Imperialist Islam Unveiled: A wide ranging interview with Dr. Mark Durie

.... The West appears to have little capacity for containing the rise of Shariah across the Muslim world. We are caught flat-footed without a clue about what is happening, and are standing confused by all the voices coming from the Muslim world, not knowing which way to turn. The issue is ultimately not our lack of influence. It is our lack of will, and widespread denial.

We do not know even how to recognize, let alone support the voices of moderation. We refuse to admit the real nature of the problem, namely its theological roots. We have shown little capacity for befriending those who are struggling for human rights in Islamic states.

Our elites are grotesquely relieved to partner with ideologues who sooth them with deceptive words, while all the time these ill-found partners oppose essential principles of universal human rights. [The Iconoclast] Read more

Shafia murders: Fatwa issued against honour killings, domestic violence, hatred of women

Muslim clerics in Canada issued a fatwa on Saturday against honour killings, domestic violence and hatred of women.

“These crimes are major sins in Islam, punishable by the court of law and almighty Allah,” said Prof. Imam Syed Soharwardy, representing 34 clerics affiliated with the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada.

The announcement was made at a news conference in Mississauga, on the eve of Eid Milad un Nabi, which Muslims celebrate as the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.

The fatwa — a morally binding religious edict — was issued by the ISCC in the wake of a quadruple-murder trial involving a polygamous Muslim-Canadian family living in Montreal. [Toronto Star] Read more

Islam, honour, murder

I sat last Sunday watching television with a mixture of incredulity and anger as a police inspector stood in front of a camera and explained the evils of domestic violence.

He was discussing, of course, the Shafia case and the murder of four innocent women, some of them mere girls, by their Muslim father, their Muslim mother, and their Muslim brother.

The detective meant well, I’m sure, but this had nothing to do with domestic violence and everything to do with honour killings.

I then watched a Kingston Islamic cleric explain how this mass murder was not about Islam, and how “people of other faiths commit such crimes.”

Do they? Well, there have been some isolated cases within the Sikh community, but the only religion that produces such slaughters in countries throughout the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, is Islam. [Toronto Sun] Read more

Belgian politician risks Muslim backlash after using teenage daughter dressed in burka and bikini for campaign against Islam

A Belgian politician has risked causing uproar among Muslims after starting a 'Women Against Islamization' campaign featuring his 19-year-old daughter wearing a burka and a bikini.

Filip Dewinter, leader of the far-right Vlaams Belang party, uses a shot of his daughter An-Sofie Dewinter in the dark blue bikini for the political campaign.

The glamorous teenager dons a burka that covers her head and face, while the rest of the Muslim garment is draped over her back. [MailOnline] Read more

Politician Blasted for Support of Islamic Law

.... Hartloff, a politician from the center-left Social Democrats, made clear that he was referring specifically to family law issues such as divorce settlements and alimony, but also certain instances of contract law in which devout Muslims seek to avoid paying interest. Applying Sharia rules, he said, could help avoid hostility in such cases.

Reaction, perhaps predictably, has not been entirely supportive. Jörg-Uwe Hahn, the justice minister in the state of Hesse, lambasted Hartloff, telling the mass-circulation tabloid Bild that "German courts are here responsible for the law. We don't need special Islamic courts." [SPIEGEL ONLINE] Read more

How the West should treat ‘honor’ killings

.... Honor-related crimes, often wrongly labeled an Islamic practice, take place in patriarchal communities where gender roles remain strictly divided and the interests of the community prevail over those of individuals, particularly women.

A radical interpretation of Islam does at times provide religious cover for violence against women, and many of the 5,000 honor killings committed each year, according to United Nations estimates, take place in Muslim countries.

But such practices persist in Sikh and Hindu communities as well, and only a few decades ago, crimes were still committed in the name of honor in Mediterranean countries like Italy, Spain and Greece. [Reuters Blogs - FaithWorld] Read more

Italy's Mosque Wars

The southern Italian island of Sicily is about to become the proud new owner of a multi-million euro mega-mosque.

The mosque, to be built in the medieval town of Salemi in southwestern Sicily, is being paid for by the oil-rich Persian Gulf Emirate of Qatar. Supporters of the mosque hope it will become a reference point for Muslims in Sicily as well as the rest of Italy.

Construction of the mosque reflects the growing influence of Islam in Italy, which is now home to an estimated 1.5 million Muslims. [Stonegate Institute] Read more

Iranian Court Upholds Death Sentence for Software Designer

This week the Iranian supreme court upheld the death sentence handed down to an Iranian-born Canadian resident named Saeid Malekpour, who was arrested while he was inside Iran visiting his ailing father. Malekpour is charged with "insulting the sanctity of Islam" and "corruption on earth," two regularly invoked grounds for execution in Iran, because of photo-uploading software he designed that was then "used by a porn website without his knowledge," reports The Guardian.

This is equivalent to Mark Zuckerberg being put on trial because someone uploaded a nudie pic to his or her Facebook profile. [Reason Magazine] Read more

How The New York Times Covered The Shafia Verdict In Canada

A few days ago The New York Times ran a story about the Canadian trial, in which Mohamed Shafia, one of his wives, and his son were all found guilty of the carefully-planned murder of another of his wives, and three of his daughters.

.... Why do you think the editors of The New York Times put a full stop -- inaccurately -- after the phrase "the domination and control of women," and left out the memorable and eloquent phrase that in fact ended the sentence uttered by Judge Maranger: "a sick notion of honor that has absolutely no place in any civilized society." [The Iconoclast] Read more

Moderate Muslim Groups Give Their Support To Anti-Jihad Film

The American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) and the American Islamic Leadership Coalition (AILC) have both come out in support of the anti-Jihad film The Third Jihad.

…. This follows calls for the resignation of New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. There have been accusations that the film is ‘Islamophobic’ and that therefore, presumably, its use as a training film by the New York Police Department is example of Islamophobia. [International Civil Liberties Alliance] Read more

Reaction to Muslim marriage changes

Regulation is absolutely necessary to ensure women are treated fairly, according to a London-based Sharia council.

Following an Observer report last month on the work of Harrow borough resident Tehmina Kazi, a campaigner working to change the law to give equal rights to women in arbitration hearings, members of the Muslim community have come out in support of her work.

Ms Kazi, director of British Muslims for Secular Democracy, wants Muslim women to know about alternatives to Sharia law the Islamic legal system followed by some Muslims in the UK and is supporting measures introduced in Baroness Caroline Coxs Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill. [Harrow Observer] Read more [via National Secular Society]

Muslim arbitration in Germany

Mediating disputes is an age-old tradition in the Arab world, which is also practiced in Germany. But experts warn of the danger of a parallel, Muslim judiciary.

They do not wear black robes and most have not studied law at a university. Muslim arbitrators, also called justices of the peace, do not work in courts or law firms. Some are imams, who adhere to Sharia tradition. They act as a mediator in marriage and other family disputes. In an ideal world, they manage to de-escalate the situation and prevent further disputes.

Joachim Wagner, who has written a book on the topic called "Judges acting outside the law," can see the positive aspect of that tradition, but his research has also yielded many negative examples. [Deutsche Welle] Read more [via Islam in Europe]

Muslim America moves away from the minaret

In post 9/11 America the construction of new mosques in the US has sometimes sparked controversy and even confrontation. Is that why some new Muslim houses of worship are being built without the most recognisable features of Islamic architecture - minarets and domes?

The National Islamic Center in Washington DC is an imposing building with a towering minaret. One of America's iconic mosques, it is surrounded by the flags of the Islamic countries which helped pay for its construction in the 1950s. [BBC] Read more

What a whopper: spat rages over halal burger claims

.... "Woo hoo! I've been hoping for ages that a hungry jacks becomes halal! How excitement," one fan posted on an internet forum.

Another eager customer posted a photograph of what appeared to be the genuine halal certificate.

But then last week Hungry Jack's tweeted that none of its stores were halal and apologised "to customers led to believe otherwise by the Tullamarine franchisee".

Signs were put up at the Tullamarine store notifying customers that it did not offer halal food. [The Age] Read more

Egyptian film star sentenced for insulting Islam

The Arab world's most famous comic actor, Adel Imam, has received a three-month jail sentence for insulting Islam in films and plays, a court document showed on Thursday.

Imam, who has frequently poked fun at authorities and politicians of all colors during a 40-year career, has one month to appeal the sentence and will remain out of jail until the appeal process is concluded.

The sentence Wednesday evening came weeks after Islamists swept most seats in a parliamentary election. The case was brought by Asran Mansour, a lawyer with ties to Islamist groups, and had languished in court for months, judicial sources said. [Reuters] Read more

Calls to Behead Indonesian Atheist Alexander Aan

.... The trouble began when civil servant Alexander Aan posted a message on the Facebook page of Atheist Minang, a group of Indonesians with godless beliefs. It read: “God doesn’t exist.”

The post so enraged residents in Aan’s hometown of Pulau Punjung in West Sumatra province that an angry mob of dozens stormed his office and beat up the 30-year-old.

To add insult to injury, police then arrested him and now want to press blasphemy charges that could see him locked up for five years.

Muslim extremists have called for Aan to be beheaded but fellow atheists have rallied round, and urged him to stand by his convictions despite the pressure. [JakartaGlobe] Read more

Barking mad: Dutch Muslim calls for a ban on dog ownership in The Hague

.... Given that just about everything Islamic is utterly insane, it seemed plausible that a canine cover-up had been proposed – until the name Mohammed Qootip leapt from the page. The “moderate student” who owns a female collie, said:

It makes us look ridiculous. Also, it makes it difficult to recognise our dogs. And half the time they end up soiling the burqa. It’s a mess.

I was reminded of that satirical piece today after reading that Hasan Küçük, a Turkish-Dutch representative for the Islam Democrats, called for a ban on dogs in The Hague, the third-largest city in the Netherlands. [The Freethinker] Read more

Veiled Muslim Woman Denied Gas Wants Chevron Apology

A Muslim woman is threatening to sue Chevron unless the gas giant issues her a better apology for refusing to serve her while she was wearing a veil that exposed only her eyes.

.... Chevron acknowledged that Mohamed was asked to remove her veil for "security purposes" and said it was protocol for people to remove masks and head coverings for the safety of gas station attendants.

Mohamed, 39, refused to remove her veil and called police. Despite having an officer on the scene, she was still denied service. [ABC News Network] Read more [via The Iconoclast]

Debate on Religion Takes Over Politics in Ankara

Political squabbles over religion simmered in Ankara yesterday as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted that raising devout generations was part of his Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) mission.

“Do you expect the conservative democrat AK Party to raise atheist generations? This may be your business and objective but not ours. We will raise a generation that is conservative and democratic and embraces the values and historical principles of its nation,” Erdogan said at an AKP gathering. [Journal of Turkish Weekly] Read more [via National Secular Society]

Muslim cab driver refuses guide dog in Letchworth

A BLIND man says he was refused use of a taxi in Letchworth because the Muslim driver would not allow his guide dog in the car.

Blind journalist Sean Dilley with ChippStevenage resident Sean Dilley had been at Letchworth Sports and Tennis Club in Muddy Lane with his guide dog Chipp on Sunday evening for a blind tennis demonstration.

Friends had organised for a taxi driver to pick up the 29-year-old after the event and take him back to Letchworth rail station. [The Advertiser] Read more [via National Secular Society]

Freed from Gaddafi, Libyan Sufis now face violent Islamists

Freed from Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year dictatorship, Libya’s Sufi Muslims find themselves under renewed pressure from violent Islamists who have been attacking them and their beliefs as heretical.

The desecration of graves belonging to Sufi saints and sages in recent months have put the peaceful Sufis on the defensive, prompting some to post armed guards at their mosques and lodges to ward off hardline thugs. [Reuters Blogs - FaithWorld] Read more

Netherlands: Minister says imams should speak out against homophobia

Education Minister Van Bijsterveldt says all imams in the Netherlands should jointly speak against homophobic violence and support respecting gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders.

"I would really appreciate it if they do that, just like Christian churches did not so long ago," she said yesterday during a meeting of SMN (Alliance of Moroccan-Dutch) in Utrecht. The minister said it would be a strong signal that everyone can be part of the Muslim community, regardless of sexual orientation, origin or culture. [Islam in Europe] Read more

Mockery row church set on fire

An ORTHODOX Christian church famed for its icons was set alight in southern Macedonia yesterday, as tension between Christians and Muslims grew over a carnival in which men dressed as women in burqas and mocked the Koran. [news.scotsman.com] Read more

A Practical and Legal Analysis of Islamic Marriage, Divorce and Dowry

.... Men can divorce their wives unilaterally by pronouncing talaq three times either consecutively or on three separate occasions depending on the Islamic school of thought by which the married couple abide.

Although the husband is able to divorce his wife unilaterally without involving a Sharia council, the husband and/or the wife may apply to the Sharia council for an Islamic talaq certificate, which can be used as evidence that the couple are now divorced.

Unlike men, women cannot unilaterally divorce their husbands. As a result 98% of Islamic divorce petitioners at Birmingham Central Mosque are women. [Family Law Week] Read more [via National Secular Society]

The Ethics of Offence

.... A motion was proposed titled ‘No to Islamophobia’ and while on the surface this seems like just the kind of rally against religious hatred that we should fully endorse, the text of the motion was highly problematic.

Islamophobia was in part defined as ‘a form of racism expressed through the hatred or fear of Islam… (and) attacking the Qur’an as a manual of hatred.’

The rest of the motion was sound in its efforts to protect Muslims from harassment and demonisation, but these specific lines amount to introducing blasphemy laws on campus, and restricting what one can say about the ideas of Islam. [Harry’s Place] Read more