Switzerland: Dozens of Tunisians want to return

Switzerland: Dozens of Tunisians want to return Via WRS: Dozens of exiled Tunisians protested outside the Tunisian embassy in Bern today, wanting their passports returned to them. Some of the exiles have been in Switzerland for years, but following the change in government and the continued political unrest in Tunisian streets, the demonstrators said they wanted to return. (source)

 

Germany: Libyan intelligence monitoring opposition

Germany: Libyan intelligence monitoring opposition Via AFP: German federal prosecutors said Monday they had charged a Libyan man with acting as a spy in Germany to collect information on exiled members of the Libyan opposition. The suspect, identified only as 46-year-old Omar K., stands accused of monitoring the Libyan opposition in Germany between May 2010 and his arrest in September, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement. Omar K. is believed to have reported to his superior officer in Germany in return for payment. A Berlin court sentenced the officer, identified only as Abdel A., and a member of his network to jail terms last week. (source)

Russia: Muslim TV to launch in order to promote tolerance

Russia: Muslim TV to launch in order to promote tolerance Via Reuters: Russia will soon launch a Muslim television channel in the hope it will foster tolerance after the capital saw some of the worst clashes since the fall of the Soviet Union, state-run media reported on Tuesday. Proposed by President Dmitry Medvedev two years ago, the satellite channel will go on air in February or March across Russia, home to some 20 million Muslims, or a seventh of the country's population. "We believe it is necessary to cultivate a spirit of tolerance towards representatives of other faiths," RIA news agency quoted Russia's chief Mufti Ravil Gaynutdin as saying, adding programmes will be designed for a young audience. (source)

 

Copenhagen: Final approval given for construction of first mosques

Copenhagen: Final approval given for construction of first mosques Via Copenhagen Post: The City Council's Environment and Technical Committee has given its final approval to zoning changes that will permit the construction of two mosques, one in the Amager district and one in the Nordvest district. Last night's 9-2 vote brings an end to nearly four decades of discussion about building the city's first proper mosque. Muslim groups are applauding the move. They say the vote sends a message that the city respects their religion and views it on an equal footing with other faiths. Others, however, have voiced their opposition, particularly due to the design of the Nordvest building (source) Iranian organizations in Denmark fear the Shia mosque planned for the Nordvest district will serve as a center for Iranian-led extremism.

 

A Story With A Moral.. Learn To Forgive.

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen, totally forgot the matter. The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle and, fascinated with its colour, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed, the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words.
What do you think were the four words?
The husband just said: “I Love You Darling”
The husband’s totally unexpected reaction is proactive behaviour. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he have taken time to keep the bottle away, this will not have happened. No point in attaching blame. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.

Moral: Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or who to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. We miss out some warmth in human relationship in giving each other support. After all, shouldn’t forgiving someone we love be the easiest thing in the world to do? Treasure what you have. Don’t multiply pain, anguish and suffering by holding on to forgiveness. If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think

Muslimah

 

Albania: Muslims against draft law on veil ban

 

Albania: Muslims against draft law on veil ban Via AP: Leaders of Albania's Muslim community say they are against government plans to ban the use of veils in schools. They issued a statement defending the use of the veil, which is not widespread in the small Balkan country despite it having a majority Muslim population. (source)

 

Germany: Turkish mother and two daughters killed in blaze

Germany: Turkish mother and two daughters killed in blaze Police now say the fire was caused by one of the children. Via Today's Zaman: A Turkish woman (23) and her two daughters (5 and 2) were killed on Sunday morning in an apartment building fire in the western German city of Wuppertal, police said. Police said it seemed the fire, which started in the attic of the apartment block, was an accident and there was no indication of arson. The home was already in flames when firefighters, called by a neighbor, arrived and rescued three residents. Police said Hatice Gür and her daughters Elif and Esra could not be rescued, although the fire brigade arrived at the scene promptly, the Anatolia news agency reported. The father, Eyüp Gür (30), escaped from the burning apartment with severe burns and was taken to the hospital. Turkey's consul-general in Dusseldorf, Fırat Sunel, and the mayor of Wuppertal, Peter Jung, visited the scene of the fire later on Sunday. Sunel also told Anatolia that there was no indication of arson. However, the cause of the fire would become clear only after an investigation is finished, he added. The bodies, which were taken to Wuppertal's department of forensic medicine, will be sent to the victims' hometown in the central Anatolian province of Kütahya within days, Anatolia noted. (source)

 

Denmark: Turkish inmate beaten to death by prison guards

Denmark: Turkish inmate beaten to death by prison guards Interestingly enough, Turkish newspaper refer to the inmate, who was born and grew up in Denmark, simply as "Turkish". No wonder his mother feels they're not being treated like Danes. Via Today's Zaman: Ekrem Şahin, a 23-year-old Turkish inmate who was serving a two-year sentence in Denmark's Kolding Prison passed away after he was severely beaten by prison guards and went into a coma. Şahin, who was sentenced to two years on charges of robbery, was beaten by nearly ten prison guards after he refused to be transferred to another prison. His heart stopped after the incident and he was taken to the Odense University Hospital. His heart began beating following the doctors' efforts but he remained in critical condition. Şahin died at the hospital on Saturday. The Danish police, who earlier called the event resulting in Ekrem Şahin's coma, "an ordinary, everyday event," took action after the incident hit the Turkish press and the Turkish Embassy got involved. (source) Ekrem was born in Denmark and is a Danish citizen. His father, Ömer, came to Denmark in 1976, and his mother, Nermin, joined him in 1986. Nermin Sahin told esktrabladet.dk by phone (DA, h/t Uriasposten) that the parents would continue to fight to find the truth about their son's death. "We will continue until whoever killed my son will pay for his actions," said the brokenhearted and very angry mother. "If necessary, we will find Denmark's best human-rights lawyer, and if we can't get justice at a Danish court, we will bring the case to the human rights court in Strasbourg." Nermin says she doesn't feel she and her family are treated like Danes. "What we've experienced with our son, isn't the first example," she says and brings up the Turkish newspaper delivery boy who was beaten to death in Amager, and a young man of Turkish background who died after police violence in Copenhagen's Station 1. "Such things happen frequently in Denmark," says Nermin. "But why don't human rights apply to us? They apply only to Danes. But if a Dane or somebody from another European country was subjected to such things in Turkey, like what my son was subjected to - what would Denmark do?" Nermin therefore contacted the Turkish embassy in Denmark, so that Turkey would take up the issue with the Danish authorities. Erdem Sahin (19), Ekrem's younger brother says (DA) he's very upset and filled with sorrow. "What the prison employees did to my brother is pure murder - they've willingfully killed him." Ekrem's cousin, Erkan Sahin, is also convinced it was no accident and that the prison guards were responsible for Ekrem's coma.

 

ISLAM IS NOT AGAINST KNOWLEDGE AND SCIENCE

ISLAM IS NOT AGAINST KNOWLEDGE AND SCIENCE

 

How could Islam ever be defied through knowledge? Islam is the very essence of knowledge. Many parts of Qur’an al-karim command knowledge and praise men of knowledge. For example, it is declared in the ninth ayat ^[1] of Surat-uz-Zumar ^[2]: “Is it possible that he who knows and he who does not know be the same? He who knows is certainly valuable!” Rasulullah’s ‘sall-Allahu alaihi wa salam’ words praising and recommending knowledge are so numerous and so famous that even our enemies know about them. For example, in the books Ihya-ul-’ulum and Mawdu’at-ul-’ulum, the following hadith ^[3] is written in a section describing the value of knowledge, “Acquire knowledge even if it is in China!” That is, “Go and learn knowledge, even if it is at the farthest place in the world and in the possession of disbelievers!

    Do not say, ‘I don’t want it; it is invented by disbelievers’. ” And it is declared in another hadith-i-sharif: “Study and learn knowledge from the cradle to the grave!” That is, an old man of eighty, one of whose feet is already in the grave, should sudy. It is an act of worship for him to learn. And once he declared: “Work for the next world as if you were to die tomorrow, and work for the world as if you would never die. ” He declared in a hadih-i-sharif: “Little worship done with knowledge is better than much worship done without understanding. ” Once he said, “The Devil is more afraid of a savant than of thousands of ignorant worshippers. ”

    Muslim woman cannot go on supererogatory hajj (pilgrimage) without taking her husband’s leave; she cannot set out on a journey or pay a visit, either. However, she can go out for the purpose of learning without his permission, if he does not teach her or allow her to learn. As it is seen, though it is a sin for her to go on hajj without permission, which is a great worship liked by Allahu ta’ala, it is not a sin to go out to learn without permission.

    Then how can disbelievers ever attack Islam through knowledge? Does knowledge blame knowledge? Of course not, it likes, praises it. He who attacks Islam through knowledge will suffer a defeat.

GLOSSARY

[1] ayat: a verse of al-Qur’an al-kerim; al-ayat al-karima. [2] sura(t): a Qur’anic chapter [a chapter of the Qur’an]. [3] hadith (sharif): i) a saying of the Prophet (‘alaihi ‘s-salam).; al-Hadith ash-sharif: all the hadiths as a whole; ii) ‘ilm al-hadith; iii) Books of the hadith ash-sharif. iv) Al-hadith al-qudsi, as-sahih, al-hasan: kinds of hadiths (for which, see Endless Bliss, II).

 

In order not to lose the blessing of faith (iman), one must be thankful for it

Serving Islam and Human Rights
Please send us an e-mail to unsubscribe!	Saturday, January 15, 2011
People of wisdom state: In order not to lose the blessing of faith (iman), one must be thankful for it. Thankfulness for it is expressed in two ways: 1. The first way is to love Muslims, who have attained this blessing, very much for the sake of Allah and not to love non-Muslims for His sake again, which is called hubb-i fillah and bughd-i fillah. As a matter of fact, the last verse of Surah al-Mujadilah states that Believers must love one another very much so as to give thanks for the blessing of faith and that they must not love disbelievers even if they may be their own parents, siblings, or children. 2. The second way is to work in order to convey this correct faith and true Islamic knowledge to Allahu ta’ala’s other servants, which is called amr-i ma’ruf andnahy-i munkar. The easiest, the most suitable, and the most risk-free form of it is to give someone a book [teaching Islam]. We must strive to transmit the trust [the Islamic religion], which came to us, to the subsequent generations for the sake of Allah. Otherwise, when Allahu ta’ala says in the Hereafter, “O My servant, My hundreds of thousands of servants sacrificed themselves so that you might be saved. They sacrificed their lives, blood, and wealth at the gates of castles, in front of ramparts, on the field of battle, in short, everywhere. Well, what did you do on your part?” how will we reply it? The greater a blessing is, the greater the responsibility it brings. We must not go to the Presence of our Lord with others’ rights on us. It is one of the human rights to be fulfilled, so we must endeavor to teach our religion to the people who listen to what we say. If we do not do our jobs properly, we will be regarded as having committed a transgression against others’ rights as well. We are not freed from others’ rights only by obeying working hours at our jobs. If we come to our work in time but busy ourselves with other things there, we are considered to have neglected our work. Instead, we must work in such a way that we should become fully deserving of the salaries we receive. He who does not care about his work is a thief. If he eats haram, this haram becomes poison for him. A body that is nourished by what is haram is deserving of burning in the Fire. Whoever does not work in such a way as to truly deserve his salary, his accounting will be very severe. Everybody will give an account to Allahu ta’ala, not to his boss. The real owner of every work and every service is not the boss. Rather, the owner of all things is Allahu ta’ala. Every effort should be made so that Allahu ta’ala’s one more servant may be rescued from burning in the Fire. To that end, we should ask these questions to ourselves every day and every hour: What have I done today for Allah? What contribution have I made today to the services rendered to spread Islam? Hadrat ‘Umar used to ask himself every day, “O ‘Umar, what have you done today for Allah?” There are many things we do for our nafses, but what have we done for Allah? This is the primary matter that we must focus our minds on. As a matter of fact, our Master the Prophet said: “On the Day of Judgment, no one will be released from the reckoning until he answers the four questions: 1) From where and how did he earn his wealth? What did he spend it on? 2) How did he practice his knowledge? 3) How did he spend his life? 4) Where did he tire and exhaust his body?”

 

Tunisia: French, Swiss citizens killed in protests

Tunisia: French, Swiss citizens killed in protests Two European citizens were killed in the protests in Tunisia Wednesday. A 67-year old Swiss citizen was killed while watching the protests in the northern town of Dar Chaabne. A 38 year old French citizen, Hatem Bettahar, was killed in the protests in the southern town of Douz.

 

Finland: Book on Islamic cuisine wins science prize

Finland: Book on Islamic cuisine wins science prize Via YLE: A book about the cuisine of Islamic countries has won the prize for Finland's science book of the year 2010. The prestigious prize, worth 10,000 euros, was awarded to co-authors Helena Hallenberg and Irmeli Perho. In their book Ruokakulttuuri islamin maissa, which is published by Gaudeamus, Doctors of Philosophy Hallenberg and Perho are not content to merely describe dishes or give recipes. Instead, food is a vehicle through which the history, culture and societies of the Islamic world are explored. (source)

 

Emergency rule imposed in Tunisia

Emergency rule imposed in Tunisia

Beleaguered president fires government and calls for elections within six months after violent clashes rock capital.

The Tunisian president has imposed a state of emergency and fired the country's government amid violent clashes between protesters and security forces, state media has reported. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has also promised fresh legislative elections within six months in an attempt to quell the mass dissent over unemployment and high prices, sweeping the North African nation. There were also reports that the country's airspace has been closed and troops have taken control of the airport in the capital Tunis. State media also reported that gathering of more than three people have been banned and arms will be used" if orders of security forces are not heeded. The latest development on Friday came as police fired tear gas at protesters outside the interior ministry in Tunis. "We heard shots, I believe they were shooting in the air but for sure they were shooting [tear] gas bombs, and they are trying to disperse and spread people," Youssef Gaigi, an activist at the scene, told Al Jazeera. "There were some clashes, police on their bikes and cars hitting people. Things quickly changed. Before, this morning things were totally peaceful, we had people from all social classes, we had people from everywhere come here to Tunis and now they just decided to use violence." The protesters are seeking the immediate resignation of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the president, and are refusing to disperse until he steps down.  In a sign of a deepening political stand-off in the North African nation, increasingly being referred to on social media platforms as the "Jasmine Revolution", thousands of protesters converged in front of the interior ministry building on Friday, chanting slogans such as "Ben Ali, leave!" and "Ben Ali, thank you but that's enough!". The fresh protests came a day after Ben Ali offered sweeping concessions in an attempt to end the wave of dissent sweeping the country.  In a televised address on Thursday night, Ben Ali, who has been in power since 1987, vowed not to seek re-election in 2014. He also promised to institute widespread reforms, introduce more freedoms into society, and to investigate the killings of protesters during demonstrations that have spread throughout the country over the past month. Ben Ali (L) spoke with Tunisian General Labour Union leader Abdessalam Jrad on Thursday [EPA] Kamel Morjane, the foreign minister, said on Friday that Ben Ali is prepared to hold new legislative elections before the 2014 poll. Nevertheless, unions planned to hold a general strike in Tunis and some other regions on Friday. The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights has tallied 66 deaths since the protests began after a 26-year-old unemployed university graduate set himself on fire in protest in the town of Sidi Bouzid on December 17.  Sources told Al Jazeera on Thursday that at least 13 people had been killed in the past two days alone. After Ben Ali's speech, the government appeared to immediately lift its heavy hand from the media, allowing opposition figures onto television and lifting bans on formerly censored websites such as YouTube. Ben Ali's about-face was met, at least initially, with limited approval from Tunisia's opposition. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Tunis on Friday, Najib Chebbi, a former leader of the opposition Progressive Democratic Party and managing editor of the weekly Mawkis newspaper, told Al Jazeera: "What we need now is not speeches or compromises, but a mechanism to carry them out.   "The ruling party cannot keep its monopoly on political life. We are under a one-party system and the failure of this system has produced these protests." The Progressive Democratic Party holds no seats in parliament, and Chebbi has asked Ben Ali to form a coalition government. Video footage The Lebanese social media aggregation website Nawaat posted videos of people who had reportedly been shot by police on Thursday night and taken to a hospital in the Kaireddine neighborhood of the capital. Video posted by Nawaat appears to shows doctors tending to people shot by Tunisian police the same night Ben Ali ordered security forces to cease fire In one, men can be seen praying over the body of a dead man whose head is wrapped in white bandages, with a spot of blood showing through. A younger man who is wounded explains that the police shouted at his group that "they rule this country, and we answered ... you don't rule this country". The protesters were peaceful, the man said, but the police fired live ammunition and aimed indiscriminately. "All the kids are young, 20 to 22 years old. They are students and professionals, not thugs as they say," he says "The police provokes the youth so the youth comes out and reacts ... This is God's will, what can we do." In another video, a man suffering from a bullet wound dies as a nurse tries to save him. The death toll includes seven people who committed suicide in protest over unemployment and economic hardships. The rest were reportedly killed by the Tunisian security forces. French and Swiss citizens visiting their native country were among those killed, the two European governments said. Freedoms promised In his speech, Ben Ali ordered state security forces not to fire at demonstrators and vowed to cut the prices of staples such as sugar, bread, and milk. "Enough firing of real bullets," he said. "I refuse to see new victims fall." Follow Al Jazeera's complete coverage  "I understand the Tunisians, I understand their demands. I am sad about what is happening now after 50 years of service to the country, military service, all the different posts, 23 years of the presidency," Ben Ali said. "We need to reach 2014 with proper reconciliation." Ben Ali has been elected four times, never with less than 89 per cent of the vote. 'Difficult mission' Many activists greeted Ben Ali's promises with caution. "People are still cautious and doubt these words," one activist told Al Jazeera. "Turning his words into action will be a very difficult mission." Rafik Ouerchefani, a supporter of the centre-left Ettajdid party, told Al Jazeera that he was sceptical that Ben Ali's promises would be delivered. "I am happy with the speech, but let's not forget the dead," he said. He said he was relieved that Ben Ali would not be standing down immediately, as time was needed for the country to prepare for a genuinely democratic election. After decades of being stifled, he said opposition parties must work to prepare candidates capable of taking over the role of president. "This is already a major victory, now we must work towards the alternative: what happens post-Ben Ali," he said.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

 

Sweden: "Just because you pray, you are not a terrorist"

Sweden: "Just because you pray, you are not a terrorist" Via SR: Police in Norrköping came out in force Wednesday afternoon after they had been tipped off about a "mysterious foreign man" behaving strangely at a bus stop, and then getting on the bus with his rucksack. It turns out the 28-year-old man had carried out the muslim praying ritual at the bus stop, but when police caught up with him, and searched him, all suspicions were dismissed. Also Moustafa Kharraki, deputy head of the Swedish Muslim Council, has noticed more suspiciousness against muslims lately. "This is very serious and it concerns pure discrimination. People have become fearful and suspicious, a lot has changed since Drottninggatan," Kharraki told the news agency TT. Kharraki finds the actions of the Norrköping police "unacceptable". "police needs more knowledge. Any muslim can pray in a public space. It is completely normal and just because you pray, you are not a terrorist." (source)

 

Turkey: Criticism of Dutch immigration policies

Turkey: Criticism of Dutch immigration policies Via RNW: The Turkish government has fiercely criticised the new Dutch government's stricter immigration and integration policies. Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant reports that Ankara's Labour and Social Security Minister Faruk Çelik said the new policies place immigrants in an isolated position. The minister mentioned the high costs of obtaining a residence permit, compulsory integration courses and the fact that Turkish language classes are not part of the curriculum offered at Dutch schools. Mr Çelik pointed to the successful integration of Turkish immigrants in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. He said the Netherlands and other Western European countries could learn from their example. (source)