Wise Islamic Leader ‘Luqman Ameen Abdullah’ Shot Dead Blindly by FBI Terrorist

United States- This is another kind of discrimination and ‘war’ against Islam. On Thursday, a very wise Islamic imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah was shot dead by FBI terrorist in Dearborn, Michigan.

Worse, Luqman’s son named Mujahid Carswell was taken into custody after knowing his father was killed blindly by the US FBI terrorist.

Charges over Luqman Ameen Abdullah are of course something out of normal sense. As reported by media, Luqman was alleged to have conspired to sell stolen property and illegal weapons.

The FBI terrorist does allege that Luqman did struggle to establish an Islamic state within the US – something that was really hard to be proven, but why the FBI terrorist made that blind raid over the wise Imam of the Masjid Al-Haqq in Detroit.

The fire on Luqman Ameen Abdullah is certainly something questionable, just like what has been said by Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations-Michigan as saying, “They have no linkage to terrorism nationally or internationally.”

Further Walid also said that he found no ‘illegal activity’ going on at the Masjid of Al-Haqq.

Testimonies of Luqman Ameen Abdullah
“He would give the shirt of his back to people,” Dawud Walid.

“The congregation he led was poor. He fed very hungry people in the neighbourhood who were Christian. He helped and assisted a lot of troubled youth. People would come to him who were hungry and he would let them sleep in the Masjid,” Walid further said.

Nu’man also described Luqman as a figure who ‘successfully fed a lot of people in the neighbourhood during the Ramadhan.’

“It was a good humanitarian effort,” he said.

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ArtFacts.net: The Third Biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium

Qatar- Scholars from around the world will explore the many uses of color in Islamic art and culture during the Third Biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art on November 2 - 4 in Cordoba, Spain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important center of Islamic art and architecture.

"And Diverse Are Their Hues: Color in Islamic Art and Culture" features 13 speakers from the Middle East, Europe, Australia and the United States with topics spanning the medieval to the modern and covering a range of disciplines, featuring experts in art, architecture, literature and philosophy.

The symposium is co-sponsored by the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and the Qatar Foundation. Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom, shared holders of the Hamad bin Khalifa Endowed Chair of Islamic Art at VCU, are the organizers and keynote speakers. Fifteen fellows, ranging from graduate students to octogenarians, will receive full funding to attend the symposium.

"And Diverse Are Their Hues" focuses on the topic of color. Speakers will address the role of color in manuscripts, carpets, ceramics, buildings, medieval optics, mysticism and gardens. "We chose color as the focus of this year's symposium because it is one of the most salient features of Islamic art, although it is rarely discussed," Bloom said. "Everyone comments on the colorful qualities of Islamic art, but they rarely look deeper at them. For example, medieval Muslims did not identify the same colors in the rainbow that we see today." Their keynote address will introduce the audience to many of the issues that other speakers will develop over the following two days.

The 12 papers to be submitted during the symposium include: Ceramics In or On the Building? The Relationships of Patrons, Architecture and the Consumer in the Development of Pottery and Tilework by Bernard O'Kane, Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture, American University in Cairo; The Role of Economics, Geography and Tradition in the Artist's Choice of Colors for Manuscript Painting by Cheryl Porter Deputy Director, Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation & Dar al-Kutub Manuscript Project in Cairo, Egypt; Some Observations on Color in Carpets by Jon Thompson, Associate, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford; "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues": Depictions of Majn?n in Persian Illustrated Manuscripts by Julie Scott Meisami, an Independent Scholar; Blue behind Gold: the Inscription of the Dome of the Rock and its Relatives by Lawrence Nees, Professor of Art History, University of Delaware; Why My Name is Red: "Ahmar," "Surkh" and "Kirmizi" in the History of Islamic Art by Marianna Shreve Simpson, Independent Scholar, Baltimore; "The Battle of Colors": Colors and Their Meaning in the Search for Political Legitimacy in the Islamic West by Maribel Fierro, Research Professor, CSIC (Center for Human and Social Sciences of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) in Madrid; "Threads of Many Colors": Islam, America, and the Visual Culture of Conquest by Michael J. Schreffler, Associate Professor, Department of Art History, Virginia Commonwealth University;

Colors of Power and Piety in Rasulid Yemen by Noha Sadek, Independent Scholar; "Designs always Polychromed or Gilded": the Aesthetics of Color in the Alhambra by Olga Bush, Visiting Assistant Professor, Art History Department, Vassar College, Color, Symbolism, and the Mystic Quest: the Spiritual Exegesis of Color in Sufism by Samir Mahmoud, Ph.D. candidate at the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge and The Hues of Paradise - Examining Color Design Layout in the Persian Garden by Manu P. Sobti, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Mohammad Gharipour Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

Blair and Bloom, the authors of more than a dozen books, are among the leading scholars of Islamic art in the world. "We're on the cusp of something exciting in Islamic art," Blair said. "It's an encouraging shift. Many buildings and works of art have now been examined. It's time to look beyond the individual works and begin to explore the arts of the Islamic lands thematically."

Cordoba, a city of approximately 350,000 in Andalusia in southern Spain, served as the capital of Muslim Spain in the Middle Ages and contains many significant monuments of Islamic art and architecture, such as the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the ruins of Medina Azahara, a 10th-century palace just outside of the city. The city's Archaeological Museum also houses an exemplary collection of local antiquities.

Previous symposia were held in Richmond, USA in 2004 and in Doha in 2007. The proceedings of the 2007 symposium have just been published by Yale University Press under the title, "Rivers of Paradise: Water in Islamic Art and Culture."

For this year's schedule, a complete list of speakers and registration, as well as information about travel and lodging options, please visit the symposium website, http://www.islamicartdoha.org/.


About VCU and the VCU Medical Center
Virginia Commonwealth University is the largest university in Virginia and ranks among the top 100 universities in the country in sponsored research. Located on two downtown campuses in Richmond, VCU enrolls 32,000 students in 205 certificate and degree programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-five of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU's 15 schools and one college. MCV Hospitals and the health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical Center, one of the nation's leading academic medical centers. For more, see www.vcu.edu.

About Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar:
Established in the US in 1838 and in Qatar in 1998, Virginia Commonwealth University offers students from all over the world the opportunity to earn Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in fashion, graphic, interior design and painting & printmaking and a Master of Fine Arts degree in design studies. A team of highly skilled professors provide rigorous curricula that prepare students to assume leadership roles in the professional design field of their choice. VCUQatar regularly organizes and hosts exhibitions, gallery events, world-class conferences and holds an annual fashion show. The documentary entitled "VCUQatar", which highlighted the 10 year anniversary of Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar's rich history and the education the students are receiving, won a Capital Emmy at the 51st Emmy Awards in April 2009. VCUQatar is supported and funded by the Qatar Foundation. For more information please visit www.qatar.vcu.edu

About Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development
Founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, and chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Qatar Foundation is a private, non-profit organization committed to the principle that a nation's greatest natural resource is its people. The headquarters of Qatar Foundation are located within its flagship project, Education City, a fourteen million square-meter campus which hosts numerous progressive learning institutions and centers of research, including branch campuses of six of the world's leading universities, plus a cutting-edge research and development center. Qatar Foundation also works to enhance the quality of life in Qatar by investing in community health and development.
For more information please visit: http://www.qf.org.qa

Relayed from its main website: artfacts.net

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Islamic TV Channel ‘Ummah Channel’ Ready to Air Next Month

England- Upholding a concept that ‘Islam is a modern religion,’ a new Islamic TV station namely ‘Ummah Channel’ is ready to get on air next month.

The new TV station will be broadcasting from its studio based in the Lancashire town on Sky Channled 828.

It hopes to provide both Muslim and non-Muslim viewers an Islamic channled mostly influenced by lifestyle programmes as well as bringing knowledge awareness to its viewers.

Just mention some of its shows include Debate Night, Ummah Talent, Face the Facts, Ummah Sports, Women Talk and fashion and cookery shows.

Agha Rehan, talking to TheAsianNews.co.uk, said that Islam is a ‘modern religion’ and Ummah Channel will reflect that concept in a variety of its programmes.

“We want to include more lifestyle shows whoch everybody in particularly women will have a keen interest in,” Rehan said.

The channel’s website is at www.ummahchannel.tv

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University College Cork to Carry Out Research on Muslim Community in Ireland

Ireland- Since Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion in the world, and the third biggest religion in Ireland, a group of scholars from University College Cork has planned to carry out an in-depth research on Islam and Muslim in Ireland, starting next month.

Launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the research is aimed at providing an in-depth survey of the Muslim community in Ireland and its future place amongst the Irish society.

Coming to appear as the main research fellow of the project will be Dr Oliver Scharbrodt, a lecturer at the study of religions department at University College Cork.

Three other researchers will be participating within; they are Dr Adil Khan, Dr Vivian Ibrahim, and Dr Yafa Shanneik.

Each of those researchers will investigate and focus on different subjects, such as Dr Adil Khan who will focus on scrutinizing the various mosques in Ireland, Dr Vivian Ibrahim on traces of Muslim presence in Ireland before the Second World War, and Dr Yafa Shanneik on the activities of various Muslim women groups in Ireland.

The project is funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) and the Department of An Taoiseach.

Talking to the Irish Times, Dr Scharbrodt said, “The aim of this project is to provide an in-depth survey of the Muslim community in Ireland, its establishment and historical development, its various organizations and mosques and its current and future place in the Irish society.” (IrishTimes)

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Muslim Worldwide Condems ‘Violation’ by Israeli Terrorist Police over Al-Aqsha

Palestine (Israel is not a legal state)- The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) then finally raised voice over the ‘violation’ on the esplanade of the Al-Aqsha Mosque on Sunday.

The OIC, likewise, called on an extraordinary meeting of its Executive Committee to address the means to retaliate to that violation.

In a statement released by the OIC, it called on the Muslim community worldwide to take action to defend the sacred places of Islam.

“Should Al-Aqsha be damaged, it would have negative consequences on the international peace and securit,” it said.

“The Israeli aggression of Al-Aqsha Mosque is mainly the result of divisions and disagreement amongst Arab and Islamic countries,” said Hezbollah MP Hussein Osseiran.

Amal Movement, in a statement, said, “The Zionist enemy is practicing through provocation and ongoing works around the sacred Mosque.”

The Lebanese outgoing Prime Minister Foud Siniora also strongly condemned the Israeli intimidation in Palestine, mainly the violation of Al-Aqsha Mosque.

He urged the International community to declare a state of emergency regarding the current situation in Palestine while saying Israel is still aborting all peace endeavours through keeping pace with its extremist activities and its settlement works.

In Indonesia, six Islamic organization held a meeting to discuss the current terrorist conduct of Israeli police over Al-Aqsha and Palestinian Muslim there.

Under initiatives of Aqsha Working Group (AWG), the meeting results in “calling on Muslim worldwide to take real action to defend Al-Aqsha, and calling Indonesian government to keep supporting Palestine.”

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Afghan Students Burn Obama Effigy, Demand ‘Real Islamic Country’

Afghanistan- About 1,000 Afghan university students gathered in Kabul sounding to the world that “Muslim were disrespected.”

Those students expressed their hatred over the disrespectful conducts of US and NATO-led terrorist forces invading the land of Afghanistan in the name of war against terror.

It appears that those student got angry because the Islamic Holy book of Quran was ‘shot and burned’ by the foreigners in Maidan Wardak Province last week.

“The foreigners shot the Quran, and then they burned it. They should be tried for this,” said an engineering student taking part in the protest.

In the demonstration, the students then burned an effigy of Barack Obama as a reaction to the act of foreign terrorist forces that have desecrated the Quran.

The demonstration, which took place outside the national parliament, voiced “Death to America! Down with Israel!”

Likewise, they looked to reject the result of the current ‘fraud’ election as saying “No to democracy. We just want Islam. We don’t want a slave government. We want a real Islamic country!”

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In Cyprus, Bar to be Built Next to Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque

Turkey- An issue on the construction of a bar in the garden of the Hala Mosque located in Greek Cyprus has raised concerns amongst the surrounding Muslims.

The Directorate of Religious Affairs of Turkish Republic or Northern Cyprus (KKTC) has applied a state of disagreement to the construction of that bar, but there is no answer due this day.

Yusuf Sicmez, the director of religious affair of KKTC, said that religious values ‘should be respected’ to keep the positive relations between the two sides.

Protest over the bar construction also emerged from the head of the Religious Worker’s Union, Mehmet Dere, as saying that the construction of a bar in the garden of the Hala Mosque can be ‘hurtful’ to the Muslims on the island.

Citing a point in the war of conduct, Dere stated that any act that would harm houses of worship must be avoided.

While delivering a protest to the bar construction, the Imam of the Hala Mosque – Sakir Alemdar – also calls on the Muslim in the world to ‘pay attention’ on the case.

Sakir Alemdar remarked, “If the construction goes on and officials do not intervene to stop it, we would make this incident more public to the world. What they are trying to construct in the garden of the mosque is not in accordance with the values [of Islam]. It is not an issue related to the KKTC but to the entire Muslim world. Every Muslim should be paying attention to this.”

The Hala Mosque (Hala Sultan Tekke Mosuqe of the Mosque of Ummu Haram) is an important Masjid (Islamic house of worship) that is located near Larnaca, on the island of Cyprus.

The Masjid is considered important because the masjid has a historical relation with the death of Ummu Haram – the Prophet Muhammad’s wet nurse – during the first raids on Cyprus under the Caliph Muawiyah (647-649 A.D.). (TodaysZaman)

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First Islamic School to be built in Gading Serpong Housing Complex

Indonesia- Saturday (24/10/2009) could be a relenting day as the day witnessed that the first Islamic school will be standing amidst 20 other non-Islamic schools in Gading Serpong Housing Complex.

Talking to Republika Daily, the head of Islamic School Foundation – Nanang Firdaus – said that efforts to build the school were not easy.

The process of gaining permission from the authority took three years because of double land certifications.

The housing complex developer claims that the land belongs to them, while on the other side; Nanang is the officially legal owner of the land.

The building process has begun on Saturday (24/10/2009), and was attended by the vice regent of Tangerang District, Rano Karno.

Rano also wished the school would bring blessing over the surroundings and would create outstanding Muslim generations in the future.

Also coming to the first day of building was Ustadz Zainuddin MZ who urged the importance of creating a generation that is excellence either in academic or religious.

Gading Serpong Housing Complex, which is mostly populated by non-Muslim residents within, stands elegantly in the district of Tangerang, Banten Province, Indonesia.

The complex encompasses 1,500 hectare land with more than 4,500 units of residential houses and commercial shops.

The location is base for a number of elite schools, but unfortunately there has been no Islamic school at all there.

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Art Exhibition ‘Islamic Contemporary Art Pieces’ to Start in September 15

Brunei Darussalam- An art exhibition themed “Islamic Contemporary Art Pieces” is scheduled to be held on September 15, 2009, that’s Brunei-based Brudirect.com has reported.

Taking location at D’Other Office, Serusop, Brunei, the exhibition is to be organized by Singapore-based Kontemporari Khazanah.

The goal of the event is ‘to show to the Bruneian community about the unique Islamic art’ – that’s General Manager of D’Other Office has said via Brudirect.com.

The event will feature six seried of artworks namely Mushaf, Mizan, Elegante, Raoul, Gallic, and Mozaique.

One that will be limelight of the exhibition is the ‘Raoul Collection.’ It is a quite exquisite Quran that is 20 kg in weight and 1.5 x 1.1 square meters.

People will be amazed to see how each verse in this Quran were written beautifully.

The verses are embedded in rainbow colour across a piece of tempered glass.

To those Muslims who want to attend the event, please don’t be hesitate to call Eida at 714 0702.

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Indonesia Islamic Book Fair to be Held in March 2010

Indonesia- The Ninth Indonesia Islamic Book Fair is scheduled to be held in March 2010, located at Senayan Sports Hall, Jakarta, Indonesia.

As reported by Indonesia-based Republika Daily, the vice president of Indonesian Publisher Association Anis Baswedan said that he was pleased to welcome the ninth Islamic Book Fair.

“Alhamdulila, for the ninth times, Islamic Book Fair will be held. This is the most waited time for Muslims who want to deepen their knowledge on Islam through Islamic books,” Baswedan said.

Accordingly, a number of Islamic publishers will be taking part in the event. “About hundreds of publishers have enrolled themselves to the event organizers,” Baswedan added.

Not only books, there will be some other features will be available at that time, such as Muslim Kids playground, Muslim Women Space, and seminars as well as interfaith dialogue.

Some outstanding Islamic scholars from abroad, such as Professor Dr. Ratib Nabulshi and Diaz, have confirmed their attendances during the event. Likewise, local Islamic ustadzs will also taking part within.

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Indonesia-Based ‘Digital Library of Al-Quran’ Launched

Indonesia- Hati Nurani Foundation in cooperation with Paguyuban Ikhlas Foundation has announced that ‘Digital Library of Al-Quran’ has been officially launched for access by the public.

Upon initiatives of Prof. Dr. M. Quraish Shihab, MA and Mr. Rusano Barack, the first Indonesian language digital library of Al-Quran is the sole digital library that provides Qurans and its interpretation, either in the forms of printed or digital.

The launching took place at the Center for Quranic Studies (PSQ) that is headed by Quraishi Shihab, who was an ex-minister of religious affairs, on Tuesday (20/10/2009).

Quraishi, talking to Media Indonesia, said that there are about 30,000 titles in the library, including audio and video references.

“School students, college students, and those who are working on papers usually come here for finding sources,” he said.

At the same occasion, an Islamic boarding school of Bayt Quran was officially opened by the city mayor of Tangerang, Mr. Muhammad Soleh.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Soleh expressed his excitement over the Digital Library of Al-Quran and the Islamic boarding school.

Bayt Quran Islamic Boarding School is aimed at giving hands to those Muslims who want to have in-depth understanding on the Islamic holy book of Quran.

Not only does the school offer outstanding Islamic knowledge, but also financial aids for those who are in need.

Gunawan Tangkilisan, city secretary of Tangerang, said “Further, the school is expected to be able to empower those living under the poverty line through self development and scientific knowledge.”

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Rizwaan Sabir via Guardian: Linking Islam and terrorism is wrong

Rizwaan Sabir
In a recent article published by the Guardian, it was reported that the Prevent strand of Contest 2, the British counterterrorism strategy, was being used to collate intelligence on Muslims who were innocent, or who had no suspected involvement in terrorism. This may come as a surprise to members of the public who do not really have much to do with the subject of counterterrorism, but for those who study, analyse or take an interest in this subject, it is hardly a surprise.

On Thursday, I attended a policing conference in St Andrews. Speaking to two academics there, our conversation quickly progressed on to British counterterrorism and Prevent. I remember saying that there was something "not quite right" about Prevent, but I couldn't put my finger on what this was and decided that maybe it was just paranoia and cynicism on my part. Less than 24 hours later, I was reading the Guardian and saw the article titled "Government anti-terrorism strategy 'spies' on innocent". Reading it, I found that "the government programme aimed at preventing Muslims from being lured into violent extremism is being used to gather intelligence about innocent people who are not suspected of involvement in terrorism".

Eureka! I could finally put my finger on it. The government, through its policy of trying to stop Muslims from becoming radicalised, whatever that means, is collating intelligence and information on their "political and religious views, mental health, sexual activity and associates". This reveals some disturbing assumptions behind government thinking.

Firstly, the government still thinks that a correlation exists between acts of indiscriminate killing and the religion of Islam, even though it's a well-known fact that indiscriminate killing is not condoned by Islam, but rather justified through a flawed, restrictive and manipulated understanding of Islam, unless you're Geert Wilders. Why else would it be trying to collate intelligence on people's religious views? So it can fund the construction of more mosques?

Secondly, the government is now thinking that the reason why some individuals may carry out violence is not because of overzealous policing, disproportionate counterterrorism measures and a foreign policy that has led to thousands of deaths, including British service personnel, but is somehow caused by the mental condition of British Muslims.

Thirdly, the government thinks that collecting information on the sex lives of British Muslims could indicate a potential link between acts of violence and British Muslims. Essentially this means that British Muslims who "aren't getting any" are more vulnerable to radicalisation.

And fourthly, the government is playing a very sinister and dangerous game of guilt by association. It is presuming that if you are in contact with certain individuals, you have the potential to become a terrorist or have to the potential to adopt a violent methodology for change. Does this mean that every Muslim in touch with suspected terrorists or individuals convicted on terrorism charges should all be monitored, snooped upon and intercepted? Maybe they should. Maybe then the government will actually be able to justify its £3.5bn yearly counterterrorism budget.

However, what this will not do is build bridges between the government, the police services and the Muslim community, where distrust, anxiety and fear are rife. To build bridges, the British government must rethink the prejudiced manner with which it views young Muslims, their attitudes towards world events and their desire for a more just and peaceful world. Just because they view Israel as an occupying power or believe that the west has a hypocritical foreign policy, does not mean that they are terrorists or will take up jihad. The government needs to engage with Muslims on all levels, rather than merely with those who dance to the tune of their pipe, such as the Quilliam Foundation.

Fighting militancy and violence is a serious problem that must be confronted. But spying on innocent people and viewing them with a deep antipathy and suspicion because of their faith is not the way to do it. The government must stop viewing all Muslims as potential terrorists or individuals that have an innate potential to resort to violence. Only then can work on rebuilding a bridge between British Muslims, the police services and the government recommence.

Source: Guardian.co.uk

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Italian Govt. To Set Islamic Teaching a Compulsory at Schools

Italy- The initiative of Vatican stating that Islamic teaching ‘should be taught’ in Italian schools at least an hour in a week has lured controversy amongst those Anti-Islam communities.

Roberto Maroni, of the anti-Immigrant Northern League Party, said that his party ‘is absolutely against the proposal of an hour of Islamic religion in Italian schools.’

His statement was based on ‘irrational’ reason as saying that Islam has no clear ‘hierarchy’ just like Catholic religion.

Further he said, “The imam can freely interpret the Koran, there is not a series of tenets, there is not a clear message to convey...If the proposal served to improve integration, we would be all in agreement, but this is clearly the wrong way to do it.”

Taking fairer perspective, there should be no reason to oppose the proposal because Islam has more clear ‘hierarchy’ and of course, Islamic Koran cannot be freely interpreted by common people, but only by capable Islamic scholars.

The plan to set Islamic teaching a compulsory in Italian schools was sounded by Adolfo Urso, an ally of Italy’s PM Silvio Berlusconi.

The proposal said that subject should be taught for an hour a week to ‘avoid Muslim youngsters being drawn to the ghettos of madrasse (Islamic schools) run by ‘fundamentalists.’’

Gianfranco Fini, the deputy Prime Minister also emerged to support the initiative.  

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Third International Conference & Exhibition on Islamic Banking & Takaful to Kick Off on Nov. 2

Pakistan- Amidst the global economic downturn, the Islamic economic system has proven to stay upright, and therefore it gained international recognition not only from Muslim populous countries but also from the western countries.

To meet the needs of Islamic Finance, the Third International Conference & Exhibition on Islamic Banking & Takaful will be held on November 2 – 4, 2009 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The event is a part of series of Al-Huda CIBE international conference that is aimed at fulfilling the needs of Islamic Finance locally and internationally.

There will be ‘meaningful’ debates and discussion on Islamic banking, finance, takaful, sukuk, and Islamic microfinance.

The highlights of the event will be on two specialized workshops on Islamic Microfinance and Takaful, during November 3 – 4, 2009.

So far, 28 countries, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Bahrain, UK, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Bangladesh, Kariztan, USA, Poland, South Africa, and Switzerland, have confirmed their participation in the conference that will held at Convention Center Islamabad.

The conference will be the world’s largest conference on Islamic banking and finance, in which more that 2,500 people will be participating within.

Talking to IStockAnalyst.com, Zubair Mughal of the Chief Executive Officer of the event said that the ‘purpose’ of the conference is to attract the International investors to Pakistani Islamic Banking, Suku, and Financial System so that Islamic banking can be promoted in Pakistan and worldwide.

To those who might be interested in participating in the conference are cordially invited to attend the registration, which will be closed on October 30, 2009.

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Indonesian Muslim Students Holds First National Congress

Indonesia- About 5,000 students from the entire Indonesia held the first Indonesian Muslim Students Congress at Basket Hall of Bung Karno Stadium on Sunday (18/10/2009).

Reported by Republika Daily, the congress was aimed at uniting and establishing an intellectual vision amongst the Indonesian Muslim Students for a better Indonesia.

The congress coincided with the celebration of Indonesia’s 101st National Awakening that will be on October 28th, 2009.

“The event was aimed at uniting the intellectual vision amongst the Indonesian Muslim students for a better Indonesia,” said Zaenal Abidin – the chairman of the event organizer.

Some representatives of Indonesian Muslim organizations made orations in turn at the congress.

At least there were two main points that can be derived from the orations, that of shariah (Islamic Law) and Khilafah (Islamic leadership).

The end of the congress was the recitation of Indonesian Muslim Students’ Oath consisting of five points, which includes a statement that the onset of all Indonesians’ suffering is secularism.

Therefore, along with the first Indonesian Muslim Students’ Congress above, they swore that they won’t cease from upholding the Islamic Sharia and Khilafah in Indonesia.

The event was held upon support from Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) and Indonesian Ministry of Youth and Sports. 

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French Anti-Islam Defaces Mosque in Tarbes with Insulting Words, Jewish Symbols

France- A French newspaper has currently reported that Anti-Islam people attacked a mosque that is located in the town of Tarbes, in Hautes-Pyrenees region, France.

The defacement took the forms of insulting words saying “death to the rats and dirty race get out.”

Likewise, those people did also draw a symbol of Jewish Stars of David on the wall of the masjid (mosque).

The masjid’s takmir (management) is currently filling the ‘ race attack’ to the local police for further investigation and the upholding of justice against the discrimination suffered by the French Muslims.

The mosque has been serving a number of French Muslims since 1993. In the town alone, a local Muslim witnessed that there are always more Frenchmen convert to Islam every Ramadhan.(WorldBulletin)

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Campaign on Full Implementation of Islamic Sharia Law in UK by Islam4UK

Britain- A Muslim community, through its website Islam4UK.com, has just released a statement saying that there will be a ‘procession to demand the full implementation of sharia law.’

The ‘procession’ will be taking place at the House of Commons and will then gather on Trafelgar Square on October 31, 2009.

The Muslim community did also published some pictures showing British landmarks, such as Nelson’s Column and the House of Parliament, with minarets and Islamic motifs added.

Such a campaign is necessary to do for what is believes a ‘forthcoming Islamic revolution.’

As cited at Daily Telegraph, the website says, “In light of the Islamic resurgence taking place around the world, particularly in the United Kingdom, one can definitively come to the conclusion that the dawn of a new era is close and that the prophecies of the Final Messenger Muhammad (saw) in relation to the domination of Islam worldwide are indeed true; consequently, we at Islam4UK felt it necessary to divulge to the British public what precise changes will occur when Britain transforms into this glorious dominion, not only as psychological preparation but also as a means of enticement to encourage and hasten its implementation.”

At the time this report was written, the website could not be accessed for unknown reason. It is possible the website is being hijacked by those anti-Islam communities.

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‘Meet Your Muslim Neighbors’ to Bridge Gaps between Religious Groups

United States- While the world is viewing Islam and Muslims in the many wrong ways, the actual fact shows that most of American view Muslims as the most discriminated community.

Likewise, there are still assumption that Islam closely relates to terrorism. That is why; a number of people are staying away from visiting mosque to later on question Muslim scholars about the true Islam.

Based on that reasons, eight masjids (mosques) in Detroit are opening their doors for non-Muslims to come, and therefore to know the real peaceful Islam.

The event alone is called ‘Meet Your Muslim Neighbor. Sharing our Common Heritage,’ is open to all people, including children, that’s The Detroit News has reported.

Imam Aly Lela, of the Islamic Association of Greater Detroit in Rochester Hills, welcomed the event cordially as saying, “The open house is a wonderful opportunity to come and ask questions they have on their minds in a friendly environment.”

Another warm welcome also emerged from Shahina Begg, a member of the Unity Center Mosque in Bloomfield Hills.

Talking to The Detroit News, Shahina said, “The open house is a great opportunity for people of different faiths and traditions to talk openly, to have conversations, to get to know one another.”

“This is a good way to dispel myths and ignorance,” Shahina added.

Members of the sponsoring Council of Islamic Organizations has confirmed that the event is aimed at promoting peace, understanding, friendship, and tolerance amongst the people of all faiths.

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Zurich to Ban Minarets amidst Huge of Opposition

Switzerland- Te Zurich Authority has allowed the use of a controversial poster sounding to ban on the building of new minarets on all mosques in the country.

The poster, which shows a woman dressed in Burqa with a background of Swiss flag and seven minarets on it, is ‘protected by freedom of speech,’ that the Zurich city council has said.

Idea to ban on the building of new minarets in the country emerged from the country’s biggest party, Swiss People’s Party (SVP), as there would be referendum on the case on November 29, 2009.

It is unfortunate that the proposal on banning the building of minaret came to the state authority amidst the he opposition from the Swiss residents.

An opinion poll on Thursday showed that 51% of those questioned rejected the proposal on banning the building of minarets in the country.

Likewise, another oppositional voice came out of the Swiss Federal Commission Against Racism as saying the poster ‘tantamount to the denigration and defamation of the peaceful Swiss Muslim population.’

The poster alone had been denied of being published and displayed in two regions; Basel and Lausanne as saying the poster is ‘racist, disrespectful and dangerous image.’

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Report on the World’s Muslim Population Flourishes in Media

United States- Muslim population in the world is now standing at the second number after Christians.

The current report of The Pew Forum and Public Life states that the total population of Muslims in the world is counted at 1.57 billion.

The number also means that one in four people in the world embrace Islam.

The three years project, likewise, reveals some shocking facts, wherein German Muslim population is bigger than Lebanese Muslim, Chinese Muslim population bigger than Syria and Russia has more Muslims than Jordan and Libya.

Britain is the contributor for 2.7 % Muslim population in the world as the country is home for 1.647.000 Muslims.

The total Muslim population in the Europe alone contributes 2.4 % of total Muslim population.

The research, which was carried out in 232 countries and territories, discloses a finding that Shia Muslim population contributes to 10 and 13 % of the whole Muslim population.

As much as 80 % of the world’s Shia population lives in four countries; Iran, Pakistan, India, and Iraq.

No longer after the research finding published, a number of Media upheld the issues as the headlines, colouring Google News.

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Birk’s ‘American Quran’ Tries to Relate Verses in Quran to Real Facts

United States- To those non-Muslims who might be interested in finding the truth of Quran, visit “American Quran” exhibition held in San Francisco, Culver City, and Los Angeles from September 8 to October 30, 2009.

There will be outstanding works of Sandow Birk entitled “American Quran” that tries to relate some verses in Quran to the current real facts of ‘American life’ aimed at proving the truth of the Islamic Holy Scripture to the Christians.

Asked about the ideas behind it, Birk hopes that it will help the Quran to speak to modern Christians as clearly as Muslims believe God spoke to the Prophet Muhammad so many centuries ago.

Birk’s ‘American Quran,’ however, is not a full Quran because there are no Arabic texts on it, so it is not considered a true Quran.

There are not only English translations of some parts of the Quran on the Birk’s works, but the texts are also decorated with portrayal of the current situation of American life such as New Orleans’s Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the September 11 attack on World Trade Center in 2001.

It appears that Birk tries to tell the Christians that everything happens on earth might have been said in Quran, which was compiled more than 1,400 years ago.

For example, when asked about the depiction of Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, Birk related the tragedy to the verses in Quran telling the story of Noah.

“When you go to a church here, the minister reads a passage from the Bible and then he spends 30 minutes talking about, ‘How does this passage relate to your life in the 21st century?’ That's a familiar way that Americans have of dealing with religious texts,” Birk said.

“This is a whole passage about Noah and it's sort of hard to imagine a flood of Noah's epic proportions today - but we can very well remember the flood of Katrina,” he added.

Birk is on halfway of doing his efforts to produce a full copy of his version “American Quran’ that is hopefully to be full of illustrations proving the relations of Quran to the current situation in American life.

Broadening from his idea to prove the truth of Quran related to the current situation of American life, it is apparently that Birk wants to bridge the ‘two cultures,’ that of American culture and Islam.

“It seemed that it would be nice to know more about what’s going on between the two cultures, since our country is investing so much into it.

Why is there so much conflict here, because thins are so similar,” he said.

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Edinburgh Blackhall Mosque, a ‘Beautiful Example’

England- Both Islam and Muslims are growing rapidly in the UK, while continuing to be a ‘beautiful example of distinct European Muslim identity.’

Edinburgh Blackhall Mosque is just one of the so many examples of those ‘beauties.’

Talking to Journal-Online.co.uk, Dr Christian Lange of the Islamic Studies Depatment at the University of Edinburgh said, “Muslim reformist thinkers like Tariq Ramadan have been arguing for many years that a distinct European Muslim identity, which respects both the demands of religion and of loyalty to one's country of citizenship, is the way forward for Muslims living in Britain.”

“The new mosque in Edinburgh’s West End seems a beautiful example of this,” he added.

One unique feature of the mosque is that the imams of the masjid (mosque) are all native English speakers, even though the Friday sermon is still delivered in Arabic or Urdu.

Edinburgh Blackhall Mosque came to real after initiatives of Mr Sohali Ashfaque (33), who is the main Imam of the masjid.

“The main purpose was to build an infrastructure enabling Muslims to provide many services to other English-speaking Muslims and the entire community of Edinburgh,” Mr Ashfaque said to The Journal.

The idea of building the masjid has been in his mind after graduating from the Dewsbury Islamic Institute ten years ago.

The masjid alone has undergone several developments and revamps from its first architecture.

The masjid, officially opened since February, has now offered Islamic classes such as Arabic and Quran studies while kitchen, community hall, and youth common room are also available within.

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Islamic Leader Arrested by Israeli ‘Terrorist’ Police as He Defends Al-Aqsha

Palestine (Israel is not a Legal Country)- The Israeli ‘Terrorist’ Police has detained an Islamic leader as the Islamic leader called on those Palestinian Muslims to defend Al-aqsha.

Sheikh Raed Salah was arrested by the Israeli Terrorist Police during unrest between Palestinian Muslims and the terrorists in Wadi Joz, east Jerusalem.

Look innocently, Shmulik Ben-Rubbi – the Israeli Terrorist Police’s Spokesman – said that Sheikh Raed was detained because of his ‘inflammatory statements.’

“He was arrested over his inflammatory statements in recent days and on suspicion of incitement,” he said.

However, the call for defending al-Aqsha was a logic consequence following the occupation by Israel Terrorists at the third holiest site amongst the Muslims.

Tensions over Al-Aqsha have run high since Sunday (04/10/2009) as the Israeli Terrorist Government did not let the Muslims enter the site.

Clashes broke up then resulted in seven Palestinian protesters injured and three arrested.

The Israeli Terrorist Armed Force then deployed about 2,000 officers to take part in the violence-committed defense on Tuesday (06/10/2009), when finally 20 Palestinian Muslims arrested.

Sheikh Raed himself told the Arabic al-Jazeera network Tuesday that the calls for outlawing his movement were 'not new' and that if faced with the choice, he was willing to sit in jail for the 'right to defend' the Aqsha mosque.

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Droste Publisher Postpones Publishing Book that ‘Defame Islam’

Germany- Droste Publisher, a German publisher, has confirmed on Tuesday (06/10/2009) that it had canceled the printing of a book that bears messages insulting Islam.

Further the publisher also admitted that if the publishing of the book goes on, it may ‘prompt Islamic retaliation’ amongst the Muslims in the globe.

The cancelation came out as the author, Gabriele Brinkmann, refused to edit several passages on his book entitled “To Whom Honor is Due.”

The publisher’s editor viewed that the book includes a character who is making abusive remarks about the Quran, Islam’s Holy book.

“After the Mohammad cartoons, one knows that one can't publish sentences or drawings that defame Islam without expecting a security risk,” said Felix Droste, head of Droste publishers.

Droste Publisher has become famous for having a long history of publishing a number of controversial books.

“To Whom Honor is Due” is another project of the publisher that tells about murder mystery on the topic of honor killing.

The publisher said that it would not publish books insulting people’s faith – whether Islam, Christianity, or other religions.

“We do not want to offend religious groups,’ Nora Tichy, the publisher’s spokeswoman. (Reuters)

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Islamic Scholars Urge Police to Close Down Prostitution around Jakarta’s Islamic Center

Indonesia- A group of Indonesian Islamic scholars settling in Koja Sub-district, North Jakarta urge the Indonesian National Police to expel prostitution activities surrounding the Islamic Center.

Majlis Zikir – told to Pos Kota Daily – expressed disappointment to the local police because of the inability to close down the prostitution.

Koja Sub-district is a region in the northern Jakarta – Indonesia’s capital – where Islamic Center bases.

The region should be free from any ‘sinful’ deeds, but the region has become one of the centres for alcoholic drinking selling and worse, prostitution area.

When the night goes dark, some women begin to ‘work’ selling off their body with aim of fulfilling economic needs.

“I used to work at a karaoke café. But the café’s visitors get slowly decrease so I decided to ‘sell off’ my body outside for meeting my daily needs,” said Wati, 23, a female sex worker.

Asked about the prostitution nearby the Islamic Center, the local Indonesian Police said to Pos Kota Daily that it has several times tried to expel them (female sex workers).

“Accordingly, there will be effort to expel them from being sex workers in a short time,” an official of the local Indonesian police.  

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‘Is This Democracy? - Taliban

Afghanistan- In the name of stabilizing the current situation in Afghanistan, the US and NATO-led terrorist Forces justify the occupation and ‘colonialism’ in the Land of Afghanistan.

In fact, their real intention is to defeat Islam by taming the Islamic Mujaheedin movement, Taliban.

Based on the recent release of Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan, as published by Arrahmah.com, the Taliban questioned the concept of ‘democracy’ brought to the land of Afghanistan by those terrorist forces.

The uestion departed from the real facts that showed that many Afghan civilians were killed by those terrorists.

“Last week, American forces in Helmand province killed 9 civilians by firing a missile late at night. Before that, in the first week of last September, American jets killed 140 poor villagers in Kunduz province when they were siphoning oil from tankers,” the Islamic mujaheedin said.

In the release published on Sunday (04/10/2009), Taliban also revealed the ‘top-secret’ fact that the US and NATO-led terrorist Forces have employed ‘phosphorus attack’ addressed to ‘school students and miserable villagers.’

The released, entitled “Human Rights Violations in Afghanistan,” also unveiled the ‘blind bombardment’ by American and NATO in Aziz Abad, Hirat Province, Dehrawood District, Uruzgan Province, Shinwar District, and Nangarhar Province.

“Thousands of miserable and defenseless Afghans have been killed in the American so-called war on terror,” the release says.

Looking at the above ‘human rights violations,’ the Taliban expressed disappointment to the Human Rights Watch, the Amnesty International, the Human Rights Commission of the UN that are ‘tight lipped’ towards the facts in Afghanistan.

“Is this democracy? Is this justice the world wants? The world must take notice that basic human rights of liberty of speech and other human values are being violated by American troops with impunity under the notorious war on terror,” it says.

Finally, the Taliban has arrived to conclusion that ‘the war in Afghanistan is not between democracy and terror as they call it but it is between freedom and tyranny, independence and colonialism, human values and dictatorship.’

“However, politics and biased media have overshadowed our legitimate cause,” the release ends.

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Book ‘Islam in Indonesia: A to Z Basic Reference’ Launched

Indonesia- In aim of preventing the misconception on Islam in Indonesia, a book entitled “Islam in Indonesia: A to Z Basic Reference” was launched on Sunday (04/10/2009).

The location where the book launched was at Marriott Hotel, a luxurious hotel that was damaged at the July’s Jakarta bombing.

“No need to say that we have deliberately chosen this place (Marriott Hotel), we want to tell the world that the majority of Indonesian Muslims are tolerant, peace lovers, and open to any dialogue with good argumentation and academically,” said Umar Hadi, an editor of the book.

The book came to real upon cooperation between Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Center for Dialogue and Co-operation amongst Civilization (CDDC).

The book consists of three main parts, in which there are explanations on Islamic terms in Indonesia, such as ‘abangan’ (Javanese culture mixed with Islamic teachings) and ‘pesantren’ (Islamic boarding school).

The second part of the book mainly discusses Islamic organizations that are available in Indonesia, such as Muhammadiyah, Nahdatul Ulama, and Al-Irsyad.

The last part of the book is filled with opinions and thoughts from Indonesian Muslim observers like Komaruddin Hidayat, the dean of Indonesia’s State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah.

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Divine Signs of Allah Greatness at the Burial Ceremony of Urwah

Indonesia- Divine signs of Allah’s greatness appeared during the burial ceremony of Bagus Budi Pranoto – or known as Urwah, a Muslim activist who was shot dead by Indonesia’s Anti-Terror Squad (Densus 88).

Based on the documentation on the media, those divine signs of Allah’s greatness (Karamah) have shown us that the death of Urwah might be categorized ‘syahid’ (martyrdom).

Voice of Al-Islam, an Islamic media from Indonesia, released a photograph of the sky wherein the word ‘Allah’ in Arabic appeared on the day Urwah was buried.

Likewise, MuslimDaily.net, also released a photograph of Urwah’s face after his death. On the picture it is shown that Urwah is smiling cheerfully even on his death.

Those coming to the burial ceremony also witnessed that they smelled very aromatic fragrant amidst the crowd.

Another divine sign showing Allah greatness appeared when the deceased body of Urwah arrived at his home in Kudus, Central Java.

On that night, people witnessed that the moon was shining brightly with some circle surrounding the moon.

After that, there was an Arabic word saying ‘Allah” then developed into a full Arabic sentence saying ‘La ilaha illallah’ that means ‘There is no God only Allah.’

The same facts did once appear during the burial ceremony of Ustadz Ali Gufron – known as Mukhlas, and Amrozi, who were widely known as the ‘Trio Bali Bombers.’

In the Quran, it is said that Allah has given dignity (karamah) to the children of Adam as saying below;

“And indeed We have honoured the Children of Adam…” (Al-Isra (17): 70).

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Allah guarantees (the person who carries out Jihad in His Cause and nothing compelled him to go out but Jihad in His Cause and the belief in His Word) that He will either admit him into Paradise (martyrdom) or return him with reward or booty he has earned to his residence from where he went out."  (Book #93, Hadith #555)

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Baltimore’s ‘Ilm Fest 2009’ to Discuss ‘Discriminative Exposure’ on Islamic Extremism by Media

United States- If you are a Muslim and living around Baltimore, Maryland, feel free to attend the ‘Ilm Fest 2009’ that will be held this weekend at Baltimore Convention Center.

The Baltimore’s ‘Ilm Fest 2009’ is the continuation from three previous event held in New York, Chicago, and Toronto.

The other previous Ilm Fest even had reached some cities in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the US alone.

Talking to Baltimore Sun, the event organizers – Al-Maghrib Institute – said that the event will be talking about different issues, such as ‘Muslim acceptance in America, domestic violence, and reclaiming Islam from the jihadists.’

“Something that separates Ilm Fest from other Islamic conference is the tendency of those coming to the event to be more focused on seeking knowledge,” Muhammad Al-Shareef, the president of Al-Maghrib Institute said.

The event, which is held to mark the eight years of Al-Maghrib Institute, is also aimed at ensuring the American Muslims that ‘there’s nothing wrong with being American Muslims.’

Likewise, it also tries to encourage the American Muslims not to hesitate to express their religious identity.

“What we’re trying to do is giving a public space to make Muslims feel that there’s nothing wrong al all with being who they are; there’s nothing wrong with expressing their belief, with being proud of being who you are,” the Institute of Dean of Academic, Yasir Qadhi, said.

One of the most interesting topics in the event would apparently be on the ‘exaggerated publicity on Islamic extremism by the media.’

One of the speakers on the topic, Waleed Basyouni, says that the threat of Muslim extremism in the US has been exaggerated by the media.

It is admittedly that the Western media tends to overexposure on the Islamic teachings that is considered ‘not-inline’ with their view rather than exposing the peaceful sides of Islam.

Consequently, most of the publicity on Islam by the Western media would only create a view that Islam is harsh and discriminative of certain community.

In fact, “What is not exaggerated by the media is the very real anger that is felt by the Muslims when they see their religion portrayed in such a negative lights,” he said.

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US to Have First Accredited Islamic University

United States- Upholding a motto “When Islam meets America,” Zaytuna Institute would apparently become a full accredited Islamic university by the next fall.

The optimism came out of Imam Zaid Shakir, who was along with Sheikh Hamza and Dr. Hatem Bazian founded the Zaytuna Institute in 1996 ago in the Bay Area.

The university would be open for men and women from any ‘religious and racial backgrounds, including the Jewish students.’

“Every applicant will be considered on their merits,” Shakir said.

Two major subjects at the university are Arabic language and Islamic legal and theological Islam.

Subject on the Middle-East would also available at some points, especially on the Palestine-Israel conflict, which is said to be taught by certain professors who are expert on the case.

Zaytuna Institute is a non-profit, educational institute and school founded and run by people committed to reviving time-tested methods of educating and transforming human beings.

Its mission is ‘to provide the highest quality educational programmes, materials, and training in the traditional sciences of Islam in the most beautiful way using the most effective tools of time as a mean of serving Lord and honoring the Prophet Muhammad.’

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Indian Muslim Inmates Get Tortured by Jailors

India- Three Indian Muslim Inmates witnessed themselves tortured by some jail officials when they were demanding to accomplish Eid-ul-Fitr prayer on September 21, 2009.

The three Muslim tortured are Munawwar Husain, Nazakat Ali and Dr. Taufeeq Qureshi.

Talking to The Rajasthan Muslim Forum, the three Muslims tortured narrated the incident and showed raw scars on their bodies apparently made of fierce beating from the suspected the jail officials.

The violent-of-human-rights conducts took place on September 21, 2009 when the inmates requested the jailors to allow them to pray with other prisoners.

However, the request was refused bluntly by the jailors, and therefore the inmates would take their request to the higher authority.

Knowing the Muslim inmates would report the jailors’ refusal to higher authority, the inhumane jailors got annoyed and ordered them to get back to the cells.

The Muslim inmates were locked inside the jail while they were eager to celebrate the holiest day of Islam, Eid-ul-Fitr.

The jailors, with 5-6 policemen and the Deputy Jailor, got crazier when the Muslim inmates were going to hold an Ashar prayer (the prayer before evening) at 5 pm local time.

Those people dragged fiercely the Muslim inmates from their cells. Worse, the incident took place when they were conducting the Ashar prayer.

They witnessed by themselves that the Holy Qurans and other religious books were thrown and desecrated by those Indian jailors.

Narrating to the delegation of the Rajasthan Muslim Forum, the three tortured Muslim inmates said that the jail officials used to call them ‘Bomb Blast Waale” (People who have committed to bomb blast).

The Rajasthan Muslim Forum is now urging the government and the administration to ‘seek legal assistance and file criminal cases against the culprit officials.

Dr. M. Iqbal Siddiqui, State Media Secretary of Jamaat E-Islami Hind, said, “In our opinion, this is a serious matter, especially the communal mindset and prejudiced and hostile behavior of some of the jail officers and workers against these prisoners is a clear violation of human rights and jail rules and regulations.”(TwoCircles.Net)

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