The Messenger of Peace

Posted on November 8th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Many of you have probably seen Ar-Risalah? If not, I think you should. You can watch it HERE. But…as Reuters has announced:
Movie planned on life of Prophet Mohammad

DUBAI (Reuters) – A movie drama about the life of the Prophet Mohammad is to go into production soon, and will be only the second English-language film of its kind ever made, its producers said on Monday.

“The Messenger of Peace” will be a remake of Moustapha Akkad’s “The Message,” a 1977 Hollywood classic starring Anthony Quinn which is often applauded by Muslims as an example of how commercial Western cinema can respect Islam.

“We have only the utmost respect for Akkad’s work but technology in cinema has advanced since the 1970s and this latest project will employ modern film techniques in its renewal of the first film’s core messages,” producer Oscar Zoghbi, who worked on the original, said in a statement.

Akkad, the Syrian-born executive producer of Hollywood’s “Halloween” horror films, was killed in a suicide bomb attack by al Qaeda on a luxury hotel in Jordan’s capital Amman in 2005.

In the original “Message,” the Prophet and his companions were heard speaking off-camera but never directly shown, in accordance with Muslim conventions forbidding their visual depiction.

Portrayals of Mohammad have triggered anger in recent years. Danish cartoons of him ignited protests, some deadly, by Muslims in many countries in 2006. The offices of a British publisher were attacked in September over a novel about the Prophet’s child bride.

“In the 21st century there is a real need for a film that emotionally engages audiences on the journey that led to the birth of Islam,” the statement quoted the film’s scriptwriter Ramsey Thomas as saying.

A spokesman for the producers said in an email to Reuters that details of the funding and production of the planned film would be released “in due course.”

The events of the Prophet’s life took place mainly in Mecca and Medina, Islamic holy cities in modern Saudi Arabia.

(Writing by Andrew Hammond; editing by Andrew Roche)

0 comments.

Translation of Ahmadinejad’s Letter

Posted on November 8th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Translation of Ahmadinejad’s Letter – washingtonpost.com
Here is a Washington Post translation of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s letter to Barack Obama:

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Mr. Barack Obama

President-elect of the United States of America

I congratulate you on having gained the majority of the votes of those who took part in the election. As you know, the chances that God gives to his subjects pass swiftly. They can be used for the perfection of humanity and to the benefit of nations or, God forbid, to the detriment of nations.

I hope you will choose to honor the real interests of people and justice and equity over the insatiable appetites of the selfish minority. Use this chance to serve to the extent you can. And leave a good name behind for yourself.

People expect an immediate and clear response to the pressure for fundamental change in the American government’s policies, both foreign and domestic. This is the desire of all the world’s nations and of the American nation as well, and it should be the objective and basis of all your future government’s programs and actions.

On the one hand, the American nation, which has spiritual inclinations, expects your government to focus its energy and will on serving the people; dealing with the current economic crisis; restoring the country’s standing, morale and hope; eradicating poverty and discrimination; and renewing respect for individuals, their safety and their rights. It also expects policies that will strengthen the foundations of the family — part of the teachings of the holy prophets, who are also revered in America.

On the other hand, the nations of the world expect an end to policies based on warmongering, invasion, bullying, trickery, the humiliation of other countries by the imposition of biased and unfair requirements, and a diplomatic approach that has bred hatred for America’s leaders and undermined respect for its people. They want to see actions based on justice, respect for the rights of human beings and nations, friendship and non-intervention in the affairs of others. They want the American government to keep its interventions within its own country’s borders.

In the sensitive Middle East region, in particular, the expectation is that the unjust actions of the past 60 years will give way to a policy encouraging full rights for all nations, especially the oppressed nations of Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The great civilization-building and justice-seeking nation of Iran would welcome major, fair and real changes, in policies and actions, especially in this region.

If steps are taken in the path of righteousness, toward the goal of carrying out the teachings of the holy prophets, it is hoped that almighty God will help and that the enormous damage done in the past will be somewhat diminished.

I ask the high God to grant all of humanity and all nations health and happiness, honor and prosperity, and to grant rulers and officials the ability to learn from the past and to use every chance to serve, to spread love and kindness, to eradicate oppression, to do justice and to follow the holy guidelines.

Mahmoud Ahmadiniejad

0 comments.

Translation of Ahmadinejad's Letter

Posted on November 8th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Translation of Ahmadinejad’s Letter – washingtonpost.com
Here is a Washington Post translation of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s letter to Barack Obama:

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Mr. Barack Obama

President-elect of the United States of America

I congratulate you on having gained the majority of the votes of those who took part in the election. As you know, the chances that God gives to his subjects pass swiftly. They can be used for the perfection of humanity and to the benefit of nations or, God forbid, to the detriment of nations.

I hope you will choose to honor the real interests of people and justice and equity over the insatiable appetites of the selfish minority. Use this chance to serve to the extent you can. And leave a good name behind for yourself.

People expect an immediate and clear response to the pressure for fundamental change in the American government’s policies, both foreign and domestic. This is the desire of all the world’s nations and of the American nation as well, and it should be the objective and basis of all your future government’s programs and actions.

On the one hand, the American nation, which has spiritual inclinations, expects your government to focus its energy and will on serving the people; dealing with the current economic crisis; restoring the country’s standing, morale and hope; eradicating poverty and discrimination; and renewing respect for individuals, their safety and their rights. It also expects policies that will strengthen the foundations of the family — part of the teachings of the holy prophets, who are also revered in America.

On the other hand, the nations of the world expect an end to policies based on warmongering, invasion, bullying, trickery, the humiliation of other countries by the imposition of biased and unfair requirements, and a diplomatic approach that has bred hatred for America’s leaders and undermined respect for its people. They want to see actions based on justice, respect for the rights of human beings and nations, friendship and non-intervention in the affairs of others. They want the American government to keep its interventions within its own country’s borders.

In the sensitive Middle East region, in particular, the expectation is that the unjust actions of the past 60 years will give way to a policy encouraging full rights for all nations, especially the oppressed nations of Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The great civilization-building and justice-seeking nation of Iran would welcome major, fair and real changes, in policies and actions, especially in this region.

If steps are taken in the path of righteousness, toward the goal of carrying out the teachings of the holy prophets, it is hoped that almighty God will help and that the enormous damage done in the past will be somewhat diminished.

I ask the high God to grant all of humanity and all nations health and happiness, honor and prosperity, and to grant rulers and officials the ability to learn from the past and to use every chance to serve, to spread love and kindness, to eradicate oppression, to do justice and to follow the holy guidelines.

Mahmoud Ahmadiniejad

0 comments.

Maurits Berger hoogleraar in Leiden

Posted on October 30th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Scienceguide.nl: Boerka’s, Plasterk en de islam als katalysator

Maurits Berger bestudeert in Leiden hoe moslims in westerse samenlevingen hun leven vorm geven en dus ook de westerse samenleving haar ontwikkeling met de islam. Hij is het niet eens met minister Plasterk over het ‘boerkaverbod’ op scholen. Niet omdat hij geen bezwaar tegen boerka’s ziet, maar omdat hij zich ernstig zorgen maakt over de toenemende juridisering van dit soort discussies over de islam.

0 comments.

Transnationale ‘islamkritiek’ of ‘racisme’

Posted on October 26th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Op het weblog van Bert Brussen een stukje dat ik nog gemist had:
Bert Brussen » Joost Zwagerman fileert politiek correct links

In NRC Handelsblad van dit weekend fileert hij in een column op geraffineerde wijze de provinciale wijze waarop links nog altijd kritiek op de islam pareert door het weg te zetten als “extreem rechtse xenofobie”, zelfs als die kritiek van islamieten zelf komt.

Het verwijst naar een column van Joost Zwagerman die ingaat op de zaak tegen Martin Amis en Ian McEwan. Wat is er aan de hand? (more…)

23 comments.

Transnationale 'islamkritiek' of 'racisme'

Posted on October 26th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Op het weblog van Bert Brussen een stukje dat ik nog gemist had:
Bert Brussen » Joost Zwagerman fileert politiek correct links

In NRC Handelsblad van dit weekend fileert hij in een column op geraffineerde wijze de provinciale wijze waarop links nog altijd kritiek op de islam pareert door het weg te zetten als “extreem rechtse xenofobie”, zelfs als die kritiek van islamieten zelf komt.

Het verwijst naar een column van Joost Zwagerman die ingaat op de zaak tegen Martin Amis en Ian McEwan. Wat is er aan de hand? (more…)

23 comments.

RTL Nieuws naar de rechter om oorlog Irak

Posted on October 18th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

RTL Nieuws naar rechter om oorlog Irak

“Al vijf jaar weigert de regering volledige openheid van zaken te geven over de oorlog in Irak en de reden waarom Nederland die oorlog steunde”, stelt RTL Nieuws-hoofdredacteur Harm Taselaar. “Ons werd gezegd dat er massavernietigingswapens waren, maar die zijn nooit gevonden. In veel landen is daarover verantwoording afgelegd en bleek veel informatie niet te kloppen. In Nederland wordt dat krampachtig tegengehouden en is een parlementair onderzoek zelfs getorpedeerd. Wij vragen de rechter daarom nu te toetsen wat ons wettelijk recht op informatie voorstelt als het er echt op aankomt.”

0 comments.

An Amsterdammer in Rotterdam

Posted on October 17th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

nrc.nl – International – Rotterdam chooses Dutch Moroccan mayor

Ahmed Aboutaleb, a prominent Labour politician who was born in Morocco, will be the new mayor of Rotterdam. Aboutaleb (47) is currently the deputy minister of social affairs. He will start his new job on January 1, 2009, after the home affairs ministry confirms his appointment.

Before becoming a deputy minister in February 2007, Aboutaleb made a name for himself in Amsterdam, where he was the city council’s executive for social affairs.

Aboutaleb is the first mayor of Moroccan descent to be appointed in the Netherlands. Rotterdam is the country’s second biggest city (population 584,000) and has substantial social and poverty issues.

It is also the city where populist politician Pim Fortuyn started his short-lived political career. Fortuyn was murdered by an environmental activist in 2002, just a few days prior to the national elections.

His ‘heirs’ still make up the largest opposition party in Rotterdam and have voiced strong criticism of Aboutaleb, not so much for his background in rival city Amsterdam, but for his roots in Morocco.

“Aboutaleb is a Muslim and he has two passports. Should he, of all people, be in charge of a city where the majority of the immigrant population refuses to integrate?” city councillor Dries Mosch said.

Aboutaleb, currently in Marseille, France, told press agency ANP that he was very pleased with his nomination as mayor of “a really nice city, with a special population and a great history.”

Mayors in the Netherlands are political appointees.

0 comments.

Amsterdammer in Rotterdam: Aboutaleb

Posted on October 16th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Rotterdam kiest Aboutaleb – Telegraaf.nl

ROTTERDAM – De Rotterdamse gemeenteraad heeft Ahmed Aboutaleb donderdagmiddag voorgedragen als opvolger van Ivo Opstelten. De raad gaf de PvdA-politicus en staatssecreatris van Sociale Zaken de voorkeur. Aboutaleb wordt de eerste Nederlandse burgemeester van Marokkaanse afkomst.

0 comments.

PAROOL: Binnenland – PVV wil af van grondrecht voor moslims bij scholing

Posted on October 3rd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

PAROOL: Binnenland – PVV wil af van grondrecht voor moslims bij scholing
”Ik ben een warm pleitbezorger voor de vrijheid van onderwijs, maar niet voor islamitische scholen”, aldus Bosma. Door middel van een uitzondering in de wet wil het Kamerlid een expliciet onderscheid maken tussen de islam en groepen met andere levensbeschouwelijke overtuigingen.

1 comment.

Al-Qaradawi Speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat

Posted on October 1st, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Al-Qaradawi Speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat

By Majid al Kinani

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Some see Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi as controversial in some of his fatwas and opinions. What is your comment on this?

[Al-Qaradawi] I do not like to raise controversies and I hate arguments. This is my principle in teaching and in fatwa. I have adopted the principle of innovation and facilitation and this does not suit everyone. My fatwa and writings in general disturb two kinds of people; those who are against any change whatsoever, and those who are ultra-liberal. I always tend to discipline myself, my thoughts and my fatwa with the Sharia rules and principles, in addition to sound logic which should be in conformity with sound reason. No religion can come up with anything that stands contrary to reason.

0 comments.

Nederland als joods-christelijk-islamitisch land?

Posted on September 29th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

De Speld » Willem van Oranje was bekeerde moslim
Willem van Oranje was bekeerde moslim
Proefschrift werpt nieuw licht op vaderlandse geschiedenis
Door Steven van der Jagt

Onze Vader des Vaderlands was in de laatste twee jaar van zijn leven praktiserend moslim. Dat beweert althans de Leidse historicus Tjalling Wenselaar. De promovendus besteedde de afgelopen vier jaar aan intensief archief onderzoek en zegt dat er geen andere conclusie mogelijk is. “Yusuf Ibrahim van Oranje Nassau, zo zou hij eigenlijk in de geschiedenisboeken terecht moeten komen”.

(more…)

0 comments.

akala el waladou el touffA7ah

Posted on September 27th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

3arabi :: Firefox Add-ons
The add-on can transliterate your English letters or translate English to Arabic using Google translate.

This is useful in Google search, writing emails or writing comments in blogs when you have no access to an Arabic keyboard.

A video and detailed help page are available at http://3arabi.abisalloum.com

0 comments.

Saudi ‘fatwa’ discussion – The National Newspaper

Posted on September 26th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Saudi clerics’ outbursts hurt image of Islam – The National Newspaper
Some interesting comments on recent ‘fatwas’ by Caryle Murphy

Riyadh // When the head of Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court recently declared that media officials responsible for airing immoral television programmes could be killed, his remarks provoked what has become a familiar response around the world.

Ridicule and scorn for Saudi Arabia, and more “proof” for Islamophobes of the “backwardness” of Islam.

Sheikh Lihedan’s remarks were not the only ones in recent months to trigger a spate of global eye-rolling.

The most famous was a declaration by a member of the Saudi religious police, officially known as the Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice, that dog-walking had become an unacceptable “phenomenon” in Riyadh. He demanded enforcement of 14-year-old ban on selling cats and dogs.

Then came a Saudi cleric bemoaning the fact that young children have become enamoured of such cartoon figures as Mickey Mouse even though Islamic law stipulates that mice should be killed.

But the press coverage, both in Saudi Arabia and abroad, often disregards some important aspects of religious discourse in the kingdom.

First of all, the press almost always refers to any comment from a religious figure as a fatwa. But in most cases, their comments do not rise to the level of a fatwa, and are therefore not worthy of the deference normally accorded such religious opinions.
Indeed, a more pertinent criticism of such comments is to ask why sheikhs do not spend their religious capital on more important moral concerns, such as demanding badly needed reforms to the Saudi court system, and urging kindness and justice for the poor, including the expatriate workers who do most of the manual labour in the kingdom.

Also, the press rarely notes if the sheikh making the controversial comments is associated with the government or not. Sheikhs Barrak, Jibreen and Munajid, for example, do not hold government jobs.

By contrast, Sheikh Lihedan does. And this was why his comments about television executives prompted a rapid government rebuttal.

Lastly, those who publicise controversial remarks by Muslim scholars rarely raise the bigger question prompted by such comments: Who speaks for Islam?

Actually, this is the burning ember stoking almost every controversy in Islam in these volatile times. What the ultra-conservative sheikhs – and often their critics too – fail to note is that the voices of authority in Islam have become far more numerous than at any previous time in modern history.

1 comment.

Saudi 'fatwa' discussion – The National Newspaper

Posted on September 26th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Saudi clerics’ outbursts hurt image of Islam – The National Newspaper
Some interesting comments on recent ‘fatwas’ by Caryle Murphy

Riyadh // When the head of Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court recently declared that media officials responsible for airing immoral television programmes could be killed, his remarks provoked what has become a familiar response around the world.

Ridicule and scorn for Saudi Arabia, and more “proof” for Islamophobes of the “backwardness” of Islam.

Sheikh Lihedan’s remarks were not the only ones in recent months to trigger a spate of global eye-rolling.

The most famous was a declaration by a member of the Saudi religious police, officially known as the Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice, that dog-walking had become an unacceptable “phenomenon” in Riyadh. He demanded enforcement of 14-year-old ban on selling cats and dogs.

Then came a Saudi cleric bemoaning the fact that young children have become enamoured of such cartoon figures as Mickey Mouse even though Islamic law stipulates that mice should be killed.

But the press coverage, both in Saudi Arabia and abroad, often disregards some important aspects of religious discourse in the kingdom.

First of all, the press almost always refers to any comment from a religious figure as a fatwa. But in most cases, their comments do not rise to the level of a fatwa, and are therefore not worthy of the deference normally accorded such religious opinions.
Indeed, a more pertinent criticism of such comments is to ask why sheikhs do not spend their religious capital on more important moral concerns, such as demanding badly needed reforms to the Saudi court system, and urging kindness and justice for the poor, including the expatriate workers who do most of the manual labour in the kingdom.

Also, the press rarely notes if the sheikh making the controversial comments is associated with the government or not. Sheikhs Barrak, Jibreen and Munajid, for example, do not hold government jobs.

By contrast, Sheikh Lihedan does. And this was why his comments about television executives prompted a rapid government rebuttal.

Lastly, those who publicise controversial remarks by Muslim scholars rarely raise the bigger question prompted by such comments: Who speaks for Islam?

Actually, this is the burning ember stoking almost every controversy in Islam in these volatile times. What the ultra-conservative sheikhs – and often their critics too – fail to note is that the voices of authority in Islam have become far more numerous than at any previous time in modern history.

1 comment.

The Immanent Frame – The ruse of ‘secular humanism’

Posted on September 22nd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Michael Warner on The Immanent Frame:

Discussions of the secular can often be peculiarly remote. Whenever secularism is imagined as unbelief, or political neutrality, or an empty social space to be filled up with religious pluralism, it can be difficult to remember how it can also serve as a framework of corporeal experience and struggle. We are used to associating corporeal discipline and affect with religion, but not with the secular. So it might be excusable to begin with some personal reflection, not for the sake of autobiography but in order to tether analysis in some awareness of how the problem comes to have stakes.

0 comments.

The Immanent Frame – The ruse of 'secular humanism'

Posted on September 22nd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Michael Warner on The Immanent Frame:

Discussions of the secular can often be peculiarly remote. Whenever secularism is imagined as unbelief, or political neutrality, or an empty social space to be filled up with religious pluralism, it can be difficult to remember how it can also serve as a framework of corporeal experience and struggle. We are used to associating corporeal discipline and affect with religion, but not with the secular. So it might be excusable to begin with some personal reflection, not for the sake of autobiography but in order to tether analysis in some awareness of how the problem comes to have stakes.

0 comments.

Tariq Ramadan: Bolkesteins retoriek is gevaarlijk – Opinie – de Volkskrant

Posted on September 20th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Bolkesteins retoriek is gevaarlijk – Opinie – de Volkskrant
Daar is ie dan; de reactie van Tariq Ramadan op de speech van Frits Bolkestein.

(more…)

0 comments.

Death for ‘immoral’ network owners debate

Posted on September 19th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Saudi official: Death for ‘immoral’ network owners – International Herald Tribune

A senior Saudi official said Sunday that owners of satellite TV networks that show “immoral” content should be brought to trial and sentenced to death if other penalties don’t deter them from airing such broadcasts.

The comments by Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan, the chief of the kingdom’s highest tribunal, the Supreme Judiciary Council, were an attempt to explain a fatwa, or decree, he issued last week, in which he said just that it was permissible to kill the network’s owners.

Appearing on government-run Saudi TV Sunday, al-Lihedan seemed to be trying to calm the controversy his original comments triggered, explaining that the owners of offending networks should be warned and punished before possibly being brought to trial and executed.

Saudi cleric’s fatwa widely denounced – BostonHerald.com

Arabs across the ideological spectrum, from secular-minded liberals to Muslim hard-liners, are denouncing a recent edict by a top Saudi cleric that it is permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV stations that show “immoral” content.

Many expressed worry the comments by Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan — chief of the kingdom’s highest tribunal, the Supreme Judiciary Council — would fuel terrorism, encouraging attacks on station employees and owners.

The edict, or fatwa, has also focused the spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s legal system because of al-Lihedan’s senior position in the judiciary. The system is run by Islamic cleric-judges, many of them hard-liners, and has increasingly been criticized by some Saudis because of the wide discretion judges have in punishing criminals and the perception that many judges are out of touch with the realities of the world.
Click to learn more…

Even conservative clerics who agree that Arab satellite networks show too many “indecent” programs said al-Lihedan had gone too far.

“Our religion prevents Muslims from watching films that provide seduction, obscenity and vulgarity,” said Sheik Hazim Awad, an Iraqi cleric, who, like al-Lihedan, is Sunni Muslim.

0 comments.

Death for 'immoral' network owners debate

Posted on September 19th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Saudi official: Death for ‘immoral’ network owners – International Herald Tribune

A senior Saudi official said Sunday that owners of satellite TV networks that show “immoral” content should be brought to trial and sentenced to death if other penalties don’t deter them from airing such broadcasts.

The comments by Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan, the chief of the kingdom’s highest tribunal, the Supreme Judiciary Council, were an attempt to explain a fatwa, or decree, he issued last week, in which he said just that it was permissible to kill the network’s owners.

Appearing on government-run Saudi TV Sunday, al-Lihedan seemed to be trying to calm the controversy his original comments triggered, explaining that the owners of offending networks should be warned and punished before possibly being brought to trial and executed.

Saudi cleric’s fatwa widely denounced – BostonHerald.com

Arabs across the ideological spectrum, from secular-minded liberals to Muslim hard-liners, are denouncing a recent edict by a top Saudi cleric that it is permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV stations that show “immoral” content.

Many expressed worry the comments by Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan — chief of the kingdom’s highest tribunal, the Supreme Judiciary Council — would fuel terrorism, encouraging attacks on station employees and owners.

The edict, or fatwa, has also focused the spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s legal system because of al-Lihedan’s senior position in the judiciary. The system is run by Islamic cleric-judges, many of them hard-liners, and has increasingly been criticized by some Saudis because of the wide discretion judges have in punishing criminals and the perception that many judges are out of touch with the realities of the world.
Click to learn more…

Even conservative clerics who agree that Arab satellite networks show too many “indecent” programs said al-Lihedan had gone too far.

“Our religion prevents Muslims from watching films that provide seduction, obscenity and vulgarity,” said Sheik Hazim Awad, an Iraqi cleric, who, like al-Lihedan, is Sunni Muslim.

0 comments.

Al-Ahram Weekly | Living | Break the habit

Posted on September 19th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Al-Ahram Weekly | Living | Break the habit
At the height of Ramadan, Nashwa Abdel-Tawab discusses with Egyptian youth new spiritual and social habits

“I’m going to pray taraweeh [night prayers] at the mosque this year and do i’tikaf [stay at mosque] in the last 10 days.”
“Great, I’d like to join but can we do something practical as well?”
“We can help in packing Ramadan bags and cooking food to distribute among the poor.”
“Wow. Let’s tell our friends to join us.”

This fictional yet no less representative conversation between two Egyptian youth acts as an indicator of the attitude of rewesh, or cool youngsters today towards Ramadan. The choice of topic makes a positive change from young Egyptians’ more habitual concerns, which range from love, music and jokes to the latest movies, drugs, smoking and ringtones.

Neither over-serious nor decidedly playful, the majority of young people today are overcoming numerous obstacles in order to fulfil promises they have made to themselves and which they intend to honour this Ramadan.

That is not to say, however, that young Egyptians are en masse espousing tradition. Their religious discourse, for one, breaks from the religious moulds their elders know. For young people it’s not about memorising the Quran and hadith while seeking spiritual learning close to home, but rather about espousing an entirely new discourse, one which is very often transmitted via satellite television. Among the shows that have grown hugely popular among young Egyptians is that of young preacher Mustafa Hosni, who via TV and Internet uses cartoons, among other things, to reach out to Muslim youth.

0 comments.

Al-Ahram Weekly | Living | Break the habit

Posted on September 19th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Al-Ahram Weekly | Living | Break the habit
At the height of Ramadan, Nashwa Abdel-Tawab discusses with Egyptian youth new spiritual and social habits

“I’m going to pray taraweeh [night prayers] at the mosque this year and do i’tikaf [stay at mosque] in the last 10 days.”
“Great, I’d like to join but can we do something practical as well?”
“We can help in packing Ramadan bags and cooking food to distribute among the poor.”
“Wow. Let’s tell our friends to join us.”

This fictional yet no less representative conversation between two Egyptian youth acts as an indicator of the attitude of rewesh, or cool youngsters today towards Ramadan. The choice of topic makes a positive change from young Egyptians’ more habitual concerns, which range from love, music and jokes to the latest movies, drugs, smoking and ringtones.

Neither over-serious nor decidedly playful, the majority of young people today are overcoming numerous obstacles in order to fulfil promises they have made to themselves and which they intend to honour this Ramadan.

That is not to say, however, that young Egyptians are en masse espousing tradition. Their religious discourse, for one, breaks from the religious moulds their elders know. For young people it’s not about memorising the Quran and hadith while seeking spiritual learning close to home, but rather about espousing an entirely new discourse, one which is very often transmitted via satellite television. Among the shows that have grown hugely popular among young Egyptians is that of young preacher Mustafa Hosni, who via TV and Internet uses cartoons, among other things, to reach out to Muslim youth.

0 comments.

nrc.nl – International – Sacked Moroccan police officer leads to diplomatic row

Posted on September 19th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

nrc.nl – International – Sacked Moroccan police officer leads to diplomatic row

Morocco has withdrawn two diplomats from the Netherlands after complaints from Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen about “detrimental practices” by the Moroccan authorities two months ago.
The alleged offences are related to the case of a police officer in Rotterdam who was sacked this summer on suspicion of spying for the Moroccan secret service. The man was officially fired for “a severe breach of duty”. While it has not yet been decided whether to prosecute the man, the case has caused a political stir in the Netherlands.

Rotterdam city councillor Fouad El Haji (Labour) told Dutch television last night that the Moroccan secret service does try to recruit in the Netherlands. He said he himself had been approached by a network that protects Moroccan interests abroad. Members of parliament have demanded the government answer questions about the alleged pressure from Morocco on Moroccan nationals living in the Netherlands. An emergency debate on the issue will be held next week.

Meanwhile, the police are to investigate the former sergeant, who has both Dutch and Moroccan nationality. Earlier this week the chief public prosecutor in Rotterdam Henk Korvinus said that a report from the AIVD security service did not contain “enough leads” to prosecute the man. But the growing row has led Korvinus to reconsider his earlier decision.

0 comments.

Moreel gelijk valt niet te bewijzen – Opinie – de Volkskrant

Posted on September 19th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Moreel gelijk valt niet te bewijzen – Opinie – de Volkskrant
Adrian de Groot Ruiz (25 jaar, promovendus Universiteit van Amsterdam), Sayida Vanenburg (30 jaar, CSR consultant) en Willemijn Aerdts (25 jaar, internationaal jurist) zijn jonge Worldconnectors en zetten zich samen met prominente en betrokken Nederlanders in tegen onverschilligheid en voor solidariteit gebaseerd op verbondenheid (connection in plaats van ‘clash’). In de Volkskrant reageren zij op het debat tussen Bolkestein en Ramadan. De Volkskrant publiceerde eerder al de speech van Bolkestein en later zal ook de reactie van Ramadan volgen. In hun reactie stellen ze dat we verder moeten, ook met niet-liberale moslims en dat betekent een moeizaam zoeken naar gedeelde waarden. (more…)

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Human.nl – Bijna zo erg als de Denen

Posted on September 18th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Human.nl – RTV Gids

Naar de online stream: klik hier

Jonathan Israel, vooraanstaand Brits historicus en internationaal gerespecteerd kenner van de Verlichting, over Nederland, Spinoza en de Verlichting. Journalist/schrijver Max Pam en historica Amanda Kluveld zochten Jonathan Israel op in Oxford, waar hij Nederlandse geschiedenis doceert. Volgens hem hebben de Nederlanden een cruciale rol gespeeld in de verlichtingsbeweging en is het vooral de Nederlandse filosoof Spinoza geweest, die grote invloed heeft gehad op het moderne denken. De inzichten van Spinoza zijn volgens Israel nog altijd actueel, zeker als het gaat om de invloed van de religie, de gelijkheidsgedachte en de vrijheid van meningsuiting. In de loop van zijn studie is Israel steeds meer geinteresseerd geraakt in Nederland. Hij komt vaak in ons land en hij doet hier regelmatig onderzoek. Aan de hand van televisiefragmenten met onder anderen Pim Fortuyn, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, prinses Maxima en cabaretier Hans Teeuwen worden kwesties doorgenomen, die Nederland na de moorden op Fortuyn en Van Gogh in beroering brachten. Regie: Amanda Kluveld en Max Pam.

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