Did Michael Jackson embrace Islam before his death?

According to an article in a British newspaper, the Telegraph, Michael Jackson followed the example of his brother, Germaine, and embraced Islam last year.

Here is an excerpt from the Telegraph’s article by Graham Tibbetts, dated November 21, 2008:

[...] According to The Sun, the ceremony took place while Jackson, 50, was recording an album at the home of Steve Porcaro, a keyboard player who composed music on his Thriller album.

The former Jackson 5 star was counselled by David Wharnsby, a Canadian songwriter, and Phillip Bubal, a producer, who have both converted.

A source said Jackson had appeared a “bit down” and added: “They began talking to him about their beliefs, and how they thought they had become better people after they converted. Michael soon began warming to the idea.

“An imam was summoned from the mosque and Michael went through the shahada, which is the Muslim declaration of belief.” [...]

Please click here to read the remainder of the Telegraph’s article.

Here are other related articles:

1. Michael Jackson converts to Islam.

1. Had Michael Jackson converted to Islam?

Germaine Jackson Talks About Being a Muslim

Prince Bandar on Corruption in Saudi Arabia: “So what?”

The Guardian, UK

Prince Bandar, challenged as to whether there is corruption in deals with the Saudi royal family and whether 1 billion UK pounds in bribe were paid to bank accounts controlled by Prince Bandar himself, replies: “Yes. So what?” Please click here to watch the video clip where he made that reply.

Blackberry Adventures: Fantastic App for Business Travellers

Rafik Beekun

If you travel a lot for business or even for leisure , and own either a blackberry or an Iphone or possibly other pda-phones, I am using an excellent app called Worldmate Live. I have attached the link below. The free version gives you just 30 % less that the Gold version, but is still worth it. If you decide to go for the Gold version, try to use the following promotional code: 971922. It will give you a 20% discount on 1 yr membership. The app can be downloaded for free either from the Blackberry App Store or by clicking here.

Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion

Prof. Rafik Beekun

Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion is a great, relatively new journal which was started in 2004. Its launch correlates with one of the hotest new areas in management: sprituality. Finally, management experts have realized that people do not turn off their spiritual self when they go to work (even in secular countries!!!), and that many of the values that motivate them are those that are derived from their spiritual core.

I highly recommend this new journal which is now being published by Routledge. It has a very strong editorial board.

10 Questions Every Change Agent Must Answer

Bill Taylor,
Harvard Business Publishing Website

As leaders, we have no control over how fast markets grow or how wisely banks lend. But we do control our own mindsets and “animal spirits” — the phrase coined by John Maynard Keynes in the depth of the Great Depression. If all you’ve got is a spreadsheet filled with red ink and dire forecasts, it’s easy to be paralyzed by fear and resistant to change. But if you can summon some leadership nerve, then hard times can be a great time to separate yourself from the pack and build advantages for years to come.

Indeed, when it comes to creating the future, the only thing more worrisome than the prospect of too much change may be too little change — especially in an economy where there are too many competitors chasing too few customers with products and services that look too much alike. Now is the time to rethink long-held strategic assumptions inside your company, to challenge decades of conventional wisdom in your industry, and to push yourself to learn, grow, and innovate. As Albert Einstein famously said, “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” Or, in the spirit of some unknown Texas genius: “If all you ever do is all you’ve ever done, then all you’ll ever get is all you ever got.”

It’s time to do — and get — something different. Here, then, are ten questions that leaders must ask of themselves and their organizations — questions that speak to the challenges of change at a moment when change is the name of the game. The leaders with the best answers win.

1. Do you see opportunities the competition doesn’t see?
IDEO’s Tom Kelly likes to quote French novelist Marcel Proust, who famously said, “The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.” The most successful companies don’t just out-compete their rivals. They redefine the terms of competition by embracing one-of-a-kind ideas in a world of me-too thinking.

Please click here to read the remainder of this very interesting article.

Follow Br. Rafik on Twitter

Please click here to follow me on Twitter. Brothers and sisters email to me about various issues relating to Islamic Management; Your humble brother in Islam is offering you another way to keep in touch with him.

Blocking Faith, Freezing Charity–How the US Has Hampered the Practice of Zakat

An ACLU Report

The government’s actions have created a climate of fear that chills American Muslims’ free and full exercise of their religion through charitable giving, or Zakat, one of the “five pillars” of Islam and a religious obligation for all observant Muslims.

6/16/2009 – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a comprehensive report, Blocking Faith, Freezing Charity, documenting the consequence of U.S. government actions on American Muslims’ exercise of their right to profess and practice their religion through charitable giving. The ACLU’s research shows that U.S. terrorism financing policies and practices are seriously undermining American Muslims’ protected constitutional liberties and violating their fundamental human rights to freedom of religion, freedom of association, and freedom from discrimination.

This report documents the effect of U.S. government actions on American Muslims’ exercise of their right to profess and practice their religion through charitable giving. The ACLU’s research shows that U.S. terrorism financing policies and practices are seriously undermining American Muslims’ protected constitutional liberties and violating their fundamental human rights to freedom of religion, freedom of association, and freedom from discrimination.

The ACLU found that these policies and practices are neither fair nor effective, and are undermining American values of due process and fairness. This report outlines clear measures the Obama administration and Congress should take to ensure American Muslims can exercise their religion while protecting charities from mistaken targeting and abuse, and simultaneously promoting national security and humanitarian aid.

Excerpt from the Executive Summary of the ACLU Report

On September 24, 2001, President George W. Bush announced in the White House Rose Garden that, in “a strike on the financial foundation of the global terror network,” he had taken executive action, without consulting Congress, to expand the Treasury Department’s unilateral authority to freeze the assets of organizations it considered terrorist organizations. He declared, “Just to show you how insidious these terrorists are, they oftentimes use nice-sounding, non-governmental organizations as fronts for their activities. We have targeted three such NGOs. We intend to deal with them, just like we intend to deal with others who aid and abet terrorist organizations.” [Footnote: Federal authorities then announced they were investigating over 30 Muslim charities.]

Within the space of ten days in December 2001, the federal government froze the assets of the three largest Muslim charities in the United States—the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, Global Relief Foundation, and Benevolence International Foundation—effectively shutting each of them down. The government seized these charities’ assets during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at the height of annual Muslim charitable giving. These charities, which had been operating without incident for years—and for over a decade in the case of the Holy Land Foundation—were not on any government watch list before their assets were frozen. Indeed, before it was shut down the Holy Land Foundation had made repeated requests to government officials for assistance in complying with the law, only to be rebuffed.

The government’s actions against these three charities were the start of a pattern of conduct that violated the fundamental rights of American Muslim charities and has chilled American Muslims’ charitable giving in accordance with their faith, seriously undermining American values of due process and commitment to First Amendment freedoms. Without notice, and through the use of secret evidence and non-transparent procedures, the Department of the Treasury has closed six U.S.- based, American Muslim charities to date by designating them as terrorist organizations. The consequences of designation include the seizure and freezing of all financial and tangible assets, as well as significant civil and criminal penalties.

The federal government has closed down a seventh U.S.-based, American Muslim charity by declaring the charity to be “under investigation” and freezing all its assets. In addition, at least six American Muslim charities have been raided. Although these six charities have not been designated as terrorist organizations or had their assets frozen pursuant to a Treasury Department blocking order, they have suffered as a result of publicly announced investigations,law enforcement raids, and intrusive surveillance;two of these charities have closed. In total, and as a result of these federal government actions, nine Muslim charities have been shut down in Texas, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, Oregon, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New York.

Please click here to download an executive summary of the ACLU report. (size: 403 kb)

Please click here to download the complete ACLU report. (size: 3 megabytes)

If the you cannot find the complete report on the ACLU website, please download it from here.

Fake Degree Scam in Gulf and Saudi Arabia

Fake Degree From Buxton University

ArabianBusiness.com

by Claire Ferris-Lay

More than 180 people from across the Gulf have been blacklisted for holding fake US academic certificates allegedly bought from non-accredited institutions, including 69 from Saudi Arabia and 68 from the UAE.

Almost 10,000 people in total have been blacklisted by the US Department of Justice for purchasing fake high school and college degrees from a “degree mill” based in Washington.

According to reports, those named include hundreds of people with links to the US military, educational institutions, government and security agencies such as the CIA.

To see the full list of people holding a fake degree, please click here.

Fake-degre mill in US leads to Saudi inquest

ArabNews.com
Fatima Sidiya

JEDDAH: A long list of people who had purchased or attempted to purchase fake university diplomas in the United States has spurred the Saudi education authorities to launch an investigation into the issue of Saudis and expatriates who may be working in the Kingdom on counterfeit certificates.

However, Shoura Council member Abdullah Al-Tuwairqi called the reaction to the list “disappointing,” and expressed concern that education officials would have a death-by-committee mentality in addressing the issue.

The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Washington state recently obtained and posted online a list of nearly 10,000 names of people who had spent $7.3 million on purchasing or attempting to purchase fake diplomas from an illegal operation. The US Department of Justice shut down the illegal enterprise and compiled a list of its clients. The list was then leaked to the newspaper, which posted it online at: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/data/diploma-mill/.

The list contains at least 70 Saudis, or persons who listed their country of residence as Saudi Arabia. For example, one of the names on the list is a Saudi woman who bought degrees in obstetrics and gynecology. The newspaper reported that US federal investigators do not know if the woman is currently working as a medical doctor in the Kingdom. [...] According to Al-Watan, there are roughly 18 branches of unauthorized universities, with over 5,000 students in the Kingdom. Last year, 70 staff members at different girls’ colleges around the Kingdom were fired for having fake diplomas.

[more]

Saudi Gazette: Fake Degree Business Booming in Kingdom

Sameera Aziz

[...] Unscrupulous sale of fake degrees is a thriving business in the Saudi market. The Saudi Gazette carried out a sting operation to expose one such fake degree dealer in Riyadh.

This reporter first contacted the dealer through his email address which appeared in an Internet advertisement.
“If you have long experience, but no qualification or you are a masters degree holder and want to have a Ph.D degree but cannot spare the time, you can get the desired degree from London University without study or examination within one month. For more details contact: tariqfarooq112@hotmail.com,” read the personal ad posted by the dealer, apparently aimed at gaining the attention of all those wanting to earn an easy degree.

To obtain a Bachelors, Masters and Ph.D degree in a month not only sounds strange, but it is also discouraging to those who earn their academic achievements through diligence and hard work at real universities, and end up competing with fake degree holders for a job.
“I am interested in buying a PhD degree in Women’s Studies,” said this reporter to the bogus degree dealer who gave his mobile number. He claimed to be working as a HCW speaker in an environmental protection company which specializes in waste treatment technology for industrial and municipal waste. He gave his office telephone number and extension to Saudi Gazette. However, the dealer could never be contacted on his office number, and would receive calls only when contacted on his mobile number. He spoke Urdu with a Punjabi accent. Saudi Gazette recorded his voice as well.

Proudly claiming ‘you name it and we provide it’, the dealer provided Saudi Gazette with a list of degrees ranging from programs in Science to Arts – BA, BSc, MA, MSc, Ph.D, Associate and Professor degrees.
He said that the programs are for those persons “who want to convert their experience into a qualification, to seek a job promotion, to look for a new job or simply for self-satisfaction and confidence.”
“The buyer does not need to attend classes or appear for examinations,” stressed the dealer trying to lure this reporter into buying a fake degree.

The candidate’s name, desired date of obtaining the degree and the name of the desired subject were all the prerequisites for procuring a fake degree, apart from a modest fee. The only thing that was not required was to study and appear for examinations.

The fees were SR1,000 for an Associate and Bachelor degree, SR1,200 for a Masters degree, SR1,400 for a PhD and SR1,600 for a Professor Degree. Candidates were required to pay 50 percent of the fee in advance, and the remaining upon receipt of a fax or copy of the degree. The dealer promised to get the degree delivered within four or five weeks from the date of payment. [more]

Revealed: Fake Degrees

zawya.com
Martin Croucher, Khaleej Times

26 April 2009
DUBAI — According to a student adviser, the degree I was going to buy online was 100 per cent valid in the UAE. Just pay $515, he said, and I could have a Masters’ qualification in Social Science without the hassle of years of study.

But if I had indeed used the qualification in applying for a job, I could have faced a lifetime ban on employment in the UAE or a conviction of fraud.

However, the problem persists. In October last year 68 Emiratis were blacklisted from the US for buying qualifications from online ‘degree mills’.

Authorities in the UAE at the time said that those caught using fake degrees could be punished with up to 24 years in prison.

Dubai-based

Several alleged degree mills claim to have printing facilities in Dubai from where they send fake qualifications around the world.

The Masters’ qualification above was being offered by Ashwood University in Texas, which claims to have a printing facility in Dubai Internet City.

According to James Fitzberg, Assistant Dean of Students, the printing facility was not listed under the name of Ashwood University. He would not disclose the name of the subsidiary.

“We have an office in Dubai but only for the purpose of documents processing and printing,” he said, via email. “Hence it is obvious that it does not need to have the name of the university. Moreover, as per policy, we do not disclose any further information related to our office.”

Sandra Davie, a Singapore-based journalist bought a doctorate degree from the University for her dog. She said the parcel she received was sent from Dubai via DHL courier.

“I suspect that although the university is registered as a company in the US, the operations were in the Middle East because of the accent of the so-called student adviser who called to chase up for payment,” she said.
Another company, which also claims to print degrees in Dubai, is Belford University. In an online chat, student adviser ‘Ken Rogers’ said that it was cheaper to print degrees here.

“It’s cost effective,” he said. “Documents being mailed out in Asia and Middle East are being printed in Dubai. This is because it costs us $69 to ship the documents from here to UAE and over there it cost us only $20.”

However he declined to say whether or not the printing facility was also based in Internet City.

A spokesman for the freezone authorities said he had no records relating to Ashwood University or Belford University.

‘Fake Universities’

Several US States publish a list of unaccredited universities. Degrees gained from the listed universities are illegal to be used in those states.

According to the list, published on the website of the Oregon Office of Degree Authorisation, both Ashwood University and Belford University are listed as “fake”. [more]

Act Now: Defend Obama’s Vision for Peace with Muslim World

Note from Rafik Beekun: Muslims globally need to send a congratulatory note to President Obama for his bold and courageous speech in Cairo.  The political right in the US is criticizing Obama for being “too apologetic”.  Please visit the following link and send a letter of encouragement and support to our President:  http://action.unitedvoices.com/t/4932/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=803

US Political Right Attacks Obama for Cairo Speech

Source: Media Matters for America

President Obama’s trip to the Middle East and subsequent speech in Cairo were a predictable source of fodder for media conservatives. Then again, Obama’s trips abroad tend to bring out the worst from the right: a complete rejection of honest self-reflection, implicit xenophobia and anti-Islamic bigotry, relentless fearmongering, and a desire to portray any critics of U.S. policy as being un-American.

Michael Savage Attacks Obama’s Speech as “The Dumbest Speech Ever”

In order to prove their point, the conservative media have routinely cropped Obama’s statements, including his honest assessment of U.S. failures under the Bush administration while excluding his critiques of other nations. This gave rise to the “apology tour” theme that Fox News pushed heavily during Obama’s trip to Europe in April. That theme was rekindled this week as Fox’s Sean Hannity aired an Obama “apology tour” video montage, while Fox & Friends asked if Obama would continue his “‘apology-looza’” in Saudi Arabia. This time, however, the theme had broader reach and was repeated by CNN’s Lou Dobbs, as well as MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. Ironically, the typically abysmal right-wing fringe radio host Neal Boortz defended the president, claiming that he “didn’t see any apologia, show of weakness” in Obama’s Cairo speech.

Ann Coulter’s Silly Comments On Obama’s Speech

 

When Fox’s Steve Doocy claimed that “some” commentators have referred to the trip “as President Obama’s Muslim apology tour” (by “some,” he apparently meant “Steve Doocy”), he found a way to link the right-wing belief that honesty equals weakness with conservatives’ deathly fear of the world’s largest religion, Islam, practiced peacefully by well over 1 billion people around the world, as well as millions here in America. Commentator Joe Pagliarulo joined in the fun while guest-hosting Glenn Beck’s radio program. Channeling his inner 11th-grade thug, Pagliarulo showed stunning ignorance when he stated that instead of reaching out to Muslims, Obama should have said what he claimed Ronald Reagan would have: “Hey, screw you. We’re big and bad, and we are the promoters of peace and independence and liberty around the world. Either get with us or you can go on hating us and we’ll enjoy life and you’ll live in your cave.” And during a discussion of the murder of Dr. George Tiller, the always-sage Ann Coulter made perfectly clear just who the far right thinks Obama was talking to this week, claiming, “Unlike Muslims, pro-lifers actually are peaceful.” No wonder, then, that the purportedly bias-free Fox Nation website felt compelled to warn its readers that “Obama Says U.S. Is a ‘Muslim Country.’ “

David Frum: Obama’s Cairo Speech “Worse than my Worst Fears”

 

Classic right-wing fearmongering was on constant display this week, as Fox News’ Dick Morris warned of an impending Holocaust, Hannity claimed that Obama had given Iran the “go-ahead” to build nuclear weapons, Rush Limbaugh stated that Obama is more dangerous than Osama bin Laden, and radio talker Lee Rodgers held out the specter of a “few million dead Americans” finally proving that we are all under the thumb of an “anti-American president.”

Karl Rove, Brain Behind Bush Administration, Devalues Obama’s Speech

Rodgers really hit the nail on the head for the right, returning to the central theme of its argument over the past 18 months: The U.S.-born, Hawaii-raised, former senator from Illinois just isn’t one of us. While CNN’s Candy Crowley implied that the Obama administration wasn’t a “stalwart defender” of Israel, numerous conservative media figures did whatever they could to prove that the president is taking orders from Riyadh, all while he is continuing his campaign to sublimate American sovereignty to the United Nations and turn America into a socialist/fascist nightmare.

[more]

CAIR: Muslims Applaud President Obama’s Cairo Speech

In a statement following the Cairo speech, CAIR said:

“President Obama’s comprehensive, balanced and forthright address covered almost all the bases in terms of issues of concern to Americans, American Muslims and those in Muslim-majority nations. It may serve as a turning point in what have been deteriorating relations between America and the Muslim world.

“We believe the president’s call for a ‘new beginning’ in relations between the United States and Muslims worldwide will be well-received by all people of good will. We agree with the president that the ‘cycle of suspicion and discord must end.’

“By quoting the Quran on issues such as diversity, justice and the sanctity of human life, the president acknowledged Islam’s contributions to universal values.

“CAIR appreciates the president’s acknowledgment of the contributions American Muslims have made and continue to make to our nation and to the protection of civil rights. We applaud the president’s commitment to work with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill their religious obligation of charitable giving. [more]‘

ISNA: President Obama’s Cairo Speech is a Foundation for Mutual Recognition and Positive Engagement

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) welcomes the new approach toward the Middle East and the Muslim world outlined in President Obama’s speech which he delivered today at Cairo University, Egypt. The language and tone of the speech, and the seven issues he addressed, provide a new and fresh start to improve relations with Muslim countries and address serious problems that threatens American security, prosperity, and standing in the world.

We are particularly pleased with the President’s acknowledgement of the positive contribution the Islamic faith and Muslim peoples have made to world civilization, as well as with his recognition of the important contributions the growing Muslim American community has made, and continues to make, to America’s well-being and prosperity.  It is refreshing to see President Obama shift the focus from differences among religious traditions to common values and aspirations.

We applaud the President’s recognition of the problems Muslim American charities have been having and the hardship that resulted from the “rules on charitable giving” by federal agencies.  We welcome his commitment to ensure that Muslim Americans can fulfill their zakat duty, a religious obligation to provide the needy with financial support.

“President Barak Obama’s speech demonstrates that there is no essential dichotomy between America and Islam,” ISNA President Ingrid Mattson stated in response to the speech. “The vast majority of Muslims across the world share with Americans the same aspirations to political freedom, economic prosperity and security for themselves and their families,” she stressed.

ISNA agrees with the President that violent extremism is a plague that threatens world peace and security, and stands fully behind his efforts to confront it and protect American life and property. We further commend him for recognizing that defeating violent extremism cannot be achieved by solely relying on military means, but that it requires a comprehensive strategy that addresses the grievances that give rise to anger, disillusion and discontent, including injustice, poverty, occupation, and dictatorship.

We share with the President a belief in the importance of coming to terms with significant historical conflicts and injustices, including colonialism, the Holocaust and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. These events have placed our communities in various positions of conflict.  Muslims, Jews, Americans and others have all, at various times, been hurt and have sometimes responded to injustice in ways that violate our own principles and values.  We come to terms with the past not to be mired in the past, but to be able to move forward to work for peace. We welcome the recognition that the aspirations of the Palestinian people, like those of the Israelis, for security, dignity and statehood are legitimate. [more]

ISPU: The Meaning of Obama’s Speech in Cairo

by Fawaz A. Gerges, ISPU Fellow

Although a statement of intentions, Obama’s speech in Cairo covered critical challenges facing the United States in the Muslim world and offered a new paradigm, a new beginning, for managing relations between the two civilizations. The address sent a clear message:

I’ve come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles –principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.

Yes Obama’s speech was short on policy prescriptions, but that criticism misses the big picture: The significance and power of his address lies in its symbolism and intellect, a grand vision pregnant with historic possibilities.

What Obama sought to do was to reframe and shift the debate away from conflict and war to cooperation and partnership. He reminded his audience that the relationship between Islam and the Christian West includes centuries of coexistence and cooperation, not just conflict and religious war. [more]

ICNA Welcomes President Obama’s Historical Speech

ICNA Welcomes President Obama’s Historical Speech

June 04, 2009The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) today welcomed the speech made by President Barack Obama in Cairo, Egypt, and issued the following statement:”The America that was envisioned by the founding fathers was presented in reality for the first time as President Barack Obama delivered his historical speech at Cairo University on June 4, 2009. The President showed his respect for Islam and Muslims and presented the true picture of Islam. His speech made the American Muslim community proud of their country and their president.Dr. Zahid Bukhari, President of the Islamic Circle of North America, said, “President Obama has very wisely presented his vision of this global village that we all call our world. He has touched upon the sensitive issues in a careful yet dignified manner. His speech was historical in all regards. The Muslim world has been ignored by the previous administration , causing great harm to the image of America not only in the eyes of over 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide but also in the eyes of all those just and peace-loving citizens of the world. President Obama’s speech presents a great shift in American foreign policy.” [more]

Anwar Ibrahim: Obama Is Not The President of the Muslim World

From LExpress.fr

En visite à Paris, l’opposant malaisien, grand partisan du dialogue entre les religions, apprécie la main tendue de Barack Obama. Mais appelle les peuples musulmans à résoudre eux-mêmes leurs problèmes.

De l’ère George W. Bush, Anwar Ibrahim garde un mauvais souvenir. En tant qu’homme politique d’abord: cet ancien vice-Premier ministre et ministre des Finances de Malaisie qui s’est “toujours battu, dit-il, pour plus de transparence dans la vie politique et financière”, était alors emprisonné dans son pays pour corruption.

En tant que musulman, ensuite: l’éternel opposant a vu s’amplifier, pendant huit ans, “la diabolisation de l’islam. Bush réduisait notre religion au wahhabisme et au djihad. Une terrible erreur. Au final, il a été le meilleur allié du terrorisme”.

Libéré en 2004, Anwar Ibrahim quitte la Malaisie pour enseigner à l’université John-Hopkins, à Washington. “J’allais parfois donner des cours dans des universités pakistanaises. Un jour, alors que je rentrais d’Islamabad, un douanier américain m’a arrêté. Il ne croyait pas possible le fait d’aller donner des cours là-bas”. Un symbole de l’incompréhension des Américains vis-à-vis du monde musulman.

Au final, Bush a été le meilleur allié du terrorisme

Aujourd’hui, espère-t-il, “les choses vont changer. Barack Obama va contribuer à effacer nombre de préjugés occidentaux sur l’islam. Comme le fait de croire que tous les pays musulmans sont des dictatures. L’Indonésie est le plus grand pays musulman du monde mais c’est aussi une vraie démocratie”.

Mais Anwar Ibrahim tient à relativiser le rôle du président américain: “Il ne faut pas surestimer ses capacités. Il n’est pas président du monde musulman. C’est avant tout aux populations musulmanes de se saisir des difficultés qui touchent leurs pays.” A commencer par les retards en matière de développement économique et d’éducation. [more]

The Debate between Tariq Ramadan and Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Muslim pundits clash over future of Islam in Europe

By John Lloyd

Financial Times

Two of the leaders of European Muslim opinion clashed dramatically yesterday on the position and future of the Muslim communities in European states.

Tariq Ramadan, the Swiss-born intellectual and grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somalian-born Dutch MP who was stripped of her Dutch citizenship over allegations of a falsified application for citizenship, displayed in personal form the bitterness of a debate which both agreed convulses their co-religionists. [more]

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Anwar Ibrahim Comments on Obama’s Cairo Speech

BBC

Anwar Ibrahim offers his views on Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo on June 4, 2009.

New Brochure from the US State Department: Being Muslim in America

The U.S. State Department has just released a very beautiful and informative brochure about “Being Muslim in America”.  Please click here to see the brochure.

Merciful Storekeeper Changes Robber’s Mind and Religion

Kiran Khalid, CNN, 6/3/09

Click here to watch the video.

NEW YORK (CNN) — A potential victim became a compassionate counselor during a recent robbery attempt, changing the would-be criminal’s mind — and apparently his religion.

Storekeeper Mohammad Sohail was closing up his Long Island convenience store just after midnight on May 21 when — as shown on the store’s surveillance video — a man came in wielding a baseball bat and demanding money.

“He said, ‘Hurry up and give me the money, give me the money!’ and I said, ‘Hold on’,” Sohail recalled in a phone interview with CNN on Tuesday, after the store video and his story was carried on local TV.

Sohail said he reached under the counter, grabbed his gun and told the robber to drop the bat and get down on his knees.

“He’s crying like a baby,” Sohail said. “He says, ‘Don’t call police, don’t shoot me, I have no money, I have no food in my house.’ “

Amidst the man’s apologies and pleas, Sohail said he felt a surge of compassion.

He made the man promise never to rob anyone again and when he agreed, Sohail gave him $40 and a loaf of bread. (More)

“A New Beginning”? President Obama Addresses the Muslim World

Please click here to download the transcript of President Obama’s speech in Cairo.

American Muslims Condemn Alleged Temple Bombing Plot

NEW YORK (CBS) ― As we saw after Sept. 11, 2001, the invisible victims of Islamic terrorism are other Muslims, millions of people who are horrified by the thought that some of their own could turn the words of the Quran into a justification for murder.

On Thursday, some of them took a stand against terrorism.

At the 96th Street mosque, there was something you don’t see everyday a rabbi and an imam embracing, and then standing together in unity.

“These intended evils must be condemned, and I’m here to condemn it,” said Imam Shamsi Ali of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York.

“Any attack on a Jewish religious institution is an attack on any and every religious institution,” said Rabbi Marc Schneier of the Foundation For Ethnic Understanding.

It was Imam Ali who suggested the joint statement of condemnation. He said the very word “jihad” has been perverted.

“Life in Islam is so sacred, and any individual taking lives is basically taking the lives of all human beings as the holy Quran mentions,” Ali said.

[more on the video clip above]

CAIR Statement on the Alleged bombing plot:

In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:

“We applaud the FBI, the New York Police Department and the other law enforcement agencies that took part in the investigation for their efforts in helping to prevent any harm to either Jewish institutions or to our nation’s military.

“We repeat the American Muslim community’s repudiation of bias-motivated crimes and of anyone who would falsely claim religious justification for violent actions. Members of the American Muslim community should remain vigilant in reporting any activities that could harm the safety and security of our nation or its citizens.”

CAIR also requested that media outlets and public officials refrain from linking this case to mainstream Islam and to challenge those who will inevitably exploit this disturbing incident to promote anti-Muslim fear and stereotypes.

Along with innumerable condemnations of other terror incidents, CAIR has in the past launched an online anti-terror petition drive called “Not in the Name of Islam,” initiated a television public service announcement campaign of that same name and coordinated a “fatwa,” or Islamic religious ruling, against terrorism and religious extremism. 

Answering Hate and Extremism with Peace and Mutual Understanding

1. A Message of Peace from Muslim Scholars to the Pope.

2. Please click here to download the whole 29-page letter entitled “A Common Word Between Us and You.”

3. Against Terrorism and Religious Extremism: Muslim Position and Responsibilities. An extremely helpful and clearly written handout by the Islamic Society of North America addressed to both Muslims and non-Muslims.

4. Brochure Anti-Terrorisme et Anti-extrémisme en langue française. Une brochure extrêmement utile et clairement écrite par la Société Islamique de l’Amérique du Nord (ISNA) adressée aux Musulmans et aux non-Musulmans francophones du monde entier.

5. Full text of fatwa by Islamic Commission of Spain against Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaida (in English, French and the original Spanish).

6. Complete text of the British Muslim Clerics’ Fatwa against terrorism.

7. Complete text of fatwa of U.S. Muslim Scholars against religious extremism

New Female Judge Transforms Islamic Court

Ilene Prusher, Staff Writer, Christian Science Monitor

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK - Khouloud el-Faqeeh has shattered the glass ceiling of Islamic jurisprudence.

After years of pushing to break into the all-male ranks of sharia judges in the Palestinian territories, she finally secured a post after scoring among the best – along with another woman – in a recent test for new jurists. They are widely considered to be the first female sharia judges in the Middle East.

Now, Ms. Faqeeh is setting a new tone in her Ramallah courtroom, where defendants are often shocked to see a woman on the bench. With a style that’s part Judge Judy, part Sunday School teacher, she’s on a mission to change her society, case by case. But sometimes, even the most progressive intentions won’t overcome powerful social forces, such as those driving Miryam Abed-Nabi, a newlywed who came to court recently to finalize a divorce. Her husband – Fahmi Awadullah, a man twice her age – took her as a second wife just a few months ago. But the marriage infuriated his adult sons, who worried about their portion of his inheritance.

Because his new bride was rejected by the family, Mr. Awadullah is divorcing her, and must, according to their contract, pay her a lump-sum alimony of 6,500 Jordanian dinars ($11,050). He has paid her only half of that, but wants her to sign on the dotted line today, absolving him of any further obligations.

Ms. Abed-Nabi, who in her mid-30s is well past the age when most Palestinian women can expect to marry, walks into the courtroom with her eyes trained on the floor.

“There are institutions which will assign a free lawyer to you,” Faqeeh says. Abed-Nabi nods.

“Fight for your rights,” the judge adds, sounding more like an advocate than a neutral arbiter. [more]

Spirituality in the Workplace: Each Faith Offers Guidelines For Business Ethics

Helen Gray, The Kansas City Star

Shortly after the Bernard Madoff story broke, “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly” broadcast a program called “Jewish Reaction to Madoff Scandal.” [...]

In the broadcast, Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz of Silver Spring, Md., said Madoff’s crime was an affront to the Jewish religion. [...]

“If you are not honest in business, you are not a religious Jew, because the same Bible, the same God that requires certain ritual observances — keeping kosher, observing the Shabbat and the like — says you have to be honest in your business affairs.”

As with Judaism, other faiths have teachings and principles that should serve as guidelines for conducting business ethically. Among them:

•Christianity: Henry Spaulding, Christian ethics professor at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, said the Christian faith should be lived out in all of life, including business.

This holistic approach to morality means “the virtues of graciousness, fairness, justice, generosity and honesty should guide a Christian business scheme for ethics,” he said. [...]

•Islam: Because Islam looks at itself as a way of life, not just a religion, business ethics cannot be separated from a Muslim’s daily life, said professor Rafik Beekun, author of “Islamic Business Ethics” and co-director of the Center for Corporate Governance and Business Ethics at the University of Nevada.

“In the Qur’an, man is described as the trustee of God on earth, so he must act in accordance with the conditions of that trust,” he said. “The role model for Muslims is the Prophet, and the word that God uses to describe the Prophet’s pattern of behavior is khuluq, which is a derivative of the word ‘ethics.’ So the role model for Muslims should be a model of behavior that is based on ethics.” [more]

Congressman Ellison Acts Against Irresponsible Lending and Unfair Credit Card Gimmicks

From Congressman Keith Ellison’s Newsletter

Irresponsible lending practices and lax regulation by the Bush Administration were driving forces in the collapse of the financial markets and the largest number of home foreclosures since the Great Depression. As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, my focus is on preventing this from happening again. This means restoring common-sense regulation, outlawing abusive lending practices, and providing effective protections for consumers.

Protecting Renters from the Foreclosure Crisis

In 2007, I held a Financial Services hearing in Minneapolis, and a constituent testified that she found herself in a dilemma. She was renting a home that entered foreclosure and she learned that she would be evicted as a result. She was a model tenant; she paid her rent on time, but her landlord lost the home to foreclosure. Incredibly, there are currently no federal laws to protect renters in this situation.

Too many Minnesotans are being inadvertently victimized in this way by the foreclosure crisis. The renters bear no responsibility for the foreclosure, and they are usually unaware that the landlord is having payment trouble until they receive an eviction notice. That is why I introduced legislation to require a minimum of 90 days notice before the tenants can be evicted so the new owners can move in. If an investor buys the property, then the tenants would be allowed to stay in the unit until the end of their lease. This three-month cushion can mean the difference between finding safe, affordable housing and homelessness resulting from a sudden eviction. I am proud to announce that my renter’s protection bill is included in the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, which the House passed this week.

Stopping Unfair Credit Card Gimmicks

Last week, the House passed the strongest piece of pro-consumer credit card legislation in a generation, called the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights. This bill stops many of the gimmicks, hidden fees, and unfair practices that some credit card companies use to collect extra fees or trip you up with confusing terms.

The Credit Cardholder’s Bill of Rights helps you by:

• Protecting cardholders from arbitrary interest rate increases
• Preventing cardholders who pay on time from being unfairly penalized
• Protecting cardholders from due date gimmicks
• Shielding cardholders from misleading terms
• Empowering cardholders to set limits on their credit
• Requiring card companies to fairly credit and allocate payments
• Prohibiting card companies from imposing excessive fees on cardholders
• Preventing card companies from giving subprime credit cards to people who can’t afford them
• Requiring Congress to provide better oversight of the credit card industry

One particularly egregious practice is known as Universal Default. Under Universal Default, if you have a late or missed payment on one of your credit cards, not only can that credit card company raise your interest rate, but other card companies can do the same without warning — even if you have a perfect record with them. I’ve authored a bill to prohibit Universal Default, and that protection is included in the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights. I’m hopeful that the Senate will pass this bill soon so that President Obama can sign it into law.

Strengthening America: The Civic and Political Integration of Muslim Americans

Chicago Council on Global Affairs

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs released the findings of its independent Task Force on the civic and political integration of Muslim Americans on June 26, 2007. “Strengthening America” calls for Muslims and non-Muslims to work together to create full and equal opportunities for Muslim Americans to participate in American civic and political life.

The Task Force was convened in February 2006 and cochaired by Farooq Kathwari, chairman CEO of Ethan Allen Interiors Inc., and former Secretary of Labor and congresswoman, Lynn Martin. It assembled a group of thirty two distinguished Muslim and non-Muslim leaders to examine the Muslim American experience and provide a roadmap for accelerating Muslim American engagement.

The Task Force found that Muslim Americans are a well-educated, diverse group and concluded that their talents and contributions are needed to help address critical domestic and foreign policy challenges related to homeland security and U.S. relations with Muslim countries and peoples. There are opportunities for Muslim Americans to expand their contributions to national security and continue to take the lead in encouraging greater civic participation, leadership development, and institution building within their community. Non-Muslim groups and government leaders can work to better recognize Muslim American contributions to national security, improve collaborations with Muslim American institutions, and provide greater opportunities for young Muslim Americans.

Generous support from the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, Louis Family Foundation, Javeed Akhter, and Imad Qasim made the Task Force and its report possible.

Download further information:

• Full Report (PDF)

Arif Alikhan Appointed as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development at the Department of Homeland Security

Muslim Democrats

Arif Alikhan is appointed as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development at the Department of Homeland Security

The Napolitano, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has appointed Arif Alikhan as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development. He will be joining the DHS within a couple of weeks according to the press office of the DHS which also stated that the position does not require Senate confirmation hearings.

This is the first major appointment of a Muslim by Obama administration, although there has been a couple of other appointments to much smaller positions.

According to the DHS press release the Secretary said: “Today, I am proud to make two key personnel announcements for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—President Obama’s intent to nominate David Heyman as Assistant Secretary for Policy and my appointment of Arif Alikhan as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development. Both individuals bring a broad and impressive array of experience in national security, emergency preparedness and counterterrorism to the Department.

Arif comes from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa’s office, where he served as Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security and Public Safety. As a key adviser to the Mayor, he has led the City’s efforts to develop homeland security, emergency management and law enforcement initiatives, including operational oversight of Los Angeles Police, Fire and Emergency Management departments. He is a former federal prosecutor and senior advisor to the U.S. Attorney General, and has partnered extensively with local, state and federal agencies,” said Secretary Napolitano.

Before serving as Deputy Mayor, Alikhan was a career prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice from 1997-2006. During that time, he served as Chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Crimes Section for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles and as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Attorney General in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw the national Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Program for the Department of Justice. Alikhan holds a J.D. from Loyola Law School and a B.A. from the University of California, Irvine.

Muslim Democrats welcome Alikhan’s appointment.

Abdul Wahab El Messiri on Hijab

In the wake of the controversy generated by Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni’s suggestion that the increasing number of veiled women in Egypt was a sign of “regression”, Al-Ahram Weekly asked two leading cultural commentators how they interpreted the subsequent furore. The importance of national dialogue, in the absence of which we lapse into a conflict that depletes all energy, cannot be overemphasised; hence calls for change, for reform of the constitution, for new parties to be established, for emergency laws to be annulled so all political trends can participate in the democratic process without fear and without attempting either to retain power for life. I also wish to express admiration for Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni. I am aware of the efforts expended by his ministry to restore Ancient Egyptian, Coptic and Islamic monuments, and to safeguard antiquities from theft.

Like him, and like many from my generation, I know little about jurisprudential opinion on the issue of the hijab. Referring to jurisprudential opinion is not a matter of asserting anyone’s monopoly over jurisprudence but a matter of rigour, the importance of which, as a literary critic, I am well aware. In my field, without rigour, meaning knowledge of different approaches, theories and techniques of criticism, opinions can be no more than amateur impressionism. And if the need for rigour is such in literary criticism, then how much more so when it comes to religious jurisprudence?

Hence I sought the opinion of a friend, not a man of religion but better informed on such issues than me, about the issue of the hijab. Islamic juridical tradition, he said, asserts that “when a woman reaches the age of menstruation the only parts of her body that might be revealed are her face and palms. This view is generally supported by the following Quranic injunction: ‘And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms [in public] beyond what may [decently] be apparent thereof; hence, let them draw their head coverings over their bosoms. And let them not display [more of] their charms to any but their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons … ” (Al-Nur: 31). There are other Quranic verses (Al-Ahzab: 33 and 59) that are in keeping with the above injunctions.

“These verses”, my friend continued, “refer to the values of modesty and decency as opposed to the arrogant physical flaunting of the pagan era, which reduces woman to her body, and underscores her physical attractiveness [sex appeal in modern parlance], thereby cancelling out her humanness, her personality, as well as her social role as a mother and a wife.” As the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood suggested, everyone knows that the hijab is an Islamic obligation, yet the issue has taken on exaggerated proportions. Egypt, he went on, has bigger and more pressing issues to address, such as poverty, corruption and tyranny.
Given that the minister, like me, is not well-versed in religious matters I fully believe him when he says he was not passing a religious judgment. In which framework, then, are we understand his statement? I think I may not be off the mark when I claim he was passing a cultural judgement. Analysis of contemporary Egyptian discourse tells us that “backwardness” and “regression” — precisely like nahda, “renaissance”, and istinara, “enlightenment” — are non-religious terms that belong to a social and cultural framework. This is the context within which we should discuss the statement. Those who describe the hijab as a symptom of backwardness, the minister being one of them, weigh their words carefully. They speak of the freedom of expression and of creativity as absolutes, wielding them in the face of anyone who objects to any opinion. Society, however, is a complex entity, with a consciousness of its own that takes precedence over the individual no matter the degree of creativity of which the latter is capable. The individual belongs to society and not the other way round. Yet some radical intellectuals rush headlong to embrace the call for absolute artistic freedom without grasping its anti-human philosophical import.

Those who defend freedom of expression and construe art as an absolute withhold the designation of absolute from religion and moral values. They conceive of religion as a private matter, isolated from the world of politics, economics and sociology. Hence, when a given phenomenon is addressed, it is treated as either a religious phenomenon or a non-religious one, designations that originate from a definition of secularism as the separation between religion and state.

This is a crude view of the world and of human nature, an intricate, complex thing. The religious is interwoven with the political, the economic and the psychological. When a Palestinian freedom fighter attacks an Israeli settlement are his motives religious, or are they political, economic and social? The answer is that his motives are complex. He is impelled by a combination of things.

Those who separate religion from other aspects of life believe its appearance in public life is a symptom of backwardness. Their frame of reference is the Western secular, as well as the so-called Arab nahda, project. Think of the ill-fated proposal to celebrate the bicentennial of the French Expedition to Egypt — i.e., the invasion of Egypt by the military forces of the French Revolution — considered by some the starting point of advancement towards Western enlightenment: the promoters of the celebration did not seem to realise that the French Expedition to Egypt was the beginning of the Western colonisation of our country that continues to try and undermine our heritage and exploit us for its own benefit. They overlooked the two revolutions against the French sparked from Al-Azhar, just as they overlooked Sulayman Al-Halabi, who assassinated Kléber, who had taken over from Napoleon as commander of the French occupation forces, and the Azhar scholars who refused to collaborate with the occupiers. They isolate the occupation from its historical and social context; when a scholar does that, he or she can impose any interpretation on the phenomenon under study. Thus they turned French Expedition into a sign of advancement and the resistance, it only follows, into a sign of backwardness, which is not too different from the West’s referring nowadays to the Palestinian resistance as “terrorism”, and designating Hizbullah, Hamas and Jihad as “terrorist organisations”.

The promoters of this discourse do something similar when they turn the hijab into a symbol of backwardness. They isolate it from its social, historical and human context, having derived the signifiers of advancement and backwardness from a Western model. But are things that simple? Take, for example, a non-veiled young woman who frequents the Gezira Club, where she plays tennis in shorts and swims in a bathing suit, goes dancing at discotheques, is fluent in a foreign language and speaks Arabic pidginised with English or French. She indulges in consumerism on a grand scale and knows nothing of the real Egypt, the Egypt of the poor, the struggling and the wretched. She does not participate in any political movement. Is such a young woman more advanced than a veiled one who lives in the true Egypt, amid its people, aware of their concerns, one who is politically active, contributes to building the nation and does not indulge in the rampant consumerism that has Egyptian society in its grip? Whenever I revisit Damanhour, my hometown, I find civil society there active, indeed thriving. Many of those who are in charge of NGOs, some of which are undeclared, are veiled young women. I am familiar with the work of one of these NGOs which specialises in providing dialysis equipment for kidney failure patients. The veiled girls who run the NGO obtain funds for their project from the prosperous and also from relatives resident in the US. Who, then, is more advanced, the unveiled young woman or these veiled young women?

The religious is interwoven with the political, economic, social and historical, and the veil must be considered in this context. While many consider it a religious obligation we must not forget that it has also become a social convention. Every society has its own dress code, a language of costume defined by society and not by individuals. This code determines what is to be revealed or concealed of the body, and the appropriate attire for given occasions. Was there any girl who had the guts to reveal her stomach, whether in the East or the West, a decade ago? And is there anyone who would now dare object to this style of dress? The complaint made by some women that they find themselves obliged to wear the veil because of “religious” pressure may be valid; they should bear in mind, though, that whereas these pressures may originally have been religious in nature they have now acquired the dimension of custom, which is what makes for the social pressure.

The hijab is an expression of adhering to one’s identity, as well as a form of resistance to imperialism. There is an economic aspect to hijab, which is undoubtedly a rejection of the consumerist model. When my wife and I returned from a sojourn in the US in 1979, the Open Door policy had overtaken Egypt. Our combined monthly salary was approximately LE180. When my wife went to buy a handbag and a pair of shoes, she found they cost LE150. Her comment was that girls now had only two solutions in face of inflation: either they could resort to the Thai solution (prostitution) or hijab ; she predicted they would opt for the latter. Although she identified the economic dimension of hijab, she did not reduce the phenomenon to it. Egyptian women chose the Islamic solution because Islam is the frame of reference of this society (as a system of belief for Muslims and as a civilisation for both Muslims and non-Muslims). It is this frame of reference that protected the country from colonial and consumerist infiltration.

To reduce the hijab to its religious dimension and isolate it from social dimensions reveals the analytical shortcomings of those who turn it into a symptom of backwardness. When I was a young boy in Damanhour I was dazzled by the neon lights of Cairo and would count how many new neon signs I could spot in my town as a sign of advancement. When I grew up I realised, of course, how reductive and naïve my criterion was. As St Paul the Apostle says in his first epistle to the Corinthians “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (I Corinthians 13: 11). Why then should we not mature and dispense with reductive criteria, contemplating our reality with eyes not glazed over by foreign fogs that blind us from perceiving the rich, complex truth in all its interwoven material and non- material dimensions?

CAIR-Greater Los Angeles Area Chapter Seeking Development and Programs Coordinator

CAIR

 

CAIR-LA is looking for a dynamic, energetic individual to lead several key programs.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

This person will be responsible for developing and managing programs, publications, interns, and volunteers for CAIR’s office in the Greater Los Angeles Area. This person must also be able to research, apply for, and manage grants.

The ideal candidate will play a central role in organizing and managing programs, events, workshops, talks, forums, sensitivity trainings, and civic engagement and educational campaigns.

The candidate must have the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently. Candidate must be comfortable working productively in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment in a rapidly growing organization. The role requires excellent communications and managerial skills to interface with staff, community leaders and volunteers in a professional, effective manner. Candidate should be flexible with changing job requirements as the team grows.

Some work on evenings, weekends, and travel will be required. This position reports to the Executive Director.

 

QUALIFICATIONS:
· Bachelor’s Degree required
· Work experience with a non-profit organization or in a related field preferred
· Proven mastery of Office applications including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and graphic and publishing programs
· Must be experienced in using the Internet and various social media networking sites
· Must have strong initiative and demonstrate the ability to learn in a self-directed manner
· Strong organizational skills, detail-oriented, and have the ability to handle multiple tasks
· Excellent written and oral communications skills

 

BENEFITS: 
· Competitive Salary (based on education, skills and experience)
· Excellent Islamic work environment
· Health insurance (medical and dental)
· Paid vacation and holidays
 
TO APPLY:
All those interested and eligible to work in the U.S. are encouraged to submit a comprehensive resume stating education, work history, references, along with copies of relevant diplomas and certificates to:
 
CAIR-Greater Los Angeles Area
ATTN: Human Resources
2180 W. Crescent Avenue, Ste F
Anaheim, CA 92801
E-mail: info@losangeles.cair.com
Fax: 714-776-8340

(No phone calls please)

Internships with the US State Department

Muslim Democrats

Internships with the US State Department

The US State Department is offering several Internships that provide a wide range of programs to accommodate all types of students.

The two current programs that are featured by the State Department are the Cooperative Education Project and Stay-In-School Program.

1. The Cooperative Education Project is an Internship program that fuses academic studies with on the job experience. The program is designed to accommodate students who prefer to intern for a period of a semester rather than on a part time basis.

There is an emphasis of academic theory and its application to issues faced on a regular basis in the State Department. The internship will provide training and other resources for students to be able to solve real world problems.

Applications for this particular program are evaluated on a first-come-first-serve basis.

To be eligible you must be:

• At least 16 years of age
• A U.S. citizen
• Enrolled in a degree, certificate or diploma (full- or part-time) program
• In good academic standing at your school
• Able to meet security requirements

To learn how to apply please visit this program site 

2. The Stay-In-School Internship is a program designed for students who want to gain real world experience in the state department while attending school. 

The program much like other internships offered by the State Department is an opportunity for students to be exposed to the real world problems, theories and the application of solutions. And although the program is designed on a part time basis – Interns will have an opportunity to be paid at regular Government salary rates.

To learn how to apply please visit the program

Scholarships available for Muslim Students in North America

April 13, 2009

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullah MSA Activists and Students! It is with great pleasure that MSA of the US and Canada announces the second year of its scholarship program for MSA activists and students: The M. Naziruddin Ali Award for Excellence.     The M. Naziruddin Ali Award for Excellence provides national recognition and financial support for students who exhibit outstanding academic strength as well as exceptional service to Muslims and the American and Canadian community at large.     A pioneer of Islamic activism in the United States, M. Naziruddin Ali’s exemplary dedication to the Muslim American community is illustrated by his life long association with MSA National, Islamic Society of North America, and North American Islamic Trust, for which he served as General Manager for twenty years. Beginning as local chapter president and Chicago community activist, he served as president of MSA National for two terms and was integral in facilitating the establishment of the Islamic Society of North America during this period.  His tireless service, sincerity, and unwavering commitment proved to be crucial in the birth and development of each of these organizations. In his honor, scholarships will be awarded to students who exhibit qualities of his exceptional legacy in the amounts of $2,500, $1,500, $1,000.   Apply now! Deadline for submitting all application materials is June 1, 2009.  See website for additional information and application forms: http://mnali.msanational.org/ . Please be advised that late applications will not be accepted.   Wassalamulaikum wa rahmatullah,   2008-2009 MSA National Executive Committee

University of Oxford: Position in Islamic History

Departmental Lecturership in Islamic History,  1000-1500 Salary Grade 7, £28,839 ­ £35,469 per  annum

 Applications are invited for a teaching position in Islamic  History, 1000-1500. This fixed-term post is to commence on 1 September  2009 and run until 31 August 2010. The principal duties of the post are to  give lectures and classes in Islamic History during the absence on  research leave of the current postholder, and to examine. Candidates  should have a primary field of expertise in the Middle Periods of Islamic  history; hold, or be working towards, a doctorate in an appropriate field;  and be able to demonstrate that they can teach medieval Islamic history  and text classes in classical and medieval Arabic.

Further  particulars, including details of how to apply, should be obtained from  www.admin.ox.ac.uk/fp/ or from the office of The Faculty Board Secretary,  Oriental Institute, Pusey Lane, Oxford, OX1 2LE, tel. +44 1865 288202; fax  no. +44-(0)1865-278190; e-mail orient@orinst.ox.ac.uk.

Applications,  references (six hard copies, except from candidates based outside the UK  who need send only one) and an application summary sheet (Appendix A)  should reach the Faculty Board Secretary at the address given above, to  arrive not later than Thursday 16 April 2009. Interviews will be held as  soon as possible after the closing date.

The University is an equal  opportunities employer.

 Contact Info:
The Faculty Board Secretary
Oriental Institute
Pusey Lane
Oxford
OX1 2LE
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0)1865-288202
Fax: +44 (0)1865-278190
Email: orient@orinst.ox.ac.uk
Website: http://www.ox.ac.uk/

Inside Story: Arab Education System Failing

Al Jazeera

According to a new report from the World Bank, the quality of education in the Arab world is falling behind other regions and needs urgent reform.

The report states that Arab countries need to make education their top priority in order to meet the needs of a young population and rapidly-expanding labour market.

It cites low literacy rates and poor rates of enrollment compared to other parts of the world such as Asia and Latin America.

Part 1

Part 2

Riz Khan: Unemployment in the Arab World

Al Jazeera

Riz Khan speaks with Ron Bruder, a successful American businessman who took a deep look at the problems of the Middle East after the attacks of 9/11 and founded Education for Employment which now operates in several Arab countries.

Cleveland Cab Drivers Prohibited from Praying while in Taxi Queue

CAIR

A recently-issued policy directive from the City of Cleveland, USA, prohibits Muslim cab drivers from praying at Hopkins International Airport while waiting for fares in the taxi queue.

Other policy directives ban the drivers from using airport restrooms to make ritual ablutions (wudu) and from praying in the airport chapel while on the job.

The latest (March 13, 2009) directive states in part: “Cab drivers observed ‘praying’ in the queue by the cab starter may be sent out for the day. Cab drivers observed moving another’s cab to enable ‘praying’ will be considered in violation of the ASV (Airport Security Violation) Policy and subject to the ASV reinstatement procedure and possible permanent banning from picking up fares at CLE.”

The drivers claim that if they must exit the queue in order to pray they will suffer significant loss of access to fares, forcing them to choose between their faith and their livelihood.

Somali and other immigrant taxi owners and drivers have faced an uphill battle to maintain operations at the airport. The drivers and owners say they are being unfairly ticketed by police officers who they allege impose tickets and fines selectively.

In 2007, the city allegedly attempted to sideline the Somali taxi companies by granting monopolies to several existing firms in a deal that effectively shut out the immigrant-owned cab companies because they did not meet the newly-minted requirements stipulating that all cab companies at Hopkins airport must have been operating in the city for more than seven years and must have $1 million in revenue.

The banned Somali and immigrant-owned companies filed suit, and the matter is currently pending in federal court.

The new restrictions on prayer are unacceptable to the drivers, who wish to meet with the mayor and his staff to find a reasonable accommodation that meets airport safety standards while allowing for freedom of religious expression granted by the Constitution.

“There should be a way to come up with a policy that takes into account the needs of the traveling public, the security requirements of the airport and the religious rights of the taxi drivers,” said CAIR-Ohio Staff Attorney Romin Iqbal. “We ask for a meeting with Mayor Jackson to discuss this issue and to help reach a mutually-agreeable solution.”

ACTION REQUESTED: (as always, be POLITE.)

CAIR is asking the Muslim community to contact the Mayor’s Action Center at 216-664-2900 or the office of the mayor’s Chief of Staff Ken Silliman at 216-664-3990 or to e-mail: mayorsactioncenter@city.cleveland.oh.us

Global Recession Hits Dubai Job Market

Dubai's amazing skyline with the Burj Dubai, one of the world's most expensive hotels, towering over the city

Al Jazeera

Lured by the promise of a well-paid investment banking job in the growing markets of the Gulf, Ghassan Darwiche left Lebanon for Qatar in 2005.

He landed a job with the Standard Chartered Bank and in 2008 transferred into the wealth management department.

He believes the move was a logical one because of Qatar’s prospering economy; global oil and gas prices were high and investment in the banking and real estate markets showed continued growth.

However, by January 2009, the department had became a “loss entity” for the bank.

“People were pulling out money because of the global financial crisis,” he said.

The bank then downgraded his department to commercial banking – credit card and insurance applications. Darwiche believed that he was being demoted and quit.

“We all want to climb the ladder. The Arab and European staff left, but the Indian banking professionals tended to stay and accept the downgrade. I didn’t want to go backward in my career,” he said.

However, three months after arriving in Beirut and finding no job opportunities for someone with his skills, Darwiche believes he would have fared better had he stayed.

“I’m one of the many victims of the financial crisis but the question now is what to do next.”

Reversal of fortunes

According to Lebanon’s finance ministry, there are some 350,000 Lebanese people working in the Gulf states, which in the past decade had become popular employment destinations.

However, with world markets in recession and foreign investments dwindling, fortunes have been reversed; the ministry says 15,000 Lebanese expatriate workers have returned in recent weeks.

They can be seen at bars and coffee shops in Beirut, lamenting about their newfound joblessness, finding solace among others in the same situation.

Hussein Zeaiter, a professor of economics at Lebanese American University, says the return of so many skilled yet unemployed workers will increase the burden on the already-struggling economy and will become a problem for the government to tackle.

“The Lebanese who work in the Gulf have high-ranking jobs. Relative to the workers from different nationalities, I think that the financial crisis will hit the Lebanese workers more due to the expertise of their majority in services and banking and finance.”

Rent, not buy

For Maroun Abu Nader, a 24-year-old graphic designer who worked at a publishing company in Dubai for eight months, being laid off “could have been a lot worse”.

He says that unlike many who worked and lived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he did not buy an apartment, despite the low interest rates on mortgages and loans, and did not get a car; he rented everything.

“Otherwise, I would be in debtors’ prison right now,” he says.

Abu Nader describes the scene in Dubai at the time of his departure a few weeks ago as: “Like a war without the violence“.

“People were fleeing the city en masse, terrified, leaving all of their belongings behind, unable to pay off many of the debts they incurred,” he said [more]

Recession Does Not Spare UAE Citizens