PI Magazine June 2016 by Shakir Ahmed

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Europe: In or Out Issue: 98

June 2016

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By Sam Hawke

Policy Assistant @ Liberty (Human Rights)

An offer of sanctuary for Europe’s refugee children

Last month the Government finally agreed to insert a small fragment of humanity into what has been a discriminatory, divisive, and unjust piece of legislation, the Immigration Bill. After repeat calls from the public and Parliamentarians, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that his Government would not oppose Lord Dubs’ amendment to offer sanctuary to unaccompanied refugee children currently living in squalor in Europe. Thousands of children are without protection in camps which the UK’s courts have described as “a living hell”. NGOs report that the vast majority of refugee children in Calais, for example, go without fulfilment of their most basic needs. Meanwhile, unaccompanied children risk being subjected to violence and sexual abuse as they travel within Europe to find protection. Indeed, Interpol have warned that approximately 10,000 have gone missing since their arrival. The UK has a duty to intervene. An amendment, introduced by Lords Dubs – a beneficiary of the Kindertransport in 1939 – would have allowed for 3,000 such vulnerable children living in Europe’s camps to come to the UK. It was

overwhelmingly approved by peers. Yet when the Bill returned to the Commons, the Government managed to defeat it. Many MPs were conspicuous by their abstentions, and the Government came under cross-party and public criticism for its refusal to accept what was, by all accounts, a modest proposal. As a result, peers insisted on another version of the amendment, one which would not require a specific number of children to be protected. And so the Government eventually conceded: a Downing Street press release of the same day announced that the Government will “work with local authorities on plans to resettle unaccompanied children.” No doubt this small but significant change would not have been made without the admirable work of Lord Dubs and his colleagues, along with the support of the public, including the efforts of Liberty members to contact their MPs. We must now ensure the Government delivers on its commitment to alleviate the suffering of refugee children in Europe. And the Government must do more. Its other commitments

have been paltry. Contrary to the usual rhetoric, the vast majority of the world’s refugees remain in developing countries, far from Europe’s – much less the UK’s – shores. Those vulnerable few who do make it to Europe come from the world’s top refugee-producing countries, places afflicted by war, systemic violence, and human rights abuses. The global refugee crisis therefore requires action, not further hostility. And yet our Government is intent on introducing toxic measures such as in the Policing and Crime Bill, which allows the interception of refugee boats to be sent to ports anywhere in the world. With the Government’s acceptance of Lord Dubs’ amendment, it has recognised the ties of basic human decency which bind us to those in need of protection in Europe. But David Cameron is still yet to propose any kind of real, humane approach to the refugee crisis, and define the UK’s role in responding to it. We urge the Government to build on the commitment to protect refugee children in Europe: we must find a solution to the wider crisis.

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NEWS

Damning Britain’s Iraq war inquiry to be published 6th July

Britain’s long-delayed mammoth inquiry into its part in the 2003 war in Iraq will be published on July 6, its chairman revealed. The Iraq Inquiry headed by former senior civil servant John Chilcot, which began in 2009, was originally due to report within a year. In a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, Chilcot said that routine checks to ensure that the report did

not breach national security had been completed, without the need for redactions. A July 6 publication date allows time for “final proof reading, formatting, printing and the steps required for electronic publication”, he said, in the letter published. The report is expected to be 2.6 million words long. The Chilcot inquiry was set up

by prime minister Gordon Brown, the successor of Tony Blair, who led Britain into the conflict in 2003. Some 179 British soldiers died in the war. The inquiry’s vast remit was to consider Britain’s involvement in Iraq from 2001 to 2009 to establish what happened, the way decisions were made and actions taken, and to identify lessons that can be learned. It received evidence from over 150 witnesses, held more than 130 sessions of oral evidence, and analysed more than 150,000 government documents. The report is expected to highlight how Britain’s involvement in Iraq -- particularly questions over whether Blair’s government “sexed up” a dossier on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction to make the case for war -- remains the subject of heated debate. The inquiry’s costs to April 2015 were £10.375 million ($15 million, 13.1 million euros). www.pi-media.co.uk

Europe: In or Out

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The Final Countdown Continued from front page

Europe In or Out seems to be the question on everyone’s lips at the moment. However, how many people in the United Kingdom actually know what issues are at stake and more importantly what they are voting for or against in the referendum to be held on Thursday 23rd of June 2016. Meanwhile, politicians across the political divide as well as the media establishment have been providing the British public mixed signals through doom and gloom forecasts plastered across our screens frequently interrupted with rosy utopian pictures of Britain being freed from the chains of European federalism. The United Kingdom has had a love hate relationship with the European Union (EU) since it entered what was known in 1973 as the European Economic Community (EEC). When Britain entered the then EEC it was on the basis that it would be able to trade more freely and effectively with the proviso of boosting its economic output. The UK being in Europe has given the British people many benefits such as improved and greater employment rights in the workplace as well as visa free travel to countries on the continent. However, we will argue that there is more at stake for the future of the United Kingdom that will affect its citizens in the coming decades. Many commentators argue that Britain never signed up to a European superstate that possesses a federal army and navy.

Furthermore, greater European federalism intertwined with deeper integration threatens to take even more powers from Westminster to Brussels. It is true that Britain’s largest trading partner today is the EU but looking forward to what extent will this be the case especially as Asian economies such as India and China will be much bigger in years to come. In the long term, is it not more advantageous from an economic perspective for the UK to access new markets that are on course to become bigger in the coming decades than the entire European Union? At present, the UK cannot even negotiate its own trade deals as these powers have been delegated to EU Trade Commissioners which is very much to the detriment to the nation’s economic interest at the present time. If we take the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), we find that EU governments even today are subsidising loss making farms across Europe. If a business was making a loss then restructuring the operation would be the only medium by which it would either become profitable or fall by the wayside. The question of reforming the EU has been on the Brussels a la carte menu for many decades yet in reality it has become the issue that most countries do not wish to discuss. The EU is desperately in need of reform and presently is

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not fit for purpose. Even those who are passionately in favour of staying in cannot deny that reform is very much overdue. Those supporting Brexit have every right to demand that the behemoth that is the EU is in need of reform but will our European counterparts sign up to this principle. At present, it appears there is no appetitive for a reformed Europe where at present billions of Euros are being wasted in the name of inefficiency. The impending accession of the Balkan states and Turkey into the EU is very much on the horizon and this prospect further marginalises the UK’s desire to get the EU to be more efficient in the longer term. Immigration from within the EU into the UK since 2004 has drastically changed the fabric of many communities across our great country leaving schools and hospitals struggling to cope. The last Labour government had famously declared that only a few thousand Eastern European people will come to settle and work in the UK but the statistics tells an altogether different picture in the last decade. It is imperative that migration is controlled in order to ensure British citizens can continue to see living standards rise which have in essence fallen in real terms since 2008.

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I June 2016

UK NEWS

Ministers risk murder prosecution for drone strikes, MPs warn

An influential committee of Parliamentarians called on the British Government to “urgently” clarify its legal position on drone strikes, warning that its policy “may expose… Ministers to the risk of criminal prosecution for murder.” A new report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) also states that the Defence Secretary, in evidence given to the committee, demonstrated a “misunderstanding of the legal frameworks that apply” to the use of

armed drones outside of warzones. The report, titled ‘The Government’s policy on the use of drones for targeted killing,’ warns that the UK’s own policy of targeted killing – announced as a “new departure” by the Prime Minister last year – may “end up in the same place as the US policy,” despite ministers’ claims to the contrary. The US covert drone programme, undertaken by secretive agencies such as the CIA, has proved controversial as it is carried out in

countries where America is not at war. The programme is estimated to have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, but is shrouded in secrecy to the point where the US Government has yet to officially acknowledge its existence. It has been described as a “failed strategy” by General Michael Flynn, the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency under President Obama. The Committee says that it is “disappointed…by the Government’s failure to answer a number of important questions,” and criticises “contradictions and inconsistencies in the Government’s account of its policy, which have given rise to confusion.” Jennifer Gibson, a staff attorney at international human rights NGO Reprieve who gave evidence to the Committee, said: “This report is a wake-up call. Not only does the committee raise troubling questions about whether the Government ‘misunderstood’ the legal frameworks that apply, but it warns they may be at risk of prosecution for murder as a result.

Britain planning to dispatch more troops to Iraq

UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon says his country will send more British troops to Iraq to train Iraqi forces in the fight against Daesh. Fallon made the announcement ahead of a meeting of defense ministers and representatives from 12 countries from the so-called antiDaesh coalition in the German city of Stuttgart. “Make no mistake! Iraqi forces have Daesh on the back foot and are retaking territory, hitting its finances and striking its leadership. Now is the time to build on recent success and we are looking hard at what more we can offer as Iraqi combat operations intensify,” Fallon said. The exact number of the British forces has not been declared,

but sources say the “trainers and engineers” could number in the “low hundreds.” Some 300 UK military personnel are currently in Iraq, training Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. The British minister also said that London plans to provide Peshmerga fighters with more ammunition for their machine guns. During the meeting, officials from the US-led collation agreed to do more in their purported campaign against Daesh terrorists. Following the meeting, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said, “We… agreed that all of our friends and allies across the counterISIL (Daesh) coalition can and must

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do more.” The US and some of its allies have allegedly been conducting airstrikes against Daesh extremists in Iraq since August 2014. The US-led coalition also started air raids against purported Daesh positions in Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate in September 2014. Many have criticized the ineffectiveness of the two campaigns. The Daesh terror group, with members from several Western countries, has been committing heinous acts of terror and atrocities against people of different religious and ethnic communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians, in Syria, Iraq, and other countries.

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Extremism bill will destroy our freedoms not protect them www.pi-media.co.uk

Plans by the government announced last month in the Queen’s Speech to introduce a new law against nonviolent extremism represent a direct attack on civil liberties and Britain’s Muslim communities. The Counter-Extremism and Safeguarding Bill envisages introducing a new civil order regime such as ASBO’s to restrict so-called extremist activity. However it is reported that the bill is still far from ready to be introduced to Parliament because the government is struggling to come up with a legally robust definition of extremism that will withstand the first legal challenge on freedom of speech grounds from those it seeks to ban.

Currently the government defines extremism as “the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs”. It is so wide that it is capable of ensnaring terrorist sympathisers but also those who oppose the government or hold conservative views such as or disapproval of abortion or same-sex marriage. The difficulty experienced by the government in drawing up a watertight definition highlights the obvious dangers of criminalising what people think and say, particularly in relation to what it calls

non-violent extremism. The bill also proposes introducing new powers of intervention to tackle the so-called radicalisation of children in “unregulated education settings”. This effectively means government oversight of the Muslim religious education sector dominated by after-school madrasas. Quite how the madrasa sector is breeding extremists has never been shown but the government seems intent on reining in their independence regardless. Islamic Human Rights Commison (IHRC) views current anti-terrorism policy as Islamophobic since it rests on the assumption that by dint of their faith all Muslims are potential terrorists who must be steered off that course by the state. IHRC chair Massoud Shadjareh said: “The government cannot use the pretext of protecting our British way of life by bringing in legislation that actually undermines British values such as freedom of belief and expression in an unprecedented manner. The civil penalties being proposed also undermine the rule of law. If someone is suspected of committing a crime they should be dealt with according to the law, not channelled down a track that bypasses due process.”

In a move expected to increase the number of Muslim students in British universities, the UK government has approved new charitable Shari’ahcomplaint loans for Muslim students to increase diversity in campuses. “We will introduce an alternative finance system to support the participation of students who, for religious reasons, might feel unable to take on interest-bearing loans,” the White Paper was quoted by The Telegraph. “We have heard that some students will not access higher education in these circumstances, some will access higher education and use loans but will be troubled by

their situation, and others will restrict their choice of course or institution to try to minimize the sums involved. “To ensure participation and choice are open to all, we plan to legislate for the creation of an alternative model of student finance.” This white paper sets out our plans for the next 5 years, building on and extending our reforms to achieve educational excellence everywhere. The new “Takaful” model would allow students to make payments to a communal pot that would then benefit future students wanting to go to university. Under the usual arrangements, students repay their loans to the

Government when they start earning £21,000 and pay an interest of 3 per cent or more depending on their earnings. However, under the alternative finance arrangements, Muslim students would pay an “agency fee” of 3 per cent or more depending on earnings and the money they pay into the fund constitutes a “charitable contribution”. Dr Alamad addressed concerns that this fund might just be a change in names, saying: “This is different. People pay back to the fund so future students can benefit from it rather than paying back to the Treasury. It’s about giving back to the community.”

UK government introduces halal loans for Muslim students

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UK Tories urged to probe Islamophobia

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The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has called on the ruling Conservative Party to launch an urgent inquiry into Islamophobia among the Tories. The largest Muslim representative organization said that the Tories’ recent mayoral campaign was punctuated by “Islamophobic” smears against the newly elected mayor of London Sadiq Khan as well as the country’s Muslim community. Khan, London’s first Muslim mayor, scored a resounding victory over his billionaire Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith. Khan’s victory has made international headlines as race and religion became the central

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issues of the Conservative campaign. The Tories were accused of adopting “dog whistle” policy of drawing attention to Khan’s Muslim faith and trying to link him to extremist groups. They claimed that Khan is “radical” and that London would not be safe under his supervision. PM David Cameron apologized to Suliman Gani, a south London imam, for accusing him of supporting Daesh group. Cameron said in the parliament that “Mr Khan has appeared on a platform with him (Gani) nine times. This man supports IS (Daesh). He

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even shared a platform.” Meanwhile, British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon has also issued an apology for similar accusations about Gani during the mayoral campaign. MCB secretary-general Shuja Shafi welcomed the apology but said the Conservatives should conduct a full inquiry into “the extent of Islamophobia in its own ranks”. “I welcome the Prime Minister’s long overdue apology to Imam Sulaiman Ghani, a London imam who has thus far been unable to challenge claims made in Parliament that he supports Daesh or terrorism. As a result of these smears, we understand that Imam Ghani has been subject to abuse and threats on his life,” Shafi said. He also urged Cameron and Fallon to make their apologies once again in the parliament. “Imam Ghani became the innocent casualty of a wider Islamophobic attack on the now mayor of London and the Conservative Party needs to apologize for this too.” “Such smear-by-association has become all too common for Muslims and Muslim organizations. It is a cancer blighting sections of our political and media class and has infected the solemn business of government,” Shafi added.

Scottish man converts to Islam without ever meeting a Muslim in his life A white Scottish man, living in the Scottish Highlands, converted to Islam without ever meeting a Muslim in his life. He says he was attracted towards Islam when he for the first time heard Adhan - call to prayer, and later ended up becoming a Muslim after reading the Holy Quran. “For me, it all started when I heard the call to prayer from a local mosque while on a beach holiday in Turkey. It woke something up inside me, and inspired me to begin a spiritual quest”, Alan Rooney wrote in a self-written article published by the

Independent. “Back home in Inverness, I went to the local bookshop, bought a Quran and started to read. While reading, I always asked God to guide me on the journey I had set out on”, he added. He says he continued reading the Holy Quran while doing “a lot of praying, and a lot of time on his knees”. “The Quran really shook me. It’s quite a scary book to read because it tells you so much about yourself. Some things that I found out about myself I didn’t like. So I decided to

make some changes”, he added. “I knew that I could stop reading the Quran and halt the process at any time, but I also knew that would mean giving up something really important. “And I knew what the end result of this process would be: I would be a Muslim. “After those 18 months, however, I considered myself a Muslim. I was praying five times a day, fasting for Ramadan, and eating and drinking only what was considered acceptable according to the teachings of the Quran”.

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‘Significant milestone’ for Leeds hospital in prompt Muslim and Jewish burials

A new policy aimed at making it easier for the bodies of deceased people of Muslim or Jewish faith to be released promptly for burial has been hailed as a “significant milestone” by councillors. Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) has adopted its first Care After Death and Bereavement Policy more than 18 months after delays in the release of bodies were highlighted. The formal guidance is hoped to make hospital staff more aware of

how to ensure the timely release of bodies so families can bury lost loved ones promptly in line with religious customs. Leeds City Council’s health scrutiny board started discussions with the trust in 2014/15 over the issue after inspectors from the Care Quality Commission and community faith leaders raised concerns. Coun Peter Gruen, chair of the scrutiny board, said: “Given this is the first formally adopted LTH policy

that includes a specific procedure on the timely release of bodies for the families of deceased people with a Muslim or Jewish faith, we recognise and acknowledge this as a significant milestone for both LTH and the communities of Leeds.” Coun Gruen did, however, express concern at the length of time taken by trust bosses to act on the issue and urged LTH to react more quickly to matters where a “specific community concern” has been identified in future. The policy, discussed at scrutiny last week, was introduced by LTH in January after outreach work by the trust’s patient experience team. Its impact will be assessed in November. The bereavement protocol has been bolstered by changes to the trust’s out of hours provision, meaning the correct procedures and paperwork can be completed promptly at all times of the day and night. www.pi-media.co.uk

Cameron says Turkey ‘decades’ from joining the EU

PM David Cameron said it would be decades before Turkey could possibly join the EU, saying that it might happen in the year 3000 on current progress. Even then, the United Kingdom, like all member states, would have a veto on their entry, Cameron said, with future Turkish accession a key battleground in Britain’s referendum on its own EU membership. “It is not remotely on the cards that Turkey is going to join the EU at any time soon,” Cameron told ITV Peston on Sunday. “They applied in 1987. At the current rate of progress, they’d probably get round to joining in about the year 3000.” “Remain” camp is on 55 percent and the “Leave” campaign on 45 percent, according to the What UK Thinks website’s average of the last

six opinion polls. “The Leave campaign are making a very misleading claim about Turkey. Turkey is not going to join,” Cameron said. “They’re basically saying vote to get out of Europe because of this issue of Turkey that we can’t stop joining the EU. That is not true. “Britain and every other country in the European Union has a veto on another country joining. “At the current rate of progress, it would be decades, literally decades, before this even had a prospect of happening,” he said of Turkish accession. “Even at that stage, we would be able to say no.” Writing in the Sunday Express newspaper, Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-EU, anti-mass immigration UK Independence Party, said that to

stay in the EU “would mean not just net migration at the current record high levels, but at rates even higher” in future if Turkey joined. “Open borders with Turkey would be a total disaster for our country,” the leading Brexit campaigner wrote. “With a population of 80 million, it would mean even more uncontrolled migration into the UK.” After applying in 1987, Turkey began EU accession talks in 2005. In 2010, Cameron went to Ankara to “make the case for Turkey’s membership of the EU. And to fight for it”. During former Turkish president Abdullah Gul’s state visit in 2011, Cameron reassured him that Britain remained strongly supportive of Turkey’s EU membership bid. www.pi-media.co.uk

Channel 4 Muslims doc cleared of Islamophobia

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Channel 4’s controversial documentary What British Muslims Really Think will not be investigated by media regulator Ofcom despite more than 200 complaints. The hour-long programme presented by Trevor Phillips, a former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, promised to be a “rigorous survey of the views of British Muslims”.

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It sparked a row after it commissioned a poll that found more than half of British Muslims think homosexuality should be illegal. Ofcom received 91 complaints about the programme, including from people who said it contained misleading information and risked increasing Islamophobia. Channel 4 received around 130 complaints. Ofcom said it had looked at

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the complaints and decided not to take them forward for a formal investigation after Channel 4 shared details of its survey. “We assessed a number of complaints that the survey results in this programme about the views of British Muslims were presented in a misleading way and risked increasing Islamophobia. However, we won’t be taking the matter forward for investigation,” said a spokesperson for the regulator. “Channel 4 provided us with extensive information which demonstrated that the programme did not present the results of the survey in a misleading manner.” Following its broadcast on 13 April which was watched by 1.4 million viewers, Channel 4 said it had another 20 “appreciative” messages of the documentary. www.pi-media.co.uk

Muslim leader calls for Introduction of hate crime laws in Ireland There is an urgent need for hatecrime legislation in Ireland, a Muslim leader said. Dr. Ali Selim, of the Clonskeagh mosque in Dublin, said Ireland was “almost unique” among EU countries in not having such laws which “would enable gardaí pursue hate-criminals with the fullest rigour and bring them to justice” He was speaking after a recent attack on Muslims in Dublin. Brothers Naqeeb Ahmadzai (18) and Fazalrahman Ahmadzai (20), along with their nephew Abdul (13), were punched, kicked and beaten unconscious by four men as they were cycling home from Marlay Park in Rathfarnham. It is understood gardaí have detained two men in connection with the incident. Dr. Selim said a Muslim man had recently been attacked in Dublin’s Thomas Street while a group of men

had “brutally beaten” another Muslim man who was making a delivery in a Dublin suburb. He was aware that the great majority of the Irish people were totally opposed to such attacks and praised gardaí for the speed with which they had dealt with the Rathfarnham incident. Speaking at a meeting of The Three Faiths Forum (which represents Jews, Christians, and Muslims) in Dublin’s Mansion House, he said there were some who stoked up fear and hatred towards Muslims in Ireland. Referring in particular to those who accused Muslims “of not integrating and forming their own ghettos”, he said they were “stigmatizing Irish people.” He pointed out that “more than two thirds of the Muslim population in Ireland” were Irish “by birth or naturalization”.

Extremism was “not the exclusive practice of a certain group. Stereotyping is a form of oppression,” he said, and that “to stigmatize every Muslim for a crime perpetrated by a Muslim is just like stigmatizing every Christian for a crime perpetrated by a Christian. It is not fair and it is absurd.” He emphasized that “the resurgence of intolerance and discrimination against Muslims after September 11th (2001 attacks in New York)...had no serious impact on Muslims living in Ireland.” Irish people had “expressed their solidarity with Muslims in Ireland. Some visited the Islamic centre and handed over letters of solidarity.” All “passed one message: ‘This is not you. We are with you.’ It is said a friend in need is a friend indeed. From our side, we were the first people in Ireland to condemn 9/11,” he said.

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Palestinian patients stuck in Gaza demand travel by sea

WORLD NEWS

Scores of Palestinian patients protested in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip to express their need for a port to facilitate their travel abroad for medical treatment. The protest took place in Gaza’s port and was organized by the Hamas-leaning National Movement

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Committee for Breaking the Siege and Reconstruction in Gaza, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health. Protesters held banners with slogans that demanded their right of travel and medical treatment. “We assert today that the

existence of a port to connect the Gaza Strip with the outer world has become an urgent necessity to enable the patients to travel abroad to continue their treatment,” Alaa al-Batta, the committee’s coordinator, said. “It is not acceptable on the national, humanitarian or moral levels anymore that the besiege imposed on the strip would constantly continue in its 10th year.” Al-Batta also urged the UN and the International Committee for the Red Cross to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities toward the strip. The Palestinian Crossings Authority urged Egypt to open the Rafah crossing on a permanent basis, noting that around 30,000 Gazans, including 4,000 medical patients, desperately needed to cross the border. Since the ouster of Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi in a 2013 military coup, Egypt has kept the border with the Hamas-run Gaza Strip tightly sealed for the most part.

First Palestinian museum opens in West Bank The first Palestinian Museum opened in the town of Birzeit near the West Bank city of Ramallah. Construction of the museum, which bears the shape of a ship, was funded by Palestinian donors and overseen by several Palestinian NGOs. The museum’s main aim is to preserve Palestinian culture and heritage, according to project organizers. It is also intended to provide development and humanitarian assistance to Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jerusalem, the blockaded Gaza Strip and the “1948 lands” (now in the state of Israel), along with Palestinian refugees now living in Lebanon. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the museum would “enshrine the memory of the

Palestinian people” and serve as a reminder to future generations that they had been living on the land since time immemorial. “The Palestinians never left this land,” Abbas said at the museum’s opening ceremony last month. “This museum will tell the entire world that we will not leave; that we will stay here and build our state of Palestine,” he asserted. “Palestinian heritage,” Abbas added, “cannot be forgotten or ignored.” Museum Director Mahmoud al-Huwari, for his part, told Anadolu Agency that that the idea of establishing a Palestinian Museum had been under discussion since 1997. “The museum was funded and built by Palestinians at a cost of $28 million,” he said. “It was built in the shape of ship

because it is meant to represent a bridge between the Palestinians and the world,” he added. According to al-Huwari, only the first phase of the museum project has been completed. “We now have around 12,000 images in the audiovisual archives and we hope to collect another 1,000 over the next five years,” he said. Omar al-Qattan, museum team director, stressed that the “world-class” museum was also environmentally friendly. “We worked very hard to present our history in a way that honors Palestinian culture, sacrifice and steadfastness,” al-Qattan told Anadolu Agency. “Along with being a place for Palestinian history and culture, the museum has also been built to serve as a platform for dialogue,” he said.

Muslim woman named Denmark best teacher

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I June 2016

WORLD NEWS

Loris El-Haj, a Danish Muslim has received the best teacher award in the European country, in recognition of her efforts to help refugees in elementary schools. “She likes to develop and improve her teaching so that students can learn and understand in many different ways,” writes the scientific panel. According to the paper, El-Haj was picked amongst 430 teachers in

the elementary school category. The Muslim teacher, who wears a Islamic hijab, is a refugee herself who came to Denmark from Lebanon at the age of 15. Coming to Denmark, she remembers the goal she set for herself to learn 50 new words every day. Four months later, she enrolled in an ordinary Danish 8th grade. Twenty-five years later, she is working to help refugees to acquire

The number of crimes committed by far-right activists in Germany has sharply increased to reach the highest level since 2001, the country’s Interior Ministry said. Politically motivated far-right crimes rose by a record 34.9 percent in 2015 and reached an all-time high of 22,960 incidents, according to new figures released by the ministry. Among the nearly 23,000 far-right offences, 1,485 were violent attacks. Police also recorded 1,031 attacks against asylum centers in

2015, five times more than such attacks reported in the previous year. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the crime statistics revealed the danger of growing radicalization. “In these attacks against asylum centers, 90 percent of the identified suspects are persons living in the neighborhood,” he told a news conference in Berlin. “Forty-four percent of these identified suspects did not have any criminal record before,” he added.

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language so fast, encouraging more integration in the country. “Their vocabulary is very limited,” El-Haj said about new refugees. As a teacher, I should help to develop this vocabulary. I’ve even been there, so I know how hard it is to find out all these meanings,” she added. Bidar, a 16-year-old refugee who fled Syria a year and a half ago, is one of those El-Haj is helping. Bidar completed the equivalent to 9th grade in Syria, before he and his family fled to Denmark. “It is not just about language but about all teaching,” he said. “It’s hard for me to go back to school and learn something new, But Loris has always said that if you say it’s difficult, you cannot learn it, never.” For the young student, overcoming the war he witnessed in Syria was not an easy task without El-Haj’s help. “You can forget the past and start over. That she has done, “said Bidar. “She gives us courage so that we can forget what has happened.”

Far-right crimes jump 35 percent in Germany

Germany has witnessed growing anti-refugee and anti-Muslim sentiment in recent years, triggered by propaganda from far-right and populist parties which have attempted to exploit the refugee crisis and fears of radical religious and terrorist groups. The country took in 1.1 million refugees in 2015; most were Syrians, Iraqis, and Afghans fleeing civil wars and other conflicts. www.pi-media.co.uk

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China building Muslim theme park 16

WORLD NEWS

China is building an Islamic theme park in a bid to improve ties with the Middle East and push a version of the religion that fits the Communist Party vision. The Hui Culture Park has cost billions to construct and is aimed at improving relations with majority Muslim countries. Due for completion in 2020, the state has pumped $3.7billion into the project since work began in 2012, according to China Daily, despite a relative lack of attention or interest.

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China is hoping to improve Sino-Arab relations for economic investment and is also looking to shift attention from the controversy surrounding the state’s treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority. The park, also known as the World Muslim City, has been constructed in Yinchuanin the inland Ningxia autonomous region. Ningxia is home to a large population of Hui Muslims, who speak Mandarin and are ethnically similar to the majority Han Chinese

I June 2016

population. With direct flights planned from Arab and South-east Asian countries, the relatively small city of Yinchuan has become an important symbol in the Chinese state’s desire to convey its cooperation with Muslims. Though not explicitly religious, the park boasts a domed ‘Golden Palace’, complete with minarets. A folk center and hotels are also planned. The project is being viewed by some as a response to the need for China to better engage with Muslims, at home and abroad. While Hui Muslims run the park, the Uighur Muslim minority often generate far more negative attention for the Chinese state. Rights groups such as Amnesty International have criticized censorship, government heavyhandedness and restrictions placed on freedom of religion in Xinjiang. The perceived mistreatment of the Uighur Muslim population has also been criticized internationally. In July 2015 in Turkey, there was public outrage and protests after it was reported that Uighur Muslims were prevented from fasting during Ramadan.

Yemen’s food situation on verge of ‘humanitarian disaster’ The food security and nutrition situation in Yemen will turn into a humanitarian disaster unless urgent funding is accessible for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) cereal and vegetable planting season and the summer fishing season, and vaccinate livestock before winter, the United Nations agency has warned. Around 14.4 million people – over half of Yemen’s population – urgently need food security and livelihood assistance, the FAO reported. The volume of food required in Yemen is far greater than humanitarian actors can provide. Agriculture must be

an integral part of the humanitarian response to prevent Yemen’s dire food security situation from worsening. Increasing households’ resilience to food security threats will contribute to saving many lives. Emergency agricultural interventions are critical to preserving household resilience. Food production and income generation are especially vital in hard-to-reach areas where aid access is limited. The factors negatively affecting the food security include a reported desert locust outbreak, which threatens the livelihoods of more

than 100,000 farmers, beekeepers and herders in five governorates, and the April flooding, which put 49,000 people in need of urgent assistance, the FAO said.

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CIA watchdog head deletes Senate torture report www.pi-media.co.uk

In Case You Missed It

The acting inspector general of the CIA has “mistakenly” destroyed the only copy of a Senate report on the agency’s torture methods, American media reported. Christopher Sharpley privately informed a Senate committee in last August about the incident, reports say, but it became public only after the watchdog office failed to retain a new copy. The 6,700-page report by the Senate Intelligence Committee, compiled from cables and memos, contains details of the CIA’s use of “waterboarding, sleep deprivation and other aggressive interrogation methods” at overseas prisons. Committee chairman at the time, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, released copies of the report in late 2014, for

review, to the office of the inspector general, as well as to other U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA. According to media reports, Sharpley uploaded the file to the agency’s internal network and destroyed the hard disk, in accordance with procedures. But a separate official deleted the file with the report, apparently misinterpreting Justice Department instructions to not open the file as to prevent it from coming under the scope of the Freedom of Information Act. Beginning early last year, current chairman of the committee, Sen. Richard Burr, tried to recover all the files from intelligence agencies, citing concerns that they belonged to

lawmakers. Feinstein, has reportedly pushed the agency’s internal watchdog to retain a copy of the report. After the inspector general office failed to return the report, Feinstein sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and CIA director James Clapper that confirmed the only copy of the report with the inspector general’s office was lost. A U.S. Court of Appeals last week ruled that the controversial document is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. While a 500-page executive summary of the reports was released, the full report remains classified. The incident occurs amid a fierce political debate in the U.S. regarding torture. Apparent Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump has vowed to resume torture if elected. “Would I approve waterboarding? You bet your ass I would — in a heartbeat,” he said during a rally last year. “And I would approve more than that. Don’t kid yourself, folks. It works, okay? It works. Only a stupid person would say it doesn’t work,” he added. www.pi-media.co.uk

US House puts restrictions on military aid for Pakistan The United States House of Representatives passed the bill seeking to increase restriction on military aid for Pakistan unless the specific conditions are met. The House expressed dissatisfaction over what they term Islamabad’s failure to tackle the Haqqani network and passed the $602 billion National Defense Authorization 2017 or NDAA. Thus, the NDAA will block $450 million military aid to Islamabad unless it steps up its fight against the armed group, which is seen as a major threat to the US forces in

Afghanistan. The bill requires the Pentagon to certify that Pakistan is conducting military operations to disrupt the Haqqani network, not letting the network use North Waziristan as a safe haven and actively coordinating with Afghanistan’s government to fight the network along their border. Three significant amendments were added to the NDAA 2017. One added a fourth requirement to the release of the aid, that the administration certify Pakistan has shown progress in arresting and prosecuting Haqqani network senior

leaders and mid-level operatives. Another required that the Secretary of Defence certify Pakistan is not using its military or any funds or equipment provided by the US to persecute minority groups. And a third added a “sense of Congress” that Shakil Afridi is an international hero and calls for his immediate release from prison. Yet the House version of the NDAA is not the final version of the legislation since must be combined with a Senate bill before being sent to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign or veto.

I WORLD NEWS

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Russian banks prepare to Incorporate Islamic banking 18

In a Noteworthy transformation, two of the largest Russian banks, one of which is Sberbank, will soon incorporate Islamic banking rules into their line of work, in a quick response to the invitation sent out by President of Tatarstan, a federal subject of Russia, Rustam Minnikhanov. Minnikhanov’s invitation revolved on how Islam-based banking had been normalized in his republic. Russian news agency TASS, had reported that two of Russia’s greatest banks are displaying interest towards Minnikhanov’s proposal on a future plan for incorporating a specialized sector for Islam -based banking

transactions. However, Minnikhanov pointed out that should the two banks incorporate the new system of transactions, Russia would be forced to revise a score of fiscal laws and regulations. In early 2016, a working group on Islamic banking under Russia’s Central Bank approved a ‘roadmap’ for the introduction of this mechanism in Russia. Currently, the group is drawn in in discussions on legislative amendments needed for transactions under Islamic banking rules. According to Poletaev, pilot deals may be executed within the

limits of the active legislation. Russia’s top lender Sberbank plans pilot deals under the rules of Islamic banking in autumn 2016 in the Republic of Tatarstan, TASS reported First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board Maxim Poletaev as saying. “We have to make a commitment to executive several pilot transactions in autumn,” Poletaev said. Islamic banking refers to a system of banking or banking activity that is consistent with the principles of the Sharia (Islamic rulings) and is alternative to traditional banking. Sharia prohibits acceptance of specific interest or fees for loans of money (known as usury). For this reason Islamic banks raise their incomes directly from profits of business projects they finance. When attracting money from individuals Islamic banks don’t pay income on deposits to their clients except for inflation rate, which is set by the state. First Deputy Chairman also said that Sberbank will set up an expert group for exploring the potential of the Islamic banking. “We’re planning to seriously delve into this area as it is important for the country for diversification of sources of funding,” he added.

The U.S. and Germany have agreed on a new accord aimed at increasing information sharing to help thwart potential terrorist attacks, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson has announced. Speaking alongside his German counterpart, Thomas de Maiziere, last month in Washington, Johnson announced the new agreement, highlighting that he had seen an

increased commitment from EU leaders to work on joint measures to combat terrorism following deadly attacks in European capitals. He welcomed Europe’s “increased commitment” to jointly combat terrorism, according to German media network Deutsche Welle. “Terrorism is a threat to all of us,” de Maiziere added, stressing the

need to cooperate internationally. De Maiziere will reportedly sign the agreement Wednesday with Attorney General Loretta Lynch at the U.S. Justice Department. Thirty-two people were killed in multiple bomb attacks in Brussels in March, and 130 others were killed in separate gun-and-bomb attacks in Paris last November, both of which were claimed by ISIL.

US, Germany announce new intel sharing deal

Tunisia’s war on ‘terror’ has cost $4 billion

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I June 2016

Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi said in Doha that his country’s battle to fight “terrorism” has cost it around $4 billion diverted away from the country’s economy. “The war against terrorism has cost Tunisia a lot, about $4 billion,” Essebsi told reporters in Qatar, at the end of an official three-day visit to the Gulf country. “It could have been invested in economic matters but unfortunately in this situation it was necessary to give a priority to fighting terrorism and achieving security.” Essebsi added that there was “no future” for political Islam in the country.

WORLD NEWS I 19

Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring, has suffered from a wave of extremist violence since its 2011 uprising which saw longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ousted. Tunisia was hit by a series of deadly ISIl group attacks last year on foreign holidaymakers and security forces that killed dozens and dealt a devastating blow to its lucrative tourism industry. At the same time, thousands of Tunisians have joined extremist movements including ISIL in Syria, Iraq and Libya. The president also said on Thursday that Tunisia wanted to strengthen a 200-kilometre long

(125-mile) barrier stretching around half the length of its border with Libya to try and prevent militants from infiltrating. “It (the barrier) should be strengthened by a remote earlywarning device from about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) or more, and this device is nearing completion,” said Essebsi, who was speaking in Arabic. “There is cooperation with other countries, because this system is costly.” Tunisia was working with specialists from America and Germany and the early warning device should secure the border “within four months,” he added. During his visit, Essebsi met Ali Shareef Al Emadi, gas-rich Qatar’s finance minister. Talks, according the state Qatar News Agency (QNA), focused on economy and security. Essebsi was accompanied on the trip by Zied Laadhari, Tunisia’s employment minister, who said the visit could ultimately increase the number of Tunisian labourers working in Qatar. www.pi-media.co.uk

Muslim woman in California sues police A US Muslim woman lodged a lawsuit against California police officers, accusing them of forcibly removing her headscarf at a police station. According to the lawsuit filed against Long Beach police department, Kirsty Powell, an African American, and her husband were driving home in May, 2015 when they were pulled over by two officers. Kirsty was subsequently arrested on two outstanding warrants, one related to her sister allegedly using her identity falsely and one pertaining to a 2002 shoplifting at a grocery store, Press TV reported. Powell says that one of the officers forcibly removed her

headscarf in view of other male officers and inmates while being booked at the police station. The woman says that the officer told her that she was “not allowed to wear her hijab” and that policemen were “allowed to touch women.” According to the suit, filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations on behalf of Powell, she “suffered and continues to suffer extreme shame, humiliation, mental anguish and emotional distress.” “The actions taken by the Long Beach police officers were unwarranted and a serious violation of Mrs. Powell’s bodily integrity,” said Yalda Satar, attorney for the Los Angeles chapter of the CAIR.

“The manner in which Mrs. Powell was treated by LBPD officers was simply a show of authority over a woman of color who was unable to protect herself, and is another example of the type of discrimination faced by women who wear a hijab,” she added. Los Angeles and San Francisco police have been already under scrutiny and criticism over racist and homophobic text messages and emails. In San Francisco, several police officers have resigned from their posts or retired due to racist text messages they exchanged with each other. www.pi-media.co.uk

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World ‘needs leadership’ for humanitarian aid www.pi-media.co.uk

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WORLD NEWS I 21

UNHCR launches private-sector funding drive

Chief of the World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat Jemilah Mahmood said that the structure of the world humanitarian aid system should be changed. In a forum last month the firstever World Humanitarian Summit, which took place in Istanbul on May 23-24, Mahmood said the current aid system was insufficient when dealing with the world’s humanitarian needs. “The structure of humanitarian aid system should be changed,” she said. “We do need a leadership of the humanitarian aid system, which will be our most important call for the World Humanitarian Summit,”

Mahmood added. Mahmood noted that 17 million people worked voluntarily for Red Crescent sections around the world. The head of Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kinik, said in the same forum: “We raised $14 billion as a nongovernmental organization [50 percent of money raised by humanitarian NGOs int the world, according to Kinik] last year, and we spent the whole money.” During the world humanitarian summit in Istanbul, attended by 125 of the UN’s 193 member states, at least 50 heads of government announce several commitments in humanitarian disasters.

The UN refugee agency launched a campaign called ‘Nobody Left Outside’, calling on the private sector to contribute funds to shelter two million refugees wordlwide. “A huge shortfall in funds for sheltering refugees is severely undermining efforts to tackle the biggest global displacement crisis since World War II,” the UNHCR said in a statement. The efforts to provide adequate shelter for refugees were facing a half-billion-dollar deficit, the UNHCR warned. “Some 60 million people are today forcibly displaced, almost 20 million of them refugees who have been forced to flee across international borders, and the rest people displaced within their own countries. Humanitarian funding is failing to keep pace,” the UNHCR noted. The UN body says its operations are expected to cost $724 million in 2016 while only $158 million is currently available.

First Muslim woman elected as speaker in German state parliament The first Muslim woman has been elected as the speaker of a state parliament in Germany in what she hailed as a “historic” step for the country. Muhterem Aras, a Green Party politician, took the post in BadenWürttemberg from a member of a populist anti-immigration party. “We wrote history today,” she said after sweeping in with a significant majority.

Ms Aras, 50, said her victory sent a message of “openness, tolerance and successful integration”, The Local reported. Born in Turkey, she moved to a town near Stuttgart with her parents as a child and studied economics before founding her own tax advice firm. Her political career started in 1992, standing for the Greens on the local council and rising through the

local party to become its local leader and enter the Baden-Württemberg state parliament. She was elected as “Landtagspräsident” by 96 local MPs, becoming the first Muslim woman to take the office. The election came amid continuing tensions over religion, immigration and extremism in Germany. www.pi-media.co.uk

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SPORT

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UAE is top investor in European football shirt sponsorship

The UAE is the biggest investor in the top six European football leagues with $183 million (163m euros) spent on shirt sponsorship in 2015-16, an increase of nine percent on its outlay last season, according to a new report. The Repucom European Football Jersey Report said overall revenue from shirt sponsorship in Europe’s top leagues has risen 13 percent to 830 million euros ($933 million) this season, powered by a 35 percent

increase in England’s Premier League. Total revenue in 2015-16 had gone up from 736 million euros last season, the report said. The document covered shirt sponsorship deals in the Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga, Ligue 1 in France, Italy’s Serie A and the Dutch championship. The biggest rise was in the Premier League with shirt

sponsorship revenue reaching 330 million euros, almost 40 percent of the total for Europe’s top six leagues. Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline and Luis Filipe Vieira, President of Benfica, exchange gifts at the official signing of the new three year deal. “At its current rate of growth we could see European football shirt sponsorship investment top one billion euros within the next few seasons,” said Repucom UK and Ireland managing director Jon Stainer. “The Premier League continues to drive this trend with year on year investment growing faster than any other league on the continent. It is an industry that attracts big money from abroad which underlines the appeal European football has internationally.” Germany (136 million euros) is the second highest followed by the United States (87 million), driven largely by investment from the automobile sector.

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Abu Dhabi-backed UFC ‘in talks over $3bn-plus sale’ The owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – a global martial arts business that is partowned by the Abu Dhabi government – are in advanced talks to sell the business, according to reports from the US. Abu Dhabi subsidiary Flash Entertainment bought a 10 percent stake in UFC in 2010 from Las Vegas-based Zuffa, a company owned by casino heir brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, who bought the then ailing UFC in 2001 for just $2 million. The brothers are believed to still hold 80 percent of the business, while friend and investor Dana White owns the remaining stake. According to US sports news channel ESPN, Zuffa has appointed investment bank Goldman Sachs to oversee a possible sale. At least four bidders are

understood to have submitted bids, including WME/IMG, China Media Capital, US private equity firm the Blackstone Group and Dalian Wanda Group. Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group is believed to be the frontrunner – it has slowly been increasing its exposure to the sports industry, last year buying a 20 percent stake in soccer. The leader in the bid to buy the biggest mixed martial arts business in the world is said to be Chinese-based conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, sources said. Its chairman, Wang Jianlin, is the richest man in China, worth nearly $35 billion, according to Forbes Magazine The company has slowly been getting into sports. Last year, Wanda bought a 20 percent stake in football club Atlético Madrid for a reported $48 million.

In March, the company agreed to sign on as a FIFA partner, the highest level of sponsorship, until 2030. The winning bid is expected to be for around $3.5 billion and $4 billion, ESPN reported, citing “multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations”. Lorenzo Fertitta told CNN in December that the private company grossed about $600 million in revenue last year. The brothers are worth about $1.6 billion each, according to Forbes. ESPN quoted sources as saying Goldman Sachs had set UFC’s last full-year earnings as between $200 million to $250 million, before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation. Investors have reportedly also been advised that a new television rights deal, scheduled to begin in 2019, could add an additional $250 million in annual revenue.

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SPORT I 23

I June 2016

FIFA appoint Fatma Samoura as first female secretary general

Senegalese United Nations official Fatma Samoura has been appointed as the new FIFA Secretary General by the FIFA Council, the first woman to hold the prominent position at football’s world governing body. FIFA president Gianni Infantino made the announcement at the 66th FIFA Congress in Mexico City and Samoura will take up the position before mid-June after undergoing an eligibility check administered by the independent review committee. She replaces Jerome Valcke, who was banned from all football-related activity for 12 years for misconduct during his term. A statement read: “Ms. Samoura is a 21-year veteran of United Nations programmes who is currently the UN’s Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident

Representative in Nigeria. “Since starting her UN career as a senior logistics officer with the World Food Programme in Rome in 1995, Ms. Samoura has served as country representative or director in six countries: Republic of Djibouti, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Madagascar and Nigeria. She speaks French (her mother tongue), English, Spanish and Italian. “In her current UN role in Nigeria, Ms. Samoura has wide-ranging responsibilities including budgeting, human resources, and procurement, among others. She coordinates the activities of approximately 2,000 staff members, and monitors and evaluates the security, political and socio-economic situation and trends in Africa’s most populous country.” Infantino said: “Fatma is a woman

with international experience and vision who has worked on some of the most challenging issues of our time. She has a proven ability to build and lead teams, and improve the way organisations perform. Importantly for FIFA, she also understands that transparency and accountability are at the heart of any well-run and responsible organisation. “It is essential for FIFA to incorporate fresh perspectives — from outside the traditional pool of football executives — as we continue to restore and rebuild our organisation. No one exemplifies what we need more than Fatma does, and we are thrilled that she has joined our team.” Ms. Samoura added: “Today is a wonderful day for me, and I am honored to take on the role of FIFA’s Secretary General. I believe this role is a perfect fit for my skills and experience — strategic, high impact team building in international settings — which I will use to help grow the game of football all over the world. I also look forward to bringing my experience in governance and compliance to bear on the important reform work that is already underway at FIFA. “FIFA is taking a fresh approach to its work — and I am eager to play a role in making that approach as effective and lasting as possible.” www.pi-media.co.uk

Dubai Holding denies rumours over French football club purchase

Dubai Holding has denied an interest in buying French football club Olympic Marseille after speculation that the state-owned company was considering buying a stake in the Ligue 1 giant. In April, the French team’s majority owner, businesswoman Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, put the club up for sale, saying she would sell Marseille to the best long-term investor.

“The price is not my first concern. However, the capacity of the new shareholder to build a team capable of winning at the highest level is essential,” she said in a statement obtained by BFM TV. The club’s management confirmed the contents of the statement. A source close to the club, whose sale has been rumoured in the past, told Reuters that several offers had been made.

Speculation in the French online press had centered around Dubai Holding, but that was denied. “Dubai Holding denied some reports appearing on social media & online that it intends to buy Olympique de Marseille FC,” the Dubai Media Office said in a tweet. Marseille, one of the giants of French football, have had a difficult season, finishing 13th in Ligue 1. www.pi-media.co.uk

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June | 2016 Dear Diary, Only two days to go! So so excited to do. Kids and hubby have been helping clean all day. Have to prep

for ‘bring a They’re dying to dish’ Iftar see each other. at Umar’s Social services school. A ton called to meet of shopping again. Everyone left to on Facebook is order, plus sharing pics of their Iftar prep, their Eid Eid and decoragifts. tions. Don’t know Ramadhan HER how I’ll afford RAMADHAN calendar left DIARY anything for the to decorate. kids. Phone Umar’s going o women? tw r being cut off fo be ly al re th on m e on n to try itikaaf ow different ca andHdebts this year with Can’t bear the Musa. adhan idea of While most of us think of Ram so alone as a tim e fo r fa m ily, gifts an d joy, fo r fa m ilie s Samosas

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Ramadan - A Month of Cleansing and ‘Seeding’

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Ramadan is a month that benefits a believer tremendously. It is perhaps the shortest and simplest path to acquire Nisbat (relationship, connection) with Almighty. All forms of rewards and opportunities await a Muslim who is desirous of reformation and of acquiring proximity to Almighty. The exercises of Ramadan are designed such that they automatically establish a certain ability within a person to incline towards piety and virtue. Ordinary eating, drinking, sleeping and public association is curtailed. These are factors that are generally the cause of arousing passions, lethargy and negligence. Curbing these elements makes one fresh and energetic. Through fasting ones eating, drinking and carnal passions are kept in check. With Suhoor, Taraweeh and Tahajjud,

FEATURED I 25

sleep is balanced and through Itikaaf (seclusion) one develops the ability to enjoy proximity of Almighty and is protected from the ill-effects of unnecessary association with people. These exercises cleanse the inner-self and connect one with Almighty. The heart is cleaned and prepared for cultivation. Cleaning the heart of the effects of overconsumption is necessary before the ‘seeds’ of Zikr, Quran recitation, Dua and good acts can be sown. With the heart cleaned, the pure essence of Zikr and other acts of devotion will impact on the heart. When the ground is fertile and prepared for cultivation the crops that will germinate will be lush and of a high quality. Similarly, the heart that is softened by these spiritual exercises will bear wonderful ‘flowers’ and results.

Once the cleansing is done, the ‘seeding’ begins. Through the optional acts of devotion like Tahajjud, Zikrullah, Nafl salah, recitation of the Quran, Sadqah etc., ‘seeding’ takes place. These beautiful acts of devotion are seeds that are sown in the ‘garden of Taqwa’ - the clean and cultivated heart of a believer. These seeds will result in beautiful flowers. In essence, Ramadan is a month in which we cleanse the heart of maladies and plant the seeds of ibadat which results in one experiencing the beautiful fragrance and sweetness of Imaan (faith). When this is acquired it should not be lost and destroyed but enhanced by adhering to what was acquired through the blessings of Ramadan. May Almighty grant the Ummah a spiritually fruitful Ramadan. Aameen

The Islamic Caliphate in a Historical Context

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I June 2016

Part 3

The death of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) created a political vacuum in terms of who would lead the growing Islamic empire that was beginning to spread out to the four corners of the globe. It should be said that the first schism occurred within the house of Islam over whether Ali Ibn Abi Talib or Abu Bakr al-Siddiq should have become the first caliph (Khalifah) of the Islamic state. To this day, Shiites and Sunnis have vehemently championed the claims of both great personalities to the caliphate and emphasised their credentials from historical and theological perspectives. Shiites have historically argued that Ali Ibn Abi Talib had a stronger claim to the caliphate by virtue of the fact that he was the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and the fact that he was promised the position of caliph at Ghadir Khumm. On the other hand, Sunnis vehemently challenged this argument posed by the Shiites and state that

Abu Bakr was to be the caliph in that he was the closest confidante of the Prophet Muhammad and by virtue of the fact of leading congregational prayers in his absence due to ill health especially during the last days of his life. Nevertheless, despite the split between the Shiites (partisans of Ali) and the Sunnis, we find that the notion of the caliphate and its titular head namely the caliph became an institution that was to last from 623 AD to 1924 spanning thirteen centuries in the process. What is interesting to note is that the election of a caliph during the formative period of Islam provides the very foundation of democracy that we take for granted today through the process of Shura (consultation). The closest companions (Sahaba) during the formative period of Islam democratically elected a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;caliphâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; through deliberation and at its conclusion appointed a leader in the process. History gives credence to the

fact that Greeks were the founding fathers of democracy, but we see that the early Muslims setting a new precedence by electing a caliph via a democratic model through the process of Ijma (consensus) for the very first time. Thus, democracy as it is known today played a vital role at the heart of government during the formative period of Islam.

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