Women in Afghanistan will be allowed to study in universities as the country seeks to rebuild after decades of war — but segregation by sex and a dress code will be mandatory, the Taliban's new higher education minister said on Sunday.
The minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, said the new Taliban government, named last week, would "start building the country on what exists today" and did not want to turn the clock back 20 years to when the movement was last in power.
He said female students would be taught by women wherever possible and classrooms would remain separated, in accordance with the movement's interpretation of Shariah law.
"Thanks to God we have a high number of women teachers. We will not face any problems in this. All efforts will be made to find and provide women teachers for female students," he told a news conference in Kabul.
Note EU-Digets: This is not unique for Afghanistan. Many Muslim countries who practice Sharia Law, including Saudi Arabia, a close ally of the US and many Western countries, which sell them billions of Dollars and Euros of weapons, have segragated places of learning.
Read more at:
Afghanistan's universities now officially segregated by sex | CBC News
Showing posts with label Sharia law. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sharia law. Show all posts
4/6/19
Saudi Arabia: Two dual US - Saudi citizens and ten Saudi citizen supportive of women's rights arrested
Saudi Arabia arrests 12 supportive of women's rights, including 2 dual U.S.-Saudi citizens
Read more at:
1/26/18
Saudi Arabia himan right - democracy: Saudi women get the right to drive — but what about everything else?
Rights advocates say that while welcome, the innovations
hailed around the world as signs that the absolute monarchy had entered
the 21st century are only scratching the surface.
“All the changes that we are hearing about are economic and entertainment changes," said Nasreen Alissa, a Saudi lawyer who created the Know Your Rights app to help women navigate the confusing tangle of strictures that govern them. "The rules and regulations are the same regarding women's basic rights. Not a single thing has changed except for driving and entertainment."
The news has been good for women and girls who want to participate more in Saudi society. Women attended a soccer match for the first time this month — the latest in a series of firsts. Women are also now members of the consultative Shura Council that advises King Salman, who saying it bluntly "is the master of all living things on Saudi-Arabia" - a close ally of the United States.
The labour market is also slowly opening up, with some women working outside the home. The country’s fearsome religious police have been defanged. The Saudi embassy in Washington has named a woman, Fatimah Baeshen, as its spokesperson.
But the kingdom's persistent male guardianship system is still among many women's chief complaints. Every Saudi woman has a male guardian — father, brother, husband or even son — whose permission she needs to get a passport, travel abroad and get married, for example.
Majrashi told NBC News that her movements and choices were restricted for decades by her husband, until he suffered a heart attack a few years ago. That's when he changed his conservative attitude and decided it was time for his wife to get a job.
“It was really hard with my guardians — my dad and my husband. They didn’t let me go out,” she said, describing the patchwork of laws and customs controlling the lives of Saudi women and girls.
Read moreSaudi women get the right to drive — but what about everything else? | Euronews
“All the changes that we are hearing about are economic and entertainment changes," said Nasreen Alissa, a Saudi lawyer who created the Know Your Rights app to help women navigate the confusing tangle of strictures that govern them. "The rules and regulations are the same regarding women's basic rights. Not a single thing has changed except for driving and entertainment."
The news has been good for women and girls who want to participate more in Saudi society. Women attended a soccer match for the first time this month — the latest in a series of firsts. Women are also now members of the consultative Shura Council that advises King Salman, who saying it bluntly "is the master of all living things on Saudi-Arabia" - a close ally of the United States.
The labour market is also slowly opening up, with some women working outside the home. The country’s fearsome religious police have been defanged. The Saudi embassy in Washington has named a woman, Fatimah Baeshen, as its spokesperson.
But the kingdom's persistent male guardianship system is still among many women's chief complaints. Every Saudi woman has a male guardian — father, brother, husband or even son — whose permission she needs to get a passport, travel abroad and get married, for example.
Majrashi told NBC News that her movements and choices were restricted for decades by her husband, until he suffered a heart attack a few years ago. That's when he changed his conservative attitude and decided it was time for his wife to get a job.
“It was really hard with my guardians — my dad and my husband. They didn’t let me go out,” she said, describing the patchwork of laws and customs controlling the lives of Saudi women and girls.
Read moreSaudi women get the right to drive — but what about everything else? | Euronews
10/2/17
Europe: What do Islamic Parties Want? - by Judith Bergman
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| Rome Mosque |
Ms. Bergman gives some interesting insights into the political development of the Islam community in Europe.
The Gatestone Institute is a non-political international policy council and think tank dedicated to educating the public about what the mainstream media fails to report in promoting:
- Institutions of Democracy and the Rule of Law;
- Human Rights
- A free and strong economy
- A military capable of ensuring peace at home and in the free world
- Energy independence
- Ensuring the public stay informed of threats to our individual liberty, sovereignty and free speech.
Ms Bergman in her report on "What do Islamic Parties in Europe Want?" writes:
*Sweden's Jasin party is not unique. Islamist parties have begun to emerge in many European countries, such as the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, and France.
*In the Netherlands, Denk ran on a platform against the integration of immigrants into Dutch society (instead advocating "mutual acceptance", a euphemism for creating parallel Muslim societies); and for establishment of a "racism police" that would register "offenders" and exclude them from holding public office.
"I consider every death of an American, British or Dutch soldier as a victory". — Dyab Abu Jahjah, leader of a group called Movement X and possibly starting an Islamist party in Belgium. The Belgian political magazine Knack named Jahjah the country's fourth-most influential person.
*The "I.S.L.A.M" party, founded in 2012, is working to implement Islamic law, sharia, in Belgium. The party already has branches in the Brussels districts of Anderlecht, Molenbeek and Liege. The party wants to "translate religion into practice".
*In France, as the journalist Yves Mamou recently reported, the PEJ has already approved 68 candidates and wants to abolish the separation of church and state, make veils mandatory for schoolgirls in public schools, introduce halal food in all schools and fight "Islamophobia".
*Sweden's brand new first Islamic party, Jasin, is aiming to run for the 2018 parliamentary elections. According to the website of the party, Jasin is a "multicultural, democratic, peaceful party" that is "secular" and aims to "unite everyone from the East... regardless of ethnicity, language, race, skin color or religion". Jasin apparently knows what the Swedes like to hear.
In an interview, the founder and spokesperson of the party, Mehdi Hosseini, who came from Iran to Sweden 30 years ago, revealed that the leader of the new political party, Sheikh Zoheir Eslami Gheraati, does not actually live in Sweden. He is an Iranian imam, who lives in Teheran, but Jasin wants to bring him to Sweden: "I thought he was such a peaceful person who would be able to manifest the peaceful side of Islam. I think that is needed in Sweden," said Hosseini.
The purpose of the Jasin party, however, does not appear to be either secular or multicultural. In its application to the Swedish Election Authority, the party writes -- with refreshing honesty -- that it will "firstly follow exactly what the Koran says, secondly what Shiite imams say". The Jasin party also states that it is a "non-jihadi and missionary organization, which will spread Islam's real side, which has been forgotten and has been transformed from a beautiful to a warlike religion..."
In mid-September, the Swedish Election Authority informed Jasin that it failed to deliver the needed signatures, but that it is welcome to try again. Anna Nyqvist, from the Swedish Election Authority, said that a political party with an anti-democratic or Islamic agenda is eligible to run for parliament if the party's application fulfills all formalities. Nyqvist considers it unproblematic that the leader of the party lives in Iran. "This is the essence of democracy, that all views should be allowed. And it is up to them to choose their party leader", Nyqvist said.
Sweden's Jasin Party is not unique. Islamist parties have begun to emerge in many European countries, such as the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, and France.
In the Netherlands, two Dutch Turks, former members of the Socialist party, founded a new party, Denk, only six months before the Dutch parliamentary elections. Despite the short timeframe, they managed to get one-third of the Muslim vote and three seats in parliament. The party does not hide its affinity for Turkey: Criticism of Turkey is taboo just as is their refusal to name the Turkish mass-slaughter of the Armenians during the First World War a genocide. The party ran on a platform against the integration of immigrants into Dutch society (instead advocating "mutual acceptance", a euphemism for creating parallel Muslim societies); and for establishment of a "racism police" that would register "offenders" and exclude them from holding public office.
In Austria, Turkish Muslims also formed a new party, the New Movement for the Future (NBZ), established in January 2017. According to its founder, Adnan Dincer, the NBZ is not an Islamic party or a Turkish party, despite being composed mainly of Turkish Muslims. Several of the party's Facebook posts are written only in Turkish. Dincer has made no secret of the fact that his party strongly backs Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom it publicly supported at the time of the coup attempt in August 2016, and the subsequent clampdown by the Erdogan government.
In Belgium, several Islamic parties are preparing to run in the next elections. Dyab Abu Jahjah, apparently behind one of them, while not having presented a formal platform yet, has said he wants to "be part of an egalitarian radical renaissance that will conquer Brussels, Belgium, Europe and the whole world, with new politics of radical equality... defeat the forces of supremacy... of sustained privileges ... of the status-quo... in every possible arena".
Jahjah is a Lebanese immigrant, who emerged on the European scene, when he founded the now defunct Brussels-based Arab-European League in 2001. It was a pan-European political group aiming to create a Europe-wide "sharocracy" -- a supposedly sharia-based "democracy". In 2001, after the September 11 terror attacks, Jahjah said that he and many Muslims had felt a "sweet revenge feeling". In 2004, Jahjah said that he supported the killing of foreign troops in Iraq. "I consider every death of an American, British or Dutch soldier as a victory". He has also been opposed to the assimilation of Muslims, which he has described as "cultural rape".
Jahjah used to be considered a Hezbollah-supporting extremist, and, although he describes himself as a "political friend" of Jeremy Corbyn, he was banned from entering Britain. In Belgium, however, he is seen as a respectable activist, leader of a group called Movement X, and formerly with his own weekly column in the Belgian daily De Standaard. The Belgian political magazine Knack named Jahjah the country's fourth-most influential person, just behind Manchester City footballer Vincent Kompany. In January 2017, however, De Standaard fired Jahjah after he praised a terror attack in Jerusalem. "By any means necessary, #freepalestine," Jahjah had tweeted after an Muslim ISIS-affiliated terrorist plowed a truck through a crowd of young Israeli soldiers visiting Jerusalem, killing four and injuring countless others.
Jahjah will likely experience fierce competition from the "I.S.L.A.M" party, founded in 2012, and working to implement Islamic law, sharia, in Belgium. The party already has branches in the Brussels districts of Anderlecht, Molenbeek and Liege. The party wants to "translate religion into practice". One member explained that, "It's no coincidence that we started in Brussels. Here there are a lot of Muslims... who are not allowed to come forward with their identity too much...They are therefore frustrated. That can lead to radicalization".
The party has put forth a mayoral candidate for the Brussels municipal elections in 2018: Michel Dardenne, who converted to Islam in 2002. In his program, Dardenne speaks mainly of how much the party respects Belgian democracy and its constitution, while simply wanting to help an undefined populace against "the elites". He may have found it easier to appeal to "progressive" non-Muslims that way. Brussels, 25% Muslim, has enormous potential for Islamic parties.
In France, several Islamic parties are also preparing to run in elections. One party is the PEJ, established in 2015 by French-Turkish Muslims and reportedly connected to Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP. As the journalist Yves Mamou recently reported, the PEJ has already approved 68 candidates and wants to abolish the separation of church and state, make veils mandatory for schoolgirls in public schools, introduce halal food in all schools and fight "Islamophobia".
The obvious question is :How many Europeans are even paying attention to their agendas?
Read more : Europe: What do Islamic Parties Want? from the Gatestone Insitute
6/10/17
Shariah Law: Marches against archiac Islamic law to be held in many US cities - by A. Selsky and J.Karoub
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| Must Sharia Law become integrated in Western Societies? |
But most Muslims don't want to replace U.S. law with Islamic law, known as Shariah, and only "radical extremist groups" would call for that, said Liyakat Takim, a professor of Islamic studies at McMaster University in the Canadian city of Hamilton, Ontario.
Shariah, Takim said, refers to guidelines or principles — how Muslims should live. "Fiqh" refers to jurisprudence, or specific laws. The values embedded in Shariah do not change and are shared among Muslims, he said, while fiqh is open to interpretation and change, and in fact differs among Islamic sects and communities.
"In the public domain, Muslims are not required or expected to impose their laws on the country in which they live as the minority," Takim said, adding there has never been an understanding "that the same laws would be applicable at all times in all places."
"The Quran allows slavery, so does the Old Testament. That doesn't mean we allow it today, too," he said. "Laws are amenable to change."
The marches come amid a rise in reports of anti-Muslim incidents in the U.S., including arson attacks and vandalism at mosques, harassment of women wearing Muslim head coverings and bullying of Muslim schoolchildren.
But while there is little likelihood that Shariah would ever supplant U.S. law, some states have already moved to insulate themselves against the possibility.
Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Louisiana, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Tennessee have enacted laws prohibiting the use of foreign law in state courts, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The group organizing the rallies, ACT for America, claims Shariah "is incompatible with Western democracy and the freedoms it affords."
ACT for America has chapters around the country and says it is focused on fighting terrorism and promoting national security. It says it condemns bias against religious groups and is "proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with peaceful Western Muslims as well as peaceful Muslims worldwide."
Note EU-Digest: Even though scholars and others say the USA protesters are stoking unfounded fears and promoting a distorted and prejudiced view of Islam, it must be said that if it goes unchecked, like it did in Britain, this discriminatory archiac Muslim law can become part of national laws, which should not be allowed in democratic Western Societies respecting human right laws.
Read more: Marches against Islamic law to be held in many US cities
5/15/17
Saudi Arabia: Saudi King Hopeful Over Sunday's Summit With Trump - really ?
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| High level diplomacy or just plain hypocracy? |
The summit will be one of three forums held during a visit by Trump, who is making Saudi Arabia his first overseas stop since assuming office in January.
Trump has frequently been accused of fueling Islamophobia but aides described his decision to visit Saudi Arabia as an effort to reset relations with the Muslim world.
Along with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), at least 18 other Muslim nations have been invited to the summit, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Niger and Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population.
Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran is not invited.
Salman told a cabinet meeting in the Red Sea city of Jeddah that the meeting "comes in light of the challenges and sensitive situations that the world is going through".
According to the official Saudi Press Agency, "he expressed his hope that this historic summit will establish a new partnership in the face of extremism and terrorism and spreading the values of tolerance and coexistence" while enhancing security.
Note EU-Digest: Amazing that Donald Trump has chosen Saudi Arabia for his first foreign visit. We can only suspect that the image of being warmly greeted by such a strong representation of Sunni Muslim kings, emirs and presidents is a potential bonanza for a U.S. leader beleaguered by domestic troubles.
The fact that Saudi Arabia has been the cradle of "terrorist awakening", from where Saudi born terrorists like Ben Laden became the main instigators of the 9/11 NY World Trade Center attack, and many other evil deed's does not seem to bother Donald Trump, or, unfortunately as it did not really bother any other US President before him, including President Obama.
As one foreign EU diplomat stationed in Ankara noted. "Donald Trump, or any US President for that matter, will sell their soul to the devil, in order to complete a series of arms deals for the US weapons industry, and with these recent sales to Saudi Arabia totaling more than $100bn.- they will also gladly even dance with the devil.
This Saudi visit by Trump has only 10% to do with diplomacy and 90% for showing US gratitude to the Saudi's. for their continued support of the US weapons industry. It can also be classified as "brown nosing" the Saudi's.
And this brown nosing the Saudi and keeping a blind eye about their lack of respect for human rights is certainly not only limited to the US, but also indulged in by many other Nations around the world, including quite a few in the EU.
It is high time this hypocracy stops, because it has become so flagrant that no-one takes this nonsense serious anymore.
Read more: Saudi King Hopeful Over Sunday's Summit With Donald Trump
11/30/16
3/12/16
Iraq - ISIS Horror of life under ISIL exposed in recaptured Syrian town of al-Shadadi
The horror of life in Syria
under the so-called Islamic State was opened up to the world this week
when western journalists visited the northern town of al-Shadadi, recaptured recently by Kurdish-led forces.
One resident pointed out makeshift gallows.
Elsewhere amid the destruction, bombs and explosives are found in the street and in buildings.
Many of the abandoned houses contained bunkers and escape tunnels.
The team from Britain’s Sky News was also shown a hotel said to have been used by the extremists to assault women.
One witness said they risked torture with electric prods for showing too much skin.
Ahead of indirect peace talks due to resume on Monday, the Syrian government has ruled out discussions on a change at the top.
It said it drew a “red line” around President al-Assad’s position.
The Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said the Geneva talks would depend on the opposition’s attitude – but they were deluded if they thought they could take power.
“Our understanding of the transitional period is a move from the existing constitution to another constitution.
And from the existing government into another government that might include other parties,” he said in Damascus.
But among the rebels’ demands are that Assad have no role in any new government.
Read more: Horror of life under ISIL exposed in recaptured Syrian town of al-Shadadi | euronews, world news
One resident pointed out makeshift gallows.
Elsewhere amid the destruction, bombs and explosives are found in the street and in buildings.
Many of the abandoned houses contained bunkers and escape tunnels.
The team from Britain’s Sky News was also shown a hotel said to have been used by the extremists to assault women.
One witness said they risked torture with electric prods for showing too much skin.
Ahead of indirect peace talks due to resume on Monday, the Syrian government has ruled out discussions on a change at the top.
It said it drew a “red line” around President al-Assad’s position.
The Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said the Geneva talks would depend on the opposition’s attitude – but they were deluded if they thought they could take power.
“Our understanding of the transitional period is a move from the existing constitution to another constitution.
And from the existing government into another government that might include other parties,” he said in Damascus.
But among the rebels’ demands are that Assad have no role in any new government.
Read more: Horror of life under ISIL exposed in recaptured Syrian town of al-Shadadi | euronews, world news
1/14/15
Blasphemy: In Defense of Blasphemy - by Michael Tomasky
Today, Saudi Arabia will flog a
blogger for blasphemy. We may not be able to stop terrorists from
killing, but can we pressure states?
Not the most agreeable place to ply the trade, as he learned in 2012 when he was arrested and charged with using his web site, “Free Saudi Liberals,” to engage in electronic insult of Islam. I read on Jonathan Turley’s blog that this Friday, he will receive the first dose of his sentence in the form of 50 lashes.
Badawi’s crime was to run a web site that “violates Islamic values and propagates liberal thought.” Interesting that those who sat in judgment of him found those two sets of beliefs to be incompatible. He was originally sentenced to seven years and 600 lashes. A huge international outcry ensued. He was retried, and sure enough his sentence was adjusted. It was increased—to 10 years and 1,000 lashes.
But give the Kingdom credit for its sense of mercy: The lashes will be administered only 50 at a time.
Like Nick Kristof, I have been gratified to see that my Twitter feed has been bursting to the rafters with tweets from Muslims and Arabs condemning the Paris attacks in the strongest possible terms.
Gratified but not surprised. Anyone who’s paid attention has known for some time now that there are millions of Muslims and Arabs (obviously, not all Muslims are Arabs, and vice versa) who espouse and fight for liberal secular values. I know some. They’re some of the most courageous people I’ve ever met.
It’s high time—and if this tragedy has prodded Western culture to turn this particular corner, then that’s one good thing that will have come of it—that we stop demanding of Muslims and Arabs that they denounce acts of terrorism just because they’re Muslims and Arabs.
The people I saw on Twitter have no more to do with the Kouachi brothers than I have to do with whoever it was that bombed the NAACP headquarters in Colorado Springs, an act that no one has asked me to denounce simply because I’m white. Groups like CAIR and leading intellectuals and imams have been denouncing acts like these for years. It’s just that they don’t often make the news when they do it. So let’s please just grow out of that one.
But human beings are one thing, and regimes are another. And surely at least part of the reason that terrorists think it’s okay to kill people who blaspheme the Prophet is that too many Arab or Muslim states say it’s okay. It would be nice to see a concerted international effort to change these laws grow out of this week’s calamity.
Re: In Defense of Blasphemy - The Daily Beast
5/15/14
Islam: Sudanese Woman Sentenced to Death After Marrying Christian
A pregnant 27-year-old Sudanese woman was sentenced
to death by hanging Thursday for apostasy after marrying a Christian
man and refusing to convert to Islam. Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag also
faces charges of adultery.
Ibrahim, who was born to a Muslim father but raised Orthodox Christian by her mother, was first sentenced on Sunday, but she was given until Thursday to change her mind and convert. She refused to do so, Al Jazeera reports.
“I am a Christian and I never committed apostasy,” Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim was found guilty of apostasy — the abandonment of one’s religious faith – because she was born to a Muslim father and married a Christian man. The adultery charge came as Islamic law prohibits Muslim women from marrying outside of their religion, a rule which effectively voided the marriage.
Read more: Sudanese Woman Sentenced to Death After Marrying Christian | TIME.com
Ibrahim, who was born to a Muslim father but raised Orthodox Christian by her mother, was first sentenced on Sunday, but she was given until Thursday to change her mind and convert. She refused to do so, Al Jazeera reports.
“I am a Christian and I never committed apostasy,” Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim was found guilty of apostasy — the abandonment of one’s religious faith – because she was born to a Muslim father and married a Christian man. The adultery charge came as Islamic law prohibits Muslim women from marrying outside of their religion, a rule which effectively voided the marriage.
Read more: Sudanese Woman Sentenced to Death After Marrying Christian | TIME.com
2/9/14
Syria: Meet Chechclearr, the Web-savvy foreign Islamic militant in Syria - by Nabih Bulos and Patrick J. McDonnel
He loves sushi, AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades.
Read more: Meet Chechclearr, the Web-savvy foreign Islamic militant in Syria - latimes.com
He could be killed at any moment but vows to marry "a beautiful, righteous Muslim girl" as soon as he finds one.
He proclaims a "love for justice" but defends beheadings, battlefield executions and sectarian killing. He scorns democracy and extols a fundamentalist interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law.
Welcome to the virtual world of Chechclearr, the Internet handle of a self-described Islamic militant who says he is fighting as an Islamist rebel in Syria but also has time to post a copious amount of pictures and comments on the Internet. Although his identity cannot be independently verified, the many images he has posted appear authentic.
Militants in Syria have long made extensive use of social media, releasing statements on Twitter and on Facebook pages associated with various groups. Chechclearr is one of a number of Islamist fighters taking the time to document their experiences and impressions in English.
Note EU-Digest: Intelligence is a God gifted commodity to be used freely and to the best of one's intentions and abilities for good or evil. Unfortunately mankind, which includes Mr. Chechclearr, has never been able to figure out what is good or evil, just as it has always put conditions on the meaning of forgiveness.
He proclaims a "love for justice" but defends beheadings, battlefield executions and sectarian killing. He scorns democracy and extols a fundamentalist interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law.
Welcome to the virtual world of Chechclearr, the Internet handle of a self-described Islamic militant who says he is fighting as an Islamist rebel in Syria but also has time to post a copious amount of pictures and comments on the Internet. Although his identity cannot be independently verified, the many images he has posted appear authentic.
Militants in Syria have long made extensive use of social media, releasing statements on Twitter and on Facebook pages associated with various groups. Chechclearr is one of a number of Islamist fighters taking the time to document their experiences and impressions in English.
Note EU-Digest: Intelligence is a God gifted commodity to be used freely and to the best of one's intentions and abilities for good or evil. Unfortunately mankind, which includes Mr. Chechclearr, has never been able to figure out what is good or evil, just as it has always put conditions on the meaning of forgiveness.
Read more: Meet Chechclearr, the Web-savvy foreign Islamic militant in Syria - latimes.com
1/21/14
Middle East: Syria: Extremists Restricting Women’s Rights
Certain extremist armed opposition groups are imposing strict discriminatory rules on women and girls that have no basis in Syrian law, Human Rights Watch said today. The harsh rules that some groups area administering in areas under their control in northern and northeastern violate women’s and girls’ human rights and limit their ability to carry out essential daily activities.
Human Rights Watch interviewed 43 refugees from Syria in Iraqi Kurdistan and conducted telephone interviews with two refugees from Syria in Turkey in November and December 2013. The refugees interviewed said that the extremist armed groups Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) have enforced their interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law, by requiring women and girls to wear headscarves (hijabs) and full-length robes , and threatening to punish those who do not comply. In some areas, the groups are imposing discriminatory measures prohibiting women and girls, particularly those who do not abide by the dress code, from moving freely in public, working, and attending school.
Read more: Syria: Extremists Restricting Women’s Rights | Human Rights Watch
1/6/14
The Netherlands: Sharia proponent Haitham al-Haddad Upcoming Visit To Almere Causing Major Controversy
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| Haitham al-Haddadi coming to the Netherlands |
He comes to Almere on Februari 7 at the invitation of the Organization of Muslim Youth Almere.
Show van Dijk member of the PVV ( Freedom Party) political fraction in the Almere City Council said that the Muslim Clerc Haitham al-Haddad should not be allowed to speak in Almere. He noted that Haitham
al-Haddad in the past has made some very radical statements about
non-muslims which are unacceptable in a secular and multi-cultural
society like the Netherlands. Also the SP (Socialist Party) representative in the Almere City Coincil said they were against Haitham al-Haddad presentation in Almere.
The VVD (Conservative), Liveable Almere ( Right-Wing) and Green
(Liberal) political fractions in the City Council stated that based on
Dutch laws guaranteeing the right to freedom of expression, Haitham al-Haddad should be allowed to give his talk on Sharia Law, as
long as the content of his talk does not violate Dutch laws and the
politicians suggested that the format of the presentation not be one of a
formal lecture, but rather an open discussion..
It
might be good to note that all aspects of a Muslim's life are governed
by Sharia. Sharia law comes from a combination of sources including the Quran (the Muslim holy book), the Hadith (sayings and conduct of the prophet Muhammad) and fatwas (the rulings of Islamic scholars).
In Europe so-called Islamic "peace judges" or arbiters are settling criminal
cases, not just in Germany but in many other European countries as well.
Muslim immigrants generally prefer their own judges and do not trust secular
Western legal systems. Thus, Islamic shadow justice systems are making
inroads into Western societies.
"Under Sharia law to settle disputes can
be innocent, but it can also undermine Western ideas of fairness," Der
Spiegel reports.
Journalist Joachim Wagner, author of a new German study
on parallel justice, says that the world of the Islamic shadow justice
system is "very foreign, and for a German lawyer completely
incomprehensible. It follows its own rules. The Islamic arbitrators
aren't interested in evidence when they deliver a judgment, and unlike
in German criminal law, the question of who is at fault doesn't play
much of a role." The arbitrators "talk with the perpetrator's family who
are generally the ones who have called the arbitrator, and with the
victim's family," Wagner says. "They ask: Why did this happen? How bad
is the damage? How serious is the injury? But for them, a solution of
the conflict, a compromise, is the most important thing."
Reportedly, at least 85 Sharia
courts now operate in the UK, dispensing rulings that are often illegal, per British jurisprudence.
Muslim states which embrace Sharia Law are able to enforce public
morality and as a result have greatly reduced women’s mobility and their participation in the
public
sphere.
In 2008, a Dutch-Turkish woman was raped by her nephew. But the
Dutch-Turkish Imam Bahauddin (Bahaeddin) Budak advised her not to inform
her relatives about it. If she would go pulic about the crime and sue
her nephew in court, her life might be in danger.
He also advised her to
forgive the perpetrator. Such crimes are very common among Turkish,
Moroccan, Pakistani, Iraqi and Iranian immigrants in Europe many of whom
still regard women as sex objects. There is also a strong tendency to
cover up crimes such as rape. Women who dare to talk about it in public,
or who report such crimes to the police, very often face serious
repercussions, since the so-called "honor of the family" is at stake.
In
too many cases, these defenseless victims are subsequently even killed
by family members.
Budak was also a Muslim religious teacher at the "Inholland university
of applied sciences" in Amsterdam. Inholland's director Cor de Raadt had
Budak temporarily suspended, but a lot of Dutch Muslims complained
about De Raadt's decision and showed solidarity with Imam Budak.
A
Dutch professor in Theology at Amsterdam University noted: "Sharia Law
is an archaic law which should not even be qualified as a law. It does
not belong in any shape or form in Europe, or for that matter in any
other self respecting Democratic society".
Almere-Digest
9/19/13
Britain: Muslim school forces girls of 11 to wear burkas
Islamic schools in Britain are forcing girls as young as 11 to wear burkas or full-face veils as part of their school uniform.
The Madani Girls’ School in Tower Hamlets, East London, requires all pupils to wear a black burka and a long a black coat outside the school. It also tells girls to wear headscarves during lessons and says its strict uniform policy is the “desired dress code of a Muslim female”.
Read more: Muslim school forces girls of 11 to wear burkas | The Times
The Madani Girls’ School in Tower Hamlets, East London, requires all pupils to wear a black burka and a long a black coat outside the school. It also tells girls to wear headscarves during lessons and says its strict uniform policy is the “desired dress code of a Muslim female”.
Read more: Muslim school forces girls of 11 to wear burkas | The Times
8/3/13
Turkey: Erdogan’s Crisis With Pregnant Women - by Semih Idiz
It is no wonder that Turkish soap operas — depicting a range of issues from equality between the sexes and the empowerment of women, to liberal lifestyles and contemporary forms of leisure — are so popular in the Middle East, where millions are clamoring for more equality and modernity in their lives.
But true life experiences and debates are much more relevant for the region than mere products of fiction, and Turkey certainly has no shortage of these, as the latest heated debate concerning the “morality of pregnancy” — which has been raging for days — clearly demonstrates.
It all began when Omer Tugrul Inancer, an Islamist lawyer and commentator on religion, asserted on the state-owned television network TRT that it was shameful for pregnant women to go out on the streets. He was speaking during a special Ramadan talk show broadcast just before iftar on July 26.
“Declaring your pregnancy with drums is against our understanding of decency. You cannot walk on the streets with such bellies. To get a bit of fresh air, a woman in the seventh or eighth month of her pregnancy can go around a little in her husband’s car in the late afternoon,” Inancer, who is also known to Islamic circles as an expert on Sufi mysticism, said. He went on to add that despite this, pregnant women of all shades are to be seen everywhere in Turkey nowadays, including on television, and added, “This is shameful, shameful! This is not realism, this is vulgarity.”
The outcry following Inancer’s remarks was instant with women from all walks of life protesting him. Protesters included pregnant women and their husbands as well as women and men feigning pregnancy and prominently displaying distended bellies. Most of the demonstrators saw Inancer’s remarks as more evidence of creeping Islamism in Turkey under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Government circles and AKP supporters insist, of course, that Inancer’s remarks have nothing to do with them. Given the way Turkey has become divided along secularist and Islamist lines under the AKP, however, it seems almost inevitable that the finger of blame should be pointing at the government.
Inancer poured more fuel on the debate later, when he not only stood by his remarks, but added that the ugly sight of pregnant women was putting young girls off the idea of pregnancy. Not surprisingly, the topic went instantly viral on Twitter under #direnhamile (meaning “pregnant women resist”). This was clearly inspired by “#direngezi” (meaning “Gezi resist”), the battle cry for the recent Gezi Park protests. One highly popular Twitter post read “Down with pregnant women, long live storks!”
While the topic became the No. 1 social issue in Turkey overnight, it was clear that women on the Islamist side of the fence were not too pleased over Inancer’s remarks either. Ozlem Zengin Topal, a lawyer and the head of the AKP’s women organization in Istanbul, for example, said she also found Inancer’s remarks disturbing. “Of course pregnant women can go on the streets. It is their natural right,” she said.
But trying to deflect some of the anger away from Inancer — who is highly respected among Islamists — Topal nevertheless felt the need to add that she did not think the debate he had started was about pregnancy itself, but the manner in which some pregnant women dress.
Read more: Erdogan’s Crisis With Pregnant Women - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
But true life experiences and debates are much more relevant for the region than mere products of fiction, and Turkey certainly has no shortage of these, as the latest heated debate concerning the “morality of pregnancy” — which has been raging for days — clearly demonstrates.
It all began when Omer Tugrul Inancer, an Islamist lawyer and commentator on religion, asserted on the state-owned television network TRT that it was shameful for pregnant women to go out on the streets. He was speaking during a special Ramadan talk show broadcast just before iftar on July 26.
“Declaring your pregnancy with drums is against our understanding of decency. You cannot walk on the streets with such bellies. To get a bit of fresh air, a woman in the seventh or eighth month of her pregnancy can go around a little in her husband’s car in the late afternoon,” Inancer, who is also known to Islamic circles as an expert on Sufi mysticism, said. He went on to add that despite this, pregnant women of all shades are to be seen everywhere in Turkey nowadays, including on television, and added, “This is shameful, shameful! This is not realism, this is vulgarity.”
The outcry following Inancer’s remarks was instant with women from all walks of life protesting him. Protesters included pregnant women and their husbands as well as women and men feigning pregnancy and prominently displaying distended bellies. Most of the demonstrators saw Inancer’s remarks as more evidence of creeping Islamism in Turkey under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Government circles and AKP supporters insist, of course, that Inancer’s remarks have nothing to do with them. Given the way Turkey has become divided along secularist and Islamist lines under the AKP, however, it seems almost inevitable that the finger of blame should be pointing at the government.
Inancer poured more fuel on the debate later, when he not only stood by his remarks, but added that the ugly sight of pregnant women was putting young girls off the idea of pregnancy. Not surprisingly, the topic went instantly viral on Twitter under #direnhamile (meaning “pregnant women resist”). This was clearly inspired by “#direngezi” (meaning “Gezi resist”), the battle cry for the recent Gezi Park protests. One highly popular Twitter post read “Down with pregnant women, long live storks!”
While the topic became the No. 1 social issue in Turkey overnight, it was clear that women on the Islamist side of the fence were not too pleased over Inancer’s remarks either. Ozlem Zengin Topal, a lawyer and the head of the AKP’s women organization in Istanbul, for example, said she also found Inancer’s remarks disturbing. “Of course pregnant women can go on the streets. It is their natural right,” she said.
But trying to deflect some of the anger away from Inancer — who is highly respected among Islamists — Topal nevertheless felt the need to add that she did not think the debate he had started was about pregnancy itself, but the manner in which some pregnant women dress.
Read more: Erdogan’s Crisis With Pregnant Women - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
6/5/13
Turkey protests continue
Protests have continued in Turkey as demonstrators defied a government appeal to end deadly unrest in which two people have died.
On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arnic apologised for "excessive violence" against protesters trying to save a park in Istanbul, a campaign which acted as catatlyst for deeper tensions within the country. He is expected to meet with some of the protestors on Wednesday in Ankara.
Police used tear gas and water cannon overnight and into Wednesday morning on hundreds of protesters, who ignored warnings to disperse in Istanbul, Ankara and the southeastern city of Hatay.
In Istanbul, thousands gathered at Taksim Square yelling defiance at Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had earlier dismissed the protesters as "extremists" and "vandals".
Note EU-Digest: Ever since the election of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AK Party back in 2003 Turkey has been presented as a modern and mostly democratic state - a political model for the region.
Their economic progress has been spectacular even though the verdict at what price this has been really achieved is not yet in.
Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Ennahda party in Tunisia often say Erdogan and the AKP have proved that parties like theirs, which seek a greater role for Islam in politics, can govern and preserve democratic values.
Instead the contrary is shown to be true: there is suppression of anyone in the press which does not follow the party line. Turkey has jailed more journalists than any other country in the world. The government uses a heavy hand in pushing through legislation which closely follows the line of Sharia law and enriches those in power to the point were it must be seen as pure corruption.
Turkey's parliament has backed a controversial bill restricting the consumption and advertising of alcohol in the predominantly Muslim country.
The measure, passed on Friday, May 31, prohibits alcoholic beverage companies from sponsoring events and restricts the places where such drinks can be consumed. It also bans the sale of alcoholic drinks between 10pm and 6:00am, but only in shops
The fact that the demonstrations have spread far from Istanbul where they started, to the capital Ankara and other cities and even small towns, indicates that the situation is feverish. If Erdogan continues to speak with "macho" contempt, he will surely aggravate the situation. He has enemies, not only in the streets, but in the army which he has deprived of their traditional role in guarding the secular constitution, which was its legacy from Ataturk.
For the first time since he came to power Erdogan’s position looks shaky. He would be well advised to draw back, abandon his plan to change the constitution and have himself elected to a more powerful presidency, and instead to seek to conciliate or appease the growing number of his critics.
Pushing ahead with his ever more Islamist agenda would be dangerously provocative. Secularly-minded Turks have evidently had enough of it.
Read more: Turkey protests continue despite apology - Europe - Al Jazeera English
On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arnic apologised for "excessive violence" against protesters trying to save a park in Istanbul, a campaign which acted as catatlyst for deeper tensions within the country. He is expected to meet with some of the protestors on Wednesday in Ankara.
Police used tear gas and water cannon overnight and into Wednesday morning on hundreds of protesters, who ignored warnings to disperse in Istanbul, Ankara and the southeastern city of Hatay.
In Istanbul, thousands gathered at Taksim Square yelling defiance at Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had earlier dismissed the protesters as "extremists" and "vandals".
Note EU-Digest: Ever since the election of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AK Party back in 2003 Turkey has been presented as a modern and mostly democratic state - a political model for the region.
Their economic progress has been spectacular even though the verdict at what price this has been really achieved is not yet in.
Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Ennahda party in Tunisia often say Erdogan and the AKP have proved that parties like theirs, which seek a greater role for Islam in politics, can govern and preserve democratic values.
Instead the contrary is shown to be true: there is suppression of anyone in the press which does not follow the party line. Turkey has jailed more journalists than any other country in the world. The government uses a heavy hand in pushing through legislation which closely follows the line of Sharia law and enriches those in power to the point were it must be seen as pure corruption.
Turkey's parliament has backed a controversial bill restricting the consumption and advertising of alcohol in the predominantly Muslim country.
The measure, passed on Friday, May 31, prohibits alcoholic beverage companies from sponsoring events and restricts the places where such drinks can be consumed. It also bans the sale of alcoholic drinks between 10pm and 6:00am, but only in shops
The fact that the demonstrations have spread far from Istanbul where they started, to the capital Ankara and other cities and even small towns, indicates that the situation is feverish. If Erdogan continues to speak with "macho" contempt, he will surely aggravate the situation. He has enemies, not only in the streets, but in the army which he has deprived of their traditional role in guarding the secular constitution, which was its legacy from Ataturk.
For the first time since he came to power Erdogan’s position looks shaky. He would be well advised to draw back, abandon his plan to change the constitution and have himself elected to a more powerful presidency, and instead to seek to conciliate or appease the growing number of his critics.
Pushing ahead with his ever more Islamist agenda would be dangerously provocative. Secularly-minded Turks have evidently had enough of it.
Read more: Turkey protests continue despite apology - Europe - Al Jazeera English
3/25/13
France: Poll shows most French back veil ban in private sector
The debate over the Islamic veil in France is back, but this time it’s taken on a new twist. Instead of only banning religious signs in public institutions, a new study has found that the vast majority of French people support the idea of a law that applies to the private sector as well.
The survey, which was conducted by French marketing and opinion centre BVA and published in the daily “Le Parisien” on Monday, found that 86 percent of French people back introducing legislation that would ban “all signs of religious or political affiliation” in private schools and nurseries. According to the same poll, 83 percent support imposing a law making it illegal in all privately-owned businesses.
The study comes nearly a week after France’s top court ruled that a woman had been wrongly dismissed from her position at a private nursery school in Chanteloup-les-Vignes, just west of the capital Paris, for refusing to take off her veil while at work.
Read more: Poll shows most French back veil ban in private sector - FRANCE - FRANCE 24
The survey, which was conducted by French marketing and opinion centre BVA and published in the daily “Le Parisien” on Monday, found that 86 percent of French people back introducing legislation that would ban “all signs of religious or political affiliation” in private schools and nurseries. According to the same poll, 83 percent support imposing a law making it illegal in all privately-owned businesses.
The study comes nearly a week after France’s top court ruled that a woman had been wrongly dismissed from her position at a private nursery school in Chanteloup-les-Vignes, just west of the capital Paris, for refusing to take off her veil while at work.
Read more: Poll shows most French back veil ban in private sector - FRANCE - FRANCE 24
2/14/13
Egypt: Moderate-mufti ?
Away from political motives and via secret ballot, members of Al-Azhar’s Senior Scholars Authority (ASSA) on Monday chose Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim as Egypt’s new grand mufti.
Attia Al-Sayed Fayyad, a professor of comparative jurisprudence and Farahat Abdel-Aati Saad, a professor of jurisprudence, both at Al-Azhar’s School of Sharia in Cairo, came second and third, respectively.
The ASSA is a 40-member committee that includes senior Al-Azhar scholars. It acts as an advisory body to Al-Azhar’s grand sheikh in religious matters.
Abdel-Karim, the country’s 19th mufti, is expected to take over the post immediately after the president endorses the ASSA decree.
Abdel-Karim, 55, was born in the Nile Delta governorate of Beheira. He received his PhD in 1996 from Al-Azhar University’s Faculty of Sharia and Law. He does not seem to have any political affiliations.
Read more: Moderate-mufti - Al-Ahram Weekly
Attia Al-Sayed Fayyad, a professor of comparative jurisprudence and Farahat Abdel-Aati Saad, a professor of jurisprudence, both at Al-Azhar’s School of Sharia in Cairo, came second and third, respectively.
The ASSA is a 40-member committee that includes senior Al-Azhar scholars. It acts as an advisory body to Al-Azhar’s grand sheikh in religious matters.
Abdel-Karim, the country’s 19th mufti, is expected to take over the post immediately after the president endorses the ASSA decree.
Abdel-Karim, 55, was born in the Nile Delta governorate of Beheira. He received his PhD in 1996 from Al-Azhar University’s Faculty of Sharia and Law. He does not seem to have any political affiliations.
Read more: Moderate-mufti - Al-Ahram Weekly
1/19/13
EU hails decision to allow Saudi women in parliament as ‘major development’
The European Union has welcomed Saudi King Abdullah’s recent decree allowing women to be members of in the kingdom’s Shura Council for the first time as a major development in the direction of women empowerment.
“We welcome the announcement made by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Friday Jan. 11 to appoint 30 women to the country's previously all-male Shura Council,” according to statement by Nabila Massrali, a spokesperson for the the European Commission.
“Setting a level of 20 percent of women participation in the consultative body is a major development in the direction of women empowerment and participation in the political process in Saudi Arabia,” Massrali added.
The royal decree amended two article in the council’s statute introducing a 20 percent quota for women in the country’s 150-member Shura Council, and the king appointed 30 women to join the consultative assembly.
“This decision confirms a positive trend after the earlier decision of Saudi Arabian authorities to allow women to vote and run for office in the 2015 municipal elections,” the EU statement said.
Read more: EU hails decision to allow Saudi women in parliament as ‘major development’
“We welcome the announcement made by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Friday Jan. 11 to appoint 30 women to the country's previously all-male Shura Council,” according to statement by Nabila Massrali, a spokesperson for the the European Commission.
The royal decree amended two article in the council’s statute introducing a 20 percent quota for women in the country’s 150-member Shura Council, and the king appointed 30 women to join the consultative assembly.
“This decision confirms a positive trend after the earlier decision of Saudi Arabian authorities to allow women to vote and run for office in the 2015 municipal elections,” the EU statement said.
Read more: EU hails decision to allow Saudi women in parliament as ‘major development’
10/1/12
Saudi Arabia: Women's images removed from Ikea catalogue earmarked for Saudi Arabia
Ikea the Swedish mega chain said excluding women from the Saudi Arabian version of their catalogue is in conflict with the company's values but has not retracted the catalog so far.
The move has also resulted in numerous protest against IKEA at home in Sweden and abroad.
Islamic Sharia law is applied strictly in Saudi Arabia, where the ruling Al Saud family espouses a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism, the BBC reports.
Women live under various restrictions, including no right to drive, and must be covered whenever they are outside the home.
Saudi leader King Abdullah is seen as trying to cautiously introduce reforms, some aimed at loosening restrictions on women's right to vote. Unfortunately it has been more talk than action.
Ikea operates three branches in Saudi Arabia.
Read more: Radio New Zealand : News : World : Women's images removed from Ikea catalogue
The move has also resulted in numerous protest against IKEA at home in Sweden and abroad.
Islamic Sharia law is applied strictly in Saudi Arabia, where the ruling Al Saud family espouses a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism, the BBC reports.
Women live under various restrictions, including no right to drive, and must be covered whenever they are outside the home.
Saudi leader King Abdullah is seen as trying to cautiously introduce reforms, some aimed at loosening restrictions on women's right to vote. Unfortunately it has been more talk than action.
Ikea operates three branches in Saudi Arabia.
Read more: Radio New Zealand : News : World : Women's images removed from Ikea catalogue
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