PassionIslam December 09

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‘War on terror’ has failed in almost all its aims, but one important consequence could be far more effective responses to future global security challenges, according to a leading UK think-tank.

A new study from Oxford Research Group (ORG), published pointed to multiple failures in the military response to the 9/11 atrocities, including over 100,000 civilian deaths, 120,000 refugees and continuing violence in Iraq, and a disastrous war in Afghanistan.

The report, entitled Global Security after the War on Terror, predicted that one consequence may actually be a fundamental re-thinking of many of the old approaches to international security.

“The war on terror has been a disaster, but recognizing its failure

might at least help us develop our understanding of global security in a manner appropriate to the 21st Century,” it concluded.

Professor Paul Rogers, the author of the report, described the old approaches as getting “essentially obsolete” and said that the future need will be “less emphasis on military responses and much more on conflict prevention.”

“The war on terror has been a classic example of what might be termed ‘liddism’ – keeping the lid on security threats without recognizing, still less understanding, the underlying reasons for insecurity,” said the professor of peace studies.

“Such an approach - the determined effort to maintain control - fails to recognize the interconnected

‘War on terroris a failure’ says

UKReport

nature of today’s globalized world. The castle gates simply cannot be closed,” he said.

The report argued that the most serious future threats to global security will come not from groups like al-Qaida but from the impact of the widening global rich-poor divide, marginalisation and climate change.

“Attempting to maintain the status quo for wealthy communities in what will be a fragile and unstable world will be self-defeating,” it warned.

“In a divided and increasingly constrained world, an elite minority will not be able to prosper at the expense of the majority – a transition to a sustainable security policy rooted in emancipation and justice is essential,” Rogers concluded.

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2 I LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS Passion Islam I December 2009

Write to: Editor, Passion Islam, PO Box 159, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 1ADor email: [email protected] - www.passionislam.com

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After the episodes of The Hutton inquiry, charged with investigating the death of Dr David Kelly followed by the Butler inquiry, an investigation into whether Tony Blair deliberately misled Britain over the claim that Saddam Hussein could use weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes, we now have the Chilcot enquiry tasked with investigating the validity of Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war since 2003.

Years into the Iraq war, both time and evidence has proven that the sexed up dossier by the British Government was full of lies and deceit sold to the public.

Arguments kept on changing from Iraq’s link to Al-Qaeda to Saddam’s 45 minute missile range threat to western capitals. Or Iraq’s stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction to organization of terrorist cells and groups and from Blair’s duty to eradicate threats to Britain to serving a moral duty for the people of Iraq by removing ‘their’ tyrant ruler.

The rhetoric was clear from the start. No matter what, Iraq was going to be invaded. British officials had already privately discussed the

prospect of “regime change” in Iraq in late 2001 - more than a year before the invasion. Statements began rolling in to justify, by any means necessary, with any semblance of a far fetched truth heard through Chinese whispers, an invasion of Iraq.

As the Chilcot Enquiry tries to un-earth the truths and facts upon which Britain rested its evidence to invade Iraq, we now have a similar build up to another “undeclared” war being deliberated and commented upon by British and American leaders.

The Af-Pak region which has been dubbed as the centre spot for all international terrorism has been the centre of focus in the last year. In a similar build up to the Iraq war, lies and spin have been used already to create a mood for intervention in Pakistan specifically.

Media and Political spin clichés have included “militants taking over Islamabad”, “Pakistan’s nuclear Arsenal unsafe”, “Weak democracy”, “Pakistan-hub of Terrorism” and many more manipulated facts lip synched by British Politicians and American Senators.

Threats have been coming from international powers thick and fast with increased pressure being placed on the Pakistani government who has committed 100% to the American endorsed War on Terror, yet this seems not to be enough. Even Musharraf’s unstinting support in 2001 to America’s efforts in Afghanistan by sacrificing Pakistani airspace, logistical support and army efforts held no value in America’s eyes who readily replaced him with Zardari, on whom corruption charges still reign.

Will the tabloid styled headlines echoed by the British and American Government find any ears this time? Will the public be duped into a phony war, once again to be misled by their government with arguments which will change like the weather to justify their stances?

The Chilcot enquiry is powerless and will be unable to prosecute anybody for their involvement in international crimes even if this proven with hard evidence.

It was Iraq yesterday. Will it be Pakistan tomorrow followed by another spineless “enquiry”?

The Iraq Chilcot “Enquiry”Iraq yesterday- Today Pakistan

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Greater Manchester Police have been criticised for failing to consult properly with prosecutors over anti-terror raids which resulted in a dozen arrests but no criminal charges.

Lord Carlile, the Government’s independent reviewer of terror legislation, said police chiefs should have discussed the arrests with specialist Crown Prosecution Service lawyers much earlier.

But he backed the tactics used by police during Operation Pathway in April.

Some of the men were held at gunpoint in broad daylight on university campuses, leading to accusations of excessive force.

Lord Carlile said GMP were “probably right” to take no chances.

He wrote: “It was unwise of the police in this case not to actively seek legal advice from the CPS during the process of planning the arrests.

”Such advice should in fact have been sought in advance, even in the compressed time period in which all were working because of various events in the operation.

”I recommend that the CPS should at the very least be kept informed of counter-terrorism operations and asked to provide any material advice as soon as arrest of identified individuals is seen as likely.

”Indeed, common sense and good judgment demand that they should be involved in an advisory capacity before arrest.”

The raids were brought forward after the country’s top anti-terrorism officer was photographed walking into Downing Street with papers showing details of police plans. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick resigned the following day.

Police slammed for Manchester raids


A meeting to mark the UN’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people was held in the British parliament last month and focused on the need for the UN and the UK government to act on the Goldstone Report.

The all-party meeting, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, was hosted by Labour backbench MP, Jeremy Corbyn, who is also vice-chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Britain’s oldest and Europe’s largest single-issue peace organisation.

Other speaker included chair of Labour Friends of Palestine, Martin Linton, the Liberal Democrat’s shadow international development minister, Baroness Lindsay Northover, her outspoken predecessor Baroness Jenny Tonge and veteran MP and

lawyer Bob Marshall-Andrews. Also in attendance were the

Palestinian General Delegate to the UK, Professor Manuel Hassassian and Israeli human rights lawyer, Daniel Machover, who has been at the forefront of attempts to arrest Israeli leaders for war crimes when they visit the UK and Europe.

An Early Day Motion to parliament, so far signed by 77 MPs, has welcomed the UN-mandated Golstone

report, which evidence the extent of Israeli war crimes committed in Israel, and called on the British government to ensure all parties are brought to account.

The UK government has claimed that the report is flawed, but Northover has challenged minister to publish the “legal advice” used to justify Britain abstaining when it was overwhelmingly endorsed by the UN General Assembly.

Campaign organisations have welcomed the government’s confirmation that it plans to abolish restrictions on protests around the British parliament.

A Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech the re-opening of parliament on, intends to repeal provisions of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, under which protesters must first seek police permission.

Among those who have campaigned for the restrictions to be abolished is Belinda Pratten, head of policy at the National Council for

Voluntary Organisations, who said that government attempts to limit protests and undermine democracy.

The restrictions were part of the government’s latest failed attempt to remove Brian Haw, who has continued a solitary peace camp outside the British parliament since 2001, first against Iraq sanctions then against the 2003 US-led war.

But the controversial law affected all demonstrations that also covered government departments and the Prime Minister’s Office sited within one mile of parliament, even though it was often defied by many protesters, including anti-war campaigners

UK governement need to act on the Goldstone report

UK plans to drop restrictions onparliament protests welcomed

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The British government has joined the US and UN in opposing Israel’s latest illegal settlement expansion in the holy city of Quds (Jerusalem) but remains unwilling to threaten any sanctions.

“The Foreign Secretary has been very clear that a credible deal involves Jerusalem as a shared capital,” a British Foreign Office spokesman said.

“Expanding settlements on occupied land in East Jerusalem makes that deal much harder. So this decision is wrong and we oppose it,” the spokesman said.

The criticism was directed at the Israeli Interior Ministry announcing approval to build 900 homes for the expansion of its illegal settlement of Gilo in east Jerusalem.

Foreign Office Minister Baroness Kinnock confirmed that the British government remained opposed to attempts, led by trade unions and pro-Palestinian organisations, to isolate the Israeli regime until it complies with international law. “Isolation of Israel would advance neither Britain’s influence nor, most important, the prospects of peace in

the Middle East,” Kinnock told MPs.A television documentary screened

by Channel Four exposed the extent of the influence of the pro-Israel lobby in Britain in both the country’s two main political parties and in the media.

An accompanying pamphlet called for Britain’s political system to be more open, including about sources of funding and said the foreign and internal policy of Israel should not be “exempt from the same kind of probing criticism that any independent state

must expect.” The leaflet, published by

opendemocay.net, traced Britain being brought into line with the pro-Israeli American position to the election of the country’s Labour government under former prime minister Tony Blair in 1997.

Responding to the latest illegal expansion, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs simply said the US government was “dismayed” by the decision.

UK says it opposes more illegalIsraeli houses in Jersualem

A community has hit out after Muslim graves were vandalised for the third times in three months.

More than 20 gravestones were pushed over in the latest attack at Southern Cemetery, which police are treating as a hate crime.

Officers say they believe the crime is

racially motivated because only Muslim graves were targeted. The vandalism is thought to have happened sometime between Friday, November 20 and Monday, November 23.

Council staff have repaired the graves which had been pushed over and damaged for a third time after similar attacks in September and earlier this month.

Mustafa Graf, an imam at Manchester Islamic Centre said: “It is disgusting and disgraceful, not because they are Muslim graves, everybody’s grave should be respected. They should be left to rest in peace.”

The vandalism has also been condemned by an anti-fascist group and religious leaders in south Manchester,

Manchester Unite Against Fascism’s Mark Krantz said: “This is part of a pattern of attacks on Muslim graves intended to hurt the living and spread division through our community.”

Sue Rowe, a Methodist minister

from Chorlton, said: “People who do this want to create an atmosphere of fear and hatred but they are not going to succeed. The vast majority of people want to be part of a community where people are free to worship as they choose in peace.”

Police are now appealing to anyone who has information to come forward.

Detective chief inspector Steve Eckersley said: “It is an absolute disgrace that whoever is responsible thinks it acceptable to repeatedly target the graves of loved ones. This sort of mindless, racist behaviour must be utterly condemned, we are doing all we can to catch the culprits.

“We have increased our patrols in the cemetery and surrounding area and I ask people using the cemetery to be vigilant and report anyone causing damage to the graves or acting suspiciously.

Call police on 0161 856 6151 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

Racist yobs vandalise Muslim graves

Passion Islam I December 2009 LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS I 7

A British documentary has alleged that any future Conservative government will be disproportionately influenced by a powerful pro-Israeli lobby in the country.

Channel 4’s Dispatches programme last month said that at least half of the Conservative shadow cabinet are members of the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI), one of a number of pro-Israel lobby organisations.

The prorgramme, entitled ‘Inside Britain’s Israel Lobby’, said that such organisations make up “one of the most powerful and influential political lobbies in Britain”, but that “little is known” about these groups and their associated individuals.

CFI members and their businesses are alleged to have donated more than $16.8m to the Conservative Party over the past eight years.

The alleged donations include tens of thousands of pounds to William Hague, after he was appointed shadow foreign secretary in 2005.

The documentary alleged that Lord Kalm, a CFI member and significant donor to the Conservatives, threatened to remove Hague’s funding after he said that Israel had used “disproportionate” force during its war in Lebanon in 2006.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, is alleged to have promised not to repeat the conjecture.

The Dispatches documentary also claims that Poju Zabludowicz, a Finnish billionaire and chairman of Bicom (the British Israel Communications and Research Centre), gave $25,000 and $84,000 donations to Cameron and the Conservative Central Office respectively.

Zabludowicz has a business interest in a shopping centre in Ma’aleh Adumim, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank deemed illegal under international law.

Bicom organises briefings on and trips to Israel for journalists. The CFI and the Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) group, which is described in the documentary as “less unquestioning in its support of the Israeli government than CFI”, plays a similar role, accounting for 13 per cent of the total number of paid-for foreign trips for MPs and candidates.

In 2006, Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, two American academics, released a paper stating that Washington’s support for Israel was predicated by a hugely powerful Israeli lobby in the US.

Israel lobby ‘big influence in UK’

Two men suspected of terrorism-related activities won a landmark court ruling against the government’s use of secret evidence to deny them bail.

Judges at the High Court in London ruled that a person could not be denied bail solely on the basis of secret evidence. Applications should be treated the same as control order cases, where terror suspects must be given sufficient material to enable them to answer the case against them.

The judgement was hailed by human rights lawyers as a “historic”

The ruling was won by a Pakistani student facing deportation from the UK, who was refused bail on the basis of secret evidence, and an Algerian national, known as “U”, whose bail

was revoked. Human rights solicitor Gareth Peirce

welcomed the court’s “resounding no” to the idea that individuals could be detained on the basis of secret evidence, without recourse to apply to the high court for judicial review. The judges said there is an absolute, irreducible minimum of information that an individual should have,” said Pierce, who has been involved in many high-profile terrorist cases.

Last month, a petition was launched on Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s website to end the use of secret evidence against terrorist suspects and others on the grounds of national security to ensure that everyone in the UK has the right to a fair trial. The issue has also been raised in

an Early Day Motion to parliament earlier this year, which was signed by over 90 MPs, describing the use of secret evidence in UK courts as “fundamentally wrong.”

In June, Law Lords ruled that use of secret evidence to support imposition of control orders to restrict a suspect’s movements was unfair and led to Johnson ordering the release of a suspect from such an order as he did not want to disclose secret intelligence.

The European Court of Human Rights has also ruled that detaining individuals on the basis of secret evidence is unlawful because detainees had not been able to effectively challenge the allegations against them.

Terror suspects win UK court ruling on secret evidence


British soldier Joe Glenton is already facing a court martial for alleged desertion.

A British soldier who refused to return to Afghanistan has been arrested and faces charges of speaking out against the Afghan mission which could put him in prison up to 10 years.

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton is accused of leading an anti-war demonstration and has been charged with failing to obey a lawful order and other disciplinary offences.

He allegedly led the protest in London last month against the continued presence of UK troops in Afghanistan.

The Stop the War Coalition, which organized the rally, called for the soldier’s release and accused the Ministry of Defense of trying to stop the freedom of speech.

The charges carry a maximum of ten years in prison. Glenton could

face another four-year term as he is already facing a court martial for alleged desertion after going absent without leave in 2007.

“This is not about a breach of military regulations. This is about the persecution of a soldier who believes in telling the truth in accordance with his conscience,” said Lindsey German, convener of the Stop the War Coalition.

“He is saying what the majority of the population believe — that this war is unwinnable and immoral.”

According to recent polls, a majority of Britons have called for withdrawal of UK forces from Afghanistan.

Britain has 9,000 troops in Afghanistan and Prime Minister Gordon Brown has authorized the deployment of another 500.

A total of 232 British troops have died since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

www.passionislam.com

A hearing examining the controversial use of covert surveillance by a local authority began last month.

This landmark case is the first time these powers – granted to local authorities under the controversial Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) – were challenged at an open hearing before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

Liberty represents the complainant, Jenny Paton, and

hopes to deal a blow to frivolous use of these intrusive powers.

James Welch, legal director at Liberty and representing Jenny Paton, said: “Jenny Paton is bringing a vital test case on behalf of ordinary members of the British public. If a mother going about her lawful business can be followed and spied upon in this – frankly very creepy – fashion, where does that leave the rest of us?

It is to be hoped the IPT upholds her complaint. But if it does not and the council’s actions are judged appropriate, we should all be very worried indeed.”

There is no ‘right to know’ under RIPA, meaning that complaints about covert surveillance cannot often be brought as individuals have no idea they have been targeted.


Governmentannouncesinnocents will continue to be heldon DNA database

Secretive surveillance powers openly challenged for the first time

Defiant UK soldierfaces new charges

Despite widespread opposition, the Home Office announced plans to retain innocents DNA for six years. Innocent 16 and 17 years olds arrested for a serious crime will be treated the same as adults. All other children arrested but not convicted of any offence will have their profiles held for 3 years.

Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, said: “It seems the Government still refuses to separate the innocent and the guilty and maintains a blanket approach to DNA retention. This grudgingly modified policy creates a repeat collision course with the Courts and Ministers look stubborn rather than effective or fair.

“Nobody disputes the value of DNA and anyone arrested can have a sample taken and compared to crime scenes. But stockpiling the intimate profiles of millions of innocent people is an unnecessary recipe for error and abuse. Politicians need to show us that they care about the presumption of innocence and not just when MPs expenses are being discussed.”

In December 2008, the European Court of Human Rights found Britain’s DNA retention regime – under which millions of innocent profiles are held – to be a disproportionate interference with personal privacy rights under Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention.

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300709_210x148_STD_Passion IslamPage 1 30/07/2009 15:33:50


The Metropolitan police doubled the number of stop and search of primary school children from an Afro-Caribbean and Asian background in London last year, according to new official figures. The police said the increased use of the controversial powers is to tackle the carrying of weapons, but critics have warned that it risks alienating ethnic minority youngsters.

Children as young as 10 years old were stopped 755 times between April 2008 and March 2009, an increase of 80% on the previous year. Overall, the number of youngsters aged between

10 and 17 searched by police rose by 49% to 185,489 from 123,819 in 2007-8.

Ben Bowling, professor of criminology and criminal justice at King’s College, London, warned that stop and search is a “blunt tool which can do more harm than good, especially when it is targeted unfairly against children as young as 10.”

“I’d like to see the evidence that London’s black communities support the widespread searching of 10-year-olds. I think there must be a better way to keep our children safe,” Bowling said.

A breakdown of the figures show that ethnic minority children were targeted most in the increase, with the number of 10-year-old Asian children stopped rising by 130% and Afro-Caribbean by 100%, compared to a 54% increase for white youngsters.

After the election of Conservative mayor, Boris Johnson, in May 2008, the Metropolitan Police introduced greater use of stop and search powers in an attempt to halt the increase in youth homicides, mainly through knife crimes. Johnson had called for tough action.


Many independent Muslim schools in England are under threat of closure, according to the Association of Muslim Schools (AMS).

The organisation, which represents almost 100 independent Islamic institutions, said many could not afford to stay open.

Most schools use fees and donations to cover costs and need about £2000 per pupil per year to stay afloat.

But the recession has seen donations fall and parents unable to pay fees.

The threat applies to “almost all” of the 130 Muslim faith schools in England, according to the association.

Among these, 119 are independent and reliant on fees and donations, but 11 are in the state sector so have guaranteed income and are not under threat.

Dr Mohammed Mukadhum, the chairman of AMS, said the schools, attended by thousands of pupils, were hand-to-mouth organisations,

operating on a shoestring budget. Dr Mukadhum said: ‘’Many of

them have been relatively recently established so there has always been some financial struggle.

“But the economic crisis has put them under enormous pressure and they are getting through each day with great difficulty,’’ he said.

‘’The possibility of closing down is a looming reality and the smaller schools are the ones that are most vulnerable,’’ he added.

The Iqra Girls’ School in Oxford is one of the private independent schools on the brink of closure.

Head teacher Dr Hojjat Ramzy said there was not enough funding to run the school and they could be left with no choice but to close the only Islamic school in Oxford.

‘’Most of the charitable donations we relied on have dried up and many parents have taken their kids out of the school because they can no longer afford the fees,’’ he said.

Some parents have sent their children to schools in Pakistan and

Bangladesh instead. If the school closes, Dr Ramzy

fears that more students will be sent abroad because parents do not want their children going to a state school.

He said: ‘’It will be very sad because they won’t get the same quality of education and some may just end up getting married and not completing their studies at all.’’

Independent faith schools that are struggling to operate have the option of joining the state sector and becoming a Voluntary Aided School (VAS).

This status means they will receive all their running costs from the government and will not be able to charge fees.

The school will have to follow the National Curriculum, but it may teach Religious Education according to its own affiliated faith.

The government has said it is keen to move more faith schools into the state sector. - BBCweb


Many Muslim schools could close

London police stop and searchdoubles again on ethnic minority

12 I WORLD NEWS Passion Islam I December 2009

Detailing the success stories of many Australian Muslims, the federal government has launched a book recognizing contributions of the Muslim minority to the society.

“Muslims were some of the very first visitors to our shores,” reads the book “Australian Journey, Muslim Communities”.

“They bring with them a wealth of different ideas, skills and talents.

“[They] have helped to build our country into the prosperous and successful nation it is today.”

The 88-page book tells the success stories of more than 40 Muslims, including prominent footballer Bachar Houli.

Muslims, who have been in Australia for more than 200 years, make up 1.7 percent of its 20-million population.

Islam is the country’s second largest religion after Christianity.

The new government book is the latest effort to highlight Muslim contributions to Australian society.

In 2007, the National Library in Canberra hosted an exhibition to highlight the neglected and unrecorded great contributions of Muslim cameleers to Australia in the

19th century. The exhibition featured

photographs, camel saddles, clothing, textiles and original documents largely borrowed from cameleer descendants who came to Australia between 1860 and 1930.

The book celebrates the diversity of Australia’s Muslims, providing positive models for their participation in different fields.

“It proves to every child that you can aspire to any occupation, in any field, and be a valued Australian citizen,” parliamentary secretary for Multicultural Affairs Laurie Ferguson said in a statement.

The publication cites examples of Muslims making inroads in Australian society.

Among the most striking examples is Bill Baarini, representing Muslims’ active participation in politics.

“Bill Baarini became Victoria’s youngest mayor in 2003 at the age of 26,” the book says.

“He [was] awarded the Municipal Association of Victoria Emeritus Mayoral Award.”

Forming a fundamental part of Australian defense forces, Muslims were always there at Australia

service “whether humanitarian aid or protecting Australia’s security.”

The book cites Commander Mona Shindy whose enthusiasm for the navy career reserved a place for her as a member of the Australian Defense Force.

“I was two years into obtaining my degree when I considered joining the Navy,” the Egyptian-born says.

“I viewed it as an admirable and worthwhile job to do,” the proud Australian Muslims says.

“I stay for the culture, the community, the friendships and the opportunities to undertake different types of work, and interesting work at that.”

Aussie Govt celebrates Muslim contributions

The US apparently views Israel as being exempted from abiding by international law, the results of a recent online opinion poll indicate.

Press TV asked in an online poll about the respondents’ opinion on a

recent motion by the US congressmen against the Goldstone report, which accused Israel of war crimes during its December onslaught on Gaza which killed 1,387 Palestinians.

The report was published on September 25 by Richard Goldstone, the head of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Gaza Conflict.

More than 56 percent of respondents said Israel was viewed by the US as exempted from abiding by international law.

The 575-page UN-ordered report on Israel’s offensive in Gaza detailed

seven incidents in which Palestinian civilians were shot during the war while leaving their homes, trying to run for safety or waving white flags.

Only 5.43 percent of the respondents regarded the UN report as “irredeemably biased”, while 38.23 percent said that the US “advocacy for human rights” is mere propaganda.

In a letter to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee urged the House Committee to reject the Goldstone report.

Iran has lashed out at certain veto-wielding powers for opposing the UN report on the Gaza war, blaming them for the ongoing Israeli crimes in the region.

US views Israel exempted from law


The first online school offering courses on Islamic and Quranic sciences came to existence in Romania using ‘How to Learn Islam’ as its motto.

Speaking to al-Minar website, Karim Anchin, chairman of the Islamic Association of Romania and a co-founder of the school said this is an opportunity for Romanian youth to

learn Islamic teachings and Quranic knowledge in their mother tongue.

“Lack of an Islamic school where young people or converts can learn Islamic sciences through systematic methods moved us to establish the school,” Anchin said, adding that the plan to launch the school is the biggest Islamic propagation campaign since

the breakdown of Communism in the country in 1989.

In a duration of two years, each of which split into 3 semesters, students complete courses on Islamic laws, Quran recitation and memorization, the Quran and hadiths, Islamic Fiqh (jurisprudence), the prophetic traditions and Islamic culture.

An Illinois congressman who opposes the idea of moving terrorism suspects to a prison in his district issued a qualified apology after a comment that critics viewed as insulting to Islam.

In an interview with television station WREX in Rockford, Ill., Republican Rep. Donald Manzullo said of terrorism suspects: “These are really, really mean people whose job it is to kill people, driven by some savage religion.” An aide said Tuesday that Manzullo, who opposes the possibility of housing detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in the Thomson Correctional Center in northwestern Illinois, received about 20 complaints about the remark. The Obama administration has identified Thomson as a possible site for the detainees.

In a statement, Manzullo said he was not referring generally to Islam, but to terrorists who practice a violent, anti-modern version of Islam. He said Islam is a “religion of peace” and that the vast majority of its adherents are “men and women of goodwill.”

He added: “Nevertheless, I apologize for any misunderstanding of my comments and I will endeavor in the future to clarify my remarks to make it absolutely clear that America is not opposed to Islam, but that we are fighting terrorists who believe in a savage, perverted, and violent form of Islam.”

A female Muslim student was attacked and injured in the north central German city of Goettingen by a group of men for wearing hijab, Germany’s press agency DPA reported.

The 24-year-old unidentified victim was assaulted by four men near the campus of Goettingen University on Saturday, Goettingen’s police chief Thomas Rath was quoted saying.

The attackers hurled anti-foreigner slurs at her and pushed the victim to the ground where they kicked her body. The female Muslim woman who is a medical student, suffered cuts and bruises as a result of the attack. It was unclear whether the assailants were neo-Nazis.

The victim was on her way from the university library to her car when the vicious attack took place. The latest anti-Muslim attack comes only one week after a court in the city of Dresden sentenced a 28-year old German neo-Nazi man of Russian origin to life in jail without a

chance of parole for the gruesome hijab killing of Egyptian national Marwa al-Sherbini. Alex Wiens was convicted of murder, attempted murder and inflicting dangerous bodily harm for the July slaying of 31-year-old Marwa al-Sherbini.

The pregnant victim was killed while testifying against Wiens in court on July 1st.

Her assailant was initially convicted of defamation for having yelled racial slogans at her. Wiens had smuggled an 18-centimeter kitchen knife into the courtroom and stabbed al-Sherbini repeatedly in front of her husband and her three-year-old son.

Her husband, Elwy Ali Okaz, was also stabbed when he tried to intervene, and was critically wounded when accidentally shot in the leg by a security guard who mistook him for the attacker. The hate crime sent shock waves across the Islamic world, particularly in Egypt and Iran, and in Germany’s 4.3 million-strong Muslim community.

First Quranic Cyber School launched in Romania

US Congressman Apologizes for comments

Female Muslim student beaten up in Germany for wearing hijab

Passion Islam I December 2009 WORLD NEWS I 15


An international conference on “Problems of Muslim Youth in the Globalization Era” was held in the holy city of Makkah by Islamic World League on November 22 to 24.

According to Rohama website, Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsin Al-Turki, Director General of the league said, “The conference was organized in order to help solve problems faced by young Muslims in today’s world, make them aware of the threats they are facing and prevent them from going astray morally and intellectually.”

“In the globalization era, Muslim communities are socially and culturally influenced by the West and it is the duty of Muslim scholars, organizations and media to stand up against such negative influences,” he added.

“A number of scholars and intellectuals of the Islamic world and officials in charge of Islamic organizations as well as university lecturers were invited to take part at the conference,” he stated.

He went on to say that intellectual problems of the Muslim youth and their economic, social and psychological difficulties were the themes of discussion at the three-day conference.

“The role of Muslim communities in promoting Islamic unity is as important as the role which Islamic governments can play in this respect,” a Sunni university lecturer said in Saudi Arabia.

Nazir Ahmad Salami said, “Islamic unity is best manifested in Hajj and, in fact, all the rituals of Hajj are meant to boost unity.”

In Makkah, the land of revelation, Muslim Ummah practically

experiences Islamic unity through wearing the same coverings, starting their worship from the same point and towards the same target,” he added.

“Paying attention to the philosophy of Islamic worshiping is what Islam and the holy Quran stress.”

Noting that Sunni Muslims are living without any problems in Islamic Republic of Iran, Nazir Ahmad Salami said, “If all governments including the government of Saudi Arabia thoroughly acted upon the teachings of the Quran and the holy prophet of Islam (PBUH), Muslims would live a better life, in peace and solidarity.”

He regretted that there is discord in the Islamic Ummah, referring to it as the main reason for weakness of the Muslim world.

Makkah hosts conference on youth

Role of Muslim communities to promote Islamic unity highlighted


France announced that that they had a meeting between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to seek a breakthrough in the dispute between the two Central Asian nations over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Group of Minsk, composed of the US, France and Russia, decided to hold the new round of the summit talks in its capacity as mediator in the

conflict, official sources said.It was the sixth time for such a

meeting to be held this year on the contentious, territorial issue.

The French Foreign Ministry said that this round of talks was part of a process “to draw up fundamental principles for settling the conflict.” A basic agreement was proposed to the two parties in November 2007 but has

not met with full agreement.Foreign Ministry sources said that

the talks were held in the residency of the French General Consul in Munich, Germany.

A top banker of Luxembourg a country famous for hosting international financial institutions has said that his country would welcome the establishment of Islamic banks.

“We had Islamic banking institutions in the seventies which discontinued its services and as for now there is no Islamic bank that operates in Luxembourg, but there is no prohibition to have a setup of such an institution, “ Yves Mersch, President of the Central Bank of Luxembourg, told KUNA in an interview.

“I would like to stress that the government would welcome such an

establishment,” he added.“Since there seems to be an

increasing demand for Sharia (Islamic law) compliant finance, Luxembourg as a financial centre is willing to accommodate this demand and make its regulatory environment in compliance with such a need and such a supply which ought to be well regulated,” noted Mersch. He was in Brussels to speak at the 5th Economic Forum Belgium-Luxemburg-Arab Countries organized by the Arab-Belgium-Luxemburg Chamber of Commerce (ALBCC).

The forum was dedicated to the banking sector in general and to the Islamic banking in particular. During his visit to Arab countries, Mersch said he repeatedly heard interest of establishing banking activities in Luxembourg. “We regularly sent missions led by the economic and finance minister to those Arab countries and we have to see still the first incorporation of new Islamic bank in Luxembourg,” he said.

The Luxembourg banker explained that in principle Sharia-compliant finance is not only restricted for Muslims.

“You can also see Sharia-compliant finance as something I would call ethical or principle of social justice and participation and as such it is also following what we would call alternative banking or alternative finance which is similar to what is

offered by micro-finance institutions or socially-responsible institutions and as such it also caters for non-Muslims,” he said.

Asked if Islamic banking is better equipped to deal with the current economic crisis, Mersch said Islamic finance has some circuit-breakers to excessive leverage and risk taking and because it is also linked to the growth of the real economy it avoids excessive growth which is not based on the real economy and therefore the “Problems that we have seen in the present crisis and which mostly derived from excessive leverage taken on by financial institutions are better controlled in Islamic finance.

“We have also seen certain resilience of Islamic finance during the financial crisis. However, I have to add that Islamic finance is not immune to excessive risk taking as well and needs to be subjected to same amount of regulation,” he added.

Commenting on financial relations between Kuwait and Luxembourg, Mersch said there has been regular visits between the two countries on the political level and they are ongoing and during these visits the will for fostering cooperation in the financial area has continuously been stressed.

“I would very much welcome that the implementation of this political will soon show results,” he said.


Luxembourg welcomesestablishment of Islamic banks

France to holds talks betweenArmenian, Azerbaijan leaders

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Passion Islam I December 2009 WORLD NEWS I 17

The United States called on the Afghan government to investigate media reports about corruption allegations and hoped the inauguration of President Hamid Karzai would make his new cabinet more effective and transparent.

“We are working with our international partners to encourage the new government to make sure that the efforts that they have pledged to undertake have a significant impact on the Afghan government that would strengthen the institutions that deal with this problem, both in terms of investigating them and then ultimately prosecuting them,” said State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly in a press briefing.

The Washington Post quoted a US official saying that a minister in the Afghan government is accused of accepting around USD 30 million in bribe to award the country’s largest development project to a Chinese mining firm.

“We have seen this report. We are aware of the allegations, corruption is a serious problem and we expect him to take concrete action to fight this problem,” noted Kelly.

“We know that this is an important sector that was involved. The mining sector has great promise for Afghanistan’s growth and prosperity.

And of course in addition to this economic promise, there has to be

transparency in how these contracts are let and how these resources are developed”, he added.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton landed in Kabul today in a surprise visit where she met US embassy staff and with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

She told reporters en route from Asia to Afghanistan that the United State have asked the Afghan government to form “a credible anticorruption governmental entity that truly can deliver on the concerns that we and the people of Afghanistan have about corruption.” Clinton noted that the Afghan government “has done some work on that, but in our view, not nearly enough to demonstrate a seriousness of purpose to tackle

corruption, and it is going to be one of the principled requests that we make.” “We are concerned about corruption and we obviously think it has an impact on the quality and capacity of governing,” she added.

Clinton will lead tomorrow the US delegation attending the inauguration of President Karzai

For his part, Kelly noted that the United States now seeks to highlight “the importance of the moment,” the inauguration of Karzai, for the Afghan government “to turn a new page, to put into place Afghan-led structures that will help establish confidence in the Afghan government that it can deliver services, it can deliver security and it can conduct its business in an open and transparent way.”

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the violence of Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied land is on the rise.

It noted in a report issued that during 2009, 13 Palestinians, on average, have been injured per month in settler-related incidents, particularly

against Palestinians harvesting their olives and on olive groves.

In occupied East Jerusalem, OCHA said that while Israel has expropriated around 35 percent of that zone for Israeli settlements, only abound 13 percent is available for Palestinian construction, and much of that land is built up already.

In those areas where construction is possible, the report added, Israeli bureaucratic restrictions make it extremely difficult for Palestinian residents to get building permits.

It also noted that access restrictions, particularly at Israeli Barrier checkpoints, continue to hinder UN operations in the West Bank.

Israeli settlers’’ violence againstPalestinians is increasing

US calls on Afghan government toinvestigate corruption allegations

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Arab Justice Ministers condemned all forms of terrorism and asserted importance of differentiating between terrorism and Islam.

The ministers, at the conclusion of their meeting, called for the strengthening of cooperation between the Arab and countries around the world in the fight against terrorism.

They said that terrorism and Islam should not be linked together because Islam calls for forgiveness and rejects terrorism and extremism

In a final communique, the ministers called for differentiating between terrorism and the legitimate right of people to fight occupation and aggression.

They said the killing of innoncent people was rejected by heavenly faiths, including Islam, and international conventions.

The ministers called for holding a special UN General Assembly session about international terrorism.The ministers, meanwhile, urged countries who did not ratify the Arab

anti-terrorism accord to do so as soon as possible.

They approved the Arab draft agreement on fighting money laundering and terrorism financing, and referred it to the interior ministers.

They have also approved draft agreements to fight corruption, transfer of prisoners and fighting cross-border organized crime.

The ministers blessed a draft agreement to confronting cyber crimes.

Arab Justice Ministers urgesdifferentiating terrorism, Islam

Passion Islam I December 2009 SPORT I 19

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A groundbreaking new initiative was officially launched under the umbrella of the Leeds Rugby Foundation.

The scheme aims to substantially increase the numbers of regular and long term sports participants from minority ethnic communities living in Leeds and its surrounding areas.

Backed by Sport England and Leeds Metropolitan University, the innovative strategy will not only focus upon the benefits of sport, in helping to encourage greater confidence and understanding, but will also centre on issues of health and education.

A particular emphasis will be placed upon working with participants aged 14 and over in an effort to facilitate greater access for black and minority ethnic communities to sport, fostering links between different communities and identifying areas of mutual opportunity and benefit.

Headed up by the first British Muslim Rugby international, Ikram Butt, the Connecting Communities team will act as positive role models for minority ethnic communities, in an effort to fully engage them in the project.

“It is a fantastic opportunity to create a real, meaningful difference in an often-neglected area through the considerable influence of sport,” Butt commented.

“It is an honour and a privilege to manage the scheme, especially as for me personally; there is a sense of coming

home. “I grew up locally to the fantastic

Headingley Carnegie Stadium” he added, “sport gave my life value, direction and substance and I was fortunate enough to play the game I loved professionally.

“If I can pass on that kind of message, those values and a feeling of inclusivity, then we genuinely can start to shape the future together.”

As well as delivering coaching, lifestyle messages and training volunteers & coaches, the Connecting Communities project has already staged two inspirational talks at Headingley Carnegie Stadium in conjunction with Leeds Metropolitan University.

A central tenet is to bring such high profile individuals from the world of sport, education, entertainment and business to the famous stadium to raise aspirations, particularly for the BME community.

The Connecting Communities project will seek the support of local businesses, religious groups and organisations, community groups, voluntary sector organisations and charities to deliver their message and is offering a series of tiered sponsorship packages for those who wish to pledge their support.

There is also considerable potential to extend the benefits and opportunities of the project through international exchange visits and competitions.

Leeds Metropolitan University will play a crucial role in that while Hunslet Hawks will offer support to the project, alongside the Rugby Football League based at Red Hall and Leeds City Council.

The scheme will also partner the successful work of the Hamara Healthy Living Centre and will centre on areas of social and economic deprivation.

Leeds ConnectingCommunities Project

Arsenal defender Armand Traore is to go under the knife at the end of the season to have his tattoos surgically removed.

The left-back, who is set to become a regular in the Gunners’ back line says religion is behind the move.

The 20-year-old has fully embraced Islam, which forbids permanent changes to the body.

Traore said: “I’m planning to do this in the summer. They’ll put me under anesthetic and then do it all, and when I wake

up everything will be gone. It needs a bit of recovery

time though so I’m not going to do it during the football season.

“If I had been into my religion properly before I would never have had the tattoos done. I think it’s one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in my life but I will try and correct it.”

Traore shot to prominence during Arsenal’s run to the 2007 Carling Cup final and he says his faith helps him cope with the demands of being a top-flight footballer.

“My religion has benefits both personally and in my career,” Traore explained.

“It’s all about many of the things that are good in football too - like resting, doing everything right, being nice to people, respecting, not swearing or lying, being fair.

“I’ve always been Muslim but I wasn’t really practicing it, I was just saying to people that I was Muslim. I don’t know what made me change - it was just slowly, slowly, a gradual development.”

Traore to remove tattoos

20 I SPECIAL FEATURE Passion Islam I December 2009

Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith was the cousin of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and during their childhood and youth they were very close to each other, and they resembled each other a great deal. However, despite their strong relationship, Abu Sufyan completely rejected to embrace Islam for so many years.

Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith was born about the same time as the blessed Prophet Mohamed (PBUH), and he was also a foster-brother of the Prophet.

When Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) made public his call for Islam and

warned people about the danger of continuing in their existing state of disbelief, injustice and immorality, the fire of envy and hatred erupted in the heart of Abu Sufyan. What was once a relation of love and brotherhood turned into a relation of resistance and opposition.

At that time Abu Sufyan was one of the most promoted fighters and horsemen of the Quraysh tribe and also one of their best poets.

He used both his sword and tongue in the battle against Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and his mission. He participated in all the battles the

Quraysh fought against Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and in all the torture and persecution they made to the Muslims. He composed and recited verses attacking and vilifying Prophet Mohamed (PBUH).

Abu Sufyan stayed like that for almost twenty years. His three others brothers - Nawfal, Rabiah and Abdullah, had all embraced Islam except him.

However, in the eighth year after the Hijrah, just before the Islamic liberation of Makkah, Abu Sufyan’s position began to shift. He began to reconsider his hostile position against

Abu Sufyanibn al-Harith

Passion Islam I December 2009 SPECIAL FEATURE I 21Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and his family convinced him that he was long in all what he was doing.

Eventually God opened his heart to Islam. He says: ?I got up and said to my servant, Madhkur: ‘Get ready a camel and a horse for us.? I took my son Jafar with me and we galloped with great speed towards al-Abwa between Makkah and Madinah. I heard that Mohamed camped there. As I approached the place, I covered my face so that no one could recognize and kill me before I could reach Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and announce my acceptance of Islam directly to him.

I proceeded slowly on foot while advance groups of Muslims headed towards Makkah. I avoided their path out of fear that one of the Prophet’s companions would recognize me. I continued in this fashion until I saw Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) on his mount. Coming out into the open, I went straight up to him and uncovered my face. He looked at me and recognized me. But, he turned his face away. I moved to face him once again. He avoided looking at me and again turned away his face. This happened repeatedly.

Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and his companions completely rejected to talk or even look at Abu Safyan for days. Until Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) reached al-Jahfah (about four days journey from Makkah).

Abu Sufyan sat down at the door of the tent of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and his son Jafar stood beside him. But still Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) rejected to look at him.

The situation became too much for Abu sufyan and he said: ?By God, either the Prophet, peace be on him, shows he is pleased with me or I shall take my son and go wandering through the land until we die of hunger and thirst.?

When Prophet Mohamed heard this, he relented and on leaving his tent, he looked more gently towards me then before. I so much hoped that he would smile.?

Eventually Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) relented and told Abu Sufyan, “There is now no blame on you.”

The Prophet then called Ali ibn Abi Talib who had newly embraced Islam and told him:

“Teach your cousin how to perform wudu and about the Sunnah. Then bring him back to me.”

When Ali returned, the Prophet said: “Tell all the people that the Messenger of God is pleased with Abu Sufyan and that they should be pleased with him.”

Abu Sufyan continued: “The Prophet then entered Makkah and I too entered in his entourage. He went to the Sacred Mosque and I also went, trying my best to remain in his presence and not separate from him on any account...

In the Battle of Hunayn the Arabs put together an unprecedented force against Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and they were determined to give a mortal blow to Islam and the Muslims.

Abu Sufyan narrated: The Prophet went out to confront them with a large number of his companions. I went out with him and when I saw the great throngs of mushrikin, I said: ?By God. Today, I shall atone for all my past hostility towards the Prophet. Peace be on him, and he shall certainly see on my part what pleases God and what pleases him.?

When the two forces met, the pressure of the mushrikin on the Muslims was severe and the Muslims began to lose heart. Some even began to desert and terrible defeat stared us in the face. However, the Prophet stood firm in the thick of battle astride his mule “Ash-Shahba” like a towering mountain, wielding his sword and fighting for himself and those around him... I jumped from my horse and fought beside him. God knows that I desired martyrdom beside the Messenger of God. My uncle, al-Abbas, took the reins of the Prophet’s mule and stood at his side. I took up my position on the other side. With my right hand I fended off attacks against the Prophet and with my left I held on to my mount.

When the Prophet saw my devastating blows on the enemy, he asked my uncle: ?Who’s this?? ‘This is your brother and cousin. Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith. Be pleased with him. O Messenger of God.’

I have done so and God has granted forgiveness to him for all the hostility he has directed against me.’?

My heart soared with happiness and wept .He turned towards me and said:

My brother! Upon my life! Advance and strike!?

The words of the Prophet spurred me on and we plunged into the positions of the mushrikin until they were routed and fled in every direction.?

After the battle of Hunayn, Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith stayed in the company of the noble Prophet Mohamed (PBUH). But he was never able to look directly in the Prophet?s eyes out of shame and embarrassment for his past hostility towards him.

Abu Sufyan felt very bad because of what he had done to harm Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and his mission and he spent so many nights regretting trying to extinguish the light of God and refusing to follow His message.

He spent his days and nights reciting the verses of the Quran. Trying to understand and follow its laws and profit by its admonitions. He shunned the world and its adornments and turned to the worship of Allah.

One day Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) saw him entering the mosque and asked his wife:

“Do you know who is this, Aishah?”

“No, O Messenger of God.” she replied.

This is my cousin. Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith. See, he is the first to enter the masjid and the last to leave. His eyes do not leave his shoelace.”

On the death of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) Abu Sufyan felt intense grief and wept bitterly.

During the caliphate of Umar al-Farouk, Abu Sufyan felt his end drawing near.

One-day people saw him in al-Baqi, the cemetery not far from the Prophet’s mosque where many Sahabah are buried. He was digging and fashioning a grave. They were surprised to see him doing that.

After three days Abu Sufyan was lying on his death bed. His family gathered around him weeping but he said: “Do not weep for me. By God, I did not commit any wrong since I accepted Islam.” He then died after serving Islam with all he had of power.

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ISLAM IN CHILE The statistics for Islam in Chile estimate a total Muslim population of approximately 4000, representing less than .1% of the population.[1] There are a number of Islamic organizations in Chile, including Sociedad Musulmana de Chile y Mezquita As-Salam (“Muslim Society of Chile and Masjid As-Salam”) in Santiago de Chile, Mezquita Bilal (“Bilal Mosque”) in Iquique and the Centro Cultural Mohammed VI (“Mohammed VI Cultural Center”) in Coquimbo.

HistoryAccording to Chronicles of the History of Chile by Aurelio Díaz Meza, there was a man in the expedition of discoverer Diego de Almagro, called Pedro de Gasco who was a morisco, or Moor from al-Andalus in Spain who was forced to convert from Islam to Catholicism. The coming of moriscos was covered by history but, recently scholars of Chilean history have started acknowledging the country’s Moorish heritage and its effects on the development of Chilean culture and identity.

It is known that in 1854 two “Turks” resided in the country, a situation that was repeated in the censuses of 1865 and 1875. Their country of origin is not known, just that they were natives of some territory of the immense Ottoman Empire, and this was followed two years later by the first major wave of Muslims to Chile began in 1856, with the arrival of Arab immigrants from the Ottoman Empire territories consisting of today’s Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.

According to the 1885 census, the number of “Turks” had risen to 29, but there is no precise information on their

origin and their faith, since religion was not included in that census. However, the census of 1895 registered the presence of 76 “Turks”, 58 of them Muslims, who were primarily concentrated in the north of Chile in Tarapacá, Atacama, Valparaiso, and Santiago. In the census of 1907, the Muslim population was reported to have increased to 1,498 people, all of them foreigners. They were 1,183 men and 315 women, representing only 0.04 percent of the population, although this was recorded as the highest percentage of Muslims in Chile’s history. In 1920 a new census showed that the number of Muslims had decreased to 402, with 343 men and 59 women. The greatest numbers were in Santiago and Antofagasta, with 76 in each province.

In Santiago, the first Islamic institution of Chile, the Society of Muslim Union of Chile (Sociedad Unión Musulmana), was founded on 25 September 1926. Later, on 16 October 1927, the Society of Mutual Aids and Islamic Charity was established. With the 1952 census, the number of Muslims had risen again to 956. The majority lived in Santiago, with tbe rest of the population scattered in the provinces of Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, O’Higgins, Concepción, Malleco, Cautín and Valdivia, without much organization among them. Their numbers decreased again, so that by 1960 there were only 522, with the majority of 209 living in Santiago. A decade later, the number of Muslims had increased to 1,431. However, the census did not indicate whether they were men or women, nationals or foreigners. Nevertheless, they were spread throughout the country.

In 1988 the construction of the mosque of Santiago de Chile named Mezquita As-Salam was initiated by Sheikh Taufiq Rumie’, who had led the Muslim community for more than sixty years. The mosque was finished in 1989 and was inaugurated by a prince of Malaysia in 1996, and it was reported that by end of the 1980s some indigenous Chileans had also converted to Islam, with numbers increasing after the completion of the mosque. Muslim Chilean population was increased by the presence of foreign trade and investment from Muslim countries. Many Malaysian businessmen and their families settled Chile after the inauguration of the mosque by a Malaysian prince. Due to the external interference, and in special to the strengthening of Shia Islam by part of the Iranian help in 1996, they inaugurated Centro de Cultura Islámica, in Las Condes, Santiago, where they consolidated a Shi’ite Muslim community who mostly arrived in Chile in 1800s. Most Shi’ite Muslim Chileans are of Iranian blood, they may still speak Persian and/or other Iranian language, aside from Arabic and Spanish. In 1997, Pakistani retailers purchased land for the construction of the Bilal Mosque and madrasa in Iquique, which was completed in 1999. Following the death of Sheikh Taufiq Rumie’ in 1998,

Passion Islam I December 2009 SPECIAL FEATURE I 23

Usama Abu Gazaleh was elected Imam of the mosque following the passing of Taufiq Rumie’.

InfrastructureA Mosque in Coquimbo.Through the 1970s and ‘80s, there were no religious leaders or centers for praying. Muslims who maintained the faith met in the residence of Taufik Rumie’ Dalu, a trader of Syrian origin. In 1990 the construction of the Al-Salam Mosque began, the first of the country. In 1995 another mosque was inaugurated in Temuco, and 1998 a

new one in Iquique. Sources of the Islamic community indicate that at the moment, in Chile, there are 3,000 Muslims. Many of those are Chileans who, as a result of their conversion, have even changed their names. In spite of the small number of believers, they are not a homogenous community. The majority are Sunnis, and the rest are Shiites. Sufi groups have also arisen, but their members are mainly of non-Arab origin.

TodaySince the September the 11th Attacks,

there has been a minor, initial backlash against the Muslim community, as part of wider trend of suspicion towards Muslims in non-Muslim countries, although it is believed that the Muslim community as a whole, has remained well-integrated in broader Chilean society.

There are a number of organizations founded by the Muslim community in Chile, including: Asociación Islámica de Chile (Islamic Association of Chile) , Centro de Cultura y Beneficencia Islámico, Centro Chileno Islámico de Cultura de Puerto Montt

Masjid City in Chile


As industrial processes herd together large masses of workers in one town, the proletariat is in a much better position to form combinations against the bourgeois and can club together in order to keep up the rate of wages. The proletariat is also benefited by increased means of communication.

The State is an agency of oppression controlled by the bourgeoisie to advance its own interests. A well-organised society that has eradicated the distinction of classes can exist in the absence of the State. All political power is only the organised power of one class for oppressing another and as Communism advances the State shall wither.

In the capitalistic system, concentration and centralization of capital perpetuate and strengthen themselves. In the internecine conflicts of the capitalists, the smaller capitalists will be devoured by the bigger ones. Free competition among capitalists will be gradually replaced by gigantic monopolies. “Finance Capital” reaching out beyond the boundaries of a single capitalistic country becomes

“Capitalistic Imperialism.” International monopoly combines

of capitalists are formed which divide up the world.

The imperialist powers, fighting among themselves for the right to share in this monopoly, struggle for markets and for profitable investment of ‘Finance Capital.’ The world will become ‘one bloody lump’ of the belligerent group of capitalists, the slave-drivers of a capitalist slavery. The contradictions created by capitalist production will play upon the world instead of a nation.

The proletariat must prepare itself to seize power at the collapse of the capitalist system which is inevitable because of its internal contradictions. The proletariat shall have to seize power, establish its own State to crush out all capitalist employers and their class-ideology.

In the first stage, the proletarian State shall be an engine of oppression against the capitalists but the proletarian State shall be gradually liquidated when the era of full Communism is ushered in, when

each person would be motivated to work with his full capacity and to consume from the common product merely in accord with his own needs.

The change cannot take place by peaceful evolution. Economic fight must turn into a political fight. The bourgeois State shall not give in without a bitter fight. According to Marx and Engels, force is not an absolute evil; it is the midwife of every old society which is pregnant with the new. Immense moral and spiritual impetus results from every victorious revolution.

The change from capitalism to Communism is dialectically inevitable but a violent revolution is an essential phase of that dialectic. In the transitional state, political power will change places; the bourgeoisie will lose it, the proletariat shall acquire it and the ruled will become the rulers.

In the earlier phases, there shall be no universal democracy as formerly democracy existed for the bourgeoisie only, now it will exist for the workers only; exploiters and oppressors of the people shall be excluded from

A Comparative Study of Ideologies Part Two

Passion Islam I December 2009 SPECIAL FEATURE I 25

Continued next month

this democracy in the transition from capitalism to Communism.

As the means of production will belong to the whole of society, all citizens shall be transformed into hired employees of the State.

Labourers will work for wages, each worker receiving for an equal quantity of labour an equal quantity of products and ‘he who does not work shall not eat.’ There shall be difference in wages but no exploitation.

According to Marx, the goal of Communism is ‘from each according to his ability; to each according to his needs.’

But the advent of full Communism is not inevitable. Lenin says, ‘It has never entered the head of any socialist to promise that the highest phase of Communism will arrive.’ (Lenin, quoting Marx in The State and Revolution).

He further pointed out that full Communism cannot be introduced; by what stages, and by means of what practical measures, humanity will proceed to this higher aim - this we do not and cannot know. “It can only be said with the fullest confidence that expropriation of the capitalists will inevitably result in a gigantic development of the productive forces of human society.”

It is the aim of Communism to establish a classless society.

Fascism Under this term will be included the economic systems of both Italy and Germany before World War II. In Germany it was called National Socialism. The word ‘Fascism’ is derived from fascio meaning a group or bundle. This movement in both countries was directed against democratic liberalism which hoped that cooperation by agreement would replace national conflicts. President Wilson was a great interpreter of the liberal spirit. Liberalism preached the self-determination of peoples as a desirable goal; the small nations. Minorities were to be protected from the oppression of majorities. Everywhere women, along with men, were to be granted suffrage in constitutional democracies. Similarly, labour was to be protected against the exploitation of employers. A league of nations was to be set up to settle international disputes and to rule out

war and the arbitrament of the sword. The Socialists and Communists

agreed with many of these objective but were of the opinion that political democracy alone cannot achieve them unless it is coupled with industrial democracy. Violence may be necessary to achieve the workers’ utopia of economic equality and social justice. As only the workers’ States can achieve real and abiding international harmony the primary aim should be the establishment of the worker’s States.

Fascism, under the leadership of Mussolini, controlled the Government of Italy in 1922, and repudiated most of these objectives along with the methods proposed to attain them. Fascism came to the conclusion that liberal democracy had its day and it has now to be transcended not by Socialism or Communism but by something quite different. It started revaluation of all the values of liberal democracy. Government by majorities attained through the ballot was despised and the notion of opposition parties in the parliament or within the government ridiculed as a puerile absurdity. Similarly, freedom of thought and speech was anathema. Their reading of history convinced them that great and powerful States were created and ruled by a bundle of a few individuals and by militant minorities who did not legislate by consulting the masses. Democratic liberalism grants the right of private ownership as the first essential of freedom, and rectifies disequilibrium of power by an honoured system of checks and balances. Fascism also grants the right of private ownership but within the framework of a power-seeking State. Similarly, checks and balances are contrived and controlled by the State. Individual liberty is not an absolute right; the real entity is the State and the individual has no existence, except as an organ of the State. Fascism is against vesting the ownership of land and capital in society as a whole. State-control must not extent to the abolition of private property because that would weaken the State, but any amount of encroachment by the State is permissible, if dictated by the necessities of the State. Fascism denies the control of the means of production to the workers.

Let us try to sum up the basic concepts of Fascism. Government by universal suffrage is wrong. The majority of citizens cannot be trusted to determine public policy. They should be taught their duties and not allowed to clamour for their rights. The natural fact is the inequality of men and not their fictitious equality. Mussolini urges, “The beneficial and fruitful inequality of mankind can never be permanently levelled through the mere operation of a mechanical process, such as universal suffrage.” According to an exponent of Fascism, it trains its guns on the whole block of democratic ideologies. In democratic regimes, people are, from time to time, deluded into the belief that they exercise sovereignty, while all the time real sovereignty is exercised by and resides in others who may be self-seeking and tyrannical. Mussolini expresses his creed in the following sentences: “Fascism denies that numbers, as such, can be the determining factor in human society; it denies the right of numbers to govern by means of periodical consultation.”

Hitler was of the same opinion. Here is a quotation from My Struggle: “The national State must work untiringly to set all government, especially the highest - that is, the political leadership free from the principle of control by majorities that is, the multitude - so as to secure the undisputed authority of the Individual (i.e., the strong leader) in its stead. There must be no majority making decisions, but merely a body of responsible persons, and the word ‘council’ will revert to its ancient meaning. Every man shall have councilors by his side, but the decision shall be made by one Man.”

The alternative to democracy is the rule of the self-constituted few.

Fascism agrees with Socialism and Communism in the view that competitive economic systems based on laissez-faire have developed inner contradictions and disputing anti-social tendencies.

Fascism stands for State-controlled capitalistic system. Uncontrolled capitalism cannot achieve stability, provide employment or utilise the capital resources completely. If various economic groups are unified by the State, private ownership could be divested of its evils and made to work as a beneficial system. All economic

We gratefully acknowledge and thank the Institute of Islamic Culture for permission to reproduce Chapter 13 from his book “ Ideology of Islam “ by Khalifa Abdul Hakim.

A Comparative Study of Ideologies

Passion Islam I December 2009 CORRESPONDENCE I 27

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