Thanks to C. Cantoni, Insubria, RO, TB, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Details are below the fold.
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DC Muslims in Vote Awareness Drive
WASHINGTON — Through awareness campaigns, information gatherings and election guiding, Muslim groups in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area are on a mission to mobilize Muslim voters to get politically engaged.
“This year is an important election year. We as Muslims have to vote,” Faizul Khan, an imam at the Islamic Society of Washington Area (ISWA) in Silver Spring, Maryland, told IslamOnline.net.
Muslim organizations are sponsoring voting drives, with the focus of providing an easy access for Muslims to register for voting.
They invite candidates and officials to speak on their policies while activists educate the Muslim community members about the election process.
Economy Top US Muslims Election Priority
Last week, hundreds of DC Area Muslims attended the eighth annual Family and Civic Picnic organized by a group of Northern Virginia mosques and Muslim associations.
The event was also attended by state and local officials and candidates interested in courting Muslim votes, including representatives of Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain’s campaigns.
“The goal of the civic picnic was to promote our civic duties as Muslims,” said Rizwan Jaka, member of the Board of Trustees at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) in Virginia.
While enjoying halal hot dogs, chicken and cold watermelon, attendees listened to speeches from more than a dozen state and local officials and candidates.
They registered to vote, chatted with neighbors and enjoyed the company of fellow Muslims.
In Virginia alone, a preliminary count of Muslim voters earlier this year shows there are 71,000 registered Muslim voters.
The number is expected to increase by the final tally, which will be conducted before elections, Muslim activists say.
Many Islamic centers will continue to hold voter registrations after Friday prayer until the time of presidential elections.
MAS Freedom Foundation will be intensifying voter drives during the holy fasting month of Ramadan when large groups of Muslims come together for daily congressional prayers.
America is home to between six to seven million Muslims making up less than three percent of its population.
More than two millions of them are registered voters.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Bern Continues Normalisation Efforts With Libya
The Swiss foreign ministry has said it is continuing efforts to try to solve a conflict between Switzerland and Libya but has no idea when a solution can be found.
In a statement released on Friday, the ministry said it wanted to continue discussions “in the spirit of good faith, cooperation and mutual understanding” to restore bilateral relations between the two countries.
It added that two Swiss citizens facing allegations of immigration violations had still not been given permission to leave the oil-producing North African country.
It is continuing to advise Swiss citizens against visiting Libya for tourism or non-essential purposes.
The conflict stems from the July 15 detention of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi’s son Hannibal at a hotel in Geneva.
Gaddafi, along with his heavily pregnant wife, was arrested on assault-related charges against domestic employees and held in custody for two nights before being released and leaving Switzerland.
Prosecutors in Geneva have not dropped charges against the pair and Libya has demanded an apology for the arrest.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Swiss Urged to Accept Three Guantanamo Inmates
The human rights organisation Amnesty International has called on Switzerland to accept three Guantanamo inmates held by the United States for more than six years.
The three — a Libyan, an Algerian and a Chinese — are free to leave if they find a safe haven. Swiss authorities confirmed that they had received the applications for asylum.
“We have started examining these cases and will handle them according to the same criteria as other asylum requests received from abroad,” commented Jonas Montani of the Federal Migration Office in Bern.
“Switzerland should accept this small contingent of three people to show the international community that the time has come to find a humanitarian solution. We have to help close down Guantanmo,” Denise Graf, refugee coordinator for Amnesty’s Swiss section told Reuters.
“They are at major risk of persecution if they are sent bak to their homelands.”
She said that the three were arrested in Pakistan in late 2001 or early 2002. They were among the first detainees in US custody sent to Guantanamo, set up in January 2002 to hold foreign terrorism suspects captured after the September 11 attacks on the US.
She added that they were designated as enemy combatants but formal charges were never laid against them.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Transport: Turkish Airlines Eyes Stake in Austrian Airlines
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, AUG 18 — Turkish airlines is interested in acquiring a strategic stake in Austrian Airlines, general manager of state-run Turkish Airlines, Temek Kotil, said in an interview with TV channel CNBC-e. The Austrian government is privatising Austrian Airlines’ 43% stake that is controlled by state enterprise Oeiag, the Austrian republic’s investment and privatisation agency. Oeiah invited investors to place offers by August 24. However, Kotil underlines that Turkish Airlines has not taken any decision to bid for Austrian Airlines yet. The company’s general manager notes that Turkish Airlines is preparing an offer for Air Bosnia, the flag carrier of Bosnia Herzegovina. At end-July, the company announced its decision to bid to acquire a 49% stake in Air Bosnia. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Islam: France; Acts of Vandalism Against Muslim Prayer Hall
(ANSAmed) — LYON (FRANCE), AUGUST 22 -Acts of vandalism representing in particular a Nazi inscription and fire of the toilets were committed yesterday in a Muslim prayer hall in Meyzieu, in the Rhone-Alpes region of France, the police and the municipality announced today. “An inscription in German was found on one of the walls,” the police explained and “the toilets in the building were set on fire”. The municipality spoke about a “Nazi inscription” without providing further details, adding that stone throwing was also reported. The acts of vandalism were discovered yesterday evening around 20:00 local time. The security department of Rhone was put in charge of the investigation. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Karadzic: Serbian Govt Disappointed With EU States Hesitation
(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, AUGUST 22 — Serbia’s pro-European government is disappointed with the too “lukewarm” and careful reaction shown by various EU states after the recent capture of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, the number one wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), minister Rasim Ljajic, Serbiàs point man for cooperation with The Hague, told the B92 television in an interview. Ljajic deplored the fact that Karadzic’s extradition did not weaken “the pressure” or the attitude of mistrust in certain western governments as regards Serbia. “No one can say anymore that we do not want to fulfil our obligations with The Hague, but many, within the international community, seem to be sorry for the prospective of not being able to use the threat and ultimatum as a measure of pressure on Serbia”, he said. The minister accused as “hypocrite” the behaviour of the European governments which continue to apply brakes on the relations with Belgrade, insisting on the need to wait for a new special report by ICTY chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz, before recognising the Serbian progress in the capture of the fugitives. “It almost seems that many people in Brussels have not understood yet that Karadzic was arrested. And they wait Brammertz to inform them in written”, Ljajic concluded with a note of sarcasm. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Kosovo: Recognition Has Slowed Down, Belgrade
(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE, AUGUST 18 — The international recognition of Kosovo “has significantly slowed down” and could “stop” for years until the International Court of Justice expresses its opinion on the independence, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said. “The wave of recognition (of Kosovo’s independence) has slowed down considerably. It no longer has the reach it had at the beginning,” immediately after the proclamation of independence on February 17, Jeremic told a news conference in Belgrade. The minister met reporters upon his return from New York where he presented Serbiàs request to the UN General Assembly in September to call upon the International Court of Justice to make a verdict on the independence. So far 45 countries, including the United States and 20 out of the 27 European Union member states, have recognised the independence of Kosovo, which Serbia continues to consider its province. If Serbiàs request is accepted by the UN General Assembly, Jeremic said, “we could expect the process of recognition (of the independence of Kosovo) to stop”. The Serbian foreign minister reiterated that the issue with Kosovo “can disturb in the long term the peace and the stability on the Balkans”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Will Pour Missiles on Israel if Hit: Hezbollah
Israel will be targeted by thousands of rockets if it attacks Iran, a senior official in the Tehran-backed group Hezbollah said on Sunday.
There has been speculation that either the United States or Israel could attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, although both have said force should be a last recourse in curbing a nuclear programme which they suspect aims to build atomic weapons.
“The first shot fired from the Zionist entity towards Iran will be met by a response of 11,000 rockets in the direction of the Zionist entity. This is what military leaders in the Islamic republic have confirmed,” said Mohammed Raad, the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc. His remarks were reported by the National News Agency.
Iran, which says its nuclear programme is peaceful, is the main backer of Hezbollah — a Lebanese political and military group which was involved in a 34-day war with Israel in 2006.
Hezbollah has not said what it would do in the event of a conflict between Iran and Israel. Analysts count Hezbollah, which shares Iran’s Shiite ideology, as a major asset for the Islamic republic in the event of conflict.
Tehran has said it will respond severely to any attack. Israel staged an air force exercise in June that triggered speculation about a possible assault on its nuclear sites.
Both Hezbollah and Israel have said the group has expanded its missile capability since the 2006 conflict.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Arab League Chief Hails ‘Daring’ Gaza Activists
Arab League chief Amr Moussa on Sunday hailed the “daring step” taken by pro-Palestinian activists whose boats docked in the Gaza Strip despite a tight Israeli blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory.
“The act of protest against the Gaza blockade and the solidarity shown by these pro-Palestinian activists sends a strong message highlighting the suffering endured by the people of Gaza,” Moussa said in a statement.
The head of the pan-Arab body said he hoped this was the beginning of a wider movement by campaigners from around the world to express their rejection of a blockade he said violated international humanitarian law.
Two boats from Cyprus carrying 44 pro-Palestinian activists from 17 countries, including Israel, docked in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
Israel has tightened its blockade of Gaza since Hamas seized power in June 2007, sealing the territory off to all but very limited humanitarian aid.
The boats, Liberty and Free Gaza, had embarked on the 370-kilometre (230-mile) voyage from Larnaca port on Cyprus’s south coast and carried 200 hearing aids for Gaza children and 5,000 balloons.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Forbes: Many of World’s Richest Monarchs in Mideast, Gulf
(ANSAmed) — NEW YORK, AUGUST 22 — With a wealth of $35 billion, Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world’s richest monarch at the age of 80. He is followed by some emirs of the Middle East who have become rich thanks to oil and own now large shares in the main sovereign funds. The ranking of the world’s richest monarchs was compiled by the Forbes magazine, according to which Prince Albert of Monaco (50 years and $1.4 billion) is more ‘well-to-do’ than Queen Elizabeth (82 years and $650 million). The king of Thailand is followed by sixty-year old Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi, with $23 billion. The bronze medal goes to Saudi Arabiàs King (84 years and $21 billion), followed by the Sultan of Brunei, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, with $20 billion and by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai ($18 billion). The latter controls a real estate fortune which includes prestigious New York hotel Essex House and part of the hypermarkets Barneys. The King of Swaziland, Mswati III, is the youngest monarch and fifteenth in the top list of the world’s richest kings and sheikhs with $200 million. Following is the top-15 compiled by Forbes of the world’s richest monarchs.
| 1. | $35 billion | Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand | ||
| 2. | $23 billion | Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi | ||
| 3. | $21 billion | King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia | ||
| 4. | $20 billion | Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah | ||
| 5. | $18 billion | Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai | ||
| 6. | $5 billion | Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein | ||
| 7. | $2 billion | Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar | ||
| 8. | $1.5 billion | King Mohammed VI, Morocco | ||
| 9. | $1.4 billion | Prince Albert II of Monaco | ||
| 10. | $1.1 billion | Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Oman | ||
| 11. | $1 billion | Prince Karim Al Hussein | ||
| 12. | $650 million | Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom | ||
| 13. | $500 million | Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait | ||
| 14. | $300 million | Queen Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, The Netherlands | ||
| 15. | $200 million | King Mswati III, Swaziland |
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Gulf States to Earn Record $562 Billion in Revenue
(ANSAmed) — DUBAI, AUGUST 22 — Gulf oil producers are expected to earn a record $562 billion in 2008 as crude prices are projected to remain above $100 and they are pumping at one of their highest levels, according to new data from the London-based Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES), reported by Wam news agency. Accordingly, the combined oil export earnings of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will soar to their highest level of $562 billion this year. The UAE’s income will swell to an all-time high of $97 billion while that of Saudi Arabia will surge to $307 billion and that of Qatar and Kuwait will peak at $89 billion and $32 billion respectively. The income, it added, is nearly $234 billion above their 2007 revenues of $328 billion and more than four times their earnings of $137 billion in 2003. In 1998, the GCC’s combined revenues plummeted to one of their lowest levels of around $56 billion after oil prices collapsed below $10 a barrel and averaged $12 through the year. Leo Drollas, deputy manager of CGES said the revenue forecasts for the Gulf states and other Opec members are based on an average Opec basket price of around $110.8 this year compared with nearly $69 in 2007. Saudi Arabiàs output is projected at around 9.5 million bpd in 2008 while that of Kuwait and Qatar is forecast at nearly 2.6 million and 815,000 bpd respectively. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Arabia: Koran by Heart as Alternative Sentence
(ANSAmed) — MAKKAH (SAUDI ARABIA), AUGUST 22 — Discretionary substitute sentences have become an alternative form of punishment meted out by Saudi judges for crimes that do not normally invite capital punishment, Arab news reports today. The substitute sentences are only applied on Ta’zir crimes (those that entail discretionary punishments) and not on Hadd crimes (those whose punishment has been prescribed in the Qur’an or Hadith). Substitute punishments — the basis of which has always existed in the Kingdom’s legal framework — have become prominent in recent times and include a variety of sentences, which judges may opt for. Instead of sending a criminal to prison or sentencing him or her to being flogged, a judge may ask the person to memorize some chapters of the Holy Quran, or a number of Hadiths. The verdict may also include community service such as cleaning mosques, hospitals and other public places for a specific period of time. Saudis and expatriates have welcomed the use of substitute sentences and called for traffic violators to also be punished in the same way. Some of them said these kinds of punishments would benefit both criminals and society and would absolve the violator from developing a criminal record. Gen. Ahmed ibn Saleh Al-Zahrani, director of Jeddah prisons, said alternative sentences benefited both criminals and society. “When a violator memorizes a number of Quranic verses or Hadiths, he becomes a useful citizen and is constantly conscious of Allah’s presence, something that prevents him from a life of crime,” he said. Zahrani called for the establishment of a special independent department to follow up on alternative sentences to ensure they are strictly applied. “Such sentences would reduce overcrowding in prisons and lower costs,” he said. Najla Reza, chairman of the Center for Disabled Children in Makkah, said she could not agree more with alternative sentencing. “Prison is not always a deterrent or a remedy. Some people who are not really criminals may become hardened criminals once they leave prison,” she said. Reza added that relatives of prisoners sometimes lie when people ask about them out of shame. “They will tell you that the person concerned is traveling when he is actually in prison. If he were to receive an alternative sentence — such as cleaning a mosque or hospital — he would always be in the public glare,” she said. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Child ‘Files for Divorce’
A court in Saudi Arabia is reported to be preparing to hear a plea for divorce from an eight-year-old girl who has been married off to a man in his 50s.
The Saudi newspaper al-Watan said the girl had been married off to the man by her father without her knowledge.
The child’s mother is thought to be pushing for the marriage to be annulled — though the father opposes the move.
| — Hat tip: RO | [Return to headlines] |
Muslim Countries Move Closer to Preferential Trade Agreement
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, AUGUST 22 — The Muslim world is rapidly drawing closer to the completion of a preferential trade system that will bring about a gradual decrease in customs duties and other obstacles to trade amongst Muslim countries, the Anatolia news agency has reported. First brought onto the agenda in 1984, a large distance has so far been covered in the creation of this new system. Among the 57 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), 11 states have agreed to participate, and five of these have gotten the relevant agreement ratified by their national legislatures. The latest meeting on the issue convened in Ankara in June. According to the process outlined at this meeting, countries interested in participating in the preferential trade system will be responsible for examining its benefits and responsibilities and will then inform the OIC Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation that they will proceed with the new system. The program involves a three-step tax reduction system among participating OIC countries. At first, those countries that impose duty that exceeds 25% will reduce it to 25%. Then countries with duty between 15 and 25% will lower their rates to 15%. Eventually, all countries will decrease duty a maximum of 10%. To be launched, the plan requires the approval of at least 10% states. Turkey, Jordan, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Guinea signed a founding agreement last year in Ankara as an expression of their commitment to the formation of a way for large-scale economic integration among Muslim countries. In addition to these counties, six more — Egypt, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Malaysia, Pakistan and Syria — have since stepped up to show their intention to take part in the formation. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
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