Quebec’s Muslims, Jews Oppose Bid to Ban Religious Symbols in Public Jobs...
MONTREAL, Canada – Quebec’s Muslims and Jews are on the same side of a heated debate over whether the regional government can ban employees in public service from wearing overt religious symbols, such as Muslim women wearing headscarves. Last week, the Quebec government lit a political firestorm by unveiling its “Charter of Values,” under which employees in public sectors or connected with it would be banned from wearing symbols that advertise any religion. Among other things it would mean that Muslim women observing the hijab, Sikh men wearing the turban, Jews sporting the kippah or Christians with larger-than-average crucifixes could no longer do so at government jobs. The Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec has denounced the bill, which...
‘Fatwa’ Condemns Killings Of Innocent...
‘ISLAMIC terrorism’ is a phrase that has become part of the active vocabulary of mainstream media in the world. But the phrase is an oxymoron, argues Advocate Jafar Samdani, Senior Associate at Kuwait Mediation and International Arbitration Chamber. As the head of a forum that has proclaimed peace and understanding as its core objectives, Jafar is currently actively promoting a book by a world famous scholar to create awareness on the Islamic perspective on terrorism. Armed with a degree in Islamic Studies and International Affairs, Jafar is able to shed light on the book and also courses through history and politics to put the phenomenon of terrorism in perspective. However, he agrees that creating harmony without bringing about...
Assembly of Experts Says Takfiri Current Contrary to Islam...
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Takfiri groups, which are committing various crimes in the name of religion, are a deviant current and their acts amount to heresy and run counter to the tenets of Islam, Iran’s Assembly of Experts said in a statement on Wednesday. The statement also urges the world Muslims elites to stand against the Takfiri Salafist current “which is heresy in religion and is not in conformity with the Qu’ran and Islam … and to condemn this current, and any form of fratricide.” The conflict in Syria and the prospects of a military attack against that country by some western powers featured high in the statement. The assembly members warned “the US, Israel and European governments...
Somalia: Fatwa Against Al Shabab, ‘It Has No Place In Islam’...
September 12, 2013 Some 160 Somali religious scholars have issued a fatwa (judgment or learned interpretation in the Islamic faith) against the al Shabab, saying the group “has no place in Islam”. It is the first time Somali religious leaders have come up with a fatwa against the group, which controls vast rural areas. The announcement comes as residents of Bula Burte, in central Somalia, denounced that the al Shabab Islamists executed a young man and performed a double amputation in front of a crowd of dozens of people. The fatwa establishes that al Shabab “is not an Islamic movement” but an extremist group with “an erroneous ideology” that comes together “to kill Somalis without any legitimate reason...
Islamic finance ready to move into fast lane...
Ethical banks could grab half of regional market within years Islamic banks are set to have the same share of the Middle East’s banking industry as their conventional rivals by the end of the decade, a major international lender has said. Leading executives at global institution Standard Chartered say Sharia-compliant banks are on track to boast around half of the region’s banking assets by 2020 – on the back of surging growth which has seen the industry expand by 30 per cent in the region in just two years. Standard Chartered say Islamic banking now accounts for 25 per cent of the UAE banking industry. “It’s not niche any more – it’s becoming part of regular banking,” Khalid...
Arab Women As Likely As Men To Support Islamic Law In Middle East After Arab Spring...
By Jaweed KaleemPosted: 06/25/2012 5:27 pm Updated: 06/25/2012 5:50 pm As Islamist political parties have gained influence across the Middle East since the Arab uprisings, activists and pundits have questioned the role religion will play in new governments, including how religiously influenced law will affect women’s rights. A Gallup report released Monday found that Arab women are as likely as Arab men to want Islam to play a role in their countries’ laws and that religious Arab men are more likely to support certain women’s rights than men who are less devout. The report, “After the Arab Uprisings: Women on Rights, Religion, and Rebuilding,” draws upon polls of men and women in six countries that experienced political upheaval in recent years...
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