UN Court: Kosovo independence legal

UN Court: Kosovo independence legal Via BBC: Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 did not break international law, top UN judges have ruled in a non-binding decision. The International Court of Justice rejected Serbian claims that the move had violated its territorial integrity. Kosovo officials said all doubt about its status had now been removed, but Serbia's president insisted Belgrade would never recognise the secession. The US and many EU countries support independence; Russia is opposed. Addressing the court in The Hague, ICJ president Hisashi Owada said international law contained "no applicable prohibition" of Kosovo's declaration of independence. (Photo, Wikipedia) "Accordingly, [the court] concludes that the declaration of independence on 17 February 2008 did not violate general international law," he said.   Ten of the ICJ's judges supported the opinion; four opposed it.

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Sweden: Christians support abolishing halal slaughter ban

 

Sweden: Christians support abolishing halal slaughter ban Sweden is the only country in Europe banning kosher and halal slaughter [*]. The Swedish Christian community should show tolerance to Jews and Muslims and demand to abolish the ban, say four representatives of Christian Sweden. The four - Sven-Bernard Fast, Caroline Krook, Peter Weiderud and Karin Wiborn - write in an opinion piece in Dagens Nyheter (SE), that the Swedish parliament introduced a ban of religious slaughter in 1938 to complicate life for the Jews. The four write that the rest of Europe ended this discrimination after the war, but in Sweden the ban remains for animal welfare reasons, which complicates life for Jews and Muslims. The writers think that parliament members know what needs to be done to combine religious slaughter with the modern requirement of animal welfare. "We know that kosher and halal slaughter are significantly less painful than the culturally cherished Swedish slaughter of grouse, elk and crayfish. Source: Dagen (Swedish) [*] Sweden is the only country in the EU that bans kosher/halal slaughter, but Switzerland also bans kosher slaughter.

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Spain: Parliament rejects general burka ban bill

pain: Parliament rejects general burka ban bill Via AP: Spain's Parliament on Tuesday rejected a proposal to ban women from wearing in public places Islamic veils that reveal only the eyes. However, the Socialist government has said it favors including a ban on people wearing burqas in government buildings in an upcoming bill on religious issues to be debated after parliament's summer vacation break. Following a lower chamber debate, 183 lawmakers opposed the ban, 162 voted for it and two abstained. The nonbinding proposal had been put forward by the leading opposition Popular Party, which portrayed it as a measure in support of women's rights. The ruling Socialist Party opposed the ban. "It is very difficult to understand how it is that our troops are defending liberty in Afghanistan and the government doesn't have the courage to do so here, in Spain," said opposition spokeswoman Soraya Saenz de Santamaria in Parliament. "This has been used politically in a search for electoral support," said Mansur Escudero, president of the Islamic Commission of Spain. He said he last saw a woman wearing a burqa in Spain 10 years ago in the southern city of Marbella, where Saudi Arabia's royal family and other wealthy Arab clans own large homes and estates. Escudero said the woman could have been a tourist. The only woman he knew who regularly wore a burqa had lived in the southern city of Cordoba and died about a decade ago.

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France: Muslims feel sting of discrimination

France: Muslims feel sting of discrimination In a related story: Two Muslim women marched out of swimming pool in French holiday village because they were wearing burkinis Via LA Times: Be patient. This is just a phase. It will all blow over eventually. That's what Abdel Basset Zitouni tells the young people who come seeking his advice on getting a job or starting a business. But Zitouni's counsel isn't just in response to questions about finding work in a depressed economy. Many of the people who knock on his office door are Muslims from the housing projects in this city west of Paris who have felt the sting of discrimination. They tell of an unwelcoming professional world, with regular bank rejections for business loans, or months without a callback for an interview. Zitouni, who presides over the nonprofit National Assn. for Young Entrepreneurs here, says it is common to hear of employers asking new hires to change their names to something more "French-sounding" and less Muslim, apparently to appease touchy customers. Others climb the sparse stairway to Zitouni's single-room office with fists still clenched, mulling over a snide look after handing in a resume. Zitouni reassures, and listens to their troubles. Still, the 49-year-old prefers not to focus on the negative. If clients complain of discrimination, Zitouni stops them short. "Serious and honest work will always bear fruit at the end," he tells them. But not all of France's roughly 6 million Muslims are in the mood to be patient. Muslim organizations and some critics of President Nicolas Sarkozy's government have condemned a cocktail of events that have made this a particularly tense time for Muslims in France, with violence against them rising sharply in the last year.

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Saudis warned against marrying foreign women

Saudis warned against marrying foreign women

By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR | ARAB NEWS

Published: Jul 18, 2010 23:34 Updated: Jul 18, 2010 23:34

JEDDAH: Sociologists and rights activists have warned young Saudi men of negative social and economic consequences of their marriages to foreign women. They also warned that the practice increases the number of unmarried women in the Kingdom.

To avoid problems, those who seek foreign wives are advised to first obtain official permission.

Nizar Al-Saleh, assistant secretary-general of the National Center for Research on Youth at King Saud University, said some Saudis travel to foreign countries with the intention of entering into temporary marriages. At the end of their vacation, they divorce their wives.

"This practice shows their disrespect for family values. They do this for temporary personal enjoyment but they don't think about its negative consequences. It will definitely affect their family life," Al-Saleh said.

According to Al-Saleh, marriage to foreign women is not advisable for those who are seeking a stable family life. "Persons involved in such marriages often leave their wives and children abroad without taking care of them. They lose their children and the trust of their wives." Many families have been suffering complex problems as a result of such marriages.

He warned that such marriages would cause the disintegration of families. He emphasized the need for establishing families on sound grounds and called for educating youth in secondary schools and colleges about the importance of legal marriages.

Saleh Al-Khathlan, vice president of the National Society for Human Rights, referred to the problems caused by marriage with foreign women. "The government will not accept such marriage contracts and the foreign wives will not be allowed to enter the Kingdom. Even if they succeed in bringing their wives to the Kingdom, the Saudi men will face stiff punishment."

He added: "There are many Saudis who cannot bring their foreign wives and children to the Kingdom and they stay abroad without proper care." Al-Khathlan also indicated that many Saudis wanting to marry foreign women have been cheated by agents.

 

Fears of spinsterhood, illnesses

Sociologist Abdul Aziz Al-Ghareeb from Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, spoke about the negative impact of such marriages on the Islamic faith and culture of their children. "It will also increase the rate of spinsterhood among Saudi women," he pointed out.

Such marriages also result in Saudis getting deadly diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis. Children from such marriages may also suffer from diseases such as autism and paralysis, he added.

Ali Al-Hanaki, adviser to Awasir, an organization that looks after Saudis abroad, highlighted his society's efforts in solving problems faced by such Saudi families. "We coordinate with government departments to provide these Saudi families with necessary care and assistance," he said.

Towfik Al-Suwalem, chairman of Awasir's board of directors, referred to his organization's efforts to correct the legal status of such families by proving the legality of their marriages. "We also provide them with assistance in cash and kind and help them come to the Kingdom, if they want to, in coordination with the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs," he explained.

He disclosed Awasir's plan to visit 30 countries in order to check on the conditions of Saudi families living there. "We would like to present a study on the repercussions of foreign marriages on Saudi society," Al-Suwalem said and urged the media to enlighten the public on the negative effects of such marriages.