TOLEDO,OH–A historic building in Toledo which once served as the first mosque in the city and the ninth in the United States will once again hear the call of azan. The former Toledo Islamic Building was first dedicated as a mosque in 1954 but was shut down after the congregation moved to to Perrysburg Township in 1983, reports the Toledo Blade.
The building was vacant for many years and had earlier been used as a youth treatment center and a government office.
The local Muslim community hadn’t forgotten the importance of the building and the Toledo Masjid al-Islam recently bought it for $60,000. The 3800 square foot facility is now being renovated.
End of Oregon’s Ban on Hijab Welcomed
PORTLAND,OR–The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has praised the signing into law of legislation that will end Oregon’s ban on teachers wearing Islamic head scarves or the religious attire of other faiths.
The lifting of the 87-year-long ban will go into effect after the 2010-11 school year and follows a February vote of 51-8 in the Oregon House of Representatives. To become law, the bill had to be signed by Governor Ted Kulongoski.
“This change in the law protects the rights of educators of all faiths,†said CAIR national communications director Ibrahim Hooper.
He added that his organization has consistently defended the right of Americans of all faiths to wear religious attire in the workplace, in schools, in courtrooms and as customers in public venues such as banks.
Currently only Nebraska and Pennsylvania prohibit their teachers from wearing religious clothing at work, and CAIR has called on their legislators to “follow Oregon’s example of respect for religious freedom and diversity.â€
In addition to the Muslim organization, a number of interfaith groups, civil rights groups and bar association organizations, including The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, have joined in the appeal.
Usury Free Conference Held in Toronto
TORONTO,CANADA-A two day conference on exploring usury free financial products was held in Toronto last week. Organized by the Usury Free Association of North America it attracted a large number of scholars from across North America and abroad.
Canada’s first Shariah-compliant credit card, the iFreedom Plus MasterCard, was also launched at the conference.
A recent report for Canada’s national housing agency said Islamic mortgages and other Shariah-compliant financial products would pose no problems with civil law. Representatives from mainstream banks, politicians, and government officials also attended the conference to learn about Islamic finance.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the ex-U.N. nuclear watchdog head, stands surrounded by supporters and fellow worshippers at Nour Mosque in Al-Mansoura, 210 km (130 miles) north of Cairo April 2, 2010. ElBaradei is visiting the city to meet supporters during a public campaign for a possible presidential bid in the country’s 2011 elections.
REUTERS/Stringer
By By Alaa Bayoumi Aljazeera.net/English
This has given the Egyptian people something they have not felt in a long time – hope for political change.
Years of stagnant social development have created two main political camps in Egypt today: A camp that lost hope in change, and hence in a better future for the country, and another that still retains a glimmer of optimism.
The first camp is dominant; just ask any Egyptian these days about current conditions and you will only hear complaints and cynicism.
Arguably, the whole Egyptian psyche revolves around the glories of past – sometimes ancient – achievements. They lament how they have lost their prestige and regional power, and how current socio-economic circumstances are crushing their dreams for a better future.
Some prominent Egyptian sociologists, such as Galal Amin, the author of the bestselling Whatever Happened to the Egyptians?, have tried to explain the root causes of Egyptian pessimism.
Amin argues that the forces of domestic political authoritarianism,Egypt’s defeat in the 1967 war, the global culture of consumerism, and foreign hegemony have since the 1960s contributed to crushing the Egyptian middle class.
The result was a fractured Egyptian middle class that no longer understood itself or trusted its own ability to lead the country forward.
Fear of fear?
Some believe that political life under Mubarak, right, has become stagnant [EPA]
The pessimistic camp has vocalised its prophecies of gloom rather loudly in the plethora of local talk TV shows and the press.
They offer, rather philanthropically, reasons why ElBaradei, and the socio-political movement he has inspired, do not count in today’s political structure.
They say the Egyptian regime, which has been in power for 30 years, has successfully resisted all pressures – domestic and foreign – for change and political reform.
Flirting with flights of conspiratorial fancy, they believe that the government only sanctions toothless opposition, and hence may allow ElBaradei to play politics for some time, in a bid to show that Egypt is politically transparent and liberal.
But, at the right moment the regime will strike back and crush ElBaradei and his supporters as it has defeated many prior political opponents.
Four of Egypt’s main opposition parties, including al-Wafd, al-Tagammu, and al-Araby al-Nasseri, have criticised ElBaradei and the political movement around him.
They are particularly irked by his readiness to work with and integrate the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement despite his purported secular platform.
They question ElBaradei’s legitimacy as a political proponent of any sort citing his absence from the country for three decades; he has no party, no serious grassroots support, or even a possible chance to run for president under the current constitution, they say.
Hope against hope
On the other hand, the campaign built around ElBaradei is nevertheless a poignant reminder that there are many in Egypt, notably among the elite, who retain a semblance of hope that the country will inevitably evolve.
Saad Eddin Ibrahim,a known Egyptian opposition figure who has been living aboard for the last three years fearing prosecution if he returns to Egypt, wrote in the daily independent newspaper AlMasry AlYoum, that ElBaradei’s announcement of readiness to run for president if the constitution is amended, has “changed the Egyptian political scene qualitatively and psychologically in an unprecedented way since 1952â€.
Ibrahim argues that a melange of independent groups, credible political activists and writers, youth, and middle class citizens had for some time been establishing a “social movement†under the political surface in Egypt.
Ibrahim believes the movement declared itself at Cairo Airport by showering the returning ElBaradei with a populist hero’s welcome.
ElBaradei returned to Egypt at the right moment to pick the fruits of such mobilisation.
A big lie?
Saad believes the media hype about ElBaradei is a government gimmick [EPA]
Mahmoud Saad, a popular Egyptian talk show host, was more cautious when broaching the ElBaradei phenomenon.
He wrote in the daily opposition newspaper al-Dostor that “ElBaradei’s story is a big lie … a show … played by the opposition and directed by the government for its own interestâ€.
He thinks the government is allowing ElBaradei’s political movement to gain momentum in order to embarrass critics who claim that Egypt does not possess an equitable democratic system; in truth, he maintains, the government has no intention to increase transparency or hold free election.
Yet, he concludes his article with an emphasis on hope. “Inside the lie,†Saad says, “a big and great truth exists … people have to realise that hope exists … Egypt has many capable men … We only need to believe in change.â€
Analyst Mahmoud Khalil describes in AlMasry AlYoum, how the Egyptian government was able over the years to spread pessimism in the political culture by convincing regular Egyptians that it could do no more to alleviate their duress.
“Over the years, the authority has spread despair and the idea that there is no solution for any problem at any level – education, health services, population increase, traffic, unemployment, corruption … etc. It has transformed most Egyptians into an army of despair,†writes Khalil.
“The power of ElBaradei is in his ideas, which sell hope, a commodity that disappeared from the Egyptian market. Hope means to believe in ourselves and in our ability to bring change.â€
Why ElBaradei?
Prior to his return to his home country, ElBaradei was one of a very small number of Egyptians who held international stature.
As the head of the UN nuclear agency for 12 years and a winner of the Noble Peace Prize (2005) for his efforts to defuse tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, ElBaradei also earned the government’s praise.
In 2006, Hosni Mubarak,the Egyptian president, awarded him the Nile Collar, the country’s highest civilian merit.
And during a press conference with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, in Berlin, Mubarak welcomed ElBaradei’s entry into local politics provided he abide by the rules of the constitution.
Despite his detractor’s protestations, ElBaradei’s 30-year absence from his home country is more to his advantage than detriment. While some may argue that he has been isolated from socio-political developments in the country, his distance has also protected him from being trapped inside Egyptian politics, which have been dominated by stagnant, partisan, and undemocratic parties.
So when ElBaradei now takes on the political system, he can easily rise above Egypt’s partisan politics and call for unity among its disputing political groups.
He may lack the charisma of an eloquent speaker such as Barack Obama or Tony Blair, but he speaks in a commanding calm voice that is genuine and emphatic of global democratic values.
ElBaradei wants to modernise Egypt’s laws and constitution in ways that will bring them up to date with international standards. He wants transparent elections, democratic rule, freedom of press, and a constitution that does not prevent religious minorities from running for Egypt’s highest political office.
His appeal has garnered the support of a wide and diverse coalition of political activists and intellectuals. It has also gained him opponents within the ruling party and political opposition groups alike.
No one seems to underestimate the difficulties lying ahead of ElBaradei and his call for change. But, we should not also underestimate the power behind his appeal.
In just a matter of a few weeks, ElBaradei was able to remind many Egyptians of their deeply rooted love for their country and hope for a better future.
Unique Books of Dr. Asaf Riyaz-i-Qadeer Introduced During Famous Poet Khalid Masood Khan Humorous Poetry Program
“You may need Tylenol by the end of this program not because of headache but because of abdominal aches due to laughter:†These were the words of Dr. Asaf Riyaz-i-Qadeer at Lasani Restaurant Banquet Hall this past Friday, as he introduced famous Hilarious Poet from Multan Pakistan Khalid Masood Khan, who has introduced a new style of poetry, where he mixes Urdu and Punjabi languages, to introduce in an entertaining manner various cultural aspects of Pakistan; explain many issues facing the society & world; and even gives resolutions to some of the problems. The whole hall was full in anticipation of an unforgettable evening and everyone left the hall most satisfied. He indeed had the audience move their places with hilarity. Someone in the past has said about his poetry:
“Koee Nahee Hae Khalid-e-Masood Ki Tarha – Uus Ki Ghazal Ka Zaiqa Umrood Kee Tarha Haeâ€
The occasion became more buoyant as famous community leader, social worker and medical practitioner Dr. Asaf Riyaz-i-Qadeer (M.D.) introducing two of his books: “Nadir-o-Nayaab Ashaarâ€, which is a 225 collection of verses of famous poets over the last two centuries (Mir Taqi Meer; Ghalib; and others) and second book is “Muntakhib Mazahaya Shaireeâ€, which is a 230 pages collection of humorous verses. Both these books have been reviewed by Newspaper Jang, Pakistan and have been entered into the curriculum at the Allama Iqbal Open University.
The program was emceed in the traditional manner by three persons: Saeed Basheer Gaddi of Sangeet Radio; Abdullah Jafari (son of famous humor poet); and Inayat Ashraf. Famous poet of Houston Reverend Dr. Afzal Firdous and Former City Councilperson M. J. Khan paid glowing tributes to Dr. Asaf Riyaz-i-Qadeer for his efforts in gathering excellent couplets and poems from the past and gave special accolade to Guest Poet Khalid Masood for giving new style to poetry.
“I have got inspiration for poetry from Dr. Amanullah Khan of Dallas, whom I call the ‘Father of Punjabi Poetry’. I did have some germs for poetry, but he is the one, who has revived the writer from inside me,†said Dr. Asaf Riyaz-i-Qadeer (M.D.). Dr. Qadeer graciously gifted his books to the guests with his autograph.
Dr. Amanullah Khan M.D; PhD, who was present on the occasion and informed that he has made his first movie (in Punjabi language with English subtitles film – Theme is Pakistan & India relationship) and it will debut on April 10, 2010 at 8 pm at The Landmark Magnolia Theatre in Dallas West Village, with a second screening on April 12, 2010 at 4:15 pm at the same theater. Eventually it will go worldwide in May 2010.
Khalid Masood Khan is a famous Urdu columnist, critic, poet and comedy writer from Multan (Khanewal), Pakistan. His work has been published with the leading Urdu newspaper Daily Jang for almost a decade or so. Some of his couplets are:
“Lalloo Khaet Sae Aik Paraona Aaya Tha – Munjae Peerae Phur Gaya Pan Sae Thuk Thuk Karâ€
“Uus Ka Rishta Na Hunae Ka Baes Uus Ka Abba Tha – Sub Haryan Thae Uus Nae Aesa Abba Kahaen Sae Labba Thaâ€â€¦
Right to Vote for Oversees Pakistanis
The Government of Pakistan is considering granting the right of vote as well as representation in National and Provincial Assemblies to Overseas Pakistanis. In this regard all those Pakistani who wish to participate in the electoral process, may kindly fill the form available at following link (http://www.pakistanconsulatehouston.org/oversees-pakistanis.asp) and email or mail it back to the Consulate of Houston. The response would enable the Government in assessing the extent of interest among the Pakistani Diaspora in the electoral process and taking a final decision in this regard. The immediate response would be highly appreciated.
Under the dual nationality agreement between the United States and Pakistan in 2002, Pakistani-Americans can retain both US and Pakistani passports and are eligible to vote in both countries. You are requested to kindly circulate this message widely to your Pakistani acquaintances. The mailing address of the Consulate is as under:
Consulate General of Pakistan, 11850 Jones Road, Houston, TX 77070.
Berkeley–March 15th–Gautam Mukhopadhaya is a career diplomat in the Union of India’s Department of External Affairs (i.e., Foreign Service). He was their Ambassador Embassy to Kabul for the first time after the Taliban victory during the 1990s. When, after the 200l American onslaught, the Indian federation deemed it safe enough to re-establish a presence in the Hindu Kush. In many ways, New Delhi is more of a negative influence than a positive one in that area, for they have exacerbated the Indo-Pak rivalry as it was slowly cooling down. Succinctly, your essayist sees New Delhi pulling a geopolitical pincher movement. Rawalpindi has moved significant Divisions of their Army into new areas facing India’s Western frontier that previously Pakistan did not judge to be essential to their security. This, curiously, has hurt the military their campaign in the Durand borderlands, for the Pak COAS (Commander of the Army Staff) has decided to move a significant numbers of his military to counter the new Indian concentrations. Further, your author’s sources have informed him that there is a very secret “War†being waged between the Pakistani ISI (Inner Services Intelligence) and the Indian RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) within Afghanistan itself destabilizing the efforts of foreign forces (NATO [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization] and especially Washington).
Although (Indo-) Bharat is not an Islamic-majority country, it is the second most populous (“culturallyâ€) Muslim land in the world. Although he has a Hindu name, (Former) Ambassador Mukhopadhaya was raised in Calcutta, which is within the eastern (Indian) state of West Bengal, and borders the Islamic-majority nation of Bangladesh. Slightly over a quarter of Indian (West) Bengalis are Muslims, which must have given him a great sensitivity for — and knowledge of — the Afghanistani Muslims, for he was the first Indian chief envoy to be appointed there after the fall of the Talibani State in 2002.
He made a notation which your reporter has heard from other knowledgeable people in field: Iraq was/is a War of choice for the U.S.A. while Afghanistan is one of necessity.
Mukhopadhaya observed that President Barrick Obama of the United States of America is beginning the second year of his Afghan Policy. Obama is now considering negotiations with the Taliban! His Excellency America perceives Pakistan as aggravating the War in Afghanistan, for the District of Columbia (D.C.) perceives that the province Peshawar rules has not pursued the Taliban and Al-Qaida with the zeal for which they the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) hoped, (but the causality figures of Pakistani Army in the N.W.P. [the Northwest Provinces] belie the accuracy of his Excellency’s analysis.)
The Obama Administration views not only the Pakistanis but the Indians as “spoilers!†Yet, whatever, the U.S. War effort entails, the assistance of Pakistan’s COAS, General Ashram Parvez (Kayani) and his staff, the North Americans with their European allies cannot do alone, for the regional nation-states are long-term stakeholders within their topography!
NEW DELHI: Euphoria raised over Women’s Reservation Bill’s passage in the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) appears to have virtually lost its importance within less than a month. The bill was passed by Rajya Sabha, last month on March 9, a day after the Women’s Day. The bill proposes to reserve 33% seats for women in the Parliament and State Legislatures. Prospects of the bill securing passage in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) seem fairly limited. This was indicated by the failure of the all-party meeting held in the capital city to reach any consensus. During the meeting (April 5), chaired by leader of Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, leaders of different parties expressed their stand on the controversial bill.
A brief note, issued after the all-party meeting by Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, stated: “The leaders of various parties expressed their views on the Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008 pertaining to the Reservation of Seats for Women in the House of the People and State Assemblies.†“Further discussion will continue,†the note said, signaling that stalemate over the controversial bill has not yet been resolved.
The Congress party, heading the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition, is on stickier ground than before, as at the all-party meeting, its key ally – Trinamool Congress Party (TCP), also voiced opposition to the bill. During the meeting, TCP chief Mamata Bannerjee, supported the demand of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) for a “quota-within-quota,†as per which the bill should include reservation for women, who are Muslims, belong to backward classes and Dalits.
“The Muslim interest should not be ignored,†Bannerjee said during the meeting while joining the chorus raised by opponents of the bill.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also emphasized that the party would oppose the bill, if it was presented in its present form without a “quota-within-quota.â€
Prospects of parties arriving at any agreement on the bill seem fairly limited. A key supporter of the bill, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has indicated that it would oppose it, if it included the demand for “quota-within-quota.†Sushma Swaraj, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, said that her party (BJP) was “totally against quota-within-quota.â€
Interestingly, the left bloc legislators, supporters of the bill in its present form, have not clarified their stand on “quota-within-quota.†While stating that his party was not opposed to “consider†the proposal for “quota-within-quota,†Basudeb Acharia (Communist Party of India-Marxist) said: “Under the constitutional set up, there is no provision in election either for OBC (Other Backward Classes) or Muslim minorities.†He laid stress that his party favored passage of the bill in its present form; in other words- without “quota-within-quota.â€
When questioned on his party’s stand on “quota-within-quota,†Gurudas Dasgupta (Communist Party of India) said: “We have not raised it.†At the same time, he said that his party was against the bill being “dumped.†The CPI is not against the government taking time “to arrive at a consensus†but was against “any kind of deferment if the intention is to dump the bill,†he said.
The question of a “consensus†being reached on the bill seems practically impossible as the three parties (RJD, SP and JD-U) remain firm on their demand for a “quota-within-quota.†Their stand was supported at the all-party meeting by TCP and BSP. RJD chief Lalu Prasad said after the meeting: “I thank the government for this all-party meeting. But Muslim, backward classes and Dalit women must be given quota. Our stand has not changed. We have requested the government to rethink the issue and call for a second meeting.â€
“We have opposed the bill in its present form. We are not opposed to reservation for women,†SP leader Mulayam Singh said.
With 441 members out of 544 members in Lok Sabha in favor of the bill, the Congress would lose majority in the House, if TCP withdraws its support. Interestingly, chances of the bill being presented in the Lok Sabha, without a consensus being arrived at seem fairly limited. The TCP legislators had abstained from discussion and vote on the bill in Rajya Sabha last month.
Developments suggest that bill is likely to be pushed to the backburner till a “consensus†is reached among the different political parties. In fact, the bill may not be introduced in the Lok Sabha without a “consensus†being arrived at. This is suggested by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar’s reply to how would she handle the chaos and stormy scenes in the House over the bill. Laying stress that there was need for a “consensus first†among all parties on the bill, Kumar said: “There has to be a consensus about that for which they (the parties) are trying. Lets see what happens.â€
Ironically, differences prevailed even on the wording of the statement issued by the government at the end of the meeting. Initially, the government wanted to state that the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and that decency and decorum would be maintained in the Parliament. The government was also keen to state that efforts would be made to find an amicable solution to the issue. Objections raised by Lalu Prasad, however, compelled the government to redraft the statement, deleting these points and instead state: “Further discussions will continue.â€
During the two-hour meeting, the government was represented by Mukherjee, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P.K. Bansal, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Defense Minister A.K. Antony and Law Minister Veerappa Moily. Among others who attended the meeting were leaders of BJP, SP, RJD, BSP, CPI-M, CPI, JD-U, Telegu Desam Party, TCP and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam.
Three blasts only a few minutes apart jolted the city of Peshawar on Monday April 5th 2010. The attacks were aimed at the highly secure area of the American Consulate. Heavily armed militants in two vehicles tried to storm the US consulate. The attackers were also loaded with guns, grenades and suicide vests. Gun fires were heard and were reports said that the militants and the guards had a small gun battle as well. Two guards employed by the US Consulate were killed in the attacks. Four attackers also died at the scene. Eight people died in this incident and 33 others were injured. Pakistani Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the attack saying that this is revenge for the drone attacks on the militants in Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. They also said that if things did not change more attacks of this nature will be seen on American targets in the near future.
Pakistani security officials said the assailants planned the attack methodically, using local scouts and safe houses, smuggling explosives into a dump site near the consulate and assembling the car bombs locally.
Intelligence agents suspect the bombers infiltrated Peshawar either west from the nearby Khyber tribal district, approximately 30 minutes drive from the US embassy, or northwest from the neighboring tribal district of Mohmand.
The North West Frontier Province police Chief Malik Naveed said, “It was a well planned attack. The militants collected their material dumped somewhere near their target area before launching the attack on the US consulate.â€
While there was no comment from the American Embassy in Islamabad a senior police official told AFP hat American security officers were in Peshawar and also investigating this incident.
“We have traced the engine number and model of the cars used in the blasts and we have collected evidence and sent it to the relevant laboratories,†said Peshawar bomb disposal chief Shafqat Malik.
According to Mr. Naveed because of the resistance in the gun fight the attackers ended up blasting their vehicles 25 to 30 meters away from their original target. He also added that, “We did not let them enter the consulate building and that was the biggest achievement of the security forces.
About the current investigation Mr. Neveed remarked that, “We have set up three investigation teams and we are hopeful we will soon get some leads.â€
Mr. Naveed continued to remark that attacks like these signify that the Taliban have regrouped to some extent and are banning together against American attacks. However, he also commented that new suicidal bombers are probably scarce for the Taliban and that might put a damper on their plans.
“They do not have the kind of facilities that they had in South Waziristan where they were training a large number of suicide bombers. Some of those bombers are still with them, but the new crop is not coming.â€
“The Taliban may be giving a message to the Americans. If the Americans undertake action like in Marjah and plan to take action around Kandahar, therefore the Taliban can retaliate wherever it is possible,†he said.
Also on Monday April 5th 2010, ANP rally was hit by a suicide bomber. ANP’s Lower Dir president Haji Bahadar Khan was delivering his speech at the ‘Jashn-i-Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’ rally when the blast took place. Over 500 ANP leaders and activists were attending the celebration. In this incident around 47 people were killed and 37 were injured. The number is still indefinite since there could be bodies buried beneath the rubble.
Three day mourning period was announced for the events of Monday in Dir and Peshawar.
On Tuesday April 6, 2010, the Police killed 2 men including one suspected suicide bomber. Senior Police Officer Liaquat Ali said one of the militants was wearing a suicide jacket.
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track (permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.
Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate locomotive, or from individual motors in self-propelled multiple units. Most modern trains are powered by diesel locomotives or by electricity supplied by overhead wires or additional rails, although historically (from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century) the steam locomotive was the dominant form of locomotive power. Other sources of power (such as horses, rope or wire, gravity, pneumatics, and gas turbines) are possible.
The word ‘train’ comes from the Old French trahiner, itself from the Latin trahere ‘pull, draw’.
There are various types of train designed for particular purposes. A train can consist of a combination of one or more locomotives and attached railroad cars, or a self-propelled multiple unit (or occasionally a single powered coach, called a railcar). Trains can also be hauled by horses, pulled by a cable, or run downhill by gravity.
Special kinds of trains running on corresponding special ‘railways’ are atmospheric railways, monorails, high-speed railways, maglev, rubber-tired underground, funicular and cog railways.
A passenger train may consist of one or several locomotives, and one or more coaches. Alternatively, a train may consist entirely of passenger carrying coaches, some or all of which are powered as a “multiple unitâ€. In many parts of the world, particularly Japan and Europe, high-speed rail is utilized extensively for passenger travel.
Freight trains comprise wagons or trucks rather than carriages, though some parcel and mail trains (especially Travelling Post Offices) are outwardly more like passenger trains.
Trains can also be ‘mixed’, comprising both passenger accommodation and freight vehicles. Such mixed trains are most likely to occur where services are infrequent, and running separate passenger and freight trains is not cost-effective, though the differing needs of passengers and freight usually means this is avoided where possible.
Special trains are also used for track maintenance; in some places, this is called maintenance of way.
In the United Kingdom, a train hauled by two locomotives is said to be “double-headedâ€, and in Canada and the United States it is quite common for a long freight train to be headed by three or more locomotives. A train with a locomotive attached at each end is described as ‘top and tailed’, this practice typically being used when there are no reversing facilities available. Where a second locomotive is attached temporarily to assist a train up steep banks or grades (or down them by providing braking power) it is referred to as ‘banking’ in the UK, or ‘helper service’ in North America. Recently, many loaded trains in the US have been made up with one or more locomotives in the middle or at the rear of the train, operated remotely from the lead cab. This is referred to as “DP†or “Distributed Power
The railway terminology that is used to describe a ‘train’ varies between countries.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the interchangeable terms set and unit are used to refer to a group of permanently or semi-permanently coupled vehicles, such as those of a multiple unit. While when referring to a train made up of a variety of vehicles, or of several sets/units, the term formation is used. (Although the UK public and media often forgo ‘formation’, for simply ‘train’.) The word rake is also used for a group of coaches or wagons.
In the United Kingdom Section 83(1) of the Railways Act 1993 defines “train†as follows:
a) two or more items of rolling stock coupled together, at least one of which is a locomotive; or b) a locomotive not coupled to any other rolling stock.
United States
In the United States, the term consist is used to describe the group of rail vehicles which make up a train. When referring to motive power, consist refers to the group of locomotives powering the train. Similarly, the term trainset refers to a group of rolling stock that is permanently or semi-permanently coupled together to form a unified set of equipment (the term is most often applied to passenger train configurations).
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway’s 1948 operating rules define a train as: “An engine or more than one engine coupled, with or without cars, displaying markers.â€
“(Say to the people:) ‘Listen, sincere obedience and worship is only AllÄh’s due. And those (disbelievers) who have taken (idols as) helpers other than AllÄh (say in false justification of their idol-worship:) ‘We worship them only that they may bring us near to AllÄh.’ Surely, AllÄh will judge between them concerning the matter in which they differ. Certainly AllÄh does not give him guidance who is a liar, very ungrateful.â€
(Al-Quran, 39-3)
When the idolaters of Makka were asked the reason of idol-worship, they said the idols would get them into Allah’s proximity. The intention to attain to Allah’s nearness is good, but idol-worship is blasphemy and disbelief. The idolatry, therefore, cannot be justified because of good intention.
Similarly, the terrorists’ claim of reformation too cannot be accepted because, practically, they prove bloodshed and violence instead of some constructive work and reformation. Allah Most High says:
“And among people there is also someone whose conversation seems to you pleasing in the life of the world and who calls AllÄh to witness that which is in his heart, but in truth he is most quarrelsome. And when he turns away (from you), he runs about in the land to do (everything possible) to rouse mischief and destroy crops and life. And AllÄh does not like mischief and violence. And when it is said to him (on account of this tyranny and violence): ‘Fear AllÄh,’ his arrogance stimulates him for more sins. Hell is, therefore, sufficient for him. And that is indeed an evil abode.â€
(Al-Quran, 204-206)
These verses too describe that many people will make conversation appearing delightful in the perspective of superficial arguments. They will swear on their good intentions, and declare Allah witness to their noble objectives and pious aims. Despite their assertions and testimonial claims, however, Allah has declared them miscreants and evil-mongers to face the torment of Hell. So their swearing on their intentions has been refuted because they are doing sheer terrorism, violence and strife. Their crimes, therefore, cannot be forgiven due to their good intentions and noble designs declared on oath. This is the basic principle drawn from the Quran and Islamic Law.
These Quranic verses explain the same point:
“When it is said to them: ‘Do not spread disorder in the land,’ they say: ‘It is we who reform.’ Beware! (Truly) it is they who spread disorder, but they do not have any sense (of it) at all.â€
(Al-Quran, 11-12)
Here again the mischievous and criminal mentality has been described that the miscreants never take their activities as disruption, violence and strife; rather, they call it Jihad and deeds of reconstruction and reformation. They presume that the tyrannous activities they perpetrate are aimed at greater good of society. Today’s tragedy is that terrorists, murderers, mischief-mongers and rioters try to prove their criminal, rebellious, tyrannous, and brutal blasphemous activities as a right and justified reaction to foreign aggression under the garb of defense of Islam and national interests.
They should know that, as good intention can never prove an unlawful act justified, pious designs can never prove blasphemy as righteousness, and virtuous objectives can never prove an impure act wholesome, the intention to perform Jihad, in the same way, can never prove violence and terrorism lawful and permissible. The intention to protect Islam, erect defense against foreign aggression and avenge the wrongs and excesses inflicted upon Muslim Umma is one thing, and brutal mass murder of innocent citizens, vast destruction of civil property, ruthless target killings and destruction of mosques and markets and businesses is altogether a different debacle. The former can never prove the latter lawful. The one has nothing to do with the other; there is no relevance and congruity between the two. Terrorism, carnage and mass destruction can never be justified in the name of any intention of enforcing Islamic commands and judicial system. Nor can these condemnable activities be any exception to the rule, or be overlooked, or forgiven.
The in-depth study of the Quran and Hadith makes one dauntlessly declare that Islam makes it conditional to realize the lawful objectives only through lawful means, to attain to the noble targets only through permissible resources and reach the sacred destinations by treading only the righteous ways. A holy goal can never be attained by following an evil and criminal path. Constructing a mosque is a pious act, but it cannot be proved lawful to do it by looting a bank. The objectives of mercy cannot be achieved through cruel and oppressive ways. The designs of an exalted pious person cannot be materialized by adopting blasphemous methodology. In sum, good cannot be earned by evil means. Fair is fair and foul is foul. This is Satan who says, ‘fair is foul and fouls is fair.’ This is the majesty and purity of Din that it has purified and reformed both the destination and its path. It has made both objective and method pure and upright.
The people who base their argument on the Hadith, ‘actions are judged according to intentions,’ in order to justify their brutal ways and cursed means, make false and heretic implications. They cannot set a wrong thing right. This Hadith signifies only those actions that are proved pious, permissible and lawful. Their acceptability has been based on trueness of intention. If the intention is pure, they will be accepted, or they will be rejected. If the intention is not good, or the coveted intention does not exist, the actions will not be considered acts of worship, despite their apparent righteous value. They will be rejected or discredited. But the actions that are forbidden, unjust, unlawful and blasphemous cannot be made permissible, lawful, just and creditable by even extremely good intentions joined together. This is such an Islamic principle and legal formula as no one of the Companions, pious predecessors, Imams, and authorities of hadith and exegeses has departed from to date. Some scholars have also interpreted this hadith, ‘actions are judged according to intentions,’ as pointing to manifestation of deeds according to intentions. The actions take shape according to the intentions. So a terrorist’s actions speak of his intentions. His killings and destructive activities refer to his foul intention and condemnable ideas and beliefs. His heinous actions cannot stem from pious intentions and beliefs. The bloodshed he causes refers only to a cruel man inside him and not any kind and merciful soul. It is, therefore, evident that whatever false implications and foul justifications these rebels, criminals, evil-mongers, tyrannous brutes may put forth to prove their atrocities as act of Jihad, they have nothing to do with the teachings of Islam.
The Holy Quran has vividly described them in this verse:
“It is those whose entire struggle is wasted in worldly life, but they presume they are doing very good works.â€
President Obama on Saturday announced the recess appointment of 15 political appointees whose nominations had been stalled by Republicans.
“The United States Senate has the responsibility to approve or disapprove of my nominees. But if, in the interest of scoring political points, Republicans in the Senate refuse to exercise that responsibility, I must act in the interest of the American people and exercise my authority to fill these positions on an interim basis,†Obama said in a statement.
“Most of the men and women whose appointments I am announcing today were approved by Senate committees months ago, yet still await a vote of the Senate. At a time of economic emergency, two top appointees to the Department of Treasury have been held up for nearly six months. I simply cannot allow partisan politics to stand in the way of the basic functioning of government.â€
The 15 newly appointed nominees are:
* Jeffrey Goldstein: Nominee for Under Secretary for Domestic Finance, Department of the Treasury * Michael F. Mundaca: Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy, Department of the Treasury * Eric L. Hirschhorn: Nominee for Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration and head of the Bureau of Industry and Security, Department of Commerce * Michael Punke: Nominee for Deputy Trade Representative – Geneva, Office of the United States Trade Representative * Francisco “Frank†J. Sánchez: Nominee for Under Secretary for International Trade, Department of Commerce * Islam A. Siddiqui: Nominee for Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative * Alan D. Bersin: Nominee for Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security * Jill Long Thompson: Nominee for Member, Farm Credit Administration Board * Rafael Borras: Nominee for Under Secretary for Management , Department of Homeland Security * Craig Becker: Nominee for Board Member, National Labor Relations Board * Mark Pearce: Nominee for Board Member, National Labor Relations Board * Jacqueline A. Berrien: Nominee for Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission * Chai R. Feldblum: Nominee for Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission * Victoria A. Lipnic: Nominee for Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission * P. David Lopez: Nominee for General Counsel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
In a post to the White House blog that accompanied Obama’s announcement, spokeswoman Jen Psaki wrote that the president “was no longer willing to let another month go by with key economic positions unfilled, especially at a time when our country is recovering from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.â€
Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution gives the president the right to unilaterally fill any vacancy that would normally require Senate confirmation when the Senate is in recess.
Unlike appointments that are confirmed by the Senate, recess appointments only last until the end of the next session of Congress, which right now would mean until the end of 2011.
Obama had been widely expected to recess appoint Becker and Pearce to the labor relations board. As Jason Linkins wrote in the Huffington Post on Friday, GOP opposition to Obama’s nominees had left the board with only two of its five members, which has led to a lot of one-to-one ties.
Some of the other appointments are to critical positions, such as the two Treasury candidates whose nominations had been stalled.
And some were being obstructed for particularly outrageous reasons. As Ryan Grim recently reported for the Huffington Post, the two trade nominees — Bunke and Siddiqui — were being blocked by Kentucky Republican Sen. Jim Bunning because he is opposed to a tobacco-related law passed by the Canadian Parliament.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), was particularly eloquent on that matter on the Senate floor two weeks ago: “The Senator from Kentucky has said he doesn’t have any objection to these nominees. He’s only blocking the nominations as leverage against the President and [U.S. Trade Representative Ron] Kirk. That is pure obstructionism.â€
Obama nevertheless shied away from what would have been some more controversial recess appointments. He did not unilaterally install any of his blocked nominees to the Justice Department, including Dawn Johnsen, his nominee to run the Office of Legal Counsel, and Chris Schroeder, his nominee to be assistant attorney general for legal policy — both of whom are beloved by progressives but reviled by Republicans. He also chose not to recess appoint one of his senior Treasury nominees, Lael Brainard, nominated for undersecretary of international affairs, who has run into some tax issues.
That Obama would use his recess appointment powers isn’t a surprise. According to the Congressional Research Service, President George W. Bush made 171 recess appointments; President Clinton made 139.
Until Saturday, Obama hadn’t made any — despite Republican obstruction so intense that even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in early February essentially begged Obama to do an end run.
“Frankly, I think the President should recess all of them — all of them,†Reid said of Obama’s stalled nominees. “There are scores of them being held up for reasons that have nothing to do with anything dealing with these people or how they will function once in office.â€
There are still about 200 judicial and civilian nominees being held up, some of them for some pretty amazing reasons. And the Senate is in recess until April 12.
New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan hosted a rally called to address the killing of Muslim Imam Luqman Abdullah by the FBI. Five months after his death the community concern and outrage continues. Over 200 people came to continue to voice their indignation over this act. They came because still, five months later, questions are still unanswered as to why the imam was set up to be killed in the first place. After 3 years of covert investigation, the best the FBI could come up with was some charges of theft that was obviously a case of entrapment by the FBI.
The church where the rally was held has special significance in the history of the fight for justice and civil rights in this country. In the 1960’s New Bethel church was the scene of another unfounded raid by the FBI and local police. There was believed to be evidence that members of the Black Panther party were there and law officers stormed the church and arrested scores of people illegally and without warrants. In this case as well, the “evidence†was non-existent and the judge in the case ordered all those arrested to be released immediately. (At the time the church’s pastor was the Rev C.L. Franklin, the father of singer Aretha Franklin). Current pastor, Rev. Robert Smith, also likened the killing to the era of the civil rights movement.
Since the days of long-time director, J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI has garnered a reputation of abusing its power. Hoover was the director who infiltrated the Black Panthers, Nation of Islam, and other groups he alone deemed dangerous. He called Elijah Muhammad the “most dangerous Black man in America†and set out to discredit him by any subversive means at his disposal.
The majority American population, because of their ignorance of the facts and some biased beliefs, believed J. Edgar Hoover even when it became known he was living a double life residing with his boyfriend in a homosexual lifestyle (and this was before this illicit lifestyle became so widely “acceptableâ€). This shows the ease of convincing uninformed people and has been the vehicle through which much injustice has been wrought on the weak.
We wrote last time about this being a “Murder that Will Not Die.†It is interesting to note that many non-Muslims are continuing to lead the charge in investigating the facts of the case in order to bring out the truth. They constantly point out that this is a human rights issue; not a Muslim or Christian, or any other group.
CAIR-MI director, Dawud Walid and the Committee Against Police Brutality, directed by Ron Scott, have been in the forefront investigating and keeping this issue alive. They are the ones who brought this issue to the attention of the highest levels of the Justice Department of the U.S. government. Attorney General Eric Holder and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman John Conyers, are investigating this case. Also many local groups including the mayor of the City of Detroit, Dave Bing, the local chapter of the NAACP, the National and local chapters of the National Action Network, the office of state representative Bettie Cook-Scott. In addition, many local Islamic groups are also actively involved including Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan (CIOM), MAS, and Islamic Shura Council of Michigan (ISCOM).
The case has also gotten the attention of the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Rev. Jackson was guest speaker at CAIR-Michigan’s annual dinner held in Dearborn, Michigan. Rev. Jackson saw Imam Luqman’s murder as not only illegal, but immoral as well. Rev. Jackson saw the pumping of at least 21 bullets into a man as an evil act.
It seems this case will be around until we get some answers to all the mystery surrounding it. Sometimes things happen to allow a greater good to come from it. Maybe imam Luqman’s murder is such a thing.
Vacationing in the Bahamas, who would have thought that there are Muslims living in nice neighborhoods with a beautiful mosque. There are more than 300 Muslims in Nassau, Bahamas who are organized and have five daily prayers. Islam has come to the Bahamas more than 40 years ago via United States.
History
Which country is closest to Miami? It is the Bahamas, only 40 miles from Miami to the east while Cuba is 80 miles to the south. The Bahamas consists of more than 700 islands, well known for their gorgeous beaches, sea of colors, vivid flamingoes, and Poinciana trees that line the edge of roads and tantalize the senses with their fragrant aromas. Christopher Columbus discovered it on October 12, 1492 and named it Bahamas (low water or sea). The British have controlled it until the Bahamians achieved their independence on July 10, 1973. The thirteen colonies fought the British and won the island for few years but at the treaty of Versailles in 1783, the British traded Florida for the Bahamas.
Economy
Nassau, the capital, is the queen of archipelago, most densely populated consisting of two thirds of total population of 342,000. Eighty five percent of people are of African descent with literacy rate of 95 percent. City of Nassau is decorated with architecture of British, Spanish, Indian, Chinese and flavor of southern US. In 2008, 4.6 million people visited Bahamas, 85 percent from the USA. Its economy thrives on four areas for income: tourism, fishing, banking, and farming. The Bahamas, because of it strict secrecy laws, is called the “Switzerland of the West.†It has no income tax, sales tax, capital gain tax, estate tax, or inheritance tax. The nation’s stable government and economy as well as its proximity to the U.S. make it one of the most attractive areas for investors all over the world. There are 110 US affiliated businesses operating in the Bahamas, mostly in tourism and banking.
Coming of Islam
According to the old records, some of the early Muslims were brought as slaves from North Africa. In the 1960’s a Bahamian called Bashan Saladin (formerly Charles Cleare) preached Islam and converted his home into Mosque. In 1974, Dr. Munir Ahmad who returned from US as Dental Specialist and Mr. Mustafa khalil Khalfani joined hand to establish Islam. They were later joined by Br. Faisal AbdurRahmaan Hepburn. There is only one central college in Nassau and no large university. For all higher education, the Bahamians must travel to the United States. After independence, many Bahamians converted to Islam while studying in the US. Everyone you meet has connection to the US. There are many South Asian Muslims from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, as well as Turkey and Guyana totaling to 20-30 people working as doctors, businessmen and teachers that visit the mosque.
Community Development
There are many Muslims from India, Pakistan and other countries that have helped develop this community. In 1978 when Jamaat-Ul-Islam, the Revolutionary Islamic Movement, was formed and Br. Mustapha Khalil Khalafani was chosen as its leader. The Muslims established Jamaat- Ul-Islam Mosque in Nassau runned by Jamaat Management Consultancy Limited owned by Brother Faisal Abdurrahman Hepburn.
The Mosque
The Mosque rests on two acres of land, white in color with three domes (one large and two small) and one tall minaret. It is surrounded by newly planted trees, a colorful courtyard and a parking lot. Women area is separated by a perforated wooden partisan. The five daily prayers are performed punctually in congregation. Over 60 people attend the Friday sermon and prayer. Other activities include brothers and sisters study circle as well as children’s Sunday school.
Conclusion
Islam in Nassau is growing with strong foundation for increasing the Dawa work in the area. Muslims are being ignored or marginalized in many ways, because of being a very small minority(less than 1% of the population). For example, the media refuse to air positive Islamic program and local newspapers are reluctant to cover events relating to Islam and Muslims. They are still facing problems in carrying on their activities. They could use some help and attention from US Muslims in order to energize their work. Muslims in the U. S. including doctors, engineers etc. can contribute by devoting their 1-2 week of vacation per year while doing seminars on Islam or having free medical clinics while still enjoying the scenery. The entire area is conducive to Dawa work due to high literacy, good command of English language, respect for people from US in general and religious background. The US national organizations of Muslims have special obligation to reach out and extend a helping hand. Any cooperation and coordinated activity will go a long way in establishing Islam in this part of the world. For more information about the mosque or the Islamic organization in the Bahamas, contact them at email: faisalhepburn@yahoo.com or visit their website: http:// www.jamaahlus-sunnah.com/.
Anis Ansari, MD, Clinton, IA Dr. Ansari is President of Islamic Society of Clinton County in Clinton, IA and Board Certified Nephrologists. He can be reached at a.ansari@mchsi.com.
Amid an escalating sectarian divide, a predominantly Muslim Egypt is touting the completed renovation of the world’s oldest monastery as a symbol of tolerance and harmony with the Christian faith community.
Egypt, longstanding tensions between the Muslim majority and Christian minority periodically erupt in violence. The most fatal of the past decade was a drive-by shooting at a church on Coptic Christmas Eve in January that killed six Christians and a Muslim security guard. But amid the escalating sectarian divide, the Egyptian government says it is committed to maintaining the country’s diverse religious history by preserving historic religious sites.
Last month, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities announced the completion of a five-year renovation of St. Anthony’s monastery, the oldest Christian monastery in the world, touting it as a symbol of the country’s religious tolerance and harmony.
“I am very proud that I am able to restore not only Pharaonic, but also Islamic and Coptic and Jewish [sites], because all of these are a part of the Egyptian heritage,†says Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The renovation of the 1,600-year-old monastery, located at a desert oasis 100 miles southeast of Cairo, cost about $14.5 million and employed 500 Muslim laborers who lived and worked within the monastery’s grounds – itself a symbol of coexistence, says Mr. Hawass. “During Ramadan [the month-long holy Muslim fast], the monks used to eat with [the workers],†he says, referring to the daily meal that breaks the sunrise to sundown fast.
St. Anthony’s monastery was founded around AD 350 in homage to St. Anthony, widely believed to be the founder of Christian monasticism, who lived and died in the area. The renovation revealed the oldest Coptic cell in the world, dating from the 4th century AD. Today, according to Hawass, the active monastery, which houses dozens of monks, attracts 1 million visitors and pilgrims a year.
Hawass hopes that by preserving Egypt’s diverse past, he can heal Egypt’s troubled present. “Things like I’m doing … can make people know that we are one people,†he says. “There is no difference between a Copt or a Muslim, all of us are Egyptians.â€
Rounded Up: Artificial Terrorists and Entrapment After 9/11 By Shamshad Ahmad, PhD Troy Book Makers: 2009. www.thetroybookmakers.com
Book Review by Karin Friedemann, MMNS
Yassin Aref, a Kurdish refugee from Iraq, was thrust into the media spotlight with claims that his name was allegedly discovered in an address book found in the pocket of a “terrorist†killed by US soldiers in Iraq. At the time, Aref was working as an imam at an Islamic center in Albany, NY. After it was exposed that the entire case against him was a fraud based on a mistranslation, the US government resorted to “secret evidence†to continue Aref’s prosecution.
“How can a trial be called fair if a defendant, or even a defendant’s attorney, cannot challenge the evidence of the accusation against him?†asks the author.
Step by step this book details the injustices suffered by Aref and the local community.
The legal atrocity starts when the FBI raided the mosque in the culmination of a sting operation. An accused felon serving as a cooperating witness hoped to avoid prosecution in return for fingering Aref and local pizzeria owner Mohammed Hossain as dangerous Islamic terrorists. Such sting operations have been part of a larger strategy on the part of the Neocon-corrupted FBI and DOJ to justify selective surveillance and prosecution of Muslim Americans. A show trial based on secret evidence ended with a guilty verdict and an extremely harsh sentence handed down in 2007.
Dr. Ahmad describes how improper prosecutorial psychological tactics, US government manipulation or miscategorization of the evidence, and judicial misconduct gave the false impression the defendant was involved with terrorism when the actual albeit false charges pertained to money laundering.
Meanwhile, many supportive community members, media journalists, and cartoonists actively demonstrated their belief in Aref’s innocence. These American patriots bridged the gap between immigrant Muslims and the local community in order to preserve the freedom of an innocent man and to save what is left of America’s political integrity.
This book is an extremely painful and frustrating journey through the perversion of US law enforcement, which smears innocent people as terrorists in order for the government to save face for its failure to catch any real terrorists in the post-9/11 era.
It is too bad that every falsely accused person doesn’t have a friend like Dr. Ahmad to tell his story step by step, point by point. It is my hope that the evidence presented in this book will help win Aref’s freedom in his ongoing legal battle.
Those interested in learning more about the life and travails of Yassin Aref may wish to also read his book “Son of Mountains,†available at http://www.yassinaref.com/.
By Sumayyah Meehan, MMNS Middle East Correspondent
Already set to celebrate her ten year anniversary, savvy Lebanese businesswoman Sarah Beydoun has dedicated her life creating a happy medium of harmony between her social activism beliefs and her love of fashion. Through her business, “Sarah’s Bagsâ€, she has found a way to use her skills as an artisan to make a difference in the lives of both the rich and the poor, annihilating social stigmas all along the way.
Born and bred in Lebanon, Beydoun’s modus operandi is none other than most women’s most coveted accessory, the handbag. After writing her thesis about the plight of female Lebanese prisoners languishing in prisons for some of the most heinous crimes, Beydoun recognized an opportunity to make an impact in their lives. She spent some time on the ‘inside’ of a rehab center for female convicts and got up close and personal with their daily struggles. It would be that first encounter that would set the future path for Beydoun and what would become her life’s purpose in “Sarah’s Bagsâ€.
Beydoun sought out her own potential seamstresses in some of the toughest prisons and rehab facilities in Lebanon to create the bags, even teaching inmates how to embroider and sew beads herself. She also reached out to the poorest of the poor in Lebanon’s rural areas to give those women a chance to have a better future. “Sarah’s Bags†currently employs 100 designers who create its entire line of haute couture quality purses.
As Beydoun admits herself, each bag carries with it just a little bit of the impoverished or imprisoned woman who created it. The designs range from glittering spectacles of bling wear to socially aware pieces, like the ones featuring high ranking celebrities like Lebanese singers and even a queen or two. And the results have been outstanding and certainly a surprise to Beydoun. Everyone from top celebrities to the richest elite has clamored to have their own bag.
“Sarah’s Bags†can be found all over the Middle East and in Europe gracing the shelves of the most select boutiques. A single bag starts at $400, with more detailed bags fetching a handsome ransom. The company has also expanded over the years to include everything from shoes to belts to custom-designer jewelry and scarves.
Seeking to mark her tenth anniversary in style, Beydoun plans to handpick ten women to use her purses as their own personal canvas. Each woman will be allowed to share her personal trials and tribulations right on the handbag. In some small measure, they can use the power of the purse to let their voices be heard.
The awards and accolades Beydoun has begun collecting have been quite notable. Most recently, Beydoun’s line of socially aware purses were featured in Washington D.C. as part of the Kennedy Center’s International Festival. The future looks bright for Beydoun as an eager buzz, stretching clean across the globe, surrounds her company. However, the designer remains true to her roots promising to make employing less fortunate women the lifeblood of her company.
The snub marked a fresh low in US-Israeli relations and appeared designed to show Mr Netanyahu how low his stock had fallen in Washington after he refused to back down in a row over Jewish construction in east Jerusalem.
File picture: Bibi Netanyahu and Barack Obama
The Israeli prime minister arrived at the White House on Tuesday evening brimming with confidence that the worst of the crisis in his country’s relationship with the United States was over.
Over the previous two days, he had been feted by senior Republicans and greeted warmly by members of Congress. He had also received a standing ovation from the American Israel Public Affairs Affairs Committee, one of the most influential lobby groups in the United States.
But Mr. Obama was less inclined to be so conciliatory. He immediately presented Mr. Netanyahu with a list of 13 demands designed both to the end the feud with his administration and to build Palestinian confidence ahead of the resumption of peace talks. Key among those demands was a previously-made call to halt all new settlement construction in east Jerusalem.
When the Israeli prime minister stalled, Mr. Obama rose from his seat declaring: “I’m going to the residential wing to have dinner with Michelle and the girls.â€
As he left, Mr. Netanyahu was told to consider the error of his ways. “I’m still around,†Mr. Obama is quoted by Israel’s Yediot Ahronot newspaper as having said. “Let me know if there is anything new.â€
For over an hour, Mr. Netanyahu and his aides closeted themselves in the Roosevelt Room on the first floor of the White House to map out a response to the president’s demands.
Although the two men then met again, at 8.20 pm, for a brief second meeting, it appeared that they failed to break the impasse. White House officials were quoted as saying that disagreements remained. Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, added: “Apparently they did not reach an understanding with the United States.â€
It was the second time this month that Mr Netanyahu has been at the receiving end of a US dinner-time snub.
A fortnight ago, Joe Biden the US vice president, arrived 90 minutes late for a dinner Mr. Netanyahu hosted in Jerusalem after Israel announced plans to build 1,600 new homes in Ramat Shlomo, a Jewish settlement in the city’s predominantly Arab east.
Erupting in fury, the United States described the decision to expand Ramat Shlomo as an “insult†that undermined Mr. Biden’s peace making efforts and demanded that it be reversed. Palestinians see east Jerusalem, captured by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War, as their future capital and regard any Jewish building there as a barrier to a peace settlement.
Mr Obama’s mood further soured in the minutes before his meeting with Mr. Netanyahu after it emerged that approval had been given for an even more contentious Jewish building project in the heart of one of east Jerusalem’s Palestinian suburbs.
Sending a clear message of his displeasure, Mr. Obama treated his guest to a series of slights. Photographs of the meeting were forbidden and an Israeli request to issue a joint-statement once it was over were turned down.
“There is no humiliation exercise that the Americans did not try on the prime minister and his entourage,†Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported. “Bibi received in the White House the treatment reserved for the president of Equatorial Guinea.â€
It is not the first time that Mr. Netanyahu has been involved in a dinner-time snub, although he is arguably more used to delivering, rather than receiving, them. In 1998, during his first term as Israeli prime minister, Mr. Netanyahy angrily cancelled a dinner he was due to give with the then Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook. Mr. Cook had earned his host’s ire after he briefly visited a new Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem with a Palestinian official and called for an end to all settlement construction in the parts of the city Israel occupied after the Six-Day war.
I was very surprised to find a reference to my work while “googling†to see if a certain academic piece of mine was online, for I wished to make a reference to it, but I discovered, in the internet edition of Outlook India of August 27th 2007 (http://www. outlookindia/article.aspx?23514), I found an unflattering reference to myself. In an interactive comment at the bottom of a travel article on Kashmir, “Eden’s Secret†by Parvaz Bukhavi, there was an attack not only on me, but another American academic and three leading progressives in India. To quote the comment by a Mr. Varun Shekkar of Toronto Ontario in Canada:
“Articles like this [it happened to be an apolitical travel piece] should give lie to Kashmiri separatists, but to their supporters across the border [i.e., Pakistan], and their vulgar sympathizers in the international media like Eric Margolis and Geoffrey Cook(!)..†The interactive commentator goes on to say because of the comparative peacefulness of the region of Gurais in the (Indian, sic.[!]) State, “…the…Kashmiri movement is not a province-wide struggle against ‘Indian rule’…a strong rebuff to the likes of Arundhati Roy, Praful Bidwai and Nandita Haksar.â€
Thank you, Mr. Shekkar, for including me in such a stellar array of fighters for human rights! I am a great admirer of Mr. Margolis, but the Ms. and Mr. Roy, Bidwai and Haksar are, also, Indian citizens, and they are courageous individuals for speaking criticizing their own country’s policies when those procedures are wrong! I am afraid my name should not be listed with these brave and learned individuals, but I am glad at least someone is reading my works – even my critics!
For me this insult is praise! From time to time I receive such “compliments†in the press and listservs. That is one of the drawbacks for “opinion makers,†such as journalists politicians and other individuals who expose their necks to the public.
Kashmir, after Palestine, is the most burning political issue within the Islamic world currently, for both sides of the argument are nuclear powers, and they almost came to explosive fisticuffs in 2001-2002 which would have killed and maimed hundreds of millions of human souls if not for the diplomatic skills of Perez Musharaf! I do not wish to go over the recommendations that I made to the United States State Department through an elected Congressional official with whom I worked with on the conundrum and the United Nations — at their request. Because my scenario depends upon one step following after another, an order which is not the way how negotiations work – which are fraught with compromises, I shall not go into my suggestions as a whole. Kashmir is a resolvable situation, though, but the problem lies within the Government buildings in New Delhi.
The Simla Agreement, where it was agreed that India and Pakistan would work out “outstanding differences bilaterally†without third party interference, has been unworkable! Third parties (major extra-regional powers?) are needed – especially for shuttle diplomacy.
There is a fair enough chance that India’s right-wing political party, the BJP, who almost brought the region to catastrophe during the first year of this millennium, might be able to form a coalition after the next general election.
Kashmir can be settled, and it must be! The sooner the better because of the changing political landscape in South Asia (Pakistan, too, is in danger that the struggle in the Northwest Frontier Provinces (N.W.P.)will descend into urban regions and their hinterlands there).
The Arabian Sea area, which borders South Asia, portions of the Middle East and East Africa, does not only have a nuclear threat from Southern Asia but from the United States, France and Israel from their nuclear missiles within their submarines which regularly prowl the vastness of that Sea. The quandary lies not only with the Indo-Pak rivalry over Kashmir, but the other powers as well within that wide maritime territory. The goal should be a nuclear-free zone in the expanse of that ocean and its surrounding nations!
The first step, though, is that Islamabad and New Delhi should begin consultations without preconditions!
Future of Industry lies in move from sharia-compliant to sharia-based approach
Dubai : We are at an important crossroads in Islamic finance and banking, and I want to explore, in this column, the future of Islamic finance.
We hear about 1.5 billion Muslims, but has Islamic finance benefited the ‘man on the street?’ What is so ‘Islamic’ about Islamic finance?
Have we simply been putting an Islamic wrapper around conventional structures and products and placing a blessing them?
I’ve been in Islamic finance for more than a decade. This inaugural article will set the non-technical tone for the important areas I want to explore in the future, and I encourage the readers to comment as the Islamic finance community’s collective psyche, experience and insight will benefit the industry.
We in Islamic finance want to see a group blueprint of the industry going forward, including the building of two-way bridges — be it with South-east Asia or with Group of 20 (G20) countries.
Islamic finance is, at one level, for all those interested in “boring financeâ€, asset or project backed/based financing and non-turbo-charged investing (without derivatives and excessive leverage) in selected real economic sectors.
Islam does not necessarily have a monopoly on ethics because these are common shared values with other religions and philosophies. However, the former has ‘codified,’ via scholars, screens and structures into financial contracts having links to permissible real economic activities.
Sharia compliance
Among the 57 Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) countries, not one Muslim country in the last 40 years has ‘Islamised’ its economy for general acceptance; not Sudan, Pakistan or Iran.
The $1 trillion (Dh3.67 trillion) industry operates in a world economy of inter-connected interest rates, debt and other similar factors, hence Sharia scholars have allowed a permissible amount of impurity as long as the industry moves towards removing such impermissibilities.
Put differently, scholars, as Sharia gatekeepers, are seeking progress and prosperity, which is different from modernisation. Thus the reference rates in Islamic mortgages, syndicated loans, sukuks and other financing are the efficient cost of capital credit of the London interbank offered rate (Libor) and/or the Treasury. However, where is the industry with a methodology for an Islamic interbank offer rate (Ibor)?
There are over 555 Islamic funds with $35 billion (Dh129 billion) of assets under management, and, if we focus on Islamic equity funds, the question that comes to mind is this: ‘What is the link between a Sharia-screened company from any of the five index providers to Islamic finance or a Muslim country?’
The screening results in a universe that can be deemed as a style of investing — ‘non-financial, low debt social-ethical investing.’
Thus, some of the Sharia-compliant companies include Microsoft, BP Amoco, Pfizer (with a bias towards energy, health care, and technology), yet what is their link or connection to Islamic finance?
Could such companies and, in the aggregate, present day Sharia-compliant Islamic indices, be deemed an economic indicator of Islamic finance in a Muslim country? We now need to look at Sharia-based Islamic indices.
IFIs and sukuks
We hear and read about 300 Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) in 75 countries, and the need for larger balance sheets to compete against the ‘big boys’ on the project finance deal table for instance, hence, a call for the consolidation or the creation of established Islamic mega-banks.
A concern with such an Islamic mega-bank revolves round whether it poses a systemic and confidence risk in the home country as concentrated exposure without many compliant-hedging mechanisms?
Is there a need to think about safety nets and stress tests before central banks allows for an Islamic mega-bank?
The sukuk market, roughly equated to Islamic bonds, is now worth over $107 billion, having been the locomotive of Islamic finance during the petro-liquidity spike.
However, recent bankruptcies, defaults, and restructuring exercises, have been portrayed by western media as the beginning of the end of Islamic finance.
In an embryonic industry, like the 40-year-old Islamic finance, these growing pains are welcomed and will actually strengthen the industry, as precedents become known and down-side risk is better understood.
Sukuk growth and development appear to be following the ‘path’ of the Eurobond market, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and General Electric (GE) sukuk issuances in late 2009 underline the merits of such financing in turbulence.
Contribution factor
We have a number of Islamic finance conferences, and a number of Islamic finance awards.
It is often strange to see or read when different conference organisers or magazines have, for instance, a ‘best Islamic bank’ award, and each names a different bank.
It has been said in certain quarters that some of these awards are driven by sponsorships rather than actual votes or, ideally speaking, real contribution to the industry.
At this stage in Islamic finance, awards should emphasise ‘contribution’ and not ‘best,’ as that latter implies mature and connected Islamic financial institutions globally.
The foremost contribution to Islamic finance has been made by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Governor Zeti Akhthar Aziz, and, obviously, the real Sharia scholars, regulators like the United Kingdom’s FSA, central banks like the Central bank of Bahrain, and conventional banks with windows and subsidiaries.
Shaikh Mohammad, a standalone stakeholder, raised the profile of Islamic finance globally via the Dubai brand before oil reached $140 a barrel, and Zeti, as a globe-trotting ambassador, made her a separate asset class in Islamic finance.
They have established the awareness and macro framework, and now the industry has to move towards Islamic finance 2.0.
Pulse of Islamic finance
One of the serious issues the markets are tackling is to how to find an effective, overall pulse of Islamic finance. In most instances, numbers such as $1 trillion and the like are used to demonstrate the awesome potential of this industry.
However, how can we really gauge what’s happening to the industry on a daily basis?
The path to Sharia-based Islamic finance is expected to have speed-bumps, pot-holes, diversion road signs, construction vehicles with signs such as ‘do not follow’, but lets raise the issues from Sharia-compliance to get to the destination of Sharia-based.
The writer is the global head of Islamic Finance & OIC Countries for Thomson Reuters. The views expressed in this column are his own and should not be attributed to his organisation.
