school athlete was disqualified from a volleyball match for wearing a hijab, prompting calls for a statewide rule change. Najah Aqeel, a freshman at Valor Collegiate Prep in Nashville, was warming up for a match on September 15 when her coach said a referee had refused to let her play due to her headscarf. The referee cited a casebook rule requiring athletes who wear a hijab to be granted authorization from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA). Najah, 14, said she did not have authorization, but that it wasn’t an issue for previous matches. Faced with the choice to remove her hijab or sit out the match, Najah decided not to play. Most Muslim women who wear the hijab only remove it in the presence of other women or immediate family
members. “I was angry, sad and also shocked just because I had never heard of the rule before that,” Najah told CNN. “The rule has no business being in the casebook. It singles out hijabis. I don’t see why I need approval to wear my hijab when it is a part of my religion.” Karissa Niehoff, executive director for The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSH), which sets competition rules for most US high school sports, told CNN that the uniform guidelines are not hard rules, and that states can make exceptions. “We are heartbroken and deeply sorry that the young lady was disqualified from the match for wearing the hijab,” Niehoff said. “More common sense should have been demonstrated by the adults. The correct approach the
referee should have taken is to have allowed the young lady to play and point out after the game that next time she needs to submit a letter.” NFSH provides specific guidance on uniforms. “The player must have authorization from the state association to wear the hijab or other types of data-x-items for religious reasons as it is otherwise illegal,” according to the NFSH Volleyball Casebook. Niehoff said NFSH is preparing to introduce new language to its casebook pertaining to religious headwear so that it will no longer be an issue in the future, unless it poses a danger to the player or other athletes. Cameron Hill, athletic director at Valor Collegiate Academies, told CNN the school was unaware of the rule that prevented Najah from playing, and characterized it as “antiquated and oppressive.” “We want our state to make it understood that there is no need for Muslim women to get permission to wear their religious headwear,” Hill said. “This rule is discriminatory and inequitable. We stand in solidarity with all of our scholars and families and their freedoms to express their religion freely and openly.” Hill said Valor Collegiate Academies has since drafted language they will propose to the TSSAA in hopes of issuing an exception to the rule.
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Green Collar Criminals
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By Moulana Khalid Dhorat
Criminals don’t look like criminals anymore. They have mastered the art of disguise. Before, you could spot a thief by the type of clothes he wore and by his suspicious manner or walking. But nowadays criminals drive expensive cars, dress elegantly and can even speak better English than most of us. Many criminals are not poor either, nor do they need the money they steal. Furthermore, many of them are known to us, they are either trusted family or community members, but with a slight modification – they could not resist the devilish temptation of greed. I’m not referring to bandits, burglars or computer hackers who are often strangers to us, nor to white collar criminals who commit sophisticated acts of fraud by manipulating the figures of their company’s books. It doesn’t also refer to the Robin-Hood type of criminal who steals from the government and gives to the poor. No, this is a more sinister type of criminal which I prefer calling “Green Collar” criminals. These criminals are all Muslim, pious and trusted community and family members
who either misuse our charities for personal gain, exploit the piety of Muslims in the halaal and hajj industry, launder their hot money via the religious institutes that they control, and more disgustingly – steal the inheritance share of their own helpless family members. All of the above people often use the principles of accounting, the loopholes of law, their glib tongues, and of course, the helplessness of their victims to get away with their crimes. They all merit a discussion of their own, but this article will discuss the issue of inheritance fraud committed in the name of Islam by trusted family members. Crimes on the Rise Haleema is a sweet girl who was the favourite of her brothers. As a child, she was spoilt by all to such an extent that her father would not allow his precious little daughter to even eat the hard crust of the bread. On Eid day, all her brothers would pool their spending money and buy her a pretty gift. Alas, Haleema’s fairytale life didn’t last forever, because soon after her marriage, her father passed
away leaving behind a fortune, but 20 years thereafter, she still awaits her share. In that time, her husband also passed away, and her children had to drop out of school to help run the household. Today, Haleema sells samoosas and pies for a living, she lives in an outbuilding, and her brothers pretend not to have a sister anymore because their wives are more important than her. Had she received her rightful share on time, Haleema would’ve still had her dignity which God had allotted for her, but which her criminal and greedy brothers had stolen. There are thousands of cases of pious fraud in our community today. Many produce fatwas from backdoor Aalims – in reality Zaalims (oppressors) – who simply issue a certificate without proper verification. The wealthier hide the money in complicated family and business trusts and stipulate such clauses therein that to crush a stone to obtain water will be easier. Some abuse their authority of executorship because of being “big brother,” the “favourite son” or the respectable
www.pi-media.co.uk I October 2020 “uncle of the Masjid,” whilst others fire as a warning! simply forge signatures on a fake Imagine this scenario: your will. The able victims may stand up father toiled in this world to provide for their rights, but more than often, a comfortable life for you and your it’s the females and the helpless family, but after his death, the same who do not have the means to money he worked for becomes a defend themselves who suffer the source of punishment for him. His consequences and end up as wealth senseless children for whom their beggars of our society. father slogged, actually don’t mind Today, many fraudulent their parent’s roasting in the fire inheritance issues have torn families due to the misdistribution of his apart to the extent that members money, as long as they merrily enjoy do not attend each other’s funerals themselves in this world, until they and functions anymore, when they too, join him in the fire. Is this a fair cross paths in malls, they look the bargain? other side which has resulted in our The second reason of the children growing up knowing Uncle prevalence of inheritance fraud Ben from the Supermarket, but not or “Green Collar Theft” is that in their own uncles and aunts. Islam, besides mankind not granted ownership of his money, he further Importance of Fair Distribution has no choice as to how to spend it. In the Qur’an, God did not leave During your life, you were restricted the laws of inheritance vague or upon from spending your money in the discretion of mankind. When it avenues of sin, and when you die came to prayers, fasting, charity and too, you are further restricted. It’s pilgrimage, God told us to simply not yours anymore. You have no fulfil these obligations, but when it choice as to how this money should came to the laws of inheritance, God be distributed. Your duty is simply spelt out in detail as to who should to leave an Islamic will, with full receive what and in which proportion. disclosure of what is owed to God in Nothing was left to chance in chapter way of missed prayers and fasting 4: 11-12 - the verses many Huffaz and what to people in way of debts. are terrified of due to it being so Leave the rest to God and hope for tongue-twisting. Yet, after such clear- salvation. No one can control the cut instructions, people still think they world from their grave !! know better than God and distribute God has decided that if you have their estate in a clearly un-Islamic children, than your wife will inherit manner designed to deprive some an eighth of your estate, and if you and benefit some. have no children, she will get a The problem of inheritance fraud quarter. There is no point in leaving lies within two facts. The first fact the entire estate to your wife as is is that mankind mistakenly thinks done according to Common Law, as that his wealth belongs to him. If she can easily remarry tomorrow. your wealth doesn’t belong to you Someone else will then be sleeping in your lifetime, how can it still be in the bed you bought for her in the yours after your death? In Islam, bedroom you furnished for her, and we hope that every Muslim will be supporting step-children she didn’t forgiven after their death, but there give birth to with your money. Rather can be no hope of forgiveness for a give everyone their rightful due, and person who deprives others of their let destiny takes its course. share after their death. In fact, there When we flip the coin, we find is certainty that such a person will that a husband will inherit half of his be roasted on the fire (Qur’an 4:14), wife’s estate if there are no children, until his heirs do not come to their but only a quarter if there are. The senses and correct his affairs in the reason for inheriting more is that he world (Qur’an 2:182). At this juncture, fully supported her in his lifetime, many people would say : “There so he is entitled to more. If she was goes that man-eating dragon of a a career woman, he tolerated her Maulana threatening us with the fire absence, so he is still entitled to his again,” but before saying this, pick up share. In this regard, a woman once your dusty Qur’an and check out the asked her husband: “Darling, did you above Qur’anic reference and first marry me knowing that my father will accuse God Himself with using the leave me a fortune?”The husband
FEATURED I 23 replied: “Never, I’ll be happy if anyone leaves you a fortune!” A word of caution here: greedy people who murdered their partners to cash in on their life policies always got caught. Furthermore, a son will inherit double that of a daughter. You can not deprive a daughter of her share because she married in a wealthy family as you do not know her future condition, and you cannot disown your druggie son because tomorrow he may reform and become better than the rest of your children. Also, amongst your sons, you cannot give one more because “he helped in establishing the business” and the others less because they were given an education. All must be given equal. Let us not apply our own logic to the laws of inheritance because man’s logic cannot comprehend it. Some other rules of inheritance are that your grandparents will not inherit if your parents are alive, a father’s share is never less than a sixth and your mother will most of the time also inherit a sixth of your estate, unless if you have no children whence she inherits a third. In the absence of sons, daughters will share two thirds of the estate. Nephews and nieces seldom inherit, and brothers and sisters of the deceased only inherit as secondary heirs. The laws of inheritance are complicated, but every instance is very clear and cast in stone. Our noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) told us that the science of the laws of inheritance is half of knowledge, and everyone should learn their intricacies as it is a knowledge that will be soon neglected. Lastly, it is my appeal to all those Green Collars out there who have left their own family members out in the cold: please have mercy on yourself and do justice. Maybe God wants to unlock a greater treasure for you, but you are depriving yourself of this treasure by cheating others. If you do not do justice before your death, then those deprived will survive in the world, but it is extreme shortsightedness on your part. You have just bartered away the pleasures of a few seconds in this world for a long time of roasting and toasting in the hereafter. Can there be any boasting about that? www.pi-media.co.uk
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