Apr 29

Spain’s First Muslim Guide

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Spain has released a guide on its Muslim community, including their number, concentration areas and places of worship, the first such move by a European country.

According to the guide, there are some 1.3 million Muslims in Spain.

Moroccans, Algerians, Pakistanis and Senegalese make up the majority of Muslims in the southern European country.

Past estimates usually put the number at about at 1.5 million out of a total population of 40 million.

The guide released by the Arab House Institution of the Immigration Ministry, shows that there are 300,000 Muslims in the north-eastern province of Catalonia, making up the bulk of Muslim population in Spain.

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Apr 29

Islam Calls for Professionalism, Says Scholar

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Islamic teachings emphasize the importance of professionalism, and Muslims should carry out their activities in a planned and professional manner, said Nabeel Al-Azami, HR adviser to Ford Motor Company in London.

“Honesty and trustworthiness are the first quality of a successful professional,” he said quoting a study on prominent business leaders. He added that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was known as Al-Ameen (trustworthy) and that this was one of the main reasons for his success.

Al-Azami made this comment while delivering a lecture on “Islam and Professionalism” organized by Al-Islam Group in Jeddah recently. He urged Islamic movements to induct more professionals into their leadership in order to run them efficiently.

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Apr 29

Berliners Reject Religion Education

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Berliners have voted down a referendum for introducing religion classes at secondary schools in the German capital, Deir Spiegel reported on Monday, April 27.

“I’d been hoping for a different result,” lawyer Christoph Lehmann, who championed the pro-referendum campaign, said.

Some 51.3 percent of voters voted against making religious classes compulsory in Berlin schools. Only 48.5 percent voted in favor.

The turnout in Sunday’s referendum was just 13.7 percent of those eligible to cast ballot. A total of 25 percent would have been necessary to carry the motion.

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Apr 29

Denmark Muslims think criticizing religion should be forbidden

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55% of Muslims think criticizing religion should be forbidden, 64% support curtailing freedom of speech

 Denmark: 55% of Muslimsin Denmark think criticizing religion should be forbidden, 64% support curtailing freedom of speech

Denmark: 55% of Muslims think criticizing religion should be forbidden, 64% support curtailing freedom of speech

A clear majority of Muslims in Denmark doesn’t want religion to be criticized, according to a survey Capacent prepared for DR.

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Apr 29

‘Faith Fighter’ game withdrawals after protest

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The creator of the Faith Fighter online game allowing players to stage fights involving Jesus, Mohammed and other prophets(pbut) said on Tuesday it has withdrawn the game after a Muslim protest.

The game was incendiary in its content and offensive to Muslims and Christians and other faiths.

Italian game publisher Molleindustria said on its website: “Today after an official statement from the Organisation of Islamic Conference we decided to remove the game Faith Fighter from our site.”

The Observatory spokesman said the game would serve no other purpose than to incite intolerance. He called on the game’s internet host to take “immediate action” by withdrawing it from the web.

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Apr 29

Swine flu: Imam claims virus affirms Koran

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The global spread of the deadly swine flu virus affirms Islam’s teachings and its holy book, the Koran, according to imam Amadia Rachid based in the Italian city of Salerno. “We believe that what is happening shows the truth of our faith,” said Algerian-born Rachid in an interview.

Pigs are considered unclean animals in the Muslim religion and eating pork is proscribed.“Even Muslims who live in Italy are talking about swine flu at the moment,” Rachid said.

Most Muslims are not worried by the disease, as they don’t eat pork and don’t work with pig livestock, he said.

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Apr 26

Britons against sex classes for children

Muslims of England 1 Comment »

With the British government planning to offer sex classes in primary schools, a campaign has been launched on the world’s largest social network Facebook to counter the move, reported the Rochdale Observer on Saturday, April 25.

We believe the teaching of SRE (sex and relationship education) in schools is inappropriate, both in terms of the philosophy which underpins the way it is approached as well as the resources used,” campaigner Majed Iqbal said.

Iqbal, a British Muslim, has launched a Facebook group themed “Rochdale Muslims against Sex and Relationship Education for 5 year olds” to campaign against plans to introduce sex classes in primary schools.

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Apr 25

Islamic Centre in Brussels to Host Quran Competition

Muslims of Belgium 1 Comment »

The Islamic Cultural Centre of Brussels, in cooperation with the Kuwaiti Embassy in Belgium, is to hold a contest for memorization and recitation of the Holy Quran on Saturday, a spokesman for the Centre announced Friday.

The contest is in the name of the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Chairman of the Centre, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, told KUNA that the contest is divided into five categories, memorizing and reciting of the entire Quran, and memorizing and reciting 20, 15, 10 or five parts.

The aim was to encourage Muslims in Belgium and of other European countries to study the Holy Quran, he said, adding that all towns and cities in Belgium with Muslim communities were enlisted for the contest.

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Apr 25

Muslims paying heavy price for mistaken terror arrests, MCB warns

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The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has welcomed an inquiry into this month’s mistaken arrests of a dozen terrorist suspects, warning that the country’s two million Muslim community was paying a heavy price by failing to learn lessons of similar cases.

“The resentment and anger caused by this particular case of 12 innocent men’s detention and trial by media should not be underestimated,” the MCB said.
“While the media coverage may bring kudos in high circles, it is Muslims in Britain who bear the consequences,” said MCB secretary general Abdul Bari.
“It is they who are emerging as the ‘suspect community’ and who are viewed with suspicion by their neighbours. The reports are exploited by the extreme right wing and fascists. Each time there are tabloid headlines demonising Muslims, verbal and physical attacks follow. There is a real human price being paid,” Bari said.
Police this week released 12 so-called terrorist suspects without charge in north-west England after detaining them for 13 days under emergency powers.

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Apr 25

Orange headscarves for Dutch Muslims

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This year, Muslim women in Haarlem will be able to celebrate Queen’s Day appropriately dressed.

A group of students will hand out more than 5,000 orange headscarves on 30 April to promote tolerance in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The orange headscarves will allow Muslim women to express their loyalty to their faith as well as to the queen.

The two students who thought up the idea say they are annoyed by politicians and others indulging in rabble-rousing rhetoric about Islamic headscarves. The orange headscarves have been partly paid for from a 3,000 euro prize awarded by Haarlem council to the two students for their initiative.

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Apr 25

Catholic bishops:Promote Dialogue between Muslims and Christians

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Catholic bishops have invited Muslim leaders to attend a two-day conference designed to build better relations and inter religious dialogue.

Catholic bishops have invited Muslim leaders to attend a two-day conference designed to build better relations and inter-religious dialogue. The convention, organized by the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), is scheduled to begin on Monday in the French city of Bordeaux next week.

 Delegates will also look at the contribution of Muslim migrants and their offspring in several countries, including Italy.

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Apr 25

First Danish politician attends council meet in hijab

Muslims of Denmark 1 Comment »

A Danish politician of Palestinian origin became the first woman to attend a local council meeting wearing a hijab (the Muslim veil).

Asmaa Abdul Hamid, 27, took part in a meeting in the city of Odense as a substitute for a member of the Unity List, a left-wing grouping.
Abdul Hamid has attracted attention because of the fact that she chooses to wear the hijab and refuses to shake hands with men. She led the voting list for her party at the 2005 local elections.
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Apr 23

Ukrainian Jewish, Muslim leaders meet

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Jewish and Muslim leaders in Ukraine agreed to hold an interfaith conference later this year.

The leaders met Thursday to discuss having more interfaith contact and joint efforts to counteract religious extremism and hate crimes in Ukraine.

Ukrainian lawmaker Alexander Feldman, leader of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, and Sheik Akhmed Tamim, the country’s mufti and head of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims in Ukraine, met in Kiev.

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Apr 23

New Munich mosque gets go-ahead

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Plans for a new mosque to be built in Munich got the official go-ahead Wednesday, after years of political wrangling.

The city council approved building plans for the 10-million-euro (13 million dollar) mosque to be built in the city centre, despite opposition from Bavaria’s Christian Socialist Union (CSU) and another regional party.

A broad political majority voted in favour of the project, including Social Democrats (SPD), Federal Democrats (FDP), Greens and the Left Party, according to a city spokesman.

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Apr 23

UK accused of being ‘dishonourable’ over terror arrests

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The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) Wednesday accused of being “dishourable” in seeking to deport up to 11 Pakistani nationals, who were arrested as terrorist suspects but were released without charge after being detained for 13 days.

MCB spokesman Inayat Bunglawala (pictured) also criticised Prime Minister Gordon Brown for claiming that a “very big plot” had been covered at the time of the arrests, saying it was “completely unfair to make prejudicial and premature remarks.”

“When these arrests took place in very dramatic circumstances with students being pulled from universities and thrown to the floor, we were told by the prime minister, no less, that this was part of a very big terrorist plot,” Bunglawala said..

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Apr 22

Manchester schools will close for Islamic holidays

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Manchester schools will close for Islamic holidays under new plans to reduce high absence rates.

Many Muslim children already miss school to celebrate religious festivals such as Eid. Chiefs at Manchester City Council are considering allowing schools with large numbers of Muslims to close during Islamic holidays.

But critics point out that Christianity remains the state religion in England, and if minority wants to change school programs, it would bring many problems.

Under the current system schools close for Christian holidays, but parents are allowed to take children out of lessons for other religious festivals.

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Apr 21

Schools to Close on Muslim Holidays to Cut Absence Rates

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Schools in Manchester City will be allowed to close for Islamic holidays in order to improve attendance rates, under new plans.

Many Muslim children are currently taken out of lessons to celebrate religious festivals such as Eid.

In an attempt to lower levels of classroom absences, Manchester City Council is considering allowing schools attended by large numbers of non-Christians to close on these holy days.

Education departments in some parts of east London, where the majority of pupils are Muslim, already tell schools to close on two days for Eid.

But critics point out that Christianity remains the state religion in England, and claim that communities risk becoming more segregated if different groups are allowed to change the school calendar.

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Apr 20

LG Introduces Laptop with E-Quran Software

General Problems of Europs Muslims No Comments »

Malaysia’s Islamic Development Department (Jakim) expects to launch its own television channel featuring entertainment and talk shows within two weeks.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom said Jakim wants the channel to be of interest to non-Muslims as well.

“The new television channel will help improve the Government’s efforts on enhancing the public’s understanding on Islam.

“We are now in the midst of finalizing the technical matters such as licensing issues,” he told reporters after attending a working visit at the Malaysian Islamic Economic Development Foundation headquarters here Monday.

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Apr 20

Muslim cleric killed in Russia’s Ingushetia

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The incident occurred on Sunday night in the city center. Gunmen attacked Musa Esmurziyev’s house with grenade launchers and automatic rifles.

Esmurziyev, 38, died on the spot of gunshot wounds. The attackers evaded arrest.

Also on Sunday, unknown gunmen opened fire on the house of a criminal police chief in Ingushetia’s Sunzhensky district, killing his sister and injuring his brother, a local police source said.

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Apr 20

First Friday prayers for deaf Muslims held in UK

Muslims of England 1 Comment »

A Muslim plan for building a mosque in the north-western British city of Lichfield is sparking a heated debate among supporters and opponents on the world’s largest social network Facebook.

“As Christians we wish to tolerate and welcome the right of all people of all faiths to worship in the way that they feel appropriate to them,” Diocese of Lichfield spokesman Gavin Drake wrote in his Facebook page.
British Muslim businessman Abdul Salam has unveiled plans to build a small mosque in the city to meet the spiritual needs of the growing Muslim community.

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