C L O S E R

Musharraf seeks Dutch support for access to European markets – PakTribune

Posted on May 2nd, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Musharraf seeks Dutch support for access to European markets – PakTribune
Musharraf seeks Dutch support for access to European markets

Wednesday May 03, 2006 (0105 PST)

RAWALPINDI: Expressing hope that Holland can play matchless role to help access of Pakistani exports to European markets, President General Pervez Musharraf underlined the need Pak-Holland should bolster ties in various areas with special reference in defence sector.

President Musharraf expressed these remarks in meeting with Holland foreign minister Bernard R. Bot who called on him here Tuesday.

“Holland is enjoying important position among European states. The Holland should extend full cooperation in access of Pakistani exports to European markets,” Musharraf added.

Terming Pak-Holland cooperation against the nasty game of terrorism, Musharraf said that Pak-Holland closer cooperation would help ensure international peace.

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Protected: [MoslimMedia] België / Waarom dachten wij dat het Marokkanen waren?

Posted on April 28th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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De dodenherdenking & bevrijdingsdag 2006

Posted on April 28th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

De Unie van Marokkaanse Moskeeën Amsterdam en Omstreken (UMMAO) roept ook dit jaar alle moskeebesturen, imams en moslims op om stil te staan en aandacht te schenken aan de dodenherdenking en de viering van de bevrijdingsdag. Vrijheid en verscheidenheid zijn waarden die voor ons allen een groot goed is en moet blijven.
Op 4 mei herdenken wij op verschillende plaatsen in Amsterdam, en in heel Nederland, de slachtoffers van de Tweede Wereldoorlog in Nederland en de rest van de wereld. De Islam beschouwt waarden als vrijheid, verscheidenheid, vrijheid van meningsuiting, rechtvaardigheid, vrijheid van godsdienst als een van haar belangrijkste fundamenten.
In deze periode staan wij stil bij de gebeurtenissen en herdenken wij de strijders die om zijn gekomen voor deze waarden, die hedendaags veelal als vanzelfsprekend worden beschouwd.
Wij verzoeken alle Amsterdammers, moslims en niet-moslims, om in deze periode bij de dodenherdenking stil te staan en extra aandacht te besteden aan het belang van vrijheid en verscheidenheid binnen onze samenleving.
Met deze gebeurtenissen in ons achterhoofd en een positieve instelling kunnen we er samen voor zorgen dat deze strijd niet voor niets is geweest.

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De dodenherdenking & bevrijdingsdag 2006

Posted on April 28th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

De Unie van Marokkaanse Moskeeën Amsterdam en Omstreken (UMMAO) roept ook dit jaar alle moskeebesturen, imams en moslims op om stil te staan en aandacht te schenken aan de dodenherdenking en de viering van de bevrijdingsdag. Vrijheid en verscheidenheid zijn waarden die voor ons allen een groot goed is en moet blijven.
Op 4 mei herdenken wij op verschillende plaatsen in Amsterdam, en in heel Nederland, de slachtoffers van de Tweede Wereldoorlog in Nederland en de rest van de wereld. De Islam beschouwt waarden als vrijheid, verscheidenheid, vrijheid van meningsuiting, rechtvaardigheid, vrijheid van godsdienst als een van haar belangrijkste fundamenten.
In deze periode staan wij stil bij de gebeurtenissen en herdenken wij de strijders die om zijn gekomen voor deze waarden, die hedendaags veelal als vanzelfsprekend worden beschouwd.
Wij verzoeken alle Amsterdammers, moslims en niet-moslims, om in deze periode bij de dodenherdenking stil te staan en extra aandacht te besteden aan het belang van vrijheid en verscheidenheid binnen onze samenleving.
Met deze gebeurtenissen in ons achterhoofd en een positieve instelling kunnen we er samen voor zorgen dat deze strijd niet voor niets is geweest.

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Protected: telegraaf.nl Ebru Omar

Posted on April 25th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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Expatica’s Belgian news in English: Judiciary ‘regrets’ blaming North Africans

Posted on April 25th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Expatica’s Belgian news in English: Judiciary ‘regrets’ blaming North Africans
Judiciary ‘regrets’ blaming North Africans

25 April 2006

BRUSSEL — Federal police and the Brussels public prosecution office regret that in the aftermath of the murder of teen Joe Van Holsbeeck an accusing finger was initially pointed at the North African community in Belgium.

However, the judicial director of the federal police, Glenn Audenaert, congratulated police on Tuesday for the results thus far from the investigation into the Brussels Central station murder.

“We think it is very regrettable that shortly after the murder the North African community was immediately accused, certainly now that it appears the culprits were not from that community,” Audenaert said.

“I must point out though that the federal police never said
that the suspects were definitely North Africans”.

That terminology was used by the Brussels public prosecution office. Spokesman Jos Colpin apologised and said the suspects were publicly identified by the prosecution as North Africans based on the first witness statements.

“Nearly every statement talked about North Africans or culprits of North African origin,” Coplin said.

But both the prosecution and federal police spokesmen agreed that police services had performed commendable work.

Audenaert said railway police sat through more than 200 hours of security camera footage to find usable images of the suspects, local police from the six Brussels zones deployed extra officers and federal officers also performed well.

The judicial director also thanked school teaching staff in the Francophone education system for displaying responsibility and assisting police inquiries.

“It is partly thanks to them that we have found the culprits. We also thank everyone who gave us useful information. A lot of people know what civil responsibility is,” Audenaert said.

[Copyright Expatica News 2006]

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Expatica's Belgian news in English: Judiciary 'regrets' blaming North Africans

Posted on April 25th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Expatica’s Belgian news in English: Judiciary ‘regrets’ blaming North Africans
Judiciary ‘regrets’ blaming North Africans

25 April 2006

BRUSSEL — Federal police and the Brussels public prosecution office regret that in the aftermath of the murder of teen Joe Van Holsbeeck an accusing finger was initially pointed at the North African community in Belgium.

However, the judicial director of the federal police, Glenn Audenaert, congratulated police on Tuesday for the results thus far from the investigation into the Brussels Central station murder.

“We think it is very regrettable that shortly after the murder the North African community was immediately accused, certainly now that it appears the culprits were not from that community,” Audenaert said.

“I must point out though that the federal police never said
that the suspects were definitely North Africans”.

That terminology was used by the Brussels public prosecution office. Spokesman Jos Colpin apologised and said the suspects were publicly identified by the prosecution as North Africans based on the first witness statements.

“Nearly every statement talked about North Africans or culprits of North African origin,” Coplin said.

But both the prosecution and federal police spokesmen agreed that police services had performed commendable work.

Audenaert said railway police sat through more than 200 hours of security camera footage to find usable images of the suspects, local police from the six Brussels zones deployed extra officers and federal officers also performed well.

The judicial director also thanked school teaching staff in the Francophone education system for displaying responsibility and assisting police inquiries.

“It is partly thanks to them that we have found the culprits. We also thank everyone who gave us useful information. A lot of people know what civil responsibility is,” Audenaert said.

[Copyright Expatica News 2006]

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Protected: Trouw, hetNieuws| nederland – Homoseksualiteit / Kritiek op Hirsi Ali werkt als boemerang

Posted on April 24th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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Protected: Trouw, hetNieuws| nederland – Homoseksualiteit / Kritiek op Hirsi Ali werkt als boemerang

Posted on April 24th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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Gay policy sparks Muslim council dispute- from Pink News

Posted on April 23rd, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Gay policy sparks Muslim council dispute- from Pink News- all the latest gay news from the gay community – Pink News
Gay policy sparks Muslim council dispute

PinkNews.co.uk last week revealed informal MCB talks regarding gay rights in reaction to Sir Iqbal Sacranie’s Radio 4 comments
23-Apr-2006
Marc Shoffman

PinkNews.co.uk Exclusive Investigation
A dispute appears to be emerging within the board of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and its advisors in regards to their policy on gay issues.

Last week PinkNews.co.uk revealed an informal 5 year MCB plan to combat homophobia amongst Muslims and Islamophobia in the gay community, after talking to the group’s policy consultant, Muhammed Aziz.

The story, seen as a landmark move in the organisation, was picked up by several news media including the Islam Channel, but when they spoke to the MCB media secretary, Inayat Bunglawala, he denied all knowledge of any work.

He insisted that Mr Aziz does not represent the MCB and told the Islam Channel, “There is no truth in these quotes, our position is very clear, our Secretary General (Sir Iqbal Sacranie) was nearly prosecuted for this because we maintain that homosexual relationships are sinful in Islam.”

“We do not believe that it is in any way equal with marriage between man and wife, we do not accept the idea of gay adoption, we believe it is completely wrong.”

Mr Bunglawala claimed that he spoke to Mr Aziz who refuted the comments. PinkNews.co.uk spoke to Mr Aziz for a second time, he confirmed that he his not an official policy advisor to the MCB, but he just gives them advice and sits on equality forums for them.

Mr Aziz reiterated that there are plans with gay groups, but nothing as formal as a five year plan.

He told PinkNews.co.uk he would seek to clarify his exact role with the MCB.

Mr Bunglawala’s insistence that Mr Aziz does not represent the organisation is contradicted by his participation on the Equality and Diversity Forum (EDF) and the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, where he is listed as an “advisor” to the MCB.

In the minutes of the 18th January 2006 meeting of the EDF he speaks on their behalf and suggests talks with the gay charity, Stonewall.

The notes, in the any other business section, said: “Mohammed Aziz addressed the subject of remarks made by Sir Iqbal Sacranie in an interview on Radio 4. Part of what was said related to a real issue about the theological position of sexuality in Islam and this needs to be engaged with and a solution sought. Two comments were made that were particularly regrettable, about damage to society and about a possible danger to public health.

“While he cannot apologise for Sir Iqbal Sacranie’s comments, Mohammed would like to apologise on a personal level for the pain and hurt that they caused – he knows the pain and hurt that he would feel if such comments were made about Muslims.”

He then is reported to be speaking as an “advisor to the MCB.” The document said, “This affair has been a wake-up call. Up until now, the strategy of Mohammed and others who were asked to be MCB advisors around 2002-2003 was to steer the MCB away from the topic of homosexuality.

“To some extent this strategy succeeded, for example in relation to Section 28 and civil partnership. But this controversy has shown that that approach isn’t enough. So at a personal level and with the support of colleagues Mohammed plans to take this problem forward in three ways: 1) on 31st January at the APPG on conflict of rights to put some thoughts forward on how to deal with issues about theology and conflict with other rights; 2) to engage some Islamic scholars with a human rights background to address this problem; and 3) to develop a project of engagement between the communities involved, which he has already discussed with Stonewall.”

Alan Wardle, Stonewall’s director of Parliamentary and Public Affairs, was also at the meeting, he confirmed there has been some contact with the MCB but said any specific projects are in the early stages, he said “It is something we may look into for the future.”

A DTI spokesman also told PinkNews.co.uk that talks had taken place.

The document concluded, “The EDF Chair will write to the MCB setting out EDF’s position on homophobia and Islamophobia, welcoming the discourse that is going to take place and offering to contribute to taking this dialogue forward.”

But in his interview with the Islam Channel, Mr Bunglawala expressed shock that the station was covering this story and insisted, “There are no talks with any gay groups anywhere.”

He added: “Islam has a clear moral position which is that it does not regard homosexual relationships as acceptable.”

The MCB’s legal affairs chair, Khalid Sofi, last week told PinkNews.co.uk that Mr Aziz does work with them on issues relating to equality, discrimination and sexual orientation.

Mr Bunglawa told Pinknews.co.uk, “I will always be too busy,” when asked to comment.

If Mr Aziz is not a representative of MCB then this raises the question of who speaks for them on equality committees such as the EDF and CHR, as no one else is listed from the organisation on their websites or in their minutes.

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Guardian Unlimited | Burning of sanctuary stokes fears of Islamophobia in Spain

Posted on April 22nd, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Burning of sanctuary stokes fears of Islamophobia in Spain

Giles Tremlett in Madrid
Tuesday April 18, 2006
The Guardian

An arson attack over the Easter weekend on a Muslim sanctuary in the Spanish city of Ceuta marked another step in what some experts fear is a growing incidence of Islamophobia in the country.

Ceuta lies on a small peninsula in North Africa and a third of the population is Muslim. The burning of the Sidi Bel Abbas sanctuary comes just three months after another sanctuary in the enclave was attacked by arsonists.

Authorities in the city said yesterday that they were considering putting security cameras around mosques, shrines and buildings belonging to other religions in order to dissuade potential attackers.

Although it was unclear yesterday whether those who burned the sanctuary were non-Muslims or fundamentalists opposed to the form of worship practised by local Muslims, it came amid reports of a growing number of attacks across Spain.

El País newspaper yesterday listed a number of mosques and other Muslim targets that have been ransacked, burned or had copies of the Qur’an set alight by intruders.

Police said that extreme rightwingers and skinhead groups were responsible for almost all the attacks.

“They want Spain to have the same sort of violent reaction that the Netherlands had after the murder of film director Theo van Gogh,” one police expert told El País. “Little by little they are creating an atmosphere for this to grow.”

Spain’s 800,000 Muslims, many of them immigrants from neighbouring Morocco, have some 600 mosques around the country.

Spain’s imams, however, prefer not to publicise attacks in order to avoid copycat incidents and angry reactions from within their own community. “We try to avoid confrontation,” Moneir Mahmoud, who runs the main mosque in Madrid, explained.

Protests against the caricatures of the prophet Muhammad that appeared in the European press were kept within the walls of Spanish mosques in order to not to provoke counter-reactions.

At least four towns in the eastern region of Catalonia, however, have seen attacks on mosques and Muslim butchers, some with Molotov cocktails.

In the eastern town of Reus, police detained two car-loads of skinheads armed with Molotov cocktails as they headed towards the local mosque.

The train bombings that killed 191 people in Madrid two years ago and growing Islamophobia since the September 11 attacks were largely to blame.

“We never had things like this happen before,” Imad Alnaddar, who is in charge of the main mosque in Valencia, told El País.

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Guardian Unlimited | Burning of sanctuary stokes fears of Islamophobia in Spain

Posted on April 22nd, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Burning of sanctuary stokes fears of Islamophobia in Spain

Giles Tremlett in Madrid
Tuesday April 18, 2006
The Guardian

An arson attack over the Easter weekend on a Muslim sanctuary in the Spanish city of Ceuta marked another step in what some experts fear is a growing incidence of Islamophobia in the country.

Ceuta lies on a small peninsula in North Africa and a third of the population is Muslim. The burning of the Sidi Bel Abbas sanctuary comes just three months after another sanctuary in the enclave was attacked by arsonists.

Authorities in the city said yesterday that they were considering putting security cameras around mosques, shrines and buildings belonging to other religions in order to dissuade potential attackers.

Although it was unclear yesterday whether those who burned the sanctuary were non-Muslims or fundamentalists opposed to the form of worship practised by local Muslims, it came amid reports of a growing number of attacks across Spain.

El País newspaper yesterday listed a number of mosques and other Muslim targets that have been ransacked, burned or had copies of the Qur’an set alight by intruders.

Police said that extreme rightwingers and skinhead groups were responsible for almost all the attacks.

“They want Spain to have the same sort of violent reaction that the Netherlands had after the murder of film director Theo van Gogh,” one police expert told El País. “Little by little they are creating an atmosphere for this to grow.”

Spain’s 800,000 Muslims, many of them immigrants from neighbouring Morocco, have some 600 mosques around the country.

Spain’s imams, however, prefer not to publicise attacks in order to avoid copycat incidents and angry reactions from within their own community. “We try to avoid confrontation,” Moneir Mahmoud, who runs the main mosque in Madrid, explained.

Protests against the caricatures of the prophet Muhammad that appeared in the European press were kept within the walls of Spanish mosques in order to not to provoke counter-reactions.

At least four towns in the eastern region of Catalonia, however, have seen attacks on mosques and Muslim butchers, some with Molotov cocktails.

In the eastern town of Reus, police detained two car-loads of skinheads armed with Molotov cocktails as they headed towards the local mosque.

The train bombings that killed 191 people in Madrid two years ago and growing Islamophobia since the September 11 attacks were largely to blame.

“We never had things like this happen before,” Imad Alnaddar, who is in charge of the main mosque in Valencia, told El País.

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Aljazeera.Net – Egypt cracks down on Brotherhood

Posted on April 17th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Aljazeera.Net – Egypt cracks down on Brotherhood
Egypt cracks down on Brotherhood

Monday 17 April 2006, 0:09 Makka Time, 21:09 GMT

The arrests happened in Assiut, 320km south of capital Cairo
Related:
Egypt arrests Brotherhood members
Egypt jails Brotherhood leader

Police have detained 43 students at Assiut University in southern Egypt for suspected membership in the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Mahmoud Hussein, the Assiut Brotherhood leader, said the arrests were part of the authorities’ “uninterrupted campaign of detentions”.

Sunday’s roundups brings to almost a 100 the number of Brotherhood members who have been detained since the beginning of March.

Mohammed Osama, a Brotherhood spokesman at its Cairo headquarters, as well as a Cairo police official speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday’s arrests. Charges have not yet been filed.

A Brotherhood student representative at Assiut University, who refused to give his name fearing police reprisal, said security men stormed students’ apartments in three residential areas at dawn and confiscated books and papers.

The Brotherhood representative at the university said there may be demonstrations if the detained students are not freed.

Targeting Brotherhood supporters

On Saturday, police detained 12 suspected members in the al-Sharqiyya and Behira provinces north of Cairo, the Brotherhood’s website and police said.

The arrests have focused on provinces where support for the group is strongest and in districts that elected group members to parliament in last year’s elections.

While officially outlawed, the Brotherhood put forward 150 candidates who ran as independents in the parliamentary vote late last year.

Candidates from the organisation won 88 seats in the 454-member parliament, increasing its presence more than fivefold in a violence-prone series of votes in which at least 10 people were killed.

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Aljazeera.Net – Second man dies in Egyptian unrest

Posted on April 17th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Again unrest in Egypt between Christians (Copts) and Muslims: Aljazeera.Net – Second man dies in Egyptian unrest:

Second man dies in Egyptian unrest

Sunday 16 April 2006, 14:55 Makka Time, 11:55 GMT

Clashes started again in front of Al-Quidissin church
Related:
Clashes erupt at Egypt funeral
Egypt tightens security at churches
Knife attacks at Egypt churches kill one

An Egyptian has died of wounds sustained during clashes between Copts and Muslims in the city of Alexandria as more communal violence marred Palm Sunday, medical sources and witnesses say.

Mustafa Meshaal, who was wounded in the unrest in the port city on Saturday, died of his wounds in hospital on Sunday, medical sources told AFP.

The violence started after an attack on Coptic worshippers in several churches in Alexandria on Friday that left one person dead and several wounded.

Several hundred Copts attended the funeral of 78-year-old Noshi Atta Girgis who was killed by a man using a knife on Friday.

Security sources said 45 people had been arrested following the violence after the funeral. A total of 22 people were injured in the fighting.

Hundreds of Copts attended
Noshi Atta Girgis’s funeral
The interior ministry said it had arrested Mahmoud Abdul Razik Salah Eddin Hussein, 25, the man suspected of Friday’s killing.

The ministry described him as “mentally unstable”.

The official MENA news agency, quoting security sources, said demonstrators “smashed the windscreens of a number of vehicles, burned two other vehicles and some shops”, blaming that unrest on “extremist elements”.

Fresh clashes

Witnesses said clashes erupted once again in front of Al-Quidissin church, following prayers marking the Orthodox Church’s Palm Sunday.

The church was one of the scenes of Friday’s attacks, which were the most serious incidents of sectarian violence since a protest by Muslims accusing an Alexandria church of hosting a play offensive to Islam left three dead in October.

Egypt’s Copts – the largest Christian community in the Middle East – account for an estimated 10% of the country’s 73 million inhabitants and complain of systematic discrimination and harassment.

Egypt’s Copts will mark Easter on April 23.

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The Muslim Postcolonial – A Counter-Perspective on Apostasy in Islam

Posted on April 17th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

On The Muslim Postcolonial: Afghan Convert Controversy

A Counter-Perspective on Apostasy in Islam by Yoginder Sikand. I do not completely agree, but nevertheless worth reading.

Following close on the heels of the furore fuelled by the Danish cartoons another major controversy is now set to further complicate relations between the West and the Muslim world. This concerns the possible execution of an Afghan Muslim convert to Christianity, Abdul Rahman, for having changed his religion. The Western press has taken particular interest in the issue, and Western leaders, including of countries that have themselves been among the most heinous violators of human rights and backers of repressive regimes in the Muslim world, have sent urgent messages of protest to the Afghan government demanding that Abdul Rahman be spared.

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Protected: De Gooi- en Eemlander – Werkstraffen voor daders rel Keverdijk

Posted on April 17th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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'South Park' creators banned from showing image of Islamic prophet | BonitaNews.com

Posted on April 17th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

‘South Park’ creators banned from showing image of Islamic prophet | BonitaNews.com
‘South Park’ creators banned from showing image of Islamic prophet

By By DAVID BAUDER, Associated Press

Friday, April 14, 2006

Banned by Comedy Central from showing an image of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the creators of “South Park” skewered their own network for hypocrisy in the cartoon’s most recent episode.

The comedy — in an episode aired during Holy Week for Christians — instead featured an image of Jesus Christ defecating on President Bush and the American flag.

In an elaborately constructed two-part episode of their Peabody Award-winning cartoon, “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker intended to comment on the controversy created by a Danish newspaper’s publishing of caricatures of Muhammad. Muslims consider any physical representation of their prophet to be blasphemous.

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‘South Park’ creators banned from showing image of Islamic prophet | BonitaNews.com

Posted on April 17th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

‘South Park’ creators banned from showing image of Islamic prophet | BonitaNews.com
‘South Park’ creators banned from showing image of Islamic prophet

By By DAVID BAUDER, Associated Press

Friday, April 14, 2006

Banned by Comedy Central from showing an image of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the creators of “South Park” skewered their own network for hypocrisy in the cartoon’s most recent episode.

The comedy — in an episode aired during Holy Week for Christians — instead featured an image of Jesus Christ defecating on President Bush and the American flag.

In an elaborately constructed two-part episode of their Peabody Award-winning cartoon, “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker intended to comment on the controversy created by a Danish newspaper’s publishing of caricatures of Muhammad. Muslims consider any physical representation of their prophet to be blasphemous.

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Khaleej Times Online – Time to heal

Posted on April 12th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Khaleej Times Online
Time to heal
BY HAWAZEN NASSIEF

10 April 2006

Time to heal
BY HAWAZEN NASSIEF

10 April 2006

ALARMED by the developments that took place in the Muslim world following the publication of the blasphemous cartoons in Denmark, a group of young Muslims, including myself, flew to Denmark in February to initiate a peaceful dialogue and promote mutual understanding.

The trip was facilitated by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and gained enormous publicity in Copenhagen. We interviewed Ministers, lawyers, businessmen, journalists, Danish Muslim leaders, and a Muslim comedian in an attempt to understand how the Danes viewed the issue. To explain why the caricatures resulted in such violent reactions, we participated in discussions, interviews, lectures, and a Press conference.

The visit revealed that the whole issue developed the way it did because of the existing communication gap between Muslim and Western societies. For example, the crisis could have been avoided had the Danish prime minister agreed to meet the 11 Muslim ambassadors who proposed a settlement back in October 2005. The belated regret from Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper that published the cartoons, only apologized for offending Muslims, not for publishing the caricatures. Both these initial reactions fuelled the crisis.

Existing ideological and cultural dissimilarities led to the current misunderstanding as well. Denmark is a secular country in which religion does not play a major role in the public space. In such a profane atmosphere, it was very hard for Danes to understand the importance of religion to Muslims. Meanwhile, Muslims cannot conceive the separation between state and religion. Further, the use of humour and mockery to bring political and social problems into public attention is very common in the Danish culture. The mocking of Muslim religious or political figures, however, is not very common in Muslim countries due to governmental or religious restrictions.

At the same time, the general belief in the Muslim world that the Danish Prime Minister, as a representative of the people, is responsible for their actions and has the authority to restrict them, does not apply in the case of Denmark. In fact, any interference with the Press on the part of the prime minister is considered an illegal extension of his authority. Yet, the lack of action or apology on the premier’s part led many in the Muslim world to believe that attacking Islam is in fact an official government policy. Although freedom of speech is a fundamental right in Islam, it is nearly non-existent in the Muslim world. As a result, the idea of a newspaper publishing an article which is completely inconsistent with a stated government policy or a prime minister with no power over the Press is inconceivable to many Muslims.

Observations helped conclude that freedom of expression is sacred in Denmark and the fear of losing it is evident in the Danish society. This, in turn, explains the consensus against any kind of restriction even when freedom entails satire. For Danes, this guarantees freedom, but at the same time, they can be held accountable for their actions. Section 140 of the Danish criminal code protects the religious doctrines and acts of worship, of any lawfully existing religious community. Moreover, section 266(b) of the Danish penal code protects religious feelings against scorn and degradation. However, only a court can decide whether something that has been published constitutes a criminal offence or not. (more…)

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C L O S E R – Gerard Reve: Ach, je gaat dood of je blijft leven, het zit altijd goed

Posted on April 9th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Nieuws van de dag:Gerard Reve overleden
Zijn werk is verschillende keren gebruikt tegen de achtergrond van het islamdebat. Zie bijvoorbeeld Islam onder mijn huid van Maurits Berger

In zijn boek Islam onder mijn huid doet de Nederlandse Arabist en islamitisch rechtsgeleerde Maurits Berger verslag van zijn persoonlijke ervaringen in de islamitische wereld. Aan de hand van een soort reisverslag beschrijft hij een periode vol aangrijpende gebeurtenissen: de aanslagen van de moslimextremisten in Egypte, de tweede intifada in Palestina, de dood van de Syrische dictator Assad en de reacties op de aanslagen van 11 september 2001 in de Verenigde Staten. Ondanks het feit dat hij zich thuis voelt in de cultuur, de gebruiken en gewoonten van de Arabische wereld blijft de auteur zich een buitenstaander voelen. Zo stoort hij zich aan het gebrek aan individuele vrijheid, maar tegelijkertijd beseft hij dat dat de prijs is die men betaalt voor een sterke gemeenschapszin, hechte familiebanden en duidelijke normen en waarden. Als Nederlander is hij geneigd de rol van de religie nagenoeg te ontkennen, terwijl die in de Arabische wereld bijna gelijk staat met iemands identiteit.

In de inleiding maakt Berger een vergelijking tussen het proces tegen de Nederlandse auteur Gerard Reve die in 1966 in Nederland werd aangeklaagd wegens godslastering en de Egyptische hoogleraar Nasr Abu Zeid die in 1996 hetzelfde overkwam. Reve werd uiteindelijk vrijgesproken. De Egyptische Hoge Raad verklaarde Nasr Abu Zeid evenwel schuldig aan afvalligheid en dat de hoogleraar geen moslim meer was. De auteur vraagt zich af hoe het mogelijk is dat twee bijna identieke juridische systemen (zowel het Egyptische als het Nederlandse zijn afgeleid van het Franse) tot zo een tegengestelde uitspraak komen. Zijn conclusie is treffend: terwijl men in Nederland de rechten van het individu essentieel vindt, beschermen de Egyptische rechters vooral de mening van de meerderheid. Diezelfde gedachtegang schetst de auteur ook in het belang dat mensen in de Arabische wereld schenken aan het begrip vrijheid. Terwijl men in Nederland (en in het Westen) juist trots is op de verworven individuele vrijheid en zich zorgen maakt over een teloorgang van de gemeenschapszin, bestaat een tegengestelde houding in de Arabische wereld. Daar staat de geborgenheid binnen de familie en het hooghouden van normen en waarden centraal. Het lijken clichés maar Marits Berger beschrijft het allemaal vanuit persoonlijke ervaringen.

Een ander voorbeeld is Nader tot U. Eerbewijs aan Reve:

Nader tot U is een bij uitstek godsdienstig boek dat ook in Nederland tot theologische discussies heeft geleid en als zodanig ook heeft bijgedragen tot de Nederlandse benadering van Godsdienst in het algemeen. Die functie zou het nu weer kunnen vervullen.

Nog een voorbeeld is natuurlijk het ‘ezeltjesproces‘ dat te pas en te onpas is gebruikt na de Rushdie-affaire, El-Moumni-affaire, Submission/Van Gogh en de Cartoon-affaire

Als God zich opnieuw in Levende Stof gevangen geeft, zal Hij als Ezel terugkeren, hoogstens in staat een paar lettergrepen te formuleren, miskend en verguisd en geranseld, maar ik zal Hem begrijpen en meteen met Hem naar bed gaan, maar ik doe zwachtels om Zijn hoefjes, dat ik niet te veel schrammen krijg als hij spartelt bij het klaarkomen.

’En God Zelf zou bij mij langs komen in de gedaante van een éénjarige, muisgrijze Ezel en voor de deur staan en aanbellen en zeggen: „Gerard, dat boek van je – weet je dat Ik bij sommige stukken gehuild heb?” „Mijn Heer en mijn God! Geloofd weze Uw Naam tot in alle Eeuwigheid! Ik houd zo verschrikkelijk veel van U”, zou ik proberen te zeggen, maar halverwege zou ik al in janken uitbarsten, en Hem beginnen te kussen en naar binnen trekken, en na een geweldige klauterpartij om de trap naar het slaapkamertje op te komen, zou ik Hem drie keer achter elkaar langdurig in Zijn Geheime Opening bezitten, en daarna een present-eksemplaar geven, niet gebrocheerd, maar gebonden – niet dat gierige en benauwde – met de opdracht: „Voor De Oneindige. Zonder Woorden”.’

Volgens Trouw:

Het Ezelsproces is met recht beroemd. Maar er mankeert iets aan de manier waarop men het in herinnering pleegt te roepen. Zo noemt men de uitkomst vaak een triomf van secularisatie: het terugdringen van godsdienst uit de publieke naar de privé-sfeer. Maar Van het Reve eiste juist het recht om zijn eredienst openbaar te maken. En terwijl progressieve opinieleiders seks verschoonden van morele en religieuze connotaties, gaf hij het geslachtsleven weer bovenaardse luister. Zijn eigengereide gebruik van religieuze termen en beelden bracht traditionele gelovigen van de wijs, maar ging ook in tegen de verlichte koekoekszang van zijn tijd.

Het Ezelsproces heet verder een overwinning voor de homo-emancipatie. Terecht, want vóór Van het Reve waren weinigen zo onbeschroomd uit de kast gekomen. Maar ten onterechte suggereert men dat die bevrijding vooral bevochten moest worden op religieuze instituties. Sommige theologen of ’pastors’ blijken er juist veel toe te hebben bijgedragen. Toegegeven: kerkelijke Nederlanders waren (en zijn) sterker geneigd om homoseksualiteit af te keuren. Maar naast die afkeuring was (en is) er in brede lagen van de bevolking een diepgevoelde afkeer van homoseks, die weinig te maken had of heeft met godsdienstige overtuiging.

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The Grand Rapids Press – Got Dutch? Well, not much

Posted on April 7th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Got Dutch? Well, not much
About the Dutch in the US and what happens if people from the Netherlands visit the Dutch migrants in the US.

Friday, April 07, 2006
By Kym Reinstadler
The Grand Rapids Press

HOLLAND — They didn’t pack a Dutch costume because they don’t own one.

They never wore wooden shoes or learned traditional klompen dancing until they arrived in Michigan.

Those are answers five Dutch students from a hospitality school in the Netherlands have given regularly since arriving March 10 to do a three-month internship at Dutch Village in Holland.
“We love it here, but it’s old Holland,” said Nicolle van Sambeek, 19, from Sint Anthonis. “We hope Americans realize this is not how it still goes in the Netherlands.”

The Netherlands is a modern, progressive country that plays a major role in the economy of Europe, even though it’s smaller than Michigan, said Serani van der Helm, 19, of Helmond.

Today, to see people wearing wooden shoes or dining on pigs in blankets off Delftware, you would have to visit old people in rural regions of the country, the students said.

Holland Mayor Al McGeehan, who met the students Thursday, asked the visitors to forgive Holland for stereotypes. Its icons — from klompen dancing to cuisine — all celebrate the culture the first settlers in West Michigan 160 years ago fondly remembered.

He acknowledged that he learned through his travels that giving wooden shoes — his city’s highest honor reserved for presidents and other dignitaries — would be considered an insult in the Netherlands.

“Holland has grown to be more than our Dutch heritage, yet this is our key to recognition across the country,” McGeehan said. “Please do not laugh at our old symbols.”

The students, who will work in a variety of capacities at Dutch Village, say it’s hard to get too homesick in Holland. There are the same gray skies and a telephone book full of familiar names.

They enjoyed learning that DeZwaan, Holland’s 240-year-old working Dutch windmill, was dismantled in 1964 from the province of North Brabant, where their school is based.

McGeehan was a tour guide when Windmill Island opened 40 years ago and can still recite his spiel — a skill the students imagine they will hone during careers in tourism.

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Protected: nu.nl/algemeen | Balkenende: islam geen gevaar

Posted on April 7th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News, Uncategorized.

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Protected: nu.nl/algemeen | Balkenende: islam geen gevaar

Posted on April 7th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News, Uncategorized.

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Wereldmuseum Rotterdam – Fotolezing: De Madrasa, een intiem portret van het leven op een religieuze hogeschool in India

Posted on April 6th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Tip voor het Nationaal Museum Weekend aanstaande zaterdag en zondag:

Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, Theater de Evenaar

Zaterdag 8 april
Aanvang: 14.30 uur, Entree: gratis, Voertaal: Engels

Fotolezing: De Madrasa, een intiem portret van het leven op een religieuze hogeschool in India

De madrasa, een school voor wetenschappelijk onderwijs in islamitische en aanverwante vakken, staat onder forse druk sinds de ‘oorlog tegen het terrorisme’ begon. De scholen zouden bolwerken zijn van islamitisch fundamentalisme en docenten zouden banden onderhouden met terroristen. In zijn fotolezing geeft Farish Noor een kijkje in de wereld van de madrasa, een institutt dat honderden jaren bestaat en talloze wetenschappers, rechtsgeleerden en leiders in de islamitische wereld voortbracht. Noor staat stil bij het dagelijkse leven in de twee meest prestigieuze scholen van India, de Dar’ul Uloom in Deoband en Nadwatul Uloom madrasa in Lucknow, en toont ons een wereld waar veel over wordt geschreven maar die zelden wordt bezocht.

Dr. Farish Ahmad-Noor is wetenschappelijk onderzoeker aan het Zentrum Moderner Orient in Berlijn.
Programma i.s.m. ISIM (International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World) in Leiden.

Lezing i.h.k.v. Museumweekend met als thema: de kennis van het weten
Op www.nmo.nl via tv/onderhandelen over identiteit kunt u meer te weten komen over Farish Noor.
Willemskade 25, 3016 DM Rotterdam
Informatie en reserveringen: 010 – 270 7190 (di t/m zo van 10.00 – 17.00 uur)
www.wereldmuseum.rotterdam.nl/evenaar.html

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Muslims urge end to boycott of Danish products – International Herald Tribune

Posted on April 6th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Muslims urge end to boycott of Danish products – International Herald Tribune

By Hassan Fattah The New York Times
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2006

DUBAI A group of prominent Muslim scholars has called for an end to the boycott of the Danish retailer Arla Foods, in what may prove to be a major step toward resolving the crisis between Muslim nations and Denmark over the publication last autumn of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

The International Committee for the Support of the Final Prophet, in a statement issued at the end of a meeting of prominent religious leaders in Bahrain last week, advised that “Arla Foods should be withdrawn from the boycott on Denmark,” in recognition of the company’s efforts to reach out to the Muslim world.

Arla, the second-largest dairy products company in Europe and the largest Danish packaged foods supplier in the Middle East, saw its sales drop to nearly zero in the region when the boycott began in February. Although the statement names only Arla, the move is widely expected to break the embargo on other Danish suppliers in the region.

The scholars’ statement said that their recommendation “is based on the announcements that Arla Foods had placed throughout the Middle East condemning the actions of the Danish newspaper, as well as refusing to accept any excuse in this regard.”

“Arla has been facing tremendous pressure and criticism for its position,” it added.

Arla last week placed full-page ads in major Arab newspapers condemning the cartoons for insulting Islam, a move that sparked as much approbation in Denmark as it did applause in the Middle East. (more…)

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